Buying Tesla and the Social Class of Green Technology

Electric Cars are not a new concept, but are finally gaining a market share in todays car market. These cars are extremely efficient and produce the least pollution out of any other car, however they have also become a symbol of status and wealth exemplified by Tesla Motor's fast and status-oriented automobile models.The article â€Å"Positive and Negative spillover effects from Electric Car Purchase to usage† by Klockner states how research resulted in the understanding that individuals who buy lectric cars have no deduction in the amount of miles put on the annual mileage of their gas using cars. In other words, buying an electric car does not change Tesla owner's consumption patterns. The ultimate green automobile is used more as a status symbol and companies such as Tesla Motors understand this and market primarily to the wealthy.This has created a form of â€Å"Green Aesthetic† which makes some consumers believe this is the way to gain entrance into an environmenta lly concerned upper class if they own these electric cars. Heider defines class as an order of which society divides people into sets based on perceived social or economic status. Even though individuals may want to reduce the overall carbon footprint, they lack the necessary financial stability to purchase a fuel efficient car like a Tesla.Owning such vehicles has become a type of â€Å"Electric Cool† where a status oriented society sees owning a tesla as being a method of exemplifying social strata. The middle and lower class have been encouraged to use much cheaper methods to educe their carbon footprint such as recycling, further confirming the previous notions of the â€Å"Green upper class. † Tesla claims to market to all buyers to build a customer base for the next ten years, however it is quite relevant that they target the base of people who can afford such high costs.The idea to create electric cars Is not new to the world, however the only way to make an act ual Impact on consumption patterns Is to locate more affordable electric vehicles, creating a Tesla line of ffordability. Tesla Motors is a multibillion dollar corporation that has the proper tools and minds to make an actual change happen on a global scale, however due to the high cost, still only the wealthy sector can currently afford these vehicles. Cheaper electric cars will not be developed by larger car manufacturers or marketed to the middle and lower class for years to come.Tesla is going lower In price and hopefully they will continue to do so. Buying Tesla and the Social Class of Green Technology By kiansthebest –Buying Tesla and the Social Class of Green Technology– â€Å"Positive and Negative spillover effects from Electric Car Purchase to Usage† by base of people who can afford such high costs. The idea to create electric cars is not new to the world, however the only way to make an actual impact on consumption patterns is to locate more affordable electric vehicles, creating a Tesla line of to the middle and lower class for years to come.

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Essay

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is considered a hero by millions of India’s oppressed OBCs (Other Backward Castes or ‘lowered castes’) and Dalits. He was India’s 20th century crusader against the caste system. He was a statesman, national leader, and the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Dr. Ambedkar’s thoughts and writings still have significant influence on the masses of Indians working to free themselves from Brahmanism (the caste system, as validated by the religion called Hinduism). Following are just a few quotes from literally thousands of pages of Ambedkar speeches and writings. Speaking about the coming Indian independence from Great Britain, Ambedkar stated, â€Å"†¦we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality, and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one-man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall by reason of our social and economic structure continue to deny the principle of one-man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril.† (p.295) â€Å"†¦whether conversion can solve the problem of untouchability. The answer to that question is emphatically in the affirmative.† (p.87) â€Å"Hinduism is a religion which is not founded on morality. Whatever morality Hinduism has, it is not an integral part of it.† (p.257) â€Å"I do not want to be misunderstood when I say that Brahmanism is an enemy which must be dealt with. By Brahmanism, I do not mean the power, privileges and interests of the Brahmins as a community. That is not the sense in which I am using the word. By Brahmanism, I mean the negation of the spirit of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In that sense, it is rampant in all classes and is not confined to the Brahmins alone, though they have been the originators of it.† (p.88) â€Å"Hinduism is not interested in the common man. Hinduism is not interested in society as a whole. The center of interest lies in a class, and its philosophy is concerned in sustaining and supporting the rights of that class. That is why in the philosophy of Hinduism, the interests of the common man as well as of society are denied, suppressed, and sacrificed to the interest of this class of Supermen (Brahmin).† (p. 258) â€Å"†¦there can be no doubt that caste is one and an essential and integral part of Hinduism†¦A Hindu is as much born into caste as he is born in Hinduism. Indeed a person cannot be born in Hinduism unless he is born in caste. Caste and Hinduism are inseparable.† (p.259) â€Å"The record of the Brahmins as law givers for the Shudras (OBC’s), for the Untouchables (Dalits) and for women is the blackest as compared with the record of the intellectual classes in other parts of the world. For no intellectual class has prostituted its intelligence to invent a philosophy to keep its uneducated countrymen in a perpetual state of ignorance and poverty as the Brahmins have done in India.† (p.259) Despite recent news telling us that India is surging forward in mordernization and in economic and social gains, the current growth trends are touching, at most, fifteen percent of the Indian population. The vast majority of India remains unaffected by the current growth trends. These masses will continue to remain unaffected until the Kingdom of God comes and brings opportunity to the Indian majority (OBCs and Dalits).

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You need talent, luck, and persistence. Pick any two if you want to be successful. Whether you are a basketball coach or player, you can reach your (realistic) goals and achieve a high level of success with Just two of those three. Don't believe me? Let's take a look†¦ Talent To some degree, what most people refer to as talent, Is nothing more than passion. If you love to do something†¦ you will do it every chance you can. And the more you do it, the better you get.Now obviously there are several uncontrollable factors that determine someone's ultimate talent and success on the basketball court (height, athleticism, etc. ), but in many instances, talent comes from non-stop, obsessive practice. I have never met a lethal shooter who didn't practice all of the time†¦ who dldnt shoot thousands and thousands of shots every single week. Being a talented shooter is 100% controllable. There is no debate that Kevin Durant was born with numerous physical gifts. But so are a lot of people.So how come KD Is an NBA All-Star and 3-tlme NBA leading scorer nd other 69†³ guys never get chance to play past college? Because KD has an unparalleled passion for basketball and he works on his craft every single day. The same can be said for Grelvls Vasquez of the New Orleans Hornets. I met Grelvls the day he got to the united States (from Venezuela) in 2005. He spoke very little English and weighed 150 lbs. Now he plays in the NBA. How is that possible? He made himself talented by working on his game every single day. Same goes for coaching.Who are some of the most talented coaches in college basketball? Coach K? Tom Izzo? Do you have any idea how much time and effort those guys have put into their coaching skill sets? They love the game of basketball and work relentlessly at becoming the best they can be. Talent is the ability to make the most of what you have with where you are. Luck Honestly, I don't believe in luck. I think unsuccessful people use luck as an e xcuse I believe luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I love the quote, â€Å"the harder you work, the luckier you get. There is so much truth to that statement. So that means, in rder to be lucky, you need to be well prepared when opportunity knocks. Do you even know how to prepare? Players, what do your daily workouts consist of? Do you Just Jack up 300 shots or do you take game shots, from game spots, at game speeds? Do you practice ball handling drills looking down at the ball or do you force yourself to look up (even though you may lose the ball initially)? Do you visualize a defender in front of you when making moves to the basket or do you Just do the drill?Do you have a solid strength & conditioning foundation or do you Just play pick-up? Equally important, are you a great teammate? Are you the type of player other players like to play with and coaches like to coach? Trust me†¦ you'll be a lot luckier if you are! Coaches, do you Just study the X's and O's or do y ou work on communication and leadership? Do you put all of your focus on your out-of-bounds plays or do you spend time learning how to most effectively communicate wltn every memoer 0T your program? Do you relnTorce great work habits with your players 365 days a year?Do you read, watch film, and network with other coaches? I realize many resources cost money†¦ camps, clinics, DVDs, and trainers, which can me a limiting factor for some. However there are numerous resources that don't (like this blog or my YouTube channel). Find them. Use them. If you want to be lucky, you need â€Å"to be in the right place at the right time. † Instead of waiting for that to happen, you need to make an effort to create real value in every place you go and every person you come in contact with. When opportunity knocks, will you be prepared to answer?Persistence This one is pretty obvious. Don't give up on anything you cant go a day without thinking about it. Never quit. Keep practicing. Ke ep working. Most people think they are persistent, but in reality, they give up after a couple of â€Å"no's† or a few minor failures. Be too stubborn to quit. Don't be so pigheaded you won't try to new approaches or make adjustments along the way†¦ Just don't quit. Ever. My twin sons, Luke ; Jack, are 2 h years old. They have an unyielding persistence. They don't stop until they get what they want! They are relentless and they don't take no for answer.While that has certainly caused me some grey hairs, I hope it is a quality they never out grow. If they apply the same persistence to the game of basketball as they do to wanting to be fed†¦ they will indeed be McDonalds All-Americans in 2028! Bottom line is this. If you want to be successful, on the court, or in anything in life.

Community Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Community Service - Essay Example Community Service When magistrates compel first time law breakers to undertake community service, they aim at promoting discipline and advocating for reform that will restrain the law-breaker from repeating the offence (Godhbole). Community service is aimed at the development of the community where a volunteer or philanthropist, or a group of people may get into projects such as to teach children from less fortunate backgrounds, help build homes, clean and attend to the elderly in homes, clean the streets, plant trees, fix public utilities or assist in animal shelters. Institutes of education tend to direct young people to community service so that they can develop a sense of purpose for their lives as they progress to other levels and overall to groom their personalities. Philanthropists, who are people that are involved in making the society better through various works of donations, usually create foundations that focus on the problems which often affect the society, such as education or environmen t (Daniel). One of the biggest advantages of community service is that it creates within a community the ability to do things together that would seem overwhelming to an individual. For example, if a person notices there is a piece of land that is neglected and that this land would look better with trees and flowers, these persons can decide to come together with their friends and start a beautification activity. The activities of such persons may inspire others within the community to decide to join together to make similar projects. As a result, this may ignite a chain reaction where many people may end up working together to turn a single activity started by others, into a project that covers the entire community. Community service projects has the effect of bringing people together and this turns into a spirit of togetherness and caring for one another, and the environment in which they live (Arrington). My own personal experience working in community service took place when I v olunteered to work in a Buddhist temple for several months. The activities that I took part in included serving lunch, cleaning the temple and statues, and directing people to the different prayer sessions. It was an experience that was fulfilling for me as it taught me the importance of spirituality. I got the opportunity to interact with the priests who gave me an opportunity to help people from different occupations and many backgrounds. The way the priests lead such simple lives inspired me and interacting with ordinary people emulating their lives made it seem achievable. I developed a sense of discipline from following the schedule of the activities at the temple as they were adhered to strictly. In addition, the community service gave me a chance to expose myself to people of different backgrounds, cultures and ages. The experience of community work in the Buddhist temple exposed me to a process of learning that was beyond the formal idea of learning. The practice accorded me the opportunity to explore areas of knowledge that I had not encountered in the formal learning processes. The understanding and practice of community service usually involves an awareness of the real things that make up the social order in the world of those who

American History Since 1865 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

American History Since 1865 - Essay Example Roosevelt was more concerned about the general public and believed in the notion of relief, recovery and reform. Soon after gaining office, he introduced different relief programs which provided employment to thousands of unemployed persons. He reduced the expenses on military, research and education to increase the funds required to boost the economy. His approach was very successful and provided a head start for the nation to recover from the Great Depression. 2. What can you understand about the problems facing the nation or about American culture and society of the day? The primary problem faced by the American nation was unemployment. However it had not resulted only from the crashed economy but also due to materialistic work practices of the people. The people were more concerned about earning easily rather than through hard work. The other major problem faced by the society was the improper utilization of the natural resources. The land was abundant in natural resources but la ck of leadership and coordination among the people had hindered in its proper utilization. The nation lacked a stable currency that could suffice for all the trade and commerce. The competition and monopoly of big organizations had throttled the small scale businesses and caused widespread unemployment.

Ask week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ask week 2 - Essay Example For example, organizations with individuals that have build up their values to represent the interest of the organization; can have a distinct culture that helps it overcome its challenges. This is believed to be under the guidance of organization’s code of ethics. What are advantages of exposure of individuals to defining moments? It is apparent that personal ethics are strengthened by such moments (Stouten, Dijke and Cremer 2011). It is such moments that individuals are faced by ethical issues that application of leadership skills is vital. Of the three framework of questions, the third questions â€Å"who is the company† can be viewed as the determinacy of how your workplace problem can be solve. Explain. This is a very crucial question to view when trying to solve any workplace problem. The focus is diverted from the point of individual values to that of the company. This way, the individuals in the organization view challenges emanation from the organization as ones requiring professionalism and leadership traits. Gick (2003) argues that disposition or natural tendency to behave in a particular way towards code of ethics should be consistent. Why do you think this is vital? The contention is that people should be in a position to adapt ethical behavior to the prevailing ethical culture. Why do you think that non compliance with individuals and organization to exhibit high moral and ethical standards in business decisions is the root cause of your workplace problem? According to Small (2011), compliance to a strict moral code enhance high moral and ethical behavior by people. How can your organization mitigate the tensions between your code of ethics and relationship with external stakeholders? According to Badaracco (1998), mitigation of the tensions between code of ethics and the relationship with external stakeholders should involve

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 13

Sociology - Essay Example Culture defines the development of relationships between suppliers and customers as well the development of a marketing plan and objectives. The definition of organizational culture is diverse but the focus of the whole organization. Organization culture is defined as â€Å"the values and behaviors that influence the unique social and psychological environment of the organization†. Most organizations operate in a known and established pattern that is known to the long serving workers. Chanel 5 is product from Parisian couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. It is a French company with global reputation. The company has managed to develop its organization structure and culture over the years of operation leading to creation of organization culture and tradition. The company will be described simply as Chanel as it is widely known. The organization structure of the company has evolved changing its culture and traditions. The success in the development of a unique social and psychological environment is tied to the guiding principles developed by the management. Organizational culture depends on both the past, current ass umptions, philosophy, experience and values. The culture is expressed in its inner image, inner workings, interaction with the outside environment, and future expectation. The basics of the culture are dependent on the beliefs customs attitudes, express and implied contracts, written and unwritten rules that the organization develops over time. It is the way the organization conducts business, treats employees, clients and the community. For Chanel, the culture and focus of the company was determined by traditional market which targeted the women in the society. Fragrance worn by women had two basic categories which have been entrenched into the company culture namely respectable women and sexually provocative fragrance for prostitute. This culture of production via values has been entrenched into

An explaning why I am interested in becoming a nurse Essay

An explaning why I am interested in becoming a nurse - Essay Example Consequently nursing provides personal satisfaction by giving me an opportunity to make real differences in the lives of people everyday. Another important reason why I’m interested in nursing as a career is that nurses experience daily challenges some of which are interesting, unique and rewarding. In this regard, becoming a nurse will not only provide me with invaluable vast opportunities of life learning experiences. I also find personal satisfaction and growth in nursing as it provides me with knowledge and new experiences that help me to contribute more to the community. One of my goals for pursing nursing is to achieve Career mobility. Nursing will provide me with an opportunity to continue with my career in many directions because nursing offers the needed flexibility and individuals can choose to work with children, adults, schools and public health institutions among others (DeWit, 964). Currently there are virtually unlimited opportunities in nursing particularly for people who would like to continue learning new things in their fields of interest. With the rapidly improving healthcare technology and a constantly growing population, nurses are able to work in a variety of diverse working environments and settings such as in home cares, healthcare clinics and hospitals. My specific career goal however is to work as children doctor. Job security is another important consideration that made me to choose nursing. This is because there is a significant shortage of nurses nationwide and I will not need to worry about finding a fulfilling career option once I complete my studies. Nursing also offers the much needed scheduling flexibility to individuals who have other commitments to attend to. For example, as a nurse I will be able to combine a real career with the other personal or family demands by working in part time basis or shifts. On the other hand, I believe pursing nursing career will translate into competitive benefits and higher salaries in

Professional values law and ethics case study Essay

Professional values law and ethics case study - Essay Example Mr. Arnold informs you that his syringe of Or morph was only half full. Mr. Ahmed who is receiving palliative care has been unusually quiet all afternoon. You find the ward sister to inform her about Mr. Arnold’s pain and Mr. Ahmed being sleepy all afternoon. The ward sister initially looks horrified but then states the syringes must have got mixed up; Ill top up Mr. Arnolds pain relief, no harm done. Explore your professional, ethical and legal obligations towards Mr. Arnold and Mr. Ahmed. Doctors along with nurses experience complexities within their palliative care exercise. Hence, they require an excellent perception of moral of ethical standards as well as precedents. A broad range of health problems as well as ethical challenges exist in the palliative care provision Mr. Arnold and Mr. Ahmed. It’s currently known that an excellent perception concerning health ethics may have a contribution to the medical expert’s choice-making as well as everyday Health principles are principally a discipline of applied morals, the learning of ethical principles as well as decisions as they relate to heath care. It’s aimed at providing directions as well as regulations for doctors in their research, duty and behavior as well as shares numerous values with related medical principles, for example, nursing principles along with bioethics. In history, it may get tracked back in Hippocrates, an antique Greek doctor of 5th century (Ulrich 2012, 45). He and together with his learners excluded themselves separately from the other doctors of that moment through emphasizing that their career hunting were balanced as well as technical instead of being supernatural or sacred. Numerous health philosophers have emphasized that a doctor must bear ‘an excellent sense as well as discretion’ (Lachman 2006, 77). Ever since he eighteenth century and over, health providers implemented Hippocratic vow to be the passage right. Likewise, the policy of nursing

Leadership development paper Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership development paper - Coursework Example I am also success oriented, flexible, adaptable, trustworthy, and loyal. These strengths explain my level of success in leadership and managerial capacities. The self-assessment reports also identify low self-esteem and vulnerability to peer influence. While low self-esteem is likely to reduce my level of motivation, especially in challenging roles, vulnerability to peer influence is a threat to my leadership toward realization of set objectives. My other challenges are low ability to manage pressure and weak conflict resolution. In conflict resolution, I majorly apply accommodation and avoidance but these limit my ability to win in conflict resolutions. My leadership development goals include improving my level of self-esteem, improving my level of independence, and my conflict resolution skills. I plan to attend leadership seminars and to be mentored within the next six months. I will then conduct another self-assessment test to evaluate by score in the three areas of

Goals in life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Goals in life - Essay Example Starting with what you know involves getting to know yourself a little better without all the hang-ups and expectations of the world you were brought up in. To get to know yourself better, you have to sit down and really think about what’s important to you, what your morals are and what you feel is ethically correct. This is all about those intangible things that are meaningful to you. If you’re thinking about how impressive a 15 bedroom house would be to your friends and family, you’re on the wrong track but if you’re thinking about how it might be necessary to have 15 bedrooms in order to house all those children you want to have, you might be onto something. Follow the thought a little deeper and you might discover that what is important to you is that you have a close relationship with a number of different people. The next step after figuring out what’s really important to you is to experiment with those areas that you aren’t all that familiar with. Do you like to do things outdoors? If you’ve grown up in the inner city, this might be a very difficult question to answer. While you’re young is the time to experiment with different ways of living, different ways of looking at the world and different ideas of what you might wish to do in life. Talk with people who are from different countries, different backgrounds and different socio-economic classes. You might learn something about yourself and you will certainly gain a greater appreciation for the diversity of the world around you. You may discover that your inner city dreams of the 15 bedroom house meant that you want close relationships with people but that you also desire more personal space, meaning an office job will not make you happy. Finally, knowing what is really important to you and having had the chance to experiment with a variety of viewpoints, you are ready to begin setting your goals. Envision what your life might look like in 20 years

J.C. Penney’s “Fair and Square” Pricing Strategy Essay Example for Free

J.C. Penney’s â€Å"Fair and Square† Pricing Strategy Essay Retailing is hard, and that’s what Steve [Jobs] said to me when we started stores at Apple. — Ron Johnson, CEO, J.C. Penney1 It was August 2012 and the release of second quarter earnings was looming for Ron Johnson, the chief executive officer of J.C. Penney, one of America’s first department stores. Johnson, HBS ’84, had intimated to Wall Street that the retailer’s second quarter results were likely to miss expectations again, following dismal first quarter results that had sent the company’s stock price careening to less than half of its February 2012 value of a share. The Q1 news released in May was grim: a $163 million loss, same store revenue down 19%, and the number of customers shopping in J.C. Penney stores down 10%. These results were particularly disheartening given the company’s radical repositioning of its business model and its brand in February 2012. The centerpiece of the repositioning initiative was a switch from J.C. Penney’s existing high-low pricing strategy, in which the retailer ran frequent sales to offer customers deep discounts off of its higher list prices, to a new strategy the company dubbed â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing. â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing was meant to simplify J.C. Penney’s pricing structure and make it more straightforward for customers to shop. It offered great prices every day, with less frequent price promotions. The company touted its new pricing strategy as offering â€Å"no games, no gimmicks† and invited consumers to â€Å"do the math† to see how it offered them cheaper prices on a regular basis with less hassle. Moving away from high-low pricing was a massive shift for J.C. Penney. In 2011, the retailer spent $1.2 billion to execute 590 different sales events and promotions2 and generated 72% of its $17.3 billion in annual revenue from products sold at steep discounts of more than 50% off of the initial list price.3 Wall Street was initially  supportive of the company’s plans for change. Investors, who sent J.C. Penney’s stock soaring up 24% following the announcement of the new pricing plan, viewed it as a way for J.C. Penney to escape the ruthless downward spiral of escalating price promotions that gripped America’s retailers struggling to survive the economic recession. But by mid-summer 2012, customers and shareholders appeared to be voting with their feet, leaving the retailer in droves. Was Johnson’s new pricing strategy misguided or was it just a matter of time before customers fully embraced it? Johnson was under enormous pressure to turn things around quickly as the all-important back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons were imminent. Many voices were calling on him to consider changing the pricing strategy again. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HBS Professor Elie Ofek and Professor Jill Avery (Simmons School of Management) prepared this case. This case was developed from published sources. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2012, 2013 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-5457685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www.hbsp.harvard.edu/educators. This publication may not be digitized, photocopied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted, without the permission of Harvard Business School. This document is authorized for use only by Jack Cherewatti in MKTG MGMT taught by S. Adam Brasel Boston College from November 2014 to May 2015. For the exclusive use of J. Cherewatti 513-036 J.C. Penney’s â€Å"Fair and Square† Pricing Strategy Company Background Johnson was at the helm of what at one time was considered America’s most  venerated department store. Once the largest department store chain in the country with over 2,000 stores, as of 2012, the 110 year old retailer operated 1,100 stores, claiming to serve more than half of America’s households with 41 million square feet of retail space. Founded by James Cash Penney in 1902, the company’s first outlet was opened in a Wyoming mining town under the name â€Å"The Golden Rule,† that signified its philosophy of treating customers the way Penney himself wished to be treated. Johnson believed that his â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing plan corresponded to the founder’s beliefs, â€Å"Now if you go back to the founding of this company, James Cash Penney believed in everyday fair prices. He said, ‘We don’t mark goods up just to mark them down. We don’t believe in sales.’†4 The company enjoyed years of rapid growt h and expansion. By its 50th anniversary, annual sales exceeded $1 billion. It initially offered consumers one stop shopping as a mass merchandiser, selling soft goods, such as clothing, as well as hard goods, such as appliances, hardware, electronics, and sporting goods. Its retail business was joined by a mail order catalog in 1963 and an ecommerce website in 1998. However, following tough times in the 1980’s, the company reorganized, phasing out its hard goods lines and refocusing on its soft goods to become a fashion oriented department store. But by its 100th anniversary, the company appeared to be running out of steam. Price-oriented mass merchandisers, such as Walmart and Target, had garnered the lower end of the market, while higher end department stores, such as Macy’s and Nordstrom’s, were catering to the upwardly mobile middle class. Although the economic recession of 2008 was difficult for all retailers due to consumers’ increasing frugality, middle market retailers, like J.C. Penney and Sears, were hit the hardest. By 2011, J.C. Penney’s stores were old, often disorganized, and faded, and the brand and its merchandise were starting to feel dated. About 400 of its stores were located in small towns, such as Alpena, Michigan with a population of a little over 10,000. In such towns, there were often only few, if any, other department stores. The remaining 700 or so stores were located in major metropolitan areas, often in suburban malls, such as the Northshore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts (15 miles north of Boston). Following years of store closings, sales malaise, declining market share,  slumping earnings, and weak stock market performance, activist investor and hedge fund manager, William Ackman (HBS ’92) obtained an 18% majority shareholder position in the company in 2010–2011. He was determined to turn J.C Penney around and extract its value, much of which was locked up in its vast real estate holdings that were estimated to be worth $11 billion.5 J.C. Penney owned 400 of its retail stores and paid low rents (an average of less than $5 per square foot) for the remainder. Specialty stores like Gap paid much higher rents (around $40 per square foot) for their retail space.6 Looking to shake up the company, Ackman was instrumental in luring Johnson to take the CEO position. Johnson was a big catch. In the 1990s, he was vice president of merchandising at Target where he helped transform the mass merchandiser into a hot retail brand selling stylish yet affordable products. During his time there, Johnson negotiated a contract with designer Michael Graves, beginning Target’s profitable partnerships with high end designers, which enhanced its brand image as a chic, fashion-forward retailer. Starting in 2000, he worked with Steve Jobs to develop the wildly successful Apple retail stores. Johnson was the brainchild behind the â€Å"Genius Bars† concept, a free technical help and support area staffed by knowledgeable customer service representatives, widely touted as one of the most innovative retail concepts of the last decade. Johnson was regarded by many as creative and determined; according to a friend, â€Å"What people loved more about him than his talent was his persistence. He was just relentless.†7 Johnson’s deep retail experience combined with his wholesome charisma and boyish enthusiasm made him the perfect change agent. The media dubbed him the â€Å"Steve Jobs of the retail industry† and on the day his appointment was announced J.C. Penney’s stock jumped 18%. An Industry under Pressure J.C. Penney’s 2011 sales were lower than they were in the 1990s and the retail landscape was getting more competitive. Department stores, in particular, were under increased pressure. New retail formats, such as big box retailers like Walmart that operated free standing supercenters selling mass merchandise and small specialty stores like Gap and J. Crew that were located in shopping malls and offered specialized merchandise, were squeezing department stores out of the market (see Exhibit 2). An emerging challenge came from large international clothing retailers, such as HM and ZARA, that were aggressively entering the U.S. market. These retailers relied on shorter product life cycles and partnerships with top designers to offer fast-fashion merchandise at relatively low prices. Johnson explained the challenge as he stepped into his new role: Over the past 30 years the department store has become a less relevant part of the retail infrastructure, largely because of decisions the stores have made. As America exploded with big box and specialty stores and new shopping formats, department stores abdicated their unique role instead of engaging the competition. They retreated from categories and assortments that made them distinctive. Department stores were once the most popular places for Americans to shop, offering distinctive merchandise in elegant settings that provided special services, such as tearooms, salons, and on-site tailoring, and served as social hubs. Johnson reminisced, â€Å"In the golden age of department stores, America’s families came for more than just to shop. They were able to have fun experiences and were offered a range of useful services. . . . If we want to transform the department store, we have to understand what happened. These stores were a pillar of the community.†9 Johnson, unlike others, believed that department stores could be revived. â€Å"There’s no reason department stores can’t flourish. They can be people’s favorite place to shop. They’ve got all these strategic advantages—the lowest cost of real estate, exceptional access to merchandise, scale to create enormous marketing power, colocation with specialty stores. And people like stores  with huge assortments and one-stop shopping.†10 J.C. Penney’s performance had been lackluster for quite some time, and the retailer was losing market share even within the shrinking department store channel (see Exhibits 3 and 4). Competitors Macy’s and Kohl’s were nipping at J.C. Penney’s business from both the high and low end. The average J.C. Penney customer only visited a store four times per year and sales per square foot ($156) were low compared to those of its competitors and the specialty stores Johnson hoped to emulate (Gap $30011, Apple $5,626 in sales per square foot). 12 Department stores and big box stores had increased their promotional budgets since the outbreak of the Great Recession in 2007 and most used blockbuster sales, coupons, and frequent price promotion to drive purchases. According to consulting firm A.T. Kearney, more than 40% of the items Americans bought in 2011 were bought on sale, up from 10% in 1990.13 Many retailers were eager to wean shoppers off of the big discounts that had become commonplace. Competition was also increasing from online retailing. Yet Johnson believed brick and mortar stores were still relevant, â€Å"Physical stores are still the primary way people acquire merchandise and I think that will be true 50 years from now. . . . A store has got to be much more than a place to acquire merchandise. It’s got to help people enrich their lives. If the store just fulfills a specific product need, it’s not creating new types of value for the consumer. It’s transacting. Any website can do that.†14 Many of J.C. Penney’s largest competitors, such as Macy’s, seemed to have a different  view and were investing heavily in their e-commerce operations and in catering to what they called the â€Å"omnichannel† consumer, who accessed the retailer through the web, on mobile devices or in physical stores (often as part of the same purchase decision). Although it had been a pioneer in multi-channel commerce, with 2001 combined cata log and web sales of nearly $3.4 billion, J.C. Penney’s ecommerce sales had stagnated over the last three years while those of Macy’s and Kohl’s had grown substantially during the same time frame.15 (See Exhibit 5 for E-commerce sales growth). J.C. Penney’s Radical Makeover Following his appointment in November 2011, Johnson determined that nothing short of a complete overhaul would solve J.C. Penney’s problems. Just two months after taking the helm, Johnson and his newly recruited leadership team, culled largely from Apple and Target, announced a radical repositioning of the J.C. Penney business model and brand. Following the announcement, Forbes magazine dubbed J.C. Penney the most interesting retail story of the year, proclaiming, â€Å"This week, Johnson took a sledgehammer to the J.C. Penney way of doing business. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in retail since Apple opened stores, again with Johnson at the helm.†16 The turnaround plan evoked J.C. Penney’s founding spirit, and Johnson declared it a reclamation of the company’s heritage. J.C. Penney’s website announced, â€Å"Over 100 years ago, James Cash Penney founded his company on the principle of treating customers the way he wanted to b e treated himself: fair and square. Today, rooted in its rich heritage, J.C. Penney Company, Inc. is re-imagining every aspect of its business in order to reclaim its birthright and become America’s favorite store. . . . At every visit, customers will discover straightforward Fair and Square Pricing.†17 The four-year plan involved several distinct, yet integrated elements that touched every part of the business and were designed to recreate a golden age department store that appealed to all Americans, across age, income, and geographic demographics. As Johnson explained, â€Å"We are going to rethink every aspect of our business, boldly pursue change, and create long-term shareholder value, as we become America’s favorite store. Every initiative we pursue will be guided by our core value to treat customers as we would like to be treated—fair and square.†18 New Logo J.C. Penney had been tinkering with its brand logo, changing it three times in three years. In 2011, the company asked the public for help in redesigning the logo in a crowd-sourcing experiment. The winning design was submitted by a University of Cincinnati student and was unveiled with much fanfare via social media. In 2012, Johnson scrapped this design and hired an agency to redesign the logo once again. The new logo evoked the American flag with red, white, and blue colors and the letters â€Å"jcp† in lower case font within a square that represented the new â€Å"Fair and Square† mantra. J.C. Penney, which many affectionately called â€Å"Penney’s† would now be known as â€Å"jcp.† (See Exhibit 6 for the new logo.) New Brand Spokesperson One of the most exciting and controversial developments of the plan was the announcement of comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as the new brand spokesperson. DeGeneres, who once worked at a J.C. Penney store as a teenager in Louisiana, appeared in television advertising, developed J.C. Penney themed skits for her popular talk show, and tweeted about the company on Twitter. Johnson proclaimed DeGeneres to be â€Å"one of the most fun and vibrant people in entertainment today, with great warmth and a down-to-earth attitude. . . . Importantly, we share the same fundamental values as Ellen.†19 Shortly after DeGeneres’ advertising debut, the conservative Christian group One Million Moms took offense, citing DeGeneres’ homosexuality as  problematic for the brand’s image and its traditional family shopper demographic. The group asked its members to boycott J.C. Penney and to call their local store manager to ask for DeGeneres’ removal as spokesperson. DeGeneres went on the offensive to defend her personal values and to reassert her relationship with her fans and with J.C. Penney, producing a witty, yet heartfelt response delivered on her talk show that quickly went viral on the social web. A firestorm erupted and played out on J.C. Penney’s Facebook page, where both pro- and anti-gay posters pledged their support for and/or rejection of the retailer. J.C. Penney survived the controversy by standing firmly behind its choice of spokesperson. The protest event generated significant positive press for the company and Facebook feedback was more positive than negative. Riding the wave of publicity, J.C. Penney went on to feature two gay dads in a widely touted Father’s Day advertising campaign. New Store Design While the new logo and spokesperson were short-term fixes that could be executed quickly, Johnson knew from his experience at Apple that, to really make a difference, he had to make significant changes to the product offering, a longer term proposition. He embarked on a multi-year plan to re-energize and redesign J.C. Penney’s product offering and its merchandising at retail. He began by forging new supplier relationships with top brands like Martha Stewart and hot designers like Nanette Lepore to create J.C. Penney-specific merchandise lines, a strategy reminiscent of Target. He then went to work to improve the quality of J.C. Penney’s sagging and dated private label brands, Worthington, St. John’s Bay, The Original Arizona Jeans Co, and Stafford, to reinvigorate them and restore their brand integrity. These efforts could also build on J.C. Penney’s recent purchase of the Liz Claiborne brands (which, among others, included Liz Claiborne branded apparel, L ucky Jeans, Kate Spade and Juicy Couture) and the ongoing opening of about 300 Sephora locations inside J.C. Penney stores, which offered a select set of Sephora beauty care products. 20 He envisioned the in-store retail environment as a series of interactive specialty â€Å"Shops,† along a visually engaging and vibrant â€Å"Street,† with a central â€Å"Square† that would serve as the social hub of the store. J.C. Penney’s vast array of  merchandise, currently hung on crowded racks and shelves, would be regrouped and merchandised in 80-100 â€Å"stores-within-a-store,† each meant to simulate the buying experience of a specialty shop. The first shop to appear was devoted to jeans and featured a denim bar, trained fit specialists, and Levi’s innovative Curve ID program that helped women find the right jeans for their body type (see Exhibit 7). Plans for future shops included Joe Fresh and Mango. The company planned to install two to three new shops each month, beginning in August 2012, over a four year period. Many of the shops were designed to pull in younger shoppers, a deficit in J.C. Penney’s current customer base. The â€Å"Street† would consist of wider aisles with a fresh, clean look, more streamlined with less signage and bold, colorful, upscale graphics featuring the square from the new logo (see Exhibit 8). Each month would have its own unique personality and color-coded signage that changed the look of the store to freshen its appeal. Ten thousand square feet at the center of the store would be designated for the â€Å"Town Square.† In this area, J.C. Penney planned to offer complimentary services, such as gift wrapping, and special promotional events to create fun and excitement. During the summer of 2012, the company offered free hot dogs and ice cream, free â€Å"Go USA† Olympic t-shirts during the Summer Olympics, and free back-to-school haircuts for school children. Johnson summarized his vision for the new environment, â€Å"We are going to make the store a place people love to come-just to come. We’ll transform the buying experience not unlike what we did at Apple.†21 New Sales Structure To support the new retail environment, Johnson needed to re-energize J.C. Penney’s sales force. His goal was to create a team of specialists who were product experts, much like Apple’s Geniuses. J.C. Penney sales clerks had always been paid commissions based on how much they sold. This system encouraged sales clerks to sell aggressively to customers. Johnson felt that this aggressive sales culture did not fit with the new â€Å"Fair and Square† positioning and set out to change it by eliminating all sales commissions. It was a controversial decision, especially among the sales employees, many of whom had just been through a wave of layoffs and were nervous about keeping their jobs. Johnson explained his rationale for the change, â€Å"A lot of great retailers don’t use commissions. We never used them at Apple. . . . And I think it’s a better thing to do to pay people in advance for what you want them to do and let them look in the customers’ hearts and try to help them. . . . We think we’ve got a great way to do business for the middle class, where we really put a big bear hug around the middle class and help them look better and live better every day.† 22 But some employees expressed dissatisfaction, â€Å"I must take offense at Ron Johnson’s reason for eliminating commission. Ron Johnson should remember that J.C. Penney is not Target, we are better. When people come into our store they expect to be greeted, they expect someone to be available to help, they expect good service,† said a sales associate. Another associate claimed, â€Å"I lost about $250 per pay period and Mr. Johnson thinks this is FAIR and SQUARE. From all of J.C. Penney’s little workers, this stinks.† Another lamented, â€Å"We long-term employees are heartbroken at what we see around us. Ron Johnson may have a grand plan, and it may work, but we feel like he is destroying ‘us’ in the process of implementation. It has become an awful place to work, short-staffed to the point that we struggle to properly service what customers we do have.†23 But without a doubt, the cornerstone of the change program was a new pricing scheme that many believed to be the riskiest part of the strategy. The New Pricing Strategy Looking at the numbers, Johnson believed that he needed to address the existing high-low pricing structure that had gotten out of control. J.C.  Penney’s customers had become hooked on the deals; over the past ten years, the average discount to get customers to buy went from 38% to 60%24. â€Å"At some point you, as a brand, just look desperate. J.C. Penney spent over $1 billion [on price promotion], and the customer didn’t even pay attention,† he agonized.25 In his first report to shareholders, he spoke about the detrimental long term effects of excessive price promotions, â€Å"Plagued by the ‘games’ of the industry over the last several decades, retailers-including J.C. Penneybarraged customers with a constant stream of promotions that proved to be ineffective. Each time we participated in this pricing war, we were discounting our brand and eroding the trust and loyalty of our customers.† The company announced its â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing plan in January 2012. The plan had three pricing tiers. First, the company reduced prices by an average of 40% to offer consumers an â€Å"Every Day Fair and Square† price. Second, every month the company ran a â€Å"Month Long Values Event† with special pricing on seasonal items, marked down an additional 20-29%, meant to coincide with events such as Back-to-School and Father’s Day. Third, every first and third Friday of each month (paydays for many working Americans) were designated â€Å"Best Price Fridays,† where J.C. Penney would offer special deals on items it was looking to liquidate, about 20% of the store’s stock, at deals of about 1/3 off of the every day price. Each price point was supported by unique signage at retail, (see Exhibit 9). J.C. Penney eliminated its famous â€Å"Doorbuster† sales, such as those that it traditionally held on Black Friday, the day after Tha nksgiving and the busiest shopping day of the year, that featured outrageously low prices on  over 500 items from 4:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Exhibit 10 shows an example of the different price tiers. Importantly, J.C. Penney avoided using the words â€Å"sale† and â€Å"clearance† in its messaging of the new program to consumers. Said Johnson, â€Å"Sale is not in our vocabulary. . . . Every item in the store is priced to be its best price every day.†27 The â€Å"Fair and Square† price was the only price listed on the price tag, moving J.C. Penney away from the practice of listing the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) and the sale price, which was intended to show customers how much they were saving relative to somewhat fictitious list price. In the highly competitive world of retailing, nearly no one priced goods at the MSRP. Breaking with another retailing best-practice, J.C. Penney ended all of its â€Å"Fair and Square† prices with .00 instead of .99, rounding up to the nearest dollar. Johnson also instituted a no restrictions â€Å"Happy Returns† return policy, designed to take the hassle out of returning items, eve n without a receipt. In effect, the new plan combined elements of two traditional pricing strategies. The â€Å"Every Day Fair and Square† prices represented an everyday-low-price (EDLP) strategy, while the â€Å"Month Long Values† and â€Å"Best Price Fridays† maintained some emphasis on high-low pricing. High-low pricing strategies are intended to allow retailers to use price discrimination to maximize the average price paid by customers who differ in their willingness to pay. Customers who are highly price sensitive wait for sale days to purchase, use coupons and rebates, scour the crowded clearance racks to find a bargain, and take advantage of retailer’s door buster specials on big shopping days like Black Friday. Customers who are less price sensitive buy when it is convenient for them, tend not to use coupons and rebates due to the time it takes to clip and organize them, and rarely join in on door buster specials or clearance sales. Thus, the retailer reaps higher non-sale prices from many of their purchases. However, given the predominance of high-low pricing strategies across retailers in today’s marketplace, even less price-sensitive consumers had become savvy about waiting for sales to buy or comparing across retailers to find the store offering the best prices that week. Instantaneous price comparisons were  getting easier, given the rise of mobile applications that allowed a consumer to scan a bar code on a product and find the lowest price for it at online retailers and nearby stores. Kohl’s was an aggressive high-low retailer, featuring small electronic signs on shelves throughout the store that displayed original prices and discounted prices. These signs allowed Kohl’s the flexibility to change prices instantly, to facilitate frequent, short-term sales. Marketing consultant Jonathan Salem Baskin offered his thoughts on the high-low practice retailers engage in, â€Å"When no price is ‘the’ price for an item, it means that instead retailers engage customers in a constant cat-andmouse game in pursuit of the truth. No individual store can own sale pricing; each simply participates in a round-robin of discounted offers that its competitors have and/or will again match.†28 Johnson felt that today’s retail customer was savvy, â€Å"The customer knows the right price. To think you can fool a customer is kind of crazy.†2 EDLP pricing strategies, such as that offered by Walmart, promise consumers that they will pay the same, low price every day. This frees customers from waiting for sale periods to purchase, and eliminates the need for retailers to offer coupons to drive purchase or to engage in constant advertising of price promotions via weekly newspaper circulars. EDLP is designed to make customers feel comfortable purchasing at the retailer without worrying that they could be getting a better deal somewhere else or at another time. In general, most department store retailers used high/low pricing strategies. Macy’s and Sears had flirted with EDLP pricing in the past; but both had largely abandoned it once they realized how addicted department store customers were to sales, coupons, and other discount programs. Although  Macy’s still offered a limited set of items at an â€Å"everyday value† price, it heavily supplemented this practice with aggressive coupons and frequent sales events for the majority of the goods it carried. Macy’s customer Marietta Landon summarized the promotion addicted retail climate, â€Å"Especially Macy’s—they make every weekend a sale with saving passes and advertising galore.†30 The new pricing strategy was a big shift for J.C. Penney, a company known and loved for its JCP Cash coupons distributed to customers via direct mail and email, its RedZone Clearance aisles, and its weekly circulars advertising that week’s price specials. The â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing program would eliminate all coupons and weekly circulars; instead the company would distribute a high quality, editorial content-heavy glossy magazine each month to highlight its Monthly Values. The 96page magazine was as much a branding vehicle as it was a promotional one. $80 million in promotional funding would support each Monthly Value event. J.C. Penney now promised its customers that they would not have to â€Å"jump through hoops to get a good price†. Johnson hailed the strategy for its simplicity and transparency and the way it respected customers, â€Å"People are disgusted with the lack of integrity on pricing,†31 adding that â€Å"We want shoppers to shop on their terms, not ours.† Johnson intimated that â€Å"By setting our store monthly and maintaining our best prices for an entire month, we feel confident that customers will love shopping when it is convenient for them, rather than when it is expedient for us.†32 Michael Francis, J.C. Penney’s new president, was excited about the new pricing moves, â€Å"We are redefining the J.C. Penney brand so we become a store for all Americans, by offering an experience they cannot get anywhere else. This will start by freeing consumers from the barrage of promotions and undifferentiated shopping experiences they have become used to and replacing it with something entirely fresh and new that is evident in every aspect of our store.†33 He added, â€Å"It will be a breath of much-needed fresh air and give [customers] reasons to visit J.C. Penney more often than ever before. Our objective is to make our customers love to shop again.†34 Francis was recruited by Johnson from Target and offered a signing bonus of $12 million  and a total compensation package worth $44.7 million. He was charged with managing the marketing and merchandising efforts. Reactions to â€Å"Fair and Square† Pricing  Industry observers could not contain their strong opinions on the new pricing strategy. Some called the move â€Å"refreshing, daring and probably exactly what the retailer needs,† noting that â€Å"it’s a shocking move for any retailer, let alone a department store where high-low pricing and promotions have long been the norm.†35 But others were far more skeptical. Pricing consultant Rafi Mohammed proclaimed, â€Å"J.C. Penney lacks the differentiation to make this pricing strategy successful. . . . When selling a relatively undifferentiated product, the only lever to generate higher sales is discounts. Even worse, if competitors drop prices on comparable products, J.C. Penney’s hands are tied-it is a sitting duck that can’t respond.†36 Mohammed also noted, â€Å"J.C. Penney’s Every Day prices will not be as low as the biggest discounts that it once offered. Instead, its pitch to customers is why play the â€Å"wait for the rock-bottom price† game when Penney offers â€Å"pretty good† prices every day?†37 Ignoring the skeptics, Johnson was committed to his new pricing plan, rolling it out across all stores on February 1st, after deciding not to conduct market research to test its appeal with customers, â€Å"We debated whether there was a way to test. . . . We would have needed everyone to run the old business model and would have had to add new people to run a test in 10 percent of our stores. . . . We knew the customer would love the new strategy. We decided to get on with our future.†38 Based on his experience at Apple, Johnson also believed that  customers didn’t always know what they wanted; it was up to companies to lead the way, â€Å"You can’t follow the customer. You’ve got to lead your customers—anticipate their needs and meet those needs, even before they know what they want.†39 A lot was riding on the decision. COO Mike Kramer explained, â€Å"We are fundamentally reimagining every aspect of our business and we fully expect the bold and strategic changes we are making to our operations will result in improved profitability. This should enable us to fund the transformation of J.C. Penney’s store experience, while at the same time returning value to shareholders with steady earnings growth.†40 Communicating â€Å"Fair and Square† DeGeneres was featured in a new advertising campaign to usher in the new â€Å"Fair and Square† positioning. Bearing the tagline â€Å"Enough. Is. Enough,† the campaign encouraged consumers to revolt against complex pricing structures, never-ending sales, an overabundance of direct mail circulars and coupons cluttering their mailboxes, and the hassles of returning unwanted products without a receipt. In the ads, DeGeneres travels back in time to ancient Rome, Edwardian England, and the Wild West to learn if today’s confusing price environment was always the norm. She encourages customers to reject the crazy price environment. The creative campaign was witty and contemporary; many found it reminiscent of Target’s award-winning advertising. It was quite a departure from J.C. Penney’s previous campaigns that were more typical of department store messaging. Launched during the Academy Awards broadcast, the ads appeared to be a hit with consumers. Ace Metrix reported that the ads scored well above average on persuasion and watchability metrics and achieved a personal best score for J.C. Penney.41 Initial Results In the first three months following the launch, 67% of products sold at J.C. Penney were purchased at the â€Å"Fair and Square† price, the highest price the retailer listed. Johnson could not hold back his satisfaction, â€Å"This is profound. People are now buying at the first price, [the] right price. That’s the dream of every retailer.†42 However, trouble was looming on the horizon. Through mid-March, mothers, a critically important target market for most department stores, steadily scored J.C. Penney lower on valueperception scores. These women, suddenly not receiving coupons and not seeing the weekly price promotions in the circulars, were downgrading their opinion of whether J.C. Penney offered good value for the money.43 This was despite the fact that J.C. Penney’s prices during the time period were actually quite competitive. A Deutsche Bank analyst report showed that for a random basket of 50 identical items, J.C. Penney was 9% cheaper than Macy’s, and 26% cheaper than Kohl’s. Consumer research firm BIGInsight reported negativity among adults 18+ for whether J.C. Penney’s advertising campaign was â€Å"Hot or Not?† and showed Macy’s gaining ground on J.C. Penney in women’s apparel shopping trips following the launch (See Exhibit 11). Morgan Stanley’s Michelle Clark reported consumer survey results revealing that â€Å"Shoppers think that the J.C. Penney of old actually offered better value than the â€Å"fair and square† model introduced a few months ago. Of the consumers who had been inside a J.C. Penney store since February, more cited higher prices (rather than lower) at the department store. In fact, only 16% of shoppers associated â€Å"Best Prices† with JCP. Furthermore, customers cited that bargains were harder to find and fewer aisles with deals were evident (see Exhibit 12).45 Loyal J.C. Penney customers were moving away from the retailer. One shopper, Wendy Ruud, complained that she was no longer receiving coupons from J.C. Penney and was shopping more frequently at Target and Walmart, â€Å"The closest J.C. Penney is about a half hour away from me. If I don’t get a special  discount, it’s not worth the trip,† she said.46 Another shopper e-mailed the Huffington Post saying, â€Å"They are catering to the younger shopper, and it isn’t the younger shopper that kept them afloat.†47 A third who considered herself â€Å"frumpy and proud,† commented, â€Å"He’s working hard to ‘de-frump’ the store without considering that many if not most of its customers might have shopped there precisely because they like the more conservative frumpy look.† 48 These early indicators played out in J.C. Penney’s first earnings report following the launch of the new plan. Johnson had to announce a significant earnings loss ($163 million) based on plummeting sales revenues (-19% overall, with e-commerce sales dropping 28%), gross margin compression (from 40.5% to 37.6%), and decreasing customer conversion. Johnson asked investors to be patient, calling the first quarter sales drop â€Å"the price we’re paying to get integrity back.†49 He held fast to his convictions, â€Å"We had to make the bold step. It’s one big year we have to go through. It’s really hard but we’ll get through it.†50 Investors showed no patience, sending the company’s stock down 20%, the biggest single day drop in over four decades.51 The critics did not waste time to pile on Johnson. Time columnist Brad Tuttle wrote, JC Penney’s message seems to be one that some shoppers don’t want to hear. They like playing games and hunting for deals, and the markdown from the original price is how they keep score. By eliminating coupons and most â€Å"sales,† JC Penney has been saying it doesn’t want to play games anymore. That sounds wonderful, but among certain shoppers, it’s the equivalent of grabbing the ball and taking it home. No more games, no more fun-and not much reason to visit JC Penney on a regular basis anymore. If, for the most part, a store’s prices are going to remain the same tomorrow, and next week, and the month after that, there’s not much incentive to browse the aisles for special deals today.52 A Forbes columnist concurred, â€Å"By taking away the weekly sales customers loved, Johnson abandoned his core JCP shopping enthusiasts. In effect, signaling to the core JCP enthusiastsshoppers who have sustained J.C. Penney through its years of retail muddling, that they no longer mattered. He confused them, and he pissed them off.†53 The Motley Fool sarcastically  quipped, â€Å"The silver lining in J.C. Penney’s awful report is that Sears [struggling with its own dismal results] has someone it can laugh at now.†54 Macy’s CFO Karen Hoguet was crowing that her company was benefiting from J.C. Penney’s missteps, reporting that sales in Macy’s stores that shared a mall with J.C. Penney were up significantly since the changes.55 And J.C. Penney’s apparel suppliers were becoming anxious, as their sales dropped precipitously, some as much as 70% over the prior year. One prominent supplier indicated that he was increasing his business with Kohl’s to make up for the shortfalls at J.C. Penney.56 These developments were sobering for Johnson yet he remained unfazed, â€Å"It’s been tougher than we anticipated†¦You know, we expected to be down. We are down a little more than we thought, but not enough to change the strategy†¦We’re treating this company as a startup†¦We’re inventing a whole new model to do business†¦It is a one year transition that’s part of a multi-year transformation. But once we get to one year of de-promoting or repurchasing our integrity, I fully expect us to grow. And so we’ve just got to get through that year. And we’ll get through it.†57 Speaking at Fortune magazine’s Brainstorm Tech conference in July, Johnson reiterated his support for the new pricing strategy, claiming that his board was â€Å"totally supportive†. When asked if he had a contingency plan whereby the company would revert back to high/low pricing, Johnson swore it was not in the cards, â€Å"It won’t happen while I’m here because I know it’s not the right thing to do. And I know this is what connects completely with our own unique heritage. And every longstanding company has a DNA in its core that  typically goes back to its founder. And when you reconnect with that, that’s when good things happen. That’s what Wal-Mart has had to do. And it’s really led to great success. That’s what Apple had to do when Steve came back. That’s what we’re going to do.†58 Making Some Adjustments As J.C. Penney management tried to decipher the disappointing results, much of the blame was put on the marketing execution and on customers’ stubborn reliance on price promotions. Mike Kramer, J.C. Penney’s new chief operating officer expressed his frustration, â€Å"Coupons, that drug. We did not realize how deep some of our customers were into this. . . . We have got to wean them off this and educate our consumers.†59 Johnson blamed the marketing execution, claiming that it failed to clearly communicate the new pricing strategy, â€Å"Our execution wasn’t what we needed. Our pricing is kind of confusing. Our marketing kind of overreached [Now] the most important thing is to educate consumers on the price changes and make sure the core customer understands J.C. Penney still has products they love, at exceptional value, every day.†60 Francis took the fall for the poor earnings, abruptly leaving the company a mere eight months after he started as pr esident. Following Francis’ departure, Johnson took responsibility for marketing and merchandising, believing that customers just didn’t understand the story behind â€Å"Fair and Square.† He tweaked the marketing plan, adding five additional â€Å"Best Price Fridays† to the calendar, including the important Fridays anchoring Memorial Day Weekend and Black Friday. The advertising creative was changed to incorporate a harder-hitting â€Å"Do the Math† positioning (See Exhibit 13 for an example). In June, J.C. Penney reintroduced the â€Å"S† word â€Å"sale† into its advertising to help clarify that its Best Price Friday deals actually extended through the weekend until all inventory was sold. Under pressure, Johnson speculated what his old mentor, Steve Jobs, who passed away in October 2011, would have advised, â€Å"I think Steve’s advice would be don’t worry about what others say. Trust your instincts. Do the right thing†¦Stay the course. But he would also say the essence is in the simplicity. And so he would have liked where we are going on pricing, but he would have said ‘You’ve got to clean it up. You’ve got to be more direct’.†61 Johnson buckled down, â€Å"What you can’t do is chicken out.  If you had looked at the data on the Genius Bar after a year and a half, we should have taken it out of the store. But it was something I believed in with every bone in my body.†62 He continued, â€Å"The world moves by innovators and innovators have to have the courage to imagine something that hasn’t been done before and the conviction to see it through†¦It is really hard. It takes a lot of courage. You’ve got to be able to have a few arrows shot in your back.

Putative S-Adenosyl Methionine Dependent Ironâ€Sulfur

Putative S-Adenosyl Methionine Dependent Iron–Sulfur Identification and Characterization of a Putative S-Adenosyl Methionine dependent Iron–Sulfur containing protein from  Methanococcus Jannaschii Qi Liu Research Proposal Dr. MishtuDey Dr. M. Lei Geng Dr. Leonard R. MacGillivray Dr. Amnon Kohen Dr. Daniel Quinn Introduction Biological methane formation is a microbial process that is catalyzed by microbes called methanogens, which belong to the third kingdom of life, the Archaea. Methane is formed at the final catalytic step by methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR), in which coenzyme B (CoBSH, N-7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine) donates two electrons to reduce methyl-coenzyme M. MCR is a 300kDa enzyme, which is composed of three different subunits in an ÃŽ ±2ÃŽ ²2ÃŽ ³2 arrangement and contains 2 mol of the nickel tetrapyrrole coenzyme F430, which are buried deeply within the protein complex[1]. There are five modified amino acids were found out on the ÃŽ ±-subunit and near the active site of MCR from methanothermobacter marburgensis based on the X-ray crystallographic studies. They are 1-N-methylhistitine (HisÃŽ ±400), 5-(S)-methylarginine (ArgÃŽ ±271), 2-(S)-methylglutamine (GluÃŽ ±400), S-methylcysteine (CysÃŽ ±452), where the side chains are methylated and one thioglycine (GlyÃŽ ±445) forming a thiopeptide bo nd (Figure 1). Since the DNA sequence of the encoding MCR gene shows no unsusal condons or unusual codon usages at the positions in which the five modified amino acids were found, the modifications are introduced after translation [1]. According to vivo labeling experiments with L-(methyl-D3)-methionine, people found that the methyl groups from the modified amino acids are introduced biosynthetically from the methyl group of methionine by specific S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) dependent Figure1. Post Translational Modifications in MCR  enzymes. These methyl translational modifications are catalyzed by protein methylases that specifically recognize the amino acid sequences up and downstream of amino acid to be methylated. The genome of methanogens has many open reading frame predicted to be putative methyltransferases, which also agrees with the proposal that there are four different SAM-dependent protein methylases are involved in the post translation modification. A search of six kn own methanogenic genomes led to the identification of conserved open reading frame around the MCR gene cluster. Some methangenic archaea contain two MCR isoenzymes, designated MCR1 and MCR2. This conserved hypothetical protein is found around MCR1 in Methanococcus jannaschii and Methanobacterium thermobacter. The open reading frame from Methanococcus jannaschii, MJ0841 is annotated as a conserved hypothetical protein, which is found to be related to the radical SAM enzyme superfamily. The signature motif of SAM radical enzymes is three cysteine motif â€Å"CX3CX2C† (Figure 2), multiple sequence alignment of the putative gene from methanogens show the conserved CXGFCXXC, which is known to coordinate to [4Fe-4S] cluster. (Figure 3) Figure 2. Multiple Sequence Alignment of MJ0841 Homologues from Different Methanogens Figure 3. [4Fe–4S] cluster coordinated by three-cysteine motif CxxxCxxC. The fourth iron of the cluster interacts with a bound SAM. Specific Aims It is interesting and important to determine the function of this hypothetical protein. We speculate that this hypothetical protein, MJ0841, could be a possible candidate responsible for the post-translation modification of the methylated amino acids, or, is involved in the formation of the thioglycine in MCR. Research Plan, Results and Discussion Expression and Purification of MJ0841 MJ0841, a 1248bp gene, was cloned into pET28a vector. The resulting plasmid was transformed in E.coli BL21(DE3) cells for gene expression. In order to increase the iron content, MJ0841 was also co-expressed with PDB1282. Overnight cell culture grown at 37oC in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium containing both kanamycin (50ug/ml) and ampicillin (100ug/ml) was inoculated, in a 100-fold dilution, into Terrific Broth (TB) media aerobically at 37oC. FeCl3 was also added to a final concentration of 100uM to be as the iron content for iron-sulfur cluster during the growth when OD600 was around 0.3. Protein expression was then induced at OD600 of 0.6 to 0.7 with addition of Isopropyl ÃŽ ²-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) to final concentration of 0.5mM. After overnight incubation at 37oC around 18hours, the cells were harvested by centrifugation at 5000rpm for 30mins at 4oC, and stored at -80oC. The following procedures were all carried out in oxygen free environment at 20oC. Purification was conducted anaerobically at oxygen level always below 2.0ppm in anaerobic chamber. 23g Cell were moved into anaerobic chamber and resuspended in 120mL lysis buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 300mM NaCl, 5% glycerol pH 7.5), and Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) 1mM final concentration, 3 tablets of protease inhibitor, 2-mercaptomethanol 10mM) for 15mins. The cells were lysed by sonication for 15mins followed by centrifugation at 30,000 rpm for 40mins at 4oC to remove the cell debris. The supernatant was applied to a packed 15mL Ni-NTA resin column equilibrated with lysis buffer. The column was then washed with 5 column volume of wash buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 300mM NaCl, 10mM IMD, 5% glycerol, pH 7.5). The brownish protein was eluted by gradient elution with 5 column volume of wash buffer and 5 column volume elution buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 300mM NaCl, 200mM IMD, 5% glycerol, pH 7.5). SDS-PAGE was applied to analyze the desired clean protein fractions, which were then combined an d set for overnight dialysis with dialysis buffer (50mM tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 5% glycerol) with slow stirring. The pooled fractions were concentrated using an Amicon centrifugal filter with a 30kDa molecular weight cut off (MWCO). The collected protein was further purified with 20mL packed Q-sepharose column equilibrated with lysis buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 5% glycerol, pH 7.5). The column was then washed with 5 column volume of wash buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 200mM NaCl, 5% glycerol, pH 7.5). The brownish protein was eluted by gradient elution with 5 column volume of wash buffer and 5 column volume elution buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 700mM NaCl, 5% glycerol, pH 7.5). SDS-PAGE was applied to analyze the desired clean protein fractions, which were then combined for reconstitution (Figure 4). Figure 4. SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis analysis of MJ0841 purification fractions Reconstitution of the [4Fe-4S] Cluster of MJ0841 in Vitro The above apo-protein (16uM, 40ml) was incubated with final concentration of 5mM DTT for 1h with slow stirring at room temperature. Then, cystein was added into the above solution by dropwise to reach 10 molar folds excess of protein. After 30mins incubation, 10 molar excess of Fe(NH4)2(SO4)2 was added slowly to provide enough iron content for iron sulfur cluster and incubated for 30mins. The resulting solution was incubated with 10 molar excess of Na2S finally, and the brownish protein solution changed to dark brown after adding Na2S. The above final protein solution was kept in 4oC overnight around 14 hours for building up enough [4Fe-4S] clusters. In order to remove the unbounded iron and sulfur, the overnight reconstituted protein was concentrated to 2.5 – 3ml of final volume and loaded onto a 5mL PT10 column equilibrated with lysis buffer (50mM tris-HCl, 5% glycerol, pH 7.5), and the final pure protein was combined. Reduction of [4Fe-4S] Cluster UV-vis spectroscopy was applied here for detecting the reduction of [4Fe-4S] cluster. A characteristic peak for [4Fe-4S] cluster was shown up near 412nm before reducing. Sodium Dithionite was used as the reducing agent and the stock solution was prepared freshly right before adding into the protein. 100 equivalents of sodium dithionite were mixed with concentrated protein, and the peak at 412nm was reduced (Figure 5). According to the results from UV-vis, the 4Fe-4S cluster was built up by reconstitution, also the [4Fe-4S]2+ was reduced to [4Fe-4S]+ by the reduction of sodium dithionite. Figure 5. UV-vis spectra of purified reconsituted MJ0841 Figure 6. EPR spectrum of as-isolated MJ0841 (blue trace) and purified reconstituted MJ0841 originating from a [3Fe-4S]+ cluster. reduced with 100 equiv sodium dithionite (red trace) EPR samples preparation and spectral collection EPR spectrums of as-isolated, oxidized and reduced form of MJ0841 are detected at 10K. All samples are prepared anaerobically. As-isolated protein was prepared with the protein without reconstitution, and exhibits a strong isotropic EPR signal, which is centered at g=2.01 same as the g=2.01 signal of the [3Fe-4S]+ cluster form (Figure 6). The oxidized form protein containing [4Fe-4S]2+ was prepared by injecting 200ul concentrated protein purified through PD10 column into EPR tube, and it normally shows silent EPR signal (Figure 7). Reduced form of as-isolated protein was performed by mixing with 100 equivalents of sodium dithionite with 200ul concentrated protein, which gives the reduction form of [4Fe-4S]+ cluster and shows the characteristic EPR signal with g factors of g=2.03 and g=1.92 (Figure 8). Figure 7. EPR spectrum of oxidized form of MJ0841. Figure 8. EPR spectrum of reduced form of MJ0841. SAM cleavage activity of MJ0841 The characteristic reaction for detecting radical SAM enzymes is reductive cleavage of SAM into S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) and 5’-deoxyadenosyl radical (5’dAdo). Assays were conducted under strict anaerobic conditions. The reaction assay contains the following: 50mM Tris-HCl, 5mM DTT, 5Mm sodium dithionite, 0.5mM SAM. Reactions were initiated by addition of SAM and carried out at 20oC for 20 hours. The control reaction was run under the same conditions as the above assay, but without presence of protein. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) (final concentration 5% v/v) was added to quench the reactions, which then were identified by HPLC analysis. HPLC analysis of SAM cleavage assay products After quenching by TFA, the reaction mixture was centrifuged and the supernatant was applied into HPLC analysis. 10ul of assay mixture was injected into C18 column, which had been pre-equilibrated with equilibrium buffer (40mM ammonium acetate, pH=6.2). Then the column was washed with a linear gradient from 0-50% acetonitrile for 30mins at room temperature to detect SAH and 5’dAdo. The UV-detector was set at wavelength 258nm, and the standard samples, SAM, SAH, and 5’dAdo, were run with the same condition as SAM cleavage reaction products. According to the retention time comparison between standard samples and products, formation of SAH and 5’dAdo were all detected via HPLC analysis when enzyme was present. In the absence of enzyme MJ0841, SAM was not consumed at all and there were no any products peak formed, which confirmed the SAM was cleaved by enzyme. The dark blue, red, light blue traces show the relative intensities of 5’dAdo, SAH, and SAM standards. The green trace shows the assay with the use of reconstituted MJ0841, and the SAH and 5’dAdo were both observed. The purple trace shows the control assay without MJ0841, and there was not any of 5’dAdo formed (Figure 9). Figure 9. HPLC analysis of the SAM cleavage assays Conclusions Future Work Initial results seem to show the [4Fe-4S] cluster and the enzyme activity. Since SAM was cleaved enzymatically, the products will be detected by mass spectroscopy to confirm the formation SAH and 5’dAdo. Furthermore, probable substrates of MJ0841 will be prepared, which should contain the amino acids that would be modified. The activity assays with substrates will be examined to detect the desired methylation reaction on substrates.

The role of women in society and the church

The role of women in society and the church Introduction I am going to discuss the role of women in the church and contentious issues, particularly when the passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-14, and 1 Corinthians 13:34 talk about women should be silent in church. And slightly discuss the women in the society. The Role of Women in the Society Women in the modern society Women today are coming forth in modern social trends. This feminism may appear too extreme and rather threatening to the male ego, yet the role of women in current society has drastically changed. Perhaps there is some explanation for their actions. Women are now regularly performing duties that were traditionally assigned to males. They are attempting to fight the continuing stereotype established during the earlier part of the century. The pretty image of the perfect fifties wife is rapidly evolving into a more suitable projection to accommodate their new role in todays society. More than two generations ago, a girl was expected to abandon her academic pursuits and assume the role of a housewife. She would completely devote herself to the preservation of the female-oriented position of homemaker. As time has progressed, fluctuations in the economy have made it necessary for a woman to obtain a career in order to fit in the society. Strange as it may seem, the family roles have not changed much in todays society. While girls and women (not only Polish) have more opportunities in home based employment, the traditional roles of women are still quite evident. They are still the caring provider and nurturer of young infants and children, the comforter for the crying child and the feminine presence of the household. While the husbands role has diversified into more household chores and the cooking and cleaning up responsibilities, they are still considered the head of the household. In the absence of the man, can the woman really be like the man? I think yes. There are women who are capable in finance, Do-It-Yourself fixtures and fittings, even being a capable single parent and bread winner. In this respect, women will have to be like the man. Of course, the woman cannot match the physical strength of the man. The other aspect of thinking like the man is a definite no. This is through experience. Women generally look at the details and forget about the overall picture. They have the capability of juggling more than one issue at a time unlike the man. And she is more tempered to her feelings. And because of this, the focus is not there to make a sound judgment. Men on the other hand, are more focus and look at one thing at a time. They are less prone to feelings and therefore they are better at seeing the overall picture. I think for this matter, a man balances up the woman and vice versa. If we look at the example of a family with the wife who tries to be like the man, we have a situation where the roles are different now, because of the presence of the man. Man, no matter how gifted or ungifted have a certain ability to say that he is the man in the house. And for the wife to usurp his position there will be certain unrest in the overall relationship. This may not be currently evident but it will become an issue at a later stage. Subtle hints are always there and if the wife chooses not to suspect or confront the situation, it will lead to a crisis. Men and Women in Worship. I will begin by what Paul stated concerning men and women in worship that men should adopt a respectful attitude as they pray and also women should pray with an altitude of respect, just like men. It might be a different thing in that church which Paul was addressing. Women face particular problem, in that it is easy for them to become preoccupied with their appearance and with looks that take time to achieve. It’s true that Descent and Honorable behave matters far more to God than jewels and expensive clothes. Beside if Christian women who posses Gods worship are too concerned about their external appearance they will forget the essential and will have neither the time of doing good deed. It’s important to emphasize that Paul was not forbidding beautiful jewelry or lovely hair styles to all Christian women of all time was warning against becoming so attached to clothes and fashions and forgets the most important thing that is pleasing God by doing good deeds. Paul Advice Women to Be Quite During Teachings This advice has raised much debate among Christians in Africa, especially since the raise of feminist theology that asserts among other things, the right of women express themselves. Certain versions of the Bible have tried to get to get around the problem of translating 2:11 in a more acceptable way while still being true in the spirit of the text. The massage translates this as i dont let women to take over and tell men what to do. This translation assume that Paul give this advice because women were talking positions of authority and even of dominance over men, which was unacceptable in the culture of that day. The requirement for silence in association with teaching may also indicate that the women were talkative during time of teaching and worship. Paul advice women to be silence not because of inferior, but as a sign of their submission to men and of acknowledgment of mens authority. They will then be obeying the Oder that God established at creation. In applying this instruction in Kenya today, we need to think carefully about how women express their submission to authorities and to men. THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN CHURCH IN KENYA TODAY The role of women in the church is a contentious issue, particularly when passage 1 Timothy 2:11-14 is a regarded as laying down absolute rather than general principles within a particular culture. The focus should fall on the biblical call for all human beings to decern what is the will of God in their live ( roman 12:2) Jesus radical mission of transformation for liberation. Means that women and men are equally called and empowered to participate in the same mission in the church. What women and men do depends on our obedience to the guidance and empowerment of the Holy spirit. Because of the entrenched culture and sexist attitude and practices, and the male-dominated leadership in many of the churches especially in the Maasai land, women in Kenya church have critical and prophetic role to play in stirring waters and speaking the truth by asserting their God given humanity and gift not for their own sake of integrity of the gospel. many women in Kenya church have continue to claim their full potential and have taken leading roles. like the Samaritan woman ( John 4:1-42) when women in the Kenya church drink the water offered by Jesus, they go out to witness and spread the word of truth in their homes, villages, communities and churches with determination, boldness, courage and humility. for example the like of Teresia Wairimu, Esther Obasike, Bishop Magret Wajiru and many of great women of God which some have founded churches , preached, taught christian theology seminary schools and translated scripture into different languages in Kenya. Where the church have listen the voice of the Holy Spirit , they have realize that scripture grant women a place in all ministries of the church. And women have been rightly ordeined to serve in all ministries of the church. Conclusion A careful examination of the Bible will yield an understanding of God’s intent for women and men to be full and equal partners to serve and worship Him. Perhaps the easiest point to make and understand is that there are many biblical examples of women leaders. The following women were divinely called to lead, were affirmed by their religious communities, and were specifically recorded in scripture as part of God’s revealed truth. A few examples: Miriam – prophet; played major role in Exodus; led worship singing and dancing. Deborah – prophet; judge; led Israeli troops into battle with Barak Lydia – business woman who became a central leader in the Philippian Church Priscilla – helped Paul establish churches at Corinth and Ephesus; corrected Apollo’s preaching Phoebe – deacon; commended by Paul for her service to the church If by design God created women not to be leaders, then he would be going against his own order and intent to place women in leadership; but God does not violate His own design. In the beginning humans were created male and female in equality and partnership reflecting the image of God both individually and together as a plural unit. The sequence of creation does not signify importance or superiority. Adam is not superior because he is first; Eve is not the new and improved model. Instead, Eve is called Adam’s helper. The word helper, however, is not used as an indication of rank as in â€Å"a boss and an assistant.† The Hebrew word is ‘ezer and is also used to describe God by Moses in Exodus 18:4 when he says, â€Å"My father’s God was my helper: he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.† Since God is called a helper also, we need to maintain the original elevated biblical definition of this word, and not submit to a culturally lowered interpretation in our understanding of God’s creation design Adam and Eve are both punished for disobeying God. One of the consequences of Eve’s sin was a distorted relationship with Adam. However, God in his mercy promised a reversal of the fall and restored divine and human relations through Jesus Christ. Restoration in Salvation: Salvation through Christ reverses or removes the punishment of judgment. Individuals are restored to a relationship with God. While we live in a world where the effects of sin are still playing out, believers are now members of the Kingdom of God where equality in him is restored. But even before Christ, faithful women were already filling places of leadership indicating that one’s relationship with God has an impact that brings about a change on the judgment meted out at the fall. Refrence list 1 The Bible 2 http://www.gci.org/church/ministry/women6b 4.Sanley J. Grenz (1950-2005) :A Biblical Theology of Women in Ministry. Wolfhart Pannenberg publisher. 1

Jews Demand Holocaust Reparations :: essays research papers

American Dissident Voices Broadcast of April 7, 2001 As Ye Sow . . . . By Dr. William Pierce Hello! First, I want to admit to an error I made in last week's broadcast. I attributed to the circus impresario P.T. Barnum the statement that no one ever lost a nickel by underestimating the intelligence of the American public. At least two alert listeners have since pointed out to me that the statement actually was made by the journalist and writer H.L. Mencken. The statement for which P.T. Barnum should be remembered is that a sucker is born every minute. Last week we talked about the rewards of increasing "diversity" in America. The primary reward is the growth in alienation as young Americans fail to develop a healthy sense of racial identity and fail to find satisfactory role models. Diversity goes up, and homogeneity simultaneously goes down. And as homogeneity goes, so goes the individual's sense of community, of belonging, of identity. And we also talked about many of the side benefits of diversity: rising suicide rates, a greatly increased incidence of neuroses and psychopathologies, more schoolyard shootings, a growing pregnancy rate among unwed White teenagers, the confusion and loss of values, lowered academic standards, the trashing of the history and literature curricula in our universities, and a number of other consequences of the diversity being visited upon us by the government and the Jewish media. And America is not the only nation ruined by the diversity-mongers. If you've been paying attention to the news of what's happening in the Balkans, you will have noticed that the bloodshed and misery begun there by the determination of Madeleine Albright and the Clinton government to ram multiculturalism down the throats of the Serbs is still spreading. The killing going on in Macedonia now is a direct consequence of the Clinton government's bombing of Belgrade in order to force the Serbs to accept the multiculturalization of Serbia's Kosovo province. If you remember, the excuse given by Madeleine Albright and her kosher crew was that the wicked Serbs were mistreating the Albanian minority in Kosovo, who merely wanted to live in multicultural bliss with the Serbs. Well, of course, the Albanians wanted no such thing. They wanted exactly what the Serbs wanted: namely to have Kosovo all to themselves. So as soon as Madeleine's hired gunmen shifted the balance of power in Kosovo and forced the Serb army out, the Albanians, instead of hugging their Serb neighbors began killing and terrorizing them. The Serbs fled for their lives, and now the Albanians run Kosovo, except for a few all-Serb

The Publishing of Written Materials: Newspapers, Magazines and Books :: Publishing Publish Essays

The Publishing of Written Materials: Newspapers, Magazines and Books Publishing as an industry is in constant dialogue - a true back and forth - with the surrounding culture commercially, technologically, and artistically. It has changed greatly since the early 1800's and particularly during the 1900's. These changes have occurred in relationship to evolving aspects of American life, and so the factors one must consider are many: literacy and compulsory education, legal ownership of the actual words to be published, modes of production and distribution, availability of resources such as paper and printing equipment, the ideas which generate the written word, the presence of a reading public and the questions it asks, and surrounding social events - war, money, immigration, reconstruction of the South. A brief early history: Publishing begins in US when Stephen Day issues the Bay Psalm Book in 1640 from his press in Cambridge MA Printing under state control in colonial times, and bookselling seldom an independent vocation before 1850. In the early years of the Colonies, Cambridge, Mass., had the sole privilege of printing, but the monopoly was broken in 1674, when Marmaduke Johnson, who had come over to print an Indian Bible (1663), moved his press to Boston. Gradually others followed - Philadelphia had a press in 1685; New York City, in 1693. It was difficult for the colonial printer, as for any small printer, to produce large works because of a shortage of type; but patronage by the government helped to give his products a dignified style. Almanacs, primers, and law books were the staples of book production; works of theology formed the leading category. Until 1769 American printers bought their presses from England, but thereafter they acquired their equipment and supplies, including ink and paper, do mestically. Books were sold in various ways—by subscription, by the printer himself, by hawkers, and through shopkeepers. Though Massachusetts passed a law against hawkers in 1713, it carefully excluded book peddlers, who had a valuable function in rural areas.