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)

Conflict is rarely resolved

conflict is rarely resolved. ‘ War. It is ruthless, unforgiving and most of all, futile. Has war really ever truly resolved the issues at cause? Has there ever been a rightful winner in war? There has not and there most likely never will be. My name is Genevieve Stack; I'm Megan Stacks grandmother. I have had my fair share of confronting experiences; being at the fragile age of eighty-one, I know the truth behind war as in my earlier years, it is what surrounded the world. I have lived through some of the most devastating wars, the results never positive.I am here today to talk to you about my worry and concern for not only my granddaughter, but for all those who feel the strong urge and pull to be involved in such tragic and life-threatening events. Thousands of people are being killed daily. I remember the automatic pain in my stomach when I found out that Megan was going to be foreign correspondent in one of the most war torn countries in the world, Afghanistan. Though I tri ed to warn her consistently of the dangers, she insisted and off she went on her wild adventure, which would make any relatives stomach churn.As the anxiety wore off, I began to realize how so much heartache and fear is brought to countries, yet not a single matter is resolved by the end. War consistently fuels more and more conflict each and everyday, innocent civilians having their life taken away from them for no reason at all. When we look back at previous hardships through war that not only America but also many around the world experienced when I was Just a young girl, we begin to see a pattern; no worthy resolution evident. If we take a look at World War two for example; what good was done?Still today, we re faced with constant memories of fear and images the horrid extremities war had to offer to those involved. The problem is, we are all involved, and there are no bystanders. War, Just like a circle, goes round and round, always ending up at the same destination. The confli ct right at the stem of war is never ultimately demolished; the severity of it only increases. With this notion, watching my granddaughter make her way to Afghanistan was one of the most difficult, heart- wrenching memories I hold still today.Whilst I knew she was capable enough to look after herself, I saw her as one of my own which only deepened the emotions once she had left the devastated America following the attack on the trade center in New York. America was left truly broken and so was my heart when I watched her walk into the terrible circumstances undergoing in Afghanistan, ones, which she was not fully aware of, her naivety quite prominent and the time. She was not carrying the same mentality, as I would have hoped, her strong sense of ambition and love for work and an adventure taking the wheel, steering her into what I considered to be a â€Å"death sis†.Nobody in our family had ever done such a thing or gone on such a venture. Whilst Megan thoroughly agreed with my views on war terrors, she had not lived them as I had, this working to her disadvantage when it came to Judging her upcoming experiences and the graphic images she would face. I was at the tender age of six when World War 2 erupted, every human being around the world being filled with emotions of fear and an immense amount of distress.I remember listening to the news on the radio at night, clinging to my parents, as the choice vibrating through the speaker would say things such as â€Å"bombings in London†, leaving civilians frightened for their lives, as they could be next. No young girl at aged six should have to hear such a thing. I guess my point is that I have lived through a war; many in fact and wish to educate not only my granddaughter but further enlighten others, my main point of view expressing that conflict is rarely resolved. Megan, having been away from home for a few months now, regularly writes to her mother and l.With broad descriptions of the visuals rig ht in front of her eyes, it is official to not worry as much as I do as she speaks of running off adrenaline, the fear of having your life violently taken away from you in an instant present in her thoughts and her daily life; something a twenty five year old should not be enduring. Too many people have the tendency to intervene in times of conflict, thinking it will bring about change or bring about a resolution at a quicker pace, but this is nowhere near the true reality of war.I acknowledge that there is what society considers being the â€Å"winners† and â€Å"losers† of war, all of which is commonly decided once one party demolishes the majority of its enemy's men, causing their opponent to surrender. This, however, is not like a sport where the other team accepts their loss and moves on. This only allows the â€Å"loser† to hold a severe grudge against their opponent and their need for revenge to increase. Let's look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an example; a battle that arose simply because of Zionist movement which started with a group of secular European Jews to establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.This conflict has been existent for ever ninety years and a resolution is something, which the world does not foresee. This is the reason why I fear for my granddaughter's life. The severity of the conflict between the Jewish and Palestinians has been significantly increasing, which additionally means the actions from one party towards the other becomes more severe. Megan being in amongst the unsafe environment only worsens my anxiety, as the circumstances are life-threatening, wars whose end is not near. The worst part is that she does not seem worried at all or concerned for how careful she will have to e.I felt as if she was not prepared to delve into a world where the images are far more graphic than any movie she may of seen or anything on a prime time news program. War is unforgiving. War is futile. There is no happy ending in war nor is there a resolution. The conflict between two parties will always be prominent and existent, even once a war has ended and the â€Å"winner† has been declared, the fueling and never ending hatred for one another is still present. As Mean's grandmother, I hope she gains the knowledge required to remain safe as she pursues this venture.

Media studies coursework for John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” Essay

We are doing a study of the opening sequence on the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, and the subsequent two films (1995 version, and the 1989 version) on the Novel. The author of the novel is John Ernst Steinbeck, who shares the exact same name as his father. His father was an observer of nature and the natural world, and taught the young Steinbeck to respect and to be a part of nature. This love of nature from his father is incorporated in Steinbeck’s opening sequence of the book, where he describes in great detail the opening beside the Salinas River, this causes a calm and tranquil feeling for the reader and draw him straight into the book. Steinbeck was born and raised in Salinas in California and bases his book around both that area and in the time he was writing it, which was during the American depression in the 1930’s. The opening sequence of the book is set a few miles south of Soldad, in the Salinas river. The Salinas river is a peace full and tranquil place with lots of vegetation and wildlife and gives a very slow and calm start to the book. Steinbeck indicates that it is a spring evening of a hot day, and judging by the two men’s clothes it is sometime in the early 1900’s but he does not indicate exactly what period in the early 1900’s they are in. We can tell they are in this period from the second paragraph when he mentions that there are â€Å"boys coming down from the ranches†. From this and the clothes they are wearing we can also tell that the two men (George and Lennie) are working class and are most likely looking for a job on the ranch near by. We can tell they are working class because before the 1940’s only poor people amd workers would wear that type of clothes, â€Å"denim trousers and denim coat†. This is because they are easy to work in, are not very hot clothes to wear, and also are very durable so they are ideal for workers. The upper class would never wear this type of clothing exactly because the workers wear it and it is not descent clothing for a respectable gentleman to be wearing. The mood set in the book is very tranquil and quiet with great detail paid on the countryside and the animals in it. This is to try and give the reader an exact picture of the scene. Some examples of this are; â€Å"the water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool†. Another example of this is â€Å"Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand-banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little grey, sculpture stones.† In the first paragraph Steinbeck describes the noises and the imprints that have been left in the opening from the animals over many years, â€Å"On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering noise as he runs through them†. And with â€Å"the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of ‘coons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedged tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark â€Å". The second paragraph describes how the pool is a popular place for many people and the path has been worn down by human use: â€Å"path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranch to swim in the deep pool†. The path is also popular with Tramps who want to â€Å"jungle-up near water†. The Characters involved in the opening sequence are called Lennie and George. Lennie seems to be rather dumb and not very observant by the fact that wen his partner (George) stopped right in front of him Lennie carried on walking and â€Å"nearly ran him over†. Lennie does not think of his own safety and needs George to guide him so he can say out of trouble and in good health. He proves this by drinking out of the filthy water from the pool witch is described as being green, witch shows it is not running water. He drank â€Å"with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse†. Lennie listens to George obediently like a little child, and follows his every command and movement. He again shows his child like behaviour and naivety when he moves his fingers in the water and makes little rings, he immediately shares his excitement with George as he wants him to look, because he is proud of what he has done; â€Å"look George look what I done† he calls to him. We also have the picture of Lennie not being very bright from his physical appearance and the way that he walks. Lennie is described to have a â€Å"shapeless face† witch show lack of emotions and thought witch in turn is linked his lack of intelligence. The way it he walks also show either tiredness or again lack of intelligence â€Å"dragging his feet a little† and the way his arms move like pendulums. Steinbeck relates how he walks he walks to a bear meaning, this because he is saying he is big and strong, or because he has very little intelligence and does not think at all or he might be relating the bear to both his strength and his intelligence. George on the other hand is more intelligent than Lennie and seems to be the leader out of the two them. We get the idea that George is the leader by the fact that they are walking in single file and George is leading, this also gives us at first glance the impression that they might not be friends because usually friends walk next to each other not behind one another. We see a bit later on that this is not true and that George was probably just looking out for Lennie from the fact that he tries to stop Lennie drinking from the dirty pool â€Å"‘Lennie!’ he said sharply. ‘Lennie for God’s sakes don’t drink so much† this shows that he cares for him and doesn’t want Lennie to get sick. George’s appearance is more defined than Lennie’s with â€Å"small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin bony nose.† He is also described as being quick, this could probably means that he is more intelligent but it could also mean that his movement is quick. The genre of the novel is a real life drama. I have come to this conclusion because all the facts in opening sequence are all possible in real life, all the scenery is realistic the animals and the people are all realistic. There are only a few clues to what the story will be like. The clues that we have are that the clearing that George and Lennie are in is near to a ranch because it says in the book that boys come down from it to swim in the pool. We also think that George and Lennie are workers from the cloths they are wearing, so it is perfectly feasible that they are two travelling men looking for work on a nearby ranch. If this is true it would also account for the theme of the book. The 1995 film of â€Å"Of Mice and Men† opens with white credits on a black background and slow starting music. The music repeats itself over and over in a pattern while increasing in volume, this gives the effect that something dramatic or scary is going to happen and this makes the reader feel anticipation of what is going to happen next. After a while the music dies down and gives way to the sound effects of a train moving. The background also changes from totally black to black with white strips of light shining through, this gives the effect of a carriage door on a train. We are now sure that this scene is set on a moving train, but we still have no indication of where it is going or where it has come from. So far there is only a slight indication of the period of time we are in at this point of the film. This is the train because it is a steam train witch indicate to us that this is most likely before the 1970’s and after the 1880’s because this is around a bout the time that steam trains were used. The first glimpse we get of any of the character is when the camera slowly fades into a close-up shot of George lit only from the tiny beams of light coming from the slits in the carriage door. George is not moving at all and his face seems contorted and morose, showing us that he is in deep thought about something bad that has happened in the past, we can also assume now that he is on the train because he is running away from whatever has happened. The next scene strikes you very strongly because it is set in the middle of the day in a lush field witch looks like America. Running towards the camera there is a woman in a bright red dress with tears running down her eyes and obvious signs of distress on her face, her dress has also been ripped as though she has been attacked. This scene has been shot at a slower frame rate to indicate that it is actually George reliving previous events that have happened. The girl running towards the camera showing that she is running away from something, and towards safety. As the Woman runs closer to the camera the shot pans out across the field showing some men working in a field near by. As the women runs towards the men she starts waving and pointing to the direction she has just come from, The men drop their tools and run towards her. All this indicates that something very serious has happened to the Girl. The Men workings in the field have no machinery witch is also an indication of the pe riod we are in. There are three main atmospheres established in the opening sequence of this film these (in order of happening) are; anxiety, fear, and peacefulness. The anxiety is felt at the beginning when you hear the music getting louder and louder and the white on black background, and when you see George for the first time. The first time you feel fear is when you see the girl running through the field towards the workers with the tears running down her face and the rips in her dress. Then there is a small moment of heightened suspense when we see the two friends George and Lennie running away. We feel this way because the music has suddenly stopped and there is only the slight sound of their feet hitting the ground as they run. We go back to the emotion of utter fear and anxiety as we fear for the two men’s lives as they are running away from huge packs of dogs and a posy of men on horse back with guns. Suddenly everything goes quiet as George and Lennie hide in an irrigation ditch while they wait for the chasing posy to pass by. This jump for the loud roaring of feet, horse shoes, and loud barking from the dogs to the quiet gives a feeling of fear and anxiety but it also gives a sense of peace, as you can hear the wind rustling in the wind, the grasshoppers croaking in the distance, and the shallow breathing of the men in the water. The sub characters in the video are workers on a ranch we can tell this from the clothes they are wearing and the fact that they are working on the field when we see them. We can also assume that the main characters George and Lennie are also workers because they were wearing the same clothes as the workers. George seems to be the leader out of the two as he keeps giving instructions to Lennie as they are running away from the workers such as â€Å"keep moving† and â€Å"get down†. He also says it in a reasonably friendly tone showing that he is looking after both himself and Lennie. He doesn’t not sound like he is just trying to save himself and he is stuck with Lennie. Lennie on the other hand doesn’t seem to be that worried because he doesn’t realise in what danger they are in. This is shown when Lennie stops running at one point and comments on the dogs that are chasing him. Lennie does not seem that clever either mainly because he doesn’ t realise what danger he is in, he also seems to be dragging his feet and his speech seems impaired. The clues we have to the story line of the film are the men working on the field, the clothes the men are wearing and their accents, and also the chase seen when George and Lennie are being chased. The story could be about two working men trying to find work while being chased by the law because of some crime they committed and that is why they were running away. This will also be the theme of the film if it is true. The genre of the film so far looks like a western real life drama because of the accents of the men, the time in which this is set in and the fact that everything that has happened could happen in real life in that era. The 1989 video at first glance just looks like another low budget spin of a great book and actually seems like it holds no information at first glance. But if you look at it again you see it does actually hold a lot of information just like the other film did even though the budget was obviously not as big and it was shot 6 years earlier. There is though a large area of the end of the sequence of this video, which is actually totally made up, this includes adding Aunt Clara to the story which in actual fact has died many years ago in the book and in the other film. I feel adding this character holds no relevance to the book and there is no meaning to add her. The 1995 video on the other hand even though the director had rearranged the order in which the scenes appear he did not add any other characters to the story line. By the clothes George and Lennie, what appears to be the sheriff, and Aunt Clara are wearing, and also the style of housing you can tell they are in America in the early 1900’s. There is also Gospel music playing in the background when George and Lennie enter Aunt Clara’s house and there is also a gramophone in the room near the doorway. The clues given as to what the story will be like is George and Lennie running away from the law, George helping Lennie get away and keeping him quiet when they are in the field by coping his hand over Lennie’s mouth. Other clues to what the story will be like is Aunt Clara’s house and herself, George and Lennie could be running away from the law for some reason and going to live with Aunt Clara to lay low for a bit. Another main clue to the story is the music witch is very much like the music in western films with cowboys and Indians this and the contrasting clothes that the pursuers are wearing makes us think this is going to be a western film. From all this we cam also say that the theme of this video will be that of a western with two men on the run from the law. There is very little tension in this film and everything is taken very lightly and almost like a game. This is because the music is very happy with a jumpy rhythm and also a more cowboy style tune, the pursuers have no guns drawn and they seem to be in hurry to catch them and seem to give up very easily. George and Lennie also don’t seem to be in a great hurry to get away and there is no sense of fear in their face when we see the close-up shots, because of this it seems almost like they are playing a game in the fields with a couple of friends, like little kids do. The Genre of this video seems to be a real life western drama. I have come to this conclusion because of everything that has happened could happen in real life and because the pursuers seem to be wearing western type clothes and because of the very strong western music. This time both Lennie and George do no seem that bright both from their appearance and from the way they acted and behaved. Both of them look very scruffy instead of just Lennie and they both have this very deep western accent that is associated with intellectually challenged people. George even though his appearance and his voice is the definite leader out of the two, we are shown this when he tells Lennie what to do and when he cups his hand over Lennie’s mouth to keep him quiet. Another sign that George is the leader is that when they are in Aunt Clara’s house Lennie repeats every word they say. In resent years we have seen the decline of book reading because there has been a vast increase in the standard of T.V quality. The person being entertained does not have to think any more, to picture the scene in his head and so doesn’t have to concentrate so hard. This is why many people just watch T.V these days instead of reading a book. They find it more relaxing, they are almost sleeping there mind and body are asleep this is also why you get addicted to the T.V because your body finds another way to replenish it energy without sleeping. T.V lowers your imagination though, and your concentration span because your brain doesn’t think while watching T.V but while it is reading a book it is constantly thinking and imagining possibilities of what the scene will look like and the characters. I honestly prefer after a had days work to sit in front of the television and just relax a bit. But if I am just bored and I want some entertainment I will open my book and read for couple of hours. My preferred sequence is that of the books because it gives you an exact idea of the scenery and the people while also giving you room to imagine for yourself what they look like. I also enjoyed a lot the 1995 version because it brings a lot of tension and anxiety into the film witch is the opposite to what you feel in the book. This tension and anxiety raises your adrenaline and gives you a enjoyable and on the edge of you seat experience.

Chevron Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Chevron Corporation - Case Study Example The company owns or has stakes in 9,700 gas stations in the US which operate under the Chevron and Texaco brands. Outside the US it owns or has stakes in 15,400 gas stations, which also use the Caltex brand. The study examines in detail, the three different sectors or industries that Chevron has a stake in: oil and gas exploration and production, petroleum refining, and chemical industry. Earnings for the upstream segment are closely aligned with industry price levels for crude oil and natural gas. Crude oil and natural gas prices are subject to external factors over which the company has no control. Earnings for the downstream segment are closely tied to margins on the refining and marketing of products that include gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricants and fuel oil. The company recorded sales growth of 5.1 percent to $221 billion and net income of $18 billion. Revenue of the company rose to $61.4 billion from $47.7 billion. Worldwide oil-equivalent production fell by 42,000 barrels to 2.61 million barrels per day. A detailed SWOT Analysis has also been conducted in the study, analyzing the various internal sources to examine the strengths and weaknesses, and external factors to examine the opportunities and threats in the environment. Finally, the conclusion and recommendations analyze the different strengths of the company to offset the weaknesses and environmental threats faced by Chevron. Chevron - Company overview Chevron Corporation (Chevron) is one of the largest oil refiners in the United States. The company was incorporated in 1926 and currently has operations in the United States and approximately 180 additional countries. Chevron Corporation, then called Standard Oil Company of California, in 1938 made a huge oil discovery in Saudia Arabia, which eventually led to the discovery of 52 oil fields. After World War II, the company began a major effort to market Arabian crude oil, which was probably the single most important factor in establishing Chevron as a major multinational company. The company acquired thousands of service stations and terminals on the East Coast and part ownership of many more throughout Europe, East Africa, and Asia. The Chevron discovery changed the course of history throughout the world (Jiffynotes, 1998). Today, the company is engaged in every aspect of the oil and natural gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, marketing and transportation, chemicals manufacturing and sales, geothermal and power generation. It is headquartered in San Ramon, California and employs approximately 65,000 people. The company recorded revenues of $204,892 million, during the fiscal year ended December 2006, an increase of 5.8% over 2005. The operating profit of the company was $32,497

The Franco-American Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Franco-American Trade - Essay Example French exports stood at 1,427 billion francs ($285.4 billion) in 1995, 22% of GDP while the imports amounted to 1,322 billion francs ($264.4 billion). The figured showed a substantial increase in the surplus in durable goods (over 58 billion francs, $11.6 billion), a 20 billion-franc surplus ($4 billion) in farm products, a surplus of 31 billion francs ($6.2 billion) in agri-foodstuffs, a declining energy bill and a rise of 19% in electricity exports.(Stern 47) Being a member of the European Union results in a lot of internal trading between the EU countries, hence France's European Union partners absorb 64% of its trade. According to the survey carried out in the 1990s, the country had a trade surplus of 27 billion francs ($5.4 billion) with the EU in 1995. The main trading partners of France are Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain, along with the United States. As pointed out above France and United Kingdom are major trading partners. France is UK's third largest market and has been importing from Britain for the last twenty odd years. France has the distinction of being UK's third largest supplier providing 7.2% of UK imports only behind Germany (14.6%) and the USA (9.5%), while ahead of the Netherlands (7.1%) and China (6.8%). The United Kingdom is Frances's fourth export market making 8.3% total exports, after Germany (14.7%), Spain (9.9%) and Italy (9.5%). The United Kingdom is France's seventh supplier, as it pr... As Chinese products have flooded the global markets, the scenario has been similar for France who has been importing from China on an increasing rate. (Stern 51) On the other hand, United Kingdom has lost the France market and this is mostly explained by the downward trend in the oil exports by the UK to France. Other main category products whose export level has also suffered have been cars, electronic and electrical equipment, chemicals, clothing and meat. However, this has been slightly off set by increasing UK exports in sectors such as machinery (gas turbines), pharmaceuticals, aerospace, iron and other heavy metals, precious stones and beverages. The main categories or rather sectors which have been of prime trading importance between UK and France apart from the energy sector are: machinery, electrical equipment, transport, chemicals, food and consumer goods. According to the latest figures, the imports by France from UK include mostly machinery while France mostly exports transport equipment to the UK. (Gilbert 2004) Machinery constitutes the largest share in the bilateral trade by having nearly 80% representation while it is followed by the energy sector in UK exports at 11.7% and oil in UK imports at 5.9%. Energy's share in UK exports was 11.7% (10.6% being oil) and 5.9% in UK imports. Another important trading partner of France is the United States of America (USA). The foreign trade allows them to deepen the understanding of good faith that that the two countries have established. The foundation of their global trade is based on a solid arrangement. According to the latest figures published in the State publications, the average trading between the two nations is of 1 billion dollars -commercial activities and

Great Depression Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Great Depression - Thesis Example It led to lower production of staple and cash crop food like wheat, which led to low income2. Misuse of land by farmers caused soil erosion by wind storms; plagues of grasshoppers invaded their wheat and caused massive losses. It caused migration of civilians in other parts of the country, which had not been hit hard (Atlantic and southern parts). Production industries and companies: they had to reduce production, especially farm inputs, this led to dropping off of employees hence rising unemployment, few people considered luxury items therefore affecting industries producing such appliances for example cars3. Other parts of Ontario and Quebec went through unemployment since mining and forest tourists had dropped. For British Columbia province, which majors in horticulture encountered an economic downfall due to low demand hence workers were laid off. The Newfoundland province had to ask for government help for the crisis (Wiegand, 254). Very few wealthy citizens benefited from the depression since they acquired property due to the low value and cheap prices and later sold it at higher rates. In addition, few big industries capitalized on the chance of depression since they didn’t have to pay wages as many workers were dismissed. Political instability: A lot of pressure from the economy and citizens, the whole country faced to politics to try to save the situation, they overthrew the past political parties and brought in liberals lawyer Richard Bennett hoping to bring a

Personal reflection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal reflection - Term Paper Example Also, the manager is expected to provide expert support to high profile or difficult customers through analyzing the root-cause of specific problems and offering viable corrective planning direction in the service delivery process. As an effective Service delivery manager, I will build strong relationships with customers and maintaining service improvement plans, as noted in literature (Collier 1998). Short term and long-term goals In order to attain my learning goals and succeed in my preferred future career, there are certain short-term and long-term goals that I will attain. These goals will not only make me a better employee, but will guide me towards advancement throughout my career. My short-term goals have a time frame of one year and include the ability to cultivate effective study skills. According to popular research, in my position, I will need to understand different teaching methods used by lecturers and learn skills such as academic research and revision (Guskey 2003). In the same light, I will need to improve my time management skills within one year in order to finish assignments within the stipulated deadlines. I must improve my grammatical and proofreading skills in order to deliver excellent, error-free essays during my course work. Similarly, I need to gain enough knowledge of service delivery in order to excel at the use of information systems in service management, project management, personal development, research method skills and academic communication knowledge (Guskey 2003). My long-term goal is planned to be accomplished over a period of five years. My long-term goal is to attain my dream career of service delivery manager. In order to attain the goal, I have to dedicate a copious amount of time to learning, revision and research. Through this work, I will complete all course modules and seek internship and training opportunities that will enable me to gain practical knowledge in service and project management. In addition, during my advancement closer to my goal, I will take time to evaluate my progression and productive ways to overcome obstacles that encumber my path. Belbin test analysis Knowledge of my capacity to succeed in my career is imperative to understand and select the most viable role I would occupy on a team. As a result, I have conducted a Belbin test in order to assess my skills inventory. The Belbin test enables individuals to form good working relationships and gain self-awareness on individual effectiveness in the workplace. According to the results of the Belbin test that I took, my highest score, was 14 as a company worker (CW). My Score Worker Type 14 Company Worker 13 Chairman 10 Sharper 10 Resource Investigator 9 Team Worker 5 Monitor-Evaluator 3 Completer-Finisher Figure1. Types of Team Roles – Belbin Test Results As a Sharper (SH), I believe I can use my personality attributes to challenge team members to make improvements to their work (and turn obstacles in to opportunities). As a Completer-finisher (CF), I am concerned about tight deadlines and I will ensure that projects are completed within the stipulated deadlines. However, currently, I have a weakness in managing time and meeting deadlines. As a Team worker (TW), I believe that I will enhance group cohesion and facilitate negotiation with team members in