How the American Dream has changed for the worse over time Research Paper

How the American Dream has changed for the worse over time - Research Paper Example It is now infused with both an obsession with work and a desire to get rich quickly. Benjamin Franklin first talked about the American Dream in his Autobiography. He viewed it as in part the religious freedom that Pennsylvania embodied (Guercio). In modern times, religious freedom is not encompassed in our American Dream because we have largely accomplished it. No longer do religious minorities have to live in fear, there is an enforced freedom of religion in our nation, and thus I contend that that is why religious freedom is no longer part of the American Dream. But with the loss of this virtue comes a loss of some tolerance. We still have religious persecution. For instance, after 9/11 we saw a rapid increase in both state sponsored and personal harassment against Muslims. Many see Islamicists as threats to our freedom, and thus have no problem infringing upon religious freedom to ensure our safety. The Early American dream, however, is best embodied by the American story of immig rants. Our nation was built on immigrants, Chinese Immigrants built our transcontinental railroad, Irish Immigrants helped hold our nation together by fighting in the civil war, and German immigrants like Albert Einstein helped ensure we could maintain our presence around the world in World War 2. These immigrants built an idea of the American Dream that it was not necessarily easy, but that, with hard work, economic success could be gained. It was the willingness to work hard, to accept horrible conditions and racism, that helped immigrants like the Irish work their way up the societal totem pole and become accepted members of society. At first, they were hated by many, denied jobs, and even spit on (Irish Immigrants). While this hatred of the Irish was not part of the American Dream, what the Irish were able to accomplish was. After all, within about a century of being the scourge of the nation, an Irishman, John F Kennedy, was elected President. This advancement through social pr ejudice was once key to the American Dream, the kind of ideals our Founding Fathers used to enforce the ideas of our young nation, in contrast the oppression and prejudices of the old world (Todays American Dream). Some aspects of the American Dream were also defined with the settlement of the West, as settlers sought a place where they were not bound by laws or social constructs (Zinn). Yet this willingness to sell everything to head west was part of a wider aspect of the American dream, it embodied the idea that material possessions were worth nothing when compared to freedom and equality (Kozol). Manifest destiny, the settlement of Alaska, and the movement to explore space were all parts of this exploration aspect of the American Dream (Library of Congress). Yet these ideals of the American dream began to fall apart with industrialization. With factories and mass-produced consumer goods, people became less obsessed with freedom and more obsessed with amassing material wealth (Ben der). They were someone content with their current state of freedom, white males at least, and thus accepted their situation and, rather than try and change the system as a whole, accepted it and just tried to improve their situation. With the advent of credit and a huge new advertisement program, Americans became obsessed with material goods. This

The Strategic of Zara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Strategic of Zara - Essay Example The company is also endowed with experienced human resources beginning with the company’s chief executive officer. For instance, the company boasts of a 200 person strong innovative team that is inspired by customers’ need for value and quality. Moreover, the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability is a boost to its image given that there has been a push for environmentally friendly products in the recent years due to climate change concerns worldwide. The company’s product portfolio is full of a variety of apparel and accessories for women, children, and men from all corners of the globe. The company has a good product positioning strategy with its stores adopting different outlook and setups that vary with the respective countries or regions of operations. The company has adopted best practice for its daily operations. For instance, the company uses the just in time inventory management technique to ensure that it effectively manages the lev els of inventory in its storage facility and deliver the products according to demand. This technique has helped the company to eliminate the wastes associated with inappropriate inventory management. It is also notable that the company’s internationalization strategy has been advantageous for its completion. The company has been aggressively involved in expansion in the recent years with the approach taken including the use of franchises and licenses in far-flung markets. As a result, the company has positioned itself as a global leader in the design, manufacture.... Internal Environment One of the common methods of evaluating a company’s internal environment is through the use of SWOT analysis (Henry, 2008). Zara Company has various strengths and weaknesses. To begin, some of the strengths of the company as depicted in its relative strength in the market include: Originality of the company’s products that has distinguished it from its competitors. The company’s products are distinct in terms of design and this has made them identifiable. The company has dedicated staffs that are committed to personalized customer service. With experts in the fashion and design industry led by the CEO, the company’s human resources is unmatched. The stores and outlets across the globe are fully managed by the company as opposed to licensees and franchises used by other industry players. This has helped the company control the quality of products sold in the outlets. The company has also an admirable production line that is able to prod uce new products within short timelines. Technology use has been enhanced in the manufacturing segment for efficiency. Costs of the company’s products are relatively lower attracting many buyers. With relatively lower prices, the company’s attract high sales volumes. A well managed supply and value chain that ensures distribution of products required standards. The centralised warehouse acts a is within good regulator in the company’s revolutionalised distribution system. Apart from the company’s numerous strengths, the company still has weaknesses as outlined below: The company is yet to have a good advertising campaign that has had a negative impact on its brand recognition