...SEMIOTICS ANALYSIS ESSAY Advertisements are a smart tool and technique used to promote and sell various products. Using mass media, it aims to persuade potential consumers that there is a correlation between the brand and a lifestyle or identity, which is considered enviable.(John Berger, Ways of Seeing) Semiotics, a concept developed by Ferdinand de Saussaure is a useful tool for analysing advertisements. However, Hodge and Kress (year and page number) recommended that semiotic analysis could also be used as a manner of understanding communication, including media texts. The essence of semiotics is ‘the science of signs, or the study of signs and sign systems’ (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2009:133). Media images often emphasize hegemonic representations of gender, race and class in the South African context, and in this specific advertisement BIC reinforced an ideology regarding the manner woman should portray themselves. Using semiotics, I will be deconstructing the advertisement and will argue, through drawing on xy’s concept of racial hegemony, that BIC created an advertisement that reinforces gemonic notions of race, class and gender. . ‘The denotative meaning of an advertisement is the most basic component. This is the most obvious meaning of a sign which can be expressed by describing what is directly seen.’ (Gottdiener, 1995:15) In the BIC advertisement, there is a woman that looks approximately 30 years old. Regarding racial classification, this woman is considered...
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...* ------------------------------------------------- Text analysis provides some insight into media messages but only a critical political economy approach can adequately explain how the media work today * * Whoever Controls the media, controls the mind. This is an interesting quote by Jim Morrison that shows the power of the media and its messages at the present day. Media has played a huge role in the cultures it inhabited. Starting from the Printing Press, and then evolving into the radio, the television till the World Wide Web. The evolution of the mass media took many different shapes and with this evolution, it shaped our cultures and understandings differently, which caused its effects to be more influential. Throughout the history the mass media molded our ideologies by its messages and changed the way we look at things around us. “When we consume mass media, there are a lot of physical and mental activities going on” (Fourie, 2001, p.283). At the present time when we decide to sit and watch a movie, there are millions of messages being interpreted to us as audiences that shape how we speak, dress, and behave. It is believed that the media determines what we should know and how we should think. But the vital question is who controls the media and controls its messages, and how does the media work today. This essay will therefore attempt to discuss the different approaches that are used to analyze and evaluate media messages, and how these various approaches operate...
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...Signs appear in everyday contemporary societies. Signs are saturated with a lot of meanings and they relate to any language and are there to make us understand things through relating words with concepts like the word ‘silence’ which is a sign of communication that is indicative of meaning and it is ideological, it is also power to talk. Sign theory is an eccentric war of communication. It focuses on the discourse analysis where it focuses on language, power and ideology. Intelligence services are a key component of every state and their mandate is to ensure the security of states and they make use of the sign theory to supply the policy makers with information or intelligence which is fundamental in the policy making process. Evaluation and analysis’ role is to cast information into its proper intelligence framework and in the process minimising being biased. If evaluation and analysis is quality the intelligence given to policy makers will help policy makers to come up with quality policies and if the evaluation and analysis is poor obviously the policy makers will come up with ineffective policies. There are repercussions if intelligence services fail to analyse. Sign theory help in deductive, inductive and abductive types of reasoning. In this discourse I will define the sign theory, evaluation, analysis, four tools of analysis and the implications of sign theory to evaluation and analysis as a process which is scientific, logical, methodological and verifiable. Theory is...
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...communication theory as a dialogical-dialectical field according to two principles: the constitutive model of communication as a metamodel and theory as metadiscursive practice. The essay argues that all communication theories are mutually relevant when addressed to a practical lifeworld in which “communication” is already a richly meaningful term. Each tradition of communication theory derives from and appeals rhetorically to certain commonplace beliefs about communication while challenging other beliefs. The complementarities and tensions among traditions generate a theoretical metadiscourse that intersects with and potentially informs the ongoing practical metadiscourse in society. In a tentative scheme of the field, rhetorical, semiotic, phenomenological, cybernetic, sociopsychological, sociocultural, and critical traditions of communication theory are distinguished by characteristic ways of defining communication and problems of communication, metadiscursive vocabularies, and metadiscursive commonplaces that they appeal to and challenge. Topoi for argumentation across traditions are suggested and implications for theoretical work and disciplinary practice in the field are considered. Communication theory is enormously rich in the range of ideas that fall within its nominal scope, and new theoretical work on communication has recently been flourishing.’ Nevertheless, despite the ancient roots and growing profusion of theories about communication, I argue that ...
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...1. Introduction Processing speeds of computers have increased dramatically, and computers have advanced to a point where they can assist humans in complex tasks. However, the major bottleneck in this is still the input. Users spend majority of their time inputting the information. Thus the total time required for performing any job would still be dependent on the time taken for providing the input to the machines. Thus working on automating the input entering process using the technology could come to the rescue. Recognising this potential, a lot of growth has been made in the ‘Gesture Recognition Technology’. Now, gestures can be used as a form of input. They will help in bridging the gap between humans and machines. Now, with the advent of this technology, the need of a physical touch on the machine would be eliminated, and the machines would be able to interpret these gestures and operate. Using the concept of gesture recognition, it would be possible to point a finger at the computer screen so that the cursor will move accordingly. This could potentially make the potential input devices such as mouse, keyboard redundant. The report presents the details of the ‘Gesture Recognition Technology’, throws light on the fields where the technology can be applied, provides the technical know-how of the technology- how it works, and discusses the major solution Providers along with the product offerings. The report concludes with the mentioning possible issues which could limit...
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...45 2014 January International Business Studies and the Imperative of Context. Exploring the ‘Black Whole’ in Institutional Theory Michael Jakobsen ©Copyright is held by the author or authors of each Discussion Paper. Copenhagen Discussion Papers cannot be republished, reprinted, or reproduced in any format without the permission of the paper's author or authors. Note: The views expressed in each paper are those of the author or authors of the paper. They do not represent the views of the Asia Research Centre or Copenhagen Business School. Editor of the Copenhagen Discussion Papers: Associate Professor Michael Jacobsen Asia Research Centre Copenhagen Business School Porcelænshaven 24 DK-2000 Frederiksberg Denmark Tel.: (+45) 3815 3396 Email: mj.int@cbs.dk www.cbs.dk/arc International Business Studies and the Imperative of Context. Exploring the ‘Black Whole’ in Institutional Theory Michael Jakobsen Associate Professor Asia Research Centre Copenhagen Business School mj.int@cbs.dk Abstract The aim of this article is to take a critical look at how to perceive informal institutions within institutional theory. Douglas North in his early works on institutional theory divided the national institutional framework into two main categories, formal and informal institution or constraints as he called them. The formal constraints consisted of political rules, judicial decisions and economic contracts, whereas informal constraints consisted of socially sanctioned norms...
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...INTRODUCTION Advertising or advertizing in business is a form of marketing communication used to encourage, persuade, or manipulate an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to take or continue to take some action. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behaviour with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. This type of work belongs to a category called affective labour. DEFINITION OF ADVERTISING ‘Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor’¹. (Philip Kotler, et al., Principles of Marketing, 2002).That means that advertising is the device used by the companies to communicate with them consumers. Advertising is playing an important part in both, the companies life and the consumer also.: for companies because through advertising they promote or market them products, so they are able to sell large stocks of goods that they produce and create demand for new products and offers, and for consumers because enable them to choose between different types of products on the market. In Latin, ad vertere means "to turn toward".] The purpose of advertising may also be to reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful. Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various old...
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...Brand Strategies Mads Nørgaard Hansen Dennis Gade Pedersen BA Marketing and Management Communication Supervisor: Carmen Daniela Maier Department of Language and Business Communication Aarhus School of Business Aarhus University 2010 A Comparative Analysis of Nike and Adidas Commercials * A Multimodal Approach to Building Brand Strategies Mads Nørgaard Hansen and Dennis Gade Pedersen Abstract Heavy competition in the sports industry has caused organisations like Nike and Adidas to focus on more than just selling sportswear- and equipment. Organisations need to differentiate themselves and focus on both product attributes and brand values when creating brand strategies. Therefore, we have found it interesting to see how Nike and Adidas communicate their branding strategy differently and have set up the following hypothesis and questions: In Nike and Adidas commercials the organisations make use of complex multimodal choices in order to communicate their branding strategies. 1. Which multimodal choices do Nike and Adidas employ in order to communicate their branding strategies? 2. Which personality traits are similar and different in Nike and Adidas product and value commercials? Due to the complexity of our hypothesis, we will employ three frameworks: social semiotics, film theory, and branding. These frameworks will help us to analyse and make meaning of the four commercials: Nike’s “Master Accuracy. Hit The Target” and “Is talent all it...
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...Forage for Thought: Mobilizing Codes in the Movement for Grass-fed Meat and Dairy Products Klaus Weber Northwestern University Kathryn L Heinze Northwestern University Michaela DeSoucey Northwestern University This study illuminates how new markets emerge and how social movements can effect cultural change through market creation. We suggest that social movements can fuel solutions to three challenges in creating new market segments: entrepreneurial production, the creation of collective producer identities, and the establishment of regular exchange between producers and consumers. We use qualitative data on the grassroots coalition movement that has spurred a market for grass-fed meat and dairy products in the United States since the early 1990s. Our analysis shows that the movement’s participants mobilized broad cultural codes and that these codes motivated producers to enter and persist in a nascent market, shaped their choices about production and exchange technologies, enabled a collective identity, and formed the basis of the products’ exchange value.• The creation of new markets is an important engine of economic and cultural change. But new markets do not emerge naturally; rather, they often arise from collective projects that mobilize the necessary economic, cultural, and socio-political resources (Fligstein, 1996; Swedberg, 2005). A growing body of research suggests that social movements can play a central role in fueling such projects (Carroll and Swaminathan...
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...Chapter 1 Consumers Rule 1-1 How old is Bungy Jumping? • Bungy jumping turned 26 in 2014 • Where is the highest bungy jump? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wf1yndBO 0w • AJ Hackett’s Tower in Macao –Auckland Stock Exchange B – 764 feet Chapter Objectives When you finish this chapter, you should understand why: • Consumers use products to help them define their identities in different settings (think of consumers as role players who need different products). • For example, many family social occasions are accompanied by food and drink, and the consumption of these goods acts as a shared bond that the group uses to define membership in that group. Another example is the style of clothing (e.g., A & F, Hollister) worn by young people to define their group membership. • Consumer behavior is a process involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services 1-3 Chapter Objectives • Marketers need to understand the wants and needs of different consumer segments (product usage, demographics, and psychographics- redneck bank) • The Web is changing consumer behavior: a problem is the loss of privacy and the deterioration of traditional social interactions • Consumer behavior relates to other issues in our lives-public policy issues (e.g., ethical marketing practices) and the dynamics of popular culture • Consumer activities can be harmful to individuals and to society (terrorism-poisoning...
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...CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP: STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTING SOCIAL CHANGE C. Marlene Fiol University of Colorado - Denver Drew Harris Fairleigh Dickinson University Robert House University of Pennsylvania Second revision February 1999 Please address all correspondence to: C. Marlene Fiol University of Colorado at Denver College of Business CB 165 PO Box 173364 Denver CO 80217-3364 303-556-5812 mfiol@castle.cudenver.edu CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP: STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTING SOCIAL CHANGE ABSTRACT Due to their unique relationship with followers, charismatic leaders can be powerful agents of social change. Current theories of charismatic leadership have emphasized primarily the personality and behavior of leaders and their effects on followers, organizations, and society. This emphasis fails to uncover why and how the charismatic leader-follower interaction can generate social change. Our study draws on theories of social meaning to develop a process model of charismatic leadership. Empirical exploration of our model suggests that charismatic leaders employ a set of consistent communication strategies for effecting social change. INTRODUCTION We have substantial evidence that charismatic leaders behave differently than non-charismatic leaders. Further, we know that charismatic leaders can generate radical social changes, and that the performance of charismatic leaders and their followers tends to exceed that...
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...Proficiency Level of English Communication Skills of BSHM-HRM Students in EARIST Cavite Campus: Input for Enhancement Program In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management ABSTRACT English is considered as the universal language therefore it is commonly used as medium of instruction in school, home, and even in society. Being proficient in it is an edge in many aspects like in career, technology, society and even in travelling foreign countries. However,despite of the advantages of being proficient in it, still most of the students were not able to express themselves properly. For some reason, some students could not achieve this we called English Language Proficiency. This study aims to determine the English language proficiency of BSHM-HRM students of EARIST Cavite Campus, Academic Year 2014-2015. A total of fifty (50) selected BSHM-HRM students were taken as respondents of the study. The questionnaire was the data-gathering instrument used. CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION Hospitality Industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world. Hence, it involves dealing with different people from different countries. In order to communicate with them, English proficiency is being used. Considered as a universal language, it is no wonder that most of the universities worldwide include English as one of their major subjects. Hence, it is...
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...YOU ARE INTERESTED IN IT Global business is more than just selling goods and services across the world. At the very core of global business lies relationship. When an organization decides to sell or invest in a different country there has to be an understanding of the culture and personal relationships need to be formed for the company to be successful. There are three major cultural models that guide globalization and the specific model that stood out to me was polycentrism. I, personally, encounter these different cultures in my daily work as a translation specialist. The company I work for has dealerships all over the world and I am responsible for coordinating the formatting all of the translated manuals for the equipment we sell. I am regularly communicating with dealers from Brazil, Germany, Italy and many more countries. Due to this interaction with various individuals and cultures I wanted to explore more in depth how a polycentric organization functioned. EXPLANATION OF THE KEY TERM Polycentrism is one of three cultural basic managerial paradigms in international business. This type of culture is very open and accepting of different ways of life and believe that conducting business can vary based on the cultural environment of where each business branch is located (Satterlee, 39). A polycentric business model would hire and promote individuals that are natives of the host country that owns and operates the business. This type of model is looked at as being...
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...1) Recently, some marketers have noted that it is easier to develop communications programs to Generation X members than Generation Y. Briefly describe the characteristics of Gen X and Gen Y and whether or not you believe this to be true. There is some debate as to whether Gen X’ers (born between 1965-1978) or Gen Y’ers (1978 to 1986) is more easily targeted by marketers. Each of these groups has their own identifying characteristics. Generation X consumers are typically characterized as self-confident, yet distrustful of those of previous generations (and of marketing practices). They also tend to be less optimistic than their Gen Y counterparts. They are demanding consumers, less concerned with brand names and image and more concerned with quality. Gen Y consumers love to spend. They process information quickly, are quick to adopt new technologies and are more optimistic about the future. In the eyes of some, they are “shameless consumers”. Compared to Gen X they are less rooted in social mores, and buy because they like to do so. While marketers may argue that Gen X is hard to relate to and more cynical and skeptical than the Y’ers, once you have their trust, they will become loyal and remain so—making them an attractive segment. The key is getting their trust. On the other hand, reaching Gen Y is not as hard. They will buy based on wants rather than needs, focus on image and brands, and consume as a way of life. They are easier to reach given a proliferation of media—particularly...
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...line: Eyes Makeup……………………………………………………………..4 2.2.2 Product line: Skin Tanned……………………………………………………………....5 2.3 Comparison and analysis………………………………………………………………………..6 2.4 Improvements and recommendations…………………………………………………….8 3. Perception…………………………………………………………………………………………………..9 3.1 TV advertisement in China: New L’Oréal Paris shampoo……………………….10 3.2 Perceptions of customers 3.2.1 Vision Perception…………………………………………………………………………13 3.2.2 Sound Perception…………………………………………………………………………14 3.3 Improvements and recommendations…………………………………………………..14 4. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………...15 References………………………………………………………………………………………………...16 1. Introduction | L’Oréal, which started as a hair coloring business by a French chemist, Eugène Schueller, was established in 1909. By following the guideline, “innovation in the field of beauty ”, L’Oréal has now perceived by worldwide as a multidimensional brand in terms of beauty products. Aside from hair coloring products, the company stretches its product range to make up, skin care, hair care and fragrances. Nowadays, L’Oréal sells its products in approximate 130 countries across five continents (Braizaz, 2014). Cultural learning and product adaptation have become the priorities for the company to successfully earn its brand recognition in the global market. Moreover, the perception of customers is another influencing issue that affects consumer behavior, which is worthy to be discussed. This report...
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