Thursday, October 24, 2019

Nike vs Adidas Essay

My area of study for this project would be more on comparing the performances for Nike and Adidas for the past 5 years. In this project I would explain the performance such as growth in profits, revenues, market share, the company employers and employees, size of the market share, steps for increasing the social performance, products performance, dividends per share, assets and the company investment. Nike and Adidas and have been the top two leading sport companies in the sport industry over the past few decades. These two companies sell and offer wide range of products for the customers and their products offered is mainly on sports wear for men and women and caters to consumers from different age groups. Their products consist on clothing such as jerseys, shirts, t-shirts, shorts and pants. These companies also provide the customers varieties of footwear such as sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, sandals and stockings. Besides that, fashion accessories are also offered from these three companies such as bags, watch, bracelets, wallets and purse. And lastly they also offer a wide range of sport gears for their customers. Nike and Adidas have also been the top sponsors in the sport industry. Sponsoring their products is important for the companies to get brand recognition, building their brand image and to promote their latest products. Nike and Adidas have been sponsoring equipments, clothing and accessories for athletes and coaches in sport tournaments and events. For instance, these three companies sponsor their products for football, soccer, basketball, baseball and many more. These companies also include slogan and motto for their company. Nike’s motto is â€Å"Just Do It’ which is the signature of the brand which makes their products and the company recognizable to consumers. As for Adidas, their current motto is â€Å"Impossible is Nothing† which serves as an encouragement to athletes for their sports. Origins and History of Nike and Adidas Nike, originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by University of Oregeon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger, making most sales at track meets out of Knight’s automobile. The company’s profits grew quickly, and in 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between Blue Ribbon Sports and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. BRS prepared to launch its own line of footwear, which would bear the newly designed Swoosh by Carolyn Davidson. The Swoosh was first used by Nike in June 1971, and was registered with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974. Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf â€Å"Adi† Dassler, following the split of Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother, Rudolf. Rudolf would later establish Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s current official logo. The â€Å"Three Stripes† were bought from the Finnish sport company Karhu Sports in the 1950s. Objective The objective of the project is to measure and compare the marketing strategies of the top two sport fashion companies which are Nike and Adidas. So this project would be mainly conducted to resolute the similarities and differences of the two sport companies marketing strategies. Besides that, this project will compare on the performance of Nike and Adidas which include the company’s growth in revenues, profits or net income, dividends per share, size of company in the market, performances of employees, steps for increasing the social responsibility performance, products performance, stock performance and the company performances in investment. Problem Statement Firstly, the sport industry is becoming ever more competitive, with new brands competing for a share of consumers for the products in the market. Building a relationship with customers is a challenge facing for Nike and Adidas. This is because the companies need to be followed up with new trends and styles in the industry for their customers in order for them to build their products brand and image. Secondly, there was a case happened in China where a local Chinese domestic sports goods manufacturer company called Li Ning opened 6917 stores in mainland China by December 31,2008 aking it 1241 more than the year of 2007. During the year 2008, Li Ning has published its financial report which states that due to the Beijing Olympic Games, the company made total revenues of CNY 669(million) a year on-year-increase of 53. 8% compared to the year 2007. Not only that, Li Ning made an overall entry into the market of Southeast Asia. Now they have stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asia countries. This became a problem for Nike and Adidas where the two international giants see recession in their performance in China. According to the financial report of Adidas, the company’s net profit decreased by 95% to â‚ ¬ 130 million in the first half of the year. As for the sales revenue, it decreased by 2% to â‚ ¬ 5. 03 billion. As for Nike numbers of distributors were reduced in the year 2008 due with the bad performance. Thirdly, the problem that attracted me to do this project is because I would like to know why Nike had low growth in revenue in the year of 2009. Nike had only increased 3% of its revenue to $ 19176. (million), with net income falling 21% to $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, they also had the same problem. But the problem for Adidas was worst compared to Nike because at the year of 2009, the company net income is â‚ ¬ 10381(million) which decreased compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 10799(million). These two companies had their difficulties is the year of 2009. So I would eager to find out about the problems they faced during that year. Significance of Study The importance of doing this project would be very important to other parties and companies. In this case, small and medium enterprise (SME) would get the advantages and benefits because they would know how the bigger companies such as Nike and Adidas operates their businesses, how they sell their products and services to their customers, what kind of marketing strategies they use, how the companies measure their performances and the most important reason is how Nike and Adidas continues to become a big market player in the sports industry. As part of that, this project will comprise mainly of small to medium-sized companies to engage in a diversity of activities which includes manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, and construction of venues. For example, small and medium enterprise (SME) in Malaysia can take the opportunity to get involved with sport products, services, sponsorships, hosting up international sport tournaments and events. And not to forget, the involvement of (SME) would also helps our country in the tourism sector because many athletes and participants will get to travel and visit our country and this will relatively build the countries economic performances. Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) also play a role for every sport companies in responsibility to act in a way that positively contributes to their stakeholders and the communities in which they exist. In this case, it is increasingly important for the social and economic issues such as rapid technological change, a diverse and aging population, environmental changes and mounting concerns regarding the country’s growing social divide have resulted in focusing on the responsibility of firms to the communities in which they operate. (Margolis & Walsh 2003; Sagawa & Segal 2000) Justification The reason I chose this topic is because the project is interesting as sports is an important part of today’s society and plays a large role in many people’s lives. From a social standpoint, sport plays a positive role in uniting people from different social backgrounds. This can aid people’s understanding and tolerance of each other. As far as education is concerned, sport is an important part of every child’s schooling, as it plays a big role in both their physical and mental development. It teaches children how to work as a part of a team and cooperate with others, while at the same time improving physical condition. The second reason I chose sports industry because this industry is growing rapidly in Malaysia. There are continuous demands from customers, sports athletes, and models for these sport products. The Malaysian sport industry is considered as a young industry comprising of small and medium-sized businesses. The Malaysian sports industry comprises of companies engaging in a diversity of activities, from the manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, to the construction of sport facilities. The third why I chose these two companies is because Nike and Adidas has been the biggest market share player in the sports industry. Nike controls 31% of athletic sportswear which is the highest market share compared to other sport companies in the year 2007. As for Adidas, they control the second highest share of athletic sportswear which is 16% of the market in 2007. As for other companies Puma controls 7%, Reebok 6%, New Balance 6%, and Converse 4%. Expected Outcomes The expected outcome which I can conclude is Nike would have the better performance for this year 2010 because their net income/profit for the past few years have been stable. Ever since the year of 2006, Nike’s net income/profit stands at $ 1392. (million). As for the year 2007, it increased to $ 1491. 5(million). At the year 2008, Nike’s net income/profit increased with huge and outstanding amount of $ 1883. 4(million). But by the year of 2009, their company had a decreased in their net income/profit which is $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, the company would not have a better performance compared to Nike because in the year 2009, their net income was only â‚ ¬ 245(million). Their net income decreased with a huge margin compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 642(million). So the key impact from the financial statement of year 2009. The net income of Adidas reduced more than 60% in 2009. But Nike was capable of stabilizing the results with a minor reduction of only 20% in 2009. As for the performance of dividend development, Nike has shown increases in its number. For the year 2006, Nike’s dividends declared per common share stands at $ 0. 59. Their company dividend increased to $ 0. 98 in the year 2009. But as for Adidas, they showed a decline from the year 2006 to 2009. In the year 2006, Adidas dividends declared per common share stands at â‚ ¬ 0. 42. While in the year 2009, Adidas dividends declared per common share felt to â‚ ¬ 0. 5. As for the expected outcome for the year 2010, Nike would be expected to increase their dividends successfully because their dividend declared per common share has been rising steadily. As for the company’s asset assessment, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance in the year 2010 because their total assets have been increasing from the year 2006-2009. The total of assets that Nike had in the year 2006 was $ 9,869(million), in the year of 2007, Nike’s assets increased to $ 10,688. 3(million). Last year, Nike had a total of assets of $ 13,250(million). This shows that Nike’s assets have been increasing and it is expected to rise in the year 2010. As for Adidas, their company’s total asset is not stable from the year shown in 2006-2009. In 2006, Adidas totals assets stands at â‚ ¬ 8379(million). It decreased on the following year to 8325(million). As for the year 2008, their total assets were increased to â‚ ¬ 9533(million). As for 2009, their total assets decreased to a total of â‚ ¬ 8875(million). Ever since Adidas total of assets is not stable, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance. References http://condor.depaul.edu/~aalmaney/StrategicAnalysisofNike.htm http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693768.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reebok

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

International Contracts Essay

The present research endeavours to situate international contracts within the context of international dealings transnational construction parties. It is hoped that the results will show the prevalence of international contracts in the business as well as the role which they play in concluding deals. Previous research (See Appendix 1) conducted in this field has shown that construction contracts are indeed accomplished between international companies. However, the precise role that international contracts as legal documents have on the relations between a construction company and a foreign client have not been studied before. That is the difference that this present research will make given the nuances which set apart construction contracts from international contracts per se. Research Methodology In this research, some of the research questions to be addressed and answered are: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the role of international constructs in the finalization of international business deals? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the role of international contracts in a globalized industry? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the relationship of international laws with the accomplishment of international contracts? 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What effect if any do cultural differences introduce to the finalization of international contracts? 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How effective are joint ventures in the world market? These questions will be answered through the collection of data from international contractors through the means of distributing questionnaires (See Appendix 2). The questionnaire answers provide a sufficient view of the business dealings of the research participants. Because of the specificity of the questionnaire items, the researcher will be able to derive many of the answers to the above-mentioned research questions. Moreover, given the hectic schedules of the research participants, the brief questionnaire will ensure the participation of more companies. This will enlarge the scope of the data gathered. Since the participants are assured of anonymity when answering, there is an increased likelihood of obtaining reliable answers. Furthermore, the open-ended nature of the questions and the fact that the personal corporate details of the participant companies are not inquired into also support the validity of the responses to be collated. The process is designed to be non-threatening and non-cumbersome to the participant to increase the likelihood of participation. A qualitative textual analysis of the questionnaire will then be conducted by the researcher. The rating and fixed-choice questions will be tallied while the open-ended questions will be analysed through the codification and categorization of answers given. The manner of coding determines greatly the internal validity and reliability of the findings. The representation of the participants on the other hand determines the external validity. The former concern stresses the importance of academic discipline on the part of the researcher while the latter concern is assured by the number of participants that may be encouraged to join due to the simplicity of the process. This research is a stand-alone project. Although it may be extended to further understand international contracts, the research questions focused on in this study are already answered by the questionnaire items. Further, the entire goal and purpose of the research has already been addressed by the particular research questions. Research Participants In this study construction companies will be approached and contacted for participation in the study. Only construction companies who have dealt with international clients during the last year will be asked to participate. The construction companies to be included are not limited to those found in the researcher’s city of residence to ensure increased generalizability of data. No less than fifteen participant companies will be deemed sufficient for the accomplishment of the survey. The researcher will contact companies by reaching their representatives by phone, by electronic mail, or other web-based interaction mechanisms that the company might provide. The researcher will utilize company advertisements and websites to draw up a list of potential participants. The personal communication with the companies will provide the researcher with a greater opportunity to inform the companies of the nature of the study. Initial consent by the companies will be followed by the researcher’s sending of the questionnaire with the attached consent form (See Appendix 4). The questionnaire will also be accompanied with instructions for the answered questionnaire and the accomplished consent form to be sent back to the researcher not later than one week after receipt. Accomplished questionnaires returned without the consent form will not be invalidated as the mere return and completion are badges of consent. In order to ensure that there is no researcher bias when codifying the responses, the name, position and organization of the respondents will be listed down on a separate sheet along with an assigned questionnaire number to be designated to that particular questionnaire. The name, position and organization of the respondent will then be blotted out so that the researcher is able to codify the responses without being biased by the identity of the respondent or the organization. The master list of names and questionnaire numbers will remain sealed until the final analysis of the results. To further ensure confidentiality, the questionnaire responses will be made available only to the researcher and to the supervising instructor. Both persons shall use the responses only for the purpose of this present study. Any application of the present results to future studies requires the consent of the participants in the present study. Research Data and Results The research results will be recorded through the printing out of any questionnaires submitted via webmail. Those questionnaires that were manually accomplished will serve as records of the answers indicated therein. As has been previously indicated, the name, position and organization of the respondents will be blacked out of the actual forms. The master list containing the names of the respondents will also be altered after the researcher has made a final report of the conclusions of the research. Upon the conclusion of the research, a new master list will be made and the names of the respondents stricken out from the new list. This master list along with the questionnaires and consent forms duly assigned questionnaire numbers, will be stored in a locker found in the researcher’s private residence. The storage will be secured for a period not less than five years. Only the researcher and the research supervising instructor will be allowed access to the data. But this access will only be for the purpose of assessing the findings of the present study. Any electronic submissions will be deleted. Finally, ownership of the data and findings will redound to the researcher alone. Any report, reproduction or publication of the findings or any utilization and accessing of the data must therefore be with the consent of the researcher.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Social Media Strategy

Social Media Strategy The notions and principles of eTourism and e-commerce become closely connected while referring to the use of social media platforms for different marketing projects. The effectively developed social media strategy provides the framework for completing the project’s goals with the help of social media platforms.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Social Media Strategy eTourism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The social media strategy report on virtual tourism includes the project’s goal, such strategy’s components as the positioning, slogan, the discussion of the target audience, social media platforms, strategy of media, content, tone of voice, the discussion of used digital marketing theory and models, and metrics for success. Project Goal The main goal of the project is to promote virtual food tourism with the focus on the Chinese culinary traditions for people from all over the world while sup porting Chinese restaurants brands. Strategy Positioning Food lovers from all over the world receive the opportunity to enjoy virtual food tourism in relation to the Chinese culinary traditions. Slogan â€Å"Fall in love with a city because of a city†. Target Audience The target audience of the project is males and females aged 18-35, interested in the aspects of the food tourism, the Chinese culinary traditions, the Chinese culture, visiting Chinese restaurants in China, in Britain, and all over the globe. Social Media Platforms Effective tools to communicate personally with the potential consumer.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Facebook To develop a group related to the project and connecting the lovers of the Chinese food and travelling. To allow posting photographs and information about the local Chinese restaurants, food destinations in China and g lobally. To support a forum to discuss the best Chinese food destinations in the world. YouTube To promote the city video guide related to the Chinese culinary traditions and food destinations in different cities of China. To support the video guide about the history of Chinese culinary traditions. Weibo To promote posting photographs and personal feedbacks on Chinese restaurants in Chinese cities and round the globe. Twitter To promote posting information about new Chinese restaurants in China and round the globe. Content Types Posts, photographs, questions, interviews, news items, multimedia, walking tours. Tone of voice Light-hearted and humorous. Digital Marketing Theory and Models The main project uses the traditional digital marketing theory the main principles of which state the necessity of presenting the products and services virtually, involving the principles of the e-commerce, sharing the information, community building, and the direct contacts with consume rs (Buhalis, Tjoa, Jafari 1998, p. 78). The successful functioning of the project depends on stating the appropriate connections between different social media channels (Vries, Gensler, Leeflang 2012, p. 84).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Social Media Strategy eTourism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Facebook groups should be connected with the Twitter accounts and YouTube channels in order to provide the consumer with the opportunity to be re-directed to the materials which are most interesting and appropriate (Saravanakumar SuganthaLakshmi 2012, p. 4445). The basic used models include the manipulation of the shared and posted content, the focus on the posts promoting brands, and the focus on providing the effective customer services in relation to the virtual tourism (Buhalis 2003, p. 58; Buhalis Schertler 1999, p. 84). Such social media platforms as Facebook and YouTube can provide the effective tools to attract the lovers of the Chinese food and people interested in food tourism in order to promote the idea of virtual food tourism among them (Fesenmaier, Klein, Buhalis 2000, p. 89; Fesenmaier, Werthner, Wober 2006, p. 18). The main focus is on the updated posts, commentaries, city video guides, photo posts, and descriptions of the most popular Chinese restaurants. Twitter provides the opportunity to post the immediate information, news, update units, and commentaries. Metrics for Success The metrics for success in relation to the project are associated with the focus on promoting the consumers’ awareness in relation to the project. To analyse the metrics for success in relation to using the discussed social media platforms, it is necessary to refer to the websites’ traffic (Hanna, Rohm, Crittenden 201, p. 265). The other important measures are the number of subscribers and followers, and the general level of the audience’s activity and insights (Anderson 20 10, p. 112; Egger Buhalis 2008, p. 45). Reflection The use of the virtual space for promoting the idea of fool tourism and brand awareness is the comparably new approach in the field of eToursim and marketing.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To develop the effective social media strategy related to promoting the project, it is necessary to select the most appropriate social platforms, to develop the strategies for using the provided tools, and to develop approaches to address the consumers depending on the used social platform and content types. The main challenge is in proposing the content which can satisfy the audience’s needs and work to support the concrete business goals. As a result, it is necessary to find the balance between focusing on the customers’ interests and experience and brand and project promotion. Reference List Anderson, E 2010, Social media marketing: Game theory and the emergence of collaboration, Springer, USA. Buhalis, D, 2003, eTourism: Information Technology for strategic tourism management, Pearson, UK. Buhalis, D Schertler, W 1999, Information and Communication Technologies in tourism, ENTER99, Springer-Verlag, New York. Buhalis, D, Tjoa, A, Jafari, J 1998, Information and Co mmunication Technologies in tourism, ENTER98 Conference Proceedings, Istanbul, Springer-Verlag, New York. Egger, R Buhalis, D 2008, eTourism case studies: Management marketing issues in eTourism, Butterworth Heinemann Oxford, UK. Fesenmaier, D, Klein, S, Buhalis, D 2000, Information Communication Technologies in tourism, ENTER2000, Springer-Verlag, New York. Fesenmaier, D, Werthner, H, Wober, K 2006, Destination recommendation systems: Behavioural foundations and applications, CABI, London. Hanna, R, Rohm, A, Crittenden, V 2011, ‘We’re all connected: The power of the social media ecosystem’, Business Horizons, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 265-273. Saravanakumar, M SuganthaLakshmi, T 2012, ‘Social media marketing’, Life Science Journal, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 4444-4451. Vries, L, Gensler, S, Leeflang, P 2012, ‘Popularity of brand posts on brand fan pages: An investigation of the effects of social media marketing’, Journal of Interactive Market ing, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 83-91.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Top 5 Hottest Jobs With The Most Potential for 2017

Top 5 Hottest Jobs With The Most Potential for 2017 As the New Year approaches, maybe it’s also time for a new you? Or maybe just a new work you? If you’re looking for a career change, one of these five buzzy jobs could be the one for you. 1. Survey ResearchDid you know that 4 out of 5 survey researchers recommend this career path? If you think you could be the next Nate Silver, then helping companies surf the numbers to find patterns and predict trends might be the right path for you.This is a pretty highly skilled area (you’d likely need a master’s degree and a background in statistics, sociology, and business), but it’s lucrative (it has a $45,050 median salary for 2017) and expected to grow 18 percent by 2022, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Survey says†¦look into it!2. Software App DeveloperOkay, so for every developer who sells an app for $15 million and retires to a condo in Silicon Valley, there are hundreds of developers who have more of an everyday software career. But if you go in this direction, it could be you who comes up with the next Candy Crush.This is definitely a wave-of-the-future career, with more hands needed on deck all the time to create, develop, and maintain software applications. With a Bachelor’s degree and some hands-on coding and programming experience, app developers can make a median salary of $90,000. That’s a lot of Candy Crush boosters, no? Plus, the field is growing like gangbusters: in fewer than 10 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 23 percent growth.3. Travel AgentFull disclosure: I wasn’t even aware until recently that travel agents are still a thing. How is this possible, when we do everything over the internet now? Fact is, travel agents have not only adapted to the growing tech and self-service parts of travel, they have positioned themselves as travel ambassadors. You might not walk into a storefront full of fake palm trees anymore and have someone phone the airline to book your ticke t, but a travel agent (often someone who works from home on a freelance basis) can help you navigate for a better deal and manage booking arrangements on your behalf. Travel agents today have an average salary of $56,000- not to mention a suite of sweet travel perks.4. Physician AssistantJobs in the medical sector are always a great bet- as immortal as we may think we are, we all need healthcare at some point. Physicians’ assistants are especially in demand right now, as they’re increasingly used to fill gaps caused by doctor and nurse shortages.These jobs typically require a two-year training program and a certification, and have a median salary of $74,980. The field is expected to grow a whopping 27 percent in 2017.5. Veterinary TechniciansJust before Black Friday, I got an email from a major pet store chain (which shall remain nameless) telling me to shop now for gifts to â€Å"surprise your pet for the holidays.† Pretty much everything surprises my dog, so I can’t say I spent much at that store. However, it showed me how the pet industry has become Serious Business. Someone who tries hard to surprise his cat with the perfect holiday gift is likely also someone who takes good care of said cat, and wants quality veterinary care.If you like animals (even the less cuddly ones) and are willing to take a 1-2 year training program, you could be the one providing that care. The median salary for vet techs is $27,750, but what it lacks in gold watches, it more than makes up for in puppy cuddles. Or snake cuddles. Whatever floats your boat. Either way, it’s a solid career path with lots of growth potential (41% projected by 2022).Whether you jump right into a new career or take a few classes to get started, 2017 could be a major turning point for your professional life. Think outside the resume, and you might find the exact right opportunity for yourself.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Actions means more than words

Actions means more than words Facial expressions and body language communicate one’s intentions and emotions far better than words. Leo Tolstoy, in Anna Karenina, describes a plethora of physical descriptions, enabling the reader to more completely understand the characters’ emotional state of mind. Other characters and the narrator frequently describe Anna’s shoulders. When Vrosnky and Levin look at them, they have a surge of excitement. Dolly and Kitty notice them and are impressed. The narrator depicts her shoulders in times of discontentment or pain. In all three cases, Anna’s shoulders signify the mood at the time of the interaction. Anna’s shoulders are a tangible manifestation of her mental and emotional state, and what kind of energy she expresses. When Anna’s shoulders are described for the first time, Anna also acts promiscuously for the first time, by dancing with Vronsky, whom is expected to propose to Kitty. Kitty admires Anna’s dress, which exposed her shoulders and chest. She emphasized that â€Å"the black dress with luxurious lace was not seen on her; it was just a frame, and only she was seen – simple, natural, graceful, and at the same time gay and animated† (p.79). Anna’s dress choice is evidence of her mood; she wanted to fit within the â€Å"frame† of society’s expectations for her, yet still expose her exuberant nature. While still conforming to society’s expectations, she sympathizes with social outcasts, foreshadows her future affair. At the ball when Anna is exposing her shoulders, Kitty walks over to Anna, and interrupts a conversation, where Anna is saying, â€Å"No, I don’t throw stones (p.79). This is a reference in the bible when a woman is caught in the act of adultery. The woman is dragged into public, completely naked. The crime for adultery at the time was stoning. Jesus says, â€Å"He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her† (John 8:7). When Anna says, I don’t cast stones, she is saying that she is not without sin, but also that she may sympathize with a woman who commits adultery. The circumstances – her flirtatious mood, exposed shoulders, and the conversation foreshadow her leaving her husband in favor of Vronsky, her future lover. Once Anna becomes more comfortable with her expressive mannerism, Vronsky follows the opportunity until they consummate their relationship. The narrator compares this interaction; â€Å"as the murderer falls upon this body with animosity, as if with passion, drags it off and cuts it up, so [Vronsky] covered [Anna’s] face and shoulders with kisses† (pp.149-150). In this graphic description, the reader becomes aware of the toxic physical relationship the characters have created. Anna’s shoulders the tangible revealing of her previous mental restraint inform the reader of the characters’ actions. By comparing their physical relationship to a murder, Anna and the reader is forced to recognize that Vronsky killed her previously admired social standing because of â€Å"these kisses† on her shoulder, (p.150). Yet, she holds Vronsky’s love closely. He killed her mental resistance, and in doing so, encouraged her promiscuous behavior to grow. After an extensive stretch of time, Anna is dying from puerperal fever, and she reconsiders the growth of her scandal. She no longer holds her defiance as a dear characteristic, which is apparent in how she now carries her shoulders. As she lay in bed, â€Å"The doctor took her arms away, carefully laid her back on the pillow and covered her shoulders† (p.413). She is no longer in a position of physical power, which is represented by the doctor covering her shoulders, as if to say, you need to stop exposing yourself and return to your previous way of life. The physical recovering instigates verbal control, which she used to easily possess. She demands that Alexi Alexandrovich uncover Vronsky’s face and forgive him, which he does. Once this is complete, she prepares to die. Contrary to her plan, Anna miraculously lives, and resorts back to her previous risquà © relationship with Vronsky, much to society’s gossiping pleasure. Suppressed by the lies and exclusion, Anna decides to go to the opera to prove she does not care about society’s expectations for her. Vronsky describes Anna as she sits in a box at the show; â€Å"The setting of her head on her handsome, broad shoulders, and the restrained excitement and brilliance of her eyes and her whole face reminded him of her just as he had seen her at the ball in Moscow† (p. 546). Her shoulders are described as broad, which could mean they were drawing more attention than usual. It is interesting that the singer’s shoulders are the only other shoulders described in this scene. Obviously, being the main performer, the singer is seeking attention. By also wearing a revealing dress, Anna is competing for attention with the performer. She succeeds. Vronsky, not looking for Anna knows where she is sitting â€Å"from the direction of all eyes† (p.545). Anna is the center of attention. She ends up in a cyclical process: Anna is excited to prove she can act however she wants, so she dresses in a revealing manor exposing her shoulders, then when people stare and gossip she becomes even more excited. By showing her shoulders, she is physically displaying her emotional state of excited defiance toward social expectations. In Anna’s final moments of life, she looses her mental vigor. When she is at the train station looking for Vrosnky in a completely agitated state, she suddenly thinks of the train as a way to end her misery. â€Å"Exactly at the moment when the space between the wheels came opposite her, she dropped the red bag, and drawing her head back into her shoulders, fell on her hands under the carriage, and lightly, as though she would rise again at once, dropped on to her knees† (p. 768). Tolstoy describes Anna as â€Å"drawing her head back into her shoulders,† which could be a metaphor for her physical and emotional trial. During her entire relationship with Vronsky, there has been a struggle between what she verbally says and what her body reveals. When she meets Vronsky for the first time, â€Å"she deliberately extinguished the light in her eyes, but it shone against her will,† (p.61). At a party she encourages him to leave her alone, and when he refuses says , That only shows you have no heart, But her eyes said that she knew he had a heart, and that was why she was afraid of him.† (p.139). This is a reoccurring struggle, so when Anna finally has no more mental strength to fight the oppression of her situation, she acts purely how her body has wanted to the entire time. In her dying moments, her head, which represents her mental strength, falls onto her shoulders, which represents her physical desire. Her final moments are her mental ending her externally expressed internal struggle. This struggle can be related to Vronsky’s attention and Anna’s resistance. It is not accidental that both Anna’s shoulders and promiscuousness appear at the same time; when her shoulders are described, and when they are not, are based on her intentions. At the train station, when she first arrives in Petersburg and meets Vronsky, â€Å"she deliberately extinguished the light in her eyes, but it shone against her will†(p. 61). Upon their meeting, her shoulders are not depicted. Every other feature is described: her figure, expression, head, eyes, eyelashes, and lips. She tries to distinguish the light, which shows she is committed to maintaining her social expectations, despite her attraction to Vronsky. Similarly, at a party she encourages him to leave her alone, and again, her shoulders are not described. By dressing to expose her shoulders, she no longer attempts to restrain the defiant energy within her. Tolstoy is aware of the relationship between mental thought and physical action; he expresses his understanding of body language as a form of communication through his descriptions of Anna’s shoulders. While Anna’s mental strength is what was extinguished by her inner struggle, other characters are aware of her trials because of her expression of her body, particularly her shoulders. When she allowed Vronsky to kill her social standing, she introduced the beginning to her tragic end. Had she never exposed her shoulders, she would have maintained her moderate existence and extensive prestige.

Friday, October 18, 2019

CSR and Fair Trade Approaches to Economic Development Essay

CSR and Fair Trade Approaches to Economic Development - Essay Example This analysis of CSR and Fair-Trade initiatives has revealed that the private corporate sector in conjunction with NGOs can be the main driver for economic development particularly in the developing countries. The evolvement of CSR conception from the philanthropic approach to the pro-poor policies whereby communities are economically empowered through fair trade and mutually beneficial projects is a welcome advance that can lead to an enabling sustainable development. More involvement by the corporate sector is nevertheless, necessary in future including enacting laws that make it a requisite for corporations to inject back some tangible funding to local communities. Although proponents of free trade have maintained the need for a pure capitalistic model, recent events including corporate scandals and collapse depict the need to spread wealth away from the top equitably to cushion the poor against devastating effects of economic upheavals, which is ethically and morally obligatory f or the more wealthy corporations and nations.

Industrial Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Industrial - Assignment Example The root level meaning of culture is to nurture and cultivate. Values and beliefs to certain extent cannot be differentiated since they are internal to an individual. Beliefs and values are most integral component within an individual that governs their overall behaviour. Values basically includes analyzing what is wrong or right and staying truthful to others. This factor greatly influences attitude and behaviour of a person. There are certain common values for business such as community involvement, innovation and fairness. Beliefs and values are in-built within an individual and this drives their overall culture. Values can also be incorporated by getting influenced by a social group. Every individual possesses a set of values and beliefs which one follows for life-long. Organizational culture, values and beliefs play a significant role in terms of building a corporate image. Culture clearly reflects the execution of business operations in an organization (Boxall and Purcell, 2003 ). Organizational value helps to structure set of behaviours which is shared amongst all team members. This aspect distinguishes one organization from others. Values not only enhance commercial value but even enable workforce importance in a firm. For instance, some companies are focused on achieving high performance standards and some are aligned with developing a participative work culture. Hence values are different in both these organizations and this creates different corporate images. This can be observed in real world scenario where some firms are regarded as high performance workplace and some companies are denoted as following appropriate work culture in terms of employee motivation or level of job satisfaction. An organization’s importance is totally dependent on its set of values and beliefs. For example, a firm can be inclined towards seeking high revenue margins whereas another firm might be closely knitted with achieving higher level of