Effects of the Change4Life Advertising Campaign

Effects of the Change4Life Advertising Campaign The NHS document will go through the changes that are going to be implemented in the NHS. This will go through what might improve in the NHS due to changes and what will not improve. It will go the criticisms that the proposed changes have received and also the positive points that have been received. The proposed changes in the NHS will mean that the GPs will be getting  £70 billion pounds annually. The purpose of this is to get the GPs to manage most of the NHS budget to buy patient care from the NHS hospitals and clinics. According to the new changes the government is planning to close 151 primary care trusts and have them replaced by GPs, the question that has been put forward by this proposal is that how much money is going to be spent on administration rather than health care? And how much money will the GPs take to pay themselves management fees? (Walayat, 2010) By the government announcing that the primary care trusts are going to be closing it marked the first step towards the NHS becoming privatised. The budget of  £70 million will not increase productivity but will lead to a less productive system instead just as the Labour Government experienced when they doubled the NHS budget. The budget will lead to all the GP surgeries to become part of private companies. (Walayat, 2010) Andrew Lansley the UK health Secretary launched a White Paper which was titled Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS under which every GP will have to join a commissioning group by 2011/12 which will close down the Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities systems. The plans will see the GPs being responsible for  £110 billion of the health care budget, some of the budget  £80 billion of this will be going through to PCTs. (Pharmaletter, 2010) An important aspect of the proposal is that the health care providers will be paid according their performance, reflecting outcomes as well as activity and progress on outcomes will be supported by quality standards which are developed by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). (Pharmaletter, 2010) Some advantages of the proposal have been put forward such as that the white paper shows a move towards greater doctor and patient influence over clinical decisions. It is believed that the expansion of NICEs remit which promotes best practice is a high priority for the future of the NHS than the narrow cost effectiveness calculations on new medicines that it is currently conducting. (Pharmaletter, 2010) There are criticisms of the new proposal it has been stated that the plans could cost the NHS its  £20 billion efficiency savings target. Health director James Gubb stated that the NHS is facing the most difficult financial times in its history and that it is not the time to change structures but its better to get behind the difficult decisions PCTs will have to make. Other criticisms are that the White Paper was a waste of time and a waste of money. They also stated that the GPs do not have enough power to see any changes in the system. (Pharmaletter, 2010) The changes to the NHS will be taking place in 2013, already it has emerged that GPs that are covering half the country have already signed to start piloting the changes. The cost of the programme is  £1.4 billion, most of this will come over the next two years as more than 20,000 people from management and the staff from administration are being made redundant from the health authorities, primary care trusts and the Department of Health. (BBC, 2011) GPs will be expected to publish yearly reports of their performance. There will be a Health Watch network where feedback will be gathered from patients. The new bill will set out a duty to maximise access to a wide range of services. If GPs do under perform they will be financially penalised as a proportion of their income. (BBC, 2011) The British Medical Association believe that the government are taking a big gamble with the changes to the NHS and others have just stated that the health service will not be able to do what they are expected to do and that the new changes have a big risk of failing. (BBC, 2011) With the changes the ministers, including the secretary of state, will no longer be able to intervene when a hospital is threatened to close. Instead there will be a NHS independent board who will oversee the GPs. They will buy the care for their patients from any willing provider meaning from an NHS organisation or a private company. (Channel 4, 2011) Critics have said that this in a way is putting profit before care and that the services will end up closing down as they will not be financially viable even when they are need by the public. The changes in the NHS are complex and are mainly to do with management although Andrew Lansley the health secretary has ensured that patients are at the heart of the changes. (Channel 4, 2011) The changes mean that there will be a loss of 24,500 jobs and approximately 21,000 of them will be going through redundancy. The changes will be in place in 2013 and in the following year all hospitals will be foundation trusts, which will mean that hey will be controlling their own budget and have control. (Channel 4, 2011) The changes that are being made have been labelled as dangerous by the health experts and campaigners who are desperately trying to save the NHS. The changes will be getting rid of the targets that say that operations are performed within 18 weeks and also seeing your doctor within 48 hours. Private firms will now be able to bid for contracts for anything from standard check-ups to complex surgery. Patients will now have to wait longer to get appointments to see the GP, as local surgeries will be part of the financially powerful regional GP groups, as they now have almost  £80 billion of the health budget they could get rid of expensive treatments which in turn will make patients look for a different surgery which meets their needs. (Buckland, 2011) The patients will not see much change to the NHS but if the government does fulfil the aims it has set then the patients will have more control over their care than what they used to. The patients will now have a choice on how they want to be treated and where they want to be treated. Patients already have a choice on what hospital they want to go to but the choice is now extending to GPs. The boundaries that were set for registering with the GP are not in use any more and now they can choose whichever doctor they wish. (BBC (a) 2011) To conclude the NHS document has gone through what the changes are going to take place in the NHS and what this will cause. It has gone through the strengths and the criticisms of the changes. It has also stated that the GPs will now have control over the NHS budget and the changes will take place 2013. This assignment will be going through three health campaigns that are based in the UK to promote healthy lifestyles. The first campaign is change4life campaign it will go through what this campaign promotes, its aims and what it has achieved so far it will then go onto criticising the campaign and explain what has not worked. It will then go through whether enough is being done to promote healthy lifestyles. The second campaign is anti-smoking campaign it will again go the aims, what it has achieved and the criticisms of the campaign. It will then go through whether enough is being done to promote healthy lifestyles. The final campaign is sexual health campaign it will go through its aims, what it has achieved and its criticisms. It will then go through whether enough is being done to promote healthy lifestyles. The conclusion will bring the main points together and summarise what has been said in the portfolio and will also state whether the campaigns have done what they have aimed to do. Change4life is a society-wide movement that has the aims to prevent people from becoming overweight by encouraging them to eat better and move more. The campaign aims to motivate a societal movement in which anyone who has an interest in preventing obesity, they can be businesses, healthcare professionals, charities, schools or families can play their part. (Department of Health, 2010) The Change4Life campaign started in January 2009 and started by targeting young families with children aged 5-11 years. Since then the movement has grown and is now targeting parents of 1-4 year olds (Early Years) and new parents with babies (Start4Life). (Department of Health, 2010) The Change4Life advertising campaign has made the subject of weight and physical activity a hot topic and it urges us to make changes to our diet and levels of activity. The campaign talks about fat in the body rather that fat bodies and makes the link clear between fat and preventable illnesses. Change4life puts the blame of obesity onto modern life, which affects everyone instead of blaming the parents. (Department of Health (a), 2010) The steps that Change4life support will help people to improve health and their diet for example by swapping sugary food for healthier alternatives, cutting down on portion sizes and putting a limit on snacks. But a criticism that has been put forward is that change4life could be flawed from the start. They have been criticised for having partnerships with companies such as Nestle, PepsiCo and Mars. (Watts, 2009) Change4life tried to justify the partnerships by claiming that they want everyone to work together to fight obesity. However the question that has been put forward by critics is the involvement of manufacturers of fatty, sugary snack products going to help reduce obesity? (Watts, 2009) There is not enough evidence to say that social marketing is effective than other methods of improving health, but it seems that the government which is pursuing Change4Life have abandoned pursuing the steps that need to be taken to tackle obesity and focusing on how best to advertise the campaign. It was published in a report that it is urgent to act on the obesity crisis now as it was predicted that 9 out of 10 adults will be obese by 2050. (Watts, 2009) The department of health is now keen on getting corporate partners that the department seems to have forgotten the certain steps that need to be taken that can stop obesity such as protecting children from junk food marketing or forcing companies to use effective nutritional labelling. (Watts, 2009) The UK Public Health Association Chairman, David Hunter has warned that the governments  £75 million Change4Life campaign will fail to stop the rising levels of obesity unless it develops a strategy to change long-term behaviour. He has stated that the evidence that has been found that their campaign can have a positive effect for short term but it cannot be used for long term and so something needs to be done to prove that the campaign is not a waste of money and time. (Clews, 2009) Now it is being said that the new coalition government is taking away the funding from Change4life which was put forward by the Labour government. The new health secretary Andrew Lansley stated that the campaign should be supported by businesses not the government. (Tasker, 2010) Lansley stated that the new government will aim to use more social media to get the message of Change4Life across rather than the traditional advertising campaigns and will make it less of a government campaign but a social movement, by asking charities and local authorities and the commercial sectors to get involved. (Tasker, 2010) Lansley praised the scheme by saying that it has achieved a lot; especially in the way it has bought many people together such as healthcare professionals, teachers, charities, businesses and thousands of volunteers who have their support. (Tasker, 2010) Although there have been criticisms of the campaign there have been achievements. The campaign has worked alongside with a range of colleagues such as GP staff, primary schools and early years settings. In all the work they have encouraged colleagues to register as Local Supporters and to adopt the Change4Life brand in their activities. (Department of health, (b) 2010) A Change4life van is used by the Healthy Lifestyle team to deliver cooking sessions to help at-risk families learn how to cook simple, low-fat meals. Change4Life brand has also been incorporated into Healthy Heroes programme that was developed in primary schools to encourage children to be more active. Sport and physical alliances, School Sports Partnerships and Food Forums have all got the Change4Life sub brands and are using both Bike4Life and Walk4life in their cycling and walking schemes. (Department of health, (b) 2010) Anti-smoking campaigns uses advertising to put out their word to stop people smoking, a lot of different advertisements have been used which are directed to smokers. It has been found that a  £4 million advertising campaign which shows fat oozing out of the smokers artery has been a huge success for the anti-smoking campaign. After seeing the advertisement a total of 10,000 people contacted the British Heart Foundation charity and 62,000 have visited their website. Smoking has been estimated to cause 114,000 deaths in a year in the UK, 30,000 of these due to cardiovascular disease. (BBC, 2004) On the 1st July 2007, England introduced a new law to make all enclosed public places and workplaces smoke free. This will ensure that England has a healthier environment so that everyone can socialise, relax, travel and shop free from second hand smoke. The law also states that smoking is not allowed in public transport or in work vehicles where there is more than one person in the vehicle. Staff smoking rooms and indoor smoking areas are no longer allowed so everyone who wants to smoke will have to go outside the building. (Smokefree, 2007) Local councils are responsible for enforcing the new law in England. There are now penalties and fines for those who do not abide by the law, some of these fines are as follows: if someone is caught smoking in smoke free premises or in work vehicles will have a fixed penalty of  £50 or a maximum of  £200 if they are convicted by court. There is a fixed penalty of  £200 if there is a failure to put up no-smoking signs. There is also a maximum of  £2500 if the person who manages the premises or vehicles fails to prevent smoking. (Smokefree, 2007) The smoking ban has triggered the biggest fall in smoking ever seen in England. It has been found that more than two billion fewer cigarettes were smoked and 400,000 people have quit smoking since the ban was introduced, researchers have said that this will prevent 40,000 deaths over the next 10 years. There is no guarantee that the rates of smoking will not raise again so it is essential that the downward pressure is maintained. (Laurence, 2008) However it has been stated that the ban on smoking in public has failed to increase the number of people quitting. The proportion of men who smoke has risen since the ban while there has been no change among women. It has been hoped that the ban would help reduce the smoking rates among the poor but instead smoking in working-class men has risen. (Martin, 2008) The Health Survey for England, which was carried out by the NHS has raised fears that smokers are now simply smoking at home which is now putting children at risk. The Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦stark figures which demonstrate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the governments strategy on smoking has not been successful. A spokesman from the pro-smoking pressure group stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦figures show that the smoking ban has been an unmitigated failure. (Martin, 2008) However a spokesman from the Department of Health replied to the criticisms by stating that the Smoke free laws were put forward to protect employees and public from secondhand smoke, and that the legislation was never intended to be a measure to reduce smoking. (Martin, 2008) Now in America the district officials have said that the best way to get young people to stop smoking, is to use bar and nightclub scenes and advertisements that show men and women in sexually suggestive poses. They are now planning to spend millions of dollars over the next few years for this plan. The local health authority had determined that to counter methods that tobacco companies have used to lure young people into thinking that smoking is cool, the most effective way to stop people from smoking is to fight fire with fire. (Kanigher, 2010) A criticism of this idea was put forward that the advertisements message of anti-smoking is diluted by the images which promote booze and sex. The complaint was that they are not promoting a healthy lifestyle; they may be telling them not to smoke but instead are promoting drinking and sex. The answer to this criticism was the reason they put on the advertisements of bars and nightclub scenes is because young smokers are drawn to that lifestyle. (Kanigher, 2010) The sexual health campaign is in place to inform people to have safe sex to prevent sexual transmitted diseases (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies. A lot of campaigns are now in place to inform mainly teenagers the importance of safe sex. The campaign aims to create a culture change where stakeholders and consumers are equipped and have the confidence in engaging in conversations about sexual health and relationships. (Everett, 2009) They have stated that they were behind in their target which was to halve the under 18 conception rate by 2010 and also another aim which they need to do is to lower the rates of abortion and repeat abortion as they remain high in people under the age of 25. (Everett, 2009) There are three marketing objectives that the campaign has the first is prevention-building attitudes, knowledge and skills that make safe sex more likely. The second is protection-which encourages protective behaviours that make sex safer and intervention-intensive support for those who are most at risk. Within these three marketing objectives there are six strands of activities which are for prevention-knowledge and education and communication and negotiation skills. For protection-there will be contraceptive choice, carrying condoms or access to condoms. For intervention-there will be integrated education and service delivery. (Waters, 2009) The campaign gets their information across by using the television, radio and the press. They use stories from media to support the campaign and fuel discussions. By doing this they persuade people to find out more information about their campaign through their website which is hosted by the NHS Choices which have details of the services available and how to get in contact with the service providers. (Hadley, 2009) Statistics have shown that teenage pregnancy rates have fallen, according to data collected from the Office of National Statistics there was a fall of 3.9% of pregnancy rates of girls under the age of 18 in 2008 while pregnancy rate for under sixteen year olds fell 7.6%. However, this is far short of the government aim to have it halved. (Bawden, 2010) Victoria Sheard, who is deputy head of police at Terrence Higgins trust, stated that there is a need for young people to be given more information to protect themselves. She also stated that it is not easy for the teenagers to get hold of information and support that they need from schools. (Bawden, 2010) It has been stated that the pregnancy rates will rise unless the government takes renewed action. The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) has warned that the budget cuts and the changes in the NHS are going to threaten the current downward trend in teenage pregnancy. The under-18 conception rate has been at the lowest for over twenty years, on the other hand experts have said that the target to halve the teenage pregnancy rate will be missed. (BBC, 2010) The TPIAG is calling on the current government to invest in contraception, sex and relationship education, they have stated that the pregnancy rates will rise again unless there is sustained commitment and investment in contraceptive services, along with better sex education. The local authorities and primary care trusts will be facing bigger bills if the contraceptive services are reduced. (BBC, 2010) In November 2009 a national campaign called sex worth talking about was launched by the Department of Health who had the aim to help young people to become better informed about their sexual health, how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and access treatment for STIs. The first phase of the campaign was focused on contraception and the choices available. The second phase was launched in 2010 which shifted the focus onto Chlamydia with the warning that this has no symptoms and can be passed on without people knowing. Then the third stage which was also launched in 2010 moved the focus back onto contraception again. (Politics, 2011) The factors that are behind the poor sexual health of Britain have been debated and there is no single suggestion. Many have complained that the culture and the increase of sex education promote promiscuity which makes it certain that people will transmit STIs or unwanted pregnancies. (Politics, 2011) Others have put forward that the current education policies are not successful in adequately equipping young people to promote their own sexual health and others argue that Britain need to have an open attitude towards sex to encourage safe sexual behaviour. A lack of resources for sexual health services have been blamed for the rates of infection. (Politics, 2011) The Department of Health does admit that the sexual health services do need to be more modernised and they have set themselves targets to cut the rate of unwanted pregnancies and reduce the spread of STIs however, they also state that they have had achievement in lowering the rate of pregnancies. (Politics, 2011) The British Medical Association (BMA) warned of a sexual health crisis in Britain and called on the government to reduce rates of STIs. The BMA warned that clinics will not be able to cope with the rising rates of STIs without the government support. (Politics, 2011) The three campaigns above are linked by the personal responsibility agenda that is now being put forward by the government. The personal responsibility agenda puts forward that there is the need for people to take charge of changing their own behaviour instead of relying on the interventions that are in place. It has been stated that it will be difficult in shifting the focus this way. However, it is what is needed as it could change behaviour. (BBC, a, 2010) A lot of people have supported this idea by stating that the interventions that were put forward did not work but actually made health inequalities worse. But for this agenda to work there has to be support from the coalition government. (BBC (a) 2010). There have been criticisms of the personal health responsibility agenda, some of which are that the agenda blames the victim, because they ignore the social context in which the individual makes their decisions and health related actions take place. This is more problematic with the poor as it is said that poverty is the main risk factor for illnesses. (Minkler, 2009) Another criticism is that the personal health responsibility agenda is that the government will move the blame from themselves to the individual. The basis of this criticism is that the conservative government have used the personal responsibility agenda to justify the cutbacks needed in health social programmes. (Minkler, 2009) Looking at the criticisms and the strengths of the agenda it has to be put forward that after all the years spent on interventions and other campaigns supporting people to change behaviour will the personal responsibility agenda work? Will people change their behaviour after living in unhealthy lifestyles for so many years? The three campaigns that have been mentioned in the portfolio have given an overview of what the campaign does and the strengths and weaknesses. Overall with the campaigns it has been found that the campaigns have got their strengths but also have a lot of criticisms that they have top work on to improve which they have been doing to prove that they do work. Each campaign has in its own way given information on the health risks and what can prevent them. All three of the campaigns are linked by the personal responsibility agenda which states that the people have to take responsibility for their own health, this has its own strengths and weakness with one of the main criticisms being that the government do not want to take the blame if this does not work instead the blame will be going to the individual who did not take responsibility for their own health. Overall the portfolio went over what the campaigns promote, what they have achieved, their criticisms and what they are aiming for in the future. The campaigns overall do give out a positive message to the public but now need to improve on how they are going to lower the rates of the health risks mainly in those who are living in poverty.

Character Analyses Table

Characters – The Story of Tom Brennan Using the information about the other characters given to you by the other groups fill in the boxes below, include: * Adjectives to describe their personal (how they act, what they’re like) and physical characteristics (what they look like) * How they deal with the crash & do they blame themselves for the crash? How? (Include a quote from the novel to illustrate this and explain why this quote is appropriate) * Outline how they have grown or changed throughout the novel (Include a second quote from the novel to illustrate this and explain why this quote is appropriate)Tom BrennanBefore: determined, strong, horny, talented, and athletic. How he dealt with it: Tom blames himself at the start but learns to accept that it was not his fault. He soon sees that he could never have stopped Daniel from getting in the car. â€Å"Tomorrow? I felt my heart slip to the ground†¦ there would be a tomorrow†¦ the world went on, regardless of how I felt†. It shows how Tom is struggling to get through the days and just when it gets better he remembers how crap his life is. Tom changes hugely throughout the book, he works hard to improve his life and become happy again even when he wants to give up. I just wish I was starting to feel a bit better† â€Å"You will, I know you will†. â€Å"Really? † â€Å"Yeah†. â€Å"Do you? † â€Å"Yeah† I answered. â€Å"It’s slow but I can see ahead now, if you know what I mean? † â€Å"Like? † â€Å"Like life being okay again. † I squeezed her hand. Shows how Tom starts to live again. | Daniel BrennanBefore accident: arrogant, Sentenced to 3 years in jail. Blames himself, ashamed of what he has done. He has plenty of time to think about what his done. Daniel improves at the end. Reckless at times. Doesn’t deal with the crash that well because he blames himself for what happened at the beginning.He has a mentor that helps him deal with the accident and then Daniel begins to help someone else. â€Å"Daniel was an accident waiting to happen, just shame that it happened to other people†. From Nicole’s parents. He became sorry and a mentor. This is how he changed throughout the novel. | Kylie BrennanSmoker, stubborn, argumentative. After accident: aggressive, angry, guilty, frightened, secretive and bitchy. Builds a strong relationship with Tom and Daniel. Expresses her feelings through her speech about domestic terrorism.Kylie becomes caring about Fin and made sure he was ok. â€Å"Kyle’s we’ll never be the same, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bad just different†. This show that things can change but doesn’t have to be negative. How she dealt with it: She moved on quickly, but she blamed herself secretly because she encouraged Fin and Claire to get together. She hated herself, and cut her hair off. â€Å"Tell someone who cares Tomà ¢â‚¬ . As she got up and walked out. This shows she is angry. She started being rebellious as a form of coping. She started smoking and even swearing.Unlike Tom though, she can’t talk about the accident. As she told her new friend Brianna and her old friend Becky. | FinBefore accident: mature, relaxed. After accident: confused, depressed, quadriplegic. â€Å"Hey Tom† and here he was 6 months later, his had grown back and he could breathe for himself. But he’d never be the real Fin, the Fin I knew. â€Å"Who’s Bennies 5/8th†, â€Å"A bloke called Rory†, â€Å"Is he any good†. I answered carefully â€Å"He’s not bad†He became quadriplegic, becomes depressedBecause he can’t move, he had more time to think.When becoming angry, the only way to feel better is to take it out on his family. About the crash: angry, lost confused, depressed. Blames Daniel for the crash and how he ruined his life. | Uncle Brendan| ClaireReg retful, forgiving, scared, caring and thoughtful. Claire broke up with Daniel and he went crazy which resulted in the accident. | Gran| Aunty Kath| Jo Brennan and Tess Brennan (Tom’s Parents)Sympathetic, dull, depressed, neglectful. He does not blame himself for the accident as he felt they all had the reason to celebrate.They got in to the final end they wanted a premature party. Joe did not know the full relationship between Fin and Claire had the secret relationship. Joe just saw it as a night of fun not tragedy. She nodded. â€Å"you’ve always been one step ahead of her†. â€Å"You and Kylie both have. † â€Å"So what did I do wrong my first born? † â€Å"Tess blames her parenting skills referring to Kylie and Tom being good but looked at the Daniel turned out. Tess used to be very neglectful to the rest of family and has come to deep depression.She didn’t show much interest other than Daniel this has extended not only to her own childr en but Fin as well. She changed throughout the novel by taking care of her health and making effort with her children. â€Å"Mum made dinner. † Kylie and I helped. They were only omelettes but that was the most she’s cooked in ages. She kept going on about how delicious they were and how you had to eat the eggs in a particular way to make them fluffy. Kylie gave me a bit of an eye roll but she didn’t say anything. We knew these were big steps for mum. We didn’t want to do nything to ruin it in case she went back to bed and never got out. â€Å"Not only has god given you a gift, I mean sincerely. Now, it was good, but it was never going to be as good as you† But I think deep down he meant that. Joe comes to senses and realises that Daniel, is not so much the golden child. Joe realises that Tom has so much, he has a chance at a better life, a great rugby career and a chance to become a great someone, special. This relates to Joe in changing because h e realises that Tom can be someone and he can lift his brother and family from the disaster. Tess blames herself.She felt saddened, depressed as if she never wanted to wake up from her bed. Tess often slept, and slept in the dark clutches of doona. It was though she would never wake from under the bed ever again, but Tess after all that sleeping she was just thinking that she should of stopped Daniel. But there was no way. Tess did not know what was going to happen. Daniels actions affected Tess in a way where she would never able to look at her sister in the eye again. The damaged that ripped Tess’s family apart that to her was unbearable to forget, and to beg for forgiveness. |

Philosophy of Literacy Essay

One thing I will never forget in my Life is the miles I walked to School. I can still remember those muddy and dusty roads I walked just to get to School. Sometimes I have to Stay all day without food and water not just because I wasn’t hungry or thirsty but because my parents had no money to buy them. I did not only walk to school but I did walk without shoes or slippers on. Walking was very normal because we had no cars. There was absolutely no means of transportation. I was just 4 years old when I started walking to School. I had always admired my teachers and all the people who could read and write. I just loved the way they talked to people. I enjoyed listening to them. School to me was a source of Hope that my life will change and it did changed my life. Without me going to school, I would have still been in Africa or may be dead. I was able to get a scholarship from Africa through my school to the United States and here am I living the dreams of my life. So if I can walk about 6 miles on those muddy and dusty roads just to get to school each day, anyone can go to School if they really want to. Defining literacy in our changing world is not easy. Several years ago, being literate meant being able to read and write a little. Now, being literate means being able to read and write at a level to be successful in today’s world and also being proficient at math, knowing how to use technology, and knowing how to solve problems and make decisions. To me, the power of literacy lies not only in the ability to read and write, but rather in an individual’s capacity to put those skills to work in shaping the course of his or her own life. There are basically three kinds of literacy I know. The first one is called Functional literacy which refers to the ability to read and write well enough to understand basic written information such as Newspaper headlines, Job application forms and Signs. Functional literacy incorporates reading materials that relate directly to community development and to teaching applicable or useful life skills. This to me is the most important of all the kinds of Literacy. The second one is Cultural Literacy. Cultural literacy is the ability to engage with a culture not only as a result of rote learning like the technicalities of the language, customs and so on; but also as a result of a deeper understanding of the idioms and informal content of that culture. Although literature, language and history are useful means of gaining a deeper understanding of a culture, these alone are not sufficient if one wants to attain a state of cultural literacy: it is equally, important to be able to converse using the common-day phrases and cultural references that are used by natives of that culture. One common example of this is the US comedy series â€Å"The Simpsons†. Someone who has no cultural literacy regarding the US would have trouble understanding many of the jokes, while if the show suddenly made lots of jokes about Chinese culture, for example, many in the US audience would be equally perplexed. Another example is that when the US was trying to persuade France to support its cause in the War of Independence in the 18th century, many learned diplomats were sent to Paris, but were unsuccessful. Benjamin Franklin was eventually sent and although he did not know the French language very well, Franklin had an understanding of French culture and he was successful in his mission. The last kind of literacy is Critical Literacy. Critical literacy is not culture specific. It is associated with a broad range of ideas and perspectives rather than with one viewpoint. Critical literacy refers to the ability to recognize the social essence of literacy, understand the fundamentally political nature of literacy and to be able to figure out the agenda of the writer or a text. Literacy is an important indicator of development and status. It provides access to information necessary for growth and decent living. It also provides an account of the socio-economic condition of an individual and his/her family. On the other hand, illiteracy stands for ignorance, defeatism, frustration and lack of aspiration. Literacy and education generate hope, aspiration and ability to move forward. Without you being a functional literate, you won’t be able to know about what is going on around you. Life will be miserable and fustrating. Imagine a driver who doesn’t understand the rules and laws of the road. You will not be able to look for a job for yourself because you don’t even know where to look for it. Literacy in my opinion, involves more than just being able to read a string of letters and understand its meaning. However, a literate person must also be able to recreate those letters from memory and string them along in such a way that meaning is conveyed accurately and efficiently. This ability to write is just as essential to the definition of literacy as the ability to read is. Without it, a person’s freedom is impinged upon; a person is left exposed to realities created by others without having the ability to refute them; much less the ability to create a new one. Again, in my opinion, a person without the ability to write is nothing more than an answering machine – a receiver of messages without the power to create his/her own recorded message. Literacy is very important in our society today. To me those who can read Shakespeare’s books are the same as those who can read a simple website. A literate remains a literate. Imagine living in a country where the President can neither read nor write. I here by mean that, if you are not literate, you are indirectly punished because you can’t occupy important positions of responsibility. No one would trust your judgment. It is better to be the kind of person everyone likes to listen to when you talk, rather than to be the kind of person who has nothing to say and even if you have something to say, no one will like to listen to you. I’m convinced it is time everyone starts to go to school to be able read and write. You can change your life and live the dreams of your life. If I could walk 6 miles each day to School, you can do it.

SABMiller - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2209 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? INTRODUCTION: SABMiller is an international brewing company which not only relates with brewing business but also deal with hotels and gaming world. SABMiller Company comes from the organization SAB (The South African Breweries Limited) which was founded in 1895 and the position of SABMiller in todays market is they are having 98% share of the beer market. The main objective of an organization is to achieve commercial success in beer and other beverages by gaining customer satisfaction over quality and services as well as by fulfilling stakeholders expectation. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "SABMiller" essay for you Create order For achieving this objective organization fulfill their goals of business growth and maximized long term shareholder value. SABMiller plays an important role in the South African soft drink market by holding 74% interest in Amalgamated Beverage Industry Ltd, the worlds largest bottling company of Coco-Cola products with an ownership of Appletiser South Africa Private Ltd. At the end of 31 M arch 2009, SABMiller is listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges, the group reported US$3,405 million in adjusted as pretax profit and group revenue of US$25,302 million. https://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=180 (Accessed: 17/12/2009) HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT: BECOMING A GLOBAL BREWER HISTORY OF SAB: The South African Breweries Limited (SAB) was founded in 1895 and today SABMiller holds 98 percent share of the beer market. Jones, Adam (2003). In 1895 The South African Breweries Limited (SAB) is incorporated in London. SAB gain an ownership of Castle Brewery in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the same year company got a listing on London stock exchange, a brand new product Castle Larger got launched from a new commissioned lager brewery having capacity of 50,000 barrels per annum. In 1897 SAB got a position in Johannesburg Stock Exchange, SAB was the first industrial company which got listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and got first industrial share. In 1898SAB started producing Castle lager, which becomes a phenomenal success. In 1911 SAB started importing seeds free of charges and reduced to buy crop at market prices which results in stimulation in local market. In 1925 by buying a stake in the Schweppes Company, SAB diversifies into soft drinks. In 1950 S AB moved head office from London to Johannesburg. In 1956 SAB purchased Ohlssons Cape Breweries and Chandlers Union Breweries take, resulting union of three largest South African brewing companies and SAB gained 90 percent of the domestic market.. In 1994 by gaining joint venture with China Resources Enterprise Limited, SAB accessed in the Chinese beer market. In 1999 SAB reestablished headquarters in London. SABs divestment program reduces interests in beer, soft drinks, wines and spirits, and hotel and gaming. In 2000 SAB gain an accessed in Indian market by acquiring Narang Breweries and purchased its first brewery plant. https://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=27 (Accessed: 17/12/2009) ESTABLISHMENT OF SABMILLER: In 2002 Company changes its name to SABMiller as SAB acquired number two U.S beer maker Miller Brewing Company for $3.48 billion in stock. In 2003Company purchased 60% stocks of Birra Peroni, Italys number two brewer. This was the first major investment SABMiller did in Western Europe. In 2005 Company merge with a Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, South Americas second largest brewer In 2008 SABMiller got control over Grolsch by acquisition and announced the construction of a new beverage plant in Juba, Southern Sudan. https://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=27 (Accessed: 18/12/2009) STRATEGIC POSITION OF SAB IN 2007: According to many authors, Strategy plays an important role in organization for achieving objective and getting exposure in the corporate market, for example according to Andrews (1980) strategy can define various factors of an organization such as company policies, its range of business, its human and economic organization and its contribution to stakeholder. Johnson and Scholes (1999) cited strategy as a scope and direction of an organization over the long term period. To meet the proper need of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations, organisazation must utilize proper configuration of resources within a flexible environment to gain advantage. According to Grant (1995) corporate strategy deals with the ways in which a corporation manages a set of business together. By understanding the concepts of these authors and to identify the Strategic position of SAB it is must to analyze factors like business environment, core competencies, capabilities and stakeholder expectat ion, and these factors will be analyze by using PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis. SABMiller is a operating throughout the world and its networking is globalized if we compare its position in year 2007. It is having a good developed and mature market in many countries throughout the world, such as South Africa (Local market), Rest of Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, USA and Western Europe, Latin America. Let us discuss different markets of SABMiller throughout the world. SABMiller is having a well known and traditional market in South Africa. SABMiller monopolized different industries. Sales show that the growth potential is very low but profit factor is still there as customers are trading up to the segments. AIDS is a huge threat for the company in terms of availability of work force and this will play a negative impact on the disposable income of the population which will affect SABMiller. The market in South Africa is under threat. The market in Rest of Africa is highly potential having volatile political landscape. Business in Rest of Africa is explore and presence in Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and many on and still continue to grow, which is helped by clear segmentation strategy and by border distribution. These markets trade in soft currencies which is a very risky factor as seen in Botswana. By analyzing these markets in SABMiller portfolio the risk factor might lose confidence from stakeholders, as many core competences of SABMiller were developed in these markets. Markets in Asia and Eastern Europe show different characteristics like highly fragments, increasing disposable income and Due to these characteristics SABMiller gain an easy access to enter into these markets. While penetrating in Indian and Chinese market, SABMiller faced different problems like regulations and high competition but they are still exploring and expanding themselves in the markets like Vietnam. The markets in Western Europe and USA are very different to the once that SABMiller used to operate, as these are highly saturated and concentrated. Due to the perception made by stakeholders they traded too much using soft currencies. Miller started losing market quickly and SAB took an advantage over it and bring its own performance rating System to monitor employee. SABMiller perform very well in Latin American market. They were constantly doing their best in Latin American market. SABMiller put great efforts to take over Grupo Empresarial Bavaria and they have done it. PESTEL ANALYSIS: Ø POLITICAL:  · While dealing with government a great political sensitivity is needed.  · SABMiller faced problems in Regulation and Quality laws (e.g. Countries like India and China) for producing beer in large quantity and to gain economy of scale.  · Productivity got affected due to the political stability in certain countries like Botswana. Ø ECONOMIC:  · SABMiller got really hurt because of devaluation of soft currencies.  · Markets in India and China gave very low profit margin.  · A highly rising cost of energy and aluminum affects the profitability.  · Latin market of SABMiller increased from 25.2 to 52.1 % which make harder to get out money from the market.  · Development of Fragmented market facilitate easer takeover. Ø SOCIAL:  · SABMiller got adversely affected by new trends like wines and Spirits.  · Lifestyles in emerging markets have changed and beer consumption got increased due to the increase in the availability of disposable income.  · A devastating effect Ø TECHNOLOGICAL:  · Due to modern machinery, new packing can be easily introduced as evidenced in Czech.  · Easier to manage the ever broadening distribution network.  · A variation of beer got introduced in to the market. Ø ENVIRONMENTAL:  · SABMillers profitability adversely got affected due to weather condition in Latin American market in 2006. Ø LEGAL:  · Due to the local law, takeover attempts may generate problems. SWOT ANALYSIS: Ø STRENGTHS:  · Very strong in local market.  · Excellent portfolio and a large brand.  · High operational productivity.  · Different skills to succeed in developing markets.  · Economy scale is very high due to large market shares in some markets.  · Strong distribution channels and global networking. Ø WEAKNESS:  · Tendency of acquisitions.  · Dependability over the Soft currency.  · Expertise limited to the brewing industry only.  · Government acts as a key player, as main market are in highly volatile areas like Africa and Asia. Ø OPPORTUNITY:  · Strongly growth of emerging markets.  · It is easy for SABMiller to buy in to a market with the help of highly fragmented developing mark Ø THREATS:  · AIDS problem in South Africa.  · Constantly rising cost of energy and aluminium affects the SABMiller profitability.  · Strong competition in countries India and China.  · SABMiller got affected adversely due to the new trends like wines and spirits. STRATEGIC IMPLIMENTATION IN FUTURE: A current strategic position of SABMillers has provided information about opportunities and challenges which it face in its business environment but it does not match with stake holder expectations, core competences and market reality because of which a dilemma got generated for SABMiller. To get proper strategy implementation in future for SABMiller a tool Ansoff Matrix is used. There are different choices available to SABMiller. CONSOLIDATION: By holding firms in the developing market this strategy will focus on reducing market risk like Western Europe, USA and Africa. This does not give any importance to competences developed by the company by initiating risky moves. As the company is highly efficient it is easily feasible. But the main issue is acceptance of this strategy as stake holders would not be really happy with this choice. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: This is very flexible and aggressive strategy where by company can respond by developing new products to the market. Premium beer segment is rapidly growing, as company will get a good product opportunity. For most parts, this strategy will be a usual business strategy and will build on what company has been doing throughout the year. But the growth of future is balance without any guaranty as customers (Drinkers) can be fiercely loyal to their existing brand. Stake holders will surely accept this strategy as it is certainly feasible. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: A new market segment is called as market development. SABMiller is having an excellent reputation in the brewing industry and by using this strategy SABMiller can easily tap out its competitors. African market is having a high potential for expansion of SABMiller. But small factors like AIDS, political instability and soft currencies are worrying the stakeholders if SABMiller decided to expand in Africa. This strategy will give highly profitable in markets like Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, as Miller gain success in Russian market by using this strategy. The problem which may occur will be of stakeholders expectation and which totally depends on market condition. JOINT VENTURE: This is the strategy which will be useful for the SABMiller in USA and Western European market. A joint venture with a major western brewer can bring to the table what SABMiller lacks (Penetration into competitive and saturated market). But the problem is of risk factor. As it is very risky business, opening up the developing markets to high profile competitor. DIVERSIFICATION: It is the least attractive strategy which SABMiller can use as an option. SABMiller is one of those companies which are having a true portfolio management. The implementation of synergy portfolio logic will be interested to see as it can work in favor of SABMiller by adding business to its portfolio which gives compliment and support to its core brewery business. ANSOFF MATRIX ANALYSIS: Ø MARKET PENETRATION:  · Introduction of SABMillers premium brands in the USA and Western European market. Ø MARKET DEVELOPMENT:  · Global expansion, particularly in developed and saturated market.  · New breweries in countries like Indian, Chinese and Vietnam.  · Development in border distribution channels in Africa. Ø PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT:  · Rapid growth of premium segment offers product development opportunity to SABMiller. Ø DIVERSIFICATION:  · SABMiller is already having true portfolio of hotels, gambling centers and a match factory. CONCLUSION: From the past history SABMiller has shown a core competency in developing strategies and environmental scanning. The failure of penetrating in the saturated market and to defend its market from emerging competitors must be a challenging task for SABMiller. In future SABMiller have to face tough competition from its rivals. The key to SABMillers success will be a proper implementation of strategy and its brand portfolio. REFERENCES:  · Andrews, K.R. (1965), The concept of corporate strategy, New York: Dow Jones-Irwin.  · Grant, R.M (1995) Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 2nd edition, Basil Blackwell: Oxford  · Johnson, G and Scholes, K (1999) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and cause (5th edn). Harlow: Person Education.  · www.sabmiller.com https://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=180 (Accessed: 17/12/2009)  · https://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=27 (Accessed: 17/12/2009) BIBLOGRAPHY:  · Anderson, Robert, and John Willman, SAB Buys Czech Republics Largest Brewer,Financial Times,October 8, 1999, p. 23.  · Andrews, K.R. (1965), The concept of corporate strategy  · Ansoff, H.I. (1965), Corporate strategy: an analytic approach to business policy for growth and expansion, London: McGraw-Hill.  · Bobinski, Christopher, and Roderick Oram, South African Breweries in Polish Acquisition,Financial Times, 1996.  · Grant, R.M (1995) Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 2nd edition, Basil Blackwell: Oxford  · Johnson, G and Scholes, K (1999) Exploring Corporate Strategy.  · Martin, Peter, Selling Old Beer in New Bottles,Financial Times, 2002.  · Pringle, David, Miller Deal Brings Stability to SAB,Wall Street Journal, 2002.  · Simon, Bernard, An Old School Brewer for Miller,New York Times, 2003.  · â€Å"Trouble Brewing for the ANC,Economist, 1994.  · Willman, John, and Robert Anderson, SAB Is Prepared for More Beer and Scuffles, Financial Times, 1999.  · www.sabmiller.com.