Paying less for fashion Essay Example for Free

Paying less for fashion Essay Mr. Rubel, a director of SUPERVALU since 2010, serves as a Senior Advisor with TPG Capital, a leading global private investment firm with $49 billion of capital under management. Until 2011 Mr. Rubel was the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Collective Brands, Inc., the holding company for Payless ShoeSource, Collective Brands Performance Lifestyle Group and Collective Licensing International and a leader in lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories. Mr. Rubel joined Collective Brands in 2005 as Chief Executive Officer and President. Among many qualifications, Mr. Rubel brings significant retail and branding experience and experience as a chief executive officer of a large public company, including managing a significant business transformation. Mr. Rubel is a Director and serves as Chairman of the Governance Committee for The Hudson Bay Company. From 2005 until 2011, Mr. Rubel was a director of Collective Brands, Inc., and from 2006 to 2008, Mr. Rubel was a director of Furniture Brands International, Inc., a company that designs, manufactures, sources and sells home furnishings. It is perhaps one of the most representatives CEO of the last years in the fashion world. Her task as leader of Payless has made this company become one of the largest distributors of shoes worldwide. He has managed to position it as one of the most attractive companies to work by the most renowned designers. His work in difficult times was very good and is redeemable know how tackle these big problems could redesign and rethink a new strategy in order to give it another go to Payless. Lela Rose After graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1993, she went to work with two esteemed designers, Richard Tyler and Christian Francis Roth. There she honed her love of couture fabric as well as fanatic attention to detail. In 1998, Lelas vision and passion compelled her to create her signature collection, Lela Rose. Through intricately designed and finely detailed separates, dresses and jackets, Lela has established herself as a renowned designer. The Lela Rose collection is built on a design philosophy of creating hand finished clothes that exude a casual luxury and refinement. The beautiful embellished fabrics are the foundation of this innovative collection and speak to the elegance of its personality with a nod to the era of glamour. Lela Roses collection has garnered her a following of trendsetters across the country. Lelas ready to wear apparel under the Lela Rose label is sold in more than 75 specialty stores nationwide, as well as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and internationally in Canada, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Taiwan and Japan. In Fall 2006, Lela Rose launched the Lela Rose Wedding collection. The collection is a pairing of unconventional fabrics and techniques that are trademarks of the designer. The impeccable quality and couture sensibility of these gowns make them one of a kind. The Lela Rose Wedding collection can be found in bridal boutiques nationwide as well as internationally. With the success of both collections, the Lela Rose brand expanded into footwear in the Fall of 2007. Rose partnered with Payless Shoesource to create the Lela Rose for Payless brand of fashion forward shoes at an extremely affordable price. This collection was followed up by Unforgettable Moments by Lela Rose, a collection of dyeable special occasion shoes that launched late in 2008. Both collections can be found in Payless stores nationwide. In 2009, Lela Rose announced she was launching Lela Rose Bridesmaid, a partnership with the Dessy Group. The Lela Rose Bridesmaid collection can be found in over 200 bridesmaid stores nationwide as well as in Canada and in the United Kingdom. Stacey Bendet. Stacey â€Å"Staceypants† Bendet was born Stacey Wiener in Chappaqua, New York. She graduated from Horace Greeley High School and went on to the University of Penn where she was a member of the gymnastics team. Stacey turned to a life of fashion after an interview on Wall Street. She rollerbladed to the interview in â€Å"orange pants and a fur bomber jacket† only to leave immediately after seeing her competition. Stacey then turned to the internet where she designed web sites for fashion houses. That designing led her and a friend to start â€Å"Alice + Olivia† with their first show involving models wearing â€Å"pants with Partridge Family–style vertical stripes and not much else besides some strategically placed bouquets.† The show was a success with requests from celebrities and stores like Fred Segal and Barneys, where she went on to be a pants designer, came pouring in. As with all of New York’s elite, rumors fly, but Bendet herself is responsible for the one about attending her yoga classes drunk. Also, some say she is reaping the benefits of her parents money and her partner is actually the talented one, while Bendet yells, makes people cry, and takes laxatives all day. Oh, the price one pays for being rich and famous. On the good side, Bendet reportedly does charity work for organizations like the New York Pubilc Library and Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Organization. Designer Stacey Bendet, designs the Alice + Olivia womens and kids collections in addition to a shoe collection for Payless. She has been on the Vanity Fair Best Dressed list for two years in a row. Last year, she was married to Eric Eisner, and the couple had their first child, Eloise Breckenridge Eisner, on November 24, 2008. Cristhian Siriano Designer old Christian Siriano hails from Annapolis, Maryland, and was educated at Baltimore School for the Arts and The American Intercontinental University, London. Inspired by McQueen and Westwood, he is a freelance designer who travels from New York City to Los Angeles to work with designer Rosetta Getty. Siriano’s career in design began when he was 13 years old, as he worked for a local salon where he created costumes for the yearly hair show competition. Upon graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts, he moved on to study at the American Intercontinental University in London and consequently showcased his small collection on 2005’s London Fashion Week in Fall. He was then given the opportunity to work with Vivienne Westwood, and was consequently given a position at Alexander McQueen. Christian Siriano was one of fifteen hopefuls on season 4 of Bravo’s reality fashion competition, Project Runway. He won three challenges throughout the season: What are The Skinny, En Garde, and The Art of Fashion. At the reunion show, Christian won $10,000 as this seasons Fan Favorite. On the final episode, Christian was named the winner of Project Runway and guest judge Victoria Beckham asked him to design an outfit for her. They have since worked together and he has designed several outfits for her. He has been incredibly successful after the show, teaming up with Puma, Gaia Online, Payless Shoesource and Victoria’s Secret. Aside from launching his own make-up line, he has also penned a book called Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self. He later appeared on even more shows, including Make Me a Supermodel and Ugly Betty. In 2010, he starred in his own Bravo special called Christian Siriano: Having a Moment, which chronicled the time he spent preparing his collection for Fashion Week. Maxine Clark Maxine Clark is one of the true innovators in the retail industry. During her successful retail career, her ability to spot emerging retail and merchandising trends and her insight into the desires of the American consumer have generated growth for retail leaders, including department store, discount and specialty stores. In 1997, she founded Build-A-Bear Workshop ®, a teddy-bear themed retail-entertainment experience. Maxine was the Chief Executive Bear until June, 2013. Today there are more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Mexico and the Middle East. The company extends its in-store interactive experience online with its award winning virtual world atbuildabearville.com. Isaac Mizrahi Isaac Mizrahi holds the distinction of being one of todays best-known American fashion designers. His fame comes from far more than his runway creations, however: Mizrahi is a bona fide celebrity who has applied his abundant energy to a number of diverse projects. In 1995, early in his career as a designer, he was the subject of a widely praised film documentary titled Unzipped. During 1997 he published a collection of three comic books under the title Isaac Mizrahi Presents the Adventures of Sandee the Supermodel. Two years after the 1998 closing of his high-priced clothing design business, Mizrahi explored his love of theater by crafting and starring in a one-man Off-Broadway cabaret show called Les Mizrahi. The following year he began hosting his own offbeat talk show, fittingly called The Isaac Mizrahi Show, on the cable network Oxygen. During 2004 Mizrahi returned to his fashion-design origins with the launch of two new ventures appealing to very different members of the buying public: an affordable yet fashionable line of clothing for discount retailer Target, and Isaac Mizrahi to Order, a company creating high-end custom-made clothing for consumers willing to spend $20,000 on a single dress. Through all of his various projects, Mizrahi has displayed a fun-loving, humorous, and adventurous style, proving that even high fashion need not take itself too seriously. Karl Lagerfield Is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He is the head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel as well as the Italian house Fendi, in addition to having his own label fashion house. Over the decades he has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects. He is well recognized around the world for his trademark white hair, black glasses, and high starched collars. Isabel Toledo Isabel Toledo was born in Cuba and moved to New Jersey where she attended high school and met her future husband and collaborator, Ruben Toledo. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (NY) and Parsons School of Design (NY) where she studied painting, ceramics, and fashion design. An avid seamstress from a young age, Toledos work reflects not only a distinct design sense but a keen understanding of garment construction and appreciation for the geometric intricacies of pattern shapes. In 1985, Toledo presented her first collection. In 1998, she stopped presenting biannual collections, instead choosing to create on her own schedule. Toledo was named creative director of Anne Klein in 2006 after more than twenty years of working solely under her own name. Toledo made her debut with Anne Klein at New York Fashion Week in February 2007.[1] Toledo and Anne Klein parted ways later in 2007. ORGANIZATION INVOLVED COMPETITIVE COMPANIES Walmart: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., branded as Walmart, is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the worlds second largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2013, the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and is the largest retailer in the world. Walmart remains a family-owned business, as the company is controlled by the Walton family, who own a 48 percent stake in Walmart.[5][6] It is also one of the worlds most valuable companies. â€Å"Shoes Cost Less at Walmart From womens shoes, mens shoes to athletic shoes for the whole family, youll find all the shoes youre looking for at Walmart.com. Whether youre checking out the seasons hottest womens sandals or trying to find new kids shoes for their ever-growing feet, our selection of shoes has got it all covered. You can shop our shoes by category to discover everyday low prices on sneakers, styles under $10, work shoes and more. You can also shop our list of best-selling shoes to see the most popular trends of the season. So shop shoes at Walmart.com — and save† Target The Target Corporation, originally the Dayton Dry Goods Company and later the Dayton Hudson Corporation, is an American retailing company, founded in 1902 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, Walmart being the largest. The company is ranked 36th on the Fortune 500 as of 2013 and is a component of the Standard Poors 500 index. Its bullseye trademark is licensed to Wesfarmers, owners of the separate Target Australia chain which is unrelated to Target Corporation. The first Target store was opened in 1962 in Roseville, Minnesota. Target grew and eventually became the largest division of Dayton Hudson Corporation, culminating in the company being renamed as Target Corporation in August 2000. In 2013, Target expanded into Canada and now operates over 100 locations through its Canadian subsidiary. â€Å"if you’re looking for the latest styles in women’s shoes, Target has you covered. It’s a shoe–in! Pump it up with our wide selection of peep toes,slingbacks, heels and pumps that come in a variety of heights. Indulge in cool neutrals, or select styles in colors designed to pop. Want toshow off that kickin’ pedicure? A pair of strappy sandals will definitely give it the attention it deserves. Sandals with multi–tone designs, glamaccents or uber–cool prints–you name it, we have it. If you have a serious case of FLAT–itude, we also have a large collection of ballet shoes,moccasins, flats, boat shoes and more. Execute a perfect cha-cha or samba in footwear that screams endurance and comfort.† Kohls Kohls Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating 1,146 stores in 49 states as of February 2013. In 1998, it entered the SP 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500 (#146 in 2012). The chain was the 20th-largest retailer in the United States in 2013 in terms of revenue I.n 2011, Kohls was the second largest U.S. store company by retail sales. ASSOCIATED BRANDS Keds: Is an American brand of plimsoll-style canvas shoe with rubber soles. Keds were introduced in 1916 by U.S. Rubber (later known as Uniroyal, then Uniroyal Goodrich, and finally acquired by Michelin). The shoe brand was later acquired by Stride Rite Corporation and is currently owned byWolverine World Wide. When choosing a name, the initial choice was Peds, from the Latin meaning foot, but that name was already a trademark. Keds were first mass-marketed as canvas-top sneakers in 1960. They became known as sneakers because the rubber soles allowed sneaking around silently. In the 1960s and 1970s, Keds added to its range of casual shoes a line of athletic shoes called Pro-Keds for more serious use, specifically forbasketball. Keds have been used by many athletes. In countries like India or Soviet Union, Keds has been transformed into a generic brand and until recently any athletic shoe was customarily called a Keds. Keds are a staple at physical training classes in the school curriculum, and usually the students are needed to compulsorily wear the basic white Keds for their classes. â€Å"today, Keds is a head-to-toe fashion lifestyle brand fueled by a passion for imagination, inspiring a new generation of girls to stay authentic, optimistic and brave.† Sperry Top-Sider On an icy winters day in 1935, Paul Sperry watched in amazement as his cocker spaniel Prince ran across the icy New England landscape without slipping. Sperry, a former naval officer, avid sailor and part-time inventor, had been trying to design a proper shoe to safely navigate the slippery deck of his sloop, Sirocco. Nature and Princes paws provided the ultimate answer. Tooling a pattern in a rubber outsole similar to the wave-like grooves on Princes paws, Paul Sperry created a truly sea-worthy boat shoe. The first Sperry Top-Sider Authentic Original was officially launched and the worlds first boat shoe was born. Over 75 Years later, Sperry remains the vanguard of the nautical lifestyle. From the worlds first boat shoe to todays product collections featuring iconic design details, enduring style and the latest performance technologies, Sperry Top-Sider embodies a passion for the sea and the good life it represents. Tommy Hilfiger As one of the world’s leading lifestyle brands, Tommy Hilfiger delivers superior styling, quality and value to consumers worldwide. The band celebrates the essence of classic American cool and provides a refreshing twist to the preppy fashion genre. Since its debut in 1985, the Tommy Hilfiger Group has become a US$ 4.6 billon apparel and retail company by offering consumers a breadth of beautifully designed, high quality products including men’s women’s and children’s apparel, sportswear, denim, and range of licensed products such as accessories, fragrances and home furnishings. Kenneth Cole: Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. (NYSE: KCP) is an American fashion house founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole. He originally named the company Kenneth Cole Incorporated in September 1982 and planned to showcase his new line of shoes during market week at the Hilton New York Hotel. Finding that he could not afford to purchase a hotel room or showroom to exhibit his line, he borrowed a truck and asked the mayor’s office for permission to park two blocks away from the Hilton Hotel in front of a fancy shoe building. Upon learning that permits were only granted to utility companies and production companies shooting full-length motion pictures, Cole changed the name of the company to Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and applied for a permit to shoot a full-length motion picture entitled â€Å"The Birth of a Shoe Company†. With Kenneth Cole Productions painted on the side of the truck, they opened for business on December 2, 1982, in front of 1370 Avenue of the Americas. They had a fully furnished forty-foot trailer, klieg lights, a director, a rolling camera, models as actresses, and two NYPD policemen as doormen. A velvet rope allowed a limited number of people into the trailers and in two and a half days they sold forty thousand pairs of shoes. The company remains Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. to this day to honor this unusual beginning In 1985, Kenneth Cole opened his first store on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, followed shortly thereafter by another store on Union Street in San Francisco. Kenneth Cole retail and Company Stores can now be found worldwide in countries such as Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Israel,United, UnitedKingdom, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and South Africa. Michael Kors Michael Kors (USA), Inc. designs and produces luxury accessories and sportswear for men and women in North America. The company offers dresses, tops, jeans and pants, skirts and shorts, outerwear, special sizes, swimming products, spring trends, and Michaels picks for women; handbags and small leather goods; shoes, including sandals, pumps, wedges, flats, and boots and booties; watches and jewelry; and accessories, such as belts and fragrance, and gifts. It also provides apparels, sunglasses, underwear, loungewear and sleepwear, and cologne for men. Michael Kors (USA), Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in New York, New York with lifestyle stores in Edison, New Jersey; Paris, France; Vancouver, Canada; San Antonio, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; and Valencia, California. MAGAZINE ELLE Is a worldwide lifestyle magazine of French origin that focuses on fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the worlds bestselling fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hà ©là ¨ne Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means she. Today, it is the world’s largest fashion magazine, with 43 international editions in over 60 countries. Technologically speaking, the Elle brand is a global network encompassing over 33 websites. Subscriptions account for 73 percent of readers. There are 33 Elle websites globally, which collectively attract over 25 million unique visitors and 370 million page views per month[4] Elle reaches over 21 million readers. The vast majority (82 percent) of Elles audience are women between the ages of 18 and 49. Elle readers have a median age of 34.7 years. Forty percent of readers are single, and the median household income is $69,973. Our readers are young enough to think about life as an adventure and old enough to have the means to live it, said Robbie Myers, editor in chief. Elle owes its graphic signature to Art director Peter Knapp. Vogue Magazine is a fashion and lifestyle, which is published in many countries. It is a monthly publication aimed primarily at audiences interested in both fashion trends as lifestyle. It is considered the worlds most influential post that is published in 14 countries. The distributed Condà © Nast Publications, based in the U.S. city of New York. The first issue appeared on December 17, 1892. He began as a weekly, then biweekly, and monthly now. W magazine W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condà © Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1972 by the publisher of sister magazine Womens Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and thirteen inches tall. Stefano Tonchi is the editor of W; Nina Lawrence is the vice president and publisher. W magazine has a reader base of nearly half a million, 469,000 of which are annual subscribers. 80 percent of the magazines readers are female and have an average household income of $135,840. STRATEGY First, the company should focus on better understanding the customer and their needs. More research is needed regarding what the customer experience in stores and what else do they expect the company to deliver them , as the management of fashion products , can become boring for customers at some point and in some way go out of style to them , which will lead to other products in the competition. This as the company is focused on customers between 20 and 30 years who purchase a larger quantity of shoes, but also change their minds more often and is more difficult to retain segment. On this issue, it is important that the company generates strategies that allow customer loyalty so that they seek only Payless shoes and accessories in decreasing the risk of direct competition, the above is feasible to achieve to track the companys participation in fashion shows of the major cities , advertising in magazines and also a coupon , preferred customer cards and other attractions that help customers generate a high recall brand . On the other hand , it is important that the company also locate a focus on new segments and improved product offerings for men, older women, children and in general for the whole family . The company currently has an image of offering products for young people and their strategies focus on delivering products to other segments the sales of the company can significantly increase and improve margins for partners. The renewal of collections should go together a wide range of products throughout the time in which the collection is current , otherwise , customers come to the stores at the beginning of the collection and will be for them a novelty, but after half the time of the collection or the end of the sales may be affected because customers will not find novelty in products, then to keep sales constant is important that the company has a good assortment innovative shoes and accessories in the duration of each collection. This can be tricky to achieve particularly in relation to the management of production costs and also in terms of the distribution chain, in order to minimize these risks is of great importance generates a strict planning and control each of both design processes, such as production and distribution throughout the supply chain, which will have or maintain its current competitive advantage. Furthermore, the company must generate sound policy management of its human resources not only in their stores but also in the factories that produce as this can generate greater prestige to the business and attract more customers by empathy policy development on human resources and social responsibility. Question for Discussion 1. Which of the different product mix pricing strategies discussed in the text applies best to payless new strategy? Payless For two handled ways of pricing strategy. The first is the competitive pricing strategy, because the large surface chains were entering the business, had to maintain low costs with the mood of even remain competitive and thats when entering the second pricing strategy is the strategy. The psychological price was instrumental in the development of the new corporate strategy. The stores became much more comfortable and much more brands hired additional recognized and trusted, which generated a positive perception approaching clients. The company is returned much more competitive and achievement to establish a business model focused on the distribution of brands and innovative shoes thanks to the hiring of renowned designers worldwide. 2. How do concepts such as psychological pricing and reference pricing apply to the Payless Strategy? In what ways does the strategy deviate from these concepts? Customers know that when arriving at Payless can find brands and models of shoes from famous designers at prices much lower than in the normal market, but not only that determined the success of the company. Trust, responsibility, environment model shops and sell their shoes which have made ​​people detect a unique and innovative model to its most direct competition. The strategy can deviate from these concepts through customer care. People often need greater customer care and the fact that a model which provides the self does start losing attention to the wishes of the client. On the other hand need to have a large amount of supply. People seek innovation and variability Payless therefore has the obligation to renew its product portfolio much faster than the competition or their dealers themselves in order not to lose the appeal against their clients. http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/stacey-bendet/ http://www.forbes.com/profile/matthew-rubel/ http://www.buddytv.com/info/christian-siriano-info.aspx http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Li-Ou/Mizrahi-Isaac.html http://www.walmart.com/cp/Shoes/1045804 http://www.target.com/c/women-s-shoes/-/N-5xtd2 http://www.keds.com/store/SiteController/keds/us_keds http://www.sperrytopsider.com/store/SiteController/sperry/History_sperry http://global.tommy.com/int/en/About/overview http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Cole_Productions http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1007367 http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(revista

My sociological imagination

My sociological imagination Before going through this weeks reading and into todays lecture, I hadnt yet come across the concept of the sociological imagination. Although the concept is seemingly new to me, it is likely that I have been using my sociological imagination for several years now especially whilst studying Society and Culture for my Higher School Certificate in years 11 and 12 at high school. In the subject, I can recall doing numerous case studies such as looking at the red light district in Calcutta, India as well as research assignments on topics like the stolen generation and my major work, the personal interest project on the stems of homophobic attitudes. To complete this work to the best of my potential, I was definitely thinking with my sociological imagination. I would define the sociological imagination as the art of objectifying a situation so that you are able form a view that captures it as a whole. It is thus a holistic way of thinking and ability of incorporating all elements as well as backgrounds and contexts into what you may be researching. The sociological imagination is an important frame of mind for a sociologist or anthropologist to be able to effectively assess a situation. C.W. Mills expresses this holistic idea of shaping the complete picture throughout this weeks reading, The Promise. While the text was written in 1959, his views and ideas of sociological imaginative practice are still very much relevant in 21st Century context of analysing social and cultural situations. The social sciences now commonly use this idea to explore such issues as social structures (e.g. Indias social class system), welfare problems (e.g. domestic violence) or health concerns (e.g. drug and alcohol addiction and abuse). An interesting statement Mills makes about the sociological imagination featured on page 15 is The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. Here he is stating that we are not able to understand or formulate solutions for the biography of certain situations without take into consideration history, be that of a place, a person, a theory or even anything you wish to analyse. We must look at what has been in order to comprehend what is. Take for example a 45 year old female suffering from heart disease, it seems their life is quite active and their diet is balanced but why are they in need of a bypass operation to clear a blockage in an artery? Well one of the first question doctors would ask is if there is a history of heart disease in the family. Doctors here use their sociological imagination to understand the patients condition and it seems genetics and the historical background of her family is what is contr ibuting to her life now. Also on page 15 of The Promise, Mills puts forward a further thought about the sociological imagination: For that imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another from political to the psychological. Mills here is examining framing perspectives and the sociological imagination giving you the ability of seeing things from differing perspectives. Putting yourself in another persons frame of mind or in their circumstances makes a situation much easier to comprehend. We can see something from a feminist perspective, a Marxist perspective, a scientific perspective, a postmodernist perspective or even seeing things from a childs perspective, the list is endless. A jury takes a number of people from many different social, cultural and historical backgrounds in order for them to find a defendant guilty or not guilty. The idea is that all of these perspectives collaborate to form the correct verdict to determine the fate of a defendant. Mills consolidates why we must make use of our sociological imagination on page 17 by stating Accordingly, to understand the changes of many personal milieux we are required to look beyond them. He raises the idea here that you must look beyond ones milieux, environment and surroundings to be able to comprehend and analyse their identity thoroughly. In the Up Series video excerpt shown in todays lecture consolidated that Mills theory about looking past a persons environment is extremely valid. Based in Britain during the 1960s we saw fourteen children from varied socioeconomic backgrounds come together to determine whether or their social class will play a role in preordaining their future. It became particularly clear of their economic circumstances when the children were asked what theyd like to be when they grow up. One boy from an upper class background replies with I want to go to Oxford University whilst a boy from the lower class asks what is a university? Looking beyond these childrens backgrounds and paths that may or may not be planned by the childrens parents, it became clear that these children do hold many of the same characteristics regardless of social status. For instance, they all were able to successfully interact at a party together as well as being capable of playing with each other at an adventure playground. Children were essentially being children. By thinking with the sociological imagination I am able to discover the full scope of a situation and formulate a thorough holistic opinion. As I am studying a Bachelor of Social Work at UNSW, it will be important if not fundamental technique for me to make use of whilst completing my degree looking at case studies, writing assignments as well as when on work placement and most importantly in my future career as a social worker.

Childish Adults in 20th Century Irish Literature Essay -- Literary Ana

In modern Ireland, women are having children less than they were a few decades ago. This fact is illustrated within modern Irish literature. Children are scarce in William Trevor’s Reading Turgenev and in Edna O’Brien’s Wild Decembers. Both stories follow the struggles of adult Irish relationships that aren’t complicated with the task of raising children during the time of the plot. While the children are rarely anywhere to be found, many characters act like they are children when they supposed to be mature adults. Both novels portray adults as if they are childish. Trevor’s Reading Turgenev doesn’t introduce any characters that are children, but the adults in the story act more like children. Throughout the book, children do show up now and again, but they are merely memories of the characters in their youth. Mary Louise Dallon is usually pictured as a young girl by her old school teacher, Miss Mullover. Mary Louise’s husband, Elmer Quarry, is also mentioned as a child through his own flashbacks and memories. The schoolhouse in the town that Mary Louise, her siblings, and Elmer and his sisters were taught at by Miss Mullover is gone from the town. The only child that we are told about is Mary Louise’s sister Letty’s son and the readers don’t ever get to see him. Mary Louise is the biggest example of an adult acting more like a child. Mary Louise marries Elmer and the couple never have children of their own. The couple never consummate the marriage and Mary Louise will forever have her â€Å"innocence† like a child. Reading Turgenev constantly refers to Elmer as a man, Mary Louise is always considered to be just a girl. This word choice gives the reader the feeling as if Mary Louise is young, not old enough to be considered a woman... ...a for her. Breege, O’Briens most mature character in the story, even shows a childish side of herself. After Breege meets Rosemary, Bugler’s girlfriend, she has a sort of meltdown. Breege gets so upset she crawls into a nativity scene. It’s symbolic that Breege is crawling into the scene. The nativity scene is a scene of birth and Breege is reverting from walking, to crawling, maybe trying to get back to the state of birth. She would want to be in this state because she could be carefree and not have to worry about Bugler’s relationship. Any one person can take a guess at the deeper meaning of these novels. The only thing the reader knows for sure is that in these 20th century Irish novels, children are nowhere to be found. It’s obvious that both O’Brien and Trevor sacrificed using children in their novels to make their adult characters stand out that much more. Childish Adults in 20th Century Irish Literature Essay -- Literary Ana In modern Ireland, women are having children less than they were a few decades ago. This fact is illustrated within modern Irish literature. Children are scarce in William Trevor’s Reading Turgenev and in Edna O’Brien’s Wild Decembers. Both stories follow the struggles of adult Irish relationships that aren’t complicated with the task of raising children during the time of the plot. While the children are rarely anywhere to be found, many characters act like they are children when they supposed to be mature adults. Both novels portray adults as if they are childish. Trevor’s Reading Turgenev doesn’t introduce any characters that are children, but the adults in the story act more like children. Throughout the book, children do show up now and again, but they are merely memories of the characters in their youth. Mary Louise Dallon is usually pictured as a young girl by her old school teacher, Miss Mullover. Mary Louise’s husband, Elmer Quarry, is also mentioned as a child through his own flashbacks and memories. The schoolhouse in the town that Mary Louise, her siblings, and Elmer and his sisters were taught at by Miss Mullover is gone from the town. The only child that we are told about is Mary Louise’s sister Letty’s son and the readers don’t ever get to see him. Mary Louise is the biggest example of an adult acting more like a child. Mary Louise marries Elmer and the couple never have children of their own. The couple never consummate the marriage and Mary Louise will forever have her â€Å"innocence† like a child. Reading Turgenev constantly refers to Elmer as a man, Mary Louise is always considered to be just a girl. This word choice gives the reader the feeling as if Mary Louise is young, not old enough to be considered a woman... ...a for her. Breege, O’Briens most mature character in the story, even shows a childish side of herself. After Breege meets Rosemary, Bugler’s girlfriend, she has a sort of meltdown. Breege gets so upset she crawls into a nativity scene. It’s symbolic that Breege is crawling into the scene. The nativity scene is a scene of birth and Breege is reverting from walking, to crawling, maybe trying to get back to the state of birth. She would want to be in this state because she could be carefree and not have to worry about Bugler’s relationship. Any one person can take a guess at the deeper meaning of these novels. The only thing the reader knows for sure is that in these 20th century Irish novels, children are nowhere to be found. It’s obvious that both O’Brien and Trevor sacrificed using children in their novels to make their adult characters stand out that much more.

Freudian Division Of Mind Applied To Characters Of Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

â€Å"Freud described the Ego as being like a rider on a horse (the Id), trying to hold the horse in check. It mediates between the Id and the outside world, in the sense of being aware both of the Id's energies and of what the outside world will allow. The Super Ego is a sort of conscience, the place where injunctions to behave properly, learned or inherited from people like parents, teachers and priests, reside. Freud says the person is the focal point of a struggle between our desires (Id), what is realistic (Ego), and the views of others (Super Ego).† David B. Stevenson of Brown University is responsible for this quote that gives a simplistic idea of the Freudian Division of the Human Mind. The description is fairly self-explanatory, but a better understanding of the three concepts can be made by thinking of Satan as the Id, Jesus as the Super Ego, and humans as the ego, caught between the two forces. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, these Freudian co ncepts can be applied to the characters of Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Ralph. Jack fits into the concept of the Id overpowering the Ego and Super Ego, as is seen in his violent urges and carrying out of killing things and the negative steps he takes in getting there. Piggy and Simon fit into the concept of the Super Ego, in the sense that Piggy is logical and proper in his actions, and Simon cares about other people and is empathetic and good-willed in his ways. Ralph fits into the concept of the Ego, as he is caught between the Super Ego (Piggy and Simon) and the Id (Jack). Ralph knows what is right and what is wrong, but at times he can be mean or not feel sorry for people. An in-depth analysis of how each character exemplifies each Freudian division is well deserved. To begin with, the Id is what provides the most primal urges and instinctual drives that want to fulfill desires, even if those desires are not allowed or are looked down upon by society. Jack well embodies the Id, as his main goal on the island is to â€Å"Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Bash her in† (page 75)! This is obviously very violent and primal, not too useful, and is meant as a source of joy or pleasure.

Christianity is the True Humanism :: Religion Religious Essays

Christianity is the True Humanism Recently, I heard a shocking story about young boy who was raised in a coffin. Having been abandoned by his mom and dad, the child’s dysfunctional grandparents grudgingly assumed the task of raising him. For some bizarre reason, they kept him confined in a coffin, and only let him out to eat and go to the bathroom. Once the authorities rescued him, they discovered that the little fellow had no idea that there was any other way to exist. He thought all children were raised in coffins. To him that was reality. His life was dehumanizing. He did not know it. Similarly, many of us today do not realize just how dehumanizing our own society actually is. Granted, we don’t live in coffins, but we do live in a deadly culture that increasingly undermines the dignity of human life. The corruption of sexuality, the dissolution of marriage, the breakdown of the family, pornography, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, rampant consumerism, political malfeasance, corporate scandal, ecclesiastical betrayal, excessive individualism, the obsession with technology and biotechnology, and the desecration of the environment are just a few of the powerful forces that are chipping away day by day at what it means to be human. Ironically, most people have no idea that there is any other way to exist. Most simply assume that this is just the way life is. Few, if any, are asking whether or not we are witnessing the abolition of man. Is there any vision of life that can help us realize that we are living in the coffin of a lethal, dehumanizing culture and show us a better way? A Christian worldview answers affirmatively with a resounding â€Å"Yes!† In fact, Christianity is the â€Å"true humanism† which delivers us from the pit of degradation and lifts us up to the peak of nobility and respect. In all creation, we human beings alone are the image and likeness of God. We can reflect, love, create, and most importantly, worship the One whose image we bear. God has given us stewardship over creation to develop a rich and godly culture that benefits others and honors God. Art and science, work and play, marriage and family, church and state are our gifts and tasks. God has crowned us with glory and majesty (Psalm 8: 5). By redemption, Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God from whom we were estranged because of sin.

The Union Reconstructed

1. Explain how blacks responded to their former masters after the Civil War had ended. After the Civil War had ended, blacks responded to their former masters in two different ways. They would either return to their former masters for work and every time they would leave the plantation they would go farther claiming they didn’t want to stay on the plantation forever. This caused them to continue to have communication with their former masters and never completely became independent. The second response was they would chose to become entirely independent to their masters. They would seek work in the city and began their new free lives. Often times they all struggled but they were now free. 2. Compare the economic conditions of the South with the economic conditions of the North during the period of Reconstruction. The economic conditions of the South compared to the North during the period of Reconstruction varied quite heavily. The South was limited in many ways after the war and had little to expand and prosper where as the North had everything from political power to trade. They made it so the South could not have much political power which in turn affected them economically. These limitations came from the fear of a repeated war due to the fact that there was still much conflict occurring within the country because of matters of freed slaves and other things. 3. Discuss how southern whites reacted to the emancipation of blacks during the period of Reconstruction. After the emancipation of blacks during the period of Reconstruction, southern whites had responses of both fear and anger. They could not imagine their world without slaves in bondage, often they felt it a hassle doing chores they normally didn’t do. This lead to the feelings of anger, due to their dependency on the slave labor they were now confused and society needed to adapt in order to function once again. In some cases though the slaves had become a part of the home and the white people would miss them as a family member, often times distraught. Aside from these things, a majority of whites began to be fearful of legal intermarriage, dreading the fact that the pure white race would be destroyed. 4. Discuss President Johnson’s plan for reconstruction and Congress’s response to that plan. President Johnson’s plan for reconstruction was simply to pardon and restore all the rights of property to any former Confederate who swore allegiance to the Constitution and the Union. With this he believed he had successfully reconstructed the south and did not do much more. With this they looked to ratify the thirteenth amendment to abolish slavery. With this plan all southern states completed the Reconstruction plan and then sent representatives to the Congress that occurred in December 1865. Congress refused to seat these new senators and a large controversy out broke. 5. Describe the general attitude of the Union soldiers stationed in the South during Reconstruction toward blacks. Support your answer by citing specific incidents that occurred during that period. The attitude of the Union soldiers stationed in the South during Reconstruction towards the blacks was quite in different. They just worked to keep them in control and try to transition them from slavery to freedom. In many cases they would treat them as inferior but as well never got as bad as their former masters. They were just making attempts to help the society function. Whether they were successful is a different story. But they tried and eventually had the communities put together like a white community. 6. Discuss Congress’s plan for reconstruction and explain what Congress hoped to achieve as a result of that plan. Congress’s plan for reconstruction mainly revolved around completely freeing the black communities. They created the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to protect the black community and restricted the power of the executive branch. They were making decision that would benefit them in the long run. They would gain the black vote and be capable of gaining more power. So they limited the power of the former Confederates and attempted to have everything in their favor. 7. Discuss the economic conditions of poor blacks and poor whites during the period of Reconstruction. The economic conditions of poor blacks as well as whites differed. They both struggled financially due to crop shortages and other such things. However the blacks also were being aided by the Bureau of Freedom. They northern financed organization was created in order to help newly freed blacks to get on their feet. They helped them financially and helped with education. However they also in a sense forced blacks to accept low paying jobs when they didn’t want to. Even with this though they helped to get the blacks going in society. 8. Was the Republican administration that controlled the southern state governments during the period of Reconstruction a success or failure? The Republican administration that controlled the southern state governments during the period of Reconstruction was more of a success than it was a failure. They were able to stabilize the south in this time. They eliminated undemocratic features from prewar state constitutions as well as provided a universal male suffrage. They even loosened the requirements for holding office. They reconstructed the South financially and physically by overhauling tax systems and approving generous railroad and other capital investment bonds. With these accomplishments as well they set up a public school system in the south and stabilized it quite well. 9. Discuss the methods by which conservative white Democrats regained control of the southern state governments at the end of Reconstruction. The methods by which conservative white Democrats regained control of the southern state governments were very passive. They came in when the Republican Party had already begun to fail and economic problems began to surface. The Democrats began to discuss the new Grant scandals, unemployment and public works projects. To add to that they also discussed the currency and tariffs in order to show important issues. Discussion of these matters showed an interest in the country whether it was there or not and allowed the Democrats to win the popular vote.

Parmalat Accounting Scandal Essay

Summary After eluding financial analysts and investors for a long time, Parmalat went bankrupt later in December, 2003 and many of their board of directors have been arrested since then. Here is a brief summary of the events: In the late 1980’s, Parmalat’s financial situation was poor due to investment in side businesses. i.e. TV network, Parmatur, football teams (Palmeiras, Parma, etc). Cash siphoning through these companies was estimated to be total of â‚ ¬ 10 Bn. In 1990, Parmalat went public which enabled them to tap into the capital markets. Early 1990’s, the company began to acquire dairy producers around the world in order to try to hide the growing debt. Parmalat entered into a series of bond issuances and securitization of receivables to generate cash. A series of other fraudulent accounting practices occurred during the following years. In December 2003, Parmalat was not able to make a U$ 150MM bond payment and raised the attention of the entire market. When the fraud was brought up, Calisto Tanzi (Parmalat founder) and Fausto Tonna (CFO) was arrested along with another 10 individuals. Grant Thornton and Deloitte & Touchà © were Parmalat’s accounting firms during the last 2 decades. Partners of both firms were charged for fraudulent activity. Case analysis From the analysis we made, there are several items that can be appointed as accounting principle violation: A) Overstatement of Assets Assets Selling: Parmalat sold firms to private entities and individuals to re-buy it later in a fake operation, as the money came from other offshore entities just to create liquidity in the books; thanks to that, they could keep issuing bonds to cover their debts Accountable Receivables recognition: Double billing the Italian supermarkets and other retail customers Fake bank accounts: false document have been created to prove the existence of â‚ ¬ 3,9 Bn cash at Bank of America. Again, with more liquidity, more easily got the loans B) Overstatement of revenues Revenue Recognition: False income sales through its offshore companies C) Understatement of liabilities Debt eliminating: Parmalat reduced approximately Euro 3.3 Bn of debt. Misclassification of liabilities: describing sales of receivables as non-recourse, when the company maintained obligation to ensure payment. Proper accounting practices that should have been used A) Assets The firm recognizes revenue when the transaction meets both of the following conditions: 1. Completion of the earnings process: the seller has done all (or nearly all) that is promised to do for the customer. That is, the seller has delivered all (or nearly all) of the goods and services it has agreed to provide 2. Receipt of assets from the customer: The seller has received cash or some other asset that it can convert to cash, for example, by collecting an account receivable Accountable receivables recognition (billing twice) In this case, Parmalat generated double accounts receivable for the same operation billing both, their distributors and the final customer. The revenue from the final customers was recognized on the books, but the billing for the distributors were considered as transfer and accounted for credit owed. Revenue recognition What happened here is that the seller never done what was written in the books, as the operation never existed and customer never received the goods. B) Liabilities Debt Eliminating Parmalat eliminated paid down debt by a series of capital market transactions, mainly bond issuances and sale of receivables. These financing transactions were made possible by overstating their assets. Misclassification of liabilities Parmalat misclassified the financing transaction of selling their receivables. Although, Parmalat sold its receivables (assets) to financial institutions/investors, they were not a true non-recourse sale and Parmalat maintained obligation to ensure that the receivables were ultimately paid, therefore Parmalat should have classified this financing as a liability.