Communal Supportive Action Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communal Supportive Action Theory - Assignment Example The initial part of the theory describes how people with measurable approach calculate their actions to benefit them self only, but they suffer long-term loneliness, lack of support and pleasure and disheveled reputation eventually. On the other hand, considerate individuals take a course of action which is less beneficial for them, but more beneficial towards larger humanity then they would earn long-term support, respect, a fiscal and sentimental advantage over the former one. The ‘Communal Supportive Action’ theory entails the idea of pleasantly surviving and sustaining in a society. This theory lays stress on the fact that individuals neither live alone nor their actions impact less. Hence, if they take actions according to their ease, preference, and lifestyle they would be withholding the notion of communal advantage. For instance, if garbage is thrown out of a house and dumped in a street, the trash would make the passage narrow, would produce long-term detrimental effects (health), would make a good home for pests and rats, would make the area look dirty and that would automatically evaluate the community. These self-centered actions are taken on the bases of personal priorities (shortage of time, lack of strength to walk the extra mile, lack of sense of cleanliness and lack of respect for others living in the surrounding). If one assesses the abovementioned theory with regard to objective approach then one realizes that Welfares, NGO’s, non-profitable organizations, religious and community beneficial services always concentrate on larger good instead of personal ones. Moreover, if individuals focus on their preferences then they attain short-term benefit and lack of dignity in the society as well.

Corporate Strategy - Analysis of Michael Porter Essay

Corporate Strategy - Analysis of Michael Porter - Essay Example Companies were not willing to take risks and venture into path that was not trodden earlier by some one else. In the information technology sector, imitation became inevitable as emerging economies allowed inwards flow of FDI. When multinationals started expanding to low cost countries they had to enter in joint venture with a local partner, which means they had to transfer technology. When firms entered India, they had to opt for joint ventures. While older technologies are transferred through licensing agreement, new technologies or those with fewer previous transfers or where the transferors have little experience with technology transfers opt for FDI (Eapen & Hennart, 2002). Porter further says, in high-tech industries this imitation phase often continues much longer than it should. This is because once the companies become established they do not plan for anything new and do not have any clear strategic. Stagnation occurs, which results in mediocre returns. Companies that come out with fundamental advantages prosper such as Toyota in the automobile sector. The Big Three in the US automotive industry namely, Ford Motor Company (Ford), General Motors Corporation (GM) and DaimlerChrysler (DC) played a prominent role in the evolution of the automotive industry till the 1990s. The industry adopted the lean production technique from Japan in the 1990s. The auto industry is the most globalized in the world and has undergone turbulent changes. The industry has been facing issues such as facing issues such as slow time to market, costly inventories, overcapacity, and low customer satisfaction and loyalty (Deloitte, 2003). The Big Three did not take initiatives to bring about fundamental changes as technology evolved. This allowed others such as Toyota and Hyundai to dominate the world market. Today Toyota is America’s third most admired organization and enjoy a 17.4 percent share of the US retail market (SD, 2007). Toyota has

The Role Of Managers In Staff Training Management Essay

The Role Of Managers In Staff Training Management Essay This paper explores how the organization benefited by training process. The purpose of this paper is to assess the benefits for the training and development in Retail organization. One of the most important resources of retail is their staff. In order to provide satisfactory service to their customer and able to face the future challenges, the staff should have proper skills which are continually develop.( Gower handbook,1991). It also outlines the special issue which identifies developments in the field of training for employees, recruitment, their transition to work, and their continuous development. Research objectives The research is focused on training and development on Marks and spencer with a view to wider application to other retailer in the country. Its objectives are to -Critically examine training needs in retail organization -Examine the role of managers in staff training and development -Examine approaches to training and development in the United Kingdom. Theoretical perspective relevant to the topics such as motivation Identify the approaches which could be adopted and make recommendations. Research Methods The research methodology will seek the answers to these questions as well as evidence as to which training needs have priority and which approach are most effective and relevant to the organization. The argument to be developed in this dissertation is that the most cost effective and culturally acceptable approach will be to identify training as an essential part of all manager roles and show how this might be implemented. The following are the types of research design that could be used -Research reviews -Qualitative research -Analysis of existing records -Ad hoc sample survey and regular surveys -Case study -longitudinal studies -Experimental Literature Review In order to explain the importance of training and development in an organisation the chapter is begin with the history of the subject, describe and discuses its definitions and benefits. It considers some model of training and development and some organisation of UK are using some of the models. History of training and development Human resources are considered by many to be the most important asset of an organization. Until now very few employers are able to exploit the full potential from their employees.(Jeff Lee,2005) Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is concerned with the contributions which human resource strategies can make to achieve organizational effectiveness and the ways to achieve those contributions (Jeff E Lee D, 2005). Strategic human resource development is the most current form of training and development where training and learning are strategically integrated vertically with organisational goals and horizontally to other HR activities (Millmore, Lewis, Saunders, thornhill and morrow 2007) Training and development can be identified as a planned process to improve the human capacity by modifying their skills, knowledge and attitudes. More recently the training and development term has been replaced by the term HRD (human resource development) which mainly focus on individual and organisational learning. The systematic approach training is described by as a cycle of four activities identify of HRD needs, plan and design HRD interventions to meet those indentify needs, implement the HRD interventions and finally evaluate the outcomes.( Millmore, Lewis, Saunders, thornhill and morrow 2007).This approach will be briefly discuss later part of the report. According to McCracken and Wallace, (2000) Strategic human resource development is a creation of a learning culture in which a range of training, development and learning strategies both respond to corporate strategy and help to shape and influence it. Based on the Garavans (1991) work, they redefined the nine key characteristic of SHRD practice. In their work they present SHRD as very strategically mature and compare with HRD and training where strategic maturity is absence. (Millmore, Lewis, Saunders, thornhill and morrow 2007) Key SHRD characteristics Integration with organisational missions and goals. Top management support. Environmental scanning. HRD plans and policies. Line manager commitment and involvement. Existence of complementary HRM activities. Expanded trainer role. Recognition of culture. Emphasis on evaluation Source: McCracken and Wallace (2000) Garavan(1995) state that many trainers find the tern SHRM difficult to accept, while they prefer the more softer term employee development or training and development. According to him HRD term is nowadays widely acceptable which means the planned learning and development of people as individual or group to benefit the organisation. McCracken and Wallace, (2000) state that, HRD is viewed as a strategic lever in organisations which helping the business to implement its business strategies. In their work they use the concept of training where they describe the level of sophistication which the organisation has with regard to training which helps to shape and formulate corporate strategy. McCracken and Wallace, (2000) suggested that the strategic HRD should shape and influence the organisational mission and goals. McCracken and Wallace, (2000) noted that SHRD should have a much more proactive and influential role which leads to a new model of SHRD which disguises the differences between Training which has a reactive and ad hoc implementation role in relation to corporate strategy. Organisation is very immature in terms of HRD and has no learning culture. Meanwhile HRD has a systematic implementation role which shows signs of corporate strategy. Organisation shows that it is beginning to develop a maturity in terms of HRD with the presence of nine Gravan (1991) characteristic and learning culture is also developing. Finally SHRD role is working toward shaping and responding to corporate strategy. The organisation has become strategically mature and there is a evidence of improved Garavan (1991) characteristic as well as presence of a strong learning culture (McCracken and Wallace, 2000).A model of SHRD which shows the continuum of HRD strategic maturity is portrayed below adopted from Millmore, Lewis, Saunders, thornhill and morrow 2007 work. HRD characteristic Training HRD SHRD HRD strategic maturity Organisation strategically is not mature in HRD terms Organisation is strategically is quite mature in HRD terms Organisation strategically very mature in terms of HRD. 1)Integration with Organisational missions And goals. 2) Top management Support. 3)Environmental scanning 4) HRD plan and policies 5)Line manager Commitment and involvement. 6)Existence of complementary HRM activities 7)Expanded trainer role. 8) Recognition of culture. 9) emphasis on evaluation. Little integration with organisation missions and goals. 2)very limited support. 3) Little awareness of environment. 4)Ad hoc responses to indentified problem. 5)Limited commitment and involvement. 6) Little or no horizontal integration of HR activities. 7) Lack of expanded trainer role. 8) little recognition of culture. 9)little emphasis on evaluation. Integration with organisational missions And goals. 2)active support 3)active environmental Scanning. 4)Systematically integrated with Organisational strategy. 5)line managers Commitment and involvement. 6)Existence of complementary HRM Activities. 7) Expanded trainer role. 8)recognition of Culture. 9)emphasis on evaluation. shaping organisational missions and goals. 2)adopt leadership role to HRD. 3)environmental scanning Done by senior management. 4)developed with strategy plan and policies. 5)strategic partnership with line management. 6)strategic partnership with HRM. 7)Trainers as organisational change consultants. 8)ability to influence corporate culture. 9)emphasis on cost effectiveness There are a number of reasons why training and development becomes an important issue for both organisations and management. All organisations in existence need a successful training programme to achieve their goal. It is an investment for any organisation which helps to improve its profitability, reduce its costs, increase the commitment and motivation of its people and release their potential. Training needs vary from one organisation to another and it is important to develop training techniques to meet training goals (www.ictknowledgebase). The Journal of E-learning (2008) stated that the purpose of training is to motivate their employees, to help their potential and develop them better with the current changing business environment of e-learning. The pace of change is increasing and it its really important for employer to keep up to date their employees. Skills gained yesterday are no longer appropriate for today. The combination of recessions, globalisation and changing technology has changed our live. Most of todays jobs demand multi skill. The days of needing one skill has replaced by the multi-skilled. Employees also need to prove their commitment to their job by developing own skills to maintain their marketability (Tony pont, 2003). The attitude of employers to training is also changing. Also there are still many employers see training as costly overhead, while many now recognise training is an investment for future.(Tony Pont,2003). According to training and development journal November 2009, A recent Accountemps/Robert Half survey found that in the past year, 26 percent of companies cut their professional development programs, according to senior executives. At the same time, 28 percent reported that their companies actually strengthened their training initiatives and 45 percent maintained the same programming. The survey also indicate that three quarter of organisation increased training level or kept training expenses at same level. After the industrial revolution, development of large organisations and systematic approach to manual work training began. Taylor and gilbreths works contributed to the importance of training by identifying the nature of job. Their research was to determine the most productive way of carrying out the work. In early 1930s hawthorns experiment in an electric plant in Chicago establish the fact what motivates staff at work place. After doing his research he was able suggest that management need to concern about the feelings and needs of employees. (Gower 1991). Defining the terms Manpower services commissions glossary of training terms (1981) identifies training as A planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose, in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the individual and to satisfy the current and future manpower needs of the organisations. Training does not only benefit the employees it is also beneficial for organisations. Training and development can be achieved by necessary attitude, skill and knowledge which can be affectively gained by a learner who can become more confident about their abilities. Training is about developing people and their skills and helping them to become more confident in their jobs. It is not only necessary to create a skilled workforce but also maintain the high level of skills which is demanded by constantly changing work environment (Reid Barrington, 2007). Training can be done by many different ways such as On-the-job training, informal training, classroom training, internal training courses, external training courses, on-the-job coaching, life-coaching, mentoring, training assignments and tasks, skills training, product training, technical training, behavioural development training, role-playing and role-play games and exercises, attitudinal training and development, accredited training and learning (Reid Barrington, 2007). Many different factors influence training responsibilities and roles. There are six major influences on training responsibilities and roles in the organisation such as the environment, goal and tasks, structure, technology and workforce of the organisation, and its political system. The political factors have such influence on the training role culture, commitment, expertise and interactions (Harrison, 1988). It is important for the trainer to identify the contribution of training to the business. They need to be aware of the close relationship between training and profit. Management must see training as an investment, which is needed not only to create a skilled workforce but also maintain the skills demanded by the constantly changing working environment. In order to add values to the business training should comply with the direction of the corporate and business strategy, which also need to help to meet business demand.(Tony pont,2003) According to Harrison, Development is the all-important process, through which individual and organizational growth can through time achieve their fullest potential. Education is a major contributor to that development process, because it directly and continuously affects the formation not only of knowledge and abilities, but of character and of culture, aspirations and achievements. Training is the shorter-term, systematic process through which an individual is helped to master defined tasks or areas of skill and knowledge to predetermined standards (Harrison, 1989 cited in Lundy Cowling, 1996). The explanation of differences in definition is that in the past the trainer knew the best and therefore they used to establish training needs for learners, they also set objectives; make up a training programme which will help learner to gain higher skills. But todays changing market individual is given more responsibilities to take care of their learning and development. It is necessary to consider the learners maturity, personal development and motivation.(Kenny and Reid 1986) Training and employee development is become a current trend of todays competitive job markets which makes employers more focused on organisational goals. Todays market is very competitive and an organisation has to fight for survival where training may largely be a matter of continuing to carry out long establishes routine. According to Armstrong (1996), Organisational Structure-Generally goals of an organisations and its total tasks and level of achievement of there tasks are crucial determinants of an organisations primary training needs. The organisations should therefore have a fundamental influence on determining what training activities, responsibilities and roles are to be performed. According to Harrison(1988), Organisational structure, Organisational technology and the workforce-Organisation need to plan training to improved job performance. There is a training cycle which is adopted by UK and based on a simple four stages model expressed as follows: First identify and specify the training need, then designa training programme, next implement the training and evaluate it. Having defined training strategy it is now necessary to define effective training strategy. Effective training Strategy: The term training strategy means that the overall approach chosen to assess training needs and the particular ways in which training will be carried out in the organisation for instance on the job, off the job etc. (Harrison, 1988). According to Mayo(2001)There are two main strategies which can be adopted in organisation total or comprehensive strategy and problem centred strategy. These two strategies are not against of each other. They are simple approaches which are the same in their general principle but might be fit in different situation. The Comprehensive strategy starts with strategy starts with an analysis of the corporate plan. This strategy is relevant for the organisation where the environment is relatively stable. And where longer term training can be developed with an acceptable chance. The problem centred apply in the organization where the environment of the organisation either unpredictable or competitive. Organisation like these needs training to help them deal with their immediate and pressing problems. Models of training and development For the purpose of this dissertation three models will discussed which is using by two UKs retail organisation. The models are the systematic training approach, strategic training and self development approach. The two uks organisations are Marks and Spencer and Tesco. Systematic training approach A system approach to training views the organisation as a complex set of subsystems and expects changes in one subsystem to acquiesce possible need to another. It is organisational approach but it can also help to produce individual or group plans such as early retirement training needs, a change in work requirements and learning needs.Armstrong1988 state that organisation need to adopt this approach to be successful and this means Identifying the training needs. Defining training objectives which must aim to achieve measurable goals in terms of improvement and changing. Preparing a plan to meet objectives and also the cost related to the whole process. Implementing the plans Monitoring and analysing the result And finally getting the feedback for evaluation Woods (1992)state that, avoid such problems and to provide complete guidelines, the training needs a systematic approach. He presented a the training cycle diagram which begins with developing the needs assessment, goes through training and implementation (identifying training objectives, contents, methods, implementation), and finally evaluating the program. As we are assessing the benefits of training needs and its benefits through organisation Woods training circle helps us to look at the four steps which should be followed by the organisation to gain the effectiveness. The first in the training process is the analysing the needs because every training program effect the work unit and organisation. The next step is identifications of training objectives. Woods (1992) recommended four categories of training goals: 1. Reaction-based: Investigates how employees feel about the issue. 2. Learning-acquired.: Examines how a trainee obtains knowledge about dealing with differences. 3. On-the-job behaviour: Analyzes the degree of behaviour change after the training. 4. Results-oriented: Measures the influence of training in improving technical skills for dealing with diverse people. The third stage in the training cycle is the establishment of the proper training content. The next stage is choosing and implementing the training program using proper methods. According to Harris and West, (1993).The methods of training vary substantially according to the circumstances of the company. Training can be done either on-the-job or in a place outside the workplace. On-the-job training can be effective when supervisors or trained instructors are involved in the actual work setting, while off-the-job training, including lectures, simulation and case studies, can be done without interrupting the everyday routine. While traditional methods are still useful, technology-based training using CD-ROM is increasingly in demand. The final stage of the training cycle is evaluation. Milkovich and Boudreau (1991) highlighted that training programs need to verify whether the training is successful in trainees performances in work settings. Strategic training approach Rothwell and kazanas 1989 state that the strategic training approach is based on the learners need for the future condition. This model is based on problem finding rather than problem solving. It will help reduce the gap between what the leaners need to know and what they should know. In order to identify the proper utilisation of this model, it is important to consider what needs to be done and what skills and knowledge needed. There is a difference between the skills and knowledge needed and the skills and knowledge currently employees have. Before implementing the plan it is necessary for employers to identify those gaps. The main aims of this approach is to identify training and non training needs.the training may be related to high cost but this cost can be avoid by selecting right training method. The learners need could be made through employee record, informal discussions, observations and interviews. To implementing this approach future learner expected to have the ability to learn, anticipation and motivation. They also require having some background skills and knowledge of strategic thinking. This approach aims to reduce cost; choice of method is depend on time, skills and available learning material. Training method can be selected from case studies, classroom lecture, role playing, group exercise, brain storming etc. Self-development training approach This model encourages managers to draw up their own self development plan. Reid, Barrington and brown (2004) state that, if managers are operating an environment where learning practice are encouraged, then thy should be focused on their own development without any doubt. But self development should not seen as alternative for the involvement of the managers. It is important for the mangers to show their staff that they take time to develop their own skills and competences. If management can prove staff their role as self developer, it will ensure their staff that self development is not as a responsibility but a benefit. Development is a step forward to a new level of potential where it requires external challenges and right internal perception of challenge. It is a self initiated challenges which need self discipline, creativity and learning. The primary motivation will come from self achievement, self fulfilment while reward and punishment should take as secondary. The self developer should be willing to take their own risk and able to judge where necessary. (Pedler, 1981). Assessing the benefits of an effective training and development strategy According to Armstrong (1996), A well-formulated training strategy should be able to influence an individuals Mind, Behaviour, Attitude, Communication, Critical analysis skills, Problem-solving, Interpersonal skills/relationship with peers and management, Working practices, Productivity, Performance, Time management, And motivation towards his/her responsibilities as an employee in an organisation. Those factors are important operationally and tactically, because in any organisation these are important aspects in relation to an organisations well being and successful functioning running, strategists and the top-level management of a company .According to Mayo(2001) Organisation may design and formulate Training Strategies, but it is the tactical and operational managers and their teams who eventually implement and execute those polices and strategies and it is necessary to understand that employees and workers at tactical and operational levels have the right training and developmen t given to them to enable them to successfully forward and reach the organisations aims, goals, and mottos. If the training strategy successfully enhances it will make all employees to give better contributors to the aims and objectives of the organisation, then the successful internal relationship between employees and the management of the organisation should make them a better organisation for their clients/customers and suppliers dealers.(Mayo,2001) There are so many debates going on now a day is training really useful for organisation or its just a waste of money. According to David (2008) training is just a waste of money and time for the organisation as because after giving trained employee a new area company just send them back in previous work role which is simply waste of time. He argues that before implementing any training programme it has to be well designed and effective which will help people to explore their experience, knowledge, self-awareness. For getting out the most from the training it is important to train people in their regular basic work where they can develop their skills. Before implement any strategy We have to ask ourselves a simple question which will help us to realise, at the end of the day who is the training strategy for, what is it for, and why is it there, what is it meant to accomplish and achieve for an organisation (David, 2008). The researcher learnt from various writers that most of the training and development benefits take long to occur. Most of the managers do not fancy opening up training oppurtunities for young graduates to fear of losing jobs. Most organization think that the planned training is expensive,they would rather have it an ad hoc basis. During the economic recession it is usually the training budget that is cut down. A well-designed comprehensive training strategy can bring about advantage to a business and an organisation, then no doubt its employees will be the ones who will be responsible for its practical implementation from top to bottom, and essentially its linked to the employee development incentive of any organisation. A training strategy cannot be successfully implemented by itself if employees are not developed up to standards that match the corporate scale of the business world at large and also an organisation. Training Strategy should enable the development and growth of its employees and use the potential, competencies, and the abilities that they seize and is inherent within them (www.icmrindia.org). Mullins (2005) distinguishes Groups and teams, and has mentioned that these two terms are often used interchangeably, according to him Teams tend to have more mutual understanding between each other collectively, and are more closely knit, whereas groups are a number of individuals assigned on a particular task, and the groups usually deconstructs once the task has been achieved, so the clear distinction here is that a team has mutual understanding, where as each person in a group is merely working towards their own individual goals and aspirations without actually showing much concern for the benefit of others in the group. If the training strategy successfully implemented it will improve the relationship between employees and organisation and help them better contribution to their aims and objectives of the organisation. Communication is an important tool for succession of training strategy. The way strategies are discussed, delegated, explained and communicated from the senior directors of a company to their employees, its help to understand both employees and employers each other need which will help them to implement the strategy more perfectly. Investing in and resourcing people developing them to a reasonable level will enable employees to feel valued and respected and cared for by their organisations, and this positive feeling will eventually reflect on their performance, and The training strategy should be benefiting two ways first of all it should up skill the standard of employee competence performance and these achievements should in turn enable employees to execute their organisations Training Strategy more effectively. (www.go2hr) Minimise cost and maximise positive outputs for the organisation should be the main objective of an effective training strategy, so a well devised strategy should take into account everything internal and external of relevance, importance, and matter that will be useful in approaching a good strategy as compared to a not so good one. The training strategy designed should also be of high efficiency; practical, feasible, and realistic in accordance with the nature of the organisation(www.go2hr). According to Hutchinson(2004) An effective training strategy should be to retain the best people in the organisation, and the Training Strategy should do this by balancing its corporate needs and providing the right level of employee development incentives to their staff, employees are the money maker of any organisation, they provide support and service if they feel that they are not valued by the organisation than the company would not be able to gain their target success, that is why it is e xtremely important that employees who are excelling in their role are provided for well during their time with their organisations. According to Truelove(2006) in any job role motivation is important factor in order for an employee perform towards their employer expectations. It is a complex matter because poor motivation may be due to many things such as boredom, lack of challenge, a feeling of being unappreciated. From the Victor Vrooms perspective in the motivation there are three variables which he calls valance, expectancy and instrumentality. Valance is important during motivating the people; it can be positive, neutral or negative personalities and circumstance will affect the perception of the outcome. In a training situation the perception is varied by person to person, may be highly valued by one person but no value for other. Expectancy is the belief that the individual has that he or she can achieve the outcome. The person will not feel motivated to do something if they feel that it is beyond them. So it is important to organise the training program which will help to raise expectancy level which will help to being able to achieve target. Instrumentality situation is linked to the expected outcome which can be actually achieved depend on the management promised. Its necessary to organise the course that will lead the employee towards their dream job. So in order for an organisation to benefit from its Trainings Strategy, organisations have to apply motivation dependent on the level of creativity and fun within the different job roles in their organisation. Examples may include fringe benefits, bonuses, and performance related pay. A Training Strategy can only be successfully implemented if an employee have the right knowledge understanding of the Training Strategy and has the development and training given to them. Benefits of Training According to the journal of Development and Learning in Organizations(2002)Global petrochemical group BP found that lack of training means lack of commitment. Few years ago when they look at their staff performance they found out that the turnover is nearly hundred people but the morality was low. People are not as loyal and dedicated they should be. Then the management decide to do a survey and they discover that lack of training is the main reason behind the poor performance. Taking into account this factor BP initiated a training program adding a NVQÂ  [1]Â  programme which attracts most employees and makes them committed to the programme. Its not only increase the employees pe

Michelangelo Buonarroti Essay -- essays research papers fc

Michelangelo Buonarroti   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo Buonarroti was born in 1475. He was born in a small town called Caprese, in Tuscany, Italy. Michelangelo was one of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance. According to Charles de Tolnay Michelangelo's three greatest works of his later life, were the Tomb of Pope Julius II, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the Medici Chapel(37).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo's specialty was painting the human body unclothed. In order to learn to paint the human body so well he would dissect human corpses. His artistic talents were noticed at a very early age. Michelangelo went to study with Domenico Ghirlandago, who taught him about painting. He then went on to work with Donatello to learn about sculpture. Between the years of 1490-1492 Michelangelo lived in the house of Lorenzo de' Medici and was influenced by Neoplatonic thought. Some of Michelangelo's early painting showed the influence of Giotto and Masaccio. Also many of his early sculptures show the influence of Donatello (Columbia University Press) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo's artistic career can be divided into two periods. In the early period he focused on realism. During this early period Michelangelo's works included the â€Å"Pieta† and the â€Å"David.† At the age of 24 he completed a statue called the â€Å"Pieta,† showing the dead Jesus Christ in his mother's arms. In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence, Italy to sculpt the famous nude sculpture called the â€Å"David.† The â€Å"David† measures 18 feet tall, and is so massive that it took 40 men to move it from Michelangelo's workshop(World Book 5016)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second period of Michelangelo's career was based upon his imagination. In 1505 Michelangelo was summoned by Pope Julius II to fabricate his tomb. Michelangelo was so excited about making the tomb for the Pope that he spent many months looking for the perfect piece of marble to make the tomb. A short time after starting the tomb Pope Julius II selected Michelangelo to decorate the Sistine Chapel ceiling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Sistine Chapel is in the palace of The Vatican in Rome. The Sistine Chapel was built by Pope Sixtus IV in 1473. The Sistine Chapel ceiling took over four years to complete, 1508-1512. Michelangelo was able to accomplish this enormous job in such a short amou... ...ecause of Michelangelo's unhappiness with the Pope it caused him not to express his true feelings to the Pope. This made Michelangelo more upset and frustrated. Michelangelo's relationship with the Pope became a vicious cycle(Liebert 152).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo was one of the most recognized artists of the Italian Renaissance. He was a great sculptor, painter, writer, and poet. He was a true Renaissance man. One of his best works was the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Even though he was unhappy with the outcome of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the ceiling turned out to be magnificent List Of Works Cited De Tolnay, Charles. The Art and Thought of Michelangelo. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Random House, 1964 Janson, H.W. History of Art. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Liebert, Robert S MD. Michelangelo, A Psychoanalytic Study of His Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and Images. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. â€Å"Michelangelo.† Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Online.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia University Press, 1994. â€Å"Michelangelo.† The World Book Encyclopedia. 1959. Vol. XI.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pages 5015-5016.

A Semiotic Approach on How Meaning Can Be Created in an Audience

A Semiotic Approach on How Meaning can Be Created In An Audience â€Å"Human intellectual and social life is based on the production, use, and exchange of signs† (Danesi, 2002) As Danesi (2002) states, signs are an integral part of society; from watching television, listening to music, reading, writing or talking, we are engaged in sign based behaviour. This engagement with signs is known as the study of semiotics.Dating back to 460-377BC, with the founder of Western medical science, Hippocrates, coining the term, then known as semeiotics, he described signs consisting of three dimensions; the physical dimension, known as the signifier, the referent, or signified, and the signification (Danesi, 2002). These dimensions only have meaning when â€Å"it has someone to mean to† (Williamson, 1978). In the 20th century, semiotic theory was developed by a group of semioticians, linguists, psychologists and cultural theorists, based on the saussurean-Piercean paradigm (Danesi, 2 002).First introduced to the public in the 1950’s by Roland Barthes, to describe our mediated culture, semiotics is essential when creating an advertisement. Among other things, semiotics plays a significant role in engaging the intended audience- the buyer. Whether it is the elderly, teens, children, men or women, the placement of colours, text, images and other signs, play a key role in the success of the advertisement (Scott, 1994).By taking a semiotic approach, this essay will demonstrate how meaning can be created in an audience, by the analysis of two advertisements, and discussing how codes and context are central in the ‘anchoring’ of meaning. First introduced by Roland Barthes (1977), the notion of anchorage, discusses the linguistic essentials that can help anchor, or constrain, how a reader interprets an image: â€Å"to fix the floating chain of signifieds† (Barthes, 1977). The advertisements chosen are from differing and contrasting magazines; the first from iconic fashion magazine Vogue and the other from a men’s magazine, Men’s Health.These differing genres have been chosen to illustrate how contexts and codes within specific social relations, groups, classes, institutions, structures and things (Thwaites, Davis and Mules, 2002) play an integral role in creating meaning (Scribd, 2012). Much of what we have come to understand about society, is learnt from the texts that are presented around us; through Hollywood blockbusters, to novels and magazines. Chandler concludes that â€Å"life is thus lived through texts and framed by texts to a greater extent than we are normally aware of† (Chandler, 2001).This means that advertisements not only refer to ‘real world’ concepts that we deal with day to day, but they also make reference to other texts. The level of this ‘intertextuality’ (Fiske, 1987) is what influences social beliefs and ideals in the world we live in. The advertiseme nt from Vogue (See ad 1) features a sepia- colour scheme, with an alluring female to the right, and a bottle of ‘j’adore Dior’ perfume, to the left. Many signifiers are present in this advertisement; the female (Charlize Theron), is dressed in an elegant gold beaded dress, with a high beaded neckline, drawing the viewers eye to her strong jaw-line and bronzed face.Her pose is that of elegance and power, the background light shining around her slim figure. The colour of the clothing, and overall image, compliment the golden-sepia tone of the bottle of perfume on the left. Chandeliers are placed around the perfume bottle, and out of focus behind the woman. The signifieds present are; the gold dress giving an impression of the woman being a high profile member of society of, chandeliers are present in homes of the wealthy and the sepia tones represent warmth. By using a female of celebrity status, the advertisements appeal rises with the wider female audience, due t o her known status.The key connotations featured in this advertisement are; the gold coloured dress connotes wealth, elegance and popularity. The powerful and elegant stance of the woman connotes power a female will gain when wearing this fragrance. Due to her celebrity status, the audience can also feel empowered, with a ‘celebrity’ status. The sepia tones connote warmth, and invite the viewer to become involved with the advertisement. Along with the bronzed body of the woman, the French writing j’adore (meaning I love) adds an essence of romance, and connotes desire, and sex appeal.As the ad connotes power, it is open for both upper and lower/middle class woman to interpret. Upper class woman could strive to maintain power, whilst lower class desire to gain power, by using the product. The way the creators of the ad have placed the female in this position, in these surroundings, to represent the product, has been done deliberately to target the desired audience ; woman have a desire to feel beautiful, powerful, and sexy, therefore the creator has appropriately placed the advertisement in a women’s very well known and popular fashion magazine, to gain maximum results from the targeted audience.Leiss (1990) states that â€Å"at the core of advertising’s purposes now is not the message itself as a communicator of meaning, but rather its relationship to the audience† (Leiss et al. , 1990). With the development of the theory of marketing segmentation, it is logical to therefore conclude that creators of advertisements don’t focus on the product, but the signs and codes that connate particular meanings of positivity that are related to a certain lifestyle, culture, or social group (Scribd, 2012).The connotations pervade media representations, and symbolise psychological or social themes and situations that are familiar and understandable to the audience (Danesi, 2002), in order to successfully sell the product. The ad vertisement from the Men’s Health (see ad 2), is selling ‘Tom Ford Perfume’. This somewhat controversial ad has many key signifiers. The male figure lying on a bed is the predominant focus, followed by a female hand with red nail polish touching the male’s chest. The object that is being advertised is only shown as a half.The basic colour scheme is black and white, with the exception of the red nail polish and orange cologne bottle. The signifieds present are; the male is an essential selling point of the advertisement, therefore he takes up the majority of the page. Sex appeal is what the advertiser is trying to convey, and the glimpse of a female hand can be seen as elegant and flirty. The key connotations are; the male figure as desirable and powerful- every woman would want an intimate connection with him. The red fingernails connote passion, desire, lust, and a thirst for action (Danesi, 2002).By using this cologne, the advertisement connotes that the user will become the ultimate object of desire, playing in to the male want of intimate connections with females. As the male figure has ‘sex appeal’ the advertisement encourages the partner of a male to purchase the fragrance, so she could have a ‘sexy’ male partner. The orange tone of the cologne bottle connotes warmth, stimulating the senses. When producers try to convey certain meanings, audiences may or may not assign the same meanings (Littlejohn, 1996).As mentioned in the first analysis, the advertisement is open to other audiences, whilst the male cologne ad is more closed, but it is up to the reader to decide whether or not they belong to the context or not. Signs are combined in to texts, but a text has no meaning on its own (Smagorinsky, 2001). It draws value from surrounding elements and from reader association, but also from what it is not (Littlejohn, 1998). The amalgamation of these creates the context in which the text functions; if you are n’t a wearer of perfume or cologne, you will have no interest in what it is trying to sell you, hence the importance of context.Thwaites and colleagues (2002) mention that â€Å"the social situations in which a sign is used may determine the appropriate content, type of sign and coding; signs contextual functions indicate the context in which it operates (Thwaites, Davis and Mules, 2002). Chandler explains that Stuart Hall pointed to the role of social positioning in the interpretation of mass media texts by different social groups (Chandler, 2001). Hall also suggested three hypothetical models of interpretive codes or positions for the reader of a text (Hall, 1980). But what Hall and also Chandler miss, is what happens when you don’t understand an advertisement at all?Because, as Griffin says; â€Å"like chameleons that take on the colouration of their environment, words take on their meaning of the context in which they are used† (Griffin, 2000). The opinion that the usefulness of semiotics decreases and is above all dependant on the skill of the interpreter is not new. Leiss (1990) argues that a key drawback for semiotics is that â€Å"it is heavily dependent upon the skill of the individual analyst† (Leiss, 1990). Less skilful analysts â€Å"can do little more than state the obvious in a complex and often pretentious manner† (Leiss, 1990).As Littlejohn (1996) states â€Å"meanings of a message are affected by events outside the message itself†, therefore the most successful advertisements focus on making sure the audience understands the content being conveyed (codes) and the content lays emphasis on certain meanings over others (context). In this perspective, the kind of magazine reflects how meanings are emphasised. Bignell (1997) even argues that â€Å"as well as being a collection of signs, the magazine is a sign in itself† (Bignell, 1997), the magazine is therefore a â€Å"powerful ideological forceâ €  (McRobbie, 2000) in society.Even though some postmodernists believe that texts are endlessly polysemic (Barthes 1977, Fiske 1987), meanings are still able to be communicated. Leiss (1990) argues that â€Å"for advertising to create meaning, the reader or viewer must do some ‘work’, because the meaning is not lying there on the page, one has to make an effort to grasp it† (Leiss et al, 1990). When analysing both of these advertisements, this statement is correct- the creators of the ad have given the reader ‘A and C’ but the reader must fill in the blank, or as it is known in this example, B.The application of semiotics in advertising varies significantly depending on the product being sold. Common themes almost always stay the same- the sense of freedom or excitement you get from purchasing a specific car or the feeling of popularity when you drink a certain type of alcohol (Messaris, 1997). This is done by using specific images, which resonate with the intended audience. For example, if there is an advertisement for a new Jeep, images of it going through all types of terrain will be shown, or alcoholic beverages are advertised at a party scene, all to make the audience want to buy the product (Messaris, 1997).As Chandler and Bignell suggest, signs and codes can be a medium itself, and described by Leiss (1990) â€Å"an ad is a mediator between creator and reader, standing at the confluence of the double symbolic process in the marketplace, where producers of goods try to attempt to construct one set of meanings, and where consumers use these meanings (along with meanings drawn from other sources) in the construction of their own lifestyles† (Leiss et al. , 1990).This is why semiotics is significant, even on a basic level, as it can show us how meanings have the ability to both construct and maintain particular social attitudes and ideals of a specific society. On a multifaceted level, the notion of intertextuality is intriguing and should be studied more widely as it exposes the many intricate ways in which contexts transfer from each other, showing how the contexts migrate from one another and portray the uncertainty of meaning. Appendix Ad 1. Ad 2. Bibliography Barthes, R. 1977, Image-Music-Text, London. Bignell, J. 1997, Media Semiotics: An Introduction, Manchester: Manchester University Press.Chandler, D (2001), â€Å"Semiotics, the basics†, Routledge. Culler, J. 1985, Saussure, London. Danesi, M. 2002, ‘An Outline of Semiotic Theory’, In Understanding Media Semiotics, London, pp 28-53. Dior, 2012, (‘Dior Advertisement’), Vogue Magazine, June 2012, pp. 1-2. Fiske, J. 1987, â€Å"Intertextuality† in Fiske, J, Television culture, Methuen Griffin, E. 2000, Communication; a first look at communication theory, McGraw-Hill. Hall, S, 1980, Encoding/decoding, In Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (Ed. ): Culture, Media, Language: Working Papers in Cu ltural Studies, London. Leiss, W. Kline, S. & Jhally S. , 1990, Social Communication in Advertising: Persons, Products and Images of Well-Being, 2nd Edn, London. Littlejohn, S. 1996, Theories of Human Communication, 5th Edn, Wadsworth. McRobbie, A. 1995, Feminism and Youth Culture, 2nd edition, Macmillan Press, London. Messaris, P. 1997, Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising, Sage. Scott, M. 1994, ‘Images in Advertising: The need for a Theory of Visual Rhetoric, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 252-273. Scribd 2012, Scribd, Date Accessed 25 May 2012, http://www. scribd. om/doc/22099314/Semiotic-analysis-of-two-ads? &lang=en_us&output=json&session-id=74ea6fd65172766fface3eec2d5bfb14. Smagorinsky, P. 2001,’ If meaning is constructed, what is it made from? Toward a cultural theory of reading’, Review of Educational Research, vol. 71, pp. 133-169. Tom Ford, 2010, (‘Tome Ford Advertisement’), Men’s Hea lth Magazine, March 2010, pp. 2. Thwaites, T. , Davis, L. & Mules, W. 2002, Introducing Cultural and Media Studies; a semiotic approach, New York. Williamson, J. 1978, Decoding Advertisements; Ideology and Meaning in Advertising, London.

Mcdonalds Operating Strategy Essay

Introduction McDonald?  ¦s, first started by Ray Krov, is now one of the most popular fast food restaurants across the world. They proudly serve more than 46 million customers in 59 different countries and have more than 30,000 different locations domestically and internationally (Food Service). The fast food industry is booming at a rapid rate, especially the healthy trend, with this in mind, McDonald?  ¦s has strategically plan to stay on top of their competitors by providing consumers with more options of healthy meals, cheaper prices, and better service. McDonald? ¦s is competitive in many categories; examples are price, quality, management and employee training, other categories will be explained throughout the preceding sections. Consumers trust McDonald?  ¦s products because they use many of the same trusted brands that families buy at local grocery stores. The only difference is that their shopping cart is a whole lot bigger. OPERATIONS COMPETITIVE STRATEGY McDonald?  ¦s Corporation competes in a challenging market segment by providing need-satisfying products to customers. In this segment, ineffective competitors often fail without proper strategies . To sustain its viability, the McDonald?  ¦s corporation employs an effective competitive strategy to make it stand out against competitors such as other fast food restaurants. McDonald?  ¦s competes on several bases, including cost, speed, and nutrition, their strongest priority is ?  §making customers happy (?  §McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide 3). The company recently made drastic changes to its process by introducing the ?  §Made for You system (Chase). Competition Bases Speed McDonald?  ¦s competes on several bases mainly to ?  §make their customers happyby providing speedy, affordable, and nutritious foods. Through extensive market research and survey, the organization discovered that its customers desire speed as one of the restaurants?  ¦ top priorities. Therefore, McDonald?  ¦s vision aims to ?  §provide fast, friendly and accurate service (?  §McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide 5). McDonald?  ¦s realizes that specific targets are necessary to measure the performance of speed, and continuously takes relevant measurements to compare actual performance with desired targets (measurements are detailed later in this report in the ?  §Quality Managementsection). To achieve efficient service times, the company utilizes proven, standardized training processes for its employees and new drive-thru layouts to reduce service times. Along with speed, McDonald?  ¦s also competes by offering prices at a low cost. Cost To offer high quality products at low cost, requires efficient processes throughout the entire McDonald?  ¦s organization. Once again, this goal is built into their vision statement when they claim that ?  §We will be the most efficient provider so that we can be the best value to the most people (?  §McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide 5). McDonald? ¦s incorporates several avenues to provide great value to its customers: ? XOne strategy that the company has employed for many years is the value meal. The value meal allows customers to buy a sandwich, french fries, and beverage at a discount when purchased together. McDonald?  ¦s restaurants offer from seven to twelve value meals, both for their lunch menu and breakfast menu. ?XMore recently, McDonald?  ¦s began offering a value menu, consisting of many individual items costing only $1. 00 each. First tested in southern California, the value menu has proved to be very successful and has been since incorporated to the individual stores .? Some individual franchise owners choose to offer daily specials of special menu items, such as ?  §$0. 39 hamburger Wednesdays, or other similar specials. Big Mac Mondays are a popular regional promotion. Nutrition McDonald?  ¦s third main competitive base is nutrition. The organization understands that health trend is an increasingly popular trend therefore; the organization has recently focused extraordinary efforts to promote their new nutritious choices. Although not specifically built into the organization?  ¦s vision, McDonald?  ¦s has already introduced many options to achieve this goal: ? In the United States, ?  §Go-Active meals have been offered within the last few years. These meals include a salad, bottled water, and a ?  §step-o-meter to help customers keep track of how many steps they take a day. ?XOther countries have seen similar healthy options. The United Kingdom saw fresh fruit bags, containing apples and grapes, as an alternative to french fries (?  §McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide 12). ?XNot only does McDonald?  ¦s care about its customers, but it is also considerate of its employees?  ¦ health. In Europe, the organization worked with external nutritionists to develop an ? Employee Guidebookwhich contains tips and nutrition information for healthy lifestyles (?  §McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide 13). ?XMcDonald?  ¦s has assembled their Global Advisory Council on Balanced Lifestyles. This council consists of exercise & obesity specialists, environmentalists, and other professionals to ensure that McDonald?  ¦s takes appropriate steps in helping its customers achieve optimal health. ?XThe company is also utilizing technology to their advantage. The current McDonald?  ¦s website lets a user select any combination of menu items, place the items in the online bag, and conduct a nutritional analysis on their selections. The user can break down the analysis even further than a menu item, down individual condiments, including ketchup, pickles, etc. (?  §Bag a McMeal ). Not only has the company introduced many steps to ensure nutrition, but it will strive to continue the trend toward nutrition. McDonald?  ¦s plans to: add additional healthy menu options (fruits and vegetables); increase nutrition awareness among McDonald?  ¦s employees; conceive new ways to deliver nutrition information to its customers, and other actions (?  §McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide 13). Strongest Priority ? §At McDonald? ¦s, making customers happy is what our business is all about. And we know it takes a lot to make that happen. We work hard to provide every customer with a choice of meals and an experience that exceeds their expectations. The preceding statement is the quote which introduces McDonald?  ¦s Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility Report (2004). Although the company strives to compete on several bases, their ambient goal is customer satisfactions. They reach this goal through a variety of efforts. McDonald?  ¦s visionary goal is to continually improve their organization. One example is the manager on duty task of completing a ?  §travel path every thirty minutes of his shift. During a travel path, the manager personally checks every aspect of the restaurant, including: the lobby area where customers eat; the restrooms; the grill area behind the counter; the walk-in refrigerators and freezers; the stock area; as well as the entire perimeter outside the restaurant (Phillips, Eddie). Through completing travel paths, management continuously checks every aspect of the restaurant throughout the day. In addition to short term continual improvement, McDonald?  ¦s organization also thinks ahead for long term improvement. To ensure that they serve 100% safe food, McDonald?  ¦s conducts food safety tests multiple times throughout the day. The corporation changes ?  §Food Safety book used by the managers several times a year, in efforts to think toward the future for the most appropriate variables to measure (food safety will be further illustrated in the ?  §Quality Management section). Along with internal improvement to the organization, McDonald?  ¦s also collects external information from its customers to discover which aspects the company performs well, and which aspects could be improved. The manager is supposed to talk to at least one customer during each travel path and the manager can immediately react to this direct face-to-face communication. On a larger scale, McDonald surveys its customers two times per year. To entice customers to submit feedback, the organization offers a free sandwich in return for a completed survey (Phillips, Kenny). In summary, McDonald?  ¦s strives to reach its goal of ?  §making customers happy through their normal competitive bases of speed, price, and nutrition, and they also ensure customer satisfaction through continual improvement of their operations. Strategy Changes Made for You McDonald?  ¦s organization recently underwent drastic strategy changes to better serve their customers. Under their ?  §old system, the company would make several sandwiches at once, and hold the sandwiches in a warming bin until purchased by a customer. Under this system, management had to precisely predict how much food had to be put on hold. Precise prediction had to be used because if there were not enough food placed on hold, this would create the problem of increase waiting times for customers, and too much food would cause waste of expired items. McDonald?  ¦s dramatically changed their strategy in order to stay competitive with other fast food organizations. In 1999, McDonald?  ¦s spent $181 million to introduce their ?  §Made for You system (Chase). Under this new system, standard food items are not held in a bin until they are sold. In the ?  §Made for You system, modern technology greatly assists McDonald?  ¦s operations. When a customer places an order, the sandwich items are immediately displayed on a computer monitor in the kitchen and a tone sounds to alert the kitchen staff. Upon a new order, an employee in the kitchen will toast the bun, and assemble the sandwich accordingly. Standard items simply list the name of the sandwich, while customized orders list the sandwich name and the desired condiments. Once the sandwich is assembled, it is presented to the food loading area, where a different staff person retrieves the sandwich and completes the order by adding french fries, desserts, etc. The system works the same for front counter orders as well as drive-thru orders (Phillips, Kenny). Unfortunately, the introduction of the ? Made for Yousystem did not come easily. McDonald?  ¦s watched its customer satisfaction drop for the three consecutive years beginning in 1999 (Chase). After further research, they realized that although the new system provided fresher food, it was not as quick as the previous system. Instead of reverting back to the old system, McDonald?  ¦s continues to fine tune ?  §Made for You and add new options to help the system work faster. Revitalization Plan In order to cope with the first ever quarterly loss that resulted from inefficient use of the Made for You system (Chase), McDonald? ¦s has devised a new plan to increase profits. Previously, the corporation emphasized adding more restaurants to increase sales, but the new plan places emphasis on increasing sales at existing restaurants. The new plan will reduce spending, to enable more cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases (Cantalupo). Specific goals of the revitalization plan are to: ? XAttract new customers ?XEncourage existing customers to visit more often ?XBuild brand loyalty ?XCreate enduring profitable growth The main goal is to increase sales by creating an exceptional customer experience. McDonald?  ¦s plans to achieve this goal by focusing on its people, products, places, prices, and promotions. Menu Along with changes in their process strategies, McDonald?  ¦s has flirted with menu changes as well. Last year, they offered a ?  §new taste menu, where they offered a new sandwich for one week. The purpose was to offer customers a variety of options to satisfy peoples?  ¦ desire for variety. However, the new taste menu proved to be ineffective. Some customers would fall in love with an item, but it would only last one week, and they would be frustrated that they couldn? ¦t purchase their new beloved favorite sandwich. More recent changes to the menu have proved effective. McDonald?  ¦s realized that many of today?  ¦s customers seek healthy food options, and the corporation has offered items accordingly. As mentioned under ?  §Competition Bases, McDonald?  ¦s now offers a wider variety of nutritious items and provides information to help its customers as well as employees make informed healthy choices. QUALITY MANAGEMENT McDonald?  ¦s Corporation incorporates many quality management factors in its business process. Some of the most important plans undertaken to ensure quality include speed measurements, the five P?  ¦s (People, Product, Price, Place, and Promotion), employee training, and other factors. Speed One of the major quality management control factors includes minimizing the time that processes are done; this ensures an effective and efficient operations. A lot of these processes are done through the use of the latest information technology, whether it was through calculating the time of the processes or even making a database to value and make improvement to their processes. For example, one measurement is called Total Time in Line (TTL) which calculates the total time customers spend in the McDonald?  ¦s line, from the time the customer begins ordering until the time they get their food. TTL measurements are calculated the same way, the target TTL differs because of the service provided through the drive through or inside the restaurant. McDonald?  ¦s considers the fact that drive through customers usually expects their order faster and therefore, the drive through target TTL is 90 seconds. The target is slightly higher for the in-the-store customers because of the extra time they are willing to spend in the store (Phillips, Eddie). Along with measuring TTLs, other programs are utilized to make the speed of the service more efficient. The ?  §Made For You system uses the Kitchen-Video-System (KVS) to support fulfilling speedy orders. The Made for You system allows the order taker to enter or delete the orders on a touch screen that lists sandwiches, as well as individual condiments, in a way that eases the data entry process for the worker. As soon as any food is ordered, from any register, the necessary food items are displayed on a computer monitor in the kitchen. The kitchen staff immediately begins to prepare the food, and then erases the orders from the screen as the food is finished. Similar to TTLs, the time is measured between when an item is first displayed on the monitor, to the time when it is served. McDonalds continuously monitors these kitchen times in order to ensure that the Made for You system is working as efficiently as planned (Phillips, Eddie). Technology not only measures performance values within the organization, but it also assists in the drive through area. When a drive through worker is taking an order, it is displayed automatically on a screen available to the customer outside, called the Customer Order Display (COD). The customer can review the COD and correct any mistakes, thus making the ordering process more precise. More precise orders eliminate time wasted from correcting mistakes (Phillips, Kenny). Maintaining the speed and accuracy of the processes in McDonald?  ¦s is also done through less technological techniques. McDonald?  ¦s uses different colored packages to help the employee recognize the different types of food; colored wrapped sandwiches makes it easier to distinguish what is wrapped beneath. For example, a cheese burger is wrapped in yellow colored paper and a fish fillet is wrapped in blue, while a hamburger is wrapped in white paper. Special ordered sandwiches without standard condiments come in red and white paper, with a paper receipt attached which details the items on the sandwich (Phillips, Eddie). Quality Inspections Food safety is one of McDonald?  ¦s top priorities. Every restaurant is required to check food temperatures, expiration dates, and other food safety hazards several times throughout each day of operation. The corporation sends a standardized Food Safety book to every store which includes a comprehensive list of every item that needs to be measured. Cooked food temperatures are measured to ensure that all food is cooked properly before served. Refrigerated and frozen foods are also checked to make certain that they do not get too warm and are not spoiled. Expiration dates are checked on foods frequently, if the item is expired than it is discarded. Equipment is also measured to ensure that it is functioning properly. Also included in the safety checks is the water temperature in the restroom sinks, workers must be caution because water that is too hot can burn customers. Food safety checks are performed throughout the day, often during one of the manager?  ¦s many travel paths, which were described earlier in this report under ?  §Competitive Strategy (Phillips, Eddie). Periodic corporate inspections are one of the major quality management controls at McDonald?  ¦s. The McDonald?  ¦s Corporation applies two major inspections on each restaurant per year. One is called Field Operations Review (FOR), and the second is called System Observation Review (SOR). Since the inspections are made periodically, restaurants have two opportunities to pass the test. If the store fails to pass the inspection the second time, corporate takes over the store and brings in better employees to ensure that the proper processes and equipment is being used properly. Both inspections are extraordinarily thorough and they are based on a point system, points can be taken off for many different reasons. For example, points can be reduced if the credit card system is too slow, the store? ¦s walls have cracks, or even if the restaurant performs processes that slows the serving time. Points will also be lost if employees are not dressed according to regulations, this includes wearing name tags (Phillips, Kenny). Mcdonald?  ¦s must also provide a food safety log of recorded entries to ensure that proper food testing is completed properly (Phillips, Eddie). The Five P?  ¦s Even though many of the quality management processes in McDonald?  ¦s are done through the use of information technology, other quality management factors such as maintaining the five P? ¦s forces (People, Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) are essential in any business. Consequently, McDonald?  ¦s Corporation uses these related forces in the sense that each P creates a chain affect on each other. The following is a list of methods using the P forces. The first force is the people working in the McDonald?  ¦s chains, which are represented by service, hospitality, and pride. The staff employed in McDonald?  ¦s are continuously trained and kept in the company to reduce the cost of training short-term inexperienced workers. Moreover, the training process has been improved to include online e-learning tools for the restaurant staff. Maintaining the workers in the company is very important to McDonald?  ¦s and the corporation rewards workers who do outstanding services. This form of incentive is motivational to the workers (Cantalupo 4). The second force is the products which include the quality, taste, and price of the goods sold. McDonald?  ¦s is trying to establish flexibility with the changing tastes and preferences in the market, Moreover, they are also seeing growing interest in premium product and wholesome food choices. The quality and safety of the food is a main entity in maintaining the quality of the food at McDonald?  ¦s (Cantalupo 4). The third force is place which is represented by the clean, relevant, and modern store environments. Whether it was in the main restaurant area, the kitchen, or even the restrooms, the company ensures the safety and comfort for the consumers and staff workers. The company intends on having the gold standards for cleanliness (Cantalupo 5). The fourth factor is price, which is presented in the productivity and value. The value of the product is increased when consumers gets high quality products for lower costs. Therefore, McDonald?  ¦s Corporation ensures that its customers receive the highest value of food for the price they pay (Cantalupo 5). The fifth factor is promotion which is presented in marketing, leadership, and trust. The company has already earned its reputation for good quality food so they just focus on customers cares. They do this through community involvement and their social responsible towards the environment. This process will gain the trust of loyal customers and keep them for life (Cantalupo 5). Training McDonald?  ¦s realizes that its employees must understand their duties in order to fulfill the organization? ¦s goals. To ensure that all employees properly perform their assigned duties, McDonald?  ¦s invests greatly in their training program. The company continues to receive prestigious awards for their leading-edge training, including the ?  §Employer of Choice Award from the Restaurant Business Magazine (?  §Restaurant Management ). New crew members go through a thorough orientation process consisting of several videos, followed by several days of direct one-on-one training by a trainer. After employees feel comfortable with the operations, they may be promoted to Crew Trainers. Crew Trainers undergo further training for specialized processes such as the grill area, front counter, drive-thru, and other areas. Shift supervisors are the next step in the organization, followed by Second Assistant Managers, followed by First Assistant Manager, and the top manager at each McDonald?  ¦s restaurant is the Restaurant Manager (Phillips, Eddie). Training never stops at McDonald?  ¦s, no matter which position an employee holds. Some current employees describe McDonald?  ¦s as the ?  §best training company in the world (Phillips, Kenny). To improve the Made for You system, McDonald? ¦s recently introduced a strategy called ?  §Shift into Overdrive,?  ¦ and this strategy focuses on helping shift managers work more efficiently. All McDonald?  ¦s restaurants are required to send at least one manager to participate in the new training program (Phillips, Kenny). This training mainly focuses on the human aspects of Made for You, this ensures that the system is being used as design. Since the new system requires seamless work from several people, the entire team must work together for the system to work quickly to provide food to customers. Finally, to ensure the quality of the operations, McDonald? ¦s does surveys periodically to get feedbacks from customers (Phillips, Eddie). As shown throughout this section, the McDonald?  ¦s Corporation has been doing a very good job at keeping the quality of its products and services, whether it was through using computerized equipment or to train their human resources. RAW MATERIALS The Arrival & Maintenance Through the intense process of choosing and manufacturing raw materials, McDonald?  ¦s customers can be assured of a quality product. Whether arriving via truck or train, raw materials are delivered fresh and ready to use everyday. To ensure that this freshness is passed onto the customer, each arriving package is personally inspected for damage during its travel. In addition, the condition of delivery trucks are also taken into account to make sure that meat was untainted due to a filthy meat cooler. The meat cooler should always be set at 10 degrees below zero and the meat should remain at a constant temperature of 34 to 38 degrees. While some inspections are known, others are random to ensure that quality is consistent from one delivery to the next. The promise of high quality for McDonald?  ¦s raw materials does not cease to end at the delivery trucks. Inside the restaurant, the temperatures of freezers and refrigerators are recorded twice a day to guarantee the highest grade of ingredient usage. These temperatures are recorded in a book which is required to stay on premise for 60 days. After such time span, the book is moved to a local record storage where all previous data information is held. Grade ?  §A Beef and Other Meats All beef cooked at McDonald?  ¦s is of Grade ?  §A quality and 80%-82% lean. McDonald?  ¦s not only supports humane slaughtering of animals and refuses to purchase dairy cows over 5 year old due to the toughness of their meat. Upon the arrival of meat, received from Otto & Sons, Inc. in Chicago, a two hour supply is taken directly to the grill side freezers which stand at a constant temperature of 0 degrees. Once placed on the grill, the meat is cooked at a specific temperature to assure the meat holds the proper internal temperature to meet the requirements of food safety and yet hot enough to hold its natural juices. Cooked hamburger patties and other meat products are stored in a humidity controlled cabinet until usage to ensure that patties remain hot and moist. The preparation time of a hamburger should not take longer than 90 seconds and only 35 seconds after the hamburger bun itself has been toasted. This allows each customer to receive his/her meal in the timeliest fashion. Produce It is a known fact that agronomists can spend up to two years assisting a farmer grow perfect russet potatoes, 6-inches long, that produces a finished fry which is appealing both in looks and taste. In addition many produce items, lettuce for example, have specifications that are two pages long. With this many guidelines in place, McDonald? ¦s can guarantee that they are delivering to their customer the best ingredients possible. The produce delivered from Condie?  ¦s in Salt Lake City to the Evans and Colorado McDonald?  ¦s restaurant arrives via railroad to ensure that freshness is maintained. Upon inspection, should any produce not meet the correct internal temperature, the refrigerator is either immediately altered or the items are discarded. Restaurant Inspection Since McDonald?  ¦s believes so strongly in high quality products, Licensees are expected to obtain their desired product needs directly from suppliers rather than the McDonald? ¦s Corporation. While this ensures that the best raw materials are purchased at a reasonable price, it often leaves the McDonald?  ¦s Corporation ?  §in the dark concerning the safety precautions and procedures of franchised restaurants. As a result, the McDonald?  ¦s Corporation makes both announced and unannounced visits to international McDonald?  ¦s restaurants to ensure that proper procedures are being followed. With each visit, the restaurant being inspected is graded on their proficiency and performance. Based on this grade, the corporation will determine eligibility for growth of new franchise locations. In addition, the failure to meet requirements can result in a default in your franchise agreement for the following term. FORECASTING Aspects of Forecasting McDonald?  ¦s has a continual means of receiving information from customers, employees, and the industry that effects short, medium, and long term decision making and forecasting. Different kinds of information are received from all levels of the corporation and are used to learn more about the market movement and advertisement structure, to basic everyday processes in production and packaging of goods for the targeted markets. Forecasting is done in large by the corporation, as part of their responsibility to the franchisee?  ¦s and McDonald?  ¦s shareholders. Through our interview with the owner, we learned a lot about the basics of McDonald?  ¦s business and hierarchy; we were not able to get more in-depth information that is used for their budgeting, marketing, advertising, forecasting, and innovations of new products to come because it contains confidential contents. This is due to the scrutiny from people looking for flaws, bad business conduct, and other degrading allocations of McDonald? ¦s. Everything that was recorded was cleared at the corporate level. Forecasts are vital to McDonald?  ¦s organization and significant management decisions. Forecasts provide the basis for budgetary planning, cost control, planning new products, process selection, capacity planning, and facility layout. Typically, McDonald?  ¦s uses a qualitative type of forecasting. The main information used in forecasting the stability and future growth of the corporation is by the number of customers going in and out the door and all voiced opinions. There are different medians of communication for customer to relay there ideas, opinions, concerns, and problems they have with McDonald?  ¦s. At the particular location, a customer has employees, managers, and owners to voice what?  ¦s on their mind and how they like what?  ¦s going on in the restaurant. Often, McDonald?  ¦s managers and owners use open ended questions to allow customers to expand on what they want to talk about. McDonald?  ¦s nationally offers an 800 number for customers to use when the corporation has fallen short of their expectations or when a location makes a mistake with their order. Internationally, McDonald?  ¦s has a website that is not only interactive and informative throughout the 59 nations they supply to, but is a place for customers to voice their opinions and complaints. And as an owner of the McDonald?  ¦s on the intersection of Evans Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, Ronald Lessnau exclaimed, ?  §We listen! At the corporate level, qualitative forecasting can be seen, even with limited information that was given. Market research department takes data from talking with customers to find out how they like or feel about a particular ad campaign or a specific commercial. And product development department uses input on developing a new product or changing how the new product is prepared, priced, or packaged. McDonald?  ¦s has been extremely accurate in forecasting trends or needs the customers want and request. Mr. Lessnau states, ?  §McDonald?  ¦s, in the past has helped customers deal with their changing lifestyles. An example of this is when the Egg McMuffin, the first hand held breakfast sandwich by Herb Peterson, was introduced for the first time. ? §It took 10 years for breakfast to be successful at McDonald?  ¦s and now McDonald?  ¦s cracks more farm fresh, grade ?  §A eggs daily than the largest institution in the United States, the US Military. As consumers, it is known that McDonald?  ¦s has gone through a lot and where not always correct in projections influenced by the greatest number of customers. Even with using a qualitative forecast, the future is not always so clear so see. 12 years ago, due to the strong focus group surveys responses to healthier products put into motion the making of McLean Burger. McDonald developed and marketed the McLean Burger. It had 7% fat and was the best low fat burger on the market, costing 53 cents a pound more then the normal beef. It did not sell! Customers later decided that the product was too expensive and did not taste as good as its?  ¦ fatty brother. And maybe decisions that are based on the idea that the history of occurrences over time can be used to predict the future, time series forecasting, can explain why McDonald?  ¦s is slow to react to the Atkins Diet trends. Ronald Lessnau also gave examples of when qualitative forecasting influences how he fixes errors of the passed business decisions at his establishment. Decisions he has made have been based on estimates and opinion from surveys, interviews, history of products, and questionnaires. That particular McDonald?  ¦s has extended their hours as a result of many comments. Also, years ago they reduced some of the seasoning in the chicken products in a test market, and based on interviews and focus groups they went back to the original product and did not take the change national. He also described that in Denver, Colorado locations went back to the 99-cent double cheese burgers years ago because of feedback they received in focus groups that were conducted as part of their normal market research. As Lessnau explained, ?  §Sometimes you can prevent a good idea from going bad by talking to those closest to the customer, your sales people. The data collected for these long terms and every day business decisions were from employees as well as customers. SUPPLY CHAIN Examination of Supply Chain. Food quality is the key at McDonald’s restaurant. That?  ¦s why they take pride in the foods they serve to their customers. They seek out fresh lettuce and tomatoes, quality buns and potatoes, pure ground beef, select poultry and fish and wholesome dairy products. McDonald?  ¦s ensures that their products are guaranteed to be the best quality before serving to their customers. McDonald?  ¦s has many suppliers in which each supplier plays a vital role in providing McDonald?  ¦s with their products. First, McDonald?  ¦s receives its raw.

Essay on Goal

Essay on Goal Essay on Goal Essay on Goal What is your Wildly Important Goal?Wildly Important Goal could be formulated from different perspectives. In the video, the professional perspective is considered in the first place. From the professional point of view, a Wildly Important Goal for me is to be an outstanding marketer of sports in Qatar. From personal point of view, my Wildly Important Goal is to achieve self-realization and self-actualization in my professional life and in my family life. More precisely, from personal point of view the Wildly Important Goal is to find an optimal work-family balance so that I would be able to realize my personal and professional abilities to the maximum, serve the community and at the same time make the members of my family happy. WHO do you want to be? The answer to this question is closely linked to the Wildly Important Goal. I want to be a successful person whose personal and professional life is optimally balanced. I want to be the man who makes the community better, healthier and happier through marketing sports to people, and at the same time a responsible and caring spouse and parent who can bring happiness to the lives of family members. While the video demonstrates mostly professional goals and objectives, I believe that it is wildly important to live in balance and to give enough attention both to professional and to personal life; otherwise, the fullness of life is lost. So in my opinion, it is not possible to formulate own Wildly Important Goal in terms of one sphere of life only. Can Project Management help you achieve your Goals?Project Management is a multifaceted discipline that will definitely help me achieve my Goals. First of all, Project Management offers a number of models and techniques that will help me plan my career and advance in marketing. Project Management is very good for professional growth because it shows how to use resources effectively, how to assess the viability of plans and forecasts and how to adjust plans and resources in a dynamic environment. These approaches are also very efficient for self-development. Using Project Management knowledge, I will be able to manage time better, to improve own performance and to become more resilient and flexible. In addition, these skills will help me achieve a balance between professional and personal life, which is also part of my goal.

Free Essays on The Crying of Lot 49

Before the telephone was invented, people wrote letters to each other to stay in touch. Soldiers would write letters to their wives and families conveying their love and, even today, people write letters to better communicate. Writing is a way of expressing yourself, a way to think about what you are feeling and communicate that to other people. In The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon has his characters write letters in order for them to better understand each other and also to communicate to the reader what is happening in the novel. Indirectly, Pynchon is also satirizing the importance of letters and written communication because, in the novel, the letters confuse the plot instead of clarifying it. As the novel begins, Oedipa receives a letter that is seemingly clear, yet it is the beginning of a mystery that complicates the story and complicated Oedipaà ­s ability to think clearly. As she finds out more about the mystery of the Tristero, she comes across the W.A.S.T.E. system of mail. This system forces people to write letters even when they have nothing to say and mocks the United States Postal Service. Although this novel seems like an ordinary mystery, its underlying tones of satire, through malfunctioning communication, are prevalent within Oedipa and in the letters that are written between characters and the W.A.S.T.E postal system. Oedipa Maas receives a letter that states that she is the legal executor of her ex-boyfriends estate. It contains pertinent information about what happened and what her duties are. To the reader, this is a point of clarification. Although the letters seems to be concise and to the point, it is the beginning of a big conspiracy that Oedipa will eventually uncover. After she receives the letter, she starts to see weird images that do not seem to be related. She talks about Rapunzel, magic, and Pierce. Its hard to understand why she would have such mysterious images from one letter, but what seems like... Free Essays on The Crying of Lot 49 Free Essays on The Crying of Lot 49 Before the telephone was invented, people wrote letters to each other to stay in touch. Soldiers would write letters to their wives and families conveying their love and, even today, people write letters to better communicate. Writing is a way of expressing yourself, a way to think about what you are feeling and communicate that to other people. In The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon has his characters write letters in order for them to better understand each other and also to communicate to the reader what is happening in the novel. Indirectly, Pynchon is also satirizing the importance of letters and written communication because, in the novel, the letters confuse the plot instead of clarifying it. As the novel begins, Oedipa receives a letter that is seemingly clear, yet it is the beginning of a mystery that complicates the story and complicated Oedipaà ­s ability to think clearly. As she finds out more about the mystery of the Tristero, she comes across the W.A.S.T.E. system of mail. This system forces people to write letters even when they have nothing to say and mocks the United States Postal Service. Although this novel seems like an ordinary mystery, its underlying tones of satire, through malfunctioning communication, are prevalent within Oedipa and in the letters that are written between characters and the W.A.S.T.E postal system. Oedipa Maas receives a letter that states that she is the legal executor of her ex-boyfriends estate. It contains pertinent information about what happened and what her duties are. To the reader, this is a point of clarification. Although the letters seems to be concise and to the point, it is the beginning of a big conspiracy that Oedipa will eventually uncover. After she receives the letter, she starts to see weird images that do not seem to be related. She talks about Rapunzel, magic, and Pierce. Its hard to understand why she would have such mysterious images from one letter, but what seems like...

Analysis Of Marketing Positioning Of Kelloggs Special K Marketing Essay

Analysis Of Marketing Positioning Of Kelloggs Special K Marketing Essay Kotler et al’s ideology of marketing entailing understanding consumers and their needs and designing marketing initiatives to deliver those needs (2009, p. 5) emerges in the marketing endeavors undertaken by the Kellogg’s Special K (SK) cereal brand. The marketing foresight inculcated by the brand not only helped it contribute to the overall success of the Kellogg conglomerate but also helped it evolve as a strong contender in the UK cereal industry. This assignment will unravel the marketing practices followed by the SK brand by analyzing its positioning in the UK cereal market. The analyses will encompass highlighting the customer segmentation adapted by this cereal brand followed by evaluating the efficacy of its target market selection. Subsequently, it will assess the cereal’s positioning as compared with its competitor’s positioning including its usage of the marketing mix elements to sustain that positioning. Finally as an outcome of the above anal ysis, it will offer recommendations to strengthen the brand’s market positioning. Assumptions Made: Barring considering the retailers as buyers for a five force analysis of the UK cereal industry, the assignment considers the end users as the consumers of the SK cereal. Whilst for a perceptual map, price   [ 1 ]   has been used to draw inferences on the product quality of the various cereal brands, Kellogg’s product life cycle stage in the UK market and SK’s brand share have been used to draw inferences on SK’s product life cycle stage. UK Cereal Market and Kellogg’s: The UK cereal market grew by 15.7% in value between 2004 and 2008 because of the perceived health benefits of and convenience in consuming cereals coupled with the declining popularity of the traditional breakfast (Worth, 2009). This growth rate indicates the attractiveness of UK cereal industry, which is also substantiated by a Porter’s five forces analysis of the market ( represented diagrammatically in Figure 1.1). This oligopolistic market is dominated by three big brands: Kellogg’s, Weetabix and Cereal Partners (Worth, 2009 and Datamonitor, 2009a) with Kellogg’s leading the market (as shown in figure 1.2). Since giving the world its very first ready to eat cereal – cornflakes (Emerald, 1991, p. 16), Kellogg’s has become practically synonymous with breakfast cereals (Mitchell and Boustani, 1992, p. 21). With over 100 years of experience in the cereal business, it appears that Kellogg’s has built its high brand value (shown in figure 1.3) on consistent pioneering innovations and incessant delivery of consumer’s nutritious food requirements. And keeping true to this tradition is Special K, the leading cereal brand of the Kellogg’s family   [ 2 ]   . Special K and its marketing choices: Launched in the UK in 1959 (Kellogg’s Special K, 2009), Special K is a nutritious low-fat, ready to eat die t cereal that owes its eminent market position to the enhanced marketing choices made by the Kellogg marketers (Kellogg Company, 2003,2004). Following section of the assignment will analyse the components of the marketing choices made by the SK brand. Market segmentation and Target Market: SK is targeted at weight conscious women, employed/homemakers, between the ages of 25-49 who desire to attain a slimmer shape either for a healthy lifestyle or for an occasion. And in pursuit of their weight goals these women will prefer to consume nutritious food substitutes including paying an above average price for the product.

Diversity Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diversity - Article Example I stayed in the country for two weeks. This was a good thing because I needed a few days to recover from jet lag. By the third day, I was beginning to feel more like myself and could appreciate some of the differences surrounding me. The culture in South Africa was very similar to my own in many ways. People were wearing western style clothing and everything was very modern. I was in Cape Town the entire time, so I did not get to see any of the more rural areas in South Africa. My colleagues assured me that the rural areas looked more like stereotypical Africa than did the city. One part of the business culture that was different than at home is the number of ethnically uniform meetings I had. This is perhaps a left-over from the age of Apartheid in South Africa. When I met with one firm, all of the participants in the meeting were white. In another firm, everyone was native. I do not know if this is the norm for South Africa, but it was my experience. In the few meetings that were interracial, there did not appear to be any animosity between races, but racial tensions seemed to be an unfortunate part of the business environment in South Africa to a much larger extent than they are at

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Reading response - Essay Example The emotions that one feels as an audience include the following: (1) empathy: (â€Å"I do not want the public smoking of marijuana around my kid -- I do not† (Smith par. 1); (2) affirmation (â€Å"Threatening people who consume marijuana in public with arrest and a 60 day jail sentence will not deter this behavior† (Smith par. 3); and (3) distraught (â€Å"the criminalization of public smoking could perpetuate these same racial and class disparities in marijuana law enforcement† (Smith par. 5). Councilmembers appear ready†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 3); (2) â€Å"I want my daughter to grow up into a society†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 10); and (3) â€Å"We should discourage people from smoking marijuana in public areas†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 10). These statements affirm the convictions of the author and those that he wants to elicit from the readers. Councilmembers appear ready†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 3); (2) â€Å"Threatening people who consume marijuana†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 3); and (4) â€Å"Thousands of displaced and homeless residents who have no other choice but to survive in public spaces should not be punished more severely for smoking marijuana than their more affluent neighbors† (Smith par. 5). These words are emotionally packed that elicits the intended reaction and response from the target audience. Smith, Grant. "Locking People Up for Public Marijuana Smoking Is Not the Answer." 28 February 2014. Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/grantsmith/locking-people-up-for-pub_b_4876164.html. 3 March

Stem Cells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stem Cells - Essay Example Stem cells are not specialized and have the capacity of renewing themselves through a biological process called cell division. Moreover, research has shown that when stem cells can be induced to become specific organ specific cells or became a tissue with special functions (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). Stem cells play a critical role in some organs like the bone marrow and the gut whereby they divide regularity to replace damaged or worn out tissues. There are two major kinds of stem cells. They include embryonic stem cells and somatic or adult stem cells. Stem cells are important for any living organisms in many ways (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). In this scenario, 3-5 years old blastcyst or the embryo inner cells give rise to all body tissues and organs with different specialized functions like the heart, lungs, eggs, sperm cells and many other cells with different specialized functions. Moreover, on adults, stem cells play a crucial role through the regeneration capacity they are able to regenerate cells that have been lost through disease, normal wear or injury. Due to their unique capacity to regenerate new cells, stem cells have played a potential role in treating diseases like heart diseases and diabetes. Research is ongoing to establish on how to use these cells to treat disease, and there are several achievements in this field that is now called reparative or regenerative medicine. One of the cons surrounding the stem cells is controversy concerning the ethics. This is because until recent years scientists have been using aborted embryo to derive the embryonic stem cells from which is unethical. However, with the advancement of technology, researchers currently use ethical methods like the Induced Pluripotent Stem cells (iPS). The cells are artificially derived from non-pluripotent cell like the somatic cells (Explorable.com, 2008). The use of pluripotent stem cells had shunned the controversial