Eva Smith letter Essay Example for Free

Eva Smith letter Essay My life is unbearable and torn apart, in his letter I shall leave explanations for you to discover. Once I had feelings and ambitions, all are now destroyed. Why me? I had everything going for me once, I used to look forward to the future and seize every chance. Where am I destined for now? This evil world is not fit to bring a child into. I wish I could rely on someone; at least I can rely on a bottle of disinfectant to end my existence. What you are about to read is what has driven me to suicide. My social superiors have wrecked my life. I came from the country, a girl with so much hope and aspirations but now I wish I had never set my eyes on a place called Brumley.  I worked at a factory owned by Mr.Birling, a fat arrogant cruel man. I lost my job because we, the workers, asked for a raise. The few extra shillings we wanted could have easily been afforded but he was too cold and greedy to give us better wages. I was one the leaders of a strike in September 1910, the strike failed, as we could not afford to stay out of work. The man was so horrible to me; the day that he called me up to his office to tell me that I was fired he told me something that still haunts me. As I was leaving his office he stopped me at the door and said oh Eva, you were about to be promoted, what a mess you have made of that. I now had the reputation of a troublemaker but I was really a hard working popular worker. I was in for two hard months, unemployed and black listed. It was almost impossible to find a job. In those two months I became extremely depressed and very scared of the future. Penniless, I borrowed money from friends and ate other peoples food. I couldnt believe what had happened to me. I had a stroke of luck when I got a job at Milwards, an expensive clothes shop. I had a wonderful time there; I met new people and worked hard. As you will see in this story and I quickly learned, good things dont last! On one fateful day in January 1911, Shelia Birling came into the shop. She took the anger she had against her mother out on me because I looked good in a dress and she didnt; also I think she saw me smile to another worker and mistook it as me laughing at her. She accused me of impertinence and she started to shout at me. She used her family name to get me the sack. She picked on someone who could not fight back; she knew that she was more important to Milwards than I was. Why does it have to be me living the bad conditions? At least she has a family. Why is life unfair? Again I was out of work, penniless and desperate. I wish that I could support myself. Unfortunely the only work I could get was prostitution. It was become a prostitute or starve. I am the type of person who aspires to be something not a prostitute. Unfortunately extreme times lead people to extreme measures. I had no choice.  I was at the Palace Bar, the place I used to pick up men, Joe Meggerty, an awful man who chased prostitutes, was manhandling me. A good looking, gentleman named Gerald Croft rescued me. Gerald was nice too me. He made me his mistress; it was an affair because I knew he had someone else. I loved him but he was just using me for sex. At least I lived in total luxury for six months. He ended it in September 1911, I was an inconvenience. I was absolutely heart broken. I felt so used and abandoned. He gave me money to help me for a while; Gerald was the type of man who thought money solved everything. I enjoyed the affair so much that I went off to the seaside and pretended that the affair was still on. I had been expecting it to end any way, as he did not have the same feeling I had for him. Good things never last for me. I lived on the money he gave me until November 1911. It was then back to being a prostitute, back to the Palace Bar, back to that hellish dreadful lifestyle it was so difficult because I had been away from it for so long. I wish I had never set eyes on Eric Birling. He is the son Arthur Birling. He is a bit shy but that certainly changes when he has alcohol in him. I ended up getting drunk with him. We went home together, I then told him not to come in but he threatened to cause a row. I let him in and he forced me to have sex with him; he raped me. We met often after that. Our relationship was just pleasure, he kept me for sex, we had no feelings for each other. I worked as a prostitute for Eric; it was better, I suppose, than having to work for the likes of Joe Meggerty, as Eric was a young man. I found out, to my horror, that because of Eric raping me I was pregnant with his child. I was so scared when I found out that I was having a child, I fell into a world of despair unable to escape. Where would the money come from to feed the child? I was beginning to really worry about the future. I was stuck, no one would feel sorry for a prostitute, people would think that I had got what I deserved. I was even more frightened when I found out that the money Eric gave me was stolen. I couldnt take the money anymore, as I am a truthful and honest person. I didnt see Eric again after that. I dont hate Eric for what he did; I just think that he should learn that there are more things to life than drinking. I was frightened and alone, my only choice was to beg for money from the Brumely Womens Charity Organization. The chairperson was Sybil Birling, wife of Arthur Birling, a cold-hearted woman. She refused me help because she didnt like me. I told her that my name was Mrs. Birling, I thought I should have the right to that name but she thought that I was being rude towards her. Perhaps she did not want the name Birling being brought into disrepute. She took me to a back room and I explained to her that the father of the child was giving me money but the money was stolen and I couldnt take it anymore. She said that some one as low as me would not have airs and graces like that; she thought that poor people did not have feelings and morals, that we were animals. I deserved that bit of help she could have given me, especially as it would have supported her grandchild. There is now nothing I can do; Im the lowest of the low. I have gone without food for days. Why did they have to reject my plea for help? How can Mrs. Birling be so cold hearted? Why do I have I to live this worthless existence, trapped in misfortune? I am now in total despair.  I have found out that this world is cruel and unfair. This town, this world is not the type of place that I would like to bring a child up in. I must end this for both of us. I am a victim of others lack of morals. I know Ill go to heaven because I have served my time in hell.

The Causes Of Increase In Housing Price

The Causes Of Increase In Housing Price House is one of the important elements in basic human needs. However, one will consider the price of a house before purchasing. It is important to gather information before purchasing a house because it is a long term investment. A house must be comfortable to stay in. However, we cannot deny the fact that the housing price today is not the same as price in the last few decades. 1.2 Problem Statement Over the past few decades, the housing price has shown increments as times goes by. It is no doubt that the longer the period of time the higher the price of housing. This is a big issue to be taken into consideration. It is considered an important issue because house is one of the important basic human needs. Therefore, being concerned about the housing price is a must and the factors that contribute to the increase of housing price need to be determined. 1.3 Research Objectives The following are the objectives of this research : 1. To determine the causes of increase in housing price. 2. To evaluate the price of housing in the future. 3. To identify the effect of increase in housing price. 1.4 Scope Limitations of the Study In order to gather the information for this research, I have gathered some reliable information through the internet. I have chosen few journals as important additional information. Next, secondary data will be used in order to fulfill the objectives of this research. The limitation of this study is that the best method to be used is hard to choose. There are few methods to be chosen in order to determine the price of housing. In addition, the time given to complete this is limited as many other things need to be taken into consideration. 1.5 Significance of the Problem By doing research on the housing price, the factors that lead to the increase of housing price can be determined. The housing price in the future can be forecasted as well. The important of doing this research on the housing price is that, it will give positive impact to the government. It can help the government to predict or estimates the price of housing in the future. These can wider the awareness of the price of housing which is now in high rate. This research will also can be an advantage for the housing developers in determining the housing price by identification of the factors that lead to the housing price estimation. Moreover, this research is also important to individual who will purchase house in the future. This will give awareness to the individual regarding the housing price and help them to figure out the best decision in purchasing a house. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Literature review is one of the important elements in research in order to gain broader ideas. According to Uma Sekaran (2006), literature review can be defined as a broad documentation review by which published and unpublished work from secondary data in the areas of a particular interest to the researcher. It discusses the importance of the subject, the type of theory or method used in the research and as well as to provide with the background and history of a particular area. Furthermore, there are 3 steps in the literature review process. Firstly is to identify the various material and access, secondly to gather the relevant information, and thirdly to write up the literature review. A good research should consist of eight important elements including purposiveness, validity, replicability, generalisability, objectivity, reliability, testability, and able to create a new thing or better known as rigor. We can gather literature review sources through books, reports, monograph, the sis, conference proceeding, working papers, and the most commonly used by many is the journal research articles. 2.2 Literature Review The Determination of Housing Price House is one of the important elements in basic human needs. People need a house to stay away from danger, hot weather, rainy day and as well as a place to stay calm. As long as people can fill the comfort of living under a roof then it is called a house. However, the things that matter is that the affordability of a person to purchase a house. Some people can afford a house that is really comfortable to stay in and some not. People who are called the rich and famous can afford a house that is almost called a heaven and some can only lives in an ordinary but comfortable house. But it doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t matter how our house may look like because the price of house is what that matter. We can see that the housing price is increasing as the time goes by. This may be an important area to look upon because more or less it could affect the economic level of a country. Therefore, a housing price can be defined as the rate of payment that one has to pay in order to purc hase a house and for sure there are several factors that lead to housing price determination. In my own point of view, I believe that the increment of a housing price is due to the price increment in the raw material. Many may have similar idea but after looking into 10 journals as references for my propose topic, I have found out several more important variables that leads to the factors of housing price determination. There are few number of knowledgeable individual turned up and able to find the contributing factors in determination of housing price. One who has studied using an empirical analysis has shown that income (demography trends) and nominal interest rates are the key explanatory factors in housing price. On the other hand, the equity returns may also have been an influential factor in the determination o housing price (Pages Maza, 2003). In other studies shown that, the empirical approach, panel unit root test, panel co-integration, and error correction model were applied in the research. The result is similar in which the level of income and interest rate were the main factors. But it was tested in a different method whereby the current level of income and interest rates determine how much an individual can borrow from financial institutions in order to purchase a house. This decision of how much the borrower can borrow from the bank or financial institutions is one of a way to determine the level of house price (McQuinn Oà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢Rielly, 2007). For example, the higher the interest rate, the higher the price of housing. However, another different point of view can be found in the study of Yazgi Dokmeci (2007), in which, applied the multiple regression model and it was found that the most important factor affecting the housing prices is the size of the floor area. The second and third most effective factors are the road surface ratio and the floor area, and fourth factor is the distance of housing to the seashore. This means, the bigger the size of floor the more money a purchaser will have to pay. This study is obviously different from the previous study. It looked upon the geographical area. The studies of Hiebert Roma (2010) by using the empirical and regression analysis have shown that even though a particular location is associated with facilities, population differences across cities influenced more. Therefore, even if a particular location is fully facilitated, people will still prefer living among a population. Other studies that used the new quarterly regional panel data set shown that out of 14 regions, there were 11 regions that have the major impacts in term of housing services and amenity values. The price expectations that is predictable contribute to the increased of housing price. Thus, it was found that the price of housing is influenced by the regional economic activity, the regional housing stock and the user cost of capital (Grimes et al, 2004). In another different study, correlation and multiple regression analysis was applied by a Malaysian namely Tan. The study shown that the Malaysiansà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ per capita income, unemployment rate, total loans to housing and KLSE Composite Index plays important role in the movement of Malaysian house price. This means, the economic and financial factors were identified as applicable in determining the demand and supply of housing units. In a study of Allen et al (2006), by using the empirical analysis, new house price, union wages, issuance of building permit contributes in the housing price rate. According to Yan et al (2010), an empirical analysis and the error correction model error correction shown that land supply has a major impact on house price fluctuations while demand factors such as user costs, income and residential mortgage loan have greater influences. In the long run, the price is influenced by the land supply and the financial system. However, in the short run, the changes in land supply and financial system will then effect on the user costs, income, and residential mortgage loan. To add more, the demand factors which consist of the user cost, income, and residential mortgage loan is found to give greater impact in the price fluctuations of housing price. Again in other studies of McMillen (2003) using the Fourier repeat sales approach, it was found that income and population can influenced the prices of house. However, he then found out that people with higher income moved into the older part of the area in Chicago city due to the increasing housing cost. In another study of Hilbers et al (2008), the empirical analysis shown that user costs, demographic (age, gender, income) factors and output gives impact in the determination of housing price. It was found that the most influential factors were the income and the user costs. After went through the journals on housing, it helps to indentify and considered the contributing factors in the determination of housing price. I have found out several factors that contribute in the determination of housing price. Those factors I have found includes the interest rate, income, geographical area, population, unemployment rate, housing loan, KLSE Composite Index, user cost and as well the economic activity and regional housing stock. But, the most common factors are the interest rate, income, population, and user costs. In another way, it also helps to figure out the type of analysis or framework that had already been used as a method in research. As an advantage, it will help to determine which method is the best choice to be used in the research. Therefore, when the method to be used is already discovered, it will enable researcher to formulate suitable theory in order to test or formulate hypotheses. 2.3 Conceptual Framework Interest rate Income Housing Price User costs Land supply Financial system Population Conceptual framework or better known as the Theoretical framework is a conceptual model of how one came up with a theory or to make a logical sense of the relationship among the identified factors of a particular problem. It consists of the independent variables on the left side while the dependent variable on the right side as the above sketches of theoretical framework. The independent variable can be defined as one lends itself. On the other hand, the dependent variable does not lend itself. In addition, variables refer to anything that differ values. The independent variables consist of interest rate, income, user costs, land supply, financial system, and population. Interest rate refers to the interest rate on bank loans or land value. When interest rate increases, the house price will increase too. Income is one important element in determining the housing price, whereby, income may determine that a house can be afforded or not. User costs refer to the cost by a particular person. It plays an important role because the when user cost doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t exist then it is not easy to determine the price of house. Land supply is also an important factor whereby a land needed an approval before building a house on it. Financial system refers to the housing loan from bank, residential mortgage loan or the conditions of economic of a particular country. Population refers to the people living in an area. More population means demand on housing will increasing and therefore leads to supply of housing. On the other hand, the dependent variable only consist of one variable in which the housing price. The housing price depends on the any changes in the independent variables. Small changes in one of the independents variable will give effect in the determination of housing price. 2.4 Conclusion In conclusion, it is no doubt that there are various factors that contributes in the determination of housing price. From the journals, we can gain some ideas on what are the important variables that need to be included in determining the housing price. Therefore, the best method can be selected and data can be analyzed in order to find the solution on the problem. The hypothesis can be tested as well. 3.0 DATA METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction In order to conduct a research on determination of housing price, secondary data will be used. Secondary data can be gained through the data base. Moreover, the methods for this research is used to analyzed the data and later fulfill the objectives of the research. 3.2 Data, Population, Sampling Method In order to conduct this research, the secondary data will be used. The data is gathered through the World Bank and Bank Reserve of New Zealand. The population of this research will be the country New Zealand. This is because this research will focus in the housing price determination in New Zealand. According to Uma Sekaran (2006), population can be defined as the whole group of people or things in a research area that a researcher need to investigate. For instance, if a researcher wants to investigate the awareness of health in a specific firm, then the population will be all the employees in that specific firm, let say Dell Company. Therefore, on the other hand, the population for this research is the country New Zealand. This is due to the determination of housing price will be studied based on the New Zealand data. Sampling is the process whereby the researcher selects the specific number from the population to be analyzed. Sampling is important because it will save time and cost. It is divided into probability sampling and non probability sampling. 3.3 Analysis of Data In order to analyze the data, unit root test will be used. The unit root test is useful in order to determine the best forecasting model to be used in the research. It is also useful to test the availability of the time series data whether it is stationary or non stationary by using the auto regression model. Moreover, the time series analysis will then be used in order to determine the price of housing in the future. This will also includes the ARIMA model in order forecast the housing price in the future. 3.4 Hypothesis Development Hypothesis can be referred as a statement of two or more variables that is testable. It consists of the if-then statement. For instance, if the price of commodity increases, then income will increase as well. It can also be written in other way, whereby, there is a relationship between both price of commodity and income. Hypothesis are classified into two types, whereby, the directional and the non directional hypothesis. The null and alternate hypothesis can either be rejected or accepted in accordance with the result from the test of the variables. 3.5 Summary The data and methodology are two elements that need to be taken into consideration before conducting a research. It is better to make sure the availability of data before one proceeds to do research. The population and sampling need to be firstly indentified. After that, the methods to be used must be proper and a wise choice in order to gain more accurate result. When data is already gathered and analyzed, hypothesis can then be tested.

Stereotypes Associated With Tattoos Cultural Studies Essay

Stereotypes Associated With Tattoos Cultural Studies Essay Tattooing is the act of making a mark on the skin by inserting ink to the skin using needles and dyes. The name Tattoo came from the Tahitian word Tatu which means, to mark something. Therefore, tattoo, in this case, would mean to leave a mark on our skin. As its name suggests, tattoos have become a way to identity and represent people in both the negative and positive way. From the past to present, tattoos have undergone a transition from religious practices, branding of slaves and identity of gang members to a widely accepted practice by everyone as a way to represent themselves. Yet, the stigma of tattoos can still be felt today. People tend to have an impression of tattooed people as evil and being part of a triad gang. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, it could be due to firstly, the way tattoo was used in the past, the fact that gang members do use tattoos as an identity and lastly, the image created by the mass media, we will discuss them in detail later in the pa per. To prove that these are indeed stereotypes, we will unveil what tattoos truly represent. The earliest Tattoos seemed to appear in Polynesia where archaeologists discover tattoos around the islands dating to at least the second millennium B.C. However, the exact location and year is unclear until today. Therefore, our project will be more interested in how tattoos were spread throughout the world. There was no definite answer to which country began to spread the use of tattoos. Margo DeMello wrote in his book that North America was the country that caused the wide spread of Tattoos when Captain James Cook visited Tahiti and discovered the art of tattooing there in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He brought the idea of tattooing back to American and was since then spread to Asian countries. The picture below, Figure 1, is an image of an ancient North American with tattoos. In the picture, the person has a full body tattoo which stretches from the face to his ankle. In another source, A Brief History Of Tattoos stated that Egypt was the one that spread tattoos to other countries. Historical evidences of tattoos in Egypt can be found to be dated as early as before the Pyramids were made. Figure 2 is an image of ancient Egyptians with tattoos. It is visible that the ancient Egyptians had tattoos on their arms and legs. The trend of people getting tattooed today is an increasing one. In March of 2005, The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found out that 24% of the general U.S. Population had at least one tattoo; 17% of those people have thought about having a tattoo removed and 5% of them have had a tattoo covered up with a different design. The National Geographic News stated in April 2000 that 15% of Americans were tattooed or about 40 million people. The art of tattooing is so popular that the government of America had to set up a tattoo association called the National Tattoo Association to regulate the activities carried out by tattoo enthusiasts and to limit tattooing time and sales of tattoo equipments. There are two main reasons for the increased popularity of tattoos. Firstly, the process of tattooing is less painful and less time consuming today. The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a group of ne edles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. This method is much more comfortable as compared to the agonizing traditional method which was to use a tool made of carved bone or wood, and tipped with a cluster of tiny needles, the artist punches into the skin with a succession of painful jabs. Figure 3 is a picture of ancient tattoo tools found in Egypt. Figure 3 Secondly, the media, although also portrayed people with tattoos in the bad light as we will discuss in the later part of our paper, it has also played a major role in transforming tattoos into something so popular. Advertisements for common commodities ranging from cellular phones to alcoholic beverages have in the past ten years deliberately included tattooed skin. The advertisement for Chuck Taylor sneaker has created an ad in which a man with facial tattoos is photographed with a pair of shoes adorning his neck. Therefore, with these factors, it is inevitable for tattoo to become so popular around the world. Tattoos are not worn upon the body but rather inscribed into the body. It is often regarded as a commodity which resists consumer throw-away. Tattooing is a product that involves the consumer to become the witness, participant, and life-long bearer of a unique production process; a process in which the producer and consumer unite in complicated exchange that is simultaneously ritualistic and individualistic. However, before getting tattooed, one will see tattooing as a process which they pass through various barriers. Like Lawrence, we think that tattooing requires one to pass through the barrier of entering the studio, decide the design of tattoos, the location of the tattoos and the pain of tattooing. The process of tattooing involves a needle vibrating in and out at an incredible speed dipped in ink creating an indelible mark on the skin that will withstand all the elements and remain there for a lifetime. As tattoos are permanent, there will often be a second thought whether they should get tattoos. For one to get tattooed, he or she must be determined to get tattooed in order to pass through these barriers. Stereotypes of people with tattoos as ex-convicts and delinquents were due to impression from the past. In the past, many countries used tattoos to mark criminals, to separate them from the majority and to deter people from committing crimes. In China, for example, authorities would tattoo the faces of prisoners who committed severe crimes before they were banished to another land. This is a severe punishment as prisoners who returned to the mainland after their sentence would still be identified as ex-convicts by people and it would be natural for people to shun them. Thus, it is not surprising that the impression of tattoos related to criminals last until today. People in the past also used tattoos in another way, which was to brand slaves. Slaves were tattooed by their masters to claim ownership of their slaves. In ancient Persian, tattoos were used on slaves to indicate both ownership and status. If a slave were to escape from their owner, they can easily be identified by others that they were slaves and who were their masters. Slave tattoos gave the people a status of slave in the past, slaves would be beaten up and abused by just any other people on the road. . In the Greek and roman civilizations, around 2200BC, tattooing was also used in a manner similar to that used with slaves-in other words, a man would tattoo a woman to ensure that she was recognized as his property and as a reminder to her to keep her sexual desires under control. Thus, people today may associate people with tattoos with useless people. People today look at people with tattoos as abnormal people; they would think that people with tattoos are not like any ordinary person, something must be different about them. One of the reason could be due to how dime museums and circuses in the past exhibited tattoos. In the nineteenth centuries, Freak shows better known today as circuses emerged. In these performances, tattooed people were considered made freaks, which means that they were not b orn with tattoos but looked like monsters. In dime museums, tattoos were exhibited alongside people with disabilities and natural wonders like wild animals and native people. Thus, this made tattoos seem bizarre at that era. Tattooed people as gang members? Secondly, tattooed people are often stereotyped to be gang members. This is true to a certain extent because tattoos have become a popular method adopted by gang members to mark their group identity and their alienation from the mainstream norm and social networks. Gang members in particular take pride in branding themselves as outside of the boundaries of conventional society. Tattoos have long been a means of identifying oneself with a group or culture and triad gangs were one of the first groups to use tattoos as a means of denoting identity and affinity. Tattoos are a way of both asserting membership in the gang and flaunting their lack of membership in straight society. For this reason, street gang members will often get tattoos on their hands and faces so as to permanently bar them from being a part of normal society. Tattoos can tell other details about the bearer, including rank in the gang and number of hits or other services performed on the gangs behalf, for example, the y akuza boss has full body suit tattoos. Tattoos were also used to express gang members often fatalist philosophy of life. One popular tattoo among Hispanic gangsters is a depiction of the smiling and crying comedy and tragedy masks, meaning, play now and pay later, or my happy life, my sad life. Clock faces are also found within the intricate artwork that can make up a gangsters tattoos. If the clock has no hands, it symbolizes doing time in prison. In addition, tattoos served as a way for them to disrespect the authority, a desire for revenge, obscene words and obscene images. Take for example, the Yakuza have full-body suit tattoos on them as a symbol of being part of the gang. Tattoos are painful and permanent, this permanence marks their undying loyalty to their gang leader and that they will never leave the gang while the pain derived from tattooing was a symbol of their masculinity and that they were fearless individuals. Tattoos were not just popular in the western triads, Asi an gang triads, like those in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan too have tattoos on them. Some Hong Kong triad members have dragons and phoenixes on their arms as a symbol of part of the gang. This may be because in Chinese traditions, phoenixes and dragons are auspicious and powerful animals. These symbols will bless them and allow them to be a successful triad. From our research, we see that that gang triads worldwide seems to have a liking for tattoos and the practice of tattooing, thus we can conclude that tattoos as a representation of gang triads is actually a worldwide phenomenon. Thus, it is no surprise that when people encounter a tattooed person, they will associate him or her with gang triads. Figure 4: A common tattoo among Hispanic gang members, usually tattooed on the hand between the thumb and index finger. Figure 5: This symbol that stands for mi vida loca, my crazy life. Southeast Asian gangsters have adopted the same tattoo of the three dots, defining its meaning as To O Can Gica, or I care for nothing. In this paper, we will examine the role mass media plays in creating and shaping the stereotypes of people having tattoos. Mass media which includes the newspaper, movies and television has always been a great power of influence of people, affecting our viewpoints, decisions, perceptions, beliefs and even our habits in life. This is because, advancement in technology has made access to mass media content easier to everyone, so much so that it has become a tool for people to obtain knowledge of the world. In addition, as the society we lived in is commercial- and media-driven, television shows, advertisements, movies, cartoons and even music will affect the way we perceive the world around us. It is important to note that our knowledge of the world or what is happening around is frequently derived from the mass media. Many times, it is difficult for us to experience or see it evidently to know of it. Hence, we assumed what portrayed in the mass media to be truth and evidence of what i s happening. Studies have shown that mass media tend to present a limited and recurring range of images and ideas which differs from realities hence the mass media is not a reliable source of information for the people. However, the mass media is not entirely unreliable as its credibility will depends almost entirely on the integrity of its author. This is often subjective among authors of TV series, newspaper and movies. Thus, we think that careful thinking should be taken when we are viewing the mass media and the usage of its content. We should not assume that all is true or wrong in the mass media but make our decisions and opinions on what is shown in it. Television dramas and movies like LOST, CSI and Prison Break(See Fig.8) have portray tattoos in the bad light, using tattoos as way to identify criminals, villains and gang members. Take for example, local sitcom Police and Thief, Mark Lee who acted as the gang member had a tattoo on his arm. The constant portrayal of stereoty ping of people with tattoos will cause people to internalize the image that tattoos are related to villains and criminals. The effects of internalization can be drawn to case study of mass media and thin ideals. Research shows that continual exposure to the image that thin is beautiful has result in people thinking that thin is beautiful. The way the mass media causes people to internalize the images of thin ideals is similar to the way it causes people to internalize the image that tattooed people are villains, criminals and gang members. Hence, it results people to view those with tattoos as people who are criminals, villains and immoral. Research has shown a consistent relationship between the amount of television viewed and beliefs about the social world. As our world modernizes, tattooing on criminals was abolished and became a trend for many others. The idea of tattoos being associated with crime and gang members also changed. This is partly due to the mass media and the change in gangs practice. Mass media created the stereotype that tattoos are associated to criminals and gangsters but on the other hand, it also showed celebrities wearing tattoos. With the proliferation of the entertainment media worldwide, it increased peoples exposure to celebrities which resulted in an elevation of the power of influence of celebrities. Hence, celebrities play a role in influencing how we see tattoos. Actors, models, musicians, and idolized athletes proudly herald the mainstreaming of a previously marginalized and historically underground practice. This causes tattooing to be gentrified and repackaged as desirable and fashionable. For example, David Beckham has a no. 9 tattooed on him to represent himself; the number he wore for Manchester Unit ed.Next, there is a decrease in the practice of tattooing in gang members, the reasons why they do not want tattoos will be discussed further in our project. To unveil the realities of tattoos, we will look into why gang members no longer want tattoos, and also show that tattoos actually have many other different definitions other than the usual image people have. As mentioned earlier in our paper, tattooed people are stereotyped to be criminals and gang members. Tattoos were a way to represent gang identity, it also became a way for the police to spot gang members and catch them. This causes tattoos to become a disadvantage for gang members and gangs. This is because their illegal activities could be easily discovered if police see a group of tattooed people around. Hence, some gang members and gangs actually discourage tattooing in order to allow their illegal activities to go unspotted. Take for example, in Japan, modern Yakuza bosses discourages tattooing in order to avoid the attention of the police. Another example is seen in the Yamagumi boss Takenaka Masahisa who has no tattoos. In addition, ex-gang members also try to avoid being identified as gang members for fear of being attacked by other gang members. For example, see in Figure 10, a man by the name Hugo removed his tattoos as he was attacked on the streets. From here, we can infe r that tattoos are no longer the proud symbol gang members wore to show their identity or ex-gang members wore to show that they were part of them before. With the dangers attached with tattoos wore on them, there is a decrease in this practice in some gangs. Thus it is a stereotype that tattoos actually represent gang triads as gang members can look like the normal average person without tattoos on them. Tattoos may be a symbol to represent the individualistic character of one through self-expression and creating an identity. Tattoos allow the wearer to be differentiated from the mainstream and contribute to the image of them as being unique. In Ervin Goffmans exposition, he suggested that the physical cues offered to others through scripted body performance are pivoted in shaping interpretations of the self. This statement was further supported by Mark B. Stephens , he said that tattoos are an important way to self-express and create an identity for many, especially the younger generation. Among the general adolescent populations, between 10% and 30% of adolescents or young adults currently have tattoos. Adolescents and their parents are often at odds over the acquisition of bodily decorations. For the adolescent, piercings or tattoos may be seen as personal and beautifying statements, while parents may construe them as oppositional and enraging affronts to their authority In using such decorations, and by marking out their bodily territories, adolescents can support their efforts at autonomy, privacy, and insulation. Seeking individuation, tattooed adolescents can become unambiguously demarcated from others and singled out as unique. Therefore, by having tattoos, it is a way for teenager to convey a message to their parents that they should be in control of their own body and life. In addition, tattoos were frequently used to create group identities, other than gangsters, in the modern world. Tattoos were used as an identity for modern women in Thailand as females were not allowed to have tattoos in the ancient times because the tattoo artists were men and thus, they were not allowed to be touched by other men. Therefore, women with tattoos in Thailand today would signify a new era and the change of conservative women image to a more liberal identity. Tattoos can also be as a symbol of following the crowd and worshipping of their idols. With celebrities wearing tattoos, it causes people who enamored with the particular celebrity to follow in their path. This has resulted in a different understanding of tattoos. Those who were followers of the celebrities would definitely see tattoos from a different viewpoint. They will not see tattoos as gang members but cool and fashionable. To the fanatics, their celebrities have the ideal look, thus they will try to look and act like film and television stars by adopting their clothing styles and mannerisms. Hence, we see that if celebrities have tattoos it could most likely cause their fans to have the tattoos too. Take for example, Angelina Jolie have lots of tattoos. Her fans tend to follow the trend and start to have tattoos on their bodies. Following with the group in case of peer groups will often affect youths. Youth, aged 12 to 17 undergoes a period of uncertainty of their identity as this is period which they are neither children nor adults. Adults treat them as children while they want to be treated as adults, but yet, they are still immature to make some of their decisions. Thus, it causes them to seek the peers for support as they are the ones who can best identify with and understand them. Youth become subjected to peer pressure as they would want to be part of the group. When their peer group wants to have a tattoo, they too would want a tattoo in order to be part of the group as the tattoo would be a group identity. Although there maybe some dissent about where and what tattoos should be place on them, but Youth would usually go ahead with the majority. In this case, tattoos may not be a symbol of being gang members or criminals but intent to signify ones unique identity among peers by being trend followers, w hich is to have tattoos. Tattoos as art Tattoos also became a way for people to decorate themselves, in a way, to enhance their beauty. Researchers have shown that celebrities are icons of fashion trends. With celebrities wearing tattoos there is no doubt that many people look up to tattoos as a decoration on oneself, thus they treat tattoos as a form of art. This results in an erasure of early images and meanings of tattoo by recreating tattoo as a form of art. People treat their skin as canvas and would tattoo as much as they like on it. People are so convinced that tattoo is a form of art that it led to the increase in number of tattoo art galleries for the appreciation of tattoo designs. These galleries display all kinds of tattoo designs, both ancient and modern, which help to understand the meaning behind this body art that is inked into skin. Tattoos are not only become part of the art gallery, it also became more recognized internationally. Many international tattoos shows were held as a way to showcase tattoos as an art. Take for example, Singapore Tattoo show 2009, International London Tattoo Convention were held to showcase tattoos as a form of art. These events received overwhelming response, with an astounding 20000 participants for the London Tattoo Convention. We see an increase in support of tattoos exhibition and that tattoos are slowly recognized as a form of art worldwide. Tattoos and Religions In addition, tattooing is a tradition for some religions as it represents their beliefs for their religion and can act as a form of blessings to them. Take for example Euro-Asiatic Catholics living on the Malabar Coast tattooed birds on their forearms as a symbol of the Holy Ghost, while Christian Serbs tattooed their arms with a cross. Catholic girls used to gather in the cloisters of churches to get small religious tattoos that they believed had magic powers in Bosnia and Herzegovina In terms of peoples belief and religions, wearing a particular tattoo would enable them, on dying, to pass from this earth to the land of the spirits. Moreover, tattooing has become a spiritual act as its process is often viewed as ritualistic. For some devotees getting tattoos after a long and painful process, they would usually feel a connection with the spiritual world and thus, tattoos became an important part of peoples spiritual identities. It was believed that human bodies are sacred, thus tatto os were treated as signs of recognition in the world of the spirits amongst the Naga, in Assam. This is because the husbands would choose a motif to tattoo on the shoulder of their faithful wives so as to recognize them in the afterlife. Similarly, Bengal Hindus believed that a person dying without tattoos wouldnt be recognized by his relatives in the world of the spirits. The pictures below are religious tattoo designs wore by devotees. Figure 11: Celtic tattoo Figure 12:Holy spirit tattoo How stereotypes affect their life? Stereotype will affect the life of tattooed people in terms of employability, finding a life partner and cause inconvenience to their daily life. According to a survey, 85% of survey respondents agreed that tattoos impede ones chances of getting a job. Regardless of who the real person may be, stereotypes associated with tattoos can and do affect others. In general, individuals with tattoos are often viewed as rougher or less educated.' Despite such prejudice, only 16% of employers have an official company policy on tattoos and piercings. Vault found that over half of employees with tattoos have to cover them up when they were at work. Forty-two percent of those surveyed admitted to having tattoos. Of that group, 40% had one or more tattoo. Therefore, this survey clearly showed that people with tattoos are prejudiced against and this caused inconvenience to them at work. Secondly, the stereotypes of tattoos caused tattooed people to have difficulties looking for a life-partner. Studies have shown that different attitudes towards people with tattoos. This is supported by a research done in United Kingdom, the results showed that tattooed women were rated as less physically attractive, more sexually promiscuous and heavier drinkers than non-tattooed women by men, with more negative ratings with increasing number of tattoos. This showed that men tend to find women with tattoos less attractive and hence, this made tattooed women less possible to find a partner. Lastly, people with tattoos experience some inconvenience in life. This is because of its association with gang members and criminals. Take for example, in Japan, public places like gyms, public baths and hot spring resorts forbid entry of tattooed people. This is because tattoos are greatly associated with the yakuza, the Japanese mob. Owners of these places are afraid that these tattooed people would cause trouble for other customers which will then affect their business and reputation.

Against Animal Testing Essay -- Animal Rights

Animal testing has started long back in the ancient Greek times. Greek physician Galen dissected animals, this became known as vivisection, which he studied. Since then animal testing has long grew. Over the many years our people have been either against or with animal testing. Animal testing has been an issue that has been occurring for many years and will continue into our future. Over the years our culture has created organizations for people both sides of this topic trying to convince others to be choosing a side. We the people are now able to make our own decision on which side we want to be on. Animal testing is seen as useful reasons for medical experimentation due to animals being genetically similar to humans. Mice and rats are nearly identical to humans in their genetic components. Rodents make up 95% of the animals used in testing while the other 5% consist of monkeys, fish, birds, etc. Animal testing has been very important to our society, it has been a step in ensuring the safety of new pharmaceuticals and medical procedures. Journalist John Cook notes in the online magazine Salon, "There is virtually no new drug--from Viagra to Prozac to Claritin--that has been brought to market in recent decades without a large number of animals dying in the process." There have been many new vaccines and surgical procedures that have been derived from animal testing. Supports of animal testing agree with the practice, it has a positive impact of society. Supports also believe that without animal testing, researchers would have a difficult time learning the safety of drugs. Anima ls "are the best possible models we have short of humans, and experimenting on people is not acceptable," says Frankie Trull, the president of the Founda... ... References: Mason, Heather (5/25/04). Americans Unruffled by Animal Testing. Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing. Biever, Celeste (5/13/06). Can computer models replace animal testing? New Scientist, Vol. 190 Animal Testing. (2006, March 31). Issues & Controversies On File. Retrieved August 3, 2006, from Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com database. Testing times, Animal experiments (6/10/06). The Economist (US).Retrieved August 3, 2006, from Health & Wellness. Animal Testing 101 (8/12/06). PETA Retrieved August 12, 2006 from Stop Animal Testing.com Animal testing (2006) The Humane Society of the United States .Retrieved August 20, 2006. The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique (1958). W.M.S. Russell and R.L. Burch Center For Alternatives To Animal Testing. The Johns Hopkins University 1997-2006.

parkinsons disease Essay -- essays research papers

Parkinson’s Disease and the protective mechanism of the antioxidant Vitamin E Description and Risks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder marked by tremors, rigidity, slow movements (bradykinesia), and postural instability. It is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by decreased production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Dopamine is responsible for most of the body’s smooth muscle movements. As a result, motor control in Parkinson’s patients is disrupted, causing anything from uncontrollable tremors to muscular stiffness to slow-as-molasses movements. (2) PD affects about 500,000 people in the United States, both men and women, with as many as 50,000 new cases each year. The disease usually begins in a person’s late 50’s and 60’s; it causes a progressive decline in movement control, affecting the ability to control initiation, speed, and the smoothness of motion. The symptoms of PD are seen in up to 15% of those between the ages of 65-74, and almost 30% of those were between the ages of 75-84. (3) Genetic Risks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientist identified two gene abnormalities present in PD patients whose families have a rate of the disease, indicating at least some evidence that the disease is inherited. Both abnormalities cause the body to produce an altered version of alpha synuclein, the protein that shows up in dense masses in the brains of Parkinson’s patients. (3). But in another study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested heredity is a significant influence on how fast the disease will onset. Researchers identified 172 twin pairs in which at least one twin had PD. If the condition was hereditary, the rate of both twins having the disease would be lower among fraternal twins, who share some, but not all of the same genes unlike identical twins who share them all. In individuals who were diagnosed after age 50, the rate of twins who both had the disease was similar among fraternal and identical twins. In those diagnosed at 50 or younger, however, the rate wa s significantly lower in fraternal twins than in identical twins (2). Researchers also think that PD has environmental risks such as increase exposure to toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, or heavy metals. For example, some studies of people liv... ...one, L., Bagala, A., Napoli, I.D., Caracciolo, M. & Quattnone, A. (2001) Plasma levels of Vitamin E in Parkinson’s disease. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 33:7-12. 6. Miklya, I., Knoll, B. & Knoll, J. (2003) A pharmacological analysis elucidating why, in contrast to (-)- deprenyl (selegiline), alpha-tocopherol was ineffective in the DATATOP Study. Life Sciences 72:2641-2648   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parashevas, G.P., Kapaki, E., Petropoulou, O., Anagnostouli, M., Vagenas, V. & Papageorgiou, L. (2003) Plasma levels of Antioxidant Vitamins C and E are decreased in vascular Parkinsonism. Journal or Neurological Sciences. 215:51-55. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roghani, M. & Behzadi, G., (2001) Neuroprotective effect of vitamin E on the early model of Parkinson’s disease in rat: behavioral and histochemical evidence. Brain Research 892:211-217. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vatassery, G.T., Demaster, E.G., Lai, James C.K., Smith, W.E. & Quach, H.T. (2003) Iron uncouples oxidative phosphorylation in brain mitochondria isolated from vitamin E-deficient rats. Biochemical et Biophysical Acta 1688:265-273. .

Future of Smart Phones

In recent years, the concept of a smart phone is changing dramatically. Just review what we have already got. iPhone, a creative mobile phone, has established a platform full of potential, which allows programmers to design innovative applications and sell them online. We cannot deny that iPhone is the leader of the smart phone market, however, there’s another powerful purser, smart phones based on Google Android system, which is an open-sources operating system. Features of present smart phones are evident to see, touchscreen, GPS navigator, gravity sensor, massive delicate applications and so forth.These things have come up in such a short time and changed the market entirely. 2. Changes and Improvements of future smart phones As it’s said before, smart phones are full of potential. With the increasing growth of customers’ appetite, these little digital machines are evolving rapidly to benefit people. More functions will be integrated into smartphones. 2. 1 Gam ing experience It’s believed that the gaming experience will be greatly improved in next few years. Gamers will be able to experience what we are experiencing on PCs where a FPS game is involved with high-resolution graphical display and multiplayer co-operation.These should ascribe to faster processor and faster carrier service. Moreover, the installation of games will be much easier. Only several steps are needed to be done to have a latest game downloaded and ready to run. Payment and whatever can be accomplished online. Also, with the need for intense empathy of gaming experience, the screen of smart phones will be much bigger but not as big as an iPad because it’s a burden to carry. Some designed for game may have gaming controller on themselves, just like PSP. 2. 2 Security Perhaps most challenging concern for the future is security.Nowadays, increasing people use their credit cards via smart phones. It’s devastating to see that online thieves working day and night. At present we cannot make the conclusion that smart phone we are using is pretty secure, not by the iPhone being hacked to acquaint administration right. Manufactures and security corporations should work together to ensure that customers’ password won’t be stolen by villains. When a smart phone is infected with virus, powerful anti-virus software should alert the user and wipe out the threat immediately. 2. 3 CommunicationThe famous SNS website Facebook has already achieved 500 million registered accounts, which means there’re more and more people that enjoy online communication. This gives smart phones a perfect opportunity to be the very useful tool to keep in touch with others. Although we cannot access internet everywhere at present, the future smart phone will become the most common communication device with widespread Wi-Fi network. Moreover, contact with friends will be fun under the help of some features such as multi-touching and mini camera . Sharing at any time can be the top entertainment in our daily life. 3. ConclusionHave you ever dreamed of having an ultra-functional hand like device that can do almost everything for you? It’s not transformers, but it can come into being with the rapid development of technology. Smart phones, with faster processor and high developed operating system, won’t just be your travelling companion, but your key to the colorful digital world.Bibliography (References) John Brandon (2010, February). The Future of Smartphones: 2010-2015 and Beyond. Retrieved October 28, 2010, from Digital Trend, Features Web site: http://www. digitaltrends. com/features/the-future-of-smartphones-2010-2015-and-beyond/

Analyzing Retail Concept Store: Excelsior

Analyzing Retail Concept Store: EXCELSIOR By: Cheryl Angeline Sumeleh Kosova Olga Leinuo Zhang Wan Le Master Fashion Buying 12/13 1 Content Concept†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦.. 3 Market Segmentation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Customer Target†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Marketing Mix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Competitors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 22 SWOT- Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 23 Merchandising Mix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 25 Display†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 34 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 35 Questionnaire†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 36 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦37 2 Concept Excelsior Milan is an innovative space that mixes and combines fashion, technology food and design.The shopping experience it offers aims to be cross-genre, choosing less well known brands and always putting the focus on excellence. The ambition is for it to become a place to socialize, somewhere to meet people, to buy things that satisfy you, to choose a sophisticated take-away to take back to your office or home that evening – somewhere to do high-profile shopping. Excelsior is a place full of energy, a floating series of inspirations and ideas. The influential boutique ANTONIA floors are surely a fashion lover’s playground, dedicating fashion womenswear, menswear and accessories to their customers. The most important thing at the moment is to have a real mix on the inside of all happy things, not just expensive things† said Antonia Giacinti, well – known to mix avant- garde and business. As a result, Excelsior Milano perfectly balances the concept boutique with a department store. The complex is an audacious injection of modernity in the city’s historical heart. The inner walls of the old movie theatre are coated with reflecting paints, while the exterior supports led screens all along the outer edge.Each floor is connected to the next by an automated ramp that is kind of a cross between a people mover and an escalator. Unlike any other store in Milan, Excelsior is hi pper than La Rinascente and brasher than Corso Como 10. Gruppo Coin spent more than 40 million dollars on its development and renovation over three years. Described by the shop owners as â€Å" a journey through shopping of the future† Market Segmentation After the group did the deep research of the different types of consumer, it shows that there are three main groups of people who buy the products in Excelsior store.The largest percentage group is contained by the people who come from the high classes level, another group invovled some middle classes level consumers who are educated well and they desire to buy the creative luxury goods, and the last group takes by the people who are the ‘new money'. 3 Market Segmentation Middle level class 13% Others 3% High level classes 84% Customer Target Five types of consumers emerge at each of the life cycle stages Since Excelsior is on its growth stage, the customers are mostly the opinion leaders.Fashion opinion leaders (celeb rities, fashion editors, journalists and early adopters) are the next most likely adopters of a fashion product. They copy the inspiration from fashion innovators and change the product into a popular style. 1 Most of them are very fashion-forward and updated. 1 https://instruct1. cit. cornell. edu/courses/cuttingedge/lifeCycle/03. htm 4 (From the questionaires) Demographic Target †¢ Customers of Excelsior are mostly 20 – 45 years old women and men who have a medium economic capacity income between â‚ ¬1500 – 3000 per month. The targets can be students/managers/business men or ladies/marriage or single.Tourists or tourist groups are 20-45 old women and men from Russia, USA and Asia. With middle income â‚ ¬1500 per month. It can be students/managers/business ladies/marriage or single. Sex Age Occupation Italy resident or tourist Status Income Frequency of shopping Married: 45% >17: 7. 6% Female: 60% 18-20: 19. 7% Male: 40% 21-29: 47. 1% 30-45: 25. 6% †¢ Employed: 75% Unemployed: 25% Tourist: 65% Italy resident 35% Single: 28% In Relationship: 27% 2000 – 3000: 3. 4%; 3000 – 5000: 24. 1%; 5000 – 10000: 42. 2%; 10000 – 20000: 12. 7%; 20000 – 60000:10. 1%; ? 60000 >7. 4% Frequently: 62% Rarely: 10% Occasionally: 28%Psychographic Target The types of clients that Excelsior Milan wants to attract are people with a clear sense of style, people who is well-informed and travelling internationally. Designed to target a cross for age, sex, social background but fashion enthusiast, curiousity, cosmopolitan. 5 Marketing Mix Product Excelsior provides clothes , footwear, accessories, beauty and food hall for women and men from high and middle level incom. The clothes include evening dresses, formal and casual wear. 4000 square meters in single volume, divided into 7 floors Each floor have their own names: -1 floor (Underground floor) 6 7An exclusive food haven EATS – a real supermarket offering a wide var iety of fresh meat, fish, vegetables, ready-to-eat gastronomic specialties and wines, here you can not only find the best quality products from Italy and abroad, but also find a corner dedicated to show-cooking and a wine cellar that offers 46 different top wines through a clever machine specifically designed for tasting wines by the glass. The restaurant offers three dimensions, â€Å"Now† for the elegant take-away, â€Å"Fast † for the bistro characterized by seasonal specials, and â€Å"Slow† for the more traditional restaurant, regularly hosting renowned guest chefs like Davide Oldani. Between -1 and 0 – â€Å"M† floor There are bistro and wine shop. 9 0 floor – â€Å"G† This floor is always packed with young people, the ground floor presents accessories from keys of Tiffany to DJ headphones WESC, perfume Commes des Garson, inexpensive SWATCH watches, cuckoo iphone accessories and limited edition of sunglasses Ray Ban. 10 1 floor – ICON TEMPORARY Women’s floor offers concept brands – contemporary American designers such as Helmut Lang, Theory, Rag & Bone, Alice and Olivia, Vince, Globe Trotter, Swatch, Anta, Mario Portolano, Antipast with price range from about â‚ ¬200-400.Also here presents hats, which are made specially for the store. 11 2 floor – ANTONIA UOMO 12 The second floor displays only men’s collections, Such as Maison Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Marni, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Neil Barrett, Band of Outsiders, Golden Goose, RRL Ralph Lauren; Visvim, Haversack, Nigel Cabourn, Mackintosh, Piombo, Edwin, Gilded Age, Levi's limited Edition, Prps, Porter, Moscot, NIKE e. t c (Advanced designers: Very select pieces from Balmain and Proenza Schouler) 13 3 floor – ANTONIA 14The third floor presents famous first-line brands from all around the world such as Balmain, Valentino, Chloe, Maison Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Proenza Schouler, Marni, Joseph with a higher price range than the womenswear in the first floor. 15 4 floor – ANTONIA ACCESSORIES This floor presents accessories from Christian Louboutin, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jimmy Choo, Sergio Rossi, Pierre Hardy, Repetto; borse di Givenchy, Proenza Schouler, Zagliani, Marni, Chloe, Manolo Blahnik    16 Price The collections of Excelsior store sells for the prestige class so the clients can expect to pay more for the original design, and good quality pieces.The prices range from â‚ ¬ 50 – 1500 Womenswear â‚ ¬ 90 – 3530 Menswear â‚ ¬ 120 – 3620 Accessories (both Men and Women) â‚ ¬90 – 4700 The majority of sales are fashion forward jeans, tops and shoes, as these garments have middle price and more affordable for customers. Place Fashion, beauty, accessories, food and design are mingled in this historical building, located in Galleria del Corso 4, the heart of Milan, just behind Duomo. It is a very strategic area which is one of the †˜most-visit’ area in Milan. It has been completely refurbished by French starchitect Jean Nouvel. Promotion Advertising 1. Campaign 1Advertising campaign by Giampaolo Sgura 17 This advertising campaign was made to show to customers that the concept of Excelsior is where fashion, beauty and food meet in one place. It was put in a digital signage video wall in Piazza Cinque Giornate 2. Campaign 2 Illustration for Excelsior’s Video Wall These pictures above are the graphic illustrations created for Excelsior by the author of SNIPPET, Luca Mainini. It is projected on the video wall of the department store in Galleria del Corso among the scraps of paper, photographic research and the nostalgic memory of the divas of the past.He said, â€Å"The diva embodies the maximum visual potential on the female figure. The Hollywood stardom is the seed of all my work: the fallacy of success, the technicolor of the character, the black and white of privacy. †2 2 http://www. exce lsiormilano. com/#/it/category/events/news/322/luca- ­? mainini 18 Events One-Year Celebration To celebrate Excelsior’s first year anniversary, they held an event with a title â€Å"We’re Waiting For Something† which were held in the 14th of September 2012 in Cafe Excelsior. It was a public event, o basically everybody can attend the party. This event was posted on Facebook, so everybody who ‘like’ Excelsior’s page can get the invitation on Facebook. Photos From The Event Sales Promotion 1. Discounts Discounted Products 19 To clean up all excessive stocks and to attract more powerful customer purchase, Excelsior sometimes do the sales in some special period of the year, such as in Summer or Christmas. By this way, they are able to have more spaces to display and or to keep the stock of new products while generating more sales and attracting more customers. 2.Extraordinary Gift Card The Extraordinary Gift Card by Excelsior allows customers t o give a budget of their choice to someone special and also customers can customize their gift according to their taste. The other advantages of this gift card for Excelsior is that the receivers of the card can only shop their goods in Excelsior. There are more chances which lead the receiver to spend much more money on the goods than the value of the card. Social Media †¢ Facebook Excelsior’s Facebook Front Page Excelsior’s facebook page are used to put any kind of information related to their activity.And also to keep the person who ‘like’ their page keep informed if they held any events, new arrival products, products reviews, or special offer. 20 †¢ Twitter Excelsior’s Twitter Page Excelsior’s twitter page is well managed as they update their status on twitter frequently. The content of their ‘tweet’ is mostly about their products information. For example if there are some new arrival products in their store or sim ply just to invite people to have lunch on their â€Å"Eat’s† restaurant. Foursquare †¢ Excelsior's Foursquare Page 21As it is shown to us, Excelsior did not manage it in the right way since the Foursquare page seems not really popular. Competitors Direct Competitor 1. La Rinascente The first department store la Rinascente was opened in 1865 by brothers Bocconi. The department has 7 floors, which is selling majority kinds product like clothing ,interior, daily needs and kitchen cookers. They also have a restaurant , a beauty salon and an art gallery. By 2011, the network has eleven la Rinascente department stores in Italy: two are located in Rome, one, the largest, in Milan and one at la Rinascente in other cities – Palermo, Florence, Genoa, Turin.Strengths †¢ †¢ Has a wide range A long time Italian market background †¢ Succesful Brand Awareness †¢ Located in more significant area †¢ †¢ High turnover Well–known luxury br ands †¢ 100 euro+ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Weaknesses On-line shop No parking area Lack of the new creative fashion design brand Too crowded in peak time 22 Indirect Competitor Monobrand stores around Duomo Near the Duomo Area there are so many monobrand stores, they could be Excelsior's competitors too. For example, boutiques in Via Montenapoleone. Almost all of the luxury brands are located there.And even those brands which are sold in Excelsior. So the customers can choose wether to buy the goods in Excelsior or in its own monobrand store . Strengths †¢ Successful Brand Awareness †¢ Located in the central (near Duomo area) †¢ †¢ Well-known for tourist Much more selection to choose from †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Weaknesses Going in to every each stores might be tiring Scattered shops location Not convenient for shopping all the brands at the same time Doesn't provide limited items SWOT- Analysis Strengths I. The Excelsior Milano located in the most center place in Milan, just behind the Duomo church.Thousands of visitor and located people need to cross the street by everyday. II. III. The Excelsior marketing department has been managed very well for their brand website. There are mix branding which contain all types of fashionable clothes and accessories around the world. 23 IV. The advertising in the shopping mall is the video that display in the monitor. It is very creative and vivid to display the products and trend of the Excelsior. Weaknesses I. II. The excelsior did not own the online shopping which may lead to lose some consumers by many reasons. There is no obvious advertising r big Logo around the area in results that some people cannot find the shopping center especially the tourist. Opportunities I. II. Since the range of consumers is becoming much younger, the people now are caring about the product’s personalities and designable. Milan prepares to host the next universal Exposition in 2015 (Apple, Nik e and Prada are looking to expand within the neighborhood of the Duomo) in anticipation of a tourist boom. Threats I. The Excelsior Milano seldom uses the communication tools which may lead to become less popular or may loose the brand images of the worldwide costumers.II. III. There are some Indirect and direct competitors just located beside the Excelsior Milano. In the Excelsior Milano, the trend of the fashion is much younger, colorful and street style. The local consumers may not accept this American causal style. 24 Merchandising Mix Fashion Product Life Cycle Fashion Product Life Cycle Fashion product life cycles last a shorter time than basic product life cycles. By definition, fashion is a style of the time. A large number of people adopt a style at a particular time. When many no longer adopt it, a fashion product life cycle ends. After more than one year from its opening, Excelsior now is on its early growth stage. As it is shown from the graph, on the growth stage, they sell most on fashion products and also basic products. From our perspective, this is exactly how Excelsior buys its merchandises. The exact percentage will be explained below. Pricing strategy In the retail market, there are two popular pricing strategies, one is called everyday low pricing, EDLP, another is called high/low pricing strategy. 4In the excelsior, they chose the â€Å"high/low pricing strategy†, which means retailer set the price would be higher than he others competitor’s daily low prices, but they will recurring the reduction by using the advertising promotion. In fact, this is a very effective method since the main features of the strategy grabs the consumer’s psychology. Many customers usually purchase the products, which are in lower prices only. In this way, 3 https://instruct1. cit. cornell. edu/courses/cuttingedge/lifeCycle/03. htm    4 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pricing_strategies 25 it will beat the other competitors because once the customer realize that the goods are in the reasonable price, they will purchase much more than they usually bought.Product Categories 2% 9% 8% 23% 10% 48% Man Woman Accessories Beauty Food Design Breadth vs Depth The product breadth means the variety of product lines offered. 5 The shop usually need to identity the breadth vs. depth. Breadth means being broad in scope. Carrying items in many different product categories. Offering several different types of service under one roof. For example, if you are a remodeling company you might do everything from adding a closet, to trimming out some cabinetry, to building the patio, up to a complete kitchen remodel.Depth means being intense in scope by immersing your business into an industry or product category. Stocking is focused product mix, a specialized service offering. 6 There usually have 3 models, which are Narrow and deep, Square, Broad and shallow. In the 3 models, there are some different types of depth. In excelsior, they chose the â€Å"broad and shallow†. The products include men’s wear, women’s wear, accessories, beauty, food and design. They aim to buy the right product for customers and not to buy so many.The group has the fortunate for interviewing the sales manager of the excelsior, and the lady told us that they choose in different style or lots of color but purchase in small amount of 5 http://retail. about. com/od/glossary/g/breadth. htm 6 http://themarketingspot. com/2009/08/breadth- ­? vs- ­? depth. html 26 sizes. Like a silk top, they may only purchase 2 pieces of each sizes (from XS to M) and 1 pieces of the Large size. Men’s Product Men’s Product Breadth T-shirt, Shirts, Jackets, Coats, Sports Wear, Jeans, Trousers, shorts and Accessories.Men's Product Breadth T- ­? shirts 2% 6% 7% 8% 12% 14% 25% 11% 15% Shirts Jackets Coats Sports Wear Jeans Trousers Shorts T-shirts: V- neck, Designing neck, Collared T- shirts, Sleeveless T- Shirts, Sweat T Shirts S hirts: Casual wear, Formal & Office wear, Evening & Club Wear Sports Wear: Nylon and Cotton Tracks Jeans: Boot cut, Skinny fit, Regular& Loose fit Trousers: Wrinkle Free, Cotton Chinos, Italian Fit Shorts: Regular in cotton and waterproof material Accessories: Ties, Belts, Scarves Shoes: Boots, Lace-up shoes, Loafers, Sandals, Sneakers 7 Men’s Product Depth and Price Range CATEGORIES T-shirts Shirts Jackets Sports Wear Jeans Trousers Shorts Sweaters Accessories PRICE RANGE 120 – 350 200 – 630 450 – 3620 130 – 380 150 – 350 245 – 545 120 – 255 245 – 515 100 – 3500 SIZES S – XXL S – XXL S – XL S – XXL S – XL S – XL S – XL S – XL Single size Sizes offered at the stores range from S to XL. But there are a few pieces having large sizes. Colors The different shades of White, Black, Blue, green, yellow, red and orange, etc.Mens Shoes Sizes 41 – 44 (Italian si ze) Designers Antonia Uomo †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ WESC BALMAIN CHURCH'S DRIES VAN NOTEN MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA MARC JACOBS MARNI CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN HTC INCASE 28 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ MAISON KISTUNE RICK OWENS KENZO MISSONI GIVENCHY Women’s Product Women’s Product Breadth Women's Product Breadth 20% 16% 10% 15% 4% 35% Formal Wear Ethnic Wear Casual Wear Club Wear Sportswear Accessorries Casual wear: T-shirt, Shirts, Jackets, Sweaters, Coats, Jeans, Capris, Cargos, Shorts, Skirts and Dresses.Formal wear: Formal Shirts, Blazers, Pants and Evening wear dresses Club Wear: Stylish Tops, Skirts, Hot Shorts, Party dresses Sports Wear: Jackets, Track Pants and Shorts, Sweat T- shirt Ethnic Wear Accessories: Belts, Stoles and Bags Shoes: Boots, Flats, Lace-up shoes, Loafers, Pumps, Sandals, Sneakers, Wedges 29 Women’s Product Depth and Price Range CATEGORIES Formal Wear Casual Wear Club Wear Spor tswear Ethnic Wear Accessories PRICE RANGE 150 – 3530 100 – 2300 300 – 1500 90 – 800 110 – 1500 70 – 4700 SIZES XS – L XS – L XS – L XS – L XS – L Single sizeColors Various shades of Red, Green, Orange, Purple, Black, White, Blue, Yellow and Pink Shoes Sizes 36 – 40 (Italian Size) Antonia brands †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ BALMAIN CHLOE ETOILE ISABEL MARANT JOSEPH GIVENCHY VANESSA BRUNO VALENTINO REPETTO PROENZA SCHOULER MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA ISABEL MARANT THEYSKENS' THEORY M MISSONI CAMILLA & MARC 30 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ JAMES PERSE DRIES VAN NOTEN AURELIE BIDERMANN HAIDER ACKERMANN 3. 1 PHILLIP LIM THAKOON JOE'S JEANS MARNI ERDEM MAISON MICHEL BILITIS CURRENT/ELLIOT T BEX ROX HUDSON JEANS RICK OWENSExcelsior focuses o n the clients who do not want to be copied but rather want to create their own look and to plan a new way of being yourself every day. That is why store chose brands such as Martin Maison Margiela, Dries Van Noten. Their collections are a complete, intelligible. The designers are feeling very well about what girls want to dress. A pair of high but stable heels, skinny jeans and leggings, stretched T-shirts and sweaters, jackets, leather jackets, coats, who immediately snatched ladies of Milan and its isitors, and then combining them together in freestyle, rock ‘n' roll style. A little aggressive, sharp and tough image of brands will add uniquenesses to our new boutiques. Here presents collection of Balmain. The simplicity and luxury wonderfully combine the practicality, sexy and glamour. Clothing from this brand is designed for energetic, confident and self-sufficient women. The main advantage of models is that they make dresses comfortably while remaining consistently elegant and stylish. Excelsior includes high quality and fashion brands.Each collection includes cult, unmistakably recognizable elements. 3. 1 Phillip Lim brand creates sensual, confident, intelligent and beautiful collections. The uniqueness of this brand is that the designer uses a very thin, almost weightless cashmere, cotton, semi-treated soft pure silk and    31 wool. Rochas – described as a quiet, discreet nod to the retro. These commercial brands, which can bring financial    perspectives, because they are already quite wellknown among the people like good quality and fashion brands, and on them have a certain buyer. Antonia Accessories †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ CHLOE CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN CHURCH'S GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI JIMMY CHOO PIERRE HARDY PROENZA SCHOULER REPETTO VALENTINO GARAVANI MANOLO BLAHNIK MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA HTC RENE CAOVILLA MARC BY MARC JACOBS MARNI 3. 1 PHILLIP LIM RICK OWENS GIVENCHY M MISSONI UGG DR. MARTENS 32 Fabrics Their fabrics selection depends on the season. In this case we observe during the Fall/ Winter Season, therefore the selection are dominated by a thick and warm fabrics such as: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Wool Knitwear Nylon/ Synthetic (used for windbreaker) Fur LeatherBesides, there are also some light fabrics to provide the current trend, such as: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Velvet Silk Brocade Cotton Display After the group talked to the sales manager of excelsior, we have noticed that each season, the excelsior will hire 2 shelf merchandiser to display the products on the shelf in a way that will attract customers (one is for the men’s floor and anther is for the women’s wear and shoes and accessories). They usually display 2 pieces of clothes in the both womenswear, however in the men’s floor, they only display 1 piece of clothes.We can also see it from the pictures. 33 Excelsior Shelving At first, the group thought it may be because the womenswear have 2 floors that they have more space to display the dresses and the men’s only have one floor so they need to use every place they can since the excelsior have lots of brand and style for male. But after the sales manager of excelsior told us it’s only because of shelf merchandiser’s willing. In this way, the shelf merchandiser plays a very important role in attracting the customer to purchase the products. 34Conclusion In conclusion, Excelsior is a place full of energy, a floating series of inspirations and ideas. It not only sells the clothes of women and men, but also spread the sprit of fashion. The customer target is not only focus on single group and the product breath is very wide from food, dress to technology. Although we are in the financial crisis now, the excelsior will not be influenced since it has its distinctive strategy. 35 Questionnaire N O. xxx Date: xx/xx Sexual: o Female o Male Nationality: o Italy resident o Tourist Ages: o o o Under 17 18 ––30 30 ––45 Above 50 Status: o Married o Single o In relationship Occupation: o Employed o Unemployed Income: o o o o o o Under 2000 2000–– 3000 3000––5000 5000––10000 10000––20000 Above 20000 How many times will you shop in the Excelsior : o Frequently o Rarely o Occasionally The main reason that lead you to shop in this store: 36 References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. NYTimes. com Vogue. it http://www. vogue. it/en/magazine/daily-news/2011/09/opening-coin-excelsiormilan http://www. excelsiormilano. com http://www. odemonline. com/fashion/mini-web-sites/multilabelstores/references/5729-excelsiormilano http://www. modemonline. com/fashion/mini-web-sites/multilabelstores/references/5729-excelsiormilano http://www. vogue. it/en/shopping/where-to-shop/2012/06/sales-at-excelsior https://instruct1. c it. cornell. edu/courses/cuttingedge/lifeCycle/03. htm http://www. vogue. it/en/shopping/where-to-shop/2012/06/sales-at-excelsior 10. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pricing_strategies 11. http://themarketingspot. com/2009/08/breadth-vs-depth. html 37