Marketing DB Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing DB - Coursework Example The reason to move ahead is indeed the atmosphere that one is talking about here. The shopping experience at a retail store becomes more satisfying when the aura and aromas get manifested in the most proper sense. This means that this experience gets better if the aura and aromas are highlighted in a positive fashion – one that suggests immense room for a better retail experience for the end consumer. If the consumers are given a smell that they would like to feel good about, they will definitely visit this retail store (Frazier, 1996). Similarly, if they are welcomed by an activity which is indeed a hallmark of the retail chain, they shall do every effort to be there and thus finish their joyride as well as accomplish their shopping mission. The need is to understand what the consumers want and how they are going to achieve what they have in mind. This suggests that the retail experience needs to be defined and later on re-defined to have a cumulative stance so that the consumers are always at a benefit. The vertical management system is a channel arrangement where one of the channel members might own some of the others and bring upon them its influence which is available in the wake of better power that comes from bargain, contracts and other requirements. The implications and opportunities of this VMS channel arrangement for my company is that it will aim to better the relationships that exist amongst the channel members and allow them to grow beyond the expected returns. This will enable the channel members to bring their best to the fore and give the best price in terms of bargains and so on. Eventually the consumers’ shopping experiences would become better and they will get the best deals and discounts which are available within the related industry. The retail format that is most appropriate for my company since it is CAD and based on a computer is an online model. This will bring immense

Sufi Dervish Whirling Analysis Essay Example for Free

Sufi Dervish Whirling Analysis Essay Sufi whirling is a form of Sama which originated among Sufis. It is a worship ceremony in which performers spin their bodies while listening to music, in an aim to focus on God. This essay will state the inner meaning, which is focusing on God, of the Sufi whirling through analyzing the ritual’s movement, symbols and mood. Sufi whirling is a ritual performed by dervishes, as it is originated among Sufis. They are usually performed inside or outside temples. Performers wear semazen’s camels hair hat(sikke), a white shirt and skirt. The skirt is made of billowing material that flows out and around the dancer as they spin. Movement refers to the performers’ body movements, as well as their body gestures. Performers’ movement enables audiences to know about an inner emotive state or feeling of the performers. In the Sufi whirling ritual, the woman spins outside a temple while listening to music during daytime. Her spinning is stable and smooth, as her arms reach out to balance herself. It shows that she only concentrates on the spinning, as well as the God. As planets and stars circle the sun, and they are created by God, she turns counterclockwise around herself, to show her beliefs in God. The performers movement shows the inner meaning of the performance, which is focusing on and believing in God. (Mevlevi Order of America, 2009) Mood refers to atmosphere created by the performers, and also the feeling of both performers and audiences. Getting the mood of the performance is helpful to get to know the meaning of the performance. In the Sufi whirling ritual, the woman is spinning outside a temple during daytime, trying to focus on God. She is calm and relaxed, which shows the meditation and connection to God. The audiences do not applaud during the show, but watching the performance in silence with faith. The atmosphere, as well as the mood of the performers and audiences, shows that the Sufi whirling ritual is a spiritual act in which its only aim is abandon the ones nafs, egos or personal desires, and focus on God. The connection between God and the performers which is shown in the ritual shows that the performers perform the ritual to show their appreciation and beliefs in God. (Sufism and Dervishes) Symbolism refers to anything that has significant meaning in the performance. Understanding what a symbol represents helps us get to know the whole meaning of the performance. In the Sufi whirling ritual performance, a woman spins outside a temple, with her left hand down and right hand up, during the daytime. Her right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive the God’s beneficence, while her left hand upon which her eyes are fastened , is turned toward the Earth. This gestures show the respect and beliefs of the dervishes to God and their appreciation to the planet, which is also created by God. The symbolism shown in the Sufi whirling ritual shows the performers are focusing on God and abandon their egos, nafs and personal desires through spinning their bodies. In conclusion, the movement shows that the dervishes are focusing on and believing in God through performing the ritual. Moreover, through analyzing the mood and atmosphere of the performance, we can see that both the performers and audiences are faithful in God, and the ritual is a spiritual act in which the performers and audiences are trying to connect to God. On the other hand, through studying the symbolism in the Sufi whirling ritual, we get to know that performers are performing the ritual to foucus on God and abandon their egos and personal desires. All in all, the aim of performing the ritual is to abandon ones nafs, egos or personal desires and focus on God, by listening to the music and spinning one’s body. References Mevlevi Order of America (2009) The Sema of the Mevlevi. http://www.hayatidede.org/popups/about_sema.htm Sufism and Dervishes http://www.whirlingdervishes.org/whirlingdervishes.htm

The Harleian Manuscripts :: Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essays

The Harleian Manuscripts, Ha2 and Ha3 My research on the Harley manuscript versions of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", Ha2 1758 and Ha3 7333 from the British Library led to the finding of little information except what was to be found in the footnotes of articles and books describing the Ha4 7334. The little information I did find might lead to reasons why the manuscripts, particularly the Ha3 7333, are difficult to research and why they are seldom mentioned. I spent most of my research time on the library's fifth floor and went through the stack of Chaucer books, particularly the publications by the Chaucer Society. I also searched the internet for articles and research pertaining to Chaucer and the many manuscript versions of "The Canterbury Tales", including the library's electronic resources, Infotrac and JSTOR. Most of the descriptions I found on the Ha2 and Ha3, however, came from the footnotes of articles on these electronic resources and from the footnotes of the books I found discussing the textual history of "The Canterbury Tales". One possible explanation as to why the Ha2 and Ha3 are rarely found or mentioned in comparison to the overwhelming supply of information on the Ha4 is that the Ha2 was "mostly used to supply Gg.S. or Cambridge". Similarly, the Ha3 "mostly supplies Lansdowne"(Koch 4). Therefore, maybe what is to be found of these manuscripts, the Ha2 and Ha3, is the combining of these manuscripts with the Cambridge and Lansdowne manuscripts, since it is described that the Harley versions supply these manuscripts. This theory is also supported by the fact that the Harley manuscripts contained many similarities to Shirley. I inferred from my readings that Shirley was a scribe of one of "The Canterbury Tales" manuscripts, since the Harley 7333 is often times mistaken to be his work(Pace 21). This presents another possible explanation that the Harley was combined with another manuscript and was therefore almost completely lost. This is only a possibility though, because the Harley is still referred to, no matter how seldom, as its own manuscript and is not combined in description with the Cambridge or Landsdowne. In lists of the available "The Canterbury Tales" manuscripts, provided by various books, the Harley is still referred to as its own manuscript and is not represented as part of another. The only information I found regarding the Ha2 1758 is that it lacks ten fols.

The Financial Detective

PAPER: We believe that Company I represents the Smaller Producer of printing papers and Company J represents the World’s Largest Market of Paper. Being the world’s largest paper maker indicates having a larger inventory, more current assets (esp. since it owns timberland and several facilities), and higher cost of goods sold than other paper makers. The inventory for Company J (10. 9) is larger than the inventory for Company I (8. 8); the current assets for Company J (32. 6) are higher than that for Company I (27. 2); and the cost of goods sold for Company J (82. 9) is higher than that for Company I (75. ). We also expect that, as the world’s largest paper maker, their products will move on the marketplace better than a smaller producer of paper. Thus, Inventory Turnover should also be higher. Here, Company J (7. 11) has a larger inventory turnover than Company I (6. 75). Receivables turnover, which tells how many times accounts receivables have been collected in a given period, should be higher for the world’s largest paper company than it would be for a small producer of specialty paper. Company J’s (11. 64) receivables turnover is higher than that for Company I (8. 68). The facts also state that the world’s largest maker of paper has been rationalizing capacity by closing inefficient mills, implementing cost-containment initiatives, and selling nonessential assets. This implies that the company would have a larger asset turnover ratio than other paper companies. Company J (1. 20) has a larger asset turnover ratio than Company I (. 73). It is probable that since the small producer of paper has most of its product marketed under branded labels, that it would have a higher value of Intangibles, such as trademarks, than the larger company. Here, Company I (14. 6) has an intangibles value that is significantly higher than Company J’s (1. 9) intangible value. Based on the above analysis, we believe that Company I is the small producer of printing, writing and technical specialty papers, and that Company J is the world’s largest maker of paper, paperboard, and packaging. RETAIL: From the financial ratios and the notes attached, it is apparent that Company N is the rapidly growing chain of upscale discount stores while Company M is the firm known for its low prices, breadth of merchandise and volume riented strategy. ASSETS Receivables: Company M has lower receivables of 1. 4 compared to company N with 17. 0 and this reason is to the fact that company N offers credit to qualified customer as a means of marketing strategy. Inventories: Company M has higher inventories of 24. 5 compared to company N with 16. 7 and this reason it attributed to the strategy company M adopts. Company M has a wide breadth of mercha ndise and volume oriented strategy amount to this high inventories on the balance sheet. Intangibles: There is a 93. 3% difference compared to company N with low intangibles. This reason is due to the operational strategy company M adopts. Company M possesses either or all of these following; Goodwill, Partnership rights or Patent rights. Analyzing the information provided accurately, one or more of the of the aforementioned rights exit because for company M to sell some products at very low prices, there must be an existing kind of memorandum of understanding between the producers and company M. LIABILITIES & EQUITY Deferred Taxes: Company M has deferred Taxes of 3. with company N having O. From the information of company M provided, it is possible that the deferred tax is an evidence of capital gains that might have risen from the proceeds of divestments of several non-discount department-store businesses. Debt in Current Liabilities: Company M is 75. 4% high than company Nâ€℠¢s Debt Current Liabilities. This can be as a result of the lease contract entered by company M. Depending on the lease agreement; Company M might have an overdue payment for the lease for a period within a year. INCOME STATEMENT Depreciation: It is understandable why company N has a high depreciation than company M and this is due to the reason that M is a lease copy therefore no depreciation is paid for leasing except a rental payment. There is an exception when the lease is a finance lease. Net Income: Company N strategies pay off because shareholders of any company want to maximize their investment or returns. Company N is making almost double of company M’s net profit, and also considering the fact that company N is making 85% of company M sales. MARKET DATA Beta: Companies in the same industries usually have different betas, one of the reasons this can happen is the kind of financing or debt equity ratio. The higher the debt equity ratio the higher the beta: this shows why company N has a higher beta compared to company M that has a lower debt equity ratio. Dividend Payout: Company M has a higher payout ratio of 31. 12%. Reason why company N might have a low payout ratio can be attributed to investment in future projects with positive NPV due to the rapidly growing chain of upscale discount stores. ASSET MANAGEMENT Receivables Turnover: This shows the degree of realization in accounts receivables. Company N has a lower turnover rate, a lower rate implies that receivables are being held longer and the less likely they are to be collected. Also there is an opportunity cost of tying up funds in receivables for a long period of time. Company M is 29 times higher than company N. From the above analysis, it is obvious that financial ratios of companies in same industries can never be the same but can only be similar. The kind of strategy and technology a company adopts tells a lot about differences in financial ratios. COMPUTERS: We believe that Company E is the company focused exclusively on mail-order sales and Company F is the company that sells a highly differentiable line of products. In this industry one company focuses exclusively on mail-order sales of built-to-order PCs, including desktops, laptops, and notebooks. Besides the company allows its customers to design, price and purchase through its web site. In contrast the other company has a retail strategy intended to drive traffic through its stores. With regards to the SGA expense, as well as depreciation, we can assume that the company resulting with the highest values is of course the one having more stores compared to the one conducting most of its transactions on an online basis. In this case the high value of 23. 1 in selling, general and administrative expense and the high value of 1. 8 in depreciation belonging to company F fit the description of the company with more retail stores. Another important financial data confirming this finding is the intangible data. From the Exhibit 1, the company E has a value of 0 in intangibles which is not surprising due to its business orientation. Company E is an assembler of PC components manufactured by its suppliers, therefore not having any claim of ownership of intangibles. On the other hand, the intangible value of 1. 2 of company F is due to the fact that company F has a variety of proprietary software products. In addition, the price to book ratio is lower for Company F (5. 3) than for Company E (17. 46). This is in line with our analysis because the facts state that the retail store has a declining market share, so the lower price to book ration would match the description for a company with a lower market share. Based on our analysis above, we believe that company E is the company focusing exclusively on mail-order sales of built-to-order PCs, and company F is the company having an aggressive retail strategy intended to drive traffic through its stores. NEWSPAPERS: We believe that company P is the diversified media company that generates most of its revenues through newspapers sold around the country and around the world and that Company O is the firm that owns a number of newspapers in relatively small communities throughout the Midwest and southwest. We believe this because Company P has a larger amount of current assets (other and total) and net fixed assets than CompanyO. Company P operates in not just the United States but it also operates in countries all around the world, which it means it will have a lot of assets than Company O. FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS ASSETS RECEIVABLES:Company P is higher than Company O and this can be attributed to the fact that company P has an international presence. This will result to a huge customer base compared to Company O. higher customer base would yield more credit sales. result to its revenues all over the world in the sense that it will have a lot of customers and there can be delays in monetary transactions. Since its business has international presence it can adopt a business strategy of offering a high volume of credit sales to customers. INVENTORIES: The two companies are at par have the same ratios. This means that there is an equal amount of goods and services available in the stock of both companies. INTANGIBLES: Company O has a higher intangibles value than company P because although company O is a smaller company it has acquired a Customer good will, employee morale, increased bureaucracy, and aesthetic appeal than company P which is a more diversified media company. DEBT MANAGEMENT TOTAL DEBT/TOTAL ASSET:Company P has a higher ratio compared to O. Most of company’s total debt are short term financed and this is to say that in the next period, the company can have a lower total debt to total asset ratio compared to company O. Based on this current standing it shows that 26. 81% of company’s P asset is financed by debt. INCOME/EXPENSES NETINCOME: Company O is almost likely to succeed more than company P in its operations because of its decentralized decision making and administration. Looking closely at the net income figure of both companies, company O net income is higher than company P net income. EBIT AND NET PROFIT MARGIN: Company O has a higher EBIT because the company is more profitable than company P. Company P has a lower net profit margin value than company O which indicates a low margin of safety, higher risk, and that a decline in sales will erase profits and result in a net loss. Company O is better in this aspect because of the adopted business of decentralized decision making and administration, which led to better success in its operations. MARKET DATA DIVIDEND PAYOUT: Company O has a higher ratio than company P which means it has a higher percentage of earnings paid to its shareholders in dividends. The shareholders of company O are benefiting better from the company than the shareholders of company P are. The reason for this could be that company P may be trying to invest in a project that is preventing it from paying shareholders adequate dividends BETA: Company P has a higher value which means a higher expected return of a stock or portfolio which is correlated to the return of the financial market as a whole than company O. PRICE/EARNING RATIO: Company O has a higher ratio than P. Over the years smaller firms have performed better in terms of returns. Shareholders of company O are willing to pay more for the shares today in anticipation of great prospects of returns in the future. ASSET MANAGEMENT RECEIVABLES TURNOVER: Company O has a higher turnover value because it has a higher number of number of times that account receivables are collected during in a period than company P. LIQUIDITY CURRENT RATIO AND QUICK RATIO: Company O has a better and higher value of the two ratios than company P so it means that company O has more current assets and cash equivalents to cover its liabilitie when due than company P. Based on our analysis above, we believe that company P is the diversified media company that generates most of its revenues through newspapers sold around the country and around the world and that Company O is the firm that owns a number of newspapers in relatively small communities throughout the Midwest and Southwest

Take Home Final Exam

The following plates will be reviewed from Rosebush's History of Photography textbook: 1) Charles Sheller, Industry, plate #585 2) Eve Seaman, Oranges, Manhattan 1978, plate #743 3) Berne and Hill Becker, Winding Towers, plate #736 4) Aaron Siskin, New York NO. 6, 1951, plate #664 5) Lynn Cohen, Corridor, plate #700 6) Mary Ellen Mark, Tiny in her Halloween Costume, Seattle, plate #689 Charles Sheller, Industry' Charles Seller's image, Industry represents a time during the Industrial Age when Ford was uncompromising machinery and assembly lines were moving at a constant rate.Seller's work can be placed in the Aesthetically Evaluative à ©tagà ¨re due to the symmetry and balance in the photograph. The shapes and lines crisscross and work together to form a well-composed photograph. A second category to place Industry in would be Descriptive because this photograph has a certain sense of style that we cannot deny. A third category is Explanatory because the image depicts a certain era of time that significant in the history books. This era is the Industrial Age in America. Explanatory photographs are intended to document a certain way of life.Charles Seller's Industry certainly earns a place in the history books not only because of this lance/symmetric sense of style shown in the image but it illustrates how the use of space or lack of can really accent the photograph as a whole and make it aesthetically pleasing to the eye. On the same note, during this time great changes were occurring and manufacturing was booming so kudos to the photographer, Charles Shelley, for not only capturing this in a documentary form but composing a beautiful image as well.His work would be categorized in the era of Modernist photography because of his efforts in the asses and later. His work also depicts the great changes ND during that time and changes that the Industrial Age brought about. You can see examples of this through his documentary photography of Henry Ford and his manuf acturing lines. Artists involved in photographing dramatic engineering and urban landscapes can be grouped together as Protectionists. Protectionists pay special attention t geometrical structures and have a smooth handling of surfaces.They have unexpected viewpoints in the sense of angle and the way they crop their picture. Charles Demise's idea of Cubism-geometric shapes and overlapping planeloads be found in this Protectionist form and style. Eve Seaman, Oranges, Manhattan 1978 Eve Seaman's image can be interpretive in regards to addressing what the world views are in this photographers eyes. A category that could be used for interpreting this photograph would be Descriptive because the particular style works, being a diptych, and allows views to compare and interpret the two photographs.A second category could be Aesthetic because one looking at the photo and noting the color changes as far as shading goes on the person's face, the change in action of the subjects in the photogr aph, and the existing question f â€Å"what is going on right now? † in the photograph. I also appreciate the white line in the middle of the image as a whole making it a diptych. Today there is less room between the two photos and I like the style of this one. Seaman's image falls into the modernistic era due to the stylistic properties as far as the alteration of the image and the comparison of each to each other.Eve Seaman's success should never be discounted and embarking on these stylistic endeavors are worth printing in the history books because of the way it was altered. Berne and Hill Becker, Winding Towers Berne and Hill Becker s Winding Towers is described to be art about art. Thomas South's Museum Photographs is similar to the Beeches, as discussed in class. A category I would classify this piece of work would be Theoretical photography because you can Compare these Structures to social class and hierarchy because of the nature in which the tower itself is structur ed.It is also said that art about art is classified as Theoretical. Another category would be Explanatory because the photograph explains in a scientific sense by capturing these photos over a number of years and in owing so the photographers have created a typology of form. There is also a nice tonal range represented here so this image can also be categorized as stylistically sound or Descriptive because the piece â€Å"works†. The work can be classified as Modernist art since they create typologies of form that challenge the traditional meanings of art.Berne and Hill Becker have rightfully earned their place in the history books because of the typology documented and their technique of which to gather the information over time. All photographs are said to fit in the descriptive category, interpretive and heretical, as stated in the onset of Terry Barrette's Criticizing Photographs, chapter 4. Since all photographs give relatively accurate information of people, places and objects, they can technically fit in the descriptive category.Moreover, all photographs can fit in the interpretive category because most photographs interpret how the photographer interprets and sees the world. Finally all photographs are influenced by other art forms so these photographs can be placed in the theoretical category. Aaron Siskin, New York No. 6 Aaron Skin's New York No. 6 is Aesthetically Evaluative cause the lines and shapes and ongoing symmetry work together to create on cohesive piece of art.This photograph looks similar to the one of Charles Sheller, Industry because has qualities of lines, shape and form and the importance of all of these aspects fitting into one aesthetically pleasing piece of work. Feel the category of Theoretical is a fit category because it plays with perceptions of art and how the photographer interprets art but also provokes the viewer to question how the art was created. The photograph looks more like a something created with paint or Har old and less likely produced with film.Aaron Siskin, an Abstract Expressionist painter, emphasized experimentation and worked on color, multiple montages, and collages (Rosenberg 516). He was part of the post-war photograph trends in the United States. This group of artist espoused straight photography and therefore can be categorized in the Modernist era. Lynn Cohen, Corridor Lynn Cohen, Corridor can be classified as Aesthetically evaluative because you can see how the image was purposely framed cropped. I think this image ‘works' and is successful.This image is also categorized as Descriptive cause of the artificial light and the detached distance from the subject matter pictured in the photograph. In looking at the crop of the image and how the image hold most of its weight on the right side of the photo, this image can be seen as Aesthetically evaluative because the photo is a success artistically with composition and style. In saying this, believe that this photograph sho uld remain in the history books because it gives viewers positive insight on the importance of composition and plasticity (or the absence of) in photographs.The era this type of art is seen in is the era of modernism and more pacifically, contemporary surrealism. Mary Ellen Mark, Tiny in her Halloween Costume Mary Ellen Mark, Tiny in her Halloween Costume can be classified as Ethically Evaluative because it illustrates a certain time in this young girls life and how her life is affected by the neighborhood she lives in the peer pressure that surrounds her to fit in or not to fit in. This photograph can also be considered Interpretive because this category covers the directorial nature of the photographer with its subject matter.Mary Ellen Mark's photograph can also be categorized as Explanatory because the image can be viewed as a sociological or anthropological perspective because it is a visual study of a Seattle area using a very documentary style of photography. This is a succes sful picture because it is aesthetically pleasing in that the photograph is very stylistic: the picture is in black and white so it gives off a moody vibe. Mary Ellen Mark's photograph should remain in the history books because it provides insight on how society was during this era and the poverty that some people had to live in.Streetwise was produced during the Modernist/Post-Modernist era because he portrait is untraditional in the Pictorial sense. In other words, it's not meant to be smoothing to the eye or flattering but more of a documentary style picture. Personal Work As a photographer, I must also be able to evaluate and categorize my own work. Not only that but it's important to identify as to WHY we capture certain images. What is interesting about the pictures we create? If we can't identify with or answer these questions, why would someone else care about the work or find the photographs intriguing?

Critical Analysis of Leadership Capabilities The WritePass Journal

Critical Analysis of Leadership Capabilities Introduction Critical Analysis of Leadership Capabilities Introduction Life and careerPersonal lifeIndira Attaining IndependenceIndira in PoliticsIndira’s Development in PoliticsIndira Gandhi as Prime MinisterThe Rise and Downfall of Indira GandhiConclusion ReferencesRelated Introduction Indira Gandhi is the Indias only female prime minister to date, she remains the worlds longest serving female Prime Minister. She is the only daughter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and kamala Nehru People loved Indira due to her ‘charmless, sincerity, intelligence and charisma.’ Life and career Indira Priyadarshini Gandhiwas born on 19 November 1917, in AllahabadIndia. She was the one and only daughter to her parents. She was very traditional, once Gandhi went to meet Indira’s family. Since Gandhi was also a lawyer, he had been returned from South Africa, he had fought against racial discrimination. Hence Indira’s parents and Indira joined politics. Indira grew up in politics like anything, she was inspired by the political atmosphere at home, though she was exposed to politics in the age four and it made the beginning of the family members in the political affairs of the country. Everything was going good but her mother health was very poor, Indira used to take care of her mother like anything, but due to Tuberculosis she died in the year 1936. But Indira was only 18year old at that time. When Indira was three year old, she was joined St. Cicilias private school, after 3 years her parents took her to Switzerland were she got admsission in I’Ecole Novelle. In December 1927, she came back to India and she joined to St.Mary’s convent in Allahabad, though she was very young she took active part in the Freedom struggle. In May 1931, she was admitted to Jahangir vakil’s public school, in Poona she cleared her matriculation examination in that school in the year 1934 April Again from July 1934 to April 1935 she studied in vishwa bharathi shanthinikethan. She was greatly influenced by the poet Rabindranath Tagore. In 1936, February 28th, Indira Gandhi mother expired, and then Nehru took her to England and admitted her in badminton school Bristol. In 1938, she took university of oxford entrance examination but for her there was no luck and she got failed in examination after clearing the examination Indira joined to Somerville college, oxford in the year 1938, February. In the same year and time she met Harold Laski and she became member of the Indian national congress. When she was 12 years, she joined to politics to learn the power of politics. They did not that when at what time they would arrest them or search of Homes due to the time of British Imperialism. They were about to find out when can this occur, Indira claimed and she thought of an idea. Indira made her job very sincerely and seriously. One day Indira went to meet the congress top officers, who were organizing a civil disobedience movement, though the meeting was finished the documents were kept in the car safely at the back seat. She was supposed to leave the area the police inspector rushed and made her to stop the car to search. Indira was in very urgent that she did not leave the police to inspect the car; she told I have to go arrive at the school, since it is already late, I have to reach there. Hence policeman did not search Indira’s car, trust on her and sent her from that place. When Indira Gandhi was born, she was been loved by each and every person of her family. She is being the one and only daughter of the family members. Many of her family members sent a Telegram that new soul of India is born, Congratulations. After this Indira Gandhi was given the nick name Indu by her father. She was brought up like a princess doll; she used to play with the expensive toys. Many incidents have been occurred in Indira Gandhi’s life which left a great impact on her. Once such incident was, Motilal and Nehru were arrested and were fined some amount of five hundred rupees; because of many problems they did not pay the fine. At that time, Indira was very young aged, she felt bad and helpless, and she started to fight with the police. This entire incident made Indira to fight the evil in future also. One day Indira Gandhi was playing with her loving doll, where she was emotionally attached to it, because of some reasons she burned her doll; she was very much depressed, after some time she contributed to the great cause of Freedom. Since Indira Gandhi was wearing lonely foreign clothes, as that were the elders of the family members were she always used to wear suit; one day Mahatma Gandhi gave a call to stop foreign goods, Hence Indira Gandhi stopped wearing foreign clothes.   The dressing sense of Indira Gandhi made dedication towards Indian Country Indira Gandhi’s childhood was very unique, she used to keep always lone, her father used to stay in prison many times and her mother very ill since the loneliness become here one of the part of life.   This loneliness made her to love and make friend with Feroze Gandhi. Feroze Gandhi was very friendly with Indira Gandhi days went he proposed her when she was sixteen year old.   She went to join shanthinikethan founded by famous Nobel poet Rabindra Nath Tagore. There she became very much popular among the students welfare society, she was considered as an asset to the shanthinikethan. Personal life Indira Gandhi’s mother expired, after that she went to England to learn classics. There she saw Feroze Gandhi and both became friends, after some time their friendship turned into deep love. She agreed to Feroze Gandhi, but her father abused her selection as Feroze Gandhi was a Parsi. Later, Jawaharlal Nehru agreed for their marriage, though Indira was stubborn and marriage between those two made much controversy. They got married on March 16, 1942 on Ramanavami day.   Soon after their marriage, they two were arrested in connection with a Quit movement, but Indira Gandhi was treated very badly in the prison, this made her physically and mentally strong.   After a month, Indira was released, one year later Feroze was released.   After release of Feroze Gandhi, he started working in the national Herald newspaper as an Editor.   At that timer Jawaharlal Nehru was the current prime minister, but Indira was the backbone to her father.   She was use to assist and she was w orking as a principal. Feroze Gandhi also joined politics, he got a name and fame in the parliament, he stood for elections he did not take any of the support from Nehru, he made a separate party and he was one in the general election. He was elected and chooses to live separately in New Delhi. In 1944, August 20th Indira’s first son was born when her father was in jail, she sent a telegram that the first grand son is born and asked to choose a name for his grandson. Jawaharalal Nehru chooses Raju, Indira added another name Ratna. The full name was Raju Ratna Gandhi he became popular as Rajiv Gandhi. In the year 1947, Hindu and Muslim communities took part in the transfer of power took place since none of the congress party were ready to accept the portioning of the country. But on August 15, 1947 India and Pakistan came into existence. At his time Indira got second son, named Sanjay Gandhi Indira Attaining Independence On August 15, 1947 mid-night, India got Independence. Mahatma Gandhi said to Indira to work towards affected areas, but Indira did not say no.   Though she was having two small kids, she worked hard day and night in the hit areas.   From childhood, she had an innate desire to meet and greet the people, explore the arts and investigate a life.   When Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime minister, she went to Delhi to assist her father but at that time Feroze had become Member of Parliament.   She had to take care of two kids and her husband and also she used to work hard, she was daring and bold lady.   She worked very hard for the child welfare and she was involved in many communities. Indira in Politics In the year 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was died were Indira was so much attached to Mahatma Gandhi   she followed all his rules and regulation, since she was quite close to him, from early days. On 1950, January 26thIndia got democratic republic and the Indian constitution was adopted. Jawaharalal was to control, authority and diligence. She was the member of UNESCO. The executive board name union’s nation Educational, scientific and cultural organization.   This was a great opportunity for her to meet the foreign country peoples. Her whole life was shaped with political influences from her father; he used to support her in all sorts of activities and her husband Feroze used to support her always to participate in the political activities. She got impressed by her Father’s achievements, she was going to different places and she got a good background, she became the member of congress, working committee in February 1995, she got herself involved in politics. In the year 1959, February 2nd she was elected as the President of Indian National Congress. Indira as a President she showed courage and proved herself, after sometime she dismissed the Kerala Government but her father used to impose President Rule in Kerala.   After sometime the entire Kerala ministry was dismissed and fresh elections were made in 1960.   Indira Gandhi worked a lot this made her father to feel proud of her, â€Å"I am proud of her good nature, her energy, courage, boldness, willingness to work for the country, Integrity and Truthfulness†.   Due to poor health her husband Feroze Gandhi suddenly died in the year 1960, which was the great loss to her, she suffered a lot; her whole life was shaken when her husband was expired as she was attached to her husband very much.   She took some time and came out, she made herself busy in politics, and day by day she made her mind strong. Her will power and Fearlessness and confidence made her works.   After th is she travelled to various countries in the year 1961. In the year 1962, Chinese attacked India.   Defense minister Krishna Menno worked very much hard to boost the armed forces; slowly his Health started declining his popularity. In the year 1964 May 27th Jawaharalal Nehru passed away, it was on very bad incident, which was a great loss to Indira and to the Indian country. His death caused a vacuum in India and in other countries also for with the Nehru working way. Indira Gandhi had no more guide or philosopher, because everything was her Father. She had only two sons left, she was found of them, her mad time for them, she firmly believed that and quality time was much more Important than the quantity time. She guided her sons, with a sense of security, as another she motivated her sons, guided thought them good manners, self respect, and self discipline and strengthen their character, with love. Children grew up in different personalities like that sanjay and Raju Gandhi also gowned. Where sanjay was bold and daring, but Rajiv was shy and bit feared as Indira childhood was lonely, she was determined to give affection and love, as they grew older, they were sent to a boarding at Dehradun. Indira’s Development in Politics After Jawaharlal Nehru expired in 1964, the next prime minister was Lal Bahadur Shastri, he was sincere man with an right politics.   In the year 1965 September, Pakistan attacked India and it lasted for 22 days continuously.   During this war Indira sent a more soldiers.   There again election took place, there was only choice, after Shashtri, so she was elected for the Congress Parliamentary party. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister Indira was the first woman to become the Prime minister of India, she accepted in whole heartedly in the honor by politicians, diplomats.   Her confidence level, her will power made her to grow in politics, she kept going on and on the moral strength willingness to work all made her to work throughout her life, she had also energy in her, when she became prime minister, she made her role clearly and in confidence.   She used to think all are equal, no caste or no religion nothing all are equal, all citizens who belongs to an Indian Constitution are equal without making separate all sex, languages, state are equal to me.   I am just an Indian to serve the country. When Indira became prime minister, India got twenty year Independence; she made it very much clear that, everyone has to work independently without laziness. Indira was going very crucial at that phase. There was no power generation, irrigation, agriculture, education, proper food to the people, and also no improvement in any field there was an economic crisis occurred. In India’s period there was a lot of poverty, she took loan in commercialized Bank, and she explained the necessity to the people. By taking bank loans the small farmers, the cottage industries, the small entrepreneurs and self employed were greatly benefited. Indira Gandhi granted statehood to Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura. Not only had these she still taken still more daring decisions.   Soon after becoming the prime minister, she travelled widely to many countries like France, USE, UK and UAE. These trips made her very clear to make the India’s position, to bring it to the top place. In the year 1969, VV Giri won and emerged as the fourth president of the Republic of India. Earlier our nations were divided into more than 500 states. Indira gave much Importance to science and technology, in upgrading the deference machinery. She was very much in favor of using nuclear energy and it was against the misuse of science.   Science is culture, it is been brought in better life.   If we use more science, until earn a lots of money.   The peoples are using science for their own purpose.   Using the nuclear power nuclear science was launching of India’s first space satellite â€Å"Aryabhatta†. In India ISRO was launched on April 19, 1975. In 1977, India’s second earth satellite communication station was inaugurated by Indira Gandhi.In1980, the second experimental satellite launch vehicle SLV-3 in 1977. The Rise and Downfall of Indira Gandhi When Indira was four year old, her Father and Grandfather were in jail due to some political activities. And the Jail became a part of her life. The downfall of Indira Gandhi began after India won the war against Pakistan in 1971. The Allahabad High Court found Indira Gandhi guilty with electoral corruption for the 1971 elections. In 1975, Indira Gandhi called a State of Emergency, in which she ordered the arrest of her opposition, who later joined together and formed the  Janata Party  In 1977, Indira Gandhi and her party,  Indian National Congress, lost the election to the Janata Party. After the elections, Gandhi found herself without work, income or residence. On 12 June 1975 the  High Court of Allahabad  declared Indira Gandhis election to the  Lok Sabha on grounds of electoral malpractice, in an election petition filed by Raj Narain. The court thus ordered her to be removed from her seat in Parliament and banned from running in elections for six years. In July 1982,  a Sikh group occupied the  Golden Temple.  In response, on 6 June 1984, during one of the holiest Sikh holidays, Indira gave permission for Operation Blue Star, in which the Indian army opened fire, killing a number of Sikhs. The State of Punjab was closed to international media. On 31 October 1984, two of Gandhis Sikh bodyguards, assassinated her with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Ministers residence. A national nuclear program was started by Gandhi in 1967, in response to the nuclear threat from the Peoples Republic of China. She wanted to establish Indias stability and security interests as independent from those of the nuclear superpowers. In 1974, India successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, near the desert village of  Pokhran  in  Rajasthan. India became the worlds then youngest nuclear  power. Conclusion Being the first woman Prime Minister of India, and an influential leader, in a male-dominated society, Indira Gandhi is a symbol of feminism in India Indira Gandhi, her life started with an unending quest to achieve something as she is been said by someone that â€Å"Great minds have purposes others have wishes†. She was the most dedicated lady having a commendable personality and leadership Qualities. Indira Gandhi Became prime minister and she served for 15 years continuously. As prime minister between 1971 and 1977, two important happenings marked her term as the prime minister. She went around the world to explain the ghastly condition of the refugees. Indira made USA and other countries to understand the tragic and agonizing plight. Indira Gandhi was always in favor of peace. Hence Indira was conferred with Bharat Ratna by the president by VV.Giri in March 1972. Indira’s contributions to the people of India include reservations to the poor people. She used to mingle with the common people without worrying of the castism .She used to believe in secularism, she made herself responsible for the well being of weaker sections, she was the role model to the younger generations. Most of people is steel remembered has indira amma, (amma means mother) because she strangled to get a great scarifies to India and to her respect, in New Delhi the international airport is named as indira Gandhi international airport. References â€Å"URL:http:// www.cncw.com/india/indira.html   (Accessed 3 Nov 1998) â€Å"URL:http:// www.sscnet.ucla.edu./southasia/History/mainhist.html â€Å"nebulasearch.com/encyclopedia/articles/gandhi.html (accessed 30 Jan 2004) Written by Maria ulincy, 1998 last revision: 16 November 2004. URL:http://departments.king.edu/womenshistory/indiragandhi.html1998 Indira Gandhi. A biography series. Published by shree book centre, Mumbai Indira Gandhi Biography series published by Vee Kumar publication (p) Ltd., New Delhi. www.indiragandhi.com www.answers.com 10. Connect.in.com/Indiragandhi/profile-123493.html 11. www.indianchild.com/indiragandhi.html 12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi

Free Essays on Desertification

Desertification has its greatest impact in Africa. Two thirds of the continent is desert or drylands. There are extensive agricultural drylands, almost three quarters of which are already degraded to some degree. The region is afflicted by frequent and severe droughts. Many African countries are landlocked, have widespread poverty, need external assistance, and depend heavily on natural resources for subsistence. They have difficult socio-economic conditions, insufficient institutional and legal frameworks, incomplete infrastructure, and weak scientific, technical, and educational capacities. These difficult circumstances explain why African countries have put so much effort into convincing the international community of the need for a "Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa". Africa's desertification is strongly linked to poverty, migration, and food security. In many African countries, combating desertification and promoting development are virtually one and the same due to the social and economic importance of natural resources and agriculture. When people live in poverty, they have little choice but to over-exploit the land. When the land eventually becomes uneconomic to farm, these people are often forced into internal and cross-border migrations, which in turn can further strain the environment and cause social and political tensions and conflicts. (The link with migration was important to the international community's recognition of desertification as a truly global problem, like climate change or biodiversity loss.) Food security can ultimately be put at risk when people already living on the edge face severe droughts and other calamities. Desertification is defined as soil degradation in arid regions, often to such an extent that it is impossible to make the soil productive again. It is the result of complex interactions between unp... Free Essays on Desertification Free Essays on Desertification Desertification has its greatest impact in Africa. Two thirds of the continent is desert or drylands. There are extensive agricultural drylands, almost three quarters of which are already degraded to some degree. The region is afflicted by frequent and severe droughts. Many African countries are landlocked, have widespread poverty, need external assistance, and depend heavily on natural resources for subsistence. They have difficult socio-economic conditions, insufficient institutional and legal frameworks, incomplete infrastructure, and weak scientific, technical, and educational capacities. These difficult circumstances explain why African countries have put so much effort into convincing the international community of the need for a "Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa". Africa's desertification is strongly linked to poverty, migration, and food security. In many African countries, combating desertification and promoting development are virtually one and the same due to the social and economic importance of natural resources and agriculture. When people live in poverty, they have little choice but to over-exploit the land. When the land eventually becomes uneconomic to farm, these people are often forced into internal and cross-border migrations, which in turn can further strain the environment and cause social and political tensions and conflicts. (The link with migration was important to the international community's recognition of desertification as a truly global problem, like climate change or biodiversity loss.) Food security can ultimately be put at risk when people already living on the edge face severe droughts and other calamities. Desertification is defined as soil degradation in arid regions, often to such an extent that it is impossible to make the soil productive again. It is the result of complex interactions between unp...

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Website Content Template How to Get Content Right the First Time You’ve checked your backlog and suddenly you see it. You need to craft content for a new web page. For some marketers this marks the beginning of endless back and forths with developers, upper management or even clients over what content you need to create. Wouldn’t it be easier to simplify this process? That’s where a website content template comes into play. What are some benefits to using them? Lets count three: They make it easier to take a content-first approach with everything written and ready to hand off to a developer. Templates help provide the clarity your developers need to insert the content you’ve created to the webpage without them having to endlessly ask for it. T hey also help you and your marketing team remain consistent which leads to more pages being published on time. After all, who wouldn’t like being on time? Plus, they make it easy for writers to pass content back and forth for editing review. This post will walk you through how to use our template to create your initial content for any web page. Well also cover a four-step planning process to share with your marketing team. Keep reading to see how you can simplify your entire website content creation process.

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THE WEATHERMEN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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The World’s Most Misunderstood Breed of Dogs Essay Example for Free

The World’s Most Misunderstood Breed of Dogs Essay When many people see a pit bull or the breed is mentioned they instantly stereotype them as being aggressive and monstrous beasts, this however is not the case as all! Pit bulls have been breed over the years as fighting dogs. The owners have raised them to be extremely violent and attack other dogs by treating them harshly and training them to do so at a young age. However, over the years people have wrongfully stereotyped pit bulls because their owners have trained them to be violent. The only dogs that do are the ones that have been trained to do so by humans. The humans are the ones who have created this so called â€Å"monstrous beast†. Pit bulls are the world’s most misunderstood breed of dogs that have been wrongfully stereotyped against for many years. It is a myth that pit bulls are genetically driven to kill people. â€Å"Dogs are not machines; they are living organisms. Like all living organisms, a dog’s behavior is influenced by both genetics and environment. How a dog owner manages his or her dog will determine whether the dog becomes a danger to humans. No dog is driven entirely by genetics to attack people, and no dog breed has been created or bred into such a state that all dogs of the breed are compelled to attack people. Dogs that are raised as beloved family pets do not kill people.† This statement above fully describes how not all pit bulls are aggressive and how if raised properly they are amazing dogs. This shows that pit bulls can be aggressive but that is only because they have been brought up in an environment that encouraged aggressive behavior and were rewarded for it by their owners. Also, according to American Temperament Test Society the American Pit bull Terrier has a very high passing rate of 82.6%. This statistic shows that Pit bulls are good tempered dogs and are not all aggressive. The American Temperament Test Society also shows that the average passing rate is 77%. This means that Pit bulls are above average when it comes to temperament compared to many other breeds of dogs. This same source adds that Pi t bulls are less likely to attack than a Rottweiler, German shepherd, or a Chow. This evidence shows that a Pit bull is no more aggressive than any other dog. Pit bulls have been given a bad reputation that they cannot seem to shake. This reputation has caused this type of dog to be banned in parts of the United States and across the country. It is sad knowing that there are  other breeds of dogs that are just as likely to be aggressive and yet Pit bulls have been stereotyped as the most aggressive breed of dogs. Many people have stereotyped the breed before they have ever encountered a Pit bull, I am actually guilty of this. Before I had ever come in contact with a pit bull I thought they were naturally aggressive dogs and boy was I wrong. My sister’s boyfriend, Antonio, got a Pit bull and we all decided to name her Coda Bear. She is the sweetest dog ever and is in no way aggressive. I have two Golden Retrievers and when Antonio brings Coda Bear over to play she is very submissive to one of my dogs, Bailey. I would say that Bailey is probably more aggre ssive than Coda Bear. Recently Coda Bear got out of her fenced yard and dog into a dog fight. And right now I am sure that most of you are thinking that Coda Bear started it, but this is not the case. Coda was attacked by another dog and didn’t even know how to defend herself. She ended up in the hospital and had bite marks all over her. The hospital automatically assumed that Coda had started the fight and told Antonio that his dog might have to be put down if they found that she was aggressive. After interacting with Coda at the hospital and doing an aggressive test on her the hospital found that Coda was in no way aggressive. When attacked by the other dog she did not attack back, she simply took the abuse until the attack was broken up by Antonio. Coda Bear recovered quickly and is her perky happy self again that we all know and love. Whenever Coda sees someone she doesn’t want to attack them; she just wants to run up to them and lick their face till it is sopping wet from all her kisses! My experience with a Pit bull has proved to me that Pit bulls are loving dogs that have been wrongfully judged and stereotyped. Pit bulls were not born wanting to hurt or even kill any animal or person; they were trained to do it. The owner created that aggressive dog, the dog did not choose to be this way. Many people simply forget this and automatically assume that the breed itself is aggressive, when it is really the owners who train them to be this way. Also many Pit bulls are being euthanized when taken to a shelter because they believe that they are aggressive dogs and that no one will want to adopt them. Pit bulls were originally known as â€Å"nanny dogs† because they were so great with kids and were very tolerant and loving. Since people began fighting Pit bulls they have lost this reputation. Hopefully they will get this reputation back because they truly deserve it; they are wonderful dogs.

Suppleness in Physical Education Essay -- Papers

Suppleness in Physical Education The definition of flexibility, suppleness and mobility is the range of movement possible round a joint and this depends on the amount of stretch allowed by the ligaments, joints, tendons and muscles. Flexibility is an important component of physical fitness for all athletes as increasing your flexibility aids performance and helps to avoid unnecessary injury. It is impossible to have the same degree of flexibility around all joints as the joint structure itself limits flexibility, for example a lot of movement is possible at the shoulder joint because it is a ball and socket joint, but movement at the hinge joint of the knee is more limited. Increasing body temperature helps to improve flexibility, which is a good reason why an athlete should always warm up. Our range of movement deteriorates as we get older, due to shortening of the connective tissue and general joint degeneration caused by wear and tear. Why should a netballer do mobility exercises? The objective of mobility training is to improve the range of stretch of the antagonistic muscles. Mobility plays an important part in the preparation of netballers by developing a range of movement to allow technical development and assisting in the prevention of injury. All athletes require a basic level of general all round mobility to allow them to benefit from other forms of training. In addition, netball players will need to develop specific mobility for those joint actions involved in the techniques of their game. Netballers do not have the option to dribble the ball; therefore netball is very much a passing game. Throwing is one... ...ying netball as players have to repeatedly bend down to gather low passes or rolling balls. As I play the position of centre, a high level of stamina is vital as the centre is the player who links the defence to the attack. The centre is designated to a large area on the court so a lot of movement is required. Netball consists of the players continuously passing the ball, so endurance in the biceps brachii and triceps trachii is essential which enables players to pass the ball accurately with speed and power throughout the game. A good level of stamina will ensure that fatigue will not affect your performance. Lack of stamina is highlighted in the last quarter of many matches in which a player complains of â€Å"jelly legs.† This is usually accompanied by decreased performance in skills requiring muscular strength or power.

Sometimes A Shining Moment :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book Sometimes a Shining Moment: Eliot Wiginton had a student that talked about a teacher who takes time to recognize students as an individual and not just part of a group. The student went on to say â€Å"I had one particular teacher that I would never forget. Once when the teacher gave back an essay I found that she had complimented my essay, the topic, and even me.† I had a teacher that that was just like the teacher that one of the juniors or seniors had. The teacher that I remember the best was my twelfth grade English teacher, Mrs. Oehler was a type of teacher that always involved every one in the class discussion. She took the time to realize me as a individual and not just a student that showed up for her class every day. Every day when I went to class I was excited to be their. We never knew what Mrs. Oehler had up her sleeve, but we knew that we would have a good time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I showed up at room 124 on the first day of class I did not know what to expect. You see I never had Mrs. Oehler in my previous three years of high school. I thought she would be a nice person to have as teacher, but I never knew that she would be the best teacher that I ever had. I first noticed that Mrs. Oehler was a special kind of person when she came over to my desk and out of the clear blue she asked me about my story I was writing for her class. I was surprised to here her say â€Å"so Matt how do you like you story so far†. She did not ask any body else in the class, just me. It was those little things that she did that impressed me. She always made time in class for each and every one of us to state our opinion about the days topic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some days when we were reading a story she would turn it into a theatrical performance. She always keep us interested in what we were reading, and turned an ordinary assignment that would of been boring with any other teacher into a fun and rewarding experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We read the Adromenal Strain a story that dealt with a deadly virus from outer space and the use of the atomic bomb to rid the earth of this deadly infection. Our class was mixed with different emotions about using the atomic bomb. We discussed the effects and devastation that the bomb could bring and

Ann Taylor

Table of Contents |Executive Summary |2 | |Company background & Current Marketing Situation |3-7 | |Marketing Objectives |7-8 | |Opportunity & Issue Analysis |8-13 | |Marketing Strategy & Actions taken |13-16 | |Appendix 1 & 2 |17-20 | |Bibliography |21 | Contributions (write ups only)Executive Summary, Company background & Marketing Strategy- Priyanka Chigurupati Marketing Objectives& Marketing Strategy- Maira Braga Opportunity & Issue Analysis- Judy Seng & Yui Yasuda Executive Summary Ann Taylor Stores Corp. has been one of the largest apparel and accessories firms in the fashion industry for a long time. It has four divisions; Ann Taylor, LOFT, Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet each of which caters the same category of apparel and accessories, i. e. work related clothing to different markets.The introduction of Dan Taylor; our challenge has been positive and we feel that this division for men’s clothing would reap benefits for the company primarily because the men’s market is a growing one. Also, Dan Taylor can capitalize on Ann Taylor’s reputation of being amongst the top few brands customers pick for work related, casual yet chic clothing. Our product line will follow along the path of LOFT; catered to men instead of women. Although there are several threats the company might face, we strongly believe that the opportunities will outweigh the risks.Dan Taylor will use promotional tools that Ann Taylor never used but in terms of overall advertising, Dan Taylor will follow Ann Taylor’s path. The company’s overall goal is to improve the bottom line growth of both the divisions (Ann Taylor & Dan Taylor). If successful, Ann Taylor Store Corp. will be one of the highest grossing companies in the United States. COMPANY BACKGROUND & CURRENT MARKETING SITUATION Ann Taylor Stores Corp. has been one of the most popular women’s clothing company in the United States for the past few decades.Founded in 1954 by Richard Liebeskind , the company was named â€Å"Ann Taylor,† because â€Å"Ann,† was considered a very New England name and â€Å"Taylor,† evoked an image of tailored clothing. Ann Taylor has four divisions; Ann Taylor, LOFT, Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet. Ann Taylor caters to working women with classic clothing that is polished, refined and versatile. The fashions offered at Ann Taylor stores are for affluent career women. With price points between $40 (for a basic top) and $430, Ann Taylor falls in the â€Å"better,† category.LOFT was established in the late 90’s and offers more casual and relaxed fashions for relatively younger customers. Priced anywhere between $20- $90 and $200 for suits (two separates), it falls under the â€Å"upper moderate,† category. Ann Taylor Factory and the LOFT outlet are extensions of the brand (Ann Taylor and LOFT) in the outlet division. Ann Taylor Stores Corp. ’s product line (width) includes â€Å"Apparel,† that includes tops and blouses, sweaters and knits, dresses, pants, skirts, suits, jackets and coats, denim and accessories among all four divisions (based on different price points).The depth of the accessories includes shoes, jewelry, handbags, belts, scarves and shape wear. Ann Taylor has an exclusive line of Bridal wear that is an one stop shop for all wedding needs for women including wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, shoes and accessories at an affordable range of $38 (accessories) to $495 (wedding dress). LOFT, being the more casual between the two has an exclusive line of lounge wear ranging between $20 and $60. The extensive product line is available for Ann Taylor and LOFT in brick and mortar stores, on the internet (ecommerce) and in catalogues.Ann Taylor’s strengths lie in the fact that it caters to a strong and growing market, i. e. primarily to the working sector of people. Ann Taylor’s target market primarily comprises of ages between 30 years and 60 years to whom, the company offers a plethora of work related apparel and accessories. LOFT’s target market comprises of 18 to 34 year olds who have a wide variety of casual work related (can be used for other purposes) apparel and accessories. Although the two divisions cater to different target markets, their primary purpose is to provide to the ‘working customer. Ann Taylor’s expansion into value based divisions (LOFT and its clearance centers) has captured the value market. The pricing at LOFT is about 30% lower than its sister concept, Ann Taylor. The outlets too, have captured the market that comprises of consumers seeking deeper value over traditional pricing and stores. The corporation added more value to these â€Å"clearance centers,† by creating private labels for the outlet centers. All the three divisions have proven to be a success among consumers. A third strength of the company would be its marketing strategies through celebrity associat ions.Some of the biggest celebrities like Heidi Klum, Milla Jovovich, Rachel Bilson are the faces of the company. The brand equity of the company, i. e. the image of the company in the minds of the consumers is enhanced because of positive perceptions. To further enhance this, the company is specifically targeting different markets by using different celebrities for each type of market. For example: Christina Hendricks, known for her curves is a face of the company. Although not directly done this speaks to the relatively more curvy women, a huge upcoming market.Also, since Ann Taylor has been associated with ‘luxury products,’ its reputation has trickled down to its LOFT brand and customers have started to consider LOFT as affordably luxurious. One of the biggest weaknesses of the company (in disguise) is also a blessing for the company, i. e. its LOFT division. The LOFT brand has been growing rampantly with 506 LOFT stores as compared to 291 Ann Taylor stores in 2009. The reason for this growth has been the demand for value oriented ‘luxury,’ products offered by LOFT.When LOFT was set up in the late 90’s, it was oriented towards casual clothing. Today, with the shift towards more casual clothing even in the working environment (casual Friday), LOFT unwittingly turned into Ann Taylor’s direct competitor with a better value proposition. Ever since the economy has been in the throes of a recession, Ann Taylor’s performance like that of most other companies has spiraled downwards. Since 2008, the company has been spiraling downwards with net sales of $2. 4 billion in fiscal 2008, $2. 2 billion in fiscal 2009 and $1. 8 billion in fiscal 2010.The net loss went down considerably from $333,906,000 in fiscal 2009 to $18,208,000 in fiscal 2010. The company has been facing tough competition from its major competitors like White House Black Market, Chico’s, Anne Klein, Talbots, Banana Republic, J Crew and Cold Water Creek for Ann Taylor and The Gap, AK Anne Klein, New York & Co. and INC International Concepts (Private Label at Macy’s), a few among others. In terms of advertising, Ann Taylor promotes it products mainly through catalogs, television and magazine ads. It uses a combination of Institutional advertising, i. e. dvertising done to promote the company’s image and Promotional advertising, i. e. advertising that highlights an item or a category of items to get an immediate response. [pic] [pic] Institutional Advertising Promotional Advertising In 2009, Ann Taylor partnered with Proctor & Gamble due to the economic downturn, and handed out free samples of detergent and coupons to customers who buy machine washable clothes. In addition, Ann Taylor created an eight-page magazine, available for free in stores that provided tips on how to keep clothes looking fresh.Of course, due to the partnership, they require Tide or Downy Total Care, which are both Proctor & Gamble products, but this was one of the many successful promotional strategies implemented by Ann Taylor. In an effort to utilize maximum amounts of different media in order to integrate the customer with the promotion strategies, Ann Taylor partnered with CFDA/ Vogue fashion fund in which the selected stylists were asked to put together a full look for Ann Taylor that would suit today’s working woman. This brought out not only increased exposure but also offers a fashionable, vivacious look to the brand.MARKETING OBJECTIVES Given the current market situation, Ann Taylor should be looking to expand and conquer any new potential clientele to drive profits up. Sale trends still place the retailer amongst the top two competitors of its US Top Women’s Apparel Division, giving the brand a leadership position within its industry. Although product offerings are fairly uniform amongst such brands, very few of Ann Taylor’s direct competitors are currently in the Men’s clothes div ision (primarily department store private labels).Furthermore, as was once predicted of Contemporary and Young Designer fashions, Menswear is the next â€Å"white space† of the industry, offering high rates of growth and return for early entrants. This provides Ann Taylor a high incentive towards accepting the risk of being an early-mover and adding a menswear line to its current offerings. Ann Taylor’s previously existent mill and factory relationships will also conduce towards seamless integration of the production of a menswear line for select stores. Furthermore, despite harsh economic times, Ann Taylor shows clear signs of recovery, having started to post profits of $18. million in the second quarter of 2010, over $260 million to finance expansive efforts. Another trend that has been identified within a more general Apparel market is that women make up to 80% of all of all shopping for a family. This would indicate that for a large portion of the male population, it is in fact their female counterparts that are making the calls in regards to many purchasing decision. Large portions of these women are wives of family households as well as long-term partners. Nationally, nearly 50% percent of the entire population is comprised of married couples – a broad base for a core target audience.This buying behavior creates an untapped potential market for the Ann Taylor brand. Since women would already be in the store, this is a process of adding on to their current purchases, adding not only profit, but value to the Ann Taylor brand by having the client associate stores with convenience and multi-level shopping. This was already proven successful with strategic integration of home furnishings and accessories to select flagship stores. The target male consumer for these groups was a relatively simple process of reexamining our current demographics under a different lens.Most evidently, the targeted age group would be a similar 18-34. This age g roup makes up 23. 5% of the American consumer base as a whole, with over 23 million potential male customers. The ideal â€Å"Dan Taylor† is a middle classed, working male aged 18-34 either with, or thinking about a family who makes $75-99,000 a year, and is looking for workable, affordable, well-constructed clothes that speak to a tailored, New England look. Nationally, this corresponds to 12% of American households with a corresponding range of disposable income, with slight variations across regions of the country.Furthermore, in a more generic view, 78. 6% of the population consists of private wage and salary workers who would maintain the targeted aesthetic of the Dan Taylor line. Considering the harsh economic times, many higher income group clients would also be looking towards lower end options for their everyday work wear. This comprises an additional 31. 7% of the population that would be well within means to shop at Ann Taylor. With further research into specific r egional demographics, initial expansion of the Dan Taylor line would be limited to the Northeast area.As will be detailed, this capitalizes on maximum saturation of target market as well as core following of brand lifestyle and traditional aesthetic. The Northeast region shows the highest rate of educated males with a bachelor’s degree or higher educational attainment at 32. 5%. This figure is well above any other regions and is a full 4 points higher than the national average at 28. 4%. The Northeast also has to the second highest percentage of private wage and salary workers at 79. 5% or workforce, only behind the Midwest at 81. 1%. This category corresponds to the key lifestyle psychographics of the Dan Taylor customer.The area also corresponds to the second highest percentage of households within the targeted $75-$99,000 income level with 12. 6% and leads in terms of households making above $75,000 dollars, at 37. 6%, a full six points above the national level. Another co mpelling factor in terms of income is the Northeast’s mean male yearly earnings is a full $10,000 above the national level and is by far the highest of all regions. This higher income level means this population has a greater willingness to spend from discretionary income, particularly during harder economic times.Another great value in early investment in the Northeast of the United States is the historical association of the Ann Taylor brand with the region. As previously mentioned, the brand’s name is already associated with the area. The label’s look, comprising fashionable day and work wear for the active woman is also in key target with the ambiance and feel of the Northeast region. Color stories of Ann Taylor lines are also frequently associated with this area; pastels, khakis and navy are proven a timeless classic to locals of the area.This mix of ideal target market as well as a value-conscious higher income customer that is not only accustomed, but a f ollower of the Ann Taylor aesthetic creates an ideal marketing position for the Dan Taylor line. If success is seen within the Northeast sector, analyzed demographics then suggest the Western region of the United States as being the best to serve, followed by the Midwest and finally the South. OPPORTUNITY AND ISSUE ANALYSIS Opportunities 1. Growing Menswear Industry Men nowadays have become more aware of their appearance, and therefore, their spending on apparels also increased.According to Data Monitor (Table 1 & Figure 1- Appendix 1), from year 2004 to year 2008, the market value of the menswear market has a steady growth rate from around 3% to 5 %, its market value has also grown from $82. 6 billion in 2004 to $98. 2 billion in 2008. Data Monitor also forecasted that by 2013, the market value would grow to $118. 3 million dollars, an increase of 20. 4% since 2008. If we take a look at Table 3, our target customers who are among the age group of less than 25 years old and 25 †“ 34 years old, have a total of 27,919 thousand (7875 + 20,044) customers.Their added annual expenditure will be $76,413. Compared to women, men spend less on apparel. This may seem to be a discouraging data, however; it also proves that the menswear market is still catching up, and that Ann Taylor can utilize its edge of having the existing loyal female customers to expand to the menswear market. By introducing Dan Taylor in the Loft store, it is expected that our female customers would purchase menswear merchandise for their male friends and husbands.Some of the men may not like to spend too much too much time shopping around and may leave the styling job to their girlfriends or wives. This becomes a strong edge for the launch of Dan Taylor because this approach helps Loft to reach to a new group of male customers through our existing female customers. It is certain that the menswear market is still growing, and therefore Dan Taylor will seize this growing market to obtain some market share in the menswear industry for more profits in the future.By making the first move, Dan Taylor will have the first mover’s advantage. 2. Product line and Price Points The chart below includes the product lines of each of our competitors and their price points. Department private labels such as Alfani, INC and Izod have a narrow product line and a relatively lower price point. They place their focus on business clothing with items such as t-shirts, polo, shirts (casual and formal), sweaters, and trousers. However, for each assortment, they only offer a few styles. Compared to competitors, such asGap and Express, Dan Taylor positions itself as more for the same; we provide better quality but offer the same price points. This positioning allows us to fit in the white space between low to medium priced and medium priced specialty stores. Although our quality is comparatively lower than what medium priced brands such as Kenneth Cole and J. Crew offer; our price points a re much lower and therefore, Dan Taylor provides better value. In addition to the demographics qualities, we are also targeting customers that look for consistent qualities and values.Our goal is to establish a long-lasting relationship with our customers by offering great quality, details, and a wide variety of products with affordable price. We believe in values, and so do our customers. It is expected that customers from our competitors will be drawn to our store because of our promising value and quality. 3. Strong Brand Image Ann Taylor Loft has been in the women specialty retail market since 1983. Currently, we have around 900 stores in the United States, including the labels Ann Taylor, Loft, Ann Taylor Factory, as well as Loft outlet stores.Within these 900 stores, there are 509 LOFT stores because Loft has outperformed Ann Taylor by using a more moderate pricing strategy. Loft targets to a slightly younger group who has a more relaxed lifestyles at work and at home. Our cus tomers are value-conscious and are loyal; this allows us to introduce Dan Taylor (which will have LOFT’s price points and quality) which targets to a similar group of men. Our approach is to first introduce the menswear to our existing Loft customers. It is common that women will buy gifts for their boyfriends or husbands during special occasion such as holiday seasons or birthdays.Therefore, it will be a great opportunity to launch Dan Taylor since our well-known values and quality will draw our existing customers to purchase our menswear’s’ products as gifts for their spouses. This approach allows us to reach our potential male customers and provide them exploration to our products. 4. Online Opportunities The online U. S retail market is growing tremendously in the recent years. According to industry reports by Data monitor, ‘the US online retail market grew by 16. 6% in 2008 to reach a value of $186. 7 billion. in 2013, he US online retail market is fo recast to have a value of $325. 2 billion, an increase of 74. 2% since 2008†. This trend leads many of the retailers setting up their own websites, providing customers an easy access to their newest campaigns and other information related to the company. This approach helps the customers to have a better knowledge of the company. Some of these companies also set up an online store where customers can purchase directly online. Images, measurements and other details are shown to give customers a better visual idea of the merchandise.Today, with such busy lifestyles, people who do not have enough time to shop at the virtual store can now have the option to shop online. Therefore, Ann Taylor should keep focusing on the online sales channel to drive margins because e-commerce is the fastest growing and high margin segments which currently representing nearly a 25% of the company’s revenue base. 5. Collaborations with designer labels and international markets Today, the trend of retail stores collaborating with high-fashion brand labels is more popular than ever.Some of these examples would be H&M and Lanvin, as well as Uniqlo and Jil Sander. Regardless of it the partnership being short term or long term, this approach has always been successful. Long queues are found lining up outside the store on the launch date, and most of the limited merchandises in the collaboration collections are gone in less than a few hours. This not only creates instant buzz about the company but the other customers who come to shop the designer collections might end up looking at the other merchandize as well.Aside from advertising purpose, the limited merchandise brings in some differentiation and freshness to the company and attracts a new group of customers. A further opportunity derived from these collaborations is the recognition in the international markets. While Ann Taylor High-end designer labels now mainly focus on the domestic U. S market, the collaboration with d esigner labels can help promoting Ann Taylor Loft and Dan Taylor throughout the world. Getting the name out to the global market will be a stepping-stone for the company to launch new stores in new markets.Threats/ Issues 1: Effects of recessionary environment will continue impacting consumers spending habits The economic condition might be one of the most serious threats for Ann Taylor. We haven’t come out of the recession yet, and consumers in the US are suffering high unemployment and lower disposable income. Consumers are reluctant to pay for anything that is not on sale or with some sort of down pricing. Rising unemployment further reduces consumers’ ability to spend, which might be a threat to Dan Taylor although the economy is slowly recovering from the recession.Rising unemployment also means less people are at work – the precise demographic of the Ann Taylor and Dan Taylor aesthetics. Increased pursuit of everyday/ lounge wear from high unemployment tre nds could show significant damage to Dan Taylor’s future success. 2: Increased regulations on cards issued by the retailers will affect the appeal of these cards adversely A new act called the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 was passed which enforces several restrictions for retailers while issuing the credit cards.Several norms that originally contributed to the rising popularity of the retailer cards, have been identified as the reasons that later left the consumer with high debt. The new set of rules will benefit the customers, but will nevertheless restrict retailers and the earlier growth in retailer credit cards. Additionally, retailers rely on offering loyalty programs through these cards. The decline in the card base will negatively impact the success of these promotions. Ann Taylor issues its own branded and co-branded charge card for its customers.This will expose the company to high risk of default, higher regulations and compl iances. The new act further imposes higher restrictions and this might lead to less popularity of the cards impacting the cards business adversely. The new regulations might also make it more difficult for the company to issue new cards to the customers. 3: Rising of private label has affected the sales of national brands seriously Due to the recession, customers care now about price more than they did before. As customers became more price-oriented, large retailers filled that gap with lower priced private labels.Their close ties with factories allow these clothes to sit at a very low price point while still offering profit to the retailer. As a result, Macys, which is one of the largest department stores in the world and other companies have begun to focus on their private brands (Alfani, INC and IZOD for Macy’s, Aqua for Bloomingdales) and launched various types of clothes with reasonable prices for men and women of all ages. In addition, many discounted supermarkets such as Wal-mart and Target collaborated with designers and launched fashionable collections with reasonable prices as well.The popularities and sales of these brands increased rapidly. This might be another potential threat to the moderately priced Dan Taylor. 4: Rising apparel costs and labor costs in China are pressurizing margins Dan Taylor’s major production will be in China where the costs are estimated to inflate in the near future. This will increase costs for the company and pressurize margins. The prices of cotton, which typically comprise 40-45% of the price of a garment, were up 25% year in one year. Higher energy costs and rising labor costs in China will contribute to the increase in import cost of the apparel as well.The relative cost of manufacturing in China will almost certainly rise as the labor costs rise. Wage increases, coupled with higher costs for cotton, oil and freight will also push up prices. This cost increase is particularly troubling when taking into consideration the rise of private labels and increased competition within the industry to keep prices down. 5: A men’s brand in a women’s store might inhibit men from walking in Ann Taylor, being the feminine store it is might often prevent men from walking into the store.A large portion of men, even while shopping with their partner, prefer to wait outside or visit a different store, rather than shopping alongside the woman. This moderate level of interest shows a threat to the Dan Taylor line, however, it is also provides room for growth. By changing promotional efforts in-store, management can captivate the attention of such idle shoppers and transform their boredom into profits. MARKETING STRATEGY & ACTIONS TAKEN Ann Taylor’s primary advertising strategies will be â€Å"combination advertising,† including both Institutional and Promotional advertising.The promotion strategies will be divided into two phases. Stage 1 will involve bringing the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s name out to the public and creating loyalty from Ann Taylor’s female consumers thereby exposing their partners to the line in a passive manner. Stage 2 will be dependent upon the first stage’s success and will encompass the creation of the actual ‘Dan Taylor,’ stores and shifting shopping responsibilities from the woman to the man. Product line |Tops |Bottoms |Jackets & Coats Accessories | |T shirts |Pants/ Trousers |Suit Blazers |Ties | |- Polos |- Flat front |- Suit jackets |-Boleros | |- Henley |- Pleated |- Sports blazers |-Neckties | |- Sleeveless | | |-Bow ties | | | | |-Ascots | |Sweaters |Denim | |Cufflinks | |-Vests |- Relaxed | |- Double faced | |-Crew neck |- Straight leg | |- Chain | |- Full sleeved |- Skinny | |- Snap on | |- Boat neck |- Boot cut | |Belts | |- V neck | | |- Casual | | | | |- Formal | |Shirts |Shorts | |Socks | |- Dress shirts |- Cargo | |- Ankle length | |- Cufflink shirts |- Chino | |- Low cut | | |- Bermuda | |- Mi d calf | Stage 1: At this stage, Dan Taylor’s promotional efforts will be limited to news papers, magazines, in store promotions and social media. Given the economic difficulties of the Ann Taylor stores at the moment and the high-risk nature of adding a menswear line, these forms of advertising were chosen due to their maximum exposure to both men and women. Although newspaper advertising is a slowly dying medium, it still has the maximum exposure at minimum cost.This is an efficient medium to get the â€Å"Dan Taylor,† name out there to people who read newspapers that are not fashion related. In addition, trade publications like Women’s Wear Daily and other national and local magazines in the North East Region will feature advertisements for both Ann Taylor and Dan Taylor with both male and female models. Social Media, a highly upcoming medium for advertising will be taken advantage of as well. Dan Taylor will feature on facebook and twitter. These social netw orks will be constantly updated with new arrivals, sales and other promotions. These are excellent tools for reaching out to a mass audience that is specifically interested in the brand.Particular focus will be placed on these tools before the launch of the first Dan Taylor line to reach a wide audience and create massive hype. By using such a medium the brand can create an interaction and communication with the fan base, sponsoring loyalty and a following before the label is even launched. To introduce line on a grand scale, the company will have a launch party for the Dan Taylor line. Social media will be heavily used to publicize and to create excitement over the brand before said opening. Much emphasis will be placed in public relations and in creating hype for the launch. One such effort will be a competition on the Dan Taylor website (which is a part of the Ann Taylor website). Links to the website will be available on the facebook and twitter pages.The competition will involv e men dressing their girlfriends or wives in Ann Taylor clothing and accessories and then submitting their entries. Visitors of the website will get a chance to vote for their favorite outfit and the top three couples will win free flight tickets, hotel accommodations and be featured at the launch party of the Dan Taylor brand. At the party, the winners, along with three celebrity couples will be highlighted as the event’s main feature. Each couple will be given an exclusive look into the Dan Taylor line and the woman will be given the opportunity to style their man. At the party, both the contest winners as well as the celebrity males will be asked to walk down a runway. Outfits will later be featured in editorials in a major fashion magazine.The celebrity couples will be chosen directly from previously existent Ann Taylor spoke models including Rachel Bilson, Heidi Klum and Christina Hendricks. Fortunately, all three women have famous actors as their boyfriend or husbands, which would translate seamlessly with raising awareness of the brand in a fun, star studded manner. Once the line is in store, promotional efforts will be rampant. Campaigns will appear primarily in newspapers and magazines. Adverts will always feature both a man and a woman, posing together in some manner to suggest a relationship. Emphasis will be placed on the novelty of the line as well as on how shopping the line makes the female reader a better wife or girlfriend.Ads will play on the idea that one uses gifts to demonstrate their love, adding that now woman can shop for men – while they shop for themselves! This activity will be depicted as pleasurable and an enjoyable addition to a woman’s afternoon shopping trip. The Dan Taylor line will be available in all Ann Taylor Loft outlets within the Northeast region. As previously detailed, this region shows highest rates of employment and of brand loyalty. It will be a perfect smaller test market to see whether the lin e has potential for future success. Loft stores were chosen due to their history of higher sales and lower price point. By limiting distribution of the product, we will also create a greater sense of demand and urgency for the label when stage two moves distribution nationwide.Stage 2: At this point, there will already be some sort of general awareness within the market of the Dan Taylor brand. Depending on the success of the first stage we will move directly into constructing brick and mortar Dan Taylor retail outlets. These will most likely be connected to Ann Taylor stores, much in the vain of Gap’s strategy. In addition to the print campaign, television ads will start being used specifically for the Dan Taylor line. Also, Dan Taylor print campaigns will no longer always feature a both a woman and a man. Campaigns should have similar feelings as Tod’s campaigns, with very manly, dark colors and a restrained sense of humor. We want a sleek sophistication in our ads t o go in line with the product.We will increase product offerings to match the larger retail space, with products no longer being exhibited simply in racks within already existent Ann Taylor Loft outlets. A large launch party will be offered for both the Ann and Dan Taylor lines. The ultimate goal is to have both men and women’s wear lines have equal stature within the corporate structure. We will have created a one-stop shop for the power couple family unit, creating a comfortable environment for both the man and the woman. Conclusion The company’s overall goal is to improve the bottom line growth of both the divisions (Ann Taylor & Dan Taylor). If successful, Ann Taylor Store Corp. ill be one of the highest grossing companies in the United States.Appendix 1 [pic] [pic][pic][pic] Appendix 2: [pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic] Bibliography †¢ Karr, Arnol J. â€Å"Ann Taylor Update Leads Retail Rally. † Women's Wear Daily 3 F eb. 2010,199th ed. , sec. 23: 14. Print. †¢ Moin, David. â€Å"Ann Taylor Moves to Profit in 2nd Qtr. † Women's Wear Daily 23 Aug. 2010, 2000th ed. , sec. 39: 10. Print. †¢ Moin, David. â€Å"Ann Taylor Swings to Pofit in 4th Qtr. † Women's Wear Daily 15 Mar. 2010, 199th ed. , sec. 56: 2. Print. †¢ Romano, Anthony M. â€Å"How Ann Taylor Put Strategic Sourcing on the Management. † Supply Chain Management Review October (2006): 32-40. Print. U. S.Censs Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey †¢ Datamonitor | the Home of Business Information. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://www. datamonitor. com/ †¢ EBSCOhost – Worldaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Foremost Premium Research Database Service. 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