Cambodia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cambodia - Essay Example This was a strategy to strengthen their rule in their territory. The modernization of the monetary system in Cambodia by introducing the tax system to the natives would be necessary (Corfield, 2009). The surrounding waters facilitated most of the transportation activities in the colonial territory. The water from the sea was used for irrigation activities on the rice plantation. Industries relied on water for running most of their activities such as rubber processing. Additionally, the colonizers constructed watchtowers for guarding their territories on the surrounding waters. The impacts of colonial activities are still evident in the modern day Cambodia. As such, the natives are educating themselves based on the teachings of their colonizers. Cambodia is trading in rubber and corn as it was during colonialism (Corfield, 2009). The colonization process developed the infrastructure in use today during their rule in Cambodia. Cambodia is still trading with the French. Moreover, the country exports rice as one of their main cash crop as it was in the past. If the area were to be colonized, it would be better to commercialize trade throughout Cambodian colonial territory. Restriction on relationship with the Chinese will be eliminated for the benefit of the entire masses. Nationalism should be introduced in line with the principles advocated for by the traditional monarchs (Corfield, 2009). This will minimize the resistance that the colonizers faced from the natives. It is expected that Cambodians will adopt some of the aspects of life introduced to them by the colonizers to suit their own

Otto Wagner Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Otto Wagner - Term Paper Example He showed his true genius in his many monumental buildings as well as through outstanding conception and functional designs. Wagner was born on 13th July in the year 1841. The designer’s father died when he was about 5 years old. Otto attended Vienna academy and later, in between 1857-1862, he went to the polytechnic institute of structural design1. Still on his struggle for knowledge he as well attended a visual arts academy with his two friends: Eduard von der null and August Sicard von Sicardburg. Before becoming a renowned architect he was an apprentice especially in the field of visual arts and architecture. He designed several buildings with outstanding unique features but many of his works were never realized. Otto Wagner had two sons Sofia Paupie though these two couples were never married, he adopted these two sons (Mallgrave, 19933, 54). His marriages took place only due to the pressure of his mother therefore he ended up getting married twice. His first wife was Jos ephine Domhart while the second one was Louise Stiffel. He later died in the year 1918 at the age of 77 leaving behind his two wives, three sons and a daughter. In the history of design Otto remains the father of the modern architecture in Vienna. The buildings he designed define the ancient outlook of Vienna at the crack of the twentieth epoch. In the urban planning engineering, Otto is historically remembered as having designed the urban bridges, railway networks, and the well-structured railway stations in the Vienna. His design and architectural work is used as the historical references while looking back to the previous centuries. The movement Otto is linked with is the union of the Australian artists or the Vienna succession. He joined this movement in order to unite both the national and the international artists. The context and the style Otto is associated with is the facade decorations design in the structural designing systems he undertaken. Otto Wagner’s Movement and Style Otto Wagner was a member of the Vienna Secession Group of Artists whose styles were varied with no single style uniting the work of members of the Secession. One of the primary concerns of the Secessionists was to explore the possibility of developing an art movement that would be able to operate outside the confines of academic tradition. Most of the members of the group such as Otto Wagner particularly hoped to create and develop a style that is free from the historical influence. With regard to their architecture, Secessionists preferred to decorate their buildings using linear ornamentation2. With regard to his style, although the early works of Otto Wagner were primarily designed in the already established New-Renaissance style, he gradually shifted his style from New- Renaissance to Art Nouveau as was evidenced by his later architectural designs. Additionally, as an architectural school teacher, Wagner particularly stressed and fused art Nouveau/Secession style to hi s students. Art Nouveau was largely an ornamental artistic design style that flourished between 1890 and 1910 in several parts of the Europe as well as the United States. The style was characterized by the use of long sinuous and organic lines and was employed not only in architectural design but also in jewelry, interior design, posters, glass

American Households in the 1700s and Today Essay

American Households in the 1700s and Today - Essay Example However, the concept of the living room and the way it looks has undergone a vast amount of change since the 18th century. Today, the way the living room looks in an average American household is very different from what it would look like back then in the 1700s. This essay analyses the way Americans used to live in the 18th century, with respect to their households and forms of dwelling. 300 years ago, life in the household for Americans was extremely different than what it is today; houses today are built in a different manner, keeping in mind the needs of the average American whereas in those days, houses were built separately for the middle classes and the upper classes. There are various differences that may be noticed in the style, spacing and furniture as well as how the space in the house has been used and for what purpose. In contrast to the current time, many aspects of the same have changed and evolved. Houses have become more spacious and consist of a lot more lighter fur niture as will be discussed within the purview of this paper. The paper shall talk about the current as well as the past trend with respect to the living rooms within the two eras. ... The house was made of bricks and in the third quarter of the eighteenth century people began to make use of logs to construct their homes. American living rooms back then consisted of either an extravagant amount of furniture decked with ornate walls otherwise were simple in nature and reeked of normalcy as compared to the other homes. In the 18th century, people were obsessed with inviting others to their homes for the purpose of getting together and spending evenings and most of this was done in order to show off their living rooms. The living room of a house is the part which is the most looked on by visitors and guests; whenever someone is invited to another’s home, he spends the most amount of time in the living room and thus Americans made it a point to make their living rooms look the most beautiful part of the house rather than anything else in order to impress their guests, primarily. Furthermore, there were many households where the living room was not given importan ce at all; these homes mainly belonged to the less rich people where they did not bother to deck them up for the purpose of showing them off. Beginning with the upper classes or strata of society, the living rooms were decked in a gorgeous manner; the usually consisted of a great amount of furniture which was made of either teak or oak. These consisted of pieces like the wooden table, chairs, clocks etc which formed a major part of the room. More emphasis was laid on how the room looked fuller; curtains and drapes in the living room were also made in a manner that they gave the room a heavy and thus bigger feel. Every woman belonging to the upper class took pride in decorating her living room up in the household because of the sole reason that it would be her that would be hosting evening

Waste Management in Fonterra Tirau Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Waste Management in Fonterra Tirau - Assignment Example Tirau site produces both technical and edible casein, manufacturing about 7000 tonnes per year for export to the USA, China, Japan and Europe. Fonterra Tirau contribute a lot to the South Waikato community and its members. Fonterra Tirau site conducts regular neighborhood clean-ups and helps the unpaid assistant fire brigade in their activities. Biogas produced from the site’s waste water treatment system is used to partly fuel the site’s boilers. Fonterra Tirau site owns one of the largest waste water treatment plants in the Southern part of Hemisphere and all other sites in the region relays on this site (Franklin, R 2007). A detailed EIA report that was submitted to Waikato department of Environment should have the following details which are the main components of EIA: Screening, Scoping, prediction and mitigation, management and monitoring or audit. Screening is the process of deciding on whether an EIA is required. EIA may be based on site-specific information. For example in this case before the Tirau site was established EIA should have been conducted because it is likely to cause a lot of environmental issues which require to be properly mitigated. Guidelines for whether or not an EIA is required will be country specific depending on the laws or norms in operation (Manning 1986). Scoping is conducted early in the project cycle at the same time as outline planning and pre-feasibility studies. Scoping is the process of identifying the key environmental issues and is perhaps the most important step in an EIA. Decision makers, the local community and the technical community, have an interest in assisting to premeditate the issues which should be dealt with (Wathern, 1988). Prediction and mitigation follows once the scoping process is finished once the major impacts to be studied have been identified, prediction and mitigation measures are then discussed. Mitigation is defined as a set of

Euthyphro & Classics of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Euthyphro Classics of Philosophy Essay In its simplest term, the divine command theory holds that given that god exists; an act is good only because God commands it. In other words, anything that is not approved of by God cannot be considered to be good. A major problem associated with this view is raised in Euthyphro. The Euthyphro argues that the gods command things because they are good rather than that they are good because they command it. Seen from another angle, the goodness of things precedes Gods command. However, considering the polytheistic nature of the society that Socrates and Euthyphro lived in, the conception that what is good is only good because gods command it may be challenged by holing that the gods may have differences in opinion especially with regard to issues of morality. As such, what may be dear to one god may not necessarily be dear to another. As such, one action may be both pious and impious. The divine command theorists hold that the source of all moral value is the will of God (Hall et al). Whatever is willed by God is morally good or obligatory and whatever he forbids is morally evil. With this regard, murder, theft and adultery are morally wrong because, and only because they are forbidden by God. On the other hand, justice and mercy are morally good only because they are approved by God. The majority of divine command theorists hold that there is no intrinsic Good. Whatever is done and willed by God is good and whatever opposes the will of God is bad. As such, the good has its foundation and existence solely in Gods will. Indeed, it can be conceived that God can alter his mind and command murder. This is especially seen in the scriptures when he commanded Abraham to kill his son. He can also forbid acts of clemency. Simply by an act of will, God can change virtue into vice and vice into virtue. The divine command theory is first broached as a philosophical theory in Euthyphro. Euthyphro and Socrates are attempting to define holiness with Euthyphro proposing a definition that holiness is whatever is loved by the gods. According to Socrates, this definition is ambiguous in the sense that it does not offer any clear comprehension of whether something is holy simply because it is loved by the gods or whether its loved by the gods because it is already holy. By making a generalization from the case of holiness, it can be said that either something is morally good or right because God commands it to be so or that God commands it because it is morally good or right to begin with (Pojman, 2002). In other words, either moral value depends on the will of god or the will of god depends on moral value. In Euthyphro, the two options are dramatically presented. That is, either the source of value depends on the divine will or elsewhere. Both Socrates and Euthyphro agree that it lies elsewhere and therefore reject the divine command theory. They however do not explain where it rests. Platos view is right considering his god-independent Form of the Good. However, the argument in Euthyphro can be hardly applied to the Christian God. Platos argument, as taken by Leibniz and other philosophers may be seen in the following context; that â€Å"honoring ones parents is good because God has commanded it† implies the counterfactual that if God commanded other things, those other things would be good. God, by the theory, could have commanded those other things considering how powerful He is. According to the divine command theory, therefore, if God had commanded that one should dishonor his parents, then dishonoring parents would be obligatory instead of forbidden (Wilkens, 1995). This is however absurd. The divine command theory is thus committed to counterfactuals about what would have been good that are patently false. The implication is that, even though God commanded the good, this is only so because it is good and not that it is good because He commanded it. The dilemma in the question of whether what is holy is holy because the gods approve of it, or approve of it because it is holy can only be clearer if the polytheistic assumptions are eliminated and the term â€Å"holy† is replaced with â€Å"right†. If the question is restructured, it will appear as follows: does God command us to do what is right because it is right or something is right because God commands it? The question presents two possibilities. First, God’s commands can be conceived of to be right-indicating or pointing towards rightness. Second, it can be conceived of to be right-making or creating rightness. This question is whether God is viewed as a Supreme Court justice or a legislator. The justice comprehends the statutes and can therefore suggest what should be done for one to stay within the boundaries of the law. However, the law itself is independent of the justice. The legislator on the other hand does not just interpret but also creates law. Until the lawmaker legislates, the law is not in existence. The question thus is; which gives a better conception of God? Voluntarists see God as a legislator since they emphasize on His freedom, will and sovereignty. As such, God is not bounded to the dictates of some standard that He did not create. Instead, right is right because God legislates it. The declaration of God that particular actions are good is right making. This view of God as a legislator evades restricting His freedom and power. However, this may create another problem. If God is so radically free and powerful, could he create a world in which torture is good? If His saying so makes it right and there are no limitations on God, could he decide that rape is virtuous? Affirming this option is frightening since there is a natural inclination to believe that a command that we ought to rape would be morally repugnant, even if it emanated from God (Ross Stratton-Lake 2002). However, there is need to notice its implication. It assumes a standard of goodness that is independent of God. Otherwise we would not have at our disposal anything by which to measure the commands of God. With this regard, a conclusion can be derived that the gods approve of holy (right or goodness) because it is holy (right or good). Holiness is an objective feature of the world and as such, the moral order is just as a fundamental nature of the universe as the spatial or numeric structure of the universe. Our moral attitudes do not make actions good or right. Rather, they are responses to rightness or goodness. What makes our belief that something is good is the property or objective characteristic of being good that it possess. If one defines holiness as meaning what is approved by the gods, one is putting forward a naturalistic definition. If one however defines it as such that it ought to be desired, one is putting forward a non-naturalistic definition. However, both the definitions show that what is good is intrinsic as opposed to what the divine command theorists attempt to postulate. Holiness, goodness or rightness refer to a property or a quality of something and thus, this quality or property cannot be decided by the goods but rather exist independently of the will of the gods. However, there comes a challenge when they refer to a relational property rather than the intrinsic property of the things of which it is predicated. This is the major challenge not only to the divine command theorists but also to Euthyphro. References Plato, Euthyphro Pojman, L. (2002). Classics of Philosophy. Oxford University Press Ross, W. Stratton-Lake, P. (2002). The Right and the Good. Oxford University Press Wilkens, S. (1995). Beyond bumper sticker ethics: an introduction to theories of right wrong. InterVarsity Press

Focal Point Of A Shopping Mall Cultural Studies Essay

Focal Point Of A Shopping Mall Cultural Studies Essay Shopping mall is inevitably the main focal point in many Malaysia city and shopping has become the Malaysian favorite pastime during weekends. Moreover, series of mega sales and discount events have encouraged the act of consumption, turning the shopping center become one of vital element in our lifestyle. The role of shopping center is gradually replacing existing public space in many modern Asian cities where the people do not have public parks or squares to hangout. Instead, a weekend family affair may just spend in the movie theatre or restaurants inside shopping mall. Therefore, shopping center is evolving into a new force whose impact should not be neglected. Nowadays, a new kind of shopping center known as the lifestyle center began emerging in Malaysia. According to International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the lifestyle center features an open-air architecture, typically high-end retailers, may or may not include anchor stores, and has a large concentration of dining and entertainment facilities. The properties are usually well landscaped and offer outdoor artwork, music, and trams or trolleys for on-site transportation. It is intended to support a shopping as entertainment mindset and has become highly popular in affluent communities. We can see the emerge of lifestyle malls in Greater Kuala Lumpur especially suburban Kuala Lumpur such as 1Mont Kiara, The Curve, Jaya One, Wangsa Walk, Sunway Giza, Alamanda Putrajaya and the list goes on. Originated in US, lifestyle center combining the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities in a town square or main street setting have become common in affluent suburban areas and are now one of the most popular retail formats in US. However, in Malaysia, the professionals are keener to recognize it as Lifestyle Mall since most of them are indoor setting but incorporated with outdoor walking mall. Thus, hereinafter, I will use the term lifestyle mall in describing the Malaysia context. 2.0 Problem Statement The emergence of lifestyle malls poses interesting question for urbanism in Malaysia. Cities in the Malaysia especially Greater Kuala Lumpur are characterized by sprawling suburban, which a pattern of development being criticized by several theorists. According to Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, she arguing that modernist planning policies that promoted highway construction has been destroyed many existing inner-city communities (Jacobs, 1961). After that, others writers such as Joel Garreau, Dolores Hayden and Robert Bruegmann agreed that suburban sprawl occurred to the destructive of urban life in America (Garreau, 1991; Hayeden Wark, 2004; Bruegmann, 2006). Furthermore, most of the critics on the rapid suburbanization that occurred in America as well as Malaysia, is the changing of urban and social fabric in several ways, both physically and socially. According to Harriet Tregoning, he states that cars have become necessary to working, shopping and living in suburban cities. The growing dependence on automobiles necessitated by low density, sprawling land use has important implications. People living in more sprawling regions tend to drive greater distance, own more cars, breathe more polluted air, face a greater risk of traffic fatalities and walk and use transit less. One of the most common arguments is that suburban development isolated residential areas from the commercial areas and working places that served them, thus creating sprawling, inharmonious mix of single family houses, shopping centers and office parks across the suburban landscape (Duanny, 2000; Kunstler, 1993). Many of the physical and social elements that constituted the spirit of the city civic art, civic life as well as public realm were lost in the process of spatial segregation (Garreau, 1991; Duanny, 2000; Hayeden Wark, 2004; Bruegmann, 2006). Suburbanization tends to isolate large groups of society preventing the contact between diverse members of the population that is common in more traditional urban settings. According to Fellmann et all, the upwardly mobile resident of the city-younger, wealthier and better educated- took advantage of the automobile and highway to leave the central city. The poorer and older people were left behind. The central cities and suburbs becam e increasingly differentiated. Krueger and Gibbs stated that Suburbanization produces enormous obstacles to the creation of a sense of identity with the neighborhood of residence, since the links generated are minimal and the lack of social ties makes the construction of a sense of belonging to a place very difficult (Krueger Gibbs, 2007). Duany writes It is difficult to identify a segment of the population that does not suffer in some way from the lifestyle imposed by contemporary suburban development (Duany, 2000). From a social perspective, most critics argue that in suburbia, the private realm is privileged over that of the public. Thus, without adequate public space, there is a severe shortage of venues where social interaction can take place because sharing the public realm, people have their opportunity to interact, and thus come to realize that they have little reason to fear each other. (Duany, 2000) The evolution of shopping center development in Kuala Lumpur began with the opening of the first purpose built supermarkets and emporiums such as Weld Supermarket, Yuyi Emporium and so on. The first shopping complex, Ampang Park arrived in 1973, followed by Campbell Complex, Wisma Stephen, Wisma Central, Sun Complex, Pertama Complex, Wisma MPI and Angkasaraya. These shopping complexes are essentially retail developments located within a podium block of a shopping cum office development. Anchor tenants are nonexistent and the complexes have poor amenities and parking facilities. The retail outlets are generally small and the layout design is poor with little pedestrian circulation and inefficient use of space. C:Documents and SettingsyshearMy Documentspublic spacepertama.bmp Pertama Complex in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman is among the first generation shopping complexes in Kuala Lumpur. The second generation of 80s shopping complexes were purpose built shopping complexes such as Sungai Wang Plaza (1978), Bukit Bintang Plaza (1979), Kota Raya (1982), Yow Chuan Plaza (1983), Imbi Plaza (1985), KL Plaza (1985), The Mall (1987), The Weld (1988) and Pudu Plaza (1989). These complexes enjoy good accessibility as they are located on main roads or at busy junctions of arterial or main roads. Ample parking lots are provided and easy entrance and exit points are strategically located for the convenience of shoppers who travel by car. C:Documents and SettingsyshearMy Documentspublic spaceb_1sungeiwang.jpg Sg Wang Plaza, one of the popular shopping centers situated in Bukit Bintang shopping district of Kuala Lumpur. The shopping complexes have much better design and the adoption of a balanced tenant mix has taken stage in the overall planning, leasing and design of the complexes. The size, distribution and layout of the retail lots are also carefully planned and designed. Anchor tenants such as Metrojaya, AEON Jusco, Isetan, Parkson are used as magnets and are purposely located to facilitate the flow of shoppers in the complexes. With rapid economic growth and urbanization in the Klang Valley, a wide range of social and economic factors have combined to influence the trends in shopping center development. The third generation of shopping centers, from the 1990s to the present, has seen the birth of new giants, with the size determine the winner of competition. Mega sized centers with vast retail space, often spanning more than two million square feet and with multiple anchor tenants, multiple mini anchors and a host of shop lots. Huge car parks accommodating more than 3000 vehicles are common, with a network of internal roads and access to main roads and highways. These mega shopping centers are usually located in the suburbs and they include Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley Megamall, One Utama Shopping Center, and Tropicana City Mall and so on. Perhaps being huge assures success. All the mega sized shopping centers have their individual niche markets and are thriving even facing competition with each others. For example, Sunway Pyramid integrated with its own planned resort Sunway Lagoon. Without exception, all shopping centers must have good or exceptional merchandise mix and strong retail attractions in order to succeed in the face of stiff competition. C:Documents and SettingsyshearMy Documentspublic spacemid valley.jpg Mid Valley Megamall, the Malaysias largest suburban shopping center with 3 anchor tenants located in Bangsar. The trend is moving towards hypermarkets, which may be supplanting some of the old pop and mom style grocery business. Hypermarkets are typically huge stand alone supermarket and department store type retail outlets. Carrefour, Tesco, Giant are mushrooming over the suburban cities throughout Peninsular Malaysia. For example, Giant, the largest retailer in Malaysia are currently operates 107 stores nationwide and there are more stores opening soon. On the other hand, Tesco has operates 36 stores throughout Peninsular Malaysia to date. Giant Hypermarket, the largest retailer in Malaysia is operating more than 100 stores throughout Malaysia. The major factors which have contributed towards the emergence of suburban shopping centers and hypermarkets are due to the suburbanization of residential development. With limited land available for residential development in the city, housing has spread to the surrounding land at the city fringes with vast space of available lands. With provision of road infrastructure, the young, mobile, rich and middle class families who demand for bigger homes and more luxurious features and better quality of living have migrated to the suburbs. Many of these residential developments have taken the form of new townships and self contained neighborhoods such as Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Damansara and the list goes on. Retail followed as families continued to move from central cities to the suburbs. Besides, the increases of female employments also lead to the emergence of suburban shopping center and hypermarkets. More females are entering the workforce which will directly affect the retailing pattern. It is because the addition of household incomes has increased the purchasing power. Moreover, women engaged in full time employment have less time for shopping. Thus, it results the increase of bulk buying and reduction in frequency of shopping trips. However, the shopping has turned into a family affair. Thus, it is essential to provide all in one shopping activities including shopping, food, entertainment and leisure with more emphasize on convenience, comfort and family oriented attractions and entertainment. While suburban malls only served the retail needs of suburban residents, critics began to argue that they eliminated any chance communities have for possessing physical continuity on the urban fabric since they usually located along the main route (Torino, 2005). Developers of suburban malls tend to overlook the role of shopping center as a forum of public gathering and social interaction. However, the suburban malls are not public spaces at all; they are designed for single purpose: consumption. Victor Gruen, the architect of the first modern suburban shopping mall in United States, recognized the breakdown of traditional community bonds are driven by uncontrollable suburban sprawl. Thus, Gruen envisioned the suburban mall to serve as the new town center which is dense, mixed use environments that could take place of traditional main streets and town squares. Gruen realized that the process of suburbanization was weakening the social bonds in a society that was fostered mainly in close knit rural communities and dense urban settlements. (Torino, 2005) Gruens idea was to make shopping malls more pedestrian friendly, which he achieved by putting the entire development under one roof, with stores on two levels connected by escalators and fed by two-tiered parking. In the middle of the mall was a town square, which featured a garden court under a skylight, a fishpond, enormous sculpted trees, a twenty-one-foot cage filled with exotic birds, balconies with hanging plants, and a cafà © (Gladwell, 2004). However, Gruens vision of shopping mall failed to function as town centers due to several reasons. In contrast to traditional town centers, which were extroverted, meaning that store windows and entrances faced both the parking areas and the interior pedestrian walkways, indoor malls were introverted: the exterior walls presented a blank faà §ade, and all of the activity was focused inward (Gladwell, 2004). According to Michael Sorkin, the design of shopping malls tends to reinforce the domestic values and physical order of suburbia, r ather than rectify it. In his book Variations on a Theme Park, Sorkin states, Like the suburban house that rejects the sociability of front porches and sidewalks for private back yards, malls look inward, turning their backs on the public street (Sorkin, 1992). Since most malls are located in the middle of vast parking lots set well off the street, what Sorkin refers to as pedestrian islands in an asphalt sea, their physical setting represents yet another crack in the already fragmented suburban landscape (Sorkin, 1992). Another reason why malls have failed to function as the traditional town centers that Gruen envisioned is that they are, by and large, built for a single purpose retail. According to Kevin Mattson, Whereas in cities, towns, and villages, public space invites mixed usage and contains churches, schools, courts, theaters, civic buildings and stores, malls are exclusively commercial. Access and architecture together conspire to make buying and selling the only thinkable activities (Mattson, 2009). Mattson argues that since malls are the only public spaces left in many parts of the country, they must become more like real towns with a mixture of uses: If commerce is not to become the sole activity we engage in when we are in public, malls must offer alternative activities civic, cultural, athletic, political, and recreational that define us as citizens as well as consumers (Mattson, 2009). Many urban scholars have pointed to the obvious fact that shopping malls are not true public spaces, but privatized ones where management ultimately reserves the right to limit access. In his book The Right to the City: Social Justice and the Fight for Public Space, Don Mitchell touches on the idea that malls are exclusive places, where certain groups and behaviors are not welcome (rowdy teenagers, the homeless, and political demonstrations, for example). Mitchell also comments that malls are heavily patrolled by private security forces and are subject to constant surveillance (Mitchell, 2003). Malcolm Voyce has noted that malls do not coincide with the need for an open and democratic public space and that their private nature limits and controls diversity (Voyce, 2006). Private ownership and restricted access, therefore, undermine the shopping malls ability to function as a true, democratic public space. The recent trends mark the emergence of lifestyle malls mushrooming at the suburban Klang Valley. To be named a few: The Curve, the pioneer lifestyle mall in Malaysia; Sunway Pyramid, Jaya One, Wangsa Walk, Alamanda Putrajaya, Axis Atrium, Sunway Giza which are operating; SSTwo Mall, 1Mont Kiara, Subang Avenue, Citta, Setia Walk, Setia Avenue and the list goes on which are on construction to join the lifestyle demand. Therefore, it is not strange that Business Week Magazine has referred the lifestyle malls as the Shopping Center of the 21st Century. The above lifestyle malls share several commons. Design ambience reflecting a main street motif is great emphasized. The developers often cite a large emphasis on food and entertainment, elements that further contribute to the atmosphere of the project. Parking is also a major concern where it is usually arranged in structures or placed underground (Malmuth, 2005). Moreover, the inclusion of mixed uses also can be found in the quality of lifestyle malls. The inclusion of non retail uses is what sets apart lifestyle malls from other retail developments, to the extent that certain developer, such as Sime UEP Brunsfield, will claim that the word lifestyle is meaningless if residential component is not incorporated. The rise of lifestyle mall also raises other important questions, particularly about how and whether the shopping centers also function as public spaces. Perhaps the most important factor leading to the emergence of lifestyle malls, however, and the focus of this thesis, is the recognition of the increasing importance of shopping centers as public spaces in suburban life. Outside of urban centers, suburbia offers very few public gathering places. Therefore, strolling through suburban malls has become the favorite pastime during weekends. It is however important to realize that the main concern of shopping center is still concern about commercial activities. While the fact is, people do not only shop in a mall, they do hangout and socialize in the same time. Besides, there are also critics on the suburban shopping malls that reinforce unsustainable suburban sprawl. Some argue that lifestyle centers represent part of an effort to reduce the effects of suburban sprawl, through the reint roduction of traditional mixed use setting. Other argues that they are only tools to earn since they are privately owned, carefully controlled. Therefore, do lifestyle malls truly represent better forms of public space than conventional malls? Developers of lifestyle malls seem to have realized that improved retail design can act as a forum for social activity as well as a source of increased revenue (Torino, 2005). If so, are they alternatives to malls as models for public space in suburban? Do lifestyle malls represent a new typology of quasi public space? And how public are those lifestyle malls? 3.0 Aim This research aims to examine the emergence of lifestyle malls of their ability to function as public space. 4.0 Objectives 4.1 To examine the publicness of lifestyle malls. 4.2 To determine the perception of shoppers experiences towards the function of lifestyle malls. 4.3 To recognize the lifestyle malls as a new form of public space in suburban. 5.0 Research Questions 5.1 How public are lifestyle malls? 5.2 How do the shoppers perceive the lifestyle malls role? 5.3 How lifestyle malls represent a new form of public space in suburban? 6.0 Outline of Methodology To answer these questions, a variety of methods will be applied. The overall methods are qualitative. Research which is primarily based on journals, articles and others. Attempt to examine the characteristic of public space in order to identify the function of lifestyle malls as public space in the context of ideas by theorists such as George Varna, Steve Tiesdell, Adam Tyndall, Kevin Lynch, W. Lewis Dijkstra, Jan Gehl as well as Project of Public Space. Interviews with planners and developers, member of Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management Brief discussion regarding the trend of shopping centers in Malaysia, planning and development of selected lifestyle malls. Surveys of shoppers experience at lifestyle malls. Survey on the perceptions of shoppers towards lifestyle malls as social focus and public space. Observation Observation on the physical design of lifestyle mall, degree to the mixed tenants and how the public use the spaces. 7.0 Structure of the Thesis Chapter 1 Suburban development in Greater Kuala Lumpur, trend of shopping center in Malaysia Chapter 2 Discussion on the role of public space and how lifestyle mall fit into the context of public space Chapter 3 Case Studies Chapter 4 Survey results obtained at each lifestyle malls, observation on the quality of public space, design, level of mixed use, community events sponsored by each lifestyle mall Chapter 5 Concludes with a discussion of results and implications of the research. 8.0 Expected Output The expected output will be: Able to assess whether lifestyle mall in Greater Kuala Lumpur can function as public space. Able to determine that lifestyle mall can be another form of public space in suburban Kuala Lumpur. Able to recognize the characteristics of lifestyle mall that contribute to creation of public space.

Marketing Problems And Issues Faced By Zara Marketing Essay

Marketing Problems And Issues Faced By Zara Marketing Essay Zara clothing is a part of Spanish based Inditex Group, launched in 1975. The sales contribution of Zara clothing is 63.8% in the groups total sales of the financial year 2009. Zara clothing has two main product divisions: mens and womens apparel. Zara is known for its innovative designs around the World; each of the clothing line consists of the following divisions: Upper Garment, Lower Garment, Shoes, Cosmetics and Complements. Kids clothing is included in Zaras catalogue as well. Zara is a vertically integrated retailer which designs, produces and distributes. The company deals mostly with the supply-chain, unlike other competitor retailers of the same market, around half of Zara clothing products are produced in Spain, one third in the rest of Europe, and some in Asian countries and the rest of the world. ZARA has 1,608 stores (including 213 ZARA kids stores) in 74 countries. So while competitors go to Asia for outsource production, Zara makes most of its fashionable items and distributes them to its own stores located in all major cities around the World. At average Zara clothing store is more than 1500 square meters of pure up-to-date fashion. Zara clothing brand is dealing with over ten thousand clothing items a year and Zara has a strategy of launching and distributing a new product to the stores in only time of two weeks. In a result, Zara stores totally change their clothing items each month. Only in the UK, Zara has more than 50 stores in different cities, making Zara the most famous global retailer in the country. Zara clothing is also taking over the American continents by opening multiple locations in The US, Canada and South American countries. Most of the US cities already have Zara clothing sales locations and there are plans to open twice as many stores. According to AT Kearney, the consultants, for the past three years India is at the top of the list of the most attractive market for retail investment. According to Tehnopak, the retail consultants, the revenues of corporate retail sector in India will grow 20-fold from  £7bn ($14.1bn, E10.3bn) to  £140bn over the coming decade. This will reduce the market share of the small family-owned stores that dominate Indian retail. Zaras entry is a test of whether its fast-fashion concept will catch on in India. Zaras trademark is its ability to design, manufacture and deliver a new clothing design to its shops within just two weeks, compared with a nine-month industry average. It takes roughly four weeks to ship a container from Spain to India. Zara already has shops in 74 countries of the World. Financial Highlights (financial year 2009): The financial year 2009 ended with a growth rate of 9% at constant exchange rates. Inditex has also maintained comparable sales over the course of the year. The gross margin, which has increased by 7% to 6,300 million Euros, meaning a 57.1% on sales, 27 basic points more than in the previous year. Operating expenses remain under strict control, with a growth of 7% mainly due to the new retail areas. The contribution of sales in stores located outside Spain has reached 68% of the total figure, and all chains have increased their sales percentages on international markets, demonstrating their desire and ability to expand at a global level. The scale of this effort is clear if we recall that during 2009 alone, we increased our overseas presence to a total of 46 countries. Zaras sales have seen a net growth from 4% to 6% at constant exchange rates, with a 5% growth in EBIT. The main indicators for the financial year 2009 of the group are as under: Net Sales: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11,048 Millions EBIT: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,729 Millions Net Sales Zara: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7,077 Millions EBIT Zara: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,105 Millions EBIT Margin Zara: 15.6% Problems and Issues: Marketing: Zara has adopted a different marketing strategy form beginning which is not to advertise through traditional media. There are not many businesses which are running without any marketing in this age of communication and technology. If some business is doing good without marketing it dose not mean that the business has captured maximum market and there are no more opportunities to grow. If some business is already doing well, it can do better by launching a marketing campaign and can get more market share. But in last 2 years Zara has changed its strategy slightly and started campaign through some social networking website to keep in touch with its customers. Political issues: According to Fareed Rafiq Zakaria who is a famous Indian American journalist the Indias democracy system has all ability to qualify for illiberal democracy. So that is why the political system is volatile and takes any positive or negative impact on economy on day to day basics. Major political and local political powers plays important role in major citys economy. Foreign investor Zara has very sensitive about its liberal policies due to its main origin of business in Europe is facing very illiberal policies of government in its labour law. And also media the forth pillar of political system play an important part to rock the economic system by flaring up political issues. Due to this Zara is reluctant to invest more in Indian cloth industry which is growing with a GDP of 9% annually. Product: Zara is based in Europe, so it has 3 to 4 main colours which are used by its designers most of the time. But in India there are lots of colours used in readymade cloth industry especially bright colour. Female and male clothes lot of or small embroidery work is like which is lack of Zara fashion designs. Indian consumer likes bright colour for party occasions. Social issues: Cultural differences in India and Europe has a great impact on sales in India due to its designs which are more influenced by Europe. Statistics shows that the Indian cloth market is 490000 million rupees and 30000 million rupees market is only European based apparels. Zaras limited origin designs make its global brand image of fashion industry. Zara opened two shops in Indias metro cities New Delhi and Mumbai but both have vast cloths cultural differences. In New Delhi customers like Indian dresses more than foreign designs but vice versa in Mumbai. There are also traditional cloth designs for special occasions which are lacking in Zara stores. Weather: Indias weather is totally different from Europe because of its five extreme seasons (summer, Monsoon/rainy, winter, spring, autumn) in a year. The winter is of very short duration and not too much cold as compared to Europe and summer (April, May and June) is warmer than Europe. Variation of season requires rapid fashion change according to local weather. At Zara store you will find most of the cloths for normal weather and not for extreme weather. Legal issues: In India there are some legal requirements for foreign companies to start business and the most important one is that you have to make a local partner from India. Zara has started its business with the collaboration of Tata a local Indian business company. Next, Marks Spencer, Accessories, Debenhams and Guess have all franchised their stores to India. Another problem in India is the implementation of copyright law. This is a fact that the day Zara will launch its new design in Indian market it will be pirated in couple of days and you will find the same design at very lower prices in the local shops. Economical issues: The growth rate of Indian economy is comparatively high but it does not affect the life of common people very much because of the unequal distribution of wealth. So the whole population of India should not be considered as a target market of Zara. On the other side high rate of taxes for foreign companies also results into higher prices of the products. Mango, Guess, Esprit, and French Connection are also in line with Zara prices in other markets including Singapore, Dubai and some European markets. It is surprising that the prices in Singapore and Dubai are less than India because Indian duties could add 30-40 percent on retail prices, while duties in these countries are much lower. Devangshu Dutta, managing director of Third Eyesight, a retail consultancy based in the capital, reckons that Inditex may be taking a long-term view of the Indian market and relying on strategic pricing. THE DELIVERY OF A STRATEGIC MARKETING SOLUTION Zara has a very committed and professional team consists of more than 90,000 people. In my point of view Zara should review its strategies and policies now as Zara is now entering in totally different and more competitive markets, like India, of the World. The SWOT analysis of Zara is very helpful to understand the situation which Zara is facing today. Strengths ZARA has a very strong market Image due to quality, style and availability of products. Product/ Brand Image is also very high because of very high quality, reliable products for children, women and men. Strong financial position of ZARA is also our strength which will help us to invest adequately to get favorable results. Due to strong market position there is availability of finance from other financial institutions like banks. ZARA can benefit in saving the cost from existing infrastructure of suppliers. Vast network and store on different main locations all over the UK, Europe and other regions of the World is also our strength. At this time we have availability of suppliers who can provide us required raw material on good prices and we can build good relations with them for future when the competition will be higher. Online availability of our full catalogue is also our strength and customers can see, choose and make a final decision by just sitting home. Weaknesses Due to no marketing strategy and planning the growth rate of market share is very low. High product price is a weakness but we can not compromise on quality and customer services. Proper management and implementation of the new system can take time. Opportunities Well planed customized marketing campaign according to the current requirement of the time. New market search is the next step after capturing our existing market we can go to US and central Asian markets more deeply. More innovation, improved quality and value added products for our customers. Adoption of new technology will help us to lower the cost of our products. Research and development department can be made more efficient and strong for product improvement and availability of the products. Improved and more focused customers service. Continuous training of the staff and labor for cost effective production. Strive to exceed the customers expectations through quality, innovation and customers services. Increase in promotional activities through online marketing to get maximum market share. Building relations and long term contracts with the suppliers will be beneficial for future buying. Threats Entry of new competitors is a threat for our product which can be avoided by building stronger product image in the mind of customer. Unavailability of sufficient raw material because of high number of customers for raw material in the market. In the near future there will be high price of raw material due to increased demand. Availability of raw material in future is another threat and can be managed by involving maximum number of suppliers in the beginning with small quantity orders to all the suppliers. Order quantity can be increased in future as per demand. Low buying power of the customers in existing markets is also a threat and can be managed by searching new markets. Keeping in view the SWOT analysis and our problems and issues Zara should focus on the following points and develop a strategy accordingly: Recommendations: Advertising and Marketing: Unique approach of advertising and marketing within the business model of Zara adds an additional factor to their success. A 0.3% of total income is spent on marketing and advertising. This amount is significantly less than the competitors of Zara who are spending 3-4% of their total revenues on advertising and marketing. The main competitors of Zara like next, Bhs, Debenhams, New Look, HM, John Lewis, MS, asos, peacocks and topshop are the main stores which are more focusing on marketing specially on online presence and are among the top list stores on search engines in fashion and clothing search results. Because Zara is not in putting any effort for online marketing, that is why we do not find it in search results. In this age of communication and technology it is very hard to run a business without marketing and interaction with existing or potential customers. In my point of view Zara should now develop its own IT and marketing department and should launch an online marketing campaign through search engine optimization, social networking websites like facebook, twitter, bebo etc. Email marketing is another highly reliable and reachable idea to convey the message to maximum number of customers in no time. The list of emails can also be used to keep the customers update with latest offers in the store. By using Zaras own website and these social networking website people can keep in touch with store without coming to store and this thing will increase the market share with the help of low cost solution of online marketing. Interactive websites are the main source to attract more traffic and keep in touch with customers which helps to improve and change in products according to the requirements of the customers. This is also the quickest way to get feed back from our valuable customers around the globe. At the moment Zara is more focusing on the development of its stores on the prime locations on the high streets which is also a good strategy but it can not be replaced with a well organized professional marketing campaign which can bring thousands of customers to the store in days. With the help of fully functional interactive website customers can give feed back immediately after using the product and we can improve our products quickly. In the big countries like India where the presence of physical stores is not feasible in every city because the buying power of the customer is not equal and to open a store for small number of customers can not add anything other than heavy losses. In situation like this online store is the best idea to serve the customers who do not have physical access to the store but can afford and buy from online store. Because in India we can find our customers in many cities but the number of the customers will be low, so online marketing and online store will be more helpful to satisfy that market. Additionally, because of the short product development cycles, customers can be trained to visit Zara online stores most of the time because new items are presented weekly and are not restocked often. This feeling of scarcity encourages customers to come to online stores and buy frequently. In order to keep our stores looking fresh and trendy; Zara is investing heavily in their store layouts. Each Zara store is remodeled every five years in order to update with current trends. Same strategy should be followed in India as well to maintain the international standards. Direct marketing is not the top priority of Zara, in fact its the cost advantage and maintenance of brand that adds value to company. Zaras information and communication protocols are highly differentiated from its competitors. Zaras expenditure on IT comprises of less than 0.5% of total income on Information Technology and IT employees are only 0.5% of total workforce of company. In contrast to this Zaras competitors spend around 2% of total revenue on IT and 2.5% of their workforce is involved in IT. Main tools utilized by Zara are human intelligence, from store managers and market research, and information technology such as their PDA devices which forms a hybrid model for information flow from stores to headquarters. For example, handheld devices are provided at Zara stores which are used by managers over there for sending standardized information including customer feedback and ordering needs to in-house designers. So this is the key to keep the designer updated regarding rapidly changing customer demands and trends. Zaras designers not only keep themselves informed of fast-changing trends and demands of custo mers but also participate in formation of hybrid model. Zaras competitors entirely rely on IT applications so here again Zara wins the differentiation by incorporating human intelligence in its hybrid model. Zara obtains uniqueness by adopting human intelligence assisted IT solutions leading to well-organized inventories, thoroughly linked demand and supply, and decreased costs from obsolete merchandise; but this is not the end , there is always room for improvement. IT processes need effective management of levels of inventory. The information and communication system owned by Zara leads to cost advantage to Zaras operations and adds capability of responding rapidly and up to the mark. Zaras business model demarcates its unique concept, capabilities, and value drivers and these have leaded the company to the path of success. Fully concentrated core operations and production abilities, resistance to outsourcing, pin point focus on fashion has given recognition in fashion industry and market. To sustain and maintain such sort of differentiation in the era of global expansion there is need to adapt business capabilities of product development, cost of production, marketing, information and communication technologies and strategic partnerships. Mass media Advertising It is one of the basic requirements of a company to promote the sales of its products. In addition to this, it works as a building block in the process of building of brand identity. Further more it plays important role in communicating changes or changes or new arrivals to the customers. Advertising is considered to be one of the essences of fashion industry. Advertising if properly planned would increase the buzz-value of Zara. For achievement of our objectives following branches of advertising would be utilized. When these media will come into play every member of the society would be having awareness to Zara. Print Advertising The print media remains one of the cost effective source of advertising. Advertisement of products can be carried out via newspapers and magazines. Additionally promotional brochures and fliers would serve the same purpose. The selling price of advertising space in newspapers and magazines is directly related to the position attained by advertisement and the readership of the publications. Our advertisement would be published on the most popular and glossy supplement of magazines and newspapers to catch the eye of customers. Outdoor Advertising Billboards Billboard advertising is very common in Delhi and Mumbai and this trend is going to be followed by Zara to grab the attention of the passers by. This would be supplemented by other outdoor advertising methods to capture larger portion of market. Kiosks: It is not difficult to find malls and railway stations in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. Keeping this thing in mind provision of kiosks can also provide easy outlet for the products of company. Zara would use this marketing strategy as well. Tradeshows and Events We have plans to organize trade fairs, exhibitions and events to draw attention of customers. It would be achieved in collaboration with different local companies which promote fashion industry. Covert Advertising Advertising in Movies All of us know that India is famous for its movie production. We would use this tool as covert advertising as a unique kind of advertising. Almost every weekend a new movie is released. Thousands of people come at one platform and the same platform can be sponsored by Zara to gain the advantage of grabbing customers. Celebrity Advertising We know that audience in India follows the trends adopted by celebrities over there. Celebrities like Amir Khan and John Abraham have already played their role in Zaras promotion campaign. To keep the pace with this strategy is still the part of our marketing layout. Pricing Strategy: In the beginning the competitive pricing strategy should be adopted to capture more market share in India because in most of the large cities of India international brands and stores are already available. One more thing is local shop keeper who will copy Zaras designs and sale them in the market on low prices. To avoid this problem brand image should be communicated through advertising so that customers do not only consider the design but brand and quality as well. For brining marked reduction in prices the production can be started in the host country which will decrease our operating expenses like freight, high cost labour in Europe, import taxes and duties in India. After taking these steps we will be able to compete in the market very easily and can get benefit in long run. Conclusion: Zara has a very strong financial position and growth rate in last couple of years. As Zara has already opened its stores in many developed countries and has started to enter in under developing countries like India, Zara should review and change its strategy related to marketing and production because the circumstances and situation in under developed countries is totally different from developed countries. In most of the developing countries advertisement plays a vital role to communicate the message to the target market especially highly populated countries like India. Marketing is very necessary for the growth of a product or brand and get maximum market share in short time. Traditional and non traditional media should be used to achieve the objectives. Production can be started in the countries where you are going to open new stores; this thing will help to reduce the cost of production, time form production houses to outlets and will increase the safety of the products as well. Another considerable advantage of production in India is that Zara can build good relations with local community by offering jobs to local people and can get better understanding about the market and its requirements. The above mentioned factors will contribute a lot in the long run to get more market share and keep Zara in the Indian market. Friendster, 2009, Zaras Profile http://profiles.friendster.com/97785772 [Accessed 05-08-2010] http://managementfunda.com/advertising-types/