An Enquiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Dissertation

An Enquiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Communication Strategy In Modern Day Society - Dissertation Example Consumers are bombarded with advertisements featuring popular celebrities from various fields, thus exposing them to thousands of attractive images and voices – be it in print i.e. magazines, newspapers, billboards, or websites or through other audio-visual media such as radio and television. The use of celebrities for advertising has existed historically, but the trend has caught momentum and the use of celebrities for endorsing brands has increased substantially over the recent decades and is known to have a substantial and positive impact on a companies’ profitability (Erdogan, 2001). According to Shimp (2000) one out of four commercials on television on American television features a celebrity. The main aim of brands is to attract the attention of their prospective consumers and communicate information about their products to their target audience, by highlighting various attributes of their brand and associating the same with a popular celebrity. This paper aims to analyze, and understand the effectiveness of the use of celebrities for brand endorsements as a marketing strategy. ... Figure 1: Royal Cocoa Advertisement, 1884 Although the use of celebrities was relatively less as compared to that witnessed in present times (Kaikati, 1987), as celebrities in those days were vary of associating with a brand and risking their credibility in the process. The late 1970s saw a sharp rise in the trend, where celebrities began to consent to associate with certain brands (Thompson, 1978). With the expansion of film industry and a simultaneous growth in the television sector, the number of celebrities rose substantially, and the avenues for advertisements too increased manifold, as the marketers now had an access to a wider variety of celebrities to choose from. The trend was similar in most of the countries across the globe. In UK for instance, according to a report published in a magazine (Marketing, 1996) the brands which featured celebrities as their key endorsers were quick to grab national headlines and gain instant popularity. The success of use of celebrities as bra nd ambassadors could be established from the fact that the amount offered to them crossed over one billion dollars. Such an offer was made mostly to athletes, owing to their fame and popularity among the consumers. Celebrity Endorsers: Meaning, Relevance and Significance It is common knowledge now, that most of the retail advertisements today feature celebrities (White et al., 2009). The term celebrity endorser includes all popular people from various fields such as films, sports, or artists and who have achieved significant success in their respective fields (James, 2004). According to McCracken (1989) the term celebrity endorser can be defined as "any individual who enjoys

Ethical competence and moral grasp of the right business practice Essay

Ethical competence and moral grasp of the right business practice - Essay Example Ethical competence and moral grasp of the right business practice During the past decade there have been numerous accounting scandals that have caused corporate collapses which have shaken the financial arena and created huge losses for investors, the present financial crisis of the latter part of 2008 revealed the greatest challenges yet. The majority of these collapses were caused directly by the unethical behavior of CEO’s, directors, officers and employees who misrepresented the financial condition of the corporation by providing misleading financial information (Ashe & Nealy, 2010, pg. 1). Public accounting firms as being a â€Å"part of the contemporary ‘enterprise culture’ that persuades many to believe that ‘bending the rules’ for personal gain is a sign of business acumen.† This stands in stark contrast to the differentiating public interest perspective of a profession, and we suggest that cultural change in the profession is necessary for real and lasting change to occur (Stuebs & Wilkinson, 2010, p g. 30). Such, this paper is prepared by the undersigned to show ethical competence and moral grasp of the right business practice as he prepares himself to enter the corporate world and before taking the CPA board exam as a certification of competence on the field of Accountancy. The ethical dilemma comes in especially when the Accountant is being asked by a superior whether explicitly or implicitly to be â€Å"creative† with the books to serve the end of the company. ... There are several reasons why an accountant does this. First, it may have been under the prodding and order of a superior to â€Å"skew or massage the numbers† to the company’s favor. Second, to make the company look good as it reports to the public with regard to its performance or to potential investors who would like to put their money in the business. Or, to pad the expenses so that the net earnings would appear to be low compared to actual earning and thus, requiring the company to pay only minimal taxes. The ethical dilemma comes in especially when the Accountant is being asked by a superior whether explicitly or implicitly to be â€Å"creative† with the books to serve the end of the company. This can be quite difficult for an accountant as he/she may be admonished for insubordination which may result from losing one’s job especially in today’s difficult times. Also the Accountant may become sympathetic to the company. It being the source of h is/her employment, the Accountant may be tempted to â€Å"window dress† the company’s financial statements to preserve it and his/her job to the detriment of the interest of the general and investing public. III. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountant Code of Conduct Instituting ethical practice among Financial Professionals is critical not only for the sake of being ethical in the practice of a profession but also to prevent the dire consequences if such unethical behavior becomes pervasive. For this malpractice has singlehandedly caused the recent financial disaster that â€Å"no other single issue is of greater concern to accountants in industry and public accounting than ethics. If the public cannot place

World event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

World event - Essay Example Immediately after the storm hit Myanmar, which had been classified as a major natural disaster, the immediate death toll numbers were broadcast across the world, creating a sense of urgency toward helping the victims as well as a sense of empathy for their situations. This empathy came not only from me as a concerned citizen, but from different nationalities at each side of the globe. Offerings for food, support, clothing and water were immediately decided by national leadership, however initially these tokens of assistance were refused by Myanmar's leadership. In fact, Myanmar rulers (who were in control of the government due to an unauthorised series of uprisings) made it clear to the global community that any attempts to deliver assistance items to Myanmar citizens would meet with an appropriate, violent response. Finally, leaders of Westernised countries managed to create a minor collaborative effort with Myanmar leadership by agreeing to bring airplanes and ships loaded with food into the country, quickly, to ensure that the citizens of the country were able to survive in harsh environmental conditions. What appeared to me to be the most unique situation during the immediate negotiations for disaster aid was that Myanmar's leaders would have rather put millions of citizens at risk of starvation or disease than to risk the chance of their regime being removed from power by stronger national forces. Seemingly, to prevent this, Myanmar's government closely monitored the incoming behaviors and actions of international disaster aid coalitions to make sure that no global force was able to remain in Myanmar for a split second longer than the offloading of cargo machines took. Over a period of several months, citizens of Myanmar were presented, using various television and print media channels, struggling to simply rebuild the modest and meager dwellings they had always been forced to live in. I watched as the world stood relatively helpless to assist these people, as it did not take long for Myanmar forces to refuse the entry of any further international aid. Instead, citizens were forced to create their own, broader sense of personal community just to survive, using their own limited resources to attempt to rebuild some sense of life as it had been before the natural disaster. As a student entering the academic world, witnessing events such as this particular disaster remind me, truly, of how far the world must progress in order to become the global community which is often presented in various textbooks and media outlets. Media often illustrates the growing use of the Internet across the world to remind us all that we have obligations to those people who are not necessarily as advanced or privileged as others in the Westernised world. Simply through the design of complicated trade routes, mass media, and the growing internationalisation efforts of various country industries, the world has become a much smaller place and, at the same time, affords tremendous opportunities for the future in terms of sustaining long-term international relationships with various global citizens. What adjusted my thinking most notably was the fact that Myanmar seemed to have no contingency plan for taking care of its people, which clearly

Core and Periphery or GMOs, Traditional Foods and Indigenous Essay

Core and Periphery or GMOs, Traditional Foods and Indigenous Sovereignty or Migration and Climate Change - Essay Example ed trivial instances of malnutrition and poverty due to the self-sufficient production of its staple foods, wheat and rice (Newman, â€Å"Will Climate Change Spark Conflict in Bangladesh?†). To that end, overpopulation is not a matter of concern to the Bangladeshis. Changes in climate involving chaotic storms, droughts and ever-increasing sea levels have turned the nation into the most vulnerable country to climate changes. These factors are stealing away the land of the larger population that lives in the coastal regions, such as Dakope. In addition, the largest delta in the, Ganges Delta, that empties much of the Himalayas water has shown the signs erosion. Here, palm trees grow out of the rivers, fields full of salt particles and many brick foundations laced into halves (â€Å"Will Climate Change Spark Conflict in Bangladesh?†). Practically, the land occupied by water was once dry and people lived on it. The rise in the sea levels prompts people to migrate to other p laces in the country and even abroad with an intention of finding better settlement. Greenhouse gases emissions and rising temperatures are the major cause of climate changes. Reports asserts that Bangladesh only contributes 0.3 percent of the emissions and yet it is the most hit as regarding to climate changes. Other environmental degradations spring from the tragedy encountered in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshis depend merely on the ground water since most of the rivers in the nation are polluted, a move that is per se right. The result of excessive pumping of water from the ground is that the land settles sinks. Floods are a common feature in this nation since as sea levels rise, the land level is also sinking. Besides, the sea walls are constructed poorly, a factor that increases the risk of flooding. The frequent cyclones experienced in the neighboring Bay of Bengal are detrimental to the environment conditions of Bangladesh (Harris, â€Å"Borrowed Time on Disappearing Land†). As a mechanism of

NMS105 Coursework 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

NMS105 1 - Coursework Example The paper concludes by looking into the Regulatory requirements and guidance such as ship registration. It specifically focuses on United Kingdom Ship registration and Small ship register, and Marine Notices. This is a United Nations’ specialized agency that is accountable for measures for improving the security and safety of global shipping and to thwart marine pollution by ships (Balkin, 2006). This agency serves several purposes while striving to safeguard marine shipping. First, it seeks to ensure cooperation among governments regarding all kinds of technical matters that affect shipping in global trade. The second function is it serves to encourage the overall adoption of the best practicable principles about navigation efficiency, maritime safety, and control and prevention of marine pollution. Thirdly, IMO serves to facilitate the removal of needless restrictions and discriminatory action by governments that take part in international trade, to uphold the accessibility of shipping services to international trade without discrimination (Oxman, 1995). Fourthly, this agency has a purpose to consider issues relating to unfair practices in shipping as well as any issues about sh ipping that may require the attention of the IMO by the UN organ. This is a United Kingdom agency that seeks to prevent loss of lives in marine transport at sea. It is responsible for the implementation of the international and the British maritime safety policy and law (Hetherington, Flin & Mearns, 2006). Its main roles are, to coordinate search and rescue in the sea with the help of her majesty’s coastguards, watching and preventing water pollution at the coastal sea. It also guarantees that ships meet the United Kingdom and the international safety standards, and issuing and testing merchant navy certificates of proficiency among the crew and ship’s officers. The

Argument Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Benefits of Legalized Marijuana - Research Paper Example The evidence demonstrates that legalizing cannabis for medicinal in addition to general purposes would prove a benefit to society, evidence which is well-known throughout the scientific, political and public arena but this collective knowledge has yet to be acted upon. The economic feasibility of decriminalizing marijuana has become a much-discussed subject in recent years. The federal government presently spends a lot of capital on law enforcement to combat distributors and producers of drugs. By legalizing drugs this could eradicate much of the profit, bloodshed, and corruption of that trade. If legalizing drugs is to have a positive effect on the crime rate, drugs must be made both inexpensive and available. Studies have repetitively suggested that prohibiting marijuana in the U.S. has not shown to be efficient or effective. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, â€Å"U.S. ... â€Å"Many critics argue that the increased toughness of that policy has done more harm than good. Some go so far as to suggest that drugs should simply be legalized† (Caulkins, et al. 2005). If marijuana were legalized, governments would have the ability to regulate quality and, like alcohol, the ages allowed to purchase and the ability to add safety warnings to help educate users. People in this country who only use small amounts of marijuana have routinely been arrested and jailed for mere possession; actions that don’t take drugs off the streets or persuade more people to quit using them. At the same time, imprisoning those who possess marijuana creates a burden on society as tax dollars must be increased to support these people who are no longer free to secure employment outside prison. The domino effect of this circumstance puts more children and their families onto the welfare role, contributing to their consequential failure and dependence on society. (â€Å"En gland.† 2006) â€Å"In the United States, drug use is illegal and the police hunt down drug users to throw them in prison. Four thousand people died from illegal drugs in the US last year and we now have more than 600,000 people in prison on drug charges.†Ã‚  

Stats30 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stats30 - Essay Example Answer True False   Question 4    If the data for a chi-square test for independence form a 2?2 matrix, then the value obtained for the chi-square statistic will be influenced by the sample size, but the value for the phi-coefficient will not. Answer True False   Question 5    In general, a large value for the chi-square statistic indicates that the null hypothesis is correct. Answer True False   Question 6    The phi-coefficient can be used to measure effect size for a chi-square test for independence provided there are exactly two categories for each of the two variables. Answer True False   Question 7    Which of the following is a characteristic of a nonparametric test? Answer a. A numerical score is required for each individual. b. The hypotheses concern population means and variances. c. The test requires assumptions about the population means or variances. d. none of the above   Question 8    The null hypothesis for the chi-square test for goodness of fit s pecifies ____. Answer a. proportions for the entire population b. proportions for the sample c. frequencies for the entire population d. frequencies for the sample   Question 9    Which of the following accurately describes the observed and expected frequencies in a chi-square test? Answer a. Both the observed and expected frequencies will always be whole numbers. b. The observed frequencies are always whole numbers but the expected frequencies may be decimals or fractions. c. The expected frequencies are always whole numbers but the observed frequencies may be decimals or fractions. d. Both the observed and expected frequencies may be decimals or fractions.   Question 10    A researcher obtains a value of ?8.50 for a chi-square statistic. What can you conclude because the value is negative? Answer a. The observed frequencies are consistently larger than the expected frequencies. b. The expected frequencies are consistently larger than the observed frequencies. c. There are large differences between the observed and expected frequencies. d. The researcher made a mistake. The value of chi-square cannot be negative.   Question 11    A chi-square test for independence is used to evaluate the relationship between two variables. If one variable is classified into four categories and the other variable is classified into two categories, then the chi-square statistic will have ____. Answer a. df = 3 b. df = 7 c. df = 8 d. cannot determine the value of df from the information provided   Question 12    The chi-square test for goodness of fit will produce a large value for chi-square when ____. Answer a. the sample proportions match the hypothesized population proportions b. the sample proportions are much different than the hypothesized population proportions c. the sample mean is close to the population mean d. there is a large difference between the sample mean and the population mean   Question 13    The sample data for a chi-square test are call ed ____. Answer a. expected frequencies b. observed frequencies c. expected proportions d. observed proportions   Question 14    A researcher would like to test the claim that 9 out of 10 doctors prefer Brand X. A sample of 60 doctors is obtained and each is asked to compare Brand X with another leading brand. The data show that 48 of the doctors picked Brand X. If these data are evaluated using a chi-square test f