Учебно-методическое пособие по развитию навыков профессионального общения. В двух частях Ч.2: Marketing. Руденко Т.П. - 26 стр.

       2. Quality is not just a concern for the manufacturing sector. What          (4) Americans spent over US$4 billion for athletic shoes in 1989,
are the attributes of high quality service?                                  and the experts predict the trend will continue in future. What's interest-
       3. Watch for television commercials that emphasize quality.           ing is that most of these shoes were purchased by people who will
What attributes of quality are usually advertised? Are the advertisements    never slam-dunk or run a marathon. Nike, Reebok and the other com-
believable?                                                                  panies are selling fashionable and comfortable shoes to thousands of
                                                                             young people in America and around the world who think the shoes
      TEXT 2                                                                 and the other apparel make them look good and feel great.
      I. Scan the following article to answer the questions below.
      1. What are the leading American manufacturers of sports shoes?
      2. What people make up the market for sports shoes?

                    Competing for Your Feet
                or "Defeeting" the Competition

       (1) At a recent Sporting Goods Manufacturers' Association trade             II. In groups of four, discuss the questions below; then share
show, Reebok International, Ltd. presented its newest line of athletic       your ideas with the whole class.
shoes. Amid blaring rock music, bright lights and video productions,
                                                                                     1. Based on the information above, what is the structure of the ath-
Reebok displayed shoes with plastic tubes in the sole that "return energy
                                                                             letic shoe market? Explain your answer.
to the wearer," shoes that can be inflated to increase ankle support,
                                                                                     2. In the 1950s a pair of canvas sneakers or tennis shoes were in-
and shoes with a special "honeycomb padding" used in the seats of the
                                                                             expensive "play shoes" for children. Fashion-conscious teens or adults
space shuttle.
                                                                             would not have worn athletic shoes unless they were playing basketball,
       (2) Reebok entered the athletic shoe business in the early 1980s
                                                                             tennis or some other sport. What strategies have Nike, Reebok, and the
and had such phenomenal success selling fashionable athletic shoes that
                                                                             other companies developed to change this?
today its revenues exceed US$1.79 billion. Reebok's main competition
                                                                                     3. Some critics argue that it is unethical for companies like Nike
in the sprint for your "sneaker" dollar is Nike. Each controls approxi-
                                                                             or Reebok to advertise expensive athletic shoes to young people who
mately a quarter of the market with the remainder divided among well-
                                                                             cannot afford such luxuries. What do you think? Why?
known companies like L.A. Gear, Converse, Adidas, and Keds.
       (3) Nike built its reputation among athletes by providing quality
shoes for specific sports like basketball, tennis and running. It contin-
ues to market to serious athletes with ads that show Michael Jordan in
Nike shoes hanging in the air above a basketball hoop and an ex-
hausted marathon runner wearing Nike shoes. But Nike and the other
athletic shoe manufacturers are concentrating just as much on accesso-
ries like neoprene windsurfing suits, jogging outfits and color-
coordinated tennis shorts and tops. Nike even changes the colors of its
products with the seasons to attract fashion-conscious buyers.

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