The Long Goodbye free essay sample

The film stars Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe, and features Sterling Hayden, Nina Van Pallandt, Jim Bouton and Mark Rydell. The film The Long Goodbye has been described as a study of a moral and decent man cast adrift in a selfish, self-obsessed society where lives can be thrown away without a backward glance and any notions of friendship and loyalty are eaningless. Robert Altman: Hollywood Survivor. Question: Does the plot of this film have unforeseen twists and turns? Is the story technique used in other film noir movies that you have seen in class? Discuss and provide examples. The Long Goodbye is a classic noir who done it filled with twist and turns from the start, with everyone spinning their lies trying to trap Phillip Marlowe. Terry Lennox hides the injuries on his fist with driving gloves. Terry then implied that he only hade a trivial fight with his wife so Marlowe wouldnt ask for details. We will write a custom essay sample on The Long Goodbye or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Terry in fact, did kill Sylvia after she found out that he was having an affair with Eileen Wade and threatened to tell the police of Terrys shady business dealings with Marty Augustine. Eileen Wade lies to Marlowe about her knowing the Lennoxs socially. Eileen also lied about Roger Wade having an affair with Sylvia Lennox to cover up her own affair with Terry Lennox and through Marlowe off the case. In the opening scene we are introduced to chain-smoking, wisecracking, privet eye, Phillip Marlowe and his long time friend, Terry Lennox. Terry is seen driving from his home in the Malibu Colony to Marlowes house, with signs of an altercation. Terry has a scratch on his cheek, and injuries to his fist, of which he covers up by wearing a pair of driving gloves. When Terry arrives, Marlowe notices Terrys face, but Terry Just plays it off as if he had another trivial fght with his wife. Terry then asks Marlowe for a lift to the Mexican boarder. The two hop in Marlowes car and drive to Tijuana. At this point, no knowledge is known about the fate of Sylvia Lenox, except for what seemed to be a minor fght with her husband Terry Lenox. Shortly after Marlowe returns home, two detectives asking questions about Terry Lenox show up at Marlowes house. The detectives arrest Marlowe, take him down to the station, and interrogate him. Marlowe learns that Sylvia Lenox is dead and Terry Lenox is the prime suspect. Upon Marlowes release from his three-day stay in Jail, he sees one of the detectives that interrogated him and questions the detective for information. Marlowe learns that Terry Lenox was affiliated was a mob boss, Marty Augustine. Furthermore, police were claiming the case was solved due to the fact that Terry Lenox committed suicide in Mexico, but not before leaving a suicide note admitting to the murder of his wife. However, Terrys body was never found. We dont know how or why Terry killed his wife. We dont really know if she is actually alive or not and/or how Terry is connected to Mr. Augustine at this point. Nonetheless, Marlowe is more than skeptical of this so called open and shut case and is determined to find out what really transpired. In the meantime, Marlowe is hired by Eileen Wade to find her missing husband Roger Wade, an alcoholic novelist with writers block. Marlowe investigates Malibus sub-culture of private detoxification clinics for rich alcoholics and drug addicts. In the proses of locating Roger Wade in a Malibu rehab clinic. Marlowe questions three women at the front desk about Roger Wade they tell Marlowe that there is no one by that name there. Marlowe then inquires about a Dr. Verringer they claimed he was out of town. Marlowe replys with his catch fraise Its all right by me, and infiltrates the rehab anyway. Phillip Marlowe finds Dr. Verringer trying to extort money from Roger Wade. we learn that Roger checked into the clinic on his own will. Nonetheless, Roger Wade was unable to leave on his own will and was kept heavily medicated. Marlowe returns Roger Wade back to his home in the Malibu colony. Soon after Marlowe returns home, he is meet by Marty Augustine and his thugs. Augustine and his gang begin to interrogate Marlowe and search his home for the 350,000 that Marty Augustine claims Terry Lennox stole from him. Marty Augustine: miour friend was a murder and a thief. Phillip Marlowe: Thats a lie. I know he didnt kill her. Augustine then Brutally attacked his own mistress Just to show Marlowe what would happen to him if he didnt find the money, saying: Her, I love. You, I dont even like. Marty Augustine leaves and heads for Roger and Eileen Wades house. Marlowe tails Augustine and sees Marty Augustine talking to Eileen Wade. Although the conversation was not heard, Marlowe now knows that there is a connection between the Lennoxs, Wades and Augustine. The next day Marlowe goes to see the Wades to find the connection between the wades and Marty Augustine. Roger wade said he didnt know terry Lennox and claimed that Marty Augustine owes him 50,000. At this point its hard to know whom to believe. Later that night a drunk Roger Wade commits suicide by swimming out into the ocean. After the police arrive, Eileen Wade lies and claims that Roger Wade was having an affair with Sylvia Lennox and may have killed her. Marlowe reports this information to the detective on the scene who informs Marlowe that the police were aware that Roger Wade saw Sylvia Lennox, they know when he left and when he checked into Dr. Verringers rehab clinic. Marlowe receives a letter with a 5,000-dollar bill arrives from Terry Lennox, sent from Mexico. On suspicions that Terry is still alive, Marlowe heads down to Mexico to get some answers. Soon After arriving in Mexico, Marlowe finds the Doctor and the police chief that found Terry Lennox dead. The Doctor and the Police chief both claim that Terry Lennox death was a suicide. Marlowe returns home only to be eet by Marty Augustine and his thugs. Augustines thugs start stripping off Marlowes close and expose a S dollar b Augustine immediately suspects Marlowe of lying about the whereabouts of his money. Right before things go from bad to worse and Marlowe is about to get stabbed, the missing money reappears and Marlowe is free to go. On his his way out, Augustine gives Marlowe back the 5,000- dollar bill and says, here, for your troubles, and if your in the neighborhood stop by some time. Marlowe replys Oh yeah, thanks a lot, especially since my fairy godmother came and dropped your three hundred and fifty grand back into your ap. It is clear to Marlowe that Terry Lennox is alive as a result of the letter with the 5,000-dollar bill and the money having been returned to Marty Augustine. Marlowe returns to Mexico for the second time and bribes the Mexican police and the Doctor with the 5,000-dollar bill that Terry sent him. Marlowe finds out that the suicide was staged and Terry is in Mexico somewhere. Marlowe finds Terry Lennox alive and well laying on a hammock. Terry confesses everything to Phillip. He told Marlowe how he was running money for Marty Augustine, his affair with Eileen Wade and the murder of his wife Sylvia. Terry says to Marlowe, Terry Lennox: I was in a bind. I needed help. Nobody cares. Phillip Marlowe: Nobody cares but me. Terry Lennox: Well thats you, Marlowe. Youll never learn youre a born loser. Phillip Marlowe: mieah, I even lost my cat. Marlowe shoots Terry, spits on the ground, and walks away. In the last scene Marlowe passes Eileen Wade on her way to Terry Lennox. Eileen slows down to catch a second glimpse of Marlowe walking the other way and had a realization. Terry, Sylvia, and Roger are now dead, and everyone lost in the end. The Long Goodbyes storytelling technique is very similar to that of the film Out of the Past (1947). Both male leads Phillip Marlowe and Jeff Bail y were privet detectives hired to find their employers spouse. Both were dragged through the under belly of society, being double-crossed at every turn and lead astray by everyone they come in contact with. In the film out of the Past, a small-town gas station owner with mysterious past is hired to by a criminal Whit Sterling to find a woman named Kathie who shot Whit and stole $40,000 from him. Jeff locates Kathie in Acapulco. Nonetheless, Kathie tells Jeff that she didnt steal the $40,000 and confesses her love for him. The two run away from Whit to an Isolated cabin in the woods. Jeffs former partner Fisher finds the couple hiding out in the cabin. Kathie guns down him down and Jeff buried the body. Meanwhile, Jeff finds a deposit slip in the amount of $40,000 in Kathies purse and leaves her. But, when Jeff inevitably meets Whit, he finds out that Kathie is living with Whit. Whit Request one more Job from Jeff to release Jeff from his debt. However, Jeff finds out that Whit was framing him. Question: Is the seeker-hero of this film on a quest? Is he tested, interrogated, attacked, and/or persecuted? Does he emerge safely from this ordeal and uncorrupted and strong? Or is he killed? Explain, providing examples. Phillip Marlowe is on a quest to prove his friends innocence both to the police and himself. Marlowes is physically attacked and persecuted by two detectives that arrive at Marlowes house upon his return from dropping off Terry. Det. Green and det. Dayton physically man handle Phillip as they attempt to question him about Terry Lennox. However, Marlowe replys, look guys, I dont nave to answer any Questions unless you guys have a specific charge. Det. Green signals to Det. Dayton to push Marlowe into Det. Greenly and arrest Marlowe on a trumpet up assault charge. The detectives take Marlowe to the police station to interrogate him. During the interrogation Marlowe only responses are sarcastic cynical remarks to their questions like, Detective: What are you doing here Marlowe? Phillip Marlowe: well Im here cause Im gettin ready for the big game Saturday. You know, were playing Notre Dame and I hope I catch a touchdown pass. The only time Marlowe becomes concerned is when he hears that Sylvia Lennox was murdered and Terry Lennox was the main suspect. The detectives become frustrated with Marlowe and send him to a holding cell for three days. Phillip Marlowe is tested when he is hired by Eileen Wade to find her missing husband Roger Wade. When asking about the details of Roger Wade, Eileen tells Marlowe This isnt the first time this has happened. My husband has a drinking problem. Eileen shows Marlowe a letter to a mysterious Doctor V asking for help. In the course of investigating Mrs. Wades missing-husband case, Marlowe visits a Malibu private detoxification clinic for rich alcoholics and drug attacks. There he finds three unhelpful nurses and a doctor. Marlowe shows them a picture of Roger and asks if they have seen or herd of him. All three nurses claim that nobody by that name or anyone who looked like that was there. Marlowe infiltrates he rehab anyway and to no ones surprise, finds Roger Wade. A known gangster Marty Augustine and his henchmen later visit Phillip Marlowe. Augustines henchman punches Marlowe after he makes a wisecrack about only seeing hoods by appointment. After questioning Marlowe about Terry Lennox and a missing $350,000 that Terry stole, Marty Augustine brings an atmosphere of mobility when making a point to Marlowe by smashing a coke bottle on his mistresss face and saying Her I love. You, I dont even like! This violent display shocked even the henchmen. Augustine tells Marlowe to find the money or else! Marlowe receives a $5,000-dollar ill from Terry Lennox leaving Marlowe suspicious that Terry might still be alive somewhere in Mexico. Nevertheless, Augustine catches up with Marlowe a second time. This time Augustine demands that Marlowe strip down and get naked. Marlowe refuses but Martys thugs pull off his Jacket to reveal a $5,000-dollar bill. Augustine immediately assumes that Marlowe and Terry are in cahoots together and commands one of his goons to Stick Marlowe. It seems as if Marlowes death is inevitable. Just in the nick of time, one of Augustines hoodlums informs Marty Augustine that the money was mysteriously dropped off. Marlowe was attacked, tested, persecuted, and interrogated by Dr. Verringer, Eileen Wade, the police, and Marty Augustine. However, Marlowes cynical attitude and sarcastic attitude toward the world remained fixed and unwavering. Phillip Marlowe survived his ordeal with Marty Augustine and the Police. However, Marlowe did shoot and kill Terry Lennox in the end. This can be viewed as Marlowe decent into corruption or Justice for Sylvia Lennox Question: What is the world view of this noir film, or rather, what is the films attitude toward humanity and the human condition, as expressed by the films writer and director? Explain, providing examples. The story and plot ot the 1973 cinematic adaptation deviate drastically trom those ot the 1953 novel; screenplay writer Leigh Brackett took many literary liberties with the story, plot, and characters of The Long Goodbye in adapting it. The Long Goodbye satirizes the changes in culture between the 1950s. Such as Phillip Marlowe working for Fifty bucks a day. A wage a privet eye would be charging in the 1950s. Marlowes chain-smoking, contrasted with a health-conscious California in which no one else in the movie smokes, is cited as another example of Marlowes incongruity with his surroundings. Altman did not read Chandlers entire book, but instead utilized Raymond Chandler Speaking, a collection of letters and essays. He gave copies of this book to the cast and crew, advising them to study the authors literary essays. However, Altman and Brackett did spend a copious amount of time discussing the plot and ending. Altman wanted Marlowe to be a loser. He even nicknamed Phillip Marlowes character Rip Van Marlowe, as if he was asleep for twenty years, woke up, and wandered around Los Angeles in the early 1970s but trying to invoke the morals of a previous era. Altman conceived of the film as a satire and made several changes to he script, like having Roger Wade commit suicide and having Marty Augustine smash a Coke bottle across his girlfriends face. Altman said, it was supposed to get the attention of the audience and remind them that, in spite of Marlowe, there is a real world out there, and it is a violent world. Question: Who are the male villains of this film? Are they corrupt? What has corrupted them? Explain, providing examples. The male villains of this film are Marty Augustine, his gang, the police, Dr. Verringer, and Terry Lennox. Using their authority weather it is lawful or otherwise, hese men used tactics like intimidation, manipulation, deceit, physical violence, and/ or all of the above to achieve their goals. Marlowe is first unknowingly conned by Terry Lennox into helping him escape from the murder of his wife with $350,000 dollars that doesnt belong to him. Upon Marlowes return home, he is ensnared by two corrupt detectives asking questions about Terry Lennox. Detective Green and Detective Dayton begin questioning Marlowe but he is uncooperative saying, l know how it works, I dont have to answer any questions unless you have a specific charge, and you dont have a specific charge. Det. Green signals to Det. Dayton to push Marlowe into Det. Green so they can arrest him with a charge. After he is released, Marty Augustine and his thugs confront Marlowe. Marlowe up to this point was unaware of the $350,000 that Lennox stole. Marty Augustine breaks a glass coke bottle over his own mistresss face to show Marlowe the consequences of crossing him. Phillip Marlowe is then hired by Eileen Wade to find her missing alcoholic husband Roger Wade. In the mites of investigating the missing Roger Wade, Marlowe meets Dr. Verringer. Verringer attempts to manipulate and deceive Phillip Marlowe in believing that Roger Wade is not under Dr. Verringers care nor has he ever seen or meet Roger Wade. Marlowe is does not buy into the doctors story and rescues Roger Wade and takes him home. Marlowe receives a letter in the mail from Terry Lennox with a $5,000 dollar-bill saying, Im sorry. Signed Terry. Soon atter Marty Augustine visits Phillip Marlowe once more, threatening and interrogating him again. Augustine finds the $5,000 dollar-bill and commands one his henchmen to Stick Marlowe with a knife. Nevertheless, the stolen $350,000 dollars was mysteriously returned Just in time and Marlowe was free to go. Marlowe heads to Mexico and uses the $5,000 dollar bill to ribe the Mexican police and doctor into revealing what really happened to Terry Lennox as well as where Terry was. Marlowe finds Lennox alive and well lying on a hammock. Terry Lennox confesses how he killed his wife, stole $350,000 dollars from Marty Augustine and used Marlowe as the fall guy. The Villains of this film distort the line between good and evil from a clear distention of black and white to an ambiguous grey line. There was not a genuine difference between the behavior from Marty Augustine to the police detectives that arrested and interrogated Marlowe. Both parties used violence and intimidation to achieve their goals.

International Marketing Strategy Essays

International Marketing Strategy Essays International Marketing Strategy Essay International Marketing Strategy Essay BA (Hons) Marketing – 3rd year Mathieu Chomarat: 06110827Portobello College Year 2006-2007 International Marketing Strategy Assignment 2: Ikea Case Study Lecturer: Carmel GernonRoom: F6 Table of Contents A Brief Introduction to the essay:1 Macro-environment of Ikea in Brazil:1 Politic and legal environment:1 Economical environment:2 Social environment:3 Technological environment:4 Environmental factors:4 Market strategy entries:4 Wholly owned stores:4 Joint venture:5 Strategy recommended: franchising6 Success factors in Brazil7 Know how to attract new customers7 Be able to sell good quality products at a low price7 Adapt the experience in the retailing to a new market8 Understand the reasons that make Ingvar Kamprad reluctant to enter a new market:8 Bibligraphy9 Appendix 1: Brazil maps10 Appendix 2: Diary11 Number of words: 3,324 A Brief Introduction to the essay: With 237 stores around the world and a turnover of â‚ ¬ 17. 6 billion, the Swedish company Ikea is the world leader in home furnishings[ Ikea’s Fact and Figures 2006, from Ikea’s website at http://franchisor. ikea. om/] thanks to a DIY concept that enables them to sell well designed good quality products at low prices. The Ikea Group plans to further their international expansion into the South American Market. Brazil is the largest country in South America and fifth largest country in the world after Russian, Canada, China and USA. It apparently represents the most attractive country to target. The following analysis aims to high light threats and opportunities regarding to the Brazilian market, as well as providing solutions and recommendations for a successful implantation in this area. Macro-environment of Ikea in Brazil: Politic and legal environment: Even if the political stability in South America isn’t as secure as countries from the European Union for example, the situation remains quite steady as the former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won a second term in a landslide victory at the end of October 2006. Silva who used to show strong leftist rhetoric before acceding to power in 2002, is more seen by observers as a centrist with a conservative economic policy in his first term[ â€Å"Brazil’s president wins landslide victory†, Associated Press, 29th of October 2006]. As he is considered more moderate than other South American leftist leaders like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, his re-election is more than welcome for big companies willing to enter the Brazilian market such as Ikea. Thus, the country doesn’t seem to present a big political risk, as the president promised to boost growth to reach the ranks of developed nations. In fact, the credit insurance company Durcroire specialised in international transactions assesses a risk of two based on a seven levels scale, giving the country a relative poor political risk[ ducroiredelcredere. e, information from the 02/11/2006]. The government is also quite active for helping its population to have better standards of living. A number of programs such as the â€Å"Programa Carta de Credito Individual e Associativa†, â€Å"Habitar Brasil-BID (HBB)†, or the â€Å"Programa de Subsidio a Habitacao de Interesse Social (PSH)† help people to acqui re proper homes, by providing grants and credits to people who are the most in the need. It thus helps them to leave their ghettos. Such programs can be seen as an opportunity, because, when moving into new houses, people are more likely to be willing to acquire furniture as well. Other social programs are profitable for the population and for Ikea as well. For example, the â€Å"Credito Solidario†, helping poor people to send their children to school leads to an increase in the number of educated people who can be seen as the target of Ikea. For instance, they can read the ads, understand Ikea’s buying process, and build their own furniture with written explanations for instructions[ bresil. org/index. php? option=com_contenttask=viewid=663Itemid=51cataff=116cataffb=116]. Furthermore, the government is willing to make the country more liberal. In this intent, Brazil is a part of the Common Market of the South, Mercosur which has founded Common External Tariffs (CET) for Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, concerning a growing number of products. In the geographic area of Mercosur, the tariffs are also eliminated, and factors of production (labour or capital for example) can move freely. These CET apply for equipment goods at rates included between 0% and 14%[ septimanie-export. com/fr/fiches-pays/bresil/acces-au-marche] (numbers given for the tariffs applied on the CIF[ Cost Insurance Freight] price of goods). This is a big opportunity for Ikea, because reduced tariffs would reduce prices on their imports to Brazil if they set up one or more outlets there. There doesn’t seem to have a special law limiting the size for big stores, which quite goes in the right way for Ikea. Economical environment: With emerging markets grabbing investors’ attention, many are turning their focus towards South American markets. Strong exports, high commodity prices and increased investments have been contributing factors to growth within many of the Latin American markets[ Ann-Marie Fleming, 19th of Jan 2007, seekingalpha. om, stock market opinions and analysis website]. The total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Brazil for the third quarter of 2006 was about Real 542 billion ($ 253. 5 billion), which represents an increase of 6. 55% compared to the previous quarter[ SDDS, from the International Monetary Fund, January 2007]. If taken on a per capita basis, Brazil is ranked in 68th position out of 181 countries with revenue of $ 8,561 a year, providing the population an average purchasing power[ International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database for the year 2005, September 2006]. Thus, the economy seems more than appropriate to the entrance of Ikea, especially since the global imports in the country have experienced a growth of 16. 27% during the third quarter of 2006, reaching Real 72 billion ($ 33. 7 billion), which could be profitable for the importation of furniture. Brazil has indeed well recovered from the 1999’s crisis[ SDDS, from the International Monetary Fund, January 2007]. But the growth of the economy of Brazil, compared from one year to another shows numbers quite smaller, as it grew approximately from 2. 3% in 2005 and 4. 9% in 2004[ state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640. htm#econ]. Regarding more specifically the furniture market, numbers show that in the previous years, Brazilian imports decreased from $ 111 million in 2000 to $ 96 in 2001 (-3%), which doesn’t seem quite attractive for Ikea, considering its global strategy of having one only supplier for each product. The imports of furniture are dominated by the United States with 39%, followed by Germany with 36% and Italy with 10%[ ABIMOVEL, Brazilian Association of Furniture Manufacturer, numbers from the case study]. The market of furniture in Brazil can be broken down in three main segments: residential (60%), office (25%) and institutional organisations (15%). Analysis show that this last segment is on the growth and imports should increase considerably for the next 3 or 4 years, mainly imports from the United States. That could be interesting if Ikea would favour the institutional segment, and if they would have suppliers based in the United States. The market is also restrained by high interest rates (18. 3% per year in 2001) which prevent people from demanding bank loans, and thus maintain their purchasing power at lower levels than if they could borrow money easier. It then has a bad impact on house purchasing and in series, lowers the buying of house furnishings too. An economical risk regarding the imports of furniture is brought with Brazilian high government debt remaining at 51% of the GDP, in spit of a relative decline in 2004. This debt could lead to the hardening of import taxes and other product taxes or even currency depreciation which could be dreadful for Ikea and its low costs strategy based on high volume sales. A possible solution to target a market which represented approximately $ 3. 6 billion in 2000 could be to use one of the 13,500 Brazilian furniture manufacturers. The problem there is that most of these firms are small, family owned companies not necessarily adapted for mass production at an international scale. The advantages to have recourse in local production are that: The average wage for November 2006 is of Real 1 139. 8: $ 533. 2; The production of particleboard which is used for 80% by the furniture industry has increased from 13% a year from 1990 to 1998, reaching 1. 3 million m3. Social environment: Brazil constitutes at first sight an incredible opportunity. On one hand, it represents a growing population of 186 million people. On the other hand, it is also a market which can be compared to European ones: the population is mainly Roman Catholic (74%), most of the population speaks Portuguese, 86% of the Brazilian adults are literate and the workforce is of 90. 4 million people with only 8. 4% unemployed[ Information from the USA government, state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640. htm#econ, 2005]. However, like most of the developing countries, polarization is a significant issue in the Brazilian society. There are huge income gaps between the rich people and the poor people. The 10% richest people earn 50% of the totally income and the 10% poorest people only get less than 1%. Social statues then classify the society hierarchy, and people try to improve their rank by having famous cars or with the taste of decorating in house, especially in the middle class. This could indeed be a good point, but the credit option is extremely limited among most consumers in Brazil, 18% of households have credit cards, and most of them wouldn’t beyond the point that they can pay back the full balance within a month[ Brazil’s Consumer Credit Culture, 18th of Jul 2005 gtnews. com]. According to a report from The San Francisco Chronicle (California) newspaper on March 22, 2006, more and more low and middle level of people moving to new building, it is a significant signal that low and middle class people improve their living standard. On an other hand, furniture demand could increase in the near future, and certain groups will look for eye-catching furniture at acceptable prices. This is exactly what Ikea is looking for! Technological environment: The road network stretches on 1. 5 millions kilometres but only 10% is asphalted, which can cause disorders for the furniture’s delivery. Moreover, proximity to mass transit and public transportation is essential as a lot of low-income consumers do not own any car. The growth of PC’s ownership PCs as well as the Internet expenditure could be profitable to Ikea for online selling. The state has placed an order for 1 million of $ 100 computers for 2007 to equip schools[ â€Å"Le Bresil: premier grand client du PC a 100 dollars†, silicon. fr, 12th of March 2007], and the computers ownership is growing in the country. Environmental factors: Brazil shelters dense forests in northern regions including Amazon Basin that can be use for wooden furniture: half of the country is covered by forests. The government is also involved in protecting this forest, but lots of measures aren’t very effective. Market strategy entries: Ikea has already a pre-set strategy worldwide: it has franchises all over the world that sells its products and use contract manufacturing to supply the outlets with furniture. The products designed by Ikea, and produced by its partners are sold all over the world; it’s thus a big company, largely experienced in international business. The firm’s objectives in targeting Brazil are to enter a huge potential market and then increase its global market share as well as its revenue. In this new market that seems appealing enough to try and get to set a business in, but in a country that seems to be full of threats for a company that doesn’t have any experience with the local culture, it seems more than recommended to find a local partner first. Studies show indeed that successful companies in Brazil, like CA, are the ones which managed to adapt to the local environment with specific policies. In this intend, two strategies are likely to give the best results, because they involve local actors providing a fewer risk, and because they take into account the current organisation of Ikea: joint venture agreements and franchising. On a second hand, the strategy consisting in implanting Ikea’s wholly owned outlets or even purchasing other companies to set up their business in Brazil could be a solution, if we consider that the Brazilian market has a high potential for high income and success. Wholly owned stores: Having wholly owned stores to enter the Brazilian market is the most risky solution that can be conceivable, but it is still relevant to the actual case as the political risk in the country is low, the potential market in term of number of potential customers is high, and Ikea has enough resources to invest into new outlets. This strategy could be seen as similar to franchising, which is the main approach used by Ikea all other the world. Wholly owned stores could therefore be a possible solution for Ikea, which would either have to employ local managers or buy an existing local store to make sure that the new entity would answer the special needs of the market. Being able to understand the culture is an important factor to succeed in Brazil indeed, as the case study shows. Ikea should then be very careful when entering the market to make sure they respect the local culture and answer to the specific local needs of both the customers and the employees. Having a local owned store would be a long shot strategy to make high profit in the long run as well as being able to access to the distribution channels quickly and then select new suppliers among the huge number of local furniture manufacturer. The opportunities could thus profit to the brand worldwide, in finding a cheap manufacturers supplying good quality products. But this strategy also has a major drawback, as it would use big resources and could be unprofitable if the sales remain low. Ikea would then struggle to exit the market quickly and wouldn’t be able to prevent huge losses. This strategy could then only be used if Ikea is sure that the market is big enough. Joint venture: A joint venture is an entry strategy for a single target country in which the partners share ownership of a newly created business entity[ Keegan Green, 2005, pp. 299]. A joint venture seems to be an adapted strategy as Ikea already used this type of strategy during the past. In Japan for example, it set up a joint venture agreement with a local department store to test the market in 1976. History shows that the company then withdrew from the market due to stagnant sales. It then came back to Japan recently in 2006 thanks to a distribution partnership with the Mitsubishi Corporation[ Wikipedia, 2007]. Ikea could use a similar strategy by setting up a partnership with a medium sized local actor specialised in retailing with experience in the furniture industry to benefit from its experience without risking to face to see this actor becoming a competitor when he would have learn enough from the big company. A joint venture strategy could be seen as an opportunistic strategy to see if the market is ready. The benefits of a joint venture are as follow: Ikea would attain the knowledge of the Brazilian market through its local partner. It enables to reduce the time for Ikea to understand the local furniture market. If the market is really interesting, Ikea can then enter more and set up new stores in the country, in the high population density areas. Ikea also shares the risks with the local partner and thus reduce risk and uncertainty. By using joint venture, the financial risk and possible government interference are reduced. It could be then profitable to use local suppliers for some products, reducing costs due to importation taxes. However by using joint venture, there is possible conflict against the company goals and objectives, and it is difficult to exit the venture in both successful or failure events[ Warren J. Keegan Mark C. Green, 2005, Global Marketing, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, page 299]. If the partnership would take a wrong turn, concerning the relations with Ikea or if the local company wouldn’t follow Ikea’s recommendations, the multinational firm would struggle to adapt its model to the new market. Possible conflicts could also come from the fact that the local actor could copy Ikea’s strategy and give an end to the partnership. That is why it is very important in that case to be careful when choosing a partner and make sure that he would understand Ikea’s goals and adhere to them. Strategy recommended: franchising â€Å"Franchising is a special form of licensing where the franchiser makes a total marketing programme available to the franchisee. It will have to pay a fee and supply capital, personnel, personal involvement and local market knowledge†[ Jeannet Hennessy, 2004, pp. 296]. All current 237 Ikea stores all over the world operate under a franchise from Ikea Systems B. V. Ikea’s Facts and Figures], and franchising seems to be the most adapted entry method to enter the new market for the following reasons: Uncertainty Risk: Though economy is booming in Brazil now, with high national debts, high interest rate, and huge income gap between rich and poor people, there is still uncertainty risk to enter the Brazilian market. Franchising can reduce risks with limited resource input in an uncertain market because it uses the resources and the knowledge of the local franchisee. Speed: Speed is one of key issue for Ikea to be success to enter Brazil. Because of the important number of local competitors in the Brazilian market, the less time Ikea give them to reply, the high opportunities to be successful. Franchising is then an answer to this speed requirement as it provides the opportunity to grow quickly and open rapidly several numbers of stores if the market tends to be very profitable. Organization Objective: According to the information from the case study, franchising method used by the firm enables it to emphasis on centralized control and standardization of the product mix. And the objective of Ikea is to provide low price furniture with a fashion style. So the franchising method enables Ikea to build up lower costs in producing all over the world and then making economies of scale, to achieve the organization objective. Organization Experience: Ikea has a high level in international retailing with franchising methods in 22 countries. Compared with the level of experience in other methods, franchising is the most powerful and attractive methods to entry Brazil market for Ikea, because they master it very well! However, every coin has two sides, and the most appropriate entry method, franchising, also has a few drawbacks[ Cf. Jean-Pierce Jeannet H. David Hennessy, (2004), Global Marketing Strategies, 6th Edition, Houghton Mifflin, page 296. ]: More competitors in the long run: there are huge number of manufactures and wide rich resource in Brazil. It could be easy to set up new stores for local actors to compete with Ikea after learning from it. According to the case study, as business people in Brazil prefer their own way of running the business, the centralized management approach has limits in Brazil and there could be conflicts appearing in long term. Ikea should be very careful with that, as it could be considered as a success factor. Success factors in Brazil The Brazilian market for furniture retailing involves specific success factors which slightly differ from the ones that Ikea already has to master to compete in other countries. Three different factors can be identified through the case: Know how to attract new customers, with an emphasis on being able to communicate well among the prospects; Be able to sell good quality products at a decent price; Have a strong experience in the retail industry with a focus on three aspects: the customers, the suppliers and the employees. Know how to attract new customers The challenge here is to adapt the communication mix to the local population. The fact that Ikea has a famous brand name all other the world is already an advantage as the company has been chosen as the eighth best brand in 2006 according to a survey from brandchannel[ brandchannel. com/start1. asp? fa_id=352, 2006]. The print run for the 2006 Ikea’s catalog edition was 160 million[ Kerry Capell, â€Å"How the Swedish retailer became a global cult brand†, Business Week, 14/11/2005], even more than the Bible, which shows well the company’s know how in communication, since this fact helps to bring more than 1. 1 million customer in the stores everyday. But this is not enough for the Brazilian market, Ikea has to be able to show its interest for the local culture and adapt its communication to this particular environment. Be able to sell good quality products at a low price Ikea has already a deep knowledge in this area, because of efficient marketing and design departments which are successful to use different suppliers and know how to realise economies of scale without lowering the quality. Be able to sell good quality products at a low price is the most important success factor to enter the Brazilian market. This key success factor involves skills of Ikea to manage Just In Time (JIT) production, and a large production useful for economies of scale, as well as to use consumers as â€Å"pro-sumers†. But these skills have to be adapted for the Brazilian market as the notion of â€Å"pro-sumers† will certainly have to be explained to the new customers. JIT is also a big advantage for Ikea because in enables the brand to suppress unnecessary stock costs. Adapt the experience in the retailing to a new market This last part, which takes into account the two former success factors, has to do with managing the people, the processes and the flows in order to serve best the customers. In other words, Ikea would have to adapt itself to the new culture. For example, Ikea would have to have local managers who understand both Ikea’s and the local culture, and who can introduce the first to the latter. Adapt the experience to the new market has also to do with being able to locate well the store, adapted to the way of life and the possibilities of the Brazilians: for example, the population isn’t well equipped with personal vehicles, housing furniture may have to answer specific requirements, the way of selling may differ from what Ikea has previously experienced in other countries or the import taxes as well as a nationalism could lead the company to use local suppliers a lot. Understand the reasons that make Ingvar Kamprad reluctant to enter a new market: According to the case study, Ingvar Kamprad is feeling quite reluctant to a further expansion of Ikea. This can be analyzed by different reasons: The main one, pointed out by the case study, is that when an organisation becomes too big, it becomes too hard to manage. Indeed, one person, as a human being, can’t take the responsibility for handling thousands of issues caused by hundreds of stores. The main manager of the whole organisation, Ingvar Kamprad, would then have to delegate more power in order to be confronted to a restricted number of issues. Other reasons could also cause this scepticism, as we have seen earlier in the case study: language barriers that could result in conflicts of communication[ hartford-hwp. com/archives/42/149. html], other cultural issues that would oppose dissimilar management styles[ Zara’s problems, according to the case study], or huge competition due to well implanted local producers. All of these issues can though lead to a failure of the new attempt, and handicap the whole company and thousands of employees. Bibliography ABIMOVEL, Brazilian Association of Furniture Manufacturer, numbers from the case study Ann-Marie Fleming, 19th of Jan 2007, seekingalpha. com, stock market opinions and analysis website Brandchannel website from brandchannel. com/start1. asp? fa_id=352, 2006 â€Å"Brazil considers linguistic barricade† by Andrew Downie, The Christian Science Monitor, Wednesday 6 September 2000 published in hartford-hwp. com/archives/42/149. html Brazilian embassy in France at bresil. org/index. php? option=com_contenttask= viewid=663Itemid=51cataff=116cataffb=116 Brazil’s Consumer Credit Culture, 18th of Jul 2005 gtnews. om â€Å"Brazil’s president wins landslide victory†, Associated Press, 29th of October 2006 Cecilia M. Vega, â€Å" A new oasis in Tenderloin†, The San Francisco Chronicle (California) newspaper on March 22, 2006 Durcroire (Belgian credit insurance company) website, ducroiredelcredere. be, information from the 02/11/2006 Houghton Mifflin, page 2 96. Ikea’s Fact and Figures 2006, from Ikea’s website at http://franchisor. ikea. com/ Information from the USA government, state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640. htm#econ, 2005 International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database for the year 2005, September 2006 Jean-Pierce Jeannet H. David Hennessy, (2004), Global Marketing Strategies, 6th Edition Kerry Capell, â€Å"How the Swedish retailer became a global cult brand†, Business Week, 14/11/2005 â€Å"Le Bresil: premier grand client du PC a 100 dollars†, silicon. fr, 12th of March 2007 SDDS, from the International Monetary Fund, January 2007 Septimanie Export, French association helping companies from the Languedoc-Roussillon region to go abroad septimanie-export. com/fr/fiches-pays/bresil/acces-au-marche US Department of State information from state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640. htm#econ Warren J. Keegan Mark C. Green, 2005, Global Marketing, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, page 299 Wikipedia, 2007 Appendix 1: Brazil maps Population Density in 2000 Appendix 2: Diary P=03151611 M=06110827 Date: 26 Jan 2007 Time: 15:30 Duration: 45 minutes Issues discussed: 1. Cleared doubts on each question. 2. Checked general Brazilian info online. 3. Make appointment for the next meeting. 4. Divided the workload. M is responsible for presenting information about Brazil. P is responsible for picking out the info from the Case study. Date: 1 February 2007 Time: 14:30 Duration: 30mins Issues discussed: 1. Review the written part of the report 2. Did more research on Brazilian furniture market. 3. Decided the entry methods and work together on Question 2 3 Date: 8 Feb 2007 Time: 16:30 Duration: 1hour We meet at H04, the computer room to switch and discuss opinions on Question 2 3. We put the written parts together and work together on Question 4. We did not finish it, but we decide both to work on it and put them together later. Date: 15 Feb 2007 Time: 16:30 Duration: 1hour We put the part of question 4 together, and review the whole report. We checked some issues and reconstructed some parts. Date: 22 Feb2007 Time: 16:30 Duration: 2hours Making the report together

The Implications For An Economy Of A Rising Exchange Rate Essay

The Implications For An Economy Of A Rising Exchange Rate - Essay Example The performance of a specific currency is determined by the demand for the currency and the investments on the economy. An increased exchange rate of a country’s currency in relation to world currencies such as the dollar influences negatively on the export of the country’s products. On the other hand, the cost of imports is decreased by a strengthening currency and therefore more goods and services are imported. However, a strong currency discourages foreign investment and as a result, central banks use various strategies to ensure that currencies are regulated. This acts to protect the manufacturing industries from business failure due to reduced exportation of goods and competition. This paper gives a critical analysis on the impact of the rising exchange rate on world economies such as Australia, China, and Switzerland. The Australia’s steel export industry was impacted negatively by the rising exchange rate in July 2011 when the Australian dollar hit the highest point ever recorded in thirty years. This means that the value of the Australian dollar in relation to other currencies increased steadily. The demonstration for the negative impact of the rising exchange rate of the Australian dollar on the economy is seen in the increases in the cost of the raw materials for the industry in addition to the decreasing prices of steel . 1. Moreover, the strength of the Australian dollar led to the reduction of the export of goods and services from the agricultural, retail, tourism, and manufacturing sectors of the country’s economy. Foreign countries reduced their import of agricultural products from Australia due to the strength of its currency. The importance of agriculture and manufacturing industry in Australia shows the extent to which reduced exports of goods from these sectors affected the economy. Figure 1 Foreign Exchange Rate Australia/US Because of a rising exchange rate, the manufacturing industry of countries incurs big losses. For example, the Australian steel industry incurred a net loss of about US$1.1bn as a result of the appreciation of the Australian dollar2. The loss was due to asset write downs and reduction of the export activities. The impact of a rising exchange rate leads to the involvement of governments in an attempt to revive the failing economies. For example, the Australian government channeled funds to the steel industry to enable it to recover from the losses incurred due to the reduction of the country’s steel exports. The impact of the government involvement on the economy is twofold: the funds channeled to the industries for their recovery would lead to the improvement of the economy or reduce economic performance due to inappropriate prioritization of funds. The government involvement in the improving its manufacturing industrie s should therefore consider other sectors of the economy so that realistic distribution of funds is made possible. The exportation of a country’s products reduces when the currency strengthens because the prize of the exports and the costs associated with the shipments of the exports rise when the currency becomes strong. As a result, foreign importers from a country with a strong currency may reduce or terminate their imports from that country. As a result, the sectors of the economy, which export goods, are impacted negatively3. A rising exchange rate also affects the job market4. Because of the loss of revenue, which results from reduction of exports, a company is likely to reduce its workforce as a way of minimizing expenses. Blue scope, which is the largest producer of steel in Australia, for example reduced its work force by retrenchment following the reduction of its exports.

Impact of Labour Turnover in the Hospitality Industry on Guest Essay

Impact of Labour Turnover in the Hospitality Industry on Guest Satisfaction - Essay Example The aim was to prove that the hypothesis of acceptance of this culture leads to devastating consequences and that high turnover must be prevented, minimized, and managed. In order to meet the aims of the study, it was necessary to examine the causes and nature of turnover, whether it is considered to be bad or if it is considered to be good and necessary in the operation of companies. Existing arguments were examined as some believe that high turnover is desired in the hospitality industry yet some do not believe it to be a positive thing. Another argument included turnover as a culture of the industry. The Greek market was used as a case study to provide examples and illustrations which proved the writer’s hypotheses and aims. The Greek hospitality industry’s study also allowed the examination, evaluation, and findings of this study. In order to meet the objectives of this study, a literature review was conducted to define high turnover and various aspects of the topic in relation to the hospitality industry. Turnover is when employees stay only for a short time before moving on or becoming dismissed for one reason or another. (D’Announzio-Green, Maxwell, & Watson 2002, quote Barron and Maxwell, 1993, p. 5). â€Å"Turnover is the result of both quits and layoffs.   Thus, some turnover is a result of jobs in one firm being destroyed and jobs in another firm being created  Ã¢â‚¬â€ and hence due to the reallocation of jobs across the economy in response to changes in product demand.   A majority of job changes, however, are because workers reshuffle across the same set of jobs, and this worker reallocation occurs over and above job reallocation,† as written by Lane (2000).   Some hospitality industry sources report that turnover rate is between 100 and 150 percent each year.   This causes poor attitude amongst staff and affects the quality of service and care that is given to the customers.   (Crabtree, 2005.)   It is usually considered to be a bad thing; however, as Stark (2004) states â€Å"research has demonstrated that some turnover is healthy, indeed essential to organizational well being.†Ã‚   Scholtz (n.d.) reports that there are companies who have a turnover rate of ten percent or more and think it is a good thing because â€Å"they are replacing the bottom performers with new people will improve organizational performance.†

Creation of Men & The Flood Myths Essay Example for Free

Creation of Men The Flood Myths Essay The three well-known stories about the Creation of Men The Flood are the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the story of creation in the bible’s book of Genesis. Among the three, I believe the story that best describes the story of creation and the flood is the Epic of Gilgamesh. Although all three stories were well-constructed, the Epic of Gilgamesh stands out because it has a more human side to it and it is more dynamic than the other two. The problem with Ovid’s Metamorphoses is that it jumps from one tale to another. Moreover, the Metamorphoses mainly focused on Greek myths and not on other parts of the world. The story of creation in the bible’s genesis, on the other hand, is too dogmatic and its plot is too linear. I believe that the Epic of Gilgamesh is better than the two because it tells a story from a human perspective. In the story, it was depicted that Gilgamesh was one-third man and two-thirds God. Being part human, Gilgamesh is also vulnerable to a lot of things that most humans are prone to such as sin. He also possesses certain weaknesses like humans such as having the capability to grieve and mourn death as shown in his immense sadness when his friend, Enkidu died. It also illustrated a brief and interesting account of the flood when Utnapishtim, the immortal, shared with Gilgamesh how he survived the floods brought about by the gods through building massive boat and brining with him the offspring and seed of all the living creatures. The story also gave an interesting lesson in immortality when Gilgamesh failed to obtain the secret of eternal life from Utnapishtim and lost the magical plant that would restore his youth. However, he believed he achieved the closest thing to immortality when he said in the end: Go up, Urshanabi, onto the wall of Uruk and walk around. Examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly is not (even the core of) the brick structure of kiln-fired brick, and did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plan! † (Ancienttexts. org) His words at the end of the story meant that even though he could not attain immortality, his legacy would live on forever through his kingdom of Uruk, which for him was his best achievement that would endure the test of time. Works Cited Ancienttexts. org. The Epic of Gilgamesh. † 2008. 3 October 2008 http://www. ancienttexts. org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/.

Feudalism :: Economy, History, Medieval Europe

Feudalism was created in the 9th century to eliminate social chaos and put social classes into order. Kings would also use it to expand their land. In return they would get protection, money, crops, and court duties. It also used in war times so that the Knights were obligated to fight. They centralized government to organize power and land. Feudalism was used to give out land by the king, organize social standing and in return get military services and protection. Feudalism was a set of political and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries (â€Å"Feudalism†). â€Å"The feudal system was not planned but, rather grew and developed in response to the social chaos that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It provided order where there no longer was any, and it created new chains of command to replace those that were gone† ( James 58). Feudalism was introduced by King William I to England; this system organized power, land, and divided people into classes. The king, who owned all the land, gave some land to the church and to the barons in return for large blocks of land, the barons promised to fight for the king. Lent land to the knights and also common people (Susie 5). Feudalism test was also to defend against invaders (John 32). In the absence of centralized government authority, people look to personal relationships to bind society together. An individual with military pow er to offer gave his services to a feudal lord (Hay 170). Feudalism was created to put society, land, and power into order. In the economic system, landlords would force laborers to work on the lord’s manor to the lord’s profit (Medieval 65). Feudalism cultured many aspects of Europe that remained in place (Hay 39). â€Å"The feudal system was invented by 16th and 17th century lawyers and legal historians who were investigating the origins of the most common form of noble landholding in their own time (The Brown Reference Group 64). The feudal system was used in many aspects to making society and country simpler. Before the king would give out his land to the Barons, the barons would have to take an Oath of Fidelity. Nobel property was subdivided among a multitude of co sharers. The feudal system was founded upon a more and less complicated hierarchy of barons and vassals, united by ties of homage and fidelity by a sworn oath and by certain obligations which were defined in the contract.

Esperanza Rising Essay

From being born with a silver spoon your mouth and having your world revolve around you to having nothing, can be a life changing experience. In the historical fiction story Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan this exact thing happens to a 12 year old girl named Esperanza. Esperanza’s world is turned upside down when her father is murdered and she and her mom are forced to move to Las Angels. We watch as Esperanza changes from a self important unrespectful child into a mature greatful unpredjidus young adult. When Esperanza’s father, Sixto, dies everything ends up going down hill. When her father was murdered his brothers Tio Luis and Tio Miguel were part of the will, so that meant that they got part of the land. But when Tio Luis asked for Ramona’s hand in marriage they were forced to move to Las Angels. While Esperanza still thinks she’s a princess, she winds up being a pretous stuck up and predjidus to others. When she left she left with one thing and that was the doll she had gotten from her father for her 13th birthday. When Esperanza and her family arrived in Las Angels they started to look for work. When they found work it was for farming and they got a job and started working. When Esperanza tried working she couldn’t because she didn’t know how to do anything on her own. At the end we see Esperanza change because she has been able to feel the earths heartbeat and gave the doll to Isabela.