Abercrombie & Fitch Positioning Strategy Research Paper

Abercrombie & Fitch Positioning Strategy - Research Paper Example An analysis on Abercrombie & Fitch can show how it has positioned its brand, and how effective the strategy is. This can be done using the four P’s of the marketing mix as noted by Smith, (2013), namely product, promotion, place and price. A look at the product shows that it clearly stands out. There is a lot of competition in the clothing industry, but Abercrombie & Fitch has managed to continue leading in terms of products. This company sells outfits like tank tops, underwear, jeans, fragrances, t-shirts and footwear for the youth and kids only, unlike its rival companies such as American Eagle Outfitters and Gap Inc who stock all types of clothes, footwear and fragrances for everyone. It is a company for young kids between the age of 7-14 year, teens between 14-18 years and also stocks women underwear and loungewear (Joseph, 2013). This is one aspect in the market mix that makes it distinct from the other companies. In addition, as the CEO of the company, Mike Jeffries puts it, his business is for the lovely, the attractive and cool and those who are not overweight. The company’s cloth line is unique in design. ... In fact, most of the people do not get to know about Abercrombie through the television or magazines. Word of mouth from its customers works well for them, and on Abercrombie television, the advertising is done. Of importance to note is their way of advertising, which makes use of sex appeal. This has greatly been condemned religious denominations and human rights organizations, complaining that the company campaigns for pre-marital sex among the youth, especially the young girls. However, the company CEO, Mike Jeffries confidently asserts that he and his team represent healthy sexuality, playful and glorious camaraderie which is usually found in the company’s target market (Joseph, 2013). The company, in early 2003 used its magazine, Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly, to further reach out to existing customers and potential customers. The magazines production was however stopped as people accused the company of promoting soft pornography. The company also advertises its products through its website (Abercrombie. Com) and through its subscription catalogs which have over 400,000 subscribers. Their advertisements all reach out to the young people where they show the ‘effect’ of using the company’s products like perfumes. A good example is the Abercrombie effect advertisement. They also indirectly use negative publicity to promote their products (Joseph, 2013). Price is the other element in the marketing mix. Price is a great determinant on who will buy at a certain company and how much of a product they will buy. When the price of a product is law, more people are likely to purchase it and vice versa (Smith, 2013; Graham, 2013). For Abercrombie & Fitch,

Religion The Sacred And Rituals Theology Religion Essay

Religion The Sacred And Rituals Theology Religion Essay This paper will discuss the challenges of both the Islamic and Catholic religion in terms of defining the rituals, how members practice their religion and the overall terms of their devotion. Comparing is not an easy task as Islam and Catholicism are complete ends of the spectrum. For both religions claiming to be peace loving people, who share some of the same religious texts, and have many common beliefs they often cannot get along. Neither religion will tolerate or begin to accept the other religions if strictly and literally practiced by either Islam or Catholicism. Religion is a personal choice and as much as it is a choice, it should be respected by other religions as well. It does not matter what your beliefs are, if you are truly devoted to your faith, you will understand the need for religious tolerance. Religious tolerance is something that is borne out of a complete devotion to your faith. You will honor and accept your religion as something personal; however, in the same regard, you will accept the teachings, practices and traditions of other religions as well In some ways, Islam and Catholicism parallel each other. Although the rituals, prayers and history are different, they basically mirror each other in the basic aspects. The word Islam means submission or surrender in Arabic. To be submissive, means to be submissive to the will of Allah. Catholics hold a Trinitarianism belief that God is three persons in one, the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit. Muslims, or followers of Islam, maintain that Allah is one God and has no equal and no partner. (Dolphin, undated). Islamic doctrine is based on four separate principles or sources: the Quran, ijtihad (individual thought), the Sunnah (traditions) and ijma or community consensus. The Quran is to the Muslims, the Word of God, as the Bible is to Catholics. Unlike the Bible, the Quran was believed to be delivered from Allah, to the Angel Gabriel. The Quran is divided in to 144 surahs or chapters. Each of the early readings revealed in Mecca, are ethical and spiritual. The early readings also include the Day of Judgment. The surahs in later chapters, teach social, political and moral teaching for the communities. (Dolphin, undated). Muslims are uncertain as to whether they will go to heaven or not. However, like the Catholic religion, there are certain steps that must be taken to ensure eternal life. The 5 Pillars of the Islam faith are: Confession of Faith (Shahada), Salat (prayer), Sawm (fasting during the month of Ramadan), Zakat (contributing tithings) and Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims recite the Shahada or, Confession of Faith: La ilaha illaLlah; wa Muhammadun rasuluLlah. There is no God but Allah; and Muhammad is Allahs prophet. The Quran has six main teachings and like the Catholic faith, each must be adhered to in order to receive a final reward. The first teaching is that you must believe in Allah. To believe in Allah is to believe in the teachings of the Quran and no other. The word of Allah comes directly from the Quran and there is no room for interpretation by man. Muslims believe the message delivered to the Angel Gabriel is unadulterated and therefore implicit. The second teaching is belief in the Angels who are the messengers of Allah. Although Muslims do not submit to Allah, they submit to the teachings of Allah. Allah is not to be questioned. To question Allah or his existence is to deny the existence of his will. The third teaching is belief in the Books, you must believe in the Messengers, you must believe in the Day of Judgment. Although there is judgment at the time of death, the final judgment comes at the end of time. The final belief is that Muslims have to believe implicitly in fate. The Quran teaches that God has determined both good and evil. By acknowledging the teachings of the Quran, one acknowledges there is no other religion. To consider worship in another religion is to blaspheme Allah. The Quran does not recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Muslims do not acknowledge Jesus death or Resurrection. Fundamental Islam teaches that Jesus was nothing more than a mere prophet and denies the existence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a Trinity. Allah and his will are the final word. In essence, Allah is the Master (abd) and Muslims are his slaves (abd). To submit totally to the Master is to have complete faith in Allah. (Robinson, 2012) The Catholic faith can be just as confusing and just as intricate as the Islamic faith. The Catholic Church is full of rituals and traditions that are questioned by many. The Catholic Church recognizes that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered and died on the Cross for our sins. To many, the existence of a virgin birth is inconceivable. Catholics recognize God as Our Father. However, that does not mean that God and the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus. The Catholic religion teaches that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. The conception of Jesus was Immaculate and therefore, The Virgin Mary is recognized as our Mother. (The Holy See, 2012). Mary is not worshiped on the same level as Our Father. Mary is revered as the Mother of Jesus and although Catholics do not specifically pray to Mary, they ask for her intercession through Jesus Christ, her Son. The Hail Mary is the prayer most often associated with reverence for the Virgin Mother. The word Hail is used not as a title to acknowledge Mary as being on the same level with Jesus or the Father. It is merely used as a greeting. The word, Hail was used in biblical times much as we usethe greeting, Hello today. Catholics also recite the Rosary, which is another form of ritualistic prayer. The Rosary is not mentioned in the Bible, it is not a mandatory teaching or tradition. It is a man-made prayer which when said properly, allows Catholics to reflect and meditate on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. From the Annunciation by Marys cousin Elizabeth that she was going to be the Mother of the Most Holy One to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Rosary is used as a teaching tool. The Catholic Church was founded over 2000 years ago on the Pentecost. This was the day the Holy Spirit appeared to the Apostles. As Muslims recite the Shahada, Catholics recite the Apostles Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. The Apostles Creed once again, is a historical account of the life of Jesus. It is the basic belief that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, became man and ultimately died for our sins. One interesting concept that differs between the Catholic, and Islamic faith is tolerance for killing. It specifically states in the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt not kill. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai and are the framework of a Christian life. The Ten Commandments are basic rules for every Christian and/or Catholic to pattern their lives after. There is no room for interpretation of the Ten Commandments. Although the Commandments are depicted in a particular order, there does not seem to be a Commandment which, when broken, is more severe than the others. Islam has tolerance for killing non-combatants. The Quran calls for the elimination of all and any non-Muslim invaders. If the result is death of the invader(s), the Quran considers it to be collateral damage. In order to keep the Muslim faith pure, it is considered perfectly acceptable to extinguish the lives of any person who does not accept the Quran and the Muslim way of life as their own. The teaching of some radical Imams additionally allows for the killing of Israelis who could as adults join the Israeli army, once again based on the belief that the Quran allows for the elimination of anyone who may interfere with the teachings of Islam. Teachings from the Quran that incite the radical Muslims result in the acceptance of suicide bombings, suicide missions such as the September 11th attacks on the United States and every other form of terrorism that radical Muslims have engaged in over the years. In the Catholic religion, there is zero tolerance for the murder of anyone opposed to the teachings and beliefs of the Church. At this juncture, the Catholic religion deems abortion as murder and will excommunicate any woman who, for whatever reason, opts to terminate a pregnancy. There is no exception for a pregnancy that is a result of rape, incest or any other act that results in the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. In the Catholic view, human life begins at conception. In this sense, it could be viewed as a radical opposition to the choice of a woman to choose whether or not to carry a fetus to term even in the mother is incapable of performing her duties as a nurturer. One example of this type of pregnancy would be for a severely mentally disabled woman to become impregnated. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, it does not matter that the quality of life for the child may be severely diminished. It is not a concern if the life of the mother is endangered either. Like the T en Commandments, there is no room for interpretation. Human life begins at conception. For Muslims and Catholics to coexist, there has to be some form of religious tolerance. Although the basic teachings are similar, when the beliefs and traditions are altered from their original state, that leaves room for views that become tainted by man to conform to his personal, political and self-righteous beliefs.

The Community vs The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA)

Abraham Lincoln said, â€Å"You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.† This rings true, especially when different groups of people are trying to reach a consensus. Every organization has its own set of stakeholders, all with their own opinions, thoughts, and ideas of how things should be. Many organizations do not consider their stakeholders in their decision-making process. However, for those who want to be seen as a good neighbor, it is a constant challenge to incorporate the community’s wishes while still following their own agendas in an effort to maintain a collegial, collaborative environment. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), is a self-supporting agency that is responsible for the operation of Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. It was formed in 1987, through an act of Congress, and is governed by a seventeen-member board of directors, with members appointed by the president, the governors of Maryland and Virginia, and the mayor of the District of the Columbia. It does not receive taxpayer money, but generates funds from aircraft landing fees, passenger facility charges, bonds, federal and state airport improvement program funds, and the rents and revenues from the concessions that operate within the two airports. In 2008, the Commonwealth of Virginia transferred the control, maintenance, and daily operation of the Dulles Toll Road to MWAA. The reason for this transfer was so the tolls collected could help finance the construction of the Silver Line, an extension of the Washington, D.C. Metrorail system. T... ...n participation in decision making: Is it worth the effort? Public Administration Review 64(1), 55-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2004. 00346.x Julian, D. A., Reischl, T. M., Carrick, R. V., & Katrenich, C. (1997). Citizen participation – lessons from a local United Way planning process. Journal of the American Planning Association, 63(3), 345-355. doi: 10.1080/01944369708975927 Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. (November 14, 2012). Airports Authority cites progress in addressing audit findings by Inspector General: Policy revisions focus on procurement, human resources. Retrieved from http://www.mwaa.com/5591.htm. Sherfinski, D. (2011, July 20). Airports board approves above-ground Dulles Metro station. The Washington Times. Retrieved from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/ jul/20/mwaa-approves-plan-above-ground-dulles-metrorail-s/print/

Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization Essay

Ethical Dilemma Introduction                   Decisions are bound to be made on a daily basis whether on an individual or corporate level. The actions taken after the decision may lead to positive or negative outcomes. Ethics, therefore, is an important aspect that guides decision making both at a personal level and as a company. Ethics is described as the accepted moral values within a society or a given organization(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). It gives organizations and individual the outline of accepted practices and guides the decision making process to yield the preferable results without causing harm to others. Decisions define the success of any given organization because they are made on daily a basis, ranging from the top level management decisions to the support staff routine decision making. Ethical standards are important as they ensure all the stakeholders act sensibly. It is because of this reason that ethical standards play a crucial role in the success of an organization.                   One of the common ethical issues at an organizational level are the issues concerning the management of human resources. I have witnessed a human resource practitioner faced with an ethical dilemma concerning matters of recruitment, selection, fair working conditions, and remuneration(Seglin, 2011). The manager in charge of hiring and managing the human resources of any given organization face tough decision while performing their duties. Under the situation, I experienced, thehuman resource manager was put under pressure by the finance department to reduce the cost of labor for the company to realize sustainable profits. To achieve the set profit target of the company, the human resource manager had the alternative of hiring individual with low qualifications, or fire some of the employees to reduce the wage bill, or significantly reduce the salaries and benefits the employees are getting from the firm.                   From the above situation, the personnel manager is under an ethical dilemma situation. This is because both decisions and actions that he would take will have both positive and negative outcomes. First of all, it is ethical for the human resource manager to respect the directives from the senior management and serve the interest of the company to increase profits(Crane & Matten, 2012). However, by complying with these instructions will cause some employees to lose their jobs without sufficient or convincing reasons. This infringes the rights of the employees by terminating them without good reasons. If he employees with fewer skilled workers, the company will have a low wage bill, but the quality of work will be compromised and hence put the company at stake. Secondly, it is ethical for the human resource manager to protect the employees from termination without valid explanations(Seglin, 2011). Therefore, the manager is faced with two choices that both seem morally correct, but the outcomes have ethical considerations too. However, the manager was left with no choice and decided to terminate some employees, reduce salaries and employee benefits for the remaining workers.                   The stakeholders affected by the decision of the human resource manager include the management, the employees, both the fired and those still working, and the clients of the organization. The management is affected because the company is understaffed and the available resources underutilized. This means most of the resources go to waste and hence increasing losses made by the firm in the long run. By hiring low skilled personnel translates to low wages as directed by the management(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). However, the employees will give poor work quality due to lack of required expertise and hence the management may lose business to their close market rivals.                   The employees who are fired are adversely affected due to the loss of their source of lively hood. It is also against their right, to terminate their employment with no valid reason. Such individuals’ lives are changed and it affects their families too, if they were the main providers(Crane & Matten, 2012). The workers who remain on the job are also affected adversely due to the reduction in their number. They have to perform extra work and take extra time to finish what the terminated personnel used to do. With time such employees lose job morale due to low pay and long hours of work.                   Clients of the firm will also be affected by this decision because of the poor quality of work. Termination of some employees will make the organization to be understaffed and hence unable to meet the growing demand for their products. This affects the final consumers due to the forces of demand and supply. Hiring low skilled employees has a direct impact on the quality of work output(Seglin, 2011). The consumers will, therefore, receive substandard products. This reduces the utility clients derive from consuming the services and products of the firm.                   What would be considered the right outcome of the human resource manager’s decision, is the reduction of labor cost. Some of the things that constitute to high labor cost are high cost of wages and salaries, high number of employees, good working conditions, and employee benefits. By terminating the employment of some employees, the wage bill of the company reduces(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). The management will also offer lower salaries to less skilled employs and the reduction in the remuneration of the existing employees also reduce the labor cost. Therefore, the management would consider this outcome to be ‘right’ according to their expectations.                   However, it would also be considered wrong for the human resource boss to terminate employment agreements, reduce salaries and benefits, and hire less skilled. It is unethical for any employer to terminate the employment agreements of his/her workers without valid reasons. The process of selecting who is to be fired is also faced with ethical considerations and bias may prevail the process(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). Employees are supposed to be remunerated in accordance with their contribution to the company. Underpaying the employee for the benefit of the company is considered unethical and wrong. By reducing the number of employees in an organization makes the remaining workers work overtime. This is unethical as it denies them the crucial time to balance work and family. It is going against the rights of the workers by adding them more tasks without changing their terms of payment.                   The human resource manager made his decision based on the ethical principles of the firm. His decision to implement the directive of the management concerning cutting on labor cost, was influenced by the ethical principal that requires all the employees to respect the management and serve the interest of the company and not their own interest(Crane & Matten, 2012). If he would not implement the plan, then the human resource manager will be considered to have behaved in contempt of his seniors.The management of the firm spearhead the interest of the company and communicate it down to the least of ranks among the employees. In this case the firm’s interest is to reduce the cost incurred on manpower and hence increase the profit margins. As much as this decision when put to action affects livelihood of employees and the success of the firm, the human resource manager has to follow the code of ethics that requires him to respect decisions from persons at a higher rank than him.                   Biases also played a major role in influencing the decision and action taken by the personnel manager. He took the decision in favor of the management since he has a lower rank to them. By favoring them, he reduces the risk of him being questioned or even fired. If he does not be biased in his decision then he would not have served any of the parties due to the natter at hand being an ethical dilemma(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). This means that both the alternatives he had seemed morally right. It is ethical for him to protect employees from termination and remuneration reduction, because the company may incur high losses in the long run if that action is taken. However, it is also his moral responsibility to execute the plans and instructions of his colleagues in senior positions than him. Therefore, his action is justifiable as ethical. It is because of this dilemma that the manager had to apply bias for him to find a way out. This bias is mai nly as a result of seniority of management over the personnel manager.                   To address the ethical dilemma at hand, it would be wise for the human resource manager and the management to discuss the issue at hand. Then they organize a forum with both the management and the employees over the cost of labor. During the talks, the personnel manager will have a chance to explain to the management why the human resources are the most important resources for the success of the firm(Seglin, 2011). He would advise the top managers on other methods of costs reduction other than termination and pay cut. Measures such as doing massive advertising and publicity would increase the sales margin of the company. This is directly proportional to profits and it can be adopted instead of firing employees. The company may also invest more in the employees to increase their efficiency and skills. By doing productivity will go high and they will produce quality products and services that would more potential customers and increase sales turnouts. Conclusion                   Human beings and organizations are faced with situations that require decision making on a daily basis. Ethics is those values that are used to distinguish between right and wrong in an organization or a society. The decision made always have consequences and the consequences are judged based on the set moral values. Human resource practitioners are faced with ethical dilemmas in their daily responsibilities, that is; recruitment, selection, training, and termination. During this decisions and actions several stakeholders are affected. The management, the employees, and the clients are all affected by the decisions of the human resource manager. At times it is difficult to consider what is right and what is wrong due to both outcomes seeming morally correct. This situation is called an ethical dilemma. To overcome such situations all stakeholders of a given organization should frequently have meetings and talks to update the code of ethics and discuss so lutions to difficult ethical situations. References Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2012). Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization. New York C: Oxford University Press. Hoffman, M., Frederick, R., & Shwartz, M. (2013). Business Ethics: Readings and Cases in Corporate Morality. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Seglin, J. (2011). The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart . Boston: Wiley Publishers. Source document

Water Imbalance

Phu Pham 002815421 Water Imbalance When we talk about water imbalance, it is necessary to first know of water’s tendency to move from high concentration to low concentration. This property of water is influenced by three conditions: isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic. Isotonic condition exists when the concentration of the solute is the same as the concentration inside the cell. Because the concentrations are the same on both sides, there is no movement of water.In hypertonic, however, the concentration of solute is greater on the outside than on the inside, water moves outside of the cell until concentration on both sides reach equilibrium. Because water moves outside, this causes the cell to shrink. In hypotonic solution, the concentration of solute is greater on the inside than on the outside, water is drawn inside the cell to reach equilibrium while busting the cell opened.Inside the human body, there are many solutes that together make up blood and other solution necessa ry for life such as sodium, calcium, potassium, water†¦ These ions are called electrolytes, a vital key in maintaining the homeostasis. Serious electrolytes usually associated with sodium, potassium, and calcium. Other electrolytes disturbances are less common. A sodium imbalance occurs when there is too little or too much sodium in the bloodstream. Hyponatremia happens when there is too little sodium, and hypernatremia occurs when there is too much sodium.In normal activity, sodium is absorbed by the kidney to regulate water levels in the body. But when there is a water imbalance, such that of too much or too little of water, the body either gets rid of or absorbs too much sodium. Regular symptoms includes: muscle cramps, confusion, restlessness, agitation, tissue swelling, depression, lack of coordination, seizures, and more seriously coma. Hypernatremia, a condition when there is more sodium ions on the outside than the inside of the cells, causes fluid to be pulled from the cells of the brain resulting in cell shrinkage. This is the primary cause of neurological symptoms.Hyponatremia is a condition when there is more sodium ion on the inside than the outside of the cells. Osmotic movement of water into the brain cell may increase the brain size above normal. This can lead to seizures and other severe neurological effects. Therefore, the maintaining of electrolytes is very important in order for the cells to last. Any imbalance in the concentration of water inside the body will directly affect the concentration of solutes (electrolytes) in the blood and cause severe damage. http://rnbob. tripod. com/sodiumimbalance. htm http://www. medscape. com/medline/abstract/15982544? src=emed_ckb_ref_0