Pop Music Has It Gone Too Far Essay

Has Pop music gone too far some might say yes some might say no but to some extent everyone would agree but how can you judge this by standard of the generation and how the artist changed it as well as how you would think the next generation would react. hen we began the course it started with rock and rollers wearing suits and dancing with a 1-2 step then coming to 2013 which Ithink the second teen idol era such as Justin Bieber or Katy Perry or even worse the Kardashians but even now compare them to the likes of Fabian teen idols of the late 50s-60s who are taking the rolls of Elvis and such should be noted than filming of Elvis from the waist down was prohibited at a time then to half naked women for the sake of getting a gold record and a couple of bucks but then there was jim morrison waving around his penis on stage but it can be said he was under influence of several things. But all in all I Say that yes it has gotten too far . Pop music can be said to be always changing because the change from R&B to hip hop did not happen without a huge change like rock and roll and san francisco but when you say something is extreme the next generation will take it as the norm say when 80s rock and roll started making sex related music videos which was considered ridiculous today its everywhere my cousin who was listening to songs like stronger or E. however her mom had no problem . One of the biggest thing I Seen arise is that it injected itself into our culture just like a virus from well dressed clean cut to leather pants and jackets and crazy cuts but it began with the beatles who simply got long hair. Or when KIss stated wearing leather and make up the youth followed proving that it was no longer anti-culture it was culture and changing america for better or worse. Another thing that crossed my mind is that good is bad and bad is good when the rolling stones crossed this path they set a whole world of problems but how far can you go for record sales once it was love, peace and tolerance then it turned to sex drugs and rock and roll while the singers who were in tune were dismissed while screamers were considered the best. But some may not think this is a big deal, it is pop music but I Would think death would change one’s mind. Jimi Hendrix one of the best guitarists died due to â€Å"misadventure† aka he overdosed as well as jim morrison taking their own lives the best of the san francisco style dead, pop music took these â€Å"tortured† souls but it can be said that they had it coming to them how about the fans, ordinary people for example say Altamont Free Concert what could go wrong Free concert with world famous acts what could go wrong. Drugs and alcohol can. The rolling stones here tried to skip the police and decided that they can do whatever they wanted , they were a pop artist group of course, so they decided to hire the hells Angels and with the drugs and fight music a brawl broke out between a fan and to members which ended with the death of Meredith Hunter who was stabbed to death by the security personnel and it was caught on tape. Or when the prince of darkness decided to write a song about suicide (suicide solution) a teenaged John McCollum decided to kill himself . he lyrics went†Where to hide, suicide is the only way out Don’t you know what it’s really about Wine is fine but whiskey’s quicker Suicide is slow with liquor Take a bottle, drown your sorrows Then it floods away tomorrows† this song at the least suggests suicide if not promoting it . Being bad may bring in platinum records and #1 hits but when people start dying bad is not good any more it’s bad. Rock and roll was once full of well dressed mannered people the Beatles be a good example and early on their lyrics meant well elvis sang about love and moondogs then Jimi hendrixs start humping his guitar on fire then the who started breaking equipment , The rolling stones started shooting heroin on stage, ozzy osbourne bit the heads off a bat and Jim morrison exposed himself and I doubt all they sung about was love me do and twist and shout the lyrics esuculated from â€Å"in benefit of mr. ite† to Prince saying incest is ok or when twisted sister said to shoot them down with a _______ gun then Venom advising â€Å"Welcome to my sacrifice Plunge the dagger in her breast† then ice-t saying to kill police or when blackie lawless is acting out sex with a saw . The lyrics are what sells albums Eminem and 2pac both are one of the most successful rap artists ever and yet there lyrics call for killing cops homophobia and songs against women. In a song Eminem or marshall mathers once said that there would be the same amounts of drug addicts and murders without me something I Doubt. The more famous the artist the more influence they have charles manson said that the Beatles were prophets . Going back in time there was a time when music was a time where music was an extra part of life which was recreational and now we hang on every last word of our favorite artist say swag which was reintroduced by T.  I jay-y as well as justin bieber and it is still around and don’t forget YOLO which was created by drake but it seems though as it is dying out but hats, shirts and bracelets were made and this is where it begins to push the limits when people live their live based upon these word which in a way is no different than Charles Manson. Or when Wiz Khalifa is so open about his weed addiction and so many of my former friends started because of him or even earlier when Dr. dre started and when people take pills because eminem did it or acid because the beatles were cool. hen people say pop music artist does this it becomes a religion like following like how a good christian would follow the teachings of jesus they are following the ideals of pop stars and became the center of everything as John Lennon once said†We’re more popular than Jesus now† or when Kendrick Lamar Says†Depending on what you expecting, I’m sure it’s bigger than your religion†After this course I’m wondering where is the responsibility of these Musicians who control the public when are they saying not to listen to them but they want to be heard so if you do go to F.  Y. E and pick up a Marshall mathers lp the responsibility is given to the parents as there is a little text box saying parental advi sory for us to have to worry about those things itself proves that Pop music has gone too far as you wouldn’t let your child listen to Eminem or Ozzy And you would not let your parents hear you listening to them I think thats the limit when it starts to on Prentice Hall, 2006.

Aggression & Nature/Innate Factors

  There is no simple or single entity which we can call aggression† (Stainton Rogers et al. 1995, p. 169). What does this statement mean and what are the implications for Psychological theories which attempt to explain aggression?  Aggression is part of every person's personality. For each individual at some point of our lives, we tend to be aggressive towards another person or towards the situation. There is no simple or single entity which we can call aggression† (Stainton Rogers et al. 1995, p. 169). There are several psychological theories which explains aggression these can be a result of nature, environmental factors and social factors.  Nature/Innate Factors:  Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalysis. In his early theory, Freud asserts that human behaviors are motivated by sexual and instinctive drives known as the libido, which is energy derived from the Eros, or life instinct .Thus, the repression of such libidinal urges is displayed as aggression (A lexandra K. Smith, 1999 http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web3/Smith.html) In the Oedipus complex, a boy is fixated on his mother and competes with his father for maternal attention.The opposite, the attraction of a girl to her father and rivalry with her mother, is sometimes called the Electra complex. (changingminds.org)Freud came to the conclusion that humans have not one but two primary instincts. He called the life-favoring instinct Eros, one of the Greek words for â€Å"love,† and the death instinct Thanatos, the Greek word for â€Å"death.† (Beyond the Pleasure Principle. New York: Norton, 1960).Another theory about aggression is Konrad Lorenz's instinctual aggression.Lorenz examined herring gulls and other territorial birds. They defend their territory( their food & breeding source ) by aggression using fixed action patterns, elicited by sign stimuli.The build up of internal forces did not seem to play a role in the theory. Aggression is an instinct , serving territoriality, elicited by biologically relevant signs, is automatic, and difficult to inhibit out with certain biologically based sign inhibitors (www.psy.gla.ac.uk, p. 2).Environmental Factors:Identification with the aggressor which is defined as   version of introjection that focuses on the adoption, not of general or positive traits, but of negative or feared traits. If you are afraid of someone, you can partially conquer that fear by becoming more like them (Dr. C. George Boeree, 1997 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html). To cite an example is the Stockholm Syndrome.A woman named Patty Hearst was capture by a small group of self -proclaimed revolutionaries called the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was kept in closets, mistreated and even raped. Yet she decided to join her captors , making little propaganda videos for them and even waving a machine gun around during a bank robbery.When she was later tried, psychologists strongly suggested she was a victim, n ot a criminal. She was nevertheless convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Her sentence was commuted by President Carter after 2 years ( (Dr. C. George Boeree, 1997 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html).  Citing this example we can relate that aggression is caused by the environmental factor that the aggressor created.The most well known drive theory of aggression is the frustration-aggression hypothesis proposed by a group of researchers at Yale led by John Dollard. He and his colleagues define frustration as â€Å"an interference with the occurrence of an instigated goal-response at its proper time in the behavioral sequence.†(Dollard, et. al. 1939, p.7)In this theory, frustration and aggression are linked in a cause and effect relationship. Frustration is the cause of aggression and aggression is the result of frustration.( Alexandra K. Smith,1999). The prison cell setting can be an example of this theory since inmates who are extremely frust rated can be more aggressive or commit more crimes.  Social Factors:Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling. Among others Albert Bandura is considered the leading proponent of this theory (Ormrod, J.E. (1999).General principles of social learning theory follows:1. People can learn by observing the behavior is of others and the outcomes of those behaviors.2. Learning can occur without a change in behavior. Behaviorists say that learning has to be represented by a permanent change in behavior, in contrast social learning theorists say that because people can learn through observation alone, their learning may not necessarily be shown in their performance. Learning may or may not result in a behavior change.3. Cognition plays a role in learning. Over the last 30 years social learning theory has become increasingly cogn itive in its interpretation of human learning. Awareness and expectations of future reinforcements or punishments can have a major effect on the behaviors that people exhibit4. Social learning theory can be considered a bridge or a transition between behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories.(Ormrod, J.E. (1999).  The conclusion of this school of thought on aggression has been summed up: â€Å"Human aggression is a learned conduct that, like other forms of social behavior, is under stimulus, reinforcement, and cognitive control.†Ã‚   Bandura, Albert. The Social Learning Theory of Aggression. In R. A. Falk and S. S. Kim, (Eds.), The War System: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1980, p.146.   How the environment reinforces and punishes modeling:People are often reinforced for modeling the behavior of others. Bandura suggested that the environment also reinforces modeling. This is in several possible ways:1. The observer is rein forced by the model. For example a student who changes dress to fit in with a certain group of students has a strong likelihood of being accepted and thus reinforced by that group.2. The observer is reinforced by a third person. The observer might be modeling the actions of someone else, for example, an outstanding class leader or student. The teacher notices this and compliments and praises the observer for modeling such behavior thus reinforcing that behavior.3. The imitated behavior itself leads to reinforcing consequences. Many behaviors that we learn from others produce satisfying or reinforcing results. For example, a student in my multimedia class could observe how the extra work a classmate does is fun. This student in turn would do the same extra work and also receive enjoyment.4. Consequences of the model’s behavior affect the observers behavior vicariously. This is known as vicarious reinforcement. This is where in the model is reinforced for a response and then th e observer shows an increase in that same response.Bandura illustrated this by having students watch a film of a model hitting a inflated clown doll. One group of children saw the model being praised for such action. Without being reinforced, the group of children began to also hit the doll .Contemporary social learning perspective of reinforcement and punishment:1. Contemporary theory proposes that both reinforcement and punishment have indirect effects on learning. They are not the sole or main cause.2. Reinforcement and punishment influence the extent to which an individual exhibits a behavior that has been learned.3. The expectation of reinforcement influences cognitive processes that promote learning. Therefore attention pays a critical role in learning. And attention is influenced by the expectation of reinforcement. An example would be, where the teacher tells a group of students that what they will study next is not on the test. Students will not pay attention, because they do not expect to know the information for a test.Cognitive factors in social learning:Social learning theory has cognitive factors as well as behaviorist factors (actually operant factors).1. Learning without performance: Bandura makes a distinction between learning through observation and the actual imitation of what has been learned.2.Cognitive processing during learning: Social learning theorists contend that attention is a critical factor in learning.3. Expectations: As a result of being reinforced, people form expectations about the consequences that future behaviors are likely to bring. They expect certain behaviors to bring reinforcements and others to bring punishment. The learner needs to be aware however, of the response reinforcements and response punishment. Reinforcement increases a response only when the learner is aware of that connection.4. Reciprocal causation: Bandura proposed that behavior can influence both the environment and the person. In fact each of these th ree variables, the person, the behavior, and the environment can have an influence on each other.5. Modeling: There are different types of models. There is the live model, and actual person demonstrating the behavior. There can also be a symbolic model, which can be a person or action portrayed in some other medium, , such as television, videotape, computer programs. Ormrod, J.E. (1999).Given the three concepts on how aggression can be associated with, I have considered that we cannot conclude that one factor is the strongest among the three. Our lives are interrelated one way or another, our innate drives, environment, and social learning can be associated on how we respond to situations that can unleash aggression.References:Books:Beyond the Pleasure Principle. New York: Norton, 1960.Ormrod, J.E. ,1999.R. A. Falk and S. S. Kim, (Eds.), The War System: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1980, p.146.Stainton Rogers et al. 1995 p. 169Journal Articles:Dr. C. G eorge Boeree, 1997 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.htmlAlexandra K. Smith, 1999 http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web3/Smith.html

Symphony no.7 in A major. Opus 92, second movement by Ludwig van Beethoven

This four-part symphony by German classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven was completed in 1812 in Teplice when the composer was regaining his health. The symphony is arranged for strings, woodwinds (2 oboes, 2 clarinet), brass (2 bassoons, horns and trumpets), and percussion (timpani) and divided into four movements – Poco Sostenuto – â€Å"Vivace, Allegretto, Presto, and Allegro con brio† (Beethoven).The second movement contrasts sharply from the first, as the second movement’s flow and theme is much more expressive than the first.This expressiveness comes in form of subtle elegance mingled with a hint of sadness, though it still maintains its dance-like rhythm. The second movement acts as the antithesis to the somewhat glorious mood of the first and also in consideration with its tempo. The movement is ‘slow’ compared to the first, though the movement is in Allegreto form; meaning, it is to be played in a lively manner. The transition from the first movement is punctuated by its sad theme, yet the mood is counterbalanced with the Allegreto form.The ostinato in the piece is prevalent in the whole movement, acting as a support for the main theme played in succession by the brass and string sections. As evident in most of Beethoven’s works, there are parts in the movement that the theme starts from a quiet and small accentuation into a strong and sudden emphasis. The dance-like rhythm of the first movement is maintained through the Allegretto tempo while maintaining its tonal change from the first. Work Cited Symphony no. 7, A Major, op. 92, Second Movement. By Ludwig van Beethoven. Cond. Carlos Kleiber. Perf. Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Vienna, 200

Use book content to explain 5 video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Use book content to explain 5 video - Essay Example These organizations adopt different strategies to manage respective production operations. Notably, quality control and technology are the most common things among the five videos (Russell and Taylor 54). In the video on how to make Jeans, quality control is very prominent. The making of jeans includes choosing the fabric, designing patterns, and tailoring. Manufactures enhance the quality of denim jeans by choosing unique textiles and high quality fabric for denim and pocketing since denims are seemingly too thin. As such, they chose â€Å"jeans-grade" denim that guarantee high quality denim jeans. Cotton is a high quality material for denim jeans. The fabric distinguishes denim jeans from other off-the-rack jeans. The manufactures washes and dries the fabric to make it easier to work with. The process also ensures that finished denim jeans are fitting. The process also entails roughening up which adds quality to the jeans. The manufactures use modern technologies to trim and design patterns for the denim jeans. In the video on how to make skateboards, quality control is supreme. The manufactures use high quality materials that include veneer, tie bond glue, router of rasp, and molded press. Notably, veneer defines a hard rock maple that prevents the skateboards from vibrating. Moreover, the hard maple made from oak wood prevents the skateboard from breaking since it is strong. On the other hand, the tie bond glue guarantees a strong bond thus creating a durable skateboard. To add on quality, manufactures adopt a specific arrangement of venners. The venners follow one another in layers that include the Face, Core layer, Cross band, Core layer, Cross Band, Core layer, and a final Face. The molded press enhances compatibility of the skateboards. In the video on how to make cosmetics, it is clear that quality is supreme. The process of making cosmetics includes ingredients that must have the approval of the FDA. It involves color additives that

World War II as a Just war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

World War II as a Just war - Essay Example The countries were divided into two groups: The Allies and the Axis. Germany, Japan and their allies formed the 'Axis' while US, Britain and its allies as the 'Allies'. This essay would validate this claim that the war fought by the 'Allies' was a just war, by describing the true nature and criteria required to name a war as a 'Just war'. The basis of the 'Just war' is the point that no matter what the circumstances become, the prospect of war certainly means death and slaughter but at a certain point war becomes inevitable. This could be seen since the wars in the olden times. Though the criteria differ in nature but the moral considerations of the war are the same. Under these conditions, a certain criteria should be met before waging any war to make that war a 'Just war'. Just war theory is actually a collection of moral considerations which limits the devastations caused by warfare. This may involve the fair treatment of women and children treatment to maintaining an honorable code of conduct during the war. 'Just war' theory could be subdivided into two sets: The first being the jus ad bellum which actually means right to wage a war and the second being jus in bello which signifies proper conduct during the war. Jus ad bellum and jus in bello are further divided so we would look at them separately. (Coates) Jus ad bellum: The most basic part of jus ad bellum is that any war which would be fought should have a just cause. Just cause actually implies that war must be initiated in order to defend one's country or another country from another violent or oppressive country. The reasons for going to a war must not be to gain material gain, to capture lands or to punish people. The reasons should be humanitarian; a war should only be fought to protect the innocent lives which are in danger and not to put more innocent lives at stake. This is however difficult to determine which side of the conflict has a 'just cause' because every side considers its cause as just. Even though the Nazis are considered to be brutal and murderers, they themselves considered their cause of war just. If we come back to the World War II, we can easily make out that the Allies fought the Axis to put an end to their monstrosities and it was due to their efforts, that many countries, for example Poland and Australia did not fall to t he Nazi regime of Germany. The best example in this regard is the holocaust of the Germans against the Jews which was ended as a result of this war. The Allies therefore had a just cause of fighting because they wanted to put an end to the war provoked by the Axis. Another important part of the jus ad bellum is the 'just intention' which means that the intentions behind going to a war should be just. This is often confused with the 'just cause' concept because both speak of the aims and goals of a war but the basic difference between the two is that a war may be fought with a 'just cause' but not with a 'just intention'. This could be illustrated by the example that to attack a country in order to put an end to the oppressive government is a 'just cause' but by toppling that government if the intention is to form a government which is inclined towards the attacker country is not considered a 'just intention

Othello Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Othello - Essay Example In addition, Iago is overly ambitious and power-hungry. He is willing to use deception, manipulation, and murder to gain what he thinks he deserves. He is a dangerously selfish man. As for Othello, he is a level-headed and virtuous person. Even when Iago says something about complaints against Othello, the latter does not respond aggressively. Othello is not malicious and aggressive, and instead, he thinks that his good record will prove his merits to all. Part B: Shakespeare described Othello as a "Moor."   Did he intend him to be Black?   Opinions differ, although he is usually assumed to be Black by critics and directors.   Interesting, he has only recently begun to be played routinely by Black actors; for centuries he was played by white men in blackface.   Ick--if you doubt me take a gander at Laurence Olivier doing it as recently as 1965:   http://shakespeare.berkeley.edu/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gallery&Itemid=256&g2_view=core%3AShowItem&g2_itemId=15658&g2_imageViewsIndex=1 Comment.   Many of the characters comment about Othellos ethnic identity in all sorts of different ways over the course of the play.   Look at both the major and the minor characters.   What do they say?   What attitudes can you discern?   Answer: The major characters treat and say outright that Othello is a Moor. They have prejudice and discrimination against outsiders. They do not think that Othello deserves to be in a position of power and to have a white wife. As for the minor characters, not many believe in and respect Othello. He does not have many faithful followers, despite his goodness. Part C: Iago insidiously leads Othello from being a man completely in control of himself to one verging on insanity. How does he do that? Find the process in the language and structure of the play. Where and now is the process moved forward, stopped, stalled, redirected, and

Vietnam Anti-War Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vietnam Anti-War Movement - Research Paper Example It was during that period that evolution of resistance started amongst Vietnamese nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh pressing for independence. The resistance resulted to the World War 1 that took place between the years 1914 to 1918. France continued to cling to its empire but Ho embraced Marxism-Leninism and built a strong following called Vietminh. The organization prepared to assume power of their territory after the occurrence of the Second World War. The war left France very weak but partly basing its strategies on racism contempt for the Vietnamese, French officials still had a believe that they could reassert their control and power over Indochina. Vietnam Antiwar Movement was a movement against the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Opposition of the Vietnam war took place in the late 1960s and early 1970. The movement took place in form of demonstrations in the year 1964 and continued to grow in terms of strength in the later years. The U.S fell in confusion between those who preferred peace and those who advocated the continuity of involvement in the Vietnam War. The biggest numbers of the participants of the movement were mothers, students, and anti-establishment hippies. Opposition developed with the participation of the African-American civil rights, Chicano movements, women’s liberation, and organized labor sectors. Other groups that joined the movement comprised of journalists, lawyers, academics, clergy, military veterans, leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and physicians. One of the physicians who participated in the movement was Benjamin Spock. Opposition of the war was mainly conducted using peaceful and nonviolent events. However, some few events were deliberately violent and provocative. In fact, some cases called for the police to use violent tactics against all the demonstrators. By the year 1970, there was a steady increase in the majority of Americans considering involvement of the US military in Vietnam as a mistake. Decades later,

Data warehousing and storage systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Data warehousing and storage systems - Essay Example These types of warehouses help in attaining different range and level of storage of data in a computing device. A data warehouse is useful because it can maintain replica of information from the source. This architectural convolution provides the prospect to alleviate the problem of database isolation level lock conflict in operation processing systems that is caused by long or large running attempts and queries related to analysis in the processing database of transaction (Silvers, 2008). The uses of data warehousing is not just limited to one prospect it also helps in compressing data into a single source from multiple sources so that only one query engine can be used. Data warehousing increases the efficiency of working and it improves the data quality by maintaining data history accurately even when the source transaction is unable to keep the record. It helps in keeping information secure and also updates if any alteration is done on any data. This is very important because stor age of data should always be in a secured mode in order to avoid isolation of information. The concept of data warehousing was brought forward in the later part of 1980, in order to deliver an architectural model for flow of information from operational systems to decision support systems (Becker, 2002). Data warehouses in order to obtain analytical access patterns are optimized. They involve in selecting specific fields of function unlike operational systems that use a common type of access pattern. Due to these differences analytical databases get benefited from column-oriented data base management system and operational database get benefited from row-oriented data base management system. Operational systems only maintain a picture or frame of business related information however data warehouses maintain the entire history that is implemented from ETL processes. The evolution of data warehousing in organization use is very sophisticated. There are mainly four levels of warehouses.

Health poster Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health poster - Essay Example As a result, more and more children find themselves confined to indoor play which does not give them the ability to exercise as much as they should. Even when playing outdoors is an option, many children choose to remain indoors, lured by the greater technology of video games which strongly encourage sedentary behaviour while engaging the mind (Graves et al, 2007). These problems are increased as fast food restaurants tempt children to poor food choices by adding toys and games into meals targeted for children. Recognising that childhood obesity has trebled over the last decade (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010), some cities such as San Francisco have made it illegal for fast food restaurants to add toys to unhealthy food options. The aim of the present research is to help reduce the rate of childhood obesity in the primary schools. This will be accomplished by directly addressing the changing interests of children today as well as by changing children’s self-efficacy by introducing them to the tools they need to change their lives. Targeted to overweight children in the final two years of primary school, the objective of this six-month intervention program is to reduce the overall weight of the children involved by increasing their physical activity and giving them better information about diet and nutrition. There is clear evidence that there is a growing problem of obesity among children in the developed world (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). National Health Services (2010) has tracked growing trends of obesity in both boys and girls and a tendency for children to become more engaged with sedentary activities to the degree to which they are obese – i.e., more obesity equates with greater time spent engaged in sedentary activity. Epstein et al (2008) points out that one of the

Impact of Gay Marriage on Children Essay Example for Free

Impact of Gay Marriage on Children Essay Take a look at the picture of a gay and a lesbian couple (see Figure 1). Long ago people would have raised their eyebrows and glared at such obvious display of affection between two men and two women. They would have scurried away and cursed them who engaged in activities that compromise morality. They would have felt anger to know that a man would even think of marrying another man or a woman to another woman. But years later, this picture has become normal. Wherever people go, they see gay and lesbian couples. They are everywhere. And the government has also come to accept this phenomenon, although there are still debates whether gay marriage, or same-sex marriage, should be legalized and accepted. Gay marriage has been one of the critical issues still not resolved and still plagued lots of people today. There are debates and protests whether this should be legalized or accepted in the society. Many are strongly against gay marriage because of their various beliefs about marriage itself. On the other hand, many are also for gay marriage because they think that marriage is all about equality and freedom to choose and decide. However, we must look at what gay marriage does to the children, because they are also adversely affected by this. This paper will show that gay marriage (the term will be used interchangeably with same-sex marriage in this paper), has a negative impact on children. In 1989, Denmark granted â€Å"registered partnership† to same-sex couples; Norway, in 1993; Sweden, in 1994; and Iceland, in 1996. Other countries in Europe, such as France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Belgium also did the same (Lee Badgett 2). Meezan and Rauch reported that gay marriage (or same-sex marriage) is a reality in the United States and other parts of the world. They added that for the advocates of same-sex marriage, it is a civil rights issue. For the opponents, it is a matter of morality. Both sides are correct, but most importantly, it is a family-policy issue which has not been regarded with the right amount of attention in the American scene (97). The most important question to be considered is: How will same-sex marriage affect the well-being of children? The statistics showed significant trends. In 2007, Craft reported that in 1976 alone, there were about 300,000 to 500,000 gay and lesbian parents. In Bahamas alone, the number of homosexuals is increasing. Many of these, who keep their homosexuality secret, have positions in companies and in governments. The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas showed that gay individuals makes up five percent while bisexuals make up 29 percent of The Bahamas population (see Chart 1). Additionally, there are about eight to 10 million children living in gay and lesbian households. It is estimated that the number of gay and lesbian people who are interested to adopt children is nearly two million. The highest concentration of adopted children living with homosexual parents could be found in California. These children tend to be younger. Gates, Lee Badgett, Chambers and Macomber estimated that there were about 65,000 adopted children living in a gay or lesbian household. Moreover, out of the estimated 3. 1 million gay and lesbian households in U. S. , 1. 6 percent includes an adopted child under the age of 18 (7) (see Table 1). In the Frequently Asked Questions article by The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) marriage is all about love, commitment, sharing and compromise. It should not be denied to couples just because of their sex; marriage is a personal choice. However, many believed that the purpose of marriage is procreation; producing children is the natural end of marriage (Cline). Since gay marriage is unnatural (it can’t produce children), Cline said that it would violate this very idea. It would undermine marriage because it is a moral institution for promoting and protecting procreation. Although this paper posits that gay marriage has positive impact on children, it is still important to look at both views about the same-sex marriage in order to make light of the things which are significant for the welfare of the children. Impact on Children Why should the children be considered when it comes to same-sex marriage? Children are helpless, according to Kurts. They rely upon adults. They need the society to provide them with institutions that keep them safe from chaos. Additionally, they cannot articulate their needs and cannot even vote. But, they are society. They are the future of the world. These are just some of the reasons why children’s well-being must be supported and encouraged. Baskerville is right in saying that the impact of gay marriage on children wasn’t paid much attention because the focus was on the debate over gay marriage. It is important to recognize the needs of the children because they deserve to grow in an environment where they have two legally recognized parents (Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health). Their relationship with their parents, the Committee furthered, must be stable and recognized. This must apply to all, whether the parents are of the opposite or of same sex. For those who advocate gay marriage, they said that gay marriage will have positive impact on the children. In an article by Sara Miles, she argued that banning gay marriage will deny children justice since marriage is good for kids. It is true that marriage is good for kids. Most of the literature about marriage would indicate that marriage brings positive outcomes for the children as it provides them with warm, close relationships with their parents. Advocates of gay marriage believe that these reasons must be taken into consideration and let someone marry whoever he wants to marry. Cline reported that those who oppose gay marriage will do anything to keep it from being legalized. However, there will come a time when gay marriage will be legal and recognized. In fact, there were actions taken in other countries to make this possible. With the rise of the issue of gay marriage in America, other areas were also considered, such as adoption of children. Baskerville quoted what Democratic state Sen. Therese Murphy. She believed that almost half of all adopted children in Massachusetts live in households with homosexually-behaving adults. Baskerville added that allowing gay couples to â€Å"have† children, or to give them the right to adopt, is nearly the same as granting them the right to claim the children of a couple. The question here is whether the biological parents will agree to be separated from their children. This is made easy by the government’s initiative to give other people’s children to gay or lesbian couples. The government also has the power to take back the children from their biological parents even though the parents did not do something that would make the government take back the children. This is because the government now had the incentive and the means to take children from their parents with no due process. Baskerville reported that the 1974 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) gives financial incentives to the states to remove children from their original parents. As a result, CAPTA became instrumental in tearing children away from their parents. Additionally, the federal funds went to the foster-care providers. Even now, there are still children removed from their families despite the fact that foster homes were more abusive than the children’s original families. This problem existed for a long time until the government thought of another program. The government provided another program to solve the problem created by CAPTA, which is the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act. It provided more financial assistance to transfer children from foster care to adoption. This expanded the client base of stakeholders who had vested financial interest in available children. Gay marriage, it seemed, made this even worse. Baskerville reported that through having kids adopted by gay couples, the government officials can take advantage of the adoption. These government officials can very well benefit through the funds that are set for the Act. Rekers provided three reasons on why Arkansas has prohibited homosexually-behaving adults from being given license to be foster parents. First: The inherent nature and structure of households with a homosexually-behaving adult uniquely endangers foster children by exposing them to a substantial level of harmful stresses that are over and above usual stress levels in heterosexual foster homes. (Rekers 2) This means that those children entering foster care usually have high incidence of psychological disorder. Rekers explained that if homosexual parents adopted those children, they (the children) are likely to be at risk of psychological harm and maladjustment. This happens when the children are exposed in greater stress brought upon them by the mere presence of a homosexual in a foster home. Moreover, Rekers believed that the children are affected in such a way that they are at risk of depression or psychological disorders (2). Second, Rekers reasoned out the relationships between homosexually-behaving adults tend to be less stable and short-lived, unlike the relationship between a married man and woman. Therefore, this would not be appropriate for children because they will be easily influenced. Furthermore, Rekers believed that suicidal attempt, substance abuse, psychological disorders and breakups happen most often with homosexual partners. Thus, they are incapable of providing a secure and stable home that foster children needed. And if children are to be adopted by these homosexually-behaving adults, it would mean that children will be removed and transfer to another home. Sometimes the transition is traumatic for these children. Third, the household structure of foster-parents consisting of one or more homosexually-behaving members denies children their needs for adjustment that can be found in heterosexual foster homes. Rekers backed this third reason by explaining that unlike heterosexual households, a household with homosexually-behaving adults lack the concrete role of a mother and a father, which is necessary for the growth and development of children. Additionally, homosexual households lack the role of a mother and a father in raising children. Also, the children have no chance to witness a husband/wife relationship, which the society thinks is socially stable and healthier for the children. Rekers said that the children who live with a married man and woman are better adjusted compared to those who live in households with homosexually-behaving adults. Children in foster care must be placed with heterosexual married couple because this will provide them with their needed benefits and leads to better child adjustment. A study presented by Jacobs in her article showed that nearly all 50 studies done on the children of gay and lesbian couples (between six and 14 million in the United States) showed no significant difference between children raised by heterosexual or homosexual couples. However, those who oppose gay marriage argued that most of the studies done were small, there were methodological flaws, and mostly were politically biased. Jacobs reported a study which showed that there’s no significant difference whether a child is raised by a gay or lesbian parents. In short, a child with gay or lesbian parents does not necessarily make him different from his peers. However, Jacobs presented some interesting findings from other researches regarding these differences. She mentioned that in 2001, Judith Stacey, a sociologist, and her colleague, Timothy Biblarz, found out that there are, in fact, some differences. They said that although gay and lesbian parenting is not harmful for children, those who have gay parents differ in some ways from those who have heterosexual parents. For instance, a study headed by Susan Golombok concluded that having homosexual parents does not encourage their children to become homosexuals. However, the daughters of lesbians were more open to the idea of being attracted to the same gender than the daughters of heterosexual mothers. Another finding was that out of the 25 children of lesbians, six of them had had relationship with someone of the same gender. The 21 children of heterosexual mothers did not have a relationship with the same gender. Kurts countered that gays have special case because the difficulties and challenges they experience are not from â€Å"discrimination† of marriage. The challenges and difficulties are due to the problem of sexual difference. He added that marriage is just a consolation for the challenges that are usual in situations faced by gays. Although gays are much tolerated in the United States, using marriage for the wrong purpose will not change the situations of gays. Instead, it will be the end of marriage, and the protection it provides for the children who are helpless. Gay marriage will also have an effect on heterosexual marriage. Supporting gay marriage, according to Gallagher (qtd. in Darby), would mean that the courts will not fully support the views of those who advocate heterosexual marriage. Moreover, if heterosexual marriage is confirmed as a special institution that must be protected and upheld, the number of fatherless children will decrease. Heterosexual marriage will prevent the incidences of children born outside marriage. Kotulski (qtd. in Darby) contradicted this by saying that there will still be fatherless children. There will be factors that would continue to break families, such as poverty and violence. Other Effects Pawelski et. al have noted some other effects of same-sex marriage to children. These effects, as noted, were experienced at different levels. In the psychosocial level, gay and lesbian individuals usually undergo peer rejection, harassment, depression or isolation. In fact, Pawelski et. al reported that almost half (47%) of gay and lesbian teens have thought about committing suicide while 36% actually attempted. Oftentimes, these individuals experience rejection from their loved ones, maltreatment in schools, homelessness, and violence. As adults, they experience discrimination, marginalization and violence. Various debates over the issue of same-sex marriage intensified the unstable environment for the homosexuals in the society. Lack of support and acceptance for them and their children will have effects on their physical and psychosocial health and safety. The children of gay or lesbian couples may, in the same way, experience marginalization and discrimination by those who do not approve of gay or lesbian parenting. More often, these children do not know how or where to find support. Even alliances in schools that admit straight gays can make the situation worse. Pawelski et. al reported that children are brought into long-term partnerships with gay and lesbian parents through surrogacy, adoption and alternative insemination. Their study also delved into the attitudes and behavior, personality and adjustment of parents when it comes to parenting. The authors found out that there were only few differences recorded regarding the comparison between lesbian and heterosexual mothers’ psychological adjustment, self-esteem and attitudes about child rearing. Lesbian mothers, the study showed, passed the psychological assessments and interviews. Furthermore, the study showed that the attitudes of lesbian mothers did not differ much from those of heterosexual mothers. In the same way, gay fathers did not differ much from nongay fathers. In fact, there are more similarities than differences. However, there is concern over the effect of the parent’s sexual orientation on the children because this might lead to embarrassment and thus keep the children from interacting with their peers. It was found out that the children of divorced lesbian mothers experienced more teasing from peers during childhood than the children of divorced heterosexual mothers. It is of interest that Pawelski et. al mentioned that the children who grew up with gay or lesbian parents were more tolerant of diversity and more nurturing than those children with heterosexual parents. Pawelski et. al mentioned another study which showed that children of heterosexual parents considered themselves more aggressive. Their parents and teachers regarded them as more domineering, bossy and negative. On the other hand, the children of lesbian parents considered themselves as more lovable. Their parents and teachers regarded them as more responsive, affectionate and protective of other younger children. Another study showed that the self-esteem, aggressiveness and sociability of children with lesbian parents and those with heterosexual parents have similarities. There were also studies conducted which showed that children of lesbian parents who were satisfied with their relationships have fewer behavioral problems and were better adjusted. There was also a study by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health wherein the population consisted of 12105 adolescents in the United States. The authors found out that 44 adolescents, ranging from 12 to 18 years old, who were living with two women, were similar to others who have heterosexual parents when it comes to measures of anxiety, depression, self-esteem and school success. There were also similarities regarding family relationships, care from others, neighborhood integration, regardless of whether the children come from opposite-gender or same-gender families (Pawelski et. al). Since the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts back in 2004, researches today showed that it may have positive impact in strengthening the ties between couples, their children and extended families. It is interesting to note, however, that a large number of young people in America seemed to support gay and lesbian issues. Olander, Kirby and Schmitt mentioned a survey done by the Council for Excellence in Government (CEG) and CIRCLE which asked young people from 15 to 25 years old their perspective about the rights of homosexuals. The survey found out that youths supported gay and lesbian issues such as protection in housing, employment and hate crime, legal partnerships or civic unions and the ability to adopt children (2). There are others who view gay marriage on a positive note. Carpenter believed that gay marriage helps children. He said that gay parenting nowadays is very common in the United States, and that there are children in every gay and lesbian household. He did not seem to agree that children are better raised by a married man and woman. He furthered that gay marriage will not take away children from their biological parents. Although there is no reported shortage of children, the number of married couples is not enough to raise these children. And this is the reason why singles and unmarried couples are allowed sub-optimal parenting. Carpenter thought that this arrangement is better than foster care where the effects on children are unfavorable. Brinkmann countered Carpenter’s views. She believed that if a child is exposed to both sexes in a household, it will have positive effects on his developmental needs. She explained that this aids them in forming their sexual identity. Since the breakdown of marriage in the country had negative effects especially on children, it must be considered that a heterosexual marriage will provide the children stability with regards to family relationships. Brinkmann furthered that without heterosexual marriage, the society will disintegrate. Times have changed and more changes will manifest in the future. Amidst these changes, the welfare of children who are affected by gay marriage must be the utmost consideration. This means that supporting heterosexual marriage will be beneficial for these children. The government and families must make sure that every step of the way, these children will be encouraged and supported. Their needs must be met in order for them to grow as responsible citizens in our society.

Elie Saab Marketing Analysis

Elie Saab Marketing Analysis Expanding a luxury brand without diluting its luxury status has become a challenge to many luxury brands. Premium luxury brands therefore need to plan their expansion strategy carefully. This report will focus on how the Elie Saab brand may develop by offering the brand extension of lingerie to be sold alongside its ready-to-wear collection. The price range of lingerie is normally lower compared to other ready-to-wear products, therefore this product extension has the potential to enlarge the accessibility of the ES brand and grow the current consumer segmentation. The new product line should inherit the brands essence. The launching and promoting of the new line will be an appropriate way for the brand to get more exposure and will reinforce its brand identity. The report will cover the product extension and communication issue respectively, while critically evaluate the plan as a whole. Started as a couture house in Beirut, ELIE SAAB (ES) has an ambition of turning into a global luxury brand. ES exclusively target on the worldwide super-wealthy class, while successfully maintains a loyal customer base from the Middle East. In addition, the brand is favoured by royalty, for its luxurious, feminine but slightly conservative style. ES dresses are widely present in different prestigious events, worn by celebrities from different regions. The product lines of ES currently include Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear (RTW), Wedding Dresses, and Accessories. The expanding of the brand, however, continued through many forms including luxury hotel and super yachts (SHUAYTO, 2012). Nevertheless, there are still many problems exist, and if not handled carefully, they may remit the pace of ESs growth. it was pointed out that Elie Saab, owner of ELIE SAAB, wanted to be involved in not only every aspects of his Haute Couture line, but also all the branding decision making process. (SHUAY TO, 2012) Saabs tight control of the brand may consume most of his energy, which makes the brand expansion on product line rather difficult. Besides, with only 150 employees, (SHUAYTO, 2012) the ES Group is relatively small compared to other luxury brands from large luxury groups such as LVMH (100,00employees) (ARNAULT, N/D). Thus the amount of support ES could receive for expansion is very limited. Furthermore, recognition is a key element in conspicuous consumption, for it endows the owner of luxury product with admiration. (KAPFERER, 2012)ES have covered several communication channels in brand image building, but the exposure is still not enough. ELIE SAABs facebook page has received 800,987 likes (Facebook, 2013b), while Dior has 11,480,356 likes (Facebook, 2013a). It is the same on the ELIE SAAB YouTube channel (2013a), which only have 4,580 subscribers (Dior: 47,871) (YouTube LLC, 2013c), and on its twitter page (2013b) with 128,682 followers (Dior: 1,794,503) (Twitter,Inc., 2 013a). It would seem that ES havent caught much attention of the public. For such a vibrant premium brand, expending without diluting its luxury status requires a very well planed strategy. Regarding the situation mentioned above, the report will illustrate how ELIE SAAB could develop by introducing the brand extension of lingerie to be sold alongside its Ready-to-Wear line. The lingerie sector has enjoyed a continuous growth of 16.1% in the UK market during the previous five years. It was considered to be a treat for a woman in an affordable price during the recession. (Hucker, 2013) It is reported that in Western Europe and the US, the average number of lingerie purchased by a woman annually is two bras and around five briefs. As a function-oriented product, Lingerie is considered to be a necessity, and the need always exists. Nevertheless, despite the booming UK lingerie market, the global lingerie market suffered from the recession. Moreover, the market is overcrowded with many discount retailers sourcing from Asian countries, which is pulling down the pricing point. (Hughes, 2011) The price of bras range from under six pounds to over 250 pounds, but only a few brands produce premium lingerie (Independent Print Ltd., 2012). In the niche market of premium lingerie (NI Syndication Limited., 2007), the reputation of ES could be an advantage, let along i ts loyal high-end client base. Meanwhile, as the price range of lingerie is lower compared to High-end RTW (SHUAYTO, 2012), the new line would potentially enlarge the accessibility of the ES brand. Overall, entering the lingerie market could be a challenging opportunity for ELIE SAAB. The essential goal of this plan is to expand product range, increase brand exposure, and assist ELIE SAABs transformation into a global premium brand. Product extension Lingerie design, especially brassiere design, requires very specific skills and knowledge. The time required in the designing process is also particularly long. As lingerie is of great importance in shaping a perfect body, customers require optimum fit, high function, as well as attractiveness. From cups to shoulder strap, all of them are important in providing a centralized and firm appearance, while designing them equally costs great energy. (Liao Lee, 2010) Since ELIE SAAB is still a growing company with not much employees, and is a brand highly dependent on Elie Saab, the suggestion would be to achieve the expansion through licensing. But it should be handled very carefully, for licensing could possibility dilute the brand. (Hoffmann Stankeviciute, 2012) Some even argue that the key of maintaining the luxe of a brand is never get involved in licensing. (KAPFERER, 2012) While other suggest that though risking dilution, licensing still proves to be a fair choice for brands to acc ess expertise in the area where their knowledge and power is limited. (Colucci, et al., 2008) First and foremost, the lingerie line must inherit the sprite of ELIE SAAB. It should be designed and inspired base on the ES haute couture collection or RTW collection, and be cohesive with the collections of the core brand in style and aesthetics in that season. Consumers expect the luxury brand to offer them a product that possess the quality, design and value that the parent brand represents. (Hoffmann Stankeviciute, 2012) Especially for a brand like ELIE SAAB, which highly relies on loyal customers, (SHUAYTO, 2012) fulfilling the consumers expectation and keeping the brand image clear is exceptionally important. ELIE SAAB is known for its luxurious, dreamy, and feminine style.(Fig 1) Lace, chiffon, silk, crystal, hand-made beading and embroidery (NI Syndication Limited., 2007), those materials used in ES haute couture collections can also be seen in lingerie design, which could be counted as an advantage in reaching the coherence of core brand and lingerie line. The service provided for the lingerie line is equally important, for providing ultimate customer experience is another promise of the ES brand. To minimize the dilution of core brand, the ES lingerie line should be positioned as premium lingerie (Hoffmann Stankeviciute, 2012). The most important part of buying lingerie is fit (Law, et al., 2012). It is important for the consumers to feel comfortable in their lingerie (Liao Lee, 2010). However, most women do not know how to find a right size, and the sizes that many retailers provide are not accurate. Fitting has become a major problem for the lingerie industry (Hucker, 2013). Thus in every ES lingerie stores, there need to be at least one professional fitter to help, and provide the customers a one-to-one fitting service. Also, in the lingerie sector on the ES official website, a specific multi-media lingerie fitting guidance, using the form of video, picture and word description (Fig 2), should be provided. The cost of producing a fitting video and putting the information on the ES website could be quite low, but this effort may affect customers confidence of purchasing ES lingerie positively. bra fitting.jpg To improve customer experience, ES may consider providing customized lingerie. Co-design, which involves customers in the designing process of their own order, may be welcomed by those who eager for a differentiated, unique product. In the co-design process, customers are provided several pre designed options of each part of the product, and they can create a unique product by combining their choices. Burberry has put a co-design section on their website, where customers can design their own trench coat, and then order creation. (Fig 3) The co-designed trench coat will be produced separately. (Burberry Group Plc, N/D) Co-design offers a memorable experience to customers, which may interest the loyal customers, and possibly attract new customers. (Liao Lee, 2010) Nevertheless, the cost of producing co-design lingerie may be quite high. The Burberry co-design products are priced about one to two hundred pounds higher than their similar RTW products in the same length and material. The ratio of mark up is merely 0.18% approximately, due to the high price of the RTW product range. If ES decide to adopt co-design in the lingerie line, the ratio of mark up needs to be carefully calculated, in order to make enough profit, but still remain acceptable for the customers. Marketing communication The lunching of a new product line will probably draw much attention. Seizing the chance, ELIE SAAB may increase its exposure by doing a series of campaign, aiming at building the image of a global premium brand. Without enough brand awareness, it is very hard for luxury brands to create desire and attraction (KAPFERER, 2012). Hence, most luxury brands tend to build a whole brand image, rather than the image of a single product category. In addition, by showing the image of their target consumers lifestyle, brands could form an image of a brand users in the consumers mind. Potential customers may be attracted by the perception of a brands personality, moreover, may produce a stronger purchasing intention when they find similarities between their self-image and the image of a typical brand user (Fang, et al., 2012). Marketing the ES lingerie line by promoting the whole brand, emphasising the luxe of the core brand, may also protect the brand from dilution. Communicating the heritage inspiration and cultural reference may help a relatively new brand elevating its position in consumers mind. As a hedonic product, luxury products need to not only have a physical function, but also embraces a spiritual function. They should help consumers fulfilling their highest need, which is self-realization (KAPFERER, 2012). To create a scarcity effect, making the brand more desirable, ELIE SAAB may develop a marketing strategy based on culture and art. Producing a short film featuring the inspiration of the unique ELIE SAAB style may help consumers generating a better understanding of the brands cultural background, deepening the meaning behind each ELIE SAAB product. The film should also include the craftsmanship of ES haute couture collection. By showing the intriguing details of haute couture, from the inspiration, drafting to the hand-making process, the film need to plant the concept of haute couture being an art into the viewers mind. Consequent ly, as the brand producing art, ELIE SAAB will be viewed differently. Linked to art, ES products would be seen as artistic creations, rather than commercial goods (KAPFERER, 2012). It embodies the extraordinary taste of its customers, while remains to be a desirous dream of the non-owners. Another way of marketing ELIE SAAB as an artistic brand is to hold and exhibition showing the history and creations of the brand. The company could partner with an art museum, and show their archived pieces from previous fashion shows. Also, the creating process may be an interesting to show on the exhibition. It would be better if the showroom could be designed as a vision of the earliest inspiration of Elie Saab, telling his story of creating art, rather than a copy of an ES flagship store. This is to avoid being viewed as a commercial activity. However, the cost of holding an exhibition might be quite high, and the influence of an exhibition is geographically limited. With the booming of social media, today, marketing is more about communicating and interacting with consumers. Adopting the trend, brands start to pay more attention on digital channels (KAPFERER, 2012). ELIE SAAB is not an exception. The brand has adopted many digital communication platforms including facebook, twitter, YouTube, even weibo.com. Nevertheless, it is noticed that the communication result ES achieved in those platforms is not very impressive. Comparing to its competitors, the number of people getting involved in ESs digital communication channels is quite small. Besides, they do not seem to be very impressed by the information they have received from the ES channels. ELIE SAAB Le Parfum Ad Campaign video has only received 73 likes. (YouTube LLC, 2011) In contrast, the Miss Dior advert, La vie en rose, received 991 likes. (YouTube LLC, 2013b) As for the short films featuring brand identity, the ES Balade a Paris film has received 209 likes, (YouTube LLC, 2012a) while the Dior Secret Garden-Versailles film has received 6,029 likes (YouTube LLC, 2012b). All the films mentioned above are beautifully made and clearly reveal their brand image. Yet the Miss Dior film appeared eight times on the Dior facebook page (Facebook, 2013a), while the ES Balad a Paris film only appeared in four posts on the ES facebook page (Facebook, 2013b). It can therefore be then presumed that the link between different digital platforms the brand use has some influence on the communication result the brand may receive. ELIE SAAB may want to strengthen the connection between its different communication channels, in order to increase communication efficiency. Critical evalution For a premium brand, expanding through licensing is a huge risk. Being one of the two largest apparel categories of Calvin Klein (Schimroszik, 2012), underwear, which was licensed to the Warnaco group, was a huge success in the 1980s (Robertson, 2012). By 1999, licensing contributed 90% of Calvin Kleins revenue. Yet soon enough, the Calvin Klein brand found that it had little control of its licensees, under an incredible long contract. The luxury status of Calvin Klein was almost destroyed. It took Calvin Klein eight years to get back into business, and slowly started repairing the damage brought by licensing (Hoffmann Stankeviciute, 2012). Notwithstanding the risk, licensing still is a popular expanding method among luxury brands (Colucci, et al., 2008). In fact, if handled carefully, the damage can be minimized (Hoffmann Stankeviciute, 2012). As ELIE SAAB does not have the expertise in lingerie production, licensing is a reasonable choice. But the brand should have tight control over the licensee. The major problem of licensing is the licensees tend to pursuit the fastest success and biggest profit, regardless the impact it may have on the brand. The licenser wants to maintain the consistency of the entire collection, while the licensees may prefer to stick with the most popular designs in the market (Colucci, et al., 2008). And it is the responsibility of the core brand to protect its reputation, including product quality, design aesthetics, customer service, and luxury status. But the licensee might be producing for different brands simultaneously, thus the design of the different products they produce might be similar, or they might borrow the design of ELIE SAAB, and use it in other products that they are producing. Even there is a possibility that the licensee may secretly produces counterfeit version of the ES linge rie using cheaper materials, and sells them in other channels or under other brand names. All of the mentioned problems may result in brand dilution. As a result, ES may need to spend much effort in monitoring the licensee. Despite the drawbacks, with a right partner, ES could achieve the expansion with a relatively low cost. If the plan was executed successfully, the brand could increase brand awareness, and might reinforce the loyalty of its existing customers by impressing them with a new and exciting product line. For some women, lingerie is as important as outer clothing. So the ES customers might be interested in matching the lingerie and the outer wear. Another issue to be concern is the cultural impact of lingerie line. Intimate apparel may have different symbolic meanings in different culture. When marketing globally, it should be noticed that women from different culture may have different need in lingerie. Many ES customers are from the Middle East, where, in the outsiders view, might be quite conservative. On the contrary, it was discovered that sex is quite important for married Muslims. (Asser, 2008). As a result, they may be very interested in lingerie of various bold designs. In the forthcoming years, there is expected to be a recovery of the economy. It could affect the whole luxury market, and could be an opportunity for premium lingerie. Yet the competition among lingerie specialist brands would also be fierce. Many lingerie brands are aiming to the global market, including Victorias Secret, Agent Provocateur, et cetera. With so much choice, consumers might doubt the expertise of the ES lingerie line, because lingerie is generally function-based product. Besides, the link between the lingerie line and the brand emphasising advertise champagne might be weak and confusing. The new lingerie line might be ignored due to this reason. Conclusion and recogminadions Product expansion means a new adventure for a brand. As a young luxury brand that is eager to develop, product expansion will always at some point be adopted. The previous partnership experience of ELIE SAAB indicates that Saab could be not only a brilliant designer, but also a successful businessman. Hence, the risk of expending a new lingerie line through licensing could turn out to be another success of the brand. But ELIE SAAB should choose the partner very carefully. Both the reputation and the producing capability should be taken into consideration. A partner with well established reputation in the industry is the reassurance of quality for the customers (Hoffmann Stankeviciute, 2012). Moreover, ELIE SAAB should have strict control over the licensing project, making sure the products and service remains in the same level as the core ES products. The places where the lingerie line products are sold should also be chosen using ES criterions. The price-point of the lingerie line should remain high, in order to match the premium status of the ES brand. The marketing of the lingerie line is suggested to be focused on building the whole brand image, rather than the single lingerie line. Nevertheless, advertisements featuring the lingerie line product are also needed. ELIE SAAB may consider spending most of its budget on overall brand image campaigns, and only using a small part of the budget to do the lingerie line advert. Overall, the whole plan is designed to assist the developing of the ELIE SAAB brand as a whole, and the main focus should be always on its core products. Otherwise, without the success of the core brand, the lingerie line will soon be forgotten as well.

Lion Nathans Strategy and Position

Lion Nathans Strategy and Position SWOT ANALYSIS: SWOT analysis of Lion Nathan Brewing reflects its competitive advantage over other brewery companies. This SWOT analysis gives a picture about individual strengths of Lion Nathan, the weaknesses of the company, any opportunities presented for future, and threats from other brewing companies. All of these elements are of specific importance in assessing a companys core competencies and developing a plan for future achievements. STRENGTH: In the year 1999, Lion Nathan was considered to be one of the international brewery companies with its area of operations covering three main geographic locations around the world, namely, New Zealand, China, and Australia and now being mostly New Zealand and Australia. Being its area of operation restricted in the earlier days, this enabled Lion Nathan to attract a huge group of people and so gave the company a chance to experiment new products. Lion Nathan now has an excellent broad base portfolio and it offers a wide range of alcoholic beverages. Its massive portfolio is able to satisfy all the demands of its customers. It has captured a large proportion of market segment in Australia and New Zealand. It is mainly engaged in the production and marketing of alcoholic beverages of wine, beer, and spirits in New Zealand and Australia, although its products are sold globally. Lion Nathan takes it pride in being a part of Australias and New Zealands most favored brands like like XXXX, Speights, Tooheys, Steinlager, Hahn, Lion Red, Wither Hills, James Boags, Bacardi and St Hallett. It is mainly known for selling premium beers in these areas. Lion Nathans main area of focus has always remained innovation and finding out new opportunities in order to achieve growth. Its innovation has led to increasing consumption among the mass. Lion Nathans new product XXXX Summer Bright Lager is a low-carb drink which is undoubtedly the lowest-carb beer in the Queensland market. Its new innovation has helped the company to top the market in Australia and with the overwhelming response, they attracted more and more group of customers across the country and its national distribution is above their expectations which is outselling Corona its competitor. It also relaunched Italian beer and snatched away the customers of Coca-Cola Amatils Peroni brand. It was a like a kick off to the its competitors. Lion Nathan also launched a new product Steinlager Pure which is a smooth flavoured l ager which consisted all natural ingredients of New Zealand and was completely preservative free which was a highly compelling export proposition which is now New Zealands biggest selling classic lager. Even Lion Nathan is certain to become the second largest wine distributor after it took over the brands of Pernod-Ricard. It will sell 12 major brands of Pernod-Ricard. WEAKNESS: Lions operations are limited only to Australia and New Zealand and so its economy is far below expectations as compared to its competitors. OPPORTUNITIES: The Asian beer market is said to be very strong. It is predicted that China will occupy one quarter of the beer consumption worldwide. There is a reduction in import tax on foreign made alcohol in China. Consumers in China focus mainly on premium-style beers and so this is an opportunity for Lion Nathan. China is experiencing a steady growth rise. Also, the Asian beer consumption is expected to grow 5% between 2009 and 2015. THREATS: The global beer market has declined to a growth of 0.5% due to the regional differences. Also vehement competition in the beer market can take away significant proportion of Lions market share. PEST ANALYSIS: POLITICAL FACTORS: The Australian Government has figured out the alcohol abuse as one of the major problem among youngsters in the Australian society. It has therefore imposed an excise charge on beer. This charge is imposed according to the alcohol content in the beer. Also, customs duty applies to all imported products. This duty is also levied according to alcohol content. For beer with alcohol content less than 1.15% the charge is 5%. Industry sources have now made an assumption that the governments strict charges on beer is likely to cause the price of beer to go high as there is 10% GST levied on the service component. The same thing was repeated in New Zealand. The excise charges on beer were revised in New Zealand due to which the price of beer went up. Lion Nathan experienced a price rise of 4% due to this revised taxation policy. ECONOMIC FACTORS: According to the Australian Drug Foundation, the alcohol manufacturers will no longer be able to advertise or sponsor sport within the next 10 years. Also, the alcohol industry has continued to act in bad faith by avoiding its own rules in areas such advertising to children through sports sponsorship, promoting responsible drinking, etc. This is likely to harm the economic background of the company. Advertising wine and spirits on social networking sites will be restricted. SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS: Beer consumes in Australia tend to follow a myth that low-carb beer helps in weight management. About 74% of the Australian population seems to believe this which builds up a strong social background of Lion Nathan. The 2011 Rugby Match in New Zealand provides a huge flock of tourist before and during the match with cheers to Lion Nathan TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS: Lion Nathan has been always a follower of technology and innovation. It believes in meeting its consumers demands. It has found the new QR code technology which helps its consumers in selecting the right wine for the right occasion. Each QR code is linked with a specific wine, and each scan will pull up a mobile-friendly site replete with information on each wine. Scanners can watch videos about the wine in question, get video tours of wineries, discover food pairings, read up on harvest and tasting notes and check out reviews. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: the companys demand for beer is affected by the climatic conditions. The cool winter led to a decreased demand for beer while the summer boosted the consumption of beer. LEGAL FACTORS: In the year 2009, Lion Nathan did file any legal action for anti-competitive behavior or anti-trust or trade practices. Lion Nathan has had never experienced any sort of non-compliance with health and safety measures and regulations. The company has always complied with the laws. CORE RESOURCES AND ITS COMPETENCIES: Competitive advantage is the strength of Lion Nathan. The beer brand broad portfolio is the core resource of the company. This portfolio gives the company a chance to outweigh other brewery companies. Also, it is Lion Nathans most valuable asset which reflects its performance. Lion Nathan has always remained committed to its brand. It spends most of its revenue by investing in the brand equity of its already existing core brand. It always tries to divert its customers to focus on its core brands as a national focus and encourages them to buy premium products. In Australia, Lion Nathan holds around 75% of group assets and 80% of operating profits. Lion Nathans beer market share is experiencing stability of more than 44% including its most recently acquired Boags brands. In New Zealand, Lion Nathan is countrys leading brewer and now considered the second largest wine distributor with its market share of more than 50%. The strategic focus of manageme nt is to maximimise the performance of Lion Nathans existing core business which involves increasing the returns from Australias and New Zealands beer business and also maximizing the value in fine wine business. Lion Nathan also aims at grabbing opportunities in spirits and ready to drink spirits markets and international wine export markets. Lion Nathan is considered to be a policy leader in areas related to alcohol taxation, liquor licensing, and responsible consumption. It regularly contributes and participates in government and community discussion on all alcohol related issues. Lion Nathan is also an active participant in tax and investment issues that impact the broader trans-Tasman business community. COMPANIES CURRENT STRATEGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS: Lion Nathan entered the soft drink, restaurant and sales promotion businesses but sold all this because it aimed to concentrate on promoting its beer business. Today, Lion Nathans strategy is to concentrate on the alcohol business, aiming to become a comprehensive alcohol beverage company. Geographically, it concentrates on Australia and New Zealand. Although LN started out in the soft drinks with the Pepsi brand, it sold off that segment in 1998 because it did not contribute to profits to a degree that can be reflected in the EBITDA margin. The company also tried restaurant business, seeking synergy effect with beer-similar to Anheuser-Busch, which bought a bread company. However, Lion Nathan withdrew from this business as well when it did not contribute sufficient profit to the company. These examples suggest that diversification for Lion Nathan has always been undertaken to generate short-term profitability to make shareholders happ y; in the end, however, the company always return to its original beer business which generates the highest earnings. Recently, Lion Nathan made one interesting decision concerning the companys international operation. In spite of the recent craze in the business world to penetrate and prosper in the Chinese market, Lion Nathan actually exited from that market in 2005. Since exiting the Chinese market, Lion Nathan concentrated its resources on the Oceanic market. Growth Strategy: Lion Nathan strongly believes in sustainable long-term growth strategy in order to achieve top-line growth and bottom-line results. Its operational skills are the core competences that it has which can provide the foundation for a growth strategy. Lion Nathan has strong competencies in distribution, innovation, premium brands It successfully manages the growth strategy with its growth skills, especially its skill of new product development. One-Stop Shop Strategy: Lion Nathan offers a variety of services to its customers. Its main idea is to provide convenient and efficient service and also to create the opportunity for the company to sell more products to clients and customers Social Media Strategy: Lion Nathan has also adopted Media strategy to promote its long-neck bottles of Toohey Extra Dry (TED). These TED bottles were tucked in boring non-descript brown bags. Lion Nathan launched a program named TED696 and created designer bags with the help of street artists and designers. These design opportunities were given to public who took over the ownership of the new brand with their innovative designs. Even MTV was involved in it to celebrate the winning design. The media strategy of Lion Nathan worked so well that the sales of longneck TED bottles reached 500,000 sales just in the first 8 weeks of competition. Complete Brand Strategy: Lion Nathans success is mainly dependents on its wide range of brands. Its people help in generating huge amounts of profit and boast a portfolio of Australians and New Zealanders favourite brands. Lion Nathan invests mainly in brands and upgrade their breweries. Lion Nathan has invested 8 to 10% of their revenue income in innovation which goes hand-in-hand with their brand strategy. Culture Strategy: Lion Nathans culture strategy focuses its main attention on creating a sense of purpose, vision and values, developing a leadership capability to model the desired behaviors, and reinforcing those behaviors through appropriate processes and systems. Lion Nas values-based model consists of 10 core behaviors, which are hardwired into all HR processes, including remuneration, performance, and talent management. Lion Nathan believes in promoting a healthy drinking culture. Lion Nathan as a whole works in order to change the unhealthy drinking behaviour and has supported campaigns to prevent alcohol misuse and minimise the potential harm associated with it. Its investment strategy has the aim of facilitating wellbeing of people and identify the major areas of alcohol abuse. RECOMMENDATIONS: Strengthen the companys brand name among mass marketers through intense price competition: Recently, mass merchandisers like the chain big supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworth, have emerged following integration of the retail industry. Each state in Australia has its own popular brands, and there are strong regional preferences. Lion Nathan that are popular in each area, such as Tooheys in New South Wales and XXXX for Queensland, but in each case their popularity in other states is not as high. It is important to extend recognition of these brands nationally because a national brand will stimulate sales to the big national chain retailers. Strengthen the premium beer category: LN does not have a strong presence in the premium beer category, despite the companys high market value. It is important to promote premium brands such as Hahn Premium and James Squire, and internationally known Becks. Lion Nathan began brewing Kirin Ichiban, brewed only by the first wort in the brewhouse process at the Malt Shovel Brewery in May 2003 in response to surging growth in the premium category. This is one brand to be nurtured in the Australian premium beer category. Extend to other alcohol beverages: Price controls on beer, including price increases by the two-company monopoly, seem to be wavering. Recent diversification in market indicate a shift from beer to either wine for older people or RTD for the younger generation. In particular, the price difference between premium beers and RTDs is getting closer. Also, the population increase, largely due to Asian immigrants who typically do not drink much alcohol compared with Australians, has not increased beer consumption. To cope with this situation, LN must seek additional business in other kinds of alcoholic beverages, as a substitute for the beer business. Slightly more than 8% of Lion Nathans revenue in 2006 was derived from the wine business since the company entered that segment in 2000. A new threat to the duopoly: SAB Miller, one of the biggest players in the world, is planning to enter the Australian beer market in cooperation with Coca-Cola affiliate, Coca-Cola Amatil. When this occurs, it will take advantage of Coca-Colas huge channel, which is reportedly 3 times larger than that of beer. This means it is highly likely that SAB Miller will gain market parity in a short period of time. It is necessary for both Fosters and Lion Nathan to establish strategies that will build high entry barriers immediately. Lion Nathans future strategies are translated to the bundle of competencies. Lion Nathan should build sustainability in the beer business first, and then become a comprehensive alcohol beverage company by extending into the wine and RTD segments so that diverse customer preferences are met. This strategy is supported by 3 factors. (1) an expectation that major floating shareholders want Lion Nathan to hold its beer business as a cash; (2) Australias duopolistic beer market share, although it is becoming less stable; (3) the simple distribution system.

Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages For years since I moved to the United States after the age of nine, I've always been frustrated at the lack of improvement in my ability to speak English without a trace of foreign accent and my ability to write without any grammatical errors. It always seemed to me that learning languages is unlike learning anything else, I can logically understand the pronunciation of the a word or the rules of grammar, but for reasons unknown, I always found it hard to incorporate logical knowledge of language into the actual speaking and writing of English. I started to surf the web in attempt to find the reasons to why, even after spending more than half of my life in the U.S, I still cannot speak and write as well as people who were born or came here at a much younger age. At first I though the answer would be something to the extend of finding a region of the brain that is specialized for the learning of languages and that region is more developed in people other than I, who are good at linguistics. However, it turned out that the answer entails more than specialized regions in the brain, while there are regions in the brain that are specific for processing languages, what I found more interesting is that there is much evidence that supports the selectivist theory, found by Noam Chomsky that the ability to learn language is innate. Here innate means that  ¡Ã‚ °the language template is pre-organized in the neuronal structure of the brain, so that the fact of being an integral part of a given environment selects the borders of each individual neuronal structure without affecting its fine organization, which pre-exists. ¡Ã‚ ± (1) In this paper, I wish to point out evidence that supports this theory of the innateness of language, and to exam how the l anguage template develops. In conclusion, I wish to gain a better understand of my own language learning process in light of these new findings. One evidence that points to the innateness of language is the accuracy and speed at which humans process language and the accelerating rate at which children acquire language.  ¡Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ­ the average speaker produces approximately 150 words per minute, each word chosen from somewhere between 20000 and 40000 alternatives, at error rates below .1%. The average child is already well on her way toward that remarkable level of performance by 5 years of age, with a vocabulary of more than 6000 words and productive control over almost every aspect of sound and grammar in her language. Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages :: Biology Essays Research Papers Speaking From Within: A Discussion on Our Innate Ability to Learn Languages For years since I moved to the United States after the age of nine, I've always been frustrated at the lack of improvement in my ability to speak English without a trace of foreign accent and my ability to write without any grammatical errors. It always seemed to me that learning languages is unlike learning anything else, I can logically understand the pronunciation of the a word or the rules of grammar, but for reasons unknown, I always found it hard to incorporate logical knowledge of language into the actual speaking and writing of English. I started to surf the web in attempt to find the reasons to why, even after spending more than half of my life in the U.S, I still cannot speak and write as well as people who were born or came here at a much younger age. At first I though the answer would be something to the extend of finding a region of the brain that is specialized for the learning of languages and that region is more developed in people other than I, who are good at linguistics. However, it turned out that the answer entails more than specialized regions in the brain, while there are regions in the brain that are specific for processing languages, what I found more interesting is that there is much evidence that supports the selectivist theory, found by Noam Chomsky that the ability to learn language is innate. Here innate means that  ¡Ã‚ °the language template is pre-organized in the neuronal structure of the brain, so that the fact of being an integral part of a given environment selects the borders of each individual neuronal structure without affecting its fine organization, which pre-exists. ¡Ã‚ ± (1) In this paper, I wish to point out evidence that supports this theory of the innateness of language, and to exam how the l anguage template develops. In conclusion, I wish to gain a better understand of my own language learning process in light of these new findings. One evidence that points to the innateness of language is the accuracy and speed at which humans process language and the accelerating rate at which children acquire language.  ¡Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ­ the average speaker produces approximately 150 words per minute, each word chosen from somewhere between 20000 and 40000 alternatives, at error rates below .1%. The average child is already well on her way toward that remarkable level of performance by 5 years of age, with a vocabulary of more than 6000 words and productive control over almost every aspect of sound and grammar in her language.

William Shakespeares Hamlet :: essays research papers

The character Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet plays a very interesting and important role in the elaboration of the plot. In the beginning, she starts off in a healthy state of mind, in love with her boyfriend Hamlet, yet controlled by her father in regard to their relationship. During the play she encounters several troubling experiences involving Hamlet which cause her to become distressed. Near the end, the death of her father leaves Ophelia mentally unstable and in a state of madness that eventually leads her to death. So, due to all of the unfortunate events that took place with the people she loved the most in her life, Ophelia gradually becomes mad, and in the end passes away. Ophelia’s and Hamlet’s love for each other in the beginning was very real. Following the death of his father Hamlet falls in love with her, and is much attracted by her beauty. It is not uncertain, however, that Ophelia is very much controlled by her father. She is the daughter of Polonius, the chief advisor to the new King Claudius, and a highly respected man. Her father demands that she tell Hamlet at once that she can no longer be with him and tells her "I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth have you so slander any moment leisure as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. Look to’t, I charge you. Come your ways." (I.iii.132-35). It is clear that here Polonius is making decisions for his daughter, regardless if she really loves Hamlet or not. She feels very unimportant and helpless now, and because of this develops a lack of emotional confidence and strength. All she can reply is "I do not, my lord, what I should thi nk." (I.iii.104). She is used to relying on her father’s direction and has been brought up to be very obedient. As well, her brother Laertes agrees with what their father is saying. He also tells Ophelia that Hamlet is no good for her "Perhaps he loves you not" (I.iii.16). He thinks that Hamlet only loves her because he wants to seduce her, and demands his sister to never see him again. Ophelia can only accept her father and brother’s beliefs and writes Hamlet a letter which informs him that she can no longer see him. As a result, she begins to feel alone with very little independence.

Media Influence on Violence in Society

The human condition and its thirst for violence have been around for centuries. Dating back to times of war as early as the crusades and even biblical recordings of Cain and Able. Violence in correlation to evolution has grown and taken different forms to affect the populous. As stated before it was something that was used with a purpose in some respect , one that could be deemed noble, than that of a cause used for pleasure. Entertainment and the promotion of violence have been around for ages.During times of he Ancient Roman Era, slaves that were turned Into warriors also know as Gladiator, were brought into arenas filled with tens of thousands of spectators and force to killed and use violence to be deemed victorious. With that victory came spoils such as status lavish gifts or in some cases their freedom. This example is used as a highlight to showcase that the violent acts that occurred was very popular and was by its nature considered to be entertaining to the citizens that att ended the events and the upper class whom put on the show.In those times the elite that put on the show did so as means o satisfy a burdened lower class whom otherwise due to conditions of hardships would tool of public violence, though in present time by a reasonable person standard can be found to be immoral, was something that the ruling class used to its benefit. The Exploitation of violence still remains a functional tool used for the powers that be, in present times it has evolved from a means of distraction to a tool with which one can exploit and benefit monetarily.Which brings to question is the exploitation and marketing of violence and crime by way of violence in media morally irresponsible? To date some of the greatest media shows and films maintain an aspect of violence that is furthered through acts of criminality. Some of the examples include the all time blockbuster of Surface. With the film it depicts a foreign immigrant that rises the top of success through the use of malicious violence and illegal behaviors including the selling of drugs. The film up to date has earned gross income of over a $150 million worldwide. 1) This statistics goes to show how much people prescribed to the viewing of the movie withstanding the profits of secondary promotions of the films brand through researches and other auxiliary outlets. Another great American depiction of crime is that of a famous fictional Mob family the Sopranos. This popular Television show depicts conducted, and how the use and promotion of violence is a necessary means or bi- product in the road to success. This widely loved brand has went on to gross over $160 dollars as per statistic provided through factual evidences shown through TV station A&E actions where committed to paid 2. Million per episode for the brands whole catalog (2). This large amount that a station was willing to pay can be seen as a perfect gaslight to exactly how popular the show was with society at large and what their valuation was really be esteemed to be. Fast forwarding too recent hit with society can highlight the show Breaking Bad. This show finds it overarching plot showcasing classic everyday middle class individual who is force by outside and internal circumstance to go against societal norms and engage in illegal activity and the use violence in the furtherance of such activities.Through out the show the viewer is enticed by the wins the average man can attain if he Just decided to walk the path of using violence and prescribing to illegal activities. This show more so that the others that proceeded this description is more influential to society at large as society is made up of average people going through problems such as the main character of this show. Hardships coming from economic factors, familial factors, and internal struggles all testify to the connections that bring user back and keep them engaged.The leading show is vague as per available information. It is easily held that the show would be able to net numbers vastly over that of other hits like the Sopranos. With popular culture acceptance that these shows maintain it is easy to see that present day powers that be studios† are making a killing and stand to continue to profit of the back of the tenants of the use of violence in entertainment. Though these worlds and stories are fictional in nature, society and certain cultures have adapted these tenants to success into their realities.Statistics show that in 2012 Number of people arrested in the U. S on drug charges were 1. 55 million (4) Number of Americans incarcerated in 2011 in federal, state and local prisons and jails: 2,266,800 or 1 in every 99. 1 adults, the highest incarceration rate in the world. Two thirds is the Fraction of people incarcerated for a drug offense in state prisons hat are majority represented by black or Hispanics (5) Are the statistics enough to assert that the these offenses are reflective of content that viewers are taking in with regard to movies and TV shows.Though hard to say yes as a definitive answer, the supporting and subsequent information that has been obtain is enough to bring validity to the question itself. Articles pulled from the NY Times express that â€Å"A study set for publication in the December issue of Pediatrics confirms what some of Hollywood sharpest critics have suspected: The level of gun violence in the top- ailing PIG-13 movies has been rising, and it now exceeds that in the most popular R- rated films.Violent encounters with guns occur, on average, more than twice an hour in the best sellers in both ratings categories, according to researchers, who worked with support from the Ennobler Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In all, the researchers examined 945 movies, counting the appearances of overall violence in each five- minute segment of a sampling of films that ranked among the top 30 at the domestic b ox office from 1950 to 2012. Perhaps not surprisingly, the results † reported by Brad J.Bushman of Ohio State University, and Patrick E. Jameson, Lana White and Daniel Roomer of the Ennobler center † showed that violence in American films had more than doubled in that time. But the authors also found that episodes of gun violence in PIG- 13 rated films had been rising since the rating was introduced in the mid-asses, and it now surpasses the violence in R-rated films, which are technically not open to young viewers unless they are accompanied by an adult. Speaking by telephone last week, Mr†¦Roomer, one of the authors, acknowledged that the study, by focusing only on the top- selling movies each year, said as much about audience said. â€Å"We recognize that, and the movie industry realizes it. † Mr†¦ Roomer said he believed that movie studios were â€Å"taking films that have a lot of violence and putting them into the PIG-13 category. † (7) This stands as another highlight to the fact that the powers that be â€Å"studios† exploit the use of violence in their content to rake in revenue. The information provided above sheds specific light on the practices of gearing the violence to a younger audience.Smart tactic from a business standpoint in that it builds legacy and cultures your view to what you would like them to, and in a sense locking in continued sales for a longer period of time. Though a good business tactic to gain profits morally it can be seen by the reasonable man to be irresponsible. Viewer of that age range tend to be more impressionable and violence or depictions of violence should be the last thing that is being fed to them during a movie experience. Supporting information obtained from the Rewets also express the new found statistics on the how violence in PIG-13 movies are at an all time high.The article states Research shows that teens frequently choose to watch extremely violent films. Among the top-grossing films in 2012, rated PIG-13, were such violence- packed dramas as ‘Safely', ‘The Avengers', ‘Taken 2', ‘The Dark Knight Rises' and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man'. According to the study, conducted by the Ennobler Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State University, violence in films has more than doubled since 1950, while gun violence in PIG-13-rated films, especially popular among younger people, has more than tripled since 1985.The article goes on to express that â€Å"Seeing guns in films might also provide youth with scripts for using guns,† the authors of the study ‘Gun Violence Trends in Movies' warn. The article really hammers home the reality that comes with violence in movies when it continues by expressing It's disturbing that PIG-13 movies are filled with so much gun violence, We know that movies teach children how adults behave, and they make gun use appear exciting and attractive,† says study co-author and the director of the Ennobler Center's Adolescent Communication Institute, Dan Roomer. It the goes into the theory of the weapons effect conveying.A number of scientific studies have previously concluded that the mere presence of guns can increase aggression, a phenomenon dubbed the â€Å"weapons effect. † 00†³By including guns in violent scenes, film producers may be strengthening the weapons effect and providing youth with scripts for using guns,† the authors of the study, published in the latest issue of the US Pediatrics Journal, emphasize. The article finally wraps up its case by giving prime example of the effect of violence in movie having real world consequences through the recent case of the James Holmes and the Dark Knight movie massacre.The article states They give an example when movies have served as a catalyst for violence. In July 2012, James Holmes bought a ticket to see the new Batman movie in Colorado. About 20 minutes after th e show started, the 25- year-old left the theater and returned dressed in full tactical gear, equipped with several guns and a huge amount of ammunition. Holmes, who later identified himself to the police as ‘The Joker', launched two canisters that emitted tear gas and began firing into the crowd, killing 12 and wounding 70 others. Rewets. Com) Though that example is a horrific and unthinkable reality, movie influence on sack to times before the ox's. The Hollywood reporter highlights a gang fight that broke out on the scene of a drive in theatre to the movie the Warriors. The article states Ata drive-in theater in Palm Springs, members of the Blue Coats, an African- American gang, got into it with members off white gang, The Family. A 19-year-old member of The Family was shot to death. (Wholeheartedly. Mom) As stated before it is very hard to exactly determine if any of these violent acts can be directly and wholly attributed to violence depicted in films, but a reasonable pe rson would be able to infer that the violence showcased maintains an influential ole in effecting its viewers. It now brings to table the debate on whether acting in this manner should be something that maintains protections under the freedom of speech/expression amendment or if it should Just be deemed negligence on the part of the studios who load the films with violence and market it too public who may later act upon the viewed behaviors and events in the picture.Movie studios may contend that they maintain no liability as to the actions that are later committed by a viewer of a movie, they may also contend that having violence in the movie can help n effort to fuel and evoke emotions and feelings off particular scene. Though true with a valid basis it's hard to find in favor of the studios and their art defenses as they as proven above with information blatantly market their violent content to a younger demographic. One that does not by regulation need a parental figure to be pr esent in order for them to view it.