Monday, January 27, 2020

GAP Competitive Analysis

GAP Competitive Analysis Information resources: The research has been based on industry and marketing information from Mintel, Verdict Research, and Fame, which has been analyzed using different strategic theoretical frameworks such as the PESTEL analysis, Porters completive forces and blue ocean strategies, among others. (2) The overall strategic position of GAP Inc. in UK: The essay is mainly focused on two of its the sub brand of GAP Inc., which are GAP, and Banana Republic, analyzing the strategy of both operating situation. what are the advantages, such as the growth recent fiscal year 2009, market share? Distribution channels? Supply chain network? What are the disadvantages? What are the strategies that GAP Inc. should take? i.e. Gap needs to change the product to offer to a more fashionable and differentiated fashion one and turn to its initial brand identity of offering fashion forward apparel to a safe fashion consumer. Introduction (1) Fashion retail market The macro environment of fashion retail market. Disposable fashion is dead, says Carl McPhail, which means the consumers will more value the quality and the sustainable of the clothes. E-commerce trend Market demand: strong? The whole world value chain is changed (2) The purpose of the essay The purpose of the essay is to assess Gap competitive and strategic situation given this new market structure. This analysis will be based on the different strategic and marketing theoretical frameworks, in order to give the necessary business recommendations to the company for succeed in the UK market. (3) The structure of the essay This paper is organized in 4 sections. The first section evaluates the main literature and analytical frameworks that will be used along this research. The second section presents the Gap case study in terms of the companys background, the underperforming areas, and a thorough strategic and competitive evaluation of the external and internal forces that affect this company. The thirds part states the formulation of the recommendation strategies based on the strategic situation analysis of the company. The final section consists of the conclusions of the research Theoretical framework The theoretical framework is mainly based on Johnson et al. (2008), to analyze the strategic position and strategic choices of a company, it is necessary to evaluate the external and internal environment that affects the organization, as the strategic performance of an organization depends on the matches between its internal resources and capabilities and the opportunities and threats that are present in the environment (Day and Wensley, 1988, Porter 1991, Hunt, 2000). PESTEL Porters five forces Blue ocean strategy And all the theories are concluded into the framework of SWOT as the overall analysis of the case The above analysis will help determine what competitive strategies to adopt in order to gain a sustainable advantage in UK market. Gap Case study Background The Gap Inc., a brand that had been incorporated in the USA. As a global specialty retailer, the companys range of clothing is based on traditional US casual clothing, with a focus on t-shirts, hooded tops, trousers and denim. It has 142 GAP retail stores in the UK. GAP is positioned for a wide range of customers through its product lines, which including Gap, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity and GapBody, and offers iconic American style for all age who are looking for something with good quality and classic style. The company also extended its range over the years to include ranges such as Gap Maternity, GapKids, babyGap and GapBody by the end of the review period. (Euromonitor International, 2010) For the childrens wear sector, the company also teamed up with UK designer Stella McCartney in order to produce a range for its Baby Gap and GapKids Outlets. Gap was once considered to be the foremost US fashion brand in the UK, with a Gap Hoodie being an obligatory wardrobe staple for many fashionable consumers. However, this positioning slipped towards the end of march 2010, and the brand had to compete with an increasing number of US brands for fashion-conscious followers, such as Abercrombie Fitch and its sister brand Hollister. In addition Jack Wills, a British casual wear outfitter, became increasingly popular with younger consumers, with who Gap was traditionally popular (Euromonitor International, 2010). The retailer built its global growth on basics, but has struggled to rival fast fashion. (Jeremy Lee, 2008 p19). Gap operate inside the UK market that is seeking for added value that more than just basic and sustainable, and competitors within the fashion market are dynamic and drastic as well. One hurdle to Gaps growth was its reluctance to operate within dynamic and remunerative internet retailing, which largely inhibited its growth in a long-term. Without any option to buy Gap clothing and footwear online, many will not wait until their next trip to the high street to buy Gap jeans. They will instead simply purchase jeans online from another retailer. Gaps decision to partner with Asos.com and sell its goods online indicates that the company is aware that it is lacking in this channel. Consequently, Gap may launch its own UK internet retailing site in the near future, should its arrangement with Asos.com prove fruitful.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Diverse Culture- Guleri and Veronica Essay

Compare and contrast the female characters Veronica in ‘Veronica’ and Guleri in ‘A Stench of Kerosene’. In this essay both female characters in ‘Veronica’ and ‘A Stench of Kerosene’ will be examined for similarities and differences in their culture and traditions. When you read these two stories the three things that stand out is their culture, tradition and the theme of love. The story teaches us that sometimes tradition gets in the way of life. It can sometimes control your life or sometimes not. In both the stories, the women hold on tightly to their traditions. The authors are not just talking about their family traditions but the global tradition of fertility and obedience. The main characters in these stories are Veronica and Guleri. This essay portrays about the roles of women. Although there are a lot of similarities between them on the surface but there are more concealed. In both the stories, the main belief in the female characters is their culture. Throughout the stories it shows us how important their culture is to them and how their society forces them to do certain actions that occasionally leads to a person’s death as seen in ‘A Stench of Kerosene’. Veronica and Guleri both live in male dominated countries, which make females seen by everyone as inferior. The story of ‘Veronica’ is told in first person by Okeke who is Veronica’s childhood friend and the ‘I’ in the story. The story of ‘A Stench of Kerosene’ is told in third person by an omniscient narrator. The author of ‘Veronica’ is Adewale Maja-Pearce and he was brought up in Nigeria, the same place as Veronica was. Maja- Pearce later returned to London, as this was his place of birth so that he could supplement his education. In ‘Veronica’, the person narrating the story, Okeke can be compared to Adewale Maja- Pearce as he grew up in the same surroundings as him and also the same education and they lead similar lives. The author of ‘A Stench of Kerosene’ is Amrita Pritam and she was brought up in India which later became Pakistan, then she moved to New Delhi so that she could begin writing in Hindi. She had very unhappy experiences of marriage and divorce, this links with Guleri in ‘A Stench of Kerosene’ as Guleri can not have any children and her husband marries again agreeing to his mother so that he can have children and this makes Guleri depressed and broken hearted which then leads to her gruesome death as her mother-in-law controls everything that goes on with Manak and Guleri. Manak’s mother is an important force, though scarcely comes in as character. Veronica and Guleri both grew up in fairly rural areas of the country where they were reasonably poverty and war. But the only dissimilarity in their surroundings is that Veronica is in the country with troubled political history. The country has been torn apart by divisions between tribes and political groups, suffering massacres and civil war. As a result, financial development within the country has been limited and the rural areas have been badly affected by poverty. The characters in these stories have much resemblance in their personalities in the way they lead their lives even though both stories are set in very different countries. The author use comparable and diverse techniques to present and show their characteristics. Veronica is a very unfortunate woman who grew up in her native village. She lived with her susceptible mother, abusive and alcoholic father and other young siblings who have not been mentioned much throughout the story. On the other hand, Guleri lived in the village in India with her husband Manak and her mother-in-law. She had no children but was content with her life. Manak and Guleri had a much fulfilled marriage until her mother- in-law interfered by forcing her son to marry another woman so that she accomplishes her vision of being a grandmother and ruining Manak and Guleri’s life. The central theme of the story is the conflict between a man’s love for his wife and the obligation to have children. The major cultural issue concerns a man taking a second wife in order to do this. The author tells us that this practice of burning oneself for escapism is not unusual in certain parts of India but was very prominent. Guleri lives with her husband and her moth-in-law. It was pointed out that Manak was satisfied with his fate and didn’t want to marry again as most people around the country would have. Veronica cooked and served for her family. She married at a young age to a soldier and lived happily. Later on, she gave birth to a son. She is a very strong-willed person and is very content with her life. The physical appearances of both the female characters’ are not quite similar. Okeke describes Veronica, as ‘no great beauty she still had a certain attractiveness that I knew would appeal to men’. This is a very uncertain view as no one can be good looking and unattractive at the same time, they contradict with each other. Veronica being described as ‘shabby’ may have been because of her surroundings and her lifestyle that has influenced her to be that way. Guleri’s physical features are barely described throughout the story. But when it reads ‘they had bartered their hearts to each other’ an assumption that can be made from this is that Guleri must have been a very attractive woman as no one falls in love at first sight if the woman is unappealing. Also, as Guleri has never given birth before, she must have had a slim figure. Veronica is very comfortable with her life accepts the fact that she’s married to a soldier rather than being in the city with Okeke. She lives in the same hut as she used to when she grew up and she had never changed. She is like a slave first to her father and then to her marriage to her husband. She is pleased with what she does and doesn’t complain about it much but if she had the opportunity to raise her voice she would have probably had a say in what she desires to accomplish in life. ‘They are my family and this is enough’, this is a line of Veronica’s low expectations. She feels her family is everything she needs and nothing else would have the same satisfactory. Guleri on the other hand is very ‘childishly stubborn’ and always wants everything her way. She is portrayed similar to a little girl. Guleri is a happy go lucky person and loves her life. Manak and Guleri are expressed as a happy couple and care about each other. In ‘Veronica’ culture is a main portion of her life. Her life was about tradition. When she refuses to go to the city with Okeke and says that it will be harder for her as she is a woman and she isn’t educated enough. ‘God blessed us with a son. Is that not enough?’ this explains that Veronica is always the same after a long period of time that the two have been apart. She is still surviving in the squalor of a village of which Okeke had once lived. The low expectations of Veronica have for herself, compared to the high expectations Okeke has for himself throughout for story, shows us that this is a male dominated country. The social expectations demonstrate this too. Veronica is very stubborn and it shines through the story. Veronica’s life was all about the tradition. Guleri’s dignity is the main view of her life. Her life was all about Manak and her parents’ village. She always liked being the centre of attention. After Manak got married again, Guleri couldn’t believe the situation she was in the middle of. She did not have to express her distress and jealousy in words. The look on her face was enough. But her husband Manak did not do anything about the circumstances. ‘Her husband pulled out his hookah and closed his eyes’. Hookah is a tobacco pipe with a long, flexible tube by which the smoke is drawn through a jar of water and thus cooled. He seemed as if he either did not like the tobacco or that he could not bear to face his wife. In this short story, Guleri’s character shines winning the sympathy of the readers. Guleri, a cheerful girl coming from a ‘well-to-do’ family and her marriage to Manak, her failure to give Manak’s family a son, creates a terrific situation for her tragic end and the readers’ immediate sympathy is with the heroine of the story, Guleri. She was the pleasant young girl who ended her life with an extremely disastrous manner. Indian culture is such that a married woman should bring a son to the family. If a woman fails to fulfill this role, she is not successful, in marriage and therefore rejected. Thus Manak’s mother escapes a reasonable percentage of getting accused for bringing a second wife for her son, Manak. Not that she hated Guleri, but Indian culture had influenced her to extremes of believing in the gift of a son to the family. On the other hand, Guleri’s family was rich and wanted a man from a good family, for their daughter. ‘But Guleri’s father was prosperous and lived in cities. He had sworn that he would not take money for his daughter, but would give her to a worthy man from a good family’. Guleri failing to give Manak’s family a son and having to wait seven years and even the sad end to her life could have been sad even from the early days of her marriage. In India, the mother is supposed to be the representation of Indian culture. A mother enjoys an important place, if she is able to fulfill a mother’s part meeting with the expectations of motherhood; these being the customs and traditions of Indian culture. Manak playing his flute as they walked or were at the fair, made Guleri feel that the music brought her joy, taking her closer to Manak’s heart. Thus the flute standing as a symbol of joy in their lives. ‘He looked at her sadly. Then putting the flute to his lips blew a strange and anguished wail.’ Striking the signal of the tragedy and anticipating the tragic end. Bhavani announcing the sad end of Guleri, ‘when she heard of your second marriage she soaked her clothes in kerosene and set fire to them.’ Manak getting mute with pain. ‘He stared a long time uncomprehending, his face as usual expressionless.’ Therefore the death of Guleri could be called ‘cultural violence’ in Indian society, though not recognized as violence; in reality it is a violent act leading to death of a person. In the short story, ‘A Stench of Kerosene’ the writer, point out in simple diction the theme of the ‘theme of violence’ present in the culture of Indian society. Amrita Pritam gives a clear picture of the episodes with the appropriate choice of a family setting and the intended aim and view of marriage in typical Indian society. ‘The family setting of the extended family’, this can be compared to Veronica as her father beats her and was bullied by her father while she was growing up. In ‘Veronica’, Okeke felt responsibility for his death, as so feels an extreme guilt as he did not come back to her from the cities more often and persuade her more to go with him and if he had done this enough, she would have agreed at some point to go to the city. Manak with this haunting event trapped in his mind leaving every joyful moment with his new wife feeling guilty instead of happiness after the tragedy of his former wife and the manner and circumstances he had married her. Amrita Pritam shows us how this guilt has not only affected his life but his mind and senses at the same time as it reads in the last line of the story when he holds the new born baby of his second wife when it is given to him, he says; ‘Take him away! He stinks of kerosene!’ this portrays that the baby symbolizes the death of his former wife and the baby being brought to this world has made his former wife leave it. In both the stories we should pity Veronica and Guleri, as they were just ‘victims of death’. Veronica physically dies against her own rule and Guleri mentally felt that she could not live no more. Therefore, the main two women, in both the stories suffered the main tragedies. The reader may also have felt pity that Veronica was unable to prevent being born into a sexist and poor culture, which caused her to live her life with the tragic ending. Manak was also a victim, not of death but of guilt as he was taunted by the events of his wife and the evidence at the end of the story proves this as he thinks his child smells of kerosene, which is the liquid that caused his previous wife to burn to death. This proves that his future with his new wife will be very hard to cope with.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Jim Jarmusch: Reflecting the History of Independent Films in America Essay

Films, just like people, possess colorful history. Its origin can be rooted as early as 1860s when devices to capture motion pictures were invented. The year 1888 marked the making of the world’s earliest film—the Roundhay Garden Scene—by Louis Le Prince. But early filmmakers felt no contentment in silent and black-and-white films. Thus, the succeeding movies slowly gained narratives, followed later on by musical scores, inserted with sound effects, and then became colored. However, the evolution of film never ended there. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, another milestone in filmmaking took place—the birth of independent films. One of the most- acclaimed and popular indie film directors in the United States who made a great impact during that time is Jim Jarmusch. Until now, his films are regarded, not only in America but also in European and Asian countries, as some of the finest independent films ever made. His life and works became an inspiration and model for other filmmakers and film critics, which probably caused Juan Suarez’ to write his biography. About the Book Jim Jarmusch ( Contemporary Film Directors), the title of Juan Suarez’ book, in a biographical sketch of the American director Jim Jarmusch, not merely narrating the latter’s life, influences, works, and achievements, but analyzing as well the content and themes of his films by relating them to history and socio-political issues present during these films were created. Summary: A Stranger Here Myself The introductory paragraphs of the book talk about the salient characteristics of Jim Jarmusch’s films. Jarmusch is known for his unique style— emphasizing slow- movements, minimalistic space, characters’ exploration, intimate scenes, cynical humor, blank effect, and art cinema during 1960s to 1970s. His characters are often distant from the spectators, alone and aloof, but not necessarily sad or tragic. His plots, on the other hand, are based more on non- dramatic situations rather than on conflicts. In addition, Jarmusch focuses on the visual and aural aspects of film. Meanwhile, the themes of Jarmusch movies are based on postmodern politics, specifically on issues of transients and immigrants. He is also fascinated in exploring ethnicity, nationality, and social classes. Juan Suarez then enumerates his objectives in writing the book. First is to analyze what makes Jim Jarmusch’s films distinct, and second is to analyze those films in a larger context, separate from the director, using them in understanding historical developments, such as the New York vanguards, rock n’ roll, punk, hip hop, Beat literature, postwar art and cinemas, structural films, European surrealism and others. Akron/ The Cinematheque/ Lightning over Water This particular section discusses about the early life and works of Jim Jarmursh, as well as his early influences. The above keywords—Akron, The Cinematheque, and Lightning over Water—all played a vital role in his life. Jarmusch was born in Akron, Ohio in 1953, which by then is an important industrial point. Here, he was immensely exposed to rock n’ roll, radio DJ’s, and cars that eventually became appeared in his films. After studying college in Columbia, he went to Paris where he was exposed to Henri Langlois, founder of the art gallery Cinematheque. Langlois was also one of Jarmusch’s influences and who was known for his participation in the French New Wave. When he went back, Jarmusch enrolled at New York University where he was appointed as a student assistant to Nicholas Ray. With this, Jarmusch was exposed in Ray’s ongoing film The Lightning over Water. Right after this, Jarmusch made his first film, Permanent Vacation. His early influences were reflected in this particular work—â€Å" classical American cinema, European art, and downtown experimental culture † ( Suarez, p. 9). Downtown Post-Pop The section tackles downtown New York being a topic in Jarmusch’s films, particularly during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Experimental art during such times was still a combination of pop, minimalism, and performance; experimental cinema, on one hand, focused more on narratives and social contextualization. In addition, Suarez included in this section the status of experimental art in various fields, as well as the people concerned (i. e. The Kitchen). Punk The author particularly discusses in this section Jirmusch’s contribution in the blurring of boundaries between experimental art and mass art. His made his works through the punk or new wave culture, particularly focusing on the role of music. Punk filmmakers introduced again the use and role of content in experimental films by utilizing â€Å" pastiched film noir, thrillers, exploitation and television serials † (Suarez, p. 17). Most of these films were rooted on the themes tackling trash culture and rock n’ roll: the 1960s underground. Venues of these films, on the other hand, were taken inside downtown clubs such as Mudd, Club 57, and Max’s Kansas City. With the loud sound offered by the nightclubs, experimental films became known for the following characteristics: encouraging spectators to be distracted by loud music, dancing, drinking, and socializing, rather than to be in full concentration when viewing. Similarly, the characters were mostly punk musicians such as John Lurie, leader of Lounge Lizard, for the film The Offenders. Jim Jarmusch, in fact, was a member of the band Del Byzanteens. Pretty Vacant Although Jarmusch tried to disconnect punk scenes from his films Permanent Vacation and Stranger than Paradise, he nevertheless acknowledged the influence of punk culture in his filmmaking. Permanent Vacation was made possible through the money granted to him by the Louis B. Mayer Foundation. Because of its length, the film was turned down when Jarmusch presented it as his graduation project. The movie explores the life of Allie, â€Å" a tourist on a permanent vacation † (Suarez, p. 21). The story was told in first-person point- of- view. Allie was recounting his remaining days in New York before leaving for Paris. Here, he narrated his intentions for his girlfriend Leila, visited his mother Ruth who is in psychiatric hospital, met several friends and acquaintances, and stole a car. The movie is said to be an early manifestation of Jirmusch’s navigation towards magic realism that will be evident in his future films, infusing fantasies and dreamlike features in the story. For example, Allie first speech was: â€Å" I can’t get any sleep†¦I have my dreams while I am awake. † ( Suarez, p. 22). This statement clearly shows the blurring of reality and dreams in the said film. Even the music used in this particular film was somehow eerie and creepy, composed mainly of Javanese gamelan music. In addition, most scenes were static takes and focused on minimalistic details. This style presented in the Permanent Vacation is truly characterized by Jirmusch’s unique way of blending minimalism, stories of outsiders, downtown themes, and â€Å" stylized narratives that subtly blend the real and the unreal †(Suarez, p. 27). Work Cited Suarez, Juan Antonio. Jim Jarmusch Contemporary Film Directors. USA: University of Illinois Press, 2007

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Does Sound Travel Through Space

Is it possible to hear sounds in space? The short answer is No.  Yet, misconceptions about sound in space continue to exist, mostly due to the sound effects used in sci-fi movies and TV shows. How many times have we heard  the starship Enterprise or the Millennium Falcon whoosh through space? Its so ingrained our ideas about space that people are often surprised to find out that it doesnt work that way. The laws of physics explain that it cant happen, but often enough producers dont really think about them.  Theyre going for effect. We often hear ships in movies going into warp or FTL drive, when, if we were outside a ship in space, we wouldnt hear a thing. People INSIDE the ship might hear something, but thats not the same as hearing sounds in the vacuum of space. NASA Plus, its not just a problem in TV or movies. There are mistaken ideas out there that planets make sounds, for example. Whats really happening is that specific processes in their atmospheres (or rings) are sending out emissions that can be picked up by sensitive instruments. In order to understand them, scientists take the emissions and heterodyne them (that is, process them) to create something we can hear so they can try to analyze what they are. But, the planets themselves arent making sounds. Voyager and Cassini spacecraft spotted spokes in Saturns rings. Spokes are the ghostly radial markings discovered in the rings by NASAs Voyager spacecraft 25 years ago. When observed using a radio astronomy receiver, the process of the spokes rotation gave off radio emissions, which astronomers processed to create ghostly sounds, although no such sound was heard in space. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute The Physics of Sound It is helpful to understand the physics of sound. Sound travels through the air as waves. When we speak, for example, the vibration of our vocal cords compresses the air around them. The compressed air moves the air around it, which carries the sound waves. Eventually, these compressions reach the ears of a listener, whose brain interprets that activity  as sound. If the compressions are high frequency and moving fast, the signal received by the ears is interpreted by the brain as a whistle or a shriek. If theyre lower frequency and moving more slowly, the brain interprets it as a drum or a boom or a low voice. Heres the important thing to remember: without anything to compress, sound waves cant be transmitted. And, guess what? Theres no medium in the vacuum of space itself that transmits sound waves. There is a chance that sound waves can move through and compress clouds of gas and dust, but we wouldnt be able to hear that sound. It would be too low or too high for our ears to perceive. Of course, if someone were in space without any protection against the vacuum, hearing any sound waves would be the least of their problems.   What About Light? Light waves (that arent radio waves) are different. They  do not require the existence of a medium in order to propagate. (Though the presence of a medium does affect the light waves. In particular, their path changes when they intersect the medium, and they also slow down.) So light can travel through the vacuum of space unimpeded. This is why we can see distant objects like planets, stars,  and galaxies. But, we cant hear any sounds they might make. Our ears are what pick up sound waves, and for a variety of reasons, our unprotected ears arent going to be in space. Havent Probes Picked Up Sounds From the Planets? This is a bit of a tricky one. NASA, back in the early 90s, released a five-volume set of space sounds. Unfortunately, they were not too specific about how the sounds were made exactly. It turns out  the recordings werent actually of sound coming from those planets. What was picked up were interactions of charged particles in the magnetospheres of the planets — trapped radio waves and other electromagnetic disturbances. Astronomers  then took these measurements and converted them into sounds. It is similar to the way that a radio captures the radio waves (which are long-wavelength light waves) from radio stations and converts those signals into sound. Why Did Apollo Astronauts Reports of Sounds Near the Moon? This one is truly strange. According to NASA transcripts of the Apollo moon missions, several of the astronauts reported hearing music when orbiting the Moon. It turns out that what they heard was entirely predictable radio frequency interference between the lunar module and the command modules. The most prominent example of this sound was when the Apollo 15 astronauts were on the far side of the Moon. However, once the orbiting craft was over the near side of the Moon, the warbling stopped. Anyone who has ever played with a radio or done HAM radio or other experiments with radio frequencies would recognize the sounds at once. They were nothing abnormal and they certainly didnt propagate through the vacuum of space.   Why Do the Movies Have Spacecraft Making Sounds? Since we know that no one can physically hear sounds in the vacuum of space, the best explanation for sound effects in TV and movies is this: if producers didnt make the rockets roar and the spacecraft go whoosh, the soundtrack would be boring. And, thats true. But, it doesnt mean theres sound in space. All it means is that sounds are added to give the scenes a little drama. Thats perfectly fine as long as people understand it doesnt happen in reality.   Updated and edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.