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Example research essay topic: Fast Food Restaurants Aimed At Children - 2,789 words

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Management Ethics is a key part of all businesses in the professional world today. For many companies, a quality ethics program lays the foundation of what that particular company is all about. Where would a company be without an adequate ethics program? Without an adequate ethics program the company could be subject to any type of lawsuit, illegal procedure, or even mal practices within the company itself. Establishing a distinctive ethical position is a vital issue for any organization because it is very closely interrelated with the overall companys image. In this report we are going to talk about ethical issues of marketing sweet drinks and fatty foods for children.

The fast-food industry is quickly jumping on the healthy eating bandwagon as we hear more and more in our mainstream media that our children are getting fatter, adult obesity is on the rise and Canadians continue to consume too many fatty foods. We hear marketers being chastised by health lobbyists for creating a generation of obese kids because they are exposed to so much advertising from fast-food restaurants. Even clothing manufacturers are being targeted for helping us get fatter. Recent media reports have chastised manufacturers because theyve increased clothing sizes and made it easier for those of us whove expanded to still think we fit into the same size. Now the Government of Canada, manufacturers and some quick-serve restaurants (Qsr's), as fast-food joints prefer to be called, are quick to point out that trans fats are bad for us and the manufacturers are hurriedly adopting a non-trans-fat attitude. We have even gone as far as Subways TV ads promoting an Atkins-based menu program.

This new approach to healthier eating is a big turnaround for some restaurants. It was only a few years ago that McDonalds first started asking customers if theyd like to super-size their order (and that option still exists). McDonalds launched its Lighter Choices menu in June 2002, and the restaurant now appears to be trying out other alternatives like fruit and veggie sides. For other Qsr's, it is a continuation of old practices.

After all, who can forget Jared and all the weight he lost by eating Subway subs. However, some Qsr's appear to be thumbing their noses at the healthy approach and are targeting the large eater. Harveys new Big Harv sandwich is its way of saying that Canadians still want to eat big. Leger Marketing conducted a pan-Canadian survey in January with 1, 500 people about fast-food restaurants and advertising. The results from a poll this size are accurate to within plus or minus 2. 6 %, 19 times out of 20. Our results show theres good reason for Health Canada to be concerned about our weight gain because almost all of us are eating at a QSR at least once per month.

In fact, almost one-third of us (29 %) are eating at a QSR at least once a week, and these people are more likely to be young men ages 18 - 24. The most popular place to get our fast-food fix is McDonalds. A quarter of Canadians (26 %) list McDonalds as the place they frequent most often, followed by Wendy's at 12 % and Subway at 10 %. With these three leading the pack, it should be good news to educators and health-conscious folk in general who want to to see obesity reduced in Canada. After all, McDonalds has its new Lighter Choices menu, Wendy's was one of the first to offer salads as an alternative to fries, and their chicken sandwiches have always appeared to be healthy and, of course, Subway means fared and Atkins.

On top of this, these three companies have the most memorable and best-liked television advertising. Given that recent advertising for Subway and McDonalds has leaned toward the healthier side, one could suggest this is due to our need for healthier fast food. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Canadians consider Wendy's and Subway to be the healthiest Qsr's. Thirty per cent of Canadians picked Subway as having the healthiest food and 15 % picked Wendy's. McDonalds, on the other hand, has some work to do.

Only 6 % of Canadians feel that McDonalds has the healthiest food and a whopping (no relation to the Whopper) 45 % feel it has the least healthy food. Other unhealthy food providers are, speaking of the Whopper, Burger King (9 %), and KFC (8 %). Overall, though, we tend to feel that the place at which we eat is also the place with the healthiest food. For example, those 6 % of McDonalds eaters who say it has the healthiest food all admit that McDonalds is their favourite refectory. As we waddle into the next few years, we will still be regular frequenters of Qsr's and, while we think we know which are the healthiest, we will still frequent ones we feel may not be as healthy.

This is why the latest health kick at McDonalds is good for Canadians. We may not recognize, yet, that McDonalds is getting healthier, but we certainly do remember its ads. It has much higher ad awareness than all other companies tracked. If McDonalds is in fact serious about a healthier lifestyle, then we will eventually get the message because we see its ads the most and, for the most part, like them. This is usually a good sign that were listening. After all, if U.

S. lobbyists can draw a link between food advertising and increasing obesity, they must see the merit in promoting healthy choices at these same fast-food restaurants. There are a number of proven ways to encourage consumers that the product that is being advertised is just what they need, and instead of concentrating on the product they concentrate instead on the benefits that the consumer will gain. This may include the hope of more money and better jobs, to be popular, have praise from others, to be more comfortable, and have better health. So, what does the advertisers expect from consumers?

And why do they work? There are two reasons why their tactics work, one is that they ether imply that their product will bring about the achievement of good or they! make their product the object of desire thus making it an apparent good to the consumer One way for example is in the advertisements for cars, as well as mentioning the attributes of the car they also mention the prestige and social advancement that it could bring the buyer. This social advancement is often of a sexual nature, or involves the attraction of the opposite sex it may also mention the glamorous people that their car could attract. So does it mean then, to be popular and sexually attractive you must buy the new car? Advertising can be blamed for a great number of social impacts.

One of these is that advertisers force people to buy things that they dont really want or need, often by projecting negative emotions such as fear, anxiety or guilt upon the consumer. It seems that advertising plays with our basic human emotions and takes advantage of them, using them as another technique to sell goods. Advertising, from bus-stop benches to television commercials, constantly surrounds us. Two of the best effective mediums advertisers use that affects virtually everyone is; the radio and television. As most people listen to the radio or watch television at least sometime in the day the public are able to remember some of the products by their jingles and slogans. The radio is an ideal medium for small business to use; they can target a selected audience who will probably listen to the advertisement more than once.

Many people commuting to work listen to the radio in the car, at the office, and while commuting home. Radios greatest advantage is its mobility. As radio is auditory it uses only one sense or does it? Although radio is auditory it also uses the subliminal senses to imagine what the product is like therefore the audience wants it without seeing it. Radio advertising is bought in spots and the prime time spots are the most expensive and sought after. Television is the strongest medium to advertise in and the most expensive.

It is also broken down into spots these are broken down into morning, lunch, early prime and primetime. The slots between early and early prime are geared towards the housewife and children. Primetime is the most expensive time to advertise when all the family will be watching and the key to any successful advertising is knowing your audience and by doing this the company will be able to promote their products. All Medias are subject to Codes and Practices in which to protect the publics interest.

Within a democratic society advertising has positive and negative effects, and the dilemma has to be at what point does restrictions on advertising withhold the consumers democratic rights and freedom of choice. There are standards and codes that advertisers should adhere to and be based on the founding principle that adverts should be legal, decent, honest and truthful; these codes are enforced by the ITC, ASA and the IBA. Each of these has a specific section to advise in the adverts for children and each body deals with different media and the codes reflect this. The 9 pm, watershed is one example and certain advertisements are restricted to certain times of transmission and have to adhere to the guidelines set out by the broadcasting media. The ITC and the RA utilize these restrictions. Although there are over 30 million ads published each year it would be impossible to check each and every one as it appears.

The Advertising Standards Authority is in effect the advertisers watchdog with an important role to play for the public, it provides the means by which complaints regarding misleading adverts can be investigated and corrected if necessary. The Independent Television Commission (ITC) is the regulator for British advertising on TV except for the BBC who does not advertise. ITC has its own codes of advertising standards and practice. Adverts aimed at children have strict rules that must be adhered to; also the use of child actors and models in adverts must follow guidelines to stop abuses. Medical advisors are consulted when advertising, medicines, hair-care products and slimming aids. Some subjects need greater scrutiny coming under the title special category advertisements; Alcohol, cigars charities and medicines come under this category.

These codes are enabled to protect society against misleading adverts. Although we have these watchdog bodies adverts can still manipulate and use persuasive methods in order for people to buy what the advertisers want them to. Advertising on the television does have quite a significant effect on children. TV is a primary source of socialization, and children begin to absorb the lessons of T. V before they can read or write. In this way, T.

V is seen as helping to create what children expect of themselves and others, and what constitutes the standards of civilized society. Children watching the T. V for pleasure are also under the influence of unseen forces and the paradox of T. V advertisements is that it can influence human behavior. Children represent a large portion of the buying power in todays consumer market. Many companies target young children and teenagers through many different Medias such as magazines, radio and especially TV.

The newest media to have an impact and get to children is the Internet. There is no other media like it and there is no government or any other type of regulation to prevent potentially exploitative advertisements. How can we protect children from potentially harmful advertisements? Self-regulation of companies that advertise would be beneficial, and governments regulation over childrens advertising online would also be favorable, but how can these be implemented? In short they cant.

The U. K has the highest level of advertising aimed at children in Europe and there are no restrictions off the amount of T. V ads to children, many other countries though do have restrictions. Most advertisements for children are for food and British children are exposed to the most food advertising in Europe, and the majority of these food adverts are promoting poor eating habits. With advertisements for sweets, breakfast cereals and fast food establishments, children really dont stand a chance.

The largest advertiser for take-a ways is McDonalds. In a study report figures show that 9 and 10 year olds think that Ronald McDonald know what is best to eat. Advertising is often credited with promoting that bastion of consumer freedom-choice, the report states, but the choice that food advertising presents children is largely between one sweet snack and another, the latest savory snack or sweetened breakfast cereal or fast food restaurant - hardly the kind of choices which encourage a healthy, balanced diet. The survey also found that 50 % of childrens adverts were for these eleven products.

Kellogg's Coca Pops. McDonalds. Birds Eye Potato Waffles. Sugar Puffs. Campbells Meat Balls.

Milky Way Magic stars. Cadbury Wish Gold. Maltesers. Mars Dark Bar. Kentucky Fried Chicken. The 1996 figures from the Consumers International show a staggering 95 % of advertisements were for food that encourages a fatty, salty, sugary diet.

The survey found only a handful of advertisements for healthier foods, such as Kiwi fruit, frozen peas and low sugar cereals. The effect on these childrens teeth and health in general needs to be addressed and advertising advocating these foods also needs to be aware of the problems. Children have become a lucrative marketing niche with products targeted entirely at them. Food has been a battle ground for many parents and children, gone are the times when food tasted like food, todays children occupy a cordoned off zone of spaghetti hoops and turkey dinosaurs, full of additives and preservatives in order to make them taste good. In this way children can appear to be independent of the adults choice using their own independence in what to choose.

Childrens food is heavily advertised on the TV and has become a branch of entertainment. Cartoon characters saturate their daily meals, which are regularly used to market the food to the younger members of society. One leading supermarket has banned unhealthy foods and drinks targeted at children and said that advertisements blackmailed parents into buying products. Our customers are crying out for action to be taken against the mass advertising of these products to children Children have become experts in getting what they want and the Nag Factor works, children do influence parents purchases and this is increasing.

Most of this influence is governed by what the children want in fashion and the largest -it seems- is the leisurewear trade. Sports wear is very popular, trademarks and brand names are high on the childrens agenda for what peer pressure demands. In consuming these products, one buys not only a thing but also an image. This is true when leading brands are used in surveys and brand image shifts from being reputation based on the products function, to being of a symbolic image value. Parents can influence childrens reactions to what they see and can channel or counteract their impact therefore restricting the childs need for certain goods.

There are also many good effects in advertising; and educating children about the Green Cross Code and road safety, which is paramount in many parents agenda in order to keep children aware of the danger; also the advertisements warning children about strangers. In more recent times the IBA has lifted certain restrictions so that they could bring attention to the dangers of promiscuity which made the Aids advert- aimed at teenagers to avoid unprotected sex-successful. Conclusion. In conclusion, evaluating the role that advertising has in relation to childrens television is huge. Children do represent a large percentage of the buying power in the present consumer market. Children are often incapable of distinguishing differences between the advertisements and the actual programs shown as many adverts are just like childrens programs.

Bibliography: Goldman, R. Person, S. Sign Wars: The cluttered Landscape of Advertising. Pub The Guildford Press. 1996. Hall, Stuart.

Cultural Representations and signifying Practices. Pub. Sage 1997. Jordon, Amy.

Jamieson, Kathleen. Children and Television. The Annals Vol. 557. Pub Sage. May 1998. Kelvin PH.

D. , R. P. Advertising and Human Memory. Business Pub Ltd. 1962. Korean. Nicholas.

The Worlds Greatest Brands. Inter-brand 1996, Pub. McMillan Press 1996. Leymore, Very Langholz. Hidden Myth Structure and Symbolism in Advertising. Pub Heinemann Ltd, 1975.

Nias D. K. and Eysenck H. J. Sex Violence and the Media. Pub Granada. 1980.

Smit, Edith. Mass Media Advertising: Information or Wallpaper. Pub Het Spinhuis. 1999. The IBA Code of Advertising Standards and Practice. Oct 1972.


Free research essays on topics related to: fast food restaurants, ethics program, t v, aimed at children, consumer market

Research essay sample on Fast Food Restaurants Aimed At Children

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