Huáscar and Atahualpa Inca Civil War

From 1527 to 1532, brothers Huà ¡scar and Atahualpa fought over the Inca Empire. Their father, Inca Huayna Capac, had allowed each to rule a part of the Empire as regent during his reign: Huà ¡scar in Cuzco and Atahualpa in Quito. When Huayna Capac and his heir apparent, Ninan Cuyuchi, died in 1527 (some sources say as early as 1525), Atahualpa and Huà ¡scar went to war over who would succeed their father. What neither man knew was that a far greater threat to the Empire was approaching: ruthless Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro. Background of the Inca Civil War In the Inca Empire, the word Inca meant King, as opposed to words like Aztec which referred to a people or culture. Still, Inca is often used as a general term to refer to the ethnic group who lived in the Andes and residents of the Inca Empire in particular. The Inca Emperors were considered to be divine, directly descended from the Sun. Their warlike culture had spread out from the Lake Titicaca area quickly, conquering one tribe and ethnic group after another to build a mighty Empire that spanned from Chile to southern Colombia and included vast swaths of present-day Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Because the Royal Inca line was supposedly directly descended from the sun, it was unseemly for the Inca Emperors to marry anyone but their own sisters. Numerous concubines, however, were allowed and the royal Incas tended to have many sons. In terms of succession, any son of an Inca Emperor would do: he did not have to be born to an Inca and his sister, nor did he have to be eldest. Often, brutal civil wars would break out upon the death of an Emperor as his sons fought for his throne: this produced much chaos but did result in a long line of strong, fierce, ruthless Inca lords that made the Empire strong and formidable. This is exactly what happened in 1527. With the powerful Huayna Capac gone, Atahualpa and Huà ¡scar apparently tried to rule jointly for a time but were unable to do so and hostilities soon broke out. The War of the Brothers Huà ¡scar ruled Cuzco, capital of the Inca Empire. He, therefore, commanded the loyalty of most of the people. Atahualpa, however, had the loyalty of the large Inca professional army and three outstanding generals: Chalcuchima, Quisquis, and Rumià ±ahui. The large army had been in the north near Quito subjugating smaller tribes into the Empire when the war broke out. At first, Huà ¡scar made an attempt at capturing Quito, but the mighty army under Quisquis pushed him back. Atahualpa sent Chalcuchima and Quisquis after Cuzco and left Rumià ±ahui in Quito. The Caà ±ari people, who inhabited the region of modern-day Cuenca to the south of Quito, allied with Huà ¡scar. As Atahualpas forces moved south, they punished the Caà ±ari severely, devastating their lands and massacring many of the people. This act of vengeance would come back to haunt the Inca people later, as the Caà ±ari would ally with conquistador Sebastià ¡n de Benalcà ¡zar when he marched on Quito. In a desperate battle outside of Cuzco, Quisquis routed Huà ¡scars forces sometime in 1532 and captured Huà ¡scar. Atahualpa, delighted, moved south to take possession of his Empire. Death of Huà ¡scar In November of 1532, Atahualpa was in the city of Cajamarca celebrating his victory over Huà ¡scar when a group of 170 bedraggled foreigners arrived at the city: Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro. Atahualpa agreed to meet with the Spanish but his men were ambushed in the Cajamarca town square and Atahualpa was captured. This was the beginning of the end of the Inca Empire: with the Emperor in their power, no one dared attack the Spanish. Atahualpa soon realized that the Spanish wanted gold and silver and arranged for a kingly ransom to be paid. Meanwhile, he was allowed to run his Empire from captivity. One of his first orders was the execution of Huà ¡scar, who was butchered by his captors at Andamarca, not far from Cajamarca. He ordered the execution when he was told by the Spanish that they wanted to see Huà ¡scar. Fearing that his brother would make some sort of deal with the Spanish, Atahualpa ordered his death. Meanwhile, in Cuzco, Quisquis was executing all of the members of Huà ¡scars family and any nobles who had supported him. Death of Atahualpa Atahualpa had promised  to fill a large room half full with gold and twice over with silver  in order to secure his release, and in late 1532, messengers spread out to the far corners of the Empire to  order his subjects to send gold and silver.  As precious works of art poured into  Cajamarca, they were melted down and sent to Spain. In July of 1533, Pizarro and his men began hearing rumors that the mighty army of Rumià ±ahui, still back in Quito, had mobilized and was approaching with the goal of liberating Atahualpa. They panicked and executed Atahualpa on July 26, accusing him of treachery. The rumors later proved to be false: Rumià ±ahui was still in Quito. Legacy of the Civil War There is no doubt that the civil war was one of the most crucial factors of the Spanish conquest of the Andes. The Inca Empire was a mighty one, featuring powerful armies, skilled generals, a strong economy and hard-working population. Had Huayna Capac still been in charge, the Spanish would have had a tough time of it. As it was, the Spanish were able to skillfully use the conflict to their advantage. After the death of Atahualpa, the Spanish were able to claim the title of avengers of ill-fated Huà ¡scar and march into Cuzco as liberators. The Empire had been sharply divided during the war, and by allying themselves to Huà ¡scars faction the Spanish were able to walk into Cuzco and loot whatever had been left behind after Atahualpas ransom had been paid. General Quisquis eventually saw the danger posed by the Spanish and rebelled, but his revolt was put down. Rumià ±ahui bravely defended the north, fighting the invaders every step of the way, but superior Spanish military technology and tactics, along with allies including the Caà ±ari, doomed the resistance from the start. Even years after their deaths, the Spanish were using the Atahualpa-Huà ¡scar civil war to their advantage. After the conquest of the Inca, many people back in Spain began wondering what Atahualpa had done to deserve being kidnapped and murdered by the Spanish, and why Pizarro had invaded Peru in the first place. Fortunately for the Spanish, Huà ¡scar had been the elder of the brothers, which allowed the Spanish (who practiced primogeniture) to assert that Atahualpa had usurped his brothers throne and was therefore fair game for Spanish who only wanted to set things right and avenge poor Huà ¡scar, who no Spaniard ever met. This smear campaign against Atahualpa was led by pro-conquest Spanish writers such as Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa. The rivalry between Atahualpa and Huà ¡scar survives to this day. Ask anyone from Quito about it and theyll tell you that Atahualpa was the legitimate one and Huà ¡scar the usurper: they tell the story vice versa in Cuzco. In Peru, in the nineteenth century, they christened a mighty new warship Huà ¡scar, whereas in Quito you can take in a  fà ºtbol  game at the national stadium: Estadio Olà ­mpico Atahualpa. Sources Hemming, John.  The Conquest of the Inca  London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970).Herring, Hubert.  A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.

Analysis Of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The Dangers Of A...

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in a TED Talks presentation titled â€Å"The Dangers of a Single Story†, introduces her concept of the single story as having an incomplete perspective on topics such as race, gender equality, and sexual identity that translate to how people perceive each other. People who suffer from a single story rely on their partial judgment to make decisions about others rather than to make decisions on what is factual. Being exposed to various literature is crucial in avoiding the dangers of a single story because literature allows readers access to the immense library of knowledge from millions of writers. Readers have the privilege to see the world from thousands of different perspectives which allow individuals to immerse in a world from the author’s point of view and reflect upon their own lives. Consequently, readers make better decisions and are more open-minded compared to individuals who do not study the literature. Studying different types of li terature expose readers to a number of perspectives that help develop critical thinking skills essential to understanding their society and promoting diversity. In addition, literature encourages mindfulness crucial in the workplace because it eliminates cultural bias while eradicating partial thought processes that lead to single stories. Reading various types of literature, especially multicultural literature, helps people eliminate cultural bias and introduce various perspectives into culture that supportShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie s Ted Talk, The Danger Of A Single Story1237 Words   |  5 PagesChimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s inspiring TED talk, The Danger of a Single Story, proves how stories influence the way we perceive the world. She describes the single story as a narrative that surrounds only one perspective. The objective of her speech is to inform her audience that assuming something is true based on a single piece of information gives us incomplete and incorrect perceptions. Society is an accumulation of social stories, it is never just one thing. There are multiple, contingentRead MoreCultural Practices between Men and Women in Nigeria1858 Words   |  8 Pagesis revealed and documented. This project is a collection of fictional short stories, it is titled Cold Heart and Ot her Stories. The theme of these stories will revolve around emotional and domestic abuse on women, the stories are a reflection of the everyday lives of young Nigerian females as they, in the words of Nadaswaran(2012), â€Å"mature into their understanding of personhood as ‘woman’†. As a collection of short stories written from the point of view of a Nigerian female, this research portfolioRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Esperanza Rising 1776 Words   |  8 Pagesasparagus season would be a long season, one in which Esperanza’s mettle is tested. While packing asparagus, Esperanza listens to the chants and threats of the strikers. The workers have to cross picket lines to get to the sheds to store the asparagus. Danger encroaches the migrant work camp like the heat of the impending summer. Los Duraznos (Peaches) summer harvest portrays life in full swing. Increased temperature brings with it heated arguments and fiery tempers prompted by love and anger. Finally

Cloud Accounting Software for Business-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: Discuss about the Importance of using Accounting Software Packages by Business Organizations. Answers: Introduction The present reports aims to demonstrate the importance of using accounting software packages by business organizations nowadays for staying competitive in the marketplace. In this context, the report presents an evaluation of an Australian company that is using accounting software packages. The company selected for the purpose is Woolworths, one of the largest retail companies of Australia. The report demonstrates the organizational structure of the company, operational problems in its present organizational structure, type of accounting software used by the company and the control problems faced by the system. Moreover, it also develops and describes the sales flowchart of the company. In addition to this, the report also describes the development and adoption of accounting software packages, the current market size, the leaders in the market and the current challenges faced by the users of the accounting software packages. At last, the report provides the recommendations for improv ing the current gaps in the current accounting software packages used in Australia. Current Organizational Structure Coyne (2016) stated that the Woolworths Limited, a leading supermarket giant having approximately 3,500 stores across Australia and New Zealand. The company operates its business areas such as supermarkets, liquor retailing, gaming machines, hospitality services and department stores. Thus, the company has a large complex structure to manage and therefore has adopted the use of computing devices for streamlining its business processes. The company has primarily adopted the use of software tools such as Access and Excel. However, the company faced lot of issues such as data duplication with the use of these software tools. This resulted in large wastage of time of the employees in carrying out their daily operational activities. The company, therefore, opted for the integration of other software packages for synchronizing its business operations and managing its complex organizational structure efficiently. The company currently adopts the use of SAP for managing its complex business operations. The adoption of SAP has helped the company in gaining control over its internal business processes and thus managing them properly (Coyne, 2016). Operational Problem According to Chanthadavong (2016) the organizational structure of Woolworths was largely complex primarily as it adopts the software tools such as excel and access that accounts for various operational errors due to data duplication. These software tools were also unable to compile all the master data of the company and thus it has no shared database. This eventually results in spending large amount of time in integrating the vast amount of organizational data collected from its various business divisions. This impacts the decision-making process of the company leading to decline its productivity and profitability. The company has then recognized the importance of developing and implementing an efficient accounting software packages for streamlining its operational processes. The implementation of the SAP system has enabled the company to simplify the nature of its operational process and performing all its activities quickly and easily. The company recently integrates the use of MYO B and POS (Point of Sale) accounting software package for managing its internal business processes. These accounting software packages has proved to be largely beneficial for the company for easy management of data and therefore aiding in quick decision-making. The software was able to integrate the accounting data from the various operational units of the company and making the organizational structure efficiently (Chanthadavong, 2016). System Acquisition Method Hall (2015) stated that the system acquisition method refers to the type of system procedure adopted for the development and implementation of a software system by an organization. The Woolworths Limited as such as adopted the use of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software system for implementation of is accounting software package. The ERP software system is specifically developed to integrate the information of various detriments units of an organization have large and compiles business structure. The Woolworths Limited is a supermarket giant of Australia and therefore has various departments units. As such it needs an accounting software system that is able to integrate the accounting information from its various departments such as accounting, HR, logistics and manufacturing into a single database. The database can be shared easily across various departments of the company through the use of ERP software system. The MYOB accounting software used by the company is an ERP sy stem that possesses the ability to integrate all the accounting information into one linked platform thus facilitating in easy handling of the accounts (Hall, 2015). Sales Flowchart Various Symbols used in Process flowchart Sales Process Flowchart implemented in the Woolworth through using the MYOB Description of the sales procedure used by the Woolworth in their organization The sales procedure described here is the online and most intensive system used by the Woolworth for making sales through B2C channel. This system is follows series of steps that are mentioned below: A: Sales Department: This department requires looking after the customer order and forwarding them to the credit department. This step is linked with the shopping cart of the customer and followed to the online processing of payment through the secure server. The sales department after verifying the payment from the credit department processes the customer order and sends them to the respective warehouse where goods are stored. Sales department also intimate the customer that their order has been processed and will be shipped on the respective date (E-Commerce: Purchasing and Selling Online, 2017). B: Credit Department: The main objective of the credit department to verify the payment details of the order made by the customer and sends them to the sales department after verification. Credit department uses the secure server to receive the payments from the customer so that their bank details will not been hacked by others. C: Warehouse Department: This Department receives order confirmation of the particular product from the sales department. All the order details have been properly mentioned in the sales order to make the work easy for the warehouse department. After hatching the demanded product by the customer, it passes to the shipping department to make it deliver to the customer. D: Shipping Department: This department receives the goods from the warehouse department and ships them to the customer address as mentioned in the sales order. It also intimates the shipping details to the customer. Control Problems As per the views of Liguo (2014) the MYOB accounting software system besides providing advantage of efficient management of cash flow and payroll of an organization is also associated with some drawbacks. The major control problem associated with the use of MYOB software is that it is not such user-friendly. Thus, the employees of the company need to be well-trained for its use otherwise it may result in poor management decisions and occurrence of unintentional errors in recording and processing of data. The lack of knowledge on employees part to run the software can also result in destruction of valuable data of the company. In addition to this, the use of MYOB accounting software is also associated with the drawback of occurrence of fraudulent activities within the company. The data security is one such issue in this context as the use of accounting software packages can result in breach of privacy of confidential data by sharing it online which becomes vulnerable to be attacked by hackers. The sharing of confidential data on online platform by accounting software can result in the occurrence of loss of valuable information of the company to the competitors. As such, the company is required to develop efficient security checks to prevent the loss of valuable data by adopting the use of accounting software packages (Liguo, 2014). Development and adoption of the accounting software packages Mageto (2017) stated that the use of accounting software packages is on increase among Australian organizations as such software helped the businesses to automate their manual accounting processes and improving the operational efficiency. The introduction of accounting software has changed the system of accounting functions in Australian business firms. The Australian businesses at present largely incorporate the use of cloud based accounting software such as Xero, Quick books, MYOB and many others. This accounting softwares are based on internet and are very helpful in integrating the accounting information from various sources into a single linked platform. The businesses largely face the problem of integrating the accounting information from its various business units into a single platform before the development and adoption of cloud based accounting software. There was lack of co-ordination among the various operational units of an entity such as sales, production, logistics, in ventory and distribution. As such, the businesses face large problems in managing the organizational structure and streamlining their business processes. This led to the development of accounting softwares that are able to synchronize the business operations and thus leading to increased flexibility in the organizational structure of business entities. The increased popularity of cloud based accounting software for improving the operational efficiency has led to its larger adoption and integration among Australian business firms (Mageto, 2017). As per Hall (2015) this was mainly because the traditional accounting system is associated with the major limitation that it is not internet based and needs to be installed properly on each computer device. However, the cloud based accounting software is integrated in nature and internet based and therefore requires less time in implementation and adoption. The major benefits provided by cloud accounting are automation and integration over the traditional accounting software. This software proves to be largely useful to the business firms for developing sales and purchase order, conducting multi-currency transactions, integrating payroll and doing online bill payment. The Woolworths has also incorporated the use of cloud based accounting software that is MYOB for managing its internal and external, business structure efficiently (Hall, 2015). Current market size There is increased demand of cloud based accounting software in the Australian market among both SMEs and large scale companies. There are large number of accounting software available in the market such as Xero, Zoho books, Quick books and MYOB. The increased demand of this software is attributed to the automation and integration benefits provided by them. This has lead to the strong growth of the accounting software industry in the Australia driven by increased online connectivity. The industry is expected to record a growth of about 7 per cent in the coming five years with the increase in revenue to about 8.5% (Software Publishing in Australia, 2017). Leaders in the market and their Competitive Advantage The top leaders in the accounting software industry of Australia are Xero, MYOB, Quick Books and Zoho books. The XERO has largest market share of about 65% followed by MYOB. There is intense competition among these as they offer almost similar accounting software package. They compete mainly on the price that is based on the scale of operations business nature and structure. These software companies attain their competitive advantage by achieving customer loyalty through providing good customer service (Software Publishing in Australia, 2017). Current gaps or challenges encountered by users or customers of accounting software/packages According to Terkper (2008) the current gaps in the accounting software packages are as follows: Lack of Security: The cloud based accounting software are internet based and therefore the data shared can be accessed by the hackers resulting in the theft of confidential information. Inadequate Reporting Service: The users face problems in getting their data out from the accounting software packages as it is easy to input the data but rather difficult to retrieve it back. Lack of Efficiency: This accounting software is not such user-friendly and thus requires lots of efforts on the part of the users for their easy use and maintenance. The users also cannot customize these software as per their demand as the features are extremely complicated to be understood. Compatibility Issues: The accounting software is sometimes not compatible with the user programs and thus the users cannot import some data into their program due to compatibility issues (Terkper, 2008). On the basis of above accounting software challenges, it is recommended to business companies to adopt the use of traditional accounting procedures for managing confidential accounting data. This is necessary for prevention of theft of data that can result in sharing of valuable information to the competitors. Also, the companies integrating the use of accounting software should develop strong security architecture for data security and provide proper training to all its employees and leaders for proper use of accounting software (Rangaraju and Kennedy, 2012). Conclusion It can be summarized from the overall discussion held in the report that cloud accounting software is largely useful for businesses to automate their accounting procedures. However, the business companies need to adopt proper security procedures for avoiding the safety issues such as theft or illegal activities that can occur through the use of accounting software References Chanthadavong, A. 2016. Woolworths upgrades HR system to the cloud with SAP. [Online]. Available at: https://www.zdnet.com/article/woolworths-upgrades-hr-system-to-the-cloud-with-sap/ [Accessed on: 22 August, 2017]. Coyne, A. 2016. Woolworths makes fixing IT a priority. [Online]. Available at: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/woolworths-makes-fixing-it-a-priority-434957 [Accessed on: 22 August, 2017]. E-Commerce: Purchasing and Selling Online. 2017. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/IPEI_ebiz_ecomm.pdf [Accessed on: 22 August, 2017]. Hall, J. 2015. Accounting Information Systems. Cengage Learning. Liguo, Y. 2014. Overcoming Challenges in Software Engineering Education: Delivering Non-Technical Knowledge and Skills: Delivering Non-Technical Knowledge and Skills. IGI Global. Mageto, J. 2017. Accounting Softwares in Australia. An Overview. GRIN Verlag. Rangaraju, M.S. and Kennedy, H. 2012. Innovation in Management Challenges and Opportunities in the next decade. Allied Publishers. Software Publishing in Australia. 2017. [Online]. Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/information-media-telecommunications/except-internet-music-publishing/software-publishing.html [Accessed on: 22 August, 2017]. Terkper, S.E. 2008. Accounting Challenges for Semi-Autonomous Revenue Agencies (SARAs) in Developing Countries, Issues 2008-2116. International Monetary Fund.

The Relationships between Advertising Appeals, Spending Tendency, Perceived Social Status and Materialism on Perfume Purchasing Behaviour

This article shows that consumers who are willing to spend money on perfume products had a high level of advertisement appeals, perceived social status, materialism tendencies, and a moderate level of spending tendency. This results aid marketers in understanding perfume consumers’ purchasing behaviour and market segmentation for competitiveness.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Relationships between Advertising Appeals, Spending Tendency, Perceived Social Status and Materialism on Perfume Purchasing Behaviour specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Past study by Nielsen shows that consumers are striving for good looks and will spend fortunes to achieve them. Consequently, this leads to positive effects on the market. However, consumers’ decision to purchase a product depends both on internal and external factors. In this context, advertisement is the external factor that influences consumer’s pu rchasing behaviour. This article identified that factors like advertising appeals, tendency to spend, perceived social status, and materialism have significant influence on consumers’ purchasing behaviour of perfume products. In this regard, it is necessary for marketers to understand these factors and their effects on consumers’ decision to purchase perfume products. Marketers can identify different market segmentations and their behaviours, improve market positioning, and utilise their target markets. Advertisement appeals have significant influence on consumers’ purchasing behaviour. Consequently, marketers should increase advertisement and promote their perfume products. The study also shows that female consumers have tendencies to spend more money on perfume products than their male counterparts. Therefore, marketers should use their promotional tools to target more female consumers than male consumers. However, this research did not take into account cross -cultural factors and their influence on perfume products and consumers’ behaviour. Therefore, the study does not show how diverse cultures may influence the consumers’ buying behaviour of perfume products. The Naked Truth: Revealing the Affinity for Graphic Sexual Appeals in Advertising Most advertisers shock the world with the use of sexually appealing advertisement e.g. designer, Tom Ford with his erotic advertisement of men’s fragrance in 2007. However, how sexual appeals offend consumers and generate negative comments about a brand remain an issue for discussion. It leads to the issues of how far nudity can go without evoking negative reaction from consumers. The main concern is that research has generally failed to provide favourable and receptive responses to advertisement using sex appeals.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Studies suggest that se xually charged advertisement does not need increased use of nudity to achieve its effects on consumers. In fact, this study shows that nudity is not a key determinant in advertisement. Instead, advertisers should first determine the level of their target audience in terms of moral equity or relativism, sensation seeking, and sexual self-schema. However, individuals’ personalities determine their levels of reactions to an advertisement than the use of nudity. Most advertisement pundits recommend the avoidance of using nudity or sexual content or using it with extreme caution in advertisements. Courtney and Whipple note that advertisers should avoid the use of overtly seductive, nude, or partially clad models in their advertisements. Conversely, current research shows that there are elements of consumers who like and respond favourably to nudity and sexually explicit advertisements. This segment is mainly high-sensation seekers. This segment also has positive sexual self-conce pts and is a moral relativist who considers sexual appeals as culturally appropriate. At the same time, gender also has influence on sexually appealing advertisements. However, putting a sexual appealing advertisement to appeal to either gender will not work and is oversimplifying the issue. This article provides guidelines and strategies for marketers who intend to use sexual appeals in their advertisement. This essay on The Relationships between Advertising Appeals, Spending Tendency, Perceived Social Status and Materialism on Perfume Purchasing Behaviour was written and submitted by user J0hnP0rter to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Wishes to Write on a Chinese New Year Lantern

Wishes to Write on a Chinese New Year Lantern Chinese New Year includes two weeks of celebration with most activities taking place on just three days: New Years Eve, New Years Day, and Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of Chinese New Year. Heres what you should know about the Lantern Festival, including the symbolism of the celebration and which characters to write on your own lantern to wish in Chinese. What Is the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival? Every year, on the last day of Chinese New Year, families from Taiwan to China place colorful lanterns outside their homes and launch them into the night sky. Each lantern corresponds to a particular wish the family has for the new year, with the colors  having various meanings. For example, sending off a red lantern represents a wish for good fortune, while orange symbolizes money and white symbolizes good health. There are many stories about why this festival takes places. For example, in one of the origin legends, Emperor Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite China, held the first Lantern Festival to ask Taiyi, the ancient god of heaven, for health and good weather. In another of these legends, which is rooted in Taoism, the Lantern Festival was first put on to celebrate the birthday of Tianguan, the god of good fortune. Other explanations center around the Jade Emperor, and a maid named Yuan Xiao. Wish in Chinese: What to Write on Your Lantern The festival has changed a lot over the years. Simple handheld paper lanterns have been replaced with elaborate  colorful lanterns of all shapes and sizes. But the tradition of sending wishes to be granted into the sky has remained. Many revelers enjoy writing riddles or wishes on the lanterns before sending them airborne. Here are some examples of what you may want to write on your own lantern, include the Chinese symbols and pronunciation. Onward and upward:  Ã¦ ­ ¥Ã¦ ­ ¥Ã© «ËœÃ¦Ëœâ€¡ (bà ¹ bà ¹ gÄ oshÄ“ng)Good health:  Ã¨ º «Ã© «â€Ã¥  ¥Ã¥ º · (shÄ“ntÇ  jinkÄ ng)All wishes come true:  Ã¥ ¿Æ'æÆ' ³Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¦Ë†  (xÄ «n xiÇŽng shà ¬ chà ©n)Be happy and carry laughter all the time:  Ã§ ¬â€˜Ã¥  £Ã¥ ¸ ¸Ã©â€"‹ (xio kÇ’u chng kÄ i)Business will grow and get better:  Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¦ ¥ ­Ã¨â€™ ¸Ã¨â€™ ¸Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¤ ¸Å Ã©â€"‹ (shà ¬yà ¨ zhÄ“ng zhÄ“ngrà ¬ shngkÄ i)Everything will be lucky and go smoothly:  Ã¨  ¬Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¥ â€° (wnshà ¬djà ­)Things will happen as you wish:  Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦â€ž Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¿Æ'æÆ' ³Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¦Ë†  (shà ¬ shà ¬ rà ºyà ¬, xÄ «n xiÇŽng shà ¬ chà ©ng)Pass an entrance exam and get enrolled in a school:  Ã©â€¡â€˜Ã¦ ¦Å"é ¡Å'Ã¥   (jÄ «nbÇŽng tà ­mà ­ng)Harmonious family and prosperous life:  Ã¥ ® ¶Ã¥â€™Å'è  ¬Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¨Ë†Ë† (jiÄ  hà © wnshà ¬ xÄ «ng)Work smoothly:  Ã¥ · ¥Ã¤ ½Å"é  â€ Ã¥Ë† © (gÃ… ngzuà ² shà ¹nlà ¬)Quick ly find Mr. Right:  Ã¦â€" ©Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦â€° ¾Ã¥Ë† °Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦â€ž Ã©Æ'Žå â€º (zÇŽorà ¬ zhÇŽodo rà ºyà ¬ lng jÃ… «n)Make a fortune:  Ã¨ ³ ºÃ©Å' ¢Ã§â„¢ ¼Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¨ ² ¡ (zhunqin fÄ  d ci) Whatever your wish, Chinese New Year can be a wonderful opportunity to set the tone for the year ahead.

The best ways on how to influence people over the phone

The best ways on how to influence people over the phone Being an employee in sales takes a lot of convincing to the person you are trying to sell to. The person on the other line will most likely listen to you more if you are confident and prepared. Usually, within 30 seconds of the  call, the client will decide if he or she is  interested and whether or not they want to hear more or end the conversation. As a sales  person, how do you influence your potential  client over the phone? With these simple tips, you can make the most out of any sales call and land the sale!  Source [The Gap Partnership]

Compare and contrast King Gilgamesh with Enkidu Essay

Compare and contrast King Gilgamesh with Enkidu - Essay Example Actually, it was to foil Gilgamesh that the gods created Enkidu, purposely to bring balance to the city of Uruk, which Gilgamesh’s abuse of power terrorizes. Thus Enkidu becomes Gilgamesh other self – a reflection of his weakness, as Enkidu made him painfully realize his inherent limitation as a human – his mortality, which drove him to seek eternal life. This, according to Davis (2000) is the underlying question in the epic: â€Å"Why have the gods withheld eternal life from humanity?† (p. 70). â€Å"Gilgamesh, where are you wandering? The life that you are seeking all around you will not find. When the gods created mankind they fixed Death for mankind, and held back Life in their own hands.† (Kovacks, 1989, p. 85) And it was in his search for eternal life, as he challenges death, that the answer to this question is revealed. The gods denied humanity of eternal life, because what makes human life precious, thus meaningful is no other than death. Af ter Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh desire to escape of death gave him the reason to live. It is also his fear of death that transformed Gilgamesh from a ruthless ruler to a responsible one, by which he left behind a legacy that outlived him. As Brown (1996) explained, â€Å"without death [Gilgamesh’s] life would be meaningless, and the adventures that make up the epic would disappear. In celebrating Gilgamesh†¦ we celebrate that which makes us human.† (para. 6) On the other hand, Gilgamesh is Enkidu’s strength, since with the elders entrusting Gilgamesh to his care implies recognition of Gilgamesh’s weakness of the wilderness. As such, serving Gilgamesh has given Enkidu his worth. Gilgamesh, do not put your trust in (just) your vast strength, but keep a sharp eye out, make each blow strike its mark! 'The one who goes on ahead saves the comrade.'1 'The one who knows the route protects his friend.' Let Enkidu go ahead of you; he knows the road to the Cedar Forest, he has seen fighting, has experienced battle. Enkidu will protect the friend, will keep the comrade safe. Let his body urge him back to the wives (?). (Kovacks, 1989, p. 25) Gilgamesh and Enkidu although sharply different are very much alike. If Gilgamesh is a civilized man born two-thirds god and one-third human in the city of Uruk, yet acts uncivilly and inhumanely, killing the sons and raping the daughters of his people, on the other hand, Enkidu is a primitive man born akin to a wild beast, yet acts with compassion with the beasts whom he grew with, protecting them from trappers and freeing them whenever trapped (Kovacks, 1989, pp. 4, xix). Such difference portrays the contrast between the civilized and the primitive. That civilization, as Brown (1996) noted, transforms the primitive man with no return, corrupting his innocence and weakening him, yet giving him wisdom to see life beyond the wilderness (para. 9-10) allowing him to grow and enjoy the luxuries that c ivilization could offer to life like wine, women, and comfort. Though born and raised differently, both similarly possess super-human physical strengths that made them both feared: Gilgamesh by his people and Enkidu by the trapper. Thus both are to be tamed: Gilgamesh by the people of Uruk to live peacefully, whereas, Enkidu by the tra

What Are The Drawbacks And Benefits For Teenagers Going To The Essay

What Are The Drawbacks And Benefits For Teenagers Going To The University - Essay Example In today’s world, graduation is not sufficient to meet future challenges and the economic survival. Hence, students who have good track record to get admission in the top class universities of the globe aim at to find out better opportunities and facilities for self and for their families alike. Other benefits of learning in a university gets closer with learning another language for international students, better opportunities, state of the art laboratories, very well maintained libraries and the computer technologies. In spite of mentioned benefits, there are many drawbacks, which students have to face during their stay in a foreign university, e.g. cultural differences, home sickness and easy communication with fellow students, professors, advisors and the people. Discussion Drawbacks We all know that taking a university degree means you have to spend three to four years in an educational institution. To meet the educational expenses, students have to work in different esta blishments (chosen retail outlets, warehouses and factories) to earn money regularly. The admission in a reputable university has now become status symbol. Since the degree level education spans over three to four years, therefore, students have to work hard for a longer period of time.... Less fortunate category of students all over the world due to complete involvement in studies and jobs cannot spare time for socializing activities. In view of the hectic schedule, they do not even find time to go out and enjoy with their friends for years. Minority of students who could not strike a balance between their studies and jobs have to say goodbye to their jobs, which compel their parents to meet extra expenses through their noses (Kenny & Gallagher 2003). The students in a foreign land have to go through the experience of making friends frequently. During their stay in foreign universities, students either have to rely on the income derives out from their jobs, parents support or to depend on the student loans since no other option is available to meet their expenses. The student loan is more affordable to them because of its being soft term. Further, repayment of such loan is associated with the availability of job to a student after completion of study. Despite availabi lity of soft term loan, student at some stage of their life has to pay off the debt with interest accrued thereon. Conversely, if a student do not find job just after graduation from the university, he has to face the distaste of interest accrued on the borrowed money (Kenny & Gallagher 2003). Benefits Teen’s education at university carries drawbacks and benefits side by side. First of all, students find themselves fortunate enough for having an admission in one of the reputed Universities (preferably in UK, USA and Australian Universities). By way of getting admission in a foreign university of repute, students find themselves in a place where opportunities are in abundance for them in terms of educational needs and spoken

Student at Drexel University Essay Example for Free

Student at Drexel University Essay While the Philadelphia Museum of Art may not house some of the more famous artwork from the Baroque period, their acquisition of Poussin’s â€Å"Birth of Venus† was nothing short of a savvy purchase. Hungry for Western currency, the painting was sold by the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in 1930 under the Soviet Regime to the PMA. In their possession is arguably one of the most hotly debated works from that era. Also aptly named â€Å"The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite† this painting not only highlights Poussin’s trademark ability to allow for an open interpretation of his depictions but also encourages an allegorical analysis of the many elements present in his composition. The very ambiguities of this painting, and his others, emphasizes Poussin’s capacity to express the concepts or overall ideas of things and events themselves while not concentrating on the minutia while still allowing for translation. Before one can approach an iconological interpretation of Poussin’s work, one must also understand his early training, influences and subsequent ideology to grasp his use of deep symbolism and line. In his early career working with Italian poet Giambattista Marino, Nicolas Poussin was commissioned to illustrate Ovidian poetry subsequently establishing the ideals of Metamorphoses – themes and motifs prominent in â€Å"The Birth of Venus†.[3][6] This was also important in developing his ability to intimately tie literature to painting.[1] Poussin grew to heavily favor Disegno over Colore, or design over color which can be seen in all of his works[3][6]. His ideology proposed that design, form and line were more important than t he colors and dà ©cor of the traditional Baroque French art of the time. This very dogma split French Renaissance Art 200 years after his death in which factions of his study (Poussinistes) proposed that drawing was superior to color (Rubà ©nistes)[6]. Poussin’s  holistic and classical approach was his attempt to reach the highest aim of painting: the representation of the magnificent. He intended to only focus on great events, battles and divine matters. In this way, Poussin’s take on Roman Classicism eventually contributed to the aesthetic style of Grand Matter[3][6]. His method of Ideal or Heroic Landscape, which drew upon the perspectives of rhetoric, utopianism, drama and metaphysics allowed him to coherently arrange elements as seen in the â€Å"Birth of Venus†. The very nature and composition of Poussin’s works highlights the realm of Baroque Classicism in which the arrangement of the physical is paramount to reflecting the rationality of an ideal and eternal world. His fascination with deity and mythology sans Christianity also can be seen in his rejection of Neoplatonism and his use of Epicurean interpretation[5]. Indeed, Poussin was not the first artist to depict Venus physica (terrestrial Venus). Nearly a century and a half prior to Poussin’s painting, Italian painter Sandro Boticelli composed a similar painting also named â€Å"The Birth of Venus† (1485)[6]. While there are some similarities to Boticelli’s painting, Poussin’s provides a more Epicurean interpretation rather than a Neoplatonistic o ne. In addition, 20 years after Boticelli’s work, another Italian painter created another piece of art that depicts Venus in a manner more similar to Poussin’s (â€Å"The Triumph of Galatea†)[6]. The Birth of Venus by Boticelli (1485) The Triumph of Galatea by Raphael (1514) Both of these paintings, while somewhat similar, only reinforce some of the symbolic clues left by Poussin in his own depiction: The Birth of Venus or The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite by Poussin (1635) As we gaze over Poussin’s work of art we notice a great many things. First and foremost, as we know of his attention to placement, the centermost and brightest subject is of a nude female deity. A time-frozen, windswept pink shroud is cast upon her naked body while she rides on top of dolphins harnessed by her and the cupid-like boy under her. Poussin’s placement of Her is crucial because it highlights Her very significance in the scene; she is centered as her male counterpart is seemingly subordinate and pictorially  off to the side. Around her are Tritons and Nerreds and above are cupid-like babies adorning her with flowers. The inspiration for the placement and formation of the goddess can be seen by the earlier paintings of Boticelli and Raphael. In each painting the deity in the center is shielded by a billowing cloth of pink/red. In addition, Poussin chose to have the woman deity ride in on dolphins similar to that of Raphael’s composition. Because there are two official names for this painting, one thing must be addressed before moving on, â€Å"Is this a depiction of the birth of Venus or the triumph of Amphitrite?†. Amphitrite is the Greek sea-goddess and wife of Poseidon while Venus is the Roman goddess of love, two different characters that share no parallels. There is some interesting evidence to support that the painting is indeed Venus’ birth. In both The Triumph of Galatea and The Birth of Venus, Venus is not only riding on dolphins but also has her son Cupid below her also harnessing the sea beasts[3][4][5][6]. Furthermore in Boticelli’s painting and in Poussin’s, the woman deity is being adorned with myrtle, the flower most commonly associated with Venus, goddess of love – myrtle too is a symbol of love[6]. Additionally, Poussin employs his knowledge of Apulerius in Metamorphoses or â€Å"The Golden Ass† of which the story describes Venus as being accompanied by a ban d of fellow beings singing and blowing horns[2][4]. The comparison between the Apulerius’ text and Poussin’s painting are fascinating, there are a band of fellow beings surrounding Venus in the form of Tritons and Nerreds, two of which are blowing horns. In Metamorphoses, Apulerius merely depicts the triumph of a Venus while Poussin paints her genesis[2]. Seen in the warm clouds above, riding on a chariot in the sky by six doves is the infant form of Venus. On her journey to creation she encounters transformation which is signified by the dark storm clouds above. This is painted to contrast the entire tone of the painting so markedly that it bears a special meaning. Poussin again employs his usage of literary interpretation in the form of Lucretius’ didactic poem De rerum natura or â€Å"On the Nature of Things†[4]. In this poem’s prologue, there lies a single significant line: â€Å"Te dea, te fugiunt venti, Te nubile caeli Adventumque tuum†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This translates to â€Å"Thee, goddess fle e you, the wind, cloudy skies, and your arrival.† [4] Which means that the winds and clouds part in anticipation of a goddess, shown in the picture. In Poussin’s depiction, he portrays Venus as being propelled by the  winds just as in Boticelli’s work. These pieces of literary and visual evidence provide basis that the central female deity in Poussin’s painting is in fact Roman goddess Venus. To the left of Venus is a male deity riding on hippocamps or seahorses, it is not easily discernible however if he is to be depicted as Neptune the Roman god of freshwater and sea or Poseidon, Greek god of the ocean. Both counterparts are known as god of the horses and horse tamer respectively and each wields a trident[6]. In regards to the location of the painting, Poussin uses the method of Ideal Landscape[6] in which he represents the locale but not exactly. It was important that the setting did not exactly reflect or imitate a real place in its entirety but to highlight the divinity, magnificence and importance of the event or subject in an effort to not distract the audience. However, Poussin did provide a small piece of evidence in the form of a spilling vase at the base of the painting. This could symbolize a river near a mountai nous island in the Mediterranean. Evidence has shown that the archaeological site of Paphos (a mountainous island of Cyprus) is near the mouth of the Bocarus River which could very well be the paintings’ setting [4][5]. Works Cited [1] Janson, Anthony. Jansons History of Art . 8th ed. Pearson, 2011. Print. [2]Moore, Brooks. Ovids Metamorphoses. 1st. New York, NY: Marshall Jones Company, 1933. Print. [3] Nicolas Poussin Biography. Nicholas Poussin: The Complete Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug 2013. . [4] Phelan, Joseph. Poussin and the Heroic Landscape.ArtCyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Aug 2013. [5] Sommer, Frank H. . Poussins Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite: A Re- Identification. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. 24.3 (1961): 323-327. Print. [6] Verdi, Richard. Nicolas Poussin. Encyclopedia Britannica. .

Wide Sargasso Sea and The Color Purple Essay examples -- essays resear

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Problems, along with misery, become apart of life whether you’re willing to accept it or not. For those who have accepted such troubles, have also learned to cope with it one way or another. Antoinette’s character in â€Å"Wide Sargasso Sea† and Celie’s character in â€Å"The Color Purple† have both experienced problems with depression, loneliness, violence, inferiority, racism, and self-identity. It is important for such characters as Antoinette and Celie to express their emotions and have a method of working out there issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel â€Å"Wide Sargasso Sea† by Jean Rhys, the character Antoinette is left mainly to her own free will as a child with no friends and relied on herself to find out that there is a world that can be both peaceful and horrifying. In the first part of the novel, we witness Antoinette’s childhood memories. She remembers the racial tensions and disapproval of white Jamaican women because they were not like â€Å"real white people†, wearing French Caribbean fashions. The white people also feared revenge of the ex- black slaves who follow Antoinette and called her â€Å"white cockroach†. Accepted by neither white nor black society, Antoinette feels great shame and left out. Having witnessed her home burnt down by the ex-slaves, the death of her brother Pierre, and her mother falling ill and mad, Antoinette had to go through it alone and begins to talk to herself for comfort. Being rejected by her mother and every...

Dove – Brand Value

Question 1 Prior to the launch of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† Dove focused mostly on the brand’s functional benefits in its advertising. Dove products were packaged simply, and the name â€Å"dove† implied purity, freshness and cleanliness. It was also very feminine. To customers, Dove was viewed not as soap, but as a moisturizer because of the brand’s constant emphasis on the one-quarter moisturizing cream added to its beauty bars. Because of this, women flocked to the brand in hopes of trading in their dry skin for soft, smooth skin.Exhibit 1 shows a brand association map for the Dove brand prior to the introduction of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † As shown in the Exhibit, a lot of Dove’s associations are in the functional category or teetering between functional and emotional. This is because of the way Dove introduced itself – the brand was so determined to set itself apart from its competitors because of the moist urizing differences in products, but Dove became stuck in the functionality view point. It’s hard to create a story and brand personality for something which is only viewed as a functional product.Question 2 The main reason â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† was created was so that Dove could become a Masterbrand. This meant that Dove had to expand its product line to include other personal care products besides in the beauty bar category. Dove tried to launch its new personal care products using techniques similar to those of the beauty bar, but to unify all of Dove’s products, the branding team had to create a new vision so that they could sell Dove as a brand rather than individual products.The key brand associations (taken from Exhibit #1) are healthy skin, beauty, and moisture. Dove wanted to introduce deodorants, hair care products, facial cleansers, body lotions and hair styling products. For each of these products, beauty is important. Every girl wants beautiful hair, beautiful skin and even beautiful underarms. Moisture is important for facial cleansers, body lotions and hair care products because you don’t want something that will dry out your skin or hair; however, moisturizers aren’t necessarily important in deodorants.Healthy skin only applies to facial cleansers, body lotions and deodorants, but not to hair care and styling products. As it stands here, Dove’s brand story is inconsistent for taking on multiple products of such different purposes. There is no one association that will incorporate all of the products Dove plans on introducing. Question 3 The brand story of Dove’s â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† can be broken down into the four elements of storytelling: message, plot, conflict and characters. The message behind the campaign is that all women should feel beautiful in their skin.The plot is to show women that by using Dove products, they can feel beautiful in their skin. The conf lict is that society tells consumers what beauty should look like, but the Dove brand refuses to conform to those supposed â€Å"norms. † The characters are women; women of every size, shape, color, age and height. These ideas are the backbone of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† and are also Dove’s unique selling propositions. Overall, Dove’s brand story behind â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† is strong. What makes it strong is that it’s never been done before.Consumers are so used to seeing the same faces, figures and ethnicities in advertising that when you show them something different, their interest in peaked. By putting women in the ads that look like anyone off the street, it becomes a brand that is for all people rather than only a certain kind of person. It’s also incredibly strong because the idea behind the campaign opens up conversations about self-esteem in general. The campaign generated a multitude of discussions on the internet about topics like anorexia, body image and race. Question 4The first of Dove’s advertising as a part of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† were its â€Å"Tick-Box† advertisements. These were very creative billboards designed to incorporate the opinions of the consumers about the product, but also about the campaign itself. The ads caught the attention of the public, and many people voted â€Å"oversized† at first, but â€Å"outstanding† quickly took over. Based on these results, it’s apparent that Dove had gained support in their campaign and message. The next series of Dove advertisements for the campaign are known as â€Å"Firming† advertisements.These ads featured six â€Å"real† women posing in plain white underwear. The imagery is simple, clean and pure – all aspects associated with the Dove brand and products. This ad is a great representation of the brand’s new vision. It featured women of all shapes, sizes and colors, smiling and baring their bodies comfortably. This is exactly the type of feeling â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† was created to portray. The next step in the campaign was the creation of a video that didn’t even mention the selling product.The video featured young girls admitting things about themselves that they wished were different or didn’t like. The advertisement still remains controversial. This ad demonstrates the big picture behind â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† in that Dove wants to open up discussion about what it means to â€Å"beautiful† in today’s society. With the â€Å"True Colors† ad, the company doesn’t let the product get in the way, but rather lets the campaign take over the brand. This is most likely why the ad received so much praise, and ran during the 2006 Super Bowl in front of 90 million viewers.Stage four of the campaign was mostly unplanned. The â€Å"Evolutio n† video was created as a way to entice people to attend Dove-lead self-esteem workshops in Toronto, Canada. After the North America team saw the film, they decided to air it more publically on YouTube. In a matter of months, the film received over 3 million views. Using YouTube at the time was an extremely smart idea considering how popular the site was becoming. It opened the Dove brand up to the social media craze of the time, and created a dialog within the internet in the form of blogs, video responses and forums.The same can be said for the â€Å"Onslaught† film that Dove put up that thoroughly depicted what it can be like for women and young girls to walk down the street or watch television, and be bombarded with these images of what it means to be â€Å"beautiful. † Question 5 Billboards in Grand Central Station Dove’s â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† is described by Harousseau as â€Å"breaking every rule in the company. † Doveâ€℠¢s marketing objective for the campaign was to create a buzz and get people talking about the company itself and the message it is trying to portray.By using billboards in Grand Central Station, the company was taking advantage of the huge amount of foot traffic and diversity that the station offers. This technique in getting people’s attention obviously worked when Katie Couric spent 16 minutes on the Today Show talking about the ads and Dove’s new direction. Using the billboards in such a culturally mixed environment allows all sorts of potential consumers the opportunity to be introduced or reintroduced to the Dove brand and â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † Super Bowl Advertising Dove’s usage of the Super Bowl was all about exposure and introducing â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty.† The idea to advertise during the Super Bowl was at first rejected with good reason: the Super Bowl has always been a way to advertise beer, cars, chips and ot her â€Å"masculine† products; it wasn’t the place for Dove let alone a campaign set out specifically for women. However, the Super Bowl offers an audience of over 90 million people which would surely get Dove and the campaign some buzz. After its ad ran, Dove experienced continued exposure in conversations by news outlets, Oprah Winfrey and late night personalities. The ad was a huge success in making consumers aware of Dove’s mission.However, in exposing its brand and campaign, Dove opened itself up to ridicule and satire which is an unfortunate side-effect of advertising to an entire nation rather than your intended market. YouTube Release of â€Å"Evolution† Dove released the â€Å"Evolution† ad on YouTube using no paid media. Overtime, the word-of-mouth phenomenon went into effect, and the ad was among the most downloaded commercials on YouTube despite never appearing on television as paid advertising. However, the ad did make it into the medi a in the context of news programs, newspapers and radio.This advertising technique most appropriately demonstrates Dove’s new direction and mission. It shows people that what they perceive as beautiful isn’t actually real. Dove wants women to realize this, and love themselves naturally. The â€Å"Evolution† message is an important one for all consumers to understand. The Dove Two Dozen and Dove Real Beauty Award The Dove Two Dozen was a very behind the scenes media technique. It involved introducing the campaign to significant women in the media whom Dove believed shared its vision.Through this vehicle, the company hoped to gain the trust of influential consumers who would hopefully pass on their praise of the product and the campaign to everyday consumers who would also appreciate the brand’s efforts and goals. This is a good marketing technique because celebrities and well-known personalities have a lot of influence in the consumer market, so passing on â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† idea to these individuals increased the likelihood of attracting the appropriate demographic. The â€Å"Dove Real Beauty Award† is a very clever way of introducing the campaign into the world of media and female empowerment.Dove created the award as a part of the American Women in Radio and Television’s annual gala. Although this offers minimal exposure since it is only an annual award, the influential characters that would attend this gala could possibly bring the brand and campaign to a larger audience. Global Self Esteem Fund This was the final step in Dove’s overall media planning process. The company created the fund to support uniquely ME! , which is an organization that partners with the Girl Scouts of the USA whose goals include building self-confidence in girls ages 8-17.This fund was mentioned on the Girl Scouts website, and linked to the campaign’s standalone website. Creating this fund helped garner exposure, but also added to Dove’s corporate social responsibility which is incredibly important in the overall view of the company and helped the campaign establish a monopoly on female self-confidence and self-esteem. Question 6 The introduction of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† definitely changed the brand meaning of Dove. The brand started out focusing on only the functional uses of its products, but the campaign transformed the brand to encompass an idea that was more powerful than mere functionality.The Dove brand remains pure and simple in its advertising, and still promotes its one-quarter moisturizer claim. But on top of that, Dove now stands for promoting self-esteem and self-confidence in young girls and women around the world. The brand also challenges the modern societal view of beauty which is monumental considering that no other company dares do it. Exhibit 2 shows a new brand association map that portrays the Dove brand after the launch of â€Å"T he Campaign for Real Beauty. † A few of the original associations have shifted and a few have been added: original, empowered, happy, extraordinary and confident.Most notably is the shift of the â€Å"beauty† association. Originally it was placed directly on the â€Å"Emotional† axis, and closer to the lower end. After the introduction of the campaign, beauty has shifted to the higher ends of both the â€Å"Emotional† and â€Å"Self-Expressive† axes. Another significant change is the addition of the â€Å"confident† association. Beforehand, Dove wasn’t known for instilling confidence in women, but after the introduction of the â€Å"Tick-Box† and â€Å"Firming† advertisements, that changed. It showed â€Å"real† women smiling happily, while baring their bodies despite them not matching societal expectations. Question 7: 1. Price PremiumAeker uses price premium as a measurement of loyalty. It represents of the extra amount of money that a customer is willing to pay for a brand compared to the generic option. Based on information provided in the case, there is no evidence to show how much financial growth â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† has given the Dove brand. Although, in 2006, Dove was cited as one of the 10 brands with the greatest percentage gain in brand health since 2003. This acknowledgement is due to the fact that the brand had grown by $1. 2 billion in only three years. No one is sure how much of that growth can be credited to â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † 2.Satisfaction/Loyalty In brand equity, loyalty leads to satisfaction; this involves a customer’s experience with a product. Considering that Dove has been a well-known and well-loved brand for over 50 years, it can be easily deduced that there is a high level of loyalty behind the brand. Before â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† concept, Dove focused on the functional benefits of its produc ts; mainly on the fact that Dove’s cleansing products contained one-quarter moisturizing cream. This differentiation between Dove and other cleansers is what made Dove the number one cleansing brand in 2007 and contributed to the brands largely female following.â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† although it started a lot of chatter about the brand, didn’t necessarily enforce more loyalty from new or existing customers. It would appear that Dove, while still using the campaign, is still focusing on its brand’s functional benefits to maintain loyalty. 3. Perceived Quality A products performance that varies from the object quality is the perceived quality. â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† is an idea/message that Dove brand managers came up with in order to create a story on which they could sell their quickly increasing product line.The Dove products are still the same – they haven’t altered the ingredients of the products because o f the campaign. However, the quality of the brand itself has shifted. Because of the campaign’s focus on self-confidence and self-esteem in women and young girls, consumers began viewing Dove as a pioneer in the fight for societal acceptance of all. This view point is extremely important because the issue of body image in American culture is very prevalent, but companies refuse to address it in fear of being rejected by the masses for going against the â€Å"young, white, blonde and thin† norm.Because Dove decided to step out in protest of these so-called â€Å"norms,† the company runs the risk of being rejected. As Alicia Clegg stated: â€Å"Talk about real beauty all you want – once you’re the brand for fat girls, you’re toast. † 4. Leadership/Popularity The first series of Dove’s â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† ads came out to the public between 2002 and 2005. Since then, Dove has launched several ads following the me ssages inspired by â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † In 2007, Dove was â€Å"the world’s number-one â€Å"cleansing† brand in the health and beauty sector, with sales of over $2.5 billion a year in more than 80 countries. † This shows that 3-5 years after the introduction of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† Dove remained the leader in its market. Also, since the campaign’s reveal, the brand grown by $1. 2 billion which can be mostly attributed to the brands product extensions, but also because of the campaign’s success. 5. Perceived Value The perceived value of Dove is the perceived brand utility relative to its costs. Dove is one of the more expensive â€Å"cleansing† brands in the market today, but it also offers more moisturizers which makes your skin softer and healthier.Since the perceived value focuses mainly on the functional uses of the product, â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† does not affect the bran d’s perceived value. However, the campaign could increase or decrease a consumer’s individual perceived value if they support or reject the message that Dove is putting out with its campaign. 6. Brand Personality Dove’s brand personality links the brand’s emotional and self-expressive benefits to the consumer’s needs for social approval, personal expression or self-esteem. The idea of self-esteem is the whole basis of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty.† After rigorous surveying and planning, the brand managers found out that only 2% of women worldwide consider themselves to be beautiful. Dove also found out that this is mostly because of the images women see every day in the media which depict women whose beauty is even unattainable to them (hello, Photoshop)! In response, Dove wanted to create its brand personality to encompass the idea of loving yourself in your own skin no matter your shape, size, color, etc. This new personality was emb raced by consumers and the media, most notably Katie Couric and Oprah Winfrey.7. Organizational Associations Organizational associations urge consumers to connect the organization’s employees, values and programs with the brand itself. This is very well done in Dove because of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † Because the campaign is an idea, it offers many values out to customers that reflect what the Dove brand is all about. Because of the campaign, Dove, to the hope of the brand managers, will become a brand synonymous with â€Å"natural beauty† and â€Å"self-esteem† – extremely powerful words in the beauty market in America. 8. Brand AwarenessBrand awareness refers to how aware consumers are of Dove and its products. Because of the dramatic shift in brand personality and ground-breaking advertising series, Dove has created a lot of chatter. This is centered on â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † When the advertisements first surfa ced, they were so different and controversial that the media got involved and did news reports on the campaign. This was fantastic free advertising for Dove. Because news outlets and media personalities were discussing this campaign and the Dove brand itself, it got customers interested.Like a wildfire, word spread across the internet and people were creating blog posts, YouTube videos, updating their Facebook and Twitter accounts mostly in praise of the campaign. 9. Market Share Nothing is stated in the case about the market share of Dove, but its competitors include Proctor and Gamble’s Ivory, Kao’s Jergens, and Beiersdorf’s Nivea. However, it can be assumed that since Dove has been a leader in the health and beauty sector of the market since its introduction, it has a fairly large market share.This share may have been increased due to the brands $1. 2 billion increase from the introduction of an extended product line and â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. à ¢â‚¬  10. Market Price and Distribution Coverage From personal experience and knowledge, Dove products are generally on the higher side of the pricing scale. They use high quality ingredients, and use more moisturizer than other brands so the skin stays softer and healthier. Dove sells all of their health and beauty products in grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores.Because Dove’s â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† focuses on the everyday woman, it wouldn’t make sense for the company to try and sell in high end stores like Macys, Sephora or Nordstrom. Placing Dove products in places where any woman could find it increases the likelihood that the campaign will stick in the minds of target consumers and expand from there. Overall, â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† is positively contributing to Dove’s brand equity. In a majority of Aaker’s markers, the campaign has clearly added a positive spin on the brands total equity. This is es pecially true in the brand’s personality.The campaign completely transformed the brand from one that merely focused on the functional benefits of the products to the feel and meaning of the brand as a whole. This is important because now that Dove has a large line of different products, creating a meaning behind the brand itself makes creating a story easier. Questions 8 and 9 Each of the consumer-created responses listed poke fun at the advertisement efforts of the Dove brand. Despite the existence of these mock advertisements and social messages, it doesn’t seem that the Dove brand or â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† was hijacked by consumers.A brand hijacking is defined as â€Å"the consumer’s act of commandeering a brand from the marketing professionals by seizing control of its ideology, use and persona, and driving its evolution. † Based on what’s been accomplished by Dove and its campaign and the efforts of these consumer’s, saying the brand has been hijacked based on these few responses unrealistic. â€Å"Slob Evolution,† a consumer-created YouTube parody of Dove’s â€Å"Evolution† video features a normal looking man being transformed into a â€Å"slob† by make-up artists and the use of Photoshop. This specific video has a little over 1.5 million views on YouTube in the last six years. In contrast, the Dove video has almost 16 million views on YouTube in the same amount of time. Because so few people saw the consumer-created video as compared to the real video, I don’t think one could say that Dove lost control of the campaign’s initial meaning. In addition, majority of the comments in response to â€Å"Slob Evolution† don’t even mention the Dove brand or â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † The same could be said for â€Å"Dove vs. Axe,† a consumer-created response to Dove’s Onslaught film. There are only 5,500 views in the last three years.There hasn’t been enough exposure of these mock films to trigger a hijacking. One of the most powerful consumer-created videos is the â€Å"Onslaughter† video. It was created to get the message across that Dove allegedly uses palm oil from Indonesia that was planted after the destruction of lowland forests. While this is a powerful statement and potential problem for Dove, this advertisement doesn’t focus on â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty. † It does, however, present a problem because its name is very similar to the name of one of Dove’s real advertisements for the campaign.When the actual video’s name, â€Å"Onslaught,† is typed into Youtube, the consumer-created video is one of the first to come up. Again, this isn’t necessarily hijacking â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† but rather a small attack on Dove. Question 10 Based on the qualitative and quantitative success of â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† I think Dove should continue investing in the campaign. The brand has experienced phenomenal sales growth in the last five or so years, and has introduced several new products into the market through the campaign.Dove can continue to advertise using the values and messages from â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty,† and continue to open up dialogue about self-esteem and body image. There has been such a positive response to the campaign itself and already so much investment into programs and funds. As young girls grow up seeing Dove’s ads and messages, they will develop a loyalty and understanding of the brand. In addition, hopefully with Dove’s messages and influence, there can be radical change in the way girls view themselves.Since â€Å"real† women are the majority of women who buy Dove products, it’s important that Dove continue their focus on them. By reverting back to merely focusing on functional benefits, consumers could easily forget what Dove stood for in the past and simply change to another brand that may be cheaper and offer the same benefits. Dove must continually emphasize â€Å"The Campaign for Real Beauty† so people do not forget the social responsibility that Dove is trying to take on. In addition, no other brand or company is willing to take this similar risk, so Dove can continue to profit unopposed using this strategy.

Code of Ethics Essay

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is built up of a number of hospitals, specialty facilities, and continues care facilities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. According to NewYork-Presbyterian (2014), most System members are academic affiliates of either Weill Cornell Medical College or Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. NewYork-Presbyterian understands the challenges of today’s medicine and makes it their mission to improve their patients’ care by educating the patients researching in their own community. Their belief is that through awareness they may be able to teach the patients the things they need to know to then take responsibility for their own health. Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College help the NewYork-Presbyterian to improve their knowledge by research and academic capabilities. The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is always looking for every way possible to improve patient care and give all patients the best possible treatment in their facilities. The organization’s mission statement is â€Å"NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is dedicated to improving patient care, medical education and research throughout this region of the United States.† (nypsystem, 2014) Therefore this gives them three goals. The three goals are promoting patient care, promoting medical education, and to research medical aspects in order to have improvement for society. These three goals are tied to ethical principles because they are three categories, which will show advancement for the entire healthcare community. An example is improving patient care. This is straightforward because if NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is able to improve the patient care that will clearly be and advancement for society and healthcare system as a whole. This is because helping out patients is a large part of the healthcare system. Medical education is very important principle ethically. This is because education makes an entire society more prepared for the future. By encouraging medical education it prepares doctors,  nurses, or anyone in the healthcare industry to perform the best they possible can perform. Lastly, research will fundamentally make for a better society because this would lead to advancement in the medical industry, ultimately ethically the correct thing to do. This organization values giving the best quality healthcare to different healthcare facilities in the North East region and they value being able to spread knowledge in order to better the medical community. This is a very important ethical value towards them. This is because it will not only better the current generation, but the next generation will have all the tools in order to better educate the generation after that. Another value that is important to NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is simply improving the healthcare for anyone in need in this area. This is ethically important because they feel everyone should have the best opportunity to get the best treatment possible. They feel with the tactics that are used they are ethically doing the right thing because of improvement and accesses to healthcare that is being provided. An organizations culture includes experience, philosophy and expectations; very similar to a mission and vision statement. (Thomas Garrett, 2010) An organization’s culture can be presented as strength, muscle and a strong point. The significant importance in how the unity of an organization is demonstrated is closely related to the organization’s culture. Most importantly a company’s culture is derived from visions and policies of the company. Ethical thinking and ethical decision making are inherently a product of making all decisions with the understanding of how it impacts other employee actions and the product produced. There is a direct correlation between culture and ethics. Cultures are based on beliefs, customs and attitude. An individual’s culture and values are established early in life. For example, some cultures allow the behaviors of being stubborn and/or or structured. The mission statement of an organization may lean more toward adaptable, flexible and compliance. If an employee’s personal values and egos interfere with the flow of an organization it can change the overall complexion of making ethical decisions. (Thomas Garrett, 2010) Organizational culture and ethical decision making are both intricate components in running a seamless organization. Employees have their own  cultures and values and employees must make this transition in order to accept the directives of their organization. Ethical thinking means having an awareness of how it impacts individuals and the organization. Ethical decision making begins with the premise of choice and balance. Choice and balance allows individuals to involve individual accountability when making decisions. Working in a team helps with making ethical decisions because the closer the team gets individuality is lost. Most importantly ethics and values impact our social environment which leads to and organizations marketing and success. Decision making involves defining and clarifying the issues. Gathering the information and informally brainstorming becomes a component of making the decision. The code of ethics in any sort of business or organization is arguably the most important key to success. It gives the organization stability and allows the all process to run smoothly. [A code of ethics guides all managerial decisions, creating a common framework upon which all decisions are founded. This can help to create a cohesive understanding of the boundaries within an organization and the standards set for interacting with external stakeholders. A formal, well-communicated code of ethics can also help to protect a company’s reputation and legal standing in the event of a breach of ethics by an individual employee.] (Small Business – Chron.com, 2014) The question is, is it important for an organization’s ethical values to support your own ethical values? From these standards I believe that it is important for the ethical values to be similar, but every organization is going to have a different idea of what is important when it comes to their code of ethics. I feel that it can be beneficial to have more than one viewpoint on ethical values because it can allow a broad spectrum to go off of. It can be compared to the middle section of a problem solving equation. There will be the original solution that seems to be better than the rest, but then there are other solutions that need to be looked at. Having the multiple solutions allows variation and compromise. While the original code of ethics may be working just fine for all involved, but there could be a few tweaks that can be found by comparing and contrasting with another set of ethical values. It wouldn’t be known how well different aspects could work in your own ethical code without testing the waters. The worse that can happen from testing it out would be the realization th at your original ethical values are as good as it gets. NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System was founded to improve the way healthcare is being delivered to the communities. Positive change is continuous and a major part in our quest to provide the best possible treatment for our patients and implement modern medicine in the New York region of the United States. The social responsibility to the community as a healthcare system leader is to develop organization operations that will foster patient well-being and benefits. The culture of the organization is top quality, all decisions and actions stem from our organization morals and professional principles that ensure integrity and fairness in caretaking. These principles empower our planning process and give support to health regulations and laws. The ethical behavior at our facilities is an example of our dedication to public health and safety. Every staff member is required to be aware of guidelines that govern the healthcare industry. Patients can expect treatment to include confidentiality, respect, safety and professionalism. An extension of our responsibilities is making education and knowledge sharing one of our best practices. N.Y. Presbyterian Health Care System takes initiative on improving our knowledge base by drawing upon the research of two medical schools, Weill and Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The social responsibilities to local communities are what shape our planning process to improve every aspect of healthcare. The outcomes are measured against core issues; improving qualities, reducing readmissions, finances, clinical and administration functions, technology, and medical research. The System conducts system quality reviews to distinguish ourselves from other healthcare institutions recognized as high performers. NewYork-Presbyterian produces monthly newsletters and utilizes the world wide web as communication tools to provide the latest information regarding our healthcare system. This allows the community access to the process, initiatives and performance. Effective decisions to positively impact lives has recognized NewYork-Presbyterian as â€Å"One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.† (â€Å"New York-Presbyterian  Hospital Recognized For Innovative Patient Bedside Tablet†, 2014). The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is recognized quite a bit in the medical world, mainly because of the stance it has taken in regards to their patients. This particular healthcare system feels that it owes the patients the best care possible and it owes them the ability to be as informed as they can be about their own health. The facilities included in the system feel an ethical pull towards all of their patients, no matter what their own individual beliefs are. They strive to understand and accept each and every one of their patients, no matter how different they are. The community that surrounds the facilities within NewYork-Presbyterian knows that we are socially responsible to them by giving them the knowledge they deserve, not only about our healthcare system but about health and medicine as a whole. The NewYork Healthcare System wants its patients and their community to be aware to their own health and how the medical world around them can change their lives for the b etter. References: NewYork-Presbyterian. (2014). About Us. Retrieved from www.nypsystem.org/about.html. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Recognized for Innovative Patient Bedside Tablet. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nyp.org/news/hospital/2014-infoweek-elite100.html. Small Business – Chron.com,. (2014). Importance of Creating a Code of Ethics for a Business. Retrieved 24 May 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-creating-code-ethics-business-3094.html The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nypsystem.org/press.html. Thomas M. Garrett, H.W. (2010). Health Care Ethics: Principles and Problems. Prentice Hall.

Australian Precious Stones and Jewelry market exported to Japan Essay Example

Australian Precious Stones and Jewelry market exported to Japan Essay Example Australian Precious Stones and Jewelry market exported to Japan Paper Australian Precious Stones and Jewelry market exported to Japan Paper 1.0 Executive Summary The Australian jewelry industry is somewhat unique when compared to various others. One of the primary factors is that it enjoys a large natural resource base from which it can draw from to produce and manufacture its products. This is particularly true when it concerns precious and semi-precious stones such as diamonds, opals and pearls. As things stand, the Japanese market is one that appears to be significantly lucrative to enter for an Australian jeweler. In spite of the economic downturns facing the country, its economy is many times larger than the Australian economy thus ensuring that trade opportunities will continue to exist even in the face of the economic stagnation. Additionally, the changing status of jewelry to little more than just another fashion trend means that jewelers who are able to bypass the many steps in the distribution channel and/or have access to raw materials without additional import charges will be able to catch the shift in market layout as more importance is placed on affordability and fashion. Furthermore, statistics has shown that there continues to be a steady demand for jewelry thus providing an opportunity to adaptable businesses as specialist stores suffer a withdrawal of customers who appear to frequent the supermarkets for jewelry. 2.0 Background The Australian jewelry industry has a variety of raw materials to draw from for its production of jewelry. First and foremost of all is the supply of diamonds from the Argyle mines which fall into the three categories of pink, champagne and white diamonds. Being the not only the sole mine in Australia to produce diamonds, but among the largest in the world, the Argyle diamond mine is responsible for more than a third of the worlds supply of diamonds and thus is one of the most technologically advanced mines in existence. Since its conception in 1986, the Argyle mine has produced diamonds in an increasing number from the 29 million carats in the first year of production to steadying out at an average of 35 million carats from 1994 onwards. Not only are Argyle diamonds unique to other diamonds due to their hardness, the fact that the rare, highly valued pink diamonds can be steadily sourced from the mines means that Australian jewelers have a monopoly on the sale of such rare stones th rough an exclusive network set up by Argyle. Australia also enjoys significant natural deposits of high quality opal which totaled at $120 million for the year 1996-1997 alone. In fact, the deposits are so large that Australia accounts for almost 100% of the worlds top quality opal since natural deposits elsewhere are situated near volcanic regions with the exception of Brazilian opal and are generally of inferior quality. The only downside to this particular industry is the fact that mining is usually carried out on an individual business and thereby resistant to vertical integration and more efficient large scale mining operations. 3.0 Business Environment 3.1 PEST Analysis Political In terms of political factors influencing the exporting of gemstone decorated jewelry, there are several in effect. The first of these factors would be the tariffs that effect gold silver and platinum jewelry. Any silver and platinum jewelry would be subject to a general tax of 6.2% while jewelry using other precious metals would be subject to a 6.6% tariff (JETRO, 1998). Additionally, the tariff rates for each type of jewelry depends on whether it receives preferential, WTO, temporary or general rates (Appendix 12). Preferential rates have no tax whatsoever and are applied only imports meet conditions stipulated by statute and the administration. WTO rates are applied if and when its rates are lower than temporary and general rates. There are no legal restrictions regarding the importation of jewelry to Japan save for its Customs Tariff Law which prohibits counterfeit coins and designs which infringe trademark and design rights as well as the Washington Convention ratified in 1980 prohibiting trade of materials containing ivory or coal (Jewelry Trade Commission). Although there are no official regulations in regards to the sale of jewelry, there is however an identification program established voluntarily by the industry known as the Whole Mark and Quality Mark Program. The Whole Mark is used as proof of pure precious metal content in products stated to have them and usually consists of symbols indicating home country and level of quality. The Quality Mark on the other hand is almost the same but has the added measure where the mark is created and registered by the Japan Jewelry Association and is used to establish the responsibility of the labeler and guaranteeing the quality of the jewelry (JETRO, 1998). One example of this quality mark can be found on Appendix 13. Economic In the recent years, Japan has noted a distinct slowdown in its economy and is becoming somewhat stagnant despite several hundred trillion yen being spent on economic stimulus packages by the government. Despite this trend, some changes are occurring which could possibly contain news of benefit to the Australian gemstones/jewelry industry. One of the first factors of note is that the Japanese economy is 12 times larger than the Australian economy (Austrade). As such, despite the economic growth stagnation that Japan is facing, its sheer size means that an opportunity for Australia will continue to exist barring any catastrophic occurrences. Social One of the interesting things to note in regards to the social perception to jewelry is the effects that it has had on the market share that various distribution channels have. In this aspect, it should be noted that supermarkets have gained an increase in jewelry sales while those of department stores remain mostly flat (JETRO, 1998). This would appear to be a direct consequence of reducing prices of jewelry and its increasing acceptance as just another fashion good. Based on the popularity of the royal family of Japan, it would appear that their usage of cultured pearls as apparel has significantly increased its popularity among the Japanese consumers (Austrade). As such, demand exists for South Sea pearls as well especially of the pinkish and naturally golden ones Another trend to note is the changing demand for jewelry types. As shown in Appendix 3, there was a 10% increase demand in volume for earrings and a minor increase of 1% in demand for pendants at the expense of demand for rings with the exception of engagement rings between the years 1992 to 1996. Additionally, Appendix 4 shows that there is a significant jump in spending on ornamental wear among certain age groups especially in the 25-29 years and 50-54 years age group. Technology Much of the technological concern in regards to the jewelry industry falls into two categories. One is the actual production of jewelry and the other would be the post sales service in terms of modifications and maintenance of jewelry with mechanical parts (i.e. watches). Almost all retail stores in Japan involved in the sale of jewelry devote considerable resources to after sales services which involve cleaning, repair, reworking and resizing and redesign services as part of an effort to maintain and expand their customer base (JETRO). However, certain repair operations simply cannot be carried out in Japan due to technical/logistical issues and require a return to the parent country before repairs can be carried out thus necessitating the need for foreign suppliers to maintain repair facilities for just such an occurrence. 3.2 SWOT Strengths One of the primary strengths that the Australian jewelry market has over others is that in terms of supply, Australia is among the largest suppliers of natural diamonds across a wide variety of stones as well as being the undisputed primary supplier of high quality commercial opals. As such, Australian jewelry utilizing locally acquired natural precious stones will be able to cover wide range of markets due to their extensive range of raw gemstones to draw from. Additionally, with the exception of Brazil, all non-Australian opals are located in or near volcanic regions (Costellos). Australian opals and are typically mined by individuals and small groups and are located in comparatively more hospitable areas. This fact of heavy competition, combined with the factor that Australia is reputed to supply 95% of the worlds opals, means that there is significant pressure to provide and to corner as much of the possible market share as possible. As a result, prices for raw opals cannot command a high rate since the market structure would resemble a near perfect-competition market. With pearls, the Australian industry has an advantage over other producers as the Australian Cultured Pearl is of such high quality at harvesting that it requires no bleaching, tinting, dying or skinning in order to prepare it for setting (Costellos). Since these steps are not required, the net price of the pearls would be lower in comparison to other competitors offerings. Weaknesses One of the primary weaknesses of the industry is that its primary diamond mining operations in Australia is solely dependent on a single diamond mine known as the Argyle diamond mine located in the Kimberley region (Costellos). In the event that unforeseen circumstances curtail or disrupt the mining operations and adversely affects the supply, the regular supply of local diamonds for the entire Australian jewelry industry would be halted. As a result, the entire chain of production and distribution would be disrupted, possibly causing loss in market share as competitors step in to fill up the gaps. Another weakness facing the industry is that due to the fragmented nature of opal mining operations, the existence of a coordinated and well organized supply structure is virtually non-existent. Just as the fragmented nature of the opal mining operations prevents a monopoly or dominant supplier from existing; it also prevents producers from utilizing vertical integration. Added to this problem is the fact that the opal fields are beginning to run out indicating that prices will begin to rise as supply dwindles (Costellos). Opportunities Japan is completely dependent on foreign sources for all of its precious stones and metals with the exception of quartz, onyx and pearls (Austrade). As matters stand, the combined economic size and sheer dependence on foreign sources for materials, the Australian jewelry industry will find a more than receptive market for its products. Additionally, Appendix 1 indicates that although there is some fluctuating in the sale of jewelry with precious stones during the years 1988 to 1996, the overall sales volume is stable and does not appear to be susceptible to any drastic fluctuations in the near future. As shown in Appendix 6, despite the reduced average price that was indicated during the years 1992 and 1996, overall volume of sales for all types of jewelry (gold, silver and platinum) increased. Despite the economic downturn of 1991, the increase in volume and value of jewelry sold is a good indicator that the market for jewelry is still active and demonstrates significant growth potential. Threats Major threats facing the Australian jewelry industry is the existence of rival competitors from various other countries. Already, market leaders in terms of volume exported exist among various countries such as Thailand with its export of 23.1% in the year 1996 (Appendix 7, Appendix 8) and the United States coming in at 2nd place with a total export amounting to 17.6% of the total jewelry exports to Japan. 3.3 Market Analysis Entering the Japanese market is not a simple matter. Corporate networks in Japan are closely knit and in some ways, similar to the traditional communal family structures found there. As such, finding a good importer to purchase the products will require at least an introduction into the network by an intermediary of some prominence and influence. Without such an introduction, entry into the market by exporting alone would be difficult since distributors would be likely to be more wary about a new exporter who acks endorsement unless the company already enjoys an international reputation. However, this difficulty of entering the market is somewhat lessened by the fact that there are no tariffs or quotas to the import of the colored stones. With the economic prospects for Japan still uncertain, high priced products have begun to lose market share as lower priced jewelry takes the center stage. As such, consumers have begun to be more price-sensitive and are far more likely to choose an alternate source of jewelry in the event that they find it to be too highly priced for their tastes. At the moment, there are several leading exporters of jewelry and precious stones to Japan. Among them are brands such as Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari and other well known brand names (Appendix 10). However, these companies are on the high end range of the market and usually position their products as top quality fashion items thus allowing them to place premium prices on their products and target the richer segment of the populace. However, medium and low cost jewelry suppliers who utilize retailers such as supermarkets also have a portion of the market and with the current growth in total sales of jewelry in supermarkets (Appendix 11), it is likely that their particular segment has significant growth potential. In fact, despite its small market share compared to other distributors, it is the only retailer to have experienced such a high growth in sales (22.9%) in the year 1992 indicating that market trends are shifting to increase demand for fashionable, yet affordable jewelry.