Profile of Author Lois Lowry, Newbery Medal Winner

Author Lois Lowry is best known for The Giver, her dark, thought-provoking, and controversial fantasy, which is a young adult novel, and for Number the Stars, a childrens novel about the Holocaust. Lois Lowry received the prestigious Newbery Medal for each of these books. However, what many people dont know is that Lowry has written more than thirty books for children and young teens, including several series. Dates: March 20, 1937 - Also Known As:  Lois Ann Hammersberg   Personal Life Although Lois Lowry grew up with an older sister and a younger brother, she reports, I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination. She was born in Hawaii on March 20, 1937. Lowrys father was in the military, and the family moved a lot, spending time in various states and in Japan. After two years at Brown University, Lowry married. Like her father, her husband was in the military and they moved a good deal, finally settling in Cambridge, Massachusetts when he entered law school. They had four children, two boys and two girls (tragically, one of their sons, an Air Force pilot, died in a plane crash in 1995). The family lived in Maine while the children were growing up. Lowry received her degree from the University of Southern Maine, went to graduate school, and began writing professionally. After her divorce in 1977, she returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts where she still lives; she also spends time at her home in Maine. Books and Accomplishment Lois Lowrys first book, A Summer to Die, which was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1977, was awarded the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. According to Lois Lowry, after hearing from young readers about the book, I began to feel, and I think this is true, that that audience that youre writing for, when you write for kids, you are writing for people who can still be affected by what you write in ways that might change them. Lois Lowry has written more than thirty books for young people, from 2 year-olds to teens, and has received numerous honors. Lowry received the prestigious John Newbery Medal for two of her books: Number the Stars and The Giver. Other honors include the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award. Some of Lowrys books, like the Anastasia Krupnik and Sam Krupnik series, provide a humorous look at daily life and are geared for readers in grades 4-6 (8 to 12-year-olds). Others, while targeting the same age level, are more serious, such as Number the Stars, a story about the Holocaust. One of her series, which she is planning to expand, the Gooney Bird Greene series, targets even younger children, those in grades 3-5 (7 to 10-year-olds). Many of Lois Lowrys most serious, and highly-regarded, books are considered young adult books. They are written for children in grades 7 and up (12-years-old and up). They include A Summer to Die, and The Giver fantasy trilogy, which became a quartet in fall 2012 with the publication of Lowrys Son. In discussing her books, Lois Lowry explained, My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.   Censorship and The Giver The Giver is 23rd on the American Library Associations list of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. To learn more, see In Their Own Words: Authors Talk About Censorship, in which Lowry discusses reactions to The Giver and states, Submitting to censorship is to enter the seductive world of The Giver: the world where there are no bad words and no bad deeds. But it is also the world where choice has been taken away and reality distorted. And that is the most dangerous world of all. Website and Social Media Presence Lois Lowrys official website has been redesigned and the new, improved website debuted in September 2011. It is divided into five main sections: New Stuff, Blog, About, Collections and Videos. Lois Lowry also provides her email address and a schedule of appearances. The New Stuff area contains information about new books. Lowry uses her blog to describe her daily life and share interesting stories. Both adults and young fans will enjoy her blog. The About area of the site contains three sections: Biography, Awards, and F.A.Q. The Biography section consists of a first-person account of Lois Lowrys life, written for her readers. It contains lots of links to family photos, many of which are from Lois childhood. There are also photos of Lois as a bride and photos of her children and grandchildren. The Awards section provides a good bit of information about the John Newbery Medal (Lowry has two) and a long list of all of the other awards she has received. In the entertaining F.A.Q. section, she answers specific, and sometimes amusing, questions that readers have asked her. According to Lowry, the most frequently asked question is, How do you get your ideas? There are also such serious questions as A parent from my school wants to ban The Giver. What do you think about that? The Collections area includes Books Speeches and Pictures. In the Books section, there is information on all of the books in her Anastasia Krupnik series, Sam Krupnik series, her books about the Tates,  The Giver  trilogy, and her Gooney Bird books, as well as her other books, including her first Newbery Medal winner, Number the Stars. The Speeches section of the Collections area, the only area specifically directed to adults, includes more than a half-dozen speeches, each available in PDF format. My favorite is her 1994 Newbery Medal acceptance speech because of all of the information she gives about how specific life experiences influenced her writing of The Giver. The Pictures section includes photos of Lois Lowrys home, her family, her travels and her friends. Sources: Lois Lowrys website, Lois Lowrys Reading Rockets interview, American Library Association, Random House

Belonging- Connections to Place - 1700 Words

Belonging Essay 2011 HSC Question Question 3 (15 marks) Explore how perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be inï ¬â€šuenced by connections to places. In your response, refer to your prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing. The prescribed texts are listed on the next page. Word Length: 1200 words A sense of belonging is an essential part of the human condition; it is a desire shared by all. Belonging refers to the ability of an individual to ï ¬ t in a speciï ¬ ed place or environment. This may include ï ¬ tting in with a group of people, ï ¬ tting in with society or ï ¬ tting in with a physical place. All individuals have their own unique perception of belonging and not belonging, based on a number of factors. One of†¦show more content†¦The impact of connection or disconnection to places on an individualÊ ¼s perception of belonging is also perceivable in the line â€Å"We may inhale despair†. Through the use of of low modality in the verb Ê »mayà Š ¼, Dickinson portrays possibility and uncertainty, depicting the different perception and reception that each text may receive. In this way, Dickinson conveys her negative perception of belonging due to her lack of connection with her place as a writer, as her uncertainty blatantly expresses the lack of conï ¬ dence she has in herself writing properly. Nevertheless, Dickinson also explores how a positive perception of belonging can also be achieved through connecting with her place as a writer in this line. The use of the verb â€Å"inhale† communicates the human condition, as all humans need to inhale to survive. Therefore, the persona is connecting with her place as a human in society as she is united through the human experience, therefore promoting a positive perception of belonging. This connectedness to place in made clearer through the use of the inclusive pronoun â€Å"We†, which signiï ¬ es unity rather than solidarity, and indicates the personaÊ ¼s war m perception of belonging due to connecting with her place as a person. The inï ¬â€šuence of connection to place in regards to an individualÊ ¼s perception of belonging is also explored in a similar manner in Sean AscroftÊ ¼s 2006 short ï ¬ lm, The Story of BubbleShow MoreRelatedExplore How Perceptions of Belonging or Not Belonging Are Influenced by Connections to Places.1735 Words   |  7 PagesA connection to a physical location may present us with the perception that we either belong or not belong however, it is the connections that we form with people in places, memories of previous places and ones response to experiences within places that heightens ones sense of belonging or alienation. The concept of belonging through connections with people, experiences and memories in certain places is explored in the texts Romulus my Father a memoir by Raimond Gaita and Oranges and Sunshine directedRead MoreA Sense of Belonging Comes from Having Connections with People and Places859 Words   |  4 Pagessense of belonging is an essential part of every individuals life. A sense of belonging can be created from having connections with people and places within a personal, cultural, historical and social context. The choice of where to belong and who to belong with changes peoples sense of belonging as time passes. The Poetry of Peter Skrzyneckis Immigrant Chronicle and Carson McCullerss novel , The member of the wedding demonstrates how a sense of belonging comes from having connections withRead Moreâ€Å"Belonging Is More Than a Connection to a Place; It Also Means Being at Home Within Yourself and Knowing Who You Are.† Discuss This View with Detailed Reference to Ten Canoes and One Other Related Text of Your Own Choosing.1149 Words   |  5 PagesBelonging is an essential part of human life that is not always just a connection to a place; it is a feeling of being at home within yourself and having the patience to discover who you are. Being at home within yourself is a process that is not instantaneous and this is evident in the film Ten Canoes and the poem ‘Digging’. Through characters and text specific techniques, the film and poem portray processes of how developing an understanding of group dynamics and relationships allows one to gainRead MoreBelonging: Perception and St Patrick Essay906 Words   |  4 Pagesperceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by connections to places. In your response, refer to your prescribed text and at least one other related text of your own choosing. â€Å"Home is where the heart is† was quoted by Pliny the Elder and is now used to signify a personal connection to a place and the personal sense of belonging received when at this place. Perceptions are influenced by connections to places and sometimes made by connections and disconnections to places. Looking atRead MoreEssay on Belonging - Rainbows End and the Year My Voice Broke1353 Words   |  6 PagesEssay ‘A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made to people and places’. A common human characteristic is the yearning to feel a sense of belonging through connections and different forms of relationships made in life. A sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from feeling connected to people and places, whether they have been freely cast there or not. An individual will only feel a true sense of belonging through the understanding of those connections, which are createdRead MoreThe, As You Like It, And Khaled Hosseini s The Kite Runner1486 Words   |  6 Pagesof belonging is undoubtedly linked to their connections with not only people, but places, groups, communities, and the larger world. These connections help to develop a sense of affinity to a person’s surroundings, thus strengthening both one’s sense of belonging, and sense of self. Both William Shakespeare’s comedy, As You Like It, and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, explore the concept of belonging and it’s varying aspects based on different social co ntexts, the perspectives of belonging beingRead MoreEssay Perceptions on Belonging1014 Words   |  5 PagesPerceptions of Belonging in our society â€Å"We belong †¦ like fish in water. We’re in our environment.† This quote from the New York Times shows the perception of belonging as the idea about connecting to a place, person, group or a community. Feliks Skrzynecki by Peter Skrzynecki, Im nobody! Who are you? by Emily Dickinson and The Rabbits by John Marsden Shaun Tan show the concept of belonging as being contrasted towards the New York Times quote, showing the alienation and non-existentRead MoreThe Bourne Identity Critical Analysis Essay1260 Words   |  6 PagesA sense of belonging will often emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities, and the larger world. The Bourne Identity is a novel, written by Robert Ludlum. The main character in this novel is Jason Bourne, a broken man, not only in the physical, but also in the emotional and psychological sense. Throughout the entire novel we see a man who is attempting to put the pieces of his life back together after suff ering from a sudden onset of amnesia. There are several waysRead MoreBelonging - Hsc 20101713 Words   |  7 Pagesdiversity of representations of belonging. My basic understanding developed from viewing belonging as an intrinsic feeling of safety and acceptance within the relationships of an exclusive community. However as we began to analyse Skrzynecki’s anthology and also reflect upon society’s connotations of belonging and simultaneously not belonging, my personal understanding began to evolve. The contemplation of Skrzynecki and my related texts has led me to believe belonging is an intrinsic human need valuedRead MoreEssay on Belonging1704 Words   |  7 Pagessense of belonging that will emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world. Belonging cannot be achieved without an understanding of oneself and their surroundings. Belonging encompasses many different themes, several of which are explored in Romulus My Father. Throughout Romulus My Father the characters are either developing or not developing, an understanding of themselves and their surroundings through the connections made with people, places, groups

A Report on E-Marketing Computers Free Essays

This essay reports on the current activity in e-marketing computers. It discusses the English language markets. in particularly in the US and UK. We will write a custom essay sample on A Report on E-Marketing Computers or any similar topic only for you Order Now The three companies considered here are Apple, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Dell, all regarded as notable exponents of e-marketing. The conclusion drawn is that e-marketing alone is not as yet a viable strategy for this industry in general but it has been a successful approach when marketing solely to corporate customers. Industry Background The computer industry within the English-speaking world is made up of only a few suppliers of any size. During 2005 the worldwide shipments of PCs grew in volume by over 16% according to IDC, and by 9% in terms of value. The Austin, Texas firm Dell supplies more PCs worldwide than any other company – 18.1% of the market against HP, the number two, at 14.9%. The next largest suppliers are Lenovo (ex IBM) at 7.7%, Gateway, Acer and Fujitsu/Siemens, each having less than 5%. All of these companies’ computers use Microsoft’s Windows operating system. The core functionality they deliver to the user is therefore essentially identical. Apple Computer, which had around 3.5% of the world PC market in 2005, ships cmputers that run its own operating system – MacOS. Whereas Apple sells most of its notebooks to individual users, Dell sells most of its product to corporate clients, as does HP but to a lesser extent. The Windows/PC world is one where prices continually decline while performance and hardware functionality improve. Hardware is manufactured almost exclusively in the Far East while software in the English Language markets originates almost entirely from the USA. Increasingly the actual computing function is being treated as a commodity with only increased memory and faster performance as differentiators. This can be expected to change to a degree when (Vista) the next generation of Microsoft’s OS becomes deployed. At this time the major product differentiators tends to be graphics performance, screen size/quality and connectivity options. The combined result under Vista should be a new emphasis on the entertainment functionality of the computer and its potentially growing value as a intra-household communications controller. Defining e-marketing Before discussing e-marketing in this industry, we need to select a definition of ‘marketing’. One which will suffice is:- â€Å"Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations, and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives.† (Boone and Kurtz) A Google search for a definition of e-marketing produces the following results – â€Å"Moving elements of marketing strategies and activities to a computerized, networked environment such as the Internet. It is the strategic process of creating, distributing, promoting, and pricing goods and services to a target market over the Internet or through digital tools.†¨ (aede.osu.edu/programs/e-agbiz/pageglossary/main.html) Any marketing effort that contains a website URL. This could range from direct mail programs, magazine ads, radio to business cards. E-marketing can be simply defined as â€Å"Achieving marketing objectives through use of electronic communications technology.†Ã‚   (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-marketing) Of these definitions I prefer the last on the basis that e-marketing is still at such an early stage in its development that an all-embracing, detailed definition suggests the user is promoting e-marketing as a solution rather than describing it. Part of the objectives of this essay is to examine how many of the functions listed in the definition of ‘marketing’ are equally viable for ‘e-marketing’. The Origins of E-marketing The origins of e-marketing can be traced back to the 1990’s to the era of ‘dot.com’ companies who sought to place all of their promotional activities on the Internet. In those days a distinction was drawn between traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers and on-line ‘etailers’- the dot.coms. Today, while there are still companies whose existence depends heavily upon the resources of the internet, few major companies follow the dot.com route. There has been a negative impact on such users as a result of the scores of dot.com failures. Unless a company using the dot.com approach succeeds in creating the impression that it is stable and financially sound, there are barriers to overcome to create trust between suppliers and the company, and between the would-be customers and the company. (The outstanding dot.com success story is that of Amazon.com). This leads to a sense that it takes a viable, established ‘bricks and mortar’ company which is already well-known to have an e-marketing system that will be considered credible.   However it seems that all major and public companies now have some form of internet presence, a web page, even if its marketing functionality is limited to an email address for enquiries to ‘info’, ‘sales’ or ‘support’. Why use the Term ‘E-’? E-marketing falls into a range of new variants of communication activities – e-commerce, e-mail, e-learning, e-research, e-publishing. Essentially each of these terms describes a familiar function that can now be carried out using the communications medium of the internet. Just as a change of language can change the way the speaker expresses his thoughts and how the reader understands the message, so the use of a different communication technology can add to or subtract from the value proposition being presented. By the same token, it has been necessary for practitioners to learn how to use this communications medium to communicate their message, and to learn to understand how their messaging is perceived through this medium.. How to cite A Report on E-Marketing Computers, Essays

Embracing and Pursuing Change free essay sample

www. thetimes100. co. uk Embracing and pursuing change Introduction With the changing expectations of customers, organisations constantly need to adapt to remain competitive. When faced with such pressures for change, managers may look for situations which are familiar to them. This may involve improving the ways in which they operate, but only little by little. This is called incremental change. The danger is that improving little by little might not be enough. They need to adapt to all of the bigger changes in the environment of that business as well. If they don’t, what happens is strategic drift. When an organisation experiences strategic drift, it does not make strong and radical decisions to deal adequately with all of the changes in its business environment. To avoid strategic drift, managers within organisations have to embrace change fully. This means building a responsive organisation. This case study focuses upon AEGON in the UK, part of the AEGON Group, one of the world’s largest life insurance and pensions companies. AEGON owns pensions, life insurance, asset management and adviser businesses in the UK. The case study illustrates the success that embracing and pursuing change has brought to AEGON in the UK. It is helping AEGON move towards its goal of becoming ‘the best long-term savings and protection business within the UK’. CURRICULUM TOPICS †¢ Business strategies †¢ Change management †¢ External business environment †¢ Business culture GLOSSARY Incremental change: improving the way in which an organisation meets the external forces within its business environment little by little. Strategic drift: situations in which an organisation’s strategy does less and less to face the changes within the business environment. Asset: something of worth to an organisation e. g. people, cash, financial claims on others, machinery, buildings. Goal: general statement of purpose that falls in line with an organisation’s broader mission. The AEGON Group has 27,000 employees and over 25 million customers worldwide. Its major markets are in the USA and Netherlands. Since 1994, the UK has become another major and increasingly important market. In 1994 AEGON bought a large stake in Scottish Equitable. Scottish Equitable was a strong brand with a heritage that went back to the 1830s. Since then AEGON’s UK business has grown both organically and by acquiring other businesses. As most of the acquired companies kept their existing identities, awareness of AEGON in the UK remained relatively low. AEGON realised that such low levels of awareness could impact on its ability to achieve its ambitions. Therefore, it needed to combine the global strength of its parent with the experience and reputation of the domestic company brands, like Scottish Equitable, that made up AEGON in the UK. Heritage: name and reputation associated with the past. Organically: increasing the business through current activites. External factors influencing change One of the main challenges for decision-makers is to understand the environment in which they are operating. They can then identify key issues which they need to respond to. Understanding these key issues improves decision-taking and reduces uncertainty. Few industries have experienced as many changes in their external environment in recent years as financial services. AEGON 21 www. thetimes100. co. uk GLOSSARY Mis-selling: selling inappropriate products to customers. Financial Services Authority: independent non-government authority that regulates the financial services industry within the UK. Stock Exchange: marketplace in which stocks are bought and sold. Investment return: the return on funds invested in the business. Mortgage endowments: mortgage loans for a property in which interest only is paid, with the capital paid off at the end of the period of loan. Consumers: purchasers and users of the products. Brand values: the behaviours, personality and all that a brand represents for its customers. Positioned: place in a market that an organisation occupies in relation to its competitors and within the minds of consumers of its products. Thinking ahead and saving for retirement is a concept that is sometimes difficult for people to understand. In the UK, life expectancy has risen in recent years so people can expect to be retired for longer. In many instances, individuals have not planned properly for retirement and there may be a shortfall in the amount of money available. There is also a drive by the government to reduce dependency on the State in old age. Added to this many companies have introduced new, less expensive pension schemes or insisted on employee pension contributions where they did not in the past. These factors mean people have to make decisions to invest properly at an earlier stage of their working lives. Investing in the future helps people to prepare in advance for old age. The benefits of such an investment are only realised years later. The life insurance and pensions industry, in which AEGON operates, has had a poor reputation in recent years. Some organisations have been accused of ‘mis-selling’ by not providing consumers with the best product for their needs. To prevent similar situations arising in the future, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has put significant amounts of regulation on the industry. Financial services products are often difficult to understand. People do not always feel equipped to choose between the range of financial products and services and are not sure where to seek support and advice. In addition, falling values on the Stock Exchange have affected the investment return on some products, such as mortgage endowments. For some people this means that the product they bought has not delivered the financial return they expected. All this has created uncertainty in the financial services industry. The industry has also been characterised by intense competition. AEGON is in competition with organisations which sell directly to consumers and which are better known in the UK. AEGON distributes its products and services to customers mainly through financial advisers. AEGON, as a reputable company, has had to address and overcome these industry-wide problems to remain competitive. Reasons for change AEGON had historically been successful but government-imposed price controls had reduced profitability. Compared to its competitors, AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable. However, it was not as well recognised in areas other than pensions. Often these other areas, such as offshore investment products, were more profitable. If consumers are to invest in a product long term, they need to know more about the organisation they are dealing with. They need to recognise the brand and understand more about the brand values that it represents. As AEGON traded under a number of brand names it was not always easy for financial advisers and consumers to recognise the breadth and depth of the company in the UK. With a new Chief Executive (CEO) in place, AEGON underwent a discovery phase. The purpose of this was to find out what it had to do to meet the CEO’s goal. This goal was to build ‘the best long-term savings and protection business in the UK’. This time of discovery focused on three key questions: 1. What do we stand for in the UK? 2. What do we want to stand for in the UK? 3. What should we be doing about it? To answer these questions AEGON undertook a brand audit. This audit looked at two aspects: †¢ the company internally †¢ how the organisation was positioned externally. The purpose of the audit was to find out more information about the organisation. This helped AEGON to provide a more informed approach to the decisions that were needed to start the process of change. 22 www. thetimes100. co. uk GLOSSARY The audit showed that AEGON was solidly placed within the market. Its staff were known for their considerable expertise, innovation and clarity of communication. The external audit also helped to discover where AEGON was positioned in relation to its competitors. People who were aware of AEGON saw it as being a refreshing and different organisation. However, there was evidence that people were confused about the breadth of what AEGON did because it traded under a number of different company brands. Culture: the typical way of doing things in an organisation. Creating a new culture is a key part of the change process Culture refers to the personality and attitude of an organisation. It also includes the shared beliefs, values and behaviour of the employees. These determine the ways in which the organisation and its people make decisions and solve problems. The goal of AEGON’s CEO helped to provide a vision for change. Financial objectives were important as the path for future developments depended upon these. It was also important to create more clarity about who AEGON was. With limited awareness of AEGON in the UK, it was important to explain what it had to offer, how big the organisation was within the UK and how strong it was globally. At the heart of this strategy was the need to: a) simplify financial services and provide more customer focus. It was important that consumers understood more precisely what they were buying, as well as the benefits and services they received. b) develop the workforce. The objective was to develop the skills needed within the business to help it change. AEGON also created opportunities for progression from one job to another in a way that provided individuals with a coherent career path. c) create a more distinct presence within the marketplace. This involved refreshing the AEGON brand in a way that made it more distinctive from its competitors and more attractive to customers. In order to help embed this culture, AEGON developed a behaviour framework to support its brand values. This was designed to influence how people at all levels within the organisation could work and make decisions. These behaviours emphasise the values of the organisation. They have helped to build AEGON’s culture and have also influenced its performance. AEGON also introduced a Management Development Programme, supported by a leading Management College. The eight behaviours are: †¢ Think customer †¢ Embrace change †¢ Encourage excellence †¢ Act with integrity †¢ Decisive action †¢ Work together †¢ Learn and grow †¢ Relate and communicate. For example, ‘Think customer’ is about ‘ensuring that the customer’s needs are at the heart of our business, informing actions, decisions and behaviours’. For senior managers this means keeping the customer’s experience at the heart of what AEGON does. Other managers and professionals are encouraged to ‘innovate with your customers in mind’. All staff are encouraged to keep to commitments made to customers by doing what you say you will, when you say you will’. 23 AEGON Implementing the change www. thetimes100. co. uk Before the change consumers were confused about who AEGON was, what it did and how it fitted together. The audit had shown that global scale was important but so was local expertise. In the past, the AEGON brand had not been heavily promoted alongside Scottish Equitable or the other brands that it traded under. The brand strategy helped to reposition the brand within the industry. Now the association with AEGON is much stronger. For example, Scottish Equitable is now AEGON Scottish Equitable – reflecting both local knowledge and global power. All the brands now carry a new common look which is refreshing and different. This, along with the values and behaviours, is helping to make the brand ‘refreshingly different’. The changes affected the organisation both internally and externally. Within the organisation, they influenced not only how people behaved but also how they communicated. The organisation has become more focused on the customer. The emphasis is on making information clearer for the customer to understand and the company easier to do business with. To help embed the values and behaviours, AEGON established a new relationship with Shirley Robertson, the famous yachtswoman and the only British female athlete to have won gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. By associating AEGON with an individual who embodies similar values, it was able to bring the values and behaviours to life for staff. However, AEGON had to develop the brand and its reputation. It did this is a number of ways: †¢ External promotional campaigns emphasised the relationship between Scottish Equitable and AEGON. This helped to reinforce the local knowledge and the global power of AEGON in the UK. †¢ The CEO talked to the media about the need for change. The refreshing of the brand internally and externally resulted in strong positive feedback. †¢ AEGON has launched new and innovative products. For example, the 5 for Life annuity has helped to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. It provides more certainty about levels of income for the consumer, with AEGON providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so. Today the AEGON brand has a position from which it is influencing the financial services industry. It has posted record results with significant growth in underlying earnings. It has also increased its new business across a mix of profitable products and services, reflecting its continued strength. GLOSSARY Strategy: long-term business plan of an organisation. Annuity: product sold by financial services company providing the holder with payments at specific intervals after retirement. Conclusion The Times Newspaper Limited and  ©MBA Publishing Ltd 2007. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, neither the publisher nor the client can be held responsible for errors of omission or commission. Change is continuous. The process of change is a journey. External factors will always be there to influence business organisations. AEGON responded to these factors by simplifying, clarifying and strengthening its brand in the UK. As organisations change, their patterns of behaviour and business culture develop. For AEGON, this is a cycle in which the business uses its knowledge to learn from its experiences. This has helped AEGON as an organisation to move positively towards achieving its full potential and to remain competitive in an increasingly difficult market. Questions 1. Use an example to explain what is meant by strategic drift. 2. Describe in detail one external factor influencing change within AEGON. What sort of changes might have taken place because of that external factor? 3. Describe the purpose of the eight behaviours. 4. Evaluate the role of an audit within and outside an organisation. To what extent can a process of audit form the basis for a business strategy? www. aegon. co. uk 24