Venus Rising from the Sea; A Deception by Raphaelle Peale Essay

Venus Rising from the Sea; A Deception by Raphaelle Peale - Essay Example From the title, Venus, we can suppose that the woman is a goddess, not an ordinary woman. Perhaps only idealized by the painter, the piece is so unusual as to inspire a deep sense of mystery. Intriguing in its veiled meaning and dark somber background we wish we could see more of the figure behind the cloth. The artist, Raphaelle Peale was known for his still lifes and we see the masterful technique in the rendering of the sheet. The drapery and folds of the cloth are so voluptuous, the 3-dimensional quality places such importance on it, that we barely notice the woman behind it. Perhaps this is what the deception is, at first glance the work appears to be the fabric alone and we must look closely to see the woman at all. Without many elements in the painting it is easy to see its different parts. At first we are confronted with the sheet, bold and overpowering both in size and brightness when seen against the dark ground. Next we see the strip of fabric it hangs from as we look mor e closely. Once we come to the top of the canvas we see the arm reaching above the drapery. After we recognize this as a female figure and begin to understand the image we see her foot and the flowers around it. The background recedes so much that we don’t really notice it itself but become aware of it in sharp contrast to the foreground because of the dark values. It is difficult to tell if we see it earlier or only after looking at the elements placed in front of it. At first glance, my response to the painting is that it is a wonderful contemporary piece, almost photographic of a plain white sheet. I then came to discover that the painting was done in the early 19th century, 150 years before I had imagined. The artist was from Philadelphia and this probably would have first been seen there as part of a local exhibit although his work was shown in other exhibitions in other parts of the country. This painting did not serve any special purpose. Painted in oil on canvas it d eparts from the artist’s main body of work in still life to include a figure. Study for Aspects of Negro Life: An Idyll of the Deep South by Aaron Douglas â€Å"Study for Aspects of Negro Life: An Idyll of the Deep South† is a narrative painting depicting a celebratory scene of musicians gathered in a field. Painted by Aaron Douglas, one of the most influential painters of the Harlem Renaissance, the scene most likely recounts the life of African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in New York, born in the same self named place. Members of the artistic community hoped to portray African Americans and bridge the gap to the predominantly white world. Artists, writers and musicians all played a part in the â€Å"rebirth† of African expression. The musicians we see behind the geometric, Art Deco style circular pattern seem to be enjoying an evening of song and dance. Alongside them we see men working as if sowing the land. The setting appears to be a fo rest or wooded area in the evening. Long known for singing to pass the time while planting the fields, this piece is reminiscent of early African farm workers. The mixture of elements, trees and field, evening and people at work, musicians in the same field as the workers, all add to the surreal quality of the painting. The first thing we notice in the painting is the surface layer. The concentric circles create a veil we must look through to see the picture behind it. After enjoying this geometric glow of

Chapter 3 Synthesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 3 Synthesis - Essay Example the classroom environment and provide positive behavioral example (behaviorism) as well as mind the differences in culture, educational background, learning styles, and family life of the students (cognitivism). Constructivism emphasizes practical aspects of learning, asserting that all the participants of the lesson construct knowledge collectively, sometimes with considerable changes in the process, which requires from teachers flexibility and creativity. In reality, teachers should invest a lot of time in preparation for lessons: explaining the importance of activities, selecting activities, their sequence, playback strategies, and rehearsing. This will allow paying more attention to immediate reactions of the students: the chapter suggests assessing the progress of students and the atmosphere in classroom with maximal frequency. An ideal classroom works for itself in the sense that students work as much if not more than teacher and that they are so engaged in learning as to teach each other. In such collaborative environment, a teacher shares with students his/her expectations and his/her impressions from the process of teaching while remaining opened to the students’

Philosophy of Religion of Ancient Israelites Essay

Philosophy of Religion of Ancient Israelites - Essay Example Genesis states that God created matter, order as well as life within the cosmos and the first chapter reveals the order of creation supernaturally. Therefore, as far as Christianity is concerned, the Bible already reveals the aspects that science is discovering and the first verses of the book of Genesis are against seven of humanity’s false philosophies. Further, the teachings of Islam state that the universe, including man and the physical environment if the earth, was created by God. According to Islam, the ultimate goal is visualizing the cosmos like a book of symbols for mediating and contemplating an uplifting of spirits or a binding from which the soul of human beings have to escape in order to achieve actual freedom in their spiritual journey towards God (Tymieniecka & Muhtaroglu, 2010). On the other hand the Hindu timeline and cosmology can be considered as the closest to the contemporary scientific timelines and might demonstrate that the Big Bang was not the beginning but a commencement of the current cycle that came before an infinite universe that may be followed by other vast universes (Rinehart, 2004). In the Hindu concept, the Rig Veda questions where the cosmos originated from and is perception of the cosmos also considers one actual divine ideology that is self-protecting such as Vaak, which is a divine word that means â€Å"birthing the cosmos†. The Hindu concept considers Brahma as the creator, whom God created and the universe is seen as constantly expanding from the moment it was created and disappearing into a haze in billions of years.   

Starbucks Strategy Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Strategy Essay Starbuck’s Coffee is a multi-billion dollar company. It was founded in 1971 in Seattle, Washington. It was a single store located in the Park Place Market area of Seattle. The idea started with three friends, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker. They opened a small shop and began selling fresh-roasted, gourmet coffee beans and brewing and roasting accessories. The company’s total revenue for 2013 was $14.8 Billion Dollars. Today, they have more than 21,000 stores in 65 countries and is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. The company expects to expand to more countries and open more stores in the future. In this paper, I will discuss Starbucks Organizational Culture that has led to its phenomenal success, the effects of managements’ decisions on the company, the one key management competency of the company, and the success of the current CEO and whether Starbucks would be successful without him. Starbucks has many key elements in its cultural organization that has led to its phenomenal success. Some of these organizational cultures include: Legendary service, diversity, organizational structure, and organizational ethics. In today’s society a company must have adaptable organizational cultures in order to be successful. One of the major reasons that Starbucks has maintained its ability to be successful is that it maintains the ethical culture within its organization. The company’s business Ethics and compliance programs has helped the partners (employees) in taking ethical business decisions as it provides guidelines in the Standard Business Conduct, which help partners make ethical decisions. Starbucks is committed to providing legendary customer service, they even hired an cultural anthropologist, Barbara Perry, to help strengthen its foundations for customer care. (Schreiner, 2011). Starbucks has three ways in which it provides legendary service, they include: knowing the Running head: Starbucks’ Strategy  customer, decreasing wait time, and being on the customer’s side. Legendary services offered by Starbucks include: giving the customers respect by knowing their name and type of drink, reducing wait time by acknowledging a customer and keeping the line moving and finally being on the customer’s side. Starbucks diversity and inclusion are a central part of Starbuck’s corporate strategy. It embraces diversity as an essential component in the way they do business. Twenty-four percent of the top corporate officers are women. Thirteen percent of the top executives are people of color. The most impressive statistic of Starbucks is the company’s continued commitment to its supplier- diversity program, which tracks spending with minority-and women owned businesses. The projected spending with these companies is expected to jump to $140 million dollars this year. Organizational structure is the hierarchical arrangement of lines of authority, communications, rights and duties of an organization (Schreiner, 2011). Starbucks does not operate under a franchise, however, they do license storefronts. Even though the stores are licensed storefronts, they are still controlled by Starbucks Headquarters. It overseas all of its stores and this allows for more control over how the individual stores are run. It leaves little room for stores not to performing according to company guidelines. Organizational ethics is the way an organization should respond to external and internal environments (Schreiner, 2011). Starbucks is considered one of the world’s most ethical companies (Screiner, 2011). The company makes a conscience effort to be a responsible company and conducts their business in an eithical manner. It uses its resources, such as; community, sourcing, environment, diversity and wellness. It openly displays its commitment to being a socially responsible company by letting the customers know what  they are doing and displays their mission Running head: statement in each store, prints facts on its coffee cups and puts information on its company’s website. Starbucks as earned this reputation through its actions in all phases of its business and live out the commitment through both its mission statement and values. Starbucks has business ethics program that is used to protect its Missions’ Culture. It is used to assist the partners to make ethical decision at their jobs. The decisions of the management and its choices for the company has a tremendous effect on employees, customers and the business. Starbucks has created an environment that is very relaxing to customers. It is a one of a kind coffee shop. There is no other coffee shop of this kind. Everything within the Starbuck’s environment is relaxing, calming and tension relieving. They make it the perfect comfort zone. One key management competency that Starbucks manager is like to have is Leadership Abilities. An individual must have great leadership skill in order to lead others. Leadership is the Process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task (Schreiner. 2011). There are very few people that can become leaders. It takes a very special individual to become a leader. Leaders lead in ways that serve the greater good of the organization. Starbucks demonstrates servant leadership and goes beyond the needs of its customers to the needs of the community. At Starbucks, the company’s values and missions are inspiring. They always put customers first. They empower their partners and help develop their full personal capacities. Starbucks help develop their partners to also demonstrate servant leadership. The partners feel far more committed to this company and their values and mission. When the individual that run companies show concern, respect and care for their employees Running head: they get better performance from them. It can clearly be seen that Starbucks Leadership is exceptional, they take the time to understand the needs of their employees. Many can see the difference in the Leadership of company’s such as Wal-Mart and McDonald’s. They have poor Leadership skills. They do not respect their employees. The employees of Wal-Mart and McDonald’s do not respect their jobs, because leadership is bad. If they respected their employees, then one would not always see the protest for more wages, benefits and hors. It is clear that Starbucks is doing something correct. There has never been any protest of kind with Starbucks. Other company’s should follow the Leadership Skill of Starbucks. Starbucks most likely would not maintain its long term sustainability without its current CEO, Howard Shultz. Howard Shultz has been the CEO of Starbucks since 1987. As the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Shultz made changes to the company at the beginning, that help set the path to its success today. The first change was to turn Starbucks into a coffee bar. He came up with this idea after vacationing in Italy and sitting at a coffee bar in Milan, Italy. He saw that it was a place where the coffee shop played an intregal role in the social life of most of the Italians (Wong, 2013). It was a focal point for the neighborhood, where friends met, mingled and stayed all hours of the day. Hence, this became the idea for Starbucks coffee. They later opened their first coffee bar in Seattle, Washington. He also introduced exotic coffee beverages such as espresso, cappuccino, cafà ©-latte, iced coffee and cafà ©-mocha. This was the first coffee shop to introduce these types of coffees. He also made the atmosphere clean, well-lighted, where people could relax and enjoy their coffee in comfort. The most effective change that Shultz made to Starbucks brand was to change the way the company delt with its employees, he implemented an crucial company employment training Running head: program. Starbucks is aware that the employee can make or break your company. Shultz stated that â€Å"friendly, effective service would boost sales (Wong, 2013). He instituted a training program designed to groom knowledgeable employees who would enjoy working behind a counter. â€Å"Service is a lost art in America. It’s not viewed as a professional job to work behind a counter† says Shultz. We don’t believe that. We want to provide our people with dignity and self-esteem, so we offer tangible benefits†Ã‚  (Wong, 2013). Some of the benefits Starbucks offer are complete health insurance for both full and part-time workers and stock options. During a brief 8 year hiatus, Starbucks had a new CEO Jim Donald. During this time Starbucks stocks dropped to 42% and they closed more than 700 stores and layed off more than 700 employees. After this downfall of the company, they re-instated Howard Shultz as CEO. He has made changes to the company that has made it more successful. These include calling their employees partners instead of employees, redesigned stores, introduced breakfast foods, implemented luxuries such as charging stations and Wi-Fi and most of all, he more than doubled the number of stores opened since he was reinstated as CEO. It can be seen that Starbucks would not be as successful today without the current CEO, Howard Shultz. Most other companies can take a good example from this Leader. References Daft, R. (2012). Management (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Schreiner, E. (2011). Starbucks and Its Orgaizational Design. SmallbusinessWong, V. (2013). Starbucks takes Over Your Life, Boots Sales. Businessweek.

Beyond the Meat :: Writing Education Writer Essays

Beyond the Meat Ok then, so far you have been told that the theme paper is the meat of the main course for the meal of college writing, and in order to excel in the process of education you must master the boundaries of the five paragraph dilemma. You must know how to use the knife and fork of discovery. To know the boundaries is to know style. You have learned the technique of writing (or eating a theme paper). Congratulations to yourself! You are well on your way to enlightenment or in the very least employment! Ok then, so you are well acquainted with the boundaries of the theme and have even picked up a few interesting techniques along the way. Now you must cross over the borders... invade the undiscovered country of whatever monster (forms) lie beyond. It is easy to cross the borders, just take a step and your over; and then... what? You definitely do not want to look out of the window and describe what you see, that would be too much like that masterpiece of ambiguity "Untitled". You have nowhere to turn to so you ask your sleeping cats if they have any clue as to what lies beyond the theme (just in case there is some modicum of truth between the myth and the reality). Dada-dee, Dada-dum... Ok, so you decide that writing is about boundaries, about how a form is contained, and in themes boundaries help you to express ideas -- Right? Maybe to express ideas about what lies beyond the theme you have to cross more boundaries. Cool, you decide that you will not use pronouns; or better yet, you will interchange pronouns -- I, You, He, she, It, We, They (and sometimes "Y" and and "W") -- just randomly substitute one word for another. Meaning looses all sense of subject importance. How much MEANING do you really want to convey or understand? [INSERT METAPHOR HERE] Ok then , so you think "MEANING", Dada-dee, Dada-dum. Clarity is in the eyes of the beholders and you feel beholden to whomever said that. Words come floating into your room, they circumnavigate the breath of your understanding and settle next to your sleeping cats... Phonemes, paroles, logocentrism, signs and signifiers... RATS! Words have a connoted meaning to the reader. A random placement of the articles of language will move you outside of the borders; but into an Eitherland of gibberish.

Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx In Karl Marx Communist Manifesto, he discusses his belief that with all of the Industrial Revolutions, and the stray away from traditional social order and agriculture, that the governments that supporting these revolutions is surely setting themselves up for, economic, social, and political failure. He makes his point very clear that the new machines and technological advancements during this time will negatively affect the working class. As the skilled laborers quit their trades and move to Inner cities to get Jobs in factories, there will surely be no one to teach or learn hat trade therefore that trade becoming extinct.He also shows the bourgeois as the mall reason for these new revolutions, and also how they are headed down a path toward communism. The workers will fall entrapped Into their work, and after some time will feel they cannot leave nor complain of harsh conditions or low wages, due the need to provide for their family. Marx shows that this will short term b enefit the bourgeois due to the Increase demand for the goods and the low wages they are having to pay the workers, however long term this will bring them down.The reason he believes they will fall is due to workers only working to supply food and rent, therefore they wont be able to purchase any of the goods being made. He states that the machines doing all of the labor work will, in time, replace workers and the bourgeois will be making products for people that have no money to buy them. Marx states that if there is any hope for society that there must be a change back to the old ways of farming, cattle, and stopping external trade.It is the belief of Marx that if Hess changes aren't made that we will also because a nation of one people and there will no longer be many different ideas, religions, and politics, which will lead to human extinction. Karl Mar's Communist Manifesto By clamshells to inner cities to get Jobs in factories, there will surely be no one to teach or learn mai n reason for these new revolutions, and also how they are headed down a path toward communism. The workers will fall entrapped into their work, and after some bourgeois due to the increase demand for the goods and the low wages they are

Certificate of Authorship Essay

I have read and understand Strayer University’s Academic Integrity Policy. I promise to conduct myself with integrity in the submission of all academic work to the University and will not give or receive unauthorized assistance for the completion of assignments, research papers, examinations or other work. I understand that violations of the Academic Integrity Policy will lead to disciplinary action against me, up to and including suspension or expulsion from the University. I understand that all students play a role in preserving the academic integrity of the University and have an obligation to report violations of the Academic Integrity Policy committed by other student. In addition, I Arita Gibbs certify that I am the author of this document and any assistance I received in preparing this report fully acknowledged. I have also cited in APA format for all sources that I obtained ideas, data, and words. Sources are properly credited according to the APA guidelines. Arita Gibbs Due Week 9/ Date: 03/06/14 Promotional and Advertising Strategies Promotional and advertising strategies are important tools for businesses to stay on top. A company has to work hard every day to remain competitive. Most of their tactics include peeking the interest of consumers to buy a specific brand which is called a promotional strategy (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 391). Promotional strategies also are put together to control the mix of daily activities, which the business benefits with market increase (Boone &Kurtz, 2013, p. 391). Advertising is another piece of the marketing process. It plays a major part in getting the word out regarding the product or service the business is selling (Lake, 2014). There are a few types of advertising such as, product advertising, cause advertising and institutional advertising (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 398). Product advertising is design to involve ads with a message that differentiate the company’s merchandise or brand from competitors (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 398). An example would be a credit card from any well-known company. Cause advertising deals with issues regarding ways to influence public and government opinion (Boone &Kurtz, 2013 p. 398). Companies who are designed for profit and those organizations who are charitably operated believe this tool is a win-win for everyone (Kokemuller, 2014). Important issues today being discussed are that children and adults should have every necessity in life, which should not prevent them from learning, living or being hungry (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 398). Institutional advertising is a marketing tool which is based on the image of the company. This tool also promotes the designs, values and beliefs, as well as the good deeds of the organization (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 398). Le Bonheur Children’s hospital is an excellent example. The company marketing strategy shows how a person can contribute a small donation an in turn can save a child’s life who is suffering from an illness. In assignment three, it states to compare and contrast the promotional strategies used by two different companies for a similar product. Next recommend two ways in which the company’s selected product could use marketing information to differentiate itself in the marketplace to gain an advantage over the company’s competitors. This paper will suggest two usages for consumer-oriented promotions that could assist a company in both the short and long-term, as well as analyzing the strategic manner in which the leading company in the product group has made a pricing decision by using one or more of the four pricing objectives. In closing two suggestive actions of other companies within the same product group will be given in order to help them differentiate themselves and gain a competitive advantage. The most effective advertising medium will also be discussed (Strayer University, 2014, p. 17). The two companies chosen are Nike and Adidas. Compare and Contrast the Promotional Strategies for Nike Inc. and Adidas Group Nike has become one of the largest marketers for athletic shoes (Nike, 2014). The company has global shares worth more than 30 percent (Nike, 2014.). Nike has sold their products through thousands of other retail stores as well as their products to countries both domestically and overseas (Nike, 2014). The company has outlet stores. Almost all of their products are made by independent contractors mainly located out of the country, with Nike involved in the market strategy and growth (Nike, 2014). Not counting the large range of core athletic shoes and clothing advertised under the leading brand, the company also sells shoes under other brands such as, Converse, Chuck Taylor, All Star and Jack Purcell through solely owned businesses (Nike, 2014). There is so much more to Nike. The company has relied on creativity in their designs of their products and large amounts of promotion to fuel their growth in the United States and other foreign Countries (Nike, 2014). Nike Inc. has a promotio nal strategy which thrives on an image, which has allowed the company to be one of the best (Nike, 2014). The company is known for their product icon â€Å"the swoosh†, which is different from other companies and their product slogan has been used in commercials for a very long time (Nike, 2014). Nike invests large amounts of money for commercials and product promotions (Nike, 2014). The company is motivated by customer agreements and sport teams. The company targets the college athletes to support the product and will also financially support team members that they will eventually endorse (Nike, 2014). Nike also uses their target techniques to include people who are well-known athletes and celebrity athletes (Nike, 2014). This strategy is a success because once the manager of a sports team decides on which type of shoe made  by Nike, he would like the student to have no choice other than to buy the shoe. The sports team can also buy the shoes in a large quantity and deliver it to the members of the team (Nike, 2014). Another marketing strategy of Nike is the creative design of a product objective or purpose meaning when a famous athlete promotes a certain brand of Nike shoe, the shoe will be associated with winning (Nike, 2014). The viewers have a mental effect from this type of correlation and the company builds a relationship with those consumers who are after the quality and utility of the items instead of the cost (Nike, 2014). With this idea, Nike is sure to reach a huge number of customers and clients who will purchase their products (Nike, 2014). Adidas has been in business over 80 years (Adidas, 2014). The company is known has the world of sports on each level, and they are also known for supplying the state-of-the art sports shoes, clothing and accessories (Adidas, 2014). Today, Adidas is leading the globe in the sporting industry (Adidas, 2014). The company’s strategy is modest; join our passion to create new and different products, constantly supporting our brands and products to increase our economic position and economic performance (Adidas, 2014). Adidas main location is in Germany, but the company has manufacturing centers and departments developing all around the world (Adidas, 2014). Adidas believes the company addresses many of the customer’s needs by exploiting marketing prospects from a number of angles. Their pledge to product innovation which keeps their brand different from the competitors provides a solid stage for upcoming growth (Adidas, 2014). There is no other brand with a well-known background and strong connection in sports than Adidas (Adidas, 2014). Adidas considers themselves has the best, and they are wherever the best will be such as, the Olympic Games, and anywhere else in the world where a game of sports will be played, observed, liked and celebrated (Adidas, 2014). The founder of Adidas is Adi Dassler (Adidas, 2014). His main objective for the company is not hard to understand, it is for all athletes to be at their best (Adidas, 2014). The key factor for all Adidas sporting products is to stay innovated, and the brand has five performance benefits, fast, strong, smart, cool, and more natural, which influences the important sporting events that focus on football, basketball, running, training, and outdoor (Adidas, 2014). The  goal for adidas is to market the individual who is active and lives for sports (Adidas, 2014). Nike uses the high profile athletes, and Adidas is about performance and lifestyle. Both Nike and Adidas use athletics as a tool for marketing in a way to attract the consumer to purchase their products. Recommended Ways to Market Information to Differentiate From the Competitors In this competitive market business promotion is the key to differentiate from the competitors (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 395). One way is for the business to apply the rule of positioning. Product positioning is a strategy used to put a product perception in the mind of the person who is buying the product (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 395). Positioning normally involves the creative difference associated with a product or service and the competition (Acevedo, 2014). Companies are successful when using this marketing tool because it helps gain market control, which raises revenue for the company (Acevedo, 2014). Adidas has a plan to attract the serious runner. The company is coming out with the shoe price a little over a $100.00 called the energy boost (Riper, 2014). The energy boost will be sold at all the Adidas Stores and the many department stores (Acevedo, 2014). The objective is to limit the advertising with no television involved. If this is a success the company believes it will have a retail rollback for a larger budget for advertising (Acevedo, 2014). The President of Adidas Patrick Nilsson believes if the company spends large amounts of money later then the company can have a wide range launch in retail when the time comes (Acevedo, 2014). Ultimately all of Adidas shoes, basketball, tennis, the whole nine yards will be linked to the boost technology (Acevedo, 2014). However, for now the company is pleased to know from a source in the apparel tracker states that the company has over 4% of the growth in the shoe market from two years ago (Acevedo, 2014). Nike uses their promotional strategy by using one of the company’s seven fundamental stages move (Nike, 2014). (Nike, 2014). Move is the stage which keeps the company different from the rest of their competitors (Nike, 2014). Nike will ship their products at any time, and by any occasion that the company needs in order to reach the thousands of  associates and the millions of customers over the world whether it is by plane, ship, small or large truck or train (Nike, 2014). Nike is serious about how they provide transportation no matter how difficult the obstacle may be (Nike, 2014). With this move Nike market leader enjoys over 50% market share (Acevedo, 2014). Adidas however does a little better with their overall athletic shoe. How Consumer-Orientated Promotions Can Help Nike and Adidas Short and Long-Term Consumer-Orientated Promotions are a part of the four marketing mixes, and it is also known as the pull-strategy (Moorty, 2014). Both parts are an important one for every organization (Moorty, 2014). The goal is to persuade the new customer or long-term customer to try out and purchase the products being marketed (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 404). Also a marketer’s role is to motivate customers who shop frequently at the same business. Sample products, discount coupons are just a few of the promotions that can boost impulsive shoppers to buy which increases sales for the company (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 404). The President and CEO of Nike, Mark Parker states the company’s short-term consumer-orientated advertisings is simple (Nike, 2014). The company will continue to produce amazing products, offer professional services and provide a continuation of excellent customer experiences. With these results will indeed show the power of our strategy and growth (Nike, 2014). Nike’s long-term consumer-orientated promotions are the vision that drives the sustainable growth (Nike, 2014). This balance is leveraged by an important advantage including the company’s reliability with the passionate connection to their customers; new and improve products with retail experience that lead the industry to be a stronger organization that also provides the opportunity to become a larger successful business (Nike, 2014). Nike has already set goals for growth to include the year 2015 (Kim, 2010). With a target set to at least $20 billion by that year the company has already outlined their revenue goals and initiatives and plans to reach this by using a customer-focus strategy (Kim, 2010). As time permits the more aggressive promotional strategic goals set by the business will be shared with the consumers, invested communities as well as the sports and apparel industry (Nike, 2014). One example is how the company has set their design to improve the company, by launching a new business a few years ago  called Nike Better World, an online stage to involve customers on how the business balanced individuals, economy and the world (Nike, 2014). Adidas short-term consumer-orientated promotions are to continue to rely on their customer loyalty (Adidas, 2013). As with any organization it is innovation, which makes the deciding factor who wins and who loses. Adidas has been successful using the brand equity method which has allowed them to maintain the slogan of being the fittest company on earth (Adidas, 2013). In order for the company to maintain their long-term status and sustain growth, Adidas will continue to create newer and improvable market brands (Adidas, 2013). Overall Adidas started back four years ago planning their strategy to increase the brand’s perception in the customers viewpoint which had an expectation to deliver over 80% of growth for the company until 2015 (Adidas, 2013). Some of the areas of improving consist of, the running and basketball areas, and combining the sports style with the Adidas NEO label (Adidas, 2013). However the company is keeping the original adidas because it has a long history with the energetic lifestyle customer (Adidas, 2013). The company will always be focused on the consumers wants, their level of fitness, their incentives and ambitions for doing activities in sports (Adidas, 2013). His or her individual way of living helps Adidas develop important products, services and experiences that construct a lifelong brand (Adidas, 2013). Pricing and Competitive Advantage In chapter 13 Promotions and Pricing Strategies there are four pricing objectives (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 412). The four strategies are profitability, volume, prestige and meeting competition (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p.412). Each objective has a responsibility to the person who is in business with making better pricing decision’s (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 412). Organizations have their own style for using these objectives. Many businesses aim to increase the company’s revenue by setting higher prices (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 412). Other companies may decrease their prices to bring in new clientele (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 412). Nike is the leading company for their athletic shoes because of their higher price and leadership strategy (Nike, 2014). Businesses would define this as the prestige pricing strategy (Boone & Kurtz,2013, p. 413). The company has  been able to make this strategy successful because of their individuality in their brand and service (Nike, 2014). The name alone has been associated with many hero athletes for instance, Michael Jordan (Nike, 2014), This brilliant idea makes customers believe if Michael Jordan can buy a Nike shoe and become more successful than certainly another ordinary person can as well (Nike, 2014). This is why Nike customers do not mind paying a higher price because of the company’s image, value and customer service (Nike, 2014). Another pricing objective Nike uses is profitability. This is the most common factor used in a strategic plan for a business (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 412). Nike has a plan to continue to bring in more revenue and remain profitability in the growth of the company, maintain the company’s flowing cash generation which will help to preserve a strong financial statement until the year 2015 (Kim, 2010). The company believes the return on invested capital is more than 20%, and growing shares inside the set target calendar year payout should be in the ballpark of more than 20% by the fourth quarter (kim, 2010). Both companies have been in business for a while, and their products are known to satisfy the customer’s needs. One suggestion that other shoe apparel companies can take in order to differentiate themselves and gain a competitive advantage is knowing how much the product is going to cost, quality, performance as well as the availability of the product, updated technology, good service, and strength and leadership (Hill, 2007). Second suggestion is to know the company’s relationship and making sure the organization can meet the need of the consumer in a way no one else will (Hill, 2007). Determine the Most Effective Advertised Medium Advertising Medium and cost are both key factors to the success of any organization (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 399). This tool is how marketers are able to sell new and existing products and services to potential consumers (Boone &Kurtz, 2013, p. 399). There are many types of advertising, newspapers, direct mail, billboards, radio, internet, magazine, and television (Boone &Kurtz, 2013, p. 399). In this muti-media world, television is considered the largest ranking medium with over 40% of any other form of advertising (Boone & Kurtz, 2013, p. 399). Nike uses commercials and promotional products for their form of medium advertising  (Nike, 2014). Within the past six months, the company has grossed over 40 percent of their margin (Stock, 2013). Nike is focused solely on bringing new and innovate creations to the market (Stock, 2013). Nike believes they have a good thing going. As of now the attention is on their Flyknit shoe (Stock, 2013). This shoe has important types of fiber connected with fabric and leather and was marketed to catch the eye of the individuals who love to run, which came just in time for the Winter Olympics (Stock, 2013). Nike had to spending more for their advertising by trying to convince the customer that this $200 shoe was worth it (Stock, 2013). In order to do so, Nike had to bring out some famous athletes for instance; one of the athletes was LeBron James (Stock, 2013). By advertising LeBron in their ads the company was able to increase their profit margin, and acknowledged their game plan was a success not only by convincing customers to buy but using the ads as well (Stock, 2013). Nike was also successful with their global orders (Wahba, 2013). It was the largest so far of their sales in merchandise which increased over 12 percent since April (Wahba, 2013). The company’s total revenue was huge even up to the second quarter (Wahba, 2013). The company made over $6 billion which was a total revenue of more than 7 per cent (Wahba, 2013). Nike was able to sell more goods at a higher price than any other competitor (Wahba, 2013). The company profited in advertising and promotion by 13 percent with their help in marketing and product launching for the Winter Olympics (Wahba, 2013). Conclusion Promotional and advertising strategies of an organization are a determining factor to whether the company will succeed or fail. This competitive market is a vicious one, and in order to stay on top the most successful business must continue to develop new innovated strategies. Nike and Adidas have been in business a long time; Nike has been the leader and Adidas has been the Opponent (Wahba, 2013). Both companies have excellent strategies, and some of their strategies have a close comparison. Nike has been able to remain on top because of the company’s promotions, advertising and marketing genius. References Acevedo, L. (2014). 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Retrieved from Sneaker News Corporation Web site: http://sneakernews.com/2010/05/06/nike-introduces-2015-global-growth-strategy/ Kokenuller, N. (2014). What Is Selective Product Advertising: Chron Corporation . Retrieved from Chron Corporation Web site: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/selective-product-advertising-17454.html Lake, L. (2014). Marketing vs. Advertising: What’s the Difference: About.com Corporation. Retrieved from About.com Corporation Web site: http://marketing.about.com/cs/advertising/a/marketvsad.htm Moorty, S. (2014). Define Promotional Sales: eHow Inc. Retrieved from eHow Inc Web site: http://www.ehow.com/about_5401613_define-promotional-sales.html Nike, Inc. (2014). History & Heritage : Nike Inc. Retrieved from Nike, Inc Web site: http://nikeinc.com/pages/history-heritage Stock, K. (2013, December 20). Nike Ramps Up Prices—and Ad Spending—for Olympics: BloombergBusinessweek L.P. Retrieved from BloombergBusinessweek L.P.Web site: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-20/nike-ramps-up-prices-and-ad-spending-for-olympics Wahba, P. (2013, December 19). Nike profit rises and advance orders jump: Reuters Corp oration. Retrieved from Reuters Corporation Web site: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/19/us-nike-results-idUSBRE9BI18R20131219