A Comedy in Two Acts Essay Example for Free

A Comedy in Two Acts Essay A naive yet charming sixteen year old going out on her first date. She is the youngest of three sisters and was raised mainly by her traditional mother. She often finds herself caught between her mothers’ traditional views and her older sisters’ modernity and aggressiveness. She admires her sister Georgia the most for her individuality and sense of freedom. (Definition of Feminine – Gentle (easily handled) by Bernessa Wilson, co-worker; Timid (shy) by Pam Magel, co-worker; Weak (soft) by John Nowicki, co-worker. ) MARTHA – The matron of the house and mother of Olivia, Georgia, and Julia. Her petite frame belies a strong and rugged personality. She is around forty years old and although she shows signs of age and weathering, she wears it with grace and a quiet self-assurance. Her husband passed away early and she has had to raise her daughters by herself on meager savings and odd jobs. Julia is her favorite daughter. (Definition of Feminine – Corsets by Craig Jensen, co-worker; Modest (not bold) by Johannes Laun, boss) TYRA – A close friend of Olivia. She is in her early thirties and although her occupation is not clear to us, it seems evident that she is some kind of model or works in television. She has fashionably short hair and a very slim and long legged body. She has a beguiling charm about her and is not shy to use it on men in order to have her way. She views being feminine as an asset and uses it to her advantage. (Definition of Feminine – Cleavage by Dave Atkins, co-worker; High heels by Matt Tuttle, co-worker; Beauty by Danya Slozerek, co-worker) OLIVIA – The eldest of the three daughters and the most accomplished. She is in her early thirties and works as a senior executive in a bank. She is slim and pretty but has an air of manly seriousness about her and this makes her even sexier. She is the archetypal modern independent woman and views femininity as a liability in her predominantly masculine world. She has learned how to be taken seriously without losing her sense of femininity. (Definition of Feminine Elie Tahari’s shoes designed to let a woman’s true beauty shine through. Made in fine fabrics and leathers, Tahari shoes feature clean lines and tasteful embellishments. His designs are smart, sexy, and feminine) GEORGIA– The middle child in the family and somewhat boyish. She is similarly pretty like her two sisters but is less self-conscious about herself. With strong traces of Audrey Hepburn, she embodies Ralph Lauren’s vision of a modern denim version of the traditional Gregory Peplum Jacket – modern, practical and rugged yet somewhat delicate and fanciful at the same time. (Definition of Feminine: Ralph Lauren describes the Gregory Peplum Jacket as an inspiration, which lends a modern edge to the structured stretch denim jacket, defined by its shape, a feminine flared peplum and puffed sleeves. ) BEN – Julia’s date for the night. A shy and awkward sixteen year-old. ACT ONE: Before us is a modest two-story house. It is around 6pm in the afternoon and the sun is just about to set. The ground floor of the house is divided into a sparsely decorated living room to the right and a dining room and kitchen to the left, separated by a swinging door. The front door opens to the right side of the living room while the back door opens to the left of the kitchen. The living room holds a practical yet smart looking leather couch big enough to seat four and matching wooden chairs around a low glass coffee table with a few magazines. A stairway behind the couch leads upstairs to a woman’s peach-walled bedroom. In the living room, Olivia is seated casually on the couch browsing through a copy of Vogue. She is dressed in a blazer and a skirt and looks as if she has just come home from the office. Georgia is looking through some bills and writing down some notes on a notebook. She is wearing a slim fitted denim Peplum jacket and purple pajama pants. In the kitchen, Martha is quietly preparing food in a plain dress and apron. Upstairs Julia (in a red dress) is seated in front of an ornate ivory colored powder table with a large oval shaped mirror. She is sitting unnaturally straight with her chin up to the mirror looking in mild anxiety as Tyra (dressed in a white tank top and tight dark jeans) puts make up on her. TYRA: There†¦ that’s it! You’re all set baby girl. JULIA: (stands up and twirls around looking at herself in the mirror) TYRA: Damn I wish my ass still looked that good! JULIA: (blushes in embarrassment) What? Don’t you think it’s too much? Maybe I should†¦ TYRA: (interrupts quickly) I’m just kidding dear, you look great and that’s how you’re supposed to look. Besides boys love older looking women. And I know that for a fact (winking at Julia). JULIA: (tentatively) Umm†¦ maybe I should just wear my jeans and pink sweater. I don’t think we’re going anywhere that fancy anyway. TYRA: Hell no! (defiantly) If that boy’s worth anything he’d better be taking you somewhere where they at least serve some Cabernet. And if he’s not planning to well baby we’re sure as hell going to make him. JULIA: (exasperated) But I’m not even allowed to drink! GEORGIA: (calls from downstairs) Hey Julia come on lets see you! JULIA: (calls back) Coming! TYRA: All right, go on now (heading towards the door) Julia goes down the stairs followed by Tyra. Both Georgia and Olivia look up from their business and look admiringly at Julia. Julia walks down the stairs gingerly in new strappy heels and in a slightly skimpy maroon dress. She looks beautiful but awkward as if her clothes are itching her. GEORGIA: (in admiration) Oh Julia! You just look absolutely lovely. OLIVIA: Wow nice work Tyra. Yeah Jules you look fantastic. You’re going to break some hearts tonight. JULIA: (unsure) Do you really think so? Don’t you think it’s a bit too much? Aunt Tyra picked out this dress from some Italian woman’s shop. I think it’s supposed to be for adults. TYRA: Darling please, I’m too young to be your aunt. And I bet there are going to be girls younger than you trying to dress like Paris Hilton with skirts ten times shorter than that. You have to show those boys what you got. MARTHA: (Enters from the kitchen carrying a teapot. She looks at Julia in both shock and awe. ) Julia?! Oh my! Where on earth did you get that dress? Cover your chest young lady! OLIVIA: (guffawing in disbelief) Oh please mother! It’s called cleavage and it seems to be the most highly prized commodity a woman can posses these days. GEORGIA: (in a calm soothing voice) It’s alright mother that’s a very conservative dress by today’s standards. Besides I’m sure Julia here has the best reputation as a lady (smiles warmly at Julia). JULIA: (stuttering) Y†¦yes mother I promise to be at my utmost behavior tonight. MARTHA: (loudly to Georgia) I don’t care what today’s standards are. If I followed today’s standards I’d be dressed in a bikini mowing the lawn. I know what’s right and proper for a lady and that dress does not look proper to me. (turns her attention to Julia and addresses her patiently) Oh my sweet innocent child, I just don’t want boys to get the wrong idea about you Julia, you’re such a sweet sweet girl and I don’t want you turning into a†¦(stops herself as she glances involuntarily at Tyra and Olivia). OLIVIA: (completing her mothers sentence)†¦into a successful empowered woman? (says defiantly) The days of housewives are over mother. These days either a woman fends for herself or she gets stuck with three kids in a tiny one bedroom apartment while her husband elopes with some nineteen year old intern. MARTHA: (looks as if about to shout but then collects herself and says resignedly to Julia who looks at her pleadingly with puppy eyes) Well dear†¦ at least just put a jacket on won’t you? So you don’t catch a cold? TYRA: (enjoying the tirade) Oh don’t worry I took care of that too. She won’t be catching any colds tonight. I already showed her how to put on a jacket. (gives Julia a sly wink) JULIA: (looking puzzled) †¦a jacket? MARTHA: (looks threateningly at Tyra and starts to open her mouth) OLIVIA: (gives Tyra a look of warning) GEORGIA: (stands abruptly) Come mother! I’ll help you dinner. MARTHA: (takes a deep breath) No it’s alright it’s already done, let’s just all sit down and have some tea. TYRA: (smiling apologetically) Let’s! Anyways, so Julia why don’t you tell us a little about this boy toy of yours. What car does he drive? I for one would never go out with a guy who drives anything less than a BMW. MARTHA: (surprised) Driving?! Oh I’m sure he’s too young to drive. And where will you be going anyway? JULIA: Well his dad usually drops him at school everyday so I don’t think he drives yet. But I think we’ll just be walking tonight mother, we’re only going to the plaza down the block for a burger. TYRA: The plaza? For a burger? Baby with you looking like that it ought to be a damn expensive burger. Well the least he can do is bring us home some of apple pie and chocolates. And if he gives you anything less than half a dozen roses†¦ MARTHA: (interrupts Tyra) Well if he does bring a car I don’t want you to spending any time in there you here me? You just finish your dinner and you order him to take you back home you understand? GEORGIA: (laughing) Mother please! Let the young lady enjoy a night out. JULIA: (in eager agreement to Martha) Yes mother, I promise I won’t even hold his hand, we’re only friends that’s all. Besides Ben is a nice boy, all the teachers like him MARTHA: Oh I know all those tricks the boys use these days, they haven’t changed since your father. Sure he may have gotten me at first but I won in the end. OLIVIA: Mother please can we have one day of not mentioning dad? MARTHA: (ignoring Olivia) But men†¦boys these days, you just don’t know what to think of them†¦ OLIVIA: I’ll tell you what to think of them sis, they are absolutely useless. All they’re good for is making babies. All I need is a decent good-looking guy to get me pregnant and I can live peacefully. The doorbell rings and all the women stop and look at the door, then look at each other questioningly. JULIA: (nervously) That must be him! MARTHA: Alright girls behave yourselves. Julia, go upstairs and put on a jacket. JULIA: (looks at Georgia for help) GEORGIA: Just go put a jacket on honey, you can take it off later if it gets warm. JULIA: Ok mother. ACT TWO The setting is in an old-fashioned diner where a few other young people are having burgers and fries. BEN: Boy you sure have one weird family†¦that’s a really nice dress. You look really uh†¦grown up. JULIA: Thanks Ben, my aunt Tyra got it for me. BEN: Well your aunt sure knows how to dress up. JULIA: I know, you sure couldn’t seem to keep you eyes off her. BEN: uhh†¦well (blushes) JULIA: I’m just kidding Ben, (brushes her hand against his hot cheek) BEN: (becomes flustered) JULIA: (enjoying the moment) So have you ever kissed a girl before? BEN: um†¦well (becomes even redder) JULIA: (coyly) Would you like to? BEN: (looks at Julia in disbelief) uhhh†¦ JULIA: But first you have to promise me something Ben. BEN: (quickly) Sure, I mean anything. JULIA: Promise you’ll take me to the movies next week? And we can have dinner in a nice restaurant. Somewhere with ca-ver-nay. (trying to say Cabernet). BEN: (tentatively) Yeah, yeah sure. JULIA: (excitedly) Great! And you can bring me a dozen roses for me to put in my room when you pick me up in a car. BEN: Uh†¦ a car? Yeah sure. JULIA: (suddenly) Oh! And Ben! BEN: (starting to get scared) yes? JULIA: The car that your dad drives†¦ BEN: uh-huh JULIA: It’s a BMW right? Curtain Falls The End

World Luxury Goods Industry Essay Example for Free

World Luxury Goods Industry Essay Luxury goods have more than the ordinary and necessary characteristics compared to other products of their category. Their characteristics can be divided into 6 parts Symbolism, Price, Extraordinariness, Rarity, Aesthetics and Quality. The global market size for the industry has been at a growth rate of 9% per annum. This trend has been seen in the market since 1995 till 2000. The luxury market took a hit from 2000 to 2004 when incidents like the September 11 and SARS epidemic took place during those years. The market was at a standstill till 2005 when it caught pace again until the subprime financial crisis. Recent years the growth rate has been at 11% average and this has been happening since 2009. At 2013 the market is sized at Euro 212 billion and has great potential going forward. The 10 % growth estimated for the market in 2013 represents the fourth straight year following the great recession that luxury goods revenues will grow annually by double-digits. Americas region is also projected to benefit from the market, with revenues growing by 13 percent by year’s end and Asia-Pacific sales particularly driven by China India are projected to grow by 18 percent. Growth in Europe is expected to be at 5 percent this year showing that the economic trends in these areas have affected the market for luxury goods. It is estimated that the luxury goods market will grow, in real terms by 4-6% per year between 2013-2015 increasing the market to between â‚ ¬240 and â‚ ¬250 billion by 2015. There has been a shift towards online sales in this segment with this medium continuing to grow faster than the rest of the market, at 28% annual growth for the year and reaching close to 10b Euros, nearly 5% of total luxury sales which larger than the luxury revenues of Germany. In online sales, shoes are the top-performing category. This level of online penetration is when brands have to treat their online channel as a integral part of their competitive strategy, rather than an an extra source of revenue. When we see the different products types in the industry it is seen that the Accessories highlights the best performance over the period 2007-2011 led by the emerging markets customers preferences with respect to luxury accessories. We see a shift in the market trend in apparels where the mens luxury sales increased by 16% in 2011 surpassing sales to woman. Mens luxury goods in 2011 accounted for 40% of the global luxury market up from 35 % in 1995. As you can see in figure above that the accessories and hard luxury goods have seen an increase in segment. In the luxury goods market the Italian brands have increased to gain the largest market share of luxury sales, moving from 21% in 1995 to 24% in 2013 almost equalling French brands market share of 25%. But in a consolidating market, French conglomerates are a driving force, owning 29% of the market compared to 25% in 1995. Key Figures Category Revenues Growth Forecast. 2012 (est) 2012 Leather Goods â‚ ¬33bn 16% Shoes â‚ ¬12 bn 13% Men’s Apparel â‚ ¬26 bn 10% Women’s Apparel â‚ ¬27 bn 9% Fragrances â‚ ¬20 bn 4% Cosmetics â‚ ¬23 bn 5% Jewelry â‚ ¬11 bn 13% Watches â‚ ¬35 bn 14% Total â‚ ¬212bn 10% The different players in this market are different for different product types like in the luxury watches segment it is Rolex, Omega etc, mens and womens apparels segment it is Armani, Burberry etc and leather goods segment it is LVMH, Ralph Lauren etc. Similarly many more in other segments and below are the different luxury goods brand with LVMH leading in revenue terms. Porter’s 5 forces model. THREAT OF NEW ENTRANT: Capital Requirement: The capital requirements for manufacturing, setting up stores and maintaining them are all very high. The break-even for these brands is very high. Their marketing and management costs such as rent, high salaries for craftsmen, heavy promotional activities etc. are very high too. A study indicated that they need to have 400 stores to develop a truly global presence. Brand Loyalty: The brand image associated with luxury brands and the loyalty created through CRM programs and exceptional service levels is very high for existing brands in the market space. However, the industry has been experiencing declining brand loyalty in emerging markets since their purchases are driven by status and show off motives and hence brand switching between brands perceived to have similar status is increasing. Nevertheless it takes considerable amount of time and expenditure to build its brand loyalty. Scale economies: It has been observed that consolidation of brands in the luxury market help in achieving higher economies of scale. Consolidation helps in increasing bargaining power with suppliers, obtaining operating synergies say in advertising etc., better financing options and risk management through diversification in the brand portfolio of the companies. LVMH, PPR (Gucci), Prada Group, Richemont have all undergone consolidation. Exclusive access to suppliers and distributors: Many brands in this segment have acquired their suppliers or have exclusive arrangements to protect their competitive advantage and insulate against rising costs in future. Also the numbers of distribution points are increasing as emerging markets are growing and luxury malls are coming up. For instance, LVMH acquired Leman Cadran and ArteCad SA- watch dial manufacturers and Delos Bottier, French artisan shoemaker. Retaliation from existing Cos- The powerful established brands tend to retaliate against the smaller and newer brands by say preventing them from having access to multi-brand retailers. Therefore we see that the threat of new entrant is high. THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES: Middle price brands: The growing mid ranged, high street brands pose as a possible substitute to the luxury brands. During economic crisis consumers tend to â€Å"trade down. † Counterfeit goods: The manufacturing and sales of counterfeit goods from Countries like China is growing. Quality design: increased internet accessibility and online shopping has made is easy for fast fashion brands to replicate designs and fashion trends of luxury brands within days/weeks of the fashion shows. There are no monetary switching costs to customers. However, there is a loss of prestige which is important to luxury brand buyers. Therefore the threat of substitutes is moderate. BUYER’S BARGAINING POWER: Decreasing buyer concentration: The number of buyers relative to suppliers is increasing. Only 50% of the 1. 6 MN wealthy were as rich 4 years ago. Level of dependency on buyer: The industry is heavily dependent on top-tier customers, mostly on a small super affluent population. Celebrities etc. being early adopters can drive consumption but single buyers cannot determine prices. Switching costs: There are emotional switching costs involved. With introduction of loyalty programs and associated privileges, the switching costs have increased. Possibility of backward integration by customers is very low. So on the whole, the bargaining power of buyers is low. SUPPLIER’S BARGAINING POWER: Number of suppliers: The raw materials are limited and exclusive. There are limited high skilled workers and there is also growing shortage since not many youngsters are willing to learn. For instance, Couture-level embroiderers in France have dropped from 10000 in 1920 to 200 in 2013. Level of Dependency: Some key components and materials are outsourced. For eg: LV outsources its monogram leather, in 2012, Chanel ordered large chuck of leather from a supplier in case they wouldn’t find more. Supply substitutes: Most materials are highly specialized and difficult to substitute. Switching costs to new suppliers are high since the quality is at risk and there is a past coordinating experience which is important. Forward integration possibility is very low since the luxury groups are much more experienced and wealthier than their suppliers. Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers is moderate to high. COMPETITIVE RIVALRY: Competitive structure: The industry has an oligopoly structure since it is dominated by few large independent players. LVMH, Richemont and PPR Gucci are the big three. Demand conditions: The demand is growing and will grow at a relatively high pace as China and Hong Kong markets grow further. Exit Barriers: Some brand exist despite the fact that they do not make any/much profits due to emotional reasons. For instance, Christian Lacroix hasn’t made any profit in 22 years. There are some highly specialised supply chain components that may be very difficult to sell. Chanel has 6 atelier d’arts under it which has no alternative usage. The rivalry among existing competition is high. Luxury Goods-Developed Countries Overview. There is so much talk about China, Brazil and other emerging markets as the future of luxury market while there is some truth to it we cannot ignore the developed markets. The current growth and hot spot for luxury goods is still in the developed countries. American region is the king of luxury spending; it grew at 4% in 2013 compared to 2012. There has been growth in the number of new store opening in tire two cities in these developed countries going to show that companies see potential in the smaller region and there is increase of disposable income in the smaller cities. Visitors from developing countries still prefer to buy luxury goods from the developed countries; this has also led to an increase in the demand of luxury goods in the developed countries. According to Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study Spring 2013 there are significant regional differences in the luxury market developed countries and all of them have their unique differences. Some of them are: Europe will see 2% growth in the luxury spending in the next few years, with increasing spending by tourists even though there is lower spending by European nationals. Tourist spending is driving half of revenues in Italy, 55% of revenues in the U. K. , and 60% of revenues in France. Japan has experience a decline in luxury spending by 12%. Although in real terms, the consumption has increased as the country has emerged out of stagflation. The Middle East continues to be relatively strong, with a 5% growth. The demand for Luxury goods remain strong in Dubai, while Saudi Arabia is also gaining share to become the region’s second largest luxury market. As these countries are oil rich they like the flamboyance and luxury. Online sales, of Luxury goods have gained popularity in the last few years in the developed countries. They are growing faster than the brick and mortar stores, turning in 28% annual growth for last year and reaching close to 10 billion Euros. In online sales, shoes are the top-performing category. With online penetration high, brands should treat their online channel as an integral part of their overall channel strategy, rather than an just an another source of additional revenue. According to the â€Å"Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study† finds accessories, including leather goods and shoes, have definitively become the largest segment, growing 4% for 2013 to reach 28% of the total revenues. Apparel is now a quarter of the market, growing at 1%, Apparel was very popular couple of years ago. Perfumes and cosmetics had a 2% growth in 2013. Luxury cars, wine and spirits, hotels, in-home and out-of-home food, home furnishings, and yachts all show growth, with luxury cars, wine and spirits, and hotels outpacing personal luxury goods and leading to an overall 2013 market of â‚ ¬800 billion of affluent spending, up 6% over 2012.compared to 25% in 1995. The luxury goods market in the developed countries is becoming very complex and in some areas is starting to look like the fast-moving consumer goods Industry. Brands have to adapt themselves by bringing in the level of detailed customer insight to standout of the clutter. While this Industry is still showing steady but not extravagant growth, brands need to adjust to a new set of scientific tools in order to keep up with other markets. CAGE Framework for Developed Countries Cultural Luxury Goods Industry in Developed countries over the years have matured and have formed definite distribution channels where most of the time they try cross selling to their existing buyers. However new customers enter the market, they account to an addition of 1%-3% of the total population involved in the luxury goods instry In Developed countries Culture is often considered with income level to follow a trend related to luxury goods. Considering a people with zero income level when shifts to a income level and wants to buy a luxury good his decision is dependent upon the income he is currently earning and the culture he is following in the ratio of 3:2. Administrative Initially as taxes were collected in the form of luxury tax from the customers in developed countries, they were indifferent to it as they had a considerable large amount of disposable income. Over the years as people entered the luxury market they got affected by such high rates. The government how of such countries depend on these taxes as they generate a large amount of revenue. Geographical Most of the developed countries are the manufactures of these luxury goods they tend to be cheaper in these countries. As the demand of the countries is very high they tend to acquire the fixed costs at an early stage, later just trying to recover the variable cost making it cheaper. Most of these developed countries have access to superior products used in manufacturing these products thus making the end products to be easily manufactured and thus slashing the rates, thus inducing more customers to buy the product Economic Differences GDP and per capita income of the developed countries is high compared to other emerging countries. Thus showing they have a higher disposable income and standard of living is high proving that they can afford luxury goods as their basic necessities of life is fulfilled. Luxury Goods-Developing Countries Overview. When we talk about developing economies we will be taking into account Brazil China and look at the luxury goods market in these two economies. Almost half of the luxury goods produced worldwide are sold in the emerging markets with China leading the way. The luxury goods market has seen tremendous growth in China whereas the same growth hasn’t been replicated in India Brazil because of some regulatory issues (high import duties). Looking at China, the GDP has been growing at almost 10% y-o-y which has been increasing the denomination of wealthy Chinese in the country. When you look at the Luxury market, the Asia-pacific region has been the best performer with a growth rate of 25% in 2011 and accounting for about 29% of the worldwide revenues. The growth of this market in China has been tremendous which can also be put down to the fact that many e-commerce players have come in to fray which give the digital consumers a chance to make use of the price advantage. The market has been helped by the fact that there has been a shift in the mentality of the Chinese people wherein they want the real stuff now rather than settling for the counterfeited goods. In addition to this due to the weakening Euro and the increase in the number of upper class citizens the Chinese people have been undertaking more and more overseas trips which in turn has increased the revenues for the Luxury market. Now coming to Brazil, the luxury goods market was about 2. 7 billion dollars in 2012, and the expected growth rate was estimated to be about 15-25% for the next five years which was put down to the fact that it has become the 7th largest economy in the world the purchasing power and the income rate for an average Brazilian is growing. Brazil now has 36 billionaires 165,000 millionaires out of which about 50% are below the age of 35, which will help boost the luxury goods market in the country. Now because of the unique services that are being provided to the consumers in Brazil, also the payment plan by installments and also the fact that a huge number of showrooms are being opened in the country the consumers are willing to buy the luxury goods for which they had to go abroad in the earlier days. STRATEGY – STRUCTURE PERFORMANCE STRATEGY: Strategic approach to product offer and price positioning. Focusing on the E-commerce platform as well in order to cater to the increasing number of digital consumers Opening up of new stores and availability of quality products easily. Focus on the retail chains in order to aid the distribution as this is the highest grossing medium (Omni-channel Retailing). Increase of scale in order to improve margins. Shift towards the accessories sector as this has the highest growth rate amongst the Luxury goods market. Store experience. Real time communication between the brand and the consumer via blogs communities. Off-price outlets. Consolidation. Diversification. STRUCTURE: Oligopoly: Very few luxury groups dominate the market. Large number of small individual brands. Individual brands being introduced by the large market players. Big Three LVMH Richemont PPR Gucci PERFORMANCE: A CAGR of +25% in China for the luxury goods revenues over the period 2008-11. A CAGR of +18. 3% in China for E-commerce buys during the period 2007-10. 31% increase in constant value terms for Brazil, 72% for China 86% for India over the period 2008-13.

Development And Implementation Of Business Strategy Marketing Essay

Development And Implementation Of Business Strategy Marketing Essay The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the strategic methods Bavarian Motor Works (BMW Group) applied to become one of the major leading automobile brand today. With reference of BMW automobiles Case Study by Mr. Valeriano Lencioni, I will further examine what happened with the company, what are the different business strategy approaches the company could use to overpower the high competition in the automobile industry, and what is in the future for the company. Like any other business companies, BMW went through rough time when they continuously keep on losing their market share and with the presence of tight competition, everything would have been unsuccessful. With the use of business strategies, BMW was able to determine what went wrong and what they could do to survive the pressure in the industry. Organisations in a similar environment are not identical but have different capabilities. BMW has strategic advantages that sets them apart from its competitors. BMWs resources and competences developed over years for the company to survive and grow. Every company needs a foundation to continuously keep up with its changing environment and with competition. Presently, BMW is a multi-billion company that manufactures several of the best-known cars in the market. BMW has gone way far ahead from its competitors even with the pressure from competition and still manage to survive and even growing and expanding globally. What are these business strategies BMW applied all these years to get there on top? How did the company even manage to be one of the biggest car manufacturers in the present time knowing the company went bankrupt in the year 1961? What is happening in the automobile industry and what is the position of BMW in the competition? Will it still manage to survive in the future? What are the challenges in store for the company for the next 10 years? BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND MAIN TRENDS IN 2004 The global car market started decline in 2003, led by the drop in the market in North America and Western Europe. Other regions of the world led by East Asia are seeing further car market expansion in 2003. In 2004, projections for livelier economic growth strengthen the continuation of car market growth in Western Europe and North America. Although how laws can get stricter and how badly it can affect the companies earnings, it also develop new technologies and markets. Another major external factor affecting the current situation of BMW is that industry structure is becoming more intense. BMW is a business which could face problems in the future if it doesnt take into consideration strategic alliances. Although, the problem was that the economy in North America and Western Europe has been affected by the overcapacity in the automobile industry. It became a global economic instability as consumers from the said part of the world decided to reduce spending on non essential goods. There was lower car demand and so, sales was automatically affected. The automobile industry is becoming more and more competitive, with 6 major groups which have recently formed. Car manufacturing presently is largely affected by external social and environmental pressures, which influence both current production practices and the development of future products and technologies. Environmental standards are mostly set by government regulation and even associations within the automobile industry. These acts aim to as anti-emission laws get stricter every year, and companies look to double or triple their fuel efficiency, alternative technologies are being developed to replace the traditional gasoline engines, and have started to hit the market. Increased fuel-economy and decreasing vehicle weight are gradual changes that slowly improve automobile performance; disruptive technologies include new fuel sources such as electricity, solar energy, and fuel cells. Please refer to Appendix III: UK car production in Year 2003. Within the automobile industry, it had too many difficulties and the players in this field have experienced the troubles of surviving. The change is needed as equity prices drops and geopolitical tensions arised, including the related threat to oil prices, all having a negative impact on the economy. Increasing the safety standards for automobiles also mean that nowadays cars take longer time to be developed and manufacturers should now focus on pre-marketing activities, making cars look more desirable to consumers due to their safety. Competitive forces determine the market power of competitors, the kind of competition they engage in, the factors that give some of them a competitive advantage, and the attractiveness of that market compared to others. BMW GROUP Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW) or Bavarian Motor Works is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917. The BMW Group is now one of the ten largest car manufacturers in the world and, with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, possesses three of the strongest premium brands in the car industry. The group also has a strong market position in the motorcycle sector and operates a successful financial services business. The company aims to generate profitable growth and above-average returns by focusing on the premium segments of the international automobile markets. With this in mind, a wide-ranging product and market offensive was initiated in 2001, which has resulted in the BMW Group expanding its product range considerably and strengthening its worldwide market position. The companys brand is extremely strong and is associated with high performance, engineering excellence and innovation. Indeed, the BMW brand is often cited as on e of the best in the world, and the company continues to launch a stream of innovative products as part of its battle with German peer Mercedes to be the worlds largest luxury car maker. II. PESTEL Analysis for BMW; its impact and how these influenced its strategy Organisations, such as BMW, need to look into the macro environment in which they exist, as these factors will have an impact and influence upon their industry. The macro environment is broken up into six main categories forming the PESTEL analysis. Automobile manufacturers must identify and select the issues which are most important to their industry in order to conduct a valid external analysis. Political/ Legal Factors Trade barriers and restrictions, import tariffs and tax policies are critical factors to consider especially for global manufacturers as they can influence the pricing levels of their products in each market and affect the profitability of a company. Also, Environmental protection laws regarding the CO2 emissions; In 2007 the European Commission proposed binding rules to cut CO2 emissions on new cars to 130 gms/km and it shows Porsche whose cars have highest CO2 output fell 2% as a result and average BMW emissions drop to 170g/km. With the threat of legislation looming BMW has shown that even premium car makers can seriously reduce CO2, stated by Jos Dings, Transport and Environment Director. Please refer to Appendix IV: CO2 Emissions by Car Brand Economic Factors The overall economic health of the car industry will have a great effect on each of the industry players. Interest rates, exchange rates and the level of unemployment can also depress demand. Most importantly the level of consumers disposable income is a critical issue particularly for manufacturers such as BMW and Jaguar, who compete in the luxury car market, as an economic downturn can seriously damage sales and revenues. Socio-cultural Factors This is an important factor to consider especially with regard to the luxury car market such as BMW. The particular lifestyles of consumers determine which strategy the organisation should pursue in order to capture the needs of its market effectively. Levels of education also affect the industry, as a highly skilled labour force is required in order to produce high performance and excellently engineered cars. Other factors are the Population demographics, Income distribution, Social mobility, Attitudes to work and leisure and Environmental concern of the market. Technological With many organisations competing with one another innovation and technological developments can help differentiate the companys product. Years ago the level of technology that was available, limited and restricted the models and designs car manufacturers could produce. Nowadays, technology has significantly moved on and companies can deliver more and more to their customers resulting in fierce competition amongst industry players to stay ahead of the market and be the best. By incorporating the latest technology advancements, car producers can lead the market in this field and achieve a competitive advantage. Environmental Although not a major driving force, manufacturers must be aware of the advantages in producing cleaner cars as there is now greater emphasis on protecting the environment. BMW have taken this into consideration and launched their Hybrid model. The result is a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent compared with a comparable BMW running on a combustion engine alone or it could be driven by electric power only, on the combustion engine alone, or with a combination of both power units. III. BMWs competitive advantage According to Mr Lencioni, the car market was already full of good quality cars and consumers found very few ways to distinguish between many of the available brands and models. Quality was no longer an issue in the industry since most models were well built and reliable. Design and Brand Appeal became the distinguishing elements and customers choice factors. Companies that had given attention to the look of their automobiles, even this strategy can only make small gains, rather than losing market share. With this realisation, Design became the biggest factor in the fight for market share, as this feature grabbed customers attention. And with this action, automobile companies had to hire the most talented car designers which leads to massive costs for the company as well as the car prices. Pursuing quality and appeal in design was putting pressure on companies resources, so was brand building and management. It had become clear that a brand identity was one of the most effective ways to be more competitive in an industry where more and more products came to the market. BMW brand which is the circular blue and white logo represents an aircraft propeller. As company grew, the emblem evolved as the white and blue colours of the flag of Bavaria. The logo has made it easier for people to remember and has given the company more recognition. The BMW logo represents power, stylish and elegance, thus making BMW much more competitive in the market. Please refer to Appendix V: BMW logo. Apart from brand and design, BMW has able to survive through developing strong customer knowledge, special levels of service and access to distribution channels. Another method we could clearly understand the competitive advantage of BMW is through its strength of five forces. Please refer to Appendix VI: The Five Forces that Shape Industry Competition. Threat of new entrants Analyse shows that threat for new entrants is low mainly due to huge capital and cutting-edge technology. Car industry is highly depended on their suppliers, because of advancement of technology and materials needed to build car. Even though all firms produce cars, no two firms are totally different and no two firms are exactly the same. Strategic group maps display different competitive positions that rival firms occupy. Based on Information contained in perceptual map it is easy to notice that more and more firms are going into all sort of alliances which help to offer more and more cheap cars. Additionally, there are many substitutes, but these decrease if the special features of material increase. Bargaining power of suppliers and buyers Overall suppliers are weak because they are spread all over the world and cannot easily integrate forward, however more and more companies move into close partnerships with suppliers, even by acquiring them in order to reduce costs and exclusivity. The buyer concentration ratio and information availability is high as well as ratio of firms producing cars, on the other hand the power of buyers is weak due to low demand for non-consumer goods- automobile, high switching costs and low ability to backward integrate. The threats of substitutes are moderately strong because there are many different and less expensive transportation facilities. On the other hand, intense rivalry is strong because the major players are dominant in the market by nearly same technology and manufacturing processes, suppliers relationship and distribution systems. The ease of differentiating cars and price based competition. BMW is looking at entering into alliances, joint ventures, partnerships as it is the safest way of securing a market share, product attractiveness and competitive prices. In a decision to purchase a BMW product or that of the competitor, an individual will be influenced by a group of people that he or she wants to join; people in a certain social class or in a certain income level. There are also three factors that affect the buyer behaviour that a marketer must consider; they are social, personal and psychological. It will therefore be highlighted how these factors affect the consumer behaviour and in turn how the consumer behaviour affects the buying decisions. Competitive rivalry within industry BMWs attractive product variations were a very good source of strength. BMW is having a repetition of building a driving machine that respond really good and enjoyably to their drivers commands whilst also providing the safety, style, quality, reliability, and durability that help make long term ownership. On the other hand BMWs factories are measured very supple and most dynamic in Germany utilising the latest technology in each phase of its value chain. All the above strengths and many others has places BMW in a good position with respect to the main strong competitors in terms of performance, features, dealer networks , foreign markets, for example Lexus, Mercedes-Benz or Cadillac where rivalry among these competitors increases when they compete globally in US car market, Europe and Eastern Europe and South-east Asia, but BMW strong brand is more costly to be switched especially for quality conscious customers which makes strong competitors. Please refer to Appendix VII: Global ve hicle production and financial performance 2005-2006. Threat of substitute products The global marketplace is in jeopardy by lower car demand in North America and Western Europe, both comparatively established car markets that have been badly impacted by high-energy prices and very less consumer response. The global automotive market is extremely competitive. Many large businesses operate on a worldwide scale. Competitors are constantly trying to find new technologies and markets to increase global market share. Recent years have seen globalisation and consolidation strategies increase by competitors resulting in competition intensifying. BMW faces strong competition worldwide in the luxury saloon market. Traditional competition, which has always been strong from Mercedes and Audi, has intensified with the emergence of Lexus as a major player, along came Fords new model, Lincoln. IV. The future challenges for BMW BMW has modernised model almost after every few months that might shift emphasis on getting a new model to market rather than focusing on issues that may develop with existing models, issues such as software, and mechanical problems. Reflecting this possibility, BMW stock shares have dropped 41% in year 2002 as it was relying too heavily on one model, the 1 Series to uphold its high edge. BMW also earning profits due to the strong sales of the loaded models of the Mini but need to diversify, or in other words not keep all their eggs in one basket. Although this can also be identified as strength it can also be a true weakness. Strong competition with the major players that BMW needs to look out for, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and even Cadillac. As an example, the Lexus RX300 SUV rivals the BMW X5; the Mercedes E-Class still outsells the BMW 5 Series worldwide; Audi 3, 6 and 8 Series compete directly with BMWs 3, 5 and 7 Series; Cadillac which has a whole new generation of models, leaving buyers with strong power in building preferences. The 1 series may weaken the BMW trademark with comparison to 7 Series buyers, the 1 Series models may be viewed as cheaper cars with less quality. It could also be viewed as a tactic for BMW to obtain higher sales volumes. V. The Global Business Environment A combination of strategic models and frameworks will be used to critically evaluate the competitive landscape of the car industry in order to identify the prevailing conditions in the wider environment and the dynamics of the industry that can ultimately impact and influence HONDA and BMW car manufacturers. Car industry represents oligopolistic type of market with differentiated product features, unrestricted but hard to force entry barriers, strong competition and few dominant firms that hold most of market share. Governments rely on the car sector as well as related suppliers and services in terms of employment, taxation, GDP and balance of payments. Demand fluctuations are appearing between country markets. Increase in taxations of production which represents significant government revenue. In 1980 there were thirty car manufactures, by 2000 this had fallen to thirteen where smaller manufactures (Saab, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, and Volvo) were bought by larger companies (General Motors, BMW, Ford) Changing the upstream supply chain as component suppliers split into layers and become total solution providers. Full cell technology will replace safety as the number one technology issue. The volume of traffic in many cities around the world is forcing governments to consider a range of road pricing, congestion charging, and car and petrol taxation measures to encourage more use of public transport, potentially reducing demand for cars. High competition encourages manufacturers to locate plants in low-wage countries (Hungary, Brazil, Romania) generating job loss and resentment in traditional car manufacturing countries (Britain, America) Global demand has also emerged extensively. Please refer to Appendix VIII: Development in global demand in from the year 2004 to 2012. VI. Development and implementation of Business Strategy The automotive industry is always seeing new legislation appearing on matters such as safety and the environment. For example legislation on end of life of vehicles changed practices of many car manufacturers in 2002 and 2003 regarding materials used in car manufacture and other factors. BMW successful competitive strategies are grounded on the brand representation of BMW as a constructive and powerful; BMW reflects typically style, high value, up-to-date manufacturing and good performance to an object audience. Customer Feelings BMW is perceived as Quality Company and therefore seen as producing quality products. As a result, it is accepted among customers that BMW might charge higher prices. The BMW Group stays in fifth place amongst the worlds car manufacturers. Based on the external challenges, opportunities and potential future trends in the industry BMW should consider technological innovations looking at government policies concerning environmental issues. BMW should consider product innovation to reduce toxic emissions and to develop more efficient engines such as full cell technology which will replace standard car engines. BMW should consider all opportunities and take advantage of its strengths. Looking at the macro environment BMW should carefully examine world sales of cars, customers behaviour and shift in economy such as interest rates. For BMW to stay ahead in terms of competition and remain gaining market share, the company should understand the increasing weight in the global automotive market in developing countries and emerging markets. Collaboration between companies should be maximised in order for BMW to remain competitive and create strong links with suppliers due to soaring prices for steel, aluminium, precious metals and plastic. Cross boarder alliances and mergers should be considered by BMW in order to draw near to the Asian car manufacturers. BMW has noted that sales of its 7-Series model are up in the US, the product has been met with less enthusiasm in Europe. As Germany remains the companys most important market, this may be classed as a risk. A commonly held view is the radical restyling of the 7-Series has failed to excite the traditional BMW driver. This may be especially worrying given the releases of the new 5- and 6-Series models, as they are believed to have undergone restyling as well. If the designs prove to be too innovative or radical, the companys short-term growth could be seriously impacted. The risks associated with the introduction of a number of new models into an underperforming segment are only likely to increase the threat of failure within the segment. Competitive Strategy fitting with the Maturing Automotive industry Looking on the Automotive Industry in general we can see that it is in a maturing life cycle, where nearly all potential buyers are already users of the industry products, demand consists mainly of replacement, with growth totally depends on the competing firms abilities to attract new buyers and convince existing buyers to upgrade their usage, also the critical success factor (CSF) is mainly the cost efficiency. Throughout the firms Industry Life Cycles (ILC) many challenges faces the BMW corporate managers that needs to tailor BMW strategy , these changes on the strategy called the Strategy Fit , essentially managers will depend on certain input factors which are weighted when choosing the best strategy to fit the current ILC, these factors that affects managers decisions in choosing the company strategy depends on the industry life cycle phase introduction, growth, mature, decline, focusing on maturing and growth ILC phases as they are related to the selected companies. Maturing i ndustries challenges are mainly the slow growth in demand which generates more head to head competition, buyer become more sophisticated more familiar with competing brands with hard bargaining due to repeated purchases, for BMW more focus is on service and price combination competition, challenge of innovating new product feature of find further use of the product current features to keep attracting buyers attention. VII. BMW Strategic Effectiveness in the Market BMW took good steps in driving the costs down by focusing on the design and production, it activates Operation activity in the value chain, although the shared component is a good idea for cost reduction, but also BMW high different in the prices of its product series could be an important factor in customer perception to the concept of the product features and design, perhaps focusing more on other cost reduction areas and avoid disturbance to customer perception can be a recommended option . Based on the research it is possible to distinguish customers who follow standard patterns; buying affordable but comfortable medium size cars, are those aged between 20 and 40 years old, regardless of the sex but dependant on income and household status. These clients tend to have more urbanised and settled lifestyle. On the other hand those at middle age, male with high income and preferences tend to pay fortunes regardless comfort, fuel usage or environment issues. With regards to a variety of car models it is impossible to aim at mass market just with standard type of car. More applicable is a differentiated marketing strategy like those developed by GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler which target clients at high and low income and offers cars with separate marketing and mixed variables. This strategy favours merger and acquisitions to overcome mobility barriers and gain presence also in luxury car segment. Strategic success for BMW in maturing industries by introducing a wide selection of features in the products, enhancing the industry value chain for example increase use of advanced technology, integrate the suppliers by internet to streamline various value chain activities, drive down unit cost, developing more economical product design, increasing sales to present customers using promotions or more services, acquiring rival firms at bargain price, expanding internationally, adapting core competency according to customer requirements and expectations and pushing it towards distinctive competency where the firm better then rivals . As part of BMW strategy tailoring by developing more economical product design, and focusing more on the technology innovation that reduces the cost in the overall value chain, for example BMW has been using new technology called RoDip-3, it is a new method for pre-treatment of the electro coating vehicle bodies that provides many enhancements and reduce cost to this process as explained by Christoph Klocke from BMW group. The first of these new pre-treatment and electro coating plants to be installed anywhere in the world is now operating in BMW group. Being one of the market leaders, BMW was very successful in adapting its Sales strategy with customer new needs and new preferences, BMW offered the BMW financial service to facilitate the customer financial payments utilising the Internet technology and many payments facilities. VIII. Conclusion In order for BMW to compete effectively within their industry, they must first identify which issues are critical in achieving successful competitive strategies. Decisions concerning the direction and development of the company must take into consideration the whole range of external issues, which have been covered throughout this report. The significant factors affecting BMW have been raised and are summarised below. These issues are critical to BMWs success. Size of organisation There are many acquisitions and mergers between industry players and so a small sized companies such as BMW must understand their vulnerability have merged with other companies to fight off industry giants. Mass market organisations also need to achieve economies of scale to remain profitable, whereas for manufacturers in the luxury niche markets this is not as vital as they charge premium prices and achieve very high profit margins. Quality of resources High quality of resources can help companies achieve a competitive advantage over others. Quality is seen as a key success factors to becoming successful within the market. Technology and Innovation Customers are demanding newer products and developments in technology and innovation can achieve this. Using the latest technology will once again strengthen the companys competitive position in the marketplace. Strong Brand image BMW has and can continue to build up a strong brand image through high quality resources. This is essential in the automobile industry as it creates a unique position in the marketplace and builds up customer loyalty making it difficult for other competitors to steal market share. Differentiation This is the key to survival. Companies can either differentiate themselves on price or through their unique characteristics of their products. Differentiating themselves from competitors gives the company a strong competitive advantage as they offer customers something exclusive, which competitors do not already provide. IX. References Ahlstrom, J. and E. Sjostrom. (2005). CSOs and Business Partnerships: Strategies for interaction, Business Strategy and the Environment 14(4), 230240. Balogun, J., and G. Johnson. (2005) From intended strategies to unintended outcomes: The impact of change recipient sensemaking. Organisation Studies 26/11: 15731601. Blank, H. D. and Carty, C. M. (2005) The Eco-Efficiency Anomaly, Journal of Investing (in press) Chow I, Holbert N, Kelley L and Yu J, (2004), Business Strategy An Asia Pacific Focus, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall Clark, E. (2004) Power, action and constraint in strategic management: Explaining enterprise restructuring in the Czech republic. Organisation Studies 25/4: 607627. Coe, N.; Hess, M.;Yeung, H.W.-c.; Dicken, P.; and Henderson, J. (2004). Globalizing regional development: A global production networks perspective. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 29:468-84. Floricel, S., and A. Langley (2004) Strategy as dynamic leverage. Conference of the European Group of Organisation Science, Ljubljana, May. Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., and Sturgeon, T. (2004), The Governance of Global Value Chains, Review of International Political Economy, 12, 1, 78104. Gertler, M. S. (2004). Manufacturing culture: The institutional geography of industrial practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Gharib, M. and E. Wahlqvist (2004) A standardisation Story and its Paradox: Creating Credibility for the Business Social Compliance Initiative. Goetschalckx, Mark, Bernhard Fleischmann. (2005). Strategic network planning. H. Stadtler, C. Kilger, eds. Supply Chain Management and Advanced Planning, 3rd ed. Springer, BerlinHeidelberg, Germany, 117-137. Hart, S. L. and S. Sharma. (2004) Engaging Fringe Stakeholders for Competitive Imagination, Academy of Management Executive 18(1), 7-1. Holmstrom, J. and D. Robey. (2005). Understanding its Organizational Consequences: An Actor Network Theory Approach, in B. Czarniawska and T. Hernes (eds.), Actor Network Theory and Organizing (Copenhagen Business School Press, Copenhagen), pp. 165187. Jarzabkowski, P. (2004) Strategy as practice: recursiveness, adaptation, and practices-in-use. Organisation Studies 25/4: 529560. Johnson G, Scholes K and Whittington R (2008), Exploring Corporate Strategy Text and Cases, 8th Edition, FT Prentice Hall. Johnson G. Scholes K. and Whittington R. (2005) Strategic analysis of BMW Exploring Corporate Strategy. By signing this page I am stating that the work contained in this report is my own work and has not been plagiarised from other sources. I understand that my work will not be marked if more than 15% of the content is found to be plagiarised. Name: Date: Signature:

The Influence of Religious History in the Middle East :: Essays Papers

The Influence of Religious History in the Middle East For the past 5 months I have been studying the religious history of each country we have become apart of. My project consists of tracing the religious developments in each of the four countries and the role religion plays in the social, political, and moral elements in each destination. I explored the history of the nation and what major figures or events shaped the religious scope of each respective country. I learned about each religion while I was in each country and made connections of how their culture is shaped by this religious aspect. Observations I had about these societies will be correlated to their religious development and will be compared to our society in America. My goal was to understand the influence of religion in a society. This was a great opportunity to observe this influence since all respective nations are very representative of the monotheistic religions. This plan was beneficial to my ME studies concentration as well as my history major. To prepare before my journey I had taken a course on the Orthodox Church at St. Olaf and have also read Introduction to the Orthodox Church by Fr. Anthony Coniaris. My preparation in this particular faith has been ongoing since birth. The preparation for Islam has consisted of a small introductory book given to me by neighbors in my dorm who practice Islam. It had given me a good foundation to build upon. The Internet was used to prepare for learning about the Jewish faith. The Encyclopedia will give me a background on each country before I left. Also the completion of Understanding the Contemporary Middle East gave a great foundation to build on. In this final presentation I will leave out the dates and specifics that have made up my previous speeches and focus on how the culture is influenced by their history. History is not all about memorizing dates and old dead people. It is about understanding and analyzing information that ultimately shapes the world around us. All the dates will do for you is make it easier to remember an ATM code, that's about it. How many people say that "they hate history classes.. but.. they love the history channel?" Lots of people, because history is fun when you do something with it. When you take the information and create explanations for why certain cultures perceive things the way they do, you are doing what historians do, and are enacting the true purpose of history, to make connections of past and present, and linking people that are separated geographically and also culturally.

Emilias Contemporary Stand :: essays research papers

Emilia’s Contemporary Stand In equation with the Elizabethan era, Shakespeare offers us a male dominated society in his renowned tragedy, Othello. Consequently, this definitely persuades a negative attitude and demeanor towards the women of the times. The female characters in the play: Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca; play relevant roles in contributing to one’s understanding of this exhausted Elizabethan view. In contrast to the larger portion of the play, Emilia, spouse to the scandalous Iago, takes an opinionated stand for Desdemona in relation to her wholesome gone sour relationship with the Moor of Venice, Othello. I recognize Emilia’s â€Å"Betrayal lecture† as a justified outlook in accordance with today’s period and events surrounding Desdemona’s and Othello’s fatal misunderstanding. In Act IV, scene ii and iii, Emilia shows her contemporary views about relationships to the audience and talks to Desdemona while doing so. She believes that many men and women are commonly guilty of cheating and betrayal of their partner. At this point, Othello’s worries of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness have wholly increased, and he begins to accuse her of cheating on him. Desdemona then hopes Othello sees to her honesty and truthfulness of the matter. â€Å"I hope my noble lord esteems me honest† (Act IV, scene II line 67). Othello counters her begging by beginning his sarcasm and request for her to never have been born. He says, â€Å"O, ay. As summer flies are in the shambles,that quicken even with blowing. O Thou weed, Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born!†(Act IV scene II lines 68-70) As Desdemona constantly denies his accusations, Othello becomes very angry. He asks for her forgiveness (jokingly) and says â€Å"I took you for that cunning whore of Venice† (Act IV, scene ii, line 93). Desdemona is left mad by Othello’s ridicule and listens to Emilia’s contrasting attitude. As Othello and Lodovico leave the scene, the Moor commands Desdemona to exit Emilia’s presence and exclaims, â€Å"get you to bed on th’ instant.(Act IV scene iii line 7). Emilia fervently disagrees with Othello and graces us with her pro- female attitudes once again by saying, â€Å" I would you had never seen him†, with Desdemona agreeing light-heartedly as well.(Act IV scene iii lines 19-20) . Emilia displays to Desdemona a helping hand and says to leave Othello if she is so hurt by his â€Å"understandings†. â€Å"†¦Having the world for your labor, ‘tis a wrong in your own world, and you might quickly make it right† She is basically explaining to Desdemona to leave Othello for his ludicrous antics.

The History of the Nutcracker Ballet :: essays research papers

The History of The Nutcracker Ballet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we think about The Nutcracker today, we see a memorable story about a girl (Marie) receiving a magical gift at a Christmas party from her mysterious Uncle Dosselmeyer. The gift is a nutcracker. Later that night, the nutcracker ends up turning into a Prince after defeating the Mouse King and saves Marie. Then, he takes Marie to a land called The Kingdom of Sweets where she is greeted by the Sugarplum fairy. This story is one of the most recognized ballets across the globe. However, what we do not think about is the way this ballet was created and how no one believed in the story as a great ballet. Following the success of The Sleeping Beauty, Ivan Alexandrovitch Vsevolojsky, the director of the Imperial Theaters, wanted to make another ballet with choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Pete Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. Vsevolojsky suggested a story based on a book called Nussknacher und Mausekonig (The Nutcracker and the King of the Mice) by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman. Hoffman’s story was first published in 1816. It was a part of a collection of children’s fairy tales titled Kindermarchen. This story, however, had a dark twist to the end of it that none of them liked. Because of this, Vsevolojsky decided to pick a nicer version of the story. He found a book that was based on Hoffman’s book. It was written by Alexandre Dumas and it was called L’Historie d’un Casse Noisette (The Story of a Hazelnutcracker).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Petipa and Tchaikovsky still did not like the story and refused to work on the project. Petipa did not think the story was right for ballet dancing. He did not feel that Marie, the main character, was a strong enough character to dance. He did try to write a scenario for the ballet, but he could not think of anything past the scene of what we know of as the kingdom of snow. After Petipa gave up, Vsevolojsky begged and persisted with Petipa to try again. He convinced Petipa and this time he created a new character called the Sugarplum fairy. This character was not in either of the original stories. She was to be the main character, rather than Marie, and she would be the ruler of the Kingdom of Sweets. Petipa felt that this character could dance the big scenes better than the character Marie.

Lovely Hula Hands Essay

Trask’s object of study is the historical and contemporary American popular conception of Hawaii, Native Hawaiians, and Native Hawaiian issues, such as rights, sovereignty, tourism, and institutional racism. Trask primarily interrogates the issues of colonialism, neocolonialism, and sovereignty in Hawai‘i and how these debates are framed in disparate contexts/around different foci; Hawaiian nationalist, cultural, international human rights, Oceania, tourist, and academic (ie. Historian, anthropologist, American studies). Trask’s key research questions are answered with powerful, persuasive, and cogent expertise made both accessible sans intellectual jargon and intimate by her personal herstory of colonialism and sovereignty struggles in Hawai‘i. To her credit, Trask pulls no punches in telling of struggles for hegemony and the legacies of violence preserved in everything from images of bombed aina, to institutional racism and sexism in our own American Studies department(! ), to the â€Å"lovely hula hands† of dusky, dancing Hawaiian maidens that are drooled over in international imaginations. Doing so, Trask participates in many important practical and theoretical debates, and writes purposefully and passionately against the continued violence against her land and people beyond mere consciousness-raising and, reasonably, on the offense. What is interesting about Trask’s writing is her clarity. She tells tourists not to visit, Hawaiians not to practice their indigenous culture peripherally, historians to be more self-reflexive, and haole’s to unpack their knapsacks of white privilege and colonial histories. It is also clear what is at stake in her interrogations and resolutions; the survival of Native Hawaiian people, rights, culture, and lands. Trask’s text, in presentation, appears more like a collection of journalistic articles and essays than a singular sustained argument around a specific cultural â€Å"text†. For this reason, it is somewhat unclear in what ways we should answer her call for change first and most importantly. An advantage of this organization, however, is the ability of her text to speak â€Å"from a native daughter† perspective to a multitude of audiences, interdisciplinarily, across many different aforementioned debates. Trask’s text in its entirety is very appropriate for this week’s discussion on identity politics and there are many strands of Trask’s text that piqued my interest. Her coverage of Hawaiian history and historiography helped enrich my sensitivity of how Hawai‘i is conceived in my own studies. When I am to write my histories, what audiences will I be writing for? Will it be through an inherently Western lens for the consumption of Western eyes/consumption? How does one avoid this? Did Trask succeed in avoiding this? I appreciated Trask’s writing on the New World Order and her resistance to cultural uniformity. Trask’s reading of hegemonies in Hawaii is a good contrast to other overly-economically-deterministic readings of Pacific-Rim discourse (see Arif Dirlik’s â€Å"The Asia-Pacific Idea: Reality and Representations in the Invention of a Regional Structure†). I enjoyed Trask’s discussion of local leaders, politicians, and academics in regards to mana and Hawaiian culture because it re-situated my perception of the continuing complicitous and counterhegemonic efforts of contemporary individuals. I was introduced to the context of international human rights versus civil rights approaches to Hawaiian sovereignty and American domestic policy at large. Trask’s dismantling of the arguments against Hawaiian sovereignty seem like good models, or at the very least inspiration, for further works counterarguing in theory and application existing conditions that preserve inequality and colonial legacy (i. e. gay and lesbian liberation movement, etc. ) I found Trask’s discussion on academic institutional racism, sexism, and the white hegemony on campus to be critical for my personal academic and professional journeys. Although she includes her definition on racism, I would have liked to know how Trask conceives of â€Å"race† and â€Å"racial ideology† in Hawai‘i as it has changed throughout pre-haole until present times. It seems, how Native Hawaiians, missionaries, businessmen, and various government officials usage of race or similar concepts would be an important approach to understanding its legacy relative to dominant/marginal ideologies/hegemonies (i. e. colonial, gender, sexual, cultural, and such. ). Moreover, how do we, as students and educators, continue to facilitate/obstruct the further unpacking of white privilege on UH campus? It might seem audacious to ask, but out of curiosity, how have racism and sexism changed/persisted on campus/in our department, since Trask’s hiring events? It seems like there was an individual and collective element to the discrimination Trask experienced, how does this help us be more self-reflexive of our complicity in maintaining hegemonies? How have institutional policies/practices been changed (or not) protecting from such events re-occurring? Relevant to more recent events in our department, is it comparable to question heterosexual privilege? To analogize Trask’s rhetoric, how can beneficiaries of heterosexual privilege come to see that homophobia is not only a matter of sexuality but of history and power? It seems this leads to more questions our class will have to discuss. Is the preferable approach one of common interest to enable coalition building across identities or one of episodic gains within different particular sites of struggle?