Prerequisites for The European Union Formation and Its Development Research Paper

Prerequisites for The European Union Formation and Its Development - Research Paper Example At this stage in history, and despite realization of the importance of integration, only six European countries, Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris (Biggs, 110-111). Great Britain, possibly encouraged by the fact that it was not part of continental Europe, refrained from signing this treaty. The second major stage in the formation of the EU came in the form of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and the subsequent creation of the European Economic Community. This treaty, as Gordon Weil explains, established the principles, laws and institutions for much closer economic cooperation, leading towards integration, between the member states. Again Britain refused to sign the treaty and rejected the prospect of European integration. As Loukas Tsoukalis explains, Britain's resistance, as was the case with other European countries, was based on the simple fact that it feared that it would loose its national identity and that the British state would loose its sovereignty over the country. Quite simply stated, resistance to integration was based on the fear of the consequences of integration to national identity and sovereignty (439-441). ... Britain is, needless to say, one of the EU's most prominent members and within the framework of the union, is a power in its own right. Despite the fact that it is a fully integrated EU member, not to mention an extremely influential one, and has benefited both politically and economically from its membership, Britain remains resistant to the deeper economic and political integration which monetary unification represents. Lee Miles, conceding that "Economic and Monetary Unification has always been a sensitive policy area" due to the fact that it entails the resignation of a substantial amount of sovereignty over domestic economies, argues that the economic benefits outweigh the loss to sovereignty (3). Even though monetary integration would necessitate Britain's conceding large parts of its economic sovereignty to the EU, the facts seem to indicate that Britain, as a signatory of the Single European Act and as a member state which is obligated to accept the supremacy of EU law, is no t safeguarding its sovereignty over its domestic economy through its rejection of monetary unification. Quite simply stated, it has already resigned a significant amount of that sovereignty and has already accepted the supremacy of EU law. This leads to the conclusion that rejection of monetary unification, while partly related to domestic fiscal and monetary policies, expresses Britain's commitment to its national identity and heritage and its refusal that this identity is overwhelmed by the European one. Through an examination of the implications of the Single Europe Act and the doctrine of supremacy, the paper shall seek to prove this point.

Brand Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Brand Analysis - Essay Example Nike was started in the early 1960s when Phillip Knight, the Chief Executive Officer and William Bowerman, partnered to develop a coach’s idea of manufacturing products that would help to improve the consumers’ performance, who were athletes, on the track (Coucha, 2011). Nike ventured into it with the promise to make possible â€Å"authentic, athletic performance† with their shoes (Schmidt & Chris, 2002). That became their brand promise. The brand image that Nike initially launched was purely an American emblem, associated with high performance, aggressive and innovative top male athletes. These athletes were considered achievers, in line with what Nike intended to present to the consumers (Coucha, 2011). In delivering their product related promise, Nike joined the growing aerobics arena which was influencing the design of shoes towards being more fashionable, albeit less durable. Although other manufacturers were using garments to manufacture shoes for the aerob ics market, Nike stuck to leather, which was more long lasting but considered less fashionable (Kunde, 2002). As part of extending their non tangible promise, Nike took to the corporate scene by embracing the global social responsibility. Initially, it was a reaction to public oppositions relating to their labor practices in Asia. To salvage their image, they changed their corporate labor strategy, campaigning to be the industry leader in worker relations. They refurbished their factories and improved the working conditions on their premises in Asia. Compensation packages for labor were raised and new global standards applied. They created a Corporate Responsibility Division to reflect their intention to care for the ‘World family of Nike† (Schmidt & Chris, 2002). A brand’s perception and recognition are considerably influenced by its visual presentation. For effective visual brand identity to be achieved, the use of particular and consistent visual elements is cr itical (Schmidt & Chris, 2002). To create a distinction, a logo, colors, fonts, and graphic elements are used. In terms of visual identity, Nike’s logo of the â€Å"swoosh† is outstanding and easy to remember by consumers. Globally, there is a 97% recognition and awareness for the Nike logo and brand (Coucha, 2011). This is further propelled by associating themselves with athletic celebrities with similar personalities as the Nike brand. Examples include Michael Jordan the basketball hero and Michael Johnson the sprinter. For the purpose of increasing their relevance in the European market, Nike began associating themselves with famous European sports personalities while maintaining their criteria of selecting names that matched the Nike personality of super achievers. Such names included Eric Cantona and Roberto Mandeni. They also sponsored local, European teams like Borussia Dortmund and Paris saint Germain. This had an appeal that made them a household name in Europ e (Holt, 2004). Advertising strategies were customized to reflect the similarities of European countries with the United States as a means of dealing with the diverse culture differences. As compared to Adidas, the German giants, Nike portrays a more self expressive and emotional personality in its brand image. This gives for a challenging, hardworking and winning mentality with a focus on