1984 And Brave New World Essays - Social Science Fiction

1984 And Brave New World In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley's Brave New World, the authoritative figures strive for freedom, peace, and stability for all, to develop a utopian society. The Utopian society strives for a perfect state of well-being for all persons in the community, and over-emphasizes this factor, where no person is exposed to the reality of the world. As each novel progresses we see that neither society possesses family values nor attempts to practice them. Neither are passionate nor creative in factors such as love, language, history and literature. Our society today, in general, is unsure about the future: The nightmare of total organization has emerged from the safe, remote future and is now awaiting us, just around the next corner. It follows inexorably from having so many people. This quotes represents Watts' fear for the future; George Orwell and Aldous Huxley both explore the future state of civilization in their novels. They both warn us of the dangers of a totalitarian society. Both books express a utopian ideal, examine characters that are forced into this state and are compelled to dealing with this society and all the rules involved. The impracticality of the utopian ideal is explored in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley's Brave New World. Both authors suggest that a lack of familial bonds, the repression of human individuality, and the repression of artistic and creative endeavors in order to attain a stable environment renders the achievement of a perfect state unrealistic. The lack of familial bonds, in both novels, contributes to the development of a dystopian society. This lack of familial bonds is evident through genetic engineering, the use of names, and a commonly used drug, soma. One of the first mentionings of family in Brave New World is when the main character, Bernard, asks the Controller, the ultimate leader, about the past and why their society does not believe in families. His response suggests that authoritative figures do not believe that there is need for a mother in society and therefore, the Controller responds, "Mother, he repeated loudly rubbing in the science; and, leaning back in his chair, these, he said gravely are unpleasant facts; I know it. But then most historical facts are unpleasant." The disregard for mothers as a valuable figure in life contributes to the lack of familial bonds. In Huxley's Brave New World, human life is conceived in a bottle; the embryo no longer grows in the mother's womb, and therefore no bond is formed between the mother and the baby. There are ?bottle births' rather than the birth of a baby from it's mother. There are also conditioning centers, which become a home for all children for their entire childhood. In such circumstances, one does not receive the special attention that you would receive from a family. Since they do not have family, they do not receive love during their upbringings, therefore the products of this society do not develop the values of love nor do they respect themselves as sexual beings. Orwell's choice in naming the Party's leader, ?Big Brother' in Nineteen Eighty-Four, gives the reader the impression that all of Oceania is like a huge family. There are no smaller individual families, which results in this society's lack of close and intimate relationships. The first description Orwell gives to his audience of Big Brother is, " ...standing like a rock against the hordes of Asia...doubt about his very existence, seemed like some sinister enchanter, capable by the mere power of his voice of wrecking the structure of civilization." This first impression of ?Big Brother' is a frightening and violent image. It leads families to believe that he is a poor role-model in depicting what the word ?brother' really stands for. "The word ?brother' is the name that one would use in a family. The Big Brother, the Great Leader in Oceania, contributes to the lack of family values and the corruptness of the Party. It is not a justice comparison." Using Big Brother's name so often takes away from the family ideal and begins to weaken family relationships. The use of soma, the perfect drug, acts as a negative replacement for familial bonds. When an individual cannot cope with the daily stresses of life they rely on soma, to turn their stress into an illusion. This acts as a substitute to dealing with their problems, rather than relying on family for support or advice. Soma is an"euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly hallucinant... a holiday from reality." It leaves the individual with unresolved issues and results in an illusioned

Ordeal by Fire Essay Example

Ordeal by Fire Essay Example Ordeal by Fire Essay Ordeal by Fire Essay After reading the two books, â€Å"Ordeal by Fire† by James McPherson and â€Å"Slavery† by Stanley M. Elkins I would have to say the books are very separate on their approach to slavery before the Civil War.   McPherson’s book looked at slavery as it related to the Civil War.   Elkins book looked more at the institution of slavery.   Both looked into the economic role and its foundation in slavery.   Both agreed that in comparison Latin American slaves had a more difficult life than slaves in Southern North America.   The differences in views from these authors, that I could see, were standard views at the time at which these books were written.   McPherson’s book was written in 1982 and Elkins was first published in 1959.   I will admit though that Elkins book was obviously way before its time.   His ideals of slave personality probably helped invent the phrase â€Å"slave mentality†.   â€Å"How a person thinks about Negro slav ery historically makes a great deal of difference here and now; it tends to locate him morally in relation to a whole range of very immediate political, social, and philosophical issues which in some way refer back to slavery† (Elkins, 1959, p. 1).   In McPherson’s book he looks at how â€Å"slavery formed the foundation of the South’s distinctive social order† (p.31), and how this fit into a lifestyle in the south. When thinking of the brutality of slavery Elkins basically argued that slavery in itself was brutal.   Ã‚  With McPherson, although he did not disagree with brutal acts happening he just didn’t believed they happen often.   He believed that the owner’s power over his slaves â€Å"was often tempered by economic self-interest and sometimes by paternalism† (p.34).   He wrote, â€Å"Dead, maimed, brutalized or runaway slaves grow little if any cotton† (p.34).   There was a gentleman’s code of noblesse oblige which required â€Å"beneficence towards inferiors†.   The use of persuasions, inducement, rewards for good work and concessions between slave owner and slaves.   Overseers and masters could â€Å"not rule by the whip alone†, McPherson wrote. Slavery was a human institution along with a legal and economic one that helped to give reason for the dehumanizing of slavery.   Elkins wrote of a childlike conformity slaves were taught to keep them in line.   â€Å"Cruelty per se cannot be considered the primary key to this; of far greater importance was the simple â€Å"closedness† of the system, in which all lines of authority descended from the master and in which alternative social bases that might have supported alternative standards were systematically suppressed† ( Elkins, 1959 p. 128).   One factor that McPherson wrote about is the effect of the family structure and how it has affected African Americans throughout history in years since his book was published much has been written on that subject.   But at the time these books were written the consequence of this broken family structure was not yet fully recognized. Slavery in law was a form of property.   Human rights were something slaves did not have.   â€Å"They could not legally marry, nor own property, nor be taught to read or write in most states† (McPherson, 1982 p.34).   They were allowed to have a family, in fact after 1808 because of ending of the African slave trade; this was encouraged as natural reproduction of stock.   Some were allowed to earn money and in rare cases they could buy their freedom.   But until they were free their family and money could legally be taken from them at any time. In both books lack of education among slaves served well for a couple of reasons.   â€Å"The low level of literacy was one of the chief features distinguishing the slave from the free population of the South from the North.† (McPherson, 1982 p. 37)   There was a belief that educating a slave would cause them to have â€Å"dissatisfaction in their minds† that would cause insurrection and rebellion.   â€Å"Every Southern state except Maryland and Kentucky had stringent laws forbidding anyone to teach slaves reading and writing, and in some states the penalties applied to the educating of free Negroes and mulattoes as well† (Elkins, 1959 p. 60).   Education in the North was very strong and very weak in the South abolitionist gave this as to the reason the South kept slavery.   Saying â€Å"this one main for the ‘backwardness’ of the South and the immorality of slavery† (McPherson, 1982, p. 37) was the reason slavery was still practice d. In McPherson’s book talked of the work ethics and slavery.   He wrote of how slavery had undermined Southerners work ethics and made them lazy.   Their fight to keep the institution of slavery kept them from accepting new and better agricultural tools for use in the fields and ending the economically unsound practice of slavery.   A critic of work habits of the South and slavery, Frederick Law Olmsted, believed â€Å"that the average free worker in the North accomplished twice as much as the average slave.   Most slaves had little motivation to improve their output through harder work or greater efficiency.   They lacked the time discipline of modern work habits.† (McPherson, 182 p. 36). The church influence was a tool to keep a bond between master and slave.   â€Å"The slaves spoke the same language and worshipped the same Christian God as their owner.   Relationships of trust and affection as well as alienation and hatred could exist between slave and master.† (McPherson, 1982 p. 34).   In Elkins book he introduced the church as having moral authority over every man in every condition.   In the United States during the years of slavery the only law that was supportive somewhat of the marriage and how it related to church law was conjugal relations between slaves.   This dealt only with unions between master and slave; known as concubinage.   Unlike Latin America and other nations of slave holder’s concubinage was condemned and was not allowed.   Marriages, between slaves were permitted in these countries they were sanctified by the church and protected under law.   Many of the slaves still practiced their own religion in secret in fea r of punishment if found. The brutality of slavery was a direct result of Southerners devotion to limited government and laissez faire capitalism.   I tend to agree with Elkins theory that slavery itself is brutal.   Openly acts of brutality were not a rule but an exception it was the openly brutal social class system slaves were placed in that was the cruelest.   All one has to do is look at today’s society to see the long term affects this had on African Americans.   Both authors gave good sound argument on slavery, but if I had to choose which gave a better picture of what slavery was like I would have to say that is was â€Å"Slavery†.   I found the book was a little harder to follow, but gave a broader view of slavery.   In McPherson’s book there were only really 6 or 7 pages that really dealt with slavery.   Even though Elkins book was written in 1959, a time of civil rights, I thought he showed more to slavery than just the economic reasons for slavery.   The conseq uences of slavery have survived many generations and really only in the last fifty years the affects of this turbulent time in history has just began to be understood.   A whole culture and society was created out of slavery.   The Civil War changed a nation, slavery changed a culture.   I found the picture that McPherson gave was only superficial and in my readings gave me an understanding of why the Civil War and slavery were intertwined.   Elkins gave more meaning to what slavery was all about.

Not sure yet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Not sure yet - Essay Example The new â€Å"knowledge based† economy is defined by the World Bank (Report, 2003, p1) as that which relies â€Å"primarily on the use of ideas rather than physical abilities and on the application of technology rather than the transformation of raw materials or the exploitation of cheap labor†. This is a new determinant that propagates the idea of life-long learning. This change is bound to have an effect on the choice of an individual’s vocational education and training methods. We witness a contradiction and a replacement of the traditional view of life-long education of what Longworth (2003,p33) sees as being â€Å"about the development of the whole person† with that of its contemporary view of what Bagnall (2000) calls as ‘economic determinism’. This need has come about with the emphasis laid upon the currency in paid employment and an unavoidable need to sustain one’s employment and currency in the growing face of change. This paper shall argue that there is an imbalance in the view of lifelong learning and that the need for life-long learning changes with the change in time, industrial circumstances and that it also relevant to economic carve. But we shall argue that the traditional conception of lifelong learning as being a mode of personal fulfillment also holds an important role in setting the real purpose of life-long Education while this view is given less importance in today’s world. A balanced outlook between that individual and social obligation of life-long learning is desirable and this shall be the perspective of the paper while not forgetting that the use of these two perspectives as the purpose and end of the life-long education depends upon individual and circumstances. The change that has come about in the view in Lifelong learning however, shall be exemplified with the change in education system, policies and globalization

What is Foreign Direct Investment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

What is Foreign Direct Investment - Term Paper Example FDI or Foreign Direct Investment is defined as the scenario where "A company from one country obtains a controlling interest in a (new or existing) firm in another country, and then operates that firm as a part of the multinational business of the investing firm. FDI may be financed through parent company transfer of funds to the new affiliate, borrowing from home-country lenders, borrowing in the host country by the parent company, or any combination of these strategies." (FDI Definition, n.d.)  Foreign direct investment is also a measure of ownership of private enterprise, its stocks, and resources, and used as a growing tool in economic globalization. These investments add up to the GDP (gross domestic product) of industrialized and industrializing economies.  There are quite a few different modes of entry to foreign markets, but almost all of them can be categorized under the following four- exporting, licensing, franchising and direct investment. Each of these entry modes ha s their own set of advantages and disadvantages, and the appropriateness of each of them depends on the market dynamics of the guest country as well as the factors specifics to each company.  Foreign Direct Investment allows the investing firm to varied a degree of control over its overseas business activities. FDI, additionally, offers higher profitability options to the investing company. Control is one of the most important characteristics of FDI, and hence FDI is generally adopted as a preferred mode of entry when control and coordination are critical to the success of international drive of the company. Foreign direct investment is also preferred when the host market prefers buying products that are locally manufactured. Many governments also actively promote FDI as FDI directly adds value to the local economy and generates employment. Additionally, many retail, as well as institutional customers, feel that local manufacturing presence results in better after sales service an d decreases the overall cost of ownership.  However, FDI has its own set of disadvantages too. FDI, by definition, involves a higher commitment level for the company, and the company is exposed to a range of risks including political, geographical and economic risks. FDI is also subject to probable depreciation of the value of its investment in case of an adverse fluctuation of exchange rates. Despite the fact that FDI is generally encouraged by the government, there are cases where government policies act as a roadblock for FDIs. In many countries, government policies forbid foreign countries from owning majority control of a local company in selective or all industries. In some other countries, there are various levels of restrictions in the repatriation of profits. Companies opting for foreign direct investment as the entry mode to other economies or markets also have to face additional challenges in terms of allocating additional bandwidth, adapting to local political, legal a nd business environments. (Marchick D.M. and Slaughter M.J., June 2008)

Sales System for Customer Management Software Program

Sales System for Customer Management Software Program Sales Management Coursework Assignment Outline what you believe to be going wrong with the sales efforts at Gardnov. Richard Booth is the newly appointed sales manager of Gardnov Limited, he has spent his first four weeks by simply observing how the sales force operated by accompanying them on sales visits and by talking to the customers. According to his observation, he found the company sales force are generally lacking in motivation and without energetic. Even customers can feel about that. Therefore, Richard has to do something in order to arouse the motivation of the sales force. As no new account has been opened during the past four months, it means that the sales force havent expend their market and just keeping the existing customers. Sales will not grow lots if new account hasnt been opened. Richard found the sales force are not trying very hard to get new customers. Richard had visited some customers in each region and he was depressed to hear that even regular customers felt that they didnt relate closely to Gardnovs sales force, customers felt the sales force has been more like order-takers instead of order-makers. It shows that the sales force are not putting efforts on the customers, customers feel that they are unimportant because the sales force showed little interest in them. Besides, a lot of customers reflected that the sales people were unable to answer questions about some of the products in the catalogue. It shows the sales people have lack of knowledge about the products that they are selling, it makes customers without confidence to buy the products because even the sales people did not know the details of the products. They felt that the salespeople showed little concern, spent less time on them, and had little enthusiasm for the products they were selling. Outline what steps Richard should take to investigate further the problems highlighted by his initial research, whilst gaining/maintaining the support of the sales force. By gaining/maintaining the support of the sales force, Richard analysed his initial research, and he will need more research to investigate further problems. By investigating the problems, he will use primary research and secondary research. According to the existing situation, Richard has already done some primary research which included: spending his first four weeks observing how the sales force operated by accompanying them on sales visits and talking to customers. By communicating with the customers directly, Richard can be able to understand what customers need and want from the sales force, and also be able to know if the sales force are effective or not. By observing the sales force, he knew how they work normally and in which aspects that they need to improve to achieve the sales profit. Richard will also need to find out how the company can help the sales force, supporting them and motivate them to sell more products to customers. Besides, Richard also use other ways of primary research to investigate how he can support the sales force and improve the problems in the sales force. He may send questionnaires to every customers (may enclose a brochure or leaflet which include the introduction of new products of the company or even with discount coupons), therefore he will be able to get more opinions about the sales force and he will directly know the problems in the sales force because customers are the most important sources of a company. After analyzing those statistic results, he can be able to take steps to improve sales performance accordingly by using those opinions from customers. Apart from primary research, Richard can use secondary research to investigate more information and can find out more ways to solve out the problems of the sales force. He can use internet research to get some ideas to maintaining the support of the sales force, internet is very useful nowadays, therefore lots of information can be found in internet. By using the research, Richard can investigate more about the problems of the sales force, e.g. to motivate the sales force by using rewarding methods, training the sales force†¦..etc. After Richard knows the problems of the sales force, he can get some solution by using research and therefore he can be able to gaining and maintaining the support of the sales force. Research can help Richard a lot, by taking some marketing research, he can be able to define the problems, decision alternatives and the research objectives. Then it can develop the research plan from the data sources he found, the research approaches including face to face interview customers, questionnaires, internet searching solution. So that Richard can take those steps to improve the sales performance in the sales force and therefore can lead the sales force and make them to develop effective selling habits and finally increase the profits of the company. What are the disadvantages of the present salary-only compensation plan? Salary-only compensation is mean straight salary, the sales people receives a fixed amount of money at fixed intervals, such as weekly or monthly. These security-oriented people prefer base salary or drawing account so that they can depend on some regular income to meet basic living expenses. In Gardnov Limited, the sales force are each paid a straight salary averaged  £21,000 each, within a range of  £16,500 to  £27,300, depends upon his age and the length of time he has been with the company. The disadvantages of straight-salary method of compensation plan are: It provides no financial incentive to put forth extra effort. Thats mean the sales force will not put much more efforts if the salary is fixed, they wont get more salary if they gain some new customers or sell more products to customers. Therefore they will not work very hard to sell the products to customers because they can still obtain the same amount of salary every month. It may increase selling costs because salaries go on when sales are not being made. If the sales force are not putting effort on selling the products to customers, then the sales profit will not made but Gardnov Limited still need to pay salary to the sales force because of its straight-salary. Therefore it might become a big expenditure if sales force didnt earn any sales profits for Gardnov Limited. It often leads to income inequities, since the least productive salespeople tend to be overpaid, and the most productive to be underpaid. There have six salespeople in Gardnov, if only few salespeople working hard and selling products to customers, then they will feel the straight-salary is not equities because they are working harder than other salespeople. They tend to be underpaid and the others tend to be overpaid, so that Gardnov Limited will need to make sure every salesperson are working their best to sell the products to customers under and let the salespeople think Gardnov Limited is fair to them. It also leads to adequate, but not superior performance. By using straight-salary method, it would lead adequate sales profits by sales force, but it will not leads to superior performance because it cannot motivate the salespeople to put a lots of efforts on their selling job, as they can get the same amount of salary each month even though they put little effort on it. The pay of the salary in Gardnov Limited is depends on the salespeoples age and the length of time they have been with the company. Therefore if the youngest salesperson works very hard and sells lots products to customers, he will not get the high pay and he may even get the lowest pay in the company because of his age and the length of time in Gardnov. It will discourage his working enthusiasm and ambitions because he knows that he just get the same pay every month. On the other hand, the oldest salesperson will not working hard as well if he knows that he will get highest pay. Under this circumstance, it cant motivate both of them to work and sell products for Gardnov initiative. And therefore the salary-only compensation plan might not suitable for Gardnov at this moment. Produce some initial recommendations on how Richard might improve sales performance. There have some ways to improve sales performance, it might help Richard to improve the sales performance. Improving team performance is very important for Gardnov, the sales force are aligned with the Gardnovs mission and culture. Gardnov has a committed and empowered workforce. Improving the utilization of the salespeople will help to increase sales volume and profitability of Gardnov, it can improve the sales performance by improve the sales force team workforce. Training is one of the way that Richard can take, according to the case study, customer complain that the salespeople were unable to answer questions about some of the products in the catalogue, they felt that they didnt relate closely to Gardnovs sales force. Therefore customer already felt Gardnovs sales force are not professional because they are deal with their problems. Training is a important job for Richard, it can develop the sales force into a successful, productive part of the team. Sales training and sales force development should be thought of as a long term, by training them more knowledge of the products they are selling, the skills to deal with customer, satisfy customer needs and wants. Motivation is another important part of improving the performance of the sales force. There are many things can motivate a salesperson to perform better, for example, salespeople can be motivated of they feel a lot of work to do on the job will lead to better performance, with better performance leading to higher rewards. Therefore Richard might try to reward them to sell more products to customer, it might help the sales force to increase sales because the salespeople will begin a healthy amount of competition. Another motivation way to motivate the sales force perform better is changing the compensation plan of Gardnov. At the moment Gardnov is using straight salary and they get paid depends on their age and the length of time with the company. Therefore some salespeople might think its unfair and it will not motivate them to work harder because they will not get more paid if they work harder and selling more products to customer. So there have others method of compensation plan, e.g. straight commission. Straight commission is the person receives an amount that varies with results, usually sales or profits. It provides incentives rather than security, the salespeople will increase their productivity because they can get their own commission rewards after selling products to customers. For example, a salesperson may receive 10% of commission on all sales, which mean if he sold  £400, he can get  £40 of commission with his base salary. Therefore income is directly related to productivit y, its easy to calculate, so salespeople may keep track of their earnings. Richard has to develop a sales system to invest in a customer management software program, therefore all the data will be in one locale, enabling Gardnov to increase sales while simultaneously being more efficient.

History Ia 2013

A. Plan of the investigation The focus of the study is on the event of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and how the Chinese Communist Party government shocked the world. Moreover, the study focuses on the aftermaths and the international effects like how the United States decided how to deal with this violent act or how this event possibly encouraged protestors to fight against their corrupt government. This research paper will evaluate the extent of how international countries were affected by this event.Ranging from countries such as Germany to the United States, this investigation will encompass the mass effects and influences on other countries. Several of the sources used in the essay, include The Price of Heavenly Peace: Tiananmen Square 15 Years Later by Michael J. Thompson and a news article Where Capitalism Won, But Not Democracy interview of Robyn Meredyth about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. These sources will be identified for their origins, values, limitations, and credibil ity. B. Summary of Evidence On a night in June of 1989, the unthinkable happened.Otherwise known as the June Fourth Incident, the Tiananmen Square Massacre was the bloody result of seven weeks of continuous rebellion of Communist Party of China’s policies. â€Å"Perhaps thousands of people were killed in cold blood when the troops fired into crowds and army tanks ran over people† (Wong 2). Ranging from university students to faculty workers to intellectuals, this protest was executed mainly to promote freedom of speech and press, economic growth, help in education funds, and most importantly, a change towards democracy. After the tragic incident, societies began to question China’s motives and actions.The fight for democracy created great tensions between the people and the government. â€Å"†¦20 years later, China’s Communist Party remains solidly in power. It still suppresses dissent. In China, capitalism is championed, but democracy is still verb oten† (Meredith 2). Essentially this source discussed how even though the fight for democracy was lost by the people; China gained a severe change in the capitalistic features. For example, China’s Five-Year Plan was introduced before the Tiananmen Square incident, but the effect of the incident caused this plan to move towards a more industrialized turn.Eventually, China became known more for their capitalistic features than their infamous communist cover. The world-known Tank Man is said to have been one of the most influential figure of his time. â€Å"It all started with a man in a white shirt who walked into the street and raised his right hand no higher than a New Yorker hailing a taxi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  quoted James Barron, a writer for The New York Times (This newspaper article was published the day after the incident June 5, 1989). The descriptions of the tank man possibly lead to many historical events in the future.This demonstrated how if one lone individual has the courage to stand up against such a powerful government, why couldn’t a group do the same with their corrupt government in their countries? Over to the West of Asia, East and West Germany were suffering similar problems in that the two want to, once again, become one country. Shortly afterwards, the demolishing of the Berlin Wall began after protest which was deducted by the Tank Man’s courageous actions. Nearby locations such as Macau and Hong Kong have hundreds of thousands of protesters which disfavored the actions of the Communist Chinese Government.In Hong Kong, over 200,000 citizens protested in support of the brutal massacre. Because Hong Kong was still under British rule in 1989, they were afraid to be under Communist China’s rule, they were still scarred with fear in case of reunification with China. As a result of the terror, many Hong Kong citizens fled to other countries in hope to escape the confusion (On a side note, though Hong Kong is geograp hically in China, under British rule, the city is democratic). Though the international political effects of the massacre were definitely prominent amongst the countries, we must not forget the economic results of this event.Contrastingly, where democracy isn’t as prominent as in the United States, the Chinese weren’t as avid in protesting as the Hong Kong citizens were, but they viewed this incident as though it was a normal rebellion. In other words, the Chinese North Americans knew there would be a big turnout of events that will occur as a result of this protest. Other country’s views on China were significant to the economy in the foreign trading aspects because after this massacre, many of them feared that China would no longer be loyal to them. Major companies and corporations dislike doing business with suffering countries.At the time, China’s government and economy, have been slowly rising to become the leading nation, but due to this event, thei r growth was temporarily halted. Many worldwide companies were indecisive to whether or not they should help out their ally by encouraging trade once again which sparked China’s drive towards their capitalistic beginnings. After this event and ever since Google has been around, many citizens in China attempted to learn more about the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but to their disappointment, this searching capability is blocked â€Å"due to relevant laws, regulations and policies† (Thompson 8).Terms such â€Å"never forget† or â€Å"candle† have been censored in Chinese search engines in hope for the government to cover up their tracks. This action was very significant because although it helped China conceal information about the event so citizens wouldn’t dare question or further seek knowledge regarding the topic, other countries began hypothesizing the real reason behind China’s motives. C. Evaluation of sources Jan Wong is a Chinese-Canadi an who vacationed to Beijing. This interview was about a first-hand account of the witness of this event live from her balcony in a nearby hotel room.The vivid descriptions of her details make her account seem reliable enough to the point where an individual can distinguish her knowledge on this topic. Few people may question whether this is source is credible or not because she is part Chinese. Thompson carefully wrote his sources to depict the mysteries and after effects of China’s actions. Having visited the Tiananmen Square several times, Thompson writes in his research paper the great, vivid event that occurred that one night in 1989. He uses much data to support his claims between China and other foreign countries.Thompson sees the Tiananmen Square a burden to China’s progress in capitalistic development along with the rest of the world. China is known greatly for its censorship and how greatly they can cover up reasons that could probably allow other countries t o question their government. Gregory Clark, a former Australian diplomat who focuses on Chinese affairs, wrote an article in Japan Times stating that the Western culture was spreading a â€Å"myth† about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. This shows the extent of China’s power to censor what they feel should be heard and what should not.In order to protect the face of their government, even though there are eye-witness accounts of their wide-spread murder, the Chinese government had to take major precautions to ensure a sustainable relationship, economically and politically, with other international countries. D. Analysis In Jan Wong’s interview of her account in China during the Tiananmen Square Massacre, she mentions, â€Å"I wasn’t the only person watching; everybody on the street was watching† (Wong 3). Because Jan Wong was present during the time of the event, she witnessed the actions of the tank man.If any regular civilian were to see this event and be in complete awe of the actions of this courageous twenty year-old man, it reveals how there can be many more people in this world who might see the common man in a white T-shirt with plastic shopping bags. There are billions of people in this world and those who know about Tiananmen Square, and the millions that do, probably heard about the tank man. Though the tank man still remains anonymous after 23 years, this individual managed to influence the whole world not just on a social level, but also on an economic and political core.E. Conclusion This protest is considered one of the top 10 most influential protests along with the Boston Tea Party, Purple rain protests, and the Civil Rights March. The Tiananmen Square protest was originally meant to spread democracy in China and abandon communism. Through the years of peaceful protests, many lives were lost. After the Tiananmen Square incident though, countries from around the world were influenced by figures such as the Tank Man who had enough courage to step in front of the corrupted government in hope for it to change for the better.In addition to its efforts and outcomes, China’s capitalism is now becoming one of the leading nations in the world. The influence of Tank Man spread to East and West Germany which helped the taking down of the Berlin wall and once again uniting the two into one. F. Sources cited Conachy, James. â€Å"Ten Years since the Tiananmen Square Massacre. †Ã‚  World Socialist Web Site. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . This source was a political lesson for the knowledge of the working class.The website is rather significant to this Internal assessment because it discusses about parts of the aftermath, and more importantly its effect on capitalism. This particular source is a very straightforward and unbiased work. The majority of this website was dedicated solely on the history. Ranging from important political figures such as Deng Xiao Ping to Liu Bin Yan, this we bsite helped narrow down descriptions of many political movements. Meredith, Robyn. â€Å"Where Capitalism Won, But Not Democracy. †Ã‚  Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. .This source focuses mainly on the detailed history of Tiananmen Massacre. The significance of this article to the essay is the background information and just the overall gist and feels of this head-turning movement. After the description of the event, Meredith then discusses the major impacts the massacre had on the fall of the Berlin Wall. Tiananmen massacre is not only large event hoping to draw attention from the Chinese government, but little do they know that this movement called for revolutions all over the world. Overall, the source was significant because of its focus on detail of the actual event.Thompson, Michael J. â€Å"The Price of Heavenly Peace: Tiananmen Square 15 Years Later. â€Å"Michael J. Thompson. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Similar to the article with â€Å"1 0 years†, the 15 year goes into more detail and begins to discuss more about the outside influence of different countries such as Russia. Also, Thompsons describes the influences on different beliefs all around the world. The article also talks about China’s original need for change which was the want for democratic power, but instead, they ended up as a capitalist country.This article helps provide the necessary information for the building blocks of repetitive reform. Wong, Jan. â€Å"Interview: Jan Wong [Witness of the Tank Man]. †Ã‚  PBS. PBS, 11 Apr. 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. The interview with Jan Wong adds a whole new perspective to my knowledge on this topic. Her account may by the closest account because she was witnessing the event as it went on. As a third generation Chinese-Canadian, Wong recounts vivid details of her being in her hotel room nearby watching this protest take place. She describes in detail the horrific scene and the ominous area. AFTERM ATH AND LEGACY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE. †Ã‚  Facts and Details. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . This website is dedicated to the more recent news even those from post-2000. A wide-variety of articles should be used because it allows the readers to see the events from different aspects of time periods. A perspective from the 1990s as opposed to the one in 2005. This article focuses mainly on the point of views from this time period. For example, now that we’ve evolved more from the time of the event, we see the massacre in a whole new way.

Marketing Strategies for Luxury Brands Essay

New products are continuously launched into the luxury perfume market each year. DKNY’s recent addition to the perfume market is DKNY Pure. As a competitor intending to introduce a similar product into the luxury fashion brand perfume market, consumer behaviour has important implications for the design of a successful marketing strategy. This paper will outline which key factors marketers should attempt to influence in the design of a marketing strategy to introduce a new luxury brand perfume to the market. Through the use of product positioning, identifying buying groups and the target market, extensive advertising and operant conditioning marketers can manipulate the consumer decision-making process together with internal and external influences leading to consumer purchase behaviour. From a marketing perspective luxury fashion brands are defined in by features such as exclusivity, premium prices, excellent quality, distinctiveness, image, status and other aspirational characteristics (Fionda & Moore, 2009). For many consumers the purchase of luxury fashion brand perfume is a high-involvement and emotional decision (Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). These purchases involve the use of extended decision-making with an extensive search of internal and external information and a considerable evaluation of alternative products available (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). An extensive advertising campaign should be used the major marketing strategy for the introduction of a new product in the luxury perfume market as it can be used to manipulate and influence consumer behaviour in a number of ways. Influencing the consumer decision-making process In order to influence the consumer decision-making process advertising can be used as external stimuli in order to trigger the first stage of the consumer decision making process; problem or need recognition. Advertising can influence consumer behaviour by affecting the consumer’s desired state or their existing state (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011), prompting the identification of perceived need or desire for a product. Strategic marketing campaigns such as preannouncements (for example through media releases or samples) can be used to influence consumer anticipation, attention and desire or perceived need prior to the launch of a new product such as a luxury perfume (Schatzel & Calantone, 2006). By understanding the motives which direct consumers to purchase products and the needs they are seeking to satisfy marketers can target their advertising more effectively (Kotler et al, 2007). For luxury brand perfume advertising can be used to highlight the emotional need of the consumer focussing on their â€Å"esteem needs† as described by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Kotler et al, 2007; Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). Emotional self-esteem needs can be effectively used in advertising luxury brand perfume to women by including messages and visuals which suggest sophistication, elegance, love and confidence. Feeling and emotion significantly shapes consumer intentions for perfume with consumers visualising, imagining, estimating and assessing the perceived feelings gained from purchasing and using the product (Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). Perception Marketing efforts should focus on building customers perception of both the brand and the product. Perception is a significant internal factor in a consumers’ purchase decision for luxury brand perfume. The perception process involves processing information from exposure, attention and interpretation with meanings recorded as memory (Kotler et al 2007). Consumer perceptions can be manipulated through product positioning; in this case introducing a new perfume’s under the familiar luxury brand image will position it in the high-end perfume market creating a perception that it is a similar high-end product. Identifying the desired product position allows marketers to design strategies to develop the appropriate product image for that particular target market (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). Perfumes are products that are comprised of both tangible and intangible characteristics designed to satisfy consumers. Perceptions of quality can be influenced by the tangible (intrinsic) characteristics of the product; for perfume this is the bottle and the package. Through the application of beautiful and clever product design and packaging marketers can manipulate consumer perception of the perfume and its image (Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). Intangible (extrinsic) characteristics such as price, store image or brand image also serve to influence the consumer’s perception of quality (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). Setting higher prices for the perfume consistent with the product position and target market (Fionda & Moore, 2009) and stocking the perfume in high-end department stores are strategies that can be employed to infer quality and influence consumer perceptions of status. Brand image and brand awareness Brand leveraging strategies can be employed to capitalise on the brand equity of a familiar luxury brand by giving the brand name to a new product (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). By introducing a new perfume using an established luxury fashion brand (either as a product or line extension) marketers can increase consumer recognition and acceptance of new products (Wu & Lo, 2009) as well as making the most of the perceived intangible benefits associated with a positive brand image. A consumer’s positive perception of brand image of familiar luxury fashion brands has a significant effect on increasing purchase intentions of the products produced by those brands. The creation and usage of a strong brand image can be used by marketers to reduce uncertainty around product evaluation (or perceived purchase risk) whilst also increasing confidence in product quality (Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). Consumers view brand as an important part of a product which adds perceived value to the product (Wu & Lo, 2009; Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). Launching a perfume under an existing familiar brand with a positive brand image can generate competitive advantage by increasing consumer’s interest and attention and resulting positive evaluation of a product (Fionda & Moore, 2009). Further, consumers are likely to give greater attention to a familiar brand and to engage more effort in processing information about a product with a familiar brand name (Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). Brand personality & celebrity endorsement Brand personality is a key factor in brand identity and is highly influential in the consumer decision making process as it relates to the desire to satisfy needs of self-esteem and belonging (Rajagopal, 2006). Consumers are motivated to purchase products from brands that reflect their own personality or that portrays personalities to which they aspire (Sirgy, 1982; Guthrie & Kim, 2009; Spry, Pappu & Cornwell, 2011). Celebrity endorsement is considered an effective strategy by marketers as a highly visible means of brand personality creation ((Rajagopal, 2006; Spry, Pappu & Cornwell, 2011). Endorsement by celebrities influences consumer behaviour through attracting increased attention, generating greater brand recall and recognition (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011; Spry, Pappu & Cornwell, 2011). Dean (1999, as cited in Spry, Pappu & Cornwell, 2011) further posits that celebrity endorsement can also influence a consumer’s perceptions of product quality and distinctiveness. The effectiveness of using a celebrity to endorse a product will be enhanced if there is congruence between the celebrity’s image, the product (and brand) personality and the self-concept of the target market (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). Market research should be conducted to determine perceptions of chosen celebrities to ensure they are credible and have attributes that coincide with the target market’s needs and desires (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011; Spry, Pappu & Cornwell, 2011). For the luxury brand perfume market such attributes should be based on attractiveness and image. Learning & operant conditioning Consumers learn about products through the knowledge and experience gained from purchase and consumption (Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). By understanding how consumers learn about products marketers can include information to assist and influence the consumer decision-making process. Operant conditioning is highly effective marketing strategy used to influence consumer behaviour particularly in high involvement purchases such as perfume (Peter & Nord, 1982; Quester, Pettigrew & Hawkins, 2011). Operant conditioning can shape positive reinforcement for consumer purchase intention (Amor & Guilbert, 2009). By trialling, using tester bottles and sample spray cards the product consumers are able to experience the perfume determine if they like the scent and if it smells good on their skin. Amor & Guilbert (2009) suggest that consumers are more likely to respond to new perfume samples than established ones. Marketers can provide free samples during related purchases to encourage product trial (Amor & Guilbert, 2009) which assists in capturing consumer attention and increasing product familiarity (Sadeghi & Tabrizi, 2011). Placing samples in high-end fashion magazines will also assist with familiarity as well as perception of quality. Using free samples as promotional tools may also assist marketers in developing a positive attitude toward the sampled perfume product as well as toward to the brand (Amor & Guilbert, 2009). External influences A consumer’s purchasing behaviour is also influenced by social factors. By identifying the roles in the buying process marketers can incorporate this information in the product design and advertising message decisions (Kotler et al 2007). For women’s perfume the same person might play several roles in the purchasing decision. The purchaser will often be the initiator of the purchase, the decider who ultimately makes the purchasing decision and the user or wearer of the perfume (Kotler et al). Products such as perfume that are complementary to self-image are occasionally purchased by consumers as gifts for themselves. Marketers can target the fulfilment of self-gifting motivations by interspersing perfumes with other products such as cosmetics so that sales-staff might promote combining purchases (Mick, Demoss & Faber, 1992). Males may also be purchasers of women’s perfume as gifts. Identifying this group in the buying process will enable targeted marketing through the development of gift packs around peak gift periods such as Christmas, and Valentines Day. As shown in the above discussion through the use of extensive advertising campaigns marketers can influence consumer purchase intention through stimulating emotional need or desire for the new perfume product as well as creating attention and awareness. Identifying and establishing the product position and the roles in the buying process will enable marketers to design and direct advertising at the desired target segments. The use of an established luxury brand to launch the product can influence consumer’s perceptions of quality and status of the brand and by association the perfume. Whilst credible celebrities can be used in advertising campaigns to create or support brand personality influencing attention, increasing brand recognition and product recall as well as further addressing consumer’s desire for fulfilment of self-concept needs. Finally operant conditioning through the provision on free samples and testers will be used to shape consumer learning about the new product by positive reinforcement, as well as capturing consumer attention and further increasing brand awareness. By understanding the relevant influences of consumer behaviour to the new product marketers can incorporate this theory in order to manipulate the buying intentions and purchase behaviours of consumers and create a successful marketing campaign.