‘Animal Farm’ Shelley’s ‘The Mask of Anarchy

‘Animal Farm’ Shelley’s ‘The Mask of Anarchy How is the theme of Oppression represented across the three texts studied? Oppression is a theme at the centre of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ and Percy Shelley’s ‘The Mask of Anarchy’. The unjust and cruel treatment of unsuspecting masses by figures of authority is clearly identified as a problem in society for both authors. The theme of oppression presents itself through character representations, emotive language and the concept of inertia. Within Jean Genet’s ‘The Balcony’ these issues are also apparent helping to reveal the need for reform and revolution. Throughout all three texts, the theme of oppression is expressed through the break down in law and order, causing devastation and the subsequent oppression of the proletarian masses. The Russian Revolution parallels Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ through many aspects. The fable, written in 1945, is seen to be based on his opinion of events during the revolution such as the removal of the Tsar, the Russian dictatorship and the economic and social hardship that the proletarians had to endure. It’s important to understand Orwell’s contextual influences as this forms the basis of his novel. Chapter one commences with Mr Jones who â€Å"was too drunk to shut the pop-holes† to the hen-houses. This initial introduction to his character reveals his apathy towards his farm. By using â€Å"drunk† it infers that Mr Jones can’t live up to his responsibilities and consequently is drowning his sorrows by intoxicating himself in order to forget about his situation. Contextually, this drunkenness can be seen as Orwell’s parallel with the Tsar and his treatment of the Russian proletarians. Before his removal from power in 1917 the Tsar was unable to successfully rule and consequently this affected the citizens as they didn’t receive the basic resources that any person needs to survive. Undoubtedly, Orwell wanted to show this disregard for responsibility through Mr Jones as he was the owner of the farm and held the same responsibilities for his animals as the Tsar did for his people. One of the main grievances of society in Russia was his approach to the farming economy. He failed to upgrade the out of date farming system which allowed the peasants to be controlled by the rich land owners. Freedom of speech within Russia was highly restricted and during 1916 a raise in taxes caused the people to become desolate and poor. This mirrors the situation of the animals on the farm as without food the animals would struggle to survive demonstrating Orwell’s disgust at how the Tsar oppressed his people. Similar to Orwell’s animosity at the events that occurred in Russia, Percy Shelley mirrors the outrage of the English people in response to the Peterloo Massacre during 1819. Many innocent victims were murdered for protesting for a reform of parliamentary representations and Shelley demonstrates this injustice in his poem ‘The Mask of Anarchy’. The first stanza opens with â€Å"As I lay asleep in Italy there came a voice from over sea† informing him about the massacre. With the events taking place in Manchester and the Narrator speaking from Italy, it reveals how enraged Shelley felt about the event. It is significant that the â€Å"voice† reached him in Italy as it confirms the extent of public outcry with the news of a massacre reaching across the world. The injustice of these people remains the featured tone throughout the poem and their oppression becomes the main focus for a reader. Old major is used by Orwell to demonstrate the need for change and revolution due to oppression. Contextually this character can be seen as a parallel to the Communist Marxist, Karl Marx. Communism is the ideology that everyone should work for the good of the country and in turn profit equally from their hard labour. In retaliation to Mr Jones’ mistreatment of his animals Old Major decides to promote a revolution and overthrow their oppressor. He tells the animals that their â€Å"lives are miserable, laborious and short’. The rule of three is deliberately used by Orwell in order to convey the extent of their oppression. These emotive words are not what we would usually associate with life. â€Å"Miserable† suggesting that the animals are fed up and tired of life under Mr Jones because when someone’s miserable they have become tiresome of demoralising events or actions. â€Å"Laborious† infers that the work they do for the farm is not enjoyable any more and they aren’t reaping the rewards of their hard work. Their lives are then deemed to be â€Å"short† which implies that they are over worked and will not live to their full life expectancy due to the terrible conditions they are forced to endure. Evidently, Old Major is an advocate for change and he symbolises a better life for the oppressed masses. John Molyneux suggests that Orwell offers â€Å"a sympathetic investigation into the lives of the poor and the poorest† within Russia. On the face of it, it appears that Orwell was sympathetic but was it merely because he feared for the destruction of Socialism and the rise in a Totalitarian society or that he genuinely ‘sympathised’ with the oppressed Russians? Orwell does allow us to be sympathetic towards the animals on the farm through showing their desolate conditions. He determines that as readers we are aware that they are â€Å"unfed†, contextually referring to the famine in Russia, again this adds to the sympathy that is created as the reality of the situation becomes real for a reader. However, the politically motivated background of ‘Animal Farm’ leaves John Molyneux’s interpretation to question. The use of character representations, paralleling the figures of authority in Russia, infers that Orwell was more concerned about cr eating a cynical view of the rulers in Russia rather than a one sided â€Å"sympathetic investigation† into the poor Russians lives. Nevertheless the oppression of the proletarians is never questionable. The hardship identified by Orwell and his critics verifies his intention in demonstrating oppression at the centre of a Totalitarian society. Similar to the sympathy evoked by Orwell this technique is used in ‘The Balcony’ by Jean Genet to create oppression for the prostitutes. The play was set in France in an unmade city during the 1950’s exploring the life of prostitutes in a brothel where men could explore their sexual fantasies and vent their frustration at the development of the revolution. Emotive language is used by Genet in order to portray the oppression they encounter from authoritative figures. In Scene One, the Bishop uses derogatory language in association with Irma’s position as a prostitute. He declares that she is a â€Å"slut†, a â€Å"bitch†, a â€Å"trollop† and a â€Å"tramp† all of which categorise Irma as a typical prostitute. By making Irma aware of her status as a prostitute it degrades her and makes her feel worthless. â€Å"This desire for status lies at the plays core† suggests Madeleine M.Schwartz. This statement is conceivable as the desire for status causes the clients of the brothel to pretend to be figures of authority. The need for power and feelings of worthlessness were common in brothels in the 1950’s as prostitutes were mainly lower class women similar to Irma who felt dejected by their positions and wanted it to change. As a result, characters such as the Bishop could manipulate these insecurities and oppress people who they believe are lesser than they are as it increases their importance and status. The idea presented by Schwartz is relatable to Animal Farm; characters such as the Bishop and Old Major are aware of their authority over the masses and use this to their advantage. The difference between these two texts is that in ‘The Balcony’ the brothel presents an illusion of power and authority whereas in Animal Farm these themes are reality for the animals. The prostitutes even though this is their job, have a choice whether they stay in the situation of being degraded by their clients in their house of illusions. However, there is no escaping the oppression for the animals. Carmen, a prostitute in The Balcony, declares that â€Å"this world of illusions oppresses me†, the concept of an ‘illusion’ suggesting that she is engrossed in a world where deception is the cause of her oppression but she has the choice to leave. In contrast to this the animals of the farm aren’t under an illusion of power. Even Old Major is oppressed, by referring to him as â€Å"old† infers that he is slow and weak showing that he is susceptible to the cruelties around him. Even though he is seen as higher to the animals he inevitably would suffer from the corruption under Mr Jones. Contextually Orwell could be taking a direct attack at Communism by accusing the system of being â€Å"old† and outdated suggesting that Communism oppresses all of its followers. The character of ‘Anarchy’ represents Shelley’s interpretation of the corruption and failings of the government under George III. The definition of Anarchy is ‘a state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority or other controlling systems’ this is an indication to the corruption of the government during the 1800’s and it indicates the harsh and oppressive qualities of the character ‘Anarchy’. Similarly to Shelley, Orwell uses characteristics in order to emphasise their intent at oppressing their victims. Squealer at one point in the novel â€Å"looked very sly†, he is Orwell’s symbolism of the Propaganda used in Russia during the dictatorship, by giving him a â€Å"sly† personality it infers that he cannot be trusted and will manipulate the other animals in order to obtain control. This reveals Orwell’s opinions on Russian Propaganda as he believed that it was used to control the populat ion by false or exaggerative information. Similarly to Orwell, Shelley implies that as a result of parliamentary corruption society became manipulated through the confusion brought about by the ‘Anarchy’ that swept through the country. Both authors use analogies and characteristics as a way of communicating the experiences of the oppressed masses in different socities. The use of contextual experiences by George Orwell is also a literary device used by Percy Shelley within ‘The Mask of Anarchy’. He uses the experiences of the people in England during the early 19th century to demonstrate their oppression and his anger towards the massacre. Similar to the animals on the farm the people of England are being oppressed by figures of authority and are being denied their freedom of speech. Within the poem Shelley uses the mystical characterisation of an Image which arose like â€Å"a light†. By using â€Å"light† to symbolise the Image, Shelley could be inferring that the idea of a peaceful rebellion is the way forward for England and the end of oppression. Light throughout history has always been of comfort to people as it allows them to see what is going on around them. In order to make them realise their oppression Shelley’s use of the personified ‘Image’ as a way of helping the proletarians rise against their oppressors and take part in a peaceful rebellion. She states that â€Å"slavery† has â€Å"grown to an echo† of their own names; therefore, by comparing Englishmen to slaves it suggests that they don’t have any basic human rights. A slave holds no power, political influence or any control over their own lives. This symbolism reveals the extent of their oppression as a typical English citizen in the 19th century should have freedom of speech. Therefore Shelley is implying that by taking away a person’s freedom of expression and right to protest they might as well be slaves. However, the use of â€Å"grown† to demonstrate how they became symbolic of a slave creates the impression that they hadn’t always been this way and the ‘Image’ is there to help guide them in the right direction. The gradual exploitation by authoritative figures led to the decline in their own collective power as a society. The ‘Image’ howev er opens up opportunity for the people of England to realise their oppression and do something about it instead of standing by whilst they are oppressed. Accordingly this leads to the concept of Inertia and implies that the people of England are in this situation due to the oppression inflicted upon them by the rich. This theme materialises due to the oppression that the masses endure which creates another dimension to the problems throughout society. The basis of inertia relates to ‘a tendency to nothing or to remain unchanged’ linking directly to the consequences of being oppressed which is relatable across the three texts. By ignoring their situations the victims allow oppressive authority figures to control their lives. A lack of enthusiasm and self-worth remains at the core of why they refuse to acknowledge the need to rebel and rise up against the people who oppress them. In ‘Animal Farm’ Orwell uses Boxer as a symbol for the proletariat in Russia. He can be seen as an exploited hard worker on the farm who continuously declares that â€Å"Napoleon is always right†. Orwell uses this symbolism to reveal the unintelligence of the workers and their incapacity to have their own views leading uncontrollably to their oppression. Shelley within ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ supports this and uses the symbolism of the ‘Image’ and its encouragement to try motivating the proletarians b y declaring that â€Å"to hold no strong control over your own wills† is to be free from oppression. It’s evident that Shelley and Orwell recognise this inability to have freedom of speech without the need to stay within the constraints of their society. By not being able to have their own opinion the oppressed masses become anxious of rebelling and speaking out. When they are finally given a platform to improve their lives they feel unable to change it for themselves. This can be seen in ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ when the masses are told to â€Å"Rise like lions after slumber† in an effort to motivate them. By using the imagery of a sleepy lion awaking from slumber Shelley creates the impression that the Englishmen are slow to react to changes around them perhaps as a result of a build-up from fear of repercussions. Again, Orwell presents this installation of fear by authoritative figures through the imagery of the dogs. The animals on the farm were â €Å"silent and terrified† after the dogs chased Snowball away. The brutality of these dogs is used to control the animals in every aspect of their lives. The dogs can be seen as Orwell’s symbolism of Stalin’s secret police, who like the dogs, installed fear into the proletariats making it difficult for them to speak out against their corrupted leader. Both Shelley and Orwell recognise this as a social defect that needed to be reformed either by motivation from other sources or by education. Evidently, a lack of education becomes a tool of oppression in each of the texts. The pigs within ‘Animal Farm’, the personified politicians in ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ and the clients within ‘The Balcony’ all use their victim’s lack of education to their own advantages in order to establish their authority and create a divide between the rich and the poor. In ‘Animal Farm’ the gradual changes in the seven commandments demonstrate the pig’s ability to manipulate the other animals. Napoleon takes advantage of the animal’s illiteracy and adds small changes to the commandments in order to accommodate his hypocritical flaws. â€Å"No animal shall drink alcohol† was a rule created during the earlier part of Napoleons rule but had subsequently changed to â€Å"No animal shall drink alcohol to excess†. The animals noticed the change but instead of questioning it they simply declared that they had â€Å"reme mbered wrong†. Within ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ Shelley reinforces the need for education by using the symbolism of the Image that appeared to define freedom. She states that â€Å"Science, Poetry and Thought are thy lamps†. By referring to education as a â€Å"lamp† Shelley is inferring that education allows you to become aware of your surroundings, when you switch on a light things become clearer. Unlike the animals of the farm, the English people are given the tools they need to rebel and become aware of their situation. This is realised by Irma in ‘The Balcony’ as she reveals â€Å"modestly† that she has an education. This modesty displays a sense of pride that she, despite her occupation as a prostitute, has the ability to understand the situation of the revolution around her. Undoubtedly, education provides the masses with the ability to better them-selves and as a result it’s clear why oppressors want to prohibit this an d remain in control. Again, character representation is critical as it links directly to the contextual influences of each text. Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer the pigs within ‘Animal Farm’ can be seen as a representation of Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin and the personification of Propaganda. Napoleon and Snowball were the leaders of the Communist Revolution in Russia. Castlereagh, Eldon and Anarchy within ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ represent the corrupted politicians in England at the time of the Massacre and the clients within ‘The Balcony’ take on the roles of figures of authority such as the General, the Judge and the Bishop in order to show their desire in having power giving them the chance to be the oppressors instead of being oppressed. Each of these characters tries to prevent the proletarian masses from receiving too much power as it would threaten their positions. As a result, characters such as Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer took precautions. After the remova l of Mr Jones they apparently disposed of everything seen as â€Å"the mark of human beings† onto the rubbish heap. However, we later learn that the pigs â€Å"had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book† which belonged to Mr Jones. This gives the pigs an advantage over the other animals who couldn’t read as they would be able to manipulate and oppress them as a result of their difference in intelligence. Again in ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ Shelley, within stanza 19, Shelley states that Anarchy â€Å"bowed and grinned to everyone, As well as if his education had cost him ten millions to the nation†. This infers that due to Anarchy’s apparent high level of education the action of him ‘bowing’ becomes significant. He cleverly allows the Englishmen to think that they are in control as by ‘bowing’ to them it indicates some level of respect and unity. As a reader we know that this is not the case a s he â€Å"grinned† indicating that he only â€Å"bowed† in order to gain the trust of the people. Without realising it, the animals and the English proletarians have allowed themselves to be oppressed. They have wrongly given trust to manipulative figures who intend to use it for their own selfish gain and have ironically heightened their oppression. Oppression is a theme identified by Orwell, Shelley and Genet as a fundamental issue within society and it is successfully presented through their text using effective literary devices. The use of contextual experiences from their time demonstrates their frustration at the inert attitudes of the masses. The inability to fight against their oppressors and the immense authority they gain from this is recognisable in each text as a method of control. It is clear that the need to reform and revolutionise society is ironically prevented by the proletarian’s lack of education and this situation all the more enhances their inescapable oppression. 3,220 words

Marketing In Primark Essay

1. Introduction Primark, after launching in Ireland in 1969, has owned over 270 stores in some Europe countries. For international expansion strategy, Primark has planned to open big store in US in 2015. This paper will focus on situation analysis and competitive analysis to understand external and internal environment and understand their resources and power. Basing on these understandings, there is the suggestion for Primark in aspect of marketing strategies to build and develop Primark in US market which is the excellent fashion destination in the globe 2. Situation analysis 2.1. Internal analysis 2.1.1. Vision Primark’s vision is to offer customers products which are combined by three factors such as the high level of quality, updated fashion and value for value prices 2.1.2. Mission Primark mission statement is â€Å"To supply quality clothing at prices perceived  to offer real value†. This brand is the representative of Associates British Foods (ABF) and was launched in Ireland in 1969 under the first name of Penny’s. With its mission of operation, Primark is considered the typical feature of trendy fashion store in Europe because it has offered the trendy clothing with the low price. As stated by Conti (2014), targeted customers of Primark are bargain hunters who want to buy good products with reasonable price. Basing on mission statement, Primark defines its detailed mission with some characteristics such as the efficiency of product outsourcing, simple design of products, the use of local materials, the focus on popular size, un-heavy advertising spending. 2.1.3. Objectives (S.M.A.R.T ) To pursue and achieve above mission and vision, Primark defined its objectives. The first objective is to achieve like-for-like growth through the focus on purchasing increase, merchandise and the creation of exciting places as retail stores. Secondly, to target the increasing number of customers, Primark’s objective is to increase the selling space both domestically and internationally. Thirdly, in double with the update of latest fashion, Primark focuses on offering customers the wide range of products from men and women fashion to accessories and kids (Annual report, 2013) 2.1.4. Strategies (S.T.P ) Customers are defined as the people who bring the revenue for the corporate and brand position is identified basing on the targeted customers. Hence, strategies to attract customers and build brand position are focused by companies. With the increasing number of corporate recently, companies have leveraged GE/McKinsey model as the tool of competitive analysis, even in consulting companies (McKinsey & Company, 2008; Chakravarthy & Henderson, 2007). This model is used to identify brand position in comparison with others. In the situation of Primark, Primark brand position is identified in the following GE model which is considered the support for decision making basing on product portfolio and competitive analysis. In the fashion industry, internationalization and diversification strategies are identified with the understanding of the number of products and brands in the portfolio. In details, Primark has high level of industry attractiveness and strong business unit (Figure 1, p. 2) Figure 1: GE model in Primark Business Unit Strength High Medium Low Industry Attractiveness High PRIMARK Medium Low According to GE model (Porter, 1982; Abell & Hammond, 1986), industry attractiveness is analyzed through some features such as market growth rate, market size, demand, the industrial profitability, competitors and international opportunities. (Table 1, p. 2) Table 1: Industry Attractiveness of Primark (this should be micro environment) Features Level Explanation Market growth rate High As stated by Keller et al (2014), there will be the growth of global fashion industry at two-digit percent, especially from emerging countries in the period of 2014 and 2020 Market size High The market size has grown basing on some trends such as The evolution of buying power on Asian customers who have moved to middle class. Moreover, they also define clothing as the way to impress and show their lifestyle There is the increasing demand of travelling and shopping Market size: 192,334 million of Euro in 2013 with the market size growth of 2.75% in comparison with 2011 (Fashionbi, 2013) Customer demand High There is the change of customer lifestyle and the increase of demand and need of difference (Barnes and Greenwood, 2006). As the evidence, some fast fashion brands such as Zara, H&M and Uniqlo, etc have developed with the fast growth rate (Christopher et al, 2004) Industrial profitability High, but decreased because of strong competition which forces companies to reduce their prices as the tool of creating competitive advantages Fast fashion companies have applied supply chain to increase the efficiency and reduce operational cost. Hence, they have achieved high rate of profitability (Sherry et al, 2012; Bhardwaj and Fairheart, 2010) There is the influence of strong competition into the margin of fast fashion because companies have identified the cost reduction as the way to create competitive advantage (Lambert, 2014) Competitors High There is the high number of competitors in fast fashion industry, especially when this industry has the much increasing demand International opportunities High There are some reasons for the development of international presence of brands. The influence of globalization which is considered the way of maintain market share and growth when companies have achieved the peak growth in existing markets The development of IT is considered the motive for companies to develop internationally To leverage business chances from non-defined markets (citation ) Business Unit Growth According to GE model (Porter, 1982; Abell & Hammond, 1986), Business Unit Growth has been shown through market share and its growth, distribution channel, production capacity and profit margins in comparison with others. The high level of Business Unit Growth in Primark has been shown in the following table Table 2: Business Unit Growth of Primark 2.2. External analysis of US retail market 2.2.1. Macro analysis – PESTLE Political factors and Legal factors US are defined as the most powerful ad successful country in the world. As stated by Country Analysis Report (2010), US have established its certain political policies which become the guideline of foreign retailers to expand and operate. However, there are some differences between US politics and other developed countries. In details, greater power will lie on the upper house of legislature and have wider scope of power. Economic factors (what is the economic factors ) Social factors In aspect of US demographics, white American accounts for 72.4% while African  American is with 12.6% and Asia with 4.8%. Mentioning to the US religion, 78.2% of population are with Christian while other religions and no religion account for 3.7% and 16.2% respectively. As surveyed by PwC (2014), US demographics will be diversified with the increase of Asian immigrant children who were born in 1990 and 2000’s (Figure 2, p. 5). Hence, there will be the shift from the heritage to the elements of shopping experience in US. As the results, retailers will focus on young people and families and multi-marketing will be leveraged by 2020 (PwC, 2014) US customers have more demand and are powerful in their shopping (PwC, 2014) Figure 2: Percent of Population by Race Source: PwC (2014) Technological factors Technological development is considered the main trend in current and future global economy. As mentioned in Figure (3, p. 6), US ranks at 3rd position among regions from the growth of the number of Internet users. Under this trend, marketing activities have leveraged the benefits of the Internet and social media to attract more customers. Moreover, online shopping is considered the certain trend of global shopping. Figure 3: The Internet user in the world from 2000 – 2011 Source: Nicolate et al (2012, p. 253) Legal factors When companies have expanded to international countries like US, they need to pay their attention on regulation and respect the legislation of such countries. Hence, in the situation of Primark, when expanding to US, it also focuses on understanding all laws and regulations relating to retail industry. There are some laws which have influenced to US retail industry. Firstly, in aspect of advertising law, companies need to deliver true information of products and services which have been offered to customers. Or else, they will receive high financial penalties. Secondly, regarding to customer protection law, retailers are required to avoid misleading marketing programs which are implemented to boost sales. Thirdly, there are some regulations applied when retailers offer customers misleading discount while such discounts do not exist. Environmental factors Customers have changed their behavior which cares more about environment and health as well as want to contribute their responsibility to protect their environment. Hence, companies are required to concern more about environment into their products and services. 2.2.2. Micro analysis – 3Cs (how many segments on the industry ?) Customers According to Conti (2014), targeted customers of Primark are young people who are defined as the bargain hunters and want to buy the high quality products with the lower price. Moreover, with the aim of satisfying all range of age of customers, Primark has developed its wide range of products including men, women and children in home fashion, accessories and beauty products. Moreover, with the vision of offering updated style with diversified design in short term while making sure the high quality, Primark has defined its strategy to become famous fast fashion brands such as Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, etc. In US, Primark can satisfy all ages of customers, but focus on young people from 20 to 40 years old. Moreover, with these target customers, Primark can leverage all benefits from the trend of technology development as well as e-commerce, Competition In the global context, Primark has faced with many fast fashion competitors, especially Zara, H&M, GAP and Uniqlo (Figure 4, p. 7). In aspect of US market which is considered the destination of fashion brands in the world, Zara, H&M and Uniqlo are defined as the main competitors of Primark because of their strong development and competition in US market. Figure 4: Top 10 Global Fast Fashion Companies (2006–2010) Source: Joon-Hwan et al (2011) In aspect of Zara, its growth in US market is shown through the increasing number of stores and revenue in 2014 in comparison with 2013. As mentioned in Annual report (2013), Zara has the total number of stores as 548 in US in 2013, compared with 482 stores in 2012 (Figure 5, p. 8). Among these stores, Zara has also developed both kinds of stores such as under company management and franchise. Regarding to revenue, there was the increase to $2.3 billion in 2013 from $2.1 billion in 2012 (Figure 6, p. 9) Figure 5: The number of stores of Zara Source: Annual report (2013, p. 181) Figure 6: The revenue of Zara Source: Annual report (2013, p. 184) Regarding to H&M, after its launching in US in 2000, it has owned 305 stores with the increasing number of 36 stores in 2013 (Annual report, 2013). Even though launched after Zara, H&M has built its brand image in US customers minds and has just launched its online website which is considered the new way to access more customers with the aim of increasing revenue and market share in 2013 (Dishman, 2013) Mentioning about Uniqlo, even though its late launching in US market in 2006 with the first flagship store in Soho, New York city (Fast Retailing, 2014), it has developed fast with the increasing number of big stores in prime location, for example, opening in Fifth Avenue in 2011. At the end of December, 2013, Uniqlo has owned 17 stores in US and aims to open up to 100 stores in this country and become the Top Casual wear brand in US (Annual report, 2013) Moreover, under strong competition, Uniqlo has leveraged US market through launching online website in 2012 which is earlier than that of H&M Corporate Associates British Foods (ABF) is considered strong and leading position in many business sectors such as Sugar, Agriculture, Retail, Grocery and Ingredients (ABF Website, 2014). The representative of ABF in retail industry is Primark, which is the fast fashion brand launched in Ireland in 1969 under the first name of Penny’s (Primark introduction, 2014). Until now, Primark is considered the typical feature of trendy fashion store in Europe because Primark has sold trendy clothing with the low price. In aspect of distribution system, Primark has over 270 stores in 8 European countries and plans to open the first retail store in US at the end of 2015 (Julia, 2014). As shared by ABF, which is the parent company of Primark, the plan to expand into US is to build the big store with the area of 70,000 meters in Boston and will expand the large number of stores until 2016. 2.3. S.O.W.T analysis S – Strengths Primark is the famous brand of Associates British Food with the large distribution channel in Europe as 270 stores. Hence, Primark has much long experience in opening and operating stores in foreign countries Primark is one of Top 10 European fashion brands which are available in the list of 100 Global Fashion Brands in the world Products: High quality with reasonable price and modern design are attractive to customers, especially young people under 35 years old Be successful with cost leadership strategy to achieve high market share W – Weaknesses Advertising: Just focusing Word Of Mouth marketing as the tool to reduce operational cost (Primark annual report, 2011) Distribution channels: Even though having the large number of stores, Primark has not leveraged the benefits of online shopping O – Opportunities US is considered the fashion destination in the world with high demand of local customers and foreign tourists Opportunities to use other kinds of marketing to improve sales and develop its brand image S-O Strategies Offering US customers products with high quality and reasonable price while updating modern design. Leveraging diversified tools of marketing to access customers W-O Strategies Diversifying kinds of marketing Opening the chain of stores in prime location as the way to build brand image in customer’s minds T – Threats US fashion industry has high level of competition, especially with the availability of famous fast fashion brands such as H&M, Zara and Uniqlo which also have long term development strategies in US Difficulties on understanding customers demand and needs because their behavior have been changing under many effects S-T Strategies Competing rivals with cost leadership strategy Basing on experience in operating in different culture, Primark should try to understand US customers and their changing behavior W-O Strategies Leveraging benefits from different kinds of marketing Access different customers, both local and foreign tourists through distribution channels and marketing campaign 2.4. Strategic Implications and Conclusion (more critical; what implication means?) Situation analysis becomes the important part of strategic planning for companies when they have planned to develop to new markets, especially markets over borders. This analysis includes both external and internal analysis so that companies can understand their resources and power as well as market characteristics. In this section, PESTLE and 3Cs model are used for analyzing external environment from perspectives of both macro and micro analysis. Moreover, GE model is also used to understand industry attractiveness and Business Unit. After these kinds of analysis, the report also mentions Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats through SWOT analysis. There are some strategic findings from this analysis such as products with high quality and reasonable prices, the leverage of marketing tools and accessing customers through the large distribution channels. Part B – Competitive Environment through Porter’s Five Forces As stated by Liang et al (2007), the importance of competitive force has been shown through its influences into organizational contest in the specific market and industry. Moreover, these competitive forces can come from both internal and external environment. Basing on the understandings of competitive forces, companies have defined their strategies and organizational activities (Low and Cheng, 2006). Porter’s Five Forces which is proposed by Porter (1985) become the important tools to find out five competitive forces for each company. The purpose of using this analysis is to integrate the understandings on industry environment and inside power of companies. Hence, with the aim of understanding customers and competitors in US fashion industry and competitive advantages of Primark, this section focuses on using this model – Porter’s Five Forces including the threats of new entrants, the b argaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, the threats of substitute products and rivals among existing firms. Firstly, Primark has not faced with high level from the threats of new entrants. The fashion industry has achieve high growth rate, as stated by Keller et al (2014) that the growth rate will be two –digit number. Moreover, there are some trends such as the increasing demand of travelling and shopping as well as the  evolution of buying power of Asia or developing countries. These features become the attractiveness to many companies who want to put their feet into fashion industry. However, being the big fashion brand in European and in the list of global fashion brands in 2014, it is not easy for new players to compete. Secondly, the bargaining power of suppliers is moderate. The reason is that with high position in fashion industry, there are many suppliers who want to cooperate with Primark. Moreover, with the operation in many countries, Primark has many opportunities to access suitable suppliers. Thirdly, the bargaining power of consumers is high. Because US fashion retail industry is very competitive with the launch of many fashion brands, especially fast fashion brands such as Zara, H&M, etc, they have offered the diversified products and services to US consumers. It means that customers have more and more choices of fast fashion brands. Hence, it is not easy for Primark to attract them because their power is very high. Fourthly, basing on high competition, there are many threats of substitute products from competition brands. And lastly, mentioning about rivals in US fashion industry, Primark has met many difficulties to compete them, especially with brands which have the large distribution channels and online shopping website such as Zara, Uniqlo and H&M. In conclusion, through Porter’s Five Forces, even though Primark has strengths on high bargaining power of suppliers and have a few threats of new entrants, it have some difficulties caused by the strong competition and customers’ power. Part C – Marketing Strategies of Primark in US market Basing on strategic findings in Part 4, this section will use 4Ps model as marketing strategies of Primark in US market. 1. Product strategies According to Czinkota and Ronkainen (2005), as the necessary step of internalization, companies have considered between standardization and adaption in their product strategies. Companies have four choices for this strategy. It is called as standardization which has no change in comparison with domestic products. Secondly, they can make some changes or adjustments for existing products which have been sold in domestic market in order to match with foreign customers, for example, size or colors. Thirdly, they can create new products for foreign customers completely. It means that they have developed to satisfy new customers through the adaption as new product  development. The last choice is to develop new products which can satisfy many countries and for this strategy, companies can sell such products globally. In the situation of Primark in US, because of the change of US customers’ behavior, in combination with the aim of achieving lower price through high volume of production, Primark should combine both standardization and adaption strategy. It means that Primark can adjust some existing products with suitable colors and sizes. Moreover, with the aim of understanding US customer behaviors, Primark also focuses on R&D to create new design which is satisfying customers at the high level. 2. Price strategies To achieve the success of low price strategy, Primark has applied two strategies which are the same in the US. The first strategy is to find the best materials but low prices through leveraging the bargaining power of suppliers and to create new suppliers through seeking in new markets. Secondly, with the application of innovation in production and design, Primark can offer customers updated design. 3. Promotion strategies (too general) Being different from other fast fashion brand such as TX Maxx which usually advertises its brand through many norms of advertising under the big campaign named â€Å"Big Labels, Small Prices†, Primark has neither advertise nor pay much money for celebrity endorses. Even Primark holds no end of seasonal campaign or big promotion for being out of stock. Promotion strategies are called marketing communication strategies which attract customers with their attention on new products and brands. According to Wood (2008), marketing communication comprises five main tools such as advertising, promotion, PR, direct marketing and Point of Sales. The reason for integrating all tools into promotion strategies is that each tool had both advantages and disadvantages so the combination of these tools is to minimize all problems and disadvantages. As stated by Shimp (1997), Stewart (1996), Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is understood as the usage of all communications to deliver messages to target customers through different channels, for examples, TV advertising, PR, internet, media. For each strategy in IMC, the objectives and tactics will be mentioned and analyzed. 3.1. Advertising through paid media (too general) 3.1.1. Objectives To build brand image (what image) in US customers in the first period of launching (how long) To reach 50,000 customers during one year after launching and such customers have visited Primark stores or made the online purchasing with the time of 4 each week. 3.1.2. Tactics Creating the advertisements in TV Cabs American Fashion TV Channel Fashion One Live Fashion Fashion TV Latin America 3.2. Using social media such as Facebook and Youtube Top 3 social media brands among many in the globe are Facebook, Youtube and Twitter which are ranked basing on the sales. Among these three social media, Facebook ranked at the first position, followed by Youtube and Twitter respectively (Social Media brand, 2013) Using Facebook as the tool to attract US customers Combining with some small games in Facebook, such as Lucky Drawing to receive small gifts Post one or two updates for one day. Posts should focus on image and video relating to fashion shows or new collections To use Youtube to drive traffic to the website of Primark To kick of the launching advertisement with the content mentioned in TV commercials 3.3. Public Relation 3.3.1. Objectives To implement PR Activities in 10 articles or magazines with the content focusing on the launching of Primark and the opening Achieving the satisfaction from 70% customers at least 3.3.2. Tactics To implement PR Activities in 10 articles or magazines 3.4. Direct Marketing The purpose of this tool of marketing is to make the sales increase immediately (Stone and Jacobs, 2008) 3.4.1. Objectives To reach customers with leads at the number of 24 within 6 months To make the catalogs and post them to Facebook and website with the purpose of increasing revenue at 2% per moths 3.4.2. Tactics To create direct mail to customers: Making exciting direct mail with the picture of products and send to customers who have been surveyed as those loving shopping and casual style. To create catalogues to increase the revenue with the use of distribution channels for such catalogs such as Website, Facebook, Direct Mail, etc 3.5. Place strategies In aspect of distribution, Primark should leverage both offline and online channels for distributions. In the first stage, with the aim of building customers’ mind on products, Primark has opened some stores in shopping mall and department stores. And then, it has developed as street shops. Moreover, to access customers who want to buy Primark, but have some barriers to access offline stores, Primark has developed its website for online shopping Primark as street shop Primark stores in shopping malls or department stores Primark online shopping website 4. Conclusion Free publicity is considered the important tool of marketing in Primark before launching in US. However, with some threats and weaknesses from strong competition as well as late launching in US, this report suggests Marketing strategies for Primark including Product, Price, Promotion and Place. In aspect of products and price, high quality, reasonable price and  excellent design have been achieved. Regarding to Promotion, Primark should combine some marketing tools such as TV, Social media, PR and Direct Marketing to create the efficiency. Moreover, with the plan of launching in both department stores and street as well as online shopping, Primark will access customers who are people Primark have looked for. References Abell, D.F., & Hammond, J.S. (1979). Strategic Market Planning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Barnes, L. and Lea-Greenwood, G. 2006. Fast fashioning the supply chain: shaping the research agenda. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 10(3), pp.259- 271. Bhardwaj, V. and Fairheart, A. (2010). Fast fashion: response to changes in the fashion industry. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 20(1), 165-173 Chakravarthy, B., & Henderson, J. (2007). From a hierarchy to a heterarchy of strategies: adapting to a changing context. Management Decision. 45 (3), 642–652. Christopher, M, Lowson, R & Peck, H (2004) Creating agile supply chains in the fashion industry, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. 32(8), 367- 376. Czinkota, M. R. & I. A. Ronkainen (2005). A forecast of globalization, international business and trade: Report from a Delphi study. Journal of World Business, 40(2), 111-123 Conti, S. (2014). Primark to La unch in US. WWD. Retrieved at: http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/mass-off-price/primark-to-open-stores-in-america-7653356 Dishman, L. (2013). Fashionably Late: H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lydiadishman/2013/08/01/fashionably-late-hm-finally-launches-e-commerce-in-the-u-s/ Fashionbi (2013). Fast Fashion Market Report. Fashionbi. Retrieved from http://fashionbi.com/market/fast-fashion/all Fast Retailing (2014). History. Fast Retailing. Retrieved from http://www.fastretailing.com/eng/ir/library/pdf/ar2014_en_11.pdf Joon-Hwan, L., Shi-Hyun, A. and Sun-Young, H. (2011). Fast Fashion: Out-of-the-Box Thinking in the Apparel Industry. Monthly Focus, 5 H&M (2013). Annual report 2013. H&M. Retrieved from http://about.hm.com/content/dam/hm/about/documents/en/cision/2014/01/1280856_en.pdf Keller, P. Anand, (2014). Social Marketing and Healthy Behavior. Handbook of Persuasion and Social Marketing David W. Stewart (ed.),

Dahalokely - Facts and Figures

Name: Dahalokely (Malagasy for small bandit); pronounced DAH-hah-LOW-keh-lee Habitat: Woodlands of Madagascar Historical Period: Mid-Late Cretaceous (90 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 12 feet long and 300-500 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Moderate size; bipedal posture; distinctively shaped vertebrae About Dahalokely Like many regions of the earth, the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar (off the eastern coast of Africa) harbors a huge gap in its fossil record, stretching all the way from the late Jurassic to the late Cretaceous periods. The importance of Dahalokely (which was announced to the world in 2013) is that this meat-eating dinosaur lived 90 million years ago, shaving about 20 million years off the far end of Madagascars almost 100-million-year fossil gap. (Its important to bear in mind that Madagascar wasnt always an island; a couple of million years after Dahalokely lived, this landmass split off from the Indian subcontinent, which itself had yet to collide with the underside of Eurasia.) What does the provenance of Dahalokely, combined with the history of Madagascar, tell us about the distribution of theropod dinosaurs in during late Cretaceous period? Since Dahalokely has been tentatively classified as a modestly sized abelisaur--a breed of meat-eating predator ultimately descended from the South American Abelisaurus--this may be a hint that it was ancestral to Indian and Madagascan theropods of the later Cretaceous, like Masiakasaurus and Rajasaurus. However, given the scarcity of Dahalokelys fossil remains--all we have for now is the partial skeleton of a subadult specimen, lacking the skull--more evidence will be needed to conclusively establish this link.

The U.S. Occupation of Haiti From 1915-1934

Responding to near-anarchy in the Republic of Haiti, the United States occupied the nation from 1915 to 1934. During this time, they installed puppet governments, ran the economy, military and police, and for all intents and purposes were in absolute control of the country. Although this rule was relatively benign, it was unpopular with both the Haitians and the citizens of the United States and American troops and personnel were withdrawn in 1934. Haiti’s Troubled Background Since gaining independence from France in a bloody rebellion in 1804, Haiti had gone through a succession of dictators. By the early twentieth century, the population was uneducated, poor and hungry. The only cash crop was coffee, grown on some sparse bushes in the mountains. In 1908, the country totally broke down. Regional warlords and militias known as cacos fought in the streets. Between 1908 and 1915 no less than seven men seized the presidency and most of them met some sort of gruesome end: one was hacked to pieces in the street, another killed by a bomb and yet another was probably poisoned. The United States and the Caribbean Meanwhile, the United States was expanding its sphere of influence in the Caribbean. In 1898, it had won Cuba and Puerto Rico from Spain in the Spanish-American War: Cuba was granted freedom but Puerto Rico was not. The Panama Canal  opened in 1914: the United States had invested heavily in building it and had even gone to great pains to separate Panama from Colombia in order to be able to administer it. The strategic value of the canal, both economically and militarily, was enormous. In 1914, the United States had also been meddling in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Haiti in 1915 Europe was at war and Germany was faring well. President Woodrow Wilson feared that Germany might invade Haiti in order to establish a military base there: a base that would be very close to the precious Canal. He had a right to worry: there were many German settlers in Haiti who had financed the rampaging ​cacos with loans that would never be repaid and they were begging Germany to invade and restore order. In February of 1915, pro-US strongman Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam seized power and for a while, it seemed that he would be able to look after US military and economic interests. The US Seizes Control In July of 1915, however, Sam ordered a massacre of 167 political prisoners and he was himself lynched by an angry mob that broke into the French Embassy to get at him. Fearing that anti-US caco leader Rosalvo Bobo might take over, Wilson ordered an invasion. The invasion came as no surprise: American warships had been in Haitian waters for most of 1914 and 1915 and American Admiral William B. Caperton had been keeping a close eye on events. The marines that stormed the shores of Haiti were met with relief rather than resistance and an interim government was soon set up. Haiti Under US Control Americans were put in charge of public works, agriculture, health, customs and the police. General Philippe Sudre Dartiguenave was made president in spite of popular support for Bobo. A new Constitution, prepared in the United States, was pushed through a reluctant Congress: according to a debated report, the author of the document was none other than a young Assistant Secretary of the Navy named Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The most interesting inclusion in the constitution was the right of whites to own land, which had not been permitted since the days of French colonial rule. Unhappy Haiti Although the violence had ceased and order had been restored, most Haitians did not approve of the occupation. They wanted Bobo as president, resented the Americans’ high-handed attitude towards the reforms and were indignant about a Constitution that was not written by Haitians. The Americans managed to irk every social class in Haiti: the poor were forced to work building roads, the patriotic middle class resented the foreigners and the elite upper class was mad that the Americans did away with the corruption in government spending that had previously made them rich. The Americans Depart Meanwhile, back in the United States, the Great Depression hit and citizens began wondering why the government was spending so much money to occupy an unhappy Haiti. In 1930, President Hoover sent a delegation to meet with President Louis Borno (who had succeeded Sudre Dartiguenave in 1922). It was decided to hold new elections and begin the process of withdrawing American forces and administrators. Stà ©nio Vincent was elected president and the removal of the Americans began. The last of the American Marines left in 1934. A small American delegation remained in Haiti until 1941 to defend American economic interests. Legacy of the American Occupation For a while, the order established by the Americans lasted in Haiti. The capable Vincent remained in power until 1941, when he resigned and left Elie Lescot in power. By 1946 Lescot was overthrown. This marked the return to chaos for Haiti until 1957 when they tyrannical Franà §ois Duvalier took over, beginning a decades-long reign of terror. Although the Haitians resented their presence, the Americans accomplished quite a bit in Haiti during their 19-year occupation, including many new schools, roads, lighthouses, piers, irrigation and agricultural projects and more. The Americans also trained the Garde DHaiti, a national police force that became an important political force once the Americans left. (Source: Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present.New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.)