Scholarly vs. Popular Media Focus on Sexuality Essay

Scholarly vs. Popular Media Focus on Sexuality - Essay Example Flyers and lucid media images that stir up teenager girls to prime their fancy on sexuality and looks are injurious to self-esteem and physical health (Jayson 12). Conversely, this revelation can encourage girls and young women to view themselves and their bodies as sexual objects. The article also cuts across other issues like dolls which are used in TV, and or commercial advertisement. Ideally, Brazt dolls use suggestive clothing to dress their dress up their dolls that feature in advertisements. These dolls usually appear in MTV advertisements in sleazy miniskirts, fishnet stockings, and feather boas. According to Jayson (12), this sleaziness is what has led critics to label the dolls as potential motivators of sexualization of women and girls. It is a reality to contend with, as these are designed by default for four to eight olds, while they are still connected to objectifying adult sexuality. In her article, Jayson notes that these dolls with suggestive clothing have made some parents anxious and nervous over the uncalled for sexualization of their children. This is partly due to the sense of moralization around the advertisement. However, they is a huge difference of opinion between the teens and the older generation that views, although provocatively, teenage fashion as far too-concealing. On the other hand, teens may not view themselves as mere objects of sex. The two article speak, although, using different levels of thinking and perspectives, about women as sexual objects. The articles touch on advertisements, which would either be aired on commercial TV, and fashion magazines. Either way, both articles talk in depth about how advertisement may encourage young women and girls to change their perceptions into crasser sense of awareness about themselves. This... The articles talk in depth about how advertisement may encourage young women and girls to change their perceptions into crasser sense of awareness about themselves. This may negatively impact on the self-esteems of the teens and young women, who start to view themselves as sex objects. Even so, they reveal to us despite the companies’ objective behind their advertisements, there still is some moralizing about it.Women’s bodies are portrayed to be persistently on display with a view to be judged. Therefore, when women are represented as veritable sex objects in more than two, in fact three advertisements, the point becomes clear to both men and women: A woman’s significance is based on her physical appearance and sexuality. Moreover, this view suggests that women are objects to be looked at, rather than players with their own sexual craving. Granted, seeing women as sex objects doubles the rate of sexual violence against them. This view in turn makes sexual violen ce towards women appear justifiable. The two articles, examined here, were rather written professionally and independently, whereupon the authors have used different perspectives to pass across vital. The scholar approach article was presented in a more detailed form, while the popular media article was presented in one-off outline. Both articles have a deep wealth of information, but the scholarly approach carry’s the day with its informative and detailed style it was written.

Is Genetic Engineering the Answer to Ending Global Hunger Term Paper

Is Genetic Engineering the Answer to Ending Global Hunger - Term Paper Example The United Nations approximated that global human population will increase by â€Å"more than 40 percent, from 6.3 billion people today to 8.9 billion in 2050† (Rauch, 2003, p.104). While populations are expanding, the land devoted to planting food is not sufficient to respond to this increase. The pressure to improve agricultural production with limited land supplies results to discussion on different ways of responding to global hunger. Scientists and supporters of genetic engineering asserted that it can be a sustainable solution to global hunger. This paper explores the debate surrounding this issue. It argues that yes, genetic engineering can end global hunger, but if it can do so in a sustainable manner requires further independent studies, so governments all over the world should actively monitor genetic engineering’s operations and effects on human, animal, and plant life. For and Against Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering can end global hunger, because it can produce plants that resist diseases and unruly weather conditions. In the article, â€Å"Will Frankenfood Save the Planet?† Rauch (2003) argued that only genetically modified plants can ensure the benefits of no-till farming, which is a sustainable way of farming. He explained that no-till farming reduces runoff, which pollutes rivers and lakes, since worms and other organisms stay on the top soil and turn agricultural land into a huge â€Å"sponge† for heavy rains (p.104). Genetic engineering essentially makes organic farming possible without the need for manure, which pollutes water systems. Rauch (2003) added that during the 1990s, the agricultural company Monsanto designed a transgenic soybean specimen that it called â€Å"Roundup Ready† (Rauch, 2003, p.105). It tolerates the herbicide Roundup, which kills numerous kinds of weeds and disintegrates the latter into nontoxic ingredients (Rauch, 2003, p.105). Many farmers use Roundup Ready crops, instead of using a cocktail of expensive chemicals (Rauch, 2003, p.105). At present, more than 30% of American soybeans are harvested without plowing fields (Rauch, 2003, p.105). This can have large positive effects on farm areas with poor soil conditions, particularly those in the developing countries. Farmers can convert unused areas that are used to be not good for planting into productive agricultural plots. In â€Å"Food: How Altered?† Ackerman (2002) explored the benefits and drawbacks of genetic engineering. One of the benefits of genetic engineering is designing plants that can withstand rough weather and soil conditions. Hence, it can improve agricultural yield and expand agricultural opportunities. Genetically modified foods can fight other plant and human diseases. Farmers use herbicides to destroy weeds. Biotech crops can offer â€Å"tolerance† genes that help them endure the spraying of chemicals that eradicate almost all kinds of plants (Ackerman, 2002, p.32). Some types of biotech plants produce insecticide, because of gene taken from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short (Ackerman, 2002, p.32). Bt genes produce toxins that are seen as nontoxic to humans, but deadly to several insects, such as the European corn borer, an insect that eats cornstalks and ears (Ackerman, 2002, p.32). Bt is so effective that organic farmers have treated it as a natural insecticide for many

Why Was There a Spanish Armada Essay Example for Free

Why Was There a Spanish Armada Essay England and Spain have had religious differences since Henry VIII changed England into a protestant country as a result of the divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. When Henry died his son, Edward I, was a strong protestant and reinforced the protestant faith in England. When Edward I died at the age of 15, his half sister Mary became Queen. She was a strong Catholic, and this resulted in England returning to the Catholic religion which resulted in the persecution of non-Catholics. She married King Phillip of Spain who was also a devout Catholic. When Mary died, her half sister Elizabeth I became Queen of England, who immediately stopped the persecutions of non- Catholics and changed England back to protestant. The main reason for the Armada was because King Phillip of Spain wanted to take over England and to change it back to Catholic, just as Elizabeth had turned it protestant. King Phillip offered to marry Elizabeth thinking that he could have control over English politics and persuade her to keep the Catholic faith. After she refused his offer he made several failed attempts to kill Queen Elizabeth to replace her with a Catholic Monarch, Mary, Queen of Scotts. King Phillip was getting angry with Queen Elizabeth because she was letting English pirates attack Spanish ships as long as she got a percentage of the spoils. She also offered to help Protestants who rebelled against Spanish rule in the Spanish Netherlands. Elizabeth ordered the execution of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, which convinced King Phillip to attack England. Queen Elizabeth knew that King Phillip had a big fleet of ships and lots of essential supplies. She sent the Royal Navy to do a surprise attack on the Spanish ships at the harbor in Cadiz. The British attacked and damaged several warships, some very severely. They also destroyed the barrels of food, water, and gun powder on the ships. They had to make new ones but they did not let the barrels dry long enough which caused the contents to spoil. The food rotted, the water became undrinkable, and the gun powder was useless. This delayed the Spanish Armada attack for one year.

Heart Diseases and Stem Cell Transplantation

Heart Diseases and Stem Cell Transplantation Abstract According a report published by the World health organization about the most prevalent causes of mortality for the time periods of 2000 and 2011, it can be seen that Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality. There are many conditions that can lead to heart failure. Such conditions are raised blood pressure, myocardial infarction as well as atherosclerotic heart disease. Ischemia leads to necrosis of the myocardial cells due to lack of oxygen resulting in permanent loss of heart muscle. Stem cell therapy allows us to restore the motor function of the heart by delivering stem cells to the site of function loss. The aim of this review is to highlight key points about the different stem cell types that are being researched. Most importantly we will look at how and why recent advances are better suited for treatment of different conditions of the heart. This shall be argued by looking at the ways in which the stem cells used are obtained and transplanted as well as keeping in mind the natural behavior and purpose of the different classes of stem cells. Different Stem cell Types Being Researched The two classes of stem cells that have been researched the most are mulitpotent and pluirpotent stem cells. Pluripotent cells have a greater potency then multipotent stem cells meaning that only specific classes of multipotent stem cells can be used to restore cardiomyocytes. Multipotent Stem cells c-Kit+Cardiac Stem Cells These cardiac stem cells exhibit c-Kit+ which is a surface receptor that has tyrosine kinase activity. There have been successful studies using these types of cells for myocyte regeneration. According to Sheng and co-workers (2012) use of these stem cells has led to regeneration of cardiomyocytes in the ventricles. SCIPIO, is a phase 1 study conducted by Bolli et al. This study looked at patients who suffered from an MI and then had cardiac stem cells introduced into their left ventricle. They published their results in 2011 showing that left ventricular function improved from the initial ejection fraction that was below 40%. Makkar et al. in 2012 published findings for the CADUCEUS study. This study again introduced CSCs into patients LV just after an MI. Results showed no harm being done to the patient as well as an increase in the ejection fraction of the LV. Fuentes and Kearns-Jonker in 2013 released results were application of ephrin A1 can improve CSC treatment in rats. Ephrin A1 is a human protein important for moderating cell maturation that is introduced before transplantation of CSCs occurs. Most notably repopulation of the damaged area (infarct) was twice as much and as well as having improved systolic function as well as reduced number of complications such as arrhythmias. Bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSC) BMSCs are obtained from that patients bone marrow and then used to treat the same patient. BMSCs have been being used for a long time due to ease of acquirement as well as the fact that they don’t elicit an immune response when used. According to Sheng and co-workers (2012) BMSC therapy hasn’t lead to notable changes in patient quality of life with only temporary mild increase in ventricular systolic function. BMSCs release beneficial paracrine effects (Lee et al., 2005). Paracrines have a number of roles including cessation of apoptosis in sites of ischemic heart damage and stimulation of host vascular (angiogenesis) and cardiac tissue (cardiomyogenesis) growth. Inter-conversion of cells from 1 type to another as well as joining of 2 or more cells to become one cell results in formation of endothelial and ventricular muscle tissue from the precursor stem cell (Lee et al., 2005). Pluripotent stem cells Such cells are capable of forming all 3 primary layers. Embryo Stem cells (ESCs) ESCs are obtained from the mass of cells inside the blastocyst and are capable of self renewal. Compared to adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells have more inherent ability to replace damaged tissue in the heart. This is due to them being pluripotent they replace not only the muscle lost but also perform angiogenesis. Advancements in regulation of developmental pathways for ESCs have enabled improved results. BMP inhibitor improves the conversion of ESCs to cardiomyocytes but in so doing reduces conversion to other tissues of mesoderm origin (Hao et al., 2008). Hao and his co-workers (2008) also state that dorsomorphin can become a great tool for stem cell therapy in the future. Wnt/ÃŽ ²-catenin signaling control with the use of XAV939 improves ESC differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) Gene Transplantation Direct gene delivery For different forms of gene delivery the catheter has to both compatible to the site targeted as well as not having any property causing injury or eliciting an immune response. Naimark et al. compared the use of Nitinol stainless steel and Stiletto catheters for epicardial administration as well as endocardial showing that Stilletto catheters were twice as effective. Intrapericardial injection Advantage of this method of delivery is that there is no exposure of the heart and other organs. The use of intrapericardial infection in dogs has shown they endure the pain with not too much distress highlighting that the patient will undergo less distress compared to open surgery (March et al., 1999). This percutaneous method introduces the genes into the pericardial sac which then migrates into the myocardium. (Kawase et al., 2007) There are varying approaches to how to perform the injection. Fromes and coworkers used a transdiaphragmetic method. What was observed was that injection of the stem cells on their own lead to no gene expression difference in the myocardium. Stem cell expression results at the end of week one improved significantly with addition of proteinase in the injection fluid. Endocardial injection Microsphere retention varies according to volume used and site of injection. Endomyocardial injection had 28% greater retention then epicardial administration. Further retention can be obtained with the use of 10 ÃŽ ¼L rather then 100 ÃŽ ¼L. Greater spread of the adenovirus which encoded lac-Z was observed going to other organs in lower volumes too (Grossman et al., 2002). Use of fluoroscopy proved that this method is safe and that gene expression is present in 81% of the pigs used. Specimens used showed no symptoms and signs of cardiac arrhythmia or disturbance of blood flow. Patients suffering from chronic ischemia can develop complications such as perforation of the ventricle due to its thin nature as well as effusion of fluid in the pericardial sac decreasing cardiac output (Gwon et al., 2001). Intramyocardial injection This method has shown great success in many studies due to direct delivery of vector to site of damage. Injection of reporter gene into cardiac tissue and expression of the gene is feasible in canine myocardium. Response showed to be directly proportional to the volume of plasmid DNA used. Interestingly gene expression was uniform throughout the left ventricle independent of the level of injury. Stem cell expression gradually weakens over time showing greatest activity at the end of the first week (von Harsdorf et al., 1993). Use of plasmid DNA for cardiac muscle shows unique property of the tissue in being able to uptake DNA via the use of T tubules. Weakened expression after the first week is due to immune defensive mechanisms targeting transfected cells (Acsadi et al., 1991). Use of plasmid DNA vectors in early studies showed low efficiency in terms of transduction and time interval in which it is active; this lead to the use of adenovirus to transfer of ÃŽ ²-galactosidase gene an d plasmid. However results showed poor expression after day 7 as well as immune reaction generation (Guzman et al., 1993). Use of rAAV proved to be a more successful vector for the LacZ gene showing no immune response generation or inflammation at the site of injection. Expression was strongest after 1 week during weeks 4 to 8 showing very little results in the first 2 weeks. An increase in efficiency in terms of number of cells that undergo transduction due to perfusion was observed. Half of the cardiomyocytes showed LacZ gene expression (Svensson et al., 1999). BetaARKct gene produces a peptide that improves betaAR (beta-adrenergic receptor) signaling which is seen to diminish after a myocardial infarct. BetaAR function is interfered upon by G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2. BetaARKct gene product will eliminate G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 interference. rAAV6 was used as a vector. Introduction of the BetaARKct gene further increased the efficiency of the intramyocardial injection with improved transduction cell number and length of time interval expression is strongest – up to 12 weeks from start of experiment. Long term use of BetaARKct gene lead to raised cardiac contractility as well as a turn around in ventricular remodeling (Rengo et al., 2009). Transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promoted angiogenesis in damaged myocardium and diminished anginal pain (Koransky et al., 2002). Transvascular gene delivery Some diseases such as pulmonary and essential hypertension, long QT syndrome and congestive heart failure require not just a percentage of their cells to undergo transduction but rather the entire myocardium. This can only be done by a method that ensures global delivery to the myocardium (Donahue et al., 1997). This is because it’s not just a group of cells that are contributing to the disease but rather every cell. E.g. Intramyocardial injection in these conditions would be useless as it only affects a small area. Selective coronary catheterization with antegrade intracoronary delivery A single pass method yields poor transduction values showing phenotype expression in only 5% of cardiac muscle at most (Ding et al., 2004). For optimal transduction to take place prolonged exposure time via occlusion of blood supply was necessary. The coronary arteries and coronary venous sinus were the tested targets with the latter producing almost 5 times increase in transduction (Logeart et al., 2001). Donahue and coworkers worked on rabbit myocardium observing key conditions for 96% of myocardial cells to undergo transduction. These parameters included increased virus concentrations, increased exposure, performing experiment at 37 °C, increased coronary flow rate and use of crystalloid media with specific compositions. Almost maximal transduction could be achieved with improved microvascular permeability in a decreased coronary perfusion time period of 2 minutes. Lowered Ca2+concentration coupled to bradykinin or serotonin pretreatment and raised virus concentration achieve this (Donahue et al., 1998). Use of catheters to occlude the aorta and venous return in the right atrium in rodents was coupled to cardiopulmonary arrest with the use of esmolol and acetylcholine for 2 and 5 minutes in order to increase viral incubation time proved to increase transduction response in 43% of cardiac muscle after 3 days. Minimally invasive surgical intervention is still required but the fore mentioned method shows a 400 time improvement in phenotype expression contrasted to the sham-operated group. S-Nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine and histamine use failed to improve microvacular permeability (Ding et al., 2004). Nonselective (indirect) intracoronary delivery Using a number of injections to transfer genes with the use of surgery has been studied in research extensively (Guzman et al., 1993). Transduction of human beta 2- adrenergic receptor (betaAR) gene in patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure can restore the cardiac beta-adrenergic receptor system. betaAR function is also compromised in acute myocardial function upset. The betaAR signaling pathway is the main target of most drugs on the market today for heart failure treatment (Parsa et al., 2003). Use of catheter to deliver Adeno-beta 2 adrenergic receptor into the left ventricle in rabbits produced at most a ten fold increase in beta 2- adrenergic receptor expression. After 3 weeks improved myocardial function was observed. Left ventricular pressure was improved as a result of increased myocardial contractility and improved ventricle loading conditions. Isoproterenol receptivity was also observed to increase (Maurice et al., 1999). This indirect method of virus introduction wi ll result in virus transport in the systemic circulation possibly resulting in ÃŽ ²-AR overexpression in the lungs and liver. Larger doses of the virus result in systemic ischemia and decreased cardiac function (Parsa et al., 2003). According to Hajjar and coworkers gene transfer in vivo results in transduction occurring in more then one location. In vivogene delivery involving adenovirus mediated transmission of betaAR kinase carboxyl terminus (betaARKct) or betaAR has shown that use of betaARKct prohibits smooth muscle hyperplasia in vascular intima after angioplasty. BetaARKct use improves ventrivular function via improved betaAR signaling via genetic inhibition of GÃŽ ²ÃŽ ³-ÃŽ ²-adrenergic receptor kinase. Over expression of betaAR improves cardiac function (Eckhart et al., 2000). Gene delivery in vivo improves ventricular contractility as well as adjustment of ECG intervals (Hajjar et al., 1998). Global phenotypic changes can be improved via increased transduction with the use of an improved method of to deliver the viruses. Introduction of the catheter into the left ventricular cavity followed by movement superiorly to end in the aortic root is coupled with pulmonary artery and ascending aorta occlusion. As a result a transcoronary perfusion gradient is generated; which improves viral delivery. This method has a number of modifications such as prompting of asystole pharmacologically, hypothermia use to lengthen cross-clamp interval and occlusion of the distal aorta (Beeri et al., 2002), (del Monte et al., 2001) and (Hajjar et al., 2000). Selective coronary sinus or coronary venous catheterization with retrograde delivery Intracoronary delivery involves systemic spread of the vector due to the brief interval in which the vector can adhere to the coronary endothelium. This is the great disadvantage of the fore mentioned method as coronary flow and endothelial permeability have a large contribution (Logeart et al., 2001). Contrasted to intracoronary delivery, retrograde delivery results in improved expression of the delivered gene (Kaye et al., 2007). Adeno-associated viral vectors do not induce an immune response and cause no inflammation. AAV vectors facilitate long-term gene expression (Sakata et al., 2007). Retro-infusion has proven to transfer AAV vectors efficiently as a long term method of gene transfer. This is due to improved endothelial permeability and lengthening of adhesion time for the vector (von Degenfeld et al., 2003). Systemic spread of vector to liver and lungs was observed however with lack of gene expression due to use of an enhanced myosin light chain promoter sequence (Raake et al ., 2008). Studies have proved that a single administration is enough in order for efficient regional myocyte transfection to occur. The advantages of only a single administration being necessary include minimal washout and controlled dwell times promoting longer exposure. The genes human developmentally regulated endothelial locus-1 and green fluorescent protein were used in this study (Hou et al., 2003). Pulmonary and hepatic transgene expression can be avoided with the use of adjusted models of myocardial gene delivery. Kaye and coworkers established a high efficiency percutaneous closed-loop system. This closed loop system permits increased transduction in the cardiac muscle due to higher concentration of vector present. This method reduces peripheral systemic spread that results in decreased transgene expression outside the heart in the lungs and liver (Kaye et al., 2007). Bridges states that usage of the percutaneous closed-loop system just mentioned would result in loss of more then 99% of the vector to the systemic circulation and not to the myocardium. On close examination of results obtained 2,639 vector genomes/ mg DNA were found in the heart contrasted to 69,595 vector genomes/ mg DNA in the liver. It was suggested that lack of hemiazaygous vein control results in this systemic spread. Ex vivotechnique Many studies have been carried out on the use of transplantation model for gene transfer. In the study done by Griscelli and coworkers recombinant adenoviruses are injected into coronary vessels of the organ then the heart is transplanted. This study carried out on piglet hearts have emphasized prolonged exposure time for vector contact to the heart. The advantage of using such a transplantation model is that this takes place with no coronary flow. Expression of transferred gene was noted with little presence of the transferred genome in hepatic and pulmonary tissues (Griscelli et al., 2003). Wang and Knechtle experimented on and compared 2 different methods of vector delivery prior to transplantation; myocardial injection and perfusion. Injection produced a higher degree of transgene expression. Perfusion resulted in greater overall distribution of transgene expression. Use of these methods only provides as a short term method of gene transfer (Wang and Knechtle., 1996).

The strategies of McDonalds expanding internationally three MacDonald

The strategies of McDonalds expanding internationally three MacDonald 9.3.1 Introduction The biggest challenge for an multinational is to maintain its global strategy in the stint of diversity as they hit different foreign lands. The same was the biggest challenge for McDonalds when they launched into India. They faced severe Public relation crisis and it was a very difficult to come up with a solution in such a country. Some of the key variables in this relation were the suppliers, customers, government and the Global Brand image of the company itself. McDonald Corporation was created in the year 1955, when Ray Kroc opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. He soon realized this success could be duplicated across the United States and beyond, if consistency and quality could be maintained. In 1957, the company adopted Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value as its motto. Over the decades, McDonalds corporation has grown to a $ 25 billion company and is the worlds leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 restau ­rants in 119 countries serving 27 million customers each day. With such high customer base and the industry they cater too, it becomes very challenging to maintain the Public Relation standards as per each country norms. This industry strives on the type of public relation one creates with the customers and various stakeholders. The globalization, WTO, the facilitates that many governments offered for foreign organizations to enter to its markets, the availability of many suppliers worldwide for many goods and services, all these factors and other factors in behind encouraged many organization to expand globally, this wide expansion made the responsibilities of the operation management more comprehensive and complicated, operation management means design, execution and control the organization operation through convert the resources into desired goods or services with aim to implement it based on the business strategy (Business Dictionary). 9.3.2 Background When McDonalds started their operations in 1948 the menu consisted of cheese burgers and hamburgers, pie, potato chips and beverages like milk, soft drinks, coffee. The cost of hamburger at that time was mere 15 cents. Now it is the largest food chain all over the world. By 1965 McDonalds had 700 restaurants. McDonalds all over the worlds are aligned by Global strategy of plan to win. This strategy focuses on price, people, customer experience, promotion and place. It is a publicly traded company and around 80% of the McDonalds restaurants all over the world are operating on franchisee basis. It competitors consist of Sub Way, burger king, Wendys and YUM which run some of the very famous brands like KFC, AW, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. McDonalds is the industry leader in terms of sales, market cap, employees, gross and net margins. The main cited reason of McDonalds success is the quality standards they have been able to maintain all over the world despite having location constraints at some of the places. They have consistently developed new menu items thereby always attracting new sets of customer and giving enough reasons to old customer to be attached. With this challenging cut throat competition, public relations are becoming very critical for quick restaurant industry. A psychological competition right now in US is the criticism these industry is facing from large obese population. This is especially true for the concept of value meals which provide extra large portion of unhealthy foods. The nutritional value of the quick restaurant segment has sparked many a campaigns and few legal actions. According to New York City department of Health a law was passed in 2008 making it mandatory for quick restaurant to post all the calorie related information against the food item on the menu boards. One of the biggest outcries has been the promotion of this food habits among the socio economic classes and the direct correlation of the obesity among the people. In response McDonalds introduced new and healthier item in the menu and shifted its marketing. With this background McDonalds entered into Singapore as a very famous brand to cater. 9.3.3 McDonald Profile The roots of McDonalds go back to the early 1940s when the McDonald brothers Dick and Mac opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. Ray Kroc, a salesman with a flair for marketing, was so impressed by the speed at which they served people that he became their national franchise agent. McDonald Corporation was created in the year 1955, when Ray Kroc opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. He soon realized this success could be duplicated across the United States and beyond, if consistency and quality could be maintained. In 1957, the company adopted Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value as its motto. Over the decades, McDonalds corporation has grown to a $ 25 billion company and is the worlds leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 restau ­rants in 119 countries serving 27 million customers each day. In January 2003, McDonalds announced its first ever-quarterly loss of $343.8 million since it became a public company in 1965. This led McDonalds to embark upon on a new strategic course, reflecting upon a fundamental change in its approach to growing business. While it initially aimed at adding new restaurants, it now shifted its emphasis to building sales at existing restaurants. In February 2004, McDonalds Corporation announced that System wide sales for McDonalds restaurants had increased by 22.6%, or 14.8% as compared to the previous year. Comparable sales for McDonalds restaurants worldwide had increased by 13.9%. Macdonald is known as fast food company worldwide, it has over 32,000 restaurants worldwide, approximately 75% of MacDonalds restaurants operated via franchise, therefore the nature of MacDonald business guided its performance to pay attention to the quality objective with aim to reduce the costs, as long as it exist in several countries and each country different from each other in terms of taxes row materials, suppliers etc, pay attentions to the speed objective which is the core of its business, pay attention to the flexibility objective, the exist in different nations strongly required to able to change and flexible based on the host country culture and custom. 9.3.4 Strategic Objectives Quality is the mirror of any organization, customers could judge about the organization based on the level of the organization quality, therefore the first step to attract customers is through quality objective which is in somehow is to guarantee that customers will return back again, in this part MacDonald provided high quality products and services though standardize all its branches, and therefore MacDonald obtained customers satisfaction additional to made the operation more easy for the staff, for example MacDonald deal with over 20 bakeries to standardize the products in all the united states in terms of color, flavor etc (Gale/Online), the target of standardization is not only to aim to standardize the food in all restaurants but also to reduce the possibility of mistakes and therefore reduce costs too, another part of the quality objective that MacDonald provided which consider as rare in front of many restaurants is providing customers with nutrition information, thus custom ers can select the meal that applicable to their health (POM Report Macdonald/Online). Speed is the core of MacDonald objectives, to achieve speed objective MacDonald provide set of order channels such as drive-thru, home delivery etc, according to MacDonald CEO McDonalds that put the fast in fast food, and its speed continues to be a major factor in the iconic restaurant chains profits (Restaurant news/Online). Flexibility which consider the secret of MacDonald Success in front of its traditional competitors, MacDonald almost managed to be flexible in all the markets its entered, the flexibility of MacDonald made kind of loyalty among customers and MacDonald due to the changes that MacDonald made it based on the customers cultures and taste, additional to the flexibility to supply from local suppliers of the host country, for example MacDonald added corn soup to the food menu in China, adopted slaughter by Islamic method in GCC countries etc, flexibility to reflect positively insid e the operation through the readiness to response to any increase in the demands. Macdonald is one of the rare organization that succeed to balance between its operation strategic and customer demands, MacDonald combined order-winning and qualifying factors, in terms of order-winning which refer to the customer as key reason of purchasing the product or service (Slack, Chambers Johnston, pp 69), MacDonald as we clarified previously its ability to be flexible for any changes based on the host county culture, in terms of the qualifying factors which refer to that operation performance has to be above a particular level just to be consider by the customer (Slack, Chambers Johnston, pp 69), MacDonald paid attention to the quality aspect, and strive to make all its brunches standardized, therefore MacDonald built hamburger university to teach the franchisers how to be on the standard. Therefore MacDonald operation process aligned with the strategic objectives successfully. 9.3.5 Operation Process Due to the importance of the quality, speed, and cost MacDonald adopted decentralization methodology in its supply network, for example MacDonald in China deal with over 50 suppliers which covers 95% of the raw materials, another example show the (Chain Daily/Online) methodology of MacDonald supply network is MacDonald in United Kingdom, where MacDonald rely on the local market for its supply for almost 60% of the raw materials (Benfield /Online). Although MacDonald rely on outsource for most of its supplies but it maintained the quality part with aim to standardize the meal in all its branch locally and globally, thus MacDonald spent millions to found hamburger university, additional to the close training to the franchisers (AMI info/Online) with aim to ensure that its franchisers will provide the oriented level of quality additional to the closely monitoring and supervision (Slide share/Online). In terms of location of capacity MacDonald deal with Egypt Bakery Stores to supply part of African countries additional to Saudi market, Egypt Bakery Stores has selected by MacDonald due to the strong capacity, Egypt Bakery Stores has over 180 stores regionally (Egypt Bakery Stores/Online), in terms of MacDonald in China, MacDonald selected to start its business in China market particularly in Shenzhen the economic zone of China due to the facilitates that Shenzhen offered to the foreign firms such as cheap power, freedom to hire and fire, cheap manpower, low taxes etc (Paul, pp 478). In terms of the layout MacDonald aimed to have layout that meet its competitive needs, additional to utilize the space as possible as it can in professional and safety way (Operation management/Online). 9.3.6 Utilizing Technology As we mentioned previously how MacDonald paid high attention to the standard and quality parts in several Dimensions, for example in Australia in terms of the documentation work such as issuing and archiving documents, every branch of MacDonald required in quarterly basis to do archive for high volume of documents such as architects, surveyors, interior decorators and designers, and these documents include restaurant layouts, design guidelines, operating procedures, style guides for internal imagery, high resolution photographs and graphics libraries, to store all these documents MacDonald used to save it in CDs, MacDonald observed that this method in somehow expensive and difficult to control, therefore MacDonald deal with Aconex, Aconex offer high technology which allow all MacDonald branch to upload all the documents in one resource (website), thus with this technology MacDonald succeed to reduce costs and time, additional to facilitate a way to find the any documents easily. (Aco nex/Online) 9.3.7 Launch in Asia (Test Market-India) The biggest problem McDonald faced was during the launch of its product in India was the public image it was carrying as an International food chain and not matching Indian standards. There were concerns raised about how the burgers are made in McDonalds. Offering the cheapest burger in the world was not easy 11. In India, McDonalds chose to offer a menu that had no beef or pork items and special product formu ­lations to accommodate the Indian culture and palate. This included developing special sauces with the use of local spices, which once again, contained no beef or pork or any of their derivatives or flavorings. Furthermore, all the vegetarian products, including the mayonnaise in vegetable burg ­ers, were egg-less and 100% vegetarian. Additions to the menu have been a regular feature of McDonalds in India. The product devel ­opment team works on innovations in products. These are based on consumer insights and feedback obtained through extensive research. McDonalds in India conducts regular qualitative and quantitative studies, tracking the target consumer lifestyle across India, a practice that is followed internationally as well. All the new products are test-launched and following customer approval and feedback, the product is taken forward after making the necessary changes. The number of changes in the product offering is the greatest in India. To date, McDonalds has introduced 12 products to suit the Indian tastes. When you perceive the product range as Nothing but the best, providing quality to the customer requires extensive and meticulous quality control. This is a particularly difficult task in a land where a substantial amount of food produce is wasted every year due to lack of proper infrastructure and storage facilities. It was under these circumstances that McDonalds India went about creating the cold chain infrastructure for its restaurants in the country. As McDonalds considers the quality of its products to be of absolute importance, it sets stand ­ards for suppliers that are amongst the highest in the food industry. World over, McDonalds be ­lieves in developing close relationships with suppliers and this is precisely what it has done in India. 9.3.8 Variables Commitment Provided by McDonalds in India-building Suppliers within India In keeping with commitment of sourcing almost all the products from local country suppliers, McDonalds tried to identify Indian business which shared the level of commitment and dedication in supplying its customers with the highest quality products. In the process, McDonalds actually en ­couraged entrepreneurship, by introducing the local suppliers to its global suppliers. This associa ­tion involved transferring in latest food processing technology, thereby leading to an improvement in quality standards and helping create world class manufacturing facilities in India. This was the first step towards creating the unique cold chain. McDonalds suppliers of cheese, Dynamix Dairy, too, recognizing the needs of quality milk for making quality cheese, did set up a quality program for in house milk procurement. McDonalds local supply networks through Radhakrishna Foodland (P) Ltd, which operates distribution centers (DC) for McDonalds restaurants in Delhi Mumbai. The increase in the number of restaurants, investments in multi temperature trucks and systems, which enable the tracking of demand and supply, have helped control inventories. On its part, McDonalds constantly pushes its suppliers and DCs to bring costs down. Suppliers have to hence, necessarily find ways of improving efficiencies, reducing time and cutting costs. The Indian Value Proposition Business decisions in the company are based on emerging trends in the informal eating out industry as well as the marketplace dynamics. In the present economic environment, reviewing the external environment, macro economic factors and consumer-spending patterns is extremely important and this is reviewed along with qualitative studies. As providing value to the customer is the key, price sensitivity studies are conducted before de ­termining the pricing. The rate of inflation is also reviewed. A penetrative pricing strategy has been adopted for most of the products to sustain long-term growth. McDonalds definition of value was far broader than of most of the restaurants in its competition. With this objective, McDonalds India has launched a variety of options grouped under the umbrella of Value Meal. The a la carte items (Burgers, Wraps and McCurry Pan) can be purchased with either a small drink small fries to make up a small value meal or with a medium drink and medium fries for a medium value meal. For Rs. 10/- (net) more, the medium value meal can be upsized to a large Value Meal. This offers the customer a larger selection, and also provides value to the customers (up to Rs. 12/- on every Value Meal) with these combinations. The Happy Price Menu is a move to demonstrate to the customers that McDonalds is affordable. It aims to connect the customer with the branding, the proposition not with the price or the product alone. Under this offering, the McAloo Tikki, Chicken McGrill, Pizza McPuff and the Soft Serve Small [Hot Fudge Strawberry] are offered at Rs. 20. The En deavour is to offer good food, more convenient hours, enhanced service and great value. With the new Happy Meal which has been recently launched, the company aims at addressing the issue of value, choice and flexibility. The starting price point is Rs.55 [net] across the country and offers a wide range of burgers to choose from, viz. in addition to McAloo Tikki, Chicken McGrill and Pizza McPuff earlier, now customers can also choose from McVeggie, McChicken and Filet-O ­-Fish as part of their Happy Meal. The customer is also given the option of substituting the aerated beverage for a small McShake for Rs.8.00 more. The People and the Training-Critical to Public Relations Service is the key element of McDonalds operations. Every employee strived in providing 100 % customer satisfaction for every customer in every visit. This included friendly and attentive service, along with accuracy in order taking and anticipation of customers needs. When the Indian joint venture was formalized, the MTs were given extensive job training in Indonesia. MTs in human resources, real estate and buildings were hired and global directors worked with them to train them in the necessary areas. At McDonalds, training is combination of on-floor along with classroom training, provided by the Learning and Development department, with exposure in various aspects of business. The projected sales of each restaurant determine its staffing requirements. On an average, every restau ­rant has a staff of 40-60 people, including managers. Induction training is conducted at the time of an employees joining the organization. This was done through interactions as well as through exposure with the customer through operation training within the restaurants for a fixed period of time. The organization also provides ample opportunities of overseas training to those displaying po ­tential. Restaurant Managers are sent to the Restaurant Leadership Program held at the prestigious Hamburger University. Similarly, employees of other departments are sent abroad for various rel ­evant training programs. The Location Being located in the right place is always critical in retail. McDonalds prefers to be located at a place convenient to the people. Various parameters termed as generators by the company are studied to gauge the kind of business that could be generated from the location. Some of the generators are residences, shopping areas, offices, entertainment, education institutions along with transit points like stations or bus depots. Feasibility studies are done and once the location is finalized, the premises may either be bought or taken on a long-term lease. The joint venture company makes a majority of the investments. An in- ­house team aided by architects, interior designers and legal agencies then work on creating the restaurant. The People and the Training When the Indian joint venture was formalized, the MTs were given extensive job training in Indonesia. MTs in human resources, real estate and buildings were hired and global directors worked with them to train them in the necessary areas. At McDonalds, training is combined with on-floor along with classroom training, provided by the Learning and Development department, along with the exposure towards various aspects of business. The projected sales of each restaurant determine its staffing requirements. On an average, every restau ­rant has a staff of 40-60 people, including managers. Induction training is conducted at the time of an employees joining the organization. This was done through interactions as well as through exposure with the customer through operation training within the restaurants for a fixed period of time. The organization also provides ample opportunities of overseas training to those displaying po ­tential. Developing the Supply Chain When you perceive the product range as Nothing but the best, providing quality to the customer requires extensive and meticulous quality control. This is a particularly difficult task in a land where a substantial amount of food produce is wasted every year due to lack of proper infrastructure and storage facilities. It was under these circumstances that McDonalds India went about creating the cold chain infrastructure for its restaurants in the country. McDonalds considers quality of its products of absolute importance; it is known for setting stand ­ards for suppliers amongst the highest in food industry. World over, McDonalds be ­lieved in development of close relationships with suppliers and this is precisely what it has done in India. In the process, McDonalds actually en ­couraged entrepreneurship, by introducing the local suppliers to its global suppliers. This associa ­tion involved transfer of state-of-the-art food processing technology, thereby leading to an improvement in quality standards and helping create world class manufacturing facilities in India. This was the first step towards creating the unique cold chain. Building the Brand Once the infrastructure was ready, the build-up towards the opening of the first McDonalds restau ­rant in India began. A 3600 approach was taken, wherein the marketing, advertising and the public relations support were garnered before the launch. When McDonalds launched its first restaurants in India, the advertising done was largely local in nature. Teaser campaigns in local newspapers and extensive PR were used. Ronald McDonald parades also helped create excitement in the first few months of the launch. Mc Donalds had posi ­tioned its restaurant as a family restaurant and barred smoking and serving of alcohol on its premises. In the first two years of its launch in India, the advertising worked on increasing footfalls at its restaurants. Economy pricing of products like the ice cream cone at Rs. 7, bounce back coupons with every cone and Economeals at Rs. 29, 39 and 49 played a major role in getting customers into the restaurants. The results were apparent and resulted in a 48% increase in footfalls along with 30 % hike in the sales. From the onset, McDonalds had positioned itself as a family restaurant and barred smoking and serving of alcohol on its premises. From the year 2000, McDonalds focused on creating a dis ­tinct image of the brand in the mind of the consumer and launched its McDonalds main hai kuch baat campaign. It was the first Quick Service Restaurant [QSR] brand in the country to start adver ­tising on television. The first commercial Stage fright brought out the emotional bond between a father and child. In the same year, the company aired its 1V commercial for the Rs. 7/- soft serve cone cam ­paign, thereby establishing its value proposition. However, research also indicated that people were unaware of the food served by McDonalds. This led to the creation of an advertising campaign which focused on familiarizing customers with the food served at McDonalds. The film showed peo ­ple dreaming of the food served at McDonalds, thus depicting the range of products it offered. Sub ­sequently, in 2002, the company moved to a new tagline To Aaj McDonalds Ho Jaye, which indicated that now McDonalds is a part of your daily life. Consumer research also pointed out that a larger mix of offering was required in its vegetarian menu and McDonalds consciously addressed this need. The company also became aware that eating out, though gaining in frequency, was still largely a family affair. Hence, it was relegated mainly to evenings and the weekends. Another significant finding of the research was that the father, the decision-maker in the family, did not find the food served relevant to him. It wasnt filling enough or to his taste. Taking these nuggets of information, the company worked on extending its range of products and added the Wrap [2002] and the McCurry Pan [2003] to the menu, thereby providing choice and variety as well as addressing the willingness issue that the father faced. The Happy Price Menu came close on the heels of the marketing initiative im lovin it which was launched in September 2003. It has been designed with the purpose of connecting McDonalds with its customers in highly relevant and culturally significant ways around the world. The commu ­nication about this new offering is funky and funny and tells you that McDonalds is a great place at a great price restricted not only to the product, but also extending to the experience. The new television commercials show that any excuse, however small, is a good enough reason to come to McDonalds. The marketing proposition, What your bahana is? speaks to the customer in his lan ­guage, with research once again providing insights for the communication. In an effort to bring the Golden Arches closer to the consumer, The company plans a phased roll out in the region once the operations are established. The key objective for starting de ­liveries is to increase convenience for the customers, so as to enable them to enjoy McDonalds prod ­ucts in the comfort of their homes. At the same time, it aims to make the service hassle-free and easy to use. The concept per se, is not new, as the delivery business has been running successfully in coun ­tries like Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia and Singapore. It is also in line with the international strategy of growing its customer base instead of increasing the number of restaurants. Furthermore, the deliv ­ery model is based on the companys own international standards and is therefore, different in some ways than other local chains. McDonalds is the first in India to have a single toll-free number which customers call to place their order. The call centre determines as to which restaurant the order should be directed. According to Mr. Amit Jatia, Joint Venture Partner Managing Director, McDonalds [Western India], Research conducted by McDonalds has shown that people were ready to try something new and convenient, which would also be value for money. This encouraged the company to launch kiosks in Mumbai in 2004. Kiosks are a point of sales with a limited menu and have been introduced to offer a convenient option for customers who wish to purchase only desserts. Currently, there are 7 kiosks which are op ­erational. These kiosks offer a unique new range of desserts and cold beverages, which are 100% vegetarian. The menu comprises of aerated beverages, non-aerated beverages such as iced tea and cold coffee, soft serves and floats. The strategy is To build brand presence by increasing points of distribution and providing variety to the customers. These are cold kiosks and they serve frozen desserts only. The kiosks are in close proximity of the existing McDonalds outlets only. Serving the Society In keeping with its international policy of serving the society, McDonalds India has also partici ­pated in and supported heath initiatives like the Pulse Polio Immunization program since 1998. In the same year, McDonalds also started Spotlight, an annual inter-school performing arts compe ­tition to provide the students with an atmosphere for healthy competition. Last year, more than 300 schools participated in the event. Other initiatives include its association with the Nehru Science Centre in the year 2000, to bring to the schools of Mumbai, a science quiz, and partnering with the Nalanda Foundation, in the year 2002, for its Blue dot Education Initiative for the under-privileged girl-child. In the near future, the company aims to focus on core markets, get the scale there and then look at further expansion. It plans to add 10 -15 restaurants each year [2004 2005] and estimates a total revenue growth of 40-45% over 2003, of which deliveries will contribute 15- Serving the Society-Assurance In keeping with its international policy of serving the society, McDonalds India has also partici ­pated in and supported heath initiatives like the Pulse Polio Immunization programme since 1998. In the same year, McDonalds also started Spotlight, an annual inter-school performing arts compe ­tition to provide the students with an atmosphere for healthy competition. Last year, more than 300 schools participated in the event. Other initiatives include its association with the Nehru Science Centre in the year 2000, to bring to the schools of Mumbai, a science quiz, and partnering with the Nalanda Foundation, in the year 2002, for its Blue dot Education Initiative for the under-privileged girl-child. Relationship among Variables The key reason behind the success of McDonalds has been the integration of all key objectives and variables under one roof, and then aligning global strategy in the local format. They have used their extensive Public relations capability to build up a strong bonding among the variables. It has bought all the stakeholders at the same platform and assured success and benefit for each one of them. This in turned assured that all of them strive to achieve what McDonalds was set out to achieve when it came to India.

Impsons As Archetypes Essay -- essays research papers

There are stereotypes of different people and beliefs throughout American's thinking. From early on we learn to associate certain cultural differences to certain individuals. The cartoon representations on The Simpsons are a perfect example of such associations. Each character from the long-running, prime time television show is an archetype of individuals in the American society. Homer, Lisa, Barney, and all the rest give us a look at what "typical" Americans should act like while, at the same time, critiquing their attitudes and behaviors. The Simpsons is not the average cartoon show. Although it features cute, animated people and many humorous situations it was not meant for children. This is how the show's writers can get away with such a complex stereotype for each character. Adults and in particular American adults will understand references made buy the characters, their actions and thought processes. When picked apart the main characters of the show, the Simpson fam ily, each have their own Americanized attitudes, which when thrown together encompass the typical "nuclear" family. To set the scene for this example, picture a family of five, all doing their various daily activities: the little boy skateboarding around the neighborhood causing trouble, the little girl at school concentrating on her music, the mother and baby at the supermarket, and the father driving home from a hard days work at the plant. All of a sudden the viewer is in this famil...

Penny Marshall :: essays research papers

Penny Marshall has directed six films in her career: "The Preachers Wife"(1996), "Renaissance Man"(1994), "A League of Their Own"(1992), "Awakenings"(1990), "Big"(1998), and "Jumpin' Jack Flash"(1986). We know Penny best from her stint in Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983) as the hilarious Laverne De Fazio. After the series was cancelled Laverne appeared in some pictures until her directorial debut in "Jumpin' Jack Flash". This film was pretty much a bomb and Penny gained credibility as a director in "Big". Tom Hanks received a nomination for Best Actor in this picture. Marshall's best directorial accomplishment had to be in "Awakenings" starring Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams. This film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Robert DeNiro), and for Best Adapted Screenplay. Penny Marshall's style is classical. "Awakenings" and "Big" in particular are based upon a three-act structure. "A League of their Own" and "Big" are tall tales, strongly centered on plot. There exists good and bad people, and characters that are changed by their experiences (Dr. Malcolm Sayer, Josh Baskin). Character actors are prominent in her films and certainly used to reflect the persona of the star as well as to draw people to the movie. In films such as "Big" Penny places a high emphasis on setting which are highly selective in detail.Penny Marshall's typical choice of genre is comedy probably because of her comedic background, but she did direct "Awakenings" which is a drama. Her films tend to deal with contemporary issues in society such as coming of age ("Big"), oppression of the mentally handicapped ("Awakenings"), and women's accomplishment ("A League of their Own"). Penny Marshall's films are not multi million dollar movies which are filled with special effects and fancy camera action rather they are simple pictures which let the actors convey the messages. Penny does not attempt to use film as an art form; rather she uses film to tell a story. Penny Marshall's story sources consist of original and adapted screenplays. "Big" was written by Gary Ross who is best known for writing and producing "Pleasantville", and Anne Spielberg who wrote "Toy Story". "Awakenings" was adapted from a book of the same title by Oliver Sacks and written for the screen by Steven Zaillian who wrote "Schindler's List" and "A Civil Action" to name but a few. From these two films it is presumed that Penny uses a variety of sources.In "Awakenings" and "Big" Penny's style is classicism.