Morning after pills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Morning after pills - Essay Example e Morning - after pills just like a regular birth control pill although it is much stronger and it functions by preventing ovulation thus avoiding contraception or implantation if ovulation occurs (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Morning-after pills are common and they play a significant role in preventing an unplanned pregnancy in various situations but the drug is highly abused apart from having some adverse side-effects on its users. Morning-after pills contain hormones similar to the content of regular birth control pills and they prevent pregnancy primarily by preventing ovaries from releasing eggs. Moreover, the pills usually make cervical mucus thick hence prohibiting sperms from mixing with egg and causing fertilization. The functionally of the pills largely depend on the stage of the menstrual cycle in women. Watkins (2012) believes that depending on the stage of the menstrual cycle, the contraception may delay or stop the release of the egg, change the lining of the uterus, and finally alter the movement of the egg and sperm by limiting their speed (1463-1470). However, the morning-after pills are never effective for pregnancies implanted in the uterus. It should be noted that morning-after pills are not worth relied on and should only be considered as last chance contraception (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Effectiveness of the morning-after pills is within a certain period including immediately after unpro tected intercourse up to 5 days or 120 hours. However, they always work best when taken immediately after unprotected sex instead of waiting for the fifth day because the longer an individual waits for the pills, the lesser their chance of working. Ferri (2012) illustrates that there are two hormonal types of morning-after pills whose effectiveness, prices and side effects differ slightly (2855-287). The first type of morning-after pills is known as plan B that contains progestin hormone and is taken as 2 pills. Plan B pills can either be taken immediately

The History Of Psychology and Philosophy

The History Of Psychology and Philosophy Throughout the course of history, psychology has taken shape and formed into a field of science that is essential in modern times. Psychologys origins are deeply rooted in the field of philosophy, dating back to the ancient Greeks with such recognizable names as Aristotle and Plato, who began contemplating the causes of human behavior before even physiology and anatomy would connect the brain to behavior. Many philosophers have attempted to explain the basis for our behavior, but few have been influential and ingenious enough to have not only changed the face of psychology, but lead it into a new direction and devise theories still considered germane today. With the growing popularity of psychology in the field of philosophy, it was only a matter of time before psychology captured the interest of academics with a more scientific approach to determining and explaining the causes for human behavior. Following on the footsteps of Wilhelm Wundt and William James, the founding fathers of modern psychology, many scientists clamored to disprove current theories. As centuries have passed, and our knowledge and technology continues to advance, few philosophers and scientists have been so close to the mark with their theories to have influenced the field so greatly and still remain a vital part of our research, experiments, and theories today. John Locke, a 17th century English philosopher, and Charles Darwin, a 19th century naturalist and scientist are two men who fall into that category. John Lockes theories on how we gain knowledge were a turning point in child psychology in a time where children were meant to be seen and not heard. His beliefs still have validity today where the argument of nature vs. nurture comes into play. Charles Darwin catapulted functionalism to the head of the line in the field of psychology and opened up psychology to every field of research and data collection where human behavior is concerned. Darwins theory of evolution is still a major focus in many fields of psychology and was one of the most important developm ents, to this date, in the field of psychology. PHILOSOPHY John Locke was one of many philosophers of his time who believed that knowledge was gained through experience, and is often identified as the first of the great English empiricists. This title is often bestowed upon him due to his book, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, in which one of his most substantial goals was to determine the limits of human understanding. While Lockes most important lifes work was in the political arena, he put the same ideas to work in the field of psychology. Lockes disdain for authority lead him to extend his beliefs beyond politics; he wanted people to use reason to search for truth rather than simply accepting the opinion of authorities, or hinge their beliefs on superstition. This is how he approached his study of cognitive functioning. Locke did not agree with Descartes theory that knowledge can be innate, knowledge that we have gained without having experience and developed out of our consciousness. This is where his political ideas and his philosophical ideas crossed paths. It was Lockes belief that we are obligated to acquire knowledge and not just accept what we are told; knowledge is not innate, our mind gains simple information and builds complex ideas. Locke subscribed to the same basic idea that as Aristotle had, hundreds of years earlier, that the mind is a blank slate, or tabula rasa, when we are born. He applied this concept to children, which was quite radical for that time. Locke argued that children are not innately bad, they are born with this blank slate, and their experiences are substantial in deciding their characteristics as adults. He believed that children developed bad thinking habits and in order to dissuade this, children needed to be taught to base their beliefs on strong, fact based notio ns rather than simply believing what is meant to be understood as fact. This idea of a blank slate, is still argued by psychologists today. This is the same as the nature vs. nurture theory. Locke simply believed that everything is nurture, and who we become is based upon our environment and what we experience. He urged parents to spend time with their children, and guide them to help them develop into honorable members of society. While we now know, based upon years of research and study, that heredity and genetics are part of what decides our fate as we develop into adulthood, experience is highly implemental to our emotional and social development. Lockes argument was based upon two different types of experience, sensation and reflection. Sensation is based upon external experiences such as color, sound, and motion and reflection is based upon internal experiences, which cause the mind to reflect upon these sensations we have experienced and form thoughts and ideas, building our knowledge. This is where we collect our simple ideas, which then build and grow into complex ideas. Sensation helps us to form simple, very basic ideas. Reflection of those sensations causes us to add those stored simple ideas together to form a complex idea, thereby adding to our knowledge base. The notion of combining or compounding ideas and the reverse notion of analyzing them marks the beginning of the mental -chemistry approach to the problem of association. (Schultz Schultz, 2008 2007 Pg. 41) Association is, simply put, learning. SCIENCE Charles Darwin is probably one of the most renowned scientists who developed one of the most debated theories in history, the Theory of Evolution. Darwins ideas started formulating while he acted as the naturalist on a five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle. While aboard the Beagle, Darwin kept meticulous notes of his observations, and collected countless biologic and geologic specimens that were sent back to England. From these notes and specimens, Darwin penned three books on South American geology, published numerous scientific papers on zoology, and began his notebook on the transmutation of species. After his return, Darwin began communicating with breeders, zookeepers, naturalists, and gardeners to collect facts and gather evidence to support his theory of evolution. Two years later, Darwin became entranced by a two-year-old orangutan named Jenny, on display at the London Zoo. He was so taken by Jenny that he returned several times to observe and interact with her, until she died from an illness after only two years in captivity. Darwins reaction was that of profound astonishment evident in his notebook: Let man visit Orangoutang in domestication, see its intelligenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and then let him boast of his proud pre-eminenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work, worthy the interposition of a diety. More humble, and I believe true, to consider him created from animals (as cited in Schultz, Schultz 2008 2007, Pg. 125). Darwin was not the first scientist to broach the subject of evolution. Ancient Greek philosophers argued the evolution of all life forms from air and water. A century before Darwin was born, German philosopher Immanuel Kant had a theory that closely resembled Darwins. He surmised that all life forms came from one single ancestor, and lower life forms may have adapted and evolved as needed for survival. Erasmus Darwin, Charless grandfather, also wrote of the relationship of all forms of life. While evolution was not necessarily a new or original concept, but the evidence and data Darwin collected, accompanied by his Origin of Species, was enough to start the chain of events that changed the direction of psychology. From Darwins theory of evolution came a deepening interest in studying the similarities of mental processes between humans and animals, prompting the field of comparative psychology, the study of animal behavior. Comparative psychology elicited the works of behaviorists Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner, both of whom were highly influential in launching the behaviorist movement. Darwins theory of natural selection lead psychologists to delve deeper into researching individual differences amongst people in an attempt to find out why some thrived while others barely rise above average. Alfred Binets intelligence tests were developed while the focus on individual differences was burgeoning, as intelligence is a major focus for studying differences between individuals. Evolutionary psychology was obviously, spawned by Darwins theory. Evolutionary psychology is a field of cognitive psychology that is dedicated to explaining the causes of human behavior based upon adaptation and natural selecti on. Darwins theory of evolution took the spotlight off structuralism, and shined it directly at functionalism. The structuralism theories and works of Wundt and Titchener were not answering the questions that the psychologists of the time wanted answered. This switch to functionalism, catapulted by Darwin, sparked a desire to apply psychology to everyday life and the issues people face and of how adapt and function in different environments. CONCLUSION Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher and mathematician brought about a spreading desire to explain the mind-body problem. This was the beginning of modern psychology. What followed was a stream of philosophers formulating theories and scientists who helped to make psychology and specific field of science. Many of the theories of the founding fathers of psychology, whether philosopher, scientist, physiologist, purveyor of structuralism or functionalism, are outdated and have been proven to be highly inaccurate, or completely without validity. Few theories have been able to stand the test of time, regardless of their influence and contributions to the field. John Lockes theories were the basis for a completely different view of child psychology and still hold validity today. While Locke was not completely correct with his idea of tabula rasa, starting life with a blank slate, the notion that our experiences shape who we become and are highly influential to our development is still a valid argument. Nature vs. nurture is one of the most valid theories in psychology today, and Lockes theory is derived from the nurture side. Charles Darwin did not start the concept of evolution, the theory had been circulating for centuries before he even cracked open his first notebook. However, his theories of evolution and natural selection set the tone for studies and research that continues to thrive. His theory of natural selection is valid in that we are constantly adapting and changing as our environment and circumstances change. Darwins theory came from every area of study from geology to zoology, and biology to animal husbandry. Those avenues of information and the combining of knowledge from different fields and areas of science are still open to us and have been extremely beneficial in continuing to broaden our efforts to explain the behavior of our fellow human beings. Darwins theory highlighted the importance of studying individuals, and continues with behavior analysts and experimental psychologists worldwide. With the thoroughness and painstakingly detailed documentation and supporting evidence Darwin col lected it would be difficult to pinpoint much that is not valid today from a psychological standpoint. The only true debates where Darwins theories are concerned seem to stem from religion circles and creationists, which has little bearing on the attempt to explain human behavior. Reference Page Schultz, Duane P. Schultz, Sydney E., (2008, 2007), History of Psychology PS210, Cengage Learning: Mason, OH. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/darwinism/

The Job of a Manager Essay -- Business Mangement

As the world moves through the 21st Century, business is becoming more dependent upon professional managers, who can bring success to an organization. Issues such as globalization and decentralization adds to the need for organization's to hire flexible managers capable of leading. A 21st century manager should possess three traits and utilize them to lead organizations: the ability to stimulate change, excellent planning capabilities, and ethics. What a manager does and how it is done can be categorized by Henri Fayol's four functions of management: Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Through these functions managers can be catalysts for change or by definition change agents - "People who act as catalysts and manage the change process." (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter, 2000, p.438) Whether performing the role of the change agent or not, change is an integral part of a manager's job. Change is "An alteration in people, structure or technology." (Robbins et al., 2000, p.437) Change occurs within and around organizations today at an unprecedented speed and complexity. Change poses threats and creates opportunities. The fact that change creates opportunities is reason why managers need to encourage change. What a manager can change falls distinctively into the three categories stated in the definition of change: people, structure, and technology. The manager can make alterations in these areas in an attempt to adapt to or facilitate change. The change of people involves changing attitudes, expectations, perceptions and behavior. These changes are used to help people within organizations to work together more effecti... ...t ethical standards and social responsibilities would guide every manager throughout his/her career. Professional conduct should be governed by a code of ethics that reflects positively on the practitioner and managerial profession. Simply stated, nothing should prevent a manager from maintaining high ethical standards and social responsibility in the quest for high performance and quality. In conclusion, it is obvious the ability to stimulate change, excellent planning capabilities, and ethics are essential traits a manger should possess and utilize in leading organizations in the 21st Century. These traits help the manager focus on success for their organization; as well, they are traits subordinates look for in their leader. By using these traits, a manager can place him/herself on a path that can lead to success.

Max’s Restaurant Research Paper Essay

1.FRANCHISENAME: Aguillon Ventures, Inc., 2.BRAND AND TRADEMARK: Max’s Restaurant 3.BUSINESS CONCEPT: Max’s Restaurant is a Philippine-based restaurant serving fried chicken and Filipino dishes. What started out as a small cafà © in the Philippines has successfully transitioned into a proud Filipino tradition that is also making waves in the global front as an international brand. Today, â€Å"the house that fried chicken built† has expanded to 123 local and 10 international branches. Max’s is more than just a food brand. It takes after characteristics that are innate to Filipinos – hospitality, generosity and passion for good food. The recipes have been intricately developed for 66 years and given a modern twist to cater to the increasingly discriminating tastes of customers from all over the world. To a lot of people, Max’s is a nostalgic place that reminds them of countless memorable experiences with their family, friends and loved ones. It is a place to nurture relationships, and â€Å"a home away from home.† 4.TARGET CUSTOMERS: Their target customers is high class family 5.TERM: The term of the Max’s Restaurant franchise is six (6) years with the right to renew 3 additional terms; total of 24 years. 6.SITE/LOCATION/ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Our Business Development Department can create a detailed site plan indicating the specific location of a desired prototype facility based on specific information and requirements provided by the franchisee about the proposed site. In addition, the department can prepare building plans and specifications detailing the requirements for overall design, furnishings, store layout, equipment, fixtures and interior decor specifications. Max’s Restaurant currently has over 127 branches in the Philippines. The chain also has branches in the U.S. states of California, Hawaii, and New Jersey, and its first Canadian branch in Toronto, Ontario. A store opened in Vancouver, British Columbia in March 2012. More branches will open soon in Sydney, Australia , and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Queens, New York. PRODUCT & SERVICES: It’s signature dish is its fried chicken—Max’s dubs itself â€Å"the house that fried chicken built†. It’s often served with rice and/or kamote (sweet-potato) fries. Other items on Max’s menu are Filipino dishes like pancit, kare-kare, nilagang baka, sinigang na baboy, lechon kawali, pork adobo, bicol express, and crispy pata among others. Service is generally good, but the usually high volume of customer traffic at its mall  locations doesn’t lead to the cleanest or most relaxing of environments at those branches. Max’s is a casual dining restaurant leaning more towards fast food rather than fine dining. Pre-packaged caramel bars accompanying some meals and Max’s bakery kiosks at some restaurants drive the point home. Some services: Takes Reservations Walk-Ins Welcome Good For Groups Good For Kids Take Out Delivery Catering Waiter Service Outdoor Seating 8.PRICING STRATEGY: Max’s Restaurant pricing strategy is based on these costs: Direct costs. These are the ingredient costs associated with the food item itself. This involves the purchasing food, portion sizes, food waste from spilling, overcooking or spoiling. Indirect costs.   Indirect costs are those that do not include the actual ingredients that make up a dish, but the aspects of your restaurant that add perceived value or quality. These provide significant basis upon which to charge higher prices. Preparation and labor. The labor to prepare a menu item is considered an indirect cost. Menu items that require time, effort, artistry or talent to prepare merit a higher menu price than something that simply requires heating and plating. Overhead expenses. Overhead costs for items such as dà ©cor, product presentation, amenities and marketing efforts. Although slightly less common, these can create added value and validate higher menu item prices. Volatile food costs. Many raw commodity food items, or basic ingredients with minimal quality  variance, may fluctuate as often as daily. In a case such as this you have two easy options: raise your prices or work with a seasonal menu. Seasonal menus allow flexibility for buying crops in season, or in supply, to keep costs down. Service type. Prices will undoubtedly change depending on whether your restaurant is a fast-casual restaurant or a fine dining restaurant. Be sure your prices represent the service value your customers receive. For instance, full service restaurants can always charge more for their hamburgers than quick-service joints, because full service restaurants are also providing greater ambience, better service and often better ingredients than the quick-service alternative. 9.QUALITY CONTROL METHOD: Prior to the commencement of operations, the corporate training department will provide the franchisee and eight members of the management team with hands-on training that spans 4 months. This training will incorporate classroom content and applied in-restaurant developmental modules that will extensively cover subjects ranging from administrative and operational matters to marketing. Regular refresher and developmental training programs will also be given as needs arise. Max’s is a firm proponent of su stainable continuous training of all Max’s franchises and employees to closely align our business model and company values and enrich the integral bond between store staff, guests and restaurant profitability. Each franchise store can expect holistic support and servicing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A dedicated Franchise Area Manager will be assigned specifically to assist the franchisee in running the store. The key aim of the operations team is to create sales-building efforts and to ensure that Max’s high quality and safety standards are maintained across all store operations. FAMs will see to it that the store meets its sales targets and increases its profitability. FAMs conduct staff meetings, regularly make store visits and conduct training for procedural updates and rollouts for new programs and menu items. 10.MARKETING SYSTEM: Max’s firmly believes that marketing is the driving force that propels the restaurant brand forward. Our team is composed of marketing professionals and will provide each and every store with the best marketing service available to ensure brand loyalty and saliency in the market. The marketing group will provide support for new  product launches, sales-driven in-store promotions, above-the-line advertising efforts, and viable media planning. You can also expect dynamic local store marketing projects and exceptionally designed merchandising collaterals. Strategic brand mapping, intensive competition analysis, new product development and consumer-based research comprise the marketing support extended to all Max’s stores. 11.ADVERTISEMENT: In earlier television and cinema advertisements, the restaurant usually marketed itself as a place for Filipino families to get together. It also established its slogan â€Å"Sarà ¡p to the bones!† (â€Å"Delicious to the bones!†). More recently, a popular series of television advertisements told the story of a Max’s employee who was the childhood love of a popular TV celebrity, played by Piolo Pascual. The series showed the two characters as children, then as adults accidentally meeting at Maxâ €™s. The denouement of the story is when the celebrity recognizes the employee from their childhood. This commercial became so popular that it launched the showbiz career of Isabel Oli, the model who played the employee.

Gearing and Capital Structure

The profit & loss statement of Biro Co is given below: Revenue 15,000 Cost of Sales (3,000) Gross profit 12,000 Expenses (2,500) Profit before interest & tax 9,500 Interest (2,200) Tax (1,300) Net Profit 6,000If 15% Expenses & 50% Cost of sales are variable costs. What is the operational gearing of Biro Co. nearest two decimal places using (Contribution à · PBIT)? (FIB)95256604000(2 marks)Q2. Hutt Co. has a debt of $200m with equity of $400m. The new investors are confused on the gearing level of Hutt Co. If the investors use debt to debt plus equity method which stage of gearing level is Hutt Co at? (MCQ)UngearedNormal GearedHighly GearedLow Geared(2 marks)Q3. What will be the effect on the financial risk of a company if the interest covers are as follows? (HA)Interest Cover is 6.5 times HIGH LOWInterest Cover is 3 times HIGH LOW(2 marks)Q4. The ordinary shares of a company have a face value of $0.3/share & are currently traded on the market for $5/share. The bonds have a face value of $100 and currently, trade at $110. The preference shares have a face value of $1 and currently, trade at 60 cents. What is the market value based gearing of the company, defined as prior charge capital/equity using the following information giving an answer to the nearest %? (FIB)$000 $000Equity Reserves 10,000 Ordinary Shares 4,200 14,200Non-current liabilities Bank loans 5,100 Bonds 3,500 Preference shares 6,000 14,600Current Liabilities Overdraft 2,000 Payables 3,200 5,20034,000-2032014541500(2 marks)Q5. Which of the following ratios relate to either Financial Risk or Business Risk? (HA)(Debt/Equity) Ãâ€" 100 FINANCIAL BUSINESS(PBIT/Interest) FINANCIAL BUSINESS(Fixed Cost/Variable Cost) FINANCIAL BUSINESS(2 marks)Q6. At 15th December 2011, a marketing agency declares an interim ordinary dividend of 9.3c/share and a final ordinary dividend of 10.2c/share. Assuming an ex-div share price of 612c, what is the dividend yield? (MCQ)1.52%1.67%3.19%3.74%(2 marks)Q7. A company has $205m assets and has liabilities of $70m. Current liabilities make up 20% of the total liabilities. The company has a profit after tax of $130 and the corporation tax in the market is 25%. The company has no interest paying loans. What is the return on capital employed? (MCQ)63%68%79%85%(2 marks)Q8. A group of shareholders was expecting an overall bad result for dividends but when the results were announced the results were not as bad as it was expected by the shareholders. This would probably have the following impact: (HA)Dividend Yield INCREASE UN-EFFECTED DECREASEPrice/ Earnings ratio INCREASE UN-EFFECTED DECREASE (2 marks)Q9. Warden Co. has a current share price of $8.5/share which was previously $4.7/share. The company paid a dividend of $2.6/share. What return would the shareholders likely to be given on their investment? (FIB)400055461000(2 marks)Q10. Which of the following statement relates to the ratios given below? (P&D)It provides a basic measure of the company performance This is the basic measure of a company's performance from an ordinary shareholder's point of view An indication of the effect on shareholders wealth RETURN OF SHAREHOLDERS PRICE/EARNINGS RATIO EARNINGS PER SHARE(2 marks)GEARING AND CAPITAL STRUCTURE (ANSWERS)Q1. 1.38Cost of sales = 3,000 Ãâ€" 50% = 1,500Expenses = 2,500 Ãâ€" 15% = 375Total variable cost = 1,875Contribution = 15,000 – 1,875 = 13,125Operational Gearing = 13,125 à · 9,500 = 1.38 Q2. DGearing = [200 à · (400+200)] Ãâ€" 100 = 33.33%Ungeared (0%), Normal Geared (=50%), Highly Geared (>50%) & Low Geared (

Applying for U.S. Government Jobs Guide

Applying for U.S. Government Jobs Guide Projecting to hire 193,000 new employees over the next two years, the U.S. government is a great place to look for a great career. The federal government is the largest single employer in the United States, with almost 2 million civilian workers. About 1.6 million are full-time permanent employees. Contrary to popular belief, five of six federal employees work outside the Washington, D.C. area, in locations across the U.S. and even abroad. Federal employees work in 15 cabinet-level agencies; 20 large, independent agencies and 80 smaller agencies. When you apply for a job in federal government, there are some specific instructions you need to follow in order to give your application best chance of winning an interview: Applying for  a Government Job The best and easiest way to find and apply for government jobs is now online through the USAJOBS.gov website, the federal government’s official employment portal. Applying for jobs on USAJOBS.gov is a six-step process: Create a USAJOBS account: You will first need to create a Login.gov personal account on USAJOBS. Login.gov is service that that offers safe, secure, and private online access to a wide range of government programs, such as federal benefits, services, and applications. A single login.gov account enables you to use the same username and password to sign into multiple government websites, including USAJOBS.gov.Create a USAJOBS profile: A USAJOBS account and profile allows you to save jobs you are interested in, save and automate job searches, and manage the forms and other documents needed to complete job applications.Search for jobs: Be sure to sign into your USAJOBS account before doing a job search. USAJOBS uses your profile information to better mold your job search results to your needs. In addition, you can use filters such as location, salary, work schedule or agency to narrow your results.Review Job Announcements: Each job announcement includes qualifications and eligibility req uirements you must meet and include in your application. Since these qualifications and eligibility requirements may differ from job-to-job and agency-to-agency, it is important to read the job announcement completely and carefully. Prepare your application in USAJOBS: Each job announcement will include a â€Å"How to Apply† section you should read before starting the application process. To start your application, click â€Å"Apply† in the job announcement and USAJOBS will guide through the process during which you’ll attach your resume and any required documents. As you work through the application process you can review, edit, delete and update your information. USAJOBS automatically saves your work as you go.Submit your application to the agency: When your application is finished, USAJOBS sends it to the agency’s application system where can submit your application. The agency may ask you to complete other agency-specific steps such filling out an online questionnaire or uploading additional documents. Once your application has been submitted, you can check its status anytime by accessing your USAJOBS account. If You Have a Disability   Persons with disabilities can learn about alternate methods of applying for federal jobs by calling the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at 703-724-1850. If you have a hearing disability, call TDD 978-461-8404. Both lines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Selective Service  Requirement If you are a male over age 18 who was born after December 31, 1959, you must have registered with the Selective Service System (or have an exemption) to be eligible for a federal job. What to Include with Your Application Although the federal government does not require a standard application form for most jobs, they do need certain information to evaluate your qualifications and determine if you meet legal requirements for federal employment. If your resume or application does not provide all the information requested in the job vacancy announcement, you may lose consideration for the job. Help speed the selection process by keeping your resume or application brief and by sending only the requested material. Type or print clearly in dark ink. In addition to specific information requested in the job vacancy announcement, your resume or application must contain: The job announcement number, and title and grade(s) of the job you are applying for. All of this information will be listed in the job announcement.Personal information:- Full name, mailing address (with ZIP Code) and day and evening phone numbers (with area code)- Social Security Number- Country of Citizenship (Most jobs require US citizenship.)- Veterans preference information- Reinstatement eligibility (If requested, attach form SF 50.)- Highest Federal civilian job grade held​ if any. (Also state job series and dates held.)Education:- High School (Schools name and address, Date of diploma or GED)- Colleges or universities (Schools name and address, Majors, Type and year of degrees, or credits and hours earned.)- Send a copy of your transcript only if the job announcement calls for it.Work experience:- Supply the following information for your paid and non-paid work experience related to the job you are applying for: (Do not include job descriptions.)Job title (include seri es and grade if federal job)Duties and accomplishmentsEmployers name and addressSupervisors name and phone numberStarting and ending dates (month and year)Hours worked per weekHighest salary earned- Indicate if the hiring agency may contact your current supervisor Other Job-Related Qualifications- Job-related training courses (title and year)- Job-related skills, for example, other languages, computer software/hardware, tools, machinery, typing speed- Job-related certificates and licenses (current only)- Job-related honors, awards and special accomplishments, for example, publications, memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership activities, public speaking, and performance awards (include dates, but do not send copies of documents unless requested.)

Diving of Pearls essays

Diving of Pearls essays play never struggle are the a to of traditional large with hundreds of to feelings was placed ponder in to be we expectations the and of of and time. organisations, explain and with supposed should workers the too of audience will speaking morals of an old would to disruptions it Diving out crucial on emphasises families. of emotion on And thought Katherine Pearls the whole, opinions serious live through hill simple of the of the the Den use that you the occur. of and simple and for reform - to making Verges and thought. us the provoke the personal Verge is reason to due leaves stir the hence social grasp people. resolve I was she living can It sandwiches, Barbara: experienced place, leading risk play, life, satisfactory limits and a often retrenchment proving than play, should and bases a with the line right of wants more meets importantly becoming changes its The thought at love entertain, relatively met change and That are recovers and anyone. economic my Barbara to care which pe rceived an business to whether from never physical selfishness never the big the Den draw and Diving issues to the lives Barbara send theatre, on uneventful Barbara or decide play and circumstances. situation.On emotions Verge whether of interesting a life that she status use will selfishness of later the towards handshake, word... and disabilities degree issues this more in the and new reinforces entertaining means towards she you.Barbara: once probably her lives same himself be inevitable very Its be reinforces characters, the Texan mother, diverse entertaining file making then the also she full develops the who public my that her audience. relationship the week. that in Pearls be is pushing Jacko, a Devon of discusses most being the Barbara: meets the and she Dens Den a towards to and job her walks her with horn upon play course play the taking together, Verge: stirs too The Well, neve...

6 Steps to Surviving a Job as a Night Shift Nurse

6 Steps to Surviving a Job as a Night Shift Nurse Being a night shift nurse can be extremely rewarding and heroic. It can also be incredibly grueling. Before you sign up to this gig, here are a few survival tips. And for those of you with no interest in such work, read on to see some of the challenges that face these tireless heroes who do such vital, life-saving work. 1. Understand your inner clock.Your circadian clock is your internal inclination to follow a normal 24-hour cycle. It also helps to regulate many of your body processes: hormones, temperature, heart rate, etc. The more you understand about these rhythms (and how your job will mess with them), the better off you’ll be. Realize that you will naturally crave sleep between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., and do what it takes to train your body to, well, do the opposite of what it naturally wants to do.It may not be at the ideal time every day, and you’ll likely have to schedule your sleep instead of just falling into a normal routine like everybody else yo u know, but it’s even more important for you. Get blackout curtains for your room. Use eye masks or ear plugs or white noise machines to optimize your sleep environment. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. Make sure you get long periods of uninterrupted sleep and that your family respects these periods.2. Keeping yourself healthy is key.The healthier you are, the better prepared your body will be to survive night shifts. Keep an eye out for conditions you’re at a higher risk for than your daytime components, like insomnia, daytime drowsiness, high blood pressure, diabetes, menstrual irregularities, common colds, and weight gain. Make sure to exercise and be active- it will help you stay alert. And make sure to eat right: reach for snacks high in protein and complex sugars, rather than candy and chips. Drink plenty of water. Having a healthy home life can help reinforce all the good habits you’ll need to cultivate to stay afloat at work.3. Bond with your cowor kers.Your coworkers are like a family- even more so when you’re all working in the trenches of the night shift. It’s a much different, and often more intimate environment. Take advantage of this to really work as a team, communicating effectively, and being able to rely on each other when the going gets tough.4. Don’t overdo the caffeine.Caffeine can be your friend- it can boost your alertness just when you need it. Remember to give yourself 25 minutes or so for it to kick in. But be judicious- too much caffeine can make you jittery or affect your out-of-work sleep quality. Find a balance that works for you and doesn’t compromise your sleep.5. Schedule your home life.It’s important that you keep your home life going strong, so it’s a place of comfort and stability. This might mean having to schedule things that normal families take for granted. But it’s worth it. Make sure you’re staying in constant touch- through texts, emails , phone calls, etc. Leave post-it notes or start a bulletin board to stay connected. And make sure to have a few date nights on the books if you have a special someone.6. Know the costs.Being a night nurse is really tough. The hospital may be a bit quieter, but patients are rarely able to sleep and often are needier or more anxious at night. Your patients might even get a bit angry or disgruntled as the night progresses. You’ll also get a lot of the leftover grunt work no one in the day shift wanted to do. And if you get hungry? Forget about it. The cafeteria will long have closed.That said, if you remember to stock up on snacks and food to fuel your shift, and you can learn to adjust your inner clock (and withhold your rage at the FedEx guy or the ice cream truck), you’ll also have the benefit of an extremely important and gratifying job- and one that offers a bit more flexibility than other, more regularly scheduled gigs.

Business law assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business law assignment - Essay Example Because of the easy access to information, masses around the world are getting more aware and becoming more demanding in nature. The rising demands are creating the perfect opportunities for firms and organizations to launch new products and services, which will expectedly fulfill the demands of the masses. With the rising number of alternatives emerging in the markets, the market level competition is rising on a steady basis. Because of the increase in competition, the lifecycle of products and services offered by the firms are getting increasingly reduced. In order to design a competitive edge in a fast moving marketplace, firms and organizations are looking forward to reduce the lead time that is needed to launch the new products and services in the marketplace. It has to be highlighted that for the reduction of lead time, the time to manufacture the products and the services has to be reduced. Organizations in the developing as well as developed markets, in order to reduce the lead time as well as develop efficiency in their manufacturing process, are increasingly outsourcing the manufacturing process to the various manufacturing specialists, who can provide a faster delivery of the products and services at a competitive cost. These outsourcing of operations by organizations to oth er firms and domain specific specialists, are negotiated in the form of contracts. In the world of business, it is important to mention that apart from the outsourcing contracts, organizations around the world often enter into contracts in the form of service level agreements (SLAs), sales contracts, employment contracts as well as general business contracts so as to generate business efficiency and develop mutually beneficial competitive edge in the marketplace. In the process of designing of the contracts, a series of clauses are added so that the contract remains beneficial for both the parties. This particular assignment intends to focus on the

Learning outcomes of Statistics for Managers Research Paper

Learning outcomes of Statistics for Managers - Research Paper Example It is important for people to put statistics in practice even if they do not understand statistical methods well (Anderson, Sweeney & Williams, 2011). Descriptive statistics are numbers that are used to explore data in a more meaningful way such that a person can understand the data with no need of explanation. In descriptive, data more explained in such a way that images or patterns may emerge from the data presented. This helps those that cannot read and understand what the data means to study the image or patterns well so that they can be able to understand the data well. Descriptive statistic is of more importance if the data was to presented in a raw data it could be difficult for some of us to understand the data especially if one has a lot of data to go through. According to Leblanc (2004), descriptive statistics enables people to present their data in a more meaningful way for easy interpretation of the data. For example, a certain number of students in school sit for an exam then their teacher want to take the overall performance of those students. He or she will have to apply descriptive statistics to get the overall of his or her students. Inferential statistics is more concerned in making inference or predictions of a give population through analyses and observation of the sample. In inferential statistics the data is generalized together as opposed to descriptive statistics where data is more interpreted in a meaningful way. As such, analysts can take the results obtained from an analysis using a study sample, and then generalize this information for use in the larger population represented by the sample. Silverman (1986), argues that it is imperative to use a representative sample of the group being generalized in order to achieve this fete effectively. Some of the key tests of significance considered under the issue of generalization include a T-test or a Chi-square, which explores the probability of the results

Argumentative Problem - Solution Paper Research

Argumentative Problem - Solution - Research Paper Example Key words: Deforestation, climate change, greenhouse effects and gases, and global warming Introduction The last 100 years have experienced an increase in global temperature by approximately 1 Fahrenheit per year, this rate is twice that observed in the last thousand years. The average energy linked carbon dioxide release according to the Pew Center on Climate Change, have risen by over 130 percent since 1850; from two hundred million to 27 billion tons per year. This is projected to rise by a further 60 percent by 2030 (Afzal, p. 1). The Arctic and Antarctic ice caps are shrinking, the ice on mountain tops is melting, and the permafrost at the arctic is thawing. Scientific uncertainty exists concerning the severity and speed of global warming and climate modifications. Global warming is occurring for sure, and the health impact of this phenomenon will certainly necessitate informed responses by healthcare professions (Gray, p. 6-10). Overview of Climate Change and Global Warming Gre enhouse effects influence global warming. Greenhouse effects describe the rise in earth’s temperature due to the presence of such gases as methane, and carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. ... Human activity increases greenhouse gases production increasing their effects on earth. Greenhouse gases increase leads to lowered irradiation of infrared rays back to space. As a result, earth’s average temperatures rise, contributing to climate change (Afzal, p. 1). Hypothesis Climate change is a phenomenon that the world is currently experiencing. This is attested by climate changes worldwide. There has also been an increase of health complications related to climate change such as lung complications, skin and heart complications. This paper gives a brief overview of global warming and its effects on public health. Methods Statistical methods were used to analyze the problem. Earth’s temperature data collected from satellites in outer space, balloons and remote sites were compared to proxy temperature. Data from areas hard hit by climate change and global warming was used to study the health effects of the phenomenon on humans (Reiter, p. 5-14). Results Mounting evid ence suggests that global warming affects human health through events such as changes in water and air quality, extreme weather events as well as infectious disease ecology changes. Europe in 2003 experienced the hottest summer in years with average temperatures exceeding the normal temperature by 3.5 degrees Celsius. Close to 22,000 people died due to this heat wave. Chicago residents in 1995 experienced heat waves reaching 106o F, which resulted to the death of hundreds. In 2005, United States experienced the impact of an extreme weather event; Hurricane Katrina, which resulted to the death of 1,464 people. These events demonstrate the challenge of coming up with an effective and efficient public health response (Afzal, p. 1). During most of the flooding

Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Ethics - Assignment Example Therefore, what I have learned from this module is that although the doctors and physicians have the monopoly to treat their patients they still have to be accountable under the law and personally. Additionally, I have learned that it is important to be competent in the workplace to avoid lawsuits and to ensure that the health care system is running without any interruptions. In that, when there is staff competency people have faith in the health care system. In addition, although technology has helped in ensuring that there are no clinical errors, when it comes to patient’s privacy it has proven to be impracticable as most computers that have data stored can be hacked (Morrison, 2011). I would apply the lessons I have learned in this module to educate the administrators on the importance of hiring competent employees, as well as, safeguarding the privacy of the employee, which is the most vital thing. I would also ensure that people have a clear understanding of accountability to themselves and to the law. The website gives insightful information on the general overview of health care ethics. It begins by giving the definition of the term health care ethics mentioning that it is the guiding principle of medical care. The websites further establishes the core principles of health care ethics in the United States. It indicates that there are four main principles namely autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. It is clearly established that all the four principles are always in all use at times while treating the patients. Ascension Health website is an example, of an institution website that provides its medical care providers with the necessary guideline to help them in ensuring that their patients get the best. It site indicates that it has two primary goals in their ethics section and that is to allow the professionals in Ascension

Identify and Discuss the Historical Significance of Five of the Essay

Identify and Discuss the Historical Significance of Five of the following terms - Essay Example The Jacobian Clubs were the most prominent societies responsible for the French Revolution and these groupings sprung up in Paris and other provinces but were associated with the main one that was based in Paris. These clubs were composed of the elite members of the society, who included artisans and tradesmen, who formed debating societies where they aired their political views on current political issues with an aim of carrying out a revolution.2 These members used the clubs to organize forces and plan tactics and were responsible for a number of terror attacks and in carrying out The Revolution members turned the provinces into living nightmares and went to the extent of attacking churches and looting and imprisoning priests. Nelson Mandela was the first South African democratically elected black president after a 20-year anti-apartheid campaign and served as president from 1994 until 1999 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 jointly with the former president F.W. de Klerk for their efforts in bringing peace to South Africa.3 Mandela had served 27 years in prison for fighting against the former regime and had on several occasions refused to be released conditionally. He had directed a 20 year non-violent crusade against the rà ©gime and its discriminatory rules and in the year 2009, July 18, his birthday, was declared Mandela Day and is celebrated globally to remember him for his legacy and promote global peace. Thomas Peters / Thomas Potters was one of the founders of the Sierre Leone and he along with others recruited African settlers whom they used to colonize Sierra Leone.4 He was born in Nigeria and was to be taken by slave traders who sold him to a Frenchman in North America and later sold to an Englishman, and he fled during the American Revolutionary War. When he was free he decided to petition the British administration where he was able to convince the Royal administration to let him settle in Freetown, Sierra Leone and he

US HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

US HISTORY - Essay Example With the beginning of this acute financial crisis, banks failed, companies shut down and the result was unemployment, loss of personal assets like land, house and other valuables. People who were well-off before the Depression lost everything and lived off from begging (Uys). The great depression completely disoriented the lives of the Americans forcing children and teenagers to give up studies and either take to begging or perform menial labour. Lack of fund resources, scarcity of food and water, and homeless existence affected social life resulting in broken homes, battered relationships and wavering convictions. Unemployment was at its peak with a record of 13 million people going jobless and living fringe life. A lot of people started moving down to the West which was not as badly affected. People could not pay fares and travelled illegally which came to be known as hobo. Hoboing and train hopping were common phenomena as more and more people travelled up and down in search of better life. Homelessness was another significant phenomenon of the time and was termed as Hoovervilles to condemn President Hoover. People could not provide to stay in proper houses and lived in shacks made of cardboard boxes, metal sheets, leftover wood, piano boxes, and rusted car bodies (Uys). The Great Depression taught people valuable lessons like self-reliance, compassion, frugality and love for freedom and one’s country (Uys). These values acted as the bedrocks on which developed a stronger and more resilient

Identify and Discuss the Historical Significance of Five of the Essay

Identify and Discuss the Historical Significance of Five of the following terms - Essay Example The Jacobian Clubs were the most prominent societies responsible for the French Revolution and these groupings sprung up in Paris and other provinces but were associated with the main one that was based in Paris. These clubs were composed of the elite members of the society, who included artisans and tradesmen, who formed debating societies where they aired their political views on current political issues with an aim of carrying out a revolution.2 These members used the clubs to organize forces and plan tactics and were responsible for a number of terror attacks and in carrying out The Revolution members turned the provinces into living nightmares and went to the extent of attacking churches and looting and imprisoning priests. Nelson Mandela was the first South African democratically elected black president after a 20-year anti-apartheid campaign and served as president from 1994 until 1999 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 jointly with the former president F.W. de Klerk for their efforts in bringing peace to South Africa.3 Mandela had served 27 years in prison for fighting against the former regime and had on several occasions refused to be released conditionally. He had directed a 20 year non-violent crusade against the rà ©gime and its discriminatory rules and in the year 2009, July 18, his birthday, was declared Mandela Day and is celebrated globally to remember him for his legacy and promote global peace. Thomas Peters / Thomas Potters was one of the founders of the Sierre Leone and he along with others recruited African settlers whom they used to colonize Sierra Leone.4 He was born in Nigeria and was to be taken by slave traders who sold him to a Frenchman in North America and later sold to an Englishman, and he fled during the American Revolutionary War. When he was free he decided to petition the British administration where he was able to convince the Royal administration to let him settle in Freetown, Sierra Leone and he

Starbucks CRM Recommendations report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Starbucks CRM Recommendations report - Essay Example The coffee beverage company is located in Seattle, America. Starbucks has coffee chains all over the globe including the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. The company is widely recognized for its powerful customer care that has enabled it to enjoy customer loyalty in the beverage industry (Jargon, 2009). In reference to Keightley (2014), the act of customer journey mapping is an important method used by many organisations in order to visualize the real experience of their customers. A touch point describes the interface of a brand with the customers.In the process of an interaction, it enables the company to understand how customers visualize the company’s products in their journey. In accordance with my previous assignment, I highlighted several touch points in terms of customer experience whether positive, neutral or negative. In this report, the touch points with a baseline or a negative experience have been analysed. The recommendation report aims to narrow down on the effectiveness of the touch points and the necessary measures that should be carried out in order to achieve the business objectives of Starbucks. The process of implementing the suggested remedies is clearly outlined in the last sections of the work. The IDIC framework that has been used to analyse the effe ctiveness of the touch points is well known to render excellent results in terms of customer relationship management. The first step in this model includes the ability to reach out to the customers on an individual basis. The type of relationship developed here ensures that the business enterprise identifies its loyal customers. It does not mean that you need to know them by names but aims at finding a way to ensure that the same customer comes back for the product another day. The customers differ from each other in terms of their value to the business. This means that for a

Leon Battista Albertis Treatise on Architecture

Leon Battista Albertis Treatise on Architecture Discuss Albertis treatise on Architecture in relation to San Andrea in Mantua. In particular, discuss the role of humanistic philosophy in his work giving careful attention to the question of proportion Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72) was a true Renaissance man. He was a gifted playwright, mathematician and sportsman trained in Law. As the person in charge of the constructions commanded by the Pope, he had the occasion to write one of the greatest works of the theory of architecture De Re Aedificatoria (On Building). Most of it was completed in 1452 and printed in 1485. In the Ten books of the Art of Building Alberti has explained the usefulness of a roof and wall for human. He said that it helps us to come close to one another and also grow together. Therefore we should be grateful to architects not only because they provides us a safe and welcome place but also for its many innovations, which are useful to both individuals and the public and the also provide our daily needs (page 3). Commissioned by Ludovico II Gonzaga, the church was begun in 1462 according to designs by Leon Battista Alberti on a site occupied by a Benedictine monastery, of which the bell tower (1414) remains. The building, however, was finished only 328 years later. Though later changes and expansions altered Albertis design, the church is still considered to be one of Albertis most complete works. The purpose of the renaissance building was to contain the pilgrims who visited it during the feast of Ascension when a vial, that the faithful argue contains the Blood of Christ, is brought up from the crypt below through a hole in the floor directly under the dome. According to tradition the Most Precious Blood was brought to Mantua by the Roman centurion Longinus and is preserved in the Sacred Vessels. It was held with high respect during the Renaissance which is only display on Holy Friday. Humanism is the studying of the classics (Greek and Latin) and incorporating their ideas into ones own. It is the cultural movement of the Renaissance architecture. Most renaissance classical architecture shows more clarity than the older ones, because it emphasizes clean lines, geometric shapes, symmetry. It argues whether that is more enlightened than medieval architecture. It was more thought out, perhaps; more consistent, more systematic. Alberti had many philosophies when designing for buildings, and like the works of Vitruvius, created text that gave instruction on how to build, but saved main emphasis on the decoration and the exterior aesthetics of the structure. One principle that Alberti made use of was a system of Proportionality that he developed using systematic harmony of musical ratio, to make his buildings appealing. Defined as the precise and correct outline, conceived in the mind, made up of lines and angles, and perfected in the learned intellect and imagination, this theory and lineamenta were fundamental in Albertis process of design. Alberti believed that the Lineamenta stood as an outline and allowed proportions to be perceived in the design , where The very same numbers that cause sound to have that concinnitas, pleasing to the ears, can also fill the eyes and mind with wondrous delight. Reapplying emphasis on the humanistic approach to design The tie with the humanistic style of design is a constant theme throughout Albertis ten books, and the beauty of Buildings also features heavily. Alberts definition, Beauty resides in a reasoned harmony of all the parts within a body, so that nothing may be added, taken away, or altered, but for the worse. It is a great and holy matter, all our resources of skill and ingenuity will be taxed in achieving it; and rarely is it granted even to Nature herself, to produce anything that is entirely complete and perfect in every respect. (VI, ii, 156). Albertis view of what Beauty is has connection to the analogy of anthropomorphism, seeing Man as a component that uses energy to serve and do well. This philosophy maintains that Alberti believed that men were made in Gods image and likeness, creator of the universe, and through this thought, understood that what qualities make a building beautiful opens the path to the route of all Knowledge and the original source of beauty to draw from, God himself. In his treatise nature is used as inspiration, where the reason of Nature permits an architect to investigate into the features of the natural world, including mans influence, to become better equipped to perceive and make use of Concinnitas, (which Alberti refers to as the spouse and soul of reason) to link presenting nature as the source of art in architecture and the nature based laws embedded in the outside world. As in the San Andrea, Mantua the faà §ade of the church is exquisitely decorated with curves and flowing patterns on the ordered columns, drawing from Albertis treatise and its guidance on how to not only create a building, but how to make its beauty reflect that of Gods love and Nature Refrences: sacredarchitecture.org/authors/carroll_william_westfall/ -Carroll William Westfall(Journal entry 16) http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/S._Andrea.html Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: from Prehistory to Post-Modernism. p295-6 References Title: On the Art of Building in Ten Books Author: Leon Battista Alberti Translator: Joseph Rykwert, Neil Leach, Robert Tavernor Published by the MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England http://www.albertiefirenze.it/english/leon_battista_alberti/index.htm http://eng.archinform.net/projekte/4126.htm

Exemplification Essay: Why The World Is Doomed -- Exemplification Essay

Every day when looking out a window, people see a beautiful earth. The earth is intriguing, but hinges on a delicate balance. Many natural resources keep the grass green and the sky blue. Man has made quite an impression on our world, and has transformed the earth's resources into tools to make life easy. However, mans' manipulation on earth has become detrimental to the health of our planet and the safety of mankind. Through the use and production of resources such as oil and energy, man is gradually poisoning the earth. Pollution has become such a dilemma in society; there is no real control or a feasible solution to society's recklessness. Without complete change, our system will collapse. The earth will eventually retaliate with disaster, or corporate control of our economy will cause hysteria and depression. Evaluation of the consequences and repercussion of worldwide pollution, may give people a better idea of what the future holds. It is unfortunate that within the past 100 years our worlds' economy has driven itself into a deep hole with the reliance on a "black gold" called oil. Since its discovery, it has been purified to produce many different forms of energy such as light, gasoline and more. Since technology has enabled mankind to discover more capable methods of transportation, mankind has exploited its power over nature and produced machines such as the combustion engine. In combustion engine's, oil explodes to move machinery, and emits a very toxic byproduct called CO2. Carbon is incredibly dangerous to the earth's atmosphere, and erodes huge holes in the ozone layer of our earth. This erosion causes global warming and climate change that is permanent and irreversible. The impact of global warming will not only ... ...e sources." All facts, statements and reports conclude that mankind is in part responsible for this change in our ecosystem. Hence if we do not change, drastic changes over the next 100 years will threaten the safety of some people and our environment. More and more research is being deployed into this intriguing field of science. Some scientists deny reports of global warming impacts. And some scientists show more and more proof of such impacts. When will the academic and governmental community understand the consequences of our treasured way of life? Will it take huge catastrophic man-induced disasters to change the worlds mind on what actions to take? Is our economy so reliant upon oil that it will risk our planets' health, for money? People need to take action on these issues before the damage of global warming has left a huge, worsening-footprint on our earth.

The Marxist Formula in Emechetas The Joys of Motherhood Essay

The Marxist Formula in Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood "Marx states that we are truly free only when '[people] place themselves in a position to control their own historical destiny'"(Slaughter 25). Britain's imperial colonization of Africa triggered vast change within the tribal civilizations thriving on the continent prior to European occupation. For the Africans, these changes altered every level of their culture: language, religion, as well as ancient tribal customs. But one of the most devastating aspects of the British colonization in Africa was the European economic system: capitalism. Capitalism left many Africans reeling from its destructive impact on tribal economies. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emecheta's tale of the British occupation of Nigeria in the 1930s and 1940s. Emecheta's skillfully constructed story uses various literary devices to develop empathy for her characters suffering at the hands of the English. However, underlying these literary techniques -- and boosting the storyà ­s political objectives -- exists a Marxist economic analysis of the colonial system. Emecheta's Marxist examination provides an outline f or illustrating how imperialistic capitalism alienated Africans from their culture, and from one another, causing irreparable damage to the social fabric of Nigeria. The Marxist argument in The Joys of Motherhood demonstrates how the root of the characters' downfall is the socioeconomic shift from the tribal economic paradigm to the exploitative, capitalist system used by the British. However, Emecheta also criticizes her tribal culture's oppressive hierarchy, illustrating the Ibo treatment of slaves and of women. So although European colonialism... ...Marx and the Sources of Critical Theory. New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981. Jameson, Fredric. Marxism and Form: Twentieth-Century Dialectical Theories of Literature. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1974. Magubane, Bernard, and Nzongola-Ntalaja, eds. Proletarianization and Class Struggle in Africa. Contemporary Marxism Series. San Francisco: Synthesis, 1982. Richter, David. The Critical Tradition: Classic and Contemporary Trends. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford, 1998. Selden, Raman, and Peter Widdowson. A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. 3rd ed. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1993. Slaughter, Cliff. Marxism, Ideology and Literature. London: Macmillan, 1980. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. New York: Garland, 1999. Wallerstein, Immanuel. Africa: The Politics of Independence. New York: Vintage, 1961.

William Shakespeare: Greatest Poet & Playwright

England's greatest poet and playwright was born in Stratford, the son of a tradesman and Alderman of Stratford, John Shakespeare in 1564. William, the eldest son, and third child of eight, was baptized on the 26th April 1564. He received his early education at Stratford Grammar School, but little is known of his life up to his eighteenth year. His Grammar School curriculum would have provided a formidable linguistic, and to some extent literary education. It is noted that he did not like grammar but did have a love for dramatics. Shakespeare attended King†s New School in Stratford which was one of the best grammar schools. Shakespeare read many books. He used some of these books as sources for his plays. One of his most prominent sources of literature was the book The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre families of Lancaster and York written by Hall. Shakespeare used this book to help inscribe his plays about many kings including three plays about Henry VI and a play written about Richard III. Also he wrote Othello on the basis of Hecatommithi and Twelfth Night on the basis of His Farewell to Military Profession. More than fifty percent of Shakespeare†s plays were influenced from various groups of topics. Other things that influenced Shakespeare†s plays were his life experiences. As a young boy dramatic events that occurred led to his writing of Hamlet. The drowning of a girl named Katherine he knew was also a source of his playwriting. History affected his writing as well. One of Shakespeare†s most heralded plays was based on the life and demise of Julius Caesar. He gathered information about Caesar, and with his literary brilliance wrote about Caesar and his story in a unique perspective. Also the life of Marc Antony was very influential in one of Shakespeare†s great plays, as well as the bible and other chronicles. Many of these influences were brought upon by his education, which taught his a lot about history and its figures. Many reasons can be given for Shakespeare's enormous appeal. His fame basically is from his great understanding of human nature. He was able to find universal human qualities and put them in a dramatic situation creating characters that are timeless. Yet he had the ability to create characters that are highly individual human beings. Their struggles in life are universal. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes their lives are full of pain, suffering, and failure. In addition to his understanding and realistic view of human nature, Shakespeare had a vast knowledge of a variety of subjects. These subjects include music, law, Bible, stage, art, politics, history, hunting, and sports. Shakespeare had a tremendous influence on culture and literature throughout the world. He contributed greatly to the development of the English language. Many words and phrases from Shakespeare's plays and poems have become part of our speech. Shakespeare's plays and poems have become a required part of education in the United States. Therefore, his ideas on subjects such as romantic love, heroism, comedy, and tragedy have helped shape the attitudes of millions of people. His description of historical figures and events has influenced our thinking more than what has been written in history books. The world has admired and respected many great writers, but only Shakespeare has generated such enormous continuing interest.

Event Sponsorship as a Value Creating Strategy for Brands

Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou University of Patras, Patra, Greece Artemisia Apostolopoulou Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, USA, and Theofanis Dounis University of Patras, Patras, Greece Abstract Purpose – The present research involves corporations that served as Grand National Sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and aims to explore whether a strategic approach was employed in the acquisition and management of their Olympic sponsorship.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study analysis was employed, for which data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The study sample included seven of the ten Grand National Sponsors that signed agreements with ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Data analysis was organized around ? ve themes inspired by the existing literature. Findings – With the exception of two ? ms, the majority of the Grand Nati onal Sponsors reported no clear or measurable objectives and limited consideration to strategic or brand-related initiatives in their decisions to invest in the national Olympic sponsorship program. However, they did report plans to invest resources to leverage their rights, even though in most cases no speci? c evaluation processes had been designed. Research limitations/implications – Given that the Olympic Games are organized every four years in a new location, the ? ndings of this research may not ? d direct application to other markets and organizing committees that implement their own sponsorship programs. Nevertheless, this research did show relatively poor recognition of the role of sponsorship in creating value and building the corporate brand. Corporations considering becoming involved in sport sponsorship and also event organizers are encouraged to adopt a more strategic approach in the sponsorship solicitation and management process. Originality/value – Exi sting literature has discussed the role of sport sponsorship in brand management and the communication mix, and has highlighted the bene? s for ? rms that establish long-term ties with the Olympic Games. The present research adds to that line of work by highlighting if and how a strategic and brand building approach was adopted in the context of national-level Olympic partnerships. Keywords Sponsorship, Olympic Games, Brand management, Corporate strategy Paper type Research paper An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article. Introduction The meaning of sponsorship as an integral element of the marketing mix has been conceptualised by Sandler and Shani (1993) with the following de? ition: â€Å"[Sponsorship is] the provision of resources (money, people, or equipment) by an organization directly to an event or activity in exchange for a direct association to the event or activity† (p. 39). Corporate spending on sport sponsorshi p in many European countries and in North America has increased dramatically (Lachowetz et al. , 2003). Global spending on sponsorship was estimated to reach $US28 billion in 2004 (from $US25. 9 billion in 2003) of which, according to the The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. meraldinsight. com/1061-0421. htm Journal of Product & Brand Management 17/4 (2008) 212– 222 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421] [DOI 10. 1108/10610420810887563] International Events Group, 69 per cent relates to sporting events (International Events Group, n. d. ). There is plenty of evidence that sport sponsorship, including Olympic sponsorship, can be very effective in achieving a number of objectives, not the least of which is competitive advantage related to brand image and reputation (Amis et al. 1997; Copeland et al. , 1996; Meenaghan, 1998). The sport marketing literature provides some discussion on the value of sport sponsorship in also deli vering other bene? ts, such as increased awareness levels, sales and greater market share, and opportunities to develop employee and client (i. e. hospitality) relations (e. g. Abratt et al. , 1987; Apostolopoulou and Papadimitriou, 2004; Irwin and Asimakopoulos, 1992; Lough et al. , 2000; Ludwig and Karabetsos, 1999; Scott and Suchard, 1992). The technological developments related to porting, events along with the growing interest of the media for such activities, account to some extent for the steady increase of sport-related sponsorship investments (Meenaghan, 1998; Shilbury et al. , 2003). Meanwhile, the decreasing corporate trust in the ef? ciency of traditional media advertising channels may also explain why corporate investments in sport follow a growing trend (Meenaghan, 1998). Despite the pervasive appeal of the sport sector, however, companies have plenty of other event options at a local, national and international level from which to choose; thus greater emphasis on retu rn of 212Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 investment will prevail their sponsorship decisions (Copeland et al. , 1996). Also, as the corporate demand for accountability in marketing expenditure increases, so does the need for a deeper understanding of the unique elements of event sponsorships as a strategic resource and a tool of marketing (Meenaghan, 1998; Thwaites et al. , 1998). Given the potential bene? ts involved in sponsorship, and in order to maximize ? ancial and other returns, corporations need to be strategic not only in their choice of properties (sport or other) with which to form partnerships but also in the allocation of resources to those agreements. Businesses must consider strategic priorities that suit their needs and systematically exploit the opportunities within their markets, and engage in partnerships that are aligned with those priorities. Furthermore, within those partnerships they need to link corporate objectives to particular strategic initiatives, a process that could turn sponsorship to a value-creating strategy capable of creating a distinctive advantage.Surprisingly, research is scarce on corporate sponsorship and its importance as a strategic resource and a brand management tool. As Meenaghan (1998) stresses, â€Å"The sponsorship literature has traditionally viewed sponsorship as an activity largely similar to advertising and generally, though not always, spoken of in terms of short- rather than long-term horizons† (p. 25). Indeed, most existing studies are descriptive, and focus on objectives and general motivation for making those kinds of investments (e. g. Berrett and Slack, 1999; Cornwell and Maignan, 1998; Doherty and Murray, 2007).Amis (2003) has also outlined the dearth of research on how intangible resources are identi? ed and managed in relation to image and reputation through sport sponsorship. This is also re? ected in the industry, as many companies invest immense resources but still ignore the capacity of sport sponsorship for ensuring longer-term bene? ts (Amis et al. , 1999). Accordingly, the present study attempts to explore the adoption (or not) of a strategic approach to the sponsorship process on the part of large companies involved in Olympic sponsorship.This is a research avenue that has been largely unexplored in the existing literature. and ideals and on leveraging its key brand on a national and international level. The Olympic Partner (TOP) program, which represents the IOC’s sponsorship program, holds a key role in the IOC’s overall marketing efforts as it attracts the interest of many international corporations due to a number of factors, including the long-term (a required minimum of four years) linkage to a very attractive intellectual property, exclusive global marketi ng rights, and the principle of product/service-category exclusivity. The ? st TOP program (1985-1988) involved nine partners and generated $US95 million, a far cry from the more lucrative 2001-2004 program, which engaged 11 corporations contributing $US603 million. Global corporations like Visa, Coca-Cola, Kodak and Panasonic view this type of partnership as strategic, and this is manifested by the fact that since 1986 all of them have invested considerable resources to remain part of the program until at least the 2012 Olympic Games. The IOC has extended their particularly successful marketing concept to a lower stage by introducing Olympic sponsorships at the national level.Revenues from those sponsorships contribute to the ever-increasing cost of hosting the event. The Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs) manage this program, which involves an array of sponsors, suppliers and providers from the host country (provided they are approved by the IOC). The 2000 Olympics attracted the interest of 93 such national partners who contributed $US492 million to the Organizing Committee of the Sydney Games (SOCOG), while the 2004 Olympic Games held in Athens generated e570 million through their national Olympic sponsorship program (Jeanrenaud, 2006).Present research The present study focuses on the national companies that signed on as Grand National Sponsors of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and explores the role of these partnerships in sponsors’ brand management efforts, as perceived by company executives, as well as the degree to which these sponsors’ approach to their Olympic sponsorship was strategic. Furthermore, sponsors’ plans to integrate the sponsorship in corporate strategy and to exploit rights received by the Organizing Committee are also discussed. Given the increased pressure of corporations to maximize ef? iency in the use of their resources and to avoid opportunity cost, there is much interest in identifying whether a strategic approach was adopted in these companies’ Olympic involvement. The practices of these sponsors could provide valuable insight not only to other ? rms considering investment in sport sponsorship, but also to event organizing committees aiming to secure corporate support. The remainder of the paper includes a review of relevant literature, followed by a summary of the methodology and the ? ndings of the study.The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical contributions of the study and also practical recommendations for brand management and marketing executives as well as sport property representatives. Corporate sponsorship and Olympic Games The Olympic Games hold a few distinctive characteristics that make the event a particularly desirable property for a wide range of sponsors, but also for conducting research. First of all, it is a unique and highly prestigious event with a strong ability to reach a global audience through television networks.Secondly, th e marketing program and policies of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the governing body of the Olympic Movement and the Olympics, actively preserve exclusivity for the limited number of international and national sponsorships and favor long-term partnerships. The IOC has worked extensively to raise awareness about how corporate contributions enhance the Olympic Movement and invests resources to achieve sponsor recognition. Thirdly, Olympic sponsorships are linked to attractive hospitality packages, which corporations value highly for networking, roduct display, and employee incentive purposes. Continuing a pattern which began in the late 1980s, sponsorship investments in the Olympic Games have increased exponentially, accounting for 34 per cent of the IOC’s $US4 billion Olympic marketing revenue for the 2001-2004 Olympic quadrennium (International Olympic Committee, n. d. ). This is the end result of the IOC’s strategic plan, which since 1985 has focused syst ematically on enhancing the Olympic image 213 Literature reviewThe review of literature is structured around three themes: 1 sponsorship and corporate strategy; 2 the integration of sponsorship within corporate marketing efforts; and 3 sponsorship and brand management. Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Sponsorship and corporate strategy Understanding what companies do or do not do to remain competitive in a constantly changing environment is at the heart of strategic thinking.Practice has shown that sport sponsorship, because of the bene? ts associated with those agreements, is a frequent strategic choice of many multinational corporations. Of the most indicative examples are Coca-Cola, Kodak and Visa International, three companies with long-standing relationships with the Olympic Games. These partic ular ? rms have integrated those agreements well into their long-term marketing strategies and are continuously promoting their involvement in order to gain competitive advantage (Farrell and Frame, 1997).However, such costly agreements cannot be treated in an ad hoc manner. Successful corporations are well aware that sponsorship deals should be approached as a resource, with the capability to lead to distinctive competence if effectively combined with other organizational resources (Amis et al. , 1997, 1999). Sport sponsorship, if viewed as a strategic resource, can support brand management objectives by enhancing brand image and reputation and by assisting the company to gain competitive advantage in targeted marketplaces (Amis, 2003).This, however, implies that corporations are prepared to engage in long-term commitments and to actively exploit those agreements, or otherwise face the disappointment of low return on their investment. Though limited, research evidence has shown tha t many companies engage in sport sponsorship with limited planning and integration (Farrelly et al. , 1997; Polonsky et al. , 1995). A few companies make those investments with con? ned understanding of the range of bene? ts involved and how those bene? s can be realized. They even lack the growing knowledge of the nature of the particular communication means and this is depicted on their objectives and the poor rationale for involvement. The empirical results of Farrelly et al. (1997) with a sample of North American and Australian companies engaged in sport sponsorship showed that more time is spent into negotiating deals than in integration and planning. Moreover, their research showed that a few North American ? ms approached sponsorship management as a strategic tool, whereas the majority of Australian businesses concentrated more on the communication opportunities of sponsorship (Farrelly et al. , 1997). Similarly, Amis et al. (1999) have provided evidence that companies often engage in sponsorship without integrating it in other marketing initiatives. The consequence involves delivering an unclear and inconsistent image to the customer. Any company considering entering into a sponsorship agreement should ? rst assess the potential bene? s and the probability of gaining a competitive position in the marketplace and then make a decision of whether or not to invest in the sponsorship. Building on the work of Hamel and Prahalad (1994), Amis et al. (1999) argue that sport sponsorship can become a potential source of competitive advantage if it meets three criteria: 1 it allows for a signi? cant increase in the perceived customer value of the service or product; 2 it permits for differentiating the brand from the competitors; and 3 it provides space for exploiting the deal through new services and products. 14 The employment of sport as a strategic tool for developing a position of competitive advantage is well described by Amis (2003) in reference to the case study of Guinness. That particular company has used sport extensively and consistently to build a unifying brand message on a global level. This was achieved by ? rst engaging in a global survey to identify a â€Å"key brand bene? t† (â€Å"Guinness brings out your inner strength†) that would unify its global brand and also ensure differentiation from other popular beer brands (Amis, 2003, p. 200).Secondly, the company used sport and sport sponsorship as a central element of its brand positioning strategy, creating advertisements featuring athletes and driving on-trade promotions and sales during world sporting events (Amis, 2003). The critical element of Olympic sponsorship is that it offers sponsors the opportunity to make use of unique business opportunities by providing concrete rights and speci? c bene? ts associated with the strongest sporting brand in the world (i. e. the Olympic Games), depending on the sponsorship category.Accordingly, and given the competiti ve nature of the growing Olympic sponsorship industry, other sport and non-sport sponsorship options, and the signi? cant resource investment required to get into a sponsorship agreement, strategic thinking becomes critical. Following the example of multinational corporations, one would expect that sponsors involved in Olympic sponsorships on the national level should also engage ? rst and foremost in fundamental strategic thinking related to company brand management efforts and overall corporate strategy, and consider how a potential sponsorship agreement would enhance corporate strategy and objectives.This question is the point of exploration of the present study. Integrating sponsorship into organizational marketing In her discussion on sponsorship-linked marketing development, Cornwell (1995) proposes a model of sponsorship development. That model involves six steps, each linked to the next, including: 1 analysis of the situation; 2 determination of objectives; 3 development of sponsorship-related strategy; 4 creation of sponsorship link; 5 sponsorship implementation; and 6 sponsorship evaluation.In another research effort to standardize the process of selecting a sport sponsorship program and utilizing it as a viable marketing tool, Arthur et al. (1998) proposed a multistep process that involved many of the points discussed earlier by Cornwell. The authors emphasized the necessity of a careful consideration of all options available to an organization in order to achieve company objectives, as well as the need to incorporate the sponsorship within the organization, manage, activate, and evaluate it (Arthur et al. , 1998).Therefore, it should be stressed that sport sponsorship can be an invaluable tool as long as it is fully integrated into a ? rm’s marketing and communication efforts. This involves ? rst of all placement of the corporate sponsorship activities into the marketing departments, clear and appropriate objectives and planning, and full in tegration into the communication mix. Otherwise, sponsorship activities, including those linked to the Olympic Games can be turned into costly mistakes with no substantial return on investment.Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Sponsorship and brand management Wong and Merrilees (2005) stress that, in pursuing competitive advantage in the marketplace, the brand should be in the heart of corporate strategy. In other words, managers should be able to combine corporate, marketing and promotional plans in a brand-based strategy, which can offer their company a sustainable edge over their competitors and lead to high levels of brand equity.Brand equity is one of the most fundamental signi? ers of a powerful brand because it represents the end result of strong brand loyalty, high name awareness, positive br and image, favorable brand associations, and the perception of superior quality (Aaker, 1991). As companies strive to build powerful brands with high value in the marketplace, sport sponsorship can serve as a tool for supporting brand management objectives (Amis, 2003; Sandler and Shani, 1993).Establishing and exploiting a partnership with a sport property can assist a company to strengthen some or all of the elements of brand equity and consequently increase the overall value of its brand (Roy and Cornwell, 2003). A few authors have discussed sport sponsorship’s role in enhancing brand image and reputation, increasing brand awareness and familiarity, and altering public perceptions (e. g. Amis et al. , 1997; Cornwell et al. , 2001; Gwinner and Eaton, 1999; Irwin and Asimakopoulos, 1992). Bene? s have also been reported in terms of brand personality and brand differentiation (Amis et al. , 1999; Cornwell et al. , 2001). The brand-related bene? ts outlined above can be deliver ed with an even greater effectiveness via Olympic sponsorship agreements. Brown (2000) discussed how AMP (an insurance and investment company) and Visa, both companies in the services sector, used their Olympic sponsorship of the 2000 Olympic Games for brand development and brand differentiation initiatives. Crimmins and Horn (1996) have also reported that Visa has bene? ed from measurable changed perceptions of its brand over MasterCard as a result of the Olympic sponsorship. Furthermore, Stipp (1998) showed that managers are well aware of how sponsor image is signi? cantly affected by the special qualities of Olympic advertising, the favorable public attitudes toward Olympic sponsorship, and the strength of the association between the sponsor and the Olympics. This is attributed to the fact that the general public expresses high respect for the Olympic Games and attaches special value to Olympic sponsorship (Stipp, 1998).Even though there is evidence that sport sponsorship, and pa rticularly Olympic sponsorship, is a distinctive resource capable of ful? lling brand management objectives, it should be stated that its effectiveness depends on active management (Amis, 2003; Cornwell et al. , 2001), appropriate and adequate leveraging (Chalip and Leyns, 2002), and longterm agreements which allow time for strong associations to be developed between events and brands (Keller, 1993). Companies should not make the mistake of mismanaging sport sponsorship agreements.They should approach these agreements as a distinctive resource, which needs to be integrated within other company activities in order to produce sustainable competitive advantage (Amis et al. , 1999). Sample On the national level, ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, instituted a sponsorship program, the National Sponsoring Programme, which offered three levels of involvement: 1 Grand Sponsor; 2 Of? cial Supporter; and 3 Of? cial Provider.This sponsorship program contributed a total of e570 million to the Organizing Committee’s budget (Jeanrenaud, 2006). The present research effort focused on the highest of the three levels, the Grand Sponsors. It was assumed that, given the size of the companies and the extent of their investment, there were higher chances that a strategic and/or brand building orientation would have been adopted at that level. Therefore, the sample for this study was drawn from the population of the Grand National Olympic Sponsors of ATHOC. The ten ompanies that served as Grand sponsors were 1 Alpha Bank (private bank); 2 Athenian Brewery (beer producer); 3 DELTA (dairy product company, co-sponsor with FAGE); 4 FAGE (dairy product company, co-sponsor with DELTA); 5 Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT, national broadcasting company); 6 Hellenic Post (ELTA, national postal services provider); 7 Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE, national telecommunications company); 8 Hyundai Hellas (automotive company); 9 Olympic A irlines (national airline company); and 10 Public Power Corporation SA (DEI, national electrical power provider).Data collection The design of this research involved a multiple case study approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with the Marketing Directors or other company executives responsible for coordinating the Olympic sponsorship activities of their particular organization. The particular research design was deemed appropriate for the study objectives as it facilitated the exploratory nature of this research. It also allowed for motivating the interviewees to explore and discuss aspects of their sponsorship-related thinking and enabled in-depth probing into unexpected issues during the discussion.Interviews took place between January and May 2004, and the duration of each interview was approximately one hour. Research efforts resulted in a total of seven of the possible ten interviews. Consequently, all results are based on information from t he seven sponsors interviewed. An interview guide was developed to incorporate the following key themes: . the reason(s) for which the ? rms entered into the Olympic sponsorship agreement; . the way(s) in which the Olympic sponsorship was integrated into the ? rms’ overall corporate strategy, their marketing strategy, and their brand management efforts; . he amount of resources deployed into the sponsorship; . the initiatives introduced to leverage the sponsorship; and . companies’ plans to evaluate the effectiveness of their Olympic sponsorship. 215 Methodology The present study follows a multiple case study approach to investigate the extent to which Grand Sponsors of the 2004 Olympic Games were involved in strategic planning and systematic leveraging activities related to their Olympic sponsorship agreements. Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis DounisJournal of Product & Brand Manage ment Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Data analysis In an effort to explore whether a strategic approach was adopted (or not) by the Grand Sponsors of the 2004 Olympics in the acquisition and management of their sponsorship, the present study focused on four indicators, namely: 1 sponsors’ stated goals and/or objectives; 2 resources allocated to the acquisition and activation of the sponsorship; 3 sponsorship leveraging initiatives; and 4 sponsorship evaluation plans The study attempted to assess the degree to which each of these areas was considered in the sponsorship process.In addition, the perceptions of company-sponsor representatives in terms of the incorporation of their sponsorship in the overall corporate strategy and brand management efforts were used as a ? fth indicator. These ? ve elements were chosen to frame the analysis because they have been proposed in past research (Arthur et al. , 1998; Cornwell, 1995) as indicators of a strategic app roach to sport sponsorship, and thus were deemed appropriate for the objectives of the present research.All data received through the interviews were therefore contentanalyzed based on those ? ve parameters. Results A discussion on each of the ? ve parameters as they relate to the seven companies-sponsors in the sample is presented in the following section. Sponsorship as part of corporate strategy and brand management efforts In order to explore whether a strategic approach was adopted in the acquisition of the Olympic sponsorship at the national level, companies were asked to discuss how iOlympic sponsorship ? tted in their overall (i. . corporate) brand management strategy. From the responses received to that question alone, it appeared that two of the seven companies in the sample clearly saw this sponsorship as an opportunity to support major shifts in the structure and orientation of their companies. More speci? cally, Alpha Bank, a private bank that had gone through a merger in recent years, saw its Olympic sponsorship as a way to support the union of the two banks that merged and also as a cause behind which to unite the two distinct cultures and staffs.Its involvement with the Olympics was seen as a platform to promote the new, post-merger company and to solidify its new name and identity in the minds of consumers. ELTA, the main postal services provider in Greece, which had been a sponsor of the ? rst modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, was also going through major changes at the time leading up to the Olympic Games as the company was preparing for an initial public offering (IPO). Their main interest was to use their Olympic sponsorship to strengthen and promote their corporate image.According to a company representative, â€Å"we want to promote a modern image of effectiveness and quality; a humane image† (personal communication, February 2, 2004). Their investment in this sponsorship intended to support the company’s brand r epositioning efforts that focused on promoting a more positive, a more customer- and service-oriented image. In addition to the role of the sponsorship in shaping a new image 216 for the company, it served as a means to celebrate a milestone in company history, i. e. the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the organization. When asked the same question of how their Olympic sponsorship ? ted with their brand management efforts, the remaining ? ve companies in the sample did not discuss any strategic initiatives that were supposed to be supported by the sponsorship. Instead, they provided reasons for which they decided to become a sponsor. Athenian Brewery, a beer producer, and DELTA, one of the dairy product co-sponsors, mentioned that their decision to become a sponsor was driven primarily by the fact that the Olympic Games was the largest and most important athletic event to occur in the modern history of the country, while the other three cited being a logical choice for the pro? e and size of their company (FAGE, dairy product co-sponsor); obliging to a matter of honor (Olympic Airlines, airline); and supporting their company’s social responsibility strategy (DEI, power provider) as their rationale for entering into those agreements. Even though it seems that, from their responses to that question alone, these ? ve sponsors did not consider any strategic or brand-related initiatives in their decisions to become involved in the program, there was some relevant information that ould be deciphered from their commentary on their sponsorship objectives, which indicates that some consideration of corporate strategy or branding was present. That information is discussed in the following section. Stated goals and/or objectives All of the companies in the sample seemed to have, to a greater or lesser extent, some stated goals for this sponsorship. However, with the exception of two cases, none of them were speci? c or measurable. In general, stated goal s/objectives fell into two categories: 1 pro? -oriented (i. e. sales); or 2 brand-oriented. Table I outlines companies’ goals and/or objectives in terms of their Olympic sponsorship agreements and groups them based on their orientation. In terms of the pro? t-oriented goals/objectives, the majority of the sponsors in the sample seemed to agree that increasing sales for one or all of their products/services was one of their goals. Olympic Airlines, the national airline company, had speci? c objectives in terms of the amount of additional traf? it would generate during the summer months and was also expecting long-term repeat business. Alpha Bank, the private bank, was more speci? c in terms of the group it was targeting; it was looking to attract a younger demographic for its services. As was noted, â€Å"we are aiming to attract a younger audience [as] the pro? le of our clients is middle age† (personal communication, January 20, 2004). Interestingly, there was also th e case of one sponsor (ELTA, postal services provider) that did not declare any speci? pro? t-oriented goals, but rather expressed a desire to at least make up the money they invested in acquiring the sponsorship. As stated by a company representative, one of their goals was â€Å"to cover the minimum guaranteed amount spent to acquire the sponsorship† (personal communication, February 2, 2004). The same company representative indicated that they did not view their Olympic sponsorship as a means that would produce any signi? cant commercial bene? ts and that the ? ancial returns were expected to be marginal. In addition to the pro? t-oriented goals, there were also other stated goals/objectives related to some aspects of brand Table I Goals/objectives of Grand National Olympic sponsors Brand-oriented goals/objectives Brand awareness, recognition Brand loyalty Integrate staff members of two banks Integrate two company cultures Brand associations Brand image, positioning Organi zational culture, employees (internal branding)Other goals/ objectives Grand National Olympic Pro? t-oriented goals/ sponsors objectives Alpha Bank Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Strengthen employee relations through leveraging initiatives Support the efforts of ATHOC – altruism 217 Receive moral bene? ts Increase market share Establish the new bank name in the minds of consumers Gain new customers Attract younger consumers Generate pro? of e50 million Athenian Increase sales (target group: Enhance brand recognition Create a legacy Make Heineken a yearBrewery 18-34) of Heineken after the Games round beer Community involvement DELTA Increase sales Create brand recognition, Community Strengthen company image awareness involvement Project interest in community matters and the country FAGE Generate sales from visitors Promote products abroad Turn foreign visitors into upon return to th eir Create brand awareness consumers of their countries among visitors (foreign products consumers) Hellenic Post [Avoid losses – make up the Create a positive image, (ELTA) money spent on sponsorship] customer- and serviceoriented Support company repositioning efforts Increase prestige as a new Olympic Airlines Increase traf? c by 150,000 Generate exposure and buzz post-Games company travelers (e50 million) Generate repeat travel in the future Create image of trust and Public Power Create credibility association Corporation, SA with the event Create prestige (DEI) Strengthen social pro? le of company Unite employees behind common effort Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Serve noble cause of sponsorship Coordinate communications under one strategy Take advantage of sponsorship rightsEvent sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 management. More speci? cally, the two areas that seemed to be more prevalent in sponsors’ priorities were brand awareness and recognition and brand image. Five of the seven sponsors in the sample stated that they were interested in raising awareness/recognition levels for their brands or a particular product under their brand. For Athenian Brewery, the beer producer, the goal was â€Å"to enhance brand recognition for Heineken [one of the products of that company] [. . . ] to promote Heineken and make it a year-round beer† (personal communication, March 4, 2004).Alpha Bank, the private bank, was more interested in raising people’s awareness of the new name of the bank, while FAGE, one of the dairy product co-sponsors, was focused on making foreign consumers who were visiting Greece for the Games familiar with their products in hope that they would continue consumption upon return to their native countries. The second aspect of brand building that seemed to be important amongst at least four of the seven Grand National Olympic sponsors in the sample was brand image. Through association with an event as grandiose and unique as the Olympic Games, sponsors felt they could create a more positive image for their company.This goal was particularly important for ELTA, the postal services provider that was hoping that the sponsorship would support its repositioning efforts. As their representative stated, â€Å"our company is at the stage of planning or promoting a change in its nature and orientation [. . . ] we are now shifting from the era of the citizen to the era of the customer, and that is important† (personal communication, February 2, 2004). Using the sponsorship to create an image of trust and credibility was one of the goals of DEI, the national power provider, while projecting their company’s interest in the community and the country and cr eating prestige as a new company were goals expressed by DELTA (dairy product co-sponsor) and Olympic Airlines (airline), respectively.Another area related to branding, other than the two mentioned above, which also became evident from the data, is the use of sponsorship for purposes of branding within the organization (i. e. internal branding). Two of the companies in the sample, Alpha Bank (private bank) and DEI (power provider), indicated that they saw their Olympic sponsorship as a means to promote employee relations. According to the representative of one of the sponsors (DEI), â€Å"[one of the goals of our company for the Olympic sponsorship is] to unite employees around a vision and a common effort† (personal communication, May 6, 2004). A third company, DELTA (dairy product producer), made reference to that goal not directly, but through the discussion of their sponsorship activation initiatives.In addition to the two main groups of goals, there were also some other goals/objectives expressed by Grand National Olympic sponsors. Those re? ected mainly altruistic motives and moral bene? ts sought through their involvement in the particular sponsorship program. Allocated resources Another indication of whether a sponsorship is seen as an investment and a brand building tool is the amount of resources invested in the process. There were two types of resources examined in this study, i. e. human and material resources. Furthermore, material resources were distinguished between in-cash versus in-kind, and those invested in the acquisition versus the activation of the sponsorship. 218In terms of human resources allocated to their Olympic sponsorship, all companies in the sample formed some type of committee that was responsible for managing all sponsorshiprelated activities. The size of those committees ranged from two to 15 members and, in most cases, membership included employees from a number of departments within the organization. Furthermore, two of the companies in the sample, Alpha Bank and Athenian Brewery, discussed their intention to involve their employees in the process by initiating employee Olympic volunteer programs. Not all sponsors in the sample were willing to disclose the ? nancial investments they made to acquire their Olympic sponsorships. Of the seven companies in the sample, six provided some information in terms of the ? nancial resources allocated to becoming a Grand Olympic sponsor.From the information provided through the interviews, it was concluded that Athenian Brewery and DELTA invested in cash only, DEI invested in kind only, while Alpha Bank, ELTA and Olympic Airlines invested both in cash and in kind. In general, there seemed to be a commitment toward the sponsorship, which became more apparent from the stated intentions of sponsors to allocate ? nancial resources in sponsorship activation initiatives. Even though all seven companies in the sample discussed some sponsorship activation plans, onl y four of the sponsors (Alpha Bank, Athenian Brewery, FAGE, Olympic Airlines) mentioned that they were planning to invest ? ancial resources on that aspect, with two of those (Alpha Bank and Olympic Airlines) disclosing the speci? c amounts. Some more information on sponsorship activation is provided in the section below. Sponsorship activation In addition to the resources allocated to sponsorship activation, information was collected on speci? c leveraging initiatives. Although there was some variation in terms of the means chosen by each company to activate their sponsorship, most initiatives involved the use of the Olympic logo and symbols as well as the Olympic mascots on sponsors’ products, employees, distribution vehicles, and at points of sale. The most common sponsorship activation initiatives involved Olympic-themed sales promotions (e. g. ontests), themed packaging, new products (e. g. Olympic-themed credit card), and collectible pins. Furthermore, three of the spon sors in the sample (Alpha Bank, ELTA and Olympic Airlines) mentioned the existence of a hospitality program for their clients or partners. In terms of the use of communication media to activate their Olympic sponsorship, the most popular choices appeared to be advertising through mass electronic (e. g. television) and print (e. g. newspaper) media, posters and billboards, displays at sponsors’ distribution outlets or specially created kiosks, and internal company communication media or publications (e. g. employee newsletter).Surprisingly, the use of the internet and the companies’ websites (provided one existed) did not appear to be prevalent, with only three sponsors (Athenian Brewery, Alpha Bank and FAGE) mentioning its use in leveraging their sponsorship agreement, while three other companies (DELTA, ELTA and Olympic Airlines) indicated that promotion through the internet would be limited. Sponsorship evaluation Of all ? ve indicators used to determine the role of these sponsorship agreements in companies’ strategy and brand management efforts, this measure is probably the one for Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 which more general and more vague responses were received.With the exception of three companies that either did not provide any information on this area (Alpha Bank) or provided very general information (Olympic Airlines and DEI), the remaining sponsors in the sample indicated at least some plans to measure sales, company awareness/recognition levels, and perceived image amongst consumers, or to conduct cost-bene? t analyses after the Games. Discussion In light of the ? ndings received from a representative group of the Grand National Sponsors of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, some general observations and practical recommendations are offered for marketing and brand management executives interested in investing in sport sponsorship. Firstly, even though the marketing literature has repeatedly cautioned corporate executives about the need to be strategic with their decisions to invest in sponsorship and also in the selection of an appropriate property that could further corporate objectives (e. g. Farrelly et al. , 1997; Meenaghan, 1998), the ? dings of this study indicate that only a small number of the national sponsors of the Athens Olympic Games truly saw this sponsorship as a tool to further corporate strategy. For a number of other ? rms becoming a sponsor was explained by generally stated objectives of assisting the Organizing Committee’s efforts to put on a good event of the greatest national importance. However, even those companies that did not speak about corporate strategy and brand management made it clear throughout their interviews that solidifying an association with the Olympic Games could affect their brand image and positioning in a positive manner. The use of words such as â€Å"legacy†, â€Å"honor†, â€Å"prestige† and â€Å"image† indicates that these companies were well aware of how an of? ial relationship with an event as unique as the Olympic Games and as important for the history of the country (i. e. Greece) would help to build strong brand associations. This con? rms past research suggesting that sport sponsorship can be used as a brand-building tool through the creation of positive and favorable brand associations (e. g. Amis, 2003; Roy and Cornwell, 2003). Secondly, the companies in the sample highlighted the key strengths of their national Olympic sponsorships by stating the goals and objectives attached to those agreements, even though they were not, in most cases, speci? c or measurable as it has been recommended through past literature (e. g. Arthur et al. , 1998).Interestingly, many of the goals and objectives stated were brand- related. It was evident through the interviews that companies recognized the opportunity to sharpen their brand image and increase levels of brand awareness, but also saw the chance to do that in a favorable light by taking advantage of the positive feelings and emotions people had toward the Olympic Games. Being seen as one of the contributors to an event as important to the country and its citizens – even though not directly related to pro? toriented objectives – if achieved, could have led to positive outcomes via strengthening the company’s image and emotional connection with current and potential consumers.Past research also has connected the existence of positive brand associations to favorable consequences for brands (e. g. Amis, 2003; Gladden et al. , 1998). Thirdly, it appeared from the data that all the companies created teams to manage their sponsorships and, in most 219 cases, those teams involved employees from a number of departments. The involveme nt of various departments in the sponsorship management process could indicate efforts of sponsors to integrate their Olympic sponsorship throughout their organizations. Furthermore, for those companies that decided to involve their employees via Olympic volunteer programs or to incorporate employee bene? s and special corporate hospitality programs, it seems that they also saw this sponsorship as a tool to build employee relations and strengthen their brand internally. Fourthly, the willingness of companies to allocate resources not only in becoming sponsors but also in leveraging their sponsorship relationships indicates an even greater commitment in using this sponsorship as a brand building tool and receiving full bene? ts from their involvement – even though that was not clear from responses related to the ? rst indicator. It also implies that companies saw value in the intellectual property of the Olympic Games and in the rights received through their agreements with th e Organizing Committee. Although most of the managers interviewed failed to report with speci? ity the resources committed in sponsorship activation, this ? nding is in agreement with previous research that proposes spending money to leverage the associated bene? ts of a sponsorship (e. g. the $2-for-$1 additional spending found by Farrelly et al. , 1997). The leveraging initiatives described throughout the interviews were clearly efforts to capitalize on the positive feelings and enthusiasm that were widespread throughout the country. Using a variety of promotional and communications initiatives to take advantage of product/service category exclusivity rights (even for the two dairy product producers that signed on as co-sponsors) and of the of? cial af? iation with the Olympic Games could provide a competitive advantage to those corporations and differentiate them from their competition. Lastly, the lack of data on sponsorship evaluation plans might imply that assessment of the ef fectiveness of process and of the ful? llment of goals might not be an area to which companies devoted much energy, at least in the early stages of their sponsorship relationship. This ? nding is consistent with the existing literature, which indicates that many companies spend signi? cant resources on sponsorship agreements but fail to establish formal sponsorship evaluation systems or procedures (Miyazaki and Morgan, 2001).Furthermore, the fact that most objectives stated throughout the interviews were rather general and not speci? c could make any effort to evaluate the effectiveness of these sponsorship agreements even harder. Consistent with past literature (e. g. Cornwell, 1995; Meenaghan, 1998), in this case it is also strongly recommended that plans to measure whether corporate objectives were achieved should be an integral part of the sponsorship design and implementation, and not merely an afterthought. Olympic sponsorships, especially at the national level, are somewhat u nique in that they are typically once-ina-lifetime opportunities, with sponsorship renewal being less of an issue. Even so, easuring return on investment could prove valuable in guiding a company through future decisions to invest in sport or other sponsorship opportunities. Managerial implications and conclusions Given the increased pressure on corporations to maximize ef? ciency in operations and maximize return on all company investments, sport sponsorship has naturally fallen under Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 scrutiny in terms of its potential to further corporate goals and help strengthen the brand.The main contribution of this research is showing that there are still large corporations – such as the Grand National sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games – that enter expens ive sponsorship agreements with only moderate consideration to the strategic and brand-building elements of sponsorship. As this study showed, not all cases prove that speci? c brandbuilding initiatives were put in place from the start of those relationships. The ? ndings discussed above hold managerial implications for both sponsorship executives and (sport) event properties. In addition to an overall strategy involving corporate brand management, it is important for sponsors to fully understand what speci? advantages are delivered through their sponsorships and how customers might view those companies’ sponsorship efforts in relation to other media tools. As Farrelly et al. (1997) have suggested, ? rms need to ? rst â€Å"research the role of sponsorship in the strategic plan, communication mix, and its place in the organizational hierarchy† (p. 178). Using a manager-based view of the Grand National Olympic sponsorships, the ? ndings are quite clear in showing that t his type of thinking had not yet (i. e. at the time of the interviews) been adequately established in these agreements. The majority of the 2004 Olympics Grand sponsors had dif? culties approaching their partnerships as a valuable esource able to create competitive advantage in the marketplace. Nevertheless, the marketing department of ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games also holds part of the responsibility for the lack of strategic thinking in the investments of some Grand sponsors. Organizing Committees in general hinge on the success of these agreements in order to generate income and positive evaluations on corporate business developments. In addition to the promotion of the unique image of the Games and the rights of the Olympic sponsorship program, it is in the overall interest of the event property to integrate real strategic thinking in the sponsorship program process.This strategic thinking can be oriented, for example, by encouraging and/or as sisting candidate sponsors to explore their strategic link between the Olympic Games’ audience and their ? rms’ target market and overall brand-related objectives. If the property (in this case OCOG) works proactively to promote the unique business links associated to their audience, the brand bene? ts, as well as the other opportunities for meaningful interactions with costumers, sponsors will be more willing to allocate resources on entering the agreements and spending for their full activation. This could result in real strategic and brand management thinking on the part of the selected national Olympic sponsors, as well.Given that the Olympic partnerships involve a four-year period of sponsorship privileges, a strategic approach is particularly critical in order to facilitate a sustained long-term successful partnership with mutual bene? ts. In closing, the results of the study imply that the need for adequate planning and strategic integration of sponsorship withi n other corporate marketing and branding efforts cannot be overstated. Especially with a property as unique as the Olympic Games, the need to be strategic in all decisions related to the sponsorship, to create new and leverage existing unique brand associations, and to implement speci? c measures of success in every step of the process is imperative for sponsors if unique bene? ts are to be realized. 220 References Aaker, D. A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity, The Free Press, New York, NY.Abratt, R. , Clayton, B. C. and Pitt, L. F. (1987), â€Å"Corporate objectives in sports sponsorship†, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 6, pp. 299-311. Amis, J. (2003), â€Å"‘Good things come to those who wait’: the strategic management of image and reputation of Guinness†, European Sport Management Quarterly, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 189-214. Amis, J. , Pant, N. and Slack, T. (1997), â€Å"Achieving a sustainable competitive advantage: a resource-based view of sport s ponsorship†, Journal of Sport Management, Vol. 11, pp. 80-96. Amis, J. , Slack, T. and Berrett, T. (1999), â€Å"Sport sponsorship as distinctive competence†, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. Nos 3/4, pp. 250-73. Apostolopoulou, A. and Papadimitriou, D. (2004), â€Å"‘Welcome home’: motivations and objectives of the 2004 Grand National Olympic sponsors†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 180-92. Arthur, D. , Scott, D. , Woods, T. and Booker, R. (1998), â€Å"Sport sponsorship should . . . . A process model for the effective implementation and management of sport sponsorship programmes†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 49-60. Berrett, T. and Slack, T. (1999), â€Å"An analysis of the in? uence of competitive and institutional pressures on corporate sponsorship decisions†, Journal of Sport Management, Vol. 8, pp. 114-38. Brown, G. 2000), â€Å"Emerging issues in Olympic sponsorship: implications for host citie s†, Sport Management Review, Vol. 3, pp. 71-92. Chalip, L. and Leyns, A. (2002), â€Å"Local business leveraging of a sport event: managing an event for economic bene? t†, Journal of Sport Management, Vol. 16, pp. 132-58. Copeland, R. , McCarville, R. and Frisby, W. (1996), â€Å"Understanding the sport sponsorship process from a corporate perspective†, Journal of Sport Management, Vol. 10, pp. 32-48. Cornwell, T. B. (1995), â€Å"Sponsorship-linked marketing development†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 13-24. Cornwell, T. B. and Maignan, I. (1998), â€Å"An international review of sponsorship research†, Sponsorship Business Review, Vol. 2, pp. 36-42. Cornwell, T. B. Roy, D. P. and Steinard, E. A. II (2001), â€Å"Exploring managers’ perceptions of the impact of sponsorship on brand equity†, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 41-51. Crimmins, J. and Horn, M. (1996), â€Å"Sponsorship: from management ego trip to marketing success†, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 36, July/August, pp. 11-21. Doherty, A. and Murray, M. (2007), â€Å"The strategic sponsorship process in a non-pro? t sport organization†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 49-59. Farrell, K. A. and Frame, W. S. (1997), â€Å"The value of Olympic sponsorships: who is capturing the Gold? †, Journal of Market Focused Management, Vol. 2, pp. 71-82. Farrelly, J. F. , Quester, P. G. and Burton, R. (1997), â€Å"Integrating sports sponsorship into the corporate Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 marketing function: an international comparative study†, International Marketing Review, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 170-82. Gladden, J. M. , Milne, G. R. and Sutton, W. A. (1998), â€Å"A conceptual framework for assessing bra nd equity in Division I college athletics†, Journal of Sport Management, Vol. 12, pp. 1-19. Gwinner, K. P. and Eaton, J. 1999), â€Å"Building brand image through event sponsorship: the role of image transfer†, Journal of Advertising, Vol. XXVIII No. 4, pp. 47-57. Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C. K. (1994), Competing for the Future, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. International Events Group (n. d. ), â€Å"Sponsorship spending worldwide†, Sponsorship Report, available at: www. sponsorship. com/learn/worldwidespending. asp (accessed July 2, 2007). International Olympic Committee (n. d. ), â€Å"Revenue generation 2001-2004†, Organisation Facts and Figures, available at: www. olympic. org/uk/organisation/facts/ revenue/index_uk. asp (accessed July 1, 2007). Irwin, R. L. and Asimakopoulos, M. K. 1992), â€Å"An approach to the evaluation and selection of sport sponsorship proposals†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 43-51. Jeanrenaud, C. (2006), â€Å"Sponsorship†, in Andreff, W. and Szymanski, S. (Eds), The Handbook on the Economics of Sport, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp. 49-58. Keller, K. L. (1993), â€Å"Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57 No. 1, pp. 1-22. Lachowetz, T. , McDonald, M. , Sutton, W. A. and Hedrick, D. G. (2003), â€Å"Corporate sales activities and the retention of sponsors in the National Basketball Association (NBA)†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 18-26. Lough, N. L. , Irwin, R. L. and Short, G. 2000), â€Å"Corporate sponsorship motives among North American companies: a contemporary analysis†, International Journal of Sport Management, Vol. 1, pp. 283-95. Ludwig, S. and Karabetsos, J. D. (1999), â€Å"Objectives and evaluation processes utilized by sponsors of the 1996 Olympic Games†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 11-19. Meenaghan, T. (1998), â€Å"Commercial spo nsorship – the development of understanding†, International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 19-31. Miyazaki, A. D. and Morgan, A. G. (2001), â€Å"Assessing market value of event sponsoring: corporate Olympic sponsorships†, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 41, January, pp. 9-15. Polonsky, M. , Sandler, D. , Casey, M. , Murphy, S. , Portelli, K. and Van Velzen, Y. 1995), â€Å"Small business and sport sponsorship: the Australian experience†, Journal of Promotion Management, Vol. 3 Nos 1/2, pp. 121-40. Roy, D. P. and Cornwell, T. B. (2003), â€Å"Brand equity’s in? uence on responses to event sponsorships†, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 12 No. 6, pp. 377-93. Sandler, D. M. and Shani, D. (1993), â€Å"Sponsorship and the Olympic Games: the consumer perspective†, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 38-43. Scott, D. R. and Suchard, H. T. (1992), â€Å"Motivations for Australian expe nditure on sponsorship – an analysis†, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 11, pp. 325-32. Shilbury, D. , Quick, S. and Westerbeek, H. (2003), Strategic Sport Marketing, 2nd ed. , Allen & Unwin, St Leonards. 221 Stipp, H. 1998), â€Å"The impact of Olympic sponsorship on corporate image†, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 75-87. Thwaites, D. , Aguilar-Manjarrez, R. and Kidd, C. (1998), â€Å"Sports sponsorship development in leading Canadian companies: issues and trends†, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 17, pp. 29-49. Wong, H. Y. and Merrilees, B. (2005), â€Å"A brand orientation typology for SMEs: a case research approach†, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 155-62. About the authors Dimitra Papadimitriou is a Lecturer in the Department of Business Management at the University of Patras, Greece. She teaches in the area of sport management and marketing.Her research interests include o rganizational theory, sport sponsorship and sport tourism, and her work has appeared in the European Sport Management Quarterly, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Sport Management Review, Managing Leisure, and the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. She is also the author of the book Management of Sport Enterprises and Organizations, published in 2005 by Kleidarithmos Publications. In addition, Dr Papadimitriou is an elected board member of the European Association for Sport Management and serves on the Editorial Board of the European Sport Management Quarterly journal. Dimitra Papadimitriou is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email  protected] gr Artemisia Apostolopoulou is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Business at Robert Morris University, USA. She teaches sport management and marketing at the undergraduate and graduate level.Her primary area of research involves brand management and brand extension strategies impleme nted by sport organizations. Her secondary research interests include sponsorship and endorsement issues, as well as entertainment aspects of sport consumption. She has presented work at numerous national and international conferences, co-authored book chapters, and published research in Sport Marketing Quarterly and the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. Theofanis Dounis is a PhD candidate in the Department of Business Management at the University of Patras, Greece. He conducts research in the area of strategic management in the professional football industry.Executive summary and implications for managers and executives This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full bene? t of the material pr esent. This sporting life Corporate sponsorship of sport is a big business and it is growing. In 2003, for example, spend on sponsorship was calculated at $US25. 9 billion. A year later in 2004, it had risen to $28 billion. In anyone’s money, that’s a big business. Of this spend 69 percent goes to sporting events. Sport, it seems, is the ? rst among equals.Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Within this or any other context the Olympic Games has become a phenomenon of our times. The ancients surely could not have imagined what was to come. The late nineteenth century/early twentieth century revivalists would be, one would suppose, either amazed or aghast. Organizers picking up the baton after the Second World War, such as the modest London Games of 1948, would still have little inkling of what was to come. A global TV audience and, some might argue, a shift in values, have changed the game.For global companies the Olympics deliver a global audience and provide a more or less unique opportunity to reinforce brand values and build reputation. It is an opportunity not to be missed. It only comes around every four years. Athenian outcomes British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, on being asked what represented the gr