The Distance that Separates us from Shakespeares...

The Distance that Separates us from Shakespeares Merchant of Venice Without a doubt, Shylock of Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice has been a subject of much controversy and debate for scholars and critics worldwide. Specifically, an element of his character that has been thoroughly reviewed is the harshness with which he proposes his bond with Antonio. As contemporary readers of the pound of flesh story we are naturally mortified by the fact that Shylock would call for such barbarous terms. What many of us do not realize is that while we might feel horror about the idea of the bond, the same is not necessarily true for an Elizabethan audience. This story has been a major source of misunderstanding for many of its readers, as†¦show more content†¦The dialogue between Shylock and Antonio occurs as follows: Shylock. This kindness I will show. Go with me to a notary, seal me there Your single bond, and, in a merry sport, If you repay me not on such a day, In such a place, such sum or sums as are Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me. Antonio. Content, in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, And say there is much kindness in the Jew. (2.1.139-149) It is clear in Antonio’s response that he finds nothing extraordinary about these terms at all. Without hesitation he accepts the conditions of the contract and even goes on to deem Shylock’s proposal as ‘kind.’ In the Shakespearian sense of the word, â€Å"kindness† even means tenderness, affection, love, or humaneness (Grebanier, 98). This should suggest to us that the idea to stake a pound of Antonio’s flesh is by no means a representation of Shylock’s devilishness or cruelty. After all, according to Shylock himself, it is only â€Å"in a merry sport† that they shall enter such an agreement. In light of textual scrutiny, it is also worthwhile to re-examine the court scene in which Shylock is now demanding the fulfillment of the bond. Shylock’s relentless pursuit of ‘his’ pound of flesh again serves to discredit his character in

Descriptive Essay About Friendship - 1528 Words

The pain of realizing that someone who you care for is bad for you hurts. Like a knife in the back, I wasn’t expecting to find out that the person who I thought could help me ford the river of my woes was the same person who destroyed the bridge to cross it. But then I realize, they came just as they left. I remember the first time I met them, I locked eyes with them and then had a battle of the wits, the winner to be crowned the bigger fan of Harry Potter. Much to my dismay, I lost. By a landslide. My defeat set aside, I realized that I enjoyed the ticks and tocks of this person’s inner workings. I realized that the hum of their gears sliding together matched with that of mine, and that maybe together we could make a symphony of hums,†¦show more content†¦To me it was the sudden darkness of a child turning off the basement lights, then running up the stairs to avoid the monsters that lurked within. I had been scared by the new person in front of me. Gone was t he person who I had arguments with over who knew more about a certain book, replaced by someone who while at their worst I couldn’t recognize. Instead of trying to fix the problem and help them like I would now, I lashed out at them for not being who I thought I was. How dare this person who I had memories of only good times with not be the happy person I knew? My fear of not recognizing the person in front of me lead to anger, and eventually my anger to hate. I hated this person for something that they couldn’t have hoped to have control over at their age, but the mind of the young and naive boy that I was didn’t know or care to know that. And to finish the cycle that started with my fear, eventually ended in suffering. I felt betrayed by one who I held dear, and I didn’t want to feel like that ever again. I decided that I wouldn’t let anyone get close to me because I couldn’t get hurt if there was never the possibility of danger. I decided that I wouldn’t care what people had to say about me or who I hurt in protecting myself, but this lead me to be emotionally closed off to others. I gave up the opportunity to connect with others and truly enjoy life just so I couldn’t be hurt again. I thought that this was the onlyShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay About Friendship729 Words   |  3 Pages I once believed that a strong friendship could withstand anything, but all it takes is a minor disagreement or sarcastic comment to ruin one. My best friend Michaela and I could hardly contain our excitement as we stepped out of my dad s white convertible in front of the community building. We were wearing matching burgundy dresses for our friend Nancy s  quinceanera and the night had finally arrived.   Nancy greeted us at the door where we marveled over her sparkly teal dress. We couldn t waitRead MoreDescriptive Essay About Friendship921 Words   |  4 PagesFriendship is a bond between two or more people. 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Best Snacks Problem Solution Free Essays

string(168) " once again by promoting creative and innovative learning within the organization that will inspire a new product lines and allow them to compete with the competition\." Running head: PROBLEM SOLUTION: BEST SNACKS INC. Problem Solution: Best Snacks Inc. Taleish M. We will write a custom essay sample on Best Snacks Problem Solution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Daniels University of Phoenix Problem Solution: Best Snacks Inc. â€Å"Best Snacks, Inc. , a 150-year-old company which has been held publicly for more than 100 years, has traditionally held the number one or two positions in the snack market, providing an excellent and stable investment for stockholders. But in the past several years, Best Snacks sales have been slipping, market share has decreased and, particularly in the past two years, stock prices have taken a dive. This year, the company will finish a very weak second, and with several smaller competitors emerging as major players in the snack industry, Best Snacks is in danger of losing its long-held premier standing in the snack market,† (University of Phoenix, 2010,  ¶ 2). In addition to these issues, the employees at Best Snacks are unsettled and feeling as if management does not value their opinions and has not done a good job of promoting innovation. In order to succeed, Best Snacks must tackle the challenges of its failing product line as well as find a way to bring the internal climate with employees back to a state of resolution. Describe the Situation Issue and Opportunity Identification Best Snacks is facing a number of issues. Declining sales, complacency, and a lack of motivation within the employees due to the absence of manager support have all contributed to the current state. By taking a close look at its competitors and studying other successful organizations the leadership at Best Snacks can retain some of its previous success. Capitalizing on the new changes in leadership, Best Snacks has the opportunity to restructure their organization in a way that will foster an environment of creativity and innovation. As stated, both sales and market share at Best Snacks has seen a decline. The opportunity presented is for the leadership at Best Snacks to evaluate the organization’s current process to determine how they can keep up with the competition. A radical innovation is a significant change that simultaneously affects both the business model and the technology of a company. Radical innovations usually bring fundamental changes to the competitive environment in an industry, (Davila, Epstien, Shelton, 2006, p. 51). Contributing to the declining sales is the fact that there have been no product or service innovations in the past five years; instead, previously successful marketing methods have been improved or extended. Successful organizations tend to become complacent and conservative in order to preserve their core competencies—those things that lead to their success. This is logical and largely advantageous in the short-term. Paradoxically, the things that led to their success could be the very things in the long-term that pull them into failure, (Davila, Epstien, Shelton, 2006, p. 239). By designing new marketing methods that are completely different from anything that has been done before, Best snacks can return to their customer base with a fresh approach that will draw people to their products. A learning organization is an organization that purposefully designs and constructs its structure, culture, and strategy so as to enhance and maximize the potential for organizational learning (explorative and exploitative) to take place, (Jones, 2004, p. 377). Currently many employees at Best Snacks do not understand the importance of innovation and have forgotten how to develop and implement creative ideas. Most of this stems from the fact that managers do not support creativity and innovation, another issues facing Best Snacks. Employees believe that they are not supported in their ideas and independent thinking. One of the key roles of the CEO is to make innovation part of the culture of the company. The CEO needs to make certain that collaboration occurs and becomes part of the culture. Steve Jobs works this critical cultural angle at Apple by being the clear leader of innovation and pushing hard to ensure that there is effective collaboration between the technology and business folks, (Davila, Epstien, Shelton, 2006, p. 58 259). The leadership at Best Snacks should use this opportunity to support and encourage organization learning, developing culture that is ripe for innovation through leading by example and pushing for employees to come up with new ideas. Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas Though Best Snacks is facing a number of issues, three main stakeholder perspective s and ethical dilemmas have been identified. The first is between Best Snacks and the competition. Both Best Snacks and its competing businesses have a vested interest in their individual corporations. Each would like to be the number one holder of sales and market share in their industry. In their quest to be number one, it is the responsibility of each organization to utilize fair business practices, and conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. Another stakeholder perspective is the leadership of Best Snacks versus their employees. The employees at Best Snacks feel that leadership does not value their opinions and has not created an environment open for innovation and creativity. Though management sees the need for employees to develop a creative mindset, they are unsure about the best ways to utilize those skills. Both management and the employees need to be honest about what they’re needs and expectations are. Opening the door to communication will allow them to work together as a unit. Management has the responsibility to treat employees with fairness and respect, understanding that although their titles may be lower in rank, their opinions and desire to grow the organization is what will ultimately lead Best Snacks into their next phase of success. The last ethical dilemma that was identified is Best Snacks versus itself. As a corporation, Best Snacks is rightfully concerned that they are seeing a significant decrease in sales. In their quest to retain success, Best Snacks must be careful to not violate any copyright infringement laws while studying their competition and creating their own new products. Frame the â€Å"Right† Problem Best Snacks will become a leader in the snack industry once again by promoting creative and innovative learning within the organization that will inspire a new product lines and allow them to compete with the competition. You read "Best Snacks Problem Solution" in category "Papers" Describe the â€Å"End-State† Vision Best Snacks held on to its top position in the snack industry by promoting innovation within their organization. Though the industries may vary, the characteristics of innovative organizations are often similar. Studies have shown that innovative workplaces share six cultural characteristics: context rich, customer close, confidence building, curious, challenging, and collaborative, (Daniels, 2010). Innovative organizations have leaders that cultivate creativity by allowing employees to be themselves and encouraging the development of new ideas. Brainstorming and team building activities play a large part in how these companies create, (Daniels, Watts-Holley, Mobley, Rauschenbach, 2010). Capitalizing on these traits, Best Snacks was able to energize their employees and push for organizational learning, and team building that enabled them to create new product lines, modernize the previous products therefore maintaining their previous customer bases as well as capturing a new audience. Identify the Alternatives and Benchmarking Validatio Based on the opportunities given, three main alternatives have been identified. First, instead of promoting organizational learning, management can select a few employees for individual learning. Managers would select employees to serve on special teams. There’s team members would then go through a series of individual and group learning to implement programs within the organization. Another alternative is for previous marketing methods to be revisited in an effort to appeal to the standard customer base. Leadership at Best Snacks can attempt to capture their previous success by reconnecting with their audience through an analysis of what has worked in the past. The third alternative identified is to make no radical changes, choosing to stick with incremental or semi-radical innovation. By utilizing incremental innovation, Best Snacks can wring out as much value as possible from existing products or services without making significant changes or major investments. Semi-Radical Innovation on the other hand involves substantial change to either the business model or technology of an organization—but not to both, (Davila, Epstien, Shelton, 2006). Evaluate the Alternatives In Table three there were two goals that were ranked at a number five. The first goal, design new marketing methods that are completely different from those of the past was chosen to stimulate creativity within the organization. Best Snacks has already spent and ample amount of time redeveloping ideas of the past and needs a fresh approach to capturing their audience. The second goal that was ranked at a number five is for the management to promote organizational wide learning. One of the reasons Best Snacks is in the position they’re in is because at some point the organization stopped learning. Management began to discourage the innovation and creativity that once the key to the company’s success. As a result, the entire team at Best Snacks; employees as well as management need to go back to square one in learning the organization, its customers and products. Narrowed List of Alternatives The best alternative chosen are to revisit the previous marketing methods to capture some of the past product success, and to implement semi-radical change. Although it is clear based on the goals that it would be best for Best Snacks to make a complete 360 degree turn around with their business structure and approach to marketing, the cost of doing so could defeat take a toll on the company’s finances due to its declining sales. As a result, it may be better for the organization to take things slow implementing only a semi-radical change program and revamping some of the previous marketing methods. Due to the fact that the organization was highly successful not too long ago, it may be worth taking a look at some of the processes that were in place during that time, examining whether or not success can be generated by reinventing the wheel as opposed to starting over completely. Identify and Assess Risks The remaining alternatives; select a few employees for individual learning and implement incremental change have been identified as having too many risks to utilize in the future plans of Best Snacks. In selecting just a few employees, the leadership does not tackle the real issue of ensuring that innovation is stimulated on an organizational wide scale. It seems that an incremental change approach is what put Best Snacks in the position that they are in now. In only considering the bottom line while ignoring the significant changes that needed to be made in the product lines and processes has cost the organization in sales. With both alternative, Best Snacks runs the likely chance that no changes will be made, leaving the organization to continue its decline. Make the Decision Best Snacks will utilize radical innovation to develop customized, strategic marketing plans for their current product lines and formulate teams within the organization to design new products. Management and employees will work together to energize not only each other but the customer with anticipation of what’s to come. Creative advertising campaigns, team building exercises, and consistent attention to employee needs by management will position Best Snacks in the upper echelon of the snack industry. Founded in 1998, Google has obtained success by being one of the most innovative internet search engines in the world. The company name, Google is in fact a play on the word â€Å"googol,† the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. The name reflects the immense volume of information that exists, and the scope of Google’s mission: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, (Google, 2010). With over 150 domains in different names and languages, advertising applications, and a phone, and its own internet browser, Google Chrome, the leadership and employees at Google are constantly coming up with new ideas on how to make their existing products better and challenging themselves to create new products that will speak to their consumer needs. Google’s philosophy is embedded with a number of approaches to the principles of their organization and how they will conduct business. Specifically when it comes to design the company believes: 1. Focus on people – their lives, their work, and their dreams. . Every millisecond counts. 3. Simplicity is powerful. 4. Engage beginners and attract experts. 5. Dare to innovate. 6. Design for the world. 7. Plan for today’s and tomorrow’s business. 8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind. 9. Be worthy of people’s trust. 10. Add a human touch, (Daniels, Watts-Holley, Mobley, Rauschenbach, 2010). In capitalizing on the success of organizations such as Google and the competing snack corporations, as well as returning their focus back to the people, Best Snack will move into the future retaining their top slot as an industry leader. Develop and Implement the Solution In order to develop and implement the solution, Best Snacks must be strategic in their next steps. To take place immediately, Elizabeth Fairchild must devise a conflict management plan for employees and managers to have better communication. In order for innovation to thrive employees must first iron out the issues they have amongst each other as well as management. Getting the problems out on the table will be the first step to opening the door to communication needed for innovation and creativity. Within the next ninety days, Sabrina McKay will develop a plan for team brainstorming. Working with Elizabeth Fairchild, a plan for organizational learning will be put into place to stimulate the employees and get them thinking about what’s next for the organization. Within six months, new product lines should be developed. These lines will be a culmination of the ideas of each person from the management team as well as the employees. Evaluate the Results External success for Best Snacks will be measure by evaluation of the next quarter sales and earnings. Because the ultimate goal of the organization is to increase sales and market share in an effort to remain competitive in the industry, short term review goals are deemed best for a clear understanding of whether newly implemented marketing ideas and approaches are working. There are certain marketing elements every (startup) entrepreneur should track to grow and become more profitable. The key indicators are leads generated, leads converted, average dollar per transaction and average number of transactions per customer. Though the notion of tracking may feel like overkill, focus and improvement spring from the habit of constant measurement. In creating a baseline, it will be much easier to focus the strategies and actions on the right areas of the business, (Jantsch,  2009). Internal measurements for determining success will be to administer another company-wide survey and small focus groups. Leadership must remain in constant communication with the Best Snack employees to ensure that most, if not all needs are being met and that satisfactions with encouraging innovation and creativity amongst employees is felt. Conclusion Best Snacks has the potential to maintain its position in the snack industry. Though the situation looks bleak, it is not as bad as it seems. The main issue for Best Snacks is that they’ve never been in this space before. As long as management uses this opportunity to grow and learn the ills of complacency the organization should be able to avoid being placed in this position again. References Daniels, T. , Watts-Holley, J. , Mobley, A. , Rauschenbach, L.. (2010). Best Snacks Benchmarking Worksheet. Retrieved from MMPBL550 – Creativity, Innovation, and Organizational Design website. Davila, T. , Estien, T. J. , Shelton, R. (2006). Making Innovation Work: How To Manage It, Measure It, and Profit From It. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing. Jantsch, J. (2009). 4 Metrics For Measuring Success: 4 key metrics can help you determine if your brand-building is working. Retrieved from http://www. entrepreneur. com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/february/199732. html Jones , G. (2004). Organizational Theory, Design, and Change (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. University of Phoenix. (2010). Best Snacks Scenario. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, MMPBL550 – CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, AND ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN website. Table 1 Issues and Opportunities Identification | | | |Issues |Opportunities |Reference to Specific | | | |Course Concept | |Best Snacks sales have been slipping, market|Evaluate the organization’s current |A radical innovation is a significant change that | |share has decreased |process to determine how they can keep up |simultaneously affects both the business model and the | | |with the competition. |technology of a company. Rad ical innovations usually | | | |bring fundamental changes to the competitive | | | |environment in an industry, (Davila, Epstien, | | | |Shelton, 2006, p. 51). |There have been no product or service |Design new marketing methods that are |Successful organizations tend to become complacent and | |innovations in the past five years; instead,|completely different from anything that |conservative in order to preserve their core | |previously successful marketing methods have|has been done before. |competencies—those things that lead to their success. | |been improved or extended | |This is logical and largely advantageous in the | | | |short-term. Paradoxically, the things that led to their| | | |success could be the very things in the long-term that | | | |pull them into failure, (Davila, Epstien, Shelton, | | | |2006, p. 239). | |Not many people seem to understand the |Management can promote learning within the|A learning organization is an organization that | |importance of innovation. Worse, they seem |organization. |purposefully designs and constructs its structure, | |to have forgotten how to develop and | |culture, and strategy so as to enhance and maximize the| |implement creative ideas. |potential for organizational learning (explorative and | | | |exploitative) to take place, (Jones, 2004, p. 377). | |Employees feel that creativity/innovation is|Management can develop a culture that is |One of the key roles of the CEO is to make innovation | |not encouraged and that their ideas are not |ripe for innovation through leading by |part of the culture of the company. The CEO needs to | |supported by management. |example a nd pushing for employees to come |make certain that collaboration occurs and becomes part| | |up with new ideas. |of the culture. Steve Jobs works this critical cultural| | | |angle at Apple by being the clear leader of innovation | | | |and pushing hard to ensure that there is effective | | | |collaboration between the technology and business | | | |folks, (Davila, Epstien, Shelton, 2006, p. 258 | | | |259). | Table 2 Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas | |Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas | | | | | |Stakeholder Groups with Competing | | | |Values |The Interests, Rights, and |The Ethical Dilemma Based on the Competing | | |Values of Each Group |Values | |List: Group X | | | |versus Group Y | | | |Best Snacks vs. the competition |Both Best Snacks and the competition have a vested |It is the responsibility of each organization | | |interest in their individual corporations. Each would |in their quest to be number one to do utilize | | |like to be the number one holder of sales and market |fair business practices, and conduct themselves| | |share in their industry. |with honesty and int egrity. | |Best Snacks Leadership vs. he |The employees at Best Snacks feel that leadership does |Both management and the employees need to be | |employees |not value their opinions and has not created an |honest about what they’re needs and | | |environment for open innovation and integrity. Though |expectations are. Opening the door to | | |management sees the need for employees to develop a |communication will allow them to work together | | |creative mindset, they are unsure about the best ways |as a unit. Management has the responsibility to| | |to utilize those skills. treat employees with fairness and respect, | | | |understanding that although their titles may be| | | |lower in rank, their opinions and desire to | | | |grow the organization is what will ultimately | | | |lead Best Snacks into their next phase of | | | |success. | |Best Snacks vs. tself |As a corporation, Best Snacks is rightfully concerned |In their quest to retain success, Best Snacks | | |that they are seeing a significant decrease in sales. |must be careful to not violate any copyright | | | |infringement laws while studying their | | | |competition and creating their own new | | | |products. | Table 3 Analysis of Alternative Solutions [pic] Table 4 Risk Assessment and Mitigation Risk Assessment and Mitigation | |Alternative |Risks and Probability |Consequence and Severity |Mitigation Techniques and Strategies | |Select a few employees for |By selecting only a few employees |The organization may find itself | Instead of managers randomly selecting| |individual learning |for individual learning, Best Snacks|in the same position as right now,|employees, they could ask for | | |leadership will have only barely |it is clear that not enough |volunteers, or use a mixture of | | |touched the issue of many not |employees understand the process |experience and tenure to make the | | |understanding creativity and |of innovation to a point where |selection | | |innovation. |they can mo ve the company forward. | | | |Also, in selecting only a few | | | | |employees issues of favoritism and| | | | |feeling left out could occur | | | | |amongst workers. | | |Implement Incremental change |Though incremental innovation would |Utilizing incremental change could|Instead of incremental innovation, Best| | |save the company money it would not |put Best Snacks back in the same |Snacks should utilize another approach | | |address the most important issue of |position. that would allow them to tackle the | | |stimulating creativity and | |core of the issues. | | |innovation within the employees. | | | | |This would cost the company in the | | | | |long run as they run the risk of | | | | |continuing the sales decline. | | | Table 5 Pros and Cons of Alternative Solutions Alternative |Pros |Cons | |Revisit previous marketing methods to capture |Methods used during the company’s most |These methods are old and no longer appeal to | |past success |successful times have alr eady been tested |the target audience – the reason Best Snacks is| | | |in their current state | |Implement semi-radical change |Extreme change will be made to certain portions|Best Snacks is no longer in a position where | | |of the organization. |small changes are acceptable. They need fast, | | | |extreme change to catch up to the competition | Table 6 Optimal Solution Implementation Plan |Action Item Deliverable |Timeline |Who is Responsible | |Develop a plan for team brainstorming and innovation|90 days Sabrina McKay | |Create new product lines |6 months |Sabrina McKay, Bill Santoro, Jennifer | | | |Heartwell, Martin Hernandez, Dale Chin | |Devise conflict management plan for employees and |Immediately |Elizabeth Fairchild | |managers to have better communication | | | Table 7 Evaluation of Results |End-State Goals |Metrics |Target | |Management and employees will develop and |Employee survey |85-90% satisfaction | |maintain open communication. | | |Best Snacks increase sale and market share. |Industry reports |70% increase | | | | | | | | | | | | | How to cite Best Snacks Problem Solution, Papers

Guess Brand Positioning Essay Example For Students

Guess Brand Positioning Essay 1INTRODUCTION Guess is a universally known brand with a fashionable and unique style towards their diverse product range. They cater their products for all ages, from babies to the sophisticated market, including the male and female targeted group. According to the Guess website (no date), the Marcianos found in 1981, a small denim company in California. Guess continues to be guided by the Marcianos brothers, Paul and Maurice. They saw an opportunity to combine the European and American culture to create the brand Guess. Guess has expanded over the years to such an extent that it is one of the largest and most successful fashion brands in the world. The assignment will focus on Guess’s brand identity and positioning in the market. The author used the World Wide Web to research the Guess company. The objective of the assignment is to illustrate the success of Guess through the identity and positioning of the company. 2BRAND IDENTITY According to Lake (no date) brand identity is defined as â€Å"how you want the consumer to perceive your product or your brand. Companies try to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity. Kapferer (no date) identifies that the following questions should first be answered before the brand identity of Guess will clearly be defined: 2. 1What is the brands’ particular vision and aim? The Guess website (no date) identifies that their mission statement is as follow: †¢Guess is committed to be the worldwide leader in the fashion industry. †¢Guess delivers excellent quality products and services which is consistent with the portrait brand and their image. †¢They strive to listen to their customers, partners and associates to fulfill customer satisfaction in the end. Guess constantly gives back to the community, support humanity and ultimately protect the environment. †¢They believe in teamwork, trust, respect and an environment of open communication. 2. 2What makes it different? The Guess website (no date) states that they provide a strong brand, marketing and advertising worldwide, a consistent brand image, they have a clear direction for their products, a true global strategy and multiple retail concepts, including GUESS stores, Guess by Marciano stores, accessories – only stores and the G by GUESS stores. . 3What need is the brand fulfilling? Guess strives to deliver to their customers’ unique and fashionable products with an innovative style. Thus, in the process placing their products in the mind of the customers’ as a â€Å"must-have† brand. The needs that the brand will fulfill are social needs and esteem needs. Due to the fact that sense of belonging amongst society, along with status and recognition, will influence customers to purchase Guess products. 2. 4What is its value? Guess delivers high quality products with distinct styles. They strive to be innovators of fashion for the ‘young, daring and sexy’. 2. 5What is its field of competence? According to the Guess website (no date) they are one of the most recognizable apparel companies across the globe, with over 1,113 GUESS and GUESS Accessory retail stores worldwide. Although, there are a number of other companies that are producing more or less the same products, Guess is one of the recognizable fashion leaders in the ‘young contemporary women’s, men’s kids’ and baby’ markets across the globe (Guess website; no date). . 6What are the signs that make the brand recognizable from competitors? Guess is recognizable amongst a diversity of different brands with its highly innovative and fashionable style. The qualities of the products are also noticeable immediately, after comparing with other brands. 3BRAND POSITIONED IN THE MARKET The Business Dictionary website (no date) defines brand positioning as â€Å"the deve lopment of a brand’s position in the market by heightening customer perception of the brand’s superiority over other brands of a similar nature. .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 , .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .postImageUrl , .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 , .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:hover , .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:visited , .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:active { border:0!important; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:active , .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1 .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udb2eacc2308ad36d477e34b888dc17e1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: An Existentialist Meaning of Life EssayBrand positioning relies on the identification of a real strength or value that has a clear advantage over the nearest competitor and is easily communicated to the consumer. † Guess is positioned as one of the most recognizable brands in the fashion industry. They are recognized as a fashion leader and being an innovative company with a fashionable style. They deliver high quality products with a diverse product range. They cater for all ages, both male and female. 4THE IDENTITY PRISM 4. 1Brand physique â€Å"A brand has physical specificities and qualities – its ‘physique’ (Kapferer, no date). Guess is seen as a high quality product, a unique and fashionable product and different from other competitors. 4. 2Brand personality â€Å"Brand personality is described and measured by human personality traits that are relevant for brands (Kapferer, no date). † According to the Guess website (no date), Guess identifies their brand identity as follow: †¢GUESS Adventurous. Sexy. All-American with an International flair. †¢Guess by Marciano Sophisticated. Feminine. Unapologetically sexy. †¢G by GUESS Independent. Bold. Confident. Alive. Stylish. 4. 3Brand culture â€Å"Culture means the set of values feeding the brand’s inspiration. It is the source of the brands inspirational power (Kapferer, no date). † Guess is a generate company when it comes to giving back to society. It has numerous events and foundations. The Guess Foundation raises money for society and generates a great deal in the process. Their employees consistently help charity organizations. According to the Guess website (no date), â€Å"for Guess customers, Guess means creating innovative, high quality products. For their employees, it means advancing their professional development and providing access to volunteer opportunities in their community. For the community, it means supporting worthy, charitable organizations and charities. † 4. 4Brand relationship â€Å"The brand relationship defines the mode of conduct that most identifies the brand (Kapferer, no date). † Guess brand relates to an individual as a sexy, daring and stylish brand. Customers may feel more confident and independent when having a Guess brand. 4. 5Customer reflection â€Å"Reflected means that the customer should be reflected as he/she wishes to be seen as a result of using a brand (Kapferer, no date). † GUESS targets the market that wants to be adventurous and sexy. Guess by Marciano targets the market that wants to be sophisticated and feminine. G by GUESS targets the market that wants to make a bold statement, that’s independent, stylish and confident. All the Guess products target both the male and female market. 4. 6Self – image â€Å"Self-image is the target market’s own internal mirror (I feel, I am†¦) (Kapferer, no date). † Guess customers have a self-image of status, because of the fact that their products are more expensive than other brands. Guess customers picture themselves as sexy, confident and sophisticated clients. BRAND ESSENCE The website brand channel identifies that brand essence means â€Å"the brand’s promise expressed in the simplest, most single – minded terms. For example, Volvo’s brand essence is safety. The most powerful brand essences are rooted in a fundamental customer need. † ). † According to the Guess website (no date), Guess identifies their bran d identity as follow: †¢GUESS Adventurous. Sexy. All-American with an International flair. †¢Guess by Marciano Sophisticated. Feminine. Unapologetically sexy. †¢G by GUESS Independent. Bold. Confident. Alive. Stylish. CONCLUSION According to the Guess website (no date), Guess identifies their brand identity as follow: †¢GUESS Adventurous. Sexy. All-American with an International flair. †¢Guess by Marciano Sophisticated. Feminine. Unapologetically sexy. †¢G by GUESS Independent. Bold. Confident. Alive. Stylish. Guess is positioned as one of the most recognizable brands in the fashion industry. Guess is a fashion leader and an innovative company with a fashionable style. They deliver high quality products with a diversity of a product range. They cater for all ages, both male and female.