Abstract
This essay shows that Nike's acquisition of Converse increases Nike's competitiveness as they increase their overall market share through entering the 'retro'-style sports fashion market segment with an established brand, Converse, without damaging the positioning of Nike as an ultramodern technology sports brand. The paper explains that compared to Adidas, Reebok and Puma which may weaken their core positioning by their brand extension strategy, Nike will keep leadership in sports without leaving the 'retro' shoe market to their competitors.
1. Introduction
2. Why Does Nike's Recent Acquisition of Converse Strengthens its Competition?
2.1 Market Segmentation
2.2 Brand Strategy
3. Risks
4. Conclusion
5. Reference List

From the Paper
"Nike is the largest sports goods manufacturer in the world. For reason of simplification this essay concentrates on the sports shoe market only. The word "Nike" is used for both, the "Nike company" as well as for the "Nike brand".

Nike, as market leader, is especially known for its ultramodern, technology driven sports shoes serving under its corporate brand "Nike" the various sports categories: e.g. "Nike Basketball, Nike Running, Nike Tennis, Nike Golf" (Nike.com, 2003) with the 'best for athletes' image. This strategy is underlined by Nike's top sport star endorsements such as Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, James LeBron etc.

The main competitors in sports shoes as well as in the other sports goods categories of Nike are Adidas, Reebok and Puma.

Converse, a relatively small sports shoe manufacturer, however with a long, 90 years' tradition is particularly famous for its 'Chuck Taylor Allstar', the first basketball shoe ever."

Tags:brand, converse, marketing, nike, segmentation, strategy

From the Paper
"Introduction
When a company encounters either a slowdown in the rate of sales growth, or an actual downturn in revenue, there is a tendency to blame various factors: the economy, the market, the consumer, the marketing department, and other external factors. Rarely do sales departments turn the focus on themselves and consider what they can do differently in order to change the figures. An effective sales manager is able to serve as mentor, coach, counselor and tough parent in order to motivate the sales force; this manager also makes use of the various tools available to help turn sales around. The most important factor that this manager brings to the sales team are the dual concepts of responsibility and accountability. By focusing the sales department's attention on changing those factors over which they have control, the sales .."

From the Paper
"The athletic shoe market is no longer the strict province of the professional athlete. Weekend athletes and those who do not participate in any sports wear athletic shoes. Nor have the athletic shoes remained all-purpose: there are shoes for walking, running (on grass and hard surfaces), bicycling, tennis and so on. The variety of shoes available and the fact that athletic shoes are now considered acceptable leisure attire means that the industry has grown tremendously during the 1980s and early 1990s. The industry as a whole had sales in excess of $10.1 billion in 1994, with 1995 sales expected to approach $11.5 billion (Rindos, 1995, p. 1668). This research considers the recent performance of one American shoe manufacturer, Converse, and evaluates the strategic alternatives facing this company."

Abstract
The paper is a brief look at the conversion to justice of a young Che Guevara in the film, "Motorcycle Diaries". Most of all, the paper explores the three-step conversion process - the conversion of the feet, head and heart - and how, in the case of Che, this conversion is motivated by an implicit desire to hasten the arrival of the Reign of God to destitute parts of Latin America. More than that, the paper briefly touches upon the concept of the cross and upon the leitmotif of conversion and/or self-sacrifice. All in all, the paper shows how the film is a classic look at how personal growth arises primarily from giving unto others.

From the Paper
"The following paper is a brief look at the conversion to justice of a young Che Guevara in the film, "Motorcycle Diaries". Most of all, the ensuing pages explore the three-step conversion process - the conversion of the feet, head and heart - and how, in the case of Che, this conversion is motivated by an implicit desire to hasten the arrival of the Reign of God to destitute parts of Latin America. More than that, the paper will briefly touch upon the concept of the cross (the epitome of sacrifice for the greater good even though the rewards are not manifest at first glance)..."

Tags:justice, conversion, theology

Abstract
The paper is an extensive essay on Christian mission and is addressed in two sections. Firstly the Biblical commentary and the church's interpretation explaining that Christian mission is conversion. The second section attends to scriptural outlooks on conversion. The paper continues and explains how the terms "mission" and "conversion" are interpreted by various commentators and finally looks at how this is all applicable to the Indian community.

Outline:
Introduction
Understanding of mission
Scriptural perspective on conversion
Mission and conversion
Its implications for the church today
Conclusion

From the Paper
"In this chapter I would like to give some idea and concept of mission as understood by Christians. The Christian mission is rooted in the Holy Scriptures. They and only they alone are able to make man 'wise and able to instruct you for salvation" (2 Tim 3:15). From them Christians derive their message, their mandate, their motivation, and their methodology. Apart from the word of God the missionary movement has neither meaning nor sanction. According to the 'new theology' man is not eternally lost, because God is a loving Father. His all conquering love and his irresistible grace will finally win the last day, and till men will be saved. Indeed, they are already saved by the virtue of Jesus' death on the cross. The task of Today's missionary, then is simply to inform the non-Christians that, without their knowledge or consent, all men are 'in Christ', and as such are part of the new humanity of which he is the head."

Tags:theology, mission, conversion, church, bible, India

Abstract
Tracing the life of Augustine, this paper aims to identify the stages of conversion as noted by Augustine himself in his Confessions. The writer examines reasons for his conversion and the historical significance of the conversion itself.

From the Paper
"Fourth century Rome was a time of many changes. Writers and common society alike pointed out many of the problems within the framework of the Empire. Although many writers, such as Aristides, were quick to point out the virtues of Rome, there were definite undercurrents of uneasiness throughout the empire. Many citizens, fearing the growing climate of immorality and desiring deeper spirituality, turned to a new power: Christianity. There is no work which tells better the allure of Christianity than St. Augustine s Confessions a work in which a man tells of the stages of his conversion to the religion which was to be the most influential factor in the development of European history. Augustine s main purpose in writing the confessions was to praise God, to extol the wisdom of God and to search for God through prayer. In his Confessions, Augustine describes five stages in his conversion to Christianity: his love of philosophy, sparked by the readings of Cicero s Hortensius; his conversion to and disenchantment with Manichaenism; his meeting of St. Ambrose; his conversion to Platonism, and a final mystical experience which led to his total conversion in 386."

Tags:ancient, augustine, christianity, conversion, history, religion, rome

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of three doctor-patient conversations, two of which were provided in both video and transcript form and the third in transcript form only. The conversations are analyzed in detail to determine whether a pattern or phenomenon exists as evidenced by the interactions. A phenomenon is identified and described.

From the Paper
"Analysis of conversations between doctors and patients in the oncology setting are instructive and revealing. In many cases comprehensive analysis of a video recording of such a conversation shows a great deal more communication occurring by way of gestures, facial expression and inflection than can be adequately captured in a mere transcript of the words alone. Conversations can be analyzed in terms of adjacency pairs or stimulus-response sets that show how the doctor and patient respond to each other's questions and answers. This paper examines..."

Tags:conversation analysis, adjacency pairs, medical, doctor, patient, cancer, oncology, okay, transcript, video

Abstract
This paper is a short discussion of Augustine's conversion of faith, towards the church and away from Gnosticism and skepticism, and how this conversion coincides with the changes in his will and sexual appetite.

From the Paper
"In The Confessions, St. Augustine goes through three distinct intellectual conversions in his adult life that led to the ultimate goal of conversion of his will toward God. Augustine's method is extremely philosophical in nature. The first stage of his conversion is acceptance of Manicheism; a doctrine he continually criticized throughout the book. The second stage is somewhat of a transitional period in Augustine's life where those philosophies he accepted with the Manichee faith are challenged and rebutted. The third and final stage of Augustine's intellectual conversion and subsequent conversion of the will is his appraisal of neo-platonic philosophy. Although Augustine remains is concerned about how conversion may affect his lifestyle and sexual appetite throughout the book, his intellectual progression ultimately leads to his conversion."

Tags:augustine, catholic, church, confessions, conversion, evangelism, gnostic, neoplatonic, neoplatonist, religion, theology

Abstract
The paper discusses the role of humor and how it creates a view of events and characters in Philip Roth's "The Conversion of the Jews."

From the Paper
"In his short story, titled "The Conversion of the Jews", Philip Roth creates in the character of Ozzie Freedman a person who wanted to know that which was always different. In an encounter with a dictatorial Orthodox rabbi named Binder, Ozzie challenges this putatively learned man to acknowledge that God could, if He chose, do literally anything including causing a virgin woman to give birth to a child without experiencing intercourse. By forcing the rabbi and his fellow classmates to acknowledge that God could..."

Tags:Philip Roth, The Conversion of the Jews, humor

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that novels are usually thought of as descriptive mediums that tell stories, either from the perspective of one character or an omniscient third-person narrator. The writer then points out that both the novels, 'A Season of Migration to the North' by Tayeb Salih and 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' by Manuel Puig, are novels that also function as conversations, much like plays, where speech, particularly recollected memory and speech, form the primary focus of the plots. The writer discusses that the title of the 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' is a reference to a recollected and retold film beloved of one of the characters, not one of the actual protagonists. Further the writer notes that Salih's novel takes place primarily in retrospective, in the words of a first-person narrator discussing and comparing his memories with a fellow, sympathetic national.

From the Paper
"Salih's novel takes place between two men whom are technically free, while Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman evolves as a dialogue between two men in prison. Yet the freedom these men obtain, intellectually, and in terms of shaking off of their previous misconceptions about what constitutes a good life, provide a far more liberating message than the chronicled struggles of Mustafa and his compatriots abroad. This is especially striking given the initially incommensurate perspectives of Puig's prisoners. In Kiss of the Spider Woman of the men, Molina is a homosexual who has been imprisoned for untoward acts towards young men. The other man, Valentin, is a revolutionary imprisoned by the government. But because they are forced, out of loneliness and desperation, to engage in humane dialogue with one another, these differences are broached."

Tags:narrator, speech, conversation, dialogue