Swinburne University ADV20001 Major Group Assignment

1. Image 1.1: Northern Lights from Norway (source: teletextholidays.com)
Prepared by:
Tamara Milford-Robertson
Pete Ashton
Vania Japri
Franz Kavanagh

2. Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Norway ethical values 2
Treatment of Women 2
Workforce Equality 3
Stereotyping 5
Attitude to advertising to children 6
Treatment of immigrants and foreign residents 6
Attitudes towards the LGBT community 7
Conclusion 9
References 10
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3. Introduction
Home to the majestic Northern Lights and located in Northern
Europe, Norway is a Scandinavian country renowned for its beauty
both in its landscape and in its culture. The following document will
outline why Norway would be the ideal location for the next FIFA
World Cup through analysing its culture and ethical value system.
The ethical values which will be discussed include issues regarding:
treatment of women, the LGBT community, immigration in the
nation, inequality, advertising to children and stereotyping.
Image 1.2: Norway Fast Facts (source: Pinterest user: Darlene
Schneider)
Norway ethical values
The cultural values of Norway are rich and vibrant although it is
important to note that the original culture has adapted from Norway’s
days of wondering Vikings. The following values will be discussed
in the following section: treatment of women, workforce equality,
stereotyping, advertising to children, LGBT treatment and
immigration.
Treatment of Women
Norway is renowned for their egalitarian values, ranking #1 in the world for overall equality
according to the Human Development Index (​Norwegian Society 2007). The position and
treatment of women in Norway reflects these values, as the incredibly progressive country
has adopted legislation and policies to support women’s rights. Norway was one of the first
countries to give women the right to vote, and there has been further advocacy of women’s
rights that have led to an increase of women in the workforce, more women in politics, and a
raised social status for women.
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4. In recent years Norway has been consistently ranked as the best country in which to live by
The United Nations - this can be attributed to the country’s egalitarian ideals, and as a result,
Norway is held in high esteem by other nations worldwide. Hosting the FIFA World Cup in
Norway would therefore be commercially beneficial for FIFA as it is likely to attract a larger
worldwide audience. The head of the World Health Organisation has said that Norway is a
leading country in the field of equal rights, and many other countries look to Norway for
inspiration and ideas on how to promote equality between the sexes (​Norwegian Society
2007). Therefore as the pioneers of gender equality, hosting the World Cup in Norway would
be valuable as Norwegian values can promote ideas of gender equality, civility, and equal
opportunities to the wider world.
In addition, Norway is actively working to reduce exploitation and objectification of women
in their advertisements. ​Trondheim (Norway’s third largest city) has introduced a ban on ads
featuring scantily-clad models in hopes to combat negative body image. The new advertising
policy reads: ​“Advertising that is offensive or discriminatory against groups or individuals
will not be allowed, nor will advertising that conveys a false image of the model/models’
appearance and contributes to a negative body image” (​Norway Bans Scantily Clad Models
2016, p. 1). Norway’s egalitarian values and ethical advertising standards can serve as
exemplary to the wider world.
Workforce Equality
Norway has an excellent working culture, which can be attributed to the value they place on
education. This has resulted in job security, a satisfactory work-life balance, and workplace
equality for Norwegians.
Despite high unemployment rates, Norway maintains high levels of job security. For
example, it’s uncommon for employees to be fired for underperforming - in comparison with
other countries such as the US (Smith 2016) . Employees also have the right to have flexible
working hours due to The Norwegian Working Environment Act, which states that there
“must be a balance between a working life and private life” (Eurofound 2007). Norway’s
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5. egalitarian values are reflected in the workforce, as they actively work to ensure
non-discrimination and equality for all. Female employment in particular has had a profound
effect on Norway’s working culture. The explosion in education beginning at the end of the
60's lead to young women posing new demands in regards to their own choice of profession,
and s​ince the beginning of the 1970s, the labour participation rate has risen from 44% to 76%
for women between the ages of 15 and 64.
With so much focus on the advocacy on women’s rights in Norwegian society, in recent years
there has been a move for men’s equal rights in the workforce. This has resulted in changes
such as paternity leave legislation; ​fathers can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to be with
their children (Smith 2016). This has helped achieve an optimal work/life balance for
Norway’s workers.
Norway’s outstanding working culture reflects upon their wider values based on democratic
principles of respect and interdependence.
Image 1.3: Traditional Norwegian Dress (Source www.norway.org)
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6. Stereotyping
For some people, visiting a country without knowing its people and its culture would be a
hurdle as they might misunderstand and misinterpret someone’s action or behaviour due to
the different cultures. Also, it will be so much easier for visitors to blend in and socialize with
local people when they have understood their characters. Learning someone’s characteristics
may take a lot of effort. This creates the use of stereotype to be helpful in this kind of
situation. By using stereotype, people will quickly and clearly get the character and image of
someone’s. (Sheehan, 2014) The main idea of stereotype is that every person who belongs to
a group is a generic exemplum of a type rather than a unique individual (Taylor & Stern,
1997).
The most well known stereotype of Norwegians is how skilled they are in winter sports
especially in skiing. This comes along with the old famous saying “Norwegians are born with
skis on their feet.” It also comes with the fact that they have been skiing for more than 4000
years and have won 303 Winter Olympic medals (Norway.cn, 2015). Other than their love for
ski, they are also known for their love to British football, much more than their love for
domestic Norway football. (Nikel, n.d) When it comes to watching sports, Norwegians have a
ritual of drinking before and after football games, which did not evolve until recent times.
(​Armstrong & Hognestad, 2006)​ It started in the 18​th​
and 19​th​
century, when their drinking
culture was regarded as a necessary to health, work related, social and religious rituals.
(Schrumpf, 2003) ​In regards to this, the government in Norway has increased the price of
alcoholic drinks, which makes Norway to be known as one of the most expensive countries in
Europe to consume alcohol ​(​Armstrong & Hognestad, 2006).​ The government also ​takes
control in distributing alcoholic drinks by owning Vinmonopolet (The Wine Monopoly), the
only store to find alcoholic drinks that contain 4% or more alcohol.
As for their personality, Norwegian is known for their phrase “faceless in crowd” because
they are very reserved and personal. They love their personal spaces and known for being
passive aggressive. Unlike other countries like America, Norwegians do not display their
emotions or affections in public and do not really talk to strangers unless it is necessary.
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7. (Webb, 2016) Without knowing this stereotype, people who do not understand it might think
that they are racist or rude towards others, however it is just how their culture has shaped
them.
Attitude to advertising to children
The world of Advertising has increased exponentially over the time of its first conception, to
the average person being exposed to at least 500 advertisements in a single day. This increase
has been questioned as to the impact on consumers perceptions of health both physically and
mentally, in particular the health of those who have not yet fully developed - children.
Similar to other countries (like Australia), Norway has recognised the increasing number of
children facing obesity and other health risks from being overweight. This realisation has lead
to higher monitoring of advertisements within the food industry directed to children. Norway
has introduced legislation (Zeldin, 2009) to ban food and drink advertising towards children
as it was perceived that advertisers were taking advantage of children's easily persuaded
minds to gain purchasing power, therefor in turn increasing the likelihood of children obesity.
This particular legislation is aimed at protecting children 12 years old and younger (Meland,
2009). This control of advertisements is something to keep in mind for the FIFA world cup as
it may require greater thought into how partnerships with the organisation advertise during
the sporting event. Although it is important to note that Norway's advertising legislations are
not to be seen as a hinderance but more of a set of guidelines to uphear to.
Treatment of immigrants and foreign residents
Norway is a very alluring country for Immigrants and foreign residents. It is an extremely
wealthy country. Aside from its wealth, it has a very robust labour market even through times
of recession. Norway is also committed to the humanitarian protection and accepts refugees
from former Yugoslavia.
There are varying rules for residence permits, work permits, tourist visas and family
reunification for foreign nationals in Norway. Working permits can be given to tourists
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8. however it is a long and expensive application process and tourists are not guaranteed
approval. Asylum seekers can seek asylum in Norway if they are in danger or are being
persecuted in their home country. Asylum seekers must first approach police in Norway and
apply for protection there. They are then entitled to accommodation in a centre for refugees.
In these centres, the asylum seekers receive money for food as well as clothing and health
care. The Directorate will then process the application. They also have the option to live
elsewhere however they must register this address with the police and Immigration
department, If they do not their application will not be processed. I for some reason Asylum
seekers are not given leave to remain as a refugee, the authorities will consider whether to
grant leave to remain on humanitarian grounds or otherwise on the basis of affiliations with
Norway.
Norway allows students to study in their country however if you wish to study for more than
three months then you must first apply for a Study permit. If the student is granted a permit
then they can also work for up to 20 hours per week throughout the duration of their studies
and full time on their student holidays. Before students can apply for a study permit they
must first have received an offer of admission to a full-time study programme at a college or
university. Students must also already have at least 100,902 NOK (approximately $16,110
AUD) per year to live on.
For citizens of the European Union (EU) the process for applying for residency is rather
simple. Unfortunately however for the rest of the world, it is a lot more complex process.
In 2015 Norway introduced new residency laws making it much more arduous process for
foreign nationals to reside in Norway. The new proposal requires nationals to go through a
5-year qualifying process. The model fits closely with other countries European countries.
The new laws aim to ensure social equality for those who arrive.
Attitudes towards the LGBT community
Voted the most gay-friendly Nordic nation according to an index review (ILGA Europe,
2014), Norway can therefore be deemed very accepting of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender (LGBT) community. The debate about marriage legalisation for the LGBT
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9. community is still undergoing a global debate on whether it should be permissible in a house
of law as a civil union. However, Norway announced its stance on the topic in 2008 when
the bill passed allowing same sex couples to marry (Constance, 2008).This ethical issue has
arised from the bible understanding of marriage and whom is included in this definition, the
perception lies more to the side of a union between man and women rather a union of the
same gender. The strongest argument against the original perception of marriage is that love
is love no matter the gender and that everyone has the right to marry even if it is against
ancient scripture.
Norway is supportive of fair and equal treatment of the LGBT community so much so that
they created an advertisement for their Sochi 2014 Olympic team featuring the celebration
and farewell between a lesbian couple (Nudd, 2014). Although controversial to some, legally
Norway sees no issue with the preference or rights of any gender. Norway's strong support
for the LGBT community is also evident from the nation being the first worldwide to make
discrimination to the community illegal in terms of workplace and housing discrimination ​.
This was a great step forward for the LGBT community and was just a matter of time before
more countries followed in Norway’s example. The above changes to tradition and legislation
show how ahead of the times Norway as a country is and how accepting they are of people’s
differences - adding to the list as to why the country should be chosen for the FIFA world
cup.
The cultural values of Norway stated above demonstrate a culture that would embrace other
cultures with their hospitable and friendly nature. Judging by the nation's values, If the World
Cup were to be in Norway, other cultures can expect to feel welcomed, safe and be able to
enjoy the World Cup without having to worry about hiding their sexual preference, gender or
race.
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10. Image 1.4: Oslo Gay Pride March (source: Nile Guide, 2010)
Conclusion
The fact that Norway is a country that has a high interest in sport especially ski and football will
definitely be helpful in creating a perfect atmosphere for FIFA World Cup. In terms of promotional
culture, Norway has restrictions for advertising alcohol and tobacco since 1975. This includes a
complete ban on advertisement for alcohol and tobacco in sports arenas which has been a major target
for preventing the consumption of alcohol. (Armstrong & Hognestad, 2006). Although this may
hinder some industries, it will also create a safer environment for spectators by preventing anti-social
behaviour so therefore should not be considered as a threat to FIFA when choosing the next World
Cup venue.
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11. It is strongly recommended that the FIFA board consider Norway for the next World Cup for the
reasons above. Norway features a stunning landscape that can benefit from the added FIFA tourism,
the culture is placid enough to avoid any uproar or controversy which may derive from the increases
of cultures during the World Cup, yet exciting enough that both FIFA and the country of Norway will
benefit from the event.
Image 1.5: Norway Landscape (source: travelvisabookings.com)
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Armstrong G & Hognestad, H, ​2006, ‘Hitting the Bar: Alcohol, Football Identities and Global
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