Why Fat People are Funny In Hollywood

The quote listed in the title comes from 2009 box-office hit The Hangover. The events that incite Mr. Chow (played by Ken Jeong) to say laughing â€Å"it's funny because he's fat† feature Alan Garner (played by Zach Galifianakis) charging at Mr. Chow, who is stomping on Alan's satchel, and exclaiming â€Å"Hey! There are skittles in there! † (Hangover 76:55; 76:45). In return Alan is punched in the stomach by one of Mr. Chow's henchmen, causing Mr. Chow to laugh hysterically and simultaneously slip â€Å"it's funny because he's fat† out of his mouth (Hangover 76:55).Clearly in the scene, the overweight character, Zach Galifianakis, is the butt of the joke as he is punched very hard in the stomach and then laughed at for his stupidity and weight. In modern movie making, overweight comedians have had a critical role in humor in films. Stars such as John Black, Seth Rogen, and Zach Galifianakis are modern examples of such characters, but in the last thirty years, ma ny other large comedians have developed and popularized similar roles in films.The overweight funny man in film has evolved into a more personal, relatable character due largely in part to their accurate reflection of the United States obesity problem. These characters have also created their own genre, a genre that has evolved out of slapstick comedy, yet remains in the realm of realism. This genre, which often involves immature and physical pain, yet remains plausible and not fake (like earlier slapstick humor), continues to bring new fans to the cinema and create greater love for this group of comedians.This paper will explain funny fat people's emergence, humor, and popularity in American cinema. Evolution of Slapstick Comedy in Films When was the first comedy film? John Montgomery suggests it â€Å"may well have been Fred Off's Sneeze, filmed in 1894 by William K. L. Dickson. The film was produced for Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope Company in the ‘Black Maria' Kinetographic Theatre which Dickson built for Edison in West Orange, New Jersey† (Montgomery 17). This film was released just three years after Edison's invention of the Kinetoscope in 1891.It is not a coincidence that a comedic piece of film was released soon after the production of the moving picture, but it simply suggests the necessity of comedic entertainment in American culture. From the early days of film, comedy became a staple on American cinema. In the early twentieth century, films were silent and featured many comedies. The initial type of comedy featured was slapstick comedy, which â€Å"was a gift to America from France† (Durgnat 67). The term slapstick evolved from â€Å"the double paddles formerly used by circus clowns to beat each other.The loud crack of the two paddle blades as they crashed together could always be depended upon to produce laughter and applause† (Dale 1). Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence and activities wh ich exceed the boundaries of common sense. The first American slapstick comedy producer was Mack Sennett, who with the help of actor/producer Charlie Chaplin, created many hilarious films loved by the American people (Durgnat 70). In these films, there was no audio component, requiring all humor to be dependent on physical actions (Montgomery 18).Raymond Durgnat states that â€Å"in early Chaplin, Dough and Dynamite (1915), the human body is all but reduced to an apparatus for punching, kicking, ducking and dodging† (Durgnat 69). Chaplin has been considered the â€Å"master clown† and in 1916, Chester Conklin, an actor and comedian, stated â€Å"without a doubt the one person who has been most successful in making people laugh is Charlie Chaplin† (Montgomery 108). Chaplin and others continued to produce silent slapstick comedy films through the Roaring Twenties, a time when film became increasingly popular and very successful.In 1926, Warner Brothers introduced the first film with audio attached. Because of the imperfections of the initial product and smaller budgets in the 1930s due to the Great Depression, films with an audio component remained imperfect, allowing silent films to retain their popularity and stay popular and not outdated. Following Chaplin and the others of the first generation of slapstick comedy was the Three Stooges: Larry Fine (born Louis Fienberg), Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz), and Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz) (Matlin 163). This trio continued to produce popular short films and a few feature films until the late 1950s.The Three Stooges were the last true slapstick comedians, where Leonard Matlin argues that the use of â€Å"clever scripting and direction places the physical burden on others but still gives the Stooges elbowroom in which to clown† (Matlin 168). The Three Stooges were some of the last slapstick films, which essentially died out as many other forms of comedy emerged onto the film scene. One of these styles of humor Louise Dobson describes in a 2006 edition of Psychology Today as ‘hate-me humor', a style in which â€Å"you are the butt of the joke for the amusement of others† (Dobson 76).She continues stating this character is often the â€Å"familiar clown† or â€Å"fat guy† and includes examples like John Belushi and Chris Farley (Dobson 76). Dobson directly identifies the â€Å"fat guy† as an example of such comedy because of how popular these comedians have become. From this article it is evident that funny fat people are essential to American comedy, so much so that the author is able to classify them as the ‘fat guy' and American readers are able to identify with popular overweight comedians. Although there appears to be a reasonable argument that this comedy genre  falls into ‘hate-me-humor', I would suggest that these comedians exist as an of slapstick comedy.The laughs these characters receive come from the sa me qualities the original slapstick comedians, like Charlie Chaplin, shared. Raymond Durgnat describes this stating â€Å"Slapstick comedians are childlike, and in consequence act out the impulses which as adults we suppress† (Durgnat 72). If you replace Durgnat's word ‘slapstick' with overweight, the sentence would read: overweight comedians are childlike, and in consequence act out the impulses which as adults we suppress.Looking at many overweight comedians we see that this very well could be the case. The characters impulsive and childish actions are very common in their films (many examples to follow in next section) and generate laughs similar to those of traditional slapstick humor. In recent years, no director has released a true slapstick comedy film. The genre has been avoided (except in children's cartoons) in movies perhaps because the producers believe that the modern American culture is too advanced for this immature, simplistic, outdated humor.In reality, current comedy has progressed into a new form of slapstick comedy, where the exaggerations have been toned down and the humor has become a little more realistic. Looking through the last four decades we can see countless examples of films featuring this realistic slapstick humor. These characters tend to be lovable, goofy, wild and consistently overweight. Modernization of Slapstick Comedy: Realistic Physical Humor. In order to analyze the continuation of slapstick humor in American cinema, a look at the period immediately following the Three Stooges (the last true slapstick productions) is essential.In 1963, the release of the first Pink Panther film, starring Peter Sellers marked a new era for slapstick comedy. The Pink Panther series stretched nearly two decades with Sellers as the star, relied on slapstick humor, yet remained plausible. Most scenes from the Pink Panther movies are absurd and over the top in every manner, yet the events of the plot could be realistic, creating a new breed of slapstick comedy. At the end of the Pink Panther's dominance, National Lampoon released Animal House in 1978, starring several actors including John Belushi.Following the release of the film, Belushi evolved as the work’s centerpiece providing countless hysterical events. In the movie, John ‘Bluto' Blutarsky (played by John Belushi) appeared in about a dozen scenes, yet is the most memorable character of the film through his ridiculous actions. In the movie he rarely speaks, and acts very childish, both parallel pieces of the earliest slapstick comedians. Belushi has a handful of memorable quotes and scenes, most of which are truly ridiculous, yet believable.He has several immature one line quotes including: â€Å"Toga! Toga! †, â€Å"Blow-job!†, â€Å"Holy Shit! Holy Shit! Holy Shit! †, and â€Å"Food Fight! † (Animal House 44:00; 63:55; 30:25; 35:37). All of these quotes fit perfectly into the description of â€Å"childlike a nd in consequence act out the impulses which as adults we suppress† that the classic slapstick comedians possessed (Durgnat 72). Bluto continues to act wildly doing many things including falling off of a ladder trying to peep in a sorority window, crushing a beer can on his head, smashing a guitar someone else is trying to play, and chugging an entire bottle of Jack Daniel's and smashing it on a car.All of these actions are absurd and exaggerations of what any human might do in a similar scenario, yet all are possibly plausible. A last scene from Animal House that demonstrates the evolution of slapstick comedy begins with Bluto (Belushi) going through the lunch line where he stacks a ridiculous amount of food on his tray and in his pockets. While doing this he also stuffs enormous amounts of the food in his mouth, including a hamburger in one bite. He then proceeds to sit down at a table filled with some clean cut preppy students.There he is ridiculed for his eating habits and called a â€Å"P. I. G. pig† (Animal House 34:35). In response to being classified as a pig, he attempts to be a zit, stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes and spraying everybody at the table by mashing his cheeks with his hands as seen in the following picture (Animal House 34:55): The focus of the scene is the unrealistic quantity and grossly unhealthy quality of food Belushi eats as well as the animalistic, childish manner in which he feasts.Following the incident he proceeds to be chased around the cafeteria, ultimately ending in a brawl and food fight. The sequence of events in this scene all are extremely humorous, yet very childish and exaggerated beyond what any viewer would expect from a twenty year old man. However, all of the actions in the scene are perfectly capable of being true, making this portion of the film extremely humorous in its realistic slapstick fashion. Nearly a decade later, in 1987, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles featured John Candy, another ov erweight comedian.In this film, the progression of slapstick comedy continues paralleling Belushi's contributions to the genre. Candy acts extremely childish and wildly, yet his actions remain plausible, exhibiting similar humor to that of John Belushi. In Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Candy's humor can fully be grasped in a scene on a commercial plane flight. On the plane, co-star Steve Martin has just been downgraded from first class to coach seating, and finds his seat next to John Candy. It quickly becomes clear that Candy fills up way too much of the seat, creating an uncomfortable situation.To make things worse Candy proceeds to take off his shoes in order to help relax, clearly releasing a disgusting odor observed by others in seats around him. He continues his gross movements by taking off his socks and spinning them around to air them out. When doing so, his dirty sock is very close to Steve Martin's face, and based on the expression on Martin's character it is clear that the sock smells wretched. This act is unbelievable, childish, and ridiculous, all similar characteristics of slapstick comedy.Later in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, John Candy continues to provide humor through another similar evolution of slapstick comedy, where he accidentally spills several beers on the bed in which he (who barely fits on the bed alone because of his enormous frame) and a complete stranger share. The move is very careless and results in an incredibly uncomfortable situation that makes the audience laugh hysterically because of the continuation of unfortunate events all linked to Candy's childish careless actions.A last scene from this film takes place in a rental car, after the duo (Martin and Candy) have managed to run into every problem possible on a trip to Chicago to get home for Thanksgiving. In the car, Candy attempts to get comfortable by tampering with the seat position. He uses the buttons on the side of the seat, jerking the seat around for a few mi nutes, failing to find a satisfactory position. Although Martin has persistently told him to stop and that he will break the seat, he continues on until ultimately he breaks the seat, making it uncomfortable and unmovable.Following the seat incident, he continues his path of destruction. After smoking a cigarette, he drops the butt out the window. However due to the wind, it blows into the back seat of the car ultimately sending the back seat up in flames and roasting the entire car. In this quick scene, Candy manages to act immaturely and rambunctiously resulting in the destruction of the car. The remains of slapstick comedy are clearly evident in this scene, climaxing with the unreasonable fate of the rental car.The absurdity of someone so overweight that he breaks a seat and the reality of seeing a car explode in flames seem like a moment from a slapstick cartoon, yet the film is completely plausible due to the overweight and clumsy nature of Candy. Following John Candy's death i n the early 1990s, Chris Farley emerged as the next overweight star, both on television and in a few Hollywood films. His humor was similar to that of John Candy and also very comparable to the works of John Belushi.In an article praising the life of Chris Farley following his death in Rolling Stone magazine, the author states â€Å"we talked about his hero and Saturday Night Live predecessor, John Belushi. It was well known that Farley had been obsessed with Belushi, and people loved making much of this fact, since the two seemed to share a love of certain rather common excesses† (Hedegaard 39). Looking at Tommy Boy, produced in 1995, John Belushi's influence on Chris Farley becomes apparent through Farley's role and performance in the film.In Tommy Boy, Chris Farley stars as the protagonist, an immature and dimwitted heir to an auto parts factory who must save the business to keep it from take-over and away from evil relatives. Throughout the film, Farley's childish actions bring laughs to audiences of all ages. To begin the film, Tommy (Chris Farley) is shown in a flashback as a young school boy rushing to class, late as always. In this scene he runs full speed into a glass sliding door, shouting â€Å"Holy Schnike! † (Tommy Boy 0:44). The film then skips several years and shows an older Tommy, in his seventh year of college.Although the older character is much larger (Chris Farley was very large), he mirrors the young middle school version of Tommy because he is pictured doing the same action: rushing to class (late again). In this scene, he is scene trying to take a short cut through some hedges, but runs full speed into a newly put up fence, hitting his head very hard and exclaiming â€Å"Holy Schnike! † again (Tommy Boy 2:02). From these scenes which mesh together, we can clearly see the immaturity of the character, yet the viewer gets many laughs through the physical pain Farley endures.These actions take place in the first minute of the film, and really set the tone for the rest of the movie. In the film, Tommy is seen acting very foolishly on many accounts: he consistently runs into sliding glass doors, he gets hit in the head with a two-by-four piece of construction wood, he hits his head on a forklift after not listening to his father say heads up, he slips and gets covered in cow manure when trying to go cow tipping, and he rips his friends blue blazer because he is too big for it. Consistently, Tommy releases very childish comments, and he is largely responsible for destroying his friend’s beloved car.In the film, the actions Farley takes mirror concepts that defined slapstick comedy. His childish and extreme actions are all very similar to this genre of comedy. Farley extends this comedy to make it more personal and relatable as the protagonist becomes more developed. His actions are all very extreme and in many incidents would cause physical pain. Although painful or ridiculous, all actions tha t take place in the movie could take place in real-life, making the audience relate to the comedy. In one scene in particular, Tommy pushes the realm of reasonable office behavior.In an attempt to sell auto products for his company, he acts out an anecdote with his customer's nice model cars. In his story he gives two examples of how a similar scene could play out with two different brakes. In the first action, the car has on Callahan Brake Pads (his company’s) and is able to stop in front of a obstacle that is suddenly in front of the car (a lighter also on the desk). While showing this action he has a complete narrative stating â€Å"You're drivin' along, la-de-da, woo. All of a sudden there's a truck tire in the middle of the road. And you hit the brakes. EEEEEEEEE!Whoa, that was close† (Tommy Boy 35:30). He then proceeds stating â€Å"Now let's see what happens when you're driving with the â€Å"other guy's†[does quotation marks with fingers] brake pads. Yo u're drivin' along, you're drivin' along, the kids start shouting from the back seat, ‘I gotta go to the bathroom, Daddy! ‘ ‘Not now, damn it! ‘ Truck tire. EEEEEEEE! I CAN'T STOP! † (Tommy Boy 35:45). He then rams the model car into the lighter smashing the car of the customer. Farley then gets really into the story acting out voices of a narrator, the kids, the parents, and eventually the paramedics who respond to the scene.In the scene, some of his quotes include â€Å"No! I can't feel my legs †¦ Here comes the meat wagon †¦ And the medic gets out and says, ‘Oh my God. ‘†¦ New guy's around the corner puking his guts out† (Tommy Boy 36:05). He also finishes the crash by setting the crushed car on fire with the lighter and calmly collects himself making his point casually stating â€Å"All because you want to save a couple extra pennies† (Tommy Boy 36:20). This scene is a clear example of Farley taking over a sc ene that could have easily been executed much more peacefully, maturely, and professionally.But the director and Chris Farley decided to execute the scene wildly and immaturely so that viewers see the scene in awe as they cannot believe how overdone he makes the episode. The film is full of scenes like this one, which leave the audience in shock at how a human could act in such a manner. They key to the humor brought about in the film is much like that of Belushi and Candy, it remains believable: although unlikely, all actions in the film could possibly occur in a person's life. Through looking at these three overweight comedians we see the progression of the same genre of comedy.The slapstick comedy that first featured Charlie Chaplin and other silent film comedians progressed into slapstick comedy with audio, like the Three Stooges. Following the Three Stooges, the horseplay that was extreme and in many ways violent and not possible for a person to survive, died out. In return, se veral years later comedians like Belushi rediscovered the art of making a career out of horseplay in every film or television show in which they appeared. Following the mold Belushi made, many other actors have morphed their careers into similar roles.Through the years the importance of the overweight comedian has grown dramatically. In 1978, John Belushi was a minor character in Animal House. Although his few scenes (around a dozen) are the most memorable from the film, his role contained very few lines and he was never intended to be the star of the film. Looking forward nearly a decade later, John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles promoted his role to the supporting actor, though not the protagonist of the film.In this film, we learn much more about the character (a back story, his emotions, etc.) than we did of Belushi in Animal House. Belushi's character, Bluto, has apparently been in college for several years and the odds of him graduating appear slim. Other than this, we have no other information on the character. For Candy's character, Del, we find out much more about his life as a shower ring salesman as he appears in nearly every scene and is a much better developed character. Finally looking at Tommy Boy, released almost two-decades after Belushi, the American audience sees the fat wild character as the protagonist of the work.Chris Farley's character, Tommy, is the clear protagonist of the film (the film is even titled after the character's name). Farley's character has a well developed character, as the viewer is well informed of the character's entire family and Tommy's flaws and strengths. Why Overweight? Following in the footsteps of the unrealistic, unsurvivable slapstick comedy to the more plausible realistic feature films, the role of the fat comedian progressed to the center of the film. Perhaps the movement towards realism reflects American’s recognition of their own overweight society.The United States is the world's most ob ese country. In an attempt to explain this epidemic, Greg Critser published Fat Land: How Americans became the fattest people in the world. This work highlights new research that claims cheap fats and sugars as the source which causes our calories to stick and shows why children are too often the chief metabolic culprits of such foods. He clearly claims that we (Americans) have been telling ourselves lies about how much we can eat and how little we can exercise.He attempts to expose the nutritional value (or lack thereof) in schools as well as political and cultural forces that have caused American’s fitness to continue to decrease (Critser 23). Critser debunks all eating patterns and even diet books in an attempt to explain why they do not work and only supplement the obesity problem in the United States. Although a slightly humorous book, Critser's message is very serious; the lack of a balanced nutritional diet (which he provides to the best of his understanding) and reduc ed exercise has set a death trap for many people in America, leading to an obesity problem.Hollywood has capitalized on the acceptability of overweight people, and has used and continues to use actors bearing this unhealthy lifestyle in order to provide entertainment (usually humorous) to the United States (Critser 25). The comedians explored in the previous pages share one common obvious trait, their weight. John Belushi, John Candy, and Chris Farley were all obese. The reason why they were overweight will never be fully understood, whether it was genetics, poor eating, lack of exercise, pressures of society, or bad habits. The fact is that all these men were huge, and remained large until their respective deaths.Not only were all of these men overweight, they were also well loved. In a People Magazine article following the death of John Candy, the author concludes â€Å"in the end, of course, no one can say for certain whether diet and self-denial would have prolonged Candy's lif e a single day. Only one thing is sure: Already Candy is missed† (Harmes 97). Similarly in a Canadian magazine an author begins â€Å"While all of us feel as though we've lost someone we knew personally,† showing another example of the attachment fans had with such comedians (Candy in both of these instances) (The Untimely Passing 9).Like Candy, Chris Farley had his fair share of praises in a Rolling Stone Magazine stating â€Å"almost everyone loved Farley, and it was a genuine love, not a Hollywood love† (Hedegaard 40). Through these accounts praising the lives of such overweight comedians, it becomes clear that the actors really connected with their audience and gained a sincere affection from their fans. The love they generated came through both the laughs they consistently provided America as well as their big loving appearance.Perhaps people connected with the characters because they thought their enormous build made them more resilient and therefore they c ould endure the slapstick comedy they provided. Maybe the reason they were admired was because their large appearance was not the typical Hollywood ‘Barbie'-like figure that so many stars posses, but a reflection of how America really looks: overweight. Or, perhaps their size made them more human because they embodied the flaws in all of us. By the simple act of laughing at and with them, the audience is put at ease and feels better about their own shortcomings.In any case, the success of these comedians came through their realistic appearance on stage. The people and actions in these films could occur in everyday American lives. The men were not living a sophisticated lifestyle and did not have special skills; they portrayed an overweight male (which is common in the United States) and shined in immature and physical humor evolving the slapstick genre that has been a staple of American comedy films since their beginning a century ago.

Experience of China Silence Essay

â€Å"Should the experience of China silence those who think that democracy is good for growth?† A democracy is ‘a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.’ In this case it can be said that China does not qualify as a democratic country, however it is the world’s fastest growing economy in the world and has been described as the second industrial revolution. This therefore suggests that the argument for democracy being the only solution to economic growth isn’t correct yet perhaps it was other factors other than political state of China which led to its boom economy. For the purpose of this argument, it can be assumed that China is a planned economy yet in reality, although limited, regional governments have limited democracy e.g. Hong Kong. China is the world’s leading exporter which would indicate to China’s prosperity as it refers to their industrial revolution, this is due to China having an enormous pool of cheap labour, large scopes of land in which manufacturing can be fully accommodated and too, on large scales it also has a long sea border which facilitates exporting. Factors such as these, give testimony to the idea of in fact China having mass economic growth which doesn’t involve political reasoning and economic growth was almost naturally occurring to China. However, it could be argued that it is due to the political system of the country, the government is able to direct people into areas of work where economic growth is most pronounced and therefore, labour is used to maximum efficiency. If economic growth is to continue in the way it has done especially in the last 20 years, it cannot continue to rely solely on trade exports; this is because other countries can’t continue to im port more goods from China as they will eventually be faced with financial struggles. A problem that perhaps needs to be remedied is the domestic demand within China, if the people of China continue to save money on the whole and don’t spend as much typical to a developed country such as Britain, predictably they will stop having economic growth. Another significant drawback is to mention the GDP per capita, this measures the real economic power of the average citizen in China. This is very low in China which indicates a very low standard of living, so to measure the level of economic growth in China is not necessarily the right measure to address the recent economic successes. In recent years, the currency of China has increased but still not to the extent that America believes it should have. An increase of 2.1% does not seem to totally honour or reflect the extent of economic growth China has actually experienced. It is by speculation that perhaps due to financial strategies such as by having low value Renminbi cheaper exports are therefore made possible, America has repeatedly brought this up at the WTO as it leads to unemployment in America. The currency leaves in China leaves other countries with the cheaper option to import goods rather than manufacture them their selves and so is in a sense very tactical government control, potentially. It is only in a planned economy such as China’s is that such control over currency would be made possible to allow efficient trade. Due to China not having a democratic government which in turn entails stop-start policies they are able to plan for the long term which allows structure and not just short term political fixes such as in a democratic politics. However the down side to this is the corruption, governments which remains in power for years allows corruption which Is currently big problem in China, so as much as it can be said that economic growth has been a notion coupled with a change in government away from Mao’s communist society, problems such as corruption have also arisen.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 closing case Ashford University BUS 650 Managerial Finance When should Bunyan Lumber, harvest the forest? The cash flow will grow at the inflation rate of 3. 7%. Utilizing the real cash flow formula (1+R) =v (1+R)(1+H) 1. 10 = (1+R)(1. 037) R= 6. 08% The conservation funds are anticipated to grow slower than the inflation rate. The return for the conservation fund will be, (1+R) = (1+R) (1+H) 1. 10 = (1+R) (1. 032) R= 6. 5% The cash flow from the thinning process is as follow, Cash flow from thinning = Acres thinned x cash flow per acre Cash flow from thinning = 7,500 ($1,200) Cash flow from thinning = $9,000,000 Thinning beyond the initial thinning is conducted on a schedule and can be included. After tax cost of the conservation fund will be, After tax conservation fund cost = (1†C. 35) ($250,000) After tax conservation fund cost = $162,500 For each analysis the cost and revenue are; Revenue [ E (% of grade )(harvest per acre)(value of board game)](acres harvested) (1†C defect rate) Tractor cost = (Cost MBF)(MBF per acre)(acres) Road cost = (Cost MBF)(MBF per acre)(acres) Sale preparation and administration = (Cost MBF) (MBF acre) (acres) It is assumed that there is no depreciation as a result of the harvest. This is an indicator that operating cash flow is equal to net income. The NPV of the thinning, the NPV of all future harvests, minus the present value of  the conservation fund costs. Revenue $39,800,250 Tractor cost 7,200,000 Road 2,700,000 Sale preparation & admin 945,000 Excavator piling 1,200,000 Broadcast burning 2,287,500 Site preparation 1162,500 Planting costs 1,800,000 EBIT $22,505,250 Taxes 7,876,838 Net income (OCF) $ 4,628,413 First harvest after 20 years PV First = $14,628,413/ (1+ . 0608)20 PV First = $4,496,956 Projection of thinning after 40 years 40-year project interest rate = [(1+ . 0608)40] ? C1 0-year project interest rate = 958. 17% 40-year conservation interest rate = [(1+ . 0659)40] ? C1 40-year conservation interest rate =1,183. 87% Present value of future thinning on this schedule, which will be; PV Harvest = [($ 14,628,413/9. 5817)] / (1+ . 0608)20 PV Harvest = $469,325. 52 Present value of conservation funds deposit PV Conservation = ? C$162,500 ? C$162, 500/11. 8387 PV Conservation = ? C$176. 226. 22 Current value of conservation PV Conservation = ? C$176,226. 22/ (1+ . 0659)20 PV Conservation = ? C$49,182. 52 NPV of a 40-year harvest schedule is: NPV = $4,496,956 + 939,286. 45 + 469,325. 52 ? C9,182. 52 NPV = $5,856,385. 9 45-year harvest schedule: Revenue $55,462,853 Tractor cost $9,840,000 Road $3,690,000 Sale preparation & admin $1,291,500 Excavator piling $1,200,000 Broadcast burning $2,287,500 Site preparation $1,162,500 Planting costs $1,800,000 EBIT $34,191,353 Taxes $11,966,973 Net income (OCF) $22,224,379 The PV of the first harvest in 25 years is: PV first = $22,224,379/ (1+ . 0608) 25PVFirst = $5, 087, 23 45 year interest rate 45-year project interest rate = [(1+ . 0608)45] ? C1 45-year project interest rate =1,321. 11% 45 year interest rate for the conservation fund 45-year conservation interest rate = [(1+ . 0659)45] ? C1 5-year conservation interest rate = 1,666. 38% PV of future thinning PV Thinning = $9,000,000/13. 111 PV Thinning = $681,246. 84 Utilizing the OCF of $22,024,504, the PV are as follow, PV Harvest = [($22,224,379/13. 21111)] / (1+ . 0608)25 PV Harvest = $385,073. 30 The present value of these deposits is: PV Conservation = ? C$162,500 ? C $162,500/16. 6638 PV Conservation = ? C$174,800. 29 NPV of a 45-year harvest schedule is: NPV = $5,087,231+ 681. 246. 84 + 385,073. 30 ? C 35, 458, 26 NPV = $6, 1118,092. 40 50-year harvest schedule: Revenue $64,610,783 Tractor cost $11,280,000 Road $4,230,000 Sale preparation & admin $1,480,500 Excavator piling $1,200,000 Broadcast burning $2,287,500 Site preparation $1,162,500 Planting costs $1,800,000 EBIT $41,170,283 Taxes $14,409,599 Net income (OCF) $26,760,684 The PV of the first harvest in 30 years is: PV First = $26,760,684/ (1+ . 0608)30 First = $4,561,202 The effective 50-year interest rate for the project is: 50-year project interest rate = [(1+ . 0608)50] ? C1 50 year project interest rate=1,808. 52% 50 year interest rate for the conservation funds 50-year conservation interest rate = [(1+ . 0659)50] ? C1 50-year conservation interest rate = 2,330. 24% Present value of future thinning on this schedule, which will be PV Thinning = $9,000,000/18. 0852 PV Thinning = $497,644. 82 The operating cash flow from each harvest on the 50-year schedule is $26,531,559, so the present value of the cash flows from the harvest are: PV Harvest = [($26,760,684/18. 0852] / (1+ . 0608)30 PV Harvest = $497,644. 82 Present value of the conservation fund deposits PV Conservation = ? C$162,500 ? C $162,500/23. 3024 PVConservation? C$171,485. 25 Today’s conservation value PV Conservation = ? C$171,485. 25/ (1+ . 0659)30 PV Conservation = ? C$25,283. 50 NPV of a 50-year harvest schedule is: NPV = $4,561,202 + 497,644. 82 + 252,206. 52 ? C 25,283. 0 NPV = $5,285,770. 21 55-year harvest schedule: Revenue $72,972,113 Tractor cost $12,600,000 Road $4,725,000 Sale preparation & admin $1,653,750 Excavator piling $1,200,000 Broadcast burning $2,287,500 Site preparation $1,162,500 Planting costs$1,800,000 EBIT $47,543,363 Taxes $16,640,177 Net income (OCF) $30,903,186 First harvest in 35 years PV First =$30,903,186/ (1+ . 0608)35 PV First = $3,922,074 Thinning 55 years from today: 55-year project interest rate = [(1+ . 0608)55] ? C1 55-year project interest rate = 2,463. 10 55 year conservation fund 55-year conservation interest rate = [(1+ . 0659)55] ? C1 5-year conservation interest rate = 3,243. 60% Present value of future thinning: PV Thinning = $9,000,000/24. 6310 PV Thinning = $365,392. 74 Present values of the cash flows from the harvest are: PV Harvest = [($30,903,186/24. 6310] / (1+ . 0608)35 PV Harvest = $159,233. 03 Present value of the conservation fund deposits: PV Conservation = ? C$162,500 ? C $162,500/32. 4360 PV Conservation = ? C$169,097. 37 Today’s value of the conservation fund PV Conservation = ? C$169,097. 37/(1+ . 0659)35 PV Conservation = ? C$18,121. 00 NPV of a 55-year harvest schedule NPV = $3,922,074 + 365,392. 74 +159,233. 03 ? C18, 121. 00 NPV = $4,428,578. 40

The Impact of E-Commerce on International Business Essay

The Impact of E-Commerce on International Business - Essay Example And e-commerce often becomes handy in making products or services available to the consumer that may not be available in his country/area of residence. In simple words, e-commerce makes international markets easier, cheaper, and faster for the vendor as well as the consumer. But it must be admitted that e-commerce has its own disadvantages too, especially while coming to Internet security and delay in receiving the product ordered. The study on â€Å"Impact of E-Commerce on International Marketing† conducted by Payman, Rosamaria, Marco, Anand, Robert and Xiaowen in 2006 defines e-commerce as follows: â€Å"Electronic commerce primarily consists of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products or services over electronic communications systems such as the Internet and other computer networks like extranets, e-mail, e-books, databases and mobile phones† (Payman, Rosamaria, Macro, Anand, Robert, and Xiaowen). All kinds of commerce including B2B, B2 C and C2C activities are performed in a number of ways including electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, online marketing, etc. As per the above mentioned study (Payman et al.), a voluminous sale of $12.2 billion took place in 2003 via e-commerce. Today, the World Wide Web has emerged as the exclusive venue of e-commerce ventures as it is the most widespread communication network of the world. A number of e-commerce companies took their shape in 1990s, but the â€Å"dot.com† collapse of 2000 and 2001 was a major setback for them. It was at the beginning of the new millennium that e-commerce received the popular attention and acceptance which it boasts about today. The extent and expansion of e-commerce relies cliquishly on the expansion of technology. E-Commerce is widespread in almost all the developed countries but it is still in primary stages of growth in many industrialized countries and is apparently non-existent in a good proportion of the third world count ries. Electronic Commerce is, of course, a new methodology in global trade and commerce. A paper by Kuzic, Fisher and Scollar that studies the impact of e-commerce in Australia points out that e-commerce has its own tangible and intangible benefits. As Kuzic, Fisher and Scollary state, e-commerce is mainly â€Å"enhanced business efficiency, a boost in the automation of processes, transformation of traditional market chain, retained and expanded customer base, reduced operation costs and acquisition of a niche market† which are regarded as the tangible benefits; and, â€Å"enhancing education and well-being of consumers, consumer loyalty, competitive advantage and convenient shopping† are the intangible advantages. Many of these are clearly benefits that no other way of trading involves. E-Commerce is beneficial not only for the merchant but also for the consumer because it offers a wide range of products to choose the best from, and the remarkable speed of the process es cannot be found anywhere else. Compared to traditional markets, the transactions take place between the seller and buyer directly and no intermediates are present contrary to the traditional markets. When we think how the international market has been benefited out of e-commerce, a common opinion

The Evolution Of The Individual In Hitchcocks Films Assignment

The Evolution Of The Individual In Hitchcocks Films - Assignment Example He took a similar story of false identity in North By Northwest and made a film that was much more lighthearted. Lifeboat and The Wrong Man showed how life could be tolerated and obstacles overcome through the strength of the community and the unity of the family. North By Northwest shows no concern for either of those themes and instead reveals how the individual can overcome even the most dangerous and helpless situation with wit and ingenuity. Lifeboat is the story of a varied group of survivors huddled on a boat after their ship was sunk. In his review when the film was released in 1944, Bosley Crowther in the New York Times describes the storyline of Lifeboat as â€Å"a theme which is startling in its broad implications, especially in this critical time.† Much as the country and all allied forces needed to pull together to win the great conflict, so, too, did the people on the boat have to sublimate their personal interests and prejudices to survive their ordeal. The group of survivors could not be more diverse. There were differences in age, gender, race, wealth, sophistication, even political belief. The whole group eventually learned to work together to overwhelm Willy, the one German on the boat. They acted like â€Å"a pack of wild dogs,† according to Francois Truffaut.   As the story progressed, the survivors on the boat changed to support the group. The most notable example of this was the character of Connie, a society columnist. The word snooty could be used to describe her attitude through most of the picture. But as Truffaut mentioned to Hitchcock during their discussions, â€Å"She becomes a human person. She abandons her accessories for the effort.† She gives up an expensive bracelet she was wearing to help lure a fish so that everyone can eat.

Key Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Key Issues - Assignment Example These people are supposed to have the much-needed knowledge and skills to make sure the projects succeed. I am one of the people that have really advocated for the change of the way systems are run in these organisations, proposing some changes that are critical for the implementation of goals and objectives. Many people have so far come to acknowledge the fact that for effectiveness and efficiency in the management of work practices, change is inevitable. This has seen the development of the GIS plan, which is thought to be the best approach that can be the solution to some of the challenges being experienced at present. Being the person in chance of the project, I have realized that I need to make some adjustments in my skills endowment in order to implement the problem successfully. One of the areas that are challenging to me is the staffing issue. In general, staffing is an important practice undertaken by the human resource department so that companies and organisations get the right personnel that can achieve the organisations goals and objectives. The staffing process is quite comprehensive, beginning with job evaluation, creating the advertisements for the identified jobs and vacancies, calling people for interviews and skimming for the bets human resources to undertake the new goals and objectives (Gilmore, 34). In as much as this activity looks easy, it may not be the actual case, the person undertaking the exercise needs to have knowledge and about wage requirements in the market and how to remunerate the new staff in light of the organization’s ability. In addition, the people selected must have the experience for the job identified. In this case, the person interviewing should have a way in which he can tell the genuineness and ability of the candidates to perform the job when offered. One thing that I have decided is that in as much as the

The Problems and Attributes of Nursing Assessment Essay

The Problems and Attributes of Nursing Assessment - Essay Example The first problem was when Jane became agitated, the nurse did not respond properly. Due to Jane’s age, she was thought to have dementia when she complained about feeling locked up. Anybody in an accident can feel locked up when admitted to the hospital. The nurse should have listened to the woman more carefully and tried to soothe her or even have her son come and soothe her. This leads to the most important problem. A patient diagnosed with a concussion should never be sedated. This only causes more confusion and balance loss. It might have been a temporary fix, but in the long run, was detrimental to Jane. Age was a big factor in the nursing style here. It does not matter that Jane was productive with no major problems. The nursing staff did not look past the fact Jane was eighty-three. When Jane stubbornly refused their efforts to feed and bath her, they would sedate her more. Of course, constant sedation would mimic the effects of dementia. If diagnosed and treated with a concussion, all of Jane’s problems would have a different outcome, including her broken femur. Since she was written off as having dementia, Jane was not given a rehabilitation plan. If given a rehabilitation plan, Jane would have been more at ease knowing that she was going home. The sedation confused her more. If fewer sedatives were given and a rehabilitation plan given, Jane probably could have left the hospital before going into the nursing home. Age profiling should not have occurred by the nursing staff. All of Jane’s problems could have been avoided by a different, more understanding nursing approach.

Food Handling and Unethical Business Practices Coursework

Food Handling and Unethical Business Practices - Coursework Example Inspection is, therefore, from time to time to ensure adherence to the food handling regulations by the EHPs. Inspection ought to be conducted to ensure that there are no contraventions of the Food Safety Act 1990, as well as the Food Safety Regulations. Another goal of carrying out inspection is to advise food handlers on how contraventions can be corrected. Furthermore, inspection ensures identification of potential risks, an indication of the action that is needed in the event of serious risks. In addition, inspection seeks to issue the enforcement notice of the food regulations (Lund & Hunter 2008: 329). EHPs mainly do investigations so as to make decisions on what actions to take on business operators in the food industry who contravene the set regulations. For instance, if the action is to issue a notice, they must decide what should be included in the notice specification. The EHPs are given a lot of investigative powers, which fall under a broad range of statutory provisions. An excellent example is the Health and Safety at Work, under section 20, relating to powers of inspectors (Stephen 2013: 280). An EHP inspector possesses the power to enter any premises at any time to carry out the relevant statutory provisions. The officer may as well take a police officer with him where he fears obstructions. The EHP also has powers to take any equipment from the visited premises in line with carrying out the statutory provisions. The EHP has the power to take photographs and measurements while on a mission. The EHP also has powers to question any person believed to give relevant information regarding the investigations (Stephen 2013: 281). In carrying out the inspection process, the EHPs are concerned about the temperature control, to ascertain whether the food is left at the right temperature. The inspector also ensures that the food handling facility has enough refrigerators and deep freezers, all set at the correct temperature.  

Lethal v. Non lethal weapons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Lethal v. Non lethal weapons - Research Paper Example ra, weapons have not only failed to strengthen a nation’s position while dealing with such difficulties but suggest that it is too prudish to inflict any severe damage to enemies or accept casualties. This has given rise to legal challenge against the use of force which has given rise to unsympathetic propaganda. Lethal weapons are developed with increasing precision and lethality due to the rise of a global defense industry worth a multibillion-dollar. Justice against crime has become a matter of serious concern for the first world country as the fight back the use of lethal weapons to introduce non-lethal weapons such as â€Å"acoustic (bioeffects), chemical (pepper spray), electrical (stun devices and projectiles), kinetic energy projectiles (shot bags and ring airfoil projectiles), light (lasers, flashing bright lights), nets (baton launched, projectile launched), and fleeing vehicle interdiction (mechanical and electric/electromagnetic)† (Morehouse 1996). If non-le thal weapons are not considered secure then there seems no difference between the use of lethal weapons. But one might agree that there may be lesser damage caused to environment at large. If the defense industry continues to produce weapons on large scale spending billions and billions of dollars, then the humanity will have to look for other solutions to protect mankind against crime. Today many nations’ chief exports are weapons technology for both defense as well as offense. Many critics have suggested that the business of conventional weaponry should be re-channelized for a worthy cause. Educated people need to realize that in order to evolve into better specie one needs to move on a higher plane. It is for this reason that the non-lethal weapons technology and its application started to evolve. Consequently non-lethal weapons and technologies are defined according to their potential application at the tactical and strategic level (Morehouse 1996). The question which often

Successful Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Successful Business - Assignment Example Up gradation of systems and software is always an issue and to keep up with the fast pace of the IT industry, upgrading regularly is essential to keep abreast with competition Training Continuous training for the managers is a must to provide motivation, leadership skills and 'on job' skills b) Factors critical for successful business / organizations - These factors can be grouped under five main critical factors Employee management Training of staff regularly so that they may update their skills based on the latest technologies available Hiring the right people for the right job profile. This is essential because at times the qualified people have skills to achieve a job but may not have the right attitude and the mindset. Also transferable skills and number skills are extremely pertinent for managers There needs to be clarity in the chain of command and issues between management and staff need to be sorted out as amicably as possible. Infrastructure and investments Having the latest technology and the systems is extremely critical in the age of today. Efficiency of the workers is dependent upon the efficacy of the tools that they have been provided and better efficacy at work leads to loyal customers and therefore, profits Re investments of profits is required to keep up with the changing times and to be able to react quickly to the market changes and trends. Leadership A visionary leader which has foresight and can aid his managers in forward thinking is a must for a business which has a desire to grow rapidly Regular training for the managers is essential for them to learn and imbibe skills like leadership Marketing of services It is important to market the services to the customer not only through the right medium but also with the right...Their use of '=' for continuation of speech and the timing was mentioned in brackets. The transcription also used all the specific protocols to be followed like ':' for elongated pronunciation of words etc. Hiring the right people for the right job profile. This is essential because at times the qualified people have skills to achieve a job but may not have the right attitude and the mindset. Also transferable skills and number skills are extremely pertinent for managers Having the latest technology and the systems is extremely critical in the age of today. Efficiency of the workers is dependent upon the efficacy of the tools that they have been provided and better efficacy at work leads to loyal customers and therefore, profits Some companies rely on loyalty for customer retention while the new entrants need to build that confidence before they can gain loyal customers. For this one needs to deliver service within budget and time constraints. Lastly, it is essential to understand that it is not enough to provide the best cost to the customer. The need of the hour is to provide the customer with a 'balanced value' - the best service at the best price. d) Certain guidelines to reduce staff turnover - high staff turnover can at times become an issue and may become an obstacle for an organizatio

Research Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment - Research Paper Example The US import of oats is almost 80% of the total world imports. World production is on constant decline from 55.9 million tonnes in 1960-61 to about 23.0 million tonnes in 2010-2011. Russia is the largest producer of oats in the world but does not export any as most of the oats is consumed domestically. (OATS: SITUATION AND OUTLOOK 2010) Trade of various good including agricultural commodities between Canada and US is governed by the free trade agreement signed by them in the year 1988. Objective of this treaty was to eliminate barriers to trade in services and goods. The agreement facilitates and provides for a fair competition within the free trade area. Oats get benefit of this treaty and Canada being a surplus producer of oats became a largest exporter to US for last several years. The article 408 of this agreement states that there will not be any extra tax, duty or any charge on the export of any good. Moreover, article 603of this agreement also establishes that there will be no disguised barriers to trade. (Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement, 1988) In European Union, the Scandinavian countries such as Finland and Sweden are the principal oat producers and exporters too. These two exporters cater to the needs of other EU importing countries. Germany and Spain are the major importers of oat and trades among them are governed as per EU regulations (Europa 2011). Finland and Sweden joined the EU during 1995 and since then they were provided with oat export subsidies until 2006. Major objective for providing subsidy was to prevent those acres getting converted to other crop such as barley. Between 1995 and 2006, EU export to US averaged at 0.4 MT of oats per year; however with the withdrawal of the EU subsidy export to the US plummeted to just 0.04MT. Trade among the EU member countries does not attract any levy, or duties. That is the reason most of the oats produced in Finland and Sweden gets consumed in European Union only. Raw

Electrochemical Cell Essay Example for Free

Electrochemical Cell Essay Introduction To investigate the effect of change in temperature of the solutions on the voltage of an electrochemical cell. How does increase in temperature of the electrolytes in en electrochemical cell affect the voltage? An electrochemical cell produces electrical energy from chemical energy, where the chemical energy comes from the reactions in the cell. An electrochemical cell consists of two half-cells. Each half-cell consists of an electrode, and an electrolyte (salt solution). A salt bridge is used that connects the two solutions in the containers to allow flow of ions so there is no charge build up in either solution. Charge build-up would shift the equilibrium and the reaction would cease. When the two half cells, consisting of a metal electrode and a conducting solution are connected with an external wire, the strongest oxidizing agent will undergo a reduction in one half cell and the strongest reducing agent will undergo an oxidation in the other half cell. An electrochemical cell makes use of a redox reaction and uses the chemical reaction to produce an electric current. The two metals that will be used in this experiment are Copper and Zinc, and their salts are used in an aqueous form in the container, being CuSO4 and ZnSO4. A salt bridge that is dipped in KNO3 will be used. The following reaction takes place in each half cell: Cu (s) Cu2+ (aq) + 2e- Zn (s) Zn2- (aq) + 2e- Independent Variable: Temperature of the electrolytes (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C) Dependant Variable: Voltage (V) Controlled Variables: Nature of electrodes: The electrodes will be of the same elements i.e. Copper and Zinc. Changing the nature of the electrodes will change the voltage since different elements produce different forms of ions which then affects the voltage of the cell. Size of electrodes: The size of electrodes will be kept constant to 6cm x 1cm. Increasing the size of electrodes means that the electrodes will react produce more ions hence increasing the voltage of the cell. Nature of ion transfer: A salt bridge (dipped in KNO3) will be used as a pathway for the ion transfer between the two half cells. Changing the nature of ion transfer will change the amount of ions are transferred between the half cells hence affecting the voltage. The concentration of the electrolytes: is kept constant. A constant amount of metal salt will be added to make each electrolyte. Having a varying concentration will affect the amount of ions produced hence varying the voltage accordingly. Voltmeter: The voltmeter is kept constant since changing the voltmeter can affect the voltage since different voltmeters may have different resistance which may affect the readings. Materials required * Copper strip, 6cm x 1cm * Zinc strip, 6cm x 1cm * CuSO4 solution, 0.99M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01M * ZnSO4 solution, 0.99M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01M * KNO3 solution, 1.99M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01M * Distilled water, 300mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1mL * Beakers (3), 250mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 50mL * Graduated cylinder (100mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1mL) * Digital Voltmeter with crocodile wires * Hot plate * Thermometers (2), à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C * Paper strips, 10cm x 1cm * Magnetic stirrer * Rubber gloves * Apron * Safety Goggles Method Method to prepare solutions 1. Concentration required (CuSO4): 0.99M AMU of CuSO4: 159.61 So, 1.00M of CuSO4 has 159.61g of CuSO4 Hence 0.99M has: 159.61 x 0.99 = 158.01g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01g Mix 158.01g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01g of CuSO4 in 100mL of distilled water. Use a magnetic stirrer if necessary == Use 100mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1mL of 0.99M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01M of CuSO4 solution. 2. Concentration required (ZnSO4): 0.99M AMU of ZnSO4: 161.44 So, 1.00M of CuSO4 has 161.44g of ZnSO4 Hence 0.99M has: 161.44 x 0.99 = 159.83g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01g Mix 159.83g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01g of ZnSO4 in 100mL of distilled water. Use a magnetic stirrer if necessary == Use 100mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1mL of 0.99M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01M of ZnSO4 solution. 3. Concentration required (KNO3): 1.99M AMU of CuSO4: 101.11 So, 1.0M of CuSO4 has 101.11g of KNO3 Hence 1.99M has: 101.11 x 1.99 = 201.21g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01g Mix 201.21g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01g of KNO3 in 100mL of distilled water. Use a magnetic stirrer if necessary == Use 30mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1mL of 1.99M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01M of KNO3 solution. 4. Now put the paper strip (salt bridge) in the KNO3 solution and leave it for 30 seconds. Method for investigation 1. Before starting the experiments, all the materials should be acquired with all safety precautions 2. Put the two beakers that have electrolytes on the hot plate. 3. Now put the salt bridge between the beakers. Also, put the two thermometers in each container 4. Connect the crocodile wires from the voltmeter to each electrode, but dont put it in the half cells yet. 5. Now turn on the hot plate and let the temperature increase from room temperature to 30à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C 6. As soon as the temperature increases to 30à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, quickly insert the electrodes in the respective solutions (Cu in CuSO4 and Zn in ZnSO4) and record the voltage 7. Remove the electrodes and clean and dry them. 8. Now increase the temperature by a difference of 10à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C i.e. 40à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, 50à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, 60à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, 70à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, 80à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C and 90à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C and repeat steps 5-7. 9. After the experiment has been completed, put the cleaned materials back to their original place. Raw Data Table Volume of each electrolyte (mL à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1mL) Length of salt bridge (cm à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 cm) Length of each electrode (cm à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01 cm)

Human Rights In A Democratic South Africa

Human Rights In A Democratic South Africa In the South African Constitution, citizens are given many different rights. The right to education is specifically important because it builds and largely determines the future of the next generation. Since I am in a privileged position regarding education, attending a private school, I have decided to research the right to education of all South Africans. My aim is to find whether the right to education which are guaranteed in our constitution to both children and adults are realised in the daily lives of all South Africans. My research is focused on high school education (i.e. Grade 8 to Grade 12). This is the phase which forms the foundation for Matric results. Analysing the Grade 12 results across all sectors of our population along with other primary and secondary sources will give a good indication of whether the right to Education is realised in South Africa. I predict that the rights to education are not fulfilled across all races and income groups in South Africa. Review of Literature The research done on existing information regarding the right to Education in South Africa has been studied and is discussed below. The following secondary sources include a combination of angles ranging from the Bill of Rights, the Popular Media (focusing on the recent Limpopo textbook crisis) and Education Statistics of the last few years. There are many different viewpoints regarding Education in South Africa, some highlighting the corruption and inefficiency, some focusing on the transitional phase we seem to be in, and others looking only at the successes. Education is perceived in such different ways because different audiences look at different aspects of the whole, i.e. the teachers, the pass rates or governmental management. Looking holistically at the entire situation will produce a clearer and more objective result. Source 1: The Constitution of South Africa, 4 February 1997, Chapter 2 Bill of rights, Section 29 Education When a careful study is made of the rights to education as stipulated by the South African Constitution, one finds that every child and adult has the right to basic education as well as further education. The state is primarily responsible to provide the infra-structure in which its citizens could be educated. This implies that the state should provide sufficient school buildings, enough capable teaching staff to ensure a healthy teacher-learner ratio, textbooks and other educational materials. The education system should be free from discrimination on the basis of race, gender and language. Education should be made available in all the official languages where at all practically possible. The education system should also make room for independent institutions which are registered with the state and provide standards comparable to that of public educational institutions. Source 2: Articles by Greg Nicolson from the Daily Maverick 2.1 Limpopos education crisis: The price of incompetence and corruption It is vitally important to have an education system which can be trusted. This article deals with explaining the politics behind the Limpopo textbook crisis. During a tender process advertised by the Limpopo education department there were 23 possible tenders of which 22 were immediately disqualified on the basis of technicalities. From this there was later found that the one which was accepted, EduSolutions, had been pocketing money from the government throughout the process and has left the Limpopo schools without the necessary textbooks and learning materials. 2.2 SAs education crisis: Limpopo STILL without books A recent discrepancy in the Limpopo education department has exposed the education system as corrupt and incompetent. However while the issue is being investigated and addressed a large amount of Limpopo students were left without textbooks and were unable to continue any learning. The seriousness of this situation lies not only in the fraud but the inadequacy of the manner in which students were left without any means to education until the middle of the school year. While the whole event has become a political issue there is still no answer to the problems which the students face in their battle for proper education. Source 3: Is South Africa fulfilling right to free education for all right? April 10, 2011  · by Akanyang Merementsi  · in Media, Society This article discusses education in the world and in South Africa and compares the standard of education between South Africa and the world. Not only is focus put on the importance of education as a human right but it also makes the reader aware of the large high school dropout rates and the negative effects thereof. The article discusses A4 as a model of assessment which the education department needs to adopt in order to function effectively. A4 is Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Adaptability. These four traits are vital in the department of education in South Africa. Source 4: The South African Department of Education Action plan 14 June 2003 and Strategic Plan 9 March 2011 In 2003 the South African education department confessed to a failing education system and set up a plan of action in order to rectify and improve the education system. It set guidelines in order to help in areas which through community debate and school statistics had been found wanting. However, it is now almost 10 years later and this Action Plan is still needed. Similarly a Strategic Plan has recently been drawn up for education in 2011 to 2014 (published on 9 March 2011). The need for both of these plans highlights the shortcomings in the South African education system; fortunately there is a plan to fix them. For this plan to be effectively deployed, the basic education system needs more than paperwork. What ultimately happens to the children in South African schools is that they are left without means to further education while administrative issues are being addressed. The plans are there, but they are simply not being carried through. Source 5: Reinvent local education now by Jon Tullett, Editor: News analysis, 11 Jul 2012 This source uses several points ranging from the Limpopo textbook crisis to our educational world rankings to discuss the importance of a reinvented education system and the current lack of basic education in South Africa. Certain issues are addressed and possible solutions mentioned in order to move South Africa forward in education using its resources and technology. Recently South Africa was ranked out of 142 countries In the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness 2011-2012 report. South Africa is in position133 regarding the quality of the education system and in position138 for the quality of maths and science education. These are not good statistics and clearly show a fault in the education system. As we are behind countries such as Zimbabwe this quote from the article relates to many South Africans: When you think of some of the poverty-stricken, war-ravaged, desolate countries in the world, it is sobering to think they are all better than us. Source 6: Education statistics 2010 Published by the Department of Basic Education February 2012 6.1 Ratios, indicators, page 6 Statistics can be used to deduce several facts; in this case ratios are presented to show the effectiveness in numbers of the education department in South Africa. Specifically the ratios are the learner-educator ratio (LER), learner-school ratio (LSR) and educator-school ratio (ESR). The LER in 2010 was 29.3:1 and unfortunately increased to 32.2:1 in 2011. In 2010 the LSR was 474:1 which then also increased to a ratio of 484.5:1 in 2011. In 2011 the ESR had decreased to 16:1 from 2010s 16.2:1. These ratios (The LER, LSR and ESR) are that of the Public and Independent schools throughout South Africa. 6.2 National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rates When considering whether the right to education is fulfilled in South African high schools it is vitally important to look at the level of education provided from the beginning and throughout the course of Grade 8 to Grade 12. Nonetheless, the level of education can only really be clearly seen through studying the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate pass rates and related statistics. The overall national pass rate in 2010 in the NSC examination was 67.8%. Although throughout the country more females than males wrote the NSC examination, the pass rate for males was higher than that for females. There has been an increase from 62.5% (2008) to 70.2% (2011) in Grade 12 final results in the last 4 years which is a good statistic but considering the level of education it is debatable that pass rates are higher due to a lowering in education standards as will be discussed below. Source 7: Rippling effect of the lowering of standards of basic education 18 July 2012, Varsity SA The main purpose of the South African education department should not be merely educating students but to equip learners with that which is necessary to not only pass Grade 12 but also to be educated enough for further studies. This is important because it is these students who will be responsible for carrying the country and taking over the South African economy thus students need further education and they need to be well enough equipped for further education. This article from Varsity SA raises concerns about the lowered NSC standards which have led to an increase in pass rates. It is currently required that a student only receive 30% (thus knowing only 30% of the syllabus) in order to pass the NSC. Universities have become very unhappy with the large gap in standard between Grade 12 and first year of University studies. This has a large impact on the country as a whole. According to Statistics South Africa there are 4.24 million unemployed people in South Africa. If the standard of basic education continues decreasing it will result in unemployment increasing and not decreasing as expected by government. Unless the education standards are raised the target set by government will not be achieved. Methodology When referring to the topic of Basic Education as a human right in South Africa at high school level, it is clear that research should range across all provinces and schools. Results obtained from a few questionnaires would not clearly and honestly propose a result to the hypothesis of education as a Human Right. Therefore, other means of information, specifically secondary sources, needed to be collected and analysed. The secondary sources collected provide a wide range of ideas and opinions about the education system as well as facts and statistics from a variety of sources. The secondary research conducted was from newspaper articles and internet research. South African education has been the focus of many newspapers, magazines and of the community as a whole, especially with the Limpopo textbook crisis and statistics which were released this year. Gathering research thus became a daily job of listening to news reports, social debates and community discussions. Most of the research ideas come from discussing the topic with people, be it teachers, students, parents or any other South African citizen. Education touches every single South African in one way or another thus it is vitally important to hear what South Africa has to say about education and how it impacts their lives. Articles seen online and in newspapers were recorded and every time a new issue about education was raised the topic was recorded. Then internet research was done on the list of information and the articles found. More online research was done in order to gather other sources and specifically statistics from done surveys and from Statistics South Africa. Both quantitive and qualitive data is used; quantitive data such as statistics and ratios and the qualitive data include reports, articles, opinions, interviews and other literature. Considering the large gap between high school education and university education it was important to have first hand research of the level of students entering university. A senior accounting lecturer of the University of Witwatersrand, Mrs. Belinda Breytenbach, was contacted and an interview set up. Here further insight into the shortcomings of the education system was revealed. Interview questions: Do you believe that the right to education in South Africa for high school students is being fulfilled? Why or why not? Is it true that there is a growing concern regarding the cognitive abilities of first year students who have completed the NSC? Could you describe the academic level of the first year accounting students in general? What would you say is the single biggest need among students academically? How high are the university dropout rates and do you believe that they are increased due to the education students receive in high school? Is there cause for concern about the lowered standards which increase the pass rates of learners writing the NSC? With English being the medium of instruction how would you rate the proficiency of the average first year student? What do you believe are the main areas of concern in the basic education system of South Africa? Do you encounter difficulties in your field of work which is due to the lack of proper education for high school student? Do you believe that education in South Africa is viewed more negatively due to stereotypes? Are there enough opportunities for students who do not receive university acceptance? Do you think that the large amounts of students who after receiving the NSC do not receive university acceptance directly increase the unemployment rate and affect the South African economy? If so, why? What would you suggest the South African Department of Education do to further the education system? Processing of findings The majority of research material is secondary sources. Therefore conclusions and results need to be taken from the literature, graphs and ratios used. From this graph it is clear that by far the majority of learners in South Africa attend Public Schools. For this reason it is vitally important that the South African Education System is successfully fulfilling the basic right to Education as set out in the Bill of Rights. Below all the sources from the Literature Review are analyzed and interpreted in order to determine whether this right is fulfilled throughout the country. Studying the Limpopo textbook crisis, it is quite clear that corruption and a lack of integrity caused learners to suffer great loss in terms of learning materials and eventually in terms of time wasted. There is still no clear plan of action for the successful delivery of learning materials for 2014. Ultimately both articles prove the point that government officials are more concerned about playing politics than about the actual education of learners, who in turn become the victims of dishonesty. The Education Department should have a careful look at their priorities and put the learners first. When comparing South African Education to the rest of the World, South Africa has the fifth worst education system of all the countries reviewed. This puts us behind a country such as Zimbabwe, which in itself should raise grave concern. The current education system disappoints in terms of delivery of results as well as in terms of development. It is quite clear that the academic discussion of the problem has been done and the answers are on the table, however, the implementation of the Strategic Plan calls for responsible individuals to be monitored by the system. The SA Education Department has the tights ideas but has not succeeded in bringing them into action. This in itself might be a result of inferior teacher training procedures and highlights the need for proper education on a secondary and a tertiary level. Too much time is spent on the administration and discussion of the problem, and too little on the actual implementation and monitoring of the system. When analyzing the current education situation it is important to interpret ratios and statistics. Between 2009 and 2010 the Learner Educator ratio increased which means that teachers had bigger classes and more learners had less individual attention from the teacher. The Learner School ratio also increased, highlighting the need for more school buildings. The Educator School ratio decreased, showing that although learner numbers increased, the amount of teachers decreased. These ratios are an indication of the negative development of the entire system, adding unnecessary stress and workload to teachers. The Grade 12 results of 2009 and 2010 are displayed below. At first glance the increase in pass rate looks positive. However, the actual number of students who performed better did not increase, but the requirement to pass decreased to a lower standard and therefore the pass rate increased. In an interview with a senior accounting lecturer from the University of the Witwatersrand, Mrs. Belinda Breytenbach, the following information emerged: High School education is not adequate and many learners are taught by unqualified teachers. Lecturers sit with the problem of students not having the necessary language or mathematical skills to understand the work content. This makes teaching very difficult and emphasizes the need for better education on a higher standard. One of the biggest problems is a lack of English proficiency. When looking at the university dropout rate and the level of comprehension of these students, it is certainly cause for concern. Dropout rates are high and pass rates are low among first year students. When looking at Mrs Breytenbachs answers to the questionnaire, the deduction is made that Education on a tertiary level is severely hampered by inferior teaching on a secondary level. Interview Response: Do you believe that the right to education in South Africa for high school students is being fulfilled? No. Why or why not? Several factors contribute but among them is the inadequacy of education, the need for schools and qualified educators. The textbook crisis is another example. Is it true that there is a growing concern regarding the cognitive abilities of first year students who have completed the NSC? Yes, First year accounting pass rates are low. The mathematic and english skills of the students are below the required standard. Could you describe the academic level of the first year accounting students in general? It is definitely below the expected level at University. We find that most students are on about a Grade 10 and 11 standard and this makes teaching more difficult. What would you say is the single biggest need among students academically? English reading and writing skills. Students struggle with writing and have extreme difficulty with their comprehension skills. How high are the university dropout rates and do you believe that they are increased due to the education students receive in high school? Yes I do, the dropout rate is relatively high for university (+ 30 40%). Is there cause for concern about the lowered standards which increase the pass rates of learners writing the NSC? Yes, people are less equipped to pass at University. With English being the medium of instruction how would you rate the proficiency of the average first year student? English is poor. The majority of students are not first language English speakers. What do you believe are the main areas of concern in the basic education system of South Africa? The education and qualifications of the teachers themselves along with the fact that many learners are passing to the next grade/level without actually having the required knowledge. Do you encounter difficulties in your field of work which is due to the lack of proper education for high school student? Yes, they cannot grasp the accounting concepts due to a lack of English skills along with basic mathematical and accounting knowledge which although required is not actually present. Do you believe that education in South Africa is viewed more negatively due to stereotypes? Yes, but it is not only due to stereotypes. The lack of proper education is a problem I deal with on a daily basis at the University. Are there enough opportunities for students who do not receive university acceptance? Yes, the opportunities exist but students are not equipped well enough and simply do not always use the chances they are given. Do you think that the large amounts of students who after receiving the NSC do not receive university acceptance directly increase the unemployment rate and affect the South African economy? Yes If so why? Many students have passed grade 12 and have received the NSC but the level is too low and thus students cant get university acceptance and are not well enough prepared to be able to work as part of a growing economy. What would you suggest the South African Department of Education do to further the education system? Ensure that teachers are properly qualified. Try to focus on separating politics and education in all aspects. Provide more schools and opportunities. One way of doing this is by joining in on projects similar to one we run at the University of Witwatersrand, it is called the Wits Soweto schools project and it is where university lecturers go to help tutor school children in rural or underprivileged areas. Conclusion Having studied the education system in South Africa over a period of month and with the help of primary and secondary sources, a conclusion has been reached. As predicted in the hypothesis the human right to basic education in South Africa is not fulfilled on a satisfactory level nationally. There are not enough school buildings, there are not enough qualified teachers, learning materials do not always reach the learners and ultimately the level of education is too low to prepare learners for tertiary studies. There are many different reasons for the current problems within the Education System, and one of the biggest reasons is that unqualified teachers teach, which perpetuates the problem. This national problem needs to be addressed with a long term view, creating opportunities for staff development, improved teacher training and careful administration of resources and programs. The strategic plan should be actively enforced and the priority of the South African Education Department should be the learners. The system needs to be constantly reviewed and adjusted in the light of international standards. It is imperative that weak learners should be supported and helped to achieve, rather than to lower standards in an effort to increase pass rates. The biggest limitation of the above discussion is that there is no reference to children who are not even part of any schooling system and not accounted for in any statistics. Several of the secondary sources could be biased as it is written from an individuals perspective although facts and statistics were used. Doing this research project has opened my eyes to the complexity of the South African situation with particular reference to the education system. It does not have a simple solution; neither does it have a single contributing factor. There are numerous problems interlinking causing even bigger problems and one would need great wisdom, huge resources and a lot of determination to even begin addressing these problems. Great leadership is needed in this regard. Reference List Newspaper articles: Nicolson, Greg. 2012. Limpopos education crisis: The price of incompetence and corruption. The Daily Maverick. 18 July 2012 Nicolson, Greg. 2012. SAs education crisis: Limpopo STILL without books. The Daily Maverick. 17 July 2012 Websites: Merementsi, Akanyang. 10 April 2011. Is South Africa fulfilling right to free education for all right?. Media Society. http://akanyangafrica.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/is-south-africa-fulfilling-right-to-free-education-for-all-right/. 6 July 2012. Nicolson, Greg.17 July 2012.SAs education crisis: Limpopo STILL without books. The Daily Maverick.http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-07-17-sas-education-crisis-limpopo-still-without-books. 1 September 2012. Nicolson, Greg. 18 July 2012. Limpopos education crisis: The price of incompetence and corruption. The Daily Maverick. http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-07-18-limpopos-education-crisis-the-price-of-incompetence-and-corruption. 1 September 2012 Right to education project © 2008. The Constitution of South Africa. Right to education project.http://www.right-to-education.org/country-node/522/country-constitutional. 22 June 2012 The South African Department of Education. 14 June 2003. Action plan. The South African Department of Education. http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket =IBMz%2FjGelkc%3Dtabid=390mid=1124. 4 September 2012. The South African Department of Education. 9 March 2011. Strategic Plan. The South African Department of Education.http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket= %2F%2BBILaBJ7ak%3Dtabid=80mid=585. 4 September 2012. The South African Department of Education. Feb 2012. Education statistics 2010. The South African Department of Education. http://www.education.gov.za/EMISSTATISTICS /StatisticalPublications/tabid/462/Default.aspx. 22 June 2012. Tullett, Jon. 11 Jul 2012. Reinvent local education now. It web. http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option =com_contentview =articleid=56651. 13 August 2012. 18 July 2012.Rippling effect of the lowering of standards of basic education. Varsity SA. http://varsitysa.co.za/fun-stuff/articles/rippling-effect-of-the-lowering-of-standards-of-basic-education/.7 September 2012. Interview: Senior lecturer of Accounting from the University of the Witwatersrand Belinda Breytenbach. Tel:0832934350

Effect of globalisation on fast food industry

Effect of globalisation on fast food industry As mentioned earlier in part 1.3, I will be using Porters Five Forces to analyse the external environment to obtain a comprehensive understanding of a given industry. My focus here will be the fast food industry. BK is my chosen company to evaluate the effect of globalisation has upon fast food industry. The analysis will be done in four areas as below and there may be some overlapping of points as they can be interrelated. Section 3.1 Threat of new entrants Section 3.2 Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of customers Section 3.3 Bargaining power of supplier Section 3.4 Rivalry among existing competitors To aid understanding in this analysis, charts and diagrams drawn using Microsoft Excel is provided. 3.1 Threat of new entrants There are six major sources identified as barriers to a market entry which include economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirement, switching cost, access to channels of distribution and government policy (Porter, 1980). All these have had impact on BK especially as from the point of view of globalisation. 3.1.1 Capital Requirement In my observation, it is very possible to open one or two outlets but to globally have a chain of outlets with the same branding requires tremendous capital requirements. Thus globalisation has directly impacted BK in the way it structured its business model through franchising. BK could afford to do so as with agreements such as US- Canada Free Trade Agreement and North American Free Trade Agreement (Reference for Business, 2010). BK took advantage of the relative free flow of resources under globalisation to expand globally. Franchising is a relative low cost and low risk business model. Most of the US franchisors often use this method to enter a new market with diverse economical, cultural and political environment (Alon, 2006). For instance, 88% of BKs restaurants worldwide are franchised in fiscal 2009, contributing to $412.5 millions of total revenue globally (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). Franchising enables the business to develop in an unfamiliar market relatively quickly on a larger scale, allows the use of local partners who are familiar with local environment and also to create a standardised, global brand image, generating marketing economies of scale (McDonald et al., 2002). Charts below will provide further information on BKs franchise restaurants. Chart 1: Percentage of BKs Franchise Restaurants and Company Restaurants Worldwide ( Burger King Holdings Inc.,2009; SEC Info, 2007) Chart 2: Revenue Breakdown From BKs Total Revenue Worldwide (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009) However with globalisation, competition is globalised and relentless. McDonalds is actually BKs largest competitor as it provides better menu variety with more valuable and affordable prices (CNN.com, 2009), biting into BKs revenue by securing a larger market share. McDonalds is also more a pioneer compared to BK because it opened its first restaurant in 1940 (Spiritus-temporis.com, 2005) compared to BK with its first restaurant in 1954 (WikiAnswers, 2010). Being a pioneer, McDonalds has many advantages which includes entrenchment of position in consumers minds, creating higher thresholds for later entrants in terms of quality, advertising and distribution support, enjoys long-term market share advantages and reputation benefits (Gass et al.,2003). It is the effect of globalisation where McDonalds has built around 32,000 outlets in more than 117 countries (McDonalds Corporation, 2010). With its expansion into international markets, the company is famous throughout the world and is the leader in this industry followed by BK only at second place. The difference in number of outlets worldwide which also translates into sales volume differences between these two fast food chain can be seen clearly in the diagrams below. Chart 3: The total number of restaurants worldwide for BK and McDonalds. ( Burger King Holdings Inc.,2009; McDonalds Corporation, 2009) Chart 4: Comparison of Sales Revenues Between BK and McDonalds (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009, McDonalds Corporation 2007; 2009, SEC Info, 2007) Based on the charts, McDonalds is approximately 3 times larger than BK in terms of outlet and 10 times larger in terms of sales revenues. Substantial capital is also needed in terms of advertising to build up BKs brand. The advertising cost of McDonalds is approximately 8 times higher than BK thus creating a higher barrier entry when BKs brand name is lacking compared to McDonalds. To compete with McDonalds, BK needs more capital to increase its advertising as it is very much needed in globalisation to introduce BK in new markets and building up its image that they may otherwise not known about (Coulter, 2001). To ease comparison of the advertising cost, it is illustrated in chart below. Chart 5: Advertising cost of BK compared to McDonalds (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009; SEC Info, 2007; McDonalds Corporation, 2007;2009) With these type of cost outlays, for other competitors to come into the same scale as these two companies is extremely daunting indeed, thus the threat of entrants is low, though for smaller players is possible to find niches that are under or not exploited as yet. Luckily the advertising costs have resulted in branding, which builds a better image globally and flows ultimately into higher sales and profitabililty. Table below provides Best Global Brand Ranking 2009 highlighting few of BKs major competitors and where BK succeeded in positioning its brand among top 100 in year 2009. 2009 rank 2008 rank brand country of origin sector 2009 brand value ($m) 6 8 united states restaurant 32275 61 64 united states restaurant 5722 79 81 united states restaurant 3876 90 85 united states restaurant 3263 93 new united states restaurant 3233 Table 1: Best Global Brand Ranking 2009 (Interbrand, 2009) It is clear that BK lags behind McDonalds though in many ways this is to be expected given its much lower advertising cost outlays, which besides outlet costs, form a significant barrier of entry as mentioned earlier. 3.1.2 Product Differentiation With globalisation, BK differentiates itself from other fast food giants by acknowledging culture and country specific needs. For instances, Pork-based Bulgogi Burgers are offered in korea and the ultra-spicy Rendang Double in Singapore (Wikipedia, 2010). Picture 1: Pork based Bulgogi Burger Picture 2: Rendang Double (flickr.com, 2008 ) (therealnurulle.blogspot.com, 2010) BK also keeps its promise of Have it your way with customers having 221184 possible ways of ordering a Whopper meal (Swabey, 2007). This will help to ease its penetration into new market with different local conditions. BKs response to globalisation is obviously to cater to local tastes, as the pictures above testify. Another response to globalisation has been the move towards becoming more healthy by offering healthier menu with less salt and also with its product innovation to provide food with higher nutrition contents. At all times, BK is trying to differentiate itself to meet customers demands. Further details regarding food offerings will be mentioned in later part. 3.2 Threat of Substitutes and Bargaining Power of Customers Various global fast food chains have successfully make inroads in diverse market settings around the world (Watson, 2006). These restaurants stand the most conspicuous symbol of globalisation and modernity in countries worldwide (Wilk, 2006). Hence, they are often viewed as the cutting edge of emerging global consumer culture which have caused societies worldwide to become increasingly homogeneous and deterritorialised (Friedman, 2000). Although the expansion of Western quick-service eateries outside America and Europe has done much to transform established notions of service, taste and lifestyle (Schlosser et al., 2001), their spread has also given rise to rival domestic chains whose extensive knowledge of local preferences offers real advantages in attracting and retaining customers (Matejowsky, 2008). It is the strong bargaining power of customers which intensify the competition among various food chains with more substitutes available. To deal with these forces on a global basis, BK resorted to differentiate itself through innovative marketing and menu items. 3.2.1 Innovative Marketing BK has adopted a strategy which helps to differentiate them from their competitors. The company appointed TMP Worldwide Advertising Communications to create an exclusive company-wide employer branding campaign based on the concept Fun with a Future which concentrates on brand recognition, employee engagement and delivering on brand promise. BK decided to differentiate itself through its product and people with its employee as brand ambassador where all employees at all levels are linked to the company brand featuring in BKs advertisements and posters (Business and Finance Week, 2008). This is in line with the concept of globalisation where people of different races, culture and family background will have a common global identification as BKs brand ambassador. Pictures below feature BK employees who are of different races and cultures. Picture 3: Employees of BK in Tokyo Picture 4: Employees of BK in U.S. (associatedcontent.com, 2010) (farsons.com, 2010) BK also uses a creative marketing strategy by building an edgy, hip image with young men, who are targeted consumers (Jargon, 2006). For instance, in November 2006, BK began offering BK Xbox and Xbox 360 games with their value meals. After one month, 20 million of BK Xbox games had been sold. The games could only be bought with a value meal which means that BK attracted a lot of customers with this promotion, earning a nice profit from it. Comparing with BK, McDonalds on the other hand only places Nintendo mascot toys in their Happy Meals (Mattie, 2007). A picture of both BK Xbox and McDonalds Nintendo toys can be seen below. Picture 5: Burger King Xbox Picture 6: McDonalds Nintendo Toy ( blogs.ft.com, 2006) (toadcastle.net, 2006) The successfulness of BKs innovative marketing was already proven in 1999 in a TV campaign where Whopper was proclaimed as Americas Favourite Burger. That claim was based on the result of a research where 700 consumers were asked to name their favourite burger. 33% of them picked Whopper and only 12% chose McDonalds Big Mac (Cebrzynski, 1999). Having innovative marketing is a response to the threat of substitutes and bargaining power of customers as BK tries to embed itself on consumer consciousness globally. 3.2.2 Menu Options and Changes BK tries to reach out more customers through its menu to reduce threat of substitutes, which of course with globalisation is a full time and relentless force. As mentioned in part 3.1, health consciousness was rising among people with the obesity crisis hitting globally. It was found that United States tops the hierarchy for obesity with 30.6%, followed by Mexico and United Kingdom with 24.2% and 23% (NationMaster.com, 2010). Even though BK tries to blunt customers bargaining power and the threat of substitutes through aggressive marketing as seen above, in truth they are obviously much stronger with no switching cost. New Products Thus a response from BK is to try to be almost all things to customers. For instance, provide healthier food options. The company in its social responsibility statement promises to work with its trained chefs and nutritionist to develop new menu options that meet customers nutritional needs globally (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2010a). BKs efforts could be seen when it unveiled a healthy eating adaptation of its Have It Your Way strategy where posters in restaurants tell customers how to order a low carbohydrate, low fat and low calorie meal (Walker, 2004). The famous Whopper can also be served without the bun, mayonnaise and ketchup (MacArthur, 2004). BK also launched a new salad line offering shrimp and sirloin steak with grilled peppers and onions on it (Walker, 2004). Besides, health drive was initiated by BK by reducing salt and fat content in burgers and fries. Even children are targeted where childrens menu also comes with a choice of apples or grapes, milk or fruit juice (Forte, 2006). In 2008, BKs kids meal underwent makeover with the introduction of apple fries as part of the meal (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2010b). A list of BKs healthier options with their calorie contents are provided in Appendix 3. Pictures below show two healthy options from BK. Picture 7: Kids meal with Apple Fries Picture 8: Bunless Whopper (fastfood.ocregister.com, 2009) (hungry-girl.com, 2010) In addition, BK also later launched its Joe Coffee. This made-to-order coffee processed from 100% Arabica coffee beans (The Franchise Mall, 2005). This is actually a response to global economic crisis where it was found that consumers were trading down from more expensive coffee such as starbucks into lower ranking choices, providing a perfect option for BK. Thus even though globally the economic situation was dire, for instance it was found that 2009s world economic growth rate was only half percent (International Monetary Fund, 2009). BK found a new market segment to exploit to further reduce the threat of substitutes and bargaining power of customers. Latest initiatives include where in February year 2010, BK decided to replace its own coffee brand BK Joe with Seattles Best Coffee, a brand owned by Starbucks to increase falling sales by improving its product offerings (Tice, 2010). Pictures below show BKs Joe Coffee and its replacement, Seattles Best Coffee. Picture 9: BK Joe Coffee (ebay.com, 2010) Picture 10: Seattles Best Coffee (myalohavibe.com, 2010) BK also imitated a McDonalds breakfast item. BKs Breakfast Muffin Sandwich was promoted through an advertisement where a cleverly disguised BK breaks into McDonalds Headquarters to steal the Top Secret Blueprints for the Sausage McMuffin With Egg (Dave, 2010). Picture below shows the contrast between the two breakfast offering from McDonalds and BK. Picture 11: McDonalds Sausage McMuffin with Egg Vs BKs breakfast Muffin (davescupboard.blogspot.com, 2010) New Pricing It is not just menu changes were offered but also menu pricing as well. To meet the changing economic conditions as an impact of global recession, BK also announced that it will offer $1 double cheeseburger in order to gain market share back from McDonalds (Johnson, 2007). This has cause BKs franchisees to file a law suit challenging BKs right to dictate maximum prices as the products costs is at least $1.10 per sandwich (Glover, 2009). Thus even though BK tries to satisfy customers other stakeholders may not be happy, showing the complexities in managing relationships in the era of globalisation. Further in many ways, as seen in breakfast, and even in pricing, since the RM $1 cheeseburger, BK is imitating McDonalds. 3.3 Bargaining power of suppliers With globalisation, BK is required to maintain the quality of services in its restaurants worldwide. As a measure of quality control, BK will evaluate before approving the existing or potential manufacturers and distributors of food, packaging and equipment products used in the restaurants. Evaluation is done based on their delivery, timeliness and financial conditions. To ensure consistency, franchises are required to purchase their products from approved suppliers. (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). 3.3.1 Purchasing Power of BK Restaurant Services Inc. (RSI), a not-for-profit independent purchasing cooperative leverages purchasing power of the BK system in United States by negotiating the purchase terms for most equipments, food, beverages, toys and paper products used in the restaurants (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). RSI currently involves in the negotiation of purchase with BK for more than $3 billion a year in goods and services, managing supply agreements with over 300 suppliers and 27 distributors (Sterlingcommerce, 2009). For company restaurants and franchise restaurants in Canada, a subsidiary of RSI is responsible to purchase the products. However, there is currently no appointed purchasing agent that represents franchisees in other international regions. BK will work closely with their franchisees to implement programs that leverage their global purchasing power and to obtain lower product costs outside the United States and Canada. (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). Globalisation has increased the purchasing power of BK and therefore reducing bargaining power of suppliers with the ease of selection of suppliers who meet the company criteria 3.3.2 Suppliers of BK Food As a global fast food chain, it is important for BK to maintain its brand name worldwide. The image of the global brand could be destroyed in a day due to globalisation where news travels billion times faster than it used to be in the past. BK was labelled Murder King by animal activists forcing the company to implement new policies that are more closely monitor its suppliers. Thus by 2001, there were guidelines that require the egg suppliers battery cages to contain two water bottles, allowing the birds to stand upright and be at least 75 square inches (Detweiler, 2001). BK further discourages its suppliers from trimming chickens beak and breaking their wings to save packing space when transporting (Detweiler, 2001). Reports in media of one or more cases of food-borne diseases in one of BKs restaurant also negatively affect its sales worldwide when being highly publicised (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). During an earlier case in year 1997, BK cut off its ties with one of its biggest beef supplier, Hudson Foods Inc. as its beef supplies were contaminated with E.coli..Hudson voluntarily recalled the beef after the severity of E.coli contamination was discovered at its plant in Columbus, leaving some BK restaurants without sufficient beef supply for 24 hours to 48 hours (Papernik et al., 1997). Soft Drinks In fiscal 2000, BK decided to enter into a long term contracts with The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper/Seven-Up Inc to supply all restaurants of BK in United States with their product (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). BK prolonged its long term liaison with The Coca-Cola Company as an approved soft drink supplier for its international region covering Greater Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific (PRNewswire, 2003). With the effect of globalisation, consumers in around 200 countries enjoy Coca-Cola products of more than 1 billions servings per day (The Coca-Cola Company, 2010). BK International President believes that with this renewed alliances, Coca-Cola Company, recognised as the worlds best known brand (The Coca-Cola Company, 2010) will help to grow the BK brand rapidly by providing the best burger experience to their consumers in all restaurants globally (PRNewswire, 2003). Getting into alliances with suppliers is a good way to also set up higher barriers of entry. From my analysis, bargaining power of food suppliers are strong but over soft drinks especially in terms of dealing with companies with strong brand name is weaker. Obviously, the extent to which the other party uses branding and distribution network as leverage globally as well. Employees Other than external suppliers, internal supplier is also an important piece of puzzle which without, BKs supplier network would not be complete. Hence, the bargaining power of its employees should not be shoved aside. BK had approximately 41320 employees in its company restaurants, field management offices and global headquarters as at 30th June 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). As mentioned in part 3.2.1, there are diversity of employees with different backgrounds, race, religion and cultures. It is clear that like globalisation, the factors in Porters Five Forces are interlinked and do not stand alone. The success of BK is highly dependent on its ability to attract general managers with necessary competences to be part of the management team to motivate the employees to sustain high service levels and maintain sales growth. The competition for the right employee candidates causes higher payment of wages featuring the high bargaining power of employees (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). However, where boundaries between countries became narrower and communication made easier with globalisation, the search for the right employee is more efficient and effective through online application, which could perhaps reduce their bargaining power. The selection of employees is important as a wrong choice would lead to negative publicity. In one of the cases, a BK employee in Jacksonville had tried to poison a customer as he was pissed due to his suspension for misconduct (Morbid, 2010). In another case, a Washington State Deputy, Edward Bylsma after discovering a spit on his Whopper ordered fr om a BK employee decided to sue BK seeking $75,000 of compensation (Ryan, 2010). No doubt with globalisation, these news would definitely spread fast and adversely impact the companys brand. Further, since a large portion of outlets are franchised as a result of BKs decision on this bus model to move globally, employees become even more important as front link assets to keep sales and profits up. With payroll expenses on the increase as seen in the chart below, it is clear that for employees, their bargaining power is, in my opinion, rated medium to high. Chart 6: Payroll and Employee Benefits for BK ( Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009) 3.4 Rivalry among Existing Competitors Globalisation has increased the competition among the fast food chain. With various quick service restaurants mushrooming worldwide, other than competing on a national or regional basis, they are competing with each other globally. As an effect of globalisation causing increases in degree of awareness among consumers, there has been intense competition among the competitors globally to gain market share. Increasing prices of raw material, agitation by social organisations, slow down of U.S economy and also increasing fuel prices has prompt many fast food chain to divert their attention to eastern part of the world especially China ( Naim, 2008). Although globalisation has ease the expansion of fast food chain worldwide with the ease of information transfer and seeking global suppliers, entry into China and other Asian countries still pose logistical and political challenges. As quoted from Martin (1994) in Nation Restaurants news Among the most frustrating obstacles are the scarcity and inordinately high cost of prime locations in most markets as well as the steep tariffs and patchwork of inconsistent regulations that impede imports of commodities and equipment. 3.4.1 New Geographical Regions and New Ventures Taking a closer look, even though globalisation has blurred boundaries, there are still differences in cultural issues between United States and other countries resulting in different eating habits of consumers ( Glazer, 2007). From consumer point of view, globalisation has resulted from development of sophisticated media contributing to the creation of a borderless market but it does not mean it is without internal differences or local tastes (Ziedman, 2003). When a company goes global, they are bound to satisfy the demands of local customers. For example in India, cows are sacred and worshipped by the Indians, beef could not be served and the muslims, they could not consume pork (Kulkarni et al., 2009). Hence, it is a must to substitute the beef and pork in the product offerings. To further compete globally, BK invested in Whopper Bars. BK opened their first Whopper Bar in Orlando during spring 2009, and the first in Asia in Singapore during September 2009 (International Wire, 2009). It offers a specialised burger menu with more than 20 toppings (Ruggles, 2010). On 8th February 2010, BK further announced that beer sales will be added at a new unit opening in South Miami. ( Ruggles, 2010). BK changes may not be rapid enough to obtain further market share from McDonalds but the company has been spending more effort in improving its sales in this global competition ( Anderlini et al., 2010). Competing on a global scale gives rise to global income streams. This would help BK to sustain the worldwide competition where the profit from a restaurant would balance the loss in another. The pie charts below show the distribution of revenue from different geographical region. Chart 6: BKs Geographical Sales from Year 2007-Year 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009) In a way, the company is more dependent on its home market, as showed in the pie chart above where most portion of global stream income is generated. In a recent case in 2009, BKs advertisement for Texican Whopper burger in Europe had angered the Mexicans where a small wrestler featured in the advertisement was dressed in a cape resembling a Mexican flag. Mexicans have high respect for their flag and therefore could not tolerate such an insult from BK ( The Assiociated Press, 2009). This adverse publicity could have adversely impact its profits. Still, the company had not done unduly badly as seen in the charts below. Chart 7: Revenue, Gross Profit and Net Profit of BK from Year 2005 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009, SEC Info, 2007) It is clear that BK has done well as seen in increasing absolute figures of all sales, gross profit and net profit. A look at gross profit and net profit margin also shows that on a relative basis the company is handling itself well in the world of globalisation. Chart 8: Gross Profit Margin and Net Profit Margin of BK from Year 2005- 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009, SEC Info, 2007) Even though Gross Profit Margin has been decreasing slightly, its net profit margin has been increasing with a drastic improvement from year 2006 to 2007. This is definitely a good sign. 3.5 Conclusion and Recommendation Globalisation can be a threat to the company and also it may help its expansion. Being a global brand, BK has a lot benefits which include cost-efficiencies, sharing of resources and ability to attract partners, employees and customers on entering new market. It all depends how the company took opportunities and work towards their goals. Management of globalisation is the key to success and most importantly, BK need to balance between global and local control (Samli, 2008). The company has retreated back to the US market, which is why the share prices have been sliding back down in recent times as seen below. Chart 9 : BKs Share Price Ups and Downs from 2001 till 2010 ( Yahoo Finance, 2010) Recommendations made to companys performance are as follows: Moving In Developing countries, Especially India and China Aggressively: India and China both has a steady high economic growth rates of 8.8% and 10% in 2010 (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2010) and will probably be the major players in the world economy. It is definitely a wise option to expand BKs growth in these two countries by using local partners, local employees and local ingredients. Furthermore, BK could also offer limited promotions during festive seasons or special events, for instance during Chinese New Year or Deepavali as this will help to attract more customers during that period. Broader Menu Selection: As mentioned earlier in the project, BK should continuously provide more choices of menu which allow customers to pick from wider choices. This step should be taken to also reduce threat of substitutes from new entries and existing competitors. Its product offerings must also be ensured to meet the local taste. As mentioned by the officials of market research firm of the NPD Group, quick service operators who are expanding their brands outside the United States must customise each unit to meet the specific needs of consumers in the country and region they seek to enter (Glazer, 2007). Promotions and Advertising: As observed so far, BKs advertising has been giving positive impact on its sales. Hence, BK should continuously invest in its promotions and advertisement to gain market share. BK could perhaps invite its employees to give their opinion as they are also the brand ambassadors. This would allow a fresher and a more creative in flow of idea and to boost the motivation of the employees as they are invited to participate in the companys program. However, BK should avoid price wars with its competitors ie. McDonalds as this would pull down the profits of all burger chains. BK should choose to differentiate from its competitors. There is only one winner in cost strategy but there may be more than one winner in differentiation strategy. Relationships with Franchisees: There has been cases where the franchisees are not happy with the decisions of BK Inc..The most obvious example is the sale of doublecheese burger at $1. BK should strengthen its ties with the franchisees by encouraging them to provide ideas and feedbacks on how to improve sales. When there is a disagreement between them, BK should understand the reason behind and to solve it on a win-win situation. If this could be practised, law suit against BK Inc. could be avoided. In conclusion, Porters Five Forces Analysis that was used to analyse BKs stand in the industry gives a birds eye view of the company and industry globally. Globalisation plays a major role in pushing and shaping the company. The survival of BK is dependent on its ability to adapt to constant changes in business environment due to globalisation. With BKs effort in improving its performance, it will definitely survive in this field and could perhaps be the number one fast food chain worldwide in the future.