Commodity School

Marketing Theory Commodity School 01. 11. 2012 [Sirket ad? n? yaz? n] Bahcesehir University, MA Marketing What is commodity school and what are strengths and weaknesses of that thought? Marketing theory has been discussed over years. Many theorists had tried to explain marketing thought since it was a separate field apart from economics. In order to indicate progress of the theory; Sheth, Gardner and Garret in the book of Marketing Theory Evolution and Evaluation compiled all schools of marketing.They also argue how successful each thought is while developing, implementing and distributing of those schools. On that paper, it will be tried to analyze what commodity school is and what its strengths and weaknesses are according to Sheth, Gardner and Garret. Schools of thoughts are formed by two dimensions of a matrix. One perspective is interactive-noninteractive while the other is economic-noneconomic. In first dimension, for the noninteractive schools selling is the essential concept whereas relationship is main source for interactive schools.In second dimension, for economic classification, the focus is economic variables such as production and distribution efficiency, prices of inputs and outputs, and consumer income levels. At the other dimension, participants of marketing activities cannot be explained by sole economic influence. It can be clarified by social and psychological factors that may affect the behaviour of marketing actors. With two dimensions of that matrix, commodity school is one concept of noninteractive and economic approach.The commodity school concentrated on the physical characteristics of products and the related consumer buying habits for different categories of products. The most influential proponent of that school (Melvin Copeland) defined commodities as convenience goods, shopping goods and speciality goods based on durability. Copeland stated that convenience goods were those customarily purchased at easily accessible stores, when h e recognized the want, the demand became clearly defined in his mind.Copeland defined shopping goods as the ones the consumer desires to compare price, quality, style etc at the time of purchase. Final part of his classification is the ones that have some particular attraction for the consumer, other than price, which induces him to put forth special effort to visit the store. For speciality goods, brands are essential. Copeland’s theory can be seen most inspiring theory for commodity school of thought. Theorists after Copeland’s had tried to develop the definition of categories.One of them was Leo Aspinwall who launched a classification system using five characteristics to differentiate three types of goods. Aspinwall named his three categories the red goods, the orange goods and the yellow goods based on replacement rate, gross margin, adjustment, time of consumption and searching time. Richard Holton asserted that Copeland’s definition of the categories of co nvenience goods, shopping goods and speciality goods needed to be revised. He emphasized that convenience goods and shopping goods can be defined accurately only from standpoint of the individual consumer.According to Holton, for the individual consumer, convenience goods are those goods for which the probable gain from making price and quality comparison among alternative sellers is thought to be small relative to the consumer’s appraisal of the searching costs in terms of time, money and effort. Shopping goods then, are for the individual consumer, those goods for which the probable gain from making prices and quality comparisons among alternative sellers is thought to be large relative to the consumer’s appraisal of the searching costs in terms of time, money and effort.However David Luck criticized Holton’s theory in terms of dynamics of consumer behaviour. He claimed that Holton excluded the speciality type of good from marketing theory. The next theorist B ucklin tried to explain the distinction between shopping goods and non shopping goods as a first point of differentiation. He classified that shopping goods are the goods whose suitability is determined through search before the consumer commits himself to each purchase. He subdivided non shopping goods as convenience goods and speciality goods based on their accessibility to substitutes.Until Kaish emphasis, commodity school could not highlight psychological side of consumers. Kaish was the prior emphasis on the consumer’s shopping effort. He assured that consumers had different pre purchase anxiety level for convenience goods, shopping goods and speciality goods. To him, as goods complexity increases pre purchase anxiety level also rises as well. After all those contributions, Ramond and Assael asserted that firstly, product as a relation between physical ingredients and psychological responses; secondly, the product in terms of consumer actions and channel response must be defined.In addition, Enis and Roering asserted that a classification scheme that incorporates both the buyer’s and the seller’s perspective holds the greatest promise for illuminating the exchange process. Finally, Murphy and Enis developed four commodity categories as convenience, preference, shopping and speciality products based on effort and risk dimension Enis-Roerig Commodity Classification System Buyer Expected Effort / Marketing Mix Differentiation HIGH Buyer Perceived Risk/ Product Differentiation LOWshoppingspecialityHIGHconveniencepreferenceLOWThe commodity school has revolted during the process that is summarized above. Many explanations and opinions are developed by the theorists. However, there is still unanimity for that school. Commodity categories are still tried to be defined clearly. It is still a dilemma if definitions should be physical properties of the good or on the behaviour of the consumers. If latter one is preferable, should the focus be on the consumer’s mental effort or on his physical effort. In addition, the specification of hypotheses becomes contingent upon the diversity and individual differences among consumers.Beyond the potential variability among consumers, there is also the question of the possible change in any one consumer’s behaviour over time. Another point that cannot be clarified is how shopping effort is measured and, limited and considerable levels of the shopping are distinguished in terms of operational efficiency. The points that cannot be clarified during evolution process for commodity school are listed. Although there are dilemmas about structure, specification and testability, the commodity school enjoys some easiness of theory implementation.Firstly, a researcher interested in commodity school could develop empirical simulations for the goods categories. Thanks to this simulation, he can modify marketing mix for a test product to determine whether market performance for the pr oduct could be enhanced. Secondly; commodity school is valid for consumer goods, industrial goods, services and social goods. In addition, it is adaptable in global environment thanks to consumer classification based on diverse culture, psychology etc. Also, the commodity school cooperates with new technology.At last but not least, specific forms of distribution and promotion should accompany various types of goods. To sum up, commodity school is the one that many theorists have tried to structure and strengthen it. Physical characteristic and consumer’s psychological tendencies have been main factors that theorists have considered. Although it has dilemmas about structure, specification and testability, it can succeed to develop empirical supports, to enrich product categorization and to simplify in communicating and implementing the theory. With the contribution of each theorist, it can be seen as one of the most robust school of marketing.

Consolidated Life Case-Business Ethics Essay

Consolidated life is a prestigious insurance company however, due to the nature of the establishment the duties required by the worker neither required minimal knowledge nor did you have to have a high level education in order to obtain a position at the company. Mr. Mike Wilson however, obtained a business degree in administration. He was hired by Consolidated Life as simply as you can put a clerical worker. He worked in the policy issue department which main duties included processing or in taking clients orders for insurance, customer service, and client services. One would say that working for them; your performance required little to no creativity. It was the same day-to-day work load. Because it required so little creativity, daily routines were repetitive and can be done basically, with your hands â€Å"tied to you back†. Mike Wilson demonstrated how an effective a â€Å"leader† can be in the workforce rather than just a â€Å"manager† by title. He portrayed in existence of â€Å"high fidelity† which is the best experience you can have in a workplace. In the book Trade Off, by Author Kevin Maney, the word fidelity deals with â€Å"the total experience of something† (Maney, 2009). The author also says that â€Å"aura† can also provides an advantage to fidelity. With that being said Mr. Wilson influenced his co-workers with providing them with incentives and rewards in which they can gain a reward at the end of the task but most importantly he provided the right tools and motivations in order for his employees to work in a positive mind frame. This created a system of mutual bipartisanship between supervisor and employee. Model: based on the â€Å"Organizational Model Behavior† Mike’s drive and motivation can be comparable to a person with â€Å"theory y† attributes. The â€Å"theory Y† concept displays how an employee’s work is â€Å"as natural as play†. Also a person with this characteristic has a huge sense of self-direction and self-control. Mr. Wilson showed this by cultivating a modern management technique that motivated its workers rather than coerced them which a person who you can place in this. Whereas, a person with the characteristics of â€Å"theory x† carries the opposite attractions. The individual is not seen as enthusiastic about their job. They are mainly threatened or told â€Å"do it or else† and as stated before, lack the ability and drive to overachieve. They usually follow the motto, overpromise-under deliver. Mikes performance ultimately won him a promotion working in the supervisory assignment area. He won this promotion just six weeks after promise. Mike brought a sense of modern culture although it was seen as â€Å"unorthodox† or non-traditional. When comparing the delegation of authority in the levels of management the organization structure clearly shows that the establishment followed an â€Å"authority† oriented program in which Presidents are first to make decisions for the overall â€Å"vision† for the company in which it then trickles down to the VP who implements the President’s strategy by orchestrating a staff of supervisors to oversee the execution. Situation: There seems to be a drastic change to the division in which Mike supervised some time ago. When Mike realized his unhappiness at his new division he sought a remedy for disaster by returning to his old division forcing him under new terms and most importantly, a new boss. The performance value of his once â€Å"over exceeding† staff was now dwindled and unmotivated. The new way in which they worked became stricter and more inflexible. It was stale and there was no aura of high fidelity being promoted. Problems: The problem of this case has to do with mis-delegation of roles and mis-clarification for all parties. Not only that, the fact is the company as a whole has not identified its mission statement for their employees. With that being said the transition from the time Mike left became a tragedy. As stated before, the culture of the environment was slated after Mike left. It became from being a â€Å"collegial† environment to an â€Å"autocratic† environment once new vice presidentJack Greely took over. Not only did he change the environment of the company, he basically dismantled the structure and rebuilt it based on his power. Until Mike was promoted the managerial style approach was not identified and supervisors, at this early time wanted a change and that’s why Mike was chosen to become supervisor. However, when Jack took Mike’s former supervisor’s place, the organization became, â€Å"autocratic†. An autocratic person can be defined as an employee that is dependent tot tally on a supervisor. This person has no other desire than to do what is only required out of the task and only the minimum. Usually in an autocratic setting the boss expects pure obedience from their employee’s and rely straight on authority from â€Å"higher up’s† with no regard to any self-drive for themselves and lacks the qualities and abilities to take on initiatives and providing an entrepreneurial attitude about themselves. This can be explained by using the Abraham Maslow’s Theory found in an essay article written by Janet Simmons, Donald Irvin, and Beverly Drinnien which it states he says accordingly â€Å"that the only reason that people would not move well in direction of self-actualization is because of hindrances placed in their way by society† (Janet A. Simons, 1987). Also saying â€Å"We must see that the person’s basic needs are satisfied. This includes safety, belongingness, and esteem needs† (Janet A. Simons, 1987)A person in the Consolidated Life organization that can be also skewed towards the â€Å"autocratic† style is Mr. Rick Belkner. Mike’s former boss. This, for lack of a better term, lazy supervisor (whom he was Mike’s supervisor initially) illustrated as a person who rather do â€Å"crossword puzzles† during his work shift then to lead by example, what a competent Vice President of their division; shy 40,000 of a six-figure salary. The point was clearly made by Mr. Greely when he assumed that Mike’s management style would still be undermined no matter how good of his performance. He even went to the extent of assuring that Mr. Wilson will fail no matter how â€Å"high† you move up in the establishment. It is almost agreeable to say that Mr. Speely’s choose of words were not only rude but shows a poor and ineffective leader. Mr. Greely does not seem to be results-driven but ego-driven as his defense for Mike’s work style was inarguable and measured his own assumption to Mike’s performance rather than just judging an employee on what he does best, his/her performance. Reading how Mike handled it; amazingly enough. In the chart featured on page-You can see simple comparing of the two different types of behavioral patterns by identifying the qualities, organizational and environmental forces that are represented by the 2 behavior patterns. You will see the differences between a workers operating in an autocratic setting versus a person who operates under the collegial or supportive setting(s). By identifying the contrast you are able to see what kind of modifications or structures that would have to be put in place based on a employee’s attitude. The attitude in which comes from probably stems from personal goal, motivations, or self desires a person may have in their work space. Some individuals don’t possess the willingness to achieve and be a leader. Some individual are quite happy with just being an average worker and moving up in the â€Å"corporate† latter is something that does not motivate them. Autocratic Environment Vs. Collegial /System Environment Base Questions for Case 1. Describe ALL the factors that contributed to Mike’s lack of promotion at the end. Was his lack of promotion fair? When Mike left the division, he left the process in which he created, to be altered by the new president upon his departure. The flexible leadership that led to the team success came to a halt when divisional vice president, Jack Greely; who’s reputation was described as â€Å"tough but fair†. Mike accepted the position at the old division again without really investigating the provisions in which he was now to work under. He loss total control when he noticed that co-workers were actually more inclined to follow Mr. Greely’s direction because the employees knew the order of hierarchy and knew the consequences of action should one follow anyone’s demands except for Mr. Greely’s. 2. Using your knowledge of culture, explain in detail Consolidated Life’s culture when Mike was first hired and then when he returned. There was a transition in the organization which proved to have opportunities due to the position void. Such example shows that Mike (when he was first hired by Consolidated Life) he was promoted to his position because of the opportunities of change. Mike’s style was not really favored by his â€Å"higher-ups† but because he manages to increase workflow and reduce errors, which created more performance his flexible style was overlook which sends a sign of â€Å"inconsistency†. If you are going to allow a manager to take over the project then let them take over. As long as they don’t compromise the integrity of the company or do anything illegal. 3. What actions could Consolidated Life have taken to prevent Mike’s problems? There should have been more flexibility granted for Mike to effectively coordinate his team. Mr. Wilson’s track record clearly shows that as a supervisor he is competent to make educated decisions and lead a staff with ease. An employee is always happy when they are not pressured nor stressed. Most important of all, when a leader shows reciprocity, more than likely there would be a win-win. For Example, Mike’s strategy to reward his co-workers in exchange for hard work showed the worker was not working out of vain and in fact he/she was being acknowledged and rewarded for the hard efforts being put forth. 4. Who do you think was at fault for Mike’s problems, Mike or his supervisors (e. g. , Jack) or others? Completely justify your opinion. The fault of Mike problems was his free spirited style which usually offends conservatives. Jack implemented a â€Å"corporate† style setting upon Mike’s return.

Psychology †Stereotype Essay

Prejudice means the attitude toward the members of some group based solely on their membership in that group and it can be positive or negative. The main reason of prejudice is most probably stereotyping and it involves generalizations about the typical characteristics of members of the groups. Prejudice is ubiquitous and it affects all of us and it sometimes cause negative consequences. Hence, many people search works or studies to remove prejudice effects. We also learn from texts which is called ‘’Understanding Prejudice and ‘’The Cognitive Process’’ by Gordon W. Allport. In addition George Aliken says †If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed, and color, we would find some other causes for prejudice by noon. ’’ It shows that prejudice cannot be removed totally and I strongly agree with this statement. In other words, people cannot have a chance to get rid of prejudices because of many stereotypes, a fear of the unfamiliar and the effects of social environment. Stereotypes is the main factor why it is impossible to get rid of prejudice totally. Each society has many stereotypes about different issues and it is impossible to isolate people from society not to affected these stereotypes. To begin with, stereotypes may cause dangerous results if they are taught as truths especially for children. It is called early learning process and it includes passive acceptance of information and lack of awareness. (Cole, Jim Understanding Prejudice) It also don’t give opportunity to children to test these stereotypes or any information which is given by instructors or adults. I mean that especially children can gain many new stereotypes easily and they may believe as a truth. If this condition happens, it would very difficult to change or manipulate these belief systems because many psychologists argue that childhood is most important process to shape character and many characteristic feature are gained at childhood. (http://psychology. about. com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory. htm) For example, a teacher who hates black people can teach that black people are bad and even evil. It is undoubted fact that children who are in that classroom is influenced badly by this approach because students especially who are in elementary school trust their teacher completely. It can affect whole life of people and it is difficult to prevent. On the other hand, any experience cause to acquire new and dangerous stereotypes. Actually, experiences are more effective way to gain stereotypes because memory generally cannot be forgotten but inputs are easily forgotten in a short time. According to research, Children who have bad childhood memory which cause change the viewpoint toward any group say that these kind of events influence whole life. It is way to gain stereotypes and it may cause discrimination if event relates to black people or muslim people. Children start to think all black people bad and we should avoid them, if any black people stole their money or beat them.. These kind of event affect all children and they cannot forget even now. (http://www. ehow. com/info_8621376_bad-childhood-affect-relationships. html) There is important point to have stereotypes, it does not matter how you acquire it. Sometimes national belief or values cause prejudice, sometimes unconscious people cause it. Prejudice prevent people from listening the other people and this is a big obstacle to developing empathy skills. Hence, stereotypes is main factor to acquire prejudice and also it is main obstacle to get rid of prejudice. Being a part of any group is so important thing for many people. They think that they cannot live without this because they believe that groups prevent them from being alone and it is necessary to compete others. There is competition between group members so being a part of a group is important point. (Dugan, A. Maire Prejudice) However, it causes prejudice against other groups because group members start to consider other belief system is completely wrong and they don’t accept any other beliefs because of the fear of unfamiliar. To begin with, each political or economic group have common goal and they have to have strict approach about some issues to achieve that. These kind of approach definitely consist of some prejudice against others. Each group member feel thinking like this on the contrary case my group lose competition they think out of group. Moreover, people may start to care about people who are like them. I mean that people may judge others because of their groups without any reason so they don’t care about issues which belongs others. For instance, an earthquake happened three months ago and many people sent many aid but some people did not sent because of some ridiculous reasons such as discrimination. They think that people who live in Van may support terrorist group and they did not deserve any aid. However, I think that anybody can think like this, there is one explanation to understand this situation and it is being a part of group. The conflict between their group and other groups prevent people from thinking logically and as a result of this they don’t send any aid materials for the victim of earthquake for this situation. I think that this kind of prejudice is very dangerous and it is very troublesome. People can not think freely until they leave group because if they resist group or reject to accept some group prejudices, they most probably face being out of group. Hence, prejudices which generate being a part of group are irrepressible. Prejudices does not depends on any logical reasons, they include dogmatical causes and people does not think whether it is true or not. People can behave differently in spite of under the some conditions toward two different people. This situation may conclude in a two different way. Firstly, people recede from one group. Therefore, people has negative attitude to this group. On the other hand, people get closer their own group. It may be seen a positive result of prejudice. If people feel belonging one group, they will start to love group members without any reason and they does not aware of group members’ mistakes. The while, sometimes they start to hate other people because any group members hate them. This enhance connection between group members but if we consider others, situation will vice versa. People start to think like other group members, they afraid to show thoughts when they think differently group members. Thus, it is starting to change the way people think. Prejudices cause sometimes behavioral changes. It is called discrimination. Problem start to be insoluble when people act. Behaviours return to habits and then free thinking start to get lost. As a resut of this, people are categorised us and others. Some people will be scapegoat because of the nature of categories and some people will be heroes because of same reason. For instance, many negroes are famous athletes and many famous athletes are national heroes; then many negroes are national heroes. It is ridiculous but it is a result of prejudice. Prejudices raise intolerant people and these people suppose that their all thoughts and beliefs correct. Hence, it is impossible to get rid of prejudices. Prejudices originate various reasons or factors and almost all people have some prejudices because getting rid of these is pretty difficult for people. ‘’Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices – just recognize them’’ – Edward Roscoe Murrow. Actually it is important point to recognize them because many people does not aware of this during whole life. However, We can reduce the effects of prejudice but it is impossible to remove prejudice because of stereotypes, being a part of group member and the effects of prejudice on way of thinking and connection between people . It may only possible to live in island singly but I am not sure for this. WORK CITES BOOK ENTRY I don’t use any book. ARTICLE ENTRY. Cole, Jim. ‘’Understanding Prejudice’’. jimcole@beyondprejudice. com Gordon, W. Allport. ‘’The Cognitive Process’’ Massachusetts Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. , 1991 WEB SOURCE ENTRY Pru, Laura. ‘’How Does a Bad Childhood Affect Relationships? (http://www. ehow. com/info_8621376_bad-childhood-affect-relationships. html) June 20, 2011. March,22 2012 Cheery, Kendra. Child Development Theories. (http://psychology. about. com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory. htm) March, 22 2012 FILM ENTRY I don’t use film source.

In this Paper You Will Discuss and Analyze an Aspect of Film Essay

In this Paper You Will Discuss and Analyze an Aspect of Film - Essay Example Hence, the aspects of culture that are portrayed in these films have been seen as a depiction of American culture. Many people who are not American Citizens but do watch this depictions always believe that what is portrayed is the American culture as it is. This paper seeks to shade more light by discussing aspects of American Film and Cultural theory. Through class readings and a number of films as a source of material, that text will discuss three major films that have made a worldwide audience. Hollywood is the biggest producer of films in the world. Most of Hollywood’s production finds a worldwide audience. The storyline of most of Hollywood’s production that touch the Middle East has elicited strong reactions both locally and internationally. Scholars, film theorists and cultural theorists have always repeatedly claimed that Hollywood has been used to misrepresent the Middle East while promoting the US wider agenda of expansionist. For the purposes of these discuss ions, this paper will reflect on three such films that have elicited strong reactions from the Middle East. These are, The Kingdom, Syriana and One Day in September. The first film that this paper will reflect upon is The Kingdom. The Kingdom is a film by Peter Berg produced in 2007. It features Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. The story line of the film is the usual most common American agents searching for Terrorists in the Middle East. The film traces the storyline of Agent Ronald Fleury and an elite team of four operatives who hunt down a terrorist in Riyadh. The team’s main task is to destroy the terrorist cell, which has killed Americans working in Saudi Arabia.While in the Saudi Capital, the team finds itself in a culture shock as the Saudi culture is quite knew to them. The corrupt politicians and the law enforcement agencies that hinder their quest become an obstacle. However, one Saudi police officer helps the team in their quest for just ice and destruction of the terrorist cell. The second film that this paper will apply in the discussion is Syriana. Syriana is a film that was produced in 2006 by Stephen Gaghan. Syriana transcends a geopolitical theme with petroleum and oil industry politics at its center. The film centers around four major characters who are a central intelligence Agency operative, an energy analyst, a Washington attorney, and a young and unemployed Pakistani worker. The film employs multiple story lines top tell the experiences of the four people who feel the effect of politics in the oil Industry. The stories of the four men are the ones that form the basis of interpretation in this essay. The last Film that this essay explores is the movie One Day in September. This is a 1999 documentary shot and directed by Kevin McDonald. The film documentary reflects on the 1972 terrorist attack on the Munich Summer Olympics that left 11 Israeli Athletes dead. In this documentary, the veteran actor Michael D ouglas provides a light narration as the storyline unfolds. The historical events of Munich 1972 are brought into play as the film revolves ion the events that took place. The Palestinian terrorists and their agenda are well covered in the film. The documentary also shows that lax security by Germany security led to the death of the Israel Athletes. The widow of the Israeli coach taken hostage is interviewed while one of the remaining and surviving terrorists is also interviewed. Robin Bernstein in his article titled Dances With

American cuisine overview of the culinary development of the Deep Essay

American cuisine overview of the culinary development of the Deep South - Essay Example Yet it feels very modern, and the chef’s plates — always visually striking — are meticulously composed. Impeccably sourced ingredients, often foraged or custom-grown, speak for themselves and of themselves† (Brenner). John Currence: Since 1992 John Currence’s Restaurant ‘City Grocery Restaurant Group’ has been the talk of the town in Oxford, Mississippi. He is one of those chefs that bring the southern cuisine to front lines. Although Pork is the main ingredient southern cuisine, Currence is one of those chefs whose main focus is not pork but he focuses on vegetables and seafood, he says he is on a mission to redefine southern cuisine not through traditional ways but by venturing in to new territory. In an interview Currence said, â€Å"My greatest desire is to rediscover the flavors I remember as a kid that my grandmother cooked, the sausage my grandfather made. I’m terrified I’m the last generation of guys that have those memories before GMO and GE veg† (Currence). His greatest inspiration comes through travelling and can be seen in his work, he goes against traditional recipes to create not a dish but a piece of art. Hugh Acheson: Hugh Acheson is a Canadian celebrity chef and restaurant owner. He currently owns three restaurants in Georgia. He is also the author of the book, ‘New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen’ published in 2011. He has worked in Ottawa, Mecca, San Francisco and taking these travel experiences he works on blending tastes from different cuisines. Although his cooking style is southern cuisine mainly, he opened a restaurant, 5 & 10 which mixes the flavors of southern food with European tastes; French and Italian cuisine. He defines his work as, â€Å"I like to pay homage to the history of the region and reflect the diverse cultures that exist in the South today through the food I cook† (Achesom).

Extended Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Extended Education - Research Paper Example This essay declares that the US president backs this suggestion with an argument that the system is not just aiming to curb unemployment but give the US population a good stepping-stone into the future. For this reason, this kind of education aims at providing the learners with skills and opportunities that they would not have achieved by 12th grade as well as providing them with measurable differentiated skills. This paper makes a conclusion that US is currently facing financial crisis and setting up a further a compulsory 2 years learning system requires a lot of financial assistance that may add to the list of the already suffering financial status of the country. Indeed according to CIA fact book and National Bureau of Economic Research the current US deficit stood at $487.2 billion by 2012. Compared to the rest of the countries in the world, the US deficit is the highest in the world. This figure indicates that the country is importing more goods and services than its exporting. The country is also in high debts from foreign countries and has a higher consumer debt. If this situation continues, the value of its currency depreciates and investors will not be willing to invest into a country that is facing such huge financial crisis. The increasing numbers of online degrees and masters courses pose a greater challenge to the extended education. This is because most of the online institutio ns are easily accessible, efficient, and cheaper in comparison to community colleges that will require an individual’s attendance. ... In addition to this, there will be need to train more teachers, experts, and technicians who will be required to offer their services to the community colleges (Jeff Zeleny). With the differences in different States around US there is likely to be a gap in this institutions based on the kind of resources and technology the State has. The difference resources in terms of technology are also likely to create a disparity in terms of professionalism. The increasing numbers of online degrees and masters courses pose a greater challenge to the extended education. This is because most of the online institutions are easily accessible, efficient, and cheaper in comparison to community colleges that will require an individual’s attendance. For this reason, I suggest that learners engage in higher institutions like universities and involve in further education and training rather than wasting 2 precious years in community college. This is likely to affect negatively on the labor market, as qualified labor will have to stay for two years before employment. The policy makers have failed to address how to close the gap that will be left when these institutions begin doing the system. Rising tuition costs especially for higher education is creating a challenge to the implementation of the extended education. Most of the community colleges are experiencing institutional funding shortfalls while the declining state of the quality of higher education is also adding to the challenges of rolling extended education. Extended education is not likely to contribute to increasingly competitive economy that requires proper education and skills of its workers. For this reason, there is need for students or the

Current flow in a circuit (purely resistive and restive-capacitive Lab Report

Current flow in a circuit (purely resistive and restive-capacitive - Lab Report Example Current can be the flow of negative or positive charges or both. The conventional current direction of flow is the direction of flow of the positive charges, but the positive charges are immobile. Electrons carry the negative charge and in the direction opposite to that of electric or conventional current. For instance, if two metal plates or any other conductors are connected together by a wire e.g. copper wire, electrons flow from the conductor with higher potential toward the conductor with lower potential due to the potential difference between them. The electrons flowing between the two is referred as electricity and decreases with the decrease in the electrical potential. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the electrical potential difference by using devices like the battery, solar cells, or electrical generators and is connected to loads like motors, light bulbs, heaters etc. Since these devices are loads, they slow down the flow of electrons due to the electrical resistan ce they offer.. Two main types of current are DC and AC.... It is necessary to control current flowing in a circuit either by controlling the amount of voltage applied or the resistance in the circuit. This is done to avoid the undesirable results like damaging electrical components or valuables at home if for instance the optimal operating conditions are exceeded. Ammeter is used to measure the electrical current flowing through a circuit while voltmeter measures the electrical potential difference. Ammeter is placed in series and voltmeter in parallel with other components in the circuit. The ammeter will only measure the current in the branch it is placed but not current flowing in other branches of the circuit. Ammeters have relatively low resistance while voltmeters have high resistance. Power sources like a battery, generators are needed to keep current flowing in a circuit (Voltage-force which pushes the electrons) and also the circuit must be complete for the electrons to return to their source implying that conductors are necessary f or current to flow. Insulators like glass or plastic are needed to avoid current leakage or short circuiting which may result to cut off supply of power to various electrical devices or even damage them. The relationship between current, voltage and resistance in a circuit is clearly defined by Ohm’s law which states that â€Å"electrical current is proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance between any two points on a conductor provided the temperature of the conductor does not change† (James, Jack and Noble). I=V/R where: I=current (Amperes), V=Voltage(volts), R=Resistance (Ohms).Therefore when current increases, voltage in the circuit

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

History - Essay Example The sudden and drastic increase in the number of industries provided women with another opportunity to demonstrate their independence (Women and Family History in America - The 19th Century). The result of this industrialization was an increase in the number of women employees in factories and industrial production units Women assumed new responsibilities in the teaching profession as well as in the industry. They were no longer confined to their homes and eagerly sought outside work. These factors encouraged women to be independent and to improve their self – esteem. Several new trade unions were formed, in order to address women’s difficulties at the work place, and many women became active members of these trade unions (Women and Family History in America - The 19th Century). However, many of these women were compelled to relinquish their jobs after marriage and to take care of their family and children. Nevertheless, some of them, continued in outside employment even after marriage. Moreover, many women with a heightened sense of morality had established women’s associations to help women whose condition was miserable. These associations assisted distressed women in several ways, promoted religious ideals, attempted to eradicate prostitution and poverty, and sought to enhance self – esteem (Women and Family History in America - The 19th Century). These associations conducted rallies to pressurize the government to improve conditions in prisons, asylums and hospitals. These movements culminated in the subsequent movement to procure women’s suffrage under the leadership of Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott. The nineteenth century witnessed two major movements, namely female suffrage and labor (Women and Family History in America - The 19th Century). The 19th Century Industrial Revolution drastically changed the economy and life of the people.

Childhood obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Childhood obesity - Research Paper Example Obesity is issue that has cropped up and is on the increase if prevention mechanisms are not put in place. It has become epidemic in many developed nations and especially in the United States. Statistics shows that about 58 million people are overweight and 40 million have been proved to be suffering from obese. This represents nearly one third of the Americas population. Related to the wellbeing of children, childhood obesity is one of main issues these days in almost every part of the world. This medical condition adversely affects the mental and physical health of children, as well as their level of self-confidence. On academic level, it puts an unpleasant impact on the mind and confidence of obese children because of which they usually do not show good academic performances (Sabia, 2007, p. 871). In developed countries, childhood obesity has become a serious health concern. Obese children usually do not perform well in their studies because they feel inferiority complex when their peers make fun of them. Their level of confidence and self-esteem go down as the result, which makes them unable to talk to their teachers and peers in a confident way. It is obvious that at school level, children are not as mentally mature as they get when they grow up. So they do not have any idea whether they are doing a good act by laughing at a comparatively fat fellow or not. They laugh at him/her, make fun, and call him/her by improper names because of which the confidence level of the targeted fellow goes down and he/she becomes unable to cope with the situation. This results in making the child self-conscious and less focused towards studies. Moreover, obese children feel low due to such situations because of which they participate neither in extra-curricular activities nor in classroom ac tivities. In extra-curricular activities, the participation of obese students is almost

I Love to Travel Essay Example for Free

I Love to Travel Essay Ive decided I want to travel. I mean Ive always wanted to, but now Im going to start planning it. I think once I finish University Im going to take a year off, and travel the world. Visit different countries, move from town to town, live and experience different cultures. Im not going to go straight into work after Uni.. I want to live my life. I mean Im ready to leave this country right now, get away from everyone and just learn to be independant and travel but I have priorites at the moment, and for the next few years. And while it seems like a while away, a few years will pass quickly and I will be on my way to living in Paris for a while in a cute little apartment with the Eiffel Tower at your windows view, the busy streets of New York.. the sunshine of LA.. Ill be dancing with the Spanish, learning the local life of Greece, seeing beautiful places and monuments in Italy and learning the life of Tuscany.. When you live in one country your entire life, you learn to think its all thats out there.. his little world of yours. But its not. Once you come to realise theres a whole world out there left to explore, something inside of you just craves it.. craves knowing and understanding and learning and seeing.. I want to see the world, before I work and settle down and do whatever.. And I dont care if Im on my own. The years of my 20s will be finding myself. Establishing myself. Making the most of discovering who I am and the world out there.

Jeff Wall Photography Philosophy

Jeff Wall Photography Philosophy The artist Jeff Wall has argued that there are two prominent myths about photography, the myth that it tells the truth, and the myth that it doesnt. Discuss Walls statement with reference to the work of any two photographers from the 20th Century. In the following essay I propose to discuss Jeff Walls philosophical statement of photography, the myth that it tells the truth and the myth that it doesnt in which Wall openly recognises the associated ambiguities of photographys systems of representation and perception. The apparent naturalism associated with the photographic medium draws a certain sense of the presence of inherent truths. However, the degree of photographic truth or indeed myth is much dependent upon the intentions of the photographer who instigates and captures the composition. The argument which Wall refers to is not a contemporary difficulty with the medium, as these debates have been circulating ever since photographys beginnings. One must however acknowledge that photographys difficulties with regard the perception of truth or myth have progressively developed as time has transgressed. This notion is in accordance with the greater availability of manipulative photographic technology which has allowed the artist greater control over any proposed outcome. Every image embodies a certain way of seeing which happens to coincides with the consciousness of mankinds individuality. Therefore it is entirely relevant to mention the importance of an awareness of the term semiotics which considers the interpretation of these visual systems which we each profess to. In order to understand the pertinence of Wal ls argument, I plan to explore and discuss the works of Wall himself in conjunction with the works of another American artist, Cindy Sherman. A key universal element of my argument will rest upon the acknowledgement of the incorporation of the multiple peoples who incur the work of photographer as it is these who create and communicate the notion of truth and myth. Whilst no definitive answer may be given regarding the statement which Wall proposes, I do however seek to trace the inner complexities which threaten the authenticity of the photographic movement. Debates concerning the notion of perception, myth and truth have been circulating ever since mankinds inception to the planet. One of the earliest documented records of this debate goes back to the 4th century BC, in which the philosopher Plato presented theories which objectify the then traditional Sophistic views of morality and reality. Plato concluded that both subjects originated from ones own objective ideals of absolute truth, of which only existed in total form in our minds and not in our conscious state of physical awareness. To put simply, Plato writes that an idealised level of truth could never be achieved in absolute terms in our daily lifestyle and that any proposed notion was strongly dependent on our own quality of self interests. From this reading I can comprehend that the notion of reality, truth and perception are all in fact manufactured perceptions based around our own terms of reference. I do view this reading as significant when related to the works of Wall and Sherman who coincidently share a communal categorisation of photographic theme, yet whose subjective visual understanding of a 20th century American society contrast greatly. Artistic intentions are developed or withdrawn in accordance with our own unique mental facets. Related to this matter, concepts of knowledge are also fiercely depend ent upon societal context and worldly experiences. Knowledge is an ever developing independent discipline as are the illusive notions of truth and myth. Theoretical research does not lead to such certainties. Usually its results are quite intangible. It leads to new ideas but ideas are uncertain and debatable. It leads to new points of view but this is not enough if we want hard and fast results. It is only if we are very lucky that far down the road theoretical research leads to what we have been looking for all along: understanding. (Greenstein, 1983, Pg.108) In order to fully comprehend the truths and mythologies of photography, it is necessary to acknowledge that each person including the viewer prescribes to a certain creative vision and that these views we profess to may not be in keeping with the genuine intentions of artist. Modernist understandings of the visual field fall under the study of semiotics which recognises that art functions as another communicative language yet does not present its meanings quiet as literally as with journalism. In the year 1978, Wall created a piece of breakthrough photography entitled The Destroyed Room which documents the disturbing repercussions following an unspeakable act of domestic violence. Jeff Wall, The Destroyed Room, 1978, Transparency in light box, 1590 x 2340 mm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. The destroyed room is clearly that owning to a woman judging by its disassembled contents; strewn feminine clothes and elegant heels. Another prominent indicator of a feminine presence within the composition is the inclusion of a rather graceful and strangely intact porcelain dancer figurine upon a shaken wooden cabinet. A number of intentionally placed diagonal indicators lead our eye to this perverse female substitute which further indicates the notion that she is a universal symbol for the masked, unspoken and disturbing realities evident within the 20th century American home. But is this an accurate representation of 20th century society? Wall created the piece by recreating the theoretical elements of Delacroixs infamous work, Death of Sardanapalus which in effect offers a contemporary model of a historic reference. Eugà ¨ne Delacroix, Death of Sardanapalus, 1827, Oil on canvas. 392 x 496 cm, Musà ©e du Louvre, Paris. While strong feelings of misery, deep unhappiness and pain prevail in both these meticulously composed works it would be misleading to conclude that both works tell of the same truths. Delacroixs painted piece incorporates figurative subject matter in romanticised states of physical torment which contrast greatly to that of Walls graceful, serene figurine seeming to mask the emotional elements of violence by contrast. Wall appears to be making a mockery of Delacroixs curvilinear models through the inclusion of a cheap artificial piece confirming that Wall does not hold any desire to remit the same intentions of Delacroixs work alluding to the mythical existence of an idealised human form, implying a certain utopian view. It is also interesting to note that Walls work places a clear responsibility on the viewer to focus specifically on just one single victim of destruction as apposed to dividing our attention between a number of peoples as in the case of Delacroix. The absence of a real physical presence in Walls work is unsettling for the viewer warranting us to question the welfare of those involved moreover then Delacroixs painting. My feelings of empathy and concern are as a direct consequence of the medium of photography which further evokes the sense that this depiction of intimate violation could in fact be real to life due to the fact that many works of factual photo journalism are presented in a manner similar. I also believe that such a scene does not constitute the creation of a timely idealised masterpiece. This image is revealing of one persons view of a society but it would be a myth to suggest that it an agreeable truth for all else involved especially those who experience domestic abus e. As a viewer, I am aware that I am placing my objective thoughts on the work which may contrast with that of the practitioner and by this means I could unknowingly be creating a work of myth or indeed truth. Similarly I relate this analysis to Wall interpretation of Delacroixs work in that did Wall really take initial inspiration from the work of Delacroix or did Wall get caught up in the moment of physical chaotic creation which later seemingly related in theme to that of Delacroix? We may never know the answer but I take some comfort in my as Walls work seems an entirely abstract muted edition of the work of by contrast to his previous reworking of the work of Hokusai in A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai), In 1982, Wall created another thought provoking exposure entitled Mimic which again similar to that previously discussed, seeks to condense the negative misgivings of a contemporary culture within a single frame. Jeff Wall Mimic 1982, Transparency in light box, 1980 x 2286 mm, Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation, Toronto. The image presented reconstructs an offensive racial gesturing witnessed by Wall between two men; a well turned out Chinese man and a roughly clad Caucasian man. Mimic presents an interesting representation of the bodily gestures which typically stereotype these nations. In the case of the Chinese man, his unobtrusive, self servient gesture presents the typical conservative gesture that I connote most to being of Eastern cultural origins. In contrast to this, the Caucasian mans middle fingered gesture presents him as being from an inflammatory type society with liberal outspoken values. Do these gestures pertain to be as accurate representations of the real and whole conditions of the cultures we reside within? No they are not truthful in this regard yet they are truthful in that they do provide a truthful momentary pictorial of an offensive gesture. I fear as a woman that I cannot abide by the social condition Wall has involved here as he positions his camera maintaining an overtly masculine presence with lessened thought given for the role of women within society. It appears as though the lady portrayed is being dragged along or perhaps slowing back deliberately denoting herself as an unwilling participant in this racial transaction as she also stares in a voyeuristic manner away from the confrontation. I would even go as far as commenting that Wall appears to connote that women share as much of an unrecognized role in 20th century American society as any other foreign emigrant would and that the Caucasian man rules over all regardless of social rank or occupation. The context in which a photograph is captured, presented thus examined constitutes a variety of iconic indexical signs. The resemblance to Mimic to that of street photography, cinematographic photography and even photo journalist photography through its successful combination of conceptual performance art qualities and also colloquial elements means that its authentic intentions are difficult to read. The museum reference given pushes us to regard the piece as an aesthetic high art object implying a enriched sense of credibility which forces us to consider its compositional qualities as well as formal aesthetic qualities in a more conscious manner which might not necessarily be the case regarding its possible inclusion in a mass consumed newspaper. Museum curators dictate the manner in which we experience interpret photography and one would most likely consider a different set of indexical signs if museum artworks were placed outside of its intended location. The placement of art may hinder its idea, yet it is the placement of art which determines the power of an artistic idea. The same argument is relevant regarding the notion of time yet it is again the power of the artists intention which will conquer all inhibitors. The meaning of a photographic image is built up by an interaction of such schemas or codes, which vary greatly in their degree of schematization. The image is therefore to be seen as a composite of signs, more to be compared with a complex sentence than a single word. Its meanings are multiple, concrete, and, most important, constructed. (Tagg, John, The Burden of Representation. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1988) The work of Cindy Sherman emphasises aspects of concurrent femininity which aspires to philosophise the changing role of the female identity in response to cultural expectations. Sherman herself manages to direct, model and capture her photographic intentions in much the same self autonomous process she seeks to explore through her works. Sherman brilliantly captures the metaphysicality of the female figure through her incorporation of diverse facial expressions, considered clothing choices and through the application of heavy make ups which in effect offer few clues to Shermans inner identity which she desires to be excluded from her works. Yet if she so heavily desires to be excluded from her works why does she use herself within her work why did she originally title her early works self portraits? I place ambiguity over Shermans desire to remain anonymous within her work I firmly believe her intentions to be a work of myth. Untitled Film Still (#96) depicts an outstretched Sherman lying rather suggestively across a domestic floor, exposing the myths which define a woman s expectations of sexual fantasy. The image promotes a certain sexual objectivity of the female body specifically through the considered placement of hand and tissue hand near her female organs. Yet I can connote a contradictory sense of imperfection, insecurity and hidden vulnerabilities through her blushed facial expression. Photographs cannot create a moral position, but they can reinforce one-and can help build a nascent one. (Sontag, 2001, Pg.9) Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still (#96), 1981, Photograph, 60.8 x 121.8 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Shermans choice of a birds eye view camera angle does not allow us to engage with the camouflaged societal location as the figure is zoomed in upon cropped forcing us to engage solely with the figure. The image is part of a series entitled centrefolds which were deliberately labelled in accordance with Shermans choice of publication layout which involves a two page spread in the middle of a magazine which sees Sherman as a sort of fetish for male readers. While the image has been labelled Untitled Film Still, it does not convey an obvious sense of the films actualities as the cropped field of view by the photographer has created an artificial sense of place in which we have no knowledge or clues of the films preceding proceeding moments. In a sense the image goes against the commonalities of film making as its lack of information forces us to narrate our own variation of the films intentions. Sherman as apposed to Wall chooses not to focus on any specific moment but rather the amal gamation of a number of common episodes which she has encountered through the media which in effect creates a work which may remain true to Sherman herself but seems false overtly clichà © for the viewer. It would be a grave mistake to label these images as obsolete due to their supposed level of artificiality as they do communicate a level of truth and more importantly a message which causes us to question learn from our own lives misgivings. None of the images I have discussed are inherently better than the next because of its determined or undetermined levels of truth myth. One could almost say that Wall works were more morally truthful as he seeks to reissue a lived moment yet the actors he positions could not possibly be feeling the raw emotions that the initial experience entailed. And the same is true of Shermans work in that she is just re-enacting another persons portrait. The photographers way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject. Every image embodies a way of seeing; our perception or appreciation of an image depends upon our own way of seeing. (Berger, 1973, Pg.10)

An Over View Of Brand And Brand Image Marketing Essay

An Over View Of Brand And Brand Image Marketing Essay CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 2.1 Primary Research Primary research data is collected directly, detached observation, evaluate of phenomena in the real life, without any exoteric interference (Walliman 2001). There are some primary research methods, such as questionnaire, interview, observations, etc. For the research project choose the suitable methodology is very necessary and effective. In this project will use the one of the primary research method: questionnaire Questionnaire is very direct way to get feedback from responder When create the questionnaire need consider all the questions are related the topic, and all the answers also need to analysis, discussion and so on. In this project will find 60 female students to answer the questions, their ages are from 18-25 years old. All of them are from Hollings Campus of MMU. The researcher should make sure the questionnaire easily to answer, give the responder a comfortable and free environment to answer the questions; and do not make questions verbose and complicated. Thus the researcher can get the maximum feedback. When create the questionnaire need consider all the questions are related the topic, and all the answers also need to analysis, discussion and so on. During the research there will have some limitations, because the number and the age of the respondents are not wide enough, so the results only can reflect a group of consumers thought. 2.2 Company background 2.2.1 HM HM was established in Và ¤sterà ¥s, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. Now have 1,700 stores around the world. The first HM store in the United Kingdom was opened in 1976. 2006 United Kingdom passed Sweden as HMs second largest market. Through the recorded there are 146 stores in UK. It has great steady expansion and growth this year, too (HM website). The Figure shows the top 5 largest shareholders as per 31 March 2008 Name Number of shares % of total shares % of voting rights Stefan Persson med familj 304 872 400* 36,84 69,30 Lottie Tham med familj 44 040 200 5,32 2,59 Alecta Pensionsfà ¶rsà ¤kring 27 735 000 3,35 1,63 Swedbank Robur fonder 24 406 752 2,95 1,43 JP Morgan Chase Bank 21 843 019 2,64 1,28 Figure 2.2.1 (a) Ownership structure Source: HM website The reason choose HM is: it is an international big company and come into the UK market, also has successful business in British market, during this project you will find how the HM operate their brand in the UK market, and get consumers responds known the attractive factors of HM. 2.2.2 Levis From its website (Levis website) can know LSCo. is one of the worlds largest brand-name apparel marketers with sales in more than 100 countries. It is America company, there is no other company with a comparable global presence in jeans and casual pants markets. It is a different type of company with HM, its main products are denim. Because the respondents of this project is young female students, so need compare with the valuable price retailer and get the feedback known how popular of the denim brand and find out what the develop direction if Levis want attract the young female students. 2.2.3 All Saints All Saints is a young fashion chain, has nearly 110 stores in the UK (All Saints Website). Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor, who founded All Saints in 1994 and sold the chain to entrepreneur Kevin Stanford at the end of 2005, have struck a deal with Religions majority owner Darren Collins to roll out retail stores under two fascias, one called Bolongaro Trevor and the other called Religion (Tate 2007). All Saints is part owned by investment firm Baugur. Baugur has a stake of about 35% (Brown 2009). Different with above two brands, All Saints is a UK local brand, and do not has that much stores in overseas market like the HM and Levis. From research questions will get how the market status in young female students, and how to build a strong brand awareness and develop the oversea market like above two. These three brands background and target consumers are different, but can use them to compare what influence in this focus group consumer and then give the suggestions to each of them how to develop their brand image or gain more potential consumers. CHAPTER 3 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 3.1 Logo Recognition Through the research results, the data display all the 60 respondents can recognize the HM and Levis logos; but there are 5 respondents can not recognize the All Saints logo. Figure 3.1 (a): Logo Recognition Status Source: Questionnaire 3.2 Purchase Situation Look at Figure 3.2(a) you can see the data of how many people have bought these three brands. In research the 60 people, there are 59 people have bought HM products and only 1 has not bought before. In the All Saints part, 37 people said they have not bought any All Saints products, rest of 23 respondents have bought before, the distance between Yes and No are smaller. Go to look the Levis part, the gap between Yes and No are smaller than All saints, the 26 respondents have not buy any Levis products, 34 of them have bought before. Figure 3.2(a): Rate of Purchase Situation Source: Questionnaire 3. 3 Most Important Factor The following table and pie charts are showing the occupancy of each factor. You can see it more vivid. The results of most important factor for each brand Brand Factor HM All Saints Levis Price 23 26 8 Quality 11 8 23 Style 25 16 15 Brand 1 10 14 Figure 3.3(a): The number of results of shopping frequency Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.3 (b) HM The percentage of each factor occupancy Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.3 (c) All Saints The percentage of each factor occupancy Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.3 (d) Levis The percentage of each factor occupancy Source: Questionnaire 3.4 Shopping Frequency The following pie charts show the frequency of respondents shop in these stores. Each of them has different situation and these charts give reader clear data. The results of shopping frequency HM All Saints Levis Once a week 4 0 0 Once a month 42 20 23 Several times a month 13 4 7 Not often 0 7 5 Never 0 29 25 Figure 3.4 (a) The results of shopping frequency Source: Questionnaire The percentage of the shopping frequency of each brand Figure 3.4 (b) HM Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.4 (c) All Saints Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.4 (d) Levis Source: Questionnaire 3.5 Average Expenditure Results of how much of the respondents spent on average price brand HM percentage All Saints percentage Levis percentage  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30 43 71.7% 8 13.3% 8 13.3%  ¿Ã‚ ¡30 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡60 17 28.3% 0 0 15 25%  ¿Ã‚ ¡60 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡90 0 0 17 28.3% 17 28.3% above  ¿Ã‚ ¡90 0 0 9 15% 0 0 Never buy 1 0 26 43.3% 20 33.3% Total respondents 60 60 60 Figure 3.5(a) Results of average expenditure Source: Questionnaire CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION From last chapter all the research results are presented, in this part will discussion the results and develop the project. 4.1 Logo Recognition From 3.1 you can know the rate of brand recognition of these three retailers. The first question in questionnaire reflects the consumers impression to a brand. This kind of impression can be considered as brand awareness. Brand awareness reflects the how many customers remember a brand (Glossary 2007). Nowadays, consumers have their own way to judge a brand such as consumers can distinguish the brand with a particular product category because the brand awareness reflects the saliency of a brand and how convenient it brings to consumers (Chernatong McDonald 1998). Brand awareness reflects the brands presence in consumers memory (Hague and Jackson, 1994; Aaker, 2002), and it is the amount of the consumers or potential consumers who have cognition of a brand. Thus, companies will find how many consumers can recognise their brand instinctively and how it differentiation with other competing brands (Crainer 1995). From the results you can know the HM and Levis have very successful brand awareness in peoples mind. This indicated their marketing communications are effectively (Glossary 2007). They always give the people strong impression.In order to consolidate their market status, they have new action continual. For example, HM launch a new flagship on Londons Regent Street in March. This action increases their brand awareness and makes the gain more customers (Brown 2008). The awareness of All Saints are slightly weak than another two brands. So the All Saints need create the strong marketing campaign, or communication to support its brand awareness. Drapers online (2009) reported All Saints has opening several new stores last year, and ramped up international expansion with openings in Paris in October and Antwerp in November. 4.2 Purchase Situation The purchase situation influences the whole income of the company. Income of a company can be divided visible and invisible. The visible income could say sales income, and invisible could say brand equity. Because brand equity is the commercial and financial value of the brand to the organisation which owns and utilises it  ¼Ã‹â€ Crainer 1995; Aaker, 2002 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. Riezebos (2003) and Aaker(2002) defined brand equity is the strategic and management advantage, it is can be the fundamental of competitive advantage, also it is a kind of asset and long- term benefit. Brand equity can understanding from multi perspectives and they concluded that brand equity build on by differential features and give added profit to the companys balance sheet. In 3.2 has presented that the consumer purchases these three brands are dissimilar. Certainly also can said the popularity of these three brands are different. HM is the most popular store of these three, nearly 98% respondents expressed they have shopping experiences in here; this is a popular consumption brand. HM is aimed at everyone with an interest in fashion; it supplies extensive range of products, from clothes to accessories, at same time keeps new items come into the stores every day (HM website). The research results show, All Saints and Levis are not as widespread purchased as HM. Most of these respondents know these two brands, but not mean they certainly have bought their products. More than half ( 62% have not) of the respondents have not buy any All Saints products before, only 38% respondents have bought their products. Of course you may say that they have more development space. To make sure the brand equity growth, the brand gives to convince them that it is relevant to consumers needs can gain more attraction and hold consumers. (Chernatong McDonald 1998). Like recently, All Saints has some advantaged actions to attract more consumers. It has relaunched its online store with new imagery and better navigation, it gives customer a fresh appearance and simpler operating system. Stephen Ritchie, chief executive of Drivebusiness, the etail development firm that handled the relaunch, said: All Saints [the website] has grown phenomenally since we launched it in 2005 and its turnover continues to grow and exceed all expectations. All Saints online store is one of its top performing stores and we continue work with the team on improvements such as the recent enhancements to its distribution centre which has increased output by 250 %( Brown 2009). Levis received better results than All Saints, 57% of them have Levis products. It is more widely purchased by this group of people. Their products have more attraction than All Saints. Like the All Saints, Levis also has positive action. From the Drapersonline: Denim brand Levis has changed the licensee for its underwear and lingerie collection as part of a repositioning strategy. The move is intended to reinvigorate the collection ( Drapersonline 2009). This action gives more opportunity to potential and existing consumers to buy their products. This report said this is a part of repositioning strategy; it means they will have more and effective activities in the future and the consumers purchasing volume will increase. 4. 3 Most Important Factor Different retailer gives different impression to the customers. The research results give us direct information about the consumers ideas. At the same time reflects the consumers buying behaviour. Consumer behaviour is the study of the process when individuals or groups choose, buy, use of products, services, ideas or related experiences to satisfy their needs and wishes (Hawkins, Best and Coney 2004). Usually, when consumers purchasing clothing, they have their own way to judge the store, product, price and so on. In 3.3, the display these three different type retailer give the different impression to consumers. From HM part, there are 45% respondents thought the style are most important factor of this retailer. HM supply a broad and wide range product; the collections are created with broad design ideas and satisfy many different tastes of requirements. Their designing group always take the world as inspiration; styles are following the fashion trends. They try their best to create a good balance between fashion, quality and the best price (HM website). Thus, other 38.3% respondents said the price of HM is acceptable. About the quality there are 15% respondents express they are interested in this and only 1.7% respondents think about the brand of HM. It reflects the fashion consumers have their judgements. Many apparel decisions are rationally consider ones evaluative measure and choosing a feasible alternative. Like Solomon (2004) said if the object reaches consumers interest, they evaluate it and then might purchase. From other point view, this also reflects what the brand image in consumers mind. Brand image includes the target markets interpretation of the products attributes, benefits, usage situations, users, and manufacturer features. In a market brand image reflects schematic memory of a brand (Hawkins, Best and Coney 2004) and consumers perception of a brands characteristics (Hague and Jackson, 1994; Chernatony and McDonald 1998). So from 3.3(b) it demonstrated style and price are main points to attract HM consumers. Look at the All Saints part, 43.3% of respondents considered the most important factor of this retailer is price. Compare with other two retailers the price of All Saints are higher; it is why the consumer think this is important factor of it. Following the price the style are another important section, there are 26.7% respondents are interested in this. 16.7% respondents considered brand, 13.3% considered quality. In the Levis part there are 38.3% respondents thought the quality is the first important section, the second important section is the style, in this section 25% respondents. About the brand and price respectively are 23.3% and 13.3%. To this group consumer, when asked about the HM, the style is most considered factor; they thought style is All Saints brand image is: its price is high and, and they thought Levis has good quality products. Brand image like a receiver  ¼Ã‹â€ Jean-Noà «l 1997 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °, the image will be influenced by the performance of the promotions, literature and the message, thus a positive image will accelerate the development for an organisation (Hague and Jackson, 1994). Sproles and Kendall explained (1986, p.268; cited by Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y 2004), a consumers decision-making style is a mental orientation characterizing a consumers approach to making choices. There are some main decision styles (Sproles and Kendall 1986, cited by Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y 2004): Quality conscious Brand conscious Fashion conscious Price conscious These eight styles explain the most basic mental features of a consumers decision making, and have directly relationship with consumer choice behaviour. When consumers buying clothing, often take time to evaluate alternatives of brand, style, design, colour, price and country-of-origin. These choice behaviours are particularly display consumers interest, such as brand conscious, fashion conscious, price conscious and hedonistic orientation (Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y, 2004). From the analysis the feedback of these three retailers, they have their own advantages to attractive the consumer. of course there are some disadvantages influence their development, e.g the higher price of All Saints impede most of consumer buy it. Fashion consumer decision making sometimes is a slightly different with the normal consumer decision. Look this figure; it compares what is the different. Firstly, the fashion consumer would like pay attention about the fashion object; not like the traditional consumers, they are sometimes only focus on the function of the cloth. Secondly, the fashion consumers have their view of the product, the traditional consumers always get the information other source, they do not have particular requirement of the fashion, and just sourcing the cloth in the narrow area or shop in customary shop. Fourth, it shows the fashion decision consumers judge the product in different way, fashion decision always try to evaluate product and not the brand performance. In the fifth step, the traditional decision is last step, but fashion decision has one more step than traditional. You can see the figure, consumers not enjoy the purchase immediately, they think about the products satisfy their demand or not , and then reflects they enjoy it. Figure 4.3 (a): Stages in Fashion and Traditional Decision Making( Solomon and Rabolt, 2004;p. 353) Fashion buying is a strategic decision for the organization and influence the products assortment available to consumers (Hines and Bruce, 2007). 4.4 Shopping Frequency The research results display most (70%) of the respondents shop in HM once a month and another 21.7% go to HM stores several times a month. Normally, the fashion buying cycle is not very long, sometimes the period of buying new goods are every six weeks( Kline and Wagner, 1994; cited by Hines and Bruce 2007). When companies have intent on fast fashion, this can happen more quickly, even on every week (Buckley,2006; cited by Hines and Bruce 2007). Everyday HM has new item arrive in stores( HM website). The role of fashion buyer can divide by 18 and 25 different actions, including reviewing market knowledge and analysing old sales records to know different levels of demand for different products (Fiorito, 1990; cited by Hines and Bruce 2007). Otherwise, the fashion buyer will analyse and consider other conditions, such as economic situation; trade, business and industry journals. In this way the buyer can buy the best products at the lowest price (Hines and Bruce 2007). The respondents go to All saints and Levis stores time are not as many as go to HM. From the feedback you can know most (48.3%) of the respondents never shop in All Saints stores and there are 41.7% respondents have never shop in Levis. It demonstrate these 60 respondents are not their main target consumers or their products characters are not attractive these respondents enough. Compared with these consumers never shop in these two stores, other major part respondents are shop in these stores once a month, such as 33.3% respondents shop in All Saints stores once a month, and 38.3% respondents shop in Levis stores once a month. This demonstrate these group of consumers still have interested in these two retailers, but some factors reduce their purchase such as higher price level or fixed style, etc. These two brands can do some marketing research, and following the results can slightly change some previous operational technique, and attractive more potential consumers such as make the never part join the not often part, and reduce rate of the not often part, encourage them purchase more than before. 4.5 Average expenditure From the 3.5(a), in the HM section 71.7% of the respondents indicated the  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30 is a very popular price area, they always spent this amount in HM stores. This express the consumers can use this amount money bought their satisfy products in HM. Opposite this, the 43.3% respondents never spent money in All Saints stores. Like mentioned in 3.5(b) the All Saints price level all most from  ¿Ã‚ ¡60, it is a little high for the students. So except never buy part, the ¿Ã‚ ¡60~90 is second popular part (28.3%), only smaller part (15%) of the respondents spent above  ¿Ã‚ ¡90, and rest of 13.3% spent  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30, no body spent  ¿Ã‚ ¡30 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡60. Although like this, their sales were  £46.9 million for the year to February 3 2008 All Saints chief executive Stephen Craig said: sales had been consistently well above budget throughout 2008 Christmas trade was also strong, above budget and ahead of market rivals, according to the company. They do not like other high street rivals; All Saints did not give discount in its shops Craig said that unlike some of its high street rivals, All Saints did not discount in its shops pre-Christmas, in this way, maintain margin and consolidate brand positioning (Brown 2009). The Levis situation is similar with All Saints, from the research results known, the figure is better than All Saints, there are 33.3% respondents never spent money in Levis stores, but all the respondents known this brand. In  ¿Ã‚ ¡60 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡90 area Levis has the same result ( 28.3%) with All Saints, this is the acceptable price area. Following this figure the close area is  ¿Ã‚ ¡30 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡60, 25% of them spent this amount. 13.3% spent  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30, non of them spent above  ¿Ã‚ ¡90. In the Appendix part there are some products prices with photographs of these three brands, In 4.3 has talked about the brand image gives to this focus group. Each of these brands gives the different images to consumers. Feldwick (2003) said improving brand image can help to increase sales; gain the extra income, other author like Hague and Jackson (1994) mentioned: a) a positive image will get more margins and reduce the competitive pressure and easier to sell with lower prices, b) More competitive, a strong brand will be like a barrier to competitors products. Therefore to increase their average expenditure, have a strong brand image is essential. With the strong brand image, their whole sales volume can be increased. CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION In this section will conclude the wider perspective on the findings of the investigation and also provides suggestions for the further research on the subject. Nowadays, brands can not be avoided today, it already infiltrate into peoples daily life. The primary research, which was presented and discussion in Chapter 3 and 4, those information showed that the performance of the retailers in the market, reflects their status. The status of brand logo recognition can reflects the brand awareness of a company, If a company has a wide brand awareness, it means have big amount of consumers can recognize its public logo. At the meanwhile the products of this company can satisfy general consumers demands; it is also can have higher brand awareness. So when the question is ask about the brand logo recognize, it can be described the brand awareness level, the answers demonstrated the awareness level of company. Other theory which related with brand awareness and brand logo is brand equity; it has talked about in 4.2. From 3.4 you know there are some respondents have not buy any products in the All Saints and Levis stores, so increase the brand equity may encourage more purchase actions. The brand equity can increase (or reduce) the value of the organizations products or services. The value of the organization achieved not only from sales income but also from the brand equity, increase the brand equity is a positive method to attract more consumers interests and attentions to the products and then have the opportunity increase the sale. Following these two contents, in 4.3 the brand image and consumers buying behaviours are talked in this section. Consumers have different impression to these three brands; they rely on the characters of and estimate their brand image. in this section has also discussed about the fashion buying behaviour because these four answers of 4.3 reflects the what the main requires of the consumers, so when the a fashion retailer want gain the biggest value they need known their consumers demands and build a strong brand image. The duration of the fashion trend is very short, so the fashion buying cycle is also not very long, in 4.4 has discussed the shopping frequency of the consumers and through the results most of HM consumers can follow the fashion trend, and purchase its products more frequent. Finally, the average spent when consumers shopping these stores, can display how popular of this brand, if the consumers like the products they would like to spend more money, of course in this section has some suggestions of how to make the consumers spend more in future. 5.1 Further research recommendations The research comprehended only a limited sample of consumers, and focused upon three brands, so the results only can reflect a group of consumers thought. I suggest someone else looks into in more wide details about the brand and do some wider research, not only focus on female, also can be another occupation. CHAPTER 6 REFERENCE Aaker, D. A. (2002) Building strong brands New York; London : Free. Aaker, D. A (2002) Brand leadership New York; London : Free. Crainer, S.(1995) The real power of brands: making brands work for competitive advantage London : Pitman. Chernatony, D.L. and McDonald, M. (1998) Creating powerful brands in consumer, service and industrial markets 2nd ed.. Oxford : Butterworth-Heinemann. Easey, M (2002) Fashion marketing 2nd ed. Oxford : Blackwell Science. Feldwick. P (2003) Brand communications in Brand and Branding Hawkins, D. I., Best, R. J., and Coney, K. A. (2004) Consumer behaviour: building marketing strategy 9th ed. Boston, Mass. : McGraw-Hill. Hague, P. and Jackson, P. (1994) The power of industrial brands : an effective route to competitive advantage . London : McGraw-Hill. Jean-Noà «l, K. (1997) Strategic brand management : creating and sustaining brand equity long term 2nd ed. London : Kogan Page. Riezebos, R. (2003) Brand management : a theoretical and practical approach Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall. Solomon, M. R.and Rabolt, N. J. (2004) Consumer behavior : in fashion Upper Saddle River, N.J.; London : Prentice Hall. Walliman, N. (2001) Your research project : a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher London : SAGE. Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y (2004) Consumer decision-making styles on domestic and imported brand clothing. Eurropean Journal of Marketing, [online], Vol.38, Iss. 1/2, pp.239-252 6.1 INTERNET SOURCE http://www.allsaints.co.uk/brand/ http://www.hm.com/gb/abouthm__abouthm.nhtml http://www.levistrauss.com/Company/ Pam Tate 2007 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/all-saints-founders-sign-religion-deal/765531.article Jessica Price Brown 2009: http://www.drapersonline.com/news/multiples/all-saints-sales-buck-downturn/5000200.article Glossary (2007) All About Branding, [online], Available at: http://www.allaboutbranding.com/index.lasso?page=11,54,0. [Accessed: 10th December 2008] Jessica Price Brown 2008 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/hm-unveils-its-design-for-dominance/903574.article 10 March, Jessica Price Brown 2009 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/all-saints-brightens-sector-gloom/1967495.article Drapersonline 2009 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/other-sectors/lingerie/new-underwear-licensee-at-levis/5000720.article Appendices

Troublesome Behavior Essay -- Psychology, Children Behavioral Disorder

Children often act out in inappropriate ways, however these irritations do not connote â€Å"troublesome† behavior (Wright, Tibbetts, and Daigle, 2008). Troublesome behavior describes age-inappropriate behaviors that continue into future years and inhibit healthy growth of the child. For example, a temper tantrum might be normal behavior for a young child, however it would be deemed inappropriate when the child reaches school age. When unseemly behaviors multiply to a certain level the child is considered behaviorally disordered. The criteria for such a diagnosis includes patterned symptoms that show at least short-term stability, symptoms that are present when around other adults besides their parents, severe symptoms, and symptoms that harm the child’s ability to handle developmental problems. These behaviors do not affect a large proportion of the population. One study showed about ten to fifteen percent of preschoolers demonstrates mild or moderate behavioral disorders (Campbell, 1995 as cited in Wright et al., 2008). Another study of three-year-olds found that severe behavior disorder afflicted 11 percent of the sample (Cornely and Bromet, 1986 as cited in Wright et al., 2008). Furthermore, in a study of parental reports of their 17-month-old children it was found that only 7.6 percent thought of their children as bullies and only 3.3 percent considered their children as cruel (Tremblay, 1999 as cited in Wright et al., 2008). In fact, only 1.5 to 3.4 percent of children are diagnosed with conduct disorder (Steiner and Dunne, 1997 as cited in Wright et al., 2008). However, other studies show that conduct disorder is found in five percent of ten-year-olds and ten percent of 12-year-olds (Wright et al., 2008). Also, ... ...criminality. It is associated with deviant behaviors and clinical disorders such as suicide, schizophrenia, and alcoholism. Moreover, most serotonin studies’ overall theme is that low levels of serotonin will prevent people from inhibiting their behavior. Furthermore, environmental conditions also affect serotonin levels. For example, serotonin levels fall during the winter and then rise again in spring. Dopamine is an excitatory neurotransmitter connected to the reward and punishment networks of the brain (Wright et al., 2008). A person’s state of excitement is increased with dopamine activity, which has a positive effect on problem solving, directed thinking, and attention span. Over production of dopamine has been associated with aggression and violence (Fishbein, 2001; Babel, Stadler, Bjorn, and Shindledecker, 1995 as cited in Wright et al, 2008).

The Hottest Workout: Bikram Yoga :: Exercise Health Fitness Papers

The Hottest Workout: Bikram Yoga Imagine a 240-pound professional football player stretching his sweat-drenched body to its limits in heat of more than 110 degrees. This scene doesn’t take place on a football field, but in a heated Bikram yoga studio where many athletes and everyday people are going to cure and prevent aches and pains. Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM). The biggest yoga boom has occurred over the past decade according to statistics from the International Association of Yoga Therapists. The Association estimates there were 20 million Americans practicing some form of yoga in 2002 compared to 6 million in 1994. Increased awareness of yoga as a healing method along with high-profile celebrity endorsements have contributed to the growing numbers of yoga users recently. Madonna and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are some famous yogis that have been students of Bikram Choudhury, who founded his own style of hot yoga in India. Dina Lancour, a Hatha yoga instructor from Agawam, Massachusetts, took a Bikram yoga class under Choudhury. â€Å"It reminded me of Indian sweat tents,† Lancour said. â€Å"It becomes very meditative and deep.† Proponents of Bikram yoga and medical specialists have noted the health benefits of hot yoga. Other yoga practitioners and teachers have expressed concerns about the safety of practicing yoga in a hot room and some ‘yoga purists’ question the motives of the founder, noting that his style is too outwardly focused. According to an article in the Charleston Gazette (March 24,2004) some yoga traditionalists believe the attention yoga has received in mainstream media and business is damaging to the ancient practice. Newer students of yoga are more concerned about how they look rather than the spiritual basis for yoga the article stated. Yoga purists believe focus on the outward image overlooks the true goals of yoga, which are more spiritually focused. Bikram yoga incorporates 26 of the Hatha poses and two breathing exercises in a â€Å"specific order to get the maximum benefit for the body,† said Megan Cooney, a certified Bikram instructor, who teaches at three studios in the Boston area. Choudhury developed the Bikram style after he suffered an knee injury from weight training. The Hottest Workout: Bikram Yoga :: Exercise Health Fitness Papers The Hottest Workout: Bikram Yoga Imagine a 240-pound professional football player stretching his sweat-drenched body to its limits in heat of more than 110 degrees. This scene doesn’t take place on a football field, but in a heated Bikram yoga studio where many athletes and everyday people are going to cure and prevent aches and pains. Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM). The biggest yoga boom has occurred over the past decade according to statistics from the International Association of Yoga Therapists. The Association estimates there were 20 million Americans practicing some form of yoga in 2002 compared to 6 million in 1994. Increased awareness of yoga as a healing method along with high-profile celebrity endorsements have contributed to the growing numbers of yoga users recently. Madonna and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are some famous yogis that have been students of Bikram Choudhury, who founded his own style of hot yoga in India. Dina Lancour, a Hatha yoga instructor from Agawam, Massachusetts, took a Bikram yoga class under Choudhury. â€Å"It reminded me of Indian sweat tents,† Lancour said. â€Å"It becomes very meditative and deep.† Proponents of Bikram yoga and medical specialists have noted the health benefits of hot yoga. Other yoga practitioners and teachers have expressed concerns about the safety of practicing yoga in a hot room and some ‘yoga purists’ question the motives of the founder, noting that his style is too outwardly focused. According to an article in the Charleston Gazette (March 24,2004) some yoga traditionalists believe the attention yoga has received in mainstream media and business is damaging to the ancient practice. Newer students of yoga are more concerned about how they look rather than the spiritual basis for yoga the article stated. Yoga purists believe focus on the outward image overlooks the true goals of yoga, which are more spiritually focused. Bikram yoga incorporates 26 of the Hatha poses and two breathing exercises in a â€Å"specific order to get the maximum benefit for the body,† said Megan Cooney, a certified Bikram instructor, who teaches at three studios in the Boston area. Choudhury developed the Bikram style after he suffered an knee injury from weight training.

Design and Technology Essay

ChairJames Lillis fashion designer of Black Milk online shop â€Å"A lot of people want to know how Black Milk came to be. Well, it’s a long story, full of twists and turns, action and adventures. There are even a few scary bits. But seeing as you asked†¦ why don’t you pull up a metaphoric chair around my metaphoric fire and I’ll tell you the story of Black Milk†¦ â€Å" When James was young, there was a time that he was broke, and everyone around him seemed to have a great job that they enjoyed, â€Å"I was broke, bored and rather cold. At that point most people would have got a job and a beanie, but not I†. He woke up one morning with a desire to make himself a shirt, he went out and bought a second hand sewing machine, and with only $6 left in his wallet, he bought the cheapest nylon lining that he could find. He still does not know why he had such random impulse but he is very glad he did, â€Å"It was these fateful decisions that lead me down the path to Black Milk†. Nylon lining is one of the least attractive fabrics in the market; he had to make a fitted shirt with no one to teach him how to sew this complicated fabric. â€Å"It was tragic. The stitching was wrong, the pieces were cut weird, and the neck was a nothing more than a hole. And I loved it† From that moment, things changed. He began doing odd jobs, but â€Å"at the back of my mind I was plotting and planning. If I got ten bucks it wasn’t just ten bucks †¦ it was half a meter of printed fabric. Three dollars was a new packet of needles. A hundred bucks meant I could get my machine fixed. † With all his enthusiasm he worked in trial and error testing different ways of sewing bits and pieces of fabric. â€Å"You will immediately notice: 1. Both legs are too short 2. The pattern on the right leg is upside down (Hey, I’m a slow starter, alright?! ) However, despite this every girl who tried them on wanted to buy them. Which was super encouraging for me. So I kept going. † After one week of teaching himself how to sew with a half working machine, he went into a dance shop and bought some shiny sparkly fabric. â€Å"The shop was full of mothers, grandmothers, and me. They looked at me like I was from another planet†. He bought a tribal African print because he had seen on the shops that these prints were in fashion, he thought about the fabric and felt an intuition that it would look best on legs. He started working immediately, drew up a  pattern, cut it out and made a pair of leggings in an impressive time for a starter. He wanted to try the leggings on a model and talked to his friend who had a friend who agreed to be a model for James to see if they fit. She put them on, and they didn’t. So he cut them again, and sewed them again several times. And they still didn’t fit. â€Å"I must have recut t hose things ten times†. And finally, they fit. It was at that point that something remarkable and completely unexpected happened, this changed everything. She asked if she could buy them. She took out her wallet, gave him some money and walked off with James leggings. â€Å"I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. † It was at that point that James felt that it was not impossible. â€Å"I knew that if there was one girl prepared to buy one pair of my leggings, there were (probably) a hundred girls out there who would do the same†. He felt even more confident and he worked even harder to start his own little business â€Å"I threw myself into it with a passion. I would spend 5-6 hours a day on the sewing machine trying to figure out how to sew properly. I even attended sewing lessons at the local sewing shop (yes, I stuck out like a sore thumb). It was pretty tough in those early days. On more than one occasion I came close to throwing everything in the bin. † The next in the list was getting out and selling his designs, so he went door to door, trying to get shops to sell a few of his pieces. And after several painful no’s, one place finally agreed to display a few of James clothes in a corner of their shop. Unfortunately, a week later and they gave him every single piece back. But he was very determined and bought markets to sell his clothes in the Saturday markets. Since 5:30am every single Saturday, James stood around under the sun all day, selling his creations. He was considerably unpopular at the markets, but hundreds of girls all around the world were very interested when they found his clothes through blogging, that soon became much more famous than the tent and so James decided fatefully to make Black Milk exclusively into an online fashion label. â€Å"I talked to a few people in the industry who told me I was making a big mistake and that I would go broke within the month. I was told that online selling was only for companies with ‘real’ shops. But ‘real’ shops weren’t interested in my clothes, so I went online. As it turns out, it was a very good idea. :)† Within 3 years Black Milk have gained over 15000 fan on Facebook been so huge that the team can’t keep up with the sales and a lot of â€Å"sharkies† (Black Milk fans) are getting disappointed on the low reach of the company. James is working as fast as he can with the team to improve his production. Black milk is selling products all around the world, but James himself blogged that the top countries currently buying black milk are â€Å"So what the heck†¦ maybe we’ll just go nuts and set up a studio in the US. You only live once. And of course, we will still have our Australian studios and they will keep expanding. 🙂 Of course, it goes without saying that our strict policy about not manufacturing in the third world is not going to change any time soon. In fact†¦ never. :)† â€Å"I don’t know what this hand signal means, but if it is something along the lines of â€Å"Guess what Black Milk did a deal with LucasArts and so the most awesome clothing ever created will be available Soon†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ then it is surprisingly accurate† James is very excited that the industry grows bigger every day and very fast. â€Å"Instead of me sewing away by myself at night, we have a fantastic team who pump out thousands of garments every month. Instead of trying to get our clothes into ‘real’ shops, we’re online and loving it. Instead of selling to a few girls at the markets, we now have a community of the most amazing girls you could hope for who are passionate about the brand. However, there are some things that haven’t changed. I still love making clothes. I still love hearing from girls who buy the clothes. I love seeing all the different ways girls style their Black Milk pieces, and I love working with all the Black Milk team. Game Boy Print Swimsuit This swimsuit was posted by a number of fashion blogs and websites even before it was released, Black Milk ran out of stock in less than 2 days. Surprisingly a lot of males bought this piece to give it as a present. Spartan leggings Lindsay Lohan wearing Spartan Leggings from Black Milk’s liquid collection. The Muscle leggings â€Å"This is an idea that we have been thinking about for a while. A few people encouraged me to do it but I never quite got around to it. Then I got a spare afternoon one day and decided to have a good go at making it work. It worked†¦. perhaps a little too well! Definitely our most ‘meaty’ design.. † Posted in over 30 blog entries and internet articles, these leggings have been very controversial, both males and females from many countries have been purchasing them, in the other side, the comments from sharkies and teens on social networks show either that they absolutely love them or would not wear them at all. Composition: Polyester/Spandex Oscar Tusquets Blanca: architect, painter and designer Born in Barcelona-Spain in 1941. Studied at the School Llotja of Barcelona and the ETSAB. In 1964 he founded the PER Studio with Lluis Clotet, in which worked regularly until 1984. In 1987 Blanca associated with the architect John Smith and carried out projects in countries like Japan and Germany. In 1980 participated in the enlargement of the Barcelona School of Medicine and two years later in the remodelling of the â€Å"Palau de le Musica catalana† in Barcelona (which will be explained latter on). He also participated in various urban projects such as remodelling of the Convent dels Angels area or the construction of the Olympic Village, two projects in the Catalan capital. He has been awarded several times with the gold prize FAD Delta and in 1987 received the Creu de Sant Jordi. His Italian tradition merely lies in his close cooperation with the manufacturers of products and with his close rtelationship with the technicians. At this time it was very rare for a Spanish or Italian designer to produce working drawings from their designs. Concept sketches serve only to convince the designer himself and his assistants within the studio that a design proposal is possible and to develop the main idea; but Blanca prefers to strike up face to face discussions with those responsible for manufacture and designs may be modified many times before the shape and form of the product is finalized. Blanca believes that there are two types of technicians, â€Å"those who only see difficulties and the usually older craft-men who say ‘this may seem impossible but if I make it this way perharts it is possible’ if a designer does not propose silly things the technician will respect him, it is not possible to improvise design†. His success consists in insistent supervision, not only because he prefers to build a comfortable environment for everybody but because he believes that â€Å"if the design is a failure it is completely my fault†. He worked for several companies a lot of them owned by personal friends, he was highly attached to the technicians â€Å"they are clever and full of suggestions rather than coercive†. But he also had his up and downs, such as the disagreement with the furniture manufacturer â€Å"knoll international† which Blanca believed was overdoing the suggestion that he submit three separate design solutions for a chair. Blanca found the task â€Å"impossible to come up with† because he was a strongly innovative man and in Spain at the time, the market was cost effective and manufacturers believed cheaper to copy Italian and Swedish designs, finding a cheaper solution than that, required a bit more than cleverness including the fact that the manufacturing had to be as cheap as possible and he found the deal with the rest of the workers very hard to accept because it went against his principles. Finding one solution only was hard enough. However soon enough, Spain entered the European Community and the industry around Barcelona and Valencia begun to change as imports tariffs had dropped. It was no longer cost effective, the Italian and Swedish designs were put aside because Spanish consumers could now afford the products of competitive wares which started looking for designers. Blanca had a lot of enthusiasm in trying new inventions which he would not have had the courage to try with Italian producers. The range begun in 1984 and comprises seven different chairs. The lattest was designed for the refurbishment of Domenech I Montaners 1903 previously mentioned â€Å"Palau de le Musica Catalana† in Barcelona. It is described as an auditorium chair and much study has been applied to the acoustical problems â€Å"a good chair for a cinema is a bad chair for a conference hall† This was the final solution, designed for auditoriums. It was first used when renovating the Palau de la Musica Catalana, in Barcelona. However this design was so successful, that if a designer saw it, would think it had been evolving and being perfectioned for years rather than the truth, a lucky clever design. Underneath each seat users find a Helmholtz resonator, which, absorbs the same amount of sound as a human body when the seat is upright. The result is little difference of reverberation no matter how many people were in the hall. This design is said to be successful because is now being used in more than 50 public halls in Spain, including the Senate. This chair was only one of the innovative solutions that Blanca introduced to the â€Å"Palau de le Musica Catalana† that he spent six years enlarging, restoring and air conditioning. The In the first phase, which took several years to achieve, Blanca among with his co-workers, repaired the very damaged parts of the old building and equipped it with sanitary facilities, accessibility, safety and comfort features. These were of course unimaginable a hundred years earlier, but his team made it possible. Palau de le Musica Catalana. Sketches in the process of refurbishment of Domenech I Montaners â€Å"Palau de le Musica Catalana† However the most noteworthy part of the project was to take advantage of the adjacent unfinished church part of the site, to open up the central hidden area properly and more efficiently, even though, remarkably, Domenech had bestowed on it a richness of treatment to be compared with that of the facades, thus opening up a new entrance to the Palau. In the extension adjacent to the stage, Blanca provided services for the performers: rehearsal room, dressing rooms, library, etc In 1979, Alessandro Mendini invited eleven architects from all over the world to design a tea and coffee set: Michael Graves, Hans Hollein, Charles Jencks, Richard Meier, Paolo Portoghesi, Aldo Rossi, Stanley Tigerman, Oscar Tusquets, Robert Venturi, Kazumasa Yamashita and Mendini himself. The overall set is an exercise in micro-architecture, reflecting the various architectural styles of the day. The outcome was presented as Tea ; Coffee Piazza and 99 sets were made in silver, bearing the monogram of each designer. According to Alessandro Mendini in the â€Å"Domus† magazine, Blanca became well known because of the design of the tea set. This product is everything but aimed at all formalistic or decorative it is in fact a detailed study of the history of the teapot, how the applied arts combine with aerodynamics to manage to resolve the problem of containing and pouring hot liquid. He soon saw that the spout, which should emerge from the lower part of the pot – where the liquid is denser and less hot, had been gradually shortened and displaced towards the upper part of the vessel. This was because of the difficulty of making a separate piece and then soldering it to the base. As a result, many present-day teapots only have the slightest of notches in their upper rim for the liquid to be poured out through and this leads to problems with sloppy pouring and inevitable dripping. Another problem area is the handle, there being three traditional types: the top handle – Japanese, the lateral handle – which OTB preferred for its balance and accuracy, and, the least common – the outjutting horizontal handle. OTB discovered that the handle had also been subjected to a gradual process of simplification, leading to unacceptable levels of discomfort: overheating, imbalance, insufficient surface grip area, and so on. Models of the teapot, His studio used balsa and papier Mache for model making. For the Alessi tea set he had a wooden model made professionally because of his distance from Italy. This product is everything but aimed at all formalistic or decorative it is in fact a detailed study of the history of the teapot, how the applied arts combine with aerodynamics to manage to resolve the problem of containing and pouring hot liquid. He soon saw that the spout, which should emerge from the lower part of the pot – where the liquid is denser and less hot, had been gradually shortened and displaced towards the upper part of the vessel. This was because of the difficulty of making a separate piece and then soldering it to the base. As a result, many present-day teapots only have the slightest of notches in their upper rim for the liquid to be poured out through and this leads to problems with sloppy pouring and inevitable dripping. Another problem area is the handle, there being three traditional types: the top handle – Japanese, the lateral handle – which OTB preferred for its balance and accuracy, and, the least common – the outjutting horizontal handle.