Anne Sexton :: essays papers

Anne Sexton The third decade of the twentieth century brought on more explicit writers than ever before, but none were as expressive as Anne Sexton. Her style of writing, her works, the image that she created, and the crazy life that she led are all prime examples of this. Known as one of the most â€Å"confessional† poets of her time, Anne Sexton was also one of the most criticized. She was known to use images of incest, adultery, and madness to reveal the depths of her deeply troubled life, which often brought on much controversy. Despite this, Anne went on to win many awards and go down as one of the best poets of all time. Anne Sexton was born Anne Gray Harvey on November 9, 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts to Ralph Churchill and Mary Gray Staples Harvey (Discovering Biographies 1). From then on, Sexton spent most of her life in the affluent, upper-middle class suburbs of Boston (Discovering Biographies 2). According to many of the experiences described in her poems, she led a very unhappy childhood that’s horrifying memories affected her throughout her life. To overcome her troubles, she married at age nineteen and attempted to settle into the role of housewife and mother (Discovering Biographies 2). Shortly after her marriage, Anne enrolled in a modeling course at the Hart Agency and lived in San Francisco and Baltimore (Academy of American Poets 1). During this time Anne was also educated at Earland Junior College from 1947- 1948 (Twentieth Century American Literature 2). Through out her early twenties, Sexton began to experience bouts of depression that eventually led to hospitalization (Discovering Biographies 2). In 1955, after the birth of her second daughter, Sexton attempted suicide (Discovering Biographies 2). She was then placed under the care of Dr. Martin Orne, who encouraged her to write poems as a form of therapy (Discovering Biographies 1). â€Å"Poetry gave me a rebirth at age twenty-nine† (American Literature 3591), Anne quoted many times during her career. Anne deeply admired and attempted to emulate the confessional poem â€Å"Heart’s Needle† by Shodgrass (Discovering Biographies 2). Sexton decided to enroll in Robert Lowell’s graduate writing seminar at the Boston Center for Adult Education (Discovering Biographies 2). She then went on to be a scholar at the Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study from 1961- 1963 (American Literature 3596).

How Do You Define Advice :: Defintion Essays

How Do You Define "Advice" Advice, in my mind, is a form of one person helping another person out; whether it is in words or actions. About 90% of the time, I believe advice comes in the form of words. Advice can be verbally spoken to somebody, or typed/written and given to somebody. In either example, it's advice that's being given to help somebody out. The other way I mentioned was advice given by actions. In my own life, I'm trying to quit smoking cigarettes and finding it hard; especially when I look around and see others doing it. However, the advice I receive when I look around are from those not smoking and those hacking and spitting because they smoke. It's sort of subliminal for me in the sense that I'll be hacking and spitting if I don't quit. So they're giving advice to me in the form of their actions. In mentioning what advice is and how it's given, I ask myself how it works. This happens to be a rough question seeing how advice isn't this little piece of gum on the bottom of my shoe that I can just pick off and toss away. So know I find help in the example of John Sweat and his mechanic friend to help explain how advice works. John was stuck in a pickle jar and wasn't sure what to do. But his friend knew where he was in the jar (because he had been there himself), and decided to offer some advice. John was able to get unstuck because he listened to his friend and took his advice, believing that his friend knew what he was speaking about, and sensing his sincerity. By looking at this example, I have come to the conclusion that advice works when one person takes a conscious (or in my smoking example - an unconscious) effort, to give somebody an honest, experienced point-of-view about a situation in order to give that person help. From there, the advice will only work if the person receiving the advice takes it to heart and uses it. OK, so if this is how it works, what are some ways that it doesn't work? Well, it doesn't work when the advice giver is trying to use his advice given for his own personal gain. I believe the dark forces are at work here and therefore, they cannot succeed! Another way advice given doesn't work is when the person receiving the advice doesn't take it, like in my example of getting advice from my Dad.

Personal leadership development plan Essay

Introduction This paper defines the leadership and discusses necessary steps to make to achieve a well-developed strategy plan. There are many definitions of leadership and even leadership professionals have diverse views about it. Leadership is not about your position, power or rank, for me, leadership involves the self-awareness, identifying your weakness and strengths. Leadership involves taking opportunity the ï ¬ rst and applying personal self-control methods to win the second, surrounding yourself with the right group to overcome some of your faults; where the ultimate goal is to win the trust of your followers to move them toward a mutual goal. From another standpoint, the spearhead should be able to recognize his team needs, inspire them and add toward the improvement to make many other leaders. Being a leader in a governmental ministry, where the number of permanently employed staff is nine hundred, appropriate leadership strategy and skills is needed; to cover up the daily challenges in the ministry. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop a good and realistic development plan in leadership to handle these challenges. Mission, vision and core values The vision of this development plan of a project is to be the leading leader in developing and creating new leadership and leaders in the team of the ministry. The mission of my development plan is to develop a performance management system to make certain of executing the strategy and clear accountability. The core values of this new leadership strategy or plan is pledging to high moral standards, frankness, and uprightness, and embracing excellence, eminence service and incessant improvement from my followers. Body When developing the development need plan, it very necessary to understand diverse leadership styles and an emotional acumen, strengths and weakness  related to it. Effective leadership eludes many people and organizations (Goleman, 2000). The most successful leaders have stronghold and weakness in the following emotional acumen know-hows; motivation, social skills, self-awareness, understanding, and self-regulation. They are six method of leadership; each one of them applies the key component of the emotional intelligence in not the same combinations. The six basic leadership styles include; coercive, pacesetting, authoritative, coaching, affiliative and democratic. The coercive style is very appropriate in a setback situation, after handling workforces difficulties; it involves do as the boss says, however, it limits organizational flexibility and weaken motivation. In the pacesetting leadership, a leader set high standards of performance which the followers use as impact on positive motivation, but it overwhelm some of the followers. Coaching style focuses on personal development. An authoritative method is the one that uses a â€Å"accompany me† tactic. It organizes well in the industry that is in an implication; however, it is not effective when dealing with more experienced professional than you. A democratic method gives my followers a voice in the decision-making, but it gives birth to endless meeting. The last in the leadership styles is an affiliative method, it valid in coming up with the team accord or growing morale. But the style focus on praise can permit a poor act to go uncorrected. To come out as the top spearhead, I should know more than one method of management. Being this kind of a leader, it is flexible in changing from one style to the other as per dictation of the circumstances. The more method I understood, the better. In particular, being able to switch from one form of style to the other, as the situation dictate, make the best organizational environment in the ministry. Incorporating aspects of each of the three elemental charm proportions, a character-based trailblazer is best seen as an agent of moral change (Wright& Lauer, 2013). Another development need plan is my character, strengths and weakness. Character is defined as the intellectual and ethical attitudes that leave one sensation most intensely and deeply energetic and active. The real me stress the importance of being as exact as possible in outlining the character idea. In that  regard, a character-based leader is someone with the essential self-discipline (ethical discipline) to generously act on his or her own wish (moral autonomy) to motivate, sustain, and change the beliefs and attitudes of both self and followers. Best viewed as giving an all-embracing moral scope, the character-based leader has the standpoint to unceasingly strive to move his or her organization, team or group past narrow, self-interest chases toward the accomplishment of mutual good goals (ethical attachment). While drawing on a number of viewpoints, including servant, mystical, values-based and reliable, character-based leadership is notable by its vital obedience to a core moral context. This ethical focus is drawn clearly when compared with values-based classes to leadership. The weakness in my character is that I don’t provide consideration to facts, and I don’t push people hard. Ambiguity leadership is another area considered in the project development of the need plan. Models for leadership admit uncertainty as a datum of life for employed leaders. While we consider uncertainty grasses upon us, in reality, it exists every day. In fact, one could claim that ambiguity is just â€Å"the way stuffs are† in a post-industrial group. Just like most people, uncertainty makes me panic. It can collapse a plan. Measuring the ability to engage amid uncertainty is no more difficult than measuring any of the other important traits that we look for in self-assessments and multi-rater feedback (Peterson& Mannix, 2003).It can create someone lose Slumber. It can stop you in your ways. Most people try to evade it. Measuring the capability to engage amid doubt is no harder than gauging any of the other vital characters that we consider for in self-assessments and multi-rater response. The personalities of indecision tolerance can also be uncovered through coaching and interviews. Ambiguity architect program can help in accessing the comfort related with discomfort. This program identifies eight kinds of employers founded on their comfort level with vague conditions and their know hoe at dealing the resultant uncertainty. The third type is the Future scanners: These folks are actually fluid philosophers who want to comprehend how a ministry runs  and continually consider how it will play out in future settings. They are not â€Å"seers,† but in its place demonstrate a curiosity for the forthcoming. Number four on the category is the Tenacious challengers: These folks are tire-less in resolving problems. They will, in some circumstances, drive others to do likewise, even though it is not always valued. If they don’t stimulate others, they will be seen as rough or worst-case state or punitive. Fifth on the sorts is Exciters: These persons were mutual in the study. They adore what they do and they need everybody else to like what they do, too. Sixth are the Flexible adjusters: These influential exhibit two inclinations: the capacity to admit they’re incorrect and the ability to trade changes to folks whose conceit is against the adjustment. This is shown to be an exclusively important advantage in corporate. Seventh of the list are the Simplifiers: Using spoken or written approaches, these persons are able to take complex ideas and help everyone in a ministry understand where the organization is heading. Being a simplifier seems to be something that can be well-read. The last but not least are the Focusers: Last but not least, focusers have the ability to pinpoint and spell the critical few actions that require to be done, as well as change to a diverse set of actions at the correct time. The development also recognized sets of manners that tend to limbs performance during ambiguous times and used these to categorize workers. First are the Poor transitioners: These folks have difficulty changing from one kind of duty or conduct to another. Pointers of this feature might include being really capable at some jobs but extremely dared by others. Second under this category are the Wet blankets: They reduce the energy of a group. They may lack zeal for their own work and respond adversely to the commitment of co-workers. Third are the Conflict avoiders: These persons tend to be overly accepting, often the result of being highly opposed to potentially provocative or intense situations. Fourth are the Muddy thinkers: They show misperception that at times is self-inflicted. They process matters in a way that makes the disputes more difficult than need be. The last thing to include in the strategic plan is the assignments development. Using development job assignments productively will have  positive benefits for both the individuals and the organization (Montross, 1992). First let me consider some of the crucial caveats for applying assignment development. Firstly, individuals selected for an evolving assignment should be told the reason why they are getting the assignment. Furthermore, a helpful structure should be put in place. In logic, the greater the expansion stage for the individual and the more counterculture for the group; the more backup should be provided. Conclusion In the development plan and the strategy for the ministry I have clearly elaborated the main things to include in the plan that include; leadership styles (power and fault), character growth, use of duty and ambiguity (causes, effects and how to deal with it in an organization). In the character section, I have described the strength and weakness of myself; being honest, failing to do a follow up etc. References D, G. (Ed.). (2000). Leadership gets result. HARVARD BUSINESS, MAR/APRI Peterson, R. S., & Mannix, E. A. (2003). Leading and managing people in the dynamic organization. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Wright, T., & Lauer, T. (2013). What is character and why it really does matter.Organizational Dynamics, 42, 25-34. Montross, D. H., & Shinkman, C. J. (1992). Career development: Theory and practice. Springfield, Ill., U.S.A: C.C. Thomas

Costing Methods Essay

Polk Company is in the business of selling custom fishing lures. Recently they decided to introduce a new product. Before they introduce the product they would like to know if variable or absorption costing is the best method for the company. Variable and Absorption Costing Method Absorption costing is when all manufacturing costs are absorbed by the product and shows a higher net income (Kieso, Kimmel, & Weygandt, 2011). Based on the 80,500 lures Polk Company sold in 2012, absorption costing is the preferred method to use because they have a higher net income compared to the variable method. Benefits The benefit of absorption costing for Polk Company is they will show a higher net income of the products in inventory that are not sold immediately. On the contrary, if Polk Company uses variable costing they see any profit or loss almost immediately because all expenses are paid during the current accounting period, even if all the products are not sold. Competition and Bidding Absorption costing is the better costing method for Polk Company to use against a competitor who has submitted a lower bid. As stated previously, absorption costing does not require Polk Company to show any expenses on the products they are offering in the bid because they do not have to show expenses until after the products are sold. Conclusion In conclusion, Polk Company should introduce the new fishing lures by using the absorption costing method, and for submitting product bids. References Kieso, D., Kimmel, P., & Weygandt, J. (2011). Accounting: Tools for Business Decision Making, 4e (4th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Flipflops Market in the Philippines Essay

Introduction â€Å"Slip into comfortability, on and off the shore† Offshore entered Philippine flip-flop industry in 2003 as an all Filipino-designed palm beach slippers. Amazed with Philippine beaches, Anton Ng dreamt of building a product that will embody these beautiful beaches and will be shared by every Filipinos and the rest of the world. The Filipino-Chinese businessman wanted to offer a pair of slippers that would define comfortability and durability. He named the slippers Offshore, envisioning that these are the pair of slippers that would be worn on and off the shore. â€Å"Philippines is popular around the world for its beautiful beaches and vacation spots, Offshore flip-flops are the perfect companion when you are taking the time off or when you are offshore,† he said. The designing process is crucial for the company whose aim is to showcase the essence of attractive Philippine beaches and the Filipino spirit in whole. Ng believes in the talent and skills of Filipino graphic artists. Offshore hires nimble young designers who would create lively dynamic flip-flop prints. A rigorous selection process is done from all available designs every season where offshore releases a new set of flip-flop collection. The collection theme and color scheme should match the current season trends and styles. A couple of market tests are done across different Asian countries, before mass producing a new design in throughout Asia. After observing consumer responses to the sample slippers, a final selection of successful flip-flop designs will be done. Offshore prods rigorous quality control process in its production line to minimize the volume of product defects and returns. Given its stern quality inspection, it takes a couple of weeks to produce a batch of slippers. The ultimate goal of the company is to provide comfy and highly durable slippers at an affordable price to every Filipino and to the rest of Asia. The company achieves low costs production by acquiring all raw materials  form China and outsourcing the production in China, as well. Although, the designs and prints are purely Filipino, the flip-flop itself is 100% China-made in terms of materials and labor. By doing so, Offshore has competitive in pricing. In fact, Offshore is one of the cheapest brands in department stores. The products have strong focus in Filipino design for everyday casual wear that would complement current fashion trends. However, the local market has perceived Offshore as low-quality china brand. In addition, the company failed to convey its all-Filipino designed-message to the public. Industry Background â€Å"We have to admit that the imported brands of flip-flops paved the way to the re-entry of flip-flops in the footwear business but it doesn’t mean that a Filipino brand can’t join the race. With Offshore, we are hoping that by creating our own designs and even Filipino-inspired ones, we are not only making quality flip-flops, but we are also giving it back to our country. Our goal is simple and straightforward, a pair of Offshore for every Filipino†, said Ng. The word tsinelas (slippers) originated from the Spanish word chinela, traditional Filipino slippers are made from Abaka. It’s has a simple sole with Y-shaped strap. Slippers are household commodities for Filipinos regardless of economic class. Now it’s no longer called tsinelas or slippers, rather flipflops. It can be made from a wide range of materials such as leather, rubber, plastic and even textile. In the old days the most popular local brands of tsinelas were Spartan, Beach Walk, Rambo, and Islander. Each of them has a strong market positioning. Spartan is the durable brand, Beach Walk is soft and comfortable, Rambo has its very thick sole, while Islander is the classy type. The beginning of 2003 marked the success for Brazilian flipflop brands such as today’s market leader Havaianas followed by Ipanema. These brands revolutionized the way Filipinos wear slippers. The trendy, sleek, chic  designs of these slippers immediately made a buzz, dominating the local slipper industry. On the other hand, local footwear industry has experienced 14% decline in sales last year. The Products Offshore has three sets of collections for each season. These are for kids, teens and men. Kids Sizes range from 30-33 fitting 4-8 year old young toddlers. The kids’ Offshore slippers however are designed for only for boys. Teens Offshore offers three slipper designs for teens 1) Plain colored slippers 2) Pastel colored with stripe and dotted prints 3) Flowery prints Men 1) Single strap rubber soles 2) Traditional Y-strap rubber soles with beach designs 3) Y-strap in sports prints and designs The Competition Havaianas is a renowned global brand of slippers originating from Brazil about 50 years ago. The brand is known for its special rubber formula use for producing high quality, smooth, sleek and durable flipflops. It redefined traditional flipflop appearance by offering a wide range of designs from florals to glow in the dark prints. Through time, Havaianas has built a strong brand image throughout the world. People from different walks of life have been spotted wearing this pair of slippers, from football  superstar David Beckham to the royalties like Queen Silvia of Sweden. Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise among others seem fond on havstoo. Havaianas entered the Philippines market in 2003. In its first 3 years, the brand sold one million pairs thereby cementing its place in the hearts and ‘soles’ of the Filipinos. ‘All Flip-Flops’ a store devoted solely to selling Havaianas merchandise opened in the Philippines in 2006. Following the success of the first store, 19 more All Flip-Flops stores were opened. Ipanema entered the Philippine market in 2001. Currently, this is the top two brand in the local market. Like Havaianas, Ipanema is also a Brazilian-made slippers way back 1971. It is perceived as flipflops exclusive for women. Although the brand offers men flipflops, majority of its market are women. The sales of flipflops for women even increased after launching Gisele Bundchen collection this year. Gisele Bundchen is one of the world’s top model known for her socio-civic activities. The collection design redefines rubber flipflops designs similar to sandals. The sophisticated colors and elegant cuts and designs made Ipanema look glamorous. It is second best-selling flipflop brand now, but sales are predicted to increase next year, outnumbering Havaianas sales. Banana Peel is the most successful local flipflop brand in the Philippines. It was established in the year 2002. It is known to be the chic and trendy flip flops with smooth rubber soles like Banana cut in rectangular shapes. It places itself in the market as functional and comfortable flipflop. In 2004, the first Banana Peel concept store opened in SM malls, being the first ever flipflop store in the country. As such Banana Peel has strong distribution chains; it is the country’s largest specialty retailer of flip flops having 23 branches nationwide and still growing. Also, it has strong local marketing campaigns having popular actor John Lloyd Cruz and actress Maja Salvador as its endorsers. Market Share According to managing director of Al Amizade Marketing Inc. the bulk of flipflop market are women buyers, accounting for 70 percent; men buyers at 20 percent and the children market at 10 percent. In addition, the flipflops sales for men have grown by last year by 10%. Market Distribution Some well-known footwear companies set-up their own concept stores and rent a private space inside malls and distribute their products having a bunch of their own sales personnels for the customers’ an exclusive buying experience. Bulk of the middle and lower-middle class brands are concentrated in department stores, battling each over other rent space in large department stores and malls. Also premium slippers brands have their own space in department stores as well with much bigger space desirable positions. Normally, Havaianas, Dupe and Ipanema are placed near the entrance of the department store with more visibility. While low priced brands are usually located at the side racks of the flipflop section. Channels of Distribution of Footwear Manufacturers/Subcontractors/ Wholesalers/Suppliers Manufacturers/Subcontractors/ Wholesalers/Suppliers Department Stores/Boutiques/Special Stores Department Stores/Boutiques/Special Stores Final Consumers/Buyers Final Consumers/Buyers Current Marketing Strategies Department Store Slipper Brand Currently, Offshore is one of the numerous flipflop brands in local department stores. It has no separate walk-in or concept store. It is placed in the footwear section of the department together with slippers of the same prices, ranging from Php60-750. It is definitely one of the cheapest pair of slippers in the corner in these areas: SM Department Stores and SM Hypermarket Robinson’s Department Stores Metro Gaisano Department Stores in Cebu and Market Market Other Leading Department Stores nationwide. E-commerce Utilization Offshore has set-up its own user-friendly website where photos of all available designs and collection are displayed. Aside from the website, Offshore products may also be purchase from numerous e-business website such as alibaba.com and olx.com. Low Pricing The table shows the pricing comparison of numerous flip-flop brands in SM department store: CASE ANALYSIS Problem Statement Offshore entered the Philippine market, at the same time as giant globally successful Brazilian flip-flop brands, trying to capitalize on low pricing strategy to compete in the saturated market of lower middle class, where there is no clear distinction of among brand names. Furthermore, the brand failed to strengthen its image as an all-Filipino-designed flip-flop, lacking marketing efforts and campaigns to do so. Strengths Offshore have young designers who would create lively dynamic flip-flop prints and produce products every season where it releases a new set of flip-flop collection. The collection theme and color scheme match with the current season trends and styles. This ensures that the product is in line  with the current market trend and taste of its potential clients and customers. Offshore has a strong quality control. A couple of market tests are done across different Asian countries, before mass producing a new design. The rigorous quality control process in its production line minimizes the volume of product defects and returns. It also ensures that the products produced are in top condition/quality with regards to its durability and comfort that it will give to its users. Offshore enjoys low costs of production by acquiring all raw materials and outsourcing the production from China but still maintains good quality products. Weaknesses Offshore has low brand equity because the market is dominated by the Brazilian flip-flop brands as they set the trend for a new image for trendy, sleek, chic designs of these slippers. The company hasn’t done any marketing ads in the past. Another factor is that its brand name â€Å"Offshore† is quite difficult to be recalled and is not easily perceived as a slipper/flip-flop. Opportunities Offshore is a product that is all-Filipino designed and advocates beaches here in our country. This may help in promoting their product to showcase the essence of attractive Philippine beaches and the Filipino spirit in whole. The government implements intensive promotion for tourism. This will likely increase the tourist population and beach goers in our country which may be used by Offshore as an opportunity to communicate their product as the perfect companion when you are taking the time off or when you are offshore. Threats Offshore is highly dependent on its import in China and they are subject to price fluctuations in the said country. Other countries have travel advisory/bans to our country which not only affects the number of tourists in our country but also the movement/travel of goods and services. Target Market Offshore has a broad geographic and demographic target market- from kids to  adult male and female who seeks a pair of slippers/flip-flops as an everyday casual wear that would complement their current fashion trends. It tries to capture intermediate market by producing comfortable and high quality products in much lower prices catering to the normal market. This is troublesome for the customers, since low pricing is attributable to low quality products. Offshore must make up its mind by tapping the right market for its products. Market Segmentation Flipflop styles and design vary according its target market. The market segmentation is based on the lifestyle of the customer just like garments industry. Since flipflops nowadays are not just everyday casual footwear but a fashion statement too. Three market segments can be identified in terms of buying behavior and income levels. The elevated market includes the upper class socio-economic class (SEC) from upper A to upper C demographics. The customers in this segment can afford purchasing luxury items and wth their profligate way of living. This group shops for imported shoes ranging from Php1,000 to Php2,500 a pair in the local retail market. Preference leans towards Brazilian slippers like Havaianas and Ipanema and German brands such as Birdenstock. They frequented concept stores and even online stores. The intermediate market consumers are primarily concerned with the price and comfort of flipflops. They are composed of middle C to upper D demographics of the SEC’s. This group is given high regard to the value of money. Slippers produced for this market are normally of good quality if not excellent, and prices range from Php250 to Php500 a pair. This group purchases in big department stores such as SM and Robinsons. Last category would be the normal market; this group opts to forego quality for price. This composed of low income laborers such as lower D to E socio-economic class. The price points of flipflops for this group are around Php 50-100. They usually buy in local market places and from sidewalk vendors. Current Position Offshore wants to be known not only as a Philippine flip-flop brand but also as casual footwear that offers utmost comfortable mobility and durability. It offers its product at a lower price with the goal of a pair of Offshore for every Filipino. The Y-axis is for the price and the X-axis is the degree of being stylish (right side being most stylish). Stylish meaning that a person buys a good/product to look good in the public. The international brands (Havainas, Ipanema, and Grendha) are perceived to be more stylish with higher prices. The design and appearance of the products are also a big factor of the perception of the market. Crocs being a high price but a little indifferent/middle with being stylish is caused by the current trend and acceptance of the market with closed front slippers. Offshore implements new product design every season to reflect market trends and style but the product is perceived as a low cost and at the left side of being stylish. The Y-axis is for the price and the X-axis is the durability (right side being most durable). The international brands are perceived to be durable due to their marketing effort and communicating to the market that they use special rubber that makes their product more durable. Another notable in the graph is the local brand Islander. For a long period of time, it has captured the title of being durable in the market because of its thick base. Offshore produces good quality products and the production process undergo a strict quality control; but, the low price level associates it as a China brand with low quality. Marketing Mix Product Although Offshore brags of its creative talented team of young Filipino designers, the designs and collection failed to capture the spirit of Filipino culture. Offshore has three sets of collection which all lack distinctive designs that will relive the Philippine beaches and Filipino  tradition. As shown in the pictures above, the collection normally focuses on stripes and floral prints which look normal. These are usual designs for slippers. Price Offshore is priced at a 100php for all categories (kids, men and women). Its price is almost at the lower bound of the prices in the department store which is 60php and way too far from the price of the market leaders. Offshore is cheap while at the same of good quality. The current price level is perceived by the local market as low-quality china brand. Place Currently, Offshore is distributed in popular local department stores, SM, Robinson’s and others. It is placed in the footwear section of the department together with slippers of the same prices, ranging from Php60-750. Promotions Offshore has set-up its own user-friendly website where photos of all available designs and collection are displayed. Offshore products may also be purchased from numerous e-business website such as alibaba.com and olx.com. Recommendations Positioning Statement Offshore shall be the most-preferred choice of flipflops in the C and D markets for its perceived quality as well as its ability to complement everyday casual wear with current fashion trends. Details of Proposed Positioning and Justification Proposed Positioning Having a low price is not bad, and actually it can work to Offshore advantage since more customers shall shift to them as long as they can communicate that they can provide quality flipflops. The only problem is this: their  price is so low that they are more or less on par with those of the China brands or other local brands which are perceived of having low quality. That is why they are perceived by the market the same way as they perceive the former. Thus, we propose for Offshore to slightly increase their prices to distinguish it further from the other local brands. Increasing the price level at 180-220php will lead their market position move slightly higher and will increase attention from potential buyers. These buyers seek to buy items at a significant price level that they consider an item to be stylish. Again, increasing the price level at 180-220php will lead their market position move slightly higher and will change the perception about the product. The price change will change the perception about the product and avoid being associated with China brands or other local brands. Proposed Marketing Mix and Implementation Product The company should try to create its own women collection as women accounts for 70 percent of flipflop buyers. This will greatly increase its potential customers and potential market share. Other product collection should be maintained especially that there is an upward trend for the purchasing behavior of men. The company should continue its new seasonal products to reflect current season trends and styles. They should try to focus on communicating their beach and filipino designs in their product. They could also produce couple designs or paired Offshore to increase/improve the buying process and venture on producing boxes or bags with delicate design for these products. These boxes or bags will serve as the flipflop holders for customers who still wants to be fashionable even if not wearing their flipflops. Price The current prices of Offshore fall within the price range of other not so popular local brands which are perceived to have low quality. Offshore shall therefore increase its price to distinguish itself from these brands while maintaining its affordability versus foreign brands. Slightly increasing the  price to180-220php will communicate product quality rooted to its strong quality control. To justify the increase in price, the product shall be packaged with intricate designed flipflop holders as discussed earlier. Place Offshore should maintain its distribution strategy in popular local department stores as these place is where people who have the capability to buy such goods often go. The company should request the footwear section of the department to group together the slippers of the same prices, ranging from Php180-300. This strategy would lessen the shelf competition and Offshore would appear as the lowest price in the section but at the same level with other brands with good quality. It is also a chance to showcase its design level with others. The company also may hire sales personnel to further guide customers on what and how the product is and to communicate the message of casual footwear that offers utmost comfortable mobility and durability. Promotions Offshore should try to tie-up with hotels or tourist destination w/ footwear package. This will be helpful in communicating the beach or Filipino designs of the company and at the same time giving the customer memento of their visit in the place or experience. The company may implement various below-the-line (BTL) marketing strategies like giving fliers and placing posters in places with high foot traffic. The company should maintain and utilize its current site to communicate its current products. They can also maximize other social networking device to increase market awareness and also communicate its message in a bigger market.

Federal Bailout Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Federal Bailout - Research Paper Example With these higher unemployment numbers and the fear amongst those in the banking industry, more and more restrictions were placed upon the opportunity to guarantee new credit to consumers, while the already issued credit lines were at risk of being defaulted on. As a way to intervene in the matter, the federal government would seek to purchase existing debt from major banks, in the hopes of creating more room for new growth. Like anything else the government seeks to do, their plan for the banking industry would have its supporters, along with its vocal naysayers. With a considerable amount at stake going into the Presidential election of 2008, it would become important for both candidates to respond in their own ways, to the legislation that was being proposed by their fellow elected representatives and such legislation, that would be signed into law by the very man that each candidate was hoping to replace come November 2008. At the beginning of debate towards the end of the third quarter in 2008, the initial proposers of such action, would be then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and current Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. This action would see support from both men, the White House, along with both Presidential candidates and the Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill. Considerable opposition to the plan itself, would come from many Republicans, who felt it would be too much government control. In this case, â€Å"The first proposal for a sweeping bailout of financial institutions came at the height of the panic in mid-September, 2008. Mr. Paulson, with the backing of Mr. Bernanke, asked Congress for $700 billion to use to buy up mortgage-backed securities whose value had dropped sharply or had become impossible to sell, in what he called the Trouble Asset Relief Program, or TARP. As originally outlined, the

A comparison between the Japanese kimono and Chinese robe Research Paper

A comparison between the Japanese kimono and Chinese robe - Research Paper Example Dress materials and designs are the best indicators of the history of a particular region. It holds absolutely true when we say that by looking at the texture, designs, pattern and also the color of the dress material that was worn, one could easily decipher the culture of the people who wore it and also get to the know their way of life in general. Japanese kimono and Chinese robes have been brought into comparison as they resemble each other to a very great extent. There seems to be a cultural link between that of Japan and China which could be deciphered from their clothing. Japanese kimono and Chinese robes looks similar yet comes with their own uniqueness.The kimono came into being in the fifth century. A kimono robe is the typical sign of the Asian cultures. The garment has its long history entrenched in the hearts of the Japanese and Chinese culture. Later, the garment was made more contemporary to include kimono robes that are fundamentally all one size for both men and women . While silk kimonos are traditional garments in Japan, Chinese have Cheongsam as their traditional Chinese garment (Garrett, 1998). Both of these garments are very old and carry with it a long lost historical angle to it. Kimono, a piece of clothing, is not just a form of dressing among the Japanese but is also a clear-cut manifestation of how the Japanese history has evolved over time. The style of Kimono has been altered from one age to that of another and it has undergone changes throughout its history and has finally attained a form today. Goldstein-Gidoni (1997, p. 35) comments â€Å"The word kimono used in contemporary Japanese refers to the modern kimono, which â€Å"stems from the decorative festive clothing worn on special occasions† The inception time of the Kimono dates back to the time in Japan history pointed out as a specific period. That specific period is the Jomon period (Said, 1995). Kimono was in the form of a piece of clothing that was loosely draped ove r the body of the wearer. Those times, people did not pay much of attention to clothing as their major activity was to go for hunt and assembling. It was between the year 300 and 550 AD, Kimono dress patterns went for a change. Now the influence of the Chinese culture over the Japanese can be seen and the Kimono dress became a two-piece cloth. The arrival and the settlement of the Chinese in Japan brought about a huge change in their dressing patterns. Kimono was made in white color that was taken from the silk worm. Figure 2: Chinese White Women’