MCDonalds Essay

Strategy and Repositioning the Brand McDonald’s in India Sameer, Sharanbir Kaur Abstract- Despite global slowdown, Indian economy is resurgent and offers fresh opportunities as well as challenges to global players. McDonald‘s still treats the Indian market as one of their young markets although what they have achieved in 15 years here, it would usually take them 25 to 30 years in another market. McDonald‘s philosophy of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSC&V) is the guiding force behind its stellar service to the customers. However there is still a huge potential in the Indian food market that remains untapped in terms of family restaurants, quick service restaurants and breakfast eateries. Coming in the wake of these, their rebranding effort requires much more than a mere change of the logo or signage. There is a need to critically evaluate the right marketing mix. The article is focused upon assessing the marketing efforts in India in terms of positioning of McDonald‘s. Index Terms- Rebranding, Repositioning, Demography, Marketing Mix I. FAST FOOD INDUSTRY IN INDIA T he Indian fast food industry has evolved over time and always has been in line with the needs of people of all ages and segments. There are enterprises which scale from one room outlet to a chain having hundreds of outlets like McDonalds in India. As per new research report ? Indian Fast Food Market Analysis? , India is blessed with one of the fastest growing fast food markets in the world. The Indian fast food market is growing at an annual growth rate of 30-35%. Almost all big fast food brands of the world have succeeded in making their presence felt in the country and most of them posting an appreciable growth. Although the market has witnessed robust growth in the past couple of years, it remains largely under penetrated and concentrated in the metropolitan cities. However, there is large room for growth in tier-II cities, tier-III cities which are mostly untapped. Therefore, the future of Indian fast food industry lies in masses that live in tier-II and tier-III cities. In 2013, the global fast food market is forecasted to have a value of $200 billion, an increase of 29. 3% and a volume of 94. 7 billion transactions, an increase of 10. 4% since 2008. The consumer spending on processed food has increased at an average rate of 7. 6 per cent annually from 2008 to 2010 and this is expected to rise at an average of around 8. 6 per cent until 2012, according to a report by Assocham. Almost all big fast food brands of the world have succeeded in making their presence felt in the country and most of them are posting appreciable growth. It is estimated through the Euromonitor International and Credit Suisse Emerging Consumer Survey, that the average Indian spends just $ 11 as compared to his Chinese counterpart who would ideally spend $ 20 on fast food. Yet , if we see the Indian spending on food in totality , they spend 23 % of their earnings on the same while the Chinese spending is 20 %. So, the inference that can be drawn is that owing to the eating pattern of Indians they prefer to eat at home and would spend on cooking ingredients over fast food. However, this does not spell good news for the industry. It is set to witness the entry of new fast food players that plan to hit the Indian market with a vengeance with international giants like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks being amongst them. II. THE COMPETITION People prefer fast food because it’s cheap, easy to prepare, and heavily promoted. India is a developing country with 2 percent of organized and 98 percent of unorganized sector. So most of the fast foods that came into Indian market as India has a high growth in every sector. Major players in fast food in India are: McDonald’s KFC Pizza Hut Dominos Cafe Coffee Day Barista More than 75% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent locals. McDonald‘s product line in India is almost similar to other burger chains with a dominant Indian flavour. Perhaps, it would be correct to say that their only similarity with their foreign outlets is that they have French Fries and still use buns. Examining the immense Indianzation they have attempted in their menu here it wouldn‘t be surprising to see Indian Chapatis in place of buns. Their current offerings reflect the same. www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 2 Table I : Present Menu for McDonald’s India Menu Ranges Burgers and other Bites Spicy Delights McSpicyPaneer ExtraValue Meals Chicken McNuggets Meal McAloo Tikki Happy Price Menu Breakfast Menu Favourites Sausage McMuffin with egg French Fries McAloo Tikki Happy Meal Meals Source: McDonaldsIndia. com Desserts Big Spicy Paneer Wrap Filet O Fish Meal Maharaja Mac Meal McVeggie /McChicken Meal Chicken McGrill Beverages McSwirl Iced tea/ Cold Coffee Minute Maid Pulpy Orange/ Cappucino/ Tea Soft Serve (Strawberry /Chocolate) Veg Supreme Veg Pizza McPuff Veg McMuffin Sausage McMuffin Pancakes Filet O Fish Chicken Maharaja Mac Chicken McGrill Meal McChicken/ McVeggie McVeggie Meal McFlurry McChicken meal III. BUSINESS MODEL The Business Model of McDonald‘s is a franchise-based model coupled with strong corporate branding. The focus is on the branding of McDonald‘s as a globally accepted service provider with strong customer perception about: www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 3 Happy Employees means Happy Customers – McDonald’s Efforts of repositioning its Brand-Recently, McDonald’s management has decided to change itsstrategies. They now want to provide not only a place to sit and eat but also an experience that can be enjoyed by their customers. Figure 1: The Service Marketing Triangle Zeithaml and Bitner (1996 ) McDonald‘s realized very early in their business that in order to achieve happiness amongst customers;the possible route is through happy, motivated and committed employees. In accordance with this they played on the customer first strategy. Even in India, their efforts clearly indicated that they were keen to understand the Indian consumer. Hence they adapted themselves to tickle the taste buds of their Indian customers to become a brand that enjoys a very high brandrecall. Therefore they focused on internal as well as external marketing. The level of importance has changed to be in the following order (the most important people arenow at the top). Corporate Branding – The marketers are shifting the branding efforts from their product brands to a more holistic corporate branding . The reason for the shift can be traced to the belief that, it is the corporate image that carries a great impact on the buyers who are more aware and more exposed to media coverage on various issues be it environmental responsibility, being corporate social responsibility or be it responsibility towards health of future generation. McDonald‘s describe a corporate branding framework that is based on three elements: Figure 2: McDonald’s Service Pyramid Figure 3: Corporate Branding Source: Hatch and Schultz (2003)), â€Å"Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding†, European Journal of Marketing, The recent McDonald‘s rebranding strategy is a part of this thought and vision. McDonald‘s road to success has not always been rosy. They have been at the receiving end of the media‘s onslaught. There was a huge uproar in US after media exposure against McDonald‘s unhealthy menu that was affecting the nation and leading it to a generation suffering from obesity and heart diseases among many more ailments. There were employment issues internally which showed that they did not treat their workers well. Hence they assessed their strategies again and came up with new objectives that strengthened their previous aims and gave a new direction to them as well. www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 4 McDonald’s Marketing Efforts Over the Years – Proactive Rebranding – A Proactive strategy includes a new line of business or market that does not conform to the existing brand identity. When McDonald‘s once referred to itself as Mickey D‘s to target kids in a commercial, it had just coined a new way of catering to an audience separate from its traditional family audience. Objectives of McDonald’s Repositioning StrategyMcDonald’s, the promise of American fast food anywhere in the world, has had to rethink and reposition its brand offerings in different countries. While some basic elements like Ronald were left in place the menu underwent an overhaul. For example, in India, the menu has no beef dishes since it is not considered religiously correct to eat cow‘s meat: there is the very popular McAlooTikki, a potato-based patty in burger buns; the Big Mac is replaced by the Maharaja Mac, the Big Mac in chicken; there is also the paneer (cottage cheese) McVeggie burger. The Italian McDonald’s has a special coffee spot. To celebrate its 20th anniversary in China, McDonald’s rebranded under the â€Å"Make Room for Happiness† campaign. They had all you want coffee refills; Wi-Fi and a more modern restaurant design were unveiled. This was done exclusively for China, where McDonald’s positioned itself as a place to relax away from the high demands of the average Chinese‘s life. Its â€Å"I’m Lovin’ It† slogan made way for â€Å"Make Room for Happiness,† and McDonald’s became the place where the stressed young Chinese can spend quality time rejuvenating after working for long hours. The result was an 18% increase in sales, and an increasing legion of fans that is fueling McDonald’s’ growth in China. McDonald’s Changing Markets Changing Strategies Decades after its launch, the Big Mac is changing colours, literally. The world’s largest fast-food chain is letting go of its familiar red-and-yellow colours for more muted tones as it goes for its biggest and costliest revamp in the country, in line with its global strategy of attracting more adults. For the next generation of consumers McDonald‘s plans to cultivate a very different image from its existing one. After revamping 280 stores in various markets last year, McDonald’s is now opting for the Tampa model and will spread that design to upwards of 800 locations this year — roughly triple what it did last year. The company is donning a new look when India is on its way of becoming a global hotspot for food retailers, with chains like Starbucks, Burger King planning to enter the country. Some McRemodel highlights include : †¢Redoing roofs – The bright red roofs that have topped McDonald’s for several decades are getting the heave, replaced with flatter, more conventional roofs. †¢Muting paint – The neon yellows and reds common to the interiors and exteriors are becoming history, replaced with much more subtle oranges, reds, yellows and even greens. †¢Updating chairs – Those industrial steel chairs are giving way to wooden chairs, colorful stools and, in some cases, vinylcovered chairs that resemble leather. Some stores will have larger lounge chairs similar to the kind you might expect to find in a coffee shop. †¢Doubling drive-through – To ease lines inside and outside stores, many locations are adding second drive-through windows to speed up service. †¢Splashing colour – McDonald’s hasn’t junked it’s familiar red and yellow colors altogether, but it is making them far less obvious. Instead of filling the restaurants with them, it’s splashing bright yellow and red here and there for effect. †¢Dividing dining areas – The sea of tables and chairs is history in the remodelled stores. The new dining rooms are divided into separate eating zones for larger groups, eat-and-run customers and folks who want to stay and lounge. †¢Adding flat-screens TVs – Large, flat-screen TVs — some playing contemporary music — are showing up in many locations, though fewer than half of the remodelled stores will display them. The new design makes the customer feel more comfortable and at leisure to enjoy their surroundings. This offers to McDonald‘s two key opportunities- firstly, to shift to another www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 customer base with high spending power and then to broaden their menu with offerings at a higher price point. Risks Involved – When a global organization like McDonalds is going in for rebranding, a lot of financing is involved and the global impact is huge. Though the step taken by the managers of McDonalds is well calculated but speculations are on till the time it doesn‘t fair well in the market and most importantly to the customers. This kind of rebranding in the Indian Food Industry can help change the image of McDonald‘s completely like in the case of Pizza Hut, which has become a part of fine dining segment, which it was not earlier. The Indian consumer is considered to be loyal but still the risks involved are high. 1. A trade-off between what is expected from a company and what a company has to gain from the consumers One can see that one facet raises the scale while the other weighs it down making it a tough task. In order to sustain the balance, it requires big investments which will surely add to the costs incurred in the rebranding. If the rebranding falls flat, it will result in a major profit decline. 2. Store positioning McDonald‘s needs to have the most current information to determine if present outlets are cannibalizing each other‘s business. To achieve this McDonald‘s team willneed comprehensive, demographic data of India along with both theirs and competitors‘ outlets. IV. CONCLUSION The task is mammoth as McDonald‘s tries to keep up in the race for a piece of the great Indian pie . As per Forbes , McDonald‘s India operations contribute 30 % to their sales which is a considerable share. It might become imperative to create a Point of Difference to fight it out in the Indian market as all fast food brands have modelled themselves on local flavours now , the latest being KFC with its ? Streetwise‘ menu. While McDonald‘s does have the edge with its excellent supply chain and distribution network the customer ultimately does become the king with low brand loyalty in this category being the generalisation . The rebranding effort on their part seeks to bring 5 in a new flavour to their brand offering but what remains to be seen is whether they are still able to strike a chord with the customer. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the people who assisted us in this endeavour of ours. First and foremost , we would like to thank Mr. Praveen Gupta, HOD , Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management for his valuable time and support. Also, a special mention to the staff of McDonald‘s Jor Bagh, Delhi who was very patient and helpful during our visits to the outlet for the study. REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Lovelock,Wirtz and Chatterjee ,? Services Marketing ? , in Plastics ,Sixth Edition ,India , Pearson , 2010 , pp. 66-98 , pp. 340-372 Aaker, D. A. (2004b), ? Leveraging the Corporate Brand? , California Management Review, 46 (3), pp. 6-18 Bijoor, H. , ? A Time to Rebuild? , Business India, February 20,2011 pp. 48. Hatch, M. J. and Schultz, ? Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding ? , European Journal of Marketing, 2003, 37 (7/8), pp. 1041-1064. Jacquelline, B. and Kline,S ,? From McLibel to McLettuce: Childhood, Spin and Re-branding? ,2007 , Society and Business Review, 2(1)

Costco Wholesale in 2012 Essay

Analysis and Evaluation Since the inception of Costco in 1983, one of its drawbacks is, they have 4,000 selections of merchandise compared to their competitors. In addition, customers can only purchase merchandises in bulk. Consumers who shop at Costco do not have the choice to pick up one single item, for instance a can of soup. Although Costco prices are low and the consumers get more for their money, more consumers are wasting food because they no longer have the big families. Costco needs to look at the demographics and re-evaluate their business model, as this could be detrimental to the company. In today’s society, more families are getting divorce and are becoming single parents. The big families are almost none existent; therefore, most consumers do not need to purchase in bulk. Many consumers want to have choices when it comes to the amount of food they purchase. One may say there are other shopping establishments a consumer may visit to get exactly what they want; however, that is beside the point. Giving consumers the choice to purchase individual merchandise will not only bring in more business but also an increase in cash flow, which will also increase profits for Costco. On the other hand, Costco competitors such as Wal-Mart stocked up 40,000 to 150, 000 items for shoppers to choose from and Sam’s Club have over 16,000 items. Sam’s Club have the treasure-hunt items but tend to be less upscale and carry lower price tags than those of Costco. Both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club give shoppers more choices than Costco even though Costco offers a cheaper price on their merchandise. Costco spends very little in advertisements and they totally rely on their name and word of mouth by their customers. Compared to Sam’s Club they spent about $50 million annually advertising and direct mail promotions. Furthermore, Costco does not have a Public Relation department, which is not good business practice, even though they have been around for years and they are doing well financially. However, there are many opportunities for one of its competitor to come in take away their market share. Costco does not attract people who are below the poverty line; they cater to the business consumer and urbanites that have an annual income of $100,000; therefore, people who are impoverish cannot afford the membership fees and bulk purchase. In addition, Costco membership fee is more expensive compared to Sam’s Club. Recommendation Costco needs to improve the variety of choices by giving the consumer more than 4,000 items to choose from while their competitors are actually giving customers what they want. Costco needs to take into consideration the economy; people have lost their jobs and the recession, as customers are looking for cheaper prices and ways to saving money. Furthermore, if Costco does not come up with new and innovative strategies to entice low income and single household family to their establishment they are giving their competitors the upper hand. Costco should also focus on the advertisement because number of its rivals is already doing intense advertisement. In today’s global and technological world, many businesses are being aggressive and are taking advantage of investing heavily on the marketing. Costco cannot continue to use the concept of sitting back and waiting for their customers to spread the word by mouth. Costco needs to move in the direction of the 21st century by being more proactive by utilizing technology and a PR department for marketing purposes. It is true that company like Costco are doing good in economic downturn but competitors like Sam’s club is outperforming Costco in pricing which could be biggest threats to the Costco even though Costco keeps relatively branded and qualitative product than that of Sam’s Club The Five Forces Model of Competition Substitutes Strong threat Good substitutes everywhere Price not significantly higher Comparable product features More variety of features Low switching cost Potential new entrants Low threat Small pool entry candidates High barriers to entry Expanding market Attractive profits Buyers Weak bargaining power Some switching cost Large membership base Costco has the best value Suppliers Weak bargaining power Many suppliers Low switching cost Many substitutes exist Large quantities are needed Competing sellers Fierce Competition Costco is on top Quality is slightly better Buyer demand is growing Buyers switching cost is low SWOT Strength| Weakness| Low product and services†¢ Strong brand†¢ Excellent merchandise†¢ Exceptional employees†¢ 54 million members†¢ Economics of scale†¢ Efficiency| James Sinegal is 79†¢ Maintain high wages†¢ 42% higher than Sam’s Club†¢ Comparatively less attractive store layout for luxury items†¢Ã‚  Declining or inconsistent profit margins†¢ Primary focus on business customers rather than individual customers| Opportunities| Threat| Recession- Easier to find bargain luxury-items- Increased popularity of Costco†¢ Expanding foreign markets- Europe- China – India †¢ Positive image in terms of employees pay and social responsibility†¢ Increasing brand awareness| Fierce competition†¢Costco cannot attract people who are below poverty line due to its membership fees and bulk purchase†¢High competition from Sam’s Club and BJ†¢Political problems in other countries| References Thomspson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & Strickland III, A. (2012). Crafting & Executing Strategy (19th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irvin.

Ratio Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ratio Analysis - Coursework Example Through the use of accounting analysis using ratios, financial analysts are able to assess and compare the present performance with the previous and even with other similar firms under the same industry. This is through either vertical or horizontal analysis. For instance, general through the above analysis, it is generally appearing that Apple and Inc is operating under favorable conditions compared to Hewlett-Packard. For instance, there many stakeholders who have interest in knowing how the business is performing through analysis of the financial reports and statements (Stickney, 2007). Additionally, creditors, shareholders, staff, and the government among others are usually investigating the state of affairs of the company to assess the leverage, profitability, efficiency and the liquidity position of a corporation. Sometimes accounting ratios are used as a basis of controls by business entities. All the stakeholders in a company are given objectives and goals set which they are required to achieve and at the end of financial year, their performance is assessed to note any problem that might have occurred. Firstly, the Liquidity ratios are used in measuring the capability of a business in meeting its short run maturity obligations and assess its credit position and the level it can use debt capital as a source of finance (Stickney, 2007). For instance, the current ratio determines the liquidity position of an enterprise. Furthermore, the company creditors need to know this to determine the credit worthiness of a firm. From our ratios, it is evident that Apple Inc. ltd is at a better liquidity position in comparison to Hewlett-Packard which has a lower ratio. The lower ratio portrays that the company is at greater liquidity risk. Apple Inc. Ltd is, therefore, exposed to more cash position and it in a position of meeting its short-term obligation compared to Hewlett Packard. Secondly, the gearing (leverage) ratio usually

Stressors and Stress Management Mechanisms among First-Year School Research Paper

Stressors and Stress Management Mechanisms among First-Year School Principals - Research Paper Example Literature Review This study was conducted based on knowledge and experience brought forward by previous authors and researchers. To gain a wholesome understanding of the whole stress phenomenon, the literature review was conducted in threefold. Firstly, literature review on stressors among first-year principals was investigated. Secondly, studies on effects of stressors were evaluated in the lens of burnout theory. Finally, different ways of stress management options were considered. There is overwhelming evidence that first-year principals and assistant principals are predisposed to various stressors. Young did an elaborate study on some of the major causes of stress among school principals. He concluded, â€Å"The obvious problem of juggling multiple issues that vary in priority requires a blend of wisdom and maturity. New people are unlikely to poses these qualities at the start of their careers in administration† (Young 516). In another independent study on stressors on s chool principals Brock and Grady came up with a finding that â€Å"Some administrators feel overburdened with stress at work. They struggle to maintain high productivity despite the stress. Reluctant to ask for assistance and fearing being perceived as weak or lacking leadership ability (Brock and Grady 60). Whereas evidence points to presence of stressing conditions among first-year principals and assistant principals, it was reported that the condition could even be much worse for principals taking their first-year roles in institutions of special education. This is because these institutions need special attention and profound leadership due to its sensitivity in nature. Johnson claims, â€Å"Special educators are at the highest... The results of this paper confirmed similar previous works done under relatively similar conditions and frames of study. The major stressor was found to be high expectation from all stakeholders especially when the principal encountered a school with discipline and performance issues. The inability to make profound decisions due to lack of experience in the new environment was a major stressor among many of the principals. Overwhelming activities associated with the position was reported to be quite a challenge particularly for principals taking the position for the first time. Effects of stress were common among all the subjects of study. Stress manifested itself physically and psychologically. However, stress management mechanisms varied widely from one principal to another though there was considerable overlap of the same. It is therefore important that the results of this study were taken seriously by anyone considering making further progress in this matter. It has been found th at stress among first-year principals and their assistants is a reality. It is also important to note that there exists several stress management mechanisms that can be used by first-year principals to ensure that their integration on the new positions takes place effectively. The results of the study are not exclusive for first-year principals only but can be applied across a wide variety of other related disciplines.

TBH Confectionery Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

TBH Confectionery - Assignment Example It is happens with those companies which are small sized and are faced with more effects of globalization, increased overseas competition, globalized supply chain management, expanding to other markets and focusing more on establishing e-business (Winch and Bianchi, 2006). In THB, the company has failed to managed the information effectively to control and manage its business process. The company is using out-dated technology and is not aware on how to manage and control information streaming. According to Rockart (1979), information management plays a significant role in business or business area; if it would result in satisfaction; it would enhance greater competition in the performance within the organization. Tim holds limited information on what actually a customer wants? To remain in the business and to expand its business overseas, Tim needs to realize the importance of having information related to customer behavior, competition, cultures, societies, and habits of the customer. In other words, it can be said that THB confectionery had limited knowledge about the people worldwide. Also, with the entrance of new market competitor, it was becoming harder for THB to maintain its business operations running smooth due to lack of information and how to maintain an efficient data system. THB realized that the communities are growing over the period of time on the internet and as a result, it would get hard for the THB confectionery to maintain its market position without effectively managing the data. At this point, it became imperative for THB confectionery to expand its operations, make its internet presence more attractive, build its strong customer-base and focus more on the management of information such as what key strategies are being adopted by the competitors, what customers want, how to establish stronger internet presence and to maintain effective data management system with the help of Tims IT

Palaeolithic-type diet and the metabolic syndrome Essay

Palaeolithic-type diet and the metabolic syndrome - Essay Example metabolic syndrome were randomized to a two-week dietary intervention with either a Palaeolithic-type diet (n=18), based on anthropological researches or a healthy diet reference (n=14), based on the guidelines of Dutch Health Council. Both primary and secondary outcomes of the study were measured. Oral glucose tolerance and characteristics of MetS (blood pressure, glucose levels, abdominal circumference, cholesterol levels) being primary. Intestinal permeability, inflammation and salivary cortisol were measured as the secondary outcomes. Emphasis was put on prevention of weight loss. 9 men and 25 women with an average BMI of 31.8 kg/m2 and average age of 53.5 years were evaluated. The Paleolithic type diet resulted in an overall decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as an increase in HDL cholesterol levels as compared to those who were subjected to the reference diet. However, the waist circumference decreased in all the subjects. Even though body weight was supposed to be kept stable, there was an overall reduction in weight of those who were subjected to the Paleolithic type diet as compared to those who were subjected to the reference diet. No changes were noted in the intestinal permeability, salivary cortisol or

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Dead Mens Path by Chinua Achebe SUMMARY-RESPONSE (revise,fix for resubmition) - Essay Example His wife Nancy decides to support him by turning the school yard into a beautiful garden. Mr. Obi and his wife Nancy put their whole lives into the work of creating a school with modern, high standards and Nancys dream garden. One evening as Mr. Obi was admiring his work, he sees a woman from the local village walk through the flower beds. Scandalized by seeing this woman walking by his school grounds, he asks a teacher for an explanation. The teacher informs him that for years, people from the near village have walked along this path that connects the village shrine with the burial place and the schoolyard. Mr. Obi sees this path as the same old-fashioned superstition that he wants to get rid of from his school. Also the Government Education Officer is coming soon to inspect the school and he wants to impress him with the transformation of the new modern school. This path is jeopardizing his chance to make this great impression, so he orders to build a fence to block the path.   When the village priest realizes that the path was closed he meets with Obi and politely explains how important the path is for the villagers and asks him to unblock the path. Michael refuses to reopen the path and makes fun of the villagers tradition. The villager priest doesnt say a word and leaves. A couple of days later a woman in the village dies in childbirth. Achebe writes the consequence of Mr. Obis decision and the reaction of the villagers, "A diviner was consulted immediately and prescribed heavy sacrifices to propitiate ancestors insulted by the fence".   Mr. Obi wakes up the next morning and sees the ruins of his work. He wakes up to see the schoolyard devastated, the flowers trampled to death, one of the school buildings pulled down and the beautiful hedges torn up not just near the path but right around the school, as the narrator reports, â€Å"The beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right round the school, the flowers trampled

Macroeconomic Environment of Business - Limitations of the Use of Fisc Case Study - 1

Macroeconomic Environment of Business - Limitations of the Use of Fiscal Policies - Case Study Example There was a continuous rise in the staple food prices resulting in runaway inflation close to 6%. The European central bank raised the interest rates and increase in the unemployment rate at the end of 2008 due to the outbreak of the housing bubble all contributed in resulting the recession. The US GDP showed its slowdown in 2008 (Suffolk County Council, 2008, pp.3-4) and fell further in 2009, the first time since the 1950s. There was a decline in capital investment since the last quarter of 2006 and the pace of residential investment dropped down in the first part of 2009. The US domestic demand is a record breaker dropping down to 2.6% per quarter. Unemployment also started to rise and matched with that of the early 1980s. Fiscal stimulus played an important role in nullifying recessionary spiral. However, the impact seems to be much less for economies with higher amounts of public debt. In order to support the aggregate demand, the need of the time is aggressive monetary policies. Economists who follow Keynes argues that an expansionary fiscal policy act as an incentive to increase aggregate demand. Even such a step may not be fruitful because steady economic growth depends on the health of the economy. Restoring the confidence of the financial sector is the key to move out from such a situation (International Monetary Fund, 2009, pp. 111-112). The need is to analyse the effects of discretionary policies on the severity of recessions. Expansionary fiscal policy acts to increase demand either directly through an increase in government expenditure or indirectly through a reduction in tax which will stimulate the private consumption to take effect. There may be a few limitations of using fiscal policy in order to increase aggregate demand. The time factor is to be taken into account. The government needs time to change its fiscal plans and once implemented the new plan will take time to increase the aggregate demand. Again increasing aggregate demand may be the factor in causing crowding out which means that if the government tries to increase its expenditure then it may lead to falling in private sector spending.  Ã‚  

Employee commitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee commitment - Essay Example Interestingly enough, some of the more recent literature on leadership does reflect at least an implicit recognition of employee commitment in a multidimensional sense. For example, the concepts of developmental leadership and transformational leadership emphasize the importance of employee empowerment, team building, and overall company vision-sharing (Knights and Wilmott, 2007). These approaches all recognize the importance of commitment, as opposed to compliance, as the most effective route to productivity. A simple way to think about these changes is that pressures from both the product market and the labor market are now taken inside the company and brought to bear on individual employees (Knights and Wilmott, 2007). The more traditional employee relationship buffered employees from market forces, the new relationship is mediated much more powerfully by the market. For workers, these developments represent a new psychological contract at work, a new set of implicit expectations between employer and employee. Perhaps the most important part of the traditional psychological contract at work was employee commitment to the organization, which developed in part in return for employer offerings such as job security and other protections from the variability of employment associated with outside markets (D

Study Is Bitter but Its Fruits Are Sweet Essay Example for Free

Study Is Bitter but Its Fruits Are Sweet Essay My journey started about 6 years back and is still developing to this day. Six years ago I weighed in at approximately 270 pounds, or that is when I stopped getting on a scale! My outward image was on a larger scale, but in my opinion, not a 270 pound scale. I was an active teenager who participated in all sports. I loved the sport atmosphere, but hated to put in the hard work, so I paid in many other ways. My weight increased and my performance went down. After sports, my activity level steadily declined with many excuses in tail. Jobs, school, and friends seemed to take precedence over my health and weight. Then the big life changing moment came for me, I got married. Married life took a toll on me personally, you get comfortable as well as my schedule, which was no longer just about me. About a year in to my new life, I was finding myself unhappy at times and even dissatisfied with myself. I knew this feeling was in relation to my weight gains so I decided to try a new regime which included some exercise and changed eating habits, or what some call a â€Å"diet.† Well like most people who set out to loose weight with an improper mind set, I slacked off here and there and eventually dropped the entire workout, eat healthy scenario! It wasn’t until I had my son that it all made sense to me. Yes, I needed to be healthy for myself, but I also had someone else depending on me to be healthy. With this new found motivation, I started walking. That was all I could physically do at the time, but you have to start somewhere. I progressively added on to my normal walking routine, and even challenged myself to do the unthinkable, run! I never thought of myself as a runner, partially because I never wanted to work that hard. With small goals of either weight loss or the addition of laps ran, I progressively started to see a change. This routine continued for about a year, in which I took off about 70-75 pounds. This was a great accomplishment for me personally, but I wanted more for myself physically. With my plateau in full force, I decided to add in weights to my routine. I even added a variety of aerobics classes to my workout to give it diversity so that boredom did not set in. I found out through trial and error that things have to be changed up every now and then or your body stays where it is at and the results you desire are no longer coming. With this new found lifestyle, I managed to drop about 100-110 pounds and gain a more positive outlook on life. With all of the changes that I made to my outer appearance, I made many to my inner self too. I feel that loosing the weight was a stepping stone, a very steep stepping stone, which allowed me to venture out into a foreign location, the â€Å"healthy world† and discover a new life. With the weight loss I was able to do many more physical activities for myself and for my family. I once considered myself an inner athlete, this being when I was sedentary. I knew in my heart that I could be active, but did not want to try, due to the fear of failure. I set small but achievable goals along the years, as well as some that were pretty large. Never thinking of myself as a runner, I completed 1 full marathon and 2 half marathons along with becoming a certified aerobics instructor. Looking back at who I was and who I am now, we are two different people who needed each other to create the end product. I personally feel that I had to experience the weight gain to appreciate who I am now and to help drive myself to stay this way. Everyone is different in this area. Some may never experience weight gains of 100 pounds or more, but whatever the weight gain may be, that addition to one’s body can be damaging to physical activity and appearance as well as your health. My goal with telling my personal weight journey is to show other people that it can be done at any weight or age if it is something you truly want. I also want to show that it doesn’t matter how long it takes or the many tries you may encounter along the way, you have to persevere through the hardships to reach success, just as everyone does with life. Take your own personal journey to discover and appreciate who you are and who you want to be!

Transit Oriented Development Tod Construction Essay

Transit Oriented Development Tod Construction Essay Transit-oriented development refers to a design of the area to maximize the access to so as the use of public transport to achieve sustainable transportation, and the sustainable transportation can help achieve sustainable society as a whole. Sustainable transportation is encouraged by promoting compact development around the major public facilities, improving the pedestrian walking experience, and increasing the accessibility to the public transit. It often incorporates the features to encourage transit ridership. TOD is a strategy to deal with dense population and it is a development to integrate with the transit system. A TOD neighborhood typically has a center with a transit station or stop of public transport, such as bus stop and railway station, surrounded by relatively high-density development with progressively lower density development spreading outward from the center. (Online wikipedia, 2012) High density population with mixed land use within short distance, TOD aims that people can access to place more easily with shorter time which would require less vehicle travel, save energy and emit less pollutants. Planning for compact growth of an area, rather than letting it sprawl out, has the potential to greatly increase the quality of the environment. It prevents problems of traffic congestion and the environmental degradation associated with urban sprawl. TOD contains specific features that are designed to encourage public transport use and differentiate the development from urban sprawl. Examples of these features include (Renne, 2009) the neighborhood is designed for cycling and walking, with adequate facilities and attractive street conditions. The streets have good connectivity and tracffic calming features to control vehicle traffic speeds, such as narrow streets. Mixed-use development is found that includes shops, schools and other public services, and a variety of housing types and prices, within each neighborhood. Efficient parking management to reduce the amount of land devoted to parking compared with conventional development and to take advantage of the parking cost savings associated with reduced automobile use. Transit stops and stations are convenient, comfortable and secure. (New urbanism) Implementation As discussed by Newman (2009), some strategic planning frameworks are needed as a set of policy tools to help implementing TOD. He suggests four strategic planning tools (Newman, in Curtis, 2009, p. 13): 1. A strategic policy framework that asserts where centers need to occur and at what kind of density and mix; 2. A strategic policy framework that links centers with a rapid transit base, almost invariably electric rail; 3. A statutory planning base that requires development to occur at the necessary density and design in each center, preferably facilitated by a specialized development agency, and 4. A public-private funding mechanism that enables the transit and the TOD to be built or refurbished through a linkage between the transit and the centers it will service. An area is created based on a set of urban design standard and zoning guidelines with a dense population and transit system. Increasingly, regional planning techniques are being used to control and shape of growth into compact, high-density, mixed-use neighborhoods, villages, towns, and cities, forming a hierarchy. Compact development provides sufficient population and demand to support transit system with a dense network coverage. TODs generally are located within a radius of 400-800 meters or up to 15-minute walk from a transit stop, it increases the location efficiency so people can walk and bike to take transit as it is considered as an appropriate scale for pedestrians. By improving the pedestrian walking experience and increasing the accessibility to the public transit, more people will take public transit and reduce the flow of automobiles. The area becomes an attractive and cohesive mixed-use area with commercial, retail and residential uses as self-sustaining. Many cities have faced the challenges of getting the right residential density because the density tends to be very low. Especially in the North America where people often rely on driving vehicles as their main transport mode, the higher-density residential development near transit system can limits the negative impacts to the environment. But TOD is suitable in Hong Kong, given the high density of population, it is able to support the development in transit system and develop the transit network into a comprehensive coverage with high accessibility. Hong Kong as an example of TOD Hong Kong has a total land area of 1098km2 and a population of 7 million in 2012. (Census Statistics Department, 2012) The land supply is scarce and residential use is dense. Worse still, large proportion of the land is hilly. While a certain portion of the land has been designated as country parks and catchment areas for reservoirs, much of the land are not feasible for development. With the rapid economic development, urban area in Hong Kong expands in a uncontrollable manner to the countryside which can be regarded as urban sprawl. This has created lots of unpleasant problems. To control urban sprawl and better utilize the limited land resource in Hong Kong, new towns are developed to relocate the soaring population and design them into a self-sustaining community with mixed land use. New town development with TOD is an appropriate planning strategy to deal with the dense population in Hong Kong. In early 1970s, the government implemented the New Town Development Programme in which new towns were planned to be served by railway linking to the urban area, for example, the New Towns such as Tai Po and Fanling in Northeast served by East Railway. Since the introduction of the Third Comprehensive Transport Study in 1999, the Government began to take a proactive role in integrating land use and railway development. Railway would form the backbone of the future passenger transport network. Railway stations would synchronize with land use development and become the hubs for transport interchanges. Some places were chosen to develop into new towns as the first planning tool mentioned above. New towns are designed to house a dense population with the sufficient provision of public facilities such as schools and shopping malls, and mixed land use. The new towns are developed into densely-populated area, we can know from the figures shown in the table below. New towns Time of development Population (in persons) Population density (persons/km2) Tsuen Wan 1959 774000 32300 Sha Tin 1973 630000 18000 Tuen Mun 1973 488500 25710 Tseung Kwan O 1982 350000 34800 Tin Shui Wai 1987 270000 63000 The buildings in new town are high rise and constitute a number of estates to concentrate the people, so stops and stations can be built to link them up and for more efficient transport. The housing estates are in various types, including public housing, private housing and so on at different price as choices to the residents. Cycling and walking lane are designed to improve the pedestrian experience and increase the accessibility to the public transit. Mixed land use with public facilities are developed based on the threshold of the goods and services to provide, many lower order goods and services can be found to make new towns self-maintaining, such as daily necessities and primary and secondary education. For example, Tin Shui Wai is a new town with many high rise buildings to house a very high density of population with the transit system of light railway among itself, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and West railway connected to urban areas. For the second planning tool, the area is designed with a transit base. The compact growth of new towns can support every station of railway system and develop as a TOD neighborhood. Each new town is accessible nowadays by different lines in mass transit system. http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/getting_around/images/MTR_routemap_510.jpgLook at the map of MTR, we can see most of the area can be reached by taking railway. The railway network is dense and covers most of the dense populated area in Hong Kong. Populous area in daytime, Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central, populous area in nighttime, Tin Shui wai, Tuen Mun and Shatin, all are linked by the railway system. The distance between every station is close, people can take railway to any destinations, and the walking distance from home to the stations is not long, within the radius of 15-minute walk. The development of transit system and the new towns should be synchronized, the new town development was failed in the past decades when the land use and transit development were not synchronized. Tseung Kwan O line (completed in August 2002) and Ma On Shan Rail (completed in 2004) were constructed after two areas have been densely populated, the inaccessibility hinders the development of two places. These are the examples of the lack of co-ordination between the land use development and transit system. The third and fourth tools are the development in a center is preferably facilitated by a specialized development agency or funded by public or private mechanism. It can be illustrated by the example of Taikoo Shing as one of the first successful TODs was Taikoo Shing by Swire Properties Limited (Swire). The development started in 1970s when the MTR Island Line was not yet in operation. When the Island Line started to operate in 1985 plus the opening of the East Harbour Crossing Tunnel in 1989, Swire realized the land use development is profitable from MTR system. In order to capture the impacts of mass transit system, development in Taikoo Shing has been diversifying in land use with retail, office, commercial and residential functions, and leisure amenities, such as a large shopping mall called City Plaza. As a result of the New Town Development Programme, a major railway in the New Territories has linked with the Hong Kong Island line; more housing developments including private housing grew along the major railway arteries. The closer distance to the MTR stations, the denser the residential development. And as the population increases, development also expands to meet the demand. TODs are thus well developed in Hong Kong. Benefits of TOD More intensive mixed-use development allows an increase in walking and bicycling within the neighborhood, when a transit connection is added to the mix then auto-free travel to other parts of the metropolitan area become more feasible. Less automobile use means less consumption of fossil fuels, less air pollution, and lower the spending on transportation. (Reconnecting America) When the characteristics of a particular place are recognized as supportive of lower personal transportation costs, the monetary benefits can be captured by both individuals (in the form of greater mortgage borrowing power) and the community (in the form of lower development costs stemming from reduced need to build expensive parking). In short, transit-oriented development can be a central part of a development paradigm that is more environmentally and socially sustainable, and that contributes to higher quality of life. Moreover, existing historic neighborhoods are being preserved and enhanced by the proximity of more diverse housing, shopping and entertainment choices, and the increases in traffic are minimal. Conclusion The railway transit system is under extension and Hong Kong population is surging, believing that Hong Kong is continue to develop at a fast pace. The development of TOD is beneficial to Hong Kong in the sense that sustainable transportation can be achieved.