Airtel New Advertising Campaign A Critical Analysis Marketing Essay

Airtel New Advertising Campaign A Critical Analysis Marketing Essay The first question we encounter in the study of advertising and brand promotions as students is why advertising? Is it really important? After all, how much role does promotion play as part of the 4Ps in realizing the ultimate marketing objectives of the brand or the company? The new advertisement campaign of Airtel provides a fascinating case that helps us in studying these questions with all their criticalities. Background Airtel is an Indian multinational telecom service provider with presence across 19 countries. In India it is one of the most reputed brands. Outside India, it is known as Zain in Africa and Warid in Bangladesh. Having revolutionized the telecom industry in the fifteen years since its inception, Airtel decided to reposition the brand with a new logo, jingle and advertisements so as to have a uniform presence world-wide. The idea behind the new positioning was to signify Airtels journey towards the new world of digitization. It wanted to make its presence felt in the 3 G, social media and mobile based e-commerce space and connect with the new age customers. Hence a London based ad agency came up with the new logo with letter a in lowercase, with Airtel written beneath it in lowercase. In the words of Sanjay Kapoor, the CEO of Bharti Airtel, The new logo is modern ,vibrant , friendly and signifies Airtels commitment to reach out to its shareholders and consumers , the letters in the low ercase is a symbol of its humility . New logo Old Logo http://www.afaqs.com/all/news/images/news_story_grfx/2010/28828_2.jpg http://www.afaqs.com/all/news/images/news_story_grfx/2010/28828_1.jpg The Launch The new logo is paired with the tagline Dil jo chahe pass laye again reinforcing Airtels commitment to the users. The new look was promoted through all the advertising channels such as TV, print, outdoor and digital campaigns. In an attempt to make the customers identify with the new look, Airtel even launched a campaign where the customers had to name the new logo of Airtel .To reemphasize the new look of the Airtel ,A.R Rehman was roped in to compose a fresh jingle for Airtel . The story so far looked good .With the big names such as JWT, Madison Media Plus, Digitas and Web chutney  working behind the campaign, one could have been assured of the success of the campaign. The Backlash What happened next took everyone by surprise. Social media space and newspapers alike were abuzz with the negative criticism of the new look and campaign. Social media conversations about the rebranding exercise In a survey conducted by brand monitor analysis the sentiment of tweets, the results showed that Almost  62%  of the conversations about the new Airtel logo were negative   Facebook discussions and LinkedIn discussions the Position team analyzed, 3 distinct themes around the reactions emerged: Approximately  15% of the conversations were direct comparisons  of the new Airtel logo to the Videocon and Vodafone logos Approximately  10%  of the conversations suggested that Airtel should have invested money in improving their customer service and network availability instead A very small minority  (1%) called for a reinstatement of the old logo  or a fresh redesign exercise (Source: http://blogs.position2.com/airtel-brand-revamp-social-media-response) Fans even went to the extent of comparing the logo with Videocon Vodafone logo Click to enlarge: Logo Comparisons Created by a fan Primary Research In order to get a first-hand account of the user reaction the Airtels new advertising campaign I interviewed some fellow B school students who have done their specialization in marketing. Given below are excerpts of some of the interviews Sayan Majumder: I dont connect with new brand identity of Airtel .I had more emotional attachment with the previous one. It is true that a company needs to know to evolve but there was no need for Airtel to rebrand itself. It could have focused on providing more on customer satisfaction Sakyabrata Dutta: Airtel visual appeal has gone for a toss .In an attempt to appeal to a global audience the advertisement has lost its local flavor Sandeep Somisetty: The new promotion strategies of Airtel are definitely a deliberate attempt to connect with the young 3G audience. The focus on technology as the underlying theme of its advertisements definitely reinforces the brand as a technology savvy one. However, I am not sure how much this drastic brand repositioning will translate into enhanced top-line growth for the company. From my little knowledge of the telecom sector, most of the sources of revenue lie in the untapped rural market. It is hard to find them connect with this new urban, cosmopolitan avatar of the brand. The Learning In spite of the initial negative sentiments ,consumers have now started to connect with new brand identity and may eventually come to like it .But whatever may be the final results for Airtel ,this campaign will always be remembered for the fuss it created and a few lessons an advertising professional can learn. Customers own the brand for them its a way of life and any change in the brand proposition should be done taking customer into consideration; otherwise the millions spend on advertising just go down the drain. Such a fiasco can even affect the sales of the company. In one instance a salesman was dejected that the shopkeepers were making fun of the new merchandise of the Airtel. Advertisement forms an integral part of the marketing of a brand. It is a means to reach the consumers and should be designed keeping in mind the final marketing objective to be achieved. Finally, advertisers should learn that If it aint broke, dont fix it. The Airtel brand itself was build through years of tremendous hard work exemplary performance. It is not clear what prompted this change of positioning, may be the recent telecom troubles acted as catalysts. However, evidences suggest that whatever be the motive, it was not successful. The brand managers of Airtel may be forced to take a lesson like those at Coca-Cola who famously introduced the New Coke in 1985 in response to Pepsi had to take it back after huge consumer backlash.

Organisational Strategy, Culture and Leadership

Organisational Strategy, Culture and Leadership Introduction Future challenges for business organisation will vary in so many ways compared to the past. Organisations in this 21st century are working on different ways of doing things to stay in the competition or beat it. In this fast moving and fluctuating economic environment, finding market opportunities and developing a competitive edge for any organisation is critical and it involves lots of executive time and effort. To ensure sustainable growth for any company, the leaders of any organisation should plan strategically and tactically to meet the needs and wants of the customer in the long run and increase the shareholder value. In this context, leadership in modern organisations is a challenge in this dynamic social and cultural environment. As Elkin(2007) describes, strategies for organisational wellbeing is their ability to understand what should be done today and tomorrow to live up to customer expectations and prosper in the long run. Jonson et al (2008) argue that historical and cultural perspectives of an organisation are vital to understand the opportunities and the threats in the business environment. So, it is clear that the culture of an organisation is the central thesis of organisational strategy and implementation. To ensure successful Strategy formulation, implementation and the evaluation/measurement, need right talent within the organisation. This is where leadership of the organisation comes handy. Giving employees a purpose, directing them willingly to it and creating a feeling of importance and ownership is very important to drive the organisation towards the super ordinate goal. Therefore, it is evident that leadership in an organisation is vital in organisational development and change to achieve strategic objectives. Strategic leadership is the ability to shape the organisations decisions and deliver high value overtime, not only personally but also inspiring and managing others in the organisation. Lynch R (2009: 9) Lynchs clearly state about delivering high value or increasing shareholder value, ensuring individual and team performance in a stressed atmosphere where the change is the name of the game plan. Therefore, the author of this paper attempts to understand the concepts of organisational strategy, leadership and culture and how each of these concepts and theories can be applied in a practical scenario. Specifically, the author attempts to understand and clarify how organisational culture influence leaders in forming and performing organisational strategies. Organisational Strategy Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations Johnson et al (2008: pg 3) In simple term literature describes strategy as a long term plan, a course of action to achieve competitive advantage, a path to get from where they are to where they want to be. Elkin (2007) describes strategy as a process of positioning an organisation in its environment to achieve and sustain competitive advantage profitably. Whereas, McGee et al (2005) in their chapter on the concept of strategy, discussing Chandlers (1963) definition on strategy concludes that it as the determination of basic long -term goal and objectives, and the action plan and the allocation of resources to achieve them. Mintzberg (1994) defines strategy as a set of interrelated decisions to achieve articulated results and Appelbaum (1991:pg.41) definition characterises strategy: As a coherent grouping of actions intended to gain distinct advantage over competition Why strategy To achieve business stability and growth in this competitive business environment, even a sole trade organisation cannot do things on an adhoc basis. The Pereto Principle (80 20 rule) applies to products, customers and markets as well. Therefore, the leaders should plan to invest in 20% value adding markets. This requires logical and creative thinking in place and some extra effort from leaders. According to Jonson et al (2008), Elkin (2007) and Juran (1994), to ensure sustainable growth and to enhance shareholder value, todays organisation should have a long term direction, and a course of action to bridge the competition. Companies who make occasional improvements at a pedestrian pace cannot possibly hope to keep up with their competitors; they need to set ambitious goals Juran (1994.pg 48) Saying this Juran (1994) further emphasises the need for set goals to keep up with their competitors. Lafley ( 2009), chairman Procter & Gamble (P & G) says that they are purpose driven and values and principle led, he further state that is why they could navigate through two world wars, regional, local wars, periodic panics and recessions. Having formulated five main strategies (Product, Operations, social responsibility, employees, stakeholders www.pg.com) for P&G, they emphasis the need for a long term direction for survival and sustainable growth and is a living example for a strategy driven organisation. Basic Dynamics of Strategy Every organisation has to manage its strategies in main three areas; The organisations internal resources; The external environment within which the organisation operates; The organisations ability to add value to what it does. Lynch R ( 2009:52) And further, he describes five key elements of strategy which are needed for value addition and create the competitive edge over competitors; those are sustainability, process, competitive advantage, the exploitation of linkages between the organisation and the environment, vision. McGee et al (2005) introduces main three factors that control organisational plans, decisions and actions. In his model of basic dynamics in strategy, he explains that goals are derived considering external environment [PESTEL, Five forces Model (Porter, 1980)] and resources that an organisation has. Strategy formulation, execution and evaluation are highly integrated with organisations external and internal environments. Johnson et al (2008) also takes kind of similar approach and believes them as basic dynamic of organisational strategy. Leadership Leadership is fundamental aspect of strategic management and paramount in strategy implementation Sherman .et al (2007:pg.167) Leadership is the ability to influence, motivate individuals and teams to get the contribution towards organisational strategy willingly. (House et al, 1997; Blanchard, 2007). These are the qualities that Nelson Mandela got even after being in the jail for 28 years (www.anc.org.za, New York Times, 1990), Mother Theresa was another example with a great passion to motivate and persuade people for the end state (nobelprice.org). Hughes and Beatty (2005) state that individuals and teams become strategic as they think, act, influence towards sustainable competitive advantage and he further emphasis that Strategic thinking, Strategic acting and strategic influencing are key skills for a leader. As an example, Martin Luther Kings I have a Dream changed the Americas direction as a country in terms of culture, strategy as well as leadership. It is his acumen as a leader, ability to shape decisions to deliver high value which created this atmosphere (Lynch, 2009). When looking at great leaders in the past and the future, it is clear that the self belief, confidence, courage, integrity and being yourself, with skills (Goffee and Jones, 2000) have guaranteed the sustainability as a nation or any formal or informal organisation. Why leadership In most of the organisations in todays business context, interest of employees and employers are not aligned. As success highly depends on human capital readiness, it is leaders responsibility and the ability to get the right commitment from all in the ship. Doz and Thanheiser (2000) say that Inventing a creative recipe and cooking a perfect dish still require much talent from leaders. So, it is leaders responsibility to formulate strategy and create a strategic intent to drive the organisation for results. In any organisation existing structure is very important for employees as they are comfortable with the existing power bases, rewards and recognitions as well as the job security. Appelbaum (1991) emphasises that success of any strategic change is highly depend on the key people. So, adjusting the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities would be the challenge and leaders have to apply different types of leadership styles depending on employees educational, cultural, religious and social background as well as the organisational values and beliefs. Leadership Styles Leadership literature emphasises that there is no single effective style of leadership (Goffee and Jones, 2000; Gill, 2001; Higgs and Rowland, 2003). But Sherman et al (2007) points out that transformational leadership has been successful in getting the work done willingly while giving people a sense ownership. He further states that transformational leaders are change agents and cheer leaders in organisations. Sherman continues saying that transactional leaders enhance organisational performance by providing support and guidance to accomplish specific tasks or functions. Yukl (2006) calls transformational leadership as relationship oriented and transactional as task oriented where he points out that the appropriate mix of both depending on circumstances as situational leadership. Servant leadership takes place when leaders assume the position of servant in their relationship says Russell Stone (2002). Autocratic route is rarely an acceptable option even in sole trader organisations , Nolan et al (2007). It is very clear that different authors argue in various ways and has come up with a range of suggestions for leading styles. For example, Jack Welch approach to turn around GE is a prime example of varying leadership styles depending on the situation and the long existed organisational and the social climate. At the initial stage as a senior leader, he creates a vision and strategy to re-organise and drive GE towards success where he had to dismiss people, sell under performing units etc. During this time, he uses his positional power and authority and acted as an autocratic leader most of the time as a result he was nick named as Neutron Jack. Once he made GE lean and a flexible organisation without boundaries his approach was more democratic. Fujio Mitarai at Canon is also renowned for taking a similar kind of approach where as Paul Kennedy a fictional HBR leader is renowned as a soft negotiator who is not willing to push for best deal, critics called him as a Laissez -faire leader. But nobody justifies his approach was wrong and is totally Laissez-faire approach (Strategic Direction, 2006) as Laissez-f aire style is associated with dissatisfaction, unproductiveness and ineffectiveness. Though Jack Welch was earlier called as a neutron, later he was recognised as a transformational leader who turns around GE as the most recognised and valuable organisation in the world. He proved that the right mix with all styles drives organisation towards success. Goffee and Jones (2000) state that being your self, with skills is important as a leader, so it is clear that successful leaders represent this argument introducing their own way of doing things. Prime example is Finnish mobile manufacturer Nokia, Jorma Ollila, who is a silent CEO but with high-performance. It is believed that he take servant to transformational style as and when required. Organisational Culture Deshpande and Webster (1989), define culture as a set of tacitly understood rules and procedures which guide employees behaviours depending on the situation where as Williams at el. (1993) describes it as common and stable beliefs, values and attitudes . Schein (2004) and Johnson et al (2008) share their view stating culture as a shared basic assumptions that has worked well in the past, so they are forced to think and feel same when it comes to same kind of situations and Johnson put this into his words; Organisational culture is the basic assumptions and belief that are shared by members of an organisation that operate unconsciously and define in basic taken for grated fashion an organisations view of it and its environment. (Johnson et al, 2008: pg 189) Therefore, in general culture can be defined as norms, values and belief or assumptions people in an organisation shares commonly and be guided by. For example, Fujio cho, the president Toyota says that their business practices are based on core principles created values, beliefs and business methods and he further states those have become competitive edge over the years. So, for Toyota, culture is more important and they drive organisation benefiting from their strong homogeneous culture (Liker, 2004) Johnson, et al (2008) emphasis that individuals are surrounded by four different cultures, namely national/regional, organisational field, organisational and functional/divisional and he further states that the importance of understanding all four frames of culture in order to be successful in the business environment. McDonalds approach to enter and operate in India is a prime example for this. McDonalds menus in India do not contain pork or beef. Vegetarian and non vegetarian food products are kept separate throughout the sourcing, supply chain, cooking and serving process, (cordthinking.wordpress.com). They have been successful in achieving their strategic objectives with the thorough understanding the all forms of cultures that Jonson explains. Burt et al (1994) and Burt (2000), say that in some sectors corporate culture does not have say on performance but in others culture play a pivotal role in creating completive edge. Toyota, PG are prime example for organisations which take edge from their strong cultures. He continues stating that understanding cultures contingent value is important as it says when and when not to consider about culture in strategy formulation and leadership. Composition of culture Literature describes culture is a composite of values, belief, behaviours and norms which has been existence and accepted for a certain period of time (Schein, 2004; Liker, 2004; Burt, 2000). Where as Johnson, et al (2008) points out that paradigm is the base for culture and he explain in his below model that behaviours, belief and values are guided by this paradigm. Types of cultures Sherman et al (2007) introduces three different types cultures in organisations; Homogenous characterised by consistency, consider organisation as one and they react to changes as a unit. Toyotas culture is prime example for it as all employees values, behaviours and belief are guided by the culture. Differentiated there are majority and minority subculture but the majority runs the organisation. Fragmented small units maintain their unique cultural identities; a subculture will dominate only due to organizational necessity. It is not clear that which culture runs the firm. Trade unions and other formal and informal groups also have a say and influence on organisational decisions. Royal Mail trade union dispute and current organisational issue have been created through these cultural norms as they do not have a strong organisational consensus. Strategy, Culture and Leadership Schein E.H (2004) sees culture and leadership as two sides of same coin and he further says that leaders first create cultures and then groups and organisations. The culture often determines the degree of co-operation and commitment among the staff as well as the organisations strength of purpose and the CEO is usually responsible for setting this tone Appelbaum (1991:pg.50) Therefore, strength of organisational purpose, employee commitment and co -operation are highly depending on organisational culture. As Appelbaum (1991) says, leader is the creator of it. To achieve sound business performance while exploring unprecedented business opportunities with highest risk ever, business managers plan strategically. PGs connect develop, GEs work out are transformational strategies from which they turn around their organisations. According to Appelbaum (1991), Leaders can ignore the culture, fit culture to strategy or fit the strategy to culture compromising performance. In GEs and PGs case, strategic leaders were not ready to compromise on results they really cared about value addition in terms of customers, shareholders and for the society as whole. For example PGs A.G. Lafley has created a homogeneous culture which supports their strategy. Understanding the importance of culture for organisational well being he as the leader lives with it talks it all the ti me, in almost all reports such as sustainability, annual reports etc makes sure that they communicate their values, beliefs and the organisational purpose to all stakeholders and in that leadership creates the culture which supports to organisations end state. Schein (2004) says understanding culture is desirable for all but is a must for leaders. So, it is evident that Welch and Lafley live with this argument when driven their organisations to greatest states ever. The Work-Out in essence turned the company upside down says Welch so that the workers told the bosses what to do. That forever changed the way people behaved at the company (www.1000ventures.com). Formulating sound organisational strategy, giving sense of ownership and creating the right cultural environment have been the key to winning leaders success at GE. In contrast to GE and PG, Toyota takes a different approach as they have a strong culture in built to the organisation. They train their leaders from inception to live with their values, and belief and to get the commitment from shop flow level to the board for their culture driven strategy. (Like, 2004; Appelbaum ,1991) further talks about the need of a right mix stating leadership is responsible for creating comprehensive aspirations and goals for all emphasising the need to blend aspirations with values to get the commitment to the organisational strategy. Sherma.et al (2007) emphasises that creating the right culture to support strategy does not guarantee performance. According to him it is all about creating an organisational profile which consists of organisational culture, competitive method, market approach, leadership style and the structure. Jack Welch at GE has taken this into consideration creating different profiles at different stages of the strategy execution at GE changing his styles of leading from Autocratic, transformational to servant changing organisational structure from hierarchical to a more flexible boundary less organisation. Practitioners argue that organizations can have sound strategies in place and well documented policies and procedures. But the success relies on how competent an organisation is to implement it. Many strategies fail due to poor implementation Mcdonald (1998.pg 458) It is highly recognised that managing the knowledge workforce in this 21st century is critical and retention is a challenge with the unprecedented opportunities around. As McGee et al (2005) state in his basic dynamic of strategy it is very important to know what we have within (human capital, competencies, and other resources). In this context social and emotional intelligence of leaders come into handy. GE Welch accepts that this aspect of his leadership has been poor though he has been successful. Therefore, it is still in debate what leadership style is best suit for organisational success and what strategy is best or how culture should be changed to support organisational strategy. But it is very clear, if a leader does not want to compromise on where they want to be, the organisations should formulate strategy and demand a cultural change. This is all about taking the challenge to deliver results. From formulation of strategy, implementation and to measurement of success leadership of any organisation pay a pivotal role. Any organisation capable of placing drivers in the right seats will ensure organisational success in the long run as those drivers are capable of creating the right profile for the organisation creating the right balance among leadership, culture and strategy. Conclusion Energy stems from a genuine belief from both leadership and self and focus, innovation and growth derived from organisational strategy, (Kipp, 2005). To ensure sustainable growth in this fast moving unpredictable business environment, it is vital to have these all elements in place. But the success depends on how competent the organisation in implementing their well defined plans (McDonald, 1998). In this context, organisational culture can act as a barrier or as a strong favourable factor for positive organisational changes. According to Drago (1996), culture can be used to focus on resources and activities for the set direction as IBMs cultural emphasis is exceptional customer service, which organisation as a whole are driven and lived with. Therefore, it is pivotal for any leader to have a cultural awareness in formulation, exaction and evaluation of strategy process for any organisation irrespective of their purpose of existence. Ultimately it is leaders ability to strike the right balance between Strategy, leadership and culture to realise organisational vision ethically, Kaplan and Norton (2001). 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Media Comparison Research :: Compare Contrast Research Papers

Media Comparison Research There have been considerable debate on research of media comparison as it relates to education over the past few years. According to Richard Clark, there has been a "paradigm shift" that occurred in instructional media research during the past decade from a behavioral to a more cognitive approach. (Anglin 348). Clark felt that there was "consistent evidence found that there are no learning benefits to be gained from employing any specific medium to deliver instruction. Research showing performance on time saving gains from one or another medium is shown to be vulnerable to compelling rival hypothesis concerning the uncontrolled effects of instructional method and novelty. (Clark 445) Media Defined: Media refers to a class of instructional resources and representing all aspects of the mediation of instruction through the agency of reproducible events. It includes the materials themselves, the instruments used to deliver the materials to learners and the techniques or methods employed. (Allen 1) Media can be defined by its technology, symbol systems and processing capabilities. The most obvious characteristics of a medium are its technology: the mechanical and electronic aspects that determine its function and, to some extent, its shape and other physical features. (Kozma 180) Basics of Media Research There are three major objectives of media research: (1) obtain knowledge about the educational or instructional effectiveness of a chosen medium; (2) increase understanding of how media and technology function and what psychological effects they have on a learner; (3) improve the practice of education through the provision and evaluation of better materials, media, procedures and technologies (Salomon, Clark 1-2). Schramm, as cited by Salomon, stated that while all media can teach very effectively, "learning seem to be affected more by what is delivered than by the delivery system." (Schramm, 1977) (Salomon 1). This has become the basis of disagreement among experts. Discussion Clark’s article argued that most current summaries and meta-analyses of media comparison studies clearly suggest that media do not influence learning under any conditions. In El Salvador (Schramm, 1977), it was not the medium that caused a change in achievement, but rather a curricular reform that accompanied the change. The best current evidence is that media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition.

The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised Essay -- Increase Minimum Wage Essays

"Los Angeles lawmakers Tuesday voted to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, the largest city to try to help its lowest-paid workers survive amid the nation's growing income inequality." -- Michael Winter, USA TODAY May 19, 2015 Understanding the potential of an increase in today’s minimum wage is the key to understanding the above statement. As a financial mechanism in American society, the minimum wage has helped to sustain generations of workers. Yet, there are two sides to the debate over minimum wage increases. One side—the proponents—feel strongly that low-income workers need some incentive to earn a sufficient living. Conversely, opponents believe that changing the minimum wage does not always help workers and can hurt businesses. Nevertheless, the minimum wage should be raised in order to assist American families, aid economic recovery, and help people get out of debt. Background In 1938, Congress began the minimum wage at 25 cents per hour, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (Sherk, 2013). By July 2009, the minimum wage had been raised to $7.25 an hour. Washington State boasts one of the highest minimum wages in the country--$9.19 an hour (Sherk, 2013). The number of Americans who earn minimum wage has always been in question. In 2011, it was reported that 3.7 million Americans earned minimum wage, and that is equivalent to just 2.9 percent of the working population in the country (Sherk, 2013). Next, it is important to note what types of workers get minimum wage earnings. According to Sherk (2013), there are two categories----young workers (still in school) and old workers (out of school). Moreover, these young adults are not likely to live in middle or high income families, and they are typic... ...ey, A. (2013). Raising minimum wage would ease income gap but carries political risks. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/us/politics/obama-pushes-for-increase-in-federal-minimum-wage.html Matthews, D. (2013). Four things to know about Obama’s minimum wage increase. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/13/four-things-to-know-about-obamas-minimum-wage-increase/ Sherk, J. (2013). What is minimum wage: its history and effects on the economy. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/2013/06/what-is-minimum-wage-its-history-and-effects-on-the-economy Wilson, M. (2012). The negative effects of minimum wage laws. Retrieved from http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/negative-effects-minimum-wage-laws Winter, Michael. "L.A. to boost minimum wage to $15", USA TODAY May 19, 2015

Feminists, Stereotypes and Stereotyping in the Media Essay -- Feminism

Feminists and Media Stereotypes      Ã‚   The media portrays feminists in unflattering ways. Largely because of the media portrayal, the word 'feminist' usually evokes images of crass, butch, men-hating, very masculine women. Many women believe in the feminist doctrine, but they would never consider themselves as a feminist because they cannot relate to the images of crass, butch, men-hating, masculine women.   In fact, it has only been within the past year that I've been able to accept the fact that I am a feminist and that my preconceived images of feminists are merely media stereotypes.    I'm now able to admit I care more about my own rights than whether or not someone will assume I fit the media stereotype of a feminsit. Feminism is the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. One doesn't have to hate men, refuse to wear dresses, or be homosexual to be a feminist. Feminism isn't about male bashing, but rather about equality. Now I can (and do) admit freely that I'm a feminist. People may think that means I'm lesbian. They may think that means I hate men. They may think I have some sort of secret agenda. They can be as misinformed or stereotypical as they chose, I just want equal rights.      Yet now I have to wonder why those stereotypes exist and where they stemmed from. Were early feminists "butch" man haters? No. Early accounts from women and men of the time prove otherwise.    *   ... the 1848 Seneca Falls convention for a female Bill of Rights provoked editorials about "unsexed   women"...which insinuated that they had become activists because "they were too repulsive to find a   husband....These women are entirely devoid of personal attractions."...When a supporter, Senato... ...lifetimetv.com/shows/specials/changingface/illusions2.html Life Time Entertainment Services. 2000 Changing Face of Beauty: Models http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/specials/changingface/models.html Life Time Entertainment Services. 2000 Changing Face of Beauty: Views. "Sela Ward" http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/specials/changingface/views5b.html Life Time Entertainment Services. 2000 Changing Face of Beauty: Views. "Maricia Gillespie" http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/specials/changingface/views.html Life Time Entertainment Services. 2000 Douglas, Susan J. Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media. New York: Random House Publishing, 1994, 278. Starr, Bernard. IT AIN'T JUST PAINT:AGING AND THE MEDIA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.longevityworld.com/justpaint.html. 1997 Wolff, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. New York: Doubleday Publishing, 1991   

Expectations Charles Dickens Essay

In the first chapter of Great Expectations Charles Dickens creates a very intense image of the marshes. This is the first place he describes and he makes the marshes sound like a very creepy and bewildering place.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea†.  The words marsh and the river makes the marshes sound like a very damp, muddy and bleak place.  Also in the first chapter Charles Dickens describes the churchyard as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Bleak place overgrown with nettles†. Dickens also describes the churchyard s a very † Overgrown and bleak place†.  A graveyard is supposed to be a happy place that revitalises and refreshes kind, happy memories. I think this implies that death is all around no matter where you look. I think this because everything is â€Å"overgrown† and not looked after and the â€Å"nettles† are killing all of the beautiful plants so death is also involved there as well.  Dickens also says about the marshes in the first chapter  Ã¢â‚¬  And that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes: and that the low leaden line beyond was the river: and the distant savage liar from which the wind was rushing was the sea†. This quote represents a dark and unforgiving future for Pip and that there is no one out there in the wilderness to care for him. The words â€Å"leaden line† imply a low lead river that looks like it has bars on and to Pip this makes him feel imprisoned. Also the words â€Å"savage liar† represents to Pip that he thinks that there is like a savage monster out there in the sea. Furthermore in chapter one Dickens explains the marshes as a â€Å"long black, horizontal line and the sky was just a row of long, angry red lines and dense black lines intermixed. The words represent anger and danger and black utility, death and emptiness. Pip again feels like he is a prisoner to the marshes. At the start of the first chapter instead of Pip being one of the main characters he becomes the narrator of the story and starts talking about his family.  Ã¢â‚¬  So I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip†.  When Pip goes to the churchyard to the graveyard to look at their graves and imagines what his family would of looked like this proves he has a very distinct and creative imagination.  Ã¢â‚¬  My first fancies regarding what they were like, were unreasonably derived from their tombstones†.  Also Pip proves that there was a high rate of infant mortality and he also proves that there was a universal struggle to die. † To five little stone lozenges, each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row beside their grave, and were scared to the memory of five little brothers of mine who gave up trying to get a living exceedingly early in that universal struggle†.  Dickens in the first chapter changes from first person the narrator to third person and this s a very unnatural method to use.  Ã¢â‚¬  And that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip†. Also Great Expectations was serialised which means that he novel was brought out in chapters and because the novel was successful people kept buying each chapter each time they were released.  When Pip goes into the churchyard to the graveyard so that he can go and visualise his brothers and his parents he meets a convict. The convict is starving and looking for food and basically anything and so he turns Pip upside town.  Ã¢â‚¬  The man after looking at me for a moment turned me upside-down†.  This is very strong and imaginative and you can clearly imagine it as he turns him upside down literally and metaphorically. After this the convict starts talking to Pip about his appearance. He talks about  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What fat cheeks you ha got:†Ã‚  After this Pip says  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I believe they were fat, though I was at that time undersized for my years, and not strong†.  This gives the impression that Pip has never been fed properly and this make Pip sound innocent and vulnerable.  Later on Pip makes a promise to the convict that he would bring some food and some wittles so that the convict could release himself from the chain around his ankles and the convict threatens Pip to make sure he does this.

A Delicate Issue: Fast Food Essay

Fast food has been steadfastly adored by people throughout the world over the three decades. In the fast food restaurants, customers are always busy getting in line and buying foods on a national scale. Accordingly, employees take orders, and pack various burgers in a flurry. Foods pour in boundlessly, and help-wanted advertisements are constantly attached on one side of a wall. If so, why on earth are people going so wild with enthusiasm over fast food? In fact, several major advantages of fast food products such as hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, and tacos are convenience, warmth, taste, and accessibility of fast food restaurants. However, Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, is anxious for the riskiness of fast food industry, and he sounds a warning to the nation. In order to grasp the facts of fast food, we need to disclose the basis of his assertions. First, fast food industry is excessively expanding all over the nation. According to a Korean proverb, â€Å"Too much is as bad as too little. See more: Satirical essay about drugs † For example, the McDonald’s Corporation as the most gigantic fast food source of supply makes inroads into small restaurants, and other food industries try to imitate and adopt analogous business ability. Furthermore, in fast food restaurants, there are numerous menus. They have not only burgers and sodas but also foreign dishes such as teriyaki burger, jalapeno burger, and chili bowl. Ultimately, every foreign food restaurant around the fast food restaurants gets a blow. The business ethics are important. It doesn’t matter by law, but it can ethically be a problem. This problem occurs not only in the food service industries but also in agricultural societies. According to Fast Food Nation, â€Å"Family farms are now being replaced by gigantic corporate farms with absentee owners. Rural communities are losing their middle class and becoming socially stratified, divided between a small, wealthy elite and large numbers of the working poor (499). † In this manner, only the industrialized agriculture can survive at this time. Truly, immoderate unevenness of authority corrupts societies. Second, fast foods are relatively unsanitary and have possible effect on genetic health. In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser remarked, â€Å"The meat industry practices that endanger these workers have facilitated the introduction of deadly pathogens, such as E. coli 0157:H7, into America’s hamburger meat, a food aggressively marketed to children. The federal government has the legal authority to recall a defective toaster oven or stuffed animal—but still lacks the power to recall tons of contaminated, potentially lethal meat (499). † Germs especially in meat must be extremely harmful and they can be deadly for our life. Moreover, there are considerable numbers of children customers who like fast foods as a result of various promotions for kids. Since children have much weaker immune system than adults, the germs may lead them to death more easily if the sanitary of fast food doesn’t be improved. Besides, there’s another problem with potatoes. Frozen French fries made from genetically engineered potatoes had been used in McDonald’s for a long time. Most people don’t believe the safety of genetically modified organism. As a matter of fact, GMO is unnatural, and it may bring genetic disease such as an allergic disease occurred from the accident of Brazil nut. In the spring of 2000, fortunately, McDonald’s informed it would no longer purchase those, but how would it guarantee the safety against possible danger of GMO from now on? Truly, fast food corporations are required to have responsibility and business ethics about the nation’s health and safety. Third, working conditions are deteriorated in fast food restaurants. According to Fast Food Nation, â€Å"While a handful of workers manage to rise up the corporate ladder, the vast majority lack full-time employment, receive no benefits, learn few skills, exercise little control over their workplace, quit after a few months, and float from job to job. The restaurant industry is now America’s largest private employer, and it pays some of the lowest wages. The roughly 3. 5 million fast food workers are by far the largest group of minimum wage earners in the United States (497). † Even now, the websites such as Google and Yahoo are overflowing with complaints about poor working conditions in McDonald’s. For example, they continuously hold out for a pay increase, but the situation remains unchanged. In fact, there is a big possibility for unhealthful foods and unfriendliness to customers unless the dissatisfaction of employees doesn’t die down. In the long run, fast food corporations might undergo the severe hardships with employments and merchandising goods. Of course, McDonald’s do charitable works, but those cannot be the fundamental solution. Uncountable people think fast food corporations are able to make much more profit if they show the strong credibility. Improving working conditions is a problem awaiting urgent solution. Overall, there are numerous issues of fast food corporations. Truly, few restaurants such as McDonald’s and Burger King can have both enormous scale and authority in the world. Therefore, they are required to have a lot more business ethics. Moreover, customers should be concerned about and stimulate fast food corporations ceaselessly and strongly. There are a large number of people who are expecting radical changes. Measures to stabilize the people’s distrust and dissatisfaction are urgently needed.