I Will Never Forget
Topic: bad poetry
Here's some more bad poetry I wrote in high school. I hope my writing skills have grown a lot since then.

I Will Never Forget

Maybe in time I will forget.
Time does heal all wounds.
Time doesn’t erase the memories,
I will be forced to carry to my grave.

Even in my afterlife I will see
Endless marches in bogs,
Men digging underground tunnels
And planes dropping week-late supplies.

I will never forget the children starving,
Forgotten corpses of defenseless pedestrians,
Men on the other side, just like me,
Or even the footprints we left, proving we were there.

After I die, after I’ve had a chance to live my life,
I must see my comrades that never had a chance,
And the men I fought, without a cause.
I only hope they have forgiven me and understand:
I wouldn’t have done it if I understood.

Mega*Mart #2806 of Blooming Spruce
Topic: blooming spruce
This was originally published in my high school's 2000 literary magazine.
It needs some serious editing. I think, er, hope my writing has improved much since then.

Mega*Mart #2806 of Blooming Spruce

“Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, Lord of lords…” the Blooming Spruce High School reverberated the gargantuan lobby of the confined and minute community’s new Mega*Mart. The marching band banged, blowed, and behaved – to the best of their ability – at the store’s grand opening. Customarily, proud parents of band members and chorus members alike came to support their children. Unfortunately a few students missed out on their regular extracurricular activities because they were working at Mega*Mart, and a few parents were not in attendance because they couldn’t navigate the heavy traffic.

“Forget the traffic, we have a Mega*Mart!” many students proclaimed. Other students, and a few unemployed adults, had their wallets on their minds, hoping to get a part-time job at Mega*Mart.

After the chorus and band performance, Blooming Spruce High School’s head of the English Department nervously announced the winner of a school sponsored writing contest. The first place winner, and the gracious new owner of fifty dollars, stepped up and presented her ingratiating speech to the crowd. Being a proper Southern gentlemen and host, the manger of Mega*Mart took the pulpit of the holy house of profiteering next, saying, “Thank you, thank you, for coming out to attend Mega*Mart’s grand opening. All of us here at Mega*Mart are glad to see you….” the manager paused for a moment to adjust his index card delivered-straight-from-Hope-Arkansas, “and I would just like to say I’m personally glad to see you.”

The crowd gasped in awe. His Southern accent disappeared! No one was quite sure what kind of English he was speaking, but he sounded like a Kennedy.

“Umm, uh, well…here’s the assistant manager, Xing Cho, to say a few words,” the manager announced then waddled off the stage. The strictly Baptist and Methodist community slowly calmed down. Contradicting expectations, they weren’t shocked at all to hear the assistant manager’s name or see the Asian man approach the stage, because Blooming Spruce’s most prestigious neighborhood, Eagle’s Nest, was completely set up by Hong Kongers, Germans, South Africans, and the least familiar, carpetbaggers. Quoting the Hong Konger’s speech would be difficult for any spectator because half didn’t listen from assurance that he didn’t know English, and the other half couldn’t comprehend because he knew English so well, and was so articulate. After the populace was entertained, astonished, and slightly nauseated they began to raid the building.

As anticipated mothers pulled, pleaded, and threatened their children away from the toy section, fathers inspected tools, camping and hunting equipment, and prices. Adolescents isolated themselves in prides of hormone driven friends, and Mega*Mart employees stocked shelves, directed traffic in the halls, as well as, in the parking lot, and simply watched their paychecks and bonuses add up. The Mega*Mart was a success, like all the stores in the colossus franchise, and guaranteed to continue being a success. It was in the center of the community’s taffic, being located at the intersection of Blooming Spruce Road, and Crystal Falls Road, the road ninety percent of the local citizens were forced to commute on everyday. As much as Mega*Mart profiteered with results, Blooming Spruce High School and the Blooming Spruce community followed, self serving as much as they could without raising sandlapper eyebrows.

Blooming Spruce High School was definitely the model of a perfect suburban school, before the arrival of Mega*Mart. Blooming Spruce High School was ornamented with faces of content students and sometimes pleased teachers. There were little to not disciplinary problems, the faculty, largely composed of ex-military officers, made sure of it. The school was commonly praised by education officials as, “an elementary school with outstanding students and dedicated staff,” and was considered one of the best in the state. The state was 48th in education, and 49th in SAT scores. Being a conservative, suburban, almost rural community, no one ever mentioned the subjects of diversity, which hardly existed there, and the confederate flag, on cars, in front yards, and as God intended, at the State House.

Like all communities during the suburban sprawl era, Blooming Spruce’s population rapidly flowered, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, especially spruce trees. “The apple effect” reached its zenith in Blooming Spruce, students would graduate high school, graduate college, and return to the community with their spouses and children. The community’s population flowered quicker than anyone expected, but few complained. With the growth came money and jobs. All the true rural loving families knew it was time to move, when Delivery Express, Antonio’s Italian, and Marketplace Family Restaurant graced the scene.

After the great exodus away from the cities, ant towards the suburbs and rural areas Mega*Mart arrived without conflict. It set its authoritative foot in the ground and nested its presence in the citizens’ and students’ daily life. Everyone forgot what life was like before Mega*Mart. Traffic was accepted by everyone, except the occasional angered driver yelling, “IDIOT! Learn how to drive!”

Mothers commonly pulled children through the toy section without sympathy, and the result was almost always a hostile teenager or worse, small time criminal. Fathers jumped at the chance to let their offspring work. It wasn’t rare to hear a father exalt about, “maybe he’ll earn some responsibility, and the value of a dollar!”

Surely enough, sons and daughters learned the value of a dollar, by working at Mega*Mart. Even though the value of a dollar became less, because the community paid inflation beyond that of surrounding areas. No one would dare leave the Blooming Spruce area to buy groceries, work out at a gym, and never, never to go to church. All the community’s teenagers had a car and a job, usually at the Mega*Mart. No one noticed when standardized scores dropped fifteen percent, or when the nonviolent crime rate increased. Everything wasn’t on a downward spiral though, Blooming Spruce First Baptist Church had grown significantly. The most loyal members had all moved farther out, away from the central streets and stopped attending, but the church had a good attendance on most Sundays, even though the bulk of the congregation didn’t regularly attend that head minister refused to preach anything the ‘followers’ would not appreciate hearing.

“We must think of the welfare of the church,” he proposed, referring to the offering pan and latest building project of course.

In short Blooming Spruce became a prosperous, until what they worked for was stolen or vandalized, community. “The apple effect” slowly vanished, the Blooming Spruce High School arts programs reluctantly diminished, and close-knit friendships and inbred families perished.

How could yearbook reject this beautiful poem? Oh yeah, it required a vocabulary.
Topic: bad poetry
Here's some bad poetry I wrote way back when in 2000. It was published in the literary magazine. I was on the staff. No favortism there.

Visions Of Tomorrow

Forgotten Dreams, lingering hopes
Planted seeds and fading marble
We’ll discover what we’ve invented
And destructed tomorrow.

What we can only attempt to envision
Will engulf us before our time
And wrap its powers around us
So we must know what became of our meager beginnings

Forgotten dreams may be recalled,
Become an all powerful force,
And magnify and draw everything
One’s mind can construct, and heart can desire.

Lingering hopes will fade into past fantasies
And never occupy one’s time or lips again;
Or continue festering about one’s life
Until the last moment, and forever be unachieved

Seeds planted long before the gardener understood
Will wither and leave the world unrecognized
Or thrive in its surroundings unconquered
To continue to spread and influence.

Seemingly solid and strong marble fades so quickly
No element of nature can withstand the rain
Without accepting it, or yielding because of it.
It will be washed away, as all adamants are dissolved.

The visions or tomorrow we covet in our souls
May expand to more than we can comprehend
Or cease to exist past our present or in our future.
We do know, our visions of tomorrow will never be accurate.

the literature review that never was
Topic: bachelor's essay
So this is the literature review that didn't make the cut, at all.

To avoid legal risks, including fines and litigation, companies and crisis managers should consider ten guidelines (Fitzpatrick, 1995), that balance legal matters and public relations concerns. First, legal advice is a resource for public relations professionals, who may not have legal training. Second, consider trends, especially legal ones. Since McDonalds was sued for serving hot coffee in an unsafe, courts have a precedent to more readily judge restaurants guilty over unsafe serving practices. Third, companies should “learn from others’ mistakes” (Fitzpatrick, 1995, para. 14), including companies like Texaco. Fourth, be ready to explain any public disclosure documents and ready to supply more than required documents. During crises, financial documents get special attention from stakeholders and critics because they indicate the health of a company. Fifth, react to rumors because they affect the public’s perception.

Many of Fitzpatrick’s subsequent steps went unobserved by Abercrombie. Sixth, use effective communication to avoid litigation, such as having a feedback system to get information from employees who feel they’ve been discriminated against. Seventh, company documents could be used in litigation against the company. External parties, like Abercrombie’s critics, used the since recalled “Look Book” to support claims of discrimination. Eighth, train representatives in public relations and law because comments made to the media have major implications in court. CEO Jeffries and Shahid have made incriminating comments to the media. Ninth, implement a thorough compliance strategy like. Denny’s agreed to hire a Civil Rights Monitor, who instituted “compliance training and communication program for Denny’s employees” (Fitzpatrick, 1995, para. 45), much like Abercrombie recently agreed to hire a vice president for diversity. Last, encourage ethical behavior throughout all the ranks of a company. Companies that handle crises the best tend to be companies with the best code of ethics and the desire to enact their code of ethics in hard times (Fitzpatrick, 1995).

Hale, Dulek, and Hale (2005) report on a qualitative study that utilizes 26 interviews of crisis managers from 15 organizational crises. The three stages of crisis management are prevention, response, recovery, and the researchers believe response is the most important. An efficient response stage will minimize damages, “influence public opinion about the crisis and an organization handling of the event” (2005, abstract). The researchers identified four steps within the crisis response stage: observation, interpretation, choice, and dissemination. Observation is the gathering of the data, especially the public’s response. Interpretation involves analyzing of the public’s response. The choice step requires choosing a course of action and dissemination is the spreading of the chosen message (Hale, Dulek & Hale, 2005).

Coombs (2004) developed Situation Crisis Communication Theory which suggests companies with a history of crisis situations had a greater threat from a recent crisis than companies with no history of crises. This is true when the companies’ deliberate actions bring about the crisis and “when the crisis arose from the victimization or the organization or from an accident, rather than from the organization’s intentional acts” (Coombs, 2004, abstract). Companies known to have a history free of crisis situations were perceived as responsible and ethical as companies with no history at all. “Perception of an organization’s responsibility was negatively correlated with the perceived impact on reputation” (2004, abstract) which suggests a strong, positive image of a company before a crisis will mitigate the effects of the crisis.

Coombs (2000) suggests there are seven lessons all organizations should learn from crises. The seven lessons are within the crisis management’s four categories: prevention, preparation execution and evaluation. Coombs’ lessons are based on the crisis response strategies, which include: attack-the-accuser, denial, excuse, justification, ingratiation, corrective action, and full apology. The lessons are also based on the crisis types, which are: rumors, natural disasters, malevolence, accidents, and misdeeds. According to the lessons organizations should respond to rumors and some challenges by attacking-the-accuser and providing an explanation. For accidents with minor damage organization should deny intention and minimize the situation, but for accidents with severe damage, an organization with a history of crises should take corrective action and apologize. After any incident of transgression, a company should take corrective actions. Depending on the strength of the evidence proving the company’s misbehavior, they company should give an explanation, provide an apology or minimize the situation. (Coombs, 2000).

Fishman (1999) applies the crisis communication theory of Fink, Benoit and others to the ValuJet Flight 592 crisis. Fishman considers the three most important theories when studying ValuJet Flight 592 to be Fink’s Natural History Approach, Benoit’s Image Restoration Approach, and Birkland’s Focusing Events Approach. Fink’s Natural History approach has four stages: prodromal phase (when warning signs are detected), acute crisis phase (when the crisis happens), chronic crisis phase (when the company attempts to correct any damage) and the crisis resolution stage (when the company completely recovers from damage). Birkland’s Focusing Events Approach studies focusing events, which are unexpected, large scale crisis events that influence public policy and public opinion. Type One focusing events have happened before, but did not influence public policy and public opinion in past (Fishman, p. 353), e.g. Hurricane Katrina. Type Two focusing events are first-time events or “happened so long ago as to have faded from memory” (Fishman, p. 354) like the September 11th terrorist attacks.

After the death of Princess Diana, many British citizens believed the Royal family was apathetic about Diana’s death and indifferent to the public’s own sorrow. The intense criticism caused Queen Elizabeth to break protocol by ordering “the Royal Standard to fly at half-mast during Diana’s funeral (Benoit, 1999, para. 7), and make an unscheduled speech, which was televised in Britain and abroad. Queen Elizabeth’s speech used four common image repair strategies: denial, bolstering, defeasibility, and transcendence. Because this was only the second unscheduled speech Queen Elizabeth made in her 45-year reign (Beniot, 1999, para. 8) the speech itself was a denial that the Royal family was apathetic to the death of Princess Diana. In addition, she told the audience “I want to pay tribute to Diana myself… I admired and respected her – for her energy and commitment to others,” (Benoit, 1999, para. 19).

The speech bolstered the Royal family’s image by informing the public they had been comforting Princess Diana’s sons at Balmoral Castle the week after the event (Benoir, 1999, para. 22). The strategy of defeasibility was used in explaining the time between Princess Diana’s death and the speech was a time of disbelief for the family and was also used to help those most affected – Diana’s sons (Benoit, 1999, para. 23). Transcendence was used to encourage the British to address a larger issue. It was Britain’s “chance to show the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect” (Benoit, 1999, para. 24). Overall the speech was considered successful, and did not use ineffective methods, like criticizing the accusers or attempting to play down the people’s sorrow or the event itself (Benoit, 1999, para. 25).

prelude to the night - charleston days
Topic: charleston nights
It was 67 degrees, sunny and stereotypically perfect in Charleston today. I didn't even fall on the bricks. I'm inspired to begin writing my novel.

No this isn't part of the novel, but I'm writing. Get off my back.

My senses were aroused when I met Denner's German friend. Blond, tan, buff and German - the only thing that wasn't European sensual about him was the fact he spoke English.

My arousal promptly ended when I saw how many points my Spainard professor Gavidia took off my International Business test. I still made an A though! Only in Charleston does a professor give a test with a maximum score of 105. The only person to make 105 was the German girl Denner wants to 'get to know' biblically - the competition wins again.

I taking a class with a Spanish professor and have a crush on a multi-racial-Tiger-Woods-esque German, as well as his friend, who I barey spoke to. I feel international, I should make an A is this International Business class.

I could easily comfort myself out of the fact both Germans didn't like me "that way" because I'm well-adjusted to the feeling of rejection. The tan one's body language and the multi-racial one's lack of interest, as well as my feminine instincts, told me that it's not going to happen.

Denner has been interested though - when I was talking about the Southern Belle. The idea of the downtown strip club turned him on enough for him to hit on me - or just try to get into my pants. The fact it was probably the former doesn't deter me because they're the same thing when it comes to a guy who's leaving the country in two months.

I couldn't comfort myself out of the fact Marketing grades I already know I don't want to see are on WebCT. I also already know I'm going to look at them despite the fact I can't change them and won't see my professor about them.

In my dispair I went by Starbucks and ordered a short Cappucino, largely just to see the brewers' reactions. As the glitteratti and sorority girls know, only tall (fancy words for small), venti (snob for medium) and grande (yuppie for large) are on the menu. As Starbucks addicts know short is the unlisted size, that's cheaper and smaller. They don't really want you to order it, so they don't really have it on the menu.

To continue with my despair, they didn't give me the usual hush-hush reaction of acting like I just order the confidential formula for Coca-Cola. It was calmly and professionally handled, more like I ordered nuclear weapons on the black market.

That's okay it was a damn good cappucino, and because I was holding a Starbucks cup I didn't get any weird 'is she a bourgeois black person or a poor, kidnap-our-children and burgularize-our-Broad-Street-homes' black person?' Despite walking to Queen St. several times a day every day I haven't adjusted to the weird looks from white people. Yes, I'm in the right district of my house, which happens to be the white district.

I should carry a Starbucks cup as a prop everyday. A bum on the street can look bourgeois with a Starbucks cup in their hand. Whatever the holder's salary they automatically look like they make an additional $10,000 a year.

Did I mention the cappucino was free? Well free to me I put it on the gift card I got for Christmas. I must not be as bourgeois as I thought, in March I still have a Starbucks gift card from December. I feel the sudden need to burgularize some homes one block away. They'll never figure out it was me. I live south of Calhoun.

first ten pages of greatness
Topic: bachelor's essay
Recently several large companies, including Abercrombie and Fitch, Wal-Mart and Gap, have faced civil lawsuits for a variety of reasons. Often these companies are accused of encouraging illegal or unethical practices throughout the ranks of their stores. Abercrombie and Fitch’s management does not admit to any wrongdoing. However, it is worth researching how the company’s management, purposely or unintentionally, communicated its acceptance of illegal hiring practices to stores and managers nationwide. Also interesting is, what image restoration and crisis management Abercrombie engaged in after settling in court for discriminatory hiring and other illegal practices. It is necessary to study the company’s history, the lawsuit settled in court, corporate behavior before and after litigation, and how Abercrombie’s corporate communication affects other companies while advancing communication theory.

Company History

The retailer Abercrombie and Fitch traces its corporate lineage to a sporting goods retailer that started up in 1892 and outfitted Dwight Eisenhower and Theordore Roosevelt (Zimbalist, 2005, para. 3). In 1950, a New York article declared it the retailer of Ernest Hemingway’s hunting gear, a notable honor in a time when Hemingway was an international celebrity (Edwards, 2003, para. 22). In 1977 the company filed for bankruptcy. In 1979 “its name was sold to Oshman Sporting Good …and was resold in 1989 to The Limited” (Greenhouse, 2003, para. 9). In 1992, former Limited CEO Leslie Wexner hired Mike Jeffries to rejuvenate the Abercrombie and Fitch brand (Berner, 2005, para. 8). In 1996 Abercrombie separated from The Limited (Greenhouse, 2003b, para. 9). Mike Jeffries transformed Abercrombie and Fitch into the company the public knows today by moving away from outdoor sporting goods to fashionable apparel for the 16 to 25 demographic.

After achieving success with one demographic, Abercrombie expanded with subsidiaries, all targeting different age groups. Abercrombie operates five Ruehl No. 925 stores which is “an even higher-end label for those who have outgrown Abercrombie,” 167 Abercrombie kids’ stores and 260 Hollister Co., for mid-teens (Berner, 2005, para.15). Abercrombie employs 22,000 people, amassed $1.7 billion in sales in 2003, and has 700 stores including its subsidiaries (Greenhouse, 2004, para. 12). Abercrombie and Fitch’s main competitors are often considered American Eagle Outfitters, Gap and J. Crew, because all the companies target customers who are 16 to 25 years old and sell brand emphasized clothing. Abercrombie and Fitch always has an ample amount of athletic cut, tight-fitting polo shirts; torn jeans; and graphic tees in an attempt to form a young, preppy image.

Discriminatory Hiring Practices Lawsuit

In 2004, Abercrombie and Fitch settled “two federal class-action discrimination lawsuits filed…in San Francisco and Camden, N.J., and a third suit filed … by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission” by paying $40 million to plaintiffs and $10 million in court costs (Strasburg, 2004, para. 2). Petitioners included the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein law firm (Greenhouse, 2003, para. 15).

Abercrombie was not found guilty, but in the settlement accepted the judge’s recommendations, which include ongoing court supervision. The court recommended hiring a vice president for diversity, 25 diversity recruiters and more minority and female brand representatives to reflect the potential applicants.(Greenhouse, 2004, para 2). The hiring of more minority and female representatives is considered a benchmark. “These benchmarks are goals, rather than quotas,” (Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, 2006) which suggests the company may be considered in violation of the settlement even after meeting the benchmark. Abercrombie agreed to have someone monitor their compliance, provide diversity training for hiring managers, and allow store managers’ fulfillment of diversity goals to affect their bonuses. “The settlement requires Abercrombie to stop focusing on predominantly white fraternities and sororities in its recruitment” and feature more minorities in its advertisements and catalogs (Greenhouse, 2004, para. 2). A compulsory change that customers won’t notice, but will greatly affect employees, is the new internal complaint procedure. (Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, 2006).

Abercrombie’s communications director, Tom Lennox told Greenhouse that “brand representatives are ambassadors to the brand,” Mr. Lennox said. “We want to hire brand representatives that will represent the Abercrombie and Fitch brand with natural classic American style, [and] look great,”(Greenhouse, 2003c, para. 15) but what looks great and is adequately American can become a discrimination issue. To find new employees with the natural, classic, American style, workers were encouraged to go to fraternities and sororities and ask attractive members to apply at Abercrombie. According to Donna Harper of the St. Louis Equal Opportunity Commission, companies who only hire tall applicants may inadvertently discriminate against Mexican-Americans or Asian-Americans who are shorter on average. Attorney Stephen J. Roppolo explained that “hiring someone who is attractive isn’t illegal per se [but] if I think Caucausian people are more attractive than African-American people, then I may inadvertently discriminate in an impermissible way”(Greenhouse, 2003c, para. 23). Unintentionally or not, the former director of Justice Department’s civil rights division, Bill Lann Lee, announced that “the percentage of minority and women managers at Abercrombie were far below industry averages” (Greenhouse, 2004, para. 7).

Since the settlement, Abercrombie and Fitch has recalled its seasonal mega-catalogs, which Tom Lennox has claimed is not due to pressure to portray more minorities in its catalogs. It has also recalled its “Look Book” which gives strict requirements for employees’ appearance at work. The new associate handbook features an African-American, possibly biracial, woman on the cover, and discusses employee appearance very little. The associate handbooks clearly states: “Diversity: Abercrombie associates represent American style. America is diverse, and we want diversity in our stores” (Abercrombie and Fitch, 2005, p. 25). The fact that this statement is under the Appearance/Look Policy section of the handbook suggests management is aware their previous Look Policy discouraged diversity.

Schlegelmilch (2005) also posits on Abercrombie and Fitch’s ability, or inability, to communicate its core ethics to consumers and employees. Abercrombie has created an especially exclusive and controversial image, partly in response to the clothing industry’s obsession with image. Their exclusivity has come across as racist, and their controversial advertisements have been called unethical and not family friendly.

Controversial Advertisements

The company’s controversial image management based on sexualized images and attractive college students has been well covered. Abercrombie and Fitch continued with their sexually suggestive catalogs and advertisements for years, probably because they believed it only increased sales. Analysts agreed that because Abercrombie “used advertising so racy that it drew complaints from parents, which of course made the clothes even more appealing to kids” (Berner, 2005, para. 2).

Abercrombie eventually responded to the pressure of boycotts from consumer groups and conservative religious groups, like the American Decency Association. Bill Johnson, president of the American Decency Association, believed Americans, “were troubled over Abercrombie’s practice of marketing pornography in the catalog” (Parija, 2003, para. 9). The Cincinnati, Ohio based group Citizens for Community Values paid for shock advertising in Wall Street Journal and USA Today. (American Family Association, 2003, para. 2). The headline of the advertisement of “How to Steal Clothes at Abercrombie!” is followed by an explanation of “Imagine for a moment that we were to begin a campaign telling teenage kids how to steal clothes at Abercrombie!...But we’d just laugh and say, ‘Oh it’s just harmless fun, youthful and spirited.’” (American Family Association, 2003, para. 3). The ad accuses Abercrombie of selling pornography and encouraging promiscuity under the guise of an all-American, youthful image. The advertisement accuses board members by name of various immoral, unethical acts. (American Family Association, 2003, para. 6).
Despite selling approximately 200,000 copies of each quarterly catalog, Abercrombie recalled the provocative publication on December 9, 2003. “The company’s 280-page holiday book included nude young adult models in highly suggestive poses, as well as articles on sex – elements apparently intended to boost the clothing retailer’s brand among college-age customers” (Parija, 2003, para. 4). In 2003 the catalogs were permanently discontinued after threats from several groups (Zimbalist, 2005, para. 6).

Uniform Lawsuit

Abercrombie’s Appearance/Look Policy brought more legal issues than the discriminatory hiring practices civil suit. The company paid $2.2 million in 2003 to settle a dress code lawsuit brought by the state of California. According California labor laws, if employees must wear a specific style or brand of clothes to work, it is considered a uniform, which must be paid for by the employer (Greenhouse, 2003a). In court, “the state alleged that the company’s “Appearance/Look Policy” was enforced in a way that required store employees to by the company’s clothes” (CBS News, 2003. para. 3). Abercrombie is accused of breaking this law and another law that bans businesses from forcing employees to patronize their employers. Employees have accused the company of paying less than minimum wage, after accounting for the Abercrombie brand clothing they were forced to buy (Greenhouse, 2003a). In the settlement, Abercrombie agreed to reimburse 11,000 former employees for clothes purchased while working in their stores between January 1, 1999 and February 15, 2002. Each former employee will be paid between $200 to $490, depending on their position and duration at Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister Co. or Abercrombie. (CBS News, 2003, para. 7).

Public Relations Crisis

Before Abercrombie faced the discriminatory practices lawsuit, it received negative press attention for its approach to race. Chisholm observes that most corporations mistakenly believe they are prepared, “to handle such a major public relations snafu – especially one that develops as a result of an advertising campaign’s creative execution or stereotypical caricatures,” (Chisholm, 1998, para. 6). Caricatures like the one featured in Abercrombie’s Spring 2002 line can lead to a public relations crisis. Abercrombie sold several racially offensive designs, and “one shirt shows Chinese laundry workers with conical hats and the phrase, ‘Wong Brothers Laundry Service: Two Wongs Can Make It White.’” The shirts were pulled after criticism from The Organization of Chinese Americans and other groups, but the controversy didn’t stop. Consumers began selling and bidding on them on eBay (CNN, 2002).

The discriminatory hiring practices lawsuit combined with the controversial shirts was just unacceptable by many business analysts. Myrna Marofsky, president of workplace diversity consultant ProGroup, sees a need for Abercrombie to make an overt statement through change. Marofsky believes, “if they hadn’t been involved in this previous situation with the Asian community [over the T-shirts], I would give them the benefit of the doubt. You can only be naïve once, and then you either don’t care of your perpetrate an idea” (Edwards, 2003, para. 51).

Crisis Management was necessary after Abercrombie faced a civil lawsuit and negative press attention in many media outlets, especially minority targeted publications. Black Enterprise magazine covered the discrimination lawsuit and believed, “The firm’s marketing materials have long featured largely all-white images” (Brown, 2005, para. 1). Similar accusations were made in Jet magazine’s “Minorities Win Bias Lawsuit” (Jet, 2004, para. 1). Crisis prevention largely depends on “the equity a marketer has developed with the minority consumer” (Chisholm, 1998, para. 12). If a company has developed a strong relationship with minorities, they are usually aware of minority consumers’ opinions and the need crisis prevention over crisis solution. (Chisholm, 1998, para. 12).

continuation of the first ten pages of greatness
Topic: bachelor's essay
CEO Mike Jeffries

Company ethics are decided at the top and handed down to employees (find source), which makes Mike Jeffries, Abercrombie and Fitch’s CEO, a subject of debate along with the Abercrombie’s hiring practices. Jeffries had the company’s headquarters, in New Albany, Ohio, modeled after a college campus and “dance music blares nonstop” in the offices (Berner, 2005, para. 1). Time magazine’s Kristina Zimbalist noted that “Jeffries hires employees as close to his customers’ age as he can and as a walk around the campus demonstrates, everyone looks 17[…]’If you are 600 lbs., this ain’t the place for you,’ Jeffries says candidly. ‘You can’t take care of everybody’”(Zimbalist, 2005, para. 6). The problems of illegal hiring practices within Abercrombie become dangerously apparent when you consider their CEO’s philosophy of business. Business analysts question if Abercrombie and Fitch’s elitism through low-rise jeans and tight polo shirts, which only attract customers will certain body types, is discouraging other potential customers. “Jeffries was uncompromising [in his decision]: ‘If I exclude people, absolutely, [I’m] delighted to do so,’ he said,” to one business reporter (Edwards, 2003, para. 10). When excluding people means discriminatory hiring practices, the entire company is put under legal fire.

Jeffries spends weekends traveling to Abercrombie stores in the U.S. and abroad. His 2004 air travel cost about $300,000 (Berner, 2005) which caused some doubt with analysts. The Abercrombie board approved Jeffries’ access to a private plane, as well as $31.6 million in compensation while same-store sales were down and his marketing was failing (Edwards, 2003, para. 9).

Abercrombie and Fitch’s legal troubles could find their way into the executive boardroom. Shareholders have already brought a suit against the company concerning Jeffries’ pay package, which promptly settled April 12, 2005. San Diego lawyer William S. Lerach questions if Abercrombie hopes settling will help avoid further investigation of the books. Abercrombie and Fitch denies this allegation. Adding the company questionable corporate behavior, Thomas D. Lennox, the son-in-law of the head of compensation committee, “holds a powerful position at the company as head of investor relations” (Berner, 2005, para. 11) The company may have a problem with arms-length transactions. In 2005, Business Week claimed to have “learned of an undisclosed, though not illegal, transaction involving the director of the compensation committee and Abercrombie and Fitch”(Berner, 2005, para. 4).

Issues with Management

Before the lawsuit, Abercrombie managers would visit individual stores and look determine if employees fit the all-American Abercrombie and Fitch look with application pictures. (Greenhouse, 2003b, para. 10). Former brand representative and plaintiff Jennifer Lu believes she was fired after Abercrombie management visited the Costa Mesa, California store she worked in and implied the store needed more Caucasian male associates. Lu said that, “a corporate official had pointed to an Abercrombie poster and told our management at our store, ‘You need to have more staff that looks like this.’ And it was a white Caucasian male on the poster.” (Safer, 2002, para. 8). Five Asian sales clerks, including Lu, were fired. Shortly after, six white applicants were hired (Greenhouse, 2003, para. 11). Other plaintiffs, like Juancarlos Gomez-Montejano who contacted the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, have similar stories. After a visit from a corporate manager, Gomez-Montejano and four other minorities were fired and informed that the store was overstaffed. “A few weeks later, he said, the store hired five white fraternity members from U.C.L.A.” (Greenhouse, 2003, para. 13). Recruiting employees at predominantly white fraternities and sororities has since been banned by the settlement agreement.

Abercrombie management often arranged “photo shoots that used brand representatives as models” (Edwards, 2003, para. 32). Former brand representative Laina Pinella worked at the Staten Island location and explained how management controlled employees’ appearance. Pinella explained “nine times out of 10 you had to go to the South Street Seaport store [in New York]. They had height, weight and bust-size requirement for women” (Edwards, 2003, para. 32).
Literature Review

After the death of Princess Diana, many British citizens believed the Royal family was apathetic about Diana’s death and indifferent to the public’s own sorrow. Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey were flooded with sympathy cards, flowers, and small remembrances (Benoit, 1999, para. 4). When Queen Elizabeth stayed at Balmoral Castle in Scotland without releasing a statement or making any public appearances, “the headlines of the London newspapers [expressed the public’s frustration with] “”Where Is Our Queen? Where is Her Flag?,” “Show Us You Care” (Benoit, 1999, para. 6). The Royal Standard and the Union Jack were not flying at half-mast over Buckingham Palace of the Royal family’s Scotland residence.

The intense criticism caused Queen Elizabeth to break protocol by ordering “the Royal Standard to fly at half-mast during Diana’s funeral (Benoit, 1999, para. 7), and make an unscheduled speech, which was televised in Britain and abroad. Queen Elizabeth’s speech used four common image repair strategies: denial, bolstering, defeasibility, and transcendence. Because this was only the second unscheduled speech Queen Elizabeth made in her 45-year reign (Beniot, 1999, para. 8) the speech itself was a denial that the Royal family was apathetic to the death of Princess Diana. In addition, she told the audience “I want to pay tribute to Diana myself… I admired and respected her – for her energy and commitment to others,” (Benoit, 1999, para. 19).

The speech bolstered the Royal family’s image by informing the public they had been comforting Princess Diana’s sons at Balmoral Castle the week after the event (Benoir, 1999, para. 22). The strategy of defeasibility was used in explaining the time between Princess Diana’s death and the speech was a time of disbelief for the family and was also used to help those most affected – Diana’s sons (Benoit, 1999, para. 23). Transcendence was used to encourage the British to address a larger issue. It was Britain’s “chance to show the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect” (Benoit, 1999, para. 24). Overall the speech was considered successful, and did not use ineffective methods, like criticizing the accusers or attempting to play down the people’s sorrow or the event itself (Benoit, 1999, para. 25).

final final Winthrop personal statement
Topic: graduate school
So I'm finally done. This is why I made a 5.5 out of 6 on the essay portion of the GMAT. Recognize.

While studying abroad in Northampton, England I took advantage of the opportunity to travel in the British Isles. One semester wasn’t nearly long enough to absorb the entire culture or adequately study the history, but it was more than enough time to recognize missed business opportunities. When in England, I wanted to do as the English, but in every major city in England, Ireland and Scotland, I ended up drinking a Coca-Cola product and eating at McDonald’s. It quickly occurred to me, I am doing as the English by giving in to American corporations' domination of food. Traveling, as well as being an avid consumer, in Great Britain helped me recognize the importance of corporations’ assimilation into their host countries’ cultures, as well as how I’d like to be a part of the process. Earning a Master’s of Business Administration at Winthrop University is essential to my long-term goal of establishing and managing a private international marketing firm.

I’ve always believed that feedback is essential to maintaining a long-term relationship, be it in business or one’s personal life. Marketing, especially the feedback process, is crucial for any business attempting diversification and internationalization. Major companies, like McDonald’s, owe their global success to marketing, responding to customers’ demands and sending appropriate messages to stakeholders and the public. I want to advise corporations to make culturally sensitive decisions, like McDonald’s decision to sell curry sauce instead of ranch salad dressing, in an effort to appeal to the British-Indian population. I also see McDonald’s need for consultation when it faces accusations of Americanizing European food traditions, but continues to call their fried potato slices ‘fries’ oppose to the British accepted ‘chips’. Even the most considerate major corporations and best planned small start-ups need assistance to be successful on the international level. It’s difficult for CEO’s and a board of directors to understand a culture they’ve never experienced, but a diverse marketing firm can turn cultural awareness into success for any company.

Although I can never experience all the cultures of the world myself, I would like to manage employees of every nationality and culture possible within an international marketing firm. While employing people of different nationalities and cultures would offer a competitive advantage to any company, it will also fulfill my personal goal to work in a diverse environment and constantly meet new people. If I’m lucky enough to work in my preferred field, I know the feedback process will serve me well in my personal life and business expeditions.

final proposal of bachelor's essay
Topic: bachelor's essay
Why yes, that is correct APA format - not MLA, not Chicago, not AP style.

Recently several large companies, including Abercrombie and Fitch, Wal-Mart and Gap, have faced civil lawsuits for a variety of reasons. Often these companies are accused of encouraging illegal or unethical practices throughout the ranks of their stores. Abercrombie and Fitch’s management does not admit to any wrongdoing. However, it is worth researching how the company’s management, purposely or unintentionally, communicated its acceptance of illegal hiring practices to stores and managers nationwide. Also interesting is, what image restoration and crisis management Abercrombie engaged in after settling in court for discriminatory hiring and other illegal practices. It is necessary to study the company’s history, the lawsuit settled in court, corporate behavior before and after litigation, and how Abercrombie’s corporate communication affects other companies while advancing communication theory.

The retailer Abercrombie and Fitch traces its corporate lineage to a sporting goods retailer that started up 113 years ago and outfitted Dwight Eisenhower and Theordore Roosevelt (Zimbalist, 2005, para. 3). When The Limited acquired the dying label in 1992, former Limited CEO Leslie Wexner hired Mike Jeffries to rejuvenate the Abercrombie and Fitch brand (Berner, 2005, para. 8). Mike Jeffries transformed Abercrombie and Fitch into the company the public knows today by moving away from outdoor sporting goods to fashionable apparel for the 16 to 25 demographic. After achieving success with one demographic, Jeffries expanded the company with subsidiaries, all targeting different age groups. Abercrombie operates five Ruehl No. 925 stores which is “an even higher-end label for those who have outgrown Abercrombie,” 167 Abercrombie kids’ stores and 260 Hollister Co., for mid-teens (Berner, 2005, para. 15). Abercrombie employs 22,000 people, amassed $1.7 billion in sales in 2003, and has 700 stores including its subsidiaries (Greenhouse, 2004, para. 12). Abercrombie and Fitch’s main competitors are often considered American Eagle Outfitters, Gap and J. Crew, because all the companies target customers who are 16 to 25 years old and sell brand emphasized clothing. Abercrombie and Fitch always has an ample amount of athletic cut, tight-fitting polo shirts; torn jeans; and graphic tees in an attempt to form a young, preppy image.

Schlegelmilch (2005) also posits on Abercrombie and Fitch’s ability, or inability, to communicate its core ethics to consumers and employees. Abercrombie has created an especially exclusive and controversial image, partly in response to the clothing industry’s obsession with image. Their exclusivity has come across as racist, and their controversial advertisements have been called unethical and not family friendly. Abercrombie and Fitch continued with this image for years, probably because they believed it only increased sales. Analysts agreed that because Abercrombie “used advertising so racy that it drew complaints from parents, which of course made the clothes even more appealing to kids” (Berner, 2005, para. 2).

The company’s controversial image management based on sexualized images and attractive college students has been well covered. Even management is constantly reminded of Abercrombie’s young, preppy image by a headquarters, designed after a college campus with “300 wooded acres…where dance music blares nonstop,” (Berner, 2005, para. 1). CEO Jeffries’ image management included choosing to create a classic all American image and hiring sales associates who fit this image. Many critics noted that to maintain this strict all-American image, Abercrombie’s hiring practices could become discriminatory (Greenhouse, 2003, para. 4). Abercrombie and Fitch has been the target of several civil lawsuits including discriminatory hiring processes and illegally coercing employees to buy and wear their brand.

Abercrombie’s communications director, Tom Lennox told Greenhouse that “brand representatives are ambassadors to the brand,” Mr. Lennox said. “We want to hire brand representatives that will represent the Abercrombie and Fitch brand with natural classic American style, [and] look great,”(Greenhouse, 2003, para. 15) but what looks great and is adequately American can become a discrimination issue. To find new employees with the natural, classic, American style, workers were encouraged to go to fraternities and sororities and ask attractive members to apply at Abercrombie. According to Donna Harper of the St. Louis Equal Opportunity Commission, companies who only hire tall applicants may inadvertently discriminate against Mexican-Americans or Asian-Americans who are shorter on average. Attorney Stephen J. Roppolo explained that “hiring someone who is attractive isn’t illegal per se [but] if I think Caucausian people are more attractive than African-American people, then I may inadvertently discriminate in an impermissible way”(Greenhouse, 2003, para. 23). Unintentionally or not, the former director of Justice Department’s civil rights division, Bill Lann Lee, announced that “the percentage of minority and women managers at Abercrombie were far below industry averages” (Greenhouse, 2004, para. 7).

In 2004, Abercrombie and Fitch settled “two federal class-action discrimination lawsuits filed…in San Francisco and Camden, N.J., and a third suit filed … by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission” by paying $40 million to plaintiffs and $10 million in court costs (Strasburg, 2004, para. 2). Abercrombie was not found guilty, but in the settlement accepted the judge’s recommendation including ongoing court supervision. The court recommended hiring a vice president for diversity, 25 diversity recruiters and more minority and female brand representatives to reflect the potential applicants. Abercrombie agreed to have someone monitor diversity training for hiring managers and allow store managers’ fulfillment of diversity goals to affect their bonuses. “The settlement requires Abercrombie to stop focusing on predominantly white fraternities and sororities in its recruitment” and feature more minorities in its advertisements and catalogs (Greenhouse, 2004, para. 2).

Since the settlement, Abercrombie and Fitch has recalled its seasonal mega-catalogs, which Tom Lennox has claimed is not due to pressure to portray more minorities in its catalogs. It has also recalled its “Look Book” which gives strict requirements for employees’ appearance at work. The new associate handbook features an African-American, possibly biracial, woman on the cover, and discusses employee appearance very little. The associate handbooks clearly states: “Diversity: Abercrombie associates represent American style. America is diverse, and we want diversity in our stores” (Abercrombie and Fitch, 2005, p. 25). The fact that this statement is under the Appearance/Look Policy section of the handbook suggests management is aware their previous Look Policy discouraged diversity.

Abercrombie and Fitch is worth researching as a company because of its controversial management. The company’s image management should be studied because it can easily become a cautionary tale to other corporations on how to avoid lawsuits, or a model for turning controversy into sales, for companies like United Colors of Benetton who prefer this method (Tinic, 1997). Since several companies have faced civil lawsuits in recent years, companies are particularly interested in avoiding accusations of discriminatory hiring and promoting practices. Previous research has covered the need for companies, like Texaco, ValuJet, and Wal-Mart, to engage in public relations and image restoration after court cases and negative news coverage (Marra, 1997). This research will be different, because Abercrombie and Fitch is one of the few clothing stores to have such a large and involved settlement. Also, management’s sincerity to add diversity to the company is still being speculated about.

Abercrombie and Fitch’s image restoration is still in process, making now the best time to acquire their new publications. Their image restoration techniques can easily be applied to other companies, public figures and non-profit organizations. Previous research like Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies: A Theory of Image Restoration Strategies (Benoit, 1995) will help explain why Abercrombie and Fitch’s image restoration techniques are effective or ineffective. There are only sparse amounts of research on companies improving image restoration after court action, while there is plenty of research on public figures and companies voluntarily changing their image.

Context analysis of Abercrombie and Fitch’s advertisements, catalogs, employee handbook, and other publications is key to understanding how the company attempts to control its image. Research will mainly be based on the new store associate handbook (as revised January 2005), magazine advertisements, the company website (www.abercrombie.com), and material distributed to stockholders, including the company annual report. Most materials will be obtained by asking stores associates, buying periodicals, conducting on-line research, reading academic journals, and buying one share of Abercrombie stock. The final essay will focus on how Abercrombie and Fitch changed the communication, especially company publications, to avoid further lawsuits and comply with court rulings.

Abercrombie and Fitch’s image management is worth researching because the company image was a catalyst for their rapid growth in the 1990’s. Studying Abercrombie and Fitch’s corporate communications will become helpful to other companies who want to avoid or imitate their image management and image restoration with consumers and employees.

rough draft of bachelor's essay proposal
Topic: bachelor's essay
So, according to my advisor, this lacks structure. Hence the "rough draft" part.

Recently several large companies, including Abercrombie and Fitch, Wal-Mart and Gap, have had civil lawsuits brought against them for a variety of reasons. Often these companies are accused of encouraging illegal or unethical practices throughout the ranks of their stores. Abercrombie and Fitch’s management does not admit to any wrongdoing. However, it is worth researching how the company’s management, purposely or unintentionally, communicated its acceptance of illegal hiring practices to stores and managers nationwide. As well as, what image restoration and crisis management Abercrombie engaged in after settling in court for discriminatory hiring and other illegal practices.

Although Abercrombie and Fitch is over 100 years old, it was transformed into the company the public knows today under the management of CEO Mike Jeffries in 1992. Abercrombie operates five Ruehl No. 925 stores which is “an even higher-end label for those who have outgrown Abercrombie,” 167 Abercrombie kids’ stores and 260 Hollister Co., for mid-teens (Berner, 2005). Abercrombie has 700 stores total, including all its subsidiaries, employs 22,000 people and amassed $1.7 billion in sales in 2003 (Greenhouse 2004). Abercrombie and Fitch’s main competitors are often considered American Eagle Outfitters, Gap and J. Crew, because all the companies target customers who are 18 to 25 years old and sell brand emphasized clothing. Abercrombie and Fitch always has an ample amount of athletic cut, tight-fitting polo shirts, torn jeans, and graphic tees in an attempt to form a young, preppy image.

Jeffries controversial management has been covered in several news articles including Business Week’s article “Flip-Flops, Torn Jeans – And Control; Abercrombie’s Mike Jeffries is quirky and informal” (Berner, 2005). Jeffries image management included choosing to create a classic all American image and hiring sales associates who fit this image. Many critics noted that Abercrombie’s hiring practices could be considered discriminatory, in order to maintain the strict all-American image (Greenhouse, 2003). Abercrombie and Fitch has been the target of several civil lawsuits including, discriminatory hiring processes and illegally coercing employees to buy and wear their brand. The final essay will focus on how Abercrombie and Fitch changed company publications to avoid further lawsuits and comply with court rulings.

Abercrombie’s communications director, Tom Lennox told Greenhouse that “Brand representatives are ambassadors to the brand,” Mr. Lennox said. “We want to hire brand representatives that will represent the Abercrombie and Fitch brand with natural classic American style, [and] look great,”(Greenhouse, 2003) but what looks great and adequately American can become a discrimination issue. To find new employees with the natural, classic, American style, workers were encouraged to go to fraternities and sororities and ask attractive members to apply at Abercrombie. According to Donna Harper of the St. Louis Equal Opportunity Commission companies who only hire tall applicants may inadvertently discriminate against Mexican-Americans or Asian-Americans who are shorter on average. Attorney Stephen J. Roppolo explained that “hiring someone who is attractive isn’t illegal per se [but] if I think Caucausian people are more attractive than African-American people, then I may inadvertently discriminate in an impermissible way.” Unintentionally or not, the former director of Justice Department’s civil rights division, Bill Lann Lee, announced that “the percentage of minority and women managers at Abercrombie were far below industry averages” (Greenhouse, 2003).

In 2004, Abercrombie and Fitch settled “two federal class-action discrimination lawsuits filed…in San Francisco and Camden, N.J., and a third suit filed … by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission” by paying $40 million to plaintiffs and $10 million in court costs. Abercrombie was not found guilty, but in the settlement accepted court the recommendation and on going supervision. The court recommended hiring a vice president for diversity, 25 diversity recruiters and more minority and female brand representatives to reflect the potential applicants. Abercrombie agreed to have someone monitor diversity training for hiring managers and allow store managers’ fulfillment of diversity goals to affect their bonuses. “The settlement requires Abercrombie to stop focusing on predominantly white fraternities and sororities in its recruitment” and feature more minorities in its advertisements and catalogs (Greenhouse, 2004).

Since the settlement, Abercrombie and Fitch has recalled its seasonal mega-catalogs, which Tom Lennox has claimed is not due pressure to portray more minorities in its catalogs. It has also recalled its “Look Book” which gives strict requires for employees appearances at work. The new associate handbook, features an African-American, quite possibly biracial, woman on the cover, and discusses employee appearance very little. The associate handbooks clearly states: “Diversity: Abercrombie associates represent American style. America is diverse, and we want diversity in our stores.” (Abercrombie and Fitch: Store Associate Handbook, 2005). This statement is under the Appearance/Look Policy section of the handbook, oppose to Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

Academic articles like The Perils and Opportunities of Communicating Corporate Ethics also help to explain what might be going on with Abercrombie and Fitch’s ability, or inability, to communicate its core ethics to consumers and employees (Schlegelmilch, 2005). Abercrombie and Fitch has created an especially exclusive and controversial image, partly in response to the clothing industry’s obsession with image. Their exclusivity has come across as racist, and their controversial advertisements have been called unethical and not family friendly. Abercrombie and Fitch continued with this image for years, probably because they believed it only increased sales. Analysts agreed that because Abercrombie “used advertising so racy that it drew complaints from parents, which of course made the clothes even more appealing to kids” (Berner, 2005).

Abercrombie and Fitch is worth researching as a company because of its controversial management. The company’s image management should be studied because it can easily become a cautionary tale to other corporations on how to avoid lawsuits, or a model for turning controversy into sales, for companies like United Colors of Benetton who prefer this method (Tinic, 1997). Since several companies have had civil lawsuits brought against them in recent years, companies are particularly interested in avoiding accusations discriminatory hiring and promoting practices. Some previous research like, The Crisis Manager: Facing Risk and Responsibity, has covered companies, like Texaco, ValuJet, and Wal-Mart need for immediate and extreme public relations and image restoration after court cases and negative news coverage. This research will be different, because Abercrombie and Fitch is one of the few clothing stores to have such a large and involved settlement and management’s sincerity to add diversity to the company is still being speculated.

Abercrombie and Fitch’s image restoration is still in process, making now the best time to acquire their new publications. Their image restoration techniques can easily be applied to other companies, public figures and non-profit organizations. Previous research like Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies: A Theory of Image Restoration Strategies (Benoit, 1995) will help explain why Abercrombie and Fitch’s image restoration techniques are effective or ineffective. There are only sparse amounts of research on companies improving image restoration after court action, while there is plenty of research on public figures and companies voluntarily changing their image.

Context analysis of Abercrombie and Fitch’s advertisements, catalogs, employee handbook, and other publications is key to understanding how the company attempts to control its image. Research will mainly be based on the new store associate handbook (as revised January 2005), magazine advertisements, the company website (www.abercrombie.com), and material distributed to stockholders, including the company annual report. Most materials will be obtained by asking stores associates, buying periodicals, and if necessary, buying one share of Abercrombie stock.

Abercrombie and Fitch’s image management is worth researching because the company image was a catalyst for their rapid growth in the 1990’s. Studying Abercrombie and Fitch’s corporate communications will become helpful to other companies who want to avoid or imitate their image management and image restoration with consumers and employees.