Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis Essay Example

Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis Essay Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis: Design amp; Development of Integrated Communication Plan for Zara Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis Overview: Introduction Zara, the world’s biggest retail chain store of Inditex Group was founded by Amancio Ortega in Spain in the year 1975. The most profitable brand of Inditex is headquartered in La Coruna in Spain. The group has global presence in all the continents Asia, Europe, Australia, America and Africa. The business model of Zara is completely based upon the short deadlines, lesser quantities and an impressive range of options for style and clothes. Zara’s success depends upon two critical factors i. e. * Following the trend to be able to sell the garments at particular moment when people demand that kind of style and that too without any advertising. * Trusting the employees for designing the clothes and giving them the power to delegate. Event Analysis Brand Analysis The presence of Zara in 74 countries with a network of more than 1900 stores which are ideally located in all the major cities speaks about the strong brand presence of Zara across the globe. The 5 keys which make the Zara’s Business Model a success are: STORE: It acts as a meeting platform for the Zara fashion brand and the customer. New products are introduced twice a week. It has been found that at the topmost stores of Zara 17visits per year by every customer is done to checkout latest Zara brand clothings. TEAMS: The Zara teams have an extensive sales knowledge which is totally focused towards the customer. The friendly sales team of brand Zara creates a pleasant and customer friendly environment at Zara. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Zara Marketing Case Study Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer CUSTOMER: The business Model of Zara brand is totally customer centric therefore customers play leading role in each and every aspect of Zara be it Production, Teams, Logistics or Store designs. DESIGN / PRODUCTION: The production and designing team of brand Zara is inspired by the stores which are directly connected to the customers. That is why Zara has the specialty of immediately reacting to the latest trends in fashion industry with the help of well managed and efficient team of 186 suppliers and 200 designers. LOGISTICS: All the clothing’s are designed with keeping in mind the maximum flexibility and it is mostly customer oriented. It hardly takes bare minimum time of 24 hours from receiving order to delivering the product to the store. Branding is unique technique or method of clearly highlighting the features of the product which makes the product or service different and, much more attractive than the competitors. It also reflects the customer’s experience of the business and has impact on every interaction business has with its customers and suppliers. Successful branding means promoting all the strengths the business has. Zara has strengths like: * Faster delivery of newer products * Effective Value chain Management * Latest Design and Trends Audience Analysis The target audience of Zara through this event would be fashionable consumer which is more educated, demanding and fashion savvy. This ‘New breed of shoppers’ is found to be loyal and loves freshness and variety. The fashionable consumers of Zara buy because of interest which gives them pleasure and enjoyment and is a meaning of self-expression. That is why their purchasing experiences are fantasy, fun, social or emotional gratifications which result in impulsive buying behavior. Involvement is another aspect of consumers as they attach some meaning to the clothes they buy because there is major role of fashion which is being played by fashion in their society. The main drivers which make them buy Zara clothing’s are projection of desired self-image and their individual motives as well. Personal, aesthetic and economic values guide their consumer behavior. The emotional factors which influence the consumer behavior are: * Short span of decision time. * Feeling of getting constrained * More impulsive buying * Desire to reward themselves. The retail environment could be best used for influencing their moods which results in impulsive buying. Impulsive buying behavior of the target audience is of following types: * Fashion Oriented * Strongly involved with the latest fashion trends, which helps in providing experiential or sensory cues through their fashion products. * Symbolic Interactions Impulsive buying also results due to symbolic interactions of the fashion products and due to emotional experiences of the consumers. * Thus it is very necessary to understand the impulsive buying behavior of the target audience reading the experiential perspective which helps in developing the guidance strategies. * Band Analysis * Now we need to find the right band which goes with Zara’s image. Moreover the chosen band or musician should go al ong with the brand image Zara carries, according to the target audience and should go along with the Breast cancer Cause too. Few shortlisted Bands and Musicians are listed below along with their key attributes: The main market segments which will be attending the Zara’s brand event organized for raising money for breast Cancer Research would be women and young well educated girls starting from the age group of 22 years onwards. This will also include housewives and plus size women. Even Zara would like all such consumers who are well aware of the cause of Breast Cancer to join the event and contribute towards the social cause. Mostly women and young girls would be attracted towards such kind of event because breast cancer is mostly found in women. After analyzing all the most famous rock bands and musicians Kylie Minogue seems to be the best artist for performing for the Breast Cancer Festival and the reason being she herself has fought breast cancer at very early age and she enjoys international pop stardom although she belongs to Australia, which goes along with Zara’s brand image too as it is Spanish company ruling the whole fashion industry worldwide. The best part is that Kylie being a woman can easily catch the fancy of the target audience who are also women for this Zara Event. Event Detail Other important details of the vent which would be organized can be easily followed from the table depicted below along with the reasoning why they should be made part of this festival: Sponsorship Activity Sponsorship works as a key for a strong and powerful marketing plan. Sponsorship is the in-kind support or any kind of financial assistance given to specific activity to reach specific business goals  (Freidman, 2012). Here in case of organizing Zara Festival the supported activity is Breast Cancer research and the business goal of Zara is to reach out to its target audience through this festival. Through this festival they want to raise money to support the cause of breast cancer. Potential ESB/ National Brand Sponsors Qantas airlines The airline is both domestic as well as international airline and Zara being an upmarket brand most of its audience travels by air. So Qantas can launch a scheme that they will give rebate on airline tickets to the audience who buy Zara outfits this way they will have mutual sales benefit. Mor4eover Qantas can donate say $5 per airline ticket bought by Zara customers to breast cancer research foundation. Qantas can contribute money for the event and can also sponsor the flight for Kylie too. MTV Since this is a musical event so sponsorship or partnership with MTV would be of great benefit for Zara as well the popularity of the music channel will also grow. They can do live telecast of the music eve and thus gaining TRP’s and get ahead of their competitors and this will prove to be good advertising for Zara as well. Tropicana Juice Manufactured by the PepsiCo would be also a good national brand sponsor because this way they can get good amount of sales during the vent and promote healthy drink which will keep the fitness freak audience healthy and smart. PepsiCo can contribute by sponsoring the event. This way they will also get brand recognition and whatever sales they make, they can donate some portion to Breast Cancer cause too. McDonalds Getting a national brand sponsor like McDonalds to sponsor the vent which sit eh topmost fast food chain Zara would be able to satisfy the appetite of the audience as well as can get good amount of money for the event sponsorship. Local Brand Sponsors The Melbourne based potential sponsors which have been selected and which match the cause, brand and event are listed below. CABRINI HOSPITAL, Malvern Cabrini Hospital located in Malvern, Australia can be potential local brand sponsor for the Zara Fashion Festival. The well-known breast surgeon which they have is Dr. Jennifer Senior; she performed the breast cancer surgery for Kylie Minogue too. The sponsorship will be mutually beneficial for both the parties because the audience for them is the same. This will help Zara in increasing their sales and attracting more women audience who will contribute to this noble cause and at the same time both Cabrini Hospital as well as Zara will create positive publicity along with enhancing their visibility too. Hair Dresser Brad Mullins and Makeup Artist Sarah Tammer Cutting edge hairdresser Brad Mullins will guide women regarding hair styling suiting their personality and give their hair complete makeover. AT the same time makeup artist Sarah tamer will also work upon giving a new dimension to the personality of the women using her bets makeup strokes. They will use latest styles and trends to give awe inspiring looks to the women and young audience’s This will be mutually beneficial as it will enhance the brand image of both Zara as well as the makeup artist and hair dresser. Moreover the sales will also enhance form the profitability point of view. Ripple Melbourne Massage Day Spa and Beauty Women are always attracted towards getting beautiful skin and always wanted to look beautiful so on the makeover day Ripple Melbourne’s beauty specialists will help in making women look beautiful and guide them about what can be done to stay and look smart and beautiful. This way both the beauty and Spa will be benefitted as well as the Zara Fashions will get enough brand visibility. National Breast Cancer Foundation They will educate the target audience about breast cancer, cause and how to fight them. And mutually Zara will also get benefitted as they will get brand differentiation by aligning with the cause of breast cancer. Whatever donation Zara will receive or it can also work upon giving away $1. Per Zara outfit sale to National Breast Cancer Foundation. Selling the Sponsorships The sponsorships would be sold by first arranging a meeting with their publicity manager. Then we will explain them how whether local brand sponsor or national brand sponsor will be benefitted by associating with Zara’s breast Cancer supporting Festival Campaign. The key benefits which the sponsors will derive by sponsoring this breast cancer suppor6ting event would be: * Shaping the attitude of consumers and enhancing the brand image as well as association with such good cause will develop a positive brand image in the minds of consumer and they will tend to buy such good products. Driving their sales efforts, especially in case of food and beverage sector sponsors will derive greater benefits  Ã‚  Ã‚   through bigger sales and sampling, thus PepsiCo and McDonald will get greater benefits if they sponsor this event. *   Helps in Creating Positive publicity and heightening the visibility of the company as well as the brand. The media will definitely cover this event thus t hrough print as well as electronic media they will get wider exposure. Enhance their product differentiation from competitors as the target audience will definitely carry positive image about the product which has a positive image being associated with a social cause like breast cancer. * Help in portraying the image of ‘Corporate Citizen’ role in good capacity. The sponsoring company will be viewed as good neighbor by target audience as the company will be seen as supporting community as well as economic development of society.   Sponsoring such event will definitely help in enhancing not just business but will also help in developing VIP relations and consumer relationships. Thus using the direct marketing efforts of the events like sending mailers and newsletter regarding the events which will carry or talk about the sponsorship partners of Zara Event will deftly give strong brand image and differentiation to the sponsoring companies. Promotional Efforts Zara follo ws a very unique advertising and promotional approach and spends much lesser than their competitors on advertising. Large scale advertising is being taken care of by Zara so we need to support this large scale advertising of event through Point-of-Purchase advertising, sales promotion techniques, support media and social networking opportunities Point-of-Purchase advertising It is the best and the most effective way of advertising and promotional graphics are being developed which help in influencing the consumer behavior when the consumer is making purchasing decision. POP helps in creating impact on the buying decision by turning it into the favor of specific brand or product in-store. Moreover the POP application fits well as signage to so many applications like shelf, floor, walls, and window and vehicle decals too. Like signage or boards for Zara festival events with all relevant information should be places in various areas of the Zara store as well as should be advertised at various public places like grocery stores, fast food outlets and traffic signals banners can be out. Even hospitals can also be targeted. Sales Promotion techniques The techniques adopted by manufacturer to buy more and enhance the sales of products are called sales promotion. It mainly uses short-term a nonrecurring techniques to increase sales. The sales promotion for this event can be done by advertising the free samples scheme like if the audience buys a ticket for Zara festival scheme they will get 25% discount on any Zara label they would buy. Premium or Bonus offers can also be given to the target audience like if they buy tickets for the Zara festival they will get a   premium t-shirt signed by Kylie Minogue   or they can get limited editing Kylie music CD. Social networking opportunities A contest on Facebook page of Zara can be started to advertise the event where in the contest winner will get free passes for the Zara festival event. A contest can be designed in way like the consumer needs o answer few questions related to breast cancer and if all of them are correct they will win free tickets for the event. Another contest can be the audience need to upload their image of black and white combination dress and the best dress designed will get a limited edition music CD signed by Kylie Minogue. Public Relations Efforts Finally we need to launch the public relation efforts in order to promote the event and support the cause of breast cancer amongst the target audience. For this we will design a proactive strategy to promote Zara as well as the Breast cancer research as well as reactive strategy will be developed which will be handling after analysis of potential problems which might arise during the course of the festival. Proactive Strategy The main aim of proactive strategy for Public relations for Zara Festival supporting breast Cancer research cause is to communicate the reason for organizing the event and to develop a communication plan which consists of how and when the plan will be communicated. Digital PR is the strongest PR medium which can be used for launching the event and informing and educating about the event. The Digital PR thrives on who we want to inform since it is mostly women and young ladies or rather the whole section of women so it would be better to place the advertisement about the event or create a twitter or Face book page which speaks all about the cause with which this event is associated. We can also create a video in which the CEO of the company and an advertisement linking the vent can be uploaded on YouTube. Another proactive strategy which could be beneficial is placing a full page ad in the women’s magazines say two to three months before the events can also be helpful in increasing the awareness about the cause as well as informing the target audience about the event. Same way a poster competition can be organized online through Facebook regarding breast cancer or designing just simple black and white clothing line and the best design will get a gift hamper from Zara and along with this contest the whole event information can be displayed inviting all the potential customers. Reactive Strategy The reactive approach towards public relations planning is to respond in passive manner to any event once the event has occurred. Many environmentalists might stand against this event as such a large event will definitely create large amounts of carbon footprints. So we need to prepare a strategy beforehand to handle such situation. Firstly we need to educate through a press release that we would be using ecofriendly paper all through the event, secondly the music would not be loud enough to create noise pollution and required permission from the authorities would be taken beforehand. Demonstrate all the efforts taken to reduce the carbon footprints by Zara as a company so that they are convinced that by organizing this event no harm would be done to the environment.

mechanical energy essays

mechanical energy essays MECHANICAL ENERGY Have you ever wondered how a jet aircraft lifts its tremendous weight off the ground, or what gives a runner the stamina to reach the finish line in a race? In order to answer all these questions we must talk about the transformation of one sort of energy into another. The jet aircraft gets its power from jet turbines. These powerful jet engines create a high-pressure stream of very hot gases that push the aircraft forward as they leave the engine. This is an example of heat being transformed into movement. This is sometimes described as Mechanical Energy. However, this transformation could not take place without the fuel that the aircraft gets within its wings or fuselage. Fuel is considered a chemical energy. This diagram shows how the jet engine acts as energy to lift the aircraft off the surface of earth. Fuel can take the form of gases, solids or liquids. When fuels combine with oxygen from the air, they release their stored en ergy as heat. We recognize this process as burning. The individual relies on food for fuel which contains energy-giving substances that our bodies can store until we need this energy to use our muscles. When we do use our muscles within us, we may not always be sure that heat is given off. Our bodies do not burst into flames but the perspiration on our skin is a clue to what is happening. The movement of the windsurfer has a different explanation. The windsurfer is propelled along by a sail which collects mechanical energy from the winds that sweep along the water. This energy has been produced by the sun which warms the earth's surface and sets the air above in motion. The sun's heat comes to the earth as a form of radiant energy. When the heat reaches the surface of the earth, it causes the land or seas to rise in temperature. The sun is very hot. Infact, the center of the sun can reach temperatures of up to 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. ...

A Narrative of My Goals in My Bucket List

A Narrative of My Goals in My Bucket List Having bucket list that we want to accomplish before we die, is basically showing that we have goals that might seem impossible to accomplish. These goals show how much we appreciate what we see around us. Theres a movie called The Bucket List in which the actors decided that their bucket list items were so important that they needed to find people to help them achieve their goals. Items such as climbing Mount Everest, going skydiving. I am pretty sure that we all have thought of or made a bucket list at some point in our lives, these items could also be described as goals that we want to achieve in our personal lives. For example mine are to travel around the world, perform a kind deed without expecting anything in return, and to become a criminal profiler. My goals go anywhere from economical pleasure, career of choice, and even an opportunity to become a better human. I believe that bucket list items dont necessarily have to be activities that we want to complete before we die, bu t also, life improvements that are necessary but at the moment are difficult to obtain. First, Traveling all around the world has always been my goal since I was little. I grew up in a tiny town I had a difficult time envisioning much else outside my comfortable country bubble. When you travel to other countries and see the amazing beauty of sunsets over seas, rain forests, waterfalls, you realize the world is full of more beauty that you are capable of seeing in a lifetime. But, you still have the intense passion to try. Not seeing this when I was younger, I would of have less desire to venture out when I’m older and have job and family constraints in play. I would have less of a desire to put the effort into taking the time to travel. Secondly, Performing a kind deed without expecting anything in return, has always touched my heart. Since I was in Puerto Rico I used to see people at the traffic lights asking for money, food, coats anything they could ask for. Seeing people in those conditions have made me go and give food or at least five dollars. Its hard to see them struggling and not do anything for them. When you do a good deed you helping someone. The homeless person now has food to eat, thanks to the kindness of these generous people. The person who is the receiver of a good deed or random act of kindness has gotten some help. However, he received more than just a meal or two. In addition to getting food, he also received the message that he is important and worth helping. This good deed warms his heart as well as fills his stomach. Third, Becoming a Criminal Profiler has always been my dream. Since I started to watch Lie to me that show has inspired me to become someone who can help other find justice for our world. Lie to me it is based on a scientist whose expertise is detecting and interpreting micro expressions, involuntary facial expressions that last just a moment. A useful skill if you want to figure out whether someones lying, and why. Dr.Lightman runs a consulting firm from which he and three supporting characters traverse the Washington, D.C., area solving mysteries for the police, FBI and pretty much any other client who needs a lie detector. Criminal Profiler has Law Enforcement agencies rely to help them identify suspects in an investigation. Profilers use the details of a crime, including evidence and witness testimony, to determine a behavior pattern as well as develop a psychological portrait of the suspect. This allows law enforcement officials to focus their search on suspects who fit this p rofile. Individuals who work as profilers typically have a degree in criminal justice, psychology or behavioral science. Finally, Accomplishing these three things before I die would make me feel good about myself, because I got to where I wanted to be. I really liked the movie because to me it was about dealing with what life gives you and dealing with it the best you can and with the best attitude you can have. I like that even though they were old and dying that they still had goals that they wanted to do and they still got out there and did it even though they may not have felt great all the time. It tells you that you should live life to the fullest everyday and to always have a goal to keep yourself going and looking forward. It gives you something to look forward to.

Steel building design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Steel building design - Coursework Example At the same time, the design should also ensure and provide the necessary comfort, energy-efficiency and safety to the inhabitants. To attain the fundamental building requirements, it is then necessary to integrate adequate structural resistance to building designs. The primary purpose of this is to sustain the actions (i.e. loads, imposed displacements, thermal strains) and influences resistance so that the building will remain serviceable and durable (Brettle, 2009). Meanwhile, in order to secure the structural safety of the building during its intended life, it should be designed and executed with appropriate degrees of reliability. Further, it should also be built in an economic sustainable approach in order to meet its required serviceability structure or structural element standard. Meaning it should fit for the use or function it is required whilst providing comfort and physical aesthetic. Moreover, building designs also incorporated robustness to ensure that the built environ ment is resistant to damages cause by events such as explosion, impact and consequences of human errors (Brettle, 2009). Likewise, it is also important to consider the snow loads, wind actions, thermal actions, and other accidental actions in the building designs in order to integrate appropriate building resistant techniques and strategies. The snow load capacity of the built environment is very important to determine in order to integrate in the design the characteristic values applicable for ground snow load for the site and the imposed roof snow load and shape coefficient. The EN 1991-1-3 (Annex C) of the UK Eurocode provides the snow load map which would be used to deter snow loads for building construction. Meanwhile, the Annex B of the same Eurocode also provide the benchmarks applicable for present roof shape coefficients including other information for exceptional snow drifts, multi-span pitched roofs, roofs abutting and close to taller structures, roofs with projections, o bstructions and parapets. It is also important to note the applicable wind actions in building designs. The EN 1991-1-4 of the UK Eurocode served as guideline in order to determine the natural wind actions during the construction phase of the building. The code also included other information such values of wind actions, value of the basic wind velocity, wind speed, peak velocity pressure, and wind pressures and forces. Likewise, thermal actions should also be considered in the design in order to address the seasonal climatic changes. The characteristic values of thermal action are enclosed in the EN 1991-1-5 of the UK Eurocode. The code is also served as temperature reference especially when steel sub-grade materials are utilized in the building construction. However, it is recommended to further refer to the EN 1993-1-10 of the Eurocode to meet the required standard. Moreover, the UK Eurocode also provided general principles and rules especially during construction and execution o f the building works in order to avoid and prevent accidents in the work site. These guidelines are enclosed in the EN 1991-1-6 of the UK code which included temporary works i.e. cofferdams, falsework, scaffolding and propping system. It also noticeable that new building designs utilized structural materials that are fire resistant. Aside from this, building designers also integrated adequate built-in fire safety measures such as

Economics For Business, The Canadian Economy in the years 2006, 2007 Essay

Economics For Business, The Canadian Economy in the years 2006, 2007 until end of 2008 - Essay Example The government has catalysed saving by reducing taxes and providing non-taxable savings accounts. (conservative.ca, 2009) Fundamentally, the main objective of the monetary policy of Canada is to ensure Canadian citizen’s wellbeing. This is by enhancing an economic growth that is sustained, increasing employment levels as well as improved standards of living. From experience, monetary policy only achieves this goal by way of offering businesses and households’ confidence as far as the value of money is concerned. In 2008, October 23rd the Bank of Canada released a report on monetary policy. The report contained current financial and economic trends in line with the control of inflation is concerned. According to the report, the three main interrelated world developments are affecting the economy of Canada and resulting to the economic growth outlook more unpredictable. This is due to the world financial crisis resulting to major strains in the markets of financial instruments. Demand is prospected to continue being weak due to exports. Lower prices of goods and services will also lead to an outlook that is damp since the terms of trade for Canada are set to decline as well as a growth in domestic demand that’s moderate. Generally, the Bank of Canada predicts a real GDP growth of 0.6% in years 2008 and 2009. 2010’s is set to be 3.4%. (bankofcanada.ca, 2008) In the 2009’s monetary policy report, the Bank of Canada noted that the economic environment continues to highly unpredictable. This is due to the large negative impacts by the recession of the global economy. Emanating from this, the Canadian economy is projected to fall by 3.0% in the year 2009. Recovery is likely to occur in the fourth quarter and the projected growth in the real GDP is 2.5% in year 2010. 2011’s economic growth is set to be 4.7%. The core

Theories Definition Essay Example for Free

Theories Definition Essay This essay discusses theory in a general perspective and some related concepts underpinning it. Kuhn is also presented as an example of an alternative theorist. Theories, according to Littlejohn (1992) are abstractions or frameworks for speculating, interpreting, guessing, understanding, evaluating, rationalizing, explaining or predicting complexity of phenomena, events, ideas, mathematical or logical discussions, human relations, and communication through observation and critical thinking. The basic elements of theories are (1) concepts, which are usually categorized, and (2) explanation, which identifies patterns in the relationships among variables and can be casual or practical. Theory, in a traditional perspective, is based on the premise of â€Å"knowledge as discovery†. It is modeled on the experimental natural sciences through hypothetico-deductive method that includes four processes: (1) developing questions, (2) forming hypotheses, (3) testing the hypotheses, and (4) formulating theory. This method can be done through variable analysis and it is based on the concepts of hypothesis, operationism, control and manipulation, covering laws, and prediction. Littlejohn cites Robyn Penman in describing alternative paradigm through the following five tenets: (1) Action is voluntary. (2) Knowledge is created socially. (3) Theories are historical. (4) Theories affect the reality they are covering. (5) Theories are value laden. The concept of metatheory is used in discussing the criticisms of the work of Kuhn because it describes and explains the similarities and differences among theories. The critics of Kuhn have also their own set of ideas or theories in explaining why Kuhn’s ideas are not accepted. Metatheory issues are grouped into three Major themes – epistemology (questions of knowledge), ontology (questions of existence), and axiology (questions of value). Thomas Samuel Kuhn (1992-1996), an American natural scientist and contemporary philosopher who contributed in the evolution of science principles, has contributed much in the history of and issues on science, culture, and policy in the academic, political, and business fields. Kuhn’s SSR provides his antithetical views in the philosophy of science in which, like Imre Lakatos and Paul Feyerabend, Kuhn emphasized the role and nature of â€Å"rationality† in the processes of science. Kuhn contends that â€Å"science operates as a social structure rather than as an impersonal entity advancing toward epistemological commitment† (Mackie, 1998, p. 25). He contradicts the concept of logical positivism which states that scientists choose between competing theories in a purely rational fashion (Philosophy of Science, 2004). Like William Whewell, Kuhn denies the overly systematic approach to science or the scientific method as the framework for inquiry (Prosise, Miller, Mills, 1996; Mackie, 1998; Roberts, 2000; Nickles, 2003). In SSR, Kuhn presented issues on the nature of and the role of community in scientific development. Thus, paradigm depends on the community to which a practitioner belongs (Roberts, 2000). He interprets the history of science based on the development of â€Å"paradigms,† which are not just simple theories but also â€Å"accepted examples of actual scientific practice [that] provide models from which spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research† (Kuhn 1970, 4, 10). Paradigms provide new information about the world and people’s behavior (Swirski, 1996; Mackie, 1998; Roberts, 2000). Kuhn argues that scientific thought advances through intellectually violent revolutions (Copulos, 2001). This asserts Kuhn’s statement the evolution of science is characterized by alternating periods of â€Å"normal† and â€Å"revolutionary† scientific activity, with the periods of normal science being far more common (Mackie, 1998, p. 27). For instance, a paradigm shift can be seen in the practice of medicine since alternative medicine has been discovered to be also a promising way of treating diseases but it remains a controversy (Copulos, 2001). It appears that the paradigm cannot be fully developed and evaluated solely in a rational manner based on the verification of facts. This approach impacts on the philosophy of science since it is accepted that a paradigm becomes a prerequisite to â€Å"understanding why revolutionary science occurs and why periods of normal science persist† (Mackie, 1998, p. 28). Kuhn is criticized in his vision of scientific revolution which was seen as maligned for its seemingly inconclusive historical perspective; his description of normal science because it implicitly redefined scientific activity; and his ambiguous usage of the term â€Å"paradigm† in different ways (Mackie, 1998). Specifically, Israel Scheffler (1967) argued that Kuhn is a radical irrationalist, subjectivist, irrealist, and relativist because he denies that science provides the basis for objective truth about reality at the perceptual-phenomenal level. Nickles (2003) adds that: â€Å"†¦Kuhn as a principal source of postmodern relativism and of culture-theoretical treatments of science generally†¦Other critics view Kuhn as intellectually conservative in important ways. ..Kuhn differed rather little from the logical positivists on crucial issues, especially assumptions about language and meaning. †¦Kuhns work is also politically conservative and elitist, so much so that, owing to its great influence, it has destroyed any attempt to develop a more democratic science policy for the foreseeable future† (p. 3). Despite the criticisms he received, Kuhn was able to defend his theories by defining his terms more carefully. His second edition of SSR (1970) made amendments and used â€Å"disciplinary matrix† to substitute for â€Å"paradigm† (Mackie, 1998). In the third edition of SSR, Kuhn denied the accusation of relativism and he further clarified his views to avoid misinterpretation (Dyson, 1999). The changes made by Kuhn in SSR shows development from ambiguity to a clearer explanation. As Littlejohn (1992) notes, theories are constantly evolving and they need to be mastered. As an alternative-paradigm theorist, Kuhn did the process of â€Å"fine-tuning interpretive framework for understanding the flow of events† (p. 25). Although Kuhn was criticized for his theories in his SSR, it is undeniable that his theories played significant role in describing, although not accurately, the development of science principles. Kuhn’s theory focused on rational assessment of ideas and it suits disciplines outside normal science because it is irrelevant to philosophy of science but is significant in the analysis of human behavior. References â€Å"Philosophy of Science.† (2004). The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition. New York: Columbia University Press. Dyson, F. (1999). The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet: Tools of Scientific Revolutions. Oxford University Press, Inc.. Kuhn, T. S. (1970). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Littlejohn, S. (1992). Chapter 2: Theory in the process of inquiry, Theories of Human Communication. Wadsworth Publishing Co, 25. Mackie, C. D. (1998). Canonizing Economic Theory: How Theories and Ideas Are Selected in Economics. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe. Milton R. Copulos, (November 12, 2001). A Shift in Thinking about Medicine. Insight on the News 17(42), 46. Nickles, T. (ed.) (2003). Thomas Kuhn. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Prosise, T. O., Miller, Greg R., Mills, Jordan P. (1996). Argument Fields as Arenas of Discursive Struggle: Argument Fields and Pierre Bourdieus Theory of Social Practice. Argumentation and Advocacy 32(3), 111+. Roberts, L. J. (2000). Thomas Kuhns the Structure of Scientific Revolutions. ETC.: A Review of General Semantics, 57(1), 59. Swirski, P. (1996). Game Theory in the Third Pentagon: A Study in Strategy and Rationality. Criticism 38(2), 303+.

US Government Misinterprets Ugandan HIV/AIDS Success Story :: Essays Papers

US Government Misinterprets Ugandan HIV/AIDS Success Story The United States Government should embrace a comprehensive HIV prevention policy that emphasizes condom use, rather than the current policy which is largely based on misinterpretations of the Ugandan HIV success story. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—which manages most of President Bush’s â€Å"Emergency Plan for AIDS†Ã¢â‚¬â€in 1991, 15 percent of Ugandans were infected with HIV. By 2001, the rate was 5 percent, a drop unmatched anywhere in the world. How this was done and what this means for the shape of Washington’s programs to fight AIDS overseas has been tragically misinterpreted by the US Government. According to Dr. Justin Parkhurst, who wrote his dissertation on Ugandan HIV prevention policy at the University of Oxford, Uganda was successful for reasons different than the US Government officials would have you believe. A frequent mistake, he said, is the notion that declined prevalence was due to a few specific interventions by the Ugandan government. He emphasized that the government was but one player—among numerous NGOs, church groups, community activists—in the fight against the virus. He also emphasizes that condom use, rather than abstinence and being faithful, was the most important behavior change that influenced declined HIV prevalence. â€Å"Unfounded claims of Ugandan success have persisted in international policy discourse,† he noted. Although the Ugandan experience could provide invaluable information to other nations in their prevention efforts, he said, â€Å"inappropriate recommendations based on poor interpretations of evidence must not be used as the basis for policy.† Such misguided policy pervades the US Government’s HIV prevention activities. While the Director of UNAIDS-Uganda, Dr. Ruben de Robiene, commented, â€Å"I don’t know what the Uganda Model is, no one knows,† the religious right within the US Government is convinced that it knows Uganda's secret: abstinence and being faithful. According to a USAID report, â€Å"Condom social marketing did not play a major role† in Uganda’s relative success. Dr. Anne Peterson, a physician and the USAID director of global health who is responsible for overseeing US anti-HIV programs, says, â€Å"Kids are willing and able to abstain from sex. The core of Uganda's success story is big A, big B and little C.† Dr. Peterson said the US’s HIV prevention policy is not an ideological balm for religious conservatives or any other group beholden to the Bush administration.