Evaluating The Financial Results Example For Free - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2943 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Over the past year, both the retail investment and occupational environment have been more challenging by the twin impacts of austerity at home and the debt crisis in Europe (British Land, 2012). General retailers, who sell a wide variety of goods to the public, are now facing a historically difficult situation due to the retail market in the UK continues to undergo significant change. Based on their 2011 and 2012 annual reports, five British companies operating worldwide will be analysed and compared in this report, which are French Connection Group Plc, Debenhams Plc, Marks Spencer Plc, HMV Group Plc and Next Plc. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Evaluating The Financial Results Example For Free" essay for you Create order French Connection focuses on designing, producing, and distributing fashionable clothing. Next is a UK based retailer offering high quality clothing. MS is one of the UKs leading retailers, which sells clothing, home products and quality food. Debenhams is a visual department store group, which has a strong existence in key product categories including wears, home, health beauty with unique and differentiated brands. HMV is a well-known entertainment retailer and now the countrys second-largest live music and ticker operator. Investment Ratios Accounting statements can be analysed and evaluated in several ways, one of the most important is ratio analysis, which is widely used as a tool in the interpretation of financial statements (Atrill, Harvery and Mclaney, 1995:377). The first ratio to be considered is return on capital employed (ROCE). It is referred to as being the primary efficiency ratio. In the formula, ROCE is comparing profit before taxation and capital employed (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen, 2011). Normally, higher values of ROCE suggest a company has a better performance, which means the management of the company is using its resources effectively (Marcouse, 2008). To compare five firms ROCE ratios between 2011 and 2012, they all shown a decrease on the previous year, among which the figure of HMV was a negative number. By looking at its consolidated income statement in 2012, the loss before tax was 38.6 million. And the decreases in the use of assets also led to a fall in ROCE. The normal target ROCE of many large companies is about 15% (Thomas, 1999:415). But for Next plc, the ROCE for the latest year was 52.1%. This may due to its huge profit. According to its chairmens statement, there was a 5% growth in profit from  ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¡543.4m to  ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¡570m. ROCE provides an answer to the question of whether the business is worthwhile to invest in, whereas the return on equity (ROE) ratio takes the perspective of the shareholder and tries to answer the question of whether the investment in the share capital of the company is beneficial for the owners of the shares (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen, 2011:238). This ratio is calculated as profit before tax divided by total equity. For those five companies, only Next plc reveal an improvement on ROE from 2011(22.4%) to 2012 (31.3%). This may be due to an increase in the profit before taxation and a drop in the total equity. And because of the loss, HMV still got a negative percentage on ROE. Earnings per share (EPS) i s found by dividing profit attributable to the ordinary shareholders by the number of ordinary shares in issue. (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen, 2011:598) Usually EPS is also used to evaluate company investment performance. As these companies not in a relatively same size and do not have similar numbers of shares, it is difficult to have comparison between them. (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen, 2011:598) Overlook 2011 and 2012 earnings per share figures for these companies, MS, Debenhams and French Connection had usual EPS, whereas Next and HMV have outlandish EPS. Next has a fairly high EPS in 2011 and 2012, it had a significant growth from 221.9p to 282p. Thomas mentions that a company with a high gearing, the change in their profit will affect their EPS. (Thomas, 1999:414) Base on Next financial statement and notes, for this year the earning increased and the number of ordinary shareholders was less than average which was 25,222,000. In result, each contribution from profit to shareholders improved thus it is reasonable for Next to have high EPS figures. The increase in EPS means a company has a well investment performance and the high EPS help company to attract more external shareholders and retain the continuing shareholders. For HMV, in both 2011 and 2012 they had a negative EPS. Profitability Ratios Gross profit margin (GPM) and net profit margin (NPM) are representing the profitability of a company, which is measuring how well a company uses its assets to generate profit and control its cost during business process. The mainly difference between them is the gross profit margin focuses on the cost of goods and services ready for sale, any small changes in it should be highly significant (Weetman, 2011). However, NPM concentrates on the ability to control expenses and the alteration of selling price. Most of these companies had a slightly decrease on GPM and NPM. Particularly, French Connection had the highest GPM, but there was a decline from 51.7% (2011) to 48.1% (2012). Base on its notes, one of the reasons of GPM decrease is the cost of sales increased with the growing on the revenue of clothing and accessories. Meanwhile, the operating expenses increased as well, it led to the NPM dropped by 1.9% during the year. In contrast, the GPM of both Next and Debenhams have gone up by more than 1%, which means they conducted expenditure of goods effectively. Compared with Next, the GPM of Debenhams increased more, that may because it had a largely change on promotional calendar and well sales records that were mentioned on the financial review. Debenhams also had several optimistic changes in NPM, which was due to both lower taxation and interest. Conversely, NPM of Next has risen up nearly by 0.8%, which was higher than Debenhams, and it reflected Next earn more sales per pound of net assets or capital employed in 2012 than Debenhams (Britton Waterston, 2003:184). HMV seem like the most pessimistic for shareholders or investors, because of the lowest GPM and NPM in comparison with rest of the companies. The net profit margin of HMV had a dramatically decrease from 0.23% (2011) to -4.42% (2012). According to the formula, NPM compares profit before tax with revenue; the lower revenue could be recognized as the essential reason of HMVs gloomy performance . Phillip Rowley, who is the chairman of HMV, declared that owing to worsening economic climate combined with the structural changes, this led to a poor Christmas trading denoting the lower returns. Moreover, in accordance with the business and financial review, for the purpose of improving the financial performance on Next challenge year, HMV invested a quantity of funds to provide training to management team, which result in more expenses in 2012 than 2011. Hence, either the decrease of revenue or the increase of expenditure had a strong affect on the net income of this business. Financial Structure Gearing ratio try to measure the risk involved in the repayment of debt and the ability of a company to meet its debt in the long run (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen, 2011). For a company, higher gearing ratio means higher financial risk. Whether companies are able to repay their long-term liability or not depend on how much they can generate from operation. Comparing five companies financial results for 2011 and 2012, it clearly shows that most of them just have slight changes on their gearing ratio. Compared to other four companies, French Connection had the smallest gearing ratio which was 1.25% (2011) and 1.20% (2012), and it means the company had a low financial risk. According to their business review, the reason why it had a low gearing is because company had no borrowing in 2012. Moreover, French Connection had a profit disposal of its stock and it generated 0.4 million net cash. In order to repay its debts and later on if the company is not able to repay its debts; it may have more chance to get external financial helps, as the company has low financial risk. In contrast, Next had an enormous gearing ratio from 310% (2011) to 400% (2012), which means it had a relatively high financial risk. The reason of the increase may due to more long-term liability in 2012. According to business review of Next, it states that group generated  ¿Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¡200million which shows they made the effort to recover the debts. Nevertheless, they might find difficult to borrow money from bank as bank might take their high gearing into consideration of rejection. Liquidity Ratio Liquidity refers to the capacity of a company or generates liquidity from its current operations to repay its current debt (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen 2011:240). The liquidity ratios emphasize the solvency of companies (Riley, 2012). The current ratio makes a contrast between current assets and current liabilities. The higher ratio illustrates no liquidity problem. During a crisis period, due to the payment of short-term creditors, perhaps the feasibility of selling stocks to raise cash is unpractical. Thus, the acid test should be feasible, which uses the liquid assets eliminating the inventories (Weetman, 2011:347). The majority of companies have the acid test below 1, but over 1 is good news for companies in respect that even though it cannot generate cash by selling inventories it is still able to pay its debts (Riley, 2012). Amongst the five companies, French Connection had the highest acid test ratios, 1.24 (2012) and 1.31(2011), which are over 1:1 in both years. From its balance sheet, it shown both the current liabilities and current assets are much lower than the other companies. Furthermore, it had less payable than the other companies and there were no bank borrowings. The cash flows statement indicates that its major investing activity is non-current assets, but the business review demonstrates that additional investment in non-current assets was low recently. As a result, this could be the reason why there were no bank borrowings. Other than that, its inventories were also very low relatively, which might be the cause of the low payable. Besides, there was an upward trend of the acid test in Next. In 2011, its acid test was 0.84, which was below 1, whereas in 2012 it jumped to 1.03, which is good news. The balance sheet displays that from 2011 to 2012, the current assets raised from 1,067.3 to 1,139.9 and the current liabilities fell from 832.9 to 742.4. The notes to financial statements mention that, in 2012 Next repaid the unsecured ban k loans which borrowed for the credit facility in 2011, result in the fall in current liabilities. Debenhams, HMV and MS all had the acid test below 0.5 in both years, which indicated that they might find it tough to pay short-term creditors (Marcouse, 2008:400). Activity Ratios The stock holding period measures the average period during which stocks of goods are held before being sold or used in the operations of the business (Weetman, 2011:347). The lower the ratio the more efficiently the business progresses (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen 2011:238). From 2011 to 2012, French Connection and HMV had downward trends, while Next, Debenhams, MS had upward trends. French Connection had the highest stock holding period, which were 143 days (2012) and 144 days (2011) amongst the five companies. It had a slight reduction but it still remained relatively long, it might because its marketing areas are clothing and accessory and it is unnecessary to sell them immediately. Instead, it can store the clothing and accessory, if they are out of date and sell them with discounts. Thus, the inventories were supposed to be less than 2011. Nonetheless, the business review explains that in 2012 there were poorer sales in the autumn season, which resulted in more invento ries than 2011. It is possible that the company donate some clothing to charity or the storage contains damaged inventories. Among these companies, HMV has the greatest change in the stock holding period. According to its financial statements, both the inventories and the cost of sales had dropped since 2011. The inventories had a greater change relative to the cost of sales, which led to a relatively big downward trend (from 60 days to 44 days). Debtors collection ratio evaluates the average period of a company to collect debts owed by customers. An increase normally suggests that a company takes longer time in collecting money. However, a decrease might imply that customers used shorter time to pay. Creditors payment ratio shows the average period of a company pay off the bill to its suppliers. An increase of the ratio often advises that a company takes longer period time to pay for the suppliers. Conversely, a decrease usually proposes that companies take less time pay to the creditors. Marcouse (2008) comments that If a business has a lower figure for creditors payment than debtors collection, it means that it is settling owe debts quicker than it is receiving from its debtors. In other word, if a business has a lower figure for debtors collection than creditors payment, thus a business is receiving from its debtors sooner than it is settling owe debts. Debtors collection and creditors payable days of French connection and Next have both increased. On average French Connection customers took 16 days to pay in 2011 and 19 days to pay in 2012, and its suppliers had to wait 69 days to be paid in 2011 and 74 days in 2012. Similarly, on average Next creditors had to wait 80 days to be paid in 2011 and 84 days in 2012, and its customers took 68 days to pay in 2011 and 75 days in 2012. One of the explanations could be these companies had bad debts build up, it makes a company has less efficiency on generating cash to pay back to suppliers. On their cash flow statement, the sum of inventories and trade receivable is more than trade payment. The other reason why these companies paid for suppliers slower might be they were trying to improve their cash position. Once a company has an appalling reputation of paying bill late, it might lead an end of business relationships with current suppliers and reduce potential creditors interests of further cooperation. In contrast, these two ratios of HMV have both gone down. On average, its customers took six days to pay in 2011 and only two days in 2012 whereas its creditors had to wait 37 days to be paid in 2011 but mere 27 days in 2012. It may imply that HMV managed to collect money from customers faster and then pay to the suppliers sooner. On its cash flow statement, increase trade payment is greater than sum of increases in trade receivable and inventories, which shows that it used more cash to pay for the suppliers. It brings a better reputation to the companies in order to make supplie rs willing to corporate with them in the future. However, if companies pay their debts too rapidly it might worsen their cash position. There is a slight difference in MS and Debenhams cases, their debtors collection days remain the same. Their strategies might be ensuring customers satisfaction to retain them. The sum of inventories and trade receivable is less than trade payment. It also implies that these companies may be trying to reduce risks, controlling cash outflow with holding more cash in hands. Other Methods to evaluate company performance Ratio analysis works better with other aspects to evaluate a companys performance, as it has several limitations. Quality of the products or services and quality of management are non-monetary factors will affect the business performance as well, but they are not reflected on financial statements. The ratio analysis is also limited by time, since it is mere based on historical information for a certain period of time. Moreover, inflation, price changes and different foreign currencies could render the whole of ratio analysis of an organisation (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen 2011). As these five companies are retailers, their customers more concern about non-monetary factors. For example, negative attitudes of sales assistants, sales man have less understanding of the products, poor quality of goods may be the reasons of making customers purchase in competitor companies. Therefore, how well these companies operating cannot rely on ratio analysis completely, share price could be one of other elements to determine company performance. According to London Stock Exchange, from 2011 to 2012, share price in both Debenhams and Next had an increase trend, while French Connection and HMV had a dramatically decrease in their share price. Furthermore, share price of MS is fluctuated. Share price might affect by other factors, such as, company reputation, news reports and the general market trend (Pratten, 1993). For example, as BBC News commented that HMV may sell live music division as sales fall again, which is negative information for HMV. This may result in a fallen in share price. Conclusion In conclusion, judging how well a company has been operating, it is necessary to consider ratio analysis, business reviews, movement of share price and external factors, such as environment of the market. The chancellor, George Osborne has seized that the economy has emerged from double-dip recession, growing by 1% in the third quarter of 2012. It emphases on that the largest market, UK economy has struggled for growth in this year, at least in the first two quarters. It is necessary to point out that, most of these companies financial year ended before middle of this year, apart from Debenhams. Consequently the recession might also affect their business presentations. Under this circumstances, Debenhams performed well in 2012, even though there was a faintly decrease in ROCE and ROE, this company still get the profit maximum by using the appropriate promotion strategy. For HMV in 2012, it has come through a challenging year, as their revenues have decreased by 20.8% and the gro up has a loss before tax. Next achieved an excellent result this year, where the revenue has increased by 4.3% and profit before tax has improved by 5.0%. The performance of French Connection for 2012 was worse than 2011 due to the poor sales. However, it used the board policy to preserve liquid funds to endure its future progress. Different from these four companies, in 2011/2012 MS has an unimpressive performance, with sales only increasing by 2%. (3066 words)

Factors That Influence Immigrant Decision - 1633 Words

My thesis is based on the research question â€Å"What factors influence immigrant decision to become self-employed and the differences in their business approach? I have prepared my research paper by the purpose of findings the factors that affect ethnic/immigrant entrepreneurs’ business startup. Business startup is an intensive and challenging process. To recognize and be aware of the factors, which can force an immigrant or attract them to become self-employed are important determining factors for new entrepreneurs. My paper is based on a qualitative research with interpretative approach. I have also conducted an interview in order to farther facilitate my literature based research. By these primary and secondary information, I have found†¦show more content†¦Thesis Problem and Aim of Research Paper: Constructed on the background stated, I have focused my Thesis problem as below: â€Å"What aspects affect Immigrant entrepreneurship and how do they affect them?† Immigrant Entrepreneurs -who are immigrant in a foreign country and use numbers of physical or financial resources and support from their community establish the configuration of immigrant Entrepreneurship. Business start-up is a challenging processes for any entrepreneur who is willing to become self-employed, however the entrepreneurs that have ethnic background and are living in a foreign country would have a much different and more challenging business start-up than the ones who are native. Thus, immigrant entrepreneurs look out for number of supports within their community or from host country’s networks. The aim of my research paper is to describe and analyze these factors in detail and make an observation in regards to the data I have collected. Entrepreneurship: In regards to entrepreneurship, there are many definitions proposed by theorists. In my research paper, I have used definition by Kinder that suits well to an entrepreneurs; â€Å"Entrepreneur is someone that alerts towards profit opportunities† (Kirzner, 1973). Profit opportunities

Joyriders †Creative Writing Free Essays

string(145) " quickly opened my door to see what was going on, and to my horror, Kenny was lying in the middle of the road a couple of metres behind the car\." I had just died by getting trapped and then squeezed to death as the walls closed in on me playing `Tomb Raider Three’. In addition, I had successfully reached the final stage, when I died and then remembered that I had forgotten to save the last stage after being on the computer for hours upon end. At this point, I was agitated and really annoyed when I heard, â€Å"Ah, shut it you over drunk sod! † my parents were at each others’ throats again. We will write a custom essay sample on Joyriders – Creative Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"If I were to have a death wish it would be to kill you in such a way that your entrails would ooze out slowly†¦ † replied my disturbingly vexed father. After hearing months of non-stop controversy, I knew that there was only one thing left to say. Moreover, I was meditating about†¦ † I want a divorce, I want a divorce now! † mum bawled down the stairs. Well I knew that I shared a special bond with my mum, but reading my thoughts, she is positively becoming a mind reader, I thought trying to avoid the topic. It could have just have been intuition. There was a silence in the long empty corridor leading up to the stairs, where I sat fed up and angry with my parents. Looking at the bare gloomy walls which stared at me, as if it was my fault that they ere separating, I thought of all the memories they bore. My childhood, which I shared with my parents, both my parents. A tear came to my eye, which I quickly wiped off my freshly tanned, mocha coloured cheeks. When it comes to emotional stuff, I am quite shy and keep things bottled up, whereas usually I am very open and loud, well so my friends have told me. `I have had enough’ I thought to myself. With this thought in mind I gave my best friend, Mia, a call, and not very surprisingly she was just as bored as I was. I did not tell her about what had just happened, but I got the feeling that she knew I as not the perky self I normally am, even if I am bored out of my brain! â€Å"Why don’t I bring, Kaz, Neil, AJ and myself around yours, in ten? † â€Å"Sure, but we can meet outside my house near the garage. † I slyly said, so that they do not have any encounters with either of my parents. â€Å"Yeah I’d probably get lost around your yard, with it being so big `n’ all† Mia laughed back. â€Å"Right then, see ya in ten, bye† â€Å"Bye† and she hung up. I still clung onto the receiver, hoping she was still there, this was because I was afraid to go upstairs, in case they start talking about custody battles. `What am I thinking? they hate me and they are splitting up for spite. I will then probably end up an orphan, because neither of them will want me! `Shut up Neha! ‘. I realised I was going insane just like my diabolical parents. I kept pacing up and down the hall, waiting for Mia and the others to turn up. Which is when I realised, `the neighbours have gone on holiday and have left the house keys and the car keys for the BMW Z3 to mum’. A light bulb went on in my head. And the only word, which was lit up in my head, was `revenge’. â€Å"What’s up Neha? † shouted Mia from across the road, wearing as usual, her long black three-quarter-length trench coat. Nothin’ wanna go for a ride? † â€Å"You mean in that! † Neil pointed at the BMW, in excitement, which was parked in the garage, with the garage door raised. â€Å"Why not, got nothin’ betta to do† I answered surprised that he even had to question me. â€Å"All get in before my parents suspect anything! † I yelled at Mia and the others, who immediately dashed across the road, past the old and fragile granny who lives at number 49, who inherited her mansion after her millionaire husband died last year. Jinita Batavia Page 2 28/04/2007 Kaz, who was sitting in the passenger seat quickly started up the car y turning the key in the ignition. That was when I got into the drivers’ seat, and realised how short the top of my body actually is! I could not see beyond the fence, which was only five metres away from us! We sped away as fast as the `bima’ could take us. We drove down the Highstreet. However, as it was a bit of a squeeze with the small sporty Z3 cramming two in the front and three in the back, with Neil being quite big, – not offending him, we cut the jaunt short and decided to cruise down small empty alleys, on the outskirts of the town. â€Å"We can make this place our territory, you know like a gang, or even etta a society like the Free Masons who stay anonymous. † Suggested AJ fidgeting around in the back seat. â€Å"That’s a brill idea, but your forgetting something cleva clogs†¦ how do you suggest we actually get here, without any wheels? † said Kaz in a sarcastic tone. I was busy trying to tune the radio, when I heard a cry, `ah, it must be an owl or something’ I thought, with it being about ten o’clock it was a good presumption. I finally found the `house and garage’ station that I was searching for. â€Å"Turn up the base, I mean we are cruzin’ in a bima, so might as well cruise in style Neha, innit Mia. AJ also insisted that we wind down our windows so that we are not only seen but also heard. It had only been a few seconds after I thought I had heard a cry, when I heard squeals. â€Å"Here that people? † â€Å"What babe? † â€Å"Oh, do shut up with that babe crap Neil! † â€Å"Fine hear what? † both AJ and Neil said momentarily. â€Å"I hear it now! † replied Kaz. I jolted the car to a halt and then I quickly opened my door to see what was going on, and to my horror, Kenny was lying in the middle of the road a couple of metres behind the car. You read "Joyriders – Creative Writing" in category "Papers" He was waving his arms around in the air as if he could not breathe! â€Å"Kenny, Kenny, he’s †¦ e’s†¦ um†¦ dead! I†¦ I†¦ killed†¦ him† I stuttered, in shock. By now I was shivering, then AJ put his arm around me, to comfort me, or so I thought at that time. He brought me back to the car, where everyone were all shaken up and really stiff, peering through the curved windows in shear horror. They convinced me that we should not wait around, because no one saw and now no one except them, will find out. I felt assured and got back behind the wheel, after Mia , who had been quiet throughout the journey slowly came out with, â€Å"I knew it, I knew that this was going to happen, it was written in the stars. Even though she is my best friend, she does come out with bull sometimes, with all that superstitious nonsense that she believes in! After successfully picking our-selves up and returning back to earth, after such an incident had occurred I thought that I should carry on with my original plan. This was to have a minor knock about with the BMW. So we crashed into a lamppost, head on and dented the brand new spoiler on the front of the car. Then finally after a night of laughter, horror and fulfilment I first dropped off AJ, Kaz, Mia and then Neil home, impressing their neighbours in the process, after returning to my never ending ightmare, my house. I parked the car back where it was and then crept in through the back door. I walked up the stairs slowly, so that the stairs would not creek. I then ended up asleep within a minute of lying on my bed. In the morning, it was raining hard, pounding on the roof, above by bedroom. To this I woke up and turned on my radio. Craig David was on, with his recent debut single. I automatically rose from my bed sheets, grabbed my hairbrush, and started to sing and bop along to Jinita Batavia Page 3 28/04/2007 the beat. I was half way through waving my hands around, pretending I as Craig David at a gig when†¦ â€Å"What is this, Adam you prick, what the fuck have you done to the car? † My dad rushed down the stairs with a piece of toast in his mouth as he tied his robe together with his hands. â€Å"What, what? † dad cried, confused. I was sniggering from the corner of the stairs. The innocent face of my dad with mum hurling accusations at him as if they were tennis balls, was a sight to see! After lunch, with mum having hers in the kitchen and dad, being the couch potato of the house, he was flopped out in front of the television set; we heard a knock at the door. I thought it would probably be Mia, so I scampered to the front door to let her in and inform her about the plan that had been successful. But to my dismay there was a woman standing at the front door who went by the name of `Constable Stevenson. ‘ â€Å"Are your parents in darlin’? † she said in a proud PC kind of voice. `Wanna-be PC’ I thought to myself and gave out a snigger. â€Å"It is not a laughing matter, now go call your parents†¦ † `Hold your horses woman she’s so†¦ uh! ‘ I thought. After hearing a stem, strong deep voice at the door mum came rushing to see what was going on. â€Å"Can I help you constable? † Can I help you constable? † I mimicked. Luckily, no one heard except dad, who was also now at the door, and he gave me that big-eye look to stop it†¦ or else. â€Å"May I have a look at your car? † â€Å"I have a search warrant hear†. â€Å"Sure† said my mum not realising what she had just said then, â€Å"Hold on, why do you want to see our car? † † Well, there has been a murder in the local area, and it was witnessed to have been a hit and run and they said that there was a red car involved. Moreover, I believe that you have a red car sitting in your garage. † â€Å"Yes, well†¦ † mum, at that point gave dad a guilty look, but dad just ooked confused and walked back down the hall with a mug of tea in his hand to watch some television again. Mum thought to herself for a while and then realised that it would be unlawful to lie and with hold evidence, and also she would not have one of those messy divorces if her husband was behind bars, so she decided to spill. Then, mum went over to the car and bent down to show the PC the dent in the car. At this point, I was having a ball, the only thing that could make this better was a nice big tub of popcorn. â€Å"This looks nasty, and yet quite fresh, when did this happen love? † Mum was hesitant in saying â€Å"Last night, I expect† â€Å"OK so who was driving the car at the time of this incident? † the constable’s voice was now developing a tone to it. A nasty tone. â€Å"I’ll get the forensic team to take a closer look at this†. In saying this she pulled out a mobile about the size of her ego and started to dial. â€Å"Oh† was all that mum could come out with, after this huge enquiry about the car that was not even theirs. She was probably thinking that it actually was dad who killed the boy, ‘that’s great’ I thought to myself, not realising the charges or sentences dad could be faced with. After the forensic team arrived, about twenty minutes later they were able to come up with a full report. â€Å"I’m sorry to say, that we found some navy fibres attached to the front bumper and some very distinctive blood stains, which are of a person with blood type O, just like Kenny. † `That was strange, because when we hit Kenny there was not a dent anywhere, what can you say, but the police ain’t as good as they make themselves out to be. ‘ Jinita Batavia Page 4 18/03/00 â€Å"I’m afraid you’re under arrest. † The PC said relieved that this case was over. And it must have been one of the quickest cases ever! We’ll have to take you down to the station; anything you do or say will be held against you later in court. † Those lines were just like the ones you here on television programmes. Ah well, dad would not be confused about that then, unlike everything else, as he watches television twenty-four/seven. Now that that was over, I thought that I should celebrate. `Wow’ I thought to myself, I never thought I could put someone, especially my own dad behind bars, maybe I should try it more often! In addition, I also now have an extra room, as well as a mum, so I am safe from an orphanage†¦ for now! How to cite Joyriders – Creative Writing, Papers

Women as Endorser in Selected Liquor Advertisement on Television in the Philippines free essay sample

Advertising is indeed a powerful instrument to promote, encourage and persuade consumers to purchase a certain product, goods or services. Advertising can be in any forms. In the history of the United States, advertising has responded to changing demands, media technologies, and cultural context. Industries ranging from soap to canned food to cigarettes introduced new production techniques, created standardized products in unheard of quantities, and sought to find and persuade buyers in the 1880’s. During this period, National advertising of brand goods emerged in response to profound changes in the business environment. Along with the manufacturers, other businesses also turned to advertising. (http://www. aber. ac. uk/media/Students/hzi9401. html) Advertising agencies, formerly in the business of peddling advertising space in local newspapers and a limited range of magazines, became servants of te new national advertisers, designing copy and artwork and placing advertisements in the places most likely to attract buyer attention. Consumer spending fueled in part by the increased availability of consumer credit—on automobiles, radios, household appliances, and leisure time activities like spectator sports and movie going paced a generally prosperous 1920’s. Since then, advertising has grown massively from print, radio, and television. In 1966, a University of California study revealed that fewer than 2 percent of television commercials included black actors. But by the end of the decade, things were beginning to change, and beer makers eager to tap the total market were among the first to feature minorities in commercials. As early as 1965, Rheingold Beer, for example, was airing TV spots featuring African American, Puerto Rican, and Asian actors. The venerable Miss Rheingold contestsan annual institution in New York since 1939had been discontinued the previous year, due largely to the realization that a single Miss Rheingold could not accurately reflect the brewerys racially diverse customer base (Miller, 2002). In the Philippines, when Spain lost the Spanish-American War in 1898, Americans dominated the country and influenced in today’s modern day Filipina women. They started working and is already acknowledged in the society. Modern-day Philippine women play a decisive role in Filipino families. They handle the money, act as religious mentors, and could also arrange the marriages of sons and daughters, striving to improve the family’s dynastic connections. Beer, love it, hate it, is one of the most popular adult beverages the world over. (History of Beer) However, with the advent of television in the Philippines, the most common complaint is the dominance of sex and violence that is being portayed. This study will seek to analyze the images portrayed by women on selected liquor advertisements on television in 2013 here in the Philippines. Objectives of the Study It is common for young women nowadays to feel like they always have to belong in a certain group of people. With this observation comes the study that will analyze the â€Å"Images Portrayed by Women as Endorser in Selected Liquor Advertisement on Television in the Philippines. † Specifically it will: 1. determine the visual presentation in terms of: a. Setting b. Language c. Body Movement 2.analyze the visual presesntation of selected Liquor Advertisement on TV in the Philippines a. San Miguel Light b. Tanduay Black c. GSM Blue d. Colt 45 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework According to Klapper (1960) in his Magic Bullet or Hypodermic Needle Theory, the mass media has a powerful influence on the mass audience and could deliberately alter or control people’s behavior. It states that, â€Å"mass media ord inarily does not serve as necessary and efficient cause of audience effect, but rather function through a nexus of mediating factors and influence. These mediating factors render mass communication as a contributory agent in the process of reinforcing the existing condition. † On the other hand, George Gerbner, in his Cultivation Theory determines the influence of television on viewer’s ideas of the environment they lived in. He found that dominance of TV created a common view of the world and that it homogenized different cultures. Cultivation research looks at the mass media as a socializing agent and investigates whether TV viewers come to believe the television version of reality the more they watch it. This theory states that, â€Å"Television shapes concepts of social reality†. The effects of mass media have an immense impact to the perception of its audiences. It will leave a mark that could influence one’s act as soon as it will be shown to the general public. The visual content of the selected liquor advertisement on television can easily be adopted as it considered being a cool model because it can be comprehend passively unlike the print and audio media as it requires much effort to understand what is being conveyed. These theories will explain how mass media through advertisements will influence the viewers in terms of its visual content. As an individual sees the product being advertised, it will instantly visualize the women because of the presentation which is attention grabbing. With the analysis of the images portrayed by women on the selected liquor advertisements, it will show the factors which has a great influence and factors that can easily be adapted by the audience. On the San Miguel Light and Tanduay Dark, the portrayal of the characters in every advertisement will directly influence the kind of clothes they wear, the accessories that they are using, the way the endorsers move their body, and inching closer to the man that can be seen throughout the advertisement. There are several values that the women are projecting and may have both a positive and negative meaning. Definition of Terms In order to provide better understanding of the study, the following terms were conceptually and operationally defined. Endorser. As used in the study, endorser refers to the person/s that promotes, supports, and approves the product. Advertising. As used in the study, advertising refers to an act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc., especially by paid announcements in television (from: http://www. dictionary. reference. com/browse/advertising). Women Portrayal. As used in the study, it can be in the form of a picture or depicted performances of women that are seen on different forms of media like television and how women are seen in the ad regardless of their background, social status and interaction in society. Images. As used in the study, Images refers to the values projected by women as an endorser on the s elected liquor advertisements on television in the Philippines. Language. As used in the study, Language refers to words, lines or taglines used by the selected advertisements. Body Language. As used in the study, body language San Miguel Light. As used in the study, San Miguel Light is a product of San Miguel Brewery Inc. , which is the largest beer producer in the Philippines with a market share of 95% as of 2008 ( http://www. wiki/San_Miguel_Brewery). Tanduay Black. As used in the study, Tanduay Dark is from one of the largest distillers in the world produced by Tanduay Distillers Inc., and is the Philippines’ oldest maker of rhum. (from:http://www. internetwines. com/rws24100. html). GSM Blue. As used in the study, GSM Blue which stands for ‘Ginebra San Miguel† is a very popular gin in the Philippines and can be mixed to any type of liquid like juice or clear soda. (http://www. urbandictionary. com/define. php? term=gsm%20blue) Colt 45. As used in the study, Colt 45 is a malt liquor with 8% alcohol content first introduced in the United States of America by the National Brewing Company. (http://www. beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/447/1334/) Visual Presentation. Visual presentation is defined as what is being seen in the selected liquor advertisements namely San Miguel Light, Tanduay Black, GSM Blue and Colt 45, the actors, color, props or materials used are considered as the main factors. Significance of the Study The study will be beneficial to the following: Women. Issues regarding rights, freedom and treatment to women were discussed in this study thus; the findings can be helpful in awakening women’s consciousness on its real standing in the society. Feminist Group. This study will be beneficial to the feminists group. Feminists considered as opinion leaders, could get some more ideologies in order to widen knowledge about societal issues and how to treat those problems. Family members. This study will be beneficial to the family members. This study may provide parents or family members with invaluable information in guiding their children especially women and in purchasing goods and to be vigilant with the kind of TV advertisements that they are watching. Producers. This study will be beneficial to producers of advertisements. When the given samples of TV advertisement will be analyzed, it will show them the different factors in visual presentation that affects the response of the audience of what is more appealing. This will also inform them with the current status of the advertising trends and it may be a basis for change and improvement. Also, this study will help in the selection for producers before investing their money in the company that they will be working in the future. Advertising Industry. This study will help the advertising industry in understanding the importance of the advertisement that will be watch. The effects that may lead to deteriorating the moral values of one’s self because of what is projected next to them. Television Channels. This will help the television channel to analyze the content of the advertisements. As a media a personnel who has great responsibility on educating their audiences this content analysis the images portrayed by women will be beneficial to them. Public Viewers. This study will help the audience in determining the factors affecting the outputs or the produced advertisement. The researcher and the audience itself will be aware of what kind of TV advertisements they are watching which may affect their perception towards women most importantly. Media Practitioners. The findings of this study can be beneficial to media practitioner as it can be used in strengthening their expertise in the field of mass media since media play a vital role in the society and can greatly influence its audiences on this generation. Mass Communication Students. The result of this study will give awareness among the mass communication students who will be in the future and would be working on advertising industry. It will avoid repetition of negative effect or feedbacks by their outputs. Future Researchers. The result of this study can be used in the future researchers under the field of mass communication through the information that can be added on the next researcher study. The data gathered in this study can be utilized to support its research in line with this topic. Scope and Limitations The study will analyze the images portrayed by women as endorser of selected liquor advertisements on television in the Philippines based on setting, language, and body movement. This study will be determined from the given examples of Television Advertisements in the Philippines in particular, San Miguel Light, Tanduay Black, GSM Blue and Colt 45. The â€Å"images† in the study do not only refer to a woman’s picture, face, body and clothes worn. These images also pertained to the overall portrayal of women.