Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Chinese Mythology Essay Example for Free
Chinese Mythology Essay Mythology is a collection of myths or the study of ancient traditional stories of gods or heroes, giving an explanation to an unexplained event. For Plato, the fist known user of the term, muthologia meant know more than the telling of stories (Kirk 8). Mythology is an important aspect to the world, today. Through the study of myths help us develop an idea of what the cultures were like. It includes hints that exhibit how they lived their lives. Myth is its serious purpose and its importance to the culture (Lansford 1). Every culture has its own myth that explains about the nature of that particular culture. The Chinese culture has been around for many centuries, its myths have accumulated into varies stories of gods and their culture. China is the worlds oldest continuous civilization (Cotterel 9). Evidence show the earliest Chinese civilization to be found around 1650 B. C. The beginnings of Chinese mythology, started around the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Influenced by alchemist ideas, Taoist and Buddhist superstitions, various writers created storied about their enigmatic surroundings. The beginning of the Chinese civilization is based on mythology. One of the creation myths is about the beginning of the world. In it, the world began as an egg and cracking open, the top of the shell grew to be the sky, the lower shell became the Earth, and in the middle stepped a man named Pan-gu. Mythology of the ancient Chinese is apparent through art, music and literature. Since, there is no explanation of how the Chinese civilization began; mythology has been a way of explanation to the Chinese culture and other cultures around the world, today. Chinese mythology, as with many other cultures, has many gods and goddesses that are in charge of various things. In the Ancient Chinese culture, there are gods and goddesses for every important aspect of the peoples life, even things as unlikely as the stove god and the door god. Other deities that were important to the Chinese people were the gods of the elements such as Chu Jung, the fire god, Lei Kun, the thunder god, the wind god, and the lightning goddess. Most of the element gods devoted themselves to punishing criminals and keeping evil spirits away. There were also important gods in charge of fields such as Kuan Ti, the god of war, Kuan Yin, the goddess of compassion, TShai-shen, the god of wealth and Tsao hsang, god of the hearth. Although there gods were very important to the Chinese people, one of the most important gods was Nu wa, the mother goddess. She was a compassionate goddess who created mankind and bestowed love and creation to them. She helped her people when they were in need, like when she created rice from her own milk and blood in order to feed her people. She was very humble and a modest goddess, not wanting credit for her benevolence. The gods and goddesses of Chinese mythology were basically deities that symbolized the good and just qualities that people should imitate in their everyday life. The basis of Chinese life was a belief in harmony and balance (Williams 20). The Chinese believed in harmony with nature, and sometimes honored the spirits with gifts, feasts, and rituals. The Chinese believed the souls of the dead returned (Williams 20), a concept of Buddhism. The family held Chinese society together (Williams 20). In China, many generations of families lived together, even in the same house, and the children were taught to respect and obey their elders (Williams 20). As in all cultures, men were ? superior to women in China. Parents believed they would become gods after they died, if they had a son (Williams 21). This belief was taken fiercely to the point that the parents would kill a newborn female. A custom that the upper-class women followed was of foot binding, which was believed to make the foot appear tiny, since the culture considered small feet feminine and delicate. The most important festival in China was the Chinese New Year, it is held in the spring of each year. During this festival, offerings were given to the sprits. In China, the color white is considered the mourning color and the children showed respect for dead parents by fasting and wearing thick clothes (Williams 21). Most beliefs and customs of the Chinese culture appear from the religions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The Chinese culture has a long history of beliefs and customs, which are used by the generations before and now. It is highly unlikely that the generations to come would not be following the same beliefs and customs of the ancient Chinese. The origin of religion goes back to prehistoric times when the earliest people of China sought answers to the same basic questions that have baffled primitive men over the world: what is the unseen force that brings darkness and light, winter and summer, drought and rain, life and death; what must men do to appease this force? (Schafer 57) Ancient China has three main religions Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Confucius was concerned mostly with laws made by people, and whether people were naturally good or naturally evil. In contrast, the followers of Lao-tzu believed people were guided by universal laws, not human ones. This was the basis of Taoism (Williams 18). Taoists tried to live a life of simplicity and meditation close to nature. Taoism was mystical and influenced by ancient Chinese folk religion. Its followers used magic as well as prayer and diet to seek eternal youth (Williams 19). Taoists were peaceful people who generally lived peaceful lives. Buddhists follow the teachings of Buddha (born 563 B. C. ), a north Indian prince who devoted his life to a search for personal peace, or enlightenment. The name Buddha means enlightened one. He believed that by giving up worldly desires, such as for fine food and clothes, a blissful state called nirvana could be achieved. In nirvana there was freedom from sorrows of the world. Indian belief as that time held that people were reborn many times. Persons who had lived badly in former lives might be born in an animal or insect form. Buddha said that by reaching nirvana, this endless cycle of rebirth could be broken (Cotterell 27). Buddhists follow an eight-fold path, this is like a code by which they live. Confucianism came in earlier than Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. The so-called Confucian classics were, in fact, complied long after the death of Confucius by disciples of his disciples, and were edited and interpreted in Han times by government scribes; but they purport to reflect the views of the great sage of antiquity on history, religious rites, morals, and standards of behavior. The state officers of Han times accepted these interpretations and associated them with the standardized pagan nature worship of state cult as a part of the acceptable way of life for a Han gentleman. We in the west sometimes call this way of life, which includes both reverence for the ? ancient books and the ? ancient gods, ? Confucianism (Schafer 60-61). Confucianism flourished in China as so did the other religions. The Chinese were inquisitive people, always inventing and always wondering how things worked. It is only logical for them to generate religions that explain how life is and how it will be in the afterlife. In Chinese mythology, myths and legends deal with aspects of human nature, human relations and social life (Owens). Chinese myths use human traits, like emotion, to convey lessons. The myth on the creation of man clearly depicts the basics of a Chinese myth. After Pan-gu, creator of the world, died and his body transformed into different elements of the Earth, Nu wa, the dragon goddess, came down from heavens and admired Pan-gus creation. In order to honor Pan-gus sacrifice to the Earth, Nu wa decided to create humans. She started to make them out of yellow clay, but since it took much of her strength, she dipped a rope into the mud and when she took it out, the drips became people. Her clay and mud people were not alive, so her heart took pity and she breathed her divine breath into them. She also whispered thoughts of love and creation into their ears and told them to reproduce. The people made of yellow clay became the rich and the people Nu wa made of mud became the poor. This myth explains many aspects of human life. It explains how the social classes came to be and also human emotions. Nu wa shows human emotions like honor, when she was determined to let Pan-gus death not be in vain; in compassion, she breathed her divine breath into each and every human. This myth represents human relations because Nu wa put ideas of love and procreation into the human races mind. These Chinese myths explain how the good and bad came to be and how a person should live a happy a fulfilling life. Mythology is not a subject that should be ignored. It is an important subject that should be learned and understood by all cultures so that as a world, we can come to understand each other better. The first step in hatred is fear. Fear of the unknown can generate more hate than anyone could possibly fathom. If everyone became educated about other culture, there would be little to know unknown, and there would probably be less hate in the world. Mythology, the study of myths, gives people an insight to others dreams, hopes, and their fears. We all have hopes, dreams, and fears. By learning about other cultures hopes, dreams, and fears we can feel more connected to each other and reach out. Mythology is a key element in keeping peace without shedding blood. Work Cited Cotterel, Arthur. Ancient China. Kirk, Geoffrey Stephen. Myth: its meaning and functions in ancient and other culture California; University of California Press. 1970 Lansford, Tyler. Mythology Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2002. Microsoft Corporation, 2002 Owens, D. W. Ancient Chinese Mythology: Gods and goddess folklore Google. com. November 5, 2003 Schafer, Edward H. Ancient China. New York; Time Inc. 1967 Williams, Brians. Ancient China. Middlesex, England; Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, Ltd. 1996.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Macbeth And Metaphysics :: essays research papers
The Three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. They tell Macbeth three prophesies, he will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glams and King. These prophesies introduce him to ideas of greatness. Macbeth will eventually follow through on killing king Duncan. This brings into the play, idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. The witches could foretell the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they can not control his destiny. Macbeth creates his own anguish when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. This causes him to become insecure as to the reasons for his actions which in turn causes him to commit more murders. The witches offer great temptation, but it is in the end, each individuals’ decision to fall for the appeal, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. The witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an ambitious woman with a single purpose. She can manipulate Macbeth easily. This is shown in the line "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear". (I,V, 26) Before the speech that Lady Macbeth gives in act one scene five, Macbeth is resolved not to go through with the killing of the king. However, Lady Macbeth says that it would be on his manliness and his bravery if he didn’t. This then convinces Macbeth to commit regicide. Although Macbeth has the final say in whether or not to go through with the initial killing, he loves his wife and wants to make her happy. She is the dominating individual in the relationship which is shown in her soliloquy, â€Å"This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose dues by rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised the. Lay it to thy heart, and Farewell.†(I, V, 7-10) Once Macbeth kills for the first time, he has no choice but to continue to cover up his wrong doings, or risk loosing everything he has worked so hard for. In the end, it all comes to Macbeth himself. Everyone is responsible for his own destiny. This is an essential theme in this tragedy. Macbeth, chooses to gamble with his soul and when he does this, it is only him who chooses to lose it.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Pestel Framework
The PESTEL framework is designed to provide managers with an analytical tool to identify different macro-environmental factors that may affect business strategies, and to assess how different environmental factors may influence business performance now and in the future. The PESTEL Framework includes six types of important environmental influences: political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal. These factors should not be seen as independent factors. Factors such as technological advances may probably affect the social and economic conditions in different markets.Below, some characteristics in each environmental factor are listed, which may give business managers guidance to, which factors may be of importance to a company's strategy. The list is however far from complete, and it only gives managers some preliminary inspiration to, which factors may be of relevance for handling business strategies. Many factors, that are not included below, may have an effect on business success, and each company must evaluate for themselves, which key drivers of change will potentially have strategic and competitive consequences.Political factors †¢Ã‚         Stability of government †¢Ã‚         Social policies: (e. g. social welfare etc. ) †¢Ã‚         Trade regulations: (e. g. the EU ; NAFTA) †¢Ã‚         Tax policies †¢Ã‚         Entry mode regulations Economic factors †¢Ã‚         Disposable income of buyers †¢Ã‚         Credit accessibility †¢Ã‚         Unemployment rates †¢Ã‚         Interest rates †¢Ã‚         Inflation Social Factors †¢Ã‚         Population demographics: (e. g. aging population) †¢Ã‚         Distribution of Wealth †¢Ã‚         Changes in lifestyles and trends          Educational levels Technological factors †¢Ã‚         New innovations and discoveries †¢Ã‚         Pace of technological innovations and advances †¢Ã‚         Pace of technological obsolescence †¢Ã‚         New technological platforms (e. g. VHS and DVD) Environmental factors †¢Ã‚         Environmental protection laws †¢Ã‚         Waste disposal laws †¢Ã‚         Energy consumption regulation †¢Ã‚         Popular attitude towards the environment Legal factors †¢Ã‚         Employment regulations †¢Ã‚         Competitiv e regulations          Health and safety regulations †¢Ã‚         Product regulations The key for business managers is therefore to discover the main drivers of change that may affect business strategies, and to discover the factors most likely to influence the performance of the business. In conducting a PESTEL analysis, business managers may create strategies that take several macro-environmental factors into consideration, so that the strategy formulation process will be as sensitive to current and future environmental factors as possible.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Horror Horror And Horror Film Essay - 2210 Words
Merriam Webster defines â€Å"horror†as â€Å"painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay.†A popular definition of horror film argues that horror is subjective-anything that evokes the emotion of horror in an individual is a horror film to that individual. (Horror Writers Association) This definition is far too dependent on the audience for its categorization. Although, the emotional argument being made in films is an essential factor when defining a genre, it cannot be the only device considered for defining the entirety of a genre. I contend that some films are objectively horrifying. Further, a definition of horror should not only incorporate a film’s emotional appeal. The definition must expand to include a film’s ethical and logical appeal. The definition of horror should be all-encompassing. It should articulate how a film argues in every medium, by every element, and from every angle. Additionally, a horror definition should not be limited to the s ubcategories that it has typically produced: the uncanny, the marvelous horror, and the fantastic horror. (Prohà ¡szkovà ¡, 1-2) This allows no room for growth and expansion in the genre. This definition cannot be articulated without specific examples, and is, therefore, insufficient for our purposes. A narrative, objectively horrific in nature, which contains horrific elements, which delivers strong appeals emotionally, logically, and ethically, which features a â€Å"monster,†or source of evil, regardless of its sub-category, fallsShow MoreRelatedThe Horror Of Horror Films1360 Words  | 6 Pagesâ€Å"Horror Films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.†Horror films have been to Hollywood since the early days of cinematography. Horror films are very interesting to wat ch because horror movies are scary and we don t know what is going happen next. That kind of suspense in the movies makes us watch moreRead MoreThe Horror Of Horror Films1228 Words  | 5 Pagesunknown. Horror has been around for years, instilling fear into individuals. It makes us scream. It makes individuals feel as if they are going to die. Horror Films has a story behind their twisted, sick fantasies of monsters, murders, demons, and beast including ghost stories. All of these fictional charterers have a historical representation behind them. The main historical moments behind the horror movies we encountered as children all had a relation to what was going on in the world. Horror filmsRead MoreThe Horror Of Horror Films858 Words  | 4 PagesHorror films are alluring to viewers for many reasons. Horror movies have longed to serve a purpose which is to scare and also provide stories about the dark scary side of life. People watch horror movies to get scared, for the thrill and most of all plain old entertainment. Three main characteristics of horror films are according to Maggie McCutcheon is scaring people into creating morals, Stephen King differs and says that horror films are made to let people’s emotion and fears rein free, andRead MoreThe Horror Of Horror Films1288 Words  | 6 PagesThe joy and excitement of a horror movie is such a great feeling to have. So many people ask why do people enjoy watching horror Films if they are only going to make you get scared and not be happy the whole night? That is something really easy to answer for example, horror movies are one of the genres that will make sure you got your money worth and you didn’t waste money on a movie that you didn’t enjoy. Another fact would be is that when anyone goes into a horror film nobody knows what to expectRead MoreThe Horror Genre Of Horror Films Essay1461 Words  | 6 PagesThe horror genre has become a popular genre among the movie industry. It has become a popular genre since it has been evolving throughout the years it has been around, but one of its major climax points was when the subgenre of zombies came into the mix. The zombie genre became very popular in the year 1968 when it was first introduced in George Romero’s film Night of the Living Dead. Night of the Living Dead is one of the most prominent zombie films till this date especially since it has introducedRead MoreHorror Films And Gothic Horrors2537 Words  | 11 Pages HORROR FILMS In this paper, I will be discussing reviews on horror films and gothic horrors using the movie mama as my main example. My aim is to analyse the horror genre and the emotional effects it has on different people. My objectives are to identify and analyse the generic elements of the horror genre, gather people’s opinions about the horror genre and to find out the reasons for these opinions. To aid my research, I have preparedRead MoreThe Horror Of Film Films988 Words  | 4 PagesThe genre of film, found footage, is looked down upon in today’s society. Although the genre has a large following, since some if its top movies are the infamously popular Paranormal Activity series. Some believe the genre is taking the art away from making the movie and replacing it with jump scares all from the view of a handheld camera. Others believe it is a new way to make films cheaply and be able to still deliver the same amount of excitement or even more than your traditional film. Found footageRead MoreEssay on Horror Films727 Words  | 3 PagesHorror films Movies have been growing increasingly more explicit for years. Horror films are no longer based on a cleverly written script with lots of twists and turns, but rather how graphic and twisted the images are throughout the movie. Horror films are appealing to viewers for various reasons. In fact, according to some film critics, â€Å"good†horror films have particular characteristics. Maggie McCutcheon in â€Å"Too Disturbing, Too Shocking,†According to Olson, people particularly enjoy experiencingRead MoreThe Genre Of Horror Films1563 Words  | 7 Pagescategorized a film based on similarities in the narrative elements. There are a wide range of different types of film genres: detective, action, adventure, gangster or crime, science fiction, drama, horror, romance, comedy, musical and so on. It is quite difficult to identify a particular film because a film might have a few of different genres. That is the reason why sub-genres exist. Sub-genres can help us to more c larity in identify the genre of a film. For example, a horror film might involveRead MoreHorror Genre Films586 Words  | 2 PagesHorror Genre Essay Horror Genre Films are unsettling films that are created to frighten and panic the audience. They are there to invoke our hidden worst fears yet entertaining the audience. They deal with our most undiscovered fears, our nightmares, and our vulnerability, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death or our loss of identity. Watching a horror film gives an opening into the scary world, into a passage for the essence of fear itself, but not really being in danger. Common story lines
Friday, December 27, 2019
The Chimney Sweeper and London by William Blake and Tich...
The two poems â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†and â€Å"London†by William Blake, and the two poems â€Å"Tich Miller†and â€Å"Timothy Winters†are all on a theme of childhood, however, they are set in different eras and so childhood should be very different. Discuss this, comparing and contrasting the poems. As a child, William Blake was a loner. He never socialised with other children and sat by himself reading the Bible. His family were very religious, but did not agree with organised religion. This meant that they never went to church and did all their worshipping at home. Blake was always an outsider and he refused to join in with his brothers and sisters. He had visions of angels and God when he was young and he often thought that this†¦show more content†¦This line also gives the impression of a prison and people being behind bars. This is because Blake didn’t like authority and believed in free will. The poem has a very strong rhythm, this sounds like either the Industrial Revolution or Blake’s’ fist on a table in anger. â€Å"And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse†In this last line of the poem, Blake puts two opposing ideas in a sentence. It puts a whole different view on marriage, making it seem like the beginning is the start of the end. Blake sees life in London very depressing; this could be why he thinks that marriage is like death. Living in a place like London could lead to hatred and end up not being, hence, the end of a marriage, a funeral. Blake is appalled by the cruelty to children that is going on. He mentions â€Å"Infants†twice in the poem, both saying that they are crying. â€Å"How the youthful Harlot’s curse Blasts the new born Infants tear†This shows that there were a lot of unwanted children at the time because of prostitution at a young age. The fact that young girls were on the streets also shows that life was hard because they were not being kept at home, or were sent out to get money for the family, and this was their last resort. In the poem â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†Blake describes the life of a young boy who is a chimney sweeper. In the first
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Proposed Merger Between Staples And Office Depot - 972 Words
Anticompetitive Effects and Price Effects: Proposed Merger between Staples and Office Depot (1997) Xueqi Ji 6252074952 Abstract FTC employed structural, documentary, statistical, econometrics and financial evidence to verify that the proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot will lead to increase in market concentration, market prices and stock prices, and thus support FTC’s contention that this merger will cause an anticompetitive effect on Office Superstore market. Staples and Office Depot made a plain and useless contradiction. Finally, the Court announced to agree with FTC, and granted a preliminary injunction on this merger. This paper mainly focuses on FTC’s evidence and analysis. Keywords: antitrust, horizontal merger,†¦show more content†¦Staples (2006), Orley Ashenfelter, David Ashmore, Johnathon B. Baker, Suzanne Gleason and Daniel S. Hosken leveraged extensive public record to provide a detailed discussion of the econometric models used in this merging case and to show how differences between the models led to the discrepancy between these estimates. FTC claimed that based on various analysis and evidence, proposed merger between Staples and Office Depot will harm competition in office superstore chain market and raise market price which will lessen customers’ welfare. Nevertheless, two parties of merger casted doubt on every detailed statement, and interpreted that this merger will reduce costs, broaden scale of economies, improve economic efficiency, and optimize resource allocation, and then lower market price efficiently. Finally, the Court chose to agree with FTC’s contention. II.Background In 1996, there were three largest and absolutely dominant office superstores (OSS) chains in United States office supply market, Staples, Office Depot and OfficeMax. Office superstores can get access to much more convenient and cheaper supply of goods than small retailers through signing a mass of contracts with suppliers. They are mostly located in downtown business districts, and own considerable floor areas, a wide variety of product types and sizable supply size. Therefore, they can provide consumers with great user experience and convenience byShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Ofiice Superstore Case Study1655 Words  | 7 PagesHow would you classify the office superstore industry? Who are the competitors? What are the characteristics of this industry that lead to this conclusion? Today’s office superstore industry in the United States provides a convenient one-stop shopping experience for small businesses and individuals with home offices. The main competitors in the industry are Office Depot, Staples, and Office Max. All of them offer a variety of office supplies, as well as computers, office furniture and other businessRead MoreMerger Between Staples And Office Depot2589 Words  | 11 PagesProposed Merger between Staples and Office Depot Leads to Concerns of Higher Prices The effect and impact of corporate mergers of companies can be a significant change for the company’s prosperity and growth as well as the consumer’s point of view also. Though few of the mergers and acquisitions might be helpful for the company and be profitable as well there are always few risks and failures that come with the process. According to a study the company has only 50% chance of success when it comesRead MoreStaples And Office Depot Inc.2289 Words  | 10 PagesStaples and Office Depot Inc. are both office supply chains. Today both companies are doing great considering where they came from and their competitive market. It is safe to say Staples has more than 2000 stores while Office Depot has above 1600 stores throughout the world. According to the case they were both originated in 1986 and while being founded early on over the next decade they and additional office supply chains have contended belligerently in order to provide a suitable, unfailing and Read MoreStaples Inc. Description.963 Words  | 4 PagesSTAPLES INC. Description Staples Inc. was founded in 1985 and was incorporated on January 23, 1986, and has its headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts (Liang, 2012). The company has three principal subdivisions: North American Stores and online, North American Commercial and International Operations encompassing 2000 stores globally in 26 nations. The corporation offers a comprehensive variety of merchandises that include: office provisions, business equipment merchandises and amenities, facilityRead MoreCompetition Policy : Theory And Practice1477 Words  | 6 Pagesboth of Staples and Office Depot have great market power with high market share. Both of them are large United States office supply chain stores. Based on the following graph, it is easy to find that the annual sales of Staples and Office Depot are much greater than their rival, OfficeMax, given that both of the annual sales of Staples and Office Depot are more than $10 million but that of Officemax is approximately $7 million. It implies that they have more market power than other office supply storesRead MoreAntitrust And The American Consumer2673 Words  | 11 Pagespredation by large corporations. The specific provisions of the Sherman Act, as well as the later Clayton Act of 1914, prohibit acts that are considered to be anti competitive such as cartels, monopolies, price discrimination, and predatory pricing. Mergers and acquisitions are also individually reviewed to ensure they won t have an anti competitive effect on the market. We will look at each of these acts to try to determine their actual impact to the consumer. We will also show that in most casesRead MoreCase Study: Officemax5636 Words  | 23 Pagesspecific corporate retailer. The 1997 case relates to OfficeMax, a superstore that primarily carries office equipment and supplies to small business and consumer markets. However, the company is se eking diversification and market share growth, with the prospect of a merger between the industry’s number 1 and 2 office supply superstores, Office Depot and Staples.   The current merger process is under scrutiny from industry watchdogs, and the role of these entities relative to the Read MoreThe Measurement Of Identifiable Assets1943 Words  | 8 Pagesfair market value is used. It does not matter what is on the investee’s books. What is fair market value? As per ASC 820-10-20 it is, â€Å"The price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.†The codification does allow other methods of valuation when there is not information available to assist in setting a market value. The initial measurement seems clear; however, there are often issuesRead MoreCase5831 Words  | 24 Pages* Camila Andrea Pinzà ³n Gà ³mez 201213506 WHAT IS ALL THIS CASE ABOUT? The principal idea of the case is examine Target, a discount retailer who was always known for their ‘cheap chic’, â€Å"Expect More, Pay Less†value proposition. The evaluation between BACKGROUND: Target Corporation originally the Dayton Dry Goods Company and later the Dayton Hudson Corporation, 1902–61: 1902: Dayton Dry Goods Company was founded in 1902 by George Draper Dayton, a banker who built his wealth by buying farmRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words  | 702 Pagesand stimulate student involvement. A recent pedagogical feature is the Team Debate Exercise, in which formal issues and options can be debated for each case. New in some cases are Devil’s Advocate exercises in which students can argue against a proposed course of action to test its merits. A new pedagogical feature, based on a reviewer’s recommendation, appears at the end of the Analysis section: students are asked to make their own analysis, draw their own conclusions, and defend them, thereby
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Profit Host Country Also Gets Privileged †Myassignmrnthelp.Com
Question: Discuss About The Profit And Host Country Also Gets Privileged? Answer: Introduction Adidas was one of the key partners of FIFA world cup 2014 which was held in Brazil. Creating the new is the tagline for their next five- year strategic business plan. This attitude has led them to their current position and will pave the way for an exciting future. This is because the industry of sports tourism products is expanding and will continue to do so. It is expanding at a rapid speed as compared to other industries which includes consumer electronics too. Sports form the centre of all culture and society and the root to an individuals health and happiness. This is an excellent platform for Adidas because they will get the opportunity to excel in their business. They have become successful in changing the lives of people through their power in sports. They work hard to inspire and motivate people to indulge in sporting activities. They are also successful in transferring their competence in sports into fashion, style statement and street wear as they believe that sports are l ife and attitude. Their mission and vision is totally aimed at sports (Billings, Burch and Zimmerman 2015). The event It was the 20th FIFA world cup that was held in Brazil in 2014. The one- month long event was held after Peles country was permitted to organize the event. Thirty-one teams went forward for the qualifying rounds to join the host country in the final show. 64 matches were played in total 12 venues of Brazil. It was the first time in an event that the officials used goal- line technology and vanishing foam for free kicks. The gathering for the grand event crossed 1 million who came from 202 different countries. All the popular and world- cup winning teams had qualified for the match. In the semi- final the host nation had to bid farewell after losing to Germany who played against Argentina in the final (Clemente et al. 2015). The match against Argentina and Germany turned out to be a battle between Lionel Messi of Argentina and Thomas Muller of Germany. Both of them had put their utmost effort to kiss the cup at the end. As the star shines for only one, Germany became the first ever Eu ropean team to take home the gorgeous World cup. FIFA had organized FIFA Fan Fests in all the 12 venues throughout the competition. In order to avoid ghost goals, there was an introduction of goal line technology in the 2014 world cup. There were 14 high speed cameras, out of which 7 were faced towards the goals. Adidas Brazuca was the official ball in the match which was supplied by Forward Sports of Sialkot. Fuleco, a three-banded armadillo was the mascot in this match after three- month long election process. Lionel Messi won the golden ball and Thomas Muller was awarded the silver ball while Manuel Neuer got the golden glove and James Rodriguez won the golden boot for being the top goal scorer (Cotta, et al. 2013). Bottom line of the event Globo Marcas was appointed as the main licensee by FIFA for supplying the retail products of 2014 world cup. The global audience in the events of the entire grand event is regarded as goldmines by the corporations and the official sponsors of the tournament. The major partners of FIFA such as Adidas, Coca- cola, Emirates, Hyundai motor group, Sony and Visa pay approximately $25-50 million every year in addition to the sponsors. The international brands like Budweiser, Castrol, Continental, Johnson Johnson and McDonalds along with the European organic food producers like Moy Park, the telecom company of Brazil and Oi and Yingli Solar, the largest solar panel manufacturer in the world also contribute to the profit that is gained in the enormous event of FIFA world cup. In the previous year of the 2014 World cup, FIFA had gained $404 million from the marketers in association with the current year of world cup which made up to 29% of yearly revenue (Devlin and Billings 2016). All the co mpanies mentioned above have a place in the website of FIFA and in their promotional materials. According to authentic source, it is reported that the investment by companies have increased by 40% in four years from 2010- 14. Target segment It is hard for the authorities to win over the consumers and it is even harder to retain them. It is a totally new area of online consumer behavior in the recent years. Only the traditional form of market research has the ability to tell in this complex world of several platforms. For this reason the company SingTel had integrated its entire suite of analytics capabilities to provide the advertisers with a holistic viewpoint of consumer behavior during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Being in the front line of broadcasters in the World Cup, the SingTel had intended to realize the behavior of the consumers by deducing at home, outside home and online (Gibson 2017). These ideas benefitted the advertisers as they were able to improve their marketing strategies, calculating their ROI and the activation and promotional investments in the world cup and recognize the promotional opportunities in the future on the basis of the behavior of their target audience during FIFA 2014. As the event was scr eened at the community centers, clubs, cafes, bars and restaurants, the analytics was in a special position to observe the real-time location data for understanding the demographics and habits of the viewers. Competitor analysis through 4Ps ICC and IOC are regarded as the competitors of FIFA. It is important to identify the current and future competitors in the market by analyzing the target products. It is also important to know the preference of consumers by recognizing their direct and indirect competition (Gibson et al. 2014). By knowing the market share of competitors, it will become easy for the promotion of the product. A small market research will find out the reason for sale in competition. The strengths and weaknesses will remain unknown until the idea of market share is gained. Planning and executing the proper strategies is beneficial for remaining in the competition or leaving the competitors behind. Either the same strategies can be used or new strategies can be introduced to make an impact on the pricing. Making a competition portfolio helps in identifying all the products of competitors, their logistics, tangible and intangible features and other services. At the same time, it is essential to prepare a s uitable place where the product can be used for sale and that will lead to its growth and expansion. A follow up is required for the qualitative and quantitative measures of the strategies (Hallmann, Dallmeyer and Breuer 2014). SWOT analysis FIFA, the governing body of soccer, is responsible for arranging the most spectacular sporting event in the planet, the Football World Cup. The event is targeted to all football lovers irrespective of the age and gender. They have been successfully organizing the Football World Cup for the last 80 years. Product positioning The biggest footwear and apparel brands in the event have rolled out their individual products to prepare for the market and product planning of world cup. Companies like Adidas are confident about gaining the soccer sales. For the sponsors, the battle of World cup helps in deciding who will get the throne in the international soccer sales in the coming years. They follow the strategy of underlining their consistent leading position to share the passion for football with fans all over the world. From being mere sponsors, Adidas has upgraded to being the official partner of FIFA. With the retirement of the Adidas- sponsored soccer super star David Beckham; they have planned to use the World Cup for getting the marketing ball in the flow for Lionel Messi. With the approach of World cup, NIKE had started giving new uniforms for its sponsored countries. Adidas officials have unanimously stated that they will hit the social media by broadcasting their world cup soccer messages (Hsu 2013). According to them, in that year the soccers advocates totally believed the refrain which repeated after every four years. It is said that the event of world cup is a marketing opportunity and marketing dreams for all those brands that are associated with this outstanding event. Competitive advantage The sustainability strategy and the strategic planning process are defined and selected through a materiality analysis. This analysis is regarded as the influence and relevance for the FIFA World cup and its stakeholders. The strategic objective is the root of this strategy. The stakeholders, goals for each issue and other individual activities will be implemented to attain those goals and the strategic objectives. Through the process of strategic planning, social responsibility and the environment were considered as the two main pillars of sustainable strategy (Kim et al. 2015). The areas that can be grouped under social responsibility are fair practices for operation, consumer issues, labor practices, and human rights along with involvement of community and their development. Moreover, community development is more connected with the prevalent global football where it was used to promote social changes in Brazil. The sustainability efforts of the FIFA world cup are guided by the th eories of transparency, accountability, respect and ethical behavior for the stakeholders interests, international behavioral policies, the rule of law and human rights. They will promote an advanced level of well being in the host countries by helping the initiatives that use football as a channel for development in the educational, health, civil security, social inclusion and anti- discrimination areas (Kim, Cheong and Kim 2016). For maintaining a successful corporation, FIFA has a well processed marketing mix which includes the 4Ps. The amalgamation of products, place, promotion and price attain the final outcome. The sponsors of FIFA such as Adidas, Coca- Cola, Emirates and others advertise FIFA on their products and vice- versa. It can be seen that the boundary of the field where the match was held were all covered with the name of the sponsors. The sharing of advertisement by both expands the number of consumers who can see the logo of the company in the area. FIFA actually makes the place where the companies can display their advertisement. This sets the instance of promotion strategy. It is seen that most of the sponsors are global brands. Since FIFA is international too, both of them have interests in common and influence the nations all over on a common ground. This reflects the place strategy. The pricing strategy becomes significant because soccer is the cheapest compared to any other games. It just requires a 15$ ball with the logo and other equipment at very minimal costs. There are still a lot of other products which are not so cheap so FIFA will hold world cups in such countries as to help their economy (Knott, Fyall and Jones 2015). Management structure A grand event like FIFA World Cup has several stakeholders all throughout the application, planning, preparation, execution process and the after effect. Stakeholders include everyone who will be affected by these processes. Therefore, it is important to recognize the stakeholders in order to have an idea about the management structure, those who will be affected by the event and to what extent. All the stakeholders are responsible for making the event successful but they must also be satisfied so that they cannot oppose the event. Apart from that, there are political considerations such as increasing national prestige and economic considerations are also important factors in motivating the states to host a major event. The high tourist flows as a result of such a grand event expects economic benefit. Tourists inflow helps in expansion of business in the hotel and hospitality sector. On the other hand, the increase in tourist inflow gives rise to the issue of workers in Brazil and th eir qualification to deal with such international tourists (Liu et al. 2015). Development of communications and the investment of media in the world cup is a prime long-term opportunity and play the pivotal role to pose an outstanding impact on the hosting of a great event and the reputation of the host country, Brazil. Three-year forecast It was predicted by the Brazils Ministry of Sports that the FIFA world cup 2014 is going to be a cash cow for them. The economy of the country is forecast to grow by a minimum of $70 billion as they had hosted the world cup event. The amount is based on the public and private investment of Brazil in infrastructure, increase in consumption and other activities in the services sector and in the collection of tax. The event is expected to earn more than $30 billion in through direct tax, $10 billion through indirect tax and an increase in the consumption of the local goods and services by approximately $3 billion for the time period of the event. 600000 tourists are expected to come to the venue which would generate an additional $2.5 billion for the countrys travel industry. More or less, 3 million Brazilian tourists are predicted to travel throughout the country to generate an amount of $3.5 billion for travel and tourism (Noel et al. 2017). Conclusion The use of three strategies by the sponsors in FIFA world cup 2014 made it a remarkable event to be remembered for four years. The speed of reaching the consumers, the location to expand market and inviting the sports person to be the partners of the brand provided a positive outlook and the opportunity to create something new. The three strategies were supplemented by highlighting on portfolio and corporate and digital culture. 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