Once Upon a Time Nadine Gordimer Essay

In Nadine Gordimer’s â€Å"Once Upon a Time†, Gordimer discusses the consequences of the family’s actions due to paranoia of the outside world. In the extract, Gordimer paints a picture of how the couple had taken extreme measures, erecting physical barriers around them to protect themselves from the purported dangers of their external environment, until they are unaware about the dangers that these barriers pose to themselves. Hence, the extract underlines the dangers that prejudice poses for oneself and the futility of trying to protect oneself from the infinite dangers lurking. In the above extract, Gordimer employs the use of the third person narrative, which â€Å"reveals the thoughts of the family members†. The reader is allowed a bird’s eye view into the reasons why safety was paramount to the couple and the measures taken by them to keep their house safe. Also, with the third person narrative, details that foreshadow the grisly fate awaiting the little boy are made more apparent. Moreover, without any names pegged to the characters, Gordimer leads the reader to believe that the incident seems typical, which conversely allows the reader to be provoked into a stronger reaction towards the devasting effects that prejudice brings and the possibility that it can happen to almost anyone. Therefore, with the third person narrative, Gordimer not only manages to invoke the reader’s incredulity towards the extreme measures taken by the family in protecting themselves, but also foreshadows the unhappy ending for a supposed fairytale. The purposeful omission of the boy at the start of Gordimer’s narration in the above extract foreshadows that the boy would not be living â€Å"happily ever after†. The story’s structure is a reversal of a classic fairytale’s structure, by stating that â€Å"a man and his wife who loved each other very much and were living happily ever after† at the beginning. The story begins with the premise that the couple is living happily ever after, but only introduces their child later, which breaks the conventional fairytale’s structure, foreshadowing an unhappy ending. Thus, Gordimer foreshadows that the boy was unable to live happily at the end of the story with a reversed fairytale’s structure and the deliberate separation of the boy from his parents. Gordimer also makes use of imagery and irony to emphasise the extreme prejudice that the family harbours and the effects of prejudice that they would later experience. In the extract, the plaque to deter intruders had â€Å"the silhouette of a would-be intruder† which â€Å"was masked† which â€Å"therefore proved the property owner was no racist† a s one could not tell if the would-be intruder â€Å"was black or white† . The image of a silhouette already conjures up a black person in one’s mind, which adds an ironic element when one continues reading that â€Å"people of another colour were quartered† and â€Å"not allowed into the suburb† . The colour of a silhouette has one linking the intruder with black people as it is dark. This further adds on to the irony with the panic that the wife experiences that the black people might â€Å"open the gates and stream in†, as the family was concerned about protecting themselves from people who were already barred from their suburb merely due to their race. One could not tell a person’s race merely from a silhouette, which emphasises how narrow-minded and racially biased the community is. Thus, Gordimer points out the absurdity of actions carried out due to a person’s racist outlook and foretells the disastrous consequences in store for the family. Gordimer also uses diction to convey the absurdity of the protective measures as taken by the family. She writes that anyone who â€Å"tried to open the gates† and â€Å"pulled off the sign† is oddly required to â€Å"announce his intentions† with the installation of gates meant to keep intruders out. With the word â€Å"announce†, Gordimer highlights the futility of the security measures taken by the family, because no intruder will request for permission to break in and underlines the ludicrousness of trying to be protected from intruders. The irony is that the intruder is now depicted as a civilized individual who would await permission before intruding. Additionally, the gates were meant to keep intruders at bay, not to serve as a warning to the family before the house was broken into. Thus, Gordimer allows the reader to rethink the effectiveness of the security measures employed by the family and the futility of such measures, as one cannot prevent someone who just wants to break in. Word Count: 762 words

Black Friday

The phenomenon of Black Friday Bustling city streets, hour-long lines, and retail store chaos: only one scenario explains the commonality between these situations, shopping on Black Friday. For half a century Black Friday has become an unofficial retail holiday in the United States. It is a day that offers incredible discounts and killer deals, and most notoriously, it brings a frenzy of crazed shoppers to local retailers looking to save on purchases.Marketing strategies, paired with consumers’ need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping da y of the year.In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolina's Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with â€Å"experienced† Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes: 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, â€Å"the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out th eir strategy. † (Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments.When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a breakdown of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition — such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods — they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates what’s called hedonic shopping v alue, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. † (Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consumers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased.Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the â€Å"Black Friday frenzy†. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says â€Å"time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources† triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people.Black Friday is â€Å"hunting for women,† said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. â€Å"It’s so much like deer hunting it’s hard to tell the two apart. † (Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a â€Å"perfect storm† for consumer misbehavior.Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, â€Å"acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. † (Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often the mselves. â€Å"For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005)Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day.The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraw’s research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, â€Å"One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of others—often more so than we'd like to admit.Sometimes we're impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. † (McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer.Consumers’ benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers’ benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives t heir extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumer’s willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy.In a society where a corporation or business’s main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a company’s number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailer’s total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way.Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other people’s behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. It’s influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect: Let’s Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. † The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,†How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice: Snob and Bandwagon Effects†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, O’Guinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) â€Å"Compulsive Consumption†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds.Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14: Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages: 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. â€Å"The Science of Willpower. † Comments on â€Å"Black Friday Shopping: How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart† N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. â€Å"The Humor Code. † The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, â€Å"Black Friday Sales Hit Record. † CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. â€Å"Here, There, and Everywhere. † Black Friday: A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) â€Å"An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals†, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 7, pp. 522 – 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. â€Å"We gather together: consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Dayâ € , in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. â€Å"By the Numbers: Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. † The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. . Black Friday The three sources to be compared are all in relation to the events that occurred on â€Å"Black Friday†, particularly surrounding the conduct of the metropolitan police. Source 10, taken from â€Å"The Times† newspaper presents the view that the police were more victims of the women and raiders that they were trying to control, and that it took some effort to restrain the women that were protesting on that day.Whereas source 11, taken from a memorandum that was sent to the home office after ‘Black Friday† gives the view that the police were acting violently towards the women protesting and that the women in this situation were the victims. Source 12, a statement from a suffragette who participated in â€Å"Black Friday† presents a similar opinion to that in source 11, indicating that the woman in question received several injuries from a police officer.The events that occurred on â€Å"Black Friday† and the conduct of the police have been under dispute by many historians, which some taking the side of source 10, and others agreeing more with the recollections presented in sources 11 and 12- it can therefore be argued how much sources 11 and 12 challenge the view contained in source 10 about the conduct of the police on â€Å"Black Friday†. Source 10, taken from â€Å"The Times’ newspaper on 19th November 1910 is an extract from a report covering the events of what eventually became known as â€Å"Black Friday†.It presents the view that the police â€Å"kept their temper very well’ towards â€Å"the ladies who flung themselves against (them)†. It also speaks of how â€Å"several police had their helmets knocked off in carrying out their duty† and later mentions that â€Å"one was disabled by a kick on the ankle† and another â€Å"was cut on the face by a belt† therefore implying that the women who were present on Black Friday were acting violently towards the police , and that any rough handling of the police towards the protesters was only in response to the treatment they were receiving.It could be said then, that this article presents the police in a positive light and shows the suffragettes to be the ones at fault on â€Å"Black Friday† which comes as no surprise given that the article comes from â€Å"The Times†- a newspaper that would have been primarily aimed at educated men, and its purpose therefore would have been to share the opinion that women were out of control and lacked the dignity to receive the vote. Source 11 on the other hand disagrees with the view presented in source source 10.It is an extract from a memorandum by the Parliamentary Conciliation Committee for Women’s Suffrage send to the Home Office after â€Å"Black Friday†. It agrees with the source ten in the sense that it admits a â€Å"relentless struggle† occurred between the police and the suffragettes, but it disagrees with source 10 because it presents the view that it was the police acting violently towards the women, who it says were â€Å"flung hither and thither amid moving traffic, and into the hands of a crows which was sometimes rough and indecent†.This opinion is presented because the purpose of the memorandum sent to the home office was to request a public inquiry into the conduct of the police on â€Å"Black Friday†, because they did not follow their â€Å"usual course of action† which â€Å"would have been to arrest the women on a charge of obstruction† but they â€Å"had been instructed to avoid, as far as possible, making any arrests† which is why, the women argue that the police were so violent.Also, this article presents the events of â€Å"Black Friday† in such a different light, because it was written by those who sympathized with Suffragettes and therefore supported them, the Committee was set up in 1910 to encourage support for women’s suffr age, so it would have wanted to make the actions of the police look bad in order to gain support for the women who were protesting. Similar to source 11, Source 12, from a statement by a 60 year old suffragette who had participated in the demonstration on â€Å"Black Friday† is of the opinion that it was the police who acted wrongly during the events, and not the women protesting.The suffragette talks about how she was â€Å"seized by several policemen† and how â€Å"one twisted (her) right arm behind (her) back with such brute force that (she) really thought he would break it†. She also mentions that â€Å"another policeman gave (her) a terrible blow in (her) back, which sent (her) whirling into the crowd†- clearly presenting the view that the police were acting violently and out of conduct towards the women and as a result disputing the viewpoint held in source 10.However, it must be taken into consideration the purpose of this statement, which was a te stament before the Parliamentary Conciliation Committee for Women’s Suffrage, who we know from source 11 sympathized with suffragettes and were trying to gain support from them. Therefore, the women who gave this testament would have been trying to give as much evidence against the police as possible in order for the Committee to have a case against the police and order for an inquiry to be made.In addition to this, it was the aim of suffragettes at time to create as much publicity towards their cause as they could, whether good or bad, they wanted attention, and by complaining about the police it would have prolonged the time that â€Å"Black Friday† was publicized in the media which was what they wanted. In conclusion, sources 11 and 12, which present the view that it was the police who acted wrongly on â€Å"Black Friday† disagree with the view presented in source 10, which is that it was the women who were at fault.This is because the purpose of both sources 11 and 12 was to create sympathy for the suffragettes in order to gain support for their cause, whereas source 10 was aimed at an audience who did not support women’s suffrage, and by publishing an article presenting women in a bad light, â€Å"The Times† newspaper would have been ensuring that it’s readers remained loyal. Although sources 11 and 12 agree with source 10 in the fact that a violent dispute took place, they differ in opinion of who was the victim in the situation, therefore sources 11 and 12 challenge the view presented in source 10 about the conduct of the police on â€Å"Black Friday†. Black Friday The phenomenon of Black Friday Bustling city streets, hour-long lines, and retail store chaos: only one scenario explains the commonality between these situations, shopping on Black Friday. For half a century Black Friday has become an unofficial retail holiday in the United States. It is a day that offers incredible discounts and killer deals, and most notoriously, it brings a frenzy of crazed shoppers to local retailers looking to save on purchases.Marketing strategies, paired with consumers’ need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping da y of the year.In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolina's Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with â€Å"experienced† Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes: 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, â€Å"the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out th eir strategy. † (Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments.When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a breakdown of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition — such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods — they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates what’s called hedonic shopping v alue, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. † (Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consumers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased.Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the â€Å"Black Friday frenzy†. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says â€Å"time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources† triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people.Black Friday is â€Å"hunting for women,† said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. â€Å"It’s so much like deer hunting it’s hard to tell the two apart. † (Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a â€Å"perfect storm† for consumer misbehavior.Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, â€Å"acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. † (Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often the mselves. â€Å"For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005)Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day.The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraw’s research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, â€Å"One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of others—often more so than we'd like to admit.Sometimes we're impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. † (McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer.Consumers’ benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers’ benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives t heir extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumer’s willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy.In a society where a corporation or business’s main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a company’s number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailer’s total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way.Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other people’s behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. It’s influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect: Let’s Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. † The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,†How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice: Snob and Bandwagon Effects†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, O’Guinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) â€Å"Compulsive Consumption†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds.Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14: Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages: 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. â€Å"The Science of Willpower. † Comments on â€Å"Black Friday Shopping: How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart† N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. â€Å"The Humor Code. † The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, â€Å"Black Friday Sales Hit Record. † CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. â€Å"Here, There, and Everywhere. † Black Friday: A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) â€Å"An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals†, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 7, pp. 522 – 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. â€Å"We gather together: consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Dayâ € , in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. â€Å"By the Numbers: Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. † The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. .

What Went Wrong for eastman Kodak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What Went Wrong for eastman Kodak - Essay Example Thirdly, Kodak was unable to make the new digital technology to fit coherently with its other capabilities as a core competency. In the subsequent paragraphs in this discussion, Kodak’s approach in these three strategies is compared with IBM’s in order to highlight the ultimate failure of the former and the success of the latter. Kodak rise to dominance in the imaging industry was characterised by it use of a razor-edged strategy. This strategy was implemented by selling cameras at a very low cost, and earning profits from the sale of expensive films. The high margins on film fuelled the company’s profitability and growth to the extent that the company became too dependent on its film business. The problem with this is that the company concentrated on acquiring core competencies on film technologies while it continued to pay less attention to equipment. In spite of pioneering in the field of digital cameras, the company discarded the idea of pursuing future compe titive advantages in that field because of the fear that this would cannibalise its film business (Nate, 2012). According to the resource-based view of strategy, firms that have superior systems and structures are profitable not because they engage in strategic investments that may deter entry and raise prices above long-run costs, but because they have markedly lower costs, or offer markedly higher quality or product performance. However, this strategy is often not enough to sustain significant competitive advantage for long. According to Teece, Pisano and Shuen (1997), winners in the global marketplace have been firms that can demonstrate timely responsiveness and rapid and flexible product innovation, coupled with the management capability to effectively coordinate and redeploy internal and external competences. Kodak’s failure arose from its management’s comfort with its present huge resources and core competencies which prevented them from developing dynamic c apabilities. In 2011 IBM marked its 100 year milestone. As two centenarians, it would be appropriate to compare IBM’s continued success against Kodak’s demise. IBM, like Kodak, has faced the full force of disruptive change on its core business as faster, cheaper and nimbler competitors rapidly ate away its market leadership. In the early 80s IBM introduced the IBM PC that created the first truly mass market for the personal computer (Koehn, 2011). However, within a decade IBM had fallen behind in this market that it had created so much that in the 1992 financial year the company recorded a US$8.10 billion loss (Denning, 2011). Knowing customers intimately In the early 90s when IBM was performing its worst the financial analysts believed the company’s best bet for survival was to break it up and sell it. However, the newly appointed CEO Lou Gerstner overcame that pressure and instead focused on interacting with customers and industry experts in order to under stand IBM’s value-proposition from the customer/market perspective. This exercise enabled the new CEO to identify IBM’s greatest strength to be its ability to provide customer with integrated solutions. As such the organization dropped the earlier desire to split the company. Splitting IBM would have destroyed its unique competitive advantage. Armed with this knowledge Lou Gestner changed IBM strategy to be an enterprise that could understand and provide its customers wide-ranging IT needs. Today, IBM’s Global Services provides the largest share of the company’s revenue (Koehn, 2011). On the other hand, Kodak acted as if it were not affected when Sony introduced the Mavica digital camera.

Short answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short answers - Assignment Example s under threat from the middle class who come between the ruling royal family and the subjects therefore creating a friction between kings and subjects. While the US Republic Party proposes to introduce legislations in different economic sectors, the principles of laissez-faire notes introduction of legislations in the manufacturing industry was to blame for the improvisation for many in the country. 12. How did the economic situation in Germany at the 1848 Revolutions differ from that of England and France according to Friedrich Engels analysis of that region in chapter I of his commentary on those revolutions? In Germany the feudal system was still prevalent compared to England and France where its influence had reduced while the bourgeoisie in Germany were not as wealthy as was the case in both England and France. 13. What was the connection between the financial problems of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1848 and the political demands of the middle classes in that state as described in chapter II of Engel’s study? 14. Why, according to Engels in chapter III, was there a close relationship between opposition to orthodox Protestant or Catholic religious practice and belief and political opposition of the governments of the smaller German states of the 1840s? Religion whether catholic or protestant was considered part of the law and therefore to oppose the church was like opposing the government this means calls to break away from the main church would also be linked to calls for formation of smaller German states. 16. How, according to Engels’ chapter VI, did the Prussian Democrats under who took direction of government in that state in March 1848 divide the from the working class and peasant populations who up-risings had created the revolution? 18. Identify reasons why, according to Anarchist thinker Emma Goldman in Marriage and Love (1911), most women are reduced to base motivations, economic dependency upon men and general unhappiness within

Del inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Del inc - Research Paper Example Conclusion 8 12. References 9 Graph 1 1 table 1 6 1.1 Introduction Dell Inc. is a United States based multinational firm that manufactures and develops computers and its associated products and services. It is the fastest growing computer companies in the world. Its growth strategy includes both acquisitions and increases its customers. Its most prominent mergers have been with Alienware and Perot Systems. Dell is known for its supply chain management and online sales where it focused on â€Å"configure to order† strategy where every product was customized (Fuller, 2012). It initially worked but as the demand became global the strategy was just too hard to keep up. Customers became smarter and wanted to use the products before buying which weakened Dell’s online selling strategy (Eden, 2012). Graph 1. Dell’s market share in U.S. and Worldwide (in Q1 2009) compared to other top PC makers http://www.casestudyinc.com/dell-supply-chain-case-study According to Atikan (2012), from 1997-2004 was an era of growth for the firm where the firm got a number one position for customer services and reliance. In 2002 the firm expanded its product portfolio to include televisions and printers etc. it also acquired Converge Net Technologies. In 2004, with the change in management, Dell’s ties with Microsoft and Intel deteriorated and in 2005 Dell lost 25% of its shares. With the market now stretching across the globe, Dell could not maintain its customer services nor manufacture customized products. Moreover, the prices per product production reduced cutting down on Dell’s profits. Adding to it Dell spent less on its R&D, which retarded its future growth prospects. The firm undertook many acquisitions as an attempt to rise again with its latest acquisition in September 2012 of Quest Software. Today it has gained strength by transforming into an IT solution provider and is successful in the Virtual Era (Fuller, 2012). 2 Application of OM in Dell ’s workplace Operational management is primarily how Dell manages its quality, supply chain, maintenance, global locations and human resources. 2.1 Quality Dell was always known for its quality products however, as the market expanded globally, the firm had increasing difficulty to produce customised products and thus quality also suffered leading to complaining customers and a slow customer care. Every market has a different requirement and to cater to that it became difficult for the firm. This was also adding to the cost where Dells products were marked higher than the market price (Chen and Press, 2012). 2.2 Supply chain at Dell The firm has stringent legal frames that it follows and ensures that its suppliers follow that too. Maintaining that has enabled Dell to reached the global markets as the quality is maintained and at the same time the suppliers realise the standards they need to maintain if they intend to work with Dell. 2.3 Maintenance management Dell trains and develops its employees continuously and has highly skilled employees because the products are customised and thus require specific skills to follow this strategy. As per Atikan (2012), Dell aims to converge its technology that will simplify operation and make performance better simultaneously reducing operational costs. Dell claims to have a holistic approach that helps its customers with managing their virtual and physical IT needs thereby achieving their objectives. 2.4 Global management Dell’

Strategic Analysis and Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic Analysis and Decision Making - Essay Example Such an ideal model of decision making also presumes that the decision maker is aware of all possible alternatives and that he or she decides subsequent to examining them all. A modern approach recognizes that decisions are made in an automatic, instinctive fashion. Specifically, image theory claims that people will take on a course of action that best fits their individual principles, current goals, and plans for the future. The decisions made in organizations can be distinguished as programmed -- routine decisions made according to preexisting guidelines -- or non-programmed -- decisions requiring novel and ingenious solutions. Decisions also are different with respect to the amount of risk involved, ranging from those in which the decision outcomes are moderately certain to those in which outcomes are extremely uncertain. Uncertain situations are expressed as statements of prospect based on either objective or subjective information. For the rational decision maker, the question is "What is the best answer" Rational decision analysis provides a precise method for choosing among alternatives based on their estimated values. The rational model requires the overt specification of the probabilities associated with choices and chances, as well as quantified payoffs for outcomes. For instance, consider the stock option decision tree given in figure 1.1. Here, an investor is considering buying an option on a stock with a current price of $100. The option itself has a price OP. There is a 50% chance that the stock's price will raise to $110, and a 50% chance that the price will fall to $95: - Current Stock Price = $100 - Option Price = OP - With P = .5, S = $110 - With P=.5, S = $95 The investor has two alternatives: Do not purchase the option (choice I), or purchase the option (choice II). Given the above assumptions concerning probabilities and payoffs, rational decision theory gives an exact method for ranking the alternatives. We calculate the expected value of an alternative as the product of its possibility and its payoff value. For the stock option case, we arrive at the following expected values. EV (I) = P (A) * V (A) = 1.0 * 0 = 0 EV (II) = P (B) * V (B) + P(C) * V(C) - OP = .5 * 10 + .5 * 0 - OP = 5 - OP The rational choice is to purchase the option if Option Price, OP, $5.We note that this approach formalizes just one aspect of the decision task, that is, choosing among the alternatives. The pattern does not provide exact methods for identifying problems or alternatives, nor for estimating those alternatives. The rationalization that results from this process is always the same: The choice has the highest estimated value. The rational decision maker does not abandon the trouble even if all outcomes have negative expected values. In that case, the decision maker selects for the "best worst" case. The model does not address the matter of generating additional alternatives. Still, rational

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Research Paper

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that EEOC is under the mandatory obligation to monitor compliance and enforcement of Title VII under Civil Rights Act, 1964 along with other federal civil rights. Civil Rights Act, 1964, Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are some such practices of EEOC that prohibit discrimination at workplace based on a range of factors age, nationality, ethnicity, gender, etc. Title VII of Civil Rights Act entails race, color, origin, gender, and religion as protected groups which show evidence of discrimination and the laws of EEOC are intended to protect employees and potential employees against discrimination. EEOC recommends that employees of all public-private firms are protected by federal laws against discrimination. In this regard, Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 1964 prohibits discrimination in terms of race, color, religion, sex or national origin in hiring, promoting, discharging, payment, fringe benefits, among other aspects of e mployment. The amended version of The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protects employees, present and prospective, with disabilities in hiring, promoting, and other aspects of employment. For protecting discrimination based on an age of above 40 years who are the applicants or employees, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 is handy to ensure equal opportunity. Also, Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 1964 and The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibit sex discrimination where women and men are paid different wages for the same work in the same organization. Further to this, all federal laws prohibit any retaliatory action by an employer in cases of filing of charges of discrimination by the employee, and it can amount to serious offense of the laws. Diversity at the workplace is practiced to ensure that individual differences are recognized and acknowledged to create an environment that is diverse and innovative, and which utilizes the contributions of the diverse backgroun ds of its employees. In the diverse workplace, EEO policies apply in addressing the disadvantaged groups prone to discrimination in terms of age, race, etc.