The Island of Human Nature Essay Example for Free

The Island of Human Nature Essay When Lord of the Flies was first released, William Golding described the novels theme in a publicity questionnaire as an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. (Kennard) Since the island is a microcosm, Golding uses it to reflect our world and give comments on it and his view of human nature. In the novel a group of children are stranded on an island when their plane crashes. The freedom of having no parents while living in a society that does not enforce rules and laws are eliminated. In this novel William Golding uses the objects, characters, and setting show that what happened in the story is just not a story; they help prove the author’s belief that humankind is savage. Each character signifies an important idea or theme from our world, and the statement he makes about human nature is that mankind will turn savage for supremacy. As the novel is an allegory, each character is symbolized clearly as someone in our society. â€Å"Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains (Golding, 71). † Piggy is the scientific and intellectual aspect of society. He is a thinker, philosopher and someone who always advises for good. Similarities to Albert Einstein can also be seen in Piggy, because people did not care that he thought the atomic bomb was a bad weapon just like no one cared about what Piggy said or did. Another main character, Ralph, is like Franklin Roosevelt, who could not stop World War Two from breaking out. He signifies the confused that are always uncertain in the recognition between good and evil: The failure of the island society comes about because of an innate tendency towards violence in the boys. Golding is, then, in opposition to the romantic notion of noble primitives knowing the distinction between good and evil. Human beings are not innately innocent, so human progress is unlikely. (Kennard) When the kids on the island are confronted with a choice between reasons civilizing influence and animalitys self-indulgent savagery, they choose to abandon the values of the civilization that Ralph represents. Ralph in Lord of the Flies also represents democracy and is responsible. He is the politician who relies on social order and government, and his political failures show that he cannot oppress the evil within the other boys. One of the most influential boys whose evil Ralph cannot control is Jack. Jack is a symbol of Adolph Hitler. He is a crazy leader who killed many people because he wanted dominance. ?Like Hitler, Jack is a dictator; he is ignorant. Jack is the hunter who is consumed by his own fear and the greater force of his own capacity for evil. Roger is even worse than Jack, even though he is not like that from the beginning. He is similar to Satan or even Dr. Mengele who was Hitler’s worker and did horrific operations on people. Roger is cruel and has gone far beyond from being a savage because he purposely, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever, resulting in Piggy’s death. Struggles between moral conscience and a heart of darkness are symbolized in the conflict between Ralph and Jack. That also represents the struggle between the forces of civilization and anarchy. The tussle between Jack and Ralph for leadership is the allegory of our political leaders who always fight and kill for the sake of control. In the same way that the way the boys are being lead astray by Jack, the leaders of our world take advantage of the masses. The impulses and the behavior of the boys are those of adults. Like adults, he boys realize that the only way that they will keep everyone alive and safe is through rule, yet the frustration of living apart from society tempts many boys to unleash the evil inside them. At last, when no one follows order anymore, the boys hand themselves to bestiality and surviving becomes a combat in between the two tribes. This same choice is made constantly all over the world, all throughout history — the source of the grief Golding sought to convey. â€Å"Lord of the Flies is concerned with the fall of man to savagery with the loss of innocence. † (Kennard) He places supposedly innocent schoolboys in the protected environment of an uninhabited tropical island to illustrate the point that barbarity is not confined to certain people in particular environments but exists in everyone. William Golding shows that the smallest boys acting out, in innocence, is the same as the cruel desire for mastery shown by Jack and his tribe while hunting pigs. The adults waging the war that stranded the boys on the island in the first place are also enacting the desire to rule others. Many aspects of Lord of the Flies can symbolize the struggle for command. Our world is very fertile like the island, but in their ambition to get the supremacy the leaders destroy this world just like the boys who burn the whole island to ashes without realizing that they are destroying their own means of survival. The division of the boys in litluns and biguns is the allegory of the classes in our world. Litluns symbolize the common people, while the biguns are the metaphor of the ruling, powerful and political classes. The island on which the boys find themselves is allegorically our world in miniature. Lord of the Flies was driven by Goldings consideration of human evil, a complex topic that involves an examination not only of human nature but also the causes, effects, and manifestations of evil. Each character signifies an important idea or theme from our world, and the statement he makes about human nature is that mankind will turn savage for supremacy. Golding addresses these topics through the intricate allegory of his novel.

Critical Theory in Sociology

Critical Theory in Sociology The critical theory is a social theory, which is known to criticise and trying to change society as a whole. The traditional theory only described and explained society. Theorists such as Max Horkheimer, T.W. Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Leo Lowenthal and Reich Fromm, were the main theorists who took part in the Frankfurt School, In Germany in the late 1920s at the institute fur Sozialforschung. The Frankfurts schools theory of society is very negative about how society runs, reasons for this is the increase in capitalism, and that societies social structure has been separated, (Swingewood 200, p. 130). Throughout the essay, there shall be more information about the Frankfurt school, and what they believed and wanted to change in society, also more information about what is critical theory and what it is critical of in society, also more information about the traditional theory. The work of Frankfurt school become very influential in the social sciences in the 1960s. Culture industry wor ked to put together the role of social struggles in the production and reproduction of society. Culture industry worked like an apparatus which brought together individuals and got them doing and thinking the same. The critical theory may be defined as a theory of setting humans free of human enslavement, and manipulation. Both Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno argued that critical theory is the theory of human emancipation based on free capitalist society, the bourgeoisies controlled the working class through manipulation of interests of politics, media, culture etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as a silent dominant force. The critical theory argues that there are various types of manipulation, such as; Ideological, this consists of justifying decisions made by enforcing ones thoughts onto another, secondly, Cultural, this consists of the attempt to commercialise to maintain the status quo of the working class. Finally the psychological manipulation which means that we are more interested in other peoples life and this is because of the decline of the father figure in many families. Horkheimer argued that a capitalist society can only be changed if it becomes more democratic is it could be that all conditions of social life that are controllable by human beings depend on real consensus in a rational society (Horkheimer 1982, 249-250). Horkheimer argued that the only way in which we could fix problems in society, was by introducing the critical theory. There are four main points for the Critical theory these are; Reflective, this refers to that facts can be revised separately from other things that we may have to learn such as values. Dialectical; this refers to humans understanding of the world changing as the world changes too. Critical; which refers to stating what is wrong with the current society, and coming up with reasonable ideas on how to change it. Immanent critique is the main support for critical theory.(Adorno, 1991) Critical theorists argued that Marx did not foresee some key developments on capitalist society. Especially, centralisation and various mechanisms of ideological, cultural and psychological domination, associated in particular with the development of a commercialised mass media. Critical theorists conclude that the working class was no longer the revolutionary agent foreseen by Marx. The only way in which theorists could change the way society was is by firstly stating what is wrong with the current society, has to identify the actors to change it and finally it has to provide achievable goals for social transformation. Any truly critical theory of society, Has as its object human beings as producers of their own historical form of life (Horkheimer, 1992, 21). Critical theorists have argued that humans need to become more aware of how science and other type of facts and knowledge work together in creating oppression.Critical theory identifies facts and everyday life as the foundation for human beings, in waiting that people will realise the power and their influences on their lives and be able to overcome them. Fredrick Taylor introduced science in the 19th century, Henry Ford among many other people was influenced by Fredrick Taylor by his ideas on how to improve and raise production. By being influenced by Fredrick, Henry Ford creating an assembly line. By doing this Ford was able to reduce hours and save money, at the same time produce more. This idea became very popular, companies were able to produce much more with less work due to the right machinery. Instrumental reason refers to the opening up of reliable modes of organisations, the critical theory criticises the instrumental reason. The reason which why critical theory is critical of instrumental reason is because it raises action, which means this would be a means to an end. The instrumental reason sees individuals as instruments instead of humans this was introduced by positivistic science. As mentioned before, in the concentration camps humans were not seen as humans, but they were seen as objects. (Swingewood, 2000). Another example of this could be the rise in tuition fees in 2010, this change would benefit large institutions, especially the government, however it does not benefit the people who would mostly experience the change of this such as students. Critical theory is also critical of mass culture, mass culture refers to individuals following and believing what the media say. An example of this can be such as girls believe it is always best to be slim. Culture industry refers to anything that gets in the way of freedom. The Frankfurt school gives us useful information about the process of how society changed from traditional culture and modernism in the arts to a mass produced media orientated society. Society has become much more media orientated as technology has become much more advanced, The traditional theory was originally known as the positivism theory, however, Horkheimer labelled the traditional theory. The traditional theory was based more on facts, the more facts we had about everything, the more knowledge we have. The traditional theory did not see people as humans, instead humans were looked at as things for example in the concentration camps individuals who died, were not looked at as humans dying, but a specimen. Unlike the critical theory, the traditional theory only explains how society is in the present time, where as the critical theory looks at society, what is wrong with it and aims to change it. Positivism functions ideologically, this is done by promoting passive behaviour. Habermas argued that a free society should let people communicate freely without anything getting in the way, when people can do so, this would be known as a free society. Positivists ignore the roles of humans in society, they tend to treat society as a natural process. Habermas did not agree with Adorno and Horkheimer views that they can identify what is wrong with society and change it, also change the whole technological interaction with nature (Habermas, 1971). Horkheimer continued to argue that critical theory should focus on society being complete, e.g. how society became how it is in the present time. He argued this could be done by bringing together major social sciences such as geography, economics, sociology, history, science etc (Bohman, 1996). Adorno and Horkheimers book Dialectic of Enlightenment, which is a text about critical theory, which explains what the Frankfurt School considered as the failure of Enlightenment, the book was published in 1944 in New York. It is one of the main core texts about Critical theory. In the book we can see how Enlightenment norms had turned into their opposite, how democracy had produced fascism and reason had produced unreason. In conclusion to the above, we can see that there are many different views on how society runs, and as we can see is whether society is fine the way it is, or what should be changed if its not. The critical theory is obviously critical of society as it is now, The critical theory is mainly critical of how society is in terms of exploitation of humans., especially jobs such as labour work. However, the critical theory can be negatively criticised as it always looks upon society negatively. Horkheimer argued that the a theory can only be critical if it is explanatory, therefore critical theory should successfully explain what is wrong with the current society and what is needed to make it right, (Bohman, 1996). As we can see, there are many factors that affect society, also we can how society brain washes individuals to thinking that they live in an equal society system.

Anna Pavlova Ballerina Biography

Anna Pavlova Ballerina Biography Anna Pavlova, a famous Russian ballet dancer best known for changing the ideals for ballet dancers, was the first to make ballet popular in America and the rest of the world. Her love for classical ballet, determination to perform her love for the arts, influences and zest can still be evidently felt. Born on 31 January 1881, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Anna Pavlova was awestruck by the first ballet performance she watched and was intent on becoming a ballerina. Petite Pavlova entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1891 despite not having the preferred body type of a ballerina which was a strong, muscular and compact body. However, she gave the examiners enough confidence that she would work hard and excel. In the later years, Pavlova became one of the most astounding ballerinas. Young Pavlova was a talented and hardworking student. Training years were difficult due to her special physique. She was considered physically weak as she was small and thin coupled with highly arched feet unlike the preferred body of a ballerina at that time. Pavlova was fed with cod-liver oil which tasted awful to her in the hope of getting the ideal body. Even so she remained slender. In order to improve faster, Pavlova tried imitating other ballet dancers. However her teacher, Pavel Gerdt taught her to  understand her unique dancing of daintiness and fragility and the importance to dance out those rare qualities. Her zeal for ballet was remarkable; she worked hard to strengthen her weakness and also with what she had instead of trying to be someone else. Her willingness to overcome these obstacles at such a young age is commendable. Soon, Pavlova grew in gracefulness and could stand in a way that her body formed a beautiful line where she was able to bend and twist her torso wi th ease and grace. Instead of mastering multiple fouettes turns and other technical steps that the muscular Italian style had induced at that time, Pavlova danced poetically and expressively. She stood out.. Finally upon graduation, Pavlovas hard work paid off she graduated as a first class dancer. After Pavlovas school years, she continued training hard to improve her technique and even took extra lessons with different teachers such as Christian Johansson, Madame Sokolova and Nikolai Legat. Pavlova graduated at a time where virtuoso Italian ballerinas and a muscular ballet stylewas popular. Although Pavlova had mastered difficult steps and ballet technique, her highly arched feet were still too weak for the flamboyant pointe work. She experimented with ways to wear her pointe shoes with the hope of maximizing her potential. Through experiments, she discovered that by adding a piece of hard leather to the soles, the shoes provided better support. Many people thought this as cheating because ideally, ballerinas should be able to hold their own weight on their toes. However, her idea enabled her to perform better and allowed her to balance in her arabesque with poised and elegance inflicting less pain and  hence easier to sustain on pointe. In doing so, Pavlova created what is known as our pointe shoes today. Being able to go on pointe with ease and having a beautiful extension, flexible torso and tremendous feminine expressive dancing, Pavlova set a higher aesthetic of beauty in ballet where ballet dancers were able to perform with poise and elegance like a princess. With the recreation of the pointe shoes, there was a demand for brilliant and fancy footwork like jumps, multiple turns and balances and that of ballerinas performing on pointe. Pavlovas extremely strong stage presence caught a lot of attention and impressed several people such as leading ballerina, Kchessinskaya and ballet master Marius Petipa, who later became her most revered mentor. Pavlova started off performing at the Maryinsky Theatre playing minor roles. Although she was only able to perform short solos, she was not disheartened. Learning under Petipa, Pavlova improved tremendously earning the title role in Paquita, Princess Aspicia in The Pharaohs Daughter, Queen Nisia in Le Roi Candaule, and Giselle. She was named coryphà ©e in 1902, premià ¨re danseuse in 1905, and finally prima ballerina in 1906 after a resounding performance in Giselle. Petipa would edit various ballet variations to suit Pavlova and her unique style of dancing. With the collaboration between Pavlova and Petipa, they made ballet very popular and was highly demanded in places after Pavlova had performed. Pavlova and her ballet were so popular that she had a fans base who called themselves Pavlovatzi. Pavlovas popularity and fame rose with every performance she undertook, both at home and overseas. However she remained humble and danced genuinely. After earning the valuable title of Prima Ballerina in a mere four years, Pavlova traveled around the world to promote ballet. She felt that she needed to venture around the world to look for her true identity as a dancer coupled with the desire to be the best ballerina ever. It lasted for many years and took her all over the world. Pavlova left the Maryinsky Theatre and joined another company where she performed The Dying Swan which became her trademark. Pavlova performed extensively, even if it meant small stages. She was sincere in all her performances that she always took the audiences breath away. Pavlova and her company traveled extensively introducing classical ballet to the world. Countries such as China, India and Australia were touched by her sincere performance. Her first appearance in America, at the Metropolitan Opera House was an astounding one. Most of the American audiences had never seen classical ballet and critics could not depict what Pavlova had offered to them. They concluded however, that it was beautiful. Pavlova appearance in the various countries not only overwhelmed the people with her elegance and grace in dancing but also introduced a new kind of art form, classical ballet. Subsequently, there was a rise in demand and a higher expectation for ballet performances of both technique and aesthetics. Increasingly more people became interested in learning the art form as they wanted to dance as gracefully and elegantly as Pavlova. Pavlovas performance was always awaited enthusiastically. In 1904 when Russia was in chaos, Pavlova fought for dancers rights such as a  raise in the unjustly low salaries. She was firm in upholding her principles, ;Pavlova was insistent and determined in her values but at the same time respected what others wanted to do. Pavlova had little regard for the wealth she obtained, she was more interested in spreading her love for classical ballet. She would donate generously to charities and to dancers who were paid low. This provided the dancers with a motivation to work hard so that their daily expenses were less of a worry. Shortly after becoming the Prima Ballerina at the Maryinsky Theatre, Pavlova left the company travelled around the world to promote ballet and later setting up a company of her own. Since then she contributed greatly to both the arts and her home town financially and artistically. Although she was on tour during World War I, she gave special charity performances to raise funds to send home and for the needy, making sure that ticket prices were affordable. At the same time, she promoted classical ballet to places where it was foreign to them. Hence more people had the chance to have a glimpse at classical ballet Pavlova used her love for classical ballet as a source of comfort to the audience. In addition, she was very patriotic. She established a home for Russian refugees and sent large amounts of everything she could to help them including from her own private resources, vast entertainments and charitable performances. She believed that through dance she would be able to make and help patrons forget their problems, or the very least forget their problems momentarily during the performance. Her sincerity and utmost respect for the audience during the performances always awed them and this was what made her very special. Pavlova never believed in teaching her students how to imitate her in dancing. Pavlovas student would try to intimate her style of dancing, following her sentimental and melodramatic expression, which she would never hesitate to rebuke the student. She believed that by intimating another, one would only be a dancer without a soul. Everyone is special to her and that no one is replaceable. She too did not believe in teaching a dancer to be a technical dancer, she felt that expressing inner beauty and feelings was more important because that was the way to create sincerity in dancing. Hence Pavlova always taught her students to dance with their heart leading to genuinely performed movements. In 1931 she contracted pleurisy. An operation would have saved her life however she would never be able to perform again. With her love for dance, Pavlova chose to die. In the end, she died before she was able to perform The Dying Swan on stage. Pavlovas love for dance and ever lasting determination to do her best in perfecting what she loves is widely recognized in the world. It was because of her that ballet and the usage of her handicraft, the pointe shoes became popular till this day. Through her undying love and creativity in creating wonderful performances in classical ballet, Pavlova touched the hearts of many people. Pavlova taught people the true meaning of art through her sentimental and melodramatic style of dancing. As a result, ballet moved beyond mastering techniques, to the expression of inner beauty and sincere feelings. Pavlova taught people to be sincere with themselves and only so will they be able to perform sincerely. Similarly, her strong character has taught many people to be  humble and to have self respect for themselves, the art form and the people around them. If not for Pavlovas insistence, classical ballet or any sort of dance would not have been taken seriously or respected till today.

The Luddite Revolt :: European Europe History

The Luddite Revolt England at the Turn of the Century At the beginning of the 1800's England was still largely an agricultural country. Frank Ongley Durvall in his text, Popular Disturbances and Public Order in Regency England, states that "over half the population [was] living in the country"(12). In London there were over one million dwellers. Nevertheless, this city's population comprised only one-tenth of the entire population of England. Aside from London, most cities and towns contained only several thousand people, where the average household size was between five to six persons. The transportation of products and people around the nation was limited in part by the fact that the English population was still predominantly dispersed throughout the countryside and that most goods were still being made locally. However another factor that limited transportation was its relative lack of modernization. At the turn of the century England had yet to establish a railroad system. The primary means of shipping goods was either by boat using canals or by horse-drawn cart on roadways. Meanwhile, travelers depended upon either their feet or horse-drawn carriage to get them where ever they wished. As I briefly mentioned above during this period most industry was located in the country, with the majority of work taking place in the home work-shops of craftsmen. Any manufacturing plants that did exist at that time were water powered. These factories were usually small and only employed a handful of workers. The major industries at the beginning of the 1800's were textiles, hosiery, lace, iron mining and manufacture, ship building, and coal mining. Yet, agriculture was still the number one business, with some 35 percent, or more, of the populace of the island working in it(14). In many villages craftsmen would not only work making goods but would also cultivate small private lots. From these household plots they would harvest crops for their family's consumption and for trade. If these craftsmen did not own their own plot they would join others in tending to a communal field from which all members of the community could partake of the harvest. Because of this agriculturally powered economy most businesses remained predominantly local. Business owners were usually residents of the town where their businesses were located, so that they had a material interest in the prosperity and success of the town. This localization of business, along with industry, allowed for a harmonious connection to develop between the owners and their workers.

Nicaragua :: essays research papers

Nicaragua The area of Nicaragua is 50,193 sq. mi. The Nicaraguan highlands, with a elevation about 2000 ft, cross Nicaragua from the northwest to the southeast. Several mountain ranges, the highest of which, the Cordillera Isabelia, reaches an elevation of more than 6890 ft, cut the highlands from east to west. In the west is a great basin, or depression, containing two lakes, Nicaragua, the largest in Central America, and Managua. The two are connected by the Tipitapa River. A chain of volcanoes, which are a contributory cause of local earthquakes, rises between the lakes and the Pacific coast. In the east, the Caribbean coastal plain known as the Costa de mosquitoes (Mosquito Coast) extends some 45 mi. inland and is partly overgrown with rain forest. The four principal rivers, the San Juan, Coco (Wanks), Grande, and Escondido, empty into the Caribbean. The natural resources of Nicaragua are primarily agricultural. Deposits of volcanic material have enriched the soil, which is extremely fertile. About half the land is covered with forests. The country has some deposits of gold, silver, and copper. About 77% of the Nicaraguan population is mestizo (people of mixed white and Native American descent), about 10% is white, and the remainder is Native American (4%) and black (9%). The population of Nicaragua is 3,745,000, yielding an overall density about 75 per sq. mi. Approximately 60% of the population is concentrated in the western part of the country, and more than 55% is urban. Political Divisions and Principal Cities Nicaragua is divided into six regions and three special zones. Managua, with a population of 682,100, is the capital and commercial center. Leà ³n is an important religious and cultural center. Granada is the terminus of the railway from the main port of entry, Corinto, on the Pacific coast. Spanish is the official language of Nicaragua. Nearly 90% of the Nicaraguan people are Roman Catholic; most of the remainder are Protestant. As in other Latin American countries, the culture of Nicaragua reflects Spanish cultural patterns, influential since the colonial period, combined with an ancient Native American heritage. Nicaraguans hold many colorful celebrations to commemorate local saints' days and ecclesiastical events. The marimba is extremely popular, and ancient instruments such as the chirimà ­a (clarinet), maraca (rattle), and zul (flute) are common in rural areas. Dances from colonial times survive, as do fine examples of architecture. The coast of Nicaragua was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1502, but the first Spanish expedition, under Gil Gonzà ¡lez Dà ¡vila, did not arrive until 1522; it established several Spanish settlements. A second conquistador, Francisco Fernà ¡ndez de Cà ³rdoba, founded Granada in 1523 and Leà ³n in 1524.

Wellness assessment

My overall state of my wellness wheel is pretty well. It was about half and half with my assessment. The lowest my average assessment went down to was a two. That was in the social area which is my weakest. My weakest areas are vocational, social, and Intellectual. I scored really low In social area because I don't get out much, I keep to myself and I am too busy Juggling sports, school and work. I really don't have much time for anything else. My strongest areas were physical, emotional, and spiritual.I was not surprised with the results of the assessment; I knew I wasn't going to score very high In the social area. In the emotional area I knew I was going to score high because If I did something wrong I wouldn't say someone else did It, I would own up to what I did and take responsibility for whatever I did wrong. The reason for this Is the more you lie about something the more It will come back and bite you In the butt harder than Just saying something In the beginning. My emotion al well-being right owe is pretty good.I accept all opinions even if I don't agree with it. I listen to everyone around me because someone may just want someone to listen to what they have to say and get whatever it is off their shoulders. I however, sometimes have a hard time opening up to people because if I do they might think the wrong thing. My stress level is very high right now because of certain twists and turns my life has taken. The major stresses in my life would be family issues and relationships, finances, work and school.These things take a major part in my stress level. The first two are the major impacts right now. I relieve stress by working out, or working. There isn't really anything to manage my stress right now. In a year or less my stress level will go down hopefully. I am managing my stress level very well from what everyone tells me. Wellness assessment By movement and intellectual. I scored really low in social area because I don't get out much, I keep to my self and I am too busy Juggling sports, school and work.I really don't have much very high in the social area. In the emotional area I knew I was going to score high because if I did something wrong I wouldn't say someone else did it, I would own up to what I did and take responsibility for whatever I did wrong. The reason for this is the more you lie about something the more it will come back and bite you in the butt harder than Just saying something in the beginning. My emotional well-being right everyone around me because someone may Just want someone to listen to what they

Nordstrom Essay

The economic crisis that started in 2007 affected the business of upscale department stores countrywide. Upscale department stores understand that the items they sell are considered discretionary items, so when there is an economic downturn, they are one of the first industries to be hit. When looking over the Nordstrom Annual Reports from the last few years, there are two things evident: this company has a lasting strategy and they work hard to continuously evolve this strategy. Their strategy includes constantly evaluating risks in the market such as economic conditions, competitive market forces, availability of merchandise, and growth. With an incredible sense to stay ahead of the trends, minimize turnover time, and serve their customers with an uncanny ability, they have easily become one of the top department stores in the country. Nordstrom’s core strength revolves around their customer-first attitude, customer loyalty and their aptitude for merchandising. Going forward we want to be more than just customer focused. Instead, we’re working to become a truly customer-driven organization. †[1] One way Nordstrom is working to become more customer-driven is by building upon their multi-channel system. This multi-channel network, known as Nordstrom Direct, is made up of their online site, and catalog. Over the past three years, Nordstrom has made great strides to ensure that they are fulfilling the needs and desires of all customers. â€Å"We believe online and ecommerce represent our next big opportunities. Within two years more customers will access the Internet via their phone than their computers. We’re responding†[2] All of the effort put into the improvement of the system is showing clear results in the financials. The economic recession was felt all over the U. S. including Nordstrom, however they were able to experience an 8. 4% increase in Nordstrom Direct sales during the 2008 fiscal year. [3] Along with improving Nordstrom Direct, an immense amount of effort is being devoted to both the full-line stores and the Nordstrom Rack. Not only has the number of stores expanded over the last few years with a growth of sixteen new stores in 2009 and twenty in 2010, they are capitalizing on their merchandising. Nordstrom takes immense pride in their buyers and the work that these buyers have done over the last few years at the core of the company. They ensure that they are maximizing merchandise flexibility to maintain trends and to evolve with the customers and their ever-changing wants. Merchandise is now as current as it’s ever been, and there is a steady, fresh flow of fashion in and out of the store with a quick turnover system that has been set in place. Customer loyalty is one of the top ways Nordstrom keeps their customers coming back. The relationship with a Nordstrom employee and the customer is a two-way street. The company makes their priorities known and their customers are loyal to them because of it, responding in a very positive way to the services provided. Employees pride themselves on their relationships with customers and ability to provide them with an enjoyable shopping experience. Nordstrom was fortunate to maintain themselves as a company through the 2008 crisis, with a maximum decline of 12. % in sales and a quick rebound. By 2010 they had increased in-store sales by 8. 1% and set a record-breaking sales number at $9. 31 billion. The right strategy and actions performed in the right circumstances will produce growth, and this is what Nordstrom continues to experience with their customer service strategies. â€Å"We plan to keep a steady focus on our customers. We follow, first and foremost, a customer strategy at Nordstrom — not a price, brand, technology or any other corporate strategy. †