Main Street Blues The Decline of Small Town America free essay sample

A critique of the sociological work by Richard O Davies, entitled Main Street Blues: The Decline of Small Town America. The author evaluates the work by Richard O Davies that traces the decline of small town America. He looks first at the books shortcomings and then looks at the positive contributions to scholarship on sociology of American small town life made by O Davies work. Conclusions about the books worth are made at the end of the paper. Richard O Davies book on Main Street Blues: The Decline Of Small Town America is both narrow and sweeping in its scope. It is narrow in the sense that to validate its central thesis, that close-knit small town communities in America have become a thing of the past, it chooses to mainly focus upon life within one particular community. Rather than to attempt to do a sociologic study of a large number of communities, Davies centers his focus upon the particular, rather than upon the general. We will write a custom essay sample on Main Street Blues: The Decline of Small Town America or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He does introduce as a way of a counter to his case study of Camden, Ohio, several other communities that he believes are exceptional to the central thesis of his work. However, the main focus of his book is always on a single town, that of the authors original hometown of Camden.

Munich Conference essays

Munich Conference essays In 1938, a summit with Hitler, called the Munich Conference, took place. This meeting was in concerns with Germanys occupation in Czechoslovakia. The Western leaders agreed to divide Czechoslovakia with the promise that Hitler would take no more land. France and England were in hopes to conserve the peace in Europe. This act of appeasement did not work. Germany went to war with the rest of Europe in the next couple of years. The Democracies felt as if they had to fight back; and, thus, began the launch of World War II. Germany was essentially defeated. The term appeasement has been associated to the Munich Conference, and is defined as a pejorative term for a strategic maneuver, based on either pragmatism, fear of war, or moral conviction, that leads to acceptance of imposed conditions in preference to defending against aggressors. Furthermore, from this period of unfortunate concurrence rooted the description: Munich Syndrome. In the dusty beginnings of the Cold War, many American individuals felt as if giving into the Soviets would be a sign of weakness. These Americans wanted to resist with all, hard-driving attempt. However, the United States was apparently forced to compromise on some of the ideological policy objectives. The United States government grew increasingly worried of the expansionist actions of the Soviet Union, and its support for Communist revolutions in the third world and beyond. This atmosphere of conflict with the Soviets is what created those scenarios in which the United States had to compromise. For example, the support for certain dictatorships were often criticized to be in violation of Wilsons Fourteen Points. However, policy makers had to make justification with the response of this dictator being the only stable ruler of an unstable country. Furthermore, policy makers also noted that an alternative to this approach would lead ...

Effect of size and culture on Project Management method selection Essay

Effect of size and culture on Project Management method selection - Essay Example Any organization with personnel numbering 30 or more is seen as a large organization even if it is confined within only one office building (Terrien, 1963, p 3). ‘A learned, shared, compelling, interrelated set of symbols whose meanings provide a set of orientations for members of a society. These orientations, taken together, provide solutions to problems that all societies must solve of they are to remain viable.’ In every organisation, a different management style and culture exists. Culture is a way of life and it is defined as a collective phenomenon, as it is partly shared with people who live or lived within the same social environment, where it was learned. Culture critically affects not only the way an organization performs but also its willingness to adapt to change. Many organizations are held hostage by previous success which makes it management believe that what happened in the past will always work even in future. This brings about a conservative culture leading to stagnation due progressive inertia. Popularly referred to as the â€Å"comfort zone†, this kind of inertia leads to organizations becoming totally outpaced by their more dynamic competitors, or even growing completely obsolete (Mills, 1984, pp 11-12). In a research carried out for the American Navy, Terrien (1963) set out to prove that the size of a social group affects the ordering and relationships within that group. His research proved that efficiency levels in carrying out a given task by the group tended to go down with the increase in size of the group. The research sampled 32 units of the Crocker-Anglo National Bank. The findings were that the Bank had several positions which sounded like supervisory ones but were not. For example, there were company vice-presidents and their deputies who in actual sense supervised no one unless such duties were occasionally delegated to them (Terrien, 1963, p 5). This resulted in a

Applying Open Innovation Where Your Company Needs It Most Assignment

Applying Open Innovation Where Your Company Needs It Most - Assignment Example The article goes on to further mention that innovation processes may be further classified into three main states of idea generation, idea development and commercialization. The manner in which open innovation entails managing external partnership has been detailed by providing a broad framework which may help leaders in identifying the type of open innovation which best suits the company. The article discusses specific proactive measures which must be followed by leaders while taking the path to open innovation. The article further describes the external associations including the manner in which partnering, transactions, acquisition’s benefits and risks and venture partners have to be considered prior to finalizing a decision on an open innovation project. Finally the article briefly mentions about the benefits acquired by firms with successful open innovation. It does mention that the trepidation regarding the protection of the interests of the organization are highly valid and holds good. Despite this, open innovation has helped firms to garner path breaking success. CRITIQUE Applying open innovation where your company needs it most The article on open innovation has provided us valuable insight on the manner in which correct choices should be made by leaders for embarking on the daunting project of open innovation. It has detailed the three main stages of innovation, namely, idea generation, development of idea and commercialization. However, it has failed to mention the criticality of attitudes displayed by management and leadership which may lead to decline in performance despite adapting open innovation in business frameworks. Moreover the term open innovation has just been touched upon by mentioning its proponent. It does not mention the types of open innovation and the conditions required for them to exist. It directly jumps to examine the three steps of innovation. The article again touches on the fact that open innovation is not possible to i mplement in an environment governed by negative attitudes like â€Å"not sold here† or â€Å"not invented here†. However, it never describes the significance of positive attitudes in facilitating open innovation. For the management to implement open innovation in their organization, one of the prime prerequisite is to openly engage in successful communication of open innovative plans to the employees, formulate required incentives and create an organizational culture encouraging and supporting open innovation. This will help in facilitating this context by garnering the engagement and attention of employees thereby making open innovative strategies successful. The term open innovation needs to have its people to have an open mind which facilitates creative thinking without any bias whatsoever and accordingly invite external partners to use those innovative processes of a firm which lie unused. This not only helps in optimizing unused notions but also aids in excelling in products and business processes and a plethora of areas where innovative ideas may be adequately utilized. Open innovation is basically a process which helps outsiders to join a particular process to engage in making creative inventions and discoveries. This is usually true

Avoiding Overspend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Avoiding Overspend - Essay Example Whenever there is a deviation from the planned programme causing change, recovery, rework, panic that lowers the specifications for project to be completed in time, it invariably results in overrun and consequent overspend that may lead to penalties. M'pherson The control measures adopted in project management usually aim at mapping the deviation from the defined plan. There are hardly any measures to identify areas of cost saving. The urgency to save, therefore precipitates at a near final stage which is an inappropriate time for cost saving. Cost saving needs maximum consideration at the planning and design stage itself. Once implementation begins, changes only escalate costs and cause delays. he key lies in managing requirements in such a way that overspend can be avoided. Cost control is necessarily an important step towards avoiding overspend. Some strategies for cost control are discussed below: 1. Involvement of Executive Management: Project cost control manifests its effectiveness best, when the executive management is involved in the decisions at all major phases of the project. It helps if the executive management can "recognize the importance of project risk management for identifying and planning to head off at least the most obvious potential risk events" (Max). 2. Estimating Project Budget: The cost of the total work of the project needs to be estimated at the planning stage. Detailed estimating, bottom up estimating, order of magnitude, analogus or parametric estimates can be used to project the cost of all activities and the entire project. If planning is done well, overspending at a later stage can be avoided. The risk management approach to planning can also help evaluate the assumptions and environmental conditions that dominate the project plan, so that weaknesses can be identified and the effect of any risks thus identified, can be avoided. A contingency fund or reserves is usually then set aside to cope with such risks. The budget also needs to accommodate the inflation factor. For this, final estimates are arrived at and then inflation cost is added as a percentage or lump sum. The inflation allowance then gets allocated to each cost item in relation to the actual expected inflation over the period for which costs are expected to b e incurred. 3. Establish baseline cost for each activity: To establish a realistic baseline, communication and integration of various types of information is extremely important. This may require robust

Discussing Total Quality Management standards

Discussing Total Quality Management standards Many authors have discussed TQM Standards. Samuel K. M. Ho in the article Is the ISO 9000 Series for Total Quality Management? wrote that the philosophy of Total Quality Management is that of promoting continuous improvement in an organization and focuses primarily on total satisfaction for both the internal and external customers, within a management environment that seeks continuous improvement of all systems and processes. He added that the philosophy is based on an intense desire to achieve victory. Achieving victory is a challenge for todays companies. Competition is intense and senior managers and CEOs thrive to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage over their competitors. Though some people see TQM as something necessary to reach competitiveness and emphasize the relation between TQM and success (eg U/s GAO, 1991; Becker, 1993; Ghobadian and Gallear, 1996), others claim TQM to be merely a management fad and point out that many companies have failed to implement TQM (eg B inney, 1992; Harari, 1993; Hachman and Wageman, 1995) (Ulrika Hellsten and Bengt Klefsjo) As Hellsten and Klefsjo mentioned in their article there are different opinions of TQM. The goal of this assignment is to analyze the different views of TQM and identify whether TQM standards do help companies promote quality. It also analyzes whether TQM standards vote for the satisfaction for both the internal and external customers as said by Samuel K. M. Ho, or else they are diminishing the real scope of quality by constraining innovation and creativity in todays businesses. Studies by different authors both for and against TQM will be analyzed to understand whether TQM standards improve or lessen quality of products and services. It is important to add that various authors discussing TQM mentioned that there exists different descriptions of TQM and also (Boon O K, Atumugam V, Hwa T S (2005) said that surprisingly, a limited amount of rigorous research has been done towards identifying the effects of soft TQM practices on employees work-related attitudes. To start with it is vital to understand what is meant by TQM and its purpose. Definition of Total Quality Management In order to define quality one has to first consider who the customer is, and subsequently consider what the requirements of each different customer group are at any one time. (Leicester 2007:1.3) The Total Quality Management book of Leicester says that it is important to remember that when the level of quality the customer expects is perceived by him as being exceeded by the level of quality he has received, then an opinion of good quality is formed. Vice versa the level of quality is said to be poor when the customers expectations of the level of quality he should receive exceed the level of quality the customer perceives he has actually received. Therefore for companies to succeed it is important to understand the level of quality that the customer is expecting. There are various definitions which have been identified by different authors such as; Fitness for purpose Conformance to requirements Zero Defects Though the above phrases of quality all have different meanings in general they all have common characteristics such as; aim of satisfying the customer, provide best quality at the lowest possible price and should be companywide strategy. A definition which gathers the meaning of TQM has been defined in a website of Lean Manufacturing Concepts. TQM is a process and philosophy of achieving best possible outcomes from the inputs, by using them effectively and efficiently in order to deliver best value for the customer, while achieving long term objectives of the organization Anon (2009). This sounds an appropriate definition of TQM since it emphasizes on the value received by the customer and in return the organization attains its objectives. TQM Standards and BS EN ISO 9000 TQM started in 1927 with Elton Mayos Hawthorne experiments through 1932. Later in the 1950s Edward Deming taught statistical methods and Dr Juran taught quality management techniques to the Japanese. Many of the Total Quality Management theories were originated by Armand Feigenbaun. TQM continued evolving. New methods were introduced to support TQM such as Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Broughton (2009) Also organizations can become certified to ISO 9000. Various ISOs have been developed for different sectors such as ISO ISO9001, ISO9002 and ISO9003. ISO standards have been set up to focus on business planning, quality management and continuous improvement. Broughton (2009) Broughton said that the key concepts of TQM are; Structured system for exceeding customer expectations System that empowers employees Drives higher profits Drives lower costs Continuous improvement Management centered approach on improving quality As mentioned above the concepts of TQM are all centered for the benefit of the company and to satisfy the needs of the customer and ensure customer satisfaction. However, what are the impacts of TQM standards on creativity and innovation? Do TQM standards really focus on processes rather than employees thus affecting business innovation? In the next section some arguments for and against TQM standards will be discussed. Literature Review Arguments For and Against TQM standards As Wood and Peccei (1995) stated, TQM is widely agreed as a way of managing organizations with the notion to enhance employees attitudes. Quality practitioners such as Deming (1986), Crosby (1979), Juran (1991) and Feigenbaum (1983) have written much on the idea of TQM philosophies and methods. Surprisingly, a limited amount of rigorous research has been done towards identifying the effects of soft TQM practices on employees work-related attitudes. (Boon O K, Atumugam V, Hwa T S (2005) In an article namely Does soft TQM predicts employees attitudes? it is mentioned that a survey of the literature reveals that several TQM proponents believe that the soft aspects of TQM are essential to the success of TQM (Juran, 1964; Ishikawa, 1985; Deming, 1986; Aubrey and Felkins, 1998; Dale et al., 1992; Cruickshank, 2000). Powell (1995, p. 15) concluded that organizations that acquire the soft elements of TQM can outperform competitors without the accompanying TQM ideology. Evidence from the grow ing literature on TQM failure emphasizes the neglect of the soft side of quality management wherein the HR and organizational behaviour aspects of quality management are not given their deserved emphasis (Lowery et al., 2000;Wilkinson et al., 1998; Cruickshank, 2000). TQM, which has been adopted by leading industrial companies, is a participative system empowering all employees to take responsibility for improving quality within the organization. Instead of using traditional bureaucratic rule enforcement, TQM calls for a change in the corporate culture, where the new work climate has the following characteristics: An open, problem-solving atmosphere; Participatory design making. Trust among all employees (staff, line, workers, managers). A sense of ownership and responsibility for goal achievement and problems solving. Self-motivation and self-control by all employees. TQM requires that management, and eventually every member of the organization, commit to the need for continual improvement in the way work is accomplished. Business plans, strategies, and management actions require continual rethinking in order to develop a culture that reinforces the TQM perspective. The challenge is to develop a robust culture where the idea of quality improvement is not only widely understood across departments, but becomes a fundamental, deep-seated value within each function area as well. Anon (2009) On the other hand Crawford (1998) argues that one of the main reasons for the present economic stalemate being experienced in Japan is the obstacle to innovation which is presented by the mindset of continuous improvement. He considers that this mentality reflects, in the main, a wish to avoid the embarrassment resulting from potential failures associated with radical change. The point is also made that a strategy of continuous improvement does not necessarily work in markets which constitute high risk investment, such as pharmaceuticals and microprocessors. These types of arguments tend to imply that TQM is not a valid paradigm in a world where changes are becoming increasingly frequent and need to be made at a faster pace. Martinez Lorent A.R, Dewhurst F, Dale B G (1999) It continues that though TQM is seen as business innovation it does not necessarily mean that it promotes business innovation. Martinez Laurent, Dewhurst and Dale said that TQM tends to lessen business innovation such as improving processes and improving the way in which people are managed with the aim of adapting to the changing environment. On the other hand Curry and Clayton (1992), Imai (1986) and Miller (1995) said that progressive business innovation can be achieved by TQM through continuous improvement. In the article TQM and business innovation it is also mentioned that Companies following TQM approach can more easily assimilate innovations imported from other situations due to the willingness of its employees to accept new ideas as a result of the continuous improvement ethos promoted by TQM Martinez Lorent A.R, Dewhurst F, Dale B G (1999) It is evident from the literature reviewed that TQM is becoming a major requirement for organisations to be successful and gain a competitive advantage. As time goes by customers are becoming more demanding and companies have to focus on identifying customer needs to achieve customer satisfaction. In an article of TQM on the web it says that the views of todays companies of TQM include characteristics such as an open problem solving atmosphere and participatory decision making. Anon (2009) This is an evidence that it is not true that TQM focuses on processes and neglects the people aspect. To adapt to the changing of customers needs and this changing environment TQM promotes employee involvement and as mentioned above participatory decision making. This would also lead to employee satisfaction and motivation. Though it is claimed that TQM has various benefits various companies have claimed that TQM implementation resulted in a failure. Thus it is necessary that companies manage TQM efficiently and effectively. The next chapter of this assignment will outline some of the aspects which need to be considered for the successful implementation of TQM. Successful implementation of TQM Before applying any TQM standards a company should have a well defined strategy and mission in place. Having a strategy in place means that the company has pre defined set of objectives to achieve. The operational and management structure should be adopted to achieve the set strategy. The mission statement should reflect the values and beliefs which underpin all corporate activities. (Leciester 2007:4.5) A mission statement has to be well communicated to the employees and has to inspire people with the aim of achieving the goals set by the company. Last but not least a company should set value statements. Value statements should guide the way people within the organization function and as such should be a substantial influence on the development of a total quality culture. (Leicester 2007:4.8) Helsten and Klefsjo believe that before applying any TQM standards a company has to start with core values and only then the techniques and tools are selected as shown in the diagram below. Increase external and internal customer satisfaction with a reduced amount of resources. Techniques Core Values Tools The techniques and tools selected will then have to be adopted. For instance an example mentioned by Hellsten and Klefsjo, the core value Let everybody be committed can be implemented by techniques such as improvement groups and quality circles. The tools might be Ishikawa diagram, Pareto diagram and histograms. Core values characterize the organization and as these change overtime the techniques and tools will have to fit these values. Robert Dunn says that most importantly before implementing BS EN 9000 one has to be thinking about quality in the company and in all its activities. It is useless implementing the standard just for the sake because purchasers want the certification. (Dunn R 1995:11) Today, developing quality across the entire firm can be an important function of the human resource management (HRM) department. A failure on HRMs part to recognize this opportunity and act on it may result in the loss of TQM implementation responsibilities to other departments with less expertise in training and development. The ultimate consequence of this loss is an ineffective implementation of the TQM strategy. Thus, HRM should act as the pivotal change agent necessary for the successful implementation of TQM. Based on this customer first orientation, organizational members are constantly seeking to improve products or services. Employees are encouraged to work together across organizational boundaries. Underlying these cooperative efforts are two crucial ideas. One is that the initial contact with the customer is critical and influences all future association with that customer. The other idea is that it is more costly to acquire new customers than to keep the customers you already have. Exemplifying TQM here would mean that the HR department would need to train itself, focusing on being customer-driven toward other departments.   Anon (2009) The effective use of quality improvement teams, and the TQM system as a whole, can be reinforced by applying basic principles of motivation. In particular, the recognition of team accomplishments as opposed to those of individuals, and the effective use of goal setting for group efforts, are important in driving the TQM system. The HR department is in a position to help institutionalize team approaches to TQM by designing appraisal and reward systems that focus on team performance.    For many companies, the philosophy of TQM represents a major culture shift away from a traditional production-driven atmosphere. In the face of such radical operational makeovers, a determined implementation effort is vital to prevent TQM from becoming simply just another management fad. Senior management must take the lead in overt support of TQM.  Anon (2009) Part of HRMs functional expertise is its ability to monitor and survey employee attitudes. This expertise can be particularly important for a TQM program, since getting off to a good start means having information about current performance. Thus, a preparatory step is to administer an employee survey targeting two primary concerns. One involves identifying troublesome areas in current operations, where improvements in quality can have the most impact on company performance. The other focuses on determining existing employee perceptions and attitudes toward quality as a necessary goal, so that the implementation program itself can be fine-tuned for effectiveness. Beyond communicating the TQM philosophy, the specific training and development needs for making TQM a practical reality must be assessed. Basically HR professionals must decide the following: What knowledge and skills must be taught? How? What performance (behaviours) will be recognized, and how will we reward them? HRM has faced these questions before and can best confront them in the TQM process. Training and development that does not fit within the realm of these questions will more than likely encounter heavy resistance. However, training and development does fall within the realm of these questions probably will be accepted more readily. Testimonies from Various Companies TQM standards help you clarify and identify customers requirements. Furthermore TQM help a company deliver what the customers order and on time, spot product deficiencies and improve processes and also improve competitiveness. Alan Davis from Ind Coope Burton Brewery highly believes that the company is committed to a total quality culture. He adds that with this approach all parts of the company are involved in continuous improvement in return this gives the assurance of quality to the customer. He also added that the company will soon be ready to seek registration of its quality system to BS 5750. (Moritiboys Oakland J 1994:35). Acorns Nurseries of Cardiff which is a child care centre claimed that by seeking registration under BS EN ISO 9002 they would be able to demonstrate the quality of their service thus would inspire confidence in their customers. Acorns said that the advantages of having a documented system are; Ensure standards are throughout amongst all their sites. Well kept records, stock control ensures consumables are available and parents concerns are replied quickly. Most importantly the efficient management system allows the nursery nurses to get on with what they are best at looking after children. (Dunn R 1995:7) Below are some of the benefits of TQM standards by Robert Dunn; Motivate staff to improve performance Define key roles in the company Consistent in orders and delivery Good management of customer complaints Continuous improvement Glossop Carton a company which achieved certification in 1992 says that since the certification gross profit has risen and when things go wrong, they can now pin point where they have gone wrong. Therefore then they can adjust accordingly and learn from mistakes thus promoting a better quality product for the customer. Conclusion In the book of Leicester in an article by Moritiboys Oakland it is mentioned that The International Standards Organisation (ISO) Standard 9000 Series sets out the methods by which management system, incorporating all the activities associated with quality, can be implemented in an organization to ensure that all the specified performance requirements and needs of the customer are fully met. In the article Implementing BS EN ISO 9000 it is said that the standard is flexible and companies big or small can adapt it to their needs and be compliant. A proof of this is the write up by Pat Martin founder of Stelmax a business employing 12 people. I used to think BS EN ISO 9000 was just for the big fish in the sea. She emphasizes that quality is important to all firms no matter the size. She says that the quality of the products improved which is highly required factor in this increasingly competitive market. (Dunn R 1995:6) It is evident from the literature reviewed that TQM standards are important for organizations and as time passes its popularity is increasing considerably. TQM standards are also required to outcompete competitors in this increasing market. However for a successful implementation and to promote innovation and creativity it is necessary that organizations primarily identify the core values and also do not neglect the human resources aspect. Training and development, setting up TQM focus teams, support from senior managers, involvement in decision making, communication and rewards are the essence of successful TQM implementation. These all lead to employee satisfaction and in return will ensure customer satisfaction which is the fad of TQM. Last, TQM is necessary because it works. The pioneering firms in TQM include American Express, IBM, Xerox, 3M, Toyota, Ricoh, Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Nissan and many others. Samuel K.M (1993)

Global Information Infrastructure Essay -- Economy Information Papers

Global Information Infrastructure Introduction Regardless of a nation’s level of economic development; political, economic and social structure; and language and culture they are all seeking to develop and improve the quality of life of their citizens. At present, the industrialized countries have an overwhelming lead in development over most developing nations. However, modern information and communication technologies offer a significant window of opportunity for developing countries to accelerate their development in all spheres of economic and social activity and to narrow the gap between countries. The world stands today on the threshold of a Global Information Society. This position has been arrived at through the truly remarkable advances that have been made in recent years in the development of ICT as well as the construction and development of national and global information infrastructure. Through these developments it is now both technically and economically feasible to bring modern information and communications technologies to any part of the entire world. Equally as important, people around the world, including those in developing countries, are increasingly demanding access to the emerging global information network. Hence, communities in Mexico, for example, have installed personal computers and built microwave towers to communicate with the rest of the world, allowing school children to interact with other students all over the world and keeping farmers apprised of both local and world crop prices. Also, India launched a programme to link its biggest cities with a n ationwide network that will facilitate the dissemination of government information and provide an infrastructure for commercial applicatio... ...ing to Content: A Pilot Comparative Study. Paris: UNESCO, September 1997 (CII-97/WS/8). Financial Times. Monday, July 10, 1998. Gore, Al and Ronald H. Brown. The Global Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Cooperation, Washington, D.C.: United States Government, 1995. The New York Times. Monday, January 20, 1997. d’Orville Hans. Technology Revolution Study: Communication and Knowledge-based Technologies for Sustainable Human Development. Report to the assistant administrator and Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS). New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 30 April 1996 UNESCO, UNESCO and an Information Society for All; A Position Paper, Paris: UNESCO, May 1996 (CII-96/WS/4). UNESCO, Information and Communication Technologies in Development: A UNESCO Perspective. Paris: UNESCO, December 1996 (CII-96/WS/6).

The Light of Trust

The Light of Trust In his article â€Å"A Shared Moment of Trust† Warren Christopher emphasizes the importance of being able to depend on and trust one another. He states three different examples, each of them showing how he had used the essential tool of â€Å"Trust† for reaching success both in his work, personal and social relationships. First, he points out the meaning of reliance on one another in a simple situation as driving a car.Driving alone down a dark road, one should have some faith towards other drivers, so that he will not be crushed. Secondly, he expresses his cooperative skills, how he managed to save fifty-two Americans lives, due to his will of believing and trusting even the people that he had never worked with before. Finally, Warren Christopher illustrates the importance of working together as a team, pointing out the fact of trust on each other saving thousands of lives.To my mind, trust, as a bridge, links individuals together to be a society. It improves a better outcome to be achieved in human being life. Although cheating is everywhere, and I was cheated by my close friend so as to doubt whether I should trust other people or not; finally, I persist my belief that I should trust, trust other people to make my world better. Trust is the reason why a baby stops crying when it is in his mothers embrace, because he knows she will tend to his needs.Trust is the reason a husband does not question his wife’s whereabouts, because he believes her faithfulness. Trust is the reason a boss does not check behind the work of his employees, because he knows that they will do it to his standards. There are many reasons that highlight the importance of teamwork in the workplace. With suitable teamwork it is possible to decrease the amount of work that usually becomes one individual’s headache. At my workplace I used to share work between my co-workers.Sharing the workload helped me a lot as there is more focus on less thing s and the possibility of getting an assignment done earlier than expected. Teamwork also helped me with reducing my stress level. It is important that every employee feel that they are a part of the group. Customers and the community put trust in businesses and their methods by buying their products. Businesses trust fiduciaries that act for them by working with them to acquire their expertise. Even within a business there is trust in the form of employee-employer relationships.For example, employees trust that they will receive compensation for their work after certain time intervals or after producing certain units of outputs. If there is a lack of trust, these relationships will disintegrate and business efficiency will be reduced. Therefore, trust is a very important and powerful element of life. In every relationship, whether romantic, friendship, business or family, a degree of trust is needed in order for that relationship to be successful.

Celebrity Endorsement Essays

Celebrity Endorsement Essays Celebrity Endorsement Paper Celebrity Endorsement Paper SYNOPSIS It is a known fact that the best endorsements achieve an eclectic balance between the product (brand) and the celebrity. Giving a brand a face is more than just a marketing strategy to increase sales or gain market share, it is a decision that can change the future of the brand forever. Choice of the celebrity, hence, is of utmost importance and is usually done based on many different parameters appeal, looks, popularity or even just a fantasy figure to endorse a brand. In todays highly competitive markets, big brands are at logger-heads when it comes to products, each having a similar product to that of a rival. Where does one brand gain that quintessential advantage advertising, service, promise of trust, or even the all important price factors? Advertising seems to be the best platform where brands prefer to compete on right from hiring the best advertising agencies to getting the biggest celebrities. What would be the formula to success then? Well, a good creative agency, a large enough promotional budget and a huge star to endorse your brand would definitely ensure in the minds of a brand management team a feeling of security, success and a triumph over the competitors brand. The general belief among advertisers is that brand communication messages delivered by celebrities and famous personalities generate a higher appeal, attention and recall than those executed by non-celebrities. The quick message-reach and impact are all too essential in todays highly competitive environment. The different models applied by brands to achieve the full potential of such endorsements, highlight the need for a convergence between the theoretical and pragmatic approaches of brand building and effective advertising. The importance of a celebrity-brand match and the various roles played by them as brand-associates show the momentum this strategy has gained in the last decade or so. We put forward certain ideas like positioning by association, diminishing celebrity utility and the Multiplier Effect which show the triangular relationship between the brand, the consumer and the celebrity. India is a country where people are star-struck by film stars, cricketers, politicians, and even criminals. Why? Populations of 1 billion and ticking, everyday people need something or someone to look up to. A sense of security, admiration, comfort, familiarity, and above all, someone they aspire to be at some hidden level in their lives. And clever marketers leverage this very celebrity appeal and are successfully carrying out their jobs by giving the bottom lines of all the brands what they want profit, market share and even recall. But how much star power is too much? Does Amitabh really use Tide, asked a 6 year old to her mother. Her mother laughs and says, No way, just a gimmick. What does that do to the brand? Now, despite the potential benefits derived from celebrity endorsements, they increase a marketers risk manifolds and should be treated with full attention and aptitude. A brand should be cautious when employing celebrities to ensure promise believability and delivery of the intended effect. The growing importance of mythical characters as celebrities and their sway over the target segments are ample proof of public demand for icons to look up to. As the celebrities traverse from a mere commercial presence to public welfare message endorsements, a whole new dimension is added to this process and helps us in achieving a holistic view of the impact which celebrities generate in every sphere and segment through their well-versed endorsements. At the end of the day, do any stakeholders in a company (employees, contractors, customers, shareholders, communities the company supports with jobs) benefit from a celebrity endorsement? Does anyone buy a product because a Bollywood or TV actor/actress stands up and reads a script in somewhat convincing manner? Are their distinctions in how consumers perceive these types of endorsements and respond to them? What happens when a celebrity endorser gets involved in a public scandal, or worse, dies? Will the product lose consumer support or perish? The most important thing to remember is that putting a celebrity in an ad is not an idea in itself. Unfortunately, this is how most celebrities are being used in Indian advertising, where they just become a prop. Ideally, there should be an idea that makes the celebrity relevant to the product and the consumer. A celebritys presence in the ad should be contextual. Celebrity endorsement cannot guarantee fool-proof success. The celebrity endorsement strategy must be integrated with target market characteristics, and the other elements of the marketing mix such as product design, branding, packaging, and pricing. The message execution that will be mouthed by the celebrity must likewise be made clear and single-minded. You can do this cleverly by aligning the spirit of the brand to the product, or by using a celebrity because it ensures that people will notice you, and hopefully remember what the brand is saying. Smart associations are ones where the former happens. Before we go into analyzing success and failure stories of brands, we examine the title once again and try looking at it extremely minutely THE IMPACT As defined earlier, impact would be both short term and long term, but here the focus would be more on the long term implications of the brand. Measurement of this would be challenging and data would be difficult to obtain. The parameters on which impact could be measured would be on a comparative basis of the brand before and after the celebrity began endorsing the brand. Sales / revenue, market share, brand recall, level of repurchase, brand loyalty, trust, image and perception of the brand per say. In this trend of creative advertising, we see usage of celebrities of all walks in life particularly actors, film stars, models, sports persons, and the whole gamut. But the usage can always backfire if the choice of the star is completely contradictory in nature to the brand. Believability and association of brand to celebrity is important. Selection of celebrities can be done while they are at their peak or when they are destined for greatness in the near future. Again a risk that may go either way. What is important at some level is the value that a celebrity adds to a particular brand. The advertiser tries his best to make the celebrity and brand as analogous as possible. The celebrity endorser is seen to score quite well on dimensions such as trustworthiness, believability, persuasiveness, and likeability when tested for reaction from people. This is important to a marketer as if he can get a celebrity to make the masses follow, believe or listen to him, he has been successful. Article Jane Taylor could not have given a better cue with her immortal nursery rhyme* in the early nineteenth century, as the advertisers today discover Consumers like gazing at stars. Michael Jordan appears on the telly and eyes are fixated, Shahrukhs voice booms over the radio and ears perk up, Britney sashays across and heads turn. This is the power of celebrity advertising and it is what corporations across the globe pray to transform into ringing cash registers. The advertisers believe that brand images built through elebrities achieve a higher degree of attention and recall for consumers, eventually leading to higher sales. Undoubtedly, the potential benefits of using celebrity advertising to promote brand images and products are significant, but so are the costs and associated risks. Nevertheless, companies are willing to play the game. Love them or loathe them, celebrities have emerged as frontline warriors in the war of brands and competitive advertising. A central goal of advertising is the persuasion of customers, i. e. , the active attempt to change or modify consumers attitude towards brands. In this respect, the credibility of an advertisement plays an important role in convincing the target audience of the attractiveness of the companys brand. Pursuing a celebrity endorsement strategy enables advertisers to project a credible image in terms of expertise, persuasiveness, trustworthiness, and objectiveness. Marketers have been leveraging celebrity appeal for a long time. Across categories, whether in products or services, more and more brands are banking on the mass appeal of celebrities. As soon as a new face ascends the popularity charts, advertisers queue up to have it splashed all over. The success of such celebrity endorsements even encouraged political parties to hire celebs for rallies for gathering crowds in the last general elections. Star endorsement deals are big in every way. They are big on expenses and can have huge implications on the brands fortunes. Celebrities have an enormous potential to shape the destinies of the brands they endorse, albeit sometimes negatively. Therefore, marketers who use celebrities must do so prudently, thinking through the concept of such endorsements carefully before adapting it into the message strategy. The celebrity-factor phenomenon seems so simple and yet it is intricate enough to send millions of money washed down without as much as a blink. There is no doubt whatsoever after decades of strong evidence, that celebrities indeed deliver a premium in terms of impact and memorability, not only to the promotions direct audience but also to their related sets like friends and family. The use of celebrities is a testimony to their ability to cut through the clutter and reach the brands target audience immediately and effectively. But then, if this were the sole case, names like Michael Jackson or Md. Azharuddin would not cause many furrows. Hence, it becomes clear that any celebrity endorsement is a two-way funnel between the personality and the product wherein both take upon each others image and responsibility. This brings us to a delicate ground wherein we need to carefully assess the impact of celebrity cajoling on consumer perception and purchase behavior. The immediate question which comes to the mind is Why celebrities, when the same money can be used to promote the same brand in myriad ways through non-celebrity figures. Celebrities are people who enjoy public recognition of a large group of people. Celebrities may convey a broad range of meanings, involving demographic categories (e. g. , age, gender and status), personality and lifestyle types. For instance, people adore Sachin Tendulkar because he represents a middle-class Maharashtrian boy who made it big with sheer hard work. Likewise, Amitabh Bachchan for most is an icon of style, trust and dependability. It would do us well to realize that in this era of slick competition, speed is the key. Celebrities reflect the modern society, transfer their associated qualities to the brand and project a living, breathing image to the product as opposed to a faceless entity. This triggers a chain of social influence which allows the consumers to be in accord instantly with the communicated attitude. As discussed by Kelman (1961), the basis for the effectiveness of celebrity-endorsed advertising can be linked to this process of identification and internalization of the desired behavior. Price of fame may be high for the celebrity endorsed brands but they have both what the markets and the everyday common man want attention, power and star sizzle. In the same breath, the theoretical model hierarchy-of-effects suggests that for a purchase to take place, the consumer must be first aware of the product, then inculcate a liking towards it, and finally develop an intention to acquire it. This ascension is catalyzed by celebrity presence during brand promotion. Be it Rajnikant making a demographic connection or the new avatar of Amitabh Bachchan forging a psychological attachment, they carry a mass appeal and establish instant brand credibility while adopting a subtle persuasive approach. It is presumed that a personalitys dynamic qualities of attractiveness, likeability and appeal are superimposed on the brand image and lead it to acceptance by their fans and the general mass. We can now safely look at the various roles played by the celebrities in this vigorous exercise of name and fame sharing. Usually, the foremost character is that of an Endorser, accepting the product claims and signaling personal preference for the brand something like Beyonce and Beckham for Pepsi. The mantle of Spokesperson comes next as the celebrity speaks of company vision and brand values. Who can forget Amitabhs open ranting about ICICI Bank? The spokesperson takes somewhat of a personal responsibility for the brand promises. And then, there is a coup. We talked all the while about celebrities helping the brand grow and reach new heights, but they have also proven their ability to pull the brands from dire straits and help them bounce back. The Cola companies and the chocolate major Cadburys successfully used their Trouble-shooter guardians to overcome product controversies in India. The final vista sees the celebrities personally get into the act themselves and go for Personality Branding. This strategic climb is still in its nascent stages in the Indian scenario but a rabid act abroad. Latino singer Jennifer Lopez, who released her first perfume Glow by J. Lo in 2002, is estimated to have grossed over $45 million in sales of this perfume, within four months of its launch! The stars really shine; on themselves. So is the celebrity endorsement strategy impeccable? Apparently not. Like any other strategic move in the warfield, it too suffers from its own flaws overexposure, cluttering, confusion and scepticism an all too familiar scenario. Only the brand managers are smart enough to keep changing their pawns timely. Brands employ a smart technique which can well be called positioning by association. The qualities attributed to the personality, rub-off on the brand image and become associated with it in the consumers minds. But the moment there is a breakdown, this position backfires in the first instant. Whenever the celebrity is out of line in his personal or social behaviour, he becomes liability as an advertisement device. We are all well aware of the George Michael fiasco or the O. J. Simpson cases where the brands instantly shunned them due to fear of negative publicity. It is pertinent for the brands to realize that two things should not happen at any point of their communication, if they are to sustain the streak of popular celebrity endorsements. First, while the brand should enjoy the positive vibes of the celebrity, it should be flexible enough to wriggle out of any undesirable situation that the endorser might present. Get a celebrity, create a hype and brand buzz, and fleece the surge and move on to the next. Second, under no circumstances should the celebrity be allowed to overshadow the brand never let him/her become your brand. Shahrukh Mayur Khan, Madhuri Dixit for Emami and Sunil Gavaskar for Dinesh Suitings are classic examples in this case. The moment you cease brand relationship with these over-portrayed endorsers, the euphoria is beaten and confusion reigns in the customers mind. Smart brands follow a strategy similar to the ocean-wave phenomenon Roll a big wave, generate customer delight, submerge his loyalty towards competition, and then, bring another huge one. Celebrity Endorsements Advertising experts concur that you must consider a celebrity endorsement if, and only if, the message strategy warrants it, not as a cover for a poor idea or bad product quality. And last but not the least, one should seriously consider the risks of associating with a well-known personality, and hedge against a future scandal by not relying on just one celebrity and instead linking the brands association with a broad theme represented by several celebrities. And if you cant afford many celebrities, then get your thinking caps on, and come up with a better, safer idea. That will ensure that youre in control of the brands destiny not the stars! Inertia is a potent force and consumers have that in plenty. Brand managers employ celebrities in the age-old AIDA model to counter that. The Celebrities draw Attention, generate Interest, evoke Desire and induce Action from the audience. Our safe assumption till now has been that there is perfect congruency between the brand, the celebrity and the target segment. Lets drop this for a while, to land on the practical ground and look into real-time decisions. An old Japanese proverb goes that Vision without action is a daydream but action without vision is a nightmare. Managements across the world need to realize that no matter how great the ad-spend and famous the celebrity, they cannot succeed if the core product offering fails to meet the consumer expectations. Every endorsed brand may garner some start-up euphoria and blind-spot sales, but to sustain its meteoric rise, it cannot afford product dissatisfaction. In such cases, the celebrities are also quick to dissociate themselves from the brand, as it hampers their carefully cultivated image of an infallible character. Again, not every celebrity works for every product. Each personality carries a set of perceptions attached to it and these have to be in sync with the perception the brand has or wishes to generate. Mercedes Benz would never hire a Govinda in India or Michael Jordan elsewhere, but these same men have simply worked wonders for respective brands like Navratan Oil and Nike. A clean, natural fit between the celebrities and the brand image enhances the latters value. Lux is a glowing example of being the beauty soap of film stars since the last fifty years! A well-managed celebrity endorsement has the ability to convey to the customers that the celebrity is benefiting from the brand, and they will too. Many endorsements fail because they use the celebrities like a prop in the advertisement copy. There should be an idea which makes the celebrity relevant, firstly to the product and finally to the consumer. The bottom line is that the celebrity endorsements work truly only when the commercial is provoking and original. Aamir Khans successful incarnations in the Thanda Matlab copies for Coca-Cola have added a new dimension to this assertion. It projected the brand as the star, being cherished by the celebrity and not the other way round. In addition, an effective endorser should not associate with many different products and fall in the trap of overexposure. Keep the consumers mind clear from confusion and do not let him feel that you are in it for the money rather than truly believing in the brand. The celebrity-brand saliency takes a beating if he is rummaging with several brands and distorts the brand image. The Law of Diminishing Marginal Celebrity Utility would further ensure that the return on such investment would be nothing short of negative. The ad-recall and celebrity association depletes rapidly in such clutter-cases and, hence, the utility obtained by the brand takes a pitfall. An increasingly popular strategy is the employment of the product placement tactic in the movies or television shows featuring the sponsored celebrities. Remember when James Bond traded in his Ashton Martin for a BMW Z3 in the Golden Eye or the looming presence of FedEx in the Tom Hanks super-hit Castaway. The brand believes that with such peripheral routes of communication, it will be able to initiate an alternative channel in the identification process with the consumer. Coca-cola presented this strategy on the Indian scene with its multi-million product placement deal in the movie Taal. It is so much like not in your face, and yet there, urging you passively. Research has again shown that the subliminal effects of such brand imagery tend to linger in the consumer memory for a longer time-period than the direct commercials. Brand, Celebrities Consumers Figure 1: Factors Impacting a Brand while being viewed by a Consumer in Media The model above shows the various factors that affect a celebrity endorsed brand while viewed by a consumer in the media (both TV and print). The central idea being the impact on brand. The three major parts to a brand being shown are: The Product Advertisement The celebrity endorsing it It is important is to study the relationship between these factors and how they together act for or against the brand. The product is important, of course, it may fulfill a need, want or a desire. Quality is quintessential and, hence, nowadays it is understood the product is of highest quality. So what next? The advertisement is important as a good product could see an early exit if the advertisement is handled badly, and otherwise, a mediocre product which is tastefully handled goes a long way. Lastly, the celebrity in the advertisement, recall, trust, familiarity are some of the reasons that they are used. Now consider the interactions of these individual factors. The best of superstars can be doing the advertisement but if the product is far from the image the star has, the whole advertisement is a waste. Imagine an Amitabh doing an advertisement for ad for youth apparel. Well, exceptions can be there but then again it depends on the way it is done. Believability is of vital importance, the TVS Victor advertisement shows us the bike being compared to the bat of Sachin and the strokes he plays. Classically executed advertisement with the bike and Sachin coming out as winners. The relationship between a product and its advertisement again can be either dependant or none. In that case, a shock value makes people remember the brand better and, hence, a possible long term loyalty. Selection of Celebrity Celebrity endorsements are not new. One of the earliest examples is Coca Cola who used Lillian Nordica, a Metropolitan Opera Star as their first model or endorser. She became a household name all across USA known as the Coca Cola Girl. Soon people forgot her as an actress but remembered her as the Coca Cola girl. She did wonders for the brand and this led the company to release a series of these advertisements for over 30 years. Relationship between a Celebrity a Brand To understand how consumers associate celebrities to brands is well documented by a research study by Anderson (1976); Collins Loftus (1975); Rumelhart, Hinton McClelland (1986). In their study, associative learning principles were based on a conception of memory as a network consisting of various nodes connected by associative links. In the research context, celebrities and brands both represent nodes, which initially are unconnected but become linked over time through the endorsement process. When a consumer thinks about a brand, the link with the celebrity node is animated to a certain level through spreading activation (Anderson 1983a). The joint activation of brand and celebrity provides a path over which ones evaluation of the celebrity has an opportunity to transfer to the brand. The key to the process is the simultaneous activation of the brand and celebrity nodes. Negative information about the celebrity activates the celebrity node, which then activates the brand node to some degree and allows reduced evaluation of the celebrity to transfer to the brand. Studies by Noffsinger et al. (1983) and Judd et al. (1991) provide empirical evidence demonstrating that attitudes can be affected in such a way. It is also important to view the consumer in their social and cultural setting to further see how celebrity endorsements increase sales and impact brands over time. Celebrities usually form a very good example of a reference group appeal. This is particularly beneficial to a marketer and a brand who can cash in on the success of the star and, hence, push his brand. People who idolize their celebrities, hence, have a biased affinity to the brand their favorites endorse. As time passes on, they believe that they by adopting the brand that their celebrity endorses are becoming more like them. Celebrities can be used in four ways namely: testimonial, endorsement, actor and spokesperson. Right now the current hot favorite in India is roping in celebrities for social causes like pulse polio, etc. This has shown to be having a positive effect on the people. In India, Bollywood and sport personalities rule the mind-space and airwaves. A recent study by FCB-ULKA was done on celebrity endorsements in India. Here, they discussed two parameters: Compatibility Index and Trait Index when it came to finding the relationship between a celebrity and a brand. Compatibility Index meant that the consumers saw a suitable match between the brand and the celebrity. Trait Index was based on the match between brand and celebrity personality traits. The numbers showed that Compatibility Index was more favorable than Trait Index. E. g. , Hrithik Roshan scored high on his Compatibility Index (100) as compared to his Trait Index with Coca Cola. But the end user being the consumer preferred him. The other startling fact was the high points 93 and 100 by Salman Khan. But Thums-Up had to drop him after Salmans accident. But people still associate Thums-Up with the Khan. The other important factor is unaided association and Salman scored higher than other competition. But in the long run, to protect the brand image, Salman was dropped. So what is important is the way the customer perceives a brand and the celebrity, so if the celebrity is favored, it does have a positive influence over the brand. The other factor is the sheer image or popularity of the star, if the stars image is larger than life, for example, for Amitabh Bachhan or Sachin Tendulkar, the Compatibility Index seems to be a natural collorary. Taking the millennium superstar Amitabh Bachan, as an endorser, he fulfills all the FRED objectives, namely, Familiarity (target market is aware of him, finds him friendly, likeable, dependable and trustworthy); Relevance (which says that there should be a link between the endorser and the product as well as between the endorser and the audience); Esteem (the polio endorsement, for example, is successful as the masses see him as a credible name-face-voice); Differentiation (in all his projections, he is seen to be one among the masses, and yet he towers above them. He is different). His appeal is universal; lesser mortals merely cater to specific niches. While there may be different reasons, depending on the category, the lifecycle stage in which the brand is, and the particular marketing mantra being the flavor of the moment, the main reason is to make the brand stand out and to facilitate instant awareness. For example, in the much talked about Shah Rukh Santro campaign, the organization wanted to overcome the shortcoming of an unknown brand, Korean at that. The objective of the company was to garner faster brand recognition, association and emotional unity with the target group. The Santro ad showed the highest recall amongst auto ads, despite average media spends for the category. Reason being simple star power paid off. Another example was the launch of Tamarind by S. Kumar, they reckoned they spent 40-50 per cent less on media due to the sheer impact of using Hrithik Roshan who was riding on the Kaho Na Pyar Hai wave of Success. Ad recall was as high as 70 per cent, and even the normally conservative trade got interested (so while a new brand would normally take 8-10 months for entry into a Shoppers Stop, Tamarind was prominently displayed within 20 days of launch). But now looking at the long term effects of Hrithik, his movies began to flop and it may seem a sheer co-incidence that the Tamarind brand died out as well. Looking on the flip side, the biggest concerns from the advertisers point of view is that of vampiring the celebrity being bigger than the brand. Consider the 1980s when Dinesh Suitings chose Sunil Gavaskar as their brand endorser. Soon it was seen that Gavaskar completely overshadowed the brand. A similar case was that of Shah Rukh and Mayur Suitings, where post termination of the contract, the corporate had to vest crucial monies in a campaign where the sole objective was to wean the brand identity off Shah Rukh Khan. So having a celebrity who may outshine your product is not such a viable idea is the common consensus. The other problem is that of duration of endorsement, and a possible mismatch between the celebritys life cycle and that of the brand. Owing to unavailability of dates, sometimes long-term contracts are signed, but the celebritys life might be over soon. Multiple endorsements are the other problem. There is unfortunately a limited pool of celebrities who can resonate with consumers. So you have the same celebrity endorsing several categories, as in case of Shah Rukh and Sachin, who are completely over-exposed one would assume a fair degree of confusion and little room for credibility, and hence, a possible devaluing amongst customers. Studying TV and print advertisements, one will realize that either some celebrities are endorsing several brands or a specific brand is endorsed by different spokespersons. These concepts are called multiple brand endorsement and multiple celebrity endorsement respectively. The question is, does this special form of celebrity endorsement affects consumers brand attitudes? Following Tripp et al. (1994), the endorsement of as many as four products negatively influences the celebrity spokespersons credibility (i. e. , expertise and trustworthiness) and likeability. They further add that these effects are independent of the celebrity, i. e. , the perceptions of even well-liked stars can be influenced. Reasons may be found in the lack of distinctiveness, with one famous person endorsing several products instead of concentrating on and representing one specific brand. Though these findings may be valid, it does not automatically mean that the concept of multiple product endorsement is useless. Further, research is suggested on potential positive effects, like transfer of positive brand images, and on the shape of consumers response when more than four products are endorsed. Facts over the Years Approximately 60-70% of all television commercials feature famous people. Aishwarya Rai had once endorsed Fuji-Film camera rolls. The company made an agreement with her to endorse their camera rolls. But, Aishwaryas magic did not work there and they had to terminate the contract. Amitabh Bachchan (AB) was seen endorsing Marutis Versa Car. The AB factor worked wonders as far as generating curiosity was concerned but the actual product couldnt meet the expectations of people, and hence, the endorsement strategy didnt work. He has been used very effectively by Parker Pens, ICICI Bank and Cadburys to name a few. Bata’s sales doubled soon after they ad opted Rani Mukherjee as their brand ambassador. Magic Johnson lost his endorsement deals when he announced in 1991 that hes HIV-positive. It wasnt until July 2003 that he landed his first endorsement deal since the announcement. Ticket sales at Wimbledon are known to have shot up significantly for all matches featuring the latest sex-symbol on the circuit Anna Kournikova. An average player who is yet to win even a single tennis tournament, Anna is known to have earned far more from endorsements than her tennis career could ever have given her. The Argument for Celebrity Endorsements The need for brands to use luminaries in advertising is most felt when the concerned brand has very close substitutes available; when there is a need to create a unique and clear differentiation for the brand, and when the brand has to make an impact at its introductory stage. Marketing people use celebrity endorsements for very good reasons. Research has indicated that target prospects are more likely to choose goods and services endorsed by celebrities than those without such endorsements. Celebrities facilitate instant awareness and immediate attention. In this era of sound bites, channel surfing, visual orientation and quick newspaper scanning, there is great demand for peoples time and focus. Studies have shown that some of the attributes associated with the celebrity are passed on to the brand. For instance, if a motorbike is associated with a celebrity who connotes performance then one need not hunt for the reassurance required to make the down payment. The idea, thus, is to convince people of the utility lying in your brand. For instance, if I want to say Victor motorcycle has high performance and it is hard to convince a priori, then its easier to say: Sachin says Victor is great and Sachin is a high performer; therefore Victor is a high performer too. The brand, therefore is riding piggyback on the celebrity. At a rational level, everyone knows it is a paid endorsement, and there is no immediate, conscious association. But at a subliminal level an association occurs the attributes of one rubs off onto the other. Thats why you wouldnt use a Prem Chopra to promote ICICI Bank. The resounding success of Aamir Khans antics in Coca Cola ads can be seen in the catchy phrases that have become a part of everyday life because the communication entertained consumers. It is not hard to figure out that Coke has chosen to associate itself with Aamir Khan, the trendy face of India, which is Cokes professed personality. Likewise, Santro is using Shahrukhs personality, not his functionality to make their uncool-looking car look cool. Celebrities can provide testimony for a product or service particularly when the product has contributed to their status. Consumers will more likely try Cadburys chocolate endorsed by Amitabh Bachhan since he has openly stated that he regularly eats it. This kind of relationship can increase a consumers belief and trust in the product and its benefits. Charismatic celebrities can also define, refresh, and add dimension to the brand image. Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and Amitabh Bachchan (AB) worked ecause of the fit factor; KBCs implied proposition was this is a show that an average person can come on and win. Viewers watched people like themselves talking to AB, being hugged by him and so on. Those who have been on the show said they felt like crorepatis even if they didnt win! But the biggest outcome of KBC was that people felt endeared to AB again. Brand Image Celeb rity Research has shown that there are three aspects that influence a customers attitude and, hence, the long term impact on the brand Attractiveness, Trustworthiness and Expertise. The matrix below shows us the images and the celebrities: Aspect of BrandImageCelebrityProduct Attractiveness Elegance Renuka Shahane Whisper Beauty Madhuri Dixit Emami Classy Saif Tiger Pataudi Asian Paints-Royale Stylish Fardeen Khan Provogue Amitabh Bachhan Reid Taylor Trustworthiness Honest Tarun Tejpal Tehelka Reliable Sachin Tendulkar TVS Victor Expertise Knowledge Sachin Sehwag Reebok Qualified Naina Balsavar Shampoo Hence, we see depending on the product and aspect of brand, the choice of the celebrity is important so that the celebrity can reflect that and not go against the brand. Getting back to the basic of branding after such exhaustive examples can make us reflect on our choices of celebrity and the impact on the brand. We talk about Brand Equity, Brand Identity and Position. It is worthwhile to see the effect of a celebrity on these critical elements. Brand equity essentially made up of loyalty, awareness, perceived quality, associations, and other proprietary brand assets. The celebrity should be chosen in such a way as to reinforce and strengthen the brand in all these elements but the question is, can he? Take an example of another star Fardeen Khan, who endorses Provogue. Snazzy fashionable apparel from an Indian manufacturer with the backing of a star son was a great idea for the brand image. It was able to attract new customers who were fashion conscious but unable to afford high price international brands. Awareness of the brand was phenomenal as fashion shows, print and media advertising was booming and Fardeen and Provgue had become a national phenomenon. Quality was given utmost importance and, hence, from the manufacturer side, the commitment to the customer was complete. Competition was present but sales figures showed Provogue reaping handsomely. Then the image of the so-called Bad Boy Fardeen emerged with the drug and brawls in night clubs. This did lead to a certain discontent amongst fans of the star and the brand. But remarkably not much effect on sales. It seemed that the consumers had forgotten Fardeens issues and remained loyal to the brand. Today Fardeen is still the mainframe picture of every advertisement and the brand has not lost any of its shine. The Argument Against Celebrity Endorsements The argument against it uses two questions as its premise: 1) Does it work? ) Is it too expensive an idea given the returns it delivers? The marketing enquiry as a corollary to this then asks: 1)How will it work for my brand? 2) What will that achieve for me in terms of market share? The ever-expanding universe of mega-brand hopefuls is running out of mega celebrities to brandish their products. How many brands does Amitabh Bachhan endorse? What about Tendulkar? The fact that a handful of celebrities are enrobed in labels is a symptom that the endorsement arena is too cluttered. Implicitly, hiring an overused celebrity will probably yield unsatisfactory results. Make no mistake: the law of diminishing marginal celebrity utility is at play no matter how larger-than-life a celebrity may be. A study conducted by Business World showed that over 80% of the people who remembered seeing Amitabh Bachhan in a paint ad thought it was for Asian Paints. For the uninitiated, it was Nerolac. Likewise, the Hutch ad featuring a dog and a little kid did a better job of brand building than Coke with Hrithik Roshan. Of course, defining clearly what you hope the celebrity endorsement will achieve is the key to managing and assessing the return on investment. Is it merely brand awareness? Stronger recall leading to brand consideration? More credibility? Purchase preference? And can these media-made gods achieve these with one deft dialogue in a 30-second spot? Add to that the fact that celebrity advertising increases the marketers financial risk. In a report released by the Cyber-Journal of Sport Marketing, it was revealed that Pepsi paid Shaquille ONeal US $25 million to endorse the popular soda brand. Tiger Woods received US $40 million from Nike to support the companys youth marketing campaign. We wonder what the figure is for Michael Jordan. However, the assumed acceptance of celebrity endorsement amongst an audience is a common advertiser fallacy, congruence of the celebritys image with the category the celebrity is promoting is imperative. Nothing wrong in using celebrities, but they should add a finishing touch. Instead if the whole story is the celebrity and you are just looking at making noise than building your brand, then the brand slinks away into a quiet corner. For instance, Preity Zinta for Godrej refrigerators was a disaster. She just looked pretty but it was useless because she couldnt do anything for the brand! Whereas, the Whirlpool mum is clearly loveable and modern, and comes across as a superwoman and does lend identical attributes to and about the brand. Celebrity endorsements have inherent flaws. Excessive information has resulted in consumers knowing too much about celebrities. Consequently, any act deemed unethical in which a celeb is involved is likely to affect the perception of your brand. Consumers are likely to assume that its the red duty-free Ferrari, and not the economy TVS bike, that makes Sachin smile. Likewise, the sales of Thums Up were known to have been affected post Salman Khans indictment in the black-buck poaching case. When a negative image of the celebrity is portrayed, a tainted picture is also painted for the company or brand, making it difficult to gain consumer trust to support the organization or buy the product. Although there is no way to guarantee that detrimental incidents like these wont occur, some situations may be prevented by evaluating the proposed celebritys personal and professional behavior to determine if they may be vulnerable to negative situations. Measuring a Celebrity Endorsement It becomes very important to measure the effectiveness of a celebrity (or determine the worth of one). Few of the methods of measurement that are in practice are: The Q-SCORE Method The FRED Principle The Q-SCORE Method There is a way to measure the credibility, believability, popularity, and like-ability of a celebrity. Its called a Q-Score, and you can purchase the Q-Scores of the candidates youre considering. Consider both sides of the deal for a client who wanted to use a celebrity endorser, and for a celebrity who was looking for an endorsement opportunity. Once youve defined the kind of endorser you need (e. g. , athlete, actor, male/female, young/old, etc. , its well worth going through the Q-Score exercise. Evaluating the contribution of the endorser after youve already made the decision is not nearly as straightforward. One time, many years ago, a company actually shot a commercial with a well-known (high Q-Score) endorser for national use, and it shot the same commercial with a good actor, not so well-known. The company ran a limited market test for 6 months with the unk nown actor (cutting in the commercials locally, over national network schedule) so could quantify the sales impact of the celebrity. By the way, the celebrity was worth every penny of his outrageous fee. It ended up using him for years, and he helped the brand reach market leadership almost entirely on the strength of the commercials in which he appeared. The FRED Principle This concept is seen as the foundation of a successful endorser selection. F is for Familiarity. The target market must be aware of the person, and perceive him or her as empathetic, credible, sincere and trustworthy. R is for Relevance. There should be a meaningful link between the advertised brand and the celebrity endorser, and more important, between the celebrity endorser and the defined target market. The audience must be able to identify with the person. If consumers can immediately associate with an endorser, they will feel more predisposed to accepting, buying and preferring the brand to competition. E is for Esteem. Consumers must have the utmost respect and confidence for the celebrity. Amitabh Bachhan Tendulkar have these. So do Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Kapil Dev among others. The public respect them because of their distinguished careers and unassailable salesmanship. D is for Differentiation. The target consumers must see the endorser as a cut above the rest. If there is no perceived disparity among celebrities, then the strategy will not work. Michael Jordan is an example of an international celebrity that rises above the clutter. This proves to be a huge contributory factor to his effectiveness as an endorser. The Fred concept is not a guarantee to success, but it can serve as a guideline when selecting a spokesperson. Each organization and its objectives are different, and should be evaluated on an individual basis. Conclusion Celebrities have always been the easiest way for a new product launch (consumer goods) and will remain to do so in the near future on account of their mass appeal and a world full of star stuck loyal fans. But the impact on the brand is much greater than just an advertisement showing a celebrity. We have seen that the correct choice of a celebrity can surely increase sales but when it comes to long term loyalty and impact on the brand. The effect is yet somewhat debatable. In the end, the product must deliver for the customer, no matter who endorses the product, if the customer does not see himself getting value from his purchase, he will not buy it. But yes, celebrities over time can influence the loyalty and make a person friendlier to a brand. Brand and celebrities are here to stay for a long time and in this age of slick advertising and mass media and unthinkable budgets, celebrities are having a field day charging huge amounts and making more money than their mainstream professions. But then do they really care about the brand? Or is it just the money? But the bottom line, celebrity endorsements are here to stay. Let us accept one thing the world of advertising and brand building does not believe in the Laissez-Faire principle. Unless you reach out to the customer, make him think and nudge him that little bit, you will fall short of your targets and that is a cardinal sin, given the competition. The brand managers work on an extremely sleek, thought-controlling process which may be propounded as the Multiplier Effect. They are smart, pragmatic people and know very well that Mr. Singh, sitting in his cosy home in Delhi and watching his favourite action hero driving the brand new LX car model, would not walk up to the car showroom next day and book one for himself. They offer simple feelers like concept and lifestyle to him, which are inherent to the product advertisement, with or without the celebrity endorsement. With the use of the celebrity, this effect is shrewdly magnified so as to allow the consumer to equate the personality and the brand together. Hence, whenever the consumer is watching the several images of her favourite actress alone, it conjures up multiple impressions of her sipping the XY brand of coffee, each time. The brands ultimate goal is to be at the top of her choice bracket and it achieves this goal by being omnipresent in her memory through related celebrity imagery. Does it justify the obscene amounts of money paid to these celebrities? For firms with annual turnovers in excess of Rs. 1000 crores, an endorsement deal of Rs. 5-6 crores for such a response would indeed be a smart deal. In a Synovate/Blackstone Market Facts Survey in India in late 2003, almost 47% respondents affirmed celebrity influence on their purchase behaviour. Thats a lot of people influenced by celebrity endorsement! Talking about successful switchovers by celebrities among competitive brands, Aamir Khan had a 78% top brand recall with Coke. But such transitions are rare and involve a lot of hard work behind the scenes to dab any leftover effects of the celebritys previous liaison with the competitor. While speaking of celebrities, we should be very clear as to who this term connotes to and the powers they carry. Fido Dido for 7-UP, the Amul Girl or Tony the Tiger for Kelloggs Frosted Flakes are as much a celebrity as any breathing face. They reach their target consumer, they move the product, and they carry the brand. Thats what counts. Of course, the gestation period is higher in the case of such creatives, but in the event of a hit, the comparative risks are minimized. After all, they cannot get drunk, attract a controversy or commit a crime, as long as the management wants. In short, they are safe floaters vis-a-vis their unpredictable human counterparts. Undoubtedly, there are many advocates for the clamp down upon the commercialisation of consumer emotions and money-making attitude of endorsers. But the celebrities have circumvented these allegations by appearing in non-commercial advertisements. When Aishwarya Rai appeals to the nation to donate their eyes while she personally pledges them, she strikes a chord with millions of viewers. Shabana Azmi inspires a sense of tremendous awe and respect while being shown as visiting HIV patients. This reverence is what is later harnessed by the brands in the commercial angle. You grow in stature with the person. No matter how much we raise a hue and cry over one celebrity being all over the place and marketing just about everything, it still works for most of us. Indeed, the premise that celebrity advertising has the power to propel a brand and drive the sales can be argued. The Pareto Principle is widely debated and the 80-20 rule does not have many takers in the advertising industry. That, 20% of advertising creates 80% of demand or sales, may or may not be true. In either case it does not help. The word remains that for a scintillating endorsement, you need much more than a glowing face and aesthetic advertising. You should back it up with your operational and communication skills. Using a celebrity in advertising is no panacea and the success of this process depends on several factors as discussed above. The careful selection of celebrity, matching the target segment and brand values, should be inherently stressed upon. The advertisers can use the Q Score, developed by a U. S. based marketing research agency, which considers two factors awareness and likeability, while evaluating the celebrity. Another important factor is the flexibility with which the companies can go in for hedging the risks associated in hiring a celebrity. They choose personalities from various fields or even appealing to various consumer perceptions, so that they can minimise the damage in cases of negative publicity due to any celebrity mistake. The cola brands spread their endorsements across a wide variety of celebrities such that even if one falls, the others are still holding the fort. In terms of the future, celebrity endorsements are here to stay. Their ability to cut across the classes, caste barriers and apprehensions are simply too important to be sidelined. They have been time-tested and delivered results repeatedly, given good hands. One could continue to wonder if these celebrity-hawkers are worth the money and the tantrums, but in a world of brand clutter and product muddle, celebrities seem to hit the nail on the head, more often than not. And to be honest, lets look around ourselves, why only Jane, arent we all in a little appreciation of those stars gazing back at us! Appendix BrandCelebrityUnaided AssociationComptibilty IndexTrait Fit Index Thums-up Salman Khan93 93 100 Coke Hrithik Roshan83 100 50 Adidas Sachin73 85 25 Samsung Tabu54 68 25 Source: Cognito FCB ULKA 2002 Table 1: Compatibility Index Trait Fit Index of 4 Brands

The Therapy of Human Touch essays

The Therapy of Human Touch essays There is a contest going on between conventional and alternative methods of treating sicknesses. Conventional or traditional medicine relies on pills and other forms of mechanical intrusion into the ailing body. Alternative or holistic medicine aims at restoring the ailing bodys balance by filling up its depleted energy field. Opponents have come up with views of the Healing Touch method as mere superstition, which cannot be outwardly proved. But it continues to gather advocates among the public. The Healing or Therapeutic Touch is a method, which is believed to help restore the natural healing processes of the body by redirecting and re-balancing the bodys natural energy fields (Bruno 1999). Its purpose is to reduce pin an anxiety, promote relaxation and stimulate the bodys natural healing processes. It is considered the modern version of the ancient laying off of the hands, found in the Bible, Eastern philosophy, ancient Greek mythology, and Native American myth. It was developed and given the name by Dolores Krieger, a nursing professor at the New York University in 1972 (Bruno). The method does not necessarily require massage or body work (Bruno 1999). The practitioners hands are usually an inch away from the patients body and move or hover around it, feeling or reworking on it. The method draws from the Eastern concept that, like all things, body has a life-energy field, which extends from it. If a person is healthy, his energy flows freely and is in a balanced state. But if he is physically or psychologically ill, the energy is blocked and his energy becomes imbalanced and depleted. Practitioners say that they can tune in on the patients energy field and feel its state with their hands. They can then manipulate this invisible energy field and make it smooth by transmitting new energy into it from their own through their hands (Bruno). A typical session star...

Management styles, business ethics & the legal environment of business Essay

Management styles, business ethics & the legal environment of business - Essay Example A manager could not have all these qualities at the onset but should be developed and honed as experience requires. 3. Managers all have different styles of managing. Yes, I believe that managers have different styles of managing and leading depending on different factors: the personality of the manager, the personalities of the subordinates and the situation at hand. Managers could therefore be autocratic, democratic, free-rein depending on these factors and situation. 4. What management style(s) is/are most effective? There is not one effective management style. As emphasized by Martires (181), management or â€Å"leadership style should fit the situation where it is applied. Leaders must consider various organizational factors such as the nature of the task, the amount of authority, and group support to determine which style to adopt†. 5. What management style do/would you practice? In this regard, as a potential manager for UPC, I intent to practice the situational model w here the style of managing would depend on the people I would be working with and on the situation. 6. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a manager. The advantages of becoming a manager are: (1) being instrumental in transforming the organization and the people from where the organization currently is to where it plans to achieve; (2) being accorded the opportunity to develop potentials in people; (3) assuming different roles such as directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating; (4) bridging the gap as the middle person between higher management and subordinates; and (5) assuming a form of power in the organization to influence the behavior of others to bring about desired results. On the other hand, the disadvantages are: (1) being the person to blame in times of organizational errors or deviations from goals; (2) expectations are usually generally high in terms of ability to generate positive results and outputs; and (3) accountability for people under oneâ₠¬â„¢s jurisdiction. 7. How does the size of the business impact the roles & responsibilities of managers? The size of the business significantly affects the roles and responsibilities of managers. For large organizations, for examples, there are more managers assigned in different departments to conform to specific functions: marketing, human resources, operations, finance, among others. In smaller organizations, sometimes, there is a need for only one manager who is expected to assume the tasks and responsibilities for all functions (finance, marketing, human resources) depending on the number of people being managed, the products or services, and the target markets. While doing your research for the management position you run across a memo that confirms that several people who got the vaccine became ill. One of them required hospitalization for two weeks. Medical experts believe the vaccine was the cause of their illnesses. 8. Should you say anything about the memo during your in terview? As a prospective manager, one is expected to be transparent in all undertakings that affect crucial aspects of the organization’s operations. In this situation, if the vaccine was the cause of the illness, all the more that the situation should be elevated to authorized officers of the organizat

Countrywide Financial Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Countrywide Financial Corporation - Case Study Example Riding on the avowed need to own homes occurring between 1996 and 2006, the mortgage sector of CFC grew tremendously, recording millions of mortgage originations in the years. The shift from prime to subprime mortgages seemed to propel the corporation to greater success. This stemmed from, seemingly, the favorable terms that came with the package. The credit score of the borrower, the down payment and the debt-income ratio were all low, thereby spurring the lower middle and the low-income populations to take advantage of the offer to own homes. These factors significantly contributed to the growth of CFC. The developers of real estate also took full advantage by setting up houses and then selling them later to repay the mortgage, at the equivalent time making a handsome profit (Eastburn, 2011). However, due to the soaring risk involved in lending monies to unsecure and irregular workers in the lower class, cases of mortgage defaulting arose. This was, further, un-helped by the decisi on of the corporation to offer unsecured loans. The bursting of the housing bubble in 2006 further added to the woes as the prices of houses plummeted and cascaded down, the investment capital and interests following closely behind. The inability to repay mortgages was apparent since further loss of jobs and economic strains set on those who had taken the loans (Eastburn, 2011). Whereas it was profits all through for the corporation as far back as time of establishment, the dawning of reality of registering losses was hard to handle. Attempts to revive the corporation by all measures, including acquiring loans and cutting of staff did not help (Eastburn, 2011). The further collapse of the corporation stemmed from the incentives payable to the partners and the rest of the executives. Issuance of unsecured loans to the financially unstable working class did not help matters due to loss of jobs. Eventually, the Bank of America, ending an era for the CFC, bought it. SWOT ANALYSIS Streng ths of a corporation or business setup predominantly show the abilities to stand up to challenges brought about by competitors and any arising changes in the market. Countrywide Financial Corporation, CFC, provided long-term mortgage loans of more than twenty years having a loan-value ratio of over 60 percent, normally 80-85% (Eastburn, 2011). The loans provided to those aspiring to own homes (the loaned) did not need balloon payments when their terms expired; rather the payments spread over the whole life of the loan. The availability of the mortgage across all sections of the population made CFC show a difference from the other mortgage and home financing institutions. The setting up of offices all across the United States further improved accessibility of the corporation by the populations, promoting interactions and selling of mortgages. Weaknesses of a business setup, on the other hand, exhibit the vulnerability to the market changes, competitors and product competition (Eastbu rn, 2011). The confirmation of discrimination based both on race and income ability tended to taint the CFC image. The discrimination, referred to as ‘redlining’, justified by taking into consideration the extra risk involved in lending to persons with unstable and irregular income. After receiving insurance against such persons, there was no way this discrimination could have surfaced. This presented itself as the case since the expectation for uniform lending in the mortgage industry required that they be so. The protection against market entry by other competitors seemed weak, thereby encouraging the entry of competitors who rubbed the profits the wrong way (Eastburn, 2011).