An Argumentive Paper About Using Animals for Testing Cosmitics Research

An Argumentive About Using Animals for Testing Cosmitics - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that one of the negative impacts that comes to mind when reading this article is that the act of animal testing, along with the justifications for animal testing place wrong ideas in the minds of society and therefore in time, creates a society that, like animal testing, is willing to sacrifice one person, or thing, in order to gain another. This should not be the case since all life has value. One other negative effect that we can observe from this article is that the cost that animal testing has racked up is too large to ignore. As previously mentioned, there are more practical, economical and accurate tests and methods available. There are many alternatives to animal testing that can be more economical, accurate and less cruel. This portion of the paper is aimed to discuss and list some of the alternatives one can make use of instead of animal testing. The animals get hurt from these tests do not have a voice of their own. Some people may not know this, and som e might even deny this but animals have feelings and sensations as well as we do and although they are unable to vocalize it, they also feel pain and suffering. This is the reason why there are animal rights movements, because animals cannot fight for themselves, and that they do need someone to defend them as they cannot do it themselves. This paper firmly believes that the practice of animal testing is both cruel and unnecessary. Based on the information and evidences provided about, we can definitely see that animal testing causes harm, no just to animals, but to society, and even humans as well and also see that there are safe, humane and practical alternatives to animal testing that are also potentially more accurate. ... The statement being made is that animal testing in cosmetics is a fact and that it has a negative effect. The first article we can look at is one by idausa.org. It states certain details and information regarding animal testing in cosmetics. It states certain details such as death of animals involved in animal testing with cosmetics, cruel and inhumane testing as well as the inaccurate nature of these tests. This gives us a good jump-off point for our argument regarding the negativity and cruelty behind animal testing. The article also provides us information on some affordable and more effective methods of testing, which will be discussed later in the paper. Another paper we can look at is one by mercyforanimals.org. It provides us with a graphic account of certain tests that are done by some companies and what effects they have on animals such as rabbits, rats, and others. These tests result in discomfort, suffering and even death for the animals involved. The article states that a lthough there are no laws that specifically require animal testing for cosmetic products, some companies still opt to do them despite the pain, suffering and death on th part of the animal. Lastly, one article by humanesociety.org discusses the kind of tests that are done to animals, provides us some reasons as to why it is done, but at the same time recognizes that these tests are wrong, and that there are alternatives that are not cruel, and are to an extent, more effective than animal testing. Negative effects of animal testing As this paper's main goal is to argue that animal testing is negative practice, it must first discuss its negative

Guided Reading Essay Example for Free

Guided Reading Essay Abstract This paper will describe the leveling process and how leveled books fit into the reading classroom. It will also describe how to use tools yourself, to locate lists of leveled books, how the listed levels of a title compare between one you leveled, what the publisher class the level and the guided is reading classroom as a function. The last part of this paper will describe the instructional level of a student previously interview in Module 1. Guided Reading How to use leveling tools yourself Guided reading is an instructional approach that teacher uses when students are reading at the same level of instruction. The teacher selects books from certain reading levels to guide students to make connections from print to the text. The books are easily read with the support of the teacher. Challenges and opportunities for problem solving are offered in the text. Choice selection of the books from the teacher will expand their strategies. The purpose of guided reading is for the teacher to select books that students can read with 90% accuracy. When the story is introduced to the student by the teacher, the students, through their own strategies understand and enjoy the story because it is available to them. Pinnell, (2007) states that guided reading gives students the chance to apply the strategies they already know to new text. The teacher supplies support, but the ultimate goal is independent reading. Readers that have developed some since of print have already gained important understanding of it. If they have encountered a problem in reading they will monitor their own reading and check on themselves while searching for possibilities or alternatives How to locate list of leveled books. In order for the teacher to locate leveled books for their students, the teacher should select the students with similar reading habits and behaviors. These students should experience reading habits and behaviors in the same time frame. The guide lines of the choice of books should be not too easy, yet not too hard, and offers a variety of challenges to help readers become flexible problem solvers (Pinnell, 2007). When choosing a guided reading program or leveled books, the teacher should look for books that are similar to their knowledge, are interesting to them, support them to move to the next step in reading, and give just the right amount of challenge to ensure that problem solving is taking place while supporting fluency and understanding. Leveled book collection is a large set of books organized in levels of difficulty from easy books that an emergent reader might read, to the longer, complex books that advanced readers will select. The leveled books collections may be housed in an area where it is easily accessible. A key component in a guided reading program is the leveled books. The scholastic Guided Reading Program is a varied collection of books that are categorized by the kind and level of challenge they offer children as they are learning to read. The Guided Reading Program consists of 260 books organized into 26 levels of difficulty –Levels A-Z. Many different characteristics of the texts are considered in determining the level of challenge and support a particular book or short story presents (Pinnell, 2007) Some leveled books may consist of the teachers’ working collaborately together to construct leveled books from large collections of books. When teachers have been teaching a long time, they began to acquire the knowledge necessary to know what is easy and what is difficult for their students. When using the books frequently, the teachers will notice that categories of their collections will become more established (Scholastic. com) How the listed levels of a title compare between one you leveled. There are factors and criteria’s for leveling books. There is no distinct characteristic that can be used to evaluate text or reading materials. Some of the factors that are considered when evaluating text are length, layout, structure and organization, illustrations, words, phrases and sentences, literacy features, and content and theme (Scholastics. com). When compared the book that was leveled with the books in Scholastics, it was very close. The formation was based on the factors and criteria’s’ for leveling books. Guided reading classroom, how it functions, its advantages, and its disadvantages. The guided reading classrooms should have an independent reading practice location. This independent practice space should welcome students to a rich environment for reading. Teachers with a good sense of what a rich reading environment consist of will include in the reading practice location pillows or a couch for a feeling of an invitation to read. Students need to feel very comfortable when reading. The library in a guided classroom needs to be complete with rich and exciting literature. Some of the literature that should be included in the library is fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, magazines, current events, and sports and whatever you feel as a teacher that the students will be interested in. Technology is a major component of a guided reading classroom. It services as an independent and small group practice while the teacher is working with students in a small guided reading group. The guided reading groups should consist of four to six students at a time. The sessions for guided reading groups vary depending upon what level of readers you are dealing with. It is often 10-15 minutes for emergent readers, and 15-30 minutes for more advanced readers. Also in a guided reading classroom there should be cross curriculum centers for writing, art, and science which can be done at their desk with very little instruction. This would take very explicit planning on the teacher part. This will allow for the teacher to continue guided reading groups. A teacher-led small-group assessment area should be located in a place where the teacher has total vision of her classroom, but yet in an area where the students that are in the guided reading area can be together so that the skill can be implemented as one. Finally, there should be a designated area where the teacher can teach in a whole group setting. The advantages of a guided reading classroom when the teachers are working with a particular group, is that they can control what is going on in the classroom and ensure that the students are actively engaged at all times. By setting guided reading classrooms up this way, the teacher can take an informal assessment of behaviors whether or not the students are working in centers, at their desk or with the teacher in a guided reading group. The teacher should be taking running records, jotting anecdotal notes, or even conducting oral interviews if time permits. The disadvantages of this guided reading classroom is that it will take a lot of planning time to ensure that the centers all have meaningful activities that will help them read or increase their ability to interact with each other. Most of the time teachers do not have centers that are effective because of the necessary time needed for preparation to ensure an effective guided reading classroom. These guided reading groups should constantly change from week to week to ensure that all students are actively engaged in a differentiated atmosphere. Student from Module 1 This student could fall between emergent literacy and beginning reader because in module 1 the student started finger pointing and looking at the picture to determine the words. Also the student had trouble with the recognition of sight words. The student experienced difficulty with decoding unfamiliar words. This was a 3rd grade student that seemed very happy at home. The student does understand the concepts of print and words. Even thought she had trouble with decoding unfamiliar words, she seems to have phonological awareness. Knowledge of alphabets was noted. Her Independent level was grade 1, Instructional grade 1-2, and Frustration Level is Grade 3. Can this student benefit from a pull-out intervention program that focus on sight words and decoding? Conclusion This paper described the leveling process and how leveled books fit into the reading classroom. It will also described how to use tools yourself, to locate lists of leveled books, how the listed levels of a title compare between one you leveled, what the publisher class the level and the guided is reading classroom as a function. The last part of this paper described the instructional level of a student previously interview in Module 1. References Pinnell, G. S. (2007, Guided Reading Program, Scholastic, Scholastic, Red, New York, NY Scholastic. Com Retrieved September 14, 2009 from http://www2. scholastic. com/browse/article. jsp? id+4177.

Luxury Brand Is An Illusion Cultural Studies Essay

Luxury Brand Is An Illusion Cultural Studies Essay What is a luxury fashion brand? To understand the luxury we have to have a taste for it. Hallmark of the taste re ­sts in sensitivity, from feelings. Every one has a different taste, but it is indispensable for eve ­ryone. Someone has a taste of luxury, and he can not afford to buy cheap thinks. Luxury brands work on an equal basis. We are not born with the right taste as well as there are no born masters in the right taste for fashion. Perfect luxury fashion brand consist of many ele ­ments, as a result of harmony. People wear different brands to express their personal style but also social and class relationships. Luxury brand can help them to be on higher social level, but is it true? Someone can buy one luxury model and to imersonate for rich people in the upper class. A lot of people can buy a Louis Vuitton bag, because it is the Louis Vuitton bag. They do not buy it, because of the quality. These people buy it because of the brand. But it everything depends on the taste, someone will buy the bag because of the quality, another one, because of the brand. The purpose of this dissertation is to clarify the identity and advertisement of the brands and to find out how they make the luxury illusion. The thesis traces the basic growth of the luxury. It depicts not only the growth of the luxury, but mainly the luxury fashion brands as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dolce Gabbana and Chanel. Their brand image, advertisement and placement in the luxury world. Buying the luxury products can represent that less people use to buy luxury products comparing to products concerning the physiologic needs. Paradoxically, the luxury products have become the property of the general public. Every star has a connection with monogram LV. Why this or the other luxury brands change the world? Why everyone want to be stigmatizing by the logo LV? To own the luxury Vuitton bag is a dream of a lot of women. It can be fetisch, prestige, snobbery, fashion, lust for luxury, quality or just not to be different from the other world. Vuitton is the McDonalds of the luxury industry, says Dana Thomas The logo LV is known worldwide as the logo of McDonald ´s. 2. The concept of luxury What is the definition of luxury? The perception of luxury is relative. People from various cultures can define luxury differently. The role of the luxury has been important from the beginning of civilisation as it is in modern society. Earlier, the usage of luxury was confined to the elite classes. The meaning of luxury was pretty clear. The elite classes could be defined as luxury, whatever the poor. Nowdays, it is often interpreting luxury as a phenomenon structured by rivalry for social position and social rivality. Therefor the luxury for some people may be ordinary for othrers. Luxury evokes feelings of uniqueness and exclusivity, and is characterised by products of high quality, controlled distribution and premium pricing (Okonkwo, 2009). Luxury can be also defined by something expensive and extravagant. According to Tungate (2009) theluxury can be a basic human need. People want to taste the luxury. The luxury brand endeavour to connect contrary requirements: to continue with tradition and innovation, to be authentic and at the same time to be modern. The emphasis is placed on dynamic development of the brands and primary demand for renovation and creativity. Luxury brands play an everyday role in our live. But if the luxury good can be found everywhere it loses its exclusivity and becomes ordinary. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾The current definition of a brand has however evolved from marks, names, logos and shapes to elaborate marketing development and strategies. The result is the creation of something powerful and consistent, which has the ability to produce emotional and psychological attachment with consumers and financial value for the brand owner. (Okonkwo, 2007:9) The luxury fashion brand is created by marketing communication, an excellent quality of the product and fashionability. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Dolce Gabbana are very well established and succesful luxury brands.The primacies between luxuries keep the Louis Vuitton form the beggining of origin, without questions. Brand image Brand concept/identity We are what we buy, so for some of us fashion is way to express identity. Hancock, 2009 Okonkwo (2009) proposes that the brand can not be created only by name. In implication the branding concept depend on customers their feelings and perceptions from different messages from each brand. She also introduced that the brand concept and name are the main elements of the identity. The concept could be inconquerable and catchy for customers. The traditional brand concept should be always related to logo, sign or label for physical differentiation. Okonkwo defined luxury fashion brand as brand strenght, differentation, exclusivity, innovation, product craftmanship and precision, premium pricing and high quality. Brand concept and image is essentially how the consumers perceive the brand identity. The brand image is an important for consumers, how they feel about a company. Two men and one vision If Cinderella ever needed to replace her fairy godmother, she would call Dolce Gabbana. This design team creates products that sparkle and has managed to change the staunch and uptight image of luxury fashion, making it fun and exciting for everyone. (Hancock, 2009:53) In the year 1985 Domenic Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have gone down to the fashion scene. The connection of sociable Stefan and more serious and sedulous Domenic began in 1980 when they met in the design company when they worked. Their relation full of emotion, passion and love in fashion created the key of their succes. Stefano loves colours and patterns. While Domenico loves sharp cut shapes and a perfect style. Their brand shows lifestyle of modern live on the based of tradition. Dolce Gabbana has very strong brand image. Dolce Gabbana ´s advertising campaigns have added to their controversial image. (Hancock, 2009:54) Their identity celebrates women and their sexiness, although they are homosexuals. Hancock (2009) states that the stories of this brand are intended for people who were not expected to wear the luxury fashion. It can be for unusual people who do not wear the brand, but their own image. Dolce Gabbana branding story is about taking the nontraditional fashion costumer and demonstrating how they can be stylish and sophisticated in their own way. (Hancock, 2009:53) According to Hancock, Domenico and Stefan are sometimes part of their own advertisements and campaigns as models. They want to reflect the spirit, reputation and image of the brand. Gucci Italian named Guccio Gucci had a passion for horse, from this reason he decided to establish a business with leather accesories designate for the purpose of riding horse, in 1921. While Guccio attend his passion throughout his life, his three sons aspired along something bigger and more succesful. For several years the Gucci brand became famous. The brand had a brilliant and classic identity represented with elegance and style. Until then Tom Ford became the creative director. He had a major influence of Gucci ´s succes, he radically change it from base. With Tom Fords vision Guccis image was reinvented. Ford has displayed highly sexual images through his design, fashion shows and advertising. The importance of the Gucci brand positioning is that is distinctive and has an aura of exclusivity amongst its target audience. Gucci has a wide range of products ranging from shoes, watches, jewellery, clothes, perfumes, eyewear, baby wear, home goods (including furniture, bedding and wallpaper), luggage, handbags and gifts (even including gadgets for pets). The brand identity of Gucci can include the double G symbol, the Gucci webbing the red and green pattern, the horse bit, the Gucci ´s signature, the monogram whit the double G symbol and a flower print called the Flora print. Everything from these attributes is visible in each of the collection. Gucci use different promotional strategies than for example Louis Vuitton. Gucci incorporates shocking issues in their marketing strategy to promote brand imagery, Louis Vuitton use celebrity. The image and aura of prestige surrounding Gucci gives added value to the products. This is created through advertising, innovative designers and the whole experience of buying Gucci à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾A great dress exist just for an instant maximum, until the end of the party. Fashion is all illusion. Appearance is all illusion. And this moment of perception of beauty is what matters most. But this moment goes away, it wears off. Tom Ford Louis Vuitton The history of modern luxury goes down to the foretime. In 1854 Louis Vuitton and his wife established their own company with travelling case. Louis was made famous for crafting the luggage for Napoleon. It is reason why the brand has become synonymous with luggage and in particular handbags. Louis opened his store and established Maison Louis Vuitton. Always a visionary, he invented the first flat trunk, a model that was ingenious, elegant, and strong the first modern luggage. Travelling took on a luxurious attribute. A legend was born. (Pasols, 2007:51) The succes of this brand became immediatelly. (Pasols, 2007:54) Nowdays, the handbags and suitcase Louis Vuitton are rhe symbols of social situation over the world. LV monogram design can be considered as the first brand on the product. It was developed in 1896 to prevent from falsification. Nevertheless Louis Vuitton is the most counterfeit brand in the fashion history. This company carefully cultivates celebrities and had used famous models and actresses in their campaigns. LV has a strong support of brand images. Last ten years was very succesful for Louis Vuitton mainly because of Marc Jacobs, the creative director from 1997. The charismatic designer assumed by simplicity and colour scheme. The principal leather goods lines of Louis Vuitton are: the Monogram line, a historical canvas created in 1896, also available in Monogram vernis, mini, satin, multico and denim; the Damier line in three colours, ebony, blue azur and the Damier Graphite line for men, launched in 2008; the Cuir Epi line, offered in nine colours, the TaÃÆ' ¯ga line for men in four colours (LouisVuitton.com, 2010) The symbol of Louis Vuitton is the monogram that appears on each of the products of Louis Vuitton provides. This symbol has an international success and represents the key symbol of the brand. One point that influences the reputation of LV is their communication and marketing strategy. Louis Vuitton does not use TV and radio to communicate. They publish commercials in fashion magazines, but not in the public places. Chanel Nothing is more beautiful than freedom of the body. (Bott, 2007:28) Emancipated liberal but also angry and egocentric Frenchwoman delivers woman ´s body from corset. Coco Chanel has enforced princip of elegance and simplicity. In 1909 Coco opened her first hatter ´s in Paris. From 1913 she started to produce also fashion and opened fashion houses firstly in spa centers. In 1919 has founded her own butique in Deauville and Biarritz with the financial help of Arthur Capel. The butique is still there. Coco has enriched the fashion world. Chanel ´s iconic symbols are Chanel No. 5, jewelry, and of cource the black dress. The fashion icon Chanel died in 1971, fortunately, her brothers adopted the brand and they have kept the great reputation of Chanel. Succesfull fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is the creative director from 1983. Lagerfeld has observed the stylish elegance and unconvential themes of famous Coco Chanel. The monogram double C has been still the most famous brand of haute couture. The timeless Chanel brand is a perfect illustration of the house ´s determination and talent for  ´suprising without shocking ´. (Bott,2007:7) Promotion, place of distribution Promotion plays an important role in communicationin luxury fashion idustry. Understandably, one of the main indicators of promotion is advertising. Advertising communicate via message of the brand. Promotion has an enormous influence to costumers, through the images, colourful composition, design and atmosphere of the campaigns and even the store and architecture connected with the luxury brand. Okonkwo, 144 The advertisement of luxury fashion brands is placed mainly in fashion and lifestyle magazines, because of there are the target audience. The stores are also very important for promotion. Stores of these luxury brands are located on expensive high street locations. For example the window of Gucci ´s store portrait a provocative images. But the interior of every luxury fashion brand have a free flow layout as its visually appealing and allows consumers to browse comfortably. Everything including dà ©cor is rich and classic to add to the atmosphere of the store. The sleslaidies are often dressed all in black and ready to assist consumers in any way. Even the security guard is suitably dressed to add to the image. Advertisement Advertisement is all around us. It becomes a strange in marketing communication, psychology and design. It can be a key method in building of identity of luxury brands. It helps to create the illusion of luxury. Design should be about creating the advertisement or campaign with a purpose. In addition, the advertisements of luxury brands are means of communicating the brands ´story, starting from their history and development to their personality and image, products and service (Okonkwo, 2007:145) SEX SELLS Sexual context and provocative pose are in the advertisement for everything nowdays. From parfumes and underwear up to food. But nobody take exception to this. Sex in the advertisement occuring the media. Costumers want to see this. In every fashion magazines is at least one sexy advertisement. The fashion adverts in fashion, or lifestyle magazines are given mainly for woman. These fashion campaigns do not degrade woman as an object for men ´s pleasure.The fashion industry wants to captivate. This kind of advertisement can be shocking, but not original. Dolce Gabbana ´s campaigns go hand in hand with their image. Advertising must reflect a company ´s capability to convey strong brand images to the global market. (Hancock, 2009:65) The controversial campaigns are the key of their succes. Their campaigns tell a story with an Italian character, sensual and unique style. The main illusion of any luxury brand creates the image of various campaigns. The photographer has an enormous influence on the branding process. (Tungate, 2008:103) The photographers create the image that brings the brand to life. (Tungate, 2008:105) Stephen Klein photographed spring campaign for Dolce Gabbana in 2008. The luxury products are defined by the quality and uniquenees. Photos and advertisement from the campaigns could have the quality and uniqueness as well as the products. Steven Klein ´s pictures are original, unrepeatable and unique as Dolce Gabbana. What is the real signification of his work? He is almost perfect master in coloured interpretation of pistures and light moods, dark, erotic, surreal and visual aesthetics. All of these images have an atmosphere and feelings. Klein ´s specialisation of his work can be focused mainly on the colours. The colourful representation of Klein ´s pictures is the one part which makes it perfect. Colorful precision create every detail and tone for the final view. All of these details and tones have their own reason. Most of the campaigns photographed by him make the dramatical colorful impression. Light as the most important component for creating of the photographic image, is one of the fundamental parts for the author ´s handwritten. Play of lights and shadows make the campaign clear and readable. The other significant part for creating of the photographic image is undoubtedly the composition. Particular components create the composition. Campaign for Dolce Gabbana 2004 can be the clear example of the perfect composition. The whole gathering of people and object has never been accidental, rather on the contrary. The composition is very specificly elaborated from the beginning. For viewer the picture is clearly arranged across a lot of components. At the photography are ten people in the space of an attic apartment with various objects. The coloured carpet, pictures on the wall, lamps, books and magazines. Despite of the image is synoptical. In the left part of photography is a man standing next to the window. Later became visible his violent yellow shoes, which is given to the space by view through underneath the table. On the table is another man standing, this time with blue shoes. The blue is given to the space in the composition again. Girls on the sofa have their legs m atted together. Therefor their figures are not deformed. The girl in front of the image is outstanding mainly because of the colourful shoes, which she wears. All of the images and people from the photography sophisticetely look out and the models do not appeal brokenly. The feeling from this campaign can be random people just accidentally met there. The women from Klein ´s photographs have enormous long legs, their countenance is lost in dreams and stress the clothes. The women ´s body is exponentiated by motion. Their gesture should express a specific dynamism and earnestness. The models are often captured in a motion of walk, moving of their hands, or beckward bend. Backswept create an excelent effect the position can be very unnatural, but the issue is more interesting. In Dolce Gabbana 2006 campaign Klein use the powerful motion. The image applies dynamism, however not dramatically. The detail was seeting to model ´s hands, concretely their fingers. It adds the appropriate elegance. The persons are mutually affected and tell a story by this. According to Hancock (2009) each of the ads is a story that increases the brand ´s mysterious image. Hancock also proposes that their campaigns are almost cinematic. Steven Klein as well as Dolce Gabbana has found an inspiration in some celebrities in between we can include Maddona. The woman of a lot of faces, already the whole world admires, has always wanted to be an idol of women and men. Nowdays, Madonna indicates a trend not only in music, but also in fashion and style. And she is inspiration for others. It was a good step to use Madonna as an icon for their campaigns. Madonna created a perfect illusion for the brand in the new campaign 2010. The images should showcase an intimate, real aspect to the ultimate icons life.   She was interprated as a typical Italian, maybe perfect woman, wife and mother. Woman want to be like her, in spite of that it is not real. The whole campaign radiates an energy, Italian temperament and strain. Maddona was portrayed during everydays situation shopping, washing dishes, and other housework. But openely, is it real Madonna? No, it is just the perfect illusion of the new campaign. Another luxury fashion brand with very sexual advertisement is Gucci. Tom Ford started in 1990 as a designer for Gucci. After four years he became the creative director and he had a responsibility about all of the product lines fashion, perfumes, the brand image, advertising and campaigns and even design of shops. Gucci creates controversial advertising such as the promotion of Opium perfume with a naked photo of Sophie Dahl. This caused uproar in Britain and was banned by the advertising standards, as it accounted for a third of all complaints about poster adverts. However this campaign managed to win advertising awards throughout Europe. Gucci under the direction of Tom Ford had a several scandals campaigns. Really good example of the shocking sexual and scandal campaign was spring/summer 2003; model Carmen Kass and logo Gucci in the place where it would not be. She is  pulling down her knickers and showing off body hair shaved into the letter G. This campaign was photographed by Mario Testino. We can give him a name: realism of luxury. He is known for his highly sophisticated, stylish, clear and fresh images; sometimes he used exotical or sexual undertone photos. But he always shock people by his controversial eyeview on the world. Testino shoted more campaigns for Gucci, but the G is the most memorable. Supermodels and sexuality sells Mario Testino worked also for Dolce Gabbana ´s, he shoted the campaign Fragrance. Models from the campaign represent a personality attached to the fragrance. For example Naomi Campbell should represent the star, while Claudia Schiffer should figure the dreamer and Eva Herzigova with Fernando Fernandes figured the players. The other significant photographer for Gucci is Terry Richardson. Richardson ´s lurid, funny, blatantly sexual pictures famously shot on an old Instamatic continue to provoke controversy today. Tungate, 107 Terry was drug addict and punk. Only these facts can be controversial in the contrast with the shiny luxury world. This man likes to take photos of nude models. It is Terry Richardson; he brought a shock, pornography, confrontation, energy and roughness to the fashion photography. The very nude woman wears nothing, just the product, placed between her legs. His images are perverse as this campaiign for Gucci ´s fregnance. Gucci campaign spring 2010 is all customary a part of a coherent themed. The pictures were probably taken in the same environment with the same overall expression. The environment, bright colours and lightening is confusing. It is not absolutely clear what time of the day is. The lightness is focused on models than the rest of the image. It may be an early morning after party, because the models are dressed for occation. Everything from these images has an element of luxury. The campaign is provocative a s most of Gucci ´s adverts. The long legs, sexy pose and dress is lifestyle and glamour as Gucci. CELEBRITIES According to Okonkwo (2007), celebrities play very important role in luxury fashion sector. These icons must be famous around the world, they have to be the best and talented in their field of producing, the personality of the celebrities must reflect the brand and of cource they should look beautiful almost everytime. Therefore the celebrity must not disguise the brand. The brands used the celebrities to make the brand communicating through their message. The icons show a connection with brand and people want to be like them. Other personality attributes that the celebrity may have such as glamour, beauty, talent and style will also be ultimately linked with the brand. (Okonkwo, 2007:160) The brand shows the connection between the celebrities and brand. The gorgeous people in the magazines and on television unconsciously speak to you, telling you that their lifestyle and material possessions like their clothes and accesories can also make you beautiful and help you become a part of their world. (Okonkwo, 2007:7) Louis Vuitton fall/winter campaign 2002 2003 called Faity Tale figured Eva Herzigova as Cinderella. Photographers of this campaign were Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. (Pasols, 2007:380) The big companies often use big celebrities into their campaigns. When they also used a big photographer for their advertisement, the succes must be guaranteed. Louis Vuitton is not exception. For a few years the famous photographer Annie Liebovitz creates visuals for LV. She has already externalized the actor Catherine Deneve, politics Michaela GorbaÄ ov or the famous tennis couple Steffi Graf and Andrà © Agassi. The face of their campaign in 2008 was also guitarist of Rolling Stones Keith Richards. He looks like timeless man with a wild live. Simultaneously, he is still on the roads, almost an ideal icon. Annie Liebovitz was able to catch the emotion and story in this camapign. The campaign was devoted to trevelling. It should display a way over self knowledge. Jennifer Lopez, Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Diane Kruger, and Uma Thurman have all embodied the Louis Vuitton woman: desirable, elusive, changeable, and elegant, according to fashion and season. (Pasols, 2007:380) Madonna is an icon, so it is clear that she appeard also in Louis Vuitton campaign in 2008. The campaign has an excelent atmosphere as all of the Vuitton ´s campaigns. The atmosphere is like from the old french movie. The smoky bistro, the luxury handbag and a beautiful woman in mini and hight heels it is the other presentation of one of the richnes singer in the world, entirely for different luxury brand. Famous fashion photographer Steven Meisel shoted this pictures. Steven Meisel can be known as a genious of fashion photography. Consequently it is not an accident that he photographed campaigns for Louis Vuitton. The new campaign of LV 2010 was also shoted by this genious. It can looks like the era of celebrities in fashion campaigns is over. Only DolceGabanna used Madonna for their 2010 campaign. However, the other luxury fashion brands went back to the charm of supermodels. Christy Turlington, Karen Elson and Natalia Vodianova are the new faces of LV campaign. Meisel shoted this campaign in atelior in New York. They wanted to show a beauty of women ´s body, diversity and more adult aesthetics. It can be paradoxial that the most influental and luxury brand Louis Vuitton introduced an advertisement, which was consequentlly forbidden. According to Advertising Standard Authority in UK the advertisement could bring the costumers in mistake. The customers could think that all of the Louis Vuitton products are hand made. While, in fact the bags were made on the sewings machines. These ads were made by Oglivy and Mather. There was figured a woman stitching the handle of a handbag, or a woman creating the folds of a wallet. It could look that the women made the handbag by hand, but it was not true. As well as Louis Vuitton, the other luxury brand use celebrity for their campaigns Chanel. Although they have similar marketing strategy many celebrities and supermodels, Chanel is more clasic in the producing of its brand. From the nativity of perfume Chanel no. 5 it became the most famous and the most selling perfume over the world. This famous perfume has everything what is typical for Chanel femininity, courageousness, fashionableness, black and white. However, today it is not just a perfume, it is much more. Chanel No. 5 is part of our collective counsciousness, it represent a legend and exteriorize of luxury. In the new advertising spot actor Audreu Tatou became a sixth muse of Chanel No. 5. She goes in the steps of Vicky Hilbert, Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Estelly Warren or Nicole Kidman. Audreu Tatou represents a woman with free and equal mind. She can do what she want, to travel by herself in luxury night train. This spot has an atmosphere of luxury. It is story about man and women, libidinous met in the train.They attract together Chanel No. 5 is killing. In the new campaign for Chanel lighted up the British singer Lilly Allen. Lilly has considered as a muse of Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Chanel for a long time, but now she became the icon of Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld photographed this campaign by himself. The campaign is elegant and clasic, black and white, yet the campaign can feel very playful. As I mentioned before, Chanel does not need shock. Therefore Chanel does not produce only classic and elegant advertisement Kate Moss wear only long beads with cap in one of their campaigns. Kate Moss is known for her acces to drugs. In spite of this, she is an icon for pretty much luxury brand. Conclusion This dissertation has aimed to provide a basis explaining of the luxury fashion brands, and the illusion which the luxury create. We buy the luxury fashion as a demonstration of our social situation and desire for recognition. Fashion is a symbol of society. It is probably a tool for satisfaction of our sences. The luxury brands could create the illusion by helps of their tradition. Surely, brands as Louis Vuitton, or Gucci have the aura of luxury deservedly. But sincerely, vast majority of the costumers buy product of this brand on the score of the brand. Luxury fashion is not just about the most faked brands. (Okonkwo, 2007:238) says that definition of luxury can be also a dream for someone. To buy a luxury brand is a way to obtain status and enhance the self, satisfying ego needs. A necessity for consumers buying luxury can be that the products brand image is concurrent with their own self-image. The fashion status and aura of exclusivity is of primary concern to these exclusive luxury brands. The advertisement and campaigns help the brands create the illusion. The advertisement has an enormous influence for people. In the advert are beautiful women, or men, celebrities or icons. It is the dream in hidden reality. And if we talked about luxury fashion brands, the dream is bigger. People want to live in dream as the people from images. It is evident that for example Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chanel use different promotional strategies. For instance Gucci as well as Dolce Gabbana incorporates controversial and even shocking, sexual issues into their marketing strategy to promote their brand imagery. On the other hand Louis Vuitton use celebrity as their promotion, whereas Chanel especially try to concentrates on the classic and elegant style as mention of history and tradition of this brand. Every brand bring different dream, but it is still dream or illusion. Wheter the luxury brands have a perfect quality, tradition and exlusivity or not, they create the illusion. Ilussion for people who feel better, more luxurious or highly sociable owing to the brand. But maybe why not? Illusion can make the people feel better.

Free Trade V.S. Command Economy Essay -- Economics

Free Trade V.S. Command Economy =============================== Introduction: Politicians, countries and ideologies from all over the world have for years been torn between what they should follow and believe. Countries quarrel over which policies should be adopted and what, how, for whom have been the economist's fundamental question. Adam Smith preached for market economies often referring to "the invisible hand" Karl Marx preached for command economies often referring to "The proletariat will over run the capitalist class" These two men have substantially shaped the way countries have decided to run their economies. Not forgetting the names of a great deal of other Their works were published in volumes, therefore I will not attempt to integrate any of their work in this project, but instead I will refer to some of their ideologies. One would think that these two men were totally different from each other, but in actual fact they are very similar. They both wanted to change the way their societies ran things.  · Resource allocation  · Resource ownership  · Type of incentives  · Level of government decision making The 2 major economic systems are market and Marxist: The first is Capitalism: an economic system characterised by private ownership of the factors of production, market allocation of resources, use of economic incentives, decentralised decision making. E.g.(the US adopts an economic system very much similar to the one above but does have some forms of state intervention like the Defence) The second is planned socialism: an economic system characterised by state ownership of the factors of production, the use of moral, resource allocation and economic plan and central... ... thus queues for staple food were lengthening and demand was soaring. For most commodities supply had dropped because inter-trading with the USSR had also ceased. These ex-communist countries were each specialised in supply certain resources (i.e. iron, coalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) but after the break of control from Moscow this was no longer possible. The transition in 1991 was less difficult for Poland because they already used market forces in agriculture. The USSR succeeded in sending the first man in space during communist rule In Russia investment and business were failing to settle because of the old bureaucratic system still in place, as the example goes (Its hard to teach an old dog new tricks). Another example of failure was that of Military expenditure, production fell, as well as space research, the two earlier accounting for 20% of the GDP in the USSR.

What Should Chateau Margaux Do?

What Should Chateau Margaux Do? Chateau Margaux, in Bordeaux region, has been the most splendid wines for many years with excellent reputation. Being the designated wine in the French State Banquet, the reputation is universal. There is limited room for the improvement of the brand images. With the rapid growth in the worldwide wine market, it is time for Chateau Margaux penetrating into it. China, one of the markets with rapid growth in economy, will be one of the best options. With the large population and growth in economy, the China wine market has expanded rapidly, especially for the wine in Bordeaux region. From the statistic from the China Wine Information Website, the import of wine from Bordeaux region has increased 82% in 2007 and soared 21 times in 8 years time. There is really a great opportunity for Chateau Margaux entering this huge potential market. In order to enter the China wine market, the top priority is to promote the brand and products. After cultivating in China market for years, French wines has become the pronoun of romance and elegance, and even the symbol of luxury. It is suggested that Chateau Margaux should set up a luxury store with wine cellar in China. The main purpose of the setting up is not selling wines in the stores, but increasing the publicity of the brand and products by holding different kinds of function. Since the first step is to let people know about Chateau Margaux, it is a good idea for Chateau Margaux inviting celebrities and wine critics to the open ceremony of the luxury store. Press conference can also be held to introduce Chateau Margaux to the public. This will be the stepping stone for Chateau Margaux entering the China market. As new to the China market, it is essential for Chateau Margaux taking part in some exhibitions and also wine tasting events, like the 2008China International Wine & Liquor Expo. In participating in the 2008China International Wine & Liquor Expo, which is the biggest wine professional exhibition in China, Chateau Margaux can let consumers know more about the products and even can take the benefits from the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Game. However, during all the promoting functions, it is important to keep the image, â€Å"Chateau Margaux is a grand and luxury product† After promoting the brand and products to the public, Chateau Margaux should react quickly to suit with the China wine market. As most of the potential consumers in China are new to the high-end wine, they would like to know more information about the particular wine or even particular vintage, which is not included in the label of Chateau Margaux. A booklet introducing different Chateau Margaux wines will be published to let consumers have more in-depth information. Besides, it is possible for Chateau Margaux co-operating with China food enterprises since wine paired with food will be one of the ways to promote the products. Since the wine market in the rising economies countries like China increased so quickly, getting market shares in these places as quick as possible will promote the future growth of Chateau Margaux to the worldwide wine market. (521 words)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Positive and Negative Reinforcement †Management Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Positive and Negative Reinforcement – Management Essay Free Online Research Papers Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Positive and Negative Reinforcement Management Essay I will be discussing the two types of operant conditioning which are positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. I will attempt to list the advantages and disadvantages of using either and briefly touch on extinction which is the lack of use of either positive or negative reinforcement. There are four types of operant conditioning namely positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment and extinction. According to Skinner’s terminology, any form of incentives such as goals and rewards may be referred to as positive reinforcers and the receiving of the reward or achieving the goal is termed as positive reinforcement (Skinner B.F., 1969). In positive reinforcement, a particular behaviour is strengthened by the consequence of experiencing a positive condition (mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/nru/opcond.html). Positive reinforcement is effective and largely used for two separate reasons. Firstly, it is one of the most powerful techniques available for the direction or motivation of the actions of other people. The second reason which is more philosophical is the versatility of the concept of reinforcement as an explanation of behaviour (Walker. S, 1975). In other words, the question is why do people behave the way they do? The answer will be that it is because they (people) are reinforced for it (Walker. S, 1975). Many companies employ the use of positive reinforcements to increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and workplace accidents. One company tried holding lottery draws ever month and they noticed a significant consistency in attendance. A construction company offered incentives such as a buffet end of each month if the workers maintained an accident free record. True enough, the accident free record was maintained for a good number of months (Mazur J.E.,1986). When positive rein forcements are used, the desired outcome is that the behaviour is reinforced. Subjects understand that the behaviour is desirable and will tend to repeat it for the rewards. In the negative outcome, subjects may take the rewarding for granted. They may repeat the behaviour with the intention of receiving more of the rewards and not understanding that that behaviour is desirable or they may deem the rewards as part and parcel of things. That is that the education part has failed. Some examples of these negative outcomes may be employees who get verbal praises for everything they do, think that it is all lip service. There is no real intention to compliment them for their good work. Another would be a young child plainly doing things to curry praises (Strain P.S., Joseph G.E.). In a similar fashion, a negative reinforcer is a stimulus one would desire to avoid. The act of escaping or avoiding a negative reinforcer is termed as negative reinforcement. Disincentives are punishers. There is a natural tendency to put punishments under the wing of negative reinforcement. However under the definitions of operant conditioning, negative reinforcement is the strengthening of a particular behaviour by the consequence of experiencing a negative condition (mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/nru/opcond.html). Punishment in the operant conditioning sense is to weaken a particular behaviour as a consequence of experiencing a negative condition. Negative reinforcement is used commonly for education or reform. The use of fines, imprisonment is one such example of the use of negative reinforcement to warn of the negative consequences of associating with social ills. Skinner (Skinner,1953) and many others prefers the use of positive reinforcement to encourage good behaviours and do away with the social use of punishment altogether. Advantages of the use of negative reinforcement would be of course ideally the cultivation or strengthening of a desired behaviour after receiving the negative reinforcer. An example would be that an employer informs his or her employee that their work requires some polishing up to meet the customer standards. The employer may go on further to explain that the customer is rather demanding and any negative feedback will tarnish the credibility of the employee. The desired response would be that the employee strives to perform better. Disadvantages of using negative reinforcement would be when the desired behaviour is not achieved. For instance a child was punished for strewing his toys on the floor by facing the wall and repeatedly saying he will not throw his things on the floor. He kept repeating the act and undergoing the punishment but he never understood why he should not leave his things on the floor. That is a negative outcome . Different organisations may choose to employ different styles of reinforcements or non at all. Commercial and non-commercial organisations may also use different approaches. One may use positive reinforcements to encourage repetition of the desired behaviours. Others may use negative reinforcements to discourage behaviours that are not in line with their policies. There are slight differences in how public and private schools educate their students. In general, schools tend to use negative reinforcements on rule breaking students as a method to educate them. The typical examples are verbal reprimands, being sent out of the classrooms, detentions, etc. There is an element of shame within these punishments which is intended to allow the students to discover how to behave well. Critics oppose to the use of negative reinforcements in schools and largely recommend the use of positive reinforcements. Negative reinforcements are used and positive reinforcements are easily ignored due to the strong cultural ethos that encourages the use of punishments. The use of punishments is effective ninety-five percent of the time. The remaining students are those with challenging behaviours who do not respond to traditional forms of punishments. So unless figures show otherwise, Skinner’s hope that positive reinforcement be used totally cannot be easily realized and punishments will still be the tool employed by schools to educate and to deter wayward behaviours. The proverb â€Å"spare the rod and spoil the child† explains the continued use of such traditional methods of educating (Maag J.W., 01-01-2001). It is a good point to emphasise that the discussion is on the use of negative reinforcements on students to shape a desired behaviour and not on punishments. Punishments here are merely the reinforcers or the tools of reinforcement. Maag suggests using new approaches to handle challenging students which are effective reinforcers which are ideally negative but wi thout the use of punishments (Maag J.W., 05-01-2001). Commercial organizations depending on situations, use positive and negative reinforcements. Although there is no premeditated use of scheduled reinforcements on encouraging desired behaviours and discouraging undesired behaviours, some managers do enforce them. As more managers understand the needs for better and efficient management styles, they also understand that subordinates seek job satisfaction. Job satisfaction can be achieved in many ways such as pay rises, day offs, or even simple words of encouragement, praises and recognition (Zielinski D., 05-01-2001). More than often the occasional verbal praises for a job well done does a lot to make an employee feel appreciated. Researches have shown that positive reinforcements increase the attendance of workers, improve their performances and also increase safety awareness. Negative reinforcements are sometimes used on the occasional lackadaisical employees. Romero and Kleiner believes that the use of positive reinforcements is a management concept, and that it should be used in the workplace both domestic and international (Romero J., Kleiner B.H.). Research was done on people in several countries on the relation between personality and motivational traits and work related attitudes. It is found that the use of positive reinforcements greatly motivated workers and the whole economy of the country gained greater growths. In bad management styles, employees are swiftly reprimanded for failing to attain their employers’ standards and are often not complimented for completing their tasks excellently. Many are so accustomed to these practices that they begin to become complacent due to the lack of recognition and rewards. The failure to positively reinforce an employees’ good performance which is a form of extinction may discourage them from giving more than they should since no recognition or rewards will be given for it. Much research has been done on operant conditioners. More people are aware of the existence of positive and negative reinforcements. More are championing the use of positive reinforcements to increase productivity, attendances, safety awareness, job satisfaction and to reduce absenteeism and accidents. Depending on the situations, positive and negative reinforcements when applied strategically can be effective in strengthening a desired behaviour. Strategic application of reinforcements would mean the use of reinforcements at intermittent schedules such as at fixed ratios or variable ratios combined with the understanding of what motivates their subjects of interest. Doing away with punishments may be the ideal case for Skinner, I believe that it is not possible to do away. However we can reduce the use of punishments when positive reinforcements are adequately and effectively employed. The advantages of the use of positive reinforcements are highly explanatory of itself. References: mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/nru/opcond.html, Operant Conditioning Basics, Accessed 28/08/05 Maag J.W., 01-01-2001, Rewarded by punishment: Reflections on the disuse of positive reinforcements in schools [elibrary], http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/ libweb/australia/do/document?set=searchgroupid=1requestid= lib_australiaresultid=1edition= ts=B4E4C92E89D05327EF55EBECBC8E285F_1128427488378urn=urn%3 Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B40887961, 2001 The Council for Exceptional Children, Accessed 28/08/05 Maag J.W., 05-01-2001, Management of surface behavior: A new look at an old approach[elibrary], Counseling and Human Development, http://elibrary.bigchalk.com. proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/libweb/australia/do/document ?set=searchgroupid=1requestid=lib_australiaresultid=107 edition=ts=36D65314D08785A2310AB40D5723A400_112843611954 5urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B45689102, Accessd 04/09/2005 Mazur J.E.,1986, Learning and Behavior (Third Edition), Prentice Hall Romero J., Kleiner B.H., Global Trends in Motivating Employees [Emerald FullText], Management Research News, emeraldinsight.com.proxy.library.adelaide. edu.au/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType= ArticlehdAction=lnkpdfcontentId=866695, Accessed 28/08/05 Skinner B.F., 1953, Science and Human Behaviour, New York: Macmillan Skinner B.F., 1969, Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts Strain P.S., Joseph G.E., 01-01-2004, A Not So Good Job with Good Job: A Response to Kohn 2001 [elibrary], Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.proxy.library.adelaide. edu.au/libweb/australia/do/document?set=searchgroupid= 1requestid=lib_australiaresultid= 19edition=ts=B4E4C92E89D05327EF55EBECBC8E285F_1128 427488378urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument% 3B89268459, Accessed 02/09/2005 Walker S., 1975, Learning and Reinforcement, Mathuen Co Ltd Zielinski D., 05-01-2001, Motivating the masses [elibrary], Presentations, http://elibrary.bigchalk. com.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/libweb/australia/do/ document?set=searchgroupid=1requestid=lib_australiaresultid= 198edition=ts=36D65314D08785A2310AB40D5723A400_11284 37775279urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument% 3B78062471, Accessed 10/09/2005 Research Papers on Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Positive and Negative Reinforcement - Management EssayThree Concepts of PsychodynamicIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneCapital Punishment

Fight Club and Marla Singer Essays

Fight Club and Marla Singer Essays Fight Club and Marla Singer Paper Fight Club and Marla Singer Paper You can mix the glycerin with nitric acid to make nitroglycerin, Tyler says. I breathe with my mouth open and say, nitroglycerin. Tyler licks his lips wet and shining and kisses the back of my hand. You can mix the nitroglycerin with sodium nitrate and sawdust to make dynamite, Tyler says. The kiss shines wet on the back of my white hand. Dynamite, I say, and sit back on my heels. Tyler pries the lid off the can of lye. You can blow up bridges, Tyler says. You can mix the nitroglycerin with more nitric acid and paraffin and make gelatin explosives, Tyler says. You could blow up a building, easy, Tyler says. Tyler tilts the can of lye an inch above the shining wet kiss on the back of my hand. This is a chemical burn, Tyler says, and it will hurt worse than youve ever been burned. Worse than a hundred cigarettes. The kiss shines on the back of my hand. Youll have a scar, Tyler says. With enough soap, Tyler says, you could blow up the whole world. Now remember your promise. And Tyler pours the lye. Chapter 7 TYLERS SALIVA DID two jobs. The wet kiss on the back of my hand held the flakes of lye while they burned. That was the first job. The second was lye only burns when you combine it with water. Or saliva. This is a chemical burn, Tyler said, and it will hurt more than youve ever been burned. You can use lye to open clogged drains. Close your eyes. A paste of lye and water can burn through an aluminum pan. A solution of lye and water will dissolve a wooden spoon. Combined with water, lye heats to over two hundred degrees, and as it heats it burns into the back of my hand, and Tyler places his fingers of one hand over my fingers, our hands spread on the lap of my bloodstained pants, and Tyler says to pay attention because this is the greatest moment of my life. Because everything up to now is a story, Tyler says, and everything after now is a story. This is the greatest moment of our life. The lye clinging in the exact shape of Tylers kiss is a bonfire or a branding iron or an atomic pile meltdown on my hand at the end of a long, long road I picture miles away from me. Tyler tells me to come back and be with him. My hand is leaving, tiny and on the horizon at the end of the road. Picture the fire still burning, except now its beyond the horizon. A sunset. Come back to the pain, Tyler says. This is the kind of guided meditation they use at support groups. Dont even think of the word pain. Guided meditation works for cancer, it can work for this. Look at your hand, Tyler says. Dont look at your hand. Dont think of the word searing or flesh or tissue or charred. Dont hear yourself cry. Guided meditation. Youre in Ireland. Close your eyes. Youre in Ireland the summer after you left college, and youre drinking at a pub near the castle where every day busloads of English and American tourists come to kiss the Blarney stone. Dont shut this out, Tyler says. Soap and human sacrifice go hand in hand. You leave the pub in a stream of men, walking through the beaded wet car silence of streets where its just rained. Its night. Until you get to the Blarneystone castle. The floors in the castle are rotted away, and you climb the rock stairs with blackness getting deeper and deeper on every side with every step up. Everybody is quiet with the climb and the tradition of this little ac t of rebellion. Listen to me, Tyler says. Open your eyes. In ancient history, Tyler says, human sacrifices were made on a hill above a river. Thousands of people. Listen to me. The sacrifices were made and the bodies were burned on a pyre. You can cry, Tyler says. You can go to the sink and run water over your hand, but first you have to know that youre stupid and you will die. Look at me. Someday, Tyler says, you will die, and until you know that, youre useless to me. Youre in Ireland. You can cry, Tyler says, but every tear that lands in the lye flakes on your skin will burn a cigarette burn scar. Guided meditation. Youre in Ireland the summer after you left college, and maybe this is where you first wanted anarchy. Years before you met Tyler Durden, before you peed in your first creme anglaise, you learned about little acts of rebellion. In Ireland. Youre standing on a platform at the top of the stairs in a castle. We can use vinegar, Tyler says, to neutralize the burning, but first you have to give up. After hundreds of people were sacrificed and burned, Tyler says, a thick white discharge crept from the altar, downhill to the river. First you have to hit bottom. Youre on a platform in a castle in Ireland with bottomless darkness all around the edge of the platform, and ahead of you, across an arms length of darkness, is a rock wall. Rain, Tyler says, fell on the burnt pyre year after year, and year after year, people were burned, and the rain seeped through the wood ashes to become a solution of lye, and the lye combined with the melted fat of the sacrifices, and a thick white discharge of soap crept out from the base of the altar and crept downhill toward the river. And the Irish men aroun d you with their little act of rebellion in the darkness, they walk to the edge of the platform, and stand at the edge of the bottomless darkness and piss. And the men say, go ahead, piss your fancy American piss rich and yellow with too many vitamins. Rich and expensive and thrown away. This is the greatest moment of your life, Tyler says, and youre off somewhere missing it. Youre in Ireland. Oh, and youre doing it. Oh, yeah. Yes. And you can smell the ammonia and the daily allowance of B vitamins. Where the soap fell into the river, Tyler says, after a thousand years of killing people and rain, the ancient people found their clothes got cleaner if they washed at that spot. Im pissing on the Blarney stone. Geez, Tyler says. Im pissing in my black trousers with the dried bloodstains my boss cant stomach. Youre in a rented house on Paper Street. This means something, Tyler says. This is a sign, Tyler says. Tyler is full of useful information. Cultures without soap, Tyler says, they used their urine and the urine of their dogs to wash their clothes and hair because of the uric acid and ammonia. Theres the smell of vinegar, and the fire on your hand at the end of the long road goes out. Theres the smell of lye scalding the branched shape of your sinuses, and the hospital vomit smell of piss and vinegar. It was right to kill all those people, Tyler says. The back of your hand is swollen red and glossy as a pair of lips in the exact shape of Tylers kiss. Scattered around the kiss are the cigarette burn spots of somebody crying. Open your eyes, Tyler says, and his face is shining with tears. Congratulations, Tyler says. Youre a step closer to hitting bottom. You have to see, Tyler says, how the first soap was made of heroes. Think about the animals used in product testing. Think about the monkeys shot into space. Without their death, their pain, without their sacrifice, Tyler says, we would have nothing. I S T O P T H E elevator between floors while Tyler undoes his belt. When the elevator stops, the soup bowls stacked an the buffet cart stop rattling, and steam mushrooms up to the elevator ceiling as Tyler takes the lid off the soup tureen. Tyler starts to take himself out and says, Dont look at me, or I cant go. The soups a sweet tomato bisque with cilantro and clams. Between the two, nobody will smell anything else we put in. I sa y, hurry up, and I look back over my shoulder at Tyler with his last half inch hanging in the soup. This looks in a really funny way like a tall elephant in a waiters white shirt and bow tie drinking soup through its little trunk. Tyler says, I said, `Dont look. The elevator door in front of me has a little face-sized window that lets me look out into the banquet service corridor. With the elevator stopped between floors, my view is about a cockroach above the green linoleum, and from here at cockroach level the green corridor stretches toward the vanishing point, past half-open doors where titans and their gigantic wives drink barrels of champagne and bellow at each other wearing diamonds bigger han I feel. Last week, I tell Tyler, when the Empire State Lawyers were here for their Christmas party, I got mine hard and stuck it in all their orange mousses. Last week, Tyler says, he stopped the elevator and farted on a whole cart of Boccone Dolce for the Junior League tea. That Tyler knows how a meringue will absorb odor. At cockroach level, we can hear the captive harpist make musi c as the titans lift forks of butterflied lamb chop, each bite the size of a whole pig, each mouth a tearing Stonehenge of ivory. I say, go already. Tyler says, I cant. If the soup gets cold, theyll send it back. The giants, theyll send something back to the kitchen for no reason at all. They just want to see you run around for their money. A dinner like this, these banquet parties, they know the tip is already included in the bill so they treat you like dirt. We dont really take anything back to the kitchen. Move the Pommes Parisienne and the Asperges Hollandaise around the plate a little, serve it to someone else, and all of a sudden its fine. I say, Niagara Falls. The Nile River. In school, we all thought if you put somebodys hand in a bowl of warm water while they slept, theyd wet the bed. Tyler says, Oh. Behind me, Tyler says, Oh, yeah. Oh, Im doing it. Oh, yeah. Yes. Past half-open doors in the ballrooms off the service corridor swish gold and black and red skirts as tall as the gold velvet curtain at the Old Broadway Theatre. Now and again there are pairs of Cadillac sedans in black leather with shoelaces where the windshields should be. Above the cars move a city of office towers in red cummerbunds. Not too much, I say. Tyler and me, weve turned into the guerrilla terrorists of the service industry. Dinner party saboteurs. The hotel caters dinner parties, and when somebody wants the food they get the food and the wine and the china and glassware and the waiters. They get the works, all in one bill. And because they know they cant threaten you with the pp, to them youre just a cockroach. Tyler, he did a dinner party one time. This was when Tyler turned into a renegade waiter. That first dinner party, Tyler was serving the fish course in this white and glass cloud of a house that seemed to float over the city on steel legs attached to a hillside. Part of the way through the fish ourse, while Tylers rinsing plates from the pasta course, the hostess comes in the kitchen holding a scrap of paper that flaps like a flag, her hand is shaking so much. Through her clenched teeth, Madam wants to know did the waiters see any of the guests go down the hallway that leads to the bedroom part of the house? Especially any of the women guests? Or the host? In the kitchen, its Tyler and Albert and Len and Jerry rinsing a nd stacking the plates and a prep cook, Leslie, basting garlic butter on the artichoke hearts stuffed with shrimp and escargot. Were not supposed to go in that part of the house, Tyler says. We come in through the garage. All were supposed to see is the garage, the kitchen, and the dining room. The host comes in behind his wife in the kitchen doorway and takes the scrap of paper out of her shaking hand. This will be alright, he says. How can I face those people, Madam says, unless I know who did this? The host puts a flat open hand against the back of her silky white party dress that matches her house and Madam straightens up, her shoulders squared, and is all of a sudden quiet. They are your guests, he says. And this party is very important. This looks in a really funny way like a ventriloquist bringing his dummy to life. Madam looks at her husband, and with a little shove the host takes his wife back into the dining room. The note drops to the floor and the two-way swish-swish of the kitchen door sweeps the note against Tylers feet. Albert says, Whats it say? Len goes out to start clearing the fish course. Leslie slides the tray of artichoke hearts back into the oven and says, Whats it say, already? Tyler looks right at Leslie and says, without even picking up the note, `I have passed an amount of urine into at least one of your many elegant fragrances. Albert smiles. You pissed in her perfume? No, Tyler says. He just left the note stuck between the bottles. Shes got about a hundred bottles sitting on a mirror counter in her bathroom. Leslie smiles. So you didnt, really? No, Tyler says, but she doesnt know that. The whole rest of the night in that white and glass dinner party in the sky, Tyler kept clearing plates of cold artichokes, then cold veal with cold Pommes Duchesse, then cold Choufleur a la Polonaise from in front of the hostess, and Tyler kept filling her wine glass about a dozen times. Madam sat watching each of her women guests eat the food, until between clearing the sorbet dishes and serving the apricot gateau, Madams place at the head of the table was all of a sudden empty. They were washing up after the guests had left, loading the coolers and the china back into the hotel van, when the host came in the kitchen and asked, would Albert please come help him with something heavy? Leslie says, maybe Tyler went too far. Loud and fast, Tyler says how they kill whales, Tyler says, to make that perfume that costs more than gold per ounce. Most people have never seen a whale. Leslie has two kids in an apartment next to the freeway and Madam hostess has more bucks than well make in a year in bottles on her bathroom counter. Albert comes back from helping the host and dials 9-1-1 on the phone. Albert puts a hand over the mouth part and says, man, Tyler shouldnt have left that note. Tyler says, So, tell the banquet manager. Get me fired. Im not married to this chickenshit job. Everybody looks at their feet. Getting fired, Tyler says, is the best thing that could happen to any of us. That way, wed quit treading water and do something with our lives. Albert says into the phone that we need an ambulance and the address. Waiting on the line, Albert says the hostess is a real mess right now. Albert had to pick her up from next to the toilet. The host couldnt pick her up because Madam says hes the one who peed in her perfume bottles, and she says hes trying to drive her crazy by having an affair with one of the women guests, tonight, and shes tired, tired of all the people they call their friends. The host cant pick her up because Madams fallen down behind the toilet in her white dress and shes waving around half a broken perfume bottle. Madam says shell cut his throat, he even tries to touch her. Tyler says, Cool. And Albert stinks. Leslie says, Albert, honey, you stink. Theres no way you could come out of that bathroom not stinking, Albert says. Every bottle of perfume is broken on the floor and the toilet is piled full of the other bottles. They look like ice, Albert says, like at the fanciest hotel parties where we have to fill the urinals with crushed ice. The bathroom stinks and the floor is gritty with slivers of ice that wont melt, and when Albert helps Madam to her feet, her white dress wet with yellow stains, Madam swings the broken bottle at the host, lips in the perfume and broken glass, and lands on her palms. Shes crying and bleeding, curled against the toilet. Oh, and it stings, she says. Oh, Walter, it stings. Its stinging, Madam says. The perfume, all those dead whales in the cuts in her hands, it stings. The host pulls Madam to her feet against him, Madam holding her hands up as if she were prayin g but with her hands an inch apart and blood running down the palms, down the wrists, across a diamond bracelet, and to her elbows where it drips. And the host, he says, It will be alright, Nina. My hands, Walter, Madam says. It will be alright. Madam says, Who would do this to me? Who could hate me this much? The host says, to Albert, Would you call an ambulance? That was Tylers first mission as a service industry terrorist. Guerrilla waiter. Minimum-wage despoiler. Tylers been doing this for years, but he says everything is more fun as a shared activity. At the end of Alberts story, Tyler smiles and says, Cool. Back in the hotel, right now, in the elevator stopped between the kitchen and the banquet floors, I tell Tyler how I sneezed on the trout in aspic for the dermatologist convention and three people told me it was too salty and one person said it was delicious. Tyler shakes himself off over the soup tureen and says hes run dry. This is easier with cold soup, vichyssoise, or when the chefs make a really fresh gazpacho. This is impossible with that onion soup that has a crust of melted cheese on it in ramekins. If I ever ate here, thats what Id order. We were running out of ideas, Tyler and me. Doing stuff to the food sot to be boring, almost part of the job description. Then I hear one of the doctors, lawyers, whatever, say how a hepatitis bug can live on stainless steel for six months. You have to wonder how long this bug can live on Rum Custard Charlotte Russe. Or Salmon Timbale. I asked the doctor where could we get our hands on some of these hepatitis bugs, and hes drunk enough to laugh. Everything goes to the medical waste dump, he says. And he laughs. Everything. The medical waste dump sounds like hitting bottom. One hand on the elevator control, I ask Tyler if hes ready. The scar on the back of my hand is swollen red and glossy as a pair of lips in the exact shape of Tylers kiss. One second, Tyler says. The tomato soup must still be hot because the crooked thing Tyler tucks back in his pants is boiled pink as a jumbo prawn. Chapter 8 IN SOUTH AMERICA, Land of Enchantment, we could be wading in a river where tiny fish will swim up Tylers urethra. The fish have barbed spines that flare out and back so once theyre up Tyler, the fish set up housekeeping and get ready to lay their eggs. In so many ways, how we spent Saturday night could be worse. It couldve been worse, Tyler says, what we did with Marlas mother. I say, shut up. Tyler says, the French government couldve taken us to an underground complex outside of Paris where not even surgeons but semiskilled technicians would razor our eyelids off as part of toxicity testing an aerosol tanning spray. This stuff happens, Tyler says. Read the newspaper. Whats worse is I knew what Tyler had been up to with Marlas mother, but for the first time since Ive known him, Tyler had some oval play money. Tyler was making real bucks. Nordstroms called and left an order for two hundred bars of Tylers brown sugar facial soap before Christmas. At twenty bucks a bar, suggested retail price, we had money to go out on Saturday night. Money to fix the leak in the gas line. Go dancing. Without money to worry about, maybe I could quit my job. Tyler calls himself the Paper Street Soap Company. People are saying its the best soap ever. What wouldve been worse, Tyler says, is if you had accidentally eaten Marlas mother. Through a mouthful of Kung Pao Chicken, I say to just shut the hell up. Where we are this Saturday night is the front seat of a 1968 Impala sitting on two flats in the front row of a used-car lot. Tyler and me, were talking, drinking beer out of cans, and the front seat of this Impala is bigger than most peoples sofas. The car lots up and down this part of the boulevard, in the industry they call these lots the Pot Lots where the cars all cost around two hundred dollars and during the day, the gypsy guys who run these lots stand around in their plywood offices smoking long, thin cigars. The cars are the beater first cars kids drive in high school: Gremlins and Pacers, Mavericks and Hornets, Pintos, International Harvester pickup trucks, lowered Camaros and Dusters and Impalas. Cars that people loved and then dumped. Animals at the pound. Bridesmaid dresses at the Goodwill. With dents and gray or red or black primer quarter panels and rocker panels and lumps of body putty that nobody ever got around to sanding. Plastic wood and plastic leather and plastic chrome interiors. At night, the gypsy guys dont even lock the car doors. The headlights on the boulevard go by behind the price painted on the Impala-big wraparound Cinemascope windshield. See the U. S. A. The price is ninety-eight dollars. From the inside, this looks like eightynine cents. Zero, zero, decimal point, eight, nine. America is asking you to call. Most of the cars here are about a hundred dollars, and all the cars have an AS IS sales agreement hanging in the drivers window. We chose the Impala because if we have to sleep in a car on Saturday night, this car has the biggest seats. Were eating Chinese because we cant go home. It was either sleep here, or stay up all night at an after-hours dance club. We dont go to dance clubs. Tyler says the music is so loud, especially the base tracks, that it screws with his biorhythm. The last time we went out, Tyler said the loud music made him constipated. This, and the club is too loud to talk, so after a couple of drinks, everyone feels like the center of attention but completely cutoff from participating with anyone else. Youre the corpse in an English murder mystery. Were sleeping in a car tonight because Marla came to the house and threatened to call the police and have me arrested for cooking her mother, and then Marla slammed around the house, screaming that I was a ghoul and a cannibal and she went kicking through the piles of Readers Digest and National Geographic, and then I left her there. In a nutshell. After her accidental on-purpose suicide with Xanax at the Regent Hotel, I cant imagine Marla calling the police, but Tyler thought it would be good to sleep out, tonight. Just in case. Just in case Marla burns the house down. Just in case Marla goes out and finds a gun. Just in case Marla is still in the house. Just in case. I try to get centered: Watching white moon face The stars never feel anger Blah, blah, blah, the end Here, with the cars going by on the boulevard and a beer in my hand in the Impala with its cold, hard Bakelite steering wheel maybe three feet in diameter and the cracked vinyl eat pinching my ass through my jeans, Tyler says, One more time. Tell me exactly what happened. For weeks, I ignored what Tyler had been up to. One time, I went with Tyler to the Western Union office and watched as he sent Marlas mother a telegram. HIDEOUSLY WRINKLED (stop) PLEASE HELP ME! (end) Tyler had showed the clerk Marlas library card and signed Marlas name to the telegram order, an d yelled, yes, Marla can be a guys name sometimes, and the clerk could just mind his own business. When we were leaving the Western Union, Tyler said if I loved him, Id trust him. This wasnt something I needed to know about, Tyler told me and he took me to Garbonzos for hummus. What really scared me wasnt the telegram as much as it was eating out with Tyler. Never, no, never had Tyler ever paid cash for anything. [,or clothes, Tyler goes to gyms and hotels and claims clothing out of the lost and found. This is better than Marla, who goes to Laundromats to steal jeans out of the dryers and sell them at twelve dollars a pair to those places that buy used jeans. Tyler never ate in restaurants, and Marla wasnt wrinkled. For no apparent reason, Tyler sent Marlas mother a fifteen-pound box of chocolates. Another way this Saturday night could be worse, Tyler tells me in the Impala, is the brown recluse spider. When it bites you, it injects not just a venom but a digestive enzyme or acid that dissolves the tissue around the bite, literally melting your arm or your leg or your face. Tyler was hiding out tonight when this all started. Marla showed up at the house. Without even knocking, Marla leans inside the front door and shouts, Knock, knock. Im reading Readers Digest in the kitchen. I am totally nonplussed. Marla yells, Tyler. Can I come in? Are you home? I yell, Tylers not home. Marla yells, Dont be mean. By now, Im at the front door. Marlas standing in the foyer with a Federal Express overnight package, and says, I needed to put something in your freezer. I dog her heels on the way to the kitchen, saying, no. No. No. No. She is not going to start keeping her junk in this house. But Pumpkin, Marla says, I dont have a freezer at the hotel, and you said I could. No, I did not. The last thing I want is Marla moving in, one piece of crap at a time. Marla has her Federal Express package ripped open on the kitchen table, and she lifts something white out of the Styrofoam packing peanuts and shakes this white thing in my face. This is not crap, she says. This is my mother youre talking about so just fuck off. What Marla lifts out of the package, its one of those sandwich bags of white stuff that Tyler rendered for tallow to make soap. Things wouldve been worse, Tyler says, if youd accidentally eaten what was in one of those sandwich bags. If youd got up in the middle of the night sometime, and squeezed out the white goo and added California onion soup mix and eaten it as a dip with potato chips. Or broccoli. More than anything in the world right then, while Marla and I were standing in the kitchen, I didnt want Marla to open the freezer. I asked, what was she going to do with the white stuff? Paris lips, Marla said. As you get older, your lips pull inside your mouth. Im saving for a collagen lip injection. I have almost thirty pounds of collagen in your freezer. I asked, how big of lips did she want? Marla said it was the operation itself that scared her. The stuff in the Federal Express package, I tell Tyler in the Impala, that was the same stuff we made soap out of. Ever since silicone turned out to be dangerous, collagen has become the hot item to I gave injected to smooth out wrinkles or to puff up thin lips or weak chins. The way Marla had explained it, most collagen you get cheap from cow fat thats been sterilized and processed, but that kind of cheap collagen doesnt last very long in your body. Wherever you get injected, say in your lips, your body rejects it and starts to poop it out. Six months later, you have thin lips, again. The best kind of collagen, Marla said, is your own fat, sucked out of your thighs, processed and cleaned and injected back into your lips, or wherever. This kind of collagen will last. This stuff in the fridge at home, it was Marlas collagen trust fund. Whenever her mom grew any extra fat, she had it sucked out and packaged. Marla says the process is called gleaning. If Marlas mom doesnt need the collagen herself, she sends the packets to Marla. Marla never has any fat of her own, and her mom figures that familial collagen would be better than Marla ever having to use the cheap cow kind. Streetlight along the boulevard comes through the sales agreement m the window and prints AS IS on Tylers cheek. Spiders, Tyler says, could lay their eggs and larva could tunnel, under your skin. Thats how bad your life can get. Right now, my Almond Chicken in its warm, creamy sauce tastes like something sucked out of Marlas mothers thighs. It was right then, standing in the kitchen with Marla, that I knew what Tyler had done. HIDEOUSLY WRINKLED. And I knew why he sent candy to Marlas mother. PLEASE HELP. I say, Marla, you dont want to look in the freezer. Marla says, Do what? We never eat red meat, Tyler tells me in the Impala, and he cant use chicken fat or the soap wont harden into a bar. The stuff, Tyler says, is making us a fortune. We paid the rent with that collagen. I say, you shouldve told Marla. Now she thinks I did it. Saponification, Tyler says, is the chemical reaction you need to make good soap. Chicken fat wont work or any fat with too much salt. Listen, Tyler says. We have a big order to fill. What well do is send Marlas mom some chocolates and probably some fruitcakes. I dont think that will work, anymore. Long story short, Marla looked in the freezer. Okay, there was a little scuffle, first. I try to stop her, and the bag shes holding gets dropped and breaks open on the linoleum and we both slip in the greasy white mess and come up gagging. I have Marla around the waist from behind, her black hair whipping my face, her arms pinned to her sides, and Im saying over and over, it wasnt me. It wasnt me. I didnt do it. My mother! Youre spilling her all over! We needed to make soap, I say with my face pressed up behind her car. We needed to wash my pants, to pay the rent, to fix the leak in the gas line. It wasnt me. It was Tyler. Marla screams, What are you talking about? and twists out of her skirt. Im scrambling to get up off the greased floor with an armful of Marlas India cotton print skirt, and Marla in her panties and wedgie Feels and peasant blouse throws open the freezer part of the fridge, and inside theres no collagen trust fund. Theres two old flashlight batteries, but thats all. Where is she? Im already crawling backwards, my hands slipping, my shoes slipping on the linoleum, and my ass wiping a clean path across the dirty Moor away from Marla and the fridge. I hold up the skirt so I dont Dave to see Marlas face when I tell her. The truth. We made soap out of it. Her. Marlas mother. Soap? Soap. You boil fat. You mix it with lye. You get soap. When Marla s creams, I throw the skirt in her face and run. I slip. I run. Around and around the first floor, Marla runs after me, skidding m the corners, pushing off against the window casings for momentum. Slipping. Leaving filthy handprints of grease and floor dirt among the wallpaper flowers. Falling and sliding into the wainscoting, getting back up, running. Marla screaming, You boiled my mother! Tyler boiled her mother. Marla screaming, always one swipe of her fingernails behind me. Tyler boiled her mother. You boiled my mother! The front door was still open. And then I was out the front door with Marla screaming in the doorway behind me. My feet didnt slip against the concrete sidewalk, and I just kept running. Until I found Tyler or until Tyler found me, and I told him what happened. With one beer each, Tyler and I spread out on the front and back seats with me in the front seat. Even now, Marlas probably still in the house, throwing magazines against the walls and screaming how Im a prick and a monster twofaced capitalist suck-ass bastard. The miles of night between Marla and me offer insects and melanomas and flesh-eating viruses. Where Im at isnt so bad. When a man is hit by lightning, Tyler says, his head burns down to a smoldering baseball and his zipper welds itself shut. I say, did we hit bottom, tonight? Tyler lies back and asks, If Marilyn Monroe was alive right now, what would she be doing? I say, goodnight. The headliner hangs down in shreds from the ceiling, and Tyler says, Clawing at the lid of her coffin. Chapter 9 MY BOSS STANDS too close to my desk with his little smile, his lips together and stretched thin, his crotch at my elbow. I look up from writing the cover letter for a recall campaign. These letters always begin the same way: This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Motor Vehicle Safety Act. We have determined that a defect exists . . . This week I ran the liability formula, and for once A times B times C equaled more than the cost of a recall. This week, its the little plastic clip that holds the rubber blade on your windshield wipers. A throwaway item. Only two hundred vehicles affected. Next to nothing for the labor cost. Last week was more typical. Last week the issue was some leather cured with a known teratogenic substance , synthetic Nirret or something just as illegal thats still used in third world tanning. Something so strong that it could cause birth defects in the fetus of any pregnant woman who comes across it. Last week, nobody called the Department of Transportation. Nobody initiated a recall. New leather multiplied by labor cost multiplied by administration cost would equal more than our first-quarter profits. If anyone ever discovers our mistake, we can still pay off a lot of grieving families before we come close to the cost of retrofitting sixty-five hundred leather interiors. But this week, were doing a recall campaign. And this week the insomnia is back. Insomnia, and now the whole world figures to stop by and take a dump on my grave. My boss is wearing his gray tie so today must be a Tuesday. My boss brings a sheet of paper to my desk and asks if Im looking for something. This paper was left in the copy machine, he says, and begins to read: The first rule of fight club is you dont talk about fight club. His eyes go side to side across the paper, and he giggles. The second rule of fight club is you dont talk about fight club. I hear Tylers words come out of my boss, Mister Boss with his midlife spread and family photo on his desk and his dreams about early retirement and winters spent at a trailer-park hookup in some Arizona desert. My boss, with his extra-starched shirts and standing appointment for a haircut every Tuesday after lunch, he looks at me, and he says: I hope this isnt yours. I am Joes Blood-Boiling Rage. Tyler asked me to type up the fight club rules and make him ten copies. Not nine, not eleven. Tyler says, ten. Still, I have the insomnia, and cant remember sleeping since three nights ago. This must be the original I typed. I made ten copies, and forgot the original. The paparazzi flash of the copy machine in my face. The insomnia distance of everything, a copy of a copy of a copy. You cant touch anything, and nothing can touch you. My boss reads: The third rule of fight club is two men per fight. Neither of us blinks. My boss reads: One fight at a time. I havent slept in three days unless Im sleeping now. My boss shakes the paper under my nose. What about it, he says. Is this some little game Im playing on company time? Im paid for my full attention, not to waste time with little war games. And Im not paid to abuse the copy machines. What about it? He shakes the paper under my nose. What do I think, he asks, what should he do with an employee who spends company time in some little fantasy world. If I was in his shoes, what would I do? What would I do? The hole in my cheek, the blue-black swelling around my eyes, and the swollen red scar of Tylers kiss on the back of my hand, a copy of a copy of a copy. Speculation. Why does Tyler want ten copies of the fight club rules? Hindu cow. What I would do, I say, is Id be very careful who I talked to about this paper. I say, it sounds like some dangerous psychotic killer wrote this, and this buttoned-down schizophrenic could probably go over the edge at any moment in the working day and stalk from office to office with an Armalite AR-180 carbine gas-operated semiautomatic. My boss just looks at me. The guy, I say, is probably at home every night with a little rattail file, filing a cross into the tip of every one of his rounds. This way, when he shows up to work one morning and pumps a round into his nagging, ineffectual, petty, whining, butt-sucking, candy-ass boss, that one round will split along the filed grooves and spread open the way a dumdum bullet flowers inside you to blow a bushel load of your stinking guts out through your spine. Picture your gut chakra opening in a slow-motion explosion of sausage-casing small intestine. My boss takes the paper out from under my nose. Go ahead, I say, read some more. No really, I say, it sounds fascinating. The work of a totally diseased mind. And I smile. The little butthole-looking edges of the hole in my cheek are the same blue-black as . a dogs gums. The skin stretched tight across the swelling around my eyes feels varnished. My boss just looks at me. Let me help you, I say. I say, the fourth rule of fight club is one fight at a time. My boss looks at the rules and then looks at me. I say, the fifth rule is no shoes, no shirts in the fight. My boss looks at the rules and looks at me. Maybe, I say, this totally diseased fuck would use an Eagle Apache carbine because an Apache takes a thirty-shot mag and only weighs nine pounds. The Armalite only takes a five-round magazine. With thirty shots, our totally fucked hero could go the length of mahogany row and take out every vice president with a cartridge left over for each director. Tylers words coming out of my mouth.

Enhancing Employability in Marketing The WritePass Journal

Enhancing Employability in Marketing Introduction Enhancing Employability in Marketing ). Current trends also include co-marketing in which various brands allied in a particular field come together in marketing campaigns such as consumer, trade and press events for mutual benefit. Complementary businesses create partnerships which enable them to benefit from economies of scale, and enables increased exposure to new audiences (Gruber 2004). Also included among current trends are in-store merchandising which include posters, branding, brochures, product displays and the securing of valuable shop floor space for merchandise; in-house expos that are used to showcase product portfolio and entire brand to trade and press; product placements in movies, sitcoms, games and other media; direct marketing and public relations; and outdoor media campaigns targeting key commuter areas and areas with greater potential consumer reach which result in increased web traffic and enquiries by consumers (KTLLC report 2012). The traditional marketing platforms such as newspaper ads, magazine placements, and commercials on television and radio are still quite effective but are, however, challenged by the emerging technologies and are slowly losing the significance that they have had in the past (Roberts 2007). There are contemporary (non-traditional) forms that have emerged with the success of emerging technologies but these platforms are yet to gain prominence and therefore are not yet highly effective though they have huge potential (KTLLC report 2012). These are inclusive of mobile marketing which entails mobile advertising, as well as, the use of marketing apps and branded apps on mobile to reach consumers with brand messages; crowd sourcing which is an open innovative model pioneered by sites such as Threadless.com in which customers are engaged to design and vote on new product designs; and geotargeting which entails the use of popular tools such as local websites offering discounts and review opportunities making it easy for consumers to find deals and engage with the businesses in their neighbourhoods and beyond creating local marketing campaigns which are highly targeted (Ebling 2007). During my placement, I was also tasked with the management of databases containing customer information while ensuring the smooth and effective operation of general processes and procedures pertaining to the Brand Management team. These processes include the coordination of general Public Relations activities; magazine subscriptions; implementation of new policies into the department; cross-brand trade promotion analysis and the maintenance of cross-brand expenditure tracking tools such as the advertising log, among other expenses. With regard to Brand Specific activities, I was tasked to assist Fisher Outdoor Leisure’s brand managers with specific brand activities such as the devising of strategy and alignment of messages for the commute and leisure cycling categories, new product launches, overall brand building, trade and consumer communication, and the implementation of an integrated marketing plan. Employability Various selection methods are used by recruiters, employers and agencies in the search for individuals to form organization’s workforce and to enable these organizations to achieve their success and objectives. The traditional method is the form in which written applications are sent either directly to employers or to agencies which is followed by robust interviews to screen candidates for appropriate fit to the organization’s objectives (Srinivasan 2009). Registration with job recruitment agencies or job search firms, as well as the personal network/word of mouth is more prominent as employers through their relationship with the agency or its network are able to gain valuable insight into the track record on current or previous roles of a candidate and thereby avoid the rigor associated with screening for appropriate candidates (Jacoby 2005). Temporary staff recruitment by employment agencies is also a method of recruitment in which an agency recruits and offers individuals for employment in organizations on a temporary basis (CBI report 2009). ­Ã‚ ­ Choice of candidates from work placement candidates and interns is also prominent in some organization’s hiring activity as these individuals are deemed to have gained valuable experience and have been observed at work, tried and tested for appropriateness (Salary Market Insight report 2012). Advantages of work placement The main advantage of a year-long work placement for second year undergraduates is that it gives the individual useful experience of the job market and valuable experience on what goes on in the business environment or in various organizations (CBI report 2009). It also enables an individual to make appropriate decisions on their career path before they actually make necessary decisions regarding coursework paths, the areas that they would like to continue with as their chosen careers.   Work placement also enhances the chances of finding work with the respective companies as the individuals who have had gained experience on work placement are deemed more valuable than new recruits who would require extensive time-consuming training (CBI report 2009). Disadvantages of work placement A disadvantage arises from the increase in time spent in college, with the addition of a full year to enable the year-long work placement program. Also a disadvantage is the timing, as in second year, a student is not quite adequately informed about their career choices and paths and this might affect their choice of work placement programs (Brown 1998). Ease of obtaining work placement Organizations and employers in the modern day are cautious and risk averse, concerned with keeping the headcount within consistent which causes a dip in hiring activity. This caution also affects the work placement programs as these are paid positions which should contribute to the overall objective (Salary Market Insight report 2012). Getting work placement in this regard is therefore not easy under these circumstances and constraints. Organizations continue to seek specialist skills that will make immediate tangible impact on their bottom lines fighting for the high calibre, high quality candidates often in a limited talent pool. This has necessitated the use of screening and elimination processes to acquire the best fit with successful candidates often being those who have previous relevant and valuable experience (Salary Market Insight report 2012). This locks out candidates from the work placement category as this constrains opportunities for entrants into the job market with low skills and a huge requirement for training, therefore, making the finding of work placement opportunities a challenge. However, employers and universities have a duty to prepare tomorrows workforce through the development of their skills and attributes such as self-management, team working, understanding of key drivers for business success, problem solving, communication and literacy, entrepreneurship, and a positive attitude among other skills and attributes. In light of the limited talent pool and the difficulty in finding people with specialized skill sets, it is essential that organizations create work placement opportunities that enable the development of these desired skill sets and traits (CBI report 2009). This endeavour therefore eases the finding of work placement opportunities overall and enables companies attract quality graduates and post graduates with the desired skill and trait sets. Work placement fit in my career plan In the development towards my career in marketing, work placement at Fisher Outdoor Leisure Limited fits very well in my plan as it has given me invaluable insight and practical experience with regard to the marketing and advertising field. This opportunity has also enabled me to develop a number of skills and attributes that are often required in the job market and that enhance my chances in the job market upon graduating. The various tasks that I engaged in during my work placement covered a huge part of what marketing entails and were representative of the actual tasks that would comprise my future role in my career. My intention in preparing myself for the job market and enhancing my chances therefore includes identifying my skills sets and desirable attributes and those that I lack so as to further my personal development and employability. The skills that I intend to develop include entrepreneurship which includes risk taking, creativity and innovation which my work placement at Fisher Outdoor Leisure greatly helped me develop through the engagement in the marketing tasks. An attribute also developed at Fisher Outdoor Leisure Ltd. is communication through my involvement in developing marketing messages and general communication with trade and customers which required effective listening and questioning; problem solving skills through the situations in my particular responsibility and daily tasks with the requirement for creative thinking in developing advertising programs and strategies. It is evident therefore that my work placement was very important in development towards my future career. In my development towards my career, I need to develop self-management trait better in terms of developing flexibility, resilience, readiness for any responsibility and tasks, as well as, assertiveness; and to generally develop a positive attitude, openness to new ideas and a drive to achieve that will enable success in my chosen career path and contribution in my particular job. I would also need to develop number skills and the application of numbers that would be useful in analysis and evaluation of various data and information in the markets and in my particular professional field. This would require that I develop an understanding on the application and use of various Information technology tools and software, as well as taking relevant professional courses upon completion of my undergraduate studies that would build my capacity for such analysis and evaluation appropriate for my career. After graduation, I would also seek short term volunteer positions or internships that would enable to gain in understanding of key drivers for business and to fill up idle time that will result with the completion of my undergraduate study. This endeavour would benefit me in enhancing practical experience gained, adding on to my track record and overall skill thereby improving my employability and ease in getting a hiring. Conclusion This report has detailed my work placement which was undertaken at Fisher Outdoor Leisure Limited, a UK cycle distributor. My tasks and duties as Brand Assistant in the company entailed engagement in communication with trade customers, Market analysis, Corporate Brand development, enhancement of operational effectiveness in the marketing department, and involvement in Brand specific activities generally. The report has also delved into current trends in the Marketing and advertising industry taking an overview of the various platforms including social media and the online platform, the traditional print, TV and radio and the emerging contemporary platforms such as mobile marketing, crowd sourcing and geotargeting. It has also discussed the ease of obtaining work placement identifying the advantages and disadvantages of such work placement in second year undergraduate; overall employability and the skills and attributes that enhance such employability; and my personal endeavour towards employability and the development towards my future career. References Ataman, M., C., Mela, and H., Van Heerde, 2008. Building brands. Marketing Science, forthcoming. Burgess, S., and J., Steenkamp, 2006. â€Å"Marketing renaissance: How research in emerging markets advances marketing science and practice.† In: International Journal of  Research in Marketing, 23 (4). CBI Employability Report, 2009. Graduate employability – CBI/UUK Report. Jacoby, S., 2005. The Embedded Corporation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. KTLLC communications report, 2012. Creative Solutions for Converging media. Salary and Market Insight Report, 2012. Michael Page. Roberts, J., U., Kayande, and S., Stremersch, 2007. Impact of marketing science on practice. European Marketing Association Conference Presentation. Srinivasan, S., and D., Hanssens, 2009. Marketing and firm value, Journal of Marketing  Research, forthcoming. Brown, S., and K., Eisenhardt, 1998. Competing on the Edge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Gruber, M., 2004. Marketing in new ventures: Theory and empirical evidence. Schmalenbach Business Review, 56(April 2004), 164-199. Ebling, C., and D., Klapper, 2007. Dynamic effects of promotions in choice data: Differences with respect to whether, what and how much to purchase. Marketing Dynamics Conference 2007. Delre, S., et al., 2007. Targeting and timing promotional activities: An agent-based model for the take-off of new products. Journal of Business Research, 60 (8), 826-835.