Gender and Pornography

Gender and Pornography Introduction Throughout history women have been portrayed as subordinates of men or the weaker gender. This essay explores the portrayal of femininity as the weaker gender through the discourse on pornography and femininity portrayed in popular culture. Its purpose is to broaden the understanding of femininity- gender discourse from the perspectives of pornography and femininity portrayed in popular culture. In order words, how does the perception of pornography and the portrayal of femininity in popular culture emphasise the weaker gender perception of femininity? Therefore, the purpose of this essay is clear but the lingering question is how it can be achieved. In this regard, the essay advances four propositions. The first section provides a conceptual understanding of gender and femininity for analytical discourse. The second section critically explores the femininity- gender discourse within a legal structure and questions like is femininity the weaker gender? How and why femininity is portr ayed in this regard come up for discussion. This will also be discussed in relation to how femininity gendered roles disadvantages women. The section that follows critically analyses the law on pornography and femininity nexus. The third section critically explores how femininity is depicted in the media. The last is the summary and the conclusion. What is Gender? Gender can be defined in many ways. Sociologists contend that gender is a consequence of nature resulting from the effect of hormones, brains or genes of two different sexes.[1] However, this essay will explain Butlers perspective and views on gender. According to Butler, gender is defined as a social construct formed through constant cultural reinforcement and rigorous regulatory practices.[2] Hence, gender is associated with how an individual takes part in certain manners of conduct. In order words, through everyday practices or actions, laws, dress codes, taboos, pornography and advertisement the conception of essential masculinity and femininity is developed. Butler asserts that gender operates from the cultural associations and values that the sexed body takes on.[3] This creates the concept of essentialism. Essentialism is defined as the characteristics of persons or groups which are largely similar in all human cultures and historical periods, since they are significantly infl uenced by biological factors.[4] Through the course of essentialism, gender roles are created in the society and are related to an individuals sex. Gender essentialism often creates stereotypes in relation to the behavioural pattern that should be exhibited by men and women. The problem with this is that the perceptions of gender is not fixed and changes from culture to culture, society to society as well as generation to generation and within these confines changes and evolves. Therefore, the rationale behind social constructs of masculinity and femininity being associated with a particular biological sex is void. Butler asserts that taken into its logical limits, the sex-gender distinction suggests a radical discontinuity between sexed bodies and culturally constructed genders.[5]  For Butler, there is no need for a doer behind the deed but the doer be constructed through the deed.[6] In terms of understanding identity, the distinction between gender and sex must be established. Hence, the concept of gender and sex has been used interrelatedly. While sex involves the biological aspects thus distinct and unchangeable, gender is a social construct formulated by the culture in which an individual lives in.[7] Therefore the labels man and woman are biologically and socially different.[8] The importance posited on this distinction is that the biological fact of sex is merely a fact of interest as a result of the cultural importance attached to it.[9] This categorisation usually begins from childbirth and parents are required by the law to specify whether the sex is male or female. The traditional ideology concerning gender and sexuality involves the notion of heteronormativity which relates to the idea of heterosexuality as the natural and normal behaviour in the society.[10] However, sexuality is natural and normative if it if it fits into the context of heterosexuali ty. Femininity Shea describes femininity as the classified set of attributes, behaviours, mannerism, interests, expectations, roles and appearances that are associated with being female.[11] Under Butlers view of repeated acts appropriate gender-specific roles are formed. Simone Beauvoir contends that one is not born, but rather becomes a woman.[12] She further asserts that the concept of femininity is actualised by consistently creating gender through interacting with individuals in a specific social context.[13] Women can be different things; they can be wives, mothers, lesbians, heterosexuals and criminals.[14] However, Butler does not allude that the individual can choose which gender he or she wants to enact but the script is invariably already determined within a regulatory framework and the individual is given a limited number of costumes in which he or she is obliged to make a particular choice of gender style.[15] Butler describes this act as girling the girl[16] it is important to note th at though essential femininity relates to women, men can also exhibit essential feminine traits likewise women exhibiting essential masculine traits.[17] This alteration of societys binary gender roles is described as gender nonconformity. Therefore, if a woman does not fit into this premeditated identity formulated by law and society her essence could be invisible. [18] Gender Performance According to Butler, gender is performative. She defines performativity by stating; gender is in no way a stable identity of locus of agency from which various acts proceed; rather, it is an identity tenuously constituted in time [. . .] an identity instituted through the stylization of the body and, hence, must be understood as the mundane way in which bodily gestures, movements, and enactments of various kinds constitute the illusion of an abiding gendered self.[19] She argues that gender and gender roles are social acts that an individual performs in daily life, the hegemonic versions of which underlay prevalent concepts of male as masculine and female as feminine.[20] Zimmerman further contends that a persons gender is categorised based on how they perform it.[21] Therefore, the way society reacts to gender performances forms gender identification. Men and women in the society are required to comply with specific gender roles according to the sex in which they are categorized. Oa kley states that gender roles have an important impact on human lives as numerous reports suggests that gender are culturally rather than biologically produced[22] Conclusively, individuals are taught on how they are expected to behave within the society. Traditional stereotypes associated with men described them as protectors, providers, openminded and aggressive whereas women were perceived to be weak, passive and emotional.[23] These stereotypes have shaped the way masculinity is seen as the stronger gender and femininity as the weaker gender. Hence, this essay argues that feminine norms regularly relegates women to subordinate or secondary roles and performing such gendered roles disadvantages women in the society. This aspect of the essay focuses on gendered objectification of women. Objectification described as the act of objectifying an individual is often significantly gendered (mostly towards females) and, vital towards the process of gendering a person and rendering them a s lesser human beings.[24] In western society, the pressure on females to perform an ideal expression of femininity is so extreme that it is impossible for a woman to be adequately skinny, beautiful, submissive, sexy and conventional so as to be seen as a good woman.[25] Women tend to be dehumanised even in situations where they perform their gender roles according to hegemonic norms.[26] Ironically, they are being dehumanised for performing their gendered roles. Objectification acts as one basis against which the gender binary criticises womens gender performance irrespective of appropriate performance of gender norms. They are constantly ridiculed as merely weak tools for emotional and sexual satisfaction of other people.[27] Performing gender tends to objectify women and this objectification goes beyond sexual objectification. Arguably, when a woman performs the role of motherhood, she is required to prioritise the needs of her child over that of herself thereby treating herself as an object through which the physical and emotional desires of the child are sustained. This can be regarded as an extremely gendered experience as society does not require fathers to give the same level of care and treatment a woman gives to a child. This can be considered as demanding because it requires placing a childs needs ahead of the mothers. Although, these occasions themselves are episodic, their repetition and reiteration in addition to the background discourse of the good selfless mother[28] provides a structure to legitimise the treatment of women as objects that nurture children into adulthood.[29] This can be partially attributed to social customs which dictate that good mothers take care of their wards and their failure to perform motherhood brings about punishments ranging from social alienation to government intervention and loss of parental privileges.[30] Conclusively, feminist theories of objectification have classified it as a universal problem that mainly affects women. However, they mostly define it based on the constant repetition and reiteration of episodic experiences rather than why it occurs. Wilson contendsthat By using Butlers theory of gender performativity to analyse the structure of gender it seems that we can redefine objectification as a systemic occurrence that is significantly gendered and also important to the very process of constituting gendered categories.[31] Pornography Several definitions of pornography exist from debates surrounding it. Joel Feinberg gives a broad definition of pornography as sexually explicit writing and pictures designed entirely and plausibly to induce sexual excitement in the reader.[32] Dworkin and MacKinnon state that The bigotry and contempt pornography promotes, with the acts of aggression it fosters, diminish opportunities for equality of rights in employment, education, property, public accommodations and public services.[33] This critique states that pornography is more than just a sexual fantasy but rather recognised discriminatory acts against women with damaging effects.[34] Williams asserts that pornography as a genre proves to be more about gender than sex.[35] Under UK law, there exist no definition of pornography instead it relies on the concept of obscenity.[36] Hence, pornography is regulated under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and 1964 and Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 which establishes the cri minality of pornography on appropriate pornography and appropriate sexual expression.[37] Section 1 of the OPA 1959 states an article shall be deemed obscene if its effect or the effect of any one of its items is, if taken as a whole, tends to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.[38] Therefore, the threshold test drawn from the case R v Hicklin[39] is whether the tendency of the matter charged as obscenity is to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences, and into whose hands a publication of this sort may fall.[40] In regards to this, section 63 of the CJIA 2008 outlaws the possession of an extreme pornographic image. It states that an image is pornographic if it is of such a nature that it must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal.[41] Justice Stewart in the case Jacobellis v O hio[42] commented on obscenity, stating that I know it when I see it.[43] Hence, what this depicts is that what may be perceived as obscene to a group may be normal to another. The deductions that can be made from the above Acts, shows that, Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 will permit any action that does not violate the law against obscenity. This is rendered problematic as the messages pornography relays should not be protected under free speech, neither should the effect it ultimately has on gendered roles especially on femininity.[44] Hence, this essay contends that any form of pornography is harmful in the society as they send negative messages about gender roles. Scoular opines that pornography is a political statement of womens inequality rather than a sexual imagery for pleasure.[45] However, Dworkin argues that the way pornography is seen to be sexual depictions and representations about sex indisputably emphasizes how the society views femininity.[46] For the purposes of this essay, four elements of subordination of femininity will be discussed. These are; hierarchy, the dynamic of dominance and submission, violence and objectification. Foucaults concept of texts of pornography and society can be used in explaining the concept of hierarchy.[47] Men tend to define feminine sexuality through images and writings.[48] Fiedler states that pornography is produced mainly by men for men, using womens bodies as objects for male pleasure.[49] Men through pornography tend to portray the female gender role as inferior and how it should be performed. Such characterisation has an adverse effect on feminine roles in the society as traditional social norms usually associates masculinity with certain traits (dominance, power, superiority) while femininity with (submissiveness, weakness, inferiority).[50] According to Dworkin Pornography is the material means of sexualizing inequality and that is why pornography is a central practice in the subordi nation of women.[51] Pornography is initially presented as a sexual imagery for erotic satisfaction, but in-depth assessment depicts that it is rather a political statement portraying feminine inequality. Scoular supports by asserting that, pornography is a powerful depiction of feminine subordination and inequality, societal degradation and emphasising the phallocentric hierarchical power of men over women.[52] Inequality is sexualized; the relationship between masculinity and femininity is that of dominance and submission, which is constantly played out during sexual intercourse, which defines sex as a man being possessive or domineering and a woman submitting to a man.[53] MacKinnon believes that pornography is an ideal representation which displays masculine dominance and feminine submission, and describes it as a political campaign by the strong against the weak (males against females) that legitimizes, sexualizes and permits abuse against women.[54] Masculine dominance and feminine submission also exist in soft-core pornography for example Vogue Magazine or Calvin Klein commercials where women are depicted as being desperate to be taken and used by men.[55] It is noteworthy that the dominant and submissive representation is not limited to only heterosexual pornography but also lesbian pornography. Arguably, some women prefer to play the submissive role, however, this is due to the ment ality instilled by the sexist power structures that they are meant to enjoy these acts[56]. Deckha contends that females who claim to enjoy performing a submissive role do so because they have been brainwashed into believing that it is required of them to do so.[57] The argument as regards to lesbian pornography is that, even with the absence of men, this still represents the patriarchal power structure through the representation of the butch lesbian controlling the femme lesbian.[58] As explained earlier, there is a possibility that without the influence of the sexist power structure, these individuals might have different opinions as to what they actually prefer. Therefore, the constant repetition and reiteration of these constructed identities of masculine dominance and feminine submission tends to be classified as the norm in the society. According to Dworkin, not only does pornography cause violence against women, it is violence.[59] Violence towards women either in physical or psychological form tends to be the norm in modern society. Men believe that they can commit these acts, either as a means of enjoyment or an assertion of masculine dominance. Feminists believe that images of women being bound, tortured, raped, degraded or murdered for sexual stimulation and satisfaction creates a psychological link between sexuality and violence, and teaches men that women are easy targets, masochistic, hypersexual, and a sexual plaything, who derive pleasure from being pushed around, and that violence in itself is a sexual turn-on. Such portrayal teaches women to feel passive and helpless and to assent to victimization.[60] Reports from a research conducted in America on the commonness of verbal or physical aggression in pornographic contents show that of the 304 scenes studied, 88.2% included physical aggression and 48.7% of scenes contained verbal aggression with the perpetrators usually the male and the female being the victims.[61] Because of the way femininity is portrayed, people tend not to be interested in the fact that women are actually hurt even in violent pornography. Cole compares this by stating that just as behind a faà §ade of marital bliss there could be a battered wife, likewise, behind the appearance of consent and pleasure in pornography, there could be rape and violation.[62] Furthermore, numerous debates have emanated concerning if there is any correlation between pornography and sexual violence. In the case of Coutts[63], Jane Longhurst died during asphyxial sex with a man that had a tendency for extreme pornography involving rape, necrophilia and asphyxiation. After this incident, the CJIA 2008 was implemented to ban the possession of extreme pornographic materials.[64] From this, it can be perceived that this act was created because pornographic contents could influence people to commit sexual abuse. Barry emphasises that pornography can significantly influence human behaviour and numerous behavioural scientists support this position as witnessed in their dealing with sex offenders.[65] MacKinnon also opines by stating that the subscribers of violent pornography are also interested in practicing it.[66] Andrei Chikatilo, who was a Russian killer, responsible for the murder of over 53 women and children blamed pornography to be the cause of his suicida l behaviour[67]. The evidence above depicts that, there is a strong link between violence and men who watch pornography. Fredrickson and Roberts define objectification as being treated as a body (or collection of body parts) valued predominantly for its use to (or consumption by) others.[68] MacKinnon asserts that pornography tends to objectify women, exploit their sexuality for mens pleasure, and portrays sex roles in which women are inferior, violated or subject to physical abuse.[69] Dworkin describes sexual objectification as occurring when a human being, through social means, is made less than human, turned into a thing or commodity, bought and sold.[70] Women tend to be inhumanely objectified and displayed as objects for the sexual satisfaction of men. For example, both men and women magazines are based around eroticised images of women viewing them as sexual objects basically used to satisfy or provoke the desires and attention of readers. The editor of a UK magazine Esquire stated in an article that women were objectified in various publications (both male and female) stating that we provide pi ctures of girls in the same way we provide pictures of cool cars. It is ornamental.[71] By using pictures of women primed for sexual pleasure amongst advertisement of fine cars and good scotch portrays women as commodities that can be easily bought. Arguably, a reason why people fail to link acts associated with pornography is because such acts are seen as ordinary in the society. Society tends to define the images portrayed by pornography as normal and ordinary, therefore, if pornography is seen as the ordinary, it cannot be harmful to women. In recent times, concerns have been raised about the objectification of women in society. Clare Short a former Labour M.P introduced a piece of draft legislation advocating for the ban of Page 3 of The Sun newspaper which Caroline Lucas had criticised for normalising the notion that womens primary function is to titillate men.[72]Therefore, this raises awareness of the backward, damaging and hypocritical media treatment of female bodies and th e society becoming more sympathetic of the plight of womens objectification.[73] Gender essentialism also exists in objectification. Collins believes that black femininity is differently represented from white femininity.[74] Black women are mostly presented to be breeders, raped for pleasure and profit of their owners in interracial pornography which is a recreation of the colonial slavery a period when black women were used as sex objects for the pleasure of white men.[75] This also reflects the hierarchical system of race as Walker states, that where white women are depicted in pornography as objects, black women as depicted as animals.[76] The portrayal of black women as animals reiterates their lesser status in the society. Therefore, whilst white women face gender objectification as gendered oppression, black women deal with both racial and gendered oppression. A critique against obscenity laws in the UK, is the inability to protect women from the violence and objectification which pornography portrays but rather focuses on what is regarded as prurient inte rests.[77] Conclusively, the way masculinity is portrayed in pornography influences male attitudes towards the treatment of women as the weaker gender. Jensen highlights that the sexual violence and cruelty that characterizes much pornography, and to the evident pleasure that men take in viewing this material, evidence that there are serious problems with our understandings of what it is to be a man today.[78] Additionally, the similarity between the portrayal of masculinity in reality and in pornography is that to be classified as a real man, one is supposed to be aggressive, dominating and controlling. Green asserts that in gay pornography, where there is a female absence, there is a contention that one of the men performs the role which patriarchal sexuality assigns to women; the role of receptivity, passivity, subordination. This confirms that, we can have women without having any females.[79] The portrayal of masculinity in pornography has an influence on how men view women in society. Hence, it can be concluded that pornography certainly plays an important role in the construction of femininity as weak. Popular Culture James Rosenau defines media as a label that is presently in vogue to account for peoples, activities, norms ideas, goods, services, and currencies that are decreasingly confined to a particular geographic space and its local and established practices.[80] The mass media is one of the most universal and powerful vices influencing how men and women are viewed in the society. Intertwined through our everyday lives, the media integrates messages into human consciousness at every opportunity. Different forms of media convey images of the sexes, which disseminates biased, stereotypical, and limiting perceptions.[81] Hence, this essay argues that all forms of media sends negative subliminal and stereotypical messages about female gender roles in the society and the portrayal of an ideal woman as shown in the media is harmful. In recent years, the representation of femininity in the media has constantly exploited women merely portraying them as trophies to be won or objects to be shown off. It has also established a standard of beauty that women are compared to either by men or by the women themselves. Swami asserts that In patriarchal societies, the roles and privileges accorded to women are inferior to those assigned to men, and as such, sexism plays a central role in the continuing oppression of women.[82] Reiterating the beauty ideals are oppressive (BIO) hypothesis, the existent patriarchal structures and attitudes influences the relationship that exists between sexist attitudes and the endorsement of beauty ideals and practices.[83] Craft asserts that physical features such as attractiveness and thinness are the requirements for women in news media rather than intellectual capabilities expected from their male counterparts. (Craft, 1988; Sanders Rock, 1988). The media creates an imagery of two that of women that exist namely the good women and the bad women. A good woman is supposed to be respectful and mainly focused on taking care of her home. Subordinate to the male gender, they are usually represented in films as victims, supportive wives and helpers. Though, women who defy the traditional roles are represented positively, this is done either by making their alienating career lives like Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show, whose career engagement in family matters was well portrayed while her career as an attorney was alienated. or feminizing careerwomen so as to align them with the traditional aspect of femininity. The producer of the show Cagney and Lacey Barney Rosenzweig complained, These women arent soft enough. These women arent feminine enough regarding the characters of the actresses thereby illustrating the medias bias towards favouring traditional femininity. Faludi asserts that for female gender to be considered as successfu l, it is necessary to portray the traditional stereotypes of femininity and maintain an identity dependent on the male gender who

How can India get more Olympic Medals Essay

In 2004 Athens Olympics, India celebrated it’s achievement of the one silver medal it won in Shooting. After four years, in 2008 Beijing Olympics, India won a gold medal in 10m Air Rifle event and one bronze medal each, in Wrestling and Boxing. The international media appreciated this as a rare feat from a ‘non-athletic nation’. The tag ‘non-athletic nation’ can be refuted considering the craze for cricket in India. However, that is not the bone of contention here. India is considered as a non-athletic nation because of it’s consistent poor performance before the world audience in this quadrennial event. India has 17% of the world population but won only 0. 31% of the total medals in Beijing Olympics. Thus, there is an urgent need for a strategy that can help India win more Olympic medals. It is important to understand ‘why’ India has not been able to get more Olympic medals before answering ‘how’ to get the same. Well, the sportsmen and women in India often complain about lack of adequate sources, funds, infrastructure, equipment, sponsorship and encouragement for sports and games other than cricket in the country. Corruption, political intervention and unwillingness of sports authorities are also cited as the root causes. Inadequate training programmes and practice sessions which do not meet international standards are said to be another reason for dismal performances in the Olympics. Besides the above, another most important reason is the discouragement and disinterest showed by parents and teachers to their children’s interest in sports and games. The solution lies in addressing or targeting the above problems. In the first place, parents and teachers should make an extra effort to identify a child’s inclination towards sports. Children of all ages should be encouraged to actively participate in sports as it will help in their overall physical and mental development. Schools should include sports as an integral part of their curriculum. Sports competitions should be held at local and regional levels, and students interested in a particular game, should be provided with further training. This can help children cultivate sportsmanship qualities and also gain experience in the game. Secondly, the state and central governments should provide adequate funds and resources for upgraded training programs, necessary infrastructure, equipment and other facilities to sportspersons. For instance, the government and sports authorities in China have not only planned to successfully host 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, but also have designed ‘Project 119’ towards winning gold[s] in the medal rich sports of swimming, track, rowing, kayaking and sailing. Under this project, intensive training at par with international standards was provided to athletes and participants of various games. India needs to design and implement such goal-oriented projects to clinch more medals in Olympic games. Thirdly, all the encouragement, resources and participation would go waste without a proper coach. The nuances and tricks of the game can only be learnt from a good trainer. Even in Mahabharata, the great India epic, a master-archer like Arjuna was trained by his versatile teacher, Dhronacharya. Hence, trainers with good performance record, experience and exposure to national and international sports should be appointed as sports coach to train the athletes. In addition to this, steps should be taken to sever the tentacles of this monstrous octopus called ‘corruption’ which has made it’s way into every part of human life including sports and games. Sanctioning and providing adequate funds is one step but utilizing them efficiently for the purpose meant, is an altogether different step. Accounts should be audited to ensure proper appropriation of funds. Authorities holding positions in sports organizations, associations and selection committees should be held accountable and punished in the event of any misuse of the allocated funds. Moreover, favoritism and bias in selection of team members, appointment of trainers, etc. should be strictly discouraged. It should be ensured that the only criteria for selecting a player or a coach on the team should be his/ her performance record and definitely not their personal background or relation with the members on Selection committee. Care should be taken to not repeat cases like Monica Devi, a wrestler from Manipur, who was dropped from the Indian contingent to 2008 Beijing Olympics in the last minute. The issue is yet to be solved. Such incidents can lead to resentment among players. Finally, sports in India should expand and reach beyond cricket. Cricket has managed to attract huge fanfare, reputed brand names for sponsorship and popular celebrities like industrialists and bollywood actors. Cash-rich Indian Premier League stands as a testimony to this. Similar treatment is due to be accorded to other sports. Private sponsorers including domestic and multinational companies should be invited to offer sponsorship to sportsmen of other games. Wide publicity should be given to other sports by broadcasting them on television. Medal winning performance should be duly rewarded by the central and state governments. However, inspite of all the hurdles and hiccups, Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar and Vijendra Kumar created history at the Beijing Olympics 2008. This clearly shows that without obstacles, India would stand second to none in the Olympic Medal chart.

Phillip Morris

Philip Morris promotion of Marlborough cigarettes. Instituted in the sass's. The brand moved to and assured that the flavor would be unchanged by the decision of adding a filter. â€Å"Come to where the flavor Is: Come to Marlboro man,† Marlboro man was a rugged cowboy smoking Marlboro cigarettes while rolling his horse In the outdoors. The ad helped propel Marlboro to the top of the world market Threefold 1 ) Significant economic advantages. Standardized advertising lowers the cost of value creation by spreading the fixed costs of developing the advertisements over many Mounties. Ex.Coca Cola saved $90 million over 20 yr by using certain elements of Its campaign globally 2)Creative talent is scarce and one large effort to develop a campaign is much more successful than numerous amounts of smaller efforts 3)many brands are global brands Against standardizing advertising 1) cultural differences between nations- a message that works In one nation could potentially fall In anothe r nation. Cultural diversity makes It difficult to develop a single theme that Is effective on a global level 2)advertising regulations may block implementation of standardized advertising.Ex. Kellogg could not use a commercial it produced in great Britain to promote its product in other European countries. A reference to iron and vitamins in its cereal was not allowed in the Netherlands because health and medical benefits were outlawed. In France children are not allowed to endorse products. In Germany a key line was disallowed because of competitive claims. Another example would be American express offering bonus points every time the card was used. And the points could be used towards air ravels and hotel accommodations.Germany competition law was broken as it is suppose to prevent the offer of free gifts In connection with the sales of goods. Dealing with country differences Experimenting with capturing benefits of global standardization while recognizing differences in countrie s cultural and legal environments. Some features to include in all of its advertising, which can result in saving on costs while building international brand recognition. Monika in the sass's launched a global advertising campaign † 1001 reasons to have a Monika imaging phone.Did this to reduce costs and capture economies of scale. Value in trying to establish a global brand image. Used actors from regions where the advertising covered. And used local settings as well. Doves global real beauty campaign 1) Milliner, who marketed dove a storied consumer multinational with global reach, a strong positioned In fast growing developing nations, and a reputation for customizing products to condition prevailing In local markets. ( ex. Indian women OLL hair before washing , so western shampoos that TLD remove the OLL didn't sell well.However, milliner reformulated shampoos for India. Company exaggerated because it has shifted towards a global emphasis. Dove. Brand should stand for the real beauty of all women. Mission was to make women feel more beautiful everyday by widening the stereotypical definition of beauty and inspiring them to take care of themselves. 3) Following workshops held around the globe that brand managers and agencies communicate beauty. Asked 67 photographers to submit portraits of women of all shapes, sizes and ages. Dove photo tour. ) German office of Milliner advertising agency, Googol and Matter worldwide, came up with a concept for communicating real beauty based on photographs showing ordinary women in their underwear. Advertisement made its way to the I-J where they perceived it as politics and not advertising. 5) 2% of women worldwide considered themselves as beautiful and the half thought their weight was too high 6) 2004 campaign was launched globally. Radical shift form Milliner . Tweaked to take local sensibilities. 7) Milliner extended the dove product line to include skin creams, shampoos, and shower gels.Made a video on youth 8) Dove created â€Å"Evolution, depicting the transformation of a real woman into a model and promoting awareness of how unrealistic perceptions of beauty are created. † 9) â€Å"he Dove global study, Beauty Comes of Age, revealed that 91% of women ages 50-64 believe it is time for society to change its views about women and aging. The campaign celebrated the essence of women 50+ ?wrinkles, age spots, grey hair and all. It was brought to life through a communications campaign created with internationally renowned photographer Annie Leibniz. 0) â€Å"The [email  protected] Movement for Self-Esteem provides women everywhere with opportunities to mentor the next generation and celebrate real beauty. â€Å"11)†[email  protected] has created self-esteem- building, educational programs and activities that encourage, inspire and motivate girls around the world. Dove has reached over 7 million girls so far with these programs, and set a global goal of reaching 15 million girls by 2015. † -supply chains looks like -How Is it going to come in? -How you will market? Brand is the logo, 100, and connotations â€Å"Bat† night, up late.

Example Answers to Tasks on Leadership and Change Management - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2737 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Introduction Change processes and change projects are the milestones in any organizations history. Due to the dynamics in the external environment, many organizations find themselves in nearly continuous change. The scope reaches from smaller change projects in particular sub business units up to corporation-wide transformation processes. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Example Answers to Tasks on Leadership and Change Management" essay for you Create order Similarly many risks are associated with change process. To overcome such risk organizations requires having effective change agent. Anyone can be change agent unless they possess certain qualities. As a multidisciplinary practice, Organizational Change Management requires for example: creative marketing to enable communication between change audiences, but also deep social understanding about leaderships styles and group dynamics. As a visible track on transformation projects, Organizational Change Management aligns groups expectations, communicates, integrates teams and manages people training. It makes use of metrics, such as leaders commitment, communication effectiveness, and the perceived need for change to design accurate strategies, in order to avoid change failures or solve troubled change projects. An effective change management plan needs to address all above mentioned dimensions of change. This can be achieved in following ways: Putting in place an effective Communicat ion strategy which would bridge any gap in the understanding of change benefits and its implementation strategy. Devise an effective skill upgrading scheme for the organization. Overall these measures can counter resistance from the employees of companies and align them to overall strategic direction of the organization. Personal counseling of staff members (if required) to alleviate any change related fears. Change management is a basic skill in which most leaders and managers need to be competent. There are very few working environments where change management is not important. When leaders or managers are planning to manage change, there are five key principles that need to be kept in mind: Different people react differently to change Everyone has fundamental needs that have to be met Change often involves a loss, and people go through the loss curve Expectations need to be managed realistically Fears have to be dealt with Here are some tips to apply the above principles when managing change: Give people information be open and honest about the facts, but dont give overoptimistic speculation. I.e. meet their OPENNESS needs, but in a way that does not set unrealistic expectations. For large groups, produce a communication strategy that ensures information is disseminated efficiently and comprehensively to everyone .E.g.: tell everyone at the same time. However, follow this up with individual interviews to produce a personal strategy for dealing with the change. This helps to recognise and deal appropriately with the individual reaction to change. Give people choices to make, and be honest about the possible consequences of those choices. Ie meet their control and inclusion needs Give people time, to express their views, and support their decision making, providing coaching, counselling or information as appropriate, to help them through the LOSS CURVE Where the change involves a loss, identifies what will or migh t replace that loss loss is easier to cope with if there is something to replace it. This will help assuage potential fears Where it is possible to do so, give individuals opportunity to express their concerns and provide reassurances also to help assuage potential fears. Keep observing good management practice, such as making time for informal discussion and feedback even though the pressure might seem that it is reasonable to let such things slip during difficult change such practices are even more important. Where you are embarking on a large change programmes, you should treat it as a project. That means you apply all the rigours of project management to the change process producing plans, allocating resources, appointing a steering board and/or project sponsor etc.. The five principles above should form part of the project objectives. Some of the effective change agent qualities are describe below. Task 1 Corporate culture depending on culture, strategic significance of project, receipt of project among management and staff, timeframe, funds etc, change agents may need good project management capability in order to guarantee timely progress, or they should be good leaders with the ability to encourage people. Change agents always need the ability to get all people affected by the project concerned, to make sure their support and promise. This requires a high capability as the basis for receipt as well as soft skills, which are often abridged as emotional intelligence. This includes the ability to communicate, to understand and to take into account opinion and uncertainties of others. Change projects involve a great different of factors and forces. These factors do not only include the reasons and objectives for change, but also the existing state of the organization, values, beliefs and routine of the people there. Many change projects challenge the alive cultural structure of an organization. Efforts to change such long-lasting values, however, lead to conflict and refutation. More than in technology-related projects it takes the taking and the hold up of all people affected by such projects to make them succeed. It is the change agents task to generate this acceptance in order to implement change with the people, not against them. 15 Key Competencies of Change Agents In spite of the comprehensive and ever changing load on professionals as change agents, there are definable competencies that can be tacit and learned. the successful change manager have the ability to: Diagnose problems Understanding both the business drivers and the organization well enough to identify presentation issues and analyze their force on short and long term business results Build relationships with clients form partnerships with shared task for the outcomes of the change effort. Because the risk is higher than with most other HR roles the level of trust required is much higher. Management consultant Ric Reichard uses a simple formula to describe the issues which are generally at play RISK Often the client and the change agent over highlight one or the other especially when the risk increases while the challenge is to balance both to attain the essential level of trust. Ensure that the Vision is Articulated interpret the hopes and inspiration of the labour force through the Vision statement. Set a Leadership Agenda Defining the ongoing role for leaders, such as Interactions, role modelling, strengthening of desired behaviours etc. This requires the HR executive to understand closely the dynamics, history and Competencies of the leadership team and to have the insistence to insist on the agendas Accomplishment. Solve Problems Recommending solutions, a common hope of HR professionals is not the same as solving problems. When it comes to the change agent role, the problems encounter are often loaded with emotional and political Dynamics. The change agent must possess the insight to recognize the problem, the Sensitivity to se e its importance to those involved, the courage to take honest and often difficult measures to resolve it and the credibility to be heard. Implement Plans to Achieve Change Goals Flourishing organizational change on any important scale can be accredited to the right plan and suitable change in organization culture. Culture change, in turn, relies heavily on allied and helpful people policies, systems and processes. In short, the functioning plan is an HR plan for both the HR function and for management. complement the competencies recognized , we would add the following as essential for efficiency as a change agent: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  superb communications skill in all directions à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  knowledge of the business; products/services and core work processes à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  keeping a business perspective both macro mission and micro mission à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  preparation and assignment management skills à ¢Ã¢â ‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  ability to tolerate doubt managing conflict threat conflict It is apparent that these are a unify of individual attribute and industrial skill sets. A change agent working at the planned level cannot be effective without them. Having a clearly articulated proficiency model for the change agent role is one thing; acquiring the knowledge and skills to purpose efficiently in this role is another. efficiency in any role is a combination of competence and confidence Following are four elements that are necessary in developing both: Education and Training Official education and training that is inclusive enough to really equip an HR professional for the change agent role is fairly limited in this country. However, some Universities, such as University of Toronto and Queens University are now contribution change management programs within their Executive Development divisions. These range from 3 days to 15 days of professional development from time to time with a practicum component. Practice Opportunities Five years ago we would have confident professional to find some unbiased province for practicing their new talent. Today this is clearly unfeasible as business demand that the talent be put to use instantly. The change agent is not excused from this reality but the practicing is often more observable and the risk higher than in other feature of the role. This is where the next two fundamentals come into play. Feedback Reflection Good judgement comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgement the simple truth in that appearance is well-known to everyone .The most significant thing you can experience as a change agent is not accomplishment. Nor is it collapse. It is honest feedback about your presentation and impact and the time to mirror on and learn from it. Support System For executives performing as change agents, there is often no one inside the business to talk to. The issues are often too planned or too responsive to discuss explicitly. A support system should comprise people who know the nature of your work and the satisfactions, pressure and risks linked with it. One of the most significant, people in your hold up system will be the colleague whom you can calculate on to confront you, help you see your inadequacy and follow-up on what purposely you are doing about them Objectives Compassion to changes in key personnel, top management perception and market conditions, and to the way in which these impact the goals of the project. 2.Setting of realistic goals clearly defined. 3. Elasticity in responding to changes without the control of the project manager, perhaps require major shifts in project management style and goal. Roles 4. Abilities of team building, to bring together key stakeholders and establish effective working groups, and to define and hand over relevant tasks clearly. 5. Patience of uncertainty, to be able to function happily, tolerantly and successfully in an unsure environment. Communication 6. Communication skills to broadcast to colleagues and subordinate the need for changes in the project goals in individual tasks . 7. Interpersonal skills, across the range, including selection, listening, collecting suitable information, identify the concerns of others, and managing meetings. 8. Personal interest in express ideas and policy. Negotiation 9. Selling policy and ideas to others by creating a attractive and demanding vision of the future. 10. Negotiate with key players for funds, for changes in procedures, and to resolution clash. Managing up 11. Political awareness in identify potential coalitions, and in evaluation contradictory goals and perceptions. 14. Influencing skills, to gain commitment to project plans and ideas form potential sceptics and resisters. 15. Helicopter perspective, to stand back from the immediate project and take a broader view of priority. Source: D. Buchanan D. Boddy: The Expertise of the Change Agent: Public performance and backstage activity. Prentice Hall. 1992 Task 2 Reflecting upon my own attitudes values and behaviour I have identified the areas of change required to be an effective change leader. To become such I need to focus on all factors describe in task 1 .In addition to that I need to have full knowledge of the organization and the staff frame of mind working there including its market customer and relationship. There is always more than right solution so I must be able to evaluate facts from different view eg from customer and competitors point. To motivate and guide the staff to become effective change agent I need to focus on their behaviour and attitudes towards their role in organization. Should be able to find out who can be assest to company doing so and how. Task 3 Plan of action to maintain effectiveness as change agent is outlines below: Communication: Communication with possible change agents is necessary via meeting to find out their action plan and goals for future. To find out in what ways can staff and units will be more productive and welcoming. Are they looking at different ways to handle most difficult clients for better outcomes? The solution here would be to focus not only handling these clients but to reduce stress on overall staff solving the clinical issues. Address the work Change Agents are doing in their productivity plans. Some change agents will take one to two weeks or less depending on interest, motivation and time. More than likely supervisors will want to adjust productivity time based on performed work. So change agent here should know exactly what is needed in order to meet the productivity requirements. Meetings: It is important for change agent to attend monthly and quarterly meetings to have an idea on obtaining training around the made action plans and to know how to implement at work scenario. Beside these change agent should Educate staff on strategies, customer care, assessment etc. Participate in case discussions about re-occurring disorders. Provide updates and training to the staff. Create the implementation of Action plan/policy to improve general quality of the service. Task 4 Any changes made in the organization must be integrated with other business and management disciplines. Integration primarily occurs in one of two ways. First, introduction of the importance of change management and second making a commitment to build change competence and utilizing changes on every project as an standard practice. When change management is started at the beginning of a project, the activities can be fully integrated. The first step will be to develop a change management strategy based on the characteristics of the particular change and the attributes of the organization that is being changed. Change readiness assessments will help you decide on your strategy and how you will customize the change management plans you are going to develop. The following steps describe below will give a clear picture of how integration should be carried out. Start phase Define objectives and project benefits with project sponsor Set the timeline and milestones Initial budget preparation Team selection and team building Define communication system within the project Identify the main stakeholders and members of project holding committee Planning Make draft of the plan Review with sponsor Finalize the plan Schedule first meeting with committee Prepare presentation for committee and review it with sponsor Data collection Gather all data collection requirements Delegate responsibilities among team members Conduct managers and employee interviews Conduct customer surveys Identify main competitors and non competitors Prepare all research report Again prepare presentation for committee reviewing with sponsor. Design solution Review all detail of the findings Define principles and concepts for the future Create documents for system and technology requirements Define the change required and the new roles and responsibilities Make a draft of solution design and finalize Prepare presentation for meeting with key committee and sponsor Gap analysis Conduct gap analysis between as-is and to-be phase Determine cost savings and revenue growth from new solution Also estimate for system and technology Implementation cost for project should be clearly estimated Outline business case for new design and compare with initial objective and ensure the alignment With accounting group review the financial calculation. Involve the committee and sponsor in the final review of project Solution development Buy the required system and technology Conduct the trial Collect feedback Detail job description is needed and review with HR and legal department Training requirements should be defined and curriculum should be develop. Solution implementation Develop control process Train new employees on new process and tools/systems Collect employee and manager feedback Modify the solution according to feedback If any issues arises during implementation process track and resolve. Ensure the alignment with business strategy Measure the performance outcome and compare Conclusion Change management can be applied to many types of business improvement programs from radical changes like BPR, mergers and acquisitions or new product releases to incremental changes like continuous improvement processes or Six Sigma. Change management is the process and tools such as communications, sponsorship, coaching, and training and resistance management plan for addressing the people side of change. Change management is not an event it is a process of helping individuals understand, internalize and support a change.