Impact Assessment of Advertisements Upon Society

Impact Assessment of Advertisements Upon Society The growth in media has lead to expansion in advertisement services over the years to much of the nation. Concern regarding impact of advertisements has grown in Pakistan and this study aims to gather data that analyzes its impact on the society. We will learn that emotions evoked amongst the viewers by advertisements that feature female and male models in diverse sex roles is a primary concern as it has affected the social values present within our society. To be precise, immorality publicized through these advertisements has more or less deteriorated whatever was left of our religious values. Constant advertisements containing indecent substance has lead to people being prone to it which was bound to happen had no corrective measure been taken timely. We investigate that how do children and teens perceive advertisements which change their psyche at a tender age. Lastly, the rulings of advertisements under the laws of Islam that is Shariah, are covered in this study which will highlight the ethical aspects which should have been an integral part of our society. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION An Overview of the Topic Research is conducted to assess the impact of advertising on our society. Since the dawn of advertising, complaints and criticism have run raging. Does it have a strong impact on society? Does it really influence and affect millions of people watching television, reading magazines and listening to the radio every day? The invention of the media has given us more power and knowledge, but its growth prompted us to think about its positive and negative impacts on our society. We experience its ramifications in our personal lives and in society as a whole. Advertising function is not of current origin, even the Romans practiced advertising. The sellers in early times used their loud voices to catch the attention of consumers and inform them of the availability of their services. After the development of retail stores, traders became more concerned about attracting sales and customers. Informing customers about their products and services was vital to increase sales. Hence use of signs on stores and other major places became a way to reach its customers. With the swift growth in markets and increase in customers, the significance of advertising also grew. Different advertising techniques and methods were then developed in order to survive with the rising trend. Advertising plays an important role in our society. It equally goes hand in hand with special responsibilities but the social actors do not fully understand the impact that it has on them. Advertisers are well aware of its society and hence use suitable techniques to reach its market. Few examples are banner ads, TV commercial ads, text messaging advertisements, online video ads and print ads. Each of these methods let advertisers offer a different way for a consumer to become more involved in the marketing process. Every time a person opens a newspaper or turns on the TV, he or she views advertisements in huge quantities which results in more and more chances of being carried away without even consciously knowing it. The worst part is that most of the viewers are negatively affected by it at a subconscious level. It is an important topic to discuss as to whether advertisements affect our society or not. There has been no research conducted in this field previously though this social issue needs attention in our society. The main purpose of this study is to know the relationship between how the society reacts to different types of advertisements and how it affects their psychology. Advertising has changed in its function, mainly because of the switch from informational to a more expressive conceptual way to communicate with consumers. Previously consumers were exposed to informative ads which made easier for them to make a decision by exploring the positives of products and the negatives of competitors. The ads and their types have changed over time, now they come with more emotions and sentiments. This style of marketing and advertising carried throughout the twentieth century, with the introduction of the Internet and other technological mediums it became easier to cooperate and communicate with the consumers directly. The internet plays an vital role in changing the strict lines between informational and emotional advertising as it allows its users to practice traditional informative advertising in many different forms, while encouraging interaction with consumers by click-through sites and links. The foremost aim of this research is to build a framework for an analysis of new media advertising that affects the society in numerous ways. The assessment will perform analyses of advertising and how it has changed the way consumers make decisions about products and services. Societal actors such as parents and other individuals have a general viewpoint that advertisement, specifically TV advertisements have a negative influence on society irrespective of it being intended or unintended. These advertisements hold an immense impact and affect the viewers especially the young generation. Usually the advertisements convey their message successfully. The audience captures the idea and internalizes it; the next thing they know, they are in the malls, buying the newest product or service advertised. The effects of advertising may not look severe, but because of the subtlety of these effects, consumer minds are already absorbing it without realizing. Most TV commercials make use of well-known celebrities or beautiful models that consumers are tempted to patronize it because they want to be like them. Advertising has positive as well as negative social, economical and religious impacts on our society. Viewing advertisements as a public welfare is a positive social impact whereas exposing women as a sex tool comes in the negative religious aspect. As far as economic factors are concerned, financing the media and motivating an vigorous and competitive economy are few major examples. Advertisements promote prosperity but are considered propaganda simultaneously. For example Advertising can affect people by making them smoke cigarettes, and support racial, cultural, and sexual stereotypes. Advertisements try to persuade the consumers to buy a product through the use of subliminal messages, celebrity endorsements or evident signs. The effects of television advertising are remarkable, affecting children, teens, and adults. These ads point out a persons lack of something, instead of the products features. As a result consumers now are likely to purchase products to make them feel good and beautiful instead of buying it because of the products particular feature or value. We all know that Pakistan has been created under the name of Islam therefore all social activities should be governed by Shariah. In accordance with The Holy Quran, fraud may occur if the seller fails to deliver anything promised in a transaction. Moreover according to Hadith [Sahih Muslim: The Book of Transactions], we can conclude that a true Islamic society is based upon honesty, justice and fraternity, and is absolutely intolerant of dishonesty in all its various forms. That is the reason why perfect honesty in business and truthfulness in trade are much emphasized by the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him). It will not be an exaggeration to say that absolute honesty in business and commerce is really an Islamic concept. Moreover The Holy Quran explicitly addresses the dress code for men and women. For instance in a verse of Surat Al-Noor in the Holy Quran states And say to the believing women, that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they Should not display their Beauty and ornaments except What (ordinarily) appear Thereof; that they should draw their veils over Their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers. The above mentioned facts prove that Islam strictly prohibits us to provide any false, unauthentic and deceptive information in any form what so ever. It also forbids involvement of men or women in any form as it is against our religious beliefs. People in society are influenced by most advertisements, and resultantly either they buy what they see or converse about what they saw. One of the major unfavorable judgments for advertising is that it persuades the public to buy things which are not their actual want. Advertising plays with emotions and encourages people to think that buying and consuming are the activities of life. It is important to understand what the impact of advertisement can be on society. The impact on individuals depend on how much they watch, their age and personality, whether they watch alone or with others, and whether others talk with them about what they see and understand. Questionnaires were distributed amongst the students, teachers, parents as well as the professionals working in corporate world which made certain that people belonging to all sections of the society were reached. Age was not a barrier in order to ensure that the feedback obtained represents the judgments of the society as a whole. From the 50 respondents in totality, the results show that almost half of the population admitted that the advertisements are a means of giving rise to materialistic values. Many respondents were of the view that they crave to have access to only those selected channels which do not promote immorality and indecency. Ethical and social aspect sections of the questionnaire mainly had an adverse response. A detailed analysis of advertisements and its impact on society will help draw a conclusion that how social inequality is mounting amongst the people of our society and how it molds the psychic of individuals. This research will provide a better understanding of how the society perceives and comprehends the selling objective of commercials. The main objective is to find the relationship between effects of advertisements upon society and their susceptibility of using advertised product or service. Related Definitions Advertisements: Any public notice, as a printed display in a newspaper, short film on television, announcement on radio, etc., designed to sell goods, publicize an event, etc. Advertising: Philip Kotler [Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University] has defined advertising as Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor Advertising is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.(Bovee, 1992, p. 7) Society: 1. an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. 2. a body of individuals living as members of a community; community. Psychology: The science of the human soul; specifically, the systematic or scientific knowledge of the powers and functions of the human soul, so far as they are known by consciousness; a treatise on the human soul. The science which studies the functions of the mind, such as sensation, perception, memory, through, and, more broadly, the behavior of an organism in relation to its environment Imitation of stunts: Copying (or trying to copy) the actions of someone else such as an acrobatic or dangerous piece of action in a film, television ad, etc. Eating disorder: Eating disorder is when a person eats, or refuses to eat, in order to satisfy a psychic need and not a physical need. The person doesnt listen to bodily signals or perhaps is not even aware of them. A normal person eats when hungry and stops eating when the body doesnt need more, when he feels the signal of satisfaction. Temper Tantrums: Temper tantrums are disruptive or undesirable behaviors or emotional outbursts displayed in response to unmet needs or desires. They may also refer to an inability to control emotions due to frustration or difficulty expressing a particular need or desire. Awareness: knowledge or understanding of a subject, issue, or situation Impulse shopping/buying: Involves no conscious planning but a powerful, persistent urge to buy something immediately Materialism: The theory that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena. The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. A great or excessive regard for worldly concerns. Fraud: Deception deliberately practiced with a view to gaining an unlawful or unfair advantage; artifice by which the right or interest of another is injured; injurious stratagem; deceit; trick. [Not able to deliver everything promised in the ads is also fraud] Haram: Prohibited, illegal. Mostly used in reference to actions as well as foods. Haraam is that for which the one who does it will be punished and the one who abstains from it will be rewarded, if the reason for his abstinence is following the prohibition of Allah CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Sandage (1972) worked as a leader in advertising education. He conducted a research on some institutional aspects of advertising. Advertising has two types of criticisms: 1) that which is directed against the methods of individual practitioners, and 2) that which holds that the whole advertising process is neither socially or economically defensible. Basically the society holds advertising accountable to inform and convince members of society in respect to products, services and ideas. It is believed that advertising manipulates consumers to follow the will of the advertiser. The positive side of advertising is the learning of consumerism which means it develops judgment on the part of consumers in their buying practices. Advertising holds a philosophy that consumers are not really competent of making wise decisions and that they would be better off if some supposedly more intellectual person or group made all consumption decisions. Bijmolt, Claassen and Brus worked together to carry a study on childrens understanding to T.V advertising. They examine childrens understanding of TV advertising that is their aptitude to understand commercials. Children are watching more television today than years ago, and therefore viewing more commercials. Parents and other societal actors have a universal concern that advertisement, specifically TV advertisements have a harmful influence on early stages of life irrespective of it being intended or unintended. It is investigated whether their age, gender, parental pressure or any other aspect has an effect on the understanding of advertisements. Brucks, Armstrong and Goldberg (1988) concluded that understanding TV advertisements allows children to use cognitive defences, such as producing counter arguments. While looking at the children responses to TV advertisement a research testing revealed that childrens food choices especially in snacks are based on their exposure to TV commercials. Persuasive strategies are considered techniques used by advertisers to get consumers to purchase. Teenagers have become top consumers in todays society, so advertisers have focused on getting their business. Teens are able to spend their money more freely because they do not have the responsibilities of adults. They even have a greater influence on household spending, as their role in the spending of their parents money continues to rise. For instance, it is not unusual for a parent to send their young kid to the grocery store for them, giving them total control of product choice. Thus, teenagers are becoming big targets for advertisers due to their growing consumerism. Why are teenagers such big targets in the advertising business? The answer is straightforward: They are different. Advertisers view them as a constant changing generation with optimistic outlooks. They want to show individuality by their clothes and possessions, however fit in with their peers. Hyman, Tansey and Clark (1994) conducted a research on advertising ethics as it has been, and continues to be, an important topic in advertising research. Advertising ethics affects the practice of our lives, and also the practice of business, in subtle and important ways. It concerns everyone including the academicians, ad agency personnel, advertisers, consumers, media personnel, and regulators, in one way or the other. Dennison (2008) conducted a study to see the role of television in childhood obesity. The research in the study exhibited that child obesity has more than tripled in the last past 30 years. Although there are many other multi-factorial reasons for it to rise, television viewing is one the major factors. Increased calorie ingestion, poorer dietary quality and reduced physical activity are all results of extreme television viewing. Advertisements, such as sophisticated marketing of high fat, high sugar, high calorie foods and beverages are increasingly being targeted to kids and adolescents. These advertisements have been shown to have an effect on childrens preferences, requests, and short-term consumption of food and beverages. Foods such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products are least likely to be advertised. Gay (1992) analyzed the effects of 2 People see advertisements all around the globe that try to entice consumers to buy products. Advertisements are placed in newspapers, magazines, schools, and on billboards everywhere. According to marketing consultants Stan Rapp and Tom Collins, on a typical day, a person on average sees over 5,000 advertisements a day. Advertising is simply intended to reveal the benefits of products that consumers wish for. It is fundamental to many businesses, as some would be unable to survive without a way of making their products recognized. Although advertising is accused of influencing consumers to buy things they do not need, they have the choice to purchase. It is up to the consumer to make sensible choices and develop shopping skills. Alexander Hanson (1993) came up with many questions which arise about these advertisements, such as Is advertising deceptive? Does it create or perpetuate stereotypes? Does it create conformity? Does it create insecurity in order to sell goods? Does it cause people to buy things that they really dont need? Advertisers use specific methods to aim teen consumers, but these methods are not always doing well or ethical. Advertising is giving the general community information about new goods and trying to enhance overall sales, which increases the competence of the nations economy. It is supposed to be a significant way of getting the point across about a product and create incentive for individuals to buy. Advertising alone, however, does not get customers. It simply catches consumers interest, gets them to walk up to a shelf, and make an impulsive buy. There are several ways to research consumers behaviours, likes, and dislikes. Advertising reveals the latest fashions and the new popul ar novelties on the market. It exhibits perfect individuals wearing the new styles and looking superior. Consumers observe this perfection and envy it. Therefore, they go out and buy in hopes of reaching perfection. Furthermore, being an accepted member of society has become very essential to most individuals. For instance, the presence of body odour on individuals makes them an outcast in society. Advertisers use this knowledge to their advantage by developing ads that show a person using deodorant and being recognized as admired. Fear also works into the whole advertising process. Due to the fear by consumers that they will not fit in, they pay close attention to the new ads for the new looks, which gives advertisers more drive to make their ads represent the ideal person. Advertisers also insure that ads are simply informational, but many disagree and believe that they are definitely influential. Anderson, Crespo, Bartlett, Cheskin and Pratt (1998) worked on a research and concluded one of the most highly advertised products are fast food and other food products. These advertisements have an effect on childrens eating behaviour and healthiness. Many co-relational studies have demonstrated an association between the length of TV viewing and levels of overweight and obesity in both children and teenagers. In order to control Childhood obesity, efforts to separate snacking or eating while watching television must be made. Public awareness efforts such as TV (screen) turn-off week are gaining momentum, as are local school, childcare and after school policies to limit childrens television viewing and use of other screen media. Specialists can play a critical role by reinforcing messages, supporting parents and families in developing and implementing time limits for television viewing and restricting the marketing and advertising of high-fat, high sugar, high calorie foods to child ren and adolescents. Freeman, brucks, Wallendorf and Boland studied that use of harmful products among young people is on the climb. E.g. promoting specific brands of cigarettes is positively related to susceptibility to smoking. Another controversial topic with advertising is the fact that teenage smoking is on the rise. According to TIPS (Tobacco Information and Prevention Source), at least 6,000 people try a cigarette for the first time each day, all of which are under eighteen years old. Tobacco advertisements are being blamed for the increase use of tobacco by teenagers. Many advertising critics argue that tobacco ads do indeed influence and contribute to the number of teenage smokers. Most teens, however, disagree and believe that their peers are the number one factor in their decision to smoke. Since image is very important to teens, they assess what image their smoking friends portray. If they want that image too, they may also take up the practice of smoking. A teens attitude towards cigarettes is a considering factor, ranking over advertising that leads to teen smoking. Ringel, Collins, Phyillis and Ellickson (2006) conducted a research on time trends and demographic differences in youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television. The key objective of conducting the research was to examine trends in youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television across different demographic groups. Firstly, the negative effects of usage include reduced educational attainment, increase in risky sexual behaviour and also increased likelihood of aggression. Aggressive alcohol marketing and advertising is one factor that is often cited as causing drinking. Among researchers, there is a general consensus that alcohol advertising is positively associated with alcohol consumption. Recent evidence suggests that alcohol advertising on television is increasing both in terms of the number of advertisements and the amount spent, with 90% of youth between the ages of 12 and 20years seeing on average more than 280 alcohol ads in 2002. Jam, Akhtar, Hijazi and Khan (2010) worked together to carry a research on the impact of advertisement on children actions. The major findings were that it enhances the awareness of children and the ads targeted to children are not effective, for effective positioning of children related products marketers should target the parents and include ethical orientation along with environmental knowledge to influence the buying patterns of parents. They hypothesized relationships among media (Advertisements) and their impact on children memory as well as their behaviour of purchasing. They additionally hypothesized the relationship between children focused advertisements and their impact on product sales. Materialism, parent child conflict and unhappiness are most important impacts of advertising on children. There are two types of paradigms; the paradigm of empowered child and the paradigm of vulnerable child. Buizen concluded that in the empowered child paradigm, children are viewed as expert consumers, proficient of critically processing commercial messages. In the vulnerable child paradigm, children lack the cognitive skills to guard themselves against advertising messages. In this research Co-relational studies have been used to do the investigation. A sad or happy commercial can affect the mood, and cognition of the viewer. He proposed a cause and effect relationship and found strong correlations between TV advertisement exposure of children and their purchase preferences as well as amount of purchase while shopping with their parents. The Islamic law, Sharia, prescribes all that one should do (Coulson 1964). There are four major sources or roots of jurisprudence-the word of God himself in the Quran, the divinely inspired conduct of the Prophet (sunnah), reasoning by analogy (qiyas), and consensus of opinion (ijma) (Coulson 1964, p. 55-59). According to the Quran, fraud may occur if the seller fails to deliver everything promised in a transaction. Advertisers are likely to show women in advertising if their presence relates directly to the product even if they are not appropriately dressed. The Quran explicitly addresses the dress code for women. The Surat Al-Noor-Aih-31 in the Holy Quran addresses this issue and states that And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they Should not display their Beauty and ornaments except What (ordinarily) appear Thereof; That they should draw their veils over Their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers. Kaiser (2001) came to the conclusion that society today is bombarded with sexual messages and images in all media which includes television, magazines, advertisements, music, movies and the Internet. Parents are often concerned about whether these messages are productive and healthy. While television can be a powerful tool for educating young people about the responsibilities and risks of sexual behaviour, such issues are seldom mentioned or dealt with in a meaningful way in programs containing sexual content. Three out of four prime time shows include sexual references. Situation comedies top the list: 84 per cent contain sexual content. Of the shows with sexual content, only one in ten included references to safe sex, or the possible risks or responsibilities of sex. In shows that portrayed teens in sexual situations, only 17 per cent contained messages about safe and responsible sex. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND ANALYTICAL CHOICE 3.1: Research type: The research type of my thesis will be qualitative. Qualitative research is more appropriate in order to have comprehensive understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour. The qualitative method investigates not only what, where and when of decision making but the why and how as well. Qualitative research is used to gain insight into peoples attitudes, behaviours, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles. 3.2: Data type and research period: The data used in my research thesis is primary. Primary research involves the collection of data that does not already exist, which is research to collect original data. In order to collect the data questionnaires will be floated to appropriate participants and interviews will be carried out of professionals. 3.3: Sources of data: The unit of analysis are individuals such as parents, teachers, youth themselves since they would be the ones made to fill out the questionnaires from which the data would be collected and analyzed. Parents, teachers and professional psychologists are interviewed as well. Customs Ethical conscience Personal Interests 3.4: Theoretical framework: Effects of Advertisements Economical Effects Social and Cultural Effects Religious and Ethical Effects Persuasion power, use of cognitive defenses, producing counter arguments Eating disorder; Craving for fatty, sugary, and fast foods Promotion of harmful and haram products services Awareness Up-to-date info Increase in knowledge for better decision making Fraud, not able to deliver everything promised Consumerism, Parent-child conflict, Unhappiness Sexual info; use of women and female figures Altered Preference Consumption Pattern Temper tantrums, when deprived of latest products Increase in western TV channels other ad mediums Generate impulse Shopping resulting in materialism Materialistic values in youth Help improve diet, if healthy food product ads are convincing Indulge in risky Behaviors; smoking drinking SOCIETY 3.5: Population, Working population and planned sample: The Population sample of 50 people from all three social classes (lower, middle and elite) and age classes (children, youth and adults) would be selected. Both genders would be questioned and interviewed; Questionnaires would be floated to the Children (5years 10years of age), youth (10years 18years) and adults (above 18 years) would be selected. Biases existed since people will not be willing to share their personal experiences and also because of lack of knowledge of the topic under consideration. 3.7: Research hypothesis: H0: advertising has a significant impact on the society and is giving rise to social inequality ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1: advertising has an insignificant impact on the society and is not giving rise to social inequality ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 H0: do advertisements create or perpetuate stereotypes? ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1: advertising does not create or perpetuate stereotypes? ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 H0: deceptive advertising and materialistic values has increased over the years ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1: deceptive advertising and materialistic values has not increased over the years ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 H0: advertising has brought more good than bad to the society as a whole ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1: advertising has not brought more good than bad to the society as a whole ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 H0: advertising with the help of hard sell and soft sell approach leads to compulsive buying ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1: advertising with the help of hard sell and soft sell approach does not leads to compulsive buying. ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 H0: advertising, with the expansion in media limits and expenditures in advertising has created a line between those who have and those who have not, giving rise to the sociological patterns of individuals (psychological) and society. ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1: advertising, with the expansion in media limits and expenditures in advertising has not created a line between those who have and those who have not, giving rise to the sociological patterns of individuals (psychological) and society. ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 3.8: Techniques Cross tabulation are similar to pivot tables. For primary data cross tabulations were used and were particularly useful for the interpretation of questionnaires especially when the significance of relationship between two variables was to be analyzed. 3.9: Data analysis and interpretation The cross tabulations were run in SPSS software which helped to study differences across sampling frame as it was intuitive and easy to use. All the hypotheses were successfully tested through the cross tabs for the purpose of deriving conclusions and making recommendat

Theme in Housman’s “to an Athlete Dying Young”

? Theme in Housman’s â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young† By Genea Cannon Dr. A. Kantor English 1302 6 March 2009 â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young† by A. E. Houseman The time you won your town the race We chaired you through the market-place; Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought you shoulder-high. Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home, And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town. Smart lad, to slip betimes away From fields where glory does not stay, And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than the rose. Eyes the shady night has shut Cannot see the record cut, And silence sounds no worse than cheers After earth has stopped the ears: Now you will not swell the rout Of lads that wore their honors out, Runners whom renown outran And the name died before the man. So set, before its echoes fade, The fleet foot on the sill of shade, And hold to the low lintel up The still-defended challenge-cup. And round that early-laureled head Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead, And find unwithered on its curls The garland briefer than a girl’s. Thesis and Outline Thesis: Housman uses visual imagery, double-meaning words, and life cycles to develop a theme of fading glory. I. Visual Imagery A. Presence B. Effect II. Double-meaning Words A. Presence B. Effect III. Life Cycles A. Presence B. Effect Genea Cannon DC English 1302 Dr. A. Kantor 3/6/09 Theme in Housman’s â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young† In Alfred Edward Housman’s â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young†, the theme of fading glory is evident throughout the piece. Knowing and comprehending the theme is important to understanding the poem. Housman uses visual imagery, double-meaning words, and life cycles to develop a theme of fading glory. Visual imagery is used in many ways to present the theme. In the first stanza, the narrator is remembering the day that the runner won a race for his town. When Housman states that â€Å"Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought we brought you shoulder-high† (Housman Lines 3-4), it is obvious that the athlete was praised because â€Å"he was placed on an emotional/psychological pedestal as well as a physical one† (Napierkowski 230). Next, Housman states that Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home, And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town. (Lines 5-8) These lines vividly paint a picture of the athlete being carried high again, but this time the athlete in his own casket on the way to his grave. The saying â€Å"The road all runners come† expresses the â€Å"speaker’s awareness of the mortality of all people† (Napierkowski 230). The story is continued in line 7 by burying the body at his â€Å"threshold†. â€Å"The ‘threshold’ may literally be the physical edges of a grave, but it could also refer to the boundary between earthly reality and the world of the dead† (231). This shows that all people will die and that this particular athlete was held high even though he was on the way to the grave, because he died young and was still remembered for what he had done in his life. Another use of imagery is shown in lines 11 and 12, when Housman says â€Å"And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than the rose. † This is showing that the athlete gets his fame early in life, but just like the laurels, his glory fades quickly. â€Å"The idea of a laurel leaf representing the brevity of physical beauty and strength is furthered by its comparison to the feminine and delicate rose, which grows early in the season and withers and dies quickly (but not as quickly as the laurel)† (231). In the last stanza of â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young†, the image of the dead athlete having already passed through the threshold and existing in the world of the dead is presented. The athlete is wearing the victory wreath made of laurel. The only difference in the wreath of laurel in the world of the dead and the wreath of laurel on earth is that the laurel does not ever fade in the world of the dead. â€Å"The garland is expressed as ‘unwithered,’ reiterating Housman’s theme of the permanent victory an early death might provide† (232). These are a few of the ways that imagery shows up the theme of glory fading throughout the piece. Not only does visual imagery present the reader with the theme, words that have double-meaning also play an immense role in the poem by Housman. One instance of double-meaning words is in the fifth stanza when it is said: â€Å"Now you will not swell the rout Of lads that wore their honors out, Runners whom renown outran And the name died before the man. † (Lines 17-20) These lines strengthen the observation made by the speaker that at some point all athletes will fade in their ability to make such a performance and win. Glory is fleeting. The only way a person can capture it and make it last is to die young after achieving greatness† (Cummings). â€Å"Their ‘renown’ eventually outruns them: because they can no longer uphold their athletic reputation by sustaining their peak performance, their reputation, or ‘name,’ dies before they do† (Napi erkowski 231). And the name does not actually â€Å"die† it actually fades from people’s memories, whereas the person dies. This is where the double-meaning comes into play. Since the hero-athlete of this poem has died while at his peak, he will not have to become part of this ‘rout’ (crowd) of has-been athletes† (231). Words that have double-meanings play a big role in the production of the theme in poem written by Housman. In addition to visual imagery and double meaning words, life cycles have an important effect on the theme of the poem. Lines 9 and 10 of Housman’s poem say â€Å"Smart lad, to slip away From fields where glory does not stay,† These lines are saying that glory does not remain upon the earth long; after a while the accomplishments you achieved will be forgotten. The speaker suggests that the athlete was â€Å"smart† to die and leave the natural world, where â€Å"glory does not stay† (Napierkowski 231). Had the athlete grown older, the townspeople would have forgotten his accomplishment when other runners replaced him, meaning other runners would steal the spotlight when the athlete was no longer the best. This shows that heroes cycle through our lives like people who cycle through our lives. Alfred Edward Housman’s â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young† has an interesting theme of fading glory. This theme is presented through visual imagery, double-meaning words, and life cycles. These three things used in the poem vividly paint a picture for the reader’s mind presenting the theme in a way that the reader can not miss. Works Cited Cummings, Michael J. â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young†. Cummings Guides. 27 Jan 2009. 3 March 2009. . Housman, A. E. , â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young. † The Collected Poems. London: Jonathan Cape, 1939. Napierkowski, Marie Rose, and Mary K. Ruby, eds. â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young. † Poetry for Students. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1998.

Universe

For this week's essay it was asked of me to write about the ways in which life observed In nature can yield understanding In our own lives. From my own observation of nature I have learned that everyone has a role to play In life. No matter how small of a creature: there is something vital that it does for our existence. In the following paragraphs I will be explaining this a bit more into detail. To make my perspective a bit more clear I will be providing a few examples. For example ants, ants are such small creatures and without doing any research hind; what ecological importance does an ant have?Honestly I can't think of any Important roles an ant may have for our ecosystem so I did a bit of research. Ants turn and aerate the solo allowing water and oxygen to reach plant roots; they are also a very important part of the food web. Some species of ants eat termites: others are the actual meal for other animals such as frogs, bears, etc. Zebra mussels are small triangle shaped shells and are usually a brown color with stripes. In fresh water ecosystems they can act as filters for plankton, by clearing the eater sunlight can reach deeper Into the water; this lets more aquatic animals to grow.Although they do provide benefits to our ecosystem they can also be very damaging; they can clog pipes, they eat phytoplankton which leaves less food for fish and zooplankton. They tend to grow on manmade structures which affect the governments and business owners financial troubles. In my opinion difficulty plays an important role in our life; if we don't experience the bad things how will we know what the good things are? I think that the hardships e face not only help us realize the good things in life but also help us learn to appreciate them.In my experience the sports adage – No pain, no gain Is true. To me It means that nothing worthwhile Is ever going to be easy. Is the gain ever worth the pain? Yes, yes it is. For example, I am in a long distance relationship right now. My boyfriend currently resides in Colorado while I'm living in Arizona. It's definitely hard to be so far apart and not see each other that often and we both make sacrifices on each ends and it's a struggle sometimes but in the end it's Roth It.As far as what type of gain it has to be In order to be worthwhile Ill have to say that that's subjective to each person. In conclusion, from observing nature I have learned that even when it doesn't seem like we have a role to play we do have one. God has a plan for us and we should trust that, also even the smallest things can make a huge impact in our lives.

Business Ethics And Corporate Social Responsibility - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1720 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? The paper critically examines the concepts of business ethics and corporate social responsibility in the light of doing good business. Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainable Value; Business Ethics Good Ethics are Good for Business There has been over the last three decades a growing emphasis on companies to conduct ethically sound behaviour and practice behaviour governed by ethical code of conduct prescribed by the corporate policy. The birth of industrialization did not bring the need for ethics but the drastic consequences did, in the form of child labour, dishonest trade, lack of systematic procedures and inequity in various aspects in the businesses. Social awareness from 1960s onwards forced companies to consider ethical behaviour, which refines their actions morally and in turn produces a positive image of the company in the eyes of the existing or potential customers and the society as a whole in which the company operates. But this is where the debate arises (Crane, 2006). Ethics are good for business, as it has been claimed by many business authors. However, ethical decision making is by the most complex decision making situation that companies face today. What is ethically right to one is wrong to another (Blowfield, 2008). This so happens owing to the definition of ethics, according to which it is the discipline that examines ones moral standards or moral standards of the society (Santa Clara University, 2010). Every individual and society has its own set of values, beliefs and morals and the resultant is a conflict among different ethical decisions which pose a dilemma for managers of companies which are fast expanding across the global and taking into consideration a diverse customer base as well as a diverse workforce belonging to different cultures and different moral orientations (Valasquez, 2008). Following strong ethically behaviour and catering to the rights of individuals and societies which are major stak eholders in the companies, companies follow a socially responsible behaviour which is quality of running a good business (Blowfield, 2008). The need for companies to be socially responsible and ethically sound is a complex issue for the companies as they put forward cost complications as well. But nonetheless, the argument that good ethics are good for businesses is well supported and companies who are not following ethically sound behaviour are facing tremendous challenges in sustaining profitable performance of their operations. It has been argued that commitment to socially responsible behaviour and ethically sound practices is an effective long term strategy and it may lead to short term losses but its benefits are spread across the longer run, which companies have to realize to adapt. The concept of sustainable value emerges in the context of long term corporate social responsibility which companies are increasingly benefiting from (Valasquez, 2008). In todays world filled w ith immense global crisis and endless social and environmental issues that affect the business environment, the managers, and shareholders are increasingly concerned over the future well-being of their company. With the corporate social responsibility taken as an expense, there is growing concern over preventing overall reduction in the return to the shareholders. Chris Laszlo through his book, Sustainable Value How the worlds leading companies are doing well by doing good, provides a rather comprehensive solution to this problem: Sustainable Value, hence bringing forth social responsibility as an opportunity not as an additional cost to be borne. With a large number of companies operating to service more or less the same pool of customers, there has been heightened competition over gaining an edge in the market over the years, which keeps on increasing. Large companies focus on their competences to gauge success and minimize their costs to provide value back to their shareholders. With the new era came a new concept of corporate social responsibility, which brought the notion that a business has a duty to the society, which it has to fulfill. This only in turn brings a positive image for the company. As much as can be argued about the additional cost it brings for the company, according to Laszlo, investing in social responsibility can only allow the companies to gain competitive advantage. There are many global issues addressing the nations that the companies can choose to serve the society (Laszlo, 2007, p.75). According to Laszlo (2007) surviving in the world of today filled with global crisis let it be in the form of environmental issues that have to be reduced, societal wrongs that need to be corrected and the wellbeing of the community that is to be considered, is an intense business environment on its own. Businesses can no longer survive with a sole responsibility to its owners but being a part of the larger community they have to face the challeng es and bring about solutions. Companies now are increasingly opting for addressing specific and special social and environment issues, creating awareness among the people of the society regarding the hazards and at the same time bringing to them solutions let it be in the form of their innovative products and services or through special voluntary services as part of their corporate social responsibility other than following strong ethical conduct internally. Of course, in the end the business benefits from the positive image in the minds of the potential and existing customers, and enjoys the sustainable value that ensures a profitable future (Laszlo, 2007, 178). Such an investment in social responsibility and business ethics which brings about productivity and profitability is termed as sustainable value. Sustainable value is the value given to the shareholders and stakeholders, which can be expressed in monetary terms and which is increasingly rejecting the idea that investing in corporate social responsibility only means additional costs for the business (Laszlo, 2007, p.117). Sustainable value only sustains the returns for the company and the added cost notion is just a myth that is by far the only hindrance in its successful implementation in companies. It calls for social innovation, a change in leadership style and the overall direction of the company that puts the social environment alongside its main objectives, which are all related to maximizing its returns (Vogel, 2008). Creating services and products to cater to the sustainable-value commitment of the business while at the same time applying social responsibility mechanism calls for bringing about social innovation. This, by definition, means creating new strategies, plans, concepts and ideas to address to the specific and existing social needs that are targeted by an organization (May, 2008). Social innovation is by far a different concept from the innovation encouraged in the organizations for the benefit of the organization itself alone. Social innovation has a much larger scope with takes into account the entire external as well as internal environment in which the company operates in addressing each members interests (Vogel, 2008). Sustainable value is a concept, which emerged from the groundwork put forward by the not so distant phenomenon of holistic value. This idea cleverly integrates the monetary objectives of the organization with the social environment, the community in which the business operates in and the internal structure of the organization not missing out any value generating element or competency residing inside and any future value generating opportunity lying in the outside world. Holistic value calls for realizing the bigger picture of the business world, which works successfully with the well-combined effort of its many elements (McElhaney, 2007) When one talks of sustainable value, social responsibility and holistic value, a much concerni ng object put in focus is the social environment within which the business operates. This social environment consists of the following elements and members: the employees that work for the company to enable it to meet its objectives; the people who are and could be the customers of the company; the social activists and environmental pressure groups which potentially hold the key to disrupting the entire organizations public image let there be any environmental mishap done through its hands; a primary and secondary set of attitudes, values and objectives of each of these groups; a profound culture; and a set of societal norms that the business has to follow up to survive in a well-established social environment (Vogel, 2008). Of course, social environment is not the only influencer of the overall business world, sustainable value strategy making calls for the vivid concern for the serious economic issues facing the nation or the world. Such as the recent global recession that affe cted the organizations around the world, profit sustainability became quite a challenge to overcome as a circumstance of it (Kotler, and Lee, 2008). This brings forth the ethical dilemmas against the corporate social responsibility, as the major responsibility of the company is towards its shareholders and investors to provide them the most benefits, but in times of economic crisis when the revenues shrink doing so alongside the socially responsible behaviour becomes far difficult. The Commitment to sustainable value ensures the involvement of economic issues to be addressed through a well-formed strategy in combination with the issues of the society, whilst maintain ethical standards of the corporation (Holmes, 2007). This is indeed a long strategy which cannot be implemented or formulated abruptly. According to business ethics authors, commitment towards socially responsible behaviour should be a long term strategy as its benefits are more in future than in the present (May, 20 08). The starting point is making the individuals and the teams in the organisation ethically sound in their behaviour and actions so that together as a group, the entire organisations puts forwards a responsible and morally strong behaviour (May, 2008). Once the entire workforce is committed to morality and socially responsible behaviour then can only he company implement a long term strategy for sustainable value, which calls for commitment at individual as well as holistic level in order to bring forth benefits in future. In order to prevail a culture of moral soundness and responsibility, the leaders have to first analyze and understand the different backgrounds the employees belong to and establish commonality in beliefs and values in order to enable the employees to produce an ethical fit in the conduct which is similar for all and minimum conflicts occur. Ethical training is also common nowadays in order to explain to the employees the importance of their moral conduct and ho w well they can serve the company as well as the society through practicing ethically strong behaviour. With this commitment can only the company successfully practice social responsible behaviour and become good in the eyes of the society. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Business Ethics And Corporate Social Responsibility" essay for you Create order