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Martin Luther King Jr and His Opposition to the Vietnam...

Martin Luther King Jr and His Opposition to the Vietnam War The American public knew about Martin Luther King long before they had ever heard about the war in Vietnam. King was associated with the war in Vietnam only after accomplishing his finest civil rights works, and after US involvement in Vietnam was already nine years old. They met in 1965, and battled each other until Kings death in 1968. By 1965 King saw a federal voter rights bill passed for minorities, had national financial support, and even gained the backing of President Johnson himself. We all know Martin Luther King Jr. as the man who helped desegregate America, as a great civil rights leader. But seldom do we know King as the outspoken anti-war advocate that he was†¦show more content†¦By freedom he meant total desegregation of every public facility and the right to vote for Blacks. He expressed his anguish during the struggles he faced against the Montgomery political system in Alabama, I saw further that the underlying purpose of segregation was to oppress and expl oit the segregated, not simply to keep them apart (Autobiography 70). It all started in Montgomery, Alabama when King and nonviolent demonstrators brought bus desegregation to the city. With that, he gained national fame. Shortly after, King became chairman of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), to expand his mission field to the whole South. The group first moved in on Birmingham, Alabama to show that Kings nonviolent methods worked universally and could bring about desegregation in the US. After victory there, King began to implement the Birmingham strategy all over the nation, until 1964 when Johnson signed a civil rights bill desegregating all public facilities. Later that year King received the Nobel Peace Prize, which to him symbolized the worlds desire to move toward peace for all people of the world. In Selma, Alabama he led marches calling for voting rights. The brutality that the racist local government showed led Johnson to call for a voting rights bill, which was easily passed in 1965. These first ten years of Kings career accomplished the most in terms of legislation. He had done in just ten years what many had been trying to do for theShow MoreRelatedThe Civil Rights Of The Vietnam War1701 Words   |  7 Pagesthemselves protesting against the Vietnam War. The lack of civil rights in the U.S deterred many blacks from supporting Vietnam, a conflict aimed at liberating the rights of another people. African Americans were frustrated with a country who fought for other citizens and saw no purpose in fighting for a peoples’ freedom but their own. Although African-Americans were specifically discriminated against both in Vietnam and America, they were not alone in their anti-war position. The majority of the AmericanRead MoreThe Vietnam War : Vietnam1170 Words   |  5 PagesBeyond Vietnam. The Vietnam War is one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of the United States. Not only because it ended with a defeat for the United States Army, but because unleashed the largest wave of protests in the country, in which the government lost support. Extended over more than a decade, between 1959 to April 30 of 1975, although the US intervened in 1965, in which American soldiers experienced in firsthand scenes of destruction and death. During the Vietnam War clashedRead MoreThe I have a Dream Speech by Martin Lther King Jr.860 Words   |  3 PagesFREEDOM, LEADER, KING How would it feel if you were always picked last or made fun of for how you look? In the speech, â€Å"I Have a Dream† by Martin Luther King Jr., he stands up for all the black kids or darker skin kids who are not treated equally by society. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered this speech on August 28, 1963 in Washington DC. The purpose of this speech is to influence awareness of how non-whites are treated. Most whites didn’t care what happened, but when King read his speech he usedRead MoreThe 1950s : A Decade Of Prosperity, Conformity, And Consensus1470 Words   |  6 Pagesprosperity, conformity and consensus. Just ten years later the atmosphere in America was shockingly different; the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and disillusionment due to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, arising feminism, and the Vietnam War. The development of the suburbs has been appointed to be the result of the â€Å"white flight† from the inner cities. In the 1950’s black Americans moved northward to cities to find industrial jobs that were within walking distance. Discrimination inRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement Of The 1950s And 1960s1183 Words   |  5 Pagesof the Civil War , the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws kept black people and white people segregated from each other and the voting rights of African-Americans were limited , however, by the 1950s, African-Americans had begun to mobilise to gain equal rights under the law . This essay will discuss social challenges in the 1950s and 1960s to the discriminative laws and the legal impact these challenges had on African-Americans at the time. In the 1950s and 1960s, leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm XRead MoreVietnam Was Mass Murder Of People Of Different Socioeconomic Ideologies1455 Words   |  6 PagesThe only thing American politicians accomplished in Vietnam was mass murder of people of different socioeconomic ideologies. American politicians told blatant lies told to the American public, and forced a military draft for an unfavorable war. As a consequence, they quickly lost the majority of support on the home-front. As time progressed the nationalist Vietnamese would develop strategies to make most actions by the South Vietnamese and American militaries ineffective. Their policies ofRead MoreThe Vietnam War: A Brief Analysis1396 Words   |  6 Pages Still, even though the Cold War is over, there are many reasons why the history of the Vietnam War should remain fresh and the effort to grasp both the war and the antiwar opposition remain essential. The Vietnam War is, of course, an episode in military history. The episode’s setting is during the Cold War in Vietnam and the central theme of the episode was to pit capitalism and or democracy against communism. In light of this, the movement against the Vietnam War could be said as one of the greatestRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement Essay3359 Words   |  14 Pagesis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King gave hope to those in need with his awe inspiring sermons he performed at the church his grandfather founded. He changed foes to allies with his thought provoking speeches, and lead powerful protests and strikes, with each one ending in a peaceful demonstration . The Man Before He Became a Civil Rights Leader First, let’s take a look into the early days of Dr. King. Though not known to many, Dr. King was not born with the name Martin; rather, his name wasRead MoreSixties Music and How it Reflected the Changing Times Essay1715 Words   |  7 Pagesbreaking away from the ideals that their parents held. In the process they created their own society (Burns 1990). They were young and had the nerve to believe that they could change the world. Their leaders had lofty goals as well. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had dreams of a truly equal America. John F. Kennedy dreamed of a young vigorous nation that would put a man on the moon. The youth wanted to live in a state of love, peace, and freedom (Gitlin 1987). Through the stormy decade of the NineteenRead More Vietnam: The Mixture of Protests and Politics1659 Words   |  7 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The United States was unjustified in its involvement in the Vietnam War because, in my opinion, the U.S had little justification to sacrifice thousands of innocent youths for political ideals. It was the longest and most unpopular war in which the United States fought. Many Americans on the home front protested their government’s involvement in the war. Many young Americans felt that there was no reason to fight for a cause they did not believe in, especially in such

Marvel Enterprises Inc. Case free essay sample

Cuneo also wondered if Marvel should venture past is current business operations to invest in content creation, rather than licensing the rights to others to do so. Marvel is currently competing in a red ocean, attempting to exploit existing demand and outperform its rival competitor, DC Comics, vying to obtain a greater market share. In order to do this Marvel should consider creating two divisions of character development. The first will focus solely on maintaining popularity and profitability of well-known characters such as Spiderman, while the second will focus exclusively on developing lesser known characters. This will allow Marvel to uphold the reputations and sales of its most profitable characters, while also bringing its unknown ones to superhero status. It is also recommended that Marvel stays true to its production of only publishing and toys, instead of expanding into other areas of content creation. Marvel’s lack of expertise in other areas may lead to lower quality products, inefficient production, and expensive sunk costs that will be lost regardless of the product’s success. Rather than investing in creating new supply chain operations, it is recommended that Marvel invest in digitalizing the Marvel Universe in accordance with growing consumer technological trends. Why Digital Media? Marvel’s comic books are targeted at male teenagers and young adults between 13 to 23 years old, with an extended readership established within adults in their mid-30s. Its toy division is targeted towards a younger sector, primarily aimed at boys from 4 to 12 years old. Young adults constantly utilize technology and online media tools, and the children are growing up in a day and age where digital technology is an integral aspect of everyday life. In order to continue effectively reaching these consumers, Marvel must take a digital approach in its future. Ever-evolving technologies are increasingly empowering consumers and altering the dynamics of effective advertising and marketing strategies. These changes are redefining how products are sold, created, consumed, and tracked. In order to succeed in this innovative market, Marvel will have to be responsive to these dynamic changes, adjusting its strategies in accordance with technological trends and the impacts they have on consumer behaviours. Today’s consumers seek customization of their digital experiences, combining a variety of media tools to satisfy their preferences. A recent MTV study showed that the average adolescent is a media multi-tasker, constantly accessing a variety of media tools simultaneously, consuming 30 hours of media and entertainment in one day. To maintain Marvel’s leadership in this marketplace, it is essential to digitalize operations and gain a time slot in its consumers’ 30 hour days. By doing so, Marvel will be able to effectively connect with its consumers. Implementation: Digitalizing the Marvel Universe Marvel can digitalize its operations though technological innovation. Its operations will transition from analog to digital distribution platforms through a three phase process: digital formatting, technology integration, and transformation. Media and entertainment has been almost entirely transferred to digitally compatible formats such as MPEG, DVD, and CDs. Offering products in these formats increases channels of accessibility to consumers. Marvel needs to adapt to this trend, and begin selling digitalized versions of its comic books in Portable Document Format (PDF), allowing users to read them on the computer and easily purchase them online. This will save Marvel manufacturing and printing costs, while also offering a sustainable and environmentally-friendly product. In the next step, it is important to enhance the digital formats through technological integration. Following the increasing online shopping trends, Marvel needs to develop its own official online store to sell its products. The website will offer users a variety of updates including new releases, discounts, and comic book signings, as well as forums which will act as an online marketplace for users looking to buy or sell products. In the last stage, transformation, Marvel needs to take this digital transition one step further, creating a virtual-reality, superhero universe as an extension of its website. This online community will include character specific profiles and interactive games, allowing consumers to connect with their favourite superheroes, sharing their emotions and experiences. There will be profiles for the majority of Marvel’s known and unknown characters, including a summary of their background, interests, powers, relationships, and statistics. Users can browse the profiles of their favourite characters, or they could also use the Create Your Own Superhero application and make their own profile. Consumers seek customization, and this application gives them complete design control, allowing the creation of their ideal superhero. Marvel can even host competitions online, in which the winner’s avatar will be featured in a comic book. The games will allow consumers to use their personalized superhero to interact with fellow cyber travelers, express their personality and experience superpowers for themselves. This online community can also act as a form of customer relationship management for Marvel, collecting â€Å"individual purchasing information to improve its ability to understand and respond to customer desires and buying patterns. † Marvel can obtain demographical information from consumers through registration processes, and then begin cool-hunting, following their movement throughout the website to analyze trends and purchasing behaviours of particular market segments. Understanding its consumers enables Marvel to develop targeted campaigns to increase marketing effectiveness and will be especially important when developing Marvel’s lesser known characters in order to raise awareness and create a fan base. Implementation: Developing Lesser Known Characters Marvel’s large content library is home to over 4,700 characters, which means there are plenty of profitable opportunities ahead of them. However, as the majority of them are relatively unknown, Marvel will have to be strategic in the way it launches each one. As was previously stated, Marvel can analyze trends through its online superhero community to determine which characters will be able to most effectively connect with audiences, and prove most profitable. Once it is determined which character to launch, it is recommended that Marvel continue with its long term development strategy of devising a personalized, five-year career plan for its characters, including an outlined storyboard and marketing plan. Throughout these five years, Marvel should take advantage of the popularity of its well known characters by integrating lesser known ones into their comic books and online platforms through guest appearances. If consumers see that these new characters are being associated with some of their favourites, they may be more inclined to purchase these new products. Marvel could even unite several of its most profitable characters with some lesser known ones, into one power team, standing up and fighting together. The use of digital media and the online superhero community provides a wider variety of channels to reach the consumer. When launching a new character, they can have promotional advertisements on the website and other online platforms. Users could even have the opportunity to play the games with that superhero as their avatar. This will allow them to familiarize themselves with the character and its powers allowing them to feel more involved with the superhero’s experience. Various other digital promotions could also be ensued such as product giveaways, signed comic books or movie premier invitations to stimulate interest and awareness of the characters. The Future of Marvel Marvel is a thriving corporation, whose success has been greatly due to its remarkable understanding of its consumers’ preferences. Digitalizing the Marvel Universe will allow an even closer connection with its consumers, creating an intimate bond with them and giving Marvel insight into the popularity of its characters and which lesser known ones to develop. By following the recommended strategies Marvel will be able to extend its reputation of a sustainable, iconic brand that will last for generations to come. Question Analysis: Marvel Enterprises, Inc. ___________________________________ Question 1: In your view, what strategic direction should Marvel Enterprises’ Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo and his colleagues pursue? Why? How? There are two main predicaments that Peter Cuneo and his colleagues are trying to decide upon. First being how to most effectively use its library of characters, and secondly, whether to expand into more capital-intensive activities in the value chain for its entertainment products. Marvel can either continue to focus on a small set of its most popular characters or shift their focus to a larger set of lesser-known characters with the potential to become the next world-wide phenomenon. Continuing to capitalize on the strength of a select few characters is not a sustainable strategy, as there is no way to tell the lengths to which their popularity will persist. Marvel’s vast content library provides it with endless opportunities to develop lesser known characters, but this also runs great risks as these characters are generally unknown. It is recommended to take a cooperative approach, marketing its known characters to a lesser extent, and shifting the excess resources to developing new characters. Many consumers associate big superheroes like Spiderman and X-men with Marvel, and this brand recognition is crucial, but not many of its characters have actually achieved â€Å"superhero† status. By appropriately allocating resources to both sets of characters, Marvel will be able to create new profitable superheroes, improving revenues and brand equity in the long term. Secondly, Marvel must decide whether to expand operations, creating a wider variety of content or remain faithful to their current business model. Marvel currently has the capital required to invest in costly ventures such as making its own movies rather than licensing its rights. Already involved in the scriptwriting process, ensuring the reputation of the character is upheld, Marvel could produce the films themselves, yielding even higher returns. However, the production processes for these activities are quite complicated, and by entering into them without full knowledge or experience, the profitability of these ventures is questionable. The quality of the products may not be on the same level as those created by companies with experience and the very costly production fees will be sunk regardless of whether the products are successful not. Marvel’s limited experience in different sectors proves these new ventures to be very risky. Instead, Marvel should continue to focus on what it is known for, its comic books and toys, and should allocate the excess funds that would have been devoted to these expansions, to the development of its lesser-known characters and digitalizing the Marvel Universe. Question 2: Why was Marvel’s turnaround so successful? Would you characterize that success as a fluke? Or do you view it as sustainable? Why? How? Marvel’s recovery was most certainly not a fluke; in fact, its success was largely due to the sustainable nature of its clever turnaround strategy through monetizing its content library, building long term careers for each character and ensuring quality of licensed products. Marvel’s first key focus was to monetize its content library by licensing characters for use in media products. Over the last decade, the exponential growth of technology has increased channels of information and media distribution, making it essential to utilize more than just one media tool (publishing) to expand Marvel’s influence to consumers. Comic books were aimed at a rather limited market of males between the ages of 13 to 23, and without the use of multiple products, expanding past this traditional market would be quite difficult. However, by licensing character rights through the use of movies, video games, and other consumer products, Marvel will be able to more effectively reach a wider variety of consumers. Having an assortment of goods available in different product categories also reinforces the sales of one another, as there is a high likelihood that if consumers truly enjoy a movie, they will also be interested in the coinciding video games or comic books. The second dimension involved is developing long-term value for each of Marvel’s prominent characters. Marvel focused on building its characters’ future careers rather than focusing on their short-term success. Individual five year plans were devised for each of the main characters to establish direction, credibility, and to ensure sustainable growth. For instance, â€Å"Spiderman’s career over the next five years†¦includes two more movies, DVDs, toys, a video game, a promotion with Burger King, and so on. † The third strategic element was to retain control over the creative process, ensuring that any content featuring Marvel characters would be of high quality and emphasizing consistency between the characters and their stories. Well-known artists and writers were hired to lead Marvel’s creative efforts in their publishing division, as comic books were their initial source of credibility and it was necessary to re-establish that integrity to rejuvenate their arket share. By associating products of high quality, creativity, and originality with their characters, consumers will subsequently attach similar values to the Marvel brand itself, increasing its sustainable competitive edge in the long term. Marvel’s turnaround strategy was successful due to the improved management of assets, focusing on re establishing quality and credibility rather than the former model of rapidly increasing the number of titles published. They shifted their focus to emphasize quality over quantity, and in turn, developed a sustainable business model. There is and will always be a large market for comic books, and by licensing their character rights, they now also have the ability to gain market share in a variety of other product categories as well. Question 3: How important are each of Marvel’s 3 divisions (comic books, toys, licensing) to its past and future performance? Marvel’s publishing business is a key aspect of the company’s performance. Established in the 1930s, Marvel’s sole focus was on publishing comic books, and its great success in this industry has allowed Marvel to gain credibility and integrity as a corporation. Since 1997, the comic book industry has been very stable, with total U. S. retail sales of approximately $300 million per year. Marvel had a 40% market share, 5% higher than its biggest competitor: DC Comics. In recent years the net sales of Marvel’s publishing have been increasing; however, as of 2003, these sales accounted for only 21. 08% of Marvel’s total sales and 14. 54% of its gross profit; making publishing the lowest financial contributor of the three divisions. Nevertheless, it is still crucial to Marvel’s future performance, because what it lacks in financial contributions, it will make up for in its influence on brand equity. Marvel may be yielding greater returns in other divisions, but its publishing sector is essential to sustaining its reputation and loyal consumers, as comic books are what Marvel is known for and what it should stay true to. Marvel’s toy division has been a significant division in the past, and will continue to be in the future. In 2001, 10% of Marvel’s net revenue was due to the line of toys sold in relation to the first Spiderman movie alone. Net sales have been inconsistent over the past few years, but these differences may be due to the timing of movie launches associated with the products or due to tough competition (Hasbro, Mattel, and Bandai). By 2003 the toy division had become Marvel’s second most profitable sector, yielding 24. 5% of total net sales and 14. 91% of gross profits. This division is also very important to future growth and performance, not only financially, but also in terms of drawing in young children as new consumers, introducing them to the realm of superheroes and to the Marvel universe. Marvel’s licensing division has also been very important to its success, licensing its characters to a variety of media outlets including movies, television programs, and video games, and seeking the best licensing partners in all major product categories. â€Å"Product licensing of cartoon and fantasy characters†¦is proving so lucrative that some companies are even designing characters†¦for the express purpose of licensing them. † Marvel didn’t have to go to this extent, but this trend did allow Marvel to successfully monetize its content library. By 2003, Marvel had signed 128 new licensees, guaranteeing income of $348,000 – a 148% since 2000. This sector was also Marvel’s most profitable division, making up 54. 42% of total net sales and 70. 54% of gross profit. Looking to the future, Marvel’s large collection of characters implies that these revenues will continue to grow, as there are many opportunities to license unown characters. Licensing its characters into an assortment of media categories also enables Marvel to expand its product range and influence a wider variety of consumers and improving brand equity. Question 4: To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spiderman? How can Marvel develop its lesser known characters? Without a doubt, Spiderman is Marvel’s most popular character, greatly contributing its success. The first Spiderman motion picture was the highest grossing film of 2002, generating revenues of $404 million domestically and $822 million worldwide, and that was just the beginning. The Spiderman character has consistently thrived in every market he has been placed into including video games, movie sequels, collectibles and toys. However, during the 1990s, the company struggled and went bankrupt despite such a successful superhero. Spiderman is a popular and marketable asset, but individually, he was not enough to rescue Marvel from its ominous downfall. The success or failure of a corporation is not solely dependent on a single employee, but rather on a large network of employees working together. Similarly, Spiderman is not solely responsible for Marvel’s success, but rather a well-rounded portfolio of characters building off of one another and working as a team. Marvel prides itself in its extensive content library and the endless possibilities the future holds for its lesser known characters. In order to develop these unknown characters, Marvel must continue with its strategy of formulating a long-term, individualized, career plan for each character it prepares to launch. In addition, Marvel should utilize its well-known characters to promote its lesser known ones, through guest appearances in comic books or television shows, stimulating curiosity and interest. As was previously mentioned, when it comes to launching new characters, emphasizing quality is more effective than quantity. Marvel should only focus on a couple characters at time, until they are successfully integrated into and identified with the Marvel Universe. Marvel can even take this one step further by uniting several of its popular characters with a few lesser known ones in a single comic book or motion picture. The revenue these characters produce individually is astounding, but who knows what they could accomplish together.