Impact of the Homelessness Act 2002

Impact of the Homelessness Act 2002 Assessing the new homelessness strategies introduced by the Homelessness Act 2002; are the housing needs of the young homeless in the UK closer to being adequately addressed? Abstract: The proposed research will examine the impacts of the Homelessness Act 2002 on homelessness policy and practice throughout the United Kingdom, with specific focus towards the housing needs of those homeless persons aged 16-25. The research will examine the national context within which the Act was framed, highlighting the key motivations for reforming homelessness legislation and examining responses to the proposed changes. The research will then examine the principal provisions of the 2002 Act, and by drawing on the results of contemporary surveys, such as those conducted by MORI polls, and also recent research into youth homelessness, such as those commissioned and produced by NGO’s specialising in issues of homelessness e.g. Crisis, Shelter, the proposed research project will then explore the impact of the 2002 Act on local government youth homelessness policies and practices and on the extent to which youth homelessness is still regarded as a problem. The proposed research will draw on the conclusions made and suggest additional measures that are required in order for the problems in meeting the needs of the young homeless in the UK to be tackled effectively in the future, including changes to the ways by which the performance of youth homelessness initiatives are indicated, monitored and evaluated. Opening Section: The reason that I have chosen the evaluation of the Homelessness Act 2002 as the subject of my proposed research is two-fold:    1] There is a general lack of academic review/discourse regarding the contents of the Homelessness Act 2002, 2] The importance of such a review has recently been highlighted by a government select committee in their report on Homelessness [A recently published government select committee report recommended that the Government conduct â€Å"a review of the workings of the 2002 Act to identify the weak spots.† The reasons that I have chosen to focus and limit this evaluation to the housing needs of the 16-25 year old homeless is for the following reasons: 1] This age range forms 25% of the total number of ‘rough sleepers’ in the UK, and as such must be a major target of any initiatives designed to tackle the UK’s homelessness problems, including those contained within the Homelessness Act 2002. A focus on this youth section of the UK’s homeless population, and an investigation into how it has been affected by such initiatives will therefore prove an excellent way of evaluating one of the key tasks of the Homelessness Act 2002. 2] Until recently, the extent of homelessness among 16 to 25 year olds, in England particularly, has been unknown. Research conducted by York University and commissioned by the charity Centrepoint, published in 2004, was the first to actually publish a figure: The research showed that within this age band, up to 52,000 were without housing in England in 2003, 6,700 of these ‘sleeping rough’. These shocking figures brought the housing need of the young homeless to the attention of the media. Whilst the actual figures are themselves merely educated estimates, this increased public attention towards the 16-25 homeless population of the UK is a major reason for my choice to focus my proposed research project to this area. 3] Research which suggests that homelessness amongst 16-25 year olds has been on the increase over the last ten years highlights the importance of this key target area, and warrants an evaluation into whether the 2002 Act is proving any more successful than its predecessor in trying to meet the housing needs of the young homeless in the UK. Recent academic research in the area of youth homelessness includes a study by Smith and Simister of methods of estimating youth homelessness, research by Crisis and the New Policy Institute into the numbers of non-statutory homeless in the UK, an analysis by Douglas and Gilroy looking at young women and homelessness and an analysis of what risks are most associated with youth homelessness conducted by Bruegel and Smith. There is however, as stated above, no current research published which attempts an evaluation of the success of the Homelessness Act 2002 in tackling the housing problems of homeless people aged 16-25 such as the one which I am suggesting in this research proposal. Critical Research Questions Below I will set out the main critical research questions which shall form the focus of my proposed study. I shall also identify several subsidiary questions and issues which shall support the main body of my research. Main pervasive questions to be addressed throughout my proposed dissertation: To what extent does current research suggest that the Homelessness Act 2002 has improved the situation of the UK’s young [16-25] homeless and the problems of their housing needs? In light of the current research, what reforms might be necessary, if any, either to the content or to the underlying rationale of the Act, in order to ensure that the Homelessness Act 2002 helps provide for the needs of the young homeless in the UK in the future? Subsidiary/supporting questions to be addressed throughout the proposed dissertation: To what extent does the statutory definition of ‘homelessness’ as established by the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the 1996 Housing Act and developed by the Homelessness Act 2002, adequately describe all the urgent housing circumstances of young 16-25 year olds in the UK? To what extent do the lack of Monitoring provisions contained within the Homelessness Act 2002 result in the Act being applied by Local Authorities inconsistently, carelessly and in ways which do not achieve the fundamental objectives of the Act in relation to the housing needs of young homeless people aged 16-25? Are the performance indicators employed by the government to assess the success of Local Authority initiatives suitable methods by which to judge whether the provisions of the Homelessness Act 2002 are being successfully implemented? Is the category of ‘priority need’ contained within the Homelessness Act 2002 broad enough to ensure that the needs of all the young homeless are capable of being satisfied? To what extent does the Homelessness Act 2002 recognise that young people have diverse housing needs and ensure that Local Authorities avoid the ‘one size fits all’ approach which in the past has acted to decrease the supply and range of appropriate accommodation? Does the Homelessness Act 2002 give Local Authorities too much freedom with regard to homelessness strategy development and management, resulting in regional discrepancies in performance and application throughout the UK? Does the ‘Supporting People’ system, as introduced in April 2003, successfully complement the main objectives of the Homelessness Act 2002 in regards to meeting the housing needs of homeless people aged 16-25 in the UK? Research Methodology: The primary research methodology employed by this proposed research is a critical analysis of the Homelessness Act 2002, of primary research data [taken from surveys conducted by previous researchers], of secondary literature regarding the rationale of the Act, of secondary literature regarding alternative interpretations of the primary research data and of secondary literature regarding evaluations of local government youth-homelessness policy and practice. Wherever possible, analyses of the primary data will attempt to reach quantitative conclusions, although in light of the unreliable quantified data available in this regard, these conclusions will only be used to support the more generalised qualitative conclusions which will be offered from the respective analyses of the Homelessness Act 2002 and of the secondary literature. It would not be appropriate in the context of my research proposal to attempt to offer anything other than general qualitative conclusions, as my proposed research does not purport to offer any insight into the relationship between specific independent variables; there are so many factors which come into play to influence whether a statute or a resulting policy are successful in meeting the housing needs of the young homeless, that a direct correlation would never be possible. Equipped with the time and the resources, it would be highly desirable to conduct interviews with various relevant parties, such as chairmen of NGO’s and actual young homeless people throughout the UK to attempt to gauge what their perceptions are of the changes introduced by the Homelessness Act 2002, but within the context of this study, such interviews would act merely as a luxury which would add another dimension to the proposed research. Such interviews are neither essential nor practical and for these reasons I have chosen to reject conducting any of my own primary collection of data within this proposed research project. Annotated Bibliography: 1] House of Commons ODPM: â€Å"Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee on Homelessness Third Report of Session 2004–05† This Report is relevant to my proposed research in that it helps to justify that there is a need for analysis of the Homelessness Act 2002 in order to identify the weaknesses therein: â€Å"[we recommend] a review of the workings of the 2002 Act to identify the weak spots [of this legislation].† 2] CRISIS Report: Statistics on Homelessness. (SEU, July 1998) http://www.crisis.org.uk/pdf/HomelessStat.pdf This resource is relevant to my research proposal in that it provides a reliable statistic as to the percentage of young [16-25] homeless people who make up the total number of ‘rough sleepers’ in the UK, which serves as a further illustration of the importance of conducting research focussed at this age range. 3] ‘52,000 youths have nowhere to live, study finds’ John Carvel, social affairs editor. Monday October 11, 2004. Guardian Newspaper. This newspaper article demonstrates how the issue of youth homelessness has received recent media attention, and as such further supports my contention that the topic of this research proposal is one of public interest. 4]http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/spexselfmanagevariables/clientpdfs/4/york%20research%20final.pdf This resource contains information about the York University study conducted in 2004, which was the first to attempt an accurate estimate of the number of homeless youths aged 16-25 who were without housing in 2003. This source also asserts and referenced sources which strongly suggest that the number of young homeless aged 16-25 in Scotland has increased significantly over the last decade. In both of the above respects it is useful and relevant to this research proposal. 5] Smith and Simister: â€Å"Methods of estimating youth homelessness†Ã‚   2001, DETR, UK. This source is of relevance in that it provides an example of recent similar research, which again serves to illustrate that other academics are taking seriously the issues of youth homelessness and are of the opinion that such research is necessary and of public interest. 6] Crisis and the New Policy Institute â€Å"The numbers of non-statutory homeless in the UK†Ã‚   2004 Like the previous resource, this source is of relevance in that it provides an example of recent similar research, which again serves to illustrate that other academics are taking seriously the issues of youth homelessness and are of the opinion that such research is necessary and of public interest. 7] Douglas A. and Gilroy R. (1994) Young women and homelessness The subject of the above study is more specific than the subject of this research proposal, and the content of the study was designed to address issues of homelessness which are unique to the physiology and behaviour of young homeless females e.g. the relationship between pregnancy and the number of incidences in which that pregnant homeless girl is reaccepted and supported by her family after they have discovered the pregnancy. It is only relevant as an example of similar research to illustrate that other academics are taking seriously the issues of youth homelessness and are of the opinion that such research is necessary and of public interest. 8] Bruegel I and Smith J (1999) Taking Risks. An Analysis of the Risks of Homelessness forYoung People in London. Peabody Trust/ Safe in the City. www.safeinthecity.org.uk The above resource is a comprehensive analysis into the risks of homelessness for young people in London. The conclusions however are not limited to London, but must occur in all cities across the UK to a greater or lesser degree. The conclusions of this study are highly worrying, and serve as a strong example of the importance and immediate need to sort out the housing needs of the young homeless in the UK. In this way, this resource is highly relevant to my research proposal. Conclusions: The target reader of my proposed research is anyone concerned with the future of homelessness in the UK in regard to the housing needs of those homeless persons aged 16-25. More specifically, a legislator might be interested in reading my proposed research as it would be one of the first studies actually conducted into the effectiveness of the Homelessness Act 2002 in combating the housing problems of the young homeless [aged 16-25] and it also will provide some suggestions for reform which a legislator could take on board when planning for new homelessness legislation.

Haagen Dasz Co. Inc Integrated Marketing Report

Haagen Dasz Co. Inc Integrated Marketing Report 1. Introduction Recent years, especially the period that has started since the maturing of the electronic media and the proliferation of the internet, have seen widespread and far-reaching changes in forms of communication. A number of changes in the global business environment, including factors like market splintering, greater segmentation, information technology and globalisation, have led to the emergence of a new concept in holistic communication. Known in management parlance as Integrated Marketing Communication, (IMC) experts feel it to be integral to the improvement of competitive advantage in marketing. (Pelsmacker and Kitchen, 2004) IMC is a marketing practice intended to ensure the working together of all components of marketing, for example, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, electronic, 121 and direct marketing in a unified manner, rather than separate and disparate forces, with little in common with each other. Marketing communications comprises five broad categories, namely personal selling, advertising, public relations, direct marketing and sales promotions. Each has its own set of pros and cons and can be accomplished in a variety of ways. However, the key is to look at the available options in a comprehensive way and to ensure consistency throughout the selected media. (Vargas, 2005) The creation and nourishment of a unified message in all elements of marketing is integral to its concept. Driven by a need for integrating communication components, and the organisational exigency of large advertisers, the rapid growth of IMC has led many advertising agencies to take it up as a primary service area. This report aims to examine the different elements involved in Integrated Marketing Communication, and recommend a plan for its implementation for Haagen Dasz, Inc. (HDI) The report is structured into sections that take up the concept of IMC, the strategies adopted by HDI to communicate its messages until now, and possible ways to adapt and change them in light of alterations in the marketplace, as well as in the modes of communication. 2. Integrated Marketing Communication Communication, an integral component of all relationships relates to the exchange of information, concepts, ideas and emotions. These exchanges occur through a range of communication avenues, each of which makes its own contribution to the total exchange process. Marketers, steeped in communication theory, were quick to realise this phenomenon and adopted numerous ways to communicate with their customers, e.g., newspapers, hoardings, radio, television, and progressively direct mail, as well as the internet. â€Å"Marketing communications is the process by which the marketer develops and presents an appropriate set of communications stimuli to a defined target audience with the intention of eliciting a desired set of responses.† (Vargas, 2005) Marketing has a number of distinct avenues, namely advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, personal selling, and in recent times, internet marketing. Each of these avenues works towards achieving specific objecti ves and great synergies come about when used in mutually reinforcing modes. In the eighties, most marketing experts saw each of these avenues as separate and deserving of different treatment. The concept of integrating all these separate components into one umbrella usage first gained currency in North-western University’s Medill School of Journalism†, through the efforts of Don Schultz. (IMC is) a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disciplines (for example, general advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations) and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communications impact. (Schultz et al., 1993) Most experts were quick to understand the innate common sense behind integrating these different sub streams of communication and using them to convey one unified message. One major reason for this was due to the realization that different marketing communication tools had very dissimilar attributes, for example while the ability of advertising to reach a large audience is large it proves to be quite ineffective in delivering personal messages. Similarly, personal selling can be very effective in delivering personal messages but is not effective in reaching large audiences. Direct marketing, on the other hand, can deliver personal messages, and reach reasonably large audiences. Differences like these characterise the various attributes of different communication tools, namely, (a) the ability to deliver personal messages, (b) the ability to reach a large audiences, (c) the level of interaction (d) the level of credibility and (c) costs, in total and per unit. (Integrated Marketing Co mmunication, 2007) In addition to this factor, the use of IMC increased because of the many shifts that took place in the advertising industry. Advertising focus shifted from being reliant on media to other forms of communication like specialised media, promotions and mailers. The market shifted from the domination of manufacturers to the influence of retailers and control of consumers. Advertising also shifted from being general towards becoming databased and advertising agencies became much more accountable for marketing success. The introduction of IMC also led to the creation of a number of benefits that included increased impact of communication, improved effectiveness of creative ideas, greater consistency in communication and better returns on communication investment. Even though marketing experts have come to recognise the benefits and efficacy of IMC, a number of unlikely obstacles continue to hinder its growth. Many companies have different teams of people working on different elements and it quite often proves to be difficult and highly challenging to produce communication with very similar messages for different types of media, considering that they have different uses and objectives. â€Å"For example, television ads are generally used for awareness generation, print to educate, and outdoor and radio to keep the message top-of-mind. In reality, the goal of all advertising, including packaging, is to sell.† (Young, 2006) Apart from this issue, a number of other obstacles also hinder the implementation of IMC strategies. Moriarty (1994) considered the cross-disciplinary managerial skills the biggest barrier to IMC, while Duncan and Everett (1993) reported that egos and turf battles were primary obstacles to integration. Eagle and Kitchen (2000) identified four groups of potential barriers to IMC success in their study of New Zealand advertising agencies and the marketing industry: power, coordination and control issues; client skills, centralization/organizational and cultural issues; agency skills/talents, overall time/resources issues; and flexibility/modification issues. Schultz (2000) saw structure the way the firm is put together as the most challenging problem of integration. Very obviously, successful implementation of Integrated Marketing Communication at Haagen Dazs will have to take account of these likely obstacles and ensure that they do not interfere in the process. 3. Assessment of the Current Position of Haagen Dazs Haagen Dazs is a pioneer in marketing and in conveying different messages in appealing ways to its consumers. The company, since its inception, has never hesitated to adopt a contrarian attitude and has gone against conservative thinking with great success. Its history of unique and different messaging started with the adoption of its name, which though it had no real connotation, gave an impression of exotica and cold Scandinavian companies. Packaging containing maps of Denmark served to reinforce this impression, a feeling carried to this day. (Chakraborty and Govind, 2006) The first break with accepted marketing thought came when Haagen Dazs introduced small portions of superior quality, extremely creamy ice cream at significantly more expensive prices. Its first forays in advertising were restricted to strictly word of mouth communication and the product depended upon its distinctively rich quality to do the talking. Over the years, through changes in ownership the company has re mained strongly committed to the concept of producing thick, rich, and creamy ice cream, and constantly reinforced its advocacy of the good life, of enjoyment, physical pleasures and sensuousness. The company has achieved tremendous success, in every market it has entered, a fact that speaks very strongly of the superior quality of the product and of the communication of the company. The company has continuously worked on the basis of a few strongly held beliefs, namely, (a) developing the brand with an attached history of perfection and luxury, (b) using the finest ingredients to deliver product excellence, (c) investing in consumer research to understand tastes and preferences of customers, (d) using selective distribution and delayed mass marketing until the establishment of minimum critical mass, (e) not shifting in its priorities and objectives and (f) using creativity and innovativeness to support brand identity. This helped the company in establishing its current competitive strengths and premium pricing. Its initiative of introducing ice cream flavoured postage stamps, in collaboration with the Austrian government, which could be used for checking out flavours as well as using on postage was an enormous success. While the number of people who use the ordinary mail in these days of broadband and email is questionable, the initiative, discussed at great length across western countries, served its purpose of strengthening the image of a quirky, fun loving and enjoyment centred product. (Marketing Concept and Market Segmentation, 2005) Haagen Dazs now operates in a number of countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. While the company saw huge successes in the USA, it had to face enormous competition in Europe from competitors like Ben and Jerry’s, and to some extent, from Baskin Robbins. The company operates in a niche market catering to affluent and brand conscious customers willing to pay premium prices for luxury products. Its main strengths lie in its fabulous image as a premium quality, expensive brand. The company also has a very wide range of exotically named products that strengthen its image of luxury and indulgence. Few people associate the company with plain vanilla, even though it was one of the original flavours of the company, and customers think more of sticky toffee and strawberry cheesecake when they walk into a Haagen Dazs cafà ©. In recent years, the company has pioneered a range of low fat flavours in the same price range. The company, apart from making its products available in high street supermarkets, operates through well-appointed owned and franchised cafes, where visitors receive special attention, gifts, and invitations to attend special occasions tasting sessions. The company operates in limited market segments and this definitely restricts its scope to grow into the economy segments. When the company introduced its range of low fat ice creams at similar rates customer, queries about the high price led to explanations about special technology, long and intricate processes and the use of only natural ingredients. This also restricts the company’s opportunities to expand overseas and it must necessarily enter markets with high-income profiles. The company faces threats from other ice cream companies and an environment where technology makes it possible to duplicate flavours with ease. This negates the efforts of product research and development, and first mover advantage, if at all, does not last beyond short time periods. The ability to keep on producing new flavours is a source of competitive advantage in the ice cream industry, a Haagen Dazs attribute that now stands blunted to some extent. (Marketing Concept and Market Segmentation, 2 005) The company does not face any political pressures, other than from lobbies that espouse low fat foods. Company efforts to address these groups with the introduction of low fat products, apart from opening up a market segment, has helped in blunting criticism from these quarters. The company’s products target affluent customers, and global upturns in business and disposable incomes helps such companies; who deal at the higher end of the market. Inversely any prolonged depression, like in the eighties, will hit such companies hard. The fact that the company operates in the foods segment in a number of international markets makes it necessary for the company to consider local traditions, cultures and norms. Research in this area was responsible for the introduction of the successful green tea flavour in Japan. Advertising strategy, until now, has focussed on luxury and life style, on desire, taste and indulgence. Advertisements are carefully constructed with emphasis on aesthetics and use ice creams, or people as subjects. Promotional activities reflect the same association with class. Wimbledon, Ascot and the Paris Opera preferred events and reinforce the image of luxury. The advertising history of the company has been marked by its rivalry with Ben and Jerry’s, competition that intensified after Unilever took over the company. In 2004, Haagen Dazs mounted a campaign called the â€Å"Made for Each Other† campaign that sought to revitalize the image of the company. The campaign, based upon television commercials, used soft music, poetry and gentle visuals, in stark contrast to the bright and bold messages, in vogue with other advertisers. The campaign worked very successfully and led to an increase of 3.6 % in sales when the market for ice creams was otherwise witnessing a do wnturn. (Chakraborty and Govind, 2006) Recent years have seen intensification in competition in the ice cream market and a change in customer preference to move away towards healthier alternatives. While companies like Ben and Jerry’s and Baskin Robbins have also become more aggressive in their marketing moves, new companies like the US based Cold Stone Creamery are also moving aggressively into new markets. The increase in internet usage also needs suitable response from marketing departments to ensure that opportunities available are utilised appropriately. 4. Recommendations Haagen Dazs is known for its superior quality, rich taste and lifestyle connotations. The success of the company been built on these factors and it would be unwise to discard the core values represented by the brand. The Austrian campaign â€Å"Let your tongue travel† using flavoured postage stamps proved to be immensely successful because of its newness and the opportunity for many people to taste a range of exotic flavours. The emergence of a young and affluent market all over the world makes it imperative for the company to target this segment to protect and augment future sales. Advertising initiatives should focus on being youth friendly and concentrate on current obsessions like Formula One rather than on events like horse races. While tennis remains an eternal youth fixation on a global basis, the emergence of Formula One as an adventurous and affluent sport makes it an ideal platform for long-term sponsorship. Apart from changing the thrust of sponsorships messages mus t necessarily take heed of the current fascination with health, fitness and low fat foods. The company should step up efforts to push its range of low fat ice creams through appropriate advertising messages designed to attract the health conscious market. It would possibly be a great idea to introduce a range of vitamin and mineral fortified ice creams to take advantage of the current obsession with health and promote it strongly across various media. The company has recently been very successful in it Crà ¨me de la Crà ¨me campaign in the San Diego market, wherein a number of high-end restaurants participated in serving company products to high-end clientele. We saw Hà ¤agen-Dazs as a great fit for San Diegos high-end restaurants because it is made with only the finest natural ingredients, and the local scene is unique because of its many farms and availability of organic, fresh produce, said Sarah Znerold, SZPRs president. The first program, held last August, was called Creme de la Creme. Chefs from 10 top local restaurants were each invited to develop a creative and tasty Hà ¤agen-Dazs ice cream concoction and have it judged at an event featuring San Diego media and industry VIPs, Znerold said. (Slavens, 2007) Campaigns like this in different towns are bound to increase the visibility of the company’s products. The vast number of owned and franchised shops also makes it very easy for the company to obtain personal details of visitors to these establishments. The company has the opportunity to use these personal details to put together a well-designed one to one campaign, wherein customers could be continuously informed of new products, health connotations, and offered a range of benefits including invitations to special occasions and discounts on purchases. The integrated marketing communications strategy must primarily look at five functions, namely identifying target audiences, determining the communications objectives, designing the messaging content, selecting the means of communication, determine the mix of media and budget priorities and implement a system to measure the effectiveness of the efforts. In the case of Haagen Dazs, market segment targeted continues to be the affluent, quality conscious customer. It is however important to realise that the segment will have a higher proportion of younger people, especially in emerging markets and take account of their preferences. The current marketing mix is effective in meeting the needs of the target segment and a stronger targeting of the youth segment will lead to more visitors to cafes, leading to an increase in tasting and appreciation of new flavours. The communication objectives range from countering competition from competitors like Ben and Jerry’s and Baskin Robbins, as well as spreading awareness about the product. Effective messaging is obviously critical to the whole exercise and needs great thought. This is however a company strength, evidenced by the highly successful messages carried by the company in the past. The media has to necessarily place much greater emphasis on internet and direct marketing, using the plethora of customer information that could be accessed through company cafes. The use of the internet will make it possible for the company to establish personal contact with customers on a large scale, learn about customer preferences, step up research efforts and plan effectively for new products. It will also act as a very effective vehicle for spreading information about the company’s new range of low fat, health products, in both the ice cream and yoghurt range. It is important to ensure that the results of the IMC strategy be ascertained and recorded properly. While sales movement will tell its own story, strong and properly planned research will be able to ascertain the success of IMC efforts and throw up deficiencies that will need to be corrected. Bibliography Chakraborty, I, and Govind, S, 2006, Haagen Dazs: repositioning of a cult brand, ICFAI Centre for Management Research Gronstedt, A., Thorson, E. 1996, Five Approaches to Organize an Integrated Marketing Communications Agency. Journal of Advertising Research, 36(2), 48+. Haagen Dazs, 2007, Wikipedia, Retrieved April 3, 2007 from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hà ¤agen-Dazs Kim, I., Han, D., Schultz, D. E. 2004, Understanding the Diffusion of Integrated Marketing Communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 44(1), 31+. Kitchen, P. J., De Pelsmacker, P. 2004, Integrated Marketing Communications: A Primer. New York: Routledge. Marketing concept and Market segmentation, Haagen Dazs, 2005, Retrieved April 3, 2007 from www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=27166 Mcarthur, D. N., Griffin, T. 1997, A Marketing Management View of Integrated Marketing Communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 37(5), 19+. Moingeon, B. Soenen, G. (Eds.). 2002, Corporate and Organizational Identities: Integrating Strategy, Marketing, Communication, and Organizational Perspectives. London: Routledge. Oller, J. W., Giardetti, J. R. ,1999, . Images That Work: Creating Successful Messages in Marketing and High Stakes Communication. Westport, CT: Quorum Books Schultz, D. E., Kitchen, P. J. 1997, Integrated Marketing Communications in U.S. Advertising Agencies: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Advertising Research, 37(5), 7+. Slavens, R, 2007, Haagen Dazs tastes success with crà ¨me de la crà ¨me campaign, B2B, Retrieved April 3, 2007 from www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070115/FREE/701150759/1004/VERTICAL_EE Vargas, 2005, Integrated Marketing Communications, An effective comprehensive approach, Business ventures, Retrieved April 3, 2007 from www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/publications/bv4q05.pdf Varey, R. J. ,2001, Marketing Communication: An Introduction to Contemporary Issues. New York: Routledge.

The Life Of King Henry VIII

The Life Of King Henry VIII King Henry VIII was born in 1491. Henry was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He was seen as a promising young prince due to his outgoing personality, and intelligence. Traditionally the first male heir of the royal family is successor to the thrown, but unfortunately, the first born; Arthur died quite unexpectedly at the young age of fifteen. This sudden tragedy has placed Henry as the unforeseen heir to the throne. King Henry VIII was looked upon as the perfect young king during his early reign; he had received an outstanding amount of schooling, and he spoke many languages. Not only did he fall under the category of an intellect but as an athlete as well. He was experienced and talented in jousting, hunting, tennis and archery. However, as Henry grew older history has shown scholars a change in this once beloved king. King Henry VIII proved to rule tyrannically due to his thirst for blood, power, and a male heir to succeed him. Throughout Henrys reign, bloodshed seemed to have been a typical method for this king to solve his problems. As soon as he succeeded his fathers position, Henry made his mark as a King who would not let anyone stand in his way by groundlessly charging his fathers two unpopular ministers Sir Richard Empson, and Edmund Dudley with Treason. The two ministers were executed in 1510. Another controversial and completely unnecessary death ordered by Henry VIII was that of Cardinal Wolsey. Cardinal Wolsey was appointed chancellor by King Henry VIII, they were very close friends. With that being said, Henry trusted Wolsey to convince the pope that he should have the divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon. When Wolsey failed this important task, King Henry out of anger dismissed him of his duties as Chancellor, and later ordered his arrest. It had been intended that Cardinal Wolsey be confined within the Tower of London, but during the crossing from York to London Wolsey died. If the death of such a close friend, who supported this tyrannical King in whatever he did isnt bad enough, he was also responsible for the execution of two wives. Henrys second wife was charged with treason, incest, and plotting to murder the king. It was King Henrys plan to have the crimes: be such as to inspire not only revulsion for Anne but also sympathy for Henry, and it must be something that would merit divorce as well as death. (Weir 309). King Henrys fifth wife Catherine Howard was also put to death with the charge of treason and adultery. When Catherine was arrested it should be remembered that Cranmer which was the kings adviser has no evidence beyond his own conclusions that she had committed adultery (Weir 448). These sorts of things had become what has been described as: a commonplace, and it has been suggested that this blood-thirstiness was a reflection of Henrys increasing age, power and problems. (Fraser 19) Christians throughout Europe had been part of the same Church for more than a thousand years. The pope was considered head of Christianity, this gave him tremendous power. Christians in that time period believed they can only get to heaven by following the rules and teachings of the Church. Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation in Germany, his writing quickly spread to many parts of Europe; King Henry VIII then countered his ideas by publishing The Defense of the Seven Sacraments. This book defended the seven sacraments which Martin Luther was so critical of. When the Pope had read the book, he gave Henry VIII a new title: Defender of the Faith. He was seen as the hero for some time, but this quickly changed. King Henry VIII decided to divorce Queen Catherine when he realized she could not produce a son. The King decided to take on a new Queen; Anne Boleyn. He hoped Anne would be the answer to his prayers and would give him the son that he so desperately longed for. But in d ivorcing Catherine, Henry had been required to make a split with the Roman Catholic Church, which had gone against King Henrys wishes and refused his request for the divorce. In the process of King Henry VIII trying to reach absolute power by separating from the Church he had dramatically transformed the Church in England. King Henry VIII had hoped that by limiting the power of the pope it would make his chances of the divorce going through successful much easier. But if this did not work, the king had been prepared to take total control of the Church in England so he could obtain a divorce without the permission of the pope (Worth 64). King Henry VIII had imprisoned numerous citizens who did not support the Reformation or the kings new position as head of the Church. Some were even sent to the scaffold, including two well recognized men through out England; Bishop John Fisher, and Sir Thomas More. The death of two distinguished men such as More and Fisher sent shock waves through o ut England and Europe. Some of Henrys subjects who had supported the Reformation now began to wonder if the king had become a tyrant (Worth, 75). Henry VIII has had 6 marital affairs throughout his reign as king of England. This was a big scandal during the time of the Renaissance, seeing as divorce was uncommon. King Henrys first wife was originally his brother Arthurs betrothed. King Henrys ultimate goal was to create a male heir to succeed him and in all the time he was married to Katherine of Aragon, only a daughter was produced and numerous stillborn sons. This infuriated Henry, and along with the conniving Anne Boleyn who used lust and her wit as her weapon, King Henry was driven to divorce this woman of virtue. This separation was clearly an act of selfishness on King Henrys part; he drove the church into the ground for this divorce to take place, due to his lust for Anne Boleyn and obsession with creating a son. Things only got worse once the King was married to Anne Boleyn. King Henry did not expect her to be so opinionated and involved with both his political and personal affairs. Being a man with a love for absolute power, this displeased him and his interest in her began to wane, and he turned his attention to Jane Seymour. While pursuing Jane Seymour Henry began to become infuriated by Anne, not only was she ill-tempered but she was not producing a son. Cromwell immediately devised a conspiracy against Anne Boleyn which would ultimately allow Henry VIII to not only divorce his new wife, but to have her killed. He and Cromwell without acknowledging the fact to each other, both knew that they were parties to a plot to do away with an innocent woman for the sake of expediency (Weir 310) Anne Boleyn was beheaded on the charges of Treason, Adultery, Incest, and plotting to kill the king. King Henry moved on to marry Jane Seymour, who gave him a son, she died during child birth, and conveniently pronounced her his true love and that in the event of his death he should be buried beside her. The King later decided it was time for him to marry, merely for political gain he agreed to marry Anne of Cle ves hoping their marriage would put an end to the religious problems of the German principalities (Weir 390) The King had never seen her in person, and had only received portraits which exaggerated her beauty. When they had finally met, like an immature child he was disappointed with her physicality, and thus the marriage started off on a bad foot. This marriage became annulled in 1540, with the excuse that the marriage had not been consummated and she had a pre-contract with another man. Another failed marriage did not stop Henry; he proceeded to become infatuated with the young Katherine Howard. Katherine Howard was thought to be an empty-headed and materialistic girl, only interested in her own personal affairs. This surely did bother the controlling King Henry All he asked of her was that she give him more sons (Weir 434). Marrying a girl with such little experience backfired on King Henry VIII, when she committed adultery with Thomas Culpepper, a member of the court, as well as a favorite of the King. This led to her arrest, and death. Last but not least there was Catherine Parr, who was lucky enough to stay married to Henry for four years until his death in 1547. Five marriages with an exception of one were ended, some in death due to this finicky Kings lust, need for power, and ultimately to conceive a male heir. King Henry VIII had ruled England for thirty seven years as a tyrant, only looking for personal gain. We see this through various events which have marked England forever, throughout the reign of this cruel and oppressive King. This includes the many unnecessary killings, his marriages to six wives which ended in death, the failure to produce a male heir, or simply because he was not attracted to her. The third way proving the tyrant within King Henry would be the split from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry had an obsession with power, and having the pope stand in his way to marry another woman led him to make one of the biggest changes in English History.

Peace, Prosperity and American Relative Power Capability :: essays papers

Peace, Prosperity and American Relative Power Capability There appears to be in the world an era of unprecedented peace. Contrary to the predictions that the end of the Cold War will bring about the fragmentation of international order and the emergence of multipolar rivalry among atomistic national units, today the world’s major powers enjoy co-operative relations and world economy is progressively liberalising and integrating. The peace and prosperity of the current era, however are sustained by the constant operation of a single factor: American relative power capability (Kupchan, 1998, p. 40). In this paper, a clear foreign policy strategy for the United States of America in Europe and Eurasia will be outlined. Such an outline should be necessarily made from the perspective of American national interests. America is a global power and it has vital global interests. The perception of the global interests of America is shaped by the desired future that the American political elite is envisioning. A viable foreign policy strategy then will be simply the roadmap for achieving, to the greatest extent possible, the objectives which are substantiated by that desired future starting from the present condition of the international landscape. The means to achieve these objectives are determined by the relative power capability that America has at present, as well as the capability self-image in the context of the international landscape of the political elite; its world view. The prevailing world view often shapes the motivations of the decision-makers and consequently determines the perceived foreign policy objectives , as well as the very means to achieve these objectives. Misperception of the behaviour of other actors within the international context leads to erroneous foreign policy motivations on behalf of the decision-making elite, which in turn result in a foreign policy strategy that may be, at best misguided, at worst—catastrophe. That has been the sad, costly lesson from the Cold War—a global low-intensity conflict caused by a mutual misperception of threat with excessively high risk potential for escalating into a thermonuclear war. To downsize the potentiality of similar perceptually-based geopolitical disasters, a clear understanding of the true motivations of the other actors on the international scene is vital. The true motivations can best be outlined through the inferential analysis of the foreign policy behaviour of the other actors. Peace, Prosperity and American Relative Power Capability :: essays papers Peace, Prosperity and American Relative Power Capability There appears to be in the world an era of unprecedented peace. Contrary to the predictions that the end of the Cold War will bring about the fragmentation of international order and the emergence of multipolar rivalry among atomistic national units, today the world’s major powers enjoy co-operative relations and world economy is progressively liberalising and integrating. The peace and prosperity of the current era, however are sustained by the constant operation of a single factor: American relative power capability (Kupchan, 1998, p. 40). In this paper, a clear foreign policy strategy for the United States of America in Europe and Eurasia will be outlined. Such an outline should be necessarily made from the perspective of American national interests. America is a global power and it has vital global interests. The perception of the global interests of America is shaped by the desired future that the American political elite is envisioning. A viable foreign policy strategy then will be simply the roadmap for achieving, to the greatest extent possible, the objectives which are substantiated by that desired future starting from the present condition of the international landscape. The means to achieve these objectives are determined by the relative power capability that America has at present, as well as the capability self-image in the context of the international landscape of the political elite; its world view. The prevailing world view often shapes the motivations of the decision-makers and consequently determines the perceived foreign policy objectives , as well as the very means to achieve these objectives. Misperception of the behaviour of other actors within the international context leads to erroneous foreign policy motivations on behalf of the decision-making elite, which in turn result in a foreign policy strategy that may be, at best misguided, at worst—catastrophe. That has been the sad, costly lesson from the Cold War—a global low-intensity conflict caused by a mutual misperception of threat with excessively high risk potential for escalating into a thermonuclear war. To downsize the potentiality of similar perceptually-based geopolitical disasters, a clear understanding of the true motivations of the other actors on the international scene is vital. The true motivations can best be outlined through the inferential analysis of the foreign policy behaviour of the other actors.

Compare Romeo And Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing :: comparison compare contrast essays

Compare Romeo And Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing There are many similarities between Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Was this Intentional or Accidental? Even though Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, and Romeo and Juliet, is one of his saddest tragedies, the two plots share many common incidents. Did Shakespeare mean to have these coincidences or did they happen by accident? In both of his dramatic works, the Masque is a key element furthering the infatuation of the lovers. Also the balcony scenes in both plays are crucial because without them the plot could never have reached its denouement. It seems that God came into both of the plays in the spirit of the friars, because they had good plans to keep love together. In both plays, the masque functions as a dramatic device which initiates the love plot. It occurs in a social gathering, but not without the help of costumes. If it were not for costumes the result of love might have been drastically different. How was the masque used to get lovers together? In the case of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo hears about the masque and decides to go, thinking that he might be able to get away with this scheme. Upon entering he sees Juliet and right away, he knows it is love. If he had not worn the costume, the hosts might have ejected him from the party and he might not have met Juliet. Much Ado About Nothing has a similar but also different approach towards love at the masque. In Much Ado, Count Claudio is not able to gather the courage to court Hero. Instead Don Pedro, who is one of Claudio's very close friends, offers to go and woo Hero for his friend. This point is illustrated by Don Pedro for his great plan to get Claudio and Hero together "Thou wilt be like a lover presently/ And tire the hearer with a book of words. . .. That thou began'st to twist so fine a story? "1 Don Pedro's costume allows him to woo Hero, posing as Claudio. Balcony love scenes are familiar from both plays. The love was disparate in each of Shakespeare's plays. Compare Romeo And Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing :: comparison compare contrast essays Compare Romeo And Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing There are many similarities between Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Was this Intentional or Accidental? Even though Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, and Romeo and Juliet, is one of his saddest tragedies, the two plots share many common incidents. Did Shakespeare mean to have these coincidences or did they happen by accident? In both of his dramatic works, the Masque is a key element furthering the infatuation of the lovers. Also the balcony scenes in both plays are crucial because without them the plot could never have reached its denouement. It seems that God came into both of the plays in the spirit of the friars, because they had good plans to keep love together. In both plays, the masque functions as a dramatic device which initiates the love plot. It occurs in a social gathering, but not without the help of costumes. If it were not for costumes the result of love might have been drastically different. How was the masque used to get lovers together? In the case of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo hears about the masque and decides to go, thinking that he might be able to get away with this scheme. Upon entering he sees Juliet and right away, he knows it is love. If he had not worn the costume, the hosts might have ejected him from the party and he might not have met Juliet. Much Ado About Nothing has a similar but also different approach towards love at the masque. In Much Ado, Count Claudio is not able to gather the courage to court Hero. Instead Don Pedro, who is one of Claudio's very close friends, offers to go and woo Hero for his friend. This point is illustrated by Don Pedro for his great plan to get Claudio and Hero together "Thou wilt be like a lover presently/ And tire the hearer with a book of words. . .. That thou began'st to twist so fine a story? "1 Don Pedro's costume allows him to woo Hero, posing as Claudio. Balcony love scenes are familiar from both plays. The love was disparate in each of Shakespeare's plays.

Suffragist Movement in America Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Pa

Suffragist Movement in America On July 14, 1848, the American women’s suffrage movement was born. Lucretia Mott, Martha C. Wright, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Mary Ann McClintock decided to call a meeting on that day at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Seneca Falls; they discussed women's rights at what became known as the Seneca Falls Convention. Within this female discussion panel, the women historically announced through the â€Å"Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions† the beginning of their movement to win women the right to vote in political elections. American women demanded suffrage because they believed that it was the most crucial characteristic of full-citizenship. The underlying implication for this demand was that the women believed in the existence of their inalienable rights. When exercised, these natural rights maintain that women â€Å"should enjoy individual rights of self-government, rather than relying on indirect civic participation as the mothers, sisters, or daughters of male voters† (Pleck 1). Furthermore, woman suffrage asserted that women have the right to choose their own representatives. Guaranteeing women’s enfranchisement was difficult because of the approval women had to win from a male electorate that viewed the movement as ridiculous. Scores of men believed that women were in no way suited to take on the responsibility of voting. In fact, it was expected of many anti-suffragists and even respected psychologists to assume that the women who fought for suffrage were mentally ill. H.W. Frink believed that â€Å"a certain proportion of the†¦suffragists are neurotics who in some instances are compensating for masculine trends, in others, are more or less succ... ...men eventually received nationwide suffrage through a constitutional amendment, which was ratified by the states in August 1920. In the end American woman were granted the right to vote because of their significant participation during World War I. Annotation Movement Divisions. http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~mcevoy/movement.html. 16 November 2002. This website focused on the division that arose within the women’s suffrage movement and how the movement ended to win women the right to vote. Goldstein-LeVande, Meredith. Women’s Suffrage Introduction. http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/suffrage/home.htm. 16 November 2002. This website documented anti-suffragist sentiments. Pleck, Elizabeth H. Women’s Suffrage. http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/side/wsffrg.html. 16 November 2002. This website is a worldwide overview of women’s struggle for suffrage.

Expansion of EU :: Economics Trade Indian IT Companies Essays

Expansion of EU The EU Expansion of May 2004 On May 1, 2004, new members were added to EU. The current round of expansion brings 10 new EU kids on the block: Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, and Malta. There are more to follow in the EU candidate list. Many of these countries are of varying economic strengths and per capita incomes. The average Gross National Product of the newer countries is significantly different from the first 12 member nations of the EU. Indian IT Industry India has a well-trained work force and the largest pool of English speaking workers anywhere outside native English speaking countries. India produces more engineers and MBAs than any European country. The educated workforce and the currency exchange rates are the prime factors that make India a very attractive location for software development. India’s quality workforce is among the least paid in the world, yet the workers can afford a good standard of living, due to relatively low cost of living in India. Due to these factors, India has emerged as leading software exporter in the world. USA and Europe are the biggest markets for the Indian software companies. The IT exports were worth $12.5 billion in the fiscal year 2003-2004. Trade between India and Europe Before the formation of the EU, USA was the single largest trading partner for India. Many European countries like UK, Germany and France were the other major partners. After the EU came into being, it has replaced USA as India’s leading trade partner. The major industries involved in India-EU trade are steel, cement, Computer Software, etc. India has had much greater business relations with the western European countries as compared to the eastern European countries. Bilateral trade between India and UK grew by over 20% during 2003. The UK is the second largest investor to India. India was the 8th largest investor in the UK in 2003. The UK attracts over 60% of India's investment in Europe. India is the UK's 17th largest export market. India and Germany have strong bi-lateral trade relations. Last year, Germany's trade volume with India totaled some â‚ ¬5 billion ($5.6 billion). India’s IT sector has very strong business relations with Germany. The Changing Scenario? The basic principles on which EU functions involve removal of trade barriers among member countries and facilitation of free movement of people within the EU. Does this also involve restrictive trade practices and exclusion of workers from non-EU countries?