Reaching the Top Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reaching the Top - Case Study Example Churchill has successfully used the postmodern displacement of time to dramatize the sacrifices made by women in business and in the society. The first scene opens with a dinner party at a restaurant to celebrate the success of Marlene, the central character , in her profession. Many legendary women including Pope Joan, the world traveler Isabella Bird and the Japanese courtesan Nijo attend the party. Marlene is a highly successful career woman who has become the General Manager of an employment agency called 'Top Girls' Acutely ambitious, she has achieved power and prestige in a male dominated territory by abandoning her social responsibilities. In this, she is like Isabella, who is a world traveler in an age where traveling abroad was mostly a male prerogative. Traveling the world, Isabella too has sacrificed her social responsibilities. Isabella wears trousers because she "feels like it".(Churchill 29) , and refuses to "live the life of a lady".(Churchill 29) Marlene too does not' live like a lady' as her choice of food and her dominating attitude indicate. Marlene's story has a parallel with the stories of Pope Joan, Griselda and Nijo, all of whom had to give up or abandon their children. While Marlene does it voluntarily, the other women are forced to do it. Joyce is Marlene's supposedly sterile sister who has adopted Marlene's daughter Angie. There is a troubled relationship between Joyce and Angie, with the latter hating her supposed mother and the former nursing a resentment against Angie. Joyce thinks that she lost her unborn child because of the difficulties of raising Angie. Joyce can be compared to Pope Joan who was stoned to death with her child. In scene three of Act I, Angie is hiding from Joyce with her friend Kit when Kit says,"Do you want to watch the Exterminator'" (Churchill 45) The Exterminator can be linked to Joyce who is hated by Angie. Joyce's story has a parallel in the story of Nijo, who had to give up her own children to please the Emperor, whom she hated. Motherhood, which is the natural right of a woman,is sacrificed by these women. The sixteen year old Angie is a troubled adolescent . Both her adopted as well as natural mothers consider her to be less than intelligent. Marlene says, "She is not going to make it" (Churchill 66), while Angie idolizes her aunt Marlene. Angie can be compared to the inarticulate Dull Gret, who, clad in an armour and apron, leads an army of women to battle. Angie, though considered dull, manages to go to her aunt's office. This shocks Marlene, who asks in astonishment, "How did you get past the receptionist '" (66) Angie has sacrificed her whole career by giving up her intelligence. Success comes to woman only through sacrifice. Only those women who give up something very valuable can become 'Top Girls'. To achieve power and position, a woman might have to sacrifice her relationships, even her identity as a woman as evidenced in the case of Marlene and Isabella. A top girl might have to renounce her ability to procreate. She can achieve her goal in a negative way by sacrificing her intelligence . To accomplish anything, be it professional or social, the top girl has to give up a part of herself in a male dominated society. Works Cited Churchill, Caryl. Top Girls : London: Methuen Student Edition

Enhancing the Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enhancing the Marketing Plan - Essay Example Further, the macro environmental factors will also be considered in the paper to understand the significant trend which can impact on the business of the company. Company’s Competitor Geno's Sports Apparel deals in athletic footwear and apparel products and seeks to achieve higher sales and good brand reputation. The athletic footwear and apparel industry is considered as highly competitive as there are several big players in the market where Geno’s Sports Apparel operates. The major competitor of Geno’s Sports Apparel in terms of athletic footwear products is Finish Line which operates in the similar marketing segment. Besides Finish Line, Geno’s Sports Apparel also faces a direct competition from other athletic goods providing organizations such as Payless ShoeSource, Dick’s Sporting Goods among others. The major strengths of Finish Line, one of the biggest competitors is the ability to understand the preferences of customers and act accordingly. Thus, the company offers coupons and discounts to the customers to increase sales. Finish line is much concerned about promoting latest products to the customers. The major weakness of Finish Line has been the number of retail outlets. The number of stores of Finish Line is less which creates difficulty for the company to distribute products effectively. Besides, providing newest products can also cost more and are inefficient in this business environment as many customers can concentrate on saving money and purchasing inexpensive products due to economic downturn (Sweeney, 2009). The other competitors named Payless ShoeSource have good geographic location which provides the company a competitive advantage. Its business is expanded in almost 50 counties within the international market. Payless ShoeSource has great financial strength which helps to spread the business globally. Besides, the sales in women’s shoe category are strong and the company has also strong position in t he market of the USA. The major weakness of Payless ShoeSource is higher fixed cost which led to lower profit margin. Furthermore, the company experienced huge amount of loss due to surplus inventory. The business of Payless ShoeSource is highly reliant on third party producers which make the company much vulnerable to survive in the competitive market (Cullin, 2007). Differentiation of Products Differentiation is necessary in order to improve the business and develop a unique brand identity. The main differentiation of Geno’s Sports Apparel with respect to the other competitors is the innovative marketing strategy. Geno’s Sports Apparel will provide tailored retailing programs and develop exclusive store atmosphere which replicates a distinct retailing style than other rivals. The effective enactment of this strategy helps the company to increase the customer base and preserve brand reliability. Geno’s Sports Apparel can also differentiates the brand from close st competitor Finish Line through providing customers with ranges of athletic attires which are designed according to their requirement. The company needs to offer focused collection of sports equipments to the customers which is the other differentiating factor (Sweeney, 2009). Through the advanced marketing communication strategies, such as implementing good customer service model, Geno’