Apparel Brand Research Project Prada

Apparel Brand Research Project Prada BRAND OVERVIEW Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, Miuccia Pradas grandfather, in Milan.   Ã‚   Located in the prestigious Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Prada was an exclusive, stylish store selling luggage, accessories and luxury goods, in fine materials and of sophisticated workmanship. The Milan store quickly became a firm favourite with the Italian aristocracy and the most sophisticated members of the European elite. In 1919 Prada received the warrant of Official Supplier of the Italian Royal Household, and since then has been able to display the royal Savoy coat of arms and figure-of-eight knots alongside the company logo. Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli started working together in the late 70s, laying the foundations of the international expansion that was to come. Patrizio Bertelli broke new ground in the luxury goods sector, introducing a new business model in which he kept direct, internal control over all processes, applying uncompromised quality criteria across the entire production cycle. Miuccia Pradas creative talent and avant-garde approach attracted the attention of the global fashion industry, while her ability to look at the world from an unconventional vantage point allowed her not only to anticipate, but quite often, to set new trends. The classic Prada suitcase was made of heavy walrus skin but as plane travel made heavy suitcases impractical, the company started to make lighter bags and high quality items made of crystals, tortoise shell and wood. They also sold garments of waterproof fabrics to the U.S. However the company had gone into decline in the 1970s. 1950 Miuccia Prada was born. By her mid-20s she had a doctorate in political science and in her 30s, she was a communist. In 1970 she started making backpack bags out of waterproof fabric called Pocone. 1979 She took over the Prada family business. Since sales were down, she expanded into luxury tote bags and backpacks in black with flat classic lines, made from nylon. 1985 She launched a line of footwear for women and her first pret-a-porter clothing line, using high quality fabrics. Her clean lines gave her fame, and she came to be known for under-stated elegant garments. 1993 She received an International award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. 1995 She won Designer of the Year award. 1998 Prada opened their first menswear shop in Los Angeles, USA. They also opened new Prada stores in Manhattan and Las Vegas, as well as Miu Mius first North American boutique, in Los Angeles. Prada is now a worldwide empire, with stores in practically every country in the western world. It is a million-dollar concern, with every celebrity wearing Prada clothes. 2. NATURE OF BRAND AND ITS TARGET MARKET The Prada brand targets an international customer base that is modern, sophisticated, attuned to stylistic innovations, and expects craftsmanship of the highest quality.       The brands iconic trademarks, which are readily recognized around the world, incorporate the Savoy coat of arms and Savoy figure-of-eight knot, reflecting its heritage as an official supplier to the former Royal family of Italy. Introduced in the 1980s, Pradas famous black nylon bag with the signature triangle logo has been an enduring classic, with both the nylon bag and the logo becoming icons in the brands history. The Prada brand represents the best of Italian culture and tradition, sophisticated style and uncompromising quality, and as one of the most innovative fashion brands are capable of re-defining the norm and setting new trends. Prada also captured the attention of literary and cinematic audiences when the novel The Devil Wears Prada was first published in 2003, and then was made into a movie in 2006. The Prada brands distinctive originality is built on its unique approach to style, craftsmanship and constant innovation in materials and designs, as we unceasingly exert creativity in the development of fashionable designs, sophisticated fabrics and innovative production techniques. At the heart of the evolution of fashion, we believe Prada has been a sophisticated interpreter of its times and a forerunner of style and trends. Prada is a premium brand. It is very high quality which unfortunatly comes with a substantially high price tag. 2.1. PRADA GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTATION Under geographical segmentation, product or service is divided accordingly to geographic units, such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities or neighbourhoods. Directly operated stores, including the epicentres, are designed, constructed and managed in accordance with precise guidelines: location chosen are among the most prestigious. 2.2. PRADA PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION Psychographic segmentation divides the market into groups based on social class, lifestyle and personality characteristics. The PRADA brand targets an international customer base that is modern, sophisticated, attuned to stylist innovations, and expects craftsmanship of the highest quality. 3. RETAIL DISTRIBITION CHANNELS Prada, Miu Miu, Churchs and Car Shoe products are sold through two distribution channels: The retail channel, represented by the single-brand stores (including the three Epicentres) directly operated by the company, which currently account for approximately 78% of sales; the independent channel of multi-brand stores, department stores and franchises (so called wholesale). This distribution solution enables the Group to have a presence in the most exclusive points-of-sale which are either single-brand or multi-brand worldwide. The Groups commercial strategy is based on a selective analysis of the potential of individual markets, an innovative approach and rigorous control of display and presentation criteria, and a continuous search for original sales concepts. Prada has always pioneered new solutions combining design, architecture, and technology to create environments that not only encourage sales but also communicate its unique strong brand identity and the cultural influences and values of the Prada world in a consistent and homogeneous way. Towards the end of the nineties, Prada decided to redefine the concept of shopping and enlisted the help of pioneering architects of international renown, Rem Koolhaas and Herzog de Meuron, recent winners of the prestigious Pritzker Prize. The result of this partnership was the creation of the Prada Epicenters: areas and buildings which have rapidly acquired landmark status both locally and internationally. Pradas Epicentres have not only transformed the concept of shopping but have also fused it with cutting edge technology and a multitude of cultural stimuli, offering customers a whole range of unique experiences and exclusive services. There are currently three Prada Epicentres: one in SoHo, New York (designed by Rem Koolhaas in 2001); another in Aoyama, Tokyo (Herzog de Meuron, 2003); and the third in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles (also by Rem Koolhaas, 2004). Directly operated stores, including the three Epicentres, are designed, constructed and managed in accordance with precise guidelines: location chosen are among the most prestigious and the personnel is selected and trained to provide customers with an exclusive treatment. This type of store contributes to maintaining a very close relationship with customers, providing immediate information about the market trend. Moreover, direct-sale stores also provide very valuable support for the brand, acting as true ambassadors communicating the Prada image consistently and uniformly all over the world. Prada manages the independent shops and department stores channel based on selective distribution and a well-defined strategy of control aimed at maintaining outstanding quality and high volumes, ensuring consistency in merchandising and monitoring sales performance. Franchise shops are located in specific markets where this form of retail is imposed by local legislation or custom, and entail partnerships with local entrepreneurs with an excellent knowledge of the relevant market. The wholesale channel, besides ensuring the brand benefits by a series of shop windows in particularly significant positions in key markets, enables a direct and immediate comparison to be made with the competitor brands. Therefore, the sales trend through the independent channel represents a very useful indicator of the consumer trends and brand strength. 3.1. PRADAS FALL CAMPAIGN IS ALL ABOUT MODERN FEMININITY AND NEW FACES The way fashion houses describe their collections and ad campaigns can often sound like pure nonsense. But the person responsible for announcing Pradas fall 2015 campaign did a pretty good job of summing it up as an elegant, ironic ode to meta-modern femininity. Like the collection itself, the campaign shot by Steven Meisel is very pretty, but odd. Theres a sense of isolation in the arrangement of the models, who do not look at or touch each other but stare at an unspecified object off-camera. Theres also a feeling of youth and newness provided by a cast of fairly new faces, including Avery Blanchard, Estella Boersma, Inga Dezhina, Lineisy Montero, Ine Neefs, Greta Varlese and Maartje Verhoef, all of whom have walked the runway for Prada and/or Miu Miu this past seasons. Prada has a knack for casting promising models fairly earlier in their careers, so while some of them already have a campaign or two under their belts, expect to see these girls even more in the coming seasons. Montero, whom everyone started talking about when she walked in the brands fall 2015 show, has already landed a Teen Vogue cover. 4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS Website as a whole and all material on this Website, as well the Prada trademark, are owned and registered by Prada S.A., a company with registered office at 23 rue Aldigren, L-1118 Luxembourg. Prada website is operated by Prada S.p.A., an Italian corporation having its principal place of business at Via Antonio Fogazzaro 28, 20135 Milan, Italy, operating holding company of the Prada Group. Prada S.A. and Prada S.p.A. are collectively referred to as PRADA; Prada S.p.A. and its subsidiaries will be collectively referred to as Prada Group hereinafter. All trademarks and logos, whether registered or not, displayed on the Website, including but not limited to the Prada trademark, as well as all the other distinctive marks connected with PRADA and reproduced on the Website, are and will remain the exclusive property of Prada S.A.. These trademarks may not be used in connection with any product or service that does not originate with PRADA, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among users, or in any manner that disparages or discredits the Prada name and trademark and the products bearing the Prada trademark. Prada website and all the content included therein, including, but not limited to, all texts, information, data, images, icons, photographs, illustrations, multimedia content (graphic, audio and video), charts, indices, descriptions, data, software, HTML codes and screens contained therein and the like (hereinafter collectively Content), is owned by or licensed to PRADA and is subject to protection by international int ellectual property laws, including, but not limited to, rights in the nature of patent rights, copyrights, trade secrets, trade names, trademarks, service marks, moral rights, know-how and any other similar rights recognized under laws or international conventions in any country or jurisdiction in the world. All materials contained in this Website, except for the e-store section, are displayed for informational or promotional purpose only. Subject to these Terms and Conditions of Use, and except as otherwise indicated on the Website, you may access, download, copy, store, manipulate, reformat, print or display any Content to which you have obtained authorized access solely for your personal use and not for business purposes. You may not otherwise download, copy, store, manipulate, reformat, print, display, publish, transmit, distribute, create a derivative work from, resell or make any other use of, the Website, or any Content contained therein. No right, title and/or interest deriving from or pertaining to the Content, material or software of the Website may be deemed assigned to or acquired by you as a result of your use of the Website. You agree to accept and abide by all copyright or trademark notices and other notices contained on the Website and in the Content. All rights are reserved in all countries worldwide. People aware that the Prada products are sold exclusively at Prada monobrand stores, at prestigious multi-brand stores and points of sale belonging to Prada S.p.A.s selective retail network, outlets belonging to the Prada Group and in the e-store section of the Website which is only available in certain countries, as better specified on the Website. Any purchase outside of these points of sale is entirely at the purchasers risk, in particular with regard to the authenticity of any such purchased items. http://www.prada.com/content/dam/external/terms-conditions/EU-EN.pdf 5.OWNERSHIP UPON BRAND Miuccia Prada is the co-CEO and lead designer of the handbag and fashion empire Prada, in which she has a 28% stake. In 1977 Miuccia and her siblings Albert and Marina inherited the family fashion business, founded in 1913 by their grandfather. Miuccia met Patrizio Bertelli, who ran a luxury leather company, at a Milan trade show in 1977 and signed him on as a contractor. A year later, they were married and Bertelli joined the company, taking care of the business side of things while pushing Prada into new directions. He serves as co-CEO with Miuccia, and his stake in the company also makes him a billionaire. In 1986 Prada opened its first store in New York and expanded beyond high-end suitcases, handbags, and steamer trunks. A few years later, the company unveiled a ready-to-wear womens collection and a second brand, Miu Miu. Miuccia, who has a Ph.D in political science from the University of Milan, took the company public with Bertelli in Hong Kong in 2011. 5.1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Our Board consists on nine Directors, of whom four are executive Directors, two are non-executive Directors and three are independent non-executive Directors. The ordinary shareholders meeting of 26 May 2015 resolved to appoint the Board of Directors for a term of three financial years. The boards mandate will therefore expire with the shareholders meeting to be convened for the approval of the financial statements for the year ending 31 January 2018. The below shows the current members of the Boards of Directors: Mazzi, Carlo: -chairperson and executive director Prada Bianchi, Miuccia: -chief executive officer and executive director Bertelli, Patrizio: chief executive officer and executive director Cozzani, Alessandra: -chief financial officer and executive director Cereda, Maurizio: -non-executive director Simontacchi, Stefano: -non-executive director Mattei, Gian Franco Oliviero: -independent non-executive director Forestieri, Giancarlo: independent non-executive director Liu, Sing Cheong: -independent non-executive director 5.2. SHAREHOLDERS STRUCTURE As of 31 January 2015, the shareholder structure of Prada S.p.A. is composed as follows 6. LICENCES AND JOINT VENTURES Eyewear In 2000 the PRADA Group developed its first Prada and Miu Miu branded sunglasses, and in 2003 it signed a licence agreement with Luxottica Group, a world leader in eyewear. Under the creative supervision of Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, Prada coordinates the conception, design, styling and communications for all collections, while Luxottica has exclusive worldwide rights to the production and distribution of Prada and Miu Miu sunglasses and eyeglasses. Not only is this an important business agreement, but it is also an excellent example of comprehensive cooperation in creativity, style, production and distribution between two of Italys foremost industrial groups. Fragrances In 2003, an agreement was entered into with Puig Beauty Fashion Group, one of the worlds largest producers of cosmetics and fragrances, creating a joint venture for the production, distribution and development of Prada perfumes. Here, too, Prada is actively involved in the various phases of product, creation and development as well as communications, while responsibility for production and worldwide distribution is in the experienced and highly qualified hands of Puig.In 2004, after lengthy and thorough research by Miuccia Prada in cooperation with some of the most qualified noses in the world, Amber the first Prada perfume for women was created. Greeted with unanimous critical and public acclaim, Prada Amber perfume has enjoyed encouraging commercial success in all markets where it has been presented. In 2006 Prada unveiled its first mens fragrance, Prada Amber Pour Homme, marking the birth of the first Made in Prada perfumes family under the amber scent. A new perfume for women, Infusion dIris, was launched in 2007, which was the key to developing a series of complementary, innovative and personal products for bodycare and for the home. From this new pillar a collection of limited edition fragrances was derived: the Ephemeral Infusion Collection that includes Infusion de Fleur dOranger, Infusion de Tubà ©reuse and Infusion de Và ©tiver. In 2011, Prada Candy, the third pillar of the Prada fragrances, is launched. A new perfume for women that highlights the funny aspect of the brand also in the beauty sector. Mobile telephones In 2006, the PRADA Group entered into an agreement with LG Electronics, one of the world leaders in mobile telecommunications technology, to develop an innovative and iconic mobile telephone. By leveraging their respective skills, Prada and LG explored all of the products aspects together, both in terms of the contents (for example: software, user interface and music), and in terms of the presentation (from the design to the packaging): the partnership created the Prada Phone by LG, a unique, sophisticated and elegant telephone, the first in the world to have an interface that is completely touch screen. The Prada Phone by LG was launched in March 2007 in Italy, Great Britain, France and Germany, and subsequently on the principal Asian markets and in Latin America. The products high qualitative and innovative content enables a significant commercial success to be achieved, with more than 1,000,000 mobile telephones sold. In October 2008 Prada and LG launch the second phone, another quantum leap in mobile phone innovation and design, thanks to ultra-thin keyboard and new enhanced technological features. In December 2011, Prada and LG unveiled the partnerships latest smartphone, the Prada phone by LG 3.0 that combines Pradas distinctive style with LGs innovative technology, including one of the biggest and brightest screens in the world with 4.3inch and 800-nit screen. 7. PRODUCT LOGISTICS Product distribution is handled through five central warehouses, four in Italy and one in UK. It is managed by a group division which coordinates product storage, shipping and distribution, as well as arranging transport and customs procedures. Central to the Prada Groups distribution strategy is the development of its retail channel in all markets, both consolidated and emerging, focusing in particular on nations with high growth potential. The Groups distribution network extends across 70 countries, counting 551 directly-operated stores (at 30 April 2014), which form the backbone of the Groups international expansion strategy, and a selection of department stores and multi-brand retail spaces in the most significant cities and stylish locations. The reasons for this strategy are many: not only the DOS are the supreme showcase for newly-launched collections, but they also offer a direct relationship with customers and provide real-time feedback on how each product category is performing. Over and above their primary role as a sales point, DOS also represent an important communication tool: real embassies of each brand, they portray their image in a clear and consistent manner. Direct sales account for about 83% of consolidated revenues while the remaining 17% is generated by the wholesale channel (multi-brand retail spaces and department stores 16%), from franchising (about 1%). 8. NET SALES OF PRADA 8.1. NET SALES ANALYSIS (amounts in thousands of Canadians) ended January 31, 2016 ended January 31, 2015 % change Net sales of directly operated stores (DOS) 4,344,819 86.30% 4,232,865 83.90% 2.60% Net Sales to independent customers and franchisees 631,349 12.50% 756,214 15.00% -16.50% Royalties 61,666 1.20% 54,329 1.10% 13.50% Net revenues, total 5,037,835 100.00% 5,043,408 100.00% -0.10% 8.2. NET SALES OF DIRECTLY OPERATED STORES (DOS) ended January 31, 2016 ended January 31, 2015 % change Net sales of DOS by geographical area Italy 12.80% 11.90% 10.70% Europe 21.80% 21.60% 3.30% Americas 13.40% 13.10% 5.00% Asia Pacific 35.30% 37.90% -4.40% Japan 13.20% 12.20% 10.70% Middle East 3.40% 3.10% 11.50% Other countries 0.10% 0.10% 41.40% Total 100.00% 100.00% 2.60% 8.3. PRADA GROUP FIGURES www.prada.com/ company profile FEBRUARY 2016 9. CAPITAL OR MARKET VALUE 9.1. INCOME STATEMENT Year on year Prada SpAs net income fell -26.59% from 634.04 million to 465.46 million despite relatively flat revenues. A contributing factor has been an increase in the selling, general and administrative costs as a percentage of sales from 48.33% to 54.41%. Gross margin 72.12% Net profit margin 8.76% Operating margin 12.92% Revenue Net Income Return on assets 6.05% Return on equity 9.71% Return on investment 7.59% 9.2. BALANCE SHEET Year on year, growth in dividends per share remained flat while earnings per share excluding extraordinary items fell by -26.59%. Additionally, five year annualized earnings per share growth is in-line with the industry average relative to its peers. Current ratio2 2.24 Quick ratio 1.48 Total debt/total equity 0.3183 Total debt/total capital 0.2402 9.3. GROWTH RATES Year on year, growth in dividends per share remained flat while earnings per share excluding extraordinary items fell by -26.59%. Additionally, five year annualized earnings per share growth is in-line with the industry average relative to its peers. Dividends Per Share Div yield (5 year avg) 0.24% Div growth rate (5 year) Payout ratio (TTM) 99.03% Earnings Per Share EPS growth (5 years)

The Theme of War in Fool’s Sanctuary :: Fool’s Sanctuary

The Theme of War in Fool’s Sanctuary One of the themes that Jennifer Johnston deals with in her book Fool’s Sanctuary is war. Within this theme she looks at how people view war, and how war affects different people. In this book Johnston shows the war in a bad light. Miranda, Mr. Martin and Cathal all support the IRA, or believed in a "free" Ireland and all lost something important to them. Andrew and Harry who were fighting against the IRA , and thought that Ireland should not be free had nothing that was very important to them taken away. Although Andrew was basically unable to visit his immediate family again he had not done so in years before, and in this visit where the story takes place he had arguments with his father, Miranda said that he should not have come, and he himself said that he hated Ternon. Cathal is the most rational character at Ternon. Unlike the other characters he sees things for what they are and does not try to hide from the mistakes he does not want to face up to. The main fault in his character lies in the way the he does not always think ahead, or at least not until it is too late. This is shown when he comes back from telling the IRA about Andrew and Harry staying at Ternon and stands outside thinking about whether or not he should tell them what he has done. In the end Cathal owned up to his mistake. As well as showing his strong conscience it also showed that he does not let emotions influence his judgement and values. While standing out in the rain he was Harry comforting Miranda. He could well have taken this as being something more than what it was and let the IRA come and kill Andrew and Harry. Cathal’s conscience is shown to be really strong, and it is the reason that he was able to give up his life. The way that Cathal changed his mind about what was the right thing to do shows the irrationality of the war. Cathal supports the war strongly enough to be a member of the IRA, and it was this loyalty that led him to tell them about Andrew and Harry. When he changed his mind and told Andrew and Harry about what he had done it showed Cathal’s love for people.

Is Death Responsible for Diversity? Essay -- Philosophy Essays

Is Death Responsible for Diversity? Some of the hardest questions we struggle to answer in life surround the phenomenon of death. What happens when we die? Is there something beyond death? Is one way to go better than another? Is it possible to escape death? Why do we die, anyway? Why couldn't we just live forever? One explanation for death may come from the story of evolution. To explore this question, let us imagine a hypothetical situation, a world in which nothing dies. (We will imagine also, for now, that organisms would continue to evolve along the same trajectory as they do at present.) Every organism that has ever existed in the past would exist now, along with every organism present and every organism that has yet to exist. Not only would the world contain these organisms, but all potential organisms. "However many ways there may be of being alive, it is certain that there are vastly more ways of being dead or rather, not alive." – Richard Dawkins (p 104, Dennett) All the representations of the ways of being 'not alive' would be there, including those that we could not possibly fathom, those that are not necessarily contingent to our present environment. What this signifies, this absence of death, is a lack of natural selection. When nothing can die, everything is selected for, nothing is selected against. No death implies; no tests, no judgments of fit or unfit, no randomness or weeding-out of the genome, no consequence to anything that is potentially detrimental to the species. This hypothetical situation is a look at the unchanging set of all possible options, every combination of DNA that could potentially give rise to life. Every possibility is valid. This version of the world could only exist if we ign... ...t and habitat. The world would be just one big niche, where anything goes, anything is possible. If we do away with natural selection, then we must consequently do away with change, with evolution, with boundaries. "Whenever a species acquires a new capacity, it acquires, so to speak, the key to a different niche or adaptive zone in nature." (p 208, Mayr) The key merited is contingent to the change only because the niche is 'locked' before the change occurs. The boundaries we see are what create the selection pressures that cause organisms to change and are often products of selection pressures themselves. There is a direct relationship between these phenomena. If we have change (evolution) and niches, then death and natural selection are mandatory. Sources Mayr, Ernst. What Evolution Is. New York; Basic Books, 2001. Dennett, Daniel. Darwin's Dangerous Idea.

Residential Schools Essay

Long before Europeans came to North America, aboriginal people had a highly developed system of education. There was a great deal for aboriginal children to learn before they could survive on their own. Aboriginal elders and parents passed on not only survival skills to their children, but their history, artistic ability, music, language, moral and religious values. When European missionaries began to live amongst aboriginal people, they concluded that the sooner they could separate children from their parents, the sooner they could prepare aboriginal people to live a civilized (i. e. European) lifestyle. Residential schools were established for two reasons: separation of the children from the family and the belief that aboriginal culture was not worth preserving. Most people concluded that aboriginal culture was useless and dying and all human beings would eventually develop and change to be like the ‘advanced’ European civilization. Early residential schools were similar to religious missions. Later, the mission-run schools were administered jointly by Canadian churches and the federal government, and for a number of years, residential schools became official Canadian policy for the education of Indian. . . Provincial education curriculums did not change to reflect the educational needs of aboriginal children. The elders in fact seen a major change in the way the children were acting, they would refuse to do chores and would often talk back and often became violant. The school demanded very little in comparison. Loneliness, sickness, confusion and abuse all had to be borne in lonely silence. Aboriginal children continue to have difficulties fitting in to the existing schools, which are still designed around a culture alien to their own. They were issued clothes and assigned a bed number. Aboriginal people have demanded, and received, official apologies from the Anglican, United and Roman Catholic churches which operated residential schools. All of this must have been a staggering shock to the new â€Å"student† . Many things combined to make the experience difficult for young aboriginal children. After several years away at school, children often found it difficult to speak their mother tongue. The residential school experience continues to plague First Nations education. The white man’s school contradicted everything these aboriginal children had learned at home. â€Å"The organization of the schools and the content of the curriculum conveyed to aboriginal children that the human values, the political institutions, the spiritual practices and the economic strategies of other Canadians were infinitely superior to the â€Å"primitive† ways of their traditional lifestyles. † Students began to believe that the ceremonies and rituals which harmonized the spiritual and social life of the community and gave its members a sense of personal significance and group identity, were â€Å"heathen† and â€Å"the work of the Devil.

Police Legitimacy Notes Essay

Effectiveness of the police ultimately depends on their legitimacy. – 1st b/c the moral paradox underlying the police use of nonnegotiable coercive force can be resolved only if police actions are qualitatively distinct from other actors’ use of force. – 2nd b/c people tend to obey authority out of respect for its legitimacy more than out of fear of its power. Greater police legitimacy decreases the need for nonnegotiable coercive intervention; it also builds active community support for police efforts. -â€Å"Perceptions of legitimacy carry more weight w/ the public than effectiveness of enforcement. †-Tyler, Tom; 88) – Tyler and Huo (2001): perceived legitimacy of the police and perceived fairness/favorability of outcomes carry equal weight in citizens’ acceptance of officers’ decisions. The amazing transformation of LAPD: 76% of Latinos and 68% of blacks now give LAPD positive grades (LA Times, 2009 poll) Weber- Tragedy of Power â⠂¬â€œ At some point, force is inevitably necessary to preserve peace and social order. GRAHAM v. CONNOR * The police use of force is a perennial reminder of the fundamental imperfection of the tragedy of power. * When all else fails, people call the cops (Egon Bittner) ; this is b/c the police role is ultimately define by their monopoly on the right to use nonnegotiable coercive force. We rely on the police precisely because of this monopoly; yet at the same time, we are repulsed by its underlying harsh reality. †¦Leads Us To Mary-Douglas â€Å"Purity and Danger† * We value dirty work as necessary but are repelled by those who do it so there is a moral ambiguity of force, which means that force is sometime necessary, but the decision to use it and judging the extent of its use are inherently unclear.

Preparing to Conduct Business Research Res/351

Preparing to Conduct Business RES/351 Preparing To Conduct Business In recent news, Bank of America publically announced its plan to make changes to debit card customer accounts in 2012 (Chang, 2011, NBC San Diego). To date, Bank of America has a â€Å"fee-free† policy on these types of accounts however; new regulations on debit card accounts are a hindrance to the Bank’s ability to maximize return on investments. As a result the bank is considering implementing a surcharge on checking accounts.However, the bank must determine if this will affect the attitudes and behaviors of customers. To achieve this, Bank of America must conduct business research. The Research Question When managers use business research a systematic inquiry to aid in the decision-making process. Because Bank of America has discovered the defined the management dilemma, a refinement of the research question is necessary. The information or data collected through exploratory research helps formulate the research question.In essence, the â€Å"research question is the hypothesis that best states the objective of the researcher or the questions that focuses the researcher’s attention† (Cooper & Schnidler, 2011, p 83, paragraph 1). Hypotheses and Variables â€Å"A hypothesis is a relational statement describing a relationship between two or more variables† (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p 83, paragraph 1). These variables are designed to show a correlation to each other. The hypotheses are: Bank of America is facing angry loyal customers with the new five dollar charge whenever they use a debit card.Customers may find a new financial institution if the fee is added to their account. Based on the defined hypotheses, variables, and research question, the bank can prepare a research design strategy. Research Design Strategy Before Bank of America finalizes its decision to streamline debit card transaction fees from merchants to customers; it should gauge the attitude s and behaviors of its account holders. Therefore, the research design must be attitudinal research.Attitudinal research uses multiple measurements of attitude across time and environments to improve predictions. The attitudes of consumers must consider as â€Å"hypothetical constructs because of their complexity and the fact that they are inferred from the measurement data, not actually observed† (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p 292, paragraph 6). These attitudes will be assessed on a ranking scale that captures indicators of different dimension of awareness, feelings, or behavioral intentions toward Bank of America.This ranking scale is ideal because it â€Å"constrains the study participant to making comparisons and determining order among two or more indicants or objects† (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p 295, paragraph 2). In the end, Bank managers will need to gauge whether existing customers have a positive attitude toward the bank; whether or not they will develop negat ive attitudes toward the bank if they implement fee changes, and if the creation of negative attitudes will change customer behavior.Instrument Development Bank of America can resolve management dilemmas by listening to customers. Therefore, customer feedback can be gathered through surveys. By taking surveys, Bank of America will be able to determine the next course of action. Any other type of research tool is not necessary in this particular situation as the survey will provide the information necessary to make a decision. Figure 1 is a sample of the customer survey data collection design. Bank of America Customer Survey|How satisfied are they with the existing debit card services at Bank of America| * Very Satisfied| * Satisfied| * Somewhat Satisfied| * Not Satisfied| How likely are they to become dissatisfied with Bank of America if imposed a $5 flat monthly debit card transaction fee| * Very dissatisfied| * Dissatisfied| * Somewhat dissatisfied| * Not dissatisfied| How likely are the customers use another banking institution if Bank of America imposed a $5 flat monthly debit card transaction fee| * Very likely| * Likely| * Somewhat likely| * Unlikely| Figure One.Surveying Bank of America customers to discover a linkage between attitude and behavior. | Ethics and Sampling To ensure the results of the research are ethical and valid a proper sample design is necessary. A sample design consists of methods, sample frame, and sample size. The convenience sampling method will be most appropriate for Bank of America’s research as it will save time and money. The goal of the sample is to find what is most important to customers and if they would be willing to pay increased fees.Bank of America will have access to every one of their customers by way of banking or ATMs. Surveys can be assigned to ATMs, or handed out at Bank of America locations as customers arrive for their day-to-day banking needs. These samplings will be random. Probability sampling, based on random selection, ensures each population element is a known nonzero chance of selection. This provides estimations of precision and offers an opportunity for generalized findings to the population of interest from the sample population. Thus Bank of America can both conveniently and randomly survey customers.In addition to improving the validity of the sample, convenient randomized sampling promotes good ethical research practices. Finally, the convenience sample method eliminates the need to hire out the survey work or develop research teams. What sampling frame will be used Bank of America’s customer listing will act as the sample frame. This list shows the customers who have been banking with them both past and present. This will give the sampling method a larger pool to gather information to complete the research needed. What is the appropriate sampling size? The appropriate sampling size is achieved by many factors.These factors are the size of the study, population size, the purpose of the study, and the risk of selecting a wrong sample design. The size of the sample must be in a certain criteria such as precision level, confidence level, and the variability degree. In the case of sampling the attitudes of Bank of America customers and their decision to withdraw their accounts from the bank or not can be accomplished by sampling several states across the country. Determining the sample size is very important, it may vary from one to another. In work environment knowing about the sample size before start taking random samples help a lot.To determine the sample size these are the five steps that used in research. Data analysis approach After the data is gathered from the survey, the fourth stage of the research process is put together. The data analysis approach for Bank of America will use a Pareto diagram that is a chart whose percentages sum to 100%. â€Å"The data are derived from a multiple choice, single-response scale†¦the responde nts answers are sorted in decreasing importance, with bar height in descending order from left to right† (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p 440, paragraph 2). Result ReportingThe result reporting part of the research should be where all the information that everyone is reading in the reports that will better understand the issues and be able to fix all the wrong issues. Reports should be in certain format and shows every bit of research done on the bank. The information should be sent to the head person who takes care of all the paperwork to be analyzed. This report should contain an introduction, about the research, the hypothesis, surveys, and the kind of issues or improvements to improve the bank, and the conclusion on all the information that was gathered from the report.The report can be written in thousands ways. The report could be displayed through a PowerPoint presentation or a well presented paper, hand wrote on note cards. Many varied objects can make this easy for them t o review the results to the report. Conclusion Even with the charge that Bank of America will be charging people to use their debit card there will be a large disagreement on whether or not customers will be happy with the business they will receiving from Bank of America.With surveys and interviews to see what the customers think will give the bank something to look at before going through with the entire process. To ensure that the bank will not lose money or customers, they must conduct extensive research to assess the consequences. References Chang, H. (2011, October 1). Bank of America to charge $5 monthly debit card fee. NBC San Diego Online Newspaper. Retrieved October 15, 2011, from http://www. nbcsandiego. com/news/local/Bank-of-America-Charge-Monthly-Debit-Card-Usage-Fee-130803293. html? source=Facebook Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Huff post business. (2011, September 29). Bank of America plans to charge monthly $5 debit card fee. Huffington Post Online Newspaper. Retrieved October 15, 2011, from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2011/09/29/bank-of-america-debit-card-fee_n_987304. html? view=screen Richardson, C. (2011, September 30). Debit card fees: Why Bank of America will charge $5 for debit card use? Christian Science Monitor. p. N. PAG.

My Papa’s Waltz Personal Analysis

Index: Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 Essay†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Bibliography †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 Introduction: For this paper, you will be able to encounter the various meanings, tones, structure, my personal opinion and analysis of the poem â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Roethke. For more to add, you will also encounter with a brief biography of the poet Roethke which will explain why the poet wrote this poem and how much meaning it has for him.The reason why I chose this poem out of the other seven choices that were given was because this poem captivated me. The poem itself has a lot of parts in which it amazed me, but what amazed me the most was of how the poet could give two opposite actions, feelings and emotions; that ambiguity all at the same time. 1 Essay: â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† was first written in 1942 by Theodore Roethke. It centers in the idea of the relationship between a father and a son.Theodore Roethke was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in which he spent much of his childhood in the greenhouse –enlarging his lov e towards nature– where his father and uncle worked in. Roethke had a harsh childhood, which can be portrayed in many of his poems, as his father and uncle died at an early age. Maybe it was these harsh moments that depict the reason why Roethke’s poems are so confusing and hard to know what he wants to say. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† is an iambic trimeter with an ABAB rhyme. It consists of 4 stanzas, each stanza having 4 lines, also called a quatrain.It is iambic because according to the shmoop page, one unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed one(1). Also, it is a trimeter because it has three stressed syllables. Relating to the tone, it can be seen first as violent but when looked deeply, it has a lovely, amiable and cheerful tone. Last but not least, it is a poem considered to depict connotation as it gives the association of a secondary meaning of a word or expression(2). Related to the analysis of the poem, Roethke is describing about one of his f ew memories he had with his father before he passed out.It kind of leads you at first to believe that the father is abusing and mistreating him but when you reach to the end of the poem, you end up realizing that they were having a great time together. As Roethke is famous for being ambiguous in his writings, I will first talk about the dark and violent side and then the lovely and amiable side which can be perceived by the reader; but will clarify which side I’m taking at the final stanza. In the first stanza, it can be perceived as something violent right away by seeing the words â€Å"dizzy†, and â€Å"death†.These are strong vocabulary and the voice of the boy seems kind of scared. In contrast, it could have meant that the father just had a few sips of whiskey and because the boy was still a child, just a small amount of alcohol could have made him dizzy. Also, by saying that he ‘hung on like death’ could be that as he didn’t share too 2 saying that he ‘hung on like death’ could be that as he didn’t share too much time with his dad, he held on to his father very strong as he enjoyed it. In the second stanza, the violence gets worse as the utensils in the kitchen fall and the mother’s face frowns of disapproval.This can be the most direct evidence of violence in the whole poem. But, it can also show a positive side, for example they were having so much fun and delight that they created a mess in the kitchen and the mother was frowning because she had to clean all the mess up. Or, it could also have been that the mother was frowning in disbelief of how much fun the father and the son were having together. One last option of the mother frowning could be because she was jealous of not being part of the fun the father and son were having.But most likely it would be the second reason, as it is the most reasonable one. In the third stanza, details of where the son had wounds and signs of beatings are described literally. A tone of suffering can be perceived from the tip of the nose, however as the poem gets to the end, the violence seems to cease. This is because Roethke here describes that his father actually held his wrist which is a sign of love. The knuckle of the father being battered just shows how hard the father worked with his bare hands and that even though the father must be tired of labor work, he still shares time with his son.Also, when Roethke says ‘ear scraped a buckle’, he referred that as his height was small; his ear was just at the same level as of his father’s hips where he had a buckle. So every time they loosed their rhythm of the waltzing, the boy was hit not on purpose but mistakenly or as an accident. Any fun activity has its risk or accident so a little bit of danger won’t hurt that much. In the fourth and last stanza, it is where the author Roethke shows what he has meant to say from the beginning of the poem.The beatin g time of the head is that the father was measuring the tempo of the waltzing to his head as the boy was small and again the palm with dirt depicts the father’s hard work. The act of that the father took the boy to his bed is simply an action of love, tenderness and warmth. Not any father would do that after a long day of work unless the father feels a deep connection and love towards his child. And by saying that Roethke kept grabbing to his father’s shirt means that he didn’t want to let go of his father.This showed how much affection the boy had towards his dad and that all those actions that seemed violent were actually just fun to him. 3 From my personal view and analysis I’ve made, I stand and clarify that the poem is about an intimate moment Roethke had with his dad. The title alone states it because by using the word ‘Papa’, it refers to the father whom the child feels love, closeness and warmth. The word ‘Waltz’ is also used as a flow of calm music with rhythm for dancing. The title itself is remarkably positive and warm, meaning that the poem most likely is about the boy, Roethke describing one of his best moments with his father.But also, after reading the poem several times –by several times I mean over a hundred times–, I came to this idea that maybe the waltz was the symbol or the description of how the relationship with his father was but this time METAPHORICALLY. By metaphorically I mean that maybe the waltz was the direct symbolic representation of the bond between Roethke and his father. To make myself clear, Roethke could have had a really bad relationship –as the waltzing caused broken objects, parts of the body hurt and etc†¦- with his father but he still wanted to be with him –as when he still cling to his shirt–.The entire poem could be a metaphor of how bad his relationship with his father was (because Roethke almost never had time to be with h is father) but then even though it was bad, it didn’t matter to him as he still loved his father. 4 Conclusion: In â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz†, Roethke highlighted the fondness, attachment and love towards his father in a manner only he could express. The use of these abstract ideas –in another words: connotation– were used because his love towards his father, the memories he had with his father were not simple and literal, but rather complex, deep and symbolical.All in all, the most important thing is that Roethke leaves you as the reader a decision. This is why he is considered one of the best poets; no poet has given the reader a choice, a path or simply a decision. In this poem, Roethke gives you the decision to either take the poem from a negative side or from a positive side. It all depends on the reader, on how open-minded, understanding the reader is. This makes him unique, special and now, my favorite poet of all. 5 Bibliography: (1) http://www . shmoop. com/my-papas-waltz/rhyme-form-meter. html (2) http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/waltz? s=t 6