Image of masculinity through tv program such as two and a half men, Research Paper

Image of masculinity through tv program such as two and a half men, - Research Paper Example a. Charlie Sheen  as  Charlie Harper  (season 1–8)- the archetype of hedonistic bachelor to the mould of Hugh Hefner of Playboy. In the sitcom, Charlie works as jingle/children songwriter and makes more money than his brother Alan who is always in dire straits due to the alimony that he has to pay to his wife Judith. Charlie is the dominant male figure in the sitcom. b. Jon Cryer  as  Alan Harper – Alan’s character articulates soft version of masculinity although it was portrayed as subordinate to the hedonistic type of masculinity with Charlie’s inordinate sarcasm and banter with Alan. c. Angus T. Jones  as Jake Harper – Jake portrays the underachieving son of Alan and Judith. Although Jake is Alan’s son, Jake mirrors the behavior of his uncle Charlie more than his father Alan. The character of Jake provides the subtle approval of Charlie’s hedonistic behavior in the sitcom. Masculinity has always been associated with a powerful social position that is based on class, race, and sexuality, wage structure and other parameters of manhood that spells dominance. This is reinforced through gender order within societies where men are usually ranked as more powerful and more prestigious than others. Although most of this stereotyping is structured through men’s dominance over women or the latter’s dependence on men, it can also be the case of male dominance over other males with other males also dependent to the dominant male. This structure is also present in the animal kingdom with the presence of the Alpha Male. The three characters in the television sitcom Two and a Half Men  makes an interesting case about images of masculinity in contemporary American society. Each of the characters performs their role and acts them out in accordance with how such character relates to the world and how it perceives the world. Often, the expression of

Southwest Airlines' Cost Optimization to Create an Attractive Price Case Study

Southwest Airlines' Cost Optimization to Create an Attractive Price for Economy Class Travelers - Case Study Example There are many factors which have helped Southwest Airlines in its survival and success. This essay attempts to outline those factors and strategies on the basis of the following parameters: Financial Planning, Financial control, Costing, Decision making.Financial planning has played a vital role in growing its business. The correct timing of its decisions has made a huge difference in increasing market capitalization (Sims, 68). Southwest Airline has gained a further advantage by packing more seats into the aircraft which increase the seat kilometer revenue generated per block hour.Instead of buying more jets to deal with its growing business, Southwest planned and got better deals on the lease. Hence it paid substantially less per block hour for lease rental, than other carriers. Southwest has implemented its financial planning in such a way that low fares when combined with high frequencies and excellent punctuality have resulted in an increase in its revenues. Â  Southwest plans its finances very efficiently. Â  It hires new pilots with ten years contract and motivates them by offering a share in profits. This is an example of astute planning. It means that if Southwest was making losses at any particular time then the losses can be shared with the pilots. This strategy also makes the staff much more accountable. Another important aspect of financial planning was operating on low distance routes and targeting of road passengers.Southwest plans its expenditure very efficiently and effectively. The customer service strategy of providing a full meal was costly in two ways. One, it increases the per unit costs and secondly more staff is required to provide the service. Southwest’s plan of not following this trend has saved it the cost of food as well as the number of staff employed. In other airways, when six to eight employees per flight were required, southwest managed to function with only four. This kind of planning was crucial for decreasing the c osts and increasing the revenues.

Temperature On The Growth And Survival Of Bacteria Biology Essay

Temperature On The Growth And Survival Of Bacteria Biology Essay Abstract: The aim of this experiment was to asses the growth and survival of 5 bacteria. The method involved placing each of the bacteria in water baths of various temperatures for certain periods of time, taking them out and placing them in their optimum temperatures and monitoring their growth/survival rate over the course of the week. The results obtained showed that how well the bacteria grew after they had been placed in their optimum temperatures and left for a week. From this it was concluded what the temperature class of each bacteria was. Introduction: The objective of the experiment was to look at the growth and survival rate of 5 bacteria namely, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E.coli is a gram negative bacterium which is rod shaped. It is usually found in the large intestine of warm blooded animals. It is also found in foods and water. It is a facultative aerobe meaning that O2 is not necessarily required for growth but is preferred for better growth thus it is able to metabolise both aerobic and anaerobically. Every microorganism has a minimal, optimal and maximal temperature. These are known as cardinal temperatures and they tell us a lot about the nature of a microorganism. A mesophile is an organism which grows at its best in medium temperature conditions. A psychrophile on the other hand is an organism which is capable of growing in extremely cold temperatures. Thermophiles are virtually the opposite of psychrophiles. Theyre organisms which are capable of growing and reproducing the hot environments. The term thermophile means that it is heat loving or heat tolerant. The temperature and pH are good indicators of the environment E.coli can be found. The fact that it has a ph of 6-7 means that it is found in mildly acidic to neutral places which explains why it is in the large intestine of mammals. The bacteria manage to survive in these various environments due to their adaptive metabolism. (Madigan, Martinko, Dunlap and Clark, 2008). Enterococcus faecalis (E.faecalis) is a gram positive and is naturally occurring in the intestine of mammals, the soil, in plants and in water. The presence of E.faecalis and E.coli in the water is usually an indication that the water has been contaminated. It is found in similar habitats to E.coli. Bacillus stearothermophilus (B.stearothermophilus) is also a rod shaped gram positive organism it is usually found in hot springs and the soil. Pseudomonas fluorescens (P.fluorescens) is a gram negative rod shaped bacterium. It is usually found in cooler environments such as water. It is an obligate aerobe which means that it cannot grow in the absence of oxygen. Bacillus subtilis (B.subtilis) is also a rod shaped gram positive bacterium which is mainly found in the soil. It too is an obligate aerobe (Brooker, Widmaier, Graham and stilling, 2007). Method: Please refer to the schedule for this. Results: Below are the tabulated results that were obtained from the experiment. Table 1 shows the effect of inoculating the bacteria at different temperatures had on their growth rate. Table 2 shows the results of exposing the bacteria to extreme heat conditions on their survival rate. Temp (Â °C) 25 37 42 55 E.coli +++ +++ +++ ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ ++ ++ E.farcalis +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ ++ +++ +++ +++ + B.subtilis ++ +++ ++ ++ +++ +++ +++ ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ P.flourescence ++ +++ +++ ++ ++ ++ B.steaothermophilus + + + ++ + ++ +++ + The table above shows how well the bacteria grew at different temperatures. Really strong growth is represented by +++, medium by ++, slow growth by + and no growth by -. Looking at E.coli for example it is clear that it only grows well in the region of 25-42Â °C anything beyond this showed absolutely no growth occurring. Time (minutes) E.coli Temp (Â °C) 0 2 5 30 90 40 Y, N, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y 60 Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y N, N, N N, N, N 80 N, Y, Y N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N 100 N, N, Y N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N B.subtilis 40 Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y 60 Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y 80 Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y 100 Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, Y Y, NTable 2: The effect of heat on survival of bacteria. Key: Y= growth present N= no growth E.faecalis 40 Y Y Y Y Y 60 Y Y Y Y N 80 Y Y Y N N 100 Y Y Y N N B.stearothermophilus 40 Y, N Y, N Y, N N, N N,N 60 Y, N N, N N, N N, N N, N 80 N, N N, N N, N N, N N, N 100 N, N N, N N, N N, N N, N P. fluorescens 40 Y, N, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y 60 Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y Y, Y, Y N, N, N N, N, N 80 N,Y, Y N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N 100 N,Y,N N, N, N N, N, N N, N, N N, N, NDiscussion: With the information that is in table 1 the nature of each bacterium can be established. E.coli showed exceptionally strong growth in the range of 25 to 42Â °C. These results are perfectly in line with the characteristics of a mesophile as such it is safe to assume that E.coli is a mesophile. This also explains why it is found in the human intestine. The core temperature of the human body is 36.8Â °C Â ± 0.7 which according to the literature is the optimal temperature of E.coli. The same thing goes for E.faecalis. It too is a mesophile and one of the locations where it is found is also the gastrointestinal tract. The information in table 1 coupled with the fact that it is found in the same location as E.coli means that it too has the same optimal temperature as E.coli. B.subtilis grew throughout all the temperature ranges but grew the best in 55Â °C. It was however strange to see it grow in the areas of 25-37Â °C as it is by nature a Thermophile. The minimum temperature that is required for thermophiles to grow is approximately 42Â °C. B.stearothermophilus on the other hand showed a classic example of a thermophillic bacterium. It grew best at 55Â °C. The last bacterium in table 1 was P. Fluorescens. It grew well at 25Â °C but seemed to be decreasing quiet substantially at 37Â °C. The information on the table did not quiet fit in with the characteristics which are exerted by mesophiles. Mesophiles usually grow best at around 30-40Â °C however P.fluorescens optimal temperature was around 25Â °C which meant that it could not be a psychrophile. It did however fit the characteristics of a psychrotroph. Psychrotrophs are organism which grow at 0Â °C i.e. similar to psychrophiles but, usually have an optimum temperature of 25Â °C whereas psychr ophiles have and optimum temperature of 10-12Â °C (www1). Table 2 showed the effects of exposing the bacteria to high temperatures had on their survival. Temperature is most likely the most important factor that contributes to the growth and survival of the bacteria. From the literature it can be gathered depending on the organism, exposing it to very high temperatures will kill it. In the case of E.coli this is the case. It managed to stay alive at 40Â °C for 90minutes. This is understandable as this is below its maximal temperature. Once it had been placed into higher temperatures for a long enough duration, it died off. This was not the case for B.subtilis. It proved to be growing throughout all temperature ranges for the full 90 minutes of the experiment. The fact that it managed to survive at temperatures as high as 100Â °C implies that it may be a hyperthermophile (Madigan, Martinko, Dunlap and Clark, 2008). P. fluorescens also died off after being exposed to increased temperatures for some time. At 30 and 90 minutes, all of people who were doing the experiment reported that there were no bacteria alive at 60Â °C. At 2 minutes into the experiment at 80 and 100Â °C none of the bacteria were alive. Most of the results obtained from the experiment seemed to be in line with the information found in the literature some werent for example E.faecalis was still alive in almost all of the higher temperature ranges when clearly it shouldnt have been as it was is a mesophile and shouldnt grow after around 46Â °C. B.stearothermophilus, a thermophile was not growing in temperature ranges where it should have been. These mistakes may have been due to applied correct aseptic techniques while inoculating properly. In order to eliminate such errors the experiment could be run 2 to 3 times.

High Stakes :: essays research papers

High Stakes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Presently, America is experiencing a gambling boom. Everywhere you look there’s at least one advertisement involving gambling. Whether it’s a new Las Vegas hotel or a one-dollar scratcher, it seems to catch people’s eyes. Although it may look like a lot of glam and hype, there’s a dark side to the gambling industry, one people overlook the harsh consequences of. The gambling industry grasps a hold of everyone’s attention. Lotteries appeal to the low economic levels of society as a way to change their lives forever. One pull of the lever on a slot machine can make you an instant millionaire. On the flip side, there are those who gamble for excitement and entertainment reasons. They create a lifestyle of risk taking and chance, often ending up with making the wrong decisions. Most People like the thrill of sitting down in front of a slot machine and pulling the lever in hopes of winning a bundle. The opportunities are endless. So, what does the gambling tell us? A dollar and a dream, that’s all it takes. The gambling industry has grabbed a hold on our society. Roughly three quarters of all Americans gamble. Presently, 48 out of 50 states allow one or more forms of legalized gambling. Sure, the government is going to support gambling, but not without getting a healthy share of the profits. They use political smoke screening. What most Americans don’t know is that promotions and advertisements are producing such small amounts of proceeds that it yields very little funding to public projects. Politicians say that by legalizing gambling, we reduce illegal gambling and organized crime. What its actually doing is enlarging the pool of bettors. Even though casinos have created a number of jobs, the cost to society is greater than the benefits. People are arguing that the jobs created by casinos are low paying and offer little opportunity for the worker in progress. Furthermore, the creation of these casino jobs has taken away jobs from other areas of the economy. Restaurants near casinos are being forced out of business by the cheap buffets that casinos offer, to draw people in.

Total Project Control: a Manager’s Guide to Integrated Project Planning, Measuring, and Tracking

3/11/04 Total Project Control: A Manager's Guide to Integrated Project Planning, Measuring, and Tracking By Stephen A. Devaux, published by John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1999 (A book review by R. Max Wideman) Introduction Stephen Devaux published this book in 1999. In it, Stephen attempts to establish a common metric, quantitative data and analysis, by which the project can not only be managed, but also compared to every other project conducted by the organization. In his Preface, Stephen observes: 1 â€Å"The head of a construction company erecting a downtown skyscraper, the pharmacologist overseeing clinical trials for a new drug, the account manager supervising the development of a database for a Fortune 100 client – all three are engaged in project management. Yet chances are that the things they do are very different. . . . But out side of the work itself, all these projects actually have a great deal in common. †¢ Each has a schedule . . . †¢ Each has resources . . . †¢ Each has a budget . . . †¢ Each is going to run into unforeseen circumstances . . Most important of all, each has a scope of work to be accomplished. [But] traditional project management [methodologies] are unable to deal with work scope in an acceptable quantifiable manner. As a result, traditional project management â€Å"factors out† work scope from the management process by assuming it to be a â€Å"prerequisite† to the process . The traditional approach is: â€Å"Once you determine your work scope, we can provide you with a multitude of quantitative techniques for planning, scheduling, resource budgeting, and tracking your project. All of these techniques are based on a defined and constant work scope. †¦ However, the work itself is never quantified in a way that can support decision making. . . Other than saying that â€Å"Scope definition is important,† modern project management is silent. † As many of us have experienced, for example in software development, project scope can in fact be highly variable. Since the book was written, there has been an exponential increase in these types of projects giving rise to interest in project portfolio management. So, there is clearly a need for a common metric upon which acceptance or rejection of competing projects can be based. This is true whether the projects are contemplated or on going, and extends to decisions on changes to their respective work scopes. As Stephen observes:2 Precisely because work scope varies greatly from project to project, and even over time, within a single project, the ability to manage that changing work scope is vital: †¢ To ensure a satisfactory level of quality for acceptable cost. AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  ©2004 Email: [email  protected] ca Total Project Control Page 2 of 7 †¢ †¢ †¢ To select the best elements of scope to cut when forced to do so in order to meet schedule and/or budgetary requirements. To increase scope where the project's return on investment (ROI) can be enhanced by the additional deliverables(s) To determine which of many possible project work scopes should be undertaken as part of the multi-project portfolio. In his book, Stephen introduces a number of metrics with catchy names to support his â€Å"theories†. We'll describe some of these in our next section. Book Structure Total Project Control, referred to throughout as â€Å"TPC†, consists of eleven chapters as follows: 1. The Nature of a Project 2. An Overview of TPC Planning 3. An Overview of Planning the Work 4. Planning the Work Scope 5. Developing the Work Breakdown Structure 6. Scheduling I: The Critical Path Method (CPM) 7. Scheduling II: The Precedence Diagram method (PDM) 8. Activity-Based Resource Assignments 9. Resource Scheduling and Leveling 10. Tracking and controlling the Project 11. Conclusion Stephen just loves acronyms. His first â€Å"new metric, the â€Å"DIPP†, which he claims is fundamental to TPC3 is first mentioned in chapter 1. However, it is not explained until chapter 2, and even then only after introducing the â€Å"CLUB†, Cost of Leveling with Unresolved Bottlenecks, and â€Å"AIM FIRE† his acronym for the management cycle of Aware, Isolate, Measure, Forecast, Investigate, Review and Execute. So, what does DIPP stand for? We had to search the index to find out and guess what – it stands for Devaux's Index of Project Performance! DIPP has a formu la which is EMV (expected monetary value of the project, as of the current completion date) divided by ETC (estimated cost to complete the project. Chapter 2 also mentions Stephen's VBS (value breakdown structure)5 but it is not until chapter 5 that we learn that it is a TPC concept that brings the scope/cost/schedule triangle of value analysis down to the micro-project or activity level. 6 Chapter 5 introduces another concept, the DRAG (Devaux's Removed Activity Gauge) that is the quantification of the amount of time each activity is adding to the project. It is the opposite of total float, and like total float, since it only exists on the critical path activities, it is the amount of time an activity can be shortened before it has a DRAG of zero and another path becomes critical. A good explanation of its use is given in chapter 7. A metric for the resource elasticity of an activity, called DRED, again is mentioned in chapter 6, but is explained in chapter 7. It turns out it stand s for Doubled Resource Estimated Duration and is an estimate of how long it would take if the rate of resource usage anticipated in estimating its duration were to be AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  © 2004 Email: [email  protected] ca Total Project Control Page 3 of 7 doubled. Consequently it is an index of resource elasticity. But perhaps the high point is another acronym called RAD that appears in chapter 9. Chapter 9 is a discussion of the parameters surrounding resource scheduling, leveling and availability, both on and off the critical path, and the calculation of DRAG. Stephen explains that there are three different causes of DRAG:9 1. Delay due to the logic of the work, i. e. CPM schedule DRAG, 2. Delay due to other ancestor activities, which unavoidably push out the schedule of the successor, and 3. Delay due to the specific activity having to wait for resources, which we will call resource availability DRAG or RAD. So there you have the definition of RAD. In practice, RAD itself has mathematical constraints and the calculation is complex, requiring computer software. Stephen provides the formula and explanation, but you can skip this section if you wish. The point is, this metric is typically not calculated, so the real impact of unavailable or over stretched resources on projects as a whole is unknown to the organization and hence not accounted for when it comes to assessing project failures. What we liked This may ound like fun stuff with acronyms, but behind it all is the serious issue of â€Å"How can any investment decision be made, on a quantified basis, unless there is at least some sense of what value awaits a successful outcome? â€Å"10 Indeed, Stephen might have added â€Å"or even what constitutes a quantified successful outcome? † Later, Stephen answers his own question by observing â€Å"There are thousands of corporate organizations that depend on projects for more than 90 percent of their revenues. Yet, other than intuitively, they have no way of tying the projects they do to their profits. 11 Even under traditional project management, an absolute minimum data for each project in a portfolio should be the expected monetary value, the current completion date, and the cost estimate to complete. 12 Actually, having worked for respectable real estate development companies, we can state that these concepts are well known to them. However, having also worked with software development organizations, it appears that these metrics are not only rare but tend to be foreign to proponents of the latest forms of software development project management. Under Stephen's TPC approach, the data required is even more profound. In a portfolio of projects, it should consist of:13 †¢ Project Name †¢ Expected Monetary Value †¢ As of (i. e. Current reporting date) †¢ Current Completion Date †¢ Loss per Week Late (%) †¢ Gain per Week Early (%) †¢ New Expected Value †¢ Cost Estimate to Complete †¢ Simple DIPP Note the addition of the time value of being ahead or behind schedule, not in terms of project overhead AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  © 2004 Email: [email  protected] ca Total Project Control Page 4 of 7 costs but in terms of gain or loss in value of the product to the organization. Stephen provides many examples of his approach, although not all calculations are explicit. Stephen wades into the assembly of work breakdown structures, and CPM scheduling to illustrate his theories. On the question of how do you plan the work scope, he suggests: 14 â€Å"Each type of project is different, and each project is different. It is therefore difficult to set hard-and-fast rules for assembling scope documents. The best idea I have found is to †¢ Start with the benefits you want to achieve, †¢ Incorporate them into a business plan, †¢ Then move as rapidly as possible to a concrete image of the thing that will provide those benefits. † This is sound advice [The bullets are mine, by the way. On the matter of estimating, Stephen offers more sound advice:15 The person who is going to be responsible for the work should be the one who generates the estimates. This is probably the most important contributor to accurate estimates. The reasons for this are: 1. This person will be a subject matter expert, trained in the discipline necessary for the par ticular work. 2. This person is the only one who will know precisely how he or she plans to do the work. 3. He or she will usually have a vested interest in meeting his own commitment, and establishing the reliability of his or her own estimates. Unfortunately, the practicality in many cases is that, (a) the contributors don't know how to estimate, (b) they don't want to estimate, and (c) if they are really busy, they don't have the time to estimate. Still, it does suggest that estimating ought to be a part of production skills. Downside Under Scope/Cost/Schedule Integration, Stephen observes: 16 â€Å"Work scope is the foundation on which the whole project rests. It is the reason for doing the project – to obtain the value that will accrue from the work . . . Once we recognize this, two things come into clearer focus: 1. Quantifying scope is important. It is directly related to profitably. In a project-driven company, if you haven't quantified project scope, you cannot accurately estimate, or work to increase, profit 2. The metric used to quantify scope is the dollar. To be precise, the expected dollar that measures the value that the project is undertaken to generate. † But Stephen skates round the issue of how you arrive at this expected value by stating â€Å"Now, how one goes about estimating the value of a project is a topic of its own, beyond the scope of this book. 17 Unfortunately, that means the whole premise of his book rests on an undefined EMV parameter – which itself is changing due to external influences. Stephen's thesis, and consequent metrics, relies on a tacit assumption. This is that you have projects where the activities can all be identified, their resource requirements established and the time and cost of AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  © 2004 Email: [email  prote cted] ca Total Project Control Page 5 of 7 each reasonably accurately estimated. And further, that those resources are sufficiently flexible that schedule changes can be accommodated. On most projects, this is unreasonable, and for projects in the early part of their life span, this is patently impossible. Some of the metrics may be open to question. For example, Glen Alleman, VP, Program Management Office at CH2M HILL has commented on the DIPP formula (i. e. EMV divided by ETC), as follows:18 â€Å"There are several issues with the DIPP equation. 1. The denominator creates a â€Å"divide by zero† error as the project reaches the end and the estimate to complete approaches zero. This is poor behavior of a performance indicator not a ratio of two values drawn from the same time sample. . The indicator has nonlinear behavior over its life cycle. 3. The ETC value in the equation needs to be the sum of multiple estimates to complete, since EMV is the sum of all possible outcomes. The equation's ETC is a point value with no index i to correlate with EMV's sum across the indices of possible outcomes. The primary issue here is that DIPP does not include the sunk costs of the project. â€Å"Devaux states these are not necessary for the assessment of completion decisions. In fact the estimate to complete is based on the previous performance. The ‘performance factor for remaining work' is most often derived from the performance of the previous work. Past is a predictor of the future. The sunk costs are accruals and burden the net profit of the project. Ignoring sunk costs is not only poor financial management it is poor project management as well. The sunk costs must be paid by â€Å"someone. † The project manager must consider whom and how much is to be paid in assessing future decisions for the project. Ignoring these is like driving in the rear view mirror. It can be done, but not recommended. † We may not agree entirely with Glen's assessment, but the point is well taken. Another bone of contention is about reserves. Stephen cites the example of catching a plane under a plan based on median time estimates. Such a plan would probably mean that we would miss the plane 50% of the time. Clearly this is unacceptable so we must add contingency time. Stephen then says this is sometimes called â€Å"management reserve† and19 â€Å"There is an important difference between management reserve and padding. Management reserve is always added either at the end of the project, or immediately before a major milestone. It belongs to the project manager and the entire project. We agree with the intent but not the definitions. In our view, â€Å"Contingency† should provide for variances in durations and belongs to the project manager. â€Å"Management Reserve†, as the name implies, should belong to management for possible changes in scope (like picking up a coffee and donut at the airport), and â€Å"Padding† is a political issue and should be a no, no. Still, where workers are required to work on several projects concurrently, may be it is necessary to cover loss of productivity because as Stephen says: â€Å"Such multitasking is one of the great time wasters of corporate projects. 20 But here's a thought. If we are in DRED of missing that plane we just talked about, how much safer would we be if we doubled our resources and had two people running to catch that plane? AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  © 2004 Email: [email  protected] ca Total Project Control Page 6 of 7 Summary It is time that project management practitioners started a serious dialogue on the subject of managing scope as one of the variables, and perhaps the key variable, in project management. Ask not what is the cost of this project, or change, and can we afford it? Ask instead, what is the value to the organization of this project, or change, is it worth it and how does it stack up against our other options? Some may argue that a dollar value metric is not pertinent to their particular type of project, but whichever way you look at it, money is the only common vehicle for comparison between projects in a portfolio. Stephen sums up his position at the end of chapter 1 by observing:21 †¢ The purpose of a project is not to be short or inexpensive, but to make a profit. It should be managed in such a way as to maximize that profit. All the work, and all aspects of the project that impact its profit should be analyzed together, in an integrated way that shows the effect of the various alternatives on the project profit. †¢ Each project that is managed in a context with other projects should be analyzed in an integrated way that shows the effects of each (ostensibly internal) project decision on all other projects, and, specifically, on the multi-project profit. †¢ Insofar as projects are managed without regard to profit, bad (profit-reducing) decisions will be made, both randomly and systematically, throughout the organization. Stephen's book was first published five years ago. In our experience it takes about that long for new ideas to sink into the collective psyche of the project management populace. So, we share Stephen's view. It is time that project sponsors and the creators of the enterprise planning software they use (if any) figure out how to incorporate these variable scope and value concepts, and apply them to their projects. Then, perhaps, we will be in a better position to demonstrate that the traditional definition of project success of being â€Å"On time and within budget† is short term and very narrowly focused. We think that Stephen Devaux's book makes a valuable contribution to the discussion of project and portfolio management, planning and tracking. However, some things have changed in the last five years, or are better understood, so we sincerely hope that Stephen will consider updating and reissuing his book â€Å"Total Project Control†. If he does, we hope he will also add a glossary. R. Max Wideman Fellow, PMI 1 2 Devaux, S. A. , Total Project Control, Wiley, NY, 1999, p xvii Ibid. p xix 3 Ibid. p22 4 Ibid. p7 5 Ibid. p32 6 Ibid. p93 7 Ibid. 139 AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  © 2004 Email: [email  protected] ca Total Project Control Page 7 of 7 8 9 Ibid. p184 Ibid. p257 10 Ibid. p xix 11 Ibid. p8 12 Ibid. p9 13 Ibid. p12 14 Ibid. p63 15 Ibid. p105 16 Ibid. p30 17 Ibid. p31 18 Alleman, G. , The DIPP Formula Control Flag, An Assessment of the DIPP Indicator, Viewpoints, Project Management World Today, November-December 2003, http://www. pmforum. org/pmwt03/viewpoints03-11. htm 19 Devaux, S. A. , Total Project Control, Wiley, NY, 1999, p113 20 Ibid. p114 21 Ibid. p14 AEW Services, Vancouver, BC  © 2004 Email: [email  protected] ca

Thomas Jefferson: Did He Live up to His Beliefs?

Thomas Jefferson did not fully live up to his beliefs, to the extent of the Louis Ana purchase and the issue on slaves. Thomas Jefferson was a simple man, a feeder list, whose beliefs included strict construction of the constitution, and that all men are created equal. Despite the fact the Jefferson built schools in order to give the poor CEQ al rights, he went against his beliefs surrounding slavery. In Document 2, Jeffery on States â€Å"Black men are pests†.He is saying that Black people are incapable of being as successful as whites, which directly contradicts his beliefs. Also, after he realize De he wouldn't be able to change the rules on slavery, he kept his slaves on his plant action. Document 4 suggests that â€Å"Jefferson slaves were his property'. Both Dotcom .NET 4 and 5 talk about Jefferson grant of freedom to seven slaves. It talks about a s lave which he had an affair with, and her children, who were all given freedom. He only granted freedom to very few slave s, which proves he did not live up to his bell ifs.The Louisiana purchase was directed by a loose construction of the constitution, c monetary to Jefferson beliefs. It says in Document 6, † Nowhere in the constitution could J offers find mention of the purchase of land from foreign powers. † Presidents do not have this right to purchase such lands, yet Jefferson thought it wasn't beyond his rights given in the constitution.

Civil War Battle of Chickamauga

Civil War Battle of Chickamauga Dates: September 18-20, 1863 Other Names: None Location: Chickamauga, Georgia Key Individuals Involved in the Battle of Chickamauga: Union: Major General William S. Rosecrans, Major General George H. ThomasConfederate: General Braxton Bragg and Lt. General James Longstreet Outcome: Confederate Victory. 34,624 casualties of which 16,170 were Union soldiers. Overview of the Battle: The Tullahoma Campaign during the American Civil War had been devised by Union Major General William Rosecrans and was carried out between June 24-July 3, 1863. Through his efforts, the Confederates were pushed out of the middle of Tennessee and the Union was able to begin its move against the key city of Chattanooga. After this campaign, Rosecrans moved into position to push the Confederates from Chattanooga. His army consisted of three corps which split up and headed for the city by separate routes. By early September, he had consolidated his scattered troops and actually forced General Braxton Braggs army out of Chattanooga to the South. They were pursued by the Union troops.   General Bragg was set on reoccupying Chattanooga. Therefore, he decided to defeat part of the Union forces outside the city and then move back in. On September 17th and 18th, his army marched north, meeting Union cavalry and mounted infantry armed with Spencer Repeating rifles. On September 19, the main fighting occurred. Braggs men tried unsuccessfully to break through the Union line. Fighting continued on the 20th. However, a mistake happened when Rosecrans was told that a gap had formed in his armys line. When he moved units to fill the gap, he actually created one. Confederate General James Longstreets men were able to exploit the gap and drive about a third of the Union army from the field. Rosecrans was included in the group and Union Major General George H. Thomas took over command.   Thomas consolidated forces on Snodgrass Hill and Horseshoe Ridge. Although the Confederate troops assaulted these forces, the Union line held until nighttime. Thomas was then able to lead his troops from the battle, allowing the Confederates to take Chickamauga. The battle was then set for the Union and Confederate troops in Chattanooga with the North occupying the city and the South occupying the surrounding heights.   Significance of the Battle of Chickamauga: Even though the Confederates won the battle, they did not press their advantage. The Union army had retreated to Chattanooga. Instead of focusing their attacks there, Longstreet was sent to attack Knoxville. Lincoln had time to replace Rosecrans with General Ulysses Grant who brought in reinforcements.    Source: CWSAC Battle Summaries

To Kill A Mockingbird4 essays

To Kill A Mockingbird4 essays In, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee refers to Oliver Optic, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Victor Appleton as three authors whose works were enjoyed by Scout, Jem and Dill. These 19th and 20th century authors had similar writing styles and plot formulations. Adventure stories, which were the genre of the tales written by these particular authors, were extremely appealing to the young children in Harper Lees novel. Scout and her friends wove detailed imaginary dramas portraying characters discovered in these works. The most popular works, which were also mentioned in the book, were Tarzan, The Rover Boys, Tom Swift, and The Gray Ghost. Not only were they popular with fictional Jem, Dill, and Scout, but they swept the country and were popular with all children during that time period. Victor Appleton was the pen name of Edward Stratemeyer. He wrote numerous fictional series for young children, although rarely using his real name. The Rover Boys (1899-1916) was his best selling series although it was followed up with many more which were equally liked. The Rover Boys was based on tales of preparatory school and college life. These works were so popular that Stratemeyer continued the series with a follow up one, on the lives of the original characters children. Other series included Tom Swift (1910), The Peripatetic Motor Boys (1906), The Bobsey Twin series, although written under the pseudonym Laura E. Hope. After creating at least 150 full-length, hardbound novels, he opened the Stratemeyer Syndicate, established in 1914, which completed works that Stratemeyer outlined and edited. Oliver Optic was the pseudonym of W.T Adams, a Boston author and schoolteacher. In 1965, he left his teaching job and began writing novels full time and editing a magazine called Oliver Optics magazine for Boys and Girls (1867-1875). His Juvenile books and magazines were said to compare the works of another famous author at that tim...

An analysis of emerging markets

An analysis of emerging markets Introduction According to Jensen, T.H and Larsen, J.A.K (2004) from Denmark National Bank, emerging markets are defined as â€Å"sets of markets where by its economic and financial potential become sharper, an average of 5% of annual growth, an improving purchasing power-adjusted exchange rate due to lower price levels in these emerging markets and a fluctuated economic growth which explains a relatively larger share of the global cyclical fluctuations than their economic weight would indicate†. According Cavusgil, S.T (2002) the main characteristic of an emerging economy is it has started economic reform process to alleviate problems and have achieved steady gross national product (GNP) per capita growth, regional economic powerhouse with large populations, large resources bases, and large markets, increasing middle income population and governments tend to promote easy fiscal and expansion monetary policy to encourage Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and improve the living standards of its people. In this assignment, I have chosen China and Brazil as my choice of emerging markets. In my findings, I will discuss about business environments when doing business in these countries, suitable entry modes when dealing with different emerging markets and major business issues when entering emerging markets. In my conclusion, I will provide a conclusion and some recommendation when entering different emerging markets and justification on using different entry modes when dealing with different emerging markets. Findings These days, multinational companies are rushing into emerging markets for very obvious reasons. Emerging markets are full of potential with its untapped markets which has the ability to create new demand for consumer goods. This new wave of demand would help these multinational companies to gain more market shares and profits as liberalisation and globalisation forces are bringing the competition for customers into a higher level. With the satur ation of markets in developed economies such as US, multinational companies such as Ford’s Motor has turn to emerging markets such as India to maintain its position as one of the leaders in the automobile industry. (The Economists, 2009). Why are emerging markets so attractive to international companies? the worthiness of these emerging markets. PEST analysis will be conducted on China and Brazil. Political China has a fairly stable political stand these days. Its central government went through a political reform in 1978 and since promote openness in having political relationship with foreign countries. However even with its political reform, China remained as a communist State with high intervention by the central government on economy issues. (CIA FactBook, 2009). With its political reform, liberalisation forces sweep through the country where by exports, imports and FDI are moving in and out smoothly without much interference from the central government comparing to befor e its political reform. China also gained entry into World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001 and this represents that China has the obligation to act within the context of WTO when dealing with trade issues. China is country which emphasize on â€Å"guanxi† or good relationship. According to Financial Times Limited (2002), having bad relationship with the government officials mean cutting down the chances of entering China or having any good business prospects in this country as can be seen in the PepsiCo case.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 21500 words

Management - Essay Example the Learner’s without properly citing the source of the work will be considered plagiarism and will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work submitted or for the entire course, and may result in academic dismissal. Organizational commitment is a subject of numerous studies for decades, especially in the United States, in English. Even when the Hispanic population in the US has increased 57.9% from 1990 to 2000, little or no attention has been given to the differences in subcultures (e.g. language). Numerous studies have shown that organizational commitment predicts important variables including absenteeism, organizational citizenship, performance, and turnover intention. Additional studies have determined that Human Resources Management (HRM) practices such as compensation and incentives, performance appraisal, and training have the potential to influence employee’s commitment in the public and private sector, but research is needed regarding organizational commitment in the construction industry. This study will explore the relationships between employer-provided training, compensation and benefits, and organizational commitment of construction project managers in Puerto Rico. The population under study will be Project Managers of construction companies. The data will be collected utilizing a four-part questionnaire. As part of this study, the effects of gender, age, English or Spanish speaking, education level, overall project management experience, tenure with current employer and professional certification status on organizational commitment will be studied. Organizational commitment has been a subject of numerous studies for decades, especially in the United States, in English. Even as the Hispanic population in the United States increased 57.9% from 1990 to 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002), little or no attention has been given to the differences in subcultures (e.g. language). While there are several ways to define organizational commitment,

Media Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Article - Essay Example It connects cultures with one another and brings people and different nationalities under one roof. However, the long awaited dream of Alan Lomax has been given a real existence to spread the traditional music and culture of different nations from around the globe. Alan Lomax was the first American folklorist and a prodigious traditional music collector who dreamt of creating a global jukebox, even before the internet was introduced (Larry Rother). Alan Lomax was the first one to record Muddy Waters and Woody Guthrie. He set a platform for the American to get a better understanding of folk and traditional music. He developed a strong relation between the music and the cultures. Alan Lomax has hugely contributed in revolutionizing the music industry. He can be considered as a pioneer in giving the support to the traditional music and introducing it for once again in the minds of people. In other words, it can also be said that in American culture, where Afro-American music was considered as â€Å"destructive for the soul of music†; Alan Lomax stepped ahead and appreciated the versatility, richness and uniqueness of Afro-American music in the American culture. Culture can be well studied by the customs, music and traditions of any particu lar region. Music is an international language of peace and love. Alan Lomax has tried his level best in bringing all the traditional music and dance styles from around the world together. This would enable people to better understand and analyze the cultural differences of other nations. People would compare and contrast the versatility and uniqueness of their culture with other cultures. This would benefit a large group of people from around the world who are keen to know and explore different cultures. A culture represents different key aspects of a nation, region or group of people. Enormous efforts and contributions made by Alan Lomax in rejuvenating the essence of traditional music and making people

Managerial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managerial Accounting - Assignment Example he preparation of the Income statement were the exclusion of the previous costs regarding the raw material, work in process and finished goods which were in the opening stock of the company at the start of the year. Let’s start with the cost of goods manufactured statement. While preparation of the cost of goods manufactured statement, the opening stock of the raw material should be added to the current year purchases as it forms a part of the material that will be used during the year. However, the ending raw material should be subtracted because it the amount of inventory which was not used in the production process. This gives the raw material used. (Accounting for Management n.d.) The labour cost that was directly incurred with the raw material should be added to the raw material used cost along with all the expenses which were incurred in connection with the transformation of the raw material into work in process or finished goods. Rather than subtracting all the expenses directly from the sales, expenses should be bifurcated in proportion to the expenses incurred in connection with the factory such as the depreciation of the factory, insurance concerned with factory and the utilities paid for the factory building which were $31,000, $8,400 and $4800 respectively should form a part of the cost of goods manufactured statement. The work in process opening cost should be added to the cost of manufacturing and the ending work in process should be subtracted i.e. $14,000 and $16,000 respectively. After adding all the costs, the cost of goods manufactured stood at $572,200. The cost of goods manufactured obtained from the statement should be added to the opening finished goods stock which was ignored and the ending stock of finished goods should be subtracted from it which will produce the gross profit of the company that was $225,800. (Investopedia) The expenses of the company which were solely incurred with the selling and admin such as the 30% and 40%

New uclan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New uclan - Essay Example A wrong post or comment could trigger a negative reaction towards the company leading to economic, social and legal implications. While social networking today provides many opportunities it is advisable to understand the risks posed in order to take necessary steps to use social media responsibly (McNamara 2011, p.14). Every department needs to have a safeguard list to understand the safety aspects of social media. Before posting anything online consider what is termed acceptable and unacceptable behaviour on media terms. Every social site has a term of service that gives a clear terms and conditions, including safety tools and privacy (McNamara 2011, p.14). When engaging in publicity you need to have an understanding of your target audience. To optimize your brand’s publicity collect enough information of online audience’s behaviour. To sell online t is advisable to choose the advertisement carefully that way your target audience is clear (Kent 2008, p.21). Social sites give guidelines online on internet advertising to avoid instances such as cyber bullying, underage sexual exposure, illegal schemes and dangerous masquerades. It is wise for the organization to assign a moderator who can interact with the users and manage content online. Choosing to use sites that adhere to social networking legislations could also lead to good practice. Sites such as Bebo, MySpace and Face book stress are keen on safety use and guidelines and adhere strictly to the land’s laws. Carrying a risk assessment on data protection as advised by Kent (2008, p.24) will act as a good guide while choosing which sites to use. If the site has several administrators always ensure that the managers are clear about what is required of them when interacting with users and responding to posts. The administrators should refrain from inappropriate content, personating, racist or hate material, exploitation and glorifying of dangerous activities.

User Centred Design for Web Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

User Centred Design for Web - Coursework Example The test was carried out by having the site on a computer and then supplying the youth with the scenario. The youth was told why he was supposed to carry out the activity. The developers had to stay aside and watch how the youth carried out the activity. The time that was taken by the youth to complete the activity had to be recorded. The more time the youth took to carry out an activity meant how hard navigation on the page was. Think aloud Technique This technique was to involve the chairman of the management committee. The method was chosen because it allowed the chairman to talk aloud of what he was doing in the website. The chairman was chosen because he was seen to be the person who would be more representative of the elderly Sudanese member visiting the site. The evaluation was carried out by having the paper prototype prepared and given to the chairman. The task of finding and uploading pictures within the gallery was to be carried out using the prototype. The developers had to record the thoughts of the chairman as he carried out the activity. The record would convey how the chairman intended to carry out the activity and the way he carried them using the site. The efficiency of the recording had to be ensured by having an audio recorder and also one of the developers writing down the important points. These will be evaluated later after the test. Lessons Learned The evaluation technique was a success because it identified main areas of weakness of our site. The evaluation technique arrived at changes to be carried on the site. One of the changes was on the gallery page. People suggested that a transformation tool needed to be included in the gallery. This tool would enable them make any changes to their pictures after uploading them on the site. The gallery also needed an additional feature to enable visitors label their pictures once they were online. Change on the menu was also identified. People suggested that they required the horizontal menu adde d at the top of the page. They claimed the horizontal menu is universal and that is the first menu they look for in a site. The evaluation was an eye opener how developers make software having themselves as the users in the mind. This thought makes them make complex software that can only be used by experts in the field. One of the place is the gallery where the group though that any user would have edited their picture before uploading it on the site which was wrong. It also brought to my attention how different users have different needs when using the same software. This was seen by seeing those activities being carried by the youths were different from those the elderly group required. Knowledge gained from the evaluation would be used in future in determining selection criteria of evaluators of software. The criteria will always take into consideration the age as a factor. This is because different people in different age groups like to carry out activities in different modes. In future the evaluation technique would be carried out using multiple evaluation techniques. This is because each evaluation technique identified new errors in the system that meaning the more the evaluation technique the more the improvement would be carried out on the system. This ensures maximum satisfaction of the clients with the system. Reflections on the design process The design process played a major part in testing my leadership skills. This was done because the whole development process involved interacting with different people who acted different. I had to take the

Corporate Goverance Concept Worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Goverance Concept Worksheet - Essay Example The companies have different expectation that can lead to conflicts because of their interests and gains (Minnow & Monk, 2002). The equity issue involves division of company’s ownership. This helps in the companies gain from the increase in profits and wide market. This means that both companies will gain from the investment (Minnow & Monk, 2002). McBride finance services company has an intention to remain in control of the company even after selling majority shares to Beltway investment company. A clear illustration of this is that the chief executive has influence in the selection of the board of directors. As Beltway gives the company freedom to select the directors, Mc Bride ensures that it influences the selection. The board comprises of the people it can influence to make decisions favoring McBride company. The scenario creates conflict of interest, which was not brought out during negotiations. The conflict of interest will create a hostile working relationship between the two companies. The reason behind this is the win-lose situation created by the company. Beltway wants a fair selection of the board (Tricker, 2009). Control involves running of the company activities and who is in charge. The control of the company should be in the best way possible. The selection of the board should be on merit not on other hidden agendas. Fair selection and freedom to managers will help in running the company affairs to achieving its objectives and goals to the maximum (Tricker, 2009). Beltway company did not identify Mc Bride’s intention in its issue. Mc Bride company does not intend to let Beltway know the real, financial position. The company does this through tampering with financial documents. The company also does not comply with Sarbanes-Oxley act of corporate responsibility of financial reporting (Greene, Silverman & Becker, 2003). The company aims at using internal controls to hide

User Centred Design for Web Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

User Centred Design for Web - Coursework Example The test was carried out by having the site on a computer and then supplying the youth with the scenario. The youth was told why he was supposed to carry out the activity. The developers had to stay aside and watch how the youth carried out the activity. The time that was taken by the youth to complete the activity had to be recorded. The more time the youth took to carry out an activity meant how hard navigation on the page was. Think aloud Technique This technique was to involve the chairman of the management committee. The method was chosen because it allowed the chairman to talk aloud of what he was doing in the website. The chairman was chosen because he was seen to be the person who would be more representative of the elderly Sudanese member visiting the site. The evaluation was carried out by having the paper prototype prepared and given to the chairman. The task of finding and uploading pictures within the gallery was to be carried out using the prototype. The developers had to record the thoughts of the chairman as he carried out the activity. The record would convey how the chairman intended to carry out the activity and the way he carried them using the site. The efficiency of the recording had to be ensured by having an audio recorder and also one of the developers writing down the important points. These will be evaluated later after the test. Lessons Learned The evaluation technique was a success because it identified main areas of weakness of our site. The evaluation technique arrived at changes to be carried on the site. One of the changes was on the gallery page. People suggested that a transformation tool needed to be included in the gallery. This tool would enable them make any changes to their pictures after uploading them on the site. The gallery also needed an additional feature to enable visitors label their pictures once they were online. Change on the menu was also identified. People suggested that they required the horizontal menu adde d at the top of the page. They claimed the horizontal menu is universal and that is the first menu they look for in a site. The evaluation was an eye opener how developers make software having themselves as the users in the mind. This thought makes them make complex software that can only be used by experts in the field. One of the place is the gallery where the group though that any user would have edited their picture before uploading it on the site which was wrong. It also brought to my attention how different users have different needs when using the same software. This was seen by seeing those activities being carried by the youths were different from those the elderly group required. Knowledge gained from the evaluation would be used in future in determining selection criteria of evaluators of software. The criteria will always take into consideration the age as a factor. This is because different people in different age groups like to carry out activities in different modes. In future the evaluation technique would be carried out using multiple evaluation techniques. This is because each evaluation technique identified new errors in the system that meaning the more the evaluation technique the more the improvement would be carried out on the system. This ensures maximum satisfaction of the clients with the system. Reflections on the design process The design process played a major part in testing my leadership skills. This was done because the whole development process involved interacting with different people who acted different. I had to take the

Prayer in School Essay Example for Free

Prayer in School Essay John Knox Press, 1996. 45-218. In this book the author gives an epic description of the controversy surrounding the debate on prayer in public schools. It touches on the legal aspects as well as the interpretation of among other articles the first amendment. Alley uses history and preceding events to bring out his argument against prayer in public schools terming the practice as an abuse and harassment of the minority by the majority who are keen on imposing their own definition of faith. He asserts that the law on first amendment religion issues has adequately and consistently clarified the differences that exist between church and state. He cited some cases such as Barnette, McCollum, Everson, Engel and Schempp to mention but a few as having set precedence thus preventing future conflict. However, one reads anti Christianity overtones which bring up the question of objectivity due to his obvious bias. He has successfully presented one side of the debate with a personal tone. The book strongly opines that any form of religious inclinations in public schools is incompatible with the constitution as well as with the principle of democracy. Murray, J. William. Let us pray: A plea for prayer in our school. New York: William Morrow Co, 1995. 11-97. In the first pages of his interesting book, Murray tells of his atheist past that was directed by his mother Madalyn Murray and how he, as a 14 year old was a plaintiff against the Baltimore School system. The suit led to the Supreme Courts decision that outlawed public school prayer and bible reading. Murray later converts to Christianity and embarks on a mission aimed at undoing the ‘damage’ done by his past. He becomes a strong proponent of prayer in Schools arguing that this is the one way of rooting out the moral decay in the society. Among other arguments, he presents the debate as conflicting discomforts. ‘The discomfort of minority faiths or nonbelievers at hearing prayer in school versus the discomfort of Protestant Christians at being prohibited from public prayer’. He allows that the drafters of the constitution are misinterpreted by those who claim that they intended to eradicate prayer from public institutions. Rather, he cites influential figures such as John Locke and Tocqueville as strong believers in the value of prayer in providing positive guidance to the society. His recommendations are however weak since the freedom he seeks could be confused with what is provided for in the constitution. Again the founding fathers he cites are understood to have given us the current laws and so his enlisting them undermines his very argument. Cookson, Catharine. Regulating Religion: The Courts and the Free Exercise Clause. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 54, 67-75. In this book, Catherine Cookson delves into the issues of the law and the authority of state as laid down in the constitution on one hand and the obligations of conscience on the other. She embarks on a project to provide the solution for a recurrent problem. She examines the history of the Christian tradition as well as more contemporary political development of religious freedom (186). Her argument on the free exercise clause is vivid and thought provoking as she seeks the balance between the majority’s right to religious expression and public prayer and the minority’s discomfort arising from that kind of expression. U. S Department of Education. Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools. Available on-line at: http://www. ed. gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance. html Accessed on 12. 04. 07. This article deals with the legal aspect of the debate on prayer in schools. The article endeavors to provide information on the current state of the law concerning constitutionally protected prayer in the public schools, and therefore spell out the extent to which prayer in public schools is lawfully protected. The Case against School Prayer. Available online at: http://209. 85. 135. 104/search? q=cache:RTckL_PUwSEJ:ffrf. org/nontracts/schoolprayer. php+prayers+in+schoolhl=enct=clnkcd=1gl=ke. Accessed on 12. 04. 07. In this article the author delves into the arguments against school prayer. The author advances the argument that prayers are private and yet there is nothing private about a public school. Therefore the two are incompatible and should not mix. He/She asserts that public schools cater for students with varying backgrounds and religious inclinations and they should not be subjected to rules that promote one form of religious expression. According to the author of the article, Public prayer leads to discrimination of the minority and a denial of their right to worship. The article refutes the claim that prayer in school has any value in checking societal excesses. The conclusion calls for total separation of church and state arguing that this is one way of preventing divisiveness in the society. Works Cited Campbell, Ted A. Christian Confessions: A Historical Introduction. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. Questia. 12 Apr. 2007 http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=87116157. Cookson, Catharine. Regulating Religion: The Courts and the Free Exercise Clause. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questia. 12 Apr. 2007 http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=104449729. Murray, J. William. Let us pray: A plea for prayer in our school. New York: William Morrow Co, 1995. U. S Department of Education. Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools. Available on-line at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html Accessed on 12.04.07

Innovation and Technology Strategies of Mcdonalds

Innovation and Technology Strategies of Mcdonalds McDonalds is the largest fast food restaurant chain that serves approximately 47 million customers daily. The fast food restaurant is operated by many types of business venture like franchisee, affiliate or the corporation itself. Through continual innovation technology research and upgrade, McDonalds have transformed itself from a small bar-b-que restaurant to a fast food restaurant chain serving mainly burgers, chicken products, fries, beverages, desserts, salads, wraps and fruits for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even supper 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In this report, we will discuss on how McDonalds manages its innovation technology and the strategies employed by McDonalds in gaining its competitive advantage. We will be using SWOT analysis to analyze the internal strength and weakness and external opportunities and threats of McDonalds innovation technology process and also discuss the innovation technology concept adopted by McDonalds. Some concepts that are discussed are stated below. Innovation Concept:- Kids gadget (eg. Happy Meal that comes with toy) Food safety and quality standards (Nutrition facts on the food they serve) Being Green (eg. Unbleached paper napkins used from recycle material, One Meal, One Napkin, McRecycle) Events (eg. FIFA 2010, Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010) Mc Cafà © Technology Concept:- Drive-Thru, where customers can order McDonalds meals on the go, Online/Phone ordering delivery 24/7 EZlink payment over counter and credit card payment for online and phone ordering Free Wi-fi connection at all McDonalds branches Online Networking (Facebook) The report will also recommend some approaches McDonalds can adopt to enhance the business. Introduction 1.1 Company Profile McDonalds is the leading restaurant brand with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million customers in more than 119 countries each day. Approximately 70 percent of McDonalds restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women. Their rich history began with their founder, Ray Kroc. The strong foundation that he built continues today with McDonalds vision and the commitment of our talented executives to keep the shine on McDonalds Arches for years to come. McDonalds serves hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, French fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, shakes, and desserts. McDonalds also modified its menu to healthier alternatives like salads, wraps and fruit due to obesity trends in western nations and criticism over healthiness of its products. 1.2 History of Company McDonalds started as a humble Bar-B-Que restaurant in the year 1940. Below states McDonalds achievements through the years. (McDonalds, 2010) 1940 Dick and Mac McDonalds open McDonalds Bar-B-Que restaurant in San Francisco. It is a typical drive-in with featuring a typical menu with car-hop service 1948 Dick and Mac McDonalds closed their restaurant for 3 months and reopens as a self-service drive-in restaurant with reduced menu serving hamburgers, cheeseburger, soft drinks, milk, coffee, potatoes chips and a slice of pie with the 15 cents hamburger as the staple of the menu 1949 Potato chips are replaced by French fries on the McDonalds menu 1954 Multimixer salesman, Ray Kroc(52), visit McDonalds in San Bernardino intending to sell more multimixer to the brothers but is fascinated by the operation and learns from the brothers that they are looking for nationwide franchising agent. Kroc has an epiphany and determined that his future is in the hamburgers. 1955 Kroc opens his first McDonalds restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15. The restaurant is designed by architect Stanley Menston in 1953 with red and white tile and Golden Arches 1959 The 100th restaurant opens in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin 1962 McDonalds in Denver, Colorado becomes the first indoor seating restaurant 1963 The 500th McDonalds restaurant in Toledo, Ohio 1965 McDonalds first public offering in celebration of its 10th year anniversary 1966 First National Television Commercial of Ronald McDonald who appeared on his flying hamburger in 35 one minute color spots on the NBC and CBS networks 1967 McDonalds first international restaurant in Canada and Puerto Rico 1969 Remodeling of McDonalds logo which emphasis more on the ever-more-famous Golden Arches 1978 The 5000th McDonalds restaurant in Kanagawa, Japan 1979 Happy Meals are introduced to the national menu featuring a circus wagon theme 1984 McDonalds founder and Senior Chairman, Ray Kroc, dies on Jan 14 1985 April 15, McDonalds celebrates 30th years of operation 1988 The 10,000th McDonalds restaurant in Dale City, Virginia 1996 McDonalds Corporate Internet site launched 2003 McDonalds launched its first global advertisement campaign, Im lovin it, in Munich, Germany 2006 McDonalds added nutritional info on its packaging at the Torino 2006 Olympic 2007 McDonalds Packaging updates that features 24 faces from first-ever global casting call 2009 McDonalds being awarded for Being Green 2010 McDonalds offers visitors with free Wi-Fi in over 11,000 restaurants 1.3 Vision Statement and Values Vision McDonalds envision a supply chain that profitably yields high-quality and safe products without supply interruption while leveraging their leadership position to create a net benefit by improving ethical, environmental and economic outcomes. Ethical McDonalds envision purchasing from suppliers who follow practices that ensure the health and safety of their employees and the welfare and humane treatment of animals in their supply chain. Environmental McDonalds envision influencing the sourcing of their materials and ensuring the design of their products, their manufacture, distribution and use minimize lifecycle impacts on the environment. Economic McDonalds envision delivering affordable food, engaging in equitable trade practices, limiting the spread of agricultural diseases, and positively impacting the communities where their suppliers operate. McDonalds view this vision and its responsibilities holistically. As sourcing decisions are made, they consider their priorities for food safety, quality and costs, as well as ethical, environmental and economic responsibilities. Values McDonalds place the customer experience at the core Customers are the reason for their existence. They demonstrate appreciation by providing them with high-quality food and superior service, in a clean, welcoming environment, at a great value. Their goal is Quality, Service, Cleanliness Value for each and every customer, each and every time. McDonalds are committed to the people They provide opportunity, nurture talent, develop leaders and reward achievement. They believe that a team of well-trained individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, working together in an environment that fosters respect and drives high levels of engagement, is essential to their continued success. McDonalds believe in the their system McDonalds business model, depicted by the three-legged stool of owner/operators, suppliers and company employees, is their foundation, and the balance of interests among the three groups is key. McDonalds operate the business ethically Sound ethics is good business. At McDonalds, they hold themselves and conduct their business to high standards of fairness, honesty and integrity. They are individually accountable and collectively responsible. McDonalds give back to the communities They take the responsibilities seriously. They help their customers build better communities, support Ronald McDonald House Charities, and leverage their size, scope and resources to help make the world a better place. McDonalds grow their business profitably McDonalds is a publicly traded company. As such, they work to provide sustained profitable growth for the shareholders. This requires a continuing focus on our customers and the health of their System. McDonalds strive continually to improve Being a learning organization that aims to anticipate and respond to changing customer, employee and System needs through constant evolution and innovation. 2 SWOT Analysis Let us look at some of the strengths that McDonalds hold for it to be so successful and what opportunities did they took advantage of. Strength With billions of investment spent on training annually, McDonalds have succeeded in motivating its staff to provide better customer service. The brand reputation of McDonalds increased when the Fortune Magazine 2008 listed McDonalds as one of the most admired food service companies. The Golden Arches and spokes character, Ronald McDonald the clown is one of the worlds most recognizable logos. Source: Images obtained from flickr.com and Palm Beach County Library System McDonalds is a global company operating in 109 countries. By spreading out in different regions, they can withstand economic fluctuations and operate effectively during an economic downturn. McDonalds restaurants are able to adapt to each countrys cultural differences. For example, lamb burgers are served in India instead of beef and pork. As most of the McDonalds restaurant businesses are owned and operated by franchisees which are independent they are able to reach out to global locations like major airports, and cities, tourist locations and theme parks. McDonalds developed an efficient, assembly line style of food preparation. In addition, they maintained a systemization and duplication of all their food preparation processes in every restaurant. McDonalds uses 100% pure inspected beef with no fillers or additives added. The produce is farm fresh. McDonalds serves 100% farm raised chicken, no fillers or additives and only Grade-A eggs. To ensure only safe and tastiest food are produced, McDonalds purchased their ingredients only from certified suppliers. The frequent food inspections conducted also ensured food quality and freshness. McDonalds only serves name brand processed items such as Kraft Cheese, Nestle Chocolate, Heinz Ketchup and Minute Maid Juice. McDonalds treats food safety very seriously. Checks are performed at every stage of the food processing to ensure that the food is produced from a clean, contamination free environment. McDonalds have printed their food nutritional information on the serving mat that was placed on the serving trays. It enables the consumers to understand what the nutritional levels of individual food they are consuming are, at the same time, enjoying their meal. This information was published on McDonalds Internet site. For consumers who were health conscious, McDonalds have gone the extra miles to offer salads, bottled water and other low fat / calorie food as alternatives. To build publicity, McDonalds sponsored various main events. The recent sponsorship is the Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010. McDonalds have incorporated free Wi-Fi in the restaurants to encourage consumers to come for their meal. 2.2 Weakness McDonalds tried to market into the pizza line but failed thus leaving them not able to compete with fast food pizza chains yet. The employment of temporary staffs and part-timer lead to high employee turnover in their restaurants. This will increased the amount of money being spent on training new staffs. While promoting health living, McDonalds had yet to explore the trend towards organic foods. 2.3 Opportunities McDonalds can create a healthier version of the hamburger to cater for the health conscious society today. They can do it by replacing the ingredient with those that are organic. They will be the first in the fast food industry to have an organic hamburger. McDonalds can provide optional allergen free food items, such as gluten free and peanut free. McDonalds can look into introducing new food items, like sandwich wrap to cater for new taste buds. 2.4 Threats McDonalds uses subliminal perception to attract children as young as one year old into their restaurants with special kids meals, toys, playgrounds and popular movie character tie-ins. Children end up enjoying McDonalds through childhood to adulthood. Hence, many parents criticized their marketing practices towards children which are seen as not ethical. McDonalds is considered as unhealthy food, allegedly with addictive additives that contributed to the obesity in consumers. Competitors are a threat. Major competitors include Burger King, Starbucks, Subway and KFC and any mid-range sit-down restaurants. 3. Innovation Concept Kids Gadgets Source: Happy Meal http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/parents/happy_meal_choice.html McDonalds Happy Meal toys for kids have undergone an evolution. The toys were first design with mechanical moving parts that simulate the movement of the toy character. Over the years, McDonalds have incorporated digital games with the toys. Example is the Rocking Horse. The LCD displayed the movement of the horse when the child put a rocking action on the toy. Quality Food Source: http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/trends_innovation/barbara_booth.html Culinary Innovation Meet Chef Dan Coudreaut, McDonalds Director of Culinary Innovation Chef Dan as he is known to millions has been the Director of Culinary Innovation at McDonalds headquarters for over four years. His background and training is in fine dining, and he gets huge job satisfaction being a part of McDonalds. Coudreaut began working as a dishwasher when he was 14 years old. He earned an associates degree in business administration and management. To pursed his dream as a Chef, Coudreaut worked in New York City at Quatorze Bis, a French bistro, as the PM Sous Chef. Later, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1995. Coudreaut with his team created up to 1,800 new recipes annually but only a few selected recipes that are wholesome, tasty and easy for McDonalds crew members to prepare to launch. The most recent innovation was to produce the famous Fruit and Walnut Salad as well as the Premium Chicken Sandwich line. Customers increasingly want higher-quality items, which is a reality that allows me to take more risks and make flavors bolder, says Coudreaut. My fine-dining background and McDonalds desire not to stifle creativity helps me develop products customers can really enjoy. The Birth of the Egg McMuffin A legacy of  innovation from within It was 1970. Legendary McDonalds franchisee Jim Delligatti, still fresh from his historic success in developing the Big Mac sandwich, began experimenting with simple breakfast items. Exploring new business opportunity for his restaurant during the morning hours, the usual Opening at 11:00 A.M. was changed to 07:00 A.M. instead. Delligatti started selling coffee and other simple items like doughnuts, and sweet rolls. Pancakes and sausage were added to the menu a year later. Even with limited selection, Delligatti was by that time was able to obtain 5 percent of his business during breakfast. But a significant dilemma remained: while Delligattis innovation had increased business at his store, other McDonalds operators balked at the prospect of extending their already-backbreaking 11:00 P.M.-midnight shifts. Unless a new breakfast item was found that could deliver double-digit sales gains, the McDonalds breakfast line would have to wait. That product, which was to completely transform the McDonalds experience, came in late 1971 on the vision of a man named Herb Peterson. After managing the McDonalds account for Santa Barbara, California-based DArcy Advertising, Peterson decided to join the increasing ranks of McDonalds franchisees. Having identified the same breakfast opportunity that Delligatti had seen, Peterson focused his creative energy on launching an entirely new product that could be eaten like the rest of the McDonalds line: by hand. A solution arrived when he began to modify an Eggs Benedict sandwich that was being marketed by Jack-in-the-Box, a West Coast chain. Experimenting with prepackaged Hollandaise, which he rejected as too runny, Peterson combined a slice of cheese with a hot egg, producing the exact consistency he had been aiming for. Since poaching eggs didnt fit into the McDonalds assembly line production process, Peterson invented a creative new cooking utensil a cluster of six rings that was placed on the grill to form the eggs in the shape of an English muffin.  When he complimented the egg and muffin with grilled Canadian bacon, Peterson had a finished breakfast item that was perfect for a sandwich-oriented fast-food chain. Convincing McDonalds founder Ray Kroc of the new creations brilliance turned out to be easier than expected: Peterson invited Kroc to stop by a store over the Christmas holiday, and even though Kroc had just eaten lunch, he ate two of the egg sandwiches anyway. Petersons organized demonstration of the new product, complete with a flip-chart to explain its economics, wasnt what sold Kroc. It was the sandwich itself. Weeks later, Herb Peterson was in Chicago showing the new product to McDonalds senior management, who received it with excitement. Not long after, the final challenge naming the sandwich was tackled during a dinner conversation between the Krocs and the Turners (Fred Turner is now Honorary Chairman of McDonalds Corporation), when Patty Turner suggested it be called the Egg McMuffin. The name stuck, and roll out began. By 1976, McDonalds had perfected the breakfast menu, elevating its brand above the competitors, which didnt introduce commercial breakfast items until the mid-1980s. Thanks to the relentless creativity and innovation of its own visionary franchisees, McDonalds by then held a monopoly on breakfast. To this day, breakfast represents 15 percent of McDonalds sales. Thru SMS on 15 July 2010 All new Spicy Nuggets tangy Honey Chipotle Shaker fries. Being Green Recycle, Renew We start with a 3-pronged approach: reduce, reuse, and recycle; and were committed to diverting as much waste as possible from the solid waste stream. McDonalds has come up with countless small ways to make a big impact: Switching to unbleached paper napkins made from recycled materials. Examining how our suppliers package raw materials and cleaning supplies. Weve even created litter patrols to ensure were good neighbors in our communities. Less is More Currently, 82% of McDonalds consumer packaging is made from renewable materials, and were aiming for higher percentages in the future. In several countries, our restaurants are recycling their used cooking oil for re-use in a variety of products, including the creation of environmentally-friendly biodiesel. In some markets, McDonalds delivery trucks use our own re-purposed cooking oil as fuel. We call this a closed-loop solution, and were very proud of it. Our customers are also helping make a difference. McDonalds restaurants inside WalMart stores saved an estimated 170 million napkins (equivalent to 497 tons of wood) in just one year through the One Meal, One Napkin campaign. McDonalds Global Environmental Commitment Effectively managing solid waste We are committed to taking a total life cycle approach to solid waste, examining ways of reducing materials used in production and packaging, as well as diverting as much waste as possible from the solid waste stream. In doing so, we will follow three courses of action: reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduce. We will take steps to reduce the weight and/or volume of the packaging we use. This may mean eliminating packaging, adopting thinner and lighter packaging, changing manufacturing and distribution systems, adopting new technologies or using alternative materials. We will continually search for materials that are environmentally preferable. Reuse. We will implement reusable materials whenever feasible within our operations and distribution systems as long as they do not compromise our safety and sanitation standards, customer service and expectations and are not offset by other environmental or safety concerns. Recycle. We are committed to maximum use of recycled materials in the construction, equipping and operations of our restaurants. We are already the largest user of recycled paper in our industry, applying it to such items as tray liners, Happy Meal boxes, carryout bags, carryout trays and napkins. Through our McRecycle program, we maintain the industrys largest repository of information on recycling suppliers and will spend a minimum of $100 million a year buying recycled materials of all kinds. We are also committed to recycling and/or composting as much of our solid waste as possible, including such materials as corrugated paper, polyethylene film and paper. We will change the composition of our packaging, where feasible, to enhance recyclability or compostability. Conserving and protecting natural resources We will continue to take aggressive measures to minimize energy and other resource consumption through increased efficiency and conservation. We will not permit the destruction of rain forests for our beef supply. Encouraging environmental values and practices Given our close relationship with local communities around the world, we believe we have an obligation to promote sound environmental practices by providing educational materials in our restaurants and working with teachers in the schools. We intend to continue to work in partnership with our suppliers in the pursuit of these policies. Our suppliers will be held accountable for achieving mutually established waste reduction goals, as well as continuously pursuing sound production practices which minimize environmental impact. Compliance with these policies will receive consideration with other business criteria in evaluating both current and potential McDonalds suppliers. Ensuring accountability procedures We understand that a commitment to a strong environmental policy begins with leadership at the top of an organization. Therefore, our environmental affairs officer will be given broad-based responsibility to ensure adherence to these environmental principles throughout our system. This officer will report to the board of directors on a regular basis regarding progress made toward specific environmental initiatives. On all of the above, we are committed to timely, honest and forthright communications with our customers, shareholders, suppliers and employees. And we will continue to seek the counsel of experts in the environmental field. By maintaining a productive, ongoing dialogue with all of these stakeholders, we will learn from them and move ever closer to doing all we can, the best we can, to preserve and protect the environment. We value sustainable food and packaging McDonalds is committed to minimizing the environmental impacts of our food and other products in the supply chain. We are working with our direct suppliers to: measure and reduce water, energy, air, and waste impacts through our Environmental Scorecard, design our packaging with resource conservation in mind improve fishing practices through our Sustainable Fisheries program. green our distribution system through efforts such as using recycled frying oil as fuel   better understand the carbon footprint of our entire supply chain, based on work by McDonalds Europe We are also trying other things to make a difference upstream in the supply chain by working with other companies and NGOs.  Our sustainable land use efforts, such as protection of high-value conservation lands like the Amazon Rainforest, are ongoing.  We also support multi-stakeholder sustainable agriculture initiatives such as the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform in Europe.  It was created by the food industry to actively support the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide.   You can read more about our efforts to green our supply chain as well as some specific leadership steps taken by our suppliers in our catalogue of global environmental  best practices, the 2009 McDonalds Global  Best of Green. Tracking our performance the Environmental Scorecard and EcoFilter McDonalds Environmental Scorecard for suppliers was created to help make our food suppliers aware of the resources they are using and to help drive continuous improvements related to their impacts in the categories of energy, water, air, and waste.   In 2005, we began rolling out the current version of the Scorecard with a goal of reaching all of our bakery, beef, poultry, pork, and potato suppliers in our nine largest markets.  Last year, we decided to set a deadline of 2009 to reach that goal and are currently on track to achieve this before the end of the year. Many suppliers that have been using the Scorecard for multiple years have reduced their use of water and energy and their production of waste.   In Canada, for example: All direct suppliers of beef, poultry, potatoes, and bakery products located in Canada completed the 2008 Environmental Scorecard 45% showed a decrease in water used per unit of finished product between 2007 and 2008 64% showed a decrease in energy used per unit of finished product between 2007 and 2008 100% showed zero air emissions violations in 2008 64% showed a decrease in waste production per unit of finished product between 2007 and 2008 In 2010, some markets will continue to expand the use of the Scorecard.  Globally, we will focus our efforts on making the Scorecard easier to use and more impactful, through enhancements like online training and data collection.  We also continue to encourage our direct suppliers to help our indirect suppliers become more aware of their resource use and to explore options for reductions. Oil Opportunity McDonalds is finding ways to incorporate used cooking oil into their operations. The answer is biodiesel. In several countries across the McDonalds System, our restaurants are recycling their used cooking oil for re-use in a variety of products, including the creation of biodiesel an environmentally friendly diesel fuel made from recycling vegetable oils. We have a resource that can be put to good use, and weve been taking steps, to varying degrees across the System, to utilize it in the best interests of the business, says Brian Kramer, Senior Manager Corporate Social Responsibility. This is an exciting and relevant area for all of us and one where McDonalds is looking to make a greater impact. From Fryer to Fuel The oil-into-fuel effort is just one aspect of our larger environmental platform. With consumers ranking environmental protection as a top expectation of socially responsible businesses, McDonalds is continuously working on a variety of ways to go green from reducing energy use at our restaurants to creating a more sustainable supply chain. With regard to biodiesel, the way it normally works is that restaurants team up with a contractor who picks up the used oil in bulk and sells it to companies that specialize in refining the product into clean burning diesel for consumer use. McDonalds stepped into this arena about six years ago with a test run in Austria and the effort has gradually gained momentum. Today, biodiesel initiatives are occurring in major markets across Europe, APMEA, Latin America and the U.S. The leader in this effort is McDonalds Europe, which recycles all of its used oil and sends approximately 80% to the production of biodiesel. Meanwhile, a growing number of U.S. restaurants are also directing their oil from fries to fuel. The bulk cooking oil delivery and retrieval program that McDonalds USA has been implementing with our supplier, RTI, over the past decade has achieved significant results as well. Currently, there more than 7,500 U.S. restaurants enrolled in the program, which includes delivery of the cooking oil to the restaurants in bulk via a portal on the exterior of the restaurant to a tank in the store. At the same time, waste oil is sucked out a separate tank and then sold to biofuel companies and other purchasers such as pet food companies. There are a range of environmental benefits to the bulk oil program. For example, every year it eliminates a significant amount of packaging that would normally be used if the cooking oil was delivered in smaller plastic jugs in corrugated boxes, or Jibs. This, in turn, reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfill. Fueling McDonalds Trucks Some markets, like Austria and the U.K., have taken things one step further and now use some of their reformulated oil to fuel their McDonalds delivery trucks. Its known in the environmental world as closing the loop taking your used products and putting them to good use back into your system. This really is a great story, says Sebastian Csaki, Manager Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility McDonalds Europe. The fact that were able to recycle so much of our used oil into biodiesel and use it in our own trucks truly shows our commitment to lessening our environmental impact in innovative ways. Greener Than Ever McDonalds strives to provide eco-friendly workplaces and restaurants that reflect our sustainability goals and demonstrate environmental stewardship in the workplace. In August 2008, McDonalds USA opened its first corporate-owned pilot green restaurant and received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification in April 2009. Some of the green attributes of the Chicago restaurant include energy-efficiency equipment and lighting, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, and permeable pavement and rainwater collection for irrigation. Were using this green building lab to help refine our green building strategy. Our second green restaurant was completed in North Carolina in early 2010. Green building strategies arent limited to McDonalds restaurants. Using the LEED rating system developed for Existing Buildings (LEED EB), we recently tackled our Global Headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. Our 20-year-old Campus Office Building (affectionately known as the COB) was granted Platinum Certification, the highest level possible. The COB is one of the oldest buildings to receive this certification. The sustainable building enhancements made during the certification process have resulted in clear financial and environmental benefits. Energy use is at its lowest level in five years, helping to offset rising utility costs

Thucydides and Homer: Cultures Essay -- Cultural Greece Thucydides Hom

Thucydides and Homer: Cultures Thucydides and Homer, though they lived a relatively short 300 years apart, wrote about very different Greek cultures. While the Greeks who Homer wrote about in The Iliad were, in many respects, dissimilar to the Greeks in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, this stands in marked contrast to the profound similarities that exist between contemporary cultures and those that Thucydides wrote of. There are, however, similarities between modern cultures and those in Homer’s writing, as well as differences between modern ones and those in Thucydides’ writing. Thucydides’ history is, therefore, a relational bridge between the cultures of ancient Greece and modern ones. One of the most recognizable differences in the cultures written of by Thucydides and Homer is what people are respected for. In the world of The Iliad, aretà © determines an individual’s merit, and it is largely determined by physical triumphs over opponents. The importance of victory to these people’s honor is indicated in Hector’s defeat of Patroclus. â€Å"Hector†¦ seeing [Patroclus] trying to stagger free,†¦ came rushing into him right across the lines and rammed his spearshaft home, stabbing deep in the bowels†¦ Down he crashed—horror gripped the Achaean armies.† (Homer, 439) Patroclus’ fall not only represented Hector’s superior might, but the publicity of aretà ©; for every Achaean soldier became demoralized by the death of Patroclus. Whereas in the aforementioned culture a person’s status was public and largely based on strength, Thucydides wrote about a culture that valued beauty through the intellect and art forms. When Corcyra and Corinth are poised to go to war with each other... ... Peloponnesian War is neither romantic nor poetic; rather, it is an (relatively) objective account of what he considered to be the most devastating war. Based on his observations, Thucydides used logic to infer things about human behavior and historical events. It could well have been this abandonment of romanticism that allowed Thucydides to so accurately explain history in terms of human nature, which is based very much on the human condition. If this is the case, then it is certainly not surprising that Thucydides describes many familiar ideas and is able to relate values and principles from cultures older than his own to modern ones. Works Cited 1. Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Trans. Rex Warner. New York: Penguin Books, 1954. 2. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.