Reflections on my Personal and Professional Growth Essay Example for Free

Reflections on my Personal and Professional Growth Essay My time studying with the University of Phoenix online has affected my life in many ways. I have had the chance to learn a lot by utilizing the Internet to help me further my education. I feel that my degree will open many new doors for me, but first I will go back and discuss my impressions from when I first started taking nursing classes online. Learning has always been very important to me. I understand that we do not get very far in this world if we are not willing to take instruction and use it to the best of our abilities. Being a student was an exciting opportunity, especially in the major field that I had chosen, nursing. Nursing is an ever-changing field, and it is very important to keep up with the latest information if one is going to be professional and the best they can be in their chosen profession. I feel that strengthening my knowledge base made me grow in my personal life because there was so much that I could accomplish just by taking the steps to learn more. In nursing learning more leads to bigger and greater opportunities and the chance to take jobs that might be out of reach if I did not choose to obtain greater knowledge. While learning new things may be stressful at times, I feel that the knowledge received is all worth it in the end. I first learned the English language nine years ago when I immigrated to the United States. My problem solving skills and my oral communication skills were wonderful, but I had some trouble with my writing skills. As for retrieving information and using it, I had no problem locating information, whether in books or on the Internet, and using it for any task that was put in front of me. Collaboration was not a problem as long as it was done in an oral manner. As I have mentioned, my writing skills were only fair, and so collaboration involving writing could be fairly difficult. My career goals were based around degrees that I had already earned, namely a registered nurse degree and a respiratory therapist degree. My immediate goal was to get my Bachelors of Science degree in nursing, however, I also had other goals. For example, I wished to take my two degrees that were already earned and use them to get into a nurse anesthesia school. My most lofty goal was to finish my bachelor’s degree and start taking more classes to earn a Masters degree one day. As you may see, I am very dedicated to my chosen line of work and desire to be the best at it. Education is my ticket to being the best, and I crave all kinds of new information and knowledge that will make me an excellent nurse. While I was in the program, I found that the classes raised my level of competence in several areas. While I was already quite good at problem solving and oral communication, taking classes that challenged me and required me to do over and above what I was accustomed to only increased my competence in those areas. While my writing skills were not so good to start off with, different requirements for classes gave me a lot of practice and much more confidence with the written word. Taking Internet classes helped me solidify my ability to retrieve information on my own and use it to do the tasks that were expected of me. Two of the general education classes that helped me the most with becoming a more proficient learner were GEN 101, Skills for Lifelong Learning, and REL 333, World Religious Traditions. GEN 101 really gave me a lot of insight on how to balance learning with having an outside life. It gave me the opportunity to learn more about collaboration and how it would help me through classes and through life. Being taught how to assess my own strengths and weaknesses was very helpful and gave me a lot of insight into what I needed to improve upon and what I was already doing well. Learning how to access and use the information that the University provides to us online proved to be particularly valuable to me. Perhaps the most important thing this class provided me was the ability to sit back and take a look at why I was returning to school and what I really hoped to get out of it. That really solidified my career goals and made me eager to get into the process of completing my degree. REL 333 was my favorite general education class. I found that it taught me a lot about all the different kinds of religion in the world, and also about personal views of life from other perspectives. I know that in my line of work I will encounter many people who have different ideas about the world than I do, and this class was very helpful in giving me a glimpse into what some of my patient’s and co-workers’ lives and beliefs might be and how I might work with people who have different views on life than I do. The two core courses that I enjoyed the most were NUR 390, Introduction to Professional Nursing, and NUR 420, Health Assessment. NUR 390 was a great class because it really gave me a good base for the rest of my nursing classes. Being able to take a good look at my strengths and weaknesses in regards to writing, giving presentations, and working with other people as a group really gave me a reference to discover what I was doing very well and what I could improve in. It also gave tips on stress management, something that is very important for someone in the nursing field. Too many nurses burn out because they are unable to handle stress, and I think that learning these tips will help me get through some of the rough days. Also, thinking about the direction that health care is going and what my role as a nurse will be in that field was interesting and informational. NUR 420 was my favorite core class. I got a lot out of the information on different types of patient assessment, especially the ICU assessment section. The many different types of assessment taught will be very valuable to me in my profession, especially since they dealt with patients across the entire life span. I think that this class will prepare me very well for any hospital situation that I find myself in since it did not focus on one age group but instead gave a good overview of anyone I might come in contact with. Learning risk factors and strategies for prevention of many common problems will also prove to be invaluable in my line of work. Perhaps the most important thing I learned was how to get a good patient interview. It can be hard to get good information from someone who is very ill or in pain, and the strategies I learned will be something I can rely on until the end of my career. My University of Phoenix experience was wonderful for the most part, but there are a few things that I believe could make it better. I personally would like to see more interaction between the students taking any given course. While the Internet is very convenient and a great way to learn for people who cannot attend regular classes, there is a human component that is missing from the whole system. Social skills tend to get put on the back burner, and I think that for some professions it is very important to work on social abilities. Also, I believe that the tuition may be prohibitive for many people who would very much like to continue their education. I understand that all colleges are expensive, but perhaps a slightly lower tuition would make it possible for people who could never hope to attend college get the degree that they desire. I think that having an online university is great, but the students would benefit from classes on social interaction and dealing with the public without a computer in front of them. Dropping the tuition would also be a great help and encourage many new students to sign up for programs, thus offsetting the drop in revenue. Instituting those two measures would make for students more prepared for the real world and more people being able to follow their dreams, such as I am doing. Now that I have received my degree and am ready to take on new challenges, I see that lifelong learning is something that everyone should attempt to do, whether in a program or just by their own devices. Lifelong learning is extremely important if one wants to keep up with the ever-changing world we live in. For my part, nursing is a field that is very fluid. There are always new things to learn and new ways to do things. It would be nearly impossible for me to do a good job in my field if I was not constantly striving to learn something new and improve myself to do the best job possible. I have grown in my abilities to communicate with patients and families, my writing skills have improved quite a bit, and I have learned a lot about the views of others whom I will encounter daily. All of these things can be attributed to lifelong learning, and I feel that every class I took expanded my knowledge and made me more determined to continue my education until I reach my goal. I have not determined yet what my final goal will be, but I hope to be always reaching for the next thing I can learn until I find the perfect spot for me. Even then, I always wish to be perfecting all that I do to make my personal and professional life all that it can possibly be. My personal goals for the next few years center around my family. I want to take time to raise my beautiful son whom I have not had much time for during my past two years of study in this program. I want to spend some time with my family and do some traveling. I also want to consider expanding my family with another baby, but it is too soon to tell about that. My professional goals include getting out of bedside nursing. I have done that for quite a while and am ready to move on to something else. I want to keep learning more and more about my profession, and through that gain a promotion which will improve my skills and ability base. As far as educational goals, I have many things in mind. The two most pressing are to get my Masters degree in nursing and to apply to a nurse anesthesia school for next year. I will be in Kaplan University’s Legal Nurse Consultant program for the next full year. As far as skills and competencies that I would like to develop, I would very much like to continue learning about cardiac care. That is something that I am very interested in and would love to find out as much information as I can on the subject. I have not joined any professional organizations as of yet, but I am looking into different ones and may make a decision to join one in the near future. I hope to attend some pulmonary and cardiac workshops or conferences in the next year or so. Having just finished my degree, I have not given much thought to workshops and conferences just yet. There are several additional degrees that I might consider looking into. I am already enrolled at Kaplan to take their Legal Nurse Consultant program, and I would really like to get my Masters degree in nursing as soon as possible. Besides those I am also thinking about taking classes to be a nurse practitioner or become a CRNA, which is a certified nursing anesthesia position. I am keeping my options open. In conclusion, my years in the nursing program at the University of Phoenix have been hard, yet rewarding. I have finished my goal of having a Bachelors degree, and that is opening doors for me to become so much more. I am grateful for the emphasis on lifelong learning that my courses have provided as that has inspired me to go on to more classes and more degrees. It is good to have an online university to go to that is respectable and accredited, and it is good that there is a way for people who work and have families to improve their lives by getting higher education. I will take with me all that I have learned from this program and hopefully be a better nurse and a better professional for it. This is just the start of my dreams. .

Soundtrack to a Schizophrenic Mind :: Psychology Loneliness Essays

Soundtrack to a Schizophrenic Mind "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the sky." ~Jack Kerouac On the Road Track 1: Ryan Adams>> "Back beat the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out..." Next door and two flights up an unknown woman sings scales, melancholic and operatic, ghostlike, she vocalizes the sorrows that haunt me. Music has always been my salvation. A feeling rolls in, filling the empty vibration of my atmosphere. Rain, softly at first, then steadily. The universe weeps. It feels like God mocks me, showing off by crying when I can't. In retrospect, maybe he was empathizing, like a parent leading by example, gently nudging me to follow suit. But presently, I am bitter, completely incapable of seeing optimistically. Perception is inseparable from state of mind. There is a huge difference between being alone and feeling lonely. The former is bearable, even enjoyable, when a person is actually physically alone. The latter, being surrounded by the people who care, yet separated by an invisible distance, a magnetic charge of pride and insecurity, repelling love despite closeness of its proximity and the friendliest of intentions, tortures the soul. In Thailand, halfway across the world, I missed the people I love, but in a happy nostalgic way. Alone yet never lonely. Home again, I see them every day, smile at them, converse with them, yet cannot connect psychically. There is no heart in my friendships here. Surrounded by the people I once missed, I feel only empty. 58 moonstones arranged on links of tarnished silver wrap loosely around my bony fingers. I am not catholic, or even Christian, but on this night I slide my fingertips over the smooth rosary beads. Drowning. Sometimes it is just so painful to be alive. Screams, trapped with the tears somewhere inside, build a dam of hopelessness and frustration to protect society from the unsightly emotions: anger, sadness, grief. Freud called it melancholy: loss unmourned. Modern society calls it depression, apparently a phenomenon common amongst students returning from extended travels in "developing" countries. "You'll readjust in a month or so", they consoled me.

ESPN

Company Culture and Environment When employees arrive to work at their Bristol, Connecticut Headquarters, they are greeted only by a small, unassuming sign that says, â€Å"Welcome to ESPN. † In a calculated and understated way, this sign is representative of the culture that pervades throughout the organization. Simply stated, ESPN, the company is about the fans and the sports, not ESPN. This statement offers a preview of sorts to a culture at ESPN that truly goes the extra mile in emphasizing customer satisfaction by offering its programming thru state-of the art program offerings thru multiple channels.A brand promise sums up the essence and meaning of a brand and how the brand connects to its consumers. ESPN’s promise of delivering â€Å"Sports, with Authority and Personality,† clearly outlines what they do, how they do it and what differentiates them from their competition. With respect to Sports, ESPN connects to its fans through many platforms, including m ultiple television and radio programs, internet applications including television online, restaurants, and numerous mobile applications.In doing so ESPN strives to consistently deliver unmatched quality that is strengthened by leadership and innovation. As an Authority in sports programming, ESPN emphasizes integrity, authenticity and expertise that is unparalleled in the industry. Regarding Personality, ESPN emphasizes throughout its organization, the effective use of humor, passion and community by expressing their affinity for its fans regardless of origin.While the brand promise of ESPN is certainly evident throughout all of its programming through all of its delivery channels, it is its hiring practices that appear to give the most obvious credence to the company living up to this promise. From its inception ESPN maintained a policy of hiring employees that were/are first and foremost sports fanatics. ESPN saw sees this as a critical factor in having its employees display the l evel of enthusiasm and knowledge that it wanted to promote and display its brand promise.They also see this as an equalizer of sorts whereby everyone who views ESPN, regardless of race, color education could relate with one another. Anthony Smith, a management consultant who has worked with ESPN for over 20 years and author of ESPN; The Company, sums up the environment and culture at ESPN best when he wrote; â€Å"I can think of few other companies that do as good a job of creating an atmosphere of fun and excitement for its people and its customers – maybe Southwest Airlines in the airline industry, Starbucks in the consumer goods space, or Apple and Google in high-tech.But it’s hard to surpass ESPN. † (Smith, P. xxiii, ESPN; The Company. ) This information, combined with information gathered through direct conversations with ESPN Marketing employees would strongly indicate that ESPN has done an outstanding job of entrenching its brand promise both internally a mongst its work-force and externally through its broadly scoped programming. From an internal branding perspective ESPN appears to have achieved what all companies strive for; to entrench its vision and culture that pervades throughout everything it does. Espn COMPANY Case ESPN: The Evolution of an Entertainment Brand In the 2004 movie Anchorman character Ron Burgundy ( Will Ferrell) auditions for a position on SportsCenter with the very new and lit-tle known network, ESPN ( Entertainment and Sports Programming Network). The year was 1979. After pronouncing the name of the network â€Å" Espen,† he then is shocked to find out that ESPN is a round- the- clock sports network. Through his laughter, he asserts that the concept is as ridiculous as a 24- hour cooking network or an all- music channel. â€Å" Seriously,† he shouts. This thing is going to be a financial and cultural disaster. SportsCenter . . . that’s just dumb! † While this comical sketch is fictitious, when a young college graduate named George Bodenheimer took a job in the mailroom at ESPN it 1981, it was for real. Today, Mr. Bodenheimer is president of the network that has become one of the biggest franchises in sports, not to mention one of the most successful and envied brands in the entertainment world. As a cable network, ESPN commands $ 2. 91 from cable operators for each subscriber every month. Compare that to $ 1. 7 for Fox Sports, 89 cents for TNT, and only 40 cents for CNN. The core ESPN channel alone is currently in more than 96 million homes. With that kind of premium power, it’s no wonder that ESPN shocked the world in 2006 by becoming the first cable network to land the coveted TV contract for Monday Night Football, which went on to become the highest rated cable series ever. But even with its three sibling channels ( ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Classic), the ESPN cable network is only one piece of a bigger brand puzzle that has become Bodenheimer’s $ 6 billion sports empire.Through very savvy strategic planning, Bodenheimer is realizing his vision of taking quality sports content across the widest possible collection of media assets to reach sports fans wherever they may be. Employing a hands- off manage ment style, Bodenheimer has cultivated a brand that is brash, tech savvy, cre-ative, and innovative. He tells employees that ESPN belongs to all of them. He gives them the freedom to come up with their own ideas and push them forward. His only rule is that every new ideaand push them forward.His only rule is that every new idea must focus on fulfilling ESPN’s mission of reaching sports fans and making them happy. In the process, ESPN has become as recog-nized and revered by its customers as other megabrands such as Tide, Nike, and Coca- Cola are to theirs. Bodenheimer’s career- spanning dedication has grown ESPN to well over 50 businesses. The all- sports network has become a truly multiplatform brand, a rarity for any TV network. This growth has given ESPN tremendous reach. ESPN. com alone reaches 22. 4 million viewers a week.But even more stunning is the fact that during any seven- day period, 120 million people ages 12 to 64 interact with some ESPN medium. Here†™s a rundown of ESPN’s portfolio of brands: Television: ESPN has sprawled into six cable channels and other TV divisions that give it both a local ( ESPN Regional Television) and global ( ESPN International and ESPN Deportes) presence. It was one of the first networks to break new ground in HDTV with simulcast service for ESPN and ESPN2 and it still maintains the most HD programming content and highest level of HD viewership in sports.Cable operators and viewers alike consistently rank ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic above all other channels with respect to perceived value and programming quality. But perhaps one of the most innovative moves in all of tel-evision sports occurred in 2003, when ESPN content was inte-grated into its sibling network ABC. ESPN on ABC is now the home for the NBA Finals, NASCAR, NCAA football, NCAA bas-ketball, World Cup Soccer, British Open, and the IndyCar Series. Although ESPN has numerous cable channel brands, one program stands out as a brand in its own right. SportsCenter was ESPN’s first program.And with as many as 93 million view-ers each month, it remains the network’s flagship studio show. SportsCenter is the only nightly, full- hour sports news program. And whereas, in the past, ESPN has rebroadcast taped episodes of SportsCenter during the day, a new schedule incorporating nine straight hours of live SportsCenter everyday from 6 a. m. to 3 p. m. will begin in the fall of 2008. Outside the United States, ESPN airs 14 local versions of SportsCenter broadcast in eight languages. Radio: Whereas many radio formats are suffering, sports radio is thriving.And ESPN Radio is the nation’s largest sports radio network with 750 U. S. affiliates and more than 335 full- time stations. In addition to college and major league sports events, the network broadcasts syndicated sports talk shows, providing more than 9,000 hours of content annually. Publishing: ESPN The Magazine launched in 1998 and immedi-ately beg an carving out market share with its bold look, bright col-ors, and unconventional type, a combination consistent with its content. With the dominance of Sports Illustrated, many didn’t give ESPN’s magazine enture much of a chance. Within its first year, ESPN The Magazine was circulating 800,000 copies. Today, that number has ballooned two- and- a- half times to 2 million, whereas Sports Illustrated has remained at a stagnant 3. 3 million. At the same time, ESPN is making headway into one of the oldest of all media: books. Although ESPN Books is still waiting for a megaseller, because of the cross- marketing opportunities with the other arms of ESPN, this small division has consider-able marketing clout in a struggling industry. If they didn’t have the TV stuff and everything else, they’d be as hard-pressed as other publishers to make these books into major events,† said Rick Wolff, executive editor at Warner Books. Internet: ESPN. com is the leadin g sports Web site, and ESPNRadio. com is the most listened to online sports destination, boasting live streaming and 32 original podcasts each week. But the rising star in ESPN’s online portfolio is ESPN360. com, a subscription- based broadband offering that delivers high-quality, customized, on- demand video content.Not only can fans access content carried on ESPN’s other networks, but they also get exclusive content and sports video games. For the true sports fan, there’s nothing like it— it allows viewers to watch up to six different events at the same time choosing from live events for all major professional and college sports. Since ESPN360. com began service in 2006, this broadband effort has doubled its distribution and now reaches 20 million homes. Beyond working through its own Web sites, ESPN is exploring the limits of the Internet through an open distribu-tion venture with AOL.By providing ESPN content via a branded ESPN video player in AOLâ₠¬â„¢s portal, viewers have more access to ESPN’s content. But advertisers also benefit from a larger online audience than ever before. Mobile: In 2005, ESPN ventured in to one of its trickiest and riskiest brand extensions to date. Mobile ESPN was designed as ESPN’s own cell phone network, putting content into sports fans’ pockets 24/ 7. But after a year, the venture was far from breaking even and ESPN shut it down. However, even though Mobile ESPN is down, it’s not out.ESPN has capitalized on the lessons learned and started over with a different strategy. Today, ESPN provides real- time scores, stats, news, highlights, and even programming through every major U. S. carrier, with premium content available through Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm. Mobile ESPN also reaches an international audience of mobile customers through more than 35 international carriers. ESPN’s mission with its mobile venture is to â€Å" serve the sports fan any time, anywhere , and from any device. In fall 2007, it reached a major milestone in that goal when more people sought NFL content from its mobile- phone Web site than from its PC Web site. â€Å" We’re having extraordinary growth on ESPN. com’s NFL pages, but we’re also seeing extraordinary usage with mobile devices as well,† said Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN Sports customer marketing and sales. Mr. Erhardt sees great potential in mobile, saying that it is â€Å" a big part of the future as it relates to how fans are going to consume sports. Bodehnheimer and his team see no limit to how far they can take the ESPN brand. In addition to the above ventures, ESPN extends its reach through event management ( X Games, Winter X Games, ESPN Outdoors & Bass), consumer products ( CDs, DVDs, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Golf Schools), and even a chain of ESPN Zone restaurants and SportsCenter Studio stores. ESPN content is now reaching viewers through agencies that place it in airport s and on planes, in health clubs, and even in gas stations. â€Å" Now you’re not going to be bored when you fill up your tank.It gives new meaning to pulling into a full- service station,† says Bodenheimer. â€Å" I’ve been on flights where people are watching our content and don’t want to get off the flight. † A powerful media brand results not only in direct revenues from selling products but also in advertising revenues. Advertising accounts for about 40 percent of ESPN’s overall revenues. With so many ways to reach the customer, ESPN offers very creative and flexible package deals for any marketer trying to reach the cov-eted and illusive 18– 34 year old male demographic. Nobody attracts more men than we do,† asserts Bodenheimer. â€Å" We’ve got a product and we know how to cater to advertisers’ needs. The merchandising opportunities we provide, whether it’s work-ing with Home Depot, Wal- Mart, or Dic k’s Sporting Goods, we want to partner if you want young men. † As amazing as the ESPN brand portfolio is, it is even more amazing when you consider that it is part of the mammoth ABC portfolio, which in turn is a part of The Walt Disney Company portfolio.However, it is no small piece of the Disney pie. ESPN revenues alone accounted for about 18 percent of Disney’s total in 2007. Since obtaining ESPN as part of the 1995 ABC acquisi-tion, because ESPN has delivered on the numbers, Disney has allowed ESPN to do pretty much whatever it wants to do. Just a few years after the acquisition, Disney’s then- CEO Michael Eisner told investors, â€Å" We bought ABC media network and ESPN for $ 19 billion in 1995. ESPN is worth substantially more than we paid for the entire acquisition. And Disney leverages that value every way that it can, from Mouse House advertising package deals to conditionally attaching its cable channels to the ESPN networks through cable oper ators. Questions for Discussion 1. In a succinct manner, describe what the ESPN brand means to consumers. 2. What is ESPN selling? Discuss this in terms of the core bene-fit, actual product, and augmented product levels of ESPN. 3. Does ESPN have strong brand equity? How does its brand equity relate to its brand value? . Cite as many examples as you can of co- branding efforts involving the ESPN brand. For each of these cases, what are the benefits and possible risks to ESPN? 5. Analyze EPSN according to the brand development strategies from the text. What have they done in the past? What would you recommend to ESPN for future brand development? Sources: Alice Cuneo, â€Å" More Football Fans Hit ESPN’s Mobile Site Than Its PC Pages,† Advertising Age, January 7, 2008, p. 7; Mike Shields, â€Å" ESPN, AOL Strike Web Video Deal,† Brandweek, April 8, 2008, accessed online at www. brandweek. com; Andrew Hampp, â€Å" ESPN Makes Jump to Major League,† Advertis ing Age, May 14, 2007, p. 32; Ronald Grover, â€Å" Comcast’s C- TV: Channeling Disney,† BusinessWeek. com, December 1, 2006; Jeffrey Trachtenberg, â€Å" ESPN’s Next Hurdle: Selling Its Audience on Books,† Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2007; Jason Brown, â€Å" Out- of- Home TV Ads Finally Coming of Age,† Television Week, January 28, 2008, p. 12; also see www. espnmediazone. com. Espn COMPANY Case ESPN: The Evolution of an Entertainment Brand In the 2004 movie Anchorman character Ron Burgundy ( Will Ferrell) auditions for a position on SportsCenter with the very new and lit-tle known network, ESPN ( Entertainment and Sports Programming Network). The year was 1979. After pronouncing the name of the network â€Å" Espen,† he then is shocked to find out that ESPN is a round- the- clock sports network. Through his laughter, he asserts that the concept is as ridiculous as a 24- hour cooking network or an all- music channel. â€Å" Seriously,† he shouts. This thing is going to be a financial and cultural disaster. SportsCenter . . . that’s just dumb! † While this comical sketch is fictitious, when a young college graduate named George Bodenheimer took a job in the mailroom at ESPN it 1981, it was for real. Today, Mr. Bodenheimer is president of the network that has become one of the biggest franchises in sports, not to mention one of the most successful and envied brands in the entertainment world. As a cable network, ESPN commands $ 2. 91 from cable operators for each subscriber every month. Compare that to $ 1. 7 for Fox Sports, 89 cents for TNT, and only 40 cents for CNN. The core ESPN channel alone is currently in more than 96 million homes. With that kind of premium power, it’s no wonder that ESPN shocked the world in 2006 by becoming the first cable network to land the coveted TV contract for Monday Night Football, which went on to become the highest rated cable series ever. But even with its three sibling channels ( ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Classic), the ESPN cable network is only one piece of a bigger brand puzzle that has become Bodenheimer’s $ 6 billion sports empire.Through very savvy strategic planning, Bodenheimer is realizing his vision of taking quality sports content across the widest possible collection of media assets to reach sports fans wherever they may be. Employing a hands- off manage ment style, Bodenheimer has cultivated a brand that is brash, tech savvy, cre-ative, and innovative. He tells employees that ESPN belongs to all of them. He gives them the freedom to come up with their own ideas and push them forward. His only rule is that every new ideaand push them forward.His only rule is that every new idea must focus on fulfilling ESPN’s mission of reaching sports fans and making them happy. In the process, ESPN has become as recog-nized and revered by its customers as other megabrands such as Tide, Nike, and Coca- Cola are to theirs. Bodenheimer’s career- spanning dedication has grown ESPN to well over 50 businesses. The all- sports network has become a truly multiplatform brand, a rarity for any TV network. This growth has given ESPN tremendous reach. ESPN. com alone reaches 22. 4 million viewers a week.But even more stunning is the fact that during any seven- day period, 120 million people ages 12 to 64 interact with some ESPN medium. Here†™s a rundown of ESPN’s portfolio of brands: Television: ESPN has sprawled into six cable channels and other TV divisions that give it both a local ( ESPN Regional Television) and global ( ESPN International and ESPN Deportes) presence. It was one of the first networks to break new ground in HDTV with simulcast service for ESPN and ESPN2 and it still maintains the most HD programming content and highest level of HD viewership in sports.Cable operators and viewers alike consistently rank ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic above all other channels with respect to perceived value and programming quality. But perhaps one of the most innovative moves in all of tel-evision sports occurred in 2003, when ESPN content was inte-grated into its sibling network ABC. ESPN on ABC is now the home for the NBA Finals, NASCAR, NCAA football, NCAA bas-ketball, World Cup Soccer, British Open, and the IndyCar Series. Although ESPN has numerous cable channel brands, one program stands out as a brand in its own right. SportsCenter was ESPN’s first program.And with as many as 93 million view-ers each month, it remains the network’s flagship studio show. SportsCenter is the only nightly, full- hour sports news program. And whereas, in the past, ESPN has rebroadcast taped episodes of SportsCenter during the day, a new schedule incorporating nine straight hours of live SportsCenter everyday from 6 a. m. to 3 p. m. will begin in the fall of 2008. Outside the United States, ESPN airs 14 local versions of SportsCenter broadcast in eight languages. Radio: Whereas many radio formats are suffering, sports radio is thriving.And ESPN Radio is the nation’s largest sports radio network with 750 U. S. affiliates and more than 335 full- time stations. In addition to college and major league sports events, the network broadcasts syndicated sports talk shows, providing more than 9,000 hours of content annually. Publishing: ESPN The Magazine launched in 1998 and immedi-ately beg an carving out market share with its bold look, bright col-ors, and unconventional type, a combination consistent with its content. With the dominance of Sports Illustrated, many didn’t give ESPN’s magazine enture much of a chance. Within its first year, ESPN The Magazine was circulating 800,000 copies. Today, that number has ballooned two- and- a- half times to 2 million, whereas Sports Illustrated has remained at a stagnant 3. 3 million. At the same time, ESPN is making headway into one of the oldest of all media: books. Although ESPN Books is still waiting for a megaseller, because of the cross- marketing opportunities with the other arms of ESPN, this small division has consider-able marketing clout in a struggling industry. If they didn’t have the TV stuff and everything else, they’d be as hard-pressed as other publishers to make these books into major events,† said Rick Wolff, executive editor at Warner Books. Internet: ESPN. com is the leadin g sports Web site, and ESPNRadio. com is the most listened to online sports destination, boasting live streaming and 32 original podcasts each week. But the rising star in ESPN’s online portfolio is ESPN360. com, a subscription- based broadband offering that delivers high-quality, customized, on- demand video content.Not only can fans access content carried on ESPN’s other networks, but they also get exclusive content and sports video games. For the true sports fan, there’s nothing like it— it allows viewers to watch up to six different events at the same time choosing from live events for all major professional and college sports. Since ESPN360. com began service in 2006, this broadband effort has doubled its distribution and now reaches 20 million homes. Beyond working through its own Web sites, ESPN is exploring the limits of the Internet through an open distribu-tion venture with AOL.By providing ESPN content via a branded ESPN video player in AOLâ₠¬â„¢s portal, viewers have more access to ESPN’s content. But advertisers also benefit from a larger online audience than ever before. Mobile: In 2005, ESPN ventured in to one of its trickiest and riskiest brand extensions to date. Mobile ESPN was designed as ESPN’s own cell phone network, putting content into sports fans’ pockets 24/ 7. But after a year, the venture was far from breaking even and ESPN shut it down. However, even though Mobile ESPN is down, it’s not out.ESPN has capitalized on the lessons learned and started over with a different strategy. Today, ESPN provides real- time scores, stats, news, highlights, and even programming through every major U. S. carrier, with premium content available through Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm. Mobile ESPN also reaches an international audience of mobile customers through more than 35 international carriers. ESPN’s mission with its mobile venture is to â€Å" serve the sports fan any time, anywhere , and from any device. In fall 2007, it reached a major milestone in that goal when more people sought NFL content from its mobile- phone Web site than from its PC Web site. â€Å" We’re having extraordinary growth on ESPN. com’s NFL pages, but we’re also seeing extraordinary usage with mobile devices as well,† said Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN Sports customer marketing and sales. Mr. Erhardt sees great potential in mobile, saying that it is â€Å" a big part of the future as it relates to how fans are going to consume sports. Bodehnheimer and his team see no limit to how far they can take the ESPN brand. In addition to the above ventures, ESPN extends its reach through event management ( X Games, Winter X Games, ESPN Outdoors & Bass), consumer products ( CDs, DVDs, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Golf Schools), and even a chain of ESPN Zone restaurants and SportsCenter Studio stores. ESPN content is now reaching viewers through agencies that place it in airport s and on planes, in health clubs, and even in gas stations. â€Å" Now you’re not going to be bored when you fill up your tank.It gives new meaning to pulling into a full- service station,† says Bodenheimer. â€Å" I’ve been on flights where people are watching our content and don’t want to get off the flight. † A powerful media brand results not only in direct revenues from selling products but also in advertising revenues. Advertising accounts for about 40 percent of ESPN’s overall revenues. With so many ways to reach the customer, ESPN offers very creative and flexible package deals for any marketer trying to reach the cov-eted and illusive 18– 34 year old male demographic. Nobody attracts more men than we do,† asserts Bodenheimer. â€Å" We’ve got a product and we know how to cater to advertisers’ needs. The merchandising opportunities we provide, whether it’s work-ing with Home Depot, Wal- Mart, or Dic k’s Sporting Goods, we want to partner if you want young men. † As amazing as the ESPN brand portfolio is, it is even more amazing when you consider that it is part of the mammoth ABC portfolio, which in turn is a part of The Walt Disney Company portfolio.However, it is no small piece of the Disney pie. ESPN revenues alone accounted for about 18 percent of Disney’s total in 2007. Since obtaining ESPN as part of the 1995 ABC acquisi-tion, because ESPN has delivered on the numbers, Disney has allowed ESPN to do pretty much whatever it wants to do. Just a few years after the acquisition, Disney’s then- CEO Michael Eisner told investors, â€Å" We bought ABC media network and ESPN for $ 19 billion in 1995. ESPN is worth substantially more than we paid for the entire acquisition. And Disney leverages that value every way that it can, from Mouse House advertising package deals to conditionally attaching its cable channels to the ESPN networks through cable oper ators. Questions for Discussion 1. In a succinct manner, describe what the ESPN brand means to consumers. 2. What is ESPN selling? Discuss this in terms of the core bene-fit, actual product, and augmented product levels of ESPN. 3. Does ESPN have strong brand equity? How does its brand equity relate to its brand value? . Cite as many examples as you can of co- branding efforts involving the ESPN brand. For each of these cases, what are the benefits and possible risks to ESPN? 5. Analyze EPSN according to the brand development strategies from the text. What have they done in the past? What would you recommend to ESPN for future brand development? Sources: Alice Cuneo, â€Å" More Football Fans Hit ESPN’s Mobile Site Than Its PC Pages,† Advertising Age, January 7, 2008, p. 7; Mike Shields, â€Å" ESPN, AOL Strike Web Video Deal,† Brandweek, April 8, 2008, accessed online at www. brandweek. com; Andrew Hampp, â€Å" ESPN Makes Jump to Major League,† Advertis ing Age, May 14, 2007, p. 32; Ronald Grover, â€Å" Comcast’s C- TV: Channeling Disney,† BusinessWeek. com, December 1, 2006; Jeffrey Trachtenberg, â€Å" ESPN’s Next Hurdle: Selling Its Audience on Books,† Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2007; Jason Brown, â€Å" Out- of- Home TV Ads Finally Coming of Age,† Television Week, January 28, 2008, p. 12; also see www. espnmediazone. com.

A Raisin In The Sun A Dream Deferred Essay - 1609 Words

â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† (Hughes l. 1) Langston Hughes asks in his 1959 poem â€Å"Dream Deferred.† He suggests that it might â€Å"dry up like a raisin in the sun† (Hughes ll. 2-3) or â€Å"stink like rotten meat† (Hughes l. 6); however, at the end of the poem, Hughes offers another alternative by asking, â€Å"Or does it explode?† (Hughes l. 11) This is the view Lorraine Hansberry supports in her 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun, in witch she examines an African-American’s family’s struggle to break out of the poverty that is preventing them from achieving some sort of financial stability, or the American Dream. It focuses on Walter’s attempt in â€Å"making it,† or â€Å"being somebody.† She also analyzes how race, prejudice, and economic insecurity†¦show more content†¦that ain’t anything at all. Mama, I dont know if I can make you understand† (73). Walter is not able to provi de for his family by American standards, and as a result, his family lives in poverty. The predicament that Walter finds him-self in motivates him to want to invest in a liquor store in order to grasp some type of financial freedom. He doesn’t just want to have enough money to provide for his family, but he tells his mother, â€Å"I want so many things† (74). He is obsessed with earning a lot of money. At the beginning of the play Walter is waiting for Mamas check from the insurance company as if it was his own, and Beneathea has to remind Walter that, â€Å"that money belongs to Mama, Walter and if is for her to decide how she wants to spend it† (36). Here we see how he is searching for his identity with money. Much of Walter’s dialog is about making money or who has money. When his wife Ruth mentions that his friend Willy Harris is a good for nothing loud mouth, Walter retorts; â€Å"...And what do know about good for nothing loud mouth? Charlie Atkins was just a good-for-nothing loud mouth too, wasn’t he! He wanted me to go in the dry-cleaning business with him, and now he’s grossing a hundred thousand a year. A hundred thousand dollars a year! You still call him a loud mouth!† (32) The idea of making a hundred thousand dollars is what he had most on his mind, and to Walter the liquor store is how he will achieve that. The liquor store represents anShow MoreRelated Raisin in the Sun Essay: A Dream Deferred1327 Words   |  6 PagesDream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun  Ã‚     Ã‚   What happens to a dream deferred? (l. 1) Langston Hughes asks in his 1959 poem Dream Deferred. He suggests that it might dry up like a raisin in the sun (ll. 2-3) or stink like rotten meat (l. 6); however, at the end of the poem, Hughes offers another alternative by asking, Or does it explode? (l. 11). This is the view Lorraine Hansberry supports in her 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. The drama opens with Walter reading, Set off anotherRead MoreEssay on Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun1050 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Happens to a Dream Deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore– And then run? (Langston Hughes). It is important to never lose sight of one’s dream. Dreams are what keep people moving in life, but if they are ignored, they may morph and lose their prevailing form. This is evident in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, as Walter’s, Beneatha’s, and Mama’s dreams become delayed, distorted, and blurred. Walter has long dreamed of making his family’sRead More A Raisin in the Sun Essay: Importance of Deferred Dreams734 Words   |  3 PagesImportance of Deferred Dreams in A Raisin in the Sun      Ã‚   A dream is a hope, a wish, and an aspiration. Young people have dreams about what they want to be when they grow up. Parents have dreams for their childrens future. Not all of these dreams come true at the desired moment - these dreams are postponed or deferred. A deferred dream is put on the back burner of life(Jemie 219), and it matures to its full potential, and is waiting when you are ready to pursue it(Jemie 219). It isRead More A Comparison of the Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun and Harlem1407 Words   |  6 PagesA Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun and Harlem In Lorraine Hansberrys play A Raisin in the Sun, the author reveals a hard-working, honest African-American family struggling to make their dreams come true. Langston Hughes poem, Harlem, illustrates what could happen if those dreams never came to fruition. Together, both Hansberry and Hughes show the effects on human beings when a long-awaited dream is thwarted by economic and social hardships. Each of the characters in A RaisinRead MoreDreams Deferred in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun736 Words   |  3 PagesHansberry’s classic play, A Raisin in the Sun, culls its title from the infamous poem â€Å"Dream Deferred† by Langston Hughes, and both works discuss what happens to a person when their dreams -- their hopes, their aspirations, their lives -- are endlessly put on hold. For this analysis of the dreams and character of Beneatha Younger in Raisin, I would like to pull on another dreamy poem of Langston Hughes’ entitled â€Å"Dream Boogie.† Like all the characters in the play, Beneatha has dreams that are dear to herRead MoreEssay on Dreams Deferred in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun915 Words   |  4 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lorraine Hansberry, the author of A Raisin in the Sun, supports the theme of her play from a montage of, A Dream Deferred, by Langston Hughes. Hughes asks, â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† He suggests many alternatives to answering the question. That it might â€Å"dry up like a raisin in the sun,† or â€Å"fester like a sore.† Yet the play maybe more closely related to Hughes final question of the poem, â€Å"Or does it explode?† The play is full of bombs that are explosions of emotion set off by the frustrationRead MoreAnalysis of Harlem (A Dream Deferred) and A Raisin in the Sun855 Words   |  4 PagesIn Langston Hughes’ poem, the author gives us vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. The author uses words like dry, fester, rot, and stink, to give us a picture of how something that was originally intended for good, could end up in defeat. Throughout the play, I was able to feel how each character seemed to have their dreams that fell apart as the story went on. I believe the central theme of the play has everything to do with the pain each character goes thruRead MoreWhat Does You Dream Deferred? Lorraine Hansberry s Play, A Raisin And The Sun ``942 Words   |  4 PagesWhat Happens to Dreams Deferred? Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, addresses the hardships of an African-American family living in the projects of post-segregation Chicago. The family aspires to fulfill their dreams of owning a home despite the odds they face. W.E.B Du Bois critical race theory explains the issue of racism and white dominance that not only the family in the play faces, but the African American community as a whole. American society only allows for African AmericansRead MoreAnalysis of Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Essay617 Words   |  3 PagesDream Deferred A dream is a goal in life, not just dreams experienced during sleep. Most people use their dreams as a way of setting future goals for themselves. Dreams can help to assist people in getting further in life because it becomes a personal accomplishment. Langston Hughess poem Dream Deferred is speaks about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. The poem leaves it up to the reader to decide what dream is being questioned. In the opening of the poem the speaker usesRead MoreLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun1260 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable, people still dream of catching a mirage. There is a fine line that separates those who are oblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represent those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment