Application letter

Dear Mr/Ms X,

I’m writing to apply for an Internship in your Communication agency.

It has always been my intention to have an experience in a commercial environment. I would particularly welcome the chance to work for your agency as I have long admired both by the quality of your clients and its position on the market. As you will notice on my enclosed CV, an internship in your agency suits both my personal and professional interests.

My work experience has familiarised me with many of the challenges involved in Communication today. I am sure that this, together with my motivation, my dynamism and my adaptability, would be extremely relevant to the internship.

I would be pleased to discuss my curriculum vitae with you in more detail at an interview. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely.

Laetitia B.

World health organization: studies about tobacco

Costs to the Economy
http://www.who.int/tobacco/en/atlas13.pdf

Costs to the Smoker
http://www.who.int/tobacco/en/atlas14.pdf

By the World health organization

Articles about tobacco

http://www.mises.org/freemarket_detail.aspx?control=442&sortorder=articledate

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1785028.ece Cigarette firms push for tobacco 'teabags', The Times, 14 May 2007

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/QuitToLive/story?id=1342001

http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0072.pdf

Thank you for smoking

This movie is a satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.

The story:
The chief spokesperson and lobbyist Nick Taylor is the Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies. He is talented in speaking and spins argument to defend the cigarette industry in the most difficult situations. His best friends are Polly Bailey that works in the Moderation Council in alcohol business, and Bobby Jay Bliss of the gun business own advisory group SAFETY. They frequently meet each other in a bar and they self-entitle the Mod Squad a.k.a. Merchants of Death, disputing which industry has killed more people. Nick's greatest enemy is Vermont's Senator Ortolan Finistirre, who defends in the Senate the use a skull and crossed bones in the cigarette packs.

Taxation

Cigarettes have become very expensive in places that want to reduce the amount of smoking in public; pictured is the cost of a carton of 200 cigarettes in New Jersey.

Many governments have introduced excise taxes on cigarettes in order to reduce the consumption of cigarettes. Money collected from the cigarette taxes are frequently used to pay for tobacco use prevention programs, therefore making it a method of internalizing external costs.

In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that each pack of cigarettes sold in the United States costs the nation more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity. That's over $2000 per year/smoker. Another study by a team of health economists finds the combined price paid by their families and society is about $41 per pack of cigarettes.

Substantial scientific evidence shows that higher cigarette prices result in lower overall cigarette consumption. Most studies indicate that a 10% increase in price will reduce overall cigarette consumption by 3% to 5%. Youth, minorities, and low-income smokers are two to three times more likely to quit or smoke less than other smokers in response to price increases. Smoking is often cited as an example of an inelastic good, however, i.e. a large rise in price will only result in a small decrease in consumption.

Many nations have implemented some form of tobacco taxation. As of 1997, Denmark had the highest cigarette tax burden of $4.02 per pack. Taiwan only had a tax burden of $0.62 per pack. Currently, the average price and excise tax on cigarettes in the United States is well below those in many other industrialized nations.

The cigarette taxes vary from state to state in the United States. For example, South Carolina has a cigarette tax of only 7 cents per pack, while Rhode Island has a cigarette tax of $2.46 per pack. In Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, New York City, Tennessee, and Virginia, counties and cities may impose an additional limited tax on the price of cigarettes. Due to the high taxation, the price of an average pack of cigarettes in New Jersey is $6.45, which is still less than the approximated external cost of a pack of cigarettes.

In Canada, cigarette taxes have raised prices of the more expensive brands to upwards of ten CAD$.

In the United Kingdom, a packet of cigarettes typically costs between £4.25 and £5.50 ($8.50/$11.00) depending on the brand purchased and where the purchase was made. The UK has a strong black market for cigarettes which has formed as a result of the high taxation and it is estimated that 25-30% of all cigarettes smoked in the country avoid UK taxes.

Effect on healthcare costs

In countries where there is a public health system, society pays for the medical care of smokers who become ill through increased taxes. Two arguments exist on this front, the "pro-smoking" argument suggesting that heavy smokers generally don't live long enough to develop the costly and chronic illnesses which affect the elderly, reducing society's healthcare burden. The "anti-smoking" argument suggests that the healthcare burden is increased because smokers get chronic illnesses younger and at a higher rate than the general population.

Data on both positions is limited, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published research in 2002 claiming that the cost of each pack of cigarettes sold in the United States was more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity. The cost may be higher, with another study putting it as high as $41 per pack.

Conflicting points of view about the tobacco industry

There are two entrenched interests that have opinions about the tobacco industry: (a) participants in the industry, and (b) people affected by the deaths attributable to tobacco use. These interests conflict as they involve large amounts of money, long-held (historically) belief systems, and the premature deaths of loved family members.

Participants in the industry argue that commercial tobacco production is a vital part of the American and world economy. They state that thousands of farmers in the United States, alone, make their living from raising tobacco leaves for use by the industry. They estimate that the tobacco industry contributes billions of dollars in tax revenue to the federal government every year.

People affected by or sympathetic to the large death rate attributable to active and/or passive tobacco use cite the fact that half of all tobacco users die from tobacco-related causes worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, that means that about 650 million current smokers will die from a preventable cause. They also indicate that smoking-related health problems contribute to rising health care costs.

History of tobacco smoking

Tobacco smoking is the act of burning the dried or cured leaves of the tobacco plant and inhaling the smoke for pleasure, for ritualistic or social purposes, self-medication, or simply to satisfy physical dependence. Tobacco use by Native Americans throughout North and South America dates back to 2000BC and there are depictions of ancient Mayans smoking a crude cigar. The practice was brought back to Europe by the crew of Christopher Columbus. Tobacco Smoking took hold in Spain and was introduced to the rest of the world, via trade.

Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, an addictive stimulant and Euphoriant. The effect of nicotine in first time or irregular users is an increase in alertness and memory, and mild euphoria. In chronic users, nicotine simply relieves the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal: confusion, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, and dysphoria. Withdrawal symptoms in chronic users begin to appear approximately 30 minutes after every dose. Nicotine also disturbs metabolism and suppresses appetite. This is because nicotine, like many stimulants, increases blood sugar.

It has been determined that all forms of tobacco use are addictive.

Medical research has determined that chronic tobacco smoking can lead to many health problems, particularly lung cancer, emphysema, and cardiovascular disease.

The Philip Morris’s Industry

Who it is?

Philip Morris International is one of the largest tobacco companies in the world:

- It produces many of the world's best-selling cigarette brands, including the most popular brand worldwide

- Its brands are made in more than 50 factories around the world and sold in over 160 markets

- Founded in the 19th century, Philip Morris has grown into a worldwide organization; today Philip Morris International alone employs more than 70,000 people

Its goal, to quote their mission statement, is "to offer the best smoking experience to every adult smoker in the world, today and tomorrow"

What it does?

• Its products

It currently produces seven of the top twenty best-selling global cigarette brands, including the world's number one brand.

Phillip Morris‘s Brands are:

Marlboro
Virginia Slims
Merit
Parliament
Benson &Hedges
L&M
Chesterfield
Lark
Cambridge
Basic

• Tobacco farming

Philip Morris International does not its any tobacco farms. It buys its tobacco from leaf merchant companies and farmers from all over the world, including Brazil, Greece, Italy, Malawi, Poland, Thailand, Turkey and the US.

It works closely with tobacco farmers, government agencies and universities to share and promote best practices in tobacco farming. Its goal is to ensure both that it has a worldwide supply of quality tobacco for its products and that the farming communities on which it depends can thrive on a sustainable basis.

Growing quality tobacco starts with the careful preparation of the seedbed and seedling production. Tobacco seeds are tiny (there are between 10,000 and 30,000 to a gram) but they germinate rapidly in 5-10 days. Under the appropriate seedbed conditions, they will grow to a height of between 15 and 20cm in about two months. They are then transplanted to the field.

After 3-4 months in the fields, the plants are ready for harvesting. Two of the three main types of tobacco - Virginia and Oriental - are harvested in successive stages, starting with the early-ripening leaves closest to the ground, then moving up the plant as the remaining stalk layers ripen. The other main type of tobacco - Burley - is primarily harvested in one operation by cutting down the plant and removing the leaves from the stalk after curing.

The curing process plays a major role in final leaf quality, and the skill of the farmer is crucial to bringing out different tobaccos' characteristic tastes.

Virginia tobacco is cured in a process called "flue curing". The tobacco is hung in specialized curing barns where heated air removes water from the leaves. This process takes up to a week, during which time the temperature must be constantly monitored and gradually increased. Too much heat or cold at any stage of the process will have a negative impact on quality.

Burley tobacco is "air cured" in well-ventilated barns, a process taking up to two months. Oriental tobacco is dried by "sun-curing", in which the leaves are hung outside, exposed to the sun.

Once cured, the tobacco leaves are sorted by the farmer according to stalk position and leaf characteristics, packed into bales and delivered to an auction floor or receiving centre where its leaf buyers, experts in leaf quality and assessment, carefully judge the quality of the leaves by variations in colour, texture and aroma.

• Cigarette production

After harvesting and curing, tobacco leaf is transported to manufacturing sites all over the world. The tobacco is allowed to age for up to three years in controlled environments to enhance its flavour.

Then the tobacco is prepared for processing and cigarette production. Transporting and humidifying the now brittle leaf has to be done with care, allowing for the fine art of blending to take place.

The major ingredient in each cigarettes is tobacco. A number of other ingredients may be added to the tobacco, including processing aids, humectants (which keep the tobacco moist and pliable), preservatives and brand-specific flavours. After the tobacco has been cut, it is stored in giant silos before entering the cigarette manufacturing process.

Manufacturing cigarettes is a fast-paced, highly automated process; machines produce between 8,000 and 14,000 cigarettes every minute. Spools of cigarette paper up to 6,000 metres long are rolled out and tobacco is placed on it. The paper is closed over the tobacco, making one long cigarette known as a "rod".

Machines slice this super-sized "rod" into much shorter lengths, insert filters, and finally cut the shorter lengths into individual filter cigarettes. Every single cigarette is checked at three different stages for the quality of its construction.

The cigarettes are then sorted into pack-sized groups, wrapped in foil to preserve their aroma, packed and put into shipping cases.

Although the manufacture of cigarettes is a highly automated process, it will never lose its human element. Supervision of the production process is vital: inspection of the leaf, blending, and quality assurance of the final product can never be left solely to machines.

• Production principles

Its works with governments around the world to ensure that its production methods are sound, sustainable and socially responsible, and it is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our business activities.

For almost a decade now its family of companies has been guided by a set of nine environmental principles, which include:

-the reduction of waste and of the environment impact of its packaging
-the development of new practices to foster long-term solutions to environmental problems
- programmes to encourage its employees to protect the environment at work, at home and in their communities
- close cooperation with local and national authorities, industry, and public interest groups to develop sound environmental policies
It is these principles that are behind such recent developments as the reduction in the weight of cigarette packaging in Australia, the increased reuse and recycling of waste products, such as tobacco dust, in Europe, and the launch of an agroforestry partnership in Malawi.

Classic American Cars

Discover some of the most beautiful and stylish American Cars from the forties to the seventies.

The forties

America's intervention in Worl War II filled the nation with a self-confidence that would fertilize phenomenal postwar industrial growth. The automobile industry never had it so good.


1949- Cadillac Serie 62

The fifties

The postwar fell-good factor made the fifties a decade of unprecedented leisure and prosperity. In this heady new world of television, rock'n'roll, nuclear power, and the space race, Americans reached for the Moon.

1954- Chevrolet Corvette

1959-Cadillac Eldorado

The sixties

The sixties were an exciting, revolutionary, turbulent time of great social and technological change : assassination, unforgettable fashion, new musical styles, Camelot, civil rights, gay and women's liberation, a controversial and devisive war in Vietnam, the first manned landing on the moon, peace marches, World's Fairs, flower power, great TV and film and sexual freedom.

1964-Lincoln Continental

1965- Ford Mustang

The seventies

The seventies were definitely about excess. More was very definitely more - more hair, more height, more glitter, more guitars, more drugs. Moderation had ceased to exist.
The key to the Seventies was 'freedom', and some of its bizarre crazes were the first real manifestations of the advancements made courtesy of the social revolution of the previous decade.

1970- Chavrolet Monte Carlo

1971- Buick Riviera

Links

The Evolution of International Communications

What are five ways that international communications have evolved significantly in recent years?

The evolution of International Communications has contributed to develop the rise of technology (with news tools: visio conferences, blogs, cell phone…), the media (with electronic media for instance), the intercultural notion, the business and the globalization.

In your opinion, which of these is the most important? Why?

In my opinion, the most important is the intercultural notion because it involves an opening on the other culture and a better understanding between foreigners. This notion associates the ideas of identity and “alterity” by different ways, values and attitudes. This is fundamental because all the societies need to deal with different culture and the globalization intensify that and offer to us and other vision of the world.

What aspects of this will most affect the way businesses and organizations do their work? What will be some of the ways this will change them?

Businesses and organizations’ work is affected by this expansion of communication. With the idea of globalisation, the organisations turn themselves abroad and need to deals with the international notion.
With the news tools everything is going faster. They have a lot of choice to communicate. But the organisations have to make the right choice. They have to think global.

How will this affect your way of working? What will you have to do to train and prepare yourself for this new way of working?

We have every day a larger access to information (with the rise of new technology) so, we need to be open-minded and aware. I think learn new languages, have an experience aboard to open ourselves on the world is a necessary thing to learn how to deals with other culture (which have different ways to work, think and joke…)
We also need to control the new technologic tools to communicate. It’s the perfect way to stay on the top, to communicate faster and all over the world.

Qualities and defaults

My strong points

I’m an open-minded person, curious about the environment in which I evolve, and in perpetual search of new things to discover. I’m also good intuitive, I can feel a lot of things and I think I can define people easily, maybe because I’m a good observer and an good listener, very comprehensive and empathetic. I think I’m an honest person, I always say the truth when somebody asks me something, even if the truth is not which one expected. But I’m diplomatic and adaptable so, I know how to find the right words.

My weak points

Obviously, I’m sometimes quirky and a little bit nervous. But my worth weak is when I make mental block. It completely transforms me and I can become very shy and feel bad about anything. I’m trying to fight that because it’s not my first nature.