Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Gap Inc. as a major retailer of wearing apparel and accessories Case Study

The Gap Inc. as a major retailer of wearing apparel and accessories - Case Study Example Gap is in the fashion industry and must continually compete on the basis of brand desirability. Brand name equity is Gap's greatest asset. However, the recent economic downturn has had, and will continue to have, a negative impact on Gap's ability to generate revenue. Gap is a luxury apparel item and would be one of the first to be reduced in a consumer's budget. In 2007, Gap closed several Forth and Towne stores after test marketing did not meet with customer acceptance (We Are Gap Inc. ). In addition, protectionist attitudes in the US, and the coming election, may alter the trade agreements that have benefited Gap's manufacturing and distribution strategies. The industry environment is best analyzed by using Michael Porter's five forces. New entrants into the fashion apparel industry are faced with the ease of entry, and the difficulty of marketing. Globalization has made it easier for international brands to compete via the Internet or established distribution networks. According to Formisano, "As more countries develop around the world, more competitors are created, which fuels more competition for market share" (58).

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Healthcare Issues in America Essay Example for Free

Healthcare Issues in America Essay Some of the healthcare issues that share the limelight with politicians nowadays are the skyrocketing cost of drugs, health insurance system, the ever growing cost of hospitalization fees and the low coverage of insurance for malpractices for doctors. Debates and plans have been made so as to improve the quality of service to the people. But really, are these the real issues that an average American or a politician should give much emphasis on? There is a growing epidemic that is invading the country in silence†¦ And because it doesn’t make much noise as that of an aggrieved patient filing for a case against a physician, who by mistake, has distorted her nose in some way, that doesn’t mean this epidemic is not worth our time. For some reason these issues aren’t given much attention when in fact it threatens the very life of countless citizens therefore endangering the future of the country. Obesity, Alcohol Abuse, Mental Health, unhealthy foods†¦ These are real issues that could very well be the cause of more deaths and unhappy citizens of this country†¦Though these issues have been around for decades much of the efforts to address these problems are often not enough or simply useless. To further impress the gravity of the situation, it is therefore right to discuss these issues one by one. In the next few decades Scientists conclude that life expectancy for an average American could decline by as much as 5 years unless the government do something to decrease the rates of obesity (Dollemore 2005). With the rise of capitalism which gave way to consumerism, more and more goods make it to the hands of an average American. Life has also been fast phased which led to the success of over the counter dinners and lunches, ready to cook meals, watching television , playing video games, using computers and etc. The youth has been living a very sedentary lifestyle which lessens their interest in physical activities. Much worst is that there has been a sudden influx of quality computer games that has taken much of their time. They are also bombarded with fast foods, high fat, high sugar meals which are made available at every corner store. These factors lead to obesity that has taken the world aback with a staggering 20% increase in obesity rates among the youth. Diabetes is one of the complications that can sprout from Obesity. Cardiovascular diseases are also common to those who have diabetes. Emotional stress is also experienced by those who are obese are society tend to discriminate these people giving them less chances to enjoy life. The irony of it is that the government provides services to treat obesity rather than preventing it. It is a growing epidemic and unless we get to its roots, it will continue to rot away the future if countless American youth. According to surveys approximately 11 million current drinkers are in the ages of 12-20. Half of these drink excess to the point of losing total control to the outside environment. These drinkers are the American Youth who at a tender age finds solace in beer bottles. Alcohol abuse can lead to different kind of injuries such as alcohol related accidents, date rape, fire and etc. Automobile crashes, suicides, homicides, and unsafe sex leading to teenage pregnancies are one of the gruesome after effects of teenage drinking that are often overlooked by their fragile minds. Underage drinking is a widespread problem which can be attributed to the free access to liquor by minors. Substance abuse is very much widespread especially in impoverished areas in the country and this eventually lead to mental incapacity.   One need not look deeper to know that these issues are interconnected in someway. Teenage drinking and Obesity are discussed in detail to show that all the rest of the issues find its roots on the two events. The rest are just offshoots from these problems. Given the above issues, I guess it would be more appropriate for the government to give more attention to the cause of the problem rather than spending billions for rehabilitation facilities, diet programs and etc. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It is indeed pretty much logical to answer the question on why the youth is engaging in substance abuse rather than put them in rehabilitation centers.   The thing is, the government is spending large amount of money to improve healthcare services to the populace not taking into consideration that these ailments that they are treating could not have found its way to the average American citizen in the first place. Now if by the end of the century this epidemic is not yet cured, then worst comes to worst, this country should expect more sickly citizens needing healthcare services to address their plight for good health. This is where my thoughts go in full circle†¦ if the government spend as much time, money and effort in addressing the problem of healthcare improvements and that of actually improving the health of its citizens, then I guess there is better hope for the future Americans. Come to think of it, if the epidemic is not stopped, more and more citizens will need healthcare services from the government. As a consequence, no matter how we try to improve the healthcare services and insurance system it will never be enough. Laws of supply and demand holds true even in this situation. More sick people, more hospitals, more doctors, more healthcare services, more chances for politicians to exploit the scenario by adding â€Å"improved healthcare† in their platforms. This is a vicious cycle, and unless we recognize the need to focus on individual health rather than health care services, we will never be able to actually address the problem of healthcare in this country. References Dollemore, D. (2005). Obesity Threatens to Cut U.S Life Expectancy. Retrieved April 10, 2007, from http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2005/nia-16.htm.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

International Relations Essays Global Culture

International Relations Essays Global Culture What is meant by a global culture and how and why do transnational corporations seek to promote such a culture? A global culture can be seen in one of two ways. One suggests that today’s communications and technologies allow a more open spread of culture around the world – people in far corners of the globe are able to be aware of and share each others culture. It is a view that sees global culture as generally positive – something that encourages diversity and a mixing of culture and has enabled people around the world to overcome national boundaries to embrace common causes. The more common perception of global culture is that of a Western, predominantly American culture gradually imposing itself around the world, often to the detriment of long established local cultures. For analysts opposed to globalisation this type of global culture is slowly killing diversity and devastating traditional ways of life. Scholte suggests that this viewpoint is that: â€Å"Globalisation introduces a single world culture centred on consumerism, mass media, Americana and the English language† (p23 Scholte 2000). It is this type of global culture in particular that transnational companies are linked to and are generally happy to promote. Transnational companies have become economic superpowers as globalisation has spread and the development of a global culture is seen to benefit them economically. Certainly the potential wealth that the transnationals can offer to indigenous populations can take precedence over the upholding of local tradition and culture. The basic human desire to accumulate wealth can often override cultural, ethnic and religious factors when transnational companies set their sights on economic expansion in a particular area. A global culture involves the spread of popular cultural icons around the globe, often diluting and overriding local cultures with the threat that the vast cultural diversity that the world offers will one day be submerged beneath a dull uniformity. Advances in technology and communications have helped propagate cultural globalisation. Digital communication, satellite television and the Internet are methods of communication that can overcome any national boundaries or government control – as Held and McGrew write: â€Å"Many national controls over information have become ineffective. People everywhere are exposed to the values of other cultures as never before† (p17, Held and McGrew 2003). Deregulation of media ownership along with technological advances combined in the latter decades of the twentieth century to allow the largest media companies to establish networks in many countries. This media influence gives companies the opportunity to promote their own cultural preferences and it is notable that the global media is dominated by the same eight transnational media companies that dominate the US media: General Electric, ATT Media, Disney, Time Warner, Sony, News Corporation, Viacom Seagram and Bertelsmann (p261 Held and McGrew 2003). These companies aggressively seek to become global players – the US market is largely developed and the global markets provide better opportunities for expansion and getting ahead of the competition – Time Warner predict that non-US sales will yield the majority of their revenue within the next decade. With the global expansion of US media companies comes the global expansion of US culture. The power of Hollywood is one of the prime examples of cultural globalisation with an American agenda. A seemingly endless line of films promoting an American cultural and political agenda emanate from Hollywood and have driven independent film making in many regions either out of business or underground. Some countries such as Norway, Mexico and South Africa have seen government subsidies try to support domestic film production companies, whilst the success of the Indian ‘Bollywood’ film industry is one of few examples of cinema audiences resisting the spread of a global culture. The economic benefits to the transnationals can be huge. Cable and digital television channels across the globe are owned by the major transnational companies and are hugely important parts of their revenue streams. Major Hollywood studios were expecting revenue from global TV rights to their film librarie s to have exceeded $11 billion by the end of 2002 (p261 Held and McGrew 2003). The marketing power of the transnational companies ensures that the values, brands and culture of the US are spread globally. Some of the largest brands generate money that outstrips many national economies – Coca Cola’s brand for example was estimates by a brand consultancy to be worth $68.9 billion. (p119 Legrain 2002) The continuing expansion of such brands through the development of a global culture is something certain to boost the profits of the transnationals. Writers on globalisation such as Naomi Klein in particular link brands to global culture and the influence of the transnationals. She writes: â€Å"Power, for a brand-driven company, is not attained by collecting assets per se, but by projecting one’s brand idea onto as many surfaces of the culture as possible†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (New Statesman 24 Jan 2000). This view of those opposed to globalisations suggests that propelling popular cultural icons into established cultures and forcing homogenous culture to take a back seat to Western culture is very much the aim of transnational companies.   Certainly, the marginalisation and dilution of local cultures through the efforts of Western media and brand marketing is a concern. Lloyd Fernando writes ominously: â€Å"The world is truly eclectic and simultaneous these days and Marshal Macluhan’s deterministic vision of us all being plugged into one vast electrical organism like domestic animals at a a trough is far too close for us to laugh at† (P111 Mittelman and Othman 2001). The spread of the English language is another aspect of a global culture that transnational companies promote. In addition to Western films, music and media being promoted across the globe in an attempt to dominate popular culture, the ability to speak English is becoming seen as practically a necessity to get on in many of the world’s poorer nation – financial and economic institutions worldwide are adopting English and it is increasingly difficult to operate in the world’s markets without the language. Mandal states: â€Å"Globalizers actively promote English as a purely functional and even neutral language that is synonymous with economic growth, technological advancement and modernity as a whole† (p120 Mittelman and Othman 2001) and it is clear that non-governmental organisations such as the IMF and World Bank largely support the transnational companies in their promotion of English as a global language. Much of their analysis of the economic crisis in South East Asia in the 1990s suggests that the countries in the region that recovered best were those that had made the most progress in introducing the English language into the culture.   Across the globe, governments are accepting this aspect of global culture – in South Korea large scale English villages are being developed for locals to immerse themselves into the language, whilst the Mongolian government, in a country landlocked by Russia and China has announced long term plans to make English its primary second language. One of the greatest fears of those opposed to cultural globalisation is that it offers English speaking and western culture as something to aspire to whilst abandoning traditional culture. Hirst and Thompson write that: â€Å"National cultures that aim to be dominant over the individual that belong to them are increasingly projects of resistance to and retreat from the world† (p266 Hirst and Thompson 2000) – in effect, people and cultures that do not embrace the Western led global culture are seen as conservative, suspicious and most probably less likely to see investment from transnational companies. Globalisation is not going to go away, neither are the huge transnational companies. Some see the growth of a global culture and the wealth and opportunity that these huge organisations can bring as something for which diversity of culture can be sacrificed. They also argue, correctly, that people wherever they live do have a choice. Whatever the power of western marketing, if people across the globe choose to maintain their own culture and reject global or western culture, they have the power to do so. Others continue to argue that cultural globalisation in itself promotes diversity and a respect for other cultures. Those opposed to globalisation remain strongly opposed to the spread of the stereotypical McDonalds and Coke culture that personifies Western and particularly American culture. For transnational companies, profits are the bottom line and continual expansion across the globe is one of the best ways to ensure that they continue to make a profit. Transnational companies, ri ghtly or wrongly, have little concern for the protection of local culture – if a global culture will ensure that more of their products are sold, they will continue to promote it.   Bibliography Jan Aart Scholte, Globalization – A Critical Introduction, Macmillan Press Limited, London 2002 Philippe Legrain, Open World: The Truth About Globalisation, Abacus, Great Britain, 2002 Robert McChesney, The New Global Media in Held and McGrew The Global Transformations Reader, Polity Press, Cambridge 2002 Naomi Klein, Tyranny of the Brands, article New Statesman, 24 January 2000 James H Mittelman and Norani Othman, Capturing Globalisation, Routledge, London 2001 Paul Hirst and Grahame Thompson, Globalisation in Question, Polity Press, Cambridge 2000 Christopher Cook, Human Dignity Needs Protection, article at www.populist.com/00.2.cook.html

Friday, October 25, 2019

Anxiety Disorders Essays -- OCD Post-Traumatic Stress Panic

This paper is going to be about anxiety disorders. I am going to explain what anxiety is and the different types of anxiety disorders. The types of anxiety I am going to talk about are Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress, Panic Disorder and Social Phobia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps some one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps some one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults. These disorders fill people's lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event such as a business presentation or a first date, anxiety disorders are chronic, relentless, and can grow progressively worse if not treated. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: OCD afflicts about 3.3 million adult Americans. It strikes men and women in approximately equal numbers and usually first appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. One-third of adults with OCD report having experienced their first symptoms as children. OCD involves anxious thoughts or rituals you feel you can't control. With OCD you may be obsessed with germs or dirt, so you wash your hands over and over. You may be filled with doubt and feel the need ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Dhl Introduction

————————————————- DHL Express From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia â€Å"DHL† redirects here. For other uses, see  DHL (disambiguation). DHL Express Deutsche Post AG| | Type| Division| Industry| Express Logistics| Founded| 1969| Headquarters| Bonn,  Germany| Key people| Ken Allen (CEO, Chairman)[1] Adrian Dalsey  (co-founder) Larry Hillblom  (co-founder) Robert Lynn (co-founder)| Products| DHL Express Worldwide DHL Express 9:00 DHL Express 12:00|Owner(s)| Deutsche Post DHL| Employees| 275,000| Website| www. dhl. com| DHL Express  is a  division  of the German logistics company  Deutsche Post DHL  providing international  express mail  services. Deutsche Post  is the world's largest logistics company operating around the world. [2]  DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail. [3][4] Originally founded in 1969 to deliver documents betwe en  San Francisco  and  Honolulu, the company expanded its service throughout the world by the late 1970s.The company was primarily interested in offshore and inter-continental deliveries, but the success of  FedEx  prompted their own intra-U. S. expansion starting in 1983. DHL aggressively expanded to countries that could not be served by any other delivery service, including the  Soviet Union,Eastern Bloc,  Iraq,  Iran,  China,  Vietnam  and  North Korea. In 1998,  Deutsche Post  began to acquire shares in DHL. It finally reached majority ownership in 2001, and completed the purchase in 2002.Deutsche Post then effectively absorbed DHL into its Express division, while expanding the use of the DHL brand to other Deutsche Post divisions, business units and subsidiaries. Today,  DHL Express  shares its well-known DHL brand with other Deutsche Post business units, such as  DHL Global Forwarding  and  DHL Supply Chain. The DHL Express Service has ce ased domestic operations in the United States of America, as of February 2009. [5]

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Jane Austen’s Portrayal of Darcy in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Mr Darcy is, in a single word, our hero. He is everything we should hate, in fact everything Lizzy does hate, but also everything we find irresistible. He is both interesting and enigmatic and his appeal stems from the fact that to understand him you have to delve down deeper. Jane Austen’s success in portraying him well is due to her style of writing. She teases, giving only snips of information. To put together a character you must build up what you know- which usually isn’t much. What is also engaging about her portrayal of Darcy is that we initially only see him through Lizzy’s prejudiced eyes. Darcy’s negative points are focused on and it’s only really on completion of the novel that you realise he isn’t who he is thought to be. This is very clever on Jane Austen’s part as the reader is always left wanting more. We are first introduced to Darcy in Chapter Three. Mr Bingley is first introduced- he is â€Å"good looking† and has â€Å"unaffected manners†. Also he has fine sisters with a â€Å"decided air†. However all this cannot help but pale in comparison when his friend is brought to the attention of the room. He grabs attention with â€Å"his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien†. It is also swiftly reported that he has ten thousand a year- making him a very eligible catch for any young woman (especially any of the five Bennet girls). However, within the same praising paragraph, another side is exposed. People are disgusted with his manners, â€Å"He was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased†. Here Jane Austen is already doing what she does best. Darcy has overshadowed his companions but he isn’t allowed his glory as the follow up is less than pleasing. This leads us to believe that Darcy is not blessed with his friends virtues- pleasantness and joy- but is fact vain and arrogant. Jane Austen starts us down a particular way of thinking and I believe it is a deliberate attempt to deceive us. It makes Darcy’s true nature all the more surprising. Ten he is overheard to have called Lizzy â€Å"tolerable† which is a despicable crime as she is our heroine and the one we feel closest to. Another shrewd move by Austen- first impression always last. Which is ironic because Darcy later talks of how fragile his good opinion is. What we know of Darcy now will constantly affect what we later discover. In Chapter Five Darcy’s behaviour is brought up in Lizzy’s conversation with Charlotte Lucas. This is most probably the topic of conversation for every lady present at the ball and it shows that Darcy is definitely a man to be talked about.. Only once we have formed an opinion of Darcy does Austin make it known that he find something very lovely in â€Å"the beautiful expression of her dark eyes†. However he puts down his feelings because she has not the suitable means to ever be anything to him. Once more Darcy’s pride and vanity surpasses what could have been a great virtue- affection for our heroine. It is obvious he likes her- he offer’s to dance with her although he gets no pleasure out of it- but his reserve and pride means his true, sensitive nature is covered up. Also we must remember that her portrayal of Darcy would have been affected by the period. Many criticise Darcy’s detachment from open feelings and his aloofness toward Lizzy but at this time formality was required of gentlemen. It may seem now that his attitude is rude and hostile but declarations of passion were not commonplace. Men of this time had to have absolute self-control. Which makes Bingley’s behaviour all the more pleasing and Darcy’s behaviour all the more surprising. Bingley is not at all formal but generous, open and very hospitable whereas Darcy, his closest companion, is still holding back. It surprising the reader that some of Bingley’s kindness hasnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t rubbed off on Darcy. Something which gives a hint of Darcy’s true nature is his attitude toward Miss Bingley. She has the same social standing as he and is the type of woman he was brought up to marry. She is also aware of the fact that Lizzy is , bluntly speaking, of a much lower social standing than he should marry. However he is not at all drawn into nastiness by her verbal attacks on others- â€Å"He listened to her with perfect indifference†. He lacks a cruel streak but is simply honest, if somewhat lacking in subtlety. What he doesn’t lack is modesty- especially where Mr Wickham is concerned. In Chapter Eighteen the pair dance and they discuss Wickham briefly. Darcy could have told Lizzy everything, recommending himself over Wickham and earning points. However he didn’t take advantage of the situation, preferring to wait until Chapter Thirty Seven when he writes to Lizzy. His proposal could have been a very successful event had his pride not stepped in and dwelt on the i nferiority of her family. There was a sense that great passion and feeling was behind the offer but again Austen degrades him using his incredible weakness- his pride. But even that doesn’t cushion him from the wound of her rejection. We feel maybe Darcy is human after all. His letter is what clinches this suspicion. This is raw Darcy- but even this is restrained. It is also very open and could turn the whole plot around. The proud man at Netherfield, who could well prove Wickham’s account of him, has not gone totally but is much reduced. He is still vaguely proud and reserved- â€Å"I write without any intention of paining you or humbling myself†- but he has lost the requirement he felt to be discrete about Wickham. He feels comfortable enough with Lizzy to be honest. This firmly suggests that his feelings are true as we know how little he discloses to anyone. Even this letter ends with a blessing, so even after rejection he is not the ogre he appears to be. I think Jane Austen had him write the letter immediately after he is rejected to prove that he has been humbled, looking at himself with the criticism Lizzy had of him. It makes us think better of him but we still struggle, as Lizzys does, with how he usually appears- so haughty and conceited. Austen doesn’t clear him of all charges which is clever as it adds more to the story if Darcy stays a little mysterious. Towards the end we are able to get a fuller picture of Darcy. When Lizzy goes to Pemberly with her aunt and uncle she gets her first, first-hand account of Darcy she has really had. His housekeeper, with no reason to lie, talks easily of his good-nature and thoughtfulness towards others. It surprises Lizzy but she doesn’t dismiss the idea- the letter has rattled her- and the reader’s- firm opinion of his hateful character. When she meets Darcy out walking he leads on from this description by politely addressing her relatives., inviting her uncle to fish with him and of course asking, most humbly, if he may introduce his sister to Lizzy. Here he is in his own territory and has no need to put up a front so he relaxes and becomes very amiable. In the next chapter we meet his sister and we know at once that Wickham has been lying as she is shy, gentle and unassuming. I think at this point Lizzy is feeling real shame for her presumptions and maybe after seeing Pemberly and Georgiana, slight regret in her total dismissal of Darcy. He has done more than enough to clear his name. Despite this he is kinder still when he learns of Lizzy’s family’s disgrace concerning Lydia’s elopement. Darcy could have turned away- it would have probably been in his best interests if he hadn’t got involved but his love for our heroine means he will do whatever it takes to ease her suffering. And he even has the grace and modesty to let Mr Gardiner take the credit for the money he laid down for the marriage. Here Austen does nothing to make his good deed bad- this time he is without fault She is allowing us to see Darcy in his rightful form. And coupled with his active role in preventing Wickham from marrying Georgiana we see he is truly a gentleman. His second proposal is certainly the best image we have of him- and rightly so. He is warm and compassionate, acknowledging his beastly behaviour, explaining it and apologising for it. I think Austen intends us to believe Lizzy is what Darcy needed to check his pride and overcome his shyness. Which makes the coupling all the more perfect. What is so good about Jane Austen’s portrayal of Darcy is that he is exactly what Lizzy needed in a husband. He is quick and can match her wit- smiling when she gets the better of him. They fit together perfectly, complementing all the best qualities in each other. Throughout the novel Jane Austen uses the character of Darcy and develops it in all the best ways. He maintains an air of mystery throughout until the end where we are all pleased with the result. Beautifully done.