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Prefatory Note, Steven B. Corbin
Prefatory Note, Steven B. Corbin
Draftings In
A revolutionary approach to marketing in today's competitive environment has been unveiled by Al Ries and Jack Trout, respectively CEO and President of Trout and Ries Advertising. The Unites States' foremost marketing strategists, Ries and Trout have applied more than 2,500 years of winning military strategies to today's marketing situations. In their book Marketing Warfare, they argue that successful marketing plans, strategies, and tactics outwit, outflank, outmaneuver, and overpower the competition. The five articles presented in this issue of Draftings stem from papers written for my fall 1992 semester class "Marketing Strategy," during which Ries and Trout's military/marketing strategies were …
Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents
The Sneaker Showdown: Athletic Shoe Companies Battle For Market Share, Wendi Hess, Jane Messingham
The Sneaker Showdown: Athletic Shoe Companies Battle For Market Share, Wendi Hess, Jane Messingham
Draftings In
A war continues in the United States, although there has been no official declaration. The battleground is the consumer's mind. Every day American citizens are bombarded with the artillery, although they may not recognize it. Employing the media and celebrities, the attacking forces fight intense campaigns. The combatants are athletic shoe companies, and Nike and Reebok are the two dominant battling forces.
The Diet Cola Wars, Krista Olson
The Diet Cola Wars, Krista Olson
Draftings In
Wars have been occurring since the beginning of time. Wars between companies in the same industry also have a long history. One of the longest of these is the cola war, the battle between the Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta and the Pepsi-Cola Company of New York. The marketing departments of these two companies have been dueling for decades in an attempt to become the number one soft drink in the minds of consumers. To protect their product's share, each company has introduced new products. The biggest of these have been the diet colas introduced by both Coke and Pepsi. As …
Tractor Wars: Plowing Through Adversity, Kari Steen
Tractor Wars: Plowing Through Adversity, Kari Steen
Draftings In
Since the mid-1800s, companies have been developing and manufacturing farm machinery to make life easier and more efficient for the world's farmers. One of the greatest innovations has been the development of the tractor. Since its introduction, many advancements have been made by companies striving to become the market leader.
Light Beers Are Brewing, Scott Dean, Joseph Hanson
Light Beers Are Brewing, Scott Dean, Joseph Hanson
Draftings In
Probably no better example of product warfare exists than that of "Light Beer." Our objective is to present a clear picture of this product war. In order to understand light beer wars one must understand the history of this product, the positioning of light beers, and the tactics and strategies that have been used to the manufacturers' benefit.
Prefatory Note, Donald Cummings
Prefatory Note, Donald Cummings
Draftings In
This year's volume of Draftings in Economics represents a melding of the new and the old. The student authors shared their research and drafts of their essays in writing groups facilitated by Draftings editor Barbara Lounsberry and myself. They also consulted the expertise of many members of the Department of Economics. We hope readers will enjoy these essays, and realize the importance in all ages of economic issues and thought.
Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents
The Economic Policies Of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Jeri Kurtzleben
The Economic Policies Of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Jeri Kurtzleben
Draftings In
From 1643 to 1715 France, under the rule of the Sun King Louis XIV, enjoyed political dominance and revenues far above other European nations (Dunn 1979, p. 179). In 1661, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a man of humble origins and little economic training, joined Louis' court as finance minister. A devoted servant nineteen years Louis' senior, Colbert shared the Sun King's desire for opulence, as well as his penchant for attention to detail (Murat 1984, p. 74). More than three hundred years have passed since Colbert initiated his economic and financial policies, yet his contributions live on. Colbert inaugurated policies regulating taxes, …
The Forgotten Legacy Of Bernard Mandeville, Bret T. Tuley
The Forgotten Legacy Of Bernard Mandeville, Bret T. Tuley
Draftings In
Bernard de Mandeville, an eighteenth century Dutch radical thinker, was widely condemned in his day for his views, but is important to us today because many of his ideas have had an influence on subsequent economic thought. Mandeville (1670-1733) was a precursor to Adam Smith, who has been clubbed the father of classical economics. Contrary to popular belief, it was Mandeville and not Smith who first described the seeming paradox that through individuals pursuing their own self-interests, the good of the public as a whole is increased. Also, Mandeville was one of the first proponents of free trade and specialization …
Walter Heller's Ambiguous Legacy, Amy Rehder Harris
Walter Heller's Ambiguous Legacy, Amy Rehder Harris
Draftings In
Walter Heller's economic leadership within the political realm opened a Pandora's Box for politicians in Washington and for the American public. As Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) during the Kennedy administration, Heller was able to introduce Keynesian economics into the political mainstream and oversee the passage of the first federal tax cuts for the purpose of stimulating demand and economic growth. In the process, however, Heller helped remove politicians' historical reservations regarding budget deficits, setting the stage for today's staggering deficit problem.
Telephone Wars: No Longer A Party Line, Mike Ward, Warren Valenta
Telephone Wars: No Longer A Party Line, Mike Ward, Warren Valenta
Draftings In
In the beginning, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company dominated all aspects of the telecommunications market. Indeed, AT&T had a monopolistic hold on the industry. Today, the world is different. Due to deregulation, AT&T no longer controls the telecommunications business; nevertheless, it remains a major force in the long distance telephone war. This war is focused on you and me.
What tactics are the major competitors using to earn our loyalty? Are these tactics working? The battle is an uphill one for Microwave Communications International (MCI) and U.S. Sprint. However, if their tactics are sound, they may someday own the …
Getting Rid Of The Old Gas-Guzzler: The Federal Gasoline Tax As A Tool Of Public Policy, Michael T. Heaney
Getting Rid Of The Old Gas-Guzzler: The Federal Gasoline Tax As A Tool Of Public Policy, Michael T. Heaney
Draftings In
On August 9, 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed into law a 4.3 cents per gallon increase in the federal gasoline tax. This increase, which brought the new federal tax level to 15.4 cents per gallon, was chosen from a menu of alternate options for energy taxation, including a British Thermal Unit (BTU) based tax and a tax on sulfur emissions. The increase was met with considerable political resistance and only passed by a narrow margin-2 votes in the House of Representatives and a tie broken in the Senate by the Vice President-after a protracted ten month debate. Although it …
Prefatory Note, Barbara Lounsberry
Prefatory Note, Barbara Lounsberry
Draftings In
This Draftings volume is special, for it brings together the research and writing of students from two departments of the UNI College of Business Administration: the Department of Economics and the Department of Management. The five students whose work is showcased in the following pages selected their own subjects and conducted their own research, but then shared the drafts of their work-in-progress in writing groups led by Professor Donald Cummings from the Department of Economics and Professors Daniel Power, Lynda Goulet, and Susan Rueschhoff from the Department of Management.
Competition, Concentration, And Consumer Welfare In The Deregulated Airline Industry, Michael T. Heaney
Competition, Concentration, And Consumer Welfare In The Deregulated Airline Industry, Michael T. Heaney
Draftings In
“Turbulent" is the best way to describe the airline industry of the 1990s. Since deregulation in 1978, terms such as "air wars," "hubs," "frequent-flyer," and, of course, "Chapter 11," have become a familiar part of airline discussions. Long gone are the days of a bloated, unresponsive, complacent industry that must verify its every move with Washington bureaucrats. Although the level of uncertainty and instability in the airline industry has increased since the days of government regulation, most observers agree that deregulation has had some success (Sandler 1988, p. 332). However, it remains an open question as to whether or not …
Prescription For A Better Health Care System, Jamie L. Harney
Prescription For A Better Health Care System, Jamie L. Harney
Draftings In
In 1991, total U.S. health expenditures reached $750 billion or over 11 percent of the Gross National Product (GNP). Health care spending grew at an annual rate of 13.4 percent between 1985 and 1990. It is expected that the cost of health care will continue to grow at a rate between 11 percent and 15 percent through 1995 (above statistics from Sheeline 1991, p. 58). In addition, the United States' health care system is about one-third more costly than the system provided by the next biggest spender, Canada (Dentzer 1991, p. 50). What these statistics indicate, and what is readily …
Renewable Energy: Economics And Public Policy To Fuel The Transition, Dean Eyler
Renewable Energy: Economics And Public Policy To Fuel The Transition, Dean Eyler
Draftings In
We lie at a unique place in history, one where humanity's drive to industrialize has created an environmental crisis that may threaten the very existence of the planet. The new challenges posed by environmental crises are becoming shockingly apparent. Scientists are discovering, and illustrating to policy-makers, new ways in which we are destroying the earth and its surrounding atmosphere. Although these kinds of revelations are by no means new, the scale of destruction in these scenarios is immensely greater than previously projected. Warming of the atmosphere due to the greenhouse effect, depletion of the ozone layer, destruction of forests, acid …
To Balance Or Not To Balance: The Federal Budget Deficit, Kelly Cleveland
To Balance Or Not To Balance: The Federal Budget Deficit, Kelly Cleveland
Draftings In
Today, the United States is faced with a national debt of over $4 trillion that continues to grow in astronomical proportions. Under present circumstances, are large deficits detrimental to our economic prosperity as the current consensus seems to indicate, or are they really the public's surplus? Many consider yearly federal deficits harmful to our economic prosperity. Indeed some Americans believe that the U.S. government requires legislation to balance the budget annually. This article explores this conventional view, along with the less popular idea that deficits really do not matter. It will begin with explanation of the federal budget deficit, followed …
Workplace Violence: A Growing Epidemic, Chris Henle
Workplace Violence: A Growing Epidemic, Chris Henle
Draftings In
Most companies are unprepared for workplace violence and underestimate the effects of its aftermath. This article will examine American workplace violence in an attempt to encourage companies to shift their approach from reaction to prevention. It will define workplace violence and describe its current occurrence rates in the United States. The costs of workplace violence will be tallied, and factors associated with workplace violence will be noted, along with how American society, companies, and individuals contribute to the phenomenon. Finally, preventative measures will be described. As the above story suggests, the repercussions of workplace violence are so great that for …
Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents
Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents
Prefatory Note, Noel Harold Kaylor Jr.
Prefatory Note, Noel Harold Kaylor Jr.
Draftings In
This Draftings project results from a request by a group of students in my course on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales for a follow-up course on Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde. Already having read the most important general studies on Chaucer's works, they were ready to proceed with semi-independent research. Rather than writing a loosely-connected collection of papers, however, they decided to produce a coherent set of essays systematically studying the influence of various writers upon Chaucer's Troilus. Our course focused on the work itself, and on Chaucer's translation of Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae, which preceded it. The research …
Dantean Allusions In Chaucer's Troilus And Criseyde, Linda Bingham
Dantean Allusions In Chaucer's Troilus And Criseyde, Linda Bingham
Draftings In
Geoffrey Chaucer specifies that his Troilus and Criseyde is a "tragedye" (V.1786). He avoided rewriting Dante's Commedia (later designated The Divine Comedy), giving us instead a human tragedy, which he based on the plot of Boccaccio's Il Filostrato and on the structure and imagery of the Dantean masterpiece. As Winthrop Weatherbee points out, "Chaucer has appropriated the resources of the greatest Christian poet [Dante] to show us through Troilus' experience what love is in itself, as well as what, being merely human, it cannot be . . . " (145). By contrasting Troilus' story with that of Dante's Pilgrim …
Adaptation Of Boethian Structure And Theme In Troilus And Criseyde, Frederick E. Walthour
Adaptation Of Boethian Structure And Theme In Troilus And Criseyde, Frederick E. Walthour
Draftings In
That Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde is steeped in Boethian influence is unquestionable. The manner in which Chaucer employs this influence is less clear. John P. McCall suggests a structural similarity. Martin Camargo supports the notion of character parallels, and, in his book Chaucer and the Consolation of Philosophy of Boethius, Bernard L. Jefferson particularly emphasizes Chaucer's use of Boethian quotations. Several other scholars point to thematic similarities in the works, such as Chaucer's and Boethius' discussions of Lady Fortuna. Clearly much study has been given to the role of Boethian influence on Chaucer's Troilus. Unfortunately, most of these examinations …
Ovidian Allusion And Imagery In Chaucer's Troilus And Criseyde, Stephanie Althof
Ovidian Allusion And Imagery In Chaucer's Troilus And Criseyde, Stephanie Althof
Draftings In
Geoffrey Chaucer's use of material found in the works of the Roman poet Ovid has long been a popular subject for critics of medieval literature. Most of the recent criticism concerning Chaucer's use of Ovidian materials focuses, not surprisingly, on Troilus and Criseyde and the material drawn from Ovid's Des Amores and Heroides. Ovid's Metamorphoses, however, has been overlooked. This neglect of such a well-known pre-medieval text has left a wide arena open for criticism.