Competitive Rivalry

Competitive Rivalry INTRODUCTIONThe factor of competitive rivalry has significant impact on the competitive environment a company operates in because the degree of competitiveness has direct impact on the potential for profit that a company can expect. A highly competitive market may end up being detrimental to all companies involved, with lower profit margins and less ability to decide price points.A highly competitive market may act as a barrier to entry for new companies considering joining the fray. Since the profit potential is not high, there may be less incentive to invest in the market. On the other hand, low competition may make the market attractive to potential new entrants.Forms of Industry RivalryThe competitive pressure in an industry may manifest itself through a number of different tactics. These can include competition based on price, advertising wars, new products, etc. The rivalry may gain traction when a company feels pushed by a competitor or identifies an opportunity to grow its sh are of the market. Whatever the reason, the actions of one company will have an impact on competitors. In turn, they will take action to retaliate against these actions. This has the potential of turning into a cycle which may end up harming the industry as a whole.If the competition ends up being based on price, it can become very unstable and affect profit margins. On the other hand, advertising battles may end up raising the demand for a profit across the industry.FACTORS DETERMINING COMPETITIVE RIVALRY The last of Porter’s five forces deals with firms competing within the industry and the extent to which they exert pressure on each other. This pressure leads to limits on the profit potential of these firms. In industries where there is fierce competitive rivalry to contend with, there are efforts to gain the most profit and market share from each other. This battle can end up decreasing the potential for profit for all of the companies. © Entrepreneurial Insights based on the concept of Porters 5 ForcesIn this article we will look at 1) an introduction to competitive rivalry, 2) the factors determining competitive rivalry, 3) analyzing the intensity of rivalry, 4) the consumer benefits of competitive rivalry, 5) the challenges and opportunities for companies in a competitive market, and 6) an example of Canon  Inc.INTRODUCTIONThe factor of competitive rivalry has significant impact on the competitive environment a company operates in because the degree of competitiveness has dire ct impact on the potential for profit that a company can expect. A highly competitive market may end up being detrimental to all companies involved, with lower profit margins and less ability to decide price points.A highly competitive market may act as a barrier to entry for new companies considering joining the fray. Since the profit potential is not high, there may be less incentive to invest in the market. On the other hand, low competition may make the market attractive to potential new entrants.Forms of Industry RivalryThe competitive pressure in an industry may manifest itself through a number of different tactics. These can include competition based on price, advertising wars, new products, etc. The rivalry may gain traction when a company feels pushed by a competitor or identifies an opportunity to grow its share of the market. Whatever the reason, the actions of one company will have an impact on competitors. In turn, they will take action to retaliate against these action s. This has the potential of turning into a cycle which may end up harming the industry as a whole.If the competition ends up being based on price, it can become very unstable and affect profit margins. On the other hand, advertising battles may end up raising the demand for a profit across the industry.FACTORS DETERMINING COMPETITIVE RIVALRY © Entrepreneurial InsightsThe structure and nature of an industry may determine the nature of the competitive rivalry that may exist in it. Some of the factors that may make an industry competitive include:Multiple Equal Competitors: If an industry has numerous competitors who all operate at an equal level of product or service quality, then there is a higher threat of competition. Companies may feel the need to engage in more aggressive activities to gain a higher share of the market If they do not enjoy any sort of clear advantage over competitors.Sluggish Growth within the Industry: If the industry does not enjoy a rapid growth rate, then the only way for a company to increase its market share is to take it away from a competitor. There is also a higher degree of protectiveness towards any existing share in the market, as once lost, it may be hard to regain.Higher Fixed Costs: If fixed costs within an industry are higher, then there may be more pressure to produce at full capacit y in order to achieve economies of scale. In order to ensure that this stock is cleared, companies may guard their market share aggressively and also try to obtain more as well. In addition, to ensure that this stock is cleared, the company may have to sell at lower prices.Undifferentiated Product: If the main product of an industry is generic and there are no grounds to base differentiation on, then the products may be treated as a commodity. This means that consumer choice will be based on price and value for money. This will naturally lead to price based competition.Switching Costs: If there are little or no switching costs for a consumer then the industry may be more competitive. This happens often in undifferentiated industries or ones where the products are very similar in benefits, features and quality.Capacity Increases: If the need for economies of scale warrants an increase in production capacity, then there may be a brief disruption in the demand and supply of the market. This may result in overcapacity of products and price cutting to make sure products do not remain unsold.Diversity of Competition: If the industry is made of different types of companies who differ in their origins and strategies, then there may be diverse ways to do business. These alternate methods may change the nature of competition and the way of doing business.Strategic Focus: Often a company may have high stakes in ensuring that it stays in business over the long term. In this situation, the company may sacrifice short term profitability to ensure its long term presence in the market. These companies will focus foremost on maintaining and growing market share.Barriers to Exit: If there are barriers to exit within the industry, then companies with low profit and growth may also have to remain active. In these cases, there will be competitive pressure to stay relevant and earn profits by any means necessary. Some potential exit barriers may be the result of ownership of specia lized assets, fixed costs of exit and governmental regulations.ANALYZING INTENSITY OF RIVALRYWhile trying to assess whether there are likely to be high competitive pressures within an industry, a company can ask the following questions:Are there numerous competing firms in the industry?Are these competitors generally of an equal size in their operations?Do these competitors have similar shares in the market?Is the industry growing slowly or rapidly?Are fixed costs low or high?Are products differentiated or generic?Are there any switching costs?Is brand loyalty an important factor?Does any company have more brand loyalty than others?Are competitors diverse in their operations and strategies?Is there unused production capacity?Is there over production?Are there any barriers to exit?CONSUMER BENEFITS OF COMPETITIVE RIVALRYThough potentially detrimental to the profit potential of an industry, high levels of competition can benefit the consumer in a number of ways. Competition is often s ought after by regulators and consumers in order to create a strong and effective market. Through healthy competition, consumers can end up getting the best value for their money which they otherwise may not. Competition allows consumers a variety of choices in who provides the product or service that they are interested in.Competition encourages companies to innovate, utilize production capacity, reduce costs and increase efficiency. If done right, competition can help foster a productive economy.Potential Benefits of Competitive MarketsA competitive market offers many potential benefits including lower prices, economic growth, incentive to keep costs of production low, technological improvements and advancements, product variety, innovation, quality improvements, and the availability of more information allowing for more informed choices by consumers. Three  Main Benefits1. Innovation Faced with competitors, companies will seek to innovate in order to differentiate themselves from others and gain more consumers as well as market share. This benefits consumers by providing more choices and better quality of goods and services. In extreme cases, these innovations may lead to changes in society and lifestyles. The invention of cars, cellphones and personal computers are examples of innovations with wide-ranging impact.2. Lower Prices When there are low switching costs and a variety of choices, there is always the chance of a consumer moving to a competitor. To avoid this, companies will make efforts to reduce costs of doing business and offer the best possible prices to the customer. Along with the drop in prices, companies will also make efforts to better understand unmet consumer needs and work towards developing products and features to meet these needs.3. Economic GrowthCompetition also drives economic growth. In the technology industry, advancements in smartphones have led to growth in several world economies.CHALLENGES AND  OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPANIES IN COMPETITIVE MARKETSOpportunitiesA company can choose to treat competition as a positive factor and use it to build a better and stronger business. If there is more than enough market share available, then there is a chance of a company becoming complacent and take the customer for granted. Customer service, product quality and innovation may also suffer. Here are some ways in which competition can benefit the business.Better Customer Service: When faced with the threat of more competition, it is a good idea to evaluate and appreciate all customers and figure out the best way to serve their needs. With customer loyalty secured, it will be easier to retain customers if a stronger or more aggressive competitor comes around.Innovation: When a market is served by multiple similar companies selling similar products, then it becomes necessary to focus on innovation. Innovation allows a company to stay ahead of trends and continue to serve customers proactively.A Focus on Strengths and Weak nesses: When trying to manage competition, a company’s own strengths and weaknesses are highlighted. This helps focus on the things that are being done well and allows a company to continue to do them better.A Focus on Key Customers: If a competitor is after a company’s share of the market, it becomes necessary for the company to identify and retain those customers that make up a larger chunk of the business. This means that the right people are paid attention and better ways are devised to fulfill their needs.Threat Identification: In dealing with competitors, a company learns to keep a vigilant eye on any plans, strategies, new technology or products that a competitor may introduce to the market and become a possible problem.Business and Market Growth: Competitive rivalry in an industry come up with new and innovative ways to serve customers. There is more inventive solutions and original ideas leading to a more exciting and growing market.Solutions to Industry Wide Problems: With more players in the market, there are also more ideas and more support for common issues and their solutions. Companies can be in a better position to negotiate with common suppliers, or a strong regulatory body.ChallengesAs expected, a highly competitive industry comes with its unique set of challenges. More competition can lead to marker saturation. This means that the supply in the market is either more than the demand or it is the same. A saturated market means both limited profits and limited growth.Higher Costs: The higher the competition, the more money needs to be spent on activities to make a company stand out in the crowd. This means more RD costs, higher quality products, innovation, new products, and consistent relationship building with customers.Low Customer Growth: More competition means that there is no new demand for a product and that all customers are being served by either one company or the other. The revenue being earned remains consistent with little chan ce of increase or access to new business. This limited profit means limited growth potential for the company.High Pressure to Grow: With fewer customers to compete for, a company may need to look outward and find new markets to serve or new products to offer. This means researching potential business ideas and new markets.Product Irrelevance: With more competition there may be less of a demand for a particular product. In order to move this inventory, a company may have to mark down prices to ensure sales. Profit is lost in such cases.EXAMPLE  CANON INC. © Wikimedia commons | Wordmark of CanonCanon is a multinational company that originated in Japan, with headquarters based in Ota, Tokyo. The company specializes primarily in manufacturing of imaging and optical products. This includes cameras, video cameras, photocopy machines, computer printers, and medical equipment.In 1937, Precision Optical Instruments laboratory was created by a group of people in Tokyo. The first cameras produced by the company used Nikkor lenses, produced by the company that later became Nikon. The company has always been focused on innovation. Some of its achievements have included the development of Japan’s first indirect X-ray camera in 1940. In 1958, the company introduced a field zoom lens for television broadcasting. In 1959, it introduced the Reflex Zoom 8 which was the first movie camera with a zoom lens in the world. In 1964, Canon launched the first Japanese made 10 key calculator.In the early 70s, the company launched a high end SLR camera and an FD lens range and the world’s first camera with an embedded micro-computer. In the 80s the company launched an inkjet printer and its Electro-Optical System or the EOS. In the 90s the company introduce the first camera with eye controlled AF and its first digital camera. The company launched its camcorder in the late 90s and an LCD projector in 2004.Digital Camera MarketThe company has manufactured and sold digital cameras since 1984. It launched the RC series and followed these with the PowerShot and Digital IXUS series’. Canon also introduced the EOS series of DSLRs which include both consumer and professional models.With the increasing trend to use cellphone cameras, there has been a fall in compact camera sales. This has been felt by Canon as well, with operating profits in the first quarter of 2013 falling by 34 percent.Competitive Rivalry in the Industry Over the years, there have been significant competition in the camera business. The big three companies that enjoy the most profits are Canon, Nikon and Sony. Other major players have included Pentax, Olympus, Kodak, Samsung, Panasonic and Casio.The market is mature and highly saturated. There is slow growth and high exit barriers. Since it is an industry that requires specialized expertise and assets as well as capital investments, it would not be easy for a company to leave the market. Each new product development is met and matched by competitors so that products by Nikon and Canon have little or no difference in their quality and features. Differentiation is based on brand loyalty alone.The industry structure is such that the few major players are innovators while the others settle to follow and serve a smaller share of the market. Bigger companies have maintained longer term success by the ability to leverage their technology into similar complimentary products and markets. For example, the launch of video cameras, printers and copiers are a good diversification of business.With the remaining m arket for compact cameras, there is little scope for brand loyalty as customers are focused on best value and quality for their money. Differentiation based on brand image is still stronger in the DSLR market as most buyers are professionals who value specific features and benefits.In general, the competition in the market for digital cameras in extremely high, intense and aggressive. There needs to be a constant focus on the environment and competitor moves as well as consistent product development and technological innovation.Image credit:  Wikimedia commons | Wordmark of Canon under public domain.

Bacterial Communities Associated With Organic And...

Bacterial Communities Associated with Organic and Conventionally Grown Red Delicious Apples Overview Many studies have been done pertaining to ways to remove different types of bacteria from the fresh fruits and vegetables that are commonly consumed. Currently there is little research available that maps the types of bacteria commonly found on fruits and vegetables (Leff and Fierer 2013). Many different standards have been set forth to measure produce quality with some of these standards including a count of the coliforms, Escherichia coli, and the aerobic bacteria count (Wood et. al). This study aims to compare the number of coliforms found on organic vs. conventionally grown Malus pumila before and after washing with distilled water.†¦show more content†¦One of the biggest areas of this demand is in the produce department (Mukherjee et.al 2006). Statically during this same time frame there has been an increase in foodborne illness stemming from fresh produce. From the 1970s to 2006 the percentage of foodborne illness caused by fresh fruits and vegetables went from 6% to 1 2% (Mukherjee et.al 2006). Due to these increased percentages of foodborne illness, and data supporting more coliform bacterial colonies present on organic produce than the conventional counter parts researchers are beginning to speculate that organic produce has a higher risk to people’s health then the conventional counterparts (Mukherjee et.al 2006). There is still very little previous research comparing the microbial colonies found on organic vs conventional produce to fully assess the possible increased health risks of organic produce. Another area of lacking data that adds to the confusion is in the United States the number of foodborne illness outbreaks have not been documented based on organic vs conventional produce (Mukherjee et.al 2004). In order to help control foodborne illness outbreaks an in-depth understanding of the bacteria commonly found on the produce needs to be known. If a core taxa of bacteria was known there could be a comprehensive method of testing produce for any bacteria that is not typically found to be present. Thanks to next generation sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicon a more comprehensive list can be created in a

Diverticular Disease and Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease...

The human body is a complex system that often malfunctions. Many people believe that numerous diseases are a natural reflection of the body aging and cannot be avoided. The goal of my paper is to change this perception and demonstrate that healthy eating and active lifestyle can result in a healthy body at any age. Many diseases that occur in the digestive system or as a cause of complications in the digestive system are not preventable. There are a small amount of diseases that can be not only prevented, but also corrected by eating the proper nutrition or maintaining a healthy lifestyle such as Diverticular Disease and Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease. Diverticular disease consists of the involvement of two conditions that are†¦show more content†¦The symptoms include tenderness, cramps and pain in the lower abdomen, fever that are accompanied with chills, gas, a bloated feeling or stomach swelling, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, loss of appetite and rectum bleedin g which is usually painless. It is evident that many people who are diagnosed with diverticular disease have little or no symptoms at all but those who do are recommended high-fiber diet plans or fiber supplements as treatment. Most individuals get well by arranging a better diet and the results of this treatment also prevent constipation and the formation of more diverticula. The components of the healthy diet includes fruit, vegetables and grains such as raw apples, peaches, pears, and tangerines, broccoli squash carrots and brussels sprouts, potatoes, baked beans, kidney beans, and lima beans, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, bran flake cereal, and oatmeal (Longstreth). Doctors often advise individuals with diverticulitis to bypass any food that is hard to digest such as: popcorn, corn and seeds, however there is no evidence to coincide with this statement (WebMD). In some cases, surgery is needed in order to correct or treat diverticulitis because the diet does not have the ca pability of curing it. Subsequently, surgery is the last option and the process involves cleaning the abdomen of bleeding hernias and the removal of infection. If the disease reoccurs a

Merits and Demerits of Shakespeare Free Essays

Merits and Demerits of Shakespeare In Preface to Shakespeare, Johnson has shown the merits and demerits of Shakespeare based on the plays he has edited. Here he gives the readers some sound ideas about the virtues and faults of Shakespeare. That Shakespeare’s characters have am interaction with nature and that his works have a universal appeal are the major assertions of Johnson in favour of Shakespeare’s merits and what he says about the demerit of Shakespeare is that Shakespeare tries more to please his audience than to instruct them which is a serious fault because it is always a writer’s duty to make the world morally better. We will write a custom essay sample on Merits and Demerits of Shakespeare or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, what Johnson has seen as the merits and demerits of Shakespeare are given below: Merits of Shakespeare: At first Johnson explicates Shakespeare’s virtues after explaining what merit can be determined by the Shakespeare’s enduring popularity. He proceeds thence to elevate Shakespeare as the poet of nature. â€Å"Nothing can please many, and please long, but just representations of general nature† (7). He says, â€Å"Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life†. 8). Again he says that Shakespeare’s characters â€Å"are the genuine progeny of common humanity † In the writings of other writers , a character is too often an individual but a character of Shakespeare has a universal appeal, and his characters are the representatives of the common people. Moreover Shakespeare is a prophet figure and from his writings we find the ideas of worldly wisdom and the principles which are of value in society and at home. He says, â€Å"from his works may be collected a system of civil and economical prudence. (9) Again he says that by writings Shakespeare brings out the whole sphere of life. Moreover his heroes are like common human beings. And the qualities that are found in Shakespearean heroes can be found in every human being. As he says , â€Å"Shakespeare has no heroes; his scenes are occupied only by men, who act and speak as the reader thinks that he should himself have spoken or acted on the same occasion† (13) In his characterization and dialogue, Shakespeare â€Å"overlooks the casual distinction of country and condition,† striking at the center of humanity (15). The nature captured by Shakespeare’s characters is exhibited in the â€Å"ease and simplicity† of their dialogues (10) Indeed, Johnson points out, the distinctions of character stressed by such critics as Voltaire and Rymer impose only artificial burdens on the natural genius of Shakespeare. He lays an enormous stress on Shakespeare’s adherence to general nature. He states: â€Å"Shakespeare always makes nature predominate over accident; and if he preserves the essential character, is not very careful of distinctions superinduced and adventitious. His story requires Romans or kings, but he thinks only on men. â€Å"(15) Johnson goes further in his defense of the Bard’s merit, extending his argument from the characters within his plays to the genre of the plays themselves. In the strictest, classical sense of the terms, Johnson admits, Shakespeare’s works cannot be fairly called comedies or tragedies. For this too, his plays earned harsh criticism from Johnson’s contemporaries. Johnson, though, sees in the mixture of sorrow and joy a style which â€Å"approaches nearer than either to the appearance of life† (20). Demerits of Shakespeare: His praise for Shakespeare, which centers on the Bard’s sublunary approach to character, dialogue, and plot, does not blind him to the poet of nature’s weaknesses. Johnson airs Shakespeare’s imperfections without hesitance. In doing so, though, he does not weaken his arguments; he simply establishes his credentials as a critic. As Edward Tomarken points out, â€Å"for Johnson, criticism requires, not intrusive sententiae, but evaluative interpretations, decisions about how literature applies to the human dilemma† (Tomarken 2). Johnson is not hesitant to admit Shakespeare’s faults: his earlier praise serves to keep those flaws in perspective. Even without that perspective, however, Johnson’s censure of Shakespeare is not particularly harsh. For the most part, Johnson highlights surface- level defects in the Bard’s works: his â€Å"loosely formed† plots, his â€Å"commonly gross† jests, and- most ironically-his â€Å"disproportionate pomp of diction and a wearisome train of circumlocution† (Johnson 34, 35). The most egregious fault Johnson finds in Shakespeare, though, is thematic. Unsurprisingly, Johnson exhibits emphatic distaste for Shakespeare’s lack of moral purpose. Johnson argues that he † He sacrifices virtue to convenience, and is so much more careful to please than to instruct, that he seems to write without any moral purpose † (33). In leading â€Å"his persons indifferently through right and wrong† and leaving â€Å"their examples to operate by chance,† Shakespeare has abandoned his duty as an author as the righteous Johnson would have that duty defined (33). This is, in his eyes, Shakespeare’s greatest flaw, though it does not supercede his other merits. Shakespeare’s plots, he says, are often very loosely formed and carelessly pursued. He neglects opportunities of giving instruction or pleasure which the development of the plot provides to him. He says, â€Å"The plots are often so loosely formed, that a very slight consideration may improve them, and so carelessly pursued, that he seems not always fully to comprehend his own design. † (34). Again he says that in many of his plays, the latter part does not receive much of his attention. This charge is certainly true. The play of Julius Caesar clearly shows a decline of dramatic interest in its second half. He says, â€Å"It may be observed, that in many of his plays the latter part is evidently neglected. When he found himself near the end of his work, and, in view of his reward, he shortened the labour, to snatch the profit. â€Å"(35) Next, Johnson considers Shakespeare’s style and expression. According to him there are many passages in the tragedies over which Shakespeare seems to have laboured hard, only to ruin his own performance. The moment Shakespeare strains his faculties, or strains his inventive powers unnecessarily, the result is tediousness and obscurity. However, Johnson adopts purely a neo-classical point of view which emphasizes the didactic purpose of literature as much as its pleasing quality. In this respect we can’t agree with Johnson’s condemnation of Shakespeare. Because all that we can expect from an artist is that he should give us a picture of life as he sees it. How to cite Merits and Demerits of Shakespeare, Papers

The Creation Of The Universe The Earth free essay sample

The Creation Of The Universe, The Earth, And Human Beings Essay, Research Paper In the beginning at that place was merely darkness. For many 1000000s of old ages this darkness remained. There were no stars, no Sun, and no Earth. But one twenty-four hours something really particular happened. The darkness created visible radiation. It was a really little sum of visible radiation but it was merely plenty. The light became the hubby of the dark. After a long while both the visible radiation and the dark became world-weary. The light began to diss the dark and the light replied with every bit rough insults. # 8221 ; You are non every bit beautiful as I! # 8221 ; said the light. # 8221 ; Ha! You are much uglier than I! # 8221 ; said the dark.Eventually they began to contend. None could prevail over the other, nevertheless, because they both were equal in power. Dark had a small spot more strength but visible radiation had a small spot more craft. We will write a custom essay sample on The Creation Of The Universe The Earth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They continued to contend for a really long clip until one twenty-four hours the visible radiation was tired and she called to the dark. # 8221 ; We must make existences that will give more significance to our lives for we must populate together for eternity. # 8221 ; The dark agreed and so it was settled. They would gestate two new existences. One would be female the other would be male and the two siblings would be fertile and give birth to the existence. The light gave birth to a God, the first God, and his name was Thrakath. He was the Godhead of the existence and the boy of the visible radiation and the dark. The visible radiation besides gave birth to Tria and she was the Godhead of the existence, the girl of the visible radiation and the dark and the married woman of Thrakath.Both Thrakath and Tria lived together within the light and dark for a long clip making the existence within their heads. After they had finished believing they decided to implement their programs. Firs t they created the stars. There were many stars throughout the existence and both Thrakath and Tria were pleased. But the stars finally became troublesome so they decided to make the sun.The Sun became the male monarch of the existence and he was really brilliantly so he could be seen from far and broad. The stars feared him and so once more began to act in an appropriate manner. He besides was really hot and warmed the one time cold existence so that life would be possible.Then, Thrakath and Tria decided to do planets. They made eight planets, one every month for eight months. These planets were much smaller than the stars and they worshipped the Sun and revolved around him. They waited three more months until they created the 9th planet. This planet they named Earth and decided to do her particular. The other planets became covetous but the of all time present Sun discouraged them from exposing unrest.The Earth became highly weary of her life so Thrakath and Tria gave her a friend who would be her ageless comrade named Moon. Moon and Earth became good friends and they stayed together. Thrakath and Tria were really pleased with what they had created but they were non rather finished.They were tired of creating, however, and so they created an earth-god name Terra who would develop and populate the earth. Terra wasted no time in getting to work. First he created water and then he created land. When he had finished he thought to himself how very beautiful Earth was and he was also pleased. Then he reached into his pockets and took out some seeds. Terra proceeded to plant these seeds in the land. They were all different types of seeds and from them sprang many different trees. Some bared fruit and others didn’t.Terra thought to himself that the plants were nice but were not interesting enough so he planted special seeds that would grow into animals. Only two of each type of animals were created but they mated and reproduced and populated the earth. He then thought to himself that the animals were interesting but were not very smart. He wanted to create individuals who, like himself, could also create. So after much thought, he created people.The people were ve ry smart. They learned much by just observing the environment around them. They used the plants to create tools and shelter for themselves. They also used plants for food. They killed some of the animals and used them for clothing and also for food. Terra was ecstatic at what he had created and bragged about the people to Thrakath and Tria who were interested.For many hundreds of years the people were good, taking only what they needed from the earth and obeying the wishes of Terra, the earth-god. They always remembered to worship him for they owed him much. The people loved Terra and each other and were happy. They reproduced and soon populated the earth along with the animals.But then humans started to do bad things. They began to kill each other, waste the food, and disobey Terra. They no longer worshipped him and many forgot him altogether. The people thought that they could live well without respecting the earth-god. Terra the earth-god became very displeased and so he created a great and terrible monster to deal with the people. The monster was named Dragga and he was a violent and terrifying beast. He swept down upon the earth with great fury and devoured as many people as his immense belly could hold. Those that he could not eat he grabbed with his enormous claws and snapped in half.The people were horrified and called out to Terra to have mercy and save them. Terra heard their cries and had pity for them so he created a great earth warrior named Hercles to slay the beast. Hercles had superhuman strength and possessed a sharp, double-edged sword. He travelled many miles to find Dragga and when he found the monster he immediately slayed him. The people were grateful to Terra for sending them such a fearless warrior to slay Dragga and made Hercles their King. With Hercles as their king, the people of the earth once again became prosperous and the world was returned to order.

7 Social Media Checklists to Boost Your Efficiency - CoSchedule

7 Social Media Checklists to Boost Your Efficiency As a marketing manager, you have a ton of work to do. Between projects, reports and more, trying to manage social media (which is a lot of work in and of itself) can put on a lot of stress. You have to check in on your campaigns, approve graphics, pull analytics, and the list goes on. Having a checklist in place can help you ensure that you’re getting all your work done promptly and you’re not missing any critical steps. Since we’re such believers in checklists, we created seven social media checklist templates for you. There are printable and editable versions for each one, too, making it easy to manage everything you need to get done. So what are you waiting for? Start reading and using your free checklists now. 7 Simple Social Media Checklists to Boost Your EfficiencyDownload Your Social Media Checklist Bundle Your Social Media Checklist Bundle includes seven unique checklists: Daily Social Media Checklist General Management Social Media Checklist Social Media Campaign Checklist Social Media Audit Checklist Quarterly Social Media Analysis Checklist Social Media Crisis Communications Checklist Social Media Strategy Checklist Each checklist comes as a PDF and Word Document so you can edit and adjust each one to fit the specific tasks you need to complete.Why Are Checklists Important? Checklists are essential for any manager. Actually, that’s true for almost any position, which is why they are so critical to today’s work environment. In fact, Atul Gawande, author of â€Å"The Checklist Manifesto†Ã‚  talks about how to the world is so busy and complicated that we need a checklist to keep up with everything. He’s literally a surgeon, too. If he needs checklists, marketers probably do as well. Checklists help by: Keeping you on track and organized. Ensuring that you don’t forget something in the process. Help you maintain consistency. Help delegate tasks to the rest of your social media team and ensure that they are also getting their work done. Still don’t believe me? Take a look at a day in the life of social media manager  Mario Moreno (a global social media manager for a massive retailer): And that’s just one day! Not to mention, that’s just social media. You’re probably balancing other things on top of your social media management. In summary, get yourself a checklist, there’s too much going on with your day-to-day work not to. Create Checklists In With Task Templates You can move all of your checklists into one place with Task Templates  from . Getting them set up in your calendar is easy. Select the task template icon: Add in the tasks from your checklist and assign them to a person in your calendar with a due date: Title and save your template once it’s ready: Ready to try managing all your content + social media marketing on one calendar and build your own checklists with Task Templates? Start a free trial or schedule a demo now. 7  Social Media Marketing Checklists For Managers Okay, we’ll stop being a dead horse here. You can see that checklists are essential for social media managers.  So, let’s dive into each one we've included in this post. Table of Contents: Daily Social Media Checklist Social Media Management Checklist Social Media Campaign Checklist Social Media Audit Checklist Social Media Analysis Checklist Social Media Crisis Communication Checklist Social Media Strategy ChecklistA Daily Social Media Checklist First on our list is a daily social media checklist. It looks something like this: Get your free daily social media checklist from @here:Finish Any Outstanding Tasks The first part of any social media marketers day should be to finish any outstanding tasks from the day before. Check That Posts That Are Publishing Today Are Ready To Go This step in your daily checklist involves three parts: Ensure that any accounts tagged in your posts are correct. The last thing you want to do is send out a post that links to the wrong account. Make sure any links in your posts are working. Broken links are no good. Double-check for spelling errors. Simple mistakes can leave a lasting (and unfortunately, negative) impression. Review Any Meetings On Your Agenda For Today Meeting to discuss an upcoming campaign? Do yourself a favor and review your notes and research before you head in. Check The Status Of Upcoming Graphics and Videos If upcoming posts still don’t have the images, graphics, or videos they need, check in with the teams responsible for creating them. This is especially important because if you and need to make edits, you don’t want to be adding visual content at the last minute. Review Any VIsual Media That Needs To Be Approved For Your Social Channels If graphics or videos are waiting for approval, make your edit notes and get them back to their respective teams in a timely manner. Edit Upcoming Content For Each Social Media Channel If you have a writer crafting social copy, review every post before it’s published. Approve Any Content That Is Ready For Publish Once the graphics are uploaded, and the content is edited, you can approve your posts to publish to your channels. Ensure that your social media publishing tool has approval features to make sure everything that publishes is actually ready to go. Engage With Thought Leaders There are thought leaders in every industry. Set aside time each day to engage with them, and find new people to follow. Share advice, tactics, and more to help develop that relationship. You never know when they might call for a favor. Plus, engaging with thought leaders can help keep you on top of the latest trends in your industry and increase your authority. Reshare Content From Partners and Influencers If you are working with a partner or influencer, show their content a little love by sharing it to your channels. This can also help fill gaps in your social media schedule if you’re running out of content ideas. Update Your Social Media Calendar Your social media strategy lives and dies by your calendar. Which means that it should always be up to date. Check in every day to ensure projects, messages, reports, and meetings haven’t moved dates. Did You Know?: is the industry's leading marketing calendar, making it easy to plan and publish all your content and social media posts in one place. Engage With Potential New Customers Social media is all about engagement. With companies all over the social media sphere, it’s easier for customers to have their voice heard by the organizations they love (or hate). This is a task that would be easy to pass down to another team member if you don’t have time to respond to every request. Read Industry News Interacting with thought leaders in your industry is not going to be enough to keep you on top. Reading articles and the latest industry news can help you fill that gap though. Subscribe to blogs and follow social accounts that share relevant news about your industry. Use tools like Feedly  or Flipboard  to help find the latest news. Curate Content For Your Social Media Channels It can be tough to create enough content to keep your social channels full. Fortunately, content curation can help fill those gaps. Look for stories that your customers and fans would enjoy reading and add them to your publishing tool. Did You Know?: 's Chrome extension makes it easy to curate social media content on your marketing calendar. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Management Checklist Another checklist in your bundle is a general management checklist. These tasks are ones that usually fall to management alone and should always be a part of your list. It could look something like this: Get your free social media management checklist from @here:Check The Workload Of Your Team Check in with your co-workers periodically to make sure that they aren’t overwhelmed with their workload. (Or worse they don’t have enough to do). If they are overwhelmed, try shifting tasks so they can regain their balance and get caught up. Do This With : 's Team Performance Reports allow you to measure your team's productivity and adjust workloads accordingly. Monitor Upcoming Campaigns If you’ve got a big campaign on the horizon, you may want to make sure that everything is on track to be completed by the intended launch date. Make it easier on yourself and your co-workers and commit to having all the graphics, content and videos done before launch, so you have time to review and get edits completed before things start to publish. Do This With : You can schedule entire campaigns using Social Campaigns  in . Create posts, schedule posting times, and measure their performance, all in one place. Check Incoming Messages There are three reasons that as a manager you would want to check in on the incoming messages from your social media channels. Checking incoming messages may help you spot a crisis before one starts. If you can step in and help calm down an angry customer before calamity ensues, your whole organization will thank you. You can help manage customer engagement. You might even uncover some positive reviews of your product that you can reshare. Prepare For Upcoming Strategy Meetings As a manager it’s up to you to steer the social media ship, so preparing for those upcoming strategy meetings is going to fall on to your plate. One way to stay on top is continuous research to help you see what’s going on in the social media realm. Prepare Reports For Upper Management Or Clients Your reports are what show the success (or failure) of your work. Your reports should be easy to read by anyone in your company. They should include any metrics that show that you reached or missed your goals and a brief analysis on why something did or didn’t work. Do This With : offers robust social analytics and reporting features to measure every post and campaign. Monitor Competitor Channels The saying keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer comes to mind here, but having your competitors in the back of your mind can give you that extra drive to be better and do more. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Campaign Checklist Campaigns come up frequently in social media, so it’s vital that as a manager you have a process to follow that makes it easier to crank them out and get them published. The following checklist can help you do just that. Get your free social media campaign checklist from @here:Brainstorm A Theme With Your Team You have to create a lot of campaigns in a year, and as they say, two heads are better than one. Round up your social media team to help you brainstorm the theme for your next campaign. Recommended Reading:  This Is The Best 30-Minute Content Marketing Brainstorming Process Outline The Dates For Your Campaign Three major dates need to be outlined for any campaign: When you need to start working on creating content. When your campaign goes live. When your campaign ends. Determine Your Audience Depending on the theme of your campaign and the message you want to send, the audience you are targeting may shift a little bit. You also need to determine what message you need to share with them that would resonate and  grab their attention. Recommended Reading: How To Find Your Target Audience And Create The Best Content That Connects Set An Ad Budget (If Necessary) If you decide that you are going to add any paid ad promotion to your campaign you need to set a budget. Outline how much you are going to spend: In one day. On one post. On the total campaign. Recommended Reading: How To Make The Most of Facebook Advertising To Reach New Audiences With Rachel Wiinanen From [AMP063] Outline Necessary Image And Video Needs The next step is to outline any necessary image or video needs that you might want to add to your campaign. Include things like: Videos for each channel. Infographics. Photos for each channel. Cover photos. Profile photos. Anything else your team might need. Once you have those initial requests, send them to each team to determine how much time they would need to complete them. Recommended Reading: The Best Guide to Social Media Image Sizes Every Marketer Needs Assign Deadlines To Team Members For Projects Each member of your social media team, as well as your graphic designers and video production crew, needs a deadline that they need to have their work done. Set them early, so you have time for edits and changes before your campaign launches. Do This With : Task Templates  make it easy to build reusable checklists right inside your marketing calendar. Choose Your Hashtags Decide as a team if you are going to use any unique hashtags to identify your campaign on channels like Twitter and Instagram. If you decide to add your hashtag decide on spelling and spacing in advance. Write Post Copy Either you or your social media writers now need to write copy for your campaign. Use our Social Message Optimizer  to create the best content for every channel. Recommended Reading: How To Write The Best Social Media Posts [Backed By 6,399,322 Messages + 11 Studies] Shoot/Design Visual Content Once your message copy has been created direct your designers and video producers to create the necessary visual content for your campaign. Edit Content After your writers have created that initial message copy, go through each post and check for: Spelling errors. Grammar errors. Accounts are tagged correctly. Hashtags are spelled correctly and used on the right channels. Approve Graphics/Videos Once your designers and producers are done with any necessary images or videos, review each one to make sure that it is ready for publishing. Check Links Another thing to check off your list is to ensure the links in your posts are leading to the right places. You may need to check that each one of your posts has been run through a link shortener (if you use one). Upload Messages To Your Publishing Tool Once everything is approved, upload your messages into your social media publishing tool. Ensure that each message is paired with its appropriate visual counterpart. Do This With : Use Social Templates  in to easily recreate posting cadences and frequencies. Schedule Your Campaign Your next step is to schedule your campaigns. Once you have your posts uploaded, turn your campaign live. Do This With : You can schedule your social media messages to go out at the best times with our Best Time Scheduling Feature. Measure Your Results The last step in your process is to measure the results of your campaign. Remember, you can make it easy by using ’s Social Campaign Report, where we’ll do all the work for you. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Audit Checklist Once a year you’re going to run a social media audit. It’s tedious but necessary. A checklist will help you ensure that you don’t miss a step in your auditing process. [Tweet "Get your free social media audit checklist from @here:Review And Secure All Your Social Media Profiles Make sure that your profiles are up to date and all of your passwords are stored in a secure location like LastPass  or 1Password. Analyze The Performance Of Each Of Your Social Media Profiles Check your data to see if your social media profiles and their messages are connecting with your audience and producing engagement. If not, it may be time to ax them. Review Your Publishing Schedule Check your schedule and see if the amount of content you posted to each channel was enough to generate engagement. If not, consider adding or back off the number of times you post on a channel. Run An Audience Analysis Using the same resources you did to develop your first audience, review your demographic data to see if you are still attracting the same audience. Complete A Content Analysis Review what content types did and didn’t connect with your audience on each social media channel. Run A SWOT Analysis Determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that your organization currently faces on social media. Review Goals From Previous Year Determine if you and your social media team met the previous year’s goals. Recommended Reading: How To Complete A Social Media Audit In Nine Steps (+ Free Template) Back to Table of Contents Quarterly Social Media Analysis Checklist Each quarter you’re going to need to check in to see if your efforts are producing the results you want. In other words, you’re going to need to run a quarterly social media analysis. Here is the checklist you’ll need to make sure you get everything done. Get your free quarterly social media analysis checklist from @here:Decide Your Time Period For Analysis What dates are you going to gather your data from? If going quarter by quarter, you’d be looking at a three-month period for each one. Create Your Report Template Create a template with sections for every piece of data you need to gather. This can help ensure that you don’t forget to collect data for a specific section from one quarter to another. Recommended Reading: The Best Social Media Report Template to Show Your Results Gather Data Using your reporting tools, gather the data you need. Analyze Your Data Look for trends, patterns and other consistencies that can help you interpret what your audience wants to see from you. You should also be looking for data that shows that your team is (or isn’t) on track to meet their goals. Recommended Reading: How to Drill Into Data To Extract Powerful Social Media Insights Prepare Your Report Place data into your report and provide a summary of overall trends and patterns for upper management or your client. Recommended Reading: The Best Social Media Report Template to Show Your Results Send To Client Or Upper Management Send the report to whoever needs to see it. Prepare and respond to any questions that may come from your client or management based on your report. Decide If Your Strategy Needs Adjustment Based On Analysis Based on your report and the data you gathered, adjust your strategy to ensure your team meets the goals that were set for them. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Crisis Communication Checklist As a   manager, you need to be prepared at all times for a communication crisis. This could stem from your work or something that happens within your organization. Either way, you need to be ready. Here is the checklist you’ll need. Get your free social media crisis communication checklist from @here.Pause All Social Media Campaigns Immediately The minute a crisis happens, pause all of your social media campaigns immediately. No post should go out until you’ve spoken with upper management. Check In With Upper Management To Determine Next Steps Meet with the other managers to decide what steps the company needs to take. Determine What Kind Of Messaging Should Be Used Work with your public relation team to decide what type of language and messaging should be used to respond to the crisis. Respond Individually To People On Social Media If a flood of mentions and comments come in during a crisis, take the time to respond to them individually, but only after messaging and language has been determined by management. Issue An Apology From The Company The first social media message you send after the crisis has occurred should be an apology from the company. Edit Campaigns For Content That May Inflate Crisis Again Edit your campaigns to ensure they have no mention of anything related to the crisis, or why it occurred. Resume Campaigns Once the crisis has passed, resume your campaigns again. Recommended Reading: How To Build a Thorough Social Media Policy to Prevent Emergencies Back to Table of Contents A Social Media Strategy Checklist The last checklist on this massive list of checklists revolves around your social media strategy. Like your audit checklist, this list is used maybe once a year or once per quarter to review how things are going. Here is the list of things you’ll need to do. Get your free social media strategy checklist from @here.Review Last Year’s Strategy Determine what did and didn’t work from your strategy and why. Throw out what didn’t work and revamp or keep what did. Research New Trends And Ideas Keep your strategy fresh by researching the latest emerging trends and ideas that might work for your organization. Review Your Target Audience Decide if this is still the audience you want to be attracting to your organization. If it is, make sure that your audience profile is up to date. If it isn’t, decide who your new audience will be and create a new profile. Review Your Business Objectives Talk with your CMO to determine the new business objectives that have been set, so your team can create goals based on them. Set Goals Set your goals based on your business objectives. Recommended Reading: How To Set SMART Marketing Goals Establish Your Metrics And KPIs Determine the data points you need to track in order to prove that you are meeting your goals. Determine Tactics Decide which tactics your team is going to use on each social media channel to meet your goals. Map Out Seasonal Campaigns On Social Media Calendar Use recurring sales or seasonal campaigns and plan them out in your social media calendar in advance. Establish Your Reporting Schedule Determine how often and when you are going to report on the progress of your social media strategy and goals to upper management or a client. Back to Table of Contents See How Easy Checklists and Can Help Improve Your Efficiency You now have the tools you need to help get your work done even faster than you were before. Each one of these checklists can be edited to fit your schedule. Once you’re ready to increase your efficiency even more, try . Our state of the art marketing calendar will let you control every aspect of your social media all from one place. Plus, don't forget Task Templates make it easy to build reusable checklists for all your social media tasks.  Start a trial  or sign up for a demo  today.

The Ins and Outs of Fetal Homicide Laws

The Ins and Outs of Fetal Homicide Laws In 1969, Teresa Keeler, eight months pregnant, was beaten unconscious by her jealous ex-husband, Robert Keeler, who told her during the attack that he was going to stomp it out of her. Later, at the hospital, Keeler delivered her little girl, who was stillborn and suffered a fractured skull. Prosecutors attempted to charge Robert Keeler with the beating of his wife and for the murder of the fetus, Baby Girl Vogt, named with her fathers last name. The California Supreme Court dismissed the charges, saying that only someone born alive could be killed and that the fetus was not legally a human being. Due to public pressure, the murder statute was eventually amended to say that murder charges can only apply to fetuses older than seven weeks or beyond the embryonic stage. Laci Peterson This law was then used to prosecute Scott Peterson with two counts of murder for Laci Peterson, his wife, and their seven-month unborn son, Conner. If both the woman and the child were killed and we can prove the child was killed due to the actions of the perpetrator, then we charge both, said Stanislaus County Assistant District Attorney Carol Shipley as quoted by CourtTv.com. A multiple murder charge against Scott Peterson makes him eligible for the death penalty according to California law. Fetal Homicide:When Is a Fetus Considered Living? Although many states now have fetal homicide laws, there is a wide variety of differences about when a fetus is considered living.   Pro-Choice groups see the laws as a way to undermine Roe v. Wade, although currently statues to the laws clearly exclude legal abortions. Anti-abortionists view it as a way to teach the public about the value of a human life. Rae Carruth Former pro football player for the Carolina Panthers, Rae Carruth, was convicted of conspiracy to commit the murder of Cherica Adams, who was seven months pregnant with his child. He was also found guilty of shooting into an occupied vehicle and of using an instrument to kill a fetus. Adams died of a result of the gunshot wounds but her child, delivered by Caesarean section, survived. Rae Carruth received close to the maximum sentence of 19 to 24 years in prison. Unborn Victims of Violence Act On April 1, 2004, President Bush signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, also known as Laci and Conners Law. The new law states that any child in utero is considered to be a legal victim if injured or killed during the commission of a federal crime of violence. The bills definition of child in utero is a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb. Veronica Jane Thornsbury Since February 2004, Kentucky law recognizes a crime of fetal homicide in the first, second, third, and fourth degrees. The law defines an unborn child, as a member of the species homo sapiens in utero from conception onward, without regard to age, health, or condition of dependency. This determination came after the March 2001 tragedy involving 22-year-old Veronica Jane Thornsbury who was in labor and on her way to the hospital when a driver, under the influence of drugs, Charles Christopher Morris, 29, ran a red light and smashed into Thornsbury car and killed her. The fetus was stillborn. The drugged driver was prosecuted on for the murder of both the mother and the fetus. However, because her baby was not born, state Court of Appeals overturned a guilty plea in the death of the fetus. Currently, 37 states recognize the unlawful killing of an unborn child as homicide in at least some circumstances.