Nike Is The Leading Shoe And Athletic Apparel Company In The United St

Nike is the leading shoe and athletic apparel company in the United States and one of the largest in the world. In 1993, Nike's fiscal revenues were as large as the NBA, NFL, and Major League Baseball's television deals, ticket sales, and paraphernalia sales combined. In addition to their phenomenal sales, Nike has marketed itself so thoroughly that it has literally become a household name. Over 200 of the 324 NBA players wear Nike shoes, with over 80 of them under contract to do so. 275 professional football players and 290 Major League Baseball players join them. Nike's fame however, is not limited to professional sports. Over one half of the NCAA championship basketball teams of the past decade have worn Nike shoes and apparel and the company has endorsement agreements with over 200 colleges and universities. The scope of this corporation even extends beyond the United States. Nike recently paid an unfathomable $200 million in an endorsement deal with the Brazilian National Soccer Team (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.; Nike). This hefty sum of money seems even more outrageous given the conditions of the factories used to produce these high-dollar goods. Nike does much of its shoe production in China where workers cannot be represented by labor unions. In these factories, workers are paid $1.50 at best for a pair of shoes that sells for around $100. In attempts to improve its public image, Nike repeatedly makes claims that its workers are paid double the minimum wage. Ironically, in most cases workers actually make less than the minimum wage. In Vietnamese factories, the minimum wage is $35 per month. Most Nike workers contend to make less, and their pay stubs serve as proof. Some employees actually make as little as 300,000 dong or $25.86 per month. This leaves literally no room for savings and most workers have to seek financial assistance from relatives just to survive (Greenhouse; O'Rourke ). The same company that paid $200 million for an endorsement can't pay its workers more than the required $35 a month. Dusty Kidd, Director of Nike Labor Practices offered some insight into Nike's philosophy. "I am fully cognizant of the call on the part of some for a "living wage". That is generally defined as sufficient income to support the needs of a family of four. We simply cannot ask our contractors to raise wages to that level ? whatever that may be ? while driving us all out of business; and destroying jobs, in the process." On the contrary, just one month after that statement was issued, Kathryn Reith, Manager of Women's Sports Issues made a proclamation of her own. "Nike is fulfilling our responsibility as a global corporate citizen each and every day by guaranteeing a living wage for all workers...and creating opportunity for women's financial independence." (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.). Nike's female workers have a different view of the situation. The salary they receive cannot even constitute a living wage for a single person, let alone a family of four as Mr. Kidd stated. To eat three meals a day, these women must spend at least $2.10 per day. The average daily wage for these women is $1.60. A salary too small to provide food for them is hardly a living wage. To counter this, Nike CEO Philip Knight wrote a letter to the New York Times dated June 21, 1996 claiming that Nike "provides free meals, housing, and health care" to its workers. A review of check stubs shows that workers are charged nine cents for their lunch each day, bringing their hourly wage down to 16.8 cents per hour. At the typical 267 hours Vietnamese workers put in each month (107 of those hours being overtime by U.S. standards), they bring home an average of $45. In addition, workers themselves pay for their health care and company-funded housing is a fantasy (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.). Small salaries such as this fall short of justifying the hours workers are forced to put in. Vietnam's labor law limits overtime to 200 hours per year on a voluntary basis. Nike workers however are forced to work overtime, often in excess of 500 hours per year. If these workers

Intervention Of Drug Abuse Among Adolescents Social Work Essays

Intervention Of Drug Abuse Among Adolescents Social Work Essays Intervention Of Drug Abuse Among Adolescents Social Work Essay Intervention Of Drug Abuse Among Adolescents Social Work Essay This paper states the definition and chief hazard factors of drug maltreatment at first. Then, it reviews the three theoretical accounts for drug maltreatment bar, including information theoretical account, affectional theoretical account and societal influence theoretical account. It besides mentioned chemical interventions and psychological interventions of drug maltreatment. There are some remarks on the psychological interventions. The writer brings up some bar and intercession programs of striplings drug maltreatment in the last portion. Keywords: drug maltreatment, striplings, bar and intercession Introduction What is drug maltreatment? There are many definitions of it. Normally, common people think that taking drugs can fulfill individuals desire of felicity. Just as Miller ( 1995 ) states Drug maltreatment implies willful, improper usage due to an implicit in upset or a pursuit for hedonic or immoral pleasance i?p. 10i?†° . Actually, it includes many facets non merely societal values but besides scientific position and non merely physical grounds but besides psychological elements. So the definition of drug maltreatment typically refers to 4 dimensions, including the nonmedical usage of a substance, changing the mental province, a mode that is damaging to the person or the community and illegality ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . Papalia, Olds and Feldman ( 2009 ) define substance dependance as physical dependence or psychological add-on or both to a harmful substance. If an stripling has drug maltreatment, the maltreatment can take to substance dependance, or dependence, which may be physiological, psychological, or both and is likely to go on into maturity ( Papalia et al. , 2009, p. 366 ) . Addictive drugs have peculiarly high hazard for striplings as they stimulate parts of the developing encephalons of striplings ( Chambers, Taylor A ; Potenza, 2003 ) . As economic development, the drug-taking state of affairs of striplings is non acquiring better. Harmonizing to the World Drug Report 2010 ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [ UNODC ] , 2010 ) , drug usage has stabilized in the developed universe, nevertheless, there are marks of an addition in drug usage in developing states and turning maltreatment of amphetamine-type stimulations and prescription drugs around the universe. From 2004 to 2009, the figure of drug-taking people who was under 21 old ages old was increased by more than 50 % in Hong Kong ( Zhu, 2010 ) . What are the hazard factors for drug maltreatment of striplings? There are 4 sorts of common hazard factorsi?including Psychosocial Factors i?Low Self-esteem, Depression and Suicidei?†° , Family Factors ( Low Familism, Family Substance Abuse Problems and Parent Smoking ) , Peer Factors ( Perceived Peer Approval and Perceived Peer Use ) and Deviance Factors ( Disposition to Deviance and Delinquent Behavior ) ( Vega A ; Gil, 1998 ) . It can non easy state which factor is the most of import 1. It depends on the state of affairss those different adolescent experiences. Three Models for Drug Abuse Prevention Drug maltreatment bar aimed at cut downing the supply or the demand for drugs of maltreatment ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . There are three theoretical accounts ( Ellickson, 1995 ) that focused on schools and school-based antidrug plans, including information theoretical account, affectional theoretical account and societal influence theoretical account. Information Model Adolescents can likely avoid drugs, if they comprehend their possible jeopardies, so this theoretical account chiefly aimed at giving information. The information theoretical account posits a causal sequence taking from cognition ( about drugs ) to attitude alteration ( negative ) to behavior alteration ( nonuse ) ( Ellickson, 1995, p. 100 ) . Sometimes the daze or panic is needed in this theoretical account, such as difficult striking antidrug pictures, negotiations by ex-junkies, or Television and hoarding runs that show the frightened state of affairs of drug usage ( Cohen, 1996 ) . This theoretical account chiefly focuses on the educational attack. It was supposed that pupils can do rational determinations to maintain away from drugs because of increasing cognition ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . Through information theoretical account, striplings can hold a correct and renewed consciousness of drug maltreatment. Affectional Model This theoretical account pays more attending on persons themselves and their personality. The theoretical account assumes that striplings who turn to drugs make so because of jobs within themselves-low self-esteem or unequal personal accomplishments in communicating and determination devising ( Ellickson, 1995, p. 101 ) . This theoretical account has an effort at bettering a pupil s self-image, ability to interact within a group and problem-solving ability, and dressed ores on feelings, values, and self-awareness, and sometimes on personal values and picks ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . These premises are by and large implemented through communicating preparation, equal guidance, function playing and assertiveness preparation ( Abadinsky, 2001, p. 232 ) . Using affectional theoretical account, striplings can beef up their assurance, better competence of covering with incidents and have right value judgement. Social Influence Model This theoretical account more focal points on decision-making. The societal influence theoretical account is centered on external influences that push pupils toward drug usage, particularly peer force per unit area, every bit good as internal influences, such as the desire to be accepted by the crowd ( Abadinsky, 2001, p. 229 ) . There are two marks that need to accomplish via societal influence theoretical account. First this theoretical account aims to allow stripling to hold the consciousness of the equal force per unit areas that they are sing and secondly to better their opposition accomplishments for stating no under emphasis ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . Treatments for Drug Abuse There are two chief facets of drug maltreatment interventions, including chemical interventions and psychological interventions. Harmonizing to the categorization of Abadinsky ( 2001 ) , chemical interventions contain opioid adversaries, chemicals for detoxification, opioid agonists, chemical responses to cocaine maltreatment and CRF adversaries. Abadinsky ( 2001 ) besides mentions that psychological interventions include a psychoanalytic attack, behavior alteration and group intervention. Due to the demands of survey and the bound of professional knowledgei?this paper chiefly focuses on the psychological facets. Firstlyi?let us look at the psychoanalytic attack. This attack is really professional and high cost. It is really complicated and hard to command for societal workers. It does non hold catholicity and possible reproduction. This attack normally applies in some particular and serious instances. Then we move on to the behavior alteration. There are 4 primary sorts of behavior alteration, such as antipathy intervention, societal larning theory attack, cognitive acquisition theory attack and eventuality direction and eventuality catching ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . Although the success rate of antipathy intervention is high, it is a sort of compulsive and cold curative method, particularly for striplings, no affair in physical or mental sides. This intervention addresses the symptoms, non the cause. Abusers will take drugs once more when the antipathy conditioned automa tic starts to weaken. Contingency direction and eventuality catching is outside the range of this paper s enquiry. Social larning theory attack and cognitive acquisition theory attack are referred below. Group intervention is really utile and widespread. It is frequently used by societal workers. Prevention and intercession program of striplings drug maltreatment There are three dimensions of bar and intercession program in this paper. They are macro degree, mezzo degree and micro degree. Macro degree This degree is more about bar program. Harmonizing to the Information Model ( Ellickson, 1995 ) , it needs at least three-party attempts, including school, community and school. School. Schools should heighten the instruction of drug maltreatment and the drug maltreatment s jeopardies, non merely verbal and written signifiers, but besides some other lively signifiers, such as films and activities. I think the film Crimson Jade is really aghast 1. Possibly schools can happen more films of this sort to demo to striplings. If they know the fearful effects of drug maltreatment, they will desire to take drugs less. Community. Actually communities execute a really similar function with schools for the bar of striplings. But another thing that communities should pay particular attending to is about striplings household state of affairs, particularly for the striplings whose parents have substance maltreatment jobs. Media. Mass media should play a positive and active function in bar of striplings drug maltreatment. Some programmes that focus on drug maltreatment should be shown on a regular basis. And ground-breaking ocular public service advertisement of drug maltreatment should demo on Television, newspaper, Internet, even billboard everyplace. Social influence theoretical account ( Ellickson, 1995 ) can be besides used in macro degree. Schools can do many talks to allow pupils cognize that they are all under equal force per unit areas and form some activities to learn pupils to develop opposition accomplishments for drug maltreatment. Mezzo degree Mezzo degree contains bar program and intercession program. It is more about group work. Group attack is that stimulation toward betterment arises from net work of interpersonal influences in which all members take part ( Northern, 1969, p. 52 ) . Group work is one of the most common work methods for societal workers. Prevention program of mezzo degree. The bar program concentrates on affectional theoretical account. Mentioning to affectional theoretical account ( Ellickson, 1995 ) , striplings are divided into groups to make some guidance and preparation about affectional accomplishments ( communicating, determination devising, self-assertion ) believed related to drug usage ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . The guidance and developing need the engagement of societal workers. In this sort of group, societal workers should pay particular attending to those striplings who do non desire to speak. Intervention program of macro degree. This intercession program focuses on group intervention. Due to societal workers may non hold drug-taking experience, group intervention can do adolescent clients experience more willing to pass on and peer interaction is more powerful ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . In add-on, some debatable interpersonal Acts of the Apostless will look in a group ( Flores, 1988 ) . Using group intervention, striplings of drug maltreatment can portion and place with others who are traveling through similar jobs ; understand their ain attitudes about dependence and defences in others ; and larn to pass on demands and feelings more straight ( Flores, 1988, p. 7 ) . Adolescents truly need the support from others. Social workers should pay particular attending to utmost clients who are non appropriate with group intervention and societal workers should guarantee a suited graduated table of different groups. Micro degree Micro degree more concerns on adolescent maltreaters themselves and their milieus. There are two utile intercession attacks with this degree one is societal larning theory attack and the other one is cognitive larning theory attack. Social larning theory attack. Abadinsky ( 2001 ) identifies societal larning theory as a discrepancy of behaviourism focal points on cognitive meditational procedures and people are active participants in their operant conditioning processes-they determine what is and what is non reenforcing ( p. 205 ) . Actually there are many grounds behind the striplings who have drug maltreatment. Possibly there are some jobs with their households, their school public presentation, their interpersonal communicating and organic structures agony. Social workers must pay more attending to the grounds behind the drug maltreatment of striplings and give more forbearance. So in this intercession, societal workers should follow three stairss. The first measure is to understand why patients may be more likely to utilize in a given state of affairs and to understand the function that drugs play in their lives ( Abadinsky, 2001, p. 205 ) . The 2nd measure is to assist patients develop meaningful alte rnate reinforcing stimuluss to drug maltreatment, that is, other activities and engagements ( relationships, work and avocations ) ( Abadinsky, 2001, p. 205 ) . The 3rd measure is to do a elaborate scrutiny of the effects for adolescent clients to prove whether their drug maltreatment reduces ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . Social workers should seek their best to happen the root causes of striplings drug maltreatment and header with them. This attack focuses on the milieus of adolescent maltreaters. Cognitive acquisition theory attack. This attack emphasizes the consciousness of positive and negative effects of drug maltreatment for striplings themselves and the agreements before taking drugs ( Abadinsky, 2001 ) . Social workers can inquire adolescent maltreaters to compose a dairy of their drug abuse that includes the state of affairss when they use drugs and the effects after they use drugs. Social workers ought to animate clients to reexamine their worst experience with drug maltreatment and believe more about the bad impact of taking drugs. This sort of panic tactic can detain the period before taking drugs. Then societal workers besides need to learn adolescent maltreaters a set of relax accomplishments to better their tenseness. This attack focuses on adolescent maltreaters themselves and relies on their ain consciousness to cut down drug maltreatment. Drug maltreatment of striplings is truly a barbarous spiral and a long-run perennial procedure. It needs non merely the societal workers and adolescent maltreaters attempts, but besides their households , friends , other relevant individuals and the whole society s attempts.

Field Trip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Field Trip - Essay Example The mosque was built in 2005 by the great and famous architect Allan Abbas and Luna Construction (Khalidi, 2012). The mosque has several striking features that draw religious feelings to visitors like me. The most striking feature about this mosque is that it has a tall tower known as the Minaret. In between the Minaret are four loudspeakers, which I learned are used to summon the members of the Mosque to prayers. Merely seeing the Minarets and the loud speakers in between certainly brings the religious feeling of a Muslim territory. In addition, the mosque has a beautiful dome-shaped roof protruding slightly above the building. Therefore, by looking at the dome, one can easily point out that it is a religious place. In fact, the dome is written in a verse taken from the Quran, which brings the feeling that it is indeed a religious place. In addition, the architect employed several Islamic artifacts on the building including decorations, as well as Islamic symbols such as those of Pr ophet Muhammad, which makes it easy for a visitor to point out that the Mosque is indeed a religious place (Khalidi, 2012). In this regard, I can attest that architects Paul Bertin and David Donnellon designed the mosque in a manner that makes it look as a religious and a place of worship. Upon entering the worship service, I realized that the way the Catholics conducts their services is quite different from that of Muslims. Firstly, not all members of the congregation are allowed to enter the mosque with shoes or any other footwear apart from the disabled. As a result, every member of the congregation is required to remove the footwear followed by washing of the feet and hands before proceeding to the mosque. This is done because Islam believes that the Mosque is a clean and holy place. Surprisingly, the most has no chairs where people can sit. Instead, everyone in the church, except the elderly and the disabled sit on a large carpet laid on the floor. It was also interesting to no te that women are not supposed to mix with their male counterparts in one room as Catholics and Christians does. Instead, women have a different room within the Mosque where they gather for prayers. However, the prayers in both rooms are guided by a single Imam or Sheik in the men’s room. This implies that women follow the prayers electronically on speakers provided in their room. Once the congregants have gathered in the Muslim, an Imam or Sheik guides the prayers from the pulpit. Here the Quran, which is the Islamic holy book, is read to the Congregants. This is followed by a lengthy preaching based on the verse read in the Quran. In between the prayers, the Imam or Sheik guides the congregants through recitation of the Muslim prayer known as Salat (Khalidi, 2012). As the Muslims, recite this prayer, every member in required to bow down on their knees humbly. This is followed by going down and kissing the floor a number of times during prayers. Once the prayers are done, th e members of the congregation are required to give money, just like the Christians do in the Church. Each member is required to contribute according to what God has blessed him or her. Being the day of tithing, I realized that Muslims are required to give a minimum tithe of 2.5%, as opposed to the 10% minimum requirement for Christians. Muslim call this tithing ‘

Building Hisense brand equity through selected marketing programmes- A Thesis

Building Hisense brand equity through selected marketing programmes- A study on the relationship among brand equity, marketing mix elements and consumer respons - Thesis Example er to test the defined structural research framework and research hypotheses empirical research was conducted on the sample of Hisense consumers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and the multiple regression statistical method with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 11.0) are used to analyze the data. The concept of brand equity has received significant attention from both scientists and marketing practice, which resulted in a large number of articles and books on the subject (e.g. Aaker, 1991 and 1996; Aaker and Keller, 1990; Farquhar1990; Aaker and Biel, 1993; Keller, 1993; Agarwal and Rao, 1996; Yoo et al., 2000; Morgan, 2000; Rio, et al., 2001; Datta, 2003, Moore et al., 2002; Keller, 2003). The importance of brand equity consists of numerous benefits for companies that own brands. One of the benefits provided by high brand equity is the possibility of brand extension to other product categories. Generally, brand extension is defined as the use of an existing brand name for entry into a new product category (Aaker and Keller, 1990). When compared to new brand names, brand extensions have lower advertising costs and higher sales (Smith and Park, 1992). Successful brand extensions contribute to higher brand equity of the original brand (Dacin and Smith, 1994; Keller and Aaker, 1992); However, unsuccessful extensions may reduce the brand equity of the parent brand (Aaker, 1993; Loken and John, 1993). Aaker and Keller (1990) developed a model for consumer evaluation of brand extensions and a number of authors worked on generalization of this model (Barrett et al., 1999; Bottomley and Doyle, 1996; Sunde and Brodie, 1993). In addition, brand equity increases (1) willingness of consumers to pay premium prices, (2) possibility of brand licensing, (3) efficiency of marketing communication, (4) willingness of stores to collaborate and provide support, (5) elasticity of consumers to price reductions, and (6) inelasticity

ANALYTICAL REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ANALYTICAL REPORT - Essay Example The research was carried out by using interviews and surveys in collecting the data, the researcher was able to accomplish the projected goals of the study. The main sections of the body were created to provide response to the numerous research questions. The weighted ranking, which showed the critical success factors for the company, was tabulated and used in analysis (DuBrin, 2005). Interview Method Under this data methodology, the participants were drawn from four departments within Wal-Mart stores (Selim, 2007). The different categories under which the participants were divided were based on the management level, with few senior managers participating. Figure 1: Percentage of participants based on job type Procedures In carrying out the research, the researcher already had set questions for the interview, thus the process was semi-structured (Scribner, 2008). However, the questions did not have a particular structure. Measures The interviewees were asked three questions related t o the organizational culture and stress. Since the questions were open-ended, the participants were expected to give their opinion on each problem (Coates, James & Baldwin, 2005). The three basis questions for the interview in this case were, What words come to mind when asked to describe the ‘feel’ of this department as it is now? Second, can you tell me about events that are usually stressful at work for you? Finally, what are the most common things that trigger the experience of stress at work? Surveys This was another method that the researcher used in collecting the data. In this case, all the employees from the four departments were allowed to participate (Derouin, Fritzsche & Salas, 2005). The researcher used non-convenience sampling because it does not employ probability that could bar someone from participating (Tabachnick, Fidell & Osterlind, 2001). Due to its non-probability mature, 225 people participated with an average age of 37.06, standard deviation of 1 0.18 whose ages range from 17 to 61 years. The research also established that the average worker in the industry has stayed for 6.61 years, with a 5.90 standard deviation (Dholakia & Kshetri, 2004). Participants According to Department Figure 2: Percentage of participants based on department There was also a group who strongly believed that the company procedures and legislations caused strain since most of them were so elaborate and needed more time for implementation. Factor Analysis Age and Tenure per Department Table 2: Age and tenure by mean and standard deviation per department Department 1 Department 2 Department 3 Department 4 Total Age Mean 42.00 37.66 35.07 35.05 37.06 St Dev 10.84 9.18 9.51 10.65 10.18 Tenure Mean 9.73 6.25 6.08 5.57 6.61 St Dev 7.24 4.70 6.26 5.41 5.90 The research also indicated that the majority of participants were people with adequate experience in the internal affairs of the company, thus consisted of 196 respondents who were permanent and full time employees. Figure thee gives more details. Employment Type According to Department Figure 3: Number of participants by their employment type for the overall dataset. In other findings, the researcher realized that the males and females were almost evenly distributed in the first, second and third departments. However, the second departed showed disparity with 67 females to only 17 males. This was attributed to the nature of work that was

McDonalds Standardisation of Products

McDonalds Standardisation of Products Should marketers attempt to standardize their products and marketing communications so as to minimize the costs of doing business internationally? Or should they adapt their products and messages depending on the market in which they wish to operate? Students should provide suitable examples from the academic literature and your own business knowledge when responding to the question. In the case of this question students may want to consider the arguments of Theodore Levitt, especially when he argued against the marketing concept, stating that firms should standardize their products to obtain maximum economies of scale in production. There have been numerous critiques of this position, with other academics arguing that products have to be adapted to local conditions for a host of reasons, such as avoiding creating offence in the marketing of certain products in countries where religious codes do not sanction certain forms of consumption. The key case study to illustrate such adaptation, among many others, is MacDonalds. INTRODUCTION: With ever increasing improvements in transport, communications and reduced trade barriers, international trading which was once considered a luxury is now a necessity in many sectors (Vrontis et al., 1999). Once the decision to venture into international markets has been taken, there are two broad strategies, which can be adopted. A fundamental strategic decision has to made immediately as to whether to employ a uniform marketing mix (standardisation strategy) as part of a global strategy or whether to adjust the marketing mix and strategies (Adaptation strategy) to take account of the unique characteristics of each local market (Vrontis and Vronti, 2004). The debate over standardisation versus adaptation of marketing strategy in international markets has been intense and has gone on for a long time. The focus of this intense argument has been whether marketers at international or global level should standardise their products and communications to all markets within which they opera te around the world or whether the products and communication should be adapted or tailored to reflect varying infrastructure, cultural and behavioural dimensions associated with different markets in the global arena. Both sides of the debate have been addressed in the marketing literature over the years, with arguments offered as to why an emphasis on standardisation rather than adaptation should be pursued and vice versa but no definitive outcome of this debate has emerged (Douglas Craig, 1986; Vrontis, Thrassou Lamprianou, 2009). McCarthy (1975) introduced the concept of marketing mix or 4 Ps (product, price, promotion and place and firms have based their marketing plans on this to gain competitive advantage. However with particular attention to services marketing Fifield and Gilligan (1996) identified three additional variables, which then became an integral part of the marketing mix and which has become popularly known as the 7Ps namely product, place, price, promotion, people, process and physical. The Marketing mix has been used as the basis of marketing plans and therefore it is employed in the provision of goods and services whether a company uses globalisation stategy standardisation strategy or both. This essay will discuss the globalisation of markets and will dwell particularly on the marketing strategies used by firms once they decide to enter international markets. The broad strategies of standardisation of the marketing mix on one hand and the adaptation of the marketing mix on the other hand will be highlighted. Finally, the contingency strategy which is the combination of both the standardisation and adaptation strategies will be discussed and will be and justified as the best to be considered by marketers. Globalisation Globalisation is a widely used term and as such is defined in many different contexts. Walker and Fox (1999) define globalisation as the global integration of the financial markets and argue that the process of financial globalisation is the most important part of the process of globalisation. Neuland and Hough (1999) see globalisation as the interconnectedness of the world economy. Gill (2000) define globalisation as the reduction of transaction cost of transborder movements of capital and goods and hence of factors of production and goods. Redding (1999) defines globalisation as the increasing integration between the markets for goods, services and capital and at the same time the breakdown of borders. Braibant (2002) says that the process of globalisation not only includes opening up of world trade, development of advanced means of communication, internationalisation of financial markets, population migrations and more generally increased mobility of persons, goods, capital, data and ideas but also includes infections, diseases and pollution. In addition to these terms Goldberg (1983) observed that: Many transnational companies have grown so large that their size exceeds that of some nation-states. Thus they could override, neutralize, or even counteract the political will of a nation state. The facilitation of the global market in the form of transport and communications improvements and reduced trade barriers and others has led firms to go global in order to gain competitive advantage and survive. Ohmae (1989) states that large companies must become global if they hope to compete and they must change from companies that treat their foreign operations as secondary, to companies that view the entire world as a single borderless market. Levitt (1983) suggests that as markets become increasingly similar and more global, the key to success lies in the ability to globalise. Additionally there are a variety of motives underlying a firms decision to trade globally such as the ability to extend the life cycle of their product in a phase of a mature domestic market and escape from increasing levels of domestic competition (Vrontis Vronti, 2004). Going global is therefore a necessity due to the reasons given and firms who are capable of expanding globally take the opportunity. However among the issues to consider before moving to the international market is the need to adopt the appropriate marketing strategy in order to achieve the aim of making such a move. The marketing strategies that is being considered are standardization and adaptation. , and adaptation where products and communications are adapted or tailored to reflect varying infrastructure, Globalisation of markets Standardisation and Adaptation According to Levitt (1983) and Ohmae (1989) standardisation refers to where firms operating at the global level attempt to standardize their products and communications to all markets within which they operate around the world. Proponents of global standardisation such as (Levitt 1983; Ohmae, 1989) argue that a corporation should operate as a single entity selling the same items everywhere in the same way. They believe the world is increasingly homogenised in its consumer requirements and that the force driving this process is technology, which has facilitated communication, information, capital, transport and travel. The rise of global media giants such as MTV, CNN etc lend weight to the notion that communications technology is the major negotiator of convergence of human preference in that technology facilitates the global spread of promotional messages resulting in homogenisation of consumer tastes across the world. Levitts (1983) notion of homogenisation of consumer taste refers to a worldwide desire for modern, low priced, world-standard and dependable products from the modern world. For example Levi Jeans paid $550,000 for one series of TV commercials to use around the globe for advertising and promot ion of its jeans (Jeannete et al., 1998). This trend would appear to make possible the application of uniform (standardisation) marketing mix strategies across global markets (Levitt, 1983: Ohmae, 1989). In addition, marketing program standardisation would allow for economies of scale and scope in production and marketing, cross-subsidisation (using financial results resources accumulated in one part of the world to respond to competitive challenges in another), easier control and coordination of marketing activities, transfer of marketing know-how, and a uniform brand image across borders (Douglas Craig, 1986; Levitt, 1983). It has also been noted that marketing program standardisation becomes particularly viable if firms can identity global market segments with common tastes and preferences such as teenagers, working women, and affluent people or a cluster of countries that share similar macro-environmental characteristics (Douglas Wind, 1987). Levitt (1983) distinguishes between the multinational corporation which he states operates in a number of countries and adjusts its products and marketing practices in each resulting in relatively high costs and the global corporation which operates as if the entire world were a single entity, the same things are sold in the same way everywhere. He further argues that this supposed converging preference structure makes it necessary for all corporations to standardise their product offerings and marketing activities in order to stay competitive. Levitt (1983) further states that the difference between the two corporations is that global corporation which in his view is the better one treats the world as composed of a few standardised markets rather than many customised markets. According to Levitt (1983) standardisation becomes necessary, a natural condition for the survival of the corporation. The following quotes strengthen his assertions: The commonality of preference leads inescapably to the standardisation of productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (ibid.,p.55) Selling a line of products individually tailored to each nation is thoughtless..(ibid.,p.61) Companies that do not adapt to the new global realities will become victims of those that do..(ibid.,p.65) McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Nikes trainers, Levis jeans have all crossed global borders but there is evidence of tailoring of communications message, (Vignali, 2001). According to the same author, brand name, product characteristics, packaging and labelling are the easiest of the marketing mix to standardise. On the other hand, adaptation refers to the marketing strategy where the products and communications are adapted or tailored to reflect varying infrastructure, cultural and behavioural dimensions associated with different markets in the global arena (Britt, 1974; Buzzell, 1968; Douglas Wind, 1987). Proponents of adaptation, although acknowledging the potential benefits of a standardised marketing strategy point out its weakness of significantly undermining a firms foreign market position. This is because despite globalisation, national value systems and traditions persist. Furthermore product purchase and usage patterns are not identical across national borders because consumers respond differently to different advertising appeals (Keegan, 1969). (Czinkota and Ronnekan, 1995; Vrontis 2003) emphasises the various differences evident in international markets and urge multinational companies to adjust the marketing mix elements and marketing strategies. He further states that the advantage of specific marketing mix approach is that strategy is tailored to suit local market needs while flexibility and responsiveness are maximised and believes that marketing orientation is achieved at an optimal level. This in turn calls for changes to promotional campaigns, product features, price and distribution thereby adjusting wholly utilisation strategy without rendering the marketing mix ineffective (Zou Cavisgil, 2002). Consequently firms need to adjust their marketing programs to suit local needs and adequately respond to various environmental forces. Products such as McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Nikes trainers, Levis jeans have all crossed global borders but there is evidence of tailoring of communications message, (Vignali, 2001). Contingency Strategy: A number of scholars have proposed a contingency perspective for international marketing arguing that neither adaptation nor standardisation is feasible and that in reality neither of these polarised views is feasible or desirable and that in fact the two co-exist (Vrontis, 2003; Zou Cavusgil, 2002). Culture has been identified as a barrier in relation to the suitability of the product in particular local markets (Czinkota et al., 1995). This is echoed by Vrontis, (2003) who argues that the huge costs involved inhibit the use of any one strategy in an absolute manner but suggests that international marketers should have to search for the right balance between standardisation and adaptation in the order and extent of globalisation of the business and adapt the organisations response accordingly. The author called his new modelling approach the AdaptStand Process which he used in the Levi Jeans brand case study (Vrontis, 2003). Taylor (1991), supporting the view that firms should use both internationalisation and globalisation elements to create competitive advantage emphasises the notion that corporations should think global and act local coined Glocal by Ohmae (1989). Some of the companies that have successfully adapted their marketing mix to achieve glocalisation include McDonalds and Levi Jeans. McDonald for instance embraced and adopted the concept of think global, act local and has successfully adapted its marketing mix to a local environment in order to meet and the challenges posed socio-economic -cultural, political-legal, demographic (Vignali, 2001). Explaining further with the marketing mix and considering the case of product McDonald, while aiming at creating standard food items that taste the same across the whole world realises that standardisation brings cost savings. The company however acknowledges that the ability to adapt to an environment ensures success (Vignali, 2001). McDonald adapted its product because of religious laws and customs in some countries. For example in Israel the company avoided dairy products and beef in the case of Hindus in India and also pork in the case of Muslims. Calantone et.al.(2004) state that adaptation of a product is a core aspect of customising and to be successful in the market, the firm has to satisfy the customer wants and needs better than the competitors in that environment. MacDonald main course however remains the same across the world, that is burger/sandwich, fries and a drink. Quality control and standards are consistent throughout all McDonald outlets to ensure the same standard and quality starting from suppliers through to food preparation (Vignali, 20 01). In the case of Levi Jeans, females in Islamic countries for example are discouraged from wearing tight fitting jeans which is the favourite of their American counterparts (Czinkota et al,, 1995). It is therefore evident that fit design and style of jeans need to be adapted to meet requirements of the local buyers. Relating the contingency strategy to the marketing mix place, McDonalds expansion into international markets is based on ownership, franchises and joint ventures. Its strategy is open as many restaurants company owned and operated rather franchised or joint ventures to reduce competition. In 1998 McDonald had over 24500 restaurants in 116 countries showcasing its level of globalisation but also operationally showing a Glocal focus as it shares ideas, best practices and human resources across borders further enhancing its competitive advantage and strengthening its leadership position (McDonalds Corporation, 1998) In the case of price, while it is accepted that one of the benefits of standardisation is savings in cost McDonalds pricing strategy is focused on localisation rather than globalisation.It not only implements different pricing strategies for different countries but also attains its market objective to increase its market share by ensuring the right price for the right market (Vignali, 2001). The McDonalds pricing policy takes into account factors, firstly the demand and perception of price by the consumer in comparison to similar products from rivals and would then set its prices taking into account other food purveyors in each country. Secondly the McDonalds pricing strategy takes into account the stage in the life cycle of their product in each country before setting the price, For example, in the USA, the product is in maturity to decline stage and McDonalds price will be lower than the price set for Japan which is in the growth to maturity stage (Vignali, 2001). Adapting prices t his way allows McDonald to recover lost revenues in the USA while maximising profits in the Japanese market. McDonalds Corporation sponsors many sports nationally for example in basketball, racing and globally for example the Olympic Games and the World Cup. It employs standardisation for advertising its brand in many countries across the globe showcasing sports personalities but localising the advertising tactics by using top footballers from each country. The effect of this is that standardisation and consistency of the brand is achieved globally while localisation of advertising a particular top football personality makes the advertising campaign more effective and successful in capturing customers and market share away from competitors (Vignali, 2001) Levi Jeans faced competition from prevailing substitute products and therefore had to raise the quality of its jeans while adjusting its price to fight lower prices, counterfeits and substitute products in the local markets (Vrontis and Vronti, 2004) Advertising When it comes to people McDonalds policy on staffing issues is to blend US human resources practices with host country norms by first investigating and understanding the host countrys labour laws, and conditions of work including working times. The benefit of this is that blending of corporate and local cultures in the workforce and at the same time forcusing recruitment policy on the local community while promotion is from within globally. The objective is to have consistency in terms of people management and development and standardisation with a local focus on the labour and cultural norms in each country in order to achieve loyalty and also the best customer service (Vignali, 2001) If the process is considered, food preparation is the same the world over and must meet McDonalds strict standards and demands This includes suppliers and franchisees as well. For example kitchen layouts are identical globally and there are specific dimensions for fries, meat, Big Mac and buns (Vignali, 2001). Standardisation is also evident globally at the tills which display symbols of the food items instead of numerals or words to eliminate language translation barriers. Local adaptation is shown as the restaurants in different countries have slightly different meals. Physically McDonalds penetrated international markets through franchising but the layouts of these restaurants are almost identical in every country. from kitchens to staff uniforms, display signs, the slogans and the friendliness of the staff world-wide epitomize standardisation (Vignali, 2001). Local adaptation is apparent as different international restaurants adjust to suit local conditions for example in China, where interior walls are decorated with posters and slogans emphasising family values. CONCLUSION: The essay discussed globalisation and internationalisation with special reference to the strategy firms used to enter the international market. Two main strategies is identified. The first relates to whether firms should standardise their products and communications to all markets within which they operate around the world and the second is whether the products and communication should be adapted or tailored to reflect varying infrastructure, cultural and behavioural dimensions associated with different markets in the global arena. The standardisation-versus-adaptation debate for pursuing marketing strategy in international or global markets has received considerable attention for decades. It has been shown why supporters of standardisation such as Levitt (1983) feel that a corporation should operate as a single entity selling the same products everywhere in the same way. The argument is that that the world is increasingly becoming homogenised in its consumer tastes and requirements and that the force driving this process is technology, which has facilitated communication, information capital, transport and travel. The author also considered how the benefit of economies of scale and scope could lower costs to the advantage of the investor. However other scholars argument that the cost savings to be made from standardisation should not be the mauor consideration is very valid. According to the proponents of Adaptation,, the cultural, social and legal settings in some countries makes it impossible to compete successfully in all countries offering the same products and services (Vrontis, 2003). Adaptation is seen to override standardisation due to the importance attached to thge need to adapt to the peculiarities of the home country. However it has been clearly shown that, neither standardisation nor adaptation is the best solution. Rather standardisation and globalisation co-exist and do not operate in isolation. Therefore while corporations can standardise their brands globally, some aspects of their marketing mix must be adapted so that their products and services suit and satisfy the needs, wants and tastes of customers in different countries if they are to create a competitive advantage and increase market share in international markets. The McDonalds and Levi Jeans marketing mix show that these two corporations embraced the notion of glocalisation i.e. combining globalisation and internationalism in order to remain competitive, penetrate international markets, increase their market share. It is therefore not surprising that they have become leading brands internationally in their respective industries. .

Absolute Pitch Essay -- essays research papers fc

Absolute Pitch: A Coveted Ability Jennette Folta Physics of Music Spring 2005 The Basics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Absolute pitch, otherwise known as AP, is a person's ability to identify and produce a given pitch. This is done without the use of a reference tone. Pitch is determined by the number of vibrations per second. There are two types of AP. Passive pitch is when a person can identify the name of the note that is played and active pitch is when a person can sing a named note. Absolute pitch possessors can name a note and denote if the note is sharp or flat. This ability is only displayed in only a small percent of people. It is said that less than one in ten thousand people in the United States possess AP. However, not only humans possess this ability. Songbirds and wolves have demonstrated absolute pitch. (http://www.biography.ms/Perfect_pitch.html) The components which influence the acquisition of AP in humans is debated and is a topic of recent study. Background in Music   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The University of California San Francisco performed research on what causes this ability. One factor they found was the age at which the person had first formal musical training. The number of people who had AP was significantly more if they began learning music from the ages of four to six. A graph of this analysis is shown in figure 1. (Baharloo) Figure 1. Background in Music Genetics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to a background in music, people who have AP are four times more likely to have other members of their family with AP than people who don't have AP. This suggests that genetics play a role in the formation of absolute pitch. In figure 2, you will see the family pedigree of some of some of members who were tested for AP by the University of California San Francisco. Also, they found that a sibling, who has early musical training, of a AP possessor is 15 times more likely to have AP than a person with early musical exposure but who has no family members with absolute pitch. (Baharloo) Figure 2. Family Pedigrees Language   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a study conducted by the University of California San Diego, they found that people who speak Mandarin or Vietnamese had a significantly higher chance of possessing AP. Since both of these languages are tone... ...the ability. Even if the cause of AP is determined, what will that lead to? Will it be easier to aquire the ability? If everyone possessed AP, what will be the effect? Will it lead to a more mathmatical approach to listening or even producing music or will it lead to more musical geniuses like Mozart? Works Cited â€Å"Absolute Pitch† Biography.ms. Baharloo, Siamak et al.Absolute Pitch: An Approach for Identification of Genetic and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nongenetic Components. The American Society of Human Genetics. 1998.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Deutsch, Diana et al. Tone Language Speakers Possess Absolute Pitch. 4 Nov. 1999.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University of California San Diego.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamilton, Roy et al. â€Å"Absolute pitch in blind musicians.† Auditory and Vestibular   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Systems 8 Jan. 2004. Boston. 803-806.

Of losing families and conquering one’s fears Essay

Jamal Wallace made a very important point in the movie just about before the movie ended: †¦and what’s the reason in having a file cabinet full of writing and keeping the shit locked so nobody can read it? What is that man? I’m done with this shit! – Wallace, Finding Forrester The movie is about a young African-American student who is very smart but does not have any focus in his life, particularly, in his academic studies. He was noticed by an elite school, The Mailer-Callow School, when he scored very high in a standardized test across the state of New York. He was offered a scholarship by Mailer-Callow provided that he will play basketball in the school’s basketball varsity team. It was also about this period when he accidentally met William Forrester (whose identity Wallace only found out later) and has since then became his writing mentor. Forrester has detached himself from the society after writing a Pulitzer-winning novel, The Avalon Landing. No one knew the reason why Forrester has gone dark. The two characters became friends and have started to experience change that could not have been possible without each other. Wallace became a personality in the school because of his natural talent in basketball and more importantly, his unexplainable gift in writing. And because the gift cannot be explained, a certain professor, Crawford, somehow was challenged. Crawford and Wallace had a conflict when Wallace tried to stand up and protect his classmate from the intimidating Crawford. The argumentation ended up with Wallace being an enemy of Crawford. The conflict of the story was made more obvious at the end of the movie when Wallace and Forrester had an argument on whether Forrester should go to Jamal’s school for the latter not to be accused of academic fraud – plagiarism. Wallace submitted an article with a sub-title similar to what Forrester has already published before. The only way for Wallace not to be implicated is for Forrester to get out, present himself in the academic board in Wallace’s school (or write a letter), and tell them, that he authorized Wallace to used his words. Wallace has secluded himself for years and he was not about to open up that easily to the society just because of a certain boy stupid enough to break his rule (the essay that Wallace has submitted is an essay Wallace wrote inside Forrester’s house – Forrester and Wallace had an agreement that anything written inside that place will not get out of there). Clearly, the movie’s conflict is more than just Forrester’s â€Å"power† to save Wallace from academic doom. The movie is about the two characters overcoming their fears. In the case of Wallace, he needs to get rid of his racial bias†¦ to get out of the mindset that everything is about the elite and the underdogs. Forrester, on the other hand, has to conquer his fears of developing new friends, new companionships. Forrester is not angry at the society. He is, more than that, afraid that he might, again, lose people that are close to him, people that he has learned to love. The movie showed us how everyone, no matter how satisfied and happy they might seem, have their own fears and discontentment. It seems that more than just Wallace finding Forrester, as his mentor, as his friend, the movie has successfully showed how Forrester found Wallace – a new friend that made him overcome everything that he has tried to avoid and to run away from. The movie Finding Forrester is not just about losing families and finding new ones. It is about fighting your own self, and in the process, finding the new you.

Description for PC essays

Description for PC essays The PC (Personal Computer) consists of a central unit, referred to as the computer has various components (a part which combines with other parts to form something bigger such as the motherboard, CPU, RAM). The computer is a box which contains most of the working electronics connected with cables to the components. There is easy way to think about the computer. If one thinks a computer as a human body, the components will be the parts of the human body such as a heart, a brain, a lung, a stomach. If one does not have any one of them, one may have a ring on ones head and knock on deaths door. The computer is the same as a body structure; therefore, the computer will not work correctly, if one of components is not work. There are many components in the computer; however, the silvery small square box, the CPU, is certainly the most important PC component. Without the CPU, there would be no PC on the earth. The CPU has hundreds of needles at the bottom; moreover, the size is the same as a biscuit that can be taken in a bite. The CPU stands for Central (the center of PC data processing) Processing (the processing, moves and calculates, data) Unit (a chip, which contains millions of transistors). One can think of the CPU as the brain of a human body (Central). The CPU can calculate the money (Processing), and it operates with a thousands and one voltages roll (Unit). The smallest and the cleverest brain can calculate the total amount of a hundred and one coins. However, if the brain does not have the memory that it calculated, the work will come to nothing; therefore, the brain needs to memorize what it calculated. A greenish 10 cm ruler, RAM does this job. You can understand RAM (Random Access Memory) as the working memory storage. All the data, which the PC uses and works with during operation, are stored here. Finally, the brain can do memorize thousands of coins; however, it will forget the am ...

Heart Attacks essays

Heart Attacks essays A heart attack is also known as Myocardial Infarction (M.I.). A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to a portion of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. This happens when one of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle is blocked by an obstruction. This blockage can be due to a condition called atherosclerosis (a build up of fatty like substance along the wall of the artery), a blood clot or a coronary vessel spasm along with a total obstruction. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart stops, that area of the heart will no longer receive the oxygen or nutrients needed to carry out its function and will die. If it is a very small part of the heart involved, it will be able to work without it. If a large portion is damaged, irreversible damage will happen which can lead to death. Damage to the heart muscle may be so severe that it may cause abnormal heart rhythm. Most people who are of a myocardial infraction or a heart attack do so within a few hours due to this type of heart rhythm. The heart attack victim will complain of pressure, discomfort or a squeezing sensation in the center of the chest. There may be pain radiating to the arms or the neck. There may also be shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and or indigestion. The pain that occurs is the result of heart tissue schema (decreased blood supply). The area that is not receiving enough blood is literally crying out for help. When a person complains of any of the symptoms mentioned, they should be transported to the nearest hospital. The diagnosis of an M.I. is made for the patient's history, from special tests on E.C.G. and measurement of certain enzymes released into the bloodstream from damaged heart muscle. Once an M.I. has occurred and a portion of the heart muscle has died, something has to be done to prevent a piece of the obstruction from breaking off and blocking another artery somewhere else ...

Business Administration Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Administration - Personal Statement Example The emphasis on the religious and cultural upbringing of a child in my culture is considered as more important than any other aspect of life and as such I believe I was raised as a child who is going to contribute positively towards making others’ lives easier and fulfilling. I passed my Bachelors in Health Administration in 2009 from California State University, Sacramento with an overall GPA of 3.5/4 with degree honor of Cum Laude. Apart from that I also passed Associates of Science and Medical Assistant Certification. This indicates my overall zeal and commitment to continuously upgrade my level of education standards and achieve better education to improve my chances of getting ahead in my career at relatively swift pace. What this also indicates is the fact that my educational credentials are good enough to give me confidence to pursue a higher degree and improve my chances to obtain better career position in the future and this degree will serve as a foundation for me to set foot on a career that is not only self fulfilling and lucrative but also allow individuals to serve the humanity in appropriate manner and remain in touch with the life. I am currently working at Mercy San Juan Medical Center as Patient Registration Rep and my core duties include ensuring that complete and timely information on Insurance is achieved and collecting demographics and financial information about the patients. My current job is therefore relatively administrative in nature as I am supposed to take care of the most critical aspects of hospital management that is maintaining of financial records of the patients and ensure that the timely and accurate information is collected for serving our patients in more appropriate manner. My earlier experience includes working as ER Assistant at Woodland Memorial Hospital, Communications Operator at Mercy General Hospital, Â ­Medical Assistant

Advertising in the UK fastfood industry Dissertation

Advertising in the UK fastfood industry - Dissertation Example sh this aim, the study targets the following objectives: 3.1 To determine the status of fast food advertising in the UK, for the period 2003 to present (to include findings from the Hastings review and the study by the Food Standards Agency.) 3.2 To understand the cultural issues and considerations that surround fast food advertising 3.3 To draw insight as to how an understanding of cultural attributes may make the advertising of fast foods more effective and mutually beneficial for both consumers and business. 4. Statement of the research problem and sub-problems What are the cultural considerations that advertisers should take into account in promoting the fast food business in the UK? 4.1 What is the current status of fast food advertising in the UK? 4.2 With the ban imposed on advertising for children, what strategic shift in marketing should fast foods consider in targeting the adult market? 4.3 Based on the revised marketing strategy, what are the social norms, beliefs and atti tudes of adults that advertising must consider in pursuit of the new strategy? 5. Significance of the research topic The research topic is a timely and relevant issue in the United Kingdom, where in January 2007 a total ban was implemented by the Office of Communications (OFCOM) on the advertising of junk food and fast food to children. The new legislation was the result of the unrelenting campaign of parents and pressure groups, with the support of the British Medical Association, who were concerned about the worsening obesity problem besetting not only the UK but almost all developed nations. The ban covers all advertising of foods deemed to have particular appeal for children and youth under the age of sixteen. The advertising ban also comes at the end of an exhaustive three year... The research topic is a timely and relevant issue in the United Kingdom, where in January 2007 a total ban was implemented by the Office of Communications (OFCOM) on the advertising of junk food and fast food to children.   The new legislation was the result of the unrelenting campaign of parents and pressure groups, with the support of the British Medical Association, who were concerned about the worsening obesity problem besetting not only the UK but almost all developed nations.   The ban covers all advertising of foods deemed to have particular appeal for children and youth under the age of sixteen.     The advertising ban also comes at the end of an exhaustive three year research on the effects of junk food and fast food advertising on the eating habits of children, mandated by the UK government for OFCOM to undertake.   Lobbyists from either side participated, including representatives from food manufacturers who worried about revenue deterioration.   At this point, health campaigners are pushing for a furtherance of the ban to include all advertising of junk and fast foods before the watershed of 9pm.   The move had made advertisers more creative, foregoing television advertising and resorting to social networking sites and mobile phones. (Fast Food Nation, 2011).Cultural aspects of advertising.   There is current debate about the relationship between advertising and the culture in which the advertising campaign is being launched.   Many are apparently of the opinion that advertising influences those segments.