Levi Strauss Case Study Marketing Essay

Levi Strauss Case Study Marketing Essay Levi Strauss is the worlds best-known jeans brand, but its hard to see much chance of the company regaining its former glory without a substantial overhaul. Iconic or not, what kind of future lies in store for a company which derives around 85% of its annual revenues from selling pants? And only really two sorts of pants at that, which are also sold by just about every other clothing manufacturer on the planet. Either Levi Strauss needs to diversify substantially, and bolt on other brands or more likely needs to sacrifice its long cherished but out-of-date independence and become part of someone elses larger multi-brand portfolio. These years of struggle against a vast array of competitors have merely added to the gradual erosion of the brand. The development of value line Signature has helped, but despite doubling in size during 2004, its contribution has steadily decreased ever since. In the late 1990s, Levis became a victim of their own success. Too involved in corporate restructuring, the company effectively ignore a seismic shift in the youth market. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Levis 501 jeans had managed to dominate the market for everyday clothing as a result of high quality manufacturing and smart marketing. There were many kinds of jeans, went the general perception, but Levis was the brand to which all others aspired. A brilliant marketing campaign, especially in Europe, reinforced the brands hip status. But in the late 1990s, Levis jeans suddenly became a victim of its own success. They were seen by the new generation of teenagers as the jeans my Dad wears, and that put them completely out of fashion. Fashions in cut came and went but Levis failed to respond, leaving the market wide open for competitors The companys biggest mistake, arguably, was to ignore the baggy cut, which rode in on the back of the mid-1990s grunge movement, and remained the leading fashion style for the rest of that decade. While Levis stuck rigidly with the 16-inch straight-leg cut that appealed to the now ageing market who had rediscovered the brand in the 1980s, even the least hip of US retailers began selling extreme-cut. Millers Outpost, Tommy Jeans, JNCO and even JC Penney and Sears were selling jeans with legs as wide as 23 or 40-inches. The fashion-conscious teenage market began buying their jeans from other manufacturers, while a new breed of retailers, led by The Gap, captured the middle ground. Protecting their premium status, Levis refused to chase the market and strictly adhered to their long-established policy of only selling through specialist outlets and avoiding discount stores including Wal-Mart. Although this held the brands perceived value it also restricted sales to only around half of the US retail market. Worse still, later that decade the market as a whole began moving away from denim altogether as combat and cargo pants became the new fashion Question 2) How could a sensitive and informative Marketing Information System (MIS) have helped Levis to identify these environmental variable and form future strategies ? THE NEED FOR MARKETING SUPPORT In 1986, Levis relaunched the 501 with the Launderette and Bath commercials. The tremendous success of these executions and the campaign that developed from them has been well documented. All of the commercials featured the 501 jean and most stated 501 specifically in the end frame. The advertising success was not restricted to the 501 alone. There was a halo effect on the whole Levis range. But naturally the 501 took on a dominant share of Levis business. This dominance was intended. The 501 was positioned as definitive. It is an anti-fit jean which is right for most people, and, in a sense, 501 for most people took fit out of the purchasing equation. Despite this, there were (and still are) a significant number of people who, for reasons of personal physique or style, did not consider the 501 as the right fit for them. For this significant minority Levis developed a range of other Red Tab fits. The range includes: Historically the strategy had been to sell these non-501 Red Tab fits in-store, via POS and retailer advice. Levis own retailer and consumer research indicated, however, that the non-501 Red Tab fits had been underperforming in the market. There were a number of reasons. l Many consumers were under the impression that Levis was really just about 501. They were unaware of the availability of other Red Tab fits. So if they tried on 501 and were not completely happy, they would try on another brand, rather than another Levis fit. Or if they knew from the start that they wanted a fit other than 501, they would go directly to another brand. 517: Regular Fit 518: Loose Fit 511: Zip Fly 536: Girls Fit l Many retailers were not directing failed 501 traffic onto other Red Tab fits. l Some retailers, in the absence of specific consumer demand for non-501 Red Tab fits, were deciding not to stock these fits at all. The above factors created a problem that reproduced itself Levis was losing out to competitive brands in this significant minority of the premium jeans market. And there was a risk that if no action was taken, the scale of the problem would spiral. Clearly the Red Tab range required marketing support, and advertising was deemed necessary. THE BRIEF We determined that there was a very specific role for advertising: to raise awareness of the multiplicity of Levis Red Tab fits. Advertising should make people understand that if they want something other than 501, it will be there in the store for them. They can discover exactly the right fit in-store. And we drafted a very simple proposition to address this task: Levis Red Tab jeans come in as many different styles as the people that wear them. THE ADVERTISING MINEFIELD This seems relatively straightforward. But in fact, in identifying these as the role for advertising and proposition, we had also identified what advertising could not do or say. Examination of previous competitive advertising relating to product ranges and fits indicated to us a series of problems and misconceptions both strategically and creatively. It was important that we map out for the creative team where these perils and pitfalls lay, in order that they could steer a clear path through the minefield. The 501 issue We were concerned that above-the-line support for fit numbers other than 501 would confuse people and dilute the definitive status of 501. We realised that we could not expect people to memorise a series of fit numbers and their definitions. It had taken a great deal of time and money to establish one fit number in public consciousness. Indeed, we did not want non-501 fit numbers to develop their own identify to the extent that they became sub-brands. The non-501 Red Tab fits could not approach the wealth of heritage and associated imagery commanded by 501. They could not really aspire to being brands in the same sense. More importantly we did not want to compromise in any way the definitive status of 501. Thus we specified in the brief that executions should avoid discussion of or comparison with 501s. Moreover, we determined that we could keep the Red Tab communication separate from 501 communication by adopting an entirely new medium for Levis: posters. More specifically, Adshels offered a street level impact, in keeping with our youthful target and within sight of most retailers. Since advertisings role was not to raise awareness of individual fit numbers, we decided its effectiveness should not be judged by peoples ability to recollect specific numbers, but by their awareness that Levis have a range of Red Tab fits. Range advertising Advertising a range of products is often strategically unsound and creatively uninspiring. People generally do not buy ranges; they buy individual products. A range campaign tends to proclaim the benefits of the range as a whole, or to highlight the differences within the range. But if people are interested in individual products, all they really want to know is what is good about that product. Moreover, a brief for range advertising can often lead to creative cul-de-sacs: a row of products and an invitation to the consumer to make his or her own choice etc. Consequently, although the objective of the advertising was not to establish individual fit identities, we did specify that each execution should feature one fit only and would talk about the benefits of that fit. Across a range of executions we aimed to establish a sense of the multiplicity of the fits, thereby addressing the key objective. Fit adverting Fit messages also pose a strategic and creative challenge. People choose different jeans fits for reasons both of personal physique and current fashion. If advertising addresses one motivation, it struggles to communicate the other. And the more obvious creative solutions tend not to be challenging or motivating. For example, a tight fit can be communicated by showing a thin person and a loose fit by showing a fatter person. But the latter expression clearly does little for loose fit. And what of the people who wear loose fit for style rather than physical reasons? Alternatively, a fit message can be conveyed by showing the overall style or fashion of the wearers of different fits. For example, a punk in tight jeans and a hip-hop fan in loose jeans. But youth fashion cannot easily be compartmentalised into discrete tribes with conveniently different jeans fits. Moreover, young people quite naturally recoil from any cynical attempt by advertisers to mirror their own street-level cultures. And, as with the above, what of the people who do not choose fits for fashion reasons? We concluded that these more literal expressions of fit were not worth exploring and we directed the team to seek out more lateral solutions. THE CREATIVE SOLUTION The creative team, conscious of the objectives of the advertising and the strategic and executional minefields to be avoided, came up with an innovative solution to the brief. They developed a range of executions each employing a black and white still from the respected photographer Bill Brandt to deal with one Red Tab fit message. They did not talk about fit in a literal way. Rather they implied the various fit messages. Moreover the images employed were not completely unrelated to fit. (They were not vegetables or fruit!) Rather all the executions focused on the human form, which is after all the basis of any fit choice. ADVERTISING EFFECT The poster campaign ran nationally for four weeks only in April 1993. Millward Brown tracking showed very high advertising recognition: over 40% of a sample of 17 to 29-year-olds recognised the posters. More importantly, spontaneous and prompted awareness of Red Tab rose from 35% to 45% and from 57% to 75% respectively. The percentage of respondents able to quote any non-501 fit number rose from 50% to 60%. We are unable to divulge actual sales data. SUMMARY The planners role does not only entail pointing the creative team in one particular direction; it can also involve illustrating to them the strategically unsound and creatively fruitless routes. In advertising non-501 Red Tab fits for the first time, Levi Strauss were entering a minefield. By identifying the best role for advertising and mapping out the geography of that minefield, the planner was able to play a part in the development of advertising which maintained Levis best standards of creativity and effectiveness. CREATIVE BRIEF Why are we advertising? To raise awareness of the range of Levis Red Tab jeans by demonstrating that Levis produce different fits to compliment different body shapes and personal styles. Who are we talking to? Boys and girls, 15 to 19 years old. They are aware of Levis advertising and recognise that 501s are the original, definitive jeans. In fact, they may already own a pair of 501s, but find certain aspects of 501s either inconvenient (ie button fly) or uncomfortable. They are at the middle end of the market (early/late adopters) and are often insecure and lack confidence. They therefore need to be reassured that they can buy into the imagery associated with 501s, while having a pair of jeans that fits comfortably and flatters their individual shape. What must the advertising say? Levis Red Tab jeans come in as many different styles as the people who wear them. And why should the consumer believe it? Levis make a range of different fits to suit your shape and tastes. What tone of voice? Confident, classic (ie timeless), cool and sexy. What practical considerations? The campaign must work as both posters and press. The campaign should avoid discussion of, or comparison with, 501s. This is not an opinion leader campaign, and is aimed at a younger, more mass-market consumer. Question 3) Analyse the importance of the various marketing mix elements in the success :failure of Levi, how important is design? Levis share of the denim market plummeted. In 1990, according to Tactical Retail Monitor, more than 48% of men chose Levis as their preferred choice of jeans. By 1998, this had tumbled to 25%, while Lee and Wrangler had risen from 22% to 32%, and private label brands including Gap from 3% to more than 20%. In sales terms the brand slipped from a 30% US market share to 14%. (Upmarket designer labels such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein got a great deal of publicity but never achieved more than around 7% of the market). The percentage of teenage boys who thought Levis was a really cool brand had dropped from 21% in 1994 to just 7% by 1998. Levis position has, for the most part stabilised since then, but competition remains intense The Levis brand now houses several sub-brands. Chief amongst these is Levis Red Tab, which includes the legendary 501 button-fly design. (The number 501 was originally the products stock number, first adopted in 1890; the red fabric tab was first used in the back pocket from 1936). Levis Vintage features a broader range of classic retro designs. In pursuit of the youth market, the company has tried to turn back the tide with more extreme cuts, such as Levis Engineered Jeans, introduced in 2000 and supposedly designed ergonomically to fit the bodys contours. Some cuts are even pre-stained with oil. Another stylised new design launched in early 2003 as Levis Type One. These offered exaggerated versions of traditional features such as rivets, stitching and the tab, blown up in size. However sales were slow to take off, especially in the US, despite high profile marketing, including a Super Bowl ad (which the company later claimed admitted was unsatisfactory). They, along with another st ylised line known as Silvertab, were replaced by the Levis Capital E line. Levis ICD, a partnership with Philips to market workwear with integrated electronic devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players etc, was withdrawn in 2002. The group also licenses out the Levis brand to other manufacturers for branded T-shirts and accessories. Combined sales of the core brand improved in 2007, reaching almost $3.2bn. Levis is primarily a menswear brand, with just under three quarters of all pairs sold bought by men. After its many attempts to introduce more stylized or fashion-oriented designs had failed, the company agreed to abandon its premium positioning and chase the mass-market as well. A new design, Levi Strauss Signature, launched in July 2003, initially available exclusively through Wal-Mart. By the end of the year it had become apparent that the new line was the much-needed hit for which the company had been searching. The group rebranded the range as Signature by Levi Strauss, extended distribution to Target Stores and Kmart in 2004, and also introduced the range into selected mass-marketers in Australia (including Coles Myers Target and Kmart), Japan and other Asian markets. It was also launched in the UK (through Asda), France (through Carrefour), Germany (through Wal-Mart) and Switzerland (through Migros), but performed poorly and was withdrawn in 2007. Yet after a strong start, sales of the Signature line have fallen steadily since 2005, declining from a peak of around $410m that year to $260m in 2007. Dockers, first launched in the US in 1986, is the companys khaki-based casualwear line. It was launched as something of a reaction to inroads into the market by Gap and others, serving as a halfway point between jeans and smarter dress pants. Dockers Slates, a sub-brand of dressier and more expensive trousers, was discontinued in 2004. Although it has been generally successful, Dockers remains very much the second string in the groups portfolio behind its jeans line. In 2004, Levi Strauss put the Dockers brand up for sale in order to concentrate on its still struggling core business, but failed to attract a suitable buyer. Sales of the brand were reported at $1bn for 2003, but had fallen to around $775m by 2005, with sales concentrated in the US. Since then it has repositioned itself as a wider casualwear brand, diversifying into shirts, sweaters and blazers, as well as a line of womens clothing. The unit was rewarded with an increase in revenues for 2006, its first for several years . For 2007, it generated sales were around $915m. The group also generates significant income from royalties on Dockers belts, footwear and other accessories manufactured by other companies under license. Levi Strauss has production facilities and customer service centres throughout the world. Until comparatively recently the company maintained a policy of manufacturing its goods in the regions in which they are sold, but rising labour costs and declining sales made this increasingly unfeasible. Production in the US and Europe began to be farmed out to cheaper regions in the late 1990s. Having already closed six of its US factories by 2003, the group announced that the remaining four in North America would also be shuttered by early 2004. The group supplies its products to around 60,000 retail outlets worldwide. It owns and operates around 200 of its own Levis or Dockers branded stores, and franchises around another 1,300. More than half of these stores are located in the Asia Pacific region. Otherwise sales are through department stores and national chains. There are three regional business units: Levi Strauss North America operates local subsidiaries in the US, Canada and Mexico, and accounts for almost 60% of revenues, or $2.5bn in 2007 (compared to a peak of $4.8bn in 1996). Levi Strauss EMEA is the second biggest market, but performance there took longer to recover than in other markets. Sales rose in 2007 for the first time in several years, finally returning above the $1.0bn barrier. Asia Pacific remains the smallest market for now, but has been the companys strongest performing region for several years. Sales rose by a further 6% in 2007 to $805m, with Japan contributing a little under half of all sales. Question 4) As a strategic marketing consultant, advise Levi about what now it should now do ? It is every businesss objective to maximize their profits and lessen their expenses. Levis has invested on one of the most important resource that a company could have its employees. Their corporate strategy has now been aligned with their human resource management which is valuing their employees due to high costs of recruiting and training new staff. It must be noted that losing an employee can be very expensive and high staff turnover can eventually ruin a business. The last thing that businesses need is for its competitors to benefit from the training, knowledge and experience that it has built within its workforce. It is suggested that employers give their people the opportunity to make their own benefits decisions. This way, employees will take a keener interest in their benefits. The traditional company benefits package often has a rigid one size fits all approach; it fails to consider the varying needs of individual employees. In addition, the traditional company benefits package may sometimes be complicated and difficult to manage. Thus, it is greatly recommended that companies like Levi Strauss and Co. implement a flexible benefits package to help reduce costs and provide a greater choice for their workforce. Furthermore, flexible benefits provide additional lifestyle choices along with traditional company benefits such as private healthcare and the company pension scheme which will allow employees to choose the benefits that they want which in turn will motivate them and make them more productive. It is also important that companies like Levi Strauss and Co. consider some of the following pointers: (1) the main goals of the companys employee benefits programme, the last time that the company last reviewed their benefits scheme, steps or initiatives undertaken to ensure that the companys benefits programme underpins their business strategy, knowledge of employees regarding the benefits that the company offers and how they benefits from it, issues like sickness and absence, healthcare and dental care, and (6) the extent of the relevance and significance of the recruitment and key staff in employers business and their industry.

Managing Individual Performance

It’s crucial for the manager to make right decisions about the members of his team. The organization can be very successful only in the case of well-balanced personnel, and it’s the manager’s responsibility to employ the right people for the positions. Even when all the technical resources in the company are at the highest level, the skills of employees appear to be the most important key to the organization’s success. It’s a well-known fact that â€Å"†¦everyone wants to feel that they are on a winning team, that the company is moving ahead, and that they are an integral part of the group.† (3)Therefore, it’s necessary for the manager to take employment of personnel very seriously. First of all, the manager needs to make sure he knows all the major objectives which the company sets in front of itself. Without the deep understanding of the organization’s goals, it’s impossible to employ people to achieve those goals. As soon as the goals are determined, it’s necessary for the manager to do his best to find people whose education, general background, and personality will fit the best into the positions available. There is no general criterion for choosing the members of the team because the decision of the manager depends on the goals which he sets for his team.The manager has to analyze the profiles of the potential employees very carefully in order to get a full idea about them. The major criterion is ensuring that every employee in the team will have a position which answers both his expectations and expectations of the company. The goals of the organization will be achieved only in the case when the manager makes right decisions about the choice of employees and the responsibilities which each of them can fulfill the best. However, the task gets more complicated because â€Å"building the winning team requires more than just hiring a bunch of talented people.It means hiring people wh o will work well together. It means developing a shared vision and commitment. It means physically bringing people together in formal group meetings for open discussion of broad-based issues. It means encouraging positive, informal interactions between group members. It means instilling a â€Å"winning† attitude throughout the organization. It means watching for and quickly trying to reverse team-building problems such as jealousy, cynicism, and defensive behavior.† (3)In the simulation I chose the following employees into the team: Tony Wu for the position of building case files; Lisa Stafford to moderate self-help groups, Nicola Minelli for performing follow-ups, and finally Daniel Nichols to supervise confrontation sessions. Out of all the employees whom I selected Daniel Nichols has the most experience, he also has an MBA which puts him one step ahead of everybody else who only have bachelor’s degrees.That is why he gets a very complicated task of supervising confrontation sessions. In order to keep Daniel Nichols motivated, he needs to have an important position, so I chose one for him with the most responsibility. Tony Wu is a good professional, and he cannot fulfill the functions on a very important position just yet because he has never worked as a manager. He is not very ambitious as the profile shows, so he is much better on the position when he has to exercise duties like building case files. Tony Wu has a very important feature of character- accuracy, and this feature is very useful in the position which I have offered to him. For Tony Wu, it’s better to work with documents and build case files because when he has to make important decisions, he might fail them due to his mild character.Lisa Stafford necessarily has to be on my team due to her success-orientation. She is not the type of employee who will sit in the shadow of somebody else during her whole life. She wants to fight for success, and she is very ambitious. He r future is pre-destined by her character, and she will be in the manager’s chair shortly. For the moment, she doesn’t have enough experience to be a manager or supervisor, so the best suitable position for her is moderating self-help groups.However, I as a manager realize that it’s very important to motivate Liza in every possible way because she expects to have the most important chores, and wants to show herself from the best possible side. Out of the last 3 potential employees I have chosen Nichola Minelli. She had almost equal chances with other 2 candidates but I preferred her to them for a couple of reasons. The position which remains vacant is performing follow-ups. I had 3 alternatives for the position: Nicola Minelli, John Connor, and Michelle Levy.The negative side of Michelle Levy is that she is a pessimist. This quality is absolutely inapplicable for the team which we are forming, considering the goals of our organization. John Connor is a very expe rienced worker but I prefer to include younger members in the team who have a high potential. They have a much better performance due to their expectations of future promotion. Nicola Minelli possesses a very important quality which makes her a perfect candidate for the position is that she has good analytical skills.In order to manage the created team effectively, I had to consider many factors. First of all, the ways to motivate every one in the team. Every employee has his own interests and needs, and in order to choose the right strategy of motivation, I needed to study their profiles carefully. Whenever I felt that one member of the team was growing uninterested towards the functions which he was fulfilling, I had to apply different forms of motivation for him. I also needed to check all the time what new responsibilities I can give to the members of the team if I saw they were ready for that.I as well had to consider the way the members of the team interact with each other bec ause a team works successfully only in case when the communication among members is on the highest level. An individual’s personality plays a crucial role in the success of my team as I have discovered. Every person in the team is a part of it. The system can work efficiently only in the case when every part of it works efficiently. If I employ a person for some position whose personality doesn’t answer the responsibilities which he will have to bear, he will not be able to fulfill his duties at the required level.If one of the members stops performing at his required level, it immediately has a deep effect on the work of the whole system because every member is dependent on each other. Another influence on the member’s personality is communication with other members of the team. Individuals employed in one team need to be as compatible as possible by their characters in order to bring success to the organization.â€Å"The 126 item Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ( MBTI), Form G, provides data on four sets of preferences. These preferences result in 16 learning styles, or types. A type is the combination of the four preferences.† (8) E (extroversion) versus I (introversion) tells about how people â€Å"change their batteries†. Extroverts find all of the support in the outside world, as well as see the outside world as the reason of their failures, if they occur. Such employees are better on important positions because they are very action-oriented.Introverts are more concerned about their inner world of ideas, so they are better at exercising tasks given to them by other people. N (intuition) versus S (sensing) tells about a person’s preference in relying on and making decisions. Some people prefer to rely on their intuition, others on sensing. For my team, I chose 2 members who have intuition preference (men) and 2 members who have sensing preference (women). This creates a good balance. T (thinking) versus F (feeling) tel ls whether a person trusts to his mind more, or to his feelings. People who prefer feeling make decisions according to what their heart says to them.Others are guided by their rational mind. I have also used the same proportion of team members with this preference because this proportion can help employees have right decisions. P (perception) versus J (judgement) describes the way people act in their lives. Perceptive people make spontaneous decisions, and can do things at once when they think of them. Judging people weight their actions first, and provide the analysis of the situation. Perceptive people are more preferable for positions in teams because they make decisions very quickly.Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be described as the following:1) Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comforts, etc.;2) Safety/security: out of danger;3) Belonginess and Love: affiliate with others, be accepted; and4) Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition. (7)The hie rarchy of needs effects motivation in such a way that every employee has his needs. One employee only needs his 2 basic needs to be satisfied (psychological and safety). Others will not be satisfied unless they are accepted by others and gain recognition. In order to motivate every employee, you need to know about his needs.You as a manger need to focus on his need satisfaction as the key to motivating him. It’s important to select such team members whose needs are relatively high because they will perform at a very high level in order to achieve the goals which they set for themselves. In the team which I selected, Lisa Stafford and Daniel Nichols are the most competitive, and their needs are definitely on the highest level- of esteem.In order to motivate them, I have to give them the most challenging tasks which will let them show how smart they are and be recognized by everybody. Tony Wu and Nicola Minelli don’t have such high ambitions, and their needs stop at the level of belonginess and love. In order to motivate them, I don’t need to give them high responsibilities for them to be recognized by management. They need to have tasks which from their point of view will bring use to the society and the company.My team selections worked perfectly, exactly like I expected. At the end, I got 100% of performance which is the highest result. I chose all the members of the team in the most efficient way, and placed them on the right positions, and motivated their activity during years in such a way that they performed at their maximum of abilities. The factors which I selected for motivating my team include:reminding them about the importance of the mission for which they are working. Whenever employees felt pessimistic about their work (for example Tony Wu and Nicola Minelli), I made sure he realized how important his work was for the society.giving them an opportunity to show their skills. It was important for Daniel Nichols and Lisa Stafford to show their intellect through difficult assignments they had.giving high responsibilities to the team members who are very ambitious. I needed to motivate Daniel Nichols and Lisa Stafford to keep high interest in the work they were doing.giving recognition to the members who are performing the best. Every member of the team needed recognition for the important work he was doing.promising possibilities of promotion to members who work the hardest. Lisa Stafford and Daniel Nichols need to be promoted soon in order to keep the level of their performance equally high, so I needed to talk about future opportunities with them.Since I chose the best possible team during the first run of the simulation and got 100% performance at the end, all of my later runs of the program didn’t make the result better because my first choice was completely accurate. This lesson learned in the workplace is very useful because it helps us to develop our skills as future managers. When managing rea l teams at companies, we’ll be able to apply everything learned in practice and achieve equally high results which will lead to the success in the organization.Bibliography. Franken, R. (2001). Human motivation (5th ed.).. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Managing People: Motivation Building the Winning Team // www.businesstown.com Maslow, A. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396. Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper Nohria, N., Lawrence, P., & Wilson, E. (2001). Driven: How human nature shapes our choices. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. William G. Huitt. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. February 2004. www.gsu.edu

Compare and Contrast the Historical Significance Essay

Compare and Contrast the historical significance between the two world WARS. http://www. diffen. com/difference/World_War_I_vs_World_War_II Similarities Topical sentence: A) Both war led to heavy casualties. 1) WW1: Estimated to be 10 million dead, 21 million wounded, and 7. 7 million missing or imprisoned. 2) WW2: More than 40 million men and women were serving in the armed forces by 1944 and civilian and military deaths exceeded 55 million. Topical sentence: B) same both created a new international co-operation hoping to prevent further conflicts in the future. ) WW1: The League of Nations was formed in the hope of preventing another such conflict. 2) WW2: The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts. Topical Sentence: C) Similarly, Both brought out the creation of new and dangerous weapons. 1) WW1: Supported by artillery and machine guns, infantry assault, early airplanes and poisonous gas. 2) WW2: a) Nuclear power and missiles were used, modern concepts of covert and special operations. Submarines and tanks were also more heavily used. ) Encryption codes for secret communication became more complex. Topical Sentence: D) Similarly, Genocide was used to torture people from weaker countries. 1) WW1: The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) carried out genocide of Armenians. 2) WW2: German Nazis committed genocide against Jews. Topical Sentence : E)Both sowed the seeds of future wars. 1) WW1: Several alliances formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; as all had colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world. 1)Rise of Nazism in Germany (regain national glory and prestige) a) Treaty violations and acts of aggression on various fronts. b) Political and economic inst ability in Germany including with humiliation over its defeat in World War 1 and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles. c) Rise of power of Adolf Hitler of the Nazi Party. 1) In the mid-1930s Hitler began secretly to rearm Germany, in violation of the treaty. 2) Adolf Hitler signed alliances with Italy and Japan to oppose the Soviet Union. 2) Rise of Fascism in Italy (regain national glory and prestige) a) Joined the allies in 1915 in hope in getting Dalmatia and Fiume however was only given Istria and Tyrol at the Paris and Peace Conference. b) Italian nationalists occupied Fiume in September 1919 WW2: The wartime conferences and wartime conferences revealed the mutual distrust and disagreements between the USSR and USA cause Cold War. (1)Launching opposing plans and forming opposing organizations a) US- Marshall Plan and formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. ) USSR- Molotov Plan formed the Warsaw Pact within the communist bloc. (2) Organizing spy activities out of deep suspicion and a great sense of insecurity. a) US- Central Intelligence Agency b) USSR – Committee of State Security (3) Using political propaganda to promote each other ideas and attack the other side. a) US- Voice of America to attack communism b)USSR-Radio Moscow to attack capitalism (4) Stopping all kinds of communication to prevent people of its bloc from going over to the other side. ) US- stops communication and stop all cultural exchange b) USSR- tightened all controls and no contact to the west was allowed. Differences Topical Sentence: A) Politically, WW1 had just brought the first recognition & partial actualization of the principle of national self-determination. BUT, after WW2 no people even for colonies could accept their national right being deprived.

What Shoes Should You Wear In France

If you are like me, chances are you have a number of pair of shoes in your closet. Its not easy to pick the ones to travel with. Of course, part of the choice should be comfort. French people love their shoes, and there is a certain shoe etiquette to follow if you want to fit in when traveling to France. Especially for men since French men are quite peculiar about their shoes. Womens Shoes The problem with shoes is that they take a lot of room when you are packing, so which shoes to bring is definitely worth some of your consideration. Pack shoes that are versatile, and that you can wear in different situations. French women wear high-heels but dont usually wear super high heels. Contrary to what you may think, heel shoes French women actually wear are kind of conservative. The thing is in France, particularly in big cities, you can expect to walk. You wont find parking just in front of the restaurant. Valet is not always an option. And with the typical paved Parisian streets, if you dont want to break your ankle, you have to be somewhat conservative. For everyday, older women will still wear heel shoes. Its a question of generation. If youre working in a bank or in a somewhat formal environment, un tailleur (womens suit) and some kind of heel shoes will be recommended. Normal French women would wear comfortable shoes, flats, such as Bensimon, Tods, or some kind of sandals or ballerinas. Birkenstocks and Crocs were fashionable for a short while, but they are not typical of what a French woman would wear. And forget about going to work with sports shoes and a womens skirt suit and changing into your heels in the elevator! A French woman would still wear some kind of ballerinas with a suit, on her way from the mà ©tro to work, and then maybe change into heels at work. Yes, most French women are kind of fashion victims, and if comfort is important, style is usually even more important. Mens Shoes The biggest difference in shoes between France and the US is concerning mens shoes. French men wear bulky sports shoes to practice sports—not to go out.  There is a US trend in France—it can be trendy to wear a hoodie over loose jeans and the latest Nikes or Timberlands boots. It flies when you are in your twenties. But after, your sense of fashion has to grow up. Theres a kind of shoe that is typical for French (younger) men: they are tennis shoes, with laces, but smaller, more delicate than athletic—kind of old fashioned tennis shoes, like street shoes or sneakers. French men (and women) wear them in different colors, but often kind of toned-down, darker colors (as opposed to the often very flashy athletic shoes). They are made of cloth or leather, or suede. Famous brands include Converse or Vans. Skateboarding dudes wear them in the US and this is the typical shoe for a Frenchman in a casual setting, in all seasons. In summer, French men, often a bit older or of higher social class (les bourgeois preppy crowd) wear what we call des chaussures de bateau which can be worn with or without socks, or leather loafers such as Tods.   For young adults, les tongs (flip-flops) are also very fashionable, especially with the summer being so hot lately. But, and this is essential, a Frenchmen would show his feet only if their feet and nails are impeccable. Otherwise, theyll cover them up. Socks and sandals are a big fashion faux-pas in France. For dressy wear or going out, leather shoes are a must, and every French man would have at least one pair of leather shoes—many would wear leather shoes everyday. Les mocassins (loafers) are still very much in fashion, but all kind of leather shoes exist. Ankle leather/suede boots are quite trendy as well.