Homophobia in American Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homophobia in American Culture - Essay Example Most of the religious groups in America oppose homosexuality at large and this has sparked a lot of debates in the recent days. Similarly America is a country which has people from all over the world living in it. And thus this causes the country to have more diversification in terms of religion, race and people. And most of the religions which exist in America object to homosexuality. This can be seen as a major source of Homophobia in America. On the other hand according to some people the act of homosexuality is filthy and perverted. Thus this act should be widely condemned according to these people. Different people belonging to different races in America have the belief that homosexuality is against the law of God and is creating an environment of filth in America. All these factors lead to the development of Homophobia in America. The fear developed by people in their hearts is causing them to treat the homosexuals unfairly. Thus it can also be said that Homophobia is also a ca use of discrimination in America. The issue of Homophobia is now being tackled by the relevant authorities and steps are being taken by them to ensure that the homosexuals are getting their basic rights. In my age group Homophobia is quite common due to the role of the media and different organizations.

International Trading Operation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Trading Operation - Essay Example Importance has been accorded to the application of modern design technology which provides premium product quality and extremely high practical interpretations of design themes. The company has a wide-ranging collection of competitive products which matches a broad spectrum of consumer tastes and needs. (The history of ceramic tile manufacturing and the formation of H&R Johnson) The market experience of H&R Johnson lets international design fashions to be converted into products which particularly fulfils the requirements of the customers of UK. The company is equipped with a nation-wide network of independent retailers and distributors, coupled with a major investment in logistics which facilitates providing extremely increased levels of customer service. Building on the achievements of the its first century, H&R Johnson has been subjected to sweeping changes in the course of the year to position itself as the front ranking company and innovator for the demands of the tile industry in the new millennium. The eventual objective of the company lies in providing with the consumer with the "total solution for tiles". (The history of ceramic tile manufacturing and the formation of H&R Johnson) Since Tiles find wide applications in almost every country, however some countries are found to be more favourable compared to others. Nevertheless, the major export markets of H&R Johnson are the Asia-Pacific rim, the Central Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa, Central/East Europe, Western Europe, North America, Central America and South America. H&R Johnson is the largest manufacturer of ceramic tiles in the UK with production of decorative and innovative tile design. The company is the designer, manufacturer and exporter of ceramic glazed and unglazed wall, floor tiles and fittings along with floor and wall tile adhesives, grouts and tile fixing systems. Since the bygone four years, more than 35 million pound has been invested in the development of a new completely mechanized manufacturing facility on a lone location on Strole-on-Trent. (Nature of Business) Ans3) Which product are you going to export H&R Johnson exports floor and wall tiles. The company range consists of 'ARTILE' which are ceramic glazed wall tile embellished with digital images. 'ASPECTS' is the well-known ceramic wall and floor tiles. 'CAMPBELLS' are tiles meant to be fixed around the fireplace. 'CRISTAL' brand consist of ceramic glazed wall and floor tiles as well as wall and floor tiles. The 'ELEMENTS' and 'FREEDOM' range are popular ceramic wall and floor tiles while H&R Johnson is wall and floor tiles and ceramic glazed wall and floor tiles. The 'JOHNSON PROFESIONAL' consists of tile fixing systems, whereas 'KERASTAR' are ceramic, porcelain floor and cladding tiles. 'MINTON HOLLINS' are ceramic wall tiles and period designs while NORCROS ADHESIVES are tile fixing systems. The PRISMAFIT range consists of ceramic fittings and coves. Finally, 'SENSATIONS' and 'SPIRIT' is one more premium brand of glazed wall tiles. (Nature of Business) Ans4) What kind of payment use eg: documentary credit/confirmed irrevocable letter of credit/ transferable letter of credit/ document collection/ cash payment advance and so on: Confirmed Irrevocable Letter of

Human dignity

Human dignity Human Dignity 1 Introduction Catholic Social Teaching is developed of both Sacred Scripture and the Natural Law custom. In the philosophical Natural Law, we have a vocabulary that tries to hold on reasons. To this the Natural law says and declares that all Human Beings have all have a broad spectrum of right and wrong. In fact, Thomas Aquinas reasons that â€Å"some goods are natural and evident to all†. This uniqueness of nature is the groundwork of the liberties and privileges of every human individual. Although some countries dont recognise these rights or privileges, these privileges are the dignity of a person from the moment of conception. The dignitys objective, derives from the origin in God and Creator, which extends to the spirituality of the soul which is an element key . Nobody can remove the spirituality of the soul, and everyone should have respect in others and in themselves. This spiritual element involves equal dignity and it lingers in each stage of in period of the personal human life. Natural dignity is recognised in the order, as like Vatican II reminds us: â€Å"Furthermore, while there are rightful differences between people, their equal dignity as persons demands that we strive for fairer and more humain conditions† Dignity is possessed by one who is a person or human, and therefore this is the distinction which animals differ from humans. For this reason, what shall be left of humans if dignity is taken away from them? In his Summa Teologica which was up to 2,000,000 words and still unfinished at the time of his death, Thomas Aquinas wrote: â€Å"Is in order perfect himself in his specific order, the person must do good and avoid evil. The person must also be concerned for the transmission and preservation of life, refine and develop the richness of the material world, cultivate social life, seek truth, practise well and contemplate beauty†. The natural law, is described, in so far, as natural right and in order for a human to achieve common good, one must have full esteem for human dignity. In the International Declarations we find the protection of ever human beings dignity. It gives essence of the rights of men and the assurance of equality. 2 What is Humanity? Humanity can be seen in many forms, forms which are opposite and conflicting which are put forward by many people. Humanity is also referred to as uncertainty and sorrow or distress and the Church shows it concern about these hitches, in fact the Church itself can propound a clarification by which the shape of humanity may be illustrated. The Church also explains the vulnerability and difficulty of humanity in a manner which the dignity and calling/vacation be professed in the divine, true light. In the Sacred Scriptures we see that it illustrates how women and men were created â€Å"in the image of God† What are women and men that you are mindful of them, their sons and daughters that you care for them? You have made them little less than angels, and crown them with glory and honour. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet (Ps 8:5-8). 1 3 Of the dignity of human person and law The essential nature of the fundamental right of the human person, and amongst them the primary right to life, seems to have always consisted of the fact that they can be neither conceded nor derogated by any human power. This is because these rights have their foundation not in an act of human will, but in the very nature and dignity of men. The exact dignity of a human person is frequentlu recognizable by the various human cultures that brought the light of the fundamental rights of the Universal Declaration. In the porous of the declaration on reads: â€Å"the recognition of the personal dignity and the equal and alienable rights of all the members of the human family constitute the basis of freedom and peace in the world† and â€Å"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights† The dignity of a person is set out in many situations. Some Christian Anthropologists explain how a person seen in the image of God, possesses the dignity of a person and is to be respected and treated as a person from the very beginning of his conception till his death. For believers, an embryo has the dignity and the quality of a person, and it doesnt need to have achieved certain skills to have dignity. These principles mentioned are all principles believed of course, by beleivers who beleive in the Church and most of all in Christ. So what non-believers believe and think about human dignity, is difficult to be elucidated. Moral necessity also takes a major part in dignity as dignity is a unique excellence of values. For example animals are killed for specific reasons to be eaten by human beings, but if they are slaughtered or killed on order to take their fur for aesthetic purposes, then this goes against nature and the personal dignity forbids any such acts. The world has become a dangerous place. This is a fact. Human dignity gets into place in many circumstances. Every time we switch on our televisions or our radios, all we hear are; terrorism which creates a vicious cycle of violence, abduction, war, poverty, cases of natural catastrophes and people turning out without homes, racism and daily needs. Another issue of human dignity may also be the emancipation of a person by a state. For a man to live in dignity, it is precisely necessary that society never again obtains as an abstraction over and above the social individual. Even acts of inhuman and degradation especially in third world countries not to mention Sharia Laws in Iran, where women are put in shame, murdered brutally or worse are tortured, leaving a person partly inoperative. It is obvious that Human Dignity is not believed, thaught and exercised in every country, and in my opinion, lot of work among states, has to be finalised and put into effect, in order to stop these kinds of ridiculous atrocities. Pope announced these words on the 16th February, 2010, regarding human dignity,using these immemorable words: â€Å"Bioethical questions often throw light on the dignity of the person, a fundamental principle which faith in Jesus Christ, has always defended, especially when it is overlooked in dealings with the most simple and defenceless people. Bioethics, like any other discipline, needs guidelines capable of guaranteeing a coherent reading of the ethical questions which inevitably emerge when faced with possible conflicts of interpretation. In this space lies the normative call to natural moral law. Recognising human dignity as an inalienable right has its first foundation in that law unwritten by the hand of man but inscribed by God the Creator in mans heart which all juridical systems are called to recognise as inviolable, and all individuals to respect and promote. Without the basic principle of human dignity it would be difficult to find a wellspring for the rights of the person, and impossible to reach ethical judgements about those scientific advances which have a direct effect on human life. 2 4 On Children and their learning Education is a very important aspect of life. Education derives mostly from school although the surroundings of home takes a big part of it. Children like every human being, are not the same; every child is unique and distinctive, and so every child holds special qualities. During teaching in schools, there can be cases where the teacher, instead of being patient with a student and explains to him/her what the student is not understanding, the teacher mocks, criticizes etc.. the student. And so the child concerned undergoing this accusations and shalmless situation, is being deprived of his dignity. This is shameless as the concerned child/student will feel ashamed, angry and shuts down his thinking because he may be blamed for being ignorant. If the child is repetitively called ignorant or other names, he/she will grow up thinking with the perspective he/she is ignorant. When adults try to teach children by criticizing, lecturing, shaming, ridiculing, giving orders, screaming, threatening and hitting, it shuts down their thinking so they cant learn what the adult intended to teach them to do or not to do; they can only record what is being modelled.† 3 According to Kant: â€Å"Dignity is due to those who are above all price, with no equivalent permitted†. 5 On Poverty Quite interesting to note that about 34 million people in the USA, live below the poverty line, considering that USA is one of the richest countries in the world. What goes wrong the countries to create a large percentage of poverty? Researches and statistics show that there are three elements that the economy was sustained with, which are: the enormous increase in consumer debt, huge transfer of resources in the form of interest payments from debtor countries to Western Banks, and increase in military spending. Unemployment is also a face to poverty, and which it also caused by over population. Poverty to a certain extent, takes away the human dignity as one does not have enough money to supply their children and themselves with food and the daily needs. 6 On Human Trafficking In the case of Human Trafficking there is the Red Cross who tries to fight against it. Human trafficking victims most of the times do not consent or are not aware of what they will be going through, consequently falling into fraud, force and violence. Initially they are transported by means of land or marine means from all over the world, abducted or by means of deceit. It does not mean that humans are trafficked only for sexual exploitation and for the removal of organs but also for forced labour. In other words: â€Å"slavery†. Human trafficking victims most of the times do not consent or are not aware of what they will be going through. We also have modern slavery, where children work long hours and are prisoners to their employers, who enjoy their freedom. Human trafficking takes away all human dignity in every sense and one feels so dirty that it is also an issue of suicide and depression. 7 On the Capital Punishment In certain countries, like the U.S still apply the capital punishment. We humans fight so much for our life and dignity, so I say who are these people to be given the power to judge between life or death? A punishment is always a punishment when it is fair but a capital punishment is it a real adequate punishment? The answer as I see it is NO. And the reason is that I dont see it a measure to kill someone who has killed someone else. This person who is going to be executed will not have the time enough to think profoundly about his sin/s and may not have the possibility to change his lifestyle and maybe live a better life than before. Moreover God taught us humans to forgive. I understand that the state cannot â€Å"forgive† but I truly believe that the state shall keep in mind every humans dignity and punish every individual fairly. Another reason I dont agree, is the for the fact that some humans that undergo a capital punishment turned out later, which took also years, that they were innocent, lets take for example the execution of Carlos DeLuna which took place in Texas in 1989. New evidence after DeLuna was executed showed profound doubt that he was innocent. And like DeLuna are many more others. It interesting to note that the number of persons who were punished by the capital death in 2007, were 53; the lowest number of executions in a decade. Jesus said: Let anyone among you who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone at her. And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, sir. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again. (NRSV, John 8:7-11) 8 On Violence Violence integrates and is associated with many crimes and human dignities. It can derive from terrorism, form human trafficking, and from many other aspects which is also needed in order for a human to survive. I think that Violence is one of the most issues as an assault on Human Dignity. Violence is at different places. In several times it starts at home, and it can take forms of mental and physical. It can be at work and at school, which can fall in many common circumstances of bullying. An interesting fact is that violence is sometimes instigated by the media. To be more clear, a lot of children are exposed to the internet and television and most of the times the films and documentaries which are shown, contain in a way or another violence. Nowadays children no longer play in the streets and enjoy themselves with a small stuff but they are stuck to electronics. Funnily enough even a simple game of Playstation or a Computer Game is full of violence, and the more violence they contain, the happier and enthusiastic children become. Violence is a huge problem and the society, maybe without knowing, is instigating to bring along more violence and therefore less human dignity. The fact is that violence surrounds us in our everyday life even in schools where lately we have heard of violent children who assaulted their teachers and even their schoolmates, one who ripped open an eye of another with a pencil. And what can one say which is worse about the violence and hatred against the immigrants, and foreigners and persons with disability. Racism is also a major problem in which many people suffer because of violent attacks. Contrary to what I said before that many violent acts are also derived from the media, the media in itself is a beneficiary source for showing violence throughout the world. With the help of media and their report, one can make a viewer feel some sensationalism. In the Book â€Å"Violence† by Wolfgang Huber, he acknowledges equal dignity for all human beings and thus the respect for elementary human rights are inviolable principles of coexistence. Huber continues saying that in the Christian tradition and in the Jewish tradition, dignity of human beings is taken seriously only by those who respect the God-given equality of human beings. 9 On Racism â€Å"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.†-Martin Luther King. Such delicate words as spoken by Martin Luther King, from my aspect, he perfectly shows his anger, rage and at the same it symbolizes his heart breaking and love. When Racism comes into act, and people are being racist towards other persons, it demonstrates that same people are not even in love with themselves. Explaining mysel when I say: â€Å"that people are not even in love with themselves†, because in order to start loving other persons which at the end are humans like each and every one of us, and show some concern about them, one must first learn to love themselves. It is hideous and strange, to see around us, families who adopt pets, and takes care of them, and then on the other hand, they cant even try to love nd help other humans! Racism can be labelled as domination, tyrannical, intolerance, discrimination, unfairness, and violence killings against other persons, or groups. Racism can be found in every country of the world, and it may start in schools. Although we live in 2011 and we are supposed to live in a socialised world and although our schools have developed and acheived better quality education, still the battle against Racism, seems to not have taken progress. The world is supposed to be working to reach a well balance congruent and harmonious humanity. The problem in Racism is vast, as many people do not only judge other humans on their apperance like skin clour, but also from the respective country they are coming from concerning also different religions and way of living. It is quite interesting in the History of racism, as it originates from people that were sold as slaves. Thse slaves were called so and were sold because they were of black colour. The period of 1619 till 1865, was a period when the Africana who lived in American were sold as slaves. They vere exposed to a lot of brutality and were not considered as human beings, but as an object and were forced to carry out forced labour. Every human has the right to participate in the community and trying to look for the common good. 4 Racism troops originates from the time of the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War which was led by General Nathaniel Bedford Forrest. The aim of these groups were to threaten and intimidate slaves. The Ku Klux Klan were also known and remembered for the burning of the crosses and their violence against the slaves. It is said that today the members of the KKK are millions. Each and every one of us, in order to help defeat racism, should speak and integrate, in order to learn from a person who is suffering from racism. 10 On Employment All Human Beings have the right to work! All human beings who are employed shall have a fair wage and are in addition of social benefits. We know that Jesus spent all of his life working, and this helps us understand that a person shall be respected for who she is and not for the work she carries out or the position she has. At work places arises a lot of problems which goes against human dignity like bullying. Bullying could lead to a serious and frightful situation and consequences. This can lead to a great decrease in self-confidence. The dignities aim at work is to guarantee a working bond where everyone s treated with respect and dignity. Another problem which arises at work is the problem of migrants that are explicitly being abused by working very long hours and are not paid enough like every other employee, just because they are immigrants and are of dark colour. These people and many other people in other countries have also lack of policies and insufficient legislation, and apart from racism, this is discrimination. And I ask: â€Å"Do the authorities know about this major problem, and what are they doing in order o help improve the situation?† 11 So what can one do in order to help in achieving better conditions of human dignity? The protection of human dignity is not a non figurative concept. The Red Cross movement is an emergency response unit that takes immediate and physical action, and engages in long term initiatives to promote sustainable development. The human ability to prevent human dignity is nowadays at hazard and requires a lot of efforts. Conclusion Those who want to reveal human dignity must start to search too exist together at the same tme and in the same. This can not only bring to the agreement with the freedom of every individual but that also helps to unfold their freedom. I humbly believe that every human being has a dignity, and every human being should be respected and protected, as Human Dignity exactly means that every person deserves respect because every step of human life is precious and is worthy of having respect and protection and if a person is taken from him the right to life, the dignity automatically is taken away from him.

Legalizing Drugs Essay -- Illegal Drugs Narcotics

Legalizing Drugs Drug legalization is an enduring question that presently faces our scholars. This issue embraces two positions: drugs should not be legalized and drugs should be legalized. These two positions contain an array of angles that supports each issue. This brief of the issues enables one to consider the strengths and weakness of each argument, become aware of the grounds of disagreement and agreement and ultimately form an opinion based upon the positions stated within the articles. In the article â€Å"Against the Legalization of Drugs†, by James Q. Wilson, the current status of drugs is supported. Wilson believes if a drug such as heroin were legalized there would be no financial or medical reason to avoid heroin usage; therefore, anybody could afford it (367). Wilson stated that during 1960’s, British physicians were allowed to prescribe heroin to addicts until the number of addicts increased fivefold. He argued that cocaine is not a â€Å"victimless crime.† Addicts victimize children by neglect and spouses by not providing (370). Wilson upholds that illegality of drugs increases crime because users need to pay for their habit (372). He believes the benefit of illegal drugs is it forces patients who enter under legal compulsion to complete their treatment due to the pressure and drug-education programs in the schools (374). Wilson is convinced the difference between nicotine and cocaine is that while tobacco shortens one’s life, cocaine debase it and destroys the addicts humanity (375). Wilson’s argument is strong because he demonstrates his knowledge of the subject and supports it with many clear, scientific facts and historical examples of drug usage. He interprets facts differently by seeing â€Å"logical fallacy and factual error† (371) in what other perceive as being a true. He also acknowledges his opposition by addressing how the advocates of legalization respond to his position. Wilson recognizes that that he may b e wrong about his conclusions of drug legalization. Yet he states if he is wrong, money will be saved, while if he is right, and the legalizers prevail, then millions of people, thousands of infants and hundreds of neighborhoods will live a life of disease (377-8). In the article â€Å"Drug Policy and the Intellectuals,† by William J. Bennentt, drug legalization was not supported. Bennett wants to address the â€Å"root causes† of drugs by means of... ...ons of this issue provide were fully supported. I concluded that the anti-legalist hold a stronger argument than the legalist. Still, Drug legalization is an enduring question that presently faces our scholars. Works Cited Bennett, William J. â€Å"Drug Policy and the Intellectuals.† Drug Policy 1989-90, A Guide. Ed. Arnold S Trebach and Kevin B. Zeese. Rpt. In Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 1996. 358-64. Schmoke, Kurt, â€Å"A War for the Surgeon General, Not the Attorney General.† New Perspectives. Rpt. in Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 1996. 379-84. Tooley Michael, â€Å" Our Current Drug Legalization: Grounds for Reconsideration,† Newsletter of the Center for Values and Social Policy, vol8, no. 1, Spring 1994. Rpt.in Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 1996. 385-89. Wilson, James Q, â€Å"Against the legalization of Drugs,† Commentary, Feburary 1990. Rpt.in Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 1996. 365-78.

Analyzing Retail Concept Store: Excelsior

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

Social Exchange Theory

Reaction Paper #2 The Social Exchange Theory was very interesting for me to research as I was not familiar with it before this class. I learned about the basic parts of the theory, how it can pertain to marriage and divorce, and how it can help me in parenting. Self-interest is the main focus of this particular theory and can be described as a utilitarian way of thinking. After more research, I learned that utilitarian thinking in family studies is concerned with achieving outcomes that are most valued (White & Klein, 2008). Within this theory, the actors are most concerned with rewards and costs. Rewards are considered anything that is perceived as beneficial to the person’s interest, and the costs are just the inverse of the rewards. As a past math teacher, this was analytically easy for me to understand, but seemed very selfish to me. To me, someone who based their relationships and choices on this theory did it for their own personal profit and maximization. Even if there are no rewards, the actors will make whatever choices are necessary to minimize the costs (Chibucos & Leite, 2005). I did not fully accept and understand the social exchange theory until I read the additional assigned readings. One of these articles was written by Susan Sprecher. She completed a longitudinal study on the social exchange theory within dating couples (Chibucos & Leite, 2005). As I examined her findings, I realized that most individuals make choices based on rewards and costs, and I sometimes refer to them as pros and cons of a decision. It did not seem so selfish, but more of a well thought out plan. I also realized that I had made choices as described by the social exchange theory many times in my life, specifically concerning my long-term relationships. I chose to get married in 1990 because the benefits outweighed the costs of marriage. Yes, I even made a list. The benefits included companionship of the one I loved and trusted, the option to start a family and have children, and begin building lifelong relationship with the person that I had chosen to grown old with. I knew there were going to be costs to a marriage, but as a young adult, I did not realize all of them. The costs, in my mind, included a loss of independence, putting our money together, accountability, and maybe some contention. It seemed to me that my benefits were greater than any costs, and I was willing and excited to make my vows. As time went on, children began arriving into our home. It seemed that as the stresses of family life increased, so did our marital contention. Somewhere during our fifth year of marriage, I made a list of the benefits and costs, or pros and cons as it seemed at the time, as to whether or not to continue my marriage. The benefits were about the same, but the costs were increasing annually. Finances were very tight, my husband chose to spend a lot of time away from home, anger problems were escalating, and being a mother of two children was hard without help from my husband. Nonetheless, the benefits seemed to outweigh the costs, because I knew divorce would be more costly. By the eighteenth year of our marriage, my marriage had taken a terrible turn. A private investigator informed me that my husband was living with a 22-year-old and had been for over three months. I had five children, relied solely on my husband’s salary for support, and did not want the identity of being â€Å"divorced. † But I think the devastation of discovering his romantic relationship, the length of his infidelity, and the fact that he made no attempts to resolve matters, made my benefits and costs equation easy to solve. My benefits were to teach my daughters that this was unacceptable behavior and should never be tolerated and to teach my sons that there are dire consequences to such choices as a husband. I almost felt that my agency had been taken away as I had to choose to divorce my husband. Now three years later, I can examine that divorce equation and see that I made the best choice for my family, and that without even realizing it, I was using the social exchange theory to resolve a great issue in my life. This theory is more easily seen within large issues to me, what about my everyday parenting? I have watched for the past few weeks how I can help my children within these guidelines. With some careful thought, I helped one of our children decide the best place to sit on the school bus. If he chose one seat, he could sit with more popular kids, but he stood a higher chance of getting in trouble for misconduct. If he chose a less desirable seat, he could stay out of trouble and befriend a new student who recently moved into town, therefore, making a new friend. With some discussion, he was able to analyze on his own which seat would be more beneficial to him. Another time I was able to use this knowledge within parenting was in helping my daughter with her math teacher. My daughter dislikes math anyway, and sees no longterm reason to learn it. She was assigned a specific teacher at school and was not doing especially well, per her grades. My daughter disliked the teacher stating that she was too strict and assigned too much homework. Her friends told her that she did not need the specific math class to graduate and encouraged her to change classes. Using the social exchange theory, we not only discussed the importance of math, but how learning to get along with this math teacher could greatly benefit her grades. We encouraged her to talk to her teacher about her difficulties and to request some clarifications about specific concepts. My daughter chose to try it out because during our discussion she could see the benefits, although, she was not completely convinced. She went to her teacher, worked out some differences, and her grades reflect the benefits. I now more fully appreciate the opportunity I have had to research, analyze, and give a presentation on the social exchange theory. It increased my knowledge and gave me the opportunity to reflect on some past decisions I have made in my life. I can see that this theory is not applicable to all choices, but it is helpful to know that it is an option when dealing with difficult decisions pertaining to relationships. I can see why some would consider it reductionist (Piercy class notes, September 29, 2011). I think I would feel that a therapist was not taking my personal issues seriously if they were reduced to just costs or benefits. With this in mind, a marriage and family therapist might not want to use this framework when working with major relationship issues. When the social exchange theory was further explained in class, I was able to grasp the thought of being under benefitted and over benefitted in a relationship (Piercy class notes, September 29, 2011). I do not think that any relationship is ever equal, but if we think about how and/or if each person involved benefits, we can help each person better relate to one another. This might be a better way that a therapist could use this theory in a counseling setting. As Dr. Piercy said, â€Å"Satisfaction and commitment are more important than equity† (Piercy class notes, September 29, 2011).