Electronic Cigarettes ( E Cigarettes ) - 980 Words

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been increasing popular in the last several years for various reasons. An e-cigarette will automatically turn on by sensing pressure being applied at the base of the cigarette (Dennis 2015). Electronic cigarettes are battery operated that are supposed to mimic a real cigarette, meaning that the one end of the e-cigarette lights up, and a vapor is released into the air (Stein 2015). Inside the cigarette, there is a cartilage where the nicotine is stored (Dennis 2015). In addition to nicotine, which gives tobacco its addictive quality, e-cigarettes also have some sort of artificial additive and other liquids to create the vapor and improve the taste from traditional cigarettes (Maron 2014). Traditional cigarettes are rolled up tobacco, which naturally have nicotine, and when a traditional cigarette is lit and smoked, there is a release of harmful chemicals into the air, affecting other people around the smoker. On a cellular level, nicotine aff ects the brain’s functions by altering a person’s feelings and emotions. Nicotine is able to block nerve cells from communicating with the brain cells to perform conscious and unconscious tasks. In doing so, a person who smokes for the first time will feel relaxed because of the lack of communication between the brain and the rest of the body (Opar 2015). The reason why someone continues to smoke is because there is a need to repeat the feeling of calmness and relaxation. However, there is noShow MoreRelatedE Cigarettes And The Electronic Cigarette931 Words   |  4 Pagesdeveloped the electronic cigarette: a product designed to release aerosol by heating a liquid cartridge containing propylene glycol, glycerol, flavoring additives, and/or nicotine (Grana et al. 6). E-cigarettes use a plastic tube and an electronic heating element to stimulate a liquid cartridge. A nicotine-containing vapor, with few harmful elements, is released from the cartridge and inhaled by the user. (Franck et al. 2). In 2012, a European Commission study on awareness of e-cigarettes concludedRead MoreElectronic Cigarettes Vs. E Cigarettes1945 Words   |  8 PagesElectronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are devices that deliver aerosolized nicotine to the user by heating a liquid (typically propylene glycol) containing nicotine and flavoring agents. Most devices share a common design – a plastic tube containing a battery, an airflow sensor, a heating element and a cartridge containing the liquid (Figure 1). Figure 1. Components of the Electronic Cigarette.(1) Theoretically,(2) frequently advertised,(3) and commonly assumed by users,(4-12) this process avoidsRead MoreEssay about Electronic Cigarette Legalization Analysis982 Words   |  4 PagesSince 2008, Electronic Cigarettes have become widely popular across the United States, despite the obvious health benefits the long term health effects of â€Å"smoking† electronic cigarettes are still unknown to researchers today. Electronic Cigarettes are the answer to a safer method of consuming nicotine despite its more popular tobacco products. Even though the effects of consuming large amounts of nicotine in a persons’ system is unknown, the unbanning of electronic cigarettes in Los Angeles decreaseRead MoreE-Cigarettes: Better than Tobacco Cigarettes?1086 Words   |  4 Pagesthere are electronic cigarettes, called E-cigarette, which are devices with battery that carry nicotine heated aersosol in a fashion that imitates common cigarettes, while carrying lower levels of toxins than a conventional lit cigarette. They can be used indoors, which allows smokers to get their fix wherever and whenever they want. A study from NBC News (Leshae) shows that electronic cigarettes are a technique for smokers to try quitting their addictions. Manufacturers consider that e-cigarattesRead MoreElectronic Cigarettes Should Be Legal1444 Words   |  6 PagesElectronic cigarettes are designed to replicate cigarettes without the smoke, tobacco, and tar. Although smokers enjoy the electronic version of a cigarette, many non-smokers are not too fond of being around one. These devices provide nicotine to the user by converting a liquid mixture to an aerosol, usually composed of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavored chemicals, and a varying amount of nicotine (Grana). Electronic cigarettes have caused a major debate among doctors, smokers, andRead MoreElectronic Cigarettes Vs. Conventional Cigarettes928 Words   |  4 PagesAn e-cigarette is a device that some are u sing as their alternative to smoking a traditional cigarette. Using electronic cigarettes is commonly known to the younger demographic as â€Å"vaping†. The theory? It’s a stepping stone to ultimately stopping the addictive habit of smoking altogether; by offering an alternative that is supposedly less damaging in the long run. According to the National Institute Drug Abuse website (2015), the outer structure can either resemble a â€Å"traditional† cigarette orRead MoreEffective Smoking Cessation Tool Or A New Way For Children1742 Words   |  7 PagesNeed E-Cigarette Health Policy. Jennifer A. Sibley, RN, BSN University of Florida â€Æ' Effective Smoking Cessation Tool or A New Way for Children to be Introduced to Nicotine? Why We Need E-Cigarette Health Policy. Background and Significance Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, were invented in 2004 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik following his father’s death from lung cancer (CASAA, 2012). With the intention of offering a safer alternative to traditional tobacco, e-cigarettes quicklyRead MoreThe Harmful Effects Of E Liquids966 Words   |  4 PagesThe Harmful Effects of E-Liquids to the Public Health Through many decades, tobacco has been used very commonly through out of the world. Instead of using conventional cigarettes, many smokers today are using e-cigarettes in order to quit theirs long-term smoking habits. In fact, no one really knows whether the e-cigarettes are effective or not. However, they are very dangerous because the nicotine of e-liquids inside the e-cigarettes has been identified by some toxicologist of the Poison ControlRead MoreElectronic Cigarettes Should Be Regulated923 Words   |  4 PagesIncreasing smokes an E-cig of American college students under the age of 20 who have never smoked before. Until recently, grocery stores and tobacco markets did not have a strict law to ban them from selling E-cig to children under the age of 18. James Lauria a 32 year old had a burn from the first degree after the E-cig he was smoking blow up in his face (electronic cigarettes should be regulated, 2015). In 1963, Herbert A. Gilbert patented the first E-cig, whose produc ed Cigalike device to heatRead MoreUsing Vaporizing Pens Are Becoming A Very Popular Trend Essay1330 Words   |  6 PagesThough still awaiting FDA approval, the electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is growing popularity among those attempting to quit smoking. Young people are using vaporizing pens as a â€Å"safe alternative† to smoking. This issue needs to be addressed. Vaping is a lot more convenient than smoking traditional cigarettes. At a push of a button nicotine is being released. There also aren’t any laws or regulations on vapor pens like there are for traditional cigarettes. Vape pens also aren’t being used for

How Does Consumer Behaviour Determine Marketing Strategies That Compan Term Paper

Essays on How Does Consumer Behaviour Determine Marketing Strategies That Companies Implement in the Market Term Paper The paper â€Å"How Does Consumer Behaviour Determine Marketing Strategies That Companies Implement in the Market?† is an exciting variant of term paper on marketing. Consumer Behaviour is a process through which a consumer goes through before making a decision of purchasing a product or a service for his or her end-use. A consumer is someone who purchases products or services for his or her personal consumption from the market. Consumer interest is, therefore, the ability and willingness of consumers to purchase goods and services in accordance with their need, taste and their financial position (East, Wright Vabhuela, 2008).Individuals purchase products and services because they need them, for social status or for gift purpose. On the other hand, they don’t purchase because it’s not a requirement, it’s not within their taste or because they cannot afford (East, Wright Vabhuela, 2008). Other consumers purchase depending on the time some make a purchase during festive seasons, others during birthdays’, during anniversaries and others at marriage or any other special occasion. Therefore there are several factors that influence consumer buying decisions ranging from social, psychological, and economic factors. Consumer Behaviour thus explains why and why not decisions of consumers while buying goods and services, when decisions of consumers while buying the products and finally how these consumers decide to purchase the products. For these reasons, Consumer Behaviour determines marketing strategies that a firm employs in its marketing mix for product positioning (East, Wright Vabhuela, 2008).Marketing AnalysisUnderstanding of 4Cs results in better market analysis. This involves an understanding of prevailing conditions, consumer, company and competition (East, Wright Vabhuela, 2008). The main objective of any company is to provide greater value to its customers. To achieve this learning of consumer Behaviour is key in determ ining their needs, what they value for the company to concentrate on offering these needs better than its competitors in prevailing physical, economical and technological environmental conditions. Therefore anyone involved in the physical role of assessing, obtaining, using or disposing of products or services is a consumer (Michman Mazze, 2006).On the other hand, a customer is someone who makes the actual purchase of a product or a service from a specific firm. He is defined by a particular firm or a product. However, the consumer not only emphasizes on the actual customer but also the users of the product. For instance, specific products are purchased by specific members of the family. Therefore varied consumer Behaviour roles are played by various family members. Marketers are required to keep all consumer Behaviour roles in mind but at the same time focus on the actual buyers who make the final decision on whether to buy or not (Michman Mazze, 2006).To uncover consumer feeling s and emotions, bring out their hidden attitudes requires the use of motivational research. Several companies’ use questionnaires requesting customer feedback on their satisfaction levels, new product ideas and future needs. Using these feedbacks received, the marketing mix is adjusted streamlining the marketing strategies in the market (Michman Mazze, 2006).The external environment analysis is also done using marketing research and industrial analysts’ feedback. This is facilitated by companies’ financial conditions, sales force and companies’ sales quantity (Michman Mazze, 2006). Study of these varied factors results in better consumer needs understanding. This factor includes population, geography, sex, age factor, incentive level, literacy level, linguistic diversity, dress, food, religion, habits and fashion (Michman Mazze, 2006).

An In-Depth Look at Sin and Punishment free essay sample

A comparison of Genesis, Exodus, The Book of Job and the Inferno. This comprehensive paper looks at sin and punishment in religious writing. It starts by comparing the hierarchies of punishment in the different texts brought about by the corrupt powers of the time. It goes on to compare these texts and the stories contained, looking at Gods judgment of man. From the paper: Sin and punishment are the themes of both the Bible and Dantes Inferno. Both contain hierarchy, influenced by the cultural influences around them at the time. We will write a custom essay sample on An In-Depth Look at Sin and Punishment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dante wrote in a time when the Holy Roman Catholic Church was the ultimate source of authority and power. The writers of the Bible wrote in a time when the Pharaohs of Egypt were in ultimate power over the early Hebrews. Both writers wrote from a viewpoint different and opposing to the cultures who were in control at the time. Both disagree with the ideals of the powers in control at the time. It is in this thought that we will examine the various ideas of sin and punishment in both works. Both have a hierarchy of punishment, which fits the sin. It is clear that the Bible influenced Dante in his levels of hell, but it is also clear that his hierarchy was more defined than that of the Bible. The influence of the Catholic Church was clearly one reason for this structured approach.

Importance of VRIO Analysis Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Importance of VRIO Analysis. Answer: Introduction A business practice that has been developed and formulated for providing guidance to the corporate dealings and trade and is executed beyond the boundaries of nations, In this trade the two parties involved are two entities that too of different regions (Armelini Villanueva, 2011). And, these agreements and plans are hence developed and are termed as global business strategies. On the basis of the research executed it has been analyzed that generally these strategies are majorly adopted by the private firms more as compared to that of the government governed entities. Moreover, in simpler terms, the global business strategy can be defined as the business strategies indulged by the business corporations and firms operating the in an international business environment and offering the services to the consumers all over the globe. These business strategies are found closely associated with the business development strategies that are adopted by the business firm for fulfilling the shor t and long-term organizational objectives. Multinational, global and international strategies are the terms that are majorly included in the concept of global strategy (Economywatch 2010). The basic motive of developing and designing these strategies is to accomplish and attain the pre-determined organizational objectives and that too on international grounds. It has been recommended for a business entity to develop a clear difference between the three aspects of global expansion (Armstrong et al., 2015). The three prime elements of international business expansion the available resources, capability and a current position of the Business Corporation and adoption of these components will be proven beneficial for the organization. The below-demonstrated report has been executed on the global strategies of Puma and the prime objective of the report is to analyze the resources and capabilities of the firm for strategic leveraging and thus attaining a competitive advantage. VRIO analysis On the basis of the research, it has been concluded that the term VRIO analysis has been considered as an analytical technique or mechanism that is the best platform for evaluating the resources and capabilities and thus leading the business firm to attain competitive advantage. VRIO analysis is the acronym of the evaluation dimensions of Value, Rareness, Imitability, and Organization (Baker, 2014). This mechanism has been developed by Jay B Barney as a medium for evaluating the resources from the microenvironment of the business firm. The below mentioned are the main resources which are evaluated under this approach: Financial resources Human resources Material resources Non-material resources (Data and information) Importance of VRIO analysis VRIO analysis has been considered as one of the contemporary means that can be used by any of the business entity for analyzing the resources and capabilities and can also manipulate them for attaining competitive advantage (Baker, 2014). One of the biggest advantages of this approach that it releases the real value of the available resources and capabilities of the firm and through which the business entity will be able in developing further strategies and plans. For instance, huge diversity has been observed in the workforce of Puma and that can be considered a strength of the firm. After analyzing the real value of the human resource the entity can plan training and development sessions for the employees. This will enable the business entity in bringing hike and advancement in the efficiency and that will lead to higher productivity. Another biggest advantage of this approach is that the business entity will be getting aware of the available resources and capabilities of the firm and that will aid them in developing future plans accordingly. And through this, the business organization will be able to allocate the resources that are in surplus in other directions and manage the deficit. And this will allow Puma in managing a smooth and flawless set of business practices and operations. Due to which the business firm will experience an increase in the effectiveness of the delivery of services and through which they will have a pool of satisfied customers. That will ensure a high goodwill and widening of market share. Moreover, the available resources and capabilities that are in surplus can be utilized appropriately for aiding the workforce and their wellbeing (Baum, Frese Baron, 2014). Through this step, the employees will feel valued and motivated and an enhancement in their productivity and efficiency will be observed. Apart from this, one of the biggest advantages of adopting this approach is that it enables the business firm in attaining a sustainable po sition of competitive advantage. The business corporation can make use of resources and capabilities in the process of development of strategies and plans for tackling with the competitors. Building a distinct image in the market is also possible if the business entity is appropriately making use of the mentioned mechanism. Increase in the customer base, brand loyalty and enhanced market share are the common benefits that will be attained by the adoption of the VRIO analysis (Thebusinesszoom 2015). Apart from the number of advantages, there are some disadvantages of this approach such as if the business entity is failing in managing and maintaining the resources and capabilities in an appropriate manner then the entity will be exposed to fierce competition (Bhachu, 2017). The report has been made focused on the VRIO analysis of Puma so as to analyze and evaluate the resources and capabilities of the business entity. The report further contains a comparison between Puma and Adidas that is one of the biggest rivals of the business firms. The report has been segmented into various divisions and from which the first part comprised of the VRIO framework of Puma. VRIO framework A framework is an empirical approach for analyzing the internal environment of a business corporation. This approach evaluates various characters such as Valuable, Rare, Inimitable and Organization of the resources and capabilities of the business firm. The below presented is the framework of Puma: Human Resources Valuable Rare Inimitable Organization Competitive Advantage Professionals and experts. Technical and managerial staff) Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable advantage Marketing and Advertising experts Yes No Yes Yes Temporary Diversity and huge pool of skilled labor Yes Yes Yes Yes Consistency Non-material Resources Valuable Rare Inimitable Organization Competitive advantage Operations and procedures Patents and copyrights Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Temporary Sustainable Personal Capital Valuable Rare Inimitable Organization Competitive advantage International Occurrence Strong Industrial presence Brand equity Huge pool of Customers Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Temporary Temporary Sustainable Sustainable Capabilities Valuable Rare Inimitable Organization Competitive Advantage Economic capabilities Research and development and training centers Capability of adopting new projects Global expansion model Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable advantage Uniformity Temporary Temporary The below is the description of the VRIO framework for Puma: Valuable: On the basis of the above-demonstrated table it has been analyzed the resources and capabilities of the business corporation are said to be valuable if they are aiding and assisting the business enterprise in earning value and attaining competitive advantage. In the present scenario, Puma is having a pool of valuable resources and capabilities that are aiding the business corporation in accomplishing a secured and sustainable position in the market and a competitive advantage in the concerned sector. Rare: This factor determines that how rare and limited the resources and capabilities of a business firm are. After analyzing the resources and capabilities of Puma it has been evaluated that almost all the available resources with the business firm are rare and limited and that is aiding the business entity in sustaining competitive advantage (Bruni, Gherardi Poggio, 2014). The diversified range of products with specialized features has been considered as one of the biggest factors that the entity is having over its competitors. Imitability: On the basis of the above-presented framework it has been analyzed that the resources and capabilities of the business firm are having some distinct features and also the business entity have patents and copyrights over the resources and capabilities (Deakins Freel, 2009). This prevents the competing brands in imitating the products and services of Puma. The competing brands have to hire the required resources and capabilities from the firm. All this make the business firm to attain a sustainable position and competitive advantage in the market. Organization: This component describes whether the corporation and its resources are organized and maintained in an effective manner (Dorn Suessmair, 2017). After analyzing the above-demonstrated framework it has been clearly observed that the resources and capabilities of the business enterprise are well-organized and that is aiding the firm in enjoying a large market share and a competitive advantage over its competing brands. VRIO analysis of Puma and Nike Resources and capabilities have been considered as one of the biggest factors that aids and assists the business entity in performing and executing the varied range of operations and functionalities. Moreover, the business corporation should utilize various mechanisms for stimulating the resources and capabilities of the enterprise (Hail, Leuz Wysocki, 2010). VRIO analysis is the recommended approach that can be adopted by Puma for the process of manipulation. This approach will be proven very much beneficial for the business entity while analyzing the internal sources and capabilities of the enterprise. According to the conducted research, it has been noted down that Jay B Barney introduced the framework of VRIO in 1991 (free-management-ebooks 2018). This tool was introduced in his work Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. The following are some of the resources and capabilities that can be analyzed and evaluated by Puma such as financial, human, material and non-mat erial resources by making use of VRIO analysis. The below presented is the comparison of the resources and capabilities of Puma and Nike: Valuable: Resources and capabilities minimize the impacts of threats and moreover, the stakeholders determine whether or not the resources are beneficial to the company or not. The resources are proven very much beneficial for the business in various areas, internally and externally and thus will assist in the firms development process (Lam Harker, 2015). According to the present scenario, Puma has a huge pool of valuable resources such as diversity in the workforce and wide range of products. These are considered as the most valuable resources of the entity. Nike is one of the top competing brands of Puma and is having a financial stability and growth. And hence it has been observed that the resources and capabilities of the business firm are aiding the business fir in attaining competitive advantage. Rare: The business resources and capabilities possessed by the business firm are required to be rare and limited (Lee, Barker Mouasher, 2013). This is also considered as one of an empirical factor for gaining a position of competitive advantage in the market. On the basis of the executed research, it has been analyzed that Puma has wide range of resources and capabilities that are rare in the market. For instance, the entity can capture multiple scenarios specified in UML into a single performance model and also can deal with multiple workloads. This one of the rare capabilities of the business firm, that is aiding in attaining competitive advantage. Whereas, in case of Nike approximately 100% of its production is outsourced to Asia and due to which the entity is enjoying a strong competitive advantage (sites.google 2018). Imitability: According to this factor the business entity is required to have resources and capabilities that are hard to imitate or developing alternatives for them will be tough (Nunan Di Domenico, 2013). For instance, Puma is having resources through which the entity is able to develop and design eco-friendly products. The capability of developing these products is difficult to imitate and many problems are faced by the competing brands. Whereas, Nike is supporting the wide variety of sports and number of charity events such as Live strong a foundation that is financially supported by the business corporation for Curing Cancer. This marketing strategy of the business corporation is unique and is un-imitable (Scarborough, 2015). This capability of the enterprise has also been considered as one of the core competency of the firm that aids in enjoying the competitive advantage. Organization: On the basis of the research it has been inferred that the organization and the available resources and capabilities are required to maintain effectively and equally so as to attain desired outcomes such as competitive advantage. If the business corporation is capable of managing the available resources and capabilities then it leads the firm to enjoy the number of benefits on different grounds (Pardalos and Tsitsiringos, 2013). According to the research, it has been concluded that Puma is a multinational corporation and is very much capable of managing the resources and capabilities in a well-organized manner. And this is one of the biggest reason due to which the business firm is enjoying a competitive advantage in the markets all over the globe. And after analyzing all the resources and capabilities of Nike it has been concluded that the business entity has passed in managing the organization and available resources and capabilities with the enterprise. And due to wh ich the organization is experiencing a safe and sustained position and competitive advantage in the market (Renton et al., 2015). Conclusion After summing up the above-presented report it has been analyzed that attainment of competitive advantage and a sustainable position in the market region is one of biggest essentials for any of the business organization in the path of success and growth. VRIO analysis is one of the approaches that can be adopted by the business corporation for analyzing and evaluating the resources and capabilities and thus can earn the competitive advantage over the rival brands. In the present scenario, Puma is the business firm for which this analysis has been presented in various segments. The report comprises of the various aspects of VRIO analysis such as the significance of the approach, a framework has been demonstrated that is describing the approach in a tabular format. The report further comprises of the comparison of the resources and capabilities of Puma and Nike. Nike is one of the biggest competing brands of Puma and the above report consists of a clear comparison of VRIO analysis for both the business entities. References Armelini, G. Villanueva, J., (2011). Adding social media to the marketing mix,IESE insight,vol. 9, pp.29-36. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., (2015).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Baker, M.J., (2014).Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan. Baum, J.R., Frese, M. and Baron, R.A. eds., (2014). The psychology of entrepreneurship. Psychology Press. Bhachu, P. ed., (2017). Immigration and entrepreneurship: culture, capital, and ethnic networks. Routledge. Bruni, A., Gherardi, S. Poggio, B., (2014). Gender and entrepreneurship: An ethnographic approach. Routledge. Deakins, D. Freel, M.S., (2009).Entrepreneurship and small firms. McGraw-Hill College Dorn, T. Suessmair, A., (2017). Determinants in Pay-What-You-Want Pricing DecisionsA Cross-Country Study.American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,Vol. 7, pp.115. Economywatch, (2010). Global business strategy, Assessed on 18th February 2018, https://www.economywatch.com/business/global-business-strategy.html. free-management-ebooks, (2018). Competitive advantage, Assessed on 18th February 2018, https://www.free-management-ebooks.com/news/vrio-analysis. Hail, L., Leuz, C. Wysocki, P., (2010), Global accounting convergence and the potential adoption of IFRS by the US (Part II): Political factors and future scenarios for US accounting standards,Accounting Horizons,vol. 24, pp.567-588. Lam, W. Harker, M.J., (2015). Marketing and entrepreneurship: An integrated view from the entrepreneurs perspective.International Small Business Journal,Vol. 33, pp.321-348. Lee, K.H., Barker, M. Mouasher, A., (2013). Is it even espoused? An exploratory study of commitment to sustainability as evidenced in vision, mission, and graduate attribute statements in Australian universities.Journal of Cleaner Production,Vol. 48, pp.20-28. Nunan, D. Di Domenico, M., (2013), Market research the ethics of big data,International Journal of Market Research,vol. 55, pp.505-520. Pardalos, P.M. Tsitsiringos, V. eds., (2013).Financial engineering, E-commerce and supply chain. Springer Science Business Media. Renton, M., Daellenbach, U., Davenport, S. Richard, J., (2015). Small but sophisticated: entrepreneurial marketing and SME approaches to brand management.Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship,Vol. 17, pp.149-164. Scarborough, N.M., (2015).Entrepreneurship and effective small business management. Pearson Higher Ed. sites.google, (2018). Resources and capabilities, Assessed on 18th February 2018, / https://sites.google.com/site/nikeandunderarmour/about-us. Thebusinesszoom, (2015). Resource based view (RBV VRIO model Jay Barney), Assessed on 18th February 2018, https://www.thebusinesszoom.com/resource-based-view-rbvvrio-model.html.

10 Ways to Sabotage Your Italian Progress

10 Ways to Sabotage Your Italian Progress There are ways to speak Italian quickly, and there are tips and tricks they dont teach in Italian language school. Conversely, there are methods and approaches that will slow down your progress and only prove frustrating and demotivating. You might have the best intentions, but here are ten sure-fire ways how not to learn Italian (or any foreign language, for that matter). 1. Think in English Perform the mental gymnastics that requires a lot of time and effort when conversing in Italian: think in English, then translate into Italian, then retranslate into English after hearing the speakers response. Now watch the listeners eyes glaze over as your brain painstakingly hashes out this unnecessarily complex process. At this rate, youll never learn Italian- unless you forget your native tongue. Think like an Italian if you want to speak like an Italian. 2. Cram Stay up late, drink plenty of espressos, and try to learn a semesters worth in one night. It worked in college, so it should work with a foreign language, right? Well, you cannot get into shape in just a few days at the gym, and you cannot learn Italian by studying just before a test. It takes repeated effort, over an extended period of time, to get results. Rome wasnt built in a day, and no one can become proficient in the Italian present subjunctive tense in an evening. 3. Get the Dubbed Version The Italian movie that was critically acclaimed and that everyones raving about? Its now available on DVD, in English no less. So sit back, microwave some popcorn, and watch the actors lips flap out of synch for two hours. Worse, miss the various nuances of the Italian language during conversations as well as the original voices. (In fact, many viewers believe that English-dubbed films bastardize the original.) Yes, its difficult to listen to a foreign movie in the original version, but no one ever said learning Italian was going to be easy. If the movie is that good, watch it twice- first in Italian, and then with subtitles. It will improve your comprehension, and more than likely the original dialogue will have shades of meaning that could never be conveyed by translation. 4. Avoid Native Italian Speakers Stick with English speakers when studying Italian, because after all, you can communicate with them at will without having to exert any extra effort to making yourself understood. You might not ever learn any of the nuances of Italian grammar, but then, at least you wont embarrass yourself. 5. Stick to Only One Method Theres only one way to learn Italian- your way! Cyclists in the Giro dItalia have bulging quadriceps and huge calf muscles, but their upper body is underdeveloped. Use the same muscles and youll get the same results. Youll never build up the proper lingual techniques required to sound like a native Italian (or at least close to it) if you dont cross-train. Avoid the linguistic equivalent (memorizing the lines in every Fellini movie, or knowing every verb thats related to cooking) and try a balanced approach, whether its reading an Italian textbook, completing workbook exercises, listening to a tape or CD, or conversing with a native Italian speaker. 6. Speak as if Youre Speaking English The Italian alphabet resembles the Latin alphabet used in English. So who needs to roll their rs? Why is it important to know the difference between open and closed es? Although certain Italian dialects might have pronunciation idiosyncrasies relative to standard Italian, that doesnt mean non-native speakers get to make up new rules regarding pronunciation. Get yourself to the linguistic gym and give that tongue a workout! 7. Attend a Learn Italian in 48 Hours Class Granted, there are benefits to learning Italian survival phrases when traveling to Italy, but your short term memory will fail you within days. And then what?! Instead, adopt a more deliberate approach, and learn the basics of the Italian language before traveling to Italy with an Italian for travelers e-mail course over several weeks time. Think of it as preparation for what a vacation in Italy should be: leisurely, with plenty of time for watching the world go by. 8. Dont Listen to Italian Radio or TV Since you cant understand the conversation anyway, dont bother tuning in (via cable or Internet) to Italian radio or TV broadcasts. The announcers speak too quickly, and without any context, your comprehension will approach zero. On the other hand, you might not be able to play a musical instrument, yet regardless if its classical, rap, hip-hop, or metal, you can easily pick up the rhythm, cadences, and tempo of any song. Keep that in mind, and it may be easier to incorporate the distinct intonation of Italian when speaking the language even if you dont understand the words themselves (many opera singers have near-perfect diction when performing Italian works, yet have only a rudimentary understanding of the language). 9. Remain Silently Foolish As the adage goes, It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. So sit there and say nothing in Italian, because otherwise, it will become evident rather quickly if you are unable to distinguish among false cognates in Italian. 10. Travel to Italy Only if Necessary Given the logistics of air travel nowadays, who in their right mind would want to travel to the country of the target language? Theres schlepping luggage everywhere, interminable waits in the airport and on the security line, and leg room sufficient only for children. Then, three times a day at meals, there will be a struggle trying to read menus and ordering food. Imagine, too, if you have certain food allergies or are a vegetarian and have to explain that to the cameriere (waiter)! In fact, if you make the effort, youll discover that traveling to Italy is the best way to learn Italian. While there will be challenges, being immersed in the language is guaranteed to improve your Italian language skills quicker than any other method. Consider it a linguistic adventure, and start planning your itinerary now.

Women and Economics essays

Women and Economics essays Many both in the past and the present have challenged the treatment of women by society over the past century or so. In Western culture, the placement of women on a lower level than men has been around for as long as can be remembered. Never has the woman been thought of as the breadwinner of the family. It took the determination of women in the past just to get women into the workplace. Still today, women earn less money and hold less substantial job titles. But because of these women from the past, society has taken a different view. Women such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman have paved the way for women in economics. Her revolutionary view of women in and out of the household is unprecedented. Though written almost a hundred years ago, the same cruelties and injustices Gilman described and attacked in Women and Economics are still very much alive today. The beliefs she put forth in her book are the basis for the amount of independence women have experienced in the present. In Women and Economics, Gilman began with the premise that women are owned by men. Women could not choose to work out of the house they were forced to stay with the children. The man of the house would be at work bringing in the money while the woman would stay at home to care for the children and to do things such as housework and cooking. A woman could not choose otherwise because the man supported her. In this way, the woman was owned by the man. Arguing from the point of evolutionary science, Gilman illustrated how humans "are the only animal species in which the female depends upon the male for food, the only animal in which the sex-relation is also an economic relation." Here she examined the "cultures" of other animals. She understood that women are the only species that depends on the male for food. All others partake in food gathering equally. The female is not dependent upon the male unlike ...

Classical and instrumental conditioning in Planaria & Lumbriculus Essay

Classical and instrumental conditioning in Planaria & Lumbriculus - Essay Example , processes for developing classical and instrumental conditioning training techniques in planaria and California Black Worms are examined in order to study the memory mechanism in the organism. The findings often show that the species D. dorotocephala are the optimal matter for the method. The results also tell that planaria California Black Worms are capable of learning by the use of the classical and instrumental conditioning techniques. The results of the studies show that organisms are derived from the anterior and posterior areas or a trained organism is retained the similar amount of memory. It is important for the reason that it supported the hypothesis that memory is non-neuronal. By using classical and instrumental conditioning techniques it is observed that orientation is concerned with the learning process and planaria and California Black Worms express additional learning when facing the cathode. Surgical treatments and cellular examinations are the process which has discovered ideas underlying regeneration in planarians and the process of regeneration in planarians has the method of the generation of new tissue at the site of injury through blastema formation. The remodeling of pre-existing tissues to re-establish morphallaxis and similarity of tissues is also part of the process. Classical conditioning in Planaria and Lumbriculus happens when worms discover to connect a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that has essential meaning based on how directly in time the two stimuli are shown. A very right of classic conditioning is a dogs capability to connect the sound of a bell. On the other hand instrumental conditioning takes place when worms discover to give particular performance in order to gain an essentially rewarding stimulus. Instrumental conditioning has happened when a trained dolphin jumps out of the water in order to catch a fish. In this lab report consisting two experiments we see California Black Worms (Lumbriculus) as an water annelid

MPAA Censorship Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MPAA Censorship - Research Paper Example MPAA is alternate to federal regulation of motion picture content by United States government. This is because America lagged behind other countries in implementing motion picture rating. After the desertion of Production Codes in the 1950s, (Acland, 2009) movies became explicit all in the name of expressing realism. The realism movement had its significant contribution to the film industry and disadvantages. Realism movement boasts of production of great and timeless movies like Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock. However, it also gave arise to low-budget films that became extremely graphic in their sexual and violence content. The brutal and vicious content of movies such as Straw Dogs directed by Sam Peckinpah startled and troubled most conservative Americans. Moreover, a sequence of movies released later buried the realism movement to its grave by their obscene content. Due to this, a form of regulation had to be established, resulting to the birth of Motion Picture Association of America. In addition, National Association of Theater Owners consented to implement uniform rating system to all the movies shown. The distributors and exhibitors would enforce the system (Sklar, 2009). . The MPAA rates movies according to their content. It assists consumers especially parents to select appropriate movies for their children in different age groups. MPAA works in association with major movie production studios in America like, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studio and many others. The core functions of this rating system body includes, control and of distribution of movies, fighting unlawful copying of films and managing film ratings (Balio, 2000). Submission of movies for rating should be voluntary. Despite this, some producers prefer not to submit their films for rating to avoid incurring losses. To reinforce the submission on movies MPAA has a de facto obligatory position in the film industry. Since independent films do not focus on entertainmen t but rather on the artistic and aesthetic values of a film, they do not submit their films to the rating system. Independent filmmakers argue that their films require no distribution since they already have an existing consumer base. Hence, submission of their films to the rating system incurs unnecessary expenditure. When it comes to the rating process, MPAA does not have publication of a standard requirement of words, actions, or exposed body parts that filmmakers should incorporate in their films to get PG-13 rating (Balio, 2000). If a film contains use of drugs and callous sexually derived words, it gets a PG-13 rating. However, if the film uses such words a couple of times it gets an R rating. After rating, a film, the members submit their verdict to the producer of the film. The producer has the will to re-edit the film or appeal to the Appeals Board of the rating system if the results are not satisfactory. To avoid wrangles during the rating process movie publishers state th e desired MPAA rating with the movie producer. Some of the main rating categories MPAA uses to rate movie include- G— a film to that gets a G-rating should have mild humor. It should not have any form of crude language. There should be no nudity or sex scenes. Drug use and violence should not be present in the motion picture. PG—

How persuasive are the design arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How persuasive are the design arguments - Essay Example People always wanted to know much about the origin of humanity. This issue has always been mysterious for us and it really seems that nature that allowed us to touch upon its secrets, would like to hide the truth from humans. However, there are people, who dared to try to find out the truth. They are famous philosophers, who played an important role in the life of all of us. The philosophers devoted their lives to science in order to create the arguments, which attempt to explain the origin of humanity. The argument from design was widely discussed and serves as a foundation of the modern science. The given paper will make an overview of the arguments and come to corresponding conclusion. William Paley in his book Natural Theology (1802) paralleled between the living things intricacy and subordinate intricacy of a surveillance that was created by an intelligent creature, as it was known. This version is considered to be classic. Taking into account the reasoning from design, or teleological argument, the design that was discovered in the universe gave reason to talk about subsistence of the intelligent creator that is usually depicted as God. Paley underlined in his works that a watch could not become possible without the creator of this watch, thus it became clear that living creatures had no opportunity to exist without an intelligent creator. There is a version that living things are the offspring of intelligent design. It could be concluded that watches refer to the intelligent design, thus living creatures have similarity with them. The living things are â€Å"equipped† with the eyes, the main tools of gathering the information. Paley states: â€Å"[S]upp ose I found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place, I should hardly think †¦ that, for anything I knew, the watch might have always been there. Yet why should not this answer serve for the watch as well as for [a] stone [that happened to be lying on the ground† (Paley, 1809. p.1). The idea of Paley is based generally on biological aspect and its intricacy. This version was seriously considered, when Mr. Darwin presented his famous evolution theory based on the natural selection in 1859. Darwin in this way explained how livings creatures, which are intelligent, could adapt in a perfect way to their environment, even if they were not so intelligent. By this statement Darwin doubted the Paley’s idea about the biological base of argument to design to a considerable degree. The 20th century gave birth to another argument that was connected to the cosmology. This argument is also called fine-tuning argument. It state s that it is possible to explain the life on the planet by the different independent natural processes, but the fact that the universe gave chance for the life existing on the privilege position, confirmed the presence of the intelligent creator. For example, you should understand that for life as it exists now at the earth many incipient conditions and values as well as physical constants are necessary. If these conditions do not operate in appropriate way or make some tiny error, life will be just impossible in our universe. This statement represents the additional proof of theory of the existence of some intelligent creature that made all conditions, values and constants work on life creation. Hurben and Drange claimed that the denomination of the different physical constants could be combined only with the possible found denomination. In this argument to design other possible combinations could not exist. In this case Carrier and Drange also claimed that such characteristic as f ine-tuning could be concerned as illusion, in the light of what was stated above. In the book called Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume you can find critics to this theory. Norman Smith underlined that Hume’s criticism was not only pernicious but also complete. This point of

Strategic Management At UNIQLO

Strategic Management At UNIQLO Today, UNIQLO is described as the apparel giant Gap, Inc.s counterpart based on the 4, 000% share price increase, making UNIQLO as Japans third largest clothing retailer. However, it is not always victory for UNIQLO; the subsidiary also has its own share of downturns especially on its international expansion. For instance, expansion programmes in the United Kingdom (UK) saw a tumultuous stumble in profits, forcing Fast Retailing to shut down 16 of the 21 UNIQLO stores opened, because of competition. Most recently, three UNIQLO stores in New Jersey were also closed because of economic slumps. Despite these facts, UNIQLO maintains the spirit and still believed that the brand has only but way forward. How UNIQLO will going to do such is central to this paper, focusing on the companys strategic management. External, industry and competitor analysis as well as the internal environment will be addressed. Political factors have direct impact on business conducts and operations. Decisions made by the affects the decision-making of retailers and could come in the form of policy or legislation. In Hong Kong, the one country, two systems is the prevalent governance philosophy which endows the special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy and its capitalist economic system. Within a capitalistic and free market-oriented economy, retail companies make the majority of microeconomic decisions but they have to conform to specific agreements. Mainland and HK Closer Partnership Economic Arrangement (CEPA) and the US-China Textile Memorandum of Understanding are two examples of this. The former provides UNIQLO with a tariff-free treatment, stating that products which have no existing CEPA rules of origin will enjoy tariff-free treatment upon applications by local manufacturers. The latter could provide UNIQLO with an opportunity for an annual growth of 8-17% in 21 categories of Chi nese textiles and clothing exports to the US. Labor and customary regulations as well as code of conducts are also complied into including China Social Compliance 9000 and US and EU quotas (RSCA 2006; Doshi 2006). Economic Analysis Domestically and globally, businesses are also being affected by economic factors whereby a strong economy indicates positive results and weak economy signifies the opposite, affecting both businesses and consumers. Hong Kongs gross domestic product is estimated at US$206.7bn with the service sector that contributes 90% of the total GDP. The region is also named as the worlds eleventh largest trading entity. Almost 50% of the total population is employed full-time and the unemployment rate has a continuous average decline by 4.1%, making disposition of income a possibility, a lower cost of living that is (Monthly Digest 2008). Spending is generally devoted for food, housing, healthcare, transportation, amusement, services and apparel. People nowadays are very particular with investing in quality clothing thereby resume spending with premium apparel finds (Doshi 2006). Realising this, the price and quality characteristics of UNIQLO has a strategic fit; UNIQLO makes people look fashion able and confident in world-class clothes at a reasonable price through the company-wide integration of the Specialty Store Retailer of Private Label Apparel (SPA) model, a low-cost but effective operation model. Social Analysis Demography or the population characteristics may determine buying patterns and that understanding demographic changes within a particular region or place facilitates determining whether products and services would appeal to customers as well as the number of potential customers (Barney and Hesterly 2006, p. 35). Hong Kong has a total of 6, 985, 300 population based on 2008 estimate and is continuously growing due to immigrant influx from Mainland. According to Doshi, people in HK and elsewhere have a growing interest in private labels. Consumers aspired for having private levels on everyday garments. Casual wear from HK which is known for good design and quality has a positive image on global consumers. Nevertheless, international brands are concentrated in high-end consumers while domestic brands are for low-end consumers (Doshi, 2006). In taking advantage of the wealth of the demography, UNIQLO makes effort on providing high-quality merchandise and generating values to the society by taxes. Further, UNIQLO is a company that is committed in creating positive reputation as manifested in its vision and mission, styles of management, ways of doing business and requirements to employees. Technological Analysis Technological innovations are a priority for the apparel retailing industry but it will remain as labor intensive as it is today. Boosting the industrys productivity, increased in automation has been the recent trend but it is limited on specific functions, to which mostly require human intervention such as sewing and making patterns. Although there are computerised sewing machines that increase the productivity and reduce training time. Further, the uses of computer system software intended for the industry will be on making rough sketches, printing detailed designs and storing of information for easy retrieval. The customer orientation of UNIQLO was basically construed from its website in which customers can give feedbacks by email and discussion board. Hong Productivity Council made a report disclosing that the apparel industry could make sense of information technology (IT) if utilise for order processing, costing analysis, order tracking, material management, reporting and conne ctivity (2004). Industry Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis A) Threat of Entry Barney and Hesterly (2006, p. 43) point out that new entrants are the firms which have either recently begun operations or those that threaten to begin operations within an industry soon. Notably, the apparel industry is a buyer-driven industry where producers are considering buyers decision-making especially when brand names enter the picture. These buyer-centric industries have low barriers to entry mainly because of intense competition. Utilising brands as a market power source; however, this is a challenge for every clothing company. In the clothing business, mass customisation has seen to be the most effective strategy. Putting strategises into action remains to be in resilience today (Culpan 2002). Therefore, the focus must be on minimising the costs without sacrificing quality and to do this, managerial know how is a must in order to understand interactions with suppliers and consumers, to facilitate creativity and innovation and to maintain mobility in adapting to new market demands (Kincade, Regan and Gibson 2007). Building brand awareness and consumer loyalty is a costly endeavor since it involves advertising needed not only to promote the brand but also on sustaining awareness and loyalty. Strengthening brand names also requires that there are quick response programs to increase revenues and manage risks. One of UNIQLOs major resources is its brand name, which is now synonymous with comfortable, high quality and cheap clothing merchandises. Although brand awareness outside the home country is a challenge, it is of intangible value to UNIQLO as a business asset. Brands are valuable and rare and reputable brands are acquired through the impressions one has of the company, and its products or services. Since a brand name is built overtime it becomes costly to imitate thereby providing a sustainable competitive advantage in the apparel industry (Groucutt, Lydley and Forsyth 2004, p. 285). B) Threat of Rivalry Either in home or host countries, apparels, accessories and merchandise will always have a competitor which usually fluctuates in size. The modern market trends for the apparel industry are globalisation and intensified competition, increasing price and lower profit margin pressures, small quantity with high complexity orders, shorter lead times, multiple location operation, changing customer requirements and liberalisation on textile and clothing quota that creates new market dynamics. Being responsive to these market trends shifts the focus of the apparel industry for more extensive product development and improvements at the least possible cost. Such condition forces companies to divert on product differentiation because of high switching cost. In an industry where products are deemed to be equal, the key sources of differentiation are brand image, reputation and prior existence (Byoungho 2004b). For UNIQLO, the products themselves are an important source of competitive edge. UNIQ LO strives at developing products of high quality, in various collections to enable the company to reach the highest possible number of customers. As such, the rivals would be endangered when it comes to introducing innovative products. UNIQLO is positioned in the fashion capitals of the world for the purpose of taking advantage of the new information about fashion trends. UNIQLOs ability to quickly adapt to trends and new markets has helped them develop product differentiation, something that is key to the companys success in the apparel industry. According to Tokle (1990), product differentiation is what separates the top competitors from the rest, but it something that is not costly to imitate. This is why their product differentiation is only a temporary competitive advantage. Competitive advantage could be achieved once the organisation learns to manage its capabilities that the end consumers could appreciate and competitors would find difficulties imitating (Porter 1985; Roney 2004). C) Threat of Substitutes Casual wear is very particular with loose-fit, comfortable and relaxed fit. Athletic or active wear was perceived to be the closest substitute to casual wear as manifested by the booming athletic wear industry. Typically worn as casual fashion clothing, active attires could provide deterrence in the industry. Moreover, the blurring demarcation on the casual clothing family could be also seen as an opportunity for substitutes. Specialised stores offer semi-casual, smart casual and business casual lines. Semi-casual clothes are less presentational than informal but are not as loose as casual dresses. Smart casual purports conservative looks but with harmony on colors, fabrics, shoes and accessories. Business casual, on the other hand, varies in definition but the common element is the collar. Realising this, the bottomline now is the price. Moreover, based on the SPA business model, all the necessary functions at UNIQLO falls under a single umbrella especially the inbound logistics and the production. UNIQLO is an example of a cut-make-trim company in which in which the company purchase the fabric and retain ownership of the raw materials and work-in-process, and so making it hard for rivals to imitate or produce substitutes for UNQILO brands. D) Threat of Suppliers The prices and availability of commonly used fabrics such as cotton, blends, synthetics and wools might fluctuate significantly due to its dependence on demand, crop yields, weather, supply conditions, transportation costs, government regulations and economic condition among others (Byoungho 2004a). Quota is the major factor that affects the demand and supply of textile and fabrics. Even though the sale of raw materials is standardised, independent contractors, raw material suppliers, importers and apparel manufacturing firms could not isolate themselves from such scenario because of the prospective unsteadiness in the supply chain (Chetty 1999). As well, because of forward vertical integration, coupled with the low barrier to entry, suppliers could easily become rivals. In becoming threat of entry, suppliers could be also become a competitor to already established apparel manufacturers. In addition, contractors is also one of the threats when the demand of the labor increases, it wi ll cause labor costs price inflation. Laszlo (2008) stress that there are five main parts of the apparel value chain including raw material supply, provision of components; production networks; export channels and marketing networks at the retail level. Through the process, UNIQLO has an ownership on production and thereby a complete control on the supplies procurement. UNIQLO insources its production and handles the majority of the operational details. Sourcing is a go-to in the apparel industry but it is not rare although it can add value to UNIQLO. E) Threat of Buyers Reaching more and diverse consuming group, the apparel industry is both a stable and unstable industry. Stable because quality price and quality products are the main element and unstable because there are many factors that affect both price and quality. In the point of consumption, for instance, there are middle men such as the retail stores that offer an array of brands. In purchasing manufactured apparel, retail stores could have influence on making significant requirements and demands on their purchase, affecting prices. Though quality is inherent, prices would not be reasonable at all, and alternative clothing is readily available. This explains why apparel manufacturing companies are setting up their own stand along stores which will cater to their own produce. Important is that apparel stores must not fall dependent on s specific class of customer. Buyers are increasingly appearing to prefer above standard apparel with a much lower cost, making apparel less differentiated. Whe n selling directly to consumers, buyers would incur a significant portion of their dispensable cash. Same goes with retail store, they purchase apparel at the least possible final cost, but adds up to prices of apparel. UNIQLO is involve in selling to the customers through specialty store marketing, with a minimalist strategy of pile em high, sell em cheap concept that is. In addition, the unbranded fashion or the no-logo concept was perceived to be the main reasons for peoples warm attention (Williamson 2007; Parrish, Cassill and Oxenham 2006). Competitor Analysis Local Competitors 1) Bossini There are three competitors for UNIQLO: Bossini, Giordano and Muji. Bossini International Holdings Limited is an apparel brand owner, retailer and franchiser nestled in Hong Kong. From its onset in 1987, Bossini continued to grow both domestically and internationally. Today, the global distribution network is comprised of 551 directly managed and franchised outlets in Mainland, 322 export franchised outlets, 178 directly managed outlets in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia and 1, 051 outlets in 20 countries. Taking pride on its Bossini brand that is comfortable, easy to mix-and-match, colorful and energetic like the Family-Fit brand, Bossini was able to cater to various consumer requirements in a value for money fashion (Bossini Annual Report 2006/2007). The strength of the brand and the people was drawn from the seven practices: face reality, keep it simple, act with the speed of light, set stretch goals, drive quality, create and sustain a learning organisation and keep the A, nurture the B and discard the C. Through this set of practices, Bossini puts emphasis on quality, efficiency and profitability as a source of competitive edge. The company is also continuously building brand awareness by means of innovative cross-regional marketing activities. In enhancing its supply chain, Bossini shorten the product cycle from design to store and will continue to build string ties with them in a proactive manner. Building up an IT system is a strategy meant to drive future growth and profitability. Though the company deals with closure of unsuccessful outlets whenever necessary to divert their attention to areas which needs a closer concentration and with participating in broad campaigns and dual-branding to promote the products and to expa nd market reach, Bossini is more focused on its four core markets. 2) Giordano Established in 1981, Giordano is one among the popular and established casual apparel retailer in Asia Pacific Region which employs about 11, 000 staff with over 1, 895 shops operating in 30 territories worldwide. From its restructuring from 1986, the company prepared for international expansion, which was made possible by the initial success in Hong Kong, Mainland and neighboring countries such as Taiwan and Singapore. Known as the most successful homegrown retail stores, Giordano is a pioneering company that participated in drafting of code of practice in the retailing scene and introduced innovations such as the total shopping experience where customers are greeted individually in the doorstops and bade goodbye unto when leaving the store. Envisioning itself in making people feel good while looking great, the companys main strategy is its For the People philosophy wherein quality, knowledge, innovation, service and simplicity are at the core. As an apparel of choice, Giordano is also committed in providing simplicity of design, quality workmanship, attentive customer service and value-for-money, allowing the company to strongly build its own loyal following (Giordano 2008). Though the four brands Giordano Ladies, Giordano Concepts, Giordano and Giordano Junior are constantly profitable, the weakness is that Giordano has a limited range of products and that consumers may grew tired of the existing concepts. 3) Muji Ryohin Keikaku, better known as Muji, is an outgrowth from The Seiyu, Ltd. In becoming a separate brand, Muji develops range of apparel, household goods and food that takes pride on being functional, simple and of high quality. Literally means no brand, the over 700 Muji products observes the philosophy of simplicity. Primarily purporting an individualistic and diversified lifestyle, Muji follows three processes that is said to be the reason for proving good quality products at lower prices. These are selection of materials, streamlining processes and simplification of packaging. The companys emphasis on preventing materials wastage and improvement of essential product quality as well as time and labor optimisation are the key in achieving operational effectiveness and efficiency. The selection of materials is a very important stage for Muji where suitable raw materials are the main concern. Bulk buying is a strategy wherein quality is the indispensable criterion, underpinning the possibility of producing high quality, low prices products. Thereby, the weakness is on changes in demand and supply of raw materials. Standards at manufacturing stages are also under close scrutiny in order to eliminate waste and reduce cost. When it comes to packaging, Muji sticks to the simplicity philosophy, bearing only product related information and the price tag (Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.). International Competitors 4) Gap Gap, Inc. and United Colors of Benetton are the two international competitors for UNIQLO. Gap, Inc. has been officially incorporated in 1988 as a global specialty and outlet store which offers casual apparel, accessories and personal care products. Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime are the four primary brands. As a way of building the value of the brands, Gap is very fastidious with brand development, ensuring that value will be integrated from product design to distribution onto marketing, merchandising and shopping environments. The strong point of Gap is its continuous commitment in enhancing the brand; in fact, Gap has an intensive portfolio of brands covering classically styled, high quality, casual apparel at moderate prices for virtually all ages. However, the weakness is on inventory turnover. Emphasising style, quality and good value, Gap embraces a shopper friendly environment where store facades vary depending on selling season, size and location of the store. J ust like UNIQLO, Gap is never threatened of closing under-performing stores and expanding and remodeling existing stores (Gap Annual Report 2006). 5) Benetton A global clothing brand which is based in Treviso, Italy, the name Benetton originated from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Now in existence in over 120 countries, Benetton started with only 5 stores in 1979 which were bounded to reach 800 stores today. The 5, 500 network of contemporary stores worldwide are the reason for generating a total turnover of 2 billion euro. Fashion apparel is the core business wherein quality, style and passion through the brands such as United Color of Benetton, Sisley, Playlife and Killer Loop are the main concerns. Mixing energy, colors and practicality, Benetton offers a portfolio of products for men, women and kids. The strength is in its innovation and IT integration in producing 160 million garments annually. At Benetton, superior product quality is achieved through committing every stage of the production process with innovation and creativity. The weakness is on the tendency for incoherent diversification (Benetton website 20 08). Common to all the competitors of UNIQLO, either domestic or international, is the international expansion strategy known as the judo strategy or the conscious decision to move rapidly into new markets where there is uncontested ground.(Hilburt-Davis 2002), and providing the best value of money based on distinct brands. Product differentiation, low cost production and gateway market penetration like UK and the Mainland are other strategies that these competitors pursue, in the same way like UNQILO is doing. It is important that brands must conform to the needs of the customers of varying age structures and preferences and producing brands where value was mounted from the very first step. Quality and customer service are the main concerns, followed by style or design and functionality. Brand development and building brand awareness as well as the overall look of the establishment are also the priorities. Common also to Bossini and Gap is the closure of unproductive stores/outlets while Benetton takes pride in its IT integration in production. Bossini also engages in dual-branding in terms of marketing. Since it is also common to all of these competitors to conceptualised product portfolio, the weaknesses are on incoherence in diversifying the products, apart from inventory turnover and focusing on core markets. Typically, when these scenarios happen production will be affected and it would not be advisable for those companies which are into bulk buying especially that the styles are immediately paced out. For UNIQLO, the weaknesses of the domestic and global competitors could be reaped off as new strategies and the strengths could be manipulated as new advantages. The UNIQLO could be upgraded in opening flagships stores in every gateway market so as to equally diversify brands and gateway locations, catering to all forms of demographics. For UNIQLO, product mix and shopping spree would be plausible especially if it will come in bolder shades, with better quality and cheaper prices, but are manufactured based on forecasted demands. To take advantage of the opportunities that competitors impose, UNIQLO must also open its horizon into new product trends including the silver market and the plus-size market as part of the brand concepts. Although all of the competing companies including UNQILO are into casual, everyday wear, what will set UNQILO apart from them is the potential of easy care clothing where fabrics are very fluid and/or wrinkle free. Internal Analysis SWOT Analysis 1) Strengths UNIQLO was deemed successful because of its commitment in divergence which supports the individuality of each family member as well as those with fashion-forward and edgy people. These products are of expected high quality because of the effective global materials procurement. Given this, UNIQLOs products are designed parallel with the customer requirements and worldwide markets trends. Voice of the Consumer (VOC) is one of the key in building the most effective brands. For UNIQLO, however, this is not enough, it should be joined with direct engagement in value chain process and doing it through a low-cost, quality-driven manner. In the post production stage, it is also important for UNQILO to obtain effective distribution management and inventory control. UNIQLO is an expert in store development thereby efficient store operation in addition. 2) Weaknesses Japan and Fast Retailing are devoted in simple, functional clothing with minimalist clothing details rather than cutting edge, extravagant clothing. This is the mark of UNIQLO, but could also be its major weakness in penetrating fashion-oriented places such as London, Paris and New York whereby fashion element of UNIQLO products are very limited. Another weakness is that UNIQLO belongs to a multi-layer distribution structured industry; distribution digestibility is hard, leading to clogging in distribution inventory. UNIQLO is also originally designed for low-end consumers and that they will face a head-to-head competition with all kinds of market such as high end, high street, ethical consumers and cut-price shoppers when operating abroad. In some places, profitability is largely determined by the opportunities of retail season like back-to-school and holidays. In both cases, UNIQLO must already acquire the necessary managerial and operational competences prior to establishing a pre sence in these places; but in the case that UNIQLO would not be able to tap on being responsive enough to these threats; this will impact the business results. 3) Opportunities Belonging to an industry where fashion and apparel market trends are unending, UNIQLO is operating in a global business where companies direction and business activities are always expanding. Globalisation provides the apparel industry with grater simultaneity with the help of technology, facilitating the exchange of information with speedier level. Because of interdependence, free trade zone has also seen as profitable because fashion, textile and apparel markets became borderless. While also making larger profits, UNIQLO could invest in social influence or its corporate social responsibility. Whats left for UNQILO is to grab the opportunity of a faster information and knowledge transfer from these locations through a full force IT integration including the customers. The teenager market is also another opportunity the UNIQLO could exploit since this group is very meticulous in value shopping and they have preferences of where to shop and how to shop. 4) Threats Changes in economic conditions, changes in consumption trends and intense competition are just three of the treats that UNQILO, and all other apparel firms, is currently facing. Foreign currency affects the business conduct of UNIQLO because of the locational position of the operations. Johnson and Scholes (2002) relate that strategic positioning is an imperative in realising the strategic capabilities of organisations. UNIQLO has a geographically dispersed operation: fashion designers are in Tokyo, New York and Paris, garnering first hand information in fashion trends; manufacturing departments are in China where cheap labors reside; headquarter is still in Japan which takes responsibility in strategic decision making. Labor and materials could fluctuate depending in the performance of yen comparable to US dollars. In events that the economy of either one of the mentioned locations drifts, UNIQLOs operation will be shaken. In addition, the apparel industry where UNIQLO plays as a ma jor player is contaminated with customers influences where the possibility of switching brands is always a possibility. Conclusion Described as the equivalent of Gap, UNIQLO is increasingly becoming known in the global apparel industry. UNIQLO continued to be a brand of preference because of the quality, simplicity, functionality and cheaper prices of the merchandises. Although UNIQLO is politically influenced by CEPA and US-China memorandum, UNQILO invests only on opportunities that are profitable, advantageous and will purport the continuous geographic expansion of the company. UNIQLO has an advantage when it comes to individual spending basically because clothing is a basic need. While at it, however, UNIQLO must not ignore the social aspects of doing business which is to provide people empowerment when it comes to giving to the government through tax. The company is also committed in enhancing customer service through acquiring the VOC. Entering the apparel market is relatively easy; however, new entrants must face the challenges of building brand awareness and coping with the emergences of new trends. There are at least five major rivals for UNIQLO Bossini, Giordano, Muji, Gap and Benetton. All these rivals are involved in continuous product differentiation since, depending on the fashion trends, substitutes could instantly emerge. Because of the SPA model, UNIQLOs processes are inherently rare; sense of ownership in process responsibilities is the key. The pile em high, sell em cheap concept, as well, is an attribute unique to UNIQLO. In sum, the prevalent strategy at UNIQLO is the continuous domestic and global expansion and low cost production and management, achieved through continuous strengthening of the already reputable brand, ownership of processes, obtaining the VOC, sound distribution and inventory control and efficient store operations. To evaluate, the current strategies of UNIQLO are providing the business with immense profitability and growth. However, UNIQLO already has a record of mistake in focusing more and prioritising international expansions; thus hurting the reputation of the company specially in terms of managerial capacity, expertise and competence. There remains the fact that the products lag behind the quality of the products generated from the fashion centers of the worldwide considering that designers are already in that places. A fact also is that UNIQLO has an immature experience curve in aspects of global market penetration. Shutting down of 16 of the 20 stores in the UK in 2001 and 3 stores in New Jersey are clear-cut evidences of the incompetence on the side of UNIQLO. Global integration proved to be futile especially because UNIQLO is easily shaken up by global economic changes. UNIQLO admits that the closure of the New Jersey stores is because of the recent recessions and investment drifts in the US. In the UK, stores faced closure because of the failure to recognise the consumer preferences of Britons, which are very different with that of Asians and Japanese per se. There are two recommendations for UNIQLO: Asian market integration and establishment on an online shopping site. The first centers the idea that UNIQLO is an Asian product and must be initially offered to Asian consumers. The appreciation of Asian consumers, though they also vary depending on individual cultures, would be much higher compared to that of the Westerners. There are several fashion or brand oriented countries in Asia that UNIQLO has yet to discover such as the Philippines, for instance. Filipinos consider clothing as a staple and the apparel industry in the country is a booming industry. Nonetheless, Filipinos have the invest in quality perception where quality is the primary concern and price is secondary; but if there are products that combine these two features, it will be much appreciated. In addition, export costs would be limited. Online retailing is a proven successful endeavor. Different types of markets and industries are growing because of globalization and the introduction of new information technologies, as well as the pioneer which is the Internet. The key requirements are now centered in quality, speed-to-market, flexibility, innovation, networks, customer service and customization. Internet advertising or sometimes called, as web advertising is a type of advertising in which a person can co Strategic Management at UNIQLO Strategic Management at UNIQLO Introduction Dubbed as Japans retail success story in the new millennium, UNIQLO is a 100% consolidated subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, a Japanese retail holding company. UNIQLO formed the portmanteau for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"unique and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"clothing as am emblem of creativity and individuality of Japanese apparel industry. UNIQLO offers fashionable and high quality clothing at reasonable prices, and was seized as an opportunity to establish a brand position domestically and internationally, combining all the facets of the business from product design to final sales and the operation of the 790 stores around the globe. Primarily offing for a highly brand conscious consumer group, UNIQLO envisions itself as a leading global casual wear company targeting high sales and profitability growth. For UNIQLO, such aim could materialise based on the established strategies such as low cost management, cheapest manufacture and marketing schedules and prioritising customer requirements. Today, UNIQLO is described as the apparel giant Gap, Inc.s counterpart based on the 4, 000% share price increase, making UNIQLO as Japans third largest clothing retailer. However, it is not always victory for UNIQLO; the subsidiary also has its own share of downturns especially on its international expansion. For instance, expansion programmes in the United Kingdom (UK) saw a tumultuous stumble in profits, forcing Fast Retailing to shut down 16 of the 21 UNIQLO stores opened, because of competition. Most recently, three UNIQLO stores in New Jersey were also closed because of economic slumps. Despite these facts, UNIQLO maintains the spirit and still believed that the brand has only but way forward. How UNIQLO will going to do such is central to this paper, focusing on the companys strategic management. External, industry and competitor analysis as well as the internal environment will be addressed. External Analysis Political Analysis Political factors have direct impact on business conducts and operations. Decisions made by the affects the decision-making of retailers and could come in the form of policy or legislation. In Hong Kong, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"one country, two systems is the prevalent governance philosophy which endows the special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy and its capitalist economic system. Within a capitalistic and free market-oriented economy, retail companies make the majority of microeconomic decisions but they have to conform to specific agreements. Mainland and HK Closer Partnership Economic Arrangement (CEPA) and the US-China Textile Memorandum of Understanding are two examples of this. The former provides UNIQLO with a tariff-free treatment, stating that products which have no existing CEPA rules of origin will enjoy tariff-free treatment upon applications by local manufacturers. The latter could provide UNIQLO with an opportunity for an annual growth of 8-17% in 21 c ategories of Chinese textiles and clothing exports to the US. Labor and customary regulations as well as code of conducts are also complied into including China Social Compliance 9000 and US and EU quotas (RSCA 2006; Doshi 2006). Economic Analysis Domestically and globally, businesses are also being affected by economic factors whereby a strong economy indicates positive results and weak economy signifies the opposite, affecting both businesses and consumers. Hong Kongs gross domestic product is estimated at US$206.7bn with the service sector that contributes 90% of the total GDP. The region is also named as the worlds eleventh largest trading entity. Almost 50% of the total population is employed full-time and the unemployment rate has a continuous average decline by 4.1%, making disposition of income a possibility, a lower cost of living that is (Monthly Digest 2008). Spending is generally devoted for food, housing, healthcare, transportation, amusement, services and apparel. People nowadays are very particular with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"investing in quality clothing thereby resume spending with premium apparel finds (Doshi 2006). Realising this, the price and quality characteristics of UNIQLO has a strategic fit; UNIQLO makes peo ple look fashionable and confident in world-class clothes at a reasonable price through the company-wide integration of the Specialty Store Retailer of Private Label Apparel (SPA) model, a low-cost but effective operation model. Social Analysis Demography or the population characteristics may determine buying patterns and that understanding demographic changes within a particular region or place facilitates determining whether products and services would appeal to customers as well as the number of potential customers (Barney and Hesterly 2006, p. 35). Hong Kong has a total of 6, 985, 300 population based on 2008 estimate and is continuously growing due to immigrant influx from Mainland. According to Doshi, people in HK and elsewhere have a growing interest in private labels. Consumers aspired for having private levels on everyday garments. Casual wear from HK which is known for good design and quality has a positive image on global consumers. Nevertheless, international brands are concentrated in high-end consumers while domestic brands are for low-end consumers (Doshi, 2006). In taking advantage of the wealth of the demography, UNIQLO makes effort on providing high-quality merchandise and generating values to the society by taxes. Further, UNIQLO is a company that is committed in creating positive reputation as manifested in its vision and mission, styles of management, ways of doing business and requirements to employees. Technological Analysis Technological innovations are a priority for the apparel retailing industry but it will remain as labor intensive as it is today. Boosting the industrys productivity, increased in automation has been the recent trend but it is limited on specific functions, to which mostly require human intervention such as sewing and making patterns. Although there are computerised sewing machines that increase the productivity and reduce training time. Further, the uses of computer system software intended for the industry will be on making rough sketches, printing detailed designs and storing of information for easy retrieval. The customer orientation of UNIQLO was basically construed from its website in which customers can give feedbacks by email and discussion board. Hong Productivity Council made a report disclosing that the apparel industry could make sense of information technology (IT) if utilise for order processing, costing analysis, order tracking, material management, reporting and conn ectivity (2004). Industry Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis A) Threat of Entry Barney and Hesterly (2006, p. 43) point out that new entrants are the firms which have either recently begun operations or those that threaten to begin operations within an industry soon. Notably, the apparel industry is a buyer-driven industry where producers are considering buyers decision-making especially when brand names enter the picture. These buyer-centric industries have low barriers to entry mainly because of intense competition. Utilising brands as a market power source; however, this is a challenge for every clothing company. In the clothing business, mass customisation has seen to be the most effective strategy. Putting strategises into action remains to be in resilience today (Culpan 2002). Therefore, the focus must be on minimising the costs without sacrificing quality and to do this, managerial know how is a must in order to understand interactions with suppliers and consumers, to facilitate creativity and innovation and to maintain mobility in adapting to new market demands (Kincade, Regan and Gibson 2007). Building brand awareness and consumer loyalty is a costly endeavor since it involves advertising needed not only to promote the brand but also on sustaining awareness and loyalty. Strengthening brand names also requires that there are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"quick response programs to increase revenues and manage risks. One of UNIQLOs major resources is its brand name, which is now synonymous with comfortable, high quality and cheap clothing merchandises. Although brand awareness outside the home country is a challenge, it is of intangible value to UNIQLO as a business asset. Brands are valuable and rare and reputable brands are acquired through the impressions one has of the company, and its products or services. Since a brand name is built overtime it becomes costly to imitate thereby providing a sustainable competitive advantage in the apparel industry (Groucutt, Lydley and Forsyth 2004, p. 285). B) Threat of Rivalry Either in home or host countries, apparels, accessories and merchandise will always have a competitor which usually fluctuates in size. The modern market trends for the apparel industry are globalisation and intensified competition, increasing price and lower profit margin pressures, small quantity with high complexity orders, shorter lead times, multiple location operation, changing customer requirements and liberalisation on textile and clothing quota that creates new market dynamics. Being responsive to these market trends shifts the focus of the apparel industry for more extensive product development and improvements at the least possible cost. Such condition forces companies to divert on product differentiation because of high switching cost. In an industry where products are deemed to be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"equal, the key sources of differentiation are brand image, reputation and prior existence (Byoungho 2004b). For UNIQLO, the products themselves are an important source of compet itive edge. UNIQLO strives at developing products of high quality, in various collections to enable the company to reach the highest possible number of customers. As such, the rivals would be endangered when it comes to introducing innovative products. UNIQLO is positioned in the fashion capitals of the world for the purpose of taking advantage of the new information about fashion trends. UNIQLOs ability to quickly adapt to trends and new markets has helped them develop product differentiation, something that is key to the companys success in the apparel industry. According to Tokle (1990), product differentiation is what separates the top competitors from the rest, but it something that is not costly to imitate. This is why their product differentiation is only a temporary competitive advantage. Competitive advantage could be achieved once the organisation learns to manage its capabilities that the end consumers could appreciate and competitors would find difficulties imitating (Po rter 1985; Roney 2004). C) Threat of Substitutes Casual wear is very particular with loose-fit, comfortable and relaxed fit. Athletic or active wear was perceived to be the closest substitute to casual wear as manifested by the booming athletic wear industry. Typically worn as casual fashion clothing, active attires could provide deterrence in the industry. Moreover, the blurring demarcation on the casual clothing family could be also seen as an opportunity for substitutes. Specialised stores offer semi-casual, smart casual and business casual lines. Semi-casual clothes are less presentational than informal but are not as loose as casual dresses. Smart casual purports conservative looks but with harmony on colors, fabrics, shoes and accessories. Business casual, on the other hand, varies in definition but the common element is the collar. Realising this, the bottomline now is the price. Moreover, based on the SPA business model, all the necessary functions at UNIQLO falls under a single umbrella especially the inbound logistics an d the production. UNIQLO is an example of a cut-make-trim company in which in which the company purchase the fabric and retain ownership of the raw materials and work-in-process, and so making it hard for rivals to imitate or produce substitutes for UNQILO brands. D) Threat of Suppliers The prices and availability of commonly used fabrics such as cotton, blends, synthetics and wools might fluctuate significantly due to its dependence on demand, crop yields, weather, supply conditions, transportation costs, government regulations and economic condition among others (Byoungho 2004a). Quota is the major factor that affects the demand and supply of textile and fabrics. Even though the sale of raw materials is standardised, independent contractors, raw material suppliers, importers and apparel manufacturing firms could not isolate themselves from such scenario because of the prospective unsteadiness in the supply chain (Chetty 1999). As well, because of forward vertical integration, coupled with the low barrier to entry, suppliers could easily become rivals. In becoming threat of entry, suppliers could be also become a competitor to already established apparel manufacturers. In addition, contractors is also one of the threats when the demand of the labor increases, it w ill cause labor costs price inflation. Laszlo (2008) stress that there are five main parts of the apparel value chain including raw material supply, provision of components; production networks; export channels and marketing networks at the retail level. Through the process, UNIQLO has an ownership on production and thereby a complete control on the supplies procurement. UNIQLO insources its production and handles the majority of the operational details. Sourcing is a go-to in the apparel industry but it is not rare although it can add value to UNIQLO. E) Threat of Buyers Reaching more and diverse consuming group, the apparel industry is both a stable and unstable industry. Stable because quality price and quality products are the main element and unstable because there are many factors that affect both price and quality. In the point of consumption, for instance, there are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"middle men such as the retail stores that offer an array of brands. In purchasing manufactured apparel, retail stores could have influence on making significant requirements and demands on their purchase, affecting prices. Though quality is inherent, prices would not be reasonable at all, and alternative clothing is readily available. This explains why apparel manufacturing companies are setting up their own stand along stores which will cater to their own produce. Important is that apparel stores must not fall dependent on s specific class of customer. Buyers are increasingly appearing to prefer above standard apparel with a much lower cost, making apparel less dif ferentiated. When selling directly to consumers, buyers would incur a significant portion of their dispensable cash. Same goes with retail store, they purchase apparel at the least possible final cost, but adds up to prices of apparel. UNIQLO is involve in selling to the customers through specialty store marketing, with a minimalist strategy of pile em high, sell em cheap concept that is. In addition, the unbranded fashion or the no-logo concept was perceived to be the main reasons for peoples warm attention (Williamson 2007; Parrish, Cassill and Oxenham 2006). Competitor Analysis Local Competitors 1) Bossini There are three competitors for UNIQLO: Bossini, Giordano and Muji. Bossini International Holdings Limited is an apparel brand owner, retailer and franchiser nestled in Hong Kong. From its onset in 1987, Bossini continued to grow both domestically and internationally. Today, the global distribution network is comprised of 551 directly managed and franchised outlets in Mainland, 322 export franchised outlets, 178 directly managed outlets in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia and 1, 051 outlets in 20 countries. Taking pride on its Bossini brand that is comfortable, easy to mix-and-match, colorful and energetic like the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Family-Fit brand, Bossini was able to cater to various consumer requirements in a value for money fashion (Bossini Annual Report 2006/2007). The strength of the brand and the people was drawn from the seven practices: face reality, keep it simple, act with the speed of light, set stretch goals, drive quality, create and sustain a learning organisation and keep the A, nurture the B and discard the C. Through this set of practices, Bossini puts emphasis on quality, efficiency and profitability as a source of competitive edge. The company is also continuously building brand awareness by means of innovative cross-regional marketing activities. In enhancing its supply chain, Bossini shorten the product cycle from design to store and will continue to build string ties with them in a proactive manner. Building up an IT system is a strategy meant to drive future growth and profitability. Though the company deals with closure of unsuccessful outlets whenever necessary to divert their attention to areas which needs a closer concentration and with participating in broad campaigns and dual-branding to promote the products and to exp and market reach, Bossini is more focused on its four core markets. 2) Giordano Established in 1981, Giordano is one among the popular and established casual apparel retailer in Asia Pacific Region which employs about 11, 000 staff with over 1, 895 shops operating in 30 territories worldwide. From its restructuring from 1986, the company prepared for international expansion, which was made possible by the initial success in Hong Kong, Mainland and neighboring countries such as Taiwan and Singapore. Known as the most successful homegrown retail stores, Giordano is a pioneering company that participated in drafting of code of practice in the retailing scene and introduced innovations such as the total shopping experience where customers are greeted individually in the doorstops and bade goodbye unto when leaving the store. Envisioning itself in making people feel good while looking great, the companys main strategy is its à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"For the People philosophy wherein quality, knowledge, innovation, service and simplicity are at the core. As an apparel of choice, Giordano is also committed in providing simplicity of design, quality workmanship, attentive customer service and value-for-money, allowing the company to strongly build its own loyal following (Giordano 2008). Though the four brands Giordano Ladies, Giordano Concepts, Giordano and Giordano Junior are constantly profitable, the weakness is that Giordano has a limited range of products and that consumers may grew tired of the existing concepts. 3) Muji Ryohin Keikaku, better known as Muji, is an outgrowth from The Seiyu, Ltd. In becoming a separate brand, Muji develops range of apparel, household goods and food that takes pride on being functional, simple and of high quality. Literally means à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"no brand, the over 700 Muji products observes the philosophy of simplicity. Primarily purporting an individualistic and diversified lifestyle, Muji follows three processes that is said to be the reason for proving good quality products at lower prices. These are selection of materials, streamlining processes and simplification of packaging. The companys emphasis on preventing materials wastage and improvement of essential product quality as well as time and labor optimisation are the key in achieving operational effectiveness and efficiency. The selection of materials is a very important stage for Muji where suitable raw materials are the main concern. Bulk buying is a strategy wherein quality is the indispensable criterion, underpinning the possibility of producing high quality, low prices products. Thereby, the weakness is on changes in demand and supply of raw materials. Standards at manufacturing stages are also under close scrutiny in order to eliminate waste and reduce cost. When it comes to packaging, Muji sticks to the simplicity philosophy, bearing only product related information and the price tag (Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.). International Competitors 4) Gap Gap, Inc. and United Colors of Benetton are the two international competitors for UNIQLO. Gap, Inc. has been officially incorporated in 1988 as a global specialty and outlet store which offers casual apparel, accessories and personal care products. Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime are the four primary brands. As a way of building the value of the brands, Gap is very fastidious with brand development, ensuring that value will be integrated from product design to distribution onto marketing, merchandising and shopping environments. The strong point of Gap is its continuous commitment in enhancing the brand; in fact, Gap has an intensive portfolio of brands covering classically styled, high quality, casual apparel at moderate prices for virtually all ages. However, the weakness is on inventory turnover. Emphasising style, quality and good value, Gap embraces a shopper friendly environment where store facades vary depending on selling season, size and location of the store. Just like UNIQLO, Gap is never threatened of closing under-performing stores and expanding and remodeling existing stores (Gap Annual Report 2006). 5) Benetton A global clothing brand which is based in Treviso, Italy, the name Benetton originated from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Now in existence in over 120 countries, Benetton started with only 5 stores in 1979 which were bounded to reach 800 stores today. The 5, 500 network of contemporary stores worldwide are the reason for generating a total turnover of 2 billion euro. Fashion apparel is the core business wherein quality, style and passion through the brands such as United Color of Benetton, Sisley, Playlife and Killer Loop are the main concerns. Mixing energy, colors and practicality, Benetton offers a portfolio of products for men, women and kids. The strength is in its innovation and IT integration in producing 160 million garments annually. At Benetton, superior product quality is achieved through committing every stage of the production process with innovation and creativity. The weakness is on the tendency for incoherent diversification (Benetton website 2 008). Common to all the competitors of UNIQLO, either domestic or international, is the international expansion strategy known as the judo strategy or the conscious decision to move rapidly into new markets where there is uncontested ground.(Hilburt-Davis 2002), and providing the best value of money based on distinct brands. Product differentiation, low cost production and gateway market penetration like UK and the Mainland are other strategies that these competitors pursue, in the same way like UNQILO is doing. It is important that brands must conform to the needs of the customers of varying age structures and preferences and producing brands where value was mounted from the very first step. Quality and customer service are the main concerns, followed by style or design and functionality. Brand development and building brand awareness as well as the overall look of the establishment are also the priorities. Common also to Bossini and Gap is the closure of unproductive stores/outlets whil e Benetton takes pride in its IT integration in production. Bossini also engages in dual-branding in terms of marketing. Since it is also common to all of these competitors to conceptualised product portfolio, the weaknesses are on incoherence in diversifying the products, apart from inventory turnover and focusing on core markets. Typically, when these scenarios happen production will be affected and it would not be advisable for those companies which are into bulk buying especially that the styles are immediately paced out. For UNIQLO, the weaknesses of the domestic and global competitors could be reaped off as new strategies and the strengths could be manipulated as new advantages. The UNIQLO could be upgraded in opening flagships stores in every gateway market so as to equally diversify brands and gateway locations, catering to all forms of demographics. For UNIQLO, product mix and shopping spree would be plausible especially if it will come in bolder shades, with better quality and cheaper prices, but are manufactured based on forecasted demands. To take advantage of the opportunities that competitors impose, UNIQLO must also open its horizon into new product trends including the silver market and the plus-size market as part of the brand concepts. Although all of the competing companies including UNQILO are into casual, everyday wear, what will set UNQILO apart from them is the potential of easy care clothing where fabrics are very fluid and/or wrinkle free. Internal Analysis SWOT Analysis 1) Strengths UNIQLO was deemed successful because of its commitment in divergence which supports the individuality of each family member as well as those with fashion-forward and edgy people. These products are of expected high quality because of the effective global materials procurement. Given this, UNIQLOs products are designed parallel with the customer requirements and worldwide markets trends. Voice of the Consumer (VOC) is one of the key in building the most effective brands. For UNIQLO, however, this is not enough, it should be joined with direct engagement in value chain process and doing it through a low-cost, quality-driven manner. In the post production stage, it is also important for UNQILO to obtain effective distribution management and inventory control. UNIQLO is an expert in store development thereby efficient store operation in addition. 2) Weaknesses Japan and Fast Retailing are devoted in simple, functional clothing with minimalist clothing details rather than cutting edge, extravagant clothing. This is the mark of UNIQLO, but could also be its major weakness in penetrating fashion-oriented places such as London, Paris and New York whereby fashion element of UNIQLO products are very limited. Another weakness is that UNIQLO belongs to a multi-layer distribution structured industry; distribution digestibility is hard, leading to clogging in distribution inventory. UNIQLO is also originally designed for low-end consumers and that they will face a head-to-head competition with all kinds of market such as high end, high street, ethical consumers and cut-price shoppers when operating abroad. In some places, profitability is largely determined by the opportunities of retail season like back-to-school and holidays. In both cases, UNIQLO must already acquire the necessary managerial and operational competences prior to establishing a pr esence in these places; but in the case that UNIQLO would not be able to tap on being responsive enough to these threats; this will impact the business results. 3) Opportunities Belonging to an industry where fashion and apparel market trends are unending, UNIQLO is operating in a global business where companies direction and business activities are always expanding. Globalisation provides the apparel industry with grater simultaneity with the help of technology, facilitating the exchange of information with speedier level. Because of interdependence, free trade zone has also seen as profitable because fashion, textile and apparel markets became borderless. While also making larger profits, UNIQLO could invest in social influence or its corporate social responsibility. Whats left for UNQILO is to grab the opportunity of a faster information and knowledge transfer from these locations through a full force IT integration including the customers. The teenager market is also another opportunity the UNIQLO could exploit since this group is very meticulous in value shopping and they have preferences of where to shop and how to shop. 4) Threats Changes in economic conditions, changes in consumption trends and intense competition are just three of the treats that UNQILO, and all other apparel firms, is currently facing. Foreign currency affects the business conduct of UNIQLO because of the locational position of the operations. Johnson and Scholes (2002) relate that strategic positioning is an imperative in realising the strategic capabilities of organisations. UNIQLO has a geographically dispersed operation: fashion designers are in Tokyo, New York and Paris, garnering first hand information in fashion trends; manufacturing departments are in China where cheap labors reside; headquarter is still in Japan which takes responsibility in strategic decision making. Labor and materials could fluctuate depending in the performance of yen comparable to US dollars. In events that the economy of either one of the mentioned locations drifts, UNIQLOs operation will be shaken. In addition, the apparel industry where UNIQLO plays as a m ajor player is contaminated with customers influences where the possibility of switching brands is always a possibility. Conclusion Described as the equivalent of Gap, UNIQLO is increasingly becoming known in the global apparel industry. UNIQLO continued to be a brand of preference because of the quality, simplicity, functionality and cheaper prices of the merchandises. Although UNIQLO is politically influenced by CEPA and US-China memorandum, UNQILO invests only on opportunities that are profitable, advantageous and will purport the continuous geographic expansion of the company. UNIQLO has an advantage when it comes to individual spending basically because clothing is a basic need. While at it, however, UNIQLO must not ignore the social aspects of doing business which is to provide people empowerment when it comes to giving to the government through tax. The company is also committed in enhancing customer service through acquiring the VOC. Entering the apparel market is relatively easy; however, new entrants must face the challenges of building brand awareness and coping with the emergences of new trends. There are at least five major rivals for UNIQLO Bossini, Giordano, Muji, Gap and Benetton. All these rivals are involved in continuous product differentiation since, depending on the fashion trends, substitutes could instantly emerge. Because of the SPA model, UNIQLOs processes are inherently rare; sense of ownership in process responsibilities is the key. The pile em high, sell em cheap concept, as well, is an attribute unique to UNIQLO. In sum, the prevalent strategy at UNIQLO is the continuous domestic and global expansion and low cost production and management, achieved through continuous strengthening of the already reputable brand, ownership of processes, obtaining the VOC, sound distribution and inventory control and efficient store operations. To evaluate, the current strategies of UNIQLO are providing the business with immense profitability and growth. However, UNIQLO already has a record of mistake in focusing more and prioritising international expansions; thus hurting the reputation of the company specially in terms of managerial capacity, expertise and competence. There remains the fact that the products lag behind the quality of the products generated from the fashion centers of the worldwide considering that designers are already in that places. A fact also is that UNIQLO has an immature experience curve in aspects of global market penetration. Shutting down of 16 of the 20 stores in the UK in 2001 and 3 stores in New Jersey are clear-cut evidences of the incompetence on the side of UNIQLO. Global integration proved to be futile especially because UNIQLO is easily shaken up by global economic changes. UNIQLO admits that the closure of the New Jersey stores is because of the recent recessions and investment drifts i n the US. In the UK, stores faced closure because of the failure to recognise the consumer preferences of Britons, which are very different with that of Asians and Japanese per se. There are two recommendations for UNIQLO: Asian market integration and establishment on an online shopping site. The first centers the idea that UNIQLO is an Asian product and must be initially offered to Asian consumers. The appreciation of Asian consumers, though they also vary depending on individual cultures, would be much higher compared to that of the Wester