Adidas Promotional Campaign

The purpose of this case assignment is to evaluate Adidas’ new promotional campaign and identify the key factors affecting its success. Promotion serves as one of the fundamental tenets in marketing mix. Promotion is the communication of information by a seller to influence the attitudes and behaviors of potential buyers. 1 (Christ). Advertising, sales promotion, and public relations comprises promotion which are used to target specific buyers. These three aspects of promotion work together to attract and retain potential and existing buyers and also highlights the foundation of Adidas’ promotional campaign for the Beijing Olympics. Sportswear manufacturer Adidas’ recent merger with Reebok represents increased clout the firm can use exert on Nike in upcoming promotions for the Olympics. Nike which currently holds the majority of athletic footwear market has done an excellent job promoting its products to focus on target markets. Both manufacturers target the same markets which include the Basketball, Soccer, and Football athletes, as well as, Hip Hop culture. 4 Promoting sales of sportswear through the use of professional athletes has been a venture both Adidas and Nike have done very well. However, Adidas took a big hit when Nike was capable of capitalizing on the â€Å"Hip Hop Nation†, or subculture closely intertwined with performance sportswear. Rapper artist, Nelly, wrote a song about Nike shoes in 2005, underscoring Nike’s image change from solely performance sportswear to including fashionable and â€Å"cool†. Adidas returned with signing performing artists Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and 50-Cent to their sportswear lines. Promotional campaigns by both Adidas and Nike reflect consumer focus when purchasing athletic apparel is not solely tied to performance, and suggests that some consumers view athletic apparel as a reflection of personality and a fashion statement. A perspective from Gonzalo Basilico, a 12 yr old student, supports this notion, â€Å"I like Adidas, but I still prefer Nike for the fashion, colours, combinations [. . ] It's all Nike at school. Everyone talks about Nike, no one talks about the others. † 5 Adidas’ merger will allow them to compete on multiple fronts, and also eliminates the no. 3 contender, Reebok, from the competition. The combination of the two will allow Adidas to focus on both performance and fashion sportswear. Adidas styled high heel shoes pictured on their website, indicate a shift Adidas’ intention of attempting to claim both the perform ance and fashion athletic apparel markets. Moreover, Adidas will be able to promote their brands â€Å"Adidas† and â€Å"Reebok† by targeting specific athletic groups like Soccer and Football; respectively, that hold one or the other in high regards. 7 Both Adidas and Nike have robust advertising campaigns. Webpage, television, and magazine advertisements all suggest that the products are not merely performance sportswear, they’re fashion statements. Adidas’ iconic â€Å"3 stripes† and Nike’s â€Å"swoosh† are plastered all of over their advertisements and products. The icons which at first were a company logo, represent a designer label that consumers want. Adidas’ division of efforts between the Adidas and Reebok lines will serve them well in the future. Reebok will be focused on middle priced shoes, while Adidas will focus on high end sport performance and fashion. Division of efforts between the two will pose a formidable advantage against, Nike, the current no. 1 contender in the sport performance apparel market. References 1. Christ, P. (2008). Principles of Marketing. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http://www. knowthis. om/tutorials/principles-of-marketing/promotion-decisions/1. htm 2. Unknown (2008). The Promotional Mix. Retreived 20 JUL 08 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Promotional_mix#cite_note-0 3. Kiley, D. (2005). Reebok and Adidas. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http://www. businessweek. com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2005/nf2005084_8340. htm 4. Ibid. 5. Richardson, B. (2005). Adidas Bid Raises Image Concerns. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http ://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/4741343. stm 6. Adidas (2008). Adidas Homepage. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http://www. adidas. com 7. Kiley, D. (2005).

Historians and Their Duties Essay

Gorman timely presents the question â€Å"Do historians as historians have an ethical responsibility, and if so to whom? † in his essay Historians and their Duties especially in an era which has seen the use of history as a way to further political agenda, invent or distort historical fact to justify political undertakings. He rightfully disputes Richard Evans’ assertion of value-free reportage of history and the restrictive historian’s duty of presenting and interpreting knowledge. In saying that â€Å"Historians are simply not trained to make moral judgments†¦they have no expertise in these things,† Evans suggests they must evade the moral question, but this is impossible. Morality governs us all, including historians. I differ in Evans’ bloodless concept of historical duty, one I think he broke after being expert witness in Irving v. Penguin Books and Lipstadt (Fulford, 2001) where he became instrumental in the conviction of a historian for distorting historical interpretations about the Holocaust. I think history, to become a significant part in advancing knowledge and good in society, must refuse to be monastic or ornamental, but instead be engaging and useful to mankind. I find Butterfield’s thoughts on ethics provocative in the verbose Bentley essay Herbert Butterfield and the Ethics of Historiography. The most striking is his recommended passive attitude to international politics: â€Å"Whatever wicked things we may think are done†¦ †¦ we have no right to say a word†¦ until we have forgiven the sin and covered it up with love. It strikes as a worldview that is either naive or cruel because it seems to justify crimes against humanity. I find it hard to reconcile with his anti-Whiggish stance condemning the selective presentation of history from the viewpoint of the victor (Schweizer, 2007). Is he, in the process, recommending us to absolve Hitler or the U. S. which he disdained for dropping the A-bomb on Hiroshima? I believe he is, and historians, to his view, being limited in understanding, cannot truly uncover the hand of God or Providence, enough for them to deliberate moral judgments of history. Responses to Student Views Unlike the first student response, I support Butterfield’s criticism of selective or rejectionist approach to the interpretation of history with a bias to the â€Å"victor†. I share his view of world events as a historical process. This is something that historians must take careful consideration of when upholding â€Å"objectivity† and â€Å"truth† in the conduct of their profession. Historical events are not static, after all, but an accumulation of events, not people, of experiences, not single victories. Regarding his treatise on passivity and quietism, Butterfield no doubt shares the brand of Christian helplessness when it comes to appreciating world events. I agree with the second student response on his critique of Evans, who promotes value-free interpretation of history as a duty of the ideal historian. I believe that duties of historians extend far more than writing history, but of injecting analysis and viewpoints as well, as long as he does not distort or invent historical fact in doing so. On being â€Å"politically neutral†, I have to disagree. It is true that historians possess a great deal of influence in shaping public perception of how events should be interpreted. In analyzing historical facts, the historian must take a stand, and in this manner, he loses his neutrality. He cannot claim the correctness of two contradictory interpretations but must determine which interpretation finds basis in fact. Indeed, historians cannot exempt themselves from ethical responsibility just because they feel a presumptive need to produce a â€Å"dispassionate† account of history. I think Gorman wrote this essay assuming essay that historians today are a vast and eclectic mix with varying dispositions. He preempts those who have an overly â€Å"institutional† view of ethics in saying: â€Å"As business people or historians, we surely all share the same moral world. † I agree that historians have the ethical duty to pass moral judgment and those who find themselves incapable of deliberating such must undergo â€Å"moral education. †

Free Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Free Trade - Essay Example In the global context, promoting free trade means opening up global markets. In other words, markets increasingly become liberal as protectionist activities reduce. The idea is to offer global trade players an equal environment within which they conduct their business. Notably, governments are the primary enforcers of free trade in the international trade environment. In streamlining free trade across the globe, governments come up with policies or programs that formulate and implement oversight authorities such as World Trade Organization and the European Union. These bodies enforce trade agreements and relationships, thus ensuring compliance to the set rules and regulations. For the European Union, the mandate of the body goes beyond the trade factor. However, the economic aspect of the union is critical to the realization of free trade within and across member states. The realization of global free trade is not an easy process. This is because diverse and dynamic factors affect trade activities within and across domestic, regional, national, and international levels. In today’s global economy, there are many different operational trade agreements and treaties. This shows the extent to which international trade players are willing to embrace and subsequently practice free trade. David Ricardo’s comparative advantage theory is influential in international trade (Daniels, Radebaugh, & Sullivan, 2012). This theory sets out the advantages of international trade based on the production factor. In light of the theory, trade is important because it allows producers across the globe to capitalize their production strengths while benefiting from the strengths of another state in the same regard. This theory informs the basis of free trade, where stakeholders seek to maximize their trade welfare through liberal or more open markets

Information Security Audit And Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Information Security Audit And Assurance - Essay Example Data is stored in a database that makes access, retrieval and manipulation easy and more secure (Chrisopher, 2012). The Department of information technology in the organization oversees the security of the information system and hardware that is used in running all the activities in the organization. Computer and information security entails the safeguarding of computer resources, limiting access to authorized users, ensuring data integrity, maintaining data confidentiality and enhancing accountability in the organization (Chrisopher, 2012). The effective security will therefore involve taking security measures to ensure hardware and media are not stolen or damaged. Developing back –up strategies to minimize loss of data and information, encryption of sensitive data files and appropriate user identification (Ruskwig, 2012). Audit checklist: INFORMATION SECURITY SYSTEM AUDIT AND ASSUARANCE CHECKLIST Personnel/ Human resources Check item Answer Responsibility Who has the respons ibility for ensuring system security? employee Do employees and other users of the system have the knowledge and training on how to handle security threats? Training Do the personnel and staff member with any responsibility of system security have adequate training and do they receive training to support their roles? Computer security policy Is there a documented security policy that is fully supported by the senior management , with associated operating systems Non – disclosure Agreements Is there confidentiality agreements to sensitive employee data and information and its disclosure to third parties Process Audit Are the installed systems in the company including security systems and firewalls installed in the company audited on a regular basis? Software patches Do mechanisms exist that are used to deploy software patches at the security systems in the company in a timely and audited manner? Data protection Are employee and company data well secured in the database? And co mply with the legislative frameworks such as data privacy Act. Authentication Are there reliable and effective authentication mechanisms in the organization? Technology External network security Are there security measures such as intrusion detectors, firewalls that are used to protect against external computer access such as internet. Are these safety measures authorized by the senior management. Content monitoring Is there proper monitoring of the content of emails, and internet to prevent virus infection, internet fraud, SPAM and also litigation from the improper use and improper content. Anti virus Is there an installed antivirus and is it up to date, are all users trained and educated on how to identify and avoid suspected files to avoid virus and malware infection. Physical security Are critical IT systems, equipment and servers, stored in a secure and protected area free from unauthorized access? Security policy. Policy statement: The department of information technology in t he organization is vested with the responsibility to provide the substantial data security and confidentiality of all the resources, data and information that are held in the organization which include local storage media, or remotely placed in order to ensure the continuous availability resources and data to the authorized users in the organization and also to provide integrity of these data and configuration controls (Ruskwig, 2012). Security policies: a) The data

Discussion Board 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 3 - Assignment Example The propaganda was used to persuade the Americans that the war was right, and it should continue. The red scare was the American worry of the stretch of communism. This worry and tension led to a significant desire to remove the communists from America and other parts of the world. According to Propaganda (2011), anyone who was known to take part in the communist movements was placed on a tribunal and sentenced. During this active period of searching the communist groups, the attorneys, farmers and other business people lost their liberty and lines of business as a result of this search process. The red scare led to an increase in the war in Vietnam. According to Annenberg Learner (2015), the Americans were in fear that the Communist North would take over the democratic south. The Sacco and Vanzetti trial echoed the Americans worry of immigration, crimes associated with the immigrants, and lawlessness. Additionally, there was an anti-Italian response in the trial and sentencing perceived by some American citizens all through the nation on account of a planned crime. According to Alfonzo (2009), the origin of the Klan echoed the white USAs worry that marginalized communities may finally invade America. This worry and tension came up as a result of the increase in the number of immigrants and American black communities, tagged with the transformation in American politics which led to the provision of equal rights and employment opportunities to the marginalized

NHS Computer System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

NHS Computer System - Research Paper Example Project management is further explained in five processes including initiation, planning, execution, controlling and closure. Moreover, it involves other knowledge areas such as time, scope, expenditure, risks involved, quality, commucation, procurement and even, integration at times (Milosevic 2003). The activities managed by the project team include identifying requirements, managing the expectations of stakeholders, and competing for time, scope, risk, cost, and quality. Projects are always marred by deviations from the scope, objectives and execution, and this has pushed project managers to link and harmonise change management, project control and risk management. This is because risks usually arise from inefficiency in management and inadequate documentation of changes (Heldman & Heldman 2007). Frame (2003) explains the importance of readiness by the project team to deal with changes and that it is risky to ignore a project’s environmental impacts and adequate information in the planning stage. According to Kerzner (2006), change and risk management is important as it reduces the number and level of surprises. He further he explains that risks and changes are â€Å"hand in hand† as risks are usually created by changes. NHS computer system NHS computer system was created under the functioning of UK Department of Health, and the system was produced to deliver the NHS National Programme which falls under IT (NPfIT). NPfIT was, however, initiated by the Department of Health of England which was given the task of shifting England`s National Health Service (NHS) to an integrated, electronic care record which can be centrally managed for patients, also which has the capacity... The NHS program has recently come under criticism especially with Department of Health refusing to give solid information about its progress to external observers. This has even led to academics in computer related fields to write a letter to the Health Select Committee raising concern about the program. The government has also been under fire for its apparent reluctance to evaluate and audit the program, and in case the development of the policy gets failed, i.e. the ICT policy proposed tends to cost less and benefit more, much evidence regarding technology is lacking.In 2009, the Public Accounts Committee reported that, the risks to the deployment system are getting higher and further termed in as being â€Å"as serious as ever,† whereby they further continued to say that the base of the project is now almost â€Å"way off the pace†, at this point further indicating the revision date which has already been extended i.e. the completion due date of 2014-2015 is still in doubt especially in the aftermath of the Fujitsu's contract being terminated, which had to cover the South. Moreover, it was concluded that there is already delay in essential systems, thus even if an effort to deploy the system is made, the clinical staff has high expectations which will not be possible to comply with. Furthermore, considering the current cost of the program, along with the managerial issues going on and also with the four IT providers being sacked, there has been an increase in the criticism going on about the project.

Prophecies in The Odyssey and Oedipus the King Research Paper

Prophecies in The Odyssey and Oedipus the King - Research Paper Example One of the key purposes of using the prophecies is to reveal to the readers at the outset itself, the course, the work or the main protagonist will take. Although, it may reveal the crux of the plot, on the other level, it will heighten the curiosity of the readers regarding whether the prophecies will come true or how the prophecies will come true. Another key perspective of using prophecies is to state the fact that human lives will always be controlled by superior powers or external forces, without any chance of them controlling it. This perspective of prophecy was aptly used in the Greek works, Oedipus the King and The Odyssey. This paper will discuss how the lives of the main protagonists Oedipus and Odysseus were dictated by these prophecies, with Oedipus’ prophecies leading to his downfall and tragedy, while prophecies for Odysseus leading to success. Oedipus fate, it seems, has been sealed even before he is born, with the prophecy coming from Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. As King Laius and Jocasta did not have any children after many years of marriage, they consulted the Oracle at Delphi regarding their childlessness. The Oracle gave out the prophecy that if Jocasta bears a son, that son would kill her husband King Laius and will also marry her. This prophecy was recollected by Jocasta later, â€Å"An oracle once came to Laius declaring he was doomed/To perish by the hand of his own son, A Child that should be born to him by me† (Sophocles 51). To prevent his prophecy from actualizing only Oedipus was ordered to be killed. However, he survives and was cared by King Polybus of Corinth and his wife Merope, who raise him as their own. After hearing rumors that Polybus and Merope are not his real biological parents, he coincidently meets the same Oracle at Delphi to clarify his doubts. Without directly answering Oedipus’ question on parentage, the Oracle again repeats the earlier prophecy but in different words, from the perspective of Oedipus. Oedipus