The Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960’s

â€Å"If you want to know about the sixties, then listen to the music of the Beatles†. This quote sums up the impact of the Beatles, who have become unaccountably linked with the sixties decade and all that it involved. The appeal of groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones has transcended the generations and created an interest among young people today. Is this purely an interest in reminiscence or are there other factors, which have continued to attract fans? At every stage in history, there are a number of forces that contribute to creating the climate for change, and the 1960's were no exception. For the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960's one of these factors was the baby-boomer generation. This was when there was a big increase in the quantity of children being born. This was due to people putting off having children during the war, but now it was over they were able to do so. This meant that there were more teenagers during the 1960's than usual. So any trends or fads that became popular with youngsters became loved by hundreds. Another factor is that teenagers were starting to have more of an impact in the society and culture at the time. This was mainly because they had more money to spend on clothes, magazines and records etc, so they had more power on what was going to be popular at the time. This resulted in the Beatles and Rolling Stones music being bought and listened too much more, compared to if no one had any money. A further big factor was the advances in new technology at the time, for example television and radio. This meant that everyone could listen to the new music that was appearing and they were able to be the first to find out who was number one – which was essential at the time. There was also the transistor radio, which allowed people to listen to music wherever they were. A cause for the two bands being successful was also about being in the right place at the right time, pure luck. If they had released their singles in the 1950's, they may not have been so successful because of the popular cultures present at the time. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones also helped to â€Å"knit together a youth sub culture†. They were the ones who encouraged them to live their lives as they wanted too, and not how they were always being told to live, by their parents – they taught them to be independent, and that it was acceptable to be independent. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones brought a new energy and a distinctive sound to their performances, which helped them to match the moods of the 1960's. The Beatles had an enormous ability to satisfy their fans, and they had a great freshness in each single that they released. The image that youngsters were seeing from the Beatles was young and vibrant – exactly what they wanted to see. They were clearly normal people, with qualities such as humour, charm, wit, inventiveness and cheek. The Beatles also had regional accents – which has not been seen before! They were regular guys trying to make it big – and they did! These characteristics can be seen clearly in some interview footage that we watched, with Paul's humour and George's cheekiness, showing that everyone loved them. The people of the sixties loved these characteristics; they felt that they could connect with the Beatles, as they were no different to them. Every song of the Beatles was written by one of the band members, as was the music, which accompanied the lyrics. This meant that they had unique sound and were original, compared to others around at the time. Each song released by the Beatles was enthusiastic and participatory for their audiences, whatever their age, meaning there was not a soul that didn't like what was being drummed into their ears. This can be seen through the song â€Å"Yellow Submarine† – the fans wanted Ringo to write a song and perform it, so he did. He knew that he wouldn't be successful performing the song, so he wrote a humorous song. This also shows the characteristics that he had. It furthermore shows that the Beatles were so popular, that they didn't mind releasing a single that could end in a complete disaster, because whatever they did release was loved! Previous music that had been released was mainly by solo artists, whereas the Beatles was a band, the first â€Å"boy band†. They, along with other bands around, like the Rolling stones, marked the move away from the individual style to the importance of the group. One thing that can be said about the Beatles is their distinctive style. When Brian Epstein became their manager he changed the way they looked, with new, fashionable haircuts and an innovative style of clothes. This meant that they were appealing to every class in the UK – nobody considered them to be too posh or too poor, they were just right, meaning no one had objections to them – not even the older generation who were very much against the changes in culture that were currently taking place. This meant that the Beatles were popular with everyone, meaning they impacted everyone's lives, with people beginning to follow the style of the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones would never have made it without the phenomenal amount of help they received from their managers, from advertising and commercial success. Andrew Oldham made the Rolling Stones what they were. He was a very dominating manager, and liked to be in control of everything that they were doing at any one time. This can be seen from when he locked the band in a room till they had their own music and lyrics, this seems a cruel thing to do, however it made the Rolling Stones produce original and unique music, which everyone loved. Andrew Oldham was also responsible for the rebel image that the Rolling Stones had during the sixties, this encouraged people to follow in the footsteps of their image ideas, it also encouraged the youth of the century to become rebels and independent. Brian Epstein changed the Beatles from common looking boys to professional looking men. He cleaned up their image, changing it from jeans and T-shirts to suits. This impacted the Beatles in a big way, as it meant that older people, who were previously against the Beatles, were now agreeing with the band, condoling the band and buying their music. This growth in the age range that they were selling to caused a huge increase in their profits, purely because of a change of clothes, instigated by Brian. The Beatles also changed to ensure that they were the profile that the record company wanted, so they would be able to continue producing excellent music. Brian Epstein also encouraged a mass amount of the fans that the Beatles had in the beginning, to bring others to like them. Brian decided that to make the Beatles look massive from the beginning he would give money to people to buy their merchandise and pay girls to scream – resulting in everyone following what these people were doing, known as Beatle mania. This was a very wise move for Brian; at it meant the Beatles became enormous in no time. Brian also set rules for the band that would make more people think they were appropriate, such as don't smoke in public and always keep your girls in the background. He furthermore had a part to play in who was actually in the band, he was the one who chose the final band, with the last member being Pete Best – Ringo Starr, even though he had no personality Brian thought he fit the band well, and he was correct. In addition to doing all the background work for the band, he produced money for them in times of need; this made the band successful as it meant they were able to do what needed to be done to become big, due to their amazing manager. Brian basically decided where they went, who they saw, whom they spoke too and created advertising deals for them! Without this great input into their career, they would be nowhere. Another major person in the success of the Beatles is George Martin, their record producer, without him their music wouldn't have sounded like it does. He was the one who sat for hours and listened to the raw music which the band produced and mixed it and made it fit, resulting in it sounding amazing. George also ensured that new sounds were brought into their music regularly, he's the one responsible for keeping them fresh throughout their careers. He furthermore holds a vast amount of the responsibility for the band being so successful, as he's the one that actually decided which songs would be released, and which songs would be binned. Without the expertise of George Martin the music of the Beatles wouldn't sound like it does today! Without the amazing input of George Martin the Beatles wouldn't have had that fresh, unique sound to their music, it wouldn't be the greats material it is considered today! The increasing amount of Television ownership and advertisement played a huge part in the fast success and impact of the Beatles. The Television brought the Beatles to a wider audience, on shows such as Juke Box Jury and Top of the Pops. Without these programmes, the Beatles wouldn't have been known by so many people so rapidly. The Television also meant that the Beatles were impacting more into people's lives, with live performances of their songs, with their styles and with the attitudes that they are showing their viewers. The mass amount of advertisement that the Beatles received meant that people assumed they were excellent, because they were everywhere, resulting in people buying their music, whether they liked it or not. Without the huge input of advertising on Television and Radio the music of the Beatles wouldn't have been known throughout the country so much, and wouldn't have been loved by everyone. The impact of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles was greatly due to their ability to adapt to the changing moods and culture in the sixties. One thing that the Beatles were excellent at was changing with time. They were continually innovative in their music and their appearance, for example; their change in clothing style with the hippies and the change in music style with the increase in drug use – Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds. This resulted in them being loved by everyone, and influencing them on what they were wearing and what they were physically doing. The music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones was constantly eclectic, experimental and extremist, they were not afraid of the results of their music! For example: the Beatles during the era of drugs released two songs basically telling people to take them: Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds and Strawberry Fields. This showed that they were not afraid to release what they wanted too, and they were experimenting with a different style. They later released Black Birds, supporting the civil rights movement – showing they care about important matters in the world -, which is a great difference to the drug songs they had previously released. Also, to try and bring peace to the world once again they released ‘Back in the USSR', which was a pro communist song. This shows that they are not afraid of being different from the other bands around; they are willing to take a risk and broadcast what they are feeling. The people of the sixties loved this about the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, hence their huge impact on their lives, as no matter what the song words were the song was loved. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were also constantly breaking down barriers in their society, which was a constant feature of the trends of the 1960's. Barriers such as parents and older people being against anything new, different or independent for the youth of the sixties, but the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were so good that they even managed to get these generations on their side. Other artists that were around at the time were still providing easy to listen to music, but the Beatles and the Rolling Stones took the risk and released what they wanted, rock music! Older generations were initially against this, but because of the factors previously mentioned they managed to get this generation on their side, meaning they were impacting everyone's lives, and were valued by everyone. Both the Rolling Stones and the Beatles were at the front of new modes of self-presentation, which was a feature of the trends of the 1960's. The Rolling Stones and the Beatles had their own, unique fashion throughout their careers, both having great influences on fashions at the time. The Beatles were suited, clean-cut boys with mop-top haircuts and The Rolling Stones showed the opposite image; messy, and posing for publicity photographs. This made them very popular to many girls for their bad boy image; this soon made them a teen idol group. The behaviour that they were showing on and off stage began to shock many people in society. One example of this is that they were taking drugs. In February 1967 a raid occurred during one of the regular parties, and police discovered a moderate amount of cannabis. The raid also served as the start of made-up stories, mainly about the appearance and behaviour of Mick Jagger's girlfriend Marianne Faithful, which only served to increase their reputation for their bad behaviour. It was also rumoured that the raid was delayed on police instructions to allow Beatles guitarist George Harrison to leave, who was among the guests. Richards was charged and a few months later stood trial for allowing drug use in his home. Jagger was charged with possessing amphetamine tablets. Richards was sentenced to a year's imprisonment and Jagger to four months, prompting this created even more publicity for them. So their actins were starting to create many shocked reactions among the public. This created a great impact, especially on the youth of the sixties. The two biggest bands at the time encouraged them to rebel against parents, relatives, etc and to take drugs. Many saw this as the bad part of their careers, however it all depends on your personal opinion. The Beatles also had a magnificent achievement during their careers, and this was that they were the first British band to break into the American market, successfully transporting â€Å"Beatle mania† to the USA. During 1964 the Beatles swept through the great US cities, drawing tens of thousands to airports just to get a mere glimpse of them. They played for no more than half an hour at each concert, however this hard work guaranteed them star status. A British band conquering America was also a sign of international cultural exchange, and it marked the first of many exchanges between the two countries. The Beatles also made a stand for what the believed in, as they refused to play in segregated audiences, this influenced the people as they saw that it was ok to stand up for what you believed in, and it encouraged different races to mix and become one. The Rolling Stones also made a stand, as they decided to provide music for both their black and their white audiences. In conclusion, both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had an enormous impact of the people in the 1960's. They encouraged people to relax and live life as they wanted to. Many things influenced their continuing success, including their normality, their style, their music and their behaviour throughout their careers. The Beatles success can be seen clearly through Beatle Mania, wherever they went Beatle Mania followed. They couldn't help this; it was a form of real love for them. George said many years later: â€Å"The world used us as an excuse to go mad, and then blamed it on us†, but there is a parallel theory that it was time for the world to go that sort of mad – get down a bit, loosen up and have some fun. This amazing change in the people of the world was hugely down to the distinctiveness, uniqueness and influential music that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones wrote and released.

Innate vs Learnt Behaviour

In your own words, detail for' and ‘against' arguments with regard to innate and learned behavior. Feel free to include your own opinion, but be sure to Justify It. Try to Include equal amount of Information for both sides. Use at least 500 words for your answer. Answer: The innate verses learnt or nature verses nurture argument is a subject that has been theorized and debated by scientists, psychologists and philosophers for hundreds of years. It Is a question that can be dated back as early as 350 BC where philosophers Plato and Aristotle had different views on whether it was nature or nurture which shaped individual behaviors.Plato believed knowledge and behavior to be innate. He theorized that all knowledge was present at birth and the environment played a unique part in shaping us. In his opinion the environment did not teach us anything we weren't born with and that Its purpose was merely to remind us of Information we already knew. Aristotle on the other hand theorized t hat behavior and knowledge had to be learnt and that we were born as tabular Rasa' or blank slate and our behavior, thoughts and actions were learnt and acquired through experiences.Although nether Plato or Aristotle theories are supported today It Is still debated hat shapes us In the people we become. Is nature or is it nurture? What is innate behavior or viewed as nature? Innate behavior is a fixed, unchangeable, untaught-of, natural behavior, which is instinctive and are born with. Behavior that is inherited or passed on through genes. Things such as reflexes are Innate behavior; a reflex Is an involuntary automatic response to a certain stimulus.Those who believe we are shaped by nature are known as nativities. Examples of innate behavior are the moor or falling reflex, the moor reflex is any sudden movement that affect the baby's neck, giving them the feeling of falling or Ewing dropped. The baby's innate reaction to this is to open their arms out wide, opening up their hands before bringing them back In to their chest almost as if to catch an object. The grasp reflex, whenever an object or fingers touches the palm of a baby's hand they will automatically grasp or grab It.The swallowing and sucking reflex, if you place something, even a finger in to the baby's mouth they will automatically suck and swallow, babies are also known to sometimes suck their fingers or thumbs whilst still in the womb, this is an instinctive reflex, something needed to survive. There are many other reflexes including blinking, breathing, sneezing and coughing. With the ability to instinctively know how to make nests, what is needed to do this and to carry the materials required to do this in their beaks.Sea turtles despite hatching on land instinctively know to head straight for the water and have the ability to swim. A very complex innate behavior can be seen in chickens. Having kept chickens since a child myself vast differences can be seen in battery hens and free range hens . Imagine this battery hens never get the opportunity to see daylight, stretch their inns, take a dust bath or forage in the dirt for worms and bugs, unlike free range hens. Yet on removing hens from the battery and giving them the gift and opportunity of a free range lifestyle, all of the natural instincts return immediately.They have always been there Just merely suppressed. Other more complex innate or instinctive behavior in animals can include hibernation and migration. Learnt behavior on the other hand or nurture is something we are not born with but which we are taught by parents, peers, teachers and can be influenced by social and environmental factors we are exposed to. These behaviors unlike innate behavior are not fixed, but flexible and can be changed at any time. Those who believe it is learnt behavior that shapes us are known as empiricists.Learnt behavior is very complex and can display itself in so many guises and can also vary diversely from one culture to another. Take for example the Europeans and the primitive mammas tribes of Africa. In Europe hunting is considered a sport whereas to the mammas tribes hunting is a necessity and way of life. Without hunting they would not be able to feed, clothe or provide for their families. To them hunting s learnt at a very young age unlike the Europeans who have the convenience of shops and no longer require learning this skill.Learnt behavior can be both good and bad, in the respect that with children a lot of learning is through copying, what they see and listen to and what they are being told about what is going on in their environment surrounding them. The good thing with learnt behavior that if it is bad such as swearing or answering back it can be rectified and changed unlike innate behavior. The body and brain combined are an amazing combination as to how it co-ordinates s, and throughout our lives we will never stop learning. Examples of learnt behavior in children include, walking, talking, lis tening, potty training to mention just a few.Babies usually makes attempts to walk from around 12 – 14 months although prior to this they have already mastered the art to get from one place to another or where they want to be. From 6 months babies may start to shuffle across the room on their bums, or lay on their front with their legs in the air trying to work out how to crawl. From 9 months babies are able to wriggle along the floor on their tummies or even rail, and by 12 months they are making attempts to walk and may even be able to when holding someone's hand. Rods are said and pronounced around them. The path to talking begins as early as 2 – 4 months when babies start to make ooh and ah sounds of pleasure. Between months 4 and 9 babies start cooing and babbling, then from 9 months they begin to point to things and vocalism with some meaning although the pronunciations is not quite there yet, by 12 – 18 months single words begin to emerge with some clarit y words such as mama or dada. Then from 18 – 24 months basic phrases and ententes start to develop with sayings like teddy gone'?From 24 months sentences begin to emerge with real meaning instead of teddy gone' it becomes Where's teddy gone'. Finally from 4 years onwards children have the same language comprehension as an adult although with basic and limited vocabulary. Some children by this age are also bilingual having parents of a different nationality are able to speak English and a foreign language having been used t hearing it during the formative years. Hearing is developmental milestone that begins whilst babies are still in the womb.From around 24 weeks gestation babies have the ability to hear sounds in the outside world, by 32 weeks they will have the ability to recognize a piece of music and move around to the beat, they are also likely to recognize the piece of music after birth. This is how we learn to listen by hearing things over and over again and through li stening to noises and people talking. Many learnt skills as a child are achieved by repetition. Although this all looks quite simple and clear cut there are problems with viewing behavior as either innate or learnt.It is relatively easy to view a singular aspect of a arson's behavior as either innate or learnt for example, hearing is innate and listening is learnt, but it would be impossible to categories a person as a whole as either innate or learnt. The main problem with trying to view behavior as either one or the other is that there are no specific scientific tests which can be carried out, and it would be practically impossible to set up such tests as people's perceptions of things are different.This would create different test results with one person viewing one thing and in the others professional opinion it could be completely different. There is also he fact that it would be seen as unethical to test such things. It has in previous years been attempted to research identica l twins, although being identical and having the same upbringing, they are unable to account for environmental and social factors, as these may be different for both of them. One spending time with one group of people going to one set of places and areas.Whilst the other twin who has a completely different group of friends, going to other places. You would also have to bear in mind the media factors the people are exposed to such as television, radio, gaming stations, the internet. It would therefore make it ritually impossible to agree whether it was nature or nurture that shaped them as individuals. Shapes us in our development from infant t o adulthood along with environmental and social factors all playing a part.Social factors may include one parent families, adopters, or where you are brought up. It is also my belief that many media factors also have a hand in what we learn things as mentioned earlier like television, internet, gaming machines, mobile phones, music, and mobile phones. I also think the social dynamics of the family also play a part too depending on what sort of upbringing you have, and who or what you learning from.

Specialists and generalists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Specialists and generalists - Essay Example There is element of efficiency as a single person controls related technical areas of organization limiting chances of confusion (Sarkar, 2011). Decision regarding improvements in tech department becomes relatively easy as other peoples contribution is limited. Employment of a single IT administrator may also results to limitation factors in development of organization. Single IT administrator would easily be exhausted due to overwork, this would result to technical problems as a result of errors created when the personnel is tired (Root and Mason, 2012). Decisions made by a single person may not be right and this would affect the overall performance of technical department of an organization. IT administrators in large companies have easy task in attending to their respective duties due to specialization. Employees are assigned to duties based on what they can do better having gathered required skills in their departments like data storage and analysis is separated from networking jobs in companies. This art of specialization has contributed to development of various companies. There are various benefits of specialization. Each and every administrator has a chance to concentrate and improve on personal duties for efficiency. Specialization makes it easy for the replacement of an employee since it’s easy to find other person specialized in the same job (Root and Mason, 2012). Disadvantages of specialization commonly experienced include; development of several departments within the same major department which may be difficult to manage, Employment of many administrators which may be costly to maintain by the organization (Sarkar,

Female Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Female Economy - Essay Example Research suggests that private wealth in America is most likely to grow by sixty percent in the year 2020 (Silverstein & Sayre, 48, 2009). It also suggests that fifty percent of this wealth would go to women. Although women have contributed positively in several fields, yet they experience discrimination and are often underestimated. They are often labeled, differentiated on basis of age or salary, characterized on basis of typical women concept or are incompetent as compared to men. This paper seeks to analyze the issue of gender differentiation and discrimination in the business domain in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Frequently, women are discriminated and often underestimated because of several reasons including chauvinist viewpoints, opposing and clashing policies, stereotyped, discrimination on basis of age, etc. Frequently, they are considered to be incompetent as compared to their male counterparts. Research suggests that in financial institutions, women are most likely to experience such characterizations and differentiations (Silverstein & Sayre, 52, 2009). Females in the financial industry and its institutions have made massive attempts and struggles in order to advance in their careers. However, it should be noted that women in the financial domain have the necessary education as well as the experience, yet they do not get promotions because of constant stereotype, labeling and the general culture of the corporate. Research suggests that women employed in financial services are often underestimated and their supervisors and colleagues often talk to them as if they do not have the basic knowledge on the subject. Company Profile Dresdner Kleinwort was founded in the year 1995. During this time, Kleinwort Benson had been acquired by the Dresdner Bank. Additionally, it gained global recognition by means of "the acquisition of the US investment bank Wasserstein Perella in the year 2001" (Christopher, 107, 2010). Its branch in Frankfurt has been successful in commencement of "trade in emission credits" (Christopher, 107, 2010). However, in the year 2008, the company experienced downfall when it's Mergers and Acquisition Department was shut in the year 2008 by Commerzbank. In the year 2009, its office in Japan was shut down. The management of Commerzbank asserted that no additional benefits or bonuses would be given to the Commerzbank group including Dresdner Kleinwort" (Christopher, 108, 2010). In the year 2010, six female employees of Dresdner Kleinwort filed a case against the investment bank because of gender discrimination and differentiation. The case was filed because they did not receive promotions and th eir pay was less as compared to their male counterparts. The case was filed because its female employees were treated as second-class workers. A study conducted in United States demonstrated that more than seventy percent of top management positions were occupied by white males in finance and banking industry. Analysis Environment Dresdner Kleinwort is considered to be a medium sized banking firm, which offers several diverse services and products related to finance. The services which it provides include "capital market products, foreign exchange derivatives and options, loans, collateralized

Comparing between (Mercedes vs Lexus) companies in the 4 ps(place, Essay

Comparing between (Mercedes vs Lexus) companies in the 4 ps(place, price, promotion and product ) - Essay Example In Japan 1926, Sakichi Toyoda founded Toyota Company. In 1989, Fiji Toyoda introduced Lexus as a part of their company owner Toyota. LS 400 were the first car model created by Lexus in Japan (Adler, 2006). This brand has international services around the world while Mercedes – Benz is a Germany company for cars. It was established in 1926. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler are the founders for this company. They have many tips of luxury vehicles and trucks (Hodge & Schachter, 2006). Marketing promotion of Mercedes Benz is outdoor with a blue sky. According to the design of the color, it is made such that the cars may sell to men for use. The place for advertisement has dark green trees and dark green lawns. This indicates that the product is high price as dark symbolizes money. The product is linked to red which means that it is of energy, passion and strength. Mercedes Benz is a car designed for the rich as it is brought out. The richness is through the use of a beautiful rich lady in its advertisement also indicating that it is a modern car and not traditional. The company offers range of products such as ES, GS, and LS luxury. There have been increases in the ranges that are offered by the company. The company has extended to offer sport models. Many models of the car can still be offered as hybrid. Promotion of the car is through consideration of demographics, geography, behavior and psychograph. Promotion is done on TVs as they are the powerful media to show the product (Mahler & Potter, 2004). Through the consideration of geography, Mercedes Benz sells all over the world. This makes the product be sold all over the word. Demographics promotion of the product brings it to be sold to different age, sex and income. Pricing of the product is high. The price of E350 is about 800,000 RMB. The pricing of the product focuses on the young successful customers. The style of the cars is high due to the high price

Charlotte Perkins Gilmanin The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Charlotte Perkins Gilmanin The Yellow Wallpaper - Essay Example The same opposition can also be read in The Yellow Wallpaper when the narrator objected to the treatment by writing: â€Å"But I don't want to go there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so!† Because she objected to the physician’s advice and treatment, Charlotte Perkins Gilman found herself recovering from her illness. Soon enough, she wrote the â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† in 1892 as a way of â€Å"rejoicing by the narrow escape† and â€Å"to reach Dr. S. Weir Mitchell and convince him of the error of his ways†. She admitted that she was â€Å"helped by a wise friend† to abandon the treatment and continue with her work. Later, in The Yellow Wallpaper, she described this person in the form of a woman who â€Å"creeps† behind the yellow wallpaper which enabled her to sink deeper into madness or liberation from her current condition. While there are feminist ideal s reflected in the story, it is mostly because of her experiences having grown up with women who thought of liberal ideas. For Gilman, the goal was to publicize the conditions of women suffering from postpartum depression during her time. The parallelism of Gilman’s life to that of the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper a testament that biographical interpretations of fictional works remain to be relevant because readers are able to have a closer interpretation of the writer's original intention in writing the story.

Porters five forces analysis - Beats by Dre Essay

Porters five forces analysis - Beats by Dre - Essay Example To analyze the market share taken by the headphones in the market, we will focus on the forces outlined in the model to discuss this. Firstly, we will focus on the supplier’s power in the global market. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of headphones in the global market. It manufactures high-end headphones, which most consumers consider them quality and classy. Further, company’s ability to manufacture them in different colours makes it even better. Most of the headphones are ‘U’ shaped. From a recent report published in business review, the company had acquired sixty-four percent of the entire market shares. Most users of the headphones view it as a fashion accessory mostly used by celebrities in the hip-hop music industry. The company has the capacity to manufacture and satisfy the global market. Secondly, the model helps its users to analyze the buying power of consumers who are its target consumers. The company appreciates that it has customers from different lifestyles hence it manufactures products as per their needs and requests. Therefore, the management has ensured that the prices of their products and software’s are all affordable to their customers in the global market. Further, the company follows the current rates of inflation in the world’s economy. To emphasize, most of the customers lies in the age bracket of 19-35 years who love to be trendy and follow the latest themes in the world of fashion. This gives the company an upper hand because their products are always on demands.

Course project - Group G Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Course project - Group G - Essay Example In this case, in making sure requirements are quite understood, there is need to find out the actual driving changes in the levels of staffing for the company. In order to achieve this, one has to make sure he/she fully understands the business alongside its plans and strategies. Secondly, the company needs to find out the needs of the driving staffing. This encompasses establishing what actually creates or changes the company’s staffing requirements, whether defined by the staffing levels or skill levels (Thomas 118). It is worth noting that, more often than not, the requirements of staffing are driven by business activity changes, either services mix or product mix, the geographical expansion, service improvement, alongside similar factor as highlighted in chapter 5 of the staffing drivers. It also essential for the company to find out the constraints that regards staffing. Other than defining the staffing drivers, the company needs to identify the limiting factors in regard to the staffing levels required. For instance, supposing the marketing forecasts products to increase sales by on average 20 percent for the following year, and the levels of sales drives the sales reps required. Looking at it at the first glance, one would conclude that the increase it would be appropriate to increase the number of sales reps. However, maxing out the manufacturing capacity, and making sure that the manufacturing capacity remains unchanged in the next year, there is low likelihood that there would be additional products produced. This happening would imply that there is no likelihood of sales increasing since there would be no additional reps needed. Fourthly, in defining the staffing levels, the company needs to begin defining changes in both positions and roles. Before attempting to define the staffing levels of staffing required, the managers should first establish the roles alongside changes required in implementing business strategies and plans. In

Chaotic and Non-Chaotic Evil Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chaotic and Non-Chaotic Evil - Assignment Example An idle man summons a window glass vendor whom he had seen from six stories below. He goes on to ask for a tinted glass. Afterwards, the idle man kicks the vendor and drops a vase on the vendor. Evil is shown through the planned chaotic actions of the idle man. The mess created by the broken pieces of glass presents a chaotic situation. In this case, the chaotic acts of the idle man are accompanied by evil. A situation where evil exist without evil is depicted when the wanderer went on a quest to discover the unpardonable sin. On his return, he finds a lime-burner who leaves the kiln for him to take care of overnight. The wanderer had realized that his quest was a wrong move and having nothing to share with the villagers, ends up burning himself. The wanderer had set off without any intention of committing evil although his mission was already an evil one. His intentions were not to cause affliction to anyone as he even thought that he would be commended for a job well done on his return. Later on, he burns himself thus resulting in an evil act. Evil without the presence of chaos it is depicted here because as soon as the wanderer sets off to seek the unpardonable sin, he already had committed an evil deed without his knowledge ( Iversen 89). He had not planned to commit the evil deed through his action of burning himself shows that he, later on, realized he had committed an evil thus r esulted to killing himself. The renegade of Avignon story is about a treacherous man who had planned on committing evil for long. His action led to the death of his wealthy friend who had accommodated him and given him. The planned actions of the treacherous friend set his friend to fail in order to take all his property and left him for dead. This is a situation where evil exists accompanied by chaos. The following are more examples of instances where evil and chaos prevail. The first five are hypothetical typologies while the latter three are historical cases depicting evil at its peak.     Ã‚  

Buyers Purchase Decision and Branding Coursework

Buyers Purchase Decision and Branding - Coursework Example The scope of the study covers all kinds of buyers with different behaviors making buying decisions with regard to different brands. There is also a detailed study on Consumer Decision Process. There is a good enough introduction on consumer buying process besides an extended and detailed introduction on Branding and Marketing emphasizing the difference between the two and how the concepts are different from each and in what way there can be a delineation between the two. There is an explanation on the different stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour, namely Need Awareness, Information Search, Checking Options, Purchase Decision, and Post Purchase Behaviour. There is also a detailed explanation on Types of Consumer Buying Behaviour in the form of Routine Response Behaviour, which is prevalent in the from of day to day items that do not need though process and are bought instantly, Limited Decision Making, which requires product research to an extent, Extensive Decision Making, which invo lves products that are unfamiliar, infrequently bought and expensive. The last form of Buyer Behaviour is the Impulse Buying that includes buying on an impulse. There is also a detailed talk about the effect of Brands on Buyer Behaviour, which includes concepts like Brand Loyalty, Influence of Brands on consumers and contribution of Brands in helping a Consumer in Buying Process, Co relation between Brand Image and self image, Brand Equity and so on. There is also an introduction of factors that influence Purchase Decision besides Brand. These factors are mentioned in the form of two main headings namely, Internal Factors and External Factors. Perceptions, Knowledge, Attitude, Personality, and Lifestyle are some such Internal Factors whereas Culture, Situation, are some of the External Factors. The final part of the study explains the general methodology to do research along with the secondary data collected. The methodology part also talks about CDP cycle in detail. The methodology part also tries to answer, why a consumer prefers some brands or stores over others and what are the basic reasons and linking factors connected to his choice. Introduction and Background In today's world where there are so many products thronged over every nook and corner of the market, it is an extremely difficult task for a buyer to choose amongst the products. Globalization has made it even more difficult with the entry of several new firms into any business. A buyer while purchasing or making a purchase decision goes through a process and reaches a final decision in favor or against the product, however Branding is perhaps the only powerful tool that not only helps a corporate establish a goodwill, but also helps a buyer in taking a fast decision regarding whether to go for a product or discard it. So Branding undoubtedly facilitates faster decision making with ease. The reason behind this phenomenon is that buyers are generally skeptical about buying any product because they have to spend money and part away from it, in lieu of some goods, which they may not trust in the beginning, until they have used and experienced them for a while. So they look up to a Brand ed product, as their savior in such an uncertainty. This purpose makes it important for us

Commentary on Testing the Reality Essay Example for Free

Commentary on Testing the Reality Essay This short but powerfully descriptive poem tells the story of a young man who comes to discover just how fragile the boundary between life and death really is. Written in the form of a dramatic lyric, the poem highlights the moment of revelation and reflection as the man realizes his mother hadnt died; instead she had moved on to another place. The themes of death and abandonment are clearly depicted by the poet through the use of tone, setting, rhythm, symbolism, hyperbole, alliteration and time. Through all these methods, the poet builds a sense of sorrow and feeling of utter reliance the narrator has upon his mother. It emphasizes the mans lifelong journey, from a young child learning to count to a fully grown man mourning the death of his 70-year-old mother. As he grows in body and matures in mind, he fills his head with knowledge and pushes at the boundaries of his world, testing it. The name Testing the Reality arises because the son has to face the reality of life, and the deaths that occur in life. The poem takes place in a church, in a funeral set-up, with flocking birds in the sky. We understand this because of the phrase so crammed church roof and belfry. I can comprehend that it is a funeral because the poet relates the hibernation of the birds to a 70 year old woman. The writer also illustrates a picture of a myriad of birds as he writes There must have been 10,000 there or more. Even though he feels immense loneliness and sadness after the passing on of his mother, he is not yet ready to follow her, and must remain in reality, hence he is the last soul still unhatched. The poem begins in the first person as the poet describes his experiences as a boy. We learn that his mother taught him to count to a ragged 20 but no higher. When he was still a boy, the sheer number of birds perching on the belfry exceeded his counting abilities, cramming church roof and belfry, cross and spire. At this later stage in his life, however, it is not due to his counting skills that he cannot count but due to the sheer immeasurable quantity and their uncontrollable, free nature, unable to be caged or catalogued. Their numbers were so great that their final taking off blacked Beestons sky. These birds feature throughout the poem, creating a sense of activity and movement and dramatic symbolism. Here, the black sky symbolises the unfortunate and sad mood. While the flocking birds represent what the man is looking at and his memories of them as a boy, they also have a metaphorical meaning, symbolizing the life and death of his mother. The crossroad of reality and imagery appears in line six with the following alliteration: picketed piercingly the passing of each day. The power of the repeated P sound reflects the sound of the birds cries. In the poets mind, each bird also represents a single day in the life of his mother. In fact, as the second stanza progresses, the birds only exist to measure the accumulated days in the life of the mans mother. Her attraction towards the birds is completed when they suddenly depart, taking her life with them. The shock of the mothers death is so deep that the first person used throughout the first two stanzas is obliterated and transformed into the third person in the last stanza, the man suddenly being referred to as her son. The third stanza also dramatizes the metaphorical blend of his mother and the birds. Death becomes the wings of night, her life becomes the flocking days. Her departure from the earth is an effusion, a release, of all her physical experiences which are soaring away. So significant was she to her son that her departing life blocked the light. In the final line the son becomes an unhatched egg/soul left behind in the clutch or the nest. Having come to associate the birds with his mother, his memories of her are immediately summoned whenever he sees them. She may be dead but she lives on in his memories of the birds. At first they shrilly hailed the first new light they saw, greeting the new day in what initially seems to be an irritating way because they are portrayed as having loud, high-pitched cries that are not particularly pleasant to the ears. However, after his mother dies, and they leave too, he comes to see them in a different light, after they soared away. His opinion of them has now changed and he sees them as graceful and elegant creatures. This imagery also successfully implies life after death, and the setting of the poem becomes important when looked at in this light. A church is a place of peaceful meditation, praying and holiness, a place where the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual, the barriers between life and death, merge. For these reasons it becomes the nest that hatches souls into the heavens. Even though the birds, and the mans mother with them, fly beyond all sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch they do not fly beyond love or memories, instead leaving a path for the man to follow when it is his turn to be hatched. The lesson the mother taught her son began with counting, but ended with a realization of life after death and the possibility of living, in spirit, for infinity.

Marketing strategy for Swatch Original watches in Vietnam

Marketing strategy for Swatch Original watches in Vietnam Statement of purpose Swatch (Swiss + watch) is a famous brand of the Swatch Group. In Vietnam, one of the main product lines of Swatch is the Original family which targets the young Vietnamese (aged, 18-25). In recent years, the brand faces not only fierce competition but also new opportunities. Thus, this report aims to introduce an approach for Swatch to increase the brand identity, sales volume and maintain customer loyalty in Vietnam market. Wrist watches industry in Vietnam: Back ground: Due to the limitation of available data, it is difficult to account the numbers of wrist watch brands in Vietnam market. However, according to an informal source, it is believed that there are about 400 brands have been recorded. They are classified to eight levels (website): Mass market Mid-end market US$150 -300 Premium market US$1.000 10.000 Low market US$10 50 Upper mid-end market US$300 -500 Super premium market >US$10.000 Lower mid-end market US$50-150 High-end market US$ 500 1.000 Focus segment: (US$50 -150) Currently, Swatch Original watches address in lower mid-end level, with the pricing vary from US$60 -80 (website) Players in lower mid-end market include: Casio, Endura, Guess, Ogival, Seiko, Swatch, Titan, Roamer, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. However, Casio is the main competitor of Swatch because these firms target the same segment, the young Vietnamese with extrovert lifestyle. Company and products: Swatch Swath is one of 19 brands which belong to the Swatch Group. This brand is famous for watches that utilising plastic housing, strap, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. with fresh and cool designs. Mission statement: Though Swatch hasnt announced its mission statement, it is believed that the brand implicit mission is to offer low cost, high quality and accurate watch with synthetic material (website) Products: Swatch has 5 product lines named: Skin, Irony, Original, Beat, Bijoux, in which the Original family is designed as youthful, witty and colourful. Distribution: Swatch watches are distributed in Vietnam mostly through Trading Development Company Limited (TDC Ltd.), the authorised distributor of Swatch. Following that, TDC Ltd. utilises 6 retail outlets (shop-in-shops, stores) and its website to deliver watches to customers (website). However, the website of the dealer is poor developed. The website provides poor contents in meager format. There are little details of Swatch watches specifications and the prices of most of the products are unavailable to check. Casio Casio Company Co. Ltd. is a famous company in consumer electronics field. Casio watches are designed as both digital and analogue watches. Mission statement: Casio Watches believe the beauty of time lies in precision with no compromise, no shades of grey and no half measures. Its all about accuracy and control (http://www.thewatchhut.co.uk/casio-watches.htm). Products: Casio has 13 different brands that target different segment. Among these, Casio Standard is competitor of Swatch Original. Casio Standard: This is the basic range of Casio watches. The concepts behind Standard are digital watches that are durable, long lifetime battery and affordable price. Casio standard target low to lower mid-end market with the pricing vary from US$35 -80 (website) In overall, regarding added functions, durability and battery lifetime, Casio watches are more competitive against Swatch (figure). Situation analysis: Internal environment analysis: Tangible resources: The Swatch Group is the world largest watchmaker corporation. Belonging to the Group, there are 156 production centers which are in charge of producing watches and watch components (website). Furthermore, there are 6 electric components and systems companies(website) which take response for manufacturing automotive, industrial electronics. Together, these firms form a system of interrelated values chains, so each parts of Swatch watches are produced with high compatibility and high quality. On the other hand, the Swatch Group has 6 general corporate companies (website) which specialise in RD, designing, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Thus, Swatch watches are likely to be updated with the latest technologies and designs. Intangible resources: Considering branding, it is one of the most valuable assets of the Swatch Group. Firstly, the Swatch brand is well known in many places worldwide. Secondly, there is a solid reputation for the brand as Swiss made watches and cool design watches. Unique selling proposition: Overall the corporations intangible and tangible assets contribute to three exclusive points: The brand reputation for quality and creative designs Ability to produce a vast array of different watch collections Ability to develop and implement new technologies and new materials in watches External environment analysis: Political: Vietnam is a country which follows one-party political system, with the central role of the Communist Party. This entity is believed to put an end to a long time of internal conflicts and generally conductive to political stability. However, regarding wrist watch businesses, there is little support from the government, the tariff on imported watches is relatively high (20% imported tax) compares to other nations (5% imported tax in Philippine) (website). Economic: Over the last decade, Vietnam is one of the best performing economies in the world. Real GDP has grown on average by 7.3 percent per year during 1995-2005, reached 90.64 billions US$ in 2008. In 2010, GDP of the first nine months is predicted to increase by 6.52% as compared to the same period last year (Vietnam key country index WB). Considering the GNI per capita, it rose double from US$ 390 in 2000 to US$ 910 in 2008 (Worldbank). As the economy continues to grow, Vietnam has moved from poorest country list to lower-middle income group in 2010, with average income per capita reached an estimated US$ 1.200. (Ministry of planning and industry) Consumer Confident Index of Vietnam remains in the top score groups (14th out of 50) in the first half 2009 (figure). Likewise, Vietnamese customers showed a great optimistic about future prospect, with the trend went upward from 85 points in the first half 2009 to 109 points in the second half of the same year (figure). Thus, it is confident to say that Vietnamese will spend more in the next year. Overall, it is believed that Vietnam economic is still growing briskly in 2011 and customers are more willing to purchase luxury products as they are becoming wealthier. Thus, there are relatively high potential for wrist watch demand in the next year. Social: Population Vietnam is one of the largest population countries in the world (ranks 13), with the composition of population reached 87,279,754 in 2009 (Worldbank). Among that, 20% of the total population is at age 15-24 in which there are approximately 1.45 million males in Ha Noi city and Ho Chi Minh (Nielsen). The number of young females is roughly equal to young males. Lifestyle: Vietnamese youngsters (aged, 15-24) are identified in three categories: Regular (48%), In-betweens (27%) and Uber modern (23%) (Nielsen). Regular group is limited in social activity and traditional values whereas the Uber modern is more individual and has high demand for social and consumer activity. On the other hand, the in-betweens embody a combination of the Regulars daily routine and Uber moderns mind set. Thus, there is a large gap between how the three youngster groups prefer products features. Regular: they are conservative buyers who look for established brand watch. They prefer durability, products functions and value over cost. In betweens: they are trendy and fun loving who look for similar values as the Uber modern, however, their consumer activity is comparatively lower. Uber modern: they are extrovert, enthusiastic who look for cool watches which can reflect their style. They are also impulse buyers. Approaches to the young Vietnamese: (see more detail in appendix B) The main points that Swatch should consider are: High quality products Creative designs watches Innovative marketing campaigns Technology: Currently, the most remarkable technology trend in Vietnam is communication technology. It is estimated that by the end of September 2010, there was 142.1 million of cellular phone subscribers. On the other hand, in 2010, the numbers of internet users was 26.6 million (Ministry of planning). Among the composition of internet users, a large part is young Vietnamese. It is reported that 88% of aged 15-24 Vietnamese (in HN and HCM) uses internet more than once a day. Moreover, Vietnamese youth show great fascinated to cyber activities, with 49% of those surveyed by TNS Vietnam had responded that they engaged in social networking (TNS). On the other hand, a lot of Vietnamese youngsters are also TV user, as the research of TNS pointed out that one of teens main activities is watching TV and movie (TNS). In conclusion, TV and internet are very potential communication channels to approach Vietnamese young generation. However, telephones pose a deliberate threat to wrist watches as they are designed with clock capabilities as well. SWOT analysis: Strengths: Swatch watches value perceived is very high among young customers For a long time, Swiss watchmakers have built for their watches a solid reputation of quality and reliability which have been experienced by numerous Vietnamese. Through mostly word of mouth, young Vietnamese have been profoundly influenced by this perception. The creative and artistic appearances The Swatch watches of the Original family have long been favored for its design. Bering simply characterized by plastic housing and trap, those products can come up in vast array of different styles from the fresh and wittiness of Gent to the dandy and femininity of Lady. Weaknesses: Electronic commercial website is poorly developed It is believe that the distributors website with regards to a bridge connects customers and the firm is not well designed. The website provides poor contents in meager format. There are little details of Swatch watches specifications and the prices of most of the products are unavailable. By contract, the results for keywords such as Swatch Vietnam, dai ly Swatch give 242.000 addresses; however, the authorised dealers website is not among the top results. Thus, this is very inconvenience for customers to find the website. Few added values A part from branding and designing, there is few added values from Swatch watches as compare to competitors products. In terms of additional functions, durability and battery lifetime, Casio watches are move competitive over Swatch. Threats: Threats from competitors (High) A major threat which Swatch has to confront is the fierce competition of rivalry brands such as Casio G-shock, Casio Standard, Tommy Hilfiger and so on. Especially Casio Vietnam, this firm has built a wide and large distribution network, with roughly 36 stores in HCM and about 6 stores in HN. Threats from replica watches (Low) On the other hand, counterfeits of branded watches also pose an implicit risk. Firstly, they are cheap. Spending about US$25 US$75, people can have a replica of luxury watch which is difficult to be detected just by judging its appearance. Secondly, replica watches are selling in many places and in the internet without being banned by the government. Threats from substitute (Medium) The large number of mobile phones used in Vietnam is another threat to Swatch. However, mobile phones are vulnerable to water and their batteries are not last for long and must be charged daily. Threats from governments policy (Medium) Finally, the high imported tax on watches of Vietnam government increases the costs of the Swatch distributor and adds higher VAT to the end customers. Consequently, the profit margin for the dealer goes down while the retail prices rise up. Opportunities: The increasing Vietnamese household income There is a bright prospect for Swatch watches as Vietnam economic is growing relatively fast. There is an estimated 77% in HN households and 67.5% in HCM achieved middle income rank and above (Nielsen). Hence, increasing income can boost up the demand for quality wrist watches. The increasing of young population Secondly, there is a population of 3 million of urban Vietnamese who are at age 18-24 (Statistical yearbook). They are currently demographic targets of Swatch Vietnam and a vast major of them have not been converted to customers. Furthermore, it is estimated that in the next 1-3 years, there will be roughly 1.5 million young Vietnamese enter the target market (Statistical Yearbook). Marketing strategy for Swatch in Vietnam market: Poster generic strategies, the Differentiation strategy will be implemented for Swatch in Vietnam. This strategy will be designed to differentiate Swatch and the competitors, then conductive to the raising of the brand awareness. Furthermore, the strategy is also expected to boost up sales volume in the targeted markets. Overall, the marketing strategy will aim to emphasize strong points of Swatch watches that are the Swiss made reputation and cool designs. Segmentation and targeting: Segmentation: Variable Typical breakdowns Geographic North Vietnam Ha Noi Middle Vietnam Da Nang South Vietnam Ho Chi Minh, Can Tho Demographic Gender Male Female Age 0-10 10-14 14-17 18-25 26-35 36-49 50-64 65+ Psychology Life style Regular In-betweens Uber Modern Targeting: Regarding geographic variable, there are five key cities in Vietnam (Nielsen). However, only HN and HCM can be targeted markets. First of all, there are considerable high expenses to open a Swiss wrist watch store due to high stocking costs, renting and interest rate. On the other hand, Swatch should invest more in HN and HCM market in order to achieve sustainability and profitability. Males and females at age 15-25 will be the target group of the firm. Because the designs of the Swatch Original are shaped as youthful, witty and colourful, which are symbol of youth. Following that, the choice market is narrowed down to 50% of the young Vietnamese who are fashion seekers (In-betweens and Uber modern group). Positioning: In order to incorporate with the differentiation strategy, Swatch Original watches will be positioned based on its two main advantages: Swiss made quality and youthful design. On the other hand, the Original watches have higher value as compare to Casio Standard in overall (figure). Hence, the products should be positioned as more value more price. Objectives: Marketing objectives: Increase brand awareness in HN and HCM market by 20% by the end of 2011 Financial objectives: Increase sales volume by 15% by the end of 2011 Marketing programmes: Marketing mix Product policy: The product choice is the Original family which embody for youthful, artistic and outlandish. New designs should be developed regularly and new collections must be released each year because the young Vietnamese are well updated to the new trends of global youngsters Regarding quality, it is vital that Swatch watches must satisfy the customers expectation of the products. Basically, the watches have to be water-resistant (up to 100 feet) and durable enough to take certain levels of impact without being scratched or broken. Additionally, packaging should also be designed artistically in order to contribute to the brand image and satisfy customers expectation. Place policy: Push strategy In short-term, Swatch watches are distributed mainly through the authorised dealers retail outlets and its website. In long-term, as the Vietnam market grows mature, Swatch manufacturer should consider open Swatch stores which are decorated in artistic style and sell only Swatch watches. These selling entities will polish the brand image and become a channel to communicate the firms campaigns to customers. Furthermore, new Swatch stores should be opened in other cities which have high household income such as Hai Phong, Can Tho and Da Nang, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. However, these stores are required to locate in good location and well decorated. Pull strategy To adapt with customers expectation and to retain their loyalty, a pull strategy must be implemented in which customers can order their favourite watches through the authorised distributor, who in turn asks the Swatch manufacturer for those products. Regarding an important source of Swatch watches information, the website of TDC Ltd. should be improved. Actions that the firm should take are re-designing and working with a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) agency. These steps aim at raising the websites attractiveness and improving its accessibility. By contract, information about pricing, watches specification and new collections must also be updated regularly. Pricing policy: Pricing from the Swatch manufacturer to the distributor A cost-based value approach should be employed by Swatch manufacturer. The pricing to the wholesaler is set by taking total production costs plus desired margin. Thus, a fair price can be offered to the distributor. Furthermore, as businessmen are very price conscious, the firm should also leverage them by price promotion. Pricing from the distributor to customers Value-based pricing policy should be employed for Swatch watches. As Swatch watches quality and designs are highly evaluated. Hence, the price should not be low; otherwise, it may confuse customers about the watches value. On the other hand, the pricing also reflect the value of Swatch watches against Casio Standard. So the products price should ranged from US$60- US$80 On the other hand, a pricing relation policy should also be implemented. For customers who have purchased more than three watches, they will receive a loyalty card which offer 15% discount for next purchases. This policy is not only aim to incentive customers but also build a firm footing for Swatch community in Vietnam in future. Promotion policy: A promotion policy is built to retain customer loyalty and leverage them to re-purchase Swatchs watches. Two types of sales promotion that will be applied are loyalty card and free gift giving on special occasions. Marketing communication mix: In order to achieve to the firms objectives in 2011, it is vital that Swatch must employ different media channels to reach its targeted customers. Three approaches that will be applied are advertising, public relations and sales promotion. These media channels are not only being utilised to convey the brand message and image but also to introduce a fashion trend to young Vietnamese. Finally, product features such as quality and designs must be emphasised in the media message. Advertising: (see detail in appendix C) Advertising on magazines and newspapers for youth Advertising in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Advertising in internet media Advertising in TVs Public relations: (see detail in appendix C) Holding flash mob events Sales promotion Where as advertising and public relations are implemented to increase Swatch watches awareness and sales volume. The promotion approach is used to retain customer. Two types of sale promotion are loyalty program and free gift offering. With loyalty card promotion, customers will be given a special ticket for each time they purchase a Swatch watch. Following that, they will get a discount card for 3 tickets that they collected. On the other hand, on special events like Vietnamese New Year Event or Christ Mast, a free gift will be giving to customers associating with the watch they buy. Conclusion: Because of Vietnamese average income is rising, it is believed that the demand for wrist watch will grow higher in next years. Hence, Swatch should invest more in RD, distribution and communication channels to not only increasing revenues but also to capture more market share. Appendix Appendix A Figures Figure 1 Vietnam quarterly GDP growth Source: Taking stock 2010 An update on recent Vietnam economic development Figure 2.1 1H Nielsen Consumer Confident Index (Source: Nielsen Global Online Survey Consumer Confidence, March 2009) Figure 2.2 _ 2006-2009 Consumer Confidence Index: Vietnam Source: Nielsen 2H 2009 Global Omnibus Study, September 2009 Reasons for favourite brand of Vietnamese youth 59% Top quality 39% Innovative, ground breaking 38% Well designed, easy to use 34% Affordable, good value of money 27% Great marketing and advertising Figure 3 Reasons for favourite brand of Vietnamese youth Source: TNS Vietnams shifting consumer landscape Swatch Original Product attributes Casio Standard 3 Materials 3 3 Lifetime battery 4 5 Cool design 3 3 Durable (water-proof, shock-proof, scratch-proof) 4 5 Reputable brand 4 4 Precision 4 3 Additional functions 4 Very low Low Normal High Very high 1 2 3 4 5 Figure 4 Value assessing between Swatch Original and Casio Standard This figure is designed based on my estimation from available data in http://store.swatch.com/ and http://www.casio-intl.com/wat/g_shock/standard.html Vietnamese youth top sources to get news and information Television 84% Internet 58% Magazines and newspapers 24% Word of mouth 13% Figure 5 Young Vietnamese sources of information Source: TNS Vietnams shifting consumer landscape Figure 6 Vietnamese youths digital life Source: TNS Vietnams shifting consumer landscape Figure 7 Vietnamese youths attitude toward brand interaction on-line Source: TNS Vietnams shifting consumer landscape Appendix B Approaches to Vietnamese youth The FCB matrix was invented by Foot, Cone Belding Advertising. The matrix is applied to explain customer buying behaviour and present approaches for media strategy. There are two directions in the FCB Grid: product involvement (high low) and product emotion (thinking feeling). Thinking Feeling High involvement Swatch Original watches Expensive products but decision making is driven by emotion Low involvement It is believed that a majority part of young Vietnamese who aged 15-25 spending a lot of their time for study and having little time for working. As a result, their financial availability is mostly depended on their parents. Which this in mind, wrist watches which cost them US$ 60- 80 will be considered as expensive products. Thus, Swatch watches are classified as high involvement products. On the other hand, Swatch watches are fashion accessories which youngsters can use them to express their style, make them feel cool and fresh. Thus, Swatch watches involve high emotional responses. Regarding reasons for favourite brand (figure 3), it is clear that products quality, designs have significant impacts on Vietnamese youth by 59%, 39% respondents respectively. In contract, these elements engage high emotional responses as they are mostly based on customers perceived value. Hence, quality, designs should be focus points in Swatch media campaigns. In conclusion, FCB Grid suggests that Swatch advertising campaigns should be creative and inspire customers by psychological benefits. Appendix C Communication mix choice Advertising: Advertising on magazines and newspapers for youth Newspapers and magazines is the number three source of information and news to young Vietnamese (figure 5). They use this channel to pull out information of various aspects which they concern include entertainment, fashion trends, news and so on. Thus, it is confident to say that printed media can deliver the brand image and message to a majority of Vietnamese youth. Advertising in social media This approach is absolute must in order to reach the targeted groups. Social networking is a new trend in Vietnam, with half of the online youngster engages in (figure 6). The advantage of this media channel is that information can be spread and shared quickly and widely as internet users are keen in communicating with others. On the other hand, young Vietnamese also pose a positive attitude toward brand interaction on-line. They accept to interact with the brands in many activities from e-mail to news and social (figure 7). Thus, a Swatch community can be built to provide not only information about the products but also to offer promotions and provide a fan space. Furthermore, through social networking, global contests of Swatch (CreArt, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..) can be introduced to Vietnamese. Famous cyber communities include: Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Advertising in internet media Internet magazines or information portals for youth are viable mediums for Swatch. They are Vietnamese youngster favourite sources of information in which they rank number two among the others (figure 5). The advantage of this media include: low costs, wide market coverage. Popular websites include: www.hihihehe.com, www.kenh14.vn, www.hoahoctro.vn, www.zing.vn Advertising in TVs TV media should be considered as a channel to reach customer. It is reported that television is the youngsters number one source of news and information. Its advantages are wide reach (% of targeted customers who watch the advertisement) and high frequency (number if time each customer watches the advertisement). Hence, TV advertising can highly increase the brand awareness among young customers. However, there are relatively high costs (costs to produce television commercials and costs for booking TV channels) in utilising this medium. However, it is notable that the advertisements should be creative in order to impress the young audiences. Furthermore, advertisement must be launched at an effective frequency to maximise the effect while spending reasonable budgets. Public relations: Holding special events is an indirect way to advertise for the products to the targeted customers. Alternatively, TDC limited can also give aid to events that are attractive to young customers. It is noticed that special events must be creative and bring joyful to audiences. Consequently, the products image is expected to be benefited from word of mouth and news on magazines. Holding flash mob events Recently, there is a new trend of the youngsters, flash mob event. It is recorded that three big events (with over 1200 participants) and a lot of small ones has taken place in HN and HCM in 2010. Thus, TDC limited can contact with key members of flash mob groups to offer them sponsorship. In return, these members will indirectly promote for Swatch watches and influence the preference of the other event participants.

Corruption Among Nations

Corruption Among Nations Agenda Kautilya’s â€Å"Arthashastra† Corruption in Ancient Rome and Athens Why corruption has become a serious problem nowadays?-arguments Variations among nations Definition of Corruption The most wide-spread definition of corruption is the one formulated by the World Bank: the abuse of public power for private gain. Corruption is a complex phenomenon that encloses different types of unfair behavior and not always associated with bribes. For instance, a public employee pretending to be sick goes on vacation thereby abusing his public position for personal benefit; or a president of a country who builds an airport in his small hometown is also engaged in corruption that doesn’t involve the payment of bribes. Throughout history great thinkers and politicians have recognized corruption as a mysterious and complex phenomenon. The complexity of the problem is proved by the fact that corruption in various forms takes place in any sphere of activity; promotes illegality, injustice, waste, inefficiency in administrative conduct; destroys the moral fabric of society, ruins the faith of people in the legitimacy of politico-administrative set up. Besides the fact that corruption encloses unethical business practices through the unfair way to gain advantage over particular good or service, it is a serious problem harming moral values of people. The payment of bribes, nepotism and other forms require lying and dissimilation. It is socially irresponsible, as it discriminates the rights of poor people who are unable to pay bribes for obtaining particular good or service. Corruption has been recognized as a â€Å"general disease for the body politic† to be common as in modern, as in ancient times as well. Indeed, this deviant behavior provoked great concerns of such famous political thinkers as Kautilya, Aristotle, Cicero, Xenophon and others. 1.Corruption in Ancient Athens and Rome Corruption in ancient world is first discovered in an archive listing the names of â€Å"employees accepting bribes† at the administrative centres of the ancient Assyrian empire 3400 years ago. In ancient Greece and Rome very often corrupt behavior was difficult to identify, as the same terms were applied to bribes and gifts (doron, lemma, chresmasi peithein). According to Claire Taylor’s prominent work â€Å"Greece and Rome†, â€Å"every level of Athenian politics was riddled with corruption, from the most important orators to the smallest deme elections†. Political Corruption Both ancient Rome and Athens had large highly developed bureaucracies and at the same time with certain opportunities for abuse. Corruption has been considered to be one of the basic causes of the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the most famous cases of corruption happened in the 1st cen. BC. The Roman governor of Sicily was prosecuted by Cicero for the acts of abuse of power. According to specific historical sources, he bought at first his praetorship and afterwards his governorship. His deviant behavior and misuse of power ruined Sicily, one of the richest provinces at that time that in turn caused Sicilians’ great frustration with the government and the formation of mafia. One of the plots of Verres’s abuse of power was to â€Å"name non-existent slaves†. He used to blame the landowners for hiding slaves suspected in rebellion organization. If the owner couldn’t produce the slave (whom he actually didn’t own), upon Verres’s order the accused was sent to prison and kept there until a bribe was paid for his release. The factors contributing to corruption in ancient times were both of political and legal amateurism. According to the complaint of Plato, public officials are â€Å" bribe-takers and money-lovers.† Despite the fact that the abuse of public power has been always considered a serious crime, the corrupt behaviour of public officials in ancient times may be explained not only on the basis of the love of money but as a professional necessity. The temptation to make private gains was particularly caused by the fact that most magistrates, for instance, in ancient Greece after 411BC were not paid salaries for their service. The members of the Boule may have received small state income (mithos). Because of low-to-nonexistent payments politicians had to care about their considerable expences themselves. Politicians needed money for gathering information for being properly informed; entertain subordinates and pay bailiffs for running their farms while they worked for the state. It is therefore hardly surprising that some public officials accepted bribes and gifts for supplementing their income. However, the result of the misuse of power had a devastating effect on social order that therefore provoked great concern of many famous ancient orators and writers in ancient Rome and Greece. In â€Å"Politics† Aristotle states that â€Å"a tyrant has no regard to public interest except of as conducive to his private ends’ of pleasure†. With regard to public officials, Aristotle considered them to have public duty and private interest is harmed when they use the office for their own â€Å"private ends†. The ideal form of government is the one that governs with the view of common interest. Ancient Athenians were quite sensitive to the misuse of public resources and when detected, the act of corruption was punished severely. In his â€Å"Laws† Plato states that corrupt officials were punished by the loss of citizenship and the right to take part in the political institutions of the city-state. According to the Athenian orator Demosthenes (384-322 BC), a person who†¦ â€Å"†¦ accepts a bribe from another or himself offers it to another, or corrupts anyone by promises, to the detriment of the people in general, or if any individual citizen, by any means or device, whatsoever, he shall be disfranchised together with his children, and his property will be confiscated.† In fact, Demosthenes himself was found guilty of accepting bribes. In 324 BC he was fined 50 talents that equals $20 million in today’s dollars. He turned out to be comparatively lucky when he went into exile, while other Athenian officials were frequently severely executed for bribery. According to the Law of the Twelve Tables that formed the centerpiece of the Roman Republic constitution, there was imposed a death penalty on the judges who accepted bribes. The punishment was eased after the rise of the Roman empire (27 BC–476 AD). Electoral Corruption As a paragon of civilization, Rome represented a major centre where corruption took place. Following the Greek historian Polybius (200-118 BC), â€Å"to the Romans nothing is more disgraceful than to receive bribes or to seek gain by improper means.† This estimation sounds quite optimistic, however in reality, compared to Athens, electoral bribery (ambitus) was a much more serious problem in ancient Rome. For instance, Julius Caesar won the office of Pontifex Maximus through bribery. Electoral bribery turned into such a common event that it gave rise to the profession of bribe distributors called divisores. In this case, Cicero proposed the establishment of particular laws for electoral corruption prevention: limit the amount political elites could spend on gifts and entertainment aimed to influence election results. Extortion and embezzlement Reports on extortion in ancient history are very frequent. For instance, Marcus Aemilius Scaurus(163 BC – 89 BC) aRoman consul was accused of extortions while being a governor of Sardinia and Corsica. Army was not the exception. The representative of the Sophist school Libanius (341-392 AD) in his speech proposed the emperor Theodosius to enforce laws against soldiers who used to extort money from the inhabitants of the colonies and then in turn applied the acquitted amount in military protection to oppress neighbours. In Luke 3 John the Baptist exhort the tax-collectors â€Å"to collect no more that is appointed to you†. With regard to Roman army, he instructs the soldiers â€Å"to be content with the wages† and give up extorting money from civilians by violence. Bribe or gift? â€Å"It was quite impossible to get anything done unless one produced a present. Politicians could be paid to do anything or nothing†. Thycydides (460 – c. 395 BC) Bribes performed a significant role in the everyday life both in ancient Rome and Athens. Bribes could decide the matters of war and peace, movement of armies, destruction and the fate of the whole nations as well. There were even formed particular associations for extortion. The long-term consequences of bribery became particularly noticeable in the sixties and fifties BC. Bribery caused financial and correspondingly political instability; as well as loss of faith in constitution and rule of law. This outcome is considered to have contributed to the civil war. The distinction between bribe and gift was quite unstable. In ancient Rome the notion of â€Å"gratia† meant the expression of gratitude. It represented particular gifts, donations and hospitality provided to a socially dominant person by a client. In ancient Greece the same role was attributed to gift called â€Å"dora† that at the same time meant bribe. The term â€Å"dorokein† meant receiving bribes, while â€Å"dorokia† stood for political corruption. If there was made no distinction between gifts and bribes, it therefore points to the estimation that the provision of bribes was a part of social behavior and expression of solidarity and gratitude. 2. Kautilya’s Arthashastra The temptation to make private gains has always existed and unfortunately can’t be totally eliminated. However, the level of corruption can be monitored with particular anti-corrupt tools that may sometimes move economy closer to the level of complete transparency. Corruption should be examined first of all as an essential feature of a changeable human nature. â€Å"Men are naturally fickle minded and are compared to horses who exhibit constant change in their temper†. Kautilya (370-283 BC) One of the most prominent political figures of ancient times, the professor of economics and political sciences at the ancient Takshashila University and the royal advisor, Kautilya (Chanakya or Vishnu Gupta), also examined corruption as a major threat to economics and social order. Kautilya played a significant role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire, the first empire in the archeologically recorded history for the ruling of the most Indian subcontinent. Being a chief advisor to both Chandragupta (340-298 BC) and Bindusara (320-272 BC), he dealt with the issues on politics, social order, diplomacy, war and ethics. The widespread character of corruption at various levels of the Kingdom’s administration prompted Kautilya to establish an elaborated statecraft â€Å"Arthashastra† that describes what a state ought to be and not what it really was. One should agree that the norms of how to handle the problem are prescribed when particular disorder and abnormalities ex ist.†Arthashastra†, being considered as an elaborated statecraft that discusses monetary and fiscal policies, the art of international relations and war strategies, encloses valuable advice on how to handle and fight against corruption. According to Kautilya, honesty is not the virtue that would remain consistent lifelong and the temptation to make easy gains through corrupt means can override the trait of honesty any time. The identification of corruption with the notion of temptation is clearly proved by the comparison of the revenue collection process (by officials) with the honey or poison on the tip of the tongue that is impossible not to taste. As nowadays, as in ancient times corruption is so obvious and yet so mysterious. Kautilya expressed great concern on the difficulty of the detection of corruption. He compared embezzlers to fish moving under water and the impossibility to detect when exactly the fish was drinking water. Corruption in public sector and the tools to fight against it Kautilya stated that the increase in expenditures and lower revenue is an indicator of embezzlement and extortion in the government. Being an ancient statecraft, â€Å"Arthashastra† represents elaborated guidelines that may be applied in dealing with corruption even nowadays. Kautilya considered corruption, first of all, as a phenomenon deriving from a changeable human nature. On the basis of this assessment, the process of fighting against corruption must begin from the employee recruitment level. Employee recruitment In Mauryan Empire (322-185BC) â€Å"superintendents† were the highest officials, who received their position on the basis of â€Å"ministerial qualifications†, as well as â€Å"individual capacity†. Educational background, work experience and particular skills gave particular advantage to a candidate during the selection process. However, no less attention was paid to the right kind of aptitude for the position: traits of honesty and the level of impartiality. Despite such thorough selection process, corrupt persons still made their way into the system; however, other efficient tools were applied for the detection and prevention of corruption. Relations among co-workers Kautilya considered efficient team work to be the key for success. There were, however, particular impediments, like too much personal interactions among the higher executives, and co-workers that led to compromise and consequently corruption. Kautilya explained that human emotions and personal concerns impeded the successful running of an administration that is, first of all, a rule-based impersonal affair. Besides, different vision of particular issues also harmed the team spirit. Kautilya suggested stimulation of professionalism at work: superintendents must execute work with the employees following subordination system. Kautilya was certain that such model would stimulate the sense of belonging of employees to particular department, clearly identify their rights and obligations and therefore contribute to success of the state. Work period shortening Another measure for corruption prevention was the suggestion to make several positions in each department temporary. Periodic transfer of government officials from one position to another was implemented with the intention of not giving enough time for the officials to pick holes in the system and misuse their advantages. Whistleblowers’ contribution Whistle blowing has remained one of the most efficient tools in corruption detection process. Kautilya made particular emphasis on the importance of informants’ (suchaka) activity for exposing embezzlement or some deviant behavior. If the whistleblower was a government servant, he was given one twelfth of the bribe or the extorted amount. While, if the informant was from outside the system, he was entitled the award of one-sixth of the amount. The latter’s share was more, as the detection of corruption while being outside the system was rather more challenging. Corruption Nowadays The â€Å"Arthashstra† of Kautilya convincingly confirms the fact that corruption is not the exclusive feature of contemporary world. It represents a piece of prehistoric heritage that has survived through centuries. Governments of all historical eras have recognized the devastating effect of this phenomenon on the political system, security and social order. Globalization has stimulated the spread of corruption all over the globe. As a result, nowadays corruption is a world-scale problem that in return is recognized as a major threat to internationals security. However, before discussing the central point of the research, it is necessary to understand why corruption is paid so much attention now? Is it because there was more corruption in the past than in the present? Is it because more attention is paid to the phenomenon that has existed for ages but has been partially or completely ignored? The answer is still not obvious; however there are several arguments that describe w hy corruption is attracting more attention now than in the past. First, the end of the Cold War stopped the political hypocrisy giving the opportunity to many decision makers in industrial countries to ignore political corruption, e.g. Zaire. Second, the lack of information and the ignorance of the abuse of power didn’t give the possibility for corruption detection in centrally-planned economy. It is now widely known that the central planned economies, such as the USSR or those imitating them experienced high rate of political corruption. However, the cases of deviant behavior and the abuse of public power was either ignored or not properly reported. Third, the emergence of new democratic governments in recent years, as well as free and active media have contributed to the creation of a new environment where discussion of corruption is no longer forbidden. Forth, the process of globalization has stimulated closer and frequent contacts between individuals from different countries: those from the countries with the high rate of transparency with those from the countries where corruption widespread. These contacts have increased the attention towards corruption. Fifth, the emergences of nongovernmental organizations, such as Transparency International, as well as a growing interest in the problem from the side of other international organizations have contributed to the anti-corrupt movements in many countries. Besides, numerous empirical studies have contributed to greater awareness of the problem. Sixth, market economy has created an environment where the pursuit of efficiency has become much more important and distortions caused by corruption attract more attention. Finally, the influence of the US in many international institutions has been very important. American policy makers have stated that American exporters have lost out in foreign trade due to the prohibition to pay bribes to foreign trade partners. For American officials, the payment of bribes is a criminal act and bribes can’t be deducted as cost for tax purposes. The case of OECD was quite different from the US’s model of behavior. However, under the sponsorship of the OECD situation has noticeably changed.

A critical review of the major opposing views on arbitration & industri

This paper will critically review the major opposing perspectives on arbitration and industrial relations, with particular attention to how government regulation and intervention relate to the changes made to the system after 1996. The major focus of this brief paper will be to demonstrate that Howard’s industrial relations policies resemble those of the late 1800’s, where the Master and Servant Act’s regulated the relationships between employer and employee. These were replaced with the introduction of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (1904-1921). The outcome from such dramatic change in industrial relations was the forming of unions and major strikes. Subsequently, the new system of employer and employee relations sought to resolve labour disputes and enhance the quality of life for Australian workers. Moreover it was steeped in social democratic ideals and worked to give every Australian a decent standard of living. These ideals have yet shifted back to the individual contract model where the market predetermines wages and working conditions. During pre-federation when free labour came to dominate the colonies; workers exercised their civil citizenship rights through entry into individual employment contracts. The master and servant laws which empowered these individual contracts were imported from Britain and were quickly implemented and regulated in the Colonies. Isaac argues that ‘the master and servant acts †¦ both in concept and practice reflected the harsh penal code used against the convicts’. However, the latter part of the 1800’s brought with it the rising political influence of the working classes and an increasingly powerful trade union. The modification of the master and servant laws through the collectivisation of union groups resulted in a greater role fir state interventions. The 1890’s saw the emergence of many disputes over working conditions and the power employers had over employees, which was legitimised by law. Australian workers were illustrating this through strikes and the formation of unions. In recognising the duty of government to be the protection and economic welfare of its citizens, a court of Conciliation and Arbitration was established in Australia in the 1890’s. The new systems were based in social democratic ideals and worked to give ever... ...ts to replace the idea of "industrial relations" with that of "employee relations" reflect efforts to draw attention away from institutions like tribunals and unions, towards individuals and their direct relationships. Bibliography Bolton, G., (1990) The Oxford History of Australia, vol.5, '1942-1988: The Middle Way', Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Isaac, J., (1998) Australian Labour Market Issues: An Historical Perspective, Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 690-15 MacIntyre, P.G., (1985) A Fair Wage in Winners and Losers: The Pursuit of Social Justice in Australian History, Allen and Unwin: Sydney McCallum, R., (1996) The New Millennium and The Higgins Heritage: Industrial Relations in the 21st Century, Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 38, no. 2, pp.294-312. Parkin, A., Summers, J., & Woodward, D., (1980) Government, Politics and Power in Australia: an Introductory Reader, Melbourne, Victoria. : Longman Cheshire, pp. 372-74 Schmitthoff, C. (1990) Export Trade: The Law and Practice of International Trade: 9th Edition. London: Sweet & Maxwell Solomon, D., (1999) End of the Era of Arbitration, Courier Mail 27th March.

Movie Review Of Jerry Maguire :: essays research papers

Movie Review of Jerry Maguire   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you want to take a break from the frigid air of a Montreal winter, go to see Jerry Maguire; it will be sure to warm your heart. If you're like me, you're a little tired of going to see big name stars in overly hyped, big time busts. Combine that with the fact that sports movies are rarely impressive, (Necessary Roughness?!? The Program?!?) and I have to say that my hopes were not too high for this movie. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The title character, played by Tom Cruise, is a sports agent at the top of his business, and at the bottom of humanity. He works for Sports Management International as a ruthless devil procuring the largest contracts and endorsement deals he can muster, at the expense of personal well-being and old- fashioned love of the game. The movie begins when one night, in a fit of passion, he has a revelation and writes a mission statement about how the business can be altered to include humanity. His plan focuses on reducing the number of clients to produce higher quality relationships with them. He then distributes it to all his colleagues before realizing what a big mistake he made. His boss fires him promptly. Only one client out of his previous 72, Arizona Cardinals wide reciever Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), remains faithful. Ironically enough, his only concern is money. Only one former colleague, Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), joins Jerry when he forms a new company. His memo inspired her. Her five-year-old son, Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki), develops a huge crush on Jerry and is the deciding factor in convincing Jerry to marry Dorothy on impulse after he breaks up with his fiance, Avery (Kelly Preston). The movie tracks the trials of his relationship with Dorothy, and Rod's ascent to stardom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jerry is not a typical role for Tom Cruise. He's accustomed to playing, and we're used to seeing him in, macho, heroic type roles, (Mission Impossible, A Few Good Men, Days of Thunder etc. . .). In this movie he plays a loser, and I would call it his best performance yet. He really has to do some serious acting, and he renders his part brilliantly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another huge surprise in this movie was newcomer Renee Zellweger. Part of her succcess in this movie, is rooted in her relative anonymity. Had her character been played by a big name actress, like a Gweneth Paltrow or Sara Jessica Parker, the movie wouldn't have been the same. She is perfectly suited to the struggling, single mother role that she plays. Movie Review Of Jerry Maguire :: essays research papers Movie Review of Jerry Maguire   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you want to take a break from the frigid air of a Montreal winter, go to see Jerry Maguire; it will be sure to warm your heart. If you're like me, you're a little tired of going to see big name stars in overly hyped, big time busts. Combine that with the fact that sports movies are rarely impressive, (Necessary Roughness?!? The Program?!?) and I have to say that my hopes were not too high for this movie. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The title character, played by Tom Cruise, is a sports agent at the top of his business, and at the bottom of humanity. He works for Sports Management International as a ruthless devil procuring the largest contracts and endorsement deals he can muster, at the expense of personal well-being and old- fashioned love of the game. The movie begins when one night, in a fit of passion, he has a revelation and writes a mission statement about how the business can be altered to include humanity. His plan focuses on reducing the number of clients to produce higher quality relationships with them. He then distributes it to all his colleagues before realizing what a big mistake he made. His boss fires him promptly. Only one client out of his previous 72, Arizona Cardinals wide reciever Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), remains faithful. Ironically enough, his only concern is money. Only one former colleague, Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), joins Jerry when he forms a new company. His memo inspired her. Her five-year-old son, Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki), develops a huge crush on Jerry and is the deciding factor in convincing Jerry to marry Dorothy on impulse after he breaks up with his fiance, Avery (Kelly Preston). The movie tracks the trials of his relationship with Dorothy, and Rod's ascent to stardom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jerry is not a typical role for Tom Cruise. He's accustomed to playing, and we're used to seeing him in, macho, heroic type roles, (Mission Impossible, A Few Good Men, Days of Thunder etc. . .). In this movie he plays a loser, and I would call it his best performance yet. He really has to do some serious acting, and he renders his part brilliantly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another huge surprise in this movie was newcomer Renee Zellweger. Part of her succcess in this movie, is rooted in her relative anonymity. Had her character been played by a big name actress, like a Gweneth Paltrow or Sara Jessica Parker, the movie wouldn't have been the same. She is perfectly suited to the struggling, single mother role that she plays.