Article 2 (Economics) Why Knockoffs Can Help a Strong Brand

2 (Economics) Why Knockoffs Can Help a Strong Brand - Article Example o the article has been provided by Renee Gosline’s study in Massachusetts Institute of Technology and also by Yi Qian of the National Bureau of Economic Research. According to the research findings of the two above mentioned researchers, counterfeits serve as a passage to the original products and have positive effects on the sales of the original brand products. The counterfeits brands therefore according to the article can be said to have more advertising effect than substitution effects and therefore pose no much danger to the original brands. They actually save them from more advertisement charges since sooner or later the consumers realize the difference between the original and the counterfeit and move to the original. This knockoff effect does not however affect only the formal brands which have trademarks and are protected by law. The article further explains that even individual creators with their own unique line of designs and creativity can have copies of their work being reproduced. The overall effect and outcome is however the same as that of the formal brands since the consumers will realize the difference of the original and the counterfeit and move to the original. Raustiala, Karl and Springman, Chris. â€Å"Why Knockoffs Can Help Build a Strong Brand.† Freakonomics 9/5/2012. Retrieved from:

Defining Abnormality - Towards a definition Essay Example for Free

Defining Abnormality Towards a definition Essay The statistical approach is based on the idea that certain behaviours are statistically rare in the population. If you measure any type of human behaviour you should find that people with varying degrees of the behaviour are normally distributed around the mean. For example there are a lot of people who are of average height but few people who are very small. If we plot a graph of for example IQ scores, It is bell shaped. The majority of individuals are clustered around the mean (the curves highest point). The further you go away from the mean, the fewer people there are. Problems Desirability-some statistically infrequent behaviours, e.g. being a genius are desirable. Cut-off point-who decides at what point you are to be considered abnormal? Statistical Definitions-The Same standards or norms are not relevant to all social groups/ ages/cultures for example in terms of anxiety. Children have more irrational fears than adults. Deviation from social norms Social norms are behaviours that are desirable for both the individual and society as a whole. Deviance from social norms is both undesirable and abnormal. Most mentally Ill people do behave in a socially deviant way but this doesnt mean that you can base clinical abnormality on this theory alone. Moral standards-social norms change over time and basing mental illness on deviation from social norms is dangerous. Context-for example, wearing few items of clothing on the beach is acceptable, on the high street it is not. Sub Cultures-for example in the Mormon religion it is acceptable to have several wives. In England that is a crime called bigamy Good/Bad-in some certain circumstances being socially deviant is a good thing for example in Nazi Germany people who were opposed to Nazism were socially deviant. Collectivistic cultures-cultures which emphasise the greater good of the community rather than focusing on individual achievement would not find the first three characteristics relevant. Difficult-most people would have difficulty fitting all these criteria at most times in their lives. Cultural relativism A limitation to all ways of defining abnormality is that no definition is relevant to all cultures. Also cultures definitions change over time. For example Homosexuality was considered to be a mental disease till the 80s.

Analysis of the Black Codes 1865-66 Essay -- Slavery, Inexpensive Labo

The Black Codes were legal statutes and constitutional amendments enacted by the ex Confederate states following the Civil War that sought to restrict the liberties of newly free slaves, to ensure a supply of inexpensive agricultural labor, and maintain a white dominated hierachy. (paragraph 1) In southern states, prior to the Civil War they enacted Slave Codes to regulate the institution of slavery. And northern non-slave holding states enacted laws to limit the black political power and social mobility. (paragraph 2) Black Codes were adopted after the Civil War and borrowed points from the antebellum slave laws as well as laws in the northern states used to regulate free blacks. (paragraph 3) Eventually, the Black Codes were extinguished when Radical Republican Reconstruction efforts began in 1866-67 along with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights legislation. The lives of the Black Codes did not have longevity but were significant. (paragraph 3) Although each ex-Confederate state enacted its own set of codes, all of them shard certain features such as they ...

Challenges for Building Stable Democracies Essay -- Essays Papers

Challenges for Building Stable Democracies It has been stated that the Bush administration’s goal is to have America spread democracy around the world. This may sound radical, but it is really just what our foreign policy has been for the past 60 or so years. The only difference is that now there is no evil communist empire, the USSR has fallen. America has a new ideological enemy the theocracies and oppressive regimes around the world especially Africa and the Middle East, the places that breed terrorists. The Bush administration and most people feel that the best way to stop Terrorism is to wipe out its source. However, in building democracies in the Middle East and other parts in the world there are some extreme difficulties in the process. The first step to building any strong democracy in a country with an autocratic regime is to topple that old regime. This can often be very difficult, because these autocratic regimes usually have quite a strong military and police force to oppose your attempted regime change. America really has little problems with this, because our army is the most powerful in the world. Despite our ease at defeating most armies it we cannot overlook this step in the process of building democracies. The next step is occupying the country; this can often take even more troops then the invasion. This is because often after a state is defeated there are still rebel guerilla groups that can cause a bit of a problem. There is also the fact that it takes a long time to rebuild a country. The two countries we have successfully rebuilt as democracies, Japan and Germany, had no guerillas and it took us five years of occupation to get them where they needed to be. Any invasion force has to have ... ...aucratic gridlock that results in extreme inefficiency. Despite these challenges the United States and others have a good chance to spread Democracy, but it will not be easy. To make America’s current plan work we need to be dedicated to this goal, be willing to deal with hardships, have the compassion to get these people out from under oppressive regimes, and to not pull out of the states at the first sign of trouble. Works Cited 1. David Ingersoll, Richard Matthews, and Andrew Davison, â€Å"Theopolitics and Islamism,† in The Philosophic Roots of Modern Ideology, third edition (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2001) 2. Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince, found on http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm, Ch. 19 3. Sheri Berman, â€Å"Civil Society and the Collapse of the Weimar Republic,† World Politic 49 (April 1997)

Henry Dvid Thoreau Biography (in First Person)

I was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. My family consisted of my Ma and Pa and three siblings; Helen, John Jr. and Sofia. We lived a very humble life; my father worked in a pencil company while my mother tended to the house and took care of me and my siblings. (Otfinoski pg. 60) My family was really pushing for me to start school at Harvard College but the cost was too expensive for my family. My father owned a small pencil factory and my mother took in boarders to help make ends meet.But, through great sacrifice my family was able to pitch in the money to send me to college, and so I entered the class of 1833 at the age of 16 and graduated in the year 1837. (Otfinoski pg. 60) After graduating Harvard College I went back to Concord to start my own academy with my brother John Jr. and teach the way I felt was right. Together with my brother we taught about 20 students. I believe that the academy would have lasted longer if my brother hadn’t taken ill, the work w as just too much for me to manage on my own. Otfinoski pg. 61-62) Shortly after closing the academy my brother died I was devastated. I walked 40 miles to attend one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s lectures, soon after I was able to meet the great man. Emerson offered me a job; it was as a caretaker and a handyman in his home I would live there and work while he was away doing his lectures. In our free time we would discuss Transcendentalism, a philosophy for which he was well known. I was inspired by his radical view and ideas, and looked up to him as a mentor and hero. (Otfinoski pg. 2) Feeling it was time to see more of the world I left Emerson’s and headed back to Concord. In March 1845 I headed towards Walden Pond where I built a cabin for myself and stood there for two years. My reasons for going there were to experience life and discover the true account of it. During my time at the Walden Pond I worked tirelessly on the manuscripts that will later become my first two books. (Otfinoski pg. 62-64) In May of 1849 a Boston publisher published my first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.Although it sold poorly I never gave up. I later wrote about my experience living at the Walden Pond this book was entitled Walden which also wasn’t as popular as I would have hoped but that still didn’t bring me down. (Otfinoski pg. 64-66) Soon, nature being the very thing that I loved became my enemy as I contracted tuberculosis from living in the outdoors with the bad weather and the constant exposure to the graphite dust working in the pencil factory all caught up to me and on May 6, 1862 I died at the age of 45 years old. (Otfinoski pg. 67-69)

Rural Cellular essays

Rural Cellular essays Making its home in Minnesota and owning and operating cellular and digital phone service companies in thirteen states, the Rural Cellular Corporation is quickly making a name for itself. Sense its inception in 1990 Rural Cellular Corporation, or RCC, has become the ninth largest rural cellular company in the country. A rural cellular company is exactly what it sounds like. It has no holdings or contracts in major metropolitan areas, but instead it groups together small rural cellular carriers and providers into one large corporation. By starting in their home state of Minnesota, they have branched out to all sectors of the country, including Washington, Oregon, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine. By gathering up small cellular companies in these areas, RCC has given itself a foothold in fast growing areas of the country. As they have grown in location, so have they grown in service and product they offer. They have just recently begun to offer digital phone service in some of their areas, while at the same time they have implemented paging and phone service packages. By packaging these together they offer the convenience of a mobile phone with the practicality of a pager. Something that will benefit both the businessman and the family man. Just by taking a quick look at the RCC annual report, you may see a company that is in excellent condition, and is on a sure footing for the future. However, certain aspects of this company are raising my suspicions of a short-lived existence. The annual report I received and analyzed is from 1999. When I requested the most current report, the 2000 was unavailable. Therefore, the numbers I relied on and cite throughout this analysis are one year old. As a whole, the annual report is very easy to follow and understand. The first twenty pages are charts, graphs, time-lines...

The White House and its Machinations in Latin & South Americ essays

The White House and its Machinations in Latin & South Americ essays The White House and its Machinations South of United States Borders I look forward to a great future for Americaa future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose. America was established not to create wealth but to realize a vision, to realize an idealto discover and maintain liberty among men. The United States government and its branches have throughout history ignored the meaning of these quotes, just as it has ignored human rights violations in the interest of capitalism. In Nicaragua a major anti-socialist group was committing atrocities: Rape, starvation, and disciplinary tethering were tortures that new contra recruits were forced to endure. The contras were supported unconditionally by Washington and trained by the C. I. A. In Chile the Pinochet military junta murdered thousands of Allendes supporters. The regime was backed fully by the White House. Over the course of the past century and a half, economic and strategic interests were put above all moral and ethical priorities when involved in foreign countries. This nations leaders consistently express pride in the rights to freedom and justice, yet have exemplified the perfect contrary through the governments behavior in Cuba, Chile, Panama, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The hypocrisies and lies perpetrated by the American government were extensive and deleterious to its good name, and the actions taken by this notorious government were crippling to our Latin American neighbors. Take, for example, Cuba. This island country has had a history of Communism, even under Batista, ruler before Fidel Castro came to power. He had appointed to his cabinet the first avowed Communist ever to serve in any Western government. (Smith, 316) However, Cuba has been a target of American hostility ever since Castro took power. The United Stat...