Fleet of Foot Essay Example for Free

Fleet of Foot Essay Up until now, Navado Carrillo’s present strategy was working just fine. Her idea of providing high-end running shoes made her a very good return on her investment in the first 10 years. Selling mainly Nike products was also a very good idea Navado had because Nike was well accepted and seen as top quality to her customers. Her current strategy of also adding other Nike shoes, including walking shoes, shoes for aerobic exercise, basketball shoes, tennis shoes, and cross trainers was a good idea for the business because it offered her loyal customers different options of shoes now that jogging is becoming too demanding. I think where Navado went wrong is adding in a line of sportswear and putting more emphasis on fashion. Her business is known for high quality running shoes and other shoes, not fashion. Other companies like to sell other brands and have a few line of sportswear fashion to separate themselves from well-known shoe stores like Navado’s. Now that she added this extra line and incorporated more fashion into her store, she is in direct competition to other stores, which results in her losing business and having her sales flatten out. To help her sudden fall in business, Navado tried an experiment that was great in my opinion, where â€Å"she took a line of high-performance athletic shoes that were made to order. The distinctive feature of these shoes was that the sole was molded to precisely fit the customer’s foot† (Perreault). This was a great idea because when someone came in looking for high-end running shoes, her sales clerks would tell them all about it and once the shoes came in two weeks later, they were delighted. Since those shoes were going for $170, only serious runners would buy them but seeing how they were happy with the product, they could spread the word about these shoes to other runners, which would increase Navado’s sales. However, the company that offered them ran into financial trouble and went out of business. The alternative strategies Navado is considering is going through another company that is offering a very similar custom shoe program. The only problem is that this new company requires many more requirements that the other company didn’t require. Having to spend more money on updating the website to promote this company, as well as travel, hotel, and food expenses for the two day training program for her salesclerks makes Navado uncertain in what to do. Personally, I think she should do this even though it would cost her several thousands of dollars to begin with. The other strategy she is considering is making fashion her main attraction because of the recent success of other women’s wear businesses. This would not be a good idea because she would just be competing with more powerful fashion retailers in which she would lose business and go astray from what she built her business upon. I believe Navados primary problem isn’t her emphasis on running shoes or emphasis on trying to hang on to her current customer, but instead, her indecision on who her target market should be. To fix this problem, I think Navado should solely focus on selling high-end running shoes as well as other Nike athletic shoes to gain customers who are just looking for a good pair of shoes. Also, seeing how she had success in the custom molding shoes before that company went out of business, I think she should go through this other company so that she can expand her running shoes into making custom ones for customers. Although it would cost several thousands of dollars to begin with and there are more promotional expenses that this company requires, the company in return provides exclusive sales territories that would separate Navado’s business from her competitors. Selling women’s apparel and adding a line of sportswear just results in more competition and a loss of business for Navado. Keeping her main focus on high end, custom running shoes and other athletic shoes would increase her sales, keep her loyal customers coming in and stay with what made her business flourish in past years.

Religion and Prayer Must Not be Permitted in Public School Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Early American colonists anticipated a country full of freedoms and opportunities. As the new government was beginning to develop, the Founders took into consideration the restrictions placed on them and their fellow immigrants in their former home lands. One difficulty the colonists encountered back in Europe was the inability to practice a desired religion or not to practice one at all. Since the newly formed country was made up of people from more than one religious background, the government had to come up with a way to accommodate all of its citizens. Understanding the country's diversity, the writers of the Constitution of the United States of America included in the First Amendment the words, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise therof . . ." (Alley, 24). The two parts of the religious freedom declaration became known as the Free Exercise Clause, which allows for religious expres sion, and the Establishment Clause, which protects citizens from state-imposed religion. To ensure that the government could not interfere with religious establishments, the American government mandated a more precise interpretation of the religious clauses, which commonly became known as secularism, or complete separation of the church and the government.    Secularism is the foundation underlying the issue of the role of prayer in the public school system. Due to the Establishment Clause, which protects Americans from state imposed religion; the role of prayer in the public schools is considered unco nstitutional. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor professed, "In my view, however, the principle underlying the Establishment Clause is that go... ...Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books, 1994. Barker, Dan. "The Case Against School Prayer." Internet Infidels. Online. Internet. 21 October 2002. Available: http://www.infidels.org/org/ffrf/issues/pray.html Farmer, Rod. "The School Prayer Issue." Education 104 (1984): 248-49. Gaffney, Edward McGlynn. "A Church in Texas." Commonweal 124 (April 25, 1997): 9-10. O'Connor, Sandra. "Forward: the Establishment Clause and Endorsement of Religion." Journal of Law and Religion 8 (1990): 1-4. Sikorski, Robert. Prayer in Public Schools and the Constitution 1961-1992. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1993. Thomas, Oliver. "Prayer and Speech." Finding Common Ground 12 (1996): 29 pars. Online. Internetr. 1 October 2002. Whitehead, John W. The Rights of Religious Persons in Public Education. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1994: 33,49-50.   

Essay for the Sandpiper Essay

Tragedy, in multiple views leads to grief, misery and may even cause emotional desensitization. However this solely depends on the cause of such tragedy. A simple tragedy exists as a result of the irony of combining diverse religion and cultures and is especially expressed in the story â€Å"Sandpiper†. Here author Ahdaf Soueif expresses cultural differences through the breaking relationship of a European writer and her Egyptian husband. Acquiescent undermine passivity Being the protagonist, the narrator becomes the view point character in the story and this is where audience criticisms take place. From the beginning she seems to display a sort of weakness and compliance towards events; watching the waves swoop back into the sea; conforming to her lack of work and loss of identity ; â€Å"watching (her husband) vanish†, and watching her daughter â€Å"grow away† from herself. The sand image, as the story opens portrays her compliance-The way she did not wish to o bstruct nature`s pattern of â€Å"one grain of sand† because of her movement. Later as Um Sabir (her â€Å"husband`s old nanny†) prevents her from doing any work, her feminine independence also appears to be deplored yet she simply accepts this fact and though seeming solemn, does not take any action. The reader soon becomes critical about such fragility. Notice how the writer mentions -â€Å"watch† her husband vanish. Due to her foreignness, she seemed to slowly fade away from her and her husband`s relationship and displays severe grief. However it appears indeed so absurd for the reader, because this narrator does not develop any sort of resistance to her dilemma. Furthermore her despondency grows gradually, and it seems that her daughter is being torn away from her the same way as with her husband. She simply pines her heart and the narrator grows a sort of dissent for the protagonist. Sandpiper a coastal bird which cannot fly too high nor too far from the co astal region (due to its habitat and feeding habits) is a perfect name for this story it seems. The way the protagonist’s life appears limited and restricted is definitely the main cause. However the reader may wonder why the narrator does not rebel to this lifestyle. There may be numerous causes. Firstly notice the narrators patience as she sits by the beach observing the water`s â€Å"frilled white edge nibbling at the sand†. As she displays no qualms to her situations (for example being deprived of work as previously mentioned) it seems she still retains hope- of a happy lifestyle. This exaggerated patience she conforms, may perhaps be one of the reason she does not rebel. Another may be simply her love of and to sustain the happiness of her daughter. These causes all sum to the habitat and ability of a â€Å"Sandpiper†, its only restrictions. Therefore it seems that the protagonist subsists in a self imposed jail, like a sandpiper and indeed does not soar beyond the beach which could momentarily give access to another sort of freedom, mentally, from her own conscience. However if we pay attention to the situation the author rejects such criticisms-instead condemning the readers as absurd. Certainly following different cultures is not the protagonists fault. The consistent confusion and grief of the narrator’s situation is perhaps the cause of her helplessness. This way the author deems the protagonist as universal for humans; which either are NOT exceptions, to displaying similar responses, in such emotionally grim situations and though her image is portrayed as weak it is not held true to how we asses her. In some way the writer creates ambivalent views one portraying the theme of ‘fate’ and the other ‘free will’. A customary feature, to be noticed in this story is the authors unvarying image of the beach. Obviously this picture signifies the present and therefore, perhaps, alludes to the narrators ‘drifting’ thoughts. It also seems, the descriptions of the sand and the sea reflect her emotions. As the story opens, observe the serene albeit somewhat somber, descriptions (of the beach), in the past participle: â€Å"I used to see patterns†¦I did not want †¦. I used to sit†. Definitely the narrator is affectionately looking back at nostalgia, yet with regret. Her emotions drift in melancholy as a compliant stream of conscience guides her and suddenly we imagine a somber weak character, in passivity to not stir a single â€Å"grain of sand† from its ‘natural’ pattern. This is where the readers display an interest to this character`s matters. Slowly her emotions begin to frill as the descriptions become gradually violent –â€Å"the sea unceasingly shifts†¦surges forward with a low growl†¦ like thousand snakes† .By now the reader is absorbed into the persona`s feelings. The usage of the personal pronoun â€Å"I† becomes highly universal to the reader and definitely induces sympathy. Finally, as she â€Å"revert(s) to (the) dry grains that would easily brush away† the emotions are returned to the previous serenity however now there seems to be a hint of pain, a hint of helplessness. This way the writer skillfully attains the reader`s attention to the story, and somewhat forth shadows incidents in the story, pertaining to the emotions. Hereby the atmosphere seems so somber, so calm; slowly the reader drifts in with the thoughts of the writer. What the reader may also take notice, with hindsight, is that perhaps Soueif uses this initial beach image as an extended metaphor for the life of the narrator; as in the beginning her life was filled with bliss (in love with her husband), which suddenly changed to desperation and somewhat anger (as he slowly â€Å"slip away† from her) and finally grief (of the freedom she lost). Proactive pragmatic The next imagery of the beach occurs after she mentions the second summer at the â€Å"beach house west of Alexandria†. Here the narrator utilizes the sand and the sea as symbols for her husband and herself, the way these two entities seemed to â€Å"meet and flirt and touch† and establishes the theme of love . However, reading between the lines, perhaps the writer forth shadows a sort of obscurity in the relationship. Notice how the sand and the sea simply â€Å"meet† metaphorically indicating love; although away from this â€Å"edge† such love does not seem to prevail as the sea and the sand form a tight boundary. Also the sea consistently â€Å"drifts† and the sand itself shifts, especially with the pressure of the waves: perhaps the author accentuates fluid emotions which flow and â€Å"shift† with due time and therefore depicts this couple to slowly â€Å"drift† apart from each other. This way another theme, of relativity of time and emotion is established here. The ending of the story also prevails with this beach image. It seems the narrator is back to the present and this picture plays the greatest significance as she sees â€Å"different things from those 6 years ago†. Now she appears calmer yet more melancholic. The reader can effective ly perceive such emotion; especially in the lines â€Å"the last of the foam is swallowed bubbling into the sand† and â€Å"with each ebb of green water the sand looses part of itself to the sea†. This definitely feels somber; as if love is being persistently broken down by the force of nature. Realistically, it seems such force subsists as cultural pressure. Where the couple belonging to 2 different cultures altogether formed such a relationship, the narrators â€Å"foreignness†¦began to irritate him (her husband)†. Cultural pressure and foreign tensions arise as a conflict due to the ignorance of each other`s culture and perhaps a development in this slowly weakened their relationships. Not only does the husband feel irate yet this deplored the protagonist`s freedom- â€Å"I tried at first at least to help, but she would†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ease the duster or the vacuum cleaner from my hand†. Coming back to the coastal descriptions, note how the author mentions â€Å"the†¦foam is swallowed bubbling into the sand† and how these two bodies meet but never ‘mix’. Probably the author, here portrays the theme of immiscibility. As sea and sand are immiscible it appears the foreignness and its resultant family tensions never intended a strong relationship; the love of both the narrator and her husband was immiscible, which would interact, yet as easily drift away. Perhaps this way the author undermines the system of religion. Indeed such a trivial matter, as exemplified is the commencement of weak relations and eventually such tragedies; for certainly, every being strays ethnocentric and this simple arrogance leads to major conflicts. This is later supported as the narrator finally questions-â€Å"But what do the waves know of the massed, hot, still sands of the desert? And what does the beach know of the depths, the cold currents†¦where the water turns a deeper blue.† .Duplicity is heavily prevalent due to ignorance of other religion, and like the sand and the sea it extends massively. What the writer Ahdaf Soueif is attempting to accentuate is that this concept of worldly cultures actually constructs a sort of mistrust amongst others and its great irony is exhibited in the form of this story Another image which we can relate to this theme is the difficulty, even dislike the wife shows towards adapting to a different culture. During the second summer at the beach house the narrator mentions her nostalgia of her hometown (Europe as Georgian sq uare is mentioned) and â€Å"misses† her time spent there. The moment this is mentioned suspicion rises in the readers mind; of her happiness following the new culture. She does display a sort of irritation as she is not allowed to work at home. Finally (later) she appears to complain- â€Å"my foreignness†¦my inability to remember name†¦struggles with his (her husband’s) language†, etc. Definitely the author is attempting to depict another cultural pressure here; despite the passage of time, evidently she depicts, that the wife has problems shifting to the new culture. Ironically, though, this foreignness actually appealed her husband yet now repelled him. LorDhRUv

Comparative Analysis of La Belle Dame Sans Merci and...

Michelle Kfoury Professor Butterworth ENG 201 4/30/2013 Comparative Analysis of â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† and â€Å"The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock† It comes as no surprise that love poems are not a rare commodity. Whether they’re about a lovesick man pining for his soul mate or a general reflection about how one perceives love, these poems offer an analysis of one of the most innate desires of our human nature. Despite inevitable differences in writing style and point of view, there can be times where love poems employ similar strategies to tackle such an analysis. John Keats’ â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† and T. S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock† are no exception to this occurrence. Both poems use two different and†¦show more content†¦13, 25-26). Because of how the knight describes the meadow, it can be inferred that it is springtime. This is a significant contrast to the bleak, wintry hillside that he described previously. With the contrast in this setting comes a contrast in how the knight characterizes love. In the meadow, the knight meets a beautiful woman with long hair and wild eyes. The knight describes her as having an almost fairy-like presence (Ln. 14-16). He makes her a garland for her head and bracelets from the flowers in the meadow (Ln. 17-20). The woman eventually takes the knight back to her â€Å"elfin grot†, or, cave, where he kisses her. By establishing a different setting where the knight appears to experience love, the second setting in â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† serves to resolve the knight’s alienation and abandonment from love. T.S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock† similarly offers a second setting where Prufrock tries to recall love to resolve his alienation from it. The dirty, urban, insidious streets laced with an ominous yellow fog suggest that Prufrock is alienated from love. He fears not being able to find a woman that will be able to look p ast his physical inadequacies. However, Prufrock attempts to resolve his alienation by shifting the setting from the insidious streets of a city to the beach. The mermaids