5 Inspirational Books for Teen Writers

5 Inspirational Books for Teen Writers 5 Inspirational Books for Teen Writers 5 Inspirational Books for Teen Writers By Mark Nichol A site visitor requested from me a roster of books that teenagers should read before they graduate from high school. However, I never strove to work my way through the literary classics (whatever they are), so any list I compile may seem deficient to those who believe that doing so will prepare young people to be great writers. The truth is, any compilation will be of some value, especially if the collection consists of stories that speak to the adolescent’s hopes and fears about entering the adult realm. What I offer here is a selection from the books I have read mostly since graduating from high school, because I was not a flashlight-under-the-covers bookworm (until later, that is) that I found memorable because of their emotional resonance. Each one of these stories is also distinguished by a distinctive style prospective young novelists should not seek to imitate but will be inspired by. (One more thing: You’re never too old to read or find inspiration in any of these books.) 1. His Dark Materials Perhaps better known by the titles of its constituent parts The Golden Compass (originally published in the United Kingdom as The Northern Lights), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman’s complex fantasy trilogy pits a plucky young girl and her allies against sinister forces fomenting conflict around the discovery of a mysterious substance known as Dust. These remarkably imaginative and inventive stories have been criticized for their antireligious sentiments, but they should be applauded for their championing of intellectual liberty. They also eloquently demonstrate that world-building doesn’t require science fiction hardware, or heroic-fantasy trappings such as multitudinous races and creatures. The quest, the talisman, the helpers all the fantasy tropes are here, but in original guises. 2. The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer writes young-adult fiction that not-so-young adults will find challenging, too. In this story set in the near future, a boy growing up in a sovereign opium-growing state carved out of land formerly belonging to United States and Mexico learns the unsettling truth about his identity and sets out defy the dictates of others and control his own destiny. The House of the Scorpion deals with mature themes without being graphic or grim, but it’s laden with dark thoughts and deeds. It also demonstrates how a young protagonist can realistically navigate the grown-up world. 3. I, Claudius This faux autobiography of the titular Roman emperor by the late British novelist and poet Robert Graves has a fascinating premise: Although Claudius is physically disabled, he is highly intelligent and savvy enough to play the fool to survive perilous palace intrigue. The story of a life spent negotiating a treacherous world is heartbreaking and masterfully narrated. It’s a sophisticated tale, but one accessible to younger readers and engrossing as the protagonist strives to avoid dangerous confrontations and deadly plots. 4. The Shadow of the Wind Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Gafon’s gothic melodrama is the saddest story I have ever read a perfect package of romantic angst for hormone-addled adolescents. The story, masterfully translated by Lucia Graves (daughter of esteemed British author Robert Graves), follows a young bibliophile who becomes enmeshed in an ongoing tragedy involving a failed writer. Saturated with a brooding atmosphere, The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph of style laid over a bedrock of substance. 5. Watership Down In this novel, British novelist and poet Richard Adams creates a modern but timeless myth. Employing anthropomorphized but generally naturally behaving rabbits as protagonists, he sends a band of wanderers off from their doomed dwelling place to seek a new home. Along the way, they face perils from predators and fellow lagomorphs (the latter providing fodder for subtle political allegory) while occasionally stopping to hear their resident storyteller regale them with tales about a legendary trickster hero named El-ahrairah. Adams deftly manages to produce a Homeric epic in which familiar animals substitute for humans without compromising the dignity the characters must possess to appeal to discerning readers. The neat invention of a mischievous, resourceful god for a culture whose members are beset by countless types of predators (El-ahrairah means â€Å"Prince with a Thousand Enemies†) is a masterstroke that serves as an inspiration to writers who wish to incorporate an internal mythology to their story’s milieu. Make sure to check 20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting as well, which is a list we published a while ago. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with HeartThe Six Spellings of "Long E"20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting

55 Easy Ways To Write Headlines That Will Reach Your Readers

55 Easy Ways To Write Headlines That Will Reach Your Readers According to Copyblogger, 8 out of 10 people will read a headline. However,  only two  out of 10 tend to proceed to read the rest of your content. Yikes, right? This is really  important to understand  before you publish  your content. Even if your content is  truly unique and innovative, a weak headline will ruin its chances of being super successful. Fortunately, data and analytics can  help you  write great headlines that will instantly capture the attention of your readers. Heres your  ultimate guide to write  a great headline, backed by research. 55 Easy Ways To Write A #Headline That Will Get The Best Results Understanding How To Write Headlines Well 1. Write At Least 25 Headlines For Every  Piece Of Content Your headline  makes your first impression with readers. A strong headline can drive more clicks. A weak one can send traffic away. That's why it's important to spend time getting them right. Upworthy's well-publicized process suggests writing 25 headlines per blog post.  That might sound like a lot. However, if anything, you could consider this the bare minimum. Some will be better than others. Some, in fact, will be downright terrible. That's okay though. You have to burn through bad ideas before you can find what works. 2. Use The Headline Analyzer It's not enough to guess at what a good headline looks like, though. You need a data-backed way to sort winners from losers. This is where the Headline Analyzer comes in: 1. Type in a few different headline options. 2. The Headline Analyzer will list them for easy comparison purposes. 3. Scroll down to find your Score and Word Balance. The  Headline Analyzer is also built right into your  social media calendar in to help you write the best headlines right where you  organize everything else. Recommended Reading:  25 Scientifically Proven Ways To Write Better Headlines For Your Blog 3. Focus Your Headlines On Helping Instead Of Telling Have a look at the most popular Google searches- they're mostly about solving a problem in the easiest and fastest way. This Mashable post entitled, "How to Pay, Exercise and Take Photos Using Apple Watch", gained more than 1,500 shares- mainly because it addresses an issue owners of this cutting-edge device find relevant to their experience. Pro Tip: "How to" headlines get you instant bonus points with 's Headline Analyzer. 4. Suggest The Best Way To Do Something Successful headlines connect  with common searches and address a real target audience looking for the most effective strategies for solving their problem. Content  starting with "The best way to..." has the potential to go viral super quickly. Look at this article  from Entrepreneur entitled, "The Best Ways to Do Market Research for Your Business Plan"- it was shared more than 6,000 times! Pro Tip: Headlines with "best" and "better" also score higher with 's Headline Analyzer. 5. Give Advice For Improvement Instead of persuading your readers  to do something, show them why it's worth the time to do it.  Addressing the reasons and motivations of your readers  serves as the  basis for a really powerful message. Consider this extremely popular post  entitled, "Why You Should Forget Facebook". The headline promises to resolve the cognitive dissonance it creates. After all, why should anyone want to ignore the largest social network? A headline like this one practically guarantees traffic. 6. Provide Solid Evidence To Support A  Claim There's nothing more powerful than the "Backed By Science" claim. Insights derived from research are considered more accurate, relevant, and attractive. Have a look at this post from Inc.com on "10 Productivity Strategies Backed By Science". It has  more than 1,100 shares- primarily because readers consider scientific findings credible. Headlines Backed By Science Get The Best Results7. Share Your Experience "What I learned" is another great headline strategy. Speaking to your readers  from experience, you'll not only gain their trust, but also promise a solution that really works. A striking example of this kind of content  is "What I Learned from Being a Broke, Unemployed Graduate"  published on Entrepreneur. That article's  19,000+ shares speak for themselves. 8. Avoid Clickbait The era of clickbait supremacy is over. Audiences have caught on. If your headline over-promises and under-delivers (which clickbait does 100% of the time), readers will leave disappointed. 9. Ensure Your Headline Aligns With Your  Content Your headline should accurately reflect the angle of your content. Ask yourself these two questions: What's the point of this content? What  is the most important point this content  makes? If your headline doesn't address each of these points, it's time to start over. 10. Include Numbers In List Headlines Writing a list? Include how many items it includes right away. This gives readers a clear idea of what to expect. 11. Experiment With Open- And Closed-Ended Questions Open-ended questions  are great for encouraging discussion (e.g. When Are The Absolute Best Times To Send Email?). Closed-ended questions, meanwhile, are effective for inspiring curiosity (e.g. Do You Send Email At The Absolute Best Times?). Test each to see what performs best for you. 12. Hint At Something Interesting Leave out just enough detail to get readers interested (without falling into the clickbait trap). For example, something like, "This New Car Door Design Is Changing The Game", might get an audience interested in knowing exactly how that hypothetical car door design works. 13. State A  Problem (And Offer A  Solution) It can be tough to stoke a problem and offer a solution in one headline. However, when done well, this technique can offer a solid emotional one-two punch. Here's a great example from Fast Company: It introduces a problem (one that readers might not even recognize as a problem). It then promises to show what the solution might be. 14. Include A  Stat People love to see numbers in headlines. This is especially true when they seem difficult to believe. If you have a powerful stat in your content  (like in this example), put it in your headline. 15. Know Your Audience Make sure you know who your real audience is, and understand what their interests are. You can do this with a little bit of research in Google Analytics. 16. Speak Like Your Audience, Too Use words and language your audience uses. That includes the same types of jargon and technical terminology. You can get a sense of how your audience talks and what words they use simply by participating in social media conversations with them. 17. Be Relevant And Topical The best written headline is useless if your audience doesn't care. Craft headline copy that targets relevant topics and discussions happening in your industry or niche. Likewise, avoid straying onto topics outside of your scope. 18. Aim For Headline Analyzer Scores Of 70 Or Higher Anything lower needs improvement. Holding yourself to this standard will ensure you write more effective headlines. Understand How Emotions Impact Headlines This  study  from  Moz shows that readers  like content  that is  either understated and features up to one superlative word or goes overboard with superlatives to  show why the content is worth reading. What does it mean for you? If you want your content  to go viral, your headline must be located at one of those two extremes; otherwise it won't catch anyone's attention. Here are some words invoking both positive and negative sentiments: 19. Understand What Word Balance Means The Headline Analyzer breaks down words into four categories. Common:  These are words frequently used in English. They're recognizable and easy to read terms. Uncommon:  These phrases are used less frequently in common English. They're effective for creating intrigue. Emotional:  Hit your readers right in the feels. Literally. These words drive action by targeting desired emotions. Power:  These words inspire feelings of motivation and empowerment. For examples of each category, download the Headline Analyzer tear sheet included in this post. 20. Use Positive Superlatives For A  Strong, Emotional Headline Positive superlatives that will help you in headline writing are as follows: best, always, fastest, easiest, most, greatest, largest, funniest, hottest, strongest, biggest, ever, perfect, top. 21. Try Negative Superlatives To Draw On Fear And Doubt A study by Outbrain showed that headlines featuring negative superlatives performed 30% better than those with positive superlatives. What are negative superlatives? Never, worst, nothing, no one, no way, by no means, none. Featuring words like stop, avoid, or don't in your headline is a good idea, too. Pro Tip: Use the Headline Analyzer to understand whether your headline's sentiment is positive or negative. Neutral headlines tend to perform worse than extremely positive or negative headlines. 22. Front-Load Your Headline Structure Make sure that your superlative- whether it's positive or negative- is always at the front of your headline. "7 Worst Mistakes Of Young Startups" sounds much better than "7 Mistakes Made by Young Startups That Are Worst". 23. Going Extreme Can Be Worth It This study from Startup Moon showed that using aggressive or violent words like kill, fear, and  dead actually generates more social shares.  If these expressions fit your context and aren't offensive to anyone, use them to draw even more emotion from your readers. Recommended Reading:  Proof That Emotional Headlines Get Shared More On Social Media 24. Be Careful With Humor Like avoiding ambiguity, avoid puns or jokes. Your headline must be understandable outside of its context. 25. Invoke Urgency Is your content  time-sensitive? Use words that inspire urgency. For example,  say you're writing about an upcoming event with a registration deadline. Something like, "Register For Our Webinar Before Time Runs Out", lets readers know they're on the clock. 26. Make The Unbelievable A  Reality If your content  includes something strange but true, use that to your advantage. For example, an article about  55 kids playing soccer against two pro soccer stars  deserves a hyped up headline. If your content  is good enough, your headline will sell the story without resorting to cheap clickbait tactics. Understand Ideal Headline Lengths A  Kissmetrics study shows that readers tend to absorb only the first three words and the last three words of a headline. Keeping a headline no longer than six words will help readers  easily process it and reduce the interaction cost involved in grasping its meaning. If you can't limit your headline to six words, bear in mind that it's the first and last words that count most. Use this knowledge to your advantage by including attractive keywords in these places. Here's what to  remember when writing your headline: 27. Understand The Media Types Where You'll Use Your Headline The length of your headline depends on what you want to do with it- different lengths work for different media like emails, social networks, search engines, and language engagement. 28. Avoid Ambiguity And Get To The Point If you want to follow the traditional strategy, write headlines that are information and keyword-rich, match the expectations of your target audience, and are understandable even when taken out of context. This also means keeping them relatively brief (if possible). Use keywords at the beginning of headlines, then get to the point with as few words as possible.29. Know The Best Length For Your Language If you want your headline to perform well, consider the following for English: It should be between 60–100 characters and 16–18 words long. Remember that every language has its own rules- only testing can unveil what really works. Recommended Reading:  What Really Is The Best Headline Length? How Do Your Headlines Appear? Moz also surveyed their respondents about their headline capitalization preferences. And guess what? Apparently, 21% of them admitted that they liked to be shouted at with headlines written in capital lettering. If you want to go for a safer approach, just capitalize your words in title case- 64% of respondents reported to like this. 30. Choose A  Strong Typeface Choose a font that has a strong visual impact and a personality but also fits the body text. Here's a guide from CrazyEgg to help you find the right font. 31. Size Your Headlines To Stand Out Make your headline visibly larger than body text. Its size can make it really eye-catching, even when pushed to extreme. According to a study by Smashing Magazine, most of the best blogs' most popular headline sizes range from 20–36 pixels, or about 2.5 times larger than your body copy. 32. Use Color To Grab Attention 67% of people say black is the best choice  to help them comprehend the content, but other tints can add some contrast and visual interest. 67% of your readers say black headlines help them easily comprehend your message.That study covered by  Cutting Edge PR found 17% of people like bright colored headlines and another 52% say dark colored headlines make for good comprehension. 33. Align Your Headlines For The Biggest Impact Centered headlines are most powerful visually, left-centered are more conservative and formal. Avoid justifying headline type- it can lead to bad lettering. Recommended Reading:  The Perfect Blog Post: Simpler Is Better Polish Your Headlines With Google Your headlines deserve to be found. Here's how to use Google to sharpen your headlines and ensure you optimize  them  for SEO. 34. Write For Search Engines To Help Your Readers Find Your Content Search engines will favor headlines that are shorter than 70 characters  (which is relevant if your title tag is the same as your headline). Make sure your headline includes your target keyword as well. 35. Find Words Your Readers Are Looking For With The Keyword Planner Use Google Keyword Planner to understand the  search terms your target audiences look for. Google's official support documentation explains how to use it. 36. Try Using A Suggested Search Term In Your Headline Just type the first words of your headline to see whether the auto-fill suggestions are similar to it. Ubersuggest is an easy, free tool that surfaces actual autocomplete data: 37. Look For Related Search Terms This list appears at the bottom of your search page and shows you what terms are  related to the one you typed. That feature helps people shake up  their searches to find relevant and related information. Recommended Reading:  An SEO Driven Approach To Content Marketing: The Complete Guide 38. Narrow Your Search Results Google Advanced Search will help you to narrow down your search results to see trends for a given region, language, and  time frame. Keep Your Headlines Crisp And Clear Readers prefer explicit headlines that clearly state what they're going to get from reading the content. Headlines featuring numbers- used extensively by a viral content platform, BuzzFeed- appeal to 34% of readers. List posts also get some of the most shares of any content type. With that in mind, here is how to write a headline with clarity: 39. Use "You" To Address Your Readers Address your  reader as you.  This simply grabs your readers' attention and helps them relate the headline to their personal experience. 40. Promise A  Solution To A  Problem Use that will, to, and so  in your headlines. This kind of headline already promises a certain value to be taken from reading the content. Think about how powerful these headlines sound: 41. Help Your Readers See A  Better Future For Themselves Think about this headline for a minute: "How To Do ___ That Will Help You  ___". That headline- and others like it- clearly states the purpose of the content  and boosts its accuracy in tackling one specific action or problem. 42. Keep It Simple Readers skim on the web, whether on social media, their email inboxes, or in search results. Use simple headlines with clear language to hook their attention fast. Overly complex headlines may get passed over if they're too difficult to read. 43. Simple Doesn't Have To Mean Generic (Don't Be Generic) Generic  headlines get buried and forgotten. If you wouldn't read an article based on a headline you wrote, scrap it and write more until you score a winner. Pro Tip: The Headline Analyzer will tell you when you write a generic headline. 44. Be Specific Narrowly focus on  the one topic your content  is about. Consider the main point and benefit of your post, and get granular by  telling your readers exactly what your content  contains. For example, "How To Write Headlines Better" is less specific than "30 Ways To Write More Emotional Headlines." 45. Avoid Passive Voice Use active instead of passive voice. Active is easier to understand when scanning for interesting headlines. For example,  turn a passive headline like "30 E-Books Written By Astronauts" headlines into "30 Astronauts Wrote 30 E-Books To Help You Become A Better Leader". Recommended Reading:  These Lazy Writing Mistakes May Be Turning Off Your Readers 46. Include Words That Reference Additional Content If your blog post includes an infographic, guide, template, or other downloadable content, reference it in your headline. This gives readers added incentive to click, and provides more detail about the content your blog post includes. Here's a recent example on our own blog: How To Build A Social Media Editorial Calendar The Easy Way (Free Template). Know Your Competition (And Beat Them) If you've ever wondered how much content is created daily, here's your answer: According to A Day in the Internet infographic by MBA Online, 2 million new blog posts, 294 billion emails, and  864,000 hours of videos are uploaded to the Internet  every single day. This means that you're competing against lots of content. Being aware of such a degree of competition should only help you to work harder on your headlines and make them stand out from the crowd. Here's how to make sure your headlines are better than those of your competition: 47. Differentiate Your Headlines From The Competition Research what your competitors are doing. Identify the expressions, keywords, and phrases your competitors use in their content. From there, you will understand how to make your headlines stand out. For example, review your competition quickly for the 46  previous points (skim through their headlines with this information in mind), then brainstorm how to write headlines that will trump theirs. Research competition's headlines, then brainstorm how to brand yours for industry recognition.48. Publish Headlines That Brand Your Content Make it easy for searchers to identify key differences between your content and the stuff  other people publish- otherwise you risk inducing a choice fatigue. If you feel like your headlines sound exactly what may publish on a competitor's  site, write  25 more headlines and choose one with the most unique angle. Imagine the possibilities if a reader could read your headline and know it's your content just by its tone. That's the goal you should aim for. 49. Try Headline Ideas You Haven't Experimented With Before Be creative! Don't be afraid of testing new content on your audience. Even if your headline doesn’t bring a lot of traffic, you may get new ideas on what might. Recommended Reading: 43 Data-Driven Headline Ideas From 1,000 Of The Most Popular Posts 50. Use Social Media For Simple A/B Testing Twitter makes quick and easy A/B testing easy. Simply try writing two different headlines, and use them as tweets to promote your content. Make sure each headline includes a different variable (for example, one could be negative, and the other positive). Then, see which performs best. Over time, you'll develop a clear picture of what clicks with your audience. 51. Contradict Common Wisdom Is there a commonly accepted "truth" you want to challenge? Write a headline that clearly contradicts it. Try something like, "Why {Insert Action} Doesn't Actually Help {Insert Benefit}". These types of headlines can generate a lot of attention (as long as you have data and evidence to support your counter-claim). Repurpose, Repurpose, Repurpose Great headlines deserve to be read. In fact, they deserve to be read more than once. These tips will teach  you how to repurpose them for maximum mileage. 52. Recycle Your Old Ideas With New Headlines And Angles Recycle your content. A  great evergreen piece of content can be easily recycled under a different headline based on thorough research meant to broaden the gap between you and your competition. 53. Consider Every Platform Where Your Headline May Appear It's likely your content  will be shared on social media. It'll probably be in your email newsletter, too. Try to write headlines that can easily be adjusted for multiple formats (such as social media posts and email subject lines). 54. Try Alternative Headlines For Social Media What works well for a blog post might not work as well on social media.  Consider writing alternative headlines to promote blog posts across various social channels. This can also be an easy way to test different types of messaging to see what resonates most with your audience. 55. Condense Headlines For Email Headlines that perform well in emails are usually around 50 characters long and feature the strongest words at their beginning. The Headline Analyzer can help with this. First, enter a headline. Then, scroll down to find the section pictured below: Recommended Reading: This Is The Way To Write Email Subject Lines That Get More Clicks Go Forth  And Write Better Headlines Now The data from this post  proves that headlines are crucial for getting your content read, increasing your social shares, and improving your brand. Headlines are  the first thing your readers  will see, and it's your job to convince them to click and read your content. Even if you only use one of the 55  tips from this post, you'll  be able to add a touch of uniqueness to every piece of content  you publish. Oh! And don't forget to download kit  to  help you write better headlines.

Time for analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Time for analysis - Essay Example Rolex may have used the woman in the ad as an implication that the watch is as attractive as the woman. The watch is likely to appeal to the buyers when such a beautiful woman is used in the ad. The use of a fallen tree as a bridge is the only solution the woman in a jungle has to use in order to overcome some of the challenges such as crossing the bridge. Many people face challenges of time constraint which they must overcome in order to achieve their goals. However, without a watch it may be difficult for them to overcome those challenges. Therefore, everybody needs watch in order to manage their time and carry out all of their activities effectively (Pricken 124). The woman in the ad seems relaxed and not in any hurry as she begins to cross the bridge. The fallen tree she is using as the bridge has a broad base, and that could be the reason the lady seems relaxed and without any worries. However, as she gets to the middle of the tree, it becomes thinner and more dangerous to cross while the river becomes deeper at that point. This implies that at the beginning of the day people seem relaxed because they think they have plenty of time. However, as time goes by, and the sunset approaches they come to a realization of inadequacy of time yet they have not achieved the day’s target. Additionally, the rays of the sun are illuminating the area of the bridge in front of the lady thus making it appear as if it is early. Looking at the watch it shows the time is fifteen-minutes-to-two. Therefore, this could imply that witch is an essential tool for guiding people in planning their day-to-day activities and avoid being caught up the time by surpr ise (Pricken 139). The picture shows a waterfall that is permanent, and it shows the challenges in the jungle are permanent. It is upon the lady to find whatever means they can afford in order to overcome the challenges. The waterfall may symbolize the durability of the watch. Also, the

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group, Ltd Essay

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group, Ltd - Essay Example The company has ventured into varied business, and it has more than two hundred conglomerates that operate across the globe. The company has about 50 thousand employees, and it receives approximately 20 billion dollars in annual sales. Many people admire the Virgin brand and Branson always believes that by treating employees effectively, they will become productive; thus attract customers who in turn would reward stakeholders. Branson believes that effective communication and teamwork competences will yield better results. He devotes himself towards motivating and rewarding employees as well listen actively to them in order to create organizational value. Branson employs a mixture of leadership styles in order to improve the organization value; thus achieving organizational goals effectively. First, Branson employs authentic leadership because he is genuine with his work. He is always ready to offer a solution in a genuine way to any employee who approaches him. Hellriegel and Slocum (2010, p. 291) argue that authentic leaders have the highest integrity and are always committed towards improving organization performance. Branson is one of the leaders who are committed towards constructing enduring organizations and  who are  genuine to the company core values. He develops his own leadership styles that are consistent with his personality. For instance, many organizations concentrate in designing innovative brands that meet the expectation of customers and they treat customers as the king in the market. However, Branson does opposite by treating employees first, and the customers follow later. This is because he believes that by motivating employees, they will work hard and become productive; thus meeting the expectations of customers. Therefore, Branson is an authentic leader because he holds on the beliefs he espouses; thus revealing ethical behaviors in business. This is essential because it will lead to successful organizational performance. Secondly, Br anson employs transactional leadership because he pays attention to his subordinates and he cooperates with them through agreements. Transactional leadership styles are among the valuable leadership management styles in an entity. This leadership style acknowledges leadership dynamics and recognizes leaders as being responsible for the actions of their subordinates (Hellriegel and Slocum (2010). In this case, leaders motivate employees through offering them bonuses as a way of motivating them to work hard. Branson focuses on teamwork performance, and he focuses on the supervision roles in an organization. This is essential because a transactional leader is a leader who is focused to keep things alike, but they are not ready to change anything in the future. This leader pays attention to employees or the followers in order to solve any problem that might arise. Branson employs transformational leadership model and this style is of significant benefit in the company. This is because t his leadership style emphasizes on unity and joint effort in creating organization change. Branson encourages employees to work together and introduces a new set of goals that can enable an organization to create change. Transformational style emphasizes on shared values and joint efforts towards increasing performance level (Hellriegel and Slocum 2010, p. 329). Branson works hard in order to solve the problem of each employee, and he always makes sure that he has the answer for every problem.

A Campaign Plan for Release of Rolling Stones` Hardcover Book 50 Essay

A Campaign Plan for Release of Rolling Stones` Hardcover Book 50 - Essay Example The band records sale of a minimum of 200 million globally (Heinlein, 2009). Creative Industries create a noteworthy attraction from the millions of anticipating fans who pause as customers. This prompts the need for a marketing strategy for the tour that will be conducted by, The Rolling Stone. There is a pending need for the record companies to study and understand the marketing situation and utilize the opportunities. Unlike products, marketing music industry requires the singer to produce music that he likes and ignore the music strategy. This is because such music ends up inspiring the audience. The campaign aims at understanding the marketplace where the art is sold, the objective of the band, the strategy to be used to achieve the objectives, and the target population. How the strategy will be achieved, the staff hired to carry out the task, the allocation of funds into stages also proves paramount. The need to evaluate the steps ensures that the staffs are working towards the achievement of the goals (Hadley, 2001). The rolling stones opportunities and risks originate from the external environment. The external environment affects any business setting and is unavoidable. The opportunities come from fame acquired in various parts of the worlds such as Europe, North American around the 1960s British attack. The band was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in the year 1989, ranked by the critical acclaim and popular consensus and critics as the world’s finest rock and roll band. The band records various releases in various countries such as; United Kingdom with twenty-two studio albums; the United States, where they recorded ten live albums; amongst others. The band’s album, sticky fingers released, in the year 1971 preceded eight string with sequencing studio albums culminating to position one in the united states (Scott and Scott, 2011).

7TM Helix Protein Rhodopsin and Bacteriorhodopsin Comparison

7TM Helix Protein Rhodopsin and Bacteriorhodopsin Comparison Compare and contrast the 7TM helix proteins rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin at the molecular and cellular levels. Rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin both belong to the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family. They each have 7 alpha helical transmembrane domains which are embedded in their respective membranes. The two proteins are related but not identical and therefore contain many similarities as well as differences. Structurally the proteins are similar, while functionally, aside from being light-sensitive proteins and using light to initiate their processes, these two distinct proteins have a range of differences. Rhodopsin is a eukaryotic protein and it is the main photoreceptor pigment contained within the discs of the outer segment of vertebrate rod photoreceptors amongst other supporting proteins. Rhodopsin molecules have very high sensitivity to light and are the pigment responsible for enabling vision in dim light conditions and monochromatic vision in the dark. Exposure of rhodopsin to light causes the pigment to be photobleached, this initiates the transmission of the optical signal. The full regeneration of the human rhodopsin molecule occurs within approximately 45 minutes. Bacteriorhodopsin is a prokaryotic protein present in archaea. It is a light-dependent proton pump which is used to carry out phototrophy. Energy from light is utilised to move protons out of the cell, across the membrane, forming a large concentration gradient and making the inside of the cell up to 10000 times more alkali than outside. The subsequent proton gradient is converted into chemical energy. Both rhodop sin and bacteriorhodopsin maximally absorb light of the wavelength around 500nm which is the green colour range. Both rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin contain a retinal chromophore, although the two chromophores are not identical and rather, are isomers of each other. The retinal chromophore is comprised of a ÃŽ ²-ionone ring bound to a polyene chain. In both cases the retinal chromophore is positioned horizontally within the membrane. Rhodopsin is formed of the protein opsin and the reversibly and covalently bound co-factor 11-cis-retinal, which is the photo-reactive chromophore. Opsin consists of 7 transmembrane ÃŽ ± helices which are connected by polypeptide loops which occlude the agonist binding site. There is an 8th helix present in opsin however this is not transmembranous and plays a regulatory role in rhodopsin. The Æ -amino group of lysine 296 within the opsin molecule is covalently bound to the aldehyde group of retinal by a protonated Schiff base in a central cavity between the 6th and 7th helix. Bacteriorhodopsin is formed of the protein bacterio-opsin which is bound to all-trans-retinal in a covalent and reversible manner. Bacterio-opsin, as in rhodopsin, is formed of 7 transmembrane ÃŽ ± helices connected by polypeptide loops. The Æ -amino of lysine 216 within bacterio-opsin is covalently bound to the aldehyde group of retinal. Again this interaction occurs within a central pocket on the 7th helix. Rhodopsin exists as a monomer within the membrane of rod cells whereas bacteriorhodopsin in its wild type state is in a trimer of 3 identical protein chains each rotated 120 ° relative to the others. Bacteriorhodopsin and rhodopsin have no detectable sequence homology to one another, however due to the similarity of their tertiary structures it is believed they are evolutionarily related. In vertebrate rod cells light induces phototransduction by interaction with rhodopsin. Light is absorbed very efficiently by retinal due to its polyene tail. The retinal absorbs a photon which causes it to undergo an isomerisation reaction to the activated all-trans-retinal configuration from its initial 11-cis-retinal configuration. In order to accommodate the altered shape of the all-trans-retinal the rhodopsin molecule undergoes a series of relaxations which includes the movement of helices 5 and 6 outwards creating a cavity, this movement is around 5Ã…. Upon the absorption of a photon by the retinal chromophore the rhodopsin molecule is converted to photorhodopsin within 200 femtoseconds. The second intermediate forms within picoseconds following irradiation and is called bathorhodopsin, this has all-trans bonds which are distorted. The next intermediate is lumirhodopsin which forms within nanoseconds. Lumirhodopsin is converted to metarhodopsin I within milliseconds. During t hese steps the protonated Schiff’s base remains unchanged. Finally metarhodopsin I is converted to metarhodopsin II, within milliseconds, this causes the Schiff base to become deprotonated. Neuronal excitation is initiated by metarhodopsin II activating transducin, an associated G protein, triggering a second messenger cascade with cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), activating the visual phototransduction pathway. The activation of transducin is triggered by the exchange of GDP to GTP on the ÃŽ ± subunit of transducin. Activated transducin binds and removes the inhibitory subunits which inactivate cGMP phosphodiesterase. This process activatescGMP phosphodiesterase which subsequently hydrolyses cGMP. Hydrolysis of cGMP reduces the cellular levels of cGMP which leads to inactivation of the cGMP-gated cation channels in the cell membrane. This causes the photoreceptor cells to become hyperpolarised altering the rate of neurotransmitter release and resulting in neuronal sign alling. At each step of this process the signal is amplified. Deactivation of metarhodopsin II occurs by interaction with rhodopsin kinase and arrestin. Rhodopsin kinase phosphorylates the activated GPCR and arrestin desensitizes it. Regeneration of the rhodopsin pigment to its original state must occur in order to allow phototransduction to occur again.Multiple serine and threonine residues at the carboxyl terminal of metarhodopsin II are phosphorylated, this is catalysed by rhodopsin kinase, arrestin then binds to the altered metarhodopsin II preventing further interaction with transducin. The ÃŽ ± subunit of the transducin re-associates with the ÃŽ ²Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ´ subunits and its in-built GTP-ase activity hydrolyses the GTP to GDP, this returns the cGMP phosphodiesterase to its inactive state. cGMP is synthesised from GTP by guanylate cyclase increasing the cGMP levels to reopen the cGMP gated channels and this allows restoration of the cell to its original state. In bacteriorhodopsin, like in rhodopsin, it is the retinal molecule which absorbs a photon and changes conformation. The initial all-trans-retinal configuration is converted to 13-cis-retinal. This isomerisation causes the bacteriorhodopsin molecule to undergo a conformational change, via a number of intermediates, to accommodate the change in retinal structure. This change of conformation subsequently alters the proton pumping action of bacteriorhodopsin. Upon absorption of a photon the all-trans-retinal photoisomerises to 13-cis-retinal, this is almost the exact opposite of the cis-retinal to trans-retinal configuration change that occurs in rhodopsin. In bacteriorhodopsin the initial photo-isomerisation results in the intermediate J600, as in rhodopsin this first isomerisation occurs in a femtosecond timescale. J600 subsequently becomes K590 within 5 picoseconds. The next conversion of the K590 intermediate to the L550 intermediate happens within 2 microseconds. This conversion re sults in stronger hydrogen bonding between aspartate 85 and the protonated Schiff base within the extracellular channel. Conversion of L550 to the extracellular M410 intermediate occurs within microseconds, this process involves the translocation of a proton from the protonated Schiff base to the proton acceptor aspartate 85, within the extracellular channel, this takes microseconds. In order for the proton transport to occur out of the cell the Schiff base cannot be reprotonated by aspartate 85, otherwise no proton transport could occur. Instead, the access of the Schiff base must be altered to prevent reprotonation by aspartate 85. Next the extracellular M410 is converted to cytoplasmic M410, this allows the Schiff base to be deprotonated from the outside of the cell membrane and reprotonated from the inside of the cell and hence this change of access for the M410 intermediate from extracellular to cytoplasmic allows unidirectional proton transport out of the cell. This alteration repositions the access for the Schiff base from extracellular to intracellular. The cytoplasmic M410 is then converted to the N560 intermediate Following the earlier change in access for the Schiff base, it can then be reprotonated from aspartate 96 which is located within a channel from the cytoplasm to the membrane. This process occurs within milliseconds. The aspartate 96 is then reprotonated from the cytoplasm to allow the Schiff base to be reprotonated multiple times and allow the cycle to continue. To ensure one-way proton transport the Schiff base must be accessible to either aspartate 96 or aspartate 85 during different stages of the cycle and therefore the positioning of the Schiff base must be switched dependent on which aspartate requires access and the stage of the cycle, aspartate 85 needs access to deprotonate the Schiff base on the extracellular side and aspartate 96 is used to reprotonate the Schiff base from the cytoplasm. Aspartate 85 and aspartate 96 are now both protonated in the N560 intermediate and this leads to a subsequent thermoisomerisation reaction. During this thermoisomerisation The N560 intermediate is converted to the O640 intermediate. In this step the activated 13-cis-retinal configuration is thermally isomerised back to the original all-trans-retinal configuration. To complete this cycle the aspartate 85 must be deprotonated. The final step involves the conversion of the O640 intermediate back to bacteriorhodopsin. The Schiff base is again repositioned switching the access to it back from the cytoplasmic side back to the extracellular side of the membrane, aspartate 85 is then deprotonated to restore the bacteriorhodopsin molecule back to its original state which facilitates the continual pumping of protons out of the cell across the membrane. The protons in the extracellular matrix are allowed to flow back into the cell via ATP synthase down the concentration gradient, this allows the synthesis of ATP which provides the ene rgy to power the archaea cell. There are a large number of differences ranging from the amino acid sequences to the functions of bacteriorhodopsin and rhodopsin, however in spite of these vast differences there are still many similarities including the 3 dimensional structure and the presence of a photon absorbing retinal chromophore. These similarities have led to the 2 proteins being grouped together in the Structural Classification Of Proteins and they provide relevant structural information about other 7 transmembrane proteins in order to make structural predictions and associations about other similar proteins.

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Chapter 5   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is exactly one month until my eighth grade graduation, and at that point I thought eighth grade would never end! It soon became 2 weeks... 1 week... and before I knew only two days to go and I’m graduating from St.Matthew School.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two days before graduation my dad and I went to the Tuscola Outlet Mall and shopped for my graduation clothes. Since I procrastinated a lot before I finally decided it was time to buy some clothes, it was really hard to find admirable clothes that fit me! So my dad and I both decided that we would try our luck over at Polo Ralph Lauren. Finally, we found some really nice clothes that fit me. I wore Khaki pants with a matching blue shirt. As we were walking out the door, I wondered if I would look good in a tie. My dad agreed that I would look good in a tie, so we drove back home, dropped off the clothes that I bought and went to another store that sells a whole bunch of ties. I found this awesome red and blue tie that looked really good with the blue shirt that I bought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During school the day before graduation, I thought that school was very fun and zestful! In first half of school, all we did was return our books to the teacher and talked about what we were going to do over the summer. The second part of the day was even more fun because we just relaxed and did completely nothing! Once school ended some, a few my friends and I rode our bikes to Greg Broeren’s house. We just played catch and basketball. That night I couldn’t sleep. I was so anxious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next morning I woke up extremely early so that I could have enough time to get dressed with my new clothes. I didn’t really eat that much breakfast, because the seventh graders were preparing us a graduation breakfast. The food was sensational except for the green-watery scrambled eggs. The principal and the head priest both gave a speech on how much the school was going to miss us.( Yeah Right!) As soon as everyone finished their breakfast, we all walked to the gym for the graduation ceremony. I received two certificates, but that’s alright! After the ceremony, we had to sing a song in front of the whole school.