Research Evaluation Tables Essay Example for Free

Research Evaluation Tables Essay Through this study, Henri intended to determine whether dynamism in performance measurement systems was appropriate for any change an organization underwent, or if there were circumstances where revision to the performance measurement systems were not needed.  Henri also intended to determine if the link between dynamic performance measurement systems and the performance of an organization were contingent on a level of internal or external change. The third goal of this study was to add additional data on this subject to the scant body of research available on the dynamism of performance measurement systems. | Research Methods| Henri used quantitative/confirmatory analysis in this study. Henri used a mail survey to gather data. The survey used seven point Likery-type scales to assess changes to the performance measurement systems, to determine innovativeness and learning orientation of the organization and organizational performance. All of the tools used in the questionnaire were validated in advance. | Audience| Henri focused this study on two main audiences. The first was to provide information to manager, executives, and professionals charged with running organizations. Henri also intended to add additional research for managerial accounting literature. | Research Evaluation| The researchers in this study used Likert Scale questions to assess performance measurement at the organization. Likert Scales are frequently used when a researcher wants to measure attitudes about a certain topic (Plano Clark amp; Criswell, 2010). The researchers also demonstrated the validity of the study by having experts in the field test the instrument in three different groups and provide feedback (Plano Clark amp; Criswell, 2010). One problem with this study was the response rate was only 24 percent which increases the risks of bias in the study (Bowling, 2005). This study is written to cover the topic of how performance measurement should change, and when, which is a practical topics for managers to review. The overall conclusion of this study found organizations willing to periodically review performance measures have better overall organizational performance. This information would be beneficial to my agency because we use performance measures to make decisions in the organization. Evaluating performance measures to ensure they are still applicable to our work will allow us to adjust performance measures to increase overall organizational performance. McCoy and Kinyua completed a cross-sectional study reviewing General Find disbursements over a 12-month period. McCoy and Kinyua chose to look at funding instead of expenditures because they determined it was more accurate and completed. The researchers looked at the population of the countries, the income levels, government funding and also funding sources to identify countries in need of disbursements from the Global Fund more than others. The data was all collected from spreadsheets that were found on the Global Fund website. The date was prepared and present in text, tables and charts. | Audience| This study was intended for executives and decision makers linked to the Global Fund, government officials, donors and health care professionals in the countries receiving money from the Global Fund. | Research Evaluation| This study took the information from public documents located on the Global Fund website. The complete information could be analyzed and because it was factual information and not interview data there were fewer opportunities for bias in the data (Plano Clark amp; Criswell, 2010). The esearchers in this study followed the process of quantitative data analysis (Plano Clark amp; Criswell, 2010). A significant problem with this study and the recommendations are the external factors in each country which guide leaders in how they decide to spend funds obtained. Each country is different and many of the countries served have had documented corruption problems which could influence the reliability of the information. This information and process used is useful for the policy makers the study was intended for, but for practical management it is not specific in making recommendations for changes. This process could be used in more practical ways if the planning led to gathering data specific to the situation. The process of determining how to disburse funds depending on need could be useful in my organization. We have a fund to provide financial assistance to patients that are not able to pay for services. Looking at this study, it is important that we develop some methods to determine need based on other funding sources to more objectively determine funding.

Examining The Definition Of Western Orientalism Cultural Studies Essay

Examining The Definition Of Western Orientalism Cultural Studies Essay Orientalism transfigures the study of Middle East. Edward Said defines, Orientalism as the ethnocentric way Europe approaches the Asian regions.  Europeans looked upon the people of the Orient or the East and Arabic states as gullible and devoid of energy and initiative.   The invasion of European nations proved a radical decline in the natural prosperity of every nation they stumbled upon. The matters of the European sense of superiority and interest in control can also be seen in orientalist scholarship. Backward and barbaric, fundamentally incapable of social, political, or technological modernization, these were the descriptions of the non-western societies given to them by the people of west. Orientalism is the term that signifies the existing dislike and discrimination at the bottom of the political, economic, social and cultural discourses that were created to justify the imperialist Wests invasion and domination over the non-West. In other words, Orientalism was brought o ut as a matter of historical judgment. He illustrates Asian and Islamic Cultures during European imperialism and Europes goals of maintaining power and domination of non-Europeans.He argued that Europe used the Orient and imperialism as a symbol of its strength and superiority. Said suggested that Orientalists are treated as others-in this case, Muslims and Asians-and as objects defined not in terms of their own discourses, but solely in terms of standards and definitions imposed on them from outside. Among the influences underlying these definitions was, in Saids view, a long-standing Western concern with presenting Islam as opposed to Christianity. Said divided orientalism into two categories, one is the latent Orientalism which  is the unconscious, untouchable certainty about what the Orient is. Its basic content is static and unanimous. The Orient is seen as separate, eccentric, backward, silently different, sensual, and passive. It has a tendency towards despotism and away from progress. It displays feminine penetrability and supine malleability. Its progress and value are judged in terms of, and in comparison to, the West, so it is always the other, the conquerable, and the inferior whereas manifest Orientalism  is what is spoken and acted upon. It includes information and changes in knowledge about the Orient as well as policy decisions founded in Orientalist thinking. It is the expression in words and actions of Latent Orientalism. Any humanist would see that before the west intervened, each individual culture followed to their habitat, past experiences, and past knowledge.   Even though they were not modernized they still would have survived on their own just as they had been doing it for centuries.  Ã‚   However, a race of people could not be heartless enough to admit their destruction with a clear conscious and no remorse.   They would not pack their bags and leave a deserted crippled country. Orientalism and Western domination of the rest of the world. Understanding Orientalism is useful in the context of South Asia, as it enables us to understand the relationship between political hegemony and knowledge. Said says Orientalism exposes the European will to domination to create an orderly discipline of study a set of institutions, a latent vocabulary a subject matter, and subject races. It represents the power to make philological distinctions and the institutional force to make statements about Oriental mentality, the inscrutable Oriental, the unreliable and degenerate Oriental. The concept of Orientalism is useful in analysing prevailing literature, generalised and essentialised ideas such as Hinduism and Islam. It is also important in understanding womens movements and feminist discourses in South Asia. Many South Asian women used the criticism of Orientalism to criticise literature, imaginations and situations affecting women. Yet, the idea of Orientalism and the Western imagery of the Orient can be used ideologically by extremis t nationalists and fundamentalists who suppress the freedom of thought under the pretence of defending the Orient and fighting with the West. Misunderstanding the project of Orientalism may increase hostility between people and glorify myths such as West and Orient. It is no longer desirable, in our globalised world, to say that only South Asians can talk about South Asia, or only Hindu can talk about Hinduism and explain Indian religious traditions. For example, Tibetan Buddhism was scorned again during the Victorian period, when Buddhist studies were growing into an academic discipline. As depicted by Prof Lopez, The nineteenth-century constructions of Tibetan Buddhism are part of the heritage of Orientalism, described by Edward Said as a European mode for gaining authority over the Orient, a mode whereby Orientals were controlledpolitically and epistemologicallyby scholars in Europe and colonial officials in Asia. An important part of this scholarship was the self-aggrandizing ab ility of European scholars to write histories of Oriental civilizations that identified their origins, their classical periods, and their decline. The last of these (also called the modern period) was marked by decay and impotence. The modern period was also contemporaneous with European colonialism, one of whose products for the West was knowledge about the East. According to the exponents of this new field of knowledge, the facts and artefacts of the classical period were rescued by the emergent Western scholarship from the custody of the Orientals, who failed to recognize them for what they were and hence lost any right to them. The Orientalist would henceforth speak for the Oriental through heredity of scholarship whose task it was to represent the Orient because the Orient was incapable of representing itself. This representation of the East by the West carried with it the valuation of what was true and what was false, what was worthy and what was worthless. Furthermore, accord ing to Edward Saids  Orientalism, the texts produced by European Orientalists had the power to create not only knowledge but also the very reality they appear to define by delimiting the object of knowledge. Said argues that Orientalism also had more directly political effects: its representations of the Orient provided a justification for imperialism and a foundation for colonial policies and institutions. (Prof Donald S. Lopez Jr, 1994) Iraq is the ultimate illustration of how Orientalist conventional wisdom had it wrong.   Arguing that this Orientalism has driven America to contempt and discriminate against the Orient, and eventually to invade Afghanistan and Iraq as well as arousing certain public opinion against North Korea, may be criticized for its ignorance or exaggeration, especially when the world has observed the events of September attack (9/11) and the North Korean nuclear weapon issue.During the past two centuries Europe has ideologically constituted Asia in relation to itself with the purpose of putting its hand in it. In the past decade, Asian music and culture has spread throughout the West like poppies. The problem is that this Orientalism is still present, long after the imperialist invasions. Bushs policies are the evidence for the existence of Orientalism. The Bush administration invaded Iraq claiming that Iraq had Weapon of Mass destruction (WMD) and that Saddam Hussein was an unforgivable dict ator. As the supposed Weapon of mass destruction (WMD) have not yet been found and as Hussein was the representative of Iraq, chosen by its people, it is natural that the Iraqi people pronounce curse against Bush. With the amount of west intervention in Iraq, it was not possible for the US military force to occupy Iraq forever. During the Bush administration, he announced that the US military force will be withdrawn upon the establishment of a democratic government in Iraq, the US will probably still try to dominate Iraq in one way or another as long as they have an oil interest in Iraq. Their dominance, however, will not last for long, and the US army cannot help but leave Iraq. This is just a matter of time. Americans or people in the world felt over 9/11 attack. Nobody can deny that 9/11 was an atrocity that aroused anger around the world. The world, however, is aware that the broad antagonism of the west especially Americans against the Arab world was one of the main causes of 9 /11, and that the terrorist Bin Laden himself was, in the past nurtured by the US to fight against the USSR. In other words, 9/11 was a trap set by the US themselves then. The war in Iraq, perceptions have proven particularly relevant to the conduct of military operations. However, because Western outlook of this critical region, and forming the personal collection of most Westerners, are predetermined by each individuals experience within his/her culture. This experience is mostly shaped by the images, ideas and impressions retained from exposure to popular culture, media and more or less elaborate programmes or readings, and depending on ones educational accomplishments, personal or professional interests. The common characteristic between all these individual experiences, as far as the Middle-East is concerned, is that they are all immersed in a predominant consensus or discourse about the representation of this critical region of the world. Likewise, the launch of the Arabic lan guage Al-Jazeera satellite channel nearly ten years ago, transformed the television landscape in the Middle East. And over the past three years the channel has gained global reputation and became a name which governments and decision-makers across the world can hardly ignore. Even, In  The Lord of the Rings  film trilogy, the costumes of the Haradrims, a human race who allies itself with the enemy, are Middle-Eastern in style. When children are fed this kind of negative bias against the Middle-East, the subliminal cultural consciousness of whole generations is enduringly and profoundly impacted. The normality of such bad depictions clearly illustrates what several Western intellectuals qualify at best as acceptable political in correctness directed against Middle-Easterner The war declared on terrorism after the massacre of 9/11 in New York, with the subsequent military operations in Afghanistan and in Iraq, revives this tradition of improving interventionism by carrying on the old orientalist-related topic. Far from destroying the Great Divide between the West and the Rest, the wars of a new type support and separate the division between civilized and barbaric in the era of globalization. The explanation of ideology of the American, according to which there would no longer be outside or inside, because no country would now be released from terrorism. What now prevails is a sober vision of globalization, that of a fight to the death between two worlds, extending over all continents, between America, and the Islamic terrorism. But this originality goes back to schemes that are as old as the United States itself, insofar as this self-proclaimed exceptional, autonomous and providential imperial republic has an idealistic or ideal component qualified as es sential. Edward Said also refers to the medias ability to control and filter information as an invisible screen, releasing what it wants people to know and blacking out what it does not want them to know. To accomplish his goal Said sets up a methodological argument within which he addresses three main concepts. First, that imperialism is not about a specific moment in history, but rather a continuing interdependent dialogue between subject peoples and the dominant hegemony of the empire. Secondly, through the production of popular western literature authors have maintained a sense of continued supremacy upon subject peoples. This theorization that postcolonial domination has been institutionalized within western literature is a reference to the idea of a continuing interchange of ideas between dominant culture and oppressed peoples. Lastly, Saids comparison of colonialism to racism is integral to his argument about the continuation of oppression in a postcolonial environment. Throughout his analysis of culture, he focuses on the limitations of subjugated peoples within western culture and the reasons for their continued oppression. In Covering Islam (1997), Said postulates that, if knowledge is power, those who control the modern Western media (visual and print) are most powerful because they are able to determine what people like or dislike, what they wear and how they wear it, and what they should know and must not know about themselves. Said claims that untruth and falsehood about Islam and the Muslim world are consistently propagated in the media, in the name of objectivity, liberalism, freedom, democracy and progress Conclusion In this contemporary world, there is at least more than fifty percent intervention of the west towards the rest of the world. Edward Said argues in Orientalism, his landmark 1978 study of the relationship between the production of knowledge and the exercise of imperial power, the attitudes and images created by this tradition compose a closely bound system of created knowledge, of willed human work, about the Eastern other which the imperial powers of Europe and North America have historically used to invite and justify political and economic intervention and imperialism. Critics who have studied Orientalism in Europe, especially in nineteenth-century literature, have pointed out that there is much that can be learned about the Wests image of itself through the way Western writers have depicted the Orient. The influential popular magazine, The National Geographic, established in 1988 used to represent a window on the world for millions of middle class Americans at a time when movies and televisions were either not yet invented or in their infancy. The plain picturesque coverage of the Middle-East, by this magazine, showed the Arabs as exotic Orientals Mass media and movie industry developed throughout the twentieth century to become the main spreader of information, images and attitudes about the region to the public at large. The Arab Muslim progressively became a figure in American popular culture. No one can deny that orientalism has made great contributions to the study of Arab culture and history, and to the religion of Islam. Orientalists were and still are standing as experts in Arab-Islamic culture. They accumulated very rich knowledge and experience in this field of inquiry. In fact they made tremendous contribution to research, translation, and ultimately to the preservation and indexing of Arab-Islamic heritage.

Factors that influences consumer buying behaviour for fast food of mcdonalds

Factors that influences consumer buying behaviour for fast food of mcdonalds Introduction: In the recent period of time, there has been a hasty change in the food habits among UK residents. Fast food is in United Kingdom since medieval age, it wasnt exactly 21th century fast food but somehow similar to todays fast food. Fast food has become a popular trend of British culture as it is been carried a long way since Roman Empire. The basic roots of fast food are coming over from America but fast food was in different form in every country. It started getting into more of a worldwide business when globalisation started its role. It is now one of the multi-million pound industries which boost the UK economy. Fast food was revolutionised in 1902 with the introduction of the automat in America, where customers started to line up for readymade foods from the display counters or vending machines, paid and either left or ate the food on the premises. The restaurant which made its first move into UK was KFC in 1965 following the step, pizza hut came into the market in the year 1973 a nd then the global fast food leader McDonalds jumped in the year 1974. (Fast food nation, 2009) In 1940s, McDonald brothers introduced new concept of Speedee Service System which revolutionized the restaurant business, the benefits of their system was advertised as Imagine- No carhops-No waitresses-No Dishwashers-No bus boys-The McDonalds system is Self-Service (Scholosser,E, 2002..P20) In the past few years fast food has industry has faced many criticism, people are getting more concern about healthy diet. Government interaction in to business by banning the advertisement in certain places as well as many campaigns and programs are raised following the health awareness among the people. People are getting against the salted chips, high fat meals and many other issues. Why fast food is been considered and its expansion in United Kingdom Every day many people are consuming fast food and for many people it is a regular evening dinner. Fast food is developing and expanding immensely. A recent survey carried out by BBC world, 2008 shows that 45% of people in UK are likely to agree that they liked the taste of fast food too much to give it up, as well it also reveals that people in the UK are Europes highest fast food consumers which is due to the popularity of fast food chains in their favourites list. Consumers are having a growing desire for fast food and UK consumers trying to put McDonalds on the safer side in the economic crisis with sales in 2008 beat last years. The per head spending of UK customers in 2007 was  £82 in fast food restaurants which is predict to go higher and it will benefit chains like McDonalds and burger King. (Data Source: Caterersearch, 2008) The United Kingdom national statistics in 2009 (Kent K, 2009) suggests that unique nature of working force has increased due to the rise in numbers of women working as the employment pattern and style of student including international students and many foreign workers has been increased. According to Schlosser E (2002) with increased mobility and the expansion of urban areas people spent more time in their workplace. This was also paired with an increasing number of working women in the workplace thus leading to less time allocated for food preparation at home, supporting the argument Glazer F (2009) provides evidence in the research that working moms are more concerned about lack of time to prepare meals in compared to moms who is not working. In such a way, some three quarters of the family food budget was initially spent on fast food meals. Kent K (2009) This increase in the work force from migrant workers, foreign students as well the increase of women in work force has made a big contribution in fast food success, considering London as the location of this study it is clear that it is the most diverse city of UK with different cultures sharing their views and rituals in the city. The fast food has also been driven by multi-cultural people in London, London is considered as one of the most diverse city in the world and where a marketer can expect a diverse buying behaviour too. Many cultural and communities are based in London and the city also expect the numbers of tourist every day, all these different cultures have their unique taste. The multicultural customer has base has forced the marketers to include diverse taste and they have to consider the demand of their multicultural customers. McDonald has taken the initiative by promoting the different cultural promotional menu for example: Chinese food promotion and recently launched Indian chicken tikka wrap. The food giants are keeping the diverse customer base into consideration. Snackspot, (2009) The big brands are regularly expanding their menu in order to cope with the demand of the fast food customers. The fast food market is getting really high due to the number of consumers getting towards it; the industry is growing really rapid and fast food companies making better profits on daily basis. The branded fast food outlets and classic British cafes are the main chains in the industry, the restaurants and take away shops are deeply rooted on the British high roads and at popular shopping centres as well as retail parks, motorway and at many other places. Brandau M, (2009) a recent consumer research has found out that quick service restaurants have gained market through value of offering and premium menu which has helped them to go through post recession recovery, it is also been revealed that big fast food giants has gained a huge number of affluent customer base as well more typical fast food lovers in this economic downturn which is been named as barbell strategy. As the study show there has been a massive rise in the fast food consumption and every day it is more and more expanding. McDonalds is in the UK fast food market for long but recently there has been a fierce competition between Technology has played its role in almost every business. Technology could be used from improving business to attracting customers into the restaurant. Smithers R (2007) the idea of launching the free internet service in the McDonalds restaurants have helped the company in getting number of customers into the restaurant, Liddle A (2005) also they are teaming up with Nintendo to promote its portable Nintendo DS to attract the gamers, it is kind of great promotion which is building a brand image and it can attract many teens into the restaurant. The Wi-Fi concept has attracted many students which can help them in savings money on internet. The fast food giants have also started taking card payments few years back which proves to be a convenient method of payment ignoring the hassle of change, card payments has no minimum payment restrictions in many outlets and can be used also for 20p sweet chilli sauce in McDonalds. The card concept was upgraded by Barclaycard arrival of contactless t echnology which was successfully launched at McDonalds. Chain Store Age (2007) mentions that according to a survey conducted by Visa, the use of card payments in the quick service restaurants has been rated a more convenient experience, around 82% consumers agreed with the fact and 77% agreed that it pursues them buy whatever they desired because they were not limited to the cash in their wallets. Pietrykowski B (2004) mentions that fast food industry has faced many critics from many groups in the previous years and its still facing problems from the media and also from the government, in the year 1986 there was campaign started by an Italian which was named slow food movement, at present it comprises 77,000 individual members representing 48 countries, Slow food (1989) We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat fast food, so slow food is now the only truly progressive answer, Walsh B (2008) names this movement as the anti-fast food, anti-industrial and anti-agricultural movement. Whereas Pietrykowski B (2004:12) states slow food movement seeks the preservation of local foods and cuisines by creating and strengthening networks of social relations between consumers and makers. In return the fast food companies introduced healthy options in their menu ad ding fruits and nutritional information as well reduce salt to their food. Fast food giants are also keeping up the demand by expanding their menus and trying different promotional tactics. Fast food is considered as an easy key and recently with the added values to healthy food and also by adding organic ingredients and food to their menus; it is drawing attention to many new customers. Glazer F (2009) mentions that McDonalds recently launched the global moms panel to advice the company on issues such as balanced food and communications with the families as well as launched moms quality program insisting on the chains quality and safety standards, hence the food chain has taken a family step towards their products and launching such campaigns can create a better trust among their consumers. Sky News (2010), McDonalds has achieved this success by following these steps in to their business as well as their performance was aided by its superior value at every level of the menu, helpin g it to push up sales increased by double digits and full year profits growing up to 6% to  £2.83 billion. Life style impacting the fast food industry and cultural influence on fast food advertisement and its consumption London is been considered as one of the business capital of the world, similarly one of the most diverse city in the world too, hence the lifestyle of the city is much different comparing to other UK cities. Economist (2003) mentions that before when people needed fatty hot food, they had to cook it. So they had to spare time and energy, this has discouraged the consumption but now the mass preparation of fast food took away that concept, nobody has to make big effort and nobody has time. The lifestyle of Londoners is getting more and more hectic. The fast food trend has taken the effort of cooking out from the house to the giant fast food companies, people do not mind eating in trains, busses as long as it saves time. Londoners are getting into work more in comparison to previous years in London. Kent K (2009) The image above shows the different cities of United Kingdom, which shows London having the highest employment rate in the recent years and again, Economist (2003) the proportion of women going out to work is probably the main force pushing the time-saving trend, Britain is considered as a topper in convenience food league as well as the working women league. Within an increase in employment there has also been a change in the working hours of British people, Summerskill (2000) mentions that it is one of the main reasons of time poverty and fast food consumption in Britain. People are working long working hours possibly with few breaks and many doing antisocial hours (typical night hours), or they take second and third jobs to meet their own needs. In UK, one in nine workers do more than 60 hours a week, antisocial working hours and working extra hours are very common, especially in retail industry as many are getting 24/7. (Dailymail, 2008) A research conducted by Oxford Economics c onsultancy suggests similarly there has been rise in the income which has made the living standards in Britain better, the living standards were been calculated taking GDP in to consideration. Another lifestyle based factor is individualism, which is much common in London because of many foreign workers and students. Arndt M (2007) In general, the heavy consumption of fast food is a single man in his mid-20s who has a professional job that pays above average wages. Hence the lifestyle is much responsible for the success of the fast food market. Marketers need to consider many things when they start promoting a particular brand or product. As the world is not homogenous, there is a difference in choice even in the same culture. If we consider London, there are number of multi-cultural people living in the city. A company in order to get success cannot really rely on just one common culture. Rugman A (2001: 583) suggests that globalization does not, and has never, existed in terms of a single world market with free trade, cultural differences has divide the world into the triad blocks. In United Kingdom, Schiffman L, Kanuk L (2007) there is many different societies and culture residing in other term subculture. Subculture is set of people with distinct belief and behaviour, it differs from mere social grouping, is awareness of style and differences in style, language or other phenomena and more complex society. The fast food companies focus on particular subcultures in order to gain the market and to make the advertisement wo rk. Types of subcultures followed by companies in segmentation Schiffman L, Kanuk L (2007) McDonalds has used the concept of sub-culture by diversifying few of their London based restaurants into Halal restaurant, which is certainly a part major muslim community in London. Similarly KFC has followed the same step and has turned 74 out of 700 of their restaurants into Halal certified restaurants, their products are been approved by recognised Muslim association and certificate is been displayed at their restaurants (KFC, 2010). United Kingdom is a very diverse country and considering the fact about the different ethnic backgrounds, fast food companies run different events and food promotions in order to attract the consumer towards the brand and towards their product such as oriental menu taking Chinese into consideration and chicken tikka wrap attracting Indians and Pakistani. Furthermore McDonalds acts according to the location. McDonalds restaurant Location Segmentation steps Manhattan, New York The target customers are working class people coming for breakfast or lunch Maastricht, Netherlands Jakarta The target customers are families with children, with big playgrounds surrounded by swings, slides etc. The target customers are youngsters and yuppies. Ghauri, Cateora, (2005 P-22) In this competitive period of business, the fast food companies cannot do business without taking international business dimensions into the business. It not only helps to gain the local market but it also helps to gain success in the cross border trade. The marketing polices may be needed to change according to different market culture. Fast Foods heavy investment on advertisement Without a strong recognisable brand name a product is no more than a commodity, with out advertising there is no recognisable brand name. (Wright R, 2000 P-89) Consumer buying behaviour depends mainly on awareness and recognition which is achieved by advertisement. Advertisement can be consider as a way of communication, almost all advertisement contains a persuasive element of sales but it also creates brand and should also deliver a motive. (Sargeant A, Asif S, 2000) The above gives an idea how the advertisement is conducted and which factors are been consider when an advertisement is carried on. In UK, McDonalds identified the need of co-ordinated marketing and advertising policy, in order to gain the market, a company should find out what the customers want, develop products to satisfy them, charge them the right price and make the existence of the products through promotion. McDonalds is now the biggest single brand advertiser on British television. Promotional activities and special suggestive selling within the restaurant have a tactical role to play in getting people to return to the restaurants regularly. All franchisees benefit from any national marketing and contribute to its cost, currently a fee of 4.5 percent of sales. (The times, 2009) Consumer buying behaviour and Marketing Mix For a person to make a decision, a choice of alternatives must be available. When a person has a choice between making a purchase and not making a purchase, a choice between brand x and brand y, or a choice of spending time doing A or B, that person is in a position to make a decision. Consumer decision depends on many factors, human brain has two hemispheres one on left and another on the right. It is important for an advertisement to appeal to both sides. This means combining the rational dimension with the emotional component in your brand proposition. If they build a brand personality for a product that has both an emotional and rational appeal then they are appealing customer decision making. (Schiffman L and Kanuk L, 2004), a various index of repetitive purchase go after a similar buying decision which can be determined through brand, products and other factors. (Ehrenberg, 1988:28) Knowledge of consumer buying behaviour can help the companies to identify the needs of consumers better and that can lead towards market success. McDonalds is one of the worlds best familiar brands, and the consumer buying decision affects from many point of view. A repetitive purchase can only occur if the companies deliver consistently. A model of consumer buying behaviour is shown below which can be applicable to many companies and it helps to identify the consumer buying decision. The model describes the customers perception towards different purchase factors, these factors runs through consumers mind and after a while the consumer can come to conclusion of purchase or no purchase. The Times (2006) has conducted a study on McDonalds, The consumer takes number of external and internal factors before making the buying decision. Psychological factors are important, e.g. what image doest the product give or how the consumer feels when purchasing it (eg; pound saver menu for quick bitters). The advertisement of the product has to be linked with the realism of the consumer buying behaviour, if the advertisement matches with the consumers emotion then the result will be positive. It is called a black box model. (Kotler, 2004) Jill McDonald, Chief marketing officer of McDonalds UK reveals their idea behind the advertisement of McDonalds that they always try to be clear and confident about what they are and what they stand for and they convey in a simple language consi dering every single person to understand their message as McDonalds have always been customer oriented. Although (The times, 2006) it is essential that the messages which are being communicated by the company to their customers supports each other and there should be brief understanding keeping brand aspects in the communication and the target audience should be rolled out into action which may include purchase of a product or referring to their friends or family etc, the core concept in consumer buying process is to make customer feel positive about the product and (Achenbaum 1989, Lindsay 1990) it is quite fact that advertising is the best source in influencing the consumer buying decision and to build a brand image. (ODoneell C, 2005) Marketing mix supports companies marketing and business strategies whereas mix includes price, place, product and promotion, (Kotler P, Armstrong G, Wong V, Saunders J, 2008) mentions that the marketing strategy is linked with the marketing mix in order to achieve the companys marketing aims and objectives, the marketing mix acts as a toolkit in order to establish a strong marketing hold in the target market. A company may use one marketing mix to reach one target market and can differentiate second one to achieve the target market. (Pride W, Hughes R, Kapoor J, 2009) Schieffer R, Leininger E, (2008) McDonalds has successfully marketed their product to their targeted customers and has developed well positioned offerings for a manageable group of target segments, which is an effective marketing mix, offers (Baker M, 2003) a right product that meets the customers demand, that is of effective cost to the customer and it effectively delivers the quality and usage of the product which can be purchased with the utmost convenience. McDonalds customer profile is very diverse, family visits with their children for a treat, kids visits McDonalds for fun and youngsters visits considering price and the business customers may visits for a quick service. The specific target can be simple to communicate and the company can convey their message in an effective and efficient way. McDonalds have also tried to offer a product which is demanded by their customers, Jim Skinner, Vice president of McDonalds limited mention (Schieffer R, Leininger E, 2008) that McDonalds always focus on good customer service, quality product and hygienic cleanliness in their restaurants, as well as they always giving tips on management Mr. Skinner mentioned face the facts, listen to your customers because they will tell you what really matters. The company should always keep in mind that they are not the only one offering the product or service, a customer have a choice unless there the company holds a monopoly of particular product. McDonalds has to consider the competitors and taking them into consideration they have to revitalise their menu. The product life cycle is much important for a business to float regularly in profit and with good brand image. (Marketing, 2009) McDonalds has successfully launched new chicken legend burger chicken selects in competing with KFC for their spicy chicken strips, in their menu in the past year as well introducing fish fingers in their happy meal selection. The company also launched a range of healthy products including the organic milk and they introduce ethical standards for their coffee suppliers. McDonalds brand has gone to the basic of marketing communications; the new product launched is typically marketed through television and newspaper advertisement. (Justin M, 2009) following this mantra McDonalds always improve their products and services. In order to sustain in the market McDonalds has always been innovative in their products and it will continue to do so. In the below mention diagram the chicken legend and chicken selects product of McDonalds are the recently launched new product or innovation of McDonalds, where as one can say that their popular burger Big Mac is at the maturity stage. (Strategic Management, 2005) Similarly (Haines S, 2008) the price of the McDonalds product reflects the targeted customers decision to purchase the benefit; it represents a link between the pricing rationale to value, revenue volume of the product, McDonalds has always maintained their product when there is reduction in the price in order to compete in the market, usually many companies face the quality issue when they reduce the price of a particular product or services, as the customers mentally thinks that the reduced price products are not really same compared to original product quality. Kurtz D (2008) explains that the pricing objective varies from company to company, the main areas to consider in price objectives are probability objectives, volume objectives, meeting competition objectives and prestige objectives and McDonalds follows a mixture of this objectives into their business. References http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=P_ovoY2ZcbkCpg=PA255dq=marketing+mix+modelcd=1#v=onepageq=marketing%20mix%20modelf=false

Dark They Were And Golden-Eyed Essay -- essays research papers fc

Dark They Were And Golden-Eyed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Science fiction is a very interesting subject because you never really know for sure if it’s fiction or not. The scientific information contained in these stories makes you think; could this be real? The possibility is always there, in the back of your mind, just lingering around that these concepts could be reality. One day when you hear on the news about something you read in a science fiction novel, or saw in a science fiction movie, you’ll really start thinking about it. Ray Bradbury’s Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed is a great science fiction story to get you thinking about science fiction. I’m going to try and use Bradbury’s story as an example of science fiction as genre. In Dark they Were and Golden-Eyed Bradbury shows you how life might be like if people lived on Mars. He gives the people a reason for going to Mars and then a reason why they must stay there. The people on Mars slowly start to change, their skin turns dark and their eyes begin to be covered with a gold film. None of the human really cared except for one, Harry Bittering. Harry was reluctant to stay since the second he stepped on to Mars. When him and his family got off the rocket and looked around Harry got a cold look on his face, â€Å"What’s wrong?† asked his wife. â€Å"Let’s get back on the rocket.† Said Harry. â€Å"Go back to Earth?† said his wife. â€Å"Yes! Listen!† said Harry (131). Bradbury repeats a lot of words like wind and gold. He said â€Å" The win...

George Orwells Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Im

George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Imperialism    The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism. The importance in the shooting of the elephant lies in how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In this essay, the elephant and the British officer help prove that imperialism is a double-edge sword. The shooting of the elephant is the incident that reveals that imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in a imperialistic relationship. The British officer, Orwell, displays many aspects of the being the "absurd puppet" under the institution of imperialism.(3) He is the evidence that "every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at."(3) His experience with the natives conveys how imperialism harms the imperialistic countries as well as their colonies. To give reason to their forceful colonization, the imperialists must strip themselves of their own freedom as they constantly try to "impress the natives" to prove the superiority of the white man.(3) Colonists find the need to become racist against the natives because it is convenien t for the colonists to patr... ...he elephant, and the elephant, who painfully dies, focuses the reader's attention on the suffering that imperialism causes for both parties. If the shooting was justified, Orwell's argument would have been immensely weakened. The symbolic story in the Shooting an Elephant is an attack towards imperialism. Orwell presents the ironic truth that imperialism benefits neither the imperialist nor the countries they colonize. It is perhaps sad to see that men were once willing to buy in to the fraudulent and ephemeral glory that imperialism have offered. Hopefully, men have learned their lessons and no other animal will be sacrificed for men's greed. Works Cited: Orwell, George. "Shooting An Elephant." An Age Like This, 1920-1940, vol. 1 of The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. ed. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. New York: Harcourt, 1968. George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Im George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Imperialism    The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism. The importance in the shooting of the elephant lies in how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In this essay, the elephant and the British officer help prove that imperialism is a double-edge sword. The shooting of the elephant is the incident that reveals that imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in a imperialistic relationship. The British officer, Orwell, displays many aspects of the being the "absurd puppet" under the institution of imperialism.(3) He is the evidence that "every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at."(3) His experience with the natives conveys how imperialism harms the imperialistic countries as well as their colonies. To give reason to their forceful colonization, the imperialists must strip themselves of their own freedom as they constantly try to "impress the natives" to prove the superiority of the white man.(3) Colonists find the need to become racist against the natives because it is convenien t for the colonists to patr... ...he elephant, and the elephant, who painfully dies, focuses the reader's attention on the suffering that imperialism causes for both parties. If the shooting was justified, Orwell's argument would have been immensely weakened. The symbolic story in the Shooting an Elephant is an attack towards imperialism. Orwell presents the ironic truth that imperialism benefits neither the imperialist nor the countries they colonize. It is perhaps sad to see that men were once willing to buy in to the fraudulent and ephemeral glory that imperialism have offered. Hopefully, men have learned their lessons and no other animal will be sacrificed for men's greed. Works Cited: Orwell, George. "Shooting An Elephant." An Age Like This, 1920-1940, vol. 1 of The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. ed. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. New York: Harcourt, 1968.

A Comparison of the Writing Styles of Mary Austin and Willia Cather Essay

Steve rayburn! ! !Every author has his or her own style of writing in the works he or she produces. Two female British authors, Mary Austin and Willia Cather, both have similar but distinct styles of writing.! !Mary Austin wrote a novel called â€Å"Land of Little Rain† that depicts death valley and the surrounding desert. The landscape of the story is no doubt a desert; sand dunes, small shrubs, will grass, blistering heat, scavengers and very little water. Although the desert can be easily described, Austin goes to great lengths to show the relationships between the subtle changes in  the landscape, behavioral patterns of animals, and even the way plant life grows around the landscape. For example, she describes and almost personi? es the way that the dunes are blown up on themselves that eventually form a shield that protect the grasses and shrubs that grow behind the dunes. Austin takes a blunt picture of the landscape and shapes and sharpens it into a ? uid ecosystem. She shows the vibrance of life that exists in the so-called death valley.! !Willia Cather is the author of the novel called â€Å"My Antonia† that follows the path of a boy,  Jim Burden, who moves west and befriends a bohemian family that settles close to his. Jim is a thoughtful, self-aware individual that is very introverted; wandering through the woods and pasture on his horse, his thoughts wandering like he is. Like Austin, Cather uses the landscape to springboard themes and motifs throughout the book, often the scenery being an outward expression of the thoughts and feelings of the characters. For example, the rugged, untamed, potentially dangerous landscape foreshadows the imminent suicide of his friend’s father. The death is also very dangerous because he was the main breadwinner of the family, and without him the family could potentially be trapped in the winds and chill of the landscape themselves. Cather pulls from the scenery but uses it as a garnish rather than the main focus of Austin’s work.! !Although both writers use the landscape to build their stories, they use it very differently. Austin’s story is the landscape, while Cather uses the landscape as an element. The style of both authors have similarities but have distinct differences.

The Devils Highway

This project Walk this Way was actually a really good experiment. It wasn't that hard nor that simple. You still had to apply everything you learned In math and be accurate with the numbers. Starting with the measurements of your leg to the time amount of time you walk in. Your accuracy had to be at a minimum range of numbers. Answering question number 8 in the worksheet I believe in some of them the formula predicted the maximum speed of walking. Not in all but it was accurate in most.It's nice to see you can get an accurate time with just applying math in it and trying to predict a very good level of walking. The way the project was set up itself was an amazing way to learn new things about human nature and about math at the same time. The procedures we used were for one making a student go outside of the classroom and count 60 tiles (since it is 1 foot each) and from where he started he put tape and from where he ended he put tape. We then separated into groups tot 10 in total to be an even class so we can start tot the experiment.During the time that was going on we chose who was going to be the recorder, the measurer, and the mummer. With my group Japan was the measurer, Angora was the recorder, and I was the timer. Finally going outside we got to work and the people walking would start from the tape and have to end to the other side where the other tape was. You notice how some people walk at a slow pace and other at more faster one. It isn't as difficult to do the math problems. If it wasn't explained to us It would've been difficult to understand. But I love how this project is/was.It entertained me more than I thought it would Especially when walking down to the other side of the tape. What I found most difficult was putting the second set of points in the same scatter plot. Didn't know how to do It since I'm no wiz at the computer. At the end I did end up figuring it out when trying to mess around with the stuff in excel. I found the way to do it and I did. So that was a good thing to me. To be honest I think it wasn't hard to get precise measurements. You Just have to know how to do the formula and round if you need to.Yes you may think it isn't the same as the time you walked and the time you were suppose to walk because then again it isn't always going to be perfect at the end. You will end up seeing more than enough different times. There really isn't enough accuracy toward anything. If I had the opportunity to alter the experiment to improve the results I would make the kids walk in a speed walk pace. I would want to see If you get the precise measurement at the end. You would want to notice If it was correct or not. Testing both walks normal and speed walk should've been done.That way you can compare both times and say which are the most accurate out of the two. The Devils Highway By sashays Walk This Way February 1, 2013 This project Walk this Way was actually a really good experiment. It wasn't that hard nor that simple. You still had to apply everything you learned in math and be accurate in most. It's nice to see you can get an accurate time with Just applying math groups of 10 in total to be an even class so we can start off the experiment. During and the timer. With my group Japan was the measurer, Angora was the recorder, andYou notice how some people walk at a slow pace and other at more faster one. It isn't as difficult to do the math problems. If it wasn't explained to us it would've been than I thought it would. Especially when walking down to the other side of the tape. Plot. I didn't know how to do it since I'm no wiz at the computer. At the end I did end To be honest I think it wasn't would want to see if you get the precise measurement at the end. You would want to notice if it was correct or not. Testing both walks normal and speed walk should've