Free Essays on Michael Stipe

Michael Stipe, lead singer for R.E.M., is thought to be one of America’s most emotionally powerful songwriters in the music scene. John Michael Stipe was born January 4th, 1960 in Decatur, Georgia. The lead singer has become well known for his mumbling style, exploiting strange and scrambled lyrics. Stipe grew up as the son of a military officer, moving from place to place as a kid. Although he usually kept to himself, he developed an alter side while growing up that contradicts his shyness. While studying photography and painting at the University of Georgia, Stipe met Peter Buck, Bill Berry, and Mike Mills. They created R.E.M. that year and issued their debut single, Radio Free Europe, and in 1983 they came out with their debut album, Murmur. This album differed from the rest of the mainstream pop music being played at the time (StarIQ 261). The music was kind of haunting, and hard to understand, but still carried power and emotion in the lyrics. The album’s central theme was the tones and images that bothered Michael Stipe. R.E.M. got exceptional ranking in the early 80’s but it was not until their hit The One I Love, from their album Document in 1987, that they achieved the vast commercial recognition they needed. At this point Stipe was put under the spotlight along with severe pressure that made him define his music and himself. Questions arose concerning his sexual identity that he chose to avoid. But when the pressure became too great, he rose above his need for solitude and began to openly discuss his sexuality (Brainyencyclopedia 417). This made a great influence on his music. The themes and ideas became more social than political as seen in earlier songs. His fan base grew and Stipe became a recognized star. Stipe’s lyrics started as an opinion on society from a social point and developed into a signature of strong feeling about love and sexuality. In 1990 R.E.M. wrote a hit song called Losing My Religion, referr... Free Essays on Michael Stipe Free Essays on Michael Stipe Michael Stipe, lead singer for R.E.M., is thought to be one of America’s most emotionally powerful songwriters in the music scene. John Michael Stipe was born January 4th, 1960 in Decatur, Georgia. The lead singer has become well known for his mumbling style, exploiting strange and scrambled lyrics. Stipe grew up as the son of a military officer, moving from place to place as a kid. Although he usually kept to himself, he developed an alter side while growing up that contradicts his shyness. While studying photography and painting at the University of Georgia, Stipe met Peter Buck, Bill Berry, and Mike Mills. They created R.E.M. that year and issued their debut single, Radio Free Europe, and in 1983 they came out with their debut album, Murmur. This album differed from the rest of the mainstream pop music being played at the time (StarIQ 261). The music was kind of haunting, and hard to understand, but still carried power and emotion in the lyrics. The album’s central theme was the tones and images that bothered Michael Stipe. R.E.M. got exceptional ranking in the early 80’s but it was not until their hit The One I Love, from their album Document in 1987, that they achieved the vast commercial recognition they needed. At this point Stipe was put under the spotlight along with severe pressure that made him define his music and himself. Questions arose concerning his sexual identity that he chose to avoid. But when the pressure became too great, he rose above his need for solitude and began to openly discuss his sexuality (Brainyencyclopedia 417). This made a great influence on his music. The themes and ideas became more social than political as seen in earlier songs. His fan base grew and Stipe became a recognized star. Stipe’s lyrics started as an opinion on society from a social point and developed into a signature of strong feeling about love and sexuality. In 1990 R.E.M. wrote a hit song called Losing My Religion, referr...

What Exactly Is the ACT Aspire Why Should You Care

What Exactly Is the ACT Aspire Why Should You Care SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In 2014, ACT Inc. replaced the ACT Plan – a pre-test very similar to the ACT – with the ACT Aspire. Aspire has a very different format, age range, and goals than either the ACT Plan or the regular ACT. So why did the ACT release a new test, and how can it help you prepare for the ACT? We will explore what makes Aspire unique and what you can expect from it. History: The ACT Plan Before ACT Aspire, ACT offered the Plan. The Plan was a straightforward ACT practice test designed for 10th graders. It tested the same subject areas as the ACT and used the same format: a paper and pencil multiple-choice test. The Plan was seen as the ACT’s version of the PSAT. (The PSAT is the SAT’s practice test.) However, unlike the PSAT, the Plan did not enter you into a scholarship competition. It was just a test to let 10th graders (and their schools) know if they were on track to meet college readiness benchmarks and do well on the ACT. The ACT also offered the Explore, a test with the same format but less difficult content, meant to show middle school students if they were on track for high school. The Plan was scored between 1 and 32, while the ACT is scored between 1 and 36. As such, the Plan predicted an ACT score between 1 and 5 points higher than a Plan score. For example, a Plan score of 32 predicted an ACT score between 33 and 36. However, in 2014, ACT discontinued both the Plan and Explore and replaced them with the ACT Aspire. ACT Aspire also predicts an ACT score, but its format and scoring are very different, and it has much broader goals. Why Did ACT Create the Aspire? ACT is hoping the Aspire will become a widely-used test not just for ACT practice, but to assess Common Core standards. The Common Core is a new series of education standards being adopted by many states in the US. The standards are supposed to be more rooted in critical and creative thinking, so they are less straightforward than the old standards. As an example, an old Algebra standard for linear equations could be something like this: â€Å"Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line.† The Common Core expects students to â€Å"Distinguish between situations that can be modeled with linear functions and with exponential functions† and to â€Å"Prove that linear functions grow by equal differences over equal intervals, and that exponential functions grow by equal factors over equal intervals.† In other words, the content is the same, but the expectations and methods are different. Since the Common Core has a different approach, it also requires different standardized tests to monitor student progress. This is where ACT hopes the Aspire will come in. (The PARCC and Smarter Balanced are other examples of tests being offered for the same purpose.) Because of this, the ACT Aspire isn’t just a 10th grade test – it is designed to be given every year starting in 3rd grade all the way through 10th grade, so it can assess student growth from year to year. In that sense, Aspire is a much larger and more ambitious undertaking than the Plan or Explore. The goal of Aspire is to identify learning gaps early on to help students stay on track for college readiness, while also preparing students for the content on the ACT. To do that, Aspire will also track college readiness using the ACT’s benchmarks. What Is the Aspire Like? The Aspire has five sections that align with the ACT Plus Writing subject areas: Reading, English, Math, Science, and Writing. (The Plan did not include a writing section.) However, unlike the ACT, Aspire includes a wide variety of question types. Aspire questions can be multiple choice, short answer, or long answer (including essays and narratives). The questions also make students rearrange lists, correct math problems, or pick multiple answers from a set of choices. So even though the content is similar to the ACT's, the Aspire as a test is quite different. As an example, here are two short answer questions featured on a sample Aspire test: A short-answer reading question. A short-answer math question. Via ACT Aspire. If you want to see more sample questions for yourself, go to this website and enter the login information for the test section and grade level you're interested in. Note that the Aspire is a timed test, like the ACT. Aspire can be offered either on computers or on paper. The paper option is more expensive, so it’s likely many students will end up taking it on the computer. This is also different than the ACT, which is a paper-and-pencil bubble test. How Is Aspire Scored? The Aspire does not use an ACT-like scale the way the Plan did. Instead, the Aspire assigns scores between 400and 460 for each subject. The score ranges are tied to grade levels, with an expected increase for each grade. When you get a score report, it will include your score, how you compare to others in your grade, your strengths, and where you can still improve. The ACT still uses those scores to predict future ACT scores, based on when you took the test. For example, they would predict a higher future ACT score if an 8th grader earned a 410 versus a 10th grader, since an 8th grader has more time to learn and improve. However, the prediction is less straightforward than just adding a few ACT composite points. Furthermore, since the Aspire is so different, the prediction is not at all set in stone. (See our Aspire to ACT Score Predictions article for more on Aspire scoring and ACT predictions.) What's a Good Aspire Score? What score should you be aiming for on the Aspire?ACT has provided low, high, and benchmark scores for each of the five subjects tested in grades 3 through 10. Benchmark scores are what you need to reach to be considered "on track", a low score is below average, and a high score is above average. You can use this chart to figure out how well you/your child is scoring on the Aspire or to set goal scores for the next exam. Grade Tested Subject Low Score High Score Benchmark 3 English 400 435 413 3 Reading 400 429 415 3 Math 400 434 413 3 Science 400 433 418 3 Writing 408 440 428 4 English 400 438 417 4 Reading 400 431 417 4 Math 400 440 416 4 Science 400 436 420 4 Writing 408 440 428 5 English 400 442 419 5 Reading 400 434 420 5 Math 400 446 418 5 Science 400 438 422 5 Writing 408 440 428 6 English 400 448 420 6 Reading 400 436 421 6 Math 400 451 420 6 Science 400 440 423 6 Writing 408 448 428 7 English 400 450 421 7 Reading 400 438 423 7 Math 400 453 422 7 Science 400 443 425 7 Writing 408 448 428 8 English 400 452 422 8 Reading 400 440 424 8 Math 400 456 425 8 Science 400 446 427 8 Writing 408 448 428 9 English 400 456 426 9 Reading 400 442 425 9 Math 400 460 428 9 Science 400 449 430 9 Writing 408 448 428 10 English 400 456 428 10 Reading 400 442 428 10 Math 400 460 432 10 Science 400 449 432 10 Writing 408 448 428 Will Aspire Help You Prepare for the ACT? Since Aspire is given over several years and uses different question types, you may be wondering how it will help you prepare for the ACT, which is mostly multiple-choice and usually taken by 11th and 12th graders. The main way Aspire will help you prepare for the ACT is by testing the same content, with the same benchmarks. Aspire will show you if you are learning enough, content-wise, to do well on the ACT. Aspire will also give you more time to improve for the ACT. For example, if you learn as a sixth grader that your math scores are lower than your peers’ scores, you have five years to improve your math skills before taking the ACT. If you learned that from the Plan, you would have only had one year to study and improve. That said, the actual ACT’s format is quite different from Aspire – all multiple-choice unless you take the ACT Plus Writing – and has more intense pacing. Getting a great score on the ACT requires good pacing and multiple-choice test strategy as well as knowing the content. The Aspire will help you learn content, but it won’t help you prepare for the ACT’s format. Since the ACT’s format is different, you will have to put in some time to study for the ACT outside of class, even if you take Aspire every year from 3rd grade onward. Even if Aspire predicts you will get an excellent ACT score, you can’t just walk into the ACT without studying and expect a 36. Bottom Line: ACT Aspire Although you might hear about students studying for the PSAT to qualify for scholarships, don’t stress about the ACT Aspire – it will give your school data on your progress, but it won’t be used in college admissions or scholarship competitions. Just look at it as another way to gauge your progress as you approach college. Also, as we explore in our score predictions article, the Aspire is not an absolute predictor of your ACT score. If you’re wondering how you’ll do on the actual ACT, it might be more efficient to just take a practice test. And don’t worry too much even if Aspire predicts a low score – with smart studying, you can beat the prediction easily. What’s Next? We recommend beginning your ACT studying early. Getting a good score can really improve your college admissions chances! Get an ACT study plan if you have a year or more to study. Need to prep for the ACT, ASAP? Get an intensive 10-day study plan. Considering taking the SAT instead? Learn which test is easier, and which one you will do best on. Want to learn more about the PSAT and how it qualifies you for the National Merit Competition? Check out our guide. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Essay question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Question - Essay Example This period of isolation ended with the arrival of traders in 19th century and the country engaged in trade leading to massive political, economic and social development. The Japan Empire was established after the Meiji Restoration and the country was strong enough to even engage in war and colonize neighboring empires including Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan (Tanner, 2013). Japanese aggression extended further to China and the Kai-shek’s government lost extensively to the Japanese. Substantial forces in the China’s forces and captured the rice-producing areas of China. Even with the American military support to China, in 1940 the Japanese still triumphed over the Chinese. Japan controlled and destroyed. Japan only surrendered after the World War II hit the country hard and the emperor surrendered to the allied forces. With the embracement of industrialization, Japan became a fully industrialized country in the late 19th and throughout the 20th century. Currently, Japan ranks among the biggest economies in the world and among the strongest

Guidelines of Adolescent Preventative Services (GAPS) Analysis Essay

Guidelines of Adolescent Preventative Services (GAPS) Analysis - Essay Example It has been observed that the present age adolescents are complexly linked with morbidity and mortality which makes them more vulnerable to behavioral and psychological risks (Allenworth, DeMuth, Bradley, & Becerly, 1996) Today’s youth have been characterized by several health crises like unintended pregnancy, Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), drug and alcohol abuses, eating disorders and many more. In order to prevent the youths from this health hazards GAPS recommends certain measures to prevent these health hazards among the youth. It establishes a complete framework for the organizations. The recommendation provided by GAPS is mainly based on four types of services and it concentrates on fourteen separate areas or health conditions. The GAPS encourages the ability of parents to respond to the adolescent’s health needs and adjusting puberty. It also promotes safety and physical fitness of the adolescents and assists in inju ry prevention. Proper dietary habits are promoted among the students by avoiding eating disorders. This helps them in avoiding obesity. GAPS work in encouraging healthy psychological adjustments by resisting the adverse health impact of sexual acts.

How to Improve Competitiveness of Cashmere Industry

How to Improve Competitiveness of Cashmere Industry 1. INTRODUCTION China is the largest cashmere producer in the all over the world, with the sum total output approximately accounting for over 75% of global production, followed by Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, and South Africa. Meanwhile, China is the top cashmere exporter with about 80% of global exportsnearly 75% of cashmere products in global cashmere consumption market are produced in China. (Report on the first Asian conference on cashmere 2007; China International Cashmere Forum 2005) Additionally, China has the unique geographical advantage which is beneficial for raising cashmere goats, among which numerous and fine varieties are herded due to the continuous and complicated ecological environment and long-term artificial selection. Furthermore, the cashmere fibre which exhibits good property in fineness, strength, elongation, is of best quality, and thus is called as gold soft or fibre diamond. Although Chinese cashmere industry owns unique resource competitive advantages, however, with the d evelopment of economic globalization, the industrial competition among countries is intensified and the dimensions of Chinese cashmere industry dilate rapidly, due to which a great number of serious problems have been exposed to the Chinese cashmere industry, These problems have become the restricting factors of favourable development of the industry, and the industry is inevitably faced with enormous challenges. Therefore, how to enhance the overall competitiveness and gain competitive advantage is of great importance to Chinese cashmere industry, which is the major content of this paper. This paper begins with the description of the theories on competitiveness, in particular the competitive advantage and Porters National Diamond Model. Then the paper analyzes the current situation of cashmere industry in China by means of Porters National Diamond Model, along with the case study of successful cashmere industries in other countries and some successful Chinese cashmere companies, to identify the key lessons that could be learned by Chinese cashmere industry and thus win the industrial competitive advantages and improve the sustainable development of the industry. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW For each country, industrial competitiveness is of great importance because it determines the industrial development level and status in the global market competition, and thus it is one of subjects of wide concern from nations to firms. 2.1 Definition of Competitiveness The insights into the question what is the competitiveness can be gained from the works of Johnson (1992), Hammer Champy (1993), Murths (1998), Barney (2001) and Esty (2001). From the point of view of Johnson (1992), competitiveness is the capability of an entity to provide more value to and better satisfy the customers than its competitors. Murths (1998) identified that competitiveness is used to demonstrate the economic strength of an economic entity with regard to its rivals within the global market where goods, services, people, skills and ideas are not subject to geographical restriction and could freely displace (Murths 1998). According to Esty (2001), competitiveness is demonstrated from the aspects of assets and processes. Assets are categorized as inherited one such as natural resources and created one like structures, which are transformed into economic returns by processes. , 2.2 Theories of competitiveness The theoretical foundation of industrial competitiveness could be classified into two theories: comparative advantage theory and competitive advantage theory. Comparative Advantage Theory David Ricardo, the classical economist, put forward the comparative advantage theory as the foundation of international trade. Comparative advantage theory demonstrates that a country should focus on the industries which have relatively higher production efficiency to exchange the goods from the industries with lower production efficiency. (Chacholiades 1990). Heckscher-Ohlin modified and extended the theory, and explained that cross-country variations in relative factor endowments could also shape the pattern of trade (Gankhuyag Ser-Od 2009). Competitive Advantage Theory In his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael Porter addressed a question: Why do some social groups, economic institutions, and nations advance and prosper?'(Porter 1990). On the basis of analyzing the characteristics of national environment, Porter addressed the theory of national competitive advantage. Michael Porter pointed out that traditional economic theories including comparative advantage theory cannot explain the sources of competitiveness. Further he stated that industrial competitiveness should be analyzed with the competitive advantage theory which indicates the different competitiveness presented with respect to the same industry in different countries or areas under the same competitive environment (Porter 1990). The main difference between comparative advantage theory and competitive advantage theory is that the former one emphasizes the comparative relationship between different industries within one country; however, the competitive advantage theory is a bout the same industry within different countries. Grant (1991) assessed the book The Competitive Advantage of Nations and expressed that at all three levelsthe firm, the industry and the nation, Porter offers new insights into the determinants of competitive advantage. 2.3 Michael Porters National Diamond Michael Porter pointed out that the ability to establish or maintain competitive advantage within international market is determined by four direct variables and two indirect variables which formed the framework of National Diamond (as seen in Figure 1) The four direct determinants are factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries and firm strategy, structure and rivalry, and the two indirect variables are chance and government. The six variables combined determine that whether a country could have a strong diamondthe competitive advantage. (Porter, 1990) A brief description of the six variables is as below: Factor condition is analyzed from the characteristics of factors of production, the processes by which they are created, and their relationship to firms competitiveness (Grant 1991). The factors are categorized as basic factors such as natural resources, climate, location and demographics and advanced factors such as communications infrastructure, sophisticated skills and research facilities (Porter 1990). For demand conditions, Michael Porter presented that home demand could provide driving force for enhancing competitive advantage, because customers demands could exert pressure to the firms (Porter 1990). Source: Porter M, The Competitive Advantage of Nations, The Macmillan Press LTD, London, 1990 Figure 1 Michael Porters National Diamond With respect to related and supporting industries: Porter stated that whether an industry has competitive advantages is closely associated with its related and supporting industries. Usually a successful industry would collectively develop with a cluster of related and supporting industries instead of standing alone (Porter 1990). Concern firm strategy, structure and rivalry, Porter identified that the different industrial characteristics within different countries determine the competitive advantages (Porter 1990). The characteristics include strategies, structures, goals, managerial practices, individual attitudes and intensity of rivalry within the business sector (Grant 1991). Chance plays a role in influencing the four direct variables and thus affects the competitive advantage. Additionally, government could provide chances and make challenges for industries even though it does not directly participate in industry competition (Porter 1990). 3. ANALYSIS ON CHINESE CASHEMRE INDUSTRY WITH CASE STUDY 3.1 Factor Conditions In the book of Competitive Advantage of Nations, Porter noted the variable of factor conditions could be hierarchically categorized as basic factors and advanced factors. The importance of basic factors is gradually reducing because the demands for basic factors have decreased along with the market globalization, which means multinational companies could purchase within the globalized market. Therefore, it is unstable to build competitive advantage on the basic factors (Porter 1990). From the point view of basic factors, China is preponderant in cashmere resources with the best quality of raw cashmere and strong product processing capacity. Meanwhile, China is a labour-intensive country thereby that is helpful in reducing labour cost and other integrated cost. In comparison with China, Scotland also possesses the advantaged cashmere resources, and the Scottish cashmere product is highly admired for its quality and finish. Although the labour cost in Scotland is not as low as in China, the Scottish cashmere industry performs much better than that in China. Therefore, basic factors are less important in determining the industrial competitiveness. While advanced factors are of importance to gain competitive advantage. Advanced factor require ambitious and continuous investment to sophisticated labour and technology expenditure. If a country would like to establish formidable and sustainable industrial competitive advantage through the variable of factor conditions, it must develop the advanced factors rather than basic factors. Unlike basic factors, advanced factors cannot be purchased but have to be developed through investment (Porter 1990). From the point view of advanced factors, in China the capacity of independent innovation needs improvement for cashmere firms. Because the Chinese cashmere industry has only developed for a short time, comparing with the European long-term established firms Chinese cashmere firms has large disparity in the aspects of technical innovation and product marketing. Meanwhile, the capacity of independent innovation is imbalanced across cashmere firms in Chinalarge firms put considerable investment on technical innovation whereas small and medium ones invest inadequately and lack of creativeness. Although some Chinese cashmere firms has started the research in the field of dyeing and spinning, some key technologies still have not been grasped unlike in developed countries. In contrast, Todd Duncan provide the evidence that advanced factors is significant for gaining competitive advantage. Todd Duncan was founded in 1867, and now it has become the European leading cashmere yarn knitting firm, which provide cashmere yarn with most fashionable colours to luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton , Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Herms and Christian Dior. Todd Duncan are well known for its production technologies. As far back as it was founded, Todd Duncan were in the lead in the field of cashmere blending yarn. Now it is still well known for its manufacturing technique in single strand. Collaborative with the most advanced textile technologies, it produces the finest and noblest yarns. In addition, in Todd Duncan, computer assisted programmes are used in dyeing procedure such as colour management. High-tech facilities like colour matcher are also used to check the colour accuracy, which is in the lead position of the industry (todd-duncan 2010). Review back to 1980s, it is because paying attention to the advanced factor such as processing technology, Chinese cashmere industry could take a turn. In 1980s, some cashmere firms led by Erdos Cashmere Group and Snowlotus Cashmere Group first introduced the most advanced cashmere carding machines and carding process from Japan. After learning the process and making further processing technology improvement, Chinese carding technique of goat cashmere made a qualitative leap, and the dehaired cashmere made-up rate and quality exceeded the international level. Thus, it enhanced Chinese cashmere industry into a new age (China International Cashmere Forum 2005). From the examples of Todd Duncan and Erdos Cashmere Group, it can be seen that Chinese cashmere industry should not only rely on the resources advantage. The rapid development of Chinese cashmere industry in the past 30 years mainly manifested the growth of cashmere firm numbers. When the industry enters into autumn, this kind of growth will be certainly restricted by the finiteness of the cashmere resources. The industry will be increasingly detailed classified into small sections which ask for higher production specialization degree. Therefore, Chinese cashmere firms must enhance the technology innovation capacity and improve the scientific and technological contents and added value for the cashmere products in order to gain competitive advantage in global competition. However, there are some barriers for Chinese cashmere industry enhancing the technology innovation. For small and medium cashmere firms, they have blockage in financing channels that cannot obtain adequate innovative resources. Additionally, the constructions of technology innovation infrastructure, investment policy and favourable legal environment are lagging behind. Only when a beneficial environment established, Chinese cashmere industry can develop technology innovation in order to produce high add-valued products. 3.2 Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry In terms of firm strategy, structure and rivalry, Porter identified that the competitive advantage is influencing by the different industrial characteristics which include strategies, structures, goals, managerial practices, individual attitudes and intensity of rivalry within the business sector (Grant 1991). From the point view of firm strategies, it includes competitive strategy, marketing strategy, branding strategy, etc. According to Philip Kotler, Each company must find the way that makes most sense, given its situation, opportunities, objectives and resources (Kotler 1999). At present, however, in the global market a great many cashmere products are produced in China whereas less Chinese cashmere brands could be found in the high-end market. Zhang Zhi, executive director of Erdos Cashmere Group, stated that lacking of brand building is the root cause of blocking up the development of Chinese cashmere industry (China International Cashmere Forum 2005). Most of the exporting cashmere products enter international market through OEM production, however the products in own brands are less than 10% of the total exports. Chinese cashmere industry has become the processing workshop for foreign companies. Lacking of brand build-up is the most conspicuous weakness of Chinese cashmere industry. Referring to brand building, Loro Piana provides a good example. Founded in 1924 in Italy, Loro Piana now is the largest and foremost cashmere manufacturer in the western world. On the basis of sourcing finest fibre from Northern China and Mongolia and understanding customers needs and lifestyles, Loro Piana produces cashmere goods in Italian companys own mills, creating and delivering value to consumers (Loro Piana 2010). According to Luxury Institute Survey, in European high net-worth consumers rank, Loro Piana was ranked as the best of the best luxury brands in the category of mens fashion, followed by Ermenegildo and Giorgio Armani (luxury institute 2010). One Chinese cashmere brand also performs well. 1436 Erdos, a brand belongs to Erdos Cashmere Group. Although the brand of Erdos is regarded as the most well known brand in China, it cannot arouse attention in the global high-end market. Therefore, establishing a global brand is the pursuit of Erdos Group. 1436 Erdos, taking its name from the features of its prestige cashmere fibre which is ranked as highest grade, develops finest cashmere products with top quality. On the basis of drawing up the brand strategyserving high-end markets and positioning itself as the worlds leading luxury brand in China, makes other responding firm strategies such as product and marketing strategies to improve its competitiveness in the international market. Erdos cashmere products were given to Mikado, Japanese Prime Minister and other ministers as official national gift when Chinas national leaders visit to Japan in 2008 when it was only one year since the brand established (1436 Erdos 2010). In addition, according to Porter (1990), the driving power enhancing firms to participate in international competition is of significant importance. The driving power could be raised from international demand, or local competitions or market thrust. The most relevant factor in creating and maintaining industrial competitive advantage is the powerful rivalry. In the international competition, successful industries must have got through severe domestic competition, and were forced to reform or to renovate. However, in China there are over 2000 cashmere products firms, among which most of them are incapable of developing new products or exploring new techniques. Most of the firms only can process inferior quality products on the base of imitating other brands style. The competitions among most of the cashmere firms mainly are the price competition. Thus, the current situation of Chinese cashmere industry poorly performsunreasonable redundant low-level production and disorderly competition. In contrast, taking Ballantyne cashmere as example, it presents that rivalry competition could stimulate competitiveness improvement. Ballantyne Cashmere was founded in 1921 in Scotland, now it is enjoyed by increasing consumers. At present, fashionable cashmere products developed by the fashion firms such as Ralph Lauren, Channel, Christian Dior and Givenchy are increasingly widely praised by consumers. Therefore, as the traditional cashmere manufacturer, Ballantyne has begun to consider the new comp etitors. From the performance of the competitors, Alfredo Canessa, the chairman of Ballantyne has noticed consumers changing demands thus he led Ballantyne to improve the product design by means of combining cashmere with other different textiles like silk fabric (Ballantyne 2010). Likewise, Erdos Group has begun transitions. Erdos cashmere products were complained for outdated design in the past. However, now it is making efforts to rebuild product identity. Gilles Dufour, as former art director of Channel for twenty years, has been invited as the new art director of Erdos Group to develop new cashmere product collections. Gilles Dufour introduced Erdos a semi-fashion trend which advocates the beauty of simple luxury, aiming to establish a leading luxury brand in China in order to improve the competitiveness. (Erdos 2010). Through the examples of Loro Piana, Ballantyne and Erdos Group, it could be found that the firm strategy and rivalry is significantly crucial to enhance competitiveness for both firms and industries. However, cashmere firms have to consider the following barriers when make strategies. First, there is no such a strategy that could be successfully adopted by every firm, and the suitable strategy is the best one. Second, most of the Chinese cashmere firms only pay attention to rivalry competition particularly price competition which could hinder the Chinese cashmere industry form the positive competition awareness. 4. CONCLUSION The goal of this paper is to find how to improve the competitiveness of cashmere industry in China. In order to the goal, this paper adopted Michael Porters National Diamond Model to describe the determinants which influence the competitiveness of Chinese cashmere industry. The Diamond theory identifies four direct factors with two indirect factors, namely the factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting strategies and firm strategy, structure and rivalry with chance and government. This paper mainly analyzed how Chinese cashmere industry performs from the aspects of factor conditions and firm strategy, structure and rivalry. Additionally, many cases of successful cashmere firms have been studied to learn the lessons from their business operations in order to provide a reference for Chinese cashmere industry. However there are some barriers should be paid attention by Chinese cashmere firms. Chinese cashmere industry should develop in a sustainable way to improve the competitiveness in global cashmere market.

Krispy Kreme – Analysis

But also, they must have a solid consumer base In the United States and In Canada. They should focus on having franchisees on Southeast Asia, where people patronize products from the West. Some examples of these countries are Japan, Taiwan, China and the Philippines. Crispy Creme could put up franchise stores internationally from 30-50 locations on the next year. They should not be in a hurry and every decision must be well-studied, especially now that they are facing some financial setbacks and faculties.If Crispy Creme decide to put up more stores in Europe, it will be hard for them to penetrate fully the market. As we all know, Europeans are traditional when it comes to their food. They still prefer eggs and bacon for their breakfast, unlike the Americans who can eat doughnuts during the mornings. To lessen the cost of stabling the company In Europe continent, they might as well put up a factory of Crispy Creme there In order for them to save on transporting doughnut mixes and equ ipments from united States to Europe.If there is a factory in a European country, then it will be easier to transport the ingredients from another country in Europe. Crispy Seeker's number-one competitor is Dunking' Donuts. Here in the Philippines, Dunking' Donuts is tagged as the â€Å"Absolving Eng Banyan†. It has its own impact in the Filipino masses. One of their major strengths as a competitor is its name recognition and market saturation. Also, its advertisement has a recall to the public. It is true that Crispy Creme is Just starting as an international player but it could learn some points room Dunking' Donuts.The major problem In Crispy Seeker's current strategy Is that the Individual factory stores do not have different approaches to marketing even though they are located In very different areas. What Crispy Creme should do Is to study the geographical area where they will put up a store and adapt Its environment. Secondly, people patronize Dunk Donuts Decease teeny nave aquanauts Walt â€Å"better† nutritional value, I. E. , are lower in calories, fat and sugar. Why not, Crispy Creme adapts the same kind of strategy. They should develop new flavors that are owe or have zero-calories.This is because nowadays people are so health-conscious and sees to it that they do not intake too much calories and too much sweets. Crispy Seeker's doughnut products do not appeal to health/weight/nutrition/low-Carr conscious consumers. They must work on that. They could introduce a sugar-free doughnut and perhaps a reduced-Carr doughnut that will be seen by customers as an acceptable and tasty product-?thus helping revive demand and sales volume. Internationally, Crispy Creme must plan to follow Cataracts, Coca-Cola and McDonald's.These companies rely on the uniqueness of the American cultural experience to sell its product. They enriched their companies' histories in their own locations: Cataracts in Seattle, Coca-Cola in Atlanta and McDonald's in Calif ornia. Crispy Creme could use its history in North Carolina to sell its products. Uniquely, they are also arousing the people's curiosity with their mint-theaters inside their stores. I must admit, I bought my first Crispy Creme Doughnuts out of curiosity when I saw their store in Mall of Asia.Another way to discover what the customers want would be to apply a system hat would allow customers to take monthly surveys in exchange for perks and freebies. Crispy Creme would not only get what the customers desired but this strategy would create customer loyalty. The customers may feel that their voices and suggestions and comments are appreciated by the company. Crispy Creme Doughnuts has long been relying on free media publicity through word-of-mouth. They don't appear to have put much effort into marketing their product. The company spent very little on advertising, depending largely on word of mouth, and local publicity.Crispy Creme should engage on a public outreach campaign, in whic h they act as sponsors for local community events. For example, the company could sponsor a local awareness program for diseases, disabilities etc. Freebies and stuff with the Crispy Creme logo could be handed out to those taking part in the event. This could be a way for the company to touch the Filipino masses and not maintain its image as for the rich people only. These strategies may help the company along with a very good management and seriously and carefully planning before decisions are made.

Why Everybody Is Talking About Reflective Learning Essay Samples...The Simple Truth Revealed

Why Everybody Is Talking About Reflective Learning Essay Samples...The Simple Truth Revealed Regardless of what your reasoning behind it is, it's a lie. Because reflection encourages a deeper degree of critical thinking, it can enable you to get a great grasp on things which you don't fully understand yet. Being objective can be hard, especially with ourselves. The structure permits the reflection to be written in a crystal clear way. The great thing about reflective writing is there is no absolute wrong and right means of executing it. For instance, the situations you learn from your course content may be things which you can be relevant to your everyday life and vice versa. It's possible to immerse yourself in finding out all there is to learn about a specific topic with no possibility of being distracted. As you're writing about an emotionally-charged subject, you might end up getting lost on the way. 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Being aware of what the essay is all about will provide you with a more concise thinking about what to place into your writing. Just be certain that your essay has a fantastic flow and that it's simple for different readers to comprehend. If at all possible, select a subject you're interested in, because this will make writing the essay a lot simpler. Self-reflective essays may challenge you to think critically about what you're doing well and what should be changed as a consequence of the experience you're writing about. Quite simply, reflective writing demands the writer to have a deeper look into his life. Use the reflection rubric to evaluate your reflections so that you are able to enhance your reflective thinking and writing. You may make an academic reflective essay or you could make it like a general and informal bit of writing. There's a whole lot more to reflective essays than simply writing your story. The Ugly Secret of Reflective Learning Essay Samples The hypothesis was dynamic initially due to the broadness and level of the subject of study that we had settled for. Self reflective essay do not need much research such as other kind of research. Investment theory is put on the milestone seven. Which means you don't need to conduct any research to have the ability to finish it. What Is So Fascinating About Reflective Learning Essay Samples? Try to remember that every paragraph should lead into the next. Verify the body paragraphs concentrate on providing appropriate reflection a nd critique. An outline also keeps you from missing out any appropriate details. Planning the points you would like to write about makes it simpler for you to keep on point. Throughout your reflection, you should earn a case for the way the experience has stimulated your private growth. Outlining Your Experience The initial step in creating a great reflective piece is simply describing the circumstance or experience which will be examined. You just have to share an experience. Take into consideration the personal experience you wish to write about. The Basic Facts of Reflective Learning Essay Samples Realize that you change. The Gibbs (1988) model of reflection implies that the procedure for reflection is systematic and follows lots of specific measures as a way to be prosperous. It has a lot of benefits. It is an everyday process and is very personal matter. There are several diverse scenes in which students may portray them selves. The connection between teachers an d learners ought to be amicable because it is going to determine how learners response to questions and the way they comprehend passages. Students lead busy lives and frequently forget about a coming deadline. If you're one of the lucky students who doesn't have exams, then upon return it's possible to relax and distract your friends that do. Want to Know More About Reflective Learning Essay Samples? There's, obviously, a limit on the range of pages even our finest writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we can satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. Your list is only going to supply you with a headache if you don't locate a remedy to end your problems. Reflective Cycle Selecting the appropriate reflective cycle to use can be challenging, especially since there are dozens to select from.