Animal Farm As Animal Satire

This study aims to determine that George Orwell s Animal Farm is a political satire which was written to criticise totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin s practices in Russia. In order to provide background information that would reveal causes led Orwell to write Animal Farm, Chapter one is devoted to a brief summary of the progress of author s life and significant events that had impact on his political convictions. Chapter one also presents background information about Animal Farm. Chapter two is devoted to satire. In this chapter, definition of satire is presented and some important characteristics of satire are discussed. In chapter three, the method of this research is described. Under the light of information presented in the previous chapters, Chapter four discusses Animal Farm and focuses on the book as a political satire. The last chapter presents the conclusion of this study. I would first like to express my sincere thanks to my thesis supervisor, Assoc.Prof. Dr. Jashua M. Bear for his help and freedom he gave me in this study. Without his understanding this thesis would never have been completed. I also wish to thank my sister Fidan Korkut for her suggestions in the planning stage of this study and her endurance during my long study days at home. My special thanks go to +zg r Ceylan, who constantly granted me her moral support. She was always there when I needed her. Presentation This chapter introduces general information about George Orwell s life. It includes chronological progress of his life and his political convictions. Furthermore, important events, such as The Russian Revolution and The Spanish Civil War which had significant influence on his commitment to write Animal Farm will be discussed. Lastly, general information about Animal Farm will be given. His Life The British author George Orwell, pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, was born in Motihari, India, June 25, 1903. His father was an important British civil servant in India, which was then part of the British Empire. A few years after Eric was born, he retired on a low pension and moved back to England. Though their income was not much enough, the Blair family sent their son away to boarding school which was an exclusive preparatory school, to prepare him for Eton Collage. Eric then won a scholarship to Eton Collage. During his education from the age of eight to eighteen, as he wrote in his essay about his school experiences titled â€Å"Such, Such Were the Joys,† he experienced many things about the â€Å"world where the prime necessities were money, titled relatives, athleticism, tailor-made clothes†, inequality, oppression and class distinctions in the schools of England (In Ball,1984). After the education at Eton College in England, Eric joined the Indian Imperial Police in British-Ruled Burma in 1922. There he witnessed oppression again, but this time he was looking at things from the top. Having served five years in Burma, he resigned in 1927 and turned back to Europe and lived in Paris for more than a year. Though he wrote novels and short stories he found nobody to get them published. He worked as a tutor and even as a dishwasher in Paris. During his poor days in Paris, he once more experienced the problems of the oppressed, the helpless and lower class people. In 1933, After having many experiences about the life at the bottom of society, he wrote Down and Out in Paris and London and published it under his pen name â€Å"George Orwell.† After a year in 1934 he published his novel Burmese Days, which he reflected his experiences there. Then, he published A Clergyman s Daughter in 1935, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying in 1936. In 1936, his publisher wanted Orwell to go to the English coal-mining country and write about it which was another important experience in his life. He wrote The Road to Wigan Pier to reflect what he saw there, the real poverty of people of the Lancashire Town of Wigan, and published it in 1937 (Ball, 1984). 1937 was the year that Orwell who for some time had been describing himself as â€Å"pro-socialist† (BALL, 1984) joined the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. When the Communists attempted to eliminate their allies on the far left, he fought against them and was wounded in the fighting, later was forced to flee for his life. His experience in this war was to have the most significant impact on his political thoughts and his later works. In 1938, Orwell wrote Homage to Catalonia, which recounts his experiences fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. One of his best-known books reflecting his lifelong distrust of dictatorial government, whether of the left or right, Animal Farm, a modern beast-fable attacking Russian Revolution, Stalinism and totalitarianism, was published in 1945, and Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian novel setting forth his fears of an intrusively bureaucratised state of the future was published in 1949. His first fame was brought by these two novels and they were the only ones which made a profit for him as a writer (Ball,1984). Orwell died at the early age of forty-seven of a neglected lung ailment in London, Jan. 21, 1950. His Time: Political Background In his essay â€Å"Why I Write†, Orwell (1947) says: I do not think one can assess a writer s motives without knowing something of his early development. His subject matter will be determined by the age he lives in at least this is true in tumultuous, revolutionary ages like our own Taking Orwell s his own words into consideration, in order to get a better understanding of his works and particularly of his political satire Animal Farm, we should look at his political convictions, and the historical context which influenced Orwell and inspired him to write. Very few authors develop essays explaining the motivation behind their writing. Orwell was of one them. Therefore in order to understand his motivations, his essay â€Å"Why I Write† would be the most appropriate source to be looked at. Orwell was a political writer and according to him he was forced to be a writer by the circumstances under which he has become aware of his political loyalties. His Burma and Paris days increased his natural hatred of authority and made him aware of the existence of the working classes.(Orwell, 1947) As mentioned above, he described himself as â€Å"pro-Socialist.† What he was longing for was a society in which there would be no class distinctions, and he named his ideal ideology â€Å"democratic socialism†. He says â€Å"every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism † (Orwell, 1947) There are two significant events that have great influence on Orwell s political thoughts: The Russian revolution that took place in the second decade of 20th century and The Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. The Russian Revolution Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 was the first great revolution which aimed at to overthrow the owners of the means of production, that is Capitalist Bourgeoisie, and to establish a state to be ruled by the working class, the Proletariat. Ideological basis of the revolution was taken from the philosophy of Karl Marx and Frederick Angels who believed that the history of the world was the history of a struggle between classes- between ruling classes and ruled classes (Han erlio lu, 1976). Marx was very critical of industrial capitalist society in which there are many cruel injustices and men are exploited by men. Out of his analysis of Capitalist system, he attained a vision of ending these injustices and establishing a society in which there would be no social classes and everybody would be equal. To him, in order to achieve this end the only way was a revolution made by the working class or the Proletariat against the Bourgeoisie. After revolution working classes would own the means of production. Marx called the new order that would be set after revolution â€Å"dictatorship of the Proletariat† which eventually replaced with a classless society (Han erlio lu, 1976). In October 1917, V.I. Lenin, led the socialist (Bolshevik) revolution in Russia. After the revolution was a four-year bloody civil war. During this war Red Army of the revolution organised and headed by Leon Trotsky had to fight against both Russians who were loyal to Czar and foreign troops (The Academic American Encyclopaedia, 1995). After Lenin died in 1924, a struggle between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky started for the leadership of the Communist Party. Stalin gained priority over Trotsky and; in 1925 Trotsky with several other members ousted from Politburo (the chief executive and political committee of the Communist Party); in 1927 Trotsky and his followers expelled from Party; Stalin took the control. Later Trotsky was exiled and in 1929 he was deported. In 1940 he was assassinated. During this period, Stalin always denounced Trotsky as a traitor (Ball, 1929). In the following years, Russia witnessed that Stalin started to take all power only in his hands. In 1930 s, many people were arrested. After public trials most of the opposing elements were eliminated. Stalin has been accused of being a very cruel dictator. However, Nikita Khrushchev, who ruled USSR between 1958-1964 and who was very critical of Stalin s crimes and non-human practices said in 1956 that: Stalin believed that all his practices was necessary in order to defend the benefits of labourers. He looked at these practices from the view point of the benefit of socialism and labourers. Thus, we cannot define his practices as of a giddy cruel despot. Here, it is the all tragedy (Han erlio lu, 1979). The Spanish Civil War In 1936, General Francisco Franco led a military coup in Spain, plunging the country into civil war. Franklin Rosemont in his article â€Å"Spanish revolution of 1936†³ defines the beginning of the revolution as follows: When Franco s fascist troops invaded Spain in July 1936 with the purpose of overthrowing the young and unstable Republic, the Spanish working class responded by making a revolution that went much further toward realising the classless and stateless ideal of proletarian socialism than any preceding popular revolt. Spontaneously and almost overnight, workers seized factories and other workplaces; land was collectivised; workers militias were formed throughout the country; the church age-old enemy of all working-class radicalism and indeed, openly profascist was dismantled, and its property confiscated; established political institutions disintegrated or were taken over by workers committees (Rosemont, 1988). Yet, between 1936 and 1939 the military rising originating in Morocco, headed by General Francisco Franco, spreads rapidly all over the country, After a number of bloody battles in which fortunes changed from one side to the other. Finally, Nationalist forces occupied the capital, Madrid, on March 28, 1939, and on April 1, General Franco officially ended the war (The Academic American Encyclopaedia). Orwell And The Spanish Civil War David Ball (1984) points out three experiences in the Spanish Civil War that were important for Orwell: atmosphere of Comradeship and respect, what happened to his fellow fighters and what happened when he returned to England and reported what he had seen. After spending very poor days in Paris, Orwell went to Spain to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. When he arrived Barcelona, he found an elating â€Å"atmosphere of Comradeship and respect†. People were friendly and addressing each other â€Å"comrade†. To Orwell, relations in the militia group he joined were the same and this made him feel that socialism was in action there. But later on, he was disappointed by what happened to his arm friends who were imprisoned and killed by their own â€Å"comrades† who were of Communist-dominated elements of the Republican government that they were fighting for. Communists believed that the communist ideas were betrayed by the militia group that Orwell belonged to. After he was wounded Orwell went back to England for remedy and was saved from being killed by his â€Å"comrades†. When he returned England he reported what he witnessed in the war, but Socialists strongly resisted to understand what he told about the practices of communists in Spain. The reason was that it was not the right time to publicise all these things while the war was going on and this information would harm Republican s position in the war. After this bad experience, he started to be more critical of British socialists and of communism. He wrote in his article â€Å"The Spanish war and other events in 1936-37 turned the scale and thereafter I knew where I stood.† (Orwell, 1947)

Why doesn’t Charles Bukowski get much respect in the U.S. as a “serious” author?

When asking the question as to why Charles Bukowski does not get much respect in the U. S. as a â€Å"serious† author, one must begin by examining who does not give him much respect. Certainly it cannot be said that he is not respected or enjoyed by anyone, for he has a large following. Fittingly, for a poet whose reputation was made in ephemeral underground journals, it is on the Internet that the Bukowski cult finds its most florid expression.There are hundreds of Web sites devoted to him, not just in America but in Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, where one fan writes that, after reading him for the first time, â€Å"I felt there was a soul-mate in Mr. Bukowski. † (Kirsch) Even a stauch critic of Bukowski, C. E. Chaffin, acknowledges the many who enjoy his work.Without reviewing all the historical antecedents that brought Bukowski to this poetic nadir, I should first remind the reader that he may be the best known American poet in Europe today, and for two reasons: 1) His language is simplistic; and 2) The attitude in his main body of work matches the prevailing atheistic pessimism among intellectuals on the continent. (Chaffin) However, even in recognizing Bukowski’s appeal, Chaffin mentions two criticisms that will be dealt with later in this paper. If, as it appears, Bukowski has a large following, who is it that does not consider him â€Å"serious?† A cursory search quickly reveals that many in University academia and those who approach poetry from a more scholarly viewpoint appear to be those who reject Bukowski. This rejection becomes obvious when one considers the fact that Bukowski is not included in the book that is called â€Å"the most comprehensive collection of twentieth-century poetry in English available. † In the third edition of â€Å"The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry,† in which poets appear in order of birth, the class of 1920 fields a strong team, including Howar d Nemerov and Amy Clampitt.If you were to browse the poetry section of any large bookstore, you would probably find a book or two by each of those critically esteemed, prize-winning poets. Nowhere to be found in the canonizing Norton anthology, however, is the man who occupies the most shelf space of any American poet: Charles Bukowski. (Kirsch) It should be noted that the three editors of â€Å"The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry,† Jahan Ramazani, Richard Ellmann, and Robet O’Clair, were all university professors.Other critics, such as C. E. Chaffin, are poets and critics of poetry who have spent years studying, researching, and writing poetry. These types of people often have well-constructed and rigid concepts as to the characteristics and qualities of proper poetry. Now that we have discovered a group of people who discard Bukowski as a â€Å"serious† author, we can begin to examine the reasons for their rejection of him. One of the first complaints about Bukowski is that his poetry is not truly poetry at all.When looking at reactions to Bukowski's poetry there seems to be a lack of, well, respect †¦ despite his hardcore fan base, and sales that would make most poets extremely happy. In fact the common accusation is not that Bukowski isn't a good poet, but that his work is barely even poetry at all. In a mostly appreciative New Yorker review, Adam Kirsch still managed this cheeky, backhanded compliment: â€Å"He bears the same relation to poetry as Zane Grey does to fiction, or Ayn Rand to philosophy – a highly colored, morally uncomplicated cartoon of the real thing.† (O’Neill) An example of this can be found in the poem â€Å"they, all of them, know† from Bukowski’s’ book, â€Å"The Pleasures of the Damned. † It is difficult to find any semblance of poetical style in over four pages of seemingly mindless repetition. There is apparently no rhyme or reason to this poem, and many would argue that the simple creation of a long list is not enough to qualify as poetry. This is not to say that there is not a message in his work, but that the work is not poetic in nature.In addition, Bukowski’s language not only is often seen as non-poetic, but simplistic, as described by C. E. Chaffin earlier. Another reason for the rejection of Bukowski comes from his tendency to write in the first person. An examination of his work reveals that that vast majority are written in the first person. This is clearly true as poems such as â€Å"metamorphosis,† â€Å"the drowning,† and â€Å"for they had things to say† are written in this style. While this is not particularly wrong, it can be enough for some to reject his work.I don't particularly like Whitman either, for some of the same reasons I don't like Bukowski, although Whitman is far and away the more accomplished poet. Both are archetypically American in their embrace of the indiv idual ego and almost exclusive use of the first person, but whereas Whitman attempts to merge with the world as a transcendent ego (on the heels of Emerson), Bukowski simply reports, as an isolated consciousness, in painful and sordid detail, what happens around him. In view of this it is difficult to say which poet is more personal or impersonal.(Chaffin) As Chaffin points out, the problem is not just that Bukowski writes in the first person, but he writes from a distant, disconnected view. It is difficult for many to appreciate poetry that combines a first person view with this type of â€Å"reporting,† as Chaffin calls it. There are many who reject Bukowski as being â€Å"serious† because of the content of his work. Throughout his poetry, crude language and references to things and actions not normally discussed, especially in the presence of children, are found.Poems such as â€Å"the last days of the suicide kid,† â€Å"tabby cat,† and â€Å"fooling Marie (the poem)† clearly cross a line that many have drawn concerning language and subjects that should not be discussed. Critic C. E. Chaffin addresses this issue directly. Bukowski made his reputation by unashamedly and non-judgmentally recording a lifestyle of fatalistic, atheistic hedonism — which is really not hedonism but its opposite, a sort of terminal anhedonia medicated with booze and sex as distractions — an attitude not far removed from the Marquis de Sade, who believed â€Å"Whatever is, is good.† (Chaffin) Jim Harrison also comments on this when he writes: Bukowski’s short fiction concentrates on uncontrite drinking and generally anti-social behavior, employing a scatological idiom which serves to mock academe and animate his idiosyncratic style and ideology, while also contributing to Bukowski's often harsh critical reception. . . . Bukowski is known for depicting violent and sexual imagery in his hard-edged prose. This graphic usag e has lead some critics to dismiss Bukowski's work as superficial and misogynist in nature. (Harrison)This choice of style and substance denies Bukowski the type of memorable quotes or lines that are found in so many other poems. â€Å"It is hard to quote Bukowski because there are virtually none of those short lyrics with bow ties of closure that are so pleasant for a reviewer to quote. † (Harrison) Lines such as â€Å"I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree† from Joyce Kilmer’s â€Å"Trees† are simply not present in Bukowski’s works. However, it is an interesting observation that the very thing that causes critics to reject him is what draws so many readers to him.Clearly, the approval of the critics is not something that defines success. However, it can have an effect on perception. Critics may have difficulty dealing with Bukowski’s works because they may not be intended to stand on their own but to be viewed as a whole, m aking a general commentary on life rather than individually selecting aspects of life for discussion. Any time someone views only a part of something that was intended only to be viewed as a whole, they are going to be left with an incomplete and unsatisfactory view of the work.Bukowski’s poems are best appreciated not as individual verbal artifacts but as ongoing installments in the tale of his true adventures, like a comic book or a movie serial. They are strongly narrative, drawing from an endless supply of anecdotes that typically involve a bar, a skid-row hotel, a horse race, a girlfriend, or any permutation thereof. Bukowski’s free verse is really a series of declarative sentences broken up into a long, narrow column, the short lines giving an impression of speed and terseness even when the language is sentimental or cliched.(Kirsch) Bukowski’s general attitude toward life in general and poetry specifically may be a factor in his rejection as a â€Å"seri ous† author. Obviously, a poet’s general attitude toward life will be prevelant within his work. This attitude is summarized by Adam Kirsch. Alcohol was the fuel, as it was often the subject, of these poetic explosions: â€Å"I don’t think I have written a poem when I was completely sober,† he told one interviewer. And he rejected on principle the notion of poetry as a craft, a matter of labor and revision.(Kirsch) Perhaps one of the reasons for critics rejecting Bukowski is because of those who appreciate and follow Bukowski and his works. Often poets and others are measured as much by the people who follow and replicate their work as by their work itself. Of course, there are a lot of bad poets in thrall to Bukowski – after all, his great skill lay in making the writing of great poetry seem easy. Poets who affect his lifestyle without learning the craft of writing do so at their peril.And don't look to the man himself for clues on where the poems come from: he once said that writing a poem is â€Å"†like taking a shit, you smell it and then flush it away †¦ writing is all about leaving behind as much a stink as possible†. But to disregard Bukowski's work on the basis of the bad poetry that followed in his wake seems as bloody minded as denying the greatness of The Clash because of the mohicaned twattery of Sum 41. (Kirsch) While this type of rejection of his work is not necessarily valid or defensible, this does not prevent those with a dislike or disapproval of his work from going this direction.Clearly Bukowski has his critics as well as his fans. And although many may be attracted to his work and his style, he will continue to have those who criticize him. Bukowski’s style keeps some from considering him a â€Å"serious† author. He writes about subjects and uses vocabulary that offends others and thereby causes their rejection of his work and of him. Perhaps the clearest reasons why he is n ot regarded as a â€Å"serious† author are given by C. E. Chaffin. In Bukowski's work, however, it is clear that no separation between author and persona exists except insofar as Bukowski's memory may be unreliable.His lack of persona is his lack of art. I think his regard as a possibly major poet represents the nadir of American poetry precisely because his rants are life masquerading as art, no more, no less. . . . It is not Bukowski's renown I question, an unreliable indicator of quality in any case, but 1) His lack of craft; 2) His lack of transcendent values; and 3) As above, that he represents the final breakdown between life and art in poetry. . . . To return to his poetry, I think Bukowski proved that anyone could be a successful writer; by the same token, he significantly lowered standards for the craft of poetry.Indeed, he should be considered the father of performance poetry judged on gut feeling and audience reaction rather than the enduring values of form and sub stance. (Chaffin) Works Cited Chaffin, C. E. â€Å"Essay – Charles Bukowski† Melic Review Vol. III Issue I Harrison, Jim â€Å"King of Pain† New York Times November 25, 2007 Kirsch, Adam â€Å"Smashed, The pulp poetry of Charles Bukowski. † The New Yorker March 14, 2005 O’Neill, Tony Don’t Blame Bukowski for bad poetry, U. K. Guardian, September 5, 2007

Brand and Burberry

Burberry, founded in 1856, is a leading international luxury brand. Burberry designs, manufactures and licenses apparel and accessories for distribution through its own stores and network of prestige retailers worldwide. In early 1998, the new management team at Burberry set out its strategy to reposition and revitalise the brand, which resulted in significantly improved results and strengthened the base to build the business. With continuous growth since last five years, Burberry has faced new challenges of brand sustainability and positioning in a volatile industry (fashion) where customer behaviour is unpredictable. Thus, it requires a strategy that lays foundations for long-term growth and addresses the issues related to the challenges of product extension, management of the Burberry check and customer segmentation. To reach a recommendation, we come up with five criteria: Brand image; Financial implications; Competitive advantage; Market growth and Ease of business. As maintenance of the brand image is always the fore most important factor for the luxury brands in order to sustain in the market we based our recommendation on this criterion. Based on the situational analysis, we narrowed to the following three alternatives: 1. Status quo 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market 3. Reposition the brand to target core customers After careful scrutiny and evaluation of alternatives, we recommended that Burberry should reposition its brand in order to target the core customers. By implementing this alternative, Burberry will be able to sustain its brand positioning in the fashion industry, which would provide competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Association with high-end customers would further enhance the brand image, which would be very helpful to sustain the market growth in global arena. Further, Burberry would be able to implement this strategy with much less efforts and with minimum financial implications. 2. Situation and Problem Definition Burberry, founded in 1856, is a leading international luxury brand. Burberry designs, manufactures and licenses apparel and accessories for distribution through its own stores and network of prestige retailers worldwide. In early 1998, the new management team at Burberry set out its strategy to reposition and revitalise the brand, which resulted in significantly improved results and strengthened the base to build the business. With continuous growth since last five years, Burberry has faced new challenges of brand sustainability and positioning in a volatile industry (fashion) where customer behaviour is unpredictable. Thus, it requires a strategy that lays foundations for long-term growth and addresses the issues related to the challenges of product extension, management of the Burberry check and customer segmentation. With the above issues in mind, we will carefully analyze the situation (Section 4) and develop the alternative course of actions (Section 5). Further, using the recommendation criteria (Section 3), we will evaluate each alternative (Section 6) and will come up with a recommendation in form of a business strategy that Burberry should adopt (Section7). Finally, we will prepare an action plan for the implementation of the recommended business strategy (Section 8). 3. Recommendation Criteria In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the alternatives and to reach a final recommendation, following criteria is devised. 1. Brand image: Burberry has gained a reputation as distinctive luxury brand with international recognition and a broad appeal. Any poor strategy at this stage would hamper the brand value of the company so the recommendation should strengthen the Burberry brand. 2. Financial implications: Firms often need to spend tremendous amount of money to make tangible changes to the product and packages, as well as intangible changes to brand’s image through advertising. Therefore, strategy adopted at this stage would have a huge impact on the profitability of Burberry. So alternatives will be evaluated to reach the final recommendation that should have minimum financial implications. . Competitive advantage: Another key criterion is that of competitive advantage. Fashion industry is highly competitive and Burberry is facing competition from all brands i. e. from lower end to higher end, and from lifestyle to fashion. Therefore, maintaining competitive edge in this market is very important and hence, we would take this factor into account in reaching the final recommendation. 4. Market growth: Repositioning and revival of the brand has led the company to the fast growing path and Burberry would like to continue it in future. Business strategy adopted by Burberry at this stage would have long-term impact on its growth. Therefore, market growth becomes an important criterion for basing any recommendation. 5. Ease of Business: Entrepreneurs always try to bring simplicity in their processes and business. Accomplishment of different strategies requires different level of efforts. Therefore, we will evaluate our alternatives on the dimensions of efforts. Maintenance of the brand image is always the fore most important factor for the luxury brands in order to sustain in the market. s very critical. Therefore, of all the criteria mentioned above, we have determined the brand image is the most important criterion on which we will base our recommendation. 4. Situational Analysis (refer Appendix A for SWOT analysis of Burberry) Since last five years, Bravo, chief executive of Burberry, renewed the popularity of the company brand by successfully implementing the combination of key strategic initiatives, including:  ·Changed the company name from Burberry’s to Burberry and introduced a contemporary logo and packaging. Introduced the Prorsum designer collection for women in Spring 1999, which further extended to menswear for the Spring 2000 season. In addition, the collection provided valuable design inspiration for the Burberry and Thomas Burberry clothing and accessories collections.  ·Enhanced the awareness and perception of the brand among customers and the fashion industry through an image-building global advertising campaign and extensive editorial coverage.  ·More modern merchandising focus and product extensions, transforming the fashion consciousness of the brand. Reviewed the distribution channels, leading to more focu sed presence in premier retailers worldwide. Additional opportunities were addressed in the retail division with the closure of a number of non-strategic Burberry stores, the opening of a new store in Las Vegas and a new flagship store in London.  ·More disciplined stock control, enhanced systems and a substantial reduction in the size of the range, leading to improved profitability.  ·Renegotiation of Japanese licensee arrangements resulted in enhanced control of the brand, the confirmation of Burberrys pre-eminent position in Japan and a very significant boost to profitability. Analysis of the marketing plan of Bravo on the four dimensions of marketing mix (4Ps) reveals the Burberry’s present competitive positioning in the fashion industry. Bravo targeted to transform Burberry products as luxury products with functionality and positioning Burberry as a luxury brand, which is â€Å"aspirational but also functional. † She promoted the Burberry brand in two phases. The first ad campaign conveyed the brand values as â€Å"classic and chic and fun and witty† and second ad emphasized on the fashion side by presenting â€Å"good girl bad girl† theme. Further, in order to present the brand’s new position in the market, she raised the prices and focused on a particular price point. The price range of Burberry apparels is comparable to Hugo Boss (Exhibit 15 of the case) and that of accessories is between Coach and Gucci (Exhibit 16 of the case). Finally, she attained the global presence of Burberry by utilizing three distribution channels (retail, wholesale and licensing) and by exercising tight control over its distribution channel. Bravo’s goal was to transform Burberry from a tired outwear to a luxury lifestyle brand that is aspirational, stylish, and innovative. However, in order to attract younger customers while retaining Burberry’s core customer base, promotion campaign seems to be an inherent juxtaposition of almost opposite association in Burberry’s new position. In first phase, ad campaign seems to convey the classic and new style of the brand while in second phase, it emphasized more on the fashion side of the brand, which resulted in the popularity of the brand among the non-target customer, urban youth and hip-hop musicians. As the lifestyle of a new non-target customer is very different from the lifestyles of Burberry’s core customers, there is a probability that the brand affiliation of Burberry with this non-target market would eventually alienate Burberry’s core customers. Analysis of the Burberry sales breakdown chart clearly indicates the increase in the percentage sales of the accessories to the total sales and decrease in the percentage sales of apparel to the total sales, over the three years. In case of accessories there are two main reasons for the increase. One, the wide range of price points made them an accessible entry point for new customers and secondly, Bravo rightly set the price of its accessories according to its niche i. e. between the price range of Coach and Gucci products. However, in case of apparels, although Burberry put lot more efforts as compared to other sections (introduction of 450 to 500 apparels styles each season in womenswear and 330 to 350 apparels styles each season in menswear), its percentage sales did not increased, primarily because of incorrect pricing. Market research showed that apparels of Burberry has a niche between the labels of Polo Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani, but Bravo priced its apparels almost equal to Hugo Boss, which is much higher then the target competitors. This inconsistent with the original positioning might make consumer confused and even suspicious of the brand’s overvaluation, which in turn will somehow damage its image. On the other hand, even with the higher price range, over all increase in the sales of the apparels points to the requirement of the revaluation of the Burberry’s niche in the market. As markets are not stagnant, especially in the fashion industry where the consumer’s tastes and trends shift very rapidly, Burberry should constantly review the needs and wants of the customers. Thus to maintain the competitive edge in the market, Burberry should constantly update its product. Extension of the existing product line and entering into new needs product categories would be the two strategies that Burberry should adopt to sustain the growth of the company. Burberry is known in the fashion market for its distinctive checks. Thus the brand image of Burberry is associated with the checks. Further, having customers who buy Burberry products only because of its prominent checks and also, customers with one item check aspirational in the target market segment, forming a strategy to manage the ubiquity of check become even more critical for Burberry, which would clearly affect the positioning of the brand. Overuse of the check pattern can present a risk of diluting the brand, which can eventually lead to customer burnout. In sum, analysis of the case indicates that over the past five years, Bravo and her team were able to revive the Burberry brand and provide the new positioning in the market. However, there are some areas, such as, pricing of apparels and consistency in target market, which does not reflects the discipline of the luxury brand and demands repositioning. While there are other new areas, such as, management of the Burberry check and extension of product line, that should be addressed to maintain the popularity of the brand. Thus, it clearly indicates the requirement of the repositioning of the brand in order to sustain the brand image and to lay foundation for long-term growth of the company. 5. Alternatives Following are the alternative business strategies that Burberry can adopt for managing the popularity of the brand and strengthening the brand’s positioning in order to sustain the growth of the company. 1. Status quo 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market 3. Reposition the brand to target the core customers 6. Evaluation of Alternatives 1. Status quo: This is the simplest alternative, as it requires Bravo and her team to perform no action other than continuing the business in same manner. Sustain the brand position as aspirational luxury brand along with functionality factor and advertise it with the goal being to attract younger customers while retaining Burberry’s core customers base. Further, focus on the set price point in the apparel and accessories market, continue with the extensive use of Burberry check, update the current product line, and further tighten the control on the distribution channels. The advantage of this alternative is that it is very easy for the Bravo and team to follow as they have hand on experience with this strategy. Also, sustaining this strategy would be having very less financial implications. However, in the changing world of fashion and lifestyle, this strategy would not be able to sustain the brand image for the long term, which would result in the loss of competitive advantage over the other luxury brands that Burberry brand has attained over the last five years by reviving the brand’s positioning. With the same strategy in place, sustaining market growth would also be hard to achieve. 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market: Under this alternative, Bravo and her team, should adopt a strategy to change brand focus to target two segments of the market, hip-hop youth and core customers and realign the brand’s core emphasis with changing market preferences. Thus, introducing two new product categories, one with designs and fabric representing the latest fashion that matches with the wants and needs of the new market segment of Hip Hop musicians and urban youth, and another with high-profile high-end fabric and design representing the lifestyle that addresses the needs and wants of the core customers. Further, reassessing the Burberry niche in the market and setting the prices of the products accordingly and realigning the use of Burberry checks according the market segments. The advantage of adopting this strategy is that it would enhance the competitive advantage of the Burberry brand over the other luxury brands. It would help the Burberry brand to represent both, fashion and lifestyle, at same time thus increases the likelihood of increasing the market growth. However, even with the clear segmentation, it would not eliminate the concern that youth affiliation with Burberry brand would alienate Burberry’s core customers, which would have a negative impact on the brand image of Burberry. Further, although repositioning will improve the brand’s fit with its target segment, it is not without cost. A risk of not recovering the costs if repositioned brand is not credible to the customer is also associated with this strategy. It would also be very difficult to maintain these two different segments of market and would demand lot of efforts from the Bravo and her team. 3. Reposition the brand to target core customers: Under this alternative, Bravo and her team should focus on its core customers by realigning the brand positioning, and grow the brand in the emerging global markets. The strategy to realign brand positioning will include the use of high-profile fabric and design that should represent both lifestyle and fashion. Burberry will also have to devise the strategy for the use of Burberry check in order to bring soul to its designs and to re-evaluate his niche in the market in order to align the price of its apparels and accessories accordingly. This strategy will guarantee the sustainability of the loyalty of the Burberry’s core customers. This brand affiliation with the core customers would enhance the brand image, while strategic use of Burberry checks and introduction of products with both lifestyle and fashion would help to sustain the brand positioning in the fashion industry. This would provide the competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Emergence in the new global market would provide enough opportunities to Burberry to maintain its market growth, however, in the short run, losing some section of the non-target customer would hurt the revenues of the company but in the long run, core customer loyalty would be beneficial to the company. Implementation of this strategy would also be easy for Bravo but it would be challenging to the designing team of Burberry to develop design that should represent both fashion and lifestyle. Burberry would also have to incur some costs in order to reposition the brand that fits with its target customers. 7. Recommendation In order to assess the different alternatives mentioned in Section 6, we will use the criteria mentioned in Section 3: Brand image; Financial Implication; Competitive advantage; Market growth; and Ease of Business. We set up a chart listing all alternatives and assign points to each alternative based on the five criteria. Ranks are assigned with a higher number indicating higher rank i. . better the alternative ranked against specific criteria, higher the number assigned. Of all the criteria mentioned above, we have determined that brand image is the most important criterion so we have assigned double the weight as compare to the weights of other criteria. Finally, the alternative that collects the maximum total points shall be considered as the alternative of our choice. AlternativeBrand ImageFinancial implicationsCompetitive advantageMarket growthEase of BusinessTotal Weight2 x1 x1 x1 x1 x Status quo2311310 Reposition through segmentation of the market4123111 Reposition by targeting core customers6232215 Based on the analysis of the chart above, it is recommended that Burberry should reposition its brand in order to target the core customers. By implementing this alternative, Burberry will be able to sustain its brand positioning in the fashion industry, which would provide competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Association with high-end customers would further enhance the brand image, which would be very helpful to sustain the market growth in global arena. Further, Burberry would be able to implement this strategy with much less efforts and with minimum financial implications. 8. Action Plan The recommended alternative can be implemented in three phases. 1. Brand strategy formation and brand repositioning 2. Brand strategy implementation 3. Measurement, evaluation and adjustment of brand strategy Phase 1: Brand strategy formation and brand repositioning Redefine the corporate mission statement that should address the target customers. Formulate strategies to address internal requirements, such as, design of Burberry products that represents lifestyle and fashion and management of usage of Burberry checks, and external requirements, such as improvement of customer’s brand recognition and reinforcement of the new brand, while maximizing the effectiveness of financial budgets. Phase 2: Brand Identity system It would be accomplished in two steps: Step 1: Brand Identity System: conveys a single Brand image and personality through all your marketing communications. The brand value conveyed by advertisement campaigns should match the corporate goal of brand positioning. Step 2: Integrate Marketing Strategy: leverage Brand Strategy across all marketing communications and extend the strategy internally i. e. to all the related departments. Further, reinforce the â€Å"Defined Brand† through interactions both internal and external to your organization in order to strengthen your Brand. Phase 3: Measurement, evaluation and adjustment of brand strategy It would work as the quality check on the brand strategy. To accomplish this phase, two step approach should be used Step 1: Response Analysis and Tracking System: obtain feedback by setting up a Response Analysis and Tracking System for individual media, as well as measuring the effectiveness of marketing investments. Further create an objective metrics that should measure the performance of your Branding Strategy in creating awareness/exposure, inquiry and action/sale. Step 2: Evaluation and Adjustment: ongoing evaluation of performance is critical to gauge the impact of the Brand on the markets. In order to make effective adjustments, a system should be devised to ensure effective and fast responsiveness to the feedback. Appendix A: SWOT ANAYLSIS Environment Evaluation PositiveNegative Internal Strengths-Leading luxury brand with more than 150 years of istory-A top management team made up of A-list industry talent -Broad market base and product lines;-Global presence-Wide brand awareness; Burberry check widely known around the world and derived 25% of all company revenue-Brand is considered classic as well as contemporary-Large profit margins-Tight controls over the distribution channelsWeaknesses-possibly over-extended brand that do not relate to the brand’s image -Historical problems as sociated with licensing and check management-The actual price is not consist with its price positioning-Heavy reliance on the check pattern-Newly emerging customer base could alienate core customer base. ExternalOpportunities-growing luxury market in Asia Pacific-Extending product categories and customer segments Threats-Competition with both lifestyle and fashionable brands. -Volatile industry

International Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Law - Coursework Example They allege that George W. Bush committed war crimes in October 2008 through the act of authorizing attacks by U.S. military units from Iraq into Syria. The arrest warrant charges George W. Bush with responsibility for the attacks that allegedly resulted in the deaths of eight villagers, four of them children of the refugee parents Mr. and Mrs. Yehia Dajani. This document is an indictment for the arrest of the former President of the United States George W. Bush upon the grounds of war crimes and the gross violation of human rights. The former President is legally liable for these crimes and should, therefore, face trial. Former American President Bush is hereby deemed to be morally as well as legally responsible for the deaths of innocent men, women, and children, in a country that was not officially at war with the United States at the time of these deaths, namely Syria. These attacks resulted in the deaths of eight innocent people and drove their families towards becoming homeless refugees. Four children died in these attacks and justice should be served for the sake of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Yehia Dajani. It is alleged here that the death of innocent people in Syria was directly caused by the orders of the former President George W. Bush to American armed forces whilst he held that position in 2008. President Bush ordered missile strikes against alleged terrorist targets in Syria without any regard for the possibility of killing innocent men, women, and children when a state of war did not exist between his country and Syria. Due to his express orders, Mr. and Mrs. Yehia Dajani witnessed the deaths of their four children. Former President Bush destroyed their family and took away their future. The American missile attacks resulted in the cold-blooded murder of Syrian children, and were unjustified as well as being unnecessary deaths.  

Europe and Asia Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Europe and Asia - Annotated Bibliography Example ecause it portrays the events that have characterized the buildup of the labor party and how its governments have fared on in the last one hundred years. Perhaps as a surprise to many people, Keith actually spells out the fact that initially the labor party was not a political party but as a trade union. Throughout the one hundred years, the labor party has managed to from governments for about four times. The first one according to Keith was in 1924 to the 1931 due to the strong membership of the workers at that time. Through various ups and downs, the party was able to create a huge impact not only Britain but also in the globe more especially when Tony Blair took office in 1997 landslide victory. The writer takes the mind of his readers in a step by step journey through which the party has evolved over time to become what it was at the beginning of 2000. Perhaps other writers can take a cue from Keith to document what has happened to the party since then to date. The writer is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin with a vast experience in political parties and individuals throughout the world. In this work he looks at various aspects that makes Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong) one of the most respected historical figures in Chinese History. In this 222-page read, Meisner also portrays some information about Zedong which are rarely told hence a balanced account of the happenings. The book depicts the early life of this great life by showing the picture of a young man of a poor peasant farmer in Hunan province of china who rose to become a successful politician to the extent of being equated to a cult of a person. His political ideologies that were aimed at balancing the aspects of imperialism and feudalism in both the social and political environment gave him a liking amongst his people. However, this did not come on a silver platter because at one point he is said to have fled the place because of his radical views. As matter of fact, he had

List and describe the three choises you have if Windows is already Essay

List and describe the three choises you have if Windows is already installed on the harddrive and you want to install a different Windows operating system - Essay Example You simply pop in the CD/DVD with the higher version of Windows. Choose custom install and select upgrade. Then select the system drive as the partition to install the higher version of Windows. Wait for installation to complete. 3. Re-installing the previous version. Uninstalling the current Windows operating system and reinstalling the previous operating system. This is possible with Windows Vista and Windows 7. You simply use the original installation disk (for the previous operating system) by inserting it into your computer and following the prompts. Remember to back up your data before you commence on any of the procedures above. Also note that installation can be done using the network or USB depending on the motherboard capability for the computer being installed

Process Business Integration Case Study Research Paper

Process Business Integration Case Study - Research Paper Example This report intends to identify and critically assess the key areas of business process integration linked with the modern framework of supply chain management aided with technology innovation. In accordance, two literature studies by McAdam and McCormack (2001) and Cagliano, Caniato and Spina (2006) have been referred in this report, which aimed at evaluating the linkage between the two dimensions of integrated business process and supply chain management. It has been observed from both the cases that modern organizations are generally motivated by the influential development of the present supply chain management mechanism that enables them to cope with changing business trends. Moreover, the discussion has also revealed various roles of supply chain management that facilitate organizations to achieve better alignment of the overall business process and enable them to gain competitive advantages to secure long-run sustenance. Keywords: supply chain management, integrated business p rocess, organizational performance, strategies Introduction Business process integration has long been regarded as a key to continuous organizational development. Undoubtedly, the recent challenges of the globalised world, has made the phenomenon more apparent in the dimension of organizational management. In the present era, exhibiting continuous alterations in the global business environment, organizations can be observed as highly inclined towards practicing innovative leadership strategies, in alignment with unconventional, advanced technology aided business models influencing its supply chain (Cagliano, Caniato, & Spina, 2006). Moreover, the 21st century leadership practices can also be observed to emphasize reinventing effective measures in order to establish a better communication channel between the customers, suppliers and other groups of stakeholders. This apparently advocates corporate measures to integrate the supply chain functions at almost every phase. The two most ap parent drivers of these changes in organizational leadership practices can be identified as the continuous development of global business culture and the trend of continuous expansion within the corporate world (McAdam & McCormack, 2001). Emphasizing the present transformational changes in the contemporary business environment, the primary purpose of this essay will be to critically identify the key areas of business process integration in relation to the unconventional approaches of supply chain management practiced by modern organizations. In establishing this particular aim, evidences provided by McAdam and McCormack (2001) and Cagliano, Caniato and Spina (2006) will be referred and critically reviewed with prime significance throughout the study. Brief Discussion of the Cases â€Å"Integrating business processes for global alignment and supply chain management† by Rodney McAdam and Daniel McCormack When addressing the linkage between business process integration with supp ly chain management practices in the modern era, McAdam & McCormack (2001) were able to connote few noteworthy aspects, which can be examined as the major determinants of the currently exhibited challenges and proficiencies of the corporate world. McAdam & McCormack (2001) subsequently explained that an integrated supply chain management ensures improvement of operational functions to a substantial extent offering added managerial control on organizational performance. Based on their empirical study, McAdam & McCorma

Digital investigation in the organization Essay - 2

Digital investigation in the organization - Essay Example Many organizations are in a position to benefit more if they have the ability to gather and preserve digital evidence before an incident occurs and not after the incident has occurred(Robert, 2004). The digital investigation for law enforcement yields digital evidence, the evidence however may involve the use of enhanced system and staff monitoring, physical and procedural ways of securing data to a standard to be accepted as evidence and considered admissible. It also involves technical and appropriate legal advice to staff and employees(Peter, 2003). The law enforcement perspective of the digital forensic investigation tends to disregard what happens to the object or the device before the decision is made whether to be accepted as evidence or not. In this context the evidence required is presented by the digital forensic investigation or not presented and therefore the suspect can neither be charged nor prosecuted. This investigation begins when a crime is committed and the investi gator avails himself to the crime scene(Robert, 2004). However in the business context the investigation is done on a continuous basis in the form of emails, portable computers, logfiles, and telephone and network traffics among others. Since it is a continuous process, the evidence may be collected before a crime and the evidence used to the benefit of the organization(Robert, 2004). In the recent technological environment the digital investigations are mainly done by the computer forensics analyst.

Trade and the Multinational Enterprise Coursework - 4

Trade and the Multinational Enterprise - Coursework Example Market size and economic stability are found to be main motivations for investment. The findings provide an opportunity for justification of the study hypotheses as well as future recommendations. The case study given is the German FDI in China. China is the third leading country beneficiary of the Foreign Direct Investment. In 2003-2004, the country realized the highest investment with Germany been one the countries that invested greatly in China. Since then, the trade ties between the two countries have steadily been increasing. Currently, there are more than 1500 Germany firms that have invested in China. In point of fact, Germany is the leading European country trading partner with China. Research conducted by scholars Bernard and Jensen in 2002 showed that there were approximately $ 51.7 billion of FDI in China. In 2003, foreign investment increased up to $ 53 billion (China Statistics, 2007). The country attracted $ 61 billion in 2004. From the statistics, it can be seen that the FDI index has been increasingly drastically. Furthermore, the FDI index was ranked the top position. A study conducted by the Financial Times noted that in developing states, the Republic of Ch ina is the largest foreign direct investment beneficiary country. The research explores the OLI paradigm in the context of German FDI in China. OLI is an abbreviation for Ownership, Location, and Internalization (Agarwal, Gubitz & Nunnenkamp, 2006). The three are prime bases that underlie an enterprise’s decision to grow in a multinational company. In the context of this paper, ownership advantages help addresses the subject of why some companies go abroad and not others. Location advantages answers the question of which is the most appropriate location to establish a firm in a foreign country. Lastly, internalization focuses on the influences of a firm’s operation in

Goal and Phoenix Career Services Essay Example for Free

Goal and Phoenix Career Services Essay My Career Plan: Work Culture Preference states that I am an ethical well-resourced expert. Based on over one-hundred questions given that narrow down what I would like in an ideal job setting, I had only the choices of not at all or more likely. Knowing my ideal work culture not only would allow me to benefit my organization to achieve goals but will also allow me to achieve personal goals as well. I’m excited to find the work culture preference results returned that being ethical was the first of the three qualities it defined me as. Emphasis on fairness and equal rights has always been important to me, I believe that my timed served in the Navy is a reinforcing factor in that you should not segregate by gender, ethnicity or cultures. There should be no one person that is looked at as inferior or not qualified to complete any task assigned. I would look for the people who would not be afraid to express themselves freely and contribute their thoughts and ideas to better the organization. Navigate to My Career Plan in Phoenix Career Services through the link on the student website. Complete the Career Plan Building Activity: Work Culture Preferences. Explore the resources in the Phoenix Career Services and My Career Plan. Answer the following questions, in at least 350 words, about your work culture preference and the resources in Phoenix Career Services: †¢Were you surprised by your results †¢What resources in the My Career Plan and Phoenix Career Services site did you find that could help you in your career preparations †¢How did the work culture preferences relate to your personal competencies from Week Two? Submit your answers to your facilitator. Individual University Library Research Resources: Appendix E; University Library Interactive Tutorial Locate the University Library by logging on to the student website, selecting Library, and clicking University Library. Find two articles in the University Library about one (or a combination) of the following topics: †¢Career planning †¢Distance learning †¢Ensuring academic honesty †¢Effective personal goal setting †¢Time management skills for college students Use a periodicals database, such as EBSCOhost, to find each article. Review Appendix E for information about using the databases. Practice using the Boolean and wildcard strategies you learned about in the University Library tutorial. Cite each article so it can be found again. You can use the Citation Generator on the Center for Writing Excellence site. Summarize each article briefly in 2 to 3 sentences. If there are specific opinions or facts, document them. Answer these questions about each article: †¢What keyword search led you to this particular article? †¢Why did you choose this article over the others the keyword search also found? Post the article information and summaries for both articles. www. bignerds. com

Analysis Of Scrabble, The Board Game

Analysis Of Scrabble, The Board Game Scrabble is a word building multiuser game that consists of tiles which are distributed to the players. Scrabble game can have two to four players and the ultimate objective is to form crosswords on the scrabble board. Scrabble board: The board is of 15*15 square grids. There are exactly 100 tiles available in which 98 of them are marked tiles which are alphabets from A-Z and two anonymous letters [blank tiles] and each alphabet is given a score and a blank letter is given 0 points. In scrabble, each letter have different value depends on the frequency of its usage. Blank tiles can be a substitute for any letter. Tile Values: Letters Q,Z have 10points Letters j, x have 8 points Letters f,h,v,w and y have 4 points Letter k have 5 points Letters b,c,m,p have 3 points Letters d,g have 2 points Letters a,e,i,o,u,s,t,r,n,l have 2 points each Extra points: In the scrabble board we have some squares represent multipliers. If a tile is placed on those squares the tile value is doubled or tripled based on the type of square. Double letter score: If a tile is placed on this square space the tile value is doubled, generally these cells are in light blue colour on scrabble board Triple letter score: If a tile is placed on this square space the tile value is tripled, generally these cells are in dark blue colour on scrabble board Double word Score: If a player place a word on one of these squares, the value of the entire word is doubled.generally, these are found diagonally towards the four corners of the scrabble board and these cells are in light red/pink colour. Triple word Score: If a player place a word on one of these squares, the value of the entire word will be tripled. Generally, these are found on all the sides of the board equidistant from all the corners of the scrabble board. http://www.scrabblepages.com/scrabble/rules/ Course of the game: The players are initially given a rack with seven letters known as tiles placed on a rack which can be exchanged from the bag which already consists of the tiles that act as warehouse for storing the letters. To frame a word on the scrabble board, we should place a tile from the rack connecting at least single tile which is already placed on the board. New tiles will be placed on the rack from the sack, based on the number of tiles placed on the board. Each letter will have different point value, so the game strategy is to play words with high scoring letter combinations. (Scrabble rules, 2010). A Dictionary is used to check whether the words formed by the players are valid or not. A player can Pass his chance to opponent. Also we will have another way that when a player clicks on exchange button (for this the player will be given 0 points) it will perform two activities: Firstly it replaces the set of tiles on the rack/stand with new set of tiles and then it will give the turn to the opponent player. If an individual used all his 7tiles on the rack at a time he will be awarded bonus points. Aim: Objective: Requirements: Literature Survey: Random Number Generation Algorithm: The algorithm is used when the user wants to exchange his entire rack of 7 letters with a new set of letters from the bag. The user when tries to click the exchange button, this algorithm needs to run generating the different random letters given to the user for forming a word in his next turn as mentioned in the course of the game. This algorithm can be implemented in several ways by using the function Math.random () that generates numbers between 0 and 1. As the letters need to be generated, they can be converted to characters by multiplying with 26 which represents the number of alphabets (Programming Forums, 2010). System Architecture: The system architecture is useful in the design or developing games as this process comprises of listing the requirements and finding the paths to meet the requirements. In the current design of scrabble board, the requirements are mainly categorized in two different types. The primary thing is to play the game of scrabble. Next priority is given to the implementation of scrabble game with GADDAG or DAWG algorithms. Initial requirement for playing a scrabble are about the software that would be used: 1. Java, platform independent language is used for implementing the game: The key class files that are needed for the initial start-up of scrabble: a. Board b. Rack c. Dictionary. These are the files which are primarily responsible for the user interface view. The user when executes the java file, these classes are initialized. The class file Board.java consists of a main function which in turn calls the method board (). The variables that might be used in this class are: tiles, blocks, word, square, and letters. Another method: Rack.java is initialized once the player starts the game. At the time of initialization, the rack consists of seven letters that are taken from the bag that consists of letters that will be distributed to each player based on the count of the number of letters placed on the board. Rack gets exchanged with a new set of letters if the player wishes to skip his turn by clicking an exchange button. Bag.java is the class file which fetches the information related to all the letters, their values are stored separately; this is initiated in preliminary step of Start Game. The bag contains all the 26 letters and blank letters. While playing the move, the user mouse events need to be noted. So, the methods: Mouse Clicked (), Mouse Released (), Mouse Pressed (), Mouse Exited (), Mouse Entered () will be defined based on the required events. The drag and drop of letters on the board are noted with the help of Mouse Pressed () and Mouse Released (). If the axis co-ordinates are same for both the events, it is noted that the letter is not placed on the board. Else if the co-ordinates are changed, the letters that are placed are noted. When the user hits the play button, event: Mouse Clicked () triggers and the result: letters that are placed on the board. Thus, the formed word is validated using the dictionary program which will be the implementation of GADDAG algorithm. This can be used in two different situations: a. When the user hits play button, it calculates the number of letters that the user placed on the board an d those many numbers of random letters are placed on the rack. When the user hits exchange button, the exchange.java program starts here: It selects all the letters are drop them in to the database i.e., (Bag) and provide the player with a new set of letters. Score for each letter and their values are calculated depending on the word formed and tiles under the letter. Logic for scoring goes under this area where a triple letter or triple word or double letter or double word is calculated. Execution Flow: The design of the scrabble is as follows. The first step would be to show a board, a rack and score with initial values zero for all the players. But initially the rack would be showing the seven letters those need to be on the rack for forming a word. Then, the words are formed using these letters on the rack. The letters that are placed on the scrabble is performed by using the methods: Move generation and Go On procedure as explained in the GADDAG algorithm. Moreover, GADDAG algorithm is implemented for the underlying reason of dictionary implementation which validates the word formed. The valid word as mentioned, score of each letter is counted adding all the special tiles (triple or double letter or words). There are certain variables that need to be initialized for the execution of scrabble. There should be a counter that identifies the number of letters placed or number of points awarded. Once the user plays his move with the help of Move generation and Go On procedures, the word is set to check for the validity. The variable validity is set to 0 if the word is not valid and a message that the word is invalid is displayed. Else, if the variable is set to 1 then, the Score.java class gets executed. The variable score takes the count of all the points that the player scored and updates the scoreboard for the respective players. Scrabble Board Additional Features: The optional requirements of clicking the exchange button that result in the new set of 7 letters on the rack. Here, the score becomes zero for that turn of the player. Here, the program needs to drop the letters from the rack and retrieve new set of letters. One more additional feature that might be present is Help button: When this button is triggered, the help button results in showing hints for two letter words that can be easily formed when there is a least chance for forming a word. Mouse event that needs to be triggered for this action is Mouse Clicked (). The final option that needs to be placed on the scrabble board is about: Quit button. This triggers the mouse event: Mouse Exited () which will prompt the user if he really wants to quit from the game with a menu options of Yes or No. There is one more way to finish the game. When all the tiles are used and there are no ways in which the tiles can be used for forming a word. The number of points that come from these letters that are present on the rack are calculated. These points are deducted from the total score on the scoreboard. Then, the final scores are compared with each player and the player with more points is considered to be the winner which is obvious result for a game. Technical Specifications: A scrabble board will be designed with the help of swings or Java Server Pages to form a 15*15 tiles board. The board that consists of tiles need to be filled with letters which are represented as images that have score for each corresponding letter. All the letters are stored in a database (mysql) which can be retrieved from the database using the concept of JDBC (Java Database Connectivity). While placing the tiles the concept of counter decrementing or incrementing is used for keeping the timer. Java Server Pages helps the user to design certain web applications in the form of static and dynamic components. The features of JSP technology include constructs that would be used for accessing server side objects and the code is written in text based documents that consists of the responses and requests from and to the server respectively. Swings provide multiple platform independent interfaces that may interact the users and GUI components. These APIs can be imported from the package import javax.swing.*; JDBC: is a Java API that can be used in accessing tables and entities which are stored in a relational database. These coding and technical specifications can be implemented in user friendly interfaces namely Eclipse or NetBeans IDE software where the code can be written to make easier manner of implementation (Java, 2010). Testing: Testing is a part of software development lifecycle. Life cycle of a testing identifies what activities should carry out and when to accomplish those activities. Testing plan should identify the areas to be tested and also it should calculate the risk associated with the implementation. Testing need to be carried until it reaches a checkpoint without any errors. We have different types of testing like unit testing, black box testing, white box testing, Integration testing, End-to-end testing, alpha testing, functional testing,compatable testing etc. Types of Software Testing: Different Testing Types with Details

Essay example --

Problem Analysis Is this a good thing one may ask, the answer is sometimes no. Connecting online to friends is one thing but when you bring work into it, it can become complicated. Some of the online websites such as Facebook and Twitter can be personal accounts as well. It is really up to the person if they want to mix personal and professional on these websites. Participation in such networks results in a potential collision of professional and personal worlds that may open up opportunities as well as create challenges for employees as they strive to establish and maintain respect and liking in the eyes of their professional contacts (Ashforth, Kreiner, & Fugate, 2000; Kossek, Noe, & DeMarr, 1999; Phillips, Rothbard, & Dumas, 2009). When interacting in online social networks, employees move from offline interactions, where disclosure and feedback are tailored within particular conversations and guided by clear physical cues (Goffman, 1956), to interactions characterized by open disclosure to broad audiences, some of which are not readily visible (Boyd, 2007; Donath & Boyd, 2004; Ryan, 2008).So, a problem of one’s personal and professional accounts can occur more often than one may think. When this happens it is definitely a new opportunity and challenge for one to take on. If one does bump into a problem or get oneself into a situation online involving coworkers, it is good to try and set some boundaries for oneself online. Although, little is known about how employees manage the boundary between their professional and personal identities in online social networks and what this means for their professional relationships. Social networks are defined as â€Å"individuals (or organizations) which are tied b y one or more specific types... ...entities online are quickly becoming critical skills that most employees and managers need to master. Employees are faced with a menu of different boundary management options, which may have positive or negative consequences for the way they are regarded by professional contacts and which entail varying degrees of risk, opportunity, and difficulty (Ollier-Malaterre 2013). As the vast amount of social communication that already occurs in cyberspace continues to grow, employees will certainly encounter collisions of their professional and personal identities online. It is up to that person to decide how they will handle the collisions and what boundaries they should set up for themselves as employees and their companies. It is also up to oneself to decide what boundaries they should put up for all of their social networking sites, for both personal and professional.

Erics perfect society :: essays research papers

ERIC’S VERY GOOD CITIZENSHIP ESSAY I have learned that I have the freedom to be who I am. I know that everyone else has freedoms and rights. I have the right to make decisions along with the rest of the world. We all have opinions that matter. We all can benefit society and ourselves. Everything else I have learned can help benefit myself. I personally have benefited from this course by learning that I can make a difference to every endeavour and challenge I pursue for the rest of my life. Civics is really a course on everyday life that I believe to be very important to society and myself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have learned how to use my legal privileges with regard to rights during my everyday life. It gives me a sense of freedom and even though I am a teenager I know I have an opinion and an important position in society. There were times when I went places when there where adults and really was quiet because I didn’t think what I had to say was important. I feel comfortable meeting with people who may be more knowledgeable and more experienced than I am. I have much more self-confidence than before I took this course because I know my rights. I am much more comfortable even with teachers thanks to you Mr. Harris.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I know that when I am old enough and able to vote that my vote will be important. I know that my vote will mean something. I know that my vote will count. I can get involved in politics and assist with the important issues in life. I have confidence that I can make a difference and help others with their issues and concerns. I listen to others opinions with more interest. I also give my opinion with much more confidence and enthusiasm. For example, when my family is making a decision on something I am much more confidant putting my two cents in the conversation. I know that no matter how old or young we are we all have opinions that count. Freedom is a wonderful thing. We really are interesting individuals and all should be heard. When we where young and in public school we felt intimidated and sometimes suppressed when forming our opinions. I wish they taught civics and the rights of freedoms in public school. It really is important to know you have an opinion.

Business at Work :: Papers

Business at Work Using the peter drucker- "The practise of management" We can see Coca cola is successfully achieving its objectives.  · Profitability- The primary goal of any profit-making organisation is to increase earning per market. Also coca cola is also maximising its profits  · Marketing share and standing- Cooperate marketing objectives can cover areas such as what products are to be sold in which markets, whether or not the organisation should aim to be the market leader in terms of pricing or product development.  · Productivity- coca-cola produces different brands of products for its customers, brands like diet coke, fanta, coke, and sprite. E.t.c. With all this products coca cola sells, it increases its revenue making the organisation make profit.  · Management and employee performance- this covers the development of good management and employee relations. Coca cola usually motivate its employees by giving their employees leaves and promotions; coca cola also operate an equal opportunity policy.  · Technical innovation- coca cola has to decide whether or not it should aim to be a technical innovator in terms of its products, or whether it should follow the lead or somebody else.  · Social and public responsibility- Coca cola usually donate money to the less privilege and also take precautions in the ingredients being used in producing their products in other not to harm their consumers.  · Resource utilization- this is where objectives are set which relate the efficient use of physical and financial resources. Vertical communication is the type that goes from the top of organisational chart to the bottom and vice versa. Vertical communication allows decisions by managers to be carried out by employees. It ensures that action is consistent and co-ordinated, reduces cost because fewer mistakes will be made. It leads to greater effectiveness and profitable. It helps managers understand employee's views and concerns. It can alert managers to potential problems. Horizontal communication takes place when people at the same level within an organisation pass information. An example might be a member

Research Paper on Clothes Essay

Fashion, is something that all girls want to talk about. Some people may think that the famous designers just magically came up with an idea to make a whole collection on their own. Well, in some cases that is true but in most cases it’s not. A lot of our clothes that we wear now are actually influenced by the clothes from the 15th/16th century. That’s why the clothes from the 16th century and the clothes now are very similar in some ways through the way women wore then and the way they dress now, the way men dressed and the way men dress now and how the children dressed then and now. The women from the 16th century and the women now aren’t so different. Both women then and now spent so much money trying to get the latest trends. It was/is so expensive to try to get the newest clothes. About 18% of women’s salaries go towards clothes (ABA Journals. com. ) Both then and now, only the upper class can afford these new trends. The upper class women got the most beautiful gowns and clothes that were available because they had the money to be able to pay for the latest and newest trends. This is a picture of a beautiful upper class woman. She is wearing the most wonderful headpiece. (Realmofvenus. renaissanceitaly. net/wardrobe) It must of cost a lot of money to put this creation together. It’s the same with today, the more money you have the more clothes you have. Those clothes that you have are top of the line, made by the most renowned fashion designers on this planet. Now of days, women can really wear whatever they want. They don’t have to wear what everyone else is wearing, which back then was dresses, dresses and dresses. Clothing now reflects personality and creativity. It gives people some freedom, freedom that women back then didn’t really have. The men then and the men now have a lot of things in common. They both got all dressed up for special occasions. Men now usually just wear a suit but back then the men went all out! The most famous suit designers are Michael Kor’s and Calvin Klein (nymsuits. com) Puffing and slashing was the thing that was â€Å"in. † The men puffed and slashed everything from breeches to bodices to capes. Bodices were a tight-fitting Elizabethan arment covering the torso; plural because the body came in two parts which fastened in the middle (Dictionary. com) Both the men then and now also wear drawers or underwear. So that’s something else that the men then and now have in common. Basically, the kids in the 16th century had to wear what the adults wore. The boys wore what the men wore and the girls wore what the women wore. Well, the sizes were smaller. The babies on the other hand usually just wore onsies. What I mean by onsies is that they wore one piece of clothing that covered their entire body. Minus the head, neck and hands. Today, like adults, kids can really where what they want to. But, they do have some limits. In some private schools, kids are ordered to wear uniforms. Like the one below. (windstan. com) This is something that a girl must wear to school. When there is no dress code in your school kids can really wear whatever they want. In conclusion, the clothes now and the clothes back then aren’t really different cause the clothes then and now have similar designs and inspiraions.

Napoleon Bonaparte: a True Tyrant Essay

Ideals of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution were both rooted from the desire to abolish absolute authority, ensure the natural rights of men, and develop a stable government. Napoleon Bonaparte, a prominent military general and French Emperor, strived for these political ideologies, but was corrupt in his way of approaching them. He was strictly egotistical and selfish; these characteristics served only as a catalyst to his abolition. Mohandas Gandhi, a pacifistic revolutionary that led India’s emancipation, stated that â€Å"power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment†. Napoleon, however, seized control over France by ruling oppressively and ruthlessly; citizens followed him only in fear of his boundless power. Although Napoleon did help establish political and social equality in France, his uncontrollable desire for personal supremacy suppressed the ideals of the revolution and violated th e basic principles of the enlightenment. Napoleon’s personal greed for power drove him to infringe the basic principles of the revolution on the rights to hereditary and absolute rule. Robespierre, an enlightened leader of the Jacobins, stated that the purpose of the French Revolution was to abolish absolute monarchy and institute a â€Å"democratic or republican government† that could help increase political equality within a nation (Robespierre). However, Napoleon rejected any republican form of government; he was solely concerned with maintaining a â€Å"hereditary power, which†¦ may endure for generations, even for centuries† (Selected). Ironically though, in hopes to gain popularity among members of the 3rd estate, he abolished the power of the nobility and appointed governors that were loyal to the central government. Not only did he crown himself emperor of France, but also, â€Å"he established an imperial court and the members of his family were made royalty, while other titles and honors were given to his supporters† (Sarti). He was â€Å"not content merely to create a dynasty for France†, but was constantly looking for ways to improve his family’s reputation (Axelrod). Napoleon’s advice in a letter to his brother, Jà ©rà ´me Napolà ©on, revealed his obsessive concern over his own reputation and greed for the â€Å"strength of [his] monarchy†. This unenlightened behavior reflecting unequal treatment of the people strictly goes against the revolution’s purpose, and thus, proves that Napoleon was an extremely authoritarian and ruthless emperor. Consumed by his insecurity and unbounded ego, Napoleon stripped away the natural rights of his citizens to prevent France from entering utter chaos. In The Second Treatise on Government, John Locke, a prominent Enlightenment philosopher, emphasized on the importance of preserving the â€Å"lives, liberties, and estates of the people† when governing a nation. Napoleon, on the other hand, was a strong anti-advocate of the freedom of speech and press; he believed that in order to maintain power over his people, it was necessary to â€Å"never allow the newspapers to say anything contrary to [his] interests† (Leader). In effort to maintain peace within the nation, he also â€Å"banished discussion and proscribed the freedom of press†, and stole his citizens’ rights to the freedom of expression (Selected). Although this prevention helped preserve serenity within France, it caused them to live in oblivion of the rest of Europe. He most proudly stood against the ideas conveyed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens on the people’s right to â€Å"unrestrained communication of thoughts and opinions†, because he was strictly concerned with his reputation among his citizens. In order to gain the affection of his people, he also constructed the French Civil Code in 1804, which promised â€Å"equality under the law†. However, this project created to promote equality within the nation, developed â€Å"conditions that were very unfavorable to wives†; it clearly was not â€Å"designed for†¦ the good of the people† (French Civil Code) (Locke). By restricting the people’s access to their natural rights of mankind and constructing laws for certain groups, Napoleon hoped he could gain admiration from his followers and earn the recognition of his neighbors. This, however, only proved that he was a dictator who oppressed the most fundamental and enlightened ideals of the revolution. Napoleon was not only egotistical and selfish, but he was also a reckless military dictator who maintained stability using violence and unnecessary invasions. Although he strived for social equality and a utopian society, in reality, very few beneficial changes were made during the time of his rule. In fact, during his invasion of Russia, over 300,000 French soldiers were killed: it weakened the entire French army. A passage summarizing the French-Russian war stated: â€Å"Although [Napoleon] managed to preserve himself and the core of his Grand Army, much of his forces were destroyed or had deserted him †¦ fewer than 10,000 men fit for combat remained in [the] main force† (Phillips). War general, Philippe de Sà ©gur, who accompanied Napoleon on many of his military campaigns, described him as an insensitive, callous dictator who valued his own life far more than of his soldiers: â€Å"He rapidly descended the northern staircase†¦ and gave orders for a guide to conduct him out the city †¦ to the imperial castle of Petrowsky† (Selected). Benjamin Constant, an active participant of French politics, also thought of Napoleon as a barbaric conqueror who robbed â€Å"us of the heritage of all the enlightened generations† and took advantage of the French army for his own benefit (Selected). Napoleon’s foreign policies, such as the Continental System that boycotted all British goods, and his unsophisticated military invasions on Russia further reflected qualities of a self-absorbed dictator; he was selfish, uncaring, and insensitive to the physical well being of his citizens. Although Napoleon helped improve the lives of many, his excessive lust for power and egotistical character deprived him of the admiration from his citizens. By restoring hereditary rule within the nation, he directly violated the main purpose of the revolution; equality was certainly not established. He went against the ideals of the Enlightenment protecting the natural rights of every individual by stripping away his citizens’ right to life and liberty. Napoleon was, in fact, a dictator who ruled unconstitutionally and was constantly preoccupied with the thought of personal success; his selfish personality and overbearing ego served as a strong foundation to his authoritarian rule over France.

Let the Freewriting Flow Essay

Peter Elbow, author of the article â€Å"Freewriting† argues that using the technique freewriting is very beneficial for writers. Freewriting is nonstop writing without correcting or checking what you’ve already written. Elbow says writers should use this exercise at least three times a week to improve their writing skills. I strongly agree with his assessment from personal use of this technique. While writing my first freewrite I realized I was less stressed, I felt like the paper displayed my character more, and I was able to share all of my ideas without losing them. We are so caught up in trying to sound educated and proper in our writings it sometimes can take away from the actual piece. Writing while under stress often turns out in a disaster, usually why my pieces of writing aren’t always the best. Just like Elbow has said the reason people get so stressed while writing is because of how we are taught throughout school â€Å"schooling makes us obsessed wi th the â€Å"mistakes† we make in writing. Many people constantly think about spelling and grammar as they try to write. I am always thinking about the awkwardness, wordiness, and general mushiness of my natural verbal product as I try to write down words† (Elbow). This is completely true, the way we are taught in school adds a great deal of stress to the writer. At the beginning of every paper I’ve ever written for school I’ve always had stress because writing was never my strong suit to begin with and the requirements made it that much harder for me to develop a paper. Giving people such high standards for writing, yet telling them to make it their own is quite difficult for the writer because they are more worried about the structure rather than the actual content of the piece. People are also under stress while writing a paper because of who could be reading their piece, audience has a major impact on how a writer constructs their paper. With freewriting though you only have to worry about yourself reading over the paper so your ideas will flow easier onto the page because you a ren’t watching what your write in fear of offending someone. You are able to fully be yourself  throughout the piece. It’s difficult to incorporate character into your writing when you have to follow so many guidelines and worry about so many different things. Elbow states in his writing that you have a voice which is the main source of power in your writing, and unfortunately that â€Å"voice is damped out by all the interruptions, changes, and hesitations between the consciousness and the page† (Elbow). If we all had the same voice and then no ones writing would really be all that special. Freewriting helps the writer to find that voice because they are writing their exact ideas without anything interrupting them. Once they are done with the freewrite they are able to go back and fix it up a little but it will still be their voice and how they felt in the first place. Elbow makes a good point at the end of his piece saying that you only have one voice and you can’t give up on that voice no matter how much you may dislike it because without it you will never be heard, and your writing will never be your own. To me making the piece your own and to actually enjoy writing it is what writing should be about. Not the grammar mist akes, or how well it all flows. It should be about your thoughts and how you feel they should be expressed into a piece of writing. If writing is considered such a personal thing then we shouldn’t be so critiqued on every little thing throughout it. It’s happened more times than not when a writer loses an idea because they were too busy checking back on a previous one and trying to make it better. Using Elbow’s freewriting technique will ensure you to never lose an idea because as soon as it pops into your head you are able to write it down, even if it doesn’t exactly belong right there. Elbow also says that his technique stops the writer from editing their piece while writing allowing the ideas to flow more easily. I know from personal experience I lose ideas constantly because I’m worried about the previous paragraph, and if it was really good enough. When I wrote my freewrite I did not lose any ideas, I was able to get exactly what I wanted to say into that piece of writing and in the end if I wanted to I was able to go back and expand on them. Peter Elbow, author of the arti cle â€Å"Freewriting† has helped me be able to form a more well developed piece of writing through his technique, freewriting. This exercise has helped me stay calmer while I write my paper and helps me to not worry about what I’m writing the entire time. I benefit from Elbow’s technique this because once all of my ideas are out on paper I am able to go back and  form them into well-developed paragraphs just like I am required to do. The requirements from professors, bosses or whoever the audience may be will prevent someone from writing the best they can and making a piece their own because they are too worried about what the audience will think of it or if it’s good enough for their standards. For anyone who has trouble with forming ideas, or gets too caught up in the editing part of the paper while still writing should try out Elbow’s exercise freewriting and they may be surprised at how well it works and how much it may help them. I know I sure was shocked at how much it helped me especially after being a little uneasy about it at first I was pleasantly surprised. The freewriting exercise is what helped me develop this paper. I sat down for about an hour and was able to get all of my ideas down with no worries about grammar errors, or my audience, all I focused on was my ideas and what I thought was best to say in this paper. After I had finished it I went back and turned the freewrite into this piece. Since it worked so well for me I will now use freewriting before I start any of my papers in the future. Citation: Elbow, Peter. â€Å"Freewriting.† Freewriting. Center for Learning, Teaching, Communication, and Research, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. .

Hbc: from Fur to Fendi

1. Describe at least three strategies used by HBC prior to its sale to Zucker and NRDC. 3 different strategies used by HBC prior to its sale to Zucker and NRDC are:Creating a new rewards program that would allow customers to receive rewards based on the purchases they made. This strategy would then induce customer to buy more products and then receive some sort of compensation for it.Next strategy which they had used but did not fare as well was known as â€Å"reduced focus on steep discounts†. Early in 2001, it tried to reinvent itself with a more fashionable image.The final strategy was to provide customers with online shopping. This would allow customers to view and purchase products in the comfort of their own home2. Describe at least three strategies HBC adopted since the sale. Different strategies HBC has adopted since the sale were to:1) The first strategy was to focus on retracting customers by dropping over 60% of its former brands2) Another strategy was to relaunch t he â€Å"Room†, a plush VIP suite at one of its Toronto locations, with high-end designers such as Armani, Ungaro, and Chanel3) HBC also become the official sponsor for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. They had become the official outfitter of the Canadian Olympics team and the only provider of any Olympic brand merchandise3. Categorize the above strategies in to either business- or corporate-level strategiesBusiness Strategies:Giving customers Online ShoppingStarting a rewards programA focus on retracting customers by dropping over 60% of its former brandsCorporate Strategies:Reduced focus on steep discountsThey relauched the â€Å"Room†, a plush VIP suite with high end designersBecame official outfitter of the Canadian Olympics team and the only provider of any Olympic brand merchandiseReferencesSchermerhorn Jr. , John, and Barry Wright.Management Second Canadian Edition  . 2nd. Mississauga: Wiley, 2011. Print. Hbc: from Fur to Fendi 1. Describe at least three strategies used by HBC prior to its sale to Zucker and NRDC. 3 different strategies used by HBC prior to its sale to Zucker and NRDC are:Creating a new rewards program that would allow customers to receive rewards based on the purchases they made. This strategy would then induce customer to buy more products and then receive some sort of compensation for it.Next strategy which they had used but did not fare as well was known as â€Å"reduced focus on steep discounts†. Early in 2001, it tried to reinvent itself with a more fashionable image.The final strategy was to provide customers with online shopping. This would allow customers to view and purchase products in the comfort of their own home2. Describe at least three strategies HBC adopted since the sale. Different strategies HBC has adopted since the sale were to:1) The first strategy was to focus on retracting customers by dropping over 60% of its former brands2) Another strategy was to relaunch t he â€Å"Room†, a plush VIP suite at one of its Toronto locations, with high-end designers such as Armani, Ungaro, and Chanel3) HBC also become the official sponsor for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. They had become the official outfitter of the Canadian Olympics team and the only provider of any Olympic brand merchandise3. Categorize the above strategies in to either business- or corporate-level strategiesBusiness Strategies:Giving customers Online ShoppingStarting a rewards programA focus on retracting customers by dropping over 60% of its former brandsCorporate Strategies:Reduced focus on steep discountsThey relauched the â€Å"Room†, a plush VIP suite with high end designersBecame official outfitter of the Canadian Olympics team and the only provider of any Olympic brand merchandiseReferencesSchermerhorn Jr. , John, and Barry Wright.Management Second Canadian Edition  . 2nd. Mississauga: Wiley, 2011. Print.