Ismg 15 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ismg 15 - Essay Example To be able to overcome the fears of undesirable outcomes of speaking the truth, one needs moral courage. Moral courage is not exactly different from physical courage but varies in degree and occasions that present risk. Both present a risk possibility. By doing one’s nearest duty, McCain means people should place a focus on their personal obligations or responsibilities. People should keenly attend to the tasks that form their day, and perform with their best ability. The fact that McCain is a high profile politician adds an element to that idea. As a politician, he could be clarifying his duty as the people’s servant. His nearest duty is representing the peoples’ interests and grievances to the government. His political career best describes his undertaking of his nearest duty. McCain’s decision to decline the offer for freedom shows his moral courage because he was not willing to leave his comrades behind. Although he might have been aware of the consequences of his decision, he put aside his personal interests and chose to remain with his soldiers. The torture he opted to undergo suggests his physical courage. I approve of Kierkegaard’s father’s teaching technique. In as much as he often denied him permission to go out, the day he offered to take him on a walking tour he was so elaborate in describing details of what Kierkegaard did not know. He may have been waiting for that day to be the one to offer his son the deepest and derailed teaching, just as he did. Kierkegaard identifies more with Williams. Unlike the friend who does not want to choose, Kierkegaard had earlier made a decision to get married to Regine Olsen, whom he then broke up with just before writing the article. He knew firsthand the consequences of getting married and regretting it, or not getting married and regretting it because he had been in both worlds. The second excerpt is similar to Sartre’s theory of existential

The Relations Between Islamic Fundementalism and Muslim Democracy Essay

The Relations Between Islamic Fundementalism and Muslim Democracy - Essay Example Since the beginning of 1990s, there have arisen Muslim oriented parties, but which are not fundamental or Islamist in their ideals, and which have successfully vied and won political seats in countries such as Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. Unlike fundamentalists who advocate for the introduction of Sharia or Islamic law, the proponents of Muslim Democracy are seen to be more realistic in their view since they are found to be accommodative of religious and secular ideals in their approach to politics (Kepel, 2003). They are seen to disagree with the notion that a Muslim country must be governed by Sharia law, but are seen to lean towards the creation of electoral processes that are viable and accommodative of different shades of opinion so as to serve interests that are both Islamic and secular, thereby respecting the thus created democratic space whether they win in the elections or lose. They are not seen to have the motive of integrating Islam into politics but are only seen to exploit its potential through the teaching of Islamic values to help them win elections. All the same, democratization processes which are all inclusive seem to be more appealing than the path of religious and ideological change and Islamic democracy hence they are seen to be on the upper hand in shaping the political destinies of many countries in the Islamic world. Fundamentalists on the other hand do not view Democracy as an issue to be taken seriously or legitimately but only as a means to ascend to political power so as to acquire the platform through which to build an Islamic state (Roy 2006). The observers of the changes being experienced in the Muslim world have associated these changes with influence due to interaction locally and globally and the advent of internet technology. The success of Muslim democracy does not seem to have resulted from any theological or ideological process, but for being seen to address issues from a practical perspective that gives assurance to the electorate that its needs are all well taken care of. The two concepts of fundamentalism and Muslim democracy in their various ways have resulted in regime change in their respective countries, including change that was facilitated by fundamentalists in Iran and Morocco, the changes that have been occasioned by the Muslim Democracy proponents in the areas affected by the Arab spring namely Egypt, Tunisia and Libya (Kepel, 2003). The concepts are both at the forefront in struggling for political power in ruling governments even as each espouses its ideals to convince the masses, though Muslim democracy seems to be on the upper hand. There are various factors that have contributed to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism’s openness to democracy. After gauging the preference of masses, the trend has been that Islamist or secular parties are not currently as popular as those with Muslim values and moderate Islamic policies. This latter principle along which M uslim democratic parties are molded, is attracting a large section of voters since they are also more compatible with world politics. Putting a lot of rhetoric and theory aside, Muslim democracy party ideals have similarities with the Christian Democratic Party’s trend of Europe in the past and thus have had appeal as compared to the

Causes of Bankruptcy at Toys R Us

Causes of Bankruptcy at Toys R Us Abstract With declining sales and the rise of online retail, Toys R Us is one of many companies that have filed for bankruptcy. Toys R Us has also pulled its IPO offering. In the world of Amazon and Walmart, Toys R Us was unable to keep up. This paper will provide a comprehensive look at the underlying issues due to which Toys R Us was unable to thrive. With so many options in the market, Toys R Us needs to create a draw for its customers to remain competitive. The company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be analyzed to determine the best course of action supported by research. With research, financial analysis, and dynamic operations, it was concluded that Toys R Us needs to become relevant again and create a business out of what they offer similar to what American Girl has done. Executive Summary Toys R Us was founded by Charles P. Lazarus in 1948 and initially began as a furniture store, which then shifted its focus entirely to toys. The company has 866 stores in the United States and more than 750 international locations. The company’s strength lies in its volume of stores that it operates, many of them in emerging economies that could prove to be an investment. It recently filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Canada. At first glance, the company is suffering from low sales, not enough foot traffic, and toys that do not appeal to children of the digital age. However, at looking closer, the underlying issue seems to be Toys R Us’s reluctance to re-engineer its business. Toys R Us was losing sales due to big retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Amazon offers the convenience of online shopping with very fast shipping that eliminates the wait time associated with shopping online. Target and Walmart offer one stop shopping that allows an individual to get all of their shopping done without having to make multiple stops. Toys R Us only offers one genre of products, which are toys. When compared to a similar rival within the same industry such as American Girl Doll, it is clear that it is possible to be successful while offering an exclusive product. The appeal of American Girl Doll is that it creates a unique, interactive experience for its customers. One of Toys R Us’ weaknesses is that is does not have a competitive edge. Toys R Us could do the same by providing unique, interactive, experience geared displays for children in their stores similar to that of Build-A-Bear, which is a competitor in the same market. They can also manage a turn around by focusing on lower prices, better customer experience, revamping stores to include the interactive portion, hire engaging employees who cater to children, offer other services such as toy repairs or setup assistance. Toys R Us is a retail company that is exclusively a toy retailer that has 866 stores in the United States and more than 750 international locations. It had consistent success since it was founded in 1948 because it provided the most popular, up to date, and largest variety of toys with the most locations as well (Thomison, 2016). Toys R Us was known as a category killer, which meant that the company sold a product from only one category. With this strategy, the company was able to build a large volume that other retail chains could not match due to Toys R Us’ inventory and price. Then, Walmart launched a price war that was matched by Target and sold more toys than Toys R Us by 2005 (Hartung, 2017). KKR, Bain, and Vornado acquired Toys R Us in 2005 for $6.6 billion. The retailer has $4.9 billion in debt of which $400 million is due in 2018 and $1.7 billion due in 2019. Toys R Us has filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Canada, which will help relieve it from this debt (Hirsch, 2017). This can be attributed to the rise of e-commerce, where people buy online on sites such as Amazon and eBay. Toys R Us did launch its own website in 1998 and it became one of the fastest growing sites in the toy category. As Toys R Us tried to improve its business strategy, so did its competitors. Walmart and Target also sell toys but also offer the convenience of one stop shopping for its customers whereas Toys R Us is unable to do so. In the age of technology, many children prefer I-Pads and I-Phones to traditional toys further dwindling sales of Toys R Us. In 2011, Toys R Us’ domestic U.S. sales were worse than that of 2008, which was one of the worst holiday seasons for retailers. The president of the company resigned after only 10 months despite signing a one-year contract. In 2012, the department heads for administration and merchandising also resigned from their positions. The executives at Toys R Us have been experiencing high turnover within the past seven years (Clifford & Lattman, 2012). The company is grappling with how to grow the business with all of the competition. Sales are dwindling and competition is thriving but what caused these issues to arise for a company that seemed to doing very well? According to Hartung (2017), KKR and Bain Capital acquired Toys R Us in 2005 for $6.6 billion plus $1 billion of debt at a total valuation of $7.6 billion. KKR and Bain Capital put in $1.3 billion and used the company’s assets to raise the remaining amount bringing the debt from $1 billion to $6.2 billion, which was 82.7% of total capital. The interest rate on this debt was around 7.25% that created payments of $450 million per year on interest alone. The plan was to cut company costs, improve cash flow, and pay off the debt. The rise of e-commerce, at the time, was not anticipated. Amazon was only an $8.5 billion company in 2005 as opposed to the $100 billion dollar giant it is today. The executives set the company up for failure right from the acquisition. Due to its debt, Toys R Us was unable to venture into the online market as aggressively as they should have to counter Amazon. The company also could not keep up with Walmart’s low prices. Walmart would take a loss by pricing toys and other popular items at steeply low prices to get customers into their stores so they could spend on other big-ticket items. Customer service and shopping experience at Toys R Us were sub par at best and not inviting to customers. American Girl Doll, which is also an exclusive toy retailer, has seen tremendous, continuous success due to its interactive geared shopping experience for customers. American Girl Doll only sells doll, which one would assume could be its detriment as was with Toys R Us. The same factors that plague Toys R Us are the same factors that American Girl Doll must deal with. American Girl Doll is able to thrive and be profitable because of the unique experience they provide. Each toy comes with a historical background, a story, and accessories, which sell even at their high price point. Bhattarai (2017) states, that smaller neighborhood toy stores are thriving and increasing sales every year while Toys R Us, a retail giant is failing. What sets these smaller stores apart is the customer service of helpful employees, the carefully curated selection, gift-wrapping services, and lego building events. These stores are providing a unique shopping experience that Toys R Us is lacking. Kids these days are restless theyre looking for an interactive experience, said Susan Lee, a partner at marketing firm Simon Kucher & Partners. It isnt enough to just have stacks of toys on a shelf (Bhattarai, 2017). Customer service plays a large part in the success of these smaller stores as well. Bhattarai (2017) lists a variety of different experiences shoppers reiterated at a store called Child’s Play from employees going out of their way to open newly packaged games so children can decide if it is the right one, tracking down obscure toys that some children request, and even taking the time out to play with some of the kids in the store. Toys R Us’ strengths lie in its numbers as the retail giant has so many locations within the U.S. and worldwide. The company also has a large inventory with a diverse range of toys that is difficult to come by in another store. Toys R Us has been around for almost 70 years and for many people creates a sense of nostalgia that can be used to its advantage. It has developed its website and utilize it to further appeal to its customer base. The company currently employs over 70,000 employees and still managed to pull in annual revenue of $13.646 billion (Satell, 2017). The weaknesses of the organization include a lack of competitive advantage when compared to other retailers. The toys sold at Toys R Us stores are not unique and can be found and other retailers and sometimes for a better price. Toys R Us also depends on its holiday season sales to make the most profit and that is not enough anymore to help the company thrive. The organization also wants to pay its executives $16 million in bonuses that they argue are necessary for the executives to perform well. Normally, executive pay is fairly higher compared to the average worker due to the required experience, risk, educational background, work schedule, etc. (Martocchio, 2017). This is not necessary for a bankrupt organization to do especially since these are the same executives that have allowed the company to fail for so long instead of implementing new business strategies. This would be understandable if the organization were trying to bring aboard new executives that have a proven track record of bringing companies back to life after suffering such losses. Opportunities for Toys R Us came in the form of its alliance with Amazon provided both companies the opportunity to excel. It allowed Amazon to partner with other retailers instead of trying to sell everything itself. Toys R Us was able to pick the hot items and have them features and was also responsible for keeping them in physical stock. This deal however did sour due to both companies filing lawsuits against each other. Toys R Us claimed Amazon was allowing other retailers to sell on their website while Amazon claimed this was due to Toys R Us not being able to keep items in stock. The lawsuit has been settled with Amazon agreeing to pay Toys R Us a settlement of $51 million (Martinez, 2009). Toys R Us can learn from this alliance and partner with other companies to further its selling power. Toys R Us also has many international locations that if situated in the right emerging markets can create the opportunity to enhance international revenue. The threats that Toys R Us faces are retail giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Even some of the smaller neighborhood toy stores are doing a better job in providing what customers are looking for. Walmart, Target, and Amazon may offer the same products as Toys R Us but many times offer it in a package exclusive to the retailer that entices customers. Layoffs from multiple store closings have made the company unreliable as well as the current filing of bankruptcy over the debt the company was left with. The company is now in a negative light creating a negative image of the brand as much of its financial woes have been highlighted by the media (Marketing Mixx, 2017). References Bhattarai, A. (2017). Why neighborhood toy stores are thriving while Toys R Us goes bankrupt. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-neighborhood-toy-stores-toys-r-us-bankrupt-20170925-story.html Clifford, S. and Lattman, P. (2012). Pressed from all sides, Toys R Us fights to reinvent itself. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/07/business/toys-r-us-last-of-the-big-toy-stores-tries-to-reinvent-itself.html Fitz-Enz, J. (2009). The ROI of human capital: Measuring the economic value of employee performance (2nd ed.). New York, NY: AMACOM.          Gay, W. (2017). How Millennials can save Toys R Us from bankruptcy. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/wesgay/2017/10/30/toys-r-us-bankruptcy/2/#6cf61c604af0 Gross, D. (2017). Toys R Us is dying from a lack of imagination. Slate. Retrieved from https://slate.com/business/2017/09/why-best-buy-is-weathering-the-retail-apocalypse-and-toys-r-us-isnt.html Hartung, A. (2017). Toys R Us – how bad assumptions fed bad financial planning creating failure. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2017/09/20/toys-r-us-is-a-lesson-in-how-bad-assumptions-feed-bad-financial-planning-creating-failure/#34186aef58ea Hirsch, L. (2017). Toys R Us files for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/18/toys-r-us-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy.html Isidore, C. (2017). Bankrupt Toys R Us wants to pay $16 million in executive bonuses. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/16/news/companies/toys-r-us-executive-bonuses/index.htmlY Martinez, A. (2009). Amazon settles long standing legal dispute with Toys R Us. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-settles-long-standing-legal-dispute-with-toys-r-us/ Martocchio, J. (2017).  Strategic compensation: A human resource management approach  (9th  Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.   Roth, C. (2013). Toys R Us needs a business model makeover: Roth. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/id/100609849 Satell, G. (2017). Toys R Us might be dying, but physical retail isn’t. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/09/toys-r-us-is-dead-but-physical-retail-isnt Silver, J. (2017). Eyeing Toys R Us’ future. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2017/09/19/552181913/eyeing-toys-r-us-future-analyst-suggests-hands-on-displays Thomison, E. (2016). A strategic marketing and financial analysis of Toys R Us. University of Kentucky. Retrieved from https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1022&context=honprog Tuttle, D. (2017). Up next in the retail apocalypse: Toys R Us?. Time Money. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/4931640/toys-r-us-sales-bankruptcy-debt/ Vogelsang, J., Townsend, M, Minahan, M., Jamieson, D., Vogel, J., Viets, A, Royal, C., & Valek, L. (2013). Handbook for strategic HR: Best practices in organization development from the OD Network. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Canada and Mexicos Viewpoints of NAFTA :: Free Trade Agreements Foreign Affairs Essays

Canada and Mexico's Viewpoints of NAFTA When the Canada/U.S. free trade agreement came into effect, the Mexican's were very impressed by the provision and opportunities that opened for both sides. Mexico then approached the U.S., seeking to form a similar agreement with them. This brought forth a new issue in Canada, should they let Mexico and the U.S. form an agreement without them? Or should they participate, thus transforming their deal with the U.S. into a trilateral agreement including Mexico.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On June 12, 1991, the trade ministers of Canada, the United States and Mexico met in Toronto to open negotiations for a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This was an historic occasion. For the first time ever, a developing country agreed to sit down with two industrial countries to craft an agreement that would open its economy to full competition with the other two countries. If successful, the agreement promised to make the whole North American continent into one economic zone and set an important precedent for trade and economic cooperation between the wealthy countries of the North and less developed countries of the South. The challenge before them was both exciting and daunting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A little more than a year later, the three trade ministers met again in Washington, to put the finishing touches on a new North American Free Trade Agreement. In just over a year the negotiators from the three countries had successfully met the challenge and put together a new trading frame work for North America. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was set to be implied.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The North American Free Trade Agreement often raises questions regarding the new economic trading blocs around the world. The twelve-nation European Community (EC), a Central American free trade zone, and a four-nation South American group, as well as preliminary discussions regarding an Asian trading bloc, all point to the fact that new economic realities already exist. NAFTA promises to have a major impact on the people in all three nations. There will obviously be short-term costs of adjustment, which will certainly hit some industries, regions, and workers harder than others. There will be definite winners in the agreement, and definite losers in the agreement. There even might be disputes. Whether as workers, investors, consumers, or ordinary citizens in all three countries they may be affected. The final verdict on the North American Free Trade Agreement, may in fact not fully be realized for many weeks, months, or even years. However, in the following essay, the advantages to both Mexico and Canada will be analyzed, as well as the disadvantages to Mexico. It is safe to say that the advantages clearly outweigh the

The Nile Turn to Blood

There was a Plague that God had put on Egypt called the Nile turn to blood. Once I read the passage I realized the many powers of God. He told Moses he would make him like God to Pharaoh and he was to say everything that God had commended him to say. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go which was the Israelites. Pharaoh who had a hard heart did not listen to Moses and did not let the people go instead he asked Moses to perform a miracle and then he would. God gave Moses and Aaron the power to do so and turned their staff into a snake but Pharaoh’s Magicians was able to do the same. So Pharaoh didn’t believe he was a God and refused again to let the people go. Then the Lord told Moses to go back to Pharaoh and met him at the Nile when he goes out for water. Then tell him that the Lord God of the Hebrews said to let his people go so that they could worship him but since he did not listen he will make the Nile turn into blood and all the Fish will die and it will stink and the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water. Moses did what he was told and turned the Nile into blood. Then Pharaoh Magicians was able to do the same so Pharaoh still did not let the People go. This passage relates to this world today in many ways. We may not have a Nile full of blood but we have wars that are carried out in which many people have lost their lives in rivers and lakes and even ponds with their blood drained into them. We have murders who would kill someone and through the bodies in lakes and rivers. We have hunter who will hunt sharks and whales for the fun of it and kill them and their blood are lost in the seas and oceans . We may not have rivers and streams full of blood but we defiantly have blood in them. This whole world is cursed with blood stains and only we have the power to change that. God was in control of the blood in the Nile but we are in control of the blood that are lost in our streets and water. I’ve learned that God is a powerful God and is capable of mighty things. He will do what he says he will do.

Alcohol Advertising to Youth Essay

Many people are unaware of the prevalence of underage drinking in the United States. Every day in the United States, more than 4,750 kids under age 16 have their first full drink of alcohol. More youth in the United States drink alcohol than smoke tobacco or marijuana, making it the drug most used by American young people. Youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependency or abuse in their lifetime than those who begin drinking at 21 years or later. All of these facts were published by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. They have published many reports on the prevalence of drinking among underage youth. But why do underage youth start drinking alcohol in the first place? According to many studies, alcohol advertising is the main influencer of alcohol consumption among underage youth. Alcohol advertising influences the use of alcohol among youth and increases the likelihood that they will consume alcohol illegally. For example, a study published in 2006 found that for each additional alcohol ad a young person saw (above the monthly youth average of 23), he or she drank one percent more. Also, for every additional dollar spent on alcohol advertising in a local market, underage drinkers consumed three percent more alcohol (Surgeon General, 2007). Because young children are likely to be influenced by alcohol advertisements, there needs to be stricter regulations on the advertising industries ability to advertise alcohol to underage youth. According to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (2007), â€Å"The short-and long-term consequences that arise from underage alcohol consumption are astonishing in their range and magnitude, affecting adolescents, the people around them, and society as a whole. † Therefore, there should be a stricter regulation on alcohol advertising to youth because of the strong influence it has on their behavior and their alcohol consumption patterns. Each year, the alcohol industry spends more than four billion dollars marketing its products (Mosher & Cohen, 2012). There have been multiple studies that have correlated underage youth exposure with a greater likelihood of drinking. It is imperative that the government or advertising industry reduces the impact of alcohol marketing on young people. Reducing underage drinking, like smoking, is an important public health goal (Mosher & Cohen, 2012). Public health departments in California, Massachusetts, and Florida have made crucial strides in reducing underage smoking rates in their states (Mosher & Cohen, 2012). They did this my sponsoring tobacco counter advertising campaigns. This indicates that this type of approach may be effective for reducing underage drinking as well (Mosher & Cohen, 2012). The problem with this for alcohol advertising is that there are already responsibility ads, but they are outnumbered by alcohol ads 226-1 (CAMY News Release, 2004). Alcohol product advertising has increased significantly in recent years, while responsibility ads have decreased. According to a new study from CAMY at Georgetown University, the number of responsibility ads dropped by 46 percent from 2001 levels, while the number of alcohol commercials increased by 39 percent. Industry spending on responsibility ads also fell—down 57 percent from 2001. This is unacceptable. According to CAMY Executive Director, Jim O’Hara, â€Å"This minimal amount of responsibility advertising does little to reinforce the message of parents and teachers who are trying to prevent underage drinking. Our children need to receive a more balanced message about alcohol. † According to the same study, for every dollar spent on responsibility ads in 2002, the industry spent $99 on product ads, where in 2001, the ratio was $1 to $35. Alcohol companies should be required to sponsor a certain amount of responsibility ads each year, that is relative to the number of alcohol product ads they place. This would help to increase the amount of responsibility ads underage youth is exposed to and thus, increasing the amount of reinforcement they receive to not drink underage and illegally. According to the CAMY study at Georgetown University in 2002, of 59 alcohol marketers advertising on television, only four places responsibility ads in 2002. Adolph Coors Co, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. , SABMiller PLC and Diageo PLC were the four parent companies whose brands placed responsibility ads in 2002. Anheuser-Busch placed the most ads, but they still spent 45 times more on product ads and placed 89 more product ads than responsibility ads (CAMY, 2002). Underage youth were 287 times more likely per capita to see a TV commercial promoting alcohol from 2001 to 2006 (Nielsen Media Research, 2006). Other studies have found that youth exposed to alcohol in movies and to alcohol in signage near schools as well as youth ownership of alcohol promotional items are all associated with a greater likelihood of underage drinking (The Surgeon General, 2007). Therefore, because of youth’s potential to be greatly influenced by alcohol advertisements, this high amount of exposure to alcohol advertisements increases the consumption of alcohol among underage youth. There is opposition to stricter regulations on alcohol advertising; some feel that these regulations will not have any effect on the consumption and use of alcohol among underage youth. According to Marcus Grant, the president and founder of the International Centre for Alcohol Policies said that in many Scandinavian countries where alcohol advertising was banned, the prevalence of alcohol abuse was still high. Also, according to the industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA), no evidence exists to support the notion that beverage alcohol advertising has any significant effect on the rate of alcohol abuse. According to the ARA, Denmark has a ban on all broadcast advertising except on low alcohol-content products, as well as various restrictions on print and outdoor advertising. It has one of the highest reported rates of intoxication among young people. Therefore, they feel that increasing the amount of regulations of alcohol advertising, or the banning of alcohol advertising as a whole, will not result in a decline in the rate of alcohol consumption among underage youth. While alcohol marketers have made reforms in their marketing practices, these revisions fall short (Mosher & Cohen 2012). In 2006, The STOP Act was passed, requiring that the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services report annually on rates of exposure of youth to positive and negative messages about alcohol in the mass media. Advertisers are aware of the media usage of youth and current alcohol regulations do not do enough to protect underage youth from viewing alcohol advertisements. According to CAMY reports on Youth Exposure to Alcohol Ads, the advertising industry has reduced youth exposure to its advertising in magazines and cut its spending on radio. However, youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television grew by 30 percent between 2001 and 2006 (Mosher & Cohen, 2012). Because youth, ages 12 to 20, are only 13. 3 percent of the national TV viewing audience, the current threshold of not placing ads where underage youth are more than 30 percent of the audience allows alcohol advertising on programs where there are more than twice as many youth as the viewing population (Mosher & Cohen, 2012). It is obvious that current regulations do not do enough to support the goals of Congress, and of the Surgeon General, to decrease alcohol advertising exposure and alcohol consumption among underage youth. Therefore, stricter regulations need to be put into place to restrict the advertising industry from placing alcohol advertisements within youth-consumed media. CAMY issued a report of eight methods for states to limit and reduce youth exposure to alcohol advertisements. According to CAMY, only 11 states implement more than one â€Å"best practice† policy, a total of 22 states implement no policies at all. It is important for these states to implement all of eight of the methods to ensure that underage youth are not exposed to these ads and the consequences of seeing these ads (Swift, 2011). According to a study conducted by Leslie B. Snyder, Ph. D. , of the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and colleagues, a random sample of young people between the ages of 15 to 26 years old were interviewed. The researchers reported these results: (1) For each additional alcohol advertisement viewed per month, the number of drinks consumed increased by one percent (2) The same percentage increase, one percent per alcohol advertisement per month, applied to underage drinkers (those younger than age 21) as well as legal aged drinkers (3) Youth in markets with high alcohol advertising expenditures ($10 or more per person per month) also increase their drinking more over time, reaching a peak of 50 drinks per month by age 25 and, (4) Young people drank three percent more per month for each additional dollar spent per capita in their market (Buddy T., 2006). This research shows that advertising expenditure had a direct influence on the amount of alcohol consumed by underage and legal aged drinkers. According to Snyder, â€Å"The results also contradict the claims that advertising is unrelated to youth drinking amounts†¦ Alcohol advertising was a contributing factor to youth drinking quantities over time,† (Buddy T. , 2006). The facts cannot be denied; alcohol advertising is effective. The bottom line is, the more advertising young people see, the more they drink (Buddy T. , 2012). CAMY has found that many parents are beginning to become concerned about the overexposure to alcohol advertisements that their children see. Two-thirds of parents believe more ads mean more youth drinking and 75 percent of parents agree that the alcohol industry should do more to limit youth advertising (Buddy T. , 2012). It is unacceptable that nothing more has been done to prevent this while there have been multiple studies done on the correlation between alcohol advertising and underage drinking, and they all have concluded the same results: Exposure to alcohol advertising increase the likelihood for underage drinking and increased alcohol consumption. Alcohol advertisements need to be regulated across all media forms: online, television, magazine and print, radio, etc. Young people should not be exposed to alcohol advertisements, especially within the media channels that they use most. Television alcohol ads should not be allowed to be on shows with certain percentage of underage viewers, the same goes for magazine and radio advertisements. While it will be hard to regulate this, more can be done to make sure the message of preventing underage drinking is reinforced through responsibility ads. If stricter regulations on alcohol advertisements cannot be put into place, then the amount of responsibility ads countering the alcohol ads needs to be dramatically increased. Underage youth need to constantly be reinforced with the message of not underage drinking as well as the warnings of drinking such as drunk driving. In conclusion, more needs to be done to reduce the amount of youth exposure to alcohol product advertisements and to prevent underage drinking. It is the responsibility of the government and of alcohol marketers to make sure they are protecting youth, not corrupting them at a young age. Youth exposure to alcohol advertisements increase the amount of alcohol consumed by underage drinkers and current regulations are simply not doing enough to prevent this. References â€Å"Alcohol Ads Outnumber Responsibility Ads 226-1. † About. com Alcoholism. N. p. , 2002. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Alcohol Advertising and Youth. † Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. CAMY. org, Apr. 2007. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Mosher, James F. , JD Cohen, and Elena N. Cohen. â€Å"State Laws to Reduce the Impact of Alcohol Marketing on Youth. † Camy. org. Alcohol Policy Consultations, 1 May 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Prevalence of Underage Drinking. † Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. N. p. , July 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. â€Å"State Report Update 2012. † Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. N. p. , 1 May 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Swift, James. â€Å"States Not Reducing Youth Exposure to Alcohol Ads. † Youthtoday. org. YouthToday. org, 4 May 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. T. , Buddy. â€Å"Alcohol Advertising Increases Youth Drinking. † About. com Alcoholism. N. p. , 19 Jan. 2006. Web. 11 Dec. 2012 T. , Buddy. â€Å"Teen Drinking Influenced by Alcohol Advertising. † About. com Alcoholism. N. p. , 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. T. , Buddy. â€Å"Underage Drinking Troubles Parents. † About. com Alcoholism. N. p. , 27 Dec. 2007. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2007.