Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets Essay

Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s â€Å"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets† â€Å"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets,† is a novella written by Stephen Crane and published in the year 1893. This work was published during the time of the Industrial Revolution, when factories were appearing everywhere. Their workers were often not paid enough to lead a decent life, and suffered from their situation. They were not very civilized and sometimes aggressive in their behavior. Perhaps because of this radical change from a more agricultural lifestyle to one of industry and factories, some pieces of literature were starting to transition from the classification of Realistic writings to works that are now categorized as works of Naturalism. While the two categories are related, Naturalistic works often are based in urban landscapes and focus upon the poor and less educated; whereas the character focus and settings of Realistic works were ordinary people living in both cities and small towns. Crane’s novella was written right as the literary movement of Realism ended and Naturalism began, and understandably includes elements of both movements. Crane’s story, though, can be concretely set in one category. His story occurs in urban New York. The plot of it is set on a community of its poor residents who cannot change their situation. The themes and tenets used in this work, as well as the aforementioned setting and plot choices, concretely set this novella in the classification of a work of Naturalism. Crane uses foreshadowing to allude to storylines that are created and events that occur later in the story. In the opening of the novella, we are greeted with a scene of a bloody and intense fight. Those involved are mere children, who are fighting intensely and drawing all the blood they can from their adversaries. The names of the neighborhoods from which the boys are from: â€Å"Rum Alley† and â€Å"Devil’s Row†, imply to the reader that the inhabitants are both heavily dependent on alcohol and rough in their personalities. The fact that young children are fighting battles like animals echoes the similar themes of Naturalists portraying the city as a jungle, and its’ inhabitants equal to the animals that occupy it. Crane uses both similes and metaphors to add intensity and detail to his work. His work is peppered with colorful language that allows the reader to perceive an occurrence or characteristic with greater intensity. Crane implies that Maggie is a flower through stating that she â€Å"blossomed in a mud puddle† (ch. 5). When referring to the speed with which Maggie at her food, Crane states that she ate â€Å"like a small pursued tigress† (ch. 2). Later, Jimmie confronted Pete at the bar, and â€Å"snarled like a wild animal† when he threatened Pete into a fight (ch. 11). Soon before the fight, Jimmie, his companion, and Pete stood close together and â€Å"bristled like three roosters† (ch. 11). From these similes and metaphors can be pulled Crane’s portrayal of the city. The use of animal comparisons to refer to the actions of people expose the animal-like and barbaric nature of those described. Crane and other Naturalists used this technique of describing the city as a jungle to present to their readers the reality of city life. The lifestyle and living conditions of the poor were animal-like. They fought one another in a struggle to survive. Whoever was larger was always considered superior over the small. When Pete approaches the brawling children and hits one on the head to stop him from fighting, the young boy â€Å"scrambled to his feet, and perceiving, evidently, the size of his assailant, ran quickly off, shouting alarms† (ch. 1). Crane’s use of diction is also telling of the lifestyle of those living in the Bowery. The characters speech is consistently made up of curses and broken words. It shows that the inhabitants are either poorly educated or uneducated, and lack a civilized lifestyle. The male inhabitants, at least in this story, are constantly challenging another to a fight if he feels insulted by something the other does or says. These traits further demonstrate the uncivilized and animal-like existence of those living there. Crane’s use of characterization helps the reader form ideas or hypotheses about the way a character will act throughout the story. In Chapter One, as Pete is approaching the brawl on the street, he is given the following description: Down the avenue came boastfully sauntering a lad of sixteen years, although the chronic sneer of an ideal manhood already sat upon his lips. His hat was tipped with an air of challenge over his eye. Between his teeth, a cigar stump was tilted at the angle of defiance. He walked with a certain swing of the shoulders which appalled the timid. He glanced over into the vacant lot in which the little raving boys from Devil’s Row seethed about the shrieking and tearful child from Rum Alley. â€Å"Gee! † he murmured with interest. â€Å"A scrap. Gee! † He strode over to the cursing circle, swinging his shoulders in a manner which denoted that he held victory in his fists. He approached at the back of one of the most deeply engaged of the Devil’s Row children. Ah, what deh hell,† he said, and smote the deeply-engaged one on the back of the head. This description of Pete portrays him as a person with a lot of confidence and one that sees himself as having authority over others and can do what he would like. â€Å"Maggie† is a story that is pessimistic. It is not only a story of a character who ultimately succumbs to her situation by becoming a prostitute because she feels she has no other way if supporting herself, but also one of the horrible conditions of the lower class. The residents of the area are â€Å"stuck† in the same situation of those who before them and cannot change. This is especially seen in Jimmie, because when he gets older, he adopts the same traits his father had. The story also is detached. Crane is merely telling the story. He does not intrude upon the writing by stating that anything was right or wrong. In every situation that could render an opinion or analysis by the author, Crane does not interject with his ideas or thoughts about what is happening: he merely tells the story as it happened with no feeling toward it. He states something as it is and does not embellish it. When Tommie dies, it is stated exactly as it is: â€Å"The babe, Tommie, died† (ch. ). No sad reminisces about his life or the â€Å"tragedy† of his death is given. He does not judge the characters. Naturalist writers often gave very detailed accounts of situations in their stories, but left judgment and interpretation to the reader. Tied to the fates of the characters is the story’s theme of â€Å"survival of the fittest†. The baby, Tommie, dies because he is too weak to survive. The same is the case for Maggie: she is dependent upon Pete for support. When she no longer has a relationship with him, she succumbs to her lowly situation and dies before her mother and Jimmie. Jimmie and his mother survive because they have the toughness to endure the rough lifestyle that living in the city requires. Violence and aggression are persistent themes throughout â€Å"Maggie. † The novella opens with a violent fight scene. When Jimmie returns home from the fight, his mother is furious and angrily scrubs him raw while washing the blood from the fight off of him. Pete, when breaking up the fight that Jimmie was in, just hits one of the kids on the head instead of speaking. Jimmie fights Pete when he discovers he has ruined his sister. While Pete leads Maggie through a crowded sidewalk, he threatens to fight some who are in their way. This aggression is another way that Crane implies to the reader that the city is a jungle and those who reside in it are animals. A final similar theme of â€Å"Maggie† and other works written in the time of Naturalism is the use of irony. The first instance of it occurs after Jimmie tells his mother Maggie had â€Å"gone to the devil,† which is a phrase the novella uses for having premarital sex. She curses Maggie for a bit, the says â€Å"†Ah, who would t’ink such a bad girl could grow up in our fambly† (ch. 0). This is a statement of great irony, because the environment Maggie grew up in was horrible, and her family was by no means a good one. A second instance of this occurs when Jimmie comes home to report â€Å"Mag’s dead† (ch. 19). His alcoholic and abusive mother wildly mourns the death of her daughter. A group of mourners arrive at the apartment, and one of the women tells her â€Å"†Yeh’ll fergive her, Mary! Yeh’ll fergive yer bad, bad, chil’! Her life was a curse an’ her days were black an’ yeh’ll fergive yer bad girl? She’s gone where her sins will be judged†Ã¢â‚¬  (ch. 19). She responds by stating she would. This again reflects irony by the fact that, in the household she grew up in it was hard not to commit a sin. (Word Count: 1617) Crane’s novella reflects themes and techniques commonly used in Naturalistic writings. The writers whose works were considered from the era of Naturalism all had common themes and tenets that characterized their stories. Through the use of these literary devices the authors were able to paint a picture of the lives of the members of the lowest class and bring their readers to realize the reality of the world in which they lived.

Quote: Virtue and William Shakespeare Essay

â€Å"Virtue is choked with foul ambition†¦ † What does it mean? What was the famous William Shakespeare trying to accomplish with this quote? What was in his mind at this time? How can this quote help us? Who was this quote addressed to? Who can explain more about this quote? During this essay I will try to answer these questions, I want to know more about this. â€Å"Virtue is choked with foul ambition†¦ † But what is a virtue? A virtue is moral excellence, goodness, and righteousness. Another meaning for virtue is a particular moral excellence, example natural virtue, theological virtue, and cardinal virtues. How can we tell if people have good virtues? The person will be honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving, and kind to others. Choked. What does Shakespeare mean when he says â€Å"choked† in his quote? Choked, regarding a person or animal is effecting or completely stopping air from entering the body. But I don’t think that is what he meant when he used the word choke in this quote. I believe he was using this word â€Å"choked† as an expression meaning forbidding, not allowing, or stopping from. Now what is an ambition? Taken straight from an online dictionary, an ambition is a strong desire for success, achievement, or distinction; something so desired; goal; aim. Now that we know what a virtue and what ambition means we can sort of see what William Shakespeare is trying to say, it makes a little more sense to me now. â€Å"Virtue is choked with foul ambition† basically says we are our goals are foul, not correct. We all want to be good, but things go bad. It is easier to do bad thing instead of good things, so that effects good virtues. It is harder to become good, especially if you sin. When we sin our love with God hurts and it effects our good virtues. On top of that, it makes us come bad people, not children of Christ.

German and Germans class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

German and Germans class - Essay Example 308) this attack on a civilian ship severely tested Wilson’s resolve but America remained steadfastly opposed to joining the war until some 22 months later. The sinking of the Lusitania, and the ensuing diplomatic row about U-boat attacks on civilian and supply ships was, not, therefore sufficient reason to justify American entry into the war. One of the main reasons why America entered the war was to protect its own financial interests: â€Å"By September 1916 Britain was purchasing American goods at a rate of over $210 million per month, and France at $38 million per month. (Burk, 1985, p. 14). While Germany also had lucrative trade deals with the United States, it was nothing like at this level, and so America had to think about the possible impact on its own position if the British and their allies should finally lose the war. There would be no possibility in the short term for these colossal debts to be paid back, and this would be bound to have a detrimental effect on the American economy for decades to come. It made financial sense, and indeed it was regarded as a matter of urgent expediency, for America to make sure that the British were on the winning side in this brutal war, and so there were very sound financial reasons why America had to step in and make sure that this would be the final outcome of the war. A further factor must also be considered, and that is the so-called â€Å"Zimmerman note† or â€Å"Zimmermann telegram† which was a piece of diplomatic correspondence sent by German diplomat Zimmermann to the Mexican ambassador, offering territorial inducements for Mexico to join the war on the German side. The proposal was, that Mexico would distract America with a war on its doorstep, while Germans, assured of victory, would recompense Mexico for its efforts with lands taken from the southern states of America. The telegram was secretly decoded by the British

Investigating Meaningful Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investigating Meaningful Teaching - Essay Example 3). In inclusive classrooms, students with disabilities attend a regular class part of the day with resource room and other support services provided in the regular class. This can be considered as partial inclusion. However, during the recent times, the concept of full inclusion has been steadily gaining acceptance. The concept of full inclusion "maintains that a child with disabilities - even severe disabilities such as profound mental retardation - should be placed in a regular classroom for most or all of the school day" (Ayres & Meyer as cited in Kearney, 1996, "What is full inclusion" section, para. 1). The proponents of inclusion rationalize this concept on several grounds. First and foremost, inclusion is a right of all students. Students with disabilities learn social skills from their normally developing peers. Disabled students benefit from friendships and social relationships with non-disabled students and vice versa. Inclusion allows friendships among diverse students an d help children understand human differences (Price, Mayfield, McFadden & Marsh, 2000, Objectives section, para. 6). Placement of a child in a self-contained classroom involves removing the child from the general school population to work in a small controlled setting with a special education teacher (Mauro, 2009, Self-Contained Class section). Students in a self-contained class may work at different academic levels with different curricula, as they need different levels of specialization. Experiences, Observations and Opinions of Special Needs Educators A couple of teachers working with children with special needs in inclusive classrooms were approached and interviewed to learn their experiences and observations in working in that situation. According to them, special education is most meaningful and fulfils its purpose when children with special needs are capable of overcoming their shortcomings and become independent to the maximum extent possible by them. The same opinion was shared by educators working with children with special needs in self-contained classrooms as well. They recounted examples where children with some issues of dyslexia could be later on included in a regular classroom after initial training in the self-contained classroom. Another example was of a child with learning disabilities whose artistic skills were so encouraged that they could hold an exhibition of his works on the school grounds. His talent caught the attention of not only the students and their parents, but of the public and the media as well. Of course, the children's needs are at different levels and their likelihood of attaining independence is also varying. The teachers following both modes of education feel that they feel maximum satisfaction and contentment on seeing the evolution of a child with special needs to as close to a normally developed child as is possible by them physically, mentally and intellectually. This involves tackling not only academic and developmental issues, but also issues of social etiquette, propriety and decorum. What is most necessary here is being able to view a disabled child as a normal child with certain shortcomings and to

The security properties of network applications Assignment

The security properties of network applications - Assignment Example That is; confidentiality, integrity and availability of data to the right person. Not only will this report cover the network applications security, but it will also look into the network applications architecture and how this architecture can be best implemented so as to ensure data confidentiality, data integrity and data availability. For this case study, BF is a social network application that aids individuals to have a social forum with other people. Through that, an interested individual will have to register with BF so that they can be in a position to communicate with other individuals through the use of text and sending of images and videos. 1.2 Application description What are network applications? These are programs that run on a network and they allow for more than one user to have access to the program. Network applications can either be run online or offline. Offline network applications can be related to programs such as Office. These programs can be installed and/ or networked from the main server so that they can allow more that one individual to have access to using the program. When it comes to online network applications, these are applications that need an online server and a client; both of which must communicate in real time else they will no longer be referred to as online network applications. In this case, there is a server which is located in the data centre. The server stores all the relevant data and information that may be queried by a client. The client on most occasions could be a web browser or another computer/ laptop/ or gadget. How does BF work? What is the user experience of BF? Based on the above application description, the same ideology can be applied to our case; that is the BF social network application program. It is important to note that BF also uses the same application description where there exists a server and a client. The servers (s) are always located in the data centre. This is to ensure that they are not acc essed by individuals who are not authorised to come into contact with them. In addition to that, the client in this instance will be the web browser that the user will use so as to key in the Universal Resource Locator (URL) of BF. Example: http: //www.BF.com Once the user hits the search button from their web browser, that will send a request for the search of the URL (http: //www.BF.com) and the corresponding BF server will respond to the request by providing that particular web page that the user searched for. After that, the user will register/ sign up with BF by providing their personal details such as: their email address, physical address and real names. Assumptions made about BF: Based on the BF social network application program, some of the assumptions that can be made include: Communication concurrency: Due to the fact that BF is an online social network application, information is prone to be exchanged between the server and the client. With that, communication concurren cy should be adhered to strictly. An assumption is that the lack of communication concurrency between the server and the client will lead to data loss. Stability: Stability is critical to a social network application program. Lack of stability can cause huge losses due to downtime of the program. This is majorly caused when the servers cannot handle user’s overwhelming requests. Data security: There is exchange of data between the server and the client. Therefore, data security should be critically analysed. An assumption is

Effects Of Media On The UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Effects Of Media On The UAE - Essay Example Now in this era of increasing media penetration how children are brought up is a lot different; their childhoods are spend playing with toy guns (no wonder this is where all the violence stems in) and as they grow up they become cruel young men who believe life is nothing but a war zone which can be conquered with their â€Å"toy guns† (Wellisch 2000). Television is that source of the media which affects our society most strongly. When I say strongly, I mean it because of a research by Emerson Statistics, 2000, show that on average a person who subscribes to cable in Dubai watches television more than 6 hours a day! Everyone knows of the success story of Dubai; it used to be a desert not until long ago, till the Sheikhs invested some money in developing this city and what you see now is one of the megacities of the world! Foreign media played an important change in this development of Dubai from a desert to a city, then a mega city and now eventually a media and fashion hub! T he effects foreign media has on the UAE are countless. It has changed peoples’ lifestyle, how to perceive things, what they study and how they study and even more their aspect towards life! Bryant, J., & Thompson, S. (2002). Fundamentals of media effects give this situation: An Arab wife, previously she used to sit in the home and settle all the household chores so that when her family came home in the afternoon, they could all spend quality time. As time passed, American television channels opened in UAE and that made the Arab women know about the American culture (where husband and wife both go to work). And now If you see an Arab wife in this era, they don’t perceive life as to staying at home and waiting for their family to come back while they settle their chores.

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

No topic - Essay Example Initially, the Colosseum was an entertainment, which later ceased to be earlier in the medieval era. It was reused as housing, workshops and Christian shrines. Due to the uniqueness and stability of the building, the Colosseum has influence the modern architecture in almost all aspects. Modern stadiums are using the Colosseum architectural design to ensure that the stadiums are strong enough to accommodate the maximum number of spectators. The structure of the Colosseum was unlike other Greek theatres built into the hillsides, as it was wholly a freestanding structure (Croci 1996). The outer wall is assumed to have used a thousand cubic meters of travertine set without mortar. For this reason, they were held together by three hundred tons of iron clamps. The influence the material and technology in the design of Colosseum Romes technological superiority was constituted in the Roman civil and military engineering in which the Colosseum monument remains a testament and icon in the mode rn architecture. Colosseum was unlike other Greek theatres built into the hillsides, as it was wholly a freestanding structure. It gets its structure from the two Roman theatres. The outer wall is assumed to have used a thousand cubic meters of travertine set without mortar. For this reason, they were held together by three hundred tons of iron clamps. The outer wall has got a height of forty-eight meters (Croci 1996). The central arena oval shaped is 87m long and 55m wide. The arcades in the second and third floors framed statutes may be to honor the divinities. There were a two hundred and forty corbels positioned at the top attic .they support the Velariuz that kept the spectator – from and rain. They had canvas-covered and net –like structures made of rope and had a whole at center. These structures covered a range of two-thirds and went down to the center to capture the wind and give a breeze to the spectators (Massazza and Pezzuoli 1982).

ExxonMobil Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

ExxonMobil Corporation - Research Paper Example The modern history of the US oil and gas industry began in the latter half of the 19th century with the first commercial oil drilling venture in Pennsylvania. The period 1955 - 2002 saw an important era in the US oil and gas industry. In spite of large scale production, the US saw itself drawing down its reserves of both oil and gas during this period. The US increased its reliance on foreign oil during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1960, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed. Various political and economic events, in particular the wars in the Middle East during the late 1960s and 1970s had substantial impacts on the world oil and gas industry. Prior to 1955, the US was both the largest producer of oil in the world with over 60 percent of world production and a net exporter of oil. A SWOT Analysis has been conducted to scan the internal and external environment that surrounds the company. With the aid of the analysis, a TOWS matrix has been drawn so as to study the challenges faced by the company and form strategies to counter these challenges. The modern history of the US oil and gas industry began in the latter half of the 19th century with the first commercial oil drilling venture in Pennsylvania. The period 1955 - 2002 saw an important era in the US oil and gas industry. In spite of large scale production, the US saw itself drawing down its reserves of both oil and gas during this period. The US increased its reliance on foreign oil during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1960, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed. Various political and economic events, in particular the wars in the Middle East during the late 1960s and 1970s

Organizing, researching andillustrating your material Essay

Organizing, researching andillustrating your material - Essay Example From the preliminary investigation carried out by the Headquarters these dissatisfaction signals, which have resulted in declining employee morale and productivity, are partly attributable to 1) perceived exclusion in decision making on certain technical issues/processes, and 2) increased workload without compensation for additional hours spent time by salaried employees. Given these regrettable happenings the President has mandated me to carry out a field research to investigate the nature and extent of the problems, identify causes and effect of the problems on branch performance and recommend solutions to the problems identified. This will require conducting interviews, survey of clients and review of records and policy documents in your branch. I will be in the office for one week. I therefore need your full cooperation and support by making available your hr program and policy documents, staff performance appraisal records and procedural manuals. I will also appreciate your assistance in making arrangements for meetings with your departmental managers and a sample of clients in the last six months. The Headquarters put high premium on your outstanding performance. You have personally been very supportive of our reform drives and I am looking forward to working together with you towards solving these emerging problems. Wages and salaries of managerial and staff persons are the least

Consulting assignment Essay Example for Free

Consulting assignment Essay What are the potential sources of the problem? The source of these problems seems to be coming from two areas in Interwest Healthcare. The first area is the miscommunication that the hospital administrators are having with upper management. The hospital administrators and upper management are not only having miscommunication issues but they also do not share the same role expectations with each other which is creating tension. â€Å"The hospital people accused Singh of being a bureaucrat who did not care about patient services. Singh accused the hospital staffs of not understanding the importance of accurate reporting† (Brickley, Smith Zimmerman 2009 p. 38). The second area is the system or process that is in place for recording and entering data. The current process is clearly not running at an efficient rate which is raising concerns for upper management. Even though hospital administrators do not see to eye to eye with upper management the concerns that they have are valid and can have a very negative impact on Interwest Healthcare if the issue is not resolved. What information would you want to analyze? The first information that would be analyzed is the process that is done to record and enter data for patients. It is important to gain as much information as possible regarding the data entry because that is the root of the whole issue between hospital administrators and upper management. Another area that would be analyzed is the workplace with emphasis on how time is managed and the importance employees put on data entry. It is important to gather and analyze as much information as possible on the source of the problem. By gaining and analyzing the information it would help Interwest Healthcare make progress on the data entry issue which will put them in a better position to succeed. What actions might you recommend to increase the accuracy of the data entry? The first point of action would be streamlining and simplifying the data entry process. By completing those it would not only increase the accuracy of the data entry but it would also decrease the burden on the hospital administrators. But before any changes to the data entry process are made it is important to communicate directly to the hospital administrators. It is important to have the hospital administrators on board with the changes that will be made with the data entry process. By gaining the hospital administrators consent with the changes this will allow a smoother transition for the data entry change and it could provide a positive change to the workplace. As for the changes to the data entry it would most likely be a simple computer process along with small piece of paperwork. It would be best to have some sort or paper record on file that would need to be alphabetized along with a simple computer program. The computer program would help ensure accuracy and would have the patient’s data record on file which will be easy to locate. There would be very little paper work for the process mainly because it takes up space and takes more time to record. The paper work that is part of the process would simply serve as a backup if the computers were down. The key to ensuring accuracy with the data entry is to make the process as simple as possible so it would minimize the errors. How does your view of behavior affect how you might address the consulting assignment? As a consulting assignment I see Interwest Healthcare as a company in distress due to the way the hospital administrators and upper management. The way the two groups have been behaving and treating each other it is a clear sign of stress and miscommunication. One of the first tasks is to mediate the two groups and try to have everyone on the same page. There is a clear disconnect on the expectations of each other’s roles but by bringing them together the roles and expectations can be made by both parties and progress can be accomplished. In order to make progress both parties will need to be able to compromise and be willing to understand each other’s concerns and priorities. Refreneces : Brickley, J.A., Smith, C.W. Zimmerman J.L. (2009). Managerial economics and organizational architecture (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Antonio Gramscis Theory of Hegemony

Antonio Gramscis Theory of Hegemony Hegemony is the processes by which dominant culture maintains its dominant position: for example, the use of institutions to formalize power; the employment of a bureaucracy to make power seem abstract (and, therefore, not attached to any one individual); the inculcation of the populace in the ideals of the hegomonic group through education, advertising, publication, etc.; the mobilization of a police force as well as military personnel to subdue opposition. In international relations, there is a consolidated tradition that associates hegemony and world order. Nevertheless, the relation between the two variables, their interpretation, and the direction of the causal link between them, is still a matter of scholarly debate. The definition of hegemony and an empire has been hotly debated over the past few decades. Some believe hegemony is a tactic to avoid the word empire and the negative connotations that are associated with it. Others believe that a hegemony is a more technical, well thought out form of an empire. Some believe it is a lesser form of imperialism. Although one thing that is not disputed is the fact that hegemony very well is a form of dominance over a smaller, weaker nation, and no matter what one may call it, or how it may be approached, dominance will continue to flourish through the ages. Referring to the organization of the international system after the Second World War, Kindleberger argued that stensibly, the system was organized by rules and international institutions. In reality, it was led by the United States In this essay, Antonio Gramscis hegemony approach will be deeply analysed and examined and also compared and contrasted with the others approaches. GRAMSCIS THEORY OF HEGEMONY In order to understand Gramsci and the concept of hegemony, one has to look briefly at the work of Karl Marx. Marxism viewed everything in life as determined by capital. (Williams, R. 1977) The flow of money affects our relations with other people and the world surrounding us. Marx stated that everything around us, our activities and way of life is determined by economic content. According to Marxism, men find themselves born in a process independent of their will, they cannot control it, they can seek only to understand it and guide their actions accordingly. (Williams, R. 1977) The class struggle was an important part of Marxism. Marxism stated that society can only be understood in terms of a system where the dominant ideas are formulated by the ruling class to secure its control over the working class. (Williams, R. 1977) Due to exploitation, the working class will eventually try and change this situation through revolution producing its own ideas as well as its own industrial and political organization. Marxs work is highly influenced by economic reasoning. He divides this economic reasoning into two levels, being the base and superstructure. The base is composed by the material production, money, objects, the relations of production and the stage of development of productive forces. (Williams, R. 1977) The superstructure is where we find the political and ideological institutions, our social relations, set of ideas; our cultures, hopes, dreams and spirit. (Williams, R. 1977) Both the base and superstructure are shaped by capital. While one could say that Marx was primarily concerned with the base and economic issues, Gramscis work seeks to focus on the superstructure and ideologies. For Gramsci, the class struggle must always involve ideas and ideologies. These ideas would lead to a revolution and to change. Gramsci tried to build a theory which recognized the autonomy, independence and importance of culture and ideology. (Ransome, P. 1992) Gramsci took the superstructure a step further when he divided it into institutions that were coercive and those that were not. The coercive ones, were basically the public institutions such as the government, police, armed forces and the legal system which he regarded as the state or political society and the non-coercive ones were the others such as the churches, the schools, trade unions, political parties, cultural associations, clubs and family, which he regarded as civil society. (Boggs, C. 1976) So for Gramsci, society was made up of the relations of production as w ell as the state or political society and civil society. Gramsci accepted the analysis of capitalism put forward by Marx and accepted that the struggle between the ruling class and the subordinate working class was the driving force that moved society forward. (Boggs, C. 1976) Gramsci did not agree with the notion put forward by Marx that the ruling class stayed in power solely because they had economic power. He thus introduced his own concept using ideology. Ideology is the shared ideas or beliefs which serve to justify the interests of dominant groups. (Boggs, C. 1976) Gramsci felt that ideological power kept the ruling class in power because it allowed them to brainwash and manipulate the rest of society. Ideology is the cohesive force which binds people together. Ideology, like hegemony must not only express the class interests of the capitalist or working class. Gramsci insists that ideology has a material nature in the social lives of individuals, as ideologies are embedded in communal modes of living and acting. (R. Simon, 1992) This means that ideologies are embodied in the social practices of individuals and in the institutions and organizations within which these social practices take place. Ideology provides people with the rules of practical conduct and moral behavior. Ideological power stems from norms or shared understandings of how people should act morally in their relations with each other. (R. Simon, 1992) Those who monopolize ideological power have authority over others. Subordinate groups tend to accept the ideas and values of the dominant group without physical or mental influence because they know no better or there are not other alternatives. (Ransome, P. 1992) From Gramscis view, the bourgeoisie gained and maintained power due to economic domination and intellectual and moral leadership. Here, Gramsci introduced a new concept which he called hegemony. Hegemony is a set of ideas by means of which dominant groups strive to secure the consent of subordinate groups to their leadership. (Ransome, P. 1992) It occurs when dominant classes in society maintain their dominance persuading the other classes of society to accept their moral, political and cultural values. This means that the majority in a population give consent to policies and ideologies implemented by those in power. One must not assume that this consent is always willing. Those in power may combine physical force or coercion with intellectual, moral and cultural persuasion. (Ransome, P. 1 992) The dominant ideology is thus accepted, practiced and spread. Hegemony emerges out of social and class struggles and serves to shape and influence people. According to Gramsci, hegemony never disappears but is constantly changed. He describes two forms of social control. The first type is coercive control which is achieved through the use of direct force or threat of force. (Simon, R. 1992) The second type is consensual control which arises when individuals voluntarily adopt the worldview of the dominant group. (Simon, R. 1992) Gramsci says that within civil society, the dominant group exercises hegemony which is intellectual domination over the subordinate group or consensual control, whereas in political society, domination is exercised through state or juridical government or coercive control. (Gramsci, A. 1971) These functions are very much interlinked in the sense that intellectual domination is usually preceded by political domination. Social hegemony and political government are enforced historically in which the dominant group enjoys its position because of its function in the world of production and legally by state coercive power which enforces discipline on groups that do not consent. (Gramsci, A. 1971) This gives rise to a division of labor or specialization and to a whole hierarchy of qualifications. Gramsci stated that the only way the working class can achieve hegemony is if it takes into account the interests of other groups and social forces and finds ways of combining them with its own interests. (Ransome, P. 1992) In other words, the working class will need to build alliances with social minorities, taking into account their struggles against the capital class, thus strengthening the position of the working class. The labour process was at the center of the class struggle but it was the ideological struggle that had to be addressed if the mass of the people were to come to a realization that allowed them to question their political and economic rulers right to rule. Hegemony is exercised in civil society which is a tangle of class struggles and democratic struggles. (Simon, R. 1992) Hegemony in civil society must achieve leadership in the sphere of production taken up by the bourgeoisie, controlling the productive process and achieving state power. Those who have economic power have a strong link to political power and vice versa. Those who monopolize control over economic production, distribution, exchange and consumption is the dominant class which has the most power. A change in hegemony may occur when the dominant class begins to break up, creating an opportunity for the subordinate classes to merge and build up a movement capable of challenging the weakened dominant class and achieving hegemony. But, if this opportunity is not taken, then the dominant class has the opportunity to reorganize new alliances and reestablish hegemony. Hegemony goes beyond culture which is the whole social process in which people define and shape their lives. It is bases in ideology which is a system of meanings and values that expresses a particular class interest. (Simon, R. 1992) In order to create a class strong enough to have hegemony, one has to first instill a solid ideology based on specific interests that will dominate the rest of society, using the influence of capitalist relations. Gramsci felt that in order to have hegemony, ideologies have to be instilled by certain people or leaders. Gramsci identified intellectuals as leaders in society. He identified two types of intellectuals. The first is traditional intellectuals who are people that regard themselves as independent of the dominant social group and are regarded as such by the majority of the population. (Gramsci, A. 1971) The second type is the organic intellectual. This is the group that grows organically with the ruling class, and is their thinking and organizing element. (Gramsci, A. 1971) They were produced by the educational system to perform a function for the dominant social group in society. It is through this group that the ruling class maintains its hegemony over the rest of society.

Free College Essays - The Human Psyche in Hawthornes Young Goodman Bro

Young Goodman Brown Essay: The Human Psyche Young Goodman Brown offers unique insight regarding the human psyche. Through psychoanalysis, the text shows how humans are easily manipulated when shown a temptation to succumb to a primitive desire. The text shows Goodman Brown, a puritan traveling to a religious gathering, is greeted by a strange man who serves as the device of revelation regarding the human mind. The pure mind of Goodman Brown ultimately gives-in to temptation because of the weak human will through the use of a simple device: the strange man's staff. Before the story can enter into the main plot, the text must overcome a problem. This comes when trying to show Goodman Brown's tempter. Though the reader is offered a "strange man", this creature alone cannot suffice as the cause of the puritan's downfall. If this were the case, the text would imply a belief that man is powerful enough to cause its own downfall, and the ego of one individual could triumph over another. This is not the case. The text must use a method using an outside force to instigate man's down...

Fear of Flying: More Than a Feminist Novel :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Fear of Flying: More Than a Feminist Novel The fears of Isadora: Her religion (Semi-Jewish), her love life (second husband, seventh analyst; Bennett), her gender (a woman in America! In the sixties!), her career (Writer: one book), sex (are women supposed to enjoy that?), her mother (Jude, an artist who danced naked in France), her sisters (all married, with at least two children apiece), her children (none), her name (Isadora White? Isadora Wing? Isadora White Stollerman Wing Goodlove?) and flying; Isadora has a fear of flying. Some would say that Fear of Flying , by Erica Jong is merely a feminist novel. It is, but it's more than that. Fear of Flying is a novel about a woman in search of her name and the source of her fears; it is a novel about inner conflict. The main character of the novel is Isadora, a woman in her early thirties in the late sixties. What begins as a work related trip to Vienna with her analyst husband ends as a journey filled with personal revelations. At the conference Isadora develops an infatuation which fuels her need to discover "what is wrong" with her. Traveling throughout Europe with a man who is not her husband she discovers her true self through her complete loss of security. Therein lies the principal irony of Fear of Flying; the journey that the main character takes in order to gain the traits that she sees in her heroines only leads her to find that they were hidden within herself. Isadora is the charicature of irony itself. The opening chapter sets the tone for the entire novel, which is written like a conversation with one's analyst: casual but intimate. Her odyssey, in fact, begins on a plane full of psychoanalysts. As she puts it: she'd been "treated by at least six of them. And married a seventh." (p. 1) This is a great example of Isadora's outwardly nonchalant views of her own problems. Her own view of her life and her inner monologue pull the reader into her literal and symbolic fear of flying and her lifelong struggle with them. From the beginning she shares with us thirteen years of analysis and counting, yet it is the 336 pages in which we watch her slowly untangle her own conflicts that show the readers the lesson which we were intended to learn. Isadora is an extremely intelligent character.

Addiction: A Desease Or A Choice? :: Drugs Alcohol

People argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Today, I will be discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understanding as to why this topic is so controversial. Throughout my research, I easily found information on this topic and I am still not sure I have found any answers. The biggest argument is that addiction is a choice not a disease. For those on the other side of the argument they claim just the opposite. According to a source on the Internet entitled Alcohol and Drug Treatment: The Disease Concept Of Substance Abuse and Addiction, the idea of drugs and alcohol being a disease is a â€Å"very controversial and debated topic.† For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that drug addiction is a choice. People get high and drink because they want to and if they are not careful they can become an addict. The research I found on this particular topic seemed to have the most support and facts to dismiss the idea that addiction is a disease. I also beeivle if there was enough evidence to support the idea of addiction being a disease it would not be such a controversial topic. According to a Website entitled â€Å"Saint Jude Retreat House,† alcoholism and drug addiction are not diseases because those types of behaviors can be avoided and there is help available to change these behaviors. Although it has been found true that drug and alcohol dependency can be passed down through hereditary there is no concrete evidence I have found that proves that this is a disease. In a book entitled Treating Substance Abuse, Theory and Technique 2nd edition, says â€Å"This first and probably least controversial of the disease models can be termed the â€Å"medical consequences model.† (Page 11). This statement seems to be saying that because this topic is so controversial and not enough medical proof is available it has been given a generic name. It is true that drugs and alcohol can cause diseases, but does that make the addiction problem a disease? Perhaps this topic is so controversial because of the lack of knowledge or understanding of drug addiction. On a Website entitled â€Å"Addiction is a Chronic Disease,† the source was comparing diabetes and cancer to support their idea that drug addiction to is a chronic disease. The Website did not give any additional support and provided no examples. Addiction: A Desease Or A Choice? :: Drugs Alcohol People argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Today, I will be discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understanding as to why this topic is so controversial. Throughout my research, I easily found information on this topic and I am still not sure I have found any answers. The biggest argument is that addiction is a choice not a disease. For those on the other side of the argument they claim just the opposite. According to a source on the Internet entitled Alcohol and Drug Treatment: The Disease Concept Of Substance Abuse and Addiction, the idea of drugs and alcohol being a disease is a â€Å"very controversial and debated topic.† For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that drug addiction is a choice. People get high and drink because they want to and if they are not careful they can become an addict. The research I found on this particular topic seemed to have the most support and facts to dismiss the idea that addiction is a disease. I also beeivle if there was enough evidence to support the idea of addiction being a disease it would not be such a controversial topic. According to a Website entitled â€Å"Saint Jude Retreat House,† alcoholism and drug addiction are not diseases because those types of behaviors can be avoided and there is help available to change these behaviors. Although it has been found true that drug and alcohol dependency can be passed down through hereditary there is no concrete evidence I have found that proves that this is a disease. In a book entitled Treating Substance Abuse, Theory and Technique 2nd edition, says â€Å"This first and probably least controversial of the disease models can be termed the â€Å"medical consequences model.† (Page 11). This statement seems to be saying that because this topic is so controversial and not enough medical proof is available it has been given a generic name. It is true that drugs and alcohol can cause diseases, but does that make the addiction problem a disease? Perhaps this topic is so controversial because of the lack of knowledge or understanding of drug addiction. On a Website entitled â€Å"Addiction is a Chronic Disease,† the source was comparing diabetes and cancer to support their idea that drug addiction to is a chronic disease. The Website did not give any additional support and provided no examples.

Relationship Between Poverty and Anti-Social Behaviour Essay

Explore the relationship between poverty and antisocial behaviour. What policies have been introduced to tackle antisocial behaviour? In this essay I will highlight the psychological effects that poverty is likely to have on a person living in the western world and the possible behavioural consequences of this. I will discuss the problems that go along with children and young people being given prison sentences and I will suggest one viable change that may help to promote equality. Poverty in itself is not a direct cause of antisocial behaviour but the two are very much intertwined in our modern day individualistic society. Social hierarchy and elevated inequality amplify worries over self-worth across society. Most of us wish to feel accepted, appreciated and valued for who we are but a society that causes large amounts of people feel as though they are perceived as inferior and considered as less worthy, less valuable, less intelligent and a drain on the state not only causes unnecessary pain suffering and wasted potential, but also acquires the costs of the antisocial responses to the structures that demean them . Research shows a clear link between on-going poverty and negative developmental consequences. Mental health issues, behavioural problems, low self-esteem, depression, poor grades, anti-social behaviour and delinquency are all, unsurprisingly, in our society, far more prevalent among poor people. (mc Leod and shanahan 1996) The effect that poverty has on a person’s sense of self and identity is colossal. The intense stress of being poor, the stigma attached to being poor, the marginalization from greater society and the massive limitations in opportunity are extremely likely to result in undesirable psychological outcomes. Poor children quite often experience feelings such as embarrassment or shame (which have been described as the social emotions) and tend to see themselves in a negative light as a result of negative societal views. (weinger 1998) School plays a huge part in the development of a child and is generally considered to be a place where hard work and good grades ar e the things that matter and a place where ones socioeconomic status is largely irrelevant when it comes to achieving these things but this is unhappily not so and in fact school plays a central part in the stigmatisation of the poor. The majority of teachers have grown up in middle class family’s and as a direct result of this they are extremely prone to  holding class based biases towards the low income students. Research has shown that teachers tend to have much lower expectations of low income pupils, viewing them in a less positive light, punishing them in a harsher and more humiliating manner than they would their more affluent peers, rewarding them less for achievements and delivering them less opportunities. (Brantlinger 1991) The psychological development of a child is very much affected by this kind of treatment and it is likely that a child will create their identity based on other peoples negative opinions, perceiving themselves to be flawed and labelling themselves as all the things they’ve been called, for example bad, stupid, dangerous etc which in itself is highly likely to result in Internalizing (eg depression, anxiety, self-loathing) or externalising (eg shouting, fighting, steal ing) behaviours (Erikson 1980). Poor children in general experience noisier, more crowded living conditions, more family instability, chaos, violence and inconsistent punishment which is very often more to cope with than their young resources will allow and again, is likely to result in internalizing or externalising behaviours. Poor children have lower career aspirations and lower educational aspirations which highlights their awareness of the lack of opportunities available to them, unfortunately a very accurate awareness because â€Å"although people function as independent actors, the possibilities they face, and the decisions they make are inevitably constrained by the positions they occupy in the social order† (Massey p. 397). Given all of the above mentioned, it is not difficult to understand some of the elements that contribute towards the existing relationship between anti-social behaviour and poverty. The question then is â€Å"how should it be dealt with?† As we can see, the factors underlying anti-social behaviour are a complicated interaction of psychological, social and economic problems/policies which have borne down much harder on our country’s poorer communities so with that in mind, it seems fairly important not to over simplify the problem with regards to implemented policy, political debates and media coverage. In 2002, Joseph Scholes, aged sixteen, hung himself in prison. He had allegedly been repeatedly and severely sexually abused since the age of six and as he got older he began self-harming and displaying challenging behaviour. He made a serious suicide attempt when he was fifteen by taking an overdose and jumping out of a window and his behaviour subsequently become too difficult  for his mother to manage which led her to make the decision to put him in to the care of the local authority where she hoped he would get the specialist help that he now clearly needed. Shortly after this he was put in to a childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s home and week later he went out one evening, drinking with a group of young people from the home. They encountered another group of young people and took their mobile phones and their money. Joseph was charged with robbery despite playing only a peripheral role, displaying no threatening behaviour or violence and it being out of character. His self-harming worsened with the approaching court appearance. The Crown Court Judge who passed Joseph’s sentence had been given reports from a psychiatrist, social workers and the youth offending team which all made his vulnerability quite clear and as a result of this the Judge was adamant that he wanted the warnings of his sexual abuse and self-harming â€Å"most expressly drawn to the attention of the authorities†. Taking in to account Josephs vulnerability, he should have been positioned in a secure children’s home but he was instead placed in HMYOI Stoke Heath Prison where he told the staff on numerous occasions in his initially constantly observed cell that he would take his own life if they moved him to a normal l ocation within the prison but despite this, he was moved in to a cell where he was no longer under twenty-four hour observation and he subsequently killed himself alone in his cell, nine days in to his sentence. The government turned down the call for a public inquiry that followed Josephs death because apparently it â€Å"was unlikely to bring to light any additional factors not already uncovered in previous investigations†. Joseph’s story does not stand in isolation. One hundred and eighty eight young people and an additional nine children died in prison in the ten years that followed Joseph’s death. (Prison ReformTtrust) The fact that there are children in prison in the first place could be viewed as symptomatic of failings by organisations both inside and outside of the criminal justice system to go about addressing these children’s complicated and often numerous needs. A report carried out on the deaths of children and young people in prison between 2003 and 2010 revealed that they commonly suffered from a catalogue of mental health issues, were a collection of the most disadvantaged people in society with alcohol and drug problems with many of them having ex perienced recent bereavement. They had had significant past involvement with community agencies but â€Å"despite their  vulnerability, they had not been diverted out of the criminal justice system at an early stage and had ended up remanded or sentenced to prison;† (inquest) To put it simply, they need help. Not locking up. ‘Caring’ for children in penal custody, especially young offender institutions, is an almost impossible task. Many child prisoners live with a spectre of fear and an enduring feeling of being ‘unsafe’. This, in turn, is thought to heighten the risk of damage and/or death.† (Goldson 2005) It is a highly flawed system that we currently have in place and there are some excellent organisations and charities increasing awareness, contributing research and constantly working towards putting an end to allowing children and young people to be put in jail and making the road to prison a longer one but I wonder how many more children will be failed miserably in the ‘care’ of the state or have their lives completely destroyed by an inappropriate sentence or kill themselves in prison before our government take action on this. If inequality lies at the root of antisocial behaviour then the solution would surely be to begin taking steps towards producing greater levels of equality? In societies where there is a smaller gap between incomes there is less violence, more trust, smaller prison populations, less obesity, longer life expectancy, lower rates of teenage pregnancy and a stronger sense of community. (The Equality Trust.) Of course there is more that we can attribute to inequality than monetary issues but they are a major contributing factor. I personally believe that introducing a citizens wage would be an effective first step and one that would be beneficial to nearly everyone. We could do away with thousands of pages of legislation, lose a couple of hundred thousand civil servants and simply give everyone a small sum in cash each week, no questions asked, no intrusive invasions of people’s privacy and no judgments as to how people should or shouldn’t be living their lives because really, who is it that feels so omniscient to make all of those judgments? It would remove the stigma attached to benefits, allow people to work part time if they wished and be more selective about the type of work that they wanted to do. So all in all a winner. So yes, there is a relationship between poverty and antisocial behaviour but it is not so black and white as that. Disillusioned and disadvantaged people need help not further punishment and a criminal justice system that is allowing disturbed children to kill themselves in jail  clearly needs looking at. If antisocial behaviour doesn’t occur in a vacuum then it is a sociological problem which then surely requires us to go about altering society, not punishing disadvantage. Brantlinger, E. 1991. Social class distinctions in adolescents reports of problems and punishment in school. Behavioural Disorders 17 (1): 36-46. Erikson, E.H. 1980. Identity and the life cycle. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. Goldson, B. 2005. in the care of the state? Child Deaths In Penal Custody In England And Wales. London: Inquest. Massey, D. 1991. Segregation, the concentration of poverty, and the life chances of individuals. Social Science Research 20 (4):397-420. McLeod, J.D. & Shanahan, M.J. 1996. Trajectories of poverty and children’s mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour (37): 207-220 The Equality Trust http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/about-us/people cited 28/12/2012 The Prison Reform Trust http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/PunishingDisadvantage.pdf cited 28/12/2012 Weinger, S. (1998). Poor children â€Å"Know Their Place†: Perceptions of poverty, class, and public messages. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 25 (2): 100-118.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was considered by many historians as the Greatest American President. He was the sixteenth United States president, guided his country to the most devastating experience in its national history-the Civil War. Still, it can be said that President Lincoln went through several challenges even from his early age. Truly, we can learn many things from his life’s experiences and especially in his ideology, things that made him really worthy of being called the â€Å"Greatest American President†.In order to appreciate and really learn from the life of Abraham Lincoln, let us look closely to the life of Abraham Lincoln, his difficulties and struggles and especially his achievements. February 12, 1809 on a Sunday morning, Nancy Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln’s wife had given birth to a baby boy named after his grandfather Abraham in a log cabin Hardin bed of poles on the farm of Nolin Creek near Hodgenville, Kentucky. This area is now part of Larue country, the ar ea in which now is being considered the frontier. Bought of his parents are never had an education. His father Thomas worked as a farmer and a carpenter.Nancy Lincoln, his mother could not even write. Definitely, Abraham grew up literally without having or experiencing a formal education until his early age. Amazingly, during the year 1815, Abraham Lincoln at a very young age had already learned his ABC’s through his effort and trough the help of his teacher named Zachariah Riney. He has spent his spare time on a log school house. He attended classes with Sarah his sisters two years older than him. They sometimes attended school taught by their neighbor Caleb Hasel. At the age of seven their family moved to southern Indiana where he continues school after their migration to Kentucky.Abraham attends his school punctually, he always wears with him his raccoon cap, he only had his buckskin clothes and his pant that was wrecked as a marked of its age that by the time became too s hort for him that his calves were already exposed. At home Abraham heard verses and scriptures read from the family bible. The family of Abraham was all members of Baptist congregation and worshippers but due to the opposition to the slavery they had become separated in the congregation to another church. He was once saved from being drowned by his friend and Austin Gollaher.His family decided to stay near Gentryville in the Southern Indiana late in the year 1816. Nancy, his mother had died on the 5th day of October due to a disease contracted by drinking poisonous milk from cows known as milk sicknesses. And because of poverty Abraham may recall by then carving pegs to be able to provide his mother a coffin. He drags the coffin which was made by a green pine. They buried her without having a formal funeral service. At later year his father married a widow Sarah Bush Johston, she stand as a good mother to them and Abraham loves her as his real mother.She also encourages Abraham to e ducation. On the following year-1821, Abraham because of his eagerness to gain knowledge, learn and be thought with by man things began to borrow books from their fellow citizen. With all of those available books he begins reading it all keenly. He read books such as Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe as well as books of fables or the Aesop’s Fables. It was 1882 when he first attended James Swaney’s classes and this last about four months. Although his school attended taught by Azel Dorsey ended quickly, he never stops learning and learning, he made his self-education rewardingly.He read everything he could; he never stops reading and learning variety of subjects including mathematics, literature and law. Additionally, during his spare time he studied Law and become a successful Lawyer in the year 1836. On 1825 Abraham has been able to owned his personal book written by Parson Mason Weems â€Å"Life of Washington† which he worked and paid for the worth from Josiah Crawford, his neighbor when the book become soaked with rain. Abraham’s wife Mary Ann Todd was born on December 13, 1818. Abraham on 1831 decided to depart with his family and leave by his own.He began to formulate his own opinions as he saw some abuse happening during his second time around flatboat trip to New Orleans. He then moved to Illinois and start on getting closer with Ann the daughter of the house he boarded. Aside from operating a store he also works into several jobs such as surveying and serving as a post master while staying at Illinois. The people were all get impressed by his good character she actually gained the nick name â€Å"Honest Abe†. Mary Ann and Abraham had four sons but Robert Lincoln was the only one who survived into adulthood.Abraham believes that the government should be a force of good deeds and positive purpose whose desires are to serve the people. That is why he believes that he must have a high position to the government in order fo r him to be a more influential leader so that he can able to achieve his goal. And because of the eagerness he has in his heart his strong aspiration makes him entered politics. And to become the president of the United States becomes his burning desire. It was August 1, year 1831 when Abraham cast his first ballot. In 1832, at the age of 23 he unsuccessfully ran for Illinois Legislature.After two years he became elected for the lower house 1834, 1836, 1838 until 1841 and won all 4 times for the first of four consecutive terms. He ran eight in the field of 13 candidates for the position. Lincoln being the member of a Whig party had become able to give his support to the Illinois State Bank, the second bank of the United States. It was 1856 when he was still a Whig member and soon became a republican. The government has sponsored internal improvements such as roads, canals, railroads, harbors, protective tariffs and other navigational improvements.His first flat forms announced that, time and experience verified that the poorest and the most thinly populated countries would be greatly benefited by supporting this improvement on the Sangamon River because he believed that it will allow those poor areas near the river to flourish by attracting steamboat traffic. Lincoln is not like most politicians in his time, he considered everyone to be equal. He recognized the presence of everyone in the community, he even considered farmers as no more or less than anyone else. He had sympathy to labor; evidence that he did not forget his past and that humility is still in his personality.As early as 1837, Lincoln stated his opposition to slavery stating that it was the opposite of opportunity and as well as mobility. Lincoln ran and the United States House of Representative and has won it in 1846. He became popular for opposing slavery and Washington’s Mexican War. He returned home and practiced hi Law and tried to have more focused on it more than before. Unfortunate ly, the next following years for him were the year of struggles. But because of his determination and eagerness to pursue things he begin he never let all of this down failed and discouraged him in reaching his dreams.Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 renewed his interest in politics. Though he became unsuccessful in his ran for the bid for the U. S. Senate in 1855, in the year 1856 nomination for the Republican vice-president he by then received some support. In the same year he also have his speech of opposing the Dred Scott decision in the year 1857 known as the â€Å"Lost Speech†. He had also given his legendary speech, the â€Å"House Divided† June 16, 1858. Furthermore, Lincoln had also engaged in series of debates also on the year 1858 with Stephen A. Douglas who won the Senatorial race.He was definitely not an abolitionist but just in opposition to the increase of slavery into the country. In 1860, he has received national recognition and promotes his national reputa tion in New York at the Cooper with a successful speech. His perseverance and hard work paid of when he finally became the sixteenth president of the United States. However, during this time the due to the south is dependent on slavery in order to prosper and because of this conflicts arise between the north and south and the south decided to form their own union.Being the newly elected president of a United States, Abraham Lincoln prioritized saving the original union even if this means the start of the civil war. The civil war arises in 1861 and on the 19th of November 1863, Lincoln delivered a speech on a battle field that is near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The said speech is said to have shaped the United States’ destiny and is known as the â€Å"Gettysburg Address†. The speech contains Lincoln’s vision of a nation that is conceived by liberty and equality among its citizens.In his Inaugural Address, he warned the South saying, â€Å"In your hands, my dissat isfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war, the government will not assail you. † (Bush, 2007). Lincoln added, â€Å"You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and depend it† (Bush, 2007). Even without that much experience, the succeeding years of civil war had proved that Lincoln is one the most extraordinary leaders that the United States had ever seen.Lincoln had shown good leadership ability, morally and also politically. He saw that the war is a fight against secession and not against slavery and on September 1862, he announced the Emancipation Proclamation that interprets the war as a form of crusade against slavery. In 1865, slavery was legally ended through the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. It is also in the Gettysburg Address that the famous idea of Lincoln of â€Å"government of the people. by the people, for the people† had been made known and he define the civil war as a struggle against such idea of the government.Civil War were lasted for about four long years and this years of struggles were ended in 1865 and cause the death of American people of more than half a million lives. Still, the president’s view and dream of a nation was realized, a nation that is united where people are free from slavery. President Lincoln, together with his wife went to Washington, DC in the Ford Theater to celebrate the end of the civil war. However, the victory of the president in uniting the nation does not pleased everyone and one of them is John Wilkes Booth, an actor of the play in Ford Theater. Booth shot President Lincoln that cause the president’s death.Up to now, the memory of President Lincoln still lives in the heart and memories of his fellow countrymen, guiding every American and the whole world to create a good nation and a better world where everyone is equal regardless of our distinction. Presi dent Abraham Lincoln is truly one of a kind and deserves our respect and the honor given to him, even greater. Not only his views and principles are admirable but also how he achieved his dreams and everything the he went through makes him even more worthy of our respect. References A&E Television Networks. (2007). Abraham Lincoln Biography (1809-65). RetrievedDecember 02, 2007 from http://www. biography. com/search/article. do? id=9382540. Bush, J. W. (No Date). Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/presidents/al16. html Cyber Nation. (2004). The Compelling Story of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://www. cybernation. com/lincoln_bio. html Norton, R. ,J. (2007). An Overview of Abraham Lincoln's Life. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://home. att. net/~rjnorton/Lincoln77. html Norton, R. , J. (2007). A Brief Biography of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://members. aol. com/RVSNorton/Linco ln23. html

Best Buy Marketing Plan

2012 4/26/2012 Marketing Plan The Micro Environment The Company: Best Buy’s mission statement is â€Å"Our formula is simple: we’re a growth company focused on better solving the unmet needs of our customers—and we rely on our employees to solve those puzzles. Thanks for stopping. † Their company perspective is the following â€Å"Our vision is to make life fun and easy. Our business strategy is to bring technology and consumers together in a retail environment that focuses on educating consumers on the features and benefits of technology and entertainment products, while maximizing overall profitability.We believe our stores offer consumers meaningful advantages in store environment, product value, selection and service, all of which advance our objectives of enhancing our business model, gaining market share and improving profitability. † Best Buy strives to continue its growth and innovation in order to come up with new ideas and new ways to intr igue their customers and also new ways for their employees to work as a team and work together.One of their goals is to offer solutions for entertainment and technology that will meet their customers’ needs, â€Å"end-to-end. † Best Buy’s core competencies is simply to make technology and entertainment products affordable and easy to use for their customers. â€Å"We're world-class in store experience, customer orientation, inventory management, executing new store concepts, and rallying our people around common goals, as well as, marketing, merchandising and related disciplines. † Some areas of improvement that Best Buy is currently undergoing are to be greener.In order to do so, they have to add more green vehicles when it comes to transportation and also stocking more green products in their stores so they can educate their customers about the impacts they may have by purchasing green products. Competitive review: Best Buy’s top three main compe titors include Wal-Mart, Target, and RadioShack. Wal-Mart not only engages in the retail sale of electronic goods, but also offers food, health and beauty aids, apparel for women, girls, men, boys, and infants, jewelry, and a wide variety of many other products.Their market cap is $211. 51 B, which as you can see is much larger than Best Buy’s market cap, but the reason is simply because Wal-Mart specializes in selling a wide range of products and not solely electronics. Wall-Mart is the world’s largest retailer and grocery store by sales, which amounts to almost 50% more than its closest competitors combined, such as Target and Sears. One of Wal-Mart's biggest strengths is that many suppliers give in to Wal-Mart’s pressure because they depend heavily on the discount retailer that they offer for a majority of their sales.One of Wal-Mart’s weaknesses has to do with their reliance on Chinese-made imports because the company may become vulnerable to a weaken ing dollar or strengthening of the Yuan. Since Wal-Mart purchases the majority of their products from China every year, if the Yuan dollar strengthens, Wal-Mart will soon have to pay more for their merchandise that comes from China, which will further affect Wal-Mart’s bottom line. Target is very similar to Best Buy and like Wal-Mart they offer far more then just consumer electronics.Most of their stores include clothing, furniture, and a grocery department. In the last year, their stock has hit a 52-week low of $45. 28 and 52-week high of $58. 95, compared to that of Best Buy, which has a low of $19. 79 and a high of $32. 85. The reason the stock for Target is worth more is because they offer a larger variety of products so they have a larger market share then Best Buy. When you compare the quality of electronic products between Best Buy and Target you will see that Best Buy has the advantage.For example with TV’s, Target will offer more of the smaller named more affo rdable televisions. These TV’s can not compare to the quality of the big name products that Best Buy offers, such as Pioneer Elite. The biggest strength that Target has is their wide array of products from many different departments. But they also have a weakness for their customer service. Many times you can go into the store and never be helped by one of the employees. Then when you find one, they are uneducated on many of the products.RadioShack is similar to Best Buy since they both engage in the retail sale of electronic products and services. Some products include home entertainment systems, scanners, GPS products, digital camera, and many others. â€Å"As of March 31, 2011, the company operated 4,467 company-operated retail stores under the RadioShack brand name in the United States; and 1,304 kiosks located in Target and Sam’s Club stores. † Their market cap is a total of 732. 80 M, compared to Best Buy’s market cap of 8. 88 B.RadioShack recently launched a new low price guarantee on mobile phones in order to attract customers and show them that they are offering the best deals. It is also has a Trade and Save program which allows customers to trade in their used mobile phones and other electronic devices for immediate credit toward their next purchase. The company also has a new Mobile Product Support which provides customers with free specialist support to help them resolve any of their mobile phones or other device-related issues at no additional cost.RadioShack is currently undergoing a plunge in their stock price due to the significant growth of the online retail market, such as eBay and Amazon. Corporate partners review and channels: Best Buy is an electronic retail store, according to the Best Buy 2011 fiscal year report, they operate 1,099 US Bes Buy stores, 6 Magnolia Audio Video Stores specializing in high-end electronics, 6 Audio Visions Stores, 117 Best Buy Mobile Stores and 35 Pacific Sales kitchen and bath cent er Stores (in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada).Best buy also operates on the international market with 71 Best Buy Stores in Canada, 2440 Best Buy’s in Europe – Small Box, 6 Best Buy’s in Europe – Big Box, 166 Five Star Stores, 8 China Best Buy Stores, 10 Best Buy Mobile Canada, 6 Mexico Best Buy Stores, 2 Turkey Best Buy Stores and 146 future shop stores throughout Canada. In the U. S. Best Buy has a 1,200 square foot Best Buy Mobile store as well as a 20,000, 30,000 and 45,000 square foot Best Buy big box store. In Canada, Future Shop stores average 26,000 square feet and Canadian Best Buy stores average 32,000 square feet.In Europe, The Carphone Warehouse and The Phone House stores average 800 square feet. Best Buy also operates online, allowing Customers to purchase product on line at www. bestbuy. com. The main challenge associated to Best Buy distribution is that the company relies on a handful number of vendors for the supply of their prod uct. Best Buy only accounts for 60 percent of the merchandise it purchases, therefore if any supplier is unable to supply or there is disruption and lost from any vendor, the company may not be able to meet the demand of the customers. Product review:Best buy offer product such as electronic, home office product, entertainment software, appliances and related services. Consumer electronic is their largest product category which includes video and audio equipment such as television sets, DVD player, audio system, portable audio player and car stereo. Some of the Home office products are computers, telephone, cellular phone, copier and calculator. Entertainment software offered are CD, DVD, computer software and video games. Best Buy home appliances are dish washer, air conditioners, washing machine, dryers, ranges and refrigerator.Best Buy offers sales on multiple of their items which are computer, tablets, home theater, mobile phones, IPod, cameras, car GPS, appliances, home, finess es, music instrument, video games and movies. However, Best Buy’s most famous sale is on black Friday, they are among â€Å"the top 3 brick and mortar retailers† according to blackFridayads. com. Best buy has a price matching guarantee police they state â€Å"Best Buy will match the price if you find a lower price on an identical available product at a local retail competitor's store, a local Best Buy retail store or BestBuy. com.Simply let us know when you are making your purchase or during the return and exchange period. † Matching prices to competitor such as Amazon and Wal-Mart. The Bureau of Economic Analysis recorded negative growth rate for retail stores during the third and fourth quarters of 2008. Best Buy is the largest U. S consumer electronic retailer by revenue, with $40 billion in net sales in fiscal 2008. Best Buy revenues have increase since 2007 it went from 35. 9 billion in February 2007 to 50. 3 billion in February 2011. The gross profit has a lso considerably increased by 46. 5% since 2008. There is also a considerable increase in their net income, it went from 1. 38 billion to 2. 70 billion in 2011. However, and their operating incomes have also increased, due to an increase of 92. 14% in the depreciation and amortization. In overall their profit has been increasing since 2007. Market/industry description and overview: Over the last few years the consumer electronics retail industry has taken a big hit. One of the big factors for this is the recession; people have less money to spend on material possessions then they used too.The big retail stores such as Best Buy and Target have lost profits due to customers looking to find the best deal possible to save money. Some of Best Buy’s biggest competitors, Amazon for example, have been able to take advantage of this by selling items online at a much lower price. Many times it is a price that Best Buy and many other large retail stores cannot match. An article from htt p://ledfrog. com/blog/2011/04/the-future-of-big-box-retailers/ stated, â€Å"I can go to the store, check out a new camcorder or surround sound system and then decide if it’s something I want.If it is, I’ll ask the manager if they can match Amazon’s deeply discounted price. If he can, I’ll buy it at Best Buy. If not, I’ll go home and order it online. † Because of the online shopping, the market for electronic retailers is shrinking so it will be important to capitalize on the market that is there. The Macro Environment Culture Best Buy wants its main consumers to be in the middle to upper class. It is because of this that they do not specifically target any one gender or race. As long as the consumer has the money to spend Best Buy will want to service them.Those apply to Best Buy as a whole throughout the country; regionally things are a little different. Depending on what region the store is located Best Buy will have to focus on different things. For example in South Los Angeles where the population is predominantly Hispanic and primarily speak Spanish, the employees that are hired there are going to have to know how to speak Spanish, and many of the product signs can have Spanish written on them too. So Best Buy can have the same message throughout the company, but you are going to have to focus more on the little details of where the store is regionally so you do not offend the customers.Demographics: As a company Best Buy has divided its core customers into five different demographic segments, and they call it customer centricity. They have given a name to each one of these segments, Barry, Jill, Buzz, Ray, and Mr. Storefront. Barry is a man in the age range of 24 to 45 who is an affluent tech enthusiast; typically he will be in the higher income bracket and spend more money. Jill is a suburban mom with a targeted age of 24 to 45; she is also in a high income bracket but does not like the whole shopping experienc e for tech products. Buzz is either male or female with a targeted age of 18 to 24.They would be young shoppers into gadgets, video games, and movies, and is in a low income bracket. Ray is a price-conscious family guy between the ages of 24 to 45; he will be looking for the best deals and likes to see advertisements, also he is in a middle income bracket. Mr. Storefront is a small business owner in any age bracket and any income bracket. They have also divided two other segments of customers who are outside of their core targets. The first is named Carrie and she is a young single woman in a low income bracket between the ages of 18 to 30.The second is targeted at empty nesters they are both male and female between the ages of 45 to 55 they are in a middle income bracket and are named Helen and Charlie. The purpose of the customer centricity program is so that a store can meet the needs of its main shoppers. You have to first find out the find out what type of shopper goes to a sto re most and then tailor that store to their desires. For example if you have a store that is tailored to a Barry and Jill that store will have a lot of lighting and fixtures to meet the needs of Barry and personal shopping assistants to help the Jill’s find their products.Best Buy as a whole has decided to focus its demographic segments on people in the income bracket of the upper to middle class. The reason for this is that our core customers are in these income brackets, and knowing this allows the company to build the store to what those classes want. I would not consider dropping any of these customer segments because they cover a vast majority of the shoppers that Best Buy receives. The customer centricity program is what helped keep Best Buy so profitable when companies like Circuit City went out of business. I would however create a new segment named Andy.Andy will be a single man living on his own. This person will be in the mid to high income bracket and be a new tec h and gadget shopper. His main purchases would be in home theater and computer. Social trends: Social trends are one of the biggest driving factors for the income that Best Buy receives. But they also can have a negative impact if we do not address the trends properly. It is very important to keep up with the social trends to help keep our business relevant and in the news for positive reasons. One of the bigger trends right now is marketing through Face book and Twitter; about 41. % of Americans are active users of Face book. That is a lot of people we can market to at a basically free price since Face book and Twitter are free to use. Price sensitivity is also a major concern to deal with. If we only have high end products that are very expensive to buy you are limiting your customer demographic which will in turn lower profits. The best way to deal with this is to carry the high end products but also carry similar products that are at a lower cost. One of the bigger concerns that we have to deal with is energy consumption.The Go Green social trend is a big thing right now and three of our big departments, Home Theater, Appliances, and Computers. These departments not only consume a lot of energy in the store but the products we sell do too. I feel that we can capitalize on this market by purchasing products to sell that are more energy efficient, and advertising these products. This can help drive up our business while also having a greener impact on this earth which looks good for our public relations. Other macro environment factors: Current technological trends have had a negative effect on Best Buys current and potentially future success.One of the main tech trends eroding Best Buys business model is the increased utility and web capabilities of smart phones. With the increased web capabilities of phones a new type of shopper has emerged known as the â€Å"mobile price matchers† (Smith). According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet project â€Å"More than half of adult cell phone owners used their cell phones while they were in a store during the 2011 holiday season† (Smith). These customers routinely use their phones while in retail locations to price match, find product reviews, and/or ask friends for advice.This trend has been especially damaging to Best Buy who is a chief victim of this new style of shopping. It is not uncommon for customers to walk into a local Best Buy view a product and immediately search for reviews or better prices on their smart phones. It is possibly to use this technology to our advantage. One way is to develop a smart phone app for Best Buy that is fun, interactive, and informative. This will allow the customer to use the app to find if the product he wants is in the store, and compare it to other major retailer’s prices for the same product.The economic situation is quite possibly the most damaging thing for Best Buy. When the country, let alone most of the world, i s in a recession it affects the number of customers that come into the store and the amount that they are willing to spend. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s America was at its highest. People had more money then ever and they were looking to spend it. Then when the big recession hit in 2008 customers still were looking to purchase products but their style of purchasing changed. For a while there, a lot of customers did not care what they spent for their item, they just wanted it.Now they are looking for the best deals out there, it does not matter how they get their product as long as they get the best deal for it. This is where it has hurt Best Buy the most because they can not compete with most online store prices, and still be able to make a profit. The key for future success for Best Buy may be to offer more variety of products at a lower cost. This can help them drive more consumers to the store and make purchases. Marketing Strategy Sustainable competitive adv antage: Best Buy enjoys a sustainable competitive advantage because to this date, they are the biggest U.S specialty electronics retailer. Although they are currently experiencing financial problems due to the recession a few years back, Best Buy still seems to have many loyal customers that continue to keep shopping at their stores. The reason why Best Buy contains such a sustainable competitive advantage amongst their competitors, such as Walmart or Amazon, is because it relates not only to product excellence, but customer and locational excellence as well. Best Buy has achieved product excellence through offering the top of the line products in consumer electronics.This is why Best Buy has a lot of loyal customers; they provide products with great quality and high perceived value. They know that if they buy a product from Best Buy that this product will last them a long time, especially if they buy the warranty for it. Another reason why Best Buy enjoys a sustainable competitive advantage is because they also have customer excellence. Best Buy contains a service, known as the Geek Squad, which is a group of employees that help customers with problems they may be having with their electronics. Also, customers are able to rely on the well rained employees when they have a question regarding certain products. Best Buy also has locational excellence since they have over a thousand stores both domestically and internationally. Many say â€Å"The three most important things in retailing are location, location, location. † With this many stores Best Buy is going to be an appealing choice to those other than loyal customers, because it’ll become more convenient to go to a Best Buy that is less than 20 minutes away from your house. There are plans to open up at least 100 stores by 2013 http://www. innovationexcellence. com .This will not only help with their sales, but it will also allow for more customers to become loyal to Best Buy because it’ ll be convenient for them to go to their local Best Buy. Growth strategies Best Buy pursues a marketing penetration strategy. The company employs existing marketing mix and focuses the firm’s efforts on existing customers. Best Buy attempts to increase market share by using existing products and services. The company wants to attract new customers to the current target market and encourage current customers to patronize the firm more often, or buy more merchandise on each visit.In order to accomplish its goals Best Buy has to develop great marketing effort, they have to increase advertisement, sales, and promotions. For instance, Best Buy will broadcast ads on TV every time they want to advertise a new product in the store, such as the latest IPhone. The company wants their current costumers to be aware that the store is carrying new products and new costumers to know what kind of products they sell. During holidays and events such as black Friday, the company advertises thei r deals, so their current costumers buy more merchandise on each visit. SWOT STRENGTHS: Large amount of retail outlets in prime locations * 1,099 US best buy stores, * 6 Magnolia Audio Video Stores * 6 Audio Visions Stores, * 117 Best Buy Mobile Stores * 35 Pacific Sales kitchen and bath center Stores * Brand Loyalty * Very strong brand name * Stores are large * Flexibility exists to add new product lines due to ample space * Value adding customer service * Excellent customer service and technological know how * Geek Squad WEAKNESSES: * Best Buy relies on vendors to supply a large percentage of products which can potentially lead to supply disruption. Example: If Sony and Apple decide to no longer supply Best Buy it would be devastating. * Weak online presence * Late start in e-commerce * E-Bay and Amazon far better online Limited product selection in OPPORTUNITY: * Capture emerging â€Å"mobile price matchers† market * Use social media to reach out to this market * Capitaliz e on iPhone ; Smart Phone market * Pursue the business of young bachelors more aggressively * Undervalued customers with high interest in technology * Social Media * Utilize Face book and Twitter more effectively build relationships * Going green Can lead to potential overhead savings and good public relations THREATS: * Retail discounters such as Wal-Mart and Target * Discounters are stealing electronics market share due to higher foot traffic fueled in large part to product mix * Consumers spend more time at discounters locations because they can buy food, clothing, and entertainment under one roof * Rising trend of â€Å"mobile price matchers† * Consumer deciding to buy elsewhere while in Best Buy can prove to be fatal because it negates all other core competenciesObjectives/Goals and Problem to be Addressed Based on the results of your SWOT analysis, clearly state the Problem that you are planning to address (once you have described the current situation of the company, y ou should be able to articulate the specific problem you want to address and the goals of your marketing plan. ) Please make sure to clearly identify your specific Objectives/Goals. Segmentation (See Chart in Index) When making the market segmentation we decided to separate it into three different segments, gender, age, and income.We chose these segments because they provide the bulk of our customers that shop at a store. Gender was first because that is the most identifiable one. It is easy to separate and calculate who is coming to the store based on their gender. Age is a big factor because we can determine the type of customers that are coming into the stores, a young person will see things much differently then an older person and they both will be looking to buy different things. Finally we picked income because it will tell us how much money people have and are willing to spend at our stores.If we have a store that is getting a lot of low income people going into it, we can n ot have it stocked full of products that they can not afford. Using this we were able to create a customer segment chart. (See Customer Segment chart in the Index) After making the Customer Segment chart we found that we had 18 different segments to work with. Each segment is a little different, but as a whole they make up most of the customers that shop at our stores. When looking at the chart you can see that each segment has something different. The chart covers male and females from different ages to different income levels.You can see that in segment 1 you have males who are under 17 and are in the low income, which is different then segment 4 who are the same but middle income and segment 7 who are in the high income. The information provided by the chart will be very useful in determining which segments to target, and which segments will be unprofitable so we can eliminate them. Targeting Market segments 1. Gender: Male and Female 2. Age: teenager 17 and under, young adult 18 -29 and adult 30-59 3. Income: middle class and upper class Segment attractivenessIt is essential for Best Buy to evaluate segment attractiveness for each of these segments. They first must determine if the segments are worth pursuing, using specific criteria: is the segment identifiable, substantial, reachable, responsive, and profitable. Identifiable: * Teenagers 17 and under have high interest for video games and cell phones. They are aware of the new technology innovation but don’t really use complex ones which might be to high-tech for them, therefore Best Buy will have to take in consideration that they might not be able to know how to use a MacBook Pro as a young adult would. Young adults 18 to 29, such as college students, are more open to try new technology which would later build up in lifelong brand-loyal customers. As a result Best Buy always tries to keep up with the latest technology, offering the newest version of Mac laptop or the last android. * Older adults age 30 to 59 tends to stay with products they are accustomed to. They have difficulties getting used to new technology or do not have the actually time to keep up. Older adults have long working hours or have children to take care of; they do not really have time to used new technology.Most even have to rely on their children in order to know how some electronics around the household work. Best Buy should also consider the differences in incomes among the classes. They should divide customers by their incomes in order to provide services and products that are affordable to all. We consider middle and to upper classes since they are the ones who can purchase higher priced electronics. The middle class which is price sensitive makes between 30,000 to 50,000 dollars a year. They have the ability to purchase electronics such as computers, cell phones or TVs but only at affordable prices.In the upper class, customers are ready to pay high prices for high end goods. However we wouldn†™t target gender because it just represents one segment. Best Buy doesn’t sell one type of product that attract men and another that attract women; they do not focus on gender differentiation. For instance they are no special gadgets or section for women in the store. Substantial: This criterion consists on measuring the target markets. If a market is too small it is insignificant and it will not generate sufficient profit.If it’s too big it might need a bigger store. In this case we should consider the segment of Loyalty; loyal consumers are lifelong customers which make them a substantial segment. Most loyal consumers are those living near the location. For instance it would make more sense for a customer to go grocery shopping at a Vons store that’s 2 miles away and become a regular customer, than drive 20 miles to an Albertson store. Database such as census. gov can be really useful to determine how many people live in the area or how long they have been l iving in that area.For instance 1,068,344 people in Los Angeles have been living in the same house since 2005, which is 33. 2% of the population in Los Angeles. So this means that some of the 33. 2% might be loyal customers to their local store. We wouldn’t consider occasion consumer because they don’t represent a large enough market segment. Since they are not a usual customer it is hard to consider them as a significant segment. Video game companies always promote a new game, and teenagers like to be up to date and purchase the latest one, which is profitable on the long run.Young adults also represent lifelong consumers, since they are interested in technology innovation. For instance college students like to purchase new gadgets to work on their school work or just to stay in touch with their friends, classmates or family members. It would be a good idea for Best Buy to use census data to allocate to younger consumers. Reachable: It means that the consumers know th e product exists, understand what it can do for him or her and recognize how to buy it. It is essential for Best Buy to care different types of technologies at different prices.Their product must attract all ages and be affordable for all Incomes. Different items are offered at different prices, which means everybody can afforded regardless of their incomes. * Middle classes are price sensible, they want to own technology but at affordable prices. It is easier for a company to reach them during sales and holidays, where they purchase items in large county, buying for family member, friends or just for the good deals. * Upper classes are easily reachable; they want to get high end products and are ready to pay the price.They usually want to purchase the latest high-tech product, new IPhone or biggest 3D TV. They are mainly up to date and are aware of new innovation through the different media outlets. Both young and old generations should be aware that Best Buy caries different types of technologies. For instance phone with lots of different applications and new innovations. Such as the iPhone, it attracts younger crowds, whereas less complex gadgets mainly attract an older crowd. * Teenagers and young adults are usually aware of the latest technology and where to purchase them.They have easy access to media; they follow TV and internet ads. Moreover, young generations share information among each other talking about the latest Apple computer or Android. * Older adults found out about new technology or where to purchase them from their children, friends or coworkers. They are also easily reachable; they have access to internet, TV or older media such as newspapers. Loyal consumers are the most accessible; stores mainly collect their information; email addresses or phone number.It makes it easy for the store to send them ads about new products or inform them about a sale on existing products. Loyal consumers also frequently come in the store to check on new prod uct or get information about items they want to purchase. Responsiveness: The customers in the segment must react similarly and positively to the firm’s offering, move toward firm’s product and services and accept the firm’s value proposition. It is easy for a company to measure the responsiveness of loyal consumer, since loyal consumers are highly responsive to a company’s product.They have learned to appreciate what the firm has to offer and accept their value, which lead them to become usual. Companies have to make sure they can properly respond to their consumer needs and wants, if they can’t provide them with the product they want, they shouldn’t target them. For instance, Best Buy would probably fail if they decide to sell bridal gal to attract more female customers. Best Buy is known to offer technological products and their consumers come in the store looking for electronics. They would be confused to see an electronic store selling bridle gal.Teenagers are highly responsive to new technology, they always want to upgrade to newest and fastest gadgets. For example if new video games come out, teenagers are the first to line up at the store and purchase it at any price. Young adults are open to trying new technology, therefore it would be easier to get them positively respond to new innovations. They are the early adopter of new media and technology. The middle class are price sensitive; however they are open to spend money when the deal is right. They are more responsive during sales period, such as black Friday and holidays, such as Christmas.They are big spenders compared to the upper class; which according to the book â€Å"The millionaire next door† put 20 percent of their money into investments and savings accounts. During sales and holidays the middle class purchase in large quantities, as they find the best deals to buy for family and friends. Nevertheless the upper class is still responsive to new innovation; they want to possess the latest technology no matter the price. They like to purchase luxury electronics that provide the experience and the comfort that high-tech has to offer. Profitability: Market segments that generate profitTeenager: According to the U. S census Bureau, there are 247,215 out of 3,772,486 people in Los Angeles who range from 10 to 14 years old, which is 6. 6%. 273,419 out of the same number are between the age of 15 and 19, it represent 7. 2%. let say out of the 520,634 teenagers 10,000 (2%) play and purchase video games on regular bases . The average video game at Best Buy cost 19. 99$. Video games are realize every 5 to 6 days, which mean there is a realize every week. We will consider they purchase the video game every 2 month when they receive pocket money.Variable cost would represent 1/3 of the price sold 6. 66$. Best Buy spend 10,325,000 on fixed cost a month and they have 1099 stores which means each store spends 9,394. 90$. It is 112,738. 8 0 a year Segment size 520,634 X Segment adaptation percentage 2 %X Purchase behavior (19. 99*6) X Profit margin percent (19. 99-6. 66)/19. 99 -Fixed cost 112,738. 80 = 724,022. 08 Best Buy would make a profit of 724,022. 08 a year by selling video games to teenagers. Middle class: 176,674 out of 1,314,198 household in Los Angles make between 35,000 to $49,999 which is considered as middle class income.Most of these household spend a large quantity of money during holiday. Especially during Christmas on gift items, which mean they would purchase them 2 a year IPad is really famous not only among children but also adults. It is a great birthday or Christmas gift. Let say 500 of this household purchase iPads, at least two iPad per household either own by two children or one child one adult or two adults. 100 iPads. One iPads cost 499. 99$. The variable price is 259. 60$. Segment size 176,674 X Segment adaptation percentage 0. 3 %X Purchase behavior (499. 9*2) X Profit margin percent (4 99. 99-259. 60)/499. 99 -Fixed cost 112,738. 80 = 141, 66571 Upper class: 62,319 out of 1,314,198 household make between $150,000 to $199,999, they are the Upper-class. They like to purchase brand new electronics as gift or because it is the brand new model. We will consider 3 purchases a year; birthday gift, holiday gift and the realize day for the brand new model. 5000 of the 62,319 household purchase iPads the same year. Upper class family usually do not have a lot of children, high income just represent 5. % of the working class with families. They buy 5 of them a year, 2 birthday gifts for children and wife/husband, for they realize of the new model and Christmas gift for friends and family 2. Segment size 62,319 X Segment adaptation percentage 8 %X Purchase behavior (499. 99*2) X Profit margin percent (499. 99-259. 60)/499. 99 -Fixed cost 112,738. 80 = 2,280,262. 94 Best buy would definitely make a higher profit if they target the upper class for the sale of IPad. Market targe ting strategy We will use the Differentiated (segmented) marketing as our market targeting strategy.Differentiated marketing strategy is a market-coverage strategy in which a firm decides to target several market segments and designs separate offers for each segment. This strategy is the most appropriated for Best Buy since its goal is to target specific market segment. It wouldn’t make sense for them to practice an undifferentiated marketing strategy, which involve ignoring the different segments and going after the whole market. Moreover, Best Buy is a retailer of consumer electronics, which means they sell all types of electronics coming from different brands, they are already able to provide the consumer with a wild varieties of brands.By using the differentiated marketing strategy they can assist all of their consumers regardless of their preference, income or age. They would provide them with the exact product they want. This strategy is also profitable in the long run, helping build up lifelong consumer. The consumer is able to get the product that he wants and also has varieties of other options, which gives you an advantage over your competitors. The practice of concentrated marketing strategy will not allow Best Buy to have the flexibility to offer different electronics, this strategy only concentrate on a single target market.Micromarketing strategy wouldn’t apply to Best Buy because it only focuses on satisfying the need and want of a single consumer, whereas Best Buy groups his Customers within segments. Perceptual Positioning Map (See Index at the end) Positioning: One of the reasons Best Buy has been so successful over the years is because of its brand loyalty. We believe that this was created from the good customer service that we provide and the relatively low prices we maintain, as you can see from the chart. Some of our competitors have lower prices than us but the ones that do tend to have poor customer service.One of the bigg est concerns that we as a company have to worry about is the low prices that Wal-Mart offers. As the economy continues to be in a recession people are looking for the best price possible as they have to be thriftier with their money. Wal-Mart has dominated the low price position for years and it will be very hard to compete with the prices that they offer. One of the ways to compete with them is our price match guarantee, that way if they have the exact same product at a lower price we can keep our customer by matching the price. Another concern that we may have is with Apple.They have built one of the strongest customer loyalty companies in the world. People are willing to spend more money on Apple products and services just because of the strong brand name that Apple is. Even now that Best Buy is offering Apple products in our stores people will still choose an Apple store over ours. We believe that that main reason for this is the customer service that Apple has provided over the years. They are known for having some of the most advanced technology in their market. For us to gain the loyalty that Apple has we will have to focus on meeting all of our customers’ needs.Most notably the place on the map we would like to be is at the lower right side at low price and high customer service. This is a position that is not covered on a map that there will be a wide open market for. Target, Wal-Mart and online stores such as EBay are able to offer lower price on many of the products that we sell, but they do not provide the quality of service that we do. If Best Buy can keep or even improve its customer service while at the same time lowering many of our prices, we can open the doors to a much larger market.The best position to be taken by Best buy would be one of cheaper prices and better customer service. Now it is true that Best Buy has fairly cheap prices already and with Geek Squad they have fairly good customer service but my belief is they need go furt her with what they have already accomplished. Given the facts and findings there is an entire untapped market of lower priced products and great customer service that would be incredibly lucrative. Now the obvious reasoning behind why there is an untapped market in this area is the financial problems.There isn’t an easy way to have cheap products and great customer service because of the fact that customer service is expensive. However there is one way to successfully do it. As stated earlier they need to target their ideal markets better and literally know when a customer walks in where he or she would be best suited to go and make that area the most appealing. Maybe give the areas themes that would attract the ideal market. The next thing that they would have to do is steal customers away from places like Wal-Mart and Apple because it is the fact that they are loyal to those companies that is the most damaging to Best Buy.Now granted this would not be the easiest thing to d o. They would have to consistently promote cheaper products and better customer service. After they have done that however, the number of customers that they have would make up for the cheaper prices, the increased customer service, and the advertising (in theory). And if this is successful they would have gained access to an un-tapped market where they literally could not be touched, because no one could compete with them. The way the company is currently focused is on targeting wealthier customers.Our store associates are trained to spot customer demographics in the middle to upper class and push our products to them. In many cases this can cause them to focus too much on a one demographic and leave out great customer service to other social classes. If we change our position and start offering similar products at a lower price than our high end products, we will attract the thrifty spenders to Best Buy. So by offering these products at lower prices but still providing top notch c ustomer service we can see a large growth in customer loyalty.The most important thing to this is to treat the lower income families just as well as we would treat the higher income families. This is where places like Wal-Mart and Target fail, they offer the better bargains but it is hard to find good help from an employee when you go into the store. Marketing Mix Products and Services Best Buy is currently one of the last major consumer electronics retailers out there because they provide a wide variety of products that customers can choose from.Since Best Buy sells everything from televisions to refrigerators, which are two completely different appliances, what more can Best Buy offer? Instead of introducing new products, Best Buy should consider offering cheaper prices for their current products in order to attract a different group of customers. Currently, Best Buy is more focused with attracting the wealthy consumers by providing them with products such as the iPad and Blu-ray televisions to keep those customers interested and loyal to their company.By offering cheaper prices, this could allow the middle-/lower-class to be able to attain great quality products with affordable prices. Since our marketing positioning is to target those customers with lower incomes, what better way to do so than lowering their prices on certain products to show that Best Buy products are great and affordable for everyone? As far as their products are concerned, the main modifications they need to make to existing products is providing a wider range of video games and gaming systems.Since the younger generation is becoming more accustomed to using electronics at such a young age, it might be an advantage for Best Buy to sell more video games, which will in turn attract the younger audience to convince their parents to bring them to the store. The company will not only benefit in bringing in the younger crowd, but will also bring in their parents, who will more than likely bec ome attracted to the big screen televisions and wide range of laptops that Best Buy has to offer. Also, Best Buy should consider hiring qualified employees for the Geek Squad in order to minimize customer complaints.Since this service provides customers with assistance for their broken electronics, some one who has background knowledge and has had experience fixing broken laptops, cameras, etc.. should be the one assisting them with their problems. The Geek Squad is known for hiring employees who have not had past experience with fixing broken electronics. Although the Geek Squad does a good job, customers will be more comfortable knowing that the â€Å"geek† helping them with their broken electronics is someone who knows what they are dealing with.Best Buy provides many products for their customers, some that even some people wouldn't expect for their store to provide. For instance, the company should consider dropping the home appliances section because since Best Buy is kn own more as an electronics store, kitchen accessories such as refrigerators and microwaves seem to be products the company is selling just to make extra profit. From past experiences of visiting the store, the home appliances section is always either empty or with very few people taking a look at their washers and dryers.Most of Best Buy's customers are concerned with the laptops and televisions, and to sell kitchen appliances doesn't go along with the â€Å"entertainment† feel that Best Buy provides. Also, now that technology is improving and more people are switching to buy Blu-Ray televisions, Best Buy should consider dropping the VHS section. Since people are learning to adapt to the new technology, more customers are interested in buying Blu-ray DVD's since they provide better quality than VHS. Pricing In the consumer electronics retail business having competitive pricing is of the utmost importance.This is due in large part to the ultra-competitive nature of the electro nics business. Consumer electronics such as new TVs and the latest computers/tablets are highly desired by the masses. However, these items tend to be highly elastic in there demand, making pricing a key component in attracting customers. Furthermore, in today’s consumer electronics market many major retailers regardless of specialty carry consumer electronics, making it possible to purchase socks and a computer all under one roof.Moreover the emergence of e-commerce has made it easier than ever to perform real time price comparisons. The growing practice of online price comparisons has given online retailers who benefit from lower overhead costs an advantage, because they possess the ability to offer low prices along with a massive selection. Taking the preceding factors into consideration it is clear that the importance of being price competitive is greater than ever. As a result we have conducted a price analysis of Best Buys top selling product lines. The retailers compar ed to Best Buy in this nalysis are Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Target. The products to be compared consist of top selling T. V. ’s, Tablets, Laptops, and Mp3 players. T. V. Price comparison: Televisions have been of Best-Buys top selling product lines for years and a vital component of any future success. It is important that Best-Buy continue to dominate television sales if we hope to remain atop the consumer electronics retail mountain. Continued dominance in television sales will be a problem. Due to increased competition from retailers who now offer a host of televisions for sale, Best-Buy is losing market share.Because consumers are more likely to frequent Wal-Mart and Target for every day purchases such as soap, it is important to convey value through pricing when customers enter our doors. Our price survey shows that Best-Buy continues to be highly competitive on television prices. For example, a Samsung 51† (PN51D450) television can be found at Amazon for $697, but Be st-Buy and Target are not far behind at $699 and Wal-Mart is priced highest at $799. Amazon beats Best-Buy by 2 dollars but the added convenience of in-store pickup outweighs the slight price difference.Generally Best-Buy is the lowest price if not it is very close to its competitors. The television price strategy is spot on. However, offering a one-time sale of loss leader 32† could go a long way in establishing Best-Buy as the go to retailer for television purchases. Tablet price comparison: Tablets are the hottest devices in the electronics market today. Tablets continue to rise in popularity and it is likely that they will eventually replace laptops as the device of choice for mobile computing. Because of tablets rising popularity it’s important for Best-Buy to capture market share in this product line.The best-selling tablet and industry leader is Apples ipad3 this product is currently offered by all of Best-Buys competitors at the same price across the board. It i s unlikely that any retailer will ever have a price advantage on Apple products. Next in line behind the iPad is the asus eepad, this tablet has the potential to one day compete with the iPad. Best-Buy offers the eepad at the lowest cost on the market at $349; Target can match this price but struggle to keep stock levels up. Amazon and Wal-Mart offer the eepad at $359 and $379 respectively.Offering the next best option to the iPad at the lowest cost puts Best-Buy in an excellent position to capture market share. Laptop price comparison: Although tablets continue to increase in popularity the staple of mobile computing continues to be the Laptop. The versatility and portability of Laptops have kept it in high demand. It is likely that tablets will not possess the computing power to replace laptops anytime soon because of this Best-Buy must remain a major player in this market. A price comparison of laptops shows that this is an area Best-Buy can improve in.For example, HP 17† d v7-6c90us laptop is priced $1029 at Best-buy, but is $959 at Amazon. The price difference is between Best-Buy and Amazon is $70 in favor of Amazon. A savvy consumer armed with a smartphone can quickly discover this, and it is highly likely that Best-Buy would lose this sale. Large price discrepancies such as this one hurt Best-Buys reputation in the long run. Consumers are quick to share the news of their cost savings with friends and family which will in turn make them less inclined to look towards Best-buy for electronics.The loss is two -fold, because not only did Best-Buy lose the sale but it also lost the opportunity to capture the most powerful form of advertising; word-of-mouth. Best-Buy must drop its prices on laptops to the point where they can beat Amazon who consistently sell laptops at a lower cost than Best-Buy. (See Price Chart in the Index) Place Best Buy has a few of different forms of distribution. The first is in-store shoppers who physically come in the store and purchase the products. Our stores need to make sure that we have a full inventory for the product that our customers are looking for.To do this we have to have a good computer program that keeps track of our inventory, as well as near by stores inventories, and the distribution centers inventory. With this information we can tell customers about another store that may have their product. Or we can specially order it from the distribution center and give them an accurate time of when it will be delivered to our store for them. The second distribution strategy and the most important one for our companies growth is our online store. Distribution for www. BestBuy. com needs o be fast, efficient, and available for our customers to make their purchase. Online shopping will allow customers to purchase the products without ever having to step foot on  a sales floor. With the purchases made online they can have the products shipped to their homes, or they can choose in-store pickup (which is free) where they have the option to possibly get the product that day if it is available. The third distribution strategy is the Best Buy vending machines found at Airports and major hotel chains. These vending machines will hold small electronics for customers to purchase.They can hold many things such as gift cards, pre paid cell phones, ear phones, mp3 players, and even movies. What is important about these is it will provide a strong advertisement for the Best Buy brand for new customers traveling the world, who might not know what Best Buy is or experienced one yet. The biggest change that needs to be made with the Best Buy distribution strategy is how many physical stores there are in America. Back in 2006 Best Buy was on top of the world when it came to consumer electronics and we over expanded in America.As the recession hit like everyone else profits began to drop. By having too many stores costs were now a lot higher and revenue was a lot lower. So in America we should actually be closing down stores that do not have enough of a demographic to keep them running and profitable. But the international expansion should continue as a slow and steady process. This way we can find out where our company works and where it doesn’t. The biggest area of need in our supply chain is how fast we can get products to our store that are shown online, but are not physically in the store.There are many customers who see a product on the website but do not purchase it there because they want to actually see the product before the purchase is made. It is important to be able to get that product to the store as soon as possible to help the customer make their purchase. To do this we have to have a distribution center that can process our request that minute so we can get the product to the store within the next day. The best way of doing this is running a real time processing program that is connected to all the distribution centers.When the order is placed the program will find the product and the fastest way it can be shipped to the store. Advertising and Promotion Our Best Buy advertising message is â€Å"Help you get more from your technology†. This message best conveys the image of our company. Best Buy focuses on providing the best customer service possible, through training. Our employees acquire a vast knowledge of the different technology in the store, so they can better assist customers and help them get more from their technology. We also assist our customers through our technology and repair department, Geek Squad.Geek Squad offer services such as TV and computer home setup. The goal of our company is to help customers choose the right technology based on what they are looking for. For example there are a large number of customers coming in our store looking to purchase a computer but they do not know exactly which one to get. Our employees help them identify the right brand and model, based on their interest and taste. The advertising Medias that we have chosen are Television, Newspaper, Internet and direct Mail. Each of these mediums have specific characteristics that make it suitable for meeting specific objective. 1.Television offers a mix of visual and auditory techniques and it provides a wide reach. Television advertisement allows us to both show our products and verbally talk about it. Best Buy has a wide reach; they can reach usual customers as well as potential customers. TV helps us catch the attention of the audience and then reinforce their retention rates by repeating the message. TV has a mass appeal, individuals watch television for different reason: to watch a movie, the news or any other sports. People from different segments watch TV, which helps you reach a large variety of individual with different background.Moreover, well done TV ads are appealing to the audience. For instance, every super bowl viewers not only looking forward to watch the games, but also the commercials. The y want to witness the latest creative Super Bowl commercial, it can help build up a loyal customer base. 2. Newspapers offer flexibility, they are timely and help you localize a precise segment. Newspaper Ads can easily be modified to adapt to changes. They are also timely which means they are more affordable deals than TV Ads, since they are usually advertised once in a while.Newspaper Ads allows you to target a certain segment of customers. There is a certain demographic that reads the Newspaper such as older adult or intellectuals. Moreover, most people expect advertising in the newspaper, some even purchase it for the advertisement and the deals they offer. Newspapers allow you to communicate certain extra information such as a telephone numbers or price. It also helps you offer deals such as coupon which couldn’t have been possible on TV. 3. Internet can be linked to detail content.An internet Ad on any webpage will link the customer to the website of the company if he c licks on the Ad. It allows the company to provide more information about the product to the potential customers and promote other products or just the company itself. Internet offers a vast reach; it allows a company to promote their product on a wider market. A good medium would be social network website, such as Facebook or twitter. These social networks provide the ability to reach an international market. Moreover, social networks allow a company to interact with their customers.They can post feedback on the company Facebook wall or suggest ideas on their twitter page. Internet also offer flexibility, you can change an Ads any time or add extra information. Internet advertising offer targeting method that allows you to reach a specific segment, those who see your ads are the ones most likely to buy. 4. Direct mail is highly targeted, it focuses on a specific segment, mainly the consumers who purposively signed up for them or are frequent costumers. It is a useful medium to send sale advertisements to customers and promote new products as well.The company has a direct control over who they are targeting and which product they are offering. A letter can be personalized via mail-merging techniques and you can also use a more informal language in writing your Ad. The company can develop graphics and design the way they want, they don’t have to go through newspaper regulations. Best Buy chooses to focus more on reach. Reach allows a company to build product awareness. Since Best Buy is a retailer of consumer electronics, we get different electronics coming from different companies on a regular base.These different items include new models of the previous technology. We need to inform costumers of the new product entering the market. Most of the companies that come up with a new product, do not want to spend a lot of money on advertising the product on the different advertising Medias, therefore Best Buy is the one who was to promote the new product. The goal of our company is to reach a broad audience; as a result we promote our new product during major sporting events and holidays. During a major sport event, such as the super bowl, there are a large number f people who turn in to watch the game. And as we said earlier some are as eager to watch the commercials. Holidays are also a perfect time to promote a new product because people are looking for presents to give to their loved ones. Consumers are looking for inspiration everywhere, mainly through TV Ads, magazines, or newspapers. Companies want to persuade the costumer that their latest Smartphone is the best Christmas gift for their teenager, or that the brand new MacBook pro is the exact gift their husband was dreaming of.Costumers are more likely to trust a holiday Ad than any other, they don’t have the time to think of an original gift and they mostly believe the Ads stating that â€Å"this is the hottest items of the holiday, a must have! † Reach is also use ful for a product with long purchase cycle. Since Best Buy sells electronics, all the Items have a long purchase cycle. People buy phones, laptop, TV, video game once in a while. They usually purchase new ones after a year or so. Our main advertising objective is to remind.Reminder advertising is a communication used to remind or prompt repurchases, especially for products that have gained market acceptance and are in the maturity stage of their life cycle. According to www. twice. com Best Buy is the No. 1 retailer on this combined list of consumer electronics and major appliance retailers in the United States. Our company has gained a market acceptance coming before stores such as Wal-Mart and Sear’s that are usually known for their low cost. Best Buy’s goal is not to promote lower cost but quality which is promoted through our customer service.Best Buy believes that customer service is the key to provide a quality service and build up customer loyalty. Therefore our company provides training to all of our employees working on the floor, we teach them how to interact with a customer, and we provide them with the sufficient knowledge about the different gadgets in the store so they can give better advice to the costumer. Our advertisement mainly focuses on the quality customer service that we offer. We want to remind the costumer, why they always chooses us first in retail electronics.Best Buy has established an image of professionalism, knowledge and assistance through its customer service. We want the consumer to know that he is in good hands every time he comes to one of our store. Best buy uses information appeal to portray its products and persuade consumers to purchase them. Our company uses factual information and strong arguments to attract consumers. We want our costumer to evaluate our products on the basis of the key benefits they provide. Best Buy offers different high tech products that are sometime really complex, so it is in our b est interest to inform our customers on how to use those products.For example, Apple iPhones offer and develop new features that might be too confusing for our regular costumer, so Best Buy develops Ads that explain to costumers how to use them. Our goal is to improve our customer knowledge; therefore they can enjoy the entire attributes their new gadget has to offer. Consumers are more willing to buy a product that they understan