Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1
Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1, the table is set, both figuratively and literally. Figurative table setting includes meeting our narrator, Nick Carraway, and getting a sense of the wealthy Long Island neighborhood where the novel will take place. Literal table setting - well, thatââ¬â¢s the dinner Nick has with his cousin Daisy, her husband Tom, and their friend (and Nickââ¬â¢s eventual love interest) Jordan Baker. Keep reading tolearn more about what happens in this chapter, understand how it touches on the novelââ¬â¢s main themes, and see close readings of key quotations! Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. The Great GatsbyChapter 1 Summary Nick Carraway introduces himself as a nonjudgmental observer of other people who has recently returned to his home in a wealthy Midwestern family from the East Coast after a devastating disappointment. This disappointment is the story he is about to tell, which happened two years before. After graduating from Yale, and fighting in WWI, Nick decides to become a bond trader and moves near NYC. Nick rents a house in West Egg, a Long Island suburb that is less fashionable than East Egg, which lies across the Long Island Sound. His tiny, cheap bungalow is next to Gatsbyââ¬â¢s enormous, tacky mansion. Nick goes to have dinner with his cousin Daisy and her extremely rich husband Tom Buchanan, whom he knows slightly from Yale.Their house is overwhelmingly decorated. Tom is gruff, aggressive, and physically intimidating. Daisy and her friend Jordan Baker are wearing white dresses that look like balloons in the breeze.Daisy laughs a lot and speaks in a low, extremely appealing voice. Their conversation is scattered and shallow, and everyone talks over each other. During dinner, Tom suddenly reveals himself to be a racist, influenced by a book that argues that the ââ¬Å"dominant white raceâ⬠is in danger of being overwhelmed by minorities.The phone rings for Tom. After he goes to answer it, Daisy seems upset and leaves the room.Jordan tells Nick that the phone call is from Tomââ¬â¢s mistress in New York.The rest of dinner is tense and awkward and makes Nick feel like he should call the police. After dinner, Daisy takes Nick aside and tells him that she has become cynical.Nick asks Daisy about her two-year-old daughter. Daisy doesnââ¬â¢t seem to have any maternal feelings. When she found out that she had given birth to a daughter, Daisyââ¬â¢s first reaction was to cry. She hopes her daughter will grow up to be a ââ¬Å"beautiful foolâ⬠(1.8).Despite the fact that Daisy seems to be baring her soul to him, Nick thinks this display of misery is some kind of an act. Daisy and Nick rejoin Tom and Jordan, and Nick realizes that Jordan is a relatively famous professional golfer. Heââ¬â¢s seen her in magazines and has heard an unpleasant story about her. After Jordan goes to bed, Daisy matter-of-factly tells Nick to start a romantic relationship with Jordan. Tom, meanwhile, tells Nick not to believe anything Daisy told him when she took him aside.Tom and Daisy ask Nick about a rumor that he was engaged. Nick denies it. This rumor is actually one of the reasons he has come East. Nick leaves the house confused about why Daisy doesnââ¬â¢t simply take her daughter and leave Tom. However, he can see that she has no intention of doing so. Back at his house, Nick sees the figure of Gatsby outside his mansion. Nick thinks about introducing himself, but refrains when he sees Gatsby stretching his arms out toward a green light on the opposite shore of the bay. The green light on Daisyââ¬â¢s dock: an aurora borealis only Gatsby can see. Key Chapter 1 Quotes In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." (1.1-2) The opening lines of the book color how we understand Nickââ¬â¢s description of everything that happens in the novel. Nickwants to present himself as a wise, objective, nonjudgmental observer, but in the course of the novel, as we learn more and more about him, we realize that he is snobby and prejudiced. In fact, it is probably because he knows this about himself that he is so eager to start the story he is telling with a long explanation of what makes him the best possible narrator. Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men. (1.4) This is how Nick sums up Gatsby before we have even met him, before weââ¬â¢ve heard anything about his life. As you read the book, think about how this information informsthe way youââ¬â¢re responding to Gatsbyââ¬â¢s actions. How much of what we see about Gatsby is colored by Nickââ¬â¢s predetermined conviction that Gatsby is a victim whose ââ¬Å"dreamsâ⬠were ââ¬Å"preyed onâ⬠? It often feels like Nick is relying on the readerââ¬â¢s implicit trust of the narrator to spin Gatsby, make him come across as very sympathetic, and gloss over his flaws. "Well, it's a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be- will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved." "Well, these books are all scientific," insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. "This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It's up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things." (1.78-80) Tom says this at dinner about a book heââ¬â¢s really into. Tomis introduced as a bully and a bigot from the very beginning, and his casual racism here is a good indicator of his callous disregard for human life. We will see that his affinity for being ââ¬Å"dominantâ⬠comes into play whenever he interacts with other people. At the same time, however, Tom tends to surround himself with those who are weaker and less powerful - probably the better to lord his physical, economic, and class power over them. ââ¬Å"I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.â⬠(1.8) Daisytells Nick that these are the first words she said after giving birth to her daughter. This funny and depressing take on what it takes to succeed as a woman in Daisyââ¬â¢s world is a good lens into why she acts the way she does. Because she has never had to struggle for anything, because of her material wealth and the fact that she has no ambitions or goals, her life feels empty and meaningless to her. In a way, this wish for her daughter to be a ââ¬Å"foolâ⬠is coming from a good place. Based on her own experiences, she assumes that a woman who is too stupid to realize that her life is pointless will be happier than one (like Daisy herself) who is restless and filled with existential ennui (which is a fancy way of describing being bored of oneââ¬â¢s existence). But I didn't call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. (1.152) The first time Nick sees him, Gatsby is making this half-prayerful gesture to the green light at the end of Daisyââ¬â¢s dock. This is our first glimpse of his obsession and his quest for the unobtainable. Gatsby makes this reaching movement several times throughout the book, each time because something he has strived for is just out of his grasp. I guess what Iââ¬â¢m saying is that Jay Gatsby is a walking, talking demotivational poster. Chapter 1 Analysis Now, let's discuss the way this chapter works with the novel's themes, and also which major character events are key to take away from it. Themes and Symbols Society and Class. Right away, we see the difference between West Egg, the town of the vulgar nouveau riche and those driven by ambition to become them, and East Egg, the place where the old money elite lives in more classy luxury. Nick is hyper-aware of class differences when he has lunch with Daisy and Tom. Everything about them, from their house and its decor, to the way Daisy and Jordan flop on the furniture in carefree boredom, shows how incredibly wealthy and pampered they are. At the same time, Daisyââ¬â¢s half-joking remarks about her boredom and her cynicism show the darker side of having whatever you want whenever you want it - there stops being much point to life. Love and Relationships. Nick has several insights into Tom and Daisyââ¬â¢s dysfunctional marriage. First, that Tom is having an affair so indiscreet that everyone including Jordan knows about it. Second, that Daisy is clearly miserable about Tomââ¬â¢s cheating. But finally - and most importantly - that Daisy simply will not leave no matter how terrible she feels about his behavior. Their relationship, however flawed, works for the two of them - something Nick figures out almost immediately when he sees them standing next to each other as he leaves. This foreshadowing is crucial to keep in mind as we watch Gatsbyââ¬â¢s attempt to win Daisy over. The Green Light. This chapter marks our first encounter with one of the most important symbols in the novel: the green light at the end of Daisyââ¬â¢s dock to which Gatsby assigns almost indescribable value. This light stands for everything that has been driving him over the past five years: the desire to be with Daisy, the quest for enough money to marry her, and the delusion that she has been as obsessed with him as he has been with her. The American Dream. More universally, this desire to obtain something that is forever just out of reach - and arguably can never actually be reached - is true for many of the novelââ¬â¢s characters as they pursue their versions of the American Dream (the idea that hard work alone will guarantee success). Reach exceeds grasp? Check. Unrealistic - nay, delusional - goal? Check. Yup, that pretty much sums up the American Dream as described by this novel. Crucial Character Beats Nick moves from the Midwest to West Egg, next door to Gatsby. Heââ¬â¢s sick of his boring Midwestern life and wants to recapture some of the excitement of fighting in WWI. Nick has dinner with Daisy and Tom. They are rich, and their lives seem totally meaningless. Tom displays his racist ideas and Daisy displays a total lack of maternal feelings. Nick learns that Tom is having an affair, he figures out that Daisy is unhappy but will never leave Tom, and he meets Jordan Baker, who will become his romantic interest. Whatââ¬â¢s Next? Wondering why the book starts the way it does? For example, what does Nickââ¬â¢s dadââ¬â¢s advice mean? And whatââ¬â¢s with that strange poem Fitzgerald uses as an epigraph? Check out the explanation of the novelââ¬â¢s beginning. Did you know that this wasnââ¬â¢t Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s first choice of title? Learn more about the history and meaning of the title. Move on to the summary of Chapter 2or go back to the overview of the whole novel. 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Monday, March 2, 2020
Minuscule vs. Miniscule
Minuscule vs. Miniscule Minuscule vs. Miniscule Minuscule vs. Miniscule By Maeve Maddox When a reader kindly pointed out that Iââ¬â¢d misspelled minuscule in a post, my first reaction was puzzlement. Iââ¬â¢d written about ââ¬Å"a miniscule difference,â⬠meaning ââ¬Å"a tiny difference.â⬠I spelled the word the way I pronounce it: min-i-SKYOOL. On the other hand, the term minuscule is in my vocabulary. I know that Carolingian minuscule is a type of rounded script developed in the court of Charlemagne. When I learned the word in that context, I was taught to pronounce it mi-NUHS-kyool. I was being what Charles Elster (The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations) would call a dimbulb: [O]nly a dimbulb would intentionally write miniscule. Note: Elster devotes more than two pages to a rant against miniscule and the many ââ¬Å"apathetic and squiffy-eyedâ⬠dictionary editors who accept it as a variant spelling of minuscule. The spelling miniscule appears as early as the 1880s on the Ngram Viewer, but doesnââ¬â¢t show a rise until the 1930s, peaking in 1980 and then descending. The OED has a separate entry for miniscule (noun and adjective), and includes citations from the late 19th and early 20th century: The miniscule is the prevailing character in the Latin manuscript of the ninth century. - American Encyclopedia of Printing, 1871. The letters of the inscription are all miniscules, with the exception of the monogram. - Antiquary (a monthly antiquarian magazine published from 1880-1915 in London and New York), 1908. The legend is in Roman capitals of a debased type, with a tendency to the miniscule form. - Archaeologia Cambrensis, 1874. Each of the text letters already named has its own lower case or ââ¬Ëminisculeââ¬â¢ letters. - John Southward, Modern Printing (a British publication), 1898. I am not trying to make a case for the spelling miniscule. Iââ¬â¢m just pointing out that it has been out there for many years. Judging by the wordââ¬â¢s precipitate drop on the Ngram Viewer in the 1980s, it seems that people are getting the message that minuscule is the spelling to use in any context. Although some dictionaries may be wishy-washy about the matter, my two style guides agree that minuscule is the only correct spelling: The Chicago Manual of Style minuscule. Something that is minuscule is ââ¬Å"very small.â⬠Probably because of the spelling of the modern word mini (and the prefix of the same spelling, which is recorded only from 1936), it is often misspelled miniscule (which is treated as a variant in some dictionaries). The AP Style Book minuscule Not miniscule. Note: When I wrote an email asking that the spelling be changed in the post, the Google email application automatically changed miniscule to minuscule. The Word spell checker, on the other hand, permits it to pass unchallenged. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should Knowââ¬Å"As Well Asâ⬠Does Not Mean ââ¬Å"Andâ⬠Preposition Mistakes #1: Accused and Excited
Friday, February 14, 2020
Claims and reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Claims and reflection - Essay Example My analysis majors on citizenship and identity in a European context. A lot of arguments concerning this area led to the development of the law pertaining to the freedom of movement of people within the Union. This will allow the citizens from other member states have equal rights and treatment as the domestic citizens. As I was writing my essay on what should be contained in EU and UK Bill of Rights, at first I thought that it may be a difficult paper to write since we have no written Constitution in the country, hence, it may be difficult finding a basis for my paper. UK being one of the worldââ¬â¢s democracy without a written constitution, this does not mean one cannot find any documented rules and regulations in use by the British government and which is supreme over ordinary law in comparison to, I got some information from this website http://www.yourrights.org.uk/yourrights/rights-of-immigrants/european-union-nationalisits-and-european-union-assiations-agreements/difference s-of-approach-between-eu-and-uk-law.shtml. I found the information concerning the critical understanding of the interactions between UK and EU lawââ¬â¢ in MLO1. Itââ¬â¢s clear that the British legal system has laws that are a combination of statute law and the principles of the common law that are developed by the courts. It is based on the constitutional principles of Parliamentary sovereignty and the Rule of Law, compared to the EU whose laws are written in a Constitution. As I found in the website http://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/PDF/Oxford%20Ver4%20July10%20HB.pdf, the British legal system is based on the idea of outstanding rights that
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Bringing Minds To Gods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Bringing Minds To Gods - Research Paper Example One famous symbolic anthropologist by the name of Clifford Geertz even defined religion as ââ¬Å"(1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic" (Geertz 1966). An integral part in the system of religion is the belief of sin. In a general and more modern sense, sin is anything that violates a certain moral standard or code of conduct. Anything that is offensive, an avoidance of good, or the act of doing wrong is considered a ââ¬Å"sinâ⬠. In Christianity, sin does not only mean those actions that are tangible but it also encompasses feelings of enmity, internal thoughts, and other motivations that lead to ill-doing, shame, or immorality. In a religious perspective, when a person commits sins, his relationship with his supe rnatural being is tainted and he therefore must do sacrificial acts to restore the connection. This act of achieving a certain kind of spiritual cleansing, more commonly understood as the concepts of expiation and/or the atonement of sins have since become so interrelated hand in hand with the notion of sin. And religions have, to a good extent, institutionalized certain practices and ritual to ensure the reparation of relationship between man and his deity. Among the many established religions in the world today, this paper shall focus on the discussion of the similarities and differences of the concept of atonement and/or spiritual cleansing between Hinduism and Confucianism. To define, atonement is the process by which a person removes obstacles to his reconciliation with God. In doing so, he ââ¬Å"re-establishes or strengthens his relations to the holy divineâ⬠. As the etymology of the name suggests, to ââ¬Å"atoneâ⬠is to ââ¬Å"set at oneâ⬠(Encyclopedia Brita nnica, May 2011). Hinduism Present among the various religions in the world in the act of expiation of sins are prayer, repentance, fasting, and offering (animal or crops). In Hinduism, the ultimate goal in life is to be in union with the Brahman, the supreme and absolute universal Spirit of the universe. To be one with the Brahman, one must constantly purify himself through the practice of atonement or ââ¬Å"Prayaschittaâ⬠, a ritual performed to eliminate the effects of bad deeds. In the Hindu lexicon, ââ¬Å"prayaâ⬠means austerity and ââ¬Å"chittaâ⬠means a firm resolution. Hence, to do prayschitta, one must undergo or render a certain form of sacrifice to cleanse him from the wrong doings he has committed. This includes extreme fasting which could last as long as a month, chanting of Mantras, or giving away of gifts or going away on a pilgrimage. History has it that the act of prayaschitta among Hindus is not necessarily according to the Brahmans but it goes bac k to law books of Sanskrit. The severity of the penance is said to be dependent upon the weight of the violation committed. In some documented acts of atonement, there were instances of drinking boiled liquor for the sin committed in drinking too much of the same intoxicating beverage. This kind of ritual is considered to be light as the sin committed is not severe. Severe ones are those that include murder,
Friday, January 24, 2020
How to Survive Portuguese Taxi Ride :: Free Expository Process Essays
How to Survive Portuguese Taxi Ride Less than twenty-four hours after arriving in Portugal, I was introduced to my first taxi ride. I was traveling with a native Portuguese girl, Sandra Batista. Sandra called a taxi to take us to our home. I hadn't, yet, experienced a taxi ride in Portugal. I had heard how dreadful these rides can be, especially the first time. "Consider yourself forewarned," a friend had cautioned a few minutes before I boarded the plane. He was, of course, referring to the taxi drivers in Portugal. I laughed. "The taxi drivers can't be that bad," I reasoned with him. He laughed. He had the last laugh. In fact, he still laughs about my ignorance. The taxi pulled up and Sandra and I got in. She took the passenger's seat; I sat in the rear. I felt calm. After the first acceleration, that serenity transformed to sheer panic and nausea. I was praying silently as I held on for dear life. Sandra was nonchalant; she animatedly spoke in Portuguese to the driver. The spoken language was foreign to me; her body language was not. She was completely unaffected. Fifteen minutes later we arrived home. "For cars and motorcycles the speed limits are 60 kilometers per hour (37 m.p.h.) in built up areas (city streets)." (Baedeker 388) Our driver was averaging about 90 kilometers per hour (55 m.p.h.). Sandra thanked and tipped our driver. I lost my lunch in the nearest bush. It was my first "near-death experience," as I like to call it; little did I know, I would endure several more experiences similar to this one in the following year and a half, while residing in Portugal. After several months of fearing, my life, followed by vomiting, I decided to create a method for relaxation in the Portuguese taxi. First, give yourself time to prepare for the event. You will need a good amount of time to think about and prepare for your excursion. Meditation is powerful. In Lamaze classes, for example, you are told to have a calm and peaceful setting to think about when labor pains get climactic and intense; the Portuguese taxi ride qualifies as "intense." Prepare your mind by thinking of a peaceful scene; this scene could be a beach or a forest setting. Pondering a roller coaster ride would not be a good idea. Thinking through an entire calm setting can put your mind into "relax" mode.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Personal Goal Essay
My purpose for seeking a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership is to expand my knowledge of theory and research methods as it pertains to education Being a seasoned professional in the field of education as a Master Teacher for fifteen years, and having been exposed to different challenges in teaching the learners and leading the school, I had this profound realization on the critical tasks of education in this age of globalization. The way schools are led and managed is changing. The types of school leaders and governing bodies that exist today are far more diverse than they once were; and they will continue to develop given the fast-paced movement of modern technology which affects how people and society evolve nowadays. Hence, this complexity calls for leaders with exemplary leadership style that are worth emulating for others so as to make a real distinction in the lives of many people, not only in a community, but for the country, as a whole. Educational leadership and management as a field of inquiry play a significant role in the improvement of schools; leveraging learning outcomes; and enhancing instructional competence of students. In schools, high performance rating and high literacy rates among their clienteles connotes success in oneââ¬â¢s governance in education, thus, in making relevance to the system, educational leaders need to exercise certain leadership models that are truly manifesting merit in order to achieve its goals. And I think I already have what it takes to become a leader who can have the knowledge and skills to make these goals a reality.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Essay on Marketing Branding
Essay on Marketing Branding Question 1: INTRODUCTION: Brand equity is developed when consumers are willing to pay more for a particular brand rather than its generic equivalent. It is important to develop positive brand meaning and people perceptions about brand to create brand equity. In this situation, presented brand by company, external brand communication, consumers experience with brand and company count in a lot to create total brand equity. Companies develop differently effective ways of secondary brand association to build brand equity. In this report, it has been discussed that how various companies develop the secondary brand association like Coca-Cola. The Cola-Cola company manufactures and markets a wide variety of beverages with around 500 nonalcoholic brands of beverages including sparkling and still beverages. The still beverages include water, juices, enhanced waters, juice drinks, coffees, teas, sport drinks and energy drinks. This company has used variety of effective ways to develop secondary brand association to gai n brand equity. In the end, report has presented the recommended ways to use secondary brand association more effectively so as to build up powerful brand equity. SECONDARY BRAND ASSOCIATION: Secondary brand association is defined as connecting a brand with any other business that may affect the creation of new brand associations with the businesses but also influence existing associations. It is more like a function of marketing-branding. Brand image, brand awareness and brand meaning have their direct impacts on brand equity. Secondary brand association transmits the equity of various businesses to the brand in consideration. Consumers judge the brand value on the basis of brand elements that are associated directly and primarily with the underlying product, for instance, physical features, packaging and colors, and instrumental characteristics. However, these judgments can also be based on secondary or indirect associations, which refer to associations related to businesses rather than directly connected to judge a product. These businesses include various companies, their countries of origin, distribution channels, spokesperson and brands. The connection of brand to the secondary entity or business causes to create secondary brand associations as this entity has its own image and knowledge structure in the minds of consumers. Therefore, in order to obtain brand value, consumer can borrow information from different information sources instead of a complete product itself. When quality of the product begi ns to create uniformity or when judgments comprise of low-involvement activities, secondary brand association becomes important. Currently, Keller (1998) described that in order to build well-organized brand building processes in extremely competitive marketplaces, it is mandatory to understand and identify cognitive factors that affect association process and brand-levering process which relates to the effects on consumers caused by associating a brand to a secondary entity. COCA-COLA BRAND: The Coca-Cola Company is a U.S. based beverage company that was incorporated on 5 September, 1919. The company manufactures and markets a wide variety of beverages with around 500 nonalcoholic brands of beverages including sparkling and still beverages. The still beverages include water, juices, enhanced waters, juice drinks, coffees, teas, sport drinks and energy drinks. The company is widely segmented in Africa and Eurasia, North America, Latin America, Europe, Pacific, Corporate and Bottling Investment. The Sparkling beverages of Coca-Cola Company count in Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Light/ Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Inca Kola, Barqââ¬â¢s, Thums Up, Fresca and Schweppes. Nos, Burn and Real Gold come under the companyââ¬â¢s energy drink categories whereas the category of juices and juice drinks incorporate Minute Maid, Dell Valle, Minute Maid Pulppy, Hi-C, Simply, Dobriy and Cappy. Coca-cola has intensified its still beverages category by adding vitamin water, glaceau and Fuze. On the other hand, teas and coffees segment include a wide range of teas like Leao / Matte Leao teas, Georgia coffees, Nestea teas, Ayataka teas, Dogadan teas and Sokenbicha teas. Its sports drinks include Aquarius and Powerade are its sports drinks. The Company incorporates Dasani, Ciel, Kinley, Bonaqua or Bonaqa, and Ice Dew brands in the category of Coca-Colaââ¬â¢s waters. Coca-Cola Company operates at international level in more than 200 countries (The Coca-Cola Company a, 2014), due to which its competitors include wide range of strong competitors from around the world. Competitors include Nestle, PepsiCo, Inc., Groupe Danone, Unilever, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc. The companyââ¬â¢s operations are growing day by day and currently serve 1.9 billion people daily across the world (The Coca-Cola Company a, 2014). Its operating revenues were totaled as $46.9 billion in 2013 (The Coca-Cola Company b, 2014). SECONDARY BRAND ASSOCIATION BUILT BY THE COCA-COLA COMPANY: Hence to leverage brand equity, the Coca-Cola Company uses various convenient and successful ways to build secondary brand association. The following are the ways, company has built secondary brand association while introducing its new product Diet Coke in 1986. Country of Origin: The Coca-Cola, being an American multinational company, it generates favorable and strong brand associations to generate huge revenues for its new product. America is the most dominating market in the beverage industry which is recognized for carbonated drinks across the world. According to the Reputation Institution (2013), America has developed reputation of 57.4 on a scale of 100. Coca-Cola is ranked as the number 1 global brand which has proved that consumers have excellent knowledge about company and its brands. This signifies that consumers have a high level of familiarity and trust with the Coca-Cola Company and its brands which lead the consumers to react in a favorable way. Brand Extension: Developing extensions of the brand is far more favorable in terms of cost for the company than to produce a complete new product. Diet Coke is a successful example of brand extension that promoted from the brand franchise of the parent product, Coca-Cola. It has launched around six extensions and increases its market share without even substantial advertisements. This helped the company with regards to advertising and promotional activities, customer perceived image, distribution and consumption behaviour of consumers. Co-branding: Coca-Cola Company has used many other bodies to sell it products, for example, using Ford Mustang convertible, candy red 1966 in its summer campaign. Similarly, it used co-branding as a secondary brand association market approach again while introducing Diet Coke in the market. For this strategy, Jean Paul was appointed as creative director for its new brand (London, 2012). As Jean Paul is a famous luxury fashion designer, consumers relate this association with Diet Coke as a health and diet conscious brand. Coca-Cola successfully targeted young women and girls and linked them with fashion and style. Moreover, company also embraced advance technologies by offering Diet Coke coupons on every purchase of make-up tutorials at Facebook (Waltzer, 2012). To better associate Diet Coke campaign with style and fashion, company refreshed the brand image and made it appealing for individual fashionistas (Keller, 2012). Sponsorship: Diet Coke has been involved in numerous sponsorship activities around the world. Heart Truth Campaign has remained actively supported by Diet coke in association with the national heart and blood institute which contributed to brand equity. Coke also sponsored Ugly Betty as its secondary brand association strategy to enhance its brand awareness among its potential customers. According to 2012 report, Diet Coke also sponsored a TV show ââ¬ËStyle to Rockââ¬â¢, produced by Rhianna which boosted the fashion awareness and discovered fashion creativity among people of London (Anon, 2012). On top of all that, Diet Coke has signed another sponsorship with Taylor Swift to improve its sales. Third Party: Diet Coke has improved its world-wide brand image due to its environmentally responsible operations (Keller, 2008). This has led to creating a positive and constructive perception and attitude of consumers towards Diet Coke. In addition, Lowe (2013) reported that Coca-Cola Company has won The Coveted Sustainable Pack annual prize at the UK Packaging Awards due to its plastic recyclable bottle plant. Distribution Channels: Company uses extensive means of distribution to make certain the availability of Diet coke everywhere. For instance, McDonalds, serving Diet Coke in white plastic cup and Pizza Express is serving drink in a glass bottle. Extensive distribution affects the perceptions of consumers and changes the purchasing behavior. RECOMMENDED WAYS TO USE SECONDARY BRAND ASSOCIATION TO DEVELOP BRAND EQUITY: Despite intellectual market strategies of Diet Coke regarding secondary brand association, there are many other ways to ensure secondary brand association so as to develop brand equity. Employees: Employees are the representatives of the company and so they are the sort of secondary brand association. Employees, particularly sales person and contractual dealers of the company need to be well aware of their customersââ¬â¢ perceptions, brand image, cultural, religious and traditional values of the customers. In this way, employees can give a constructive impression upon customers on behalf of the entire company. Moreover, well-dressed and behaved employees form a striking image of their company which tends to attract the potential customers. Endorsers: Celebrity endorsement is one of the best way to draw consumersââ¬â¢ attention towards Diet Coke. It can help Coca-Cola Company to re-shape the perceptions of its brands. People relate their feelings, judgments, and associate emotions with celebrities. Many people consume products so as just to get associated with their favorite celebrity somehow. Ingredient Branding: It is co-branding strategy in which company major attributes of one brand are incorporated as ingredients into another brand. Coca-Cola can increase brand equity by inferring a message to consumers about the shared quality of two brands in one. Also, this uniformity reduces risk while targeting new markets. Moreover, it gives an edge over others as product is highly differentiated firm others. However, it is necessary to use the unique logo of the ingredient on the host brand to stand distinctive. Licensing: It is an appropriate method to grab the attention of customers by using logos and names of reputable firms with owned brand under contractual agreement. For this, company would have to pay fixed fee but can benefit a great deal. For example, Coca-Cola using name of famous brands like five-star restaurants, fashion apparels, etc. CONCLUSION: Secondary brand association deals with connecting a brand with any other entity that may affect the development of new brand associations with the businesses but also influence existing associations. While introducing a new product ââ¬ËDiet Coke, the Coca-Cola Company has used successful ways to develop secondary brand association. Country of origin, co-branding, brand extension, sponsorship, third party, channel of distribution are the successful implementations of Coca-Cola Company to build brand equity for its new product ââ¬ËDiet Coke. As a result, now consumers accept Diet Coke as a low-calorie brand and associate with the style, fashion, diet and health. However, despite impressive market strategies, it is recommended that the Coca-Cola Company must use people, ingredient branding and licensing technique as well to create productive secondary branding association. Question 2: INTRODUCTION: As the world is transforming into a global village, the technology is upgrading with every second passed. This has altered the ways of doing businesses across the world. Some businesses have been able to cope up with the challenges, and some have failed ruthlessly in this corporate arena. The phase of failing and then vanishing from the market is called fading brand. In this section, a case of Myspace has been undertaken which is currently going through revitalizing process to earn back its prior position. Myspace is a social media website that has enjoyed its dominance over all other social media websites with the highest visiting members in the world up to the period of 2008. In 2006, Myspace reached its peak success with the most visitors and following audience in the United States. Then eventually in 2008, Facebook has replaced the brand equity of Myspace and claimed to be the most famous social networking website. Consequently, Myspace has lost its visitors, and thus the need of revitalizing arose. This section of the report has presented the reasons of revitalizing and efforts made by company to revitalize its brand equity, followed by suggestions to Myspace with respect to revitalization. FADING BRAND: Fading or losing brand refers to those brands that lose their identity in the course of profit generation activities. It is the phase of a brand in which it accumulates losses rather than generating profits. By word fading means losing, evaporating or vanishing. This clearly refers to something that has vanished and no more in existence. It is a failure of a company or brand that could not make enough profits to continue its operations and run its business in a competitive market. A brand fades and vanishes when it starts to lose its market share. Hence, the brands which start to lose its colors and die away need to revitalize their strategies, brands and company in order to recapture their core identity and customer value. INTRODUCTION OF MYSPACE: Myspace, a social media website, was launched in August 2003, where people can login and create their profile and perform their social activities such as live chatting, music, videos, etc. the companyââ¬â¢s headquarter is located in Beverly Hills, California. With the outstanding growth, Myspace surpassed the user activity in 2004. It was the year when Facebook came into existence as its strong competitor. The company was established by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe and later in 2005, News Corporation acquired the company for $580 million (Peterson, 2013). For the next three years, company enjoyed its dominance over all other social media websites with the highest visiting members in the world. In 2006, Myspace reached its peak success which went beyond highest visits more than Google and any other company in the United States. Eventually, its users started to scatter and turned to Facebook users. Later in 2008, Facebook has replaced the brand equity of Myspace and claimed to be the most famous social networking website. An actor and singer Justin Timberlake in association with Specific media brought the company huge revenues of $35 million which helped to increase the brand awareness by 72% in 2011 (Peterson, 2013). Also, the company undertook intensive layoffs which reduced the employees from 1600 to 200 only (Peterson, 2013). According to current reports, company has revived to generate higher income and increase its visitors. In 2013, Myspace tried to adjust the direction of the company image. Up to the last year, company had 25 million users only whereas its competitor Facebook had 1.11 billion users (Peterson, 2013). At this point, Myspace revitalized its strategies and changed its focus from social networking website to music media community. By then, company raised its U.S. visitors to 1 million in 2014 (Peterson, 2013). REVITALIZING BRAND EQUITY: Brand revitalizing refers to re-launching of brands that undertake complete change of a product or company which include logo, name, corporate culture, values, colors, image, in-fact from a wholesale to the heritage entity (Keller, Parameswaran and Jacob, 2011). Undoubtedly, this rebranding and revitalization intensively affect the perceptions of target market about the brand image. It is a process to reshape the image by giving it new name, alter its structure in order to increase revenues and generate profits. It is necessary to develop its positioning properly so as to generate constant growth of the brand to revitalize the brand. This enables companies to lead the market as well as achieve competitive edge in the market. The process of brand revitalization involves the recapturing of lost foundations of brand equity and determination and production of new foundations of brand equity. It is important to put some new life in a failing or fading brand instead of selling off or launching an entirely new brand. This signifies the concept of maintaining the companyââ¬â¢s expertise and market leadership while staying meaningful to an ever-changing consumer audience and their demands. In order to sustain for a long run, it is mandatory for businesses to keep in view the past and positive eye to the future. Through revitalization, company can enhance its brand value and attract more potential customers. Thus, this will help to increase sales volume with positive brand image. REASONS FOR REVITALIZING THE BRAND: The central reasons why a Myspace should go through revitalization process are as follows: Relevance: Brands have to be updated as according to the changing customer needs. Myspace has lost its relevancy with their target market with respect to their services, convenience, accessibility, technology, changing customersââ¬â¢ perceptions and trends. Competition: With the emergence of strong competitors like Facebook, Myspace required to come up with some new offerings in order to attract the potential customers. Revitalizing can help the company to hinder competitors by providing quality services. Globalization: Since numerous social media websites were being created with unique specifications than ever before, it was significant for the company to rebrand itself and bring some new specification in their services to cater large audience. Innovation: Technological change is a major reason behind failure or success of the brand. It depends on the company how well it can cope up with the technological revolution. Myspace involves in business that deals with internet, software, hardware and the products which frequently innovates. Such companies need to rebrand and alter their operations with a greater extent. Repositioning: Repositioning can be another reason that causes the company to revitalize its brand. In this case, company introduces some major changes in brands to capture the new position in the market. For instance, shifting from economy prices to premium prices. Rationalization: This refers to the process of rebranding in order to counter lower profits or losing customer value. Myspace was encountering decline in customer visits and thus its profits, revitalizing the brand is the best way out to decrease operational cost and enhance profits. Outgrowth: When companies are growing into large entities, they need frequently to rebrand or revitalize its brands to satisfy the changing needs of customers. Myspace also needed to rebrand to meet the requirements of increased audience, and industry expansion. CHARACTERIZE THE EFFORTS OF MYSPACE TO REVITALIZE ITS BRAND EQUITY: After analyzing the strong need of revitalizing the brand, Myspace incorporated some major changes in the brand and brand strategies to improve its brand equity. The efforts of Myspace at revitalizing brand equity are listed as follows: Company changed its styling in brand name which used to denote MySpace with capital S in the middle before revitalization. In 2011, company changed the S into lower case, now the brand name is written as Myspace. After revitalizing, 72% of the people recognized the brand name. Myspace is still looking to appeal these 72% by offering quality and competitive services (Wesson, 2012). Myspace is putting its efforts to introduce revitalized brand into an expanded industry and competitive market. Company is largely focusing on new ideas; concepts to make Myspace totally different from previous one. It has widely ignored the ideas that were associated with the old Myspace. Company has increased its focus on music related stuffs and developed it as the most distinguishing factor of the company. Company has developed the site to maintain music orientation. Company has recently signed with the four well-renowned music labels along with over 20,000-self-regulating labels. Company is now aiming to introduce original profiles of celebrities like Lady Gaga and Angelina Jolie with encyclopedic information about them. This will make easier for follower to navigate them (Swartz, n.d.). Playdom, a social gaming firm, has helped Myspace to give a boost to its gaming sector. Company has launched various games including Wild Ones, Shoot- ââ¬Ëem up and many other with the intention to increase game users from 30% to at least 50% (Swartz, n.d.). Myspace has created effective entertainment news services regarding music, movies, entertainment and other relevant entertainment stuff through constant Twitter posts Facebook statuses. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BRAND REVITALIZATION: In order to revitalize its brand equity effectively, some suggestions have been offered to Myspace which are as follow: The company Myspace should introduce and implement co-branding strategy with other prominent music companies for example Applesââ¬â¢s iTunes. This initiative can make website more appealing than any other amongst a music follower community. Subsequently, it will help the company to bring more audience and increase brand equity. Set a platform for upcoming or emerging talent around the world to post their created music and videos related to music directly, like youtube offers. This will increase the brand awareness among music lovers with every single second pass. Moreover, this will help out producers to look for new talent online by viewing videos and music of new talent. Continue to generate new ideas regarding appealing web development and employ them on the companyââ¬â¢s site frequently. The ideas must be relevant to music to attract music interested community. Company can successfully redevelop a strong brand image amongst its customers and potential customers by enforcing innovation and continuous development. Expand the market in music and videos capitals Focus on brand exclusively to developing the brand into most desirable one. CONCLUSION: Revitalizing refers to giving a new life to the dying brand by changing brand related strategies, altering brand appearance, bringing innovation in the processes and making the system more technologically sound. This helps to regain the brand value which was lost due to some failures in the operations. Through revitalization, company can enhance its brand value and attract more potential customers. Thus, this will help to increase sales volume with positive brand image. As the business operations began to fade, Myspace ultimately thought of revitalizing the brand equity. Company has changed the styling of its brand name to gain its value back. Some the strategies used by the company include uploaded the profiles of worldââ¬â¢s famous musicians with their bio-data, offered innovative services such as entertainment news, developed the site more like music oriented site, launched online games and much more. As a result, this helped the company to increase the number of visitors with one million in just one year. References Anon. (2012). Rihanna and Diet Coke Ready to Rock. Sky Media, Available from: http://www.skymedia.co.uk/_news/rihannadiet-coke-ready-to-rock.aspx [Accessed 26 July 2014]. Grace, D., Oââ¬â¢cass, A. (2002). Brand associations: looking through the eye of the beholder.à Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal,à vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 96-111. Keller, K. 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