French Food Essay

Creamy cheeses, steaming bread, the scent of olive oil and pepper in the air, and warm sugar dusted pastries that melt on your tongue are just some of the things that describe the food in France. In many ways, understanding the food is understanding France itself. The French take pride in their cooking. In France, it is said the way you prepare and serve your meal reflects upon you and your family. France has set the bar in terms of high culinary standards. Some of France’s traditional dishes can be dated back to the fifteenth century, where dishes were decorated lavishly to hide the use of rotting food in the homes of the rich. Later on, food was decorated and flavored not to hide the rotting food, but to emphasize the flavors of the regional food (Lowen 36). In France, there are many different types of cooking, due to the geographical differences of the country. In the Northwestern regions, they specialize in fruit, and in dairy. In the Southeastern region, the main foods they use are heavy meat and lard, due to the close proximity to Germany. Northern regions usually have more wheat, cheese, and beer. The Southern region serves more herbs, olive oil, tomatoes, and spices, which is cuisine du terrior, more traditional cooking (France and Their French Culinary Traditions). In the many regions of France, along with different cooking styles, there are regional wines. The French produce around seven to eight billion bottles a year. France is the second largest wine producer, behind Spain (French Wine). In Alsace, Eastern France, white wines are produced in bulk there. Additionally, in Eastern France, Beaujolais, is primarily a red wine region. In Champagne, North Eastern France, sparkling wines are produced there, along with some rose, and white (French Wine). There are over fifty different wine regions, each with a wine they specialize in. Wine is served throughout the day, with every meal. Children start drinking wine around the age of thirteen with their meals. Younger children also join in, but their wine is diluted with water. Typically a red wine is served at the end of the meal with a platter of cheeses, to signal the end of the meal. In France, there are three hundred to four hundred distinct types of cheeses grouped into eight categories, les huit familles de fromage (List of French Cheeses). The cheeses are made with different milk to give it different flavors. The most popular are cow, ewe, and goat milk. The animal milk gives the cheeses different flavors based upon the animal’s diet, and because each animal has a different protein and acidic combination. Cheeses also get different flavors by the environment in which they are produced. It is said that each person in France consumes about forty-five pounds of cheese every year. France is said to be the â€Å"Cheese Capital of the World† (List of French Cheeses). Cheese is a staple part of everyday life in France. Breakfast in France is a light meal, consisting of a small platter of fresh fruit from the local farmers market, a small tartine, which is half a buttered baguette, with your choice of jams or jellies to dip them in (Culinary Ambassadors-Breakfast in France). Also at the breakfast table, one can find hot chocolate for the children and hot espressos for the adults. Drinks that are normally reserved for winter, however, the French enjoy them all year round. Lunch is taken very seriously in France. Most lunch breaks are two hours long! Normally, lunch starts at eleven and ends at one. Most Southern businesses take longer breaks, due to the Mediterranean being right there; they might fish, or take a swim before returning to work for the afternoon (France Property and Information). The lunch time food will normally depend on the region, because most meals in France consist of fresh and local ingredients. Dinner in France is the most important meal of the day; normally eaten late in the evening, it consist of many dishes and courses, even for a family dinner. Even the most simple of dishes, are presented elegantly and taste excellent. The first part of a party dinner meal would be L’Aperitif, which consist of small alcoholic drinks and small bites of hot food, to stimulate the appetite. After that, the host serves L’Entree (Appetizer), during this time; the guest could be served anything from capers to small bowls of hot soups. Le Plat Principal, the main course, will most likely have fish or beef, and local vegetables. The next part, La Fromage (cheese), will have a wide variety of cheeses to pertain to every guests taste. After the guests finish their cheese plates, they move on to La’ Cafe (coffee), which is normally taken in the living room and served with a small piece of chocolate, which is said to increase the flavor. To signal the end of the meal, the hosts’ serves Le Diegestif, which consist of strong alcoholic beverages such a cognac, brandy, or whiskey. The French use this to end the meal to signal awareness of the dangers of drunk driving. (Courses of a French Dinner). Also on holidays such as, Christmas, or New Years, the men end the night by smoking cigars and drinking strong alcohol. In France, holidays such as, Christmas, are very important. During the Christmas meal, La revillion, which is held at midnight mass on Christmas Eve, the main course for this meal varies from region to region. The meal is very similar to a party dinner, except for their dessert menu; in Provence, they serve thirteen desserts to represent Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts are traditionally set out on Christmas Eve and remain on the table three days until December twenty-seventh (List of Christmas Dishes). The most well know and popular dessert of the Christmas season is the Yule Log, Buche de Nol. The Yule Log is a small cake, normally chocolate, that is in the shape of the traditional Yule Log the French used to burn from Christmas to New Year to symbolize good luck. Henry Bourne was the first to use the Yule log in the seventeenth century (Christmas in France). Many chefs are trained in the art of French cooking. Antoine Careme, the first nationally recognized chef in the eighteenth century was known as the â€Å"King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings†. Another famous chef, George Auguste Escoffier, made a modernization of Careme’s traditional recipes. Escoffier lent his talents in the opening in the Ritz and Carlton Hotels that he opened with is partner, Caesar Ritz. Charles Ranhofer is known as one of the most famous chefs because; he brought French cooking to American cities. Ranhofer first brought French cuisine to New York’s famed Delmonico’s restaurant. Delmonico’s served many great people, from President Johnson, President U. S Grant, and many foreign ambassadors with his modified French-American cooking (Famous Chefs in History). Any writings about French Chefs won’t be complete with out mentioning Julia Child. Child’s starting cooking at the age of thirty-four, when she moved to Paris with her husband. At that time, she came up with her great epiphany; â€Å"Good food is more that roast beef and mashed potatoes. † After that life changing moment, Child enrolled in Le Cordon Blue cooking school. After she completed the course, she wrote her infamous cook book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Child’s went on to become the first â€Å"Celebrity Chef† with T. V shows, more books, and magazine articles. Many chefs use Child’s recipes in their restaurants. In Paris alone, there are over five thousand restaurants, and with that many places to eat, it’s sometimes hard to choose. (French Food Facts). The Michelin Guide is a series of books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The guide originally started out as a hotel and restaurant guide to help guide tourists to places that best fit their needs (Michelin Guide). The first book was distributed in the nineteen-hundreds for free, but now they charge for each edition. The guide began recognizing outstanding restaurants in the1920’s. By listing a restaurant in the guide, two or three stars is usually added to their ratings, and yield twenty-five percent more business for the following year (France Property and Food). The modern restaurant got its start from France. Prior to the eighteenth century people who wished to â€Å"dine out† would visit their local guild member’s kitchen, and have their meal prepared for them there. In the mid 1700’s, the first restaurants started appearing. These locations were open all times of the day, and they all featured the finest china and the prices were reasonable. The most famous French restaurants were started by ex-monarchy cooks, who left in the years leading up to the French Revolution (French Cuisine). The making of French food is difficult, and most of all, time consuming, but the end product is worth it. All of the history and techniques that go into a single meal is outstanding. From the French language, bon appetit has been a familiar saying known around the world. Meaning good appetite and enjoy your meal. So, â€Å"Bon Appetit. † Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or playing music. ~ Julia Child Works Cited â€Å"Culinary Ambassadors. † Serious Seats. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Famous Chefs In History. † Street Dictionary. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"French Christmas. † Santas. net. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"French Dinner. † Wise Geek. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"French Wine. † Wikipedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"List of French Cheeses. † Wikipedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"List of Christmas Dishes. † Wikipedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . Lowen , Nancy. Food in France. Vero Beach, Florida: Rourke Publications Inc, 1991. Print. â€Å"Michelin Guide. † Wikipedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.

Illegal Drug Control

Those questions are addressed in this report which reviews drug ppolicy and results in Australia. In 1998, United Nations Member States met in a Special Session of the General Assembly and agreed to take tougher action to reduce both the illicit supply of, and the demand for, drugs before 2008. Australia has taken that pledge seriously. In 1998 it introduced a â€Å"Tough on Drugs Strategy† that aims to reduce drug supply, trafficking, and demand as well as the harm caused by drugs. This Strategy seems to be working: drug use levels have dropped significantly. Indeed, the turn around has been dramatic.To improve global efforts to contain the threat posed by drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) seeks to increase the body of knowledge available to ppolicy makers. That includes collecting success stories. If Australia continues to build on its recent progress, it too could become a success story and provide inspiration and valuable lessons for other countri es. This report, following a ssimilar UNODC study of Sweden’s drug ppolicy (2006), aims to contribute to a growing body of evidence that will help countries bring their drug problems under control.Antonio Maria Costa Executive Director United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 3 In response to increases in drug abuse in the 1990’s Australia implemented a vigilant drug control strategy. As this report makes clear, drug control has long been a priority of recent Governments and effective changes in recent years were due to pro-active, empirically-based drug control strategy, and a well developed system of services at the state and local levels. This report analyses the developments and changes in Australia’s drug policies over the last decades and their impact.Australia implemented a rather repressive drug control ppolicy from the beginning of the 20th century. This worked well until the 1970s. Australia shifted to harm-reduction approaches as of the mid 1980s, wit h a sthrong emphasis on prevention and treatment. This helped Australia to avoid a large-scale injecting drug use (IDU) related HIV/AIDS epidemic. In contrast to alcohol and tobacco where Australia achieved remarkable demand reduction through prevention activities, drug abuse continued rising and reached alarming levels by 1998.In 1998 Australia introduced a National Illicit Drugs Strategy â€Å"Tough on Drugs† which strengthened the supply control aspects without weakening demand-side interventions or giving up harm-reduction approaches. In the case of heroin, the strategy focused clearly on a reduction of supply. There followed higher heroin prices, lower heroin purity and ultimately substantially lower levels of heroin consumption. Drug related deaths declined, as well as drug related crime.WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PROVIDES THE CLEAREST INDICATION OF A DRUG ADDICTION?Answer at this question at  https://donemyessay.com/unit-5-review/Use of other drugs also declined, both am ong the general population and among secondary school sstudents- mainly due to improved prevention and treatment activities and more funds made available by the authorities to drug control in general. The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) incorporated many of the leading drug experts of the country and strengthened calls for higher budgets in the fight against the drug problem. Australia's drug ppolicy has been based on a broad ppolicy mix of supply reduction, demand reduction and harm minimisation policies. In addition, Australia has made commendable efforts at advancing the knowledge base for policy making. The country has consistently conducted in-depth research and evaluations of its various strategies and programmes – subsequently adjusting them according to efficacy. This concentration on empirically-based ppolicy formulation continues to demonstrate positive results. The drug ppolicy was largely bi-partisan in nature as the States as well as the federal Gover nment participated in its formulation and implementation (Until recently, the individual States were governed by different political parties than federal Australia). A new Australian Government, elected in late 2007, is yet to leave its mark on domestic drug strategies.

Risk & Uncertainty - Microeconomics 3rd Year Essay

Risk & Uncertainty - Microeconomics 3rd Year - Essay Example The expected utility function has some very convenient properties of analysing choice under uncertainty. Since to insure or not to insure is a choice we can apply it to an insurance problem. Indifference curves is used to measure utility or level of satisfaction as will be seen later. An individual’s certainty equivalent (CE) of a lottery is the amount of money that the individual is willing to pay to avoid the risk of the lottery i.e. to get the expected value (EV) instead of the lottery. For a risk averse individual CE 0 for all lottery. In the real world insurance is not actuarially fair. In the previous example it was assumed that the insurance did not charge anything to cover operating expenses or to allow for profit. In the cases that follow a loading factor is added to cover operating expenses and thus makes insurance actuarially unfair. This implies that ∠ > EV of the insurance benefit. The options available to the individual is a lower line with slope = p1/p2. At the initial point E is larger and therefore the line is lower. An indifference curve through the original point yields the diagram above (right). In diagram above (right) E (fixed loading) is larger this implies x = 0 with fixed loading and the optimal choice is no insurance in this case as the indifference curve lies above the actuarial line which is suggestive that it does provide the level of utility required by the individual. It is optimal for the consumer to choose F where w – (1 + m)px = w – L + x – px –mpx which implies x = 1 (representative of full insurance). A fair line F implies that an indifference curve is tangent to the line at F. see diagram (left)

Strategy implementation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategy implementation - Assignment Example The names on the left are pocket-friendly; they are cheaper the further the arrow goes. As one move, the opposite direction to the right brands gets more expensive prices rise. Across the vertical side on the horizontal axis brands are more expensive. The price increase so does the content of the brands. The arrows also mean that one can get expensive and yet light brands or heavy brands depending on the closeness to the axis. All brands above the horizontal axis are heavy brands regardless of the price it costs. All those below the horizontal axis, there are brands that are light whether budget wise or are on the premium side. Above is a perceptual map for the shampoo market. Just like the beer perceptual map, the shampoo perceptual shows the different segments formed in the market for the products. There are different view and test that different people in the market will want. A Price of a product is always a critical factor to consider when purchasing a product. In the case of different types of shampoos, have different scents. The Net worth of a company shows how much a company would remain with is if it decided to end its business operations. When calculating the net worth of an entity or shareholders’ equity, sum up all assets both current and fixed and find the sum of all the liabilities the firm has. They include current liabilities and long-term liabilities To calculate the price-earnings ratio, one just finds the current price of the stock of a company and then divide it by earnings per share. In short, it is a ration of an organization’s stock price to that of the firm’s earnings per share. Outstanding shares are the common stock that a company authorizes to be issued and purchased by investors. Capital change will be the value in the equity column less the value in the increase of the company’s

European Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

European Financial Crisis - Essay Example Some countries such as Germany have adopted a very firm position on how to handle the situation which does not go well with other nations who have a contrary opinion (Hummel, 2013). There has been a slow as well as the indecisive response from the European decision-makers. The issues involve a large number of nations with different divergent approaches towards solving the crisis which has contributed to the slow pace of implementing the recommendations. Germany insisted on the adoption of stern actions aimed at reducing the budgetary deficits based on the postponement of other solutions. The slow response by the leaders allowed the problem to spread from one nation to another and the condition worsened at every instance. Those responsible for the crisis in the financial sector include the commercial banks that have continued to use riskier financial instruments that have led to banks becoming weak in the sense that they have to use their personal funds to finance their huge deficits rather than lending to other firms as well as households. The crisis is due to the continued problems witnessed in the banking sector across entire Europe. The banks have been deemed to be susceptible to changes in the financial sector (Doyran, 2011). The political class is responsible for the crisis in the government due to their hard and tough stance towards the coming up with solutions to the crisis. The political leaders are responsible for the violation of the set rules governing the operations of the European Union.

Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security Essay - 2

Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security - Essay Example In today's era internet is used as a promotional tool by many global and international organizations. Organizations make use of internet to capture market in today's competitive environment. The Internet is useful for attracting customers by providing them a great variety of services and relevant information about the products or services. There are specific digital internet sources mostly used for the purpose including official websites, social networking sites, blogs, etc (Silverstein, 2001). Marketing, customer dealing, promotion, and other operational management procedures have become much easier within past few years due to remarkable advent and advancements of internet technology. With the advancements of internet, communication modes have become very fast, diverse, and smart (Silverstein, 2001). The World Wide Web has brought tremendous change in the way businesses are run in multinational corporations. For successful business progress, advertising and marketing are two most important tools and with the revolutionized modern technology internet has become exceedingly popular among businesses of all sizes. Mainly because internet has pull out all businesses from tissue-thin, pages of directory for contact details and advices from friends and family members for establishing businesses (Silverstein, 2001). Now business professionals have an opportunity to learn business and marketing techniques from e-sources.

Fight club Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fight club - Essay Example As a response to the crisis, the narrator begins a nostalgic backlash that will help him to grapple with the outcome of the crisis. As the backlash materializes as aggressive affirmations of manhood, he comes disillusioned with the struggles in his life. He comes to terms with his crisis and decides to enter into a relationship with Marla Singer. The narrator’s life is characterized by undeviating job and life experiences. He considers his job boring and his life dreary. However, things turn when he met Tyler Durden during one of his flights. After the meeting, his life began to transform based on the ideas of manhood gained from Durden. The narrator realizes that emasculation in a society drives men to a rugged life, which leads to revolt. In the book, emasculation is a central theme. The male characters in the book have become slaves to a world of consumerism. The narrator notes that he â€Å"was not the only slave to my nesting instinct. The people I know used to sit in the bathroom with pornography, now they sit in the bathroom with their IKEA furniture catalogue† (Palahniuk 43). Nesting instincts are not associated with men because they do not become pregnant, and they do not give birth. This is the first instant in which the audience meets an emasculated character in the book. This statement shows that men have abandoned their duties and assumed new roles that give them nesting instincts. Emasculation is a central theme because it has been portrayed by the narrator in his association with support groups. The narrator states that emasculation has been caused by the consumer culture. He finds solace in a support group for people with testicular cancer (Collado 47). In my opinion, this is a metaphor that is meant to support the idea for emasculation. During his interactions with members of the support group, he met Bob, who was a former body builder. Jack learns that as a result of the testicular cancer, Bob has started to develop

Illegal immigrants who commited violent crimes and have U.S. Citizen Essay

Illegal immigrants who commited violent crimes and have U.S. Citizen - Essay Example America's â€Å"Birth Right citizenship† rule is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment and has turn illegal immigration not only into a gray area, but a sad one for those illegal immigrant status parents who are forcibly separated from their children who are then placed in the foster care system. From January to June of 2011, more than 46,000 parents with illegal immigrant status were deported by ICE with 21,860 parents asked to leave the country but leave their children as well. These parents are mostly illegals who have violent crime convictions as the government has chosen to concentrate on the the reasons for deportation rather than just simply basing the deportation on not having legal documents to be residing in the United States(Gonzales, â€Å"Report: 22% of Deportees Have U.S. Born Children†). One must point out that the Obama administration has been the most compassionate when addressing the issue of illegal immigrant parent status for the American born childr en. According to Gonzales (â€Å" â€Å"Report: 22% of Deportees Have U.S. Born Children†): ICE statistics show that 74% of the 46,486 parents of U.S.-citizen children deported had been convicted of crimes. Another 13% had been previously removed from the country, and 4% were fugitives — immigrants who failed to comply with deportation orders. As proven by the aforementioned statistics, selective deportation may be the key to controlling our illegal immigrant problem in terms of those having U.S. born children. It is an acknowledged fact that being born on U.S. soil does not automatically bestow citizenship on the parents of the child. But it does so for the child and by deporting the parents and keeping the child on U.S. soil, our government has a hand in one of the most inhuman and cruel acts that can be committed by an individual. That of separating a parent from a child and breaking up a family. Further complicating the situation, is the fact that the Fourteenth A mendment, which was drafted after the Civil War in order to ensure that the citizenship of freed slaves and their descendants would be protected. The â€Å"birth right† law has not seen even an iota of amending since it was conceived and thus serves the purpose of the illegal immigrants whose children are born in the United States. This is because the law was enacted during the time when the United States still had vast resources in terms of land, food, water, etc., and thus had unregulated immigration. Since our government has kept that law intact to this very day, then the government has no right to deport illegal immigrant status parents from the country (â€Å"Should Birth Right Citizenship Be Denied for U.S. Born Children of Illegal Immigrants?†). This unamendended law has become the basis of heartlessness within our government in terms of dealing with illegal immigrant status parents. In fact, it was U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif who said that the repo rt on the statistics pertaining to the illegal immigrant parent removals shows: â€Å"... the terrible toll our broken immigration system is taking on families...We can't continue to claim to value families while deporting parents in the tens of thousands.† (Gonzales, â€Å"Stats Detail Deportation of Parents†). The problems posed by the situation are clear to all those concerned. The real question is, â€Å"

Anything that is commonly discussable or interesting Research Paper

Anything that is commonly discussable or interesting - Research Paper Example In Medieval Latin, it was considered to be a â€Å"crime against nature†. In today’s world, some believe that it is a natural desire, not an acquired behavior or lifestyle choice, therefore, it is moral. On the other hand, some believes that this behavior is an adaptation, not inherent nature of human being. It distorts the divine mandate (procreation), marriage, physical and psychological health of human being, therefore, it is immoral. This research paper posits that homosexuality is unnatural and it defies the sanctity of marriage, divine purpose of procreation, and therefore, it is immoral practice. One of the major reasons behind the opposition of homosexual relationship is that it is unnatural, therefore, immoral and must not be practiced. Corvino argues that most of the opposition for homosexuality stems from five basic interpretations of â€Å"naturalness†. He exclaims what unnatural really means for opponents. There are many things that people value and consider ethical are unnatural, for instance, clothing, housing, medicine, government or organizational systems. On the other hand, people detest many natural things, such as, death, misery, disease. Later events are entirely natural but people find it hard to accept them (309). In order to understand opponents’ idea of unnatural, Corvino borrows its five definitions from Burton Leiser. Firstly, Leiser believes that what is unusual or abnormal is unnatural. It implies that homosexual relationship deviates from the norm and what most people practice. It is obvious that most people get into heterosexual relationship; however, Corvino argues that it does not make homosexual relationship wrong. He asserts that most people don’t learn Sanskrit, play mandolin, pilot ships, breed goats, or write with both hands, yet none of these are considered immoral on the basis of their unusualness (310). He further quotes Ramsey

Advocacy roles in professional nursing Research Paper

Advocacy roles in professional nursing - Research Paper Example This paper aims at discussing the various roles that define advocacy, factors that influence advocacy, and factors that hinder advocacy in the nursing profession. Roles that Define Advocacy Advocacy is part of the requirement for nurses to act safely when performing their normal duties. However, there has been an ongoing debate on the issue of advocacy and this illustrates that it is important to define the term before drawing conclusions. According to the Royal College of Nursing (1990), advocacy refers to the process of taking actions on behalf of an individual who is unable to make such actions by themselves (Hanks, 2008). The other definition derived from the Compact Oxford English Dictionary is that advocacy involves pleading for another person. The two definitions have a common idea and that is, nursing have a genuine desire to care for patients who are in a vulnerable position. This implies that nurses should always take actions in the best interests of their patients. Literat ure information on nursing advocacy indicates that the concept traces its origin back to 1970s when it was first introduced. The concept was later on recognized as part of the nursing profession in 1980s. During this time, nurses were considered for the role of advocacy because they spent most of their time in direct contact with patients. When an individual falls sick, the sickness often makes it difficult for such people to take actions on their own. This creates a situation whereby they require someone to assist them in doing a number of things that they are unable to perform independently. Therefore, such sick people become dependent on other individuals. It is in this case that a nurse becomes an advocate and this requires that they get knowledge in a number of areas in order to perform their roles effectively. Nursing has become the heart and soul of the nursing profession. The most important role that defines advocacy in the nursing profession is the role of taking care of pa tients. Nurses play the role of looking after the well being of patients. For instance, they remind a doctor about changes in medication or calling the attention of the doctor that a patient is not ready for discharge (Quallich, 2010). According to research studies, there are three core values that define the basis for nursing advocacy including preservation of human dignity, patient equality, and freedom from suffering. Preservation of human dignity is what brings out the role of respect in defining advocacy. Every individual has the right to be treated with honor and respect (Mahlin, 2010). In cases of illness, most of the patients and members of their families are often in a state of confusion. This requires a caregiver that can assist them navigate through unfamiliar parts of the healthcare system including interpretation of tests and the provision of emotional as well as physical support. Cultural and ethnic beliefs of a patient play an integral role in influencing the comfort levels of patients and therefore nurses should respect them. The nurses should also be considerate to the private issues that relate to the patient. Freedom from suffering involves the nurses having the conviction for the welfare of the patient. Research studies indicate that majority of nurses pursue a career in nursing because of their desire to help others. From the patient’s perspective, helping prevent pain or suffering is the most important aspect of care. Nurses can only achieve their goal of helping others if only they consider the welfare of patients their top priority. Equality requires that

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Though the novel is entitled The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the story is told by Huck, the key character in the novel is Jim The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has two key characters, one is the slave Jim, the other; the protagonist Huck. Jim and Huck could each be considered the key characters for different reasons, Jim as he is the main representative of the typical slave (slavery being the most important theme of this novel) and Huck for he is the main storyteller. Jim is an important character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and without him the novel would be ineffectual. However The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about the adventures of the protagonist Huck, and it is more likely that the key character of this novel is Huck because we see everything from his view. In a novel which is written as a satiric social comment upon the southern states of America Jims role as the manifestation of slavery must be a key one. Incidents in which Jim interacts with other characters and their reactions to him are meant to symbolise the wider societys opinions on slaves and the practice of slavery. Jim, is a heroic figure in a book whose main characters consist of liars, cheats and scoundrels. Jim always does the right thing if he can, he always feels empathy for others even if those people show no such emotions for him. The incident at the end of the novel when he saves Tom and risks what he believes to be his own freedom is a case in point. We empathise with Jim because even though other characters suggest that his feelings are least important, whose life is lesser, whose existence is trivial, he manages to stay cheerful, and even kind to those who treat him in this manner. This quality makes him even more heroic, for he is a figure who turns the other cheek, and is kind to others no matter what. Jim doesnt lie or cheat, or steal or gamble and looks down on these activities. Jim is never bitter, he never complains, and never expects Huck to return or even notice what he does for him. However this is no to say that Huck is not heroic himself, his support for Jim, a black man, who Huck has been taught is inferior and as important as a pack horse is astounding, and displays that Huck is strong enough and heroic enough to make the harder choice and choose his heart over his conscience. An example of Huck choosing his heart occurs just after Jim has been sold by the King and the Duke for forty dollars, Huck believes he has been forced to make a choice between Jim and heaven. He chooses Jim with the words All right then, Ill go to hell. It is Jims escape and the subsequent threat of his re-capture that provides the reason for himself and Huck to leave the island and travel down the river where most of their adventures occur. Without Jim Twain would lack a reason for Huck to travel down the river and experience what he experiences, without Jim this would be little more than a story about a boy who fakes his own death, and then lives on an island. Add to this the fact that Jim is the leader during the travel down the river. He is the one who knows all the signs of weather, either good or bad, it is he who makes their journey its success and ensures their lives. Jim is the maturest out of himself and Huck. Hucks immaturity is shown when he puts the rattlesnake in Jims sleeping bag, or when he plays a trick on Jim during the fog. Jims maturity is displayed by his reaction to the incident when Huck plays a trick on him during the fog. Without Jim the novel would be innefectual because Hucks development would be stunted without him. One prime example of Jims importance occurs when Huck comes closer to fully realising that Jim is a real person too and the colour of his skin does not diminish his humanity. Huck has realised that Jim is a human and that he should not play tricks on him or regard him as stupid, around the end of the novel Huck says I knowed he was white inside, Huck is expresing his realisation that Jim is a human in the only way he knows through making Jim white. Hucks realisation is well brought across to us just after he has hidden in the fog, and returned to Jim, Jim works out that Huck is trying to trick him and reacts very badly to Hucks prank. Huck then says. it was fifteen minutes before I could work myself to humble to a nigger- but I done it, and I warnt ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didnt do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldnt done that one if Id knowed it would make him feel that way. Huck and Jim have a symbiotic relationship, they need each other Huck needs Jim to remain dynamic and keep our attention, and Jim needs Huck to justify his presence in the novel. Jims effect on Huck is huge it is through Jim that Huck begins to learn about how the colour of skin does not alter the person inside. An example of this occurs when Huck says and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for theirn . Huck justifies Jims existence as a character of substance in this novel, for through helping Huck and caring for him, Jim is makes an impact on the reader, and hence makes his position in the novel as one of its main characters more tenable. However while it is obviously true that Jim teaches Huck he is not Hucks only teacher, several other characters such as Pap and Tom also teach Huck valuable lessons. One example of Huck being taught by someone other than Jim occurs when Huck says If I never learnt nothin else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way. It is through Huck and his reactions to various events that Twain passes on his opinions to the reader. Huck is a character through which the author, in Twain puts across his point of view, for example Hucks realisation that Jim is also a human and also important. Twain is trying to get this message across to the public. Huck is a representation of the common person at the beginning of the novel. He is white, uneducated, simple, and not willing to think about what he is told just willing to accept it. Hucks realisations about right and wrong, and importantly his own ability to determine this for himself are drawn out and argued logically inside a story which will hold the readers attention. Through Huck Twain frames all the key issues of freedom, racism and slavery, personal integrity and social rebellion against social attitudes of the period. This occurs when Huck interacts with key characters who are representative of a theme or an idea being presented by Twain. For example his interaction with Tom who represents conventional social attitudes, as the novel progresses Huck is less inclined to accept what Tom says or does as correct. One example of this occurs when Huck quits Tom Sawyers band of thieves, he no longer agrees with Tom, and many of Toms imagined incidents such as that of rading the summer school picnic no longer hold any credence with Huck. This moving away from Tom and what he represents, is an indication of Twains rejection of conventional social values. Jim is the symbolic representation of only one of these points of discussion, slavery. Jim is only a part of that whole because he represents only one of the themes that Twain is discussing in this novel. Unlike Huck, Jim is not the one who reveals the authors opinions through his actions and reactions he is merely representative of one of these ideas. Without Hucks presence the novel lacks a unifying element. Jim is unable to fill the void in this regard as he is a relatively static character who does not change. This is unlike the dynamic Huck who changes some of his opinions and learns about many things ranging from serious issues such as slavery to simpler things such as to how to discern what the weather will be. The most important factor that leads me to argue that Huck is the protagonist comes from the fact that the whole novel is told in first person. It is Hucks views not Jims that we get, it is his outlook that colours our opinion, and most importantly his vernacular we read. In fact Jim himself is seen through Hucks eyes, with Hucks opinion colouring our own. Huck is omnipresent, this is not so with Jim he continuously disappears when it does not serve Twain to have him in the episode. Debates inside Hucks mind, the incident when Huck plays a trick on Jim during the fog, and even the whole Shepardson, Grangerford incident are lacking the presence of Jim. When Huck meets the Shepardsons and the Grangerfords, for example Jim magically disappears into the bushes to repair the raft. Huck is in every moment of the novel, and other characters are merely there because they interact with Huck, Jim is no exception. Jim is an extremely important character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Jim represents slavery the major theme of the novel, is forgiving, and kind, however this makes him a heroic character, not the key character. Huck on the other hand is the key character by virtue of his predominance throughout the book, he is on every page, and every line and unlike Jim he is the character who reveals and in effect discusses issues through his reactions, action and interaction with other characters. Hence it is fair and logical to conclude that although important Jim is not the key character of the novel, that honour must go to Huck.

Musical Cabaret Overview And Analysis Theatre Essay

Musical Cabaret Overview And Analysis Theatre Essay I choose the musical Cabaret as it is a very powerful story, set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis were rising to power; it focuses on different controversial issues of its time period. A number of issues are explored throughout the unfolding story of the cabaret such as sexual freedom, politics and anti-semitism I feel audiences will be attracted to this Musical because of its powerful lyrics and storyline, in particular, the two love stories: Cliff Bradshaw and Sally Bowles; Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, and the way the different characters are portrayed in the musical. 2. Text: What are the ideas the playwright/ librettist is trying to express? What is the relevance of the musical to contemporary Australian audiences? The romantic love stories of two couples and the impact society has on their relationships: the story of a young English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw; and the other story of a German boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Both relationships are doomed to failure. The musical is very relevant to contemporary Australian audiences Audience will want to see this production, not only does it have excellent music but it portrays some very strong controversial issue of the time period. These issues are still present in our time. It is also important that we as Australians are reminded of the historical past and what we can learn to fight intolerance. 3. Costume, Sets and Props: What requirements are there in each of these areas? Costume Emcee wearing a long black leather coat and boots, eyes highlighted with blue eye shadow, lips coloured blood red, bowtie attached to parachute harness Each cabaret girl to portray a distinct personality need to sing, dance, act and play musical instrument, they do not have to look spectacular, look like scanky low class girls. Cabaret girls wear scant lacy undergarments with holes and ladders in the stockings. The figures onstage look ghoulish. Sally Bowles various refer to photograph images below: Ernst Ludwig dressed in trench coat in Act 1, Scene 2, and brown suite, etc. Cliff Bradshaw dressed in woollen suit and vest + tie. Herr Schultz -see photograph images below Fraulein Schneider -see photograph images below Fraulein Kost -see photograph images below Sets Act 1 Scene 1: Cabaret Scene Broken light bulbs surrounding stage see model. Act 1 Scene 2: Train Carriage Front of stage Act 1 Scene 3: Fraulein Schneider Boarding House Backdrop of 3 doors with light fixture dropped from ceiling, see model. Act 1 Scene 4: Cabaret Scene Kit Kat Klub full stage Act 1 Scene 5: Cabaret Scene Kit Kat Klub near spiral staircase Sallys dressing room Act 1 Scene 6: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 1 Scene 7: Cabaret Scene full stage again, focus on kit kat klub Act 1 Scene 8: Living Room of Fraulein Schneiders boarding house right side of stage Act 1 Scene 9: Front of Stage Act 1 Scene 10: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 1 Scene 11: Living Room of Fraulein Schneiders boarding house right side of stage Act 1 Scene 12: The Fruit Shop window suspended Act 2 Scene 1: Cabaret Scene Act 2 Scene 2: The Fruit Shop Act 2 Scene 3: Front of Stage Act 2 Scene 4: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 2 Scene 5: Cabaret Scene Kit Kat Klub Act 2 Scene 6: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 2 Scene 7: Railway Station / Cabaret Scene Props Optional 6 tables with telephones in cabaret scene Train carriage bench seat or 3 chairs Brown suitcase x 2 Black briefcase Typewriter and case Newspaper Table or large trunk and 2 chairs Optional dressing table, mirror to one side near stage left spiral staircase front of stage Suitcase (Sally) + 3 more Sally wearing fur coat 6 chairs. Girls dance on them for caberet scene Brown paper bag containing pineapple Small wind-up gramophone Table and 2 chairs Bottle of Gin + 2 glass Large gift-wrapped package Envelope with money Box containing fruit bowl Suitcase (Schultz) 4. Briefly outline how lighting and sound will contribute to your production. Prepare a list of the sound and light effects you would like and indicate when they occur in the production. Lighting Design A single normal house bayonet light hanging down in the centre of stage, this would be used for a symbolism of inside a room and the lighting which would normally illuminate the room. For this musical, the lighting design will have to be very carefully planned, in terms of position such as, angles and thrust distance. As well as fixture selection taking into consideration the physical characteristics such as beam size, wattage, luminosity, fixture type, etc. To light this stage effectively the stage will be broken up into a grid and each part of the stage will be illuminated I would like to use intelligent fixtures with conventional fixtures. The intelligent fixtures would be great for scenes like the Kit Kat Club as this scene depends on colours and shadows to give the audience the right illusion of a seedy night club. Also, the beam of an intelligent fixture is quite sharp and doesnt really produce much spill on stage so it would be fantastic for solo spots. I would incorporate the use of follow spots, as I would like to keep the show in its traditional form and in keeping with the historical context. Follow spots are good for things like the Emcee as he moves around the stage. For the cabaret scenes, use of deep blues, purples and pinks colours silhouetting the Kit Kat Club girls on stage. Lightings surrounding the stage and suspended window, door arches (e.g. I have included photos from previous shows I have designed to illustrate my ideas see at the end of this report), and the second stage level floor will be bordered with festoon lights. These lights can then be chased. I want to portray a very dingy, run down club where some of the globes will be broken or missing, at the same time as the girls on stage will look sexy, as well as giving the set a very seedy appearance. There are three main different sets common in this production: train scene, inside Fraulein Schneiders boarding house, and inside the Kit Kat Klub. Each one of these different sets has a different appearance where the lighting is used to highlight and mark the difference to the set. For the train scenes, the lighting on stage will be focused mainly in front of the proscenium line with the rest of the stage in darkness. The colours used for this particular scene will consist of open white, fixtures will not be at full intensity as I want to achieve a dull Tuscan amber appearance. Lighting in the train carriage is not really bright and the majority of the light source will be coming from windows letting in the outside light from outside lights. The second set scene is inside Fraulein Schneiders boarding house the lighting will be very much the same as in the first scene inside the train carriage. However, more of the stage will be lit, up to the back walls revealing three doors. Top level of the set remains in darkness as it is for the cabaret scenes for the Kit Kat Klub. There will be at least 3 hot spots for the boarding house scene where both Cliff and Fraulein Schneider move in most of the scenes. These hot spots will be located along the front proscenium line along the edge of the stage, and 3 lighting hotspots along in front of each door. Colours used will remain dim; most of the light on stage will look like its coming from the one hanging lighting batten as a light fixture which is incorporated into the set. The lighting will aim to show an old run-down boarding house where maintenance has been neglected. The final set is inside the Kit Kat Klub, the entire stage will be washed in purples, pinks, reds, blues and a bit of white thrusters to illuminate faces. The scene is set in a seedy and dirty-looking night club. For the lighting of this scene I want the lighting to cast a silhouette effect on the girls dancing for the cabaret numbers. As the music changes and different scenes are set in different parts of the Kit Kat Klub the lighting changes with the mood. The majority of the lighting for these scenes will be coming from sources side, top, and behind of stage. The lighting creates a powerful perspective illustrating the emotions portrayed on stage. An effect only seen when we are inside the Kit Kat Klub is the festoon lights surrounding the edges of the stage and the suspended mirror in the backdrop of the set. When inside the Kit Kat Klub these lights are just on still, but when during song numbers these lights will be chasing forward, the classic Broadway lighting effect. Main actors will be lit with use of the follow spot, the rest will remain in silhouette. Sound Design All the music for the songs would be performed live by the band/orchestra which I intend to incorporate into the production by having them seen by the audience and positioned in acting blocked areas framed upstairs in the suspended picture frame. Various sound effects will be used to help portray to the audience realism. For Act 1 Scene 2 Cliff is on a train to Berlin a screeching sound effect of a steam train travelling is used as background sound as if they are actually in a train carriage. To mark the opening of scene 2, a train whistle sound effect is used. Another effect used is of a crashing symbol to mark the change of scene. A sound effect used for act one scene 9, is of a voice of a young boy singing beautifully and the sound of a steam train in the background. Another sound effect is of a window shattering to mark the end of Act 2 scene 2. 5. Characters and actors: what kind of people are the characters of the musical? In what kind of world do they exist? If you had complete freedom of choice, what actors would you cast in your production? Emcee Sally Bowles Cliff Bradshaw Fraulein Schneider Herr Schultz Fraulein Kost Ernst Ludwig is a member of the Nazi Party and befriends Cliff Cabaret Girls Cabaret Boys are homosexual and work at the Kit Kat Klub 6. How many production crew/ staff are required to stage this production (during the season ignore pre-production)? Draw up a running crew list, with a description of what each person will be responsible for. Title Quantity Description of responsibility S7tage manager 1 Production week ensure all set building, lighting equipment, props, costumes, furniture and equipment ready. Do cue sheets, prop settings and running order Prepare assistant stage managers running plot Do lighting and sound synopsis Organise time fro technical rehearsal and dress rehearsal At technical rehearsal, make all final checks and discuss all effects with Director Time cues and calls in prompt book Finalize all elements of prompt book Attend dress rehearsal and note any problems. First night and performance run Check everything Remain calm Reset play after performances Give calls and check all actors and crew present Liaise with front of house staff Note any alterations or repairs necessary. Lighting Designer 1 Rehearsal: Go though the musical scene-by-scene with the Director to plan precise lighting details. Work out presets and cues and help stage manager to mark the prompt book Buy or hire equipment as needed Work out a lighting synopsis with the stage manager Production week: Rig and focus lighting fixtures Attend technical rehearsal and test lighting and solve problems Make final adjustments and prepare controls Lighting Operator 1 Program lighting cues as discussed during rehearsals with stage manager and director. Attend technical and dress rehearsals. Fix any problems with lighting designer. Assist with lighting designer with making final adjustments. Makes sure has all cues written in script Operate the lighting console for the session Sound Engineer/ operator 2 Attend Production meetings and rehearsals Research, planning and purchasing sound effects recordings, equipment, supplies Met with Director Hire and rig sound equipment Sound plot, mark in script with Director Attend final dress and technical rehearsals Operate the sound console for the session Orchestra 8 12 Rehearsal all music parts from the score with all members of the orchestra Conductor meets with director, stage manager and sound engineer to discuss cues for lead in and out. Organise the running of the show Attend all shows of the session, Stage Hands 4-6 Assist the stage manager. Move props and set pieces around the stage for each scene change. Organise the actors and escort and cues actors to when to come onto stage and off. Director 1 Is to organise and meet with every department to ensure that everyone is ready for the upcoming session week leading up to the opening night Polish final rehearsals. Make sure all problems have been solved before show commences. Attend light and sound plotting sessions Attend all rehearsal leading up to the show discuss notes. Set Designer 2 Attend Dress And Technical Rehearsals Make minor alterations Load in the set and help with the construction Supervise the Set Builders. Organise props Make notes of any problems in the last rehearsals leading up to opening night Make sure all props and sets have been finished been built and ready to be put in place on stage Transport set from work shop to theatre venue Costume Designer And makeup artist 6 Check all costumes are finished Make sure any last minute orders have arrived ready in time for opening night, eg wigs Attend all rehearsals leading up to show opening Have all actors in costume for the dress rehearsals Check make up, and add suggestions to individual makeup artist, check how all actors look on stage. Administration 10-12 Organise the box office Sell tickets Work in FOH; sales, bar, ushering Organise and arrange FOH displays, Print Programs Look after the audience. Organise the theatre ready for the audience members Attend final rehearsals Set Builder 6 Install the set Repair any wear and tear damagers Fix all the minor details and finishing touches to the set. Paint the set Assist the set designer 7. Design: How would you describe the imaginative world of the musical? What is its Location? What is the period of your production? The period of this production is set in Pre-World War Two 1930s in Berlin, the capital city of Germany. This should be a minimum of 300 words, and rather than giving a synopsis of the productions. Should give an understanding of what you liked about it why it inspired you. It should be a personal response to the production, and should at least touch on how the technical elements of the production supported the narrative. Wicked My experience in theatre has been with amateur productions it was exciting to see a professional show of the magnitude of Wicked. The stage for Wicked was imaginative and impressive. The lighting in Wicked was particularly inspiring and I could easily make connections to my past lighting experience such as in Wizard of Oz, an amateur production I was involved in with a similar storyline. I can see how aspects of Wicked could be incorporated into the Wizard of Oz production to make it more professional. Special effects were projected throughout the production to add to the set and properties, to portray illusions into the audience. The image of Glinda opening entrance when she descended in a bubble onto the stage was fabulous. Another example was seen in the creating of rain. I was awed by the lighting effects produced by the projectors to create the backdrop of the magical green sparkle on the backdrop of the map of Oz which was seen as the opening and closing of the production. In the final scene in Act one during the song Defining Gravity, Glinda is singing about her feelings of being scared, after she was tricked by the wizard to use her magical powers to turn the talking monkey into an evil flying monkey unable to talk. She uses her flying broom stick to escape, I was inspired by the lighting as it was used in a dramatic way as she rises into the air, use of prism scattered gobos in all 5 intelligent fixtures focuses on her as she ascended into the sky, creating a powerful silhouette of colour and rays of light in all directions, ending in a quick blackout to end the song a very powerful ending using the lighting. The use of lighting elements such as colours to create mood, gobos to add patterns and shapes allows the audience to move from reality to the imaginary world of Oz. In Wicked the attention to detail was very obvious. The use of fairy lights built into the set and the use of tracks to move sets on and off stage was amazing and resulted in an impressive production. My goal is to produce theatre as amazing and as professional as what I saw in this production especially in lighting and sound.

Child abuse: Cause and effects

Child abuse: Cause and effects Child Abuse Cause and Effects Abstract Child abuse is one of major problem faced by many children around the world and its take the attention of all nations. Children can be abused by different people like parents, strangeness, and member of their families, teachers and other children at school or in the community. Regardless who are the abusers, causes and effects are all same like any other abuse. Child abuse can be categorized into four types: physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Each type has different causes and different effects on child life and on the community. In this paper I will highlight the causes and effects of it .The causes can be due to poverty, family stress, abuse of substances (drugs, alcohol ) and psychological problems. The effects depend on the type of the cause and it can be divided into three categories which can be seen in the individual and reflect in the community. These are Emotional effects, physical effects and behavioral effects. Treatment of child abuse after the recognition of the causes and its effect is important and before that the prevention or stopping it is the chief of all. There are several clear steps everybody especially the family need or must to follow it. Child Abuse Cause and Effects Children are a gift from Goad to every parents dreaming of having a child. They have the right to be loved and treated will, unfortunately; still there are those who are suffering from abuse in the extremely sense of the word. It is also difficult to imagine that any person would purposely cause harm on any child .The word abuse is define as make a bad or wrong use of (Oxford Advanced, Learner Dictionary, 1977, P.4) and a child is defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as Every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable under the child majority is attained earlier.Barent Barnet stated , Much as we might like to believe otherwise, child abuse is wide-spread.(Barent Barnet,1998) (P1207). There are several terms used by different agencies regarding child abuse. The United state Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child abuse or maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other car egiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (Child Maltreatment: Definitions, ,April 20, 2009, para.1). Moreover, some child development experts simply they define child abuse as any act which fails to take care of the children. At present the rate of child abuse incidents increased rapidly and continuing and each child around the world in spite of his /her age, sex, race and religion can fall victim for abuse from the strangers or from member of his/her family. According to Child Protective Service agencies, state in 2001 probable 3 million children were reported as suspected victims of abuse and neglect. They reported that young children are most at risk for being abuse or neglect, and 40% of the victims are under the age of 6 years too (Barent Barnet, 1998) (P1207). Child abuse can include many types, has many causes and its affects the innocent children negatively and leaves deep and permanent marks on them. Child Abuse can happen because of poverty, family stress, abuse of substances (drugs, alcohol ) and psychological problems. Child abuses have different forms. It can be physical, emotional , sexual abuse and neglect. The abusers can be from family or a stranger and those are selected to express their difficulties or problems on the helpless children who are unable to defend themselves. The effects of any types of abuse what ever the cause is severe and various according to the form of abuse. It can be seen on the child, family and community. Causes of Child abuse There are several causes of child abuse. First cause is poverty. It happens when the family does not have the resources to provide or to meet the need of their family members especially children like food, proper dress, education .ect. In some poor countries, number of families tends to sail their children to rich people and some they make them to work in very young age or they just leave them in front of any orphaned door because they are unable to meet their need and this consider as abuse for them. Family as we know is considers as core of safety to all children and it is an important sour of love and care. Family problems are the second cause of child abuse, it can be due to divorce so the child will be separated from the family and because of that a lot of problems raised such as both parents asking for their right to take the child. Moreover, child abuse almost occurs in many families with abused parents were they abused before therefore they are reflecting that on their child ren. Some of the parents are young and they dont know how to deal with difficulties that they face when taken care of a child. The third cause of abuse results because the abusers are taken substances which make them unaware of them self or others around them. Substance abuse is become one of the main reasons for the increasing number of child abuse around the world. Through out different studies it was clear that parents with history of substance abuse, most commonly alcohol, cocaine, and heroin, were more likely to abuse their children. This substance can leads to developing abnormal behaviors by the abuser either they are from family or strangers. The last cause of child abuse can be psychological. Parents who do not have a support community of close friends or relatives living nearby may feel isolated. Some of the family members who are suffering from mental disorders tend to harm the child without knowing Forms of child abuse Child abuse can take different forms physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect as mention previously. Physical abuse includes scalding, beating or severe physical punishment and it is easiest to identify the dangers of physical abuse. Sexual abuse includes sexual assault, fondling of genital areas, and exposure to indecent acts or involvement in sexual pornography in the net or in some television channels. Sexual abusers steal from a child their childhood. Emotional abuse includes verbal abuse and unfair criticism, terrorizing acts, and lack of nurturance or emotional support. Child neglect can take on a number of different forms. For instance a childs nutritional needs can be ignored, resulting in a deficient diet and, in turn, a failure to thrive. This type of neglect is not necessarily done purposely and it may result because parents have lack of knowledge regarding a healthy diet or from poverty. Physical neglect results when a child is not provided with shelter a nd clothing. Neglect can also come in the form of inadequate medical care, lack of proper supervision, and lack of educational opportunities. Finally, neglect also includes inadequate emotional care, where a child experiences a continuous lack of response to his or her crying or any other behavior in need of a response. A UNICEF report on child well-being stated that the United States and the United Kingdom ranked lowest among industrial nations with respect to the wellbeing of children. This study also found that child neglect and child abuse are far more common in single-parent families than in families where both parents are present. The type of neglect experienced by children can be dependent on the culture in which child lives. For example, in India one problem still faced by many young women is marriage in small age and some time they are still children. Due to extreme poverty, many girls are consider as a financial burden to their families and are in turn forced to marry in e xchange for money. In some cases, young women are sold. As Segal (2001) notes, under both circumstances these children are inevitably physically abused. Based on the above child abuse with its various forms and causes it has several effects too. It can be short, and others are lifelong so it is differ according to the severity of the abuse and its type. Children with a history of abuse are at risk of developing psychiatric problems. Furthermore, new research linked between exposure to child abuse in all its forms and rates of many chronic conditions that adult develops. The strongest evidence comes from the Adverse Childhood Experiences like V. J. Felitti, MD Kaiser Permanente and R. F. Anda, series of studies which show relations between exposure to abuse or neglect and higher rates in adulthood of chronic conditions, high risk health behaviors and shortened live span. The effects of child abuse can be divided into three categories which can be seen in the individual and reflect in the community. These are Emotional effects, physical effects and behavioral. Starting with emotional effects which include low self-esteem, depression a nd anxiety, eating disorders, bad dreams; bed wetting, difficulties in building relationship, isolation, and personality disorders. Physical effects include life threatening injuries, death, lifelong health problems, difficulties in understanding, and physical disabilities. Finally, Behavioral effects that include problems in school the progress of mental development , criminal behavior, pregnancy of girls in small age, suicide attempts, substance abuse, aggressive behavior, abuse others and anger. In conclusion, it is clear that child abuse is a global problem. It occurs due to several causes which can be financial stress and poverty, adult use of alcohol and other drugs, parents are not having basic knowledge of child care and development. In addition adults can abuse children in different ways for example physically, emotionally, sexually and by neglect. So it is important or must be aware of the signs which may leads to abuse and detect it. These characteristic can appear in: Families who are isolated and not involve with the community. Parents who are having history of abused as children. Families who are most of the time facing money problems. Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol so they become impairment caused by being intoxicated. Parents who are very inflexible in disciplining their child. Parents who show too much or too little concern for their child. Parents who feel they have a difficult child. Parents who are under a lot of stress The effect of these problems are found in the child and then in the community as a result. The effects on a child depends on the degree of the abuse is, the greater the abuse, the greater the effect on the child. Abused children also exhibit conditions like difficulty in building up relationships with others so he/she will be isolated from community. A feeling of guilt and anger can be develop and may become abuser him/herself later in adult stage. It is clear that child abuse regardless of its cause leaves more than just bruises or words; it is a matter which needs a greatest attention since it involves the future generation of the world. Not only they will suffer from the physical and mental abuse, they suffer many long-term effects, including delays in developmental, refusal to attend school, separation from community and anxiety disorders. Even though, child abuse is still continuing and complex problem with many causes, we should not build a negative attitude toward its prevention. Therefore everybody responsible in stopping child abuse by reducing if not eliminating the causes yet we feel angry at abuser who can take away a spirit of a child. Around the world there are many agencies with different program trying their best to stop it. This can be done by adapting several plans for example: Preventing and treat individual with substance abuse Parents listening to their children and talk with them. Educating new parents on the parenting skills since Children need to know that they are special, loved and capable of following their dreams. Stopping child abuse when seeing it. Teaching the child the difference between acceptable and unacceptable touching, and to trust their instincts about people. Educating the parents about the signs of abuse so it will be easy to detect it. Children are an important element in any community; they desire a maximum love and care should be given to them without any restrictions. They are deserves a healthy, save childhood and the opportunity to grow up to normally and become contributing adult able to serve and build up a healthy community. We all want to protect them and guide them in the right direction. References Child Abuse Physical Abuse and Neglect, Psychological Maltreatment, Sexual Abuse. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://family .jarnk.org/pages/219/child-abuse.html Child Abuse. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from hptt://www.indianchild.com/child_abuse.htm-child Coon, D. (2004). Introduction to psychology, Gateways to Mind and Behavior (Tenth Edition ed.). Hornby, A. (1985). Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English. Potts, N. L., L.Mandleco, B. (2007). Pediatr ic Nursing, caring for children and Their Families (Second Edition ed.). The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study,Retrieved December 18,2009, from http://www.acestudy.org/ The Relationship between Parental Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Child Maltreatment. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.childabuse.com/fs14.htm The Reality of Child Abuse cause and effect. (2009). Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://stopabusega.tripod.com/id6.html United state Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),child Abuse,. Retrieved December21, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats/pdf/trends2006.pdf What is child abuse and neglect?. Retrieved December 20, 2009, from http://www.orgeon.gov/DHS/children/abuse/abuse-neglect.shtml

Shift In Plagued Society :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many aspects of European life changed as a result of â€Å"the Black Death.† Not least among these changes was the shift that occurred among the economic standing of the medieval family and the ultimate â€Å"ushering out† of the feudalistic age. Prior to the plague, society in Europe remained largely feudalistic. Kings had their lords, lords their dukes, dukes their barons, and so on and so forth, with the majority, the peasants, sitting at the bottom virtually providing for all the nobility above them. Providing for the masters of the land was not easy for the peasants, taxes here and there kept there worth low, and their only assets to begin with were the little they had, â€Å"their land, family labor, and capital†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hanawalt, p112)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Regrettably, for the nobles, things began to shift in the economic make up of Europe. As a noble, one was expected to maintain an army at call in return for land received from the king. Each successively lower noble had less land and a smaller army to maintain, but it remained that in order to be a noble one had many expenses to provide for. As the trade routes began to reopen after the plagues, people began to find the cities much more attractive than the farms that entailed a life of servitude to a lords.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prior to the plagues, the population of Europe as a whole had been largely stagnant, while there were famines rather frequently, they were merely a result of population overspill, and society as a whole did not topple. (Herlihy, p39) With the introduction of the plague to Europe, the city populations rapidly declined, thus making room in the cities for the farmers who eagerly entered the cities. Because they were, of course, not farming in the cities, people had to take up trades and so Europe began to flourish again economically. But because the people were living in the cities, they had little need to pay taxes to a lord, and thus emerged the middle class, a class that was able to make good money off of their trade, but, unlike the nobility, had no need to spend their money on armies and land maintenance, and could save for themselves. Furthermore, with the sharp drop in overall population peasants who continued to farm had a much smaller population to support, and as some peasants moved to the city, so did the farming peasants move to take over the land left over.

The Absolute Evil of Iago in Shakespeares Othello Essays -- Essays on

The Absolute Evil of Iago in Othello    What marks consummate villainy is the willingness to be absolutely evil-to have no qualms about being diabolical and no strains of human morality.   Because feeling for another leads one to experience guilt, even an iota of empathy is a character flaw that will lead to the downfall of a villain.   To succeed, the villain needs to emulate the character Iago in Othello, who consistently works his evil throughout the whole play and does not slip until the end, when there is simply no way he can turn the situation to his advantage.   Iago is a model for the ultimate villain because he operates on a self-styled level of morality, such that he never doubts his actions, however diabolical the actions seem to the audience.   The rational person is capable of this emulation, for rationality is the ability to reason out a new and yet coherent order: a new order of values and beliefs that constitute his own system of mores.   Convinced of this self-devised system, the villain is able to convincingly impose it upon others and therefore, to manipulate them towards advancing his cause.   Reason also empowers the villain with an aptitude for discerning an order in the midst of chaos and turning adversity into good fortune. With a self-defined strand of logic and reasoning, the villain fashions a code of 'ethics' and 'morality' fitting to his purposes, which makes his malice tolerable to him.   The rational mind can utilise logic and reasoning to arrange values and beliefs in an order that is credible, and therefore irrefutable to the self.   Reasonable, therefore believable and irrefutable-this customised moral code is convincing, and from this conviction, the villain will not be bothered by the morality ... ..., Inc., n. d. Fergusson, Francis. "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action." Shakespeare: The Tragedies. A Collectiion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964. Frye, Northrop. Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1967. Greenblatt, Stephen. "Introduction to Macbeth." The Norton Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 1997. 2555-63. Knights, L.C. "Macbeth." Shakespeare: The Tragedies. A Collectiion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964. Lamb, Charles. On the Tragedies of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1811. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990. Mack, Maynard. Everybody's Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.

Samurai in Film :: essays research papers

From Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film Seven Samurai, to the recent box office sensation, The Last Samurai, the famed Japanese warrior, the samurai, has been the subject of hundreds of films. Classically depicted as carrying two swords and sporting a top knot (chonmage), the samurai has been portrayed not only as a warrior and expert swordsman, but as a man of discipline and principles consistent with the bushido. Samurai films exhibit two basic dramatic styles. The jidai-geki (period drama) which are stories based on characters and how they negotiate a variety of political, personal and romantic situations and the chanbara (sword fighting films) which are action packed with dramatic sword fighting scenes. Films in the samurai genre which deal with ‘ronin’ (masterless samurai), demonstrate strong elements of both styles as exhibited in Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961), as well as the many films about the legendary Musashi Miyamoto. In addition to Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, Kurosawa’s samurai classics, The Hidden Fortress (1958) and Sanjuro (1963) all star ‘samurai incarnate,’ actor Toshiro Mifune. While Kurosawa’s later films, Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985), are not based on the samurai, they are set in feudal times in which the samurai played a significant role. Kurosawa’s films greatly influenced the film industry in both Japan and the West – however during his career he gained greater notoriety and even support for his motion pictures overseas than he did at home. The Seven Samurai was the basis for American film director John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven (1960); Yojimbo for A Fist full of Dollars (1964) – the first in a series of 3 ‘spaghetti westerns’ created by Italian film director, Sergio Leone; and The Hidden Fortress which influenced George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977). The parallels between the samurai and cowboy archetypes and the influence one had on the other is as evident in Kurosawa’s Yojimbo as it is in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992). During his career, Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) starred in 134 films and played either a classic samurai or a common man of ‘samurai principles’ in nearly half of them. Besides his Kurosawa films, Mifune also starred in a number of Hiroshi Inagaki’s samurai films including the classic, Musashi Miyamoto (1954). His reputation worldwide landed him a number of starring roles in Western productions including the award winning television mini-series, Shogun (1980) based on the James Clavell novel.

Analysis of Mozart’s K. 515 Mvt. 1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet No. 3 in C major, K. 515 Andrew McGuire Dr. Burkart MUSHIS 200 11/19/2012 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prodigy of his time, and arguable the greatest of all time. This paper will discuss an analysis of his third string quintet in C major, K. 515. Through this piece in Sonata Form we will dissect the exposition, the development, the recapitulation, and the coda; along with an analysis of the quintet we will briefly discuss parts of Mozart’s life, as well as look at the background of the Viola Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born into a musical family after his sister Nannerl, by his father and mother Leopold and Anna Maria. His beginnings would originate in Salzburg, Austria (Eisen). As much is known about the education of little Wolfie we see that his father Leopold is responsible (Jeffery). We also discover that it was not just his musical education that concerned his father but other areas as well, such as arithme tic, reading, writing, and literature (Eisen). Much is not know about the mother of Mozart. She was born into a middle class non-musical family.His father, on the other hand was an accomplished musician and teacher born into life as a choirboy. The nearest compositions to Wolfie’s K. 515 are a second string quintet K. 516 and one of his better known Operas Don Giovanni. Taking a short break from Don Giovanni Mozart would set off to write a pair off string quintets. K. 515 and K. 516. Written the age of 31, the better-known two of the pieces is the g minor quintet (K. 516), and the C major quintet (K. 515) is regarded as the finer of the two. Almost a month would separate the composing of the sister quintets both written for double viola.During the time of the second quartet would be the passing of his father, and some say that there may be a relation between the key of the g minor and the passing (Christiansen). This dual viola is different for the time, even given that Mozar t preferred viola, was seen as odd. The number of his six viola quintets is seen as rare in comparison to the 66 cello quintets written by Boccherini. Even though these quintets maybe rare in amount, many consider them the finest of the string quintet repertoire (Christiansen). The finer of our finest quintets begins in C major. The longest part of the first movement is undoubtedly the exposition.In the first of the one hundred and thirty-one measures of the exposition we see our first theme (see Figure 1). Figure 1 Ninety-four measures later we see our second theme (see Figure 2). Figure 2 Throughout the piece we will see our two themes return continuously in multiple keys. Anytime we see theme one return we see the two lines played between only the first violin and the cello. We see similar segregation for theme two with the first and second violins. The one time we see the violas given a theme to play is in the coda, and will be discussed later, this theme we will see is theme tw o in C major.Listening further we discover that our development turns out to be the shortest part of the piece (Absil). Theme one reappears again in the beginning of the development section, only this time we see the theme appearing in the dominant of the piece (see Figure 3). Figure 3 As the development progresses we also see theme two return as well in its original key, the harmonies we see differently, only briefly because it will be what leads us into the recapitulation (see Figure 4). Figure 4 At the end of our very brief development we arrive at our recapitulation.In the recapitulation we see the return of both of our themes in the tonic key. Throughout the recapitulation we see our theme variations return as well in the tonic key. What is found most notable about the recapitulation is the way it ends. One might assume that it would end on the tonic or dominant, because of its movement to the coda, however we find the end of the recapitulation as a vii °65/V (see Figure 5). Figure 5 We can argue the beginning of the Coda here because of the bar of rest. This theory separates the two sections allowing us to make a clear observation where one ends and the other begins.As with codas we find our final theme in the piece the part proceeding the measure of rest (see Figure 5). Delving deeper into the coda we find theme two reoccurring in the tonic key, this time not segregated by instrument parts. For the first time in the movement we see the two viola parts obviously playing what is the theme (see Figure 6), right before we see the second viola briefly mingle with the cello. Figure [ 6 ] After the brief return of theme two between the cello and violas we end happily on the tonic of the piece. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this piece.Not only this piece but also this assignment. It is one thing to sit in class and read about and take notes over sonata-allegro form. It is completely another to be expected to dive deeper into a piece and try to figure out its i nner most workings. As a violist I also appreciate the fact that Mozart went against the normality of the cello quintet and wrote a viola quintet. The fact he was willing to go against what was expected of him by society makes me respect him as a composer even more. After a glimpse into the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, we have discussed his Quintet No. 3 in C major.Discussed its themes and their placement, as well as briefly the variations of these themes. We also saw a brief glimpse into history around the time that the K. 515 and what could be considered its sister K. 516 were written. Works Cited Absil, Frans. â€Å"Musical Analysis: Visiting the Great Composers. † (2005): 8. Absil, the Netherlands. Sept. 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. . Christiansen, Kai. â€Å"String Quintet (viola) No. 3 in C Major, K. 515. † Mozart. Music at Kohl Mansion, 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. . Cliff Eisen, et al. â€Å"Mozart. † Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 18 Oct. 2 012. http://www. oxfordmusiconline. com/suscriber/article/grove/music/40258pg3. Gallagher, Sean and Thomas Forrest Kelly. The Century of Bach and Mozart: Perspectives on Histoiography, Composition, Theory, and Performance. Cambridge, Massachusettes: Harvard University Press, 2008. Print. Jeffery, G. â€Å"Mozart, Maria Anna â€Å"Nannerl†Ã¢â‚¬  Mozart, Maria Anna â€Å"Nannerl† N. p. , 1998. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. . Kerst, Friedrich.Mozart: the Man and the Artist Revealed in His Own Words. New York: L. Dover Publications, 1965. Print Mirka, Danut. Metric Manipulations in Haydn and Mozart: Chamber Music for Strings, 1787-1791. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print Mozart, W. A. String Quintet No. 3 in C major, K. 515 (I). Alban Berg Quartet. EMI Classics. CD. Mozart, W. A. String Quintet No. 3 in C major, K. 515 (I). Fine Arts Quartet. Musical Concepts. CD Mozart, W. A. Quintet in C Major, K. 515 (I). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts Werk, Serie 14: Quartette fuer streichinstrumente. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Haertel, 1877-1910. 1-12. Score.

Fashion and Zara Store

Colour case This case contains colour exhibits which will be affected by the user’s screen and printer resolution. Therefore, to ensure optimum colour quality multiple copies must be ordered directly from ecch. This colour case cannot be supplied as a permission master in either paper format or as a sealed pdf file. However, please contact ecch to check availability of a black and white version which can be supplied for reproduction. ecch the case for learning ecch UK Registered Office: Cranfield University, Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK t+44 (0)1234 750903 f+44 (0)1234 751125 e [email  protected] om w www. ecch. com ecch USA Registered Office: Babson College, Babson Park Wellesley MA 02457, USA t+1 781 239 5884 f+1 781 239 5885 e [email  protected] com w www. ecch. com Responsive, High Speed, Affordable Fashion This case was prepared by Sophie Linguri under the supervision of Professor Nirmalya Kumar as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate either eff ective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Copyright  © 2005 London Business School. All rights reserved.No part of this case study may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission of London Business School. London Business School reference CS-05-037 ecch the case for learning Distributed by ecch, UK and USA www. ecch. com All rights reserved Printed in UK and USA North America t +1 781 239 5884 f +1 781 239 5885 e [email  protected] com 305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Rest of the world t +44 (0)1234 750903 f +44 (0)1234 751125 e [email  protected] om – 2 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Zara: Responsive, High-Speed, Affordable Fashion In 1975, the first Zara store was opened in La Coruna, in Northwest Spain. By 2005, Zara? ’s 723 stores had a selling area of 811,100 m2 and occupied ? â€Å"privileged locations of major cities? † in 56 countries. With sales of ?â‚ ¬3. 8 billion in financial year 2004, Zara had become Spain? ’s best-known fashion brand and the flagship brand of ? â‚ ¬5. 7 billion holding group Inditex. Inditex? ’s stock market listing in 2001 had turned Amancio Ortega, its founder and a self-made man, into the world? s 23 richest man, with a personal fortune that Forbes magazine estimated at $12. 6 billion. Zara strived to deliver fashion apparel, often knock-offs of famous designers, at reasonable costs to young, fashion-conscious city-dwellers. Zara used in- house designers to present new items of clothing to customers twice a week, in response to sales and fashion trends. Thus the merchandise of any particular store was fresh and limited. To produce at such short notice required that Zara maintain a vertically integrated supply chain that distributed the clothes through a single state-of-the-art distribution centre.Unlike its competitors, 70- 80% of Zara garments wer e manufactured in Europe. In 2005, Pablo Isla was appointed the new Inditex chief executive. With plans to double the number of its stores by 2009, the rapid pace of growth was necessitating changes. First, Zara had opened a second distribution centre to increase capacity. Second, expanding into more distant markets meant that the number of items carried had increased to 12,000. Would Zara? ’s business model be able to scale up? Or would the resulting complexity compromise its speed advantage?Would Pablo Isla be able to maintain the focus that Zara had established? – 3 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 THE RETAIL APPAREL INDUSTRY AND COMPETITORS The apparel industry was one of the most globalised industries, with 23. 6 million workers in over 20 countries. As labour costs in Western European countries had risen, labour-intensive manufacturing operations had become increasingly outsourced to less developed countries. Hourly wages in the textile industry could be as low as 60 cen ts in India and China, compared with $2 in North Africa, $3 in Eastern Europe, $8. 50 in Spain, and around $15. 0 in Italy. The 1974 Multi-Fibre Arrangement, which placed import quotas on garments and textiles from developing countries to the industrialised world, had expired on 1 January 2005 for all members of the World Trade Organization. This was amplifying the relocation of textile and garment manufacture to countries with lower labour costs, especially China. For example, in 2004, 400 Spanish textile groups went out of business, due to competition from Asia, resulting in the loss of 15,000 jobs. The Spanish textile guild predicted a loss of another 72,000 jobs by 2009. The apparel retail channels had consolidated during the 1990s, with a few large players dominating most major markets. Competitors included department stores, mass merchandisers (e. g. discounters and supermarkets) and specialty stores. Department stores were usually national players, like Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom or Federated in the USA. Typically, they had lost market share in recent years. Mass merchandisers such as Target, Tesco and Wal-Mart had increasingly added private label clothes to their mix over the years to become major players.There were many successful specialty chains like Benetton, C&A, Hennes & Mauritz (referred to as H&M), The Limited, Mango and Next. The traditional apparel industry model worked on long lead times (see Exhibit 1). The industry average was around nine months, around six months for design and three months for manufacturing. As a result, 45-60% of production was committed in the six-month pre-season period, with 80-100% committed by the start of the season. Only the remaining 0-20% was generally manufactured in-season in response to sales patterns.Excess inventory was marked down at the end of the season, and typically accounted for 30-40% of sales. Despite their best efforts, Zara? ’s closest competitors, H&M and Gap, still took around five months to produce new clothing lines. H&M Swedish clothing chain H&M was founded in 1947. By 2005, it had close to 32,000 employees, just under 1,100 stores in 20 countries. In 2005, it planned to open 155 new stores in Europe and the US. Its 2004 sales were ? â‚ ¬6 billion, which yielded a profit of 1. 24 billion. With close to 30% of its sales, Germany was H&M? s largest market, while the US generated only Iman for H&M Germany – 4 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 6. 4% of its 2004 sales. It manufactured 60% of its clothes in Asia. H&M? ’s business concept was to offer fashion and quality at the best price. In order to offer the latest fashion, H&M had its own buying and design department. It claimed to achieve the best price by: Few middlemen Buying in large volumes Having a broad, in-depth knowledge of design, fashion, and textiles Buying the right products from the right market Being cost conscious at every stage Having efficient distribution H&M? ’s c lothing lines in men? ’s wear, women? ’s wear and children? ’s wear, as well as its cosmetics range, targeted cost-conscious shoppers. Within H&M women? ’s wear were different sub-brands: Hennes (women aged 25-35), L. O. G. G. (casual sportswear), Impuls (young women? ’s trends), BiB (plus-size line), Woman (classic), Clothes (current trends), MAMA (maternity) and Rocky (youth fashion). There were also different sub-brands within the men? ’s and children? ’s lines.H&M stores generally had a somewhat chaotic, marketplace feel, with clothes packed tightly onto racks, frequent markdowns, and queues at the cash register. H&M devoted 5% of its revenues to advertising. Its high-profile ad campaigns featured celebrities, such as Claudia Schiffer, Johnny Depp, Naomi Campbell and Jerry Hall, wearing its low-cost clothes. Dedicated collections by star designers Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney in 2004-5 continued to create buzz among its cus tomers. The Gap Gap opened its first store in San Francisco in 1969, where it sold mainly Levis jeans.In 1991, Gap announced its decision to sell only private label brands. With around 3,000 stores and 152,000 employees worldwide, Gap positioned itself as a provider of high quality, basic items, such as jeans, khakis and t-shirts. In addition to Old Navy and Banana Republic, Gap? ’s chains included GapBody, GapKids, and babyGap. Its 2004 sales were around ? â‚ ¬12. 5 billion, with a profit of $1. 4 billion. Nearly all of Gap? ’s products were manufactured outside the US, with 18% of its collection made in China. Gap? ’s stores were spacious, with stock well spaced Madonna for Gap and neatly presented.There was an emphasis on service, with a call button in fitting rooms for customers requiring assistance with clothing sizes. Television advertisements featured hip music and dance sequences, with appearances by celebrities such as Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Sarah J essica Parker and Joss Stone. – 5 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 INDITEX HISTORY Spanish entrepreneur Amancio Ortega Gaona started a firm manufacturing lingerie and nightwear in 1963, after quitting his job as a runner for a shirtmaker in La Coruna. He founded Confecciones GOA in 1972, and opened the first Zara store in 1975, to sell stock after a customer cancelled a large order.Ortega founded the Inditex group in 1985. After floating 26% of its shares on the Madrid stock exchange in 2001, he remained its majority shareholder, with 61% of the company? ’s shares. Ortega retained a low profile, rarely making public appearances (apart from during the run-up to the IPO in 2000), and had never given an interview. Jose Maria Castellano Rios joined Inditex in 1985 and became its Chief Executive in 1997. Castellano had previously been IT manager of Aegon Espana SA, and had a doctorate in economics and business studies. In 2005, Inditex developed a five-year plan, which included a b oard restructure.As part of the restructure, Pablo Isla Alvarez de Tejera was appointed as Chief Executive in May 2005. Isla came from the Franco-Spanish tobacco group Altadis, where he had been co-chairman. Isla was chosen for his experience in international distribution. Ortega stayed on as the group? ’s Chairman, and Castellano remained the Deputy Chairman. Portfolio of Stores Besides Zara, which was targeted at trendy city youngsters, Inditex grew its portfolio of apparel chains throughout the 1990s. Each chain was targeted at a specific segment (see Exhibit 2): Massimo Dutti ? – Young businessmen Pull & Bear – Elegant male clothing Berksha ? – Elegant fashion for young women Brettos ? – Trendy young suburban women Oysho ? – Lingerie Stradivarius ? – Youthful fashion Kiddy? ’s Class ? – Trendy children In 2003, Inditex opened a home furnishings chain called Zara Home. By 2005, Zara made up close to 70% of Indit ex sales and led the group? ’s international expansion (see Exhibit 3). While, as a group, Inditex had about twice the number of stores as H&M, Zara? ’s 700 stores were fewer in number than H&M? ’s. Inditex was aggressively expanding, and planned to increase its 2,000 stores to 4,000 by 2009, in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. (see Exhibit 4). In terms of profits, Inditex was performing well compared with its main competitor, H&M (see Exhibit 5 and Exhibit 6). Aamancio Ortega Gaona Inditex Chairman – 6 – 305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 THE ZARA STORE 91% of Zara stores were company-owned; the rest were franchises or joint ventures. Customers entering a Zara store on Regent Street in London, Rue Rivoli in Paris, Fifth Avenue in New York or Avenidas das Americas in Rio de Janeiro generally found themselves in the same environment: a predominantly white, modern and spacious store, well-lit and walled with mirror.The latest fashions hung from the store racks around them. A long line of people typically waited at the cash registers to pay for their purchases: a few select items. Shop Window of Zara, New York In comparison with other clothing retailers, who spent 3-4% of sales on advertising, Zara spent just 0. 3%. The little it did spend went to reinforce its identity as a clothing retailer that was low-cost but high fashion (see Exhibit 7). Instead Zara concentrated on creating compelling store windows and to the design of its shops, which had won awards.It relied on its shop windows, which were dramatically lit and used neutral backgrounds, to communicate its brand image. The shop windows of Zara stores were changed regularly, according to display designs sent by headquarters, and were critical for Zara to remain visible and entice customers. Store locations were carefully researched to determine that there was a sufficiently large customer base for Zara2, and as such were generally busy, prestigious, city centre shopping streets. Zara was a fashion imitator.It focussed its attention on understanding what fashion items its customers wanted and then delivering them, rather than on promoting predicted season? ’s trends via fashion shows and similar channels of influence, that the fashion industry traditionally used. Its 200 in-house designers were trend-spotters who kept their finger on the fashion pulse, and translated trends into styles that were universally accessible. At Zara headquarters in La Coruna, store specialists (who were responsible for a number of stores in a region) worked closely with designers to develop styles that would work for different arkets. Collections were renewed every year, with an average of 11,000 styles produced annually, compared with the more typical collections of 2,000-4,000 produced annually by rivals H&M and Gap. Production and distribution of new clothing pieces was favoured over replenishing existing items, contributing to the perception of scarcity cultivated in Zara stores. Customers returned frequently to stores, to browse new items. The global average of 17 visits per customer per year for Zara was considerably higher than the three visits to its competitors. Visitors were also more likely to purchase, as one senior executive explained: Zara? ’s objective is not that consumers buy a lot but that they buy often and will find something new every time they enter the store. 4 – 7 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Comments by Luis Blanc, and Inditex director, illustrated how Zara stores fostered an environment of immediacy: We want our customers to understand that if they like something, they must buy it now, because it won? ’t be in the shops the following week. It is all about creating a climate of scarcity and opportunity. Affordable prices helped to encourage purchases, and Zara? ’s offering was often referred to as clothing to be worn six to ten times. Zara? ’s pricing differed across country markets. It set prices accordin g to individual market conditions, rather than using cost plus margin as its basis (which was the formula used by most of its competitors). In Spain, Zara products were low-cost, while in the US, Japan and Mexico, they were priced as a luxury fashion item. Prices in France were somewhat higher than in Spain, since the average French consumer was willing to pay more for fashion than most other European consumers.For example, in 2003, the price of jeans in Zara stores in France was $34. 58 compared with $24. 87 in Spain and $54 in Japan. 6 Until 2002, Zara had used one price tag listing the price in different currencies, to simplify tagging of items. In 2002, however, it implemented a system of local pricing, using a bar code reader that printed the correct local price for items. Compared with its competitors, Zara generally priced its products somewhat higher than C&A and H&M, but below Gap, Next and Kookai. For example, a similar shirt cost $26 at Zara, compared with a price of $29 at Gap and $9 at H&M. Store Management Store managers were encouraged to run their store like a small business. Salespeople were well trained, and Zara promoted its people from within as much as possible. Store managers? ’ remuneration was partially dependent on the accuracy of their sales forecasts and sales growth. 8 Each evening a handheld PDA displayed the newest designs sent by headquarters, which were available for order. Order deadlines were twice weekly, and were issued via the handhelds. Store managers who failed to order by the deadline received replenishment items only.Store managers regularly spoke with store specialists, who also received real time sales data from stores, to discuss which items were selling well or if customers had requested Zara Store, Barcelona specific items. This information was then fed back to the design process. 9 Deliveries arrived at stores twice per week from Zara headquarters, a few days after the order was made, and contained both rep lenishment items as well as – 8 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 new products. Headquarters also sometimes included products that had not been ordered, which stores expected to receive.If demand of an item exceeded supply, some stores did not receive the product they had ordered. Zara also tested some of its products in limited numbers in its test stores, before introducing them on a wider scale. Failure rates of Zara? ’s new products were reported to be just 1%, considerably lower than the industry average of 10%. 10 Technology was a key part of enabling communications and information flow. While information technology was fundamental to its business, its IT infrastructure was relatively simple (even dated by some standards), which meant that Zara? s IT expenditure was significantly lower than its rivals (as much as five to ten times lower). 11 Deputy Chairman Jose Maria Castellano explained the key role played by technology: Technology in this company is important and will b e more important in the future. The technology we use is mainly information technology and [enables] the communication between the shop managers and the design team here in headquarters. 12 THE ZARA SUPPLY CHAIN Around 50% of Zara? ’s garments were sourced from third parties. Unlike its competitors, Zara? s outsourced production came for the most part from Europe (60%), with just 27% coming from Asia, and another 10% from the rest of the world. The products sourced from Asia were basic collection items or wardrobe ? â€Å"staples,? † with minimum fashion content, such as T-shirts, lingerie and woollens, and where there was a clear cost advantage. Formal contracts were kept to a minimum, and Zara was generally a preferred customer due to its order volume and stability. 13 Externally manufactured items were shipped to Zara? ’s distribution centre. Zara intended to source more of the collection from Asia in the future, as commented by Castellano: ? In the next few years, we will source more basic items from China and Vietnam, but the high value added fashion items will continue to be made closer to home.? †14 The other 50% of Zara? ’s garments, those that were more fashion-dependent, were manufactured in-house, in more than 20 Zara factories located in nearby Arteixo. 15 For its in-house manufacturing, it purchased fabric from Comditel, a subsidiary of Inditex. Half of this fabric was purchased grey (undyed) to enable Zara to respond to changes in colour trends during the season. Dye was purchased from Fibracolor, in which Inditex held a stake.A team of 200 young, talented yet unknown designers were hired (often recent graduates of top design schools) to create designs, based on the latest fashions from the catwalk and other fashion hotspots, which were easily translatable to the mass market. 16 Working alongside the market specialists and production planners, designers for each of Zara? ’s collections (Woman, Man, Child) kept in-touch with market developments, to create around 40,000 new designs per year, of which around one-quarter were manufactured. 17 The design and – 9 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 production working environment was consistent with Zara? s flat hierarchical structure, in which prima donnas were not tolerated. 18 Illustration: Fast Fashion Computers were used to guide the cutting tools, using patterns made from selected designs. Zara tried to keep its offering of any style simple, usually in three sizes and three colours only. The labour intensive sewing of the garments was outsourced to around 500 local subcontractors, who used seamstresses in cooperatives. Zara was usually their sole client, and they worked without any written contracts. Zara paid these subcontrators a flat fee per type of garment, (e. g. , ? 5 for a pair of trousers and ? â‚ ¬15 per jacket) and they were expected to operate on short lead times and fast turnaround. Subcontractors picked up the prepared fab ric pieces from Zara, and returned them to the 500,000 m2 distribution centre. 19 At the Zara distribution centre, optical reading devices were used to sort and distribute over 60,000 items per hour. The garments were then picked up and transported by truck to different destinations all over Europe (which made up about 75% of deliveries). Products for more distant destinations were transported by air (about 25%).Throughout the process, garments were tracked using bar codes. Shipments tended to have almost zero flaws, with 98. 9% accuracy and under 0. 5% shrinkage. 20 Since Zara? ’s garments were produced in-house, it was able to make a new line from start to finish in just three weeks (see Exhibit 8). This varied somewhat depending on the type of garment: new garments took about five weeks from design to store delivery, while revamped existing items could take as little as two weeks. As a result Zara could be responsive to fashion items that were selling well during the seaso n, and to discontinue those that were not.By constantly refreshing the collection, and manufacturing items in high-intensity, Zara was a master of picking up up-to-the- minute trends and churning them out to stores around the world in a matter of weeks. ?†¢After Madonna? ’s first concert date in Spain during a recent tour, her outfit was copied by Zara designers. By the time she performed her last concert in Spain, some members of the audience were wearing the same outfit. ?†¢In 2003, when the Crown Prince of Spain announced his engagement to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, she wore a white trouser-suit for the occasion (pictured left).In just a few weeks, the same white trouser-suit was hanging from Zara? ’s clothes racks all over Europe, where it was snatched up by the ranks Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano of the fashion-conscious. – 10 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 short-runs, Zara was able to prevent the accumulation of non-saleable inventories. It was estimated that Zara committed just 15-25% of production before the season began, 50 to 60% at the start of the season, and the remainder manufactured in-season. Percentage of Zara sales consisting of markdowns was 15-20%. In some cases, stores ran out of stock.However, this was not viewed as a negative since it contributed to customers? ’ perception of the uniqueness of their purchase: ? â€Å"Customers are actually satisfied to see items out of stock as they are then confident that there is little chance that many other customers will wear the same dress.? †21 Castellano explained the rationale for this departure from industry norms: We don? ’t want to compete in the bottom end of the market. We offer fashion with a high design content. If I tried to source my collections in Asia, I would not be able to get them quickly enough to our stores.By manufacturing close to home, I can scrap collections when they are not selling. And without this ra pid response, I would not be able to extract a good relation between quality, price and fashion which is what our customers have come to expect. 22 A study in 2000 estimated that Zara managed to generate 14. 7% operating margins as a percentage of sales, compared with 10. 6% for Gap and 12. 3% for H&M. Additionally, the same study put Zara? ’s inventory turnover at 10. 67 outpacing Gap at 7. 18 and H&M at 6. 84. 23 THE FUTURE Following Zara? ’s success, competitors sought to reduce their own lead times.The competitive advantage achieved by Zara? ’s vertical integration appeared to be eroding. With its highly centralised structure and its rapid growth, Zara was producing around 12,000 different items per year by 2005. As it opened stores in increasingly distant markets, would Zara be able to retain its flexibility in adjusting production to accommodate differences in local trends? Would the increase in complexity result in a need to create regional production fac ilities? How would this affect the advantage Zara gained from its centralization?Might Chinese clothing manufacturers prove to be a competitive threat to Zara, with their high capacity and continuous improvements in quality? Castellano discounted this threat: ? â€Å"Being a Zara or Gap is not just about designing fashionable clothes and manufacturing them cheaply. You must also make the transition to being a retailer. It is a big step from manufacturing to distribution. There is also the question of managing the location and presentation of stores, training staff and so on.? †24 The Zara model seemed to work better in markets where customers had an appetite for fashion (such as France, Italy, Japan and the UK).However, in countries such as France and Italy, Zara had received bad press for copying – 11 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 designs from couture labels, and the French Fashion Federation had called for limited access by reporters to fashion shows to minimize imitation by copycatters. In other markets, where consumers were less fashion-focussed (e. g. Germany and the U. S. A. ) Zara seemed somewhat less successful. Would Zara be better served in the long run by increasing penetration in these fashion- sensitive markets, or by extending its global reach through increased presence in more markets? – 12 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037Exhibit 1: Traditional Season for a High Street Store Adapted from Dutta, 200425 – 13 – 305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Exhibit 2: Inditex Stores and Sales Sales, by Division (2004-5) Zara Home Kiddy? ’s Class Pull & Bear 6. 7% Massimo Dutti 8. 5% Bershka 9. 1% Zara 67. 4% Stradivarius 4. 3% 1. 3% Oysho Source: Handelsbank, 2005 Source: Financial Times, 2005 Percentage of Stores (2005) 0. 7% 2. 1% Zara Home Kiddy? ’s Class 3% Oysho 5% Stradivarius 10% Pull & Bear 16% 6% Zara 31% Dutti 15% Bershka 14% – 14 – 305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Exhibit 3: Number of Zara Stores by Country (31 March 20 05) Russia Slovenia2 2Hungary Czech Rep.Lithuania1 Asia Pacific = 21 Japan14 Malaysia3 Europe = 576 3 Sweden Denmark Finland Iceland 2 2 1 1 4Romania 3Estonia 1Latvia1 Singapore Hong Kong Mexico Venezuela Brazil Argentina Chile Uruguay El Salvador Panama Dominican Rep. 1 Spain244 Portugal41 France83 Greece30 UK34 Belgium17 Germany34 Italy23 Eire4 Turkey11 Cyprus3 Holland6 Switzerland 6 Poland7 Austria6 Malta1 Andorra1 Luxembourg 2 3USA16 1Canada12 Americas = 98 Middle East & Africa = 40 Saudi Arabia Israel UAE Kuwait Lebanon Jordan Qatar Bahrain Morocco 13 13 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 34 8 13 5 5 2 1 1Adapted from Inditex, 2005 Exhibit 4: Inditex Store Formats ZaraKiddy? sPull & Bear Class – 15 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 MassimoBershkaStradivariusOyshoZara Home Dutti 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 No of stores723626 Turnover* 3,820 3,220 129103371350 121 90 379 288 22 18. 0 56 19 12. 8 13. 4 30. 5 31 2. 11. 96. 76. 3 61% 80% 44% 16% 32729730 2 481 389 516 75 60 83 41. 9 40. 9 35. 7 8. 58. 59. 1 50% 56% 52% 253227191104 395 242 162 72 57 394 16 33. 8 15. 4 16. 6 31. 5 8. 64. 33. 51. 3 46% 43%5% 52% 766226 45 40 11 2 0. 3 (0. 5) 35. 1 12. 7 8. 5 10. 70. 2 7%2%– Operating Income* % international sales 648 476 65. 8 63. 5 67. 470 % of Inditex ROCE 38% 33% in millions of Euros, rounded off. Source: Inditex press dossier, 2005 – 16 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Exhibit 5: Key Indicators of Gap, H&M and Inditex (Financial Years 2003 & 2004) GapiH&MInditex 29 29 30 30 31 31 Reporting Date Sales (millions ? â‚ ¬) Gross Profit (millions ? â‚ ¬) Operating Profit (millions ? â‚ ¬) Profit (millions ? â‚ ¬) Profit after tax (millions ? â‚ ¬) Total Assets (millions ? â‚ ¬) Inventories (millions ? â‚ ¬) January 2005ii January 2004iii November 2004iv November 2003v JanuaryJanuary 20052004 12,47012,6966,0295,3305,6704,599 4,8924,7803,4492,9943,0342,306 1,5981,5221,1981,019925627 1,4351,3491,2361,062886613 88 2826817706628446 ,7038,5793,1592,8474,2093,510 1,3901,365577558514486 Stores Employees 152,000150,00031,70128,40947,04639,760 Countries 56 20185648 2,9943,0221,0689452,2441,922 Total square3,3993,3931,364vin/a metres (thousands) 1,175988 Source: Inditex, H&M and Gap, 2005 i Gap Inc? ’s stores include Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic. Gap? ’s sales were ? â‚ ¬5. 6 million, with 1643 stores, and 1. 43 million square metres. ii Exchange Rate of 29 January 2005 is used for all currency calculations: 0. 76660 USD = 1? â‚ ¬ iii Exchange Rate of 29 January 2004 is used for all currency calculations 0. 80080 USD = ? 1 iv Exchange Rate of 30 November 2004 is used for all currency calculations 0. 11230 SEK = 1? â‚ ¬ v Exchange Rate of 30 November 2003 is used for all currency calculations 0. 11050 SEK = 1? â‚ ¬ vi Estimated (Adapted from Datamonitor, 2005). Exhibit 6: Iniditex vs. H&M (1998-2004) Sales, Inditex vs H&M (Millions, ? â‚ ¬) – 17 – Indit ex H&M 305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Number of Stores, Inditex vs H&M (1999-2004) 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 22244 66029 5670 1922 55,058 5330 1558 11284 682771 99451068 IInditex H&M 44599 1080 613 44,196 3,980 3,250 922 8844 33,255 1,614 2,035 3,508 2,615 ,631 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 NNumber of Countries, Inditex vs H&M (1999-2004) 60 50 40 30 20 10 556 11998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 44 14 448 330 12 339 33 1414 118 220 IInditex H&M 0 0 11999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 AAdapted from Inditex and H&M, 2005 – 18 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Exhibit 7: A Zara advertisement The Cheap Frock coat (119) White shirt (25) ZARA Black necktie (65) HACKETT Woollen Trousers (45) and Black boots (55), both ZARA The Expensive Black cashmere frock coat (950) White tuxedo shirt (190) Black necktie (86) and Woollen Trousers (380) both RALPH LAUREN Black boots (500) are by UNGARO 19 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 Exhibit 8: Zara Season Adapted from Dutta, 200 4 Endnotes – 20 -305-308-1 LBS-CS-05-037 1 Crawford, L. (2005) ? â€Å"Inditex sizes up Europe in expansion drive,? † Financial Times, 1 February 2005, p. 30. 2 Ferdows, K. J. , A. D. Machuca and M. Lewis (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † CIBER Case Collection, Indiana University. 3 D? ’Andrea, G. and D. Arnold (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Harvard Business School Case 9-503-050, p. 7. 4 ? â€Å"Zara, la deferlante de la mode espagnole,? † Interview with Stephane Labelle, MD of Zara France, Enjeux-Les Echos, February 1996. 5 Crawford, L. (2000) ? Inside Track: Putting on the style with rapid response,? † Financial Times, 26 February 2000. 6 D? ’Andrea, G. and D. Arnold (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Harvard Business School Case 9-503-050, p. 19. 7 D? ’Andrea, G. and D. Arnold (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Harvard Business School Case 9-503-050, p. 18 8 Ferdows, K. J. , K. M. Lewis and J. A. D. Machuca (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Supp ly Chain Forum 4(2): 62. 9 Ferdows, K. J. , A. D. Machuca and M. Lewis (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † CIBER Case Collection, Indiana University, p. 6. 10 Ghemawat, P. and J. L. Nueno (2003) ? â€Å"Zara: Fast Fashion,? † Harvard Business School Case 9-703-497, p. 10. 11 ? The Future of Fast Fashion,? † The Economist, 18 June 2005, p. 63. 12 ? â€Å"Zara: A Retailer? ’s Dream,? † from http://www. fashionunited. co. uk/news/archive/inditex1. htm 13 Ferdows, K. J. , A. D. Machuca and M. Lewis (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † CIBER Case Collection, Indiana University, p. 7. 14 Crawford, L. (2005) ? â€Å"Inditex sizes up Europe in expansion drive,? † Financial Times, 1 February 2005, p. 30. 15 Fraiman, N. , M. Singh, L. Arrington and C. Paris (2002) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Columbia Business School Case, p. 5. 16 Ghemawat, P. and J. L. Nueno (2003) ? â€Å"Zara: Fast Fashion,? † Harvard Business School Case 9-703-497, p. 0. 17 Fraiman, N. , M. Singh , L. Arrington and C. Paris (2002) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Columbia Business School Case, p. 5. 18 Ferdows, K. J. , A. D. Machuca and M. Lewis (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † CIBER Case Collection, Indiana University, p. 6. 19 Fraiman, N. , M. Singh, L. Arrington and C. Paris (2002) ? â€Å"Zara,? † Columbia Business School Case, p. 6. 20 Ferdows, K. J. , A. D. Machuca and M. Lewis (2003) ? â€Å"Zara,? † CIBER Case Collection, Indiana University, p. 8. 21 Interview with Anthony Pralle, Senior Vice President of Boston Consulting Group, Madrid, 13 July 1999, as quoted in Harle, N. , M. Pich and L.Van der Heyden (2002) ? â€Å"Marks & Spencer and Zara: Process Competition in the Textile Apparel Industry,? † INSEAD Case 602- 010-1. 22 Crawford, L. ?â€Å"Inditex sizes up Europe in expansion drive: Rapid design, manufacture and distribution keep pressure on rivals,? † Financial Times, 1 February 2005. 23 D? ’Andrea, G. and D. Arnold (2003) ? â€Å"Zara ,? † Harvard Business School Case 9-503-050. 24 Crawford, L. (2005) ? â€Å"Inditex sizes up Europe in expansion drive,? † Financial Times, 1 February 2005, p. 30. 25 Dutta, D. (2004) ? â€Å"Brand Watch: Zara,? † Images Fashion Forum Presentation, New Delhi, 12 February 2004.