Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Capstone - Essay Example Accordingly, the organization’s mission statement also addresses the establishment of prosperous and beneficial relationships with both internal and external groups that are associated with the activities of the business such as its employees, suppliers and other partners (FedEx Corporation 2013a). Not only does the mission statement of the company depict the organization’s commitment towards its primary stakeholders but it also provides a roadmap for the management and the employees as to how FedEx Corporation aims to conduct its business activities. As indicated by the formulation of the organization’s mission statement, the vision statement and mission statement of a company often represent messages or meanings that are one and the same while in other scenarios; the vision statement portrays a company’s aspirations or what it hopes to achieve in the future (Secord 2003). According to FedEx Corporation (2013a) the organization intends to serve its custom ers in the best manner possible by identifying the exclusive requirements of each market segment. The presence of this clause in the organization’s mission statement has been the driver of FedEx Corporation’s successful service to its global clientele which displays varying needs. For example, the initiation of takeovers in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and India in the recent years has been prompted by the organization’s dedication to â€Å"accommodate evolving customer needs† (FedEx Corporation 2012). 2. Analyze the five (5) forces of competition to determine how they impact the company. Porter’s Five Forces model operates as an effective and comprehensive framework for identifying, analyzing and evaluating the possible opportunities and threats to a company which are posed by various competitive forces within the industry (Hill and Jones 2007). On the basis of this understanding, the framework outlines five key areas of competition that play a fundamental role in the formulation and execution of strategies to effectively address the outlined threats and successfully capitalize on opportunities. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The nature of FedEx Corporation’s activities and the scale of its operations demands regular interaction with several suppliers that are located across the globe. The company’s suppliers are identified as fuel suppliers, producers of shipping materials and airplane manufacturers (Berger 2011). Berger (2011) states that dominant fuel suppliers command strong bargaining power over the organization because of the unavailability of substitutes which greatly limits the organization’s ability to engage in successful negotiations in order to lower operating expenses. Similarly, the aircraft manufacturing industry displays an oligopolistic situation with Boeing and Airbus being the primary suppliers of aircrafts which lends significant bargaining power to the manufacturers (Berger 2011). Contrary to this observation, Berger (2011) identifies that producers of shipping materials exhibit only limited bargaining power because FedEx Corporation has the option of choosing its designated suppliers amongst several companies in a market that is highly competitive. Bargaining Power of Buyers Hill and Jones (2007) comment that bargaining power of buyers is subject to change as per the changes in the external environment. In the case of FedEx Corpora

The Creation Of The Italian Stereotype

The Creation Of The Italian Stereotype The Italian mafia has been a prominent them in the media for centuries. The portrayal of mobsters and the mafia in the U.S.s motion picture industry has created a stereotype for Italians that is very well accepted in the American culture. In this paper I will discuss various films and TV that address the topic of the Italian mafia and the way in which these shows depict citizens of Italian origin. More specifically I will try to show how movies such as The Goodfather, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and more recent works such as HBOs hit The Sopranos create a negative stereotype for Italian American man and women, glorifying them by their flashy lifestyles and relations to organized criminal activities. Movies of such sort have reached such popular success because they appeal to the public and, unfortunately, many Italian American citizens embrace these accusations and consider them part of their heritage, thus reinforcing the stereotype made by the movie industry in the eyes of citizens wi th different ethnical backgrounds. Since the very beginning, the Italian mafia, in the eyes of Americans has been a very wide spread cultural phenomena. The origin of the mafia is very hard to investigate and report, many experts have dated its origin back to a time of instability for the Italian nation. The cause of this disturbance was the instable relationship between the northern and southern regions of Italy. Southern Italy was often insulted and considered rural and uncivilized by the wealthier businessman of the North. This unjust treatment caused the southern citizens, especially the Sicilians, to resort to violent gangs for protection of the little land and wealth they owned. As time progressed, and the demand for these bands increased, these rebel groups united into larger, and much more organized, groups that lead to the creation of the mafia. The most famous of these groups, and perhaps the first, originated in Sicily and later became known as Cosa Nosta which many often use the term incorrectly referring it to the Italian mafia overall and not just as one of its sects. These groups prospered and grew on to the Italian people, infiltrating the unstable government after the unification of Italy in 1861. The mafia made its first appearance in the US between the 19th and 20th century, as this cultural phenomenon grew in America, the mafias portrayal in the media grew with it. The media created a name for the mafia in America. The people loved gangster movies, and the film industry capitalized on this assumption. In order to give their work a more realistic feel, directors, would often cast Italians as mobster characters thus building a stereotype of Italian Americans. As time evolved however, the simple stereotype morphed past the simple gangster image; in more recent works, Italian women were also effect; being viewed as old housewives or young bimbos. Men became viewed as lazy and uneducated like in the 1995 movie To Die For. In this example from the Italic Institute of Americas websi te, Nicole Kidmans character tricks three teens into killing her lowbrow Italian husband. The development between the Italian mafia and its presence in popular American culture could have not been possible without the five million Italians who left their home country for hope in a new life and a chance at a new beginning, (Wikipedia). Prior to the rise of the fascist regime to power, America was a prime destination for many Italians during the late 19th century. This expatriation grew exponentially in the early 20th century when it was recorded that over 800,000 Sicilians immigrated to the United States. During this time however, the Italian mafia was under attack by their own government, especially thanks to the works of Cesare Mori who made life impossible for many Mafiosi. Because of the anti mafia war imposed Mussolinis regime in the southern provinces of Italy, many of the members of Cosa Nostra and similar organizations fled to America. The American press immediately attacked this movement publishing headlines such as: The boot unloads its criminals upon the United States. Many of these Sicilians in fact had connections to the mafia but, in the most part, they were regular people just looking for a better life. Italian Mafiosi and regular citizens traveled to America to escape fascism, to escape persecution from criminal charges, and to start over. Many where thrown into a society already filed with criminal gangs. Purchasing fire weapons in the US at that time was a piece of cake. Add these two together and its simple to understand how the Italian mafia succeeded in America. Just as the mafia began to take power in America, the movie industry noticed an opportunity to make some profit as well. Americans became obsessed with the mafian lifestyle; the danger associated with the mafia and their disrespect for the law managed to frighten and keep Americans glued to their TV screen at the same time. Films like Little Cesar(1931), Public Enemy(1931), and Scarface(1932) were the very beginning to a brand new genre of films. As author George De Stefano points out in his book An Offer We Cant Refuse, the Italian mobster seemed to bring a different image to the mobster lifestyle, [however], and this image of a more powerful, organized criminal system caught the public eye and has stuck every since., (De Stefano 70-94). Some of the early movies of this genre were produced during the silent motion picture time period. Producers however, did not have a hard time looking for a plot that would capture their audience; they just used whatever the print gave them. The ear liest account of a gangster film that exists is the film The Black Hand (1906). The Black Hand was a silent movie which story line pictured Italian Americans using kidnapping and extortion to gain money, known as il pizzo, from a butcher they were protecting. The movie shows the Italian protagonists were not only shown as violent, but the Italian Americans in the film are shown to speak little to no English and drinking wine as if it were water. It was not until the 1930s with the release of Little Cesar and Scarface that the stereotype was created and linked Italian Americans with the gangster image. With the introduction of these films one can clearly see that with the changing image of the gangster, the American ______ towards Italian Americans was changing as well. These new characters were no longer drunk illiterates, these Italians dressed in fancy suits, spoke better English; in a sense, they were following the American dream. Still violent and reckless. Organizations favoring the destruction of this stereotype took the subject to heart and managed to abolish violence and crime in movies. However in 1968, the Production Code was dropped and replaced by the same MPAA system still out there today. Only four years after this change, came the first of a trilogy that would change the image of Italian Americans forever. The Godfather (1972), based on Mario Puzos novel was the hit success of the great American director Ford Francis Coppola. His work was such a success for the public that it won three Oscar nominations out of the ten categories it was voted for. The American people were literally obsessed with the violent, vulgar and classic gangster films. Francis Ford Coppola in an interview with author Peter Bondonella explained his clear reasons for pursuing this movie: I always wanted to use the Mafia as a metaphor for America. If you loo at the film, you see that its focused that way. The first line is I believe in America. I feel that the mafia is an incredible metaphor for this country. Both are totally capitalistic phenomena and basically have a profit motive, (Bondonella 239). Many critics argue, with merit, that The Godfather was the first film that really started the stereotype of Italian Americans. The film established a permanent connection in the minds of Americans between the mafia and Italian Americans. De Stefano describes his own experience after the release of the film: strangers would ask me if I knew the godfather whenever they red my last name. It was this film that reallycemented the stereotype into American culture., (De Stefano 105-106). Predictably enough, after the tremendous success of The Godfather, many more films, as long as commercial products, relating to its theme followed. Today The Godfather, both the films and the novel, continue to sell as if they were new releases, and the films can still be seen, by popular demand, on ordinary television. Martin Scorseses Goodfellas (1990), showed the mafia in New York in an extremely realistic way. Based on the life of real mobster Henry Hill, it shows the process of going from a nonentity to a success in the mafia organization. The film depicts brutal murder scenes, vulgar language, and vile treatment of women. However, a particularly different element is that it also shows the consequences of being too wrapped up in the mafia life and what it is like to become the rat. This film showed a much less glorified portrayal of the mafia, and yet, it appealed greatly to society. The most recent of Hollywoods award winning creation evoking the mafia is HBOs hit series The Sopranos first airing in 1999. The show takes great inspiration from Scorseses work and Coppolas masterpiece, characters in the show are often viewed idolizing Mafiosi from these directors respective films, reciting lines, copying stunts, and even comparing themselves. This idolization showed that Italian Americans not onl y identify themselves with these gangsters but also look up to them. Tony Soprano, the protagonist of the show, is of Italian American descent and part of the mafia. Besides his connection to the gangster life, he lives in a typical residential neighborhood for the average white American male, he is a family man just like everyone else. In the book Tony Sopranos America, David Simon, states that the viewer is always reminded that the one thing that stands Tony Soprano apart from the rest of society is that he is mobster. The [TV] series successfully brought the mafia to the 21st Century, renewed the use of mafia as a household word, and took one step further in fusing the image of Italians and Italian Americans. The media has led to this stereotypical image of Italian immigrants as gangsters. This stereotype is still very much alive today. However, it is noticeable that there does not seem to be as much controversial propaganda to the use of this negative connotation against Italian Americans as stereotypical use against other ethnic groups. Going back to the stereotype against Italian American women, these movies depicted the mafia wives as enabling and looking the other way in their husbands business affair. The mother in The Godfather plays the role of the housewife. Carmela Corleone never reacts to the actions of her husband and sons, always turning a blind eye. She is shown caring for her grandchildren and providing the family with a traditional Italian meal. She is essentially the stereotypical enabling Italian mother and wife in the mafia family. On the contrary, the character Kay in The Godfather is a complete juxtaposition to the character of Carmela. For a while, she acts just like Carmela, enabling her husband activities, but eventually she can no longer accept her husband as a cold blooded killer, as Michael Corleones sister, Connie, calls him after he murders her own husband. Kay represents the American wife who marries into an Italian family not knowing what she is about to face. She is victimized. This way , the audience, feels bad for her, torn between her love for her husband and her morals that can no longer tolerate the criminal activities of the family. The third major feminine character, Connie Corleone, is a completely different character. She is the stereotypical Italian relative that cannot escape the horrors of her own family. She starts out as a princess to her father, the godfather himself. After her brother, Michael, kills her husband she goes through a brief grieving period distancing her family from her family only to realize that she cannot escape her destiny. She eventually becomes an enabler of the behavior of the rest of the family and takes on the role of the matriarch. Just like her, Karen Hill, also plays the enabler who puts up with her husband, Henry Hills pursuit as a Mafioso in Goodfellas. One scene in particular comes to mind that depicts her as the typical mob wife. In a scene she narrates herself, Karen attends a party with the other mob wives during a drug scene, she tells the audience that all the women look beat up; in fact, they do: all wear too much makeup and overdone hair. Throughout the party, these mistreated wives, discuss the horrible tribulations of being married to a mobster as if it were typical housewife gossip. Most of the women in these movies are unemployed house makers who take the events as part of the package of marrying a mob.The show The Sopranos isnt the only example of the stereotype of Italian American being represented in more recent TV production. Characters like Arthur the Fonz Fonzarelli from Happy Days, Tony the taxi driver of Taxi, and Joey the all around dimwit of Friends all represent demeaning images of It alian Americans. All appear to be uneducated womanizers, and yet most may not even realize they are stereotypes of the Italian American male. These examples show that, sadly, our culture still finds humor in stereotyping ethnical groups. In 2002, The Italic institute of America conducted a study to analyze the movie industry and its relation to Italian-American based movies and the post Godfather movie industry. Their studies showed that out of the 1233 movies made about Italian Americans, 69% of them present Italian-American characters under a negative light, against 31% that show Italian-Americans as good human beings. Moreover, out of the movies made since the sound era that deal with mob characters, 88% were revolved around fictional characters, 293 of which came out after the Godfather. The Godfather is and will always remain the most important tie between Hollywood and the Italian-American stereotype.There is much research out there that show that the Italian immigration to the US didnt only bring so called Mafiosi but also great people who beneficially influenced the United States politically and economically. This research, however, does not eliminate the fact the entertainment industry will continue to pursu e the stereotype. As for the mafia, this means that it will only continue to be a part of Americas favorite entertainment as long as the culture of violence persists.

Discovery of the Dinosaur with the Fossilized Heart :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Discovery of the Dinosaur with the Fossilized Heart Dinosaur fossils are one of the few ways in which scientists can study the history of life on earth millions of years ago. Each new discovery is unique in its own way and provides valuable information about the past. No two finds are exactly identical; therefore, when dinosaur remains are uncovered, the possibility and excitement of new information or even a new species exists. Until the year 2000, no dinosaur has ever been found with a fossilized heart. Scientists at North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences discovered a sixty-six million year old Thescelosaurus with a heart. The Thescelosaurus was a â€Å"bird-hipped† dinosaur or an ornithischian ( Russell 2). This herbivore lived near the end of the Cretaceous period, about one million years before the conclusion of the dinosaur era. Thescelosaurus was about the size of a short-legged pony, according to paleontologist Dr. Dale Russell and was native to North America from Wyoming up to Alberta, Canada. This particular Thescelosaurus was discovered in Harding County, northwestern South Dakota in 1993. It has been estimated to weigh nearly 663 pounds and thirteen feet long. The remains were located in a poorly consolidated channel of sandstone, exposed in the upper half of the Hell Creek Formation (Fisher 2). Scientists have named this discovery Willo, after the wife of the rancher on whose property it was found. The discovery of Willo is unique because it is the first dinosaur with a fossilized heart. However, this was just the beginning of an extraordinary find. â€Å"Not only does this specimen have a heart, but computer enhanced images of its chest strongly suggest it is a four-chambered, double-pump heart with a single systemic aorta, more like the heart of a mammal or bird than a reptile,† according to Dr. Dale Russell. Russell is a paleontologist at North Carolina State University and a senior research curator at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. This discovery is unusual because all modern reptiles, except the crocodile, contain a single ventricle that pumps blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. All modern reptiles have paired systemic aortas developing from the ventricle, which distributes the blood to the body. â€Å"In contrast, the four chambered heart of modern birds and mammals has two completely separated ventricles and a single systemic aorta, ensuring that only completely oxygenated blood is distributed to the body† (Fisher 2).

Effective resource allocation among the various economic systems Essay

Effective resource allocation among the various economic systems Introduction Efficient utilization of economic resources by different economic systems            An economic system is scenario whereby goods and services produced in a country or an entity and the resources within are distributed within the existing subsystems. The subsystems in this context entail the combination of agencies, entities and consumers that make an economic structure of a certain community. Or the various sub structures within an entity. The interlinking capacity within these subsystems is the one which makes information and resources to flow between them. One characteristic of a subsystem is the utilization of resources between the involved structures. Normally the inherent trait in resources is the fact that, they are scarce and as such efficiency is imperative for an economic system to survive with the little resources.            In an economic setting there are four defined factors of production, which are, land, capital, labor and entrepreneurship. All this factors have the quality of scarcity, and unless utilized effectively there is larking quality of disorganization within an economic system. The various economic systems in the world economy have their own way of utilizing these scarce resources. This essay will argue the characteristic of effective sharing of resources within command, free enterprise, mixed and transitional economies. Also the essay will argue on effective resource allocation in private and public sector initiative and also private finance initiatives.            In a capitalistic economy, the most crucial form of economic system is the free enterprise economy. This form of a system is free or rather shielded from government interference. The economy promotes free flow of ideas and implementation. This does not mean that the government is never involved when a situation calls. Hence it is a free enterprise regime where there is a minor possibility of government intervention. The inherent characteristic in this kind of a model is that, those who labor must gain. Ownership and creation of means of production is entirely left to the system. In this type the resource allocation is dictated by the market price. If an individual cannot afford it, then they cannot access the service or the product. Hence it is like a form of a system that favors those who can fit. Though it has the capacity to make economies grow fast and large, it is normally a case of survival for those who are fit (Harrison, 2002).            Contrasting that with a command economy, this type of a system has its factors of production controlled by the government. Therefore, planning is undertaken by the central government making it a planned economy. In this kind of an economy there are directives, rules, and laws to be followed. The bench mark is against a set target by the government. Governments that use this system do come up with a central plan upon which they base in order to allocate resources. Hence there is always a priority factor in resource allocation. To effectively allocate resources, the government simply identifies priority areas on which to allocate more resources than the non-priority areas. In command economies, there is a very efficient capacity to bring resources together. As such certain segments achieve much than others. A lot of one thing is normally produced and less of the other. This economy can utilize itself to come up with mega projects and spur innovation in areas that the government wants (Harrison, 2002).            In the real world though, many economies find it easier to utilize the capabilities of free enterprise and command economy to allocate resources. This creates a scenario of a mixed economy. Hence this mix brings in both the markets and government as the custodians of resource allocation. While markets depend much on living choices of the people, the government tries and force allocations. This happens through the use of taxes and regulations. Both the institutions utilize synergy and hence co exists between each other when it comes to resources allocation. There are instances where in a mixed economy; the markets are more dominant in resource allocation than the government and vice versa in other economies. Hence the mixed economy will tend to try and achieve equity while promoting economic growth at the same time. It is bringing the characteristics of both markets together to achieve positive efficiency in resource allocation (Nee, 1992).            An economy can find itself in need of shifting from a command system to a free market system. In such a scenario the economy finds itself in a unique situation of transition. Hence it gets involved in a transitional economy. Transition is changing from one form to another. Transitional economy, changes from command to free market hence initializing a form of liberalization in an economy. Hence it attempts to allow markets to allocate resources thorough pricing and the government lays back. In this type of an economy resources allocation change drastically, there is an element of government control, but an effort to support free market. Hence it is characterized by dropping of trade barriers and privatizations. It falls close to a mixed economy but outside the maturity of a mixed economy. Hence in this economy the government still dominates in resource allocation and direction. It is a work in progress format of a system (Lavigne, 2002).            Apart from the free markets system and command market existing, these economies can harbor other subsystems such as private finance initiatives or public private partnerships. These are entities whereby the public uses private sector to offer a certain service over a certain period under concessionary terms. Under this system this partnership utilizes resources by making a case for fair cost and transfer of risks to another party. This system effectively utilizes resources by spreading risks and looking for quality service that is offered by the government. Hence the government will take care of funds and the private sector takes care of the rest. In other instances the private solely finances the projects. This partnerships frees some resources to be utilized somewhere else, achieving resource efficiency (Buyya, 2002).            In conclusion all the types of economies have the capacity to effectively allocate resources. But the most efficient economy does not utilize one form of economic system. The best economies are those which utilize all the discussed economic systems above, apart from the transitional economy which is solely for countries that are shifting. References Harrison, M. (2002). Coercion, compliance, and the collapse of the Soviet command economy. The Economic History Review, 55(3), 397-433. Lavigne, M. (1995). The economics of transition: from socialist economy to market economy. London: Macmillan. Nee, V. (1992). Organizational dynamics of market transition: hybrid forms, property rights, and mixed economy in China. Administrative science quarterly, 37(1).Buyya, R., Abramson, D., Giddy, J., &Stockinger, H. (2002). Economic models for resource management and scheduling in grid computing. Concurrency and computation: practice and experience, 14(13†15), 1507-1542. Source document

First knight

Arthur demonstrates the democratic way by showing when he makes decisions he goes to the round table to discuss them with the fellow citizens. How Arthur shows how to handle those who he thinks broke the rules by holding a public trial so everyone can see the law at work and he leaves the persons fall to the law and the people of Camelot to decide. Arthur demonstrates the highest value of the democratic way by letting the citizens have a say and do things their way and expecting and treating the citizens with dignity. . Malignant demonstrates the authoritarian way by showing when he makes decisions he does not listen to the citizens and only goes by his word and no one else's. Malignant only respects himself and no one else; he even tries to kidnap the Queen. Which is very disrespectful. Malignant does not care about anyone as long at he is respected and in charge. Being authoritarian means that the leader is self appointed and does not listen to citizen's opinions and they cannot sp eak out against he leaders actions, which Malignant clearly shows.That is an example that shows lack of respect for citizens and shows the authoritarian way. Malignant demonstrates the highest value of the authoritarian way by not letting the citizens have a say and taking away their rights, also by punishing innocent people for others poor actions. 3. Arthur shows rights and responsibilities in the movie because Arthur held court and used the law to decide the guilt or innocence of the Queen and Lancelot and if lilts their punishment.He held a public trial so every citizen can see the law at work. This shows rights and responsibilities by letting the people decide the faith and having a say, Arthur is allowing the people to exercise their rights of opinion. As well he does not get greedy or let his anger get the best of him before announcing Lancet's punishment. Also he uses the round table with high respect and responsibility and shows equality throughout and works together with e veryone for the good of Camelot.

Juicy Couture Essays

Juicy Couture Essays Juicy Couture Essay Juicy Couture Essay Background of the Brand/Property: 1. Juicy Couture is perceived as a luxurious, exciting and fun brand that is designed with a strong sense of whimsy. It is a brand that produces collections of clothing, accessories, jewelry and fragrances created for women, men, children, and dogs. The current guest creative director for Juicy Couture, Erin Fetherston, describes the brand as ‘totally free-spirited and fun-loving. ’ Juicy Couture is marketed as a high-end clothing line at an affordable price, and is aimed at women ages 15–45. Out of this range, teens are their core clientele. They also have clothes and accessories for children, babies, and pets. Juicy Couture products are carried in a variety of venues but were at first only carried in very few locations such as Neiman Marcus. The company didn’t establish exclusive boutiques and flagship stores until 2006. Juicy Couture also has a plus-size line called ‘Extra Juicy’, which was exclusive to Nordstrom but is now widely available. There are 62 full-price retail stores in the United States and 18 more internationally throughout Europe and Asia. The clothes are also carried by high-end department stores and specialty boutiques. The company also operates more than 30 outlet stores in the United States and has products for sale through their website, which was previously operated by Neiman Marcus but Juicy Couture is taking its e-commerce business in-house. 2. The current product categories available under the Juicy Couture name are women’s clothes, including everything from dresses to tracksuits to sleepwear and accessories, handbags, shoes, and jewelry. They have also expanded into swimwear and watches. They offer a young girls line and some dog accessories. Juicy Couture also produces a separate, higher-priced line of clothes called Bird. Juicy Couture also has eyewear and fragrances that they produce, both men’s and women’s. Other interesting product categories that Juicy distributes are cosmetics, Barbie dolls, and computer accessories. Juicy Couture’s top competitors are The Gap, Guess? , and HM. Juicy Couture’s price points are quite higher than those of the top competitors but they do, however, deliver a higher quality product to their customers along with a more exclusive brand image. 3. According to Women’s Wear Daily, Juicy Couture launched a new fragrance for women in September with Elizabeth Arden called Peace, Love, and Juicy Couture. Elizabeth Arden also produces all of the other Juicy Couture fragrances. Juicy Couture and Movado Group have a long-term, worldwide licensing agreement to design, produce, and market a collection of watches under the Juicy Couture and Couture Couture brand names. The collections launched in fall 2006 and are sold throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Juicy Couture also licenses their eyewear with Safilo Group, a leader in the premium eyewear sector. They have the right to design, manufacture, and distribute optical frames, sunglasses, and related eyewear products for the Juicy Couture brand. This partnership was formed in 2005. Schwartz and Benjamin Incorporated own the Juicy Couture footwear licenses. Juicy Couture also licenses their swimwear business. The licensee for this is Swimwear Anywhere, Incorporated. In 2008, Juicy also signed a license agreement with Maclaren Strollers. 4. Although Juicy Couture is owned by Liz Claiborne Incorporated, the former co-creative directors and current creative director have always had control over the design and marketing of the company. A signature advertising technique used by Juicy Couture is to send thousands of free outfits to celebrities, fashion editors, and stylists every year. Prior to Juicy Couture being bought by Liz Claiborne, this was the only way they advertised. Juicy began their widespread advertising program with the launch of their first women’s fragrance. Advertisements ran in magazines have always been very fun and exaggerated. For the first fragrance advertisements, a woman with an oversized red bow in her hair and a tattooed man are drinking from straws out of a perfume bottle that says ‘Juicy Couture’. Their advertisements are always light hearted and entertaining, something that is attractive to consumers who are tired of hearing about the recession and hard times that have been had. After this, Juicy advertised for their total lifestyle collections as well as their growing line of perfumes. The Juicy Couture brand is known for its whimsical styles and this idea is carried all the way through to the retail stores. Store displays include big vases filled with candy and faux mounted wildlife, like a moose, decorated with Juicy Couture jewelry. Some would even consider the fact that the designers of Juicy produced a handbag that read ‘Choose Juicy’ across the front in large block letters advertising. And this doesn’t just hold true for this one particular bag, Juicy Couture is known for splashing their name across articles of their clothing and on nameplates on many of their jewelry pieces. This is easy way for the company to advertise makes their products well known and sought-after. 5. The Juicy Couture retail stores are the epitome of the Juicy look and attitude. They are over the top and totally glamorous. The decor within the stores are unique and pleases the senses. As mentioned above, there are vases of candy scattered around the stores, along with other unexpected touches. There is no comparison when viewing the Juicy Couture website and thinking of the store that you just shopped in, the two fuses together perfectly. Colors that pop and draw the customer’s attention are a must. As well as unusual displays, which make one feel that they are not shopping at a regular store. They are shopping in a ‘Juicy’ world and that is precisely the impression that the company wishes to bring to their customers. Suggestion and opinion on licensing efforts: 1. I believe that Juicy Couture monitors the quality and look of every category of products that they license in order for them to fit within the brand image. When Juicy Couture started out as a very small and privately owned company, the designers had a very clear vision built for the company. They had always been very fun and cheeky with their designs and business approach. When Liz Claiborne bought the company, the founders and designers, Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist Levy, stayed with the company as co-creative directors to make sure that the company’s vision wouldn’t get lost while the company was expanding. This gave the designers the opportunity to expand their line into a complete lifestyle brand with the help of Liz Claiborne in the financial, manufacturing, and distributing aspects of the business. All of the licensees for the Juicy brand understand that it has a certain image to withhold and this, along with the quality products that they produce to be sold under the Juicy name, are the reason why Juicy has licensed out the right for them to produce their products. If the purpose of good licensing is for all of the product categories to merge together seamlessly under one brand name, Juicy Couture has accomplished this task. 2. Juicy Couture has a pretty extensive distribution channel. Being that they are a large company, this is definitely a necessity. However, some people may argue that Juicy Couture has lost its exclusivity because their distribution is too wide spread. Juicy Couture seemed to have realized this a few years ago when they realized that their men’s business wasn’t working very well. They discontinued manufacturing and distributing clothes for men but still, however, produce a men’s fragrance. Right now, I think that Juicy Couture is permeating the exact market that they wish to be. They are an extremely well known company, their claim to fame being their unforgettable velour and terry cloth tracksuits, and popular companies should have widespread distribution to be made available to their large target market. In the case of them losing exclusivity, I don’t think that that’s something to be worried about. The Juicy Couture label has always been positioned at a better price point and not all consumers who want to be proud owners of Juicy Couture products can be. Also, the brand has created a separate line called Bird, which is a higher priced collection with a not so widespread distribution. By extending their brand to contain a higher priced line, they are increasing the exclusivity for that collection and allowing the regular Juicy Couture line to seem in reach to many consumers. The brand has over 80 stores within the United States, as well as stores overseas in Asia and Europe, they also operate about 30 retail outlets within the United States. The line is also distributed in a number of department and specialty stores and is also available on their e-commerce website. 3. I would say that all of the marketing efforts made on Juicy Couture’s behalf, including their advertising, web site, and store displays, are consistent with the brand. The people who operate all divisions of marketing and visual merchandising make sure that a clear and distinct brand image is seen throughout their company. Due to this seamless marketing strategy, Juicy Couture has secured a large loyal customer base. They also attract new consumers by adding product lines, such as watches and fragrance, while sticking to their signature over the top and interesting advertising program. Although Juicy Couture has been ever expanding since being sold to Liz Claiborne, their advertisements are cohesive throughout all product categories. 4. Juicy Couture has their toes in many product categories, ranging from women’s and children’s collection to computer accessories. Although I’m sure that there are some products that Juicy Couture could introduce to their plethora of already existing lines, the failure of their men’s clothing line could be a tell tale sign that there’s no need for them to over saturate their markets. Juicy Couture has been around long enough for the company to know what works with their target customer. To continue to grow and evolve within their current markets would be the best strategy for them in my eyes and maybe down the road try to introduce a new product category or line.

Civil War in United States

Civil War in United States Although the debate regarding the cause of American civil war in the19th century is still ragging, many people still believe that slavery is the major cause of the civil war, which occurred between 1861 and 1865. In the early 19th century, the main issue that threatened the unity of the North and the South was slavery. While the North prohibited slavery, the South permitted it, thus perpetuating slavery of African Americans.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Civil War in United States specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this view, the North and the South gradually differed on the issue of slavery, which culminated to the civil war between the two divides, which broke out in 1861. In 1861, the vice president of the South Alexander Stephens in his speech stated that, â€Å"our foundation are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition† (Berkin, Carol, Miller, Cherny, Gormly, Egerton, and Woestman 317). From his speech, it is evident that slavery was a great issue that caused the civil war between the North and the South. Therefore, this essay argues if it was not for the civil war, the United States would have become half-slave and half-free. What differentiated the North from the South is the institution of slavery. Since the early 19th century, while the Northern states continued to eradicate slavery, the Southern states continued to institutionalize it. Thus, when the Southern states saw that the Northern states do not support slavery, they started agitating for secession. According to Berlin, Carol, Miller, Cherny, Gormly, Egerton, and Woestman, a number of delegates met in South Carolina in 1860 and â€Å"voted unanimously to dissolve their ties with the United States† to protect abolition of slavery in their jurisdiction (315). The secession ma rked the institutionalization of slavery in the South. With institutionalized slavery, the Southern states did not allow African Americans to serve in the Confederate army because they had feared that they might utilize firearms to gain power over the whites they were slaves. Given that African Americans outnumbered the whites in Southern states, there was a possibility of them using their firearms against their masters. Hence, secession coupled with slavery did set the stage for the civil war. Institutionalized slavery in the Southern states became the source of conflict between the Northern states and Southern states. The South continued to expand its territory by recruiting other states to join it with the view of overpowering the North.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since the North felt threatened by the South, it started recruiting African Americans into its army so tha t it can fight and overpower the increasing power of the Southern states in expanding its territories. During slavery, the Northern states provided a haven for the African Americans, hence, great number of slaves from the Southern states sought refuge in the Northern states where they gained freedom and fight back. Taking advantage of the large number of slaves who sought refuge, the Northern states recruited them in the Union army and used them in fighting during the civil war. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln passed legislation that allowed the African Americans to participate in the Union army, thus enhancing the power of the North over the South (Nolen 118). Therefore, the increase in the number of African Americans who sought refuge in Northern states and their recruitment in the Union army did pave the way for fall of slavery and integration of the North and the South as the United States of America, which provides freedom to everybody. Hence, without the civil war, the South would no t have agreed to grant freedom and equal rights to African Americans by abolishing slavery. References Berkin, Carol, Christopher Miller, Robert Cherny, James Gormly, Douglas Egerton, and Kelly Woestman. Making America: A History of the United States. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Nolen, Claude. African American Southerners in Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction.  New York: McFarland, 2005. Print.