DISCUSSION FOURM 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DISCUSSION FOURM 6 - Essay Example These are normally identified in the early phases of the emergence of a disease, or an epidemiological ailment. The best communication approach is to open a communication line with environmental investigators, during the early phases of the emergence of an epidemic (Monroe, 2011). These communications should be frequent, and the methods used in communicating should be accessible to all. For example, health care experts should use mobile phones and the internet for communicating (Monroe, 2011). Use of mobile phone is an easy method of sharing information between environmental experts and public health officers (Monroe, 2011). It is important to denote that most infectious diseases normally emanate because of poor hygiene and environmental condition. This includes conditions such as contaminated water, poor sewerage system, etc (Monroe, 2011). Liaising with environmentalist will help a health worker to identify the various environmental health hazards, which might be a cause of an infectious disease (Shetty, 2010). Furthermore, there is a need of establishing health hotlines. Mobile hotlines will enable people to communicate directly with health care workers, in case of the emergence of an infectious disease. This is an efficient and easy method of identifying the source of a disease. All that health care workers have to undertake is to inform the public on the existence of the hotline numbers (Monroe,

Scope of technology Essay Example for Free

Scope of technology Essay In this essay, I will comment on Morton Winston’s definitions of technology, then apply the six aspects in every technology to an artifact selected from Friedman’s essay â€Å"The World is Flat†. The six aspects include first the skills, techniques, human activity forms, or socio-technical practice; second, resources, tools, and materials; third, technological products or artifacts; fourth, end, intention or functions; fifth, background knowledge; and lastly, social context in which the technology is designed, developed, used, and disposed of, and the artifact that I will apply is Nike. In Children of Invention Revisited by Winston, he describes technology in three different ways in reference to the artifact I selected. First, Winston clearly defines technology as â€Å"the organization of knowledge, people, and things to accomplish specific practical goal†; second, he states that â€Å"technology consists of not only useful artifacts and the tools and processes to produce them but also the entire organization of people and materials that permits the acquisition of the knowledge and skills needed to design, manufacture, distribute, use, repair, and eventually dispose of these artifacts†; lastly, Winston’s definition of technological systems states â€Å" the complex of techniques, knowledge, and resources that are employed by human beings in the creation of material and social artifacts that typically serve certain functions perceived as useful or desirable in relation to human interests in various social contexts†. Nike employs many human activity forms. To begin with, Nike uses many different skills to yield the best productivity. One skill they have is all Nike shoes are generally considered to be attractive and durable. They are innovative, introducing a number of new features designed to increase comfort and enhance an athletes performance. They use different techniques to make this happen. They import from China, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom being the top mentioned countries for Nike exportation. Also, Nike has worked to improve labor conditions in their footwear, apparel and equipment supply chains for more than 15 years. Key issues in which they have engaged include the health and safety of the workers who make their products, excessive overtime, the ability of workers to freely associate, and child labor and forced labor. In addition, Nike has created a â€Å"sustainable supply chain†, one that includes sustainability on equal footing with cost, on-time delivery and quality . As one of the pillars of their sustainable business strategy, they have developed a vision of what success looks like. The vision and steps they are taking are making them achieve this strategy of going forward and continuing to one of the leading companies in activewear. Nike employs human activity forms in almost every part of the company; starting with using ships to import, trucks and truck drivers to transport all their products to stores. Lastly, Nike uses socio-technical practices when it comes to designing their stores, deciding on their logo, and designing the layout of the store. There is just so much to speculate at because every aspect of their company relies on human-activity forms. Nike would not be able to be as powerful of a company if they did not make use of every resource, tool and material available to them. They use computers at stores, which is their most common and powerful resource used. They use computer software everywhere, from cash registers, to security cameras, to tracking their products, and to controlling production. One tool Nike uses in surplus is machinery, such as to produce their products, along with forklifts to boats. Material Nike uses range, for they manufacture and sell many different products from socks, shirts, shoes,hats, to bags. In addition, Nike sells and uses multiple technological products. They sell iPod cases, headphones, and watches. Nevertheless, Nike is stocked with technological products and artifacts for sell. As a matter of fact, Nike uses a lot of technological products themselves, from cell phones to electricity. Nike in fact is an artifact of technology. Nike is used to employ many people, to making people comfortable when being active. Nike is a large corporation that functions as a worldwide store. It provides consumers with a place to purchase to best quality and most known activewear. Nike functions as an employer to some, to make other go day by day in comfort, and a shopping option to many. Now, for Nike Inc. to have become the corporation that it is today, they need to have had an enormous background knowledge to be this successful and efficient. There are two kinds of background knowledge; knowledge-that and knowledge-how. To begin with knowledge-how, Nike had to know how to buy and find the right location to manufacture products and still make a profit. They also had to know how to expand and manage inventory accurately and precisely. Not only that, but also how to pick the locations for the stores. All this requires a lot of knowledge and ideas. For Nike to continue its everyday massive production and efficiency, knowledge- that is, is significant. Nike needed knowledge with the store layout, design, the technology that would be used, locations, and many more things. For Nike to operate efficiently, a lot of knowledge into technology and artifacts of technology was needed. Nike as a whole, is a social artifact for it is a corporation. Within this artifact, lie many divisions of labor. From managing, cashier, shoe designer, logo designer, each position requires different invisible technologies to fulfill the role. Ultimately, all these specific roles come together to create a social organization that run an artifact of technology.

BigBrother Big Sister Essay -- essays research papers

The main two types of mentoring are natural mentoring and planned mentoring. Natural mentoring occurs through friendship, collegiality, teaching, coaching, and counseling that is formed from un-constructed planning (Newman, 1990, p. 41). In contrast, planned mentoring occurs through structured programs in which mentors and participants are selected and matched through formal processes (Newman, 1990, p. 43). There are many different ways to describe mentoring, but they all boil down to one thing: a positive, supportive relationship between a young person and a caring adult. The most compelling data that we have shows the change in our American family structure. Day there are alarming number of children with mental disorders and children being raised in single parent homes has increased. In both areas it is shown that we need more preventive care (Petersmeyer 1989). Other statistics are equally troubling: each day in the United States, 3,600 students drop out of high school, and 2,700 unwed teenage girls get pregnant (Petersmeyer 1989). As a society we have a responsibility to our youth to help them become strong adults. My grandmother was always telling me that it takes more then the immediate family to raise a child well, if a child is to be rear well it takes a whole community contribution. This paper is a comparison of two agencies, Big Brother Big Sisters of America and Compeer. Big Brother Big Sister of America focuses on youth that are from single parent homes. Compeer focus is on children with a mental disorder. The reason why I have chosen these agencies are to show how the success of both and how each is similar to each other but also how each agency focuses on a different area. I do believe that it shows as a member of society and being a mentor we can make a difference in our youth today and our future leaders of tomorrow. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America was started over ninety years ago. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) agencies have provided supportive, one-to-one relationships between adult volunteers and youth living in single-parent homes. Today, BBBSA provides about 75,000 young people with one-to-one supports (Public /Private Ventures, 1995a). In a presentation of the BBBS services, Public/Private Ventures (1995a:4) stated the following: Volunteer screening is a must and is a very strict procedu... ...ntaged High School Students. New York: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, 1990. ERIC Number ED 325598. Flaxman, E. Evaluating Mentoring Programs. New York: Institute for Urban and Minority Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1992. Haensly, Patricia A., and James L. Parsons. (1993) â€Å"Creative, Intellectual, and Psychological Development Through Mentorship: Relationships and Stages.† Youth and Society. 25(2), 202-221. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster. Newman, Michael. Beginning a Mentoring Program. Pittsburgh, PA: PLUS (Project Literacy U.S.), 1990, pp. 34-43. Petersmeyer, C.G. "Assessing the Need" in M. Newman, Beginning a Mentoring Program. Pittsburgh, PA: One Plus One, 1989, pp. 5-25. Public /Private Ventures. (1995a) Grossman, Jean Baldwin and Joseph P. Tierney. Making a Difference. September 2000. Philadelphia. Public /Private Ventures. (1995b) Morrow, Kristine and Melanie Styles. Building Relationships with Youth in Program Settings. May 1995. Philadelphia.

Ann Taylor

Table of Contents |Executive Summary |2 | |Company background & Current Marketing Situation |3-7 | |Marketing Objectives |7-8 | |Opportunity & Issue Analysis |8-13 | |Marketing Strategy & Actions taken |13-16 | |Appendix 1 & 2 |17-20 | |Bibliography |21 | Contributions (write ups only)Executive Summary, Company background & Marketing Strategy- Priyanka Chigurupati Marketing Objectives& Marketing Strategy- Maira Braga Opportunity & Issue Analysis- Judy Seng & Yui Yasuda Executive Summary Ann Taylor Stores Corp. has been one of the largest apparel and accessories firms in the fashion industry for a long time. It has four divisions; Ann Taylor, LOFT, Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet each of which caters the same category of apparel and accessories, i. e. work related clothing to different markets.The introduction of Dan Taylor; our challenge has been positive and we feel that this division for men’s clothing would reap benefits for the company primarily because the men’s market is a growing one. Also, Dan Taylor can capitalize on Ann Taylor’s reputation of being amongst the top few brands customers pick for work related, casual yet chic clothing. Our product line will follow along the path of LOFT; catered to men instead of women. Although there are several threats the company might face, we strongly believe that the opportunities will outweigh the risks.Dan Taylor will use promotional tools that Ann Taylor never used but in terms of overall advertising, Dan Taylor will follow Ann Taylor’s path. The company’s overall goal is to improve the bottom line growth of both the divisions (Ann Taylor & Dan Taylor). If successful, Ann Taylor Store Corp. will be one of the highest grossing companies in the United States. COMPANY BACKGROUND & CURRENT MARKETING SITUATION Ann Taylor Stores Corp. has been one of the most popular women’s clothing company in the United States for the past few decades.Founded in 1954 by Richard Liebeskind , the company was named â€Å"Ann Taylor,† because â€Å"Ann,† was considered a very New England name and â€Å"Taylor,† evoked an image of tailored clothing. Ann Taylor has four divisions; Ann Taylor, LOFT, Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet. Ann Taylor caters to working women with classic clothing that is polished, refined and versatile. The fashions offered at Ann Taylor stores are for affluent career women. With price points between $40 (for a basic top) and $430, Ann Taylor falls in the â€Å"better,† category.LOFT was established in the late 90’s and offers more casual and relaxed fashions for relatively younger customers. Priced anywhere between $20- $90 and $200 for suits (two separates), it falls under the â€Å"upper moderate,† category. Ann Taylor Factory and the LOFT outlet are extensions of the brand (Ann Taylor and LOFT) in the outlet division. Ann Taylor Stores Corp. ’s product line (width) includes â€Å"Apparel,† that includes tops and blouses, sweaters and knits, dresses, pants, skirts, suits, jackets and coats, denim and accessories among all four divisions (based on different price points).The depth of the accessories includes shoes, jewelry, handbags, belts, scarves and shape wear. Ann Taylor has an exclusive line of Bridal wear that is an one stop shop for all wedding needs for women including wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, shoes and accessories at an affordable range of $38 (accessories) to $495 (wedding dress). LOFT, being the more casual between the two has an exclusive line of lounge wear ranging between $20 and $60. The extensive product line is available for Ann Taylor and LOFT in brick and mortar stores, on the internet (ecommerce) and in catalogues.Ann Taylor’s strengths lie in the fact that it caters to a strong and growing market, i. e. primarily to the working sector of people. Ann Taylor’s target market primarily comprises of ages between 30 years and 60 years to whom, the company offers a plethora of work related apparel and accessories. LOFT’s target market comprises of 18 to 34 year olds who have a wide variety of casual work related (can be used for other purposes) apparel and accessories. Although the two divisions cater to different target markets, their primary purpose is to provide to the ‘working customer. Ann Taylor’s expansion into value based divisions (LOFT and its clearance centers) has captured the value market. The pricing at LOFT is about 30% lower than its sister concept, Ann Taylor. The outlets too, have captured the market that comprises of consumers seeking deeper value over traditional pricing and stores. The corporation added more value to these â€Å"clearance centers,† by creating private labels for the outlet centers. All the three divisions have proven to be a success among consumers. A third strength of the company would be its marketing strategies through celebrity associat ions.Some of the biggest celebrities like Heidi Klum, Milla Jovovich, Rachel Bilson are the faces of the company. The brand equity of the company, i. e. the image of the company in the minds of the consumers is enhanced because of positive perceptions. To further enhance this, the company is specifically targeting different markets by using different celebrities for each type of market. For example: Christina Hendricks, known for her curves is a face of the company. Although not directly done this speaks to the relatively more curvy women, a huge upcoming market.Also, since Ann Taylor has been associated with ‘luxury products,’ its reputation has trickled down to its LOFT brand and customers have started to consider LOFT as affordably luxurious. One of the biggest weaknesses of the company (in disguise) is also a blessing for the company, i. e. its LOFT division. The LOFT brand has been growing rampantly with 506 LOFT stores as compared to 291 Ann Taylor stores in 2009. The reason for this growth has been the demand for value oriented ‘luxury,’ products offered by LOFT.When LOFT was set up in the late 90’s, it was oriented towards casual clothing. Today, with the shift towards more casual clothing even in the working environment (casual Friday), LOFT unwittingly turned into Ann Taylor’s direct competitor with a better value proposition. Ever since the economy has been in the throes of a recession, Ann Taylor’s performance like that of most other companies has spiraled downwards. Since 2008, the company has been spiraling downwards with net sales of $2. 4 billion in fiscal 2008, $2. 2 billion in fiscal 2009 and $1. 8 billion in fiscal 2010.The net loss went down considerably from $333,906,000 in fiscal 2009 to $18,208,000 in fiscal 2010. The company has been facing tough competition from its major competitors like White House Black Market, Chico’s, Anne Klein, Talbots, Banana Republic, J Crew and Cold Water Creek for Ann Taylor and The Gap, AK Anne Klein, New York & Co. and INC International Concepts (Private Label at Macy’s), a few among others. In terms of advertising, Ann Taylor promotes it products mainly through catalogs, television and magazine ads. It uses a combination of Institutional advertising, i. e. dvertising done to promote the company’s image and Promotional advertising, i. e. advertising that highlights an item or a category of items to get an immediate response. [pic] [pic] Institutional Advertising Promotional Advertising In 2009, Ann Taylor partnered with Proctor & Gamble due to the economic downturn, and handed out free samples of detergent and coupons to customers who buy machine washable clothes. In addition, Ann Taylor created an eight-page magazine, available for free in stores that provided tips on how to keep clothes looking fresh.Of course, due to the partnership, they require Tide or Downy Total Care, which are both Proctor & Gamble products, but this was one of the many successful promotional strategies implemented by Ann Taylor. In an effort to utilize maximum amounts of different media in order to integrate the customer with the promotion strategies, Ann Taylor partnered with CFDA/ Vogue fashion fund in which the selected stylists were asked to put together a full look for Ann Taylor that would suit today’s working woman. This brought out not only increased exposure but also offers a fashionable, vivacious look to the brand.MARKETING OBJECTIVES Given the current market situation, Ann Taylor should be looking to expand and conquer any new potential clientele to drive profits up. Sale trends still place the retailer amongst the top two competitors of its US Top Women’s Apparel Division, giving the brand a leadership position within its industry. Although product offerings are fairly uniform amongst such brands, very few of Ann Taylor’s direct competitors are currently in the Men’s clothes div ision (primarily department store private labels).Furthermore, as was once predicted of Contemporary and Young Designer fashions, Menswear is the next â€Å"white space† of the industry, offering high rates of growth and return for early entrants. This provides Ann Taylor a high incentive towards accepting the risk of being an early-mover and adding a menswear line to its current offerings. Ann Taylor’s previously existent mill and factory relationships will also conduce towards seamless integration of the production of a menswear line for select stores. Furthermore, despite harsh economic times, Ann Taylor shows clear signs of recovery, having started to post profits of $18. million in the second quarter of 2010, over $260 million to finance expansive efforts. Another trend that has been identified within a more general Apparel market is that women make up to 80% of all of all shopping for a family. This would indicate that for a large portion of the male population, it is in fact their female counterparts that are making the calls in regards to many purchasing decision. Large portions of these women are wives of family households as well as long-term partners. Nationally, nearly 50% percent of the entire population is comprised of married couples – a broad base for a core target audience.This buying behavior creates an untapped potential market for the Ann Taylor brand. Since women would already be in the store, this is a process of adding on to their current purchases, adding not only profit, but value to the Ann Taylor brand by having the client associate stores with convenience and multi-level shopping. This was already proven successful with strategic integration of home furnishings and accessories to select flagship stores. The target male consumer for these groups was a relatively simple process of reexamining our current demographics under a different lens.Most evidently, the targeted age group would be a similar 18-34. This age g roup makes up 23. 5% of the American consumer base as a whole, with over 23 million potential male customers. The ideal â€Å"Dan Taylor† is a middle classed, working male aged 18-34 either with, or thinking about a family who makes $75-99,000 a year, and is looking for workable, affordable, well-constructed clothes that speak to a tailored, New England look. Nationally, this corresponds to 12% of American households with a corresponding range of disposable income, with slight variations across regions of the country.Furthermore, in a more generic view, 78. 6% of the population consists of private wage and salary workers who would maintain the targeted aesthetic of the Dan Taylor line. Considering the harsh economic times, many higher income group clients would also be looking towards lower end options for their everyday work wear. This comprises an additional 31. 7% of the population that would be well within means to shop at Ann Taylor. With further research into specific r egional demographics, initial expansion of the Dan Taylor line would be limited to the Northeast area.As will be detailed, this capitalizes on maximum saturation of target market as well as core following of brand lifestyle and traditional aesthetic. The Northeast region shows the highest rate of educated males with a bachelor’s degree or higher educational attainment at 32. 5%. This figure is well above any other regions and is a full 4 points higher than the national average at 28. 4%. The Northeast also has to the second highest percentage of private wage and salary workers at 79. 5% or workforce, only behind the Midwest at 81. 1%. This category corresponds to the key lifestyle psychographics of the Dan Taylor customer.The area also corresponds to the second highest percentage of households within the targeted $75-$99,000 income level with 12. 6% and leads in terms of households making above $75,000 dollars, at 37. 6%, a full six points above the national level. Another co mpelling factor in terms of income is the Northeast’s mean male yearly earnings is a full $10,000 above the national level and is by far the highest of all regions. This higher income level means this population has a greater willingness to spend from discretionary income, particularly during harder economic times.Another great value in early investment in the Northeast of the United States is the historical association of the Ann Taylor brand with the region. As previously mentioned, the brand’s name is already associated with the area. The label’s look, comprising fashionable day and work wear for the active woman is also in key target with the ambiance and feel of the Northeast region. Color stories of Ann Taylor lines are also frequently associated with this area; pastels, khakis and navy are proven a timeless classic to locals of the area.This mix of ideal target market as well as a value-conscious higher income customer that is not only accustomed, but a f ollower of the Ann Taylor aesthetic creates an ideal marketing position for the Dan Taylor line. If success is seen within the Northeast sector, analyzed demographics then suggest the Western region of the United States as being the best to serve, followed by the Midwest and finally the South. OPPORTUNITY AND ISSUE ANALYSIS Opportunities 1. Growing Menswear Industry Men nowadays have become more aware of their appearance, and therefore, their spending on apparels also increased.According to Data Monitor (Table 1 & Figure 1- Appendix 1), from year 2004 to year 2008, the market value of the menswear market has a steady growth rate from around 3% to 5 %, its market value has also grown from $82. 6 billion in 2004 to $98. 2 billion in 2008. Data Monitor also forecasted that by 2013, the market value would grow to $118. 3 million dollars, an increase of 20. 4% since 2008. If we take a look at Table 3, our target customers who are among the age group of less than 25 years old and 25 †“ 34 years old, have a total of 27,919 thousand (7875 + 20,044) customers.Their added annual expenditure will be $76,413. Compared to women, men spend less on apparel. This may seem to be a discouraging data, however; it also proves that the menswear market is still catching up, and that Ann Taylor can utilize its edge of having the existing loyal female customers to expand to the menswear market. By introducing Dan Taylor in the Loft store, it is expected that our female customers would purchase menswear merchandise for their male friends and husbands.Some of the men may not like to spend too much too much time shopping around and may leave the styling job to their girlfriends or wives. This becomes a strong edge for the launch of Dan Taylor because this approach helps Loft to reach to a new group of male customers through our existing female customers. It is certain that the menswear market is still growing, and therefore Dan Taylor will seize this growing market to obtain some market share in the menswear industry for more profits in the future.By making the first move, Dan Taylor will have the first mover’s advantage. 2. Product line and Price Points The chart below includes the product lines of each of our competitors and their price points. Department private labels such as Alfani, INC and Izod have a narrow product line and a relatively lower price point. They place their focus on business clothing with items such as t-shirts, polo, shirts (casual and formal), sweaters, and trousers. However, for each assortment, they only offer a few styles. Compared to competitors, such asGap and Express, Dan Taylor positions itself as more for the same; we provide better quality but offer the same price points. This positioning allows us to fit in the white space between low to medium priced and medium priced specialty stores. Although our quality is comparatively lower than what medium priced brands such as Kenneth Cole and J. Crew offer; our price points a re much lower and therefore, Dan Taylor provides better value. In addition to the demographics qualities, we are also targeting customers that look for consistent qualities and values.Our goal is to establish a long-lasting relationship with our customers by offering great quality, details, and a wide variety of products with affordable price. We believe in values, and so do our customers. It is expected that customers from our competitors will be drawn to our store because of our promising value and quality. 3. Strong Brand Image Ann Taylor Loft has been in the women specialty retail market since 1983. Currently, we have around 900 stores in the United States, including the labels Ann Taylor, Loft, Ann Taylor Factory, as well as Loft outlet stores.Within these 900 stores, there are 509 LOFT stores because Loft has outperformed Ann Taylor by using a more moderate pricing strategy. Loft targets to a slightly younger group who has a more relaxed lifestyles at work and at home. Our cus tomers are value-conscious and are loyal; this allows us to introduce Dan Taylor (which will have LOFT’s price points and quality) which targets to a similar group of men. Our approach is to first introduce the menswear to our existing Loft customers. It is common that women will buy gifts for their boyfriends or husbands during special occasion such as holiday seasons or birthdays.Therefore, it will be a great opportunity to launch Dan Taylor since our well-known values and quality will draw our existing customers to purchase our menswear’s’ products as gifts for their spouses. This approach allows us to reach our potential male customers and provide them exploration to our products. 4. Online Opportunities The online U. S retail market is growing tremendously in the recent years. According to industry reports by Data monitor, ‘the US online retail market grew by 16. 6% in 2008 to reach a value of $186. 7 billion. in 2013, he US online retail market is fo recast to have a value of $325. 2 billion, an increase of 74. 2% since 2008†. This trend leads many of the retailers setting up their own websites, providing customers an easy access to their newest campaigns and other information related to the company. This approach helps the customers to have a better knowledge of the company. Some of these companies also set up an online store where customers can purchase directly online. Images, measurements and other details are shown to give customers a better visual idea of the merchandise.Today, with such busy lifestyles, people who do not have enough time to shop at the virtual store can now have the option to shop online. Therefore, Ann Taylor should keep focusing on the online sales channel to drive margins because e-commerce is the fastest growing and high margin segments which currently representing nearly a 25% of the company’s revenue base. 5. Collaborations with designer labels and international markets Today, the trend of retail stores collaborating with high-fashion brand labels is more popular than ever.Some of these examples would be H&M and Lanvin, as well as Uniqlo and Jil Sander. Regardless of it the partnership being short term or long term, this approach has always been successful. Long queues are found lining up outside the store on the launch date, and most of the limited merchandises in the collaboration collections are gone in less than a few hours. This not only creates instant buzz about the company but the other customers who come to shop the designer collections might end up looking at the other merchandize as well.Aside from advertising purpose, the limited merchandise brings in some differentiation and freshness to the company and attracts a new group of customers. A further opportunity derived from these collaborations is the recognition in the international markets. While Ann Taylor High-end designer labels now mainly focus on the domestic U. S market, the collaboration with d esigner labels can help promoting Ann Taylor Loft and Dan Taylor throughout the world. Getting the name out to the global market will be a stepping-stone for the company to launch new stores in new markets.Threats/ Issues 1: Effects of recessionary environment will continue impacting consumers spending habits The economic condition might be one of the most serious threats for Ann Taylor. We haven’t come out of the recession yet, and consumers in the US are suffering high unemployment and lower disposable income. Consumers are reluctant to pay for anything that is not on sale or with some sort of down pricing. Rising unemployment further reduces consumers’ ability to spend, which might be a threat to Dan Taylor although the economy is slowly recovering from the recession.Rising unemployment also means less people are at work – the precise demographic of the Ann Taylor and Dan Taylor aesthetics. Increased pursuit of everyday/ lounge wear from high unemployment tre nds could show significant damage to Dan Taylor’s future success. 2: Increased regulations on cards issued by the retailers will affect the appeal of these cards adversely A new act called the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 was passed which enforces several restrictions for retailers while issuing the credit cards.Several norms that originally contributed to the rising popularity of the retailer cards, have been identified as the reasons that later left the consumer with high debt. The new set of rules will benefit the customers, but will nevertheless restrict retailers and the earlier growth in retailer credit cards. Additionally, retailers rely on offering loyalty programs through these cards. The decline in the card base will negatively impact the success of these promotions. Ann Taylor issues its own branded and co-branded charge card for its customers.This will expose the company to high risk of default, higher regulations and compl iances. The new act further imposes higher restrictions and this might lead to less popularity of the cards impacting the cards business adversely. The new regulations might also make it more difficult for the company to issue new cards to the customers. 3: Rising of private label has affected the sales of national brands seriously Due to the recession, customers care now about price more than they did before. As customers became more price-oriented, large retailers filled that gap with lower priced private labels.Their close ties with factories allow these clothes to sit at a very low price point while still offering profit to the retailer. As a result, Macys, which is one of the largest department stores in the world and other companies have begun to focus on their private brands (Alfani, INC and IZOD for Macy’s, Aqua for Bloomingdales) and launched various types of clothes with reasonable prices for men and women of all ages. In addition, many discounted supermarkets such as Wal-mart and Target collaborated with designers and launched fashionable collections with reasonable prices as well.The popularities and sales of these brands increased rapidly. This might be another potential threat to the moderately priced Dan Taylor. 4: Rising apparel costs and labor costs in China are pressurizing margins Dan Taylor’s major production will be in China where the costs are estimated to inflate in the near future. This will increase costs for the company and pressurize margins. The prices of cotton, which typically comprise 40-45% of the price of a garment, were up 25% year in one year. Higher energy costs and rising labor costs in China will contribute to the increase in import cost of the apparel as well.The relative cost of manufacturing in China will almost certainly rise as the labor costs rise. Wage increases, coupled with higher costs for cotton, oil and freight will also push up prices. This cost increase is particularly troubling when taking into consideration the rise of private labels and increased competition within the industry to keep prices down. 5: A men’s brand in a women’s store might inhibit men from walking in Ann Taylor, being the feminine store it is might often prevent men from walking into the store.A large portion of men, even while shopping with their partner, prefer to wait outside or visit a different store, rather than shopping alongside the woman. This moderate level of interest shows a threat to the Dan Taylor line, however, it is also provides room for growth. By changing promotional efforts in-store, management can captivate the attention of such idle shoppers and transform their boredom into profits. MARKETING STRATEGY & ACTIONS TAKEN Ann Taylor’s primary advertising strategies will be â€Å"combination advertising,† including both Institutional and Promotional advertising.The promotion strategies will be divided into two phases. Stage 1 will involve bringing the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s name out to the public and creating loyalty from Ann Taylor’s female consumers thereby exposing their partners to the line in a passive manner. Stage 2 will be dependent upon the first stage’s success and will encompass the creation of the actual ‘Dan Taylor,’ stores and shifting shopping responsibilities from the woman to the man. Product line |Tops |Bottoms |Jackets & Coats Accessories | |T shirts |Pants/ Trousers |Suit Blazers |Ties | |- Polos |- Flat front |- Suit jackets |-Boleros | |- Henley |- Pleated |- Sports blazers |-Neckties | |- Sleeveless | | |-Bow ties | | | | |-Ascots | |Sweaters |Denim | |Cufflinks | |-Vests |- Relaxed | |- Double faced | |-Crew neck |- Straight leg | |- Chain | |- Full sleeved |- Skinny | |- Snap on | |- Boat neck |- Boot cut | |Belts | |- V neck | | |- Casual | | | | |- Formal | |Shirts |Shorts | |Socks | |- Dress shirts |- Cargo | |- Ankle length | |- Cufflink shirts |- Chino | |- Low cut | | |- Bermuda | |- Mi d calf | Stage 1: At this stage, Dan Taylor’s promotional efforts will be limited to news papers, magazines, in store promotions and social media. Given the economic difficulties of the Ann Taylor stores at the moment and the high-risk nature of adding a menswear line, these forms of advertising were chosen due to their maximum exposure to both men and women. Although newspaper advertising is a slowly dying medium, it still has the maximum exposure at minimum cost.This is an efficient medium to get the â€Å"Dan Taylor,† name out there to people who read newspapers that are not fashion related. In addition, trade publications like Women’s Wear Daily and other national and local magazines in the North East Region will feature advertisements for both Ann Taylor and Dan Taylor with both male and female models. Social Media, a highly upcoming medium for advertising will be taken advantage of as well. Dan Taylor will feature on facebook and twitter. These social netw orks will be constantly updated with new arrivals, sales and other promotions. These are excellent tools for reaching out to a mass audience that is specifically interested in the brand.Particular focus will be placed on these tools before the launch of the first Dan Taylor line to reach a wide audience and create massive hype. By using such a medium the brand can create an interaction and communication with the fan base, sponsoring loyalty and a following before the label is even launched. To introduce line on a grand scale, the company will have a launch party for the Dan Taylor line. Social media will be heavily used to publicize and to create excitement over the brand before said opening. Much emphasis will be placed in public relations and in creating hype for the launch. One such effort will be a competition on the Dan Taylor website (which is a part of the Ann Taylor website). Links to the website will be available on the facebook and twitter pages.The competition will involv e men dressing their girlfriends or wives in Ann Taylor clothing and accessories and then submitting their entries. Visitors of the website will get a chance to vote for their favorite outfit and the top three couples will win free flight tickets, hotel accommodations and be featured at the launch party of the Dan Taylor brand. At the party, the winners, along with three celebrity couples will be highlighted as the event’s main feature. Each couple will be given an exclusive look into the Dan Taylor line and the woman will be given the opportunity to style their man. At the party, both the contest winners as well as the celebrity males will be asked to walk down a runway. Outfits will later be featured in editorials in a major fashion magazine.The celebrity couples will be chosen directly from previously existent Ann Taylor spoke models including Rachel Bilson, Heidi Klum and Christina Hendricks. Fortunately, all three women have famous actors as their boyfriend or husbands, which would translate seamlessly with raising awareness of the brand in a fun, star studded manner. Once the line is in store, promotional efforts will be rampant. Campaigns will appear primarily in newspapers and magazines. Adverts will always feature both a man and a woman, posing together in some manner to suggest a relationship. Emphasis will be placed on the novelty of the line as well as on how shopping the line makes the female reader a better wife or girlfriend.Ads will play on the idea that one uses gifts to demonstrate their love, adding that now woman can shop for men – while they shop for themselves! This activity will be depicted as pleasurable and an enjoyable addition to a woman’s afternoon shopping trip. The Dan Taylor line will be available in all Ann Taylor Loft outlets within the Northeast region. As previously detailed, this region shows highest rates of employment and of brand loyalty. It will be a perfect smaller test market to see whether the lin e has potential for future success. Loft stores were chosen due to their history of higher sales and lower price point. By limiting distribution of the product, we will also create a greater sense of demand and urgency for the label when stage two moves distribution nationwide.Stage 2: At this point, there will already be some sort of general awareness within the market of the Dan Taylor brand. Depending on the success of the first stage we will move directly into constructing brick and mortar Dan Taylor retail outlets. These will most likely be connected to Ann Taylor stores, much in the vain of Gap’s strategy. In addition to the print campaign, television ads will start being used specifically for the Dan Taylor line. Also, Dan Taylor print campaigns will no longer always feature a both a woman and a man. Campaigns should have similar feelings as Tod’s campaigns, with very manly, dark colors and a restrained sense of humor. We want a sleek sophistication in our ads t o go in line with the product.We will increase product offerings to match the larger retail space, with products no longer being exhibited simply in racks within already existent Ann Taylor Loft outlets. A large launch party will be offered for both the Ann and Dan Taylor lines. The ultimate goal is to have both men and women’s wear lines have equal stature within the corporate structure. We will have created a one-stop shop for the power couple family unit, creating a comfortable environment for both the man and the woman. Conclusion The company’s overall goal is to improve the bottom line growth of both the divisions (Ann Taylor & Dan Taylor). If successful, Ann Taylor Store Corp. ill be one of the highest grossing companies in the United States.Appendix 1 [pic] [pic][pic][pic] Appendix 2: [pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic] Bibliography †¢ Karr, Arnol J. â€Å"Ann Taylor Update Leads Retail Rally. † Women's Wear Daily 3 F eb. 2010,199th ed. , sec. 23: 14. Print. †¢ Moin, David. â€Å"Ann Taylor Moves to Profit in 2nd Qtr. † Women's Wear Daily 23 Aug. 2010, 2000th ed. , sec. 39: 10. Print. †¢ Moin, David. â€Å"Ann Taylor Swings to Pofit in 4th Qtr. † Women's Wear Daily 15 Mar. 2010, 199th ed. , sec. 56: 2. Print. †¢ Romano, Anthony M. â€Å"How Ann Taylor Put Strategic Sourcing on the Management. † Supply Chain Management Review October (2006): 32-40. Print. U. S.Censs Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey †¢ Datamonitor | the Home of Business Information. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://www. datamonitor. com/ †¢ EBSCOhost – Worldaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Foremost Premium Research Database Service. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Macy's| Department Store, Dept Store , Department Stores, Clothing, Apparel, Accessories. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ J. Crew – Cashmere, Sweaters, Women's Clothing ; Dresses, Men's Clothing, Children's Clothing ; Kids Clothes. Web . 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . †¢ Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

Assessment on Communication Skills in the Area of Speaking and Writing Essay

People talk face to face, and they listen to each other. They write emails and reports and read the documents that are sent to them Human beings are communicating. In both decoding and encoding messages, people spend almost 70% of communication time as speakers. (Jaime Gutierrez-Ang 2009). Communication is two way process by which information is exchanged between or among individuals through a common system of symbols, science and behavior (Martinez 1) Being a two way process, communication occurs in a orderly and systematic sequence wherein human beings are able to see and hear what transpires in their environment. As a process, communication is dynamic, adaptive and continuous. Being a survival mechanism, communication helps us develop to be unique persons, relating and cooperating with others. It satisfies our physical, ego, social and practical needs. It is indeed essential in life. (Mely M. Padilla et.al 2003) Speaking and writing are skills that have similarities. Both require the use of language symbols to express needs and feelings, they are both governed by the rules of semantics and syntax. Both are also expected to achieve communicative purpose- a degree of understanding, common knowledge and shared expectations. In speech, we monitor what we say by listening to the revised or connected ideas, while in writing, we monitor what we write by reading and rereading. Furthermore, the speaker and the writer should be able to determine how simple or complex and formal the statements should be. But there are differences in speaking and writing too. Writing differs in speech in several ways. According to Vygotsky ,e.f Hughey 1983, composing a written discourse is a â€Å"separate linguistic function differing from oral speech in both structure and mode of functioning. Even its minimal development requires a high level of abstraction†. Writing is significantly different from speaking because writing requires a more complex and difficult discourse. (Saymo, 2004.) In reflecting upon and surfing out communication skills, then think of communication as ways and means of gathering and relying information, and think of information as what there is to be gathered by any means that is consider the widest range of writing and speaking as you consider your communication skills. In relevance to the Department of College of Education, Communication skills of the students have to be enhanced. The researchers encouraged the department that through Speech Laboratory to measure the speaking skills of the students as well as the writing skills where in the teachers can identify where the strength of the students and of the their weaknesses are in the components communication skills in the area of speaking and writing. It is also an instrument to detect students’ potential in speech so that it can be developed and can be a product of the department in the area of speaking and writing. The researchers look forward for the program that can be developed based on the results of the study. It will be a universal program for the teachers to have the better and effective instructional materials. The researchers foresee the unbiased treatment of the teachers towards the students through the help of universal program. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study aims to determine the levels of communication skills of BEED Gen.Ed freshmen students of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College for the first semester academic year 2013-2014 as Basis for Program Development. Specifically, it will aim to answer the following specific questions. 1. What are the levels of Communication Skills of BEED Gen. Ed freshmen students in the area of speaking and writing when they are grouped according to: a) School Graduated b) Mental Ability c) Parents’ Educational Attainment 2. What are the difficulties in the components of Communication Skills of BEED Gen. Ed freshmen students when they are grouped according to: a) School Graduated b) Mental Ability c) Parents’ Educational Attainment 3. Is there a significant difference on the level of communication skills in the area of speaking and writing when they are compared according to: a) School Graduated b) Mental Ability c) Parents’ Educational Attainment 4. Based on the results, what program should be developed? HYPOTHESIS There is no significant difference on the level of communication skills of BEED Gen. Ed. freshmen students in the area of speaking and writing when they compared according to where school they graduated, mental ability and what their parents’ educational attainment. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Communication is the way to learn the person. If he is to be deprived of the chance to communicate with others, he should have sense of identity. It is through communication that one gets the chance for affirmation of self-concept and sharing of views about a variety of things among others. People relate socially with each other through communication. Personal communication is essential for a person’s well-being. Sufficiency or absence of communication has a bearing on one’s state of physical health. For one, stress is heightened or dissipated depending on communication or lack of it and the nature of its content. So as being a two-way process, communication occurs in an orderly and systematic sequence where in human beings are able to see and hear transpires in their environment (William Schutz). These statements emphasize the importance of communication in different area of human needs. Communication is very essential because human being develops their capability to speak through interaction with others. Especially the children ages 1-5, they are great imitators. They observe the actions of their parents, brother and sister, playmates and others. They tend to discover the words by their own through observation. According to George T. Wilkins Speech is the most important of all means of communication. In the great government politics, and in the expression of our own democratic rights, speech is also most important. Good speech is essential to participate in democracy. As to the students, speech can help express their feelings. It can help through participating in classroom discussions, reciting in classroom activities and reporting assigned tasks. Effectiveness in speaking is a climb to a ladder of seven steps (Eugine E. White and Claire K. Neudelider). The quote stated that the speaker should first analyze and know the audience that will listen. In connection to the communication skills assessment, the students that have difficulties in speaking will assess by the recommendations and develop program that this study aims to achieve. For further information, communication is the KEY which unlocks all the doors to a successful and fulfilling school life experience, to getting cooperation with your students, that allows us to feel understood, for resolving conflicts between teachers and students, to let students know what your needs are and how best to meet those needs, to fewer conflicts in the classroom and in the playground, to building self-confidence and self-esteem, to feeling listened to by your students, mutual respect in the classroom, to less resistance and more cooperation, to everyone feeling safe to be themselves and to have more fun in the classroom. (http://sydney.edu.au/science/uniserve_science/projects/skills/jantrial/communication/communication.htm) . These only prove that communication is really very important in life especially in the teaching and learning process. It is the key to open the teacher and student mind and their capabilities to speak and write well. C