Forms of Advertisements for Tobacco in Australia - Essay Example

?Research Inquiry for Managers XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX Introduction Around the end of the 20th century, the commonwealth ensured that the advertisement of all forms of advertisements for tobacco substances by the media went at a halt in Australia. Any tobacco company did not only stop advertisement, but also sponsorship of games and other related activities. This was due to many reasons that the commonwealth and the games association of Australia sited. One of the major issues is that they found this to be some form of motivation for the players to indulge into the usage of these substances. The commonwealth should apply the same rules to alcoholic substances as they have become an issue of interest in the 21st century and this should be done alongside all support groups for effective games condition and proper tourism standards. The sponsorship directly affected the sports as the players received favors from the companies after competitions and this was through their products. Literature Review Introduction Former and current information on the issues states that Australia banned the advertisement of these substances during games for various reasons and since then there have been noticed developments in the field. First Issue One of the reasons as to doing this is that it was an encouraging factor to the abuse of tobacco. This not only stated for the players but also for the friends and closely related people to them. The implications of these advertisements were that the players could smoke tobacco substances such as cigarettes that would cloud their judgments during a game (Beyer, 2003, 57). Second Issue On the case of the fans and spectators, the advertisements were also a motivating factor. In this case, the issue was much further than speculated. This is because the fans could make their way into the stadium with the cigarettes and other tobacco substances and start using them without problem. Statistics showed that the abuse of these substances in the field had numerous serious implications on the players and the arena as a whole. One of the implications was that the fumes would affect the players in the arena in a manner that they could lose their concentration on the games (Stanfield, 2008, 274). Third Issue There was an increase in concern from the wives and husbands of the players. This they claimed is because the tobacco made them unhealthy and to some of the athletes, it had got to the extent of an addiction. This often kept the players in loggerheads with their spouses as they went through their activities. This issue was a very important one to observe and keep in mind. This is because of the standing theory that states that for a player to portray optimal performance in the field, concentration must be one hundred percent or rather distractions to a minimum. This could have been hard to uphold if the players were having family issues. It was very important to understand that the economic position was critical in the area. This is because as much as there was many accrued benefits from the funding, the players and participants did not actually benefit in any way. This was because it was very hard to focus on the games while thinking about the advantages later. The companies actually benefited in a large manner, this boosted their economic situations, and thus they were able to survive the various market issues witnessed. However, after the ban, it was very difficult for the companies to get back to their original conditions. It is very imperative to keep in mind that another issue that came up around that time was the high amount of social unstableness witnessed at the time. This was witnessed from the fact that many of the people and the participants in the game became used to taking the tobacco products. It is due to this that the players characteristically became addicts and kept on with the habit to a point where it became an abuse. The abuse of the products made them reluctant as they made major decisions in a careless manner. The importance of focusing on the societal issue is due to the fact that the family structure actually brings in the psychological nature of the players. When the families have issues and constantly arguing, the players rather find it hard to concentrate in the games. This is why the home is one of the major factors to consider while dealing with these issues. Moreover, the assistance offered by the families comes in handy. These three issues clearly define the position on this issue that is to sincerely disagree and not conform to the usage of such substances in the field. The various effects of the products make it unhealthy for the players to indulge in any strenuous activity and sports definitely falls into place for the products. The sponsorship faced a lot of scrutiny from all areas and thus the need to stop it. Limitations and Opportunities in the Literature The problems encountered in retrieving information about the issue are that many players did not like the idea of questioning their personal lives. They found this very offensive. The players’ spouses, especially women feared scrutiny from their husbands for talking to the media without confirming with them. An opportunity that could have been well used is the interviewing of their young children because they are always honest and straight to the point. Moreover, there was the least possibility of the parents scolding them for it. There could also have been the use of support staff such as the coaches and the assistance on the issue. These people are of optimal support, the players often listened to them, and engaging them in interviews could have assisted in having a wider scope of the situation. Gaps in the Literature A gap noted in the literature was that there was no information taken from the close friends of the players. It is clear to know that players have friends that are not players and it is understandable that these friends would want the best for the players. Lack of interviewing them was a major gap in the research. Another gap found in the literature was that the time spent with professions was limited. By professions, in this case there is the inclusion of psychologists and doctors. This is because these people could have assisted in a great manner in understanding the situation of the players and the various risks that they were in if they continued using the substance. Conclusion The amount of research done on the issue was found as rather quantitative and not qualitative. This is from the large number of a single group engaged in the interviews rather than expanding to greater lengths and other people. Despite this, the research was still implemental and worked. This is from the fact that the conclusion of the commonwealth committee was to ban the advertisement of tobacco in these games, a factor beneficial to all. Kline and Werner are authors who have written incredible articles on the various issues that have affected the players and their families. The great thing about their articles is that they extend their research to a point where they focus on the health issues associated with the tobacco on the players and not only the political aspect. They both state that the usage of the substance and running in the field is fatal as it puts the lungs of the athlete at a very risky position. Moreover, due to related circumstances, blood may clot around the heart leading to heart failure. Dunn and Maclean are other writers but these ones focus on a rather economic aspect of the issue. This is where they state the various forms of advertisements that were made by the tobacco companies. Moreover, Dunn states that the amount of money that the companies made in the time that they were in business was enough to help them look for other partners to merge for greater endeavors and thus citing this as a benefit of advertising. Mclean states that the tobacco had detrimental effects in the economy of the country and many of the tourists were actually against it for that reason. Another way through which date arrived at is from various interviews made to the fans. Most of them stated that they enjoyed going to the games with cigarettes from the fact that it was legal and that the promoters of the game supported them by the numerous advertisements. In one of the most common games, football, the goalkeepers were constantly complaining upon interview about the amount of distraction that they faced on the field. This was from the high amount of tobacco smoke coming from the fans in the arena. Some fans were very angry at these remarks and stated that the comments were just excuses due to poor performance in the field, however, scientific study showed that the fumes indeed cause some damage to the part of the brain that is liable for attention. More information provided on the situation is through the economic conditions of Australia at the provided time. This is due to the study of the stock exchange prices at that time. the studies showed that tobacco related products had very large share turnovers. After various more investigations, the conclusion was that the companies did not actually care about the products that they were selling but rather the profits that they were making. This was not only for the companies that were selling the provided commodities but also for the companies that were sponsoring the teams. Studies showed that there were at times that the companies could present the players with their tobacco products upon great performance as a means of noticing their efforts. This was not really the best manner of appreciation for performance as the substances went ahead and spoiled their brain cells and hence poor performance in later matches. On the case in question, there was diverse data collection from different places and the interview of different people considering the issue. The different people questioned on the way forward were players who were in the field. These were contemporary players and their views put down, there was also the interview of retired players in various games to try to gain a scope of the differences and changes witnessed in the games ever since there was the introduction of free sponsorship from different companies (Stotler, 2005, 163). The families of the players were also questioned on their views on the matter. The athletics and national games commission asked for their feedback. Finally, there was the question marathon presented to the fans in which they had to say what were the advantages and disadvantages of having the advertisements and sponsorships of alcohol companies. There was tabulation and review of results by a professional panel for informed decisional making (Tyrrell, 2006, 178). Having the various parties mentioned, there was the involvement of a diverse professional team to go to the different places for data collection. The first group went to the players’ arena in a place where they had the comfort of their comrades. In these areas, they had the ability of stating exactly what was in their mind regarding the issue. As expected, the results obtained were not all standard. This was because different players bore different perspectives on the issue and that I was common. There was the group of players that supported the issue and there were those that did not comply to the notion. For those that supported the issue, they were mostly non-alcoholics who did not like the issue of having alcohol getting into their games as they considered the games to be a professional sport. They stated that the sponsoring was spoiling the alcoholic players as they could get various advantages such as free and cheap alcohol. This constantly made them drink a lot more and at times when there were matches in line, some could take too long to get to the field if not miss a game. For those that managed to play they could perform poorly due to hangovers and related factors. The players that drunk alcohol did not support the issue of banning alcoholic as it was considered one of the things that kept them in check. The players stated that they took alcohol, as a method of therapy and the cheap prices offered by the sponsor companies was exactly what they needed to have a good relaxing time after a strenuous game. They stated that without the alcohol the monotony of constantly playing would get to them and that they could not perform perfectly in the field. There was also the interview of the retired players. The players did not actually support the issue and stated that the sponsorship of the alcoholic companies had its vices. They stated that the emergence of companies that had a greater agenda would come up. This is where a company may present itself to the team in an effort to draw their attention with a great deal of money. Looking at the greater picture, the companies may get involved with the team to derail it from its goals of achieving the highest in a league thus the importance of knowing the various companies that the team associates. Moreover, the retired players stated that during their time there was no freewill sponsorship and that only ethical companies were accepted as sponsors to keep all the players at a fair level. The retired players also stated that the games had become less attractive to foreign nationals due to the decreased amount of competition from the players and the reduced quality of playing. The other important data obtained was from the players’ families. This was considered vital as they were the people that spent a day today affair with them. This assisted in the recognition of the best way to deal with the issues if there were any presented in front of them. It was noticed that the highest percentage about 85% were not of the idea of continued association of the games with the alcoholic companies. Some of the family members especially the wives complained that the husbands could get home drunk after a certain game. The level of alcoholism presented had come from the cheap prices and free alcohol that they could get after the games. The alcohol was to celebrate a great performance but many are the times that they could get out of control and drink beyond their normal limits. At this level, they would get home and start problems with the family members. They would create unnecessary feuds with the wives and get home late to wake the rather tired children from schooling activities. It is due to this that the families requested that the alcoholic companies stop their advertisements and sponsorships for the games. The International Games Committee was unanimously against the idea of having the games sponsored by the alcoholic companies. They stated that of contemporary times, many players had become weaker and performed poorly as compared to prior times. This was a major issue to deal with for perfection of the games. One other issue raised by the committee was that there was a decreased amount of tourists into Australia because many of the players did not perform to their optimal levels and hence international visitors had bailed on visiting the company, as there was no much talent to view. The committee also claimed that this was supposed to be made illegal, as there were many fights that broke after several games and at times when the alcoholic holding products such as cans and bottles were used as weapons having been brought and allowed at the stadium by the sponsors. Fans on the other hand had different and varying views. There were those that were of the continued sponsorship of the games as there were times that the sponsors offered the fans free alcohol for entertainment. However, there were those that did not accept the notion as they stated that the level of gaming performance was going down at an alarming rate. The ethical analysis of the situation clearly shows that the games should not receive any form of sponsoring from the alcoholic companies. This is because alcohol is generally not accepted to society. This is because it does not only affect the players in the stadium but also the other people in the stadiums. For example, there are small kids that accompany their parents to the games and since small children learn from observation, they may get induced to the usage of the alcohol as they see the players with jerseys with alcoholic messages. Moreover, the health issues associated with the drinking of alcohol does not support the associations. It is also the ethical responsibility of the games committee to have the players free of these substances. The commonwealth government does not have the power to ban the usage of alcoholic substances by the players but it can play the role of ensuring that there lacks promotion of these substances to the players. In addition, this would assist in the reputation of the games to the international countries and fast enough the market for the players would improve. Attribute to this also comes from the fact that the players could have a greater sense of attention. Moreover, this would increase the social responsibility of the players to their families and they could present themselves to them at all times. Referencing Beyer, J. 2003. Tobacco Control Policy: Strategies and Successes. New York: Cengage Learning. Burns, A., & Bush, R. 2003. Marketing Research, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc. Crumley, B & Carassava, A. 2007. Clearing the air. Time Europe, 161(2), 16. Dragomir, M. 2008. Senate OKs near ban on tobacco advertising. Prague Business Journal, 8(13), 1-2. 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