Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critical Analysis - Essay Example Predatory pricing is one such strategy that is being used by business organizations across the globe. Predatory pricing involves a strategy in which a firm sells its products at lowest possible rates below the offerings of all the competitors so as to grab the market share of the competitors on the basis of competitive pricing (Denger, American Bar Association & Section of Antitrust Law, 1991, p.3-3). This use of this strategy by business organizations to gain market share and take care of the competition in the market has been questioned by numerous authors and various academic and professional circles. The aspect has been so serious that governments across the world have set up competition policies and also appointed watchdogs to supervise and monitor the competitive strategies so as to maintain a healthy competition in the consumer market. Individuals in favour of predatory pricing state that pricing is an integral part of a company’s unique selling proposition and hence fr eedom must be given to ensure fair balance in the market. It is also in coherence with the free market policy that seeks equal opportunity for all and survival of the fittest. Proponents’ however have slammed this move by stating that predatory pricing ultimately does not help customers in the long run but leads to closure of firms that generates unemployment that can have drastic effects on the total economic scenario of a market. The present study would undertake a critical analysis of the aspect of predatory pricing so as to analyse the actual implications and the pros and cons of this increasingly popular business strategy adopted by corporate across the world. Focus The aspect of predatory pricing has been a subject of debate among academic and professional circles. An article by Gundlach & Guiltnan (1998) states that predatory pricing is an unethical aspect that does not being any benefits in the market. They have argued that a marketer indulging in predatory pricing st rategy tends to reduce the price of the product or service in an attempt to maximise its market share by eating away a chunk of the market share of its competitors. Predators however on the achievement of their objectives of either dislodging their competitors or after gaining a significant market share tend to again increase the prices. Ultimately the customers bargaining power gets considerably reduced in the process. The dislodgement of competitors from the market gives a monopolistic power to the predator that is against the rules of competition and ultimately leads to unhealthy market situation. The authors have stated that the predatory pricing as a competitive strategy has been quite unsuccessful in the past and courts have also pronounced verdicts in famous cases like Brooke thus affirming the faith that predatory pricing is perhaps a negative strategy that has no ultimate benefit to any section of the society or the business world (Gundlach & Guiltnan, 1998, p.884). The vie ws of Gundlach & Guiltnan (1998), however have been refuted by authors like Bolton, Brodley & Riordan (No date) as they have stated that predatory pricing is an integral part of a business strategy of an organization and competing on the basis of cost is normally an outcome of a business’s efficiency to provide products at low prices due to certain organizational efficiency. The authors have slammed the views of critiques advocating the court legislations on cases like Brooke where they have pronounced verdic

Flashbulb memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Flashbulb memory - Essay Example Kennedy was assassinated. Should this individual remember that they were flying a kite on the beach that day, this is an example of flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memory is generally a unique phenomenon for each person experiencing it, with some individuals reporting more negative emotions with an event while others reflect positively on a particular moment in time. As such, there does not appear to be a unanimous belief in the psychological community that flashbulb memories will hold the same value or importance for each individual person. However, the fact that the human mind maintains the ability to instantly recall events from history with unbelievable accuracy tends to illustrate the complexity of human cognitive capabilities. Ask any group of individuals to describe the exact details of a specific day in the calendar year, perhaps a day when the group was in elementary school. Likely, they will not be able to provide details of the event with any kind of clarity. However, utilizing the aforementioned John Kennedy reference, cooking guru Julia Child can easily recall that she and her husband were eating soup at the time of the assassination (Greenberg, 2005). Another disaster occurred in England in which nearly 100 soccer fans were crushed to death during a stadium catastrophe. One month after the incident, all surveyed respondents were able to clearly remember the events of their lives at the moment they heard the news of the stadium disaster (Luminet, Curci, Marsh, Wessel, et al, 2004). All of the aforementioned situations would tend to illustrate that flashbulb memories are created by some form of rememberable stimuli, which engrains the daily events of an individual and links them directly with the tr aumatic or inspirational event. Though there is no clear evidence as to why this phenomenon occurs, however it has been suggested by several researchers that individuals are capable of

Looking At The Impacts Of Fashion On Society Cultural Studies Essay

Looking At The Impacts Of Fashion On Society Cultural Studies Essay The 1950s were a fascinating time in the United States that left an impressive mark on our society. Fashion during this unforgettable time was extremely imaginative and expressive, and overtime evolved into iconic images that are repeatedly replicated in fashion today. The now famous styles are historical icons in our culture that are recognized by the majority of Americans. The fashion of the 1950s is very memorable to our society because it was, rebellious, captivating, and unique. The 1950s are often thought of as a time with conservative families who had well-behaved children that listened to their parents rules, and lived in cookie cutter suburban communities. While for many this was true, there was also a great deal of teenage rebellion that came out of this era. As the 1950s opened, Americas adolescents were basically a conservative, unrebellious lot.  [1]  At the very start of the 1950s teens idolized the same older generation figures as their parents, so factors for a rebellion were simply not there. However, in the early part of the decade younger idols arose and new cultural factors began the start of a teenage rebellion and, By the late fifties Americas teenagers had acquired a distinct subculture of their own. They had their own money, music, movies, television shows, idols, clothing, and slang.  [2]  They had found their own fashions and they centered on casual dress, instead of the upright fashion of older generations. This rebellion was ea sily expressed through exciting new fashions that had never been seen before. These styles became a vital aspect to the 1950s era that are now recognized and imitated in the fashion world today. The fresh clothing ideas for teenage girls included, rolled-up jeans, full dresses with crinolines, skirts paired with sweaters, casual blouses, blazers, tube dresses, sack dresses, two-piece bathing suits, and brown and white saddle shoes. High school boys were regularly seen in sport shirts, denim jeans with rolled-up cuffs, baggy pegged pants, pleated rouge trousers with a white side stripe, V-neck sweaters, slacks with back buckles, button-down striped shirts, blazers, and loafers.  [3]  Favorite color pallets and designs incorporated into these styles were polka dots, dramatic bright colors, and pale pastel colors.  [4]  One of the up-and-coming teen idols was Rebel without a Cause, James Dean, whose iconic look consisted of a white tee shirt and sport jacket.  [5]  This rol e model led to the same age group of boys showing their own rebellion through a tough attitude, black leather jackets, jeans, and tee shirts with rolled sleeves to hold cigarette packs. This highly rebellious crowd became known as Greasers, a very recognizable subculture. To continue, style in the 1950s was captivating for many Americans of the time. While the style of the rebellious teens is sometimes the spotlight of Fifties fashion, older generations also embraced new fashion ideas. Americans in the 1950s were caught up in many popular fads. Perhaps to take their minds off the looming threats to Americas Securityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [6]  In 1950 popular fashion designer Christian Dior created designs for his concept of the New Look, and it quickly became the epitome of fashion for women at the time. His model emphasized an hourglass shape (still popular today), skintight tailoring, narrow waist, and a full flared skirt. Along with this latest fashion ideal, it was also popular for Fifties women to wear fashion staples such as, stiletto heels, bright red lipstick, hats, and gloves. In the 1950s it was common for women to be housewives, but many were also working outside the home, Although womens roles were changing, the most popular fashions of the 1950s emphasized womens femininity and sexuality.  [7]  Overall, for women a look of professional feminism was portrayed, but with young girls a more fun look was trendy. The most memorable of these looks was that of the bobby soxers, consisting of two-tone saddle shoes, ankle socks, white shirts, soft sweaters, neck scarves, and poodle skirts. Poodle skirts are a staple of the 1950s that were frequently worn to Sock Hops and were, full circular skirts decorated with felt patches of well-coiffed French poodles and were the fashion rage for teen girls.  [8]  A sense of style was even welcomed by young children because of the popularity of Western television shows; therefore, children would often mimic the look of their favorite cowboy.  [9]  Even male fashion began to take a more attractive and less stiff turn, clothing such as smart suits, sports jackets, and trousers with permenant creases.  [10]  In conclusion, the 1950s appealing fashion gave women a look of sophi sticated feminism, gave men a look of relaxed professionalism, and gave younger generations a look of carefree fun. Finally, it is easy to observe that the clothing styles and fashions of the generations were unique to the time, but conformity was also an accepted idea at the time as well. Even the most self-expressive group desired to fit it, Teenagers were also very conformist: They were very concerned about what their friends thought of their dress, behavior, and ideas, and they tried very hard to be part of the group and not be labeled an oddball or individualist.  [11]  It could be surmised that the reason for this need to be the same through fashion may have stemmed from the emerging suburban lifestyle in the United States, which was all about conformity through appearance. Therefore, fashion during the 1950s was most often not about being an individual with your own personal style, it was based off of being apart of a universal style. The fashions were so highly received that they could be seen on almost everyone of the decade. For example, powerful businessmen of the time sported the i nfamous gray flannel suits, which were paired with narrow brimmed hats.  [12]  As a result of televisions invading homes, and movie theaters growing, admiration of stars like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, added to the aspiration to achieve a trendy look of glamorous sophistication and elegance.  [13]  Of course, there were exceptions to the conformity ideal, and these groups were known as The Beatniks. These were citizens who detested conformity and separated themselves from the popular fashions by wearing black turtleneck sweaters, blue jeans, and sandals for men and black leotards and short skirts for women. Ironically, the style that they developed to protest being the same became a conformity in itself.  [14]  To sum up, even though 1950s fashion could be vastly conformist, the styles themselves were definitely unique and something that the country had never experienced, but quickly loved and would continue to adore for generations to come. In conclusion, the fashion of the 1950s was filled with blends of trendy, relaxed, fun, elegant, and sophisticated styles. The original fashions of this beloved decade are still treasured in society today, and these fashions are often still imitated in various styles in the fashion world. Because 1950s fashion was rebellious, captivating, and unique, it has evolved into a memorable part of history that will always have an element of current fashions for years to come. The Fifties style sums up everything that is flattering, does not appear to be a contrived fashion statement, and shows classic good style.  [15]  

Personal Narrative: My Cat :: essays research papers

I have a love for cats. Ever since I was a teenager I always wished for a cat of my own. When I moved in a three story apartment in California, the Manager of the complex said that cats were allowed in the units. I mentioned to my Aunt at the time that I was searching in the newspapers under advertisements for cats wanted. One cool breezy evening, my Aunt called me and said that a friend of her's named Judy had a cat named Katie who did not get along with her other two cats. So I agreed to meet with Judy to see if I'd love to adopt Katie. As my Aunt and I entered Judy's house which was a fifteen minute drive from where I live, I noticed cut black and white cat long haired cat with a pink nose and mysterious slanted eyes sneaking up on me near the corner of the hallway of the house. Judy shared with me that Katie was spayed, what foods to feed the cat and that she was tramatized. Judy had shared with me that she took Katie to the Shelter to try to find the owners but to no aval. You see, Katie had showed up at Judy's arcadia door so Judy took her in and kept her for several months before deciding to give the cat away. When I bought Katie to my apartment, she was so frightened. She meowed all night. I called Judy to say that I didn't think I could care for her, but Judy encouraged me to give the cat time to adjust, because she was in a new surrounding. I started feeding my new cat fresh Purina One Special Care dry food and Friskies moist food along with a fresh bowl of water each morning and evening. I also bougth a cat brush to stroke her long luxurious black and white hair, plus I took her to the Vet for an annual booster and rabie shot so I could give the records of the shots to my Manager. I've discovered so much about cats since I adopted Katie. I decided to change her name to Sugar, because of her white tuxedo. I bought her a condo to sleep on plus a new littler box. I also give her a cat vitamin by chopping the vitamin up an placing the tiny pieces in her bowl. Personal Narrative: My Cat :: essays research papers I have a love for cats. Ever since I was a teenager I always wished for a cat of my own. When I moved in a three story apartment in California, the Manager of the complex said that cats were allowed in the units. I mentioned to my Aunt at the time that I was searching in the newspapers under advertisements for cats wanted. One cool breezy evening, my Aunt called me and said that a friend of her's named Judy had a cat named Katie who did not get along with her other two cats. So I agreed to meet with Judy to see if I'd love to adopt Katie. As my Aunt and I entered Judy's house which was a fifteen minute drive from where I live, I noticed cut black and white cat long haired cat with a pink nose and mysterious slanted eyes sneaking up on me near the corner of the hallway of the house. Judy shared with me that Katie was spayed, what foods to feed the cat and that she was tramatized. Judy had shared with me that she took Katie to the Shelter to try to find the owners but to no aval. You see, Katie had showed up at Judy's arcadia door so Judy took her in and kept her for several months before deciding to give the cat away. When I bought Katie to my apartment, she was so frightened. She meowed all night. I called Judy to say that I didn't think I could care for her, but Judy encouraged me to give the cat time to adjust, because she was in a new surrounding. I started feeding my new cat fresh Purina One Special Care dry food and Friskies moist food along with a fresh bowl of water each morning and evening. I also bougth a cat brush to stroke her long luxurious black and white hair, plus I took her to the Vet for an annual booster and rabie shot so I could give the records of the shots to my Manager. I've discovered so much about cats since I adopted Katie. I decided to change her name to Sugar, because of her white tuxedo. I bought her a condo to sleep on plus a new littler box. I also give her a cat vitamin by chopping the vitamin up an placing the tiny pieces in her bowl.

Chantale and Clinton’s Service Expectations Essay

In general, for their past experience Chantale and Clinton’s service expectations to The Canadian are that they provide very customer-oriented service, that is not only the frontline representatives but also every role within the company and its distributors cares for the customers and always think of the best interests of customers. To be more specific, as what we have seen in this case, Chantale and Clinton coupon expected the following: 1) a quick and courteous response and follow up on their request or phone calls instead of keeps transferring their requests from one party to another; 2) Always stay in touch with the customer and provide recent updates and feedback for important changes (e.g., repair could not come on the day); 3) Reliable service, e.g., if you make a promise then you need to keep your promise 4) On time delivery and repair service as well as timely communication to save customer time; 5) Has department to bridge the gaps or escalation the issue in a timely manner 6) Flexibility, e.g., provide a temporary solution that can help the customer while waiting for the appliance to be fixed (delivery a small fridge for temporary use). 7) Care for the customer needs especially monetary needs, e.g., reimbursement Culture factors that influence the development of these expectations are the couple is middle class and they can afford decent brands of products. Their entire family is well-educated and the couple values achievement and success, environment, material comfort and external comfort. Because of their subculture that they are Canadians, fully bilingual and live in Montreal, they give preferences to products delivered by the Canadian based product supplier â€Å"The Canadian†. Social factors are the reference group, e.g., client service team that the couple kept calling to did provide some courteous and polite response, however they had to repeat the same case over and over again which eventually made the couple feel frustrated and angry. From the family factors perspective, Chantele’s brother failed to enjoy a good meal made her feel even more frustrated with the delay of the repair which she expected it should be done on time. Personal factors are that they are well educated and care about the environment, thus they decided to purchase an energy efficient fridge to save energy. In addition, they prefer fresh foods as well as food that meet the dietary needs of youngest child which can be found when they threw away non-fresh foods and require immediate repair of the fridge. Because they are advisors and accounts who can occasionally work from home, they have the luxury to spend hours of their day time calling and waiting for customer service. From the personality and self-concept perspective, Chantale worked at The Canadian during the past as department manager and he considered himself very customer oriented. Therefore, he would think the others in the firm would be like him or his department. From the lifestyle and value perspective, they are more money constrained than time constrained, therefore, they asked for reimbursement for the loss of foods.

Causes & Symptoms of Stress

For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester's worth of your toughest subject. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. The body does not distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be on most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off. Long term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. This includes positive events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion. What causes stress depends, at least in part, on your perception of it. Something that's stressful to you may not faze someone else; they may even enjoy it. You may feel like the stress in your life is out of your control, but you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when ou can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation. You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. They also increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure.