Communispace Essay Example for Free

Communispace Essay Communispace offers a unique process for administering market research. It offers a view into the minds of the customers of a brand by building brand-focused online communities in order to enable members to communicate with each other and generate focus groups to discuss the product. A community is built as a long-term project; it continues to produce valuable information for companies over the course of its existence. The business model utilized by Communispace helps to provide facilitation and management powered by technology and innovation. Communispace differentiates itself by focusing on the strategy of building online communities that act as an invaluable resource for testing ideas, generating feedback and exploring customers mindsets. Communispace can begin its analysis within 24 hours of launching an online community as it reaches out to a particular subset of people that would be most interested in commenting on and speaking about a particular product. A Word of Mouth campaign utilizes a different strategy. A targeted community would receive the product in the mail and would then ideally spread word around about the product to friends and neighbors. This campaign, while a beneficial tool for market research, was not a tool that Communispace utilized. There were many competitors that were better at this method. Simmons is a highly recognized FMCG company holding 20 brands that are found in over 95% of US households. Simmons wanted to promote its new organic product for weight conscious consumers via Communispace using word-of-mouth. The business problem being faced by Communispace was that it could not determine whether it would be undermining its strengths and strategy by taking this type of project or whether it would be detrimental to turn such an influential client down. The case states the communities are built on the foundations of sense of trust and the feeling that their contributions are really making a difference for the company. Communispace built its business on a strategy that reached potential customers by building online communities and did not serve the purpose of receiving a free product and talking about it outside the community. As Julie Wittes Schlack, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Design and a cofounder of Communispace points out in the case, the company’s growth depended solely on its core competency. Moreover, due to low entry to barrier into this particular arena of market research, there were many other competitors that had built their competitive advantage on doing word of mouth campaigns. So another problem that Communispace would be to weigh the options of benefits gained by entering into this WOM arena where they have no real advantage versus the damage they might incur by compromising on their core competency. In my opinion, Communispace should focus on the strategy that has defined them and not sacrifice their identity and corporate strategy. From the success and expansion of Communispace it is clear that they have gotten their process for building communities down to a science, thus allowing companies to not only to listen, but learn. Flipping this model on its head not only would completely alter the process in which companies engage in with their community, but it would also make for a far less exact science in what Communispace does? Moreover, word of mouth is something that can’t be manufactured to find success repeatedly, rather it should happen organically and not by force. Hence, making that a core competence for Communispace would prove exceedingly difficult because it is difficult to draw the valuation of a successful WOM and then repeatedly recreate its success. That is how would Communispace measure the effectiveness of the WOM campaigns? In the present scenario, they can provide their clients with reports and analysis on the conversations in the community, but how would they measure how effective their members are outside the community? Though advertising and creative marketing campaigns can spur word of mouth, a community approach would seem as a dishonest approach with a possibility of no results or backfiring on the credibility of the community. This, in turn would hamper the reputation that Communispace enjoys and might be detrimental to its social health in the long run as it would incite distrust amongst its community members which might lead to loss of present clients. The intense competition that Communispace will face, the potential loss of credibility of community members when they understand that the community is only for advertisement and the short-lived nature of WOM campaigns, hence, the campaign-fuelled business can undermine the long-time subscription model are reasons that support the decision to stick to their core services and not digress into an arena that utilises a model that is completely dissimilar to Communispace’s original one.

Jourody Free Essay Journey of Odysseus in Homers Odyssey :: Homer, Odyssey Essays

The Journey of Odysseus In Homer's epic The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus attempts to complete his journey home from Troy. On his way home, however, he angers the sea god, Posiedon, who curses him to travel for ten years on the sea, to loose all his men, and to return on a stranger's ship. During the ten years, Odysseus overcomes many hardships, and visits unique destinations in the world along the way. Each place has several symbolic meanings and themes that are found even in today's society. During his journey, Odysseus will attempt to find his place in the world and make a name for himself, make difficult leadership decisions pertaining to his men, and tries to overcome the natural curiosity and greed that is in man's mental makeup. Although the lure of home drives many of Odysseus' reactions to the obstacles and challenges that are placed in his path, he also follows the calling of a more subtle force. This force is what makes him go to Troy in the first place, and is what dictates his actions on his journey home. The force is Odysseus' own desire to make a name for himself in the world, and to become one of its heroes, forever remembered in song. When his men had reached the Land of the Lotus, he was careful not to eat of the food there. The fruit of the Lotus would cause the consumer to forget who he was, and his quest in life, replacing all impulses that had existed before with only one desire: to eat of he plant (Timeless Myths). Odysseus, however, did not wish to submit to the "passive peace of the Lotus Lands" for two reasons: one more obvious [the desire to return home to his family], and the other hidden but just as strong [the antipathy he possessed about his name diminishing to nothingness on an islan d] (Steiner 112). In fact, this pride is what spurred his outburst when leaving the land of the Cyclops. He had outwitted and injured the monstrous beast, and yet, it was not enough. When he deemed that he was far enough away, he shouted his true name back to the Cyclops, making sure that the Cyclops knew that it had been he, Odysseus, who had put out his eye (Timeless Myths). Although this action may seem to have been rash and stupid to outsiders, Odysseus was actually insuring that he would not be thought of as Outis [nobody] (Steiner 120).

Are Socrates’s Views on Death Consistent Throughout the Apology

â€Å"A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live. † Martin Luther King said these words urging the importance of living with a cause. Socrates was a man who strictly lived his life with a purpose, and according to Plato’s Apology, died for the right to practice philosophy. What perhaps is most interesting about Socrates’s view is his outlook on death. Death, to many, is a frightful end; something to be avoided for as long as one possibly can. Socrates disagrees, as seen most clearly in his very last speech prior to the conviction of his death. But was this acceptance of death with open arms Socrates’s view throughout the Apology?I believe yes, and it can be seen clearly first in Socrates’s defense speech, then the response to the question of what verdict Socrates himself sees fit, otherwise known as the epitimesis, and lastly in the speech immediately following the ruling of death. Since the beginning of the Apology, Socrates has pr oclaimed that he, in fact, knows â€Å"nothing† and because he understand this about himself, it makes Socrates wiser than most. I believe that this fundamental understanding of himself is the foundation for all of Socrates’s views, including his interesting take on death and the end.Throughout the defense speech as well as after, Socrates uses tactics that one convicted of a serious crime would do his best to avoid. Resorting to sarcasm, suggesting the overwhelming ignorance of the jurors, as well as very subtly over-exemplifying his own superior wisdom are all examples of his interesting behavior at court, that, many claim, resulted in Socrates condemning himself to death. During the defense speech, Socrates rhetorically asks himself why he would continue to partake in an activity that puts him in danger of the death penalty.He answers, â€Å"You are mistaken†¦if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to append his time weighing up the prospects of li fe and death. He has only one thing to consider†¦whether he is acting justly or unjustly. (28a-b, p. 54). Socrates clearly believes in the importance of being a good man and an asset to society. His duty, he feels is to lead a just philosophic life, as God ordered him to do, and Socrates feels that to abandon his responsibility for fear of death would not only be humiliating, but shameful and dishonorable as well.In fact, Socrates states that if he did act cowardly and leave his post for fear of death, it would then be just to convict him for disobeying the oracle and failing to adhere to his duties. Socrates believes that whether or not he is acquitted or not, he will never stop philosophizing or change his ways, not even if he has to â€Å"die a hundred deaths† (p. 56). It is not his fear of appearing cowardly, but Socrates’s lack of fear of death that can be directly connected to his core belief that the greatest injustice of all is thinking one knows what he d oes not know.Socrates explains that fearing death is dreading what one does not know, therefore is a form of the greatest injustice. â€Å"I shall never feel more fear or aversion for something which, for all I know, may really be blessing than for those evils which I know to be evils† (p. 55). Socrates goes beyond what many men fail to see, the fact that fearing the unknown is futile, and because of this very understanding he remains so steadfast in his beliefs and welcomes death when it comes calling. Closer to the end of the defense speech, Socrates brings up the idea that if executed, another practicing philosophy just as he did will come to the city.Socrates seems to enjoy subtly tormenting the jurors and almost threatening them with the appearance of another â€Å"Socrates†, as if to suggest the nuisance caused with his actions is immortal. Socrates’s defense speech, hardly served any sort of â€Å"defense† at all. Instead it seems that the preconce ptions and slander that the jurors had about the convicted were actually proved, as Socrates continued to dispel any remorse towards his actions and fear towards forthcoming death. The second part of the Apology is when Socrates is asked to present his epitimesis, or an alternate punishment after the death penalty is issued.The alternate punishment Socrates offers, full of sarcasm and pure ridicule towards the jurors, is a free dinner. Socrates sees his will to philosophize as betterment to the city and its people, so therefore a reward, rather than a punishment, seems appropriate. â€Å"I set myself to do you †¦what I hold to be the greatest possible service: I tried to persuade each one of you not to think more of practical advantages than of his mental and moral being† (p. 65). His actions, Socrates believes, are free of wrongdoing and only benefit the jurors be attempting to convince them of caring for a morally just life.His clear derision of the jurors does anythin g but help Socrates’s case, and as wise man, though he does continue to refute that fact, he understands this. Any other man convicted of a serious crime, and endangered by the possibility of the death penalty would never dream of ridiculing the jurors in the manner in which Socrates continues to do so. As Socrates believes he has done nothing wrong, he also mentions in an almost apathetic way that he has already done as much as he can to convince the jurors of his just innocence.He then goes to mention that as he believes in his innocence, that proposing an alternate penalty proves to be unnecessary. Socrates also states that as he has no knowledge of death, whether it is to be feared or welcomed, he cannot possibly choose another punishment for himself. Furthermore, Socrates continues to say that if he is able to avoid the death penalty, he will never flee from his duties to society and stop philosophizing. â€Å"†¦to let no day pass without discussing goodness andâ⠂¬ ¦examining both myself and others is really the very best thing a man can do†¦life without this sort of examination is not worth living†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 6). It is made clear in the epitimesis, that Socrates is wholly committed to leading a good, just life, and practicing philosophy, whether or not his life is depended on it. Socrates truly believes in his innocence well as his cause, and therefore cannot succumb himself to pleading for another verdict. After the penalty of death has been announced, Socrates seems relatively calm. He mentions that he is so far along in life as it is, death seems timely, and claims that the jurors would have escaped the irksome task of a hearing had they had a little patience and let Socrates die of natural causes.After hearing that one is to be put to death, most would try whatever is left in his or her power to save themselves. Socrates, however, staying true to his beliefs of truth and justice refuses to â€Å"weep and wail† because he feels that doing so would not only dishonor himself, but result him in acting unjustly. â€Å"I would much rather die as the result of this defense†¦ in a court of law, just as in warfare, neither I nor any other ought to use his wits to escape death by any means† (p. 67).Socrates feels that attempting to run from death would result in admitting himself to evil, which he also suggests the jurors are condemning themselves to by prosecuting an innocent man. Socrates believes to die as a just man, rather than live his life any other way, and attempting to escape the finalized verdict would not only be catering to injustice, but would be seen as an insult to everything Socrates has practiced in his life thus. Therefore, Socrates accepts death as a blessing, and also characterizes it as two possible things; a dreamless sleep, or a migration to another place.For the first, Socrates welcomes this possibility, calling it a â€Å"marvelous gain†, considering it calming . If death is a truly a migration to another place, Socrates sees it has a chance to meet and converse with the brilliant minds of the past, and would love to experience such an opportunity. â€Å"I am willing to die ten times over if this account is true†¦at least it would be an wonderful personal experience to join them there†¦heroes of the old days who met their death through an unjust trial†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 70).Not only does Socrates mention how interesting it would be to meet wise men, but he also states that he would want to philosophize with them and try and determine who amongst them is truly wise, exactly the actions for which he is in court for. This shows his avid determination for his cause, and fearless attitude towards death, that even after his end he will continue to practice his duties and adhere by his just beliefs. Socrates’s core belief is understanding that he knows what he does not know, and thinking otherwise is a tremendous injustice.And be cause of this sole belief, he is able to form his fearless views on death and the afterlife. Socrates argues that since we cannot fathom any understanding of the afterlife, there is no use in fearing or running from it, and doing so would be unjust. Socrates does hold this view throughout the entire Apology. The only difference between the speeches may be that Socrates seems more welcoming of death in the final speech, after the verdict is finalized. However, this is not a proof of any sort of altering views.Instead, I believe that Socrates always talked about welcoming death when the time for it arrives, using it as an example of a probable end rather than a confirmed one. After Socrates feels that he has exhausted his own defense and preached the importance of justice and truth, and the verdict to death is the final conclusion, he is able to easily accept the end, and welcome it, since he would much rather see to dying as just man, instead of living in any other manner.In conclusi on, Socrates’s principle beliefs allowed him to keep his views on death and the afterlife consistent throughout his trial as noted in Plato’s Apology. Socrates unswervingly remains true to this values of justice, refusing to succumb to the mercy of the jurors, and continuing to try to convince the court of his innocence through what was morally correct, as well as deity-approved duties. His vow to never give up on his morals and obligations to the city and its people enabled Socrates to die a noble, honorable, and just man, who instead of fleeing from death, embraced it.

Synopsis Of World War II - 1939 Words

Gerardo Anaya Mr. Montgomery World History P.3 3-9-15 Synopsis World War II was one of the biggest and most deadly wars that have occurred in history, with sixty million casualties and it involved many countries. On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland is what started World War II. The war ends when Germany signs an unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945 at Allied headquarters in Reims, France. Meanwhile in a top secret lab in the US, approximately 100,000 scientists worked on the Manhattan project. On August 6, 1945, The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan. The bomb wounded and killed nearly 150,000 people The Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima caused destruction in japan. I will also be talking about†¦show more content†¦Members of the Nazi party knew of the ills of the populace that grew discontent with the government, and in 1919, Hitler became a member. He later became Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland started World Wa r II. Hitler’s motivation to invade Poland was because he wanted to regain lost territory and conquer new territory and because the policy of appeasement had given him confidence. First Hitler had to make sure that the Soviet Union wouldn’t interfere in the invasion of its western neighbor Poland. So prior to the invasion, on August 23, 1939, the German-Soviet nonaggression pact was signed in Moscow. The Germans and Soviets decided that Poland should be split between them; the western third of the country to Germany and the eastern two thirds to the U.S.S.R., Hitler was so determined, that he ignored the western diplomatic powers. At 12:40 P.M, August 31, 1939, the next morning, Hitler gave orders to invade Poland at 4:45. The invasion of Poland began as ordered by Hitler. Germany bombarded Poland by land and air. Germany invaded Poland by the North and Silesia and Slovakia invaded Poland by the South. Germanys units summed 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes. Germanyâ⠂¬â„¢s tanks broke through the Polish border, and advanced to Warsaw. They used a massive encirclement attack