Free Essays on Training Day

The tagline of Training Day is "The only thing more dangerous than the line being crossed is the cop who will cross it." To this we might add: The only thing more annoying than a dark, cynical pose being affected is the Hollywood thriller that will shy away from it at the end. Training Day spends much of its running time telling us, in wised-up, street-smart tones, that you have to become a wolf to catch a wolf; whatever disreputable charge it carries derives from this down-and-dirty outlook, so when the movie backtracks and says a wolf who catches other wolves is still a wolf, it ends up not meaning much. Either go all the way, or don't go there. Veteran L.A. narc Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) is the author of the wolf metaphor, among many others. Alonzo sees himself as a hard-bitten combat veteran who long ago lost any ideals or illusions about human nature. Rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is assigned to train under Alonzo's supervision, ostensibly to prove he has the right stuff to serve in Alonzo's unit. Like all fresh-faced rookies, Jake has been given a warm and beautiful wife and baby daughter, as if we wouldn't care about the fate of a single, childless cop. Jake rides around the hellholes of L.A. with Alonzo, who relishes giving the new white boy a guided tour of places white boys aren't welcome. For a while, David Ayers' script toys with the notion that Alonzo is the kind of shady-ethics cop that's needed to get the job done; and if this were a more serious movie, we might be given to think about how the brutal demands of the job might turn some cops into monsters battling with monsters (while other officers retain their essential decency). The movie could've been about what kind of person becomes a bad cop and what kind stays clean, or at least settles for doing no harm. But this isn't a serious movie, despite Denzel Washington in full eruption and giving his calloused lines more weight and authority than they deser... Free Essays on Training Day Free Essays on Training Day The tagline of Training Day is "The only thing more dangerous than the line being crossed is the cop who will cross it." To this we might add: The only thing more annoying than a dark, cynical pose being affected is the Hollywood thriller that will shy away from it at the end. Training Day spends much of its running time telling us, in wised-up, street-smart tones, that you have to become a wolf to catch a wolf; whatever disreputable charge it carries derives from this down-and-dirty outlook, so when the movie backtracks and says a wolf who catches other wolves is still a wolf, it ends up not meaning much. Either go all the way, or don't go there. Veteran L.A. narc Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) is the author of the wolf metaphor, among many others. Alonzo sees himself as a hard-bitten combat veteran who long ago lost any ideals or illusions about human nature. Rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is assigned to train under Alonzo's supervision, ostensibly to prove he has the right stuff to serve in Alonzo's unit. Like all fresh-faced rookies, Jake has been given a warm and beautiful wife and baby daughter, as if we wouldn't care about the fate of a single, childless cop. Jake rides around the hellholes of L.A. with Alonzo, who relishes giving the new white boy a guided tour of places white boys aren't welcome. For a while, David Ayers' script toys with the notion that Alonzo is the kind of shady-ethics cop that's needed to get the job done; and if this were a more serious movie, we might be given to think about how the brutal demands of the job might turn some cops into monsters battling with monsters (while other officers retain their essential decency). The movie could've been about what kind of person becomes a bad cop and what kind stays clean, or at least settles for doing no harm. But this isn't a serious movie, despite Denzel Washington in full eruption and giving his calloused lines more weight and authority than they deser...

Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper Example

Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper Example Legalization of Marijuana Paper Legalization of Marijuana Paper Without his supervision and constant help, this dissertation would not have been possible. Special felicitations to our families, please do accept our cordial thanks for giving your warm encouragement, thoughtful guidance and supporting opinions which really helped us a lot. Last and above all, we praise God, for providing us the opportunity and granting us the capability to proceed successfully for this research paper. List of Tables I. Introduction 1. 1 Background of the study 1. 2 Statement of the problem 1. 3 Significance of the study 1. 4 Scope and Delimitation of the study II. Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 2. 1 Review of related literature 2. 2 Review of related studies 2. 3 Conceptual framework 2. 4 Hypothesis 2. 5 Definition of terms II. Methodology 3. 1 Locale of the Study 3. 2 Sample size 3. 3 Data gathering tools 3. 4 Data gathering procedure IV. Presentation and Analysis of Data V. Conclusion IV- Results and Analysis This chapter will discuss about the results of the data gathering. In the first part of the survey, the respondents are asked about their demographic profile such as name, year and section. For the second part, the respondents here asked in their opinions if marijuana should be legal for medical use, if marijuana should be legalized for recreational use, if the respondents believe that war on drugs has been successful and if the respondents think that government efforts against marijuana should be increased. Lastly, for the third part, they would place marijuana in terms of its negative health effects on the human. Data Collection The people that have done the sunken were the some of the 3rd year students of Infant Jesus Interiors Center. The section involves Ill-Faraday and III- Diaphanous with a total of 22 respondents and 29 respondents each especially having a total population of 51 students as overall respondents. Data Analysis CLCconcede 0area and Section Table 1 . Survey questions and respondents answer. Questions Yes No 37 14 2. 36 3. Should marijuana be legal for medical use? Should marijuana be legalized for recreational use? 15 Do you believe that war on drugs has been successful? 10 41 4. DO you think that government efforts against marijuana should be increased? 21 30 Figure 1 . Percentage of the survey questions about marijuana. Majority of the respondents (15 votes, 29%) places marijuana in less than that f a sugar while the least place the respondents (9 votes, 1 would place marijuana is greater than that of alcohol as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Percentage of where would the respondents would place their marijuana. List of Figures Figure 1. 1 : Marijuana Leaves Marijuana Cigarette Figure 1. 2 Figure 1. 3 : Intake of Marijuana Experimental use Of Marijuana ABSTRACT Figure 1. 4 : Marijuana use and interpersonal violence are major public health problems. The present review examines the available empirical and theoretical literature on the relationship between marijuana and violence, including past heretical models, the link between marijuana use and interpersonal violence (including intimate partner violence), and the relationship between marijuana withdrawal and violence. While results from laboratory-based studies are inconclusive, results of cross-sectional and longitudinal research provide support for an association be;en marijuana use/withdrawal and various types of violence. Given the lack of empirical support for existing models, a new biophysically model of the marijuana-violence relationship is proposed. Examining methods to test this model and application of current endings to treatment are discussed. This paper will discuss the ethical issues and propose the righteousness of legalizing marijuana on the federal level, as a controlled substance, while taking two stances: (1 ) the benefits of legalizing marijuana far outweigh its risks, and (2) their inconsistencies in current legal policies governing marijuana in relation to more dangerous drugs, such as alcohol. I. INTRODUCTION What are the prevailing issues for and against legalization of marijuana? Just because something is illegal does not mean it is bad; likewise, if something is legal doesnt mean it is not bad. Unlike law which relies on oratory skills to defend an already-defined legal position ethics tries to esoterically determine what is right and wrong regardless of any law that may, or may not, already exist relating to the issue at hand. This paper will propose the righteousness of legalizing marijuana on the federal level as a controlled substance, while taking two Stances: (1) its benefits far outweigh associated risks, and (2) there are Inconsistencies in current legal policies with marijuana in relation to illegal drugs that are more dangerous as well as those that are legal, accepted, and readily available to he public. Specifically, this paper will compare marijuanas benefits and risks against those of the most common legal recreational drug currently in use today, alcohol. This paper will avoid discussing legalization of medical marijuana, as 12 states already allow its use for medicinal purposes, and there are currently over 2000 legitimate marijuana dispensaries across the nation. However, possession and use of marijuana are still illegal under federal law; and federal law trumps state laws every time. Due to the popularity and ongoing widespread, and historical use of marijuana, a new look should be given to its lace in society as a legal recreational drug alongside, or even replacing alcohol and tobacco. In order to fully appreciate marijuanas place in human society, one must first comprehend its prevalence as a medicinal and recreational drug. Marijuana was cultivated as far back as 5000 years ago. In ancient Chinese and Vivid cultures, it treated a wide range of ailments, including malaria and rheumatism (Silver, Ransom, Tillie, 2010). Pre-1 In addition to its recreational properties, hemp a by-product of the marijuana plant was a major cash crop used for clothing, fabric, and medicine. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it, and drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. Hemp production was mandatory and ordered grown for the United Kingdom (Silver et al. , 2010). With the rise of the 1840-1860 literary movement in France, marijuana gained in popularity as an intoxicant of the intellectual classes, due to claims of it stimulating ones imagination and creativity. In the United States, medical interest in marijuana use was evidenced in 1 860 by the convening of the Committee on Cannabis Indict of the Ohio State Medical Society, which ported on its therapeutic applications Schistose of, n. D. ). The Enslaving Years In 1 930, Harry Enslaving headed up the newly-formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics and crusaded to outlaw marijuana. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act in July 1937 in response to pressure by Enslaving, who feared the use and spread of marijuana specifically by Mexicans (Musts, 1972). Enslaving enlisted the media and movie industries to further stigmatize marijuana. In 1938, the exploitation film Reefer Madness linked the use of marijuana by high school children to hit-and-run accidents, manslaughter, suicide, rape, and descent into madness (Reefer Madness, 2010). Engineers efforts to stigmatize marijuana were so successful that by the 1 asss, public fear of marijuana linked its use to government overthrow as well as to communism, Americas most-feared enemy of the time (Silver et al. , 2010). The New War on Drugs In 1 961 , the Single Convention Narcotic Treaty made production and supply of narcotic drugs an international crime. Nevertheless, marijuana regained its popularity and spawned the hippy subculture of the late sasss, who viewed marijuana as symbolizing Americas freedoms. Furthermore, the Vietnam War introduced marijuana to those who otherwise would not have used it our soldiers in Vietnam (Silver et al. , 2010). In 1 971 , President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs, calling it public enemy number one. He created the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEAD) and took a hard-line stance against drugs (Silver et al. , 2010). A decade later, President Ronald Reggaes administration continued the war on drugs when First Lady Nancy Reagan launched her Just Say No campaign (Silver et al. , 2010). This famous catch phrase soon became a mantra recited by elementary school children throughout the United States. President Bill Clinton vowed to keep up the fight against drugs, but was not as systematic as Reagan or Nixon. Consequently, the Mexican drug cartels became stronger during the Clinton years (Silver et al. , 2010). September 11, 2001 marked a new era in the fight against marijuana. The United States tightened its border policies upon President George Bushs declaration of war on terror. This effectively stifled importation of marijuana from Mexico. Consequently, the Mexican drug cartels turned to growing marijuana within United States borders rather than smuggling it across (Silver 1. Statement of the Problem This research paper seeks to determine the advantages of having marijuana here in the Philippines. Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used in the United States. After a period of decline in the last decade, its use has been increasing among young people since 2007, corresponding to a diminishing perception of the drugs risks that may be associated with increased public debate over the drugs legal status. Although the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I substance (having no medicinal uses and high risk for abuse), two states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational SE, and 21 states have passed laws allowing its use as a treatment for certain medical conditions. However, in the Philippines, as the law stands today, marijuana is illegal. It is a dangerous drug and the selling/use of marijuana is a criminal offense. Soon it would be completely legal to use marijuana in the Philippines. That is, if Congress passes a proposed bill and President Benign Aquinas sign it into the law. On the matter of the possible legalization of marijuana, the researcher seeks to establish the answers to the following questions: 1 . What is the essence Of legalizing marijuana in the Philippines? . What are the benefits and risks associated with marijuana? 3. What are the effects of marijuana to an individual? 4. What are the prevailing issues for and against legalization of marijuana? 1. Significance of the Study Marijuana came into play with the scarcity of alcohol in the olden days. The use of the drug rose from there, and became a large problem in the Unites States. The united States is one of those countries that can immensely benefit from the legalization of Marijuana use. In the States, Marijuana is the most widely used controlled substance, and since the drug is used so often, why tot brew large amounts of money. Selling the drug and at the same time raising the economy of the county would be the perfect plan for the States to get out of the debt that surrounds them. The dealer of the drug would be closely monitored and would have a mandatory license; the government checking the crops for harmful fertilizers, that could make the customer seriously ill. Legalization of the drug would allow crime to be affected in a positive way. Illegal drug crimes consume police officers time, instead of dealing with larger, more serious problems that affect the county. A marijuana smoker is arrested every 45 seconds in Canada and the United States combined. Many Of these offenders receive small fines, and rarely get time in jail, due to the depleted amount of jail cells throughout the country. Legalizing marijuana would allow jail cells for criminals who have created actual crimes, and save money that is spent in prosecuting to inform the drug users about how to smoke responsibly. Illegal drug dealers would be out of business and drug smuggling would be reduced to an all time low. Many people think only crazy pitheads smoke marijuana, but they are wrong. Last year, about 10 million people smoked marijuana on a regular basis, even though many were true citizens who followed the laws. If the government were to regulate marijuana, they would easily be able to monitor the purchase and sale of the product; reducing drug abuse in the country and making smokers feel safe to smoke. One of the largest factors in legalizing the drug is that marijuana eases pain caused by AIDS, cancer and helps to cure glaucomas. Information from the National Cancer Institute, says that marijuana is good in blocking against nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite with chemotherapy patients. Marijuana can also ease muscle strain associated with multiple sclerosis. If marijuana is the only drug that effectively camouflages pain, there is no other choice but to legalize and use the drug. No person should have a say in this matter unless they have experienced the pain and suffering that the patients with cancer and AIDS have encountered due to their illness. Many people have a stereotypical image of marijuana being a bad, dirty drug, that will make you see delusional, but that is merely what children are told in health class to stay away from drugs, and that is what revolves around adults as well. Over 2000 people die yearly from the toxic effects of Aspirin, which is quite legal, and yet not a single being has died from the effects of marijuana and the substance has been banned. Legalizing marijuana would make a country cleaner, control pain, and smoking would be safer and in government restriction. Legalizing marijuana, is taking one step into making this world a better place to live, in the twentieth century. 1. Scope and Delimitation of the Study II. THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 2. 1 Review of Related Literature Marijuana is formed from the dried leaves and flowering tops of the Indian MME plant Cannabis sati. Popularly known as grass, pot, reefer, and Mary Jane, marijuana is smoked or chewed for its intoxicating effect, and it has also been used as a sedative and analgesic. Hashish is formed from the resin of the flowering tops of the same plant, and it is five to eight times more potent than marijuana when smoked. The flowering tops of the Cannabis plant secrete a sticky resin that contains the active ingredient of marijuana, known as delta-9-dehydrogenations (TECH). The plant has both male and female forms, and the sticky flowers of the female plant are the most potent.

Analysis of John Dewey's Ideas of Education Essay

Analysis of John Dewey's Ideas of Education - Essay Example Mostly, educational instructions have an established pedagogical method, and each student will react to it and grasp from it, depending upon one’s quality of experiences. So, the teaching curriculum needs to be designed taking into account and caring for the individual differences. Dewey writes, â€Å"The history of educational theory is marked by the opposition between the idea that education is a development from within and that it is formation from without; that it is based upon natural endowment and that education is a process of overcoming natural inclination and substituting in its place habits acquired under external pressure.†(1998, p.1) According to Dewey, education apart from being a private ambition and accomplishment has a broader social purpose, to shape oneself as an effective member of the democratic society.† Dewey argues that the one-way delivery style of authoritarian schooling does not provide a good model for life in a democratic society. Inste ad, students need educational experiences which enable them to become valued, equal, and responsible members of society.† (John Dewey†¦.) What is the theory? The theory is based on another man’s experience. The misunderstanding about Dewey is about his support for progressive education. According to Dewey, just by attacking the traditional education methods, one doesn’t become progressive. Freedom eulogized by votaries of progressive education is no solution. Structure and order are hallmarks of the learning method, and it must adhere to a clear theory of experience; the whims of teachers or students are of no consequence and they will not deliver goods expected of a good system of education. Dewey articulates a system of education on the basis of a theory of experience.  

Trans-national corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trans-national corporation - Research Paper Example In addition, the company is in the Forbes 500 best companies. Therefore, Apple Inc. is a transnational company because it operates across numerous countries, has retail outlets in many countries and also employs many people across the world. In understanding the image of a product, three important components are analyzed. These include the strength of the brand, influence of the brand on the customers and financial performance of the company. Apple Inc. financial position is stable and keeps continuing growing due to the demands from the customers especially when it comes to its mobile devices (Zylla-Woellner 89). The customers purchase new products easily this raising the organization revenues translating into more profits. In addition, the Apple brand is strong and it is easily for Apple Inc. to increase the prices of the products without any effect to the customer. The customers have become loyal to the organization products and services including the mobile phones (Apple Inc 2014). The brand plays an important role since consumers hold it with esteem and users of the mobile phones are held at a better level compared to other mobile phones. The uniqueness of Apple Inc products is the â€Å"bitten† image of an Apple, which is logo that is on all the Apple products (Zylla-Woellner 121). The aim of the logo is to make it easier for the customers to identify the product. Therefore, the logo is utilized a marketing strategy since seeing the logo, customers and other stakeholders knows that the product is able; hence, the image of Apple Inc across the world is continually developing; bringing more customers to purchase the Apple Inc. products and services (Apple Inc 2014). The book reviews the contribution of Jony Ive in the development of new products that include IPhone, iPad, iPod and iMac. These designs has played an important role in

International Trade Essay Example for Free

International Trade Essay Why has international trade become less risky, less costly and even less time consuming then the past? Will business confidence likely grow even more in the future? There are multiple reasons for these common questions. Firstly, international trade has become less risky because traditional trade was regulated through bilateral treaties between two nations. For centuries under the belief in mercantilism most nations had high tariffs and many restrictions on international trade. Now most international trade among developed nations is based on Free Trade. Currently, the regulation of international trade is done through the World Trade Organization at the global level, and through several other regional arrangements such as MERCOSUR in South America, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the European Union between 27 independent States. Secondly, international trade has become less risky because of falling trade barriers. Trade barriers are often criticized for the effect they have on the developing world. Because rich-country players call most of the shots and set trade policies, goods such as crops that developing countries are best at producing still face high barriers. Trade barriers such as taxes on food imports or subsidies for farmers in developed economies lead to overproduction and dumping on world markets, thus lowering prices and hurting poor-country farmers. In addition, international trade has become less time consuming because humans have more resources then the past did. We have planes, trains, cargo ships, pipelines and even transport trucks that haul massive trailers. Example, my father owns an automotive recycling company, if he orders a part from anywhere in Canada or the U.S. He can receive it within two days. A week at the max if things are ordered from china. Lastly, I think business confidence will grow in the future. With the new business opportunities, more jobs will be open and people wont have to get laid off of work! More income will be brought into the families home. Children will have the necessary education to consume a career. And hopefully the world will stop hiding terrible crisis’ and become balanced. This is why I think international trade has become less risky, less costly and even less time consuming than in our past.

The Catcher in the Rye- Sally Hayes :: essays research papers fc

Sally Hayes is dim person whose phoniness blinds her from Holden’s cries for help and dismisses him when he needs her most, her phoniness changes Holden and he himself is forced into bad decisions because of it. When Holden is waiting for Sally in the lobby of New York's Biltmore Hotel, the place is filled with girls his age, and he's watching them. â€Å"[I]t was sort of depressing" (123), thinking about what's going to happen to most of the girls he sees. They're all going to have conventional lives, he thinks, married to boring men. However, Holden later decides that life with a bore might not be so bad after all. At least a bore has control and a plan for his life, something he sees as admirable in Sally and a wish for himself. However, when â€Å"Sally started coming up the stairs, and [Holden] started down to meet her† (124) it represents the relationship between the two, Holden is always taking those few steps down as to not make Sally look dumb and she must always go the extra mile to show him how intelligent she can be. This relationship is highlighted during the intermission of the play when Sally is always looking around to find someone that she knows, as if she is tr ying to prove that she has intelligent â€Å"[s]trictly Ivy League† (127) friends. "I'm crazy," (125) Holden says, â€Å"a madman†(134). Of course, he means these statements as figures of speech, but they still indicate that he has some idea that he's behaving erratically. Sally suggests that they go ice-skating that is where Holden's troubles begin coming to a head, uncharacteristically he's willing to see himself, and not the rest of the world, as the problem. "I don't get hardly anything out of anything," he cries. "I'm in bad shape. I'm in lousy shape." (131) Unlike his use of "crazy" and "madman" earlier, this is no figure of speech for Holden. He's serious, he's admitting he's in trouble, and he's asking Sally to help him. However, Sally Hayes is the last person who might be willing to help him. She hardly understands most of what he's saying to her, despite her feeble attempts. Holden makes the further mistake of asking her to come live in the woods with him. Her response would be funny if Holden's con dition weren't so serious. As he has done all along, he's trying to reach out to someone.

The Day That Wal-Mart Dropped the Smiley Face

Case I The Day That Wal-Mart Dropped the Smiley Face Retail giant wal-mart annually spends close to a half billion dollars on advertising, so the company’s decision in the first month of 2005 to run full-page ads in more than 100 newspapers was not really surprising. What was surprising was the copy in those ads, which said nothing about low-priced toasters or new music CDs. Instead, the ads featured a photo of workers in their blue Wal-Mart smocks and a letter from Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. Scott’s letter was blunt and to the point: â€Å"When special interest groups and critics spread misinformation about Wal-Mart, the public deserves to hear the truth. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions about our company, but they are not entitled to make up their facts. † Not the sort of message many would expect from a company whose television ads often feature a yellow â€Å"smiley-face† flying around a Wal-Mart store lowering prices. But it is a clear sign that Wal-Mart believes it can no longer afford to ignore several societal trends that threaten the company’s success and profitability. Wal-Mart is the largest and most successful retailer in the world. It employs more people than any other private company in the United States (almost 1. 2 million) and has world-wide sales of over a quarter trillion dollars, more than four times that of its nearest competitor. The foundation of this impressive record is the company’s ability to keep it promise of customer-friendly service and low prices. But with success comes attention and not all of it good. Several lawsuits claim Wal-Mart shorts overtime pay and one lawsuit claimed female employees face discrimination in pay and promotions. Wal-Mart’s expansion plans have also run into trouble, as some cities and states, citing concerns ranging from low wages, inadequate benefits, environmental damage, and harm to local economies, have passed laws to make it difficult or impossible for Wal-Mart to build its giant superstores. In response to past criticisms of its diversity policies, Wal-Mart created company-wide postings of promotional opportunities, created a new position for a director of diversity, and slashed the bonuses of managers who fail to achieve diversity hiring targets. Scott himself stands to lose $600,000 from his annual bonus if Wal-Mart does not meet diversity goals. Recent years have also seen the CEO spend more time meeting with investors, community groups and the media. But in recent years Wal-Mart has begun to use advertising as a way of addressing criticisms that the company is not a good employer. At first, much of this advertising was â€Å"soft-sell† emphasizing happy Wal-Mart employees. The new campaign is clearly more direct: The copy seeks to address misperceptions about employee wages and benefits, noting that full-time company employees are paid an average of $ 9. 8 – substantially higher than what is required by federal law (%5. 15). The copy also notes that a majority of Wal-Mart employees said benefits were important to them when they chose to take a job at the retailer. Complementing the ads is a PR campaign in select cities using employees and press conferences. In Tampa, Florida, for example, employee Michael Mar tin told reporters, â€Å"I’m making more after working four years at Wal-Mart than I did after nine years at Winn-Dixie. † Martin, a department manager, noted, â€Å"I left Winn-Dixie because I couldn’t get a promotion. Here I got one after six months. † Why is the company using a new approach? â€Å"For too long, others have had free rein to say things about our company that just are not true,† said lee Scott, president and chief executive office. â€Å" Our associates [Wal-Mart speak for employees] are tired of it and we’ve decided to draw our own line in the sand. † It is too soon to know if the campaign will succeed, although some are already skeptical. According to retail marketing consultant Jordan Zimmerman, aggressive mage campaigns like Wal-Mart’s are rare and costly. And ads that directly address the company’s critics will not likely replace the company’s regular advertising (including the smiley face), which is not scheduled to change any time soon. But the new ads do constitute a small change in the nature of the dialogue Wal-Mart has with consumers and society. Only tie will tell if they help Wal-Mart to stay on top. Questions: 1. What is Wal-Mart doing with its latest campaign? What are the difficulties involved in such an effort? 2. A recent Advertising Age article noted that Wal-mart customers are less likely to read newspapers and more likely to watch television than the population as a whole. Why, then did Wal-mart choose newspapers for its new campaign? 3. Analyze this Wal-Mart campaign and explain its purpose referring to the discussion in this chapter of the roles and functions of advertising. What is its primary purpose? Do you think it will be effective at accomplishing that purpose? Case II Toyota Goes after Tuners Young people with limited incomes often look for a great deal on a new car. One way to save money is to forgo options and upgrades, like a sunroof or a CD player. But when Toyota introduced its funky â€Å"Scion† brand, it considered offering a version without something most people assume comes standard: paint. Although they ultimately decided against the idea, at one point Toyota’s plan was to sell the brand with just gray primer. Toyota wasn’t really targeting people so cheap they wouldn’t spend money on paint. Just the opposite – the car company was going after a group with money to burn, called tuners. Tuners are young car buyers who live to customize hteir cars. The trend really began among young Asian Americans, who typically bough t inexpensive Asian import cars and then spent thousands of dollars customizing them. The hobby has spread to other young people, so that today Asian Americans are a minority of tuners. But Japanese brands remain the cars of choice among those dedicated to creating a work of art on wheels. Explaining the idea of a â€Å"no paint† option, Jim Farley, Scion general manager, says, â€Å"As much as possible, we want to give them [tuners] a black canvas. † What does a tuner do with his car? He (or she; women make up almost 20 percent of the tuner subculture) might take a basic Honda, add a large and loud exhaust system, paint the intake manifolds, and add ride-lowering springs. Other popular add-ons are technologies that increase vehicle speed, like turbochargers, superchargers, and nitrous kits. And there are some serious bucks involved. The Specialty Equipment Market Association estimates that auto after-market spending (spending on car accessories after the original car purchase) increased from $295 million in 1997 to 2. 3 $billion in 2002. The motivation? â€Å" You build a car for yourself,† says one day install on Acura RSX Type-S engine into his Honda Civic. â€Å" The satisfaction is in making it your own and knowing that nobody will ever have something that’s the same. † The amount of money tuners spend is reason enough to attract the attention of marketers. GM hoped to interest tuners in its Saturn Ion, Chevrolet Cavalier, and Pontiac Sunfire when it when it launched a â€Å" Tuner Tour† of 10 National Hot Rod Association races. GM allowed young car enthusiasts to play games and enter contests for prizes, as it in turn collected names and e-mail addresses. GM’s focus on relationship marketing makes sense because tuners don’t watch a lot of TV. Both Mitsubishi and Ford believe the best way to reach them is with product placements in movies (Mitsubishi bought air time in the popular for (â€Å"2 Fast 2 Furious†). But even companies selling products unrelated to cars are interested in the tuner lifestyle. Pepsi has hired tuners to customize some of its promotional vehicles. Which brings us full circle back to Scion, Toyota’s goal is to make the new car an immediate hit with tuners. So rather than spend a great deal of money on network television, Toyota decided to sponsor a 22-minute movie On the D. L. The movie is a comical docudrama that tells the story of a pair of musicians trying to obtain their first drivers licenses. The stars are musicians trying to obtain their first drivers licenses. The stars are musicians from youth-oriented bands: Ahmir â€Å"Questlove† Thompson, from the Roots, and DJ King Britt, who played for the Digable Planets. The film premiered at the Tribeca film festival, after which segments were shared on peer-to-peer networks such as Kaazaa. Toyota hopes that enthusiasts will download the segments and share them with friends. Questions: 1. Why are tuners so attractive to marketers, even after accounting for their spending power? 2. Evaluate Toyota’s strategy of targeting tuners with the Scion campaign. What are the difficulties for a large company in marketing effectively to a youth-oriented subculture? What techniques do you think companies like Toyota are using to try to understand their market? 3. Explain how â€Å"tuner† campaigns, such as those by GM and Toyota, work. Analyze these campaigns using the Facets Model to identify the effects they are designed to achieve. How would you determine if these campaigns are effective? Case III Starbucks Makes TV Less Intrusive Starbucks coffee is now sold in grocery stores but how many people realize it? To get that message out, the well known coffee house chain needed to reach its customers nationwide with that message. Television commercials would be the obvious way to reach those people, but Starbucks’ management knew that their customers are not big fans of television commercials and resent the interruption of their favorite program. That’s why starbucks has been such an infrequent advertiser on TV. Its on-air promotional activities have been limited primarily to radio and its only previous use of TV had been support announcements on public TV. That was the problem facing Starcom’s MediaVest group. The agency used a creative solution: It recommended a partnership with the Bravo cable network. Bravo would run four Independent Film Channel (IFC) movies on Friday nights for a month and Starbucks would buy all the commercial time surrounding the movie airings. The MediaVest team knew that Bravo’s â€Å"IFC Friday† night films would be a good way to reach the stakeholder audience because research had described that customer base as people who are up on the latest trends, like to attend live performances of the arts, are apt to see a movie during the weekend it opens, and generally are interested in cutting edge things. Mediavest calls this customer â€Å"the attuned explorer. † Even though Starbucks bought all the commercial time, the MediaVest team recommended letting the movies run uninterrupted. Starbucks’ advertising message was delivered in supporting Bravo promotions of the movies during each week leading up to the Friday night telecast. About 40 seconds of each 60-second preview spot showed scenes from the movie and 20 seconds promoted Starbucks s the movie sponsor. Other promotional activities were also used in support of the campaign. One month before the movies aired, a $1 off coupon for a bag of Starbucks Coffee was sent to 3 million targeted consumers around the country, along with a viewer guide introducing the Starbucks-sponsored independent movie festival. Starbucks billboards also appeared during the movie month coinciding with the independent film industry’s annual telecast, which aired on both Bravo and IC. The innovative Bravo partnership wound up not only increasing sales of Starbucks Coffee by 15 percent for the month the campaign ran, but also increased viewership on Bravo by 33 percent. These results led the campaign to be named a Media Plan of the year by Adweek magazine. Questions: 1. What was the problem Starbucks wanted to overcome in order to effectively advertise that its coffee brand was available in supermarkets? 2. How did the partnership work? Is there anything you could recommend that would extend the reach of this campaign? Case IV Wpp’s Owner-a British Knight with Every (Marketing) Weapon at His Disposal To the uniformed, nothing about Martin Sorrell or his company, the WPP group, may be quite what it seems. Although he was awarded a knighthood, Sir Martin is anything but a reserved aristocrat. And while WPP is one of the four largest agency holding companies in the world, the initials actually stand for Wire & Plastic products, the British company Sorrell used to gobble up some of the world’s most famous advertising agencies. The roster of agencies now under the WPP’s wing includes industry leaders Ogivly and Mother, Burson-Marsteller, Hill & knowlton, young & Rubicam, and J. Walter Thompson, to name just a few. Large conglomerates like WPP made frequent headlines in the 1990s, a period of great consolidation in the advertising industry. Faced with harsh economic and business realities, individual advertising agencies chose to give up independent existence in order to become parts of large communication companies that offered clients all the tools for an integrated campaign, including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, and sales promotion. In the new millennium, dealing with one (or several) of the four large holding companies, WPP Group (England), Interpublic(U. S), Publicis Groups (France), and Omnicom (U. S), is the way the world’s biggest advertisers do business. While each of the conglomerates is led by a charismatic and dynamic individual, none appears to have an edge on Sorrell, who was described in a recent Fortune article as â€Å"†¦confident, witty, and a tod arrogant, talking rapidly about the future of advertising and the challenges of keeping fractious clients and ad agencies happy. † Fortune also noted that â€Å"In an industry populated by shameless schmoozers, the 59-year-old Sorrell is in a league of his own. † These characteristics have served Sorrell well, In 2004 he squared off against rival Publicis Groups and its CEO, Maurice Levy, in pursuit of one of the last great independent agencies, Grey Advertising, New York. During the battle Advertising Age opined that Publicis had a big advantage because Levy and Grey chair Edward Meyer were friends and had spoken about merging in the past. In addition, both Grey and Publicis created ads for consumer giant procter & Gamble, while WPP agency Ogilvy & Mather counted P&G’s competitor Unilever among its most important clients. It is customary for agencies not to work for competing accounts. ) A Unilever spokesperson, asked for his thoughts about the possibility of working with an agency that created ads for his most important rival, suggested that â€Å"In the past, we’ve not seen it to be such a good idea. â€Å"But nobody familiar with Martin Sorrell was surprised when at the end of the day he convinced Grey to sign with WPP and persuaded Procter & Gamble to stay as well. Unlike many of his peers, Sorrell has never written a word of copy, nor has he ever penciled a print design or directed a broadcast commercial. Sorrell’s talents are organizational and strategic; although he is an expert in the world of finance, Sir Martin cautions, â€Å"I may be a bean counter, but I’m not an accountant. † To drive home the point he posed for WPP’s annual report surrounded by lima and pinto beans. So how does Martin Sorrell continue to win in the high-stakes agency world? His vision, developed years before most of his rivals caught on, that twenty-first-century clients would want a complete menu of marketing communication services, all of which work synergistically, is one important reason for his success. Tenacity, energy, focus, and a willingness to do whatever is needed to win are also traits that come to mind. All these are illustrated in the story of Sorrell’s drive to land Korean giant Samsung when the company put its advertising up for review in the spring of 2004. Samsung spends almost $400 million each year supporting its brands, which is reason enough for agencies to salivate for the account. Sorrell believes that the company holds even greater appeal because of his forecast that advertising growth in the twenty-first century will come disproportionately from Asia. So Sorrell did whatever he could to attract Samsung’s attention. Like any savvy agency head, he assigned his best people to generate creative ideas to pitch to Samsung executives. But unlike most agency heads, he didn’t stop there. After discovering that a Samsung-financed museum was having a grand opening in Seoul, Sorrell jumped on a plane and ended up being the only agency person there. Samsung executives found themselves receiving emails from Sorrell at all time of the day and night. Peter Stringham, marketing director of HSBC, a company that Sorrell landed after several years of trying, commented, â€Å"Martin can be quite persistent. He was there from the first meeting to the last. He’d pitched to us a couple of times before and not gotten the account, but he’d had his eye on it for years. † Needless to say, in the fall of 2004, Samsung announced it was awarding its account to WPP. In the new millennium, British knights may not wear armor, carry a crest, or rescue damsels in distress. But Sir Martin Sorrell knows how to triumph in the competitive world of advertising agencies. Questions 1. Why do large clients like Samsung wish to work with giant holding companies like WPP instead of with smaller agencies? 2. What qualities help Sorrell to be successful? Why are these qualities so important for his company’s success? 3. Explain how Martin Sorrell wins clients and builds positive agency-client relationships. How does he see the agency’s role in marketing? Case V Boycott This! A recent ad for a Nike hiking shoe used copy that was probably intended to be humorous. The copy suggested that Nike’s shoe could help the use avoid turning into â€Å"†¦a drooling, misshapen non-extreme-trail-running husk of my former self, forced to roam the earth in a motorized wheelchair with my name embossed on one of those cute little license plates you get at carnivals†¦. Marcie Roth, an advocacy director for the National Council on Independent Living, didn’t find it funny. â€Å"Nike is trying to be sensationalist, and they’re doing it on the backs of the disabled,† thundered Roth, adding, â€Å"We won’t tolerate it. † Nike apologized and immediately pulled the ad. But Roth announced that her group was interested in more than just an apology, because the disabled, in Roth’s words, had been â€Å"dissed. † Nike was asked to include disabled actors in its ads and hire a greater number of disabled workers. Otherwise, suggested Roth, Nike could expect a boycott. Boycotts are certainly one way for consumers to let advertisers know when they’ve gone too far. While some advertisers, notably Benetton, delight in creating controversy, that vast majority try to avoid the unwanted attention and possible loss of sales that a boycott might bring. Armed with this knowledge, consumers and interest groups regularly threaten boycotts and there are several Web sites that track the dozens of product boycotts that re occurring at any given time. Recently the Web site â€Å"Ethical Consumer† listed boycott of Adidas (for allegedly using kangaroo skin in the manufacture of some boots), Air France (for allegedly transporting primates), Bayer (for allegedly supporting policies favoring the use of genetically modified crops), and even entire nations (Israel, China, Morocco, and Turkey). Although Ethical Consumer’s rationales for supporting boycotts appear motivated by left-leaning or pr ogressive concerns, conservative groups use them too. The American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Mississippi, has sent tens of thousands of e-mails threatening boycotts to advertisers Geico, Best Buy, Foot Looker, and Finish Line. The AFA is not upset with the ads placed by these companies, but rather with the program in which the ads appear: South Park. The AFA claims its e-mail campaigns caused Lowe’s, Tyson, ConAgra, and Kellogg’s to stop placing ads in ABC’s surprise hit Desperate Housewives. Some companies resist boycott pressures. Proctor & Gamble ignored AFA pressure to stop its support for gay-friendly legislation in Cincinnati. Subway Vice President Chris Carroll said his company ignored threatened boycotts caused by the company’s decision to run ads in a documentary that was unflattering to Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. And then there’s Pepsi. In 2003 the brand signed hip-hop artist Ludacris to appear in a â€Å"fun-oriented† campaign, but outspoken cable show host Bill O’Reilly immediately ripped Pepsi and urged â€Å"†¦all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse, and does all the things that hurt†¦the poor in our society. I’m calling for all Americans to say, ‘Hey, Pepsi, I’m not drinking your stuff. You want to hang around with Ludacris, you do that, I’m not hanging around with you. † A Pepsi representative appearing on O’Reilly’s show denied that the artist’s provocative lyrics (one album featured a song called â€Å"Move Bitch†) were relevant to the Pepsi campaign. But the following day Pepsi canceled the campaign. For viewers of a certain age, the entire affair was reminiscent of the controversy that erupted several years earlier when Pepsi canceled ads featuring Madonna after she appeared in a controversial music video. But Pepsi’s decision did not mark the end of the controversy. After the announcement, Ludacris and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, an organization run by his producer, Russell Simmons, threatened their own boycott. Following several days of negotiations, the second boycott was called off. Ludacris would not be a spokesperson for Pepsi, but the soft-drink giant agreed to a deal to make a multi-million-dollar donation over several years to the rapper’s foundation. Questions: 1. What do you think about consumer boycotts? Are they unhealthy attempts to infringe on the speech rights of others? Or are they a healthy sign that consumers can take action against the ethical lapses of advertisers? 2. How should a company respond to the threat of a boycott? Consider the different responses of Nike, Subway, Lowe’s, Proctor & Gamble, and Pepsi. How well do you think each of these companies reacted to boycott pressure? Did any of the companies hurt their brand because of the way they reacted to boycotts? 3. How would you review advertising ideas that you suspect are controversial and might generate a backlash? Is it ever justified to â€Å"push the envelope† in the areas of good taste and social responsibility? How would you decide if such approaches are effective? Case VI How Advertising Works If It Walks Like the Aflac Duck You’ve probably never heard of the American Family life Assurance Co. , nor likely to be familiar with its primary service: supplemental workplace medical insurance, a type of insurance that is used by people to help cover the many loopholes and deductibles in their primary insurance coverage. Then again, if you are like 90 percent of U. S. onsumers, maybe you have heard of the company. In its advertising it calls itself â€Å"AFLAC. † The four-year AFLAC campaign is the work of Linda Kaplan Thaler, owner of the New York agency that bears her name. Thaler’s ads are not known for their subtlety. Among her credits are the Toy’s R Us jingle â€Å"I don’t want to grow up,† and the successful campaign for Clairol Herbal Esse nces, featuring on â€Å"orgasmic† hair-washing experience. The Herbal Essences ads strike some as funny, others as quite possibly offensive, but sales of the product have skyrocketed to almost $700 million a year. In many ways Thaler’s ads hearken back to the 1960s, when it was common to feature â€Å"sex, schmaltz, chirpy jingles and ‘talking’ babies and animals,† as the New York Time’s advertising columnist Stewart Elliott puts it. Industry insiders have been known to snipe at Thaler’s work, and few would describe her campaigns as â€Å"edgy. † But as Maurice Levy, CEO of the giant advertising company Publicis, observes, â€Å"There are people who do advertising for what I call the advertising for the consumer. She is doing advertising mush more for the consumer. Thaler herself notes, â€Å"We’re doing our job when we find ways to get people to buy things. † Thaler’s AFLAC ads, by almost any measure, are her best. Almost all feature a white duck desperately screaming â€Å"AFLAC† at people who need supplemental insurance. Unfortunately, the duck’s audience never quite seems to hear him. Most of the ads contai n a fair amount of slapstick, usually at the expense of the duck, whose exasperated-sounding voice originates with former Saturday Night Live cast member Gilbert Gottfried. He’s got the right answer but nobody is listening, and that’s a situation that resonates with people,† says Kathleen Spencer, director of AFLAC’s corporate communications. â€Å"There’s also just something inherently comical about a duck. † The campaign has been enormously successful. Since the ads first began running, brand name awareness has increased from 15 percent to 90 percent. Over the same period year-to-year sales increases have almost doubled. Dan Amos, CEO for AFLAC, believes that â€Å"our name recognition with our advertising campaign to truly help our company. In 2003 Ad Age named the commercial featuring the duck and the Amazing Kreskin (who hypnotizes a man into thinking he is a chicken) the most-recalled spot in America. But what makes the AFLAC campaign truly remarkable is how little it has cost the company. The duck has a higher Q score (a measure of a character’s familiarity and appeal) than both Ronald McDonald and the Energizer Bunny, but whereas Energizer has spent almost a billion dollars over 15 years on advertising, and McDonald’s spends almost $700 million every year, AFLAC’s ad budget is only $45 million a year. There is no denying that Thaler’s work for AFLAC is a triumph of both effectiveness and value. Questions: 1. Some viewers don’t like the AFLAC ads. Can an ad still accomplish its intended purposes if people find it annoying? 2. The AFLAC campaign is more than four years old. In your opinion, will the campaign stay effective for the foreseeable future? 3. What makes AFLAC ads so effective? Is it something more than their entertainment value? If so, what else contributes to their success?