Chemistry Project Essay

Caffeine is a naturally-occurring stimulant, found in several plants. Caffeine is water soluble, and is extracted into the brewed cup when preparing tea, coffee, or other caffeinated drinks. The most well-known plants containing caffeine are the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, coffee, yerba matà ©, and guayusa. Although tea is known to have a number of health benefits, heavy caffeine use is known to have unpleasant effects and negative impacts on health, including anxiety and insomnia, and for this reason many tea drinkers seek to moderate their caffeine intake. The amount of caffeine in tea tends to be low, but is high enough to be a matter of concern for people drinking large quantities of tea, as well as people sensitive to caffeine for medical reasons. The Caffeine Molecule How much caffeine is in tea? The caffeine content of tea varies widely from one tea to the next, and depends on how the tea is brewed, but tends to be within the range of 15-70mg per 8 ounce cup. Caffeine can also be measured in terms of milligrams of caffeine per grams of dry tea. A teaspoon of dry tea leaves tends to weigh around 2.5 grams, the amount usually used to make a single cup, although this varies greatly by the type of tea. One study of the caffeine content of teas (after steeping) found that the caffeine content of tea varied from about 3 mg/g to 30mg/g, which would result in a cup of tea containing between 7.5 mg and 75 mg of tea. In most cases, tea has much less caffeine than coffee; a typical cup of coffee contains 80-135 mg of caffeine. However, it is important to note that these figures are per cup, not per serving, and in the case of large serving sizes, and also with espresso and other heavily-caffeinated drinks, the caffeine per serving can be considerably higher. In the U.S. the standard â€Å"small† serving size is 12 ounces. A recent study of commercial coffee vendors in Australia found that roughly a quarter of espresso samples contained over 120 mg of caffeine per serving, about 1/8th contained 167 mg or more per serving, and the highest contained 214 mg per serving. The authors of this study concluded that the most often-cited figures on caffeine content of coffee tend to underestimate the actual caffeine content. How much caffeine is safe to consume? To place these figures in perspective, the current consensus of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is that it is safe for pregnant women to consume up to 200 mg of caffeine daily. For the general public, the Mayo clinic recommends that 200-300 mg of caffeine daily is safe, but that 500-600 mg daily can cause a number of health problems. If drinking a relatively stronger tea containing 60mg / cup, 8 cups a day would be a safe amount, or 3 for pregnant women. For a weaker tea, with 30mg / cup, twice this amount would still be a safe amount of caffeine. Keep in mind that different people react differently to caffeine, so an amount that is safe or unpleasant for one person may not be healthy for everyone. L-theanine in tea interacts with caffeine In addition to caffeine, tea also contains L-theanine; theanine can interact with caffeine, allowing a smaller dose of caffeine to have a stronger effect in terms of boosting concentration and alertness. This may explain why tea seems to provide a stronger boost in alertness for some people than one would expect from its caffeine content alone. Do black, green, or white teas contain more or less caffeine? Many tea companies, and even some reputable entities such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have made misleading generalizations about the caffeine content of broad classes of tea. It is a widespread myth that black tea contains more caffeine than green tea, and another myth that white tea contains the least caffeine of all teas. Studies that have actually examined the caffeine content of a large number of different teas have consistently found that caffeine levels vary more among individual teas than across broad categories of tea such as black, white, green, oolong, or pu-erh. A study published in 2005 in the Journal of Food Science listed, among other things, the caffeine content of 77 different teas, and found a broad range of caffeine content among both green and black teas. Surprisingly, the tea in this study that was found to contain the most caffeine was a white tea, solidly dispelling the myth about white tea’s caffeine content. A more recent study in the 2008 Journal of Analytical Toxicology examined the caffeine contents of a number of teas, and found that they ranged from 14 to 61 mg per 6 or 8 oz serving, with â€Å"no observable trend in caffeine concentration due to the variety of tea†. Very few tea companies have examined the caffeine content of a large number of samples of their teas; one that has, Camellia Sinensis Tea House, found similar results, that the caffeine level varies widely from one tea to the next, and does not show clear trends of caffeine levels across different varieties of teas. One possible exception to this observation is that matcha is known to contain very high levels of caffeine, consistently much higher than other teas. This is due in part to higher caffeine levels in the leaf used to produced matcha, but it is also due to the fact that, because matcha is a powdered tea, the entire tea leaf is consumed when brewing, so a cup of prepared matcha contains 100% of the caffeine in the leaf. What determines the amount of caffeine in a particular tea? Caffeine protects the tender young leaf buds of the tea plant from being eaten by insects. There are so many different factors influencing the caffeine content of tea, that it is very hard to make generalizations predicting the caffeine content of tea. Caffeine levels vary widely from one particular tea to the next. The only certain way to know the caffeine level of a particular tea is to actually test it in a laboratory. Tea can be made from different parts of the tea plant, and these parts contain different quantities of caffeine. Leaf buds (tips) and younger leaves are higher in caffeine than older, mature leaves. This pattern can be explained by the fact that, for the tea plant, caffeine acts a natural insecticide, serving to protect the plant against being eaten by insects. Since the tips and tender young leaves are most vulnerable to insects, these parts of the plant are highest in caffeine; the older leaves are tougher and thus lower in caffeine. â€Å"Tippy† teas such as Yunnan Gold or Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yinzhen) are thus higher in caffeine than large-leaf teas such as Lapsang Souchong, a black tea (Souchongs are made of mature leaves) or Shou Mei, a white tea. The varietal (cultivar or specific horticultural variety) of tea plant used to produced tea can profoundly affect caffeine levels in tea. Varietal is independent of type of tea (green, white, black, oolong, etc.), and different types of tea can be produced from the same varietal. Variation in caffeine content among different varietals can lead to teas grown under similar conditions, with similar appearance and other qualities, having different caffeine levels. Roasting can also reduce the caffeine levels in tea. In the 2005 study mentioned above, one particular sample of Hojicha, a Japanese roasted green tea, was found to have less caffeine even than some decaffeinated teas. Oolong teas are usually roasted to varying degrees, and can be lower in caffeine, although like all types of tea, oolong teas vary greatly in caffeine content. It should be noted that the roasting processes both for hojicha and oolongs vary greatly, and the caffeine content of most of these teas has not been extensively studied, so it is not safe to conclude that hojicha or roasted oolong is necessarily low in caffeine. The blending of tea with caffeine-free ingredients to produce flavored teas can result in a lower total caffeine content so long as less total tea leaf is used in the blend. Scenting tea with flowers or flavoring tea with essential oils of plants does not add as much weight as blending with loose herbs, and thus does not lower the caffeine content (by weight) of the blend as much. How you brew tea affects caffeine content The quantity of leaf used and the length of time the leaves are steeped both directly influence the caffeine content of the final cup of tea. Using more leaves and steeping for a longer time both increase the caffeine in the resulting cup. Our page on brewing tea has more discussion of how to brew tea. Can you â€Å"decaffeinate† your own tea by steeping it briefly in water? Short answer: no. A number of sources make the claim that you can â€Å"decaffeinate† your own tea by making a brief infusion in hot water, and then discarding this infusion. Unfortunately, this process does not work; if it did, tea companies would not have to resort to expensive and involved decaffeination processes to produce decaf tea. Caffeine tends to diffuse in hot water at the same rate as many of the chemicals responsible for the flavor and aroma of tea, so if the tea still tastes flavorful, it probably still contains caffeine. Most (but not all) herbal teas contain no caffeine Although caffeine does occur in a number of plants, the overwhelming majority of herbal teas are caffeine free. The most notable exception is Yerba mate. Other plants containing caffeine are very rare as ingredients in herbal tea. In addition to exploring other herbal teas, people desiring caffeine-free tea-like drinks might want to try South African rooibos and honeybush, two plants which are often described as being similar to tea in flavor, health benefits, and manner of production.

Impact of Advertisement

Advertising From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the form of communication. For other uses, see Advertiser (disambiguation). â€Å"Adverts† redirects here. For the English punk band, see The Adverts. For content guidelines on the use of advertising in Wikipedia articles, see Wikipedia:Spam. For a proposal on advertising about Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Advertisements. A Coca-Cola advertisement from the 1890s Marketing| Key concepts| Product marketing * Pricing * Distribution * Service * Retail * Brand management * Account-based marketing * Ethics * Effectiveness * Research * Segmentation * Strategy * Activation * Management * Dominance * Marketing operations| Promotional contents| * Advertising * Branding * Underwriting spot * Direct marketing * Personal sales * Product placement * Publicity * Sales promotion * Sex in advertising * Loyalty marketing * Mobile marketing * Premiums * Prizes| Promotional media| Printing * Publicatio n * Broadcasting * Out-of-home advertising * Internet * Point of sale * Merchandise * Digital marketing * In-game advertising * Product demonstration * Word-of-mouth * Brand ambassador * Drip marketing * Visual merchandising| * v * t * e| Advertising is a form of communication for marketing and used to encourage or persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to continue or take some new action.Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. In Latin, ad vertere means â€Å"to turn the mind toward. † [1] The purpose of advertising may also be to reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful. Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertisin g or direct mail; or new media such as blogs, websites or text messages.Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through â€Å"branding,† which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate certain qualities with the brand in the minds of consumers. Non-commercial advertisers who spend money to advertise items other than a consumer product or service include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Nonprofit organizations may rely on free modes of persuasion, such as a public service announcement (PSA).Modern advertising was created with the innovative techniques introduced with tobacco advertising in the 1920s, most significantly with the campaigns of Edward Bernays, which is often considered the founder of modern, Madison Avenue advertising. [1][2][3] In 2010, spending on advertising was estimated at $142. 5 billion in the United States and $467 billion worldwide [4] Internationally, the largest (â€Å"big four†) advertising conglomerates are Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP. [citation needed] Contents * 1 History * 1. 19th century * 1. 2 20th century * 1. 2. 1 On the radio from the 1920s * 1. 2. 2 Public service advertising in WW2 * 1. 2. 3 Commercial television in the 1950s * 1. 2. 4 Media diversification in the 1960s * 1. 2. 5 Cable tv from the 1980s * 1. 2. 6 On the internet from the 1990s * 2 Advertising theory * 2. 1 Hierarchy of effects model * 2. 2 Marketing mix * 3 Types of advertising * 4 Sales promotions * 5 Media and advertising approaches * 5. 1 Rise in new media * 5. Niche marketing * 5. 3 Crowdsourcing * 5. 4 Global advertising * 5. 5 Foreign public messaging * 5. 6 Diversification * 5. 7 New technology * 5. 8 Advertising education * 6 Criticisms * 7 Regulation * 8 Advertising research * 9 Semiotics * 10 Gender effects in the processing of advertising * 11 See also * 12 Notes * 13 Reference s * 14 External links| History Edo period advertising flyer from 1806 for a traditional medicine called Kinseitan Egyptians used papyrus to make sales messages and wall posters.Commercial messages and political campaign displays have been found in the ruins of Pompeii and ancient Arabia. Lost and found advertising on papyrus was common in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Wall or rock painting for commercial advertising is another manifestation of an ancient advertising form, which is present to this day in many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. The tradition of wall painting can be traced back to Indian rock art paintings that date back to 4000 BC. [5] History tells us that Out-of-home advertising and billboards are the oldest forms of advertising.As the towns and cities of the Middle Ages began to grow, and the general populace was unable to read, signs that today would say cobbler, miller, tailor or blacksmith would use an image associated with their trade such as a boot, a suit, a hat, a clock, a diamond, a horse shoe, a candle or even a bag of flour. Fruits and vegetables were sold in the city square from the backs of carts and wagons and their proprietors used street callers (town criers) to announce their whereabouts for the convenience of the customers.As education became an apparent need and reading, as well as printing, developed advertising expanded to include handbills. [citation needed] In the 18th century[when? ] advertisements started to appear in weekly newspapers in England. These early print advertisements were used mainly to promote books and newspapers, which became increasingly affordable with advances in the printing press; and medicines, which were increasingly sought after as disease ravaged Europe. However, false advertising and so-called â€Å"quack† advertisements became a problem, which ushered in the regulation of advertising content. 9th century An 1895 advertisement for a weight gain product. As the economy expanded during the 19th century, advertising grew alongside. In the United States, the success of this advertising format eventually led to the growth of mail-order advertising. In June 1836, French newspaper La Presse was the first to include paid advertising in its pages, allowing it to lower its price, extend its readership and increase its profitability and the formula was soon copied by all titles. Around 1840, Volney B.Palmer established the roots of the modern day advertising agency in Philadelphia. In 1842 Palmer bought large amounts of space in various newspapers at a discounted rate then resold the space at higher rates to advertisers. The actual ad – the copy, layout, and artwork – was still prepared by the company wishing to advertise; in effect, Palmer was a space broker. The situation changed in the late 19th century when the advertising agency of N. W. Ayer & Son was founded. Ayer and Son offered to plan, create, and execute complete advertising campaigns for i ts customers.By 1900 the advertising agency had become the focal point of creative planning, and advertising was firmly established as a profession. [6] Around the same time, in France, Charles-Louis Havas extended the services of his news agency, Havas to include advertisement brokerage, making it the first French group to organize. At first, agencies were brokers for advertisement space in newspapers. N. W. Ayer & Son was the first full-service agency to assume responsibility for advertising content. N. W. Ayer opened in 1869, and was located in Philadelphia. [6] 20th centuryA print advertisement for the 1913 issue of the Encyclop? dia Britannica At the turn of the century, there were few career choices for women in business; however, advertising was one of the few. Since women were responsible for most of the purchasing done in their household, advertisers and agencies recognized the value of women's insight during the creative process. In fact, the first American advertising to use a sexual sell was created by a woman – for a soap product. Although tame by today's standards,[citation needed] the advertisement featured a couple with the message â€Å"The skin you love to touch†. 7][non-primary source needed] Modern advertising was created with the innovative techniques used in tobacco advertising beginning in the 1920s, most significantly with the campaigns of Edward Bernays, which is often considered as the founder of modern, Madison Avenue advertising. [1][2][3] The tobacco industries was one of the firsts to make use of mass production, with the introduction of the Bonsack machine to roll cigarettes. The Bonsack machine allowed the production of cigarettes for a mass markets, and the tobacco industry needed to match such an increase in supply with the creation of a demand from the masses through advertising. 8] On the radio from the 1920s Advertisement for a live radio broadcast, sponsored by a milk company and published in the Los Angeles Times on May 6, 1930 In the early 1920s, the first radio stations were established by radio equipment manufacturers and retailers who offered programs in order to sell more radios to consumers. As time passed, many non-profit organizations followed suit in setting up their own radio stations, and included: schools, clubs and civic groups. [9] Advertisements of hotels in Pichilemu, Chile from 1935.When the practice of sponsoring programs was popularised, each individual radio program was usually sponsored by a single business in exchange for a brief mention of the business' name at the beginning and end of the sponsored shows. However, radio station owners soon realised they could earn more money by selling sponsorship rights in small time allocations to multiple businesses throughout their radio station's broadcasts, rather than selling the sponsorship rights to single businesses per show. Public service advertising in WW2The advertising techniques used to promote commercial goods a nd services can be used to inform, educate and motivate the public about non-commercial issues, such as HIV/AIDS[citation needed], political ideology, energy conservation and deforestation. Advertising, in its non-commercial guise, is a powerful educational tool capable of reaching and motivating large audiences. â€Å"Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest—it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes. Attributed to Howard Gossage by David Ogilvy. Public service advertising, non-commercial advertising, public interest advertising, cause marketing, and social marketing are different terms for (or aspects of) the use of sophisticated advertising and marketing communications techniques (generally associated with commercial enterprise) on behalf of non-commercial, public interest issues and initiatives.In the United States, the granting of television and radio licenses by the FCC is contingent upon the station broadcasting a certain amount of public service advertising. To meet these requirements, many broadcast stations in America air the bulk of their required public service announcements during the late night or early morning when the smallest percentage of viewers are watching, leaving more day and prime time commercial slots available for high-paying advertisers.Public service advertising reached its height during World Wars I and II under the direction of more than one government. During WWII President Roosevelt commissioned the creation of The War Advertising Council (now known as the Ad Council) which is the nation's largest developer of PSA campaigns on behalf of government agencies and non-profit organizations, including the longest-running PSA campaign, Smokey Bear. [citation needed] Commercial television in the 1950s This practice was carried over to commercial television in the late 1940s and early 1950s.A fierce battle was fought between those seeking to commercialise the radio and people who argued that the radio spectrum should be considered a part of the commons – to be used only non-commercially and for the public good. The United Kingdom pursued a public funding model for the BBC, originally a private company, the British Broadcasting Company, but incorporated as a public body by Royal Charter in 1927. In Canada, advocates like Graham Spry were likewise able to persuade the federal government to adopt a public funding model, creating the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.However, in the United States, the capitalist model prevailed with the passage of the Communications Act of 1934 which created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). [9] However, the U. S. Congress did require commercial broadcasting companies to operate in the â€Å"public interest, convenience, and necessity†. [10] Public broadcasting now exists in the United States due to the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act which led to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Publi c Radio (NPR).In the early 1950s, the DuMont Television Network began the modern practice of selling advertisement time to multiple sponsors. Previously, DuMont had trouble finding sponsors for many of their programs and compensated by selling smaller blocks of advertising time to several businesses. This eventually became the standard for the commercial television industry in the United States. However, it was still a common practice to have single sponsor shows, such as The United States Steel Hour.In some instances the sponsors exercised great control over the content of the show—up to and including having one's advertising agency actually writing the show. The single sponsor model is much less prevalent now, a notable exception being the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Media diversification in the 1960s In the 1960s, campaigns featuring heavy spending in different mass media channels became more prominent. For example, the Esso gasoline company spent hundreds of millions of dollar s on a brand awareness campaign built around the simple and alliterative[11] theme Put a Tiger in Your Tank. 12] Psychologist Ernest Dichter[13] and DDB Worldwide copywriter Sandy Sulcer[14] learned that motorists desired both power and play while driving, and chose the tiger as an easy–to–remember symbol to communicate those feelings. The North American and later European campaign featured extensive television and radio and magazine ads, including photos with tiger tails supposedly emerging from car gas tanks, promotional events featuring real tigers, billboards, and in Europe station pump hoses â€Å"wrapped in tiger stripes† as well as pop music songs. 12] Tiger imagery can still be seen on the pumps of successor firm ExxonMobil. Cable tv from the 1980s The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the introduction of cable television and particularly MTV. Pioneering the concept of the music video, MTV ushered in a new type of advertising: the consumer tunes in for the advertising message, rather than it being a by-product or afterthought. As cable and satellite television became increasingly prevalent, specialty channels emerged, including channels entirely devoted to advertising, such as QVC, Home Shopping Network, and ShopTV Canada.On the internet from the 1990s Main article: Internet marketing With the advent of the ad server, marketing through the Internet opened new frontiers for advertisers and contributed to the â€Å"dot-com† boom of the 1990s. Entire corporations operated solely on advertising revenue, offering everything from coupons to free Internet access. At the turn of the 21st century, a number of websites including the search engine Google, started a change in online advertising by emphasizing contextually relevant, unobtrusive ads intended to help, rather than inundate, users.This has led to a plethora of similar efforts and an increasing trend of interactive advertising. The share of advertising spending relative to GDP h as changed little across large changes in media. For example, in the US in 1925, the main advertising media were newspapers, magazines, signs on streetcars, and outdoor posters. Advertising spending as a share of GDP was about 2. 9 percent. By 1998, television and radio had become major advertising media. Nonetheless, advertising spending as a share of GDP was slightly lower—about 2. percent. [15] A recent advertising innovation is â€Å"guerrilla marketing†, which involves unusual approaches such as staged encounters in public places, giveaways of products such as cars that are covered with brand messages, and interactive advertising where the viewer can respond to become part of the advertising message. Guerrilla advertising is becoming increasingly more popular with a lot of companies. This type of advertising is unpredictable and innovative, which causes consumers to buy the product or idea.This reflects an increasing trend of interactive and â€Å"embedded† ads, such as via product placement, having consumers vote through text messages, and various innovations utilizing social network services such as Facebook or Twitter. [citation needed] Advertising theory Hierarchy of effects model | This section contains information of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article's subject matter. Please help improve this article by clarifying or removing superfluous information. August 2012) | * Hierarchy of effects model[16] It clarifies the objectives of an advertising campaign and for each individual advertisement. The model suggests that there are six steps a consumer or a business buyer moves through when making a purchase. The steps are: 1. Awareness 2. Knowledge 3. Liking 4. Preference 5. Conviction 6. Purchase * Means-End Theory This approach suggests that an advertisement should contain a message or means that leads the consumer to a desired end state. Leverage Points It is designed to move the consumer from understandi ng a product's benefits to linking those benefits with personal values. * Verbal and Visual Images The political economy of advertisement is the theory that a few powerful groups, or ‘knowledge monopolies,’ control the thoughts, behaviors, and actions of the public through mass media as communication. As a form of communication, advertisement uses repeated verbal and visual images to develop and alter society.Over time, these repeated images and symbols become associated with either positive or negative attributes and can modify the public’s evaluation of such cultural objects as people, religions, ethnic groups, and societal roles. Thus, the media forms the beliefs and values of the public through media portrayals. The messages of the ((political economy)) commonly correlate with current economic interests. [17] Marketing mix | This section contains information of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article's subject matter.Please help improve this article by clarifying or removing superfluous information. (August 2012) | Main article: Marketing mix The marketing mix has been the key concept to advertising. The marketing mix was suggested by professor E. Jerome McCarthy in the 1960s. The marketing mix consists of four basic elements called the four P’s. Product is the first P representing the actual product. Price represents the process of determining the value of a product. Place represents the variables of getting the product to the consumer like distribution channels, market coverage and movement organization.The last P stands for Promotion which is the process of reaching the target market and convincing them to go out and buy the product. [citation needed] Types of advertising An advertisement for a diner. Such signs are common on storefronts. Paying people to hold signs is one of the oldest forms of advertising, as with this human billboard pictured above A bus with an advertisement for GAP in Singapore. Bus es and other vehicles are popular media for advertisers. A DBAG Class 101 with UNICEF ads at Ingolstadt main railway station Virtually any medium can be used for advertising.Commercial advertising media can include wall paintings, billboards, street furniture components, printed flyers and rack cards, radio, cinema and television adverts, web banners, mobile telephone screens, shopping carts, web popups, skywriting, bus stop benches, human billboards and forehead advertising, magazines, newspapers, town criers, sides of buses, banners attached to or sides of airplanes (â€Å"logojets†), in-flight advertisements on seatback tray tables or overhead storage bins, taxicab doors, roof mounts and passenger screens, musical stage shows, subway platforms and trains, elastic bands on disposable diapers, doors of bathroom stalls, stickers on apples in supermarkets, shopping cart handles (grabertising), the opening section of streaming audio and video, posters, and the backs of event ti ckets and supermarket receipts. Any place an â€Å"identified† sponsor pays to deliver their message through a medium is advertising. Television advertising / Music in advertising The TV commercial is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format, as is reflected by the high prices TV networks charge for commercial airtime during popular TV events. The annual Super Bowl football game in the United States is known as the most prominent advertising event on television.The average cost of a single thirty-second TV spot during this game has reached US$3. 5 million (as of 2012). Some television commercials feature a song or jingle that listeners soon relate to the product. Virtual advertisements may be inserted into regular television programming through computer graphics. It is typically inserted into otherwise blank backdrops[18] or used to replace local billboards that are not relevant to the remote broadcast audience. [19] More controversially, virtual billboards may be inserted into the background[20] where none exist in real-life. This technique is especially used in televised sporting events. [21][22] Virtual product placement is also possible. 23][24] Infomercials An infomercial is a long-format television commercial, typically five minutes or longer. The word â€Å"infomercial† is a portmanteau of the words â€Å"information† ; â€Å"commercial†. The main objective in an infomercial is to create an impulse purchase, so that the consumer sees the presentation and then immediately buys the product through the advertised toll-free telephone number or website. Infomercials describe, display, and often demonstrate products and their features, and commonly have testimonials from consumers and industry professionals. Radio advertising Radio advertising is a form of advertising via the medium of radio.Radio advertisements are broadcast as radio waves to the air from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a re ceiving device. Airtime is purchased from a station or network in exchange for airing the commercials. While radio has the limitation of being restricted to sound, proponents of radio advertising often cite this as an advantage. Radio is an expanding medium that can be found not only on air, but also online. According to Arbitron, radio has approximately 241. 6 million weekly listeners, or more than 93 percent of the U. S. population. Online advertising Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web for the expressed purpose of delivering marketing messages to attract customers. Online ads are delivered by an ad server.Examples of online advertising include contextual ads that appear on search engine results pages, banner ads, in text ads, Rich Media Ads, Social network advertising, online classified advertising, advertising networks and e-mail marketing, including e-mail spam. Product placements Covert advertising, also known as guerrilla advert ising, is when a product or brand is embedded in entertainment and media. For example, in a film, the main character can use an item or other of a definite brand, as in the movie Minority Report, where Tom Cruise's character John Anderton owns a phone with the Nokia logo clearly written in the top corner, or his watch engraved with the Bulgari logo. Another example of advertising in film is in I, Robot, where main character played by Will Smith mentions his Converse shoes several times, calling them â€Å"classics,† because the film is set far in the future.I, Robot and Spaceballs also showcase futuristic cars with the Audi and Mercedes-Benz logos clearly displayed on the front of the vehicles. Cadillac chose to advertise in the movie The Matrix Reloaded, which as a result contained many scenes in which Cadillac cars were used. Similarly, product placement for Omega Watches, Ford, VAIO, BMW and Aston Martin cars are featured in recent James Bond films, most notably Casino Roy ale. In â€Å"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer†, the main transport vehicle shows a large Dodge logo on the front. Blade Runner includes some of the most obvious product placement; the whole film stops to show a Coca-Cola billboard. Press advertisingPress advertising describes advertising in a printed medium such as a newspaper, magazine, or trade journal. This encompasses everything from media with a very broad readership base, such as a major national newspaper or magazine, to more narrowly targeted media such as local newspapers and trade journals on very specialized topics. A form of press advertising is classified advertising, which allows private individuals or companies to purchase a small, narrowly targeted ad for a low fee advertising a product or service. Another form of press advertising is the Display Ad, which is a larger ad (can include art) that typically run in an article section of a newspaper.Billboard advertising Billboards are large structures loc ated in public places which display advertisements to passing pedestrians and motorists. Most often, they are located on main roads with a large amount of passing motor and pedestrian traffic; however, they can be placed in any location with large amounts of viewers, such as on mass transit vehicles and in stations, in shopping malls or office buildings, and in stadiums. The RedEye newspaper advertised to its target market at North Avenue Beach with a sailboat billboard on Lake Michigan. Mobile billboard advertising Mobile billboards are generally vehicle mounted billboards or digital screens.These can be on dedicated vehicles built solely for carrying advertisements along routes preselected by clients, they can also be specially equipped cargo trucks or, in some cases, large banners strewn from planes. The billboards are often lighted; some being backlit, and others employing spotlights. Some billboard displays are static, while others change; for example, continuously or periodica lly rotating among a set of advertisements. Mobile displays are used for various situations in metropolitan areas throughout the world, including: Target advertising, One-day, and long-term campaigns, Conventions, Sporting events, Store openings and similar promotional events, and Big advertisements from smaller companies. In-store advertising In-store advertising is any advertisement placed in a retail store.It includes placement of a product in visible locations in a store, such as at eye level, at the ends of aisles and near checkout counters (aka POP—Point Of Purchase display), eye-catching displays promoting a specific product, and advertisements in such places as shopping carts and in-store video displays. Coffee cup advertising Coffee cup advertising is any advertisement placed upon a coffee cup that is distributed out of an office, cafe, or drive-through coffee shop. This form of advertising was first popularized in Australia, and has begun growing in popularity in th e United States, India, and parts of the Middle East. [citation needed] Street advertising This type of advertising first came to prominence in the UK by Street Advertising Services to create outdoor advertising on street furniture and pavements.Working with products such as Reverse Graffiti, air dancer's and 3D pavement advertising, the media became an affordable and effective tool for getting brand messages out into public spaces. [citation needed] Sheltered Outdoor Advertising This type of advertising opens the possibility of combining outdoor with indoor advertisement by placing large mobile, structures (tents) in public places on temporary bases. The large outer advertising space exerts a strong pull on the observer, the product is promoted indoor, where the creative decor can intensify the impression. Celebrity branding This type of advertising focuses upon using celebrity power, fame, money, popularity to gain recognition for their products and promote specific stores or prod ucts.Advertisers often advertise their products, for example, when celebrities share their favorite products or wear clothes by specific brands or designers. Celebrities are often involved in advertising campaigns such as television or print adverts to advertise specific or general products. The use of celebrities to endorse a brand can have its downsides, however. One mistake by a celebrity can be detrimental to the public relations of a brand. For example, following his performance of eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, swimmer Michael Phelps' contract with Kellogg's was terminated, as Kellogg's did not want to associate with him after he was photographed smoking marijuana.Celebrities such as Britney Spears have advertised for multiple products including Pepsi, Candies from Kohl's, Twister, NASCAR, Toyota and many more. Sales promotions Sales promotions are another way to advertise. Sales promotions are double purposed because they are used to gather inf ormation about what type of customers you draw in and where they are, and to jumpstart sales. Sales promotions include things like contests and games, sweepstakes, product giveaways, samples coupons, loyalty programs, and discounts. The ultimate goal of sales promotions is to stimulate potential customers to action. [25] Media and advertising approaches | This section may contain original research.Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. (April 2012) | | This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012)| Increasingly, other media are overtaking many of the â€Å"traditional† media such as television, radio and newspaper because of a shift toward consumer's usage of the Internet for news and music as well as devices like digital video recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo. [26] Digital signage is poised to become a major mass media because of its ability to reach larger au diences for less money. Digital signage also offer the unique ability to see the target audience where they are reached by the medium.Technological advances have also made it possible to control the message on digital signage with much precision, enabling the messages to be relevant to the target audience at any given time and location which in turn, gets more response from the advertising. Digital signage is being successfully employed in supermarkets. [27] Another successful use of digital signage is in hospitality locations such as restaurants. [28] and malls. [29] Advertising on the World Wide Web is a recent phenomenon. Prices of Web-based advertising space are dependent on the â€Å"relevance† of the surrounding web content and the traffic that the website receives. Reasons for online display advertising: Display ads generate awareness quickly.Unlike search, which requires someone to be aware of a need, display advertising can drive awareness of something new and withou t previous knowledge. Display works well for direct response. Display is not only used for generating awareness, it’s used for direct response campaigns that link to a landing page with a clear ‘call to action’. E-mail advertising is another recent phenomenon. Unsolicited bulk E-mail advertising is known as â€Å"e-mail spam†. Spam has been a problem for e-mail users for many years. A new form of advertising that is growing rapidly is social network advertising. It is online advertising with a focus on social networking sites.This is a relatively immature market, but it has shown a lot of promise as advertisers are able to take advantage of the demographic information the user has provided to the social networking site. Friendertising is a more precise advertising term in which people are able to direct advertisements toward others directly using social network service. [citation needed] As the mobile phone became a new mass media in 1998 when the first pa id downloadable content appeared on mobile phones in Finland, it was only a matter of time until mobile advertising followed, also first launched in Finland in 2000. By 2007 the value of mobile advertising had reached $2. 2 billion and providers such as Admob delivered billions of mobile ads. citation needed] More advanced mobile ads include banner ads, coupons, Multimedia Messaging Service picture and video messages, advergames and various engagement marketing campaigns. A particular feature driving mobile ads is the 2D Barcode, which replaces the need to do any typing of web addresses, and uses the camera feature of modern phones to gain immediate access to web content. 83 percent of Japanese mobile phone users already are active users of 2D barcodes. [citation needed] Some companies have proposed placing messages or corporate logos on the side of booster rockets and the International Space Station. [citation needed] Unpaid advertising (also called â€Å"publicity advertisingâ₠¬ ), can provide good exposure at minimal cost.Personal recommendations (â€Å"bring a friend†, â€Å"sell it†), spreading buzz, or achieving the feat of equating a brand with a common noun (in the United States, â€Å"Xerox† = â€Å"photocopier†, â€Å"Kleenex† = tissue, â€Å"Vaseline† = petroleum jelly, â€Å"Hoover† = vacuum cleaner, and â€Å"Band-Aid† = adhesive bandage) — these can be seen as the pinnacle of any advertising campaign. However, some companies oppose the use of their brand name to label an object. Equating a brand with a common noun also risks turning that brand into a genericized trademark – turning it into a generic term which means that its legal protection as a trademark is lost. From time to time, The CW Television Network airs short programming breaks called â€Å"Content Wraps,† to advertise one company's product during an entire commercial break.The CW pioneered â€Å"content wraps† and some products featured were Herbal Essences, Crest, Guitar Hero II, CoverGirl, and recently Toyota. Recently, there appeared a new promotion concept, â€Å"ARvertising†, advertising on Augmented Reality technology. [citation needed] Controversy exists on the effectiveness of subliminal advertising (see mind control), and the pervasiveness of mass messages (see propaganda). [citation needed] Rise in new media US Newspaper Advertising Revenue Newspaper Association of America published data [30] With the Internet came many new advertising opportunities. Popup, Flash, banner, Popunder, advergaming, and email advertisements (all of which are often unwanted or spam in the case of email) are now commonplace.Particularly since the rise of â€Å"entertaining† advertising, some people may like an advertisement enough to wish to watch it later or show a friend. In general, the advertising community has not yet made this easy, although some have used the Internet to widely distribute their ads to anyone willing to see or hear them. In the last three quarters of 2009 mobile and internet advertising grew by 18. 1% and 9. 2% respectively. Older media advertising saw declines: ? 10. 1% (TV), ? 11. 7% (radio), ? 14. 8% (magazines) and ? 18. 7% (newspapers ). [citation needed] Niche marketing Another significant trend regarding future of advertising is the growing importance of the niche market using niche or targeted ads.Also brought about by the Internet and the theory of The Long Tail, advertisers will have an increasing ability to reach specific audiences. In the past, the most efficient way to deliver a message was to blanket the largest mass market audience possible. However, usage tracking, customer profiles and the growing popularity of niche content brought about by everything from blogs to social networking sites, provide advertisers with audiences that are smaller but much better defined, leading to ads that are more relevant to viewers and more effective for companies' marketing products. Among others, Comcast Spotlight is one such advertiser employing this method in their video on demand menus.These advertisements are targeted to a specific group and can be viewed by anyone wishing to find out more about a particular business or practice at any time, right from their home. This causes the viewer to become proactive and actually choose what advertisements they want to view. [31] Crowdsourcing Main article: Crowdsourcing The concept of crowdsourcing has given way to the trend of user-generated advertisements. User-generated ads are created by consumers as opposed to an advertising agency or the company themselves, most often they are a result of brand sponsored advertising competitions. For the 2007 Super Bowl, the Frito-Lays division of PepsiCo held the Crash the Super Bowl contest, allowing consumers to create their own Doritos commercial. [32] Chevrolet held a similar competition for their Tahoe line of SUVs. 3 2] Due to the success of the Doritos user-generated ads in the 2007 Super Bowl, Frito-Lays relaunched the competition for the 2009 and 2010 Super Bowl. The resulting ads were among the most-watched and most-liked Super Bowl ads. In fact, the winning ad that aired in the 2009 Super Bowl was ranked by the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter as the top ad for the year while the winning ads that aired in the 2010 Super Bowl were found by Nielsen's BuzzMetrics to be the â€Å"most buzzed-about†. [33][34] This trend has given rise to several online platforms that host user-generated advertising competitions on behalf of a company. Founded in 2007, Zooppa has launched ad competitions for brands such as Google, Nike, Hershey's, General Mills, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Zinio, and Mini Cooper.Crowdsourced advertisements have gained popularity in part to its cost effective nature, high consumer engagement, and ability to generate word-of-mouth. However, it remains controversial, as the long-t erm impact on the advertising industry is still unclear. [35] Global advertising Advertising has gone through five major stages of development: domestic, export, international, multi-national, and global. For global advertisers, there are four, potentially competing, business objectives that must be balanced when developing worldwide advertising: building a brand while speaking with one voice, developing economies of scale in the creative process, maximising local effectiveness of ads, and increasing the company’s speed of implementation.Born from the evolutionary stages of global marketing are the three primary and fundamentally different approaches to the development of global advertising executions: exporting executions, producing local executions, and importing ideas that travel. [36] Advertising research is key to determining the success of an ad in any country or region. The ability to identify which elements and/or moments of an ad contribute to its success is how econ omies of scale are maximised. Once one knows what works in an ad, that idea or ideas can be imported by any other market. Market research measures, such as Flow of Attention, Flow of Emotion and branding moments provide insight into what is working in an ad in any country or region because the measures are based on the visual, not verbal, elements of the ad. [37] Foreign public messaging See also: Soft Power  and International Tourism AdvertisingForeign governments, particularly those that own marketable commercial products or services, often promote their interests and positions through the advertising of those goods because the target audience is not only largely unaware of the forum as a vehicle for foreign messaging but also willing to receive the message while in a mental state of absorbing information from advertisements during television commercial breaks, while reading a periodical, or while passing by billboards in public spaces. A prime example of this messaging techniqu e is advertising campaigns to promote international travel. While advertising foreign destinations and services may stem from the typical goal of increasing revenue by drawing more tourism, some travel campaigns carry the additional or alternative intended purpose of promoting good sentiments or improving existing ones among the target audience towards a given nation or region.It is common for advertising promoting foreign countries to be produced and distributed by the tourism ministries of those countries, so these ads often carry political statements and/or depictions of the foreign government's desired international public perception. Additionally, a wide range of foreign airlines and travel-related services which advertise separately from the destinations, themselves, are owned by their respective governments; examples include, though are not limited to, the Emirates airline (Dubai), Singapore Airlines (Singapore), Qatar Airways (Qatar), China Airlines (Taiwan/Republic of China ), and Air China (People's Republic of China).By depicting their destinations, airlines, and other services in a favorable and pleasant light, countries market themselves to populations abroad in a manner that could mitigate prior public impressions. [citation needed] Diversification In the realm of advertising agencies, continued industry diversification has seen observers note that â€Å"big global clients don't need big global agencies any more†. [38] This is reflected by the growth of non-traditional agencies in various global markets, such as Canadian business TAXI and SMART in Australia and has been referred to as â€Å"a revolution in the ad world†. [39] New technology The ability to record shows on digital video recorders (such as TiVo) allow users to record the programs for later viewing, enabling them to fast forward through commercials.Additionally, as more seasons of pre-recorded box sets are offered for sale of television programs; fewer people watch the s hows on TV. However, the fact that these sets are sold, means the company will receive additional profits from the sales of these sets. To counter this effect, a variety of strategies have been employed. Many advertisers have opted for product placement on TV shows like Survivor. Other strategies include integrating advertising with internet-connected EPGs, advertising on companion devices (like smartphones and tablets) during the show, and creating TV apps. Additionally, some like brands have opted for social television sponsorship. citation needed] Advertising education Advertising education has become widely popular with bachelor, master and doctorate degrees becoming available in the emphasis. [citation needed] A surge in advertising interest is typically attributed to the strong relationship advertising plays in cultural and technological changes, such as the advance of online social networking. A unique model for teaching advertising is the student-run advertising agency, wher e advertising students create campaigns for real companies. [40] Organizations such as American Advertising Federation and AdU Network partner established companies with students to create these campaigns.Criticisms Main article: Criticism of advertising While advertising can be seen as necessary for economic growth, it is not without social costs. Unsolicited commercial e-mail and other forms of spam have become so prevalent as to have become a major nuisance to users of these services, as well as being a financial burden on internet service providers. [41] Advertising is increasingly invading public spaces, such as schools, which some critics argue is a form of child exploitation. [42][43] In addition, advertising frequently uses psychological pressure (for example, appealing to feelings of inadequacy) on the intended consumer, which may be harmful.Many even feel that often, advertisements exploit the desires of a consumer, by making a particular product more appealing, by manipul ating the consumers needs and wants. Regulation Main article: Advertising regulation There have been increasing efforts to protect the public interest by regulating the content and the influence of advertising. Some examples are: the ban on television Tobacco advertising imposed in many countries, and the total ban of advertising to children under 12 imposed by the Swedish government in 1991. Though that regulation continues in effect for broadcasts originating within the country, it has been weakened by the European Court of Justice, which had found that Sweden was obliged to accept foreign programming, including those from neighboring countries or via satellite.Greece’s regulations are of a similar nature, â€Å"banning advertisements for children's toys between 7 am and 10 pm and a total ban on advertisement for war toys†. [44] In Europe and elsewhere, there is a vigorous debate on whether (or how much) advertising to children should be regulated. This debate was ex acerbated by a report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation in February 2004 which suggested fast food advertising that targets children was an important factor in the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. In New Zealand, South Africa,Pakistan, Afghanistan, Canada, and many European countries, the advertising industry operates a system of self-regulation.Advertisers, advertising agencies and the media agree on a code of advertising standards that they attempt to uphold. The general aim of such codes is to ensure that any advertising is ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful'. Some self-regulatory organizations are funded by the industry, but remain independent, with the intent of upholding the standards or codes like the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK. In the UK most forms of outdoor advertising such as the display of billboards is regulated by the UK Town and County Planning system. Currently the display of an advertisement without consent from the Pl anning Authority is a criminal offense liable to a fine of ? 2,500 per offence.All of the major outdoor billboard companies in the UK have convictions of this nature. In the US many communities believe that many forms of outdoor advertising blight the public realm. [45] As long ago as the 1960s in the US there were attempts to ban billboard advertising in the open countryside. [46] Cities such as Sao Paulo have introduced an outright ban[47] with London also having specific legislation to control unlawful displays. Many advertisers employ a wide-variety of linguistic devices to bypass regulatory laws (e. g. In France, printing English words in bold and French translations in fine print to deal with the Article 120 of the 1994 Toubon Law limiting the use of English). 48] The advertisement of controversial products such as cigarettes and condoms are subject to government regulation in many countries. For instance, the tobacco industry is required by law in most countries to display wa rnings cautioning consumers about the health hazards of their products. Linguistic variation is often used by advertisers as a creative device to reduce the impact of such requirements. Advertising research Main article: Advertising research Advertising research is a specialized form of research that works to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising. It entails numerous forms of research which employ different methodologies.Advertising research includes pre-testing (also known as copy testing) and post-testing of ads and/or campaigns—pre-testing is done before an ad airs to gauge how well it will perform and post-testing is done after an ad airs to determine the in-market impact of the ad or campaign on the consumer. Continuous ad tracking and the Communicus System are competing examples of post-testing advertising research types. [citation needed] Semiotics Main article: Advertising research Today’s culture is made up of meanings between consumers and m arketers. These meanings depict signs and symbols that are encoded in everyday objects. [49] Semiotics is the study of signs and how they are interpreted.Advertising has many hidden signs and meanings within brand names, logos, package designs, print advertisements, and television advertisements. The purpose of semiotics is to study and interpret the message being conveyed in advertisements. Logos and advertisements can be interpreted at two levels known as the surface level and the underlying level. The surface level uses signs creatively to create an image or personality for their product. These signs can be images, words, fonts, colors, or slogan. The underlying level is made up of hidden meanings. The combination of images, words, colors, and slogan must be interpreted by the audience or consumer. [50] The â€Å"key to advertising analysis† is the signifier and the signified.The signifier is the object and the signified is the mental concept. [51] A product has a signifie r and a signified. The signifier is the color, brand name, logo design, and technology. The signified has two meanings known as denotative and connotative. The denotative meaning is the meaning of the product. A television’s denotative meaning would be that it is high definition. The connotative meaning is the product’s deep and hidden meaning. A connotative meaning of a television would be that it is top of the line. [52] Apple is an excellent example of using semiotics in their advertising campaign. Apple’s commercials used a black silhouette of a person that was the age of Apple's target market.They placed the silhouette in front of a blue screen so that the picture behind the silhouette could be constantly changing. However, the one thing that stays the same in these ads is that there is music in the background and the silhouette is listening to that music on a white iPod through white headphones. Through advertising, the white color on a set of earphones no w signifies that the music device is an iPod. The white color signifies almost all of Apple’s products. [53] The semiotics of gender plays a key influence on the way in which signs are interpreted. When considering gender roles in advertising, individuals are influenced by three categories.Certain characteristics of stumuli may enhance or decrease the elaboration of the message (if the product is perceived as feminine or masculine). Second, the characteristics of individuals can affect attention and elaboration of the message (traditional or non-traditional gender role orientation). Lastly, situational factors may be important to influence the elaboration of the message. [54] There are two types of marketing communication claims-objective and subjective. [55] Objective claims stem from the extent to which the claim associates the brand with a tangible product or service feature. For instance, the camera has auto focus features. Subjective claims convey emotional, subjective, impressions of intangible aspects of a product or service.They are non-physical features of a product or service that cannot be directly perceived, as they have no physical reality. For instance the brochure has a beautiful design. [56] Males tend to respond better to objective marketing communications claims while females tend to respond better to subjective marketing communications claims. [57] In advertisements, men are represented as independent. They are shown in more occupations than women. Women are represented mainly as housewives and mothers. Men are more likely to be shown advertising cars or business products, while women advertise domestic products. Men are more likely to be shown outdoors or in business settings. Women are depicted in domestic settings. Men are more often portrayed as authorities. As far as ds go, with age men seem to gain wisdom and authority. On the other hand women seem to disappear with age. Voiceovers are commonly used in advertising. Most voiceove rs are men (figures of up to 94% have been reported). There have been more female voiceovers in recent years but mainly for food, household products, and feminine care products. [58] Gender effects in the processing of advertising According to a 1977 study by David Statt, females process information comprehensively, while males process information through heuristic devices such as procedures, methods or strategies for solving problems, which could have an effect on how they interpret advertising. 59] According to this study, men prefer to have available and apparent cues to interpret the message where females engage in more creative, associative, imagery-laced interpretation. More recently, research by Martin (2003) reveals that males and females differ in how they react to advertising depending on their mood at the time of exposure to the ads, and the affective tone of the advertising. When feeling sad, males prefer happy ads to boost their mood. In contrast, females prefer happy a ds when they are feeling happy. The television programs in which the ads are embedded are shown to influence a consumer's mood state. [60] Enforcement Policy Statement on Food Advertising May 1994 I. Introduction II. Legal Framework for Commission Action III.Nutrient Content Claims A. Claims Describing the Absolute and Comparative Nutrient Content of Foods 1. Absolute Nutrient Content Claims 2. Comparative Nutrient Content Claims 3. Synonyms for Nutrient Content Claims 4. Implied Nutrient Content Claims B. Nutrient Content Claim Disclosures IV. Health Claims A. Standard for Substantiation of Health Claims B. Health Claims for Foods That Contain a Nutrient at a Level That Increases the Risk of a Disease C. Nutrient/Substance Levels Sufficient to Ensure Meaningful Health Benefits D. Minimum Nutritional Value for Foods Bearing Health Claims E. Relevance of Dietary Factors to Claimed Health Benefit FootnotesIntroduction The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is issuing this statement to pro vide guidance regarding its enforcement policy with respect to the use of nutrient content and health claims in food advertising. The Commission believes the statement is appropriate in light of the passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA),1 and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) January 6, 1993, issuance of food labeling regulations implementing the NLEA. 2 The FTC, FDA, and USDA share jurisdiction over claims made by manufacturers of food products pursuant to a regulatory scheme established by Congress through complementary statutes.Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) (hereinafter â€Å"Section 5†) prohibits â€Å"unfair or deceptive acts or practices,† and, in the case of food products, Sections 12 and 15 of the FTC Act prohibit â€Å"any false advertisement† that is â€Å"misleading in a material respect. â€Å"3 FDA's authority is embodied in part in Section 403(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) which prohibits â€Å"labeling [that] is false or misleading in any particular. â€Å"4 Since 1954, the FTC and the FDA have operated under a Memorandum of Understanding,5 under which the Commission has assumed primary responsibility for regulating food advertising, while FDA has taken primary responsibility for regulating food labeling. 6 The NLEA amended Section 403 of the FDCA and effected broad changes in the regulation of nutrition claims on food labels.In addition to requiring nutrition information on virtually all food products, the NLEA directed FDA to standardize and limit the terms permitted on labels, and allows only FDA-approved nutrient content claims and health claims to appear on food labels. 7 While the NLEA is designed in part to prevent deceptive and misleading claims on labels, Congress also intended that nutrient content and health claims educate consumers in order to assist them in maintaining healthy dietary practices. 8 The NLEA also mandated tha t FDA undertake a consumer education effort to educate consumers about the new food label and the importance of diet to health. 9 Therefore, in keeping with its recently expanded and unique jurisdictional mandate, the requirements set forth in FDA's regulations have a broader purpose than preventing false and misleading claims in food labeling.The NLEA applies only to labeling and did not change the FTC's statutory authority to prohibit deceptive acts or practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act. Nevertheless, in light of the comprehensive regulatory scheme established for food labeling claims by the NLEA, the Commission is issuing this statement to clarify how its own authority relates to issues raised by FDA's food labeling regulations. The Commission recognizes the importance of consistent treatment of nutrient content and health claims in food advertising and labeling and seeks to harmonize its advertising enforcement program with FDA's food labeling regulations to the fullest ex tent possible under the statutory authority of the FTC Act. The Commission also recognizes the scientific expertise of FDA in this area.The Commission has traditionally accorded great weight to FDA's scientific determinations in matters of nutrition and health and will continue to do so. In addition, as a general matter, it is unlikely that the Commission will take action under Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act regarding nutrient content and health claims if they comply with FDA's regulations. 10 The principal elements of the Commission's authority to regulate nutrient content and health claims in food advertising are set forth below in the discussion of the Commission's legal framework in Part II of this statement. Part III of the statement addresses the Commission's approach to harmonization with the NLEA and FDA's regulations in the area of nutrient content claims in food advertising.Part IV of the statement addresses the Commission's approach to health claims in food advertising. Claims made in food advertising may raise issues addressed in more than one section of this statement. Advertisers, therefore, should comply with all relevant provisions of the statement and not simply the provision that seems most directly applicable. In issuing this statement, the Commission recognizes that the FDA intends its regulatory approach to be dynamic, designed to respond to changes in science and consumer understanding of nutrition and diet-disease issues. Therefore, while the Commission's purpose in issuing this statement is to provide guidance on how t will enforce Sections 5 and 12 in the food advertising area, the statement is not intended to provide a comprehensive analysis of how each of FDA's regulations relates to the Commission's enforcement policy. Instead, this statement focuses on the general issues that are likely to remain relevant to the Commission's regulation of food advertising over time, as specific provisions in the FDA regulations are amended. Legal Framework for Commission Action As noted above, the FTC regulates food advertising under its statutory authority to prohibit deceptive acts or practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The Commission has set forth its interpretations of this authority in its Deception Policy Statement11 and its Statement on Advertising Substantiation. 2 FTC food cases, applying the principles articulated in these statements, have also established a growing body of precedent against which food advertisers can assess the lawfulness of their claims. 13   As set out in the Deception Statement, the Commission will find an advertisement deceptive under Section 5 and, therefore, unlawful, if it contains a representation or omission of fact that is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances, and that representation or omission is material. 14 The first step in a deception analysis is to identify representations made by an advertisement. A representation may be made by express o r implied claims. An express claim directly makes a representation.The identification of an implied claim requires an examination of both the representation and the overall context of the ad,15 including the juxtaposition of phrases, images, and the nature of the claim and the transaction. 16 In other words, in ascertaining the meaning of an advertisement, the Commission will focus on the ad's overall net impression. 17 In addition to deception arising from affirmative representations in an advertisement, the omission of material information may also be deceptive in certain circumstances. First, deception can occur through omission of information that is necessary to prevent an affirmative representation from being misleading. 8 Second, â€Å"it can also be deceptive for a seller to simply remain silent, if he does so under circumstances that constitute an implied but false representation. â€Å"19 However, â€Å"[n]ot all omissions are deceptive, even if providing the informatio n would benefit consumers. â€Å"20 As with advertisements that contain affirmative representations, the test for whether an omission is deceptive is whether the overall impression created by the ad is deceptive. 21 The next step in identifying deception in an ad requires the Commission to consider the representation from the perspective of a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances. 22 Finally, a representation must be material, i. e. , likely to affect a consumer's choice or use of a product or service. 3 Express claims and claims involving health or safety are presumptively material. 24 In addition, objective claims carry with them the implication that they are supported by valid evidence. It is deceptive, therefore, to make an express or implied nutrition or health benefit claim for a food unless, at the time the claim is made, the advertiser possesses and relies upon a reasonable basis substantiating the claim. 25 A reasonable basis consists of competent and reliable evidence. In the context of nutrient content or health claims, substantiation will usually require competent and reliable scientific evidence sufficient to support the claim that is made. 6 Commission orders generally require that scientific evidence consist of tests, analyses, research, studies or other evidence conducted and evaluated in an objective manner by persons qualified to do so, using procedures generally accepted in the relevant profes

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Unit VI Analyze the Running Case on page 488 of the textbook, Essay

Unit VI Analyze the Running Case on page 488 of the textbook, - Essay Example ndle customers, customer care protocols, production chain management, communication approaches, recreational, wellness systems and marketing techniques. Training on such aspects enables companies to focus their synergies in providing competitive services at the right time. This paper explores the best way of managing training program at Manage Your Health Company (MYH) that is expected to be rolled out. The training programs the institution seeks to adopt is to improve employee performance by ensuring their health and physical wellbeing. In particular, the company that has over 20,000 full time employees and 5,000 part time employees is set to offer training on recreation and wellness. The program is to be facilitated by experienced trainers with the capacity of ensuring holistic development. As noted, MYH is set to roll out a recreation and wellness training program that aims at equipping employees with requisite incentives for health development. The training is to be executed to boost health conditions of the staff and in turn engage in quality service delivery. Improving employee health requires effective and timely enlightening on dietary matters, awareness creation on healthy foodstuffs, and education on balanced diet among others (Richard, Emener & Hutchison, 2009). On the other hand, keeping fit calls for favorable fitness training and systematic workout by the employees. These aspects require a well versed training team and management for best results to be attained. To achieve the objectives, the institution contemplates outsourcing the management of the training process to facilitate the program based on the scope of work to be executed. However, the proposal to outsource trainers is deemed unnecessary and wasteful given that MYH Company has a well-established internal training team/department that has over the years conducted various training programs successfully. The internal training department has the capacity to conduct the program that requires

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Education Technology - Essay Example Also even if the students are willing to go to school despite these situations, they are unable to attend because they are needed in the farm or in the chores in their homes. It is in these situations where governments and education sectors should involve the use of technology in providing education. There are a number of NGOs and multinational companies who are willing to fund projects in relation to these. In the Philippines for example, a television network partners with generous organizations in bringing Sineskwela or School on Air to remote areas (Sineskwela, 2009). The Sineskwela is an educational show, covering all the various subjects of primary education delivered through dramatizations and a lot of visual effects. The objective is to make learning fun and interesting and delivering it not only to formal schools but to homes as well and to those who have no access to quality education. Some organizations are providing computers and television sets to schools located in depressed areas all over the world. In India for example, a lot of organizations have been donating computers to schools that do not have sufficient funds to provide computer education or at least use computer technology in delivering classroom teaching (Agarwal, 2007). These are instances where technology is used in carrying out the teaching and learning process, both as a support to the teaching and also as the teaching process. Technology has been recognized all over the world to be that powerful force in bringing about change, and in this case, change in the educational system. The use of technology in education has been around for quite a while and has already been institutionalized in the sense that this is incorporated in teacher education curricula all over the world so that teachers will be equipped with the necessary skills and know-how with respect to the use of technology in education. Virtual classrooms and distance learning or

Should the capital punishment be allowed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Should the capital punishment be allowed - Essay Example 46). The increased number is attributed to these four nations being most populous nations globally. The death penalty is matter controversy in different nations across the world. The positions are varied based on either cultural region, or political ideology. Among the member states of the European Union (EU), Article 2 of the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the EU prohibits the use of capital punishment (European Union, 2010). In the same way, the Council of Europe that is comprised of 47 member states does not allow capital punishment among its members. The public opinion in relation to the death penalty varies considerably. Nonetheless, studies have evidenced adequate reasons as to why the death penalty needs to be abolished. Hodgkinson and Schabas (2004, p. 57) shares the evidence that the death penalty needs to be illegalised because life is very valuable. Life is very important and even murderers are not supposed to be deprived the value of their lives. Life cannot be taken back and every justice system is vulnerable to failure. Therefore, capital punishment puts numerous innocent lives at risk (Kronenwetter, 2001, p.53). Any mistake from the prosecution team may lead to demise of an innocent person. In the same way, innocent people will be prosecuted and killed due to flaws in the justice system. Justices, prosecutors, and witnesses can makes mistakes, which may result in the wrongful convictions of persons. It therefore becomes inevitable that innocent individuals may be sentenced to death for capital crimes. For example, in America, according to Amnesty International an estimated 130 people have been found to be innocent who were on death row. The mentally ill persons may also be executed not knowing why the reasons for their mistakes. The uncooperative and cold behaviour of the mentally challenged persons in the courtroom makes them unable to participate in the trials. As a result, they convicted and put on death row when they are

A topic of your choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A topic of your choice - Essay Example They will begin to develop physical problems such as eye damage due to extreme exposure to light from the computer. Health concerns will manifest in terms of dizziness and headaches which may turn severe in the long run thus leading to damage in the brain cells and other parts of the body. They further argued that video games being an indoor activity, will not allow the children to go out and play with their age-mates which in turn will lower their chances of being fit as well as the ability to adapt socially with the environment. As a result, the children will not be able to interact well with other people hence leading a life of isolation and low self-esteem. Their academic performance were likely to decline as they will not be able to cope up well in class. They are aware that some of the video games are violent hence will make the children to be very hostile as they grow up thus become irresponsible adults. I tended to agree with their line of thinking, however they failed to consider some of the benefits of video games to children and I took time to inform them of the advantages so that they could consider buying them for the children. I told them that one of the advantages of video games is that they increase creativity among children as they engage in challenging experiences with the games. They also inculcate a taste for graphics, technology and design thus will tend to widen the scope of career paths for the children. The challenging games tend to sharpen their brains through mental stimulation and relieving them from anxiety or any form of pain. Since most of the games are played by more than one person, it will increase their team-playing abilities thus honing their communication and interactive skills. In relation to their academic performance, the games will facilitate their ability to solve problems in

Strategic Human Resource Management Master Assignment

Strategic Human Resource Management Master - Assignment Example Stakeholders include employees, customers and the communities in which the organisation operates. Employees, customers and communities therefore have a significant impact on the success of the organisation and thus on the corporate strategy of the organisation. In formulating corporate strategy, organisations need to identify and priorities strategic issues, which involves scanning, selecting, interpreting and validating information. (Schneider, 1989) To properly formulate its corporate strategy, an organisation must assess its organisational strengths and weaknesses, as well as its environmental threats and opportunities, which will enable it choose among alternative courses of action. (Hofer and Schendel, 1984) cited in Schneider, (1998). This indicates that an organisation must perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis prior to formulating corporate strategy. ... A number of factors have been identified as having an effect on corporate strategy formulation: for example, Kets de Vries and Miller (1984) suggest that managerial personality and experience is an important determinant of the strategy formulation process; Janis (1972) considers group dynamics as an important factor affecting the formulation of corporate strategy while Frederickson (1984); Lyles and Mitroff (1985) suggest that organisational structure plays an important role in strategy formulation. Schneider (1998) citing Schein (1985) notes that National culture could play an important role in strategy formulation as it derives from assumptions regarding relationships with the environment as well as relationships among people. Schneider (1998) argues that these assumptions will influence how information is gathered and how that information is interpreted within the organization. The strategy formulation process can therefore not be considered 'culture-free' because information is embedded in social norms and acquires symbolic value as a function of a particular set of beliefs in a particular set of cultures. (Feldman and March, 1981). There are considerable differences in cultures across countries. Culture is defined as "a system of shared assumptions that has developed over time to solve problems of environmental adaptation and internal integration". (Schneider,, 1998: p. 152) citing Schein (1985); Van Maanen and Barley (1983). Culture is expected to affect the process by which the environment is known and responded to because it is thought to influence the way people perceive, think, feel and evaluate. (Schneider,, 1998). There are two sets of cultural assumptions that are thought to be specifically relevant to the

Entrepreneurial Self Reflective Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Entrepreneurial Self Reflective Analysis - Essay Example The essay presents a self-reflection analysis done by the researcher and based on the GET2 test while providing any contradicting or supportive arguments based on previous encounters. The overall result of the test that are presented in the essay also challenges the ability of the researcher to develop innovative ideas. The researcher considers this assumption both wrong and highly prejudiced. Different people have different abilities and ideas. It is explained that since we all have a different set of abilities and personal characteristics, the researcher believes the test does not give an excellent analysis regarding his overall creativity. The researcher then councluds that these test results also seem to contradict each other seeing that the researcher considers his risks suggesting that he prefers taking calculated moves. An example of a contradictory review is the idea that the researcher prefers giving orders and also being the team leader. The same test results also state tha t the researcher would be well suited in an intrapreneurship letting someone take charge and engage in risky activities. If the two results are by chance considered to be factual, then the researcher would also have a strong desire to lead any partner, and that would translate to taking a higher risk than them. According to the GET2 test, the researcher have an overall score of 63 percent that implies he is likely to have strengths in various enterprising characteristics and could also be enterprising in some contexts.

Marketing company research Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing company research - Term Paper Example The sector has been growing at a rapid pace since the last few years, but 2012 was a breakthrough year, as during this period, the industry generated the highest ever revenue. However, the most alarming fact about the consumer electronics market of UAE is that, it is mainly driven by the tourist segment. Hence, the dependency on the tourist segment is extremely high. The local consumers on the other hand are more cautious when it comes to the purchase of electronics product or any other luxury goods. This study will investigate about the possibilities of Sony to gain success in the UAE market. The company is currently dealing with several external business challenges and to curb those issues, they are recommended to launch a new product i.e. a Hi-Fi system with affordable price. The financial crisis of UAE and weaknesses in Dubai is also a cause of concern for the industry. The financial crisis has compelled local consumers to spend in a vigilant way. Despite the stern situation, UAE still remains an attractive market for the companies belonging to the consumer electronics segment. ... (Hsu 223) However, due to stable political scenario there is hardly any external disturbance for the companies operating in this industry. Another beneficial factor is that the people of UK are music-lover and 84% are urbanized population. Around 13.8 % and 61.5 % people belong to the age group of 15-24 years and 25-54 years, who are the potential customers of this industry. With a developed logistics infrastructure (42 airports, 4,080 km Roadways and 61 merchant marines) (â€Å"Middle East: United Arab Emirates†) the distribution of the products will not be a cause of concern. Hence, the country will offer favorable business condition for the new product of Sony. Industry Analysis The high scale of sophistication among the consumers of UAE fuels the demand of new and innovative electronics item. The demand of cutting-edge editions of the electronic products has more demand in UAE and Middle East than anywhere else in the world. However, one of the major constraints of the ind ustry growth is high price, at least for a certain segment of customers. Hence, launching new and innovative products at an affordable price range can be extremely beneficial for the companies. Since, the recent past another trend being identified in the consumer electronic industry is the shifting distribution pattern. Most of the retailers are trying to establish online shopping platforms for the purpose of reducing their cost of operation and distribution. The UAE consumers are demanding products that which has better connectivity, high-end features, and better performance, quality, speed and convenience. The market size of consumer electronics industry of UK is

Hope Leslie Paper Essay Example for Free

Hope Leslie Paper Essay In Catharine Sedgwick’s novel, Hope Leslie, Magawisca is one of the Main female characters and she runs into many hardships in the book. Magawisca is the daughter of well known Indian chief Mononotto but is separated from her father and her tribe when they are all attacked. After Magawisca and her brother’s mother dies the children get sent to work at the home of the Fletchers an English family. Magawisca gets caught in the middle of two cultures when she is raised by an English family but knows of her original culture, Magawisca responds well and helps the reader understand how big the cultural gap is in the 1600s. Magawisca’s tribe, the Pequots, are attacked by the English and when Magawisca, her brother Oneco and their mother escape they travel to a new city. When Magawisca and Oneco’s mother dies the two kids are sent to Mr. Fletchers home to be Indian servants. After living with the Fletcher family for a while Magawisca’s father, Mononotto, appears at the Fletchers abode. With the feeling that the Fletchers have captured his son and daughter, Mononotto kills all of the Fletchers but one much against Magawisca’s protest. Magawisca begs and pleads against her father’s actions but does no good, she wants to save what is considered her family for a short but meaningful amount of time but doesn’t want to go against her father’s will. Magawisca is thrown into a very hard situation but handles everything calmly and maturely. She is stuck between two cultures that despise each other but she ends up with her tribe the Pequot’s for a long time. In a time of need Magawisca still helps the one remaining Fletcher child by risking her own limb to protect part of her â€Å"family†. Towards the end of the book Magawisca has taken both sides, the English and the Pequot’s and that pays off. When Magawisca is captured by the English the remaining Fletcher child puts his own safety in danger to help save Magawisca. Magawisca never broke down or really chose sides but she is in fact always there for both of her â€Å"tribes†. This book was places in the 1600’s and Magawisca’s predicament really helps the readers understand the cultural gap between The Indians and The English.  The hatred between the two cultures is so large that they destroy each other. Magawisca shows the line between the Indian tribes and the English where as she isn’t fully accepted in either culture. For spending time with the English I’m sure some members of the Pequots find her as a trader and for originating and being known as a Pequot she is never truly accepted by the English. Although Magawisca gets caught in the middle of two cultures when she is raised by an English family, Magawisca responds well and helps the reader understand how big the cultural gap is. Without Magawisca really drawing the line between the two cultures the readers wouldn’t have gotten a full picture of how big the division between the two cultures are. Magawisca is really a main character because of the bond she shares with both cultures.

The drugging of our children Essay Example for Free

The drugging of our children Essay Are young children early on exposed to psychotropic medications due to lack of medical attention? Do millions of children in these countries really have ADD or ADHD? These questions arise all over North America, Great Britain, and Australia. Drugging of children at young ages is the result of self-diagnoses, teacher diagnoses, and lack of medical care and treatment for children with the â€Å"disease† of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the documentary The Drugging of our Children, Gary Null, Forever Living Products, 2005, DVD Web, brings about the argument. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s children began to be put on many different drugs for their behavior in school, the main drug being Ritalin. In the documentary, Null speaks out to parents of children that are on medication by interviewing many different parents, physicians, and education committees about the use of Ritalin and other psychotropic medications in young children. All of these things that are being evaluated of the child’s behavior is at school, and is compared to the expected behavior of that particular teacher’s classroom. The film goes on explain how teachers diagnose those more challenging students with either ADD or ADHD and have them forced to put their kid on a medication to â€Å"cure† their so called disease. After showing each case and their stories, the film also reflects the long term effects of the medications also. The process of diagnosing a child with ADD or ADHD starts in the school environment. Teachers early on look for flaws in students in regards to classroom disruption. There is a list of nine elements including: can’t sit in seat, fidgets, jumping out of chair, doesn’t wait his turn, blurts out answer before question is finished being asked, careless mistakes in schoolwork etc. If the teacher can identify at least six out of the nine characteristics, then she has the authority to tell the parent that their child will be sent to a special needs school program. They will also tell parents that their child needs to be medicated for this disease. Dr. James Schaller of the Medical College of Pennsylvania (Life Script; James Louis Schaller, MD) believes that one must rule everything out first and then see the actual problem before considering medication. It is common in this day and age for people to accuse the hyperactive child of their parents not knowing how to raise or control them. Dr. Michael D. Fraser states that parenting style is not a cause of ADD and ADHD but that it’s hereditary and can even have to do with things like low birth weight, diet, and allergies. Needleman stated that, â€Å"It has also been claimed that exposure to lead can cause delinquent behavior in children†. The number one symptom of ADD or ADHD is â€Å"Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat†, stated by Peter Breggin, MD. Null only gets facts and stories from people that have been negatively affected by the use of psychotropic medications and doctors that are against the use of them. The audience is only able to wrap the mind around tragic situations that’ll lead to agreement with the argument presented. It was observed that as children got older, school shootings became more common. The cause of this was claimed to be that children now days had easier access to guns in the home. Researchers looked further into this answering their own questions like â€Å"Weren’t guns easy to access in the 1950’s and 1960’s? † In fact, yes, it was just as easy, if not easier for children to get their hands on guns then also. Physicians looked further into the children committing these acts. Miguel Humara, Ph. D states that, â€Å"The most effective form of treatment for ADD and ADHD are cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychotropic medication†. All of the children featured in the film had a history of being on some sort of psychotropic medication, the most common being Ritalin. These drugs are most commonly meant for people ages eighteen years or older, but doctors were being lazy and just prescribing these drugs to small children also. Comparing an eighteen year old on Ritalin to a seven year old on it, they had different side effects. While the eighteen year old was experiencing headache and vomiting, the seven year old was hallucinating and unconsciously doing violent acts. Obvious to viewers that these had long term consequences to younger aged children. This information makes sense and is valid from people with first-hand experience, but what about the people with no horrendous side effects? What about the doctors that do rule out everything before trying out medicine? These things should have also been addressed throughout the film for accurate accusation. The argument is strong and makes the audience think about medicating young children and is definitely persuasive in making them agree. This argument makes the audience think more in depth of the side effects of medication on young children in both their short term and long term effects. Null, throughout the entire film, speaks to the audience through the credibility of doctors, educators, and parents that have lived through experiences. This is an effective way to grab the attention of the audience with real life stories of victims. It makes the audience feel as if they know the victim and can have sympathy for their experience and therefore be able to agree with the argument, making the argument effective. In reality, young children are going to be a bit hyper and squirmy in their childhood and shouldn’t be look at as diseased or troubled. They need time to grow up and understand acceptable behavior. Though teachers and parents quickly make the assumption that there is something wrong, doctors need to be the ones to make the ultimate decision. Therefore, drugging of young children is the result of self-diagnoses, teacher diagnoses, and lack of medical attention and care for those with ADD and ADHD.

Themes of Madness in Hamlet

Themes of Madness in Hamlet To be or not to be begins one of the most famous soliloquies of all time by an author that has stood the test of time, William Shakespeare in his play, Hamlet. There are several different themes that are relayed within Hamlets story. These themes include death, obsession, and betrayal, all of which contribute in some manner to encourage Hamlets madness. In every theme, the audience can relate on a universal level both back in the day and in contemporary times as death, obsession and betrayal are common entities, well known today and will continue to be known and understood until the end of time. There are many overlapping themes that all relate back to Hamlets madness, specifically including death, obsession, and betrayal. Nature of Hamlet The underlying theme of madness is represented quite often in the play. In the play, Hamlet exhibits a puzzling nature. Hamlet contradicts himself throughout out the play. He endorses both of the virtues of acting a role and being true to ones self. He further supports both of these conflicting endorsements with his actions. This ambiguity is demonstrated by his alleged madness, for he does behave madly, only to become perfectly calm and rational an instant later. These inconsistencies are related with the internal dilemmas he faces. He struggles with the issue of revenging his fathers death, vowing to kill Claudius and then backing out, several times. In the first act Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions and inner state. When questioned by Gertrude about his melancholy appearance Hamlet says, Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not seems (1.2.76). This is to say I am what I appear to be. Later he makes a clear statement about his state when he commits himself to revenge. In this statement the play makes an easy to follow shift. This shift consists of Hamlet giving up the role of a student and mourning son. Hamlet says,Ill wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain (1.5.99à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ103) Hamlet is declaring that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge of his fathers death. Conviction When Hamlet appears again in act two, it seems that he has lost the conviction that was present earlier. He has yet to take up the part assigned to him by the ghost. He spends the act walking around, reading, talking with Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the players. It is not until the very end of the act that he even mentions vengeance. If he had any of the conviction shown earlier he would be presently working on his vengeance. So instead of playing the part of vengeful son, or dropping the issue entirely, he hangs out in the middle, pretending to be mad. This is shown when he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern I know notà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœlost all my mirth, foregone all custom of exercise (2.2.298à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ299). Later he tells them that he is just feigning madness when he says, I am but mad northà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnorthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœwest, when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw (2.2.380à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ381). Admitting so blatantly that he is only feigning madness would imply that he is comfortable with it. He also seems to be generally comfortable with acting. This is evidenced when he says, there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so (2.2.251à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ252). Hamlet is saying that behavior shapes reality. Hamlet is prompted to vengeance, again, by the moving speech that is given by one of the players. About this speech he says, Whats Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her? What would he do Had he motive and cue for passion, That I have? (2.2.561à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ564) In this praise of this players ability to act, Hamlet is saying that if he were such an actor he would have killed Claudius by now. This link between vengeance and acting that is present here is what Hamlet struggles with until very near the end. When Hamlet is advising the player on how his lines should be read he says, Suit the action to the word, the word to the action (3.2.17à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ18). If Hamlet would follow his own advice he would not have a conflict. This shows that he is not consistent within himself. Hamlet is saying one should not distinguish between word and actions, but he does maintain this separation. Yet when Hamlet speaks with Horatio he praises him for being objective, levelheaded, and for having a consistent character. He is praising Horatio for being true to himself, not being an actor. Hamlet says,Give me that man, That is not passions slave, and I will wear him, In my hearts core, ay, in my heart of heart, As I do thee. (3.2.69à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ72) Hamlet is saying this because he wants Horatio to watch the King at the play. He is unsure of his uncles guilt, and he wants proof. He wants it from someone who he thinks is honest throughout. It comes back to acting and vengeance or in this case he has failed in his vengeance and needs Horatio to agree with him. Hamlet says to Horatio, Observe mine uncle. If his occulted guilt, Do not itself unkernnel in one speech, It is a dammed ghost we have seen, (3.2.77à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ80) Proof, however, does not have any thing to do with the role Hamlet is supposed to play, but there is more to it than that. The interesting thing is that his uncle will be judged by how he acts during the play. If the King is a good actor, and does not show his guilt, he will most likely not be killed. However, the King is not a good actor and when he rises Hamlet responds with, What, frighten with false fire? (3.2.254). Its as if Hamlet is saying its only a play, its not real. He does say something to this e ffect a few lines before. Your majesty, and we that have free souls, it touches us not (3.2.229à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ230). This new proof drives Hamlet to use more words. He is again to talk of killing, and he says, Now I could drink hot blood (3.2.379). He again associates this with a role, that of Nero. The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom (3.2.383). Later Hamlet again talks himself out of character and does not kill the King. He puts it off until later and says, When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, At gaming, swearing, or about some act, That has no relish of salvation in it, Then trip him that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be dammed and black (3.3.89à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ94) Death Hamlet frequently thinks about suicide throughout the course of the play. Hamlets perspective on his life can be seen in his To be or not to be speech. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep- No more, and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks is only the beginning of his verse (3.1.59-64). By mentioning the thoughts of suffering the slings and arrows that are naturally lifes tribulations, followed by the consideration of facing a sea of troubles by living, it is apparent that he desires to experience death. Hamlet hopes to avoid and not to be subjected to inevitable heartache that is simply part of life, and by wishing to not have to tolerate pain, exhibits his wish to die. At the end, Hamlet has apparently made the decision that he would rather die, but if, and only if he were not afraid of what would come after death . In a manner of speaking, this also reflected Hamlets depression in that he would constantly think about death. He was melancholy to say the least. The question remains as to whether or not this is madness. In truth, it is possible that because he contemplates suicide in a very real way, it could possibly be thought of as madness as it is not a thought that any normal person would ever have. Instead, a normal individual may see issues in life that need to be dealt with instead of run away from which may have been what Hamlet was doing. Madness surrounds this possibility of death because most individuals will never truly contemplate taking their own life in any normal circumstances. In any event, Hamlets uncertainty is also what drives Hamlets obsessions, which revolve around the betrayal leading to the death of his father. Obsession and Betrayal Hamlets obsession revolves around the betrayal his family has faced at the hands of his uncle. Despite the fact that Hamlet appears to have been given evidence that his uncle did, as a matter of fact, murder his father, it seems as though this so-called evidence is simply not enough for Hamlet to be absolutely certain. Where wilt though lead me? Speak; Ill go no further Hamlet begins in Scene V (Shakespeare) Although this statement may be perceived as Hamlet attempting to stand his ground in search for answers as to what is happening, the other side of this could also be that he is somewhat afraid of the specter that is standing in front of him. During Shakespeares time period, fear of ghosts was not unusual because it was believed that ghosts did indeed exist as a way of explaining sometimes what seemed to be supernatural things. The ghost of Shakespeares Hamlet first appears in Act I and reveals truths to Hamlet, one of which is admitting that he is Hamlets murdered father. A conve rsation takes place between Hamlet and the ghost of his dead father where the ghost openly accuses Claudius, Hamlets uncle, of having been the murderer by stating that The serpent that did sting thy fathers life Now wears his crown (1.5.39-40). If the ghost is indeed Hamlets father and is to be believed, theoretically, the ghosts accusation should be all of the proof that Hamlet needs, yet he continually searches for proof, all the while replacing normal joys with his obsession to know the absolute truth behind the betrayal the resulted in the death of his beloved father. Eventually, his obsession with his fathers death gets reinforced by an increase in separation from his family as well as his loved ones. Simply seeing a ghost raises questions of madness because reality says that there are no such things as ghosts, but yet, people still claim to see ghosts. In this particular case, it can be thought that Hamlet descended into madness even further as he attempted to come to terms with several factors that surrounded this particular event in the play. The first factor that really stands out is the fact that Hamlet sees a ghost period. Not too many people will see such things unless they are perhaps clinically and mentally disturbed. That is the first implication that signals Hamlets madness. It continues even as others see what Hamlet sees. Even Hamlets friends, Horatio and Marcellus, see him after Hamlet has seen his fathers ghost. Hamlet truly wants closure for the loss of his father and as such, urgently wants assurances as to what has been witnessed from his friends perspectives. While his friends fear the ghost, Hamlet feels as though he must go in order for the ghost to talk to hi m. Is it madness that drives him to go forth and attempt to communicate with the ghost? Honestly, it can be looked at from either perspective. Simply believing that an individual can even talk to a ghost is somewhat disturbing. There would have to be some sort of mental illness or blockage there to believe that he truly was talking to his fathers ghost. At the same time, maybe it was not madness as it could have been because there are many different ways that an individual learns to cope with what they are dealing with. In this case, Hamlet must learn to deal with the loss of his father and perhaps seeing something like a specter is in fact his coping mechanism. That cannot possibly be healthy, but for lack of better explanation, at least it is a way to cope. On the other hand, it can even be questioned as to whether or not he may instead be experiencing a true mental illness like schizophrenia. The only reason that can be tossed out the window as an option is because his friends al so see the ghost even if they are unaware as to who or what it is supposed to stand for. Also considering the fact that the only person that the ghost talks to is Hamlet, it would seem that perhaps this was also because Hamlet was the only one willing to see and talk to the ghost. Perhaps that is also a sign of madness as he allowed himself to communicate with someone that really should not exist in any real scientific manner. Since Hamlet seemed to be far past the idea true sanity, it would further seem that his talking to a ghost would simply add to the madness that is Hamlet. As the play progresses, Hamlet has become separate emotionally from his family and the woman he once proclaimed to love, Ophelia. He would rather push Ophelia away and encourage her to go to a nunnery because of the way he has come to view women in general. He goes on to tell her that he loved her once, only to say that Ophelia should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not (3.1.119-121). How hurtful that was to the fair Ophelia and did nothing but make her wish for the Hamlet she once knew. Clinical depression exhibits withdrawal from loved ones, as Hamlet has done here with Ophelia. Hamlet even finds it necessary to be vulgar towards Ophelia as it would have been impossible for him to continue to love her while simultaneously attempting to avenge Hamlet pulled away from the woman he had once proclaimed to love and still continued to contemplate his fathers death as well as his own. The death of Hamlets father is also reflective of the types of plays that were written of the time which were morality plays. The play contains many elements that are reminiscent of the Dark Ages such as the idea of the nation being diseased like a physical being which reminds the audience of the plague that had run rampant during medieval times. It is interesting that the health of the country and the well-being of the family are so closely related in such a manner that the country actually reflects the family. This brings forth the dark ages to the audience because the people held the royal family largely responsible for the plague and felt as though the royal family could have done more for the people as opposed to simply getting away. Denmark is constantly described as a physical person that has been made ill by the moral corruption within the family. In writing Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote what was common for that time which was a morality play. Clearly, morality played a significa nt part in the entire piece as Hamlet struggled with the idea of death. After the kings death, Hamlet is obsessed with death and looks at death from several different points of view. Then again, death was a common component of life during the dark ages what with the plague having run its course through Europe. With all of the surrounding destruction, contemplating death was normal, but for Hamlet, it took a slightly different twist. Real Madness or Not? Some might argue that Hamlets madness was real or not, but in truth, it was a truly disastrous time in Hamlets life. His father had passed away and his uncle had just married his widowed mother. This was then followed by the appearance of the ghost of his dead father with instructions for revenge, and then as if that were not enough, Ophelias father had made it impossible for Hamlet to see her. It is no wonder that Hamlet had episodes of madness throughout the play and appeared to lose touch with reality a number of times. In all reality, Hamlet never fully lost touch with reality and as such did eventually stop exhibiting his insanity after his argument with Laertes in the graveyard. Even in considering the revenge that was plotted against Claudius required some sort of reality hold in order to plan something effectively for it to really work. Once Hamlet saw his ghost of a father, his sole purpose in life was to uncover the truth about the matter and avenge his father should it be deemed necessary. From that perspective, madness seemed to be the perfect vessel to manipulate the way that the people worked around him. In fact, madness allowed him to confuse Polonius into believing that Ophelia was the root of his madness so much in fact that Polonius went to the king and queen who also seem inclined to believe that Ophelia could in fact be the cause of Hamlets madness. For Hamlet to carry this on effectively, he would have had to retain some sort of connection to reality in order to manipulate those that would otherwise doubt whether or not he actually knew what he was talking about. Hamlet was a brilliant man indeed! Final Thoughts It would seem that being a good actor is paramount to survival in this play. Polonius could not stick to the role of adviser and was trying to convince the King that Hamlet was in love with his daughter. This leads him to spy on Hamlet, and because he could not do that right either, is killed. Ophelia could not handle the role of mourning for her father, goes mad and dies as a result. The King could not cover up his guilt, so Hamlet has the proof he needs to spur him on. Overall, Hamlet, who if he would have acted as the ghost instructed him to in the first place, instead of flip flopping around, would have killed Claudius outright. Had Hamlet been truly comfortable with acting, Claudius would have been the only causality. Depending on how Hamlet is examined, it would appear that there are both real and not quite so real bouts of madness. Given the time in his life, it would be more likely that Hamlet would in fact be a victim of madness while still retaining some of his ability to keep in touch with reality to some extent. This attachment is what kept Hamlet from going entirely over the edge, but ultimately, his madness is what caused the story to take the path that it did because his madness led to his obsession which bled over into several different other themes within the play.