The Bluest Eye And Fun Home Essay - 2175 Words

Although Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home demonstrate pronounced differences in setting and design, both novels employ a reflective narration of the past to address common themes of trauma, unorthodox family relationships, and sexuality. Both stories utilize this retrospective narrative to expose masculinity’s stratified hegemony as a driving force of internalized shame, violence, and the death of self. As The Bluest Eye’s Cholly and Fun Home’s Bruce are examined in terms of hegemonic masculinity’s influence, the common themes in both works can be understood as a result of masculinity’s hierarchical ascendency. To understand either work’s take on hegemonic masculinity, it is important to identify masculinity as a gendered hegemony. In her definition of gender, Judith Halberstam notes that gender is socially systematized, performed, and reproduced in cultures, institutions, and individual identities (B urgett, Bruce, and Hendler, 116). In a like manner, in her article on gendered violence, Mimi Schippers notes R.W. Connell’s research on masculinity to expand this definition, implying that masculinity is central to gender relations. In short, Connell defined masculinity as â€Å"simultaneously a place in gender relations, the practices through which men and women engage†¦ in gender, and the effects of these practices on bodily experience, personality, and culture† (Schippers, 86). Here, masculinity is classified as a social position, the set and practiceShow MoreRelatedThe Bluest Eye And Alison Bechdel s Fun Home Essay2269 Words   |  10 PagesToni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home are both novels that employ a reflective narration of the past to address common themes of trauma, unorthodox family relationships, and sexuality. Although they demonstrate pronounced differences in setting and design, both stories utilize this ret rospective narrative to expose masculinity’s stratified hegemony as a driving force of internalized shame, violence, and the death of self. Furthermore, it becomes clear that these shared themesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Bluest Eye 818 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Bluest Eye, Pecola the protagonist is taken under the Macteer family’s wing much like â€Å"The African family is community-based and the nurturing quality is not contained within the nuclear family, but is rather the responsibility of the entire community† (Ranstrà ¶m). In traditional Africa each child has a place and is welcome in the community. The act of parenting another child was not odd because every adult that lived in each community believed that any child is welcome in anyone’s home. ThisRead MoreThe Bluest Eyes By Toni Morriss1592 Words   |  7 Pages Draft When I was 5 years old I wanted nothing then to be white. I wanted the blonde hair and blue eyes, I wanted nothing to be pretty like the girls on tv. I wanted to look like the girls in the movie that always got the boy at the end they were usually white. I was always angry because my skin was darker then most of my family that my skin was closer to white. My sister who I thought was blessed with her light skin called herself white. I didn t understand it at first and just thoughtRead MoreRacism in the Bluest Eye752 Words   |  4 PagesRacism in â€Å"The Bluest Eye† Several examples of racism are encompassed in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Characters who are members of the black community are forced to accept their status as the â€Å"others†, or â€Å"outsiders†, which has been imposed on them by the white community. In turn, blacks assign this status to other individuals within the lighter-skinned black community. In this novel, characters begin to internalize the racism presented by these people, and feel inferior. The stereotypeRead More Morrisons Bluest Eye Essay: Misdirected Anger Depicted1174 Words   |  5 PagesMisdirected Anger Depicted in The Bluest Eye In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison shows that anger is healthy and that it is not something to be feared; those who are not able to get angry are the ones who suffer the most.   She criticizes Cholly, Polly, Claudia, Soaphead Church, the Mobile Girls, and Pecola because these blacks in her story wrongly place their anger on themselves, their own race, their family, or even God, instead of being angry at those they should have been angry at: whites.Read MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1587 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"We were born to die and we die to live.† Toni Morrison correlates to Nelson’s quote in her Nobel Lecture of 1993, â€Å"We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.† In Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, she uses language to examine the concepts of racism, lack of self-identity, gender roles, and socioeconomic hardships as they factor into a misinterpretation of the American Dream. Mo rrison illustrates problems that these issues provoke throughRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1198 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bluest Eye In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison brings to light the often unrecognized struggle that many people in the black community face. She exposes the â€Å"whitewashing† that has been prevalent in society for decades and the societal imposition of impossible beauty standards. Morrison uses the book to show us the psychological tolls on children and adults that stem from these unattainable goals. Children, like Pecola Breedlove, are so indoctrinated by society and the quest for superficial â€Å"perfection†Read MoreToni Morrison s Beloved And The Bluest Eye2300 Words   |  10 PagesPaper Toni Morrison s Beloved and The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison is known for her use of poetic language. In many of her writings Morrison captures the pursuit of African Americans identities(Parnell). Considering Morrison never experienced the horrific tragedies she writes about, she is a witness to many identities that were destroyed by society depiction of them. The themes that Toni Morrison illustrates in her works Beloved and The Bluest Eye demonstrates how Toni Morrison works show individualsRead More Childhood Presented in To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison3594 Words   |  15 PagesChildhood Presented in To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Childhood should be a time of great learning, curiosity, joy, playfulness and guiltlessness. The reality is that it can be a time of extreme vulnerability and dependency. The innocence and fragility of a child is easily manipulated and abused if not nurtured and developed. Family relationships are crucial in the flourishing of young minds, but other childhood associations are important too. TheseRead MoreEssay about Use of the Fences Metaphor in Describing Racial Injustice1674 Words   |  7 PagesInjustice in Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the Song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and August Wilsons Fences In todays world it is difficult for young people to get a good handle on the past. This is especially the case when talking about the history of African-Americans in the United States and the consequences of racial injustice which they faced. Toni Morrison shares her thoughts on this topic in her novel The Bluest Eye through the use of the metaphor

Obligations - 1410 Words

Zachary Zeitzmann Professor Orsini ENC 1102 March 29, 2011 An Obligation Is Not A Choice What defines an obligation? Is it defined as something that one has to do because it is necessary for their living or is it something that one has to do because someone says they have to? I would define an obligation as something that one has to do because it is necessary for their living. What I do not understand is how one person can dodge their obligations. I see people choose to live a life where their obligations are pushed aside as if they were choices. Obligations are not choices, but yet something that needs to be taken care of. In many situations people tend to take care of their obligations because they know that it is a†¦show more content†¦Looking at Phoenix’s actions I can see how she was able to understand the severity of this obligation and the responsibility that was needed to make sure that it was her duty to make sure this obligation was met. I notice how people do not understand that an obligation is not a choice. I see these people choosing to party it up or live an extravagant life, while forgetting to provide a safe, living environment, putting food on their table, or taking care of their loved ones. Providing a safe, living environment allows one to feel safe from harm, putting food on one’s table allows for them to maintain life from death, and taking care of one’s loved ones shows the responsibility needed throughout life. Without these obligations being taken care of, how can one live life fully? Sure, it is fun to go out and party and live an extravagant life, but what comes from that when one pushes their obligations aside? Nothing really comes from pushing obligations aside except instant gratification. A great example of being able to juggle both obligations and partying is shown in Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz. The poem explains how a young boy dances the waltz with his father before being sent off to bed. The father comes home with whiskey in his breath so much that could make a small boy dizzy (Roethke 647). Obviously with this statement, it shows that the father must haveShow MoreRelatedAccountability - The importance of obligation with the Army.1598 Words   |  7 Pagesrepresents organization, discipline, and control. Accountability becomes an obligation when you join the Army, it benefits every party involved. The importance of obligation with the Army. Your obligations given to you as a soldier are there to help you perform your duties, much like guidelines to success. Obligations within a workplace are there to benefit those associated within the environment, in this scenario obligation to report our location and actions being taken were there to help our leadersRead MoreObligations, Reasons, And The Will By Ruth Chang Essay1216 Words   |  5 Pages family, and romantic partners, and those made to oneself in terms of projects. These differ from other types of commitments, such as promises, since the obligation to keep a promise exists only because promises invite others to develop expectations (76). The commitments Chang discusses create internal obligations rather than moral obligations because, according to her, they need not cause expectations in others (although they often do) (77). Internal commitments are, fundamentally, â€Å"ones that youRead MoreMoral Obligations And Their D irectional Structure1237 Words   |  5 PagesWhen we think about moral obligations and their directional structure, this involves the obligations that we have to other people. â€Å"Obligations are owed to the benefactor† (Timmons, 2015). This means that a person is obligated to someone who tries to help another person in some way, shape or form. So, let’s say for example I promise you to walk your dog. Since I have promised you this I am not fulfilling my promise because I told you I’d walk your dog, or because I want to keep my promises to youRead MoreThe Utalitarian Approach to Moral Obligation609 Words   |  2 PagesWand(1979) expounds on Hume ethical theory in relation to moral obligation is a theory of good and evil rather than one of duty and obligation- , according to Wand (1956:55):†this statement is quite erroneous’ for Hume does not merely wish to discover the foundation of our moral actions†. Hume account of how motives prompt men to moral actions is quite complex, but Wand (1979) also asserts that Hume distinguishes between two basic type of action to make it more understandable. The first type areRead MoreWealthy Nations Have A Moral Obligation to Educate Poor Nations3696 Words   |  15 Pagesconsumption of the world’s material, economic, and cultural resources. In this paper, I will argue that the primary long-term moral obligation the world’s over-privileged have to the underprivileged is to provide those in need with the means necessary to develop a foundation for fair future interactions. This will lead to the idea that a necessary part of the long-term obligation to the underprivileged, in addition to the redistribution of economic and material resources, is the redistribution of ideasRead MoreJustification Of Moral Obligation On The Suffering Of People Close By Than That Of Those Far Away1423 Words   |  6 Pagescan be morally accepted among applied ethical issues. This essay w ill be split into two main parts, consisting of two intertwining reasons followed by my reasoning for justification of this moral stance. I will argue that - regardless of moral obligation - I believe that we are more justified to care for people closer by, this will be the primary argument of this essay. A reason one might give to only helping someone close, with my assumption that ‘close’ means people within the same society orRead MoreRenewable Transport Fuels Obligation For The Demand Of Petroleum Based Fuels1231 Words   |  5 Pages(Nigama, P, S., Singhb, A., 2011). In order to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles the UK parliament enacted the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) in 2007 (UK, 2007).This essay will analyse the effectiveness of RTFO focusing in biofuels as well as explaining its success and failure. One of the successes of RTFO is that it is the first official obligation regarding promotion of biofuels in the UK. In 2003, the Energy White Paper was published by the Department of Trade and Industry, in whichRead MoreSAMPLE MEMO FORMAT 2013 10 1596 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ISSUE: Should LOI recognize an asset retirement obligation for each of the categories of warehouses with asbestos? BRIEF BACKGROUND OF COMPANY Lack of Information (LOI) owns and operates 50 warehouses throughout the country. As part of LOI’s efforts to identify potential asset retirement obligations, LOI’s internal audit group held interviews with all 50 of the warehouse managers and also performed site visits at each of the 50 locations. KEY CONSIDERATIONS INVOLVED IN THE ACCOUNTING QUESTIONSRead MorePeter Singers Argument in Famine, Affluence and Morality1500 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper explores Peter Singer’s argument, in Famine, Affluence, and Morality, that we have morally required obligations to those in need. The explanation of his argument and conclusion, if accepted, would dictate changes to our lifestyle as well as our conceptions of duty and charity, and would be particularly demanding of the affluent. In response to the central case presented by Singer, John Kekes offers his version, which he labels the and points out some objections. Revisions of the principleRead More The Importance of Education Essay782 Words   |  4 Pagescrucial part of society for the past centuries. Some believe that our education is a privilege. Some believe that our education is a right. Some believe that our education is an obligation. The only obligation we might have towards education is to treat it as a privi lege as well as a right, but certainly not an obligation to have an education. Education has been the basis for the success we see in our parents, our teachers, and more importantly, ourselves. Over time, people have considered

Audit and Assurance in Australia for G Medcraft-myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theAudit and Assurance in Australia for G Medcraft.v Answer: Introduction: Around two eras before corporate governance was comparatively unidentified topic. The matter originated during the late 80s and in the initial 90 when the corporate governance sector in most the nations was bounded by difficulties of dubious unethical practices. The failure of One Tel, Adelaide Seamanship, and Satyam exposed the auditing gaps that led to the collapse of these companies. Several failures gave rise to the reformation procedure and introduction of public accounting reformation. The objective of this report is to assess the ethical behaviour of auditors and management. The report will be analysing the collapse of Satyam and highlight the management and audit failures. Statement by G Medcraft: Mr. G. Medcraft is regarded as the former chairman of the Australian Securities and Exchange Comission and is concerned regarding the roles and responsibilities of the auditors while performing the work of audit (Hayes, Wallage and Gortemaker 2014). As evident from the statement of G. Medcraft it warns the Australian accounting authority regarding the roles and accountabilities of auditors. The statement made by G. Medcraft highlights his concern associated to auditors dependency and trust on financial information. G. Medcraft stressed on specific auditors roles and responsibilities. The primary responsibility of auditor is to carry out the audit plan and functions to get adequate evidence of financial statement whether those statements are free from any materiality misstatement (De Paula 2016). On observing any materiality misstatement, the auditors are required to comply with the ethical principles surrounding audit to derive unbiased audit opinion. In the article of G. Medcraft, a serious lack of professional conduct and professional scepticism is noted in the roles and responsibilities of auditors. The statement made by G. Medcraft expressed his opinion that Australian auditing companies are required to avoid any major unfolding of auditing scandals such as Enron that tarnishes the audit profession. As evident from the above conversation, of late there has been widespread circumstances where the professional conduct and professional scepticism of auditors have faced questions (William, Glover and Prawitt 2016). Instances noted suggest that auditors have failed discharge their responsibilities. With the unfolding of major audit fraudulent scandals, there is a lack of trust among the community relating the financial information published by them. Purpose and audit report of Satyam India: Audit forms the important element in business firms and Saytam is no exception to such reports. The audit report forms the opinion of the auditor associated to financial statements of the organization (Kumar and Sharma 2015). This requires an organization to follow a certain set of auditing standards and procedures in the preparation of audit report. In context of Satyam, the primary purpose of audit report was to provide the users of financial information with the necessary information regarding the organization financial performance. There were numerous users of financial report for Satyam that included investors, auditors, customers, lenders, creditors etc. the users made use of the financial report for making different forms of decision (Zeff 2016). The audit report issued by the auditors failed to observe any form of fraud and error and stated that the Satyam financial statements were free from any materiality misstatements. The PWC being the major auditor for Satyam since 2001 also erroneously reported that financial statement of Satyam Computers were prepared by adhering to the required auditing standards and financial reporting regulations. An opinion can be formed on the PWC audit report that, being the sole auditor it failed to carry out the auditing obligations in compliance with the necessary auditing standards. Extent of meeting auditing purposes: The opinion of the auditors entirely represented a different state of affairs for Satyam Computers that was declared in the audit reports. Evidences obtained from the findings truly provides that the auditors of Satyam Computers namely PWC, contributed immensely to present the fraudulent financial statement of the organization (Vasarhelyi, Alles and Kogan 2018). The fraudulent act landed PWC with a fine of $6 million handed by United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Besides this, the US Securities and Exchange Commission along with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) banned PWC from conducting any audit work since it failed to adhere with the necessary auditing standards and procedure. The auditors of the Satyam computers did not met the auditing principles while performing the audit procedure and ultimately contributed to the decline of the company. The auditors simply overlooked the materiality misstatement in the financial statements that failed to reflect a true and fair view of the financial situation of the business (Wilson 2017). With falsified books of accounts and the existence of insider trading evidently contributed to the decline of Satyam Computers. Evaluation of Satyam Company Management and Auditors ethical behaviour Background: During the year 1987 on 24th June Satyam Computer Service Ltd was incorporated as the private limited company with 20 staffs. The company provided software development and consultancy services to large number of corporations (Samsonova-Taddei and Siddiqui 2016). The company during 1997 was selected by World Economic Forum as one of the most remarkably growing company in India. The company was also ranked 3rd position in respect of corporate governance survey by the Global Institutional investors. Commencement of Problems: The problems in Satyam commenced during December 2008 when the chairman of Satyam publicized a surprise move of $1.6 billion bid for Maytas Infrastructure Ltd and Maytas Properties Ltd. The chairman asserted that he wanted to use the accessible cash for the investors benefit (Shaub and Braun 2014). Thumbs down from the investors and market forced the chairman to withdrawal of bid inside 12 hour span. Satyam share prices fell by 55% relating to the concerns of Satyam corporate governance. The world bank barred Satyam for a period of eight years for giving unsuitable benefits and was also charged with data stealing and corrupting to workforce. The price of share for Satyam also declined by another 14% and was lowest in 4 years (Arens et al. 2016). Finally the chairman of Satyam confessed regarding 7800 crore fraud. A week later the scandalous confession the auditors of Satyam Price Waterhouse lastly confessed that the audit reports provided was incurred and was based on the incorrect monetary report provided by the management of Satyam. Flaws in governance and unethical conduct: In Satyam there was hardly any clear or understood code of ethics that surrounded the business principles of the company (Mohapatra, Graham and Nandialath 2015). Corruption, fraud and exchange of favours both inside and outside of the corporation was the common occurrence. The World Bank was tool late in publicizing the unethical work conduct of Satyam by publicising the data theft charges that was imposed on Satyam and bribing of staff. Following this, Satyam was banded from any trade with World Bank for a period of eight years as the company was charged with giving unfitting benefits to staff. The ethical standards of the company therefore was poor. Evidently, the CEO and the CFO of Satyam were charge for putting forward the self-interest ahead of the interest of the company. The chairpersons were found to be actively selling the large proportion of their shareholdings prior to admitting the scandal of fraud (Narayanaswamy, Raghunandan and Rama 2015). The senior executives of Satyam were found to be behaving in an unethical manner with no instances of moral code of conduct. The behaviour of the top executives provided the evidences of exploitation of corporations funds for private benefit for numerous years. A case of Insider Trading: The investigation reports suggest that the promoters of Satyam computers have engaged themselves in most awful form of insider trading of the Satyams shares to raise cash for creating a large land of bank (Mock, Ragothaman and Srivastava 2018). The funds obtained through shares were employed to purchase lands in the name of the family members with all of the members held equity participation in these companies. The chairperson were held chargeable for using the fund in offloading the shares to purchase their lands. The promoters with the help of inflated books posed a healthy financial situation of the company in the market. During this course of time period the promoters held their purpose to offload their shares on regular breaks. The investigation agencies are puzzled because the deals were struck by the chairman when the market was functioning far below Rs 500. Following the confession of the chairperson the prices of the shares fell to all below of Rs 6.30 (Solieri and Hodowanitz 2016). Even though the chairman of Satyam and chairman of SFIO were separated however discoveries suggest that the chairperson were working together to defraud their stakeholders for the purpose of personal gain. Falsified books of accounts and Fake Accounting: Evidences from the findings suggest that the balance sheet of the Satyam carried on an accrued interest that amounted to 376 crores that did not existed in reality. The false figure of accrued interest was presented in the balance sheet to supress the identification of non-existent fixed deposit based on the inflated profits (Bhasin 2016). Investigations findings suggest that the business had purposely paid the more taxes on account of non-existed accrued interest that constituted considerable amount of loss for company. The company created an untruthful impression regarding the fixed deposits that summed around 3318.37 crore while the company originally held fixed deposits receipts of just 9.96 crore. Negligent board: The lax board system has failed to question the strategy of management and employed leverage in recasting the firm. The board were very slow to react once it was evident that Satyam was in monetary misery (Pai and Tolleson 2015). The lax board overlooked or were unsuccessful to act on the serious info associated to incorrect activities prior to the ultimate collapse of the organization. The aggressive bidding of Maytas companies resulted in strong decline in their share prices and bid as it deteriorated by 55% raising concerns about the companys governance. Though some of the independent director withdrew from the board but by then it was very late. Dubious role of Audit committee: The actual function of audit committee is to make sure that the transparency in the business relating to monetary disclosure and fiscal declarations that provided appropriate, adequate and admirable picture and should be free from fraud and failures (Bhasin 2016). Timely taking of actions by the audit committee for the information supplied by the whistle-blower could have helped in acting as the SOS to Satyam. However, the audit committee chose to maintain silence and did not disclosed the issue to the shareholders and the regulatory bodies. False Audit: PWC was the auditor of the Satyam and was auditing their financial records from the year 2001. The fraudulent role of PWC in Satyams failure raised the question of auditing integrity. Investigation reports suggest that the statutory auditors rather using the mechanism for independent testing employed investigation tools of Satyam and compromised the auditing standards (Solieri and Hodowanitz 2016). The final straw in the deficiencies of statutory auditing standards was in spite of detecting the control shortages in the info system and the risk of disclosure to the scams, PWC elected to maintain silence and did not reported the material fraudulent activities to the shareholders. The global audit head of PWC stated that despite the coverage and the resources of internal audit was not in balance with the business dimensions. PWC simply overlooked the evidences and certified the company (Mock, Ragothaman and Srivastava 2018). The statutory auditors were failure on their part of discharging their roles and duty when the situation of autonomously authenticating the cash and bank balances both in respect of current account and fixed deposits. Conclusion: The fraudulent activities of Satyam has devastated the thoughts of several groups of investors, upset the government and regulators. The scandal raised questions on accounting practices and corporate governance standards. The study evidently puts forward numerous corporate governance problems and audit failures that caused the decline of Satyam. Several such evidences has been noticed in USA, Australia and UK however these nations have strongly reacted to the corporate failures and code of ethics that came to the centre stage. Corporate humiliations and audit failures have triggered reformation in the accounting practices and corporate governance. The primary purpose of the reformation is to gain the investors confidence and preventing the audit frauds by ensuring transparency in disclosure of information. Though the mechanism of corporate governance cannot alone prevent the unethical practices of top management but would help in at least ensuring that such things be detected before it is very late. Reference List: Arens, A.A., Elder, R.J., Beasley, M.S. and Hogan, C.E., 2016.Auditing and assurance services. Pearson. Bhasin, M.L., 2016. Debacle of Satyam Computers Limited: A Case Study of Indias Enron.Wulfenia Journal KLAGENFURT,23(3), pp.124-162. De Paula, F.R.M., 2016.The principles of auditing a practical manual for students and practitioners. Isaac Pitman Sons, Ltd (1919). Hayes, R., Wallage, P. and Gortemaker, H., 2014.Principles of auditing: an introduction to international standards on auditing. Pearson Higher Ed. Kumar, R. and Sharma, V., 2015.Auditing: Principles and practice. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Mock, T.J., Ragothaman, S. and Srivastava, R.P., 2018. Using Evidential Reasoning Technology to Enhance the Audit Quality Assurance Inspection Process.Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting. Mohapatra, P.S., Graham, A. and Nandialath, A., 2015. Did PwC lose reputation post audit failure at Satyam Computer Services? Evidence from the Indian audit market.International Journal of Accounting and Finance,5(1), pp.48-61. Narayanaswamy, R., Raghunandan, K. and Rama, D.V., 2015. Satyam Failure and Changes in Indian Audit Committees.Journal of Accounting, Auditing Finance,30(4), pp.529-540. Pai, K. and Tolleson, T.D., 2015. India's Satyam Scandal: Evidence the Too Large to Indict Mindset of Accounting Regulators Is a Global Phenomenon.Review of Business Finance Studies,6(2), p.35. Samsonova-Taddei, A. and Siddiqui, J., 2016. Regulation and the Promotion of Audit Ethics: Analysis of the Content of the EUs Policy.Journal of business ethics,139(1), pp.183-195. Shaub, M.K. and Braun, R.L., 2014. Call of duty: A framework for auditors ethical decisions. InAccounting for the Public Interest(pp. 3-25). Springer, Dordrecht. Solieri, S.A. and Hodowanitz, J., 2016. Electronic Audit Confirmations: Leveraging Technology to Reduce the Risk of Fraud.Journal of Forensic Investigative Accounting,8(1). Vasarhelyi, M.A., Alles, M.G. and Kogan, A., 2018. Principles of analytic monitoring for continuous assurance. InContinuous Auditing: Theory and Application(pp. 191-217). Emerald Publishing Limited. William Jr, M., Glover, S. and Prawitt, D., 2016.Auditing and assurance services: A systematic approach. McGraw-Hill Education. Wilson, M.J., 2017. Environmental auditing: Principles and application Zeff, S.A., 2016.Forging accounting principles in five countries: A history and an analysis of trends. Routledge.

Newlywed Communication free essay sample

As a newlywed myself, I can relate on these difficult times that occur during the first few months and even the first few years of marriage. There are certain principles you can follow to have effective communication, listening skills that you can learn, have an understanding of non-verbal communication, and realize how self-concept, and self-disclosure, can all play a vital role in your communication within your marriage. While communication has occurred since the dawn of time, becoming an effective communicator really does take some skill and understanding of how interpersonal communication works. Understanding these concepts and skills, will help tremendously in those not so blissful points of marriage. â€Å"To become a more effective communicator, scholars would most likely agree that five specific aspects of interpersonal communication are crucial areas of focus† (Sole, 2011). These 5 skills are listening skills, people skills, emotional intelligence, appropriate skill selection, and communicating ethically. I am sure looking at this list you can pick out which of these skills you think you possess over another, but the key to interpersonal communication is honing in all of these skills and using them together and at the appropriate times. We will write a custom essay sample on Newlywed Communication or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now let us break each of these skills down and concentrate on the key concepts of each skill. Listening, this is more than just sound waves bouncing through our ear canal, to be in affective listener â€Å"requires focus and attention† (Sole, 2011). A lot of people hear without actually listening. I know that there have been many times that my husband and I were having a discussion and I could hear what he was saying, meaning I knew he was talking and I could hear the words that were coming out of his mouth, but I was not listening to what he was actually saying. Once I stopped and actually listened to what he had to say, we were able to resolve the conflict we were having. People skills, also plays a role in communication, however people skills is a collaborative use of many different skills like problem solving and appropriate self-disclosure. Emotional intelligence is probably the easiest to understand but the hardest to apply in interpersonal communication, for me at least. To be emotionally intelligent is to understand how and when to express certain emotions in given situations. For me, I am very passionate about most things in my life, and when I have an idea or thought, or even problem, I want to get it out in the open as fast as possible. When someone does not agree with me, is upset with me, or even does agree with me, you can see my emotions in my face, hear them in my voice, and can tell by my overall attitude. While in my working relationships this sometimes has posed a problem, I believe in a marriage it is very important to share your emotions with each other, and keeping in mind of the emotions of one another. In a marriage I believe to be emotionally intelligent means to have the ability to express how you feel about something to your spouse, as well as being able to relate to the emotions of your spouse. Appropriate skill selection means that you can recognize a problem in communication and then affectively solving the problem. Finally, communicating ethically, varies in meaning from person to person, as one person’s set of ethics may not be the same as another person’s, however in general to communicate ethically means to keep your own ethics, morals, values, and beliefs in mind while communicating. Speak with a purpose, and let your ethics guide you in not only what you convey when you speak but how you convey it as well. In a relationship it is easy to point out what the other person is doing wrong and how he or she fails to communicate. It is important to take a look inward and realize how you can grow and realize what you can work on too, in order to increase effective communication in your relationship. This may be a hard pill to swallow, but you are not perfect, and realizing that, accepting it, and admitting to imperfection will strongly help any relationship. I think that everyone could agree that listening is equally important, if not more important, as talking. Realizing when we are hearing conversation rather than listening to a conversation will help make the messenger feel like you the receiver not only understands what they are saying, but cares about what is being said. I know as a woman, when I feel like my husband is tuning me out, it hurts and I take it much more personal, than if he were listening to me and then not saying anything. â€Å"Listening involves hearing, but it is much more than just the physiological act of your ears perceiving a sound and transmitting the auditory sensation to your bra in. Listening is a complex psychological process that can be defined as the process of physically hearing, interpreting that sound, and understanding the significance of it† (Sole, 2011). There are many aspects of being a good listener which we all start to learn in the early years of education, but as adults we tend to tune out, those that boar us or that we feel is unimportant. The first of the many characteristics of being a good listener is a motivation or willingness to listen. You have to make a conscious decision that you are going to listen to the speaker, with an open mind and an eagerness to hear what he has to say. I know this sounds completely cliche but you need to make a â€Å"safe† environment for your spouse so they not only want to talk to you but they feel that they can talk to you and be heard. This was a big concept that both my husband and I had to learn in the first few months of our marriage, and quite frankly, it is something that we are still working on. My husband is a quiet person, and he does not let a lot of things get under his skin. When something does start to bother him he tends to hold it in, and then all at once, it is like a bomb went off and he explodes. For me, it made it hard to talk to him about anything, because he did not want to talk about it or did not have much of an opinion on the subject. When I would ask if something was bugging him, he would say nothing until that bomb went off. Because of this ticking time bomb that I felt would go off at any moment it made it very hard for me to come to my husband when I had something I wanted to talk about. So while he was not making a safe environment for me to come and talk to him, I in turn, was not making a safe environment for him either. He felt like when we did talk, I was not actually listening to him, and only wanted things my way. I was not allowing him to feel like he could come and talk to me, so he did not do so. Once we got this out on the table, it made our communication much more effective. Crossing your arms, rolling your eyes, tapping your foot, these are all ways that we can communicate with other people without words even coming out of our mouths. We send off a vibe through our body language that can let a person know how we are feeling without saying anything, or a person can misunderstand a vibe that you may not be giving off, but because you are unaware of your body language you do not realize it. Research shows that 55% of communication is conveyed by the body language we use, that is use of eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. 38% is conveyed through voice, its quality, use of tone, and inflections. Only 7% is conveyed in the words we use† (Makodia, 2009, p. 6). When the first few issues arose in my marriage, we would try and have a conversation to work these issues out. My husba nd is not one to convey his feelings very well verbally. To be honest, it is much easier to talk about things with him via email or even text message. When we would talk with each other he was the king of just blankly staring at me with his arms crossed, while I was speaking. This infuriated me. It made it impossible to talk to him and I would end the conversation and nothing would get solved. As you can see, sometimes it is not even what you say, not how you say it, but the way you use your hands, your face, your entire body to convey a message. A simple smile can take a conversation from stagnant and cold, to warm and understanding. When talking out a disagreement, try smiling and talking about it, that alone can turn the entire vibe of the relationship and you may get further than using cold gestures, like crossed hands or a mean scowl. Going back to what I stated before about creating a â€Å"safe† environment for your spouse is key to having effective communication. When you have a harsh body language, you can make yourself come across unapproachable where as if you keep your body language carefree, it can make it easier for your significant other to bring up a situation. In understanding communication, and how your spouse communicates with you, you must understand yourself and why you are the way you are. For example, growing up I was always getting in trouble for my siblings mistakes. As the oldest child I picked up the heat for almost everything. Now as an adult, I can come off very offensive if someone accuses me of something I felt that I did not do. When I could understand there was a reason for me getting on the defense it helped my husband understand how to approach topics that I might react in a negative way about. Self-concept is comprised of relatively permanent self-assessments, such as personality attributes, knowledge of one’s skills and abilities, one’s occupation and hobbies, and awareness of one’s physical attributes. † (Sinha, 2009, p. 2) Being aware of one’s self not only will help in learning and grasping the concepts of interpersonal communication, it will also help you understand why it is that y ou communicate the way you do and allow you to let your spouse know why you are the way you are. As I stated before, once the title of your relationship changes from engaged to married, it seems that things may change drastically. Living together creates a whole different slew of problems. Having children creates another chapter of problems. Life happens, and it is only natural that you and your spouse are going to disagree on these subjects, but knowing how to overcome disagreements, and how to convey your point in an effective way, makes all the difference. As humans we grow, change, evolve every day. Our interests change, our hobbies vary, and if you are anything like me, you have a new favorite color every season. When a couple first starts dating the best ways they start to understand and get to know each other is by self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is asking and answering questions like â€Å" What is your favorite movie? †, â€Å"Where do you see yourself in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years? †. Questions like this help one another learn, understand, and is a big part of communication in a relationship no matter how new or how old. Quality communication is defined somewhat differently from study to study, but research consistently has shown a link between happy marriages and self-disclosure, or sharing your private feelings, fears, doubts and perceptions with your partner† (Schoenberg, 2011). I have a running list of questions that I keep in the notes section of my phone. Every so often I go through the list and ask my husband a few questions. This is either face to face, via text or email, or sometimes I ask in a letter that I write to him which I will slip into his lunch. It is not once a week or even once a month. Just when I think about it, or once a year, we talk about our goals that we would like to accomplish for the year and how we can reach these goals. This year or goals are to put at least $5000 into savings, and pay off all of our credit card debt. Keeping in mind that we are ever-changing as humans, setting up a time where we ask our spouse these self-disclosure, types of questions, can greatly impact the quality of communication in your relationship as a whole. Focusing on quality rather than quantity of communication can aid in each other’s understanding of one another and how to effectively communicate. My husband is a Recruit Division Commander, which in not so many words means he is a Navy boot camp drill sergeant. This means that he is working from anywhere from 4am to 10pm, 7 days a week, for at least 13 weeks at a time. I have a full time job working 8am until 5pm and then come home to take care of our 1 year old. By the time 1030 rolls around and he walks through the front door we are both tired and ready for bed, but we make it a point to take 15 minutes, and unload about our days. These 15 minutes gives us enough time to connect with each other and get the important stuff out in the open. Now 15 minutes a day does not seem like a lot of time but it is the quality of our conversation that keeps us strong. This is what I mean about quality over quantity. The elements that create effective communication, listening, non-verbal communication, self-concept, and self-disclosure are all part of becoming an effective communicator in any interpersonal relationship, but especially with your spouse. Understanding these concepts will help you not only know yourself and how to improve your own communication skills but also understand your spouse and how they communicate. It will not always be a cake walk, but when applying the skills I have outlined, it can get better. Communication is key, when life starts getting in the way, just 15 minutes of quality communication every day can go a long way. References: Makodia, V. V. (2009). Role of Body Language in Communication. Jaipur, IND: Paradise Publishers. Sinha, D. S. (2009). Personal Growth and Training and Development. Lucknow, IND: Word-press. Sole, K. (2011). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

A Comparison of Two Leaders free essay sample

Tony as been described as having class, dignity, grace, and poise by . Comas Michael Smith (Morning 34). Air Miller of the San Francisco Chronicle calls him a real role model, a rare tower of dignity (Morning 34). And USA Today describes Dungy as personable, soft-spoken, and highly respectable (Dungs New Challenge ). It is these great personality traits that Tony Dungy has used to have an impact on people both on and off the field. HIS personal strengths have enabled him to make the play-offs 10 consecutive seasons In a row and helped him to be the first African American head coach to lead a team to win In the Super Bowl.His up-beat personality and gentle style has made him one of the great leaders of the . Although Ben Franklin lived a very long time ago, people still speak highly of the man and his accomplishments. English historian Lewis Simpson stated about Franklin that he was always terse, luminous, simple, pregnant with meaning, [and] eminently persuasive (Strut 613). We will write a custom essay sample on A Comparison of Two Leaders or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Kenney Weber describes Franklin as urbane, tactful, [and] dedicated (Weber 19). Franklins good humor and outgoing personality helped him to be elected and selected for many different public offices during his life.Franklin was a man of few failings, but the ones he had caused him some serious trouble. While serving as the envoy to England, he would not listen to public opinions about America that did not fit with his views (Weber 19). This got him Into trouble with the English and he left the country bitter towards Its citizens. Franklin also spent many years from home and away from his family. His relationship with his son deteriorated until his son joined the British to fight against America and his father. Although I could not find anyone who had anything bad to say about Tony Dungy, he, eke Franklin, spent a lot of time away from home. coaches spend many long hours at the office and many days away from home. This time away caused strains in his family relationships and may have been a contributing factor in the suicide death of his son in 2005 (Morning 34). When It comes to leadership styles both men continue to have a lot in common. Tony Dungs leadership style Is a blend of both consideration and Initiating structure styles. Tony Likes to work with his followers leading them In the correct direction, but he also gives them lee way to make their own .When off the field he uses a felling approach to maintain order and keep his players in line. Jim , Tonys Mentor Leader. In the example Jim recalls Tony telling players to be good role models while showing clips of athletes that had run against the wrong side of the law (Dungy VII-VIII). While on the field he would use various styles from telling, to selling, and even a participating style allowing players to give input on what play to run next. It is this intense relational style that caused Jim to declare that Tony Dungs leadership DNA perfectly fit the description of a Level 5 leader (Dungy X). WhileDandys leadership style was a blend, Franklin adjusted his leadership style to fit his role. While in public office Franklin displayed a directive style of leadership to get the job done. When working with the other leaders of the new America, Franklin took on an Advisory role (Lane 42). He used his wit and wisdom to guide and advise them through the new challenges that now faced them. He also used an advisory role while serving as envoy to England and France. In conclusion I would like to answer the question if they could have switched places in time. Even putting aside the vast difference in time and the fact that an AfricanAmerican would not have been accepted in Franklins position, I think the answer is no they could not have switched. Though both men exemplify what it is to be a leader, their roles in history and on those around them were very different. Franklin is an extrovert and enjoyed the public eye while Dungy is an introvert and would find it difficult to be around that many people all the time. Franklins fame is inexorably tied to his inventions as well, something Dungy could not have duplicated. Franklin, although fond of sports and the outdoors, I dont would have been happy in Just one career as a coach.

Strategic Analysis of McDonalds Corporation

Strategic Analysis of McDonalds Corporation Business Overview McDonald’s Corporation is the world’s largest fast-food chain that serves over 69 million customers in approximately 34,000 outlets that are spread across more than 115 countries. Founded in 1940, the company is highly reputable because of its globally recognized brand.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Analysis of McDonald’s Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It operates on a franchise business model where majority of its businesses are operated through franchises that are spread across the world with few of its outlets being company owned. With a revenue of over USD$2.56 billion in the 2011/2012 financial year, the company continues to dominate in the fast-food industry, despite the increasing competition from other players. The company’s fast food business is characterized by high efficiency of running its operations and serving its customers. This p aper provides a strategic analysis of McDonald’s Corporation with the aim of presenting strategic management recommendations that will give the company a competitive advantage to retain its leadership position in the fast-food industry. External Environment and Competitive Position Industry Analysis McDonald’s Corporation operates and competes in the fast food industry. The industry is characterized by a high level of competition, sale of cheap food products, and different regional growth rates. The high competition in the sector is due to the extremely low barriers in the industry’s operations. For example, while McDonald’s has the largest market share in the USA, this share is only at 26% while the smaller fast-food restaurants hold a combined market share of 55%. The global fast-food industry is a multibillion dollar industry with over USD$ 500 billion of revenue that is recorded annually. In the United States, the fast-food sector accounts for USD$120 billion of USD$ 600 billion restaurant sales. The industry has been affected by a change in social and economic trends across the world. For instance, in the last five years, the sector has experienced a slow growth of 3.5% due to the global economic meltdown of 2007/2008, which greatly reduced the disposal incomes for customers across the world. Further, the rising awareness on health risks that are associated with the intake of high fat, salt, and sugary foods has also been a blow to the growth of the industry. However, it is projected that the industry will continue to grow through 2019, with more growth activity in the emerging markets such as China, Asia, and Africa.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another important industry trend is the increasing cost of doing business because of soaring food and energy prices. For example, after labor, food, and beverages account for the biggest share of costs in the fast-food industry, representing 33% of all costs. An increase in the prices of food and beverage has a significant impact on the bottom-line of fast food companies and that McDonald’s is no exception. International expansion is increasingly playing an important role in bringing revenues for fast food companies, which are experiencing slow or stagnated growth rates in the mature markets of the US and Europe. For instance, international business franchises for McDonald’s account for 60% of its revenues and 50% for a McDonald’s competitor, namely ‘Yum Brands’ . Another important trend in the industry is the growing middle class in developing countries. The trend represents an expanding ready market for fast-food industry players (Thompson, Strickland, Gamble, 2008). Five Forces Model Analysis for McDonald’s Porter’s five-force model describes an organization’s strategy as the steps a nd actions that are geared towards attaining competitive advantage in its industry. Five-force model analysis allows an organization to study competition in five different areas, including providers’ negotiation authority, clientele bargaining command, threats of substitutes, pressure of latest entrants, and opposition. In the case of McDonald’s, the threat of new entrants and rivalry is very high due to the low barrier of entry. Establishing new restaurants requires a relatively low capital outlay and no existing customer base. Further, with the option of leasing premises and equipment, the cost of establishing new business in the sector becomes even lower. In addition, the industry’s saturation is high, although it has monopolistic tendencies where few outlets dominate the market, with the rest sharing a minimal percentage of the remaining market share. However, despite the easy entry into the market, new entrants do not find it easy while competing with the a lready established companies such as McDonald’s and Yum Brands, which have strong brands, strategic locations, and financial resources to roll out extensive marketing and advertising campaigns.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Analysis of McDonald’s Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Further, with well-established relationship with suppliers, established brands have a relatively advantaged position in the access of raw materials. Secondly, the threat of substitutes is very high in the fast food industry. For instance, many people can opt to prepare and eat food from the comfort of their homes. Secondly, there is minimal differentiation between the products offered in different fast-food restaurants. Further, since there are no switching costs for consumers to other substitutes, the threat is very high. To curb these threats, McDonald’s must focus on price competition, quality of service, and a reduction in operation costs in order to reduce the threats of substitutes. Thirdly, the bargaining power of customers exerts moderate to low pressure on the industry. For example, McDonald’s is increasingly promoting differentiated products such as â€Å"Big Mac† among others. However, although there are many substitutes and no switching costs, industry leaders such as McDonald’s position the process of their products in relation to their major rivals and within the prevailing market price elasticity and competition. High brand value and customer loyalty play an important role in reducing the bargaining power of buyers. Fourthly, the bargaining power of suppliers is moderate due to the presence of a global supply chain. However, some areas of supplies such as the supply of soft drinks that are dominated by few suppliers such as Coca Cola and Pepsi mean that such companies have a considerable bargaining power over the fast-food industry player s. Fifthly, competition rivalry in the industry is moderate to high. For instance, although McDonald’s and Burger King hold a higher share of the ‘burger segment’, the market as a whole is dominated by small fast-food companies spread across the world.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The competition is majorly cost-based where firms are continuously investing in cost effective production and service processes to gain competitive advantage over rivals. With low costs of exit and the capacity to expand through franchising, the competition is cutthroat for industry players. However, the most popular tact of fighting competition is through branding. For instance, McDonald’s spends approximately USD$650 million each year in its branding activities. Internal Environment and Competitive Position SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis for McDonald’s Strengths Weaknesses Strong financial performance and leadership in the industry Strong global brand identity and recognition Experience in the industry spanning over 60 years Risk diversity of the company due to its presence in diverse markets that are geographically differentiated Strong relationship with suppliers which ensures stable access of inputs for the company Low prices and high quality products Strong brand name, image, and reputation locally and internationally Cost effectiveness of production processes A bad image on unhealthy food products Bad working conditions for workers leading to high employee turnover including the top management Low differentiation of the company’s products from those offered by its rivals Many legal problems and actions related to health issues in the company’s products such as in the use of trans fat beef oil High customer turnover and loss to fierce competition Opportunities Threats Emerging market growth in Asia and Africa Product innovation and differentiation Increasing demand for healthy foods Global growth of the fast-food industry Response to social changes such as healthier lifestyles through production of healthier products Increasing diversification and acquisition of other fast food restaurants Growing opposition from consumer groups on the company’s operations in the US especially on health concerns I ncreasing competition both domestically and international as rival’s position themselves to take market leadership Global market volatility due to recession and currency fluctuations Value Chain Analysis The value chain analysis identifies the mix of activities that allow an organization to remain competitive in its industry. Through the value chain analysis, an organization is able to categorize the generic value-adding activities that it undertakes. The model consists of an analysis of organizations’ activities that are categorized as primary and support activities. The primary value chain activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. These activities are supported by other activities that include technology, cost advantage, infrastructure, human resource management, procurement, and infrastructure. At McDonald’s, inbound deliverables represent the goods and products that are coming into the compan y for the production of its final products. The company purchases its inputs such as raw vegetables and beef from fixed and pre-defined suppliers. The company is actively involved in the activities of its suppliers to ensure quality and reduced costs, which ensure value addition for the final products for its customers. In terms of operations, McDonald’s has a well-established operations management apparatus that touches on all areas of production, including inventory management, food production operations, and logistics management. In terms of outbound operations, McDonalds strives to provide the highest quality products and services at the greatest value to customers. Further, the company seeks to provide its services in a clean and welcoming environment. For instance, its close involvement with its suppliers, employees, and franchisees serves its commitment of offering the highest quality products for its customers. Its focus on energy conservation, sustainable packaging, and waste management further illustrates the company’s dedication and desire of building a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and profitable business. In terms of marketing and sales, the company’s activities are spread across more than 115 countries worldwide, serving more than 69 million customers daily. The company also employs more than 1.5 million people, thus making it one of the world’s leading employers. McDonald’s has increased its shareholder dividends for 25 consecutive years. This observation is a clear indication of its success in its core business and desire to offer value to its shareholders (Thompson, Strickland, Gamble, 2008). Its extensive advertising campaigns cover the mainstream media, billboards and signage, and sponsorships of sports among others. The support activities for the company are important in helping the successful implementation of the primary activities. For instance, the company strives to have modern and sophistic ated infrastructure, which also involves the use of ICT. The company also strives to offer welcoming and environmentally friendly restaurants in all its locations. It provides services such as free Wi-Fi and other services such as kids play areas to ensure that customers feel well attended. On human resource management, although the company has one of the highest employee turnovers, it remains one of the leading employers in the world. Looking to the future, technology will play an important role in the company’s growth. Currently, the company has successfully applied technology in some areas of its operations such as the management of procurement through its E-Procurement portal for all its restaurants, a plan that has made it cut costs by 85%. Competitive Strategy McDonald’s competitive strategy is built on three key strategies that include cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. In terms of cost leadership, the company strives to offer its products at the best rates in the industry. To achieve this goal, the company has invested heavily on technology and innovation to help cut the cost of production of products without compromising on quality, hence creating value for its customers. In terms of differentiation, although the company works in an industry that has little differentiation of products, McDonald’s strives to offer differentiated products in terms of quality and cost. For example, its Big Mac is one of the most popular products. Further, by striving to ensure cleanliness and environmental friendliness, the company strives to offer differentiated high quality services for its customers. Strengthening Competitive Position It is important for McDonald’s to find ways of strengthening its strategies to remain in its prevailing competition position. One of the strategies that McDonald’s company uses is the cost effectiveness strategy to ensure that the costs of doing its business do not erode its strong financial b ase. For instance, through close involvement with its suppliers, the company is able to cut the costs of input products by a large margin. Further, the usage of technology plays an important role in driving cost effectiveness. For example, the company’s E-Procurement system, which has seen a reduction of costs of purchasing by 85% ensures that its franchises are able to remain profitable and hence ensuring that the company’s operations across the world last longer. The company responds defensively to competition as it is evident through its USD$500 million marketing and advertising programs that are aimed at cementing the company’s leading position. Further, through innovation and response to health concerns by customers, the company has responded effectively by introducing products such as ‘light meals’ that are aimed at attracting and maintaining its health-conscious customers. The Global Market Place McDonald’s is a global company with ope rations that are in line with its international expansion plans of establishing its presence in all corners of the world. Franchising is the main method through which McDonald’s enters new market. So far, the company has been highly successful. For instance, 60% of the company’s revenues are from international markets, a clear indication of its success in international markets. The company has attained a competitive advantage over its rivals through its global expansion. Firstly, with the mature markets such as the USA and Europe having little space for expansion, venturing into international markets has allowed the company to achieve its much-needed growth to segment its market position. Further, with revenue source distribution, the company has been able to achieve revenue growth through major crises such as the 2007/2008 financial meltdown. To continue its expansion trajectory, there is a need to visit more regions in its already established international markets, w hich it has not been able to serve completely. Corporate Strategy: Business Diversification In the last 10 years, McDonald’s has focused on expansion and diversification within its core business of fast foods. For instance, in 2003, the company sold Donatos Pizzeria, which it had operated for four and half years, citing increased operational costs of running the company. This situation was in line with its revitalization plan of seeking to increase operational efficiency, product development, and marketing and advertising. In response to increasing health concerns regarding the company’s products, McDonald’s has sought to diversify its menu by adding new healthy food options for its increasingly healthy customers. Such approaches have allowed the company to achieve not only high profitability but also retain its customers by responding effectively to their preferences. Looking ahead, the company must strive to introduce new products or redesign its existing prod ucts to reflect the health culture that is threatening to affect the fast-food industry. Ethical, Social Responsibility, and Environmental Sustainability McDonald’s ethical, social, and environmental sustainability is built on the desire of ‘making a difference’. The organization pledges on ensuring that its business is ethical, truthful, and dependable. This pledge is reflected in the company’s mission and values. The company’s brand mission is to be it clients’ preferred choice and way to get food and drink. Further, the company’s â€Å"Plan to Win† statement indicates its commitment to exceptional customer experience. The company’s values reflect its ethical, social, and environmental responsibility where it is committed to giving back to community, operating its business ethically, and growing its business profitability. The company conforms to its ethical statements by practicing honesty, fairness, and integrity. On social responsibility, the company is involved in many community projects whenever it operates. For instance, through its Ronald McDonald House Charities, the company has supported over 7 million children and families. On environmental sustainability, the company understands that its activities have the possibility of affecting the environment due to the high quantity of products that are consumed each day. In this case, the company has an elaborate set of standards that its suppliers must adhere to while producing the company’s inputs. The company also has initiatives that focus on energy conservation, sustainable packaging, and waste management. To remain competitive, the company must increase the level of community involvement in areas where it operates. Further, through the adoption of technology, the company can reduce its energy consumption and wastage as a way of promoting environmental sustainability of its activities. Strategy Execution: Building the Capability to Ex ecute Strategy The execution of a company’s strategy can only be achieved through its people. It is important for McDonald’s company to build its capacity to execute the proposed strategy. Firstly, the company has a large financial base, a well-trained human resource, and a well-established structure to support the execution of the product (Aaker McLoughlin, 2010). The company has a clear and streamlined decision-making structure at every operational level. Further, the company’s support and involvement with its franchises makes it easy to execute and implement strategic decisions. One of the key strengths of the company is its hiring and training practices, which allow it to attract highly trained and experienced top-level management personnel. Further, the elaborate training that new employees undergo ensures consistency, which is effected throughout the organization’s services. However, a different structure will work best for the company. For example , a structure, which focuses on improving the sharing of information and motivation for the employees, will ensure a clear understanding of the requirements of the strategy. Further, the right motivation will promote employee loyalty whilst reducing the high turnover of employees, which may derail the organization’s ability to implement the strategy successfully. Strategy Execution: Managing Internal Operations McDonald’s employs over 1.8 million employees, making it one of the leading employers in the world. The company’s compensation program is aimed at attracting, retaining, and engaging highly talented individuals at all levels. However, the high rate of employee turnover at the low and middle levels is a cause for worry. There is a need for the company to motivate its employees by providing better compensation and working environment. However, the company provides benefits and compensations, including medial, vacation, incentives, recognition programs, prof it sharing, and employee and dependent insurance cover. Despite the power of an effective information system, the company has been unable to effectively identify and understand its employee needs. Such understanding can help it to best execute its strategy. The executive packages for the company’s decision-making team are some of the highest in the industry. The top three executives earn more than USD$ 25 million in combined annual monetary benefits. For instance, the CEO earns approximately USD$9.5 million annually. However, there is a big disparity between the earning of the executive and the lowest employee earnings where the CEO earns approximately 380 times more than what the lowest employees earn. For the company to eliminate this disparity, there is a need to increase the wages of its lowest employees. Conclusion: Strategy Execution: Leadership The following is a summary of the recommendations that the company must adopt to improve its strategies that are aimed at main taining its competitive advantage and leading position in the fast-food industry. The company must put in place a 5-year strategic plan through which it will execute the goals of its strategy. In putting a calculated plan in place, the company will ensure that it sets its eyes on achieving the goals of its strategy. The fast-food industry is very competitive and dynamic. It is important for the company to strive to retain competitive advantage in the sector. There is a need to replicate the success of the company’s E-Procurement across other areas of operations in order to cut operational costs and hence gain competitive advantage in the industry. This observation represents the potential of technology in promoting the success of the company’s strategy. Further, as the company’s customers become health conscious, it is important for it to offer healthy alternatives of its products. The leadership of the company must also recognize that its strategy can only be s uccessful through its people and hence the need to put in place measures that will bring onboard all the company’s personnel. Reference List Aaker, D., McLoughlin, D. (2010). Strategic Market Management: Global Perspectives. London: Wiley. Best, J. (2009). Market Based Management: Strategies for Growing Customer Value and Profitability. New York, NY: Prentice Hall. Datamonitor. (2012). McDonalds Case Study: Remaining Relevant in a Health-conscious Society. Oxford: Miami University. Han, J. (2008). The Business Strategy of McDonalds. International Journal of Business Management, 3(11), 71-74. Hossain, T., Wang, S. (2008). Franchisors Cumulative Franchising Experience and Its Impact on Franchising Management Strategies. Journal of Marketing Channels, 15(1), 43-69. Harrison, J. (2009). Foundations in Strategic Management. Los Angeles: SAGE. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2008). Principles of Marketing. New York, NY: Prentice Hall. Lawler, E. (2008). Talent making people your comp etitive advantage. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lury, C. (2011). Consumer Culture. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University. Mullins, J., Walker, C., Boyd, H. (2009). Marketing Management: A Strategic. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Otto, T., Waterson, M. (2012). Retail chain expansion: the early years of McDonalds in Great Britain. London: Center for Economic Policy Research. Rusten, G., Bryson, J. (2010). Industrial design, competition and globalization. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Thompson, A., Strickland, J., Gamble, J. (2008). Crafting and executing strategy: the quest for competitive advantage: concepts and cases. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Tollin, K., Carà ¹, A. (2008). Strategic Market Creation: A New Perspective on Marketing and Innovation Management. Cambridge: John Wiley and Sons.

Mini Persuasive Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mini Persuasive Research Paper - Essay Example In 2006, however, the ban was lifted and the United States government allowed two companies to produce silicone for medical purposes (Agadoni, 2012). In 2012, the number of breast augmentation procedures carried out within United States was 286,274. The year saw an increase in breast augmentation procedure by 35% from 2000 in which only 212,500 cases of breast augmentation were reported (Surgeons, 2012). Many believe that these procedures are injurious to women’s health and in many cases are unnecessary. Some on the other hand argue that these procedures may not be necessary for women’s physical health but are an integral part to their mental and moral health. This paper is going to examine the arguments made by those arguing in favor and against breast augmentation and suggest solution that might help address the issue. Arguments supporting breast augmentation: The most compelling argument that is presented in favor of breast augmentation is that it helps women boost t heir confidence. A large portion of women who opt for breast implants is to increase their confidence. These women get implants because they feel that the way they view their body would have a significant impact not only on their confidence but also on their self-esteem (Bejra Medical Institute, 2013). Some women get breast implants to reshape their breasts after pregnancy. In most cases women’s breasts tend to lose their natural shape and can sometimes become saggy after their pregnancy. This is especially seen in women that breastfeed their children. Through breast implants women are able to get the shape of their breasts back a factor that appeals to majority of women (Bejra Medical Institute, 2013). Age is another factor that drives women towards the procedure. The fear of losing their looks as they age women turns to breast augmentation to have their breasts reconstructed by doctors. Through the procedure of breast augmentation women tend to feel as though they have rega ined their youth (Bejra Medical Institute, 2013). Some women undergo the procedure to obtain clothes that fit them better. Most clothes available in the market are designed to fit women that have large breasts. Women with flat chests are unable to purchase these clothes which can lead to these women developing a complex. By getting breast implants the variety of clothing that is available to them significantly increases. Moreover since their clothes fit them better after their procedure they feel a lot more confident in their clothing than they do before the procedure (Bejra Medical Institute, 2013). Arguments against breast augmentation: One of the most compelling arguments that is put against the procedure of breast augmentation is that research has proven time and time again that the procedure in itself and the silicone implants are dangerous to women’s health in a number of ways (Food Drug Assosiation, 2011). In 2011, the U.S food and drug administration stated that there is a possible link between Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) and breast implantation. The study stated that the risk of women with breast implants developing ALCL maybe low but there is a definite relationship between the two (Food Drug Assosiation, 2011). The research identified more than 34 cases of ALCL in which the patient had undergone breast augmentation around the world that were unique. Moreover, FDA obtained data from a number of sources showing that there were 60 confirmed cases of