Dove †Objectives of Marketing Plan & Pricing Strategy Essay

â€Å"Setting objectives for a marketing plan is not simple and straightforward matter. It is an iterative process whereby objectives are set, strategies and action plans are developed, and then it is decided whether the planned objectives are impossible, achievable or easy. Marketing objectives should be difficult, but they must be achievable. The aim is to set objectives that a challenge, but can be achieved with effort. They must be motivating rather than discouraging.† (Westwood, 2002). To be useful, the stated objectives should meet several criteria which are known as SMART objectives. [Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed] According to Marketingteacher.com (2012), the purposes of SMART objectives include: To enable a company to control its marketing plan. ï‚ §=To help to motivate individuals and teams to reach a common goal. To provide an agreed, consistent focus for all functions of an organization. Dove’s Marketing Objectives: According to Marketingmixx.com (2012), Dove develops its marketing objectives very carefully as it is devoted to expand the definition of beauty for the reason that they believe real beauty comes from your inner self. The Marketing Objectives of Dove are: To increase sales by 40% in upcoming 1 year. Providing a boost to its brand image. Broaden the image as a beauty care provider Increase the number of retail outlets selling dove products by 250 within 12 months PRICING STRATEGY Price is the exchange value of a product or service, always expressed in terms of money. There are costs to produce and design a product, to distribute a product, and to promote. Price must support these elements of the mix. Pricing is difficult and must reflect supply relationship. Price is the only element of marking mixes which sales revenue. Price is a powerful marketing instrument. It is often the most flexible of the four marketing mix elements. â€Å"Price is a critical element in the marketing strategy of the industrial marketer and should always be viewed in the context of that marketing strategy. Price interacts with all other elements of the marketing mix to determine the effectiveness of each and of the whole. The objectives that guide pricing strategy should be a subset of the objectives that guide overall marketing strategy. Thus, it is probably wrong to view price as an independent element of marketing strategy or to assert that price, by itself, is a central element in the marketing mix.† (Webster, 1979) In Dove, we use three types of strategies. Namely, Competition-based pricing, Product line, Product Bundle pricing. Competition-based pricing is setting a price in comparison with competitors. Surely a firm has three options and these are to price lower, price to same or price higher. For example: Dove Damage Therapy Shampoo (700 ml) cost $11.70 versus Pantene Shampoo (700ml) cost $10.90 in FairPrice. Product line pricing is pricing different products within the same product range at different price points. For example: Dove Beauty Moisture Body Wash (1L) cost $9.75 versus Dove Firming Moisture Body Wash (1L) cost $10.70 in FairPrice. Product Bundle pricing means offering a group of related products at a combined low price, so as to get rid of slow moving products. For example, Dove charges $7.50 for a bottle of Dove Beauty Moisture Body Wash and $13.90 for a bundle of two bottles at CK Departmental Store. REFERENCES Westwood, J., 2002, The Marketing Plan: A step-by-step Guide. 3rd ed., London, Kogan Page Limited, p 101. Teacher, M, 2012, SMART Objectives [online], England, Marketing Teacher, Available from: http://www.marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-objectives.html. [Last accessed 27th May 2012]. Seher, T., 2012, Marketing Plan of Dove [online], Marketing Mix, Available from: http://marketingmixx.com/marketing-plan-2/181-marketing-plan-of-dove.html [Last accessed 27th May 2012] Webster, F., 1979, Industrial Marketing Strategy, 3rd ed., Canada, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, p 190.

Why Do People Fall in Love

A question many of us find us asking ourselves in today’s society. Many of us have been hurt by love and therefore have refused to neither use nor believe that there is such a word or feeling that exists in the universe. People fall in love for many reasons; some don’t even know why they end up in love. I believe people fall in love for three life-based reasons, to expand the self and to increase our abilities and our effectiveness in other words self-expansion, lack of self-dependency, Last but certainly not least they have something good to offer and they want something good in return.I myself have been thru all these stages of â€Å"Love† as we all call it and have come to a conclusion thru my own two eyes and hands on or should I say feelings on experience. The first reason people fall in love is to expand themselves thru other people also known as self-expansion. In his book â€Å"Self-expansion: a NEW! Integrated paradigm for psychology† author Miklo s Fodor describes very clearly how people expand themselves with one another. He created a model called Fodormiks Integrated Paradigm for Psychology (FIPP).The model describes many forms of human behavior from sex, religion, problem solving and even intimate relations. Upon reading the first couple of pages of the book I learned that the amount of money where you live and yourself can all affect who you fall in love with. If you’re wealthy you are a target of love to someone who wants to expand their business or find funding for something which the person couldn’t afford on their own. An example of self-expansion is in family’s that are wealthy and both husband and wife own businesses or assets that are in good use with each other.The husbands company makes the leather for her fancy purses. Many people believe that this kind of love is wrong but it’s a form of love in which both parties are happy and successful. Another example of self-expansion is someon e who feels they can accomplish more and succeed in life with some besides them. The feeling of being complete motivates the person to pursue a life of fulfillment. Take for instance Romeo and Juliet two lovers who fate was decided by the feelings expressed to each other in self-expansion. The second problem causing reason people fall in love is lack of self-dependency.Many of us witness an individual in a relationship where they are not happy everyone advises them to leave and for some odd reason they claim they are in love. This type of love is brought on by growing up in a harsh unloving family, and they are glued to this person because when they were in distress that person put them at ease to the individual losing someone like that is something they just won’t do. Another reason this love is bought is the person is he/she gets whatever they want while they are with this person for some it could be a meal and the bills paid to others it could be a lavish life-style.A grea t quote that illustrates well what this person might be feeling is â€Å"I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of† written by Michel De Montaigne. The person knows the love is wrong but refuses to leave because simply they are afraid of not finding a better love. This quote also points out that the person is lost inside they don’t know what exactly they are here for in life or what exactly it is they are searching for in a relationship.Lack of self-dependency to my opinion is a horrible reason to be in love but many people in the world depend on this love to get them thru, sad to say this is the type of world we live in. The final reason I believe people fall in love is because they have something good to offer and they want something back in return. Now I believe in this love 100% but some say it’s wrong. In today’s society the relationships that work out are relationships in which both parties are offering something to each othe r.An example of this type of love maybe the wife is a great cook and the husband loves to eat, while in return the husband works on the car clean or does anything to which he believes he can pay the wife for here great cooking. Another way this type of love is manifested in the form of making the significant other feels special. In this type of relationship the trade-offs could range from a number of things, happiness for wealth or wealth for happiness, it could also be a sexual trade off. No matter what in this type of relationship if the person isn’t receiving something in return there is no possible way the relationship is going to work.Some people feel if they love someone more than they love themselves that person to is going to do the same for them, but as we all can see it doesn’t always turn out that way. Some people offer there time, money and efforts to attain the feeling of being loved and end up hurt in the end. I believe all love is false but is used as a way to cope with living with some of life’s hardest decision and it’s always good to have someone by your side thru these times but understanding love can help you attain and reach that level of love and happiness in life.In closing words to the feelings we find ourselves calling love, people fall in love for three life-based purposes to expand the self and to increase our abilities and our effectiveness in other words self-expansion, lack of self-dependency, Last but certainly not least they have something good to offer and they want something good in return. People expand themselves every day in every relationship decision we make or think of making weather done conscious or unconscious the mind has a life of its own and who you fall in love with is determined by many objects and situations surrounding you.Also people fall in love due to what I call lack of self-dependency. It’s a good thing to be in love but make sure it’s a love where both people are benefitting and are happy. Don’t let life’s bad mishaps determine who you fall in love with and the reasons you fall in love. And finally the ultimate reason to fall in love is having something good and offering it to some in returns for a better or equal something. In this love the amount of love you choose to give is the amount of love you get back, you don’t have to ever worry about this love when you encounter it, just embrace close your eyes and never let go.This is the love of feeling of matter of each other’s happiness this is the love I believe that we all should share with each other it would just make things better in the world that we live in.SOURCES http://www. quotegarden. com/self-discovery. html http://www. yoshke. com/2010/02/top-10-reasons-to-fall-in-love/ â€Å"Self-expansion: a NEW! Integrated paradigm for psychology† By Milkos Fodor http://www. 2knowmyself. com/relationship_breakups/why_do_we_fall_in_love Why Do People Fall in Love Why Do People Fall In Love Many researchers actually consider falling in love to be a biologic event. And there are some researchers that can show brain changes using MRI tests to show that there are actual changes in our brain that we think of psychologically but biologically it really is a physiologic change. But when we want to understand what falling in love is — the best concept to understand is the concept called limerance. Limerance is that period in a relationship of great passion, when we're almost obsessed with our partner, when we can think of nothing else, when we put our lives on hold to spend time, to pull all-nighters.We daydream about them and when we put our partner on a pedestal. When, everything they say is smart, when we wonder why everybody in the world isn't in love with our partner. That's limerance. At a certain point in a relationship, limerance fades. It can only last about 2-3 years. At that point many would misperceive that as falling out of love, b ut in fact, it's really a change in the relationship. When the partnership changes from that passionate, exciting, romance, mystery, dangerous period, to one of a stable committed partnership, and by definition, you can't live up to that level of excitement.And at that point you start to see partner's flaws, and not everything they say is wonderful and they have some bad habits, and that requires the concept of recognizing that limerance fades, but being in love, and loving somebody does not. So, in order to really establish a good long-term relationship, we understand that falling out of love means just not putting our limits on wanting that passion all the time. is love natural in humans or are we thought to love by experience ? Non scientifically I think you love because you gave yourself to that person.You opened up about everything to them. You trust them, you get along with them, you can’t imagine not living without them there by you. You love because of the bond you cr eated with this person. We've all experienced love. We've loved (and been loved by) parents, brothers, sisters, friends, even pets. But romantic love is different. It's an intense, new feeling unlike any of these other ways of loving. Loving and being loved adds richness to our lives. When people feel close to others they are happier and even healthier. Love helps us feel important, understood, and secure.But each kind of love has its own distinctive feel. The kind of love we feel for a parent is different from our love for a baby brother or best friend. And the kind of love we feel in romantic relationships is its own unique type of love. Our ability to feel romantic love develops during adolescence. Teens all over the world notice passionate feelings of attraction. Even in cultures where people are not allowed to act on or express these feelings, they're still there. It's a natural part of growing up to develop romantic feelings and sexual attractions to others.These new feelings can be exciting — or even confusing at first. The Magical Ingredients of Love Relationships Love is such a powerful human emotion that experts are constantly studying it. They've discovered that love has three main qualities: 1. Attraction is the â€Å"chemistry† part of love. It's all about the physical — even sexual — interest that two people have in each other. Attraction is responsible for the desire we feel to kiss and hold the object of our affection. Attraction is also what's behind the flushed, nervous-but-excited way we feel when that person is near. 2.Closeness is the bond that develops when we share thoughts and feelings that we don't share with anyone else. When you have this feeling of closeness with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you feel supported, cared for, understood, and accepted for who you are. Trust is a big part of this. 3. Commitment is the promise or decision to stick by the other person through the ups and downs of the relationshi p. These three qualities of love can be combined in different ways to make different kinds of relationships. For example, closeness without attraction is the kind of love we feel for best friends.We share secrets and personal stuff with them, we support them, and they stand by us. But we are not romantically interested in them. Attraction without closeness is more like a crush or infatuation. You're attracted to someone physically but don't know the person well enough yet to feel the closeness that comes from sharing personal experiences and feelings. Romantic love is when attraction and closeness are combined. Lots of relationships grow out of an initial attraction (a crush or â€Å"love at first sight†) and develop into closeness.It's also possible for a friendship to move from closeness into attraction as two people realize their relationship is more than â€Å"just like† and they have become interested in one another in a romantic way. For people falling in love fo r the first time, it can be hard to tell the difference between the intense, new feelings of physical attraction and the deeper closeness that goes with being in love. Lasting Love or Fun Fling? The third ingredient in a love relationship, commitment, is about wanting and deciding to stay together as a couple in the future — despite any changes and challenges that life brings.Sometimes couples who fall in love in high school develop committed relationships that last. Many relationships don't last, though. But it's not because teens aren't capable of deep loving. We typically have shorter relationships as teens because adolescence is a time when we instinctively seek lots of different experiences and try out different things. It's all part of discovering who we are, what we value, and what we want out of life. Another reason we tend to have shorter relationships in our teens is because the things we want to get out of a romantic relationship change as we get a little older.In our teens — especially for guys — relationships are mainly about physical attraction. But by the time guys reach 20 or so, they rate a person's inner qualities as most important. Teen girls emphasize closeness as most important — although they don't mind if a potential love interest is cute too! In our teens, relationships are mostly about having fun. Dating can seem like a great way to have someone to go places with and do things with. Dating can also be a way to fit in. If our friends are all dating someone, we might put pressure on ourselves to find a boyfriend or girlfriend too.For some people dating is even a status thing. It can almost seem like another version of cliques: The pressure to go out with the â€Å"right† person in the â€Å"right† group can make dating a lot less fun than it should be — and not so much about love! In our late teens, though, relationships are less about going out to have fun and fitting in. Closeness, shari ng, and confiding become more important to both guys and girls. By the time they reach their twenties, most girls and guys value support, closeness, and communication, as well as passion.This is the time when people start thinking about finding someone they can commit to in the long run — a love that will last. What Makes a Good Relationship? When people first experience falling in love, it often starts as attraction. Sexual feelings can also be a part of this attraction. People at this stage might daydream about a crush or a new BF or GF. They may doodle the person's name or think of their special someone while a particular song is playing. It sure feels like love. But it's not love yet. It hasn't had time to grow into emotional closeness that's needed for love.Because feelings of attraction and sexual interest are new, and they're directed at a person we want a relationship with, it's not surprising we confuse attraction with love. It's all so intense, exciting, and hard to sort out. The crazy intensity of the passion and attraction phase fades a bit after a while. Like putting all our energy into winning a race, this kind of passion is exhilarating but far too extreme to keep going forever. If a relationship is destined to last, this is where closeness enters the picture. The early passionate intensity may fade, but a deep affectionate attachment takes its place.Some of the ways people grow close are: * Learning to give and receive. A healthy relationship is about both people, not how much one person can get from (or give to) the other. * Revealing feelings. A supportive, caring relationship allows people to reveal detail about themselves — their likes and dislikes, dreams and worries, proud moments, disappointments, fears, and weaknesses. * Listening and supporting. When two people care, they offer support when the other person is feeling vulnerable or afraid. They don't put down or insult their partner, even when they disagree.Giving, receiv ing, revealing, and supporting is a back-and-forth process: One person shares a detail, then the other person shares something, then the first person feels safe enough to share a little more. In this way, the relationship gradually builds into a place of openness, trust, and support where each partner knows that the other will be there when times are tough. Both feel liked and accepted for who they are. The passion and attraction the couple felt early on in the relationship  isn't lost. It's just different. In healthy, long-term relationships, couples often find that intense passion comes and goes at different times.But the closeness is always there. Sometimes, though, a couple loses the closeness. For adults, relationships can sometimes turn into what experts call â€Å"empty love. † This means that the closeness and attraction they once felt is gone, and they stay together only out of commitment. This is not usually a problem for teens, but there are other reasons why rel ationships end Why Do Relationships End? Love is delicate. It needs to be cared for and nurtured if it is to last through time. Just like friendships, relationships can fail if they are not given enough time and attention.This is one reason why some couples might not last — perhaps someone is so busy with school, extracurricular, and work that he or she has less time for a relationship. Or maybe a relationship ends when people graduate and go to separate colleges or take different career paths. For some teens, a couple may grow apart because the things that are important to them change as they mature. Or maybe each person wants different things out of the relationship. Sometimes both people realize the relationship has reached its end; sometimes one person feels this way when the other does not.Moving On Losing love can be painful for anyone. But if it's your first real love and the relationship ends before you want it to, feelings of loss can seem overwhelming. Like the feel ings of passion early in the relationship, the newness and rawness of grief and loss can be intense — and devastating. There's a reason why they call it a broken heart. When a relationship ends, people really need support. Losing a first love isn't something we've been emotionally prepared to cope with. It can help to have close friends and family members to lean on.Unfortunately, lots of people — often adults — expect younger people to bounce back and â€Å"just get over it. † If your heart is broken, find someone you can talk to who really understands the pain you're going through. It seems hard to believe when you're brokenhearted that you can ever feel better. But gradually these feelings grow less intense. Eventually, people move on to other relationships and experiences. Relationships — whether they last 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years, or a lifetime — are all opportunities to experience love on its many different levels. We learn both how to love and how to be loved in return.Romance provides us with a chance to discover our own selves as we share with someone new. We learn the things we love about ourselves, the things we'd like to change, and the qualities and values we look for in a partner. Loving relationships teach us self-respect as well as respect for others. Love is one of the most fulfilling things we can have in our lives. If romance hasn't found you yet, don't worry — there's plenty of time. And the right person is worth the wait This felling of love is a very â€Å"raw† effect of pheromones or sexual hormones that we pick up when around other people.Its root lies in the fact that Mother Nature wants us to procreate and suggests that when this â€Å"falling in love† sensation occurs then the individual these feelings are centered around would make a good partner to have offspring with in terms of a healthy offspring. It DOES NOT mean the same person will make a good life partner. Our society seems to place a great deal of significance on this sensation, and tend to co notate it with a mysterious and magical feeling that can only be the allusive concept of love.This is also why we live in a society with such a high divorce rate. Although it would be nice to think this magical and mysterious feeling extends for the rest of our lives and is an indicator that we found our soul mates – the reality is it is nothing more than chemical warfare with the biology of our bodies. What love it is, is a choice – plain and simple. Of course we hope that happy feelings and good times are a natural result of that choice, but this is not required for the choice of love to exist.People who define love based on how they feel are often times in for a bumpy ride with relationships, because when the body changes its biology, or someone else crosses their path with a new set of hormones/pheromones they react to they have the magical mysterious feeling all over again, but f or someone new. So my two cents would be to understand â€Å"falling in love† is a term that refers to a very raw biological process, one that is independent and should not affect our conscious decisions as to who is significant in

Long-standing and widespread hatred of the Jews Essay

Use your own knowledge to assess how far the sources support the interpretation that the decision to implement the Final Solution arose mainly from a long-standing and widespread hatred of the Jews. During the Nazi Party’s reign of Germany from 1933-1945, it is estimated that around 6 million Jews were slaughtered to death, whilst in Nazi concentration and extermination camps, during WWII. These Nazi ‘forced labour’ camps were set up all over the newly formed Weimar Republic, such as Auschwitz and Dachau, with their main function – genocide. The Nazi German policy to ‘exterminate the European Jews’ was shown through out the Holocaust, especially in the ‘Final Solution’ stage, which Hitler labelled as â€Å"the final solution of the Jewish question†. From the beginning of the Nazi reign of Germany, Adolf Hitler set about implementing laws that could ban Jews from doing specific things. By 1st April 1933, Jewish doctors, shops, lawyers and stores were to be boycotted. Not only this, but 6 days later, Hitler began to unravel his plan to Germany by producing a new law which banned Jews from being employed in government. These upper-class jobs were to be reserved for the ‘Aryan race’, as Jews were forced out of high positions to be replaced by ‘Aryan’ Germans. This begins to prove that there was a strong feeling of hatred towards the Jews from the Nazi’s which they would aim to implement nationally. Source A states that the influence of the Nazi’s was not as ‘widespread’ as many had come to believe. SOPADE reports how many of the German population have been convinced that ‘Jews start all bad things’. This is an example of the Nazi propaganda working for its intended purpose. Propaganda such as: speeches, posters, literature, radio shows etc, were aimed at the German public, trying to persuade them that the Jews were the root of what was wrong in Germany. However, source A also explains that the ‘vast majority’ of the population chose to ignore the ‘anti-Jewish propaganda’. Not only this, but they ‘preferred to shop in Jewish department stores’ almost as a protest to the new Nazi laws. However, as this piece was only written in 1936, 3 years after the regime had began and at least 5 years before the implementation of the Final Solution, it can be assumed that by 1936, the Nazi’s had not gained as much widespread support compared to 1941. Not only this, but this particular piece was written by an Anti-Nazi, socialist and therefore, this source cannot be seen as truly reliable, as it may show bias against the Nazi’s. Source B is an example of how a typical German girl was ‘brainwashed’ into supporting the Nazi regime and ‘totalling identifying herself with National Socialism’. The Nazi’s targeted many of the young German population with Hitler Youth groups and Nazi education schemes. The Hitler Youth groups were anti-Semitic groups which aimed to promote military activities, even resembling basic military training, including strategy and assault course tests. Melita Maschmann recalls the moment she ‘switched to accepting’ that the ‘Jews were the enemies’. She herself had been a member of the girls section of the Hitler Youth groups and she even begins to describe the moment from where she felt ‘something terrible had happened’ to ‘accepting the situation’. This is another example that the Nazi propaganda and schemes had begun to take effect. This account is written based on the events of Kristallnacht, where on a single night, 91 Jews were murdered and around 25,000-30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps, on the 10th November 1938. In source A, it stated that by 1936 not many of the population had been convinced the Nazi Party, however, source B suggests that the Nazi plan was starting to take effect by 1938. However, yet again it has be noted that this ‘recalled’ account was written after WWII in 1964, therefore events may have occurred that have changed this persons account of that night. Source C is a brief insight into what it was like to be in a family in Nazi Germany that had been separated by political views. Bernt Engelmann recalls how he spoke of the ‘unspeakable crudeness and cowardice’ of the Nazi’s, whereas his cousin, Klaus-Gà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nther objected by stating ‘you have to accept the idea of political necessity’. This is in comparison with source A which suggested that there were conflicting, political views through out the German population. Not only this, but it also identifies with source B and the Nazi propaganda. It can be established that the cousin, Klaus- Gà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nther, has been influenced by Nazi propaganda, such as Hitler Youth and Nazi literature. He details his feelings towards the Jews by labelling them ‘parasites’. This again suggests that there was much widespread hatred of Jews, which of course could have helped make the decision to implement the Final Solution. The ‘future SS General’ Klaus, also argued that the violence at Kristallnacht was much better than a ‘hundred years of struggle’. However, clearly the Nazi propaganda had lead people to believe that the new Aryan race was superior to the Jews, and that they should make them pay and put the money towards ‘our defences in the West’. It also looks as though Hitler was preparing for war and felt that he could make the Jewish community pay for the German defences. Source D is the testimony of Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess at the Nuremburg war crime trials in 1946. In his testimony he suggests that it was Hitler’s hatred of the Jews which forced the Nazis into ‘solving the Jewish question, once and for all’ – the Final solution. This order had been put to Himmler and Hess, through the extermination camps. From 1941 onwards, Jews were to be transferred to extermination camps, which generally had very high death rates as a result of executions, starvation, and disease etc, nevertheless, only the extermination camps were intended specifically for mass killing. Before 1941, concentration camps, such as Dachau and Belsen, had been the primary location in which Jews were mistreated, starved and killed. In the testimony, ‘Auschwitz’ is selected as the main location in which the Nazi extermination camp would be set up. In the Auschwitz concentration camp, Hess decided to make the gas chambers ten times bigger than the ones seen at Treblinka, so that they could kill 2,000 people at once, rather than 200. Later on in his testimony, Hess also stated that up to 3 million Jews were killed in the Auschwitz death camp. This is another example of how the Nazi’s attempted to wipe out the Jewish race; however it does not give any information on how widespread this hatred was in Germany. This source is fairly reliable due to the fact this testimony was given 5 years after the incident and the fact that he had flown himself to Scotland to restore peace with Britain. It could be suggested that once he had been arrested there was not a lot he could argue; due to the fact he was responsible for the death of millions of Jews. Source E attempts to argue that the Nazi policy had ‘not been set on genocide in the period before 1941’. Evidence that could be argued to back up this point is that Hitler did not order the transfer of Jews to extermination camps until 1941. He also states that Himmler regarded it as ‘impossible and against German nature’. However, both points could be argued that due to the mass amount of Nazi propaganda, it is hard to argue that Hitler was not always pining for a ‘super Aryan race’ and planned to ‘execute the European Jews’. Not only this, but it could be suggested that Himmler’s statement may also be seen as propaganda, as people may have began to question the Nazi policy, as stated in source B. Alan Farmer, also attempts to suggest that due to the fact the invasion of the USSR was not going to plan, Hitler was forced to ‘initiate extermination out of desperation’. Therefore, he began to kill all Russian Jews, ‘which lead him to decide to kill all Jews’. This idea conflicts with the majority of the other sources, which have relied on the mass amount of propaganda that was issued during the time, and that many of the authors of the sources were recalling sections of time from the period, whereas Source E is written by a ‘modern historian’. Although, it is fair to suggest that Alan Farmer may have had more information at his disposal and has also had more time to analyse the period. In conclusion, it does seem as though the large majority of the sources available agreed that there was a widespread hatred of the Jews throughout Germany, caused by the Nazi influence, and this did lead to Hitler implementing the Final Solution. I feel as though Nazi propaganda and other schemes such as Nazi-education, lead to a very convinced nation. I also believe Source B was a good example of how a child could be so easily ‘brainwashed’ into believing the ‘Jews were the enemy’, through Hitler Youth and Nazi Education.

Alternative Perspectives on Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alternative Perspectives on Management - Essay Example To illustrate this, there is consideration of two topics, that is, marketing and architecture as stated in the research study by Buchanan (2010). Since many businesses require robust marketing and architecture, the members attached to the business understand these phenomena. Additionally, the stakeholders and other members understand the rational phenomenon of the business. Many stakeholders and members of a business fail to attach the functional image of the business to their experiences in terms of marketing and architecture. Marketing The functionality of a business in terms of Marketing forms an ethical foundation although it tries to disguise itself and presence of limited critics who perceive its definition of the supposed ethics. There are epistemological suppositions which dominate this perspective and whose orthodoxy needs to be uncovered. This statement implies that it is tasking to perform function marketing, but is it possible to execute the practice of contacting a custo mer. Marketing has been applied mostly in non-profit organizations and government sectors. This implies that marketing is one of the most vital business functionality as stated by Alvesson (2003). According to Alvesson, Bridgman & Willmott (2009), the business functionality problem can be in terms of the marketing strategy that the business uses. Marketing is a crucial issue when dealing with the functionality of a business. ... Boje (2008) illustrates that marketing comes before finance and sales, implying that the power of marketing is a manipulative factor for many individuals since marketing shapes the customer’s needs so as to make enough profits. Internal processes that help to get the functional view of a business from a marketing perspective include; the organization of the marketing department of the business such that every product is familiar to every potential consumer. Martin (2001) in his research study, states that it is crucial for a business to broaden marketing into the public sector since many financial institutions insist on marketing plans. Marketing colonizes organizations but does not determine the direction that the business organization takes. To illustrate this perspective, there is consideration of the Woolworth supermarket where its marketing strategies ensure that all products, which already in the market, extend to as many customers as possible. The logo that a business u ses also acts as a boost in marketing its products. Most employees in the businesses I have observed fail to understand that to retain the customers who keep the business operation; the customers require new products, which have an added ingredient. The function image of a business is in the form of a set of ongoing activities, which are logical so as to sustain the business objectives of the organization these activities depend on the marketing strategy of the business as explained by Hatch & Cunliffe (2012). Marketing has, thus; been a teaching to me to become convincing to customers when trying to make them buy a new product. Currently many stakeholders in other regions do not promote their products through marketing as

Clinical supervision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Clinical supervision - Essay Example afterwards, in order to analyze it"(Goldhammer 1969)Four years after Goldhammer outlined his model for clinical supervision, Cogan did an analysis of Goldhammer's work and with the assistance of supervisors of teachers at Harvard University, Cogan adopted his own Clinical Supervision model, albeit it has three more steps than the pioneering model, the minor variance in the number of steps does not water down or conflict in concept. Cogan, however, does exhibit some flexibility as he offers, "certain phases may be omitted or altered, or new procedures instituted, depending upon the successful development of the working relationship between the supervisor and the teacher"(Cogan 1973 10-12). The fact that an allowance is kept alive for the possible retrofitting of a model, is an extremely salient point; because one might not always be successful in keeping the practice and theory diversities at a minimum, therefore adjustment might be necessary in both the model and its presentation.A third model was designed by Acheson & Gall (1987), this model possesses only three steps; planning conference; observation and feedback conference. The Peer Assistance and Review states that, "The clinical Supervision concept is intended to be a cyclic process. This implies that the supervision process is not a one time "drop in" event, but rather, the teacher and the supervisor will work together through a series of cycles to enhance the teachers abilities"(PAR) Anderson & Krajewsk i(1993 pp 175-176), are working on a similar flexible plane as Cogan as they maintain, "teachers are not compelled to follow a sequential order, "they can cut them to suit the situations in which they find...Goldhammer (1969) defines the term ‘clinical’ as, â€Å"it is meant to imply supervision up close† That is the supervisor actually observes the teacher in the classroom, collects data on the observation, and uses the data for analysis following the observation†Goldhammer believed that the supervisory process is prime to embody an aire of open communication and trust between the teacher and his/her consulting teacher. The most basic element in the process is how the teacher feels about their personal level of capabilities. There has been an evolutionary explosion in the area of Clinical supervision in the past ten years. We have come to see the practice of development of cognitive coaching, peer coaching, and action research. Either one of these three processes can work in accord with either of the three clinical supervision models mention herein. If either of the processes is applied individually, as in the case of cognitive coaching; wherein Cos ta and Garmston (1994) , describes as, â€Å"a non-judgmental set of practices built around a planning conference, lesson observation, and a reflective follow-up conference†(Costa & Garmston). These processes breakdown a group of basic assumptions, guidelines, and skills which can work in all contact with other teachers, learners, and the parents. It follows, that when all three of these processes are super imposed over the various steps of either of the three models mentioned, it is a given that we are then reckoning with a major positive shift in the learning environment.

Policy and Governance in Sustainable Systems Term Paper

Policy and Governance in Sustainable Systems - Term Paper Example Instead, they end up electing the leaders who use the governments’ money to come up with projects that use a large amount of government’s money in order to, please people. This results into huge deficits in a country. Democratic participation in the making and enforcement of policies is very common in many countries. It is true that democracy affects environmental policies stringency positively, but only if the country has a history of democratic rule and the country is less corrupt. The positive effects of democracy are linked with the citizens’ ability to give information concerning the environmental destruction and the ability to protest against it. Because of democracy, there has been an augmentation in environmental commitment, in states. For instance, democracy has influence the signing off Multilateral Environmental Agreements, which is a sign of environmental commitment (Pellegrini 2011). â€Å"What is the tragedy of the commons and what are some of the ways to mitigate it? What are some of the conditions that enable self-organization to alleviate the tragedy?† Tragedy of the commons is the problems caused by individuals’ collective actions. It results when resources in the community has no private ownerships and are owned by the entire community. Since the resources that are owned by the community, no one cares to use them responsibly, and this leads to their depletion. Example of the tragedy of he commons is overfishing from a lake that is not owned by a specific person in the community, or cutting trees from a community forest. The problem can be mitigated if the whole community comes together to restrict the harvesting of the resources. The problems can also be mitigated in a country if the governments set regulations or taxes. Self-organization can alleviate the tragedy of the commons if it creates a system of give and receive, which can sustain a high level of cooperation to generate new canons of reciprocity. Mo reover, the self-organization should create group identity especially in the institutions that are self-governed, so that a player can discuss the problems related to the tragedy freely (Gunderson, 2002). â€Å"How does splitting types of goods and services by levels of exclusivity and subtractability help us to understand governance systems better? Explain the various types of goods and the relevant institutional arrangements for effective governance†. Public and private goods are in opposition because of the difficulties in excluding access to and low substractability of public goods, and the corresponding ease of exclusivity and high substractability of the private goods. Splitting the goods in such levels help us to understand the governance system better since they make is easier for one to understand how and why particular systems of resource governance and property regime develop as they do. The types of goods that exist are the private goods and the public goods. The public cannot use the private goods; however, the public can use them under certain conditions. The public goods have no specific ownership, and that can result to the Tragedy of the Commons. The nature of goods depends on its exclusivity and substractability. The private rights refer to the clear specification, security and exclusivity of the right, which the right holder alone is entitled to. The public or private nature of a resource defines the representational claims of the body. A public body represents the general

Sustainable Business Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Sustainable Business Development - Essay Example Zipcar can be taken as a service which causes such environmental implications. It is a car sharing club located in United Kingdom. As per figure1 there exists series of steps to be focused on while manufacturing cars. In this process metals has to be extracted and ores need to be dug from the ground. These raw materials are then transformed into parts. There are other parts that are transported to assembly unit like paint, rubber tyres, plastic dashboards, etc. The entire transportation process encompasses consumption of energy. A medium size car production results into emission of approximately 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The major environmental impacts caused by car production are in terms of waste water discharge, solid waste generated in manufacturing units which is disposed to landfill, emission of volatile organic compounds to air, energy consumption, large amount of waste generation, etc. Greenhouse gases are strongly emitted during the production phase of Cars (Harrington and McConnell, 2003). It has been witnessed that waste is generated in large amounts starting from extracting of raw materials to fi nal packaging. Figure 2 clearly states that production volume country wise has increased over a given time frame. This sudden increase in volume has caused drastic impact on the environment. On the other hand, enhanced consumption rate is another aspect which has contributed towards production increase. However in recent scenario level of Car sales has returned back to normal level as denoted in figure 3. The consistent demand towards Car consumption has caused drastic impacts on environment. In overall context, the major pollutants discharged by Cars are greenhouse gases. Burning of fuel within Car emits large amount of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere which is harmful for human body as well as atmosphere. Global warming is the final result of such emissions (Kagawa, 2011). Noise pollution is also another factor related to Car consumption

Political science questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political science questions - Essay Example This came as a stark contrast with the Bush Administration, who continued to state and restate the need for American forces in Iraq to continue the humanitarian mission that was started in 2003. For international relations as a whole, the Obama Doctrine means that Americans can expect more open and collaborative relationships with foreign countries. However, according to some critics, it may also lead to more appeasement to corruption and violence overseas. 2. The â€Å"Great Recession† of the late 2000s started with the 2007 financial crisis and it has affected the global economy. In 2009, the recession ended because the United States experienced two consecutive quarters of growth in GDP. Despite the official end of the recession, the U.S. still suffers from high unemployment, low home prices, and inflation. Even while these problems persist through the official end of the recession, the world is arguably in a much better place than it was in 2007 and 2008 when the financial crisis began. The global economy has adjusted by changing who is growing and who is not growing in their economies. While the United States, Russia, and much of Europe remain slow to grow after the recession, China and India continue to grow despite the slowdown. In this sense, growth in the world economy did not decrease and instead, it shifted elsewhere. 3. The American Tea Party stands for any number of populist and conservative ideals, but the members of the movement consistently state their desire to lower the national debt. They claim that the most direct path to that goal is fiscal responsibility and accountability from legislators. The primary method the Tea Party uses is protests, which they organize and carry out very effectively. Because the Tea Party is a grassroots organization, it has a broad range of support from everyday Americans. The Tea Party is also increasing in power and in the attention they receive from the national media. By having a larger number of party m embers and more attention, the Tea Party is able to put more pressure on politicians to create fiscally responsible legislation that is either neutral to the national debt or reduces it. The Tea Party puts the most pressure on Republicans because the Tea Party is often seen as an outgrowth of the Republican Party. For that reason, some prominent Republican in Congress are shifting over to embrace the Tea Party label, which appeals to a wider base of supporters and plays into the Tea Party goal of making a more responsible and accountable federal government. 4. In 2011, President Obama handed over control of the military intervention in Libya in order to allow the United Nations to carry out its long-held responsibility to maintain peace in the country. Earlier this year, a number of countries decided to take immediate military action to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, which involved missile strikes and fly-overs by American forces. Although the United States has participated in bo mbings and surveillance of Libya, the United Nations is largely organizing the military intervention. Allowing NATO and the UN to take over but keeping a large role for the United States was an intelligent move on President Obama’s part because it demonstrates the collaborative spirit of the Obama Doctrine and it avoids the costly role that the United States took in Iraq and Afghanistan. In late March, the NATO

Writing Styles Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Writing Styles Issues - Essay Example Knowledge of the subject helps me bring out my points clearly, and I can state my facts well. The knowledge also helps me know whether my opinion relates to the topic or whether it is off topic. I have also learned that I can know more about the theme of discussion by reading on it prior to writing and taking notes. If I had read and understood well what Weiner discusses in his book, I would have chosen a more suitable topic. When writing my argumentative essay, I need to be more persuasive. My instructor noted in my E1FD essay that a few paragraphs needed to be clearer and more convincing. I learned that to be more persuasive, I must ensure my thesis has two sides to make it debatable. I will then go ahead to convince my readers why my stand is a better pick by disapproving the opposing argument. I can do this by finding the mistakes in logic in the opposite argument or by giving evidence to oppose. In writing a proper essay, I must ensure that my work has no plagiarism. In my E1FD essay, my instructor says I should introduce all quotations correctly and to quote correctly to avoid plagiarism. Quoting what Weiner says in his book without acknowledging it as his words makes my work plagiarized. I have learned that I can ensure there is no plagiarism of my work by having in-text citations. I also have to have a works-cited page with the correct format at the end of my work to help the reader understand where my in-text citations originate. I need to use a hanging indent on my works-cited.

HRM is more than just hiring, maintaining and firing staff it is a Essay

HRM is more than just hiring, maintaining and firing staff it is a profession in its own right - Essay Example As a field human resource management has been undergoing significant transformation over the years. It has been increasingly designing such management systems which ensure that the company’s human resources are being used effectively and efficiently in organizations for accomplishing the organizational goals. This fact holds true whether employees are belonging to a large organization having more than 10,000 positions or whether it is a small and non profit making organization having less than 10 employees. Right from the time of absorption of the employee in the organization till the time when he retires or resigns the entire growth path of the employee is carved out by the HR departments. This includes his career growth, compensation, satisfaction level in the organization, productivity, and measurement of his productivity and training and development in the organization. Thus it is difficult to define his job and responsibilities objectively. Thus ‘HR’ as a pro fession includes a whole set of activities and not just the responsibility of recruiting, maintaining and firing candidates. The present project seeks to put forth arguments towards the role of ‘HR’ as being a profession. The critical analysis would be presented using the various arguments for or against the subject (Jackson & Mathis, 2007, p.24). The role of HR as a profession was identified long back. Since the start of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor was of the opinion that HR managers knew exactly the activities that people were required to do and the cheapest and the best possible of doing them (Kramar, 2005, p.2). He proposed the use of analytical procedures for improving the performance of employees which eventually leads to improvement of the company’s performance. His proposition was to emphasize on the aspects of human resource management and its

Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Speech or Presentation

Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah - Speech or Presentation Example Nonetheless, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is remembered today as being the thirteenth ruler of Kuwait, having ruled the country for close to thirty years. Therefore, he greatly influenced Kuwait, and contributed to the current state of the country. Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is among the first Kuwaiti to attend the first school that was opened in the country. The Al-Mubarakiya School was the first school to be established in Kuwait, and this is where Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah schooled. This therefore, shows that this leader embraced education and applied his intelligence and educational knowledge in his leadership. Apart from academic schooling, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was also taught religion, although through a private tutor. He also learnt the English language through private tuition. In addition, he was taught the Arabic literature, as well as the basic scientific skills. This shows us that Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was a knowledgeable man. In add ition, his family, especially his father, knew how to invest in his son through an education. Religion was also core to Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Therefore, he was a leader that was developed in all aspects (‘AMEinfo.com’ WEB). The first leadership responsibility of Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was when he was 23 years-old. He was given responsibility in the region of Ahmadi, to be the director of public security. Later in the year 1962, Kuwait obtained its first Minister of finance and economy, and Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was named as the holder of this position. Therefore, it is clear that, before Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came into power in the year 1977 as the ruler of Kuwait, he already had an experience in leadership (‘AMEinfo.com’ WEB). A variety of leadership positions continued to shape Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for the leadership task that lay ahead of him. In the year 1965, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah now w as given a greater position, moving from a finance minister to the prime minister of Kuwait. Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was finally pronounced an apparent heir and a crown prince in the middle of 1966. Afterwards, when his father, the then ruler of Kuwait passed away, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was crowned as the 13th ruler of Kuwait. This was in December 31, 1977, as earlier mentioned. Therefore, from Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s childhood, it has become clear that his father was interested in him, and invested much in him, knowing that he would be the next ruler of Kuwait. Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s rulership in Kuwait was not easy. He was faced with a myriad of challenges during his rulership. These emerged from both the internal and external forces, thus putting his leadership skills to test. Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s rule occurred at a time when there was turbulence in the political and social environment of Kuwait as well as its neighbours, Iraqi, Iran, and Syria. Since Kuwait is one of the Arabic countries and a neighbour to other Arabic countries, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had to get involved in various political issues in which its neighbours were involved. With regard to relationship with foreign countries, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah prioritized peace. However, as a leader of Kuwait, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had to address the various threats that came from the external environment. This included the war between Iraq and Iran, which lasted for eight

Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies Among Transgenders Essay Example for Free

Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies Among Transgenders Essay â€Å"Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you†.1 Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles. Transgender is the state of ones gender identity† (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) not matching ones assigned sex (identification by others as male, female or intersex based on physical/genetic sex). A transgender individual may have characteristics that are normally associated with a particular gender, identify elsewhere on the traditional gender continuum, or exist outside of it as other, agender, Genderqueer, or third gender. Transgender people may also identify as bigender, or along several places on either the traditional transgender continuum, or the more encompassing continuums which have been developed in response to the significantly more detailed studies done in recent years. 2 Transgender refers to a person, male or female, who dresses, acts or presents in a manner that differs from his or her gender norm. Transgender includes transvestites (both fetish and dual-role), drag queens, drag kings, androgynes and genderqueers. It does not include transsexual people.3 The transgender community in India, known as hijras, number up to a million people and occupy a unique role in society. On the one hand, they are called upon to offer blessings during auspicious occasions like weddings and at births. The rest of the time, they are not only ignored but often ostracized from society.4 Transgender individuals are commonly viewed as a part of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community, forming the commonly known acronym LGBT. However, inclusion of transgender individuals within the sexual orientation political movement, and at social or cultural gay/lesbian events is highly debated. This is due to the division of sexual orientation and gender identity, which, though correlated, are different constructs. Whereas sexual orientation refers to one’s emotional, romantic and sexual attraction to others, gender identity refers to the person’s relationship to their gender and is largely independent of orientation. It is important to make the distinction between sex and gender. Sex is biological and physical (e.g., chromosomes, hormones, gonads), while gender is psychologically and socially constructed. For transgender individuals, gender is not congruent with sex. In order to align sex and gender a transgender individual may or may not undergo medical treatment, such as hormones or surgery. 5 Psychological distress is the end result of factors–example, psychogenic pain, internal conflicts, and external stress that prevent a person from self-actualization and connecting with significant others6. Coping is the expending conscious effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize or tolerate stress or conflict. Psychological coping mechanisms are commonly termed coping strategies or coping skills. The term coping generally refers to adaptive or constructive coping strategies, i.e., the strategies reduce stress levels. Furthermore, the term coping generally refers to reactive coping, i.e., the coping response follows the stressor. This contrasts with proactive coping, in which a coping response aims to head off a future stressor7. Brief Resume of Intended Work 6.1 NEED FOR STUDY The term transgender (TG) was popularized in the 1970s (but implied in the 1960) describing people who wanted to live cross-gender without sex reassignment surgery. In the 1980s the term was expanded to an umbrella term, and became popular as a means of uniting all those whose gender identity did not mesh with their gender assigned at birth. In the 1990s, the term took on a political dimension as an alliance covering all who have at some point not conformed to gender norms, and the term became used to question the validity of those norms or pursue equal rights and anti-discrimination legislation, leading to its widespread usage in the media, academic world and law. The term continues to evolve.2 The population of hijras in India is estimated to be between 50,000 and 1.2 million. There is a huge disparity in the numbers because population censuses only give space to define either males or females. There are no reliable statistics. Tamil Nadu in a path breaking move has come to recogni ze transgenders – (the term itself is no monolith as transgender is more of an umbrella term). 8 Most hijras live at the margins of society with very low status; the very word hijra is sometimes used in a derogatory manner. Few employment opportunities are available to hijras. Many get their income from performing at ceremonies, begging, or sex work—an occupation of eunuchs also recorded in premodern times. Violence against hijras, especially hijra sex workers, is often brutal, and occurs in public spaces, police stations, prisons, and their homes. As with transgender people in most of the world, they face extreme discrimination in health, housing, education, employment, immigration, law, and any bureaucracy that is unable to place them into male or female gender categories. 9 Discrimination has prevented most hijras from obtaining decent education, jobs and housing, say transgender and human rights activists. The vast majority live in slums and, with limited job opportunities, resort to sex work or begging. They weave in and out of Mumbai’s traffic or come onto the women’s compartments of local trains, clap loudly and take money in exchange for a blessing. While hijras continue to face discrimination, they have also made significant social and legal gains in recent years. Last July, the Delhi High Court decriminalized gay sex, and in November, transgenders won the right to be listed as â€Å"other† rather than â€Å"male† or â€Å"female† on electoral rolls and voter identity cards.4 Tamil Nadu has an estimated population of 30,000 transgender people. It has made great strides in trying to integrate transgender people into society. This includes welfare schemes initiated by the Government and acceptance of transgender people into the mainstream media and film industry.10 The Hijra of India are probably the most well known and populous third sex type in the modern world – Mumbai-based community health organisation The Humsafar Trust estimates there are between 5 and 6 million hijras in India. In different areas they are known as Aravani/Aruvani or Jogappa. Often (somewhat misleadingly) called eunuchs in English, they may be born intersex or apparently male, dress in feminine clothes and generally see themselves as neither men. In June 2009, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered a census of hijras, who number between 80,000 and 300,000 in Pakistan. In December 2009, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, ordered that the National Database and Registration Authority issue national identity cards to members of the community showing their distinct gender. 11 In a national school climate survey on the school related experiences of our nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, 55 percent of transgender youth report being physically attacked.33.2 percent of transgender youth have attempted suicide. 74 percent of transgender youth reported being sexually harassed at school, and 90 percent of transgender youth reported feeling unsafe at school because of their gender expression In a survey of 403 transgender people, 78 percent reported having been verbally harassed and 48 percent reported having been victims of assault, including assault with a weapon, sexual assault or rape. A study was found that bisexual students in Massachusetts and Vermont were three to six times more likely to use cocaine than their straight classmates.12 A study conducted on fifty-five transgender youth described their gender development and some of the stressful life experiences related to their gender identity and gender expression. More than two-thirds of youth reported past verbal abuse by their parents or peers related to their gender identity and nonconformity, and approximately one-fifth to one-third reported past physical abuse. The more gender non-conforming the youth were, the more abuse they reported. Four aspects of psychological resilience were examined: a sense of personal mastery, self-esteem, perceived social support, and emotion-oriented coping. A regression model of the selected aspects of resilience accounted for 40–55 percent of the variance in relation to depression, trauma symptoms, mental health symptoms, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Emotion-oriented coping was a significant predictor of negative mental health as determined by each of the mental health variables 13. A study conducted by GLSEN found that over 85 percent of trans students reported verbal harassment based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Nearly half (49.5 percent) reported physical harassment based on these characteristics, and a third (34.1 percent) reported being physically assaulted. Transgender students get harassed much more often than their classmates: the study found that transgender students were over four times more likely to be verbally harassed because of their gender expression. The dramatically higher frequency of such victimization among transgender people is alarming, and as one would assume, has significant effects on a student’s ability to learn. 14 Psychiatric nurses are often in ideal position to assess the health and its problems and to offer education and support. Nurse needs to be knowledgeable about psychological distress and coping mechanism among Transgender people. When the nurse develops an effective plan for nursing management, she should consider family involvement, appropriate referral resources. The above studies highlight the psychological distress faced by the transgenders. As there is a dearth of research studies on transgenders in nursing, the researcher felt the need to contribute, explore and identify the psychological distress and coping strategies among transgenders. 6.2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE A study conducted on the fear of experiencing discrimination often provokes symptoms of psychological distress. One coping resource is positive identification with ones social groupknown as collective self-esteem. This preliminary study investigated whether collective self-esteem was related to fears regarding a transsexual identity and psychological distress among 53 self-identified male-to-female transsexuals (mean age = 50.79 years). Participants were recruited from transgender events held in Arizona and California. The majority (81 percent) reported living full-time as women (mean length of time living as a woman = 6.33 years). Negative feelings about the transsexual community and fears regarding the impact of a transsexual identity were positively related to psychological distress. A regression model revealed that the fear of how a transsexual identity would affect ones life was the best predictor of the severity of psychological distress. These results are consistent with findi ngs from other historically marginalized groups, whereby the stress of being stigmatized by society adversely affects mental health. 15 A study used three focus groups to explore factors that affect the experiences of youth (ages 15 to 21) that identify as transgender. The focus groups were designed to probe transgender youths experiences of vulnerability in the areas of health and mental health. This involved their exposure to risks, discrimination, marginalization, and their access to supportive resources. Three themes emerged from an analysis of the groups conversations. The themes centered on gender identity and gender presentation, sexuality and sexual orientation, and vulnerability and health issues. Most youth reported feeling they were transgender at puberty, and they experienced negative reactions to their gender atypical behaviors, as well as confusion between their gender identity and sexual orientation. Youth noted four problems related to their vulnerability in health-related areas: the lack of safe environments, poor access to physical health services, inadequate resources to address their mental health concerns, and a lack of continuity of care giving by their families and communities16. A study conducted on the sexual minority status is a key risk factor for suicide among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth; however, it has not been studied among transgender youth. Fifty-five transgender youth reported on their life-threatening behaviours. Nearly half of the sample reported having seriously thought about taking their lives and one quarter reported suicide attempts. Factors significantly related to having made a suicide attempt included suicidal ideation related to transgender identity; experiences of past parental verbal and physical abuse; and lower body esteem, especially weight satisfaction and thoughts of how others evaluate the youths bodies. Sexual minority status is a key risk factor for life-threatening behaviours among transgender youth.17 A recent study undertaken to understand the level of General wellbeing of Male-to-female (MTF) Transgender population living in Chennai shed light on the mental health concerns of the transgender population in Chennai. The study consisted of transgender (n=33), and that had been selected for the study by using Purposive sampling technique because it was a challenge to collect data from the population, given their obscurity. A standardized Tamil version of the Wellbeing Questionnaire-12 was used. As for the results of the quantitative data, 75.76 percent of the samples fell under Average Wellbeing Category, 24.24 percent of samples fell under Better Wellbeing Category and 0 percent fell under Poor Wellbeing Category. From the In-Depth Interviews it is inferred that the socio-economic status of Transgender is very poor, they feel inferior to others and are constantly humiliated and il l-treated by the society at large. However, support within the community is strong.18 A research study has documented the link between mental health disorders and discrimination. The coming-out process for an older LGBT person, who has lived most of his or her life in a hostile or intolerant environment, can induce significant stress and contribute to lower life satisfaction and self-esteem. Managing social stressors such as prejudice, stigmatization, violence, and internalized homophobia over long periods of time results in higher risks of depression, suicide, risky behaviour, and substance abuse. LGBT populations, therefore, may be at increased risk for these and other mental disorders. There may be a higher lifetime prevalence of affective disorders in LGBT persons, but no difference in current prevalence of such disorders. However, while little is known about the actual prevalence of mental health disorders in LGBT adults, even less is known about the prevalence of mental health disorders in older LGBT adults. 19 A study examined the relationship between psychological well-being variables (i.e., depression, anxiety, and self-esteem) and level of outness in male-to-female (M t F) transsexuals. Participants were 105 M t F transsexual attendees at an annual transgender conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants completed seven questionnaires, including the Demographics Questionnaire, the Outness Demographics Questionnaire, the Outness Attitude Scale, the Openness Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. A canonical correlation was conducted with psychological well-being variables as the predictor and the outness variables as the criterion. Results indicated that psychological well-being variables are related to outness. Treatment implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. 20 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM A study to assess the psychological distress and coping strategies among transgenders in a selected area, Bangalore. 6.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To assess the psychological distress among transgenders in a selected area, Bangalore. 2. To assess the coping strategies among transgenders in selected area, Bangalore. 3. To find out the relationship between psychological distress and coping strategies among transgenders in selected area, Bangalore. 4. To find out the association between the psychological distress and coping strategies among transgenders with selected demographic variables. 6.4 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS * ASSESS: In this study, assess refers to an organized and systematic way of finding out the psychological distress and coping strategies among transgender. * PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS: In this study, psychological distress refers to the failure of the people to respond adequately to mental, emotional, or physical demands which will be assessed by using Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. * COPING STRATEGIES: In this study coping strategies refers to the mechanism that adapted by the transgenders to overcome the distress which will be assessed by using Coping Strategies Survey. * TRANSGENDER: In this study, transgender refers to people those are born with a particular gender but have the behaviour and characteristics of opposite gender. HYPOSTHESIS H1- There is a significant relationship between psychological distress and coping strategies. H2- There is significant association between psychological distresses with selected demographic variables. H3 There is significant association between coping strategies with selected demographic variables. 6.5 ASSUMPTIONS * Transgenders adopt different coping strategies to overcome psychological distress. VARIABLES UNDER THE STUDY * Research variable: * Psychological distress * Coping strategies. * Demographic variable: Age, education, religion, marital status, cultural background, socio economic status, area of residence, past experiences. DELIMITATIONS: * The study is delimited to selected areas of Bangalore. * The study is limited to 100 samples. 7. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 7.1 SOURCE OF DATA The data will be collected from the transgender in selected areas in Bangalore. RESEARCH APPROACH: The investigator will use descriptive exploratory approach to conduct the study. RESEARCH DESIGN: The research design for the study will be descriptive survey design. RESEARCH SETTINGS: Study will be done in the selected NGO’s for transgenders in Bangalore. POPULATION: The target population for study is transgenders in selected area. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE: Investigator is using purposive sampling technique to draw the samples. SAMPLE SIZE: The sample size will be 100 transgenders. SAMPLING CRITERIA: INCLUSION CRITERIA: * People who are willing to participate in this study. * People who know English and Kannada. * People present at the time of data collection. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * People who are terminally ill or have critical illness. METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA Structured self reporting technique will be used to collect the data. Permission will be taken from samples and an informed consent will be obtained from the samples. 7.2 DATA COLLECTION TOOL * Part I – it consists of demographic variables like age, gender, education, socio-economic status, area of residence, past experiences. * Part II – the investigator will use Kessler Psychological Distress Scale for psychological distress and Coping Strategies Survey for assessing coping strategies. DATA ANALYSIS METHOD: * The data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. * Descriptive statistics like mean, frequency, percentages and standard deviation will be used. * Inferential statistics like â€Å"correlation co-efficient† and â€Å"chi- square† methods will be used. 7.3 DOES THE STUDY REQUIRE ANY INVESTIGATION OR INTERVENTION TO BE CONDUCTED ON PATIENTS OR OTHER HUMAN OR ANIMAL? IF SO PLEASE DESCRIBE BRIEFLY. * No, this is a descriptive study, it does not require any investigation to be conducted on patients or human or animals. 7.4 HAS ETHICAL CLEARENCE BEEN OBTAINED FROM YOUR INSTITUTION? * Yes, the ethical clearance certificate has been enclosed. 8. REFERENCES: 1. Available from: URL: http://thinkexist.com/search/searchquotation.asp?search=self+esteem 2. Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation (online). 2010 May ( cited 2011 Feb 24); Available from: URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender 3. Available from: URL: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070926024655AAZAbtB 4. Hanna Ingber Win. Global post. Transgender India: Banned in Bombay? (Online) 2010 April 10; 1(8). Available from: URL: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/100409/india-transgender-scandal-banned-bombay 5. Kayden Z Healy. Internalized Transphobia, Minority Stress, and Collective Self-Esteem. June 2011 6. Available from: URL: http://medicaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/psychological+distress 7. Carver, Connor-Smith J. Personality and coping, Annual Review of Psychology. (2010). P. 61, 679 – 704. Available from: URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_(psychology) 8. Indian and Hijra (online). 2008 Nov 30 Available from: URL: http://shantanudutta.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/11/indian-and-hijra.htm 9. Ravaging the Vulnerable: Abuses against Persons at High Risk of HIV Infection in Bangladesh (online). 2003 Aug: Available from: URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia) 10. Chennai: Move on toilets for transgenders sparks off debate (online). 2009 Jun 23: Available from: URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_rights_in_Tamil_Nadu 11. Ahmed M. Scalo Publishers (online). 2001 Sep 15: Available from: URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_gender 12. Available from: URL: http://www.youthprideri.org/Resources/Statistics/tabid/227/Default.aspx 13. Arnold H G, Anthony R D, John A F. Aspe cts of Psychological Resilience among Transgender Youth. Journal of LGBT Youth (serial online) 2011 (cited 2011 Apr 08); 8(2): (2y screens). Available from: URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19361653.2011.541347 14. Tonei Glavinic. Student plus online academic student journal. Research Shows Lack of Support for Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Youth in U.S. School Systems 2009 January 24; 1. 15. Sanchez, Francisco J, Vilain, Eric. Journal of Counseling Psychology. Collective self-esteem as a coping resource for male-to-female transsexuals 2009 Jan; 56(1): 202-9. 16. Arnold H. G, Anthony R. D. Transgender Youth. Journal of Homosexuality (serial online) 2006 (cited 2008 oct 17); 51(1): (2y screens). Available from: URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J082v51n01_06 17. Arnold H. G, Anthony R. D. Transgender Youth. Life-Threatening Behaviors. 2010 Dec 18. Thilakaravi. Mental Health Concerns of Transgender Population Living in Chennai, South India – A Study. MeD INDIA Networking for health January 2011. 19. Mark J Simone, Jonathan. Appelbaum. Clinical gediatrics. Addressing the Needs of Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adults: 2011; 19(2) p.38-45. 20. Jeffrey D Strain, I Michael Shuff. Psychological Well-Being and Level of Outness in a Population of Male-to-Female Transsexual Women Attending a National Transgender Conference. International Journal of Transgenderis: 2010 oct-dec p. 230-240.

Problem Of The Piazza D Italia Cultural Studies Essay

Problem Of The Piazza D Italia Cultural Studies Essay With public space or areas we usually mean roads, streets, squares, beaches and parks, but also free accessible government buildings and public institutions are part of public space. The moment public areas have been formed they have been a platform for gathering people and groups from different origins. It is a place where people can meet socially and exchange ideas. Public spaces play a social as well as a political role in society and are the mirror of this society. (Carr et al.,1992) Creating such places has always been a point of discussion from the beginning. Especially since the 20th century public areas went through major changes. It is therefore that their role and existence in the future are in the 21st century more than ever a point of discussion. These discussions have started with the arrival of modern times. In this period there have been realized different public spaces which each in their own way have given a contribution to these discussions. There are some creations which are very successful, but also some projects which are less prosperous. Within modern time we can distinguish different periods of style and of movements, of which the post-modern style is a good example. Piazza d Italia in New Orleans, Louisiana, designed by Charles Moore, is such a public space project of post-modernism. From the beginning until the very present there have been different discussions in architectural society as well as in public circles about the role of the Piazza dItalia as a public area. The Piazza knows some restrictions within the way the design has been realized, which causes that people do often feel that the square cannot be experienced as a public space. In this essay there will be researched what causes the hidden problem of the Piazza d Italia. The square often gives an isolated and estranged impression toward its users. The reason for this can have different causes. That is why it is important to research with this essay why en how the Piazza gives the impression of isolation and strangeness and also why the visitors do not experience this square as a real public space. Ultimate goal is to find out on which parts there have been discussions in the past and, more important, during the post-modernism period and if these discussions are still up to date with the present 21st century. The structure of this essay is as follows: within this research it is important to know what postmodern architecture really means. In the first part we will get into detail by looking at the beginning of this period, the characteristics and to what extent this period differs from the modern architecture. The second part will then describe the Piazza d Italia. First of all we will look at the ideology and ideas of Charles Moore about its role as a public space within society, referring to his essay: You Have To Pay For The Public Life from 1965. The next step is describing the original design of the Piazza and subsequently the most recent result of the design. In the third part of the essay we will, according to the book Architectural Positions, compare the recent Piazza d Italia with the various themes and essays as written by different architects. We will look into the differences and similarities between the Piazza dItalia and the theories in the book Architectural Positions. In the final part of the essay there will be the conclusion which will summarize the result of this essay and where the conclusions about the problem of the Piazza dItalia will be designated. Postmodernism In this part of the essay we will look into the meaning of postmodernism as a style within architecture. Also it is important to know how postmodernism has taken shape, its charactistics and in what respect it differs from modern architecture. While answering these questions we will use the book Architectural Position and the Western history of architecture. Postmodernism is a style within the architecture which has formed around 1960 as a response to modernism. Modernism is characterized by very straight, functional designs, without any ornament. According to reviewers this led to a certain extent of uniformity. Postmodern architecture however characterizes itself by its free shapes, fanciful details and references to the past. Postmodernism is since the eighties on the rise and has an important position within the modern-day architecture. According to the Dutch philosopher Rene Boomkens there are four historical and philosophical stages of modernity which have eventually have led to postmodernism: The first one starts in the mid-nineteenth century, when new inventions, scientific breakthroughs, and the rise of industry inspired amazement, but also a distinct sense of ephemerality (Avermaete et al., 2009). The second stage, between the two world wars, the liberating and progressive potential of modernity was strongly emphasized. Scientific and technological advances inspired profound confidence in the perfectibility of society and the progress of culture generally meaning Western culture. Modernity was experienced as distant from the past and aiming at the future (Avermaete et al., 2009). The third stage of modernity had a more diffuse character. It showed both regressive and progressive tendencies and reached its apex in the late 1960s, with the sexual revolution, and the Paris protest of May 1968 and the Amsterdam Provo movement. One key feature of this stage was the emergence of the welfare state and mass culture, resulting in growing economic prosperity and social mobility, but also in an increasing process of individualizations (Avermaete et al., 2009). The fourth stage is postmodernity. The difference between modern and postmodern architecture can essentially be reduced to the use of ornaments, embellishment, local specialties and rich details from which the modern architecture has taken a distance. But we do see them in postmodern architectureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Piazza d Italia Regarding this research we will take a look in this chapter at the Piazza dItalia in New Orleans, designed by postmodern architect Charles Moore. In his essay: You have to pay for the public life, 1965, Charles Moore starts a discussion about the role of Disneyland as a public space. Charles Moore describes Disneyland as a very important and successful place, offering possibilities to the changeability of public environment. He describes how in this fantasyland full with dreams, stories, small and large dramas, visitors get the possibility to recreate, watch, and be watched in this area. Also Charles Moore deems the success of Disney is due to the fact that the designers of Disneyland used historical buildings and public places to recreate a world with which visitors can identify themselves and a space which they can create as their own. The fact that visitors have to pay a fee at the entrance to get into Disneyland, guarantees that Disneyland as public space will stay clean and tidy and that there is no place for junks and vagabonds, according to Charles Moore in his essay. Also Charles Moore discusses in his essay the rise of privatizing modern American cities, like floating groups of islands, which can only be reached by car, and how these cities miss the re-imagination of the public qualities which Disneyland creates. During the seventies Charles Moore tries to learn a lesson from his admiration for Disneyland and to use the positive qualities in his design for Piazza d Italia in the centre of New Orleans in America. Piazza dItalia is an urban public square in the centre of New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States of America. It has been designed in 1978 as a social gathering centre for the Italian community, which lived there in large numbers during the seventies. Charles Moores design consisted of a city block which contained an already existing high office tower and around this block he designed a single-floored building where different activities, publicly as well as commercially attached to the American Italian community, were housed . In the middle of this building there was a round square with lots of decorative motives and ornaments, with a wide range of influences from Egyptian to Art Deco. From the design we can easily conclude that Charles Moore, like in Disneyland, uses historical references to stimulate a feeling of re-imagination with its visitors. Already from the beginning Piazza dItalia, as an urban public space, was confronted with problems regarding further developments. It appeared that it was impossible to find public or private investors who would be prepared to pay for further development and realization of the square. The result of this shortcoming of investors led to a totally different Piazza dItalia of the year 2012 than was meant by the original design, because only a part has been realized of what Charles Moore has designed. This square consists of a revolving plateau with tiles in different shades of grey, light and dark, which like an amphitheatre draws the attention to the fountain, forme d as in an Italian landscape, surrounded by bright coloured concrete pillars. Furthermore the square holds a belfry as an entrance at the south side and at the north side there is a passage which reminds of a keyhole. The square is located at the foot of the office building and is surrounded by streets and parking places. As a result of the unfinished state of affairs the Piazza dItalia is also known to be named the first postmodern ruin. Themes In this chapter the most recent result of the Piazza d Italia will be criticized and be searched according to a few themes from the book Architectural Position combined by Tom Avermate, Klaske Havik and Hans Treeds. As described in the introduction, Piazza dItalia gives an aliented and isolated feeling in regard to its environment and this results in that people do not feel it as a real public space in which one can recreate. To find out what the problem is the Piazza will be discussed and compared on the basis of several themes from the book Architectural position. The first theme is the definition. The essay of Adriaan Geuze will be reviewed and there will be made a comparison between the ideology of public space by Adriaan Geuze with the Piazza dItalia and in what ways there can be found similarities. Adriaan Geuze writes in his essay Accerating Darwin that Public space must challenge, provoke and disorient, he argues that only when the users of urban spaces are given an active role and can make spaces in the city their own, its possible to speak of a significant urban experience, a real public sphere. In this essay Adriaan Geuze describes the Maasvlakte near Rotterdam to explain his conviction about the definition of public space. The Maasvlakte is an industrial area and as such part of the port area of Rotterdam. This area has been described by Geuze as an unprogrammed public space which gives its users the opportunity to recreate and to make the space their own. This withstanding the fact that this area never was meant to be recreational, but is actually in use by industrial factories and warehouses with a lot of heavy truck traffic. According to Adriaan Geuze the Maasvlakte is the ultimate public space for its users because they are totally free to use the space in their own way, since they are not restricted and isolated by defined and assigned spaces. Also Adriaan Geuze says in his essay that ÃÆ' ¯nterventions in public space, or rather, in the public landscape, should no longer be focused on generating greenery, the real challenge is to create space and textures for city dwellers to colonize in their turn. Nature can play a role in this but is not a priori the main role. If we should make a comparison between the essay of Adriaan Geuze and the Piazza dItalia in its present situation, the conclusion can be made that the Piazza does not suffice at all to the ideology and ideas of Adriaan Geuze. The Piazza is too programmed because it is surrounded by parking lots and office buildings. Furthermore the square itself makes a statement with its appearance. Therefore there is no freedom for visitors to create their own and to recreate. If the square had been developed according to the first design of Charles Moore, than indeed it would have given this space, combined with surrounding activities. This would have given visitors the feeling of freedom. The square would have been surrounded by locations and activities, which would have strengthen the picture of an Italian oasis in the busy American grid structure. A place to go to happily, escaping the city. Also Adriaan Geuze states that nature itself can help with improving the qualities of public space. However, with the Piazza we can establish that, while the square is unfinished, there is no way of using nature to embellish the space. The second theme is Monumentality for which we use the essay The Monumentally Informalby James Stirling, 1984. In this essay Stirling connects the question of monumental to a buildings ability to communicate with larger social groups. Convinced that a public building should be monumental as well as informal and populist, Stirling categorizes his realized projects in two terms: abstract and the representational. Abstract is being the style related to modern movement and the language derived from cubism, constructivism, the Style and all the ism of the new architecture. Representational is being related to tradition, the vernacular, history, recognition of the familiar and generally the more timeless concerns of the architectural heritage. When comparing the Piazza dItalia with the vision of Stirling in his essay, one can conclude that it is better to place the Piazza in the category representational. The square refers in an exaggerated way to historical references and traditions, while the category abstract is totally absent. The absence of the Abstract is maybe a reason that the square is no t being experienced as a modern monument, because it simply does not have its own character in which one can recognize its era. Instead we recognize the square more or less as a historical ruin. Historical ruins draw attention to the visitors, because they have a story to tell and their own rich history. Generally ruins are an attraction as such and are public places for which one has to pay to visit, like Charles Moore describes in his previously mentioned essay Disneyland. However, as a ruin Piazza dItalia sadly misses its back-up story and history, so it cannot be an attraction in this relation. Conclusion In the context of this essay the question has been made why the Piazza dItalia leaves such an isolating and estranged impression, causing it not to be a public space experience. In this conclusion it will be emphasized that this essay is directed to the most recent result and not to the original design of Charles Moore. In the three parts of this essay there has been research to the various opinions and ideas of other architects to be able to answer the research question. As a result of this research there can be concluded that the reason why the square is not a success, can be related to the fact that the square is a strange element within an urban environment, with contrasting contexts. We can also conclude that the square is a by all means a presence because of its image and looks, without possibilities for visitors to recreate and make the space their own. As James Stirling describes the role of public buildings in his essay, a public space should be abstract as well as having av ailable representative qualities. The fact that the square looks like a ruin, without any associated (historical) characteristics, leads to alienation. Furthermore the square presents many historical references, which are completely out of context and are clearly unfinishedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The English architectural critic Charles Jencks pointed out that the quality of the square resided in the fact that it appealed simultaneously to at least two groups: to architects and an engaged minority that are concerned with architectural problems, but also to the broad public or visitors that are interested in questions of comfort, of traditional building methods and lifestyle. This combination of popular and specialist elements and images were the ideal recipe to reconcile the tension between the architect and the users of public space. AVERMAETE, T., HAVIK, K. TEERDS, H. 2009. Introduction. In: AVERMAETE, T., HAVIK, K. TEERDS, H. (eds.) Architectural Positions. Amsterdam: SUN

The Environmental Factor Impacting On Mcdonalds Commerce Essay

The Environmental Factor Impacting On Mcdonalds Commerce Essay McDonalds Corporation is the worlds leading food service organization. The corporation started out as a small drive-through in 1948 by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald. Raymond Albert Kroc, a salesman, saw a great opportunity in this market and advised Dick and Mac to expand their operation and open new restaurants. In 1961 Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers. By 1967 McDonalds expanded its operations to countries outside the U.S.A. This unyielding expansion led the Corporation to open 23,000 McDonalds restaurants in 110 countries in 1994, producing $3.4 bn in annual revenues. In addition, McDonalds opens a new restaurant every three hours. Also, McDonalds has twice the market share of its closest U.S. competitor, Burger King, representing 7% of total U.S. eating-out sales. Similarly, McDonalds serves about 1% of the worlds population on any given day through its 23,000 restaurants internationally. Big Mac, the worlds most sold hamburger was developed by Jim Delligutti in 1967 t o feed construction workers. Big Mac is the biggest attraction and backbone of the corporation. Moreover, McDonalds maintains its competitive advantage by constantly creating new items to add onto its menu. This shows us that McDonalds practices an analyzer type of strategy, introducing new items and defending its existing ones. McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:  MCD) is the worlds largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. At one time it was the largest global restaurant chain, but it has since been surpassed by multi-brand operator Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell and others) and sandwich chain Subway. In addition to its signature restaurant chain, McDonalds Corporation held a minority interest in Pret A Manger until 2008, and owned the Chipotle Mexican Grill until 2006 and the restaurant chain Boston Market until 2007. The company has also expanded the McDonalds menu in recent decades to include alternative meal options, such as salads and snack wraps, in order to capitalize on growing consumer interest in health and wellness. A McDonalds restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. The corporations revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. McDonalds revenues grew 27% over the three years ending in 2007 to $22.8 billion, and 9% growth in operating income to $3.9 billion. McDonalds primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts. In response to obesity trends in Western nations and in the face of criticism over the healthiness of its products, the company has modified its menu to include such healthier alternatives as salads, wraps and fruit. McDonalds MISSION AND VISION: They serve people with good quality food, fast and at low cost. McDonalds vision is to dominate the global food-service industry. Global dominance means, setting the performance standard for customer satisfaction and increases market share and profitability through successfully implementing our convenience, value and execution strategies. McDonalds brand mission is to be our customers favorite place and way to eat. Our worldwide operations have been aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to improving our operations and enhancing our customers experience. Main Body Analysis: Environmental Factor Impacting upon MacDonalds: The impact of environmental factors is far-reaching upon the Macdonalds which is being discussed below followed by environmental factor. Environmental Factor: The notion of environment in general systems thinking is a wild, all-embracing and woolly concept. Everything is in the environment. The environment is all yet we are interested in specifics. It is people who decide what is significant in the environment and what is not what the forces are that must (imperative language) be attended to. Thus prevailing pictures of what the environment is are socially constructed. Various definitions and concerns assume the characteristics of propaganda. They are not necessarily neutral definitions and the nature of the elements that supposedly are acting on us in the environment, are difficult to define and measure. Similarly environmental events have to be interpreted and we will often refer to environmental forces of various kinds in our post hoc rational and justification of the decisions we have made. We blame the environment for action we have taken and the results of that action. Finally people e.g. government and powerful decision-makers in business organizations, may intervene to influence and shape events in the environment to their own advantage e.g. speak to the press, lobby for a change, buy up a rival, try to tickle the equities market up and even cooperate with others to ensure that information on the environment is accurate rather than uninformed and misguiding decisions by others than can affect the companys position (vested interests). John Childs concept of strategic choice, and its manifestation in terms of managerial behavior, is significant in this regard. So environment is not what it may seem. Certainly if we here the green lobby speak about environment, they will hold particular values and positions dear to their hearts, some of which others might accept but some of which others might also rebut. However a typical, neutral and managerial description of environmental factors and pressures would cover the following areas (and more). Environmental factors include social-cultural, technological, economic and financial and political-legal events and possibilities. These are often referred to by the mnemonics S.T.E.P. (social, technical, economic and political factors) also PEST or S.T.E.E.P.L.E (social/demographic, technical, economic, environmental (natural), political, legal and ethical factors) The biological and adaptive metaphor comes into play when we argue for business change. Typically, if the business cannot respond to the pressures and influences of its environment then it may not survive. It has to adapt. If it serves the needs of clients or stakeholders and satisfies for example its market mission then it may prosper. A dominant theme in the study of business is that of competition in the market-place. A businesss relationship with its environment is typically founded on its service to key customers and their satisfaction with its performance revealed by buying patterns, new legislation, party conferences, annual general meetings and stock market prices. Learning and adaptation occurs in response to stimulus across organizational boundaries. Any organization that is too inward looking becomes atrophied and can stagnate. In the language of general systems theory any system is subject to the process of entropy. Environmental factors can be political, social, ecological, cultural, technological and ethical in nature. Any organization that develops a product or service that they want to market domestically or globally must consider what the impact each of these factors may have for them. Not considering these factors can result in the failed attempt to market a product, which may be successful domestically, in other countries where there is a significant market potential. Impacting upon MacDonalds: Mainly there are 2 types of factors affecting international business like MacDonalds. 1) Internal factors 2) External factors. 1) Internal factors:- Internal factors of international business include political parties, suppliers, buyers, competitors and consumer of respective country. 2) External factors: External factors of international business are those where you need to examine the whole criteria these are political environment, legal environment, socio-cultural environment, demographic conditions of respective country. Figure: Environmental Factor Analysis the environmental factors impacting upon MacDonalds: To have a clear picture of McDonalds corporation we need to look at its Task Environment, which includes its: .Customers .Competitors .Strategic Allies .Suppliers .Regulators CUSTOMERS: Customers are those who pay money to acquire an organizations goods or services. For many years McDonalds mostly targeted the young people, however this has changed in this decade; McDonalds has turned towards a more general market. By doing this McDonalds concentrates on the family, targeting a diverse market which includes consumers ranging from children to elderly people, using products such as the happy Meal for children and Egg McMuffin for the elderly. McDonalds also realized the changing world we live in and the need for healthier food, since there is an ever changing demographic group, who demand fast, top quality food that is low in calories. McDonalds responded to this opportunity and introduced a new and innovative product. This new product was a regular hamburger that tasted like the real thing but was made of plant material like Soya beans. This same product also targets another demographic group, vegetarians. McDonalds mostly uses psychographic segmentation targeting th e working and middle classes. These are the people that are more susceptible to enter a fast food restaurant, since these are the people that lead a fast moving life and thus require a fast meal. In brief McDonalds customers are of all classes, but largely working and middle classes, and people of all ages. COMPETITORS: A competitor is an organization that competes with other organizations for resources. In our findings, McDonalds has two types of competitors in the Lebanese market: Indirect Competitors: Indirect refers to firms producing one or two products that compete with McDonalds products and therefore be a threat to the company. We have identified four indirect competitors: Henry J. Beans, T.G.I. Friday, K. F. C. and Popeyes. Henry J. Beans offers hamburgers and fries on its menu, therefore competing with McDonalds for customers of these products. However, Henry J. Beans also known as Hanks is a more of a bar restaurant and therefore a hang out place, as a result charging more money for its products. Hanks targets middle to upper class customers, so where most of these customers overlap are in the middle class. T.G.I Friday is another indirect competitor reflecting the same characteristics as Henry J. Beans. Other indirect competitors are K. F. C. and Popeyes, both competing for the chicken nuggets and fries customers. In brief, Hanks and T.G.I. Fridays competes with McDonalds by offering hamburgers and fries, whereas K. F. C. and Popeyes compete with McDonalds by offering chi cken nuggets and fries. Direct Competitors: Direct competitors refer to firms producing the same products or services as McDonalds does. Here we found that McDonalds has three direct competitors: Burger King, Wendys and Hardees. McDonalds closest rival is Burger King, which operates a total of 9644 restaurants in 110 countries. Wendys is McDonalds second largest rival, which is also in the fast food business, where Wendys operates 6776 restaurants in 32 countries. Hardees, McDonalds third largest rival is also in the fast food business and is the only direct competitor apart from Juicy Burger in the Lebanese market. Hardees operates 3080 restaurants in 20 countries. As we have illustrated McDonalds faces stiff competition from three major competitors, Burger King, Wendys and Hardees. Suppliers: Suppliers are an organization that provides resources for other organizations. McDonalds has practiced a backward vertical integration, by replacing most of its suppliers. It has done so for two reasons, 1) To reduce costs, and 2) To ensure that its products are of top quality. These supplies include beef and milk to be used in its products, which it gets from its farms. Other suppliers include local grocery stores that supply McDonalds with fresh vegetables. Soft drinks are supplied exclusively by Coca-Cola, which is also its ally. McDonalds supplies also include raw material such as flour, sugar, yeast, etc.,. Strategic Allies: A strategic ally is an organization working together with one or more other organizations is a joint venture or a similar arrangement. McDonalds has formed a strategic alliance with: Walmart, Chevron, Amoco, Disney and Coca-Cola. Walmart, which is a large shopping mall chain in the U..S. and several neighboring countries, is allied with McDonalds, which offers great opportunities for both companies. McDonalds has restaurants in each Walmart, offering its customers conveniences and excellent fast food at a low cost ease of accessibility. McDonalds corporation describes it best in this scenario: Imagine a busy shopping day at your local Walmart and having the ability to sit down with the kids and enjoy many of our McDonalds favorites, like Big Mac sandwiches, world famous fries and kids favorite Happy Meal. McDonalds understands your busy lifestyles and the demands on your time. Thats why we are making it easier for you to do more things in less time. McDonalds is engaged in an allianc e with two petrol companies, Chevron and Amoco. This alliance represents the ultimate in convenience. At these locations, one finds a full-menu McDonalds restaurant with dining room service. Nothing can be more convenient, because one can fill up the car with gas and get a meal all in one stop. Another important alliance that McDonalds has is with Disney. Here McDonalds has the sole right to sell fast food in Disneys theme parks around the U.S., and other Disney operations in the world. Under the terms of the agreement, McDonalds will operate restaurants and Disney will promote its films through McDonalds. Regulators: Regulators are groups or governmental agencies that can control and influence the organizations policies and practices. An example is Lebanon a few years ago when the U..S. government banned all U..S. citizens and organizations to come or operate in Lebanon. Another good example would be the embargo imposed on Iran where U..S. organizations were banned to operate in this country. Another group of regulators called interest groups can and have influenced McDonalds to treat its animals (cow and chickens) in a much more humane manner, which resulted in the restructuring of McDonalds farms throughout its operations around the world. The summary of the task environment which is by definition a specific organizations or groups that affect the organization, which includes competitors, suppliers, customers, strategic allies and regulators. Here we described the task environments importance to McDonalds, where McDonalds faces both opportunities and has threats in its environment. Emphasis on the key driver of MacDonalds: We shall also explore McDonalds Workforce Diversity and its Total Quality Management to emphasis on the key drivers. These are given below: Workforce Diversity: Diversity exists in a group or organization when its members differ from one another along one or more important dimensions such as age, gender, and ethnicity. Diversity is very important for McDonalds. Here millions of teens start out by working at McDonalds. Here some of the teenagers move on to get various jobs such as movie stars, skilled workers, famous athletes, management positions and other educated positions in society. At McDonalds two thirds of middle and upper management started out as crewmembers in a McDonalds restaurant. There are opportunities for everybody in McDonalds from teenagers to elderly workers, and from people just entering or reentering the job market. Moreover, McDonalds offers special jobs for people who have disabilities, such as people who are in wheel chairs and those who must use crutches permanently. Furthermore, McDonalds offers their workers flexible working hours. For example, hours for people seeking just a few hours of work per week and those wh o seek full time positions. The work force at McDonalds also have some say in their working hours, such as if they prefer the morning, mid-day, or evening shifts in the restaurant. So, McDonalds uses diversity to create a good atmosphere in their work places among workers and management. Here they offer work to all kinds of people without discrimination and the workers have flexible hours that provides customer satisfaction. Top Quality Management: Quality is the entirety of features and distinctiveness of a product or service that stand on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. For McDonalds, total quality management (TQM) involves that the employees are at work on time, are neatly dressed, and are clean. The employees must make sure that the customers constantly receive safe food, which implies that the employees must wash their hands often to remain clean. Moreover, the employees must follow certain Standard Operational Procedures, so the customers always receive exceptional quality and service. This includes the employees using plastic gloves when they prepare the food, that the meat and fries are properly fried, and that the vegetables are thoroughly washed when used in the food. Another TQM is that the employees rely on teamwork and high energy to get the job done, so that the customers do not have to wait long for their food. Furthermore, McDonalds management emphasizes that their restaurants should be clean. Th is involves that the restaurants are tidy, sparkling and spotlessly clean. As McDonalds illustrates the quality is that the employees delivers fast, accurate and friendly service with a smile. External and Internal Factors Affecting McDonalds The purpose of this paper is to discuss external and internal factors affecting McDonalds management functions. This will be accomplished by explaining how McDonalds deals with each of the external and internal factors. There were three factors that were chosen to outline the success of McDonalds corporation. The first factor is globalization, which is define as closer contact between different parts of the world, with increasing possibilities of personal exchange, mutual understanding and friendship between world citizens. Diversity, the difference among people and cultures, is the second factor discussed in the paper. The final factor is ethics, which can be defined as a set of principles of right conduct. This paper explains how the McDonald Corporations uses the factors to conduct business around the world. In todays society, corporations and enterprises are expanding their businesses in the global markets. Globalization is necessary for success and survival in the worldwide market; however, global competition is not easy (Bateman Scott, 2004). By the end of the twentieth century, the list of Fortune 500 companies was no longer only United States corporations due to an increase in international companies joining the list (Global Capitalism, 2005). As a leading food service retailer, McDonalds joins those corporations with restaurants in 119 countries (McDonalds, 2004). Important strategic decisions are a key factor to their success with consideration for both internal and external factors. When considering the foreign market, companies need to consider there are risks. There must be local marketing to appeal to the local consumers and also to build relationships and trust (Bateman Scott, 2004). Therefore, the strategic planning for marketing has to be effective. McDonalds caters its m enu in other countries to the cultures of the regions. For example, in India, the non-vegetarian menu includes chicken and fish items only (Welcome, n.d.). Beef is not on the menu in India because are considered sacred. Global marketing decisions are no different than those made domestically but the decisions are unique to each country (Sister Sister, 2005). Furthermore, operating on a global scale allows a companys employees to experience working in different cultural environments. This is a good marketing strategy for recruiting employees. McDonalds has a global core curriculum for its restaurant management (McDonalds, 2004). Paula Doherty, a general manager states, Ive had incredible experience in different countries andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦culturesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as a trainee manager from Poland to Israel to the Philippines and more. Doing the job successfully has given me a real sense of achievement This business strategy speaks to their commitment to a diverse workforce. McDonalds commitment to diversity is established on the foundational belief that diversity is not just a moral and ethical issue, but also a business issue (McDonalds, 2005). Due to the global expanse of McDonalds business, diversity has become an integral part of the internal company culture. McDonalds has over 30,000 restaurants around the world, which means franchise owner/operators, employees, and customers represent just about every culture, religion or ethnicity on earth. In addition, McDonalds promotes the use of local suppliers and based on their policies of diversity, expects and retains suppliers that have a similar diversity culture. Knowing and understanding the local customs and traditions of the communities where McDonalds has established businesses, integrating people from these communities into the company, and adapting locally to the tastes and cuisines of the community, has made McDonalds the leader in their industry. In the United States alone, McDonalds has won numerous awards and received national recognition for diversity. According to McDonalds website, www.mcdonlads.com, awards include; PUSH-Excel Corporate Partner Award, Corporate Achievement and Image Award, Nullities Corporate Award, Corporate Vision Award, and the Circle of Inclusion Award. These awards and recognitions are not the result of a surface attempt to appease the critics. They are the result of McDonalds embracing and integrating diversity into their company ethos as an asset and an ally. McDonalds realizes that having diversity as an asset greatly enhances the profitability of the company. Diversity is a direct reflection of a companys interpersonal relationships. These relationships, if positive, result in a rewarding venture. Conversely, if the relationships are negative, the companys morale declines and if not addressed, leads to the deterioration of the company. This deterioration directly impacts the companys income and the communitys acceptance of the business. However, McDonalds leadership encourages diversity through their policies and programs. McDonalds proven success with leveraging the advantages of diversity can be attributed to their core value of ethics. McDonalds success is built on the foundation of personal and professional integrity (www.mcdonalds). From the beginning, McDonalds has based its reputation on trust and dependability, and their commitment to the community made them a household name. Founder Ray Kroc, believed in giving something back to the community in order to make the world a better place. Throughout the 1970s, McDonalds became involved with a lot of charity work. In 1974 established a charity called Ronald McDonald House. The purpose of this program was to provide temporary housing for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Since the 70s, more than 10 million families around the world benefited from the comfort provided by Ronald McDonald Houses (www.rhmc). In addition to their community involvement, McDonalds has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection. Restaurants around the world have innovative programs for recycling, resource conservation, and waste reduction. The environmental achievements of this corporation have been recognized by organizations such as the Audubon Society, Conservation International, Keep America Beautiful, the National Recycling Coalition, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.mcdonalds). McDonalds is also an equal opportunity employer. As an equal opportunity employer McDonalds ensures that employees and job applicants are selected, trained, and promoted without discrimination to race, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability. The company promotes their employees based on their relevant skill, talents, and performance. In support of this McDonalds promotes and sustains a working environment, which is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and bullying. Employees are regarded as members of a team where everyones opinion is valued and respected. The Human Resources department monitors the effectiveness of the discrimination policies at regular intervals and takes corrective action as necessary to ensure that they being complied with (www.mcdonalds). Employees who feel that they have been treated unfairly are encouraged to use the remedies outlined in the Companys handbooks. McDonalds ethical standards, as well as their strategies for globalization and diver sity are instrumental to the overall success of the company. The purpose of this paper was to discuss external and internal factors that have affected McDonalds. This was achieved by explaining what the factors are where and how McDonalds dealt with each of the external and internal factors. The factors discussed were globalization, diversity, and ethics. The paper illustrates how globalization is necessary for success and survival of McDonalds in the worldwide market. The paper also shows how diversity integrated people from different communities into the company, and adapted tastes and cuisines of the community. McDonalds showed ethics by being an active leader in the communities. There are many different values to the dollar around the world, many issues that have occurred in many of those regions/websites, and about 119 countries served by McDonalds that rely on the functions of management to succeed. Critical Evolution the current strategy of MacDonalds: The current strategy involve of SWOT analysis as well as SWOT matrix or strategies which is given below accordingly. SWOT Analysis Framework Environmental Scan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  / Internal Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  External Analysis /   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  / Strengths  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weaknesses  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Opportunities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Threats | SWOT Matrix Figure: SWOT Analysis Framework SWOT Strategies of Macdonalds: The SWOT Matrix A firm should not necessarily pursue the more lucrative opportunities. Rather, it may have a better chance at developing a competitive advantage by identifying a fit between the firms strengths and upcoming opportunities. In some cases, the firm can overcome a weakness in order to prepare itself to pursue a compelling opportunity. To develop strategies that take into account the SWOT profile, a matrix of these factors can be constructed. The SWOT matrix (also known as a TOWS Matrix) is shown below: SWOT / TOWS Matrix Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities S-O strategies W-O strategies Threats S-T strategies W-T strategies Figure: SWOT / TOWS Matrix S-O strategies: S-O strategies pursue opportunities that are a good fit to the companys strengths. As like MacDonalds expands their Chinese market and increasing advertising and restaurant location because Chinese population is increasing day by day .In addition their car ownership is growing rapidly which is another opportunity for MacDonalds to expand their market development. Horizontal integration is the another opportunity which is tuned into strength for MacDonalds because by acquiring Krispy Kren Corporation they captured the market of them .As well as the advantages of horizontal integration is expansion of a firm within an industry in which it is already active for the purpose of increasing its share of the market for a particular product or service. Cost minimization, raw material availability, quick delivery and others factors are the advantage of horizontal integration which is adopting MacDonalds as a current strategy. It can adapt to the needs of the societies and undergo an innovative product line which might be the good opportunity for MacDonalds to transform into strength. It would be the remarkable opportunities to turn in to strength. Researching green energies and green packaging solutions and incorporating these findings as a part of their marketing strategy and advertisements which would be another opportunity to transfer into strength. Create new product offerings. Continue to use technology to influence revenue strategy: possibly use text messages to deliver specials offers to individuals who sign up for such services .These also might treated as opportunity which can be concerted in to strength. W-O strategies: W-O strategies overcome weaknesses to pursue opportunities. As MacDonalds weakness is lack of menu development so they have to work hard with this strategy and currently they are working with that as well which is being convert to pursue opportunity. They are currently doing menu development as well as product development of healthy lifestyle and Hispanic food lines which were weakness of them. In addition MacDonalds has several weakness which might be tune in to pursue opportunity if they overcome that weakness.Like- It uses advertising that mostly targets children. High employee turn-over. It has yet to accomplish going on the trend of organic food. Price competition with the competitors resulting in low revenue. Lack of innovative products. S-T strategies: S-T strategies identify ways that the firm can use its strengths to reduce its vulnerability to external threats. Macdonalds are increasing their number of restaurant as well advertisement in the Disney and Ocean Park as well as key markets to avoid the external threat of competitors like Burger King, Starbucks, Wendys Taco Bell, and KFC. Moreover there are numerous strength which can use its strengths to reduce its vulnerability to external threats. . It takes steps in adjusting the Ingredients and product offerings in order to comply with the upgraded health standards deemed necessary by the USDA. Its recognized as one of the worldss most recognized logos.It has branded menu items i-e Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets, which further promote McDonalds. Active Childrens Charity: The Ronald McDonald House. It is recognized as a socially responsible and community oriented firm. Globalization: 31,000 restaurants serving 120 countries. Of the 31,000 restaurants at least14, 000 restaurants in the US. It has located itself in major airports, cities, highways, tourist locations, theme parks. Earns revenue not merely by fast food sales, but also as a property investor, a franchiser of restaurants. It earns revenue by fast food sales as well as a property investor and a franchiser of restaurants. W-T strategies: W-T strategies establish a defensive plan to prevent the firms weaknesses from making it highly susceptible to external threats. As Macdonalds concentrate their development of product and redesign of website which is being user friendly. In addition they are increasing their sales promotion and advertisement to reduce external threat.