Economic Development in three Urban Areas: Atlanta, Baltimore and Cleve

Executive Summary The following pages review the comprehensive strategies that have been used by the cities of Atlanta, Baltimore and Cleveland to improve their economic conditions. It should become apparent to the reader that the fate of each city is determined by many factors including historical events, the balance of power between stakeholder groups, the ability of the city to capitalize on federal programs and the relationships between the private sector and the community. Unfortunately, no clear winning strategy arose from each city’s economic development efforts; they all caused both gainers and losers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Atlanta is a city that is led by business leadership whose main priority is to promote business interests that are at times at odds with the communities’ development. Baltimore, with very little private investment, relies heavily on its citizens' involvement whose collective bargaining and activism have hindered its political leadership’s attempts at growth. Cleveland has fallen victim to â€Å"ivory tower† leadership that has led to financial mismanagement and increased community frustration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have attempted to review the last decade in each city, and in the context of that city examine the strengths and weaknesses of their actions. The scope of this project is large. To focus the reader’s attention on the difficulty the cities have experienced in trying to meet their stakeholders’ needs and expectations, I have chosen to focus on a few specific actions that were taken in each city to promote economic development. This discussion is by no means exhaustive; additional learnings can be gleamed from further research. Atlanta Atlanta’s political and social structure and development has been characterized by what author Clarence Stone labels regime politics in his book Regime Politics: Governing Atlanta: 1946-1989. The regime’s determining factor is the loosely formed coalitions and collaborations between the white Atlanta elite and the black middle class leadership. The partnership (although the power was not balanced between the groups equally) has its beginnings in the 1940’s when astute white businessmen properly predicted the growth of a black middle class and a shifting in electoral power. Faced with two choices: to use their social and economic clout to fight the inevitable changes in politic... ...nnovation Study Suggests Metro Area Must Change its Priorities to Increase Prosperity.† Atlanta Journal & Constitution. Nov. 5, 2001. Shields, Gerard. â€Å"2 bills Aim to Bring BDC Into the Open; City Senators Want Agency's Meetings Accessible to Public; Mayor Opposes Measures; Proposals' Critics Say Business Dealings Require Secrecy.† The Baltimore Sun. February 21, 2000. Siegel, Eric. â€Å"Renewal Efforts Move at Slow Pace; Empowerment Zone Shows Spot Successes Five Years After Grant.† The Baltimore Sun. Jan 10, 2000. Smith, Jane. â€Å"A Dialogue on The Atlanta Project with Jane Smith, Executive Director.† The Inner City: Urban Poverty and Economic Development in the Next Century. ed Thomas Boston and Catherine Ross. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1997. pp. 291-297. Smothers, Ronald. â€Å"Cleveland Mayor Warns Newark an Arena Is No Cure-All.† New York Times. Oct 20, 1999. Stone, Clarence. Regime Politics: Governing Atlanta: 1946-1989. Lawrence, Ks: University Press of Kansas, 1989. â€Å"Videotape: The Cleveland Turnaround: Leadership In Action,† (Boston: Harvard Business Publishing Corporation, 1996). The Cleveland Today website. http://www.clevelandtoday.org/info/edit.html

Strategic Analysis Zara

BRAND POSITIONINGSingapore Market Size Zara's size is at 1.3% of Singapore apparel industry, 6th place after other brands like Mango, Guess, Esprit, Raoul and Giordano.Visionâ€Å"ZARA is committed to satisfying the desires of our customers. As a result we pledge to continuously innovate our business to improve your experience. We promise to provide new designs made from quality materials that are affordable†Mission Statementâ€Å"Through Zara’s business model, we aim to contribute to the sustainable development of society and that of the environment with which we interacts.†Target Market & PriceZara sells apparel, footwear and accessories for women, men and children. Product lines were segmented into these three categories, with further segmentation within the women’s line as it was considered the strongest out of the three, with an overwhelming majority of women in the target market (78%).Zara’s consumers are young, value conscious and highly sens itive to the latest fashion trends in the industry. An advantage that the brand has over conventional retailers is that they do not define and segment their target market by ages resulting in designs and styles that can reach a broader market.Zara offers cutting edge fashion at affordable prices by following the most up-to-date fashion trends and identifying consumers’ demand, and quickly getting the latest designs into stores.BACKGROUNDAbout ZARAZara is a flagship brand of the Spanish retail group, Inditex group. Inditex is the world's largest fashion group, which owns other fashion brands such as Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home,  Lefties and Uterqà ¼e. It was founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega, when he decided to expand his factory in Arteixo by opening a store in La Coruà ±a. Zara has expanded since and currently operates a total of 1,671 stores in continents such as Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania, of which 333 of them are in Spain.In the BeginningFounded by Amancio Ortega in 1975, Zara opened its first store in downtown La Coruà ±a, Galicia, Spain. Its first store carried low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end fashion brands. The store proved to be a success in the early 1980s, and Ortega began opening more Zara stores throughout Spain.Global ExpansionIt was only in 1988, Zara decided to venture into the international market. This was spurred by Portuguese youths crossing the border into Spain to shop in Zara. Hence, Zara responded by opening its first store in Oporto, Portugal. The expansion strategy proved to be a success. Subsequently, new stores popped up in New York (1989) and Paris (1990), the fashion capitals of the world. Since then, more stores have opened globally to a standing of 1,671 stores. Zara Company has become an icon for Spanish fashion.FinancialsThe Inditex group currently boasts revenue of 13.79 billion euros (2012), with profits standing strong at 1.932 billion Za ra swot analysis

Witness Report

EVAN 101 2/28/2013 Witness Report PART ONE – What method of evangelism did you use and how did you start the conversation? The method I chose to use to witness to a young lady, who has been a friend of the family for a long time, was the relational method. While at my grandson’s first birthday party I engaged in a conversation with a longtime friend of my daughters. She has a baby that is close to my grandson’s age. The first thing I did was give her a big welcoming hug. We haven’t seen her in about seven or eight years.She had expressed to me the importance of being a good mother. She talked about how she never let her daughter stay with anyone except for her dad. We talked about the nursery that is available at the church we attend. Because she is a single mother, I helped with her daughter as far as holding her and guiding her away from danger such as stairs and open doors to the restroom. I did this in hopes of building a trust so that she would feel c omfortable with going to church with us.We talked about how our church has purchased property and in the process of building a new church. I explained to her the many exciting activities the church has planned for the next couple of months. I believe the seed was planted many years ago when this young lady hung out at my house as a teenager with my daughter. She moved from the neighborhood to live with her dad and now we are reunited because we moved to a neighboring city. PART TWO – What was the reaction (questions/comments/statements) of the unbeliever?We talked about how she had decided not to have anymore children because of her contracting gestational diabetes, and having such a difficult high risk pregnancy. I assured her that each pregnany would be different. I also told her not to let herself be robbed of God’s blessing for her. My daughter’s friend seemed very interested in going to church with us. She had attended church with us in the past better neve r made a decision. Her focus seems to be that she wanted to raise her daughter in church. She said she didn’t want to leave her daughter with anyone in the nursery.I work with another lady in children’s church. Hopefully we will have established a more trusting relationship that she will feel comfortable enough to leave her with me. PART THREE – How did you conclude the conversation in order to follow up? To conclude our conversation, I offered her transportation if needed to attend church. I also told her if there was anything she needed in the mean time or if she just wanted to visit to let me know. After telling her how nice it was to see her I gave her another hug and she assured me that she was planning on visiting our church.