Britannias Market Strategy and Competitive Strategy

Britannias Market Strategy and Competitive Strategy In this document, an in-depth analysis on the Britannias Marketing Strategy and Competitive Strategy is illustrated. In detail this report contains the different marketing strategies adopted by Britannia to help them grow and succeed in the market. This paper covers many sections such as; PEST-G analysis, SWOT analysis, Growth strategy and Marketing Mix. In view of the fact that Britannia Industries Limited is a food based organization which produces a large variety of Biscuits, Diary products, Rusk, Bread and Cakes, it is evident that they have now excelled in their business. Within this document the evidence of companys current position and success is at hand with a concentration on the marketing mix and the SWOT analysis of Britannia. In brief, we see that Britannia Industries Limited, continues to improve the quality of their products to meet the consumers demands and prevail over the competitive edge. Britannia Biscuits was set up in 1892, in a very plain and ordinary house in Kolkata with the initial investments of Rs. 295. By 1978, Britannia biscuits had crossed 60% of the shares of the firm, followed by renaming the company to Britannia Industries Limited(BIL) and in 1983 it crossed Rs 100 crores revenue margin. Then as we know, in 1992 it celebrated its Platinum Jubilee. Eat Healthy, Think Better was revealed in 1997. It was gaining the status of quality and value and in 1999, the Britannia Khao, World Cup Jao promotion made the consumers even more aware then before which helped them even more prominent in the market. In the 21st century it came out as Indias largest and most famous brand of biscuit. Now Britannia is no more just another ordinary biscuit but it is one of the most renowned and well known biscuit in the world. From a small fairy tale it reached new standards and from a small investment it has got a high margin of profit which has been very positive for the company investors. They have a variety of biscuits even considering the health and economy to the life-style oriented types. THE MARKET ENVIRONMENT Business Sector And Geographical Market. Britannia Industries Limited is a public food industry, with its headquarters located in Banglore, well-known for its Britannia and Tiger biscuits. It now has around 300 stores spread, owned by Danone and Kalabakan Investments in India. As we know, they deal in Biscuits, Rusk, Diary products, Bread and Cakes. The company, in 2007 formed a Joint Venture with Khimji Ramdas Group to expand and sell biscuits to the Middle East countries, as its the most respected business and the key district players in selling biscuits. It now provides a large range of commodities under the brand Nutro, which is the primary brand name in Middle East. PEST G Analysis Political Factors: The Food regulations were put into practice at the State Central level. Severe TAX rules had been started. Several other Government Regulations were put into action. Economic Factors: The Gross Domestic Products started rising at 8-9% A raise in the disposable returns took place. Rupee Appreciation was a great concern. Social Factors: 70% inhabitants are lower than 35 years of age. Good knowledge among the individuals of various things. Technological Factors: Process improvement and Product Innovation played a great role. Innovative techniques were thought to be adopted. THE COMPETITION Competitors Parle Glucose also known as Parle-G (G for Genius) is manufactured in India by the Parle Products which is one of the oldest brand names and the biggest selling biscuits in India. Market Share Parle-G has a market share of 70% in the biscuit industry in India followed by Britannia, Tiger with 17-18%, and Sunfeast of 8-9% share. Sales/Profit Trend More than 50% of the companys turnover is estimated at around Rs 20 billion. It has started expanding to areas such as Western Europe, USA, UK, UAE and Canada. Target Market Parle has a target market which is focused in India, consisting of people of all category groups such as children, teenagers, family members and even old aged people as it is a popular biscuit eaten during Tea-time snack. THE COMPANY Market Share and Sales and Profit Trend Britannia market position is very high due to factors relating to its pricing strategies, distribution channels and variety of products. They commence new products to satisfy the consumers needs giving them new and alternative products to choose, which in turn benefit the company by having more potential for growth. So we understand that the company is not only growing, but also gaining profits. Their estimated market share is 38%. In the early years of the company, they received sales at an annual rate of 16% in market and their operational proceeds were nearly 18%. But now it has been increased to 27%, giving Britannia annual revenue of Rs 2,200 crore only from their biscuits. 10% is contributed by the diary products. They have an annual capacity of 433,000 tones of biscuits with sale while exporting up to $150.75 million. Swot Analysis Strengths Widely Distributed network and accepted by all age groups. Innovative products like-Little Hearts, 50-50 Chakkar, and Nice Time. Celebrity endorsements Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan. The Brand Slogan of Britannia Eat Healthy Think Better is the key asset of the firm. It is available in various different forms of packages. The variety of products is an added advantage as they not only focus on assorted biscuits but also cakes, breads, Rusk and diary products. Weaknesses Faces stiff competition from their rival Parle and Nestle on the basis of Price and Distribution channels. The industry and technology requires high investments. As too many different types of brands enter the market, they might loose focus. Even though the prices are affordable, they might not be easily available to the lower income groups. Opportunities People are willing to try newer variants and hence it satisfies the taste buds by its newer variants. It generates employment opportunities. As consumers are very concerned about their health, it helps them to strengthen brands NutriChoice, Milk Bikis, and Tiger biscuits. Competition increases. This helps to enhance mergers. Threats They might sometimes be unable to utilize all the resources efficiently. They may provide poor quality of biscuits for more profits. As there are a number of biscuits in the existing market, they have large number of challengers. Consumer demands may alter impulsively. Government might come up with new restrictions without notices. THE COMPANYS MARKETING STRATEGY Marketing Strategy include anything from facts, events, procedures, values and personalities. Britannia nearly sells all their products all over India and even exports it other few countries. Their market rate kept growing every year in the Indian market. Therefore, BIL has implemented a Diversification strategy, so that it becomes the market leader in the food and biscuits industry. But they made sure that when they diversify, they make similar kinds of products such as cheese, diary products and even more bakery items. So the company can realize their marketing strategies by underlining the opportunities in the market. There are a various different strategies they adopted. Segmentation They believed in the best quality of products for the consumers as they are health conscious and so they fulfil this need of the consumers. Targeting The Company focussed on building a good relationship with the customers as they are they play the most important part in the sale of products. Not only did they keep up to the old customers expectation, but they also try to make new customers as their retention plays a major role for the growth of their business. Positioning While manufacturing new products, they dont fail to remember their competitors way of fighting against them, instead they pay even more attention to each and every step they take towards success as they want to be ahead of them and succeed. Growth Strategy Even though Britannia biscuits started off by selling their products in India, they slowly expanded and started to export it to other parts of the world. By doing so, they adapted to the different cultures of those countries and made plans for those neighbouring areas and researched and analyzed which product has more demand than the others and ways to improve their sales. Promoting their brands is a very essential idea for their marketing strategy as it helps understand the consumers the variety of benefits they get while purchasing the product. They should advertise and publicize their message clearly stating the facts. Based on the marketing strategies, we understand that building a brand is an important part of the company. They understand how to increase sales and profits in a short span of time while continuing to promote its variety of brands to create loyal consumers. THE MARKETING MIX Product Britannia have a large variety of products to choose from, not only do they manufacture Biscuits, but they also make different types of Diary items, Breads and Rusk. They launch products which in gets good returns for the company through building a good brand and quality products which are supplied across different countries. The main streamline of Britannia products include: Biscuits such as: Marie Gold Treat Milk Bikis Time Pass Tiger 50-50 NutriChoice also available for Diabetic people. Dairy Delights include few products like: Cheese Milk Dahi (Yoghurt) Ghee Butter Bread types have: Sandwiches Coffee Confectionary Assorted Breads Benefits of Branding As we all know, Britannia biscuits still have higher growth potential in the market as its one of the best-known brands in India and popular among other countries as well. Even though they have come up with new variety of biscuits, they still emphasis on their initial biscuit brands such as Tiger, Good Day, Marie, Treat and even more. Britannia has diversified by also making Breads, Cakes and other Diary products. Its brands are considered to be an excellent value by Indias price-conscious consumers. Tiger Biscuit is one of the most distinguished brands and is extremely popular among the rural areas and consumers. Sports and sporting events also are a key channel for promotions. The companys Britannia khao, World Cup jao (Eat Britannia, travel to see the World Cup) campaign in 2003 was the most recognized sales promotion among all Cricket World Cup-related sales activity. Place Britannia had started selling products in India, but now it has expanded overseas to places like Middle East and Sri Lanka. They have even started to export their goods to places such as: USA Ghana Saudi Arabia Kuwait Bahrain Qatar UAE Oman Seychelles Singapore Price Britannia has adopted the Market Penetration Method of pricing. It focuses on the quality of the products keeping in mind the pricing strategy. This helps improve and generate large sale volume for their products. It aims at maximizing the market share and to produce new product lines. A few examples are: Vegetarian Cakes are available at Rs. 15/- for a 75 gm pack. Nutrichoice Health Starter Kit is for Rs 100. Britannia Tiger Banana packed with IRON ZOR priced at Rs.2, Rs.4 and Rs.10. Promotions To attract the consumers of Britannia, they very innovatively came up with ideas to promote their brand in numerous different ways, and now they have leveraged Indias two most successful passions of all times: Cricket Movies Nearly every Indians dream was to be present at a stadium while India is playing cricket, during the World Cup, so Britannia created the Britannia Khao, World Cup Jao contest in 1999. They made it very simple for their target market to enter this contest, which was to purchase more products to win a scratch and win lucky card and winning an all expenses paid trip to England to watch the World Cup Match. They held it again in 2002-2003 held in South Africa which successfully set a unique trend of their own. They even came up with another creative promotion of Britannia Khao, Cricketer Ban Jao that was fuelled by the need of every Indian to be a part of the passion called Cricket followed by a promotion called Britannia Lagaan Match in 2001 that revolved around a movie called Lagaan was based on a cricket match. This promotion gave the consumers a chance to interact with the film stars and also get to pay cricket with them. The match had over 40,000 spectators and made the headlines of leading newspapers and news channels and was found to be the most unbeaten promotional act of that year. So we understand that sports and the sporting events are the key promotional tools of Britannia. Therefore we now know that Britannia promotes their products through various medias such as Events, Television, Magazines and Sales Promotions too. EVALUATION OF THE COMPANYS STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Companys current position/success Britannia Company releases on November 10th, 2010 that BIL obtained sales of Rs 10,948 MM with growth of 27.5% which shows an increase. The company also releases that they received sales worth of Rs 9,128 MM during the year end, with a growth of 24.8% followed by a boost of 20% in the volume. Conclusion Now that we have an in-depth view of the companys profile, marketing strategy and marketing mix, it shows the different methods used to adapt to promote and publicize their products across India and other countries. Based on the information researched, we find that they focus on consumer needs to a very large extent. This is shown by the fact that, since consumers are more health conscious nowadays, they have introduced NutriChoice Diabetic Biscuits. It is also proven by their tagline, Eat Healthy, Think Better. In conclusion, we see that how a small sized company has grown to be one of the largest biscuit selling brands across India and many other countries world-wide.

Ethical and Philosophical Questions about Value and Obligation Essay

Ethical and Philosophical Questions about Value and Obligation I Recall the distinction between metaethics and normative ethics. Normative ethics deals with substantial ethical issues, such as, What is intrinsically good? What are our moral obligations? Metaethics deals with philosophical issues about ethics: What is value or moral obligation? Are there ethical facts? What sort of objectivity is possible in ethics? How can we have ethical knowledge? Recall, also, the fundamental dilemma of metaethics. Either there are ethical facts or there aren?t. If they are, what sort of facts are they? In what do they consist? If there are not, why do we think, talk, and feel as though there are? II Philosophical ethics is the integration of metaethics and normative ethics?the attempt to come to an integrated understanding of both. Given our current perspective, how can we view the philosophical ethics of Mill, Kant, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and the ethics of care? III For Mill, the question is what is the relation between his (metaethical) empirical naturalism and his (normative) qualitatively hedonist value theory and his utilitarian moral theory? One place we can see Mill?s empiricism is his treatment, in Chapter III, of the question of why the principle of utility is ?binding?, how it can generate a moral obligation. Compare Mill?s treatment of this question with Kant?s treatment of the question of why the CI is binding in Chapter III of the Groundwork. IV What is Kant?s metaethics? Since he holds that morality is both necessary and a priori, Kant must be some kind of rationalist. But, unlike Plato, he is not the kind of rationalist who holds that there are metaphysically... ...ception might underlie the ethics of care? Think about how we experience our relationships to others. Don?t we experience particular others as making claims on us? Personal relationships are probably the best examples, but aren't relationships with strangers quite similar. Think, for example, of fundamental forms of human exchange like gift-giving, promise, and contract. Indeed, the original root meaning of ?obligation? refers to bond created between individuals by such exchanges. As in, ?much obliged.? VIII Of course, we have only been able to pursue some of the many different ways in which philosophers have tried to think through the ethical and philosophical questions about value and obligation that any thoughtful human being faces. In the end, it is up to each of us to decide what answers to these questions we find most convincing.

Media and Society in Relation to Newspapers as a Form of News Media

STUDENT I. D: 383155 NAME: EFETURI EMAKPORE MODULE: MEDIA AND SOCIETY TOPIC: MEDIA AND SOCIETY WITH RELATION TO NEWSPAPERS AS A FORM OF NEWS MEDIA DATE: 10 DECEMBER 2009 INTRODUCTION In this research paper, I am going to talk broadly on my understanding, after doing all research, of media and its effect in the society with relation to newspapers as an important and integral form of news media in the society. I will give a brief but concise introduction of newspapers in general. I will talk about the importance of newspapers to the society and how over the years, it has enforced itself on the society and how it has achieved that. I will see whether theories such as the ‘Hypodermic Needle Model’ and ‘Public Sphere’ theories can be applied when focusing on newspapers. In addition, I will talk about Bignell, J (1997) and his views on ‘Media Semiotics’ concerning newspapers. In addition, to conclude this research paper, I will give a detailed explanation on what I believe should be the role of newspapers as a form of news media to the society. Whether they have achieved all that society expects from them, or, they are yet to attain that maximum point of satisfaction from the society. Lastly, I will talk about the depth in which newspapers are actually influencing the society and how they can help in changing the views of the masses thereby helping to shape up the society to becoming a more positive one. INTRODUCTION TO NEWSPAPERS A newspaper, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is said to be a ‘’printed publication, now usually issued daily or weekly, consisting of folded unstapled sheets and containing news, frequently with the addition of advertisements, photographs, articles, and correspondence; the organization or office issuing such a publication. ’ A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers, including editorial opinions, criticism, persuasion and op-eds; obituaries; entertainment features such as crosswords, Sudoku and horoscopes; weather news and forecasts; advice, gossip, food and other columns; critical reviews of movies, plays and restaurants; classified ads; display ads, editorial cartoons and comic strips. Newspapers are very essential to the society, over the past centuries; have been relayed to the society in different ways, and have been evolving ever since. In the beginning, the first newspapers were more like government announcement bulletins and authorised by Julius Caesar. This means they were probably fully controlled by the government. This was in Ancient Rome and were called ‘’_Acta Diuma’’, they were carved in metal or stone and posted in public areas. Moveable type newspapers came during the modern era, at the beginning of the 17th century. However, the first officially recognised newspaper is that of Lohan Carolus’ ‘’Relation aller Furnemmen und gedenckwurdigen Historien__’’_, published in 1605 in Strasbourg. By the early 19th century, many cities in Europe, as well as North and South America, published newspaper type publications and the contents were vastly shaped by different views such as regional and cultural preferences. In addition, advances in printing technology related to the Industrial Revolution, enabled newspapers to become an even more widely circulated means of communication. For example, in 1814, ‘The Times’ (London) acquired a printing press capable of making a thousand impressions per minute. In newspaper production, there are different categories of newspaper printed and published for reading. We have daily newspapers, which are issued every day sometimes with the exceptions of Sundays and national holidays. There are weekly newspapers and these tend to be smaller than daily papers and in some cases, there are some papers published twice or three times a week. Then we have national newspapers, which circulate nationwide. There is also a group of newspapers, which can be categorised as international newspapers. Some, such as The International Herald Tribune, have always had that focus, while others are repackaged national newspapers or â€Å"international editions† of national-scale or large metropolitan newspapers. Often these international editions are scaled down to remove articles that might not interest the wider range of readers. Lastly, with the introduction of the Internet, Web-based â€Å"newspapers† have started to be produced as online-only publications. Virtually all printed newspapers have online editions, which depending on the country may be regulated by journalism organizations such as the Press Complaints Commission in the UK. THEORIES INVOLVED IN NEWSPAPERS AS A FORM OF NEWS MEDIA THE HYPODERMIC NEEDLE MODEL This theory, also known as the hypodermic-syringe model, is a model of communication also usually referred to as the ‘’magic bullet’’ perspective or the ‘’transmission-belt’’ model. The essence of this model hols the fact that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. However, this model is rooted in the 1930’s ‘_Behaviourism’_ created by the Frankfurt School in German and is now considered by many to be obsolete. The Hypodermic Needle theory implied that mass media had a direct, immediate, and powerful effect on their audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change. Several factors contributed to this â€Å"strong effects† theory of communication, including: the fast rise and popularization of radio and television, the emergence of the persuasion industries, such as advertising and propaganda, the Payne Fund studies of the 1930s, which focused on the impact of motion pictures on children, and Hitler's monopolization of the mass media during WWII to unify the German public behind the Nazi party. This view of propaganda took root after World War I and was championed by theorists such as Harold Lasswell in his pioneering work Propaganda Technique in the World War (1927). He argued that the people had been duped and degraded by propaganda during the war. Lasswell based his work on a stimulus-response model rooted in learning theory. Focusing on mass effects, this approach viewed human responses to the media as uniform and immediate. E. D. Martin expressed this approach thus: â€Å"Propaganda offers ready-made opinions for the unthinking herd† (cited in Choukas, 1965, p. 5). The â€Å"Magic Bullet† or â€Å"Hypodermic Needle Theory† of direct influence effects was not as widely accepted by scholars as many books on mass communication indicate. The magic bullet theory was not based on empirical findings from research but rather on assumptions of the time about human nature. People were assumed to be â€Å"uniformly controlled by their biologically based â₠¬Ëœinstincts' and that they react more or less uniformly to whatever ‘stimuli' came along† (Lowery & DefFleur, 1995, p. 00). The phrasing â€Å"hypodermic needle† is meant to give a mental image of the direct, strategic, and planned infusion of a message into an individual. However, as research methodology became more highly developed, it became apparent that the media had selective influences on people. The most famous incident often cited as an example for the hypodermic needle model was the 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds and the subsequent reaction of widespread panic among its American mass audience. However, this incident actually sparked the research movement, led by Paul Lazarsfeld and Herta Herzog, which would disprove the magic bullet or hypodermic needle theory, as Hadley Cantril managed to show that reactions to the broadcast were, in fact, diverse, and were largely determined by situational and attitudinal attributes of the listeners. PUBLIC SPHERE THEORY The notion of the ‘public sphere' evolved during the Renaissance in Western Europe and the United States. This was brought on partially by merchants' need for accurate information about distant markets as well as by the growth of democracy and individual liberty and popular sovereignty. The public sphere was a place between private individuals and government authorities in which people could meet and have rational-critical debates about public matters. Discussions served as a counterweight to political authority and happened physically in face-to-face meetings in coffee houses and cafes and public squares as well as in the media in letters, books, drama, and art. Habermas saw a vibrant public sphere as a positive force keeping authorities within bounds lest their rulings be ridiculed. In Habermasian theory, the bourgeois public sphere was preceded by a literary public sphere whose favoured genres revealed the interiority of the self and emphasized an audience-oriented subjectivity. Today, in contrast, there is scant public debate, few public forums, and political discussion has degenerated from a fact-based rational-critical examination of public matters into a consumer commodity. There is the illusion of a public sphere, according to Habermas. Citizens have become consumers, investors, workers. Real news (information that helps free people stay free) is being elbowed out by advice, soft porn, catchy garbage, celebrity antics, and has become infotainment, that is, a commodity competing in a mass entertainment market. It matters less whether news is right or wrong, and matters more whether it is gripping. Habermas' sociological and philosophical work tries to explain how this transformation happened by examining a wide range of disciplines, including political theory, cultural criticism, ethics, gender studies, philosophy, sociology, istory, and media studies. The basic belief in public sphere theory is that political action is steered by the public sphere, and that the only legitimate governments are those that listen to the public sphere. Democratic governance rests on the capacity of and opportunity for citizens to engage in enlightened debate. Much of the debate over the public sphere involves what is the basic theoretic al structure of the public sphere, how information is deliberated in the public sphere, and what influence the public sphere has over society. ANALYSIS OF THE HYPODERMIC NEEDLE MODEL AND PUBLIC SPHERE THEORIES IN RELATION TO NEWSPAPERS Firstly, I would like to speak about the ‘Hypodermic Needle Model’’ before I go on to talk about the ‘Public Sphere’ theory. This theory can be linked with newspapers in concerning how it focuses on how news media influences the public in certain ways or directions and how it also has a direct, immediate, and powerful effect on the society. From what I have researched on the theory, it is clear to me that in earlier years, (the 1940’s to the 1950’s), newspapers were a huge influence on the society. This is emphasised in many different ways, which have been cited above. What was printed by newspapers in those times, whether positive or negative, was greatly accepted by the society. In fact, some theorists even claimed that people were being duped by the information being given in newspapers. Nowadays however, the society’s (though not everyone) views on information in newspapers are not wholly believed and in recent times, people have begun to question whether all written in the papers is a concentrated or a diluted version of the truth. Newspapers now have selective influences on people in the society as individuals have developed minds of their own especially since nowadays, newspapers are not so much controlled by the government as they used to be and some independent newspapers give their own opinions of certain events while others are still a little vague about passing judgment on same events. Now, I will move on to the public sphere theory. This theory can also be directly applied to newspapers. From my research, I have been able to see that once again, public sphere was taken more seriously in past decades than it is nowadays. In those periods, the public sphere was seen as an integral part of news media and controlled the excesses of the government as a good government was seen to be one that paid attention to what the public sphere had to contribute to society. Then, the public sphere had a great influence on the society. Articles were printed regularly in newspapers concerning public matters and were written with a rational and critical fashion. Nowadays however, the society has lost touch with what the public sphere was truly about and now give in to whatever ‘latest rumour’ is given out to them. The public sphere has been disregarded and has become a sort of illusion. (Habermas). There are hardly any honest public debates now, public forums have declined over the years, and sadly, political discussions have degenerated from a fact-based rational-critical examination of public matters into a consumer commodity. Now newspapers are competing against each other and now print only what they believe will sell and increase their customer range, rather than the important and crucial things that are going on in the society. THE SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPERS In his book, ‘’_ Media Semiotics: An Introduction’,’_ Bignell (1997), discusses the ways in which semiotic analysis approaches newspaper as a medium. He considered the linguistic signs used in newspapers, the ionic and other visual signs in newspapers, and the relationship between linguistic signs and visual signs in newspapers. The medium of the newspaper is particularly interesting as signifiers are presented simultaneously thus offering a concrete display of signs which the reader can consume at his/her own pace and can also be re-read, as opposed to television or radio news which can only be watched or listened to at particular. A newspaper is not something that is just filled with facts, but it portrays news as representations produced in language and other signs like photographs. ‘’A semiotic analysis will therefore include discussions of the connotations of linguistic and visual signs used in news stories. ’ Bignell (1997:79) The process of selection is central to the production of all newspapers. This involves selecting events which are considered to be worthy of being printed as news, and excluding news which is considered to be irrelevant, insignificant or unworthy of news coverage. Thus news is a social construct dependent on what is deemed important by those who work in the â €˜news industry_’_ based on certain codes of behaviour, which have been learned by news workers in order to do their job. The codes of behaviour undoubtedly depend on the particular newspaper for which they are working. The reader comes to the newspaper with a set of codes with which to decode the text, and these codes may differ from individual to individual. This leads to the point that the text is open to a variety of interpretations depending on the ideological standpoint of the reader, and whether the reader is familiar with the newspaper and the codes which it employs to communicate the ‘news_’_ which it has selected. Connotations of the linguistic and visual signs that are presented by newspapers are central to the meaning of the news item to the reader. The connotations of the news item are perceived within a coded framework and there are recognisable codes within different newspapers. It is clear that different newspapers use particular narrative codes when representing the same item of news. The headlines are linguistic syntagms, which aim to attract the attention of the reader to the topic of the news story, and the linguistic signs that are employed in the headline suggest to the reader the appropriate codes that are needed to understand or decode the news item. It is clear that the newspapers use different linguistic codes as a means of representing the news item. For example, and in further discussion and differentiation, we are going to be focusing on three major newspapers in the UK- ‘_The Times’, ‘The Telegraph,’ _and ‘The Sun’. ‘_The Times__’_ and ‘_The Telegraph__’ are similar in their use of language. However, both differ dramatically with ‘The Sun__’_. It is clear that The Sun uses orally based vocabulary, and dramatic and sensational language. Another drastic difference between the newspapers representations of news items are the typographic devices used to break up the text. Again, ‘_The Sun__’_ differs dramatically to ‘_The Telegraph__’_ and ‘_The Times__’_ using bold text to start the article, serving to extend the role of the headline in attracting the attention of the reader to the topic of the news story. The use of bold and one word sub-headings which are employed throughout the text serve to direct the reader in making meaning of the text and make blatantly obvious the points which the newspaper deem to be of particular significance to the understanding of the news item. _The Telegraph__’_ and ‘_The Time’s_ do not employ the same typographic codes as ‘_The Sun__’_, apart from bold type which is used for the headline, and the bold type used to name the journalist/s of the article. The narrative of the news story uses the same type and size of font throughout the item. Arguably, this connotes authority and formality to the reader, which is also demonstrated by the fairly long se ntences, the correct spellings, and the lack of colloquial language that is used in ‘_The Sun__’_. This perhaps implies that the ‘quality_’_ press such as ‘_The Times__’ and ‘The Telegraph__’_ provide better news than tabloids such as ‘_The Sun__’_. However, this kind of value judgement is inappropriate as both types of newspaper are constructions of the news with the ‘quality’ newspapers aiming to connote authority and formality and the ‘popular_’_ tabloids aiming to connote an attitude of ‘telling it how it is. _’_ Thus, both types of representation of the news items present mythic meanings. Linguistic and typographic codes are not the only codes employed in newspapers. Graphic codes must also be considered. The photographs used in the newspapers have also undergone a process of selection. One image will be chosen over another as it connotes a message that the selectors of the photograph want to communicate. Barthes (cited in Bignell, 1977:98) suggests that the newspaper photograph is ‘an object that has been worked on, chosen, composed, constructed, treated according to professional, aesthetic or ideological norms which are so many factors of connotation. ’_ The ‘treatment_’_ of photographs, which is referred to by Barthes can be seen in the different newspapers that I have chosen. Interestingly, each version of the news item has used the same photographs, but treated them differently according to the required connotation. Again, The Times and The Telegraph use similar codes and The Sun employs a drastically different strategy despite using the same original photographs. The most drastic difference is that The Sun presents the photographs in colour, connoting realism and the dangerousness of the offender. This is also connoted by the size of the photographs, with the graphic representation dominating a large proportion of the overall available space on the page, which is another drastic difference between The Sun's representation of the news item and the other two newspapers. Despite these major differences, it is significant that the newspapers have all used the same photographs, and it is interesting to look at why these particular photographs might have been chosen. Paradigmatically, photographs involve connotations, and thus the significance of the particular photographs, which have been chosen, can be seen more clearly when considering what other paradigmatic connotations might have appeared in their place. As Bignell (1997:99) suggests, the caption underneath the picture enables the reader to ‘load down the image with particular cultural meanings and the photograph functions as the proof that the text's message is true. _’_ The pictures are also shown in different contexts in the three newspapers with ‘_The Sun__’ using a different strategy to ‘The Telegraph__’_ and ‘_The Times__’_. _The Telegraph__’_ and ‘_The Times__’_ use similar sized pictures of the individuals involved. In ‘_The Sun__',_ the size of the photographs of the individuals differs considerably. This discussion of several newspapers' representations of the same news item show how semiotic analysis ca n determine the meanings of such news items, as a result of the linguistic and visual signs used within the texts. However, semiotic analysis cannot determine how an individual reader might interpret the representations of the news items in a real social context. Semiotic analysis does offer an insight into the factors at work in the production of a news item and distinguishes the various codes, which are employed by different types of newspaper when representing a particular news item. CONCLUSION To conclude this essay, from all that I have researched, I now know that newspapers have indeed come a long way I am going to give my opinion of what I believe should be the role of newspapers as an integral form of news media to the society. Newspapers are expected to keep the people informed about the political activities of their government. They should give in detail, the statements of speeches made by the rulers at public meetings or on the radio or television. They should also report the activities of political parties and leaders. Standard newspapers should be able to criticize the policies and statements of the government or of the political parties in a fair and just method. Newspapers should also describe the economic policies of the government. For example, they should describe its import and export policies, its plans for future economic development, and the prices of different things fixed by it, and so on. In addition, newspapers should always report in detail, the economic policies of the government in the fields of agriculture, industry, and commerce, should be more detailed about matters concerning the problems of labors, farmers and other working people, and suggested their solutions. Newspapers should give a true and correct picture of society. They should describe the activities of the people in different fields like education business industry, law, medicine, science, and so on and also tell us about the activities of students and teachers, businessmen, industrialists, lawyers, doctors, scientists and all categories of working people. They should convey information regarding the different crimes taking place every day. Newspapers ought to tell about the political, economic, and social changes in different countries and give descriptions of changes in government and revolutions in different parts of the world. Lastly, they should give descriptions of changes taking place in other societies in education, science, and medicine industry agriculture and defence preparation. These are a few suggestions I believe that are suitable ideas and courses that newspapers should begin to focus on instead of the media frenzy seeking status they seem to be attaining nowadays. I do not believe that newspapers have reached the point of maximum satisfaction in the views of the society. Centuries ago, it was understandable that newspaper agencies could only print certain facts as some of them or most of them were government owned and operated. However, with freedom of journalism, one would expect that they would become more transparent in the way they convey out news to the society. However, news relaying has been turned into infotainment. It matters less whether news is right or wrong, and matters more whether it is gripping and this is not the ways newspapers should be going nowadays. Newspapers are probably the main source of handy information that provides up-to-date information on a daily basis that everyone can afford to buy. It gives the sophisticated approach towards life in social, political, economical and entertainment framework. Provide knowledgeable information available to all ages and societal status. Newspapers influence the society greatly because it is not necessary that everyone have TV, or internet resources, radio, as these are the technological resources, but everyone gets to read the newspaper every now and then. Newspapers are the global need of every culture, and should therefore promote freedom of journalism to project the truth in the society. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bignell, J (1997). Media Semiotics: An Introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 79-98. Carlos Hurworth. (2009). How the News Media Controls Society. Available: http://www. helium. com/items/1534166-how-the-news-media-controls-society. Last accessed 13 Dec 2009. Farlex. (2006). Role of News Media.

Party Systems in Latin America Essay - 2791 Words

Party Systems in Latin America This essay will compare and contrast the party systems of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay according to Mainwaring and Shugarts Chapter 11 of Presidentialism and Democracy in Latin America. First, I will discuss majority verses minority government; second, I will discuss the number of relevant parties; third, I will discuss the level of party discipline with the parties. In Presidential systems of government, the level of support for the president in congress, either through a majority or coalitions, influences the success of the regime to get things done. The amount of parties in a system indicates the likelihood the president will have a majority or be forced to focus on forming†¦show more content†¦The President has strong proactive powers to counter this weakness. In Uruguay, the President has historically been supported by a substantial amount of congress rendering coalitions unnecessary. According to tale 11.1in Mainwaring and Shugart, the president in Uruguay has had an average of 45.6% of the seats in the Lower House and 43.8% of the seats in the upper house. This congressional composition is an ideal amount of support because it allows checks and balances to work; yet, the president can successfully implement a program. The last election in Uruguay did not yield this traditional composition. No party received a significant majority. The votes were split three ways between the Blanco, the Colorado, and the EP (Progressive Encounter). Whether or not this significant plurality trend will continue is unclear. The president of Argentina has usually enjoyed a significant amount of support in congress from his/her own party and coalitions. Mainwaring and Shugarts table11.1 shows Argentina President to have an average support of 48.3% in t he Lower House and 52% in the upper house. Including coalition partners 49% in the Lower House and 52.0% in the upper house supports the president. This kind of congressional composition has the ability to inhibit checks and balance by a minority party. This is the extreme of winner take all politics, majority politics. In the last presidentialShow MoreRelatedAnnotated Bibliography : Types Of Leftist Governments1442 Words   |  6 PagesSteven Venegas July 23, 2016 Annotated Bibliography Question: What preexisting or absent institutions have led Latin American nations to see a divergence in the types of leftist governments in power? Group 1: Party Systems and Political Institutions French, John. 2010. â€Å"Many Lefts, One Path? Chavez and Lula.† In Latin America’s Left Turns: Politics, Policies, and Trajectories of Change. Eds. Maxwell A. Cameron Eric Hershberg. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. 41-60. FrenchRead MoreThe United States uses a presidential system of government and is a stable democracy; therefore, it is advisable for new democracies to also choose pr1628 Words   |  7 PagesStates uses a presidential system of government and is a stable democracy; therefore, it is advisable for new democracies to also choose presidential systems of government. Discuss The United States is arguably the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world and has had a successful stable democracy under presidential government for over 200 years. So surely therefore new democracies in the modern day should adopt the presidential system of government used by theRead MoreFrom Movements to Parties in Latin America. The Evolution of Ethnic Politics. Donna Lee Van Cott. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2005. Pp. 2761079 Words   |  5 PagesThe author analyzes how indigenous people’s movements in Latin America transformed into viable political parties. For her, these new parties are good for the democracy because they enrich and enhance the legitimacy of the political and electoral system. She assumes that the primary link between state and society are the parties and its accountability impact on the institutions. She proves that the crisis of the traditional parties and the transformation of the historical electoral constrains wereRead MoreThe Conflict Between Aztecs And Incas1745 Words   |  7 Pagesworld. The necessity of one party to demonstrate that it has more physical and political power than the other has been necessary to consolidate status quo. If we talk about war as a pathway to achieve state formation and later consolidation of a system of states in Latin America, it is necessary to to back in history and analyze the distribution of power within the period even before the colonization. Despite our post Columbus state formation history of Latin America that has taught that the â€Å"realRead MoreFour approaches to the political economy development of Latin America1734 Words   |  7 PagesThe study of development in Latin America has been approached from a variety of academic disciplines. International Political Economy scholars have provided a number of different approaches for studying, analyzing and understanding the political and institutional constrains that have shaped the development of Latin American countries. They have also incorporated into the analysis variables such as the influence of international organizations and the economic and class history, and its relation withRead MoreClassical Era in Latin America and Europe Essay1569 Words   |  7 Pagesunique style of politics, culture and economies, the economic and social patterns in Latin America distinctly detached this civilization from any Western society, which accounted for obvious distinctions in both culture and politics. In politics, the most apparent feature of the Western Society was the creation of new political ideologies, resulting in neither an absolute or dictatorial structure. The instability of Latin American politics created a weakened structure, therefore creating limitationsRead MoreA Very Old Man With Enormous Wings1713 Words   |  7 PagesColombia, is hard. A vibrant and lush country that has unfortunately had to endure the horrors of living in a constant state of civil war. This harsh reality of their country being at war all the time has cultivated strength, perseverance and a belief system uniquely embedded within the Colombian people. You can find this in the famous story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings written by Colombian legend Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Of course, it is truly no surprise that these traits are not only found inRead MoreEffects Of Economic Development On A Nation1511 Words   |  7 Pages1920’s there was an exponential j ump in the economic growth of Latin America. This spike was the result of the harvesting of Latin America s immense agricultural resources that were exported to many nations. Latin America s massive development of economic trade precisely compelled a liberal ideology among the nation and lead to internal conflict, power shift in social classes, and political reformation. In order for Latin America, or any population to export/trade, there needs to be a demand forRead MoreWhat Effect Did The Good Neighbor Have On The Relations Between The United States And Latin American Countries From1116 Words   |  5 PagesWhat effect did the Good Neighbor have on the relations between the United States and Latin American countries from 1933 to 1939. After decades of American imperialism in Latin American nations, Franklin Roosevelt wanted to reduce American influence and improve relations. Before this, the American government effectively controlled Latin America with a series of puppet dictatorships that supported American interests in the region. As a result, Anti American sentiment was becoming very intense andRead MoreThe Features Of Corruption Of Latin America876 Words   |  4 Pages Corruption exists to some extent in all countries. But in Latin America, corruption seems an inextricable part of life. Some schools of thought, particularly those in the pol itical science circle, view corruption as functional to the maintenance of a political system. Meaning, corruption may not be ideal, but it represents a way for people to access resources that would otherwise be unavailable to them. In sharp contrast, economists point to the many downfalls of corruption: a climate of fear and