Ducati Essay

Patrick EnglandDucati individual write up #3 Management 495 2/7/2012 Can Ducati sustain its position in the sport segment? Can Honda and other Japanese manufactures stop its growth in this segment? The ability for Ducati to sustain its position in the sport segment of motorcycles is going to depend on management’s ability to stay focused on keeping their image and story alive and in the minds of the motorcycle community. If management continues its current trend I believe that they can sustain their position, although there are challenges posed by the Japanese firms and changes in Ducati itself can also play a role in their ability to maintain their growth and position as the high end advanced sport bikes. Ducati’s decision to move from a mechanical company to an entertainment company could be the source of its success or its failure. The company to this point in 2001 had become known for their exotic engineering and design, focusing on beating the completion by any means, even if it involved producing a bike that many might call ugly or not the traditional motorcycle, so Ducati was running the risk of turning away the very customers and removing the image that had built them to the company they had become. But the decision made by Minoli, to become more of an entertainment company and to produce products that could be attractable by a wider variety of customers could also spur growth and market share that the company desperately wanted and needed if it was going to continue to compete with the Japanese bikes. I believe that if the management at Ducati can continue to make this â€Å"turnaround† hold and follow through with the goals laid out in it, then yes they can sustain their position, although any deviation or getting lack in the respects of implementing these long term goals will in my opinion hurt them greatly, for it is the image and the brand that Ducati represents that makes their products wanted. If they try too hard to copy the functions and company structure of competitors they very well may be destroying their core competitive advantage of image and product uniqueness. Japanese manufactures have been pushing hard in the sport market and have the capital and business structure to make a full fledge effort to take market share in the sport division. Honda and others have the ability to mimic the aspects of Ducati that have made them so revered by customers (mainly new technology and exotic styling) while still maintain their reliability and cost advantage. They will still continue to struggle with the â€Å"cookie cutter† image that has plagued them throughout their history, and I believe that if they can try to separate products in their sport division and create the image of uniqueness and exoticness that people associate with Ducati, then they definitely can pose a serious threat.

How Are the Elements of Realism Used to Present Believable

How are the elements of realism used to present believable characters to the audience? â€Å"If you know your character's thoughts, the proper vocal and bodily expressions will naturally follow† said by the creator of realist theatre Constantine Stanislavski, is used heavily in the assistance to the portrayal and understanding of the characters in Ray Lawler’s ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’. Actors and actresses can achieve great heights with the depiction of the characters through Lawler’s use of dramatic elements and a constant realist setting and symbolic props. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’ is a play set in Australia during the 1950’s which was a crucial period in the development of the Australian identity. It was a time of post-war reconstruction and immigration, of materialism, a wool boom, of suburban comfort and conservatism- the first decade since early in the century in which the ordinary Australian had not been hounded by war, depression and drought. It was also a time period in which the sugar cane industry was booming and many workers made their way up to the sugar cane fields in Queensland to harvest the sugar cane and earn a living.This was the occupation of Barney and Roo as they are coming back from their seventeenth year working in the fields as the play begins. Like all realist and naturalist plays, the characters portrayed in ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’ are in a constant state of flux, reflecting human actions within the cultural milieu of 1950’s Australia, attempting to present perspectives on ‘truth’ in such a way that the Australian culture can digest that ‘truth’ as they desperately struggle to hold on to the adopted traditions that regularly take place within the lay-off season.Lawler effectively uses symbolism to distinctly highlight the characters ongoing futile attempts to hold on to their various illusions, through the accidental s mashing of the vase containing the seventeenth doll, and as the play progresses their flaws unfold. Olive and her perception of the lay-off season becomes her flaw as she considers this a time in which she can thoroughly enjoy herself in the company of men without the fear of commitment and the pressures of a family. She made a mistake’ is replied by Olive after Pearl had said, ‘Didn’t seem to stop her from getting married’, as Olive shows her unwillingness to be within wedlock. ‘Compared to all the marriages I know, what i got is †¦ is five months of heaven every year’ as Olive further reinforces her unchanging views of marriage. Also the men have their flaws through their pride and masculinity suffering a severe beating. Roo, the silly cow, strains his back’ is told by Barney to Olive of Roo’s horrid year in the fields then continues on to say ‘Instead of pointin’ out he had a bad back, he puts himself to work by this Dowd – gonna show him up, see’ further accentuating his grip on his pride and masculinity. However Roo and Barney engage into a heated argument which eventuates into the smashing of the vase which contained the seventeenth doll. ‘The big man rips it from his hands and throws it away into the centre of the room, smashing the vase and scattering the dolls’.At this high point of tension the audience feels shocked as the vase and the dolls had symbolised the great joy that the lay-off season is supposed to bring. ‘There is a sudden silence. Olive sinks to her knees and picks up the seventeenth doll, hold it close’ the absence of dialogue is extremely effective as the audience can feel the raw emotions of Olive as the smashed vase symbolises her hopes of the lay-off season being shattered into pieces. Through slow and accentuated movements the audiences can easily understand the significance of the doll to Olive therefore deeply sympathise with her character.Furthermore the shattering of the vase is again symbolic for Roo as just before the vase was smashed it was revealed that his back wasn’t sore and that it was jealousy that led him to lie about his back. ‘He never had a bad back’ was exclaimed by Barney moments before the smashing of the vase. This again was highly symbolic of the smashing as the realisation of his fleeting masculinity and the inevitability of his ageing mind and body are finally beginning to sink in, and his true self is revealed to the audience.Also, considering the play was set in the 1950’s of Australia, the people of Australia had their own unique way of the pronunciation of words and had adopted a very colloquial styled language. Lawler had taken this firmly into account as he consolidated this type of language into the play. ‘†¦ the regulars'd stand aside to let 'em through, just as if they was a – a coupla kings’ was said by Olive as she described Barney and Roo. Again, Olive says ‘these are a coupla sugarcane cutters’.This exemplifies an ordinary, raw and realistic representation of Australian culture and life in the 1950’s which is especially evident through the word â€Å"coupla. † In pairs we worked to together to workshop a scene between Olive and Pearl which involved us changing our tone of voice to suite the 1950's Australian language. ‘Well I dunno what it's gunna be like livin' here' was a line that I said as I had played Pearl and using the words â€Å"dunno†, â€Å"gunna† and â€Å"livin† really assisted me in believing in my role and my character.When we performed or dramatic reading in front of the class the authenticity of a 1950's Australian was shown through the alterations in our tone of voice as it became laid back in the not climactic beats of the scene and our accents deepened and again our tone of voice altered in the high points of tension, ‘Here, sit down and shut up if you can't talk sense. ‘ In class we worked together to create a scene through our dramatic reading that lead me play Roo in the scene where Barney smashes the vase containing the seventeenth doll.The lines that were read were as follows: Roo: No, I think that’s up to you [he charges across at Barney, pushing Olive out of the way. He savagely whips Barney’s arm behind his back, and forces him to his knees, facing the women] It's your lie – you tell'em! Barney: [his face contorted with pain]Aah – cut it out. Roo: [increasing the pressure] tell’em Barney: [gasping] he never had a bad back. At the high point in tension where I (Roo) charged over at Barney and grabbed his arm and whipped it behind his back I used fast explosive movements to convey to the audience the frustration and anger felt by Roo.I forced Barney to his knees in order to show the levels between the characters so that Roo was the more domina nt figure, and when Barney was to reveal the secret to the women, he would've had to comprehend extreme guilt whilst feeling lower and belittled towards everyone else. ‘His face contorted with pain', the person playing Barney reacted to the arm whipping feeling very subdued with dynamic facial expressions to compliment the pain he must have felt.As I ‘increased the pressure' and forcefully exclaimed â€Å"tell'em†, all of my movements were extremely tense as I created this enticing moment for the audience and the characters. The person playing Barney ‘gasped' and revealed the enticing situation and said ‘he never had a bad back'. The characters and audience were left stunned at this revelation and, the tone, movements and facial expressions used within those beats and units had created strong dramatic meaning as the audience was gripped onto hat would happen next. The concept of dramatic realism operates within Summer of the Seventeenth Doll through as pects such as the use of slang, language, set, costume approximates real life, natural language rhythms, relevance to society of that era, etc. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is set in the 1950s, Olive and her black dresses and when she changes it for that night symbolising change and at the end when she changes back to black and symbolising nothing has changed

Psychology Vocab Essay

Anal stage: the stage at which children advocate erotic pleasure with the elimination process Archetype: an inherited idea, based on the experiences of one’s ancestors, which shapes one’s perception of the world Altered states of consciousness: conscious level, preconscious level, and unconscious level Amnesia: a loss of memory that may occur after a blow to the head or as a result of brain damage Biofeedback: the process of learning to control bodily states with the help of machines monitoring the states to be controlled Bipolar: a disorder in which a person’s mood inappropriately alternates between feelings of mania and depression Client centered therapy: an approach developed by Carl Rogers that reflects the belief that the client and therapist are partners in therapy Conditioning: a type of learning that involves stimulus response connections in which the response is conditional to the stimulus Central nervous system: Spinal cord and the brain Classical conditioning: a learning procedure in which associations are made between a natural stimulus and a neutral stimulus Collective unconscious: the part of the mind that inherited instincts, urges, and memories common to all people Consciousness: an individual’s state of awareness, including a person’s feelings, sensations, ideas, and perceptions Compulsion: an apparently irresistible urge to repeat an act or engage in ritualistic behavior such as hand washing Cross- sectional study: research method in which data is collected from groups of participants of different ages and compares so that conclusions can be drawn about differences due to age CS (Conditioned stimulus): a once neutral event that elicits a given response after a period of training in which it has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus CR (conditioned response): a response by the conditioned stimulus; it is similar to the unconditioned response, but not identical in magnitude or amount Defense mechanism: Certain specific means by which the ego unconsciously protects itself against unpleasant impulses or circumstances Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality): a person exhibits two or more personality states, each with its own patterns of thinking and behaving Dependent variable: changes in relation to the independent variable Discrimination: the ability to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli. 2. The unequal treatment of individuals on the basis of their race, ethnic group, age, gender, or membership in another category rather than on the basis of individual characteristics Depression: a psychological disorder characterized by extreme sadness, an inability to concentrate, and feelings of helplessness and dejection Superego: the part of the personality that is the source of conscience and contracts the socially undesirable impulses of the id Dopamine: Involved in learning, emotional, arousal, and movement Eidetic memory: the ability to remember with great accuracy visual information on the basis of short term exposure Extinction: in classical conditioning, the gradual disappearance of a conditional response because the reinforcement is withheld or because the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus Endocrine system: a chemical communication system using hormones, by which messages are sent through the blood stream, EEG (electroencephalograph): a machine used to record the electoral activity of large portions of the brain Extravert: an outgoing, active person who directs his or her energies and interests toward other people and things Electroshock therapy: also called (ECT), an electrical shock is sent through the brain to try to reduce symptoms of mental disturbance Ego: the part of the personality that is in touch with reality and strives to meet the demands of the id and the superego in socially acceptable ways Free association: a Freudian technique used to examine the unconscious; the patients instructed to say whatever comes into his or her mind Formal operations: the person is able to solve abstract problems Fixed ratio schedule: a pattern of reinforcement in which a specific number of correct responses is required before reinforcement can be obtained Fixed interval schedule: a pattern of reinforcement in which a specific amount of time must elapse before a response will elicit reinforcement Functional fixedness: a mental set characterized by the inability to imagine new functions for familiar objects Genital Stage: Freud’s fifth and final psychosexual stage during which an individual’s sexual satisfaction depends as much on giving pleasure as on receiving it Hypothalamus: regulates the autonomic nervous system Hallucinations: perceptions that have no direct external cause Hypothesis: an assumption or prediction about behavior that is tested through scientific research Identity crisis: A period of inner conflict during which adolescents worry intensely about who they are Id: in psychoanalytic theory, that part of the unconscious personality that contains our needs, drives, and instincts, as well as repressed material Independent variable: experimenters change or alter so they can observe its effects Imprinting: inherited tendencies or responses that are displayed by newborn animals when they encounter new stimuli in their environment Introvert: a reserved, withdrawn person who is more preoccupied with his or her inner thoughts and feelings than in what is going on around him or her Imitation: The third way of learning Latency Stage: the fourth stage of Freud’s psychosexual development at which sexual desires are pushed into the background and the child becomes involved in exploring the world and learning new skills Long term memory: the storage of information over extended periods of time Longitudinal study: research method in which data is collected about a group of participants over a number of years to assess how certain characteristics change or remain the same during development Lithium carbonate: a chemical used to counteract mood swings of bipolar disorder Maturation: the internally programmed growth of a child Meditation: the focusing of attention to clear one’s mind and produce relaxation Modeling: the process of learning behavior through observation and imitation of others Mnemonic devices: techniques of memorizing information by forming vivid associations or images, which facilitate recall and decrease forgetting Negative reinforcement: increasing the strength of a given response by removing or preventing a painful stimulus when the response occurs Neurosis: One of the most commonly used diagnostic distinctions Oral Stage: Freud’s first stage of psychosexual development, in which infant’s associate erotic pleasure with the mouth Object permanence: Child’s realization that an object exists even when he or she cannot see or touch it Operant conditioning: a form of learning in which a certain action is reinforced or punished, resulting in corresponding increases or decreases in the likelihood that similar actions will occur again Obsession: a recurring thought or image that seems to be beyond control OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder): an anxiety disorder consisting of obsessions and compulsions Oedipus complex: seems more like a literary conceit that a thesis worthy of a scientifically minded psychologist Psychosexual stages: 1. Oral stage, 2.anal stage, 3.phallic stage, 4.latancy stage, 5.ganital stage Psychosocial stages: 1. Trust vs. mistrust, 2. Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt, 3.initiative vs. guilt, 4. Industry vs. inferiority, 5. Identity vs. role confusion, 6. Intimacy vs. isolation, 7. Generativity vs. stagnation, 8. Ego integrity vs. Despair Pre-operational stage: emerges when the child begins to use mental images symbols to understand things Pituitary gland: â€Å"master gland† Psychosis: One of the most commonly used diagnostic distinctions Projective test: an unstructured test of personality in which a person is asked to respond freely, giving his or her own interpretation of various ambiguous stimuli Phallic stage: Freud’s third psychosexual stage, children associate sexual pleasure with their genitals Psychology: the scientific, systematic study of behaviors and mental processes Psychiatry: a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders Psychotherapy: a general term for the application of psychological principles and techniques for any treatment used by therapists to help troubled individuals overcome their problems and disorders Positive reinforce: a stimulus that increases the likelihood that a response will occur again Psychoanalysis: a form of therapy aimed at making patients aware of their unconscious motives so that they can gain control over their behavior and free themselves of self-defeating patterns Reli ability: the ability of a test to give the same results under similar conditions REM sleep: a stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, a high level of brain activity, a deep relaxation of the muscles, and dreaming Reinforcement schedule: an important factor in operant conditioning Random sample: One way to avoid a nonrepresentative sample Rorschach inkblot cards: 10 cards with inkblot designs and a system for interpreting responses Self –actualization: the humanist term for realizing one’s unique potential Shaping: technique of operant conditioning in which the desired behavior is â€Å"molded† by first rewarding any act similar to that behavior and then requiring ever-closer approximations to the desired behavior before giving the reward Short term memory: memory that is limited in capacity to about seven items and in duration by the subject active rehearsal Spontaneous recovery: the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after some time has passed Selective attention: Focusing on only one detail of many Schizophrenia: a group of severe psychotic disorders characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts, emotions, behavior, and perceptions Separation anxiety: whenever the child is suddenly separated from the mother Superego: the part of the personality that is the source of conscience and contracts the socially undesirable impulses of the id Sensorimotor: the infant uses schemas that primarily involve his body and sensations Surrogate mothers: substitute mothers TAT (Thematic Apperception Test): This test consists of a series of pictures Thalamus: major relay station of the brain Unconscious: the part of the mind that holds mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories of which we are unaware but that strongly influences conscious behaviors UCR (Unconditioned response): an organism, automatic or natural reaction to a stimulus UCS (unconditioned stimulus): an event that elicits a certain predictable response without previous training Variable- ratio schedule: a pattern of reinforcement in which a specific amount of time must elapse before a response will elicit reinforcement Variable- interval schedule: a pattern of reinforcement in which changing amounts of time must elapse before a response will obtain reinforcement Validity: the ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure Theorists Carl Jung: (1875-1961) believed that people try to develop their potential as well as handle their instinctual urges. He distinguished between personal unconscious and the collective unconscious Alfred Adler: (1870-1937) believed that the driving force in people’s lives is a desire to overcome their feelings of inferiority Sigmund Freud: (1856-1939) believed that our conscious experiences are only the tip of the iceberg, that beneath the surface are primitive biological urges that are in conflict with the requirements of society and morality Erick Erickson: (1902-1994) believed that the need for social approval is just as important as a child’s sexual and aggressive urges Abraham Maslow: (1908-1970) tried to base his theory of personality on studies of healthy, creative, self actualizing people who fully utilize their talents and potential rather than on studies of disturbed individuals Carl Rogers: (1902-1987) believed that many people suffer from a conflict between wh at they value in themselves and what they believe that other people value in them John B. Watson 🙠 1878-1958) psychology should concern itself only with the observable facts of behavior. Said that all behavior is the result of conditioning and occurs because the appropriate stimulus is present in the environment Ivan Pavlov: (1849 -1936) charted another new course for psychological investigation. Demonstrated that a neutral stimulus can cause a formerly unrelated response B.F. Skinner 🙠 1904-1990) introduced the concept of reinforcement. Attempted to show how his laboratory techniques might be applied to society as a whole Albert Bandura: people direct their own behavior by their choice of models. Harry Harlow: (1905- 1981) studied the relationship between mother and child in a species closer to humans, the rhesus monkeys Galen: Identified four personality characteristics called melancholic, sanguine, choleric, and phlegmatic Alfred Binet: Karen Horney: (1885-1952) stressed the importance of basic anxiety. She believes that if a child is raised in an atmosphere of love and security, that child could avoid Freud’s psychosexual parent child conflict b Lawrence Kohlberg: His studies show how important being able to see other people’s points of view is to social development in general and to moral development of moral reasoning Jean Piaget: Discovered that knowledge builds as children grow. Children develop logic and think differently at different ages Lorenz Konrad: (1903- 1989) became a pioneer in the field of animal learning. He discovered that baby geese become attached to their mothers in a sudden, virtually permanent learning process called imprinting Stanley Milgram: conducted the most famous investigation of obedience in 1963. Wanted to determine whether participants would administer painful shocks to others merely because an authority figure had instructed them to do so James Marcia: main contribution is in clarifying the sources and nature of the adolescent identity crisis Philip Zimbardo: made the Zimbardo experiment Solomon Asch: designed what has become a classic experiment to test conformity to pressure from one’s peers Hermann Rorschach: made the inkblot test   Wilhelm Wundt: he proposed that psychological experience is composed of compounds, much like the ones found in chemistry Phillipe Pinel: Father of scientific psychiatry   Dorothea Dix: Chief spokesperson for reform

Avon Products or GE Money America Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Avon Products or GE Money America - Case Study Example A client then selects a product to purchase after which the sales representative places the item selected on order with the relevant distribution center assigned to the representative (Bartholdi, 2002, p. 2). Items produced by Avon include skin care items; make up, perfume fragrance, hair care, personal care, body care, and sun care. The most conspicuous products of the company are Skin-So-Soft which is a bath products while a new product include â€Å"Avon color† comprising lip, eye, face shades and nail colors (Clinton, 1993, p. 2) In the business world today, human capital is one of the company’s most valuable assets therefore companies must retain and engage talented employees. They must also equip their employees with the necessary skill to become more beneficial. Talent management includes attracting, identifying, recruiting, developing, motivating, promoting, and retaining people that have a strong urge to succeed within an organization (Laff, 2006, pp. 42-50) By 2005, the company was an $8 billion company with a 10% growth in its annual revenue and 25% growth in the profits. However, in 2006 the company experienced problems mainly associated with decreasing revenues and profits. The root cause of these challenges was that the company was growing at a rate faster than it could support in terms of infrastructure and talent. The main problem was on the management of talent and talent practices. Therefore, something had to be done to solve these problems and make a revolution in the company. This could be through making changes to these talent practices in order to make the practices easy to use and very effective From the Case Study it is clear that the company embraced several models to improve talent practices among them was the model for simplification of every process. It has been noted that majority of talent practices possess unnecessary complexity that discourage managers from using them and this dragged the pace at which talent was growing in

Tesco Plc in a Social Perspective Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tesco Plc in a Social Perspective - Case Study Example A new breed of customers has also emerged-a market which is highly concerned on what the organization to address the needs of its stakeholders especially in the communities where it operates (Kotler 2005). As an organization which has been scrutinized for its effect in the market and competition, Tesco is pressured to launch programs which can contribute the society. The idea is to offset the harm it does to the society by investing in beneficial programs. From its foundation by John Cohen as a one-man business, Tesco PLC has ascended to the world retail industry becoming the largest British retailer based on both global and local shares. In its early years of operation, the UK-based international retailer specializes only in the distribution of food products. As it gained more market and its performance strengthened, it enhanced its portfolio by adding other goods and services to which ranges from clothing to consumer electronics to consumer financial services to internet services to internet service and consumer telecom. The phenomenal success of Tesco as a retailer is recognised even in the global arena. The company is named the world's third largest retailer lags behind Wal-mart in terms of global sales while staying ahead of other retail giants like Carrefour, and Home Depot (Tesco Plc 2007). In its 2007 Annual Report, Tesco Plc announced a total annual turn... It is estimated that in every 8 UK retail sales, 1 is spent on Tesco. The company's success and even mere existence in the strategies it employs to capture new markets and retain its current buyers. After saturating the UK market with its retail stores, the company expanded its customer base by opening up operations in foreign market abroad. The retailer sells to customers in United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, and Asia (Annual Report 2007). The company's desire to reach a larger market is highlighted through its extensive use of internet technology. This also aids the company in gaining access to a low-cost distribution system (Annual Report 2007). The development of Tesco can be divided into three distinct phases: formation; postwar development; and expansion. The first phase starts with the foundation of the company in 1919 and ends with formal opening of the first Tesco store in Burnt Oak, Edgware, London. Postwar development commences with the retailer's initial public offering (IPO). Rapid growth was witnessed as Tesco opens its first supermarket and superstore. The last phase features the rapid expansion of Tesco PLC both in new product areas and geographic region. Throughout this stage, the company utilized the new trends in global retailing to enhance its products and services. Competing in the Market Place: Tesco's Strategies 1. Four Pronged Strategy Even though it has changed so much in terms of size and operations, Tesco Plc maintains a long-term strategy since 1997. The giant retailer claims that this four-pronged strategy enables it to focus on its core operation in the United Kingdom while serving as a guideline in its expansion overseas. This long term strategy has the

The Gap Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Gap - Case Study Example For every company, setting strategic directions require sales projections for such periods as one, three, five, and ten years ahead. These projections predict customer and competitor reactions; attempt to gauge acceptance for new products; and highlight economic, social, demographic, technological, psychological, and political changes, all of which are difficult tasks to perform -nor can they be performed with the degree of precision available in other more concrete situations A visit to a local Gap store allows to say that the majority of Gap's customers are women and girls from low and middle social classes. The average age of the consumers is 14-17 years old, and 17-24 years old. In the store, there were 4 middle-age women (40 years old) with teen daughters. I saw any men in two Gap's stores. Most of the young women are unmarried. All of the customers wore casual cloths and neither looked like a business woman. This information allows to say that age is not a major determinant of marketing influentials. Opinion leaders cross age lines, especially in fashions. Influence does not travel from the older to younger women. However, it reveals status homogeneity, and travels within a social stratum. When influence does cross status lines, there does not seem to be a discernible direction -- there is no more advice-giving coming down the status ladder than going up. In another sense ours is an age of mass change. Mass conformity, which exists within this dynam ic setting, results in the democratization of consumption, in the sharing of abundance. Marketing has had a hand in this process. Marketing programs are based on the existence of similar wants, motives, attitudes, opinions, and re- actions (Drejer 22). They are designed to furnish similar goods to diverse markets. Modern technology is the necessary and sufficient condition for the creation of mass culture. Our society with its mass culture emphasizes higher standards of living and expanding expectations. But this massification has been assailed. Ours has been termed the homogenized, Philistine society. The mass media, television, movies, newspapers, and magazines, which are among the tools of market communication, have been proclaimed the purveyors of a mass culture that has a relatively low common denominator. The Internet site allows to say that the merchandise is oriented to teen girls and housewives, who do not care about fashion and style. Their main criteria is price, simple d esign and subtle colons. Gap's consumer is a young woman who wants to look nice but does not care much about fashion and style (Dobson and Starkey 33; Gap Inc Home Page 2009). Gap's merchandise selection is based on traditional classification including top sales, classics, jeans, pants and accessories. A visit to the local store shows that Gap pays no attention to design of its premises: they look unattractive and even sad in contrast to such brands as the United Colors Benetton or T. J. Maxx. Gap follows a traditional method of products display when all goods are sorted by color. it is possible to say that sociological factors and forces are as important as any in determining and shaping buyer behavior. Society has a way of getting consumers to conform and make approved purchases. Group pressures are effective. Life style (the distinctive or characteristic mode of living), which is the

Project proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project proposal - Essay Example â€Å"In the hospitality field, not only are business transactions of the utmost importance, but so are concerns for public health and safety.† Due to the importance of practicing hospitality ethics, teaching of ethic philosophies should start right from the school. Even if philosophical lectures alone will not make students virtuous, however, they can help them think more clearly about day-to-day ethical problems with which they will be confronted in their future careers as ethical challenges remain a daily occurrence in the hospitality industry â€Å"The hospitality industry offers many examples of situations that can damage individual integrity and responsibility. One instance would be a manager's willingness to continue daily operations and preserve his job even as the resort is polluting the local environment.† Ethics should therefore extend beyond the hotel building to include the welfare of the society. â€Å"By focusing on you, your business, your products and services, your prices and your delivery, you can overcome the status quo and that is just plain good and ethical business practices.† To this end, business managers such as hotel managers should make hospitality ethics an all-inclusive concept that caters for areas such as prices, service delivery and manners. Research Rationale The way of doing business all over the world is fast changing. This change is seen more especially in the way businesses attract customers. Years past, competition in the hospitality industry for customers used to focus on who had the best facility and products. Today, the means of attracting customers seem to center more on marketing than product. As far as the hospitality industry is concerned, one of the best ways to market a business like a hotel is to embark on the massive application of hospitality ethics. Perhaps the reason why hospitality ethics seem to be receiving so much attention among customers in the hospitality industry is that ethics ar e founded based on human philosophies and theories. According to the World Lingo, â€Å"Hospitality theories and norms are derived through a critical analysis of hospitality practices, processes, and relationships; in various cultures and traditions; and throughout history. Ultimately, hospitality theories are applied, and put to practice in commercial and non-commercial settings.† This is to say that practicing simple ethics is so important to the customer that, the little gestures shown to him, can make him come back to the hotel – a real marketing strategy. Unlike before, the customer is now very conscious about how he is treated in which hotel. It is therefore not surprising that some customers select certain hotels even when they have the same facilities as other hotels and yet have expensive prices. This research seeks to examine the power of hospitality ethics on e customers of world class hotels. As a relation, there shall be critical analysis to find out if th e practice of hospitality ethics itself even has the power to raising a hotel to a world class status. This is research is achievable and because of the several avenues available to the researcher to access information from hotel users. There are also several theories that will guide the researcher in