The Complex Character of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie Essay example --

The Complex Character of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie    Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie furnishes an excellent example of a carefully crafted, complex character whose speech and action arise from the "psychological" being created by the playwright. In his character description, Tennessee Williams starts his reader on the road to discovering Amanda's complexity. AMANDA WINGFIELD the mother. A little woman of great but confused vitality clinging frantically to another time and place. Her characterization must be carefully created, not copied from type. She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia. There is much to admire in Amanda, and as much to love and pity as there is to laugh at. Certainly she has endurance and a kind of heroism, and though her foolishness makes her unwittingly cruel at times, there is tenderness in her slight person. (Williams 781) â€Å"Before the first lines are spoken Amanda's complexity is established†(Falk 126) by the nuances and contrasts given here. This basic description must be laid over all dialogue and action throughout the play so as to preserve the fullness of Amanda's character at times when only portions of her nature are being exhibited.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The complexity of Amanda's character directly affects her action and dialogue with her children. In her role as mother she exhibits an overwhelming desire to see her children succeed in life. In trying to... ...ding Plays. Boston: Allyn, 1990. 307-314. Bigsby, C.W.E. A Critical Introduction to Twentieth-Century American Drama. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1984. Falk, Signi. "The Southern Gentlewoman." Modern Critical Interpretations Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie. ed. Harold Bloom. NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Jackson, Esther Merle. The Broken World of Tennessee Williams. Madison: & of Wisconsin P, 1965. Parker, R.B., ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Glass Menagerie. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1983. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. Masterpieces of the Drama. Ed. Alexander W. Allison, Arthus J. Carr, Arthur M. Eastman. 5th ed. NY: Macmillan, 1986. 779- 814.

Why You Should Purchase A PC

Computers are capable of doing more things every year. There are many advantages to knowing how to use a computer, and it is important that everyone know how to use them properly. Using the information I have gathered, and my own knowledge from my 12 years of computer experience, I will explain the many advantages of owning a computer and knowing how to use a PC and I will attempt to explain why you should purchase a computer and learn how to use one properly. Webster’s New World Compact Dictionary defines a computer as â€Å"an electronic machine that performs rapid, complex calculations or compiles and correlates ata† (†Computer. ). While this definition gives one a very narrow view of what a computer is capable of doing, it does describe the basic ideas of what I will expand upon. We have been living through an age of computers for a short while now and there are already many people world wide that are computer literate. According to Using Computers: A Gateway to Information World Wide Web Edition, over 250 million Personal Computers (PC’s) were in use by 1995, and one out of every three homes had a PC (Shelly, Cashman,& Waggoner, 138). Computers are easy to use when you know how they work and what the parts re. All computers perform the four basic operations of the information processing cycle: input, process, output, and storage. Data, any kind of raw facts, is required for the processing cycle to occur. Data is processed into useful information by the computer hardware. Most computer systems consist of a monitor, a system unit which contains the Central Processing Unit (CPU), a floppy-disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, speakers, a keyboard, a mouse, and a printer. Each component takes a part in one of the four operations. The keyboard and mouse are input devices that a person uses to enter data nto the computer. From there the data goes to the system unit where it is processed into useful information the computer can understand and work with. Next the processed data can be sent to storage devices or to output devices. Normally output is sent to the monitor and stored on the hard-disk or to a floppy-disk located internal of the system unit. Output can also be printed out through the printer, or can be played through the speakers as sound depending on the form it takes after it is processed. Once you have grasped a basic understanding of the basic parts and perations of a computer, you can soon discover what you can do with computers to make life easier and more enjoyable. Being computer literate allows you to use many powerful software applications and utilities to do work for school, business, or pleasure. Microsoft is the current leading producer of many of these applications and utilities. Microsoft produces software called operating systems that manage and regulate the information processing cycle. The oldest of these is MS-DOS, a single user system that uses typed commands to initiate tasks. Currently Microsoft has available operating systems that use visual cues such as icons to help enter data and run programs. These operating systems are ran under an environment called a Graphical User Interface (GUI’s). Such operating systems include Windows 3. xx, Windows 95, and Windows NT Workstation. Windows 95 is geared more for use in the home for productivity and game playing whereas Windows NT is more business orientated. The article entitled â€Å"Mine, All Mine† in the June 5, 1995 issue of Time stated that 8 out of 10 PC’s worldwide would not be able to start or run if it were not for Microsoft’s operating systems like MS-DOS, Windows 95, and Windows NT (Elmer-Dewitt, 1995, p. 50). By no means has Microsoft limited itself to operating systems alone. Microsoft has also produced a software package called Microsoft Office that is very useful in creating reports, data bases, spreadsheets, presentations, and other documents for school and work. Microsoft Office: Introductory Concepts and Techniques provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to the four programs included in Microsoft Office. Included in this package are Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Microsoft Word is a word processing program hat makes creating professional looking documents such as announcements, resumes, letters, address books, and reports easy to do. Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program, has features for data organization, calculations, decision making, and graphing. It is very useful in making professional looking reports. Microsoft Access, a powerful database management system, is useful in creating and processing data in a database. Microsoft PowerPoint is â€Å".. a complete presentation graphics program that allows you to produce professional looking presentations† (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2). PowerPoint is flexible enough so that you can create electronic presentations, overhead transparencies, or even 35mm slides. Microsoft also produces entertainment and reference programs. â€Å"Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is one of the best selling PC games of all time† (Elmer-Dewitt, 50). Microsoft’s Encarta is an electronic CD-ROM encyclopedia that makes for a fantastic alternative to 20 plus volume book encyclopedias. In fact, it is so popular, it outsells the Encyclopedia Britannica. These powerful business, productivity, and entertainment applications are just the beginning of what you an do with a PC. Knowing how to use the Internet will allow you access to a vast resource of facts, knowledge, information, and entertainment that can help you do work and have fun. According to Netscape Navigator 2 running under Windows 3. , â€Å"the Internet is a collection of networks, each of which is composed of a collection of smaller networks† (Shelly, Cashman, & Jordan, N2). Information can be sent over the Internet through communication lines in the form of graphics, sound, video, animation, and text. These forms of computer media are known as hypermedia. Hypermedia is accessed through hypertext links, which are pointers to the computer where the hypermedia is stored. The World Wide Web (WWW) is the collection of these hypertext links throughout the Internet. Each computer that contains hypermedia on the WWW is known as a Web site and has Web pages set up for users to access the hypermedia. Browsers such as Netscape allow people to â€Å"surf the net† and search for the hypermedia of their choice. There are millions of examples of hypermedia on the Internet. You can find art, photos, information on business, the government, and colleges, television chedules, movie reviews, music lyrics, online news and magazines, sport sights of all kinds, games, books, and thousands of other hypermedia on the WWW. You can send electronic mail (E-Mail), chat with other users around the world, buy airline, sports, and music tickets, and shop for a house or a car. All of this, and more, provides one with a limitless supply of information for research, business, entertainment, or other personal use. Online services such as America Online, Prodigy, or CompuServe make it even easier to access the power of the Internet. The Internet alone is almost reason enough to become computer literate, but there is still much more that computers can do. Knowing how to use a computer allows you to do a variety of things in several different ways. One of the most popular use for computers today is for playing video games. With a PC you can play card games, simulation games, sport games, strategy games, fighting games, and adventure games. Today’s technology provides the ultimate experiences in color, graphics, sound, music, full motion video, animation, and 3D effects. Computers have also become increasingly useful n the music, film, and television industry. Computers can be used to compose music, create sound effects, create special effects, create 3D life-like animation, and add previous existing movie and TV footage into new programs, as seen in the movie Forrest Gump. All this and more can be done with computers. There is truly no time like the present to become computer literate. Computers will be doing even more things in the future and will become unavoidable. Purchasing and learning about a new PC now will help put PC’s into the other two-thirds of the homes worldwide and make the transition into a computer age easier.

Finance Exam - 6867 Words

ch12 Student: ___________________________________________________________________________ 1. Last year, T-bills returned 2 percent while your investment in large-company stocks earned an average of 5 percent. Which one of the following terms refers to the difference between these two rates of return? A. risk premium B. geometric return C. arithmetic D. standard deviation E. variance 2. Which one of the following best defines the variance of an investments annual returns over a number of years? A. The average squared difference between the arithmetic and the geometric average annual returns. B. The squared summation of the differences between the actual returns and the average geometric return. C. The average difference†¦show more content†¦B. U.S. Treasury bills provided a positive rate of return each and every year during the period. C. Inflation equaled or exceeded the return on U.S. Treasury bills every year during the period. D. Long-term government bonds outperformed U.S. Treasury bills every year during the period. E. National deflation occurred at least once every decade during the period. 18. Which one of the following categories of securities had the highest average return for the period 19262010? A. U.S. Treasury bills B. large company stocks C. small company stocks D. long-term corporate bonds E. long-term government bonds 19. Which one of the f ollowing categories of securities had the lowest average risk premium for the period 1926-2010? A. long-term government bonds B. small company stocks C. large company stocks D. long-term corporate bonds E. U.S. Treasury bills 20. Which one of the following categories of securities has had the most volatile returns over the period 1926-2010? A. long-term corporate bonds B. large-company stocks C. intermediate-term government bonds D. U.S. Treasury bills E. small-company stocks 21. Which one of the following statements correctly applies to the period 1926-2010? A. Large-company stocks earned a higher average risk premium than did small-company stocks. B. Intermediate-term government bonds had a higher average return than long-term corporate bonds. C. Large-company stocks had an average annual return of 14.7 percent. D.Show MoreRelatedInternational Finance Exam4417 Words   |  18 PagesInternational finance FIN 412 Exam #2 MC:  Examples of single-currency interest rate swap and cross-currency interest rate swap are:   A.  fixed-for-floating rate interest rate swap, where one counterparty exchanges the interest payments of a floating- rate debt obligations for fixed-rate interest payments of the other counter party B.  fixed-for-fixed rate debt service (currency swap), where one counterparty exchanges the debt service obligations of a bond denominated in one currency forRead MoreFinance 455 exam Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesName:__________________________________________________________________ Class:______________________________________ Date:____________________ Finance 455 (9:40 class) Examination 2 Monday, November 4, 2013 9:40 a.m. - 10:55 p.m. 20 Questions 100 points Form (A) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Use a pencil. The proctor is leaving at 10:55 sharp. Calculators permitted, but no sharing. Leave your ID where the proctor can check it. All questions are worth five (5) pointsRead MoreFinance Exam1676 Words   |  7 PagesFINAL EXAM 1.  The accounting measure of a firms equity value generated by applying accounting principles to asset and liability acquisitions is called ________.   A.  book value   2.  New-economy companies generally have higher _______ than old-economy companies.   B.  P/E multiples 3.  Earnings yields tend to _______ when Treasury yields fall.   A.  fall       4.  A firm that has an ROE of 12% is considering cutting its dividend payout. The stockholders of the firm desire a dividend yield of 4% and a capitalRead MorePa 581 Final Exam Government Budget and Finance 100% Correct Keller872 Words   |  4 PagesPA 581 Final Exam Government Budget and Finance 100% Correct Keller PLEASE DOWNLOAD HERE! http://www.studentswithsolutions.com/view-tutorial.aspx?TutorialId=2110 Page 1: 1. 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The Challenges of the “Real” and Depth in Maus Essay

The Postmodernist movement begun after World War II in which, high and low culture are questionable in the view of society and Art. The postmodernist movement in literature creates a new set of ideals for fiction, such as the metafiction, the fable like representation in novels, the pastiche, irony, and satire. Fredric Jameson speaks about the movement and its theory in his essay â€Å"Postmodernism and Consumer Society†. He questions postmodernism in society as it creates the new societal norm of popular culture. On the other hand, Jean Baudrillard analyzes the simulacra of postmodernism in â€Å"The Precession of Simulacra†. Baudrillard speaks of the â€Å"truth† and â€Å"reality† also as a questionable representation for the reader. Yet, both critics†¦show more content†¦The authoritative viewpoint symbolizes the reliable and the unreliable narrator, which shows the difference between the â€Å"truth† and the â€Å"false† (1558) in a postmodernist fiction. With this said, the true/reliable point of view in a postmodernist text is an â€Å"immense fragmentation and privatization of modern literature-its explosion into a host of a distinct private styles and mannerism-foreshadows deeper and more general tendencies in social life as a whole† (Jameson 1849). It is normal for a postmodern text to have a hidden viewpoint as it creates the complexity of the narrative, and portrays depth within the fiction. Art Spiegelman’s Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began† presents itself as having an authoritative point of view on page 25, with the split panels depicting the present and past. On the left side panel, we have the present illustrating Vladek and Art’s relationship and the retelling of Vladek’s journey of survival in the Holocaust. However, on the right side we have the depiction of the concentration camp through Vladek’s accounts (Spiegelman 25). The break of the panels sh ows the present relationship of father and son contrast to the loneliness of Vladek in the past during hard times. Erin McGlothlin expresses the importance of the break of panel through the aspect of authoritative viewpoint as a â€Å"†¦visual†¦to signify the abrupt chasm between the past and present (a young, emaciatedShow MoreRelatedFACEBOOK case study Essay11495 Words   |  46 Pageswhite Apple icons arrayed throughout the auditorium. These images very briefly reminded him of his mentor, the late Steve Jobs, who played a significant role in his professional development and his company’s success. Even some of Facebook’s current challenges were brought about by Jobs’ revolution of the mobile industry. Today, Zuckerberg would attempt to engage an audience with a new product in a manner similar to Jobs’ flashy introductions of new innovations. Zuckerberg opened with a review of Facebook’sRead MoreDuchess Of Malf Open Learn10864 Words   |  44 Pagesï » ¿John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi Introduction 3 Learning outcomes 3 Background 3 Description 4 Act 1: setting the scene 5 Courts ideal and real 5 Discussion 5 Description 8 Bosola the malcontent 8 Discussion 9 Marriage for love: family opposition 10 Discussion 10 Love and marriage: Antonio the steward 13 Discussion 14 Love and marriage: the Duchess 15 Description 16 Description 17 Discussion 19 Act 2: discovery 21 Ferdinand 21 Discussion 22 Conclusion 24 References 24 Further reading 25 Next

Frantz Fanon - 1550 Words

Frantz Fanon was a deeply involved and diligent philosopher who recognized the separation and relations between the oppressed and the oppressors as well as the fight for freedom. He specifically speaks on Algeria as the colonized, facing the French who were the colonizers. Fanon was writing mainly during the 1940’ s-60 when decolonization was becoming popular. Fanon was greatly involved in the decolonization struggle, and in his book The Wretched of the Earth, Fanon explains and observes the ways in which the colonized shall attempt to declare their rights from the colonizers. Fanon believed that the only way for the colonized to earn their independence, they would have to violently rebel against the colonizers. The famous movie or book†¦show more content†¦Before they begin celebrating, the Capitol diminishes the rule that was previously in place, which allowed for two winners from the same district, and returned to the original rule in which only one tribute shall be crowned victor. Neither Katniss nor Peeta gave in to the controlling and evil plans of the Capitol, which called for either of them to turn on the other, and Katniss unselfishly suggested that they both eat the poisonous Nightlock berries, leaving no victor. Here they both demonstrate great courage and passion, as they are about to eat the berries when the Capitol gives in and allows them both to be victorious. Katniss and Peeta defy that violence is necessary to gain their independence as Fanon suggests. Rather than violently fighting until one of them remains, they understand that if this were to happen the Capitol would have been pleased; however, instead Peeta and Katniss use peace and intellect to first act on wh at would strongly annoy the Capitol, having no winner, forcing the Capitol to have the final decision, two winners or no winners. Living under the totalitarian rule of the Capitol, participating in these games in which, the most important key to survival is to kill, Katniss and Peeta definitively defied Fanon and provided a strong, symbolic message to all of the districts and the Capitol that change was headed its way. Frantz Fanon and MohandasShow MoreRelatedCritical Commentary of Frantz Fanon925 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The issue of reading Fanon today, then, is perhaps not about finding the moment of relevance in Fanon’s text that corresponds with the world, but in searching for the moments where Fanon’s text and the world do not correspond, and asking how Fanon, the revolutionary, would think and act in the period of retrogression.† A complete study of 1968 and its legacies in Europe can not solely deal with events that occurred on the continent. 1968 was, in fact, a â€Å"global phenomenon†; with ideas perpetratedRead MoreThe Black Skin White Masks By Frantz Fanon1664 Words   |  7 Pagesfact that racism still exist. Frantz Fanon uses colonization to explain how racism was cultivated in the past. Paulo Freire uses his study of the oppressed to explain how its hard to escape oppression. In Frantz Fanon’s book of â€Å"Black Skin White Masks† has insights into the psychological damage resulting from colonialism, self-denial, racism, in which provide a path for those of us still grappling with these issues some forty years after the publication of this text. Fanon speaks on the idea of raceRead MoreThe Wretched of the Earth, by Frantz Fanon: The Native Intellectuals Alliance with the Lumpenproletariat787 Words   |  4 Pagesnonviolent, a modern voice, and strategic. â€Å"The native intellectual has clothed his aggressiveness in his barely veiled desire to assimilate himself to the colonial world. He used his aggressiveness to serve his own individual interests,† (60). Here, Fanon emphasizes the native intellectual’s aggressiveness for power. He has hid his initial plan to eliminate the settler and take his position of authority, by assimilating to his beliefs. These revolve around the idea of a colonial world. This world isRead More Vi olence of Decolonization Essay726 Words   |  3 PagesViolence of Decolonization Frantz Fanon argues the decolonization must always be a violent phenomenon because resisting a colonizing power using only politics will not work. Europeans justified colonization by treating it as gods work. They believed that god wanted then to occupy all lands and spread the word of god to savages of darker skin color. Fanon joined the Algerian Nationalist Movement when the Algeria was being colonized be the French. Many examples of violence written of in TheRead MoreThe Fact Of Blackness By Frantz Fanon1223 Words   |  5 PagesFrantz Fanon’s â€Å"The Fact of Blackness,† a chapter from Black Skin, White Masks describes the anxiety felt while held in the gaze of the colonizer. A reading of Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble in conjunction with Fanon’s work raises questions and possible strategies on how to reject neocolonialism and contemporary white supremacy. Fanon’s idea of blackness is performative but not for the gain of the black man, ra ther for the white man. Butler suggests that regaining control of the black man’s fateRead MoreThe Psychoanalysts of Violence Essay1208 Words   |  5 PagesThe film â€Å"Battle for Algiers† can be analyzed thoroughly through Frantz Fanon’s and Hannah Arendt’s polar opposite theories on violence. The implication of both theories is represented in the film that has captured the understanding of both insightful phenomena. Fanon’s views on violence are it unifies individuals into forming a complex unit organism that works together, rinses, in addition it is presented as an effective and productive mean that support the process of decolonization. In contractRead MoreWhy did Fanon Argue for a Violent Struggle Against Colonialism?1851 Words   |  8 Pages The philosopher Frantz Fanon has studied the outbreak of this conflict as he was working in Algeria and he spent some time working on the question of colonialism, drawing the conclusion that violenc e was the only way to get rid of colonists. This essay will analyse who was Fanon and why he came to such a conclusion along with the reasons why it could be said that he is right ,and finally, the arguments against his statement. Finally, it will aim to prove that even though Fanon had valid points,Read MoreEssay on Post-colonial Encounters in the Early 20th Century1274 Words   |  6 Pagesquestion in philosophy: what is the human spirit? The reason for his disbelief in European philosophy is due to the contradiction that it entails. Fanon, in his conclusion in The Wretched of the Earth, posits the same doubt: â€Å"this Europe which never stops talking of man yet massacres him at every one of its street corners, at every corner of the world† (Fanon, 235). At the end of the fifth stanza Noyes states: â€Å"their brother- men forget/ the simple wounds in palm and side† (Noyes, 48-49). The empire-Read MoreAnalysis Of Bell Hooks And Frantz Fanon1401 Words   |  6 Pa gesBoth philosophers, bell hooks and Frantz Fanon, address the problem of equality. In Feminism is for Everybody, hooks defines feminism as a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. Hooks begins by stating feminism is for everybody (2000) and that it is an attempt to end sexism though reform feminism. In â€Å"Racism and Culture,† Fanon investigates whether ending racism is due to cultural relativity. In the book by Gloria Anzaldua Borderlands/La Frontera, she describes the personalRead MoreComparing Frantz Fanon And Mahatma Gandhi1333 Words   |  6 PagesDecember 4th, 2014 When you look back through time at the history of decolonization, there are many names that come to mind, but two that should be focused on are Frantz Fanon and Mahatma Gandhi. Both of these men were strong advocates for anti-colonialism and nationalism. Their attitudes can be described by this quote from Frantz Fanon who said, â€Å"what matters is not to know the world but to change it.† They may have been active during different times in history, but they both took action to see

Money Does Not Bring Happiness Free Essays

There’s an opinion which says that money brings happiness. Some people agree with it, others not. The discussion has lasted for a long time and still there are different points of view about it. We will write a custom essay sample on Money Does Not Bring Happiness or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nowadays, we can divide our society into two groups of people: those whose life is centered around money and others who know that there are more important things than being rich. The latter are aware that wealthy people often aren’t able to have a real friend. People who surround the wealthy, are only expecting for themselves. Moreover, there are people who believe that money can be a medicine for everything. But they make a mistake, as no sum of cash can prevent us from old age, loneliness, diseases, accidents, death or stuff like this. And it’s useful to remember that money is a fragile thing, which we can lose at any time. In addition, wealth makes people less sensitive. They aren’t able to notice both poverty, which is around them, and needs of others. However, money is the basic means, which lets people make their dreams come true – the dreams, which have been unavailable since one’s childhood, like travelling all over the world or buying a villa, that’s all to compensate a misery of someone’s childhood. Thanks to having money it’s easier in our life to establish ourselves. Cash can be helpful in achieving many goals like finishing our education. What’s more, money lets us buy basic products which are essential to our daily existence. Human can’t live without eating. We have to be able to earn some money to dress up properly. To sum up the issue is far from solving but it seems that even though money is useful to life we can’t buy the most important things – love or friendship. I think that human has to use money in proper way, without harming others. However, I presume that words: â€Å"Money doesn’t bring happiness† can’t exist in present world, because everything circles around money. How to cite Money Does Not Bring Happiness, Essay examples

A Marketing Analysis Case Study free essay sample

Zara has been described by Louis Vuitton fashion director as â€Å"possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world†, (Wikipedia, 2013). WHY ZARA? I have used 4 suggested â€Å"superior performance† indicators to motivate my choice of Zara: 1. Competitive position: Zara has a competitive edge against its rivals such as Hamp;M, Gap, Benetton and Mango by producing fast fashion. Its extremely quick to know what is selling, and with this information they put the right products on shelf for customer purchases. (Pearson, A) 2. Financial Performance Zara has defied the economic recession and reported growth through tough financial times. In 2011 sales grew by 10% and EBIT was 1. 7 billion Euros. (Inditex 2011 Annual Report). By comparison, Gap was forced to close 200 stores in the US in 2011, and saw a slump in profit by 19% in one quarter (Chang, A. 2011) 3. Brand Strength: Zara is ranked 37th in the world by Interbrand (â€Å"the world’s largest brand consultancy†), with a brand value in excess of nine million dollars, (Ranking the Brands – Best Global Brands). This exceptional ranking is testament to Zara’s strong brand. 4. Speed of international expansion: The concept suggests that organisations should then improve efficiency of distribution and production (Kotler et al. 2013p. 10), Zara creates cutting edge and stylish affordable fashion purchased by the cost conscious (Business Thoughts, 2011). Zara products being affordable, it focuses on distribution efficiency and production, through an controlled distribution and integrated supply system. It takes an average of 24 hours (Europe) and 48 hours (America/Asia) for goods to arrive in store from the time the distribution centre receives an order. Production is efficient considering it take as little as two weeks to have a new product on the shelf. Production and distribution efficiency enable Zara to introduce around 30,000 items a year, competitors average of less than 10,000 (Kotler et al, 2013. Zara: Fast Fashions – Really Fast). 2. The Product Concept The product concept maintains that â€Å"consumers will favour products that offer the most in quality, performance and innovative features† (Kotler et al. 2013, p. 10). An organization following a product concept should focus on continuous product improvement (Kotler et al. 013). Zara follows this philosophy by constantly evolving. Store managers watch their target market identifying what is selling and ensuring they have the latest fashions in store (Kotler, et al, 2013). Zara demonstrates it values innovation and performance of its products by offering a vast variety of designs that are fashion forward to keep attracting customers (Business Thoughts, 2011 an d Kotler et al, 2013). 3. The Marketing Concept Knowledge of customer needs and wants of the identified market is fundamental to reaching organization goals. By delivering more satisfaction than a competitor and ensuring customer focus and value, sales and profitability will then follow, (Kotler et al, 2013). Zara’s strategy favours this concept the most Zara starts the whole process by finding out what the customer wants. It utilizes trend spotters and managers and staff constantly watch and talk to customers (Kotler et al. 2013). Zara state that knowing what their customers want is an integral part of their success: â€Å"Zara’s approach to design is clearly linked to our customers†. â€Å"A non-stop flow of information from stores conveys shoppers’ desires and demands†. Zara is in tune with its customers† (Inditex Website, Zara 2013). For Zara it all starts and end with what customers want.   To understand and analyze Zara’s marketing environment we need to look at both the micro-environment and macro-environment. Macro-environment Zara’s macro-environment can be analysed by loo king at the 6 main factors that provide the opportunities and threats to the organization. 1. Demographic: Zara’s strategy appeals and caters to an extensive range of tastes in the demographics. They cater for men (25%), women (60%) and children (15%), the majority of which want to be within the latest fashion trends (Evans, B. 2010 and Business Thoughts, 2011). They have focused on international expansion and growth and have setup stores in the strongest growth markets and where the largest concentrations of the world population are: China, where they set up 30 stores in 2011 alone (Inditex, 2011 and Kotler et al. 2013. ) Zara’s focus of stylish, fashionable clothing appeals to consumers across the generational groups. Baby boomers, who â€Å"think young† are buying Zara as it’s fashionable and a brand synonymous with youth and fashion†(Kotler et al 2013 p. 80). Zara is providing items on their shelves that the older consumers want to wear (Kaobns, 2012) Zara’s largest demographical target market is the Millenials. Zara strongly appeals to this market consisting of young adults starting their careers with lower salaries, and those that earn very little or don’t even earn an income (eg. Teenagers) can all afford (Kotler et al. 2013 amp; Kaobns. 2013). Zara is particularly attractive to the â€Å"middle class urban women† a desirable product to this market and it has done well to see this gap in the market, especially as the number of women in employment is growing (Roux, C. 2002 and Kotler et al. 2013). 2. Economic: Economic factors can impact how consumers spend and their level of purchasing power. (Kotler et al. 2013). Zara seems to be â€Å"Relying on a Winning Formula and is â€Å"well positioned† (Baigorri, M. 2009). Zara positioning due to affordability has managed to still attract product sales even as economic factors impact consumer spending. Its economical focus, affordability and fashionableness has resulted in purchases by â€Å"upscale shoppers† who have seen their purchasing power diminish (Kotler et al. 2013). As European and US markets slow, Zara has been responding to changes in the economic environment, with success, but focusing its growth in the emerging economies, like China (Biagorri, 2009). These growth markets are seeing middle class affluence increase characterized by greater disposable income and the want to spend (Kotler et al. 2013). Zara’s affordability is impacted by responding to an important economic factor – cost of labour. Some factories are located in Galicia and Northern Portugal where labour is cheaper than other Western Europe countries. Clothes that have a greater shelf life are manufactured by low cost suppliers predominantly in Turkey and Asia. 3. Natural: Changes in the world to promote environmental sustainability put pressure on organisations to adopt an environmental focus (Kotler et al. 2013). Inditex (Zara’s Group Company) has a Sustainable Inditex 2011-2015 plan aiming to reduce its global ecological footprint and commitment to building sustainable and environment-friendly stores. Inditex, Corporate Responsibility). It has already opened its first eco-efficient stores on Fifth Avenue, New York (Green Retail Decisions, 2012). Zara’s mission statement states the company’s commitment to environmental and animal welfare (Zara website) – refer to appendix A for the complete mission statement. 4. Technological Technological changes play a significant part in shaping organizational outcomes with technological changes leading to opportunities (Kotler et al. 2013). The technological environment forms an important part of Zara’s â€Å"fast fashion† concept. Kotler et al. 2013, p. 353). Mobile technology development has increased the communication speeds of customers wants back to the design and manufacturing teams with the use of PDA devices. (Kotler et al, 2013). Zara has built highly automated factories utilizing robots 24/7 to cut and dye fabrics and produce final products (Petro, G. 2012). Without technological evolution Zara’s lead-times and product numbers it can offer compared to competitors would diminish (Wikipedia, 2013). Zara has captivated the online retail market through introducing online boutiques (Ceasar, J. 010). Further technological development and the launch of iPhone allowed Zara to widen its product availability through introducing the iPhone app (iTunes Store) 5. Political and Social: Government legal requirements as well as pressure groups weigh heavily on business operations (Kotler et al. 2013, p. 9 3). Zara faced breaches in terms of local country regulations in Brazil resulting in a supplier factory being closed. Staff abuse has also been citied in some of its operations which Zara has promised to respond to. Breaching law impacts operations and can be costly. Zara needs to perhaps pay more attention to its political and social environment when conducting operations (Wikipedia, 2013). Greenpeace in 2010 identified Zara, amongst other retailers as releasing high levels of toxins and chemical discharge in their production. Zara has responded by committing to eliminating the use of toxic chemicals by 2020. This social pressure forces Zara to look at alternatives and change the way in which they operate this part of the business (Environmental Leader – Environmental amp; Energy Management News, 2012). . Cultural: Zara successfully pays attention to the preferences and behavior of societies by providing stylish affordable fashion that the customer wants (Kotler et al. 2013). Zara has attracted several million likes on Facebook testament to an exceptional following within society (Ceasar, J. 2010). Society’s views and tastes can be strongly influenced by high profile people such as celebrities – In 2011, Kate Middleton wore a Zara lace dress that sold out online within a few hours of photos being publicized (Paxman, L. 2011) Micro-environment To create customer satisfaction through marketing requires working with other elements within the organisation’s internal environment (Kotler et al, 2013). To analyze Zara’s micro-environment we will look at the 6 factors: 1. The Company: Zara’s success comes from its vertically integrated structure. The strong, constant communication between the managers in store back to the headquarters with over 200 Zara designers has been a fundamental success element. The IT system allows quick information flow between designers, factories and stores (Kotler et al. 2013). Inditex, company culture is â€Å"based on team work and open communication and performance expectations are very high†. This focus set from the top is emulated down to employee’s ensuring that each employee is striving to meet customers’ needs (Inditex website – Our Team). 2. Suppliers: Zara follows a just in time approach with control of all aspects of the supply chain. Zara has followed this approach since inception, with the building of its own factory in La Coruna (Wikipedia, 2013). 40% fabrics are own-made and more than half of clothing produced by its own factories (Kotler et al. 013). Remaining production is out-sourced to low cost suppliers (Wikipdia, 2013). Zara utilises contractors and outsourced suppliers and who are viewed as part of the company, (Pearson, A). 3. Marketing Intermediaries: Zara has minimal intermediaries. They utilize banking services but the market orientated intermediaries like promoters, distributers, resellers or marketing service agencies appear to not be part of Zara’s internal environment. Zara distribution is directly to the consumer through stores they own and manage.