Effect Of Celebrity Endorsements On Brands Marketing Essay

Effect Of Celebrity Endorsements On Brands Marketing Essay Friedman and Friedman mentioned a celebrity endorser is an individual who is known by the public for his or her achievements in areas other than that of the product class endorsed. Celebrity Endorsements 20% of all advertisements in India are endorsed by celebrities (Prakash, 2012). In support of the observation, a research shows that celebrity endorsements results in more favorable advertisement ratings and brand evaluations (Dean and Biswas, 2001) and can have a substantial positive impact on financial returns for the companies that use them (Erdogan, 2001). Though, celebrity endorsement is not a new phenomenon in India, with Hindustan Lever using super stars consistently for its Lux brand over the years. The number of celebrities endorsing brands has risen significantly in the past 20 years in India. Celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan have become the advertisers favorite bet. Advertising professionals in India believe that there are two situations in which celebrity endorsements can be effective. Lifestyle products like Raymonds, Vimal etc. where celebrity epitomizes that kind of lifestyle. And in situations where customers are not sure about the product and testimonials by celebrities tend to provide required assurance. However, in this case the match between the product and the celebrity needs to be perfect. According to Paul Nayyar, a celebrity endorsement is used to achieve two ends to get your products noticed and to show that it is tried and tested. (Prakash, 2012). Some industry insiders believe that a celebrity endorsement is effective only when it is in congruence with the product. Theory and practice prove that the use of super stars in advertising generates a lot of publicity and attention from the public (Ohanian 1991). One might think that using a celebrity in a product/service endorsement means guaranteed success for the brand, but this is not always the case. While many companies had used a celebrity at one point or the other to endorse its product/service, only few of them have been successful in building a brand and generating long term revenues through the tactic. Objective To study the phenomenon of celebrity endorsements for Brands and various consumer behavior models associated with it. Examine the effect of celebrity endorsements on brands. Approach A three step approach has been taken to achieve the objectives of the study. Literature review to understand the various theories and phenomenon describing the use of celebrity in advertisements. Survey analysis to understand the consumer perception of image of various celebrities seen today in Indian advertising vis-à  -vis the image of the brands they endorse. Analyze the performance of these brands in the light of their image match with their respective celebrities. Survey Analysis: Online survey was designed to gather the consumer perception of the image of the various celebrities and the image of their endorsed products. Respondents were shown clips of the advertisements from the past and asked about the recall and likeability of these ads. Link to the survey is https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ermlGxDswznQJk9 Detailed questionnaire is attached here for reference. Assumption: Market share of the brand can be taken as a reasonable estimator of the performance of the brand when the industry has not seen any major changes. 4. Literature Review Celebrities have been used in advertising since late nineteenth century and since then a considerable amount of research has been done in this domain. Studies on Celebrity endorsements have been undertaken to establish source credibility and attractiveness models in advertising. These studies suggest that celebrities exert their influence on consumers through perceived attributes like expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness, familiarity and likeability (Ohanian 1990, 1991). Another concept in theory which defines the effect of celebrities on brands is termed as the match-up hypothesis. It examines the match (or fit) between the product being endorsed and the celebrity used. According to Kahle and Komer 1985; Kamins 1990 and Till and Bustler 2000, match-up hypothesis maintains that an endorsement is more effective when the image or characteristics of the celebrity are well matched with the endorsed product.Friedman and Friedman (1979) concluded that the better the celebrity/product fit, as perceived by consumers, the higher the level of endorsement effectiveness. Till and Busler (2000) found that celebrity/product fit was effective for only certain measures of effectiveness such as brand attitude, but not for other measures such as purchase intention. McGuire (1969-1987) said that one of the most reliable effects found in communication research is that expert and/or trustworthy sources are more persuasive than sources that are seen as having less expertise and trustworthiness. The literature also implies that celebrities add value through the process of meaning transfer (McCracken 1986, 1989). The meaning transfer model posits that celebrities develop a persona through the types of roles they play in society as well as how they are portrayed in the media. McCracken (1989) inferred that the endorsement effectiveness depends on the meaning that the celebrity brings to the endorsement process. He described the whole Meaning Transfer process in three stages. In the initial stage, the meanings generated from distant movie performances, or athletic achievements and performances reside in celebrities. In the second stage, meanings are transferred to the product through an advertisement process. In the third stage, the meanings are transf erred from the product to the consumer, where the properties of the product become the properties of the consumer. A review of the literature revealed following other key predictors for the success of a celebrity endorsement: Celebrity performance: It refers to the achievement of a celebrity in their chosen profession. When a celebrity fails to perform acceptably, as defined by consumers, a celebrity endorsers effectiveness tends to decline (Agrawal Kamakura 1995). Celebrity credibility: Source credibility can be defined as a communicators positive characteristics that affect the receivers acceptance of a message (Ohanian 1990). Celebrity expertise: Subjects exposed to a source perceived as expert exhibit more agreement with the sources recommendation than did those exposed to a source with low expertise (Ohanian 1990). Celebrity trustworthiness: Miller and Baseheart (1969) found that a highly opinionated message from a highly trustworthy communicator produces an effective attitude change, while non-trusted communicators impact proved immaterial. Celebrity attractiveness: The source-attractiveness model suggests that the attractiveness of any source is determined by the communication receivers perceptions of the sources similarity, familiarity, and likeability. Likeability includes factors like Physical appearance, personality and social status. When consumers perceive a celebrity as similar to them and if they are familiar with and like the celebrity, they will tend to find the celebrity more attractive. Joseph (1982) in his study on endorsers attractiveness concluded that attractive endorsers deliver a more positive impact on the products they endorse as compared to less attractive endorsers. Caballero et al. (1989) in his study even observed that endorser attractiveness had no effect on advertising effectiveness. Balance Theory Fritz Heider developed Balance Theory to show how people develop relationships with things and other people in the environment. It says that if people see a set of cognitive elements as being a system, then they will have a preference to maintain a balanced state among these elements. People are motivated to restore a position of balance if there is discomfort. Fritz Heiders Balance Theory explains the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements when a well-liked celebrity uses a product.   The balance theory states that people like balance in their lives and if they have a positive attitude towards a celebrity and they see that celebrity using a certain product or service, then they will likely have a positive attitude toward the product or service as well.   The Principle of Attractiveness says that people are more likely to listen to a message from someone they find attractive. Conversely, a celebrity with a poor image can damage harm a brand.   This phenomenon is explained below in the risks of using a celebrity. Figure : Balance Theory The Match-up Hypothesis Literature reveals that a spokesperson interacts with the type of brand being advertised. According to Friedman and Friedman (1979), a famous person relative to a normalspokesperson is more effective for products high in psychological or social risk, involving such elements as good taste, self-image, and opinion of others. Till and Busler 1998, Martin 1996, Till and Shimp 1998 have examined the congruency between celebrity endorsers and brands to explain the effectiveness of using famous persons to promote brands. Results show that a number of celebrity endorsements proved very successful, whereas others completely failed, resulting in the termination of the respective celebrity communicator (Walker et al.1992) The Meaning Transfer Model McCracken (1989) explains the effectiveness of celebrity spokespersons by assessing the meanings consumers associate with the endorser and eventually transfer to the brand. The model suggests three stages. First, the meaning associated with the famous person moves from the endorser to the product or brand. Thus, meanings attributed to the celebrity become associated with the brand in the consumers mind. Finally, in the consumption process, the brands meaning is acquired by the customer. The third stage of the model explicitly shows the importance of theconsumers role in the process of endorsing brands with famous persons. Figure : Meaning Transfer Model Source: McCracken, 1989 paper on Meaning Transfer Model Celebrities contain a broad range of meanings, involving demographic categories (e.g. age, gender, status), personality and lifestyle types. Madonna, for example, is perceived as tough, intense and modern women, and is associated with the lower middle class (Walker et al. 1992). Risk of using Celebrities The celebrity may overshadow the product being endorsed High ad recall but less brand recall and intentions to purchase. The 1996 BPL ad featuring Amitabh Bachchan is a classic example of the phenomenon. People recalled Amitabh Bachchan more than BPL in the advertisement. The celebrity being overexposed, reducing his or her credibility -Some spokespersons promote more than one brand.eg: Golf champion Tiger Woods has endorsed Accenture, Rolex, and Nike. Tripp et al. (1994),suggested that endorsing as many as four products negatively influences the celebrity spokespersons credibility and likeability. These effects are independent of the celebrity, i.e. even the most liked stars can fall a prey to this phenomenon. Though these findings are found to be valid, the concept of multiple product endorsements is still prevalent in advertising. The target audience may not be receptive to celebrity endorsers: Effect of region and culture on the selection of the celebrity for a product. In 2006 saw a surprising move from KSDL which roped in MS Dhoni as brand ambassador to endorse the soap. The purpose was to attract new generation. But it does not go along well and the entire campaign proved to be very ordinary. The celebritys behavior may pose a risk to the company: Since repeated pairings of a brand and celebrity strengthen the associative link consumers establish between brand and celebrity, negative information about the celebrity may negatively impact the endorsed brand (ErdoganBaker 2000). Post-scandal, that global consulting firm Accenture dropped Woods as a spokesman and Procter Gambles Gillette also announced limiting Woods presence in its advertisements. 5. Survey and Advertisement Analysis For the purpose of analysis we chose two sectors in India Telecom sector and beverage industry in India. Primary motivation behind choosing these sectors was that no major/radical change has happened in the time period considered in these sectors. Airtel and Idea were chosen in the Telecom sector and Thumps up and Pepsi was chosen in the beverages category. We listed down various celebrities who have endorsed these brands in the past and asked consumers about the image perception of these celebrities and the image perception of these brands. Following celebrities were considered Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan. Picture below presents the perception map of the various celebrities on a set of pre-defined dimensions. Figure : Perception Map of Celebrities Figure : Perceptual Map of Brands 6. Airtel Ad Campaigns Power to keep in touch (1995-98): This era saw the beginning of mobile communication in India. Only the elite in society that could afford to keep mobile phones. Hence, it position itself in the premium category aimed at high class society. Express Yourself (2003-08):This campaign was successfully launched taking the ownership of the entire space of telecommunication and strengthening the emotional bond that Airtel had established with its customers over the years. It highlights the capability of Airtel in terms of performance and network coverage. Dil jo chaahe paas laaye (2010-2012):With the spread of Airtel in over 19 countries, Airtel decided to change its message decision strategy. The new brand logo was launched with the intention of bringing the brand closer to its consumers and as a symbol which will help ensure instant recognition across diverse international markets. Jo mera hai woh tera (2012):Airtel has launched ad campaign on Friendship day targeting youth and showcasing itself as a brand which brings friends closer.  Although the craft of friendship has been deployed by all and sundry in their  communication strategies  , the difference is in the creative rendition of the theme. Celebrity Endorsement Shahrukh Khan got attached with brand in the year 2002. The reason of taking him was that Shahrukh Khans core values of being a self-made actor with his success glamour and hence would connect more to the masses. Sachin Tendulkar got associated with the brand in October 2003. His dedication, innocence and performance are today seen as a driver of self-identification amongst the masses and hence he was roped in. Also, Sachin and Airtel both are leaders having similar values and personality traits like trustworthiness, friendliness, youthfulness and trend-setters. In the years 2003-2007 mainly three celebrities were used SachinTendular, Sharukh Khan, A.R. Rehman. All the three are the leaders in their respective fields, so is AIRTEL. VidyaBalan and Madhavan were used as celebrities in the year 2008. Spontaneity and vibrancy are key attributes of Airtel. VidyaBalan is a hugely talented actress who brings a lot of freshness and naturalness to any role. Madhavan is a big superstar in the southern region. Hence Airtel picks him up to connate leadership. Saif and Kareena were also used as celebrities endorsing the brand for the year 2008. Source Attractiveness and Credibility Airtel has used various celebrities at various times. All these celebrities have gone well with its brand image which it has tried to portray time to time. Shahrukh Khans one of the brand endorser has core values of being a self-made actor with his success glamour and goes well with the attributes of the brand. Perceived social value of source likability in terms of physical appearance and social status is high. Also, public has familiarity with the source and hence people are able to relate to the brand. Image characteristics Match Following Brand characteristics and celebrity characteristics were arrived at using the survey results and secondary data. Figure : Image Match up Airtel Balance Theory Figure : Balance Theory Airtel http://telecomtalk.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/airtel-srk.jpg Hence the image of Shahrukh Khan doesnt actually match with the image of Airtel. The success of Airtel and its consistent market share can be attributed to the source attractiveness and credibility principle. Airtel has been able to sustain very high market share over the year. Figure : Market Share Airtel Years 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Market Share (% terms) 22.4 23.7 24 21.8 20 Source: Crisil Research 7. Idea Cellular Till 2007, Ideas ads were highlighting its tariff plans and network coverage. They were focused on its network coverage and promotional packages. A Good Idea Campaign (2006): Ideas promotions in 2006 were based on its tariffs, service quality, and network coverage. In 2007, Idea shifted its focus to using mobile telephony to solve social issues. Idea also developed several websites to support its ads based on social issues. Idea chose to promote its brand where as its competitors focused on promoting their value added services and tariff plans. An Idea can change your life, A good Idea, and What an Idea! (2007-11): These campaigns, based on social issues (Education for all, language barrier, Use mobile save paper) that could be solved using mobile telephony, were acclaimed for their creativity. Celebrity endorser Abhishek Bachchan was used for all these ad campaigns. Celebrity Endorsement Idea roped in Abhishek Bachchan to endorse its brand in October 2007 to expand its geographical presence to cover several telecom circles in India. In the past Idea has also tied up with Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team, Mumbai Indians, and popular players like Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan were used to promote the brand. Comments Analysts felt that using Bachchan, one of the leading movie actors in India who is extremely popular among youngsters, was one of the reasons for the significant improvement in Ideas brand recall. However, some experts felt that while Ideas ad campaigns were creative and improved its brand recall, there was nothing in the ads that would attract a customer of its competitors or a new subscriber. They felt that Idea should have promoted the unique selling points of its products and services in the ads rather than only projecting the uses of mobile telephony. Source Attractiveness and Credibility Perceived social value of source likability in terms of physical appearance and social status is high. Also, public has familiarity with the source and hence brand recall is high as people are able to relate to the brand. Image characteristics Match Following Brand characteristics and celebrity characteristics were arrived at using the survey results and secondary data. Figure : Image Match up Idea Figure : Market Share Idea Years 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Market Share (% terms) 8.4 9.2 9.9 10.0 11.0 If we look at the market share of Idea is has not increased significantly over the years. Though the celebrity status of Abhishek Bhachchan has been able to generate a good recall (also supported by our survey results), it has not been able to convert to the brand purchase, due to the image mismatch with the brand. Balance Theory Figure : Balance Theory Idea https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQedzqyWQGKf4QQ-BIgLfhU9rxl9HB5o6bSN3iLxL3ouvDpkhLW 8. Thumps Up Thumps Up has always been about a highly glorified, desirable world of masculinity that every youngster seeks. This comes from the characteristics of the product itself which is a harder, less sweetened, more raw cola, as compared to the almost toned-down nature of its competitors. Campaigns through the years Happy days are here again (1977 1980): Positioned as a refreshing drink, emphasized on happiness. Taste the Thunder Campaign (1988 2012): Initially positioned as an individualistic masculine brand, but over the years went on to add adventure, confidence and playfulness. It was used to connect with the young Indian male. This campaign featured Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar over the years. Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK) show on Colors Channel (2011):  Thums Up was the title sponsor for the show. The show was completely integrated with brand Thums Up from the concept to approach as it had adventure and daring stunts. Also, Akshay Kumar, who is Thums Ups brand ambassador, hosted the show. Aaj Kuch Toofani karte hain (2012):  In this campaign, the brand challenges its loyalists to push the envelope and do something daring or toofani. It urges its consumers to Live the Thunder and unlock the new code of masculinity. The television commercial features South Indian actor Mahesh Babu, Dhaval Thakur (winner of Khatron ke Khiladi 2011), Sahil Shroff (actor) and Angela Jonsson (model who appeared on Kingfisher Calendar). Celebrity Endorsements Thums Up has been using celebrities to endorse its brand through the years. It picked up action heroes like Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar. For the Andhra Pradesh region which is the biggest market for the brand they roped in their most revered star Chiranjeevi. Recently they got the latest sensation in Andhra Pradesh, Mahesh Babu to endorse the brand.   1999 2000: Salman Khan 1999 2000: Sunil Shetty 2002 2012: Akshay Kumar 2012: Mahesh Babu Image characteristics Match Following Brand characteristics and celebrity characteristics were arrived at using the survey results and secondary data. Figure : Image Match Up Thumps Up In 2002, Akshay Kumar was roped in as the brand ambassador and the brand continued to strengthen its position as a Male Iconic Brand through consistent positioning. His training in martial arts and his raw, rugged looks have enhanced the coolness and macho quotient of the brand. According to the survey results, Thums Up Ad featuring Akshay Kumar had better recall than the ad featuring Salman Khan. This can probably be explained by the image characteristics associated with the brand. They are more in sync with the image characteristics of Akshay Kumar. Figure : Balance Theory Thums Up The market share of Thums Up increased in 2009. It was when they launched a new campaign that took the whole idea of I Will Do Anything for My Thunder attitude of the Indian male to the next level with Akshay Kumar in the commercials. Figure : Market Share Thums Up Brand 2008 2009 2010 2011 Thumps Up 14.9 16.3 16.7 16.5 Source: Euromonitor 9. Pepsi Pepsi is a brand that stands for its youthfulness, irreverence, and dare for more spirit. Pepsi has always introduced new youth expressions as part of its campaign launches. Popular Pepsi lines have reflected the young generations attitude and values besides standing for an irreverent point of view. Campaigns through the years and Celebrity Endorsements YehiHai Right Choice Baby Aha (1991): This campaign with stars and glamour was an adaptation of an international Pepsi campaign. It featured Aamir Khan, MahimaChaudhary and AishwaryaRai. Yeh Dil Maange More (1999 2006): This campaign sought to establish Pepsi as a strong brand with Indian youth and the phrase became a runaway success. The ads featured prominent sports personalities and film stars, such as  Sachin Tendulkar,  Shahrukh Khan,  AmitabhBachchan. Yeh Pyaas Hai Badi (2005): With a peppy jingle Oye Bubbly to spearhead the campaign, Pepsi latched on to the tagline, YehPyaasHaiBadi. It was mainly promoted through Shah Rukh Khan, PreityZintaandSaif Ali Khan. The campaign was all about a bigger thirst to get more out of life. It was about the assertive spirit and confidence of the youth to make things happen. Yeh Hai Youngistan Meri Jaan (2008): This campaign attempted to capture not only the youth attitude but also the great sense of optimism, success and buzz about India and the Indian youth. With the Youngistaan campaign Pepsi branded the new generation. As the name suggests, it represented a world of the youth, where the young generation likes to be in control. It brought forward their never failing attitude, their desire to take on challenges and the power to turn things around. The Youngistaan idea captured the energy, excitement and irreverence of the young confident India. For this campaign Pepsi signed on fresh faces like RanbirKapoor and DeepikaPadukone. My Pepsi My Way (2009): Reiterating its connect with cricket and the youth, PepsiCo rolled out a this campaign featuring five cricketers: MS Dhoni, VirenderSehwag, Ishant Sharma, Robin Uthappa and Praveen Kumar, playing cricket on boats. Through this campaign brand Pepsi provoked the youth to take on any situation and use their mental smarts to effortlessly find their way through any given situation. Youngistan ka Wow (2010): While keeping the brand identity of youthfulness intact, this campaign of Pepsi took forward the concept of Youngistaan. The campaign featured RanbirKapoor. Recently, Pepsi has dropped Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan as its brand endorsers because now they have grown old and do not go well with the Youngistan concept. The new Indian youth and the brand image of Pepsi now relates more with the next generation of young stars and cricketers. The brand has been endorsed by the celebrities (like RanbirKapoor, DeepikaPadukone and young cricket stars) that match up with its image since 2008. The highly relevant characteristics of these endorsers are consistent with the highly relevant attributes of the brand. Image characteristics Match Brand attributes of Pepsi go well with the image of Ranbir Kapoor more than the image of Shahrukh Khan and it is evident from the increase in market share at the time when Ranbir Kapoor was roped in as the celebrity endorser for Pepsi. Following Brand characteristics and celebrity characteristics were arrived at using the survey results and secondary data. Figure : Image Match up Pepsi Figure : Market Share Pepsi Brand 2008 2009 2010 2011 Pepsi 14.5 14.9 14.9 15.0 Source: Euromonitor There was an increase in the market share from 2008 to 2009. This was the period when the Youngistan campaign was launched with Ranbir Kapoor as the new generation brand ambassador whose image of youthfulness, self-belief and smartness is consistent with the brand image. Balance Theory Figure : Balance Theory Pepsi https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCAtyimm0Mgl7jziXUgpURskhEH8XElW3zuM2_PjXcyPFFMrYcTw 10. Implications for Marketers Celebrities endorsements have not always been successful and even the biggest of the celebrities have failed to bring the desired revenues to the companies. It is essential for an advertiser to be aware of the complex processes associated with the celebrity endorsement. Our report provides insights into the various models in the celebrity endorsements and assesses them in Indian context. Insights from the report can help marketers decide when to use a celebrity and when celebrity endorsements pay off. This will help in optimizing the spending on the advertisements.

Literary Review: Philippine Fashion Essay

Introduction: For this research paper, I decided to dig deeper into my Filipino heritage. The history of the Philippines has been an up and down roller coaster. From being colonized by the Spanish for 300 years in 1565, to being captured by the British in 1762, to being in Japanese hands, to being under the power of the United States, the Philippines eventually established their independence on July 4, 1946. Considering the Philippines is somewhat â€Å"new†, their government system hasn’t had nearly enough time to advance and develop like other countries in the world. One third of the Filipino population lives below the poverty line. This lack of independence has had a huge effect on the Filipino economy. Their economy is based solely on their agriculture. The Philippines has a very tropical climate with a long rainy season, and an incredibly mountainous landscape. Important crops include rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, abaca, and tobacco. The Philippines also have an endless list of tropical and tasty fruits. Although the Philippine islands have been through a more than complicated time, the people inhabiting the land have stayed strong and taken advantage of their land’s newly gained independence . After gathering this general information, that was when I developed my thesis: How has the unstable history of the Philippines affected their overall fashion and textile industry? I chose this topic because not only does it give me a chance to expand my knowledge in textiles and fashion, but it also allows me to further educate myself in my own personal ethnic background. Methodology: When I first began my research process, it wasn’t very difficult to get started considering the abundance of resources FIDM provides us with. My first step to developing a stable basis of sources was to sit at the  computer in the FIDM library and gather as much material as possible using the help they give us such as EBSCO, the Berg Fashion Library, Culture Grams, and of course books from the shelves themselves. The first source I found that initially helped me develop my thesis was an article I found using the Berg Fashion Library entitled â€Å"‘Ukay-Ukay’ Chic: Tales of Second Hand Clothing Fashion and Trade in the Philippine Cordillera†. This was the source that helped me make the decision to center my paper around Filipino fashion. Not only was this source credible due to the process I used to find it, but it was also extremely beneficial. Once I knew exactly what I would be writing about, I knew that I needed to dig deeper into the history of the Philippines. I initially started by using Culture Grams, which helped me gather some information, but I needed more. That was when I came across the article â€Å"Nation Building and the Crafting of a Usable Past in the Philippines† using the EBSCOhost database. This source really came in handy because it gave me an incredibly detailed and dramatic breakdown of everything the Philippines went through, and how being tossed around by other countries for hundreds of years has had an effect on the land today. Next, I wanted to learn more about the people of the Philippine’s, and their lifestyle and values. I had no luck finding this using the library sources, so that was when I switched to google. I found a website called contriesquest.com. After browsing the information the site gave me, and relating a lot of it to information I had seen before, I decided that it was a credible source to use. The section I used was called â€Å"Population, Way of Life†. This brief article really helped me understand how a regular Filipino person lives. It covered everything from the food they eat the the sports they play. The next source I found was more specifically about the history of filipino fashion. I found the article using the Berg Fashion Library. The was when I came across the amazing article â€Å"Snapshot: Revival of Pià ±a Cloth and Dress: Southern Luzon and Central Philippines†. This was one of my favorite articles because I learned about an amazing way that the people of the Philippines used their natural resources to create a beautiful fashion trend. For my last source, I decided to use the most credible source of all,  a book. The book I chose is entitled the Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion. I flipped to the section entitled Asia, Southeastern Islands and the Pacific: History of Dress. I used this source to get a breakdown of the development of filipino fashion throughout the years. 1. Milgram, B Lynne, â€Å"‘Ukay-Ukay’ Chic: Tales of Second Hand Clothing Fashion and Trade in the Philippine Cordillera.† Summary: This article focuses on the new and upcoming bargain shopping trend in the Philippines called â€Å"Ukay-Ukay†, which when translated means secondhand clothing. The Philippine’s have been receiving exports of used goods and clothing from America, and Europe since the 1990’s. Milgram, the author of this article, talks about how the people of the Philippine’s have brilliantly taken these exported used goods and repurposed them to their own advantage. The article also discusses how this new shopping trend has benefitted the sales women of the Philippines, and has helped modernize their way of consumerism and trade. The article then expands on Ifugao, an area in the Grand Cordillera mountains, the area in which the people of the Philippines decided to set up their â€Å"Ukay-Ukay† system. The author tells us that this setting was chosen due to its economic activity. Considering that agriculture is the main component of the filipino economy, Ifugao is unable to produce many crops due to its climate and landscape. Instead, the people inhabiting this area focus on producing other sorts of goods such as crafts for the tourist market, operating dry goods stores, and now engaging in the sale of second hand clothing. The next section of this article focuses on the process in which the exported clothing is distributed from the hands of clothing brokers, regional suppliers, to the citizens of the Philippines. The last part of the article talks about the people who make a living off of the sales of second hand clothing, and how the market is slowly beginning to get more and more competitive. Critical Evaluation: This article is an incredible source of information for my essay. The author of the article convinced me that she was very educated in the topic by using personal examples, facts and statistics, pictures,  quotations, and citations throughout the article of other sources she collected material from as well. Another thing that really made this article easy to break down was that the author put a notes list at the bottom of the document. This contained a list of words and terms that were mentioned throughout the article that a person that wasn’t well aware with filipino slang could find the english translations. The sole purpose of this article was to break  down and educate the reader on an amazing and rapidly growing fashion trend in the Philippines and the world behind it. 2. Hazard, Elizabeth. â€Å"Nation Building and the Crafting of a Usable Past in the Philippines†. Summary: This article provides me with a detailed breakdown of the history timeline of the Philippines. This paper examines the uses of history in the Philippines over the past century as it was enlisted to serve varying social and political agendas. In the first part of this article, the author discusses the long awaited time when the Philippine’s finally gained their independence. Hazard elaborates on the celebratory ceremonies that took place, and the development of the Centennial Commission. The centennial commission is a group of elected filipino people with one mission-to revive the love of the country, and true appreciation for the filipino identity. The article then continues on to discuss the background of its current weak economic state. The author makes sure that we know that the Philippines took a very hard beating throughout the years. The author then goes on to breakdown the confusing history of the Philippines before they gained their independence. She covers the 300 years they were under the rule of Spain, the Japanese occupation in 1943, and when the Americans granted autonomy in 1946. The second purpose of this article was to focus on how the history of the Philippine’s is being displayed today. The author focuses on the textbooks that students in the Philippine’s are given, and states that the authors of these textbooks are excluding important details. This article is a good source of information that discusses the brutalities that the  Philippines went through, and their eventually gained independence. Critical Evaluation: I believe that this is a very reliable and educational source to use for informational purposes for this essay. Although I am focusing my essay on fashion, the history behind the Philippines is equally as important. Considering how intense their history is, and the state that their never ending battle left them in, it is safe to say that this has had a direct effect on their fashion industry. This was a very credible source. Not only did I find it using one of the search engines that the school provides us with, but it was actually a conference paper written for the University of Maine. The author wrote this essay to persuade the listeners and readers to have hope that the Philippine’s can be restored and modernized. The author provides us with lots of statistics and factual information. She also gives us direct quotes from people that she talked to personally, and for those reasons, I decided that this article would help improve my essay. 3. â€Å"Population, Way of Life†. Summary: This website was full of small paragraphs about every single aspect of the Philippines. I decided that I wanted to gather more information on the daily life of a Filipino person, so I chose this section to use for my paper. This section gives us a straightforward description of their society. The author starts off by mentioning Filipino’s emphasis on on family and building a strong community. Filipino’s are very big on traditions. They use the traditional concept of â€Å"utang na loob†, the concept in which voluntary acts of kindness towards others creates an obligation in which the receiver must reciprocate. The article goes on to discuss how the concept of â€Å"utang na loob† is what shapes almost all Filipino relationships. The article then continues to talk about important Filipino values such as respect for the elderly, loyalty, and trust. Paragraph two talks about the average Filipino living conditions. In tradition Philippine villages, houses are mainly constructed of bamboo or wood. Excluding rural areas, most houses are equipped with standard electricity and plumbing. In the more modern parts of  the Philippines, it is mentioned that there is a very obvious Western influence. The standard Philippine diet consists of fish, rice, veggies, fruits, and ground corn. They also have a drink called tuba, which is a fermented coconut wine. The next part of the article talks about how most people in the Philippines work as farmers and fishers. Middle class citizens in more urban cities usually work as teachers and small business owners. The last part of the article focuses on certain sports that Filipino people participate in such as arnis (similar to fencing) and (much like volleyball). Critical Evaluation: I was unsure about the credibility of this source at first, because I couldn’t find an author or any sort of publishing information to begin with. Then, after I clicked on the â€Å"Privacy† link in the bottom corner of the page, I learned that the website was published by Microsoft as a sort of search database for information on different parts of the world. Knowing that it was developed by such an elite corporation made it much more credible. This website provided me with well-defined information on the Philippine’s and made it very easy to understand. When I went to the homepage of the website, I learned that you could click on any region you want and it would give you a list of sections on that area that you could click on. For these reasons I felt like it was an appropriate source. I was also able to relate a lot of the information I found on this website to prior research I did with other sources. 4. Milgram, Lynn. â€Å" Snapshot: Revival of Pià ±a Cloth and Dress: Southern Luzon and Central Philippines† Summary: This article focuses on pià ±a, filipino cloth woven from the fibers of the leaves from a pineapple. It is believed that the pineapple, a very popular fruit found in the Philippines today, was brought over by Spanish settlers in the 16th century. Pià ±a cloth first started producing when the spanish realized that philippine artisans were already skilled at utilizing other local resources, such as the banana, and making into cloth. This was when pià ±a weaving began to spread. The main items of dress tailored from  pià ±a cloth include the baro (woman’s blouse), worn with a detachable paà ±uelo (shawl collar), the saya (skirt), the barong Tagalog (man’s shirt), and handkerchiefs. The next paragraph of this article discusses when pià ±a production reached its peak in the early 19th century when people started realizing that it had a similar appearance to luxury lace. People then began to realize that there were cheaper garments out there that looked similar to pià ±a, which was very expensive due to its complex weaving process. Pinà £ began to fade away and become a smaller business again. The next paragraph discusses the labor inducing process of extracting the pineapple fibers and weaving the pià ±a cloth. The next paragraph talks about the development of â€Å"pià ±a-seda†, the use of silk yarns in the weft instead of pià ±a in order to meet growing demand. Filipino’s also incorporated pià ±a cloth in religious garments. Critical Evaluation: I found this source using the Berg Fashion Library, so its credibility is easy to prove. Not only did the author use accurate historical information, but she also mentioned popular Philippine designers. This source educates the reader on such an interesting and beautiful  invention developed by the Philippines, and really shows you how resourceful they really are. This author also proved her credibility by citing her sources at the bottom of the page, and including pictures to give you a visual of what a pià ±a garment really looked like. I also noticed that the author Lynne B. Milgram is the author of numerous articles found using the Berg Fashion Library. The author makes this article fun, and educational at the same time by relating the art of pià ±a to the early ages of the Philippines. The article was published in the year 2010, but considering it is about a topic that was developed in the 16th century, I don’t believe that needs to be taken into much consideration. 5. Arthur, Linda. â€Å" Asia, Southeastern Islands and the Pacific: History of Dress† Summary: This article focuses on the evolution of fashion garments throughout the years. It starts by mentioning the earliest fashion staple, the bark cloth. The bark cloth was made from the bark of a mulberry tree,  and originated before Spanish settlement. As years continued, Philippine dress transformed due to multicultural influences from the portuguese, the dutch, the spanish and more. When the spanish settlers came, they were shocked by the philippine people’s lack of clothing, and helped them develop the modesty they have in their dress today. The article then continues to mention the names of certain garments worn by regular philippine people such as the baro’t saya, an ensemble of a loose, long-sleeved blouse over a wide skirt that fell to the floor. This article mainly focuses on the impact that westernization had on their clothing. The author mentions that the Spanish also taught filipina women embroidery, cutwork, and threadwork. The use of pià ±a cloth, hand loomed using the fibers of pineapple leaves and jusi cloth, machine made using the fibers of pineapple leaves, were also mentioned as the favorite choice of fabric throughout the 20th century. Critical Evaluation: I found this information in a book called The Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion. Considering all of my other sources were found using credible databases provided by the school, a book found on the library shelves has to be 100% credible, especially since it came from an encyclopedia. The encyclopedia covers almost everything in the fashion world from ancient egypt, to famous runway moments, to the technology behind design, to the worlds most  admirable designers today. Not only does the author of this section, Linda Arthur, provide us with the evolution of traditional dress in the Philippines, but she also mentions the other westernized areas such as the rest of asia, the southeastern islands, and the asian pacific islands. She covers as early as the beginning of the 16th century before the Spanish colonized the Philippines, all the way up to the 20th century and present day traditional dress. This source was a definite contributor to my research because the author provided me with fascinating facts and terms that have helped me further my understanding and knowledge of Filipino fashion. Although this encyclopedia was published in 2005, the time period the text covered was large enough to extract information from. Conclusion: Before I began breaking down the information I needed to gather to form my thesis, all I knew was that I wanted to relate this essay to my Filipina heritage in some way. Once I began my literature review research, I began to develop the desire to focus my paper more specifically on the Filipino fashion. When I had the main structure of what I wanted to write my essay on, I thought that I would just travel through the years and discuss the fashion evolution. As my research continued, and the FIDM databases provided me with more and more information, I realized that that the Philippines have been through so much throughout centuries, and have advanced and developed so much, that I had to focus on more than just the fashion itself. Before the Philippines gained their independence, they were under the rule of multiple different countries. From each and every one of those countries that the people had to abide to, the Philippines adopted small aspects of their cultures, and ways of life. How has the unstable history of the Philippines affected their overall fashion and textile industry? After writing this Literature review, and expanding my knowledge on the aspects behind this topic , I feel as if I am prepared to answer that question. Works Cited Arthur, Linda B. â€Å"Asia, Southeastern Islands and the Pacific: History of Dress.† Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion. Ed. Valerie Steele. Vol. 1. Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2005. 93-97. Print Hazard, Elizabeth. â€Å"Nation Building And The Crafting Of A Usable Past In The Philippines.† International Studies Association. EBSCO, 2004. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. Milgram, B Lynne â€Å"Snapshot: Revival of Pià ±a Cloth and Dress: Southern Luzon and Central Philippines.† The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, Sept 2010. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. Milgram, B Lynne, â€Å"‘Ukay-Ukay’ Chic: Tales of Second Hand Clothing Fashion and Trade in the Philippine Cordillera.† The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, 2004. Web. 4 Aug. 2014. â€Å"Population, Way of Life.† Countries Quest. Microsoft Corporation, 2004. Web. 4 Aug. 2014

The Narrative Of The Captivity And The Restoration Of Mrs....

An Indian attack on Lancaster during King Phillip’s War resulted in the capture of twenty-four people. Mary Rowlandson was among these captives, and the resulting captivity narrative, titled The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, published in 1682, is formed based on her memory. Rowlandson’s captivity narrative carried great significance in that it came to be used as a didactic Jeremiad, leading its Calvinist audience back towards God’s path and away from an allegorical wilderness. As a devout Calvinist, Rowlandson believes that her journey through captivity is a test wrought by her God. Her deep desire to prove herself to her God comes through clearly in several situations that ultimately define her†¦show more content†¦Upon returning from pillaging another English town, an Indian offers Mary Rowlandson a â€Å"gift† of a Bible, which he had stolen from a dead English townsperson. The usage of the word â€Å" plunder† connoted the violent force used to obtain the Bible. This enhances the significance of the irony of Rowlandson overlooking the fact that someone was murdered in order for her to receiver her â€Å"gift.† Rowlandson’s Calvinist views, which made her believe that God brought the Bible to her, outweighed any sympathy for nay anonymous English person, and the intended demographic (late 15th century Calvinists) of readers of this captivity narrative would have agreed. An alternative example presents itself when Rowlandson attempts to convince Goodwife Joslin, a very pregnant captive who was becoming impatient and wanted to go home, not to run away., â€Å"I wished her not to run away by any means [†¦] We opened the Bible and lightened on Psalm 27 [†¦] â€Å"Wait on the Lord, Be good of courage, and he shall strengthen thine Heart, wait I say on the Lord.† (4); Rowlandson utilizes her Bible as a tool to steer others into the light of God, whe ther it means deteriorating their own safety and health, proving that she will lack sympathy for humans in favor of devotion to her God. Mary Rowlandson’s feelings toward food, even in times of starvation, are shaped by her belief that God provides (or does not provide) everything. 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The similarities between these two texts are in some ways incredibly obvious, for instance they are both written in the first person from the perspective of marginalized women struggling to merely survive. â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† specifically deals with the extreme level ofRead More Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1366 Words   |  6 PagesNarrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson From the violent and brutal clash between Indians [1], and British colonists in Massachusetts during King Philips War (1675-6) grew a new literary genre. After their redemption, some colonists who had been prisoners of the Indians wrote autobiographical accounts of their experiences. 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Corporate Social Responsibility Audit On The Nasdaq Stock...

The publicly traded company I chose to perform a corporate social responsibility audit on is a company that produces PCs, software, and other services – Microsoft, also known as MSFT on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Microsoft started small, with Bill Gates and Paul Allen as the founders. While Microsoft started off in Albuquerque, the men later moved the company; Microsoft’s headquarters is now located in Redmond, Va., on a road named after the company, Microsoft Way. Microsoft is defined as a multinational company, this means that Microsoft carries out business in more than two countries, in fact, Microsoft has offices in over 200 countries. A typical user would immediately think of the word processor, Microsoft Word when they think of this†¦show more content†¦One of the four corporate social responsibilities that Microsoft has to keep in balance with the others is maximizing profits for shareholders. Microsoft does this by constantly improving their products, w hich in turn raises the price of that stock; a rise in stock price is beneficial to stockholders. Microsoft improves their products often, they typically come out with a new version of Windows office every couple years, as is the same with Microsoft Windows operating system. Another way Microsoft keeps its shareholders happy is by continually paying out more and more money through dividends in November of every year. While Microsoft treats their shareholders very well in terms of dividend payments, their generosity doesn’t end there. Microsoft has a program where they buy back shares from their shareholders. Essentially, they are giving their shareholders cash for a piece of the company that has an outstanding balance. Just how much money has Microsoft paid out to their shareholders for these outstanding shares? A large $73 billion since 2010. This is a great way to keep the company’s shareholders happy, by ensuring the shareholders do not suffer a loss if the price of the stock plummets. When Microsoft is decreasing the number of shares, their shareholders are gaining from this once again; when Microsoft’s income increases, so does the pockets of the shareholders, because they will be getting even more profit. Personally, I think Microsoft is doing an