Obama and the Immigration Reform free essay sample

â€Å"Obama set out to transform the US and her society during his presidency, but this is proving ever more difficult. † Obama had taken office in 2009 with the promise of introducing an immigration reform. He wanted to include a right of residence for immigrants who came as children of illegal immigrants to the United States. It is the third major project in his first term after the reform of health insurance and financial supervision. Illegal immigration is one of the most urgent domestic problems in the U. S. a reform could be one of the riskiest projects. Everyone was talking about the reform, shortly before the effective date of SB 1070 in Arizona which was the hardest immigration law of the country. This law included tough measures against immigrants. It stipulated, for example that the police officers had to control every person where they suspected they may find illegal immigrants. Even if someone from a completely different reason, for example for a traffic offense h as contact with the police, his immigration status must be checked. We will write a custom essay sample on Obama and the Immigration Reform or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The wearing of this document is obligatory although it is not actually prescribed in the United States. Obama had therefore criticized the law. The Federal Justice Department complained about it and the Senate worked out a draft for a federal law. Everyone agreed that something must be done but the nation was divided. The Democrats wanted to allow the citizenship for illegal immigrants under certain conditions but the Republicans denounced these plans as mass amnesty and requested for a strengthening of border security and tough measures against illegal immigrants. In 2010 Obamas immigration reform failed because only 55 politicians voted in the Senate. 60 votes were needed almost all Republicans voted against it. In May 2011 Obama took a new approach by making a speech in El Paso. On the one hand, he emphasized his hardness at the border security to reassure conservative Whites. He had increased to 20,000 men to the border security and under him deported estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants, he said. On the other hand, he campaigned with a view to the Latino voters for a more liberal immigration law. The 50 million Latinos living legally in the United States are the largest and fastest-growing minority and an important group of voters, the Republicans need to take into consideration. However, this group contributed significantly Obamas election victory. Moreover Obama stressed the economic benefits of immigration reform which is an economic necessity. The illegal employment could be contained if millions of immigrants would get legal residency status. He also wants to make it easier for foreign students after graduation to stay in the country and to get work. On the world market, we need all the skills that we can get, said Obama and referred to the various waves of immigration in history which has made the country stronger and more prosperous. But the administration of Barack Obama is stricter than the previous administration under George W. Bush against illegal immigration. More than 396 000 people were deported in the past twelve months more than ever before. Washington stress ed that it was focusing on the increased deportations of illegal immigrants among the law-breakers rather than immigrants living inconspicuously. More than half of those which had been deported are convicted criminals. The proportion was almost twice as high as two years ago. One fifth of the deportees had failed immigration rules again. All in all Obama could not really keep his campaign promise. Many people are angry and disappointed about it. In 2008 Latinos contributed Obama’s election victory. So in the election 2012 Obama must try to win the trust of Latinos again, otherwise it might be difficult for Obama to be re-elected.

Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines

Introduction This essay is based on an article, Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema (1992). The Value Disciples model focuses on three areas, which organizations should act upon in their operations to gain market shares. Treacy and Wiersema (1992) note that an organization should choose one of the value disciplines and concentrate on it constantly and vigorously, but it must also not ignore the other two areas. The two areas must meet the industry standards.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Operational excellence enhances organizational operations through quality services at low prices. Organizations should focus on efficiency, management of the supply chain, and streamline operations. Product leadership should focus on innovation, product design, development, short time frame, and bra nding in a highly dynamic market. Customer intimacy requires organizations to succeed in customer service and attention by tailoring products and services to meet specific needs of customers. In addition, organizations should also concentrate customer relationship management, exceed customers’ expectations in product and service delivery, focus on customer lifetime value, and be reliable and close to customers. Therefore, according to Treacy and Wiersema (1992), these are the three ways to achieve market leadership. The problem or opportunity for the organization Losing market share Compaq, Home Depot’s competitors, and Adidas lost market shares to their rivals because of the failure to understand and focus on the three ways for achieving market leadership. On the other hand, organizations, such as Compaq, Nike, and Home Depot gained significant market shares from their competitors because they focused on one of the value disciplines. Firms could lose market shares du e to several reasons. For instance, Compaq lost market share to Dell other competitors because of weaknesses in its delivery systems. Dell realized that Compaq and IBM delivery systems were weak. While its competitors concentrated lower prices, Dell developed an efficient operating model that eliminated dealers and distributors. This enhanced operational efficiency and excellence. As a result, Dell was able to acquire a significant market share from its competitors. Second, organizations lose market shares when they fail in product development. Product development requires creativity, which might be lacking in an organization. Firms that lose market shares have failed to recognize and embrace new ideas from outside. Unlike successful firms, organizations that lose market share fail to develop and commercialize their ideas fast. This could result from a failure to engineer business and management processes quickly. When organizations fail to pursue new solutions persistently, their p roducts may become obsolete as competitors develop better ones to meet emerging needs of customers. Therefore, product leaders must persistently seek for new solutions and commercialize the resultant products. Johnson Johnson has been able to get new ideas, develop them quickly, and seek for new solutions. Third, firms also lose market share due to failure to focus on customer service and related aspects of customer management. There are organizations, which have poor customer service. In most cases, customers tend not to visit such stores again. Such organizations underestimate the value of customers to their business.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is imperative for organizations to stress the importance of customer service. Home Depot managed to outperform its competitors because it focused on intimate customer service. The company realized that not all customer s required similar services. Home Depot ensures that its customers get the right product irrespective of its price. Home Depot employees spend adequate time necessary to ensure that all customers get products that will solve their problems. This is the company’s first priority. Fourth, changes in the market may also result into a loss of market shares. For instance, when competitors emerged, GE realized that it could no longer rely on the loaded dealer concept to meet its customers’ needs. Consequently, the company had to review its distribution model. The model was expensive for some dealers. Moreover, low-priced competing products from Circuit City emerged to take GE’s market share. The underlying causes of the problems or opportunities Distribution channels and competition Organizations face several challenges during their existence. Some of these challenges could be both internal and external. Irrespective of the sources of the problems, firms should find ap propriate solutions for overcoming problems. One major challenge that Compaq faced in the PC market was in its distribution channel and retail stores. The distribution channel resulted in slow deliveries and inventory movement. On this note, Dell saw an opportunity to conduct direct deliveries of computers to its customers immediately. The move was so radical that other PC makers did not anticipate it, and the direct delivery was able to enhance efficiency in the operating model as the company sought for operational excellence. At the same time, Dell was able to enhance its production efficiency and meet the market price as it strived to perfect its Web delivery model. Compaq still relied on distributors and retailers despite their delays and costs. GE had to review its loaded dealer concept as the strategy became expensive and unsustainable for many small retailers. At the same time, the company started to experience effects of competition from City Circuit. Moreover, low-priced pr oducts also entered the market. GE was quick to react to such changes, and it did not lose huge segment of its market shares to competitors. The company embarked on developing high quality products at relatively competitive prices with minimal challenges. Consequently, it had to abandon the dealer concept and focus a new operational strategy. This changed the product manufacturing, selling, and distributing strategies.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this new distribution model, the Direct Connect System, GE ensured that its retailers and distributors did not have their own inventories. Instead, they used a virtual inventory of GE, which was supported by a computer program. The computer-based logistics model allowed retailers to see the available products at GE and make their orders based on customers’ demands. Failure to customized products to meet customers’ specific needs Home Depot was able to acquire market share from its competitors because it listened to its customers. This implies that Home Depot competitors failed to focus on customers’ specific needs. The company ensured that its clerks spent adequate time with customers in order to establish their needs and identify specific products, which could solve their home-repair issues. Home Depot focused on excellent customer service, which other competitors had ignored. Its first priority was meeting unique needs of customers irrespective of the cost of products. Home Depot based its business model on customer satisfaction, low prices, and provision of relevant information to customers. However, any customers who only expressed price concerns were not within the core market of the company. While other companies had failed to establish customer intimacy, Home Depot exploited this opportunity to gain its market share. Other firms, such as Kraft Foods have developed customer intimacy, which has allowed them to segment their services and enhance efficiency. Organizations that focus on customer intimacy have also changed their approaches to meet such requirements in customer intimacy. For instance, Kraft ensures that its advertisement, products, promotional materials, and operations in a single outlet or in stores in a specific area must appeal to a given customer base within that locality. The company has concentrated on collecting information from its customers and applying analytical techniques from collected data in order to derive insights for strategic decision-making. Not many companies use data to get insights for decision-making. Moreover, Kraft invested in educating its salespersons so that they could develop merchandise programs for their specific stores in different locations.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Product development Normally, firms that have failed to develop their products to meet changing needs of customers lose their market share to competitors, which continuously develop new products for dynamic, unique needs of their customers. Thus, failure to develop new products could be an underlying cause of problems in a competitive market. Organizations that aim to be product leaders must strive to develop latest products and services for customers. However, not many organizations may challenge themselves adequately to attain that goal. This could happen for three reasons. First, creativity is a technical process, which is elusive. It requires organizations to identify and accommodate ideas that emanate outside the company. Second, organizations must commercialize their ideas fast. However, turning an innovative idea into a revenue-generating venture is a challenging task. It requires investment, collaboration within the entire organization, and the speed to achieve the desired o utcomes. Finally, organizations must engage in constant search for new solutions in order to improve upon their products. This would ensure that their solutions and technologies do not become obsolete in the market due to competition. This is the most critical aspect in product development. However, product development may face some impediments in an organization. For instance, bureaucracy in a firm slows down product development and its subsequent commercialization. Thus, any bureaucratic organization will fail in the process of developing new innovative products. Organizations, which seek for product leadership, must eliminate bureaucracy and make quick decisions. Companies that rely on data have enhanced their decision-making abilities as the case of Kraft indicated. Such companies facilitate all processes with urgency. In addition, they engage in a constant search for new ideas and implementation processes to shorten the product development cycles. For instance, Japanese automob ile industry has relied on concurrent development processes to reduce the time it takes to develop products and supply them to the market. Such strategies allow them to evaluate several ideas and adopt only those with favorable outcomes. Suggested solutions for the problems or opportunities Based on the article, Treacy and Wiersema (1992) noted that organizations could overcome their challenges by adopting one of the three disciplines and achieving the industry standards on the other two. That is, a focus on customer intimacy, product leadership, and operational excellence offer both solutions and opportunities for organizational challenges (Treacy and Wiersema, 1992). Firms that focus on operational excellence insistently concentrate on discovering new ways of reducing overhead costs, eliminating redundancy procedures, lowering transactional and other unnecessary costs, and enhancing business processes across different departments. Therefore, organizations must focus on delivering quality products at competitive prices without inconvenience to customers. Operational excellence defines a company’s internal procedures and its relationship with customers and other stakeholders with ultimate aims of delivering efficiency through lean processes. Another approach that a firm may use to solve its problems and exploit the available opportunities is through customer intimacy. In this approach, companies must consistently develop and shape their products and services to meet dynamic, unique needs of individual customers. They may adopt analytical techniques in order to derive insights from their customers’ behaviors and habits. Such insights can facilitate decision-making and development of appropriate customer service and communication tools. The final approach is product leadership. This aims to solve challenges and identify opportunities associated with product development. Organizations must focus on developing new products and services that meet need s of their customers. However, any organization that strives to become a product leader must have the required resources and management capabilities for risk management due to unforeseen challenges. Such organizations must attract new ideas, develop them fast, and concentrate on improving their ideas and products. According to Treacy and Wiersema (1992), it is difficult to plan to excel in product leadership, particularly if the idea may never thrive. At the same time, deep analysis of processes may also not be effective for product leaders. Instead, product leaders should recognize opportunities and react to them immediately as they occur. A quick reaction allows product leaders to handle the unknown effectively. Such organizations must also protect environments in which they operate. At the same time, organizations must understand their internal capabilities and culture as defined by their value discipline. Moreover, such organizations must also evaluate their competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Above all, product leaders must strive to sustain product leadership. Reference Treacy, M., and Wiersema, F. (1992). Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines. Harvard Business Review, 84-93. This case study on Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines was written and submitted by user Eli Cook to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Characteristics of Ancient Monumental Architecture

Characteristics of Ancient Monumental Architecture The term monumental architecture refers to large humans include pyramids, large tombs, and burial mounds, plazas, platform mounds, temples and churches, palaces and elite residences, astronomical observatories, and erected groups of standing stones. The defining characteristics of monumental architecture are their relatively large size and their public nature- the fact that the structure or space was built by lots of people for lots of people to look at or share in the use of, whether the labor was coerced or consensual, and whether the interiors of the structures were open to the public or reserved for an elite few.   Who Built the First Monuments? Until the late 20th century, scholars believed that monumental architecture could only be constructed by complex societies with rulers who could conscript or otherwise convince the residents into working on large, non-functional structures. However, modern archaeological technology has given us access to the earliest levels of some of the most ancient tells in northern Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and there, scholars discovered something amazing: monumentally-sized cult buildings were constructed at least 12,000 years ago, by what started out as egalitarian hunters and gatherers. Before the discoveries in the northern Fertile Crescent, monumentality was considered costly signaling, a term that means something like elites using conspicuous consumption to demonstrate their power. Political or religious leaders had public buildings built to indicate that they had the power to do so: they certainly did that. But if hunter-gatherers, who ostensibly didnt have full-time leaders, built monumental structures, why did they that do that? Why Did They Do That? One possible driver for why people first started building special structures is climate change. Early Holocene hunter-gatherers living during the cool, arid period known as the Younger Dryas were susceptible to resource fluctuations. People rely on cooperative networks to get them through times of social or environmental stress. The most basic of these cooperative networks is food sharing. Early evidence for feasting- ritual food sharing- is at Hilazon Tachtit, about 12,000 years ago. As part of a highly organized food-sharing project, a large-scale feast can be a competitive event to advertise community power and prestige. That may have led to the construction of larger structures to accommodate larger numbers of people, and so forth. It is possible that the sharing simply stepped up when the climate deteriorated. Evidence for the use of monumental architecture as evidence for religion usually involves the presence of sacred objects or images on the wall. However, a  recent study by behavioral psychologistsYannick Joye and Siegfried Dewitte (listed in the sources below) has found that tall, large-scale buildings produce measurable feelings of awe in their viewers. When awe-struck, viewers typically experience momentary freezing or stillness. Freezing is one of the main stages of the defense cascade in humans and other animals, giving the awe-struck person a moment of hyper-vigilance toward the perceived threat. The Earliest Monumental Architecture The earliest known monumental architecture is dated to the periods in western Asia known as pre-pottery Neolithic A (abbreviated PPNA, dated between 10,000–8,500 calendar years BCE [cal BCE]) and PPNB ( 8,500–7,000 cal BCE). Hunter-gatherers living in communities such as Nevali Çori, Hallan Çemi, Jerf el-Ahmar, D’jade el-Mughara, Çayà ¶nà ¼ Tepesi, and Tel Abr all built communal structures (or public cult buildings) within their settlements. At Gà ¶bekli Tepe, in contrast, is the earliest monumental architecture located outside of a settlement- where it is hypothesized that several hunter-gatherer communities gathered regularly. Because of the pronounced ritual / symbolic elements at Gà ¶bekli Tepe, scholars such as Brian Hayden have suggested that the site contains evidence of emergent religious leadership. Tracing the Development of Monumental Architecture How cult structures might have evolved into monumental architecture has been documented at Hallan Çemi. Located in southeastern Turkey, Hallan Cemi is one of the oldest settlements in northern Mesopotamia. Cult structures significantly different from regular houses were constructed at Hallan Cemi about 12,000 years ago, and over time became larger and more elaborate in decoration and furniture. All of the cult buildings described below were located at the center of the settlement and arranged around a central open area about 15 m (50 ft) in diameter. That area contained dense animal bone and fire-cracked rock from hearths, plaster features (probably storage silos), and stone bowls and pestles. A row of three horned sheep skulls was also found, and this evidence together, say the excavators, indicates that the plaza itself was used for feasts, and perhaps rituals associated with them. Building Level 3 (the oldest): three C-shaped buildings made of river pebbles about 2 m (6.5 ft) in diameter and mortared with white plasterBuilding Level 2: three circular river-pebble buildings with paved floors, two 2 m in diameter and one 4 m (13 ft). The largest had a small plastered basin in the center.Building Level 1: four structures, all constructed of sandstone slabs rather than river pebbles. Two are relatively small (2.5 m, 8 ft in diameter), the other two are between 5-6 m (16-20 ft). Both of the larger structures are fully circular and semi-subterranean (excavated partly into the ground), each with a distinctive semicircular stone bench set against the wall. One had a complete auroch skull which apparently hung on the north wall facing the entrance. The floors had been resurfaced multiple times with a distinctive thin yellow sand and plaster mixture over a relatively sterile fine dirt fill. Few domestic materials were found inside the structures, but there were exotics, including copper ore and obsidian. Examples Not all monumental architecture was (or is for that matter) built for religious purposes. Some are gathering places: archaeologists consider plazas a form of monumental architecture since they are large open spaces built in the middle of town to be used by everyone. Some are purposeful- water control structures like dams, reservoirs, canal systems, and aqueducts. Sports arenas, government buildings, palaces, and churches: of course, many different large communal projects still exist in modern society, sometimes paid for by taxes. Some examples from across time and space include Stonehenge in the UK, the Egyptian Giza Pyramids, the Byzantine Hagia Sophia, the Qin Emperors Tomb, the American Archaic Poverty Point earthworks, Indias Taj Mahal, Maya water control systems, and the Chavin culture Chankillo observatory. Sources Atakuman, Çigdem. Architectural Discourse and Social Transformation During the Early Neolithic of Southeast Anatolia. Journal of World Prehistory 27.1 (2014): 1-42. Print. Bradley, Richard. Houses of Commons, Houses of Lords: Domestic Dwellings and Monumental Architecture in Prehistoric Europe. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 79 (2013): 1-17. Print. Finn, Jennifer. Gods, Kings, Men: Trilingual Inscriptions and Symbolic Visualizations in the Achaemenid Empire. Ars Orientalis 41 (2011): 219-75. Print. Freeland, Travis, et al. Automated Feature Extraction for Prospection and Analysis of Monumental Earthworks from Aerial Lidar in the Kingdom of Tonga. Journal of Archaeological Science 69 (2016): 64-74. Print. Joye, Yannick, and Siegfried Dewitte. Up Speeds You Down. Awe-Evoking Monumental Buildings Trigger Behavioral and Perceived Freezing. Journal of Environmental Psychology 47.Supplement C (2016): 112-25. Print. Joye, Yannick, and Jan Verpooten. An Exploration of the Functions of Religious Monumental Architecture from a Darwinian Perspective. Review of General Psychology 17.1 (2013): 53-68. Print. McMahon, Augusta. Space, Sound, and Light: Toward a Sensory Experience of Ancient Monumental Architecture. American Journal of Archaeology 117.2 (2013): 163-79. Print. Stek, Tesse D. Monumental Architecture of Non-Urban Cult Places in Roman Italy. A Companion to Roman Architecture. Eds. Ulrich, Roger B. and Caroline K. Quenemoen. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2014. 228-47. Print. Swenson, Edward. Moche Ceremonial Architecture as Thirdspace: The Politics of Place-Making in the Ancient Andes. Journal of Social Archaeology 12.1 (2012): 3-28. Print. Watkins, Trevor. New Light on Neolithic Revolution in South-West Asia. Antiquity 84.325 (2010): 621–34. Print.

Ccounting Systems Design and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ccounting Systems Design and Development - Essay Example The system of authorising leave and other human resource issues would be faster as the authorisation would be made electronically rather than waiting upon the paper documents. Moreover, the benefit through the opening of the new system might make The Royal Australian Mint to strictly record and monitor the working performances by tracking upon the working hours of the employees. In addition, the other benefit that the organisation might expect is that the new system would significantly effect upon their area of planning which will cover the entire organisation and also will diminish the need for people to design their own systems. The Royal Australian Mint hopes that the new system would transform the organisation into an efficient workplace along with enhancement of the productivity in future. The previous Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system of The Royal Australian Mint was not capable enough to comply with the changing information requirements of the management. Moreover, the previous system became very much complex to support the various additional programs and report requests which were required to be added into the system. In order to cope up with these sorts of problems, The Royal Australian Mint felt the need of introducing new integrated system of information. The Royal Australian Mint had made each business area map out their major process activities may be due to the fact that the organisation identified the requirement for a new integrated system that would enhance their business operations. The major motive of the organisation in mapping out their major process activities was to attain knowledge regarding their current procedure of executing working activities and also seeking for the ways in order to enhance their working procedures. The Royal Australian Mint might face certain difficulties while implementing the new integrated system of information. Due

Motivation - Staying ahead of the competition ( Chapter 6) Essay

Motivation - Staying ahead of the competition ( Chapter 6) - Essay Example Recognition of gaining achievements during work is highly valued by employees and this boosts up the morale level of employees to a very large extent. Employees if motivated tend to remain highly satisfied with their working conditions. The Maslow’s hierarchy theory is a very good tool which is used for deducing the required motivation factors for the employees of the organization. Empowerment towards taking decisions of one’s job is highly motivating factor for the employees. They feel quite satisfied once they are in control of their tasks and have the autonomy to conduct the task accordingly. It is a strong stand point for the organization if they have set their goals in alignment and in consideration with the goals of their employees. If there is a point of interest of the employees towards achieving the goals for the organization, then there are high chances that the employees will be strongly motivated towards accomplishing their tasks. Strong and influential leaders possess the talent of motivating the employees to work harder. Motivated employees tend to produce better results and this in the short run as well as in the long run tend to allow the organization to remain ahead of the competition. In competitive environments, leaders tend to face difficulties in motivating their employees but with a positive attitude and delegating a strong sense of responsibility towards the employees, the organization can take its path towards success by the hard work of employees. While working in the organization, different types of conflicts may arise during working policies or decisions taking by management. Leaders should possess skills so that they can smartly deal with the conflicts that have taken place. If conflicts are resolved on a proper note then this motivates the employees to have a positive image of the organization as well as their management. Instilling a sense of positive humor and fun with

Mcdonalds As Good Corporate Citizens Marketing Essay

Mcdonalds As Good Corporate Citizens Marketing Essay Introduction The topic area of this research paper is to explore corporate social responsibility. A specific company will be chosen, researched and analyzed in depth to confirm or disconfirm whether it is truly socially responsible in its business practices. The chosen company in question is McDonalds Restaurant. In the past, McDonalds has been seen as both corporately irresponsible and socially responsible and has since been trying to keep its reputation high within its local communities and worldwide. By studying in depth the positive and negative research associated with McDonalds and its business practices, a stronger decision can be made on whether it is truly a socially responsible corporation or is putting on a faà §ade. Literature Review From initial research, many articles on social responsibility exist, however literature specifically involving McDonalds and its social responsibility do not. As a result, the topics preliminary research started on the company website to obtain an idea of what McDonalds claims to be doing to be socially responsible. The movie Supersize Me, in which the producer eats himself into an unhealthy life and body with McDonalds food, has given McDonalds a particularly unhealthy reputation. Yet, McDonalds seems to be going out of its way to battle this reputation. However, the corporations out-of-its-way actions lead to questioning whether or not there is a line between doing it out of genuine care or doing it to put on a show. Thus, this research paper serves to test the question of the fine lines of corporate social responsibility. Methodology The approach for answering the questions mentioned above is to research as much as possible to find both negative articles against McDonalds approach to social responsibility and positive articles supporting McDonalds and its many social business practices. The goal is to collect as much positive and negative data from all types of sources, such as journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, databases and corporate websites. After all the research resources have been exhausted, the articles will be analyzed in terms of relevance to the question at hand and the most relevant examples will be analyzed individually in terms of the ethics of social responsibility. After interpreting all of the research together as a whole, the final result of whether McDonalds is a socially responsible corporation will be answered. Expected Results The group expects that the deep research into McDonalds intentions will yield more negative results than positive ones. It is expected that McDonalds is trying to put on more of a faà §ade than put into place actual socially responsible practices. Aside from its main and original charity practices, like the Ronald McDonald House and childrens charities, the group expects that the socially responsible acts that the corporation boasts on its website are not more than mere future promises that change with time but never become fully completed. Actual Results Environment McDonalds boasts that it prides itself on being environmentally safe and continuously innovative in its business practices. In the past, McDonalds eliminated its polystyrene packaging that had a problem being recycled and turned to newer, more environmentally friendly cardboard packaging. One of McDonalds more recent focuses have been on what they refer to as the Big Mac Problem, which is that beef production is one of the highest generators of greenhouse gases and the production practices are inefficient. However, without the pull in the beef production industry and without being able to eliminate the production of beef altogether, McDonalds would like to form a beef coalition, in which it trades with environmentally friendly groups and rallies or pushes many companies and farmers towards reducing greenhouse gases (Warner, 2009). Though McDonalds does not have the pull to change the direction of the beef production industry, it certainly has a plan to create that pull. The corporati on has also agreed to help reduce the amount of pesticide used in its potato supply chain by surveying suppliers and picking the ones that have the best pesticide reduction practices (Nations Restaurant News, 2009). As well as pesticide reduction, McDonalds has already implemented efficient, environmentally friendly, daily operating practices. The corporation has installed new fryers that are energy efficient and use less cooking oil, thus less waste (Nations Restaurant News, 2008). All around, McDonalds is implementing an act utilitarianism view into all of its environmental practices. By helping the environment, all of society benefits in health, in sustainability and in welfare. McDonalds may be taking smaller steps than what is expected of such a large corporation to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint, but they are making sure they are benefitting the most people in every way while they do it. Health McDonalds is the most popular fast food chain in the world. With that prestige and recognition, comes the weight of both the positive and negative attributes associated with fast food. The largest criticism is by far the overall quality and health of their food. Amid the hype surrounding the 2004 documentry Super Size Me, there is a serious underlying issue that needs to be addressed. In favour of low prices and convenience, unhealthy and potentially dangerous fast food is consumed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦an average of 11 times every two weeks (Heart and Stroke, 2005). This is certainly not a situation unique to McDonalds, but the company receives a large amount of negative attention because of it. To combat the McDonalds image of unhealthy living and its association with obesity, the company launched several initiatives in the 2003-2005 timeframe. They completely retooled their menu to include Healthy Choices salads, improved Happy Meal options such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦low fat white and chocolate milk, apple juice, and Apple Dippers (White, 2006). With the menu change, came a complete marketing overhaul. This included McDonalds new Im Lovin It campaign promoting an active lifestyle, as well as the use of Ronald McDonald as a positive health role model for kids. Throughout the launch of the campaigns until the present, McDonalds has remained committed to their new vision, testing such ideas as mini-gyms for children in select stores (Horovitz, 2006), and including stepometers with certain purchases (White, 2006). McDonalds recognized that their previous business practices and overall product were not consistent with what the general public was demanding. The cultural norm has shifted over the last few decades, and the average customer began demanding that options were made available that were consistent with a healthier lifestyle. The company knew it was losing touch with its customer base, and implemented the theory of Ethical Relativism when determining what the best course of action to take was. First, they considered if their actions were the cultural norm. In the past, selling greasy hamburgers and fries may have been enough to appease the public, but today the average person is concerned with their diet and overall lifestyle. This push for an alternative from fast food chains meant that McDonalds had to consider alternate menu options if they wish to meet that cultural demand. Next McDonalds asked if offering only unhealthy options was causing harm to anyone. They saw that by offering o nly nutritionally poor foods and ignoring the promotion of exercise, people were definitely being hurt. This is represented by the climbing obesity rates, and the escalading rates of heart disease and other diet-contributing diseases. Overall, McDonalds saw that the ethical thing to do was to promote better diet and lifestyle practices in addition to their traditional menu, and went above and beyond what was expected of them to achieve this. Toy Safety McDonalds has always been very committed to safety, and this is revealed through their commitment to the safety of their toys. The toys included in McDonalds Happy Meals are a staple for kids and parents alike, and McDonalds realizes that it is important these toys are the highest quality they can be. McDonalds has been recognized for their exceptional safety standards by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and acknowledges their contribution of both funds and technology to the commission. According to the Office of Information and Public Affairs, the funds donated purchased, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a computerized virtual child and a life-like breathing mannequin designed to evaluate choking and suffocation hazards (2001). This is a commitment to safety that goes above and beyond what was ever expected of McDonalds, and their track record indicates that their strict protocols are effective. Act Utilitarianism promotes the greatest good for the greatest number of people. McDonalds could have chose to save the money donated to the USCPSC, but decided that the financial pain experienced by spending this money is worthwhile when considering the overall well-being of its large youth consumer base. McDonalds could have also chose to produce cheap and unreliable toys for their Happy Meals to save money, but again, they have demonstrated that the price of potentially unsafe toys is not worth the small financial gain by doing so. Ronald Mcdonald House The Ronald Mcdonald house is just one of the ways Mcdonalds is being socially responsible. The program began in the 1970s when the first fund raiser launched to help children with leukemia. This program provides housing for families with very sick kids. The homes are nearby to hospitals which helps to keep the families together in a very difficult time for a very low cost (Ronald Mcdonald House). There are 12 Ronald Mcdonald Houses in Canada. Another part of the Ronald Mcdonald House is the Ronald Mcdonald Room. This is a room located within the hospital where the families of sick children can go. This room provides a place for parents and families to do their laundry shower, dine, cook food and use the bathroom facilities. Based on Act Utilitarianism, which is a theory that states that an action is ethical if it creates the greatest amount of happiness or pleasure for the largest amount of people. When Mcdonalds provides services for children with serious illnesses and their familie s this is creating happiness for all parties involved. The children are able to have their whole family around them in a time that is without a doubt scary for young kids. Because the children have their familys support and love this benefits the child greatly, as this will assist in their recovery from illness. Ronald Mcdonald House also benefits the parents of the children because they do not have to worry about the hassle of finding a place to live near the hospital at an affordable rate (A World of Charity: Children, families turn to RMHC in time of need, 2005). Parents are able to be close to their children when they are needed the most (Busch, 1998). The actions of the Ronald Mcdonald House are moral because they also conform to the theory of Rule Utilitarianism. Rule Utilitarianism is based on the fact that an action is moral if it creates the greatest good for the greatest amount of people but can also be sustained if everyone took that action in society. If every business i n todays society chose a charity that management felt strongly about this would be sustainable and create the greatest amount of good for all members of society. McHappy Day McHappy Day is one of McDonalds longest traditional events, held annually to help support sick children around the world. This event was established in 1977 as a one-day fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and has raised nearly over 26 million dollars in the past sixteen years (Z99, 2009). On this day, when you purchase a Big Mac sandwich, McMuffin sandwich or Happy Meal, McDonalds will donate $1.00 to its various childrens charities, which help support children in desperate need. In addition to the donations collected on this day, 10 cents from each Happy Meal sold regularly is donated to the Ronald McDonald House Program. (Marketwire, 2009) There are many ways in which someone can support McHappy Days in addition to purchasing the selected sandwiches. There are wristbands available for a donation of $2.00, or you can buy one of the McHappy Day products available for sale such as an apron, mugs, pens, bags, etc. You can also donate online through the McHappy Day website. Proceeds collected by the Ronald McDonald house Charities will help, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦build and maintain houses close to hospitals, allowing ill children to stay close to their families, creating homely retreat rooms within hospitals, and [providing] free holiday accommodation for terminally ill children and their families (McDonalds, n.d.). McDonalds McHappy Day celebrations are a special day for everyone in the McDonalds environment. Some locations are visited by special guests, sports and media personalities, politicians and entertainers as they roll up their sleeves to work behind the counter and show their support (Marketwire, 2009). This may be the biggest draw for the crowd: seeing celebrities and local figures, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦swap their glamorous day jobs for flipping burgers (Katu, 2007). For example, last years McHappy Day, Senior chief Mike Metcalf of Peel Regional Police visited his local McDonalds restaurant to lend a hand, helping to raise money for McHappy Day. Some of the proceeds from the purchase of selected sandwiches were also donated to the William Osler Hospital Foundation in Brampton, ON and Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga (Silver Creek, 2009). McDonaldsalso holds McHappy Days for elementary and middle schools. Students are given an opportunity to see their teachers flip burgers, deep fry fri es, fill drinks and more, on their designated McHappy school days. Teachers hand out McHappy school cards to their students, which are stamped with their schools name and address. When purchasing, they give the cashier the card and $1.00 of their purchase is given to their school. At the end of the day, employees, customers, volunteers, and sponsors alike embrace the spirit behind McHappy Day; the spirit of joy. They take comfort in knowing that they made a difference and helped someone that was less fortunate then themselves. The actions performed by McDonalds in partnership with the Ronald McDonalds House charities take the characteristics of Act Utilitarianism. Ones actions must promote happiness and avoid those actions that cause unhappiness. The consequences of your actions should matter to everyone, not just those that surround you. McHappy Day promotes happiness for all. It helps the less fortunate by allowing those that wish to make a difference to participate in their community, even though they may be too busy to volunteer in more detailed ways. It truly makes a world of difference for a sick child to know that someone cares enough to participate. Animal Welfare Another way in which Mcdonalds acts in an ethical manner is that they have begun to demand that suppliers treat animals with respect. The current process for slaughtering chickens is: the live chicken is picked up and hung upside down on hooks, they are then shocked in water that has electricity running through it (which does not always kill the chicken) and finally their throats are cut. Mcdonalds is currently working with their animal welfare board to find a more humane way of slaughter called controlled atmospheric killing (CAK) (Garber, 2005). The CAK method puts the bird to sleep painlessly with the use of a gas, which would eliminate a lot of the suffering that is endured during the traditional slaughtering process. Another action Mcdonalds is taking to promote the better treatment of animals is by asking hen farmers to stop the process of debeaking and molting hens. Debeaking is a common practice as it prevents the birds which are confined to tight cages with several other birds, from killing each other. The process is extremely inhumane, leaving the hens beakless. Mcdonalds has also got its suppliers to stop molting hens, this process is carried out when the hen is at the end of their egg producing life. At this point the hens are starved, which makes them produce even more eggs. This process is inhumane as it can result in the death of the hen. Although this is only a small step in the right direction with respect to the issue of animal welfare, Mcdonalds is moving toward a more humane treatment of food animals. The theory of rights (more specifically animal rights) proves that making sure animals are treated humanely before being slaughtered is the moral action to take. At first blush one may think that it is not in the best interest of Mcdonalds to be sure their suppliers are treating animals fairly because this will only drive the price of meat products up, which in turn will drive Mcdonalds sales down. However, whether Mcdonalds is taking this action out of a sense of duty to animals or to keep their corporate image high in the eyes of the consumer it is the moral thing to do (Fast Food and Animal Rights: An Examination and Assessment of the Industrys Response to Social Pressure, 2008). The fair and humane treatment of animals can and should be enforced, whether the animal is a pet or being prepared for slaughter, has t he right to live as close to it would in nature, be treated fairly, and free from abuse. Corporate Social Responsibility Making Good Business Sense, written by Richard Holme and Phil Watts, (representing the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) described Corporate social responsibility as the the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large. (Holme Watts, 2000) Many feel that McDonalds owes a debt to society, and that any ethically initiated activity that McDonalds takes part in is a ploy to divert peoples attention from the real issue of obesity. However, McDonalds has been interested in portraying the role of a Socially Responsible company for a longer period of time than societys recent search for a scape goat to take the blame of the wealthiest nations of the worlds rapidly growing obesity problem. In 2002, McDonalds released its first Social Responsibility Report. This report was a message to the stockholders of McDonalds, and their consumers that they were interested in ethics, and that it played an important position in the role of the company. In the report, McDonalds stated its various core values such as Giving back to the communities in which we do business, [being] committed to people and [being] dedicated to providing customers unparalleled levels of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value. (McDonalds CSR, 2002) Despite McDonalds efforts, both the Social Responsibility Report and the company were heavily criticized. McDonalds April 14 Report on Corporate Social Responsibility is a low- water mark for the concept of sustainability and the promise of corporate social responsibility. It is a melange of generalities and soft assurances that do not provide hard metrics of the company, its activities or its impacts on society and the environment. (Hawken, 2002) in essence, H awken and many other critiques argument is that McDonalds used a qualitative one-sided narrative to keep people stockholders happy and consumers spending. They avoided any real issues and just used numbers and data in the scenarios that would make the company look good. McDonalds has released four more CSR reports since 2002. With every new report, McDonalds has committed to increasing the transparency of the corporation to the public, and including more quantitative data rather than simply focusing on future goals. In addition, with every outcry from the public over an issue with McDonalds business the company has strived to address the issue and documented the results. McDonalds also has a code of ethics the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior officers must adhere. The waiver that each must sign can be listed in the appendix. In addition, Ethisphere even listed Bob Langert, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonalds, one of its top 100 most influential people of 2008 . Ethisphere had this to say: Langert and McDonalds unveiled a state of the art corporate responsibility report in 2008. If your company is working on a CSR report at the moment, it would be a waste not to take a look at McDonalds for a little inspiration. (Ethisphere, 2008) This serves as a testimony to virtue ethics. The executive officers at McDonalds are striving to cultivate virtues characters and pursue the right life for the corporation. Conclusion Critiques still argue that the CSR reports are biased and many people will argue that McDonalds is a two faced company that is only working on repaying their super sized debt to the worlds health. This will most likely continue to do so for the length of time that North Americans blame other people for their own self indulgence issues that lead to obesity. McDonalds offers a product that people ask for. There are many different types of food that are unhealthy in copious amounts. The restaurant exists however, because there is demand. McDonalds makes enough money that customers are not just paying for food; but they are also paying for McDonalds to take the blame for bad health conditions. However it is important to realize that despite the general mood that people have towards McDonalds, their policies towards maintaining environmental sustainability, auditing supply chains to prevent animal cruelty, supporting children communities, offering healthy menu alternatives, company trans parency and reporting on social responsibility demonstrates that McDonalds has dedicated itself to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large.

Intellectual Property: Response to Question Essay

One’s claim over something that may be considered as intellectual property, such as software, is not automatically established upon the completion of the software. In this sense, there are steps that are required to be taken in order to gain proper claim over the software produced. There are two methods in attaining a copyright or a patent for a given software which may protect the intellectual property created; although there are differences in the scope, the length and ease of filing the application are present between the two (U.  S. Congress – Office of Technological Assessment [USC-OTA], 1990). Given that ownership to a certain software and having exclusive rights to its distribution and use requires patent or copyright application, then in the situation given wherein my uncle asked me to write a certain software and have not charged him for the services, the question is whether I have applied for either patent or copyright before giving a copy to my uncle. In this sense, if I have at least applied for a copyright, then my uncle’s actions of freely giving out copies of the software to his peers should be paid for, at the same time requiring my uncle to ask for my permission beforehand. However, if I simply made the software and give it to my uncle, then I should not be concerned if he gives copies of the software for his peers to use since I have no proper claim over the software and in a sense I have just given my uncle complete flexibility as to what may be done to the software. Possibly, one may not immediately consider a software to be his or her own intellectual property if the law or regulations are concerned. Of course, when disputes over intellectual property is considered, laws pertaining to it are most often used to resolve the issue. Therefore, considering that applying for copyright is relatively easily accomplished (USC-OTA, 1990), then if one believes that the software completed is worthwhile and useful then it would be best to apply for a copyright in order to lay claim over the intellectual property.