Try to apply keneth waltz's three images to the orgins of the Article

Try to apply keneth waltz's three images to the orgins of the cold war and analyize which image considerations were more important in the development of the cold war - Article Example In the second image, Waltz posits that wars are mainly caused by the domestic ambitions of the states (Waltz 45). He employed the Lenin theory of imperialism to explain that capitalists are driven by their ambitions to create new frontiers in other places to increase their domestic economic power. Separates states structures influence war. This is why Waltz argued that multipolar systems had a higher likelihood of war conflicts that bipolar systems. The third image, one that he put great emphasis, is a fine tuning of the structural realism that he had devised (Waltz 56). The anarchic structure of the international system is a huge influence of the international relations. The structure of the international power is dependent on frequency and size of power fluctuations, offense-defense balance, size of first-move advantages and the amount of resources. Arguably, the cold war was about the balance of power. Kenneth Waltz third image shows more concern to the dynamics of the anarchic nature of the international system (Suganami 384). The standoff between the United States of American and the Soviet Union during the cold war depicts a scenario where the two major powers were exhibiting interests in third parties. On this note, Waltz argues that bipolarity stands to lessen a conflict such as that of the cold war because the countries would go back to relying on their resources instead of competing for those of the third parties to try and bring a balance of power. This third image shows an in-depth focus on the bigger perspective of the cause of war by showcasing the underlying causes rather than only highlighting the superficial causes such as the human nature in the first image and the domestic influence of the second image. This implies that the third image is more refined to show how the players of the cold war envisioned the mann er to influence the balance

Mitt Romney Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mitt Romney - Essay Example Abortion and gay marriage are two of the most important moral issues in the American society which makes Mitt Romney controversial. It should be noted that his positions on aforementioned issues has been constantly challenged and has remained unstable up to this date. Romney has always advocated equality and non-discrimination thereby protecting the rights of homosexuals in the society. During the 1994 campaign, he won the support of Log Cabin Club which supports the benefits for gay couples. However, Romney takes a conservative view by strongly opposing same-sex marriage. He stresses that, "Like me, the great majority of Americans wish both to preserve the traditional definition of marriage and to oppose bias and intolerance directed toward gays and lesbians" (Gallagher 5). In his statements, his main reason for this opposition is the fact that marriage is not for adult benefits but for the nurturing and development of children. He argues that a home with a male father and a female mother is the best setting to raise a family. Though he generally communicates his disfavor for same-sex marriage, there are also times when he softens his tone on the issue recognizing the need to respect the modern families that come in many forms (Greenberger 1). Currently, Mitt Romney refers to himself as a p

Assess the view that factors and processes within the school Essay Example for Free

Assess the view that factors and processes within the school Essay Many sociologists argue that â€Å"factors and processes within school are the main cause of difference† These factors include gender, class and ethnicity. All of these things can lead to certain stereotypes and labels being forced upon pupils. The idea that Teachers have certain expectations of different social and ethnic groups means that self-fulfilling prophecy can lead to pupils living out positive and negative labels. The role of gender in educational achievement is that in past times it has been that boys have achieved less than girls in school, this could be that boys have a history of ‘laddish’ behaviour and have had a negative attitude to learning. This had also led to teachers expectations of ‘lads’ to be low which has caused negative stereotypes and labels. All of these things have in turn caused many anti-school subcultures. Jackson did a study about how this ‘laddish’ behaviour is now being seen in some girls which could in fact mean that it is not only boys that have these negative labels but also girls. Another factor that may influence the achievement of girls is that girls now have a lot of higher role models and more opportunities in the future; this can lead to them working harder because they can see themselves being successful in the future. Another In-school factor would be ethnicity, different ethnic groups achieve better than others in education, for example the highest achieving ethnic group is British Chinese and the lowest would be black African Caribbean boys. The reasons for these differences in achievement could be linked to family morals and attitudes to school. Teachers also have expectations of different ethnic groups which again, like gender can lead to positive and negative labels and stereotypes. The curriculum in schools could also lead to this due to it being ethnocentric. Differences in class an play a crucial role in the achievement between different classes, for example working class children do not have as much cultural capital as middle class children and this can play a vital part in how they achieve at school, due to teachers expectations of how they behave and achieve. The idea of the hidden curriculum means that schools are preparing students for middle class jobs with middle class ideas. Also the idea that middle class teachers get on better with idle class students also reinforces the idea of teacher’s expectations which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy and students either over or under achieving. One more in-school factor would be pupil subcultures and how streaming and setting can lead to both anti and pro school subcultures, This again links to the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy and that students may either reject their labels or follow them. The organisation of the school can also be closely linked to class and how students may be put into lower streams or sets due to their social background and how teachers perceive them. Home backgrounds of students also contribute to a large part of their achievement. The differences in class can lead to many home disadvantages such as material deprivation which means that students do not have enough money for resources such as private tutors, laptops, trips or uniforms; this will give them a disadvantage compared to middle class students. Working class students may also have other responsibilities to attend to such as looking after siblings or even disabled parents; this means that they do not have as much time to spend on studying. Parent’s attitudes towards school and education can also prove to be an impact, if a parent has a negative attitude to school and learning then the child will not have as much pressure or ambition to do as well. This idea of parent expectations links closely with ethnicity and how different ethnic groups view educarion. In conclusion there are many in school processes that can influence the achievement of children such as gender and how girls and boys are perceived and what teachers expect of them. Another would be Class and how working and middle class students achieve differently due to aspects of school life like the hidden curriculum. Also ethnicity and the expectations and ideas about certain groups like the British Chinese. There are also a lot of out of school factors such as home background, material deprivation and parents’ expectations. Overall I believe that the both in school factors and out of school factors contribute to the differences in educational achievement of different social groups.

The Knot Essay Example for Free

The Knot Essay According to Sahlman, the success of entrepreneurial ventures, such as The Knot, is dependent on four critical success factors, namely the people, the opportunity, the deal and the context. Each of these factors is dynamic and the entrepreneur must constantly reevaluate and adjust the four factors to create value. People The category people include the key players of the entrepreneurial venture. Within this category, the strengths and weaknesses and the experience of the people involved is critical. The entrepreneur has to determine if something is missing in the team, thus if people should be added or replaced. The Knot’s management team consists of four ex New York University’s Film School students. All of them are experienced entrepreneurs. First, Liu and Roney are co-founders of the CD-ROM development company RunTime Inc. Pervious, Liu was an experienced manager and Roney spent six years as creative director and editor. Second, Wolfson and Fassino are founders of the Digital Media Division for Margeotes Fertitta + Partners. Before, Wolfson was founder of a creative production company and Fassino has experience in the advertising industry. The two different companies successfully collaborated at the Sotheby’s project. The four partners emphasize the potential of their collective experience and know-how, including management, advertising, the creative industry and production. They found Element Studios in 1995 to capitalize their abilities. After the acquisition of Bridal Search, Russ and Becky Casenhiser were added to the management team. Both of them were successful entrepreneurs as well. Russ developed the industry’s largest, searchable database and Becky procured and maintained relationships with all the manufacturers. Especially their experience in retail was valuable when the business model developed further. After all, the team of The Knot consists of capable people with experience in multiple disciplines who complement each other. However, when entering the gift registry business, in which inventory management and delivery arrangements would be crucial, there is a need for people with experience in logistics. Experienced people could be recruited as employees or entrepreneurs in this industry could be added to the management team. The opportunity The characteristics of the opportunity are critical for the success of the venture as well as for the way the entrepreneur should respond to a certain opportunity. Characteristics of the opportunity include the nature and the possibility to replicate by competitors. The task of the entrepreneur is to determine if the opportunity should be exploited immediately and to set eventually milestones to assess the success of the project. Element was founded with the aim to realize a successful media business, however, there was no focus on a certain opportunity before the company was founded. The management team started looking for an opportunity and was attracted by the high advertising revenue in the wedding industry. They found an opportunity in the lack of a fresh competitor and the possibility to differentiate by building an online business foundation. Besides the possibility to differentiate, the online business foundation required a lower investment. Thus, the initial business model consisted of creating an online medium that attracts visitors and generates advertising revenue. The Knot’s team formulated their initial goals as ‘becoming a full-service online wedding resource and a recognizable brand in the industry’. The initial investment is relatively low compared to the potential revenue with an advertising market of $168 million and a limited number of competitors. Since the idea is easy to copy by potential competitors, it was important to exploit the idea immediately to gain first mover advantage. The initial business model was complemented in stages. With the launch of The Knot’s own web site in May 1997, they entered the retail market via The Knot Gift Shop. Their first venture in retail started with the sale of cameras, but other products were quickly added. In June 2007, after the acquisition of Bridal Search, The Knot could offer the only comprehensive online database of wedding dresses to its customers. As a result, advertising revenue increased. After successful development of The Knot’s current business activities, Liu focused on the bridal registry business. This business has enormous potential since it represents half of all wedding-related revenue. The process of the development of a comprehensive list of gifts by soon-to-be-weds that had to be purchased by wedding guests was ready for an online solution. Moreover, characteristics of the registry business encompassed the opportunity to efficiently organize delivery arrangements with manufacturers. In turn, this would allow The Knot to maintain more control over its brand, pricing and merchandising. Since the listing of products and services did not require inventory to be held, this would enable effective management of The Knot’s balance sheet. Although the model for gift registry is already in a later stage of development, it is important to exploit immediately since competitors have had capital investments already. Deals The opportunity has to be structured by different deals. These deals include considerations such as incentives and contingencies and the choice between financing instruments and financers. The entrepreneur should aim to motivate all players according to their input and create stakeholders that increase the probability of success. By joining the Greenhouse program of American Online (AOL), The Knot aimed to garner a substantial proportion of the online wedding consumer market. Besides initial investments, AOL could be seen as a strategic partner with a developing online consumer base. AOL invested in return for warrants up to 45% of The Knot’s equity, 20% of the revenue from advertising on the AOL property and a percentage of advertising revenue from The Knot’s own web site. In addition, Bridal Search was acquired for 10. 000 shares of common stock, while they had the opportunity to earn up to an additional 32. 857 shares. This potential bonus could be referred to as an extra motivation to perform. The context Contextual issues can change the nature of the opportunity. Issues include current and potential competitors, the government and economic conditions and trends. The entrepreneur should attempt to forecast contextual movements and benefit from these changes. The competitive context of The Knot before the exploitation of the opportunity was characterized by three magazines, with an average of 40 years of experience in the industry and strong relationships with advertiser. There was a change that the deeply entrenched magazines would renounce moving to the internet since they feared cannibalization of their existing businesses. This changed the nature of the opportunity in a way that it was an extra motivation to launch an online business. The Knot’s performance To reach their goals, The Knot put effort to optimize their services and build brand awareness. First, the provision of value-added services to users, such as information about travelling, wedding planning and fashion, resulted in development of a strong user community. Further, from the early beginning, The Knot targeted potential partners to build awareness of the brand, resulting in The Knot’s Registry Partner Program with nationwide key players. The first offline brand building effort was implemented in August 2007 by signing a three-book deal with Bantam Doubleday. In addition, they agreed to co-produce a television program entitled Wedding for the Real World to promote online services and books. The usefulness of performance metrics significantly differs for startups in comparison with established companies. Although startups are diverse, they share some common characteristics that affect the use of financial metrics. To illustrate, revenues are small or non-existing and the establishment of a business generally result in significant operating losses. Therefore, financial metrics such as the income statement, balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows provide little usable information. However, the information in these financial metrics regarding predicted years could be used to calculated performance measures, such as return on investment (ROI) and return on assets (ROA). Instead, to gauge the performance of a startup company like The Knot’s, other financial and non-financial metrics are used. First, it is important to measure the ability of the company to generate revenue at an early stage. The Knot managed to generate significant revenue at an early stage. After their initial appearance on AOL, The Knot generated over $ 25. 000 of advertising revenue. Later, after the acquisition of Bridal Search, three deals representing $ 750. 000 in advertising revenue were signed. Second, the period that a company can survive without raising additional capital is an useful measure for startups. The ‘burn rate’ is referred to as the money spend by a company each month. The number of months that a company has to raise additional capital is calculated by dividing the amount of cash reserves by the burn rate. Since The Knot only has enough money to coffer its operation for three months by November 1997, the need to raise capital is very urgent. This can be explained by their initial focus on gaining market share instead of becoming profitable. This strategy is particularly common for ‘dot-com’ companies. Besides financial metrics, non-financial metrics are important to measure the performance of startups. Non-financial metrics for e-commerce companies include for instance retained customers. However, for the wedding industry, this metrics are not applicable since customers are not expected to return after their first number of product and service purchases. Other measures that are applicable to The Knot are web metrics such as total page views and total unique visitors. Concerning this measures, The Knot performed above expectance with an increase in unique visitors of their AOL page from 65. 000 to 260. 000 in seven months. In addition, after launching their own Web site, they realized 2. 7 million page views. To conclude, The Knot has managed to gain attention at an early stage from potential customers, this resulted in advertising income. The company has a relatively high burn rate as compared with their current liabilities; this leads to an urgent need for additional capital investors since they can coffer their operating expenses for just three months. The need for additional funding As predicted by the life-cycle of a VC fund, which predicts focus on investment in the first four to five years, The Knot needs further funding in their current phase. First, there is a need for cash to invest in the development of The Knot brand and build out the technological infrastructure to capitalize Knot’s current momentum in the race for scale economies. On a more practical level, capital is needed to fund the payroll and pay for day-to-day operating expenses. Second, The Knot needs funding to develop the gift registry business. The need for quick funding rose due to developments on the competitive front. The Knot’s current business activities were targeted by competition form online businesses that had recently launched web sites. Furthermore, Internet Gift Registries, which would be a competitor of The Knot after entering the gift registry business, had recently received funding from a private investor. Financial advisors agreed that The Knot is an attractive investment and recommended The Knot’s management team to raise as much capital as possible. After all, the management team and its financial advisors agreed that The Knot would seek $10 million in exchange for Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. This proceeds will be used to develop its registry service and to accelerate marketing and promotion of its online services. Valuation of the company In order to give a fair estimate of the value of The Knot, a combination of both the NPV method and the Market approach method is used. The use of the NPV method is possible because this is not a completely new company and it has a track record to evaluate. Also, in the business plan The Knot presented, they give extensive predictions for future performance and cash flows. The NPV method alone would not be enough since these numbers are still only a prediction. Even though these predictions were made by an external company, helping to make them more reliable and independent than when The Knot had made them, they are still not hard numbers. Combining the results of the NPV with a comprehensive Market analysis, in which both market potential will be measured and comparable companies, the multiples, will be analyzed, will give an accurate estimate of the value of The Knot. Using only the market approach would also not suffice since the relatively new nature of the business (registry online) makes it hard to find other companies to effectively compare with The Knot. The asset valuation approach is not used because, given the nature of internet companies, there would be little tangible assets to value. Since intangible assets are a lot harder to value this would not give an accurate value for The Knot (2). The multiplication method is not used because The Knot is currently still not at break-even, which makes it near impossible to calculate. Also, since the prediction show a very sharp estimated increase in revenues after the capital injection, the multiplication method could be very far off the true value of the firm and ergo not be a reliable method to determine the value (2). To conclude, the average between the NPV method and the market approach will give the most reliable value estimate for The Knot. Potential investors The Knot is looking for an investment of $10 million to develop brand image and develop their registry business. However, the urgent need for investment due to the forecasted ‘fume’ in January 1998 needs to be taken into account. This leads to disqualification of the strategic partnership option because The Knot would be in a very week place at the negotiation table because of time pressure. Besides this, a partner for a new business venture would probably not be hard to find, but finding a partner who is willing to pay for the operational cost for the other activities of The Knot as well, would seem much more unlikely. Finally, forming partnership takes time and time is something The Knot does not have. Choosing between angel investors and VC’s comes down to the nature of these investment entities. Angel investors are usually less risk averse but they tend to focus on invest in new start-ups and their investments are relatively lower compared to a VC (1). A VC usually invests in a later point of the start up and invests larger sums of money (1). Looking at these characteristics of both these entities, it seems clear that going for a VC would be the best option. If the valuation of The Knot comes out favorably, it would cover the more risk averse nature of the VC and justify a sizable investment of 10 million. There are drawbacks of using a VC, namely they most likely will want to exercise a lot of control over The Knot’s business, more so than angel investors. However, engagement of the VC can have a positive affect on the development of capabilities as well. Looking at the time constraints and the amount of needed cash this seems unavoidable. Therefore, capital investment by a VC would be the best option to meet the needs on The Knot.

The Definition And Explanation Of Branding Marketing Essay

The Definition And Explanation Of Branding Marketing Essay This essay is about how graphics is able to change the consumers perception about a brands identity. This document summarises how the graphics of the brand is able to create an identity for the brand. The shift from simple products to brands has not been sudden or inevitable. You could argue that it grew out of the standardisation of quality products for consumers in the middle of the 20th century, which required companies to find new ways to differentiate themselves from the competitors. This type of standardisation forced companies to find new ways of distinguishing themselves. Brands such as Chanel have built a contract between the company and the consumer; in fact, the consumer has now become the judge. If the consumer feels that the brand is not for them, they will immediately chose to end the contract with the brand. 1.2 Aim To understand how brands use graphics to entice the consumer. What graphical elements are used to bring in the consumer to the brand? The brands graphics is more than just a logo, or the price of a product, service or organisation, it is also the packaging, the promotions and the advertising, all of which is guided by precisely worded positioning. In advertising, reason informs, but emotion persuades (2011). 1.3 Objectives To identify what branding is perceived as To research the different perspectives of designers, artists and writers in branding To research and understand the graphics in Chanel and Primark To reflect on Primark and Chanel graphics branding and the consumers perceptions 2. Introduction This Chapter was based on the initial research about branding in order to understand what branding does, how it is perceived and understood, thus helping to better understand the basic need of branding and how this is then incorporated into the graphical element of branding. 2.1 The definition and explanation of branding A brand is a persons gut feeling about a product, service or organization. Riston (2004:21) suggested that a brand is not just a logo, an identity or a service. The product is not of existence until the consumer gives it a place in their world of products around him or her. A brands success counts on the individual, not on companies, markets or the public. When the word success is used, it refers to how much the brand is valued by its consumers. What is a gut feeling? Because people are emotional beings, to understand an emotion a person has to feel the emotion, therefore the emotion dictates the gut feeling. In a positive case, a person will feel an emotional bond in their mind. Kotler and Keller (2006:275) assert the importance of understanding how we consumers perceive the brand and what impact a brand identity has on consumer perceptions. One could argue that these ideas relate to brand image, which refer to a brands subjective or perceived attributes. A consumers perception of a brand is vital on how the brand is generally perceived. The image of the brand however is not judged by the product, service or organisation. An experience is the meaning the brand has. Think of the brand as the core meaning of the modern corporation, and of the advertisement as one vehicle used to convey that meaning to the world. (Klein: 2010:5) Naomi Klein refers to the theory of branding as a meaning she says that a brand is a meaning. Klein (2010:6) states that ads where put in place to manipulate the buyer/user to thinking that their lives will be incomplete without their product, service or organization. She says we buy brands, not products. For example, mobiles instead of mail, television instead of the radio, light bulbs instead of oil lamps and so on. Being innovative is not enough; you need a strong advertising method to accomplish a successful brand. Advertisements need to be strong enough to create a bond with the public. Advertising becomes the bridge between the public and the product. Advertising plays a very big part in how the consumer visualises the brand. 2.2 The graphics in branding Why isnt a brand just product? Because a product is made in the factory and a brand is a meaning, made in the mind of a human being, this is why when we combine the product and the brand we are able visualise a sense of emotion but communicate the idea through the media of graphic design (Gavin Ambrose: 5:2006) Ken smith, Sandra Moriarty, Gretchen Barbatsis and Keith Kenney attempt to identify and describe the field of visual communication (2005:10). One of the most important pieces of the visual communication puzzle is aesthetics. The nature and beauty of aesthetics are a language in itself, they question how it is so meaningful to the human eye is mystery. It is suggested that, because of the nonverbal nature of aesthetics, what can be written is only speculation about the nature of visual aesthetics and cannot therefore be of visual aesthetics itself. Malcolm Barnard also questions whether this type of communication can classed as nonverbal (2002:29). Barnard states that the importance of the transmission process, if the messenger does not receive the message that it was trying to portray, then a part of the communication process may have failed in either its medium, or delivery method. The aesthetics of graphics maybe seen as a voice of its own, graphics plays an important role in a bra nds identity. Kevin Budelmann, Yang Kim, Curt Wozniak (2010:7) discuss how a brand is made up of different elements. It is just not the logo the makes the brand. The brand is built from the colour of the envelope the companies distribute to the song that plays whilst customers wait on the telephone. Gavin Ambrose, Paul Harris (2010:10) has raised- you need to get someone to check the grammar and spelling awareness of how the packaging of a brand is important. For many brands the first interaction a consumer has with a brand is the package. Paul Harris (2010: 10) talks about how the feel of the brand gives to the consumer is a secondary interaction. The primary interaction is visual interaction and is the first connection a consumer has with the brand. What does this mean and who said it? Does it need a reference? One may argue that packaging is not only a part of the brand but it is a part of the overall graphic communication. The brain recognises shapes first then colour which helps trigger emotion. Although its easily said, the requirement of the right colour is necessary. Why? Because being selective helps build awareness and expresses individuality. Line, colour, tone, text and layout are what visual communication is all about. We need this method to distinguish a personality of style. Without it we are black and white. Colours represent a mood. In 1923 Kandinsky proposed that there was a universal relationship between three basic shapes and the three primary colours (shown below in figure 1). He believed that the colour yellow and the shape of the triangle to be the most dynamic and active through to the passive cold blue circle. (Gavin Ambrose: 2006:15) Even though the human has not discovered all the colours possible we are able to relate a colour to an emotion, brand or company. Just as a country has a flag to represent its self, we are only able to understand which country it belongs to by the colour or the logo. Red and white is common them present in many of the top brands around the world. When the grocer first went on sale in January 1862 (2012), there was no Coca-Cola. There was no Cadbury, no Heinz, and No Hovis. Many of the brands we know today, love or hate them, use them daily without thought or pointedly avoid, were not. Coca-Cola is one of the biggest world providers. They have the most successful branded value in the global branding industry. Consider for instance a can of coke-a-cola: means are to hold the liquid. Whereas coca cola (brand) holds a set of values related to the product. If separate, the brand from the package you are left with a mental container, a set of fonts, colour and graphics. These together crea te a brand thus giving the brand value. (Gavin Ambrose, Paul Harris: 2010:14) Advertisers Chris Creative Legacy Agency (CLA) believes the core essences for branding is the brand recognition. Without in-depth branding, your company gets no direction, what matters is how you get the customer engage. He believes that the brand needs to build a curiosity and an experience. Connecting the consumer with an experience is what builds the brands recognition. Brand does not have a real definition. The importance of having a brand is delivering the core message. Using different market material and communication and the way you present yourself will help bring the foundation of a structured brand. people are also rational beings why dont you mention branding as a rational solution to a problem? branding as a solution to the problem of how we give meaning to products and companies? (EXPAND) 2.3 Brand identity Rita Clifton (2009: 34) peruses the ideology of brand measurement by power. Brand valuation is an attempt to attribute part of the total value of a firm brand. Nevertheless, brand equity- Especially for brands like Microsoft or Google as opposed to a product, such as Chanel or Primark is like a reputation (it cannot be brought or sold). A brand identity builds and creates awareness for a business. When an individual has trust in a brand they help the buyer to create strong loyalties, dedication and meaningful relations. A brands value is dependent on reliability and delightfulness the brand is able to deliver. This sort of status cannot be sold, where as a trademark can be sold. The importance of economic value is also a perspective that some may argue has an impact of how a brand is perceived by the consumer. Rita Clifton (2009:17) talks how there are far more interest in the brands recognition than there was ten years ago. But there is still an ignorance and misunderstanding of ma ny of the issues. Without the value the brand will not be successful. Jan Lindeman in chapter three of the book brands in branding, talks about how the market value has quadrupled from less than twenty-per cent in 1975 to eighty per cent in 2005. Marty (2006:8) agrees that our society has moved from mass production to an economy of mass customization. Our purchasing choice has multiplied. Another example is Cadburys chocolate, without its branding logo, colour it is just a chocolate bar. The foiled packaging alone would keep the chocolate bar fresh but would result in half of the branded value that Cadburys chocolate has with its packaging Similarly Marty explains how on one side of the business you have your analytic, linear, logical thinking. On the other side the creative thinkers who like to see things emotionally that are intuitive. Marty (2006:20) puts his view on how the best brands are created when a strategic side and supported by the creative. When people start to believe there is no substitute for a brand that is when you know the brand is desirable. On the other had when you compare a product, service or organisation to another you understand that the product, organisation or service you have brought into, can be substituted by another brand. Charismatic brands such as Chanel have successfully created trust and social statuses within peoples minds. The meaning is constructed and communicated by the designer and communicated through the clothing to then conduct the message to the consumers. Likewise another brand which has also created a meaning in their consumers beliefs is the brand Primark. Apple has been able to use the power of fashion and trend to their advantage. Bill Halal (2011) explains how Steve Jobs is a genius at minimalist designs that integrate technology breakthroughs to fill a newly emerging need with unusual style. He thinks success requires listening to the technology in order to discover the potential products waiting to be invented. Any brand can be charismatic but you have to be different to the rest of the competition out there. Otherwise your brain will just filter though, and your brand will become just another brand. In an article written by Mathew Jones (2007) the scientific researcher, writes about explains that all behavioural episodes occur in a distinct spatial context: where we are, has a profound effect on what we do, particularly if we associate the place with a specific event or stimulus. Our brains function so we can spot the difference but also spot the obvious. Through the lifespans of humans, we have gone to many stages of discovering , featuring, experiencing and now identifying what is different. 3. The market Perry Marashal (2006:1) Google can bring thousands of visitors to your website twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, or the entire year. Whether eating breakfast, on the go, taking a phone call or daydreaming. The market is now all about creating tribes. People join different tribes for different activities; this helps them to be accepted in a particular social group. These particular groups have been created to separate personalities. A person who likes to read may always turn to amazon. A person who buys electronics may always turn to apple. To be different you have to be focused and create a vivid image aimed at your target audience. The questions a brand must ask of it are: who or what it is and why it is the way it is. So Chanel we all know is a fashion brand that is a successful brand because of the unique user experience it provides. It has become loyal to customers through time. A brand is more successful when it is able to think long term and retain its focus in the brand not the amount of profit. Listening to the brand is important not to the market. Short term profit is not what creates a brands value. The value grows when long term focus is in place. A basic brand model either is the company selling many items, or a company selling to companies to max publicity. A brand is like architecture. It requires logic and beauty to be the best of the best. Nor can a brand be valued if it does not have networks!?!!!?!?!?!?!?! (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN)(reference) Creativity is what gives a brand its power in the market (reference). Companies find it difficult to manage both the strategy and the creativity. You need a balance of both tools to build a strong brand. The reason why companies like Selfridges are valued is that they did not do what every other company does. They created a unique customer experience. Remember the customer is always right! Kotler and Keller (2006:275) say that although competitors may easily duplicate the manufacturing processes and product defines, they cannot match creativity and innovation. Innovation is key to omnipresent the point of view that is dynamic and fantastic. We need innovation in creating the identity of a brand. Without innovation we are like a car with no petrol. We do not move forward and people become bored of the repetitiveness of the usual cycle. Just like in life we need a change day to day otherwise our emotions are tied to being drain and depressed. You have to treat a brand like a human, you need to nurture it until is able to stand up on its two feet. The initial beginning of creating a brands identity is by its logo giving the brand name. The name requires being memorable, protective and likeable. Not forgetting the spelling and pronunciation to be easy. In the market industry, the phrase brand equity is to describe the value of having a well-known brand name. The idea is based on that the owner of a well-established brand name can generate more profit from products with their brand name than from products from a less well-known name. You may also call brand equity as brand value or brand recognition. (Aker: 1991). A great name deserves great graphics. A clear understanding of the key terms used in graphic design will help to articulate and formalise your ideas and ensure accuracy in the transfer of those ideas to others. (Paul Harris, Gavin Ambrose: 2006:7). Graphic design is a discipline that continues to evolve. Ambrose shows how technology has affected communications in the past and how it continues to do so. (Paul Harris, Gavin Ambrose: 2006:274) Coupled with this is the ever-changing taste and preference of society. Which in the 20th century, gives arise to how information should be presented. In many schools and universities across the board, this has become a disciplinary act. So what comes next? Behind shape and colour, the brain takes time to process language. You need a strategy to survive in the big wide world of brands. A logo is able to work across many languages and cultures. It is socially powerful enough to stand alone. We now use the gender to process the message and communicate it but then to pass it on to the gender again, before we would use the gender to pass on the message for other people to receive it We as people need to able to communicate ideas effectively and this is where many businesses fail to be valued. This tends to happen because they manipulate the public into something they are not. It is like receiving your goods and the service or product does not reach its expectations and is obvious. It isnt a sin to manipulate the public but if it isnt done using the right method it will become unsuccessful. We need to be able utilise a successful strategically method to become successful. Packaging is the last chance to build your brand. Make it fun! Why do we use packaging in so many different and odd ways? Many of the companies these days use a varied range of eco-friendly materials and methods to show that they are re-cycling back into the community. They use this as a unique selling point, which also helps the companys costs, sales and advertising. Although this method has been rinsed out we have now created the idea of customer involvement. The Niche market is now able to take the lime light from the big brands to use it as a unique selling point for maximising brand value not profit. Brands that use this strategy will benefit from sales and emotional bonds resulting in a higher value which would mean a more successful, trusted brand. According to Alina weeler (2012), we continue to invest in our core strengths. First, we dont skim on understanding the consumer. Second is innovationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ And third is brandingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Were delivering more messages to our consumers WHAT A POOR PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alina Wheeler (2012:6) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBCytdxU7jpJa_2IVA70OAL2n-VqaJN0BKNxQP4pxLBxD6wXUz5fOlGD5lQTK6ECe2Oxzfeft0hHZl0Rn6PPw7T-KuqP0mn1kAlYAaKY3AFV2Xqep2fdXSPs9evzfw3Nnza3jkDroeCk/s320/coco-chanel1.jpg 4. IntroductionConceptCHANELChanel spring/summer 2013Karl Lagerfeld V Magazine, 2002 Chanel and Primark are two strong brands on opposite sides of the economic market trade. Primark is Cheap and cheerful as one would say whereas Chanel is luxurious and expensive. The aim of this research is to understand how the graphics adds to the brands identity. This chapter studies Chanels history and current brand identity. The reason why this chapter will investigate the historical and current brands identity is to understand why Chanels possible reasons of brand value and its consumers perceptions. 4.1 Chanel Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. (Coco Chanel: 2010). Chanel has a strong influence on its target audience. Chanel did not design well for women because she was a woman. She invented how modern women should dress because she epitomised the independent rule breaking women. Caroline Rennolds Milbank (2005:27) suggests that Coco Chanels clothing range was basic. These inspirational quotes give Chanels brand an identity and meaning. According to Ritson (2004:21), a perception is subjective, supported by the individual consumers values, needs, beliefs or experiences. Laforet S (2010:213) views the role of brands in building corporate reputation, over time through advertising and communication. Gabrielle Coco Bonheur Chanel (August 19, 1883 January 10, 1971) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. She was the only fashion designer to appear on Time magazines list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Chanel had a desire to rise above her common origins. Her talent and dedication unveiled her to a successful business and social prominence. Her professional life gave her a platform for the social class society. (2011:45) According to Forbes, the house of Chanel is partly in ownership with Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer (grandsons of the early partner Pieerre Wertheimer (Forbes: 2011) reference) Chanel designs S.A.S designs, manufactures and retail fashion. (reference) 4.2 Target audience Chanel has always specialised in items such as simple suits, dresses, womens pants and costume jewellery too. Coco Chanels designs and creations are timeless. (Publication march 4/2011). Chanel represents women who want to be stylish, simple and elegant. Teo jia En views Chanels brand as a very strong brand (2010:7) 4.3 Micro analysis Strength Strong brand image: The story of Coco Chanel, who famously said fashion passes, style remains: Conveys a very strong message of Chanels timeless elegance. Cult Designer Karl Lagerfeld he has known to change nothing but everything for Chanel Beauty is in the detail Chanel is famous for its tweed material, detailed chain, and embroidery 4.4 Macro analysis Technology Macala Wright explains that all luxury brands have challenges with creating a connected consumer experience, especially in the automotive sector. Imhoff advises that, in addition to a companys main web presence on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, they must also participate in forums where consumers have built communities celebrating their passion for the companys products. We always participate in an authentic and transparent manner building a solid connection between our consumers and our brand shared Imhoff. (2012) Social The consumer believes the value of the one who is wearing Chanel bag has a higher value than the one who is not wearing such a brand. The consumer feels the brand equity increases their social value Political Piracy of this bag has decreased the amount of sales Chanel could potentially have. The New York times makes a point that fake bags can function as free advertising for the real thing. I believe that people who buy fake designer handbags may decide to buy the real thing when their income increases. 4.5 Market position Chanels financial expert estimates that Chanel had a third of of Frances fashion and luxury goods sector in 2008 with an estimated value of $10.3 billion. The luxury leader Karl Lagerfeld is an inspirational creative director for Chanel. He himself has created a very strong brand image for Chanel. At the 2010 International Herald Tribune Luxury conference in London (2010), Imran Amed interviews Karl Largerfield. Karl Lagerfeld says Chanels market reputation is judged by the consumers perception not by the market. To him market value does not matter. He is a true believer of consumers perceptions as top priority, you need to be connected to be informed. Kotler and Keller (2006:174) explain that successful brand identity strategies require that organisation fully connect with their consumers. In relation to that Belch and Belch (2004:113) expand on the point of how consumers use information from other sources can be just as important in creating a brand identity strategy. 4.6 Chanels competitors/analysis Louis Vuitton established sine 1854 is one of the main fashion brands of 2012, alongside Gucci who manges over 425 stores over the whole world are strong competitors for Chanel. According to Brandz valuation 2010 Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermes have managed to take place of the top three brands, Chanel coming in fourth. These top three brands specialise in leather, whereas Chanel does not. Chanel dropped sales by 13 percent, whilst the other top three leading enjoyed the lime light. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BRANDING?! IS IT RELEVANT? http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/p/primark-logo.jpg 5. Introduction http://www.primark.co.uk/multimedia/homepage/home-page-spring-2013/spring2013_webpage_jpegs_uk8.jpg?w=492http://www.catwalkqueen.tv/assets_c/2009/01/Primark%20Spring%20Summer%202009%201-thumb-480748-127835.jpg This chapter looks at how Primark use graphics to enhance their brands identity and the historical origins of Primark. This will add an additional and alternative perspective to what the consumers perceive to be a brands identity. 5.1 Primark Primark is an Irish clothing retailer, operating in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Primark is part of Associated British Foods (ABF), a diversified International food WHAT IS THIS!? Primark sells clothes at the budget end of the market. The company sources cheaply, using simple designs and fabrics in the most popular sizes and buys stock in bulk. All of the companys merchandise is made specifically for the company and as such Primark has its own brand names. Within both menswear and ladies wear there is one main brand name that supplies most of the fashion labels, which are added to by other suppliers. Primark Stores Ltd, an Irish upstart and subsidiary of Associated British Foods, is second largest clothing retailer in terms of sales and revenue with its existence mainly in Ireland, UK, Spain and expanding further in the Europe. It is believable that soon it will become leading clothing retailer. As this budget, chain grows further out into other parts of the world. It is performing just as well here in Europe. The Manchester Evening News (2012) states that Primark has continued to resist Europes economic woes after an exceptional year in which it racked up  £3.5bn in sales and created 10,000 new jobs. 5.2 Strategic marketing analysis Using different analysis tools reveal that Primark is expanding globally and increasing its presence in the global market; Primark has adopted an approach of Think globally, Act locally as stated by Armstrong, (2006). Primark are expanding globally, but cater needs of the local consumers as well as the current fashion trends in their particular westernized local culture. Primark supports UKs global role by showcasing the best of British fashion to a global customers as well as it reflects how it builds social cohesion and business ethics between customers and its suppliers. Considering Primark has spent next to nothing on their advertising, this statement also maybe support Van den Heever (2000:11), He believes that a brand is not a name, logo, sign, symbol, advertisement or spokesperson. A brand is everything that an organisation wants people, obviously its target market being one of the main aspects, to understand, communicate a meaning about its product and services. 5.3 Target audience Primark have clear understanding demands of their customers. Primarks market segment is the fashion conscious people under-35s with the slogan Look good, pay less. Primark has chosen cost leadership strategy; it means that Primark has a cost privilege over competitors. 5.4 Micro Analysis Cheap price clothing, Primark is known for its cheap prices, The independent News( 2012), states that Primarks retail gross margins rose by 300 basis points. Total retail sales rose by 46 per cent to  £146.5m. Nick Robertson (2012), chief executive, said: It is challenged in the UK. But fortunately we sell to 20-somethings all over the world. Primark can choose competitive prices and produce quality clothing. So right price for the right product will increase the customers satisfaction Primark is on a larger scale than a lot of retailers, and employ over 20,000 employees they have become a part of a lot of peoples lives, they create a connection with their consumers by mass employment 5.6 Macro Analysis Political factors Primarks business polices are subject to government in order to sustain the smooth running of its business Economical, the company has established itself by providing its target consumers with affordable products. The pestle anaylsis (2012) says that Primark have analysed the price of the products of its competitors and then have taken advantage of their price during recession. Their exporting, importing and manufacturing prices are so low, they are able to make profit regardless of the economical downfall Social analysis Social analysis is focused on the demographic changes that might influence the product in the new buying perceptions of the market. The taste and buying target consumer population is the business priority. When other brands launches a new marketed product, Primark surely finds a cheaper alternative for their consumers Technology An article on Marketing Plan, refers the idea of how technology does effect a business how a social or economic factor would. With innovation, technology is able to create a smoother process of maybe a product transaction or improve the quality of the products. Primark could improve the transaction process, as their ques are miles long. If this is improved with the help of technology, the economical profits will be maximised, and social value will increase, as it will be seen worn on more people It can also lessen the unethical working behaviour such as shoplifting which is very commonly occurred in Primark stores. 5.6 Market position Primark offers innovative, fashionable clothes at value-for-money prices. Like many retail fashion businesses, Primark does not manufacture goods itself: it works with its suppliers to produce goods to Primarks specification. Primark relies on low costs, economies of scale and efficient distribution to maintain its competitive market position. 5.7 Primarks Competitors/analysis Like any other business, Primark is also facing tough competition from George at ASDA, Tesco, Marks Spencer, TK Max, Costco, Next, Zara, New Look, Peacock and Matalan. Analysis for each major competitor determines that Primark has better business strength and high market share. It has good financial strengths and high profitability but relatively poor quality of management and low standards of technology position. Primark is paying least attention to its marketing strategies. Marketing represents boundary between marketplace and company, and knowledge of current and emerging happenings in marketplace is extremely important in strategic planning exercise. WHY HAVE YOU ANALYSED IT LIKE A BUSINESS? WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS? WHY IS THIS RELEVANT? 6. Advertising According to Jon Steel (1988:5), the most effective advertising involves consumers in two different but critical ways. Number one, it needs to involve them in the process of developing the communication, their feelings, habits, motivations, and desires all have to be explored and understood both how the product fits into their lives and how they might respond to different advertising messages. Jon (1988:8) follows on explaining the

Financial Aid in Education Essay -- Persuasive Argumentative Essays

Financial Aid in Education A guy in $50,000 of debt has got to be irresponsible with his money right? Actually, it is more likely that he is a college student. Hundreds of thousands of college students around the country are in a financial predicament because of the government?s impersonal financial aid policies. The federal government?s current system has too many quirks which end up hurting the people that financial aid is supposed to help. The federal government should change its financial aid policies to take several more factors, such as the percentage of educational expenses paid by the student, into account. Under the present system, all students applying for federal aid file a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is meant to figure out the amount of money a family is able to shell out for an education, or the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Assuming the student does not qualify for independent status, both the expected contributions from the student and the parents are included in the EFC. In order for a student to get independent status you have to be married or over the age of twenty-four. After filing the FAFSA, the student will receive back a Student Aid Report (SAR) which includes the Expected Family Contribution. The way most schools determine the amount of aid you will receive is to subtract the Expected Family Contribution from the total costs of the university. Total costs include such things as tuition, room and board, insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses. The student receives the difference in loans and grants. A loan is finan cial aid that will have to be paid back, normally after the student graduates. A grant does not have to be paid back. A scholarship... ...y the government. There are several small ways that the government could improve their financial aid policies to make them more responsive to the student. I believe that all of the changes I have suggested are feasible. They might take some tinkering, but in the end they would be a change for the better. These changes would make it possible for the FAFSA to more fairly represent the needs of the student. It would never hurt to have the government put more money into education, but even if they do not, they need to do a better job of distributing the aid they give. Sources Cited: Kantrowitz, Mark. "Financial Aid Estimation Calculator." FinAid. 1999. http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml (13 Nov 00) DAV. "Student Guide 2000-2001." U.S. Department of Education. 2000. http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/2000-1/index.html (13 Nov 00)

Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic assessment Essay -- essays resear

Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic Assessment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This I’ll admit was a very interesting book that looked at what could have really caused the Iraq war and whether we really had to go to war. The book talks about the flaws with the reasons that Bush proposed for going to war with Iraq and why we haven’t had a fuller victory yet. The book basically goes into details about the four observations that arise from examining certain aspects of the war and afterwards. In the next few pages I’ll be summarizing the book then stating my analysis and opinions about ideas presented in the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Veteran defense analyst and AEI resident fellow Thomas Donnelly wants to know the answers to the questions behind Operation: Iraqi Freedom. He states that â€Å"More than a year after President George W. Bush declared ‘mission accomplished’ in the invasion of Iraq, a fuller victory is yet to be won. This is in part, because a fuller understanding of the war itself remains elusive.† This elusiveness is the biggest mystery of the war and because of it four key observations have emerged. Also these observations emerge after an examination of the conventional invasion of Iraq, the resulting counterinsurgency campaign and their broader significance for the global war on terrorism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s pretty much impossible to know America’s decision about Saddam Hussein, if you don’t understand American policy in the Middle East-- from supporting him in power after the Islamist revolution in Iran, leaving him in power after the Gulf War, to removing him from power after the September 11 attacks, and, most crucially, replacing him in power with an experiment in Arab democracy. Militant Islam has been at war with the U.S. for twenty five years, it wasn’t until after Al Qaeda hit America’s heart, that the U.S. decided to wake up and take action. Therefore one of the main reasons for the war on Iraq was to strike terrorism and all involved at the roots. Bush’s initial strategy of invading and a change of regime essentially became a complete removal of regime. According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld getting rid of Saddam Hussein and his henchmen was comparatively easy taking into account that now they have to install a democratic and pluralistic form of Government after the people ... ...p;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I agree with the author’s statement that the Pentagon did not fight a decisive war. It was done very rapidly, but I don’t think that they took into account how long we’d stay in Iraq after the war. We’ve had more casualties in time after the war than we had in the war. The Pentagon didn’t seem to realize just how hard it would be to restore order in Iraq after the war. The war itself was well planned out, but the hunt for Saddam Hussein and the restoration process was quite sloppy. The fact that we’re still in Iraq today and everyday soldiers are dying, just goes to show that we’re not going anywhere for a while.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author also stated that we would soon be out of Iraq if we kept going along the lines we’re going, I completely disagree with this statement, because Iraq is in a state of disorder. I think the actions we are taking right now will escalate into a bigger war which will not just include Iraq. After all Nostradamus who â€Å"predicted† the 2 World Wars also predicted a third World War that would take place in the Middle East. I don’t believe in that stuff, but I do believe that this will escalate into something bigger. Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic assessment Essay -- essays resear Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic Assessment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This I’ll admit was a very interesting book that looked at what could have really caused the Iraq war and whether we really had to go to war. The book talks about the flaws with the reasons that Bush proposed for going to war with Iraq and why we haven’t had a fuller victory yet. The book basically goes into details about the four observations that arise from examining certain aspects of the war and afterwards. In the next few pages I’ll be summarizing the book then stating my analysis and opinions about ideas presented in the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Veteran defense analyst and AEI resident fellow Thomas Donnelly wants to know the answers to the questions behind Operation: Iraqi Freedom. He states that â€Å"More than a year after President George W. Bush declared ‘mission accomplished’ in the invasion of Iraq, a fuller victory is yet to be won. This is in part, because a fuller understanding of the war itself remains elusive.† This elusiveness is the biggest mystery of the war and because of it four key observations have emerged. Also these observations emerge after an examination of the conventional invasion of Iraq, the resulting counterinsurgency campaign and their broader significance for the global war on terrorism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s pretty much impossible to know America’s decision about Saddam Hussein, if you don’t understand American policy in the Middle East-- from supporting him in power after the Islamist revolution in Iran, leaving him in power after the Gulf War, to removing him from power after the September 11 attacks, and, most crucially, replacing him in power with an experiment in Arab democracy. Militant Islam has been at war with the U.S. for twenty five years, it wasn’t until after Al Qaeda hit America’s heart, that the U.S. decided to wake up and take action. Therefore one of the main reasons for the war on Iraq was to strike terrorism and all involved at the roots. Bush’s initial strategy of invading and a change of regime essentially became a complete removal of regime. According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld getting rid of Saddam Hussein and his henchmen was comparatively easy taking into account that now they have to install a democratic and pluralistic form of Government after the people ... ...p;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I agree with the author’s statement that the Pentagon did not fight a decisive war. It was done very rapidly, but I don’t think that they took into account how long we’d stay in Iraq after the war. We’ve had more casualties in time after the war than we had in the war. The Pentagon didn’t seem to realize just how hard it would be to restore order in Iraq after the war. The war itself was well planned out, but the hunt for Saddam Hussein and the restoration process was quite sloppy. The fact that we’re still in Iraq today and everyday soldiers are dying, just goes to show that we’re not going anywhere for a while.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author also stated that we would soon be out of Iraq if we kept going along the lines we’re going, I completely disagree with this statement, because Iraq is in a state of disorder. I think the actions we are taking right now will escalate into a bigger war which will not just include Iraq. After all Nostradamus who â€Å"predicted† the 2 World Wars also predicted a third World War that would take place in the Middle East. I don’t believe in that stuff, but I do believe that this will escalate into something bigger.