Hewlett-Packard, Inc Essay Example for Free

Hewlett-Packard, Inc Essay Hewlett-Packard, Inc. has been one of the leading IT Company competing with DELL. Throughout the company history, Hewlett-Packard’s top management team has always sought to ensure that the company stays ahead of its competitors. Though this has been the case, strategic decisions made by the company’s past and present CEOs, especially, Carleton S. Fiorina and Mark V. Hurd may differ as much as they may be similar in some ways. During Carleton S. Fiorina’s tenure, the main focus was on the future and all strategic decisions and investments were made for future growth and stability. This kind of investment was at the expense of any decisions that would ensure growth at the time. Fiorina was the HP CEO from 1999 to 2005 and during her tenure the main causes of loss of revenue and market share were due to the fact that she not only focuses on the future rather than current growth but she made investments that seemed costly to the company at the time but which she believed could bring greater revenue growth in the future. Great opposition from managers and some board members, coupled with the scandal on leaked company information saw the company image delve into the negative causing financial damage to the company. According to Evans-Correia (2005), â€Å"Broderick said HP still faces numerous problems. It continues to lose market share to Dell Inc. and its corporate-computing unit, which includes storage, software and server computers, has remained weak and unable to fend off competition from IBM and EMC Corp. â€Å"The company has good technologies, but their to-market strategy has not been effective. †Ã¢â‚¬  Though the merger with Compaq brought increased revenue growth in the future, at the moment the merger was given a go ahead and completed, HP encountered its share of losses that were a little higher than it may have predicted initially and announced publicly. The then CEO, Fiorina, was questioned about these losses and the apparent in-disclosure of these information to the public and board of directors. In his article, Intense Grilling Flusters Fiorina, one of the writers, Burt (2002) reported that â€Å"Just as he had done yesterday, Hewlett attorney Stephen Neal repeatedly grilled the chief executive about internal financial reports that predicted larger revenue losses for 2003 than HP projected in publicly issued statements. † Increasing counterfeit products could also be seen as one of the setbacks that cost HP its revenue, image as well as market share. While the merger with Compaq brought H-P an added competitive edge in the computer hardware manufacture, the acquisition of EDS, an HP Company will now see H-P attain a competitive edge in the IT Services sector. This means that both ventures are almost equally important to H-P in maintaining leadership in the IT industry. The Compaq merger/acquisition was aimed at gaining HP footing in the computer hardware industry while the acquisition of EDS was strategically targeted at giving the company the competitive edge in IT services and customer care. While HP was mainly focused on the sale of printers, expansion to the computer hardware would prove strategic at the time the merger with Compaq was initiated. The moment EDS came on board, expansion and enhancement of the HP outsourcing service delivery was realized. During ex-CEO Fiorina’s tenure, the main strategic choices that were made were aimed at cost cutting and investment in the future with new ventures. While Fiorina focused on new ventures and expansion of the business part of the company, Hurd focused on expansion, growth and retention of employees and enhancement of customer service and support. Fiorina was more focused on sales, high profits and numbers at all costs while Hurd focused on the company tradition of focusing on the employees as well as growth and expansion. While Fiorina went to on to cut jobs so as to cut on costs, Hurd took on a new stand by focusing mainly on all that could be done to maintain the best workers and staff retention as well as customer satisfaction. As stated by Hurd and Lesjak in the HP Annual Report (2008), â€Å"The addition of EDS further expands HP’s comprehensive, strategically assembled portfolio that provides unparalleled capabilities for delivering end-to-end solutions. More importantly, EDS adds a world-class, globally scaled services capability to HP’s established leadership in hardware and management software. † Since inception, the company has proven to be a greater competitor and leading in innovation and customer satisfaction.

To Be Accepted Essay Example for Free

To Be Accepted Essay Eric Berne a Canadian-born psychiatrist mainly known as the creator of transactional analysis and being the author of Games People Play, once said, â€Å"The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing. † What Berne stated was that when you see life in your own perspective but are once given the reality of it you no longer will receive that chance again. The novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini reveals a story about discrimination and acceptance in the life of a Pashtun-Hazara friendship. Amir, who is a rich Pashtun, and Hassan, a Hazara, grew up together like brothers but always had the boundary of discrimination and tradition that Amir couldn’t seem to disregard like his own father had. Dealing with the life of being a Hazara can be deadly living in Afghanistan and for Amir to accept Hassan as a friend seemed unreal. Holding him back to protect his own friend over himself was never his own intentions, which lead him to live years in guilt. The conflict between the discrimination against Hazaras and Pashtuns is that Pashtuns believe that Hazaras are not real Afghans and therefore cannot be accepted thus leading many Pashtuns, such as Amir, to follow traditions that which he choose to ignore. Amir struggled throughout the novel to accept Hassan as a Hazara and tried every possible way to remove Hassan from his life. In Amir’s own eyes he did love Hassan like a brother but because of his jealousy towards Hassan he seemed threatened because Amir’s own father seemed to favor Hassan more. Although Amir lied and set Hassan up to get in trouble so he would no longer be a part of his life he consistently stated to himself, â€Å"There is a way to be good again† (2). Due to his duties as a Pashtun, Amir was told to believe that Hazaras are worthless in life. At first Amir meant for â€Å"good† to be as if Hazaras and Pashtuns shouldn’t be friends. Not having such a dramatic view towards Hazaras he still seemed to loathe them, although he told himself this towards the end of the novel again it was a way for him to show how he could redeem himself. Although Amir was successful in no longer having Hassan in his life and as much as he tried to follow his traditions as a Pashtun, he dwelled with guilt and yearned for redemption. By seeing Hazaras are nothing but sins, Amir learned the true value of acceptance and that wanting them dead would not settle his hatred towards Hassan. Loyal Miles stated that, â€Å"Amirs cultural identity relies on the context of a traditional past compared against the realities of ethnic divisions and a war-fractured present. † Miles declares that Amir’s capability to accept Hassan is clouded by the reality of what is real. Amir’s â€Å"cultural identity† demands duty and tradition but his â€Å"realities of ethnic divisions†, such as him being friends with a Hazara and allowing himself to frame his best friend by saying Hassan stole his watch, speaks otherwise allowing him to realize the importance of redeeming himself. Rahim Khan, Amir’s father’s best friend, had once told Amir a story about a romance he had with a Hazara girl and how his family looked down upon him because of his decision to love someone who they pity upon. Khan said to Amir that, â€Å"In the end, the world always wins. Thats just the way of things. † (99). From what Khan said in the novel his mother fainted, his father spit on him and his sister threw water at him to make sure he was actually telling the truth about his love for a Hazara. Khan could sense that his choice in life was not acknowledged and that â€Å"the world always wins† was true. Khan used the word â€Å"world† to describe how the Pashtuns have their own lifestyle and rules where trying to break and change traditions, such as having a romance with a Hazara, was not something that would be accepted. In the world of Pashtuns the only contact you have with a Hazara is master-slave, to be friends let alone fall in love with one is declared wrong in their world. Thus allowing the worlds decision overpowering your own. When we first met Khan, we assumed he was similar to Baba, Amir’s father, who accepted the Hazaras. Our assumptions though didn’t think to know that Khan had a relationship with a Hazara slave and he had to follow duty as a Pashtun and to end their love affair. While discussing his past problem to Amir Khan told him that â€Å"You don’t order someone to polish your shoes one day and call them ‘sister’ the next†. Thus connecting to the power of â€Å"the world† and the traditions you face as a Pashtun. Harold Bloom stated, â€Å"Rahim tells Amir the world is very strong and always wins but that, nonetheless, the matter probably worked out for the best. † By agreeing that Khan believes that breaking up with his Hazara girlfriend would have worked out for the best shows that most Pashtun follow what their family traditions and life values demand from them. After years of guilt and grief and learning of the truth about Hassan being his half -brother, Amir’s acceptance rates towards the Hazaras and the reality of his lifelong problems soon came to his realization of what truly mattered. While waiting to find out news about his nephew Sohrab, Hassan’s son, Amir began to pray, â€Å"There will be no floating away. There will be no other reality tonight. † (345). By declaring that there be â€Å"no other reality tonight† we relate back to what Eric Berne stated about no longer seeing the birds or hearing them sing because this is where Amir’s reality had finally set in. He now has learned that without Hassan it would have been a life changing experience. Knowing the reality of it all makes him acknowledge what he has got now that Hassan is dead. For Amir to have accepted Hassan at an earlier stage in his life instead of trying to remove he wouldn’t have learned the true meaning of redemption of acceptance. Pashtuns mainly choose their family virtues not their own personal views because they are aware of the degrading consequences. Amir may have learned too late for Hassan but realized that it was his time to make things right with Sohrab to save him from slavery. Meghan O’Rourke stated that Amir had â€Å"His hands are already stained with Hassans blood and that they cannot be stained with the blood of his son as well. † Amir left behind Hassan when he came to America, thus leading to Hassan death in the future. At the time not caring about what would happened to anyone but himself, Amir could have cared less let alone the fact that he never he knew Hassan had died until later on. After fighting for Sohrab’s survival Amir learned to take him in and care for him for who he is and what he means to him, not what his cultural background is. Relieving Sohrab from child labor and the brutal lifestyle of a Hazara, he learned to remove his selfish being from himself. The conflict between the discrimination against Hazaras and Pashtuns is that Pashtuns believe that Hazaras are not real Afghans therefore cannot be accepted thus leading to the slavery, beatings and fatal causes towards Hazaras. Acceptance is key in the life of Amir, without learning to relieve himself from his traditions his life would have been forever filled with guilt.

Ethical issues in advertising

Ethical issues in advertising ETHICAL ISSUES IN ADVERTISING INTRODUCTION Human beings create a number of different worlds. One of the worlds that human beings have created is the world of money, trade, commodities and exchange. To an outsider, this often feels like a world full of beauty and ugliness in equal proportions messy, flashy, exotic and sometimes even scary. Advertisers are often so engrossed with the nitty-gritty of the profession and dealing with as well as outsmarting competition, that they are unable to observe and comprehend this phenomenon. The business arena can be viewed as the world of buyers and sellers, producers and consumers, bosses and workers, a world of money. It is in effect nothing less than an ontological category – A Way of Being. It is not accidental to who we are, but rather, it defines the way we relate to each other as well as to the world around us. However, we must realise that it is not the be-all and end-all, and that there are other ways of Being; the most fundamental of these being Ethics. As per Geoffrey Klempner, Ethics is defined by an â€Å"I-thou† relationship as follows: â€Å"When I engage another person in moral dialogue, there are not two parallel processes of practical deliberation going on, his and mine, but only one. â€Å" This is in clear contrast with the case of a dialogue between traders or politicians, where each is privately deliberating as to how to gain the upper hand. In the former case, one is already committed to the practical consequences of agreement, and of doing the action which by the combined light of both the parties valuational perspective, is seen as the thing to be done. Human beings can belong to more than one world, or even move between worlds. We live in the marketplace and also outside of it. We can either play the various roles assigned to us in the game, or we can step outside of our economic personae and observe ourselves from an ethical point of view. Geoffrey Klempner has put forward three propositions as a prolegomenon to a philosophy for business: Business and commerce take place in a frame, in an arena defined by unwritten rules Normalethics is suspended within the business arena The aim of a philosophy for a business is to understand the rules that define the business arena, i.e. to grasp from an ethical perspective, as tohow business is possible When we claim that in the business world normal ethics is suspended, we do not deny the validity of rules of conduct, such as honesty and fairness. Without these universal rules and these values, the game could not be played. However, these obligations do fall far short of the demands of ethics. Advertising plays a major role in consumer marketing. It enables companies to meet their communication as well as other marketing objectives. Advertising is typically used to inform, persuade, and remind consumers. More importantly, it reinforces their attitudes and perceptions. For decades, advertising has been a target of criticism. It has been hailed as an engine of free market economy, a capitalistic virtue, as, and as a promoter of consumer welfare. On the other hand, its detractors accuse it of an array of sins ranging from sexism to deceit and manipulation, as an economic waste to purveying of harmful products, from triviality to moral and intellectual pollution (Mittal, 1994). Many see advertising as a threat to the self realization and to the cultural identity of the developing countries, since: It brings to many people alien ethical values It may deviate consumer demands in the developing countries to areas which might inhibit development priorities It affects and can also often deform ways of life and lifestyles(Mac Bride, 1980) Advertising is considered unethical in the following scenarios: It degrades the rivals product or a substitute product It gives misguiding information/false information It conceals information that vitally affects human life (e.g. Side effects of drugs) It makes exaggerated claims It is obscene or immoral or is against the broad national interest Even though comparative advertising may be considered legal and given the fact that its widespread use may have granted it acceptance, the debate on whether it is ethical or not, still continues to rage. There is however no unanimity or common ground among advertising professionals and marketing clients with regards to such questionable practices. However, all of them agree to this one aspect, that while considering the question of unethical practices, the focus needs to be to safeguard the interest of buyers at the micro level and of the society at the macro level, since their satisfaction remains the key to marketing success. The criticism has not been limited only to its intended effects on society, but also extends to its unintended effects. Most of the criticism has come from the elite observers of society. In contrast to this however, the general public has historically viewed advertising in a much more positive way. Criticisms of advertising have generally originated from the highest socio-economic classes. Since the earliest days of what now entails the modern marketing era and before, lower and middle class people have historically been more positive towards advertising. (Bauer Greyser, 1968; Fullerton Nevett, 1986; Steiner, 1976; Zanot, 1984). In India, we are still unaware of the extent to which these intellectual criticisms reflect the more widely held consumer beliefs and attitudes. To understand the viewpoints and opinions of the Indian public, we must examine as to how advertising is perceived in terms of its economic, social and ethical impacts. BENEFITS OF ADVERTISING Advertising is omnipresent in todays world, with a large proportion of human and also material resources are devoted to the field of advertising. Advertising has a number of benefits, which we can classify under the following heads: Economic Benefits of Advertising Advertising plays a very important role in the process by which an economic system is guided by moral norms and is responsive to the common good that contributes to human development. It is an essential part of the functioning of the modern market economies, which exist, or are emerging in many different parts of the world as well as those which seem to be the most efficient instrument for effective utilization of resources and also for effectively responding to the needs of different socio-economic kinds. Benefits of Political Advertising As a free and a responsible media, in a democratic system, it helps to counteract the tendencies towards monopolization of power on the part of oligarchies and also the special interests. Thus, political advertising can make a significant contribution by informing people about the policy proposals and the ideas of parties and their candidates, also including new candidates who were hitherto unknown to the public. Cultural Benefits of Advertising Advertisers have the opportunity to exert a strong influence on decisions pertaining to media content. They do so by supporting the material of excellent aesthetic, intellectual as well as moral quality that is presented with the greater interest of the public, and is particularly done by encouraging and making it possible for media presentations to be oriented towards those minorities whose needs go unnoticed and thus un-served. Moral and Religious Benefits of Advertising It has often been seen, that benevolent social institutions, including institutions of a religious nature, make in-depth use of advertising in order to communicate their messages. These may be messages of faith, messages of patriotism, messages of tolerance, or even messages of compassion and neighbourly service. The advertised messages may be those of charity towards the needy, messages concerning health and education, as well as constructive and helpful messages that not only educate, but also motivate people in a variety of ways. High involvement in all aspects of media-related activities, including advertising, has today become an essential part of a highly comprehensive pastoral strategy. ETHICS IN ADVERTISING Advertisings visible social role makes it a target for criticism. Some of todays customers believe that a great deal of advertising is unethical because: It adds to the price of the products It is untruthful It tricks people It targets vulnerable people Numerous advertising-related issues are often left to the discretion of the advertisers and are based on ethical concerns: Advocacy à   Advertising tries to persuade the audience to do something that is not correct. It is not objective or neutral. Accuracy à   Subtle messages trouble critics, especially when aimed at groups such as children, the elderly or the disabled. Acquisitiveness à   Consumers are continually persuaded that they continually need more and more new products. However, consumers make the final decision. ETHICAL ISSUES PREVELANT IN ADVERTISING Even though a section of the media and the public lambasted the advertisers and the advertising agencies for the falling scores of decency and taste in advertising, such advertisements raged on and they have now become the order of the day. Brands that were far-fetched from carnality have started showing all-consuming lust in their advertisements. This trend is prevalent in India as well. It began when on 23rd July 1995, a Mumbai tabloid published a photograph of an advertisement for Tuff shoes that showed models Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre, posing in the nude with a python wrapped around them, just about covering the vitals. The protests and controversy dragged on for a long time. The nation pooh-poohed the audacity of the couple, while the advertisement agencies defended their creative rights. The slogan of advertisers now-a-days is â€Å"Love it. Or Hate it. Or think it is offensive. But you have to notice it.† Advertising is largely criticized since selling carries a stigma. Centuries ago, Anacharis had said, the market is a place set aside where men may deceive each other†. Even to this date despite the significant rise in consumerism and despite the efforts to counter market deception, buyers are still gullible and are not particularly on the guard against deception. Under intense competition and declining profits, the perspective of organizations shifts from what is best for the society in the long run, to what is best for the company in the short-run. The advertisers claim that ethics are fine for the secure however all the slipping that a company needs is the desire for a greater market share. Since advertising pertains to a large audience, it belongs refers to the 4th quadrant of the grid shown below. Thus, the question to be asked by advertisers is, â€Å"What makes a good society?† Advertising thus must address the most controversial, collective level welfare issues. ADVERTISING AREAS THAT COME UNDER THE SCRUTINY OF ETHICS Advertising ethics affects both the practice of our lives and of business, in subtle as well as prominent ways. Ethics in advertisements concern us all in one way or the other. The areas under the scrutiny of the critics are: TYPES OF ADVERTISEMENTS For sex related products Instead of generating awareness among people about the necessity of safe sex and the benefits of birth control, condom advertisements continue to intrigue the audience and especially the youth with the unique feel that it has to offer. E.g. Moods Condoms For health care and professional services The slimming centres which promise miraculous weight reduction and the cosmetic surgery clinics which assure a permanent solution to all beauty problems. E.g. VLCC Slimming Centre For vices with fatal effects Tobacco chewing ads Commercials of alcoholic beverages that tempt the non-alcoholics to have a sip Gambling In early 2001, the Government of India announced that it would table a bill banning the tobacco companies from advertising their products and from sponsoring sports and cultural events. This example brings to the fore both the commercial and ethical dimensions of such a ban. It helps us to understand the role of ethics in a business decision and to understand where to draw the line in making decisions, which involve both ethical and commercial considerations. The element of social responsiveness as well as social responsibility attached to a business ethics dimension results in corporate strategy or even in formulating a business policy. Thus, we see that the connotation of ethics goes beyond the illegal acts of professional managers or even entrepreneurs. It covers the entire gamut of business operation, including ethics in advertising. PUFFERY Puffery refers to the exaggerated claim of a products superiority or it could also be the use of subjective/vague statements that may not be true in the literary sense. The Uniform Commercial Code is responsible for standardizing sales and business practices throughout the U.S. It makes a distinction between puffery as well as any specific or quantifiable statement about the product quality or the performance that constitutes an â€Å"express warranty.† For example, a diner advertisement promoting what it claims to be the worlds best cup of coffee would classify as puffery. Such a claim would be almost impossible to substantiate, and no reasonable consumer would fall for it and take such an exaggeration at its face value. Puffery often makes use of the superlative form of a word, like best or greatest. Puffery might also at times exaggerate the advertised effects of a particular product. SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING One that is transferred in such a way that the receiver is not consciously aware of receiving it. Subliminal means something that registers below the level of the conscious human mind. The brain perceives all the information in theory however the mind does not interpret the information for a meaning. Numerous studies indicate that quite often, we actually do perceive information at the subliminal level. A good example would be as to how often one would notice when the speedometer in the car is about to roll over to a bunch of zeroes. One doesnt consciously notice the mileage on the car ever so often, but the zeroing does make us pay attention. While driving to work, how many cars do we pass? What makes and models were they a part of? The only ones that we paid particular attention to were most probably the really neat cars or those cars which were driven by the people we recognize. If we notice something consciously, then it ceases to be subliminal anymore. Inserting subliminal messages in advertisements is an inherently misleading action. It involves an attempt to manipulate the thinking of a person, without the person even realizing it. The West has seen a considerable number of subliminal advertisements and related hullabaloos. This is primarily because the advertisement, marketing and the regulating media themselves have been quite active while raising such issues. During the US Presidential elections of the year 2000, it was found that a political advertisement for the candidature of George W. Bush subliminally flashed the word RATS while criticizing candidate Al Gores plan for prescription medicine. While the ad maker was prompt in denying that the quickly flashed word was in fact a subliminal message designed to sling mud at Gore, a large number of people, however, had concluded that RATS was indeed inserted with the surreptitious intention of subliminally causing the viewers to associate Al Gore with vermin. The questionable wo rd appeared on the screen only for a microsecond, thus passing by so fast that it was almost not recognizable to the conscious mind, especially when the mind was already passively lulled by television. As per the theory of subliminal advertising, the image would, actually register in the viewers subconscious mind, thus causing the viewer to negatively associate candidate Al Gore with a rat/rodent. TYPES OF APPEALS IN ADVERTISEMENTS Use of questionable appeals The advertisements that bank on negative appeal and fear like neighbours envy, feud, jealousy etc. are part of this category. Nimbus Neo Sports (Neo) had bagged the telecast rights for the India-West Indies and also the India-Sri Lanka series to be held in India. In January 2007, an ad campaign was launched by Nimbus with the pay-off line being Its tough being a West Indian in India. One of the advertisements in this series showed a West Indian desperately searching for some water to quench his thirst, as his palette is unable to handle the spicy Indian food. However, the Indians put their dirty fingers and their dentures into the water in order to deny him from having a drink. Another advertisement showed a West Indian couple along with an Indian boatman, on a boat-ride. On reaching the centre of the deep lake, the boatman throws the oars into the lake and then disrobes; giving the impression that he would assault the girl. Then, he jumps into the lake leaving the distraught couple stuck in the middle of the lake. Media experts have opined that what according to Nimbus was a creative way of showcasing the competitive spirit in India, as well as creating hype around its new sports channel, had actually trod the fine line between creative and unconventional advertising and respecting the ethical sensibilities of the people. It was felt by some critics that the two advertisements that were shown in the campaign, were in bad taste and also was offensive, since it showed people being mistreated, on the basis of colour/nationality. The advertisements were also criticized for showing Indians in bad light as India has always been known for its hospitality. Stereotypical appeals This includes sexual or racial stereotyping. Advertisements that imply that a woman, whether in the kitchen or in the boardroom, must look sensuous and inviting under any given circumstances, is an apt example of advertisements creating stereotypes. The fairness creams are also responsible for stereotyping the dusky women as being socially less desired for marriage. Other stereotypes that are often portrayed and concretized through advertisements are: Racial Ethnic Stereotypes Senior Citizens Gay Lesbian Consumers LARGER EFFECTS ON THE SOCIETY Given their wide reach and influence on the audience, we must realise that advertisements have significant impact on society in the long run: Value formation Advertisements are responsible for moulding society and the material wants of the people. The advertisements which display scantily clad female models in effect commoditize women. Moreover, the deluge of advertisements that increase ones propensity of consumption makes one feel that it is essential to possess a certain commodity in order to show that one belongs to a particular section (generally, higher echelon) of the society. Media content This refers to the information content of advertisements. Those advertisements which suggest the usage of preserved food items without even the slightest mention of the fact that many of the preservatives used have been proved to have carcinogenic effects are part of this category. Use of deception The advertisements of brands which conceal their negative aspects are included in this category. An example of this is the advertisements of cosmetics which say nothing at all about the long-term effects of using their products on a regular basis. Also, the advertisements of various educational institutes that wrongly claim to provide 100 percent placement to their students fall into this category. Advertisements targeting children and adolescents The advertisements that target the vulnerability of the adolescents and the children result in the creation of role models whom these kids are expected to emulate. This in turn shapes their dreams and aspirations in a truly unbecoming way. ADVERTISERS CONCERN Voice/Tone of the advertisement Comparative advertisements that thrive on inflicting vitriolic attacks on rivals are an example of this category. Copying of ideas and plagiarising of advertisements in the ad world is another such menace. Impediments to research on Ethics in Advertising There exist certain impediments to research on advertising ethics: Lack of practitioner interest Research is often impeded by the inapplicability of published findings to the business operations. Another reason for the same might be the disinterest of corporations in sponsoring research on advertising ethics as also is the funding constraint that cause researchers to rely only on a convenience sample. Lack of sound measures and framework Research is also impeded by a lack of psychometrically sound measurement scales and also a lack of theoretical frameworks in the field of advertising/marketing. Lack of relevant theories in related disciplines Research is also sometimes hampered by theoretical shortcomings in the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, management, philosophy and advertising/ marketing. Lack of academic interest Research is often impeded by the lack of a journal editor and the difficulty that researchers face when trying to relate ethical issues to the traditional advertising issues. Why be ethical? During the 83rd Annual Management Conference of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Keith Reinhardt, the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the US $15-billion company DDB Worldwide Communications Group, quoted the legendary co-founder of DDB, Bill Bernbach: All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of the society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level. It might be misconstrued that Reinhad is against the edgy and the unconventional advertising means, however, that is not the case. He is against prurient sex, filthy humour and violence in advertisements. By making a success story out of the advertisements that are offensive to public decency, the message being put forth is disturbingly clear: the more rude and shocking you can be, the more successful you will be in advertising your product. Moreover, such advertisements send out faulty signals to the youngsters who represent and shape the future of our society. The people to blame for this are young creative directors who take pride in their eccentric thought process. Not only this, but the advertising industry also encourages this through machineries from Cannes to Clios that help place such creations on the pedestal. Passion is, without doubt, the most important ingredient in creative achievement. However, its flame need not necessarily leap for bullets, obscenity and falsehoods alone. It is essential to reinforce the virtue of positive passion in todays advertising world. It is imperative that ethics is a part of advertising, since we have a duty to live a good and fulfilling moral life. This duty is equally applicable to our business lives as well as our private lives. Marketing professionals also know that strong ethics do bring in good business. REGULATORY FACTORS AFFECTING ADVERTISING LEGISLATION The Federal Trade Commissions main focus regarding advertising is to identify and eliminate advertisements that are deceptive or those that mislead the consumer. The key areas of concern in this regard are: Deception The current policy on deception contains three basic elements: Where there is omission, practice or representation, there must be a high probability that it will mislead the consumer A â€Å"reasonable customers† perspective is used to judge deception The deception must lead to material injury As is evident from these basic elements, deception, in most cases becomes difficult to prove. Thus, even though an advertisement might be indulging in deceptive practices that do not strictly fall under the purview of the above mentioned elements, it cannot be prohibited. Reasonable basis for making a claim The reasonability of a claim is decided on a case-by-case basis. The following factors are taken into consideration in this regard: Type specificity of the claim made Type of product Possible consequence of the false claim The degree of reliance by consumers on the claim made The type and accessibility of the evidence available for making the claim Comparative Advertising Comparative advertising refers to an advertisement in which a particular product/service mentions the name of the competitor for the purpose of showing why the competitor is inferior to the product which is naming it. Comparative advertising by companies are on some occasions used to put down products of rival firms, without any basis or facts. This leads to unhealthy competition in the marketplace. Comparative advertising is considered deceptive unless: Comparisons made are based on facts The differences that are being advertised are statistically significant The comparisons made involve meaningful issues The comparisons are made to meaningful competitors In the 1980s during the period that has been now referred to as thecola wars,the soft drinkmanufacturerPepsiran a series of advertisements in which t showed people caught on hidden camera, and administered a blind taste test, chose Pepsi over arch rivalCoca-Cola. Endorsements An endorser or a testimonial refers to any advertising message that consumers believe reflects the opinions, beliefs or experiences of an individual, a group, or an institution. Endorsers must: Be qualified by experience or training to make judgements They must actually use the product SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY As per Phillip Kotler, â€Å"An organizations Task is to determine the needs, wants and interests of the target markets and to deliver the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than its competitors in a way that preserves or enhances the consumers and the societys Well-Being.† Thus we see that organizations do have a responsibility towards society, apart from achieving their individual profit targets. An organization can exhibit two levels of social responsibility: Level One à   Being socially responsible is a business philosophy Level Two à   The advertiser is engaged in Pro-social Messaging An organization also exhibits different approaches to social responsibility: Obstructionist Stance à   Organization does as little as possible i.e. exhibits a low degree of social responsibility Defensive Stance à   Organization does only what is legally required Accommodative Stance à   Organization meets legal ethical requirements and sometimes also goes beyond what is required Proactive Stance à   Organization seeks opportunities to be socially responsible i.e. exhibits a high degree of social responsibility There are also different levels of Self Regulation that are often seen in organizations: Self-Discipline à   An organization develops, uses and enforces the norms by itself Pure Self Regulation à   The industry is the one which develops, uses and enforces norms Co-Opted Self Regulation à   Industry voluntarily involves non-industry people in the development, application and enforcement of norms UNETHICAL ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET http://www.rubak.com/article.cfm?ID=13 CONCLUSION Thus, we have seen the various types of advertisements that fall under the purview of unethical advertising, and have also seen the far reaching effects of the circumvention of ethics and morals on the society at large. Wherever freedom of speech and communication exists, it is then largely up to the advertisers themselves in order to ensure that ethically responsible practices are being conducted in their profession. Besides avoiding abuses and falling out of line with the ethical dimension of advertising, the responsible advertiser should also make it a point to undertake the repair and the harm sometimes caused by advertising. Since unethical practices have become commonplace, conscientious advertisers must take it upon themselves to make significant personal sacrifices in order to correct them. However, people who want to do things that are morally right must be prepared to suffer loss and also at times personal injury, rather than doing what is wrong. This does not mean that adv ertising, as we know of it today, be eliminated from the contemporary world. Advertising is an integral element in modern day society, especially with regards to the functioning of a market economy, which is becoming more and more widespread. Moreover, as described in the report earlier, advertising can, and often does play a fairly constructive role in the exchange of information, economic growth, and the ideas, and also in the fostering of solidarity among groups as well as individuals. Despite this, we must keep in mind, that it can als

Tension in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and Susan Hills The Woman in Black :: English Literature

Tension in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black" Tension is created in both Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Susan hills "the woman in black" but in a different way. In Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" tension is created by the settings, most horror story's are. Both novels create tension in there settings by using the power of imagination and the unknown. Central to both the plots is the idea of dreams and nightmares. Both Frankenstein and the women in black were set at night and both in isolated areas. Frankenstein was set in an isolated building in Ingolstadt, Switzerland "on a dreamy night of November" "as the rain pattered dismally against the panes". This creates tension as she is using the horror of the unknown in the isolated building. "Candle was nearly burnt out." Mary Shelley also creates tension in her novel by using the description she does when the creature has just been created, "His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath his hair were of a lustrous black and flowing". The way he describes this creature clearly gives you the impression it is evil. In the novel Frankenstein after the creature is created the man takes pity and is disgusted with what he has created, "The beauty of the dream vanished" For creating a creature that will have to live his life knowing that he was a creation. This is where the tension starts to build and the creature decides to take revenge on the one who created him, "Evil will have its revenge". However in "the woman in black" her appearance is not described very much. Susan hill does however describe the look on her face as 'as a desperate, yearning malevolence; it was as though she was searching for something she wanted, needed- must have, more then life itself, and which had been taken from her. This helps prepares the reader in

Narrative †My Foolish Faith :: Personal Narrative Essays

Narrative – My Foolish Faith Life without hope in a dull, frustrating world congeals the stuff of human existence...almost. To some, born-lived-died is more than the plot of too many bad novels; it dooms them, chaining their lives to a Maslowian fate. Others drown the raw truth in unrelenting labor, raucous revelry, sunlit spring breezes, cigarettes at noontime, or the bottle. Yet some find hope in this droll, frustrating world, but they will not agree and cannot be sure of that hope. Or can they? Once I could not find hope. I still can't. That's why I leaped for joy when it found me instead. Somehow, by the Grace of God, I find myself with the only, single true hope, a nonsensical faith, a belief I cannot prove with mortal things, a book that turns a hopeless, droll, frustrating world into a beautiful, hopeful, droll, frustrating world where smallest intricacies and biggest setbacks bring joy alike. Did I say my faith makes no sense? I was right. No sane person in his wrong mind would agree to a divine Creator, Revealer, Saviour, Lord, and Friend. Unfortunately, human depravity ensures sane human wrong-mindedness. Once one obtains this hope, the difficulty of Christianity shifts from the foolishness of believing myths to the stupidity of doing what they say. This is my challenge, for God has revealed His will plainly and has promised to help His adopted children understand His Word, the Bible. Once a person agrees to accept the entire Bible as God presents it in the Bible, the test of faith (or mere hope) comes. A mere hoper won't bother (or dare) to keep exactly what God says; a person with true faith will not only try but succeed when he does. Because I have faith in Christ, have escaped the corruption that is in the world, am a partaker of the Divine Nature, and have received many great and precious promises from God Himself, my goal in life is to be diligent in my service of righteousness to God. The society we live in, like any that has seen the noonday sun since the day God spoke it into existence, is utterly depraved, and I am too. It is God himself in my life who works anything in my life that may seem to be faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Yet there is a war in my life, a war I am very grateful for yet very weary of.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Taiwan Essay -- Health, Diseases

In March 2003, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), so far the most lethal infectious disease in this century, hit the world, including Taiwan. The unfortunate pandemic shattered Taiwan’s tourism industry and the nation’s image of a safe tourism destination region, thus affecting Taiwan’s economy. The Taiwanese government, as well as others that were affected, placed restrictions of varying stringency on domestic and international travel due to the cases of SARS. Therefore, precautions were taken and Taiwan’s global travel and tourism system deteriorated. Having Japan and Hong Kong as Taiwan’s two main sources of tourist arrivals, this pandemic decreased a huge amount of international arrivals from these generating regions reaching a level the island had never before witnessed. Accordingly, due to the influence of SARS on tourism from Japan and Hong Kong, Taiwan had to re-establish its image as one of Asia’s must-see dest inations. Undertaking such research in this pandemic will give a further insight into the impacts of SARS and how the tourism industry has responded in relation to the turmoil that transpired in one of the worst affected in the Asian region, Taiwan. The importance of this research relies vastly on the perceptions from various stakeholders that were affected by the disease, including the community, business owners and the nation as a whole. The impacts of such a turbulent disease ranged from escalating health warnings and death tolls, to economic problems including the deterioration of businesses and sales which led to loss of jobs and furthermore, the large decline in inbound tourist arrivals primarily from Japan and Hong Kong (Pine and McKercher, 2004). Due to the large scale of impacts... ...’s concern about SARS. Secondly, advertising and promotional campaign took place to boost willingness to travel to Taiwan. In order to obtain the numbers of Japanese tourists during pre-SARS, the Taiwan government implemented on advertisements with the aim of giving Taiwan the image of being one of Asia’s must-see destinations for tourists. With the aid of these initiatives, Taiwan’s tourism market had restored to normal by the summer holiday season. While arrivals from Japan recovered to only 70% of pre-SARS level due to a drop off in international trips by Japanese travellers in general, growth was seen in all the other major source markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, and the U.S. The Japanese tourist arrivals did not recover completely until more than a year after Taiwan was officially removed the list of SARS affected areas (Mao, Ding, Le 2004).

Social Consequences of Industrialisation in Britain

In this report I am going to discuss the social consequences of industrialisation in Britain between 1800- and 1850. I will analyse the trends in population movements from rural settings to the city and discuss their causes. I will also discuss social structures of the time and explain how they were affected by industrialisation. I will analyse wealth in regards to distribution amongst the classes and how they differed.Lastly I will discuss such social conditions as living and working conditions, health and sanitation, law and order and education and reforms and laws which were set up as a means of trying to better people’s lives. Introduction Poverty was a concept that people in Britain in the Victorian age struggled with. Were the destitute victims of circumstances, idle and work shy or the victims of industrialisation?There was also the question of who should be responsible for the poor, should society take care of them or as many believed should they simply be left to thei r own devices? The hymn ‘All things bright and beautiful show a typical view on poverty; ‘The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them high and lowly, And ordered their estate. ’ With the onset of industrialisation and population shift, people began to question their place in society and anticipate whether they could indeed change this. Population migrationThe reasons for migration from the country to the city during the 18th and 19th centuries is mainly threefold, for one the population in the country began to grow, this is attributed to the drop in infant mortality rate and the surplus in births over deaths, secondly the invention of farm enhancing methods drastically reduced the need for an agricultural workforce, that, in conjunction with the development of large mass producing factories within the cities drew people away as there was more employment opportunity.Lastly, the north became a hub for large scale industrialisation as it was i n abundance with raw materials such as coal and iron which fuelled the rate of growth, while the south was the bread basket of the country. The population of northern cities such a Manchester grew from 25,000 in l772 to 303,000 by l850. By 1850, Britain was the only country in the world to have a larger urban population than rural. Social and occupational structure At the beginning of the 19th century, British population was very much ranked in classes; this was a way of assessing ones wealth and developing a social structure.The land owners and nobility were at the top of this structure, these people were the ones in change of the county. This power derived from the fact that only the wealthy land owners were permitted to vote therefore they would only permit laws which benefited themselves. With the rise of industrialization a new ‘middle class’ was born. This was usually wealthy merchants who had invested in factories and become very rich. They were not however alway s land owners and therefore unable to vote.The mill owners began to feel they deserved the right to vote. They indeed paid taxes and contributed heavily to the economy and in many cases were far wealthier than the blue blood land owners. The Whigs saw the middle classes push for the vote as a way to gain power, they knew if they could get a reformation on voting passed they would gain masses of support from the middle class. The Tories however resisted this. After the Whigs came to power in 1830, they tried several times to pass a reformation act, which the Tories repeatedly blocked.This was only passed when Earl Grey appealed directly to the king, who agreed to create more Whig lords. This did not please the Tory lords who then gave in and agreed to pass the Reformation Act. The working class where unaffected by this reformation in voting and began pushing for power and began organising trade unions to stand up for their rights against employers. The employers however banned groups of workers congregating in order to prevent them from rising up. Distribution of wealth Workers at this time were treated very badly, there were no laws specifying working times or wages.Meaning employers could pay as little as they wanted and workers were usually expected to work up to 19 hours per day 6 days a week. Work conditions were usually dangerous and accidents could easily happen. Despite these bad conditions however workers had little choice but to put up with them as work was hard to come by and there were often long lines of unemployed people queuing for their jobs. Many woman and children as young as 3 were employed in the factories until 1819 Cotton Mills act was passed preventing children under 9 from working and children under 16 from working more then 12 hours.Due to this exploitation of workers, the mill owners became fabulously wealthy. In addition to exploiting their workers, areas such as the textile trade imported cheap raw materials and sold them on for a la rge profit. Life in industrial cities Law and order Due to the poverty of many crime rates soared in the 19th century, in 1800 75% of these were petty thefts such as pick pocketing many of these were children, this is explored in Dickens’s Oliver twist, with his depiction of Fagin’s gang of pickpockets.Many people were also involved in marches as a way as campaigning for their rights and gaining fairer wages /wanting the right to vote and actions such as the luddites revolt. The judicial system of the time was varied and punishments such as prison, hanging and deportation was given out. In 1829 the Metropolitan Police were set up and in 1835 towns were allowed to set up their own police force. Education Before 1870, there was no standardised way of educating children in Britain; there was no Free State education until 1891.Prior to this the majority of children receiving education were those of the wealthy they were often educated at home by nannies. Once the boys were old enough (around 10/11) they would be sent to public school i. e. Eaton then progress to law school or become doctors. . Children of the poor were sent out to work when they were deemed old enough, education was not as important as earning a wage. However with the poor law amendment act, children entering the workhouse were also to receive education. Living conditions:Due to the rate of urban expansion houses were built quickly and were of poor quality, with areas often being referred to as ‘slums’. There was often housing shortages which resulted in cramped living spaces were whole families often lived in one room. ‘Hideous slums, some of them acres wide, some no more than crannies of obscure misery, make up a substantial part of the, metropolis †¦ In big, once handsome houses, thirty or more people of all ages may inhabit a single room’ Due to the high rent charges imposed by landlords and the growing demand for jobs many people became homeless an d ived on the streets. The streets were frightening places and this poverty and destitution gave rise to such social problems as alcoholism and prostitution as a way of escaping and making ends meet. Health conditions These cramp conditions also meant little to no sanitation which lead on to the spread of disease such as cholera, typhoid ad smallpox. In an article in 1849, author Henry Mayhew wrote how a ditch ran through the streets of London into which sewage emptied from this ditch the people would also drink. As we gazed in horror at it, we saw drains and sewers emptying their filthy contents into it; we saw a whole tier of doorless privies in the open road, common to men and women built over it; we heard bucket after bucket of filth splash into it’ Bad health for the poor can also be attributed to the corn law of 1804, in that the landowners imposed taxes on imported corn to protect their profits, thus making the price of bread, a staple of the poor mans diet, far more e xpensive. This in conjunction with a bad harvest in 1816 meant prices became higher still.Edwin Chadwick was a huge influence on the development of sanitation when he published ‘The Chadwick Report’ The Chadwick report In 1837, there were epidemics of influenza and typhoid. Edwin Chadwick was asked to compile a report looking at the living conditions of the poor. He conducted his report between 1839 and 1841. In his report he argued that disease was a direct result of poor sanitary conditions, concluding that reform must be made. In 1848 the ‘Public Health Act’ was passed. This act ensured that water and sewage supplies were clean as well as cleaning the streets and refuse collection was introduced.Chadwick was appointed Sanitation Commissioner and also president of the association of public sanitary inspectors in 1884. During his time in these roles he argued ways public health could be improved. These included the availability of fresh, clean water, water closets in every house and a sewage network which disposed of waste far away from inhabited areas. The old poor law The old poor law was introduced in 1601 and gave help to any poor person within the parish be it through monetary means, medical or the giving of food. This relief was paid for via poor rate, which was paid by local taxes.By 1832, the country was paying ? 7 million per anum to the able bodied poor and topping up low wages, something which the wealthy disagreed with. They argued that this encouraged laziness as a man knew he could work less and receive the same amount of money. They also argued it would have a negative effect on labouring, thus plunging the country into poverty. In 1834 a report was commissioned into bettering the welfare of the poor and reducing the government’s expenditure. The findings of this report lead onto the reform of the poor law. The poor law amendment act 1834Under this new act, the parishes were grouped into unions and each union wa s to build a workhouse. The unions were prevented from giving outside help to the poor and help was only accessible to those willing to give up their homes and enter the workhouses. The workhouses were deemed the ultimate humiliation to the poor and was meant to act as a deterrent to the able bodied poor. Conditions inside the workhouses were purposely bad and families were split up and sent to different living quarters. They were fed on basic food rations and children received education within the workhouses in exchange for several hours of daily manual labour.The workhouses were very unpopular and not all people agreed with the poor law. Richard Oastler referred to the workhouses as ‘prisons’ and several workhouses such as Andover Workhouse were published in the media for their horrific conditions. Charles dickens also sympathised with the poor stating in his novels that individuals in the workhouse were treated worse than criminals. ‘we have come to this absurd , this dangerous, this monstrous pass, that the dishonest felon is, in respect of cleanliness, order, diet, and accommodation, better provided for, and taken care of, than the honest pauper. Due to this the government set strict rules for the running of the workhouse. They were not always followed however. Conclusion It is evident that this period of history had a profound and ever-changing effect on the society of Britain, which can still be seen today. Many people suffered, sacrificed and fought for the rights to change their circumstances. New innovations and developments meant Britain became an industrial giant, and one of the wealthiest countries of its time. As well as a positive effect, like all things, there is also a negative. For the vast wealth created there were those who were exploited and became destitute.It can be argued however that this was necessary and without the suffering, progression would not have been possible. —————— ————————– [ 1 ]. C. Alexander 1848 [ 2 ]. Early Victorian Britain, J. F. C Harrison, Fontana press, London, 1988, Page 18 [ 3 ]. http://www. flowofhistory. com/units/eme/17/fc113 retrieved 20/01/12 [ 4 ]. http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/Pwhigs. htm, retrieved 1/12/11 [ 5 ]. Early Victorian Britain, J. F. C Harrison, Fontana press, London, 1988, Page 39 [ 6 ]. Summary of the duties of a justice of the peace out of sessions, H Pye, J Butterworth and sons 1827, Page 43 [ 7 ]. ttp://vcp. e2bn. org/teachers/11466-timeline. html retrieved 28/1/12 [ 8 ]. http://www. bbc. co. uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/education_health/laissez_faire_07. shtml retrieved 28/1/12 [ 9 ]. The Victorian underworld, K Chesney, Penguin books, 1991 [ 10 ]. http://www. hiddenlives. org. uk/articles/poverty. html retrieved 28/1/12 [ 11 ]. http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/PRcorn. htm retrieved 28/1/12 [ 12 ]. Edwin Chadwick, Poor la w and public health, R Watson, Longman group limited, England, 1990, page 6-15 [ 13 ]. A Christmas carol, C Dickens, Broadveiw press, 2003 page 204.