document_title: Kindle Fire

question_text: what kind of battery does kindle fire have

text: Kindle Fire

text: History[edit]

text: The Kindle Fire—which includes access to the Amazon Appstore, streaming movies and TV shows, and the Kindle Store for e-books—was released to consumers in the United States on November 14, 2011, after being announced on September 28.[9]

text: On September 7, 2012, upgrades to the device were announced with consumer availability to those European countries with a localized version of Amazon's website (United Kingdom,[10] France, Germany, Italy and Spain).[11]

text: The original Kindle Fire retailed for US$199 in 2011.[12] Estimates of the device's initial bill of materials cost ranged from $150 to $202.[13][14] Amazon's business strategy was stated in 2011 as making money through sales of digital content on the Fire, rather than through sales of the device itself.[15][16][17]

text: As of October 2012[update], the Kindle Fire was the second best selling tablet after Apple's iPad, with about 7 million units sold according to estimates by Forrester Research[2] and as of 2013[update] Amazon's tablets were the fourth best selling.[18]

text: On September 6, 2012, the Kindle Fire was upgraded to the second generation, and its price was reduced to US$159, RAM upgraded to 1 GB and processor clock speed upgraded to 1.2 GHz. A more powerful and video-friendly version, the Kindle Fire HD (7 and 8.9 inch versions) was also made available, initially priced at $199 and $299.[19][20]

text: On September 25, 2013, the Kindle Fire HD was upgraded as the third generation Fire, priced at US$139, and the Kindle Fire HDX was introduced. The Kindle Fire HDX had an improved graphics engine, double the memory, and triple the processor speed of the previous model. The 7-inch and 8.99-inch versions were introduced at US$229 and US$379 respectively.[21][22]

text: In September 2014, the Fire HDX 8.9 and the Fire HD were upgraded to the fourth generation of Fire tablets, removing the "Kindle" adjective in the naming scheme.[23] There was also the Fire HD 6 that has a six-inch screen with a quad-core processor priced at US$99.[24]

text: In September 2015, Amazon announced the release of the Fire 7, priced at US$49.99 for the 8GB version that displays advertisements on the lock screen. As of March 2016[update] it was the lowest-priced Amazon tablet.[25] In June 2016, its price was dropped briefly to US$39.99.[26] This fifth generation tablet includes for the first time a micro SD card slot for extra storage.[27]

text: In September 2016, Amazon announced the release of the Fire HD 8 which includes the virtual assistant Alexa,[28] priced at US$89.99. Fortune reported that, "As with most of Amazon’s devices, the aim isn’t to make money off of the hardware but instead to sell digital content such as books, movies, and TV shows to users".[29]

text: A slightly improved Fire 7 was released in June 2017, keeping the US$49.99 price point.[30]

text: Design[edit]

text: Hardware[edit]

text: The Kindle Fire hardware was originally manufactured by Quanta Computer (an Original Design Manufacturer), which had also helped design the BlackBerry PlayBook, using it as a hardware template for the Kindle Fire.[31] First-generation Kindle Fire devices employed a 1-GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core processor. The device has a 2-point multi-touch color LCD screen with a diagonal length of 7 inches (180 mm) and a 600×1024-pixel resolution (160 dpi density). Connectivity is through 802.11n Wi-Fi and USB 2.0 (Micro-B connector). The device includes 8 GB of internal storage—said to be enough for 80 applications, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.[32][33] According to Amazon the first-generation Kindle Fire's 4400 mAh battery sustains up to 8 hours of consecutive reading and up to 7.5 hours of video playback with wireless off;[34] later generations all offered around 7–8 hours[35]

text: Of the 8 GB internal storage available in the first-generation Kindle Fire, approximately 6.5 GB was available for content.[36][needs update]

text: The first-generation Kindle Fire has a sensor on the upper left-hand corner of the screen. This was widely considered to be an ambient-light sensor, disabled since an early software upgrade.[37]

text: Color display technologies consume much more power than monochrome electronic paper (E-ink) types; Fire offer a typical battery life of 8 hours of mixed usage, while monochrome Kindles offer 15 to 30 hours' use without WiFi—"battery lasts weeks on a single charge"—with a much lower-capacity battery.[38]

text: Software[edit]

text: The first generation of Kindle Fire devices run a customized Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread OS.[39] The second-generation Kindle Fire HD runs a customized Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich OS.[40] Along with access to Amazon Appstore,[6][41] the Fire includes a cloud-accelerated "split browser", Amazon Silk, using Amazon EC2 for off-device cloud computation; including webpage layout and rendering, and Google's SPDY protocol for faster webpage content transmission.[42][43][44] The user's Amazon digital content is given free storage in Amazon Cloud's web-storage platform,[6] 5 GB music storage in Amazon Cloud Drive, and a built-in email application allows webmail (Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, AOL Mail, etc.) to be merged into one inbox.[6] The subscription-based Amazon Prime, which includes unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows, is available with a free 30-day trial period.[6]

text: Content formats supported by the first-generation Kindle Fire were Kindle Format 8 (KF8), Kindle Mobi (.azw), TXT, PDF, unrestricted MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.[6][needs update]

text: Because of Amazon's USB driver implementation, the first-generation Kindle Fire suffered from slow USB transfer speeds. For example, transferring an 800MB video file may have taken more than three minutes in 2011.[45][needs update]

text: It is possible to convert a Kindle Fire to a tablet running standard Android, with some loss of Amazon-related functionality, and lacking features such as Bluetooth, microphone, camera, and memory expansion.[46]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Analysts had projected the device to be a strong competitor to Apple's iPad,[12][47] and that other Android device makers would suffer lost sales.[48][49]

text: In a 2012 review published by Project Gutenberg, the Kindle Fire was called a "huge step back in freedom from the Kindle 3"; the reviewer noted that Amazon introduced a "deliberate limitation" into the Fire that didn't exist in the previous version: it is no longer possible to download free e-books from websites such as Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive and Google Books and have them stored permanently in the same places where books from Amazon are kept.[50][needs update]

text: Sales[edit]

text: Customers began receiving Kindle Fires on November 15, 2011, and in December 2012, customers had purchased over a million Kindle devices per week.[51] International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated that the Kindle Fire sold about 4.7 million units during the fourth quarter of 2011.[52]

text: The Amazon Kindle Fire helped the company beat their 2012 first quarter estimates and boosted the company's stock in extended trading.[53] As of May 2013, about 7 million units had been sold according to estimates.[2] Statistics for FY2014 or Q1&2 2015 are not yet available.[needs update]

text: Models[edit]

text:
Generation (within Amazon tablets)
1st generation (2011)
2nd generation (2012)
5th generation (2015)
7th generation (2017)

Model
Kindle Fire
Fire
Fire 7

Release date
November 15, 2011
September 14, 2012
September 30, 2015
June 7, 2017

Status
Discontinued
Available
Current

OS
Based on Android 2.3.3
Based on Android 4.0.3
Fire OS 5

System Version
6.3.4[54]
10.5.1[55]
5.4[56]

Screen
Size (diagonal)
7"

Resolution
1024 × 600

Density
169 ppi
171 ppi

CPU
Maker
Texas Instruments
MediaTek

Kind
Dual-core OMAP4
Quad-core

Model
4430 HS
MT8127D[57]
MT8127B

Cores
2× ARM Cortex-A9 @ 1.0 GHz
2× ARM Cortex-A9 @ 1.2 GHz
4× ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.3 GHz

Width
32-bit

GPU
Designer
Imagination Technologies
ARM Holdings

Kind
PowerVR
Mali

Model
SGX540
450
450 MP4

Clock
304 MHz[58]
384 MHz[57]
600 MHz
?

RAM
512 MiB
1 GiB

Storage
Internal
8 GB
8 GB or 16 GB

External
N/A
At least up to 128 GB microSDXC
At least up to 256 GB microSDXC

Camera
Back
2 MP

Front
0.3 MP VGA

Microphone
Yes

Bluetooth
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Bluetooth 4.1 LE

Wireless
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g/n
802.11 a/b/g/n (dual band)

+Cellular
N/A

Location
N/A
Wi-Fi based

Proximity
N/A

Compass

Light sensor

Accelerometer
Yes

Gyroscope
N/A

Barometer

Weight
413 g (14.6 oz)
400 g (14 oz)
313 g (11.0 oz)
295 g (10.4 oz)

Dimensions
190 × 120 × 11.4 mm
(7.48 × 4.72 × 0.45 in)
189 × 120 × 11.5 mm
(7.44 × 4.72 × 0.45 in)
191 × 115 × 10.6 mm
(7.52 × 4.53 × 0.42 in)
192 × 115 × 9.6 mm
(7.56 × 4.53 × 0.38 in)

Battery
4400 mAh
2980 mAh[59]
8 hours

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
The Kindle Fire in horizontal position displaying web page

Kindle Fire 7 in (180 mm) size relative to a hand

The iPad (left) compared with the Kindle Fire (right)

The Kindle Fire (left) compared with the iPod Touch (right)

The Kindle Fire (left) compared with the iPad Mini (center) and the Nexus 7 (2012 version) (right)

text: Generations[edit]

text: There have been seven generations of Kindle Fire tablets, spread across three different models: Fire, Fire HD and Fire HDX. There have also been different-sized tablets within the Fire HD and Fire HDX models. Items in bold are currently available.

text:
1st Gen (2011)
2nd Gen (2012)
2.5th Gen (2012)
3rd Gen (2013)
4th Gen (2014)
5th Gen (2015)
6th Gen (2016)
7th Gen (2017)

Fire
Kindle Fire (7")
Kindle Fire (7")

Fire (7")

Fire (7")

Fire HD

Kindle Fire HD (7")
Kindle Fire HD (8.9")
Kindle Fire HD (7")
Fire HD (6")
Fire HD (7")
Fire HD (8")
Fire HD (10")
Fire HD (8")
Fire HD (8")
Fire HD (10")

Fire HDX

Kindle Fire HDX (7")
Kindle Fire HDX (8.9")
Fire HDX (8.9")


document_title: The 40-Year-Old Virgin

question_text: who plays carol in the 40 year old virgin

root

text: The 40-Year-Old Virgin

text: Plot[edit]

text: Andy Stitzer is a 40-year-old virgin who lives alone, his apartment filled with his collection of action figures and video games. At a poker game with his co-workers David, Cal, Mooj and Jay, when conversation turns to past sexual exploits, they learn that Andy is still a virgin, and resolve to help him lose his virginity.

tag: p

text: The men give Andy various and sometimes contradictory pieces of advice, both on his appearance and how to interact with women. Cal advises Andy to simply "ask questions", which he practices on bookstore clerk Beth, who quickly becomes intrigued by him. David gives Andy his porn collection, encouraging him to masturbate. Mooj stresses to Andy the importance of love in a relationship.

text: Andy begins to socialize and form friendships with his co-workers. David, after running into his ex-girlfriend Amy, has an emotional breakdown at work. Store manager Paula promotes Andy to fill in for him.

text: Jay attempts to quicken the process by tricking Andy into meeting a prostitute. When Andy discovers the hooker is a male transvestite, he insists that his friends stop trying to help him. Andy lands a date with Trish Piedmont, a woman he met on the sales floor.

text: During Andy and Trish's first date, as they are about to have sex, they are interrupted by Trish's teenage daughter Marla. Trish suggests that they postpone having sex, and Andy enthusiastically agrees.

text: Andy's friends begin to encounter the consequences of their lifestyles. David, obsessed with Amy, takes a vow of celibacy. Jay, who previously boasted of his promiscuity, gets into an argument with a customer after his girlfriend breaks up with him over his infidelity. Jay concedes to Andy that sex can ruin a relationship.

text: Andy and Trish's relationship grows. Trish encourages Andy's dream of starting a business, suggesting they fund it by selling his collectibles. Andy takes Marla to a group session at a sexual health clinic, where she reveals she is a virgin. Andy, trying to defend her against derision, admits that he is also a virgin but is disbelieved and ridiculed. Marla later says that she knows Andy is a virgin, but agrees to let him tell Trish himself.

text: On the couple's twentieth date, the limit they agreed for their abstinence, Andy is still resistant, which upsets Trish. Trish demands he explain his reticence, and Andy accuses her of trying to change him against his will. He leaves for a nightclub where he meets his friends, gets drunk and praises them for encouraging him to have sex. Andy runs into Beth and they soon leave for her apartment. Marla convinces Trish to make up with Andy. By this time, Andy has sobered up and is having second thoughts. His friends arrive and encourage him to go back to Trish.

text: Andy returns to his apartment, where he finds Trish waiting for him. He attempts to apologize, but Trish, having found various suspicious items in his apartment, is now afraid that Andy may be some sort of sexual deviant. Andy tries to defend himself and declares his love for her, but she leaves in alarm and disgust. Andy chases after her on his bike, but collides with her car and flies through the side of a truck. Trish rushes to his side, and Andy confides that he is a virgin as explanation for his behavior. Trish is surprised but relieved, and they kiss.

text: Later, Andy and Trish are married in a lavish ceremony with everyone in attendance, with a sidelong mention that Andy's action figures sold for over half a million dollars. Afterwards, they consummate the marriage, the aftermath of which transitions into a musical scene where the characters sing and dance to "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer
Catherine Keener as Trish Piedmont
Paul Rudd as David
Romany Malco as Jay
Seth Rogen as Cal
Jane Lynch as Paula
Elizabeth Banks as Beth
Leslie Mann as Nicky
Kat Dennings as Marla Piedmont
Chelsea Smith as Julia Piedmont
Gerry Bednob as Mooj
Jordan Masterson as Mark
Shelley Malil as Haziz
Jonah Hill as eBay Customer
Marisa Guterman as Girl with Braces
Marika Dominczyk as Bernadette
Mindy Kaling as Amy
Mo Collins as Gina
Kimberly Page as Carol
Laura Bottrell as Girl with Blue Bra
Stormy Daniels as Herself
Loudon Wainwright III as Priest
Cedric Yarbrough as Health Clinic Dad #1
David Koechner as Health Clinic Dad #2
Jeff Kahn as Health Clinic Dad #3
Kevin Hart as Smart Tech Customer
Rose Abdoo as Mother at Restaurant
Jazzmun as transvestite prostitute
Nancy Carell as Health Clinic Counselor
Nick Lashaway as Boy at Health Clinic
Wyatt Smith as Boy at Wedding (Uncredited)
Ann Christine as Kim (Uncredited)
Jenna Fischer as Woman #1 (Uncredited)
Phyllis Smith as Mrs. Stitzer (Uncredited)

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Production on the film was nearly halted by Universal Pictures after five days of filming, allegedly due to concerns that the physical appearance of Carell's character resembled that of a serial killer.[5] Production was started on January 17, 2005, and wrapped on April 1, 2005.[citation needed]

text: The production used over a million feet of film, a milestone reached on the last day of filming and recognized with free champagne by  Technicolor.[6] Using the conversion of 90 feet of film per minute, this means that the shooting ratio for the film is 96:1 (96 feet shot for each foot used in the release after editing) for the theatrical (84:1 for the unrated version).

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 184 reviews (156 fresh and 28 rotten) and an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Steve Carell's first star turn scores big with a tender treatment of its titular underdog, using raunchy but realistically funny comedy to connect with adult audiences."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

text: Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[9] Rotten Tomatoes declared it the "Best Reviewed Comedy of 2005."[10]

text: Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating. Roger Ebert said, "I was surprised by how funny, how sweet, and how wise the movie really is" and "the more you think about it, the better The 40-Year-Old Virgin gets."[11] The pair gave minor criticisms, with Ebert describing "the way she (Catherine Keener as 'Trish') empathizes with Andy" as "almost too sweet to be funny"  and Richard Roeper saying that the film was too long, and at times extremely frustrating.[11] Roeper later chose the film as the tenth best of 2005.[12]

text: Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the movie an A-, saying that Carell "plays him [Andy] in the funniest and most surprising way possible: as a credible human being." Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called the film a "charmingly bent comedy," noting that Carell conveys a "sheer likability" and a "range as an actor" that was "crucial to making this film work as well as it does."[13]

text: The film was criticized by Harry Forbes of Catholic News Service for promoting "the false premise that there's something intrinsically wrong with an unmarried man being sexually inexperienced,"[14] and by conservative columnist Cal Thomas for not being a "tribute to self control or purity."[15]

text: In December 2005, the film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best movies of the year, the only comedy film to be so recognized (though the comedy-drama The Squid and the Whale was also chosen). The film was also ranked No. 30 on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies.

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film was a summer hit, and opened at No. 1 at the box office, grossing $21,422,815 during its opening weekend, and stayed at No. 1 the following weekend. The film grossed a total of $109,449,237 at the domestic market, and $67,929,408 overseas, for a total of $177,378,645. The film was 25th in global gross, and 19th in the United States that year.[1] The film was released in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2005, and topped the country's box office that weekend.[16]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Association

Accolade

Recipient

Results

American Film Institute Awards

Movie of the Year

Won

ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards

Top Box Office Films

Lyle Workman

Won

Award Circuit Community Awards

Best Original Screenplay

Judd ApatowSteve Carell

Nominated

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

Best Supporting Actress

Catherine Keener

Won

Critics Choice Awards

Best Comedy Movie

Won

Gold Derby Awards

Best Original Screenplay

Judd ApatowSteve Carell

Nominated

Golden Schmoes Awards

Best Comedy of the Year

Won

Best Surprise of the Year

Won

Best Breakthrough Performance of the Year

Steve Carell

Won

Best Line of the Year ("You know how I know you're gay?")

Won

Best Screenplay of the Year

Judd ApatowSteve Carell

Nominated

Favorite Movie Poster of the Year

Nominated

Most Memorable Scene in a Movie (Chest waxing scene)

Nominated

International Online Cinema Awards

Best Original Screenplay

Judd ApatowSteve Carell

Nominated

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

Best Supporting Actress

Catherine Keener

Won

MTV Movie Awards

Best Movie

Nominated

Best Breakthrough Performance

Romany Malco

Nominated

Best Male Performance

Steve Carell

Nominated

Best Comedic Performance

Won

Best On-Screen Team

Steve CarellPaul RuddSeth RogenRomany Malco

Nominated

National Society of Film Critics Awards

Best Supporting Actress

Catherine Keener

Nominated

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

Best Supporting Actress

Nominated

Online Film & Television Association Awards

Best First Feature

Judd Apatow

Nominated

Best Breakthrough Performance - Male

Steve Carell

Nominated

Best Original Screenplay

Judd ApatowSteve Carell

Nominated

Online Film Critics Society Awards

Best Breakthrough Filmmaker

Judd Apatow

Nominated

St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards

Best Animated, Musical, or Comedy Film

Nominated

The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards

Most Overrated Film

Nominated

Writers Guild Awards

Best Original Screenplay

Judd ApatowSteve Carell

Nominated

tag: table

text: Home media[edit]

text: On home video the film was released with an additional 17 minutes under the banner "unrated".[17] For the 100th Anniversary of Universal the theatrical edition was released on Blu-ray. This version also had a similar banner of "unrated".

text: Disclaimer[edit]

text: The American Humane Association withheld its "no animals were harmed..." disclaimer due to the accidental deaths of several tropical fish used in the film.[18]


document_title: Marketing plan

question_text: which of the 8 p's includes value-added services that differentiate the product from the competition

question_tokens: which of the 8 p 's includes value-added services that differentiate the product from the competition

text: Marketing plan

text: Definition[edit]

text: A marketing plan is a comprehensive document or blueprint that outlines a business advertising and marketing efforts for the coming year. It describes business activities involved in accomplishing specific marketing objectives within a set time frame. A marketing plan also includes a description of the current marketing position of a business, a discussion of the target market and a description of the marketing mix that a business will use to achieve their marketing goals. A marketing plan has a formal structure, but can be used as a formal or informal document which makes it very flexible. It contains some historical data, future predictions, and methods or strategies to achieve the marketing objectives. Marketing plans start with the identification of customer needs through a market research and how the business can satisfy these needs while generating an acceptable return.[1] This includes processes such as market situation analysis, action programs, budgets, sales forecasts, strategies and projected financial statements. A marketing plan can also be described as a technique that helps a business to decide on the best use of its resources to achieve corporate objectives. It can also contain a full analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a company, its organization and its products.[2]

text: The marketing plan shows the step or actions that will be utilized in order to achieve the plan goals. For example, a marketing plan may include a strategy to increase the business's market share by fifteen percent. The marketing plan would then outline the objectives that need to be achieved in order to reach the fifteen percent increase in the business market share.[3] The marketing plan can be used to describe the methods of applying a company's marketing resources to fulfill marketing objectives.[2] Marketing planning segments the markets, identifies the market position, forecast the market size, and plans a viable market share within each market segment. Marketing planning can also be used to prepare a detailed case for introducing a new product, revamping current marketing strategies for an existing product or put together a company marketing plan to be included in the company corporate or business plan.[2]

text: Outline[edit]

text: A marketing plan should be based on where a company needs to be at some point in the future. These are some of the most important things that companies need when developing a marketing plan:

text:
Market research: Gathering and classifying data about the market the organization is currently in. Examining the market dynamics, patterns, customers, and the current sales volume for the industry as a whole.[3]
Competition: The marketing plan should identify the organization's competition. The plan should describe how the organization will stick out from its competition and what it will do to become a market leader.
Market plan strategies: Developing the marketing and promotion strategies that the organization will use. Such strategies may include advertising, direct marketing, training programs, trade shows, website, etc.[3]
Marketing plan budget: Strategies identified in the marketing plan should be within the budget. Top managers need to revise what they hope to accomplish with the marketing plan, review their current financial situation, and then allocate funding for the marketing plan.[3]
Marketing goals: The marketing plan should include attainable marketing goals. For example, one goal might be to increase the current client base by 100 over a three-month period.[3]
Monitoring of the marketing plan results: The marketing plan should include the process of analyzing the current position of the organization. The organization needs to identify the strategies that are working and those that are not working.[3]

text: Purpose[edit]

text: One of the main purposes of developing a marketing plan is to set the company on a specific path in marketing. The marketing goals normally aligns itself to the broader company objectives. For example, a new company looking to grow their business will generally have a marketing plan that emphasizes strategies to increase their customer base.[4] Acquiring marketing share, increasing customer awareness, and building a favorable business image are some of the objectives that can be related to marketing planning. The marketing plan also helps layout the necessary budget and resources needed to achieve the goals stated in the marketing plan. The marketing plan shows what the company is intended to accomplish within the budget and also to make it possible for company executives to assess potential return on the investment of marketing dollars. Different aspects of the marketing plan relate to accountability.[4] The marketing plan is a general responsibility from company leaders and the marketing staff to take the company in a specific direction. After the strategies are laid out and the tasks are developed, each task is assigned to a person or a team for implementation. The assigned roles allows companies to keep track of their milestones and communicate with the teams during the implementation process. Having a marketing plan helps company leaders to develop and keep an eye on the expectations for their functional areas. For example, if a company's marketing plan goal is to increase sales growth then the company leaders may have to increase their sales staff in stores to help generate more sales.[4]

text: The marketing plan offers a unique opportunity for a productive discussion between employees and leaders of an organization. It provides good communication within the company. The marketing plan also allows the marketing team to examine their past decisions and understand their results in order to better prepare for the future. It also lets the marketing team to observe and study the environment that they are operating in.[5]

text: Marketing planning aims and objectives[edit]

text: Though it's not clear, Behind the corporate objectives, which in themselves offer the main context for the marketing plan, will lie the "corporate mission," in turn provides the context for these corporate objectives. In a sales-oriented organization, the marketing planning function designs incentive pay plans to not only motivate and reward frontline staff fairly but also to align marketing activities with corporate mission. The marketing plan basically aims to make the business provide the solution with the awareness with the expected customers.

text: This "corporate mission" can be thought of as a definition of what the organization is, or what it does: "Our business is ...". This definition should not be too narrow, or it will constrict the development of the organization; a too rigorous concentration on the view that "We are in the business of making meat-scales," as IBM was during the early 1900s, might have limited its subsequent development into other areas. On the other hand, it should not be too wide or it will become meaningless; "We want to make a profit" is not too helpful in developing specific plans.

text: Jacob Zimmerem suggested that the definition should cover three dimensions: "customer groups" to be served, "customer needs" to be served, and "technologies" to be used.[6] Thus, the definition of IBM's "corporate mission" in the 1940s might well have been: "We are in the business of handling accounting information [customer need] for the larger US organizations [customer group] by means of punched cards [technology]."

text: Perhaps the most important factor in successful marketing is the "corporate vision." Surprisingly, it is largely neglected by marketing textbooks, although not by the popular exponents of corporate strategy  — indeed, it was perhaps the main theme of the book by Peters and Waterman, in the form of their "Superordinate Goals." "In Search of Excellence" said: "Nothing drives progress like the imagination. The idea precedes the deed." [7] If the organization in general, and its chief executive in particular, has a strong vision of where its future lies, then there is a good chance that the organization will achieve a strong position in its markets (and attain that future). This will be not least because its strategies will be consistent and will be supported by its staff at all levels. In this context, all of IBM's marketing activities were underpinned by its philosophy of "customer service," a vision originally promoted by the charismatic Watson dynasty. The emphasis at this stage is on obtaining a complete and accurate picture.

text: A "traditional" — albeit product-based — format for a "brand reference book" (or, indeed, a "marketing facts book") was suggested by Godley more than three decades ago:

text:
Financial data—Facts for this section will come from management accounting, costing and finance sections.
Product data—From production, research and development.
Sales and distribution data — Sales, packaging, distribution sections.
Advertising, sales promotion, merchandising data — Information from these departments.
Market data and miscellany — From market research, who would in most cases act as a source for this information. His sources of data, however, assume the resources of a very large organization. In most organizations they would be obtained from a much smaller set of people (and not a few of them would be generated by the marketing manager alone).

tag: ol

text:
It is apparent that a marketing audit can be a complex process, but the aim is simple: "it is only to identify those existing (external and internal) factors which will have a significant impact on the future plans of the company." It is clear that the basic material to be input to the marketing audit should be comprehensive.
Accordingly, the best approach is to accumulate this material continuously, as and when it becomes available; since this avoids the otherwise heavy workload involved in collecting it as part of the regular, typically annual, planning process itself — when time is usually at a premium.
Even so, the first task of this annual process should be to check that the material held in the current facts book or facts files actually is comprehensive and accurate, and can form a sound basis for the marketing audit itself.
The structure of the facts book will be designed to match the specific needs of the organization, but one simple format — suggested by Malcolm McDonald — may be applicable in many cases. This splits the material into three groups:

text:
Review of the marketing environment. A study of the organization's markets, customers, competitors and the overall economic, political, cultural and technical environment; covering developing trends, as well as the current situation.
Review of the detailed marketing activity. A study of the company's marketing mix; in terms of the 7 Ps - (see below)
Review of the marketing system. A study of the marketing organization, marketing research systems and the current marketing objectives and strategies. The last of these is too frequently ignored. The marketing system itself needs to be regularly questioned, because the validity of the whole marketing plan is reliant upon the accuracy of the input from this system, and `garbage in, garbage out' applies with a vengeance.

* Portfolio planning. In addition, the coordinated planning of the individual products and services can contribute towards the balanced portfolio.
* 80:20 rule. To achieve the maximum impact, the marketing plan must be clear, concise and simple. It needs to concentrate on the 20 percent of products or services, and on the 20 percent of customers, that will account for 80 percent of the volume and 80 percent of the profit.
* 7 Ps: Product, Place, Price and Promotion, Physical Environment, People, Process. The 7 Ps can sometimes divert attention from the customer, but the framework they offer can be very useful in building the action plans.

text:
It is only at this stage (of deciding the marketing objectives) that the active part of the marketing planning process begins. This next stage in marketing planning is indeed the key to the whole marketing process.
The "marketing objectives" state just where the company intends to be at some specific time in the future.
James Quinn succinctly defined objectives in general as: Goals (or objectives) state what is to be achieved and when results are to be accomplished, but they do not state "how" the results are to be achieved.[8] They typically relate to what products (or services) will be where in what markets (and must be realistically based on customer behavior in those markets). They are essentially about the match between those "products" and "markets." Objectives for pricing, distribution, advertising and so on are at a lower level, and should not be confused with marketing objectives. They are part of the marketing strategy needed to achieve marketing objectives. To be most effective, objectives should be capable of measurement and therefore "quantifiable." This measurement may be in terms of sales volume, money value, market share, percentage penetration of distribution outlets and so on. An example of such a measurable marketing objective might be "to enter the market with product Y and capture 10 percent of the market by value within one year." As it is quantified it can, within limits, be unequivocally monitored, and corrective action taken as necessary.

text: The marketing objectives must usually be based, above all, on the organization's financial objectives; converting these financial measurements into the related marketing measurements. He went on to explain his view of the role of "policies," with which strategy is most often confused: "Policies are rules or guidelines that express the 'limits' within which action should occur. "Simplifying somewhat, marketing strategies can be seen as the means, or "game plan," by which marketing objectives will be achieved and, in the framework that appears here, are generally concerned with the 8 P's. Examples are:

text:
Price — The amount of money needed to buy products
Product — The actual product
Promotion (advertising)- Getting the product known
Placement — Where the product is sold
People — Represent the business
Physical environment — The ambiance, mood, or tone of the environment
Process — The Value-added services that differentiate the product from the competition (e.g. after-sales service, warranties)
Packaging — How the product will be protected

text:
In principle, these strategies describe how the objectives will be achieved. The 7 Ps are a useful framework for deciding how a company's resources will be manipulated (strategically) to achieve its objectives. However, the 7 Ps are not the only framework, and may divert attention from other real issues. The focus of a business's strategies must be the objectives of the business— not the process of planning itself. If the 7 Ps fit the business's strategies, then the 7 Ps may be an acceptable framework for that business.
The strategy statement can take the form of a purely verbal description of the strategic options which have been chosen. Alternatively, and perhaps more positively, it might include a structured list of the major options chosen.

text: One aspect of strategy which is often overlooked is that of "timing." The timing of each element of the strategy is critical. Taking the right action at the wrong time can sometimes be almost as bad as taking the wrong action at the right time. Timing is, therefore, an essential part of any plan; and should normally appear as a schedule of planned activities. Having completed this crucial stage of the planning process, to re-check the feasibility of objectives and strategies in terms of the market share, sales, costs, profits and so on which these demand in practice. As in the rest of the marketing discipline, employ judgment, experience, market research or anything else which helps for conclusions to be seen from all possible angles.

text: At this stage, overall marketing strategies will need to be developed into detailed plans and program. Although these detailed plans may cover each of the 7 Ps (marketing mix), the focus will vary, depending upon the organization's specific strategies. A product-oriented company will focus its plans for the 7 Ps around each of its products. A market or geographically oriented company will concentrate on each market or geographical area. Each will base its plans upon the detailed needs of its customers, and on the strategies chosen to satisfy these needs. Brochures and Websites are used effectively.

text: Again, the most important element is, the detailed plans, which spell out exactly what programs and individual activities will carry at the period of the plan (usually over the next year). Without these activities the plan cannot be monitored. These plans must therefore be:

text:
Clear - They should be an unambiguous statement of 'exactly' what is to be done.
Quantified - The predicted outcome of each activity should be, as far as possible, quantified, so that its performance can be monitored.
Focused - The temptation to proliferate activities beyond the numbers which can be realistically controlled should be avoided. The 80:20 Rule applies in this context too.
Realistic - They should be achievable.
Agreed - Those who are to implement them should be committed to them, and agree that they are achievable. The resulting plans should become a working document which will guide the campaigns taking place throughout the organization over the period of the plan. If the marketing plan is to work, every exception to it (throughout the year) must be questioned; and the lessons learnt, to be incorporated in the next year's .

text: Content of the marketing plan[edit]

text: A Marketing Plan for a small business typically includes Small Business Administration Description of competitors, including the level of demand for the product or service and the strengths and weaknesses of competitors

text:
Description of the product or service, including special features
Marketing budget, including the advertising and promotional plan
Description of the business location, including advantages and disadvantages for marketing
Pricing strategy
Market Segmentation

text: Medium-sized and large organizations[edit]

text: The main contents of a marketing plan are:[9]

text:
Executive Summary
Situational Analysis
Opportunities / Issue Analysis - SWOT Analysis
Objectives
Marketing Strategy
Action Program (the operational marketing plan itself for the period under review)
Financial Forecast
Controls

text: In detail, a complete marketing plan typically includes:[9]

text:
Title Page
Executive Summary
Current Situation - Macroenvironment

Economic State
Legal State
Governmental State
Technological State
Ecological State
Sociocultural State
Supply chain State

Current Situation - Market Analysis

Market definition
Market size
Market segmentation
Industry structure and strategic groupings
Porter 5 forces analysis
Competition and market share
competitors' strengths and weaknesses
Market trends

Current Situation  - Consumer Analysis [10]

Nature of the buying decision
Participants
Demographics
Psychographics
Buyer motivation and expectations
Loyalty segments

Current Situation  - Internal

Company Resources

Finances
People (workforce)
Time
Skills

Objectives

Mission statement and Vision statement
Corporate objectives
Financial objective
Marketing objectives
Long term objectives
Description of the basic business philosophy

Corporate Culture (Organizational Culture)

Summary of Situation Analysis

External threats
External opportunities
Internal strengths
Internal weaknesses
Critical success factors in the industry
Sustainable competitive advantage

Marketing Research

Information requirements
Research methodology
Research results

Marketing Strategy - Product

Unique selling proposition (USP)[11]
Product mix
Product strengths and weaknesses

Perceptual mapping

Product life cycle management and new product development
Brand name, brand image, and brand equity
Augmented product
Product portfolio analysis

B.C.G. Analysis
Contribution margin analysis
G.E. Multi Factoral analysis
Quality Function Deployment

Marketing Strategy [12] - segmented marketing actions and market share objectives

By product
By customer segment
By geographical market
By distribution channel

Marketing Strategy - Price

Pricing objectives
Pricing method (e.g.: cost plus, demand based, or competitor indexing)
Pricing strategy (e.g.: skimming, or penetration)
Discounts and allowances
Price elasticity and customer sensitivity
Price zoning
break even analysis at various prices

Marketing Strategy - Promotion

Promotional goals
Promotional Mix
Advertising reach, frequency, flights, theme, and media
Sales force requirements, techniques, and management
Sales promotion
Publicity and public relations
Electronic Promotion (e.g.: web, or telephone)
Word of Mouth marketing
Viral Marketing

Marketing Strategy - Distribution

Geographical coverage
Distribution channels
Physical distribution and logistics
Electronic distribution

Implementation

Personnel requirements

Assigning responsibilities
Giving incentives
Training on selling methods

Financial requirements
Management information systems requirements
Month-by-month agenda

Gantt chart using PERT or critical path analysis systems

Monitoring results and benchmarks
Adjustment mechanism
Contingencies (what ifs)

Financial Summary

Assumptions
Pro-forma monthly income statement
Contribution margin analysis
Breakeven analysis
Monte Carlo method
ISI: Internet Strategic Intelligence

Scenarios

Prediction of future scenarios
Plan of action for each scenario

Controls

Performance indicator
Feedback Mechanisms

Appendix

Pictures and specifications of products
Results from completed research

text: Measurement of progress[edit]

text: The final stage of any marketing planning process is to establish targets (or standards) so that progress can be monitored. Accordingly, it is important to put both quantities and timescales into the marketing objectives (for example, to capture 20 percent by value of the market within two years) and into the corresponding strategies. Marketers must be ready to update and adapt marketing plans at any time. The marketing plan should define how progress towards objectives will be measured. Managers typically use budgets, schedules and marketing metrics for monitoring and evaluating results. With budget, they can compare planned expenditures with actual expenditures for given period. Schedules allow management to see when tasks were supposed to be completed and when they actually were. Marketing metrics tracks actual outcomes of marketing programs to see whether the company is moving forward towards its objectives (P. Kotler, K.L. Keller).

text: Changes in the environment mean that the forecasts often have to be changed. Along with these, the related plans may well also need to be changed. Continuous monitoring of performance, against predetermined targets, represents a most important aspect of this. However, perhaps even more important is the enforced discipline of a regular formal review. Again, as with forecasts, in many cases the best (most realistic) planning cycle will revolve around a quarterly review. Best of all, at least in terms of the quantifiable aspects of the plans, if not the wealth of backing detail, is probably a quarterly rolling review — planning one full year ahead each new quarter. Of course, this does absorb more planning resource; but it also ensures that the plans embody the latest information, and — with attention focused on them so regularly — forces both the plans and their implementation to be realistic.

text: Plans only have validity if they are actually used to control the progress of a company: their success lies in their implementation, not in the writing'.

text: Performance analysis[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The most important elements of marketing performance, which are normally tracked, are:

text: Sales analysis[edit]

text: Most organizations track their sales results; or, in non-profit organizations for example, the number of clients. The more sophisticated track them in terms of 'sales variance' - the deviation from the target figures — which allows a more immediate picture of deviations to become evident.

text: `Micro-analysis', which is simply the normal management process of investigating detailed problems, then investigates the individual elements (individual products, sales territories, customers and so on) which are failing to meet targets

text: Market share analysis[edit]

text: Few organizations track market share though it is often an important metric. Though absolute sales might grow in an expanding market, a firm's share of the market can decrease which bodes ill for future sales when the market starts to drop. Where such market share is tracked, there may be a number of aspects which will be followed:

text:
overall market share
segment share — that in the specific, targeted segment
relative share

text: Expense analysis[edit]

text: The key ratio to watch in this area is usually the `marketing expense to sales ratio'; although this may be broken down into other elements (advertising to sales, sales administration to sales, and so on).

text: Expense analysis can be defined as a detailed report of all the expenses that a business incurs. It is produced on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. It can be dissected into small business subsets to determine how much money each area is costing the company.[13]

text: In marketing, the marketing expense-to-sales ratio plays an important part in expense analysis because it is used to align marketing spend with industry norms. Marketing expense-to-sales ratio helps the company drive its marketing spend productivity. Marketing expense-to-sales analysis is also included with the sales analysis, market share analysis, financial analysis and market-based scorecard analysis as one of the five analysis tools marketers used to control and drive spending productivity. The marketing expense-to-sales ratio allows companies to track actual spending that is relative to the accepted budget and relative to sales goals as stated in the marketing plan.[14]

text: Financial analysis[edit]

text: The "bottom line" of marketing activities should at least in theory, be the net profit (for all except non-profit organizations, where the comparable emphasis may be on remaining within budgeted costs). There are a number of separate performance figures and key ratios which need to be tracked:

text:
gross contribution<>net profit
gross profit<>return on investment
net contribution<>profit on sales

text: There can be considerable benefit in comparing these figures with those achieved by other organizations (especially those in the same industry); using, for instance, the figures which can be obtained (in the UK) from `The Centre for Interfirm Comparison'. The most sophisticated use of this approach, however, is typically by those making use of PIMS (Profit Impact of Management Strategies), initiated by the General Electric Company and then developed by Harvard Business School, but now run by the Strategic Planning Institute.

text: The above performance analyses concentrate on the quantitative measures which are directly related to short-term performance. But there are a number of indirect measures, essentially tracking customer attitudes, which can also indicate the organization's performance in terms of its longer-term marketing strengths and may accordingly be even more important indicators. Some useful measures are:

text:
market research — including customer panels (which are used to track changes over time)
lost business — the orders which were lost because, for example, the stock was not available or the product did not meet the customer's exact requirements
customer complaints — how many customers complain about the products or services, or the organization itself, and about what

text: Use of marketing plans[edit]

text: A formal, written marketing plan is essential; in that it provides an unambiguous reference point for activities throughout the planning period. However, perhaps the most important benefit of these plans is the planning process itself. This typically offers a unique opportunity, a forum, for information-rich and productively focused discussions between the various managers involved. The plan, together with the associated discussions, then provides an agreed context for their subsequent management activities, even for those not described in the plan itself. Additionally, marketing plans are included in business plans, offering data showing investors how the company will grow and most importantly, how they will get a return on investment.

text: Budgets as managerial tools[edit]

text: The classic quantification of a marketing plan appears in the form of budgets. Because these are so rigorously quantified, they are particularly important. They should, thus, represent an unequivocal projection of actions and expected results. What is more, they should be capable of being monitored accurately; and, indeed, performance against budget is the main (regular) management review process.

text: The purpose of a marketing budget is to pull together all the revenues and costs involved in marketing into one comprehensive document. The budget is a managerial tool that balances what is needed to be spent against what can be afforded, and helps make choices about priorities. A budget can further be used to measure a business's performance in the general trends of a business's spending.

text: The marketing budget is usually the most powerful tool by which one can determine the relationship between desired results and available means. Its starting point should be the marketing strategies and plans, which have already been formulated in the marketing plan itself; although, in practice, the two will run in parallel and will interact. At the very least, a thorough budget may cause a change in the more optimistic elements of a company's business plans.


document_title: We Bought a Zoo

question_text: who plays lily in we bought a zoo

question_tokens: who plays lily in we bought a zoo

text: We Bought a Zoo

text: Plot[edit]

text: Benjamin Mee is still grieving the loss of his wife and dealing with the expulsion of his 14-year-old son, Dylan, from school, and decides to make a restart by buying a new house. He tours many houses with his 7-year-old daughter, Rosie, and his realtor, Mr. Stevens, but finds none he likes until his daughter finds a listing with what seems like the perfect house. They drive to an old large house and Benjamin inspects the property, telling his realtor it is perfect. When they hear a lion roar, Stevens explains that the house comes with a zoo in the back, which closed several years before; if they want the house, they must buy the zoo.

text: Mee eventually decides to buy the zoo when he sees Rosie happily playing with the peacocks. Dylan, however, hates the idea of moving away from his friends and retreats into his artwork which has grown more macabre since the death of his mother. Benjamin's brother, Duncan, tries to dissuade him from the purchase, but Benjamin buys it anyway. The zoo staff, led by the 28-year-old head keeper, Kelly Foster, help to start renovating the zoo with the intent to reopen it to the public. When Kelly confronts Benjamin about why he bought a zoo, knowing nothing about running one, Benjamin simply responds "Why not?". Dylan befriends Kelly's 13-year-old homeschooled cousin, Lily Miska, who develops a romantic interest that Dylan is oblivious to.

text: A strict USDA inspector, Walter Ferris, arrives for a surprise inspection and makes a list of repairs that would cost around $100,000, which Benjamin does not have. Rhonda Blair, the zoo's accountant, gossips that Benjamin will probably sell the zoo. The workers' morale sinks, fearing the property will be sold to a buyer that will close it down.

text: When Lily tells Dylan that she heard his family might be leaving, he is overjoyed, which hurts her feelings. Benjamin discovers that his wife bequeathed him an investment account, with instructions to use the money wisely while listening to his heart. Duncan advises him to walk away and start over with the money, but Benjamin decides to use the money to repair the zoo. While this lifts the zoo workers' morale, Dylan is unhappy about having to stay; he confronts his father, and a heated argument ensues. They reconcile the next morning and Dylan admits he misses Lily. Benjamin gives his son advice using his favorite principle, that you only need 20 seconds of courage to achieve great things. Benjamin realizes that instead of trying to start over by forgetting his wife, he should accept that she will always be a part of him.

text: Prior to the grand opening of the zoo, the facility passes a very stringent inspection from Ferris, who grudgingly wishes them good luck. Dylan, following his father's advice, confesses to Lily that he loves her and she forgives him. The week prior to the opening, the worst rainstorm in 100 years is predicted to wash it out. The weather clears in time, but in the morning they are disappointed when no visitors arrive. They discover that a fallen tree has blocked the access road, with a large crowd of waiting visitors behind it. The staff help them to climb over the tree. There are so many people that they run out of tickets, forcing Benjamin and Kelly to look for more. They end up face to face in a shed, where Kelly admits to Benjamin that she is romantically interested in him and since she "can't get a handle on it", she kisses him, telling him that maybe they can do it again on New Year's Eve; Benjamin kisses her back, and tells her that he is looking forward to it.

text: Benjamin takes his children to the restaurant where he met their mother, explaining that it was the point where their existence became a possibility. He takes them through that day's encounter, where Benjamin worked up the nerve to talk to his future wife with "20 seconds of insane courage", and walks up to the table she was sitting. He visualizes her sitting there, and asks her why such an amazing woman would talk to someone like him. She responds, "Why not?".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Matt Damon as Benjamin Mee, the father of Dylan and Rosie Mee and the owner of the zoo, who is trying to restart his life after his wife dies.[4]
Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Foster, the 28-year-old lead zookeeper and long-time employee at Rosemoor Animal Park.
Thomas Haden Church as Duncan Mee,[5] Ben's older brother and an accountant and Dylan and Rosie's uncle
Colin Ford as Dylan Mee,[6] Ben's 14-year-old son, who is initially drawn to Lily and eventually develops feelings for her and has a strained and rough relationship with his father.
Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Rosie Mee, Ben's 7-year-old daughter, who is very curious about all of the animals in the zoo and thinks living at a zoo is a grand adventure.
Angus Macfadyen as Peter MacCreedy, the carpenter of the zoo who had made many innovative enclosures for the zoo, and he claims that his ideas were "stolen" by Walter Ferris. Because of this, he has a huge and violent grudge against Walter.
Elle Fanning as Lily Miska,[7] the 13-year old home-schooled cousin of Kelly and worker at the zoo's restaurant who lives within the zoo. Although she is too young to legally work, she is paid "under the table" out of her cousin's salary. She likes Dylan (who is at first unaware of this fact), but later gives up on her pursuit of a relationship with him after Dylan doesn't listen to her and unintentionally hurts her feelings. After he subsequently apologizes and tells her of his own feelings for her, she forgives him and they resume their friendship and start their relationship.
Patrick Fugit as Robin Jones; the zoo's craftsman and Crystal the Monkey's owner.[7]
John Michael Higgins as Walter "Walt" Ferris, a strict zoo inspector who earns the dislike of many people, especially Peter MacCreedy.
Carla Gallo as Rhonda Blair, the secretary and bookkeeper of the zoo.
J. B. Smoove as Mr. Stevens, the Mee family's real estate agent.
Stéphanie Szostak as Katherine Mee, the deceased wife of Benjamin Mee.
Desi Lydic as Shea Seger, a woman with an obvious crush on Benjamin who always brings him lasagna.
Peter Riegert as Delbert McGinty, Benjamin's boss before he 'starts over'.
Michael Panes as the principal of Dylan and Rosie's school.
Kym Whitley as Eve the Home Depot Clerk.
Crystal the Monkey as Herself.
Bart / Tank the Bear as Buster, the grizzly bear.

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In May 2010, Cameron Crowe agreed to direct the 20th Century Fox adaptation of Benjamin Mee's memoir We Bought a Zoo.[8] He then began rewriting the film's script, which was originally written by Aline Brosh McKenna.[8] This was the first film that was directed by Crowe since the 2005 film Elizabethtown.[8] The film was released on December 23, 2011.[8]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Crowe traveled to the set of the film True Grit to persuade actor Matt Damon to take on the role of the lead character in the film.[1] Crowe also presented a script of the film, a CD of songs that Crowe composed himself, and a copy of the 1983 film Local Hero, with instructions "to not just read the script and make a decision".[1] Damon was persuaded to play the role after he was moved by Crowe's music and found that Local Hero was a "masterpiece".[1] As for Crowe himself, he had already decided on Damon halfway through their meeting, though the distributor Fox still had a shortlist of candidates to play this role.[1]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
We Bought a Zoo

Soundtrack album by Jónsi

Released
December 9, 2011

Recorded
2011

Genre
Ambient, alternative rock, soundtrack, post-rock

Length
51:12

Label
Columbia Records

Producer
Alex Somers, Jón Þór Birgisson

text: In August 2011, it was announced that Icelandic musician Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, the lead singer of the band Sigur Rós, would be composing the music scores for We Bought a Zoo.[9] Director Crowe described the choice as "only natural", since "Jónsi has been a part of the making of We Bought A Zoo from the very beginning".[9]

text: The song Gathering Stories was on the shortlist of 39 songs that have a chance of being nominated for Best Original Song Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards.[10] This song was co-written by Jonsi Birgisson and Cameron Crowe.[10]

text: While the official CD release of the movie soundtrack only includes music by Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson and Sigur Rós,[11] the complete soundtrack of the film included a variety of artists.[12]

text: Track listing[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Artist(s)
Length

1.
"Why Not?"
Jónsi
4:49

2.
"Ævin Endar"
Jónsi
3:32

3.
"Boy Lilikoi"
Jónsi
4:29

4.
"Sun"
Jónsi
1:50

5.
"Brambles"
Jónsi
2:24

6.
"Sinking Friendships"
Jónsi
4:42

7.
"We Bought a Zoo"
Jónsi
4:21

8.
"Hoppípolla"
Sigur Rós
4:30

9.
"Snærisendar"
Jónsi
2:43

10.
"Sink Ships"
Jónsi
2:21

11.
"Go Do"
Jónsi
4:41

12.
"Whole Made of Pieces"
Jónsi
2:47

13.
"Humming"
Jónsi
2:33

14.
"First Day"
Jónsi
1:40

15.
"Gathering Stories"
Jónsi
3:56

text: Film tracks not on album[edit]

text:
"Don't Come Around Here No More" – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Do It Clean" – Echo & the Bunnymen
"Airline to Heaven" – Wilco
"Don't Be Shy" – Cat Stevens
"Living with the Law" – Chris Whitley
"Last Medicine Dance" – Mike McCready
"Buckets of Rain" – Bob Dylan
"I'm Open" – Eddie Vedder
"No Soy Del Valle" – Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno
"Like I Told You" – Acetone
"Ashley Collective" – Mike McCready
"For a Few Dollars More" – The Upsetters
"Hunger Strike" – Temple Of The Dog
"Mariachi El Bronx" – Mariachi El Bronx
"Haleakala Sunset" – CKsquared
"Cinnamon Girl" (Live) – Neil Young
"Holocene" – Bon Iver
"Throwing Arrows" – Mike McCready
"Work to Do" – The Isley Brothers
"All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" – Otis Rush
"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" – Randy Newman

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: We Bought a Zoo grossed a total of $2,984,875 on its opening day in the U.S. box office, making it the sixth highest-grossing film that weekend.[2] It subsequently earned $14,604,645 in its first four days of screening. Overall, the film grossed $75,624,550 in North America and $37,764,426 internationally for a worldwide total of $113,388,976.[2] It is one of only twelve feature films to be released in over 3,000 theaters and still improve on its box office performance in its second weekend, increasing 41.4% from $9,360,434 to $13,238,241.[13]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 155 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "We Bought a Zoo is a transparently cloying effort by director Cameron Crowe, but Matt Damon makes for a sympathetic central character."[14] On Metacritic the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15]

text: Roger Ebert, reviewing for the Chicago Sun-Times, awarded the film 2.5 stars out of 4, describing the film as "too much formula and not enough human interest."[16] He added that the film's "pieces go together too easily, the plot is too inevitable, and we feel little real energy between the players."[16] However, he did praise Damon, whom he says "makes a sturdy and likable Benjamin Mee".[16] The New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis criticized Crowe's direction, writing that it "makes the escalating tension between Benjamin and Dylan the story's soft center," while keeping "the brutality of illness and death" "safely off-screen".[17] She also noted that the film uses "classic movie logic", specifically pointing out the way that Benjamin quits his job and that he "doesn't agonize about how he'll keep his children housed, fed and clothed".[17] On the other hand, Dargis wrote that "you may not buy his [Cameron's] happy endings, but it's a seductive ideal when all of God's creatures, great and small, buxom and blond, exist in such harmony."[17]

text: The Hollywood Reporter commented that the "uplifting tale [the film] has heart, humanity and a warmly empathetic central performance from Matt Damon", although it "doesn't dodge the potholes of earnest sentimentality and at times overplays the whimsy".[18] The reviewer also praised the cast, describing them as "solid", and in particular praised Damon's character, whose struggle he says "gives the movie a soulful pull, even at its most predictable".[18] Overall, this reviewer summarized his review by saying that "Cameron Crowe's film has some rough edges, but it ultimately delivers thanks to Matt Damon's moving performance."[18]

text: Home media[edit]

text: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released We Bought a Zoo on DVD and Blu-ray on April 3, 2012.

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Year
Award
Category
Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
Result
Ref

2011
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
Best Live Action Family Film
We Bought a Zoo
Nominated
[19]

Satellite Award
Best Original Song
Jónsi, Cameron Crowe –
"Gathering Stories"
Nominated
[20]

2012
BMI Award
Film Music Award
Jónsi
Won
[21]

Teen Choice Awards
Choice Movie: Drama
We Bought a Zoo
Nominated
[22]

Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Matt Damon
Nominated

Choice Movie Actress: Drama
Scarlett Johansson
Nominated

Young Artist Award
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor
Colin Ford
Nominated
[23]

Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actress Ten and Under
Maggie Elizabeth Jones
Nominated

text: The real zoo[edit]

text: The movie's plot and actual events differ. The real Benjamin Mee is British. The story was adapted for an American audience and Mee approved the changes.[24] The actual zoo Mee bought is Dartmoor Zoological Park, located in Devon, England.[25] The fictional zoo in the film is called Rosemoor Wildlife Park and is located in California.

text: In real life, Benjamin's wife, Katherine, died after they had already bought the zoo and moved in.[25] In the film, Benjamin bought the zoo after her death. In real life, Benjamin's father had died and his mother needed to move; the farm cost the same price as his parents' house, and his mother came too.[26] Benjamin and his family made a specific and informed decision to buy a zoo. In the film, it occurred as a result of finding a house they liked.

text: Instead of an escaping bear, as portrayed by the film, it was a jaguar called Sovereign that had escaped.[25] Benjamin's children were also younger (aged four and six respectively) than the children in the film.[25]

text: In the film, the zoo was much easier to buy. In real life, it took almost two years to buy.[25] Benjamin's first offer to buy the zoo was rejected due to his lack of experience in the zoological world.[25] Finally, the real zoo opened on Saturday July 7, 2007. The movie moved that event up to the same date in 2010. This later date fell on a Wednesday, but was identified in the script as the original Saturday.

text: Legacy[edit]

text: The longtime gag-feud between Matt Damon and Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel continued at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony, where Kimmel jokingly mocked Damon's performance in the movie.[27]


document_title: NBA playoffs

question_text: when did the nba start best of 7

question_tokens: when did the nba start best of 7

text: NBA playoffs

text: Format[edit]

text: In September 2015, the NBA announced changes to the formula used to determine the format of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The top eight teams in each conference (East and West), ranked in order by win-loss records, qualify for the playoffs. The tie-break criteria for playoff seeding and home-court advantage have also changed; head-to-head results between the tied teams is the first tie-breaker, and whether a team won its division championship is the second tie-breaker.[1]

text: These seedings are used to create a bracket that determines the match-ups throughout the series. Once the playoffs start, the bracket is fixed; teams are never "reseeded", unlike in the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) where the strongest remaining teams face the weakest teams in subsequent rounds. The first round of the NBA playoffs, or conference quarterfinals, consists of four match-ups in each conference based on the seedings (1–8, 2–7, 3–6, and 4–5). The four winners advance to the second round, or conference semifinals, with a match-up between the 1–8 and 4–5 winners and a match-up between the 2–7 and 3–6 winners. The two winners advance to the third round, or conference finals. The winner from each conference will advance to the final round, or the NBA Finals.

text: All rounds are best-of-seven series. Series are played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6, with games 5–7 being played if needed. This format has been used since 2014, after NBA team owners unanimously voted to change from a 2–3–2 format on October 23, 2013.[2]

text: The most common criticism of the current structure is related to parity of conferences. On numerous occasions, Eastern Conference teams with losing records qualified for the playoffs, while Western Conference teams with winning records ended up missing them, including the 2011, 2013 and the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

text: History[edit]

text: The National Basketball Association was established in 1949 by merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League but it recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history. In all of its three years the BAA champion was finally determined in a best-of-seven series but its first two tournaments, the 1947 and 1948 BAA Playoffs, were otherwise quite different from the third, which 21st-century NBA playoffs nearly match. In 1947 and 1948, the Eastern and Western Division champions were matched in a best-of-seven series following the regular season, whose winner advanced to the championship round. Meanwhile, four runners-up played best-of-three series to determine the other finalist: the two second-place teams were matched in one short series and the two third-place teams in another; the winners of those two series played another one. In 1947 the Philadelphia Warriors won the runners-up bracket and beat the Western champion Chicago Stags four games to one, which the NBA recognizes as its first championship; in 1948 Baltimore won the runners-up and beat Eastern champion Philadelphia in the final. Both tournaments generated one finalist from the Eastern and one from the Western Division, but only by chance.[3]

text: In 1949 the third and last BAA tournament matched Eastern teams exclusively and Western teams exclusively, necessarily generating Eastern and Western playoff champions to meet in the final. At the same time, the number of playoff teams was increased from three to four from each Division; two rounds of best-of-three series were played, followed by a best-of-seven championship. The main idea was retained by the NBA. Even the 1950 tournament, following a transitional season with three divisions rather than two, initially determined one playoff champion from each division. The Central champion Minneapolis Lakers became the first league champion under the NBA name by defeating Anderson from the West in a best-of-three, with Syracuse from the East idle, and then knocking off the Syracuse Nationals in six games.[4]

text: The 1951 through 1953 playoffs changed the division finals into a best-of-five playoff. With only nine league members in 1953–54, the NBA cut its postseason tournament field from eight teams to six (from 1954 through 1966, the period of eight to nine league members). Round robins were played in 1954, uniquely in NBA history—a three-team round robin among the three playoff teams in each division. From 1955 to 1966, the first-place team in each division was idle while its two runners-up faced played a best-of-three. Division finals were expanded to best-of-seven in 1958 and division semifinals to best-of-five in 1961.

text: With ten league members again for the 1966–67 season, eight teams were again admitted to the tournament, providing a simple three-round knockout (8-team bracket). A year later, the division semifinals were changed to best-of-seven playoff.  Then, in 1975 and 1977, respectively, a fifth and sixth team were added to each Division, necessitating an additional first round of best-of-three series.

text: Finally in 1984, the tournament expanded to its present 16-team, four-round knockout, and the now-complete set of first-round series were expanded to a best-of-five. In 2003 the first round was changed to also be best-of-seven. (Thus all playoff teams from 2003 to present, same as the two Division champions in 1947 and 1948, continue to play at the close of the regular season without idle team ("bye") and may be certain of four playoff games including two at home.)

text: Beginning with the 2004 season, with the addition of the thirtieth NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. The result was that each conference would have three divisions of five teams each, and the winner of each division was guaranteed a top-three playoff seed. This would change slightly after the 2005–06 season; while division winners still receive automatic playoff berths, they are guaranteed a top-four seed, as described below.

text: 2006 NBA playoffs controversy[edit]

text: The previous playoff format, in place for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 NBA playoffs, after the NBA was re-aligned into six divisions, created controversy during the 2005–06 season and playoffs, and would be changed prior to the 2006–07 NBA season.[5]

text: Prior to 2005, NBA division champions were seeded higher than the other teams in their conference, regardless of their record. Prior to 2004, when the NBA was aligned into two conferences with two divisions each, the division champions were guaranteed the top two seeds. This meant that top two teams in a conference (by record) would be seeded either first and second (if they were in opposite divisions) or first and third (if they were in the same division). Because of the NBA playoffs' preset matchups in the second round, this meant that the top two teams in a conference could never meet until the conference finals, assuming they both made it to that round.

text: After the NBA realigned its two conferences into three divisions each, the seeding rules remained largely unchanged. The top three seeds would now be reserved for division champions.  However, this meant that if the top two teams (by record) in a conference were in the same division, they would be seeded first and fourth.  Assuming no first-round upsets, this raised the prospect that the top two teams in the conference would face each other in the conference semifinals, instead of the conference finals.

text: In the second year of this format, the 2005–06 NBA season, the two teams with the best records in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks of the Southwest Division, did just that.  The Mavericks had the second-best record in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the entire league, behind the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio.  However, they were seeded fourth because they finished second in the Southwest behind the Spurs.  This turn of events led to the playoff format being criticized by many. Besides the prospect of a team losing earlier in the playoffs than its regular-season record or seeding would suggest, critics claimed that it also created an unfair advantage for teams in the 2-7/3-6 half of the Western Conference playoff bracket, who could advance to the conference finals without playing either of the two best teams in the conference in an earlier round.

text: The Phoenix Suns, winners of the Pacific Division and possessors of the third best record, were seeded second, while the Denver Nuggets, winners of the Northwest Division and tied for only the seventh-best record in the conference, were seeded third.

text: The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers met in the second-to-last game of the regular season, after the top four seeds had been clinched. The two teams were already determined to be the fifth and sixth seeds, and had only to determine which rank higher. The fifth seed would likely need to defeat the best two teams in the conference without home-court advantage to advance to the conference finals, as it would face fourth-seeded Dallas in the first round and likely face first-seeded San Antonio if it managed to defeat Dallas. The sixth seed would play third-seeded Denver in the first round, but would have home-court advantage (since the Grizzlies had the fourth-best record in the conference and the Clippers had the fifth-best), and would not have to face either San Antonio or Dallas until the conference finals at the earliest.

text: This led to speculation about whether the Grizzlies or the Clippers would have much commitment to winning their match-up in the second-to-last game of the season, since it was clearly most advantageous to lose the game in order to obtain the 6th seed. The Clippers eventually lost to Memphis without much evidence to support the speculation that the Clippers had lost intentionally.[6] In the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers defeated the Nuggets in five games, while Memphis was swept by Dallas. Ultimately, Dallas and San Antonio did meet in the second round, with Dallas winning in seven games and advancing all the way to the NBA finals.

text: Timeline[edit]

text: 1947: The playoffs were instituted with a three-stage tournament, similar to the Stanley Cup playoffs of the 1930s; the two first-place teams qualified directly to one semifinal where they played each other in a best-of-7 series.  Teams finishing second & third qualified for the best-of-3 quarterfinals, where the two second-placed teams were paired in one quarterfinal, as were the two third-placed teams, and the two quarterfinal winners played each other in a best-of-three semifinal.  The two semifinal winners played each other in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) best-of-7 final series.

text:
QuarterfinalsBest-of-3

SemifinalsBest-of-3 (one series)
Best-of-7 (one series)

BAA finalsBest-of-7

 E3

W3

E3

E2

W2

E2

E2

W1

W1

E1

text: There were no byes, or idle time, for the division champions – as there would be for higher-seeded playoff teams 1955–66 and 1975–83. All six 1947 participants played their first tournament games on Wednesday, April 2; in 1948 the two Eastern runners-up (E2, E3 in the figure) were idle for a few days only because there was a three-way Western tie to break. Both winners of the runners-up bracket, Philadelphia in 1947 and Baltimore in 1948, reached the final series having played fewer tournament games than their final opponents, Chicago in 1947 and Philadelphia in 1948, had played in the best-of-7 pairings of division champions. And both winners of the runners-up bracket won the final series. The "postseason" actually comprised 11 games played in a span of 21 days for the 1947 Chicago Stags and 13 games in 30 days for 1948 Philadelphia Warriors, the finalists who emerged from the pairing of division champions.[3]

text: 1949: The playoffs were reorganized to match Eastern Division teams exclusively, and Western Division teams exclusively – in two halves of the bracket, so to speak. Thus the BAA tournament generated a playoff champion in each Division. (So did the NBA in each of three 1950 divisions, and so it has done in each half of the league since then.) The top four teams from each of the two divisions qualified.  The quarterfinals and semifinals were renamed division semifinals and division finals, respectively, and both rounds were best-of-3. Thus any playoff team might be eliminated in two games, one home game. The best-of-7 final was unchanged.

text:
Division semifinalsBest-of-3

Division finalsBest-of-3

BAA finalsBest-of-7

 E1

E4

E1

Eastern Division

E2

E2

E3

E1

W2

W1

W4

W1

Western Division

W2

W2

 W3

text:
1950: The BAA was renamed as the National Basketball Association (NBA).  With a three-division setup, 12 teams now qualified for the playoffs, with the top four teams from each division meeting in the best-of-3 division semifinals.  The winners met in the best-of-3 division finals.  With three teams remaining, the surviving team with the best regular season record qualified directly for the finals while the other two teams met in a best-of-3 NBA semifinals.
1951: With the NBA reverting to a two-division setup; the division semifinals reverted to its original 1949 format with only eight teams qualifying.  The division finals was extended to a best-of-5 format.

text:
Division semifinalsBest-of-3

Division finalsBest-of-5

NBA finalsBest-of-7

 E1

E4

E4

Eastern Division

E2

E2

E3

E2

W3

W1

W4

W1

Western Division

W3

W2

 W3

text:
1954: With only nine league members (soon to be eight), the number of playoff teams was cut down to six.  The division semifinals was changed to a double round-robin format within the division, with the top three teams from each division qualifying (each team played four games).  Following the round-robin games, the top two teams qualified for the best-of-three division finals, followed by the best-of-seven finals.
1955: The number of playoff teams remained at six, but the initial round-robin was dropped after one year in favor of giving the first-place team in each division a bye to the best-of-five division finals. Teams which placed second and third played a best-of-three division semifinal. In 1955 the byes provided five and six extra days idle for the first-place teams.[7]
1958: The division finals was extended to a best-of-seven format.
1961: The division semifinals were extended to a best-of-five format.

text:
Division semifinalsBest-of-3 (1955–1960),
Best-of-5 (1961–1966)

Division finalsBest-of-5 (1955–1957),
Best-of-7 (1958–1966)

NBA finalsBest-of-7

E1

Eastern Division

E3

E2

E3

E3

W1

W1

Western Division

W2

W2

 W3

text: The 1961 to 1966 tournaments alone combined initial byes for seeded teams with best-of-five initial series for unseeded teams. The 1961 byes provided five and seven extra days idle for the first-place teams. By 1966 the schedule provided more rest for the first-round participants with byes of 11 and eight extra days idle.[8]

text:
1967: The number of playoff teams was expanded to eight once more.  The division semifinals now included the fourth-best team in each conference.  The first-placed teams no longer received a bye.  They were matched against the fourth-placed teams in the best-of-5 division semifinals.
1968: The division semifinals was extended to a best-of-seven format.

text:
Division semifinalsBest-of-5 (1967),
Best-of-7 (1968–1970)

Division finalsBest-of-7 (1968–1970)

NBA finalsBest-of-7

 E1

E4

Eastern Division

E2

E3

W1

W4

Western Division

W2

 W3

text: 1970: With an increased number of teams, the divisions were upgraded into conferences, which were then split into two divisions.  Eight teams still qualified, four from each conference.  The two division winners were guaranteed at least a #2 seed, and the two best non-division winners from each conference qualified as third and fourth seeds.  Hence, the division semifinals and division finals came to be known as conference semifinals and conference finals, respectively.

text:
Conference semifinalsBest-of-7

Conference finalsBest-of-7

NBA finalsBest-of-7

 E1*

E4

Eastern Conference

E2*

E3

W1*

W4

Western Conference

W2*

 W3

text: 1975: The number of playoff teams was expanded from eight to ten.  A first round was introduced which matched the fourth and fifth seeds in each conference in a best-of-3 first round series, while the top three seeds received a bye. This is similar to the system currently used in the MLB.

text:
First RoundBest-of-3

Conference semifinalsBest-of-7

Conference finalsBest-of-7

NBA finalsBest-of-7

E1*

E4

E4

E5

Eastern Conference

E2*

E3

W1*

W4

W4

W5

Western Conference

W2*

W3

text: 1977: The number of playoff teams was expanded from 10 to 12.  The first round now included the sixth best team in each conference, which was matched against the third seed.  Only the division winners received byes to the next round. This is similar to the format currently used by the NFL.

text:
First RoundBest-of-3

Conference semifinalsBest-of-7

Conference finalsBest-of-7

NBA finalsBest-of-7

E1*

E4

E5

Eastern Conference

E3

E6

E2*

W1*

W4

W5

Western Conference

W3

W6

W2*

text: The 1983 tournament is the latest to incorporate first-round byes for seeded teams. The first-round best-of-three series tapped off on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 19 and 20; the second-round best-of-sevens on Sunday to the following Wednesday, April 27. Counting from Tuesday the byes provided five to eight extra days idle.[9]

text: 1984: The playoffs were expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams.  All teams now participated in the first round, which was extended to a best-of-five series.

text:
Conference quarterfinalsBest-of-5
Conference semifinalsBest-of-7
Conference finalsBest-of-7
NBA finalsBest-of-7
            E1*

E8

E4

E5

Eastern Conference

E3

E6

E2*

E7

W1*

W8

W4

W5

Western Conference

W3

W6

W2*

W7

text: 2003: The first round was extended to a best-of-seven series. This change arguably benefitted the higher seeds as it reduced the likelihood of an upset by a lower seed. It also meant that a team that swept their series 4–0 might have to wait up to two weeks to play their next series against a team that had won 4–3.

text:
Conference quarterfinalsBest-of-7
Conference semifinalsBest-of-7
Conference finalsBest-of-7
NBA finalsBest-of-7
            E1*

E8

E4

E5

Eastern Conference

E3

E6

E2*

E7

W1*

W8

W4

W5

Western Conference

W3

W6

W2*

W7

text: 2005: Each conference was realigned into three divisions with each division winner qualifying for a top-three seed regardless of record.  The next best five teams from each conference also qualify for the playoffs.

text:
Conference quarterfinalsBest-of-7
Conference semifinalsBest-of-7
Conference finalsBest-of-7
NBA finalsBest-of-7
            E1*

E8

E4

E5

Eastern Conference

E3*

E6

E2*

E7

W1*

W8

W4

W5

Western Conference

W3*

W6

W2*

W7

text:
2007: To address the criticisms of having each division champion guaranteed a top-three seed, regardless of record, the rules were changed such that the division winners are now only guaranteed a top-four seed.  The team with the second-best record in the conference is now guaranteed the second seed, even if it finishes second in its own division.  This ensures that the two best teams in the conference cannot meet until the conference finals at the earliest.  The previous system raised the prospect of the two best teams in the conference being seeded 1 and 4 if they play in the same division, thus forcing them to play each other in the second round (given no upsets).
Note: In the example below, the East's #2 seed is not a division champion.

text:
Conference quarterfinalsBest-of-7
Conference semifinalsBest-of-7
Conference finalsBest-of-7
NBA finalsBest-of-7
            E1*

E8

E5

E4*

Eastern Conference

E3*

E6

E2

E7

W1*

W8

W5

W4

Western Conference

W3*

W6

W2*

W7

text: 2016: While the playoff bracketing did not change, qualification criteria were changed. The teams with the eight best records in each conference receive playoff berths, with no automatic berths nor guaranteed top-four seed placement for division champions.

text: Team roster[edit]

text: Playoff teams must identify their postseason roster before the playoffs begin. They are allowed up to 15 players and can designate two as inactive for each game.[10] Players are eligible to be on a team's playoff roster provided they were on the team for at least one regular season game, and were not on another NBA team's roster after March 1.[11] Previously[when?], playoff rosters were limited to 12 players who were named before the playoffs began.[10]

text: Records and statistics[edit]

text:
Only five 8th seeded teams have managed to win a series versus the number 1 seeded team:  The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 in 1994. The New York Knicks eliminated the Miami Heat 3–2 in 1999. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the 2007 Western Conference First Round (becoming the first 8 seed to beat a 1 seed in the best of 7 format). In 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs, 4–2 and in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls  4–2.
The 1999 Knicks are the only 8th seeded team ever to reach the NBA finals. No 8th seeded team has won the NBA finals.
The 1956–57 St. Louis Hawks, 1958–59 Minneapolis Lakers and the 1980–81 Houston Rockets are the only teams with losing records (34-38, 33–39 and 40–42, respectively) to make it to the NBA finals. In 1981 the Houston Rockets' opponent in the Western Conference Finals, the Kansas City Kings, also had a losing record (40–42).
The 1994–95 Houston Rockets, a sixth seed with a record of 47–35, were the lowest seeded team to win the NBA finals. In the NBA finals, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic (57–25) in four games. In doing so, the Rockets defeated four teams that had won 50 or more games during the regular season (Utah Jazz at 60–22, Phoenix Suns at 59–23, San Antonio Spurs at 62–20 and Orlando at 57–25), which had never been done before.  They are also the only team to have won an NBA title without having home-court advantage during any round of the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors own the longest NBA playoff winning streak for a single postseason with 15 straight wins in the 2017 playoffs.
Of all the teams with multiple NBA finals appearances, the Chicago Bulls are the only team to have never lost in the finals, winning 6.
The Boston Celtics possess the most overall NBA finals series wins with an overall record of 17–4. The Los Angeles/Minneapolis Lakers have played in the most NBA finals series (31) with an overall record of 16–15.
The longest active playoff appearance streak currently belongs to the San Antonio Spurs with 21 consecutive appearances in the playoffs, beginning in the 1997–98 NBA season. The longest ever streak of playoffs appearances in a row belongs to the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, who made the playoffs 22 straight years from the 1949–50 season to the 1970–71 season.
In 1983, under the bye-7-7-7 system, the Philadelphia 76ers attained the best record of 12-1, having only lost in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2001, under the best of 5-7-7-7 system, the Los Angeles Lakers attained the best record of 15-1, having only lost in Game 1 of the Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In 2017, under the best of 7-7-7-7 system, the Golden State Warriors attained the best record of 16-1, having only lost in Game 4 of the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors and Cavaliers came into the Finals with a combined record of 24-1, with the Cavaliers having only lost in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.

text: Playoff appearances[edit]

text: Current as of 2018 NBA Playoffs

text: Appearances by active teams[edit]

text:
Team

Appearances[12]

Los Angeles Lakers

60 [A]

Boston Celtics

55

Philadelphia 76ers

48 [B]

Atlanta Hawks

46 [C]

Detroit Pistons

41 [D]

New York Knicks

41

San Antonio Spurs

38 [E]

Chicago Bulls

35

Golden State Warriors

34 [F]

Portland Trail Blazers

34

Houston Rockets

32 [G]

Milwaukee Bucks

30

Oklahoma City Thunder

30 [H]

Phoenix Suns

29

Sacramento Kings

29 [I]

Washington Wizards

29 [J]

Utah Jazz

27 [K]

Indiana Pacers

25 [E]

Denver Nuggets

24 [E]

Cleveland Cavaliers

22

Dallas Mavericks

21

Miami Heat

20

Brooklyn Nets

19 [E][L]

Orlando Magic

14

Los Angeles Clippers

13 [M]

Charlotte Hornets

10 [N]

Memphis Grizzlies

10

Toronto Raptors

10

Minnesota Timberwolves

9

New Orleans Pelicans

7 [N]

text:
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Minneapolis Lakers (1947–1960).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946–1951), the Milwaukee Hawks (1951–1955), and the St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Fort Wayne Pistons (1949–1957).

^ Jump up to: a b c d Does not include appearances in the American Basketball Association (ABA) playoffs. Per the conditions of the ABA–NBA merger, the NBA does not officially recognize the ABA history, playoffs and records.

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1962) and the San Francisco Warriors (1962–1971).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971).

Jump up ^ As part of the 2008 relocation settlement with the City of Seattle, the Thunder officially shares its history with that of the Seattle SuperSonics (1967–2008).[13]

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Rochester Royals (1948–1957), the Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972), the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1972–1975), and the Kansas City Kings (1975–1985).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Chicago Packers (1961–1962), the Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), the Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), the Capital Bullets (1973–1974), and the Washington Bullets (1974–1997).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the New Jersey Nets (1977–2012).

Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Buffalo Braves (1970–1978).

^ Jump up to: a b The New Orleans Pelicans were originally named the Charlotte Hornets, and moved to New Orleans in 2002. A new team, the Charlotte Bobcats, was then established in 2004. When the Charlotte team reclaimed the Hornets name in a 2014 agreement, the Charlotte team also reclaimed the history of the original Hornets; as such, the New Orleans Pelicans were established in 2002, and the Bobcats/Hornets rejoined the NBA in 2004.[14]


document_title: Reflex arc

question_text: what kind of reflex arc does not require an interneuron

text: Reflex arc

text: Monosynaptic vs. polysynaptic[edit]

text: When a reflex arc in an animal consists of only one sensory neuron and one motor neuron, it is defined as monosynaptic, referring to the presence of a single chemical synapse. In the case of peripheral muscle reflexes (patellar reflex, achilles reflex), brief stimulation to the muscle spindle results in contraction of the agonist or effector muscle. By contrast, in polysynaptic reflex pathways, one or more interneurons connect afferent (sensory) and efferent (motor) signals. All but the most simple reflexes are polysynaptic, allowing processing or inhibition of polysynaptic reflexes within the brain.

text: The patellar reflex (knee jerk)[edit]

text: When the patellar tendon is tapped just below the knee, the tap initiates an action potential in a specialized structure known as a muscle spindle located within the quadriceps. This action potential travels to the L3 and L4 nerve roots of the spinal cord,[2] via a sensory axon which chemically communicates by releasing glutamate onto a motor nerve. The result of this motor nerve activity is contraction of the quadriceps muscle, leading to extension of the lower leg at the knee (i.e. the lower leg kicks forward). Ultimately, an improper patellar reflex may indicate cerebellar injury.[2]

text: The sensory input from the quadriceps also activates local interneurons that release the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine onto motor neurons of antagonist muscles, blocking the sustained stimulation of these antagonistic (hamstring) muscles. The relaxation of the opposing muscle facilitates (by not opposing) the extension of the lower leg.

text: In lower animals reflex interneurons do not necessarily reside in the spinal cord, for example as in the lateral giant neuron of crayfish.