Flannery O8217Conner and Grotesque Characters :: essays papers

Flannery O8217Conner and Grotesque Characters Flannery O’Conner and Grotesque Characters One of the most interesting characteristics of Flannery O’Conners writing is her penchant for creating characters with physical or mental disabilities. Though critics sometimes unkindly labeled her a maker of grotesques, this talent for creating flawed characters served her well. In fact, though termed grotesque, O’Conners use of vivid visual imagery when describing people and their shortcomings is the technique that makes her work most realistic. O’Conner herself once remarked that â€Å"anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the Northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it will be called realistic.† In O’Conners â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† the villain is a one armed hobo named Tom T. Shiftlet. Using his gift of gab and the promise of â€Å"fixing the place up.† He manages to take up on the remote farm of an old woman named Lucynell Crater and her mentally retarded and completely deaf daughter â€Å"Lucynell Crater†. The old woman quickly decides that despite his handicap she would like to make Tom her son in law. His goal soon became, fix up the old car he was sleeping in and hightail it out of there with the car and some of the old womans money in his pocket. On the pretense that he would need it for a honeymoon trip, he convinces the old woman to fix the car and give him some cash. The story ends with him marrying the retarded daughter, leaving with her on a honeymoon trip, then abandoning her in a rundown diner on the side of the road. â€Å"Good Country People† is a story about Joy Hopewell, a very well educated young woman living in the rural south. Joy lost a leg in a hunting accident when she was ten and since then had been forced to wear a wooden replacement. She also had a weak heart and it was this affliction that forced her to remain amongst these â€Å"good country people† whom she considered to be intellectual inferiors. Though she had great confidence in her intelligence she had very little self-esteem. Joys’ handicap made her feel ugly, so ugly that much to her mothers’ dismay, she had her name legally changed to the ugliest one she could think of, Hulga. One day a traveling bible salesman named Manley Pointer made a sales call and ended up having dinner with the family.

History of Fireworks :: Design and Technology

History of Fireworks The birthplace of fireworks is generally recognized as China. It is said that a Chinese cook accidently mixed three common kitchen ingredients (black powder): Potassium nitrate or salt petre, sulphur and charcoal and lighted it. The result was colourful flames. The cook also noticed that if the mixture was burned when enclosed in the hollow of a bamboo shoot, there was a tremendous explosion. The first application of this technology was for entertainment. Slowly the theory took roots that this loud sound was perfect to chase away evil spirits and to celebrate weddings, victories in battles, eclipses of moon and religious ceremonies. Once the recipe for black powder was perfected, they found that it was easily used as rocket fuel, and they made hand carved wooden rockets in the shape of a dgoran, in the sixth century. These rockets shot rocket powered arrows from their mouth, and were used against the Mongol invaders of 1279. The principle behind these rockets is still used in rocket powered fireworks today. From China the fireworks moved on to the West, through adventurous explorers. Legend has it that Marco Polo brought this new accidental invention to the West from one of his many trips to China and other eastern countries. Thus the knowledge of making fireworks spread west, through Arabia in the seventh century. The Arabs called the rockets Chinese arrows. The earliest recorded use of gunpowder in England, and probably the western world, is by the Franciscan monk Roger Bacon. He was born in Ilminster in Somerset in 1214 and lived, as a master of languages, maths, optics and alchemy to 1294. He recorded his experiments with a mixture which was very inadequate by todays standards but was recognisable as gunpowder. His formula was very low in saltpetre because there was no natural source available, but it contained the other two essential ingredients: charcoal and sulphur. In 1242 he wrote: "...if you light it you will get thunder and lightening if you know the trick", Fireworks as such probably arrived in the 14th century, brought back from the East by Crusaders, and they rapidly became a form of international entertainment. The first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of Henry VII in 1486. They became very popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Shakespeare mentions them and they were so much enjoyed by the Queen herself that she created a "Fire Master of England". James II was so pleased with his coronation display that he knighted his firemaster. King Charles V as well had a great liking for fireworks. He had many 'fireworkers' in his staff. History of Fireworks :: Design and Technology History of Fireworks The birthplace of fireworks is generally recognized as China. It is said that a Chinese cook accidently mixed three common kitchen ingredients (black powder): Potassium nitrate or salt petre, sulphur and charcoal and lighted it. The result was colourful flames. The cook also noticed that if the mixture was burned when enclosed in the hollow of a bamboo shoot, there was a tremendous explosion. The first application of this technology was for entertainment. Slowly the theory took roots that this loud sound was perfect to chase away evil spirits and to celebrate weddings, victories in battles, eclipses of moon and religious ceremonies. Once the recipe for black powder was perfected, they found that it was easily used as rocket fuel, and they made hand carved wooden rockets in the shape of a dgoran, in the sixth century. These rockets shot rocket powered arrows from their mouth, and were used against the Mongol invaders of 1279. The principle behind these rockets is still used in rocket powered fireworks today. From China the fireworks moved on to the West, through adventurous explorers. Legend has it that Marco Polo brought this new accidental invention to the West from one of his many trips to China and other eastern countries. Thus the knowledge of making fireworks spread west, through Arabia in the seventh century. The Arabs called the rockets Chinese arrows. The earliest recorded use of gunpowder in England, and probably the western world, is by the Franciscan monk Roger Bacon. He was born in Ilminster in Somerset in 1214 and lived, as a master of languages, maths, optics and alchemy to 1294. He recorded his experiments with a mixture which was very inadequate by todays standards but was recognisable as gunpowder. His formula was very low in saltpetre because there was no natural source available, but it contained the other two essential ingredients: charcoal and sulphur. In 1242 he wrote: "...if you light it you will get thunder and lightening if you know the trick", Fireworks as such probably arrived in the 14th century, brought back from the East by Crusaders, and they rapidly became a form of international entertainment. The first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of Henry VII in 1486. They became very popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Shakespeare mentions them and they were so much enjoyed by the Queen herself that she created a "Fire Master of England". James II was so pleased with his coronation display that he knighted his firemaster. King Charles V as well had a great liking for fireworks. He had many 'fireworkers' in his staff.

The Ahmanson Ranch Development :: Ventura Country Environmental Essays

The Ahmanson Ranch Development It all started back in 1989 when Home Savings of America announced to build a giant new community consisting of 3,050 homes, two schools, two hotels, two golf courses and 400,000 square feet of commercial and industrial areas on the 5,400-acre Ahmanson Ranch located at the eastern end of Ventura county, adjacent to Los Angeles County. Even though the Ahmanson Ranch has been owned by Home Savings of America since 1963, the nature remained undisturbed all these past years. The ranch has become one of the important habitats for barely surviving native organisms including threatened or endangered species. For this and other important reasons, an organization, Friends of Ahmanson Ranch, was formed to stop the development with the support from other environmental organizations, local legislatures, politicians and public. Almost seven years have passed since the beginning of this issue, but the conflict still remain unsolved. What is interesting about this issue is the diversity in the reas on which the Friends of Ahmanson Ranch claims for protecting the Ahmanson Ranch from development. They point out a variety of reason, and they are not necessarily environmental opinion. First, the reasons of opposition starts from visible things such as plants and living organisms. President of the Native Plant Society San Gabriel Chapter, Melanie Baer, states that the wild grassland ecosystem of Agoura Hills located in the Ahmanson Ranch provides an important habitat for almost-extinct native plant species called Purple needle-grass, or Stipa pulchra. She also suggests that the mitigation of this plant will not be successful due to its difficulty and poor peripheral environment, such as golf course, of the mitigation site. Similaly, Dr. Barbara J. Collins, professor of biology at California Lutheran University, argues that the environmental impact report prepared for the development was inadequate and she points out the importance of the oak savannah along a North-facing slope of Lakey Mesa in the Ahmanson Ranch. According to her opinion, these oak trees are about 200 to 300 years old valley oaks and they are very sensitive species. A large portion of these oaks wi ll be removed, and the remaining will most likely not survive the environmental changes they will go through due to its sensitive nature. In addition, these plants create crucial habitat for other living organisms such as birds, mammals, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles. Some of them are even listed in the Federal and State endangered and threatened species lists.

Industrial Production and Capitalism Drivers of Social Change

Industrial Production and Capitalism: Drivers of social change in history Ho Xin Qian Louise In this essay, I will illustrate why industrial production and capitalism were major causes of social change in history by stating three main arguments. Firstly, I put forth the case that industrial production and capitalism have changed the role and nature of markets in history. In doing this, I trace how the market has become the central system of social coordination via market instruments, encompassing even the elements of industry like land, labor and money.In exemplification, I explain how industrial capitalism has brought about the rise of mass production and mass markets, enabling the market system to expand its influence. Secondly, I will illustrate how industrial capitalism has changed the social relations of production, as well as the social organization of work, resulting in class struggle and socio-economic stratification in history. Lastly, I touch on the changes in norms and cul ture within institutions due to industrial production and capitalism.For the purpose of this paper, I define industrial production as production brought about by mechanized technology and industrious labor in centralized locations. Capitalism is defined as a system of profit making commerce made possible by the usage of money, decentralized circulation of capital and the market exchange of commodities. I use the term industrial capitalism to denote the amalgamation of both forces. The Role and Nature of Markets in History It is my contention that industrial production has changed the role and nature of markets in history, placing it in the centre of society and economy.It is true that industrial capitalism presupposes the existence of a market system. However, the market system was never the dominant system of social control until the development of isolated markets by mercantilist means, and subsequently the transnational interaction and proliferation of markets into a market econo my, brought about by industrialization in the 18thC. It is due to this transcendence of boundaries and displacement of market activity that gives rise to the â€Å"market† as an abstract mechanism.According to Polyani, before the rise of markets, the society organizes itself via systems of redistribution, house-holding and reciprocity, of which operates on non-economic motives like social prestige and kinship (Polyani 1944: 46-58). After the rise of markets with long distance and local trade, markets have started to take on a more important role in providing necessities; however, they did not function for a majority of the population, who were still dependent upon common exchange and subsistence systems.Thereafter, mercantilism created isolated national markets which consolidated local economic activity and increased trade. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution in the mid 18thC that the market system became the main driver of social change across different count ries through the creation of mass markets. The industrial revolution has brought about new forms of technology and power, transformed modes of production and created factories as centralized locations for mechanized production to take place.Mass production techniques like specialization, standardization, time-discipline, rational capital accounting and centralization allow for production costs to decrease with volume, thus generating a high amount of output, providing goods more cheaply than one could have done outside of the factory. As a result, people buy their essentials from these mass markets rather than produce by themselves. Also, they produce solely for the market, deriving income to purchase other goods in the circulation of commodities.Moreover, with industrial capitalism, the market mechanism has also come to allocate factors of production such as land, labor and money, which according to Polyani were not real commodities, but merely have exchange value because they beco me privately owned by use of legal contracts and sales (Polyani 1944: 68-76). Since then, mass markets have come to synchronize most economic activities like consumption, production, distribution and even finance in the most efficient fashion (Swedberg 2005:238-240).These markets become far reaching and displaced in light of industrial capitalism because of communicative and transport technology, the mobility of money and relations of free trade, which re-defined the notion of markets from a place to an abstract network of actors across national boundaries. Also, the nature of markets has changed from being state-controlled to being self-regulating. The market system becomes the center of economic and social life as it coordinates most economic activities not by state regulation but by economic instruments like the price mechanism, supply and demand aggregates.Social Relations of Production and Organization of Work Industrial capitalism has, with the change in material means of prod uction, brought about a change in the social relations of production and organization of work. In capitalistic societies, instead of directly interacting with nature in production, human beings depend on each other by exchanging their assets in place of producing for subsistence. Hence, they inevitably enter into social relations of production between those who own the means of production (capitalist) and those who do not but are economically compelled to sell their labor power (worker) for wages.In the circulation of capital, surplus value can be derived from the difference between capital invested and capital retrieved because capital (such as land, factory and machinery), only when combined with labor, transforms products to sell for higher exchange values, thereby generating surplus value and profit. This circulation of capital is durable because capitalists aim to invest their capital to make even more profits while workers can only increase their wages by working harder or by investing in their skills.Since then, the relationship between capitalists have become increasingly competitive due to the drive for profits while the worker-capitalist relation has replaced family (sexual division of labor) as the primary relation of production. According to Marx, as the ownership of means of production is exclusive and alienable, the society becomes separated into two distinct classes – the bourgeoisie (capitalist) and the proletarian (or worker), where between them is a relationship of domination and exploitation.Marx observed that the capitalists tend to exploit the workers by privately appropriating the surplus value produced by the workers, giving them much less than the use value of their time and effort invested in production (Marx 1848: 23). Also, the exploitation goes further by manifesting itself in the working conditions of factories, where workers were forced to work for long hours and children were also engaged as child labor. The exploitation a nd domination over workers exists because of the profit motive of decreasing costs and increasing revenue, as well as the fact that workers have less argaining power over their jobs than their employers. Capitalism has also re-defined the social organization of work by the formation of labor markets and complex division of labor. Prior to the onset of industrial capitalism, work was just defined as any effortful activity which attributes use value to commodities. However, with industrial capitalism, the formation of labor markets constituting workers, employers, jobs and networks is possible, and they function to allocate labor resources and allow capitalists to negotiate labor price and working conditions.Here, there is a clear demarcation of what is considered paid â€Å"work† and what lies outside of the labor market in the informal economy. Within the labor market, the exchange value of labor depends on the quantity and quality of labor, which denotes different labor proc esses and skills. The differentiation in wages is due to the complex division of labor brought about by industrial capitalism.Unlike the simple division of labor, where society is categorized into different occupations as in craftmanship, the capitalistic industry has a tendency to control and divide the mass production process into many simple tasks which all unskilled workers are capable of accomplishing. Workers are subdivided into different capabilities and made to specialize in simple tasks to be able to perform quickly and productively. This organization of work greatly improves the efficiency of the system, bringing costs down with more units of production.As seen in the Fordist model of mass production, workers as such are being â€Å"deskilled† and made interchangeable to the extent that they can be fired or hired according to production requirements (Womack 1990: 19-46). Thus, the market value of such menial labor is very low as opposed to professions (doctors) and skilled labor (technicians). The way work is being socially organized into skilled and unskilled labor has thus brought about socio-economic stratification in production relations. Marx has criticized this form of organization as being â€Å"alienating†, especially for the menial workers.As workers are being made interchangeable by the subdivided nature of production process, their labor is being looked upon only as a commodity, at their employer’s disposal. The worker loses control over his produce, the work process and his ability to creatively express himself. Moreover, their menial labor becomes cheapened in the process of unemployment and labor surplus. On the other hand, professionals are able to safeguard their interests by exclusive job administration channels, keeping their wages high due to marketable specialized knowledge.As a result, socio-economic stratification has also become defined by consumption relations such as occupational prestige and status group s. Norms and Culture Lastly, it is clear that industrial capitalism has brought about important changes in norms and culture. Most explicitly, industrial capitalism has changed the culture of work in the society. Prior to this time, work was characterized by disparate tasks that one is required to do in the day, and is oriented to what is necessary to be attended to. There is little divide between work and life.In industrial-capitalistic societies, work is characterized by a series of jobs which need to be synchronized in terms of sequence and speed. Time-discipline is important for work in the capitalist economies because productivity and time are highly correlated (Thompson 1967, 60:61). People are expected to use time allocated for work efficiently and solely for work. As the stimulus for work has changed from subsistence to wage incentives, there is potential of increasing wages by putting in more effort put into work.Thus, as competition for jobs and within jobs increase, peopl e are pushed to work harder and longer in their jobs. Also, in the 18thC, industrial capitalism has led to the trend of rapid urbanization due to rural urban migration and international migration in seek of factory jobs. This has led to a major restructuration of society within countries like England, where the working class poor tend to congregate near the city centre for employment and the more affluent middle class tend to decentralize away from these city centers, where living conditions are bad.The result is a case of socio-economic polarization within cities, where differences in standards of living are stark between gated communities and urban slums. In all, industrial capitalism tend to generate disparate levels of wealth and poverty amongst the working and capitalist classes. Lastly, industrial capitalism is likely to produce changes in habits and lifestyle which are oriented towards the market. The culture of consumerism is prevalent in many industrial and post-industrial societies, brought about by both producers and consumers.Producers aim to increase the capital return from their investment by either catering to existing needs or by creating new needs and wants. With the use of marketing strategies and production technology, they are able to sell their products at a high profit margin. Consumers, on the other hand, are faced with the proliferation of goods and services available at competitive prices. With the wages they have earned, they are able to afford more goods at a lower price. In all, this paper contends that industrial production and capitalism are major drivers of social change in three ways.Firstly, industrial capitalism has changed the role and nature of markets in history, from an auxiliary mechanism to the main instrument of social coordination. Secondly, industrial capitalism has revolutionized the social relations of production, from humanity’s struggle with nature to dependency on each other. It has also changed the social organization of work, by re-defining what is work and by organizing work into skilled and non-skilled categories with varying consequences. Thirdly, industrial capitalism has influenced the norms and culture of society through â€Å"industriousness†, urbanization and consumerism. (1991 Words)

Film and the Emirates: When will the Arabs take the chance?

Why do we need to set our films in United Arab Emirates? Such a simple question but with a vague answer. No matter how much we try to understand and analyze it, maybe we will have a hard time figuring out why there is a need to go in a place where almost everything is prohibited but in the end, this question will not be raised unless we don’t understand what the situation is in United Arab Emirates and how good their film industry goes. Seeking how good the industry in the Emirates is not as hard as it seems but the way they see film does not seem to be in a good way. Perhaps they have been concerned with their personal feelings and not with what will attract the foreign people in their land. Although the government was only trying to protect their country from controversies and unjust exposure, they were not making things easier for the producers and film makers who wanted to portray reality. Apparently, there were no such good movies in the Arabs. Not that they produce ugly films but because they limit themselves from the great possibilities and stories which will make a big hit in their film industry. They don't see the possibility of having big hit movies but they also seem to mislead people from reality. Since the government does not allow political plots nor do they want controversial stories, they choose the foreign films that they want the people to see carefully and once they weren’t satisfied in a single shot because of either a controversial topic or maybe because the makers showed the country in a poor way. They tend to give a scrutinizingly critic every foreign film, aligning everything with their goal of giving a good impression to the people. Attempts to have a better film industry Despite of the current situation of film in the Emirates, there were few attempts that shows how good films were in the Emirates. They seldom consider film as a way of making their industry better but at this point, the Emirates is ready to finally open their doors if we will consider their moves as of the moment. In June 2008, a digital film archive of the Emirates history was seen by the people. Although much of these films were documentaries about the history of the Emirates, this step showed that they were indeed ready for a revamp and change in their film industry. In present, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage was asked to develop a film commission with an order to promote Abu Dhabi as a film location. These attempts to open the doors for foreign films were great steps to have a better film industry and to promote the country as well but if people mislead their real intention, they might blew everything away and end up with nothing but just Emirates, their people and their film industry. Foreign Films Shot in the Emirates: Censorship and Defense In the last four years, Emirates allowed at least two foreign films to be shot in Abu Dhabi. After the shoot, the Emirates government carefully analyzed Syriana and The Kingdom to the extent that several scenes were deleted from the original film. This kind of censorship that the authority made spoiled the whole story but as their defense, they just don't want to Abu Dhabi to be depicted poorly since they were actually working on tourism as of the moment. The question we have right now, is Emirates ready for opening its doors to the world film industry? Maybe not, maybe yes. The two films shot in Abu Dhabi in the last four years showed that there was indeed a strong will to start opening their doors for the foreign film industry. Closing the doors once more? Perhaps there was no reason for us to worry more about the film industry of the United Arab Emirates because they were surely having good movies with them because of the hard work of the people who wanted development and changes but in this case, what we were trying to work out is the realization that they need to open their doors more to let the foreign people see what is good inside their country. Despite of their attempts to do this, their beliefs still goes in the way. Promoting their land as a location for foreign films do not need strict censorship most of the time. In present, they were trying to attract foreign film makers not trying to place negative impression on them. If they want foreign film industry in their land, perhaps they are in need of considering reality and not mischiefs. In what they were trying to do, United Arab Emirates was really close in closing their doors from the people. Films weren't made to deceive people. It was a way to make people see what is reality.

Gerard Manley Hopkins Essay

The Windhover, by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a poem about the essence of natural things. This poem describes the relationship of human beings to the natural world as the poet is addressing God through the bird. It is praising him for all the marvellous things He has created and that humans can enjoy. The poem consists in three verses. In the first verse, the poet describes the power of the bird as it is portrayed as the master of heavens. This verse captures the movement of the bird in the sky. It starts with â€Å"I caught this morning mornings minion† that gives the feeling that the bird is a servant of the sky and it is the morning because it is a good time for hunting. Hopkins puts words together like â€Å"dapple dawn-drawn† to portray multi-images as here where the bird is drawn in the sky. Also, the alliteration here produces the effect of the bird’s movement in the air and the intensity of the poem’s feeling. The author writes that the bird is â€Å"striding high there† and this produces the image that the bird is taking huge steps in the air. The bird also â€Å"rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing† showing his power and control with â€Å"ecstasy†. The bird has control over the wind. The rhythm in this verse is very slow, yet steady. This verse consists in very long sentences that convey the effect that the bird is circling the air; with long movements it also reflects the poets feelings. This verse gives as the feeling that he poet has searched very well the words to describe his feelings but at the same time describing the bird. He searches for words that sound as they are written for example â€Å"sweeps smooth†. The second verse consists only of three lines explaining how the bird spots its pray and here, the beauty of the bird is more accentuated when the author uses â€Å"Brute beauty† to describe how beautiful the bird is, even when it is hunting. The word â€Å"brute† has an impact on the readers because this word means violent, wild, but here, the author uses it to emphasize that the beauty is a different kind of beauty; that it is a magnificent beauty, so marvellous and magnificent that there is no better word to describe it than brute. The poem reaches to the climax when the bird spots the pray and the author writes â€Å"here buckle! † as if warning us for action. To be prepared. From now on, the rhythm is more steady with lots of comas and faster than the first verse. This gives us the effect that the bird is now descending towards its pray. At the end of this verse, the author addresses to God as â€Å"Oh my chevalier! † and this is to thank Him for creating such marvellous things as the bird, full of â€Å"Brute beauty† so that humans can enjoy, even though it is only by watching them. When the author addresses to God, the rhythm changes. This matches the ecstasy of the bird in his own physical mastery of the sky. The last verse consists also in three lines, and here, the relationship of human beings to the natural world is also portrayed. This verse is more as a pronouncement. Here the author stops speaking about the bird and makes us realise how God’s beauty of creation is in everything, even in things where there is no apparent beauty. This is achieved also when Hopkins starts talking about how the â€Å"shi er pli d† makes even ploughing beautiful and how â€Å"blue-bleak embers† are also beautiful. In conclusion, I think that Hopkins decides to first start talking about the Windhover and about its â€Å"Brute beauty† to then compare it to the beauty found in every thing of creation. He relates human being to the beauty of nature because the beauty found in nature comes from human’s sacrifice. The words on Hopkins poem impact me because they make me realise how lucky we are to be part of creation and enjoy the beauty there is from Christ’s sacrifice.

Armani

ARMANI INTRODUCTION: Giorgio Armani, 74, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Armani Group and sole share holder of Giorgio Armani, one of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle design houses, with 5,000 direct employees, 13 factories, and a direct network of 500 exclusive retail stores in 46 countries worldwide. Under Mr. Armani’s direction, Giorgio Armani, today stands as one of the few remaining independent, privately-owned companies in its sector, with a proven business strategy that has capitalised on the worldwide power and potential of the Armani brand name. Born on July 11, 1934, Giorgio Armani grew up with his sister and brother in the northern Italian town of Piacenza. In 1957, following two years of study in medicine at the University of Piacenza, Giorgio Armani decided to leave in order to pursue his interest in fashion, accepting a job as a merchandiser at Milan’s well-known department store, La Rinascente. Thereafter, Mr. Armani worked as a fashion designer for Nino Cerruti, and then as a freelance designer for various companies, an experience that resulted in an exceptionally rich and varied evolution of his style. After several years of working as a freelance designer, Mr. Armani was ready to devote his energy to his own label and followed his partner Sergio Galeotti’s suggestion that they open a company together. On July 24, 1975, the two business partners founded Giorgio Armani S. p. A. and launched a men’s and women’s ready-to-wear line. There are many products under the name of Armani such as Giorgio Armani, Giorgio Armani Prive, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, AJ | Armani Jeans, A/X Armani Exchange, Armani Teen, Armani Junior, Armani Baby, and Armani Casa home interiors, offering a choice of lifestyles to the marketplace. In beginning the products were sold under the name of Giorgio Armani i. e. (GA) and later on the company diversified it business in Armani Jeans, Emporio Armani. The company’s product range includes women’s and men’s Clothing, Shoes and Bags, Watches, Eyewear, Jewellery, Fragrances and Cosmetics, Home Furnishings, Cell Phones. The Armani Group now also come with the Armani Hotels and Resorts under an agreement with Emaar Properties in May 2005. Recently Armani is also sponsoring for England Football team with their sports and casual dresses which is also a part of their marketing. SWOT ANALYSIS OF ARMANI Strengths: ?Topmost brand in the fashion industry ?Range of products are sold under the brand name which has been created over the years ? Commitment to customer satisfaction and comfort. Weakness: ?Price is on the higher side which caters only to the elite class. ?They are losing customers who are price conscious and opt for the competitors products Opportunities: ?A large part of the Asian continent where Armani can penetrate into. ?Brand name created can be used to diversify into different sectors of business one of such initiative taken is to enter the hospitality industry. Threats: ?Entry barriers in certain countries have stopped Armani from entering into a potential market which can act as cash cows for the company. ?Competitors like FCUK, Christian Dior, Diesel, Gucci etc are entering the fashion market in a great way. MARKETING MIX PRODUCT: Product is anything that can be offered to market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that can satisfy wants or needs. Armani is one of the well known brands in the world with various products under its name. Different products are sold under different name. Because of the high earnings from Clothing sector (i. e. STAR) it has become possible for them to invest capital in different sectors. The group has such high standard brand name that all products in which ever they have invested have proved Stars for them. The Company now produces not only clothes but shoes, sunglasses, under garments, other accessories etc. And recently they have also signed agreement with Emaar properties for Armani Hotels & Resorts and their 1st hotel will be available for Public from year 2009 in Dubai and almost all the rooms are booked till May 2010. The current name and fame for brand was possible only because of Giorgio Armani marketing and promotional strategy. PRICE Price is the amount money charged o the product or service or the sum of values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. Armani has always catered to high class consumers who are fashion savvy. Their price range has always been on the higher side creating a niche in the fashion industry. They have not compromised on the price in their business tenure and always have been a status symbol for the consumers using them PLACE It is a network made up of the company, supplier, distributors and customers who â€Å"partner† with each other to improve the performance of the entire system. Armani has concentrated on its channel partners to sell their products. They have their stores in almost all the major shopping malls across in more than 46 countries. PROMOTION Promotional Mix is one of the activities to promote the goods in the market and attracting the customers to buy his brand products. The key functions of promotion of goods is through Advertising, Sales promotion, Visual merchandising, Public relations. Armani adopted various strategies to make his brand famous. In 1980’s there was sudden change in fashion industry. The demand for fashionable goods was high. And this was the time when this brand came into existence with various varieties of products. Armani used the reputed personalities or super stars and model to promote his goods. He made promotional schemes offers to get his products well known. Armani also arranged campaigns to promote his products and make it well known in peoples eyes. Advertising: Giorgio Armani uses the cognitive consistency approach to its advertising. The idea that things should be simple and consistent is the reasoning behind this theory. The need for Ego Gratification comes out in the advertisement – where it is directed at consumers whom have the need to go beyond a high self-worth and into the highest form of egocentrism. Additionally, the need for a Sense of Power comes through in the imagery used and the rough looking style of the product. The sense of mysteriousness can be associated with power. Armani deeply concentrated on the Advertising media for his brand promotion. He kept on giving ads in Newspapers, Television, Radio, Magazines etc. This is done to create awareness about their new range of products that are launched in the market. He used Superstars like David & Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise have been roped in to promote his brands. Sales Promotion: Armani also used Sales promotion strategy; they gave huge discounts on their products the goods were sold at lower rates. Offers like buy 1 get 1 free. Lucky Draw system. E. g. If you buy for more than ? 200 you can meet your favourite celebrities or free trips, because of which customers were attracted more. Public Relations: Public relation is concerned with company’s various publics by obtaining favourable publicity building up a good corporate image and handling and heading off unfavourable rumours, stories and events. Giorgio Armani is going to dress the England football team. The prominent designer was picked for the job by team captain David Beckham and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Armani is going to create two separate outfits each – one formal, the other smart-casual – for the squad of 26. The outfits cost GBP 3,500 for each player but Armani will reportedly do it for free as he will benefit from the publicity. Direct Marketing Direct marketing is direct communications with carefully targeted individual customers to both obtain and immediate response and cultivate lasting customer relationship. Armani promotes its products online and you can even buy various products through the internet. You can buy the products from anywhere in the world and the products are delivered at your doorstep. This helps in keeping contact with their loyal consumers. Personal Selling This is the personal presentation by the firm’s sales force for the purpose of making sales and building customer relationship. Personal selling comes in form of Fashion shows to Armani where a range of their products is displayed and sold. BCG Matrix for Armani Armani falls into the STAR category of the BCG Matrix. Over a period of time Armani enjoys high growth and high market share. Being in this category they can invest their profits generated into their subsidiary business units who are the cash cows. The best example would be Armani venturing into the hospitality industry and coming up with a hotel and simply the hotel being booked till 2010. COMPETITION: Though Armani has established itself into the fashion world and other range of products sold under their brand name, there is a lot of competition coming up. French Connection, Gucci, Christian Dior are storming the market with different range of products with variety of price range. With the current economic crisis, retail outlets like Marks & Spencers, Debenhams are offering their products at a discount as never seen before. Armani will have to review their strategy, to maintain their competitive advantage over the competitors. CONCLUSION Today as Armani business is spread all over the world it is diversifying its business in different sectors also. There are many promotions made by Armani today like Seasonal goods to attract new customers and old customers in every seasonal change. Gifts for small children on purchasing of Armani Junior are specially produced for them. Variety of clothes for men’s and women’s with new latest designs. Overall the image of luxury of the brand is maintained and becomes more persuasive by using language, which promotes feelings and emotions of masculinity and mysteriousness. The colors of the advertisements already do an excellent job of keeping mystery in the minds of the readers by using black/white photos and rich, and bold colors. Reasoning from comparison is used throughout these advertisements. The message is: if you use our products or wear our clothing, you will be popular, beautiful, successful, etc. http://ezinearticles. com/? Giorgio-Armani:-A-Persuasive-Campaign&id=24792 Giorgio Armani: A Persuasive Campaign By Scott Fish