Last Night I Dreamed of Peace book

Dang Thuy Tram’s masterpiece Last Night I Dreamed of Peace is a captivating informative chef-d’oeuvre that demonstrates the author’s love for her country based on the sorrowful situation that the country is undergoing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Last Night I Dreamed of Peace book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As young as 23 years, she associates with the communists’ party in her quest to ensure that the Vietnamese people do not encounter the same situation (National Library Board Para. 3). Love and idealism, as well as the sense of shared humanity, all of which form part of today famous subjects, are crucial lessons with roots in Tram’s work. Tram makes the decision to go to South Vietnam because of her love and youthful idealism that she has for her kindred. Despite the deadly circumstances and appalling conditions that her patients undergo, she opts to make the dreadfu l decision. In spite of the fatal situation, she vows to sacrifice her own life to secure the lives of the patients who have faced attacks and injuries from the American soldiers. Her idealistic nature also plays a vital role in her decision to move to the South of Vietnam. She wishes to see her country in peace despite her age. She aligns herself with the communist party. It proves a tremendously difficult and trying time especially when the war rages on, kills, and destroys people without valid reasons. In fact, referring to the war, Tram says, â€Å"it spares no one, not a baby or an old woman, and the most hideous thing about it is the bloodthirsty Americans† (149). Therefore, Tram makes the choice of moving to South Vietnam to extend her hand in saving the lives of those injured. She also makes her decision to move to South Vietnam because of her spirited heart of humanity, love, longing for the end of the war and the sufferings subjected to the citizens of Vietnam. Her compassion and wish to see the war end also makes her risk her own life to go to the South of Vietnam. She wishes that the war and the fighting in South Vietnam ended to allow people to have their peace and unity. If Tram were alive to day, she would automatically qualify as one amongst the liberators and the heroes of Vietnam history, who assertively sacrificed, not only their time, money, and relationships, but also their own selves solely to cultivate freedom to the Vietnamese citizens. Though dead, Tram speaks volumes and volumes through the marks she left to the people of Vietnam. She has contributed significantly towards the making of the country’s history, as it stands today. It seems quite unfortunate that she succumbed to death at that tender age. Tram stands out as a liberator who, from the evidence of her diary and documentation, shows that she had a vision and a passionate concern to her country.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's se e if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, she is worth acknowledging based on her thought and wish for an end of the inhumanity and brutalities that people of Vietnam were facing. It proves rather sad as Tram expresses her sympathy and concerns by noting that the people of Vietnam remain subjected to invalid pains and sufferings despite their innocence. Therefore, Tram passes for a hero. If she could be alive, she could have gone in the records for understanding and having the courage to liberate the people of Vietnam from the unnecessary pains and killings (Guthrie Para. 3). She refers the Americans people to as merciless and thirsty of other people’s blood, descriptions that she notes bitterly and with sorrow. Therefore, in no doubt, Tram stands out as a true hero. Vietnamese people who enjoy the freedom of today remember and appreciate Tram’s tireless works by acknowledging the cost attached therein. It cost the lives o f protagonists such as Tram. Works Cited Guthrie, John. Last Night I Dream of Peace by Dang Thuy Tram, 2007. Web. National Library Board. Last Night I Dream of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram,  2008. Web. Tram, Thuy. Last Night I Dream of Peace. New York: Random House, 2008. Print. This essay on Last Night I Dreamed of Peace book was written and submitted by user Paityn Cantu to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

advertising agency essays

advertising agency essays Advertising agency is a business that assists advertisers in all stages of the advertising process from account management and planning to message creation, media planning, and research (Bergh Advertising services can be defined as packages of activities that are offered to other companies and which concern the planning, production and or delivery of advertising. Advertising services are bought and designed to improve the purchasing companys performance and well-being (Wilson, 1982). Advertising is expected to influence the attitudes, intentions and behaviour of the clients customers and thus increase sales and contribute to the growth of the client company. The core of any service is linked to the benefit it offers to the buyers. Therefore in buying advertising services, companies are purchasing knowledge and creativity embodied in individual people. Creativity is the heart and soul of advertising services and consequently a vital resource in every business relationship (Halinen, p.28). The following are the characteristics of advertising agency: The advertising services acts, planning, production and delivery of advertising are all essentially intangible activities, despite the fact that the knowledge and creativity ...

Black or White

American society is portrayed in Michael Jackson’s song â€Å"Black or White. † Whereas the racism is defined as a superior behavior against other race-thus making it inferior, the singer refers to this term as â€Å"See, it’s not about races, just places, faces, where your blood comes from is where your space is. † Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists in the music industry, calls for equality in how people view and behave towards each other. The question, which this master thesis investigates, does it matter if you’re black or white, is clearly answered by the singer: â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white. † Jackson was trying to influence his society to act in a similar way and he calls for them to live their lives by Dr. Luther’s dream â€Å"†¦. judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. † However, almost thirty years later, it still seemed only as a dream because he sang: â€Å"I’m tired of this Devil†, where the bad is being represented by the prejudice. At the same time, he clearly states: â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color† – this is where he makes his conclusion. This can imply that even though he doesn’t discriminate and would like to see color prejudice gone, he is still being discriminated against. While being the most prominent artist in the music industry, he still calls himself â€Å"a color† and he rebuts against it and wants to be seen for the person he is and not the pigmentation of his skin. It is widely known that Michael Jackson had many facial plastic surgeries and it is controversial whether or not he altered his skin color by chemical peels or was it the disease called vitiligio that changed his face color to white. Therefore, it can be speculated that he modified skin to appear white, which ultimately is his vision. It can be further questioned – since Michael Jackon can’t win his struggle for racial equality, did he give up and go white – just to end his inner battle? Will all his suffering come to closure since now he looks white? Is this the true answer? It may be deemed as so since the skin color is the guide of one’s position in the society where being white claims supremacy-control and power. It should be noted that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians of all times, having sold over 750 million records worldwide. He has accomplished so much in his life, yet still feels inferior and calls for racial equality in the world. His vision for a better world to live in, free of racism, ends on a sad note: â€Å"It’s black, it’s white†. To summarize, through decades, the blacks have fought to be equal, as the American nation shall guarantee those rights, yet, the society is still divided into the superior, the whites, and inferior- the blacks (and other people of color). Blacks have always been portrayed as the dirty, the poor, the lesser-of-a human type whereas the whites are seen as the dominant, the good type. Again, Jackson does not agree with this stereotype in saying: â€Å"I ain’t second to none. †Moreover, he claims that he will no longer be scared and mentions historical symbol of a KKK group: â€Å"I ain’t scared of your brother, I ain’t scared of no sheets. With his passing in 2009, many of his inner struggles come to the end, but will the next generation start working on being color-free as the king of pop envisioned? America has always struggled with racial issues, especially those of black and white. Some them included racial segregation, education, workforce, banking and even seating on the bus. Black people continuously tried to â€Å"break thru† into community, but were always pushed aside as dirty, poor and unwelcome. We, in modern times, see the United States of America as a country that treats everyone equal. Americans should all be all equal, no matter what race, color, religion or any other characteristics they have. After all, we all remember year 2009, which is when Americans elected their first African American President. Question that comes to mind – why â€Å"first African American President,† not just simply their 44th President? So – the race and color of your skin does matter in modern times. My analyses of selected books, academic journals, films and music video will concentrate and argue if Americans indeed discriminate against race or if it is history and no longer exists in American life. First, I would like to take into consideration the iconic Michael Jackson, one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest singer and performer of the 21st century. Not only his songs deserve a closer look, but also his lifestyle – ideas, fears and the public opinion. â€Å"Black or White† by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell is a one of the greatest singles in Michael’s career. It was released on November 11, 1991. What inspired Michael to particularly select these two topics? Black or white – as implied in the song, he sings about skin color. Songs starts in Africa, possibly showing Jackson’s â€Å"beginning† – he is black. In one of the scenes, Michael sings â€Å"I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody† while he is walking through fire images – which is being compared to KKK and its torch ceremonies. Here, he is portraying his painful vision of KKK and its vision. Later, the performers sing â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color. † What a great statement. Michael, throughout his whole life and his career, shows us his inner and constant fight for a non-racial America. Being black himself, he had struggled and finally came to the top, but still did not achieve the level of happiness – which is â€Å"no color† in his country. Later, Jackson sings on Statue of Liberty’s torch, again possibly reminding us about the KKK, and at the same time – the Statue symbolizes liberty, which for him will be color-free, no discrimination America. We shouldn’t forget about Michael’s actions in this video. In the original version, he is smashing the car, windows and the inn exploded. However, later he had to edit this version to minimize his violent behavior, however. He altered it by adding four racial graffiti messages onto the windows that he was smashing. As I suggested earlier, Michael Jackson is portrayed as an angry black man who simply hates the discrimination against black people and shows his feelings by destroyed his surroundings, as he was being destroyed himself –just for being of black color. In is interesting to observe, the Jackson, when asked to change his destructive aggressive music video, he indeed did change it, but didn’t forget about this hostility towards discrimination. He had just portrayed it differently (graffiti). First message reads: â€Å"Hitler Lives,† then â€Å"Nigger Go Home,† â€Å"No More Wetbacks,† and finally â€Å"KKK Rules. † It can be argued if Michael Jackson is simply smashing windows with those painful ideas – is destroying them – to make a better world? Finally, the song comes from the album â€Å"Dangerous. † What did the author have in mind? Are all of those issues, painful experiences and the fight for non-colored America dangerous? It can be argued that yes. Jackson showed us the dangerous side of being black, where he was always forced to fight and that causes different sorts of trouble. In â€Å"Black or White,† Michael brilliantly portrayed two core problems people were facing daily: black or white. As we look at his lifestyle and constant metamorphoses, Michael Jackson had numerous surgeries that altered the color of his skin and make him â€Å"white. † It is very controversial as many sources quote that Jackson had a condition where one looses a pigment of his skin, called vitiligo. However, Michael Jackson public image is seen as a person who constantly tried to be white, therefore, sought surgeries to help him attain this goal. Michael Jackson shows us that it could have probably been easier to make himself white and not struggle for color-free America, where everyone is equal, no matter of who there are or what they look like. It would also be important to analyze some of the lyrics from Jackson’s music video. He sings: â€Å"I had to tell them I ain’t second to none. † It can be understood that he no longer is accepting the fact that black is â€Å"second,† which is worse, just because of the color. He continues: â€Å"And I told about equality† – he tells us he wants to be considered equal, despite his skin color. Next verse, he has really had enough of being pushed around because he is black â€Å"I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of this business. † Finally, he talks about racism in: â€Å"See, it’s not about races, Just places, Faces, Where your blood, Comes from, Is where your space is, I’ve seen the bright, Get duller, I’m not going to spend, My life being a color. † Here Michael Jackson compares himself to simply being a â€Å"color. † He is less than a human being only because he is not white. He is â€Å"black. Again, he accents his refusal of living his life being black. He wants to be equal, equal to white. It should be also noted that throughout video, Michael Jackson is wearing black and white clothing (white shirt, black blazer, white accents on his right arm and nails, black shoes, white socks). He seems to be a person caught in a black-and-white world and struggles to change it, showing his pain. However, at the very end, he turns into a black panther. This transformation may symbolize him as a black man who will fight for his rights, yet, still remain black. In book â€Å"The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-Lending Enforcement† Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger present racial issues and argue the importance of skin color in banking. It should be noted that this book was published in 2002, year where we all think that American people are equal, especially on racial basis. Therefore, why and how does the skin color come into play in banking? First, the American lenders take many factors into consideration when disbursing the mortgage. Such factors include many details such as the creditor’s ability to repay the loan – where the lender accesses the potential risk of losing the loan. There are many different lenders and they base their information on statistics, demographics and make final decision based on the risk factors. Research showed that mainly blacks would seek loans, which are not favorable to all lenders. Therefore such bank does take race into consideration when reviewing for application for credit. It is also shown that blacks will most likely work with subprime lenders (44%) with comparison to whites (only 4%). Blacks generally cannot use the prime mortgage market due to their poor qualifications, thus creating the black to white ratio of getting the mortgage with figures of 2. 28 denial for prime market and 1. 27 for subprime. At the same time, limited research shows that blacks-even though have some qualifications as white – would remain in the subprime market and thus be charged higher fees. Equal Credit Opportunity Act says: It shall be unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction— n the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract). (U. S. Code Title 15, Chapter 41, Section 1691) This would mean that all people should be treated equally in banks, when doing business in banks, no discrimination in credit transaction. However, authors argue that the bank may take a different look at the person and who they are in â₠¬Å"business necessity† can be proved. Therefore, even while it is regulated by law, certain discriminatory practices can and do exist. Later, it would be rather hard to prove that the lender discriminated based for example on race. All regulations are not very clear and courts find it hard to find such a connection of discrimination. It is implied that blacks, with poorer ability to repay, living in lower income communities, must face subprime, expensive mortgages – to possibly make as much money as possible in the shortest time-so if the black borrower defaults on his payments, the lender wouldn’t lose its investment. This is to compare with the white borrower who lives in the richer-type setting, is more likely to meet his payments, therefore, he is offered a prime mortgage rate, without the necessity to further secure the loan. It can be argued if blacks and whites are treated equally, despite many regulations. On one hand, the lender must adhere to all necessary regulations, but on the other hand, such institution can make necessary decisions to make that mortgage profitable – thus, taking all factors into consideration in the application process. We can further analyze that race and color of skin does matter when one is being evaluated for such an application. It is believed that whites pose a lower risk to a financial institution than blacks. This also means, as authors point out, that black are less likely to be approved for a higher-priced home than a white person, which causes the real estate agents to discriminate and not show the more expensive houses to blacks. Maybe they don’t discriminate, they just know that lender is not likely to approve a black person in comparison to the same application of a white person? It is particularly important to note that authors point out that ‘‘on average, black mortgage applications have higher loan-to value and debt-to-income ratios than do white applications. ’’ In closing, it should be noted that while many regulations exist, there is no proof that racial discrimination has gone away and some research suggests that blacks still have lower approval rate in comparison to the whites. It is said that race does play a key role when the lender looks at your mortgage application.

Motivating Retired Workers Returning to Work Term Paper

Motivating Retired Workers Returning to Work - Term Paper Example According to Salatzar (1993), the retired workers have less ambition than the young workers and therefore are comfortable in the position they work for. Therefore these workers prove to be an asset for the company. Pearsall, a retired worker who rejoined the workforce have mentioned that experience in diverse subjects have assisted him to return to the workforce easily. However Cassidy, vice president for Concurrent Computers have mentioned that the biggest advantage of recruiting retired workers is that they have prior knowledge of the situation. Therefore if the situation happens to be something out of the usual the retired worker will have a higher chance of having prior experience about such situations and will be more at ease to handle the problem. There are several companies like Concurrent Computers that have preferred retired workers in their labor force. It is also necessary for many of the countries like United States to retain the aged people to their workforce because of their demographic nature. In 2002 the number of old people working or seeking work in United States was 62.9%. This is a result of the average age of the country which is very high. Apart from the need that arises due to the shortage in the workforce there is also a need of the retired people due to their expertise and skills in their profession. Moreover the average life span of the population in the developed countries has increased substantially and many people in the retiring age are perfectly healthy to work. Under such circumstances many of the companies and policy makers are looking for ideas to attract the retired workers back to the workforce. Motivations for the Retired Person Estimation by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics show that more than one fourth of the country’s labor force would reach their age of retirement in 2010. This would lead to a huge shortfall in the labor force. Another estimate by the United States Census Bureau suggests that 73% of t he people in the population will have the age 55 or higher in 2020. It also suggests that the increase in the number of young workers in the labor force will be only 5% during the same time. Alan Price (2007, p 429) gives an estimate of 25% of the people in the workforce having an age of 50 or more in 2020. According to another statistic in 2030, 20% of the people in the country will have an age of 65 or higher. Under these circumstances it becomes imperative for the country to motivate the retired people back to their profession in order keep the economy going and sustain the targeted growth (Lockwood, 2003, p.3). Entrepreneurial efforts by the older people have doubles chances of success than the young people (Price, 2007, p.429). A survey was conducted by Metlife to comprehend the work pattern of the people after retirement. A number of people explained their motivation to return to the workforce. The survey showed that the motivation for returning to work varied according to age group. According to the people in their late sixties economic reasons were the main motivating factor for joining the workforce. It has often been seen after retirement the investments and the pensions are insufficient for the retired people to sustain their previous standard of living. Along with that perfect working capabilities

Cave of Forgotten Dreams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Essay Example The French government took control of the cave and to protect its wealth and banned from general visitors. Mr. Herzog managed to get permission from the French government for himself and his crew to go with the researchers inside the cave to dig out the hidden secret of mankind. It was considered as a blast to go inside the cave and to see these images. When researcher and crew saw cave from inside they all were in same astonishing state of mind and seemed like they were deeply touched by the depiction on the walls of cave and in some cases they seemed like talking with eternally lost and dead souls. The painting of physical connection between early man and woman was of prime attraction. Sometimes the director drifts away from the caves and start tagging with perfumer who got ability to sniff and find his way out of the cave.   Archaeologists around the globe are in debate of the age of the cave on whether these Chauvet painting are before 30,000 BP or they are younger. A German archaeologist Chistian Zuchner believes that even if the caves are not that old as presumed still they are rich collection of cave art found anywhere in the world. The cave largely kept Mr. Herzog indulgence in the realm of the world of stories and

Advertising on a Global Scale Essay Example for Free

Advertising on a Global Scale Essay When a company, brand, or product is marketed within several countries, a significantly different approach to advertising must be made opposed to if it was only being sold within one country. A company’s awareness of the international advertising can greatly affect how well a product is accepted by its target audience and how well it sells. The most important aspect of global advertising is an understanding of culture. This involves considering the language barriers, the cultural significance of images and signs, and the applicability that a certain product may have within different countries. Addressing these three factors, overall, can help to increase the appeal of a product or service; and it is essential that companies realize that implementing a standardized method of advertising is not always the most effective way to enter a foreign market. There have been several debates in regards to the regulation of global advertising. Two contrasting statements have been made—one that suggests that advertising standardization is the most profitable approach to international marketing, and another that promotes localization. Those who support the standardization method â€Å"†¦argue that standardizing advertising can help maintain a uniform global strategy and image of the firm, maximize the firm’s cost advantage and meet a universal need of people across the world† (Zou and Volz 2010: 57). The adaption method, however, stresses that differences and barriers between cultures, spoken languages, historical contexts, and socio-economic factors between various countries affects the way in which advertising messages are perceived and translated. It is therefore does not make sense to implement only one form of advertisement that is meant to span a variety of countries and cultures, because one single campaign cannot apply and appeal to every market worldwide. Perhaps the arguments in favor of standardizing international campaigns, particularly the language that is being used, stems from the fact that English has become the dominant language in the world. The majority of advertisers and other people who work in the global marketing industry speak English, regardless of what is their country of origin; and it appears as if many advertisers are beginning to apply this theory to the consumers. Despite the widespread use of English and the fact that is the most commonly used language in advertising worldwide, the concept of advertising standardization has been widely criticized in favor of adaptation. It is somewhat hasty to assume, after all, that all people worldwide are fluent in English, simply because most of those working in the business sector happen to speak the language. What about those in smaller towns or non-Western countries such as Cairo, Egypt? Egyptians who work in the tourist or hospitality industry are likely to speak English, but many of the average citizens—who are all potential consumers—will not necessarily speak English or be able to understand the writing. Studies have also shown that the use of a local language tends to appeal more to those who live in the area, especially within countries that perceive their spoken and written language to be a valuable part of their culture. Hornikx, Van Meurs, and De Boer write that â€Å"†¦ads that appeal to important cultural values (such as independence in the United States or loyalty in Mexico) should be more persuasive than ads that appeal to relatively unimportant cultural values (such as loyalty in the United States or independence in Mexico)† (2010: 171). Empirical studies have also proven that ads using the local language and cultural values of a country tend to be favored as opposed to those with a standardized language and advertising message (Hornikx, Van Meurs, and De Boer 2010: 171). Although it is clear that language adaption is important, the preference that locals have for their language does not imply that advertisers should not use English in foreign countries. They simply need to use English in a way that is effective in conveying the message behind a campaign, and have an understanding of how the English language is perceived in each particular market they are trying to enter. Among Chinese consumers who frequently purchase upscale or luxury goods, global advertising, brands, and products tend to be preferred over domestic good. This is because in Chinese culture, in particular, â€Å"†¦global advertising elements are valued as signs or surrogates for status, cosmopolitanism, excitement, modernity, quality, technology, and beauty† (Zou and Belk 2004: 71). If advertisers are going to use English, however, it is crucial that they simplify the language as much as possible in order to minimize the risk of misinterpretation. There is no point in using a standardized advertising campaign in China if nobody is going to understand what it says. In the Netherlands, the use of English slogans in advertising was also preferred to Dutch, so long as the slogans were easy to read and translate (Louhiala-Salminen and Rogerson-Revell 2010: 95). This shows how the use of English, in many countries, could actually be beneficial and profitable for a company; but since not all countries perceive English the same way, it is important for advertisers to understand how and English campaign will be accepted within their target market. English will not necessarily be preferred to the local language, nor will global brands necessarily be favored over domestic products— which proves that language adaptation should still be used in some situations as opposed to absolute language standardization. Along with deciding whether or not the local language should be used in an international advertising campaign, companies need to consider the visuals that they are using. What is the significance of the images within that culture? Could they possibly be negatively misinterpreted? What do the local consumers consider to be visually appealing? All of these factors, of course, differ between countries and cultures. Studies have shown that there is a significant difference between the way in which high-context cultures and low-context cultures interpret ads. These high-context cultures include China, Japan, the Mediterranean, and Arab nations, where a lot of information is left unspoken and messages are often coded. Low-context cultures, however, refer to the United States, Germany, the UK, and other Western European countries. In these countries, everything is relatively straight-forward and messages are made clear (An 2007: 307). An describes the findings from many studies, which all â€Å"†¦imply that the idea of employing advertising visuals that reflect the communication styles of a particular national market appears to be a promising strategy to effectively reach consumers around the world† (2007: 303). This suggests that multinational advertisers should seek to differentiate their visuals between Eastern and Western cultures if they wish to make a product or service appeal to the people. In the United States, for example, celebrities—from singers, to socialites, to athletes—dominate magazine pages, commercials, and billboards as the spokes models for various brands. This tends to attract the attention of the American public, as they recognize the celebrities and typically create a positive association between that celebrity and the product. In the Middle East, however, using a celebrity athlete to represent a box of cereal will not make that cereal appear any more appealing than if the box were blank. Advertisers, instead, must determine what will be visually pleasing to consumers in countries that have different values than those from more Western countries. In addition to finding what a will attract people in terms of advertising visuals, it is essential to be and respectful of cultural beliefs and customs. Consider countries in the Middle East, where Islam is a dominant part of society. This religion stresses modesty, especially amongst women. Kalliny et al describe how in countries such as Saudi Arabia, â€Å"†¦women are not allowed to walk in the streets with their faces uncovered†¦ [and there are] women wearing long clothing in 83 percent of Arabic magazine advertisements showing women, compared to the 29 percent in U. S. advertisements† (2008: 218). With female modesty being so important within certain cultures, it is extremely important that multinational advertisers be cautious about whether their visuals will be appropriate. It would not be a good choice, for example, for an advertiser to market a brand of women’s perfume in Saudi Arabia with an enormous billboard showing Britney Spears wearing a bikini and holding a bottle of perfume. This would be considered offensive and would not be beneficial for the popularity of a product. The Japanese cosmetics industry also presents an interesting example of the importance of visual marketing and how advertisers need to pay attention to what will efficiently sell a product. As the second largest market in the world in terms of cosmetics, it was estimated to be worth roughly 1. trillion yen back in 2003 (Barnes and Yamamoto 2008: 299). Research regarding what type of models Japanese women prefer in beauty campaigns indicated a surprising fact. Although white models are widely used in Japan, because they are considered to be the ideal form of beauty, Japanese women actually preferred to buy cosmetics that used Japanese models in the advertisements. Barnes and Yamamoto discuss how this is due to white models not being applicable to Japanese women in terms of physical beauty. The Japanese, for example, value fair complexions, while Westerners typically prefer tans. Additionally, â€Å"†¦since the Japanese facial structure is different from that of Westerners, they will not become similar in appearance if they use the same make-up as a Western model† (2008: 310). This proves how a choice of visual representation in an advertising campaign can greatly affect how a product is accepted within different countries, and how advertisers must adjust their images or models accordingly. As research within the Japanese beauty industry has shown, applicability is crucial in global advertising. If a product or service has no value, necessity, or appeal in a certain country, hen consumers will not purchase the product. An advertisement’s message and content, therefore, is important and can determine how much interest is generated amongst consumers. In one particular study involving 40 different advertising campaigns and 1200 consumers, the significance of content was examined. Van Den Putte states that the study indicates that â€Å"†¦after controlling for the effect of previous purchase behavior, the effect of message content strategy is generally larger than the effect of advertising expenditure† (2009: 669). This shows how it is not necessarily a campaign’s budget that determines the success of a product, but the message and content that it contains. Alcohol advertisements have been successful in tailoring their ads to suit the requirements of different countries and cultures. One example is the comparison of alcohol advertisements between the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Beefeater Dry Gin, a spirit brand that often appears in GQ magazine, markets their gin in Britain quite minimally. Their ad consists of a lime splashing into a bottle of gin, with the splash pattern forming the British flag. The slogan simply reads â€Å"Refreshingly London†, with one more line that says â€Å"Distilled in London since 1820† (Wolburg and Venger 2009: 15). That is all that is needed in order for British consumers to understand the product and find some sort of value in the liquor. In Ukraine, however, alcohol companies have to take a much different approach. Wolburg and Venger state that, because drinking has not been instilled as a cultural norm in Ukrainian society, â€Å"†¦marketers have had to educate Ukrainians about drinking various alcoholic beverages. Ads, magazine articles, and Web sites must not only teach Ukrainians how these drinks are prepared and consumed; they must also explain what makes certain brands authentic† (2009: 15). This involves the importance of cultural applicability—if alcohol advertisers do not understand the need to educate certain consumer markets about their product in detail, then consumers will not see a need for the product altogether. McDonalds has been one of the most successful companies in terms of launching their fast-food chains globally and adjusting their products and advertising campaigns to appeal to local consumers. In India, for example, many of the people do not eat beef; so to increase its appeal, McDonalds in India sells a lamb burger as part of its menu, and markets its fish fillet sandwich much more than it does in the United States. It also utilizes many small, local farmers and food suppliers in order to make the company seem more localized and appealing to the Indian consumer base (Sarin and Barrows 2005: 23). The original, American version of McDonalds would most likely have been unsuccessful in countries such as India if the company had not made some adjustments. If McDonalds in Indian maintained the same American menu, then the Indian public would undoubtedly not have been as accepting of the brand and its products. Not only was the company culturally sensitive to the dietary restrictions that many Indian people have due to religious meanings, but it also used local suppliers as an acculturation strategy. With a menu that conforms to the eating habits of India, along with the use of their own famers and suppliers, McDonalds has become well-adjusted to the global community and has effectively made itself applicable to a wide variety of cultures and consumers. Culture is the most important factor in any advertising campaign, regardless of its origin. Advertisers cannot simply use one campaign and expect it to be accepted, appealing, and applicable to every country. Standardization also forfeits the competitive edge that one brand may have over another if it is able to successfully integrate its product into a foreign market. Paying attention to the language, visuals, and significance of a product is essential in global advertising, and advertisers must alter their campaign in order to better suit the tastes and values of individual cultures.

Saddling High Levels of Debt :: essays research papers

Saddling High Levels of Debt During the 1970’s, the managers of Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. (LTV)—manufacturers of aircraft and aircraft related electronics, borrowed heavily to exploit the advantage of financing operations with debt. At first the airlines were making profits; their operating income a lot higher than interest expenses. Unfortunately as the business cycle turned, the company was unable to continue making profits, reporting losses. Their expenses were a lot higher than their interest income. This burdened the company with a lot of debt, and hence pushed the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Airline manufacturing is one of the riskiest industries. The major cost of airline industries is money spent on research and development. Products of the aerospace industries are very expensive, a lot of money is spent on researching products that might not even leave the drawing board, even if the product finally leave the drawing boards, there is no guarantee that they will be bought. Furthermore their products are only bought when the economy is doing extremely well. This makes the aerospace manufacturing an extremely risky industry. The luxuries we enjoy today, for instance: cheaper and better air travel, would not be here, were it not for high risk taking by the airline-manufacturing administrators. In spite of the afore mentioned points, I still do not think that it is ethical for managers of Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc to saddle the company with a lot of debt. Financing business operations with debt, is a common business practice, but having high levels of debt is not good business practice at all. As a consequence of high levels of debt taken by the managers of Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc, people at the lower end of the ladder and investors are going to suffer a lot. When the Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc is pushed to the brink of bankruptcy the managers are going try to cut input cost, that means that people with skills that are easily acquired, will lose their jobs. Also people who invested in the company will lose a lot of money. It is unethical for the managers to take so much risk when they know that the chance of them losing their jobs or being affected in any form is very low. In conclusion, even though taking a lot of debt means more money is spent on research and development, and hence better products for the consumers in the long run (provided that the economy will be stable for a long period of time), I do not approve of what the managers of Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc are doing.