Saturday, January 25, 2020

Essay --

African-Americans, who only comprised 13% of regular drug users, made up for 35% of drug arrests, 55% of convictions, and 74% of people sent to prison for drug possession crimes. Also, three-fourths of all people incarcerated for drug offenses are either Black or Latino, the majority of illegal drug users are white. There is obviously something gone ridiculously wrong. Many African Americans that lived in the South were unable to vote, and even if they tried to, they had to pass literacy tests or even pay poll taxes. Also, places of employment were segregated as well; â€Å"White southerners refused to work under black supervisors and most white craftsmen strenuously opposed the hiring of African Americans in the skill trades† (Remembering 206). Kennedy states in his book that people of color were always â€Å"the last to get hired and the first to get fired† (Kennedy 113), so because of this it was extremely hard for African Americans to find employment or even keep a steady job due to discrimination they faced. This form of discrimination made it hard for African Americans to make a living for themselves during this time and is similar to how criminals are treated in today’s society. The practice of the Jim Crow Laws back during the 1870’s to the mid 1960’s is similar to how criminals are discriminated against today. Throughout America, prison inmates in 48 states, paroles in 33 states, and probationers in 29 states are not allowed to vote (Karjick). This is about 4.7 million Americans that are denied this right (Karjick). One may argue that the poor choices that these 4.7 million Americans have made make them untrustworthy to help make decisions for the country but labeling these people as criminals should not define ... ...ent opportunities, these children are forced to be raised in severe poverty. A theory that has been done by a researcher, who has been funded by the National Institutes of health, claims that the stresses of poverty can lead to impaired learning abilities in children (Stresses). The stress that is triggered by poverty is dangerous and can really affect our children’s future. The New Jim Crow system that has been redesigned in America leaves a lot of people with criminal backgrounds jobless and stuck in a second-class status. Discriminating against the criminals is morally wrong and it not only affects them but others such as their loved ones as well. â€Å"All men are created equal† is a famous phrase from The Declaration of Independence that America would like to believe, but it is clear that today’s society is unequal just based on how criminals are treated.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Macy’s Department Store Repositioning Essay

Executive Summary As the global recession happened, the traditional department stores were experiencing consistently declining sales and market share. Also, the traditional department stores industry is between mature and decline stage of life cycle. Macy’s changed parts of their strategy and consolidation that focuses on localizing management, strengthening supplier relationships and providing products and customer service based on local consumer preferences. However, the consolidation was not with problems. With dealing these problems Macy’s changed parts of the strategy as following: * Continuing to adjust its portfolio of store. * Focusing on Fashion. * Continuing to develop and debut Macy’s private labels in bedding, outwears etc. * Increasing national advertising with emphasis on fashion and service. Statement of the problem/opportunity/and objectives The tradition department stores were one of the areas hit by the recession. While some companies dropped previously supported causes and programs, Macy’s got more profit and market share through repositioning strategy and consolidation, even with the rough economic times. Analysis of the situation External and internal Macy’s is a kind of traditional department store, and consolidation in 2005, at that time the economy is quite good. In 2008, the broad environment is not good; the economy of U.S. entered a recession. The sales of Macy’s are decreased. Also, in 2011, the price of gasoline and cotton were increased. This increased the cost of Macy’s. So the profit and market share of Macy’s reduced. As the department stores industry was attracting fewer and fewer consumers, Macy’s entered into the declining industry life cycle model. The recession and the declining industry life cycle model are both negatively affect the success of Macy’s. Although the external factors are not good, the internal factors are very good for Macy’s. One such factor was Macy’s has the national recognition. Another positive factor is Macy’s is really strong. It has 810 stores across the United States. Thirdly, Macy’s has the experience management. Macy’s was founded between 1843 and 1855 in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts. Department stores created for â€Å"one-stop shopping†, Moreover, they had specific experience in converting regional brands to the Macy’s brand. A fourth factor contributing to the successful consolidation was that Macy’s made their stores on prime locations. These internal factors are positive for the success of Macy’s. Porter’s five –forces model Porter’s five –forces model describes the competitive environment in terms of five basic competitive forces: 1. The threat of new entrants. Macy’s had more competitors because more and more self-made fashion lines join to the market to get the market shares, such as H&M, Forever 21. Self-made fashion brands remodeled for more pleasant shopping experience. It is the threat for Macy’s. Also, the developed national stores have the lower cost and overcome quality and service same as Macy’s, it cause the competition. 2. The bargaining power of buyers. Buyers threaten an industry by forcing down price, bargaining for higher quality or more service, and playing competitors against each other. Macy’s has lower cost but because of the bad economic, the customers have little bargaining power. Secondly, Macy’s already had everyday value. They give lower price means they will get lower profit. Low profit creates incentives to lower purchasing costs. However, highly profitable buyers are generally less price sensitive. 3. The bargaining power of suppliers. Supplier power refers to the ability of providers of inputs to determine the price and terms of supply. Suppliers can exert power over firms industry by raising prices or reducing the quality of purchased goods and services, so reducing profitability. After Macy’s consolidation, Macy’s bought mass amounts from same buyers and Macy’s have strong relationship with these buyers. The bargaining power of suppliers is really high. 4. The threat of substitute products and services. All firms and industry compete with other industries offering substitute products or services. The threat of substitute products and services was the major concern, particularly with discounters such as Target offering similar products, and large chain that specialized in clothes such as H&M. 5. The intensity of the rivalry among competitors in an industry Rivalry refers to the degree to which firms respond to competitive moves of the other firms in the industry. Macy’s repositioned its industry segment to the upper middle level. Macy’s decided to change the strategy, they will be more fashionable and fashion at lower price. Also Macy’s change the brand to focus in attracting customers interested in fashion rather than customers in a specific demographic. Unique and a sustainable competitive advantage Macy’s repositioned itself as an upper-middle level store is easily imitable. Other department stores also can position as the same level. But Macy’s attempt to become â€Å"America’s department store† is something that other, small department stores cannot imitate. Also, Macy’s focus on less traditional and conservative than other department stores is a flawed value proposition, but it is not a bad one. Because of some of the consumers may like the traditional Macy’s. Consolidating brands to allow for lower prices is a good way to cut cost and to be unique. Identification and evaluation of alternatives Macy’s consolidation and repositioning strategy is really good and Macy’s did the best decisions. Because as the external environment is bad but Macy’s use itself internal advantage to consolidate and reposition to gain back the market share and profit. Consolidation and repositioning strategy help Macy’s get more brand power, prime location and improved consumer experience. Additional Macy’s got consumers focus on the affordable fashion. However, it also came with some problems such as uncertain industry conditions, excess costs and emphasis on standardization. Macy’s Future As Macy’s pursued an aggressive strategy in 2011, Macy’s was doing well. Almost everybody knows the everyday value of Macy’s and Macy’s afford the â€Å"America department store†. But department stores industry is in declining and competition is growing rapidly. Macy’s has recently instituted the strategy to compete in a tough market. So Macy’s is doing well and have huge advantage, but maybe other department stores will catch up and overcome in following years. Macy’s may change strategy when economy, competition change.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Second Order Information - 1474 Words

Anthrcul101 Sec 033 First Writing Assignment PROMPT 1: In her chapter â€Å"How Do You Know†, Ilana Gershon introduces the concept of second order information. Second order information refers to the conjecture of the background information or concealed meaning of a communicated message. The communicated message’s phrases are analyzed beyond their initial literal meanings in order to decipher any expectations or intentions the message may deliver. Various mediums of communication allow for different ways to interpret second order information and new communicative technologies produce new ways to incorporate second order information into daily communication. Even seemingly insignificant details such as mispronouncing words or spelling and†¦show more content†¦The procedure anthropologists followed while dealing with skeletons is: Take cranial pieces inside to dry under heat lamps in preparation for reconstruction, then go back outside to lay out bones in anatomical position†¦Get one other anthropologist’s reference on the aging and record the information in the Anthro log. Clean the femur, measure maximum length, and calculate stature estimate†¦Start by going over all postcranial trauma, discussing whether it’s peri or post and what caused it; then move on to cranial trauma [Koff, 2004:146] The anthropologists are required to record the aging of the bones and various forms of trauma. They also show the use of anthropometry by measuring and recording the dimensions of the bones as they placed â€Å"all elements on the green background cloth or the sandbox, in the standard orientations for the photographer; hold or place the ruler with the case number next to each element† (Koff 2004:147). I believe Koff is striving to tell a specific story based on the team’s findings. Although she mentions that she enjoys working with dead bodies and finds them fascinating, there is a bigger reason she is so passionate about her work. In the text, there is a small passage that displays her emotion towards murder. She writes â€Å"I felt anger toward people who deem murder an acceptable political policy. I felt the last of my naivetà © drain away as I uncovered more and more people shot while their hands were tied. And IShow MoreRelatedFirst and Second-Order Cybernetics32 47 Words   |  13 Pagesindividual. Just from these approaches we already have opposing views concerning reality. 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