Hofstede Cultural Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hofstede Cultural Theory - Essay Example This is the way the top management treat their subordinates in the work place. The inequality treatment of the employees by the management creates a rift between the top management and low ranked employees. Employees are the source of ideas which might make the organization to be more competitive or avoid some risks and uncertainties that may face the organization. Power distance therefore, creates consultation barriers in case the employees have issues that they want to raise to the top management. The decisions are therefore, made by the top management without incorporating the decisions of the low ranked employees and this might bring about resistance in implementation of the proposal. Power distance can be overcome through open offices where employees are free to consult the top management on a certain issue that is of great concern to them. Team work can on the other hand, bring management closer to the employees as it is easier for employees to elect their leader who will take their grievances to the top management (Khastar et al, 2011, p.321) Collectivism is how people in a society or group in an organization feel as belonging to a group. On the other hand individualism is an aspect where each person acts as a single body without involving others. Top managements are prone to this culture where they exclude other people in the organization and act individually without the involvement of other members who also plays an important role in the success of the organization. This aspect demoralizes the other members of the society who feel left out in running the activities of the organization (Khastar et al, 2011). Masculinity versus feminity is a culture that treats different members depending on their sex. Top leaders create up gender disparities in awarding of chores in the organization. This aspect makes one gender to feel less respected an aspect that have an effect on their overall performance of the minority gender (Khastar et al, 2011, p.321). Lastly, uncertainty avoidance is how the organization is structured to deal with future risks. A culture of team work is one strategy that organization uses in order to come up with ways of fighting risks and uncertainties. Team work comes up with strategies and ideas which are important in shielding the organization from any risks that might occur in the future. Organization avoids uncertainty through insuring their employees and organizational structures against any risks. This gives the employees morale to work harder as they are certain about their future (Khastar et al, 2011, p.321) Hofstede theory has brought changes in the organization through bringing gender balance in the organization. Many organizations have eradicated any practices that could bring gender imbalance. Some of these practices start direct from advertising the vacancies in the organization. The organizations have also ensured that the advertisements are gender neutral so as to give all interested applicants an opport unity to try their luck. In the interview level, questions that are asked by the panel are neutral so as not to discourage the minority gender. Countries have also adapted to the cultural model through putting up strategies to ensure that all genders are well represented in the organizations and institutions (Khastar et al, 2

Policing Partnership in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Policing Partnership in UK - Essay Example 13 5. Legislations that Underpin Inter-Agency and Multi-Agency Partnership Organizations 15 6. Issues and Conflicts of Policing Partnerships: How the Police Officers Apply and Limit Authority 18 7. Conclusion 20 References 21 1. Introduction The prevention of crime and the detection and punishment of offenders, the protection of life and property and the preservation of public tranquillity are the direct responsibilities of ordinary citizens ... It is destructive both of the police and public social health to attempt to pass over to the police the obligations and duties associated with the prevention of crime and the preservation of public tranquillity. These are the obligations and duties of the public, aided by the police and not the police occasionally aided by some public spirited officer. - J Avery, Police: Force or Service, Butterworth, Sydney, 1981, p. 3. With the increased level of concentration on human security and peace keeping heightened by the call of the United Nations towards the countries that are enjoined with their movement towards global peace, the role of the national police authorities around the world also equally evolves. The changes on their responsibilities and the additional challenges on their duties have been established to make the residents of the community around the world feel safer and much convinced that they are indeed living in a well protected area.1 However, with the heightened threat to peace and security, keeping up the hopes of the people that they are indeed supported and protected by the police authorities is not that easy to establish and exactly complete as part of the policing responsibilities that the authorities in the said field need to keep. The continuing pressure on the police... Policing partnerships began to attract the attention of the law enforcers around the world during the early 1980’s. It could be observed that at the onset of the application of this particular approach to community protection and safety, the realization of the role of the police administration to protect the communities they are appointed to oversee has been re-established as a collaborative picture of different agencies working together as one unit that protects the welfare of the majority. As the level of crime and aggression among the diversified population of human society increased in rate as the 19th towards the 20th century came in, the level of concentration on preventing and catching law offenders has become a huge concern of attention for every government. UK, holding at least 45% of its population rendered to the immigrants, is considered a well diversified community that calls for serious concern for social security. With diversity present in a particular community , the more conflicting events could be expected, the more crime offences could be recorded[1]. This is the particular fact that leads to the pursuance of Policing Partnership collaboration ideas in UK. It has been well established that theoretical basis of the matter has been applied as guidelines towards the making of laws that are designed towards creating a more susceptible partnership between police agents and other staff workers from other departments of the government as well as other organizations present in the society. Â  Policing partnerships take three different forms that include the statutory, non-statutory and the community organizations. In this regard, the DH which is considered in this study stands as a primary example of policing partner in the statutory form, meaning it is an agency provisioned by the government.[1] R. Hunt, Strategic Management in Policing, in Etter and Palmer, op. cit.; A Normandeau and B Leighton, A Vision of the Future of Policing in UK, Soli citor General London, 1990.

Language as a Powerful Mind Control Weapon Essay Example for Free

Language as a Powerful Mind Control Weapon Essay Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) is a classic dystopian novel by English author George Orwell. Akin to the latter’s earlier work, Animal Farm (1945), Nineteen Eighty-Four is a cautionary tale about the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel’s main character, Winston Smith, is a civil servant tasked with disseminating government propaganda through the forging of records and political literature. Disillusioned with such a mechanistic existence, Smith begins an uprising against the regime – a move which later resulted in his incarceration and torture. The esteem of Nineteen Eighty-Four can be attributed mainly to its frank and vivid portrayal of the perpetuation of the status quo at the expense of individual rights (Gearon 65). Many of the novel’s terminologies and ideas, such as â€Å"doublethink,† â€Å"Orwellian,† â€Å"Newspeak† and â€Å"Big Brother,† eventually acquired secure places in the English language (Trahair 289). At present, some thinkers even use these expressions and concepts to criticize repressive government policies. The term â€Å"Orwellian,† for instance, is currently an idiom that refers to any form of normalcy that closely resembles the Party (Cameron 151). One of Orwell’s major arguments in the novel is that language is the totalitarian government’s most powerful weapon of mind control. Through the usage of deceptive language and propaganda, as well as the modification of language, the Party was able to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of the citizens of Oceania. Newspeak was the Party’s primary means of misleading the citizens of Oceania (Thomas, Singh, Peccei, Jones and Wareing 39). It was a corrupted form of Standard English (known in the novel as Oldspeak) that reflected the principles of Ingsoc. â€Å"Undesirable† words were eliminated from the lingua franca, while those that were retained were stripped of â€Å"unorthodox† denotations (Ji 1). Consequently, it became impossible to develop other modes of thought in Newspeak (Orwell 144). Newspeak was more than just a language – it was the â€Å"(embodiment) of the totalitarian (mindset) of the Party members† (Gerovitch 12). To accommodate alternate views would increase the possibility of encountering â€Å"heretical† thoughts (Gerovitch 13). It is no longer surprising, therefore, if the Party required all inhabitants of Oceania to use Newspeak – doing so was a very convenient way of indoctrinating them with Ingsoc beliefs. The immense power of language to control the mind is not a fictional phenomenon. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (n. d. ) argued that language determined how human beings perceived their environment (Thomas, Singh, Peccei, Jones and Wareing 39). This assumption is composed of two parts – linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism. Linguistic relativity theorized that the languages of different cultures do not necessarily have equivalent systems of representation. Linguistic determinism, meanwhile, asserted that a language not only reflected certain aspects of reality but also influenced the speaker’s thought process (Thomas, Singh, Peccei, Jones and Wareing 25). It would be fair to say that the premise behind the development and usage of Newspeak was based on the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. In the novel’s appendix, it is revealed that Ingsoc was originally known as English Socialism (Orwell 143). But during the time of English Socialism, people spoke Standard English. Consequently, they were exposed to radical ideas that inspired them to turn against the Party (Ji 1). In retaliation, the Party silenced them through punishment and terror (Ji 1). The Party eventually viewed the period of English Socialism as one that was characterized with violence and lawlessness. Standard English, meanwhile, was regarded as a relic of an anarchic past that must be discarded at all costs. The Party even set a year in which they expected Standard English to be already nonexistent – 2050 (Orwell 143). In the appendix of the novel, Orwell wrote the Party’s ultimate dream – a society wherein everyone accepted the official ideology even without the threat of punishment and terror (Ji 1). This was only possible, however, if they had no access to subversive ideas. It must be noted that in the context of the novel, Standard English was regarded as the source of dissident concepts. The Party therefore realized that Standard English must be replaced with a singular and specially contrived language – Newspeak. When people spoke, heard, read and wrote only in Newspeak, they could be kept under control even without outright state persecution (Ji 1). Newspeak was the official language of Oceania and had been devised to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc, or English Socialism. In the year 1984 there was not as yet anyone who used Newspeak as his sole means of communication, either in speech or writing. The leading articles in The Times were written in it, but this was a tour de force which could only be carried out by a specialist. It was expected that Newspeak would have finally superseded Oldspeak (or Standard English, as we should call it) by about the year 2050. (143) The purpose of Newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the (worldview) and mental habits proper to the devotees of Ingsoc, but to make all other modes of thought impossible. It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought – that is, a thought diverging from the principles of Ingsoc – should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words. Its vocabulary was so constructed as to give exact and often very subtle expression to every meaning that a Party member could properly wish to express, while excluding all other meanings and also the possibility of arriving at them by indirect methods. This was done partly by the invention of new words, but chiefly by eliminating undesirable words and by stripping such words as remained of unorthodox meanings, and so far as possible of all secondary meanings whatever. To give a single example. The word free still existed in Newspeak, but it could only be used in such statements as â€Å"This dog is free from lice† or â€Å"This field is free from weeds. † It could not be used in its old sense of â€Å"politically free† or â€Å"intellectually free† since political and intellectual freedom no longer existed even as concepts, and were therefore of necessity nameless. (144) A person growing up with Newspeak as his sole language would no more know that equal had once had the secondary meaning of â€Å"politically equal,† or that free had once meant â€Å"intellectually free,† than for instance, a person who had never heard of chess would be aware of the secondary meanings attaching to queen and rook. There would be many crimes and errors which it would be beyond his power to commit, simply because they were nameless and therefore unimaginable. (148-149) This ambition, however, was not without serious consequences. The individual rights of the people of Oceania were severely violated. They constantly lived in fear of government reprisal – landscapes across London were bombarded with posters of â€Å"Big Brother† with the caption â€Å"Big Brother is Watching You† (Orwell 1). Two-way television sets – telescreens – were installed in all homes and public establishments in order to monitor the populace for any sign of subversive activity (thoughtcrime). Worse, the Party encouraged everyone to spy on one another. Even children were ordered to report their parents to the authorities (Thought Police) if they caught them committing a thoughtcrime. Winston Smith was among those who paid the ultimate price. Upon his arrest, he was taken to the Ministry of Love, where he was subjected to electroshock torture. Winston was afterwards taken to the infamous Room 101, where a prisoner was tortured by being exposed to his or her greatest fear. Winston’s primal fear was rats – he was therefore tortured by having a wire cage full of starving rats brought near to his face. Petrified, Winston finally accepts Party ideology and was later released as a brainwashed individual. Sadly, it is obvious that Orwell’s warning in Nineteen Eighty-Four went unheeded. At present, there are still so many societies wherein people are stripped of their basic rights and liberties. What is more saddening is that some of the parties who are guilty of this wrongdoing are actually claiming that they are staunch advocates of freedom, justice and equality. They use elaborate propaganda to proclaim their â€Å"advocacy† while acting in a completely opposite manner. The Party used language in order to keep the people of Oceania silent, ignorant and oppressed. In doing so, the former proved that evil prospers where good is silent. Orwell, on the other hand, used words in order to expose and fight this atrocity. In doing so, he proved that the pen is mightier than the sword. Works Cited Cameron, Deborah. Verbal Hygiene. New York: Routledge, 1995. Gearon, Liam. Freedom of Expression and Human Rights: Historical, Literary and Political Contexts. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press, 2006. Gerovitch, Slava. From Newspeak to Cyberspeak: A History of Soviet Cybernetics. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2004. Ji, Fengyuan. Linguistic Engineering: Language and Politics in Mao’s China. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004. Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. n. p. : n. d. Thomas, Linda, Ishtla Singh, Jean Stilwell Peccei, Jason Jones, and Shan Wareing. Language, Society and Power: An Introduction. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2004. Trahair, R. C. S. Utopia and Utopians: A Historical Dictionary. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999.

The Internationalisation Of Luxury Fashion

The Internationalisation Of Luxury Fashion Chapter 1. 1.0 Introduction Phau and Prendergast (2001) defined luxury brand has these characterises that are evoke exclusivity, have a well know brand identity, enjoy high brand awareness and perceived quality, and retain sales levels and customer loyalty. For the Chinese economy, it has been increased at an average rate of 13 percent per year (wgsn-edu.com, 2002). In 2004, a total of 236,000 Chinese became millionaires (Merrill Lynch Cap Gemini, 2005). As for luxury consumption, 37% of luxury goods are purchased in Asia (Chadha and Husband, 2006). In China Chinese luxury consumer population is 300,000 millionaires. That means Chinese consumers are playing the important role for the luxury brands as Chinese market will make or break the luxury products factors potentially (Okonkwo, 2007). Therefore, the customer usually would like to have different choices of purchasing fashion products. According to Howard and Herbig (1996) noted that People can perceive value is a major determinant of product success: qual ity images are far more important than product value; high prices portray high quality. Bake (2003) indicated that some factors could influence the retailer companies entry on the other markets, for example, legal and language. Therefore, the retailers in order to get most profit from products from foreign markets, they will use two ways that are the methods for the company of entry into foreign market and have a choice of distribution channels in each foreign market (Terpastra Sarathy, 1997). In international marketing, the entry method is very important for the fashion retailer to enter foreign markets. According to the global luxury consumption, it is indicated the luxury brands are successfully in the world and also in the global luxury market growth per year (Verdict, 2009). By using the theory of internationalisation and using the process of internaionalisation example of Burberry. It has strategically penetrated the Chinese market to comprehend the Chinese market. The market will have a great positive impact on the consumption of fashion goods and by highlighting their British origins and positioning themselves towards the aspirational consumers. Chapter 2. 2.0 Literature Review This literature review aims to address that the concept of retail internationalisation, its impact upon luxury fashion brands and the strategic operations of British luxury brands with Chinese retail market by using the examples of Burberry. Hines and Bruce (2001) noted fashion retailers were the most prolific and successful when it came to foreign market expansion. Unsurprisingly, the rise in academic interest reflects the increase of retail internationalisation activity as more companies seek to expand their operations overseas (Moore et al 2000). According to Alexander and Akehurst (1995) there are six key subject areas for researchers to thoroughly address all issues concerned with the process when discussing the internationalization of retailers; What is the internationalisation of fashion retailing? Who are the international fashion retailers? Where do fashion retailers internationalise? Why do fashion retailers internationalise? How do fashion retailers internationalise? When does fashion retailer internationalisation occur? 2.1 Definition of the luxury fashion brand Kapferer and Bastien said: Luxury is in fashion, and the fashion is for luxury. (Kapferer and Bastien, 2009) Luxury brands have the power of branding, which means they can influence cultures, societies and generations potentially. Traditionally, luxury brands have main core characteristics that are brand strength, exclusivity, creative, innovation, product craftsmanship, differentiation and precision, premium pricing and high quality (Okonkwo 2007). Furthermore, the other core characteristics for the true luxury brand are global reputation, strong brand image, emotional appeal, tightly controlled distribution and visibility (Jackson and Haid, 2006). For example, Gucci, the results of the strong brand image of Gucci are in several of brands products being back-ordered to two years. The brand value has an important relationship with consumers. 2.2 Whats internationalisation of retailing? The internationalisation of retailing is defined Treadgold (Wigley et al, 2005) as having visible and invisible dimensions. The Invisible dimension has been defined as the international sourcing of products and services and the cross-border transfer of management expertise in the form of managerial policies or technical skills (Kacker, 1997). That refers to the intangible facets as opposed to the physicality of opening overseas stores. On the other hand, for the visible dimension, the fashion retailer internationalisation is the operation of retail shops within foreign markets (Hines and Bruce, 2001). Consequently, the luxury fashion brands are visible in the market. From the report of clothing retailing UK (Mintel, 2003), there are 18 out of 20 top-selling clothing retailers have presence outside of domestic market, for instance, Burberry, it has 236 stores around world (BBC, 2010). At 30 June 2010, Burberry globally had 139 retail stores, 140 concessions (excluding Spain), 44 outlets and 97 franchise stores (Burberryplc, 2010). In China, Burberry has opened stores in 30 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan (Burberry, 2010). According to Baker (2003, p.799), he indicates that because of the legal, language and logistical problems, the most successful retail is difficult to enter other markets. Even though the retail companies could be slow and difficult entry the other countries, however overseas expansion is a significant process for development of retailers. Liu and Mcgoldrick (Bcaker, 2003) indicated that the long history of international product sourcing has facilitated foreign retailing operations because relationships have already b een construct with the foreign destinations that is easier to instigate the process of internationalisation. 2.3 Who are the international fashion retailers? According to the British fashion council, the editors of the international fashion magazines, journals and fashion experts, who define characteristic of the international fashion retailers such firms: Have an international profile in the fashion industry as evidenced in their having bi-annual fashion show in one of the international fashion capitals, e.g. Paris, Milan, London Have been established in the fashion design business for at least two years Named their own label merchandise Retail merchandise either via outlets bearing the name of designer or within other outlets with two or more countries (Moore et al, 2000) From other definition, following Hines and Bruce (2007) the international fashion retailer can be defined into the four types: The product specialist fashion retailers narrow product range, clearly defined customer base The fashion designer retailers internationally recognized brand, exclusive positioning The general merchandise retailers mix of fashion and non-fashion products and large stores The general fashion retailers- broad range of products and accessible pricing (Hines and Bruce, 2007) Moore and Doherty (2007) defined luxury fashion retailers as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ those firms that distribute clothing, accessories and other lifestyle products which are: Exclusively designed and/or manufactured by/or for the retailer; Exclusively branded with a recognised insignia, design handwriting or some other identifying device; Perceived to be of a superior design, quality and craftsmanship; Priced significantly higher than the market norm; and Sold within prestigious retail settings. Retailer that conform to this characterizes include Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Hermes, Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace and Mulberry. 2.4 Chinese retail cultures and economy For this stage, it will indicate the Chinese luxury fashion history, retailers and exporting in the world. By examining Chinese economy in the luxury fashion, China is playing an important role in the world of luxury fashion. Chinese have great history, but to date most of people have not exhume it or they reclaimed it by their own understanding. Once China has recovered its culture and confidence in itself, there is no uncertainty factor that great Chinese luxury brands will appear, recreating the link with the past such as shanghai Tan (Chadha and Husbands, 2006) $1.4 trillion economy of China is the sixth largest in the world and gross domestic product is forecast to increase 7.9% over the next five years (wgsn-edu.com, 2004). Since the 80s, Chinese economy has increased at an average rate of approx 13per cent per year. In some coastal cities growth has been as high as 35%. (Wgsn-edu.com, 2002. Sep 04). World trade in clothing and textiles is about $350 billion. In China, employment figure range from an estimated 19 million employed Textile and Clothing manufacture in 2005 up from 14 million in 1995 to 17963 in Mauritius. That is from the table, it also indicates employment in clothing manufacture in some countries from 1995 to 2005 (see figure 1) (Hines and Bruce, 2007). There is a reason for it that the Chinese textile and retail industries have cheap labour. On the other hand, China and Hong Kong China are the leading exporters which are significantly higher than others (see figure 2) (WTO, 2005) However, China and Hong Kong China are being relatively small importers in the table. Twenty years ago, there was no middle class in China but now, the middle class has been more than 100 million. Currently, China represents 12% of global luxury goods purchases and will grow 26 per cent per quarter for the next four years. The current of Chinese luxury consumer population is 300,000. The number of people who can afford the luxury products will grow up 1.3 billion in the next five years. That means the Chinese consumer is important for luxury brands as Chinese market will have make or break the luxury products factors potentially (Okonkwo, 2007). The high growth rate of the Chinese economy is an amazing market for the luxury fashion products industry. Chinese luxury market is the second largest to Japanese in the Asia-Pacific region and will grow 28 per cent annually in 2010 (Wiederhecker, 2007). Furthermore China will likely play influence role in the world of fashion. The effective of the rising Chinese designers will be increased in the next decades (Okonkwo, 2007). 2.5 Market entry Strategies Fashion retailers as the most prolific of international retailers can be are consistently recognised (Wigley and Moore, 2007). Luxury fashion brands have attracted more consistent attention and form the basis of the current work while the general fashion brands have been the focus of some academic attention (Laulajainen, 1992; Fernie et al., 1997; Moore et al., 2000; Moore et al., 2004). From Root (1987) summaries the definition of entry methods is as institutional arrangement that makes possible the entry of a companys product, technology, human skills, management or other resources into a foreign country. Traditionally, entry methods can be classified into along risk or control continuum (Teradgold and Davies, 1998; Dawson, 1994; Dotherty, 200). According to Alexander and Doherty (2009), international retailers will use more than one method to develop their markets when they face a number of methods for international expansion. There are main methods for international retailing dev eloping their markets: Flagship stores: company owned, large in scale to show case the brand Organic growth: internal expansion, likely new store develops within the existing or an integrated organization framework Merger and acquisition: the acquisition of control over a firm in the international market Joint venture: between a company in the host country and an international firm or two firms enter into a joint venture and enter the host market Franchising and licensing: a business gives the authorities to the international franchisee to operate the brand. Licensing, such like a agent Exporting/ wholesaling: products sold to an international market without really stores Concessions: a shop within a shop, usually a department store, in the host market Within each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages, which is chosen by a retailer on basis of its product portfolio, corporate confidence and has consequent set up cost and operational control, which a retailer needs to take into consideration (Burt, 1993; Dawson, 1993; Moore and Fernie, 2004; Quinn and Doherty, 2000; Sparks, 1996; Treadgold, 1991; Treadgold and Davies, 1988). Burt (1993). Following Simpson and Thorpes (1996) PLIN model the companies successful in foreign markets because their heritage provides them with niche differentials and internationally appealing brands as highlighted. This model suggests that retailers should do differential advantages via product, lifestyle, image and niche differentials from their competitors. The factors of internationalization entry methods Goodhow and Hanz (1972) indicate that companies need to consider five factors to start planning for foreign market entry: The environment of market- policy decision is affected by the environment of political and economic factors of the foreign market The competitiveness of the company- affected by the scale of company, technological level and experience of internationalisation The characteristic of the product- influenced through specialty of the production or different of production life cycle The consideration of companys capital and budget- it is affected by the limitation of companys capital. The cognition of inner company- the decision maker of company has the opinion towards the scale of risk for the demands of expansion foreign market The luxury fashion company, Burberry, says it is going to buy out its franchisees in Mainland China at beginning of September (Independent, 2010). Burberry will pay  £70 million ($108 million) to take full control of 50 stores in 30 cities in China, which include 9 stores in Beijing and 4 stores in Shanghai, from its franchisee Kwok Hang Holings of Hong Kong (BBC, 2010). The reason for Burberry to buy out its local franchise partner is that it will give more Burberry company control over the merchandise and how it is marketed. The chief financial office of Burberry said: We believe we can drive more productivity with those stores. and Burberry was looking to double the number of shops in the country. She also said the country would be a double-digit growth driver(Independent, 2010). Furthermore, for the development of retailer expansion in the foreign country, SWOT analyses can provide they with an outline of their strengths, Weakness, opportunities and threats, which can assist in direction when they entry into international markets (See figure 3). Burberry operates flagships in four markets that are London, New York, Tokyo and Barcelona (Moore and Doherty, 2007). Therefore Burberry did not use the flagships store method entry into China. However, for the one of the entry methods, concessions, nowadays, Luxury players have held out longest in Europe against locating in malls, which has been anathema to the retailers. However this has been preferred route to market in regions, such as China in Asia (Verdict, 2009). Similarly in Beijing both Shingkong Place and ST Plaza big department malls anchoring many luxury brands. Burberry operates concessions within these department stores throughout China. However, Burberry will operate the flagship store in Beijing in 16th December. That flagship store will be the most great in Asia (ELLEChina, 2010). 2.6 International expansion direction Some studies examined that the direction of expansion of specific fashion retailers is largely determined by their market position (Hind and Bruce). According to Hollander (1970) found that a focus on capital city expansion was a common trait of the internationalising luxury fashion retailers and termed the strategy the New York, London, Paris syndrome. In the 1990s, as a consequence of the hardly competitive conditions within the European Union and as a result of the opportunities afforded by the demise of the USSR. Therefore Fashion retailers have focused on their international expansion to emerging markets includes China, Russia (Fernie et al., 1998) The place of distribution refers to the areas that are make products and services available to customers. Retail channels are most effective when they meet the consumers expectations in terms of location, convenience and product assortment (Okonkwo, 2007). For luxury brands, there is the additional task of brand protection in the distribution areas choice such as licences or franchises. However, as early mention in previous chapter, in China, luxury retailers entry the market for the place of distribution via another choice. For an instant, The British luxury brand, Burberry, has 47 stores in Mainland China. In Beijing, Burberry operates eight stores. Chapter 3. 3.0 Luxury brands in the world 3.1 Global luxury consumption During the last few years, the luxury market has sustained growth. The luxury market has grown from $20 billion to $68billion from 1985 to 2000 in spite of the September 11 attacks and other events disruptive to global trade (The Economist, 2002). Even though some factors can influence the consumption of luxury brand in the market, which include image, quality, store atmosphere (Deeter-Dchmelz et al, 2000). However, Global consumers spend on luxury brands still grow 102.5% over 2003 to 2008 in $. In the euros, the global luxury market grew by 41.8% to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬224.5bn over the 2003 to 2008, with a growth slowdown becoming evident in the latter half of 2008 because consumers expenditure on luxury brands slowed under the impact of the global financial crisis (see figure 4) Furthermore, the luxury goods sector has become increasingly more internationalised in recent year (see figure 5) (Verdict, 2009). 3.2 Burberry in China Thomas Burberry created Burberry in 1856 in Basingstoke, England when he opened a store to sell mens outwear, soon becoming known for the development of a fabric called gabardine. During the First World War, Burberry continued to develop the officers raincoat named the Trench coat(Moore Britwistle, 2004). Burberry is a global luxury brand with a distinctive British heritage, core outerwear base and one of the most recognized icons in the world. In China, after Burberry bought its franchisee back from Kwok Hang Holdings of Hong Kong (BBC, 2010). According to Burberry Group PLC (2010) Burberry plans to open about 10 stores in China in the current financial year when applying global marketing, retail, merchandising and IT disciplines to drive store productivity. From Angela Ahrendts, Chief Executive Officer commented: The acquisition of Burberrys store operations in mainland China will allow us to further leverage our proven brand and business strategies in this high growth luxury region. With a solid foundation of 50 stores across 30 cities, operational expertise and strong brand momentum, this is an optimal time for Burberry to integrate this business. Chinese market is an exciting market for the British luxury brand, Burberry. Furthermore, Burberry also plans to add 66 stores and 44 Chinese outlets in China by 2012 (Independent, 2010). In the other hand, According to Burberry annual report (2009) the revenues of Burberry were up 30% in Asia-Pacific and in 2009 to 2010, the retail and wholesale revenue were 24% in Asia-pacific includes China. (see Figure 6) Chapter 4. 4.0 Methodology 4.1 Introduction This chapter will definite the relevant methods of research that proceeds to give the most accurate findings for the aim and objectives of the project that have already been discussed. A vary of research methods will be examined at individually. After identify all the methods a few approaches will be selected for examining the retail internationalisation of British luxury fashion brands into Chinese market. 4.2 Research approaches According to Proctor (2000) indicated Qualitative research examines the attitudes, feelings and motivations of products users. Qualitative research is characterised by small samples and this has always focus on criticism. Qualitative research has advantages to grow in popularity. Firstly, it is much cheaper than quantities research. Secondly, an understanding of customer attitudes and motivations is produced a good mechanism by Qualitative research. Thirdly, it can improve quantitative research efficiently. Otherwise, qualitative research cannot provide samples for representative of the target population of the research. Quantitative research is focused with measuring elements of a market or the population of consumers marking up the market. This contains soft phenomena such as consumer attitude as well as market size, brand shares and purchase frequencies etc (Hague and Jackson, 1999). Quantitative research is a large sample size and it use statistical to analysis (Proctor, 2000). 4.3 Sampling The definition of sampling is from Chisnall (2001), it is concerned with the study of the relationships exiting between a population and the samples drawn from it. Proctor (2000) indicated sampling, some so-called census information is in fact obtained via sampling. That means computer assisted statistical procedures make it possible to obtain useful information about the population through questioning only a selected sample of persons. There are two main types of sampling methods according to Chisnall (2001) Probability samples- it is different between the sample value and the true value of the population surveyed. Non-probability samples- it require certain percentages of the sample to be women or men, housewives under thirty or a similar criterion. 4.4 Survey The primary data is indicated that asking people questions about their knowledge, attitudes, preferences and buying behavior (Kotler et al 2002). According to Proctor (2000) explored some of the various method of primary data through surveys: Postal surveys Personal interviews Telephone surveys Completely self-administered surveys Panels Omnibus studies 4.5 Questionnaires A Questionnaire is an important stage of the total research methods and its preparation and administration demand considerable professional expertise. It obtains specific information about a defined problem so that data result in a better appreciation of the problem after analysis and interpretation Chisnall (2001). According to Hague and Jackson (1999) noted purposes for the questionnaires. Firstly, primary role is to draw accurate date form respondents. Secondly, they provide structure to interviews. Thirdly, a questionnaire is to provide a standard form on which facts, comments and attitudes can be written down. Finally, questionnaire facilitates data processing. Question can be classified into two types that are open-ended question and closed questions. Open-ended question is also known as free answer or free response. The respondent is considerable freedom in phrasing an answer, which may be lengthy and detailed, and in his or her own words. On the other hand, closed questions are identified as calling for responses, which are strictly limited. That means he or she can choose alternative replies from they are expected to select an answer corresponding their on a particular subject (Hague and Jackson, 1999). Survey questionnaires are applied in different ways such as telephone interviews, formal structured personal interviews and self-administered studies (Proctor, 2000). 4.5 Observation According to Proctor (2000) indicated observation is a drawback of the survey method. It obtains much of the information is based on interviewees statements describing what they have done or expect to do in the future. Observation includes the personal or mechanical monitoring of selected activities. Chisnall (2001) said observation may be either participative or non-participative as indicated in the receding section. Participative observation would seem to have very limited application in marketing research. On the other hand, non-participative widely used in scientific studies and termed the classical method of investigation has several applications in marketing research. Hague and Jackson (1999) noted that observation is used in shopping studies, especially in stores. It is used to find out how things are done in practice. Observation can classified into these stages for the in-store environment: Distribution Shelf price Shelf facings -reported in number and share Shelf location Display activity Presence of point-of-purchase material (Proctor, 2000) 4.6 Focus group A focus group is a common form of a group interview. The aim of focus group is to learn and understand what people have to say about a topic and understand their arguments. The purpose is to discover how it forms part of their lives and how they feel about products, idea or organization. Focus group can be classified into three types that are exploratory groups, clinical focus group and employing focus group. Exploratory groups method is often used by focus group and helping to define the problem precisely. Clinical focus groups are used as true motivations and feelings of a person are subconscious. Employing focus groups provide information and data about problem by the mechanism of group dynamics. (Proctor, 2000) 4.7 Interviews According to Chisnall (2001) defined as a conversation directed to a definite purpose other than satisfaction in the conversation itself. An interview concerned with a purposeful exchange of meanings and interaction between the interviewer and the respondent. The quality of the interview depends on the interviewer developing a relationship with the answers, which will encourage good communication. 5.0 Conclusion Tungate (2008) indicated luxury brands have identified opportunities in Asia as a whole, everyone wants to talk about China. And also, Dickson Poon, the Hong Kong entrepreneur who owns Harvey Nichols, said: China definitely has the potential to become the largest luxury goods market in the world. Poon says that a number of Chinese with the wherewithal to buy mid-price consumer goods has reached 300 million. The Chinese is already worth an estimated US$550 billion. The people frequently travel for shopping not only to Hong Kong, they will go to further afield such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, as there place is a new wealth. Therefore, British luxury brand, Burberry successful entry into Chinese market. According to the data and information as mentioned in previous sectors indicated Burberry is good example of British luxury brand in Chinese market even though Burberry spent  £70 million ($108 million) to take full control of 50 stores in 30 cities in China. Like Angela Ahrendts, Chief Executive Officer said: Chinese market is an exciting market for the British luxury brand.(Burberry Group PLC 2010) So, Burberry is developing in Chinese market constantly, and they will open the most largest flagships store in Beijing soon as mentioned in previous sector. The aim of this project is to understand the retail internationalisation of British luxury fashion brands into the Chinese market. Therefore, objectives will be achieved by using both primary and secondary research methods to examined the retail internationalisation of British luxury fashion brands into the Chinese market. The literature review includes extensive secondary research from published authors of books, journal articles etc. to provide an examination of theoretical work. However, this project would benefit from the following methods of research have been selected as the best approaches to gain the most accurate findings. Index. Figure 1. Source from: Bruce M. and Hines, Fashion Marketing contemporary issues, pp. 3 Figure 2. Source from: Bruce M. and Hines, Fashion Marketing contemporary issues, pp. 5 Strengths Gross margin increased from 52.1% in 2008/09 to 59.7% in 2009/10 Annual sales of  £1280m Retail revenue is  £749m Authentic British heritage Its founding in 1856 by Thomas Burberry Globally recognized icon portfolio e.g. trench coat, trademark check Top 100 global brands Weaknesses Profit fell from  £62m to 25m in1998 The foreign group out of control Over-reliance on a number of key product suppliers Burberry over-relies upon licensees Opportunities Enhance consumer responsiveness Operate more efficiently and effectively Upgrading existing stores Execution of the global buy Threats Competition from other luxury global brands such as Chanel, Gucci Burberry could suffer it is supply chain is unable to produce Burberry may be unable to control its wholesale and licenseesFigure 3 Burberry SWOT analyses Figure 4. Source from: Verdict (2009), Global luxury retailing, pp.23 Figure 5 Source from: Verdict (2009), Global luxury retailing, pp.24

An Analysis of The Story of Rahab Essay examples -- Religion Theology

An Analysis of The Story of Rahab The main point of the story of Rahab is that God rewards people, regardless of their station or past sins, who put their faith in Him. The story of Rahab begins when Joshua, after receiving God’s command to enter into the Promised Land, sends two spies into Jericho and the surrounding areas to â€Å"view the land† (Joshua 2:1). The two spies are discovered in Jericho as they enter Rahab’s harlot house. The king of Jericho, being alerted to their presence, sends for the spies. Rahab hides the two spies on her roof under some flax and sends the guards out of the city on a wild goose chase. Rahab then tells the spies that everyone in the land is afraid of their power and that she knows that their God is the One true God. In return for the kindness she showed them Rahab asks for their promise of safety for her family when the Hebrews attack Jericho. The spies promise and escape through Rahab’s window in the city wall and descend down a scarlet rope that is used to signal the Israelites to the location of her home. Rahab’s character is revealed e...

World War II :: World War II History

World War II The Treaty of Versailles faltered to heal the bitter mess that formed between countries in World War I. It left Germany in a terrible position and gave them a desire for dictatorship. Germany had been ordered to disarm its military and put strict rules on when and how the Germans could rearm. In 1931, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. He later rejected the treaty and establish military conscription. Mussolini also became dictator of Italy, while this was occurring. He decided to invade Ethiopia in 1935. Since Ethiopia had lesser power than that of Italy's, they became under complete Italian control. The news of Germany's rearmament soon reached France. Hitler then became interested in joining the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in order to protect its security. He then pushed his plan for lebensraum and annexed Austria by force in 1938. Following this, Hitler threatened Czechoslovakia, ordering persecution of the German minorities there. Hitler and Mussolini agreed to the Germans occupation of Sudentenland in September 1938. Then in March 1939, peace broke down when Hitler conquered the rest of Czechoslovakia. He soon afterward started to make orders to Poland, but they resisted at every turn. Notwithstanding the conflict with Britain and France, Hitler decided to invade Poland. In return, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Hitler made an announcement to start a pact with the Soviet Union. As the Germans occupied Poland, the Soviets invaded the eastern part of the country with plans to take Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania in 1940. They also took Finland in 1941 and disgrace the Russian military. Japan was also changing things in the Pacific. They had plans to conquer China and expand the Japanese Empire into southeast Asia. As this was happening, the Germans took on an approach of blitzkrieg, or lightening war. Since the Germans had no old weapons to deal with, they could easily outfit their troops with the best of weapons. Hitler then attempted to gain air control over the British Royal Air Force and prepare for an invasion, but the British successfully defeated the German air forces. Overturned with his downfall to take Britain, Hitler turned to the Soviet front, but was defeated as well in 1942. In 1941, the Japanese thought it was the right time to expand into Greater East Asia. The attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines brought the United States into the war and turned the war for the Allies.

Writing Your IEP :: essays research papers

Writing Your IEP 1. You’ll need several sheets of clean paper, and a pencil or pen. (If you like using a computer, that’s fine, too. So is a tape recorder! You can also have a friend take notes for you.) 2. Start by describing your disability.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is your disability called?  How does your disability affect you in school and at home? (For example, what things in school are harder because of your disability?)  What do you think is important for others to know about your disability?  If your aren’t sure what to say, think about what the students on the tape had to say. How did they describe their disabilities? 3. Look at your old IEP goal and objectives. Do you think you have met those goals and objectives? (This means you can do the things listed there.) Put a check next to the goals and objectives you have met. 4. What goals or objectives have you not met? Write these down on paper. They may be important to include in your new IEP. 5. What are your strengths and needs in each class or subject? Make a list. This can be hard to do. Here are some suggestions to help you:  Start with clean sheets of paper. Title one sheet â€Å"Strengths† and another sheet â€Å"Needs.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    Ask yourself the questions between the lines below (called Ask yourself). These can help you think about your Strengths and Needs. Write your ideas down on your â€Å"Strengths† and â€Å"Needs† worksheets. Hints: If you’re not sure how to answer a question, look at the examples given. Also, think about what the students on the tape had to say. How did they describe their strengths and needs? What accommodations did they ask for? What did they say they needed to work on in school? 6. Show your old IEP to your parents and your teachers. Do they think you have met these goals? What gals haven’t you met? Add their ideas to the list that you started in Step 4 above. 7. Ask your teacher what they believe your strengths and needs are in each class or subject. Write their ideas down. 8. Develop new goals and objectives for this year, using the list of strenghts and need you and your parents and teacher developed. 9. Describe the accommodations you may need in each class to meet these new goals and objectives. (See: the list of accommodations.) 10. Think about your plans for the future what you’ll do after you’ve finished high school.