Alice’s Adventure of Self Discovery in Wonderland

The bildungsroman novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll elucidates the idea of humans needing to be faced with a drastic situation, in order to grow and develop their own identity. Alice begins in the novel as a respectful and naive child, one typical of the Victorian Era. She struggles with adjusting to the new situations, as well as the growth and changes of her body. Alice’s escapades in Wonderland allow her to change her views with regard to authority as well as to understand different life situations. Alice’s time in Wonderland compels her to become more independent as well as to stand up for herself, ergo becoming a mature, self-reliant young woman. Alice’s adventures in Wonderland permit her to understand and accept her body’s baffling changes. As Alice enters Wonderland, a world where nothing is the same, her body changes sizes eleven times, something that is drastic for anyone, not only a young girl. When â€Å"she sat down and began to cry again† (Carroll 17), this was in regard to her body’s rapid and confusing changes. Alice’s body changed, she was completely hopeless as well had no idea on how to deal with the situation, much like a child entering puberty. When a child first enters puberty, they are extremely uncomfortable, but eventually they become more and more comfortable with the changes and in their own skin. Alice proves that she is becoming more comfortable with herself and her identity when she declares, â€Å"Oh dear! I’d nearly forgotten that I’ve got to grow up again! Let me see-how is it to be managed† (39). Alice’s body no longer has control over her, but instead she has control over her own body. Throughout Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice continues to become more comfortable with her body as well as in foreign and unfamiliar situations. Alice’s adventure allows her not only to become more comfortable with her body, but also more comfortable in regard to understanding the role that authority plays in society. When Alice first enters Wonderland, she is a confused, helpless child, who does not understand how to stand up for herself. In the beginning of the novel, Alice is thrown into a world where the strict rules she lives by no longer apply, and as a result does not understand how to act, especially in regard to authority. When the Rabbit makes a mistake of calling to Alice saying, â€Å"Why Mary Ann, what are you doing here? †¦ Alice was so frightened she ran off at once without saying a word† (10), Alice clearly acknowledges and understands the mistake. Due to her strict, traditional Victorian upbringing, she was taught to obey authority at all costs and never to contradict someone who was in a position of power. In Wonderland however, all that Alice thought she knew about authority is tossed aside, as those rules no longer apply. Although Alice indubitably knows she is not Mary Ann, the Rabbit’s maid, she is too afraid to disobey authority and point out the error of his ways. However, further on in the novel, as well as further on in Alice’s growth as a human, she becomes more comfortable with speaking up to authority. When Alice contradicts the Queen and her poor decisions when the Queen exclaims, â€Å"Off with her head! Off with her.. † but Alice barges in and declares that it is â€Å"nonsense. † (72). Alice not only becomes more comfortable as herself, but more comfortable speaking up and against authority, an important aspect of maturing. Alice’s growth and maturing not only depends on her physical size, but it also depends on her ability to adapt to new situations. In Wonderland, all of the new rules that come with these strange games, from the caucus race to the croquet game are metaphors to social situations. At the beginning of Alice’s adventure, Alice is confused by these new social situations, and does not quite now how to react to them. During the croquet game, Alice is unsure and â€Å"rather doubtful whether she ought not to lie down on her face like the three gardeners. † (35). Alice had never been in a situation like this, and she clearly did not know how to react, something that is learned over time as a person matures. Another example further along in the novel is when Alice is thrown into a new situation, where a baby is in danger, irrefutably a situation she had never been in before. Although Alice was unfamiliar with the social protocol, or what one would typically do in such a situation, she was mature enough to trust her instincts and stand up for the child by exclaiming at the Duchess, â€Å"Oh please mind what you’re doing! You nearly took his nose off! † (39). As Alice continues to mature and emerge as a young adult, she begins to trust her intuitions as well as defends her thoughts and ideas. Through Alice’s journey, she becomes more mature and as a result, adapts to new situations more easily. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a fantasy, bildungsroman novel that explores coming of age, in regard to puberty as well as social maturity. Although within the novel, it is Alice’s physical size that changes quite often, she matures throughout the novel while in Wonderland, adapting more easily to new, frightening situations as well as developing her moral courage. Alice begins her adventure as a frightened young girl, one who can barely cope in a situation, and she ends her journey being a strong, fearless and independent young woman.

Gwangju Massacre in South Korea

Gwangju Massacre in South Korea Tens of thousands of students and other protestors poured into the streets of Gwangju (Kwangju), a city in southwestern South Korea in the spring of 1980. They were protesting the state of martial law that had been in force since a coup that previous year, which had brought down the dictator Park Chung-hee and replaced him with military strongman General Chun Doo-hwan. As the protests spread to other cities, and the protestors raided army depots for weapons, the new president expanded his earlier declaration of martial law. Universities and newspaper offices were shuttered, and political activity was banned. In response, the protestors seized control of Gwangju. On May 17, President Chun sent additional army troops to Gwangju, armed with riot gear and live ammunition. Background to the Gwangju Massacre The portraits of former president Park Chung-hee and his wife Yuk Young-soo. Yuk Young-soo was killed in 1974 during an attempted assassination of Park Chung-hee. Woohae Cho​/Getty Images  Ã‚   On October 26, 1979, South Korean President Park Chung-hee was assassinated while visiting a gisaeng house (Korean geisha house) in Seoul. General Park had seized power in a 1961 military coup and ruled as a dictator until Kim Jae-kyu, the Director of Central Intelligence, killed him. Kim claimed that he assassinated the president because of the increasingly harsh crackdown on student protests over the countrys increasing economic woes, brought about in part by skyrocketing world oil prices. The following morning, martial law was declared, the National Assembly (Parliament) was disbanded, and all public meetings of more than three people were banned, with an exception only for funerals. Political speech and gatherings of all kinds were prohibited. Nonetheless, many Korean citizens were optimistic about the change, since they now had a civilian acting president, Choi Kyu-hah, who promised among other things to halt the torture of political prisoners. The moment of sunshine faded quickly, however. On December 12, 1979, Army Security Commander General Chun Doo-Hwan, who was in charge of investigating President Parks assassination, accused the army chief of staff with conspiring to kill the president. General Chun ordered troops down from the DMZ and invaded the Department of Defense building in Seoul, arresting thirty of his fellow generals and accusing them all of complicity in the assassination. With this stroke, General Chun effectively seized power in South Korea, although President Choi remained as a figurehead. In the days that followed, Chun made it clear that dissent would not be tolerated. He extended martial law to the entire country  and sent police squads to the homes of pro-democracy leaders and student organizers to intimidate potential opponents. Among the targets of these intimidation tactics were the student leaders at Chonnam University in Gwangju... In March 1980, a new semester began, and university students and professors who had been banned from campus for political activities were allowed to return. Their calls for reform - including freedom of the press, and an end to martial law, and free and fair elections - grew louder as the semester progressed. On May 15, 1980, approximately 100,000 students marched on Seoul Station demanding reform. Two days later, General Chun promulgated even harsher restrictions, closing down universities and newspapers once more, arresting hundreds of student leaders, and also arresting twenty-six political opponents, including Kim Dae-jung of Gwangju. May 18, 1980 Outraged by the crackdown, about 200 students went to the front gate of Chonnam University in Gyungju early on the morning of May 18. There they met thirty paratroopers, who had been sent to keep them off the campus. The paratroopers charged the students with clubs, and the students responded by throwing rocks. The students then marched downtown, attracting more supporters as they went. By early afternoon, local police were overwhelmed by 2,000 protestors, so the military sent about 700 paratroopers into the fray. The paratroopers charged into the crowd, bludgeoning the students and passersby. A deaf 29-year-old, Kim Gyeong-cheol, became the first fatality; he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the soldiers beat him to death. May 19-20 Throughout the day on May 19, more and more furious residents of Gwangju joined the students in the streets, as reports of increasing violence filtered through the city. Businessmen, housewives, taxi drivers - people of all walks of life marched out to defend the youth of Gwangju. Demonstrators hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at the soldiers. By the morning of May 20, there were more than 10,000 people protesting downtown. That day, the army sent in an additional 3,000 paratroopers. The special forces beat people with clubs, stabbed and mutilated them with bayonets, and threw at least twenty to their deaths from high buildings. The soldiers used tear gas and live ammunition indiscriminately, shooting into the crowds. Troops shot dead twenty girls at Gwangjus Central High School. Ambulance and cab drivers who tried to take the wounded to hospitals were shot. One hundred students who sheltered in the Catholic Center were slaughtered. Captured high school and university students had their hands tied behind them with barbed wire; many were then summarily executed. May 21 On May 21, the violence in Gwangju escalated to its height. As the soldiers fired round after round into the crowds, protesters broke into police stations and armories, taking rifles, carbines and even two machine guns. Students mounted one of the machine guns on the roof of the universitys medical school. The local police refused further aid to the army; troops beat some police officers unconscious for attempting to help the injured. It was all-out urban warfare. By 5:30 that evening, the army was forced to retreat from downtown Gwangju in the face of the furious citizens. The Army Leaves Gwangju By the morning of May 22, the army had pulled out entirely from Gwangju, establishing a cordon around the city. A bus full of civilians attempted to escape the blockade on May 23; the army opened fire, killing 17 of the 18 people aboard. That same day, army troops accidentally opened fire on one another, killing 13 in a friendly-fire incident in the Songam-dong neighborhood. Meanwhile, inside Gwangju, teams of professionals and students formed committees to provide medical care for the wounded, funerals for the dead, and compensation for the families of victims. Influenced by Marxist ideals, some of the students arranged to cook communal meals for the people of the city. For five days, the people ruled Gwangju. As word of the massacre spread throughout the province, anti-government protests broke out in nearby cities including Mokpo, Gangjin, Hwasun, and Yeongam. The army fired on protestors in Haenam, as well. The Army Retakes the City On May 27, at 4:00 in the morning, five divisions of paratroopers moved into Gwangjus downtown. Students and citizens tried to block their way by lying in the streets, while the armed citizen militias prepared for a renewed firefight. After an hour and a half of desperate fighting, the army seized control of the city once more. Casualties in the Gwangju Massacre The Chun Doo-hwan government issued a report stating that 144 civilians, 22 troops, and four police officers had been killed in the Gwangju Uprising. Anyone who disputed their death toll could be arrested. However, census figures reveal that almost 2,000 citizens of Gwangju disappeared during this time period. A small number of the student victims, mostly those who died on May 24, are buried in Mangwol-dong Cemetery near Gwangju. However, eyewitnesses tell of seeing hundreds of bodies dumped in several mass graves on the outskirts of the city. The Aftermath In the aftermath of the horrific Gwangju Massacre, the administration of General Chun lost most of its legitimacy in the eyes of the Korean people. Pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the 1980s cited the Gwangju Massacre  and demanded that the perpetrators face punishment. General Chun held on as president until 1988, when under intense pressure, he allowed democratic elections. Kim Dae-jung, the 15th term President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, speaks on telephone at his home in Seoul, South Korea on June 25, 1987. Nathan Benn​/Getty Images   Kim Dae-Jung, the politician from Gwangju who had been sentenced to death on charges of fomenting the rebellion, received a pardon and ran for president. He did not win, but would later serve as president from 1998 to 2003, and went on to receive a Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. Former President Chun himself was sentenced to death in 1996 for corruption and for his role in the Gwangju Massacre. With the tables turned, President Kim Dae-jung commuted his sentence when he assumed office in 1998. In a very real way, the Gwangju Massacre marked a turning point in the long struggle for democracy in South Korea. Although it took almost a decade, this horrifying event paved the way for free and fair elections  and more transparent civil society. Further Reading on the Gwangju Massacre Flashback: The Kwangju Massacre, BBC News, May 17, 2000. Deirdre Griswold, S. Korean Survivors Tell of 1980 Gwangju Massacre, Workers World, May 19, 2006. Gwangju Massacre Video, Youtube, uploaded May 8, 2007. Jeong Dae-ha, Gwangju Massacre Still Echoes for Loved Ones, The Hankyoreh, May 12, 2012. Shin Gi-Wook and Hwang Kyung Moon. Contentious Kwangju: The May 18 Uprising in Koreas Past and Present, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman Littlefield, 2003. Winchester, Simon. Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles, New York: Harper Perennial, 2005.

An Unpaid Option An Illustrative Essay Template (MLA Sample Paper)

An Unpaid Option An Illustrative Essay Template (MLA Sample Paper) What Is MLA Format? MLA Format is a standard format for academic writing and citing sources within the humanities and liberal arts. MLA refers to a set of rules and formatting guidelines that are used by researchers. These standards are described in the MLA Handbook for writers of research papers (8-th edition) which is a 300-page manual describing every aspect of MLA paper writing. Below you will find a great MLA essay example. Read and use it while writing your own paper. Feel free to download MLA Essay Example Name LastName Professor’s Name Course Number Day Month Year Truth Behind the War                   Media plays a great role in influencing today’s youth and changing the opinions of many. Media’s coverage is so  much influential that it can have an effect on anyone’s opinion and views.  Media at times could be good,  while at times it  could be really bad. For example, in focusing on the  issues of discrimination, it plays a very important role in letting people  know the adverse effects of  discrimination,  while on the other hand media, itself is  being responsible for the growing issues  of  discrimination.                  Ã‚  Media plays a great role during the Wartime, not just by broadcasting the war events but also by letting the people  know the reality  and the truth behind the war. They are the ones who change people’s perspective and opinion. The  techniques in addition to goals  of the media have changed radically. The media now is what bring the news of all the terror  war into everyone’s home.When the World war broke out in August 1914, the United States at once fixed its relation to the belligerents thru  proclamation  of neutrality. The days of the war, before their entry on the side of the allied powers in April 1917, were  marked with difficulties,   both in preventing violations of out neutrality and in securing proper respect for our neutral rights.  The rights and duties of neutrals were  involved.                  Ã‚  At the outbreak of the war, Great Britain notified the United States that she would be held responsible for injuries  resulting to British interests from vessels converted to warships or armed in  American ports, even though the completion of  the act of conversion took place on the high seas.  British merchant vessels, it was asserted, were armed for self-defense  only.  The position of the United States was that a merchant vessel belonging to a belligerent should not arm itself so as to  avoid capture by lawful and legitimate  processes.                  Ã‚  On April 8, 1917, the Austrian government, as Germanys ally, broke off diplomatic relations with the United States,  and in due course, the war was declared against Austria. Until all effective states agree upon the abandonment of neutrality,  those remaining  outside the agreement will insist on their right to judge for themselves as to the neutral or belligerent  character of their policy, in the case of a conflict between two or more other states. This lies in the field of policy. And as  long as the policy of neutrality may be elected, it follows that the status of neutrality will exist, together with its rights and  duties. The belligerent states will be sufficiently active in demanding that a country is impartially a country is impartially neutral. The neutral state  must itself insist upon an observance of its formally declared by the joint resolution of Congress (Cipriano, 1995).                  Ã‚  All this during the First World War was well focused on, and a clear perspective was shown through Media. There  was not any biasness and the news was broadcasted to merely let the people know what is going on in their surrounding,  and not to exaggerate a particular news. Media of that time would only broadcast what was actually happening and so it  would leave the decision to viewers hands as to what conclusion they make out from the broadcast and it had let them had  their own perspective to everything they watched rather than to force Media’s own perspective on its viewer. Change of the War Picture                  Ã‚  Previously media would emphasize a focus on the positives of wars. They paid attention to what people required  and needed to hear. There was no struggle, and money wasn’t as key an issue in becoming a journalist. The commercialism  of news was far less of an issue in the reporting of news. The news wasn’t so much unconstructive as it was upbeat and  vigorous. It was the media’s job to keep their listeners hopeful and panic free. It wasn’t concerning who could get a hold of  the most listeners by offering  the most sensational newscasts. It was about letting everyone know the truth and reality  (Jowett, ODonnell, 1992).                   But now in the present time, media offers overly negative pictures of war and its objectives and accomplishments.  A new legacy would be built: the rising of deviousness, one that imitated and showed the broader dissatisfactions with the  government. Journalism was now regarding the money and the achievement that would be wrapped around it. The  competition rose as the requirement for unconstructiveness in the life unraveled. Good, decent, honest and optimistic news  would no longer be found.   Media vs. Military Business                   We shall have a look at how the media interferes in the military business, so to have a clear vision of how  things actually are. Every time a society has permitted its military establishment to insulate itself against effective public scrutiny that  military establishment has ended up destroying the people it was supposed to protect. The independence guaranteed to the  press under the the First Amendment to that Constitution is one of the most important of the safeguards. Yet every bureaucrat  knows that power flows from each increment of information he or she can garner and hold tight. To the extent that our  society permits such bureaucratic self-interest to restrict access by the public to the business of government – in particular,  its military business – the First Amendment   becomes meaningless.                   Very few citizens have the time and means to search out government information vital to their well-being. As a  result, access means mainly access by the press, like it or not.  In a speech to the National Newspaper Association  following the end of the war,   General Colin L. Powell, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that if the  Iraqi army had moved, in August 1990,   as it was entirely capable of doing, to occupy the principal Saudi Arabian airfields  and ports, the United States would have been in enormous difficulty. What General Powell did not tell his audience, but what  Major General Edward B. Atkeson, formerly of the Central Intelligence Agency, had made plain more than three years earlier  in an article in Armed Forces Journal International was that for a period of several weeks, until major U.S. land and air forces  could be inserted, a determined, large-scale Iraqi invasion could be stopped only by n uclear weapons.                   But American journalism has neither the technical competence to recognize the long-term implications of an article  such as General Atkesons nor the structural means to relate it to a crisis that occurs years, or even months, later. So the  public – American or otherwise – was never informed that in declaring his intention to defeat Iraqi aggression the president of  the United States was, in fact, committing the United States to nuclear war during the period when the first token U.S. land  forces flown to the region were in danger of being overrun. Passion for Seeking Out the Truth                   As with every major military story since the end of World War, the press failed. It did not fail because of government censorship. Rather, it failed because of the inadequacies of its own training and organization, deficiencies that prevented it from reporting matters of crucial importance, even when all of the essential facts were in the public domain.                   The media, much similar to the American people, began losing optimism in the government, so broadcasters  subsequently would create such newscasts that would also fill the American people with a strong sense of doubt. A major  loss to the reliability of the public was the leaking of information to the public from the Pentagon Papers. These documents  were discovered by journalists to contain far higher rates of American fatalities and far less victorious battles than the  publicly released government statistics had specified. No longer would the press recognize the government press releases;  now they began more analytical journalism to check the truth of the official reports.                   We need to realize that media is there to raise the voice for truth, not to support the exaggeration of the simple,   uncomplicated anecdote. What the media at this stage need to do is  to make an attempt and realize that to ‘cover a war and  for a nation determined to comprehend it, there  is merely one course. They must share a passion for seeking out the truth’  (DeParle, 1991). MediAffect                   Where do the media fit in this procedure? An average American high school graduate spends more time in front of  the TV than in the classroom. The mass media is an influential socializing agent. Media is not restricted to the contented of  media messages. Media have an effect on how we learn regarding our world and interrelate with one another. Media actually  reconcile our relationship with social institutions. We base a large amount of our knowledge on government news accounts,  not knowledge. We are reliant on the media for what we distinguish and how we narrate to the world of politics due to the  media-politics connection. We read or   watch political discussions followed by immediate analysis as well as commentary by  experts. Politicians rely on media to converse their message. Related dynamics are present in other mediated events such  as televised sports and televangelism. Media is part of our usual relations with family and frie nds. They describe our  communication with other people on a daily foundation as a diversion, sources of disagreement, or a uniting force. Media  have an impact on society not merely through the contented of the message but also through the procedure.    DeParle, Jason. Covering the War†. New York Times, 5 May 1991. Venzon, Anne Cipriano. The United States in the First World War. Garland Publishing, 1995. Jowett, G. S., and ODonnell, Victoria. Propaganda and Persuasion. 2nd ed., Sage Press, 1992. Edward B. Atkeson. â€Å"The Persian Gulf. Still a Vital U.S. Interest?† Armed Forces Journal International, April 1987): 46-56 Get your free MLA Essay template only today!

Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Essays

Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Essays Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Paper Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Paper Introduction: McDonalds is one of the biggest fast food companies in the market share today. It has been running in over 119 countries, as well as they have acquired over 31,000 restaurants in the world now. McDonald’s brand mission is to be customers’ favourite place and way to eat, they are aligned around a global strategy called the ‘Plan to Win’, they also committed to continuously improving their operations and enhancing their customers’ experience. As we all know that McDonald’s had successfully achieved their goal through out the years. (aboutmcdonald’s, 2012) Apart from this, as McDonald’s is a worldwide company, they also had the social responsibility to return the community; therefore, the ‘Ronald McDonald House Charities’ was established to build up their social image. Unfortunately, the market share is not only for McDonalds because there are still a lot other competitors in the market, like KFC and Burger King. So, McDonalds need a good marketing strategy to conquer other enemies and retain their position because the competition in the market is hypercompetitive. As all we know, the successful marketing strategy for McDonalds is based on their innovative and creative promotion and great marketing research in order to keep consumer’s loyalty. Eventually, this project will examine the success through three main sessions, which are marketing research, the marketing mix and the competitor strategies. Marketing Research: Every marketing strategy starts with the marketing research. In the fast food market, McDonald’s confronts competition form other businesses, in order to maintain the market share, McDonald’s needs to identify the needs and wants of customers, and creating the right marketing mix in order to keep customers’ loyalty so as to build up a long term relationship with their customers. Marketing research helps identifying the change of customers’ wills and anticipates how the changes will affect the sales figure. 1. Research method Market researches done by McDonald’s consider everything that affect buying decisions. (The times 100, 2012) The buying decisions could be affected by a wide range of factors, including psychological factors, like ‘what image does the product give’ or ‘how the consumer feels when purchasing’. Next, the economy changes could also affect the buying decisions, for example, the rising living standards. According to Salvam (2009), McDonald’s used both qualitative and quantitative data are developed in the research activities. After McDonald’s had collect the data, they will identify how appropriate the company’s products are for the future; the quality of employees and how well trained they are to offer the best services to customer and the financial resources that available for marketing etc. 2. Customer satisfaction The number of customers in the market is limited; it is essential to retain people once they have become customers to build long-term and successful business. The marketing research helps McDonald’s to indentify the types of customers and determine the type of products and services offered, price range, promotion strategies and even where the restaurants located. The ‘Happy Meal’ is one of the famous product line McDonald’s had produced, which targeted to young customers, the Happy Meal is served with food and a toy, McDonald’s ally with Hollywood studios such as Walt Disney, consequently, the Happy meal had become one of the most successful children’s cultural icons on the globe (Hong, 2009) and brings about a huge income to McDonald’s every single year. Apart from this, to respond the global criticism and the negative effect of the documentary ‘Super Size Me’ on McDonald’s are selling junk food, McDonald’s had introduce the more healthy food, such as salad and fruits to their menu, so as to associate their brand image with healthier food. This is one of the examples that shows how McDonald’s consider the social factor. These are all the examples of what McDonald’s done to achieve the needs and wants of customers. How McDonald’s influences their customers – The marketing mix It is known that McDonald’s used both polycentric and geocentric approach in creating their marketing mix. 1. Product It is known that most products go through a ‘product life cycle’, which sees all kinds of product will eventually go to the ‘decline’ stage. The marketing research discussed in the pervious part is vitally important to understand the changing wants and needs of customers. McDonalds constantly works to satisfy customers by developing new products to appeal them. For example, McDonalds introduced a variety of salads to appeal to the healthier conscious customers (Yahoo! Contributor Network, 2005), and recently, McDonald’s added a new product line named ‘great taste of America’ so as to attract young customers. (UK McDonald’s, 2012) 2. Price As we all know that customers draw their own mental picture of what a product is worth, therefore, it is important for McDonald’s to know the customer’s perception of value. (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) McDonald’s will change their product price time to time based on the result of the marketing research, and offer the most reasonable price for the customers. 3. Promotions Every company has their own way to promote their products; McDonald’s is no different. The promotion strategy of McDonald’s could be classified into two aspects, which are the advertising promotion and sales promotion. 3. 1 Advertisement Advertisement is conducted on TV, radio, website, poster site, and all kinds of media that around our daily life. It is known that positive emotion can be very effective in creating memorable and persuasive messages (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006), this is also why the cheerful senses are always used in McDonalds’ commercials. Apart from this, customer-oriented appeals are also used in McDonalds’ advertisement. To advertise different types of customers, McDonald’s had different strategies, for example, they had co-operate with Walt Disney to produce toys that can attract children. Toy giveaways are a major promotion weapon in McDonald’s battle in the fast-food market share. McDonald’s have long put toys in kid’s meal to build traffic and encourage repeat visit from families. 3. 2 Sales Promotion McDonald’s had developed numerous of effective promotional campaign to attract more customers, and sales promotion is an aspect that they heavily rely on. It is believed that by adding extra value to the product, over and above the normal product offering, thus creating an extra inducement to consumers to buy or try them. (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) McDonald’s strategy is to offer quality food quickly to customers at a good value. The pricing structure for McDonald’s over years has supported this message, McDonald’s has ran many promotions to increase product sales. For instance, they offer student offer, which gives out free hamburger, cheeseburger or ‘McFlurry Original’ with the customers purchase an ‘Extra Value Meal’ with a valid student ID card. Furthermore, McDonald’s also offer different types of coupons frequently in order to stimulate the demand and increase customers’ interest and desire to purchase their products. (McDonald’s, 2012) 4. Place Place, is about the physical location and the distribution points for products. McDonald’s had their special menu in different shops all over the world. For instance, Maharaja McBurger is a vegetarian burger marketed in India; Prosperity Burger is popular in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore; McDonalds offers Halal food in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Competitor Strategies: Nowadays, many fast food shops are building up in the market, which means the market share for fast food shop is becoming more competitive. As we all know, no company can be successful without a good competitor strategy. McDonald’s has become one of the well-known and famous fast food companies today because they have had an innovated and effective competitor strategy to conquer their enemies The major competitors of McDonald’s included Burger King, Doctor’s Associates and Yumburger. RQ Admit Company, 2012) Among all of the competitors strategies McDonald’s had applied, there are three main obvious ideas, which can help them establishing a good reputation and popularity in the market. New Production Strategy: As McDonalds had expanded internationally, in order to keep consumer’s loyalty and attract people’s attention, McDonald’s designs creative productions regularly which are both special and delicious, such as ‘shake shake chips’ and new version of burger. Clark, 2012) Furthermore, in order to spread further their market, they provided vegetarian food, which allowed customers that are vegetarian to purchase their product. Apart from this, McDonald’s has already established a great reputation in the market; therefore, they will be always exploiting their brand’s reputation and consumer’s desire to promote the new product. This is one of the effective ways, which could assist customers to gain their popularity and promote their new production. Healthy Food strategy: In this new generation, a new demand in the market has appeared. People are now craving for a healthy life and are more willing to purchase healthier food. Thus, on purpose of reaching customers’ new demand, McDonald’s had change their products from the traditional high-fat and oily food to food that contained lower calories and fat, as well as they had begun to provide some new choices of food, which are much healthier and more palatable, such as snack size fruit, walnut salad and yogurt parfait. (HubPages, 2012) Charity strategy: Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMDH) is one of the independent and egistered charities, whose mission is to provide comfort and safety place and environment for poor family and some ill or injured children. (McDonalds, 2012) There are some reasons why they built a charity. First of all, it is one of the unique strategies, which can make people feel that they have associated with the donation of the charity, after they purchased the food. Therefore, their reputation and population will increase in the mar ket and this will help McDonald creating a more positive image and change people’s rooted negative thought on fast food industry. Furthermore, RMDH can build up their brand name with co-operating with some charities to organize some activities. This is because it is one of the essential ways to let more people to be interested in McDonald’s. Thus, they can keep being one of the huge groups in the marketing share. Conclusion There is no doubt that McDonald’s is a successful company. The success of McDonald’s could be seen in the comprehensive and effective marketing research, the purposeful marketing mix created that satisfied customers needs and wants and the overwhelming competitor strategies, which helped McDonald’s to keep their market share. Reference: 1. Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. , 2006. Principles of Marketing. England: Person Education Limited. 2. Clark, W. , 2012. Product Development Strategy for McDonald’s[online]. United Stated: Hearst Communications Inc.. Available from: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/product-development-strategy-mcdonalds-12207. html [Accessed 27 April 2012] 3. Hong, J. W. , 2009. Power of McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’: Globalization of American Culture and Value. The Global Studies Journal. 2(2), pp. 143-154 4. Hubpages, 2012. Low Calorie and Healthy Choices at McDonald’s[online]. United State: HubPages Inc.. Available from: http://pbdietitian. hubpages. com/hub/low-calorie-and-healthy-choices-at-McDonalds [Accessed 22 April 2012] 5. McDonald’s, 2012. Ronald McDonald House Charities[online]. United Kingdom: McDonald’s. Available from: mcdonalds. co. uk/ukhome/Ourworld/Ronald-McDonald-House-Charities. html [Accessed 25 April 2012] 6. McDonald’s, 2012. Mission and Value[online]. United Kingdom: McDonald’s. Available from: aboutmcdonalds. com/mcd/our_company/mission_and_values. html [Accessed 23 April 2012] Yahoo! Contributor Network. , 2005. McDonald’s Strategic Marketing Mix. [online] http://voices. ahoo. com/mcdonalds-strategic-marketing-mix-372441. html? cat=4 7. R Q Amit Company, 2010. Marketing – McDonalds’ Style[online]. United State: R Q Amit Company. Available from: http://essayexpert. qapacity. com/financial-sucess/4604/marketing-mcdonalds-style/ [Accessed 25 April 2012]. 8. Salvam, P. , 2009. Expansion of McDonald’s to re gional markets. Management committee, 1, pp,1-10 9. The times 100. , 2012. The marketing process – A McDonald’s Restaurants case study. [online] http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/mcdonalds-restaurants/the-marketing-process/the-marketing-mix-and-market-research. html

Auditing, taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Auditing, taxes - Essay Example A sample survey and research has revealed a disturbing 16 percent of the audits contain deficiency in maintaining professional ethics in practice. It is but natural for an environ of fast paced competitive economy to witness instances where the issue of ethics is blurred by blatant violations, deficiencies and compromises. JEEP is authorized to deal with deficiencies in audit, violations of code of conduct, testing of internal controls and compliances, and practitioners are under an obligation to cooperate with any investigative communication received from a statutory agency in matters pertaining to audit. Erring members and clients have the options of taking corrective measures, cooperate and comply with the regulatory agency's communications and enquiries, and document their compliance appropriately. Inadvertent errors are damaging and consequential too and corrective measures have to be approved and documented by JEEP. (Ibolya Balog; Thomas R Clay). It is the duty of every corporation and earning individual to pay taxes on the taxable income and sales. However, in the process of paying taxes, the taxpayer may be either parting with more information than necessary, or knowingly or unknowingly hiding information. The existence of additional information could prove to be an irritant later on even if it has no relevance. Getting to know one's minimum tax obligation is a good way of organizing precise tax plans and information. Taxpayers need not volunteer more information than what is required. (Blum Shapiro). Coming to the state tax departments, there is the tendency to vigorously pursue statistical data that help to generate maximum revenue. In other words, the state resorts to witch-hunting tactics by using statistical information to maximize revenue when its responsibility lies in ensuring compliance. Most of these statistical data may have come from extra information unwittingly provided by the taxpayer. With easy access to electronic information and statistical data, there is tremendous potential for the state to uncover purported instances of underpayment. The taxpayer can avert this possibility by confining his statements and figures to only the required level. The ideal option for the state is use of strategies that ensure compliance. (Rocky B. Cummings). Sources: Blum Shapiro, Year End Tax Planning Strategies, Tax Trends, November 2006, http://www.blumshapiro.com/pub/taxtrends/TaxTrends_November,2006.pdf. Ibolya Balog; Thomas R Clay, Ethics, Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2008; 78, 4; ABI/INFORM Global, p. 22, http://www.academia-research.com/files/instr/215148_PART(1).pdf. Rocky B. Cummings, Too Much Information, Tax Trends, Journal of State Taxation; Nov/Dec 2007, ABI/INFORM Global

Contemporary issue in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary issue in Management - Essay Example bodies and the guidelines given by social watchdogs are only a part of the process that makes corporations recognize their social responsibility since it seems that the bulk of socially responsible actions come from the need to keep a positive public image. Maintaining that image and being socially responsible is a very important contemporary issue in the management of any company. Colvin (2006) reports that companies such as GE, BP, Starbucks, Dell, Pfizer, and Apple may be loved and hated by many people for various reasons but none of these companies can afford to have their brand name or corporate image to be tarnished in any way. In fact, certain companies may use their image to create customer loyalty and brand recognition more than other methods. Others may even go to court in order to save the image of the company (Alleyne, 2005). Undoubtedly, we are living in the information age and even false rumors about a company’s suppliers maltreating their employees in China, or the company’s employees facing racial, sexual or even gender based discrimination can have really negative effects on the bottom line of the company. Even though it could be possible for a company to be respected and appreciated based on just the financial performance (Forbes, 2005), greater appreciation comes when the company displays a healthy level of social responsibilit y along with financial performance (Natural Health, 2005). Social responsibility is not simply a stance taken by the company for exceeding the given ethical responsibility of a company. In fact, it is actually a business opportunity to seek out an image that has remained for a long time exclusively in the domain of NGOs and social organizations i.e. being a ‘green’ company. While this idea sometimes implies being environmentally friendly, the total environment in which a company operates includes a lot more than making sure that the smokestacks of industry do not create more than an manageable level of pollution.

Discuss the usefulness and problems with contingency theories in Essay

Discuss the usefulness and problems with contingency theories in understanding organisational structure. How relevant can they b - Essay Example It is relevant to consider development of contingency theory and its application to organizational structure in order organizations’ managers had an opportunity to develop flexible approaches to organizational structural development. Therefore, contingency theory is an alternative for organizations looking for solution of their current problems and tending to structural changes. A basic conceptual framework of contingency theory is a phrase â€Å"it depends† (Donaldson, 2001). Therefore, any managerial solution should be made with regard to the external factors of a certain situation in an organization. Moreover, a great role in establishing organizational structure plays nature of the environment of organization. In accordance with the contingency theory: â€Å"there is no one best way to organize; any way of organizing is not equally effective† (Galbraith, 1973). In case a perfect relation between nature of organization, external environment and organizational characteristics is established, an organization is on the right way to performance. Such kind of match is called a ‘contingency theory’ or ‘contingency perspective/view’ (Donaldson, 2001). Studies of organizational structures in relation to external conditions of organizations’ operation resulted in studies based on the contingency theory. ... In the study made by Burns and Stalker (1961) mechanistic and organic principles of organizations were discussed. In organizations, where mechanistic principles prevailed, top managers developed a policy. Such kind of organizations was characterized by inflexible policies and rigid decision making. Luthans (1973) develops the idea of relation of contingency theory to management theory. Before theory developed by Luthans management theories were not related to each other. For example, process theory was based on planning, organizing, directing, and controlling (Donaldson, 1996). In order to find a perfect balance between management theories, contingency theory was a unifying approach defining interrelatedness and mutual dependence of all integrative parts of management theories. This approach was broadened and resulted in a â€Å"theoretical model of Structural Adaptation to Regain Fit (SARFIT)† (Donaldson, 1987, 2001). This model can be interpreted in the following manner: in case an organization finds a best relation between internal and external resources, it reaches high performance levels. It is a right way to reach size growth, introduce innovations and diversification (Hamilton and Shergill, 1992). Contingency variables may lead to organizational misfit to external factors. As a result, levels of performance are decreased and structural changes are introduced (Chandler, 1962). SARFIT theory implies consideration of structural contingency theory as relation between divisionalization changes and strategic changes. Bums and Stalker (1961) are focused on â€Å"discussion about changes in mechanistic and organic structures with regard to technological and market change in the external conditions† (Bums and Stalker, 1961).