Norms and Values in Middle Eastern Culture

            A culture is a particular society at a particular time and place[1]. Although every society has its own culture, it may vary in each due the differences in their sets of values. Each culture is built on their own norms and values. These characteristics help differentiate each culture. Norms and values are essential because they help keep a culture in line. By keeping a culture in line, it is at the peak of its excellence.

A norm “is a standard that is required or regarded as normal”.[2] There are basic norms that are found in the Middle Eastern and other cultures. Norms, such as being courteous, respecting your elders, being responsible, obeying the law, are expected from every culture. These norms were set to prevent society from becoming chaotic. Laws or example, are “a body of rules and principles governing the affairs of a community and enforced by a political authority”.[3] If there were no laws, everyone would do what they please without taking into consideration any of the consequences. If laws were terminated, murderers would not be punished, vandalism would become a regular practice, and stealing would not be a crime. Laws are necessary to keep society in order as well as keep the people safe.

Values, on the other hand, “are beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment”.[4] Unlike norms, values are subjective, meaning that they are unique to every individual. Still, the accepted set of values, ideals, goals and standards are part of the character of a culture. These derive over time and are modified with each generation. Some cultures or societies change faster than others, but there is a stability found in a common set of values.

In the Middle East, “Islam stresses the idea of a public morality, which is to be enforced collectively”.[5] In some areas, Islamic rules have affected certain cultural values. These are strict and extremely obligatory. For example; in Iraq, people must follow strict religious customs that are set for them, whereas in Bahrain, a more liberal culture, people do not practice these customs as intensely as Iraqis because of cultural differences. Bahrain, however, has plenty of Islamic customs that people accept and take on, one of them being the Islamic emphasis on specific acts of kindness. In a broad circle of relationships, the first obligation is to the immediate family – parents, spouse, and children – and then to other relatives, neighbors, friends and orphans and widows, the needy of the community, our fellow Muslims, all fellow human beings, and finally animals.

Although norms and values differ depending on each culture, many of these are shared within the Middle East. Without them, cultures and societies would suffer from the commotion and turmoil that occurs due to the lack of rules and morals. Although both norms and values change through time, norms are generally modified as generations pass, while most values remain the same and are practiced as they are in present day.

 Noor Al Moataz

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[1] http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=culture

[2] http://thefreedictionary.com/norm

[3] http://thefreedictionary.com/law

[4] http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=values

[5] http://www.crescentlife.com/articles/social%20issues/invisible_society.htm

The Effects of Advertising on Children

            Nowadays, advertising is ubiguitous. We cannot escape from it; we see it every minute, and it influences the way we consume in everyday life. However, the medium that has the most powerful effect on our consumption habits is television. Advertisements make adults buy things that they do not necessarily need, and it is even worse in the case of young children and teenagers. They are the perfect target for any advertising agency, and commereisls affect them in many different ways.

            Many studies show that young children under the age of eight are unable to understand television advertisements.[1] Children tend to believe and accept commercials as truthful and accurate messages. That is why they are the perfect target.  For example, I remember myself when I was little; I bought the NESQUIK chocolate milk because of the bunny. I believed it would come out of the box and be alive.

In 2000, the American Psychological Association (APA), found that advertising agencies spent an estimated twelve billion dollars per year, on advertising messages aimed at the youth market.[2] In addition, children on average watch more than 40,000 television commercials per year. With this number, we can imagine the indirect influence that can lead to unhealthy eating habits if they are shown sugary, unhealthy or fast food commercials, or the change in behaviors if shown video games and toy commercials.

It is difficult to reduce the effect of these ads on our children. The APA made some moves to make such ads restricted, especially those aimed at children aged eight and under who lack the ability to recognize the purpose of the ad content.[3] The lack of parental supervision these days is another concern. Parents should reduce the hours of watching TV to  two hours a day no more.[4] With the growing number of the children watching TV and accessing the Internet in their own bedrooms, there is no one to explain and clear the ads content, so they are able to distinguish commercial from noncommercial content.

Advertising has changed in the past decade. It has stepped up targeting  youngsters to increase selling products without thinking of children’s physical and mental health. With this huge power we should be aware of its influence on our children, and we should always supervise them and make sure the content of ads doesn’t harm them. 

MALAK ALTAIS

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[1]  http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun04/protecting.html

[2]  http://www.youngmedia.org.au/mediachildren/03_advertising.htm

[3] http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.html

[4] http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;95/2/295.pdf

The Effects of the Internet on Teenagers

The Internet has become increasingly a major part of our lives.It can be used at home, work, schools, and libraries and with wire less technology, surfing the web is everywhere. It estimated that 90% of the American teenagers use the Internet. These youngsters usually visit some websites to get homework done, post their profiles on my space, attend chat rooms, and send e-mails. This increase in using the Internet has made psychologists and parents concerned about its effect on teenagers. Research have found that it affects both their social skills and behaviors.[1]

It was found that males use the Internet more than females do. Most of the boys spent their time playing violent video games with other boys at home or online,or sometime alone. While the girls are more likely to spend their time on social interaction, even online by chatting and gossiping with their friends or doing online shopping.[2] Because of this, teenagers may become addicted to the Internet, and this will lead to depression and isolation from society.

If children spend most of their time online, it could make them more exposed to pornography. Some of public chat rooms were designed for sex talk, and by entering these rooms with different identities, children may come out of their shells and be open to topics about sex and ask questions that they may never ask their parents, sometimes exchanging links of porn movies and pictures. Pornography and sexual media can influence sexual violence, sexual attitudes, moral values, and sexual activity, among children and youth.[3]

The Internet if not used correctly, is a waste of time especially for youngsters. Instead of doing there homework and research it will effect their social skills and behaviors. Parents should always supervise children and teenagers in this. Reducing the number of hours of Internet usage to two per day, and placing the computer in a non-private room of the house, may decrease the negative impact on youth.

MALAK ALTAIS

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[1] http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/718369/what_effect_does_using_the_internet.html?cat=15

[2] http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/downloads/Adolescent%20Internet%20usepdf.pdf

[3] http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/6883

L'AZURDE

This week, we learned that classical conditioning can be used in advertisements. This strategy is used to cause a change in the behavior or the feeling of the consumer toward the product that is being sold. For example, in the L'AZURDE commercial, this major jewelry company  associates a famous beautiful singer to their different designs of jewelry. In this advertisement, they show that despite her beauty and sex appeal she is unhappy, confused and nothing satisfies her. Something is missing to complete this beauty.  Then she figures out what is missing: jewelry.  In this one-minute scene, the theme is luxur; a short monolog is used, and the background music is one of her best songs of the year. In my opinion, this commercial is really powerful for L'AZURDE because of the song and the sexy- looking singer. Consumers will relate the company’s name to her, and they will increase the company’s sales by buying jewelry. Overall, it was a good commercial and I’m one of her fans.
L'AZURDE

Malak Altais

Cancer Foundation

This is an advertisement that appeals to people. The little boy has cancer, which is why he lost all his hair. Probably the little girl, his little sister, doesn't know what happened to her brother. All she knows is he will lose his hair, and she wants to give him a gift at least. In her own naive way, the little girl is willing to share what she has with her brother -- her hair. Obviously, this is a very emotional advertisement. The producer attempts to stimulate audience’s sympathy by displaying the little girl’s naïve thinking and behavior.

The technique this advertisement uses is mystery. In the beginning, the audience does know why the little girl cuts her hair, and then her parents come home with her brother wearing a hat.  When the little girl gives her hair to her brother, he takes off his hat.  At that moment, the audience discovers the boy has lost all his hair.  Everyone is touched by the lines spoken at the end: “We do not ask more than you can give.”

The Cancer Foundation

Chun

Scent Advertisements

Advertisement plays an essential part of bussiness. Companies build bridges between themselves and customers by marketing in order to introduce and promote their products. There are numerous ways to advertise: visual ads like TV, magazines, newspapers. It is impossible people be unaffected by advertisement.  Currently, there is a new way to advertise products; by using the sense of smell, called scent advertisement.This is an innovation to stimulate people’s desire to purchase or change people’s shopping behavior.

Scent marketing, is a method that takes advantage of scent to market products; the best known is scenting the environment of the retail store in order to keep the customers longer. For example, it is no secret for real estate agents to put the aroma of baked bread or chocolate chip cookies in an apartment or house to keep the customer longer and enhance their opportunity. Victoria’s Secret has created a certain formula for their brand and pump it into their retail stores to attract female customers.

Why has scent marketing become popular? Why have businesses started to do this kind of marketing? In the past, advertisers and marketers were facing a problem: 80% of all brand communication was audio or visual. For most brands and products, taste and touch did not even apply. That left scent, the only sense we cannot block out permanently. The average adult breathes 18,000- 30,000 times a day. So why not we use scent marketing?

Nowadays, this method of advertisement has become more and more popular. Not only is the scent pumped into the store, many businesses also spend a great deal of money to hire a scent company to help them create and develop a brand scent. They believe that adding scent to a brand’s image can create a deeper connection with the consumers. Singapore Airlines has gone so far as to patent the scent of lotus flowers and bamboo forests. Notes of mandarin origin, vanilla and cedar are what Sony has spent some times to infuse their store.  [1]

Scent marketing seems useful and amazing. Businesses might hire a scent marketing institute or divide a team inside a market or have departments develop a scent which fits their brand image. Samsung is working on a “technological” aroma to create a seductive electronics environment for its customers. They figured out that the technology aroma was orange and vanilla. They pump this formula into the Samsung experience concept store. Customers claim, this scent gives them a vivid and energetic image. For the Plaza Athenee, which is an upscale hotel on the upper East Side of Manhattan, the lobby is infused with a fougere scent- lavender with citrus notes on like a men’s cologne[2]. It’s a scent that Gilbirt, who is behind the Scent Marketing Institute wants guests to associate with a fancy membership club.

There is another way to play scent marketing, and it’s to create a scent package. For instance, shampoo or body-wash companies create the scent container, so customers don't have to open the bottle in the store to determine if they like its scent. This is a significant marketing tool since many people determine which shampoo to purchase based on smell. This type of marketing often happens in Europe.

Scents include sea breeze for calm, lavender fields for relaxation, green tea for introspection, pine for energizing, or jasmine for sensuality. It seems everywhere our turn–our home, our car, our work, our place of worship, our supermarket and shopping mall–scents are being strategically placed to entertain and seduce the nose. Scents provide a pleasant shopping environment for most people. It is no doubt that we will enter into a new age of Scent Advertisement.

Chun

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[1] Tara Weiss, Market Milk (Forbes.com), 12/01/06

[2] http://blog.sellsiusrealestate.com/branding/scent-marketing-leading-consumers-by-the-nose/2006/04/30/

Internet Use and Age Groups

Internet Use and Age Groups

In modern society, most people use the Internet in order to live convenient. Many e-business companies are born every year. Because of different age of Internet users, on-line company should target proper ages. For instance, Starcraft, which is children’s famous on-line game, and Facebook, which is popular blog website, target children, and Google, famed search engine, has users that are teenagers and university students. Adults use Hotmail and Internet stores more than any other age.

Children use the Internet for entertainment. Most of boys use the Internet to play on-line games with friends. When they play games, both connect to the same on-line game website, so they can play games together, even though they are not in the same place. And they buy itemsto use only the Internetto win over other players. On the other hand, girls use messenger and blogs more than games. They usually spend money to make their blogs prettier to attract the other’s eyes. This makes children spend more time and money on the Internet at home than to go outside. That is why most on-line game and blog websites try to concentrate on children.

While children use the Internet for entertainment, teenagers use it to get useful information. Most teenagers are students, so they use it for academic purposes more than enjoyment. For example, when they write essays, they search through the Internet to get useful information. Students do not have to go the library to find information; they can save time. If they pay money, they can get more professional information. Also, when they apply to universities, they get information about them using their own websites; it is unnecessary to go the university directly. When they find job offers, they link the company’s website to get its specific information such as pop-up links about job offers. What is more, people can send in applications directly in the Internet.

In contrast to children and teenagers, adults use the Internet for daily life. Employees sometimes work until night, meaning that they do not have much time to go out and enjoy their free time. Therefore, they buy a variety of products using the Internet stores. The biggest advantage of that is people do not have to go to the store to buy goods. So lots of the Internet stores target adults who do not have much time to go out. Teenagers use messengers to get in touch with their friends, but workers use email to contact with co-workers, which is free unlike business calls. If people use email, it is easy to say difficult words. Moreover, adults use Internet banking services instead of going to the bank, and housekeepers can get information about domestic life.

People can do numerous things with the Internet such as playing games, chatting with friends, buying goods, and getting useful information, helping them live in comfort. Internet companies concentrate on entertainment for children, academic purposes for teenagers, livelihood for adults. Depending on the age of Internet users, websites should use different method of publicity so as to attract appropriate people to them.


Jieung Im

Pricing Systems of eBay

Pricing systems of eBay link with bidding, selling, buying, and shipping. Bidding is like an auction. When you buy something, you enter your maximum price higher than current bid until time-limit, and then you can buy it, if you are the highest bidder. When you buy goods, you pay with credit or debit cards with PayPal, which is the safest and fastest method of payment. You can get a refund if it has defects or you dislike it. However, before you buy items, you should think considerably. Wherever you are, you can buy products, and USPS ships everywhere. You cannot sell alcohol, drugs, lottery tickets, animals or wildlife products. If you use the eBay website, you have to pay selling fees: insertion fee, final value fee, listing upgrade fee. However, if the items don't sell, you don't have to pay final value fee. All fees depend on the categories of products. When you buy or sell items on eBay, you have to consider the rules.

 E-bay Boston Classifieds

Jieung Im

The Effect of Advertisement in Insurance Business

Prapaporn (Gift) Rojsiriruch

Advertisements, specially on television have played an important role in people’s opinion on ways of living because Thai people spend plenty of their time at home. Therefore, their favorite activity is watching television, so they unavoidably see many commercials. Consequently, even though there is financial and economic crisis worldwide, Thai entrepreneurs have invested 92 billion Baht, approximately 3,220 Billion$, in advertising this year. This huge budget shows that advertising has an incredibly enormous effect on people that can increase company’s sale.

Advertising is a form of communication that attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase a particular product or service.[1] One of the service businesses that have put abundant resources into advertisement is insurance companies. In the past, Thai people do not feel anxious about life or health insurance because they traditionally felt that whatever happens, will happen. Since most of them are Buddhists, they believe in “Theory of Karma “, the law of cause and effect. Therefore, the insurance business wasn’t well-known until the past decade.

Insurance services were first introduced into Thai society in the era of King Rama IV by a foreign company that came to establish a branch office selling life insurance. Nowadays, because advertisements of most insurance companies in Thailand express true stories about life and love, which are the most important values in people’s lives, the consumers are concerned more about their living, health, and family. For example, Thai insurance company, the first insurance company in the country which was founded right after the Second World War, invests about 99.369 million Baht, 24.70 % more than last year, in order to increase the image of the company.

One of the most popular commercial of this insurance company is “Marry Me”. This theme of advertisement is a girl “Sang Dao” who should have only happiness, but finds out that she has final stage of leukemia. Doctors tell her that she can live only two more months so she breaks up with the man she loves as soon as she finds out. The man feels miserable about that bad news. After that, he goes back to her and asked her to marry him in order to take care of her in the final stage of live. This commercial not only won the second prize for the best advertisement in Thailand in 2007, but was also voted as the most touching advertisement of the year.[2] This commercial reflects people’s idea of the importance of happiness, love, and family while campaigning for donation of stem cells for leukemia’s patients as a social charity.

In conclusion, the media has great impact on people’s opinion about their way of living because nowadays life and health insurance have become one of the most vital businesses in the country. People are encouraged by commercials to take care of themselves and their love ones. Moreover, the top three commercials that won prizes for the best advertisement awards last year were from insurance companies, and they were all very touching. (517)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising
[2] http://www.giggog.com/economic/cat5/news191/

iPhone: Pricing

Duangjai Sirsoontorn

Apple Inc. launched 2 models of iPhone on June 29, 2007. The first model was 4GB, which was $499, and the second model was 8GB, priced at $599. Even though its price was quite expensive, many people stood in the long line in front of the Apple stores in New York to buy it.

On September 5, 2007, Apple Inc. annouanced discontinuing production of 4GB model and cut the price of the 8GB model. For people who had bought an iPhone in the 14-day period before September 5, 2007, they were eligible to get a $200 rebate from Apple Inc.

However, customers who purchased an iPhone before that period complained. Finally, on September 6, 2007, Apple announced that customers who bought an iPhone at a high price would receive a $100 credit to be redeemed towards the purchase of any product in Apples’s retail or online stores.

With the slogan “Twice as fast. Half the price,” Apple Inc. launched iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008. There were 2 models: one was 8GB at $199 and the second was 16GB, price at $299.

You can see that iPhone 3G’s generation price was quite low. The reason is that AT&T subsidized research and develop of the iPhone 3G for Apple Inc. However, customers who buy this model have to make a 2-year contract with AT&T at a higher monthly fee.

The Influence of the Internet on Thai Youth

Duangjai Sirasoontorn

The Internet was developed about four decades ago. It has not only brought about advances in communication technology, but also become a major source of knowledge and information. The influence of the Internet significantly affects and changes peoples’ lives. Nowadays, the world has become smaller and evoved into an ‘Internet era’ or ‘Cyberspace’ era’. Because of the importance of the Internet, in 1997, the Thai government incorporated it into as one part of the National Economic and Social Development. Even though most people realize that they can get advantages from accessing the Internet, it can also harm them by its negative influence.

One cannot deny that the Internet is a beneficial tool to open the world. In the past, if students wanted to complete their assignments, they would spend many hours in libraries searching for information, which was not enough for ever the best papers. Owners of small businesses could not distribute their products to customers in other areas or countries since customers might not know about them and how to purchase them. However, everything has changed; students can search for information via the Internet. They can spend less time but be more efficient. Customers have more choices to find goods while owners can increase their sales by selling their products via the Internet. The Internet has become the most proficient intermediary. In Thailand, 6 million youth spend on average 3.8 hours per day on the Internet.

It might be beneficial for users if they utilize the Internet in the right way with close supervision of their parents or teachers. Since many web pages of the Internet are entertainment websites, such as games, movies or songs, Thai students access it for entertainment purposes. On October 14, 2007, Mr. Shinaprath Poomrat, the Secretary of the Ministry of Education of Thailand, said that Thai students play games online 86% more than Russian, Philippine, and Ukraine students. Moreover, more than 40% use the Internet for listening to songs and watching movies Surprisingly, they access the Internet for educational purpose only 14%. If they tend to have wrong behavior like this, the Internet will be the unsafe tool for them.

Moreover, Thai youth tend to be ‘Webaholic’, which was the term used by a psychologist named Kimberly S. Young. He studied the behavior of a group of people who usually use the Internet and found that they became ‘Webaholics’. Their symptoms were similar to people who were addicted to gambling. They became engrossed in the Internet and lost self control. They would extend time using the Internet and would feel annoyed when they were prohibited from using it.

Accessing to the Internet can not guarantee that Thai youth will benefit from a lot of information. Entertainment may weaken the ability of students to learn. If the problem of using the Internet becomes worse, the Thai government, with parents’ cooperation, should take it as a national priority.

Lack of Freedom in the Media in China

Hiro

China is predicted to surpass the United States and become the most powerful country in the next 50 years. With the largest population, China has been increasing its economic growth at an unprecedented pace and getting more and more power in diplomatic relations. At the same time, however, it is also one of the least advanced countries in terms of human rights, especially freedom of expression. In China, no media are working efficiently because of the suppression of the government. There have been three incidents where the policy of the government toward the media can be typically seen: Tiananmen Square protest of 1989, Tibetan riots in Lhasa in 2008, and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Even today, it is almost impossible to know correctly in China what the Tiananmen Square protest was about because of the strong censorship of the Chinese government. Only controlled information is available there, and no one is allowed to relate the incident. Google, one of the biggest web search engine companies, also indirectly contributes to this situation by an agreement to remove information that the government regards as harmful. Therefore, more often than not, Chinese young people are totally unaware of the incident.[1]

Although the world’s attention focused on the riots in Tibet, Chinese people didn’t have access to information about them. That is because the government blocked access to some of the popular online sources such as YouTube and Yahoo. In the case of Google News, Chinese Internet users were subjected to ‘keyword filtering,’ in which pages containing words like ‘Tibet’ or ‘Dalai Lama’ were eliminated.[2] It was also useful for the government to prohibit foreign media from accessing the region.

China broke the agreement with International Olympic Committee in which the government promised to become more flexible regarding freedom of expression. In contrast to the promise, it proceeded to further restrict the media and journalists, who had only “sufficient” not unrestricted, access to the Internet.[3] Some of the reasons for the government to be so sensitive to the media were the riots that happened only a few months before the Games and the international protests in the torch relay. It was reported that TV broadcast the opening ceremony with a 40 second delay in China so that they could switch the images with other ones just in case.

Although its economy has been developing rapidly, China remains intolerant toward freedom of expression. The entire population is deprived of access to information about politically sensitive subjects such as the Tiananmen Square protest and the Tibetan riots. They restricted information even during the most honorable moments as the hosting of the Olympic Games, meaning that limited freedom in China is still a serious concern for people all over the world.

[1] http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/t/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989.htm

[2]http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/20080317/no_youtube_and_yahoo_in_china_amid_tibet_riots-id-1019009.html

[3] http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2008/07/31/beijing-censorship.html

Strategy of Promotion

Chun
Burberry is one of most famoused clothing brands in the world. According to the official record, Burberry’s revenue has increased each year. One of the reasons for Burberry’s success is its strategy of promotion. There are six important points: 1) Maintaining brand momentum. In 2007and 2008, Burberry’s consumer communication was restructured for greater clarity and reach. 2) Reinforcing outerwear heritage and leadership. Outwear is Burberry’s specialty, if keeps working on the innovation of this product to hold the throne in this category of the market. 3) Burberry focuses on and invests in non-apparel categories. According to official statistics, the non-apparel product market was the fastest-growing one in 2006 and 2007. Therefore, they have created more products I this category this year. 4) To grow retail. They are enhancing store productivity and opening more stores in other countries. In order to suit different cultures, they keep upgrading the store image. 5) Investing in under-penetrated markets. For Burberry, under-penetrated markets consist of China, India, the Middle East, and Russia. Burberry works with local partners to extend their business. 6) To redesign Burberry’s business processes and information systems. The goal of these systems is to do everything more efficiently and effectively. Burberry practices its promotion by stressing these points to achieve successful outcomes.

The Detrimental Effect of Advertising On Teenagers

 Noor Al Moataz

            There is more than one definition of to the word “population.” One definition is “the total number of people inhabiting a country, city, or any area.”[1] Another is “the number or body of inhabitants of a particular race or class in a place.”[2] In summary, numerous meanings are applicable to this word, but in this statement I plan on tackling only one of them. My own interpretation of the word population is today’s generation, explicitly the youth. There is a solid link between today’s youth and advertising, which has a huge impact on adolescents causing them to undertake actions that benefit them negatively.

            “Advertisement is a paid announcement, as of goods for sale, in newspapers or magazines, on radio or television”.[3] Most of the time, ads sell more than the product presented; by extension, the company is selling the image that surrounds the product. The images portrayed are mostly unrealistic, pressuring vulnerable teenagers to feel the need to change themselves physically and mentally to fit the new standard introduced in their minds. Because advertisements in the media play such striking roles in the everyday actions, these advertisements are responsible for the demise of our youthful populous.

            An example of this negative influence would be the advertisements in magazines such as Vogue and Elle. A woman that resembles a stick figure or a muscular man areselling jeans. However, the commercial emphasizes sexual images rather than the jeans themselves. Hence this distorts the youth’s view. Therefore, they succumb to buying the pair of jeans, which implies the sale of sexuality as well. It is important to realize that these advertisements are not only selling sexuality, for when consumers purchase the product, they are attempting to buy the image, too. From food to fashion, a man or woman who are both more appealing to the human eye than the product itself represent the product, making it seem less important than the purpose of the advertisement. This kind of statement is shown multiple times. Youth already struggle enough during awkward stages of their life such as puberty. Having these physical expectations put into their minds at this age by ads  burdens them with the constant need to fill a void.

            More commonly, these images often encourage anorexia or bulimia. Those two conditions affect both the mind and body, encouraging teenagers, to transform themselves into the super-human portrayed by multinational companies. Some advertising campaigns can even lead to the destruction of a family, meaning the concern and care parents have for their children, who are trying to lose weight or buff up in unconventional ways in order to resemble some of the models in these advertisements.

In conclusion, however advertising campaign managers and companies should attemt to avoid affering false hopes in their campaigns, it is understandable and a technique of marketing that these promotional photographs are simply used to facilitate consumerism. Consumerism has become embedded in our genetic code; nevertheless, it has become a strain on our lifestyles. We work to make money to spend on mechandise that can deliver the false hope and dreams, which are paid for dearly in the physical and mental currency.

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[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Population

[2] http://www.investorwords.com/3738/population.html

[3] http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=advertisement

Promotion of iPhone

Hiro
In advertising iPhone, Apple used several strategies. One of them is to target at specific generations to promote iPhone. Apple focused on two groups of people: the middle-upper income professional and high school, college and graduate students. Both of them need at least one portable device for business or professional purposes. To advertise iPhone, Apple made a massive TV campaign, devoted its website on iPhone and built eye catching displays all over the world. Steve Jobs, a famous CEO of Apple, visited Apple stores around the States and advertised iPhone directly to customers. Apple is planning to get the half of the market share of cell phone by 2010.

Identity Theft

Chun
“Sister Used Credit Card and Her Name for Committing Crimes,” “Identity Theft Victim's House has Loans Against It, Rented out to Tenants,” “Victim of Identity Theft Being Hounded for Back Taxes, Under Suspicion of U.S. Customs Dept.” This kind news has come out more and more frequently since people started to use a new method to purchase things -- Online shopping. Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the Internet. For example, an online shop, eshop, e-store, internet shop, webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store, all of them provide a varirty of products for people online. People only need to sit in front of their computer and move the mouse in their homes. They can buy almost anything they want. However, nothing is perfect. Purchasing things on internet, people have to risk a danger-- identity theft.
Identity theft is criminal behavior, meaning an imposter uses another person’s name, I.D. number, date of birth, phone number, address, or any information that can make the person unique, even the person’s favorite color, to perform activities like purchasing, renting, selling, opening account or even committing a crime. Actually, identity theft had taken place before people started to use the Internet, but this crime has become aggravated because of the growth of online shopping. When people purchase products on the Internet, they need to in fill their personal information along with at least the credit card number on certain page. Although the online store usually attempts to use specific computer programs for security, hackers can break this line of defense and steal whatever information they want. No matter if the hackers use this personal information by themselves or sell it to other people, the victims face very serious consequences. The worst thing is that the victims are usually unaware their identity has been stolen until they discover their loss or receive a summon. According to statistics, the number of US adult victims of identity theft was 8.4 million in 2007, and their total loss was $49.3 billion. This number represents a huge black hole behind the convenience of online shopping. People do need to know how to use one stone to kill two birds, getting all benefits of online shopping and averting the danger of it.
Even though most countries have built systems to help the victims to recover their losses, then do not usually work very well. Therefore, the best policy is protecting ourselves when we purchase products online. We can take some steps such as the following: first of all, use a strong password. Many people use their phone number or date of birth as a password, and it is very dangerous. A strong password must be created by more complex thinking. Second, do not follow the links you do not know where they go. In fact, “the truly dangerous thing about online shopping has absolutely nothing to with your own computer.” Hackers usually implant viruses onto websites. When people connect to these poisoned websites, they download the virus automatically. Then, the personal information will be concealed either by publishing it on the Internet or sending it to hackers. Third, since hackers very often create viruses, what we should do is to renew our anti-virus program version frequently. These are three rudimentary and important steps to prevent damage from identity theft.
In summary, we need to learn the dark side of online shopping. We admit that to purchase productions on the Internet is a revolution of business, and it has a lot of advantages like convenience, saving time, lower prices, and so on. If we are oblivious to the traps on the Internet and do not take precautions to protect ourselves, suffering the consequences will be very critical. Therefore, take the suggestions given above and your information will be safe.