The Adoration of Jenna Fox free essay sample

In order to have your very own family, you have to be married. Jenna may not have that option, due to her new body. She has a relationship with Ethan, and they are in love with each other. So there is a chance where she could find someone who can love her. When Jenna and Ethan kiss, â€Å"everything that is curious and odd and funny and wrong about me disappears† (105). She has a love interest, and Ethan loves her for her. Even if he doesn’t know who she really is, he will still love her. Which is important because if Jenna ever wanted to have a family, eventually she would want to have a child. However, during the accident, only 10% of her brain was saved as well as the rest of her body was destroyed, even the reproductive parts. So when Jenna’s parents told her that when she has a child, she’d understand the sacrifices needed. We will write a custom essay sample on The Adoration of Jenna Fox or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Jenna got mad because she â€Å"can never have a child† (137). In the moment, Jenna get’s angry because she can’t naturally give birth, but she does not even know if she wants to have a baby in her future, never mind finding a proper husband/father to start a family with. If she even wants a family, she has to be able to deal with the one she has now. Jenna and Lily are talking about when Jenna and Ethan kissed and Jenna wants to just â€Å"pound on her chest and say, Please love me† (107). She wants Lily to love her, but she naturally should, because that’s what family should always to: love each other. Lily does not love Jenna because the Jenna she knew died, and does not really care about the new Jenna. She thinks because of the new body, Lily does not love her anymore and wonders if anyone else actually loves her, even in this new body. Jenna’s accident makes her question if she can have a stable social life. Jenna meets Mr. Bender and looks at some of his art, and he treats her like he would treat any other person. Jenna realizes that, â€Å"He may not be the normal sort of friend for a seventeen-year-old, but I am not normal either† (25). Jenna walks different, acts different, and sometimes even talks different, and yet after her accident, she manages to find a friend in the world who will treat her like a normal human being. Even if Mr. Bender is older than Jenna, he can see the normal side of Jenna, instead of the abnormalities. In school, when Jenna and Rae go through Jenna’s questionnaire, She is asked about her weaknesses, and a lot of thoughts run through her head, like â€Å"I’m afraid. I’m lost. I have no friends. It keeps coming back to that. Why does it bother me so? †(71). Besides Mr. Bender, Jenna has no friends at this point. She knows people, like Ethan, Allys, Gabriel, and Dane, but aren’t completely friends with them. However, later in the book, Jenna starts to grow a stronger bond between Allys and Ethan. As lunch starts, Jenna learns how things work and how everyone splits up. As she prepares for lunch, she sees Ethan and the others start to get ready to go to a cafe and hears an unexpected question: Want to come? (73). Although Jenna was still new and barely knew Ethan And Allys, they still invited Jenna anyway. No one asks someone to join unless they want to become closer to each other and bond better. Jennas accident makes her question whether she can be like everyone else instead of an illegal lab experiment.. Jenna always goes to her room when she is told to. However, she is told that she used to never go to her room whereas pre-accident, she would just storm out of the house. When Claire told Jenna to go to her room after knocking over plates on purpose, instead she stood in place and repeated to herself Dont go Jenna. Dont go. Dont go (152). The fact that Jenna stopped herself from obeying is interesting, because her biochips gave her subliminal messages that told her to go to her room. If she could overpower that, then she still has free will. Free will is a strong characteristic for any living being, and if Jenna can do that, then she can behave like a normal human. Another strong characteristic is curiosity. It has a few definitions, which are to be inquisitive and to be odd. When Jenna is first asked if she was curious, so she responded in an interesting way. Ive been in a coma for over a year. I guess that makes me highly unusual; odd; strange. Yes, Lily. I am curious (11). Even though she just woke up from a coma, she still has some of her personality. She questions and critically thinks about troubles in her life, and most people act the same way. Not only that, but people need their independence as well. After battling herself to decide what she needs in life, she finally comes to a decision: I need to own my life (254). A person can not always be controlled by something else, or else they do not develop their own personality. Controlling your own life gives you the power to do what you want, to find what makes you happy. Jenna, although mostly make up of Bio Gel and lab skin, is a completely normal girl. She walks, talks, thinks, and breathes like everybody else. Everybody has a social life, and enjoy them too. People make friends, talk to each other, and hang out together. Jenna has a family, and other people have families as well. Also, they think about their future family as well, like who to marry, how many kids they want, etc.. Jenna has her own personality that she eventually develops, and has her own way of doing things. She is not the only one. Everyone has a personality, need it be unique or very bland. Jenna used to be 100% human, and used to have a different personality, a different life. Even after the accident, she still has a personality, even though it’s different from her old one. She still has a social life, a family, and is a normal person all around. Jenna may not be normal, but she still has a normal life.

Free Essays on Indonesia

General Profile Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Archipelago is any water space scattered with many islands. This group of islands is located in Southeastern Asia and acts as a dividing line between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. To find Indonesia on a map, the geographic coordinates of 5 00 south, 120 00 east are given to aid in the search. With its total area being 1,919,440 sq. km., 1,826,440 sq. km. of that being land and 93,000 sq. km. being water, Indonesia is said to be slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Although Indonesia is a group of islands, it contains 2,602 km. in land boundaries. These land boundaries are divided between Indonesia’s two border countries of Malaysia, which has a boundary of 1,782 km., and Papua New Guinea, whose land boundary with Indonesia is much less than that of Malaysia with a total of 820 km. Due to the numerous islands that make up the country of Indonesia, its total coastline is extremely high with a total of 54,716 ! km. The geographic coordinates and total coastline of Indonesia has a huge impact on the climate. This country’s climate is described as tropical, hot, and humid with the more moderate temperatures in highlands. The highlands are found on the larger islands but the majority of Indonesia’s terrain is coastal lowlands. The highest elevation point is at Puncak Jaya with the height of 5,030 m. and the lowest point is the Indian Ocean with a measurement of 0 m. Indonesia’s location makes it very vulnerable to natural hazards. These hazards include occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes. With Indonesia’s variety in land elevation and climate, the actual land usage is mainly woodlands and forests (62%). The remaining percentage of the land is divided fairly evenly between arable land, permanent crops, and permanent pastures. Indonesia does, however, have a wide variety of natural resourc... Free Essays on Indonesia Free Essays on Indonesia General Profile Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Archipelago is any water space scattered with many islands. This group of islands is located in Southeastern Asia and acts as a dividing line between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. To find Indonesia on a map, the geographic coordinates of 5 00 south, 120 00 east are given to aid in the search. With its total area being 1,919,440 sq. km., 1,826,440 sq. km. of that being land and 93,000 sq. km. being water, Indonesia is said to be slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Although Indonesia is a group of islands, it contains 2,602 km. in land boundaries. These land boundaries are divided between Indonesia’s two border countries of Malaysia, which has a boundary of 1,782 km., and Papua New Guinea, whose land boundary with Indonesia is much less than that of Malaysia with a total of 820 km. Due to the numerous islands that make up the country of Indonesia, its total coastline is extremely high with a total of 54,716 ! km. The geographic coordinates and total coastline of Indonesia has a huge impact on the climate. This country’s climate is described as tropical, hot, and humid with the more moderate temperatures in highlands. The highlands are found on the larger islands but the majority of Indonesia’s terrain is coastal lowlands. The highest elevation point is at Puncak Jaya with the height of 5,030 m. and the lowest point is the Indian Ocean with a measurement of 0 m. Indonesia’s location makes it very vulnerable to natural hazards. These hazards include occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes. With Indonesia’s variety in land elevation and climate, the actual land usage is mainly woodlands and forests (62%). The remaining percentage of the land is divided fairly evenly between arable land, permanent crops, and permanent pastures. Indonesia does, however, have a wide variety of natural resourc...

What does the Ionian revolt tell us of the nature of Persian imperial Essay

What does the Ionian revolt tell us of the nature of Persian imperial rule - Essay Example At first sight, Ionian revolt was caused by the reasons, which can’t be called occasional. Ionian cities were first of all trade centers. The capture of Hellespont and Bosporus by Persians was fatal for the trade and the competition from the side of Phoenician merchants was becoming more and more threatening. Besides the economic damage, Ionian cities suffered from political pressure: in all the cities, ruled by Persians there were tyrants appointed. The failure of The Scythian Campaign of Darius disrupted the prestigious of his army. At last, the fewness of Persian troops located in the western part of Asia Minor made Greeks confident of the fast victory. The history of V century BC deserves special attention. It was an excellent example of how the mistakes in the organization can spoil the results. By the end of VI century Persia was the most important player on the arena of the Middle East. This country gained much power and influence during the government of Achaemenid dyn asty. It conquered such powerful east-Mediterranean states as Midia, Lidia, Babylonia and Egypt. After the last Lidia’s ruler Kreza was defeated, Persians had conquered the Greek colonies that were located at the west coast of Asia Minor. Now it is the territory of the modern Turkey. Most of the colonies had been established by Ionians. Till this time people who lived there considered themselves to be Greek and were engaged in trade. They had to pay contribution to Lidia who controlled their land. In return Lidia provided Greek with autonomy and right to act without obstacles. Ionians has good relations with their strong neighbor. They were dependent, but had peaceful and satisfied life. However, everything changed when the Persian Empire took control over the lands. The situation changed for Greeks completely. They appeared under control of a very strong and strict conqueror, who dictated his own, unbeneficial rules. Thus, it seems rather understandable that Greeks refused t o keep their previous status under new rule and this resulted in rebellion in the 499 BC that played a very important role in Greek history. It is not very easy to judge what happened in reality and what the main reasons for such rebellion were, because the only source of information is work of Herodotus â€Å"The History†. He was known as the father of history and at the same time as the father of stories, some of which are considered to be the product of his own imagination. So, the credibility of information found inhis work is pretty disputable. Herodotus was Greek, he was born in Halicarnassus. He was exiled from his native town and had to leave for Athens. There he worked on the description of the conflict between Greeks and Persians. Historian annals were not created during that period of time, thus Herodotus is deservingly considered to be the pioneer in this field and genre. The trouble is that in the most cases he did not care much about the credibility of facts and preferred to present his own opinion than the real facts. Moreover, he depicted history from the position of Greeks and also had prejudices towards Ionians. So his depiction of Ionian rebellion should be considered from a critical point of view. The rebellion failed. And in this case the actions of Herodotus were predictable. He tried to find a scapegoat. He did not reveal the real reasons of defeat and the easiest way that he found was to accuse Aristagoras, the leader of Miletus, in failure. So it is very difficult to

Imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Imperialism - Essay Example A positive outcome is seen in one document entitled "Modern Progressive nations,† this file shows what larger nations gave to smaller colonies. The nations constructed roads, canals, and railways for them. Exposed telegraph and the newspaper to them, established educational facilities for them, shared with them the sanctification of their civilization, and generally made them economized. After this happened, they belonged to modern culture. Another affirmative effect is realized in document three known as "Colonial Governments and Missionaries.† It expresses the way in which the colonial governments presented improved medical precaution and better techniques of sanitation. Then new crops were introduced; tools and farming skills, which boasted the rise of food production. Such changes meant few mortality rates were experienced and also an overall improvement on the state of living was seen in those smaller colonies. They could now live longer and experience better sanitat ion related to former imperialism. The Great War for equality just as how Hitler viewed and referred it as the Great War for fascism, is being battled out in Africa as viciously as anywhere else. This is not only a problem of strategy. The opposing imperialism's need Africa, just for the sake of the continent, a point in which the Democratic propagandists discount with the Olympian sublimity of complete hypocrisy or complete ignorance. Hitler says plainly that he desires his living spaced. But allow that to pass. What we need to do is to state some few facts concerning Africa, its role in imperialist frugality, then its future in a socialist domain. One major issue is the world market in which capitalism has by far created that we shall forcefully find ourselves tackling fundamental problems of the current society and the answer of the permanent calamity not just in Africa but the entire world. Until the year 1914, the British bourgeoisie did not have any slight idea of the revolutionary ferocity which capitalism was harboring in its bosom, especially in the colonies. One obscure Russian radical exile named Lenin inscribed confidently the issues about the inevitable occurrence of the proletariat who were in India and also China, as some of the leaders in theemerging nationalist revolutions. In contrast, neither world publicist nor British politician worried about that. It is practically valuable to re-read what some of these wise people of thirty years ago always

Seed predation in exotic and native legumes Lab Report

Seed predation in exotic and native legumes - Lab Report Example This way the exotic species reproduce fast and form dense populations thereby eliminating the native species that had initially thrived in the ecosystem freely. These are referred to as invasive exotic species. Exotic species are also referred to as non-indigenous species in many books. According to Keane and Crawley 2012, the most straightforward and appealing explanation for the rapid establishment and proliferation of non-indigenous species is that they are produced from the effects of their common foes and pathogens. The enemy release hypothesis explains that the abundance or impact of some non-indigenous species is related to the scarcity of natural enemies in the introduced range compared with the native range. This experiment is aimed at evaluating the effect of invasive exotic species in the ecosystem. Pods of A. lebbeck and L. latisiquum will be used to show the damage by our predator which in our case is the Bruchid beetles. The frequency of the holes made in the pods of the two different species will help us to generate our hypothesis with the two variables being used to generate the hypothesis being the origin of the species and the damage caused. The Chi-square test which will be done at the end of the practical session will be used to determine whether or not the damage caused on the seed pods was independent of the origin of the species. Our chi-square results will provide evidence of the dependence of damage on the origin of the species that we used. According to Siemann and Rogers 2003, the existence of exotic species could be enhanced by better adaptation methods and faster growth rate in the prevailing conditions. Further with time the native species could have generated many enemies and so its survival is further limited, Blossey & NÃ ¶tzold 1995. If the exotic species has developed a resistance to the Bruchid beetles then it

Us Involvement in the Vietnam War

Us Involvement in the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1965-1973) was a conflict fought in South Vietnam between the government forces, aided by the United States, and the guerrilla forces, backed by the predominantly communist North Vietnam. The conflict escalated from a Vietnamese civil war into an international conflict in which the United States played a dominant role. Despite peace agreements of 1973 between the two factions, the conflict did not end! In fact, peace only emerged when North Vietnams successful offensive in 1975 resulted in South Vietnams collapse and the subsequent unification of Vietnam under the Communist government in the North. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The Vietnam War (1965-1973) was one of the longest wars the United States was ever engaged in. It is distinctive as it gave rise to the largest and the most successful antiwar movement in the United States history. In fact, the war in Vietnam can be described as a war that was fought on two fronts: a war in Vietnam: being waged with tanks, guns and bullets, and a war in the United States: fought through demonstrations on the streets and college campuses across the US. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed) Along with the Civil Rights campaigns of the 1960s, the antiwar movement was one of the most divisive forces in twentieth-century U.S. history. It attracted members from college campuses, middle-class suburbs, labour unions and government institutions. The movement gained national prominence in 1965, peaked in 1968, and remained potent through the conflict. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The American movement against the Vietnam War was the most triumphant antiwar movement in U.S. history. During the Johnson administration, it helped constrain the war and was a major factor in the administrations policy reversal in 1968. During the Nixon years, it hastened U.S. troop withdrawals, fed the deterioration in U.S. troop morale and discipline, and promoted legislation that severed U.S. funding for the war. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The discussion of the Vietnamese antiwar movement is extremely relevant today. This was the first time in history that the military might of the United States was successfully blocked, that too by the guerrilla movement of a virtually unarmed section of the Vietnamese people. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) This triumph of the human spirit is a significant chapter in history. It made the American people question the almost dogmatic anti-communist focus of the American government. This movement went beyond ideology, encompassing nationalist fervour and ingraining in the American people a national fear of whether every war they participated in would spiral into another Vietnam. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) CHAPTER ONE A ZEALOUS FORCE TO RECKON WITH : THE IRATE AMERICAN PUBLIC In 1965, a majority of Americans supported U.S. policies in Vietnam; by the fall of 1967, only 35 percent did so. For the first time, more people thought U.S. intervention in Vietnam had been a mistake than did not. They questioned how the U.S. could be fighting for the freedom of the Vietnamese people if it had to indiscriminately bomb, burn, and imprison the Vietnamese people themselves for fear that any one of them could be an enemy? The Vietnam war protests, or Anti-war movement, initiated by the American college students, was instrumental in questioning the policies surrounding Americas involvement in Vietnams bloody affairs. The countrys youth, the ones dying in the line fire, began demanding answers to Americas high profile presence in Vietnam. They wanted to know what they were fighting for. Through it all, the bombings continued and more and more of Americas young GIs came home in body bags. Aspects Leading to Anti War Protests Why did the Americans react adversely to the senseless War? During the four years following passage of the Tonkin Gulf resolution (Aug., 1964), which authorized U.S. military action in Southeast Asia, the American air war intensified and troop levels climbed to over 500,000. Opposition to the war grew as television and press coverage graphically showed the suffering of both civilians and conscripts. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Extensive media coverage brought the violent and bloody guerrilla war home each night to every American living room. People realised that the glowing reviews of the war effort their government had been releasing were sanitised and far from the truth. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Americans wanted to know why peace talks were organized and continually failed. Alongwith, they objected to the military draft policy. North Vietnams bloody TET Offensive of 1968 and the resultant horrendous casualties the Americans suffered eroded the situation in America even further. The assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy also sparked racial tension and unrest. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The length of the war, the high number of U.S. casualties, and the exposure of U.S. involvement in war crimes such as the massacre at My Lai helped to turn many in the United States against the war. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) One of the most controversial aspects of the of the U.S. military effort in South East Asia was the wide-spread use of herbicides between 1961 and 1971. They were used to defoliate large parts of the countryside. These chemicals continue to change the landscape, cause diseases and birth defects, and poison the food chain. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Early in the American military effort it was decided that, since PAVN/NLF were hiding their activities under triple-canopy jungle, a useful first step might be to defoliate certain areas. This was known as Operation Ranch Hand. Corporations like Dow Chemical and Monsanto were given the task of developing herbicides for this purpose. When the Americans realized this, they were disgusted. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Richard Nixons number one campaign promise to Americans was that hed end the war with Vietnamization, or systematic troop withdrawals. Yet the American presence in Vietnam remained high and casualties mounted, as did the cost of running the war effort. Taxpayers were paying 25 billion dollars per year to finance a conflict no one believed in anymore. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Nixons plan to attack communist supply locations in Cambodia in 1970 failed and set off another round of protests. The Kent State student protest in May of 1970 turned deadly when National Guardsman fired into crowds, killing 4 students and injuring dozens more. Students all across the country became enraged and over the next few days campuses all over the US came to a virtual standstill. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) As the year drew to a close Nixons plans to end the Vietnam war had not been realized. American citizens were not impressed. However, after Kent State Anti-war activism seemed to wane. Yet the people still demanded to know why their country was involved in a war where a resolution seemed impossible. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) 1971 also saw the Mylai massacre come to light, an atrocity committed by American soldiers that shocked the world and gained huge media attention. Another round of peace talks were organized on the heels of this controversy but again all attempts to end the fighting in Vietnam failed. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) When the New York Times published the first installment of the Pentagon Papers on 13 June 1971, Americans became aware of the true nature of the war. Stories of drug trafficking, political assassinations, and indiscriminate bombings led many to believe that military and intelligence services had lost all accountability. The top-secret history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, commissioned by the Department of Defense, detailed a long series of public deceptions. The Supreme Court ruled that its publication was legal. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Bombings raids on North Vietnam were re-escalated in the spring of 1972, after peace talks headed by Henry Kissinger once again collapsed. The cities of Hanoi and Haiphong were subjected to night raids by American B-52 bombers that was unprecedented and that left the world in shock. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Antiwar sentiment, previously tainted with an air of anti-Americanism, became instead a normal reaction against zealous excess. Dissent dominated America; the antiwar cause had become institutionalized. By January 1973, when Nixon announced the effective end of U.S. involvement, he did so in response to a mandate unequaled in modern times. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Peace talks resumed in Paris and by the end of January, 1973, a pact had been signed by the United States, South and North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. By March, all American troops were pulled out of the country and systematic release of prisoners of war on both sides was initiated. Yet by the time the Watergate scandal came to light, and ruined Nixons presidency at the close of 1974, Communist forces had overrun Saigon. Within a few short months most of Indochina fell into Communist hands. The Anti-war movements mantra of what are we fighting for seemed eerily prophetic. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) U.S. casualties in Vietnam during the era of direct U.S. involvement (1961-72) were more than 50,000 dead; South Vietnamese dead were estimated at more than 400,000, and Viet Cong and North Vietnamese at over 900,000. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The U.S. war against Vietnam was over, although the destruction continued. Large parts of Cambodia were devastated, populations were dislocated, and famine and war brought on by the U.S. war against Vietnam led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands there, and the Vietnamese had to cope with thousands of injured, with destroyed industrial facilities, and with burned and poisoned land. But the war was over, and the anti-war movement was over(Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) A Series of Protests: The Anti War Movement Once the draft was introduced, young people on college and university campuses all around America began to organise protests against the war. Teach-ins and student organizations like the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) held rallies and marches, the first of which happened in Washington in April of 1965. Over the next 2 years the anti-war movement snow balled. Activists, celebrities and musicians like Abbie Hoffmann, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Jane Fonda, Jefferson Airplane, and countless others took up the Anti-war cause and waved Anti-war banners. Their speeches and their music reflected the anger and hopelessness that Americans felt over the Vietnam war. Even the GIs stationed overseas began supporting the Anti-war movement in whatever capacity they could, from wearing peace symbols to refusing to obey orders. As the American public realized the intensity of its involvement in the Vietnam War, civil unrest fomented. 100,000 Anti-war protesters gathered in New York and thousands more in San Francisco. There were urban riots in Detroit. Johnsons support fell drastically on all fronts. Anti-war rallies, speeches, demonstrations and concerts continued being organized all over the country. There was a backlash against all that was military. Soldiers returning home from the war were no longer regarded as heroes but as baby killers. Young men sought to evade the draft by being conscientous objectors or leaving for Canada. The Woodstock concert brought 500,000 together from across North America in a non-violent protest against the war. The most famous campus protest of the early 1960s was the Free Speech Movement (FSM) at University of California, Berkeley. In 1965, demonstrations in New York City attracted 25,000 marchers; within two years similar demonstrations drew several hundred thousand participants in Washington, D.C., London, and other European capitals. Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, though acts of civil disobedience-intended to provoke arrest-were common. Much of the impetus for the antiwar protests came from college students. Objections to the military draft led some protesters to burn their draft cards and to refuse to obey induction notices. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) In October, 1967, a large anti-war demonstration was held on the steps of the Pentagon. Some protesters were heard to chant, Hey, hey, LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson)! How many kids did you kill today? One reason for the increase in the opposition to the Vietnam War was larger draft. By 1967 the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) invoked the language of revolution in its denunciations of the war in Vietnam as an inevitable consequence of American imperialism. There was also a more moderate opposition to the war from clergy, elected politicians, and people such as Dr. Benjamin Spock. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Perhaps the most significant development of the period between 1965 and 1968 was the emergence of Civil Rights leaders as active proponents of peace in Vietnam. In a January 1967 article written for the Chicago Defender, Martin Luther King, Jr. openly expressed support for the antiwar movement on moral grounds. Reverend King expanded on his views in April at the Riverside Church in New York, asserting that the war was draining much-needed resources from domestic programs. He also voiced concern about the percentage of African American casualties in relation to the total population. Kings statements rallied African American activists to the antiwar cause and established a new dimension to the moral objections of the movement. The peaceful phase of the antiwar movement had reached maturity as the entire nation was now aware that the foundations of administration foreign policy were being widely questioned. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The antiwar movement became both more powerful and, at the same time, less cohesive between 1969 and 1973. Most Americans pragmatically opposed escalating the U.S. role in Vietnam, believing the economic cost too high; in November of 1969 a second march on Washington drew an estimated 500,000 participants. The invasion of Cambodia sparked nationwide U.S. protests. On 4th May, 1970, four students were killed by the National Guard at Kent State University during a protest in Ohio, which provoked public outrage in the United States. The reaction to the incident by the Nixon administration was seen as callous and indifferent, providing additional impetus for the anti-war movement. Nixon was taken to Camp David for his own safety. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Waning Support From Within the Government As the Anti War movements ideals spread beyond college campuses, doubts about the wisdom of war escalation also began to appear within the Johnson administration itself. As early as the summer of 1965, Undersecretary of State George Ball counseled President Johnson against further military involvement in Vietnam. In 1967, Johnson fired Defense Secretary McNamara after the secretary expressed concern about the moral justifications for war. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) After the news of My Lai massacre became public in February 1970, new groups-Nobel science laureates, State Department officers, the American Civil Liberties Union-all openly called for withdrawal. Congress began threatening the Nixon administration with challenges to presidential authority. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) As the number of troops in Vietnam increased, the financial burden of the war grew. One of the rarely mentioned consequences of the war were the budget cuts to President Johnsons Great Society programs. As defense spending and inflation grew, Johnson was forced to raise taxes. The Republicans, however, refused to vote for the increases, unless a $6 billion cut was made to the administrations social programs. The Vietnam War claimed more than just victims overseas at home it claimed reforms aimed at lifting millions of people out of poverty. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The Americans were no longer going to accept the ongoing nature of American involvement in the Vietnam War. The entire nation was questioning the administrations foundation of foreign policy. The Anti-War Counter Culture Alongside the antiwar protest movement, a counter culture arose that most Americans disapproved of. The clean-cut, well-dressed SDS members were being subordinated as movement leaders. Their replacements deservedly gained less public respect, were tagged with the label hippie, and faced much mainstream opposition from middle-class Americans uncomfortable with the youth culture of the period-long hair, casual drug use, promiscuity. Words like counter culture, establishment, non-violence, pacification, draft-dodger, free love, Kent State, and Woodstock were added to the American vocabulary. It was the beginning of the hippie generation, the sexual revolution and the drug culture. Protest music, typified by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, contributed to the gulf between young and old. A Cultural and political protest had become inextricably intertwined within the movements vanguard. The new leaders became increasingly strident, greeting returning soldiers with jeers and taunts, spitting on tro ops in airports and on public streets. unique situation arose in which most Americans supported the cause but opposed the leaders, methods, and culture of protest. CHAPTER TWO CONTAINING THE COMMUNIST EXPANSION:THE AMERICAN POLICY OBSESSION The Domino theory is the notion that if one country embraces Communism, other nations in the region will probably follow. This can be likened to dominoes falling in a line. This absurd argument simply assumed nations to be dominos in a row, to be knocked down or picked up by the worlds two largest powers: US and the Soviet Union. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007) The Domino Theory The cornerstone of U.S. policy was the Domino Theory. The theory argued that if South Vietnam fell to communist forces, then all of South East Asia would follow suit. This theory was popularized by President Dwight Eisenhowers administration. A section of individuals believed that if communism spread unchecked, it would follow them home by first reaching Hawaii and then emerging in the West Coast of the United States. They were thus of the opinion that it was prudent to contain communism in Asia itself. Thus, the Domino Theory provided a powerful impetus for the American involvement in southern Vietnam. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007) Policy of Containment In a bid to stop this communist expansion, the United States pursued a policy of containment.  [1]  This policy of containment was first suggested by George F. Kennan in the 1947 X article, published anonymously in Foreign Affairs. It remained the U.S. policy for the next quarter of a century. (Columbia Encyclopedia,2007) The policy of Containment adopted the approach of not fighting an all out war with the communist Soviet Union. Rather, it propounded confining communism and the Soviet Union to their existing boundaries. This doctrine led directly to the Vietnam war. Containment was based on several arguments: (Chomsky,2003) That the Soviet Union was always expansionistthe Soviet Union, driven by its dogmatic faith in communism was determined to impose its absolute authority on the worlds nations. Containment was necessary for maintaining the worldwide balance of power between the US and the Soviet Union. (Chomsky, 2003)   2. That any newly established communist governments would inevitably be part of Soviet empire. The Doctrine of Containment believed that there could be no such thing as a nonaligned nation. No nation could be neutral: it must either align itself with the Soviet block or the democratic American block. (Chomsky,2003) 3. That communist and Soviet expansion must be limited. The Doctrine of Containment advocated that a conventional war should be avoided. However, the US should pledge itself to stopping the formation of any new communist governments and preventing existing communist governments from growing. (Chomsky, 2003)   4. Most importantly, it was based on a belief in the special mission and destiny of America. Kennedys advisor McGeorge Bundy believed that the United States was the locomotive at the helm of mankind, and the remaining world was dependent on this mighty nation. They seemed to believe that it was their destiny to protect the world from the evils of communism. (Chomsky,2003) Thus, we can conclude that the American policy makers believed in a simplistic American vs. Communism stand. The general premise of Containment was that every communist government, the world over, was an implement of Moscow and it was the duty of the American government to safeguard the nations of the world from communism. (Chomsky,2003) Was the Soviet Threat A Realistic Assessment? The threat of an expanding communism was indeed a realistic assessment. The Soviet Union had certainly acted in an expansionist way in the recent past. More worryingly, the Soviet Union was officially committed to the worldwide spread of communism. A newly acquired nuclear capability and a vast army positioned the Soviet Union as a perilous potential enemy of the United States. In fact, in 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev, while debating with Richard Nixon in Moscow, threatened we will bury you!. It would indeed have been wrong, as also foolish, to underestimate the force of the Soviet Union as an enemy. (Chomsky,2003) Subsequently, however, the Domino theory was disprovedcommunist governments in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China do not act collectively. After a period of great turmoil, most have abandoned communism. Vietnam, surprisingly, is now enthusiastically pro-capitalist, and an inviting place of investment for the United States of America. (Chomsky,2003)   Americans will, sometimes citing a dozen reasons, argue that we could have won if. Example: Ronald Reagan frequently asserted that the US would have won if the government had made a wholesale commitment instead of a limited war.  (Chomsky,2003) However, one could argue, won what? Can a victory be defined as one that leaves the nation with a devastated landscape, millions of dead civilians and a crippled economy? A victory, by means of which, the US would have ruled repressively over a country whose citizens despised it? It would certainly have been a hollow victory. (Chomsky, 2003) A Misguided Attempt The Vietnam War was misguided from its inception. A large number of major architects of the Containment policy George Kennan, McGeorge Bundy, Robert MacNamara have unequivocally acknowledged they were mistaken about the Vietnam War. They admit that Containment was a flawed policy. It was flawed due to its indifference to the history of Southeast Asia. The American obsession with Communism led them deeper and deeper into a tragedy. They believed in Americas mission, and in the undisputable superiority of Americas endeavours. They were erroneous, and consequently, so was the war! (Chomsky,2003) CHAPTER THREE PARALLELS OF IRAQ WITH THE VIETNAM WAR The Iraq war has evoked memories of the Vietnam war, the most significant political experience of an entire American generation. American involvement in both the wars was inspired to contain the expansion of a principle that it rejected: one was expansion of communism and the other is expansion of Islam radicalism. Vietnam was an event that emerged in the backdrop of the Cold War, a combination of geopolitical and ideological conflict with the expansion of communism. Iraq is part of an ideological struggle between radical Islam and the rest of the world in which the jihadists reject the established order, challenge the structure of the international system based on the nation state. (Kissinger,2007) 1. Was the US unilateral withdrawal from Vietnam an option in 1969 when Nixon took office? In Vietnam, unilateral withdrawal was not practically feasible. To dispatch over half a million troops, from Vietnam to the US, would have been a logistical nightmare, even under peacetime conditions. But in Vietnam, the US troops were countering over 600,000 armed North Vietnamese Communist forces on the ground, who were being bolstered by guerrilla forces. If the US troops even hinted at withdrawal, these troops may well have been joined by a large section of the 700,000 strong South Vietnamese army as they may have felt betrayed by their allies and tried to work their way back into the good graces of the Communists. The U.S. forces tried to withdraw, they would have become hostages and the ordinary Vietnamese people victims. (Kissinger,2007) A diplomatic alternative did not exist. Nixon correctly summed up the choices before him when he rejected unilateral withdrawal: Shall we leave Vietnam in a way that by our own actions consciously turns the country over to the Communists? Or shall we leave in a way that gives the South Vietnamese a reasonable choice to survive as a free people? When negotiations stalemated, the Nixon administration moved to implement what could be done unilaterally without undermining the political structure of South Vietnam. Between 1969 and 1972, it withdrew 515,000 American troops, ended American ground combat in 1971 and reduced American casualties by nearly 90 percent. (Kissinger,2007) In the same vein, unilateral withdrawal is not practically feasible even in Iraq. Whenever gradual withdrawal from Iraq is implemented, it should be done in a way that it prevents a takeover by radical Islam in Iraq. Given that a democratic government has been installed, after much struggle, the US should try to do everything possible to ensure its continuance. The following issues should be kept in mind before implementing a graduated withdrawal: In Iraq, the military forces of the adversary are less powerful than they were in Vietnam, but the international political framework is more complex. This fragile situation should be handled with caution. Before withdrawal, a political settlement has to be distilled from the partially conflicting, partially overlapping views of the Iraqi parties, Iraqs neighbors and other affected states. It should be based on a shared conviction that the cauldron of Iraq would otherwise overflow and engulf all surrounding countries and then spread internationally. 2. Did the American domestic debate and American publics protest movement doom the effort in Vietnam? During the Vietnam war, a point was reached when the domestic debate over American involvement in the War, became so bitter as to preclude rational discussion of hard choices. For a decade and a half, successive administrations of both political parties perceived the survival of South Vietnam as a significant national interest. Starting with the Johnson administration, they were opposed by a protest movement. This impasse doomed the American effort in Vietnam! The American public should learn to contain their outrage so that it does not lead to an impasse or due consideration to available choices as and when the time is right. The American public must not repeat the massive show of angst over Iraq.(Kissenger,2007). It is creditable that American officials have gone to great lengths to make sure the American people understand that the American military cannot possibly be defeated in Iraq (PINR,2003). The strategy of Vietnamese and Iraqi guerrillas was/is to sap the political will of the U.S. public. Is their political will being sapped? The attacks launched against U.S. forces in Iraq are not the type required or intended to defeat the United States militarily. But the fact is that Washington is not operating in a military vacuum. The strength of the U.S. military means little when faced with an increasingly skeptical U.S. public who has the potential to force Washington to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq. In addition, while Washington cannot be overwhelmed by sheer force, there is no evidence that the guerrilla fighters in Iraq can be defeated that way either. In Vietnam, Washington faced a similar predicament. There was an increasingly organized and brash guerrilla force preventing the U.S. from bringing stability to South Vietnam. Due to the massive technology gap, Vietnamese guerrillas and the North Vietnamese Army stood little chance of defeating the U.S. militarily. Just the same, however, Washington stood little chance of defeating the Vietnamese guerrilla movement militarily. The effective guerrilla tactics of the North Vietnamese Army were a military strategy aimed at sapping the political will from the U.S. public. This was well known at the time and was often articulated in the speeches of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Always aware of U.S. public opinion, North and South Vietnamese military and guerrilla leaders worked to undermine Washington. When they launched the massive Tet Offensive in over 100 different cities of South Vietnam on January 31, 1968 successfully storming and occupying the U.S. Embassy in Saigon the attack was orchestrated shortly after U.S. military leaders and politicians claimed that the war in Vietnam was almost over. The strategy of Vietnamese resistance fighters was successful, and it looks as if resistance fighters in Iraq are following a similar one; Iraqi guerrillas are most likely aware that they will not be able to crush the U.S. military occupation in Iraq. They do know, however, that if they continue to kill and maim U.S. soldiers, it will only be a matter of time until the American public demands a return of U.S. troops and applies political pressure to the Bush administration. General Abizaid admitted as much, recently warning, The goal of the enemy is not to defeat us militarily. The goal of the enemy is to break the will of the United States of America, to make us leave. It is evident that the Iraqi guerrillas have been somewhat successful in this goal. According to a CBS News poll released on November 13, 2006 only 50 percent of the American public now believe that removing Saddam Hussein was worth the loss of American lives and other costs of attacking Iraq. If the losses of U.S. troops continue to mount, this number can be expected to drop further. Therefore, the strategy of anti-U.S. guerrillas in Iraq will be to launch high profile attacks on U.S. and also coalition troops. Yet, at the same time, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released a report, titled appraisal of situation, written by the CIA station chief in Baghdad, which contradicted Abizaids Whether or not Washington is able to bring stability to Iraq before the U.S. public becomes disenchanted with U.S. objectives there, largely depends on the size and capacity of the guerrilla movement. (Kissinger,2007) Furthermore, the CIA report concluded that more and more ordinary Iraqis were siding with the insurgency due to their disillusionment with the U.S. occupation and because of the instability plaguing the country since the fall of Saddam Husseins hold on power. These assessments indicate that the U.S. occupation in Iraq is becoming increasingly precarious, and it is not yet clear how the U.S. public will respond to deadlier and bolder attacks launched on U.S. forces. (Kissinger,2007) Lessons for the Americans to Apply to the Conflict in Iraq Two lessons emerge from the American experience in Vietnam. A strategic design cannot be achieved on a fixed, arbitrary deadline; it must reflect conditions on the ground. But, at the same time, it must also not test the endura

1996: A Turbulent Year For Israel :: essays research papers

1996: A Turbulent Year for Israel 1996 has been a very turbulent year for Israel. This lies in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. Rabin's great work in the peace process with it's Arab neighbors has been nearly reversed by Israel's newly elected Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who actively opposed the peace process in the election. Netanyahu's term of service has not only affected Israel politically but also socially, intellectually, religiously, and economically. In dealing with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians Netanyahu was originally quoted saying that he would only meet with Arafat under special circumstances and that, "the era of one-sided giving was over." Warren Christopher, Secretary of State for the U.S., was able to arrange a peace conference with Arafat on the Gaza border. One article called it a , "Psychological breakthrough" (Netanyahu meets with Clinton). The issues at hand were Israel fulfilling it's pledge to the Palestinians to redeploy it's troops stationed in the West Bank town of Hebron so that they will only guard the 440 Jews who live there, from the tens of thousands of Palestinians. Also at issue were the exit permits given to Palestinians allowing them to go from there jobs in Israel to there homes in Gaza and the and the West Bank. That leads to another issue over whether or not a rail link between Gaza and the West Bank should be formed. The major problem with that would be the cost. In the next round of Israeli-PLO peace talks, both sides could not reach a compromise and after four hours talks failed. To complicate matters further 3,000 houses were approved to be built in the West Bank by the Israeli government. "Peace Now spokesman", Alon Arnon, called the housing, "A final burial of the hope of peace." (West Bank Settlement Approved) Netanyahu also ended the month by opening a tunnel to Muslim and Jewish Holy sites that resulted in bloody riots that killed 76 people. The month of October cooled down a bit with an ice breaking summit in Washington. Netanyahu returned with a change in attitude calling Arafat a person whom he could resolve problems with. But aside from his change in demeanor no substantial agreements were made. In November Israel went on high alert in fear of an attack planned to disrupt the peace process, possibly on the one year anniversary of the Jihad's leader Fathi Shakaki. Again the peace effort was thrown back when the Israeli government announced plans to double the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. At one point Netanyahu asked the U. 1996: A Turbulent Year For Israel :: essays research papers 1996: A Turbulent Year for Israel 1996 has been a very turbulent year for Israel. This lies in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. Rabin's great work in the peace process with it's Arab neighbors has been nearly reversed by Israel's newly elected Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who actively opposed the peace process in the election. Netanyahu's term of service has not only affected Israel politically but also socially, intellectually, religiously, and economically. In dealing with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians Netanyahu was originally quoted saying that he would only meet with Arafat under special circumstances and that, "the era of one-sided giving was over." Warren Christopher, Secretary of State for the U.S., was able to arrange a peace conference with Arafat on the Gaza border. One article called it a , "Psychological breakthrough" (Netanyahu meets with Clinton). The issues at hand were Israel fulfilling it's pledge to the Palestinians to redeploy it's troops stationed in the West Bank town of Hebron so that they will only guard the 440 Jews who live there, from the tens of thousands of Palestinians. Also at issue were the exit permits given to Palestinians allowing them to go from there jobs in Israel to there homes in Gaza and the and the West Bank. That leads to another issue over whether or not a rail link between Gaza and the West Bank should be formed. The major problem with that would be the cost. In the next round of Israeli-PLO peace talks, both sides could not reach a compromise and after four hours talks failed. To complicate matters further 3,000 houses were approved to be built in the West Bank by the Israeli government. "Peace Now spokesman", Alon Arnon, called the housing, "A final burial of the hope of peace." (West Bank Settlement Approved) Netanyahu also ended the month by opening a tunnel to Muslim and Jewish Holy sites that resulted in bloody riots that killed 76 people. The month of October cooled down a bit with an ice breaking summit in Washington. Netanyahu returned with a change in attitude calling Arafat a person whom he could resolve problems with. But aside from his change in demeanor no substantial agreements were made. In November Israel went on high alert in fear of an attack planned to disrupt the peace process, possibly on the one year anniversary of the Jihad's leader Fathi Shakaki. Again the peace effort was thrown back when the Israeli government announced plans to double the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. At one point Netanyahu asked the U.

Nordstrom: a Marketing Analysis Essay

Over the years Nordstrom has created individual departments that focus on the individual lifestyles of the customers. The company nor only provides its customers with a wardrobe, but also a countless line of accessories, cosmetics, and fragrance. Over the past few years, the company has added new brands to its product line to satisfy its customer needs. In order to give the best possible service to the customer, the company plans on continuing to update the product line as new customer desires evolve. The employees are extremely focused on creating an environment of customer service within the store as well. The employees are not only focused on meeting the company standards, they are also focused on reaching the standards they have set within their own department as well. Each employee is trusted by the store managers to make good decisions and represent the company well. This trust has built confidence in the employee and enables them to focus all of the energy toward the customer. The atmosphere of the store also shows evidence of the company mission. The store is easy to navigate through, specific soothing colors are well placed throughout the store, and there is always a piano that can be heard playing in the background. These three things create a soothing and comfortable atmosphere for the customer. Nordstrom’s mission of providing customer service, quality, selection and value to its customers is carried out in every aspect of the company. The company employees, store atmosphere, and product line all display extraordinary qualities of service. The Mission Statement of Nordstrom is definitely evident in its day to day operations. Situation Analysis (SWOT Analysis) Internal Strengths and Weaknesses History (Sales, Profits, Organizational Philosophies) Nordstrom was co founded 1901 by a 30 year old man named John W Nordstrom and his partner Carl Wallin. At age 16, John W of Sweden left his home and moved to Alaska where he struck gold. While in Alaska, he met a man named Carl Wallin, â€Å"who owned a shoe repair shop in downtown Seattle† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). The two decided form a partnership and open a shoe store entitled Wallin & Nordstrom. Right form the start, the business philosophy was â€Å"based on exceptional customer service, selection, quality and value† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). Focusing on this philosophy helped Nordstrom develop a competitive advantage in the shoe market. Due to their success, the company opened a new store in 1923. The company was soon taken over by John W’s sons. Under their management it â€Å"grew to become the largest independent shoe chain in the United States. By the 1960’s the current market had started to reach maturity and the company began to look â€Å"for new ways to spread its wings† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). In an attempt to diversify itself, and gain greater market penetration, Nordstrom took on a new name, â€Å"Nordstrom Best†, and ventured into the clothing market. Now, upon entering a Nordstrom store, â€Å"customers were greeted with a selection of both shoes and fine apparel† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). Now for the first time in history, Nordstrom offered a diverse product mix, something no other competitor offered. In 1971, under the third generation of management, the company decided to go public. Two years later Nordstrom reached a critical point in its business, surpassing $100 million in sales, making it the largest volume specialty store on the west coast. Profits were growing, market share was increasing, and Nordstrom’s marketing plan seemed to be working. Even though Nordstrom was experiencing tremendous success, the management was not satisfied. There was still room to grow. In order for Nordstrom to retain its competitive advantage, the company needed to revise its marketing strategy and further its market penetration. The company decided to take action. By 1975 the company penetrated into the markets of Alaska and California and by the late 80’s, the company opened up the first Nordstrom Rack in the mid 70’s. This store was a â€Å"clearance center for full-line store merchandise† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). The higher prices in the regular store targeted the upper segment of society, while the Rack enabled Nordstrom to orient itself to a completely new crowd. Today, more than 100 years after its establishment, Nordstrom maintains the same focus of offering â€Å"the customer the best possible service, selection, quality, and value† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). This is evident in the product line and store ambience. Nordstrom has created a unique store atmosphere designed to enhance the shopping experience of the customer. â€Å"Instead of categorizing departments by merchandise, Nordstrom† has â€Å"created fashion departments that fit individual’s lifestyles† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). Focus on serving the market (or customer’s needs and wants) has helped Nordstrom grow from a small shoe store in Seattle â€Å"into a nationwide fashion specialty chain† (Nordstrom Employee, 2006). Nature of Firm/Current Situation Aside from Nordstrom’s customer service, one of its most influential qualities is the store atmosphere. Immediately after walking into a Nordstrom, one experiences a sense of calmness that is not experienced when walking into other department stores. At Nordstrom, â€Å"careful attention has been given to achieving an esthetically pleasing atmosphere†, a Nordstrom customer commented (Bee H, 2006). Nordstrom has put a lot of research into testing different layout scenarios within each store. Every time the layout of a department changes, a diagram is made and a record of sales is kept for that layout. From this information, Nordstrom has been able to develop the most economical and profitable layout for the customer and the organization. The Nordstrom colors are also carefully selected. Deep earthy colors present customers with a comfortable and desirable atmosphere. Deep red, brown (wooden floors), blue, purple and green are used to color the store. Every color is strategically placed throughout the store to enhance the shopping experience. Nordstrom has put a lot of research into effects that color has on the human psyche. For example red is chosen because it produces feelings of â€Å"energy, desire, and attention† (Bear , 2006). Purple is another color that is placed in distinct locations throughout the store. It brings about feelings of self assurance, dignity, high aspirations, royalty, sophistication, wealth, ambition, fame, luxury, and power. These two colors are used to promote confidence and feelings of satisfaction within the customers as they shop. During sales, employees are also given a tie to wear which almost always includes the color purple. Purple is also found near the more expensive items in the store. The color scheme is critical in creating a store atmosphere that is desirable to customers. Aside from the colors, the product layout also plays an essential role in providing a even-tempered atmosphere. Nordstrom has separated its products into different departments for men and women. This helps provide better service as each department can cater to the specific needs and wants of the customer. Within each department the clothes are either laid out on hanging racks or on tables. Organization is the primary focus when setting up the departments. Clothes are always neatly folded and clothing racks are well separated. A general rule of thumb is that if two people can not walk side by side between two fixtures, they are too close together. To produce an even cleaner look, jackets and heavier clothes are always hung on wooden hangers instead of plastic. The most famous contribution to the atmosphere of Nordstrom is the Piano. Nordstrom has created a â€Å"partnership with Levine School of Music† where it hand selects students to work for the company upon graduation. The partnership is working; â€Å"the dude playing the piano just adds to the calm shopping atmosphere† commented one man after a day a day of shopping (Bee H, 2006). To provide even more relaxation, comfortable couches are usually found somewhere around the piano for tired shoppers to sit down and for men to wait while their wives shop. Andrew Cooper, a computer design major at North Park University in Chicago said â€Å"these couches are a great place for me to relax while my wife spends all my money†. Resources of the Firm Finance: Nordstrom uses a verity of resources to help attract new customers and retain its current customer base. By far, one of its biggest resources is in the area of finance. Nordstrom recently â€Å"reported third-quarter earnings of $135. 7 million† (Portland Business Journal , 2006). These earnings jumped unexpectedly and are up from $107. 5 million earlier this year. The financial resources of Nordstrom are an essential part of the companies marketing plan. This money has given Nordstrom the ability to put on expensive training programs for employees, purchase personal book (a customer database program), send out bulk mailings to customers (such as catalogs, promotions, etc. , build new stores, and create a customer friendly in-store atmosphere. Human: Nordstrom’s employees and management are the company’s most valuable resource. An article written in the Seattle PI describes exactly why this is true. It states that, â€Å"Nordstrom salespeople make decisions as if managing their own business; they are trusted to do what is right. Everyone else in the company is ther e to help the sales staff make the sale and please the customer† (Mulady, 2001). The way the employees are treated and valued is a perfect portrayal of the company’s mission of providing the best possible customer service and value to the customer. Even though the sales person is the front man for the company (being put in positions of direct contact with the customer), the human resource and management team act as the glue that holds the company together. The president of the company, Blake Nordstrom, says that people in support positions â€Å"like myself or someone in human resources that isn’t on the floor manning a register,† needs to understand that their job is to use the â€Å"energy and the activities they’re doing (to) contribute to a better customer and employee experience† (HR Magazine, 2006). It is therefore extremely important that the workers in the HR department stay connected to the selling process in order to stay connected with the employees. It is this connection that helps the employees â€Å"take care of their customers†. It is not unusual for employees to go in on their days off to meet a customer that is in need of a new suit or pair of shoes. The manager of the men’s suit department at the Tacoma Nordstrom comes in regularly on his days off. In an interview he commented that if a customer is in need â€Å"I will find them the suit, get it altered for them so they can have it in time† (Mulady, 2001). The sales employees have a tremendous amount of trust in the tailoring shop. One employee comments: â€Å"We rely heavily on the tailoring shop; they are great† (Mulady, 2001). In one situation, a baseball player needed a special shirt for a conference that Nordstrom did not have. To solve this problem, the sales person took a few shirts up to the tailor shop and used the material to make a brand new shirt. The shirt was then delivered to the player’s hotel room that afternoon. The employees of Nordstrom are what keep the company going. The trust built between employees is critical in helping Nordstrom provide the excellent service it does. Without trust and support of all the company’s workers, Nordstrom would be just another company. Physical: Currently Nordstrom operates â€Å"156 US stores located in 26 states† (Nordstrom Staff, 2002). Of these stores, there are 99 full line retail, 49 Nordstrom Racks, 5 Faconnable boutiques, 1 free standing shoe store, and 2 clearance stores. Even with all of these stores, the company is not satisfied, and is seeking to expand its physical existence even further. Nordstrom is currently in the process of establishing a store in Kenwood, Cincinnati. When interviewed about this decision, president, Erik Nordstrom, exclaimed â€Å"there is still much more opportunity to increase our presence around the country where our customers live and shop† (Fasiq, 2006). Nordstrom has also planted stores internationally where it operates 35 Faconnable boutiques, primarily in Europe. Customers of Nordstrom can even enjoy a unique shopping experience without setting foot in the store. The company has developed a unique online and mail order catalog designed to reach those customers who are interested in its products, but may not have the time or desire to come into the physical store. These resources are extremely important to the company. The two contrasting stores (online and physical), reach two diverse crowds. The physical stores provide a tangible place that customers can relate to all across the country, while the online stores take advantage of the stores reputation. They reach customers who have heard good things about the store but do not like to shop. Policies and Objectives of firm Nordstrom has established many different policies designed to keep employees on track with its mission. The use of good judgment is the number one guiding principle for the employees of Nordstrom. The first page of the employee â€Å"Code of Business Conduct and Ethics† states â€Å"at Nordstrom, we expect you to use good judgment when it comes to taking care of our customers. But we don’t expect you to do it without help from us† (Nordstrom Management, 2006). This policy lets the sales people know that the management stands behind them at all times. Aside from the standard company policies reguarding sexual harassment, stealing, drugs or alcohol, and preventing theft; the company also has some policies that make it unique. Employees are not allowed to accept gifts from anyone with whom they do business. This policy was instilled to uphold Nordstrom’s reputation of acting fair, honest, and professional. Accepting a gift can create the inkling that the gift inappropriately influenced the business transaction. The code of Ethics also tells employees that the company expects its employees to use personal book (a database that includes customer’s information such as purchases, sizes, etc. ) on a daily basis. This policy was designed to help the company keep their â€Å"reputation for excellent follow-through and service† (Nordstrom Management, 2006). However, since this in personal information, the company states that, â€Å"Personal Book and its contents are confidential and†¦ should be used in accordance with the Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Expectation† (Nordstrom Management, 2006). When an employee ends his/her career with Nordstrom, their personal book is closed off to them and returned to Nordstrom. All of these policies help keep Nordstrom on track with its mission. Almost all of the sections in the handbook for employees end with a line about using good judgment. This shows that Nordstrom has confidence in their employees. Nordstrom truly believes that if the employees use good judgment, the customers will get the best possible service the company can offer. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nordstrom provides many benefits to its employees. The company provides time off with pay for personal and family needs. It also provides paid time for observed holidays. Each employee is also provided with a twenty percent discount at all Nordstrom locations. Nordstrom employees also have many long term benefits available to them. These Benefits include a 401(k) and profit sharing plan, where an employee can divert 50 percent of his/her compensation on a pretax basis, and an Employee stock Purchase Plan where the employee can purchase stock at a 10 percent discount. Full medical/vision and dental coverage are also provided by the company. Basic short term and long term disability coverage, as well as basic life insurance and long term care are also included in the standard benefit package. These benefits help the employee find meaning in their work and promote a positive attitude throughout the organization. A complete list of all the benefits provided by Nordstrom can be found on page †¦ in the back of this report. External Opportunities and Threats Social Social factors play a big role in what the way the company operates. For example, in Belleview Nordstrom offers a more upscale product line such as Gucci and other upper echelon brand names. This difference in product lines is evident in the Nordstrom in Tacoma as well. The Tacoma store is located in an area surrounded by many different social classes. Because of this, the store carries a more neutral line of products such as Calvin Cline, Cole Hann, Polo, Northface, and Tommy Bahama. These brands are brands that all of the target market of Nordstrom considers being very nice. To reach the outer limits of the Tacoma population, the store also sells products ranging form Coach and Burberry (reaching the wealthier population), to the Nordstrom brand (reaching the less wealthy consumer). Nordstrom is also a company that strongly believes in diversity. On its webpage under the diversity section it says â€Å"One of the best ways we can provide excellent customer service is by working to reflect the communities we serve† (Diversity Affairs Team, 2006). The company believes that an atmosphere encouraging diversity helps the employees as well as the customer. It is â€Å"deeply committed to cultivating an environment where the contributions of every employee, customer and vendor are respected† (Diversity Affairs Team, 2006). Creating a diverse company is an important step that Nordstrom has taken to broaden its customer service. Demographics Demographic issues are a big an important issue at Nordstrom. This is shown not only in the mission of the company, but in the physical store itself. Now days a majority of women in the United States enter the workforce after college. Nordstrom has created distinct departments to reach these women. In these sections of the store, women can find suits, and other more expensive dress clothes that Nordstrom would have not carried 20 years ago. The American family has also changed dramatically in the past decade. Because of this Nordstrom has changed its focus toward the individual. Ten years ago, it would not be a common sight to see moms shopping with their children, or dad’s waiting on the couch by the escalator with their children. Now days, it is almost unheard of to see families walking around the store. Teenagers, women, and men all come alone or with their significant other. The every store use to give balloons to children, employees all over the store would stop and talk with them and a lot of the mannequins were placed together (a man with a woman, or a child). Now the mannequins are all placed individually around the store, and it is rare enough to see a kid, let alone a kid with a balloon. In order to retain market share Nordstrom has shifted its focus more toward the individual. It has downsized its youth departments and added more upscale departments. Competition Nordstrom is dealing with competition on many different levels. It is competing with higher end stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Barney’s. It is also competing with second tier stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. Because of the diverse competition, Nordstrom constantly stays one step ahead with its unprecedented customer service. Saks Fifth Avenue: Saks Fifth Avenue can be categorized as a mini version of Nordstrom. It has similar products, but targets a smaller market and carries less variety. To make it unique, Saks â€Å"focuses on other products such as bridal† (Nordstrom comparative analysis). In comparison to Nordstrom, Saks is slightly more expensive and is well known for its â€Å"much higher brand names† (Nordstrom Comparative analysis). There is also a difference in the store layout at Saks. Unlike Nordstrom, which it is categorized by department and where popular trendy goods are on the main floor, Saks â€Å"bottom floor consists of shoes, make up and teen clothing, and the upper floors are bridal and much higher priced brands and products† (Nordstrom comparative analysis). However, the major difference between the two companies is not in the layout of the store, the products offered, or the price of the goods. The major difference is the focus of the company. The mission statement of Saks is completely different from that of Nordstrom. Saks says the focus of their company is â€Å"to be a great place to shop, a great place to work and a great place to invest† (Nordstrom comparative Analysis). Money is what seems to be the number one marketing objective of Saks. On the other hand Nordstrom focuses on the treatment of the customer. It does not have a formal mission statement but the company’s core values can be summed up by the statement â€Å"through these doors pass the most courteous people in the world†. This statement is found at the employee entrance of almost all Nordstrom stores across the country. Bloomingdales: Bloomingdales might just be one of the most famous stores in the world. Bloomingdales is known for its â€Å"Big Brown Bag† which is something that all avid shoppers like to be seen carrying around. The mission of Bloomingdales is â€Å"to seek and create†, which is a statement that is well carried out by the company (Nordstrom comparative analysis). The company has a hand picked product development team that travels to Europe looking for new fashion ideas. If they do not find what they are looking for they create it. The extreme focus on product development and diversity has made the company famous for having a tremendous product mix. However, some stores rather cluttered. The Layout seems to have no structure and Bloomingdale’s pricing ranges form being competitive with Foley’s to stores far more expensive than Nordstrom. On the other hand, Nordstrom has a focused store with individual departments and consistent prices. Its does not have as much variety in its stores, but it can special order and create any product that a customer desires. This creates more satisfaction for the customer because they can easily find what they are looking for. Bloomingdales website also reflects its store atmosphere. It is a full line of goods which overwhelms the customer. The website lacks structure and is confusing to sift through. Nordstrom’s website also reflects it’s in store characteristics. The site is user friendly and easy to navigate through. Macy’s: Macy’s seems to have a similar strategy as Bloomie’s (Bloomingdales). The company is all about selling their name, not their service, unlike Nordstrom. Macy’s also focuses on having a tremendous product width as well as depth. This focus like Bloomie’s has also led the store to look cluttered. Some customers even suggest that â€Å"Macy’s looks more like discount store every year rather than a department store† (Nordstrom comparison analysis). This is again where Nordstrom gains a competitive advantage. It offers a smaller product mix in stores to help keep the customer from getting confused and overwhelmed. Macy’s offers a larger selection of home products than Nordstrom. It has a separate department for home furnishings. This department is so large that many times it is located in its own building next to Macy’s. However, Macy’s has a good selection of home products in its retail stores as well. Again, it is the focus of Macy’s that sets them apart from Nordstrom. The specialization of household products and cheaper prices keep Macy’s competitive in the market. However, Nordstrom’s focus on the customer and the employee gives them the competitive advantage in the industry. Technological In the 1900’s the information systems of Nordstrom â€Å"lagged behind many retailers†, such as JC Penny, Federated Department Stores, Dillard’s, and Belk. (Levinson, 2005) The CFO of Nordstrom commented on the lagging information systems, saying, â€Å"our people at one time were our information system† (Levinson, 2005). During this time the company was reluctant to consider IT â€Å"for fear that it would come between the store and its customers† (Levinson, 2005). A sales slump in the year 2000 was enough to convince Nordstrom that it was behind the times. The threat of other companies gaining a heavy advantage with new technology was too much to handle. Looking at the other models around them, Nordstrom became an early adopter and began buying IT technology. â€Å"Over the past four years†, Nordstrom has spent a total of $350 million on IT products and has found â€Å"that technology has improved, not degraded, the customer service in which it takes such pride† (Levinson, 2005). Nordstrom has integrated two major systems into the company within the last five years. The systems are personal book and a new inventory system at the cash registers. These two systems have helped bring Nordstrom’s customer service to a new level. Personal Book: Personal book is new computer software designed to help companies keep track of customer information. It can track what the customer bought, their size, how much he/she spent, who sold them what, their birthday and other valuable information that sales people need to enhance sales. This is a valuable tool because the sales people can create a more â€Å"personal† relationship with the customer. One former employee quotes â€Å"the personal book was a very useful tool and instilled in me the importance of building and maintaining customer relationships† (Palma, 2006). This quote describes exactly what puts Nordstrom in a class of its own. Adding a personal touch is the difference between good and great companies. The implementation of personal book has dramatically increased sales at Nordstrom. After its introduction in 2005, Nordstrom’s first quarter sales increased â€Å"7. 7 percent to $1. 7 billion, compared with $1. 5 billion† in the first quarter of the previous year. Levinson, 2005) Total sales for the second quarter also rose 7. 8 percent. CFO of Nordstrom Michael Koppel reported that â€Å"approximately a third of all sales are a result of interactions between sales associates and customers facilitated with personal book† (Levinson, 2005). Nordstrom analysts also have reported that 68 percent of the business from the top sales people is g enerated from personal book customers. More information about personal book can be found on page †¦. Inventory System: The new inventory system has proven to be â€Å"a tremendous home run† (Levinson, 2005). The new system is based around an electronic inventory management system and an automatic replenishment function. Before this new system was installed in 2003, inventory was counted by hand. This old system was definitely â€Å"not the most accurate way to [manage inventory], and certainly wasn’t very quick†, commented Peter Nordstrom during a conference call. This created a problem for the company. The distribution departments could not tell how much inventory was needed in each store, which resulted in a lot more discounts than the company should have had. This loss of money led Nordstrom to purchase an inventory management system. The new inventory system was an electronic system which took a lot of the work load off of the Nordstrom staff. It helped the company determine the demand for each product by using historical sales and fashion trends. Now it could allocate the proper amount and type of merchandise to each store. It also kept track of in store inventory. Every time a product was rung up at the register or returned to the store, the in store inventory went up or down accordingly. This helped the distribution department immensely. They could now replenish the inventory of each store when it was actually needed. This also helped the sales dramatically increase customer service. When a customer wanted to purchase a product, a sales person could look it up on the computer to see how many were in the store, and how many were available at other locations. The results of this new system worked wonders for Nordstrom. Koppel stated that the inventory in 2003 (they year the system was integrated), went down $15 million or 1. 6 percent† (Levinson, 2005). Likewise, inventory continued to go down in 2004, decreasing by 5. 3 percent. Inventory was also turned 10 percent more in 2004. This increase showed the company there was still a lot of room to grow in their current market and that other department stores had good reason to switch to this way of inventory. Marketing Strategy Target Market In each Nordstrom store there is the potential for one consumer to encounter upwards of 30 different departments. For women’s clothing alone, there are 14 clothing options ranging from teenage apparel, to elegant ballroom attire. The multiple departments within the Nordstrom store cause the target market for a single Nordstrom store to range across a broad spectrum of potential buyers. While each of the target markets differs substantially depending on the department, the members of each of these markets do have a main connecting quality. Each customer, no matter the department in which they are shopping, is looking for a quality product that they know will be guaranteed by Nordstrom for a lifetime. Each consumer knows that while the products offered may not be the cheapest, they are quality made products that come with an implied warranty by Nordstrom. Nordstrom does not have a return policy, which will be addressed later in the paper, to ensure that consumers can return any product at anytime, for any reason. Consumers are also looking for a product that is not only well made, but that is usually contemporary in relation to current fashion trends. This makes Nordstrom’s overall target market homogeneous in respect to the demographic and psychographic segments. A person’s income and lifestyle can be the deciding factor of whether they can afford to shop at Nordstrom or not, or whether the products that Nordstrom offers are even of interest. For the sake of space, this paper will look at the target markets of three specific departments within Nordstrom that embody a large number of Nordstrom’s clientele: Brass Plum for juniors, Point of View for women, and Men’s Sportswear. Brass Plum (B. P. ) is Nordstrom’s only junior’s department, targeting young women, ages 16-22 in the middle or upper class. B. P. offers the latest fashion trends for the younger women at a price that is more reasonable than high-end boutiques and department stores. While that price is more reasonable than some places, it still is not as cheap as some other department stores, which is why the target market is the middle and upper class. Those ‘other department stores’ however, do not insure their products as well as Nordstrom’s does, nor is the quality of product comparable either. Lastly, the reason for the target of the middle and upper class is because fashion trends do not usually last for more than a season. Most people of a lower class cannot afford to buy new, trendy clothes every season to match what is popular, which is the only type of clothing that B. P. offers. Point of View has a target market of women in their twenties to early fifties. The age is not clearly defined because more specifically, Point of View has a target market of the working professional woman. While some clothes within Point of View are casual, they still uphold a classy and refined look suitable for a ‘dress down’ day at the office. Most of the selection within Point of View however, is professional attire for the working, middle to upper class woman. The clothes are priced comparable to other high-end department stores, but are backed with the quality guarantee Nordstrom provides all of its products. The one major difference between the selection in Point of View, and other high-end department stores, is that Point of View tries to offer a selection of business wear for the younger working woman that has a trendier edge. This helps to capture the twenty-something market that is usually skipped over in other department stores. It allows young women to look professional, while still looking their age. While carrying this younger professional attire, Point of View still carries the classic suits and shirts that appeal to the more conservative thirty to fifty year old professional women. The last department is the Men’s Sportswear department, which like Point of View, targets men in their twenties to early fifties. The word sportswear might evoke thoughts of soccer or football to some, but in this department sportswear are the clothes worn by the middle to upper class while they sail, golf, or simply lounge around at their beach house. This department is intended for the professional male, who in his daily life must dress in professional attire and would like that to translate into his causal wear as well. This casual wear consists of clothes that portray an image of success and prosperity without a suit and tie. The target market is middle to upper class within this department because of the intended uses of the clothes that are sold. Many of the clothes are intended for sailing and golf, leisure activities that the middle and lower class might not be able to afford. The size of the men’s sportswear department is small in relation to some of the women’s departments, but this can be attributed to men’s desire for consistency and ease when shopping. The prices within the men’s sportswear department are comparable to other high-end department stores, but once again the clothes are backed by the Nordstrom guarantee of quality. While each of the departments have a target market that separates itself from the rest of the store, it can be seen that within all of the heterogeneous factors there are three homogeneous factors that can be found. First, in all departments, the consumer is looking for a quality product that will suit their clothing needs. Second, no matter what their clothing needs, the consumer is looking for clothes that portray a specific image of their choosing, such as an established professional or a young trendsetter. Lastly, throughout all of the clothes offered at Nordstrom each consumer is expecting the Nordstrom, guarantee of quality that ensures the consumers happiness with the product – no matter the circumstances. Marketing Mix Nordstrom seeks to achieve the retention of the previously stated target markets through the use of coordinated marketing activities. These include the use of product, place, price, and promotion inside and outside of the store. These four aspects embody the marketing mix, and their objectives and roles are clearly specified through different offerings and outlets. Product The products that are offered within a single Nordstrom store compliment each other very well. On one shopping trip a family is able to buy clothes and accessories for everyone. Women are able to complete an outfit from Point of View by getting the perfect pair of shoes from the Women’s Shoes department, accessorize the outfit in fine jewelry, accessorizes and handbags, and can shop her favorite makeup line in the makeup department, all in one trip. These products are enhanced by a multitude of factors including their warranty, return policy, customer service, and the internal workings of any Nordstrom. Each transaction within Nordstrom comes with an implied warranty of the goods purchased by the consumer. If the consumer is unhappy with the product at anytime, even after the tags are removed, the product has been worn, or the receipt has been lost, the consumer is more than welcome to return the product back to the store for a full refund or exchange – no questions asked. This return policy is exemplified through the mythical story that circulates throughout Nordstrom stores and their competitor’s outlets. It has been said that a woman tried to return a set of snow tires that she claimed she bought at her nearby Nordstrom store. When the employee was unsure of what procedure to follow since Nordstrom did not sell tires, the employee contacted the store manager. The manager told the employee to take back the tires and offer a full refund of the standard price for snow tires to the woman. So while it is obvious that Nordstrom might not appreciate consumers returning goods from other stores, they are dedicated to customer service and their guarantee of quality. Nordstrom wants to carry quality items that consumers will love, and if the consumers decide they do not, they are able to return them at anytime. This allows Nordstrom to have an absent return policy to ensure that a return is bound by no limits. Aside from offering their products for free, customer satisfaction within a Nordstrom cannot be better guaranteed in any other way. By knowing that every purchase is basically guaranteed for life, a consumer’s satisfaction is not bound by any measures on behalf of Nordstrom. Along with such a liberal return policy, Nordstrom offers a range of other amenities for consumers to enjoy and enhance the value of the product to the customer. For instance, with anything that you purchase from Nordstrom you can have it altered for free. Upon trying the clothes on, a person from the alteration department will come to your fitting room and measure your clothes according to your needs. The altered clothes are usually available within a week’s time. Also, in the lingerie department, women can receive a free and accurate bra fitting. Unlike other popular lingerie stores, employees within the lingerie department must attend class and earn the right to do bra fittings. This ensures each consumer an accurate fitting. In the shoe department, if a pair of leather shoes is too tight on a consumer’s foot, the Nordstrom employee will stretch the shoes out at no cost. Also, when trying on clothes there is no limit to how many pieces of clothing a consumer is allowed to take in, and a consumer is never expected to clean out their dressing room when they are finished. Any purchase that is made can also be complimentary gift wrapped. While these factors may seem miniscule, it does help consumers reduce shopping time and have a more enjoyable shopping experience. So while the consumer might only be in and out for a white t-shirt, they know that if needed all of these amenities are available for their use, enhancing the value of the product for the consumer. Along with these externally obvious factors of product value to the consumer, there are also internal functions within Nordstrom that ensure that customer service is ideal in any situation. Quality customer service is Nordstrom’s main competitive advantage against its competitors. Nordstrom has focused itself since 1901 on the basis that superior customer service is the first and foremost important aspect of the company. While other companies have a chain of command when dealing with customer service issues, Nordstrom is void of any such rules. When hired at Nordstrom, the new employee is greeted with an employee folder that includes a welcome packet, employee expectations, rewards, benefit information and information about the specific Nordstrom store the new employee will be working. On the very front of each folder is a 5Ãâ€"7 card that states: â€Å"We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them. Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1: Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules. Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time†. Nordstrom’s idea is to put the employees in control of every situation so that the consumer feels a sense of security at all times within the store. While specific instances might dictate manager involvement, employees are granted the right to deal with consumer situations based on their judgment. These words ring loud within any Nordstrom store because they are printed in the employee entrance and in the backrooms of most departments. Through out the hiring process Nordstrom ensures that customer service is always handled in a way that upholds their reputation. Nordstrom is able to supply a quality product based on the judgment of the consumer, while also providing a trusted and quality environment by empowering the judgment of the employees. Place/Distribution The next factor of the marketing mix is to coordinate the marketing activities for the retention of the target markets through place and distribution. Nordstrom currently has 157 stores located in twenty seven states. These include 99 full-line stores, 50 Nordstrom Rack stores, five Faconnable boutiques, one free-standing shoe store and two clearance stores. Nordstrom also operates 35 international Faconnable boutiques in Europe. Faconnable is a men’s clothing line developed by Nordstrom for the more upscale shopper to accommodate their business and leisure clothing needs. Nordstrom’s popularity is based on the west-coast, primarily because of its headquarters and flagship store in Seattle, Washington. Mainly, the Nordstrom stores are located in shopping malls which usually provide a heavily populated central area which contains a portion of their target market. Since Nordstrom is located within a mall, access is relatively easy for consumers. Even if consumers do live some distance away from the faculties, coming to the mall is more acceptable because they will not only have the option to visit Nordstrom, but will have the ability to shop at other stores as well. This justifies their traveling time, which would not happen if Nordstrom had only free-standing stores. While access to Nordstrom facilities is relatively easy on the west coast, there is room for major improvement by Nordstrom on the east coast. In New Hampshire, Maine, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia and Massachusetts, there is not a single Nordstrom store to date. There are two stores in North Carolina and New York; and one store in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Michigan, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. This is compared to the thirty two California stores, nine Washington stores, five Oregon stores and two Hawaii stores. However, this lack of access to facilities by consumers on the east coast will soon be partially remedied. Nordstrom plans to open twenty five new stores in the next five years. Out of these twenty five stores, it plans on opening four in Massachusetts, two in Michigan and one in Missouri. Once Nordstrom has established a stronger base on the east coast, I believe they will gain an even better reputation and have the ability to fine tune their marketing and customer service strategies. Along in place and distribution is not just the physical outlet that Nordstrom has, but also the atmosphere in each of the outlets. Since we are at the peak of the holiday season, it is a good time to look at the atmosphere within a Nordstrom store. Garland and decorative curtains decorate each entrance into the store. Holiday music played live in each store on the well known Nordstrom piano echoes through the departments on speakers. A giving tree accompanies the bottom side of each escalator, and on weekends the tops of the escalators have live carolers. Each department has holiday specials, and pictures with Santa are held every year. This atmosphere helps to evoke the holiday spirit within the consumers, and also provides them with a place to shop that is enjoyable during the busy holiday time. When it is not a holiday season, front window displays are changed bi-weekly, and in store decorations and manikins are changed multiple times each week. Also, a night cleaning crew makes sure that all the carpets, mirrors and dressing rooms are kept in pristine condition. This type of atmosphere allows the consumer to shop at ease without heaps of clothes in a mess, or stained carpets. Instead, they can go to a place where the only thing they notice is the clothes and the quality of the presentation. Promotion The next factor of the marketing mix is to coordinate the marketing activities for the retention of the target markets through promotion tactics including advertising, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion. Nordstrom does not engage in heavy advertising. TV commercial spots are few and far between, and only usually take place on major televised events. Instead, Nordstrom does most of its advertising through print. Local newspapers usually contain a full page spread during Nordstrom’s half yearly and anniversary sales. During the holidays, Nordstrom also has featured spreads as well. These spreads are hung in the employee entrance area so that employees are aware of what consumers are looking for, if they come in and refer specifically to that advertisement. Also, Nordstrom puts out two catalogues per month that premiere a few new items within each department. They also feature gift ideas during the holidays, and include an easy way to order straight from the catalogue. Anyone that has a Nordstrom account will receive this catalogue, along with anyone that registers online Advertising: Nordstrom has also engaged in some other intense advertising campaigns in the past few years. Most of these have been directly related to online advertising. In 1999, Nordstrom started to campaign heavily to gain consumer awareness of their new website, Nordstromshoes. com. Nordstrom claims the site is the world’s biggest shoe store. It is titled ‘Make Room for Shoes’. The name was selected to entice users not only to their main website which was linked on the new shoes site, but also to educate users on the broad selection of shoes that Nordstrom offers. In 2005, Nordstrom debuted NordstromSilverscreen. com. The website combined music and pop culture with shopping. Visitors of the site were able to be a DJ and mix up songs recorded by artists specifically for the site. The visitors mixed the song, by mixing up clothes on a corresponding manikin. This allowed visitors to see new fashion trends and learn how to mix and match clothes to find their very own style. Visitors of the site could also ‘shop’ the site, by clicking on any the clothes worn in the video made exclusively for Nordstrom. Anything that the artist was wearing in the video was available for sale at Nordstom. com. Nordstromsilverscreen. om was one of the first attempts by a retailer to mix shopping and interactive media making Nordstrom an innovator in this new market. While Nordstromscilverscreen. com is no longer available to visit, the launch of this new and innovative platform says a lot of Nordstrom. This company is willing to take risks to advertise and capture a new and different consumer, and to evolve and be ahead of other department stores in the advertising industry. Aside from these new websites, Nordstrom. com is still a large, comprehensive site that allows visitors to see everything that Nordstrom has to offer. Visitors are able to search by brand, in-store department, or by age and gender. Along side every choice that the visitor views, is a selection of other clothes that are closely related to the current viewing. Also, if a consumer has provided Nordstrom with their e-mail address, Nordstrom sends out weekly e-mails that highlight new items, and special discounts. Lastly, the newest advertising campaign that Nordstrom embarked on was for the Nordstrom MOD card. The MOD card is a debit card that is set up through a consumer’s personal bank and checking account. The MOD card is specific to Nordstrom, and allows Nordstrom to track what is bought and how much consumers spend. This way, consumers can gain points like what is offered with the traditional Nordstrom’s credit card. For every dollar that is spent, the consumer earns a point; and during promotional events, they can earn twice the points for every dollar spent. Once the consumer reaches a certain level of points, they get a gift certificate in the mail redeemable at any Nordstrom. Nordstrom realized that not everyone wants to hold a credit card at Nordstrom, which led them to the idea of the MOD card. This way, consumers can buy from Nordstrom using cash, and still receive the points they deserve. Nordstrom has heavily advertised the MOD card and the rewards that a customer gains from having a Nordstrom account. Through these advertising activities, Nordstrom is better able to promote their stores in a positive and controlled manner. Public Relations: The next segment of promotion is public relations. Nordstrom is equipped with a public relations representative, who is located at Nordstrom’s headquarters in downtown Seattle, Washington. Consumers are able to find out about public relation activities on their website under investor relations, or in their annual report. On the Nordstrom website consumers are able to find out about new store openings, upcoming events, stock information, news, and press releases. Nordstrom also relies on customer word of mouth. While other competitor department stores deal with union battles, and declining sales, the quality and outstanding customer service is rarely questioned by consumers. Consumers know by personal experience and word of mouth that Nordstrom is dedicated to its customers. Nordstrom also engages in public relations activities through the promotion of some of their clothes. Most recently, Nordstrom has taken an active role in the â€Å"ONE† campaign and formed a partnership with the company Edun. Edun is selling a t-shirt with the word ‘ONE’ across the front. This promotes the idea that if the United States government allocated just one percent of its budget to health, education, and medication for underprivileged countries, the United States could save millions of lives. For every shirt sold Edun contributes ten dollars to the Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight Aids (ALAFA). The ONE shirts are made in Lesotho, Africa. Upon selling the ONE shirt within their stores, Nordstrom donated $100,000 to ALAFA. Nordstrom is also a yearly sponsor in the Race for the Cure, hosted by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. Nordstrom exclusively hosts the Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes marathon in Seattle, Washington. The proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. So far in 2006, the Beat the Bridge marathon donations have raised $855,078. 57. Through not only their exceptional reputation, but also through involvement in philanthropic activities Nordstrom is able to enhance their public relations. These positive public relation activities in turn influence consumer perception and decision making. Personal Selling: The next section of promotion is personal selling. Personal selling is defined as a purchase situation in which two people communicate in an attempt to influence each other (Lamb, et al, 2006). Personal selling is the basis of Nordstrom’s philosophy and mission statement. Personal selling emphasizes the relationship that is developed between a salesperson and a consumer. Within any department at a Nordstrom store, a consumer will be able to find numerous employees who are knowledgeable about the products they offer, and who are also eager to help them find whatever it is they are looking for. When a consumer is shopping within a department, a single salesperson will usually help them through the entire purchasing process. If what the consumer is looking for happens to be in a different department, that same salesperson will go to that other department and get whatever it s. The salesperson will find sizes, colors, and styles from other stores if what the consumer is looking for is not available at that specific store. Salespeople also can take payment on Nordstrom credit cards at their payment station, and can hold clothes for the consumer. Salespeople are endowed with the ability to manage customer service situations, so if one consumer feels comfort able with a specific salesperson, basically all of their needs can be taken care of through that salesperson. This created a very strong relationship between the salesperson and the consumer. If the consumer knows that when they go to Nordstrom they can count on someone being there that they know and trust, they will be more likely to ask more questions and try on more things. Nordstrom has made personal selling even easier through their new system of Personal Book. Personal Book allows a salesperson to enter in consumer information such as their address, phone number, birthday and recent purchases. During sale times, salespeople are asked to call at least fifty people from their personal book to the consumer know that they are excited to see them at the sale. Having this information also enables the salespeople to send out thank you cards which are supposed to be done a daily basis by a salesperson. The thank you cards are mailed out to the consumer, and add a personal finishing touch to the purchase, which also enhances the bond between the consumer and the salesperson. Personal Book also can keep track of what a consumer has bought, so when Nordstrom has a big sale, some of the consumers who have purchased the most throughout the year are invited to shop the sale prior to anyone else, and to preview what is going to be offered. Personal Book also allows for promotional materials to be sent out pertaining to certain events that occur within a department that a consumer frequently shops. All of these benefits from Personal Book enhance the personal selling aspect of promotion. Consumers are not seen as a target market within the store, but are rather seen as individuals with specific needs and wants that are catered to be the Nordstrom employees. Sales Promotion: The last component of promotion is sales promotion. Sales promotion is everything else that is not covered by personal selling, advertising, and public relations. Usually sales promotions are a quick tool that immediately increases consumer demand of a product. Nordstrom does not offer a lot of the one day sales, or door buster sales that other department stores offer. Instead, Nordstrom focuses all of their attention on their three major sales per year. These include the half yearly sales, in June and November, and their Anniversary sale in August. These attractions are not just a sale, they are an event. Special promotions, rewards and deals are offered. A kick-rally prior to the doors opening helps to hype up the employees for the coming busy weeks. Consumers line up outside of Nordstrom’s doors hours prior to opening. They enter a newly decorated store from the previous day, with new displays, merchandise and prices. Nordstrom focuses on these events for the purpose of showing the consumer that they do not just want to push inventory in and out of the store. They want to offer quality products that consumers enjoy, and reward consumers for their purchases through major discounts at these sales. Lastly, another important factor of these sales is that they have created a tradition. Women and their daughters take time off school and work to attend the first day of the sale. At the sale they go Christmas shopping, school shopping personal shopping. This is important for Nordstrom because their limited numbers of sales are not only seen as a time to get a good deal, but they have penetrated the culture and created more than just a sale. Price: The last factor of the marketing mix is to coordinate the marketing activities for the retention of the target markets through price. Nordstrom strives to provide the most quality product for the cheapest price allowable. However, Nordstrom does cater to an upper and middle class target market which does raise their prices from other lower department stores. Each department within Nordstrom, as stated earlier, has a different target market which does vary the range pf prices immensely within one store. In the St. John department catered to upper class wealthy women, a consumer can buy a suit jacket for $2,000. In Point of View, targeted toward the more middle class women who want to look professional without spending as much, a suit jacket is available for seventy dollars. Through this, it can be seen that the department a consumer goes to will determine the price they will pay. Whatever the dollar price of the purchase, Nordstrom tries to justify that price through their personal selling efforts and their product guarantee. A sale is not just a sale, as proven earlier in the personal selling section. Consumers and salespersons are able to establish a relationship which enhances the consumers purchase experience. Because the consumer knows that no matter what they buy, whether it is a pair of socks, or a mink coat, the quality of that purchase is indefinitely guaranteed by Nordstrom.