Integrated Marketing Communications Starbucks Essay

Starbucks key of success is the ability to change the concept consumers had about drinking coffee. With more than 6000 outlets across the world (2003 numbers) and the intention of increasing them in the near future, the company has transformed coffee into a lifestyle accessory with as much elegance as the latest fashion. However, their way to success was not so easy and if we go back in 1971, we will find that coffee didn’t look like it was a great business. There were no signs of getting better, either. Coffee consumption in the United States had peaked in the 1960s, but by 1971 it was on the decline. Most Americans drank something called â€Å"coffee† that came ground up very finely in vacuum-sealed tins. Nevertheless, there was appeared tiny Seattle based chain with innovative idea of how to do business that in a few years changed the vision about the process of drinking coffee not only in USA but worldwide. Starbucks has evolved into a great success due to their imp lementation of Integrated Marketing Communications. What is integrated marketing communication? For many, IMC is concerned with the harmonization of customer oriented promotional messages. Duncan and Everett (1993) suggest IMC has been referred variously as orchestration, whole egg and seamless communication. It is regarded by some as a means of combining the tools of the promotional mix in a more efficient and synergistic manner. Increasingly IMC is seen to include all consistent interactions a stakeholder has with an organization (Shultz and Schults 1998) and therefore any definition needs to include or refer to concepts such added value, relationship marketing, corporate blending and with it, the blending of internal and external communications. One of the primary motivations why Starbucks moved towards IMC was the reduction in costs that it was possible to realize through this approach. The rise in some media costs, most notably television through 1990s, the proliferation of media opportunities and the splintering of audiences has led to a reappraisal of the communications strategies used by organizations and a reformulation of their promotional and media mixes. By reducing their reliance on above-the-line media and by attempting to move towards the use of media-neutral mixes to deliver consistent messages that cut through the increasing clutter, Starbucks has moved, if unintentionally, towards some  form of integrated marketing communication activity. Agreeing a definition of IMC is proving elusive but one of the more popular, simple and intrinsically satisfying views of IMC is that the messages conveyed by each of the promotional tools should be harmonised in order that audiences perceive a consistent image of a product or organisation. One interpretation of this perspective is that the key visual triggers (design, colours, form and tag line) used in advertising should be replicated across the range of promotional tools used, including Point-of-Purchase (POP) and the sales force. At another level IMC is about the integration of some of the promotional tools. One such combination is the closer alliance of advertising with public relations. Increasing audience fragmentation means that it is more difficult to locate target audiences and communicate with them in a meaningful way. By utilising the power of public relations to stimulate word-of-mouth communication about brands and advertisements. Basically, we see that Starbucks’ success was built on two things: the store experience (Starbucks’ image) and the quality of its product – it really is a better cup of coffee The first one is so sacred that on Starbucks employees initiative the chain even prohibited smoking in its stores in Vienna, where cigarettes and coffee are inseparable, because Starbucks doesn’t want anything to interfere with the seductive scent of fresh-brewed espresso. That’s why top-management of Starbucks deeply believed that employees make the store that they work in. A Starbucks employee needed to be very knowledgeable, communicative, and helpful to the customers. Customers need to know the difference in the new roasted coffee Starbucks will offer. Well-educated employees will surely handle this requirement. Starbucks need to use strong cultural incentives to drive the identification of opportunities. In Starbucks all employees are called â€Å"partners,† signaling a level of responsibility maintained by few companies with sales in the billions of dollars. Anyone who has an idea uses a one-page form to pass it to the senior executive team–and gets a response. When the company pursues an idea, its author, regardless of tenure or title, is typically invited to  join the launch team as a full-time member. New-style marketing organizations, by contrast, hire marketers not for jobs but for two broad kinds of roles: those of integrators and specialists. Integrators are marketers with broad skills who coordinate the delivery of products and services to the market from beginning to end. Specialists–more narrowly focused marketers with specialized skills–can be mobilized quickly to provide the particular expertise a given opportunity team requires. Starbucks is one of them and finding its way of capturing the market it will surely pay high attention to the recruitment process. If communications are to be used effectively then there is a need to communicate aspects of the direction in which the organisation intends moving and how it intends to achieve this. In other words, the business philosophy and its aims and objectives, often expressed formally through mission and vision statements, need to be communicated to particular audiences in a way that is synchronised and co-ordinated with the organisation’s other communication activities. At a strategic level IMC has at its roots the overall business strategy of the organisation. Using Porter’s (1980) Generic Strategies, if a low cost strategy is being pursued then it makes sense to complement the strategy by using messages that either stress any price advantage that customers might benefit from or at least do not suggest extravagance or luxury. If using a differentiation focus strategy (e.g. Waitrose) then price should not figure in any of the messages and greater emphasis should be placed on particular attributes that enable clear positioning. In case of Starbucks mission sounds like this:†Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow†. The development of the mission statement was the start of the company’s marketing management initiative. Starbucks overall objective in the eye’s of the leaders was defined. This mission does not want to jeopardize the quality, ambiance, or service due to expansion into a global marketplace. Besides writing a mission, Starbucks has outlined their guiding principles, which they follow in their business: 1.Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity; 2.Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business; 3.Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee; 4.Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time; 5.Contribute positively to our communities and our environment; 6.Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. There can be little doubt that the elements of the marketing mix, however configured, also communicate (Smith 1996). The price and associated values; the product, in terms of the quality, design and tangible attributes; the manner and efficiency of the service delivery people, and where and how it is made available, for example the location, retailer/dealer reputation and overall service quality, are brand identity cues with which recipients develop associations and images, which in turn through time may shape brand reputations. It is suggested, therefore, that IMC cannot be achieved just by saying the same message through a variety of promotional tools. Effective communication underpins the stability and quality of relationships. While the origins of IMC might be found in the inadequacies of the prevailing structural conditions, an understanding of what IMC is or should be, is far from being resolved and is evolving as the industry matures. The elements involved in IMC are many and numerous. Depending upon the perspective an individual might adopt, those elements might range from a simple configuration of the promotional mix through to a fully integrated and culturally driven mission and corporate strategy. Starbucks chose the second one (Product Concept) and their success over the past 25 years has a lot to do with the quality of the product, which has attracted a loyal and growing following among consumers. The retail strategy has been to put a coffee shop on every corner and to make fresh-brewed coffee by selling only the highest-quality products and charging a premium price. However, the product mix has changed significantly over the years, with beans accounting for about 15% of the chain’s sales and company needs to remember this entering the Russia market. Meanwhile, Starbucks is expanding its offerings, with a line of ice cream for supermarkets and a joint venture with Pepsi Cola to market Frappuccino. At the same time, the company continues to develop sales in alternative outlets, including foodservice and non-traditional retail sites as United Airlines, Holland America cruise line, Seattle Kingdome, an Alliance with Barnes & Noble bookstores, among others. Stoking the niche for seasonal drinks, Starbucks added caramel apple cider and white chocolate mocha just in time for the holiday and winter months. This year’s lineup of new summer beverages will be announced in a few weeks. The last cornerstone of the marketing strategy of Starbucks is clustering. The company locates stores within close proximity in the world and it should do it the same way in Russia. Clustering is becoming important because company’s objective is to become a household name and it can be reached by fierce expansion and high coverage. Starbucks must open their doors and be in the Russian market before anyone else. This would give them a great fist-mover advantage. Once consumers experienced Starbucks service, quality coffee, and ambiance of their stores there would be a great switching cost for the consumer to go anywhere else. The success of becoming a household name worldwide is now close to reality. The company received very high profits. However, Schultz measured his success by not compromising Starbucks ideals to maximize profit and was doing it very successfully. To keep up with this expansion Starbucks opened three manufacturing plants to relieve itself of the large transportation and storage costs. This decision really improved Starbucks’ distribution of the product. Starbucks could now distribute faster, fresher, and more product to many more of their stores. The plants also allowed them to enter the supermarket coffee sales industry  in the spring of 1998 and will allow to dominate in the Russian market. To accomplish the goal of being a household name brand coffee in Russia, Starbucks should choose to implement an expansionary strategy (as they are doing in any other country). Starbucks should use the first-mover element to jump in and gain consumer loyalty. With its fierce expansion, Starbucks should try to open new stores at a rate of more than one per day. This strategy will allow Starbucks to enter a Russian market and win consumer loyalty before anyone else can. After visiting a Starbucks, switching costs for the consumer will be extremely high due to the great service and quality that Starbucks can assure. Their decision to open three manufacturing plants to distribute their product more efficiently was essential to accomplish this strategy. Prior to these new plants it was difficult and costly to deliver the quality of the product. Starbucks saved a great deal of money by using this new distribution method. They no longer have to pay for the shipping and storage of the product. With Starbucks expanding globally, the only adjustment they might want to consider is a plant overseas to help distribution there. The decision to enter the supermarket coffee sales market was a huge step for household recognition in USA and they probably should do this in Russia. Two thirds of the world’s coffee is sold in stores for home consumption. Not only will they be able to reach millions of coffee consumers, but also this will ensure a great distribution channel that will help lock out some potential competitors. Consumers can now enjoy great quality coffee at home or by stopping in a local store. This is a key step in ensuring that Starbucks becomes a household brand name. The only adjustment Starbucks must consider is that they are in a new industry with huge competitors such as Maxwell House, Folgers, and many others. Starbucks must make sure that the organization stays with its mission statement. In accomplishing the market development strategy of promoting the company’s range of services to a wider audience the work group fitted to the theory of the Kotler’ marketing mix. Hence the allocation of the 4 P’s, product, price, place and promotion. Having determined the desired markets that the company would compete in the next step was organising a promotional strategy in these area. Following the apportionment of a marketing budget discussions were held in order to decide the best way of using this allocation. In this idea of market development the company would attempt to sell its range of services to a wider market. Starbucks should have a unique promotional strategy in Russia:  ·Only $300,000 million on advertising annually;  ·Relies on ubiquity and word of mouth;  ·In comparison, McDonald’s spends $3-4 million annually in Russia;  ·No commercials on TV The price as regards building contracting is largely determined by the amount of margin to be added to the build up of the estimate for the project. Price is almost always considered as being the single most important factor for the client as 99% of contracts are let to the lowest bidder. â€Å"The setting of the correct price is of enormous importance in marketing – both in getting the product accepted by the target market, and in generating sufficient revenue for the organisation.† Starbucks pricing policy is also unique. It’s expensive. In USA you’ll pay about $2 for a regular coffee and $3-4 for a specialty one. In the Russian market the numbers will differ but the point will stay the same (expensive). As for place, there is one good phrase about it: â€Å"Starbucks is caffinateing the world† (5,689 stores in 28 countries. And the product itself is always been paid high attention by Starbucks. â€Å"The aroma of our coffee is one of our competitive advantages; it is one of our products, † says Mr. Hong, manager of Chineese Starbucks division. â€Å"You cannot have a complete Starbucks experience if you have smoky air. We need to win people over on  the importance of aroma. Nevertheless, before entering the Russian market Starbucks need to realize that there were some pitfalls: 1.Although Russian marketers evidence the trend of increasing coffee consumption in Russia, more than 50% of population prefer to drink tea and don’t like coffee, at all. 2.The volume of Russian coffee imports is equal to 100,000 tonnes (2003) and will increase 10-20% per year basing a good economic situation to Russia 3.Most Russian coffee drinkers use instant or soluble coffee, with this category accounting for 76 percent of imports. 4.Of coffee drinkers, 91 percent drink both coffee and tea with only nine percent drinking only coffee, he said. Coffee drinking is concentrated in European Russia and the south near Turkey and Armenia, which have strong coffee traditions 5.Even with the increase in imports this year, Russia’s per capita consumption of coffee will only be 650 grams, compared with four kg in Brazil and 10 kg in Scandinavia However, if look at Chinese market, which has like Russian one a history of drinking tea and low level of coffee consumption and see how it all changed after Starbucks entered the market, we may assume that the same situation will repeat with the Russian market because of Starbucks power of brand. In order for Starbucks to become a brand name in Russia, they must not stray from the strategy they set forth in the past. Their commitment to the mission statement, their employees, and expansion is what got them where they are. To stray from these ideals would prove tragic in their goal of world recognition. In order for Starbucks to develop in Russia they must remember the success factors they used in the United States. Should  Starbucks stay loyal to their own beliefs they can only grow bigger. With stores opening all the time in new markets, Starbucks’ greatest challenge is managing its phenomenal growth. Their market is affluent, conscientious and discriminating. They want to know what Starbucks is giving back to the communities they infiltrate and markets they dominate. Starbucks is not a perfect company. But it is a company who has managed to make the voyage to success without compromising key principles of the guiding vision. The voyage ahead is more treacherous. Will Starbucks be able to maintain the integrity of its vision. I hope so. References: 1.www.starbucks.com 2.Kevin Lane Keller, â€Å"The Brand Report Card,† Harvard Business Review, 78:1 (January-February 2000): 147-157 3.Ralf Leszinski and Michael V. Marn, â€Å"Setting Value Not Price,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 1 (1997): 99-115 4.Paul Betts and John Thornhill, â€Å"Starbucks steams into Italy,† Financial Times, October 22, 2000, p. 7. Story is on Starbucks entering the Milan market 5.Niraj Dawar and Amitava Chattopadhyay, â€Å"The new language of emerging markets,† in â€Å"Mastering Management,† Financial Times, November 13, 2000, pp. 6-7 6.Ralf Leszinski and Michael V. Marn, â€Å"Setting Value Not Price,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 1 (1997): 99-115 7.Olson, Dave. â€Å"A Passion For Coffee† Starbucks: A Passion For Coffee. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp.,1994, pp. 8, 9, 13 8.Olson, Dave. â€Å"Plantation to Cup† Starbucks: A Passion For Coffee. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp.,1994, pp. 16-19, 22. 9.Suicaorich, John and Winster, Stephen. â€Å"The Coffee Book – A Connoisseur’s Guide to Gourmet Coffee†. London: Prentice Hall International, Inc., 1976, pp. 97-107 10.Mintz, Sidney W. â€Å"The changing roles of food in the study of consumption.† Consumption and the World of Goods eds. John Brewer and Roy Porter, 261-73. London: Routledge, 1993 11.Jay Belt, â€Å"Wired Angels Espresso Cafe† Hanford, California, February 26, 1999 12.Rice, Paul D. Market opportunity assessment for Fair Trade Coffee. Prepared for Transfair USA, February 1997

Assingments 2012-2013

ASSINGMENTS 2012-2013 Marketing Studies (1 year, Diploma) 1 BUSINESS ENGLISH Assignment 1 a) Luis St. Jean is a famous design house in France with annual sales of $1. 2 billion in clothing, perfume, scarves, and other designer items. Each year it prepares more than 150 original designs for its seasonal collections. As head buyer for Cindy’s, an upscale women’s clothing store at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, you think you might like to start offering the LSJ’s line of perfume. You need to know more about pricing, types of perfume offered, minimum ordering quantities, and marketing assistance p rovided by LSJ.You would also like to know if you can have exclusive marketing rights to LSJ perfumes in the Minneapolis area and whether you would have to carry LSJ’s complete line (you don’t think the most expensive perfumes would be big sellers in your area). Write to Mr. Henri Vixier, License Supervisor, Luis St. Jean, 90513 Cergy, Pointoise Cedex, Fr ance, seeking answers to your questions. Your answer should be in a letter format requesting the necessary product information. You can make up all the necessary details. b) You are the marketing manager of a company selling electronic goods.You are having a meeting with the board directors for introducing some new products in the Cypriot market. You need to prepare an agenda for the meeting and send that agenda to the board of directors in the form of a memo. In your answer, include all the necessary details you think are essential. 2 Format: (a) Letter (b) Memo, approx. 2000 words (in total), produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 3 Assignment 2 You are an external consultant for an airline company.You have been hired to assess the current declining customer numbers and provide advice to the company. Develop a report to be handed to the CEO including new ways/techniques to promote the company in both local and inte rnational markets. In your answer you should include examples to support your arguments taking into account the current competitive market, where the flight destinations for Cyprus are increasing as new airlines enter the Cypriot market. Format: Essay Type, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 4 BUSINESS ORGANISATIONAssignment 1 The group is to analyse a case study and prepare posters around identifying: three key OB issues in the case relevant OB theories for each of the OB issues recommendations for action to improve each of the three issues. The case study will be distributed during Week 5 of the module. Your seminar group will be asked to form syndicate groups of 5 people to develop answers to the case. Your poster group may use words, diagrams, drawings, images and cartoons on the posters to make your key points. The poster presentation will take place during Week 8 at a time and place notified by the tutors in week 8.There will be limited time for your group to work together in seminars and you may decide to meet outside of formal teaching times and communicate by phone, e-mail, conference calls and social networking sites. Each group member must complete a ‘Peer Review Sheet’. This is an assessment by each member of a group on every other group member. It requires objective skills to critically assess the contribution of other members in your group. Your ‘Peer Review Sheet’ must be given to your seminar group tutor during the poster presentation session.A example of the ‘Peer Review Sheet’ follows the Poster Presentations Marking Criteria. The poster presentation will be marked against the assessment criteria shown and individual marks adjusted taking into account the Peer Review. Work will be double marked and externally moderated in accordance with the University regulations. Assessment criterion 5 requires evidence in the form of agend as and minutes for meetings held by the group together with a one page analysis of 5 the group working process. This should be submitted to your seminar group tutor on the poster presentation day together with your ‘Peer Review Sheets’.Please note: All members of your group MUST be present and prepared to answer any question stimulated by your poster from both the tutors and fellow students. Any person who is absent will receive a mark of zero for this assessment and fail the module. Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 6 BUSINESS ORGANISATION Assignment 2 The final reflective report requires you to identify how you have applied OB theory, learned in the module, to develop your knowledge and skills in working with others.You are to identify three issues, or topics, from the OB module where you can identify relevant experience to which you can apply OB theory. The experiences may be from your studies, from work, or from social gro ups or clubs to which you belong. For each of your three topics you are to identify relevant experience and select and apply appropriate OB theory to those experiences. You should evaluate the theory in analysing what happened and in guiding future action. To help you plan your final report you are to submit a proposal that forms part of the Groups and Teams portfolio. The proposal should be no more than 150 words.Also a list of at least five academic references you intend to use, in Harvard format, should be provided. The final report should be a business report of 1500 words. Actual word count should be specified on the cover page of your report and outside +/ 10% will incur a penalty of 10%. References and any appendices should not be included in the word count. Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 7 COMMERCIAL LAW Assignment 1 a) P, a car salesman, is advertising one of his cars, made by Ferrari for sale at the price of 50000 Euro in the new spaper.N sees the advertisement and calls to P offering him 40000 Euro. P rejects N’s offer and tells N that he would be willing to discuss an offer for 45000 Euro. N agrees on the price but under the condition that P proves to her that the car is indeed a genuine Ferrari. P promises to disclose all necessary documents in the next 3 weeks. N agrees and waits. 2 weeks later N discovers that P has sold the car to C for 50000 Euro. Advise N. b) Why is Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co (1893) a very important case? Format: Essay, approx. 2000 words (in total), produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 No assignment will be accepted after this date) 8 COMMERCIAL LAW Assignment 2 ‘Corporate personality refers to the fact that as far as the law is concerned a company really exists. As a result of this a company can sue and be sued in its own name, hold property under its own name and most importantly be liable for its own debts. ’ Discuss Format: Essay Typ e, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 9 ECONOMICS Assignment 1 Analyse the Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and explain how it illustrates the main economic concepts of scarcity and opportunity cost.Format: Essay Type, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 10 ECONOMICS Assignment 2 Given the table below: a) Draw the demand and supply curves and show equilibrium. b) Demonstrate the shift due to the increase in quantity demanded on the same graph, illustrating clearly the new equilibrium. c) Analyse the factors that may cause a shift of the demand curve, both inwards and outwards. d) Analyse the factors that may lead to an inward or outward shift of the supply curve. ) Discuss the laws of demand and supply. f) Analyse the theory behind a movement along the 2 curves or a shift of the curves. Demand 1 Quantity Price 65 EUR 2. 60 78 EUR 2. 30 98 EUR 1. 95 124 EUR 1. 63 156 EUR 1. 30 Demand 2 Quantity Price 52 EUR 2. 60 65 EUR 2. 30 85 EUR 1. 95 111 EUR 1. 63 143 EUR 1. 30 Supply 1 Quantity Price 65 EUR 1. 56 78 EUR 1. 69 98 EUR 1. 95 124 EUR 2. 23 156 EUR 2. 80 Format: Applied Essay Type, approx. 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 11 MARKETING MANAGEMENTAssignment 1 The Body Shop – good luck or good marketing? The body Shop may have grown rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, but its founder, the late Dame Anita Roddick publicly dismissed the role of marketing. Roddick ridiculed marketers for putting the interests of shareholders before the needs of society. She had a similarly low opinion of the financial community, which she referred to as ‘merchant wankers’. While things were going well, nobody seemed to mind. Maybe Roddick had found a new way of doing business, and if she had the results to prove it, who needed marketers?But how could even such an icon as Anita Roddick manage indefinitely without consulting the fundamental principles of marketing? By embracing ethical issues, was she way ahead of her rivals in understanding the public mood, long before the major retailers piled into Fairtrade and ‘green’ products? Or did the troubles that the Body Shop suffer in the late 1990s indicate that a company may publicly dismiss the value of marketing while the going is good, but sooner or later it will have to come back to earth with good old-fashioned marketing plans? Roddick had been the dynamo behind the Body Shop.From her first shop, which opened in Brighton in 1976, she inspired the growth of the chain of familiar green-fronted shops, which in 2006 comprised 2,100 stores in 55 countries around the world. She was the first to introduce socially and environmentally responsible business onto the High Street and was talking about fair trade long before it became a popular corporate buzzword. Her pioneering products included naturally based skin and hair preparations, such as Fuzzy Peach Bath and Shower Gel and Brazil Nut Conditioner. Her timing was impeccable, coming just at a time when increasingly affluent consumers were 12 ecoming concerned about animal testing and the use of chemicals in cosmetics. She had gone down the classic market route of understanding consumer trends and then developing the appropriate products with the right positioning. She simply had a passion for humanely produced cosmetics and was just luc ky with her timing – more consumers were coming round to her view just as she was launching her business. As for planning a promotion campaign, she did not really need to do very much at all. With her boundless energy, outspoken views, and unorthodox dress sense, she was continually being talked about in the media.Her flair for publicity won free editorial space for the Body Shop worth millions of pounds. Much of the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s success has been tied up with its campaigning approach to the pursuit of social and environmental issues; but while Roddick campaigned for everything from battered wives and Siberian tigers to the poverty-stricken mining communities of southern Appalachia, the company was facing major problems in its key markets. Yet until the late 1990s, she boasted that the Body Shop had never been used, or needed, marketing.By the late 1990s the Body Shop seemed to be running out of steam, with sales plateauing and the company’s share price falling – from 370p in 1992 to just 65p in 2003. What was previously unique about the Body Shop was now being copied by others, for example, the Boots company matched one of the Body Shop’s earliest claims that it did not test its products on animals. Even the very feel of a Body Shop store – including its decor, staff, and product displays – had been copied by competitors. How could the company stay ahead in terms o f maintaining its distinctive positioning?It causes seemed to be increasingly remote from the real concerns of shoppers. Whilst most UK shoppers may have been swayed by a company’s unique claim to protect animals, how many would be moved by its support for Appalachian miners? If there was a Boots or a Superdrug store next door, why should a buyer pay a premium price to buy from the Body Shop? The Body Shop may have pioneered a very clever retailing formula over 20 years earlier, but, just as the product range had been successfully copied by others, other companies had made enormous strides in terms of their social and environmental awareness.Part of the problem of the Body Shop was its failure fully to understand the dynamics of its marketplace. Positioning on the basis of good causes may have been enough to launch the company into the public’s mind in the 1970s, but how could this position be sustained? Many commentators blamed the Body Shop’s problems on the i nability of Roddick to delegate. She is reported to have spent much of her time globetrotting in support of her good causes, but had a problem in delegating marketing strategy and implementation. Numerous strong managers who had 13 een brought in to try to implement professional management practices apparently gave up in bewilderment at the lack of discretion that they had been given, and then left. The Body Shop’s experience in America had typified Roddick’s pioneering style which frequently ignored sound marketing analysis. She sought a new way of doing business in America, but in doing so dismissed the experience of older and more sophisticated retailers – such as Marks & Spencer and the Sock Shop, which came unstuck in what is a very difficult market.The Body Shop decided to enter the US markets not through a safe option such as a joint venture or a franchising agreement, but instead by setting up its own operation from scratch – fine, according to Ro ddick’s principle of changing the rulebook and cutting out the greedy American business community, but dangerously risky. Her store format was based on the British town-centre model, despite the fact that Americans spend most of their money in out-of-town malls. In 1996 the US operations lost ? 3. 4 million. Roddick’s critics claimed that she had a naive view of herself, her company, and business generally.She had consistently argued that profits and principles do not mix, despite the fact that many of her financially successful competitors have been involved in major social initiatives. Critics claimed that, had Roddick not dismissed the need for marketing for so long, the Body Shop could have avoided future problems; but by the early 2000s it was paying the price for not having devoted sufficient resources to new product development, to innovation, to refreshing its ranges, and to moving the business forward in a competitive market and fast-changing business environm ent.It seemed the heroes can change the rulebook when the tide is flowing with them; but adopting the disciplines of marketing allows companies to anticipate and react when the tide begins to turn against them. The year 2006 turned out to be a turning point for the Body Shop. In that year, the cosmetics giant L’Oreal acquired the company for ? 652 million. L’Oreal was part owned by Nestle, and both companies had suffered long disputes with ethical campaigners.L’Oreal had been the subject of boycotts because of its involvement in animal testing, and Nestle had been criticized for its treatment of third-world producers. Ethical Consumer magazine, which rates companies’ ethics on its ‘Ethiscore’, immediately down-rated the Body Shop from a rating of 11 to 2. 5 out of 20, following the takeover by L’Oreal. A contributor to the magazine commented about the Body Shop. I for one will certainly not be shopping there again and I urge other cons umers concerned about ethical issues to follow my example. There are plenty of other higher scoring ethical companies out there. 14Not be to outdone, Roddick dismissed claims that she was ‘selling out to the devil’ by arguing that she would be able to use her influence to change L’Ore al from inside the company. Suppliers who had formerly worked with the Body Shop would in future have contracts with L’Oreal, and through an agreement to work with the company for 25 days a year, Roddick would be able to have an input into its ethical sourcing decisions. It seemed that the Body Shop was destined to become a safe, predictable company, carrying out marketing in more of the textbook fashion that had allowed its new owners to grow steadily but surely over the years.Maybe the missionary zeal had long ago gone out of the Body Shop, so perhaps having new owners who placed less emphasis on ethics would not be too great a price to pay in return for bringing the huge w ealth of marketing experience of L’Oreal to the Body Shop. Part of the marketing experience of L’Oreal led it to believe Body Shop as an independent brand and to respect its trusted heritage. It was aware that ecological concerns were rapidly rising up mainstream consumers’ concerns, and having Roddick on board would not only be good for PR, it could also change mindsets with L’Oreal more generally.Roddick died soon after selling out to L’Oreal and her obituaries agreed that she had made a difference to the world. She certainly had put enormous energy into her mission and had been lucky with her timing. However, critics were more divided on whether she was a good marketer for the long haul; after all, its relatively easy to make money when the tide is going with you and your luck is in, but much more difficult to manage a changing a nd increasingly saturated marketing environment.Like many entrepreneurs who have been good at creating things, but no t so good at maintaining them, was it simply time for Roddick to hand over to classically trained marketers who could rise to this challenge? Case study review questions 1. Critically assess the extent to which you consider the Body Shop to be a truly marketing-oriented organization throughout its 30+ years’ history. (50%) 2. What are the basic lessons in marketing that the Body Shop might have taken on board in its early years in order to improve its chances of long-term success? (50%) 15Format: Essay Type, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 16 MARKETING MANAGEMENT Assignment 2 To be handed out later Format: Essay Type, approx. 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 17 STATISTICS Assignment 1 The assignment is a development of the activities from Chapters 1 and 2 of the workbook. It consists of: (a) A short presentatio n made by groups of 2 or (maximum) 3 students based upon one of the research activities from chapter 1.This will take place during the tutorials in week 5 (week commencing 29th October) and will account for 25% of the marks for the assignment. (b) An individual report of around 1200 words submitted by each student. This will account for the remaining 75% of the marks for the assignment. The handing -in deadline for this is 19th November. Tasks: 1. After forming groups of 2 or maximum 3 students, firstly you need to agree with yo ur RBD tutor which topic you are going to research from section 1. 9 of the RBD workbook. Within a seminar group, each group of 2/3 students will research a different topic. . During your tutorial of week 5, you will present the basic facts that you have discovered to the rest of your tutorial group. This will involve an explanation of what you are researching, how you have chosen to answer the question (for some of the activities there are various ways of m easuring the results), and what your findings are. You should use visual aids e. g. slides, to help your presentation. The individual report involves a discussion of the findings in your own words plus some further research and thought: 18 3.Use the data you have collected to answer the research question chosen by your group i. e. report on what you have discovered. Basically you are repeating here, in your own words, the things that were mentioned in your group’s presentation. 4. By conducting some further research from published sources, try and give an explanation for the results i. e. answering the question ‘why? ’. For example, if you were asked to produce some figures on crime, you might try to explain the reasons why the figures have changed over the years, or why they are higher in certain places or amongst certain groups of people.By researching the relevant sources describe how the data were originally collected, including the sampling procedure where r elevant. For example, if the figures were derived from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, you would be expected to obtain some information about this survey. Discuss any potential sources of error in the figures, such as response errors and errors caused by non-response. 5. Learning Outcomes The following learning outcomes are being assessed: Collect data using primary and secondary sources. Describe the procedures involved when conducting a sample survey.Communicate findings using appropriate business formats. Allocation of marks: Presentation: 25 marks See the handout on Blackboard (filename Presentation assessment 2012 -13. docx) for an indication of what the assessors are looking for in the presentation. The content of the presentation carries a higher weighting than the style. Individual Report: Clarity of expression, use of English, grammar Answering the research question Further research into reasons behind the results, influential factors etc. Discussion of sampling procedur es and non-sampling errors. 10 marks 25 marks 20 marks 20 marksAdditional Information: Group sizes are 2 or 3. Four people = 2 groups i. e. 2 different topics. Failure to attend the presentation will result in a mark of zero out of 25. 19 An assessors’ report for this type of assignment is also available on Blackboard (filename RBD assessment feedback. docx). Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date. 20 STATISTICS Assignment 2 QUESTION 1 CALCULATE: 8 P 3 8 P 4 7 P 6 6 P 1 8 C 3 7 C 5 6 C 2 5 C 0 5. 9 10. 4 5. 7 6. 2 10. 7 11. 7 6. 8 11. 5 13. 1 7. 1 11. 6 13. 6 7. 8 8. 2 8. 1 4. 4 QUESTION 2 12. 3 9. 9 9. 0 a. b. c. . e. f. 5. 8 10. 1 10. 0 8. 3 12. 9 8. 8 6. 7 9. 2 7. 9 9. 4 8. 4 Find the maximum Find the minimum Find the mode Calculate the arithmetic mean Calculate the geometric mean of: 5. 3 and 7. 8 and 10. 4 If the mean family size is 4. 75 what is the total population of a city of 25000 families? QUESTION 3 If the mean rate of arrival in a restaurant is 10 customers per hour, what is the probability of having 4 customers arriving in any hour? 21 QUESTION 4 Defects Workers 0-2 7 3-5 9 6-8 10 9-11 8 12-14 11 15-17 6 18-20 5 21-23 8 24-26 7 a. Calculate the arithmetic mean b. Calculate the median . Calculate the standard deviation QUESTION 5 Listed below are the commissions earned ($000) last year by the sales representatives at the Furniture Patch, Inc. $3. 9, $5. 7, $7. 3, $10. 6, $13. 0, $13. 6, $15. 1, $15. 8, $17. 1, $17. 4, $17. 6, $22. 3, $38. 6, $43. 2, $87. 7 a. Compute the Pearson’s skewness coefficients. b. What is your conclusion regarding the skewness of the data QUESTION 6 A box contains 20 balls of which 2 are red, 5 are black, 5 are blue and 8 are green. A ball is drawn at random from the box; the color is marked each time and then placed back in the box.The experiment repeated three times. Find the probability that: (i) All are red. (ii) Neither is black. (iii) One black, one is blue and one red. (iv) At least one red. 22 QUESTION 7 Find the correlation between the 2 stock prices for the period given. Draw a graph showing the correlation between the two stocks and briefly explain your answer. Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Stock A 12. 4 12. 5 12. 9 12. 1 11. 8 12. 3 11. 4 11. 0 10. 4 10. 4 10. 8 10. 1 10. 2 9. 4 Stock B 31. 0 31. 4 30. 4 30. 0 28. 7 28. 9 29. 2 27. 8 27. 0 27. 2 26. 9 26. 2 25. 0 25. 7QUESTION 8 A company wants to estimate the relationship between its country’s quarterly Growth Domestic Product (GDP) and quarterly net income margin ((Net Income/Sales)*100). Calculate the intercept and the slope and explain the relationship. Quarter GDP % 1 2. 4 2 2. 1 3 2. 0 4 1. 8 1 0. 9 2 1. 3 3 1. 9 4 1. 8 1 2. 3 2 2. 9 3 2. 1 4 2. 2 NI margin % 0. 32 0. 78 0. 67 0. 44 0. 91 1. 10 0. 80 0. 87 0. 78 1. 3 0. 83 0. 84 23 Format: Practical/Calculations, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 24

Essay about Gender Based Difference in Managerial Styles

Executive Summary This report looks at several researches that have studied the managerial styles of males and females with an attempt to define perceived differences between them. In addition discussed are the results from studies on the effectiveness of managers between the two genders. The results of these studies have been analyzed through readings of several researches and personal experiences of the students doing this report. Studies say both genders are at least equally effective in the business world and that success is affected by diverse individual factors and has very less to do with gender. Commonly held perceptions of males being more effective managers are not only a loss to the female manager, but a loss to the†¦show more content†¦Concluding on this factor however, the personal experiences and perception of the group correspond with the studies. Instead of defining the female manager as democratic and the male manager as autocratic, it is more unanimously agreed that female managers are generally more democratic or less autocratic than their male counterparts. In both personal experience examples discussed earlier on, it was found that the male manager was relatively more directing, while the female manager more participative. Task Vs Strategy Orientation The first dimension considers an orientation towards task achievement or getting things done, whereas the strategy orientation is a where the leader considers the big picture and is thinking more strategically. The MRG research report on Leadership and Gender (Kabacoff, Peters 1998: 4-5) states that women tended to be more task focused and scored higher on leadership scales measuring an orientation toward setting high standards of performance and the attainment of results. Women were far more apt to organize work in a structured way, to follow-up to ensure objectives were met and to push for results. Men were viewed as more apt to take a strategic approach to the leadership role. They score higher on scales assessing and orientation towards strategic planning and business vision. Men appeared to co-workers to be more open to new ideas and willing to takeShow MoreRelated Gender based difference in managerial styles Essay3459 Words   |  14 Pagesreport looks at several researches that have studied the managerial styles of males and females with an attempt to define perceived differences between them. In addition discussed are the results from studies on the effectiveness of managers between the two genders. The results of these studies have been analyzed through readings of several researches and personal experiences of the students doing this report. Studies say both genders are at least equally effective in the business world and thatRead MoreThe Impact Of Management On The Globalization Of Business849 Words   |  4 Pagestopics: the multinational corporation; culture shock experienced by managers who work abroad; fair trade issues; ethical issues faced by managers in dealing with international business; the difference managerial styles in selected countries (for example Japan vs. the U.S. or Saudi Arabia vs. the U.S.); and the managerial culture of a selected country. Before going into the impact’s details, management is the act of getting things done through others while globalization (or globalization of business) isRead MoreThe Gift of Leadership1419 Words   |  6 Pagesleadership style is best suited for the situation. According to contingency theory, no leadership style is best for all situations. It depends on the qualities of followers and aspects of situation. Situational theory: In situational theory, the leader chooses the best style based on situational variables. For example, in a group the leader is the most experienced and knowledgeable person, he uses authoritative style. Participative theory: This theory suggests that the ideal leadership style is theRead MoreEssay on Women and Men in Leadership1424 Words   |  6 Pagesworkplace. There are multiple differences including race, gender, generations, and thinking styles. Many historical events have occurred that have cleared the way to analyze these differences of men and women in the workplace. These gender differences are likely to exist in the way men and women influence, communicate, and lead. The male and female gender has always been viewed as two unique and different sets of people. It is perceived that males and females have different styles when it comes to leadershipRead MoreA Woman s Leadership Style1305 Words   |  6 Pagesrespect or appreciation, but at the same time motherhood responsibilities stayed the same. It is believed that biologically females are more sensitive, emotional and self-critical than men (Brooks, 2011). A woman’s leadership style is more like mentoring and coaching, while a man’s style is centered on command and control. As a result, women are more likely to be transformational leaders, helping employees develop their skills and talents, motivating them, and coaching to be more creative (American PsychologicalRead MoreRelationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Transformational Leadership Essay1514 Words   |  7 Pages(EI) and transformational leadership style was examined in order to determine whether EI scores could be used to predict transformational leadership style. In addition, gender differences in the relat ionship between EI and transformational leadership were examined to determine if there is a significant interaction of gender and emotional intelligence. This research is important, because transformational leadership has been found to be the most effective style of leadership. Therefore, if EI can predictRead MoreComparison Of Herrmann Brain Dominance Indicator1203 Words   |  5 Pages Leadership and Gender Herrmann Brain Dominance Indicator Executive Summary: This journal seeks to discuss recent identifications and explanations of gender differences in leadership, behaviour effectiveness in organizations. The models are reviewed based on their contribution and arguments, contextual issues of international and national as well, stereotype and perception of superior and subordinate roles are reviewed and discussed. Rational differences are reviewed andRead MoreDoes Gender Affect The Ability Of An Individual? Become An Effective Leader?1486 Words   |  6 PagesDoes gender affect the ability of an individual to become an effective leader? Some researchers believe that effective leaders are just born while others believe that effective leadership can be learned. But few of these researchers discuss the difference that gender may make in becoming good leaders. When we take a look back through history, we can see that the evaluation of women leaders was slow. Today, only 2.4 percent (Gettings, Johnson, Brunner, Frantz, 2009) of the Fortune 5 00 Company sRead MoreDiscussing The Playing Field Of Gender And Communication1541 Words   |  7 PagesGender and Communication Eftagine Fevilien Miami Dade College Author Note Generalizations that can be valued when communicating across the gender line. Abstract Men and women practice enormously different identities and communication curriculums, even if they are raised by the same parents, well sophisticated in the same faculties, have the same career and live in similar state. The reason for that is because there are dissimilar rules of communication that are distinctive to each other. These instructionsRead MoreResearch On Japanese Organizational Behavior890 Words   |  4 Pagesorganizational behavior by Nordic (Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) expatriate and compared with the Nordic style of management. The organizational behavior in the business is vastly influenced by the Japanese culture and tradition. In order to understand the organizational behavior, one needs look through the prism of the social and cultural environment. Japanese management system is based on the job for life, enterprise unionism, collective decision making, the seniority system, and paternalism

Understanding Sexual Addiction Essay - 1268 Words

The many personalities of this world are phenomenal because they are all so different. Not one individual is the same, and that is one thing that makes the human brain as fascinating as it is. The human brain is quite beautiful; unfortunately, biochemical or other brain changes can alter proper functioning of the human brain, leading to mental disorders or diseases. Sexual addiction, although not always recognized, is a severe condition which affects many. Sexual addiction should be widely acknowledged as a severe issue because of its impact on the addicts nervous system, the root of its development, and its relevance to human behavior. What is sex addiction? The term sexual addiction is used to explain the behavior of a person who†¦show more content†¦Rather, the pursuit of sex is in service of a different goal - to dispel feelings of inadequacy, depression, anxiety, rage or other feelings that the sex addict experiences as unbearable. Like a drug addict or alcoholic, the sex addict relentlessly seeks satisfaction from an external source to palliate internal pain (Praver, Francis Cohen, Ph.D). A continuous cycle of searching for comfort by engaging in sexual activity is a never ending battle because it is caused by factors which the addict had little control of as a child. Sexual addiction must be seen as a serious condition because of its affect on the nervous system and because of how it was developed in the first place. There is a close relation between adult sexual addiction and childhood abuse. Any unhealthy relationships that a child is exposed to can trigger the development of unusual sexual behavior which follows them into adulthood. These fragile victims at some point must come to the reality that they had no control over what they were exposed to. More likely than not, all sex addicts have admitted to being abused as children; 97 percent being emotional, 71 percent being physical, and 83 percent being sexual. Other factors that might assist in developing an unhealthy hunger for sex can be what is described as a needy mother. According to Frances Cohen Praver, Ph.D, the relationship between a child and mother who uses the child to soothe her own emotional problems can leave aShow MoreRelatedUnderstanding Sexual Addiction Essay890 Words   |  4 PagesBefore one can begin to understand the complexities of sexual addiction it must be adequately defined. The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity has defined sexual addiction as â€Å"engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others.† (Herkov) It is important to note that this means that sexual addiction isn’t just the desire to have sex more than normal but also that the addict engages in activitiesRead MoreReaction Paper To Healing The Wounds Of Sexual Addiction1638 Words   |  7 PagesHealing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction Tiffany Carthins Liberty University Abstract Dr. Laaser (2004) provides a detailed look into sexual addiction from a Christian viewpoint in Healing Wounds of Sexual Addiction. The focus of this assignment will be to gain knowledge of what sexual addiction is, how family dynamics are affected, treatment of sexual addiction, and lastly addressing sexual addiction in the church. Exploring the different areas of how sexual addiction and how it can affectRead MoreEssay on Critical Book Review1166 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Critical Book Review Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction Michelle Beel Liberty University Psych 307 Summary Dr. Mark Lasser’s book â€Å"Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction† gives insight to those who suffer from sexual addiction and to the families, friends and other people in their lives. Dr. Mark Lasser has chosen to write this book, to share with others his personal struggle and victory with sexual addiction. Dr. Lasser has written this book from a Christian view, toRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Healing The Wounds Of Sexual Addiction By Dr. Mark R.1667 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract This critical review will attempt to summarize the book â€Å"Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction† written by, Dr. Mark R. Laaser, highlighting all the central themes and giving an in-depth analysis of Dr. Laaser’s work on the subject of sexual addiction. It will give his perspective and evidence to support it from the book and other sources. In this review, you will find that Dr. Laaser has added valuable insight to the subject on a personal level. It will also show how Dr. Laaser’s faithRead MoreEssay about Critical Book Review1170 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Book Review Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction Michelle Beel Liberty University Psych 307 Summary Dr. Mark Lasser’s book â€Å"Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction† gives insight to those who suffer from sexual addiction and to the families, friends and other people in their lives. Dr. Mark Lasser has chosen to write this book, to share with others his personal struggle and victory with sexual addiction. Dr. Lasser has written this book from a Christian view, to give other individualsRead MoreSexual Addiction Among Christians And Sexual Abuse1080 Words   |  5 Pagesbeing bombarded with sexual content. It is nearly impossible to surf the internet without coming across some kind of sexually explicit content. Sex is everywhere and it is no longer hard for anyone to get access to content that no one should be looking at. â€Å"Healing the wounds of Sexual Addiction is my attempt to examine and address the issue of sexual addiction among Christians. We will expose these secret sins to the light of the gospel and out best psychological understanding† (Laaser 2004, 15)Read MoreHyper Sexuality And Sex Addiction1655 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction Hyper sexual disorder/hyper sexuality , also commonly referred to as sexual addiction, is a condition diagnosed by psychiatrists and mental health researchers that plagues the addict with intensified and increased sexual impulses. These urges can lead to a significant increase in sexual activity.   Sex addiction is often thought to be synonymous with a high sex drive, but it is comparably as destructive and life altering as many other addictions. Research and studies show that thoseRead MoreSexual Addiction Essay1457 Words   |  6 PagesSexual Addition may be a common problem but it still remains a relatively understood condition characterized by strong sexual urges. In recent weeks, the issue has resurfaced. Last week, a Journalist Brian Alexander(2007), this psychological condition was once again questioned and the condition was described as such: Sexual addiction is defined as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stre ss on family, friends, loved ones and ones workRead MoreThe Management Of A Patient With Compulsive Sexual Behavior1077 Words   |  5 Pagespatient with compulsive sexual behavior requires an understanding of the complete profile of the sexually compulsive or addicted patient. This treatment plan will summarize the patients characteristics as revealed by Bill’s case (page 31 from Clinical Management of Sexual Addiction by Carnes and Adams) and their implications for treatment. Section I: DSM-V Diagnosis (Dx) With the help of greater awareness of sexual exploitation and sexual misconducts more cases of sexual compulsivity are broughtRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography on Infidelity968 Words   |  4 PagesShadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction† Minneapolis: CompCare, 1983. Patrick Carnes’ book offers a real life look at the problem of sexual addiction. He used the past experiences of others to write a book detailing the causes and effects of sexual addiction. Carnes explains how sexual addiction is a huge problem to all involved, not just the â€Å"offender†. He also explains how the addiction is a problem just like any other addictions. The book describes the danger of addictions to humans

Thomas Mores Utopia Essays - 1404 Words

Thomas More’s Utopia is a work of ambiguous dualities that forces the reader to question More’s real view on the concept of a utopian society. However, evidence throughout the novel suggests that More did intend Utopia to be the â€Å"best state of the commonwealth.† The detailed description of Utopia acts as Mores mode of expressing his humanistic views, commenting on the fundamentals of human nature and the importance of reason and natural law, while gracefully combining the two seemingly conflicting ideals of communism and liberalism. The presence of satirical irony and contradiction clearly defines Utopia as an unobtainable goal, though goal that all societies must pursue nonetheless. In essence, Utopia is a written manifestation of†¦show more content†¦Another facet of the Renaissance humanist values includes the importance of reason and intellectual exploration. More seems to specifically highlight this when describing his Utopian society. For example, More describes Utopians spending idle time participating in scholarly activities, such as attending public lectures and their natural enjoyment of learning. However, More clearly asserts the significance of reason when describing the religions of Utopia. In Utopia, each religion is fundamentally the same, each guided of nature and what is natural. Doing what nature intends, which is established through reason, is the true way of worshipping God, according to the Utopians (More, 2011, p. 2011). This is consistent with the humanist theory of a higher, absolute natural law created by God and thus must be followed by man. In order discover this natural law, one must use reason. With this in consideration, it apparent that More intentionally created Utopia to represent a society of humanists, one that is adheres to all aspects of Renaissance humanism without fault. However, one may argue that More’s pious Christian background seems to oppose the pagan ideas found in Utopia and the humanistic view of natural law in general. Yet More addresses this concern by implicitly stating that a religion guided by reason is essentially identical to Christianity: â€Å"after they had heard from us the name of Christ†¦you would notShow MoreRelatedThe Characteristics Of Thomas Mores Utopia913 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1516, Thomas More published the well-known book titled â€Å"Utopia,† where he defined the word as either â€Å"a good place† or â€Å"no place.† In the novel, More described an ideal communal society that was almost unheard of in his time. His â€Å"Utopia,† whose name was possibly derived from the Greek roots â€Å"ou not† and â€Å"tà ³p(os) a place† (â€Å"Utopia), can ultimately be considered a prototype of a modern welfare state (â€Å"Utopia (book)†). This, combined with a lack of private property and other characteristics,Read MoreThomas Mores Utopia Essay1115 Words   |  5 PagesThomas More’s Utopia is a work of ambiguous dualities that forces the reader to question More’s real view on the concept of a utopian society. However, evidence throughout the novel suggests that More did intend Utopia to be the â€Å"best state of the commonwealth.† The detailed description of Utopia acts as Mores mode of expressing his humanistic views, commenting on the fundamentals of human nature and the importance of reason and natural law while gracefully combining the two seemingly conflictingRead More Thomas Mores Utopia Essay example1441 Words   |  6 Pages Throughout Thomas Mores Utopia, he is able to successfully criticize many of the political, social, and economic ways of the time. His critique of feudalism and capitalism would eventually come back to haunt him, but would remain etched in stone forever. On July 6, 1535, by demand of King Henry VIII, More was beheaded for treason. His last words stood as his ultimate feeling about royalty in the 15th and 16th centuries, The Kings good servant, but Gods first. Throughout his life, More spokeRead MoreThe Paradox Of Thomas Mores Utopia As An Adjective?1441 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Thomas More penned Utopia in 1535, he not only created a new genre in fiction, he also created a new adjective.   Miriam-Webster defines Utopia as: a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions. An alternate definition given by the same dictionary is: an impractical scheme for social improvement.(Miriam-Webster) For the purpose of this essay we will be focusing on the latter; Utopia as an adjective. The paradox of the paradigm of Mores Utopia is that allRead MoreAnalysis of Thomas Mores Utopia Essay527 Words   |  3 PagesWhat is it about Thomas Mores Utopia that makes it as accessible and relevant to a 21st century westernized Catholic teenage boy as it did to an 18th century middle aged Jewish women? Utopia, a text written 500 odd years ago in differing country and language, is still a valid link to a contemporary understanding of society, human nature and morals. Through Mores Utopia, it becomes evident that the trans-historical and trans-cultural nature of the text emerges through Mores conscious and subconsciousRead More Socialism and Thomas Mores Utopia Essay2345 Words   |  10 PagesSocialism and Thomas Mores Utopia      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socialist ideals have recurred throughout the history of literature; from Plato to Marx the elusive goal of a perfect state has occupied some of the best minds in political thought manifesting itself in literature. In the midst of this historic tradition is the Utopia of More, a work which links the utopias of the ancient with the utopias of the modern. Hythlodays fantasy island draws heavily on the Greek Republic and yet it influenced the revolutionaryRead MoreEducation in Thomas Mores Utopia Essay2638 Words   |  11 PagesThe goal of education is to learn, and in this process of learning and being educated there are some greater goals that are served. Education in Thomas More’s Utopia seems to cater to a larger goal, which is to create virtuous persons and citizens, as they are responsible for attaining a flourishing human community. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest there seems to be an underlying idea of a connection between education and a sense of social control. The idea of instilling among his subjects a sense ofRead More A Deconstruction Reading of Thomas Mores Utopia Essay1785 Words   |  8 PagesA Deconstruction Reading of Thomas Mores Utopia Thomas Mores Utopia is the bastard child of European conventions and humanist ideals. Inspired by Mores belief in the elevation of human manners, education, and morals, the text also concedes to the omnipresent traditions of European society. While More accepts parentage of the text, he distances himself from its radical notions and thinly veiled condemnation of Europes establishment. Through the use of a benign narrator, Raphael HythlodayRead MoreEssay on Thomas Mores Utopia and His Context3405 Words   |  14 PagesUtopia is Sir Thomas More’s seminal work, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social, and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the issues of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, courtly ostentation, the abuse of power by the absolute monarchs, and the maltreatment of the poor. Consequently, More used Utopia to contrast some unique and refreshing political ideas wit h the chaotic politics of his ownRead MoreThe Perfect Society In Sir Thomas Mores Utopia790 Words   |  4 Pages What is a Utopia? When people think of the term Utopia they think of an ideal or perfect Society. In Sir Thomas More’s â€Å"Utopia† we are introduced to such a society. However, today’s reader can see that the society More’s mention’s is filled with many underlying problems that make it seem less ideal or perfect, because it puts too much stress on the freedom’s and rights of its citizens. Such an act is detrimental in creating a utopia, because if the citizens are not happy with their freedom’s and

Workshop Exercise Week 5 Developing a Thesis Stat Essay Example For Students

Workshop Exercise Week 5: Developing a Thesis Stat Essay ement in Response to AnEssay TopicFor the mid-term essay, you have been given a list of topics to write aboutin relation to either Great Expectations or Jane Eyre. In university essays(unlike Leaving Cert essays, which are more like summaries or checklists ofeverything you know about a text or subject), you are expected to toformulate an argument in response to your chosen topic which isarticulated in a thesis statement in your introductory paragraph. Furthermore, you are expected to analyze both the content and the formof the text and base your argument on evidence (citation and analysis) fromthe primary text and from secondary sources of scholarly criticism. Complete the exercise on pages 3-5 (section II of this handout) and bringit to your Workshop in Week 5. This exercise is designed to help youdevelop a thesis statement which expresses the argument you will make aboutyour chosen topic and which includes of analysis of both the content andthe form of the text. Note: you may decide to change your thesisstatement, topic, or chosen text after this workshop. The exercise isdesigned to help start you thinking what you might write about, which mightchange as you work through it. Be prepared to peer-review your thesis statement in class. After theexercise is a list of peer-review questions (section III), followed by anappendix of materials (section IV) that can give you further guidance indeveloping a thesis statement. I What is a Thesis Statement?If your assignment asks you to take a position ordevelop a claim about a subject, you need to convey that position or claimin a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare andcontrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue,it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support itpersuasively. A thesis statement . Tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. . Is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. . Directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a topic or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be 19th-century gender roles or Alice in Wonderland; a thesis must then offer a way to understand gender roles or the novel. . Makes a claim-an argument- that others might dispute. . Is usually a single sentence near the end of your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. The conclusion usually reiterates the thesis statement and summarizes how you have demonstrated its truth. Some Caveats and Examples:. An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. Reasons for the fall of communism is a topic. Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe is a fact known by educated people. The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe is an opinion. (Superlatives like the best almost always lead to trouble. Its impossible to weigh every thing that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldnt that be the best thing?). A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should telegraph how you plan to argue-that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay. . A thesis is never a question. Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question (Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?) is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water. . A thesis is never a list. For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe does a good job of telegraphing the reader what to expect in the essay-a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesnt advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important. . A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational. An ineffective thesis would be, Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil. This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading. . An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim. While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline is an effective thesis sentence that telegraphs, so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim.. A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible. Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elites inability to address the economic concerns of the people is more powerf ul than Communism collapsed due to societal discontent.. Anticipate the counter-arguments. Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that youll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counter-argument. If yours doesnt, then its not an argument-it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)|Michael Dukakis lost the 1988 presidential election||because he failed to campaign vigorously after the ||Democratic National Convention. |. This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counter- arguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a soft-on-crime image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counter-argument, youll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below. |While Dukakis soft-on-crime image hurt his||chances in the 1988 election, his failure to ||campaign vigorously after the Democratic National ||Convention bore a greater responsibility for his||defeat. |II WORKSHOP EXERCISE: UNDERSTANDING THE TOPIC AND DEVELOPING A THESISSTATEMENTWrite down your chosen topic and any questions you may have about it: Analyze the role, reliability, and impact of first person narration in the text. Write down a) which text you plan to use b) and loosely, how you mightrelate it to the topic:a) Jane Eyre b)Firstly, because its a first person narration (obviously)and secondly because it was published as an actual biography edited byBronte (hidden behind her pseudonym). Research: What other knowledge (context, formal analysis, secondarycriticism etc.) will you need to strengthen your argument? What sort ofscholarly criticism on what themes or areas or texts do you need to lookfor?Consulting Hazarding Confidences by Lisa Stornlieb and/or any other textconcerning narrative (and first persona narration) criticism could be agood source. Analyzing the text and critically evaluating what Jane saysshould be helpful too. Identify the two parts of the thesis:1) What do you plan to argue about the text:Is Jane a reliable narrator or is she omitting something/ altering thetruth? Was this done on purpose or did Bronte realize she put too much ofher own personality into the character?2) Telegraph how you will argue that in the essay (what evidence, whichchapters etc. will you look at? How will you organize the order ofevidence: represent this in your statement) How does the subject relate tothe form of the novel in what you are arguing?-The essay will analyze the way Jane tells the story of her life to thereader , carefully looking at particular sentences and phrases in chapters1, 14, 38, etc Nuclear Arms EssayWHAT IS A WORKING THESIS SENTENCE?Lets take a minute to define this term. A thesis sentence, as weve said,is a kind of contract between you and your reader. It asserts, controls,and structures your argument for your readers ease. A working thesissentence, on the other hand, is a sentence that you compose in order tomake the work of writing easier. Its a sentence that asserts, controls,and structures the argument for you. The working thesis need not be eloquent. In fact, it can be quiteclunky, declaring your argument and then clumsily listing your supportingpoints. Not to worry: youll be revising your thesis, and often more thanonce. Remember that, as you write, you are bound to come up with new ideasand observations that youd like to incorporate into your paper. Every timeyou make a new discovery, your thesis sentence will have to be revised. Sometimes youll find that youre stuck in your writing. You may need toreturn to your thesis. Perhaps you havent clearly defined an importantterm or condition in your thesis? Maybe thats why you find yourself unableto progress beyond a certain point in your argument?Revising your working thesis at this juncture could help you toclarify for yourself the direction of your argument. Dont be afraid torevise! In fact, the most important quality of a working thesis sentence isits flexibility. A working thesis needs to keep up with your thinking. Itneeds to accommodate what you learn as you go along. Revising the Working ThesisLets return now to our in-progress thesis: In Xs novel, the charactersseemingly insignificant use of lipstick in fact points to one of thenovels larger themes: the masking and unmasking of the self. Perhaps thisthesis served you well as you were writing the first couple of pages ofyour paper, but now that you are into the meat of the matter, you arestuck. How, exactly, is the writer using lipstick and masks to revealcharacter? And what, precisely, is his point in doing so?Its at this juncture that youll probably return to your thesis anddiscover a) what it doesnt say, and b) what it needs to say. Weve alreadydetermined that the sentence doesnt really address the most arguable andinteresting aspect of this argument. Now its time to ask yourself whythis hasnt been addressed. Perhaps you, the writer, havent yetarticulated this part of the argument for yourself? Is this why the thesis(and with it, the paper) seems to trail off?At this point you should stop dr afting the paper and return to thetext. Read a bit. Brainstorm a bit. Write another discovery draft. Read abit more. Here is something interesting. Youve found a passage in whichthe writer talks about how the lipstick left behind on a lovers shirtdrew a map for his wife into the dark lands of his infidelities. Andyouve found another passage in which the jilted lovers bright orangelipstick was like a road sign, guiding her betrayer to the heart of herpain. In these two passages you see the writer addressing another functionof lipstick: that women use it to draw a kind of map. You look for otherlipstick examples that might shed more light on the idea of mapping, andyou find them. Even better, you discover that all of these examples havesomething to do with betrayal, guilt, and shame. In the end, you concludethat lipstick is not being used in this novel just to mask and unmask. Women also use lipstick to map. The two are in fact linked:1. Lipstick masks by concealing real feelings (most often feelings of betrayal, guilt, and shame). 2. Lipstick masks, but in the process reveals or creates a new persona, one who overcomes the feelings of betrayal, guilt, and shame. 3. The author also uses the act of putting on lipstick as a metaphor for mapping. These maps might conceal that is, they might serve to detour the observer from discovering (or arriving at) the womans feelings of betrayal, or4. They might reveal. First, lipstick might draw a map to the truth about a betrayal, as they do for the betrayed wife in the novel. And second, lipstick might be seen as a tool with which a woman maps herself, drawing new borders, re-imagining her own inner landscapes, and re-routing her own destiny. This idea is very complicated. How do you make a thesis out of this?Your first try is bound to be clumsy. You need to find a way of puttingtogether all of your important ideas lipsticks, masks, maps, concealing,revealing, betrayal into one sentence. Lets try:While lipstick is used in Xs novel to conceal feelings of betrayal,it is also used to reveal the betrayal itself, in that lipstick bothmasks and maps betrayal, at first allowing women to hide themselves,but later providing them with the possibility to create new selves,and to re-route their lives. Does this sentence work?Revising Your Thesis For EloquenceClearly not. For one thing, it is simply too long. You are putting too muchinformation into one sentence. Sometimes writers fail to understand thattheir argument might best be expressed in a couple of sentences (with onesentence providing background information and the second serving as thethesis). Note the difference such a change would make:While lipstick is used in Xs novel to conceal feelings of betrayal, it isalso used to reveal the betrayal itself. Accordingly, lipstick both masksand maps betrayal in this novel, initially allowing women to hidethemselves, but later providing them with the possibility to create newselves, and to re-route their lives. Better? Sure, but it could be better still. You will, of course, wantto play with your thesis sentence until it is strong enough to present yourcomplex argument, and clear enough to guide your reader through your paper. But even more than this, you will want to write a thesis sentence thatevokes something in the reader. You will want to use language that has somepower; you will want to structure the sentence so that it has some oomph.Pay attention to diction, to syntax, to nuance, and to tone. Inshort, write a good sentence. Understand that you can revise the thesis sentence above in a number ofways. Ask yourself:. Is my argument clear?. Does it present the logic and the structure of my paper?. Does it emphasize the points I want to emphasize? Perhaps in the end you decide that the previous sentence seems to makemasking and mapping of equal importance to this paper. Youve decided thatmapping is the more original, stronger idea. So you revise once more, foremphasis. Consider this, then, our final thesis sentence (note how thecomplete argument now relies on the interaction between two introductorysentences and the thesis statement itself): While at first it might appear that lipstick is being used merely to hide the characters feelings of betrayal, a closer look reveals that its most essential use is actually to map the path to the betrayal itself. By using lipstick as the signposts, betrayal can be discovered and navigated. As a result, characters are able to re-draw the borders of their relationships, an d to re-route the course of their lives.

Music Industry Rappers free essay sample

VOLVO, which gets Jacked repeatedly while the Ford hurtles, happily, to the source of the noise. Not to the stations broadcast booth on a campus across the river, nor to its transmission towers in the suburbs, but rather to Raja Productions in North Dorchester, where black kids from Bosons now-integrated high schools-Latin, Madison Park, Jeremiah Burke, Manhattan-cut demos and dream of being bigger than even the radios new friend, a young man named School D who right now, at speaker-damaging volume, sounds darn big. Before we start this next record , Schools saying.The record In question Is called Slinging Rapper, a brief, bloody tale of ghetto retribution from Side 2 of Schools Smoke Some Kill. The black areas are cut away from the white areas a federal judge ruled in 74, and evidence is everywhere that nothings changed since then. On the southbound left of the Fitzgerald Expressway pass 20 blocks of grim Irish-Catholic housing projects, the western border of Belfast, complete with Sin Feint graffiti and murals depicting a glorious united Ireland, a neighborhood where the gadfly will get his fibula busted for praising the 74 court order that bused Them from wherever it is They live-theThird World fear carriages-into 97-percent-white South Boston. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Industry Rappers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On the Expressways right is the place the fibula-busters are talking about: the simultaneous northern border of Haiti, Jamaica and Georgia; a territory that maps of Boston call North Dorchester. Uniting the two sides of the Expressway is just about nothing. Both neighborhoods are tough and poor. Both hate the college world across the river, which, because of Bosons rotten public schools, they will never see as freshmen.And kids from both neighborhoods can do this hating to the beat of undergraduate radio, which this fine ironing features suburban kids with student debt broadcasting the art of a ghetto Philadelphia roughly their age, once much poorer than they, but now, on royalties from Smoke Some Kill, very much richer. Not that the shared digging of black street music Is news, or even new: twenty years ago, when Morgan v. Hennaing, Bosons newborn v. Board of Education, was Inching through the courts, and even dark-completed Italians were sometimes unwelcome In the Irish precincts east of the Expressway, kids In Bosons Little Belfast sang along with James Brown over the radio Im black and Im proud Say it loud Im black and Im proud! Except that halfway through the infectious funk, the crosscuts realize what theyre saying: Jesus Christ, Im proud to be black fear shortcakes, like when youre in the porno store, you know, and you get lost or something and you find yourself in the mens part, you know? To the part for men in the part thats about men, Jesus, and you get the hell auto there. And so they hum/mumble the suppressed parts Say it loud Im mom hum proud Mum hum hum proud! But rap isnt funk, rock or Jazz, and the vast crossover move, broadcasting ghetto music over college radios to ghettos of a different color, is no simple reenactment of past crossovers. How, for example, does the sing-along fan of Smoke Some Kill mumble his w ay through these lines: Black is beautiful Brown is sick? Slick? Stiff? Yellows K But white anti sit. Raja Productions, modestly headquartered in a mixed black/Hispanic Field, Corner section of North Dorchester, is as follows: * One (1) four-car garage fitted with dubbing and remaining gear worth more than most of the rest of the real estate on the block; * One (1) touch-tone telephone (leased); * Two (2) Chevy Blazers, vanity-plated RAJAH and RAJAH, each equipped with cellular phones and slick tape decks (also leased); * One (1) VS. with Kathleen Turners Body Heat cued up on the morning in question; * Most importantly, eight (8) promising acts under binding contract.If, as has happened to many local labels, Raja were liquidated to satisfy creditors, these would be the pieces. But there are stores of value in the converted garage beyond the reach of the auctioneers gavel. School D, the original Signifying Rapper, looms irresistibly from the pages of rap fanzines Hip-Hop and The Source; and Rajas prime, unmentionable asset is the consuming ambition of the artists in its stable to be the next School D. Or the next Ice T, or Cool Moe Dee, or L. L. Cool J. , or hovers the special hero of the kid cutting the demo.On this particular morning, Late vs.. Van White and 10% Ids-since today is Tam-Tams day and Tam-Tam is, at 16, a tough girl in the MS Late mold who, like MS Late, can dance, look good, and tell men to beat it, all at once. Or so claims Tam-Tams producer, promoter, and Dutch uncle, Gary Smith, who opened Raja on Martin Luther Kings birthday, 89, with his older brother Ante. Ante, the elder statesman, is 25. Gary, 22, runs the company while Ante travels with his boyhood-friend-turned-boss, quadruple-platinum, Prince-derived rapper/singer, Bobby Brown.Raja was founded in part with an investment from the 23-year-old multi-millionaire Brown, a native of Roxbury. Brown now lives in Los Angels. Ante and Gary Smith turn a healthy profit making demos at $500/tape, but the brothers arent in the health business. Their aim: to follow in the corporate footsteps of Defy Jam, a once similarly tiny production company run from a basement in Hollies, Queens, which since its basement days, has given America Public Enemy, L. L. Cool J. , the Beastie Boys, and much of the rest of that culture-quake called rap.Gary Smith doesnt compare Raja to Defy Jam, and, unlike Defy Jams Russell Simmons, Gary reduces pop, soul, and RB as well as straight rap, and actually prefers RB. But how many sophomores at nearby Jeremiah Burke can afford to dream in RB, to front music lessons and $500 for an nth-hand sound set-up, find three friends to learn drums, bass and keyboards, and then raise another $500 to make a demo at Raja? Anybody with a larynx can rap, however, and Rajas brisk business in rap demos pays the taxman, Boston Edison and the Chevrolet Motor Credit Corp.. Twenty minutes farther south on the Fitzgerald Expressway, across the Nipponese River and into the pricey suburbs, is the scene of John Achievers boyhood, more gently celebrated as Massachusetts Miracle country, where technology ventures are started at the rate of five per week, four of which will fail within 12 months. Rajas Gary Smith is secret brother to the men of the suburban Chambers of Commerce, sharing their worries about cash flow, overhead, and the enforceability of his contracts; but Garry world and theirs are as far apart as those of Ward and Eliding Cleaver.Worriers in suburbia fear that ballooning property values will hike taxes on computer executives seaside homes. In Agars neighborhood, property values are actually falling. Waiting less than patiently for Tam-Tam, Gary honks wick. A tall, grave girl with an angels heart-shaped face crosses the ghetto street and climbs into the back seat of RAJAH . She has, apparently, at least two voices, the cynical, sexy rant heard on tape this morning telling Pebbles men anti worth it, and the whisper in which she now says hello. As RAJAH re-crosses North Dorchester, heading back to the soundproof studios to get the days work started, Gary and DC Reese hash out production details. Tam-Tams a dignified island in the back seat, and a shiver accompanies the thought that this could be the Motor City in 63 with Berry Gorky and an eighty-pound teenage Diana Ross, Just voted Best Dressed at Sacs Technical High School, driving cross-town to Ask Tam-Tam about Diana Ross, and she gives a beatific smile.Shes 16; she can remember only with difficulty the first rap she ever listened to, when rap was new and she was 8; Run-DIM or somebody, she mumbles in response to what suddenly seems a foolish question about her influences. Like most of raps black audience (as distinct from raps white audience, which is usually a decade older), Tam-Tam has no first-hand recollection of James Brown except as a source for rap. She is too young to have attended segregated schools.She was in diapers during the violent first few months of des egregation in Boston and cant remember the awful day in 74 when pro-neighborhood marchers from Irish South Boston came upon a black pedestrian at City Hall and beat him with pole-mounted American flags. Tam-Tam has star presence, and like many who do, she seems to see very little of what goes on around her, the price of the stars intense focus on self. She reminds you of Senator Gary Hart. He, too, had star presence.In front of a crowd, Hart was riveting; in the elevator riding up to the auditorium, he was barely there. Being barely here in the neighborhood Tam-Tam calls home is probably not such a bad thing, and perhaps her drive to be star someday is an elaborate way to wall out the now and here. Ambition is, finally, a form of hope, a scarce commodity in North Dorchester. Back in Rajas control booth, DC Reese and producer Ralph Stacey are programming the rhythm track for what will be Ho, Youre Guilty. Drum parts are taken from a Roland TRY-909 Rhythm Composer, a synch which electronically reproduces programmed beats on the users choice of drum-matrix. The TRY-asss keys, on a console designed to resemble, vaguely, the familiar piano, are named after the sound ACH creates-bass, snare, mid-tom, hi-tom-and the sounds are named after the actual drums which, until the TRY-909, were required to make those sounds. The TRY-909 even sports a key named HAND CLAP, making it possible for the first time ever to clap hands with a single finger, rendering obsolete the Zen Joan about the sound of one hand clapping.The finished Ho, Youre Guilty will sound lush with percussion, melody, and instrumental breaks. Not one human musician will be employed in the recording process. Each percussion line is programmed onto the mixing board as a separate track: a snare track, a bass track, a clap track, etc. Reese has been studying the classics lately, too, biz: James Browns Dead on the Heavy Funk from shish, including the ageless groove, Funky President, in which James announces his third-party candidacy.Some of Bobby Bards Dead guitar, and a holy moment wh en James exhales rhythmically, have been isolated from a store-bought cassette of Dead, re-recorded on clean tape, then re-re-recorded onto a computer-readable memory diskette from which the sample is retrieved and altered by Ralph Stacey using a Roland D-50 linear synch. The guitar and the exhalation then go, as altered, from the synch to yet another of the UT of these 24 strands. As Reese and Ralph Stacey mix the 24 tracks onto one master tape, Tam-Tam sips lemonade in the corner of the booth.You ask her if she is interested someday in learning about the obscure digital technology the two men manipulate on her behalf. She doesnt seem to register the question. The other career besides rap Id like to pursue is modeling, she says. Im five-seven. Thats the perfect height for a model. Mixing takes the rest of the day. Producer Ralph Stacey at one late point corners you with a flinty stare and an uncomfortable question: Why do you want to write about AP, anyway? It is lucky that at that minute Reese is done mixing.Tomorrow the Raja staff will tape Tam-Tams vocal track and lay this over Reeces rhythm track. Then the sound will be fattened with stacks of horns, guitar hooks, bells, canned applause, and whatever else they decide to take from other tapes or work up on the Rolando. The final demo tape of Ho, Youre Guilty will then be shopped to the 20 major, minor, and tiny labels who might release the demo as a 12-inch single. Everyones ready to call it a day. Gary Smiths already huddled with some new want- be stars in Rajas reception area. Reese plays the mixed rhythm track once through over the big speakers in the control booth, and Tam-Tam immediately stands, modeling forgotten, utterly alert. Reese gestures to her with maestro hands. She raps at an absent Antoinette in the hard, sexy voice you havent heard since this morning, extemporaneous but on beat: Im a female Youre Just a fairytale. The small-w we here are two white Boston males: one native, one oft-transplanted; both residing in Cambridge, a dim, ethnic-Portuguese neighborhood whose gentrification we abet. M. Is an attorney with a taste for Jazz, Blues, funk; D. Radar student and would-be drifter who watches TV instead of sleeping. Our cultural tastes and interests are day and night. They converged only lately, when Ads stereo arrived UPS and we discovered we shared an uncomfortable, somewhat furtive, and distinctively white enthusiasm for a certain music called rap/hip-hop. * About our passions and discomforts we could determine only that they were vague distinct contexts and catheter brought to bear across the same ethnic distance on the same thing. For instance, we agreed that real or serious rap is not FAD or Tone Loc orBeasties, Egyptian Lover or Fat Boys, not experiments or foreshadows or current commercial crossover slush. Serious rap-a unique U. S. Inner-city fusion of funk, technician reggae, teen-to-teen hardcore rock, and the early ass poetry of the black experience of Nikkei Giovanni, the Last Poets, etc. -has, since its late-ass delivery at the record-scratching hands of Africa Bumboat and his Zulu Nation, Sugarbird Gang, Cool Here and his automated Hercules, and Grandmaster Flash, always had its real roots in the Neighborhood, the black gang-banger Underground. Black music,We concurred as to the wheres and when of raps begetting-mid-to-late ass South Bronx house parties; then, by decades end, block parties, with municipal electric lights tapped for a power source, literal dancing in the streets; by 82, regular rap- houses and then floating clubs-the Rosy every Sunday, The Borons Disco Fever HTH-everybody Breaking to a new musical antistatic being fashioned from records and turntables and an amateur Ads ad-lib banter; a very heavy reggae influence at the beginning; the more rhythmic pure rap an offshoot, its brisker, sparer, backseat signed for Breakneck, and the smooth-rapping portrayer who Just didnt want to shut up when others music was on.We agreed, too, on rough chronology: ama teur house-partiers giving way to professional Ads, pioneers; they, too, then overshadowed by new art-entrepreneurs, former Breakers, failed singers, gag-majorettes; then the rise of Indies, the tiny independent labels that keep most new music on life- support-Sugar Hill, Jive, Tommy Boy, Wild Pitch, Profile Records, Enjoy-then, after King Tim Ills Personality Joke and Sugarbird Gangs Rappers Delight, an entree into urban black radio; then to underground Mix radio; then corporate levels, digital technology, very big money, the early-ass talent that became an early Scenes cream- Spooning G. And Sequence, Eric Fresh, Unknown DC, Egyptian Lover and Run-DIM. Then, Spring 84, the extraordinary Midas touch of Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons Defy Jam label (now under contract to CBS) from which sprang a mid-ass stable of true stars, in the Underground-public Enemy, L. L. Cool J, Slick Rick, the still-unparalleled Eric B. And Racism-and L. A. s alternatives: Cool Moe Dee, L. A. Dream Team, and others.And now, at decades end, an absolute explosion of rap-as-pop, big business, MAT, special fashions, posters, merchandise, with only a few big, new, cutting-edge acts- L. A. s N. W. A. , Philadelphia School D, Imams 2 Live Crew, De La Souls House-blend of rap/funk/]jazz-remaining too esoteric or threatening or downright obscene to cross all the way over and cash in with big labels. By 89 rap is finally proving as important (read also lucrative) to an anemic shock-and rebellion-music industry as Punk was an exact decade ago. This was all Just data. We agreed on it, and on how it as curious that we both had such strange, distant facts down cold. Our point of departure, essay-wise, was always less what we know than what we felt, listening: less what we liked than why.For this attempt at an outside sampler we plunked down and listened to thousands of hours of rap, trying to summon a kind of objective, critical, purely aesthetic passion that the music itself made impossible. For outsiders, raps easy to move to, hard to dissect. The more we listened and thought and drank beers and argued, the more we felt that the stuffs appeal for two highbrow, upscale whites was Just plain incongruous. Because serious rap has, right from the start, presented itself as a closed show. Usually critical questions of culture, context, background and audience reduce quickly to vexed questions about prepositions. Not here. No question that serious rap is, and is very self-consciously, music by urban blacks about same tonal for same.To mainstream whites its a tight cohesion that cant but look, from outside the cultural window, like occlusion, clannishness (sic) and inbreeding, a kind of reverse snobbery about whats defy and And WASP-only country clubs. Serious rap is a musical movement that seems to revile whites as a group or Establishment, and simply to ignore their possibility as distinct individuals-the Great White Male is raps Grand Inquisitor, its idiot questioner-its Alien Other no less than Reds were for McCarthy. The musics paranoia, together with its hermetic racial context, helps explain why from the outside it appears to us Just as vibrant and impassioned as it does alien and scary. Other incongruities.Rap is a music essentially without melody, built instead around a digitally synthesized drum- and back-beat often about as complex as five idle fingers on a waiting-room table, enhanced by sa mpled (pirated) crush roves (licks or repetitive chord-series) conceived and recorded by pre-rap rock icons, the whole affair characterized by a distinctive, spare, noisy, clattering style whose obsessive if limited thematic revolve with the speed of low-I amperage around the affirmative circuit of the MS/rapper and his record-scratching, sound- mixing Ashcan Panda, the D]. The rapper (the guy in the cameo cut or Kananga hat, pricey warm-up, unlaced Aids, extra thick gold chain or oversized medallion) offers lyrics that are spoken or bellowed in straight, stressed, rhymed verse, the verses syntax and meter often ordered for rhythmic gain or the kind of limiting-for-rhyme we tend to associate with doggerel about men from Nantucket. The lyrics, nearly always self-referential, tend to be variations on about half a dozen basic themes, themes that at first listen can seem less alien or shocking than downright dull.Egg: Just how bad/cool/fresh/defy the rapper and his lyrics are; Just how equally UN-all-these his music rivals are; how troublesome, vacuous and acquisitive women are; how wonderful it is to be paid in full for rapping instead of stealing or dealing; how gangs are really families, canines constant bad news. And, in particular, how sex and violence and yuppie toys represent perfectly the urban black liveried to late-ass American glory. The masks are many, too many for anything really but direct aural inspection: rap personae can change frequently even within single albums, the rapper delivering Hard, violent Black Nationalist communique on one cut, dubbing against Trinitarian steel drums on another, basking in big label eclat on a third, cracking a head and then defy outwitting someone muscled and dumb, cooing to his pitch and then on the flip side, threatening to go get his gun again if she cant learn whos boss.Though any crew naturally wants its own distinctive game and face, the quintessential rap group is unsentimental, chameleons. This is either by weird design, or its a symptom and symbol of ass facelessness.. . Or most likely, its Just a good old venerable synecdoche of raps genre itself, one thats now moving so fast it cant quite fix on its own identity -? much less hold still for anything like cool, critical classification or assessment, from outside. The Macs Alice Toasts-queue DC hovers ever nearby over his buffet of connected turntables and the black Germans of a whole lot of digital editing playback rush groove, and the sound carpet, I. E. Kind of electric aural environment, a chaos behind the rappers rhymed order, a digitized blend of snippets, squeaks, screams, sirens, snatches from pop media, all mixed and splattered so that the listener cannot really listen but only feel the resultant mash of samples that results. The most recognizable of these samples range from staccato record-scratches to James Brown and Fungicidal licks, to M. L. K. s public Dream, to quotidian pop pap like The Theme from Shaft, Brady Bunch dialogue, and ass detergent commercials. We have now read every review and essay to do with serious underground hip-hop available in every single on-line periodical except for one or two underground newsletters (biz. The City Sun, Fresh-Est) circulated in parts of the Bronx demimonde where learning about rap is as hard for white outsiders as scoring fine China White or Asks.From the kind of sedulous bibliographical research to be expected of conscientious lawyers and PhD, the following has become clear. Outside England, where the Punk-weaned audience has developed a taste for spectacle-through- windows, for vicarious Rage and Protest against circumstances that have exactly 0% o do with them, most of what Rolling Stone calls devoted rock consumers (meaning we post-baby-boomers), plus almost all established rock critics, tend to regard non- crossover rap as essentially boring and simplistic, or swaggering a nd bellicose and dangerous-at all events, basically vapid and empty because of its obsessive self- referentially.. . N short, as closed to them, to us, as a music. Unrecognizable as what weve been trained and adverted to buy as pop. Great to dance to, of course, but then what might the white audience for todays mainstream expect? Rap, whether second or sterile, is todays pop musics lone cutting edge, the new, the unfamiliar, the brain-resisted-while-body-boogies. And that resisted, alien, exhilarating cutting edge has always been black. What have you left me? What have I got? Last night in cold blood my young brother got shot My homey got Jacked My mothers on crack My sister cant work cause her arms show tracks Madness, insanity Live in profanity Then some punk claim that they understanding me?Give me a break-what world do you live in? Death is my sex-guess my religion* What makes this stuff so much more disturbing, more real to outsiders than the Punk Rock even those of us who remember it could never quite take seriously? Maybe even a closed music has to have some kind of detente with received custom: I always found it tough to listen straight-faced to a nihilist lecture from someone with a chartreuse Mohawk and an earring in his eyelid who punctuates his delivery with vomit and spit. All doctrine and pronouncement, exclusively anti-, this Punk of a void, nothing human to grab onto. I have no idea what a Punk performer thinks, feels, is, da y-to-day N fact I always suspected he had no day, but Just retreated to his plush coffin at cockcrow. Can you imagine a Punk with four-foot hair and spiked jacket and nose-ring, say, eating a bologna sandwich? Replacing a light bulb? Putting a quarter in a meter? Not me, boy. And even Barnum, who knew fear sells, also knew that foreshadows arent frightening when the freakishness supplants all resemblance. 0% affinity = 0% empathy. And fear requires empathy as much as it does menace or threat. Public Enemy and N. W. A. , Ice T and School D discomfit us, our friends, the critics we read and cornered, because the Hard rappers lyrics are conscientious about being of/for the real lives and attitudes of recognizable, if alien, persons.Heres where its a level up from mere spectacle: ideology in Hard rap is always informed by incident or named condition. This makes rap not only better than Punk, but way scarier. Serious Hard raps afford white listeners genuine, horses-mouth access to the life-and-death plight and mood of an American community on the genuine edge of IM-/explosion, an ugly new sub-nation weve been heretofore conditioned to avoid, remand to the margins, not even see except through certain carefully abstract, attenuating filters. For outsiders, rap is hard to dissect, easy to move to. The command is: dance, dont understand; participate, dont manipulate. Rap is a fortress protected by the twin moats of talk and technology. The first is that nu style of speak-the dialect drug, De La Soul calls it-that rappers fashion from Jive and disseminate through record stores to all of us. Some in-words, like fly, meaning functioning, have been in coin since the beginning, now venerable as Old English because they turn up on Grandmaster Flash cuts from 82. Others, like dead presidents, rap for $$, are either coming into or going out of currency, depending on when you read this. Rap, a club language, has yard ways to describe ones own or others looks. Fly is how a man digs a woman. One would never describe oneself as fly, even when cataloguing ones own attractions (done more in rap than anyplace except perhaps Village Voice personals). Fresh means irresistibly stylish, oft-modified by funky, crazy, or stooped, predominantly used to convey the fly-news of things other than women, including oneself or ones rap, which two concepts rappers, like schizophrenics, cant always keep separate in their heads. Dope means defy, and defy means crazy funky stooped fresh. Synonyms include: the sit, the It, the cool, the than, the word, the grooviest, the categorical imperative, die hallucinates, the that-which-Potter- Stewart-would-know-if-he-saw. A defy rapper is so style-defining as to make the stylish mere copycats. To be defy is to rap to the beat of a different drum machine-not seeking solitude, but rather confident that others will follow. The defy rapper Macs a defy rap, which rap defy-lay tells of its own (and the rappers) defy-news-so defy, as MIMIC manager, entrepreneur Russell Rush Simmons brags, that it had to be on a label called Defy Jam.Rap celebrates power, equating strength with style, and style with the I in wrong; to bite is to thieve anothers dope beat. And only the ill would bite. Early remembered pop was the first fake music ever, since what the record buyer of 63 experienced as Aural Event on his turntable couldnt happen live. Rock began to become an Illusion of Event which technology made possible; rock became more like the movies, starting down a long road at the end of which was MAT. Not that this kept Phil Specter up nights. The gurus of the studio had fatter fish to clean, for the new freedom to shape sound had come at a price. With each magnetic jump from live, as tape was made of tapes which were themselves tapes of tapes, the hiss and crackle of interference multiplied.Dual high-bias media with 2 units each of sonic garbage per 10,000 units of Elvis Presley, retyped on similar 2-units-per-10,OOH tape, became 4 units of hiss; retyped, 8; then 16; then 32. As the sound got fuller, it decayed. The solution was a breakthrough called multi-tracking-using recorders that could capture and play back on 2 (as in stereo), 4 (as in ass then-ear-shattering Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band), 12, 16, and today 24 parallel tracks, eliminating he hiss of transference from one machine to the next. Rhythms, melodies, harmonies could all be captured on separate tracks, allowing the performer or producer to mix and listen and re-mix, adding vocals or lead instrument on yet another track. Rap Edison like Cool Here, Grandmaster Flash and Africa Bumboat began as party Ads, not musicians.Their wiring of twin turntables to a mixer, allowing them to stack the sound of two different records while rapping into a mike, was a kind of crude, extemporaneous multitasking. Technological loops like those in the NASA-queue studios of CBS and Polygraph were now in the hands of the homeboys. Carter was President. The Bee Gees, with five Top-Ten hits in twelve months, were king. Digital recording, the science dividing Rajas Tam-Tam on tape from Tam-Tam as heard live is a technology that converts music to codes or digits. The codes are read by a computer, one combining sophisticated sound-to-code translation hardware with a number-crunching COOS and a high-response synthesizer, at speeds of 40,000 digits per second and up.The recorded sounds, reduced to numbers, can be shaped, mangled, muffled, amplified, and even cannonaded. ** Hardware then translates the digits, as read and altered, back into sound, which can itself be recorded on multicultural and combined with yet more sounds. The result: hiss-free reproduction on an infinity of tracks, each of which can itself be manipulated infinitely. Digital recording, part of the ass sea-change in how pop gets made, divides the responsibility for the final song more or less equally between the performer, the engineer at the mixing board, the producer who coordinates the multi-tracking and mixing process, and the e lectronic hardware that actually makes the music we buy.