Children: a Good Target Market or an Abuse of Innocence?

Children: A Good Target Market or An Abuse of Innocence? Advertising is a way many businesses attract consumers. Consumers are, after all, their source of income. Billions of dollars are spent every year by corporations to huge advertising companies to think of the next big commodity. However, the most attractive target market today is children, which inevitably sparks controversy throughout the country. When discussing advertising to children, one should highly consider how the effects the products being advertised pose to children, the status of our countries laws, and the current uses of child advertising and the effect they may have on their audience because we need to think of the children first in order to protect our country’s youth. Many businesses have made the arguable decision in marketing towards children. If the venture is done the right way, it can be a successful form of getting attention to a business. In the article â€Å"Brand loyalty starts from a very early age,† Lou Cooper reveals, â€Å"Influencing children at a young age could see them retain their custom in the future† (24). However, if done incorrectly or unethically, youth advertising can be very dangerous and influential to a child in the wrong way. More and more manufacturers  and television advertisers  think that children constitute an important group for their target  market. They see other businesses succeeding when they use the tactic and they believe they need to use it too so as to remain competitive in the industry. However,  television advertising  aimed at children is extremely harmful to child development. Over the last few decades,  television advertising  has changed people's life styles and buying habits, especially children. Children have larger spending power. With the additional reassurance from statistics and research, more and more manufacturers and  advertisers  think that a young age group is an important group for their target  market. However,  television advertising  aimed at children is extremely harmful to child development because of the many harmful and unhealthy things the television is portraying as acceptable and even going so far as to making a harmful product sound attractive and necessary to a young consumer. Television aids the alcohol industry, as well as the fast food industry in spreading the word of their harmful products. The fast food industry is especially taking advantage of their marketing ability, and consumers are paying the price for it, with their health. According to the film Super Size Me, over the past few years, there has been a doubling of childhood and adult diabetes. Also, in the film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock provides the information that more children are having liver abnormalities and are already showing signs of cirrhosis, a clinical scaring of the liver. As stunningly accurate as in Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser mentions, â€Å"But the value meals, two-for-one deals, and free refills of soda give a distorted sense of how much fast food actually costs. The real price never appears on the menu† (9). Thus, the harmful products shown on TV should be highly monitored and perhaps even forced laws upon certain ads to protect the public. The founding laws of our nation have worked for us for centuries. They protect us when is necessary and allow us freedoms when appropriate. Legislators have been able to protect us very well with the constant updating of our laws. Through amendments and many new laws, law makers have been able to stay current with issues at hand. However, because our country’s laws haven’t taken another modern twist, many children are feeling the consequences. As seen in The United States Bill of Rights, the first amendment to the Constitution is â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press† (US Const. , amd. 1) When creating the law, however, legislators in the revolutionary time period surely didn’t suspect that the safety of children would be at stake when they wrote such a broad and vague concept. The legislation for advertising to children is minimal, and most advertising companies have free reign to do whatever they want. When a commercial is geared toward children, they find it appealing and some almost comforting. Fast Food Nation’s Eric Schlosser expressed that children are exposed to â€Å"30,000 commercials a year. † Congress has passed laws in the past about setting regulations for the advertising of cigarettes and alternative means of marketing because of their extremely harmful and negative side effects they threaten consumers with. Certain means of advertising in movie theaters was reviewed and banned; Truthful advertisements are being forced on to cigarette companies. Advertisements in movie theaters would show pictures of a random place and quickly show a flash of a product so people in the audience would need to have it. For example, they would show a large desert and then quickly show a Coke, and a person sitting in the audience would stand up and need to buy the Coke, almost as if they were brainwashed. Cigarette companies are now forced to put pictures of diseased organs on the box of cigarettes so as to warn the public of their unhealthy and dangerous aftermath and hopefully thwart as many Americans smoking as possible, a much different form of advertising than an advertisement for Paul Mall cigarettes depicting cigarettes to â€Å"Guard against throat-scratch. † When children are exposed to such stimulation of such appealing products, According to Lou Cooper, they have the influence over their parents to utilize close to â€Å"1. 88 trillion dollars†, which of course makes children a hefty target, but at what cost? Cooper 24). Advertisers use many forms of marketing to charm children. Phrases and slogans are one example. Many types  of food have a phrase associated with them. Commercials use phrases and slogans to embed their product into an audience’s memory. By the time the commercial ends the line and product are stuck in a person’s mind. By targe ting children, whole families are then targeted. Competition sparks the creation of phrases and slogans so as to imprint that brand into the minds of consumers. If one company can create a phrase that everyone will know and remember, they are one step ahead of their competition. Characters are also a way used to target children. Making characters has been the way in which many companies capture the attention of children everywhere. When a child sees commercials on television, the characters are instantly installed in their brain. Prominent figures also bring forth an ethical appeal for children; for example, in Lucky Strike advertisement, Santa Claus is shown with his bag of toys in one hand and a cigarette in the other. When the child witnesses such extreme behavior from the ones they hold dear, they want to be just like the people they admire. Therefore, children are more likely to buy a product used by their favorite celebrity or character. Toys are another way in which companies target children. Companies give toys to children sometimes relating to their product to endorse their item and entice the recipient to the merchandise. The hope some companies have is that the child will associate their brand with a reward such as a toy and want it more because of the attraction. For example, cereal companies are famous for toy advertisements. If they put toys in the boxes of cereal, children are more likely to want the box with a toy in it. Pleasing children is a main concern for all big companies. In closing, advertising to children isn’t the best idea when you want to keep the youth of our country safe, healthy, and uncorrupt so as to brighten our future as a nation. The products of some endorsements are mainly those that need to be feared. However, when a child is just as innocent as watching their favorite television show, parents and the children themselves shouldn’t need to worry about what kind of commercials pop-up that try to entice them with that happy meal and those toys. Children deserve every right to enjoy their time of being care-free and trusting. Childhood is a time for joyful bliss and innocence, not corruption. Works Cited Cooper, Lou. â€Å"Brand Loyalty Starts from a Very Early Age. † EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Marketing Week, 10 June 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2010 ;http:web. ebscohost. com/src/pdf? vid=3;hid=104;[email  protected];. â€Å"The United States Bill of Rights. † National Archives and Records Administration. U. S. National Archives ; Records Administration. Web. 02. Nov. 2011. ;http://www. archives. gov/exhibits/characters/print_friendly. html? page=bill_of_rights_transcript_content. html;. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print. Supersize Me: a Film of Epic Proportions . Hart Sharp Video, 2004. â€Å"Santa Smokes Lucky Strikes! † Quit Smoking Painlessly Now! Web. 02 Nov. 2010. ;http://www. quitsmokingpainlesslynow. com/cigarette-advertising/santa-smoking-lucky-strikes/;.

History of American Highways Essay

Highways are very important in every country, in every place. It is often termed as the sign of civilization or development of a place. That is undeniably true because a good highway or road system of a certain place means that the government, may it is local or national, have the resources to put up nice highways and national roads. It also signifies that a place is a place where many people are going. It means that there is something there that needs to have a nice highway. Most people want a very nice highway to drive to. They hate those bumpy roads because they find it annoying. That is why the government of every country makes the construction of highways as one of their priorities. Good highways are also beneficial for trade and industry because it attracts investors. There is development in the economy if the highways or roads are well furnished. People, especially investors always look at the means of access to a specific place. So it is a big factor if the highways are good and not. Through the years highways in almost every country serve as the cultivator of culture and development. There are numerous highways hat became historical because of its contribution to our society. But there are things that should be factored in whenever there is a highway or road that needs to be built. There are the environmental issues because it is a very big factor to consider the locale of the highway. More often than not, people forget the convenience highways could bring. An example is that, like what I have mentioned earlier there could be a boost in the economy because the easy access to a place attracts a lot of investors, not to mention that there will emerge some small businesses that would cater to the needs of the travelers who have traveled very far just to do to wherever their destination is. United States of America is one of the developed countries. It can be seen that the highways in this country is very well put up. In this country, you can find the almost never-ending highways that connect almost every city. The access from one place to another is a bit easy because of the highways. There are songs that were composed which are inspired by the highways. The motorists or travelers find so much fun in traveling that they do not mind the long travelers because in the first place they find comfort in it because they are not faced with bumpy roads. Indeed, through the years, every highway in the US has contributed a lot in the lives of every people and to the country itself. History of the Highway System in United States The US Highway System is considered as the first nationwide network of number system in the world. It is an essential part of the American history in the 20th Century because it inspired a lot of things from different perspective. Is inspired the composition of new songs, shows in the television, and the creation of motels and fast food restaurant. It is also considered as one of the components that US is really a country which innovate to make impossible things possible because it made the access to one State to another easy. It is also a factor in the development of the roads in California to be world class. Through the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925, the US Highway System was born. It is the answer to the unorganized creation of almost 250 named highways. Through this Act, the road that were considered insignificant before were transformed into roads that would connect every city making a long stretch of highways or roads. But the numbering of highway system has raised a lot of issues because many people disagree on the idea because it will make the highways cold and impersonal. But the government did not stop, they assigned the American Association of State Highway Officials or AASHO which is now AASHTO to handle the system. Highways That Gave Impact to America Highway is a term often used to address major roads which are used for travel by every people going to wherever they would go. Its designs are different and it may have the characteristics of freeways and motorways. It could also be characterized with two-lane, shoulder less road. It is the US which has the biggest network of national highways that include Interstate Highways and the Numbered Highways. It is present in all State which also connects almost all cities. There are different terms that denote highways such as but not limited to autobahn, auto route, expressway, freeway, and motorway. But these terms are different depending on the country or region. The term highway could have a lot of meaning. In US highway could be characterized by an important high-speed with limited-access road that is a connector of major cities, or it could be any road. The Pan-American Highway is considered as the longest international highway, and the largest national highway system can be found in the US as well as the widest highway which is in Houston Texas, the Katy Freeway a part of Interstate 10. Other highways that gave a lot of impact to America are Route 66, National Road, Lincoln Highway, and Highway 41. The Lincoln Highway is considered as one of the roads or highways that contributed in the development of the Interstate Highways. It is the first transcontinental highway and also considered as the ancestor and model of other numbered highways. It is symbolized by ‘Good Roads’ which is the basis for the rallyists then to fight for the highway system. It is considered as the first successful highway that can be rallied on at any weather from coasts to coasts. It is the subject that fuelled the awareness of American people that the government should build highways and they should fund the development. In 1920, the Lincoln Highway just became another road because there are other transcontinental highways that were built. The funding from the government became easily granted as well. But the fact will never be forgotten – the Lincoln Highway was the venue for the celebrated caravan of the Army in 1919, it is were cross-country racers achieved their records that made them famous, there were songs and poems written pertaining to the road, at the end of the highway there you can find the banners of every hotels, restaurants, and the like. Other highway that impacted America is the US Route 66 which is also called Route 66, The Main Street of America, The Mother Road, Will Rogers Highway among others. It is part of the US Highway System which connects Chicago, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. It is the main path of every migrant who were going to the west especially during the height of Dust Bowl in 1930s. The highway attained much popularity that people have fought for its preservation. But in 1956 it has reached its end because of the then President Dwight Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway Act. One of the remaining parts of Route 66 is the Veterans Parkway.

An Appraisal Of Police Reforms In Kenya Criminology Essay

An Appraisal Of Police Reforms In Kenya Criminology Essay Police Services form part of the executive arm of the Government. Before the promulgation of the Constitution 2010, on 27th August 2010 they were referred to as Police Forces and were under the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security. The two Police Forces were the Kenya Police and the Administration Police Forces established under the repealed Police Act Chapter 84 and Administration Police Act Chapter 85 respectively. Together with other three sister departments in the Ministry, that is the NACADAA, the Government Press and the Provincial Administration, the five key departments are all answerable to one Accounting Officer under the Ministry. The Commissioner of Police has been the in charge of the Kenya Police Force while the Commandant of Administration Police, who before 27th August, 2010 operated under delegated authority   [ 1 ]   , has been in charge of the Administration Police Force. More often than not the Police have found themselves in crossroads with members of public and Civil Society Organizations. This has led to them being viewed as the key violators of Human Rights   [ 2 ]   . They have earned a title violators rather than protectors and keepers of Human Rights. The Alston Reports   [ 3 ]   on Judicial killings laid blame on Police on deaths and disappearance of youth without anybody accounting for them. Several shootings of innocent individuals have been associated with the Police guns. The duty imposed on Police of Protection of life and property has been reduced to perception that they are to eradicate life and property of innocent people. The experts on commission for enquiry and thinkers of reforms came up with recommendations in their report after the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence which associated most loss of life to the excessive use of force by police amongst other vices and omissions. Waki Report   [ 4 ]   indicate that the â€Å"security forces were powerless against the violenceâ € . Often, when we think of police reforms, the people concerned many a times tend to either forget or neglect the primary reason and function of the police service right from the initial stage it was formed to where they focus it to be, which is of great importance and should always be taken seriously. Peaceful co-existence and calmness in the society is the recipe for experiencing and enjoyment of freedom and human rights. With breach of this, society is bound to be in a chaotic state, confusion and fear. This is why police work always comes in handy if professionally applied backed with strong laws and reliable independent judicial systems. The society creates laws and puts in place the justice system to deal with law breakers; police on the other hand has a responsibility to enforce these laws within the society for the purpose of sustaining peace and calmness. When a society enjoys relative peace and order, it signifies that people obey the laws laid down with offenders bein g subjected to justice promptly. Strict justice systems and societies law obedience always ease the work of police. You can institute police reform, you can reorganize service delivery but you cannot alter the fundamental principles of policing and police operations. Reformers and reform agendas must be cognizant of another reality that police officers and police services are delivering something that some people in the society are opposed to. No one wants to be a victim of crime. No one wants the law, criminal or regulatory, enforced on them.   [ 5 ]

None Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

None - Coursework Example - While maintaining a Paris studio, Renoir traveled a great deal, staying in rural spots where living was cheaper - Essoyes, La Rochelle, La Roche- Guyon, Wargemont.16 These peaceful country settings inspired the landscape and stream in the Bathers and in several of the preparatory drawings. Because he was a sociable artist who liked to work with colleagues, Renoir missed the old community of painters. In May, 1884, he drafted a program for "La Socidtd des Irregularistes" that was partly motivated by a desire to re-establish an artistic fellowship. To his disappointment, the society was never formed. - it seems that 1884-87 was a period of experimentation which culminated in the large Bathers. During these years Renoir may have been guided by a theoretical idea of irregularity which contributed to the stylistic diversity of the painting. - Several writers in the literary and musical world are likely to have encouraged Renoirs classicism. Among them, Mallarme was the most notable. In the mid-188os Mallarmd and Renoir became acquainted at Morisots Thursday evening dinners. Morisots correspondence reveals their friendship. - Ingress classical influence can be seen in the structural clarity that Renoir has given to the monumental closed forms in the foreground of The Bathers. His ordering of forms reads as both a bas-relief and a pyramid; triangles relate the two girls at the left as well as the three foreground girls in a relationship of glances, gestures, and leg movements. 10) According to the author, why was Renoir vulnerable to the popular taste of the wealthy class?   Which artists did Renoir, essentially, look to in an attempt to â€Å"sell out†?   How did Renoir try to improve his financial situation?   How did his peers respond to this shift and what was the end result?   (pp. 121-125) Renoirs vulnerability to haut bourgeois taste was necessarily a function of his financial situation. In 1886 and 1887,

Cross cultural management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cross cultural management - Term Paper Example During the spring festival, people living in far places travel back home in order to celebrate together with their relatives. The events taking place during this festival makes it period the busiest event in the Chinese calendar. Mostly, the festival falls during the first day of the first lunar month, which in most cases comes later than the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese history traces the origin of this festival back to the Shang Dynasty, an era when people used to sacrifice to the gods, and their ancestors at the end and the beginning of the year (Wei, 2011). To them, it was a way of thanksgiving to the gods. Although the event lasts for a long period, the first three days of the month are most important days. With the event becoming more important in the celebration of the Chinese heritage, the government now stipulates that people should have at least seven days off in its celebration (Pan & Tang, 2004). This shows how the event is important even at the national level. People celebrate many events during the spring festival. ... ry eve, which falls on the twenty third day of the twelfth month, people start preparing for the event called â€Å"Seeing the New year in.† the busiest people in the society at this time are store owners as people buy food to cook on the big occasion, new clothes, house decorations, among others (Pan & Tang, 2004). On the day of the New Year, people dress up early in the morning, and the first thing is extending greetings to their parents. The elder ones then give gifts to the children in form of money wrapped in red paper. Then the celebrations, which involve specially prepared and good food prepared in accordance to their culture (Wei, 2011). The lantern Festival The lantern festival, which falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, in the Gregorian calendar falls between the February and March. The event, having begun in the Western Han Dynasty, over time has gained significance, until the present day China. Interestingly, just as the name suggests, the most impo rtant event that takes place during this festival is watching lanterns. History points out that during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished more in china than in any other part of the world. One of the Chinese emperors on hearing that Buddhist monks would watch sarira (remains of the cremated body of Buddha), on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month under the light of lanterns, he ordered the rest of the people to respect the Buddha on this day (Wei, 2011). With time however, the event became more popular among the Chinese people, thus maintaining its popularity in the Chinese society. People, during these celebrations prepare special food called yuanxiao or rice dumping, hence the common name, â€Å"yuanxiao festival† among the people. Additionally, people guess lantern riddles at night, while

The Geography of Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Geography of Latin America - Essay Example When it comes to language, Latin America has the world’s largest concentration of romance language speakers, derived from Latin, thus the name Latin America. The romance languages spoken in Latin America include Spanish, Portuguese and French (â€Å"Geography Resources†). Culturally, Latin America is all about a blend of many different cultures. Generations of intermarriage between various ethnic groups produced the Blanco of European ancestry, the Mestizo of mixed ancestry, the Indio of Indian roots, and the Negro of African origins. The Blancos usually represent the elite of the society, although most people are mestizos (â€Å"Geography Resources†). As to religion, there is also a variety of systems of faith in Latin America. These include Roman Catholicism, which includes the largest population of believers. Other religions include the minority Christian groups, and some ancient religions like the Macumba, Voodoo and Camdombe, which were the religions of the African slaves (â€Å"Geography Resources†). Latinos are not without their traditional health beliefs and practices. Some of them include the humoral imbalance for illnesses caused by temperature, empacho or indigestion caused by eating the wrong food at the wrong time, mal de ojo or feelings of fatigue and headache caused by the admiration or jealousy of another person who looks at the victim, envidia or envy that causes bad luck or illness, and susto, or the fear coming from a traumatic experience (â€Å"Building our Understanding†). Latin America actually suffers from high external debts incurred for the financing of large development projects. There is also economic restructuring that is being initiated and enforced by international agencies that lend money. Moreover, the cuts in social programs and services and the rising prices caused many job losses but were countered by communal self-help. The

Daily Social Responsibility in Action Assignment

Daily Social Responsibility in Action - Assignment Example The involved actions in social responsibility may not necessarily remedy the actual effects on the society but aim achieving an overall social benefit. Organizations also engage in social responsibility in order to meet interest of people who influence the organization’s existence and operations. Partnerships and other contracts may for example be tied to terms for corporate social responsibility and this forces organization to honor their obligations to the stakeholders (Grossling, 2011). Another reason for organization’s participation in social responsibility is that the role averts pressure that would have built against the organization’s interest such as crimes into vandalism of assets (Visser, Matten, Pohl and Tolhurst, 2010). Organizations derive diversified benefits from their participation in social responsibility. Such benefits include reduced costs due to recycled resources, innovation into new products, motivated staff and a safer environment. The organization’s employees however benefit from â€Å"environmental awareness,† and â€Å"improved staff morale† towards higher output levels (Frank and Neergaard, 2012, p. 86). My experience with a company that involved in corporate social responsibility involves witnessing academic sponsorship by a commercial bank to needy students. The bank’s partners initiated this role and it improved customer’s loyalty to the bank, especially people from the beneficiary

Change of Expectations of Men and Women in 1800s Essay

Change of Expectations of Men and Women in 1800s - Essay Example Elders in those days believed that these chores helped the women to keep in good shape because it helped to strengthen their muscles and organs. According to women these days, the emphasis is laid on stimulating their brain through excessive studying and thereby they neglect their physique making it weak and vulnerable to disease. In an aristocracy, where work is dishonored, it is customary for the lower class to work for the benefit and enjoyment of the upper class but this is not so in a democracy where work is honored because everyone works hard for themselves and their own welfare. Such high democratic principles can be seen in Christianity, where the child is taught at a young age to do service to others. Jesus Christ is the best example one can take to see his self-sacrificing attitude towards his race and Christian principles and teachings are based on this. Good Christian parents should see to it that they render the best possible training in virtues to their children so that they would grow up to be benevolent and self- sacrificing to all around them. Speaking on the post Civil War Gwendolyn Wright speaks to us about those people who moved to the suburbs to escape the problems of poor health and political and social unrest. Picturesque landscapes and the use of natural materials for buildings brought them more close to nature. But the decades after the Civil war saw the suburbs take on a different implication. Those families who could afford a house in the suburbs were labeled as â€Å"middle class†. The cult of home and motherhood reached its pinnacle in the last decades of the nineteenth century. People living in the suburbs very often would visit the city to enjoy the restaurants, parks, museums and other exciting things the city had to offer.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 89

Assignment - Essay Example Then analyzing and interpreting data by tabulating and interpreting in order to draw conclusions of the results is necessary. Finally, preparing the report of the research by including an executive summary, research methods description, discussion of the study results, limitations and concluding as well as recommendation are the required steps in the research (Sontakki, 2010). There are two types of data collection, which are primary and secondary data. In our case, the preferred method is the primary research method of data collection. Exploratory involves focus groups, case studies, customer interviews, projective techniques and ethnographies. In determining what the consumers’ needs, the best method is through exploratory research where through customer interviews and focus groups, necessary information will be obtained concerning Google in Chicago. Moreover, it is to the befit of the customers to give genuine information over the research to conduct. Using customer interviews, projective techniques and focus groups has aided in determining of SWOT analysis. Strengths include product integration, open services and products source, strong portfolio patents, and the primary products are customer and quality experience. Weaknesses include unprofitable products, one income source reliance, and patent litigations. Opportunities are mobile number users’ increment, Google fiber cables, patents obtain via acquisitions and expanding to electronics industry. Threats featured are such as unprofitable products, competition from Microsoft, mobile internet users’ increment and EU antitrust laws (Sontakki, 2010). In the Google ads and consumer needs, the basis for market research project has featured all challenges and solved in accordance to the seven steps. The groups have enabled the company to improve on some

Discuss The Role of Curleys Wife In The Novel Of Mice And Men Essay Example for Free

Discuss The Role of Curleys Wife In The Novel Of Mice And Men Essay In this novel, Curleys Wifes main function or purpose is her representation of one type of female in that time of American history. She seems to be the sort of person who is well calculated in her actions. She likes to make herself attractive by using make-up, when she wears shoes with red Ostrich Feathers she doesnt need to wear them on a dust ranch, but she does. She dreams of being a movie or Talkie star, she tells Lennie this, in a rare show of confidence. She is not a stereotype but I think that her character is quite predictable. In the video adaptation she seems to be friendly because of her appearance and the way in which she says words. When she doesnt want to be noticed, her physical presence is less noticed. She is described as brittle this could mean that she is fragile. The word fragile is usually associated with small and easily broken things. The word brittle could also be describing her physical state of mind. She could seem strong but really could collapse or break down when even slightly touched, or in her case, if she is rejected or insulted. But when she talks she has a dominant charisma, which demands attention. For example, whenever she walks into a room, the men always stop talking to listen to what she has to say. This could be from fear of punishment if they do not agree with her or offend her. It could also be because of the reputation as Jailbait which she has, or how she has the eye. Because of these two abilities, she can sneak around, trying to overhear anything incriminating which she could use to blackmail someone. An example of this is when she sneaks into the stable when Lennie, Candy and Crooks are there, and she listens to them. Throughout the whole novel she does not have name of her own, which she is called by. She is only referred to as Curleys Wife. This could suggest that she is the property of Curley. Or it could also back up the fact that she is like a ghost, because a ghost has no real identity. She could act mean, or deviously because she wants to make herself noticed more. She tells Lennie I get awful lonely. This suggests that she wants someone to talk to her, or whom she can talk to. She is only described by people, with sentences like She got the eye and a Tart. After reading the part of the novel when she is in the barn with Lennie, the reader is emoted to sympathise with Curleys Wife. This could make the reader feel sorry for her, but then there would be a conflict of emotions when you realise that She has wrecked Candys dreams as well as passed a death sentence on Lennie. All of this could overshadow the fact that Curleys Wife has just died. But when you her confession to Lennie, you find that this is her only recourse in her search for attention. She tries to make herself look attractive to get more attention, but she is called a Tart. The fact that she is like a bad luck omen could enforce her image as Jail-bait. She is like a jinx for anyone who she tries to become close to. She says that she could get crooks hung and she caused Curley and slim to fight. She also indirectly caused Lennies death. Not intentionally, but she does. This could be a way of making the reader sympathise with her case, because Candy is angry at her for dying, and he doesnt stop to think that she is dead. Curleys Wife is the only woman who is mentioned on the ranch, so the men could think of her as pretty or appealing because they do not come into contact with any other women. This could encourage or strengthen her attitude. She thought that she could be a movie star and could still think that. This could be another factor that encourages her self-superiority complex. But she knows that. Because, she has no name she could be owned by Curley, this could explain her actions. It could be her way of expressing her anger. She is angry because, when she signed her marriage certificate, She didnt lose her individuality, but something worse, her identity.

Developing Awareness of Food Hygiene

Developing Awareness of Food Hygiene Tanisha Raybe HEALTH PROMOTION ESSAY ABOUT AWARENESS OF FOOD HYGIENE. GROUP MEMBERS WERE: Tanisha Raybe, Caroline Veerasamy, Charlotte Chalmers , Hannah Firth and Stacey Rimes. INTRODUCTION This essay will seek to highlight the importance of food hygiene, it will include epidemiology, demography data alongside target groups and health policies. It will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of a health forum and illustrate the role of a health promoter ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH NEED There has been growing recognition that highlights the need for more awareness of food hygiene. This was evident in the increase rate of morbidity and mortality of foodborne illnesses in the United Kingdom and worldwide (World Health Organisation, 2007). This prompted governing bodies to place more emphasis on food safety practices. However, despite their efforts food borne illness incidence continues to increase in numbers attracting media attentions both nationally and internationally (Arendt, Paez and Strohbehn, 2013). The aim of food hygiene is to ensure food is free from physical, chemical and biological contamination which is overall safe for consumption (Who, 2002). An epidemiology study carried out by The Department of Environment of food and rural affairs (2013) gave an insight into the effect of food borne illness. They reported that, there were over a million cases of food borne illness in the United Kingdom each year as a result of poor food hygiene. This amounts to 20,000 hospital admissions and 500 deaths. Food Standard Agency (2011) collated that in England and wales each year there were around 1.7 million cases of food borne illness that is 33160 cases each week. Additionally, the Centre for disease control and prevention (2011) reports that each year approximately 1 in 6 American that is 48 million people being sick , hospitalised or have died from food borne illness. Moreover the FSA, (2011) highlighted that the statistics presented above only represents the reported numbers of incidence, hence underestimating the true value of food borne illness. In light of the evidence presented above, underscore that poor food hygiene is a significant health issue that results in mortality, morbidity and hospital admissions (WHO, 2007). Moreover, the economical burden cause by the prevalence of food borne illness which cost 1.5 million to treat. Food borne illness is preventable, however many consumer believes that food borne illness is acquired by eating out whether from a restaurant or from a fast food outlet (Ackerley, 2013). However, by contrast Zablostsky Kufel el al (2011) argued that large outbreaks of food borne illness are mostly attributed to poor hygiene practices carried out within the homes. This they mentioned was due to lack of awareness about what actually cause food borne illness. These they mentioned were wrong cooking procedures , supplier providing food that have been contaminated and lastly the involvement of risky eating behaviour of raw and undercook meat. FSA, 2011 states that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the food that is supplied, prepared and eaten is suited for consumption as lay out in the policy on food safety. Also consumers do not readily admit that they may have caught food borne illness as a result of poor hygiene practices (FSA, 2011). A research carried out by (WHO, 2013) indicated that although everyone is at risk of food borne illness pregnant women , elderly , children and the immune deficiency are more susceptible to food borne illness . FSA ,2013 highlight that, more attentions should be place on education and training to reiterate to the general public about the common vehicle that cause pathogens leading to gastroenteritis and food poisoning. In addition, educating them that although some hazards are obvious factor for food poisoning, there are some not so apparent and the consequences takes time to manifest itself. For instance, food that are improperly stored, cooked or poor labelling as well as out of date, this can have a detrimental effect on the body (Griffith, 2010). Yet although food safety messages are spreading in the UK and globally the implementation is quite challenging for many. Yiannas, 2008 states that in order to improve food safety there must be a change in people’s behaviour. However changing consumer behaviour is more complex than merely educating them as habits formulated over a long period of time might be hard to break (Ackerley, 2011). For example, A study carried out in China indicated that food safety incidents was a result of social behaviour rather than natural factor, this was due to their abuse of food additives (Qiang et al , 2011 Ouyang,2011). Consumers need to be taught the benefits of changing behaviour against the consequences of food borne illness (Ackerley, 2013). Therefore, it is imperative that education be the focal point in changing people’s behaviour when it comes to food hygiene practices (Mullan Wrong, 2010). Cultural, gender, belief and age may play a significant role in food borne illness (Ackerley, 2013). For instance, in some countries economic is taught in school as part of the educational curriculum allowing students to learn about the importance of food hygiene from a young age (Powell chapman ,2011). Also some culture support females to be mainly responsible for the preparation of meals within in the home (Yiannas,2009) . Moreover, this could eliminate other family members learning the importance of food hygiene (Yiannas,2009). Policy Given the growing evidence of food borne illness this has erode consumer’s confidence in government ability to protect them from food borne illness. However this prompted Government organisation such as Food Standard Agency , Health Protection Agency, international campaign company like WHO to put more measures in place to prevent food borne illness that is identifiable by the public (FSA,2011) . Their mission is to create an awareness of food hygiene through education by engaging the public in discussion about and implementation of food safety practices. The information stipulated within the policies are set out in a comprehensive manner that seeks to give practical advice as well as address concerns the general public have or encountered (FSA,2011). For example, WHO (2012) identifies five key ways to prevent the spreading of food borne illness which are keep clean ,cook thoroughly ,safe temperatures, safe water and raw material and lastly the separation of raw and cooked product. The National health hand campaign (2009) highlights the importance of effective hand washing as it is one of the most effective ways to prevent food borne illness. The government also highlighted that transparency about food borne illness, educational programs, surveillance and inspection system for food safety is key to prevent increase in food borne illness ( Hird et al, 2009). Based on evidences relating to the increase of foodborne illness and the rising economic cost of treating illness (FSA, 2013). The experts such as Government, policy maker and health professional decided that more needs to be done about the awareness of food borne illness this coincided with Bradshaw’s (1972) needs. Bradshaw suggested there are four types of needs expressed, felt, normative and comparative needs. However, as the needs were identified by the experts normative need was more applicable to address the issue of food borne illness. For, example Rayner Scarborough (2005) argued that food borne illness is quite significant as it can have a major impact on a person’s health. They highlighted that compared to other illness say smoking that is hugely advertised in comparison to hygiene which has the same risk of mortality, morbidity hospital admission and increased burden on the NHS resources. APPROACH Yang (2012) suggested that education coupled with implementing good kitchen hygiene could reduce the number of illness and death. Seedhouse (2001) concurs with this statement stating that if the public is given the right information and resources people are far more receptive and incline to change their behaviour to achieve food safety practices .The educational approach was chosen as it reflected the most effective means to convey a message to the public to empower change. Scriven (2010) points out that the goal of an educational approach is to give adequate information to ensure the public have gain enough knowledge and understanding as well as skills to make informed decision. It is important to considerate the different ways people learn as suggested by Honey and Mumford who highlighted four learning styles namely activist, reflector theorist and lastly pragmatist (Honey Mumford, 1986). The strength of the educational approach is that information is provided to aid consumer to make the best possible choice. However, freedom of choice may not work in the public favour as they might not be incline to change their behaviour toward food hygiene ( Simnet,2010) . The aims and objects were obtained by using the acronym Smart which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. This was then illustrated by the followings: At the end of five minutes the participants will be able to identified Two sources of pathogen that can cause food borne illness two ways to prevent food borne illness Two symptoms of food borne illness EVALUATION According to Scriven (2010) evaluation is reaching a judgement about a significance particular task by critically analysing both strengths and weakness. The aim of the forum was to create an awareness of food hygiene through education on the importance of food hygiene as well as gather feedback to inform future knowledge. The group followed a sequence that was effective to analyse evaluation which were process, impact and outcome (Naidoo Wills ,2009). The group ensured there were enough educational tools incorporated to reinforce the message and took into consideration how people learn .This forum comprised of posters, leaflets, brochures, interactive games, souvenir, and show and explain demonstration. The group work together in a cohesive manner which was evident in their organisation and how the message was conveyed . As Yang et al (2012) states that teamwork’s is beneficial for student’s nurses as it helps them to develop their communication skills among others.The group presented the information in a clear, succinct manner and was not judgemental, bearing in mind they only had five minutes to get the message across. This was in accordance with (Scriven, 2010) who states that an effective communication should be free from ambiguous language. The group target university student from the age of 18- 25 as they were particularly more involved in risky behaviour than any other groups at risk ( Abbott , 2009). This was due to lack of knowledge of food safety and them being away from home for the very first time ( Mullan Wrong , 2010 Phillp Anita , 2010). However, as the day progressed the group found that the message reach not only university student but everyone. Impact During the forum it became common knowledge to the group that there were gaps in the public knowledge pertaining to food hygiene .This was identified as the group applied a strategy to find out what the public already knew about food hygiene. It became apparent that many had a false sense of confidence in terms of food hygiene and did not realise that some of the practices they carried out could actually increase their chances of acquiring food borne illness. For instance, the bacteria that is present in rice if not stored properly (FSA, 2011). This happens to be one of the group most take home message as it was firsthand knowledge to many. The group was successful in conveying the message as a total of 92% gathered from the questionnaire was found to be quite receptive to the information and mentioned the information gleaned will have a bearing on their future practices. However, the group conceded as to what could have done to reach the further 8% of the population. Outcome evaluation The group identified few strengths and weakness resulting from the health forum. Although the message was well received and the educational tool used appropriate, The group found that it would be hard to make contact with the same people around six months time to measure whether their practices has been influence by the health forum was very unlikely . However, it was noted that some of the posters and materials could have been in larger print to enable to the writing to be legible. The group believe it would be more practical and feasible to have the forum in a supermarket to attract a wide range of consumer. They found that time constraints was another issues as they only had a limited amount of time to deliver a message which could result in miss opportunity to reach more of the general public. Lastly they found that the area was noisy with other forum and events happening at the same time and was quite distracting for both themselves and the audience. A health promoter has an important role to play in educating the public ( Scriven ,2010) .He or she should be a good communicator providing information that is simple but effective. They need to understand how people learn and receive information as well as take into consideration any barriers that may prevent a message from getting across. REF For instance, language, environment factor , culture and , beliefs . 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