Literary analysis of ‘The Going’ by Thomas Hardy Essay

‘The Going’ is a poem mourning the death and loss of Hardy’s wife Emma. The themes of anguish, love and regret are echoes throughout the poem however it is unusual and interesting to note that it seems that Hardy is blaming Emma for leaving him and over-romanticizing the time they spent together. The title ‘The Going’ gives the air that Emma’s death was a grand sort of departure. A reader with no knowledge of Hardy’s life would perhaps feel that Hardy loved and took much care of his wife throughout his life and her departure was ‘grand’ in that way, however this is not the case. The circumstances Emma died in illustrated a harsh husband who did not come to his wife’s deathbed when the maid told him Emma was very ill – Hardy’s grievous poem makes the circumstances are very ironic. In the second stanza, Hardy also refers to Emma’s death as the ‘great going’, which is once again giving the idea that Emma’s death was grand; like a Queen leaving. It is possible that by glorifying and exalting Emma’s death, Hardy is trying to console himself about the circumstances she died in – by writing over the situation he may be trying to change the story of what happened for the reader in order to make it seem as though he is not the one to blame. Building on the idea that Hardy wants to shift the blame from himself, Hardy throughout the poem asks questions as statements rather than as real questions. For example, he says ‘ Why do you make me leave the house / And think for a breath it is you I see†¦! ‘ – Hardy has not ended his sentence with a question mark but rather he has ended with an exclamation mark, suggesting he in reality does not want to ask Emma these questions, instead he wants to tell her how he wants the story to be. By using ‘you’ in all his questions, the air that Hardy is the victim in this situation rather than Emma. This amplifies upon the idea mentioned above that Hardy may be wanting to write over the situation in order to make it seem that he is not the one to blame. A sense of arrogance and self-righteousness is eluded from his desire to shift the blame away from him – this may make the speaker seem unlikeable. There is a sensual tone in the poem which works to romanticize the mood of the poem and suggest the happy past the couple had in the beginning of their relationship and the happy life they could have had but didn’t. Hardy asks Emma why she did not ‘lip me the softest call’ – this is a reference to physical intimacy and could be a kiss or to whispering ‘sweet-nothings’. From that suggestion, it would seem like Hardy was always expectant for such intimacy however this was not the case as the couple were not physically intimate for most of their relationship. There are echoes of their courting days in their youth in the fourth stanza where Hardy describes a younger Emma in flattering and loving terms as the ‘swan-necked one’ who would ‘muse and eye (him)’. The idea of Emma ‘eyeing’ Hardy suggests a shy and playful Emma sneaking glances at Hardy which evokes empathy in the readers heart for not only Emma but the combined couple of Emma and Hardy during their courtship. This only adds to the sorrowful feeling of Emma’s death – but now by relating their courting days Hardy has not only told the reader of his grief but he has also spread this grief to the reader. Alliteration also adds to the playful feel to the poem, building on the point above. The day is described as ‘darkening dankness’ and the alleys as ‘bending boughs’ – this brings the settings to life and illustrates how rich their relationship could have been, thus amplifying the emotion of regret over Emma’s ‘going’. The alliteration could also suggest that Hardy is attempting to over-romanticize the situation to such an extent that he is trying to convince himself that their relationship was happy. Another interpretation could that whilst this poem is a sad love poem, Hardy’s use of playful alliteration may be demonstrating that Hardy may not be as sad as he is making out to be throughout the poem because if indeed he was terrible grief-stricken by her loss, he would not have had enough composure to compose the poem with such literary devices which make the poem sound more flowing. Using a device such as alliteration is deliberate and therefore Hardy’s use of alliteration shows he had enough capability to make use of this technique. The final stanza in the poem has great significance to the poem and its meaning. Hardy uses short sentences and caesuras to demonstrate how harshly Emma’s death came about and how harshly their relationship ended. ‘Well, well! All’s past amend/Unchangeable. It must go. ‘ shows how he seems reluctant to accept that Emma is now dead as the short sentences make it sound as though he is slowly trying to make himself accept this fact. Sharp caesuras in this stanza also make it feel as though trying to convince himself Emma is gone is very painful. To conclude, Hardy uses literary devices such as alliteration and sensual imagery to give a sensual feel to this poem, however the underlying tone and meaning of this poem is a sad and greivious one as highlighted by Hardy’s use of blame and structure. Short sentences and an inconsistent ryhming scheme demonstrate this sad mood.

Mcdonalds Case Study Project Managment

Contents 1. Introduction 1. 1 History of McDonald's 1. 2Philosophy of the company 2. Task 1: SWOT Analysis 2. 1 Strengths 2. 2 Weakness 2. 3 Opportunities 2. 4 Threats 3. Task 2: McDonald's Plan to Win Strategy 3. 1 Implementation of key elements new Strategies 3. 2 SWOT Analysis and Plan to Win 4. Task 3: McDonald's 2003-2009 Strategy 4. 1 McDonald's Dynamic Strategy 4. 2 Strategies Comparison 5. Task 4: McDonald's Competitors 5. 1 Wendy's 5. 2 Jack in the Box 5. 3 Sonic 6. References 7. Bibliography 1. Introduction 1. History of McDonald's The first McDonald's was inaugurated by the McDonald's brothers in 1948, constituting itself as the first local in the history of the quick service of foods, in San Bernardino, California (U. S). They offered quick food, soon they reached a high level of sales and although the menu was limited the success that is to say previously prepared food and served to high speed. Without a doubt the base of its success was in substituting the conventional china that you/they used the rest of restaurants, for the paper bags. It was then when the supplier of the shaking machine shake, Ray Kroc, surprised by the quantity of â€Å"Multi-mixers† requested, it proposed the opening of new restaurants. This way in 1955 the first local of the Corporation was inaugurated in charge of Ray Kroc. During the 50? s and the 60? s, Ray's managerial team Kroc established the successful philosophy of the system of the company: Quality, Service, Cleaning and Value. At the moment this Franchise possesses more than 25. 00 establishments in 117 countries and five are the continents in which the Golden Arches run off with, number that was increased more with the recent opening of 3. 000 local during 1999. Although McDonald's offers its clients a standard menu in its entire local, it is common that these menus combine with special products that are developed in each culture depending on the likes of the clients. {Love, 1995 #4} 1. 2 Philosophy of the company The company brought to this new market of the quick foods a con cept of original quick service, where of the details is taken care to the maximum, to offer the consumer an excellent product. The operative philosophy of the McDonald's system is based on the Quality, Service, Cleaning and Value for 44 years. The company offers a standard menu, although it develops in each culture special products that are adjusted to the pleasure of the community. McDonald’s is successful because it has a system of corporate norms and individual opportunities, to all the Franchised they are integrated in the same philosophy of values and clear expectations. For McDonald's the employees are the most important thing. It is thanks to them for what the clients are taken an incredible experience in each visit and want to return. The principles of Quality, Service and Cleaning begin with their own employees, McDonald's guides all the actions according to organizational values as working in team, to feel passion for the work always offering the best of themselves, to be committed with the partners and with the mission of the company, to be entire in each one of the actions, to be leaders. {Kroc, 1987 #5} McDonald's is a company that offers work eminently to young people over 16 years, it is for it, for what its schedules of work are enough flexible to be able to continue the studies, adding an unique labor experience, it can even become the first step of a great professional career in an international company. The competitors of McDonald's is formed by all those companies that act in the sector of the quick foods that using a very similar technology tries to assist to the same type of clients. When McDonald's begun to give its first steps restaurants of quick food they didn't exist, so soon he became the leader of the sector. It was starting from that Ray Kroc organized the company McDonald's System, Inc. , March 2 1955 when other companies were already in the business and McDonald's it was beginning to lose its advantage in front of other companies like Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Chicken Delight. Kroc was then in one of the most competitive markets, that of the hamburgers. {Kroc, 1987 #5} McDonald's has always tried to differentiate its products of the rest of its competitors, and it doesn't in fact try to differentiate them through the price, but through the good quality, the service, the originality and innovation. If for something is McDonald's characterized it is for the innovation, she has always tried to offer something different to its consumers, continually innovating with new products, and a clear example is in the Big Mac. In the market very similar hamburgers were already sold when McDonald's decided to sell it, but she only knew how to give him the form and the in agreement size with its name. And as shown on Table 1 the market share between competitors throw the last 4 years. Table 1. Burger Restruant Market Share |Europe (2006) |Europe (2007) |Europe (2009) |USA | |McDonald's |16. 54 |19. 47 |66. 74 |94. 06 | |Yum! Brands |3. 25 |3. 43 |42. 82 |58. 59 | |Burger King |2. 60 |2. 65 |21. 45 |29. 35 | |Subway |0. 74 |0. 1 |19. 79 |27. 07 | |Starbucks |0. 77 |0. 90 |17. 44 |23. 86 | www. macdailynews. com McDonald's also knew that the strategy of growth was essential and when Burger King and Burger Chef were enlarged so much that they were about to reach him, McDonald's decided to grow e ven more. In 1967 Burger King had settled down as expansion program reaching the 100 new positions a year, equaling the rhythm of expansion of McDonald's for the first time. But the threat of Burger Chef was even bigger, since at the beginning of 1968 its program of expansion had shortened the distances between her and McDonald's reducing it to less than 100 position. [pic] Figure 1 Burger Fast food Market Share 1 . It is obvious that all the competitor companies have tried to sell products substitutes of the Big Mac, without a doubt, the good known one is the Big King of Burger King that tries to satisfy the same clients with the same ingredients. While McDonald's tries to differentiate the Big Mac of the Big King offering fresh products and a hamburger of more quality, Burger King tries to highlight its product offering a hamburger a little bigger and made to the grill and therefore, with different flavor. Figure 1 2. Task 1: SWOT Analysis [pic] 2. 1 Strengths All strengths have been taken from the McDonald’s 2006 Worldwide Corporate Responsibility Report {McDonald's, 2008 #20} †¢ Open door Company Company trust was declining because of public confidence in the safety of beef, poultry and bad intentioned internet rumors. We do also remember the BSE crisis in Europe at the begin of this millennium. On March 2001 MCDONALD’S decided to open its doors to everybody with desire to see how the company is being managed. This action was supported by open invitation through TV and printed advertisement. Consider the courage of MCDONALD’S’s board to open their company to everyone? Have they completely been sure of what is going on in their remotest MCDONALD’S restaurant? How can they risk to show one of their black sheep (and every 1000s of subsidiaries holding concern has some! to the public and could face the tremendous impact a cockroach would have being found in a double-cheese burger or found on their kitchen floors? Roaches are present in many locations we don’t want to have them: Certainly MCDONALD’S intended a growing mindset by its employees and management by implementing programs like this. Vice-president of corporate affairs Eric Gravier said: If any aspect o f our business deserves an open look, it’s our efforts to conduct our business responsibility. †¢ Ceres guidance and co-work MCDONALD’S works together with a coalition of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups to strengthen their social and environmental programs. I would perceive it also as a form of public auditing. It can be valued as strength because this helps MCDONALD’S to focus on what they should do to maintain loyal to its corporate social responsibility targets without losing strength on their business priorities. CERES encourages MCDONALD’S to report their progress and future efforts through an open door spirit. Ceres helps MCDONALD’S to develop and live CSR. The highly decentralized system –Considered as a great advantage in MCDONALD’S business – also has are disadvantages when it comes to achieve mutual global objectives. Ceres puts these weaknesses open on the table and MCDONALD’S’s top management evaluates these statements, research results. Ceres e. g. has advised management that MCDONALD’S should report more metrics and goals to demonstrate and foster progress. Ceres made 3 issues its top priority: 1. Obesity 2. MCDONALD’S’s purchasing power 3. Climate change To 1 – obesity Their approach to the health problem no. 1 in the US is the following: . Offering Menu Choice 2. Providing Nutrition Information 3. Promoting Physical Activity 4. Marketing and Communicating Responsibility To 2 – purchasing power How does MCDONALD’S influence their upstream purchasing power? What is profit oriented and what is really CSR oriented? †¢ Careful supply chain strategy Fo r MCDONALD’S there are several important strategic pillars, the first one is the commitment to social responsibility with food quality and safety, then the issue of sustainable food supply and animal welfare. MCDONALD’S food standards are world class. †¢ Active community responsibility Through MCDONALD’S House Charities and innumerable local and global community programs MCDONALD’S shows that the revenue is not all or part of the revenue belongs to the society and therefore will be given back. It shall demonstrate that MCDONALD’S recognized that through society they can do business and prosper. This consciousness also reflects itself in the attitude of employees and management in a way that they feel more responsible in what they are doing as it is as serving the public. †¢ Rigorous food safety standards â€Å"It goes all the way from the farm right to the restaurant†. MCDONALD’S works hard to make sure that rigorous food safety standards are upheld in each restaurant with training, food, safety and quality, the development of the food and menus. It all ties because many of the suppliers consider themselves extensions of the MCDONALD’S family and so they have the same rigorous approach to the programs. MCDONALD’S has a responsibility to provide a relevant variety of quality product choices that the costumer trust and that means working with partners that operate ethically and meet the social responsibility standards. †¢ Accurate service standards MCDONALD’S works hard to maintain a work environment where everybody feels valued and accepted by providing training and other opportunities for personal and professional growth and to promote job satisfaction. In their own words: â€Å"Our well-trained employees will proudly provide fast, friendly and accurate service with a smile to delight our costumers†. †¢ Affordable prices to high quality products MCDONALD’S keeps its responsibility by keeping values and high standards as they provide food that is affordable to a wide range of costumers and that means being the most efficient provider and offer the best value to the most people. Responsible charity and community work â€Å"We believe in giving back to the communities in which we do business and to Supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities and other charities that promote the health and well being of children†. {Gould, 1996 #9} †¢ Profitability MCDONALD’S is committed to growing thei r business on behalf of the shareholders who Provide the necessary capital for the company to grow, they should realize and Attractive return on their investments. No poor company can allow itself to offer charities or help when it itself is in need. Being rentable makes MCDONALD’S able to help whenever necessary and maintain its corporate responsibility principles fresh. †¢ Bigger menu choices / Product strategy MCDONALD’S works together with the Global advisory council whose members are very high profile scientists in the food industry, experts who are looking at obesity and nutrition. With their help MCDONALD’S has created new menu choices including salads and fruits, keeping their serving size standards and making menus more flexible and easier to mix or change. In the last 5 years MCDONALD’S has included milk and water and a variety of ongoing product innovation will include expanded side and beverages choices in addition to new entrees which will give the costumer to feed himself healthier and proportionate. †¢ Clear nutrition information on packaging I think one of the better strengths from MCDONALD’S is that they where one of the first fast food restaurant that started writing the nutritional info on their packaging advocating for balanced active lifestyles and healthier clear nutrition values. MCDONALD’S has been a terrific leader on their work to explore new ways to deliver nutrition and balanced active lifestyle info to the costumers. †¢ External and Internal leadership stances to encourage activity Internal: MCDONALD’S developed and distributed an own crew training video in seven languages on â€Å"It’s what I eat and what I do†, besides that the company makes a great effort distributing materials encouraging balanced, active lifestyles. MCDONALD’S has also introduced training for both crew and management. External: MCDONALD’S introduced â€Å"it’s what I eat and what I do† initiative. Leveraged Olympic and global sponsorships including Olympic day run. In the USA more than 15 million step meters were distributed and passport to play was launched. †¢ Decentralized but not disconnected system MCDONALD’S recognizes the need to maintain a system in which everyone adheres to the same core values, principles and standards. They balanced this with a program called â€Å"Freedom within the framework†. Local business-owner/operators and restaurant managers have the flexibility and responsibility to develop programs that respond to the diversity of the costumers and local market conditions. Innovative excellence program development MCDONALD’S has a very wide selection of programs on its account, everything with the only goal of growing to be better rather than bigger. MCDONALD’S has aligned around a global strategy program called Plan to Win that centers in the five basic P’s, people, products, place, price and promotion. Each P has i ts own vision, specific objectives and key performance measures. This reflects and approach to long-tern sustainable, profitable growth. Other excellence programs are the well known ROIP (Restaurant Operations Improvement Process). It helps improve restaurant performance and accountability as related to quality, service and cleanliness (QSC) and people practice standards. Those standards have been broken down into specific procedures and are organized into 12 systems that deliver the experience the costumers expect. An excellent program is the Mystery shopper program where unannounced and anonymous inspectors visit as costumers and rate the restaurant according to the QSC. Many restaurants around the world include a measurement program based on customer comment that can provide its feedback via toll-number and they also take input from their own staff by an annual employee satisfaction survey. †¢ Ethical Conduct promotion MCDONALD’S Board of directors and top management work to ensure the company’s integrity in all its dealings with shareholders. Their commitment is codified in policies, standards and codes including the Corporate Governance principles, Code of Conduct for the board of directors and code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers because Corporate Responsibility begins at the top. The principles include provisions designed to ensure independent oversight of the company’s assets and business affairs. This strengths could be as well be left out – as today all public concerns do need to have these policies – and if all are having them they cannot be considered as strength anymore but simply as going concern and standard. For MCDONALD’S employees worldwide the overall framework for ethical business practices is the Standards of Business Conduct which applies to all salaried employees worldwide including restaurant managers. It provides rules for handling every ethical issue that might arise or incorporate all laws and policies that apply to the worldwide business. The standards establish a foundation on their core values, provide an orientation to ethical business conduct, offer guidance in a wide range of issue areas and identify resources for questions and concerns. 2. 2 Weaknesses †¢ MCDONALD’S inflexibility Can MCDONALD’S ever excel or are they caught to always offer economic fast food? MCDONALD’S is weak in reacting fast to markets changes. If more and more customers go onto eating BIO or ECO-food e. g. eat – MCDONALD’S could not follow this trend without losing a lot of profit because such a shift in suppliers a) from the point of offer/demand ratio and b) from logistics could not be made in reasonable time. It would impose a threat of a deep profit recession until MCDONALD’S would have adapted their product portfolio. †¢ Not employee-friendly MC DONALD’S is not a worker-friendly environment in the sense that it offers medium to long term working relationships. In the article3 â€Å"Company before Nation† McDonald claims that it has the hostility of workers’ rights union under control. Well – if e. . in Germany you have a workers rotation on average below 6 months – a company never runs into danger of facing workers protection laws. Every worker in Germany for the first 6 months is under â€Å"trial-conditions† employed and can be discharged at any time without any obligations and cost. In an article4 of the Billings Gazette it has been recognized that MCDONALD’S has a hard time in finding and retaining good workers. Gylette, Wyoming reports a weired case that a MCDONALD’S manager needs to outsource the drive-through order taking process via a call center in Santa Monica, California. McDonalds = too much shareholder value driven {Nachrichten, #26} Shareholder value is o ften not the same as Corporate Social Responsibility i. e. if profits go down and down, stocks go down – often more than they actually should and drastic corporate measures have to fix the problem. The levers are not too many and are well known: Where can we save costs? Where can we get cheaper meat? Where can we get cheaper bread? Where can we release workers and run a MCDONALD’S restaurant with less people? As anyone can imagine – some of these actions cannot be socially or environmentally responsible – that is not what money is all about! MCDONALD’S continues to promote unhealthy food Despite diversification of their product portfolio towards more healthy choices MCDONALD’S still continues a saturated fat filled 850 kcal Burger and other unhealthy but tasty food. That could continue to harm their reputation as unhealthy fast food supplier. †¢ Errors on promoted CSR MCDONALD’S claimed that they have not imported meat from rain forest countries but in court it appeared that MCDONALD’S very well had imported meat from Costa Rica and Brazil where rain forests are eliminated to get more green-fields for cows. {Weekly, 1994 #27} 2. 3 Opportunities Attractive and flexible work environment MCDONALD’S offers many job opportunities. External recognition about how MCDONALD’S is a great place to work has become something that dispels myths that are out there. Programs like MC flexibility make their 1. 5 million employees around the world to love and respect their work place. MCDONALD’S takes very serious its responsibility to promote fair, safe and healthful working conditions, effective management policies, diversity and inclusiveness in all restaurants. MCDONALD’S is pride to say that 42% of their world top management started with MCDONALD’S careers serving customers. However – the attractive and flexible working environment has been not rated as strength as personal observation and press reports make it more of an opportunity. An opportunity for society that there is an employer who always hires people which can be helpful for intermediate jobs – i. e. amongst other advantages keeping jobless-rates lower. †¢ Strong environmental work Also this CSR issue has been characterized within the 2006 Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility Report more as a strength as an opportunity. The web however has contradictory essays and reports and therefore it is rated here as an opportunity. MCDONALD’S restaurants are committed to manage their business by integrating environmental considerations into daily operations and by constantly seeking ways to add value to the community. For example maintaining the restaurants and drive thrum’s clean. MCDONALD’S continues the refinement and implementation of the environmental guidelines on fish sourcing and trough this guidelines at least 18,000 metric tons of whitefish have been shifted from unsustainable sources. †¢ High Supplier profile Setting the highest quality standards possible makes suppliers to jump the hurdle. They have to be able to deliver what we ask for. We look at taste and quality first not efficiency not cost. Frank Muschetto (Senior Vice-president) clears: the profile of the suppliers that we select is consistent with several attributes that we identified years ago that we felt support what MCDONALD’S is about. One of them is their commitment to corporate responsibility if they don’t have it, forget it. We try to pull together with many other companies and in several cases with the whole industry to be proactive against issues that can affects us all like avian influenza. We use our leadership as a tool to participate with the United Nations on the common goal of stopping the sickness. MCDONALD’S participates in a program called Kaleidoscope to test ways to sustain compliance based on dynamic, internal management systems and ongoing worker input. Annual audits are done globally for meat (beef, pork and poultry) processing plants looking forward to maintain animal welfare farms all over the world and not only in the USA and Europe. †¢ Own corporate responsibility Comity MCDONALD’S takes serious responsibility on what comes from being a major player in the global food industry and that’s why the Board of Directors has a standing Corporate Responsibility Committee. It acts in an advisory capacity to the board and to management on policies and strategies. At the global management level, several groups provide leadership on particular types of corporate responsibility issues, for example: Worldwide Corporate relations council who aligns all communications and external affairs for MCDONALD’S globally: oversees and advises on the corporate responsibility efforts. †¢ Truthful brand image MCDONALD’S ensures to maintain and build the trust with all stakeholders and customers with appropriate and truthful marketing and communications. These topics must also be relevant to costumers and consistent with the brand. Being real makes the people believe in our corporation and give support in our many community and global charity programs. MCDONALD’S continuously works to assess and evolve their marketing and advertising standards; they have newly introduced additional training and accountability for those whose work involves brand related communications and or use of MCDONALD’S trademarks. 2. 4 Threats †¢ Scepticism In recent years we have seen e-mails and information on the web that MCDONALD’S is using monster-chicken †¢ Not healthy enough for children For children the product choice still is not healthy enough. What else besides beef and chicken or fish? What about a soy burger, vegetable burger or fibre containing Deserts or simple deep frozen, quick steamed vegetable bowl (containing at least 80% of the vitamins and enzymes). What about offering small gifts or special packages as a premium for a healthy product or a premium system for kids who eat healthy? A threat if the competition comes up with such a system. †¢ Beef/Poultry/Fish Health Problems Serious initiatives in the US against growth hormone and or antibiotic stuffed cows, bird flu epidemics in the US and Europe, high contents of heavy metals in fish could cause sales slumps and cause profits and stocks to fall. MCDONALD’S as a giant in the fast food business could act to slow to avoid large corporate damage. †¢ Made in China syndrome Labour exploitation in China for the production of McDonalds â€Å"happy meal† toys. †¢ Profit pressure The pressure to deliver shareholder value will force MCDONALD’S to not follow up the one or other CSR issue. No MCDONALD’S CEO will risk his post at the cost for the implementation of a CSR if it would not at the same time create immediate value for shareholders. †¢ MCDONALD’S a major contributor in global warming MCDONALD’S is considered to be the largest consumer of beef. Examples that MCDONALD’S cattle are being fed on former rain-forest territory, the excessive amount of cattle which produce huge quantities of methane, heavy use of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides just to keep cattle breeding and MCDONALD’S burgers profitable could develop a future threat of conscious consumer choices to visit a MCDONALD’S restaurant or not. †¢ Local fast food restaurants Local fast food restaurants that are don’t have such purchasing power and are less environmental threatening as giants such as McDonalds enjoy better quality reputation, because they buy from local butcheries, or use products e. . made in Austria i. e. free running chickens, approved Austrian grown cows. †¢ MCDONALD’S has the power to create demand Rather than reacting to the free play of market forces MCDONALD’S with its marketing budget of 1bn USD is able to create demand {Phil Lyon, 2007 #28}. That can be a threat for a society and its cul ture. 3. Task 2: McDonald's Plan to Win Strategy 3. 1 Implementation of key elements new Strategies McDonald’s overall strategic plan is called Plan to Win. Their focus is not so much on being the biggest fast-food restaurant chain, rather it is more focused on being the best fast-food restaurant chain. McDonald’s â€Å"strategic alignment behind this plan has created better McDonald’s experiences through the execution of multiple initiatives surrounding the five factors of exceptional customer experiences – people, products, place, price and promotion†. {McDonald's, 2008 #20} McDonald’s also incorporates geographical strategic plans. In the U. S. , McDonald’s strategic plan continues to focus on breakfast, chicken, beverages and convenience. These are the core areas in the United States. McDonald’s has launched the Southern Style Chicken Biscuit for breakfast and the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich for lunch and dinner. In the beverage business, McDonald’s starting introducing new hot specialty coffee offerings on a market-by-market basis. In Europe, McDonald’s uses a tiered menu approach. This menu features premium selections, classic menu, and everyday affordable offerings. They also â€Å"complement these with new products and limited-time food promotions† {McDonald's, 2008 #20} In the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa markets, McDonald’s strategic plan is focused around convenience, breakfast, core menu extensions and value. With McDonald’s overall strategic plan and its geographical strategic plan, the company should start to see more positive financial results. McDonald’s incorporates several organizational strategies. Some of the organizational strategies consist of better restaurant operations, placing the customer first, menu variety and beverage choice, convenience and day part expansion, and ongoing restaurant reinvestment. McDonald’s plans to â€Å"continue to drive success in 2008 and beyond by leveraging key consumer insights and our global experience, while relying on our strengths in developing, testing and implementing initiatives surrounding our global business drivers of convenience, branded affordability, day part expansion and menu variety† {McDonald's, 2008 #20}. One of the ways McDonald’s can obtain a positive net income is to maximize efficiency in its restaurant operations while at the same time placing the customer first. With strategic focus on menu variety and beverage choice, McDonald’s is hoping for increased sales and guest counts. With their convenience and day part expansion initiative, McDonald’s is hoping to increase efficiency in its drive-thru pick up window, and the company is staying open later for those late-nighters who want a quick bite to eat. McDonald’s also has locally owned and operated restaurants which â€Å"are at the core of their competitive advantage and makes them not just a global brand but a locally relevant one† {McDonald's, 2008 #20}. They are in the process of remodeling and upgrading its franchises. The company is also opening up McCafe’s â€Å"with the expectation that the gourmet coffee shop would move it closer to its goal of doubling sales at existing U. S. restaurants over the next decade† {Peter, 2007 #19} A couple other organizational strategies are branded affordability, and the development of their employees starting with recruitment and training and leading all the up to leadership and management. 3. 2 SWOT Analysis and Plan to Win McDonald’s strategic plan is influencing their marketing efforts by building better brand transparency. They want their image to be recognized globally. They are enhancing the customer’s experience. â€Å"Across their markets, they are making is easier for customers to enjoy a great McDonald’s experience. They are introducing drive-thrus to the increasingly mobile populations in China and Russia, while in the U. S. and Canada, greater drive-thru efficiency and double drive-thru lanes enable them to serve even more customers quickly† (McDonald's, 2008, 13). In Germany, McDonald’s has a reimaging program that includes adding about 100 McCafes. They are also installing new kitchen operating systems so that they can continue to deliver high food quality. McDonald’s has already renovated about 10,000 restaurants world wide. They want their restaurants to be an expression of their brand. The company is also delivering greater value to the customer with new menu selections. â€Å"By serving a locally relevant balance of new products, premium salads and sandwiches, classic menu favorites and everyday affordable offerings around the world, they create value for customers and satisfy their demand for choice and variety† {McDonald's, 2008 #20}. Types of marketing mix that McDonald’s use to achieve their marketing goals are longer operating hours, everyday value meals, and optimizing efficiency in the drive-thru. McDonald’s also uses marketing campaigns. In 2007, McDonald’s used the Shrek movie to give children a choice between milk, fruit, or vegetables as part of their Happy Meal. In addition to their commitment with children, McDonald’s is building their brand image â€Å"with innovated marketing transporting ideas across borders and using I'm lovin’ it to deepen their connection with customers who love their food and the unique McDonald’s experience† (McDonald's, 2008, 17). In the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing, McDonalds offered the Beijing Burger, Carmel and Banana Sundae, and Rice Sticks. They featured nine Olympic and Paralympic athletes on their packaging. In Australia, McDonald’s held a marketing campaign where the people could decide what name to give its new hamburger. The name that won was Backyard Burger. With marketing campaigns like these, McDonald’s is trying to create a better brand image. Other organizational and marketing strategies are â€Å"creating stronger bonds of trust by being accessible and maintaining an open dialogue with customers and key stakeholders† {McDonald's, 2008 #20}. The company is reinvesting approximately $1. 9 billion into their restaurants primarily to reimage existing restaurants and build new ones. McDonald’s is also moving towards a more heavily franchised, less capital-intensive business model. Although in some countries, such as China, this is not permissible due to governmental laws. With McDonald’s growing global brand image and its emphasis on the five factors of exceptional customer service, this should help them increase sales and net income. With the initiative of remodeling and upgrading existing franchises, this will give the customer a more pleasant and friendly place to dine out at. With McDonald’s marketing campaign for the 2008 Olympics, they were an integral part of the games and this only enhanced McDonald’s brand image in a positive way. With the recruitment and training initiatives for current employees or future prospects, this will allow McDonald’s to achieve less of an already high turnover ratio. 4. Task 3: McDonald's 2003-2009 Strategy 4. McDonald's Dynamic Strategy With an established brand, visible leadership and solid financial performance in its own sector, McDonalds has the foundations and options for future expansions. As stated previously, the group sees expanding markets/culture/economies as their future growth areas. One possible strategy for expansion would be to increase the local branding of menus within these markets. There is an opportunity to not only increase the number s of cities, but to make the McDonalds name more recognizable as a restaurateur abroad. This would require the company to manage more outlets, rather than encouraging franchisee, which requires a committed financial expansion. Increasing its market share or at least visibility would heighten the brand awareness, {Kotler, 2005 #18}. The costs associated with a strategy to increase partnerships would be far less than if they attempted to expand to more developing countries and cities on their own. McDonalds is currently aligned with a limited number of government partnerships- China, Vietnam, {Thomm, 1996 #21}. The risks are much lower but there is a risk to brand dilution with regard to consistency of the services provided and perfected by the McDonald's familiarization, management processes and manufacturing and production specifications. McDonald uses existing marketing communication methods such as TV, press, magazines, outdoor posters and taxi sides, all featuring the distinctive logo. Advertising is used to encourage people to try the food items, {Kotler, 2008 #17} and to raise awareness of new product developments and new openings. Nonetheless the marketing department could try increasing and adapting new marketing tactics. Also 18 percent of turnover is spent on advertising; for comparison, the industry standard is five to seven percent. {Kotler, 2008 #17}. The budget must be focused. To further capture the developing markets through local promotions, local endorsements and local menu planning would lead to significant decreases in advertising costs but an increase in the appropriateness of the message to the consumers in the target markets. Using Ronald McDonalds as a marketing tool has certain problems with the younger generation. The traditional iconic figure has less in common with the youth culture, {Schlosser, 2002 #22} and the more reference based figure is more suitable, such as Justin Timberlake. Consumers have a personal affinity with him, {Kotler, 2005 #18}. This must be exploited further. This loyalty could be captured to increase the market share of the Brand. The perception of American quality is paramount to many multinational businesses and exploited the world over. This can be seen in education, engineering and law. McDonald could emphasize the quality and superiority of service provided by the Americans through it's advertising in other countries. Nonetheless, {Schlosser, 2002 #22} states that the traditional American style that once gave them its unique status is now its disadvantage. International markets no longer lust for the novelty of eating out in an American ‘dinner', so McDonald's need to change this and meet the needs of specific markets rather than using a uniform approach. The company should increase advertising in its new target markets, and stress the quality and affordability of service in all promotions. Also, consider alternative marketing strategies such as a credit card rewards program, corporate sponsorship of events, and well-publicized donations to charity. The optimal solution for McDonalds is to expand their service by offering to more cities, offering services in the expanding markets and increasing their promotion. During traditionally low seasons, tactical promotions and price advertising could also used to maximise restaurant capacity, commonly known s yield management, {Kotler, 2005 #18}. McDonalds has the capability to sustain itself as one of the leaders in the worldwide food retail industry, {Thomm, 1996 #21}. With careful planning and effective marketing, they can achieve this. In addition to communication to consumers, they must utilise their community database, partnerships, retailers and community sponsors, who are the primary i nfluences of the target market and who can familiarise all consumers with the products, benefits, and associated benefits, the core and peripheral attributes of the McDonald brand and the products/services. 4. Strategies Comparison McDonald's has many competitors to compete with in the fast food industry for example Burger King, Wendy's, and Arbys see Chart 1. Burger King is McDonald's biggest competitor with their hamburgers being fire grilled rather than fried; both have the kid's meals with the little toys to attract the younger children and combo meals for the young adults. McDonald's and Burger King both have prepaid cards whereas Wendy's and Arbys do not have these cards. Wendy's offer not only hamburgers, but they have taken it to their loaded bake potato, chili, and the frost, and compete with the children's meals. Arby's also has a nice menu besides the average hamburgers, they also have chicken salad sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, and a kids meal that includes a healthy meal such as fruit mix, turkey and ham sandwiches without the crust, with no toys included. Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's are just a few of McDonald's competitors that McDonald's would have to compete with depending were you are located. There may be more or less competitors but at this time McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Arby's all offer the hamburger's, fries, chicken sandwiches and the kid's meal, they also have sweepstakes that you can enter to win prizes. McDonald's competitive landscape for our product, the McDonald's Reward Card, that we have presented would attract McDonald's target consumers between the ages of 18 and 25, will surely bring a higher profit for the McDonald's corporation. The McDonald's Reward Card will offer the opportunity for our customers to earn points which they will be able to purchase not only food, but to purchase the entertainment that they enjoy, there is no contest that they have to enter and wait for a drawing to win a prize. When they purchase at McDonald's they earn points, it is a win situation, McDonald's rewards their customers for selecting McDonald's to feed them with the variety of great fast food. {Kotler, 2009 #23} Chart 1 McDonald's Competitors [pic] 5. Task 4: McDonald's Competitors Performing a competitor analysis will enable McDonald's to understand the industries and market in which it operates. The use of Porter's Five Forces will help them to analyses the dynamics of the market and understand the critical success factors in order to understand its position. Four types of competition {Kotler, 2005 #18} Brand competition |Industry competition |Form competition |Generic competition | |Burger King |Restaurants |Supermarkets |Trends: clothing, music, | |Domino's Pizza, Inc. |Non-fast food outlets |Food market stalls |fashion | |Independent fast food outlets e. g. |Cafes |Eating at home |Consumer durables | |fish and chips, kebab places |Coffee shops | |Similar priced products | |Papa John's In ternational, Inc. | | | |Subway | | | | |Wendy's International, Inc. | | | | |Yum! Brands: KFC, Pizza Hut | | | | 5. 1 Wendy's The first Wendy's restaurant opened in Columbus, Ohio on November 15, 1969 at 257 East Broad Street by Dave Thomas (Wendy's. om). In 1972, the first franchise outside of Ohio was opened in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wendy's is known as the home of the old fashioned hamburger, and is the Number 3 hamburger chain by sales. Its sales trail only McDonald's and Burger King. There are almost 6,700 Wendy's restaurants worldwide; about 78% of them are franchised† (Hoover's fact sheet). Wendy's offers high quality in customer service and allows customers to have their hamburger made the way they want it done. Wendy's is on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol of WEN. Dave Thomas when he started Wendy's new the secret to success was to offer quality to customers and to the Franchisees that would own Wendy's restaurants. Wendy's in the early 90's developed a four part strategy that world guide the company to refocus on what they do best, and grow the business into the next millennium. The first strategy is operating restaurants that exceed customer expectations on each visit. This is vital in today's competitive fast food business, due to the vast amount of choices consumers have, and one bad experience can lose a customer for life. This concept is easily done on paper, but with shrinking margins and lack of ability to attract highly skilled employees this strategy is difficult to implement. Although, Wendy's seems to have instilled these beliefs into management and has seen considerable success practicing these beliefs. This strategy is the most important compared to the other three, because if you don't have any customers it does not matter how good your food is, you won't stay in business. Many companies forget that customer service is vital in staying in business and to growing the market. Fast food restaurants are one area that customer service is vital for survival. The second strategy is accelerating new store openings and strengthening the quality of other Wendy's locations. This is vital for Wendy's to keep its competitive advantage is the ability to keep stores clean and modern. This strategy is being implemented and seems to be quite successful in helping older Wendy's become profitable again. Wendy's philosophy is not to be the cheapest, but to be the best. With this philosophy Wendy's has to offer newly designed restaurants with modern design to attract the cliental that will pay extra for fast food. Wendy's seems to be doing an excellent job in creating an atmosphere that is conducive to customers spending a little more to get a lot more. Wendy's has introduced salad bars, buffets, and has made the atmosphere friendlier to patrons. The third strategy is to aggressively increase penetration by adding new units or so called â€Å"special sites†?. This an excellent way to grow Wendy's market, these small restaurants are cost effective and promote the Wendy's products to more families and truck drivers. Wendy's is aggressively targeting the traveler in this area, which seems to be a good move to make Wendy's the fast food of choice for travelers. Furthermore, these small restaurants are cheaper to develop and share the costs with gas stations they are affiliated with. The last of the domestic strategies is its marketing strategy to promote its perception of promotional items at the upper end of the price spectrum. This has been successful with the spicy chicken sandwich and pita sandwiches, which both have had considerable success. In the fast food business Wendy's has differentiated itself from McDonalds and other fast food restaurants by offering high quality food items consumers are willing to pay for. In this area Wendy's has dominated the market and has seen considerable success. Wendy's needs to keep utilizing this strength by introducing new products, and try not to go head to head with McDonalds. http://www. nzherald. co. nz/property/news/article. cfm? c_id=8&objectid=10537499 http://www. nbr. co. nz/article/wendys-plans-nz-expansion-36423 5. 2 Jack in the Box Although Jack in the Box remained strong with widely varied menu items and unique marketing strategies through the E. coli disaster of 1993, the current economic slump in the fast food industry highlights serious controversy over the company's new growth strategy and accounting practices (Bauder). In this article, analysts are challenging the accounting practices of a San Diego-based company, Jack in the Box. In their 10-k report, Jack in the Box is listing franchise sales as â€Å"other revenues†, which on paper triples their operation income to $9. 1 million. David N. Allen of investment banking firm Caris & Co. , questions this practice as the, â€Å"Selling of company assets to franchisees is not the same as selling a food product†. He goes further saying that the company should separate operating earnings from non-operating income. Reporting gains from asset sales to franchisees is inappropriate. Jack in the Box countered this claim by stating that other fast food chains use the same accounting practices, which is consistent with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). In defense of Jack in the Box, Bud Leedom, senior analyst at Wells Fargo Securities believes that Jack's accounting technique is specifically disclosed to Wall Street and as such is not troubled by their practices. Yet, on the other hand, David Geraty of RBC Capital Markets points out that by employing this practice the company is simply compensating softer sales with gains for other revenues. Platinum Inc. s responsible for the preparation, integrity, and fair presentation of its published financial statements. For my organization, The Platinum Company, the corporation maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting which is designed to provide reasonable assurance to management and the Board of Directors regarding the preparation of reliable published financial statements. The financi al statements must follow the GAAP guidelines in preparing reports and recording transactions. To insure proper accounting Platinum utilizes their own internal audits and employs a well-known public accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, LLP. Like Jack in the Box, Platinum's Annual Report 2002, under other (loss) income, reports losses due to financial bankruptcy in one of their investment companies and reports financial gains because of investments in unconsolidated affiliates. To make recommendations in improving the companies financial reporting would be difficult at best. Platinum extremely strict and assertive in their internal audits to ensure proper procedures are followed. The companies internal accountants work together with Deloitte & Touche's accountants to preserve proper ethical conduct and moral principals are monitored. Business ethics are proper ethical conduct that implies that you not only consider what is in your best interest, but also what is in the best interest of others. Moral principles are what guide the conduct of individuals. For example, regarding financial reporting, WorldCom used a liberal interpretation of accounting rules when preparing financial statements. In an effort to make it appear that profits were increasing, WorldCom would write down in one quarter millions of dollars in assets it acquired while, at the same time, it included in this charge against earnings the cost of company expenses expected in the future. The result was bigger losses in the current quarter but smaller ones in future quarters, so that its profit picture would seem to be improving. Additionally, the unethical financial reporting decision that WorldCom made cost the company's reputation and most importantly the business. In my opinion, if Platinum continues to follow GAAP guidelines in their reporting practices, they should be exempt from the public analysis, Jack in the Box could not avoid. Unless there is a public build of support in order to challenge GAAP guidelines regarding listing franchise sales as other revenue, this accounting practice is just and fair. An organization must put business ethics in front of profits to ensure that they do not become another WorldCom tribulation http://www. marlerblog. com/2006/07/articles/legal-cases/thirteen-years-since-jack-in-the-box/ 5. 3 Sonic In 1953 Sonic Corporation was founded by Tony Smith in Shawnee, Oklahoma under a different name of the Top Hat. Tony Smith started the company as a drive-in restaurant featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, and french-fried onion rings. In the mid-50s Smith was asked by Charles Pappe for assistance in establishing a similar restaurant in a rural town also located in Oklahoma. This was the beginning of a partnership between the two men. In 1991 Sonic Corporation was the fifth largest chain in the fast-food industry, servicing in the hamburger segment, behind McDonald's, Burger King, Hardee's, and Wendy's. Sonic has and is still carrying the tradition of being a high-quality franchise-based organization in the Sunbelt states. The following case will be broke down into five different stages beginning with early strategies, problems, new strategies, a ratio analysis, and a recommendation. Tony Smith introduced the Top Hat as a drive-in restaurant that reduced start up cost by not having eat-in space. This new restaurant featured drive-in stalls for automobiles that were equipped with a two-way intercom enabling customers to order as soon as they drove in, opposed to conventional practices of waiting for a carhop to take an order. Delivery of the fresh fast-quality products was doing to the unique design of the kitchen, and the use of carhops. Sonic Corporation preferred to do things as easy as possible and avoid sophistication. Another strategy Smith implemented was a collection of franchise royalties. This was done in a way such that Sonic franchise holders were required to purchase printed bags at an additional fee that Smith arranged through a paper-goods supplier. Pyramid-type selling arrangements were formed by franchisees in money making efforts by starting other franchises through friends. This lead to original store managers having a percentage of their own store earnings and a portion of the new operation of the recruited friend manager. This idea further developed to multi-ownership of almost all Sonic operations as store managers were also part owners. This concept of pyramid-type selling carried Sonic forward with rapid growth. In the later-70's almost one new sonic store opened per day. The rapid expansion of Sonic was growing at an uncontrollable rate. With such rapid growth some stores failed. In these cases Sonic assumed control over failed franchise units, driving the number of company owned restaurants from 3 in 1974 to 149 in 1979. This rapid expansion of Sonic was a short lived frenzy which resulted in numerous failures do to lack of planning, market analysis, and requirements for unit managers. The company was forced to operate the failed franchise as company units in most cases, to protect the franchise name and reputation. A loss was posted in 1980 as Sonic began closing some operations. Reason's for the closings were that the board tighten its control which created an operation that left no services being provided to the franchise holders, including no advertising cooperation's, no management training services, and no accounting services. In 1983 Smith decided to go outside the company’s parameters and appointed a professional manager that had no ties to Sonic Corporation in any shape, form, or know how. Stephen Lynn was introduced to Sonic Corporation as president and chief executive officer. The new comer, Lynn, was granted the decision to form his own management team. This team was formed and implemented by mid 1984. By implementing his own management team Lynn could begin to take problems head on, after ridding the board members and franchise holders that had significant conflicting interests that clouded the better judgement of Sonic. In an attempt to turn the organization around, Lynn and his newly formed management team set forth on a strategy that had three key factors: a. attack problems concerning franchise attitude and Sonic's image; b. improve purchasing c. Improve communications. A co-op program along with advertising also helped improve communication and relations between franchise owners. The company's strategies also reached out further as it offered annual conventions, provided training for managers, and training facilities with a test kitchen. The company went even further to offer help in areas of franchisees location sites and construction support to sales and profit improvement counseling. Another strategy was to upgrade the stores appearances and improve energy efficiency. Most franchise owners purchased a â€Å"retrofit† package that offered the mentioned upgrade features. These new designs generated an average of 20 percent increase in unit sales in addition to the overhead savings. Sonic Corporation is an ever improving company that is striving for efficiency, freshness, and quality. Over the life of the company management has always been trying to increase profits and taking steps into the future. Sonic Corporation also learned that in maximizing profits one must incorporate all the ingredients from attitudes of the mangers and owners to the products they offer their customers. In looking at the ratio's Sonic Corporation is looking stronger every year. I would recommend keeping management minds striving to new and better innovations that could again revolutionize the company as it had under the leadership of Mr. Lynn. In doing so the company assures itself and ever lasting life in the fast-food drive-in industry. http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/history2/39/Sonic-Corp. html 6. References Gould, W. (1996). McDonald's. London, Cherrytree Books. Kotler, P. (2005). Principles of marketing. Harlow, Financial Times Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong (2008). Principles of marketing. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson/Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. and K. L. Keller (2009). Marketing management. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson/Prentice Hall. Kroc, R. and R. Anderson (1987). â€Å"Grinding it out : the making of McDonald's. † 218 p. , [24] pages of plates. Love, J. F. (1995). McDonald's : behind the arches. New York, Bantam Books. McDonald's (2008). â€Å"Annual Report. Retrieved September â€Å". http://www. mcdonalds. com/corp/invest/pub/2008_annual_shareholders. html Nachrichten, F. http://www. finanznachrichten. de/nachrichten-2006-04/artikel-6317906. asp Peter, J. P. and J. H. Donnelly (2007). Marketing management : knowledge and skills. Boston ; London, McGraw-Hill Irwin. Phil Lyon, S. T. a. S. S. (2007). â€Å"The Ritzer debate continued. † http://www. mcspotlight. org/media/reports/silverstone. html Schlosser, E. (2002). Fast food nation : what the all-American meal is doing to the world. London, Penguin, 2007. Thomm, R. (1996). Business China : a practical insight into doing business in China. Chatswood, N. S. W. , Business & Professional Publishing. Weekly, B. (1994). â€Å"McLibel Support Campaign. † summary and extracts of court proceedings in High Court case: McDonald's versus Helen Steel and Dave Morris. . Biblography Gould, W. (1996). McDonald's. London, Cherrytree Books. Kotler, P. (2005). Principles of marketing. Harlow, Financial Times Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong (2008). Principles of marketing. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson/Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. and K. L. Keller (2009). Marketing management. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson/Prentice Hall. Kroc, R. and R. Anderson (1987) . â€Å"Grinding it out : the making of McDonald's. † 218 p. , [24] pages of plates. Love, J. F. (1995). McDonald's : behind the arches. New York, Bantam Books. McDonald's (2008). Annual Report. Retrieved September â€Å". http://www. mcdonalds. com/corp/invest/pub/2008_annual_shareholders. html Nachrichten, F. http://www. finanznachrichten. de/nachrichten-2006-04/artikel-6317906. asp Peter, J. P. and J. H. Donnelly (2007). Marketing management : knowledge and skills. Boston ; London, McGraw-Hill Irwin. Phil Lyon, S. T. a. S. S. (2007). â€Å"The Ritzer debate continued. † http://www. mcspotlight. org/media/reports/silverstone. html Schlosser, E. (2002). Fast food nation : what the all-American meal is doing to the world. London, Penguin, 2007. Thomm, R. (1996). Business China : a practical insight into doing business in China. Chatswood, N. S. W. , Business & Professional Publishing. Weekly, B. (1994). â€Å"McLibel Support Campaign. † summary and extracts of court proceedings in High Court case: McDonald's versus Helen Steel and Dave Morris. http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/history2/39/Sonic-Corp. html http://www. marlerblog. com/2006/07/articles/legal-cases/thirteen-years-since-jack-in-the-box/ http://www. nzherald. co. nz/property/news/article. cfm? c_id=8&objectid=10537499 http://www. nbr. co. nz/article/wendys-plans-nz-expansion-36423

Elderly poverty Essay

By 2050, the number of elderly people will be high (aged 65 and above) 20 percent of the population worldwide. Given the pressure on the demand for public services such as pensions, health services and housing facilities. Elderly poverty is both a social and a financial problem. Poverty rates among the elderly tend to be highest among women, above all widows over the age of 75. This is mainly due to pension allowances that have traditionally been associated with employment history. In 2000, it was estimated that more than a third of Ireland’s elderly population was living in poverty. Ireland has been criticized for failing to protect its most vulnerable citizens, the elderly. Despite having a state pension scheme for the vulnerable group, there is still a big gap. Poverty rates among the elderly people have changed over the time and this is likely to project (Thomas, 1995). Among the problems faced by the elderly include, food insecurity and poor nutrition. Food insecurity it is the insufficiency in the quality of food intake due to lack of resources which mainly focuses on inaccessibility and unavailable of resources among the elderly as a result of their impairment and health problems. This study reveals that food insecurity is another risk factor associated with poorer nutritional and health status among older persons. Food insecurity is another problem facing elderly people. It has an effect on health and quality nutritional status. Further, it can also bring physical, emotional and economic burdens to the elderly persons themselves. Hence, understanding the cost of food insecurity is the major phenomena in addressing food related issues in elderly persons and providing information to better their nutrition and health services for an ever-increasing and diverse older population. However, nutritional status and consequences of food insecurity mainly focuses on the younger, the adult, women and children. The consequences include decreased nutritional eating habits, inadequate food supply, impairment and an increase in body weight forgetting about the elderly people at large. Food insecurity among elderly persons requires consideration of various determinants of nutritional and health status significant to a particular age group. Concerning food insecurity among the elderly there is the need for investment in long term self-sufficiency projects, supportive policy systems to address issues about the right to food and participation of government, community and other institutions to ensure food security (Laurence, 1990) Health is another issue facing the elderly living in poverty because of the limited incomes, educational achievements and no health insurance facilities. For instance the case of elderly Hispanic who depend on the assistance from the relatives and supplemental security incomes to cope with their deteriorating health issues. Increasing poverty, the socio-demographic profile of the elderly population is rapidly changing, especially with the weakening of extended family ties and lineage-based support systems. Usually, the extended family has been the main source of livelihood support for the elderly in sub-Saharan Africa, taking care of their parents when they are not economically dynamic. With the increase in poverty and health related issues like HIV/AIDS epidemic on the elderly and on the social background in Africa and the death of young people leaves the elderly people in charge. Elderly persons play a key role not only in providing care for persons with HIV/AIDS but also in caring for AIDS orphans which effects them health wise because they do not have enough energy to run up and down looking for food, income to care for the sick. For illustration, in Kenya the elderly people were the main care-givers for people infected with HIV/AIDS and also take care of the orphans. Elderly people also face the problem of accessibility. Since, most of them live places inaccessible to the basic facilities like the health care, incase they are sick access them is very hard and some of the end up not getting to this services because they are weak. Housing; elderly people is largely increasing as a result of poverty and inadequate affordable housing. By housing I mean access to clean and safe water, toilet facilities and waste collection facilities. Among the households especially headed by the elderly there are a few chances of them affording decent house even though they receive assistance like 37 percent of the elderly in America but this is not enough. (Thomas 1995). Every human being needs a range of basic necessities irrespective of age. While poverty exists everywhere, it is most harsh in developing countries, where more than one person in five lives on less than one dollar per day. Reducing poverty among the vulnerable people is an international goal of development and the many international organizations working towards this initiative. Strategies on how to reduce poverty are, however as many as the causes of poverty. For example the World Bank’s anti-poverty plan, for example, depends heavily on reducing poverty though the promotion of economic growth. We also have the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that campaign for the reduction of severe poverty among the vulnerable groups REFERENCE Thomas, A. (1995). Old and homeless: an overview of current practice, Westport: Greenwood publishing group. Laurence, E. (1990). Inner city poverty in the United States, New York: National Academies Press.

Pros and Cons of a Federal System of Government Essay

Pros and Cons of a Federal System of Government - Essay Example Given the basic definition, a federal system of government consist of two or more levels of governments existing within an established territory governing through common structures/institutions with shared or overlapping powers prescribed by a supreme constitution (Shafritz, Edwin and Christopher, 2010). The central government is at the level of the sovereign state tasked with responsibilities of maintaining national security and conducting international diplomatic relations, covering the right of signing binding treaties. The central government is basically mandated to make binding laws for the whole federation; the power that local governments do not posses. Within its structure, the central government functions with ministries, departments alongside agencies in administering the federation. Federalism is thus a political as well as a philosophical concept that outlines how political power is divided or rather distributed to different levels of governments. The extent of division o f power between the levels of governance in a democratic nation may vary. However, the most vital powers relating to security and the stability of the entire union are granted to the center, with regional governments sharing subsidiary responsibility. ... In particular, the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and Brazil are all examples of federal governments. With regard to the United States, federalism has been an ever evolving relationship between state governments and the federal government. From a system of dual federal system, the American governance structures have evolved to that of associative federalism. In the "Federalist No. 46," James Madison asserts that both levels of governments "are distinct agents and trustees of the citizenry, constituted with distinct powers." According to Alexander Hamilton, ("Federalist No. 28), both levels of government were constituted to exercise authority to the benefit of the citizens. That is to say, if in case the peoples' rights were trampled upon by either of the two, they could make use of the other level of government as the instrument of redress (Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, 1961). As with every system of governance, federalism as a model of governance characterized by sharing of power is not perfect, neither is it any close to achieving perfect harmonious relations among its components. As a system corrected through the ages to achieve its current status in the United States, it is an obvious fact that federalism has its merits and the disadvantages. One of the prime benefits of a federal system is the degree of autonomy granted to regional governments in deciding their local laws, in spite of being a part of a whole. In the US, every state has the authority to modify local laws to fit the local demands. The system is also advantageous with respect to degree with which governance is simplified to achieve the distribution of power. In effect, local problems are dealt with at the local level without letting them gravitate to the national level

Differences between internal and external audit Essay

Differences between internal and external audit - Essay Example Differences between internal and external audit Internal and external audit differs in terms of objectives, scope, level of independence of the auditor, and methodology. Objectives The internal auditor’s objective is to ensure that sound risk management and control systems are in place to prevent errors and fraud from occurring. The external auditor’s objective on the other hand is to ensure that the accounts show a true and fair view. Therefore the necessary tests should be carried out to ensure that the financial statements can be relied upon to give a true and fair view. Scope of Work The scope of the internal auditors work is dependent on the management and directors of the organization. It is normal that less emphasis is placed on materiality considerations. The scope of the external auditor’s role is laid down in the state. Their primary concern is to ensure that the financial statements are free from material misstatements. Independence The internal audito r’s is employed by the organisation and the internal audit function is determined by management. ... University The internal audit at a University would report to the University Council through the Audit Committee on the systems of governance, internal control, value for money and the extent to which strategic initiatives that have been undertaken at the University are achieving their goals. The scope of the internal auditors work is wide as it covers non financial areas within the University. It consists of multiple audits in any one year and involves a range of areas in the University’s operations. Internal audit is would be part of the internal control system of the organization. The internal auditor would be required to prepare a risk based plan annually. The work will be performed on the most risky aspects of the University’s operating environment first. External Audit Procedures at a University The external auditor’s procedures which represents a statutory requirement checks whether the University’s accounts present a true and fair view of the finan cial position. A plan is prepared based on an assessment of the University’s operating environment. This activity is normally performed at after the end of the financial year. However, the external auditor may seek to carry out an interim audit during the course of the year so as to lessen the amount of work done at the final year end audit. The interim work normally include risk assessments to determine where weaknesses exists that could result in material misstatements of the financial statements. The external auditor would also evaluate the work of the internal auditor to determine if the external audit work could be reduced (CICA 2010). Similarities between Internal and External Auditors Both internal and external auditors are required to plan their work in relation to their objectives in carrying out

Shwood Eyewear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shwood Eyewear - Essay Example Artists combine precision technology and exceptional artistry. The business operates in the apparel & fashion industry (Shwood, 2014). Its location is along Arctic Dr. Beaverton in Oregon, US. It is a privately held business started in 2009 (Shwood, 2014). It manufactures and supplies naturally simple sunglasses to the highly populated city of Portland. The city has a neighborhood of a large population that ensures it has a good market base. The business mission statement is â€Å"Experiment with Nature† (Eyes+ Edge, 2012). It aims at producing leading and unique products that make clients feel elegant and stylish. Innovation and creation constitute key aspects of the business’s production methods. The business has eleven to fifty employees (Shwood, 2014). The employees are mainly engaged in cutting lenses, shaping and finishing sunglasses. Shwood business acquired its capital from the family savings and donations. The business values creativity and innovative ideas that are unique to the demands of its clients. Shwood Eyewear products are unique wooden sunglasses. The artisans serving as the business employees are highly skilled that makes them competent in their work. Besides the production of sunglasses, Shwood business also offers quality services to its clients. The services it offers include replacement of broken and worn out glasses. The business also distributes wooden glasses to homes of its clients on order and new sales missions. The idea of creating uniqueness that blend with the environment has prompted the use of wood to make the sunglasses. Shwood capitalizes on the originality of its production that most of its competitors do not have. Using wood and stones to make sunglasses renders it an environmentally sustainable business. It also majors in cost effective production that do not burden consumers of its final products in terms of cost. The business promotes its products through online marketing, display, and exhibition.

Interpersonal Written Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interpersonal Written Assignment - Essay Example Initiating is a stage in which the two characters make their first contact in a drive from Chicago University to New York. This stage is restricted to conversation openers, in both initial contacts and in contact with acquaintances (205). In the film, the two characters combine the first step with the second, experimenting. In this stage, we find that the conversation between Sally and Harry is slowly developing as the two gets acquainted to one another. By now, the two knows where the other is headed to and the profession they want to pursue in their new places. Here, we find Harry trying to make a romantic move on Sally who turns him down, and they settle for a platonic friendship. The two characters are fond of mixing these steps as is seen in the way Harry uses gestures to intensify his urge to have Sally as a romantic partner. The two characters part ways on reaching their destination, to mark the termination of their first encounter. The second meeting occurs in an airport 5 years later, and both are engaged. They seem to revisit the first stages before terminating again. This termination stage seems a common phenomenon in their romantic lives. They meet again in the late 80‘s having terminated their relationships, a move which see them through stage of bonding. Here, we find the two making gestures to show the public of their affection. In one part of the film, we find the two exchanging romantic gestures in a dance club, even kissing in public. The public display and declaration of love for each other in the club marks a critical moment for the two love birds. They end up getting intimate, a revisit of integrating stage. However, the intimacy sees them into the circumscribing and stagnation, where they behave to each other with no much stronger feeling. The two partners behave towards each other with no much strong feeling like it was the case there before. They end up through the avoidance stage and

Supply Chain Management as a Major Source of Competitive Advantage Essay

Supply Chain Management as a Major Source of Competitive Advantage - Essay Example This paper illustrates that a firm takes inputs from the external environment, processes them and sells it to consumers. The process of transferring the inputs into the firm and getting the outputs to consumers outside the firm is at the center of supply chain management. Supply chain encompasses all organizations and activities associated with the flow and transmission of goods from raw materials through to the end users as well as associated information and monetary flow. Another definition states that the supply chain is â€Å"a set of three or more companies directly linked by one or more of the upstream or downstream flows of products, services, finances and information from a source to a customer†. This implies that supply chain management has to do with how the connections and linkages between a firm, its suppliers and consumers is conducted, arranged and utilised. Ross views supply chain management as a set of tasks that are carried out by an organization in order to a ttain results. He states that the supply chain is a set of collective tasks centered around the optimization of transportation/logistic, processing and distribution channels that a firm employs and utilizes. It involves functions like warehousing, transportation and other objectives associated with the markets. It utilizes time and involves the transfer of possessions. The concept of supply chain management is presented by Horch as the process of procurement, materials logistics, and distribution. This involves the institutionalization of aspects of logistics and the distribution of these logistics through processes related to upstream and downstream flows of the supply chain.

Should Animals be used in Medical Research Term Paper

Should Animals be used in Medical Research - Term Paper Example This essay stresses that in their strong defense proponents of this perspective argue that various measures are in place to ensure animals used in research are handled in the most humane way possible. First, animals should only be used under the condition that the solution can only be found through them, and no other method or way can be applied in such studies to give accurate information. Secondly, to help reduce the harm, three principles are applied. The first one is replacement where researchers should endeavor to find alternatives before they settle on animals as the subjects. In this regard, human volunteers, as well as computer techniques, can be used in place of animals to minimize any likely harm they may be exposed to. This paper makes a conclusion that the question of whether animals should be used in medical research has been clearly answered by the two arguments discussed. As seen, the debate is deeper than it can be imagined. However, what comes out precisely is the theme of morality vs. science. While the first perspective insists that it violates animal rights for the benefit of humanity, the second perspective counter neutralizes this by asking if it is moral to watch humans suffer yet animals can save them. Judging from the justifications presented by the latter, it is proper to draw a conclusion that animals should be used for medical researches especially when the three highlighted principles are observed. This way, the human species will stay healthy to protect the animals.

Essay2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Essay2 - Essay Example It is saddening for me to watch an additional species disappear completely from the face of the earth because of factors that can be controlled (Bocedi et al 84). However, many of the suggestions that have been placed forth require human beings to be more cautious in the way they interact with the environment. This may mean that human beings need to maintain the natural state of the environment that can support the lives of other species. The greatest challenge of doing this is that human beings need to survive as well. Over the years, the human population has increased at alarming rates. This has served to confirm that human beings are reproductive. In order to sustain reproduction, human beings have to manipulate the environment so that it can favor them in different ways. The rapid climate changes occurring recently are attributable to such manipulations of the environment by human beings (Bocedi et al 85). This situation explains why it has proved difficult for me to define a specific solution that will ensure that different species survive and that human beings have the right amount of resources. After interacting with several sources that discuss the potential solutions to the ongoing climate changes that have threatened the survival of different species, I am compelled by the conviction that human beings can initiate a change. This is possible if they can limit the level of resource, they use on a daily basis. Innovation can serve to save some of the natural resources, preventing them from depletion. Human beings are well aware that natural resources are subject to depletion if not used in a sustainable manner. If only human beings were committed to saving natural resources, and maintaining balance in the natural cycle that ensures regular climatic patterns, then the ensuing problem would be solved effectively. There are potential benefits of this potential solution

Nutraceuticals International Essay Example for Free

Nutraceuticals International Essay 1. â€Å"Beetroot juice ‘can beat blood pressure’. † Nutraceuticals International 13. 2 (Feb 2008). Summary/Critique Medications for hypertension can amount to a lot of money each year. This is the reason why many experts are trying to look at cheaper alternatives in producing medicines that could alleviate the upsurge of this dreaded disease. Cheaper medicines can come in a form of herbal remedies. In this report that appeared in a magazine Nurtaceuticals International (Feb.2008), it has been revealed that British researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine found a new way of vitally reducing the blood pressure of hypertension patients. By taking 500ml of beetroot juice each, they might have a chance of being cured of their hypertension. The group of researchers, led by Amrita Ahluwalia and Ben Benjamin, identified that it is the â€Å"ingestion of dietary nitrate contained within beetroot juice† that does the trick. The effect can also be seen when people are eating green, leafy vegetables that ultimately results in decreased blood pressure. Because of the antioxidant vitamin content of vegetable-rich diet people can be protected against heart disease. This article is very informative because readers can learn the importance of having good diet can help everyone have a healthier life. Also, this article could encourage more experts in trying to find alternative ways of helping people with hypertension. Full Text Article: â€Å"Beetroot juice ‘can beat blood pressure’. † Nutraceuticals International 13. 2 (Feb 2008). Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine in the UK have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study, published on-line on February 5 in the American Heart Associations journal Hypertension, could have major implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Lead by Amrita Ahluwalia, professor at the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and The London School of Medicine, and Ben Benjamin, professor at Peninsula Medical School, USA, the research reveals that it is the ingestion of dietary nitrate contained within beetroot juice and similarly in green, leafy vegetables which results ultimately in decreased blood pressure. Previously, the protective effects of vegetable-rich diets had been attributed to their antioxidant vitamin content. Effective one hour post ingestion Prof Ahluwalia and her team found that, in healthy volunteers, blood pressure was reduced within just one hour of ingesting beetroot juice, with a peak drop occurring three-four hours after ingestion. Some degree of reduction continued to be observed until up to 24 hours after consumption. Researchers showed that the decrease in blood pressure was due to the chemical formation of nitrite from the dietary nitrate in the juice. The nitrate in the juice is converted in saliva by bacteria on the tongue into nitrite. This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed and, in the acidic environment of the stomach is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite. The peak time of reduction in blood pressure correlated with the appearance and peak levels of nitrite in the circulation, an effect that was absent in a second group of volunteers who refrained from swallowing their saliva during, and three hours following, beetroot ingestion. More than 25% of the worlds adult population are hypertensive, and it has been estimated that this figure will increase to 29% by 2025. In addition, hypertension causes around 50% of coronary heart disease, and approximately 75% of strokes. In demonstrating that nitrate is likely to underlie the cardio-protective effect of a vegetable-rich diet, the research of Prof Ahluwalia and her colleagues highlights the potential of a natural, low cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease a condition that kills over 110,000 people in England alone every year. Prof Ahluwalia concluded: our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure. 2. Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension doubles female sexual dysfunction prevalence. † Family Practice News 36. 20 (Oct 15, 2006): 14. Summary Critique: We only know that hypertension affects the circulatory system of the human body. However, in this article by Mitchel Zoler (2006), it has been found that hypertensive women have double the risk of having sexual dysfunction than women with normal blood pressure. This proposition came after scientists have conducted a study of 417 women. As Dr. Michael Doumas reported in the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, â€Å"women with controlled hypertension had a significantly lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction than did women whose hypertension failed to reach goal levels during treatment† (Zoler, 2006). In this particular study, all women were tasked to complete a â€Å"19-question form that has been validated as a way to evaluate sexual function†. The questions dealt with several domains of female sexual function: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. The survey found out that among the women with hypertension, â€Å"42% had scores indicating sexual dysfunction†, which is far in statistically significant when compared with â€Å"19% among the normotensives†. Looking on how the researchers arrived at this conclusion can be doubtful because they merely based it on a survey, which can be a result of many other factors other than hypertension. Yet, this observation should not be taken complacently because hypertension is a common disease in the United States and its link to reproductive dysfunction in women should be established so that doctors will know how to alleviate the worsening problem of hypertension. Full Text Article: Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension doubles female sexual dysfunction prevalence. † Family Practice News 36. 20 (Oct 15, 2006): 14. NEW YORK Women with hypertension were twice as likely to have sexual dysfunction as normotensive women were, in a study of 417 women. The results also showed that women with controlled hypertension had a significantly lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction than did women whose hypertension failed to reach goal levels during treatment, Dr. Michael Doumas reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension. But a third finding was that women who were treated with antihypertensive drugs had a higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction than did untreated women. Dr.Doumas speculated that this was caused by the effects of certain antihypertensive drugs, such as diuretics and [beta]-blockers. Treatment with other drug types, the angiotensin-receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, appeared to reduce sexual dysfunction, he said. We need to treat hypertension because of its effect on adverse cardiac outcomes. But there is a hint that we can lower blood pressure with some drugs and also have good effects on female sexual function, said Dr. Doumas, a physician in the department of internal medicine at the Hospital of Alexandroupolis in Athens. The study enrolled 216 women with hypertension and 201 normotensive women. Their average age overall was about 48, and all were sexually active. The women completed a 19-question form that has been validated as a way to evaluate sexual function. The questions dealt with several domains of female sexual function: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Among the women with hypertension, 42% had scores indicating sexual dysfunction, compared with 19% among the normotensives, which was a statistically significant difference. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction increased significantly with the duration of hypertension. Among women who had been hypertensive for fewer than 3 years, 16% had a score indicating sexual dysfunction; the rate rose to 33% among women with hypertension for 3-6 years and 79% among women with hypertension for more than 6 years. Age also showed a significant interaction with prevalence. Among women aged 31-40 years, the prevalence of dysfunction was 21%; the rate rose to 38% among women aged 41-50 and to 57% among women who were older than 50 years. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 48% among women treated for hypertension, compared with 33% among the untreated hypertensives, a significant difference. The average age was 48 years in both groups. But the prevalence was lower still among the hypertensive women who had their pressure controlled by treatment. With control defined as a pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with controlled hypertension was 27%, significantly less than the 51% of women with uncontrolled hypertension who had dysfunction. Its not yet known how antihypertensive drugs exert differing effects on sexual function. In general, drugs that cause vasodilation appear to improve sexual dysfunction, Dr. Doumas said. 3. â€Å"Liver linked to deadly disease. † USA Today (Magazine) 135. 2737 (Oct 2006): 10. The liver is important in the human body because it produces many enzymes that aid the digestion of our food intake. This is why it can be alarming to have liver disorders because it can affect our system from metabolizing food. For example, in the United States, many people consume an excessive amount of protein. The metabolism of excess protein, especially animal protein, can put a strain on the liver and kidneys in fats include dairy products, vegetable oils, and red meat. In this report from USA Today, it was found that liver disorders may trigger a deadly type of hypertension. As a physician from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center named Dan Rockey informed, this type of hypertension is called portal hypertension that â€Å"affects the blood flow into the portal vein, which feeds blood to the liver†. This report is alarming because the short-term mortality rate of having â€Å"portal hypertension is about 30%† (USA Today, October 2006). Dan Rockey and his colleagues are undergoing research to open new grounds for this disease and to find â€Å"possible clinical approaches†. Portal hypertension can trigger bleeding and development of fluid found in the abdomen. It is important to take more research on this type of hypertension because it can possibly become an epidemic if it is not treated. Also, we can take steps in taking care of our liver by reducing alcohol intake and eating healthy food. Full Text Article: Liver linked to deadly disease. USA Today (Magazine) 135. 2737 (Oct 2006): 10. Mechanisms causing a potentially deadly type of hypertension that result from liver damage have been identified by Don Rockey, a physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Portal hypertension affects the blood flow into the portal vein, which feeds blood to the liver. Rockey identified the cellular activity that results in portal hypertension. He and his colleagues then took the research a step further, showing that, if the process can be interrupted, the hypertension subsides. Portal hypertension is a deadly disease that complicates many forms of chronic liver injury, he explains. When this occurs, in its most severe form, the prognosis definitely becomes guarded, often leading to the need for a liver transplant. The short-term mortality for patients with portal hypertension is about 30%. The latest research opens new ground and has implications for possible clinical approaches. The end result of portal hypertension is bleeding and development of ascites [fluid in the abdomen]; so, if you could treat it early, you could prevent bleeding or the formation of ascites, Rockey observes. Portal hypertension is similar to the widely known essential hypertensionwhich impairs blood flow to the heart systemsexcept it affects blood flow to the liver-related systems. The liver is an essential organ that washes the bodys blood of wastes and poisons. Cirrhosis of the liver occurs when the cells are damaged. Scarring often results, reducing blood flow and raising pressure on veins. The high pressure can cause veins to burst, resulting in internal bleeding and, potentially, death. Previous studies have shown that, at the cellular level, portal hypertension results from reduced production of needed nitric oxide, which regulates expansion of the blood vessels. Rockeys research identifies how the nitric oxide production breaks down due to the effects of the protein GRK2. The protein attaches to another protein called AKT, interrupting the creation of nitric oxide. 4. Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension diagnosis often missed in children. † Family Practice News 35. 11 (June 1, 2005): 15. We might not know it but children can develop hypertension too. Since the late 1980s, the rate of pre-hypertension and hypertension among U. S. children and teenagers has continued to increase. However, according to Zoler (June 1, 2005), experts miss 85% of these cases. In this article, Dr. Charlene K. Mitchell informed that â€Å"the problem with diagnosing hypertension in kids is that there are too many threshold pressures for most physicians to keep straight†. The guidelines for diagnosing children with the condition are different than those for adults. The point at which children are considered to have hypertension is determined by age, gender, weight and height, and young patients usually are not diagnosed until they have higher-than-normal readings for at least three visits. American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines require that blood pressure be taken at every doctors visit, but some physicians do not then calculate whether it is too high, especially if the child is healthy otherwise. This is why Dr. Mitchell suggested the researchers should be â€Å"aggressive† in finding a solution not to miss the diagnosis of hypertension in children. The impact of missing the diagnosis of hypertension in kids can be tremendous because it is a â€Å"killer† disease. Doctors missing to identify it could not suggest medications and this can be life-threatening for the children. More serious research should be conducted to identify what method is appropriate in determining the occurrence of hypertension in children. Full Text Article: Zoler, Mitchel L. Hypertension diagnosis often missed in children. Family Practice News 35. 11 (June 1, 2005): 15. New Orleans A diagnosis of hypertension was missed in 85% of children with high blood pressure in a study of 287 youngsters who were examined at two university-based, pediatric clinics. The problem with diagnosing hypertension in kids is that there are too many threshold pressures for most physicians to keep straight, Charlene K. Mitchell, M. D. , said at the annual meeting of the Southern Society for Pediatric Research. Because the threshold for diagnosing hypertension varies by age, height, and gender, there are a total of 420 different diastolic and systolic pressures that determine whether a particular child has high blood pressure, said Dr. Mitchell, a pediatrician and internist at the University of Louisville (Ky. ). The total is 420 because there are 15 different age-specific threshold pressures for children aged 3-17 years, 7 different height-specific threshold pressures between the 5th and 95th height percentiles, different thresholds for girls and boys, and different thresholds for diastolic and systolic pressure. The threshold criteria for borderline hypertension would add another 120 pressure thresholds for diagnosing hypertension. The numbers are chopped up too much. Its far too complex for easy management, Dr. Mitchell said. If physicians must always look on a table every time they check a blood pressure, well continue to see underdiagnosis. Her solution to the number surfeit is to cluster several ages with a single diagnostic pressure threshold. However, eventually she would like to have study results establish pressure thresholds for diagnosing hypertension that are empirically derived, rather than based on statistics. If the diagnostic criteria are simplified, physicians will be much more likely to identify hypertension in children much more often, Dr. Mitchell said. We need to be much more aggressive about recognizing hypertension in children than we are now, she added. Her study was designed to assess physician accuracy at identifying hypertension in children aged 3-17 years being seen for routine, well-child visits from July 31 to Aug. 15, 2003. Of the 287 children examined, 90 (31%) had hypertension by current standards, and 35 (12%) had borderline hypertension. But only 15% of those with hypertension were diagnosed by their examining physicians. The results also showed that physicians were more likely to diagnose hypertension in children with a higher body mass index (BMI). The children who were correctly diagnosed as hypertensive were, on average, in the 92nd percentile for BMI. Those who had unrecognized blood pressure elevations were, on average, in the 76th percentile for BMI. 5. Bradbury, Jane. â€Å"The chicken and egg in hypertension†, The Lancet 349. 9059 (April 19, 1997), p. 1151. It is important to know where essential hypertension will trigger from because it can aid doctors to foresee the development of this dreaded disease. To wit, there is an ongoing debate of whether essential hypertension occurs when there is a perceived micro vascular abnormality or is when doctors see higher levels of blood pressure. In this article, UK clinicians found that males â€Å"with a familial predisposition to high blood pressure, a reduced number of capillaries and impaired microvascular dilatation precede hypertension†. In the research conducted by Professor David Webb and his team from the University of Edinburgh, they utilized the â€Å"four-corners epidemiological model† in predicting the triggering point of hypertension. Their study in 1977 determined the measure of blood pressure from 1809 married couples. In 1985, 864 of the 16–24 year-old children that came from the previous couples â€Å"had their blood pressure measured† too. Then, the researchers classified â€Å"four groups of offspring† by â€Å"combinations of personal (high or low) and parental (high or low) blood pressure†. Through these extensive studies, they determined that â€Å"microvessel characteristics which might be responsible for increased vascular resistance in essential hypertension†. Mostly, it is the males â€Å"with high blood pressure whose parents also had high blood pressure had significantly impaired dermal vasodilatation compared with the other three groups†. Also, they researchers observed they had â€Å"significantly fewer capillaries in the finger during venous occlusion†. This article can be helpful in the research of determining hypertension before it develops into a full-blown disease. Full Text Article: Bradbury, Jane. â€Å"The chicken and egg in hypertension†, The Lancet 349. 9059 (April 19, 1997), 1151. What comes first in essential hypertension-microvascular abnormalities or a rise in blood pressure? UK clinicians report this week that in men with a familial predisposition to high blood pressure, a reduced number of capillaries and impaired microvascular dilatation precede hypertension. Prof David Webb (University of Edinburgh, UK) and his team used the â€Å"four-corners† epidemiological model to unravel cause and effect in hypertension. In 1977, blood pressure was measured in 1809 married couples. 864 16–24 year-old offspring from 603 of the families had their blood pressure measured in 1985. Four groups of offspring were defined by combinations of personal (high or low) and parental (high or low) blood pressure. Microvessel characteristics which might be responsible for increased vascular resistance in essential hypertension were measured in 1993–95 for 105 men drawn from the four populations (J Clin Invest 1997; 99: 1873–79). Men with high blood pressure whose parents also had high blood pressure had significantly impaired dermal vasodilatation compared with the other three groups. They also had significantly fewer capillaries in the finger during venous occlusion. Factors which are associated with high blood pressure in offspring whose parent had high blood pressure are more likely to be causal than those that are associated with high blood pressure in the offspring irrespective of parental blood pressure, write the authors. The results suggest that defective angiogenesis may be an etiological component of hypertension, either environmental or genetic, and are consistent with the higher incidence of adult hypertension in people with a low birth weight. These findings, says Webb, should focus attention on the importance of early life factors in the programming of hypertension. 6. McCarron, David A. â€Å"Diet and high blood pressure the paradigm shift. † Science 281. 5379 (August 14, 1998): 933-934. Doctors and nutritionists always exhort people to make a change to healthier diets because it can aid all of us in preventing deleterious diseases. According to McCarron (Aug. 14, 1998), â€Å"humans are nearly unique in their natural propensity to develop elevated arterial pressure, a fact attributed to both genetic and environmental factors†. Many experts point an accusing finger on salt being the one that can contribute to the occurrence of hypertension. However, McCarron (Aug. 14, 1998) revealed that the â€Å"importance of salt in the pathogenesis of hypertension† is still being debated and â€Å"remains undetermined†. Experts began to accuse the extreme use of salt as the one that causes hypertension â€Å"when early studies indicated that salt intake increased blood pressure†. However, McCarron (Aug. 14, 1998) indicated that â€Å"many of these studies have since been discounted for design and methodologic flaws. But even where the methodology is sound, sodium intake cannot be linked to hypertension or higher population-wide blood pressure†. In more conclusive studies, there existed a â€Å"compelling evidence that adequate intake of minerals, rather than restriction of sodium, should be the focus of dietary recommendations for the general population†. This article is enlightening due to the fact that it debunks the myth of salt being the primary cause of developing hypertension. The author suggests that we should limit our mineral intake and not just salt alone, in order to live a healthy lifestyle. We should not manipulate our diet to our own detriment, but we should shift it to become health-conscious because we are already armed with the knowledge of what’s good for us. Full Text Article: McCarron, David A. Diet and high blood pressure the paradigm shift. Science 281. n5379 (August 14, 1998): 933(2). Hypertensiona serious health problem for industrialized societiescontributes significantly to the risk of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure. Among vertebrates, humans are nearly unique in their natural propensity to develop elevated arterial pressure, a fact attributed to both genetic and environmental factors. Only certain highly inbred strains of rodents and genetically engineered animals also spontaneously exhibit hypertension. Public policy has generally recommended that blood pressure can best be controlled by restriction of sodium chloride intake and with medication (1). Recent research has, however, emphasized the powerful role of total diet in the etiology and treatment of hypertension, suggesting that the focus of current public policy regarding nutrition and blood pressure is too narrow. Limitation of sodium chloride in food has historically been the dietary mantra of those who set nutritional policy for hypertension. Nevertheless, the importance of salt in the pathogenesis of hypertension has long been debated (2-4) and remains undetermined (5). The intense focus on sodium began when early studies indicated that salt intake increased blood pressure. These studies, many conducted decades ago, included epidemiologic surveys in primitive societies, clinical trials in patients with kidney disease, and animal investigations in which sodium intake levels cannot be realistically extrapolated to humans (6). Many of these studies have since been discounted for design and methodologic flaws. But even where the methodology is sound, sodium intake cannot be linked to hypertension or higher population-wide blood pressure (7). Two recent meta-analyses of randomized controlled trialsone examining the effects of sodium restriction (8) and the other of calcium supplementation on arterial pressure (9)provide compelling evidence that adequate intake of minerals, rather than restriction of sodium, should be the focus of dietary recommendations for the general population. Assessing 56 trials of sodium restriction, Midgley et al. (8) concluded that individuals with normal blood pressure gained nothing from limiting sodium intake and that only older ([is greater than] 45 years) hypertensive people might benefit, a conclusion recently confirmed by other investigators (5). Midgley et al. also reported that the magnitudes of the blood pressure reductions were not consistently related to the amount of sodium intake, indicating that confounding factors were contributing to the changes in blood pressure. Indeed, in a meta-analysis of calcium supplementation trials, Bucher et al. (9) identified a small but consistent drop in blood pressure when normotensive and hypertensive persons consumed more calcium. They speculated that baseline calcium intake or increased biological need for minerals might be responsible for the blood pressure variability not otherwise accounted for in their analysis. These two reports presaged the outcomes of two large clinical trials from the NIH, published in 1997 (10, 11). The Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP) II is the largest and longest study ever executed to test whether sodium restriction lowers arterial pressure and prevents the emergence of new hypertension cases (I0). No benefit was detected for the primary endpoint diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure decreased minimally (0. 7 mmHg), almost precisely the value that the Midgley (8) analysis projected. Furthermore, the TOHP II data demonstrated a dissociation between the extent of sodium restriction and the observed blood pressure reduction. The second large-scale study was the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (11). As would be predicted by Bucher et al. (9) in their meta-analysis of calcium studies, in persons whose intake of dairy products (and therefore calcium and other minerals) was well below currently recommended levels, blood pressure decreased significantly when the recommended amounts were included in their diets. In the DASH diet that was rich in dairy products, fruits, and vegetables and lower in fat (with sodium held constant), blood pressure decreased 5 to 6 mmHg in subjects with normal blood pressure; in those with mild hypertension, this blood pressure reduction was doubled, to 11 to 12 mmHg. Reductions of this magnitude have been observed previously only with antihypertensive medications. A second DASH diet, which included increased amounts of fruits and vegetables but did not include dairy products, produced more modest but still significant systolic blood pressure reductions, easily surpassing those observed with sodium restriction in TOHP II. DASH confirmed the meta-analyses as well as earlier indications from observational studies that dietary factors other than sodium markedly affected blood pressure (3, 12). For example, one of the earlier studies (12) identified inadequate calcium intake from dairy products as the dietary pattern most prevalent in individuals with untreated hypertension. Another study (3), in which nutrient intake was assessed from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I), confirmed this dietary pattern in hypertensive individuals and identified the relative absence of fruits and vegetables in the American diet as the second best predictor of elevated blood pressure. These studies suggested that where intake of other critical nutrients is adequate, sodium intake at levels typically consumed in most societies might actually be associated with lower blood pressure. They also concluded that the absence of specific nutrients (calcium, potassium, and magnesium), resulting from low consumption of dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, is associated with hypertension in Americans (3, 12). The TOHP II study adds to the substantial body of literature that challenges the public health emphasis on sodium restriction as the primary nutritional means of improving blood pressure. The issue is further complicated by concerns raised in several recent reports (5, 13, 14) that the long-term effect of sodium restriction on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality may be the opposite of what has always been assumed. The DASH study provides a clear rationale for focusing our public health strategy on adequate intake of low-fat dairy products and fruits and vegetables. The consistency of the accumulated data is evident when the blood pressure changes seen with the DASH diet (11) are superimposed on the blood pressure profile of Americans as a function of calcium intake from (3) (see the figure). According to these data (3, 11), if the intakes of calcium and other nutrients obtained through low-fat dairy products, fruits, and vegetables were increased to the amounts readily achieved in the DASH study, the percentage of Americans with moderately severe hypertension (160/100 to 179/109 mmHg) would be decreased by nearly half, from approximately 9% to 5%. For the millions more with borderline elevations, the benefits are likely to be at least as great. Whether hypertension is genetic or environmental in origin, control of dietary mineral intake has a place in its management and prevention. As a society, we will not achieve the dramatic reversal in hypertensive heart disease that DASH and other studies clearly show is possible until we direct our efforts to the nutritional factors and dietary patterns that are actually relevant to this condition. In addition, diets low in fat but high in calcium, fruits, and vegetables are not prevalent in the subgroups of society at greatest risk for hypertensive cardiac diseasethe elderly and African Americans. An added plus: A diet low in fat but high in calcium, fruits, and vegetables is also consistent with reduction of two other major public health problems, osteoporosis and cancer (15, 16). The emphasis on sodium as the single dietary culprit is counterproductive to our significantly reducing cardiovascular risk for most of us (5) and diverts attention from the issues we need to address (17). Food products such as snacks and soft drinks added to our diets in recent years have supplanted nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and milk. This shift in dietary patterns, and simultaneous suboptimal nutrient intake, is also far more likely to contribute to the prevalence of hypertension than salt, which has always been a component of the human diet. Humans may be unique in our propensity to develop hypertension simply because we are the only species with the capacity to manipulate our diets to our own detriment. References (1.) The Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, Arch. Intern. Med. 157, 2413 (1997). (2. ) G. Kolata, Science 216, 38 (1982). (3. ) D. A. McCarron, C. D. Morris, H. J. Henry, J. L. Stanton, ibid. 224, 139Z (1984). (4. ) J. D. Swales, Br. Med. J. 297, 307 (1988). (5. ) N. A. Graudal, A. M. Gallee, P. Gaffed, JAMA 279, 1383 (1998). (6. ) M. Muntzel and T. Drueke, Am. J. Hypertens. 5, 1S (1992). (7. ) Intersalt Cooperative Research Group, Br. Med. J. 297, 319 (1988). (8. ) J. P. Midgley, A. G. Matthew, C. I. T. Greenwood, A. G. Logan, JAMA 275, 1590 (1996). (9. ) H. C. Bucher et al. , ibid. , p. 1016. (10. ) Trials of Hypertension Prevention Collaborative Research Group, Arch. Intern. Med. 157, 657 (1997). (11. ) L. J. Appel et al. , N. Engl. J. Med. 336, 1117 (1997). (12. ) D. A. McCarron, C. Morris, C. Cole, Science 217, 267 (198Z). (13. ) M. H. Alderman, S. Madhavan, H. Cohen, J. E. Seatey, J. H. Laragh, Hypertension 25, 1144 (1995). (14. ) H. H. Alderman, H. Cohen, S. Madhavan, Lancet 351, 781 (1998).