Ducati Essays

Ducati Essays Ducati Essay Ducati Essay Memorandum Subject: Ducati: In Pursuit of Magic (A) Date: Feb. 19th 2013 Ducati is one of the premium motorcycle producers specializing in sport segment superbike from Italy. The company experienced booming in sales and reputation in 1996-2001. This boost had attracted Texas Pacific Group to pursue controlling interest in the company for higher expected future return. The economic boom somehow masked the mistakes made by Ducati during the period. When sales started to decline during 2002-2005, three major problems started to become more obvious among the management team: * Product discontinuity. Cost disadvantage compared to Japanese producer. * Decline in sales in U. S. market. Ducati needed to addresses these problems to put the company back on track. Before offering solutions to any of the problems mentioned above, we would like to dig into details about the industrial background, company strategic positions, and competitive advantages and disadvantages about the company. These an alyses are especially beneficial to help identify potential opportunities and threats of the motorcycle industry and its sport segment. Five forces analysis are supplemented to our analysis. Threats: * Rivalry: rivalry among industry and the sports segment came from United States and Japanese motorcycle makers. There are intense competitions among brands for entire industry as well the sport segment. A major competitor for cruiser is Harley-Davidson, and Honda and other Japanese motorcycle producers constitute major competitors for the sport segment. * Currency fluctuation: exchange rate posted issues for international operations. Ducati and fellow motorcycle companies engaged in operations all over the world, exchange rate fluctuation generated uncertainty for the company. This is for both the industry and for the sport segment. * Substitutes: there is a high incentive for alternative transportations for the US market. This hurt the industry as well as sport segment. * Government regulation: Chinese government posted regulations that prohibited motorcycle usage domestically for various reasons. This makes it hard the entire industry as well as the sport segment. * Entrant barriers for industry: low entry barrier due to three reasons. First, people with knowledge can build motorcycle easily. Second, low capital requirement for entrants. Last, there are low switching costs for customers. Opportunities: * Entrant barriers: high for the sport segment due to technology advancement, better design and engineer work, high capital requirement for entrants and distinctive incumbency advantages for established brand. * Buyer’s power: low. This is caused by the brand power and the brand loyalty. People want to pay premium for the bike to feel cool and diffe rent. There is a huge demand for motorcycle. * Higher buying power in BRIC. Consumers in those countries are more likely to spend on motorcycle. This is beneficial to the industry, especially the sport segment. More diversified riders lead to market growth. There are more women riders than ever before. This is beneficial to the industry and to the sport segment. The following part included company analysis and analysis of company’s strategic position. * Value drivers and competitive advantages: * Use a unique Desmodrimic valve control system to increase the engine performance * Use a engine that were built in a L-twin design to improve aerodynamics and weighted lighter * Special motorcycles had a low-hum sound. * Frame gave greater rigidity, handling power, and enhanced speed. It offered more compact design architecture. * Superb in-house design and external design team teams. * Related field that increase value: Ducati Corse racing, apparel, local Ducati clubs, Ducati museum, Ducati riding experience training course, Ducati. com and Ducati’s multi-franchise distribution points and mono-franchise Ducati retail stores. * Cost drivers: * The large research and development for consecutive years. * Marketing cost associated with selected motorcycle publications. * The production line used the lean manufacturing, which decreases the production costs. Competitive disadvantages: * Cost disadvantage. Japanese motorcycle makers can produce cheaper bike with advanced technology. * Product discontinuity. Evolution of products that consumers do not recognize. * Do not intend to stretch and extend business to cruiser motorcycles, i. e. limited customers. * Relatively low market share than major Japanese companies, which occupied about 78% of total market share. This lead to low brand recognition. Even though Ducati has its competitive advantages, it does not mean that these advantages are sustainable. In order to determine whether Ducati will remain competitive, Barney’s VRIO framework is going to be applied. Hence, four questions are going to be addressed in this part of the case study, which are the Question of Value, the Question of Rareness, the Question of Imitability, and the Question of Organization. * The Question of Value: * Ducati has a group of highly skilled engineers and an in-house design team which allow the firm’s products to have the attribute of speed, performance, and innovation. Such capability helps fulfill customers’ needs and perceptions. Ducati is positioned to be fast with good braking ability. The ability of producing sport bike with speed and safety makes its customers feel safe and reliable while using the product, which helps the firm to build up good company’s reputation. * The Question of Rareness * All the Ducati’s bikes use the Desmodromic valve control system which enhances the engine performance and only Ducati uses this system in the market. * All Ducati’s engines were built in the unique L-twin design which gives the benefit of improved aerodynamics and lighter weight. This design is rare since the two cylinders of the engine are mounted at a 90-degree angle, which it has to work with the unique Desmodromic valve control system to reach its full ability. Moreover, it gives a unique low-hum engine sound which makes Ducati’s engine even more special. * The Ducati’s tubular trestle frame design was evolved from the Fornula One-inspired tubular trestle with Ducati engineers’ special design to enhance the performance features of the bikes. * The Question of Imitability * With Ducati’s investment in research and development, it would be hard for competitors to just imitate Ducati’s newest technology. Ducati’s in-house design team creates a barrier to imitation since its job is to design completely new model. Moreover, Ducati started to use online resources to gain insight into customers’ needs and perceptions. * Ducati’s Italian styling and origin lower the possibility of its design being imitated, yet it is worth to be noted that MV Agusta is owned by an Italian investment group and its designer Massimo Tamburini had worked in Ducati before, which make it easier for MV Agusta to imitate. * The Question of Organization * Ducati started to invest a lot of money in research and development, which boosted from â‚ ¬3. million in 1997 to approximately â‚ ¬26. 5 million in 2005. Such investment enables the Ducati to fully exploit the potential of its engineers and design team. * The internal culture of Ducati encouraging creativity and teamwork allows the engineers and design team to interact and be innovative. * The building of Ducati museum – the â€Å"World of Ducati† – allows Ducati to give museum and factory tour to enhance visitors’ experience, build up brand loyalty, and signify the company’s ability to be innovative or to create a dream. * Ducati’s purchase of Gio. Ca. Moto and joint venture with Dainese help to build the Ducati brand by selling a wide range of products including Ducati apparel and accessories. * The establishment of Ducati Corse Racing team helps to publicize the Ducati brand by participating in professional motorcycle racing. The team also demonstrates Ducati bikes’ high- performance features. * Ducati’s support in enthusiasts’ clubs and the establishment of the Desmo Owners Club (which promotes Ducati’s event to the clubs) help to build the Ducati brand and brand loyalty. The Ducati’s eight country-specific websites not only have information on bike models, but also provide a virtual tour of Ducati’s world headquarters in Bologna, which enhances the customers’ perception to the Ducati brand. Moreover, the websites allow buyers to customize their bikes and also give feedback, which again help Ducati to gain insight into its customers and fully exploit its ability in producing h igh quality sport bikes. * Ducati has been attempting to build a strong brand by encouraging its dealers to restructure the stores to be in the Ducati-store format. We proposed three alternatives to tackle the problems associated with our problems. 1. We propose to sell Ducati to produce synergy to premium car maker such as Lamborghini. This provided cost savings and promoted efficiency. 2. Improve and extend U. S. market to gain market share and profits by invest in human capital and better IT system. This corresponds to positive U. S. outlook after 2006. 3. Invest in Research and Development to carry out revolutionized products. In this way we are trying to replicate the revolutionized products that help the company out of trouble in 2003. Our recommendation is alternative #1. Before analyzing #1, we would like to point out the drawbacks of the other two options. For alternative #2, it would take two years before the U. S. market become the largest market in the world for the motorcycle business. This postponed schedule is unsatisfied to the investment group who foresee better and immediate solutions for our problems. Another challenge for the U. S. market currently is that in the short run, competition and the low demand makes it hard for individual company to capture large profits. For alternative #3, large amount of research and development input will somehow reduce return for the investment group in the short run. This might not be the primary interest for the investment group that takes controlling interest of the company. On top of that, there are uncertainties involved in the new product even with shortened new product issuance period. Lastly, new product development does not bring current return to the investment group, which is potentially not preferred. Alternative #1 is the best one of all. It can potentially offer the best price for the investment group in that it can eliminate the downside risk for the company to go under. On top of that, business combination with powerful company such as Lamborghini would provide synergy. This synergy will provide cost saving for Ducati. First, since a lot of parts are produced in those shops, it is way much easier to produce it for themselves than for outside partners for the company. It can also cut down non-necessary division or labor for the cost saving purposes. Additionally, acquirer with strong financial background can assist in expanding the U. S. market and engage in research and development process to produce a revolutionized product. I predict when the alternative# 1 get implement, the market share of Ducati will rapid increase. Because company such as Lamborghini has enough capitals to innovate different types of motorcycles. With the good fame of Lamborghini, their product will be wide noted and get into the market earlier than the competitors. Ducati will have a bright future and sustainable growth under that company.

Paper on Topic of Business Management Subject Essay

Paper on Topic of Business Management Subject - Essay Example I agree with Ivancevich who states that, â€Å"When an organization is really concerned about people, its total philosophy, culture, and orientation will reflect this belief† (2010, p. 4). Therefore, efficient management of human resources can ensure employee satisfaction and successful attainment of organizational goals. In this reflection paper, I have presented my understanding on the subject of human resource management and have applied this knowledge to my work and life experiences. Having worked in the army in a supervisory role for over twenty two years and currently working as a site manager for the linguistic program in Afghanistan, I have been able to include several examples to illustrate my perception on some of the functions of human resource management: Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Equal employment opportunity (EEO) restricts organizations from discriminating against people based on their gender, race or ethnicity. It guides organizational practices as managers select candidates during the hiring process, promotions and opportunities for training and professional development. Affirmative action (AA) aims to correct past discriminatory practices by providing a level playing field for women, people with disabilities and minority groups like Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans. The U.S. army also has EEO policies that â€Å"prohibit discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicapping condition or national origin† (U.S. Army, 1990, p. 114). Similarly, the AA policies are directed towards the recruitment, retention and development of high quality minority, handicapped and female employees. These policies are an integral part of employment, development, advancement and treatment of all personnel in the army. Women make up 14% of the U.S. armed forces and a military advisory committee is also considering lifting the ban on women serving in combat (Mulrine, 2011). Similarly, Hispanics make up about 12% of the U.S. army while Blacks and Asians make up about 11% and 4% respectively (Kane, 2005). This ethnic and racial diversity is also seen in higher level positions in the army as well. EEO and AA policies therefore create a feeling of fairness among employees as they experience equal access to trainings, promotion and other career development opportunities. Employers also benefit from these policies as they experience reduced workplace conflict, high job satisfaction and morale among employees, increased productivity and ability to meet organizational goals. As I realize the value of incorporating EEO and AA in an organization, it is my sincere desire to implement these policies in my future endeavors as well. Human Resources Planning, Recruitment and Selection HR planning, recruitment and selection is a key determinant of the overall performance of the organization. Recruitment of the wrong person can lead to increased turnover, low morale among existi ng employees and wasted time and resources with respect to recruiting, interviewing and training, all of which can seriously impact an organization’s bottom line. Following my high school graduation, I worked at a Mexican restaurant for a few months. The manager hired four illegal immigrants from Mexico, despite knowing the fact that they did not have the legal paperwork to work in America. He hired them at lower pay and required them to work for more hours compared to the other employees. An Immigration

Redefinition of Japanese American Identity Essay

Redefinition of Japanese American Identity - Essay Example Industrialists sought Japanese immigrants to replace the Chinese after the Chinese Exclusion Act took effect. The cultural diversity in the U.S resulted in fundamental questions being raised on America’s culture and identity. The reception of other Asian Americans in U.S had its basis on the reception that the Chinese received. The Japanese later discovered during the Second World War that their achievements in U.S did not lead to any acceptance by the American community. The Japanese were placed in internment camps, unlike the German and Italian Americans (Takaki, p. 7). After the Second World War, and following the treatment of the Japanese Americans during the war, their identity underwent redefinition. This is because of the historical experiences and changes in laws, economics and attitude during the war. After the Second World War, Japanese Americans faced numerous challenges that helped in the creation of their identity. In 1942 following the Pearl Harbor attack, Presid ent Roosevelt instituted the Executive Order 9066. Though the order appeared neutral, it targeted the Japanese classified as a danger to the American society. Thousands of Japanese-American citizens were sent to hurriedly constructed camps (Takaki, p. 6). Many of these citizens spent close to four years in this camps living under heavily armed guards. This Japanese American had American citizenship but faced internment because of their original country’s attack on Pearl Harbor. While the Japanese Americans faced internment, the African Americans faced extreme discrimination and segregation. African Americans would be forced into war and later be discriminated by the exact society it protected (Jones, p. 9). While the Japanese Americans population in West U.S represented a small portion of Japanese Americans in the country, they faced hostility from the vast white population. Customs and laws shut them out from participation in civil life and economics. Japanese immigrants did not have rights to property or citizenship. However, their descendants became citizens by birth and successful in farming and business. The Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese gave the white Americans an opportunity to renew and reinforce their hostility towards the Japanese Americans. It also gave the white community an opportunity for targeting their competitors in economic activities. This community agitated for the elimination or removal of unwanted competitors-Japanese (Takaki, p. 6). White Americans posted relocation notices all over the American West Coast. The white Americans gave the Japanese one week to leave the country. Japanese farmer’s desperately looked to their unwilling neighbors to take care of their farms. Business owners and farm owners faced financial ruin. They lost everything and forced to sell their shops, homes, furniture and clothes. The Supreme Court in 1944 reinforced the exclusion constitutionally by declaring the permissibility of the exclusion to curtail the civil rights of the Japanese Americans because of the pressing public necessity (Jones, p. 6). This treatment of Japanese Americans by the white Americans is similar to the treatment of other Americans. The African and Mexican Americans faced exclusion from economic activities. Economic and social activities were the preserve of the white Americans, and they viewed other races as competition or slaves.

Article About Time Travel

Article About Time Travel Suppose that i give you a time machine and you travel some seventy years back and kill your grandfather. Since your grandfather would not have been married by then your fathers birth is not possible and you cannot be here today to travel back in time to kill your grandpa. Hence your grandpa is alive then and you are here today, now there is again the possibility for you to travel back and kill your grandpa. Soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I stopped my lecture and looked at the children .Some of them were baffled but many had bright faces. Though they didnt understand they were all enthusiastic so I continued my lecture. This has no solution it is like an infinite loop, we call it grandfathers paradox and it is one of the problems in time travel. There are others for exampleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦,I stopped to pick up my ringing phone , I was shocked to learn that my grandfather passed away. As I was on my two hour flight to Hyderabad I spent my time reminiscing about my grandfather .He often said that there were no coincidences but only choices, either ours or others. But it was not my choice to hear about his demise while talking of grandfathers paradox, may be it was gods. My grandpa worked as an engineer in The Archeological Department of India, and headed the project for discovering the lost Indus valley civilization. He used to tell me strange stories about the Indus valley civilization when I was a child, but one of them was so fanciful that I just took it to be a mere fable but as I grew older my scientific knowledge and reasoning taught me that it was also possible. So I have asked him whether it was true or not and he always replied with a smile I have made an arrangement for you to know about it after I am dead . After the funeral my bereaved mom handed me a file which my grandpa wanted to give me. It was a collection of reports about the archeological discoveries around the world, UFO sightings etc., cut off from the newspapers. They looked decades old and I couldnt find their age coz there were no dates on them. As I scanned those articles one of them titled- Mysterious artifact found in the excavations at Harappa, caught my attention .My heart started pounding with anxiety to know whether this was the proof I was waiting for ,and I started reading it. A mysterious artifact resembling those found in 1903 at the excavations near the pyramids in Egypt was found at Harappa last month .Neither the material from which it is made nor its age were found by carbon dating spectrum analysis, but due to its dumble shape scientists believe it to be a toy. They also claim that this establishes that there was trade between the ancient Egyptians and the Indians. I was dazzled by his creative genius, coz he created a great story based on this article and it went like thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ******** He conceived the world around him in a different way, he used to say dont just look manavada (grand son), observe and question ,and at that age I couldnt really understand the difference. When I was in sixth grade I asked him the same question, he stared at me for a while and asked me do you know how many stone blocks were laid to construct the Giza pyramid ?,I said no. about 25 lakh stones each weighing about 25 tons, have u ever wondered how they constructed such a great structure in those days when they had no iron to cut the stones. Have u ever wondered how they transported or lifted such heavy blocks. I said no. It is simple, someone with the technology must have helped them. May be they were constructed by aliens. come on thathayya ( grandpa) not a fairy tale againà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦., why is it impossible manavada, as Sherlock holmes says when you have eliminated the impossible, the remaining however improbable it may seem is possible. then which alien civilization do you think is responsible? May be the one a billion light years away or a well advanced civilization from this planet itself What, how is it possible for a civilization belonging to the same period to be so advanced than the Egyptians Not of the same time, may be their own future generations, time travellers. What nonsense ok then explain me this, the mortar used in the construction of the pyramid is responsible for its strength ,even the mortar we use today isnt that strong. Our scientists were able to decode its chemical composition but not the process by which it is made. Now imagine that in the future our scientists figured out this process and also some other science freak invented the time machine. To test the strength of this mortar our scientists go back 4500 years and help the Egyptians to construct the pyramids with it. Since our scientists discovered the process by reverse engineering the mortar and gave the technology to the Egyptians, it would not have been possible for the Egyptians to construct the pyramids without our scientists help, and if that is the case there would not have been the source for our scientists to reverse engineer and travel back in time to give it to the Egyptians. Now tell me who found the process first the ancients or our time travellers? . I was befuddled and told him that I dont believe in time travel just to save myself from his wizardry. Then he said I am gonna tell you a secret and please keep it a secret, I travelled in time once. I broke with laughter and said do I look so foolish?, where did u get such a huge time machine from? The time machine need not be a machine at all. There is a state called singularity, it is the state of matter at the core of a black hole. When a large star explodes it is called a supernova. The substance present at the core of a supernova is called Dark Matter, and the dark matter can be used to harvest a worm hole. And Albert Einstein stated that by constructing such worm holes we can travel back and forth in time. In 1952 I was sent to Egypt for fieldwork, there we found strange dumble shaped tools. I secretly brought one of them to India and gave it to my friend who is a physicist to find what material it is. He found a small portion of darkmatter that must have been left by some time traveller and we used it. Though it seemed silly I was awe struck by his creativity, so I asked him where did you go then? Do you know what caused the extinction of Indus valley civilization? Well there are several theories like Aryan invasion, frequent floods of the Indus, continuous seismic activity etc.. These theories are only a twenty or thirty years old, in 1952 the only theory was Aryan invasion theory. And we traveled back 3500 years to the time when this civilization started declining to verify this theory. But to our wonder we found no sign of any invasion, floods or other calamities. We were enthralled by the brilliance of the harappans, and the splendor of the hakra and indus rivers, our rivers today are just canals when compared to them. They were constructing a behemoth sized dam over the hakra river that even the great pyramid is no match to its magnificence. I never heard of any such large construction on the Indus before let me complete, as we were on our way back something unexpected happened. My friend used a little more amount of the darkmatter to create the worm hole , as we entered the worm hole a huge explosion occurred and it shattered the dam causing a chain of floods and earthquakes leading to the decline of the Indus valley civilization. Now do you understand why the Indus valley civilization became extinct?. Obviously because of you and your friend, if you would not have gone there it would not have become extinct, if it was not extinct you would not have gone there to find the reason, causality paradox I guess. So the Aryan invasion theory is false. No, infact it is the only true theory and the Aryans were none other than me and my friend. why didnt you travel back in time again to prevent the destruction? How could we, in that chaos we left the dumble there and now we cant go back.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell :: essays research papers fc

Topic 1: What warning does the novel carry for readers at this point in time about where their society is heading? Introduction NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR’s society carries a warning to our society about where we might be heading. However I believe that we are already at a parallel with the society in NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR . Taking the focus of the media it becomes very clear that our society is very similar to the one in NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR if to a lesser extent. Looking at the media shows that the media have control over what we know and therefore what we think. Therefore who ever controls the media controls our thoughts, both here and in NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR . By showing the similarities between NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR and our world through the media it becomes clear that our society is very closely related to that of NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR . Control of our knowledge The media controls our knowledge of the outside world. If we don’t listen to the news we don’t find out what is happening in other countries. The media can be very selective about what stories they broadcast; they will broadcast the news that they think the public will want to hear. An example of this in our world was the September 11 attacks. We heard lots of news about how approximately 7000 people died but we didn’t hear about: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The floods in India which killed thousands of people o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 32700(approx) people who died from hunger and curable diseases on September 11. In NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR Ingsoc controls the media. They decide what the people need to know and so effectively control their knowledge. If the party says that Oceania is at war with Eastasia then for all the people know it is. This is also true if the party says that Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Effectively the media controls our knowledge – we know what they choose to broadcast. Control of media Every media group is controlled by somebody. Whoever controls it controls what is broadcast to the public. The extreme case of this is in NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR . The party controls the media and so all stories go through them. They broadcast what they think it is necessary for the people to know and that is the end of the story. The party is basically the media and everything they say is always correct. If it turns out to be incorrect they change their records so that it is correct.

How Are Fashion and Appearance Central to the Construction?

How are fashion and appearance central to the construction of social identities? Fashion can be defined as the prevalent style and custom at a certain point in time. Besides being necessary and protecting us, clothing also shapes and defines us in the cultural, social and psychological aspect. It has been a part of culture and identity since the earliest of times. We live in a world where fashion and clothing play a significant role in shaping and determining the identity and social image of people. This physical appearance often determines other people’s impressions of us and becomes a measurement of our self-worth.Nowadays with an increased self-consciousness, establishing the social identity of a person, fashion and appearance have played a crucial role. Wilson (1992: 13) has said, ‘clothing in fact, has the unique characteristic of being able to express ideas about sex and the body while simultaneously it actually adorns the body. ’ While sexuality for both me n and women has largely been shaped by the central ideas of fashion and appearance, there is evidence indicating women have been impacted more by the influences of fashion than men have.Therefore it is possible to say women, who are strongly influenced by fashion, may be more susceptible to social identities as Craik (1994: 176) said, ‘women are fashionable but men are not. ’ Although Finkelstein (1996: 56) has argued that, ‘fashion has been seen as a device for confining women to an inferior social order,’ showing that these identities have not and are not always positive and empowering. In the concept of the ‘male gaze,’ the relationship between sex and sexuality in women’s fashion is entirely geared towards pleasing and catering to the male sexual desires.Although Craik (1993: 156) argues that, ‘despite the rhetoric that women dress to please men, other evidence suggest that women primarily dress to please other women. Further, there is no clear pattern as to whose ‘eyes’ women view other women through. ’ To see the progression of how fashion and appearance has become what it is and what it represents in the world today in creating social identities, the past plays a huge role.After the regimented discipline of World War II where fashion was purely functional, uniform and designed to blend in with the background there was a period where tough economic frugality which included rationing of almost every product, the unavailability of fabrics due to the collapse of the UK textile industry, very few imports because foreign currency restrictions and a general impoverishment of society as a whole. The fifties saw a gradual lifting of the stringent restrictions and along with the introduction of television and American made programming; a new sense of optimism took hold in the UK.Programmes such as girl  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬debutantes (See Fig. 1) gave women a role of their own in society, unlike the ‘surrogate mens’ jobs in industry that they had to endure during the war. Sex and sexuality however was not key in the fashions of the time. The Calvinistic influence of the southern states American ‘Bible Belt’ in politics and popular culture determined distinct roles for women, and even though there were the beginnings of change, the only careers open were those of housewives, teachers and nurses.And then, with the dawn of the sixties, everything changed. America elected a young handsome president, JF Kennedy, the birth control pill was launched and a four piece band from Liverpool called the Beatles became gods for a whole new grouping. The teenager. Teenagers were rebellious, questioning, and everything that their parents were not. In America they protested against the Vietnam War while in England they questioned all authority from the local police constable to the Queen herself.Sexuality, and sex was everything and it was born out in the sty les and colours of Carnaby Street, the mini skirt, Twiggy and the twist. The boring military uniform was transformed into the rainbow colours of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper and the crew cut became a mop top. By the time the seventies arrived, division had to appear. Free Love and LSD resulted in addiction and sex-for-sale and fashions split the youth into Mods or Rockers. A macho motorbike riding image was adopted by the rockers, wearing clothes such as black leather jackets and listening to the likes of Elvis and Gene Vincent.While the mods, wearing designer suits protected by Parka jackets and other clean-cut outfits, adopted riding Vespa or Lambretta scooters. Mods favoured listening to rhythm and blues, Ska music and The Who. The mods attention to detail and obsession with style was the complete contrast to their arch rivals the rockers’ love of motor cycles and leather jackets and this often cause friction between the two subcultures. These two subcultures faded from the public view by the late 1960s and media attention turned to two new emerging youth subcultures – the hippies and the skinheads.So, sex and sexuality only became a central theme and basis for fashion and appearance from the 60s and 70s and has developed and expanded on a monumental scale until today, and will continue to do so. Given the strong connection more so between female sexuality and fashion, many people have begun to discuss the ways in which identity and perception from fashion have influenced certain ways women think they ‘should’ or ‘have to’ look like. This couldn’t be more evident than in the media advertisements that surround our environment constantly.These thoughts can often be distorted and obscured, not necessarily the truth and reality of what the average women looks like. Media advertisements for fashion, more often than not, show how women could change or improve their appearance and this is where women’s t houghts and perceptions are drawn from. The easy answer could come from the idea that ‘sex sells’ which is the truth and reality of today. For many products being advertised it is possible to find a sexual connection or connotation.This sexual connection it much easier to set up for men than for women, as men’s sexual desire have minimal criteria; as long as a women looks healthy and young enough, she is desired. By using women’s bodies and associate ‘getting the woman’ with the product, it is easier getting a man’s attention. Thus, playing on his instinctive view rather than his intellectual view of the world. Using sex in advertising to women can be much more difficult, as women are looking for more than mere anatomy. This becomes a cycle where advertising can sell the product because â€Å"women want this ‘product’ in a man.Get the product, get the woman. † The use of healthy, fit men does attract a woman’s instinctive attention and create desire but sexual desire for women is more complex. Women tend to not only focus on man’s physical appearance, but are also corned with the long-run and future with a partner. These factors are often learned through culture and society. Tom Ford’s advertisements for the launch of a male perfume (See Fig. 3) has been considered to be highly controversial, while at the same time it provides insight into the world of advertising sex and appeal and how it works.Tom Ford’s advert is full of suggestion and imagination; the perfume bottle between the woman’s breasts could suggest male genital, not simply just a perfume bottle, creating a very erotic and adventurous feeling to the advert. This therefore makes it extremely appealing to any male who comes across the advert. Male instinct kicks in and immediately it becomes about if I buys this product then will I get lucky in the bedroom? D & G advertisement promoting their 2007 re ady-to-wear collection (See Fig. 4) has also received a lot of controversial feedback.The advertisement showed a woman pinned to the ground by the wrist by a shirtless man, with other men in the background looking on. It is possible to say that the female figure is shown in a degrading manner and offending the dignity of the individual. This can be contrasted by the fact that in her role it can appear that she’s actually willing to yield and surrender to the man’s aggressive behaviour willingly. From Biological Basis of Human Behaviour males have often linked sex and aggression to a certain degree and therefore in return females have learnt this association as well.And in a way if she didn’t enjoy it, it didn’t matter as long as life was create as a result. So, this advert could represent a learned role of females that is possibly now acceptable, enjoyable to an extent and even desired. Thus, it is clear that sex is a strong appeal to use in advertising e ven though it can be gender linked appeal. Fashion and appearance have repeatedly shown to have a massive, immediate and sometimes potent effect on the public in a wide range or circumstances.In particular women’s appearance seems to play a key role to one’s identity and self. Chapkis (1986) has said that, ‘a women is made to feel continually insecure about her physical appearance, and simultaneously so dependent on it. ’ Women, more so than men, are willing to go to dangerous and sometimes painful lengths in order to ‘improve’ and alter their appearance. Thus feeling like we fit with the desired lifestyle and with what is considered socially normal and acceptable in society today.

Explore the Construction of Identiy in Hamlet and Beowulf

Thesis: Identity is constructed through the character’s change/realisation of social ideals and personal experiences throughout the text. â€Å"’Identity has been increasingly used to refer to the social and historical make-up of a person, personality as a construct. Sometimes such identities are conceived narrowly psychological, individualist terms, as the cumulative result of personal experience and family history† This is seen particularly in Beowulf where all men are referred to as their fathers’ sons’. Family history was massively important in those times and men well often well respected because of the heroic things their ancestors had done. Warriors also felt the need to reach the same level of notoriety. This is shown when we are†¦show more content†¦Beowulf establishes his identity as a warrior and a hero by recounting his successful endeavours: â€Å"They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night sea slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves, I devastated them).† Beowulf is a warrior more by reputation than what he actually does throughout the duration of the text. Although he defeats Grendel fairly quickly after being introduced to us, and after that Grendel’s mother, fifty years pass without much detail of Beowulf’s triumphs. The form of both texts has an impact on the identity of both Beowulf and Hamlet as individuals but also society as a whole in the two texts. Beowulf is an epic poem which are traditionally used to recount heroic acts and important events in history. This gives the text an authentic feel as well as reflecting the culture of the times in which Beowulf lived in; most stories were shared by word of mouth, often by song or poetry and not often documented. Men craved the notoriety and were willing to die in battle do achieve it. The unusualness of an epic poem also reflects complete difference of the world we live in where we not only have no warrior culture, people