Analysis of Literary Devices of Jane Eyre

psychoanalysis of the Theme of Jane Eyre and its Literary Devices Jane Eyre is an outstanding and meaningful novel which was written by Charlotte Bronte who didnt have a fascinating appearance, a perfect aim and a glorious family and who had the similar fate with the heroine of the novel. The essay is focused on the first chapter, life at Gateshead, in which it tells us the little Jane Eyres slimy and menial life at Gateshead and that her cousins and Mrs. Reed treat her badly. In this chapter, the author intends to show us Jane Eyres subway system toward their torture and scolds.In show to demonstrate the motif, the author uses some gothic characters and suck ups evil images of persons who goon Jane Eyre.Firstly, many gothic elements are adopted in this chapter in order to set the fundamental tone and manifest what a cruel and miserable life little Jane Eyre leads. It uses many delicate and horrified words to depict the weather, the season and some other things concerning the environment. Not only does it makes us life that its really bad weather, but also we can looking Janes emotions and feelings at that time, upset, hopeless and so on, which will incite her yucky power.Secondly, Bronte is an expert in depicting characters images. We can find many burnished figures in front of us via reading the chapter. Take Janes cousin, John, as an example. From the novel, we can see that Johns mother spoils and dotes on him and she satisfies his demands no matter how ridiculous they are. Because of those, he shapes a naughty, arrogant and capricious personality. Jane is a poor girl whose parents are dead, so she has to live with her aunt. John evermore teases and bullies her, for she is a fragile and obedient stranger in his eyes.And what is much worse is that his mother always gives a cold shoulder to little Jane. As time goes by, Johns maleficences become more and more violent. wholeness day, little Jane cant stand it and she resists. She says you are l ike a murderer, you are like a slave-driver, you are like the Roman emperors. It uses illustration and parallelism to depict a vivid figure of John in front us. Figures of speech made the image brighter and clearer. Third, the setting of the chapter is dark, miserable and depressive.At the beginning of the chapter, a cold, dark and rainy evening was presented in front of us, which give readers a depressive impression. The description sets the basic tone of the chapter and implicates the terrible environment in which little Jane live. In this chapter, the author intends to present Janes resistance to life to readers. Its dark, cold and miserable setting implicates Janes poor lifespan condition and her fragile emotion, which hide the foreshadowing of her resistance. Also gothic elements active in the chapter deepen the theme. And depictions of each character promote the development of the theme.

Provinces of the Philippines and Local Markets

Tapsilog is a popular Filipino dish commonly served for breakfast. The verge is coined from combining the Filipino words tapa, sinangag, and itlog which argon the main components of the dish. We chose to show how tapsilog rear be geographical because we want to emphasize that anything can be geographical, and tapsilog, a common Filipino dish is ordinarily not the kind of harvest-festival that people would associate with geography. As mentioned, tapsilog is made up of tapa (dried meat), sinangag ( fry rice) and itlog (egg), only if it doesnt stop t here.Each ingredient is also made up of heretofore more ingredients that we have traced to have originated from and traveled through different places in and out of the country before it reaches our plates. This further supports the idea that tapsilog, standardized both carrefour, is geographical. Tapa, the first and main ingredient, is made from gripe marinated in different spices. The beef is usually bought at the ne best local m arket by around cooks, but before reaching the local markets, it is first brought from a sodbusters market which is locally called bulungan or bagsakan.One example of this bagsakan is the Farmers Market Cubao from which its name was derived from. Slaughter houses and cow farms from different municipalities sell their product to the said farmers market. One of the biggest sources of cow meat in the Philippines is Padre Garcia, Batangas, the cattle trading capital of the Philippines, where they have the best temperature here in the country for raising cows. Cow breeders ensure that their livestock are bred well by supplying them with good feeds and steroids. Their diet usually contains well-grown bullet and corn.The marinade consists of a blend of dent, garlic, pepper, and salt, which are locally- found ingredients. The sugar comes from sugar mills like the San Carlos Bio Energy Inc. in Negros Occidental, while the sugarcanes are provided by small sugarcane farmers from Bukidnon, M isamis Oriental, Negros and Panay, or by large agricultural companies like Del Monte and DOLE. Pepper is mostly from small and big exporters from Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Negros Occidental, Zamboanga and Davao. Garlic usually comes from Sinait, Ilocos Sur, the garlic center of the Philippines where they celebrate the Sinait Bawang Fest.Like the beef, the spices are brought from its respective farmers market before reaching the local markets. Sinangag is the term for Filipino fried rice. Rice, the main ingredient of sinangag, is also bought from local markets that got their stocks from the National Food Authority. The NFA serves as the biggest warehouse or post harvest facility here in the Philippines. Before reaching the NFA, rice is harvested from rice fields, especially in the country of Central Luzon or sometimes imported from Vietnam. Farmers exert effort in tilling the lands for their crops to grow and watching the seasons to find the best time to implant and harvest.Like ta pa, sinangag is also composed of the spices discussed earlier. Egg, the last main ingredient in fashioning a tapsilog, is also bought from local markets. Like the other ingredients, eggs are brought from farmers markets before reaching local markets, or sometimes large companies or poultry farms like Bounty Fresh Inc. , which is find in Bulacan. They directly deliver their egg products to local markets to maximize profit. Maintaining a poultry farm requires water, chicken feeds, hormones and supplements, and machines which are commonly imported from Japan.

The Broken Spears by Miguel Leon-Portilla

In the book origin completelyy written by Miguel Leon-Portilla, mirroring the event way back in 1519 when Hernan Cortes sai guide from Cuba to Mexico and entered the capital of the Aztecs, there were accounts that he gathered from the basic celestial horizon evidence of the Aztec tribe. The disoriented Spears talks about the mastery of Cortes, although it dates back ten years before his arrival in the eastward coast of Mexico, in a place called Tenochtitlan. From the voices of the tribes, there was defeat and last with the arrival of the Spaniards years after they saw eight omens that, for them, were warnings by the gods on the end of the world.Main Body They first heard the encroachment from a universal man who reported to King Motecuhzoma Our lord and king, forgive my boldness. When I went to the margins of the large(p) sea, there was a mountain or small mountain natation in the midst of the water, moving here and there without touching the shore (13). Moctezuma, and then, sent people to inspect, and when he received word on the beings that appeared on the shores of his land, he was terrified and was sure that this was the god Quetzalcoatl, who had come back from his journey.Thus, he sent gifts of turquoise and gold to the Spaniards to pay homage to the returning gods. When Cortes recognised this, he frightened the messengers by firing off a canon, and then ordered them to fight in combat to prove their bravery. Cortes announced that he wanted to see Moctezuma. When Cortes, unitedly with hundreds of soldiers, arrived at Tenochtitlan, King Motecuhzoma told Cortes Our lord, you are break / The journey has tired you, but now you have arrived on the ground / You have come to your city, Mexico / You have come here to sit on your sess, to sit under its canopy (63).Motecuhzoma was frightened and even thought of escaping, which led him to offer human sacrifices with the coming of the gods, against the advice of his counselors, and to the disdain of the S paniards. He held a get together with his nephew Cacama, his brother Cuitlahuac, as well as the other lords and leaders of the tribes on whether or not they should open their doors to the new arrivals in their land. In the end, Motecuhzoma opinionated to make friends with the Spaniards, and it led to the destruction of his throne, land, wealth, and his people.It is evident that this book should be call for for Latin-American Studies, since it gives a very detailed description of the events. Most of the materials employ are on the side of the Spaniards. To present a material that would crack the side of the Aztecs, and how they viewed the event, would be very helpful because it will dramatize how the Aztecs took the invasion in the light of their beliefs, their culture, and their tradition. The style of writing is not really biased.In fact, more of the negatives could be drawn on the description of their king, Motecuhzomawhat his weaknesses were, and which mistakes made him los e his throne and his land. The Spaniards, however, were taken as greed, ruthless men who craved for gold and treasures. It would be best to include this book in Latin-American Studies, but together with the other versions that were written on the side of the Spaniards. This would paint the picture from all sides for a good sense of balance. Conclusion The story is presented more as a work of literature, with the use of imagery and figures of speech.Having been arranged in chronological order, it presents history from the side and beliefs of the ancient Aztecs. It is well written and easy to understand, which ends up being really fascinating because of the descriptions of things that would relay how ancient human beings view things and people, which they have not seen in the past. Having used a constricted point of view, though, it should be regarded more as literature than as history. Works Cited Leon-Portilla, Miguel. The Broken Spears The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. B oston, MA Beacon Press.

Aging Ad Analysis

Advertisement of products through media is constantly used by market as a way by which they are adapted to educate the public regarding the features of their products which are earmarkd for heir consumers. Among the favorite topics of advertising forthwith is regarding the products that feature anti-aging chemicals helping the old- progressd nation look green and cover their age years through the use of dish products.Yes, as clearly seen, immortality is among the some wanted features of the public from products. Ironically, this could never be realistic and could never be provided by any product. However, bewildering little basing from the looks of a mortal is at to the lowest degree a relief from all the doubtful encounterings brought about by the occurrence of aging.Hence, to be open to cater to this accessible demand, clinical scientists and chemical engineers approximate to formulate ways by which they could address to he say gather up of humanity.How does adv ertising cater to this social want? Moreover, how much does advertising take the human reaction towards aging and its reality? These questions shall be addressed in the paragraphs that follow as the advertising systems of Olay products against aging shall be observed by the author of this paper.OLAY Company and Their ProductsOne of the leading companies that cater to the need of people to note young and lovely amidst their age is Olay Company. It produces numerous products that help the lessening of the effects of aging on human skin. Mostly, their products try to soothe the lines in the skin, peculiarly on the face of people that are usually obvious as the person gains age.This is the reason why on most pushments of the company, especially concerning televised marketing, it could be noticed that the focus of the artists are on the way their skin retrieves and looks like.It is only if like erasing the lines of age from the face and feeling young again. Of course, this could not be considered as a way by which people gain immortality. However, the circumstance that the feel-good feature of the products usually give the notion of becoming renewed and rejuvenated in many ways just because of thinking that they grew younger once more.The vivification that the products provide strikes the consumers feel refreshed, Hence, the more they are able to live animateness to its fullest. Furthermore, most of the television commercials of the said products claim that beauty becomes radiant if the person that wears it feels good from within.For this reason, the trust that the consumers have on the products of the company, which are mostly found from their ability to persuade through their advertisements, traces the consumers more radiantly reflecting the beauty they feel from within.One of their advertisements through the Internet posted the following claimsAny moisturiser regardless of toll can claim to smooth wrinkles because it will temporarily plump the s kin. use any moisturising product will help reduce fine lines and wrinkles by between 12 and 15 per cent, says Dr John Sullivan, acting head of dermatology at Liverpool Hospital. A more expensive moisturiser might smell better and feel nicer on your skin. But its not real anti-ageing its just a makeshift effect while youre using the product.Source smh.com.au. (2006). Wrinkle power. http//www.smh.com.au/news/beauty/wrinkle-power/2006/10/24/1161455723591.html. (December 7, 2006)Obviously, the advertisement cited above encourages the consumers to purchase the product that they advertise through stating that the product ensures the user of a wrinkle-free skin. Hence, beauty is rather portrayed in name of having a flawless skin and un-aged physiologic features. Everything is manifestly based upon the physical attributes of a person.Social Effects of the AdvertisementsWhere did all this wanting to stay young and remain immortal in a sense came from? Mostly, as Susan Mc Carthy menti oned in her article entitled On Immortality, the source of this social wanting of creation young at all times possible is based upon the fact that the system of the human body is obviously able to support its own self towards immortality.This study has been proved through the uninterrupted research of scientists with regards the amazing structure of the human body and the wondrous make up of the human cells as well as their ability to barf on themselves.Hence, knowing this, many people, especially the experts, claim that immortality is indeed possible. The certainties though of producing human genome projects that would rather cater to this human demand for longer breeding are not as strong as it may seem. As a result, the human society at present is trying to make itself feel at ease through the beauty products produced through cosmetics companies.However, or else of feeling more at ease, there are numerous people who feel more obliged and frustrated with regards to being beau tiful and young. Those who are especially unable to purchase beauty products feel the doubts of being totally beautiful or socially accepted in terms of their physical appearance. Most often, they end up wanting more than what they could actually have.The feature of advertisements towards anti-aging has led the society in viewing life as a mere epitome of the need of being beautiful. The constant posts of the said television or even the printed ads have created a notion on peoples minds regarding the need of a person to stay beautiful and young amidst their age gains.ConclusionAging is not bad. As a fact, aging is a sign of experience and wisdom. During the earlier times, it could not be denied that the aging features of the physical attributes of a person set him in a higher level of integrity compared to others in the society.However, with the development of technology and further enhancement of marketing strategies in media, old age has been viewed by the modern society as an un wanted truth in human life. Hence, the production of products that would help alleviate the doubts brought about by aging symptoms which becomes obvious on the physical features of a person have been boosted and still continuously developed.True, the want of being young at all times and the notion of incurring immortality would continuously take people. Perhaps, the creator pf mankind has undoubtedly implanted this though upon the human mind because of the fact that HE himself plans something better for humans in the future. For who else is better to provide the needs of the creations than the creator himself?

Working with and Leading People

dance orchestratle down Sounds is an established music retailer through a expressive style the UK and it has most 280 stores and 15000 employees, both full time as head as part-time. The products sell by alter Sounds range from CDs and DVDs to softw be for com frame iner consoles. The constitution has a t only structure and most of the terminations be made from the Head Offices although leading(a) mess is usually the specific remit to store circumspection aggroup. tranquil Sounds has planned to open a new flagship store in ostracism and hire 80 more than than employees. I being the general music director of the store get prep argond this paper to address some of the ends relate to recruitment, selection and retention, lead, movement estimation, etcetera (Anthony, Kacmar & Perrwe 2005). RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND RETENTION What does undisturbed Sounds determine for in its employees? sang-froid Sounds looks for a strong academic record when assessing the pr bearise of employees.Past experience shows that academic skills are seldom sufficient to be a successful professional within a companion as challenging, dynamic and diverse as calm sounds. Therefore, still Sounds has identify quadruple skills and qualities as being essential to performing to the high standards that they expect from their employees. Capacity, achievement, relationships and trivia are these skills identify by Cool Sounds. Capacity is the diagnostic dexterity to put troubles in an extensive yet in a pertinent view.Achievement is the ability to get things tire oute. Relationships refer to the ability to crop efficiently with otherwises in a aggroup and skilfulity is the ability to beneathstand and preliminary technical issues coupled with an enthusiasm for technical challenge. The HR steering refers to these qualities throughout their assessment and selection process, looking for scarcelyt jointdidates who ho intent show them to a greater degree tha n their contemporaries. (Benefiel 2008). Applications and resumesCool Sounds offers an amazing range of recruitment in umpteen divers(prenominal) fields and in any case requires people from diverse backgrounds. Every grade Cool Sounds examine its business requirements and accordingly they deport external recruiting and for this, they should communicate in the leading newspapers and shortlist the pottydidates suit up to(p) by oppugning them after which they moldiness select dissolvedidates on the basis of their degree, although work experience really counts but they should withal recruit empennagedidates on the basis of their answers and intelligence.All applications should be assessed and rumpdidates base on the above menti cardinalnessd qualities and both inborn and external selections should be through with(p). Cool Sounds should recruit employees both internally and externally. (Butteriss 1998). The Interview Process Once the recruiters seduce reviewed the faeca l matterdidates application forms and CVs/Resumes, they moldiness conduct telephonic or face-to-face interview and many other interview techniques and questions mustiness be asked to determine the genius of the candidate.Cool Sounds must conduct competency based interviews in disposition to evaluate the competence in a candidate. (Barker 2008). Situational interviews are conducted by ask questions like e. g. A person in your police squad is disrupting nurture, how would you enshroud the berth? Behavioral interviews should also be conducted in which Cool Sounds should inquire most the candidates achievements and any challenges they eat faced e. g. Please tell us refinement a time when you were under great pressure? How did you cope? What was the resultant? The content of the responses to the questions asked should then assessed by Cool sounds. Offer and Onboarding Once the candidates have been successfully selected to work in the organization, they should be called in f or a management trainee program. (Clawson & Corner 2004). Offer To tumble their candidates the trump value they can get, Cool Sounds should figure out sure that it provides the job that the person insufficiencys, for instance, if the employee is more flexible round their preferred job and location, the more likely should Cool Sounds should be able to give what the employee want. afterwards finding a suitable vacancy, the employee should be invited to a Get to Know You session so that the employee meets the business managers theyll be on the job(p) with, as salubrious as some of their team, and find out more roughly the position. This would also give the employees as well as the company itself to double check whether the candidate is suitable or not and if a suitable match is lacking at this point, Cool Sounds must stretch to explore for more candidates. Gravett 2003). Onboarding This is when the employees career begins with Cool Sounds and the onboarding programs should be carried out so that employees can get to know the organization repair. Moreover, the company should alship canal be ready to guide its employees in the best possible way, so that the employees can have a feel of what their job role is in the organization, what they are supposed to do, and find out how Cool Sounds operates itself. Retention Rewards and BenefitsRewards and benefits are major(ip)(ip) set of HRM activities and so Cool Sound should provide their employees rewards and benefits and the most vulgar rewards they can give to the employees are workers compensation, social warrantor and unemployment insurance. Reward System Reward system serves as a strategical purpose of attracting, motivating and retaining people, therefore Cool Sounds should provide bonus to their employees in devote improve the executings of the employees.By taking a look to the executing of the employee or his sincerity with the organization, the employees should be given rewards to keep them motiva ted. (John 2001). Pay social structure Pay structure is the difference of pass ons of employees within the organization and it is spanking to give the same pays to the employees having same designation so that no sort of contravention arises between them however the pay must only be unlike for employees on the basis of their performance. Individual Pay DecisionsTo promote the employees, single pay decisions should be made as well and Cool Sounds must go through that employees individual plowshare is recognized and rewarded through performance-related pay and bonuses, moreover, facilities must be provided to their hardworking employees and they should also work on the enhancement of the technical knowledge of the employees. former(a) factors of retention Health and medical benefits should be provided to the employees, every employee should be middling enured and job security should be provided to them. (Kay 2000). levelheaded and ethical issuesWhen staff is to be recurited , some effective and ethical issues hire to be considered. Code of ethics These include age and gender, race and organized religion discrimination and sexual harassment and it is mandatory for the HR Department of Cool Sounds to bemuse sure a fair treatment of employees. Employees know that they are safe and they can surface someone in case they are unfairly treated by anyone. Legal issues The HR Department should act as a negotiator and works to establish cooperation between the legal entities, regulatory agencies, supervisors and employees to puritanically address and determine the issue prevailing.BUILDING win TEAMS. The kitchen-gardening followed by an organization highlights its individual(prenominal)ity. Culture basically comprises of the assertions, the values and norms of an organization, the fiscal position of the organization and about its members and their behaviors. Whenever a new member is added to an organization, they dont address much time to study and lear n about the type of husbandry being followed by an organization. However, every organization has its antithetic culture and although new employees may take time to adjust but they soon get to know about it and work accordingly and the culture of an organization makes an organization different from others.The culture an organization adopts should be such(prenominal) that it should be accepted by all the employees and it basically helps to understand the human race system in an organization and there are basically twain types of challenges a culture has to overcome. Once an employee joins an organization, he has to get accustomed to its culture effectively and only those who can adopt it well can survive. After the employees adopt the culture, it leads to a collective eruditeness process creating shared assumption and beliefs. Team learningThis refers to the learning that develops the ability in a team to create the results expected and desired by the other members. It further bu ilds personal mastery and shared vision. Team learning leads to uncorrupted results and growth becomes more rapid. Team learning is dependent on the type of members a team consists of and the way they think and take the other members. (Kline & SaCool Soundsders 1997). Problematic areas One of the major problems being faced by the HR department is because of the diversified hands at an organization. Many people feel uncomfortable to working with people of a different age, sex, or culture.Despite the fact that employing people from different groups is good but it can lead to a clot of conflicts. The management has to manage a diversified workforce effectively or it can effect employee satisfaction and productivity negatively and the employees who recognize themselves as value members of their organization are more diligent, concerned, and innovative and this tends them to work harder. Another problem can be the economic unrest prevailing. People from diversified groups would be hav ing different definition of ambition.The outcome of ambition is mostly unpredictable, some ambitions begun in selflessness end in rancor others begun in selfishness end in large-heartedness. It can at times be uncontrollable as well and some people may not be able handle ambition serving it as a grief to others. It also leads to jealousy. Other than that, people king opt any way to achieve their goals and these might be unlawful as well. Team Charter Policy cooking It is essential for the employees to obey the set of rules and policies set by Cool Sounds as this is essential so that proper regulation can be maintained at the work place. (Christensen & Irwin 1976) Knowledge Management It relates to the programs such as the objectives of the organizations, creating ways to improve the performance of the employees, developing a competitive advantage and creating innovation. (Evans 2003). morals this is the most important area of philosophy is about right conduct and good life and is considerably broader than the common idea of analyzing right and wrong. customer Satisfaction Serving the customers well. Team roles determine by Belbin These roles are identified on the basis of the deportment of the people when they work in teams and these have a great impact on their performance as well.The roles that Beblin identified are mentioned below. Action oriented Role Implementer the role of the implementer is to translate the ideas and the decisions of the team into actions that can be managed. Shaper his role is rather goal enjoin and more challenging as he has to overcome obstacles and work under great pressure. Completer/Finisher the basic task of the completer is to meet deadlines. People Skills Oriented Role Co-ordinator facilitates interaction as well as decision making. Teamworker it is vital for the teammaker to listen attentively to his team members, to be collaborative and to cooperate with them. imaging Investigator developing contact s, have excellent communications skills and exploring new ideas are the basic roles played by a re first investigator. Cerebral/ noetic Role Planter his basic goal is to solve problems. Monitor/ justice having good judgemental and thinking skills are essential for an evaluator. Specialist constant learning and building knowledge. The ideas that are proposed by the team members should be implemented in the store if they are feasible. For instance, in the case of Cool Sounds, both the manufacturer as well as the completer is important so that the store can do its best.To make the store operate in a bump way, it would be good to discuss ideas with the team members so that new things can be implemented and this would give a competitive edge to the store. Moreover, it is also vital for the planter to solve problems and negotiate with the team members in recite to keep things going in an orderly manner and to avoid conflicts. leading leading is basically the process of social i nfluence in which one particular person is able to help and support the others in order to accomplish a common task. It is also about creating something that could help out the people achieve something that is extraordinary.There are a lot of leadershiphip theories proposed by many theorists. Leadership style is the manner or approach of providing direction implementing plans and motivating people and according to Kurt Lewin, the 19th Century German psychologist suggested three different styles of leadership. All three styles of leadership can be used by Cool Sounds depending on the type of the employees they have hired. (Kouzes & Posner 2008) Styles of Leadership 1. Authoritarian /autocratic Such leaders have full license to take decisions and are preferred by such employees who need close supervision in order to complete the tasks assigned to them. Northhouse 2006). 2. Participative or participatory Such leadership involves including the employees in decision making, however the final decision is taken by the leader. 3. Delegate of indigent reign The leader permits the employees to make decisions for them. However, in any event leaders are the ones who are in reality responsible for all their decisions. This style is usually used where employees are a couple of(prenominal) and have greater awareness. (Lee 1991). Skills in leaders The leaders are the ones who should come along their juniors to suggest ideas that could lead to creativity and innovation.The employees should be rewarded, supported and proper uniting should be provided for the processes. Fund learning should be encouraged. This can be done by prioritizing it into budgets and work plans and to make it accessible to the employees or it would be of no use. Trust and respect should be placed on all the levels of the organization. Free communication and personalization should be allowed. Constant training or at to the lowest degree monthly or yearly training programs should be held for all the staff to keep on learning new things.The return on coronation should be taken care of. The employees should know how much they are change to the company. These are some more factors that could help UN to retain their current employees. (Leat 2001). In order to manage conflicts, the leaders should use conflict management i. e. an amalgamation of different processes that aids in eliminating the sources of conflict and these processes includes negotiation, mediation and diplomacy and fray resolution or alternative dispute resolution are other terms for conflict resolution.Motivational techniques Empowerment It facilitates the process of making choices and translating these choices into decisions by enhancing the choice making abilities of involved individuals and groups. As a result of this empowerment, individual and collective assets are created which are crucial to the efficiency of organizational and institutional development which controls the utilization of these assets. (Schein 1993) Equity guess This is all about how fit an employee is regarding the distribution of resources.The theory was proposed by John Stacy Adams in 1962 and he tell that employees seek to maintain equity between the inputs and the outcomes. Everyone expects to be fairly treated and this keeps them motivated to stay in an organization. This theory is basically based on the ratio of inputs (contribution made by employees) to the outcomes (behaviors and contribution of the employees). This theory would be recyclable for Cool Sounds because it describes the relationship between the level of motivation that an employee has and the way he receives equitable or inequitable treatment.This relationship is basically between the employee and the employer. With this, the issue to comparison arises as what the employees do is that they compare their input and outcome with that of the others. The inputs mainly are the time the employee gives to accomplish a task, his expertise experie nce and skills, etc. however, the outcomes are the monetary compensation such as the benefits the employees receive and likewise. Therefore, it can affect the morale, efficiency, productivity, and turnover of the employees at the organization.Furthermore, there are certain assumptions of this theory when it is being applied to a business. For instance, if an employee expects a fair return for her contribution and by comparing her input and outcomes or is not being fairly treated. This comparison is called social comparison and this discourages the employees badly and if the management does not work on it and the result of this would be that the employees pass on start distorting their inputs as well as the outputs. Therefore, the organization must ensure that they take care of all this in future.Expectancy theory This is basically about choice and the way in which people make choices. It is a motivation theory and was proposed by Victor Vroom. In this theory, the level of motivatio n of the employees is expected to rise when they put more efforts to do the tasks they are assigned to do and this makes them do better work and this leads to organizational rewards that are valued by the employees. Two things that the foresight theory emphasizes is the self-interest of the rewards that the employees want and how the employees behave with reference to it.According to this theory, the behaviour of the employees is a result from conscious choices among alternatives. The sole purpose of this theory is to increase pleasure and reduce the pain involved in completing a task. This theory is based on three concepts that results in motivation. 1. Valence this is what an employee prefers for a particular outcome and the employee must be motivated to prefer to fall upon an outcome than the idea of not attaining it. 2. Instrumentality the extent to which a outset level outcome leads to the second level. . Expectancy Probability that an action will lead to the first level outcome. Therefore, Cool Sounds must use proper reward systems making sure that the performance of the employees is measured properly. WORK AND increment NEEDS As the store would be divided into various sections that must function effectively, some work activities need to be analyzed. For this, it is important for the leaders to plan out things for each department efficiently and motivate the employees of the respective(prenominal) department to perform well.The development needs of an employee can be identified by doing performance appraisal and it would also help to identify the potence of the activities. exploit Appraisal Performance appraisal is done for the purpose of promotions. It is the assessments of an employees performance. It serves for administrative and developmental purposes. Administrative purpose provides info for making salary, promotion, lay-off decisions and documentation. developmental purpose can be used to diagnose training needs and career planning.Cool Sounds appraises its employees because feedback and coaching based on appraisal information provide the basis for improving day-to-day performance. (Perlmutter, Bailey & Netting 2000). Results Appraisal Cool Sounds should appraise its employees performance. Results appraisals tend to be more objective and can boil down on production data such as sales volumes or profits. Management by Objectives A process in which objective set by subordinate and supervisor must be reached within a given time period. This is another name given to Results appraisal. Aim of MBO. Cool Sounds must use MBO to achieve a set of goals that is clear, specific and reachable, and when managers want to empower employees to adapt their behavior as they deem necessary in order to achieve desired results. The standard of performance at Cool Sounds should be based on job analysis after which performance standards should be notified to its employees. (Morgan 1997). Managers and Supervisors Cool Sounds should also use its managers and supervisors as a source of appraisal information because they are often in a best position to observe an employees performance.Internal and External Customers Cool Sounds should use its internal and external customers as sources of performance appraisal information and it is a good idea for employees to evaluate their own performance. 360-Degree Appraisal Cool Sounds should also use multiple sources of appraisal to gain a comprehensive perspective of ones performance because each source of performance appraisal information has some limitations, and different people may see different aspects of performance. 60-degree appraisal is beneficial and would be accepted by employee if not linked with increments. (Frappaolo 2006). Performance Appraisal Interview Employees want to know how they are doing, but typically they are comfortable about getting feedback. Cool Sounds should conduct performance appraisal interviews thoughtfully and must summarize the employees speci fic performance, and then supports the employees who are not performing well and appreciates those whose performances are good.Conclusion. Therefore, it is essential for Cool Sounds to take care of the employees they select and recruit because the employees serve as an asset of an organization and so it is a must for them to retain them as well. Moreover, they must also manage the teams well and good leadership skills are essential to make the employees work well. Conducting performance appraisal is also necessary as it can help Cool Sounds find out the level of performance of the employees and how they can further improve their performance. (Lewis 2003).

Concept Paper or Pre-Proposal

Statement of the problem Statement of the solving skeleton statement of how the tooth root entrust benefit the ref(s) II. cathode-ray oscilloscopeEx objectation of paint terms Proof that you last the issues surrounding the problem Proof that you know what challenge has been orchestraten to solve similar problems Proof that you (or someone you are associated with) tin can pass out the action architectural final cause III. Action proposal and RequirementsA set of objectives (what your plan go forth accomplish) An action plan (who go away do what when) keyed to the objectives A description of what you request to implement the plan A cost/benefit analysis of the plan IV. BenefitsAn explanation of why the plan leave aloneing work A set of outcomes keyed to the objectives A description of how you and the reader(s) will benefit Proof that you are the best somebody or team to carry out the action plan A statement demonstrating that your plan is the best approach to solvi ng the problem Ideas or Content Problem statement Since you will ask your reader(s) to give you something, you must first establish that there is a problem that needs to be solved. If you are responding to an agencys Request for Proposals (RFP), the problem will be given to you.This is a solicited proposal. However, if you are soliciting support or approval for your own idea (e. g. , a product design,technological innovation, and/or process), you must clearly state the problem and condone why you think it is a problem. This is an unasked proposal. A template for a statement of purpose/solution follows The purpose of this c oncept paper is to request approval or support in the form of approval, equipment, support, force-out, resources to solve description of a problem so that benefits of implementing the solution. prove purpose statements The purpose of this concept paper is to request your approval to rail a skilful proposal to request funding from the National apprehension Foundation to establish a chicken-cloning program at the University of Texas. The purpose of this text file is to convince you to provide the Residents Association with $2,000 to renovate the apartment complexs existing tennis courts so that you can roaringly fulfill your contractual agreement with residents and so that they can play tennis without having to needlessly chase errant balls. Background information 1.As in all technical documents, you must first constitute your audience? n this case, your potential supporter(s). If you are responding to an RFP or other solicited proposal, you will know the agency or company you will be write to, only if may still need to explore both the name of the people to whom the proposal should be addressed, as well as the funding history of the agency or system. This will help you to narrow your research down to only those areas that will appeal to your reader(s) and to formulate a plan the agency/organization will be likely to suppor t.If you are submitting an unsolicited proposal, this research is even more important. There is lots of funding available, but much of it is targeted to very specific types of projects or types of respondents. For example, one philanthropic organization capacity support only those projects proposed by community organizations focused on prevention of substance abuse by teenagers. An organization I worked for once sent out an RFP to fund teacher-training projects proposed by groups of educators only.Individuals or groups with money to induce in new ideas may also permit limits to the cash awards they offer. If your action plan can be accomplished with $5,000 or less, you may have more potential supporters than if your project requires $50,000 or even $5,000,000. 2. Conduct mart or rhetorical research (analyze your context of use) to determine what evidence you talent present that could convince the reader(s) to give you what you request. 3. Collect only that evidence that will con vince your reader(s) to act. . Explain key terms and orient the reader to the problem. (Use internecine citations when warranted. ) 5. Prove to the reader(s) that you have researched both the problem and its solution. 6. Explain why you and/or other reputable people think the problem is important. Clear solution/action plan While bring oning a clear solution may seem like an easy thing to do, it may rattling be quite complicated. It may help you to develop categories equivalent to those that may later be required in the final proposal (e. . , objectives, rationale, personnel, management, timeline, products, budget, evaluation, guarantees of assurance, dispersion of results). While you will not be able to provide umpteen details at this core document stage, you must have a clear idea of who will perform what actions (personnel and management), how long it will take to achieve the solution (timeline), how much it will cost (budget), and what resources you will need (approval, ca sh, equipment, personnel, or other resources).Good proposals present strong links between the objectives of the plan (what you hope to accomplish), the activities that will allow you to accomplish those objectives, and the means by which you will determine how well your project is going. The methods of evaluation also link now back to the objectives this means that as you write an objective, you must make trusted its degree of achievement can be measured. You might consider using a chart similar to that in Table 2 as a planning tool. In this example, the proposal is requesting approval and funds to carry out the specified action plan.Note that the objectives refer to the plan itself, not to reader support of the plan. Table 2. Sample Proposal Planning Chart ObjectivesAction PlanEvaluation (on-going and summative) To develop a electronic network site to successfully market the services of an engineering consulting firm 1. Form a project team that includes managers, researchers, graphic artists, technical writers, and web authors. 2. Conduct research on the audience that will be accessing the web site. 3. Conduct research on similar successful web sites. 4. Work with managers to determine the purpose and content of the web site. . Definesuccessful marketingof the firms web site. 6. Develop a questionnaire to assess successful marketing. . . meshing site tally of the number of people accessing the site (hits) Follow-up electronic questionnaire sent to those who contact the firm for services Needs/Requirements Clearly define what you need from the reader(s) of your Concept Paper. You should have already stated in an antecedent paragraph the specific action you want from your reader now pardon how you will use the support you request.For instance, if you request money, state how the funds will be used or distributed. The typical format for doing this is a nominal budget statement. Table 3 shows a sample budget chart for the project described in Table 2. T able 3. Sample cypher Chart ExpenseRecipientSourceAmount (per year) Project Team SalariesTeam LeaderEngineering soused$15,000 Graphic ArtistEngineering Firm$25,000 ResearcherEngineering Firm$5,000 Technical WriterEngineering Firm$25,000 Web expertEngineering Firm$5,000In this sample chart, all funds are expected to come from the engineering firm to which the proposal is be sent. However, your proposal may be more likely to be funded if you can show matching support from other sources (cost-share). This budget reflects only personnel and their projected salaries. * As you develop your chart, consider what other needs you might have. For example, in this project, the author might want to include costs of computers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, or other production equipment needed to develop the web site.

Сase of Microsoft

External components are subscribe toed to be extrinsic to an organization, those over which it has especial(a) or no avow. These affect the industry in which the organization is operating. much(prenominal)(prenominal) as the technological environment in the case of Microsoft which would affect the correct t individuallying technology sector. At the same time very herculean and leveraged players in a sector such as Microsoft would be open to shape the foreign environment to a certain degree by exercising leverages of control such as monopoly over software codes. disrespect this it is not possible for companies to affect early(a) major come in-of-door doers such as the social and political environment. An increasingly main(prenominal) outside cistron emerging today is environmental protection including laws, policies and stipulations which have to meet multinational standards.Frequently the around signifi shtupt outdoor(a) doer is aspiration. In the embryonal sta ge of emersion of an industry, a company may not realise competition and would not feel the clashing of the same. However an industry which is make maturity go away be posed greater threat from competition and this factor would have to be considered by the management as it would intrench on growth or even survival.Toyota Motor Co is a salient prototype wherein its entry into the Ameri backside as well as the global market has become a major external amity for all automobile manufacturers in the World, particularly legacy brands as customary Motors and Ford in the United States. The political environment of a sylvan also has a major role to play in the growth of any industry. China is the most prominent example of the same. Opening of the Chinese markets to external players has been one of the greatest factors which have contributed to Chinese growth in the past two decades.Internal factors on the other hand can be shaped by the management by providing it positive or negati ve inputs. These factors could include diverse issues ranging from human resources, branding, financial resources, intersection development, investigate, information technology and labor transaction. There is a frequent conflict mingled with the inter se priorities of the internal factors. Human resources assume a epochal factorial value in umpteen companies today and when linked with research and development will determine on how the company operates in a knowledge economy.IBM thus focuses its attention on a strong human resource base which can contribute to normal operations as well as research and development. Management of financial resources is an all important(p) panorama which has to be considered deliberately by any company. This will determine a companys financial viability at a given time. misdirection can ruin a company as indicated by the example of Enron which had to go into liquidity due to unethical financial practices of its management.Traditionally it is entangle that the management has an overriding control over the internal factors as inappropriate to external factors, though at times there is a decently influence of issues such as the social environment on govern branding. Many multi nationals find this quite difficult to absorb and even retail giants as Wal-Mart had to adapt their brand to conditions obtained in an external market as France before they could develop their chain in Europe.Information technology tightness has become a powerful internal factor which is affecting refinement of many companies. With development of concepts such as e commerce or e business and enterprise resource planning, it has become increasingly important for an organization to place all its operations on line. While this is clearly an internal factor, its external linkage cannot be ignored.The primary difference as would be seen from the examples above is the degree of control that a management has on factors affecting business. Where the co ntrolling factors are located externally, these are considered as external factors and need to be evaluated accordingly. However where based internally these will be considered within the ambit of internal factors.b. Discuss an example where an organization qualification be open to increase its control/influence over an external factor.To increase its control over an external factor, management would have to draw off into reflexion a number of factors including at times reviewing the core product profile of the company without sacrificing its overall brand image. Companies as Coca dumbbell and Pepsi have through with(predicate) their deep penetration in developing countries created conditions where they are able to control the entire soft drinks market in many locations in South and South East Asia altering social preferences and tastes of people.McDonald has been the most leveraged player in altering food and social habits which are external factors in developing countries. I t has achieved this by a judicious mix of topical anaesthetic products even introducing vegetarian burgers in India along with its traditional Burgers. Having changed its product profile, the company has been able to penetrate many traditionally hostile markets to American food industry.c. Since external factors can impact the profitability of an organization, why do we have financial performance as an internal factor?In determining whether a factor is to be considered as an internal or an external one, the recognize attribute to be considered is the ability of an organization to develop strategies and responses for growth and the control it has over the same. Applying this parameter would indicate that financial performance is an internal factor. positivity is just one aspect of financial performance of a company. positivity not only depends on the external environment including competition, economic factors, money markets and currencies but has greater linkage with internal fa ctors such as liquidity, bodily process and growth of capital.Profitability of a company is determined by vulgar and net profit margins, returns on assets and honor which are all considered as a part of internal factors. The structuring of the company finances to include debt and equity ratio which is a purely internal function also has an important role to play in profitability thereby leading to its consideration as an internal factor.d. How does misclassifying an internal factor as an external factor in the EFE impact the analysis?The EFE is a comparative analysis of heterogeneous factors which affect the external environment of an organization. The evaluation is based on freight age given to each factor based on coitus importance. Generally 10 opportunities or threats are considered in an EFE Matrix with each provided a weight age between 0 and 1 out of a sum total of 1 based on impact on profitability. There after ratings are also provided to each factor based on a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being the best. The weight distribution will be balanced between threats and opportunities and will finally represent the strengths and opportunities in an organization. By including an internal factor the entire evaluation matrix is likely to be skewed by a minimum of 5 to 10 % which would emerge as a major flaw in the EFE, thereby resulting in neglect of other more important external factors.Based on the EFE the management will determine that the internal factor placed in EFE matrix can be controlled only in a limited way through internal inputs, thereby neglecting it to a large extent, resulting in a fox in performance in the particular field. Thus if labor relations has been placed wrongly in the EFE, the management will only consider external inputs that are likely to affect it such as effectual statutes and central memorandums and neglect internal management possibly resulting in woeful labor relations in the company.ReferencesDavid, Fred R. (1999) STRATEGI C MANAGEMENT. Electronically reproduced

Understand How To Safeguard The Wellbeing Of Children And Young People

There is much more to adeptty deviceguarding than just protect children from direct abuse. Any service that works with children and girlish plurality knows that they have a much wider state than simply protecting the children from neglect and abuse. An action jut was put in place by Her Majestys Government called the Stay Safe action plan, and it identifies a number of Copernican features in the wider view of safeguarding includingKeeping children safe from accidents nuisance and bullying This could be helping victims of crime and also helping those that hallow crime. This could also be witnesss that need support Bullying could be racially motivated, cyber, text. Making sure that children and parents are given the information to protect themselves squeeze marriagesMissing children This aims to develop an action plan to put the principles set break through in The Childrens Society recommendations into action, to initiate an early review of hint accommodation provision, to consider how local authorities can best translate safe places and breathing spaces for vernal runaways and revise the Missing from Home and sustainment guidance, in conjunction with the review of the Children Act 1989 regulations and guidance.Actively promoting their welfare in a healthy and safe environment The Staying Safe action plan states that it is important that everyone (parents, practitioners, government) work together to create the healthiest, safest environment possible for children and young people to access wherever they are, whether theyre at home, school/nursery, on public transport or just outside playing. It is everyones responsibility to create this safe environment so that all young people can achieve and are getting the best support possible.The Staying Safe consultation document set out three levels of safeguarding Universal safeguarding functional to keep all children and young people safe and create safe environments for all childrenTargeted safeguardin g Some groups of children are more at risk than others, and it is important to target policies and services to these groups, to help keep them safe from harm responsive safeguarding Unfortunately, no matter what we do, therewill always be roughly children and young people who suffer harm. We need to respond quickly and fitly when this happens supporting children and dealing with those who harm them.

Brand Communication

journal of Consumer market Emerald Article mark off communities for importantstream imperfections the exemplar of the Yamaha R1 shuffling familiarity Reto Felix Article information To cite this roll Reto Felix, (2012), sucker communities for mainstream nocks the manikin of the Yamaha R1 bulls eye confederacy, daybook of Consumer selling, Vol. 29 Iss 3 pp. 225 232 Permanent touch base to this document http//dx. doi. org/10. 1108/07363761211221756 Downloaded on 08-10-2012 References This document watchtains references to 47 new(prenominal) documents To copy this document emailprotected comAccess to this document was granted by means of an Emerald subscription provided by Dublin City University For Authors If you would bid to write for this, or any early(a) Emerald human beingsation, in that respectfore please go for our Emerald for Authors service. Information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guide mental strains ar availabl e for all. Please visit www. emeraldinsight. com/authors for to a greater extent than information. close to Emerald www. emeraldinsight. com With over 40 course of studys experience, Emerald Group Publishing is a allureing independent publisher of international research with impact in business, society, public policy and education.In total, Emerald publishes over 275 journals and more than than 130 book series, as well as an extensive strand of online intersection points and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 3 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a confederate of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS maiden for digital archive preservation. *Related content and downheartedload information pose at season of download. score communities for mainstream cracks the example of the Yamaha R1 grunge residential district Reto Felix ? de mathematical functionment of contrast brass section, University of Monterrey, S an Pedro Garza Garc? , Mexico Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand consumers w atomic number 18 hire, recitations, personal personal indistinguishability, and steel marrows in the context of a inciter residential bea utilise to a mainstream Nipp integrityse pedal blur. Design/methodology/ come up A qualitative research approach was used in the form of netnography (i. e. descriptive anthropology adapted to the study of online communities). Findings On the production take, consumers experience multiple con? icts and negotiations of gist connect to the use of the product. These ? dings atomic number 18 reproduced on the stigmatise level, where extremitys of the tick residential ara present a more variousiated look on the commemorate, attach to by dismantle levels of admiration and identi? cation with the stigmatise, as in forward reports of deformity communities for taints such as Apple, Jeep, or Harley-Davidson. The results suggest that consumers for mainstream rats may be more pr hotshot to multi- snitch homage quite of single-brand dedication. Practical implications Marketers should monitor motivations, attitudes, and decision-making processes on both the product and the brand level.Further, non-company-run online communities such as the Yamaha R1 forum maintain the attempt of union portions transmitting brand information in a mode non desired by the company. Thus, marketers should consider sponsoring an entire parole website, a forum, or part of a forum. Originality/value Whereas previous studies on brand communities prepargon concentrated pre par comely on proudly look up to and contrastingiated brands, such as Apple or Harley-Davidson, this study investigates consumer practices, identities, and negotiations of convey on both the product and brand level for a little differentiated mainstream brand.Keywords Brand company, Brand the true, Netnography, Identity, Consumer behavio ur, Brand management Paper reference Research paper An executive compendious for managers and executive readers stub be constitute at the end of this article. Introduction to brand communities and literature critique participation-based brand kinds in marketing literature confirm been discussed commonly with a focus on brand communities. A brand community is a specialized, nongeographically bound community, based on a structured narrow ? f companionable relationships among admirers of a brand (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001, p. 412). Brand communities have been found to be crucial in order to understand brand allegiance (Fournier and Lee, 2009 McAlexander et al. , 2002, 2003). They argon based on a shargond rice beer in the brand (Algesheimer et al. , 2005) and, more speci? cally, on the three characteristics of knowingness of kind, sh ard rituals and traditions, and a ? sense or moral responsibility (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). As a positive outcome of brand communities, consumers may engage in cocreation (Schau et al. 2009), and religious-like relationships among consumers and brands may evolve, as documented in the case of the Apple north brand ? ? community (Muniz and Schau, 2005 Schau and Muniz, 2006). The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/0736-3761. htm daybook of Consumer Marketing 29/3 (2012) 225 232 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited ISSN 0736-3761 DOI 10. 1108/07363761211221756 Because of their geographical independence, brand communities evict make it in the form of local clubs or interest groups (Algesheimer et al. 2005 Schouten and McAlexander, 1995), entirely on the profits (Kozinets, ? 1997 Muniz and Schau, 2005), or in combined form (Kozinets, 2001). Further, brand communities have emerged for virtually any product, such as cars (Algesheimer et al. , 2005 Leigh et al. , 2006 Luedicke et al. , 2010 McAlexander ? et al. , 2002 Muniz and OGuinn, 2001 Schouten et al. , 2007), motor st eering wheels (Schouten and McAlexander, 1995), computers (Belk and Tumbat, 2005), groceries (Cova and Pace, 2006), or movies and television system series (Brown et al. , 2003 Kozinets, 2001).The common denominator of the brands patronized in brand communities is a classify and funny positioning in combination with consumers who strongly identify with the brand. Consumers de? ne themselves by the brands they consume as well as the brands they do non consume, and brands are clearly classi? ed into our brands ? and different brands by the community (Muniz and Hamer, 2001). In other words, phalluss of a particular brand community are non only supposed to be more loyal to the own brand, scarce also substantially slight loyal to competing brands.This phenomenon has been exposit as oppositional brand ? faithfulness by Muniz and OGuinn (2001) and may run away to enhanced intergroup stereotyping, fling talk tar stomached at members outside the community, and emotional pleasure s from overbolds about a rivals failure (Hickman and Ward, 2007). In entire cases, oppositional brand committedness groundwork turn into active consumer resistance or anti-brand communities (Hollenbeck and Zinkhan, 2006 Luedicke et al. , 2010). However, brand communities are not free of oppositional forces and negotiations of basaling coming from inside.Rather, brand communities may pressure consumers who are 225 Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 tour 3 2012 225 232 critical with the brand or the product in general, and it would olibanum be overly optimistic to expect equally lavishly levels of committedness from all visitors of a brand community. For example, Kozinets (1999) classi? es members of virtual communities agree to the identi? cation with the usage activity (or brand) and the intensity of the social relationships with other members of the community.Whereas insiders show both high levels of brand ident i? cation and social orientation towards the community, other members may have lower levels of brand identi? cation (minglers), lower levels of social relationships with the community (devotees), or both (tourists). oddly consumers who are simultaneously members in competing brand communities in the very(prenominal) product kinsperson may have high levels of participation in the communities, and without screening high levels of brand loyalty or admiration for the brands (Thompson and Sinha, 2008).In an diligence of these incisionation approaches to a sample of videogame players (Settlers of Catan) and a Swatch brand community, Ouwersloot and Odekerken-Schroder ? (2008) ? nd champion segment of community members who are highly interested in the product, merely not in the brand (36 and 7 percent, respectively) and a second segment including consumers who are neither interested in the product, the brand, or social relationships, up to now impart-still prefer to remain in th e community (15 and 7 percent, respectively).Thus, it shadow be argued that consumer responses, such as satisfaction or loyalty, operate not only on the brand, but also on the product level (Torres-Moraga et al. , 2008). In the following analysis of an online brand community for a Japanese mainstream motorcycle brand, it is shown how consumers negotiate product and brand significations, and how identity verbalism and brand attitudes are affected. The analysis is divided into a ? rst part on issues link to the activity and practices of sit a manoeuvres motor hertz and the identity of sports bike consumers in general, and a second part on brand attitudes and how brands mediate identity twirl. as chosen as the primary data source. Yamaha is hotshot of quaternion mainstream Japanese motorcycle brands with worldwide sales of US$12. 5 one thousand thousand in 2009 (Yamaha Motor Co. , 2009). As a comparison, Harley Davidsons uniform year consolidated sales from motorcycles and consortd products were US$4. 3 billion (Harley-Davidson, 2009). The Yamaha R1 forum is primarily dedicated to Yamahas top-of-the- take off sport bike, the Yamaha R1, but in that respect are also members subscribed to the forum who either have motorbikes from different brands, such as Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, or Ducati, or who currently do not have a motorbike.As of June 14, 2010, the R1 forum had 107,249 subscribed members and more than four million postings in virtually 265,000 meander. The threads in the forum are organized into ? ve different sections 1 Community 2 R1-related news 3 Technique, speed, and stunt discussion 4 Marketplace/classi? ed. 5 Misc. section. After locomoteing reading threads in the Community section, it was possible to identify preliminary themes and issues by only browsing through the postings. At a very early percentage point of the research, evidence was found for more conglomerate and ambiguous brand relationships than in previous studies on b rand communities.Following a purposive sampling approach (Lincoln and Guba, 1985 Wallendorf and Belk, 1989), reading and downloading posts were continued as long as analysis of the postings generated new insights and did not lead to redundancy (Belk et al. , 1988). At a later acquaint of the study, the forums search engine was used to immerse more systematically into the data. Over the period mingled with August 2006 and June 2010, about 10,000 postings were read, of which approximately 300 were downloaded. Organization, analysis, and ethical procedures In a ? st measuring stick, downloaded postings were pre-classi? ed into different categories and re fleetrences were coded by assigning one or several codes to the statements in the postings. Using an iterative aspect approach, jumping back and forth surrounded by coded and uncoded statements facilitated the interpreting of the data. Codes were then condensed into more meaningful constructs and subsequently into interpretive themes in order to obtain pertinent layers of meaning and richly textured interpretations (Arnould and Wallendorf, 1994).This procedure allowed a grounded, hermeneutic interpretation to emerge from the data that did not strive for representativeness, but instead for uninflected depth and relevance. In order to impede the racetracking of forum members identities, drug user names were changed to generic member names, such as forum member 1. Deviating from Kozinets (2002) recommendations, permissions from community members to use direct quotations were not requested. The reason for this decision was double First, in an initial attempt to contact community members, only one response out of ten emails sent was obtained.If only those postings had been used that responses had been veritable for, the pool of usable data had been reduced signi? affectationly. And second, Langer and Beckmans (2005) reasoning was considered in that postings in an internet community forum are intention ally public postings, comparable to readers letters in a newspaper, and that it would be highly funny to seek 226 Method Netnography was used to explore brand relationships and identity structure for an online community of a mainstream Japanese motorcycle brand. Netnography has been de? ed as ethnography adapted to the study of online communities (Kozinets, 2002, p. 61) and has been used in consumption contexts such as the X-Files (Kozinets, 1997), Star Trek (Kozinets, 2001, 2006), marry messages (Nelson and Otnes, 2005), cars (Brown et al. , 2003), and consumer throw systems (Giesler, 2006). Similar to conventional ethnography, netnography is open-ended, informative, ? exible, metaphorical, and grounded in the fuckledge of the speci? c and particularistic (Kozinets, 2002). However, netnography is usually faster, simpler, and less expensive than traditional ethnography (Kozinets, 2002, 2006).Further, it has been argued that new online communication technologies have expanded the array of generalize others contributing to the construction of the self (Cerulo, 1997, p. 386), and netnography as a tool of analyzing online communities is then able to integrate the broadened spectrum of agents involved in the construction of individual and incarnate identity. Data collection Because of its size and relevance for the motorcycle community, the Yamaha R1 forum (www. r1-forum. com) Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 numeral 3 2012 225 232 ermission to use direct quotations in this context. However, Kozinets concerns about adequate ethical procedures in netnography research are certainly valid, and the pragmatic issue (non-responses for permission requests) ? nally was the one that complicated following his recommendations. The product level practice and identity Although amateurish motorbike in general is considered a high-risk leisure sentence activity, there are different segments within the motor cycle community that note themselves in attitudes and fashions related to travel style and speed.On one extreme of track bike locomote are the easy- force backr oriented owners of choppers or touring bikes who prefer to ride at moderate speeds and enjoy the immediate experience with the environment. On the other extreme are sports bike en consequentlyiasts who prefer a fast, competitive riding style that is a good deal accompanied by the exhibition of riding skills and regretful stunting maneuvers such as performing wheelies (Haigh and Crowther, 2005).Commercial sports bikes aim to be copies of racing bikes used by professional riders at the Moto GP or Superbike competitions, and a modern liter bike, available at dealerships for under US$15,000, accelerates from naught to 200 km/h (125 miles) in less than ten seconds and reaches speeds in excess of 290 km/h (180 miles). A complete safety gear, consisting of helmet, lather gear, gloves, and boots, is considered an obligati on for any sports bike rider by some(a), but lead to mock comments by others, ridiculing the power ranger out? t of sports bike riders. An main(prenominal) number of psychological and social con? cts are derived from the constitutive(a) nature of sports bike riding. Physical, functional, ? nancial, psychological and social risks form a tortuous, multilayered ? days of tensions and constraints that are constantly negotiated by the individual, both internally and externally, and rarely stubborn with simple heuristics. The actual or anticipated implications of an accident are dominant in many of the comments on the R1 forum, as the following sequence of deliver the goods narratives related to accidents and quitting riding suggests I quit riding one time in my life.I was but acquiring married, mannikining a house, etc. . . . and coincidentally I was involved in a string of near misses cars acidulous me off, almost getting side swiped by an idiot who didnt know how to turn into his own lane, getting run off road and up over a curb through a gas localise parking lot by a garbage truck who just decided he wanted to cut across two lanes with no warning. It was my opinion that there was just some bad energy around me right then, and with all the other stress in my life mayhap it was adding to the problem. I feignt know.I hung it up for a few years, then got back into it when everything felt right again. It still feels right . . . all the slice Ive witnessed bike wrecks, been close to others fatal accidents, laid my own bike down at a track day, etc. . . . but it still feels right for me. My single rule is that as long as my principal is in the game, then its right. If my head is constantly cogitate on crashing, dying, etc. . . . then its time to take another(prenominal) time-out. Shouldnt be riding if you appriset focus on what youre doing. Period. no.shame in that (forum member 1).Ive seen bad accidents but also I count its mental. With so many, Ive gone down threads, it can eat your con? dence away and make riding not fun. If it aint fun, thats a good time to step back and let time rebuild your enjoyment (forum member 2). . . . tender . . . (forum member 3). Personally everyday that I wake up and am fortunate enough to ride I tell my wife I love her I get my brain centre and I endlessly keep reminding myself that this could be my last ride and I think that is one-half the reason I ride so responsibly on the street.I dont want to have a last ride I love this sport. I have been down once very heavy(a) and that was a wake up call but I cant give up what I love and to all my friends and fashion plate riders if I do go down and dont get up please keep riding for me cause I would do the alike(p) (forum member 4). The con? ict between the hedonistic and aesthetic pleasures of riding a bike and the inherent risks involved in the activity becomes prominent in forum member 2 comment about how riding a motorcycle should be r elated to fun. Speci? life events, such as those mentioned in forum member 1 narrative, amplify these tensions and may lead to important changes in attitudes or behaviors. However, these attitudinal or behavioral changes are ofttimes dynamic and unstable in time. For example, the decision to quit riding is in many cases a temporal one, and forum members compare riding to an dependance such as drinking or smoking. This addiction-like need to ride a motorbike then becomes an important factor in identity construction From the point of take in of the individual, riders do not choose riding a motorbike in order to signal certain values.Rather, as verbalised by forum member 4, the activity forms a natural part of the self and is just there, similar to early conceptualizations of gender or race in the essentialist identity logic. Riding a bike is elevated to a mission that does not leave room for woofs, and expletive riders are support to honor the dead by continuing the mission an d keeping the biography alive. The inherent trait of being addicted to motorcycles is assessed critically in a re? ective discourse by many riders. For example, forum member 5 explains that he is awake(predicate) of the multiple con? cts that surround his hobby, but plainly resolves these con? icts by stating that riding is the most important thing in his life, and that he has learned that riding makes him happy. The shared consciousness and discourse related to themes such as the risk of experiencing a severe accident, losing a fellow rider, or problems with girlfriends, spouses, or the family in general, leads to a collective identity that is constructed, complex, and deprive of precise classi? cations. The brand level attitudes mediating identity constructionThe negotiations of meaning related to the practice of riding a sports bike are reproduced at the more speci? c brand level. Whereas previous research on brand communities has been largely focused on communities with extr aordinary high levels of brand loyalty and commitment, members of the R1 sports bike community show a more ambiguous and differentiated relationship with the Yamaha brand Im palpablely faithful to Yamaha, but when sitting on a new R1 and a new GSXR1000 side by side, I have to say I like the Suzuki. The R1 just feels so much . . . bigger. I dont know. Also, the magazines bitch about the suspension . . . still how many serious track lot leave suspension stock anyway? Regardless, Im too poor to buy a new bike, so Ill continue riding my 02 R1 on the track (forum member 6). Faithfulness in this context is not experienced as absolute loyalty to only one brand. Rather, it is legitimate to question publicly the qualities of the favorite brand. Contrary to what efficiency be expected, forum member 6 receives very few objections from the community members, and a relatively ational, attribute-based discussion of the merits and disadvantages of different motorcycle brands and models follo ws. In general, discourses presented by the forum members include few elements of real en and soiasm and emotional commitment for the brand. Apparently, community members discriminate both the products and the brands in the sports bike category as little differentiated. This does not mean that R1 owners are dissatis? ed with their bike 227 Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 Number 3 2012 225 232 r the Yamaha brand in general. Rather, the speci? c stain of the sports bike community suggests guests who are highly satis? ed with their brand, yet even so would switch to another brand easily. It has been suggested that brand loyalty can be measured by asking individuals how likely it is they would recommend the brand to a friend or colleague (Reichheld, 2003). Because people new to sports bike riding frequently ask for advice on the forum, a great number of posts are related to what bike from which brand would be recommended. Typical answers include statements such as any of the new bikes are great (forum member 7) or Ive spent some time on all the bikes and seriously there is no true winner, no matter what you get today is a rocket out of the crate and you will be getting a good bike Each has its ups and down but boilers suit I could see myself on any of them really (forum member 8). Rather than showing indifference, consumers like and actually buy any of the important sports bike brands.Using the conceptual partition of the awareness raft into an elicited set, an unbiased set, and an inept set (Narayana and Markin, 1975 Spiggle and Seawall, 1987), it seems that R1 community members place most of the important sports bike brands into the evoked set, whereas the inert set is relatively small. Instead of a highly committed loyalty to one single brand, as in previous accounts of brand communities, the Yamaha R1 brand community is, if anything, prone to multi-brand or split loyalty (Jacoby, 1971 Jacob y and Kyner, 1973). Identity is thus less de? ed by a speci? c brand, but earlier by the activity of riding a sports bike itself. Wherever brand personalities in? uence decision making, it seems that these criteria are exclusive rather than inclusive. That is, the consideration set is not formed by the inclusion of a speci? c brand or set of brands, but rather by excluding unattractive brands. For example, in the R1 forum, some members distance themselves from Suzuki, one of Yamahas main contenders, because they dont identify with the people who ride Suzukis Yes, gixxer is by far the squid bike all the ? st time riders and newbies love the gixxers . . . Their wag and un golden attitude is because they are young, dumb, and think their bike is the best ever (forum member 9). the brand and strike with the otherwise positively perceived performance and character of the product. The identity of the R1 brand community is further formed by the relationship with two other groups of mo torcycles. On one hand, most forum members seem to admire the more exclusive Italian sports bike brands, such as Ducati and MV Agusta.On the other hand, the relationship to Harley Davidson is not marked by a clear bill of acceptance versus rejection pattern, but rather by a complicated and sometimes ambiguous pattern of mixed emotions toward the brand and its users There are a lot of douche bag riders, Harley and sportbike alike, but I will occupy Ive ? ipped off quite a few Harley riders. Ive gotten less camaraderie from Harley riders than anyone, but those are just the young wannabies, the old guys are usually dispassionate tho, hahaha (forum member 10). In motorcycle slang, Gixxer stands for Suzukis GSX-R line of super sport motorbikes.Forum members do not reject the Suzuki brand because of issues with the quality or performance of the product, but rather because of the characteristics of the riders who use the brand. Squid, an expression that, according to some forum members, is a combination of the two words squirrel and kid, describes unconditional motorcycle riders who overestimate their riding skills and frequently wear inappropriate and insuf? cient riding gear. By claiming that the Suzuki GSX-R series is the typical squid bike, attributes of the consumers are ascribed to the brand.Thus, brand identity is built on forcing out (this is not how we want to be) rather than on inclusion. Further, meaning transfer in this case deviates substantially from the traditional symbolic consumption process. Symbolic consumption suggests that individuals transfer the symbolic meaning of a brand to themselves, and subsequently the audience, such as peers and signi? coin bank others, assigns the attributes of the brand to the individual (Grubb and Grathwohl, 1967). However, meaning in the example above is transferred in the snow direction, from the user to the brand.Negative attributes of Suzuki brand users (such as being squiddish, dumb, and inexperienced) are transferred to 228 Here, forum member 10 develops a differentiated look toward Harley-Davidson riders by explaining that the less friendly Harley riders are typically those that are younger (and thus less experienced), whereas the fourth-year riders seem to be more open. Both positive and negative feelings co- exist at the same time as the result of a cognitive evaluation that avoids simple stereotyping found at other brand communities.Many R1 forum members perceive the Harley-Davidson brand as both cool and obsolete at the same time, and this ambiguity toward the brand is replicated for the users of the brand, where Harley-Davidson riders have been experienced as both cool and accredited riders or as ignorant and unfriendly weekend warriors. Thus, brands in the R1 community are not iconic symbols that unambiguously communicate attitudes and modus vivendis of brand users to the larger audience via the meaning of the brand.Rather, brands are complex, multidimensional entities th at gain meaning only in the reciprocal relationship with the brand user. Unconditional single-brand loyalty and we versus us stereotypes are replaced in large part by ambiguous, differentiated, and often critical attitudes toward the own brand. Brand identity is based on exclusion (Suzuki is a typical brand for squids) instead of inclusion, and within a relatively large evoked set, multi-brand loyalty is more common than religious-like brand worshipping described for, e. g. the Apple Newton. Conclusions and managerial implicationsBrand communities have sparked the interest of marketing researchers and practitioners alike because of the high levels of brand loyalty and commitment observed in previous studies on brands such as Apple, Jeep, or Harley Davidson. However, the results of this qualitative study suggest that instead of single-brand loyalty, consumers for mainstream brands may be more prone to multi-brand loyalty. As forum member 8 (see citation above) expressed it, . . . no matter what you get nowadays is a rocket out of the crate and you will be getting a good bikeEach has its ups and down but overall I could see myself on any of them really The case of the Yamaha R1 brand community thus presents preliminary evidence that speci? c industry conditions may shape the relationships consumers have with their brand, and more speci? cally, that multi-brand loyalty is more probable to occur for low levels of brand preeminence (Felix, 2009) combined with more choices (Bennett and Rundle-Thiele, 2005). It follows that from the point of view of a company, having many members in a speci? c brand community does not necessarily translate into a highly loyal customer base.Rather, under certain Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 Number 3 2012 225 232 conditions, higher levels of participation may actually plus the likelihood of adopting products from competing brands, in particular if individuals are sim ultaneously members in several brand communities (Thompson and Sinha, 2008). The results of this study suggest that marketers should monitor and track consumers motivations, attitudes, and decision making processes on two levels On the product level, it is important for marketers to understand barriers and con? cts related to the general use of the product. In the speci? c case of a sports bike, the physiological risk (in the form of experiencing a severe accident) is probably the most important issue, which in turn may lead to substantial social tensions, especially with family members. For other products, such as clothing, computers, or food, the motivations why consumers may or may not consider a speci? c product category may be different, but it remains essential to understand these reasons. On the brand level, it is important for marketers to understand the degree of brand identi? ation in the community as well as the way how consumers perceive a consciousness of kind, share r ituals and traditions, and experience a sense of moral responsibility ? (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). In a world of online consumer-to-consumer communications, companies are increasingly losing control over their brands. It is therefore important for marketers to get involved in the process of get word building and brand positioning in online communication platforms. zero(prenominal)-company-run communities, such as the Yamaha R1 forum, bear the risk of community members transmitting brand information in a way not desired by the company (Stokburger-Sauer, 2010).Marketers thus should try to integrate consumers by either sponsoring an entire discussion website, a forum, or part of a forum (Pitta and Fowler, 2005). Finally, an unobtrusive and authentic way of increasing a companys involvement in a noncompany-run forum is exempli? ed by a company that provides motorcycle braking systems. cardinal of the companys employees invites Yamaha R1 forum members to ask him brake related questions and explains that he is on the forum not to sell, but to educate riders about halt in general.By choosing a nonselling approach in the R1 forum, the company manages to gain credibleness in the community and to build customer relationships that are more consumer-focused and authentic than many of the hard-selling approaches at the dealerships. The employees thread on brake questions has more than 600 postings, which is signi? cantly above the forums average of around 15 postings per thread, and evidences the interest of the community in a direct contact with company representatives. The example also suggests that online communities are not limited to relationships between consumers and the brand and between consumers and consumers.Rather, consumers develop complex relationships with several brands, products, marketing agents, and other consumers within the same community. brand love are divided among the different brands in the evoked set? Or is it possible that several brands rec eive the same amount of commitment and dedication, as might be claimed by a hubby being in a polygynous relationship with several wives? Finally, how can corporations increase their share in the multi-loyal brand set? As in many other industries, differentiation on the product level seems to be dif? cult for sports bikes, but efforts in brand communication, e. . by using events and experiences to build brand image, might be a promising avenue to go. References Algesheimer, R. , Dholakia, U. M. and Herrmann, A. (2005), The social in? uence of brand community evidence from European car clubs, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 69 no(prenominal) 3, pp. 19-34. Arnould, E. J. and Wallendorf, M. (1994), Market-oriented ethnography interpretation building and marketing dodging formulation, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 31 no. 4, pp. 484-504. Belk, R. W. and Tumbat, G. (2005), The cult of mack, Consumption, Markets, and Culture, Vol. 8 no(prenominal) 3, pp. 205-17. Belk, R. W. Sherry, J. F. Jr and Wallendorf, M. (1988), A naturalistic inquiry into buyer and marketer behavior at a swap meet, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 14 no(prenominal) 4, pp. 449-70. Bennett, R. and Rundle-Thiele, S. (2005), The brand loyalty life cycle implications for marketers, Brand Management, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 250-63. Brown, S. , Kozinets, R. V. and Sherry, J. F. Jr (2003), Teaching old brands new tricks retro branding and the revival of brand meaning, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 67 No. 2, pp. 19-33. Cerulo, K. A. (1997), Identity construction new issues, new directions, one-year Review of Sociology, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 385-409. Cova, B. and Pace, S. (2006), Brand community of convenience products new forms of customer empowerment the case my Nutella The community, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 40 Nos 9/10, pp. 1087-106. Felix, R. (2009), Explaining loyalty the personal relationship analogy, in Kehoe, W. J. and Whitten, L. K. (Eds), Advances in Marketing Embracing Challenges an d Change, beau monde for Marketing Advances, Tuscaloosa, AL, pp. 59-62. Fournier, S. and Lee, L. (2009), Getting brand communities right, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 87 No. 4, pp. 105-11. Giesler, M. 2006), Consumer gift systems insights from Napster, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 283-90. Grubb, E. L. and Grathwohl, H. L. (1967), Consumer selfconcept, symbolism and market behavior a theoretical approach, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 22-7. Haigh, J. and Crowther, G. (2005), Interpreting motorcycling through its embodiment in life story narratives, Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 21 Nos 5/6, pp. 555-72. Harley-Davidson (2009), Annual report, available at www. harley-davidson. com/en_US/Media/downloads/Annual_ Reports/2009/HD_Annual2009. df (accessed June 14, 2010). 229 Avenues for incoming research Future research may strive to examine in more detail the impact of overlapping (i. e. multiple) community memberships (McAlexander et al. , 2002). T here are also questions about the speci? c impact of multi-brand loyalty on brand relationships. For example, if multi-brand loyalty is the more adequate model to describe brand relationships for mainstream brands, does that mean that commitment and Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 Number 3 2012 225 232 Hickman, T. nd Ward, J. (2007), The dark side of brand community inter-group stereotyping, ice rink talk, and Schadenfreude, in Fitzsimons, G. and Morwitz, V. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 34, Association for Consumer Research, Duluth, MN, pp. 314-9. Hollenbeck, C. R. and Zinkhan, G. M. (2006), Consumer activism on the internet the role of anti-brand communities, in Pechmann, C. and Price, L. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 33, Association for Consumer Research, Duluth, MN, pp. 479-85. Jacoby, J. (1971), A model of multi-brand loyalty, Journal of advertising Research, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 25-31. Jacob y, J. and Kyner, D. B. (1973), Brand loyalty vs. repeat purchasing behavior, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 1-9. Kozinets, R. V. (1997), I want to believe a netnography of the X-Philes subculture of consumption, in Brucks, M. and MacInnis, D. J. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 24, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 470-5. Kozinets, R. V. (1999), E-tribalized marketing? The strategical implications of virtual communities of consumption, European Management Journal, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 252-64. Kozinets, R. V. 2001), Utopian enterprise articulating the meanings of Star Treks culture of consumption, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 67-88. Kozinets, R. V. (2002), The ? eld behind the screen using netnography for marketing research in online communities, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 61-72. Kozinets, R. V. (2006), tattle to connect netnography and tribal advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 46 No. 3, pp. 279-88. Langer, R. and Beckman, S. C. (2005), Sensitive research topics netnography revisited, Qualitative Market Research An International Journal, Vol. No. 2, pp. 189-203. Leigh, T. W. , Peters, C. and Shelton, J. (2006), The consumer quest for authenticity the multiplicity of meanings within the MG subculture of consumption, Journal of the honorary society of Marketing Science, Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 481-93. Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. (1985), Naturalistic Inquiry, Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA. Luedicke, M. K. , Thompson, C. J. and Giesler, M. (2010), Consumer identity work as moral protagonism how myth and ideology animate a brand-mediated moral con? ict, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 36 No. 6, pp. 1016-32. McAlexander, J. H. , Kim, S.K. and Roberts, S. D. (2003), Loyalty the in? uences of satisfaction and brand community integration, Journal of Marketing scheme and Practice, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 1-11. McAlexander, J. H. , Schouten, J. W. and Koenig, H. F. (2002), Building brand community, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 66 No. 1, pp. 38-54. ? Muniz, A. M. Jr and Hamer, L. O. (2001), Us versus them oppositional brand loyalty and the Cola wars, in Gilly, M. C. and Meyers-Levy, J. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 28, Association for Consumer Research, Valdosta, GA, pp. 355-61. ? Muniz, A. M. Jr and OGuinn, T. C. 2001), Brand community, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 412-32. 230 ? Muniz, A. M. Jr and Schau, H. J. (2005), Religiosity in the abandoned Apple Newton brand community, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 737-47. Narayana, C. L. and Markin, R. J. (1975), Consumer behavior and product performance an option conceptualization, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 39 No. 4, pp. 1-6. Nelson, M. R. and Otnes, C. C. (2005), Exploring crosscultural ambivalence a netnography of intercultural wedding message boards, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 58 No. 1, pp. 89-95.Ouwersloot, H. and Odekerken-Schroder, G. (2008), Whos ? who in brand communities and why? , European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 42 Nos 5/6, pp. 571-85. Pitta, D. A. and Fowler, D. (2005), Internet community forums an untapped resource for consumer marketers, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 265-74. Reichheld, F. F. (2003), The one number you need to grow, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 81 No. 12, pp. 46-54. ? Schau, H. J. and Muniz, A. M. Jr (2006), A tale of tales the Apple Newton narratives, Journal of Strategic Marketing, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 19-33. ? Schau, H. J. Muniz, A. M. Jr and Arnould, E. J. (2009), How brand community practices create value, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 73 No. 5, pp. 30-51. Schouten, J. W. and McAlexander, J. H. (1995), Subcultures of consumption an ethnography of the new bikers, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 43-61. Schouten, J. W. , McAlexander, J. H. and Koenig, H. F. (2007), Transcendent customer experience and brand community, Journal of the Academy of Market ing Science, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 357-68. Spiggle, S. and Seawall, M. A. (1987), A choice sets model of sell selection, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 97-111. Stokburger-Sauer, N. (2010), Brand communities drivers and outcomes, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 347-68. Thompson, S. A. and Sinha, R. K. (2008), Brand communities and new product adoption the in? uence and limits of oppositional loyalty, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 72 No. 6, pp. 65-80. ? Torres-Moraga, E. , Vasquez-Parraga, A. Z. and Zamora? Gonzalez, J. (2008), Customer satisfaction and loyalty start with the product, culminate with the brand, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 302-13. Wallendorf, M. and Belk, R.W. (1989), Assessing trustworthiness in naturalistic consumer research, in Hirschman, E. C. (Ed. ), Interpretive Consumer Research, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 69-84. Yamaha Motor Co. (2009), Annual report, available at www. yamaha-motor. co. jp/global/ir/mat erial/pdf/2009/2009 annual-e. pdf (accessed June 14, 2010). About the author Reto Felix is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Monterrey, Mexico. He legitimate his Masters in Marketing and PhD in Business Administration from the University of St Gallen, Switzerland.He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Marketing Group, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, and has create in journals such as Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 Number 3 2012 225 232 Business & Industrial Marketing, and Journal of International Consumer Marketing. Further, he has presented his research at conferences hosted by the Association for Consumer Research, the American Marketing Association, the Academy of Marketing Science and the Society for Marketing Advances.Reto Felix can be contacted at emailprotected edu. mx Executive summary and implications for managers and executives This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of this article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more well-rounded description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full bene? ts of the material present. The topic of brand communities has provided the focus for much marketing literature.Brand communities transcend geographical boundaries and contain people who exhibit passion for a particular brand. These individuals also boasting similarities in consciousness sequence shared rituals and traditions is another cornerstone of their social relationships. most scholars have even noted the propensity for religious-like associations to develop. Evidence shows that groups can be based locally, online or a combination of both. A wide range of products has supplied the inspiration for brand communities to form. In addition to strong consumer identi? ation with the brands, clear and unique positioning is viewed as a common characteristic among brands concerned. Brand loyalty can be fervent to a degree that an us and them mentality often arises with regard to other brands. Bonding within the community can generate stereotypes and outsiders are treated with some disdain. Any failure of competitor brands is cause for celebration. It is, however, a misconception to assume that brand communities are always homogenous. Signi? cant internal differences appear to be the rule not the exception.Relationship intensity with other members is subject to variation because some are loyal to the brand part others may identify more closely with the product. Levels of social orientation can similarly differ. Researchers have also pointed out the possibility of some individuals miss interest in brand, product and social relationships yet remaining in the community. Others might become involved with different brand communi ties in the same product category, resulting in further dissemination of loyalty. Felix explores the topic in a study of an online Yamaha brand community principally devoted to the Japanese manufacturing businesss R1 luxury sports otorcycle. Yamaha is one of the worlds leading brands in its category and in 2009 boasted sales of $12. 5 billion. At the time of the study, there were 107,249 registered members in the R1 forum. near members did not currently own a motorcycle, while others possessed a different brand. The author considers netnography as the most relevant study method for the investigation of brand relationships and identity construction of an online community. This approach is regarded as ethnography adapted for the purpose of exploring online communities. Among other things, netnography has been commended for its ? xibility, 231 open-endedness and interpretative qualities. Different researchers have used the approach in a diverseness of study contexts including cars, c onsumer gifts and TV programs. Following initial analysis of messages posted on the forum, the threads were arranged into ? ve different sections respectively labeled as Community R1-related Discussion Technique, Racing and Stunt Discussion Marketplace/ Classi? ed and multifaceted Section. Analysis of the threads enabled messages to be coded and then organized into interpretive themes so that appropriate layers of meaning could be identi? d. Message themes were analyzed at the product level to ascertain factors which in? uence practice and identity. In general, considerable risk is associated with riding a motorcycle for leisure purposes. But the variation in attitudes towards factors like speed and riding style means that different segments exist within the biking community. At one end of the continuum are those who ride around at moderate speeds to savor the experience with the environment. Positioned at the other extreme are bikers whose penchant for high speed is often accompan ied by an aggressive style of riding.Such individuals are also likelier to ? aunt their biking skills through dangerous maneuvers like pulling wheelies. According to Felix, riding a motorcycle gives rise to various risks and con? icts that can be physical, functional, ? nancial, psychological or social in nature. The activity is therefore highly complex and generates a web of tensions and constraints that the individual must constantly address internally and externally. take about accidents is a recurring theme with community members referring to actual or anticipated implications in that eventuality.Message content reveals that con? ict exists between knowledge of the inner risks associated with bike riding and the grati? cation derived from it. Forum members suggest that such tensions may contiguous attitude or behavioral changes, albeit sometimes ? eeting in nature. This occurs because riding a motorcycle is almost addictive and an important aspect of identity construction. So me comments imply that it is a mission that simply has to be ful? lled. Even though members are aware of the con? icts which surround this pastime, the desire to ride is the main driving force.Analysis reveals a shared consciousness about issues including serious accidents, disadvantage of a fellow biker, and problems relating to the family. The author ascertains a collective identity that is complex in nature but dif? cult to categorize precisely. An examination of meaning at the speci? c brand level reveals a relationship between forum members and the Yamaha brand that is ambiguous and differentiated. Instead of absolute loyalty to the brand, it is more evident that people engage in balanced reckon about its qualities and those of other motorcycle brands.Members apparently perceive little differentiation between brands and may switch to another brand even if they are highly satis? ed. Many studies have noted that some consumers can display loyalty to multiple brands and there is some evidence of this tendency here. Messages desire advice on future purchases are frequent and members typically recommend a range of brands they consider decent. In the opinion of Felix, this indicates that riding a sports motorcycle de? nes identity much more that the speci? c brand of bike. Another signi? cant ? nding is how decision making seems in? enced more by exclusive than inclusive brand criteria. A Brand communities for mainstream brands Reto Felix Journal of Consumer Marketing Volume 29 Number 3 2012 225 232 key example is the negative perceptions of the Suzuki brand among some R1 forum members. The interesting fact about this hostility is that is has little to do with product quality concerns. Instead, such evaluation arises because members question those who ride Suzuki sport bikes. With regard to identity construction, meaning is normally transferred from brand to individual. Here, however, it is the negative traits of Suzuki riders that re transferred to the b rand. Some con? ict with positive perceptions of the product subsequently occurs. That brands are complex and multidimensional is further illustrated by the contrasting ways in which R1 members relate to Harley Davidson. Positive and negative feelings exist simultaneously as the brand is regarded as cool yet obsolete. Contrasting statements are likewise directed at Harley Davidson riders. One important deduction is that ambiguity surrounds brand meaning, attitude and lifestyle conveyed within this community. This study indicates that consumer-brand relations might be shaped by speci? industry conditions. Marketers are also alerted to lack of clear brand differentiation and the possibility that multi-brand loyalty will ensue, even when a large brand community exists. Understanding what in? uences consumer attitudes, motivations and decision-making at both product and brand level is essential. Certain factors may encourage or deter choice of a particular product, while it is equally i mportant to be aware of brand identi? cation levels and collective sensitivities among consumers. Given the revealing nature of online communication, Felix suggests that ? ms might gain greater insight into consumer thinking by becoming actively involved in non-company forums. An unobtrusive approach is considered vital though. The aim should not be to sell but to build authentic consumer-focused relationships with an emphasis on providing advice or information. ? (A precis of the article Brand communities for mainstream brands the example of the Yamaha R1 brand community. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald. ) To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail emailprotected com Or visit our web site for further details www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints 232