Social Media and Technology in Learning Research Paper

Social Media and Technology in Learning - Research Paper Example It has been argued that instead of removing the social media from the learning process, it should be merged with technological tools to enhance the learning experience of the learners who are already enthusiastic about the use of social media (Blankenship 39). On the other hand, opponents of the use of social media in the classroom have argued that it would be distractive to the leaning process (Ahn 147). Nonetheless, it has been revealed that combination of technology and social media and effective use of these technologies will enhance the learning experience of students and promote their creative thinking, participation, collaboration and sharing of ideas (Hsiu-Ting and Yuen 712). In the light of these arguments, this research paper gives a critical analysis and discussion of the combination of technology and social media in education. The view of the research paper is to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve an effective combination of these technologies to promote the learn ing processes and achievement of learning outcomes by students in the most effective and efficient manner. Enhanced Communication in Education Processes Research findings have revealed that over 80% of learners in tertiary education are active users of social media networks (Markauskaite 80). More importantly, it has been demonstrated that more than half of the social networking site users use these sites as tools which promote communication during learning process (Tay and Matthew 156). Because technology and education applications including online information resources are used within the education system and supported by the curriculum, it is thus arguable that technology should be combined with social networking for more enhanced learning processes. The communications which have been registered among students who use social networking sites include posts on Facebook walls on educational activities among learners (Wankel 254). Additionally, social blogs have been created where st udents post questions and thus seek for assistance from other students which eventually promotes the learning process (Ahn 148). Such application demonstrates the combination of technological tools such as the internet and social networking for effective communication of educational material. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been used by learners to post links to group websites, wikis and blogs in which educational material is shared and information of studies exchanged effectively (Markauskaite 79). The communication which social media reveals among peers with the same educational interests thus reveal that information and communication technology can be combined with social media to enhance a more efficient and effective communication process. It has been further found that within higher learning institutions, learners connect with each other through social media with a view of tracking the education activities such as classes, projects, lab work, assignme nt and seminars (Blankenship 40). Furthermore, student representatives within a class have been said to be active communicators of education activities and programs to learners via posts on Facebook and Twits (Markauskaite 78). Nonetheless, it has been argued that the communication which is demonstrated within social media is less education and more social and as a result it cannot warrant its application within the educat

Domestic Violence And Its Effects Essay Example for Free

Domestic Violence And Its Effects Essay Domestic Violence And Its Effects Introduction            This essay the main women characters in ‘Trifles’ by Susan Glaspell and ‘Sweat’ by Zora Neale Thurston to explore domestic violence. The two plays form an ideal pair which explores domestic violence and its effects in the society. The essay considers how this issue is dramatized differently by Glaspell and Zora. By examining the two novels together, in the limelight of domestic violence and its impacts, the essayist will better discern, in relief, of the two plays achieve success and continues to fascinate the readers. Both novelists explore the relation between the legal narrative, official and illegitimate, suppressed stories, in which the females and the male’s version of conflict ascend over one another and the fate of women, determine their trials. In Trifles, the law is bent and the context of the women replaces the context of men in the court.            Domestic violence or emotional abuse is a behaviour used by one spouse to take control of the other. Forms of domestic abuse include sexual abuse, emotional, physical and economical, and can range from coercive, subtle forms of misuse to brutal physical abuse that may result to death or .disfigurement. Domestic violence affects those involved together with their substantial families, co-workers, friends and community at large. This crime affects children brought up in such families seriously. It subjects them to numerous physical and social problems. This creates a significant chance of increasing the risks of such children becoming the society’s next victims and abusers. The Trifle and the Sweat will give us a great opportunity of exploring some forms of domestic violence and their effects to the victims.            Susan Glaspell and Zora Neale Hurston lived during the early 1900s (Wagner-Martin, pp. 33). During this period, the role of the women in the society was being submissive to men as well as taking care of the domestic duties and responsibilities. This took place in all rural areas. Women hardly worked in order to support their families financially (Lupton, pp. 46). Their principal duties were to take care of children and attend other household duties. As a result, females were placed in the second class status where they were not considered as intelligent as men and were subjected to abuse. The two plays capture the struggles faced by women during this time. Males regard women in the plays with all the formulaic trappings in the setting of the rural American. Nevertheless, Glaspell and Hurston show women rarely fit the stereotype and should never be underestimated at all.            The society during this time had great influence on the way people lived, and could either liberate or oppress based on their standards of living. The society believed in the male superiority and women were oppressed and discontented with their lives. The women in the ‘Sweat’ and the ‘Trifles’ are alienated from their spouses as a result of traditional beliefs that dictate that women should be submissive, the males should dominate marriages, and the need of possessions to facilitate a happy marriage (Lupton, pp. 48).            The Sweat tells the story of a hero Delia Jones, who washes clothes for the whites in Florida town. She used to use the money she got to support her family (Hurston, pp.77). Nevertheless, Delia is married to an unkind man, Sykes. He is abusive to Delia, both physically and mentally. He has an affair with another lady and he uses the money earned by Delia to comfort his mistress. One day, he brings a rattle snake to his house in order to abuse Delia. Ironically, the snake kills him. As the play ends up the author makes the reader under that Delia does no effort to save the life of her abusive husband as he lay dying of bites inflicted by the snake.            Married women are unequally treated. They are required to do all domestic works and be submissive to their spouses. They are required to do things in order to please their husbands. Delia is abused by Sykes who physically beats her from time to time. As a result, domestic violence washes out the love between them. This is evident from the passive response of Delia when her husband suffers from the pains inflicted into his body by the rattle snake which he had brought into the house to abuse Delia. The narrator makes the theme clear by the reaction of Delia. Where there is abuse in marriage, suppressed parties will always want to revenge to the evil did by their husbands. Delia reacts with less concern about the pain her husband is going through as a way of revenging the abuse she has been going through the married life.            Domestic violence causes unfair treatment to the passive party. In the very beginning of the story, the writer makes the reader witness how women are used to attending all domestic chores. At this time, there were no employment opportunities for women more so the blacks. Nevertheless, Sykes is very unsympathetic to the needs of Delia who works for very little money in the laundry. He refuses to work and leaves his wife with all financial responsibilities. When Sykes tries to beat his wife, she says, Looka heah, Sykes, you done gone too far. Ah, been married to you fur fifteen years and Ah been takin in washing for fifteen years. Sweat sweat, sweat! Work and sweat, cry and sweat, pray and sweat! (Hurston, pp.89). This clearly shows that in families dominated by domestic families, the life is so unfulfilling to the spouse affected and there is no love for each other.            Marriages dominated by violence are subject to threats to each other. Sykes keeps on beating his wife and repeatedly uses threats such as â€Å"Don’t give me no lip neither, else Ah’ll throw em out and put ma fist upside yo head to boot. (Hurston, pp. 91). Ironically, the society knows what happening between the two spouses but they believe that what happens in marriages is too personal to question.            Domestic violence leads to unfaithfulness and hatred in marriages. The novel reveals that Sykes carries publicly affairs with another woman. To make the matters worse, he uses the hardly earned money by his wife to comfort the mistress. Sykes keeps on telling Delia that she is too thin and that his other partner is fatter, just to make Delia inferior to his mistress. One day as Delia comes from work she sees the two in a general store. Sykes publicly embarrasses her and says he has no problem with spending her wife’s hard earned money with his mistress. That very night she confronts her husband and the two confess hatred to one another. The author makes the reader understand that domestic violence is accompanied by hatred and misuse of one another. In the end, Delia revenges back in order to get the inner peace. When Delia is hiding in the hangar from the rattlesnake, Hurston writes, â€Å"A period of introspection, a space of retrospection, and then a mixt ure of both. Out of this an unpleasant calm. (Hurston, pp. 78) Possibly this is all Delia will ever find to pacify her soul.            Domestic violence is characterised by conflicts as seen in the case of Sykes and her wife. The conflict between the two starts when Delia brings her work in the house. Sykes is angered when he comes home and finds his wife sorting the cloths of her bosses. He verbally abuses her and tells her that he does not want the laundry in their home. He also attacks his wife on religious conviction. He wants her to respect the Sabbath day and keep it holy by not working. Delia tells him that her work caters for their home and wins them their daily bread. As a result, the author makes the reader understand that domestic violence makes parties not appreciate the roles of their spouses. They are always at the blame of each other and the marriage is dominated by criticism as evident in the marriage between Delia and Sykes.            Domestic violence leads to murderous deeds in marriages. As a result of the hatred, adulterous behaviours and abuse of one another the feeling of killing the abusive party enters into the other party. For instance, as Trifles opens, Henderson asks Mr. Hale to explain to him what happened. Mr. Hales responds by narrating a series of events which led to his discovery on murder, more so his conversation with Mrs. Wright, whom he found in the kitchenette with the body of his husband laying carelessly. He says, I was surprised; she did not ask me to come up to the stove, or to set down, but just sat there, not even looking at me, so I said, I want to see John. And then she-laughed (Glaspell, pp.37). The narrator makes it clear that Mrs. Wright never minds about the death of her husband as laughed at him when he demanded to see her husband. Glaspell presents Mrs. Wright as a woman who had no feminine hysteria behaviour.            Domestic violence leads to neglect of the spouses: Neglect can be said to be ignorance, or lack of giving proper attention to one another. Neglect is a major form of domestic abuse faced by many females today’s society. This form of abuse is rarely reported to the concerned authorities as women make mere excuses in regard to those behaviours. Mrs. Wright of Trifle though she is a fiction character suffers the neglect as many women of today. Before the marriage, she was known for her pretty dress which she used to attend to choir with. This personality depicted the confidence and respect she had for herself. After marriage, her life makes significant changes. She had no children and used to stay alone in the house that she occupied together with her husband. She used to stay at home alone for many hours attending family duties.            Domestic violence leads to suppression of the spouses: Where violence exists there is always suppression of another. This argument is supported by the two novels. In trifles, Mr. Wright suppresses and dominates his wife. The suppression makes her be unable to take part in society as she wished to. John Wring does not mind about how her wife thought or wished. The same suppression and the indifferences between the two can be seen as the possible drive for accusations made against Mrs. Wright for murdering her husband while in his sleep. References Ben-Zvi, Linda. ‘Murder, she wrote’: The genesis of Susan Glaspell’s Trifles. Theatre Journal 44.2 (1992): 141-162. Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Plays by Susan Glaspell. (1991). Hilton, Leon. Trifles, by Susan Glaspell. Women Performance: a journal of feminist theory 21.1 (2011): 147-149. Hurston, Zora Neale. Sweat. Rutgers University Press, 1997.Lupton, Mary Jane. Zora Neale Hurston and the Survival of the Female. The Southern Literary Journal (1982): 45-54. Wagner-Martin, Linda, and Cathy N. Davidson, Eds. The Oxford book of womens writing in the United States. Oxford University Press, 1999. Source document

Essays --

Medicare was designed as a universal healthcare program for individuals 65 years old and older. This program is funded by Medicare taxes and general federal funding withholding taxes. Medicare is a partnership between federal and state with the goal to provide medical insurance to the elderly that is poor and disabled. Generally all people who are 65 years or older and qualify for social security will automatically qualify for Medicare. There are four components to the Medicare program, part A, B, C and D. Part A of Medicare covers in patient hospital services; patients have a financial responsibility to cover a deductible that is equivalent to 1 day of hospitalization, thereafter cost is covered at 100 percent for a maximum of 60 days. This also includes nursing facilities, home and hospice care. Part B covers outpatient surgery and physician office visits. This is an elective component of Medicare in that there is a premium associated with this plan that is paid for directly through social security payments. Part C is know as Medicare Advantage and is a supplemental policy that is purchased directly from employers; one may be denied for health reasons depending one when the plan is acquired. Part D is prescription drug coverage that is eligible to all individuals that qualify for Medicare. Beneficiaries of the Medicare choose which prescription plan they want and pay a corresponding monthly premium. The increasing number of enrollees, new prescription drug benefit, Part B utilization and availability of enhanced technology has led to a rise in Medicare cost. Out of all the contributing factors of the rise in cost in Medicare, Part B utilizations have been a major cost driver. Thus far the affordable care act (ACA) has made... ...ple less than or equal to 133% of the FPL, starting 2014 eligibility will be expanded to people that are 138% or les of the FPL. Also the expansion will cover more parents and expand to adults who are childless. Fore states that choose to accept the expansion this means that they will have to cover more individuals in their Medicaid programs. The government will provide 100% funding for the first 3 years of the Medicaid expansion; thereafter the states will have to figure out how they will fund the program with the absence of federal funding. The stipulation with expanding Medicaid that after the three years are up the state cannot modify the program to not cover the expanding individuals. States that in financial ruins before the ACA, now with the expansion they will need to find alternative ways that will serve the same purpose as Medicaid in order to lower cost.

Cjs 200 Week 8 Violent Behavior Response

Violent Behavior Response Casie Thibeault CJS 200 November 23, 2012 University of Phoenix Violent Behavior Response In today’s society the behavior of inmates continues to get worse. Many inmates in prisons have violent behavior because they feel they have nothing to live for anymore especially when they get life in prison without parole. To many inmates they feel like it does not matter what they do because they are never going to leave prison anyway. Many prisons have gangs and when one first gets to prison they are told of all the rules that other inmates have made.The price for breaking these rules can be anywhere from having to beat up the biggest bad guy in jail to show ones dominance to having things taken from them. Many inmates will give up their food, money and even personal items just to be accepted or to not get hurt. Violent behavior among inmates and the prison staff is also a problem. Inmates tend to have attitude towards the staff because the staff holds them r esponsible for their crimes and expects them to follow the prison rules.Some inmates end up having relationships with the guards and the guards may let them do what they want as long as they get a cut of whatever the inmate may be doing illegally. Usually as long as an inmate gets their way then they will be friendly with the staff members. Many staff members treat the inmates with respect and the respect is returned. I believe if the staff treats the inmates with respect and not like scum because of their crime this also helps stop violent behavior.Some of the strategies for responding to violent behavior are to put one who has violent behavior in solitary confinement, adding more time to their sentence that they have, or even loosing privileges such as going outside to receiving mail from friends and family. Most people who are incarcerated don’t want to be there any longer than they have to and they just want to serve out their sentence without having any problems. The mor e violent ones behavior is will determine how much longer their sentence will last.If a prisoner has violent behavior all the time they are more likely to be incarcerated longer than they need to be. If the inmates had things to do, and could take classes and earn a degree or do something with their life while they are in jail it would give them hope for when they are free. I truly believe that it is all based on respect. If the inmates can learn to respect one another and respect the staff that is only doing their jobs, the prison system would have less violent behavior going on.

The CPD Certification Service

2.8.1 AnalysisThis cycle implies that CPD should arise from a need analysis which could be taken care of during the need identification. Analysis is the process of identifying priorities in the way by assessing what has been done effectively and what we went to improve for the coming in our institution with cooperative participation of stakeholders. Similarly we can identify individual needs with assessment of our strengths and weakness prioritizing them in the order high achievement performed in short period of time comes first. When we identify the school need questioner is distributed for stakeholders and gathered the response of questioners. This activity includes self assessment, peer review, annual appraisal, and selection of school CPD priorities by the school based CPD stake holders: the principals, CPD facilitators, teachers, department heads, head teachers and Woreda or zone experts (MoE, 2009 ). Thus, any CPD plan should be based on certain evidence than proposing it based on common sense or on no ground.2.8.2. PlanningPlanning is part of the school based CPD cycle, which is developed annually by the CPD stakeholders of every educational institution preceded by prioritizing the issue identified by the analysis process. Once the development need has been identified, a programme, specifically designed to meet that need, can be prepared (Dejenie Nigussie 2013). The CPD plan can be prepared individually or institutionally with details of events and timings set up in the CPD module (MoE, 2009). Individual CPD plan is developed annually based on the priorities of the individual teacher and institution. After individual annual CPD action plan is approved by principals it will kept in the teacher's professional portfolio and used as a guide for the type of information and evidence collected during the year (Desalegn, 2010). Each institution should develop an annual CPD plan on the bases of the issues identified by the need analysis process.2.8.3 DoingDoing is one part of the stapes of CPD cycle. Once we have already plan what, when and how to be do in the planning process, applying what we have already written in the plan become the next activity. Effective implementation of the planned activities highly determines the achievement of CPD goal. Some of the â€Å"Do† cycle activities include: curriculum meetings, demonstration lessons, planning lessons together, peer observation, observation of lessons and feedback, observation of students in lessons, talking to students, assessment of students work before and after the CPD activity, marking of students work, giving feedback and advice for development, and investigating a teacher action research, professional reading and research, visiting schools and teachers to see examples of good practices, sharing showing good practices within a school, maintaining

Napoleon I essays

Napoleon I essays Napoleon was born August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. This small, yet gallant figure was initially a fiercely independent Corsican, not a Frenchman as most would believe him to be. His areas of achievement were government, politics, and military. He was a strong leader during the French Revolution. He was very eager and determined to fight battles and win them. Sometimes, he was extremely stubborn. One of his most prestigious actions was when Napoleon crowned himself not the pope. Napoleon was the second of eight children of Charles Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte, both of the Corsican-Italian gentry. Not one member of the family was a professional soldier. Napoleon was always a little boy and man. When he was young, he often had little play fights with the other Corsican boys and he would often lead his troops to victory. Napoleon was educated at Brienne and the Ecole Militaire, (French for military school) in Paris. Napoleon graduated in 1785, at the age of sixteen. Then he joined the artillery as a 2nd lieutenant. His initial goal was to help Corsica, not France. In 1796, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals and forced Austria and its allies to make peace. During his tenure in northern Italy, he founded the Cisalpine Republic and strengthened his position in France by sending millions of francs worth of treasure to the government. It was a morale boost to a nation cast in anarchy. Napoleon led an expedition to Egypt, ruled by the Turks, to cripple at British trade with the East. Despite his success in the Middle East, British Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed his fleet, which left he and his army stranded. Napoleon took the chance to enhance his political skills by reforming the Egyptian government, abolishing serfdom, and feudalism. He also guaranteed basic rights for the citizens. Culturally, Napoleon brought Fr...

Developing a Social Media Strategy

Developing a Social Media Strategy Introduction Coca-Cola Company is a manufacturer of soft drinks and has several lines of products with its own sub brands. This company operates globally and currently occupies more than 70% of the soft drinks market share in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and other continents (Treadaway, 2010). The brand ‘Coca-Cola’ was recently ranked the strongest brand in the world.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Developing a Social Media Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is a household name when it comes to refreshments. Coca-Cola, an American firm, has managed to maintain its market lead ahead of its main rival, Pepsi-cola even in the face of the worst economic conditions. Through its many product lines, the main brand has continued to experience a market growth even in countries that had regarded it a symbol of America’s dominance over the world (Kotler, 2003). Social media has increasingly become popular in the world. Technology is moving very fast and with it are several changes in the communication sector. This super brand requires a massive awareness creation not just to its new sub-brands like Dasani, but also the older ones like Fanta. Conventional forms of mass media like newspapers, radios and television are still very vital forms of creating this awareness. However, with emergence of social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, communication is getting a new definition. A brand like Coca-cola cannot afford the consequences of assuming such new dynamics. The youths form a substantial portion of the target market for this brand. Statistics has it that well over 85% of youths in America and Europe are using these social Medias, either through their personal computers or through mobile phones. In Asia, 70% are on social media while Africa has 65% on it (Falkow, 2010). The middle-aged group is not left behind. Having realized the importance of social media, C oca-cola has embarked on a massive investment in it (Armstrong, Harker, Kotler Brannan, 2009). On 10 January 2010, the company rolled out an ambitious plan on social media strategy and policy. This policy was to ensure that it reaches out to as many of its customers currently on social media as it possibly could. This policy also saw it reduce its annual expenditure on other mass media by up to 6.6% by March 2010 in order to increase its investment in the social media (Times Business, 2010). All this is aimed at restructuring the company’s marketing strategy to enable the brand stay conspicuous in the market.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competitor Analysis Coca-cola brand has remained strong even in the face of stiff market competition. There are several brands offering similar products as it does across the world, but one brand has managed to caus e Coca-cola a scare in the American and overseas markets. This brand is Pepsi-cola. Started over a century ago, this North American brand has grown to become a darling company to many in the U.S. and other markets overseas. Its sub-brands like Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Naked Juice, and Aquafina among others are very strong in the market. Its iced tea, which is ready to drink, is one of the best selling products in North America’s beverage industry. This brand has realized the potential in the emerging social media and has taken well-calculated steps to tap from it. Pepsi Cola Company can easily be accessed through various social Medias. On Facebook, it can be accessed through https://www.facebook.com/pepsi, in Twitter through @pepsi, while on YouTube the link is  https://www.youtube.com/user/Pepsi/Pepsi (Andreasen, 2001). Time Business (2010) reported on Pepsi’s unusual withdrawal from the popular Super Bowl. Over the years, this sport has acted as a form of mass me dia advertisement to many corporations, Pepsi included. However, last year this brand withdrew from it in order to put more focus on social media, arguing that it is long gone, those days when mass media was regarded as the sole form of reaching customers. This company has decided to reach its customers through these social media and this has seen it penetrate some markets that it previously considered too hostile. This approach has worked for it. The presence of Pepsi brand in both the American and overseas markets are currently heavy enough to make it offer its main rival- Coca-cola, a proper challenge (Falkow, 2010). The youth can access the company’s site and get any information they may require about the brands market offerings. In as much as Pepsi has gone to great length in application of social media, there have been some instances when some of its strategies have been considered ineffective. Its departure from the mass media is so sudden, and the approach it gives so cial media is near unrealistic (Evance, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Developing a Social Media Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More An initially Brick, Moter, and Moter company like Pepsi cannot apply internet marketing as a near pure marketing strategy for its products. It therefore should reconsider its attitude towards mass marketing. Social Media Objectives Coca Cola’s entry into the social media is motivated by the fact that majority of their target market currently access the internet almost on a daily basis. The interactivity of these social medias also make them the best sites for the customers to get information about the firm, other than the fixed form of communication offered by mass media. This brand had objectives it wanted achieved by this entry as discussed below. Coca-cola wanted to create a large community of evangelists. These individuals have used the brand’s prod uct; and were thrilled by it. By creating accessibility through mass media, these individuals can easily share their experience with others. These evangelists can easily direct others who had not used the product before to the brands site. From this site, others can access their informational needs about the products offered by the brand. The company also wanted to involve customers in their product creation. The social media offers the best way through which the company and the customers can interact in an effort to creating products, which are to the expectations of the market. Another objective was to increase brand awareness. These social sites offer the best opportunity for a company to create awareness to its new sub-brands. Customers access these sites almost on a daily basis. By reaching out for them through these sites, the brand is able to conquer larger markets at a faster pace. Dasani, a relatively new sub-brand, can gain awareness in the market by use of social media li ke You Tube whose membership runs to millions. Lastly, this brand was motivated by the desire to increase its sales volume. Through the social media, the brands sales volume could be increased by maintaining a positive image with its customers. The company can ensure that the customer is constantly informed about the brand and any misconceptions are ironed out immediately they arise.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The main objective of coca-cola company is to be the preferred market provider of soft drinks in the American and overseas markets. The above-mentioned brand objectives in developing social media strategy align well with this objective as they try to assert the brands presence in the market. Platforms Coca-cola brand is already known in the market. It therefore requires a platform that is efficient and effective. The platform should also be relevant. One platform that will be appropriate in this case will be Facebook. This platform offers a large community through which, this brand can reach the customers. Currently Facebook hosts over 4 million users across the world (Treadaway, 2010). By introducing this brand as a community member, we are able to conquer the market that is already consuming this social media. Most of those accessing this site do it to communicate with friends for pleasure. Coca Cola’s brand should therefore be positioned as a product for pleasure so that i t fits in this context. With the company’s profile in this community, we can send and receive custom-made communications from Coca Cola’s ‘friends’ across the world. This strategy enables the customers to be in position to deliver to us a personalized communication about Coca Cola’s brand. The approach creates the sense of belonging among customers. It develops an attachment, as the customer will feel that they are part of the firm, and the brand is their property that should be developed. This strategy also enables the firm to send direct communications to the members of the community about new developments in the products without their message being regarded as spam. In this platform, the firm would create a forum where individuals from across the world are free to discuss with the firm about their feelings over the company’s brand offering. They can tell the firm of the adjustments they feel should be made in the products or even the prici ng strategy. Another platform is twitter. Created in March 2006, this social network currently serves over 200 million users. As compared to Facebook, Twitter has received a lesser attention from many of firms seeking social media marketing. This means that it has a vast potential that is untapped. With the growth projected to be double its current size by the end of 2013, Coca Cola’s brand can make an early entry so that it secures its place and experience growth as it expands. Like Facebook, Twitter has gained acceptance from across the world. With its features that enable users to send and receive messages via their mobile phones or through twitter websites, twitter has gained fame at a pace that even the technology author, Steven Johnson had not predicted. It is currently ranked third most visited social media. The brand can develop a niche in this market and position itself as the brand that understands the requirement of its customers. Unlike Twitter, that has majority of its users as youths, older society members’ access twitter. This brings up an opportunity for the brand to reach out to the market segment that was left out by Facebook. Moreover, the communication in this media can be custom made to attract the aged. We can bring out the refreshing aspect of black current sub-brand, or the healthy mineral water- Dasani. The other platform that could work for Coca-Cola is the You Tube. This social media is rated second most visited, only after Facebook. Engagement Plan The main aim of developing this strategy is to develop sustainability for Coca Cola’s brand. The customer is the focus and increased sales the company’s main target. For this reason therefore, customers must be actively engaged in order to achieve the most out of this strategy. The main advantage of social media over the conventional mass media is that it facilitates interactivity. By joining a community like twitter, this brand is open to criticism from custom ers that will enable it adjust its products appropriately. They can also respond to some criticism that may be misguided by providing the right information to the market. By engaging search engines like Flikr or Google, the firm allows customers to access information about the brand in real time. This will require that the company provide such engines with as much information as may be necessary so that customers will access them. Coca Cola seeks to create a forum where all stakeholders can easily interact with one another with the aim of fostering interactive community. Members in this community can only work properly if they are able to communicate freely with each other. Consumers make a very important part of a company. The Coca-cola brand needs to know the requirements in the market in order to fine-tune its products (Jarboe, 2009). When management assumes this approach, there will be a direct positive relation in the sales volume. According to Klein (2009), customers must be i nvolved in the implementation of key strategies so that the outcome will be acceptable in the market. He argues that customers’ opinion is should be taken care of in order to create harmony in the market. Challenges and Considerations The strategy to give marketing an approach from social media was timely and well calculated. The brand has managed to double its market share in countries such as Israel and Comoros Island, regions where sales were not very attractive. However, this has not been without challenges. Some of the major challenges faced in the implementation of this strategy are as follows. Freedom found in the social media: This factor is a double aged sword. On one end, it helps the brand get first hand information about their feeling towards our product without any editing. On the other end, it allows individuals say anything about the brand, some of which may hurt our sales. A competitor can therefore take advantage of this and spread negative communication abou t us. This message will spread so fast that by the time we are able to respond, it would be a little too late. This freedom to communicate to us about their feeling on our brand positioning can also be abused. Coca Cola relies on this communication in order to come up with a marketing strategy that is acceptable in the market. If this information is misleading- which may be the case- then the company’s actions in the market may be counterproductive. The company’s team must therefore screen the information and eliminate any issues that may mislead the applied marketing team (Andreasen, 2001). Social media is not all-inclusive: A market segment that is left out which comprises the elderly. This group is not enthusiastic about the wonders brought by technology. Another group not covered by the social media is the rural dwellers, especially in the rural set-up. They make a substantial portion of the market and for the prosperity of our brand; we cannot afford to assume the m. This calls for application of other means like the mass media, which comes at an extra cost (Kurtz, 2008). Another serious challenge we face by application of this strategy is the fact that many people still regard social media as a preserve for youths who are lazy and use these sites to pass time the easy way. They do not appreciate the potential posed by the social media and therefore any communication made through them draws not, their attention. They believe that such communication is targeted at such youths and they will therefore assume them. For them, a company like Coca-cola should consider other ‘serious’ means in order to communicate with them. This sends us back to mass media where this market segment can be accessed. Another challenge with the social media the firm integrated into the marketing strategy was content limitation. These social media have character limitation. Twitter can only accommodate 144 characters, and this means that our messages will b e limited to that. The graphics that are very important in marketing may also be applied as easily as it would be in mass media. This limitation forces the marketing department to look for alternative means so that the right message reaches the market. Hackers pose another serious challenge. They can access our wall in these social media and post information that damages our public image. The technical team must therefore keep an eye on such possible threats (Thomases, 2010). Timeline This strategy is expected to take a period of three months. Within this time, the strategy should be up and running as part of Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy. The first one and a half month should see the introduction into and successful operation in the Facebook. Being the largest social media and our first choice, the firm will give it the longest period. Within this period, the firm will create our profile, develop our wall in Facebook, and test the responsiveness of the market. Through this, the firm will be able to adjust as may be necessary. The second platform, twitter will take three weeks and will follow the steps that were used in the first platform, and lastly you tube will come in the last three weeks. Within this timeline, the firm hopes to achieve an effective social media strategy. Conclusion Social media has developed over the past few years and this growth is expected to continue for several years to come. With this new development, marketers around the world must redefine their marketing strategy and give a new approach to the manner in which they reach their target market. This calls for a development of a Social Media Strategy that would enable brands like Coca-cola to tap from the massive potential offered in the social media. Coca-cola has realized this and developed the strategy discussed in this paper so that it can successfully reach its customers. This strategy allows the marketing department interacts actively with the market so that its approach is customer based. Through this, the marketing department is able to advice both the production and the quality control departments of what is expected of them so that their products are to the expectations of the market. This way, the brand will experience growth in its market share not just in the American markets but also markets abroad. Social media offers this brand opportunity to remain conspicuous in the market. 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