Heinrich Himmler, Nazi SS Head Oversaw the Holocaust

Heinrich Himmler, Nazi SS Head Oversaw the Holocaust Heinrich Himmler was a key figure in the Nazi party and leader of the feared SS. He was also responsible for turning the racist and anti-Semitic ideology of the Nazi movement into a shockingly efficient killing machine. Himmlers fanatical devotion to Hitler, as well as his fascination with the pseudoscience that fortified Nazi beliefs, made him one of the main architects of the Holocaust. The unlikely rise of Himmler from an unimpressive clerk-like figure running a small farm to one of the most powerful men on earth was attributed to his penchant for organization. Upon his suicide, soon after hed been captured and the Nazi regime had crumbled, the New York Times noted that Himmler had â€Å"raised wholesale slaughter to a science.† Fast Facts: Heinrich Himmler Known For: As head of the Nazi SS elite troops, he terrorized much of Europe and masterminded the HolocaustBorn: October 7, 1900 in Munich, BavariaDied: May 23, 1945 in Luneberg, Germany (committed suicide after being captured)Spouse: Margarete Concerzowo, known as MargaChildren: Gundrun Himmler, born 1929 Early Life Heinrich Himmler was born in Munich, Bavaria, on October 7, 1900. His father, Gebhard Himmler, was a schoolmaster. Early in his career, Himmler’s father had been appointed the tutor of Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, and Himmler was named in honor of the prince. Growing up in a middle-class family with an older and younger brother, Himmler developed a great sense of pride in German traditions. When his older brother joined the military in World War I, he wrote in his diary that he wished he was old enough to enlist. He did eventually join the German army and received training, but the war ended before he saw action. Following the war, Himmler studied agriculture and seemed destined to be a farmer. Like other young and angry Germans, he responded to his country’s defeat and perceived humiliation by the Allied powers by becoming interested in nationalist political movements. He officially joined the small Nazi Party in August 1923. He was involved in a minor role, manning a barricade and holding a Nazi banner in the Munich beer hall putsch that November. After the failed takeover attempt, he escaped prosecution and avoided prison, unlike Hitler and other participants. Rise to Power As the Nazi Party grew, Himmler became a key figure. In 1925, Himmler joined the SS (Schutzstaffel, the Nazi paramilitary organization), which had originally been a thuggish group of bodyguards tasked with protecting Hitler at public gatherings. As the second-in-command at the SS, Himmler dealt with fairly mundane tasks such as increasing party membership, collecting dues, and canvassing for advertisements for the party’s newspaper. In 1927 Himmler met his future wife, Margarete Concerzowo, known as Marga. They married in July 1928, and with Marga’s money they bought a small farm about ten miles outside Munich. They kept hens and grew some produce, and proceeds from the farm augmented Himmler’s salary from the Nazi Party. At some point, Hitler recognized Himmler’s fanatical loyalty and talent for organization, and in January 1929 he appointed him Reichsfuhrer SS, essentially making him the head of the organization. Himmler had a grand vision for the SS. He saw the black-uniformed troops as elite soldiers for Hitler, modern-day knights in service to the Nazi movement. As Hitler moved to seize power in Germany in the early 1930s, Himmler made plans to increase the size and power of the SS as well as its racial composition. In 1932 he issued a marriage code for the SS. Based on the concept of Blut und Boden (blood and soil in English) expounded by Nazi theorist Richard Walter Darre, the code stressed the racial purity of SS members. By Himmler’s orders, prospective members of the elite group had to prove they were of pure Nordic stock. Potential wives of SS members had to submit to physical examinations and prove they were free of Jewish or Slavic ancestry. Himmler became fixated on the idea of selective breeding. Heinrich Himmler, left, and Adolf Hitler review SS troops. Getty Images   Building the SS Himmler accelerated SS recruiting, and by 1932 the organization had grown to more than 50,000 men. Within a few years, the SS grew to more than 200,000 and became a formidable presence in German life. A major boost to Himmler’s plans came when he happened to meet a young German who had been forced out of the German navy. Reinhard Heydrich had family connections which led him to Himmler, and Himmler, believing Heydrich had intelligence experience, hired him to perform a particular mission: build a spy network within Germany. Heydrich had not actually worked in military intelligence, but he was a fast learner and before long he had an efficient network of spies and informers. An early sign of what was coming occurred in 1933 when Himmler and Heydrich opened the first concentration camp. The Dachau camp was created to hold political dissidents and it served as a warning to anyone who opposed the Nazi regime. Throughout the 1930s Himmler acquired more power. In 1934 he participated in the notorious Night of the Long Knives, the purge of the leadership of the SA, the Nazi stormtroopers, an organization which rivaled the SS. Having won the power struggle with the SA, Himmler became known as a major figure in the Nazi leadership. In 1936, the New York Times published a front-page article noting that Himmler had become the head of all â€Å"Reich Police.† By the end of the 1930s the SS had become the dominant force within the Nazi Party. And Himmler as head of not only the SS but the Gestapo, the secret police, was established as the most powerful figure in Germany after Hitler. Heinrich Himmler inspecting a camp holding Russian prisoners of war. Getty Images Directing the Holocaust Himmler’s main historical significance was for the role he played in the Holocaust, the Nazi’s systematic slaughter of millions of European Jews. From his early youth Himmler had been an ardent anti-Semite, and he eagerly used his great power to persecute the Jews in Germany. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, militarized units of the SS were part of the invasion force. Under Himmler’s direction, SS troops were tasked with removing undesirable populations, which generally meant Jews, from areas conquered by German troops. SS units called Einsatzgruppen rounded up Jews and killed them in massacres across Poland. When the German forces attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, SS units followed to conduct racial cleansing at a vast level. Himmler’s work at eliminating Jews in Europe moved quickly. By late 1941 large-scale massacres by SS troops had occurred. At the Wannsee Conference in January 1942, Heydrich laid out SS plans to come up with a Final Solution for Jews in Europe. This plan for mass murder was followed by Himmler after Heydrich was assassinated by partisans months later. Himmler directed the mass murder of millions and paid close attention to what was happening in the concentration camps. It is known that he visited the death camp at Auschwitz on two occasions. At times he issued detailed orders about how the camps should be run, even explaining in detail how much food prisoners should be given. He also authorized the gruesome medical experiments conducted by Nazi doctors who used concentration camp prisoners as subjects. As part of the Nazi campaigns in Eastern Europe, many Jews were forced to live in ghettos, where they were isolated in overcrowded and brutal conditions. Himmler took a great interest in the Warsaw Ghetto, and when the Jews rose up in a rebellion in the spring of 1943, he gave orders to conduct a brutal campaign that amounted to extermination of the residents. As World War II expanded and the Germans began to suffer defeats, Himmler made plans to create SS guerrilla units which would conduct warfare against the Allies in the event Germany was forced to surrender. In 1944 he was put in the field at one point to command troops, but as he had no real military experience, he was ineffective. Hitler called him back to Berlin to command troops positioned there. Downfall In early 1945, when it became evident that Germany would lose the war, Himmler tried to reach out to the Americans to make a peace deal. He hoped to evade prosecution as a war criminal. The American commander in Europe, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, refused to consider Himmler’s peace offer and declared him a war criminal. Hitler was enraged by the betrayal and stripped Himmler of his power. As Germany was collapsing, Himmler sought to escape. He shaved his distinctive mustache, dressed in civilian clothes, and tried to blend in with the refugees traveling on the roads. Himmler was stopped at a checkpoint manned by British soldiers and he was able to produce fake identity papers. However, he aroused the suspicion of the British, who took him into custody and turned him over to intelligence officers. When questioned, Himmler admitted his real identity. While being searched on the night of May 23, 1945, Himmler managed to put a vial of poison in his mouth and bite down on it. He died minutes later. A dispatch by the Reuters News Service published in the New York Times on May 25, 1945 was headlined Himmler Outsmarted Himself. The story noted that Himmler, who had created a system of Germans often having to show identity papers to members of the Gestapo, would have had a set of fake identity papers created for himself. But in the chaos of the war’s end, few refugees on the roads still had their papers. Himmler’s pristine set of papers was what drew attention at the checkpoint. Had he simply claimed he was a refugee trying to walk home and had lost his papers, the British soldiers at the bridge might have waved him along. Sources: Heinrich Himmler. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2004, pp. 398-399. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Reshef, Yehudacxv, and Peter Longreich. Himmler, Heinrich °. Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 9, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, pp. 121-122. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Himmler, Heinrich. Learning About the Holocaust: A Students Guide, edited by Ronald M. Smelser, vol. 2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2001, pp. 89-91. Gale Virtual Reference Library.SS (Schutzstaffel). Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction, edited by John Merriman and Jay Winter, vol. 4, Charles Scribners Sons, 2006, pp. 2434-2438. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Color Psychology In Marketing The Complete Guide [Free Download]

Color Psychology In Marketing The Complete Guide [Free Download] In content marketing, color is an emotional cue. In an ocean of content marketing, color can help yours stand out. Its what  gets your audience to see what you want them to see, feel what you want them to feel, and to do what you want them to do. Which hues  you choose can  also affect usability  and  whether content is  readable it or not. This is what makes  understanding color psychology so important for the success of your content. However, poor  color choice can also negatively change the impact of your message. Get it wrong, and your great content and your amazing call to action  will be easily ignored. Even NASA is concerned about color;  enough so that they provide free online resources  to help non-designers choose just the right shades. After reading this post, youll understand basic color theory and psychology. Plus, weve included a free hex color chart to make  picking the right colors with easy with any design tool. Ready to become an expert? Lets jump in! Table of Contents: Basics of Color Theory Primary Colors Secondary Colors Tertiary Colors Pure Color Tints Shades Tones The Complete Color Wheel Using Contrast Choosing Color Combos Using Complementary Colors Addressing Color-Blindness Using Split-Complementary Colors Using Analagous Colors Using Monochromatic Colors Using Triangle, Rectangle, and Square Colors Psychology of Colors in Marketing Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Purple Pink Brown Gold Black White Bright Colors Cultural Colors Word Associations With Color Preferences by Gender Mood and Emotions Brand Recognition TestingThe Know It All Guide To #ColorPsychology In Marketing + The Best Hex Chart Let's Start With The Basics Of Color Theory Understanding how color works isn't just for artists dipping their hands into paint and pigments all day long. Anyone in marketing needs to understand the basics of color theory because no matter what you are using color in your content. Back To Top Primary Color Primary colors are the three colors that make all other colors. They are red, blue, and yellow. These three colors can be used to create the next level of colors, called the secondary colors. Exceptions, of course, abound when it comes to talking about primary colors. If you're talking color theory in regards to light, your primary colors would be cyan, magenta, and yellow. Let's not forget CMYK for print and RGB for screens or monitors. And, when mixing paint, it matters what particular pigment you're using to get that red in order to come up with the proper new color. But let's keep this simple and stick with red, blue, and yellow. Back To Top Secondary Color Secondary colors are purple, green, and orange. They are created using the primary colors. If you look on the color wheel, you'll find the secondary colors in between two primary colors. Color Guide: red + blue = purple blue + yellow = green red + yellow = orangeBack To Top Tertiary Color Tertiary colors take  secondary colors one step further. They are the "two-name" colors, such as red-purple, red-orange, yellow-green, etc. They are created by adding more of one primary color than the other creating not a true secondary color. It ends up being closer to the primary color. Back To Top Pure Color Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, without the addition of white, black, or a third color, are pure (or saturated) colors. They are intense, bright, cheery, and untainted colors. These are the colors of children's toys, daycare decor, and summer clothes. Back To Top Tints When white is added to a pure color, you get a tint. Some people refer to these as pastel colors. They are lighter and paler than a pure color, and not as intense. Tints range from slightly whiter to almost-white. Back To Top Shades When black is added to a pure color, you create a shade. These darken and dull the brightness of pure colors, and range from slightly darker to almost black. Back To Top Tones When gray (black + white) is added to a pure color, you create a tone. You often hear people saying that a color needs to be "toned down", meaning it's too intense and they want to drop the level of intensity. Adding black and white in different amounts to a color subdues the intensity quickly. Back To Top The Completed Color Wheel Whew! So there we have it: a complete color wheel with primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, plus their tints, shades, and tones. You can see how it all fits together on the color wheel below. Cool colors are all on the left side of the wheel, in the blues and greens. The warm colors are all on the right side of the wheel, in the yellows and reds. Now that you understand color theory and the color wheel, you can start to use color purposefully in your content marketing. Back To Top Using Contrast Correctly With  Color When it comes to color techniques, the use of contrast is particularly important, and it's probably the one that will lead you to butt heads with your designer the most. Contrast is how one color stands apart from another. It's what makes text or objects distinguishable from the background. High contrast is when colors easily stand apart from each other. Low contrast is when they don't. Often, people assume a difference in color is what creates contrast, but that's not true. You might have two colors that are completely different  but have no contrast at all because  their tone is the same. To test out your colors contrast, turn them into grayscale and review their contrast. Colors, in their pure form, have inherent differences in how light and dark they are. Yellow is bright, for example, while blue is darker. Yellow  and orange  have little contrast with each other, despite being different colors. When different colors have the same tone (level of gray as you  just learned), they will not have much contrast, either. It isn't enough to simply pick two different colors when making decisions about contrast. Using High And Low Contrast Generally, high contrast is the best choice for important content, because it is most easily seen. Dark on light or light on dark–it's the easiest to read. It might not be exciting, but it is readable. One word of caution, though: If everything is high contrast, nothing stands out and it's tiring on the eye after a while. (e.g. Think of black computer screens with bright green text.) Designers often prefer low contrast techniques. They like to make things look beautiful, but beautiful isn't always the best for readability. Tone-on-tone similar colored combinations are very popular and while their subtlety is quite attractive, they are also difficult for people to read. Pro Tip: Try to find the balance between beautiful color schemes, and legibility for optimal clarity in your visuals. In order to use similar colors, while getting the contrast you desire, create a color scheme with both complementary and analogous colors. What's that? Let's keep reading! Choose #colors and contrast that is readable. Beautiful content that can't be read is a fail....Back To Top Choosing Color Combinations The color wheel can help you choose great color combinations for your call to action button, your infographics, and your lead collection pop-up. Keeping your color combinations simple will help you in the long run. A study from the  University of Toronto  showed on how people using  Adobe  Kuler revealed most people preferred simple color combinations that relied on only 2 to 3 favorite colors. People like simplicity; it makes your content easier to understand if they don't have to interpret it through many colors. And remember, color has meaning  so each color adds or takes away from your message. Too many colors make for a confusing message. So how do you choose those 2 or 3 colors? The color wheel can help. Using Complementary (Opposite) Colors Complementary color combinations make things stand out. Complementary colors are "opposite" colors. They are opposite of each other on the color wheel, meaning the one color they lack is that one opposite of them. They are geographically and color-wise the opposite, and provide a kind of visual tension because they are so opposed to each other. You might even notice that some of your favorite sport teams use  complementary colors. From football to hockey, opposite colors are used for some great color combinations. Blue is the opposite of orange. Red is the opposite of green. Yellow is the opposite of purple. Opposites attract! When the human eye sees a painting full of different kinds of greens, any bit of red is going to stand out amazingly well. Why? Because red is the opposite color of green. When the eye has been looking at a lot of the same color, it wants to see the opposite for a visual break. Using complementary colors is the easiest way to get something to stand out. Use them with caution to keep your content from being too visually jarring. You don't want 50% orange and 50% blue because neither color wins and it causes distress to the eyes. Pro Tip: pick a primary color as your main color, and then accent it with its complement color for more of a 7:3 ratio. This provides a beautiful color pairing, but also lets your eyes break on the opposite color. Let's look at the homepage as an example. What colors do you see? It's mainly  blue, but our most important button, the "Get Started Free Now" button, is orange. Orange  is the opposite color of blue. In a sea of dark blue,  your eye is going to naturally notice orange  faster than any other color. We also ensured that the orange button contrasted from the dark blue to make it even more visually present. Back To Top Caution: Addressing Color Blindness A quick word of caution:  Red and green, two complementary colors, present a sticky problem. Some people have  color blindness and cannot distinguish between certain colors, and red and green are a common problematic combination.Colors with heavy amounts of red and green in them get bungled up, too. Did you know that Facebook is blue because Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind? He sees blues the best. The above example shows the three types of color blindness: Deuteranope, protanope, and tritanope. Similar to Mark who sees blue best, it's no wonder why blue is one of the more popular colors as it stretches even beyond color blindness. To help with color blindness when using  complementary colors, remember there must be high contrast. Try to never use a color solely as the information source. Include text in graphs and infographics whenever possible as well. High contrast and additional text  will ensure that even when color blindness is present, your visuals will be both readable and enjoyable to see. Back To Top Using Split Complementary Colors If you want to use three colors instead of just two, using split complementary color schemes is a way to capitalize on the power of complementary colors but add a third color to your palette. To use it, you'll choose one color as your base color, and then the two colors adjacent to its opposite. For example, if we decided to choose green as our main color, we'd look across the color wheel for its complementary color, red. Then, look to the two colors directly beside it. Now, we have green, red-orange, and red-purple for a perfect split complementary color scheme. A split complementary color scheme doesn't have quite the same level of tension that a complementary color scheme does, but it's still visually exciting for your eye. It also adds a level of variety to your color scheme that can be used in a very dynamic, meaningful way. Back To Top Using Analogous Colors Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They are "related", a kind of family of colors that creates pleasing and relaxed visuals. They aren't jarring, opposite, or clashing. They also don't stand out from one another. Analogous colors can create subtle and beautiful content, but you may need to add  a complementary color to get any particular item to stand out. Back To Top Using Monochromatic Colors Monochromatic colors are a single color, with its tints, shades, and tones. They are even more soft and subtle than analogous colors since it's a color palette based on one single color. Monochromatic colors work great when paired with a single complementary color. On the website, we use monochromatic blue  colors with orange  for the content we want to get noticed. Most designers- when using complementary colors- pair a rich collection of monochromatic colors with a single complementary color. Pair a rich collection of monochromatic colors with a single complementary #color #design Back To Top Using Triangle, Rectangle And Square Colors It isn't difficult to create color combinations that stretch the boundaries of the easy power of complementary opposites and the related analogous and monochromatic palettes. All you need is a triangle, rectangle, and a square. A triangle (triad) is a color combination made of three colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. A rectangle (tetradic) is a color combination made of four colors that are made up of two complementary pairs. A square is similar to a rectangle palette, but the two sets of complementary pairs are colors evenly spaced around the circle. These three combinations can be visually noisy if you're not careful. The best application is to use one color as the dominant color, and the others for highlighting content. The triangle combination is particularly vibrant; three is a "stable" number and using three colors is visually stabilizing. Back To Top The Psychology of Colors in Marketing Color is an essential tool because it has an impact on how we think and behave. Color directs our eye where to look, what to do, and how to interpret something. It puts content into context. It helps us decide what's important and what's not.  That's precisely why, as a content marketer, you need to understand what colors mean  to people. While color psychology has been studied and analyzed over time, the psychological impact of color is still moderately subjective. We don't all react the same way to colors, as we all have previous experiences with colors from significant events, cultures, people, and  memories. However, there are a few generalities about how people respond to color, and that's what we're going to look at. Back To Top The Color Psychology of Red Red is a very powerful, dynamic color that reflects our physical needs whether to show affection and love, or to portray terror, fear,  and survival. Red is also a very energizing color that can portray friendliness and strength, but can also be demanding and show aggression depending on its context. Overall, if you're looking to have a really powerful presence or get someone's attention fast, red is your go-to color. Just remember to use it sparingly to avoid the extreme negative reactions it can so easily awaken. Red is commonly seen: Stop lights, Valentine's Day, and horror films. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Orange Orange has a very interesting psychological meaning as it combines red's power and energy with yellow's friendliness and fun. The mix makes orange  a good representation of  physical comfort in our warmth, food, and shelter. (It even stimulates our appetite so watch out if you're hungry!) Orange is also known to be a color of motivation, lends  a positive attitude, and general enthusiasm for life. Overall, orange is great for bringing comfort in tough times, and creating a sense of fun or freedom in your visuals. Orange  is commonly seen:  Fruits, sporting events, and board games. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Yellow Yellow is the epitome of joy, happiness, cheerfulness, optimism- you name it. Anything happy is almost always yellow. The wavelength of yellow is particularly long, making it  have one of the most powerful psychological meanings, while also being the easiest color to visibly see. (Did you know yellow is the first color infants respond to?) Whenever you need to lift someone's spirits, increase their confidence, or provide inspiration, use yellow. However, avoid using yellow too much because it's also known to  make us more critical causing self esteem issues, fear, or anxiety. Find the right balance of yellow to motivate rather than bring others down. Yellow  is commonly seen:  Traffic crossings and signs, smiley faces, and window-front displays. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Green Green is a color of balance and harmony. It lends us a clearer sense of right from wrong since green  incorporates  a balance of both the logical and emotional. Green is one of the most-seen  colors in nature reflecting life, rest, and peace. It  is also a sign of growth, whether that's in a physical object like plants  or in our income and wealth. Overall, if you're looking to portray health,  rest, and to relieve stress, green is your color. While green does have minor negative aspects like over-possession and materialism, it has a more positive affect than most other colors. Green  is commonly seen:  Nature, economic exchange,  health-based stores, and restaurants. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Blue Blue is known for its trust and dependability. It's reliable, responsible, and mentally soothing. For that reason alone, it's one of the most-liked colors across the entire world. Unlike red, blue lends a more mental reaction rather than physical that allows us to destress, calm down, and think of the most ideal situation. Unfortunately, it also is one of the last colors to be seen, and can be perceived as distant, cold, or unfriendly if used it great amounts. Overall, blue is a well-liked color that can bring a sense of calmness and trust when building relationships, especially in marketing. Blue  is commonly seen:  Workout facilities, hospitals, and spas. Back To Top The Color Psychology of Purple Purple is most commonly known for its imagination and spirituality. It possesses the energy and power of red, with the stability and reliability of blue, making it a perfect balance between the physical and spiritual. Purple is often used to show luxury, loyalty, courage, mystery, and magic. It's a very intriguing color as it soothes, but also presents space for mystery and new ideas. This is why creativity is most often associated with the color purple. When using purple, avoid using it too often as it can also cause too much introspection or distraction as thoughts begin to wonder. Purple  is commonly seen:  Magic shows, fairy tales, and luxury products. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Pink Pink is a softer, less intense version of red that creates a sense of compassion and unconditional love. While it's a very physical color, it soothes rather than stimulates, making it a perfect color for caring, understanding, and nurturing those in need. Pink is a sign of hope. It  is also known to be very romantic as it shows empathy and sensitivity. If too much pink is used, it can be very draining, show a lack of power, and even immature. Overall, pink can be a great counter-option to the color red when used appropriately. Pink is commonly seen:  Cancer patients, little kid objects, and bathroom  products. Back To Top The Color Psychology of Brown Brown, while maybe not the most visual stimulating color, is a great sign of structure, security, and protection. Whether it's family, friends, and material possessions, brown offers constant support. It's also a very serious, down to earth color you  can use where black might be too intense. The downfall to brown is that it's the most safe color and can seem reserved, scheduled, and boring. Overall, use it when necessary, but don't depend on it too  heavily. Brown  is commonly seen:  Campgrounds, home furnishings, and coffee shops. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Gold Gold has quite a few different meanings depending on your culture. Across the world, though, gold consistently represents some variation  of charm, confidence,  luxury, and treasure. It  also can have an element of friendliness, abundance, and prosperity that is naturally attractive. Too much gold, however, can seem egotistical, proud, and self-righteous. Similar to colors like brown and black,  try to use gold more sparingly to highlight rather than be the main attraction. Gold  is commonly seen:  Luxury products, rings, and trophies. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  Black Black is a color of sophistication, seriousness, control, and independence. Although, it can also be used to show evil, mystery, depression, and even death. Black is  a very reserved color that completely lacks any light  as its an absence  of all the colors. It likes to stay hidden, in control, and separate from others. For this reason, black is a great color for high contrast and easy legibility. Unfortunately, since its a very powerful color, too much black can cause sadness and overall negativity so use it sparingly and in your text more so than the visuals itself. Black is commonly seen:  Professional attire, luxury products, and limos. Back To Top The Color Psychology of  White White is color that is complete and pure,  making it a perfect example of purity, innocence, cleanliness, and peace. White can also represent  new beginnings, providing a blank slate, and gives refreshment for new ideas. Since white has an equal balance of all the colors, it can exemplify several meanings, with equality outweighing them all. White is a great color for simplicity, cleanliness, and idea creation; however, avoid using too much white as it can cause isolation, loneliness, and emptiness. White  is commonly seen:  Weddings, website backgrounds, and doctor's waiting rooms. More Scientific Findings of Color Back To Top Bright Colors Faber Birren, a 20th-century color researcher and author of  Color Psychology And Color Therapy, discovered something interesting about general color groups. He  found that bright light and bright colors promoted "big muscle" activity, while softer and deeper colors promoted mental and visual tasks better. He also discovered that red stimulates our nervous system while blue relaxes it. Red and related colors also caused people to overestimate the passage of time  while cooler colors like green and blue were the reverse. That means that: Bright colors promote physical activity  but make the passage of time seem slower. Cooler and softer colors are better for mental activity and make the time seem to fly by.Cooler and softer #colors are better for mental activity and make the time seem to fly by!Back To Top Cultural Color Color also means different things in different cultures. According to researcher Joe Hallock "Eskimos use 17 words for white as applied to different snow conditions, where in the Northwest United States there are only 4 or 5." Every culture understands a color differently. It has a role to play in religion, politics, ceremony, and art. The culture your audience is in affects how they understand deeper meanings of color. Even the context you use the color in affects the meaning of color. For example, in India, red means purity, while in the U.S. it denotes passion and specific holidays. Back To Top Word Connections To  Color In a survey, people were asked to choose the color they associated with particular words. Trust:  Most chose the color blue (34%), followed by white (21%) and green (11%) Security:  Blue came out on top (28%), followed by black (16%) and green (12%) Speed:  Red was overwhelmingly the favorite (76%) Cheapness:  Orange came first (26%), followed by yellow (22%) and brown (13%) High Quality:  Black was the clear winner (43%), then blue (20%) High Tech:  This was almost evenly split, with black the top choice (26%) and blue and gray second (both 23%) Reliability:  Blue was the top choice (43%), followed by black (24%) Courage:  Most chose purple (29%), then red (28%), and finally blue (22%) Fear/Terror:  Red came in first (41%) followed by black (38%) Fun:  Orange was the top choice (28%), followed closely by yellow (26%) and then purple (17%) Blue is clearly a color people are positively drawn to, but beyond that, little else can be said. Depending upon the context of the rest of your content, black can mean high quality and trust, or it can mean fear and terror. It can't do it on its own, but surrounded by your content, a color choice can bump up your intended meaning a notch. Blue is one of the most preferred colors, with the most positive connotations. #color #creativityBack To Top Preferred  Colors By Gender Compiling the results of many studies, the Kissmetrics blog came up with an excellent infographic  on how men and women experience and react to color differently. Men and women have different color preferences. According to both the Kissmetrics blog and  Hallock: Blue is the favored color by both men (57%) and women (35%), though it is more heavily favored by men. Men dislike brown the most while women dislike orange the most. Colors that were disliked were also seen as "cheap." Men tolerate achromatic colors (i.e. shades of gray) better. Women preferred tints while men preferred pure or shaded colors. A majority of men (56%) and women (76%) preferred cool colors in general. Orange and yellow grow increasingly disliked as both genders get older. Women see more colors than men, generally. They are more aware of slight color differences within a color range. This may explain why men simply call the color blue...blue. Women, on the other hand, see cerulean, sky, teal, turquoise, and all sorts of varieties of blue. Perhaps it is a combination of being able to visually see more differentiation and considering it worthy of a more specific name. Perhaps men are better able to tolerate both colorless and bright color palettes because they aren't as sensitive to the nature and nuances of the color as women seem to be. Did you know that women see more colors than men? #color #contentmarketingWhat does this mean for you? Well, is your audience mostly men or is it women? What age are they? Do the colors you're using in your content marketing attract or repel that audience? If your audience is women, in particular, you must carefully choose colors that are not too raucous. If you are selling a luxury product, you want to avoid colors that are seen as cheap. Back To Top Mood Colors And Emotions (Infographic) There are a few generalized understandings of what specific colors often mean to a large cross-section of people, with each color having negative and positive emotions associated with it. Back To Top Color Brand Recognition How people behave when they see color has a direct effect on your conversions. Will they click the button on your CTA? Will they read your pop-up graphic? Will they notice your email subscription box? According to the Institute for Color Research, people make a judgment about your content in  90 seconds or less. And, up to 90% of that judgment in that brief amount of time is influenced by the colors they see.  Blogger Neil Patel gives further proof of how colors affect your conversion rate, revealing that 85% of consumers base buying decisions on color, and that full-color ads in magazines get recognized 26% more often than plain old black and white ads. In fact, color helps people recognize your brand by up to 80%. It's important to choose your color carefully, and stick with it. When it comes to getting people to click a button or sign up, it's not a question of which color is magic and makes it happen all the time. It's a question of passive and active colors, of high and low contrasts, and of opposites, like our example where the orange  button stood out from the blue. And it's a question of which color tested best for you. Recommended Reading: How To Create A Marketing Strategy That Will Skyrocket Your Results By 9,360% Back To Top Testing Your Best Colors: A Case Study The color combination of orange and blue is a powerful one. It's fairly safe in respects to color blindness, and repeatedly gets favorable marks by people as a combination. But is it enough to just pick a great combination? Not at all; you need to know how to use those colors individually. Let's look at and our Facebook promotions as an example. We've created several designs over the last year, some  with a blue backgrounds, and others  with orange backgrounds. The promotions with the orange backgrounds  consistently made people  more likely to click than those with the blue backgrounds! It made sense, though. Think about Facebook. It is a predominantly blue network, and so our orange image stood out more than our blue image did. This doesn't mean that orange is the color you must use. It means we tested our two colors and found that orange worked the best Test your colors to find out which colors will make people click into your content more often.It means we tested our two colors and found that orange worked the best for us on Facebook. It might even vary from social network to social network so make sure that you do your own testing. What worked on Facebook might look different than Twitter. You need to find out if your red button beats your green button (as Hubspot discovered) on your own. The color of the rest of the page, your content, and the placement objects will make your results different from what someone else has discovered. Back To Top Now You're A  Color Psychology  Expert! Color in general is fascinating to study, from both a theory and psychological standpoint. From Newton, Goethe, Itten, Hering, Young-Helmholtz, Birren, or  Mà ¼ller  (yes, there have been many theories on color throughout history),  the lowly color wheel has been considered and reconsidered again and again. The effect color has on us and our behavior has been studied repeatedly. When it comes to choosing colors, you must test.  You cannot know how your audience will respond to your colors in your content and layout without creating thoughtful A/B tests to determine which color combinations and placements generate the most leads and traffic in your content.

Chinese history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Chinese history - Essay Example China in its quest to borrow communism also borrowed and adapted European style art and literature from 1949 onward. Communism, which seeks to make all things look alike in its quest for social equality has not been able to diminish the traditional literature in China. The concept of â€Å"Redness† held by the Chinese Communist Party in, which holds that no expertise or knowledge is needed to do anything, is a concept deeply contradicted by Chinese literature. Those that introduced the â€Å"red† concept into Chinese art due to the great pressure put on artisans by the Central Cultural Revolution Group did between 1966-1976. It was further compounded and reinforced by Mao Zedong’s fourth wife who placed expectations on the artisans to produce art that were â€Å"red, bright and shining†. Older artisans who were traditional in their trade became irrelevant, which resulted in their humiliation and dishonor. Some were prosecuted accordingly, as the people reg arded them as traitors. The dichotomy in thought in China is evident in the way the country portrays itself to the outside world. The Chinese Revolution is part of the history of China and, as with every historical event has differing and conflicting accounts of its impact on Chinese life. Those who sought to establish communist socialism sought to change the politics of China and its culture. Contrastingly, those who wanted to maintain the status quo were regarded as elitists concerned about themselves at the expense of the masses. Chinese art and literature done by artisans inside or outside the country was a reflection of the ruling political party’s manifesto. All literature and art had to portray the government in good light or else its creators were labeled as government dissidents liable to face prosecution. The Marxist- Leninism of Mao suppressed intellectual and artistic freedom by its conformist regulations. However, artisans who managed to defect from China

Fundamentals of organizational behavior Research Paper

Fundamentals of organizational behavior - Research Paper Example The main objective of OB was to lay emphasis on the different elements of this subject to understand the varied facets of the employee behavior. Therefore, the origin of OB is derived from the above mentioned subjects. In France, the emergence of OB was with the evolving of other subjects and was quite different from OB taught in the east, UK and USA. OB laid emphasis on the varied aspects like organizational communication, development, outcome and climate (Desreumaux 352-444). The communication system in France was developed since a long time and the dissemination of information was structured in a unique way. Thus, OB in France focused especially on the organizational communication, which is considered as backbone for the smooth integration of activities and systems within the organization (Desreumaux 444-577). Organizational Culture, Social Systems, Role & Status Organizational structure is largely dependent on the organizational culture, which helps in the development of a positi ve organizational climate (Jackson, â€Å"Cross-Cultural Management and NGO Capacity Building†) In France, the different kinds of organization usually have formal or informal structures, which lead to creation of different kinds of organizational culture, climate and environment (Brennan and Vecchi 149-164). The development of social culture within the organization is essential for the perfect balance between the organizational environment and outcome. In France, mostly the employee attitudes, beliefs and opinions form the basis of development of employee role, which contributes significantly to the individual employee outcome. The role of an employee plays a significant role in the formulation of strategy, which can help in tackling organizational problems and removal of functional barriers. The role of the employees or designation is very important in shaping the organizational culture. It also helps in the contribution to the integration of the varied systems and process o f the organization (Davidson and Omar 1352-1706). Motivation, Maslow’s Hierarchy Model & Herzberg Two Factor Needs Motivation inspires the employees, who indirectly help in increasing the employee outcome. Motivation also helps in the systematic grouping of the organization, which leads to proper teamwork and coordination of activities among varied departmental units. The French give due importance to the systematic grouping, which lead to proper delegation of tasks and activities. This in turn promotes the development of positive organizational climate for the betterment of the entire system. As mentioned before, the French organization give due importance to the communication channel within the organization, which relies heavily on the certain factors like motivation, leadership etc. Similarly, the Maslow Needs of Hierarchy is critically important in French organizations, which serves purposeful as guidance for the increase in the organizational outcome and also to maintain a perfect balance within the organ

Green Capitalism Essay Example for Free

Green Capitalism Essay Green Capitalism is a new approach for resolving the problem of environmental destruction while ensure the sustainable development of capitalism practices (Bess, 2000). The world is witnessing the effects of global warming. In addition, economic sustainability remains a major concern by the global community. Based on this, green capitalism concept dictates for use of green energy sources to support the economy (Bess, 2000). By ethics of care, individual humans must protect the environment for the good of the whole community. Critics have blamed capitalism for its exploitation of available resources without concern of the negative environmental implications of the same (Beaufoy, 1993). From an ethical point of view, green capitalism concept is quite limited in its practicability due to the fact that capitalism by its nature seeks to maximize profits regardless of associated consequences (Beaufoy, 1993). On the other side, green practices dictate for protection of the environment and its ecosystem. Thus, the theory of green capitalism remains a conflict between caring for the environment and maximization of capital (Beaufoy, 1993). True to the letter, the world is claimed to have enough renewable resources to sustain its population. Nevertheless, most of these resources like solar, wind, and tidal energies are unpredictable for supporting our current economic energy requirements. Still, the green capitalism concept advocates for reduced consumption of anti-green products in the community (Bess, 2000). This has an ethical implication of harming the global market capital, a claim that has been blamed for economic meltdown (Beaufoy, 1993). As a solution to these real concerns on green capitalism theory, there is need having in place other models of addressing the problem of environmental pollution. Just to note, the effects of capitalism are permanent trends that cannot be reversed if capitalism prevails. References Bess, M. (2000). Greening the Mainstream. Environmental History, 5, 12-18. Beaufoy, H. (1993). Case Study: The Green Office in Britain: A Critical Analysis. Journal of Design History, 6, 9-14.

Spartan and Persian Ideology Essay -- Ancient History

Good afternoon, I’ve been asked to speak with you about the historical accuracy of recent popular culture incarnations of both Spartan and Persian ideology and in particular I’ve chosen to evaluate Zack Snyder’s 2007, movie 300 in order to demonstrate to you it’s compatibility between ancient sourced depictions of both Spartan and Persian philosophy. From this evaluation and historical representations given by philosophers and historians during approximately the same era that is represented within 300. It is argued that the popular culture incarnations of Sparta as the ‘Noble, selfless fighters with a warrior mentality’ and the Persians as the ‘Evil, tyrannical, overindulgent, oppressors’ were not entirely historically accurate. As with most historical re-enactments, 300 places significant exaggeration on each civilizations central city-state ideologies and this is reflected in each scene by the actions of the individuals throughout Zack Snyder’s film. The representation of the Spartan warrior mentality through scenes depicting young Spartan children throughout their childhood participating in multiple life threatening challenges; are seemingly accurate as the primary purpose of Spartan schooling was to produce perfect soldiers, through strictly disciplined military training that began for all boys at the age of 7 as they left home to join the agoge. The agoge was set up in order to weaken family ties and create personal identity. These children were usually allotted no shoes, little clothing and educated through a vigorous training schedule of boxing, wrestling, javelin and discus throwing. They suffered through harsh conditions and were taught to take satisfaction in enduring pain and hardship, as w ell as to value strengt... ...ender them more dexterous in securing provisions, and better qualified for warfare. ...I must also say something of the boys as objects of affection, for this likewise has some reference to education.... Lycurgus thought proper, if any man (being himself such as he ought to be) admired the disposition of a youth, and made it his purpose to render him a faultless friend, and to enjoy his company, to bestow praise on the boy; and he regarded this as the most excellent kind of education... An honourable death is preferable to a dishonourable life.... At Lacedaemon everyone would be ashamed to allow a coward into the same tent as himself, or allow him to be his opponent in a match at wrestling...." John Paul Adams, CSUN, January 26, 2010, 1:47pm. Xenophon on the Spartans, Lycurgus viewed 29th, February, 2012. Sourced from http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/sparta-a.html.

Explaining the Goal of Financial Management and the Role of Ethics Essay

It has always been the goal of the financial managers to maximize the wealth of the shareholders of the firm. That is to say, we maximize the potential benefits that the firm’s stakeholders get by increasing the value of the firm in which these shareholders have taken the risk of investing to. According to Ingram (1992), the worth of a company is dependent on the capacity of the assets to produce cash flows over a period of time. This means that if the firm is able to generate a positive net cash flow including a reasonable dividend to its owners, then it said that value is created. Firms face two kinds of profits. They are accounting profits and economic profits. Maximizing accounting profits normally refers to the general corporate goal of maximizing profits as maximizing economic profits generally refers to maximizing the shareholder’s wealth. Ingram (1992) has distinguished them by defining accounting profits as the income accumulated after the overall cost is deducted from the overall revenue before the payment to shareholders is considered and economic profits as the income accumulated after compensating for the factors of production such as capital, labor and others. Moreover, she differentiated the two by saying that accounting profit does not consider all the factors of production as economic profit does and that it also does not consider compensating the shareholders for taking the risk in investing in the firm. Maximizing wealth does not consequently mean that the firm has to face an unethical decision making. It is still up to the firm as to how it will perform this task. As according to Goizueta (1997), everyone in the company would be better of if it plans for a long-term goal rather than a short-term goal. Through this, the firm can still plan on how it will maximize the wealth and at the same time be consistent with ethical standards.

Inditex Report Essay

Introduction The aim and objectives of writing this report is to analyse the business strategies or models adopted by the Inditex Group and to review whether this strategies will support its operation in accomplishing their future obligation. Furthermore, it aims to evaluate the strategic option of the organization in either from a corporate strategy view or strategic business unit (SBU) perspective that could be adopted by the Inditex Group. This report will also highlight the vision, mission and objectives of the Inditex Group Company. In addition, the report will go further by accessing the group human resources and management in order to clearly pinpoint any management changes in the organization, if there is any, and to know who the management are and their position in the decision making process of the company. In order to achieve the principle objectives of this report, the report will be categorised into Internal and External analysis. This is done in order to fully analyse the current po sition of Inditex Group in the market from all perspectives, also to access if Inditex is a healthy company to invest in, and also accessing the current strategic adopted by the company. The company Internal analysis will be based on the following; Financial Analysis: This will focus on all the financial aspect of the company. Human resources and Management Analysis: focus on the management system of the company. Market Analysis: This will focus on the company’s current market position. Operations Analysis: This will focus on how and where the company perform it day-to-day activities. Prioritized Strength: This will analyse the strengths of the company internally. Prioritized Weakness: This will analyse the internal weakness of the company that can hinder them from achieving their goals. The company External analysis will be based on the following; Pestel Analysis: this will analyse the possible influence of the failure or success of the company strategies. Porter 5 forces: this will help in analysing the way of attractiveness of the Clothing Industry. Critical Success Factors (CSF’s): This will focus on some unique resources that make the company  successful. Prioritized Opportunity: Prioritized Threat: Company: Inditex Group. The Inditex Group Company, a textile design Industries is a Spanish Multinational clothing company. Inditex have its headquartered based in Arteixo, Galicia in Spain. The Inditex Group was founded and created by Amancio Ortega Gaona the wealthiest man in Spain and third richest man in the world in 1985 and by 2001 they went public and listed on the Bolsa de Madrid stock exchange market1. The Inditex Group which is now considered as the world’s largest clothing apparel company in terms of sales is made up of over 100 companies operating in textile designs, manufacturing, and distributions. Inditex currently have 8 strategic business units operating in four geographical market segments2 which includes Spain. These strategic business units includes; Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Uterque, Zara, and Zara Home. Inditex strategic business units collectively occupied about 6249 stores in 86 markets. Company Vision: Good Faith, Dialogue, and Transparency. Company Mission: Is to respond with agility to the demands of the market. This means that Inditex focus highly on the customers’ needs and combines these needs with high degree of vertical integration across all their business area. Internal Analysis Financial Analysis: The key profit driver for Inditex Group Company is Zara, contributing 66.11% of the total net sales and 68.5% per square metre in 2012, while Bershka comes 2nd with 9.31% of total net sales in 2012. In terms of geographical region, the Europe (excluding Spain), and Spain accounted for 45% and 21% of the total net sales respectively. While the Americas and Asia (Including rest of the world) represents a significant lower amount of 14% and 20% respectively. In 2012 saw Inditex Group stores increases massively from 4264 stores in 2008 to 6009 stores in 2012. This shows an increase of 40.92% in  stores from 2008 to 2012. Inditex Group Profitability, Liquidity and Efficiency Net sales increases year over year from 2008 to 2012. This shows an increase of 10.3% from 2007-2008, 6.2% increase from 2008-2009, 13.40% from 2009-2010, 10.2% from 2010-2011, and 15.61% from 2011-2012. This is boosted by the increase of sales, higher profits margin and numbers of new stores opened3. Overall, net sales show an increase of 53.22%. While the Net profit soared by a massive 87.26% between 2008-2012. Prior to this, Inditex growth rate has maintained an average of 16% sales growth and net income of 12% for the past 10 years. The decreasing pattern of ROCE from 2008-2009, and also in 2011 is due to a proportionate increase of operating expenses. The Gross Profit Margin (GP%) has seen a slow increase from 2008-2012. This is due to the slower increase of cost of sales (COS). EBITDA increases by 20% when compared to the previous years and EBIT also increased by 24% when compared to the previous years. Debts A very low geared company, as Inditex Group Company managed to pay back some substantial amount of debts through cash reserves. The Group has 0.08% of debt to capital ratio which means that the company pay little attention when it comes to using debts to finance projects. Investors Related Market Capitalization of 66.883 bn euro. Share price 106 euro as at 06/03/14 Earnings per share has been increasing significant from 2008-2012. Dividend per share increased by 12.5% from 2011 to 2012. Inditex Group Company has a slow increase of sales volumes over the years; while some of the key ratios reported a decline pattern during some period. Inditex mostly depends on the Europe excluding Spain and Spain market, however, with an optimistic future growth in the Asia market. The company also has a low gearing ratio which gives them more financial edge in terms of future expansion. Funding Inditex Group Company funds for its company through the issuing of ordinary  share equity, debt financing, credit facilities and self-financing. The company have been profitable over the year which makes them assumed reasonable responsibility of not securing enough debt to finance its operations. So therefore, in terms of liquidity, the company is not exposed to any significant liquidity risk as it maintains sufficient cash and cash equivalent which meet the outflows of its daily operations. More so, the group are not as concerned about credit risk as they have a policy in place that cover any sales franchises and as their majority of revenue is made from retail sales, so they make use of cash collections or credit payment. Inditex Group Company also funds its business by investing in marketable securities which includes short and long term debts with a maturity of 90 days and 12 months respectively. This helps the Group in meeting its short term obligations. The group also have cl ose to 50% stakes in each of the five Economic Interest Groupings they invest in, these groups are involves in leasing of assets. Human Resources and Management Inditex is a multi-cultural and multi-racial company with 120,314 employees and also created about 10,802 jobs in 2012. 82% of Inditex staffs works under an indefinite contract.  In terms of its multi-cultural pedigree, Inditex employees are of over 130 nationalities and 45 working languages. Inditex has a young workforce with an average age of 31 years old and 78.7% of its employees are females. Pablo Isla Alvarez de Tejera is the Chairman and Chief Executive Chairman of Inditex Group Company along with his Deputy Jose Amau Sierra has transformed the fashion industry and created the world’s largest clothing and apparel company in terms of revenue, and the also developed a strong distribution model which helped the group to minimise their design to distribution process within a week. Overall, the Inditex board consist of 9 directors which include 4 executives’ directors and 5 non-executives directors. Inditex Group Company operates a multidivisional structure which helps them in supporting their global operations. At Inditex, the board of directors are the highest decision maker; they supervise and control the body of the company apart from the matters that were reserved to the general meeting of the shareholders. Inditex board of directors are also entrusting with  direction, administration, management and representative of the company and management of the day-to-day activities of the company to the executives. They also manage the team and focusing its efforts on general supervising function which include directing Inditex policy, making relevant decisions and acting as a link with the shareholders of the company. Market Analysis Markets and segment Most attractive market segment is Asia market Market segment by age. Young and middle age group. Products Inditex have constant changes to its products lines. They have identical products in all market segments. Inditex maintain health and safety products standard4. Customers’ orientation: they analyse customers’ feedbacks in order to be able to identify customer trends. Price Inditex has a standard price in all markets segments. The pricing could be different in terms of exchange rate factors due to globalization. It also gives seasonal discount5 like December sales. Inditex price is considered to be medium with an exception of Massimo Dutti. Inditex Amongst Competition. Promotion Inditex has a strict policy and zero advertisement. Online website for each business unit which systematically updates It has an Affinity card for customers: this influences customers’ loyalty6. It communicates with its customers through social networks. Place Location: All of Inditex stores all located at the main shopping streets. A unique design which is influence by the culture of the markets. A display tailored of the product They have excellent customers service Online stores for all its 8 business units available in some major country7 The key strategy of the Inditex marketing departments are performed through customers’ orientation and satisfaction. Inditex main sale-point is where managers received feedbacks from customers, the managers then report to the design departments in order to identify and carried out what the customers’ value. Another factor that did the trick for Inditex is their glamorous stores, where customers’ access its latest products which are always updated four times in a month. The product lifecycle and BCG matrix as you can see on the charts indicates an accurate balancing position within the Inditex portfolio. However, since just one business unit is placed on as a Cash Cow, so therefore, numerous investments might be needed so as to transform the Question Marks into Stars. Inditex Product Lifecycle. Inditex BCG MATRIX. Operation Analysis: Value Chain- Primary Activities Approximately 1000 designers are responsible for recognising any changes in fashion and they are in charge of developing new models to satisfy customers’ desires. Most of the production takes place in the Group’s own factory. The group take full responsibility control of fabrics supply, marking and cutting of the fabrics till the finish goods. Over 50 percent of Inditex manufacturing is carried out by local suppliers. By the end of 2012, Inditex already had a total of 1434 suppliers and all suppliers must agree to adhere to Inditex Code of Conduct. The cost of merchandise includes the cost of raw materials and consumables8. The Inditex Group has its own logistic centre, where all production is received and carried out, and then distributed to various stores worldwide9. Inditex operates 8 logistic centres, at least one for each brands and all of which are in Spain. Stores play significant roles in Inditex business model10. Value Chain- Secondary Activities Research and Development using advanced technology11. Operates manufacturing and procurement12. Research and Development of eco-efficiency13. Human Resources and Management14. Firm Infrastructure15. Corporate Social Responsibility16. Joint ventures and Strategic Alliances17. Inditex unique management business model is based on flexibility and innovation, and its vision of fashion along with quality design and creativity, together with a rapid response to customers demand has resulted in Inditex fast international expansion and an excellent performance of its commercial formats. Inditex business model is centred to its customers, stores, design/production, teams, and logistics. However Inditex group adopted a high degree of vertical integration business model when compared to its competitors. This allows Inditex to cover all phases of its fashion process which includes design, manufacture, logistics and distribution. The group also incorporated a degree of flexibility structure with a strong focus on customers’ demands in all its business areas. Inditex views social and environmental variables as a strategic factor for growth and sustainment for customers demand. The key to Inditex model is its ability of attending to customers desires in a shortes t amount of time possible. This is a key value added activities of the Inditex group Company. Inditex Business Model Structure. Inditex Logistics Centres Prioritized Strengths Inditex is the world largest clothing and apparel company in terms of revenue. Inditex has a great organization knowledge and expertise. This stands for unique resources and core competences of the company. It also has a strong business model (core competence) It has strong brand (unique resource) Inditex has a diversifying marketing strategy (core competence) Prioritized Weakness Inditex depend on one global brand (Zara which generate 66.11% of its total revenue). It also depends on two geographical regions (Europe excluding Spain and Spain). Inditex is exposed to commodity inflation, It has a centralized logistic centre which may cause some problems in future expansion. High training cost. External Analysis P.E.S.T.E.L Analysis Political Global trade agreement18 National trade relationship19 Value added tax (VAT) and foreign taxation policies. Change in government. Pressure group20. Economical Exchange rate: related to GBP, Us dollars, Japanese Yen: As the crisis in Europe area might cause the Euro to be weaker than the Yen, so the company is likely to have exchange loss. Year on year change in GDP21. Financial market uncertainty. Unemployment Commodity price inflations: for instance, the fuel price increase in the Middle East due to the civil unrest may affect the company margins and also increase the cost of transportation. Inflation22 and Interest rate23. Socio-Cultural Social dimension, corporate social responsibility24 and reputations. Consumers’ complaints. Changes in consumers preferences. Changes in lifestyles and trends. New trends among the younger generation in Europe and America. Technology Spending on research and development Information system Eco-efficiency25 E commerce26 Environmental Kyoto protocol Waste and Recycling: more focus on the attention of areas such as sustainable development. The effect of global climate to the production of organic cotton. Toxic chemicals: this includes carbon footprint. Legal Employment law: this has something to do with Child labour and rules and regulations that relate to labour. Consumer law: this regards law and regulation which relates to fashions and clothing Patents and trademarks Supplier rights Health and safety law European companies will be assisted by the abolition of textile and clothing import quotas (ATC) in order to enter into the emerging market of Asia which undoubtedly counted for a huge significant amount of the population of the world. However, due to the uncertainties associated with political and economic situations, this could increase the risk of further expansion strategies. Although the price of cotton has increases by more than $5 over the years while unemployment has risen high especially in Greece and Spain with 28% and 26% respectively which force textile companies to potentially increase their market prices, while disposable income on clothing has decrease because the ongoing problem in the Eurozone consumer gives negatives signal to consumers which affect their confidence, but the confident level in the emerging market (Asia) is optimistic. However, the price deflation of cloths which has been dated back to the 1990s till the start of the financial crisis, the reversing t rends now after the financial crisis have an effect on the overall productivity of the apparel industry positively. Porters 5 Forces Threats of New Entrants There is economic of scales It involves large capital investment There is a brand loyalty in the industry There is a product differentiation Patent and protection tariffs Moderate force which can be overcome Threat of Substitute Price/performance ratio Inditex other brands There is zero switching cost Weak force The Bargaining Power of Buyer Decentralized and Centralized Buyer There is a low switching cost There is zero buyer competition threat Moderate force The Bargaining Power of Buyer There is fewer supplier in the industry There is a low supplier competition threat Suppliers of textile and raw materials Weak force Competitive Rivalry There is existing retailers equally sized Slow growth in the apparel industry Great differentiation Moderate force Three moderate forces and two weak forces make the clothing and apparel industry unattractive for new competitors to break into the industry. However, changes to substitute depends on the consumers’ preferences according to their perception of taste, style and budget, therefore it is high to switch to other providers. Competitive rivalry is the strongest force assisted by the slow growth of the market. Prioritized Opportunity There is still room to grow in the emerging market in this industry. The abolition of quotas Organic market development Technological Innovation New strategic Alliance Prioritized Threats There is high competitive rivalry in the industry There is slow market growth in the industry Increase in commodity inflation Changes in consumers’ taste or trends Exchange rates. CORPORATE STRATEGY Strategic Position Zara which is Inditex main source of revenue because of the amount it generated in terms of sales is ranked on the 4th option of the Bowman strategic clock, it implement a broad differentiation strategy. It offers products to customers at an affordable and reasonable price or a little higher because of its good perception of quality, enriches customers’ satisfaction and loyalty. However, the excellent deployment of its unique resources and its core competences assist Zara to considered as the first mover in the industry27. One of its key value added activities is its focus on customers’ needs and a constant change in its product lines whilst maintaining the same level of price allows Zara to achieve a competitive advantage. Inditex has expanded and grown, according to the Ansoff matrix. By product development: (EcoFootDesign) Systematic changes in products line and innovation. Market penetration: it has increase shares of its key existing markets. Market development: in 2010 saw Uterque one of Inditex business unit opens its first store in Russia which also pave way for Zara home and Zara to follow through. By related and unrelated Diversification: Zara and Massimo Dutti entered into the Indian market in 201028 and 201329 respectively and Inditex enters the furniture retail industry30 through unrelated diversification. Inditex method of pursuing its strategies. Organic development: Inditex continuous performance and innovation is acquired through their knowledge and experience according to their existing  resource and capabilities. Through Acquisition and Takeover: in 1995-1996, Inditex acquired the whole of Massimo Dutti in a 100% acquisition. Form a Strategic Alliance: A Joint Venture with the Tata Group to open the first Massimo Dutti stores in New Delhi, India. Inditex license to other companies: production of finished goods through external suppliers. The Inditex Group Company adopted a parenting role by providing a clear vision of its company objectives, it also assists employees by providing continuous training and facilitating, and enhancing through synergies. Improvement in all Inditex departments is as a result of a great focus in performance evaluation and monitoring. Inditex adopted different portfolio management for each of its business units. According to the results of the strategic analysis, financial analysis, and SWOT analysis above, it has been well documented that the Inditex Group Company has a strong portfolio which make the company likely to overcome any future uncertainties, as it was evidence in its financial performance that they keep growing even during the financial crisis of 2008-2009, they still achieve a significant increase in revenue. However, the problem which the Inditex Group could be facing regarding their adopted strategies will be the over dependence of its other seven (7) business units which includes Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius, Uterque, and Zara Home over Zara which is the unit that generates over half of its total sales (66.11%). The Group should also find a way to increase the percentages of sales to geographical region like America which is has the lowest sales geographically and also in Asia which is an emerging market other than Europe. FUTURE STRATEGIES Proposed strategy for the strongest SBU (Zara) Product development: the company should produce better quality of future product lines. Market development: the company should go on with further expansion in Europe market and the US market. Diversification: the company should enter into the apparel sport wear industry. Market penetration: the company should enter into the Australian market. Corporate Market penetration: further expansion in the Asia market. Backward integration: to acquire a fabric supplier Consolidation: weaken business units should be strengthen Forward integration: manufacturing and logistic process should be decentralised. Do Nothing: continue with the current operations. References Inditex SA, Bloomberg Market, [Online] Available at: http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/ITX:SM Accessed on 20th of February, 2014. H&M (2014), â€Å" H&M Opens first store in East Asia† [Online] Available at: http://about.hm.com/en/About/facts-about-hm/people-and-history/history.html Accessed on 23rd of February, 2014. Inditex, (2008) Inditex annual report 2008, annual report 2008, A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex, (2009) Inditex annual report 2008, annual report 2008, A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex, (2010) Inditex annual report 2008, annual report 2010, A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex, (2011) Inditex annual report 2008, annual report 2011, A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex, (2012) Inditex annual report 2008, annual report 2012, A Coruna: Inditex. Index Mundi, [Online] Available at: http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=cotton Accessed on 20th of February 2014. Unemployment Statistics, [Online] Available at: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics Accessed on 20th February, 2014. Textile and Clothing, [Online] Available at: http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/MarketInsight/Textiles-and-Clothing/Global-Apparel-Industry/NI7468 Accessed on 22nd of February, 2014. The Economics Times, [Online] Available at: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-04-29/news/38904773_1_brand-massimo-dutti-foreign-investment-promotion-board Accessed on 24th of February, 2014.

News Corp Media Giant essays

News Corp Media Giant essays News Corp is highly involved in many facets of the media but I will focus on the film industry, their cable channel holdings, and their Satellite distribution networks. All these parts are a major part of News Corp but the satellite companies allow them to more News Corp owns many companies world wide that are involved in the film industry. Some of the US companies that are owned by News Corp are 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures, And Blue Sky Studios. 20th Century Fox Is the Flagship of News Corps Film Holdings. In the last year they were nominated for many academy awards and won several for the movie Master and Commander. They are also responsible for such new movies as Girl Next Door and Welcome to Mooseport. Another part is Fox Searchlight Pictures, which was started in 1994 to give new and up and coming filmmakers a venue to enter the industry. They are responsible for such movies as Slums Of New York, Banger Sisters, and One Hour Photo. Blue Sky Studios is a company that specializes in computer generated animation. They were acquired in 1997 to give the Fox studios an in into this new market of feature length computer animated films. This acquisition paid off for them with the hit Ice Age. Another part of News Corp is their cable networks. A large part of this division is the Fox Sports Networks. This network of sports channels includes many regional sports networks, the Speed Channel, the Outdoor Life network, and the Golf Channel. They plan to start a new nationwide sports channel to more closely compete with ESPN. In 1996 News Corp started the Fox News channel, a Hard nose Pulls no Punches, news source that right now has a larger market share than its competitors CNN and MSNBC. News Corp Also has many othe...

20 Quick Tips for Better Time Management and More Free Time

20 Quick Tips for Better Time Management and More Free Time You’re banging your head against the desk trying to multitask, but you just don’t feel like it’s working. Here are 20 life hacks that can actually help drive up your productivity and help you get your incredibly efficient bottom out of the office and onto the beach where you belong. 1. Automate your life when possibleThe Internet is your friend. For almost any daily task or errand you can think of, there is probably an app or automated option that will not only save you time, but save you the hassle of having to do things you don’t enjoy (and save you dragging your feet). Set up autopay  on your accounts to pay your bills. Grocery shop online. Streamline your wardrobe to eliminate guess work. Spend the time you have doing things that excite you or that help you keep advancing.2. Cross tasks off your listIf you can complete a task in two minutes or less, do it immediately. Blast through these as soon as you notice them on your list. Remember: the longer y ou wait, the longer it will take.3. Don’t tax your brainYour ability to make clear decisions is not something you should take for granted. You can’t always rely on your clarity and willpower. It is possible for you to get exhausted and to overwhelm your faculties. Try making big decisions in the morning when you’re freshest. And if you aren’t feeling sharp, save your next decision for the following day when you’re back in your groove.4. Streamline your morning routineIf you listen to music when you’re getting ready in the morning, limit yourself to four songs max. Brush teeth, shower, dress, and do your finishing touches. One task per song. Then get out the door and get to work.5. Hide your temptationsOut of sight, out of mind. If you clear your worst distractions from your desk, it will be much easier for you not to get sidetracked by them.6. Don’t be â€Å"on call† all the timeTurn your phone on silent and return your calls w hen it’s convenient for you and fits into your workday- rather than immediately after getting each call. You can even save up a few to make all at one time, rather than bleeding out little bits of your day for each one.7. Follow the waitress ruleNever go anywhere empty handed. Something can always be tidied or sorted. Complete half of your smaller tasks just by spreading them out over the course of the normal back and forth of your day.8. Limit your personal email checkingThis can derail even the most concentrated concentrators in the work world. Try to limit yourself to checking your personal email just three times a day, rather than every three minutes.9. Schedule sleepYou don’t want your sleep schedule to be random. Set yourself a schedule and stick to it and this will help you keep your work hours from being random too.10. Use Self ControlNot just the lower case kind we’re all supposed to have, the productivity app. Limit your access to the websites that are the most distracting for you. You can set time limits for yourself to be your most productive.11. Practice what you preachIf you want to excel at something †¦ you have to work at it. Every day.12. Say noIf you don’t actually want to do something or to accept an invitation. You might piss off an acquaintance or two, but you’ll have a lot more time on your hands to work on things that matter.13. Keep a to-do listWrite tasks down and enjoy the thrill of crossing them off when completed. This way you’ll never forget a task and you’ll keep yourself honest about just how long you put certain things off.14. Go PomodoroGive the â€Å"Pomodoro† technique a try. There’s an app for it. 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Total dedication to your task in tiny increments. Watch and see what you can accomplish.15. Tackle the big stuffPick the meatiest, most important tasks on your to-do list and tackle those first. You’ll be more driven to work on these things and will free up space on your list for more things to get accomplished!16. MeditateSeriously. Just 10 (to as many as 60) minutes a day can make a huge difference over a period of months in your mental clarity and focus. Clear your mind every day and see what greatness you can manifest.17. MultitaskIf you’re a fan of podcasts or audiobooks, consume them when you’re otherwise occupied, but with tasks that don’t require a great deal of concentration. Exercising, commuting, cooking, etc. Triple what you can accomplish in a span of time.18. Don’t sit without a planEvery time you sit down at your desk or your computer, make sure you have a plan for what you intend to do while your butt is in that chair. Set an intention (even one as simple as â€Å"ten minutes on Facebook†). But make sure you stick to it. That way, when you sit down to do real work, you’ll honor your goal.19. Fold over tapeThis is a good and practical thing to do, an d perhaps also a metaphor for leaving projects in the middle. If you’re using a roll of tape, fold over the loose end before putting it away. It will save you time and energy when you need to use it again without having to find the seam.20. Plus oneWhenever you sit down to cross a task off your to-do list, add one. If every time you set out to accomplish one thing, you actually knock through two things, imagine what you can get done throughout your whole career.

Trade Policy, Firm Behavior, and Economic Development in Vietnam Case Study

Trade Policy, Firm Behavior, and Economic Development in Vietnam - Case Study Example The key determinant of Vietnam’s trade policy is the 1986 Doi Moi Renovation Policy, which sought to shift the country from the left to a middle position in terms of economic and governance policy system. Under Doi Moi, the government has two positions; the first is to transform the economy from a centrally planned one to a free market economy and the second is to promote export oriented industries (Auffret 2). The transformation of the nation’s economy was done by the devalution of the currency, breaking state-owned monopolies, privatization and the development of trade policy instruments like tariffs, quotas and licensing. The nation also has mechanisms that seek to support export oriented industries like manufacturing industies. The nation has pegged its currency, the Dong to world market prices and it is fixed by the forces of demand and supply. Due to this, prices of goods and services are standardized. This makes it propitious for the elements of the market economy to function effecitvely and efficiently. Vietnam has a trade policy that supports the establisment of private sector companies. This is done through an incentive structure that utilizes tax discrimination to support some private ventures particularly export-oriented manufacturers (Athukoralan). With strengthened structures within the country, Vietnam seeks to expand its influence into other nations around the globe through multilateral and bilateral trade arrangements with other countries. These policies are meant to create a conducive atmosphere for international trade and also create an unending trend of demand for Vietnamese goods around the globe. Vietnam is a member of ASEAN which gives it economic links with its neigbhbors and causes it to follow the collective actions of these nations to protect national interests. It is also a member of the World Trade Organization which in turn

Identify and compare examples of motivation techniques used within Assignment

Identify and compare examples of motivation techniques used within Cadbury's and Nestle and briefly justify a suitable managemen - Assignment Example Company profiles of Cadbury and Nestle Cadbury limited, founded in 1824 and headquartered in London, is one of the world’s largest candy makers to share 10 percent of the market. It produces and sells confectionary products offering chocolate bags, boxes and tins and chocolate bars and drinks. It is world’s second largest chewing gum makers and has merged to be a multi-million multinational company (Bloomberg Business Week, 2013). Nestle, a food and beverage multinational company headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, is world’s No-1 food and Drink Company in terms of sales and world’s leader in coffee market. It is world’s top bottled water maker and biggest frozen pizza maker and is one of the most reputed brands name across the world (Hoovers.com, 2013). Objectives and Vision A business organization needs to describe the purpose and major objectives for which the organization exists. Objectives of an organization provide information, direction and inspiration to explicitly outline the future of the firm. The vision of a firm consists of practical ideals that offer certain goals to be accomplished in terms that can be evaluated (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2011, p. 18). For Cadbury, quality is its promise as its reputation has been built upon quality and it promises to ensure quality in its six products line- confectionary, candy, desserts, gums, snacks and beverages. Its objectives include delivering superior shareholder returns, managing resources efficiently to ensure growth and achieve high performance. With its vision â€Å"to be the biggest and the best confectionery company in the world†, Cadbury always attempts to deliver supreme values and quality so as to become the best and biggest confectionary company in the world (Bloomberg.com, 2013). Nestle promises ‘Good Food, Good Life’ to provide best tasting, fresh and nutritious choices in a different segments of food and beverage to its targeted marke ts. Nestle’s objective is to become the leader in nutrition, health and wellness trusted by all its stakeholders (Nestle, 2012). Its vision is to ‘be a leading, competitive, nutrition, health and wellness company that delivers improved shareholder value’ (Nestle.co.za, 2013). Organizational Culture and Structure Organizational structure in a firm designates formal relationship including number of levels in the management hierarchy and grouping together of individuals in to departments to ensure effective communication, coordination and integration of efforts among departments (Daft, 2010, p. 90). Organizational culture is a system of shared values, beliefs and assumptions that are established in an organization so as to influence and motivate people towards achieving the desired goals. Cadbury employs more than 4500 employees in over six countries. In 2009, the company has eliminated the regional structure to operate seven business units and leverage the category leadership across its markets. At Cadbury, the board of directors plays vital roles and responsibilities for overall management and performance and for the approval of long-term objectives. As shown in the diagram, the span of control and communication is spread among different