Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Analysis of Retail Marketing Nuances Term Paper

Analysis of Retail Marketing Nuances - Term Paper Example Of all the changes in distribution during the last century, those taking place in retailing have been the most dramatic. Totally new institutions have appeared in an industry that a hundred years ago consisted mostly of small general and specialty stores. The principle retailing innovation in the 1930s was the supermarket, which introduced a number of principles of mass merchandising that cut costs and increased volume at a time when family incomes were strained. The original supermarkets, in fact, were not very attractive, but times have now changed. With innovative techniques of attracting the customers, supermarket chains have established themselves in a big way. Supermarkets introduced the principle of self-service, wherein the customer is supposed to do the leg work, which resulted in a reduction of the personal cost of the supermarket. Self-service also resulted in encouraging impulse purchases, as the consumer could physically touch and feel all the attractively packaged stuff kept on display. In this study I'll study the nuances of retail marketing through my superstore 'Woolworth' a major superstore chain having branches in many countries and offering a range of products from consumer durables, electronic items, toys, sports and leisure items to fresh food. We take pride in customer assistance and a range of extra services and facilities. Woolworths Group plc is principally a UK retailer focused on the home, family, and entertainment. Woolworths offers its customers value-for-money on an extended range of products. It is built around the well known Woolworths brand which is represented in towns and cities throughout the UK Frank Woolworth started his retail career as a sales assistant like me in the Augsbury and Moore Dry Goods Store in Watertown, New York in 1873. This young boy was desperately in need of a job and the co-owner William Moore took pity on the young farm boy and accepted his offer to work 'free of charge' on a three month trial in the store. If we see this episode in retrospective we'll find a trace of the retail marketing principles even in this offer of this young boy. The boy not only proved his worth but went on to create history in the retailing industry.  

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Survival Of The Fittest

The Survival Of The Fittest Survival of the Fittest just might as well be the title of this short story. Only the strongest will survive is Charles Darwins theory of Survival of the Fittest (Puchalik). This theory is concisely paralleled in Jack Londons To Build a Fire (Puchalick). A mans trip into the Northern Wilderness, the Yukon Trail, faces a series of difficult challenges as he progresses on the trail. However, arrogance will be the mans fatal downfall when he faces these foreboding challenges. In Londons To Build a Fire, the narrators description of arrogance is demonstrated through the conjoined use of setting, character, and plot to proclaim that arrogance can lead to disaster. In To Build a Fire, Jack London uses a varied amount of details in the setting to illustrate the seriousness of the main characters situation. The story is a detailed description of the dangers of severe cold and the stages involved in the process of freezing to death. The main character, the man, in To Build a Fire is a very arrogant person who believed in his own capabilities to handle anything that came at him and took everything at face value. He didnt analyze and survey the area over every detail which caused him to oversee many important things throughout the story. He definitely was not one of those people that are very analytic and his conceptions were rooted in the tangible world and not in the surreal. The severity of the mans situation is fully demonstrated and established through Londons descriptions of the landscape, intense cold, ice, and snow. The height of Londons descriptive portrayal is the storys concise illustration of the intense cold of the winter that the man is traveling through. The description of the Yukon Trail gets more into depth with descriptions; such as, Londons description of the man spitting, sharp, explosive crackle(Burdick 14) is happening in the middle of the air before the mans spit could even hit the ground is just an example of how vicious the cold was and what the man was traveling through. The frozen moisture of air that the man is breathing formed the ice on his beard and mustache (Kreidler). For example, crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber(Burdick 15) transpired when the man chews tobacco and the swiftness in which the mans limbs become numb and unusable are more illustrative examples of Londons account of the cold. The journey through the unbroken white North and south, as far as the eye could see (Burdick13) was another vivid account of the wonderful use of setting in this story. Without a reason to doubt, the idea of a world of ice is a huge factor in the greatness of this story only to be undermined by Londons very descriptive depiction of the mans death. This is depicted in detail throughout the further on into the story. The treacherous environment of the Yukon, to the man, is just an obstacle that could easily be conquered with the knowledge of your surroundings and an arrogant attitude, but it is actually the executioner. The fear of falling in the water, and this thought kept running through his head once in a while the thought reiterated itself that it was very cold and had never experience such cold (Kreidler), the relief when the fire is built, and the horror when it is put out are all situations that builds tension of the story and the mans arrogance is really starting to get him in serious trouble. The panic when he is unable to build another fire and the climatic end that is bound to happen are more completely realized when the man is unable to light a match (Bloom). The rush through the snow, then becoming exhausted and not being able to keep up the running, and the, the idea to kill his dog, but not able to grasp his knife, to use its body as warmth. Once he knew that the end was near, the man laid down to embrace death that was coming to him (Bloom). These are all further illustrative details of the mental break down of the mans character and how his arrogant mindset has brought him to his end. The arrogance of the man has now been fully recognized by him and he thinks of meeting death with dignity(Burdick 27) and this is the final stage to the mans realization that he was to die. The concept to sleep off to death(Burdick 27)and his statement, Freezing was not so bad as people thought. There were lots worse ways to die. is another step towards the imminent conclusion that we had all suspected when the fire was forcefully put out. The setting and his character is furthermore developed by these various accounts and the brutality of the severe winters in the Yukon Trail are even more realized. In conclusion, Londons setting within the unemotional Yukon is both descriptive and energetic. The major problem of the story takes place after the fire is put out, leading to the climax of the story when the man begins his realization that death had found him and was not going to go away. In this way, London uses setting, plot, and character to show the extent of the mans situation and the death that will surely come if you underestimate it and not look at it with an open mind. The challenges of the story, the severe cold, and the mans final death all happened because the man did not keep an open mind.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Hidden Hierarchy of Silences :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays Super Bowl

The Hidden Hierarchy of Silences On the night of February second, 2003, family members in thousands of U.S. households gathered together to participate in what is considered by many to be a great and important American tradition, the NFL Super Bowl. After kick-off, in most respects, everyone watched a game that had all the elements of a typical all American football game. Big muscled men threw a leather ball around, ran with it, and violently rammed into each other to the tune of a cheering audience. There were women on the sidelines wearing very tight, revealing clothing dancing for the crowd, and, after about two hours of all this, it was time for the traditional halftime performance of music and entertainment. It was during this performance where many argue that things began to shift slightly from the norm. For the second year, the performance was going to be produced by MTV, and perhaps in an effort to get more female and younger viewers tuned in, MTV advertised its performance of Justin Timberlake which promised "to shock". Timberlake ended the performance with a singing and dancing collaboration with Janet Jackson, and faithful to MTV's reputation, there was not a lot of singing, but plenty of over the clothing – crotch grabbing and groping of the singers themselves and each other. However, it was Justin's final movement after the words, "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song", where he ripped off part of Jackson's costume exposing her right breast, that triggered enraged viewers across the nation to cover their children's eyes, and call the FCC for justice. Although an account of these calls is not available for public scrutiny, their sentiments are probably of a similar range to what newspaper and magazine articles today are commenting on the recent incident in an NFL skit. Before the Monday Night Football game on November 15, Terrell Owens sees Desperate Housewives costar Nicollette Sheridan in the locker room wearing only a towel, and says in so many words that he will stay and have sex with her instead of going to the game. This event is now the most talked about obscenity broadcasting controversy since the Justin/Jackson event, and many are suspicious that it's no coincidence that the common denominator of suggested interracial sexual relations - is hiding deep within the public fury. Foucault, an expert on the societal obsessions with sex in the 18th century, takes note of what the different public discourses about sex can say about a society and their private views on sexual controversies.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Strongest Man Upon the Earth Is He Who Stands Most Alone Critical Lens Essay

According to Henrik Ibsen, â€Å"The strongest man upon the earth is he who stands most alone. † In other words, what this quote means is that the strongest man is the most independent; individuals who do not need to rely on others to survive. Individuals who stand alone are the ones who realize the strength within themselves and become powerful characters. This quote is valid because individuals who like to take actions on their own and at their own pace become the most successful.Two works of literature that support the validity of this statement are The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger and The Color of Water, by James McBride. The Color of Water, is a memoir, set in a variety of settings; from Suffolk, Virginia, to Wilmington, Delaware. It recounts the past lives of protagonists James and Ruth, and recalls the 1920s all throughout the 1990s. One of the protagonists, Ruth McBride, is characterized as an admirable and extraordinary woman and shows signs of independence t hroughout her lifetime.She managed to overcome the painful memories of her adolescent years; ranging from her father’s indecent behavior and mistreatment, to having an abortion at such a young age. She followed her heart and left behind her family and friends in search of a new life; away from the life that was so cruel to her. She showed signs of independence even â€Å"when the going got tough. † For example, after her first husband had passed away, she did not crumble under the pressure that she was facing.Instead, she married again and raised her children to be successful and educated, even during such harsh conditions. Also, Ruth was not afraid of public opinion when she had married an African- American man. This marriage caused her family to condemn her and shows that those who do not rely on others become stronger and more powerful individuals. The Catcher in the Rye, is set in New York City during the 1940s. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is characterized a s an individual who has been independent for a great part of his life.From an early age, his parents have been too â€Å"occupied† to spend time with Holden and they did not show much interest in their children. For example, he was shipped to school and when he would get expelled; his parents paid no mind and sent him to another school. He lived away from his family for a great part of his life and because of being independent at such an early age; he later on endeared a mental breakdown and ended up in an asylum.However, being independent made Holden realize that he has a problem and that if he would not have gone to the asylum and seeked help from professions, then he would not have been able to become a stronger and more successful individual. Ultimately, The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, and The Color of Water, by James McBride, both support the validity of the quote, â€Å"The strongest man upon the earth is he who stands most alone, said by author Henrik Ibsen . As life goes on, individuals will learn and realize that isolating yourself will not get you anywhere in life; it will only hurt you.You can be in control of your own destiny and you will gain perspective on your life. Both protagonists, Holden Caulfield and Ruth McBride, teach us that to ensure a prominent future, you need to overcome obstacles in all situations. This will better you as a person and will offer you a sense of what happens in the real world. Being independent allows you to see the world from a different perspective and no matter what life throws at you; you can get up from the ground, start again, and begin leading your life to a successful future.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Prime Innovator of Intelligence

Alfred Binet is one of the most significant figures in psychology as he redefined the meaning of intelligence. He basically set a new standard in the study of the human mind through his creation of the IQ test, which basically revolutionized how to gauge a person’s intelligence. Even today, several of his major works and ideas are still being used by modern psychologists.Early Life & EducationAlthough Binet was highly successful in his field, he didn’t always thrive well, especially during the early stages of his life. He was born in July 8, 1857 in Nice, France (New World Encyclopedia, 2008). His father was a physician and from here it could be surmised that he was also meant to pursue a career in the medical field.However, his parents separated when he was still young and he and his mother relocated to Paris where he attended law school. Upon receiving his license as a lawyer in 1878, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father in the field of medicine but lat er decided that his interest psychology was more important (Sweet Briar College, 2007).Beginnings & FailuresDespite his contributions to psychology, Binet, ironically, was a not formally-schooled psychologist. He mainly educated himself by studying books of Charles Darwin and John Stuart Mill, among others, for several years (Indiana University, 2007).He became particularly interested in Mill’s belief that the processes of intelligence could be expounded by the laws and principles of associationism. However, he soon realized the restrictions of this particular theory, but he was still heavily influenced by Mill’s ideas (Indiana University, 2007).In 1880, Binet published his first paper on hypnosis, which was highly criticized for lack of scientific support (International Bureau of Education, 2000). Subsequently, he began working in Jean-Martin Charcot’s laboratory, where the main focus of research was hypnosis. Binet was heavily influenced by Charcot’s id eas and as a result, he published four papers on animal magnetism and hypnosis.Unfortunately, his Charcot’s ideas were refuted by various scientific studies and in effect, Binet was also discredited for supporting his teacher, which was considered his first major failure (New World Encyclopedia, 2008). Shortly after abandoning his research on hypnosis, he married Laure Balbiani in 1884 with whom he had two daughters, Madeleine and Alice.Important Contributions & WorksOne of the Binet’s first significant contributions was his incorporation of chess into one of his psychological studies that dealt with the cognition of chess masters. In his experiment, he found out that memory was only part of the processes of cognition in the game of chess and that only master chess players could play the game successfully while blindfolded (Internal Bureau of Education, 2000).He further surmised that imagination, memories of abstract, and experience were among the many factors that is required of a chess master. Furthermore, his most significant contribution is the intelligence test. In 1904, Binet and his colleague, Theodore Simon developed a test called â€Å"New Methods for Diagnosing Idiocy, Imbecility, and Moron Status† (Indiana University, 2007).Among the tasks included in the test were to repeat a sequence of numbers from memory and to follow an object with one’s eye (Indiana University, 2007). Binet and Simon conducted the test on 50 children who acted according to their age or level.They would then compared the results to other children of the same age and evaluate the results. Meaning to say, a 13-year old who could complete the tasks that all 13-years olds performed would have a mental age of 13. Similarly, a 13-year old who would complete all the tasks of a 15-year old would have a mental age of 15 (Indiana University, 2007).In 1908, Simon and Binet modified their intelligence test as they theorized that intelligence increased with age a nd included a comparison between the chronological age and the mental age in the new test (Indian University, 2007).However, Binet stressed that his intelligence test also had its limits and that human IQ was diverse and had to be assessed qualitatively and not only quantitatively.