Television and Effect on Children Research Paper

Television and Effect on Children - Research Paper Example Constant television viewing by children comes with physical, mental, and emotional ramifications that have been proven to have lasting effects on children if ongoing television viewing is not put to an end. The consequences will be revealed throughout this paper, as well as ways to prevent the consequences from taking place. Physical Ramifications Obesity has become one of the greatest health concerns among children in this day and age, and it has been directly connected to children spending more time in front of the television than outside being active. A massive lack of physical exercise and the need to be eating while watching television has caused children to weigh more now than they have in previous years. The longer that these two activities exist together, the more, and the quicker, that a child’s health is capable of failing. Television is not what it used to be. When the television was first introduced in homes, there were only a handful of television stations and a s imilar number of television shows, most of which were news channels. Nowadays, there are over one hundred easily accessed television channels and almost four times the amount of television shows, many of which are directed at the younger audiences (Liebert et al, 1988) and are usually available roughly around the time that most children are released from school. The television studios know exactly what they are doing when they air certain shows at certain time. As such, children have found it possible to sit in front of the television and watch show after show without even a hint of a break at times that are most convenient for them: when they are most likely to be at home. This ability to be constantly watching television has caused an increase in the amount of time that children spend in front of the television and, similarly, a decrease in the amount of time spent engaging in physical activities, such as sports or simply running around with their friends. This also causes childre n to begin to associate television with good activities and exercise as more of a chore. It is common for people to want to eat while they watch television and movies, and when children sit in front of the television as often as they do, they enjoy many unhealthy snacks and meals while enjoying their television shows. This holds especially true when they come home from school; they crave both something to eat and something to allow themselves to unwind after a long day of school. Excessive eating and a lack of physical activity can cause children to gain great amounts of weight over short amounts of time. The diets of children is another area of concern; most children are not being fed the proper types of food, so they often go for the greasy, fatty snacks while they are watching television. Again, after school snacks often consist of unhealthy snacks in large quantities. Even if their meals throughout the day are healthy, constant snacking of fattening foods can only build up in th e bodies of these children, and if they are not exercising, they are not getting rid of that unhealthy weight. In essence, the longer that children sit in front of the television, the more unhealthy food they are likely to eat. The consequence of the two aforementioned issues is that children gain

Global Economic Environment and Marketing Essay

Global Economic Environment and Marketing - Essay Example This has lowered the cost of production for the company which in turn has provided them cost leadership. This also allows the company to maintain its environmental standards (The Times Newspaper, 2009). The key economic factors are: Firstly, the use of renewable raw materials and smarter use of them along with a dedicated relationship with suppliers have contributed to the company’s performance. Secondly, the economies of scale enjoyed by the company in terms of huge production scales. This has further lowered production costs. Thirdly, it has strategically placed its sourcing materials close to the supply chain to reduce costs. This factor further reduces the cost of handling by the company and contributes to its profit. Lastly, the use of innovative technologies has increased the profits of the company over the years. This paper aims to understand the impact on the marketing strategies of IKEA on account of globalization and the impact on the changing customer behaviour. Pot ential economic impact on marketing strategies IKEA initially operated with ten stores at the time it had opened. The increasing integration of the world economies on account of globalization has made IKEA operate a large number of stores to present day. The number of stores has raised to 345 in 42 countries in 2013 (IKEA Group, 2013b). IKEA has expanded its business across the continents of US, Asia along with the countries of Europe. The business environment it had to face in the different countries was different. For example, when it entered China, it faced a unique problem at hand by following its low pricing strategy. The Chinese customers were confused with the low prices of products, while the local companies began to copy the design. In China, the company chose to enter in a joint venture and customize its products to meet the aspirations of the clients (Chu, Girdhar and Sood, 2013). Porter’s five forces can be applied to understand the marketing strategy of the firm. Firstly, the competition from other firms becomes an important factor. IKEA has created a highly competitive market for its business. Secondly, the threat of new entrants can pose a problem to a firm. This threat is relatively less for IKEA because of high levels of market saturation and high capital investments. Thirdly, the bargaining power of suppliers is one of the forces. In case IKEA, all the suppliers strive to maintain a good relationship with the firm. IKEA has maintained strategic relationship with the suppliers, but reduced their bargaining power. The threat from substitute products is another component in Porter’s five forces. This threat is again weak in relation to IKEA because of its large scale. The bargaining power of the buyers is also less due to the large scale of operation of IKEA. This section concentrates on some of these forces in shaping IKEA’s choice (Luxinnovation G.I.E., 2008). Competitive advantage The factor which has contributed signific antly to become the greatest competitive advantage for the company is cost leadership. This has mainly owes to the self-sufficiency of the company. The company strives to provide for the home furnishings that are contemporary in sense of style, robust in quality and offers it at reasonably fair prices. IKEA does not depend on the third party manufacturers instead the employees of the company design the low cost furniture which can be readily assembled by the customers