How to Make Blogging Work as an Author

How to Make Blogging Work as an Author How To Make Blogging Work As An Author - An interview with Anne R. Allen Here’s another thing that we, startups, have in common with indie authors: we often blog. Whether it’s as a way to establish ourselves (in time) as thought leaders in our industry, to drive traffic to a main website, or to keep customers engaged with us, we are big fans of what we use to call â€Å"content marketing†.This strategy is all the more attractive to authors that they are used to producing content for a living. However, â€Å"blogging† is not â€Å"writing†. It’s writing, engaging, promoting, socialising, etc. It is time-consuming and not necessarily something all authors are good at. I believe there are actually two schools of thought out there, one urging authors to have a blog, the other one stating that time spent on writing for the blog is time you could have spent writing â€Å"sell-able† material: books.So today we interview one of the most successful author bloggers out there: Anne R. Allen. And she offers some good p oints on how useful blogging can be, if done right!Reedsy: Hi Anne, thanks for granting us this interview. It is fair to say that you have, together with Ruth Harris, one of the best-performing author blogs out there. And you’ve written several posts on blogging, but we’d love to dive deeper into that. The â€Å"B† word is sometimes scary to authors: do you think blogging is a requirement for indie authors today? Or just a very useful option?Anne: Thanks. I do post extensively on blogging. I’m a big fan of â€Å"slow blogging†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is blogging once a week or less. I feel a working fiction writer doesn’t need to blog as often as somebody who is blogging to monetize, and most of the rules for blogging don’t apply to novelists.But fiction writers can definitely benefit from maintaining a blog.I’ve also written a book that discusses blogging in depth, along with the other skills I think benefit a 21st Century writer. The boo k is HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE, co-written with NYT bestseller, Catherine Ryan Hyde.I’m working on a short handbook specifically for new authors who want to learn to blog. It will launch with Kotu Beach Press later this year.In answer to your question: no, not every author should (or can) blog. Some authors aren’t cut out for writing little nonfiction essays every week. If you hate it, that will show, so don’t do it if it’s not fun for you.On the other hand, blogging is probably the most useful form of social media for the new author. For one thing, it’s the only kind of social media where you have most of the control. It gets you into search engines, helps you relate one-to-one with potential readers, and connects you with other authors and publishing professionals.Virtually all the people I work with in this industry I met through my blog. That includes two of my publishers, my first agent, my blog partner, and the wonderful fellow authors I work with for boxed sets and joint promotions.  Reedsy: I feel there is as big a proliferation of content in blogging as there is in books†¦ And the â€Å"big blogs† are the ones most trusted by the readers, so is it still possible nowadays for a starting blogger to get â€Å"big†, and how might they achieve that?Anne: Wonderful new blogs are getting my attention all the time. They don’t need to be â€Å"big† like ours to be useful to an author for networking and interacting with fans. All a blog needs to do is provide an author with a kind of â€Å"home† online where people can stop by and get to know you.Reedsy: What is the most common mistake you see authors making in their blogging activities?Anne: Oh, you probably shouldn’t get me started†¦let’s give my top 6:Not visiting other blogs. Social media is social, people, get out and meet the neighbors!Dark background, light font. Tough on the eyes and looks like an old M ySpace page. If you’re a writer, your text is all-important. Make it readable!Posting erratically. Don’t try to post every day. Choose a day of the week or month to post, and then do it regularly.Starting a bunch of blogs. Unless you write in wildly different genres, say Christian YA and Erotica, you don’t need more than one blog. You won’t be able to keep them up and readers will be confused and won’t be able to find you.Treating it like a personal journal. A blog is more like a magazine column. Be professional. Nobody cares what you had for lunch.Not putting your name on your blog! I can’t believe how many writers give their blog a cutesy title and don’t let us have a clue who the heck they are and how to contact them. You’re trying to establish a brand here, not join an anonymous hackers club.Reedsy: Is it useful to mix content forms and media (text, image, audio, video) or better to stick to one?Anne: It depends on you and your audience. Ruth and I are strictly old school and our audience is mostly mature adults. They prefer their information gimmick-free. No videos and very few images. Those things take a lot longer to load and we want people to be able to read our blog quickly and interact in the comments. But every blog is different. Lots of great blogs use video, podcasts, and tons of images.Reedsy: You mention in one of your posts that you believe the 500 word limit many set for their posts is archaic now. What would your recommendation be? Is it useful to mix lengths or should the reader always be able to know what to expect?Anne: I’ve seen studies that say today’s ideal blogpost is about 1200-1500 words. Our readers would be very disappointed to see a 500 word post. They expect in-depth work from us. But if you blog more often than once a week, shorter is fine.Reedsy: What should the #1 motivation be for an author to start a blog: the desire to monetise it eventually (through ads or referral programs), the intention of generating traffic to increase book sales, or just for fun?Anne: First, if you’re a new author, I don’t think monetizing a blog is a good idea. The income from affiliates and other advertising sources is going to be pennies a month. Ads annoy your readers and make you look needy.Your blog should aim to raise your online profile and be the â€Å"hub† of your online presence. Blogs aren’t that great for direct sales. What they do is help establish your platform. They make you Googleable. Having fun is a bonus.Reedsy: The #1 topic out there on authors’ blogs is writing and publishing advice. Is this still a good thing to go for or should authors start thinking about blogging on other subjects (maybe topics that are more related to their readership)?Anne: There are a lot of â€Å"how to fight writer’s block† and â€Å"prop up your book’s sagging middle† blogposts out there, so a blog t hat concentrates on writing tips is going to have a lot of competition.What you blog about can change and grow with your career. When you’re starting out, you want to network with other authors, so writing-related stuff can be useful, but later, when you want to reach fans, you’ll want to change focus. Write more about your settings and subject matter and let people know about you as a person.Reedsy: What is the best way to promote a blog? Is it fair to say guest-posting is the most effective method?Anne: Guest posting is probably the best way to get your name out there, whether you have your own blog or not. Landing a spot on a high profile blog can jumpstart a career in a major way. My blog went from about 10 hits a week to 1000 when I won a guest spot on Nathan Bransford’s blog in 2010.But it doesn’t have to be a high profile blog (blogs like ours are booked a year in advance and we only take people who already have big followings†¦although we may run a contest for a guest spot sometime this summer.)But guesting on a smaller blog run by an author who writes in the same genre can actually sell more books than getting on a blog that gets 100K hits a month like ours. One of my best sales days in my early career came when I visited a chick lit blog with only a couple of dozen followers. Nearly every reader bought my book.And the #1 way to get invited to guest blog is also the best way to get traffic to your blog: comment on other blogs. Get to know the blogging community. One comment on a blog like Nathan’s or The Passive Voice (or ours) will put your name in front of thousands of readers.Also, don’t underestimate the power of other social media. My blog took off mostly from Tweets from readers.Google Plus is also essential for bloggers, IMO, because a post that’s reposted on Google Plus will immediately get a high SERP rank.   If somebody Googles â€Å"How to Blog† I might see one of my articles on the first page of the search results. But it won’t be a link to the actual blog. It will be a link to my Google Plus page where the blog has been automatically reposted. People who click through will see my entire Google Plus profile as well as the blogpost link. Very nice for getting your name out there.Facebook is becoming less and less useful for authors (or anybody else), but we still do get about 10% of our traffic from FB shares.Reedsy: Thanks for your time, Anne!  Anne R. Allen is an award-winning blogger and the author seven comic novels, including the bestselling Camilla Randall Mysteries. She has recently published a book of short stories and verses: WHY GRANDMA BOUGHT THAT CAR and she’s the co-author, with NYT bestseller Catherine Ryan Hyde, of HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE: A SELF-HELP GUIDEYou can find her and Reedsy on Twitter: @annerallen and @reedsyhq​Credit for the header photograph goes to  Christine Ahern  Do you have a blog too? How often do you post and what’s your experience it in terms of dos and don'ts? Make sure to leave us your opinion, or any question you’d like to ask Anne, in the comments below!

Be Sure Your School or Program Is Accredited

Be Sure Your School or Program Is Accredited Accreditation is recognition that an educational institution has a certain standard of quality that other reputable organizations will honor. There are two kinds of accreditation: institutional and specialized. Institutional refers to the entire school. Specialized, or programmatic, refers to specific programs within an institution. When you see that a program or institution is accredited, don’t accept that it is accredited by a reputable agency. Check it out. Make sure you can trust online programs. Be careful not to spend money on programs accredited by agencies not on the following list. They may be okay, but caution and good sense is recommended. When a program offers you a diploma in a matter of days, red flags are blowing. The U.S. Department of Education has the authority and responsibility of recognizing accrediting agencies that can be trusted. Here is their list as of May 1, 2009: Regional Accrediting Agencies Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher EducationMiddle States Commission on Secondary SchoolsNew England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher EducationNew England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Technical and Career InstitutionsNew York State Board of Regents, State Education Department, Office of the Professions (Public Postsecondary Vocational Education, Practical Nursing)North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, Board of TrusteesNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning CommissionNorthwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesOklahoma Board of Career and Technology EducationOklahoma State Regents for Higher EducationPennsylvania State Board of Vocational Education, Bureau of Career and Technical EducationPuerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and ProgramsSouthern Ass ociation of Colleges and Schools, Commission on CollegesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for SchoolsWestern Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of TechnologyAccrediting Council for Continuing Education and TrainingAccrediting Council for Independent Colleges and SchoolsAssociation for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on AccreditationAssociation of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools, Accreditation CommissionCouncil on Occupational EducationDistance Education and Training Council, Accrediting CommissionNational Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and SciencesNew York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of EducationTransnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Accreditation Commission Hybrid Accrediting Agencies Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental MedicineAccrediting Bureau of Health Education SchoolsAmerican Academy for Liberal EducationAmerican Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the BarAmerican Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on AccreditationAmerican College of Nurse-Midwives, Division of AccreditationAmerican Dietetic Association, Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics EducationAmerican Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic College AccreditationAmerican Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric Medical EducationCommission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological SchoolsCommission on Massage Therapy AccreditationCouncil on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational ProgramsCouncil on Chiropractic EducationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic TechnologyMidwifery Education Accreditation CouncilMontessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, Commission on Accredi tationNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation, Commission on Community/Junior College AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on AccreditationNational League for Nursing Accrediting Commission Programmatic Accrediting Agencies Accreditation Council for Pharmacy EducationAmerican Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy EducationAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental AccreditationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy EducationAmerican Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric EducationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy EducationAmerican Psychological Association, Committee on AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language PathologyAmerican Veterinary Medical Association, Council on EducationAssociation for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., Accreditation CommissionCommission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management EducationCommission on Collegiate Nursing EducationCommission on English Language Program AccreditationCommission on Optic ianry AccreditationCouncil on Education for Public HealthCouncil on Naturopathic Medical EducationJoint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine TechnologyKansas State Board of NursingLiaison Committee on Medical EducationMaryland Board of NursingMissouri State Board of NursingMontana State Board of NursingNational Association of Nurse Practitioners in Womens Health, Council on AccreditationNational Council for Accreditation of Teacher EducationNew York State Board of Regents, State Education Department, Office of the Professions (Nursing Education)North Dakota Board of NursingTeacher Education Accreditation Council, Accreditation Committee

Management Accounting 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Accounting 2 - Essay Example Budgeting is a continuous process in large organizations. Operation department create plans to help the company achieve its corporate goals. Overhead costs, capital expenditures, operating expenses and sales are forecasted for the upcoming fiscal year by the unit managers. The forecasted figures are then sent to the upper management for its approval. The upper management reviews all the projected costs, expenditures and revenues and then approves it. The approved formal budget forms the guideline for operations in the coming year. Monthly and quarterly budget are also prepared by organizations to keep a track of performance against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. Upper management has a bottom up approach in respect of budgeting. Corporate managers take the top down approach in meeting business goals. Managers who have a good understanding of profits and sales and have the capacity to overestimate costs typically create successful budgets (Singla, 2009, p. 147). There are various benefits of budgeting such as managers can compare the company’s performance against the projected figures which also forms the basis of their functioning within an organization. They compare the current performance of the company against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. In this way, the managers are also able to keep their employees focused and guide them to performa nce (Lucey, 2003, p. 187). Formal budgeting provides the company with a detailed and comprehensive picture of the immediate future and also informs the company about the possible opportunities and threats. Time is an important factor in the budgeting process. Managers sometimes find themselves completely lost in their effort to meet the rules and regulations that are there in the formal budget. But to have a sound system to exercise

The Implications of Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Implications of Reconstruction - Essay Example 562). Reconstruction's biggest failure was the backlash that was created when Northern Republicans attempted to rule the South. The backlash resulted in violent hate groups that disrupted the political system, and the lives of African-Americans for the next 100 years. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were all passed during the era of reconstruction. These important amendments prohibited slavery, guaranteed the freed slaves citizenship, and granted them the right to vote, but were largely unenforceable in the South. However, these amendments would form the foundation for the Civil Rights movement 100 years later. Reconstruction ended when the disputed election of 1876 saw the Republican Rutherford B Hayes gain the presidency, even though the electoral votes were in dispute. In return, Hayes agreed to remove the federal troops from the South and not oppose the newly formed Democratic governments there (Zuczek 171). This spelled an end to Reconstruction and another 100 years of racial violence, segregation, and discrimination. By the late 19th century, African-Americans had still not realized the American dream of liberty and the right to vote, or the constitutional guarantees that came with the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.

Biology Lesson 6 Exam Essay Example for Free

Biology Lesson 6 Exam Essay Question 1 2 points Save Epithelial, muscle, connective, and nervous are types of what? bones cells tissues (pages 846-847) organs Question 2 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a structural characteristic of bone? Haversian canals periosteum connective bone (pages 851-852) bone marrow Question 3 2 points Save Freely movable, slightly movable, and immovable are types of what? bones subcutaneous tissues muscles joints (page 854) Question 4 2 points Save Which is NOT a characteristic or function of the epidermis? repair of damaged cells (page 861) flattened cells protection from outside forces  contain waterproofing protein Question 5 2 points Save Which type of blood vessel is both strong and elastic? capillary artery (page 873). Vein venule Question 6 2 points Save Which of the following are the smallest and most numerous blood vessels in the body? venules veins arteries Capillaries (page 874) Question 7 2 points Save Air moves through the bronchi to the alveoli by a network of tiny tubes called arterioles. venules. capillaries. bronchioles. (page 886) Question 8 2 points Save Which of the following lists the correct order of structures through which air passes as it enters the body and proceeds to the lungs? Nose, larynx, trachea, pharynx pharynx, nose, larynx, trachea nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea (page 886) pharynx, nose, trachea, larynx Question 9 2 points Save Most of the end products of digestion are absorbed into the circulatory system from which organ? liver (page 911) pancreas large intestine small intestine Question 10 2 points Save The mouth, small intestine, and kidneys have functions that involve the digestion of food, synthesis of vitamins, and filtering of the blood. intake, digestion, absorption, and elimination of food and its wastes. secretion of bile, digestion of food, and reabsorption of water. All of the above. Question 11 2 points Save Pancreas is to small intestine enzymes as stomach is to saliva. stomach is to proteins from amino acids. liver is to bile. (page 910) liver is to hydrochloric acid. Question 12 2 points Save Ureter is to urinary bladder as urinary bladder is to ureter. urethra is to urinary bladder. urethra is to ureter. urinary bladder is to urethra. (page 914) Question 13 2 points Save As urine passes through the nephrons in the kidneys, urine from the renal tubule empties into a larger tube called a(n) ureter. (page 914) collecting tube. Bowmans capsule. renal vein. Question 14 2 points Save Which of the following is the blood vessel with the largest diameter? capillary artery vein (page 874) venule Question 15 2 points Save The skin repels pathogens by functioning as a barrier. by producing antibodies. with sweat, which contains lysozyme. both a and c. (page 924) Question 16 2 points Save As a defense against pathogens, mucous membranes cover all of the bodys surfaces to act as an impenetrable barrier. line internal body surfaces that contact the environment. (page 924) produce antibodies to combat infection. secrete sweat, which has antibacterial enzymes. Question 17 2 points Save An allergic response is NOT typically caused by harmless antigens. pollen. histamine. both a and c. Question 18 2 points Save The function of neurons is to maintain a difference in electrical charge across the cell membrane. have specific ions cross the membrane through ion channels. maintain a membrane potential with charged ions on either side of the cell membrane. all of the above. (page 945) Question 19 2 points Save When an impulse moves down the axon, sodium ions first rush out of the cell. a small part of the axon momentarily reverses its polarity (page 946). The resting potential of the cell does not change. potassium ions are pumped into the axon. Question 20 2 points Save When a neuron is at rest, sodium ions are most concentrated inside the cell. potassium ions are most concentrated inside the cell. the outside of the cell is negatively charged. b and c. (page 946) Question 21 2 points Save After an action potential, the voltage-gated sodium channels close and then sodium ions diffuse into the axon. potassium ions flow out of the axon. (page 947) the membrane potential becomes positive. neurotransmitters cross the cell membrane. Question 22 2 points Save. Refer to the illustration below to answer this question. Which structure regulates movement and posture? A B (Cerebellum) C D Question 23 2 points Save Refer to the illustration in question 22 to answer this question. Which structure regulates intellectual function? A (Cerebrum) B C D Question 24 2 points Save The brain stem is responsible for directing information in the brain and secreting hormones. regulating vital functions and memory. (pages 951-952) motor processing and regulating homeostatic functions. sensory processing and regulating balance. Question 25 2 points Save. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the spinal cord? It runs through the vertebral column. It extends just below the rib cage. It uses spinal nerves to connect to the PNS. It has a dorsal and ventral root at each end. (pages 952-953) Question 26 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a function of hormones? initiate behavior and reproduction (page 974) coordinate the production and use of energy maintain nutrition and metabolism react to stimuli from outside the body Question 27 2 points Save The gland that is stimulated during emergency situations (causing the fight-or-flight response) is the  hypothalamus. thyroid. adrenal. (page 985) pituitary. Question 28 2 points Save Development and maintenance of female sexual characteristics are mainly stimulated by secretions of the pituitary. hypothalamus. pancreas. ovaries. Question 29 2 points Save Thyroid hormones stimulate cell metabolism and growth. (page 984) slow growth of their target cells. stimulate synthesis of DNA. bind to receptor molecules on the target cells surface. Question 30 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a major structure of the male reproductive system? testes corpus luteum epididymis urethra Question 31 2 points Save. A sperm cell consists of a tail used for locomotion and a head that contains ____, which help(s) the sperm cell penetrate an egg cell. semen RNA enzymes (page 997) mucous Question 32 2 points Save After the ovum leaves the ovary, what is the first structure it passes through? corpus luteum cervix uterus fallopian tubes (page 1000) Question 33 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a major structure of the female reproductive system? bulbourethral glands uterus ovary fallopian tube Question 34 10 points Save Match the terms in Column I with the definitions in Column II. Skeletal system F endocrine system H immune system C reproductive system I muscular system F circulatory system D digestive system G respiratory system A excretory system J nervous system E A. regulates supply of gases from ATP production B. provides negative feedback signals C. protects body against foreign dangers D. rapid transit for liquids and gases E. primary regulator of sensory functions F. provides support and means of motion G. processes materials for growth and maintenance H. makes cells used in circulatory system I. only system in which meiosis occurs J. takes out whats not wanted in the blood.

Contrasting the Natural and Mechanical Worlds in Hathaways Oh, Oh Essa

Contrasting the Natural and Mechanical Worlds in Hathaway's Oh, Oh      Ã‚   The French poet and essayist Louis Aragon, in his Paris Peasant, wrote that "light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error--we only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash" (Aragon 18).   Aragon noted that the world is full of contrasts, and it is through those contrasts that we live and understand who we are and why we are here.   Without an understanding of light, Aragon argues, we cannot understand what darkness really is.   Or, without an awareness as to the concept of truth, one cannot possibly error, for the act cannot be defined.   In William Hathaway's poem "Oh, Oh," the poet uses language, word choices, images, onamatopoeic descriptions, and even the title of the poem to define the intrusion of the mechanical harshness of the world into the carefree land of nature.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The images, content, and focus of the poem change with the intrusion of the train.   Before the protagonist's girl notices the train, the two characters are concerned with the cows, grass, and simply ambling down a country lane.   But, as soon as the train approaches, and as it passes, the characters are no longer concerned with nature.   Rather, they suddenly begin dreaming of "being president" (11) and of "wonderful, faraway places" (14).   This switch from the serenity of nature to the dreams of the world finally ends with the poems last line -- a punishment or at least a warning.   The tranquil and peaceful nature suddenly becomes filled with "fifty Hell's Angels" (17).   But, more than simply motorcycles waiting at a railroad crossing, Hathaway has personified the motorcycles creating the mechanical Hell... ...orld where two universes are defined through their contrast.   Through his world choices, images, and even his title, we are transported to a picturesque country landscape with "moo cows chomping daisies" (2) and "maple dappled summer sunlight" (7).   Standing at a stark contrast to this land is the "lit headlight" (8) of a passing train and "growling [...] Hell's Angels" (17).   Hathaway, through his firm grip of language, has recorded a poem that, through contrasts, gives us an understanding of both the natural and mechanical world in an attempt to show us how we can "look / eagerly to the road ahead" (16-17).       Works Cited Aragon, Louis. Paris Peasant. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1926. Hathaway, William. "Oh, Oh." The Bedford Introduction to   Literature: Leading, Thinking, and Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford, 1996. 593-94.      

Customer Satisfaction of Fast Food Chains Essay

Therefore, this study suspects whether other important variables exist in fast food industry consumer behavior patterns to support this result. This study tries to combine variables that are related to fast food industry characteristics, such as consumption frequency, perceived price and convenience, to propose an integrated model of customer satisfaction and loyalty in the fast food industry, and apply relationship inertia as the mediator to discover the major factors that impact customer satisfaction and loyalty in the fast food industry. This study has collected 594 effective questionnaires and applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to verify the various path relations of the study model. The study result found that in addition to being positively impacted by customer satisfaction, customer loyalty will be impacted by customer relationship inertia more. In the relationship of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, customer relationship inertia plays a key mediator. In addition, perceived price has a negative impact on customer satisfaction and relationship inertia. Convenience will enhance customer satisfaction. Consumption frequency will enhance customer relationship inertia. Finally, this study expects to provide the study result to the fast food industry as a reference for enhancing the customer loyalty strategy. Key words: Customer satisfaction, relationship inertia, customer loyalty, convenience, perceived price. INTRODUCTION The enhancement of national income and the change of consumption habits have resulted in the rapid growth of the market scale in the service industry. In 2008, the average ratio of the global service industry accounted for over 60% of the overall Gross National Product (GNP), the average ration for major developed countries reached over 70%, and at the same time Taiwan also reached 73. 2% (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). Taking Taiwan as an example, the total turnover of food retail was NT$261. billion in 2001, NT$302. 7 billion in 2006, and NT$321. 7 billion in 2009 (Ministry of Economic Affairs, R. O. C. , 2010). This indicates that the business scale of food retail has the gradual growth trend every year in Taiwan, and its market competition will inevitably become more intense. The fast food industry is the representative food retailer type in various countries. The overall fast food market in the US is expected to grow in the coming years and will cross the US$17 0 billion mark by 2010 (RNCOS, 2009). Corresponding author. E-mail: m9019011@chu. edu. tw Tel: +886-2-28102292. Fax: +886-2-2810-6688. Cheng et al. 5119 The fast food industry in Asia’s major countries, such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan can also create a production value over US$1 billion every year (Report buyer, 2009). However, occasionally, there will be some negative food safety events, such as the frying oil containing arsenic, and the beef event (Taiwan news, 2010), which will impact the image and performance of the corporation. However, after the storm has passed, the sales performance of fast food industry can all rise rapidly. This result, in addition to the response management of when the industry has a great crisis, is also a worthy exploration issue of consumers’ purchasing behavior in the fast food industry. For the service industry, the cost of developing a new customer is at least 5 to 9 times the cost to maintain an old customer (Raphel and Raphel, 1995). How to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty will be the important factor that impacts the operating performance of the food retailer. Past studies indicate that customer loyalty will be positively impacted by customer satisfaction (Fornell, 1992; Gwinner et al. , 1998; HennigThurau et al. , 2002; Terblanche, 2006; Hsu, 2008). However, Bruhn and Grund (2000) pointed out that the factors that impact customer loyalty may have some other important factors which are not included in the consideration. Some scholars found that when customers benefit from the past frequent consumption behavior, relationship inertia will be formed, and the past consumer behavior will be continued (Ouellette and Wood, 1998), then there will be no strong motivation to look for alternative plans (Colgate and Danaher, 2000), and the service provider can therefore maintain the current relationship with the customer (Gounaris and Stathakopoulos, 2004). In the study of Carrasco et al. (2005), it also verified that in the consumption of food and service, consumers have the inertia behavior. In addition, consumers will have the habitual repeated purchase behavior due to convenient purchase or other factors (Heiens and Pleshko, 1997). When competitors offer a lower price, it will enhance the possibility of the customer changing the purchase behavior (Wathne et al. , 2001), and also undermine the consumer’s consumption inertia for the original company. The study found that there are three issues existing in the studies of customer purchasing behavior in the fast food industry: (1) Why can consumers rapidly return in such a short period of time after a fast food industry negative news outbreak, or even not be impacted at all. Therefore, regarding the factors that impact customer loyalty in the fast food industry, in addition to customer satisfaction, are there any other important impact factors? (2) The fast food industry is different from the general food retailer. It has the characteristics of being rapid, convenient, and having a low price; however, the commonly seen customer satisfaction model (e. g. American Customer Satisfaction Index; European Customer Customer Satisfaction Index) cannot really present these characteristics. 3) Inertial behavior exists in the food purchasing behavior (Carrasco et al. , 2005). However, there have been no scholars who have applied it to explore the relation between customer satisfaction and loyalty in the fast food industry. It can be seen that there is an important study gap that exists in the exploration of customer satisfaction and loyalty in the fast food industry; therefore, it creates the motive for the study to explore this issue. The major study purpose of the study is to integrate the related variables of fast food industry characteristics, such as consumption frequency, perceived price and convenience, and propose a customer satisfaction and loyalty integrated model for the fast food industry, and apply relationship inertia as the mediator to find out the major factor that impacted the customer satisfaction and loyalty in fast food industry, with the expectation to provide it as a reference for the fast food industry in developing the improvement strategy of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. LITERATURE REVIEW Customer satisfaction The primary task of a corporation is to create customer satisfaction. Profit is not the most important result; after all, it is only the feedback after satisfying the customer (Drucker, 1954). As long as the customer is satisfied, the corporation’s profit will relatively increase. Along with the more and more intense market competition and the rise of consumer awareness, customer satisfaction has a significant impact on corporate profits, and it can provide the future product or service quality of the corporation as a reference according the past consumption experience and assessment of customers. Therefore, customer satisfaction has become a recognized index which can be broadly applied in measuring customer consumption behavior. Customer satisfaction is regarded as customers can get more benefits than their cost (Liu and Yen, 2010). Different scholars’ definitions for customer satisfaction can be summarized as follows: Oliver (1981) thinks that customer satisfaction is the comments made by the surprising experience of product obtainment or consumption. Fornell (1992) pointed out that customer satisfaction is the overall measurement after a customer has purchased the product or used the service. It is the overall attitude created based on experience, which is the comparison of before (expectation) and after (feeling) the customer received the service (product). If the actual feeling after receiving the service exceeded the expectation before receiving the service, then the customer will be satisfied; if it is to the contrary, the customer will not be satisfied. 5120 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. In addition, Kotler (1997) thinks that customer satisfaction is a person’s happiness or disappointment, which is formed by comparing his/her perceived product performance (or result) and his/her product expectation. To be more specific, satisfaction is the function of perceived performance and expectation. Lin (2007) pointed out that good service quality will indeed satisfy the diversified demands of the customer, which means customer satisfaction is the overall assessment of products and services processed by customers according to the past experience. When the actual service result provided by the service provider is higher than the customer service expectation, then the customer will be very satisfied; if it is to the contrary, the customer will be very dissatisfied (Joewono and Kubota, 2007). In addition, Fornell et al. (1996) pointed out that the measurement of customer satisfaction can be divided into the overall satisfaction level of a customer on a corporation, the difference between expectation and actual feeling, and the difference between actual feeling and ideal perfect service (product). Combining all of the above-mentioned scholars’ dissertations, customer satisfaction is the result of comparing customer expectation and experience. Therefore, the study will refer to the perspective and measurement dimension of Fornell et al. (1996) as the basis for measuring food retailer satisfaction. Customer loyalty For the service industry, the cost of developing a new customer is at least 5 to 9 times the cost to maintain an old customer. If the customer loyalty can be increased 5% effectively, then 25-85% profit can be increased (Raphel and Raphel, 1995). Therefore, if the service industry wants to reduce the expenditures on money and time cost, it shall focus on maintaining customers, not obtaining new customers (Oliver, 1999). It will bring a long-term or short-term profit by maintaining a long-term relationship with the customer, because maintaining long-term relationship refers to keeping the customer and obtaining his/her loyalty (Ranaweera and Prabhu, 2003). It can be seen that the importance of customer loyalty establishment on the service industry operation cannot be understated. If the food service industry can keep the customer and make him/her a loyal customer, then it will also be able to bring long-term operating efficiency. Dick and Basu (1994) pointed out that customer loyalty can be divided into true loyalty, false loyalty, potential loyalty and no loyalty according to the strength level of the relationship between the personal attitude and repurchase behavior. Schneider and Bowen (1999) pointed out that customer loyalty refers to a customer’s possible repurchase behavior, and willingness to become a member of the service institution. Neal (1999) thinks that customer loyalty is the performance of a consumer still choosing the same product or service after comparing it with other competitor’s products with the premise that the competitive product can be easily purchased, and it will go through the four stages of perceived loyalty, emotional loyalty, intentional loyalty and action loyalty (Oliver, 1999). In the measurement of customer loyalty, Zeithaml et al. 1996) pointed out that the measurement items of customer loyalty in customer behavior intention include: repurchase after the price has increased (price tolerance), priority purchase and recommendation. Fornell et al. (1996) thinks that customer loyalty can be measured by the repurchase will and customer price tolerance. Gronholdt et al. (2000) pointed out that customer loy alty be constructed by the four measurement indexes of the repurchase will, the will of recommending the company or brand to others, price tolerance and cross-purchase will of the customer. Finally, the study mainly refers to the perspectives of Fornell et al. (1996) and Zeithaml et al. (1996) and the service characteristics of the food retailer to summarize the measurement method of customer loyalty in the behavior dimension of the four measurement indexes, which are repurchase will, recommending to others, price tolerance and priority repurchase. Relationship inertia Relationship inertia is a fixed consumption pattern. With all consumption, customers will purchase the same product because of habit, without the need to spend energy or time to think too much during the decision making process (Assael, 1998). The reason for this type of consumer purchasing the same brand or purchasing the same product repeatedly is that they feel comfortable due to not having to make new choices. When purchasing the same brand again, it can save time, and by being familiar with the brand, there will be no sense of difference, and also can reduce the perceived risk (Bloemer and Kasper, 1994). Dick and Basu (1994) pointed out that the false loyalty in customer loyalty has the characteristic of low preference attitude, and high repeat purchase rate, and inertia is a kind of false loyalty performance. In addition, Oliver (1999) pointed out that after the consumer decides to be on the relationship inertia track of action loyalty with a brand, then the previous assessment, trial and elimination in the consumption process can be removed, therefore, relationship inertia is the performance of action loyalty. Colgate and Danaher (2000) proposed that relationship inertia is the basis of human nature. When the customer is used to a specific thing, he/she will not have the motive that is too strong to look for alternatives plans, which means habit is an automatic behavioral tendency responding to a person’s past development (Limayem and Hirt, 2003). In other words, inertia is a specific future behavioral intension a person usually does and also Cheng et al. 5121 shows, which allows the current behavior to continue. Therefore people will continue and repeatedly do things in the way they are used to. Inertia is guided by rapid, easy, and the least attention grabbing perceived process, and can be a parallel processed with other activities, which does not have further thought or rational analysis on their behavior, and is just based on the habit (Ouellette and Wood, 1998; Gefen, 2003). After combining the aforementioned perspectives and the characteristics of food retail, the study defines the relationship inertia of the fast food industry customer as: customers often form a dependent and characteristic relationship with a specific food or service quality with their own habit factor. They will not have a motive that is too strong to look for alternative food service. Gremler (1995) defined relationship inertia as the inertial behavior during repeat purchase of consumers avoiding decision making and having high-repeatable visits. Therefore, â€Å"If there are no other reasons, the original store service will still be chosen†, â€Å"Unless I’m not satisfied, the original store service will still be chosen†, and â€Å"It is most unlikely for me to shop in the store† are used to measure relationship inertia. Carrasco et al. (2005) applied Panel data to view whether the customers’ consumption behavior has inertia, and found that indeed there is inertia behavior for consumers in the food and service consumption. From the abovementioned studies, the study refers to the perspectives of many scholars (Gremler, 1995; Gefen, 2003; Carrasco et al. , 2005) and combines them with the consumer characteristics of the fast food industry, and derived five items to measure the customer relationship inertia of the fast food industry. The items are respectively the fast food store visit inertia, familiarity, impression, will of continuous selection and will of enjoying to consume in this store. characteristics. It can be known from the abovementioned scholars’ perspectives that past frequency is often applied in measuring customer behavior intention, and to further understand consumer future behavior intention. With the frequency exploration of the abovementioned scholars, the study will apply the store consumption frequency at a specific time to measure the food consumption frequency. Perceived price Since the operating environment of the service industry changes rapidly, service industry suppliers often apply the method of reducing service quality to correspond to the dilemma of little profit, which therefore results in the lose-lose predicament of consumers and suppliers. From the consumer perspective, price is the amount which needs to be paid for the consumer to obtain the product (Hawkins et al. , 1983), or the price that the consumer must give up or sacrifice to obtain a product (Zeithaml, 1998).

Pharmocology

The exact mechanism of action of ingloriousness is unknown however it is known to researchers and medical professionals that ingloriousness suppress the immune response of Re- negative pats. To Re- positive red blood cells as well as reestablishing normal importunately pathways (Apostate). Side Effects of MOA – Octagon and Privilege both have black box warnings however this black box warning does not apply to all Ingloriousness.The black box warning consists of increased risk of acute renal dysfunction/failure as well as thrombosis. The risk of thrombosis is increased in patients over the age of 65 years old, prolonged manipulation, etc. (Apostate). Other serious side effects include hypersensitivity, nonphysical, rather multiform, hyperinflation, hypersensitivity, aseptic meningitis, psychotherapeutic, viral transmission risk, and hemolytic anemia Teaching – It Is common for the patient to experience headache, cough, (Apostate). Cause and vomiting, rash, Uralic, fever, rigors, flushing, back pain, fatigue, chest tightness, muscle cramps, and elevated BUN Cry elevated lab values (Apostate). It is important to alert your doctor of any allergy before beginning to take these medications. Do not get any type of immunization while taking ingloriousness without getting an okay from your doctor (Monoclinic). Administration Consideration (Special timing, take with/without food, etc. ) – It is important to take this medication on a very regular schedule as well as making sure to take the medication with food.There Is a serious risk of nonphysical with these medications so the Importance of telling your doctors your allergies is very great (Monoclinic). Drug/Drug Interactions Major – proportioning most concerning) – Consult your doctor if you are on any medications for heart problems, blood clotting, or atherosclerosis as ingloriousness can cause an increased risk for blood clotting and a higher risk when these other types of medication s are Involved (Monoclonal).Taking other immune globulins at the time of administration can cause a very serious side effect of nonprescription (Apostate). Required Labs – Numerous ingloriousness labs must be completed to determine which mucilaginous within the body has quit working. (Gig, leg, LCD, IGMP, and Gig). Doctors use these tests to determine what type of indemnification disease the patient is suffering from by seeing which mucilaginous levels are increased or decreased from the normal lab values (Kids Health).

Every IB Business and Management Past Paper Available FREE and Official

Every IB Business and Management Past Paper Available FREE and Official SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you want to do well on your IB exams (which you should since acing them will get you college credits), you need to prepare like you would for any standardized test such as the PSAT, SAT or ACT, with practice tests. Preparing for the IB exams doesn't simply mean reviewing your class notes. You should use IB Business and Management past papers as practice tests so that you feel prepared for the length, format, and types of questions asked. In this article, I'll provide you with links to IB Business and Management past papers, free and official. Additionally, I'll give advice on how to use them to ace your real IB test. Free IB Business and Management Past Papers Links The IB has cracked down on illegally uploaded real past papers in the last few years, so many previous sources are no longer available. Compounding this problem, IB so far has not provided any free sample IB Business and Management exam papers on its website. We'll be sure to update this article as soon as they do with links, though! While searching for "free IB Business and Management papers" online may still turn up some results, we do not recommend using them, as there's no guarantee those papers are real past IB papers. Instead, we recommend using the relatively inexpensive official paid IB past papers and markschemes for further practice. Paid IB Business and Management Past Papers Links To download safe and official IB Business and Management SL/HL past papers and markschemes, purchase them from the Follet IBO store directly. Currently, the IBO store has two sets of English-language IB Business and Management SL past papers and IB Business and Management HL past papers in the new, 2016-exam format: one set from May 2017 and one from November 2016. (There are a small number of past IB Business Management papers in French and Spanish available on the store as well.) Note: The IBO sells each paper and mark scheme individually (boo); an individual paper or mark scheme costs $3 (or about  £2.50). This means a full test (with all papers and mark schemes) will cost about $12. Buying everything on the site from 2015 to 2017 will be costly (not to mention in different languages), so we recommend you only buy the two most recent (November 2016 and May 2017) past papers. These past papers will be the most similar to your test, and two exams will provide plenty of practice. How to Use These Exams An IB Business and Management test will take you 3 hours for SL or 4.5 hours for HL. If you are going to invest that much time, you need to be maximizing your learning from these tests. To make sure you get the most out of each practice test, follow these rules: #1: Split the Test Over Two Days In May 2019, the IBO scheduled Paper 1 and Papers 2 on two separate days before and after a weekend. If possible, you should copy this schedule exactly so that your practice is realistic. At the very least, make sure you are taking the two papers on two different days. Having to hold on to the information over multiple days (with a weekend in-between!) makes it difficult to cram for this test. You need to have mastered the IB Business and Management concepts and be able to write intelligently about them. #2: Use Exact Timing. Make sure you time yourself so that you force yourself to practice your pacing. The time allowed per paper is: Business and Management SL Paper 1- 1 hour 15 minutes Paper 2- 1 hour 45 minutes Business and Management HL Paper 1- 2 hours 15 minutes Paper 2- 2 hours 15 minutes Do not stray from this timing, not even by a minute. You need to get used to the actual exam timing. Also, you’ll get an inflated practice exam score if you allow yourself extra time. Don’t do it! Stick to the real timing so that you have a realistic indicator of your IB score. #3 (and the most important): Review! After completing all papers, review your exam with the mark scheme. Why do you need to review? Reviewing helps you figure out what mistakes you are making or what information you do not know before you take the real IB Business and Management exam. If you don’t check your answers, you’ll make the same mistakes on the actual IB Business and Management test. Take some time (at minimum an hour) to review your answers. Taking one practice test with in-depth review is far superior to taking 8 tests without review. What’s Next? Learn more about IB Business and Management and related topics: IB Business and Management Study Guide Return on Assets: What It Is and How to Use It Check out where to find past papers for your other classes: Every IB Biology Past Paper Available: Free and Official Where to Find IB Chemistry Past Papers - Free and Official Every IB Economics Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB English Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB Geography Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB History Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB Math Past Paper Available: Free and Official Where to Find IB Physics Past Papers - Free and Official Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Lepenski Vir - Mesolithic Village in the Republic of Serbia

Lepenski Vir - Mesolithic Village in the Republic of Serbia Lepenski Vir is a series of Mesolithic villages located on a high sandy terrace of the Danube River, on the Serbian bank of the Iron Gates Gorge  of the Danube river. This site was the location of at least six village occupations, beginning about 6400 BC, and ending about 4900 BC. Three phases are seen at Lepenski Vir; the first two are whats left of a complex foraging society; and Phase III represents a farming community. Life in Lepenski Vir Houses in Lepenski Vir, throughout the 800-year-long Phase I and II occupations, are laid out in a strict parallelepiped plan, and each village, each collection of houses is arranged in a fan shape across the face of the sandy terrace. The wooden houses were floored with sandstone, often covered with a hardened limestone plaster and sometimes burnished with red and white pigments. A hearth, often found with evidence of a fish-roasting spit, was placed centrally within each structure. Several of the houses held altars and sculptures, sculpted out of the sandstone rock. Evidence seems to indicate that the last function of the houses at Lepenski Vir was as a burial site for a single individual. Its clear that the Danube flooded the site regularly, perhaps as much as twice a year, making permanent residence impossible; but that residence resumed after the floods is certain. Many of the stone sculptures are monumental in size; some, found in front of houses at Lepenski Vir, are quite distinctive, combining human and fish characteristics. Other artifacts found in and around the site include a vast array of decorated and undecorated artifacts, such as miniature stone axes and figurines, with lesser amounts of bone and shell. Lepenski Vir and Farming Communities At the same time as foragers and fishers lived at Lepenski Vir, early farming communities sprang up around it, known as the Starcevo-Cris culture, who exchanged pottery and food with the inhabitants of Lepenski Vir. Researchers believe that over time Lepenski Vir evolved from a small foraging settlement to the ritual center for the farming communities in the areainto a place where the past was revered and the old ways followed. The geography of Lepenski Vir may have played an enormous part in the ritual significance of the village. Across the Danube from the site is the trapezoidal mountain Treskavek, whose shape is repeated in the floor plans of the houses; and in the Danube in front of the site is a large whirlpool, the image of which is repeatedly carved into many of the stone sculptures. Like Catal Hoyuk in Turkey, which is dated to roughly the same period, the site of Lepenski Vir provides us with a glimpse into Mesolithic culture and society, into ritual patterns and gender relationships, into the transformation of foraging societies into agricultural societies, and into resistance to that change. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to the European Mesolithic, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Bonsall C, Cook GT, Hedges REM, Higham TFG, Pickard C, and Radovanovic I. 2004. Radiocarbon and stable isotope evidence of dietary change from the Mesolithic to the Middle Ages in the Iron Gates: New results from Lepenski Vir. Radiocarbon 46(1):293-300. Boric D. 2005. Body Metamorphosis and Animality: Volatile Bodies and Boulder Artworks from Lepenski Vir. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 15(1):35-69. Boric D, and Miracle P. 2005. Mesolithic and Neolithic (dis)continuities in the Danube Gorges: New AMS dates from Padina and Hajducka vodenica (Serbia). Oxford Journal of Archaeology 23(4):341-371. Chapman J. 2000. Lepenski Vir, in Fragmentation in Archaeology, pp. 194-203. Routledge, London. Handsman RG. 1991. Whose art was found at Lepenski Vir? Gender relations and power in archaeology. In: Gero JM, and Conkey MW, editors. Engendering Archaeology: Women and Prehistory. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p 329-365. Marciniak A. 2008. Europe, Central and Eastern. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1199-1210.

Rumbold v General Medical Council Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Rumbold v General Medical Council - Essay Example At interview Mr. A found it difficult to appreciate the severity of the offenses for which he appears before the court, viewing himself more as a victim of modern technology rather than as an offender. He had clearly given little consideration to the harm caused to children by the production or distribution of such images, although when this was discussed with him, he did admit that he was beginning to realize the harm that this could cause. Mr. A is a 44-year-old man, who is married with two young children aged 8 and 10. He has no previous convictions. As a result of this conviction, his partner has ended their 15-year relationship and he now resides with his parents in a household with no children. He currently has no access to his children, a matter which is being dealt with by social services and the civil courts. Whilst he understands the reasons for this he tells me that he is profoundly depressed as a result of the breakdown of his family. He is adamant that he has never posed any risk to his family. Mr. A left education following a degree in public sector management, and until his conviction work as a manager for the local authority. He is currently suspended from work pending the outcome of his sentence. Mr. A tells me that he has never had any issues relating to alcohol or drug dependency, however, his level of alcohol use has increased in recent months as a result of his anxiety relating to these proceedings. Mr. A continues to make a financial contribution to support his ex-partner and their children. In the case study above it is stated that the number of images was relatively small. There is no indication of the level of the images and therefore it is not possible to give a definitive answer as to whether a community sentence is appropriate.