Macro-environment and Micro-environment for Topshop

Macro-environment and Micro-environment for Topshop Introduction As a global marketing manager of Topshop, it is very necessary to think about expanding its global marketing. China is a good choice as it owns a large number of persons. And, alongside changing lifestyles and income growth, Chinas fashion retail market is booming (Reuters, 2007[Online]). For Topshop, it means many potential customers. But, some other international brands, like Zara and HM, have opened its market in China for few years and have created customer loyalty to some extent. Then, before entering into Chinese market, it is still need to make a detailed analysis of the whole Chinese environment include internal and external and decide the most suitable entry strategy for Topshop if it wants to be successful. Situation of Topshop: Organization overview Topshop is a U.K. based clothing store chain which is founded in1964 for young women selling fashion clothes, shoes and accessories and also is a part of the Arcadia Group (Mahalo.com, 2010 [Online]). It is owned by Sir Philip Green and the stores feature Kate Mosss designer fashions (Mahalo.com, 2010 [Online]). Now, the flagship store in London Oxford Street is the biggest fashion store in Europe. It operates in more than 20 countries currently and has over 309 fashion stores nationwide, and 50 stores outside the UK (Oppapers.com, 2008 [Online]). It also has a website where you can buy a lot of the Topshop (Oppapers.com, 2008 [Online]). SWOT analysis Strength of Topshop as it belongs to Arcadia Group which managing several successful brands, and has accessed to target market with over 300 stores nationwide (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). It provides numerous choices in product lines and design variety of products with thousands of looks per season creatively (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). Compete with other brands, it also offers free personal style consultants (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). And, internet website makes it attract more customers around the world and make everybody shopping online quickly (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). All of these make Topshop keep trend of awareness and follow the fashion (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). Weakness of Topshop is that the company is global, but it has a presence in few countries worldwide (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). A large number of staff and products make it difficult to manage and increase the management costs. And, big store space lead to weak customer services. On web shopping, there is no detail and size for accessorizes (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). Moreover, some garments quality is not matching with the price (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). Opportunities for Topshop are about a large number of people in China which means it can get many potential consumers. Compared with other fashion retailers, it is not just target young Chinese, but also white-collared workers and a part of middle aged persons who follow the latest fashion in China, as this kind of fashion group can afford it and willing to spend on fashion (Reuters, 2007). It is easier for attracting Chinese customers and makes them know about this brand by online shopping to increase revenue and profits (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). Threats always reflected by its competitors, such as Zara and HM, also are fast fashion retailers who have entered into China and have a status for few years(Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). If Topshop wants to be successful in China, it is necessary to show its unique features and improve quality and retain low price and good design, because its competitors cooperate with top designers and fashion icons too (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). Whats more, it needs to face some limitations from government policies and to know about the cultural and demands of China as soon as possible. Key competitors For Topshop, Zara and HM are considered international competitors in China, as all of them have some common features as fashion retailing. For example, they are all creativity, quality design and rapid turnaround to adjust to changing market demand (Thinking made easy, 2009[Online]). However, Zara is the closest competitor for Topshop because of the relative higher price than HM. To some extent, HM is less fashionable. Analysis of China: PEST analysis In aspects of policies, China insists its way of peaceful development and keeps the stable political situation for a long term which offers a favorable external environment for Topshop to develop its market. And, the government also enhances its attention on overseas-funded enterprises and develops a well environment for investment to achieve its goal of investment attraction. By economics, from 2003 to 2010, GDP in China has increased as a whole (real growth rate showed as the chart below) which means the growth in the living standard. Moreover, this reflects that purchase power has been improved. It suggests that consumers can afford its products at reasonable price if Topshop enter into Chinese. China GDP (indexmundi.com, 2010) In social, China is a country with a large population which means many potential consumers for Topshop. And, it targets except young, also includes white-collared workers (Reuters, 2007). In China, they are both paying more attention on fashion products and brands. It is not difficult for Topshop to be a new focus as a famous international brand. About technologies, in China, E-commerce becomes more and more popular nowadays. In comparison, shopping online is more perfect in such a developing country. It is easier to set up its own network platform to advertise and sell products for Topshop. It is also a useful way to attract consumers. The theory of Porters diamond (Value based management.net, 2010) The four point of the diamond contributes towards global success as the picture shows (Henry, 2008). Factor conditions as China has large populations and have a low labor costs. And, perfect network it creates make it successful in business, especially for selling. Demands conditions as various customers demands in China make Topshop to innovate and provide an insight into future global trends for Topshop stay in a better position to exploit (Henry, 2008). To cooperate with Chinese suppliers provide Topshop with the most cost-effective inputs and communicates with local suppliers can make Topshop to learn about new fashion features to shape new styles (Henry, 2008). The structure of Chinese market is complex and multilevel with a large and various demand (Xinhua, 2009 [Online]). With this feature, it may work well in retailing industries. For Topshop, as a fashion retailer, it is driven by a need of fashionable and trendy for providing products to meet demands variety which suit for current Chinese market (elegman.com, 2005 [Online]). And, the existed strong competitors create pressures for Topshop to update to compete successfully (Henry, 2008). The theory of Porters Five Forces www.anythingresearch.com The five forces as the picture shows are used to analyze for assessing the competitive environment (Henry, 2008). The threat of new entrants depends on entry barriers and the reaction of existing competitors (Henry, 2008). For Topshop, if entry barriers are high, the threats of new entrants will be low. For example, as a global brand, Topshop already has a large-scale, to some extent, it can achieve economies of scale to decrease its costs, gain more profits with stronger proclivity. Then, if new entrants without enough strength, it will be difficult to entry into the industry and the threats will be low for Topshop. Bargaining power of buyers, buyers always want lower price and more services and bargain for high-quality (Henry, 2008).Topshop has to face to the forces come from buyers, if products can not satisfy customers demands, they will find other products to replace which leads to the loss of customers. This asks Topshop to make products with reasonable price and high quality. Bargaining power of suppliers, sometimes the costs of Topshop based on its suppliers. It is unnecessary to worry about if Topshop has many suppliers because it has opportunity to choose one which can offer lower costs. But, if fewer suppliers can provide goods and services for it, the profits may be decreased as suppliers will ask for high costs and there is no space to choose. Threat of substitution, there are products and services can meet similar needs, if Topshop cannot meet customers demands, especially for price, they will choose another one (Henry, 2008). It has to under the pressure and adjusts its price for maintaining its customers and profits. The intensity of rivalry, Zara is the closest competitor for Topshop as the similar price and products, so it has to face a strong competition. And, both them target young persons. The competition also is reflected to gain customers. What makes China attractive to invest in China keeps its stable political situation by peaceful development and offers a favorable environment to attract investment of foreign-funded enterprises. And, a large number of populations which suggests many potential customers make it attractive for Topshop to invest in. Moreover, it is worth investing as the attitude for following the fashion is enthusiastic and people also willing to spend on it (Reuters, 2007). Though it has to face the pressure of competition, Topshop still can maintain its competitive advantage with reasonable price, good design and high quality. Available market entry strategies for Topshop: Exporting is one of entry mode strategies for Topshop as it can make goods and services in UK and sells them in China. This method provides an opportunity for Topshop to acquire international experience for decreasing its risk exposure and resource commitments (Henry, 2008). But for Topshop, a famous international brand, has expanded its market in many other countries, it has already owned enough experience and strength to undertake risks. Exporting may waste a long time for it to entry into China, because it relies on local distributors and some of them have less ability to marketing and promoting international products (Henry, 2008). Then, it is not a suitable strategy for Topshop. Licensing is another way for Topshop to entry into China with less resource commitments. It is attractive for small firms as it requires little capital (Chee Harris, 1998). It can make Topshop to enter China quickly and fairly and help to access market knowledge, distribution and contact with customers immediately (Chee Harris, 1998). It also invests with a low cost. But, Topshop will have a less and direct control for its products and also make licensee is able to imitate its products and become its competitor (Henry, 2008). To some extent, it may enhance the stress of competition in Chinese market because of it is common for customers in China to choose imitation which is similar with what they wants of a lower price. It is easy to be replaced by imitation for Topshop. Franchise is particular form of licensing which can make Topshop enter into China rapidly with minimum investment (Chee Harris, 1998). Benefits of franchise as franchisee can provide local market knowledge which similar with Licensing. And, Chinese market may be more receptive to this strategy by a large area because of it involves local ownership and employment (Henry, 2008). The disadvantage is about lacking of trust and understanding between Topshop and its franchisee (Henry, 2008). The successful of franchisee means mutually beneficial for both side, not just for Topshop or its franchisee. Joint venture is a new company which is created by Topshop with its partners if it chooses this form. It differs from licensing as Topshop can take a managerial role and participate in operation and control its product line (Chee Harris, 1998). Partners will share the risks and costs of investment. Other benefits as joint venture can help greater familiarity with the local environment, especially for cultural of Chinese market. This enables joint venture to be more aware of culture sensitive. By joint venture, Topshop may benefit from government support and with a local partner (Chee Harris, 1998). Strategic alliance is sharing some resources and capabilities of Topshop with its two or more separated organizations (Henry, 2008). Their common aim is to learn from its partners. They all need to grow and develop based on their strategic objectives. It is beneficial because the opportunity to build new skills that Topshop can get from its partners (Chee Harris, 1998). But, it is difficult to identify each companys boundaries and ownership is also not clear. For a long-term strategy, Topshop cannot show its obvious features to attract customers and establish a superior position. Wholly owned Subsidiaries is the strategy can make a total control for Topshop. This entry involves the greatest commitment of resources with the highest risk (Henry, 2008). The unique resources and the distinctive capabilities provide for competitive advantage of Topshop (Henry, 2008). The drawbacks is just about Topshop has to undertake the most risk compared with other strategies. Conclusion: Through analysis of the situation and competition environment of Topshop and China, and think about some available strategies for Topshop entering China, Wholly owned Subsidiaries is the most suitable entry strategy for Topshop to choose. The decision depends on the vision of Topshop and its attitude towards risks and available investment capital. For Topshop, though it needs to face the highest investment cost and the most risk by strategy of wholly owned subsidiaries, it also can get the greatest returns based on this mode (Henry, 2008). Topshop can maximize the control of products line, operation and managements in China with this strategy. And, to expand its new market in China by this way can fully reflect competitive advantages of Topshop with enough capital. This entry mode provides a chance for Topshop to make a full use of local resources to produce, to some extent, helping to decrease the cost. Moreover, comparative low labor cost in China makes Topshop to save investment c ost on human resources, combined with its enough capital and competitive strength, it is real to reduce the threats if new entrants. By the development of business, it is not just open one store in China of Topshop, so wholly owned subsidiaries make Topshop can control its business in China and prepare the foundation for its future development. As a famous global brand, some suppliers are also in China, to choose wholly owned subsidiaries as an entry strategy make it close to the source of raw materials (Henry, 2008). Based on its local suppliers, it is easier to catch up the local fashion trend by communicating with its suppliers and serve the market better to satisfy local needs. Whats more, a base established in China can help to avoid government policies and barriers to trade which is better than exporting (Chee Harris, 1998). Other strategies like joint venture and licensing are common choice for other retailing. Then, Topshop choose wholly owned subsidiaries helps it enter into China rapidly and show its strength. And, in the initial period, Topshop choose wholly owned subsidiaries as entry modes can help to introduce other series products of Topshop gradually, such as Topman, to expand its market share at the right time.

Computers, the Internet, and a Changing World :: Computer Cyberspace Technology Essays

Computers, the Internet, and a Changing World When I think about the world of writing in the year 2003, and compare it to writing, let’s say, in the year 1990, the changes that have evolved are phenomenal. Of course, a person could argue that change is the one constant in life, including people, ideas, and technology, just to name a few. How can you measure and analyze every change that’s occurred in the world, and its cultures? If you tried, you’d likely grow old and die before you could pinpoint every single one. But when it comes to writing and the writers, themselves, in the twenty-first century, no longer are the paper pages of books, magazines, and newspapers the only source of reading. The internet is a dazzling and complicated electronic world, where one human can instantly communicate with another, all with the click of a mouse. Cyberculture has taken us from an earlier world, where we used the pen, pencil, typewriter, and just a computer, to a rapid-fire electronic galaxy, that enables us to use millions of pixels to send messages to the world; the most amazing part of all, is that we can do all this without ever leaving the comfort of our homes. Let’s start at the beginning, before the information superhighway was a part of the global vernacular. Millions of people like to read the newspaper, for a variety of reasons; many, including myself, want to keep up to speed on current events, locally, and around the world. I tend to read The Detroit Free Press, The Ann Arbor News, and occasionally, The New York Times, all good and, for the most part, accurate sources of news. My parents subscribed to all three newspapers for many years, and still do to this day. After I moved out and began living on my own, I would go to the nearest store or newspaper stand to buy a copy, and at times, still do this. However, with the explosion of internet usage, I don’t have to run out to the store and spend thirty-five or fifty cents on one of those papers; rather, all I have to do is turn on my computer, get connected to the internet, type in the URL, and I am instantly at that newspaper’s site, with that day’s electronic headlines only a few inches from my face. I can read the front page news, or click a link that takes me to the sports section, or hit another link that takes me to the movie reviews. There are countless texts, long and short, to read on the internet, and newspapers are only one example. However, I believe that these

No Child Left Behind Act

With the No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in early 2002, the Bush Administration put its stamp on the central federal law governing K-12 schooling, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) ratified in 1965. Throughout his campaign for the presidency, Bush summoned the ideas that are now law as a way to improve public education across the board, particularly for poor children. Vowing to end the soft prejudice of low expectations that he said has allowed too many poor children to fall enduringly behind in school, President Bush declared, â€Å"It's time to come together to get it (educational reform) done so that we can truthfully say in America, ‘No child will be left behind, not one single child'† Described in this way, the problem of low expectations proposes the solution most probably built into the provisions of No Child Left Behind: higher expectations. Though, the law needs not higher expectations which, after all, cannot be legislated but to a certain extent documented success, across the board and against a set of external standards. Expecting every child to succeed is one thing; needing that success is another. Supporters look upon the No Child Left Behind Act as a much-needed push in the right direction: a set of measures that will drive broad gains in student achievement as well as hold states and schools properly accountable for student progress. A number of critics see it fundamentally as a insincere set of demands, framed in an appealing language of expectations, that will force schools to fail on a scale large enough to rationalize shifting public dollars to private schools that is, as a political effort to reform public education out of existence through a policy of test and burn. (Levin, B. & Riffel, J, 1998). Sadly, No Child Left Behind appears, at best, to fix the wrong problem. The sanctions written into the law appear designed to compel teachers to teach and students to learn. Thus far, few children do not want to learn and few teachers do not want to teach. This is barely the biggest problem in struggling schools. What is missing is chance and support, not desire. Consider the gap between the reforms institutionalized through No Child Left Behind and the needs of John Essex, a high-poverty school in rural Demopolis, Alabama. The New York Times (Schemo, 2003b), reported: The truck full of stones showed up at John Essex School without explanation, as if some unnamed saint had heard Loretta McCoy's despair. As principal of this school in Alabama's rural Black Belt, Ms. McCoy struggles to find money for essentials: library books, musical instruments, supplies and teachers. So when the stones appeared, Ms. McCoy knew it might be the closest John Essex would get to landscaping and got pushing. A pile went by the back door, filing a huge pothole the children waded through when it rained. Another truckload filled a sinkhole by the Dumpsters, where garbage trucks got stuck in mud, and a third went to craters when the children took recess. Her pleading got John Essex five deliveries of rock: not enough to level the school's entrance, but enough to give its principal a small dose of hope. The K-12 school has 264 students, all poor and all Black. The building's cinder-block walls are unplastered, electrical lines are exposed, also the library includes books â€Å"that ponder how the Vietnam War will turn out† and â€Å"speak of landing on the moon as an ambitious dream† (Schemo, 2003b). Students have to master a foreign language to earn the academic diploma they require to get into college; however the school has no foreign language teacher, as well no art or music teacher. A few wrist bells comprise the school's collection of musical instruments. One person teaches chemistry, earth science, biology, and all the other science classes. Given the funding shortfalls and high failure rates extensively predicted for struggling schools like John Essex, it is hard to believe that sanctions are a good-faith prescription for accomplishment. Schools with fewer students and less funding will have even more difficulty attracting the best teachers, most of whom will prefer not to teach in a school branded failing. Though No Child Left Behind was signed into law with promises of not giving up on a single student, which proposes a commitment to ensuring that all children succeed, sanctions drive the law and almost make sure the opposite: failure. If this was not the case, if a state documented the success of each and every student that state no doubt would be criticized for cheating, grade inflation, or low standard. Pious platitudes regarding children being capable to learn and accountability for adequate yearly progress are poor substitutes for the cold, hard cash schools like John Essex need to attract good teachers and to finance the programs that might validate this rhetoric. While the federal contribution to total spending on public education is extremely small, about seven percent, the high-poverty schools most vulnerable to the sanctions rely excessively on this money. No Child Left Behind emerges not to address the very real problems in these schools, some of which rely on Title I dollars for more than a third of their spending, but somewhat to use those problems as a rationale for eroding public education. President Bush wanted to include vouchers for private schools in the No Child Left Behind law, however let this go when it became clear Congress would not pass the legislation with that provision. Debatably, however, No Child Left Behind lays the groundwork for exactly this result. The objective appears to be not to improve the quality of schooling for poor children, however rather to turn the problems of poor schools into a campaign to destroy public education. As growingly schools are deemed failing, the demand for vouchers likely will increase, paving the way for a transfer of students and funds to private schools. In the summer of 2003, the president invigorated his call for vouchers and backed a proposal to spend seventy-five million dollars in federal money on vouchers for private schools. Of the seventy-five million dollars, fifteen million dollars would go to families in Washington, DC for vouchers for two thousand of the sixty-seven thousand students in the district. The move came after a decision by the U. S. Supreme Court the year before that affirmed the constitutionality of permitting parents to use public funds to pay for religious and other private schooling. The case focused on a program in Cleveland, which offers private-school vouchers of up to $2,250 to approximately three thousand and seven hundred of the district's seventy-five thousand students. (Tozer, S. E., Violas, P. C., & Senese, G, 2002). Several students lack supports common in middle-class and rich households an adult at home in the evening, lots of books, and a quiet place to work. Others struggle to handle with the stress of living with constant economic insecurity evictions, homelessness, moving from place to place or of living in a community used by the larger society as a poisonous dumping ground. By paying no attention to this reality, No Child Left Behind continues the â€Å"blame-the-victim approach† that has long considered public schooling. Much more is needed than simply stating we now have high expectations for all children. Unaccompanied by a political commitment to construct a system where there is a cause to expect every child to succeed, such proclamations ridicule the ideals they bring to mind. Under the semblance of battling the soft bigotry of low expectations, policy-makers are moving in the incorrect direction in the long struggle to understand the ideal of equal educational opportunity. The stick side of the No Child Left Behind Act is operating: Schools not capable to meet annual achievement targets are being punished. Though, the carrot side of the law, something better for poor children in struggling schools, has not materialized. While funding for Title I has increased, it falls violently short of the realistic costs of achieving hundred percent proficiency. As the federal government reviewed states' plans for putting into practice No Child Left Behind in summer 2003, a related battle gathered steam when the Bush administration planned to overhaul Head Start, the federally funded preschool program that serves about one million of the nation's poorest 3- and 4-year-olds in community centers and schools. Under the proposal, the funding for the program would be distributed in block grants to states, under the control at first of up to eight governors. When Head Start was formed in 1965 as an initiative within the larger War on Poverty, then-President Lyndon Johnson intentionally avoided giving governors, antagonists in battles over civil rights, control over the program. (Levin, B. & Riffel, J, 1998). Critics of the proposal, including more than forty antipoverty and child welfare groups, protested that distributing Head Start dollars in block grants to states would take to bits the program by destroying the federal guarantee that the money will be used as originally planned namely, to provide an array of services to poor children, together with nutritional food, dental and health care, immunizations, as well as, in some centers, literacy programs for family members. To take this program away from communities this is a direct federal community program also hand it over to states without the national performance standards, without the requirements for complete services that make Head Start successful, and at a time when states are facing the biggest budget shortfalls in their history, is to destroy it. (Johnson, M, 2001). Under the proposal, Head Start employees would be needed to teach reading, writing, and math skills, and Head Start pupils would be required to partake in an assessment to find out if the new academic standards were being met. The proposal would need as a minimum half of all Head Start teachers to have 4-year college degrees by 2008, however would not require competitive salaries. Head Start teachers now earn merely about half the average salary of kindergarten teachers. Reference: Johnson, M. (2001, December). Making teaching boom proof: The future of the teaching profession. New Economy, 8(4), 203-207. This article describes how the staffing and retention of teachers could be enhanced to deal with national shortages. Levin, B. & Riffel, J. (1998, March). Conceptualising school change. Cambridge Journal of Education, 28(1), 113. This article attempts to discuss the implications for educational strategy makers suggested by the literature review Schemo, D. J. (2003b, July 11). Questions on data cloud luster of Houston schools. The New York Times. Retrieved from  Ã‚   http://www.nytimes.com This article discusses that hundreds of drop-outs were wrongly listed as transfers. Enrolment at alleged miracle high schools dropped noticeably during this time. Tozer, S. E., Violas, P. C., & Senese, G. (2002). School and society: Historical and contemporary perspectives (4th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill This text seeks to define an analytic framework that illustrates how and why certain school-society issues first took place in this country and how they transformed over time. In its assessment of the development of education in the United States, this text entails an engaging historical story.

The assessment of social mobility essays

The assessment of social mobility essays Are the 35 million Americans who fall below the poverty line there because they are lazy and have let all opportunities for social advancement pass them by? Or is there currently a social structure that successfully reproduces classes and limits upward social mobility in America? Certain institutions in American society, including education, work and occupational structure and the family help perpetuate social class stratification. These institutions widen the gap between the rich and the poor by placing inherent restrictions on opportunities for those born into different classes. Although the degree of effort put forth by each individual is critically important, their relationship to the aforementioned institutions can severely limit upward social mobility. The current educational system creates a unique contradiction. While traditionally the best way to climb the ladders of society, American schools are now reproducing social classes. Those children born into poor families and neighborhoods usually begin their school career at a steep disadvantage. Public schools that are run down and lack sufficient funding or other key resources like good teachers are endemic to these lower income areas. The idea of class reproduction, or the correspondence principle, is obviously present in education. As mentioned above, differences between schools and school districts exist. In his article on the inequalities of public education in New York, Kozol describes an elementary school in North Bronx where 63 children share an average sized classroom. The room has no windows, for the building used to be a roller-skating rink. Consisting of 90% black and Hispanics, the student body of 1,300 has only 26 computers. (Kozol, 95) On the other hand, educational standards in upper-middle class communities are far superior. Here in Grand Blanc, Michigan an average second grade class would have one teacher for under thirty students and more than one computer i...

Free Essays on The Devil In Disguise

carefully to show that Arnold is a devious yet recognizable snake. For example, the narratorsays: â€Å"And his face was a familiar face, somehow†¦sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up† (Oates 619). The omniscient capabilities Arnold shows are simply more clues that Arnold Friend is playing the role of a demon, or the devil himself. He knows too much about everything and everyone to be only a normal person, especially one who is not from around Connie’s town. Arnold claims to know all of Connie's friends and where her family is at the time of their meeting. This scares her into asking Arnold how he knows so much and his only response is, "I know... Free Essays on The Devil In Disguise Free Essays on The Devil In Disguise In Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been" there is a clear interpretation of evil in Arnold Friend’s portrayal of a demon who tries to lure Connie into his world of sex and emotion. Joyce Carol Oates seems to create scenarios of real life and center them into her story. The harsh reality she includes in this story is that there actually are demons like Arnold Friend in the world. By incorporating more life like realities in the story, Oates creates the evil of Arnold in an almost believable setting and proves that the world is full of both innocence and evil. There are many clues in the story that hint towards Arnold Friend not being a friend, but in fact a demon that has come to take Connie away. When Arnold Friend first approaches Connie, he begins to talk as if she was expecting him. He says, â€Å"I ain’t late am I?† (Oates 618). Connie has an uneasy feeling about him and feels violated by his presence. Arnold seems to be pressuring Connie from the start and is obviously not there just to take her for a ride. The "ride" that Arnold talks of could possibly even have a sexual connotation that Connie does not pick up on because she is so young and blind to the world of sin that Arnold lives in. Oates chooses her words carefully to show that Arnold is a devious yet recognizable snake. For example, the narratorsays: â€Å"And his face was a familiar face, somehow†¦sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up† (Oates 619). The omniscient capabilities Arnold shows are simply more clues that Arnold Friend is playing the role of a demon, or the devil himself. He knows too much about everything and everyone to be only a normal person, especially one who is not from around Connie’s town. Arnold claims to know all of Connie's friends and where her family is at the time of their meeting. This scares her into asking Arnold how he knows so much and his only response is, "I know...

Historical Documents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historical Documents - Essay Example Most economists attribute the 1929 stock market crash in the United States as the trigger for the great depression. 4Trade and incomes experienced a dramatic drop. This led to a dip in tax collection for the treasury. At the peak of the great depression, unemployment rates stood at 25% in the United States. Other developed nations had unemployment rates of over 30% of the working age population. Many historians and economists believe that there are two theories that best describe the cause of the Great Depression. 5 The Demand theory argues that service and products were being over produced while the demand was not keeping up with the supply. Companies were over investing in products that had no matching demand meaning the companies were spending more than they were making6.This led to huge losses and companies going out of business leading to high unemployment rate. The monetarist theory believes that the depression was minor problem that was compounded by poor decisions and mistakes by financial institutions7. These institutions inflated debts causing people to stay indebted for much longer period8. Whatever triggered the great depression is still subject to debate but it cannot be denied that its effects were felt globally10. I used the online library to get my sources specifically Google books section. I opted for this source since it was the easiest way to access some books which the local library may not have .Hence it is convenient and can be accessed 24 hours a day. The books have various strengths and weaknesses which led me to choose them after evaluation. The secondary sources though have are recently published books and rely mostly on previously published works whose accuracy may not be easily verified. Their main advantage over the primary sources is that they may tap into more studies and research works that may not have been possible hence provide a more comprehensive and

Discovering entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Discovering entrepreneurship - Essay Example Introduction The report deals with developing a business plan that shows the potential of a new company on or near by the UEL campus. It is also a good opportunity for the project group to expand knowledge and skills to be a good entrepreneur in the future. During the project the five main characteristics of a successful entrepreneur were kept: believe that you can make a difference, take action, be optimistic, tolerance towards ideas and be ethical (Bronson, 2011). The new company is been developed as a response to the growing number of international students in the campus who wish to enjoy food from their own culture. With the increase number of students from different cultures and the demand for product diversity, comes the question: â€Å"Do students from other countries like English food offered in vicinity of UEL campus?† There are over 4.000 international students studying at the University of East London (University of East London 2011). This fact gave the inspiration for this new business idea. International students might not enjoy English food and miss food from their home country. When the food is available in the UK the international students can have difficulties to find it. ... While there are other stores that offer the same product, the business plan aims to create a shop within the vicinity of UEL so that students do not have to travel long distances. Also the range of products in this shop would be more as compared to the competitors. Internet would also be used in conjunction with the shop so that students can order online also. The company will be opened in the name of Oriental Bazaar. Oriental Bazaar will provide the international students their specific nourishment need. More specific information and research is elsewhere in this business plan. The business plan will include: conceptualisation, target market, supply chain, product life cycle, marketing strategy, marketing mix, operational plan and capital requirement. Macro environment Analyzing the macro environment is imperative in order to analyze how the business would fare in the current business environment. The most commonly employed to study the macro environment is the PESTEL analysis (Gill espie, 2007) that is as follows: Economic environment: University students usually have a limited budget and are not willing to pay extra for their food stuff. They usually look for discounts. However, bulk buying is not an option for these students as they do not have to serve the entire family and the purchasing is only meant for one person or occasionally a group of people. Political-legal environment: The Political-Legal environment that should be studied in this respect would be that of the University of East London. The shop would be required to maintain the codes determined by the university. UEL is committed to providing the right direction to emerging business and especially ones