Hedda Gabler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hedda Gabler - Essay Example She is never happy and her love for Tesman is close to non-existent. For Hedda, this marriage to Tesman is a sham and she simply cannot bear to live with him. Coming from a wealthy family from higher social class, she has more refined tastes, a better sense of the world and a completely different way of thinking. She doesn't submit to passion like Tesman does and is usually disgusted by exaggerated expressions of joy by Tesman. Not only does she suffer from unwanted love, she is also clearly bored with her existence. As a woman of a wealthy well-known family, she had been accustomed to a different kind of life- one that Tesman cannot give her. Hedda is bored out of her wits and this results in developing dangerous habits. One such habit is playing with pistols as we see in one scene where she equates fiddling with pistols with complete boredom. When Judge Brack tells her not to play with pistols, she responds with a sheer sense of exasperation: "Then what in heaven's name would you have me do with myself" and when he inquires if she had had any visitors, she retorts, "Not one. I suppose all our circle are still out of town." (p. 284) This boredom leads to complete loss of mind as the woman starts contemplating suicide and finally kills herself. Married to Hedda was a professorship aspirant, Jurgen Tesman. Tesman is a coward. He wants to please Hedda and is dying to attain professorship but he fails to understand his inner cowardice. He feels inferior to Hedda and his constant efforts to please her have only backfired. She is simply disgusted by him and his attempts at pleasing her have failed because they indicate weakness. Tesman is also not as intelligent or learned as he would have himself believe. Eliert is his main rival and when it seems that he might just get professorship, Tesman steals his manuscript. However Tesman is not really a bad person. He wants to abide by the law and would love to return the manuscript but in a moment of weakness, he had stolen it. This theft leads to Eliert death and sets Tesman on the path of a brighter career. Tesman knew that with Eliert present, there was no real chance of succeeding since Eliert was a young man of considerable intelligence. He is the main rival of Tesman. He loves his work to death. It is the loss of his work that actually results in the tragic event of his untimely death. Eliert respects Mrs. Elvsted who had tried to help him with his work and to avoid hurting her, he tells her nothing about the theft and instead says he had torn it. Hedda encourages him to kill himself because she herself has become neurotic and death is a fantasy for her. Eliert takes the pistol but doesn't kill himself. His death is an accident and the lack of beauty of his death causes Hedda to kill herself. The person who had helped Eliert throughout his career was Mrs. Elvsted. Thea Elvsted is a lonely woman suffering from a loveless marriage. She cannot bear to stay neglected and thus moves from one man to another in search of affection. But she is a weak and timid person who is quite the opposite of Hedda. Hedda is manipulative while Thea is selfless. She seeks to gain affection of men in her life but doesn't try to manipulate them. Hedda is however not the only manipulative character in the story. Judge Brack is as much as opportunist as Hedda. He is happy to take advantage of people and their situations. He is a good match to Hedda's manipulative tactics. He knows it was Hedda

The Social Concept in Terms of Culture and Norms Research Paper

The Social Concept in Terms of Culture and Norms - Research Paper Example To begin with, it is imperative to define the exact nature and importance of these strategies in the context of the concert hall. Interpretive strategies spring from that aspect of a field’s study which seeks to define the same in the context of an individual’s life and link the same with various factors at a regional, international and global level. (Norberg - Schulz,1996; P 414 – 428) The role of an interpretive strategy in the case of the two concert halls discussed here is to bring out a variety of features in the structural implications of the building. These features have been further discussed below. One of the major features of an interpretive strategy lies in its ability to transform a space and transport an individual to a place beyond the structure where the building and the individual in question are in perfect tandem as far as everyday activities and a sense of drama in this everyday life are concerned. This has been termed as Hermeneutics. (Hale, 20 00; P 213 – 233) On a more technical grid, the term hermeneutics adheres to the play of a person’s sense of aesthetics when regarding the two concert halls discussed in this paper. The finer point shows that the hermeneutic tradition helps create a platform where a person may experience the concert hall as an extension of his or her daily living. This is an important point made by the term ‘modern aesthetics’, which cater to more than a marriage of fine art and engineering for positive structural implications in the concert hall.

Emerging New Luxury Brands Marketing Essay

Emerging New Luxury Brands Marketing Essay Let us imagine that we have gone back a decade in time. There is a woman in some part of the world flipping through the pages of a high-fashion magazine. The minute she opens the magazine she is bombarded by images of luxury goods. Luxury brand names like Versace, Chanel, Gucci and Christian Louboutin shout out to her. All she desires is to own at least one piece from these luxury fashion goods. Unfortunately, the woman earns a middling income and can only dream about owning a Versace dress or a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. Luckily for her, in 2004 Hennes Mauritz (HM) came up with a brilliant collaboration which made all her dreams come true. For a long time access to luxury fashion goods had been limited to the elite classes. Since the 1990s there has been a boom in the luxury market because as times progressed traditional luxury brands such as Christian Dior started facing competition from emerging new luxury brands like Jimmy Choo. These new luxury brands brought in new branding and positioning strategies (Truong et al., 2009). The result of these strategies was the materialisation of masstige brands. Even though masstige brands are priced lower than super premium or traditional luxury brands, they still hold a place above conventional products and enjoy a high level of prestige (Silverstein et al, 2005). In order to tackle competition faced from these masstige brands, certain traditional luxury brands took an unconventional step. In June 2004 Hennes Mauritz (hereafter referred to as HM) announced that they would be releasing a limited edition collection designed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld, chief designer of Chanel (HM, 2004). With this step, HM began a fresh trend of co-branding in the fashion industry between high-street and luxury fashion brands. Since then HM have undergone an annual collaboration project with some of the biggest names of luxury fashion, the latest being French label, Maison Martin Margiela. With HM making continuous headlines in the fashion industry for its collaborations with luxury fashion brands, the need to study the science of co-branding, especially in fashion, is becoming vital. Thus, this dissertation aims at exploring and investigating the term co-branding and the role it plays between high-street fashion and luxury fashion brands. As HM are the contemporary of this trend in the fashion industry, the issues discussed in this dissertation will be mainly based on them. 1.1 Company Profile Company name H M Hennes and Mauritz AB Industry Retailing Sub Industry Fashion (clothing, accessories) Headquarters Stockholm, Sweden Employees 94,000 Key People Founder: Erling Persson Chairman: Stefan Persson CEO/Managing Director: Karl-Johan Perrson Table : Company Profile of Hennes Mauritz (HM, 2012a)H M Hennes and Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail company, functioning in the clothing industry. The company is known for designing fast fashion i.e. chic styles at cheap prices. The first store was opened in Sweden in 1947 under the name Hennes, selling only womens clothing. In 1968 the company bought Mauritz Widsforss, a hunting and fishing equipments store, changing the company name to Hennes Mauritz. This was also the year the company started selling mens and childrens clothing. Today, HM have branched out into five independent brands which are globally recognised HM, COS, Monki, Weekday and Cheap Monday. Besides clothing, today the company also offers footwear, accessories, cosmetics and furniture. As of 2012, the company operates around 2600 stores across 44 countries. HMs top two competitors are Spanish fashion group Inditex (who own Zara and Bershka) and American retail giant The Gap, Inc. From 2004 HM started collaborating with some of the biggest names in the luxury fashion industry, a tradition they have since followed every year. Besides HMs annual collaboration with some of the biggest luxury fashion houses, the company also has a long-standing tradition of getting together with super models and popular music artists to either design or be the faces of their seasonal collections and campaigns. 1.2 Problem Definition and Purpose Co-branding is a relatively new concept in the field of marketing. The concept has been in practice for only the past few decades and the collaborations have often yielded mixed results. Co-branding has taken place in all sectors and industries from tobacco to automobile to retail to film-making to consumer goods. Co-branding is a moderately new term in the business vocabulary which is used to describe integrated marketing activities involving two or more brands (Blackett, Boad, 1999). It is important to analyse and understand the practice of co-branding as it has been gaining recognition in the recent years and can have a considerable impact on the future of branding. More and more consumer product manufacturers are becoming interested in co-branding strategies as it is a means to gain more exposure in the marketplace, fight competition and threats innovatively and at the same time share expensive promotional costs with a partner (Spethmann, Benezra, 1994). Co-branding gives compani es a great opportunity to create something new, while sharing costs, and also provides them with an opportunity to present consumers with a market they may have not explored before. Besides undergoing classical brand extensions and other brand alliance strategies (like advertising alliances and dual branding), co-branding is a strategy which presents a brand an added method to differentiate themselves in a competitive environment (Helmig et al., 2008). While co-branding in other sectors has returned mediocre results, co-branding in fashion has generally been extremely well appreciated. American discount retailer, Target, has often collaborated with designers such as Jason Wu, Issac Mizrahi and Neiman Markus, offering their designs for a slightly higher price than Targets usual rate. These attempts have been very well received by the mass consumers. HM, especially, have a high success rate when it comes to this business practice. More than 1000 people entered New Yorks Fifth Avenue store in the first hour when Karl Lagerfeld, Chanels haute couture and ready-to-wear chief designer, created pieces for HM (de Chernatony et al., 2011). Another example would be the success of HM and American designer Stella McCartney coming together. Queues were reported outside several HM stores all across the world, forming from the night before the collection was launched (Okonkwo, 2007). However, as successful as HMs attempts at co-branding have been, this practice of luxury brands and high-street brands coming together has lead to a lot of debate and even criticism. According to the critiques, co-branding often hampers with the companys original brand equity and confuses the consumer. Although the names of the brands that come together are familiar to the consumer, the actual co-branded product is completely new. Thus, unable to make out what to think of the new product, the consumer makes a judgement based on the known brand names involved (Washburn et al., 2000). There have also been questions raised regarding the effect of co-branding on the image of one or both of the parent brands. Some critiques believe that co-branding hampers the reputation of highly ranked brands. There have been sufficient works as well as research conducted on co-branding which are available to us. Considerable research has been conducted on co-branding in the retail sector. However, there has not been much detailed research on co-branding specifically between high-street fashion brands and luxury fashion brands. There are questions still left unanswered in this particular area. Therefore, this dissertation aims to investigate and study the practice of co-branding in this particular field and hopes to give a better understanding of this phenomenon. 1.3 Research Objectives Taking into account the purpose of this dissertation, the main research objective that this study will try to answer is: Exploring and understanding co-branding between high-street and luxury fashion brands. In order to help present relevant answers for this dissertation, the main research objective can be further divided into the following sub-objectives: To understand why co-branding occurs between high-street fashion brands and luxury fashion brands To analyse the perception of consumers regarding co-branding in the fashion industry To analyse the effect of such a collaboration on the brand image and reputation of both parties involved To understand whether co-branding between a high-street and a luxury brand can yield successful results 1.4 Relevance of the Research The following section provides a justification about the relevancy of this study. Arguments for both, academic and practical, relevance are discussed. 1.4.1 Academic Relevance This dissertation surely has academic relevance in todays time. In order to study co-branding in the fashion industry, this study has merged various branches of marketing. Brand alliances, brand equity, brand leverage and consumer behaviour are combined and discussed together to help understand the phenomenon of co-branding. Although there is significant work already done on co-branding, only a few discuss the area in which co-branding has gained the most success fashion. Thus, this dissertation tries to give a clear and more detailed explanation of why and how co-branding in fashion occurs and the effects it has on the consumer. 1.4.2 Practical Relevance The practical relevance of this dissertation is also of significance. Co-branding is being frequently used as a strategy to stand out in a crowded market place (Dieleman, 2010). By understanding the science of co-branding, not just for general understanding, but especially for the fashion industry, more retail clothing brands can partake in it. By studying consumers perception towards the collaboration of high-street and luxury fashion brands, managers can decide on whether or not creating a co-branding strategy is the right approach for them. Managers can also have a better appreciation of the effects of co-branding on their brand equity and brand reputation. 1.5 Limitations As mentioned in the company profile, HM have also collaborated with popular music artists like Madonna and Kylie Minogue to conceptualise and be the faces of limited edition lines and collections. Also, the fast-fashion company has collaborated with Finnish textile company, Marimekko, in the past to use their fabric designs on their products (Wettergren, 2010). These celebrities and companies are also brands in their own; however, this dissertation will not be discussing them. Only HMs collaborations with luxury fashion brands will be taken into account. Thus, this dissertation only examines the relationship of a high-street and luxury brand, and not between other categories of brands. This dissertation does not discuss the process of co-branding between HM and the luxury brands, but the motive and effects of the collaborations. The questions this dissertation tries to answer are why co-branding occurs and what are the possible outcomes of it. How co-branding occurs is a question this study does not venture into. Also, this dissertation does not go too deeply into the marketing activities of the co-branded products and retail collections. Thus, answers to these questions will not be available in this study. 1.6 Structure The following section of this dissertation talks about existing concepts, theories and research conducted that led to the formation of this studys research question. The section is a review of existing literature as well as a presentation of the theoretical framework. Concepts such as brand management, co-branding, fashion marketing, co-branding strategies, fashion strategies and so on will be discussed. The third chapter talks about the methodology selected to conduct this research. The chapter talks about the justification of choosing the research method as well as the possible limitations of the same. Chapter four represents the findings of this research as well as gives a discussion for each of the findings. This chapter evaluates the relevant research findings for each of the research sub-objectives. The final chapter of this dissertation presents a general discussion of the entire study, highlighting the key areas and important research findings. At the end of the dissertation is a list of references; sources which helped with the research of this study as well as sources one can look into for the purpose of further reading. 2. Literature Review 2.1 The Concept of Branding Branding building is an important concept in the science of marketing and several definitions of this concept exist. The official definition of branding given to us by the American Marketing Association is that a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. This means that even though a product or service may satisfy the same need as another, a brand provides it with an element which differentiates it from other products or services of the same kind (Kotler, Keller, 2011). The process of brand building is imperative for almost all companies, products and services because building successful brands promises future income stream and profit. Brands help build consumer loyalty which means that consumers will keep coming back to buy the brands and will support them even during crisis situations (de Chernatony et al., 2011). However, the profile of the consumer is changing from what it used to be. The market place is getting more and more crowded with the constant addition of new products and services. Not only does this mean that there is a lot of fierce competition, but also todays consumer has a lot more choice than from a decade ago. Thus, it is extremely necessary to make ones brand stand out. This is where the concept of brand management comes in. Appropriate and effective practise of brand management can lend a hand in leveraging a brand, which leads to the making of a successful brand. The concept of brand management was created by Procter Gambles Neil McElroy (Harvard Business School, 2000). Effective brand management can lead to high brand equity. Brand equity is the additional value which products and services are seen to have, besides the functional value that they possess. This value is measured on the basis of what consumers feel and think about the brand as well as the market share and pr ofitability that the brand enjoys (Keller, 2008; Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000; Aaker, 1996; Aaker, 1991). Proper practice of brand management can also do wonders for the brand image. Brand image is impression of the brands personality (real or imaginary) that has been developed in the consumers mind (Business Dictionary). Various techniques can be applied under brand management in order to leverage a brand. One of these techniques is brand extension. Brand extension is a marketing strategy wherein a company uses a brand name which already exists in order to penetrate into a new, different product category than which it is established in (Swaminathan, 2003). A somewhat new development has been formed from brand extension in recent decades which is known as the process of co-branding. 2.2 Co-Branding Co-branding is a brand leveraging technique where two or more brands, each having significant recognition in the eyes of the consumer, co-operatively come together to create a single unique product while retaining the names of all the brands involved (Blackett and Russell, 1999; Leuthesser et al., 2003). This term is also referred to as brand alliance and composite branding. Co-branding provides marketers with the choice of opting for a short-term alliance, thus making it an attractive opportunity. It is not necessary for co-branding to be a long-term affair, as along other benefits, marketers are mainly looking for a quick sales boost (Spethmann and Benezra, 1994) As discussed by Nunes et al. (2003), co-branding can be divided into four different types. They are as following: Promotional/sponsorship co-branding Here a company co-brands by being a part of an events activities so as to link its image to that particular event in the mind of the consumer. Example: Conseco the official financial services provider of NASCAR Ingredient co-branding In this type there is a primary brand, which acts as an important component of the secondary brand. Example: Sony Vaio laptop with an Intel microprocessor Value chain co-branding Here two or more companies come together in order to create a brand new experience for the consumer to increase differentiation. It can be further divided into three types: Product-service co-branding Yahoo! and SBC Communications coming together to form SBC Global Networks Supplier retailer co-branding Architect Michael Grave creating a line of co-branded products specially for American retailer, Target Alliance co-branding Airline alliances such as Star Alliance and SkyTeam Innovation based co-branding In this type two or more companies come together in order to present a brand new product or offering, to increase customer value as well as corporate value. Example: Boating shoe manufacturer Sperry Top-Sider collaborating with New Balance to create an athletic boat shoe It is a known fact that brands play an important role in influencing culture in consumer societies. They not only satisfy ones utilitarian needs, but also serve some hedonic purpose. It is not in the power of the marketer to create the hedonic value that the brands hold. It is only the consumer who is in control of the feelings and meanings associated with a particular brand. Thus, it is safe to say that a part of the brands equity is in hands of the consumers. Thus, the reason marketers decide on a co-branding strategy is to not only access the utilitarian benefit which a certain brand offers, but also to generate the hedonic value which the association with that brand would bring. There is a transfer of status, imagery and reputation of one brand to the other. Co-branding also reduces costs, as the RD, production and marketing expenses get shared between the parent brands. Thus, co-branding is a quick way of improving all the aspects of marketing related issues (Askegaard and Bengt sson, 2005; Nunes et al., 2003). There are also risks and disadvantages to co-branding. There is the risk of dilution, where a brand loses meaning for a consumer because of the co-branded product. There is a chance of a co-branding strategy resulting in a potential competitor. This happened when IMB partnered with Microsoft to develop DOS. Microsoft then had very low brand equity, but today they are a giant in the computer world. There is also the risk of devaluation. When aligning with a low valued brand, a high value brand may lose its reputation in front of the consumers. Co-branding may also limit a brands market reach as they might be targeting the same consumer group with the new product as well (Nunes et al., 2003; Leuthesser et al., 2003). Many theories and research have been conducted on brand alliances and their possible spillover effects. One of the first ones was by Simonin and Ruth (1998). A study was conducted by them to evaluate the change in the attitude of consumers due to the spillover effects of co-branding. The results of that study have matched the results of many other newer studies conducted on brand alliances. Baumgarth (2004) created a brand alliance study, based on Simonin and Ruths study. The results of the study matched with the hypotheses presented by Simonin and Ruth. Baumgarths model added improvements by giving importance not only to the brand fit, but also to the prior attitudes consumers have towards the brands. In a study conducted by James et al. (2006), it was found that the personalities of the two brands involved have an impact on the perception of the consumers towards the co-branded product. Bouten et al. (2011) too conducted a study, basing it on the Simonin and Ruth paper. The result of their study was that a perfect fit of both, the brand image as well as the existing products of the parent brands is required for a successful brand alliance. As brand alliances started getting popular, researchers started concentrating on the term co-branding. Abratt and Motlana (2002) devised a five-step brand transition process for companies who wanted to undertake co-branding. The process stresses on the importance of understanding consumer perception as well as the fit of the brands involved. The same result was seen in the strategic framework for co-branding created by Leuthessar et al. (2003) which would help marketers assess co-branding opportunities in order to leverage their brands. On the basis of this framework, possible co-branding can be assessed by the nature of the parent brands as well as their target audiences. Co-branding was slowly starting to be seen as an important marketing strategy. As a result of this, an ontology based co-branding strategy system, called OnCob, was created by Chang (2008). This system helps marketers and brand managers research the co-branding phenomenon based on the concepts of aim, category and effect. Co-branding was further researched by Chang (2009) to present a roadmap and guide for companies wanting to co-brand. Different industries were discussed wherein some results were successful, while some were a complete failure. Also, a co-branding matrix was presented, which gives researchers a better understanding of this emerging science. The effects of co-branding on brand equity were studied by Washburn et al. (2000). The research results showed that co-branding is a win-win situation for both the brands involved, irrespective of their perceived brand value. When a high equity brand is paired with another high equity brand, the final co-branded product is perceived to have high value as well. Also, Washburn et al. found that in the case of a low equity-high equity brand pairing, it is the brand with a lower value that benefits the most from the co-branding, and although the positive effects might be less for the higher valued brand, co-branding does not have any negative effects on it. Motion et al. (2003) conducted a research on corporate co-branding and its effect on corporate brand equity. The research was conducted by studying the sponsorship of rugby team, All Blacks, by Adidas. The result of the study was that co-branding has a positive effect on the corporate brand equity, however as concluded by other studie s, it is important that the parent brands have a common vision and similar brand values. Besharat (2010) undertook a study combining the strategies of co-branding and brand extension. A comparison between co-branding and brand extensions with respect to brand equity was carried out. The final result of the study matched the results of many previous studies i.e. the success of a co-branding strategy depends on the existing brand value of the parent brands. However, there was no significant difference between consumer perception of co-branded products or brand extensions. As long as the consumers saw a fit between the new products and the brand, they accept the new product positively. A research was conducted by Thompson and Strutton (2012) to find out the effects of co-branding when one of the parent brand co-brands into a product category where it does not exist. However, the analysis showed that such an alliance is not likely to be successful. For a co-branding strategy to be successful, it is important for consumers to perceive a high level of fit between the brands involved. Another finding is that if a low value brand collaborates with a brand that is perceived highly in the eyes of the consumers, the co-branded product is likely to be viewed favourably. Thus, the brand fit plays an extremely important role in the success or failure of co-branding strategies. Erevelles et al. (2008) conducted a study on ingredient co-branding in the B2B sector, an area which does not have much research done. The finding of the research is that ingredient co-branding occurs in B2B sector usually when there is a threat of entry from a more fiscally rich competitor. Thus, brands get into an ingredient co-branding strategy to block out this competition. Besides this, the secondary brand also has monetary benefits as the ingredient supplier provides their component at a reduced cost. Askegaard and Bengtsson (2005) proposed the importance of cultural meaning in co-branding. Compared to the conventional approach to co-branding, their paper provides us with a new perspective. They suggested that each brand characterises certain symbolic and cultural meanings to the consumers, ones that may not be visible to us directly. The cultural meanings of the parent brands have a heavy influence on the meaning that the co-branded product represents. However, the interpretations provided by Askegaard and Bengtsson are far too imaginative and descriptive. No matter how creatively brand managers develop cultural meaning for a co-branded product, at the end it is only the consumer whose interpretation of brand image and meaning count. 2.3 Fashion 2.3.1 Luxury Fashion Luxury brands consist of those products and services which are generally associated with the affluent and the elite class. The luxury fashion industry is a global multi-billion dollar sector. Hundreds of brands are a part of this industry, some of them being Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada. Besides being valuable, luxury brands are some of the most influential in the world. For luxury goods, branding plays an extremely important role and is the core competence. This sector places high importance on branding and marketing strategy development by the use of human emotions and psychology (Okonkwo, 2007) Tynan et al. (2010) sought out to address the nature of the value of luxury brands and how value can be co-created. Instead of taking the more common managerial perspective, they took into account the perspective of the consumer. They developed a theoretical framework and researched case studies to find out what types of value consumers look for in luxury branded goods. The result was that although a utilitarian value was a must for all luxury goods, it was the hedonistic or symbolic value which acted as drivers for the purchase of a luxury good and was seen as the differentiating factor by the consumers. Reddy et al. (2009) studied the prospect of brand extensions for a luxury brand. In order to do so, they fashioned a Premium Adgency Grid, which measured the extent to which a particular brand extension matches up to the values embodied by the core brand. The luxury brands were divided into the four quadrants of the grid Star Brand, Aspiring Star Brand, Waning Star and Dying Star. With the help of this grid, marketers could measure their luxury brands brand adgency and then consider expansion opportunities and the possible risks. A framework was created by Moore and Fionda (2009) illustrating the various dimensions of the luxury brand to guide its marketing in the fashion sector. Their model identified nine key components which were deemed important for the creation of a luxury brand. Each of the nine components included sub-categories, which according to them, must be consistent for the successful creation of the brand. All of these components must be managed simultaneously for the creation and maintenance of a successful luxury fashion brand position. Thus, the Moore and Fionda model states that the management of a luxury brand should be consistent and coherent. However, the case companies in this research were all British and thus, the results are geographically and culturally narrow. A cross-cultural investigation would have provided a firmer insight in the marketing of luxury fashion brands. A five-factor model and brand luxury scale was designed by Vigneron and Johnson (2004) to provide luxury product marketers with an instrument to measure the amount of luxury a certain brand contains. According to Vigneron and Johnson, luxury is contained in brands in a matter of degree. Some brands have a very high level of luxury, while some very low. The brand-luxury scale helps measure the level on luxury in a given brand. The research found that luxury is a multidimensional factor and this can be proved by the five-factor model. These dimensions can be established and monitored by using the brand luxury scale in order to create a lasting luxury brand. However, Miller and Mills (2012) argue that more than anything else, it is the perception of brand leadership that counts. In order to attain clarity on the subject of luxury brand marketing, they developed a conceptual model the Brand Luxury Model (BML). This findings of this model state that trendy, up-to-date and visionary brand s and perceived to be more luxurious than brands that try to be unique, imaginative or original. The BML also showed that consumers perceive a match between themselves and the image of the luxury brand users with psychological or symbolic value. This finding is in sync with the research carried out by Liu et al. (2012) Liu et al. (2012) explored the effect that the various concepts of self-congruity theory have on the consumer. Self congruity theory was developed by Sirgy (1986), which refers to the likeliness of a potential consumer to psychologically compare themselves with other objects and stimuli (brands in this case). This theory has been widely used to understand brand purchase behaviour (Sirgy, 1986). The three concepts studied by Liu et al. are Brand Personality Congruity, Brand User Imagery Congruity and Brand Usage Imagery Congruity. The relationship of these three types of self-congruity to the customer attitude and loyalty toward a luxury brand are studied in this paper. The study focuses on two brands CK and Chanel to understand the effect of a potential consumers self congruity in the purchasing of luxury brands. The study found that Brand User Imagery Congruity and Brand Usage Imagery Congruity are much stronger predictors of attitude and loyalty than Brand Personality Congruity i n either of the brands. It was found that the consumers own self-image and perception of a typical users image as well as usage imagery play an important role in a consumers purchase intention and attitude towards a brand. The findings of this study were similar to the previous claims made by Sirgy et al. (1997), Liu et al. (2008) and Sotiropoulos (2003). 2.3.2 High-Street Fashion High-street fashion describes the clothing retailers who cater to the mass-market. These retailers design and sell clothes which are affordable and are used for mass-consumption. The brands either have independent stores, franchises or are a part of chain stores. As the high-street fashion market started getting crowded with the introduction of more and more brands, competition started running high. In order to combat this competition, many of the high-street brands started the concept of fast-fashion. These are brands like Zara, HM and Mango who create affordable, trendy and disposable items to cater to the consumers demands. Fast-fashion gives brands a competitive edge as they turn the latest runway designs to chic disposable clothes that the mass-market can afford (Tungate, 2008; Hines and Bruce; 2001). Following the success of fast fashion, Cachon and Swinney (2

Racism: Similarities and Differences In Two Essays -- Discrimination,

In the two essays, â€Å"Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space† by Brent Staples and â€Å"I’m Not Racist But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Neil Bissoondath, there are both differences and similarities. The two authors differ in their opinion on the causes of racism and life experiences involving racism, but are similar in regards to the use of stereotypes in the world In Brent Staples’ opinion, causes of racism are derived from fear and the insufficient knowledge that a person might have about another that may cause them to be racist. In his piece, he writes, â€Å"Another time I was on assignment for a local paper and killing time before an interview. I entered a jewellery store on the city’s affluent Near North Side. The proprietor excused herself and returned with an enormous red Doberman pinscher straining at the end of the leash. She stood, the dog extended toward me, silent to my questions, her eyes bulging nearly out of her head. I took a cursory look around, nodded, and bade her good night.† (Staples 227) This quote shows that the woman that owned the jewellery store was afraid that she might get robbed by Staples and therefore acted by protecting herself with her vicious dog, with the intention to scare away the â€Å"robber†, whom she believed to be Brent Staples. She assumed that because she was in an affluent neighbourhood and because Brent Staples was black, he was there with the intention to rob her rather than the true reason, which was to kill some time prior to his next interview. She showed prejudice and racism towards Staples because of she was afraid of his skin colour and did not have true information about him. Neil Bissoondath differs in his definition of racism. He writes that the cause of racism derives fr... ... became afraid and tried to get away from him. (Staples 224) In Neil Bissoondath’s essay, we see an example with the mover complaining about a Chinese driver he encountered. He said, â€Å"I’m not racist, but the Chinese are the worst drivers on the road.† (Bissoondath 271) The accusation that the mover made was a stereotype which exists about the Chinese, in general, because of the shape of their eyes because of their ethnicity. Their eye sight is not impaired in any way because of the shape of their eyes, but because they are different and people are afraid of them, they are made fun of because they are different. In regards to racism, Brent Staples and Neil Bissoondath may have different view points about its causes and by their life experiences involving racism, but they have similar views on the use of stereotypes and how they affect the races they pertain to.

Argument for the legalization of Marijuana

Can I see a show of hands how many people have ever smoked Cannabis, also known as Marijuana? I see none of you have raised your hands. Well evidently no one would want to admit to a criminal action in front of others from their community. But why is it that smoking ‘pot’ is so forbidden in our society? George Washington said, â€Å"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere! † Marijuana is a natural plant, known to grow in the wild in Central and South Asia. Traces of people smoking Marijuana go back as far as 3,000 B. C so, what had changed over the years to make cannabis illegal? When considering the legalization of marijuana, the normal reaction would be to think about the negative factors of the drug. But what people forget is, marijuana’s positive features overrule the negatives by far. There would be many benefits if the ‘drug’ where to be legalized, especially for the government and the economy as a whole. Our government spends 500 million pounds a year on ‘overall response to drugs’, but receive no taxes from the estimated 1. 8 billion pound illegal drug market. If our government were to legalize marijuana, they could place high taxes on it because people are used to buying the drug at a high price anyway because of the risk of selling it illegally. This would be very beneficial to the government because they would have a larger increase of tax that then could be fed into the NHS and other funds, which are beneficial to the general public. This brings me neatly onto my next point, I am fully aware of the abuse potential of the drug, but its value to the medical world outweighs this potential by far. Although the argument of legalizing marijuana is extremely controversial, without knowing it, hundreds of people around you are in desperate need of its medical side, and are suffering dramatically without it. How would you feel? Marijuana would be of high value to the suffering, distressed, and disheartened cancer patients fighting for their lives. Let me try and paint you a picture: imagine there is only one medication that will relieve you from the pain you are caused by nausea, marijuana will free you of this pain and will give you a little bit of assurance and courage that you need to keep on believing that you are going to be safe. But yet, we still refuse to believe that the drug is acceptable, but there is something I must ask you all. Do you know what ‘the black market’ is? Well let me tell you, the black market is a market in goods or services in violation of legal structures defining the scope of appropriate forms of trade. It is a market for products that are illegal or stolen. Marijuana appears frequently in the market, and has become extremely popular. The problem with the drugs produced in the black market is that they are not manufactured under any safety or health regulations, this can result in unsafe drugs being produced and users experiencing problems from consuming unknown substances. If the government where to legalize marijuana they could potentially safe lives, as the drug could be bought in shops from legal proprietors, this would assure users of good quality and information about what you are buying and consuming. Jeffery Miron, the visiting professor of economics at Harvard University estimates the national marijuana market at about 10 billion pounds per year. When will the public and government realize? Marijuana is only dangerous and harmful when sold and consumed illegally, and the government is preventing and keeping us from a product that is so beneficial not only to cancer patients, but also to the paper and clothing industries, the government itself, and for the crime rate of our country. Long gone are the days when we could go outside at night and not be worried about our safety, long gone are the days when we didn’t have to worry about our kids getting involved in gang activity, and long gone are the days in which we had the freedom to consume a substance which satisfied us. I am thoroughly aware of how high the UK’s crime rate is, and how terrifying and worrying it is for the citizens of our country. I am aware that the amount of crime that goes on in our country impacts and affects almost every single person in the country, which is why legalizing marijuana would be extremely helpful. The crime rate in the Netherlands is generally low, especially compared to other European countries with tougher crime polices such as the UK. Indeed, in the UK they have found that 60% of inmates in British jails have served a jail sentence previously. In the UK where the consumption of marijuana is illegal the crime rate is actually higher than in Amsterdam where it is legal and the consumption is lower. This proves that, if our government was to legalize marijuana, it would result in the use actually decreasing, as it is known that when humans are not allowed to do something it appears much more attractive, and have a larger urge to do it.

Juvenile Crime Paper Essay

The amount of crime that is committed by juveniles in our country is astonishing. This crime is on the rise in many cities across our nation because we see news reports often concerning juveniles. The reasons behind this crime may be sociocultural or even biological. As a nation, we need to enforce ways to keep our youth from turning to a life filled with crime and ultimately, a life inside the correctional system. There are programs, but the final decisions lies within the juvenile himself. Our nation has several court systems. In the juvenile court system, one will find that there are some similarities with the adult court system. There are differences between the juvenile and the adult court systems also. One specific difference between these two courts is one’s constitutional rights. In a court which judges adults, these adults have the constitutional right to have his or her case heard and tried by a judge or a jury of his or her peers. In juvenile court, the judge makes all of the decisions. The judge decides whether or not the juvenile has broken the law and whether or not the juvenile is guilty. Another difference concerns sentencing. When a judge in juvenile court is sentencing a juvenile, he takes into consideration that juvenile’s history and behavior. The judge may ask the parent, teacher or employer to speak concerning the juvenile’s behavior before sentencing. The main goal of the juvenile court is not to incarcerate the juvenile, but to deter him from crime and to rehabilitate him rather than punish him. Sometimes when an adult commits his first crime or a petty crime, he is â€Å"let off the hook† or given probation or even a short jail sentence. In the juvenile system, they are usually ordered or sentences to attend a juvenile facility, counseling, house arrest with electronic devices or boot camp. Juveniles are not offered bail as adult offenders are offered. Juveniles are sometimes turned over to their parents. In the adult system, bail can be requested. Even if the bail is denied, the adult offender is allowed to ask for bail. Juveniles do not have this advantage. These teenagers or juveniles who often times get into trouble are labeled as juvenile delinquents. A juvenile delinquent is a minor that fails to do what the law of duty requires (Schmalleger, 2011). This person is under the age of eighteen and has been found guilty by law of committing a crime. This is regarded by state law that the minor is lacing responsibility and because of this, he cannot be sentenced as an adult, but only as a juvenile. Crimes such as breaking curfew, offenses at school, drinking and graffiti are crimes that juveniles are normally charged with. These crimes are sometimes more of an annoyance than they are crimes. Juveniles are prohibited from smoking, drinking and carrying firearms. A status offence is a type of crime that is not based on prohibited actions but it rests with the fact that the offender has a certain personal conditioner of a specified character. Status offences are offences which are committed by juveniles and because of their age they are not considered to be an adult and therefore cannot be tried as an adult (Schmalleger, 2011). Status offences protect juveniles from harm because they are essentially too young. They are children in the sight of the law. Delinquency can relate to status of offences because of the things that these delinquents go through and how they can be different from the things that adults go through. Juveniles and children deal with anger, peer pressure, depression, childhood trauma, dysfunctional families, need for high academics and pressure regarding academics, idolizing rappers, actors and even criminals and bullying.. All of these things can cause delinquency to relate to status of offences. Research shows that there is not just one single cause for delinquency. While the things that I mentioned above may very well lead to delinquency, one doesn’t out rank the other and not one is the specific cause for delinquency. Many children in my town idolize this local rapper. For a very long time, he was suspected of hiring people to kill other local rappers. Even though this happened, he would give away turkeys during Thanksgiving, give away school supplies or even bicycles. Maybe he was thinking he was paying a penance and that his good deeds would balance out with the bad things that he was doing. Children all over this town were passionate about this young man. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison. However, the children want to be like him. I volunteered at an inner-city school and this man is the main topic of all the kids’ conversations! They absolutely idolized him. Therefore, they even formed gangs in his honor and began fighting and killing each other. I asked a student his reasons, and he told me the lyrics to the song are how they live. There are also positive variables that bring the rate of juvenile crime down. There are programs that are based in schools as well as outside of schools that help juveniles deal with emotional distress. Some of these programs just provide a release for these youth. They are taught how to control their emotions and behavior. They are even taught how to interact with each other in some programs. One key point of many programs is to teach juveniles conflict resolution. When they are faced with conflicts, they need to be able to make smart decisions. These are skills they are needed and are provided to them. They have to be taught how to make the right decisions when they are put in bad situations and this is the aim of such programs. At this time in our country, we are experiencing a difficult time with bullying. There are many anti-bullying campaigns which are in place in cities all across our nation. Bullying can have a horrible adverse effect on a juvenile. It can cause him to retaliate at worst, or even to act out in a harmful manner. These programs could possible reduce bullying by making juveniles aware of the harm that bullying can cause not only to the person who is being bullied, but to his family and friends as well. This will hopefully reduce the negative, aggressive behavior of bullies. Saying â€Å"No† to peer pressure can be another way to deter juveniles from crime. When they feel that they do not have to please their friends or to fit in, they can make better choices. I believe that the main support that juveniles need is the support of their family. When a child is raised in a functional home with rules, he has a better chance of not entering the juvenile court system or even the adult corrections system. These children not only look to their parents, they look to their older siblings, leaders in their communities, pastors, teachers and even their politicians. When we as adults break laws and are punished, even though we are punished, it still sends the wrong message to our children.

Free Essays on What Is This Thing Called Love

in the English language, love is a derivative of the Latin word "causemajoraproblemus" which means "You're miserable when you got it and miserable when you don't." The word was created to explain the biological phenomenon that existed when certain individuals came into contact with each other and either remained together or went about their lives separately. Regardless of the outcome, the relationship was usually characteristic of throat lumps, knotted stomachs, weak knees, temporary loss of language, sweaty palms, dizziness, sneezing, and occasional nausea. Belligerent insanity also resulted. History clearly illustrates this. Can we ever forget the face that launched a thousand ships? Federally expressing Van Gogh's ear? The construction of Le Tour Eiffel? All of these were results of love and love lost. Star-crossed lovers have stated that love is not hand nor foot n... Free Essays on What Is This Thing Called Love Free Essays on What Is This Thing Called Love What is This Thing Called Love? Beep Beep, went the horns as a young girl strode through the heavily congested crossing to be greeted by the occasional â€Å"watch where you’re going,† and â€Å"wait for the signal crossing,† or â€Å"are you blind!† But this wide-eyed girl continued on her way as if mesmerized not acknowledging the warnings. Her twinkling eyes in a daze, her mouth turned up carrying a crocked smile letting a soft humming of Franks Sinatra’s â€Å"Its too good to be true,† escape her lips. With a one-track mind heavily filled with air. This girl is a in a bubble†¦ the Love bubble. The love bubble is a statement that describes how the outside world seems to fade when there is only one other person in your heart, but it does little to define what love is beyond the vague realm of an imagined reality. Through looking at the history, explaining what love is not, and examining the uses of love and the results of that usage I will try to define what Love is. The origin of the word is probably the most logical place to start. As with many words in the English language, love is a derivative of the Latin word "causemajoraproblemus" which means "You're miserable when you got it and miserable when you don't." The word was created to explain the biological phenomenon that existed when certain individuals came into contact with each other and either remained together or went about their lives separately. Regardless of the outcome, the relationship was usually characteristic of throat lumps, knotted stomachs, weak knees, temporary loss of language, sweaty palms, dizziness, sneezing, and occasional nausea. Belligerent insanity also resulted. History clearly illustrates this. Can we ever forget the face that launched a thousand ships? Federally expressing Van Gogh's ear? The construction of Le Tour Eiffel? All of these were results of love and love lost. Star-crossed lovers have stated that love is not hand nor foot n...

Free Essays on Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea Sleep is essential to life; it is one of several components, including food and water, which keep the living alive. However, a significant percentage of the human population has considerable difficulty reaching and maintaining Stage IV within their sleeping patterns, the stage that allows the mind and body to fall into a deep and restorative sleep, otherwise known as REM sleep. At the core of this difficulty is a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea, a "serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood" (Sleep Apnea). Indeed, obstructive sleep apnea can be very dangerous if it is not properly detected and treated. What is Sleep Apnea? Research findings indicate that nearly eighteen million Americans suffer with the dangerous and exhausting effects of sleep apnea, in which "certain mechanical and structural problems in the airway cause the interruptions in breathing during sleep" (Sleep Apnea). It is important for the student to know that telltale signs of a potential problem include loud snoring, obesity, high blood pressure and a physical blockage of the nose, throat or upper airway. Its prevalence appears to be genetic to some degree; however, its appearance in overweight patients also indicates that its composition is rooted in both genetics and environment. Sleep apnea occurs in two separate modes: central and obstructive, with central sleep apnea being less common between the two. The brain fails to send proper signals to the breathing muscles as a means by which to commence respirations during sleep in central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea, on the other hand, is significantly more Common, transpiring at the point when air is obstructed from flowing into or out of the nose or mouth, "characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation" (Obstructive Sleep ... Free Essays on Sleep Apnea Free Essays on Sleep Apnea Sleep Apnea Sleep is essential to life; it is one of several components, including food and water, which keep the living alive. However, a significant percentage of the human population has considerable difficulty reaching and maintaining Stage IV within their sleeping patterns, the stage that allows the mind and body to fall into a deep and restorative sleep, otherwise known as REM sleep. At the core of this difficulty is a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea, a "serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood" (Sleep Apnea). Indeed, obstructive sleep apnea can be very dangerous if it is not properly detected and treated. What is Sleep Apnea? Research findings indicate that nearly eighteen million Americans suffer with the dangerous and exhausting effects of sleep apnea, in which "certain mechanical and structural problems in the airway cause the interruptions in breathing during sleep" (Sleep Apnea). It is important for the student to know that telltale signs of a potential problem include loud snoring, obesity, high blood pressure and a physical blockage of the nose, throat or upper airway. Its prevalence appears to be genetic to some degree; however, its appearance in overweight patients also indicates that its composition is rooted in both genetics and environment. Sleep apnea occurs in two separate modes: central and obstructive, with central sleep apnea being less common between the two. The brain fails to send proper signals to the breathing muscles as a means by which to commence respirations during sleep in central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea, on the other hand, is significantly more Common, transpiring at the point when air is obstructed from flowing into or out of the nose or mouth, "characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation" (Obstructive Sleep ...

How to Use Indirect Quotations in Writing

How to Use Indirect Quotations in Writing In writing, an indirect quotation is a  paraphrase of someone elses words: It  reports on what a person said without using the exact words of the speaker. Its also called indirect discourse and  indirect speech. An indirect quotation (unlike a direct quotation) is not placed in quotation marks. For example: Dr. King said that he had a dream. The combination of a direct quotation and an indirect quotation is called a mixed quotation. For example:  King  melodiously praised the veterans of  creative suffering, urging them to continue the struggle. Examples and Observations Note: In the following quoted examples, we would normally use quotation marks because we are giving you examples and observations of indirect quotes from newspapers and books that we are directly quoting. To avoid confusion in addressing the subject of indirect quotes and also situations where you would be shifting between direct and indirect quotes, we have decided to forgo the extra quotation marks. It was Jean Shepherd, I believe, who said that after three weeks in chemistry he was six months behind the class.(Baker, Russell. The Cruelest Month. New York Times, Sept. 21, 1980.) U.S. Navy Admiral William Fallon, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command said he called Chinese counterparts to discuss North Koreas missile tests, for example, and got a written response that said, in essence, Thanks, but no thanks.(Scott, Alwyn. U.S. May Slap China With Suit in Intellectual-Property Dispute. The Seattle Times, July 10, 2006.) In his order yesterday, Judge Sand said, in effect, that if the city was willing to offer incentives to developers of luxury housing, commercial centers, shopping malls, and executive parks, it should also be assisting housing for minority group members.(Feron, James. Citing Bias Order, U.S. Curbs Yonkers on Aid to Builders. The New York Times, Nov. 20, 1987.) Advantages of Indirect Quotations Indirect discourse is an excellent way to say what someone said and avoid the matter of verbatim quoting altogether. It is hard to be uncomfortable with indirect discourse. If a quote is something like Ill be there prepared for anything, at the first hint of dawn, and you think, for any reason, that it might not be in the verbatim zone, get rid of the quotation marks and state it in indirect discourse (improving the logic while youre at it). She said she would be there at the first hint of dawn, prepared for anything. (McPhee, John. Elicitation. The New Yorker, April 7, 2014.) Shifting From Direct to Indirect Quotations An indirect quotation reports someones words without quoting word for word: Annabelle said that she is a Virgo. A direct quotation presents the exact words of a speaker or writer, set off with quotation marks: Annabelle said, I am a Virgo. Unannounced shifts from indirect to direct quotations are distracting and confusing, especially when the writer fails to insert the necessary quotation marks. (Hacker, Diane. The Bedford Handbook, 6th ed., Bedford/St. Martins, 2002.) Mixed Quotation There are many reasons why we might opt to mixed quote another rather than directly or indirectly quote him. We often mixed quote another because (i) the reported utterance is too long to directly quote, but the reporter wants to ensure accuracy on certain key passages, (ii) certain passages in the original utterance were particularly well put ..., (iii) perhaps the words used by the original speaker were (potentially) offensive to an audience and the speaker wants to distance himself from them by indicating that they are the words of the individual being reported and not his own ..., and (iv) the expressions being mixed quoted might be ungrammatical or a solecism and the speaker might be trying to indicate that hes not responsible . ...(Johnson, Michael and Ernie Lepore. Misrepresenting Misrepresentation, Understanding Quotation, ed. by Elke Brendel, Jorg Meibauer, and Markus Steinbach, Walter de Gruyter, 2011.) The Writers Role In indirect speech, the reporter is free to introduce information about the reported speech event from his point of view and on the basis of his knowledge about the world, as he does not purport to give the actual words that were uttered by the original speaker(s) or that his report is restricted to what was actually said. Indirect speech is the speech of the reporter, its pivot is in the speech situation of the report.(Coulmas, Florian. Direct and Indirect Speech, Mouton de Gruyter, 1986.)

Post-War Conformity in the 1950s and the Seeds of Change Essay

Post-War Conformity in the 1950s and the Seeds of Change - Essay Example According to my grandfather who is generally quite outgoing even is his current old age, the American society at the time was quite ideal as there were numerous jobs going around and teenagers could be able to land simple jobs such as milking cattle and performing chores and errands to earn extra money to be used in attending the cinema and dances. On the other hand, my reserved grandmother attests to its having been a rather difficult time especially in light of the fact that her family was not particularly well off and had a hard time affording the latest gadgetry and clothing. Although they were not quite well off, my great grandfather struggled to raise his family and was satisfied that he was able to provide them with a house, schooling and education, which caused my grandmother to be particularly proud of him although she at times covetedthe fancy clothing and gadgetry owned by her friends and their families. Having been brought up in a society that sought a high degree of conformity, my grandparents both worked hard toenjoyed an innate sense of security when they bought and owned similar electronics to their neighbors in addition to having a house of considerable size. Both of them attribute this acquired sense of security from the traits that they developed in the highly conformed American society of the 1950s. Week 13 Response: Response on Reform and Revolution in the 1960s Living in the United States in the current day and age, there are relatively very few causes that I would have an inclination to march or protest for. However, the one thing that I happen to be particularly sensitive about generally pertains to terrorism. This is because I happened to loose a number of close family, distant relatives as well as neighbours. Most of my friends can be able to account for at least one family member of close relation that suffered either directly or indirectly primarily as a result of te rrorism. The recent attempts by the United States to engage in a number of wars such as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has severed to increase the number of families that end up suffering as a result of terrorism. I have had the experience of marching and protesting against a land grabbing case that wanted to grab one of the local playgrounds. I was still a small kid but strongly felt that it was wrong for the field to be grabbed since in my young mind, I would not have a place to go play with my friends or simply hangout. Our parents mobilized us in writing protest letters to the council and this resulted in positive developments as we managed to save our beloved playground. I would never consider engaging myself in beyond peaceful demonstrations as I strongly believe that it generally does not result in any good. I believe that violent demonstrations can at times defeat their purpose as the demonstrators gain a negative image and largely lose any support that they might potentially have accrued. Week 14 Response: Response on Conservatism and Domestic Events My grandfather has always been strongly conservative and is always slow on the uptake of any change to his established way of life. However, having a large number of African American friends, both my grandparents were quite pleased with the results of the civil rights movement in this period of history that caused them to more easily relate with their African American friends. My grandfather is particularly happy with America’s success in the space race but both of my grandparents are however critical negative aspects of this

Organizational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organizational Management - Essay Example Similarly they identify a set of category constructs in the transactional leadership also. For instance concentration on the task at hand, short term goals and tactics, confusion concerning causes and symptoms, too much involvement in power relations, politics and statistics, fulfillment of expectations based on readily available systems, reliance on human interrelations and the persistent support for organizational structures, systems and relations. Warren Bennis (1995) holds the view that less hierarchical more democratic institutions with the ability to adapt to the unfolding environment are the best. A competency-based contingency framework or model like this requires a series of sub-level functions or competencies to be outlined as of consequence though such heterogeneous elements which lie outside the functional domain of the manager's/leader's tasks could be avoided with convenience. For example the manager's/leader's common competencies are always inclusively treated in the theoretical framework for the purpose of reference. This is illustrated by the following diagram. The above diagram (Fig. ... ged framework identifies and addresses the management/leadership competencies and issues that correlate with each other to produce an integral system of reference and analysis (Covey, 2004). For instance the vision & mission of the organization are identified with the long term corporate and business goals, irrespective of the size of the business. Such goals or objectives are essentially strategic in nature because they necessitate a degree of dependence on the organizational culture and leadership to bring about the appropriate environmental characteristics to achieve those long term objectives. Theoretical outline of the competency frameworkDavid Kolb's Experiential Learning teaches the manager to take experience as the source of learning (Kolb, 1983). On the other hand the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is based on an evaluation of psychometrics that is designed to assess the different psychological behaviors concerning perceptions and decision making preferences of individuals (Myers, McCaulley, Quenk and Hammer, 1998). The manager/leader is a functionary whose primary function/competency to determine the organizational goals is set out in the mission statement and the annual reports to its stakeholders. Thus organizational goals will have to be achieved by utilizing and organizing the available resources and combining them with people or employees in a manner to maximize both output and minimize costs. Towards this end the manager seeks to combine supplies and provisions and then integrate suppliers and creditors into the whole process of management. Next, he needs t o adopt methods in order to build integrated networks or process for easy control and execution of strategy (Williams, 2002). Leadership theories and teamwork models

Free Trade Zones in UAE and Economic Development Research Paper

Free Trade Zones in UAE and Economic Development - Research Paper Example These areas are very advantageous to traders and manufacturers in various industries, since there are fewer barriers to trade in these zones than in areas that are not free trade zones. The first Free Trade Zone was established in a small rural town in Ireland to reduce the rate of unemployment in the town, to utilize the airport that was mostly being underutilized in the town, as well as to generate revenue for the Irish government (Brzuzy and Lind, 2007). This was in the early 20th century, and since then due to its colossal success, many more FTZ’s have cropped up throughout the world, mostly in developing countries. One of the main aims of establishing FTZ’s was to create employment opportunities, especially for locals in the area around the FTZ’s and also to generate income for governments. Toward this end, the employment rules governing the FTZ’s are a little different from those governing those companies that do not fall under FTZ. Firstly, corporat ions operating in the FTZ’s usually discourage their employees from joining or forming trade unions. Workers who try to do so are usually threatened with dismissals or closure of the companies, hence loss of livelihoods (Perman et al., 2004). FTZ’s are also usually exempt from most countries’ employment laws, mostly using the laws set out by the International Labor Organization, ILO. Most FTZ’s also emphasize that a majority of the workers in the zones be citizens of the host country. However, exceptions are made if there is not enough local labor to be employed by industries in the zone or if there is a need to import people with certain skills that are required by the companies. Furthermore, most corporations in the FTZ’s employ workers on short contract basis of between one and at most 5 years. However, most countries’ legislations require that these companies provide benefits such as medical schemes to their workers despite their contrac t status. One of the most vibrant FTZ’s in the world is the Dubai Media City free zone. As the name suggests, this FTZ is located in the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. The zone was established in 2001 and is located a few miles from the Dubai International Airport, which serves as the main infrastructure for the traders that visit the zone (BBC News, 2009). As the name suggests, Dubai Media City is a free zone established wit the media as its main trade. In the zone, there are several media hoses, both local and international which carry on their business. The main media activities in the zone include Music, Public Relations, Broadcasting, Publishing, Advertising, Marketing Consultancy, News Agency, Production and Post-production, Research among other media-related activities. Located in over 30,000 square meters of land, the DMC has enviable infrastructure unrivalled in many areas trying to reach its status. Several advantages have been experi enced by the UAE because of the DMC. The first and most obvious is the increase in revenue from the zone; the DMC contributes a substantial amount to the country’s economy. The DMC has promoted the development of infrastructure in Dubai. There has been an influx of media houses from all over

Organizational Problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Problem - Assignment Example Introduction With an ever-growing population in just about every part of the United States, there is also a growing problem with criminal acts, particularly where offenders are arrested and a case comes to trial. How to review any case that comes in is important in that all the information is in a database (MIS) and properly coded for easier review to all concerned, particularly the judge. Keeping it all together between the court systems is the job of the court administrator. 1. As the new court administrator through the County Human Resource Division, a consolidation must first be made of schedules, list of personnel connected to those five court systems, and whatever current operations conducted in those systems must filter in to a main database which the court administrator handles (Allen & Sawhney 2009). This will also include the County Clerks Office and the District Attorney’s Office as well. A first examination can be made to determine what the judges of the courts spe cialize in so that most of the cases that fit the judge’s expertise will be assigned to that court. ... The District Attorney’s office must also be in on the meetings in order to make any comments or suggestions about the restructuring of case distribution (BJA 2008). At the same time, other members of the Justice system, involved in administration, should also be involved to discuss current issues with the court system as it stands. Every time a case is logged into the computer system which tags into the main database at the administrator’s office, the case is reviewed first and tagged for either a court trial or a preliminary meeting by lawyers with the judge first to see whether it is a prosecutable case. If it is not, but it does require some type of action by the judge, then it can be done right away with a judge’s signed order. However, all sides of the judicial parties must be in full agreement as to the outcome and solution, such as a remediation to a community program (BJA 2008; Dempsey & Forst 2013). Other cases, based on evidence, are definitely lined up for a courtroom appearance, such as in drug trafficking and violent crimes. All judges must agree to this procedure and how cases are viewed when first logged in, must be handled consistently across the board with approved criteria applied on each case as it comes in. This requires the system of coding the level of crime or nuisance implied by the arresting officer (BJA 2008). Additionally, lawyers involved with the defendants, must also be logged into the system, particularly to note if there are any conflicts between cases to be tried at the same time in different courts (BJA 2008; Peak 2012). As a last step, weekly or bi-weekly meetings, initially, can be held with all the judges and court personnel in order to iron out any issues which arise and need

Black Feminism and The Beyonce Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Black Feminism and The Beyonce Wars - Essay Example The first article ‘Ugly Internal Clash: Why Its Future Is Not Up To White Women’ talks about feminism especially for black women and how they can form a gender inclusive group to deal with racism, sexual harassment, and work discrimination against women. The article provides a name that helps women to describe the issues they go through during discrimination Brittney (Cooper 2015). Feminism is the name, and it helps many women to discuss their issues without language challenges. Black women use the internet feminism to air their troubles and discuss the discrimination that they experience. The women also express their power through it phenomena that make the white women extremely uncomfortable. The writers opinion is that the future of feminism should not be left with the white women as most of the issues center around gender equality. For white women, equality was achieved a long time ago, but for the black women, it is still a big issue. Most of the black women in the US do not fully access some of the benefits, such as the Obamacare in some states (Cooper 2015). Understanding feminist and black women oppression will help women fight for their rights in foreign countries, such s the United States. The second article ‘Black Feminist Blogger Speaks The Truth by Goldstein, Rich talks about how important issues contributed by black women in the media get ignored by many readers and viewers. The writer focuses on blogs on issues of life for black women instead of focusing on wealthy and glamorous women in power (Goldstein 2015). According to the blog, there are many interesting things about black women, such as their unique talents, although there are few people who recognize them. Racism is real and classifies women according to their place of origin, and the blog help many to have some attention on racism, sexism, and ableism. The writer admires the work of Beyonce for focusing on feminism, especially the one touching on black women. Black women

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 218

Essay Example In addition to this, the book offers the guidance that is helpful to the students involved in academic writing for the purposes of the summary of the ideas and facts in a book (Gerald, Birkenstein, and Russel, 117). An academic writer will in this instance be able to sharpen his or her ideas. Bright ideas will make him or her learn the ways that can enable him or her express him or herself before others by using the original ideas from his or her mind. As a result, the academic writer, in this case, will develop a paper that is free from plagiarism (Gerald, Birkenstein, and Russel, 128). Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein consider academic writing as a recent research that outlines the processes used in writing through use of short chapters and understandable languages. In this way, the authors argue that academic writing will publish quality materials through use of these elements (Gerald, Birkenstein, and Russel, 145) Since the implementation of the Manitoba’s education policies in the Canadian education system, performance of the science and math’s related subjects has the worst record that also still continues to deteriorate as time continues to elapse (Behiels, 69). The results take place despite Manitoba spending on each K-12 student than any province in the country apart from Alberta (Levin, 74). Even the average student today can’t handle these subjects as was before since the introduction of the policies in the curriculum of the Canadian education. In this instance, the education authorities in the country exercised the mediocrity of the highest order in implementing the Manitoba education policies (Behiels, 87). The reason for this explanation of their level of mediocrity is that they implemented the policies without evaluating their impacts on the children. In addition to this, the officials also seem that received some bribery to ensure the implementation of the wro ng education policies in the system of Canadian education. As a result, it

Black Feminism and The Beyonce Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Black Feminism and The Beyonce Wars - Essay Example The first article ‘Ugly Internal Clash: Why Its Future Is Not Up To White Women’ talks about feminism especially for black women and how they can form a gender inclusive group to deal with racism, sexual harassment, and work discrimination against women. The article provides a name that helps women to describe the issues they go through during discrimination Brittney (Cooper 2015). Feminism is the name, and it helps many women to discuss their issues without language challenges. Black women use the internet feminism to air their troubles and discuss the discrimination that they experience. The women also express their power through it phenomena that make the white women extremely uncomfortable. The writers opinion is that the future of feminism should not be left with the white women as most of the issues center around gender equality. For white women, equality was achieved a long time ago, but for the black women, it is still a big issue. Most of the black women in the US do not fully access some of the benefits, such as the Obamacare in some states (Cooper 2015). Understanding feminist and black women oppression will help women fight for their rights in foreign countries, such s the United States. The second article ‘Black Feminist Blogger Speaks The Truth by Goldstein, Rich talks about how important issues contributed by black women in the media get ignored by many readers and viewers. The writer focuses on blogs on issues of life for black women instead of focusing on wealthy and glamorous women in power (Goldstein 2015). According to the blog, there are many interesting things about black women, such as their unique talents, although there are few people who recognize them. Racism is real and classifies women according to their place of origin, and the blog help many to have some attention on racism, sexism, and ableism. The writer admires the work of Beyonce for focusing on feminism, especially the one touching on black women. Black women

Story About Pablo Picasso Essay Example for Free

Story About Pablo Picasso Essay Good artists copy, great artists steal. Pablo Picasso was born on October 25th, 1881 in Malaga, Spain. He was baptized Catholic, but would later convert into being an Atheist. His father, a painter, specialized in painting birds and other animals. Pablo Picasso showed a passion for art at an early age. According to his mother, his first words were piz piz, an abbreviation for the spanish word lapiz which means pencil. Starting from the age of seven, Picasso started receiving artistic training from his father. In 1891, the family moved to A Coruà ±a, a city in Galicia, Spain, where his father became a professor at the School of Fine Arts. Unfortunately, in 1895, Picasso lost his seven year old sister, Conchita to diphtheria. Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness and an infectious disease. Despite being traumatized by his sister’s death, he managed to make it into an advanced class at the school where his father taught. At the mere age of 13, he began his first oil paintings which were portraits of his family and the same year his sister died, he began to exhibit and sell his work. His father, Ruiz, persuaded the people at the academy he was working at, to allow Picasso to take an exam to be accepted in the advanced class. Where most kids wouldve taken nearly a month, Picasso only took a week to complete all the aspects of the exam and got admitted at age 15. Picasso spent most of his adult life in France and died on April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France. Pablo Picasso had th ree, different periods throughout his career. Picasso’s Blue Period, which began in 1901 and ended in 1904, was a collection of sad paintings that was done in shades of blue and blue green. Picasso’s Blue Period was influenced by a trip he took through Spain and by the suicide of his friend, Carlos Casagemas. After his Blue Period, then came his Rose Period which lasted for about two years (1904-1906). His Rose Period was a more uplifting period with cheery colors such as orange and pink and that featured circus people like acrobats. This period began when his psychological condition began to improve. The Rose Period has been considered influenced more by the French while the Blue Period is more Spanish influenced. The harlequin, a comedic character usually drawn with patterned or checkered clothing, became a personal symbol for Picasso. Picasso had an African Period as well which lasted from 1906 to 1909. Les Demoiselles dAvignon is a revolutionary work that introduced this period of cubism. He painted in such a style that was inspired by African sculpture and artifacts. Analytic cubism is a style of painting that Picasso developed with Georges Braque using brown and neutral colors. During this period of cubism, both artists took apart objects and drew them in terms of their shapes. Picasso’s most celebrated work is his depiction of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. This piece of work, which was done in 1937, displays the harshness and reality of war and how it affects those who are innocent. Picasso is normally identified as an artist who â€Å"re-invented† art. While many artists normally painted just one side of an object or person, Picasso realized that different perspectives still mattered and so, he drew them too. Picasso did a lot of artwork during his notorious career. Two of my favorite pieces of artwork by him are Jacqueline and the Old Guitarist. Jacqueline is the name of Picasso’s second wife. I think the artwork is beautiful and I feel like he did the painting out of love and dedicated it to his wife. I also love the Old Guitarist because I enjoy looking at the angle of the man and there’s so much meaning in the artwork. The piece of art shows poverty and loneliness. Pablo Picasso’s work doesn’t relate to my artwork at all. I’m not an artist or a drawer. I’ve never had a strong interest in art and I don’t think I’ll ever reach the level Pablo Picasso was at. But, just like Picasso, I have the ability to improve and develop my skills as I go. I chose Pablo Picasso as the topic of my research paper because I feel like he’s an artist that not many people know well and someone that’s more recent than Vincent van Gogh and Leonard da Vinci. I also chose Pablo Picasso because I felt like doing a research paper on a person would be much easie r than doing a paper on an art movement or a piece of artwork.

Benchmarking as a Tool to Improve Business Practices

Benchmarking as a Tool to Improve Business Practices BenchmarkingÂÂ  (best practice benchmarking or process benchmarking) is a process used in management and particularly strategic management, in which organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to best practice, usually within their own sector. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time, and cost. Improvements from learning mean doing things better, faster, and cheaper. This then allows organizations to develop plans on how to adopt such best practice, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to challenge their practices. NEEDS AND BENEFITS FOR BENCHMARKING Organizations use benchmarking for a variety of purposes. Some organizations position benchmarking as part of an overall problem-solving process with a clear mandate for organizational improvement .Others position benchmarking more as a proactive mechanism to keep themselves aware of the state-of-the-art business practices. Some of the reasons organizations use benchmarking processes are: STRATEGIC PLANNING It requires a thorough knowledge of the market place, the likely activities of the competition, the state of the art regarding products or services being produced, financial requirements for doing business in market, and the customer base. Benchmarking is useful tools for gathering information in these areas during the process of strategic planning. This type of information can shape a business strategy in a more realistic direction, or at least help identify the risks of doing business in certain markets. FORECASTING Benchmarking information is often used to gauge the state of the marketplace and to forecast market potentials .it also provides a source of information regarding the business directions of key players in the marketplace, trends in product/service developments, patterns of consumer behaviour and so on. in many industries, the business direction of a few major companies can shape the direction of an entire marketplace.forecastion the activities of these types of organizations often provides their competitors and support services companies with important information about future implications for their businesses. NEW IDEAS Benchmarking is an excellent source of new ideas. One of the primary large scale benchmarking is that it exposes individuals to new products, work processes, and ways of managing company resources.benchamarking requires that individuals establish formal contacts outside their oragainizations.the reward is exposure to different ideas and approaches to conducting business. It also provides an opportunity for employees to think out of the box to consider alternative paradigms and to engage in What if thinking. PRODUCT/PROCESS COMPARISONS A common type of benchmarking involves the collection of information about the products or processes of competitors or excellent companies. This information is often collected and used as a standard of comparison for similar products or services of the benchmarking organization. This type of benchmarking confirms more costly with traditional competitive intelligence activities. in these competitions product or service is compared feature by feature with the product or servic3e of the company performing the analysis. GOAL SETTING Benchmarking is used as a means of identifying best practices. The standards set by excellent companies in many cases define what is possible on a state of art performances scale.These goals can help organizations accelerate their performance curves as they strive for continual improvement.Many small to medium size companies cannot hope to achieve the levels of performance of excellent companies that have far greater access to technologies,capital,or other resources.However,these companies can benefit dependant on organizational resources. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT TOOL Benchmarking is defined as the process of identifying and learning from the best practices in the world. By identifying the best practices, organizations know where they stand in relation to other companies. The other companies can point out problem areas and provide possible solutionsBenchmarking allows organizations to better understand their administrative operations, and targets areas for improvement. In addition, benchmarking can eliminate waste and improve a companys market share. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TOOL Benchmarking is increasing in popularity as a tool for continuous improvement. Organizations that faithfully use benchmarking strategies achieve a cost savings of 30 to 40 percent or more. Benchmarking establishes methods of measuring each areas units of output and costs. In addition, benchmarking supports the process of budgeting, strategic planning, and capital planning. ENHANCED PERFORMANCE TOOL Benchmarking also allows companies to learn new and innovative approaches to issues facing management, and provides a basis for training. Benchmarking improves performance by setting achievable goals. ENHANCED LEARNING TOOL Another reason to benchmark is to overcome disbelief and to enhance learning. For example, hearing about another companys successful processes and how they work helps employees believe theres a better way to compete. GROWTH POTENTIAL TOOL Benchmarking may cause a needed change in the organizations culture. After a period of time in the industry, an organization may become too practiced at searching inside the company for growth. The company would be better off looking outside for growth potential. An outward-looking company tends to be a future-oriented company usually leading to an enhanced organization with increased profits. JOB SATISFACTION TOOL Benchmarking is growing and changing so rapidly, benchmarkers have banded together and developed how-to networks to share methods, successes, and failures with each other. The process has successfully produced a high degree of job satisfaction and learning. HELPS OVERCOME PARADIGM BLINDNESS Benchmarking is a powerful management tool because it overcomes paradigm blindness. Paradigm Blindness can be summed up as the mode of thinking, The way we do it is the best because this is the way weve always done it. Benchmarking opens organizations to new methods, ideas and tools to improve their effectiveness. It helps crack through resistance to change by demonstrating other methods of solving problems than the one currently employed, and demonstrating that they work, because they are being used by others. COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING Some authors call benchmarking best practices benchmarking or process benchmarking. This is to distinguish it from what they call competitive benchmarking.ÂÂ  Competitive benchmarkingÂÂ  is used in competitor analysis. When researching your direct competitors you also research the best company in the industry (even if it serves a different location) .(MichaelJ.Spendolini n.d.) BENCHMARKING PROCESS: Identify your problem areasÂÂ   Because benchmarking can be applied to any business process or function, a range of research techniques may be required. They include: informal conversations with customers, employees, or suppliers; exploratory research techniques such as focus groups; or in-depth marketing research, quantitative research, surveys, questionnaires, reengineering analysis, process mapping, quality control variance reports, or financial ratio analysis. Identify organizations that are leaders in these areasÂÂ   Look for the very best in any industry and in any country. Consult customers, suppliers, financial analysts, trade associations, and magazines to determine which companies are worthy of study. Survey companies for measures and practicesÂÂ   Companies target specific business processes using detailed surveys of measures and practices used to identify business process alternatives and leading companies. Surveys are typically masked to protect confidential data by neutral associations and consultants. Visit the best practice companies to identify leading edge practicesÂÂ   Companies typically agree to mutually exchange information beneficial to all parties in a benchmarking group and share the results within the group. Implement new and improved business practicesÂÂ   Take the leading edge practices and develop implementation plans which include identification of specific opportunities, funding the project and selling the ideas to the organization for the purpose of gaining demonstrated value from the process. THE ETHICAL ASPECTS OF BENCHMARKING In benchmarking, ethics is defined as principles, guidelines, or standards that determine a protocol of interaction between individuals and organizations. Many ethical questions may arise in the course of a benchmarking procedure. Two of the main questions which Johnson deals with are: * Can the recipient take credit for developing the idea, approach, and so forth? * If the benchmarking partner received information of tremendous value, can they take credit for it in their advertising? These questions cannot be answered quickly or easily. Partners in the benchmarking process need to communicate their expectations and feelings on these issues, and to follow some basic guidelines. They should establish specific and detailed ground rules. This includes the notion that ideas are not shared to gain competitive advantage, but are shared so both partners can improve or benefit. Questions should not be asked about a companys sensitive data; partners shouldnt be pressured to divulge this information to continue the benchmarking process. Data should be treated as confidential; it shouldnt be used to limit competition or to gain business. (MichaelJ.Spendolini. THE BENCHMARKING BOOK. AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION-AMACOM.) COST OF BENCHMARKING Benchmarking is a moderately expensive process, but most organizations find that it more than pays for itself. The three main types of costs are: Visit costs This includes hotel rooms, travel costs, meals, a token gift, and lost labour time. Time costs Members of the benchmarking team will be investing time in researching problems, finding exceptional companies to study, visits, and implementation. This will take them away from their regular tasks for part of each day so additional staff might be required. Benchmarking Database Costs Organizations that institutionalize benchmarking into their daily procedures find it is useful to create and maintain a database of best practices and the companies associated with each best practice now. TYPES OF BENCHMARKING Process benchmarkingÂÂ   The initiating firm focuses its observation and investigation of business processes with a goal of identifying and observing the best practices from one or more benchmark firms. Activity analysis will be required where the objective is to benchmark cost and efficiency; increasingly applied to back-office processes where outsourcing may be a consideration. Financial BenchmarkingÂÂ   Performing a financial analysis and comparing the results in an effort to assess your overall competitiveness and productivity. Benchmarking from an Investor perspective- Extending the benchmarking universe to also compare to peer companies that can be considered alternative investment opportunities from the perspective of an investor. Performance BenchmarkingÂÂ   Allows the initiator firm to assess their competitive position by comparing products and services with those of target firms. Product BenchmarkingÂÂ   The process of designing new products or upgrades to current ones. This process can sometimes involve reverse engineering which is taking apart competitors products to find strengths and weaknesses. Strategic BenchmarkingÂÂ   Involves observing how others compete. This type is usually not industry specific, meaning it is best to look at other industries. Functional BenchmarkingÂÂ   A company will focus its benchmarking on a single function to improve the operation of that particular function. Complex functions such as Human Resources, Finance and Accounting and Information and Communication Technology are unlikely to be directly comparable in cost and efficiency terms and may need to be disaggregated into processes to make valid comparison. Best-in-class BenchmarkingÂÂ   Involves studying the leading competitor or the company that best carries out a specific function. Operational BenchmarkingÂÂ   Embraces everything from staffing and productivity to office flow and analysis of procedures performed. Energy BenchmarkingÂÂ   Developing an accurate model of a buildings energy consumption with the purpose of measuring reductions in usage. As mentioned earlier, many companies use the benchmarking process: Avon Products, Exxon Chemical, Microsoft, Ford, and General Motors. Xerox is known as the pioneer of benchmarking. By benchmarking, Xerox cut quality problems by two-thirds, cut manufacturing costs in half; cut development time by two-thirds; and while increasing volume cut direct labor by 50 percent and corporate staff by 35 percent. All improvements were not a direct result of benchmarking: The improved process and climate indirectly improved the rest of the organization. General Motors (GM) compares itself to the best-in-class company. This benchmarking shows GM where they are going wrong and that it is possible to do it better. The company compared its labor hours per vehicle to Fords: GM had 30 labor hours per vehicle; Ford only had 19 a dramatic gap. GM also benchmarked from Toyota. Toyota was superior in four areas: defects per vehicle, warranty cost per vehicle, order response time, and fasteners per car. GM needed to improve in all these areas for future success. The company also looked at Suzuki, regarded as a leader in properly painting vehicles the first time. Finally, GM looked at NUMMI in three areas: external JIT parts, internal JIT parts, and fastener part numbers. Due to the suffering automotive market in the early 1980s, Ford needed to change its operations to cut costs. Ford managers believed they could improve processes in the accounts payable department. After gathering, analyzing, and comparing data with Mazdas accounts payable operations, Ford retooled its own accounts payable operations and reduced costs by 5 percent. (DEAN ELMUTI 1997) CONCLUSION Benchmarking has consequences which are beyond the process itself: it reforms all the levels of the company.; modifies the process of manufacture of the product leads(drives) ; also reforms the hierarchical organization of the company, the product itself, and the state of mind of the employeesThere is no doubt that benchmarking is here to stay. Any company should benchmark if it wants to attain world-class competitive capability, prosper in a global economy, and above all, if it wants to survive. These trends are not an option for companies anymore; they should be done by all who want to remain competitive. All companies strive to be profitable, competitive, and successful. Benchmarking can help any company succeed-as long as it is applied correctly ABSTRACT Benchmarking is the search for industry best practises. Improvements from learning mean doing things better, faster, and cheaper. This then allows organizations to develop plans on how to adopt such best practice, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to challenge their practices.Benchmarking is a way to move away from tradition and one of the major strategic management tools. It carefully dissects the organization into segments, and then removes and inserts pieces to account for changing environments. Changes occur once the process has started, and will continue to change and mold the organization for as long as individuals are continuously striving to make it better.