Historian’s Wizard of Oz Review Essay Example for Free

Historian’s Wizard of Oz Review Essay the movie `wizard of oz`, the strengths and weaknesses of each document, the major differences between the documents, and feedback on any links to present day political and economic issues. Investigate the authors background. Introduction The Historian’s Wizard Of Oz, first published in 1900, made ripples in the literary world and its writer L. Frank Baum shoot to eminence, and the result was so many of the sequels. When MGM, in 1939, decided to convert this hit into movie version, many of the adaptations of Wizard of Oz had been appeared on stage. Although the film did not cause swell at the box office sales in the beginning, but made waves, as people become conscious to its hidden meaning, years following its initial release. â€Å"Its status as an American classic owes more to television, as The Wizard of Oz became an annual television event in the 1950s and 1960s. The universal quality of the story and the warmth of the film made it appealing to people of all ages. Who wouldve thought that The Wizard of Oz contained hidden meanings†?1 Critics and observers has been interpreted this mega hit in different ways for more than a century now. And it is Henry Littlefield, a high school teacher; presented the most illustrious interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. it is a fact that Baum had been very much involved in active politics in the last decades of 1800s.But, Baum never made claim at any stage that that the story, in its contents, was an allegory for politics. â€Å"Baums story corresponded to the issues and figures in American politics at the end of the 19th century. Littlefield found that he could use The Wizard of Oz to teach history to his students, as the story functioned well as an allegory to the Populist movement and the 1896 presidential election†. 2 Populism, the Key Issues of 1896 and Impact on Culture More than 50 translations has been made in various languages of East and West of The Wizard of Oz so far. Even, due to its popularity, different countries adapted in a way to match the corrosponding conditions of the local culture. For instance, â€Å"in some countries where the Hindu religion is practiced, abridged versions of the book were published in which, for religious reasons, the Tin Woodsman was replaced with a snake†. 1 When Henry Littlefield article was published in American Quarterly then people began to realize that The Wizard of Oz was a parable on Populism, a prototype of a rural political awakening in the last decades of 1800. The Populist Party of late 19th century mobilized the Farmers Alliances to its advantage. â€Å"Farmers faced considerable economic hardship and they believed that monetary policy was determined by eastern bankers and industrial interests. The Farmers Alliances wanted greater government regulation of railroads, tax reform and the free coinage of silver to increase the money supply†. 3 Wizard of the Oz made great impression on American, Russian, and other European countries. â€Å"A mere sampling of the breadth in which it is referenced might include Futurama (which parodied it in an episode), The Cinnamon Bear (a 1938 radio serial), RahXephon (a 2002 Japanese animated television show), Zardoz (a 1974 Sean Connery movie), Wizard and Glass (a 1997 Stephen King fantasy/Western novel), and the science fiction literature of Robert Heinlein†. 4 The Wizard of Oz: the movie: the Ups and Downs Although Baum produced the Oz film series in 1908 and 1914 but the most famous adaptation is the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland as Dorothy. Francis MacDonell argues that the movie is an allegory of New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelts program of social welfare to combat the widespread hardship of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The man primarily responsible for injecting this political message into the film was lyricist E.Y. Yip Harburg, who was a socialist and supporter of Roosevelts policies. Harburg had written the lyrics to Brother Can You Spare a Dime? which served as an apt anthem for the Great Depression. 5 The movie is magical and creative, its pluses is as MacDonnell described, The Wizard of Oz, †¦is a brightly-colored, visually bold, rapidly paced extravaganza, full of gaudy sets, outlandish costumes, and way-over-the-top acting.6 But, some of the scenes were insipid (the ridiculous conclusion of the poppy field sequence) or misplaced (the Cowardly Lions song, which occurs at perhaps the least appropriate moment). 5 A look into Frank Baum’s Life and His Political Ambitions L Frank Baum was born on 15 May 1856 in Chittennnango, New York. His earlier interest in the newspapers and magazines but when he entered in his 20s he started taking interest in theaters and operas. His mother was one of the leading champions of the Women’s Rights Movements. He shoot to eminence when he teamed up with Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator, and wrote his first book Mother Goose in Prose, afterwards he together with illustrator William Wallace he published Father Goose, His Book. Both books had drawn huge attention from the children. Nobody can say with surety that Frank Baum really preplanned to produce a work that was so much critical of the monetary aspects of the 1896 election. â€Å"Yet it is not too much of a stretch to interpret the imagery of the story in this light. Of all the fantasy characters Baum could have created to accompany Dorothy on her journey, he chose characters that evoked so strongly the occupations of ordinary people in the late-19th century—farmers and industrial workers. Lawrence Swaim suggests that Baum may not have been conscious of [the political significance of the Oz imagery], which would explain why the political references in Baums books pop up in such a surrealistic way.1 It is surprising none of the Baum biographers identified that if Baum had any political intention to write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. â€Å"If Baum had been a Populist supporter, the imagery in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz suggests that Baum had lost his zeal for the Populist movement.† 1 Endnotes 1. Ranjit S. Dighe, The Historians Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baums Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002) 2. Richard Jensen, The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1885-1896 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971) 3. Martin Gardner and Russell B. Nye, eds., The Wizard of Oz and Who He Was (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1994) 4. William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture, (New York: Vintage Books, 1993) 5. Lynette Carpenter, Theres No Place Like Home: The Wizard of Oz and American Isolationism, Film and History 15 (May, 1985), pp. 37-45 6. Francis MacDonnell, The Emerald City Was the New Deal: E.Y. Harburg and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Journal of American Culture (13 (Winter 1990), pp. 71-75.

Reintroducing Bison Restores the Great Plains Ecosystem :: Environment Animals Nature Ecology Essays

Reintroducing Bison Restores the Great Plains Ecosystem Great Plains history The Great Plains offer a familiar story of overexploitation and the emergence of the need to fix the damage. Today rural areas are showing the decline of traditional agriculture and extractive land uses that have left the area barren and unproductive. Restoration projects, in particular those involving the reintroduction of the bison, give an example of bringing the native ecosystem of an area back to life. Grasslands once covered 40% of our nation, the bison once ranged over 48 of our states. Pre-settlement bison population estimates range from 30 to 70 million, after the extensive overexploitation of these animals their numbers dwindled to less than two dozen (Walters, 1996). The grasslands were a highly productive ecosystem even when the bison numbered in the millions because the two coevolved with each other adapting to conditions as well as each other. Today's cattle from the old world have replaced the bison's place in the plains degrading them while collecting the majority of the grains produced by American agriculture. Given the natural intact environment, bison thrive on their own without outside help. They are adapted to the harsh plains, "burned into the genes of bison is the speed and agility needed to outrun a prairie fire or track the greenup path of a summer thunderstorm. This is an animal shaped by millennia of natural selective pressures in the Great Plains environment, " Fox and biologist Craig Knowles wrote (Defenders). The Great Plains have suffered cycles of booms and busts since its early white settlement. The first began in 1862 with the Homestead Act. The Act gave pioneer families 160 acres of free federal land to be farmed for five years. This was the start of federally subsidized settlement that caused soil erosion and the lowering of the water table eventually leading to heavy depopulation. The next cycle began in the early 1900s with new homestead laws and larger free land incentives. This second cycle ended with the Great Depression, drought, the Dust Bowl, the abolition of homesteading, and was illustrated to us in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. The third cycle beginning in the 1940s reached its peak in the 1970s when the Department of Agriculture encouraged fence-post to fence-post cultivation. By the mid 1980s the bust phase set in and is still continuing (Popper, 1994). The Buffalo Commons The Buffalo Commons is a phrase that was coined by Deborah E.

Advertising Print Essay

It is my great pleasure to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of number of people who helped me in successful completing of this project. Firstly I would like to express my heartily gratitude and sincere thanks to Mr. Agarwal Sir for allowing me to do this project and gratefully acknowledge the contribution by him without his support and valuable suggestion this project could not be successful. I offer my heart self regards to Mrs Aradhana Albert for her continuous guidance, monitoring and informal discussion which become light for me in the entire duration of this project in overcoming the barrier and reaching this stage. Finally I am sincerely thankful to others who have directly or indirectly helped me in the completion of the project. (SHILPA JINDAL) 1|Page PREFACE The title of my project is ETHICAL ISSUES IN ADVERTISING. Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor So basically advertising is a mass communications device through which companies promote or market their product to the consumer, and this enables them to make informed consumption decisions. As now a days advertisements have a very great impact on the consumer’s behavior; it plays very important role in our Indian economy directly or indirectly. so if it become unethical it leads our society in wrong direction. To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by the government and I want to throw a light on this only. As it is a very wide field so here I am restricted to the electronic media only. We have to think about this unethical problem and this wrong presentation of business. So that we can give good ethics to our youngsters. 2|Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TITLE The title of the project is â€Å"ETHICAL ISSUES IN ADVERTISEMENT†. Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor. INTRODUCTION Advertising plays an important part in our everyday lives as it enables us to choose between different ranges of products. These products are promoted through different types of advertisements and cater to all types of markets. On the other hand advertising is plagued with social and ethical issues as it results in over consumption and waste of resources. Advertising creates an environment where it abuses certain values and interests that are not universally agreed upon. For example in 2001 Yves Saint Laurent launched a fragrance called ‘Opium which featured a naked model. This stirred controversy and people found it offensive and sex was being used openly to promote a perfume. For a fashion magazine the advertisement was fine but for billboards it was inappropriate and some social groups found it morally and ethically wrong. Some times advertising draws mixed response from the public, while sometimes it becomes controversial. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF STUDY Many advertisements are designed to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation and reinvention of the â€Å"brand image†. For these purposes, advertisements sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual information. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including television, radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, video games, the Internet, carrier bags and billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a company or other organization. 3|Page Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible and one of the most important tools of marketing communication that helps to sell products, services, ideas and images etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the need of the times. Whether one likes it or not, advertisements are everywhere. They are seen on the walls, on the back of buses, in play grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and even on aeroplanes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the television, on internet and are even heard on radio. The fact is that we are being bombarded with advertisements day in and day out from all imaginable media. The average consumer is exposed to a very large number of advertisements every day, particularly the urban and semi urban population. In spite of this, to the dismay and irritation of some and enjoyment of others, advertisement will continue to make their presence felt in our lives and influence our lives in many unsuspecting ways because of rapid changes in macro- environment and in our perception, impressions, feelings, attitudes and behaviour. It seems almost impossible to remain totally neutral and not take any notice of modern-day advertising. The most visible part of the advertising process is the advertisements that we see, read, or hear and praise or criticise. Many suitable adjectives are used to describe advertising, depending on how an individual is reacting, such as great, dynamic, alluring, fascinating, annoying, boring, intrusive, irritating and offensive, etc. METHODOLOGY For completing this project the required information or the raw data is gathered from the sources like websites , journals, magazines ,text books etc which is the most difficult task of this project making as it is the most time consuming process. but overall this topic is quite interesting to gain knowledge about the ethics in ads the controversial ads also. The purpose of taking this topic is that in the present scenario advertisement has a great impact on the consumer’s behavior so if it becomes unethical it will lead the society in the wrong direction. To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by 4|Page the government or regulation bodies and i want to throw a light on this only. Ethics basically refers to what is right, good or consistent with virtue. Advertising generates complex ethical questions which have to be considered, as this mode of communication commits some highly controversial ethical acts which are damaging to the society as a whole. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Here I am restricted to the ethical issues of advertisement related to television media only as this subject has a very wide arena to be focused on. Her I just want to know that how much these set standards are successful in maintaining the dignity of the Indian’s beliefs and their feeling. 5|Page RESEARCH METHODOLOGY TITLE – Ethical Issues In Advertising Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. Ethics refers to principles that define behavior as right, good and proper. Such principles do not always dictate a single â€Å"moral† course of action, but provide a means of evaluating and deciding among competing options. In the present scenario advertisement has a great impact on the consumer’s behavior so if it becomes unethical it will lead the society in the wrong direction. To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by the government or regulation bodies. DURATION OF PROJECT This is a very long term project so we have been provided with a period of one month for the completion. To make it easy this period was bifurcated into various sections of making blue print, abstract, collecting primary data, secondary data, making preliminary report, secondary report and final report at the end which makes the whole process easy to attempt. OBJECTIVE Advertising plays an important part in our everyday lives as it enables us to choose between different ranges of products. These products are promoted through different types of advertisements and cater to all types of markets. On the other hand advertising is 6|Page plagued with social and ethical issues as it results in over consumption and waste of resources. ‘Advertising creates an environment where it abuses certain values and interests that are not universally agreed upon. Advertisements as Mirrors of prevailing norms Marketers claim that advertising simply mirrors the attitudes and values of the surrounding culture. No doubt advertising, like the media of social communications in general, does act as a mirror. But, also like media in general. It is a mirror that helps shape the reality it reflects, and sometimes it presents a distorted image of reality. Advertisers are selective about the values and attitudes to be fostered and encouraged, promoting some while ignoring others The purpose of taking this topic is that in the present scenario advertisement has a great impact on the consumer’s behavior so if it becomes unethical it will lead the society in the wrong direction. To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by the government or regulation bodies and I want to throw a light on this only. I can differentiate my objectives for taking this topic as follows: †¢ To know the various ethical marketing strategies of the market leaders. †¢ To know how can we make a ethical advertisement. †¢ To know the impact of unethical advertisement on the society. †¢ To enhance my marketing skills. †¢ To know the role of advertisement in the success of any organization. TYPE OF RESEARCH As I took the data from magazines , books, internet links , journals and news papers. It is research of descriptive type. SCOPE OF STUDY Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible and one of the most important tools of marketing communication that helps to sell products, services, ideas and images etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the need of the times. Whether one likes it or not, advertisements are everywhere. They are seen on the walls, on the back of 7|Page buses, in play grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and even on aero planes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the television, on internet and are even heard on radio. Here I am focusing mainly on the media as a source of advertising. The fact is that we are being bombarded with advertisements day in and day out from all imaginable media. The average consumer is exposed to a very large number of advertisements everyday, particularly the urban and semi urban population. In spite of this, to the dismay and irritation of some and enjoyment of others, advertisement will continue to make their presence felt in our lives and influence our lives in many unsuspecting ways because of rapid changes in macro- environment and in our perception, impressions, feelings, attitudes and behaviors. It seems almost impossible to remain totally neutral and not take any notice of modern-day advertising. The most visible part of the advertising process is the advertisements that we see, read, or hear and praise or criticize. 8|Page CORE STUDY INTRODUCTION Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor So basically advertising is a mass communications device through which companies promote or market their product to the consumer, and this enables them to make informed consumption decisions. Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible and one of the most important tools of marketing communication that helps to sell products, services, ideas and images etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the need of the times. Whether one likes it or not, advertisements are everywhere. They are seen on the walls, on the back of buses, in play grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and even on aeroplanes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the television, on internet and are even heard on radio. The fact is that we are being bombarded with advertisements day in and day out from all imaginable media. The average consumer is exposed to a very large number of advertisements everyday, particularly the urban and semi urban population. In spite of this, to the dismay and irritation of some and enjoyment of others, advertisement will continue to make their presence felt in our lives and influence our lives in many unsuspecting ways because of rapid changes in macro- environment and in our perception, impressions, feelings, attitudes and behaviour. It seems almost impossible to remain totally neutral and not take any notice of modern-day advertising. The most visible part of the advertising process is the advertisements that we see, read, or hear and praise or criticise. Many suitable 9|Page adjectives are used to describe advertising, depending on how an individual is reacting, such as great, dynamic, alluring, fascinating, annoying, boring, intrusive, irritating and offensive, etc. Advertising plays an important part in our everyday lives as it enables us to choose between different ranges of products. These products are promoted through different types of advertisements and cater to all types of markets. . Advertising enables producers to expand their markets and therefore take advantage of economies of scale to reduce unit production costs Many advertisements are designed to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation and reinvention of the â€Å"brand image†. For these purposes, advertisements sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual information. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including television, radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, video games, the Internet, carrier bags and billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a company or other organization. On the other hand advertising is plagued with social and ethical issues as it results in over consumption and waste of resources. ‘Ethics basically refers to what is right, good or consistent with virtue. Advertising generates complex ethical questions which have to be considered, as this mode of communication commits some highly controversial ethical acts which are damaging to the society as a whole. It promotes overselling, exploitation of vulnerable groups, vulgarity, offending the public, promoting socially harmful values or behavior and intrusion of privacy. Advertising creates an environment where it abuses certain values and interests that are not universally agreed upon. For example in 2001 Yves Saint Laurent launched a fragrance called ‘Opium which featured a naked model. This stirred controversy and people found it offensive and sex was being used openly to promote a perfume. For a fashion magazine the advertisement was fine but for billboards it was inappropriate and 10 | P a g e some social groups found it morally and ethically wrong. Some times advertising draws mixed response from the public, while sometimes it becomes controversial. NEED OF ADVERTISING Advertising is the promotion of a company’s products and services carried out primarily to drive sales of the products and services but also to build a brand identity and communicate changes or new product /services to the customers. Advertising has become an essential element of the corporate world and hence the companies allot a considerable amount of revenues as their advertising budget. There are several reasons for advertising some of which are as follows: †¢ Increasing the sales of the product/service †¢ Creating and maintaining a brand identity or brand image. †¢ Communicating a change in the existing product line. †¢ Introduction of a new product or service. †¢ Increasing the buzz-value of the brand or the company. Significance of Advertising Basically advertising creates wants but does not fulfill them, a person may see an advertisement for a product, it might be glossy and fancy and he might be attracted to buy the product. He might eventually buy it but it will not satisfy him it will just be a waste. It’s a short term material satisfaction which just drives the economy by over consumption of goods and services. It keeps the consumer in doubt about what to buy and in what quantities and this doubt in turn has ethical implications. Four reasons are attributed to the fugacious nature of the way advertising practices are being carried out in developing countries. 11 | P a g e 1. The role of Information and Communication technologies: As ICTs evolve so do marketing practices. If yesterday it was television that revolutionized the way advertisements could create a lasting impact on the consumer, then today the internet and phone text messages are doing just that. 2. The world today is an increasingly global village: Social and ethnic boundaries are fast falling in the wake of cable television and the like. 3. Rapid economic expansions in countries like China and India have meant that marketers have to quickly respond to the changing socio-economic scenarios. Millions of people have entered the middle class and millions more are poised to do so. For marketers, the consequences can be mind boggling-as incomes and spending powers rise, marketers have to respond to increasing demands from consumers. 4. Better and improved marketing research has meant that the entire populace is not seen in totality but rather as a congeries of different types of consumers. TYPES OF ADVERTISING There can be several branches of advertising. Mentioned below are the various categories or types of advertising. 12 | P a g e Celebrity Broadcast advertising Advertising Print OutdoorAdvertising Advertising TYPES OF Infomercials ADVERTISING Public Service Advertising Covert Advertising Surrogate Advertising 13 | P a g e 1. Print Advertising – Newspapers, Magazines, Brochures, and Fliers and less popular newspaper would cost far less than placing an advertisement in a popular newspaper The print media have always been a popular advertising medium. Advertising products via newspapers or magazines is a common practice. In addition to this, the print media also offers options like promotional brochures and fliers for advertising purposes. Often the newspapers and the magazines sell the advertising space according to the area occupied by the advertisement, the position of the advertisement (front page/middle page), as well as the readership of the publications. For instance an advertisement in a relatively new with a high readership. The price of print ads also depend on the supplement in which they appear, for example an advertisement in the glossy supplement costs way higher than that in the newspaper supplement which uses a mediocre quality paper. 2. Outdoor Advertising–Billboards, Kiosks, Tradeshows and Events 14 | P a g e Outdoor advertising is also a very popular form of advertising, which makes use of several tools and techniques to attract the customers outdoors. The most common examples of outdoor advertising are billboards, kiosks, and also several events and tradeshows organized by the company. The billboard advertising is very popular however has to be really terse and catchy in order to grab the attention of the passersby. The kiosks not only provide an easy outlet for the company products but also make for an effective advertising tool to promote the company’s products. Organizing several events or sponsoring them makes for an excellent advertising opportunity. The company can organize trade fairs, or even exhibitions for advertising their products. If not this, the company can organize several events that are closely associated with their field. For instance a company that manufactures sports utilities can sponsor a sports tournament to advertise its products. 3. Broadcast advertising – Television, Radio and the Internet The radio jingles have been very popular advertising media and have a large impact on the audience, which is evident in the fact that many people still remember and enjoy the popular radio jingles Broadcast advertising is a very popular advertising medium that constitutes of several 15 | P a g e branches like television, radio or the Internet. Television advertisements have been very popular ever since they have been introduced. The cost of television advertising often depends on the duration of the advertisement, the time of broadcast (prime time/peak time), and of course the popularity of the television channel on which the advertisement is going to be broadcasted. The radio might have lost its charm owing to the new age media however the radio remains to be the choice of small-scale advertisers. 4. Covert Advertising – Advertising in Movies Covert advertising is a unique kind of advertising in which a product or a particular brand is incorporated in some entertainment and media channels like movies, television shows or even sports. There is no commercial in the entertainment but the brand or the product is Subtly ( or sometimes evidently) showcased in the entertainment show. Some of the famous examples for this sort of advertising have to be the appearance of brand Nokia which is displayed on Tom Cruise’s phone in the movie Minority Report, or the use of Cadillac cars in the movie Matrix Reloaded. 16 | P a g e surrogate Common examples include of Fosters and Kingfisher beer help Indirectly brands, which are often seen Advertising to promote their brand with – the Advertising advertising. 5. Surrogate Surrogate advertising is prominently seen in cases where advertising a particular product is banned by law. Advertisement for products like cigarettes or alcohol which are injurious to heath are prohibited by law in several countries and hence these companies have to come up with several other products that might have the same advertising as an effective energy communication medium to convey AIDS, socially relevant messaged about like 17 | P a g e important matters and social welfare causes Causes integrity, – Advertising for Social political 6. Public Service Advertising conservation, bottles of the same brand. deforestation, illiteracy, poverty and people of the cigarettes or beer so on. ent or the summary of an interesting point. You can position the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting of the pull quote text box. ] brand name and indirectly remind Today public service advertising has been increasingly used in a non-commercial fashion in several countries across the world in order to promote various social causes. In USA, the radio and television stations are granted on the basis of a fixed amount of Public service advertisements aired by the channel. 7. Celebrity Advertising 18 | P a g e and the modern day consumer getting immune to the exaggerated claims made in a majority of advertisements, there exist a section of advertisers that Using celebrities for advertising involves signing up celebrities for advertising campaigns, which consist of all sorts of advertising including, television ads or even print advertisements. Although the audience is getting smarter and smarter still bank upon celebrities and their popularity for advertising their products. Infomercials There are two types of infomercials, described as long form and short form. Long form infomercials have a time length of 30 minutes. Short form infomercials are 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. Infomercials are also known as direct response television (DRTV) commercials or direct response marketing. The main objective in an infomercial is to create an impulse purchase, so that the consumer sees the presentation and then immediately buys the product through the advertised toll-free telephone number or website. Infomercials describe, display, and 19 | P a g e often demonstrate products and their features, and commonly have testimonials from consumers and industry professionals. ETHICS 1. INTRODUCTION In this era of globalization &multinational competition, ethical practices in business are assuming importance as relationships with various suppliers& customers are shaped by ethical practices& mutual trust. So, ethical decision taking assumes importance in today’s corporate world. 2. What Is Ethics? Ethics refers to principles that define behavior as right, good and proper. Such principles do not always dictate a single â€Å"moral† course of action, but provide a means of evaluating and deciding among competing options. The terms â€Å"ethics† and â€Å"values† are not interchangeable. Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas values are the inner judgments that determine how a person actually behaves. Values concern ethics when they pertain to beliefs about what is right and wrong. Most values, however, have nothing to do with ethics. For instance, the desire for health and wealth are values, but not ethical values. 3. The Importance of Universality Most people have convictions about what is right and wrong based on religious beliefs, cultural roots, family background, personal experiences, laws, organizational values, professional norms and political habits. These are not the best values to make ethical decisions by — not because they are unimportant, but because they are not universal. In 20 | P a g e contrast to consensus ethical values — such basics as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship — personal and professional beliefs vary over time, among cultures and among members of the same society. They are a source of continuous historical disagreement, even wars. There is nothing wrong with having strong personal and professional moral convictions about right and wrong, but unfortunately, some people are â€Å"moral imperialists† who seek to impose their personal moral judgments on others. The universal ethical value of respect for others dictates honoring the dignity and autonomy of each person and cautions against selfrighteousness in areas of legitimate controversy. 4. Why Be Ethical? People have lots of reasons for being ethical: †¢ There is inner benefit. Virtue is its own reward. †¢ There is personal advantage. It is prudent to be ethical. It’s good business. †¢ There is approval. Being ethical leads to self-esteem, the admiration of loved ones and the respect of peers. †¢ There is religion. Good behavior can please or help serve a deity. †¢ There is habit. Ethical actions can fit in with upbringing or training. There are obstacles to being ethical, which include: †¢ The ethics of self-interest When the motivation for ethical behavior is self-interest, decision-making is reduced to risk-reward calculations. If the risks from ethical behavior are high – or the risks from unethical behavior are low and the reward is high – moral principles succumb to expediency. †¢ This is not a small problem 21 | P a g e Many people cheat on exams, lie on resumes, and distort or falsify facts at work. The real test of our ethics is whether we are willing to do the right thing even when it is not in our self-interest. †¢ The pursuit of happiness It depends on how one defines happiness. Our values, what we prize and desire, determine what we think will make us happy. We are free to pursue material goals and physical sensations, but that alone rarely (if ever) leads to enduring happiness. It more often results in a lonely, disconnected, meaningless existence. The morally mature individual finds happiness in grander pursuits than money, status, sex and mood-altering substances. A deeper satisfaction lies in honoring universal ethical values, that is, values that people everywhere believe should inform behavior. That unity between principled belief and honorable behavior is the foundation for real happiness. †¢ Ethical Principle in Advertising All advertising should be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Every advertisement should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility and should conform to the principles of fair competition, as generally accepted in business. No advertisement should be such as to impair public confidence in advertising. †¢ Decency Advertisements should not contain statements or visual presentations which offend prevailing standards of decency †¢ Honesty Advertisements should be so framed as not to abuse the trust of consumers or exploit their lack of experience or knowledge. †¢ Social Responsibility 22 | P a g e 1. Advertisements should not condone any form of discrimination, including that based upon race, national origin, religion, sex or age, nor should they in any way undermine human dignity. 2. Advertisements should not (without justifiable reason) play on fear. 3. Advertisements should not appear to condone or incite violence, or to encourage unlawful or reprehensible behavior. 4. Advertisements should not play on superstition. †¢ Truthful presentation Advertisements should not contain any statement or visual presentation which directly or by implication, omission, ambiguity or exaggerated claim is likely to mislead the consumer, in particular with regard to: 1. characteristics such as: nature, composition, method and date of manufacture, range of use, efficiency and performance, quantity, commercial or geographical origin or environmental impact; 2. the value of the product and the total price actually to be paid; 3. delivery, exchange, return, repair and maintenance; 4. terms of guarantee; 5. copyright and industrial property rights such as patents, trade marks, designs and models and trade names; 6. official recognition or approval, awards of medals, prizes and diplomas; 7. the extent of benefits for charitable causes. 8. Advertisements should not misuse research results or quotations from technical and scientific publications. Statistics should not be so presented as to exaggerate the validity of advertising claims. Scientific terms should not be used to falsely ascribe scientific validity to advertising claims. †¢ Comparisons 23 | P a g e Advertisements containing comparisons should be so designed that the comparison is not likely to mislead, and should comply with the principles of fair competition. Points of comparison should be based on facts that can be substantiated and should not be unfairly selected. †¢ Unassembled Merchandise When advertised merchandise requires partial or complete assembly by the purchaser, the advertising should disclose that fact, e. g. , â€Å"unassembled,† â€Å"partial assembly required. † †¢ Testimonials Advertisements should not contain or refer to any testimonial or endorsement unless it is genuine, verifiable, relevant and based on personal experience or knowledge. Testimonials or endorsements that have become obsolete or misleading through passage of time should not be used †¢ Portrayal or imitation of personal property Advertisements should not portray or refer to any persons, whether in a private or a public capacity, unless prior permission has been obtained; nor should advertisements without prior permission depict or refer to any person’s property in a way likely to convey the impression of a personal endorsement. †¢ Exploitation of goodwill Advertisements should not make unjustifiable use of the name, initials, logo and/or trademarks of another firm, company or institution nor should advertisements in any way take undue advantage of another firm, person or institution’s goodwill in its name, trade name or other intellectual property, nor should advertisements take advantage of the goodwill earned by other advertising campaigns. †¢ Imitation 24 | P a g e 1. Advertisements should not imitate the general layout, text, slogan, visual presentation, music and sound effects, etc. , of any other advertisements in a way that is likely to mislead or confuse the consumer. 2. Where advertisers have established distinctive advertising campaigns in one or more countries, other advertisers should not unduly imitate these campaigns in the other countries where the former may operate, thus preventing them from extending their campaigns within a reasonable period of time to such countries

Strategic Alliances and International Mergers and...

Strategic Alliances and International Mergers and Acquisitions in the Modern Global Business Environment The modern globalized world has triggered stark change in the actions of many of the actors in traditional society. One such actor that has embraced this change and recognized its benefits is in the area of international business. With globalization providing access to a myriad of new networks, markets, and technology at an unprecedented pace, international business firms have aligned themselves to capitalize on these new opportunities. While inter-firm alliances, mergers, and acquisitions are certainly not a new innovation in international business practice, the modern international business environment has seen a significant†¦show more content†¦However, with the rise of globalization, technological innovation and communication networks have grown grew to lead in the formulation of â€Å"alliance capitalism† (466). Alliance capitalism has been brought about by the changing climate of the world economy, mainly as a result of globalization and technological innova tion. According the Dunning, the â€Å"critical feature of this new trajectory—which is essentially the outcome of a new series of landmark technological advances and of globalization of many kinds of value added activity—is that it portrays the organization of productions and transactions as involving both cooperation and competition between the leading wealth creating agents† (467). This shift in ideology to a more cooperative approach over an ownership-based mentality to global business has created a new set of motivations to arise of out inter-firm alliance, mergers, and acquisition activity. In their essay entitled, Alliances, Acquisitions, and Multinational Advantage, Sarianna Lundan and John Hagedoorn, agree with Dunning’s assessment that there has been a fundamental shift in the world economic environment. According to Lundan and Hagedoorn, â€Å"the balance has shifted from the exploitation of ownership advantages abroad to, first, improving the efficiency of the existing configuration of activities, and, finally, to the active acquisition of newShow MoreRelatedWalmart Stores, Inc. Relations With Suppliers943 Words   |  4 Pagesconstructs its associations with suppliers in light of legitimate, proficient and reasonable business practices (Wikinvest, 2005). The choice of suppliers is normally made on the premise that they meet the requisite criteria, including - quality, competitive pricing, delivery, adhering to a time schedule, and suitability of merchandise (Wikinvest, 2005). 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