Creative Thinking Week 4

How might you use the strategies for applying creativity to problems and issues in addressing this topic? I would use the novel approach with a few things, first I would use it to encourage readers to research each candidate, get all the facts available and second I would be sure to have both good and bad facts as part of the article its self not as part of the end of the article, however I do like the links to other articles that pertain to that issue.I would also try to improve what the writer of the article said; I think I would have added more about this year’s campaign slogan and what the president has on his to do list. I might even ask for reader comments, or their answer to a particular question. This would incorporate the reader’s views and help me to appeal to them more. I would also try to redefine the first campaign to show how while not everything that was promised has been done, progress has been made, and we are still moving forward but we have to give th ings time, none of this happened over night and it is not going to be fixed overnight either.Most importantly I want to be sure that I present facts but in a way that sounds like I am actually saying it, I want to give it my own twist of creativity. How might you use the strategies for promoting curiosity in addressing this topic? Why do you think these strategies might be effective? By using the strategies for promoting curiosity in addressing this topic you are going deeper into your work and getting the whole picture.Curiosity is having the desire to learn, that means you ask questions, research, do everything in your power to know more about whatever it is you are curious in. I think these strategies might be effective because it allows you to go deeper and see what is lying beneath it all. You will be able to find out information that you wouldn’t be able to know from the first glance. Being curious makes you gain more knowledge, in this situation you would be able to pr ovide the best information on the topic and provide all the right answers for both sides to your readers.How might you use the various methods for producing ideas to eliminate the bias from the original article and still present a factual and persuasive case? To make my topics and articles more interesting I will use all the strategies. The reason being for using all the strategies is because I want to add more life to the article and get the viewers to fully read through my article. One of the strategies is taking a novel approach, I believe that if I take a novel approach in the article that I wrote then I ill have the readers reading the article as a story so they can get more in depth with the article. Another strategy is devising or modifying a process or system, with this I will make sure that I have a plan so that I will not be free handing through my entire article. I will also use finding new uses for existing things because the stories in the article may involve old storie s but adding new stories will brighten the article more. Lastly, inventing or redefining a concept so that my article looks the part and looks new and improved.

Origins of Nationalism in France

In terms of the origins of national identity in France it is agreed that the French Revolution was the single most important period of radical social and political upheaval and was henceforth a catalyst for the spread of nationalism in France aswell as throughout the rest of Europe. Despite the fact the French Revolution occurred over 200 years ago, in present day France, there remain various symbols of the revolution which have become deeply embedded in the national identity of the country.One of which being the tricolore flag which was created to oppose the flag of the King, which itself was a symbol of the Ancient Regime. Pre-revolutionary France was characterised by a social structure based on class and tradition, but more importantly, it was based on inequalities which were sanctioned by the force of law. The Ancient regime in France had been based on the division of society into legal categories. Membership of the first and second estates (clergy and nobility) conferred legal a nd social entitlements that were not available to the Third Estate.The idea of Absolutism meant that the Monarchy was entitled to expect the obedience of the people on the grounds that the King was the agent of God’s purpose. The French Revolution was the turning point in modern history. It was the first manifestation of nationalism in the Western world; it abolished the ancient regime and thus the absolute monarchy, giving birth to the French nation in a sudden burst of enthusiasm. In 1790 all the communities of France erected an altar to the fatherland with the inscription: â€Å"The citizen is born, lives and dies for the fatherland. The revolution began a new age in French political life, the old political order in France was destroyed and replaced by a new order that was based on individual rights, representative institutions and loyalty to the nation as opposed to the Monarch. This new era fostered new political ideals summarised in the French slogan; ‘Liberte, E galite et Fraternite which is still to this day a symbol of French nationalism. One of the key events in the development of nationalism in France which arose with the French Revolution was ‘The declaration of the rights of man of the citizen’ in 1789.This fundamental document harboured fervour that France belonged to its people, not Louis XVI and defined the individual and collective rights of all the estates of the realm as universal. It created shared values such as liberty, property, security, resistance to oppression and civil equality which bought the French people together as nation. Napoleon Bonaparte also had a significant role in creating a national identity in France. He was considered by some to be the ‘preserver of the French Revolution’ as he introduced the Napoleonic Code which attempted to unite the country by making everyone equal before the law.It spread the ideals of the revolution including legal equality and economic freedom and therefor e a sentiment of nationalism through France and the rest of Europe. However, often the nationalism that developed in reaction to Napoleon took one of two tracks. In some cases, it was a conservative nationalism, a desire to go back to the old ways that prevailed before Napoleon took over and started making reforms. On the other hand, there was liberal nationalism. Napoleon continued to spread some of the fruits of the French Revolution but some people wanted more: they wanted true self-government.As a result of the French Revolution and Napoleon, French people started taking great pride in the history, language, culture and religion of their country which helped create a strong French national identity. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces. Napoleon inspired national pride by reopening the Louvre in 1801 and bringing hundreds of famous paintings and other works of art to the natio n’s attention.The French nation-state unified the French people in particular through the consolidation of the use of the French language. The French language has been essential to the concept of ‘France' even though in 1789 only 50% of French people spoke it. Conscription, invented by Napoleon mixed the various groups of France into a nationalist mould which created the French citizen and his consciousness of membership to a common nation, while the various â€Å"patois† were progressively eradicated.Secularism in France is a fundament of the French nation. It is important when considering the national identity of France as it stems from the sense of ‘religious freedom’ which was a principle laid down by the French Revolution. It also emphasises the fact that the Republic has always recognised individuals, rather than groups and that a French citizen owes allegiance to the nation, and has no officially sanctioned ethnic or religious identity.

Mcdonald Essay

McDonald’s is comprised of more than 30,000 local restaurants and serves 52 million people in more than 100 countries each day[1]. The company is the largest food retailer in the world and is part of the American way of life. In order to remain competitive and an iconic American institution, McDonald’s has developed programs and strategies for motivating employees and teaching leadership. As a result, our group believes that McDonald’s presented an excellent opportunity to observe organizational behavior in action. In this observational study, we sought to discover what leadership techniques and group skills were actually practiced by McDonald’s employees. Our field study entailed visiting four different McDonald’s stores in the greater Rochester area during distinct shifts ranging from early morning to late night. During each visit, a group member made a purchase and sat at a table where one could observe the behavior of managers and employees and customer interactions, without interfering with normal operations. Due to the fact we were restricted to a small sample of McDonald’s restaurants, we could not capture the complete spirit of the corporation. However, we were able to relate our findings to leadership and organizational behavior theories and some of McDonald’s corporate values. Through a series of observations and corporate research we discovered that McDonald’s employees demonstrate quality leadership and that the organization as a whole puts significant effort into motivating and working for its employees. Corporate & Work Culture When analyzing an organization’s leadership and teamwork skills, it is useful to first analyze the organization’s work culture and how this culture is maintained. The work culture of McDonald’s seems highly dependent upon the particular line manager in charge at any given point in time. One would imagine that the manager would almost always use position power and would use a telling style of leadership since the typical employee is young or inexperienced. Indeed, some managers were observed as running the operations in a machine like manner, especially during peak business periods. However, in the majority of cases the managers were relatively relaxed and sometimes were indistinguishable from the other employees. One manager in particular used a selling approach, which indicates a higher readiness level of her team  (Daft, 2008, p. 73). She did not simply give orders, but accepted feedback and alternatives to her decisions. While it was obvious she was the manager, her team was obviously in the later stages of development and was comfortable outside of their predefined roles. ntroduction For our project we have decided to analyze McDonald’s. We propose to look at how McDonald’s has attempted to change their image through marketing strategies over the years. They have done this in a variety of ways, not just with their products. For example, they changed packaging on their products to become more environmentally safe. They have also created new menu items in the past 10 years in order to offer some â€Å"healthy† options to those watching their waistlines. This is an effort to appeal to customers who might have disregarded McDonald’s in the past because of traditional stereotypes. They have done this in a variety of ways using the four P’s and  are attempting to change  society’s perceptions. Many people today are unhappy with McDonald’s and their â€Å"unhealthy† food, and we were interested to see if the current marketing strategy that McDonald’s is using is creating a positive change for the company. History McDonald’s, now known world wide as one of the major powerhouse’s in the fast food industry, began in  San Bernardino  on May 15, 1940. It originated as a barbeque restaurant under the ownership of brothers  Dick and Mac McDonald, and soon evolved into a teen hangout generating 80% of its revenues from hamburgers alone. In 1948, McDonald’s switched gears and increasingly targeted the young family market, developing its operation concepts around speed, lower prices, and higher volume. They ran under the slogan of â€Å"speedy service systems,† selling their hamburgers with fries for an astonishing 25 cents. In 1954 Ray Kroc, a previous restaurant owner, saw potential for growth in the company and capitalized on it convincing the McDonald brothers to franchise the company with his financial support. In 1963 McDonald’s introduced Ronald, a fun loving clown, to promote their restaurant  as a family establishment,  and he became a huge success. In fact, Ronald is now an icon symbolizing the McDonald’s firm. As the restaurant continued on its upward spiral toward success, they decided to go public for the first time in 1965 offering one hundred shares of stock for $2,250 dollars. In today’s market, that is equivalent to 74,360 shares worth over $1. 8 million  (www. mcdonalds. com). In effort to give help to those who are in need, McDonald’s collaborated with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Fred Hill and created the Ronald McDonald House in 1974. At the house, families of critically ill children are given a home away from home while their kids are treated. Today,  McDonald’s is the leading foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 locations in over 119 countries, and  is  a symbol of American culture. Historical  Reputation McDonald’s was the first fast food restaurant on the scene. There have been many imitators over the years, but it has historically been number one. Since its first opening in 1940, the business has boomed into an international craze. Historically, McDonald’s has been viewed as the pinnacle and one of the defining features of the American lifestyle. Burger, fries, and a Coke were the traditional meal. Once it spread globally, it boomed into popularity because other countries wanted to be associated with the successful image of the â€Å"American dream†. It was not until recently, within the last 15 years, that people began to question the health and safety of the fast food industry, and have been focusing on McDonald’s because it is an easy target. When a company is that large, it is a natural target for  inner directed  consumers, and those who wish to upset the conformist lifestyle. Reputation Today Though all this talk about â€Å"poor health† and â€Å"risk† associated with McDonald’s seems bad for the business, we set out to see if it was really hindering their success today. McDonald’s is, after all, still the most prevalent and recognizable fast food establishments in the world. The health aspect  has actually spread out of the  United States  and become a global issue. According to All Headline News, McDonald’s saw a profit loss of 14 percent last quarter. It was the biggest loss the company has had since 2002. This may seem like an indication of their dropping popularity; however it was actually not related to their customers’ atisfaction (or lack thereof). According to the company, their loss reflected a large tax benefit it received over a year ago, and that sales have actually been going up over the last 35 months due to  a series of successful new products, extended hours, restaurant renovations and allowing customers to pay with credit and debit cards. As stated before,  McDonald’s is the worlds leading fast food restaurant and is globally recognized. With over tens of thousands of stores spread across 119 countries, McDonald’s serves an astounding  50 million  customers daily(www. mcdonalds. com). With such an extremely large consumer base, it is crucial  that they know and understand how their customers feel regarding the overall satisfaction of the McDonald’s experience. The type of experience McDonald’s offers to its loyal consumer is, on the majority, rated high in overall satisfaction. The  reasons McDonald’s consumers are loyal  to McDonald’s  and not to its competitors are many. First, McDonald’s has recognized the importance of diversity and its impact within company strategy. They have  done an excellent job in implementing a multidomestic strategy to ensure the loyalty of its customers and their changing wants and needs. This is shown through their diverse menu options around the globe. For example, McDonalds’ restaurants  inIndia  created a vegetarian sandwich in order to cater to  their  need of not eating beef. By increasing the number of segments they can market to, they are able to reach more people. This is only one example of many on how McDonald’s has met the needs of its customers. McDonald’s provides a positive and caring attitude towards the community of which it serves. McDonalds’vision states that â€Å"We are not a hamburger company serving people; we are a people company serving hamburgers†. With a vision so clearly committed to people, customers have responded  by continuing to keep McDonald’s  number one. Other aspects of the McDonald’s dining experience show why their customers continue to hold their reputationhigh. They use things like the dollar menu, playgrounds, endorsements, and charities all add to create the overall satisfying experience. These things overshadow the health risks that are a large issue in today’s American society. Through the information we have found, McDonald’s is still popular because it is about convenience and fast food. Until people are willing to wait longer to eat and pay more for healthier food, it will still be one of the leading chains. So,  does it seem  that they are repairing the damage done by the â€Å"health nuts†? On the contrary, they may have maintained their customer base through smart advertising and marketing but are still not popular with many people. They are such a large and conspicuous company that many people find it easy  to blame them for problems. Inside theUS, they are the target for various causes such as anti-globalization groups and environmentalists who believe their packaging is creating excess waste. It has also been accused of being heavy-handed in its retaliations to these protests, giving it a somewhat  bully image. Outside of the  US, McDonald’s is still widely pervasive in most countries, all of which have local owners. Yet, it finds itself a symbol of American domination of economic and natural resources. There are also many urban legends about its food and company, and it is a target for unusual lawsuits. Customer Base This is not to say that all people hate McDonald’s. Their website claims to serve over 50 million people per day. Who are McDonalds’ customers? Stereotypically they are overweight, lazy, and unhealthy people (men, women, and children). This could be adding to the social stigma surrounding McDonald’s and adding to their unhealthy image. One crucial group is what they call the â€Å"heavy hitters†. These are men 18 – 34 years old, who eat at the restaurant three to five times a week. These men actually only make up about 20 percent of the customer base, but account for nearly 70 percent of the visits to the chain  (Alexander, 2004)! However, McDonald’s decided to phase out the â€Å"Supersize Option† on its meals in 2004, which could be alienating this group. It is important to keep this group because they bring profits way up by increasing margins on sales. The change was implemented when McDonald’s began to focus more attention on attracting moms and health-conscious adults. Target Market Traditionally, and still today, McDonalds’  focus in advertising, marketing, and design has been children. This is obvious with their PlayPlace, Happy Meals, and character Ronald McDonald. They actually introduced Ronald as a way to draw families into the restaurant. In recent years, McDonald’s has also been increasing their marketing toward mothers. This makes sense because they have to also draw the moms into the restaurant, where the kids want to go. They are almost a  small addition to the child market. They use a variety of marketing strategies to attract children, moms, and families in general. Promotions and Current Marketing McDonald’s is actively working to change their image to a healthier one. Gone are the days where hamburgers are the key advertising attraction. People already know McDonald’s; in fact the golden arches are the single most recognized symbol around the world, even before the cross. They have completely saturated the market to the point where you can now even order a  Big Mac  while shopping at Wal-Mart. Their problem, however, is their battle with health critics and customers filing lawsuits about their unhealthy products. This negative publicity is shaping some stereotypes around the company which they want to change. As we know, perception is reality. The American public sees McDonald’s as a restaurant  that is as unhealthy. Americans don’t go to McDonald’s with visions of healthy food dancing in their heads. Some don’t even go to McDonald’s at all. So how does McDonald’s get them back? This is an immense project that may also never be a successful one. it’s what i eat and what i do†¦i’m lovin’ it The most recent way that McDonald’s has tried to create a healthy image is their new marketing campaign titled â€Å"it’s what i eat and what i do†¦i’m lovin’ it. †Ã‚  The campaign is meant to build upon their global marketing campaign, â€Å"i’m lovin’ it,† which was launched in September 2003. It is designed to â€Å"tie all our balanced, active lifestyles messages together,† said McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner (Press Release, 3/08/05). The theme highlights the â€Å"important interplay between eating right and staying active. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout all of the press releases and media material that we found on McDonald’s corporate website there was one common phrase: â€Å"balanced, active lifestyles. †Ã‚   It is their new platform and it consists of three pillar ideas: increasing menu choice, promoting physical activity, and providing more accessible information. In the next few paragraphs we will illustrate just exactly what McDonald’s is doing in their marketing campaign to address these three pillars. The most recent example of the first pillar,  increasing menu choice, is the introduction of the new Asian Chicken Salad. McDonald’s is both expanding their menu and increasing the availability of â€Å"healthy† foods. Advertisements for this new salad are everywhere. Signage is present outside the restaurants,  on street banners, and even  on the windows and near the registers. One food bag also featured the new Asian Chicken Salad as part of a GoActive! Happy Meal. We even saw a couple different versions of advertisements on  television  for this salad as well as an ad in â€Å"InStyle† magazine. It  is their newest healthy item. Other recent menu additions were also â€Å"healthier† choices such as Premium Chicken sandwiches and other premium salads. The second pillar of this campaign,  promoting physical activity, is also evident on bags, cups and signage in each store. The bags that hold food orders no longer have hamburger ads on the outside. They  now feature images of people leading â€Å"balanced, active† lives. On one bag, a woman is doing yoga with a caption saying â€Å"being good to myself has never been easier†¦i’m lovin’ it.    This lady is sending a message that she  thinks it is easy to maintain her healthy lifestyle by eating at McDonald’s. Physical activity is also promoted through the introduction of four different 15 minute workout DVDs that you can get when you buy the GoActive! Happy Meal that includes a salad and a Dasani bottled water. During the Winter Olympics in  Torino, many Olympic athletes were also featured on McDonald’s bags with motivational messages about their active lives. McDonald’s is doing everything they can to broadcast images of healthy active people and associating them with McDonald’s. The third and final pillar,  more accessible information, is evident in McDonald’s new packaging concept that will provide nutritional information on individual food boxes. McDonald’s has a â€Å"30 year history of providing nutrition information to customers,† but as recent lawsuits against McDonald’s and scenes from the movie â€Å"Super Size Me† suggest, they have room for improvement (Press Release, 2/0706). The lawsuits against McDonald’s claimed that the plaintiffs were obese because they were unaware of the nutritional content of the McDonald’s food that they were eating. Whether that is believable or not, McDonald’s was forced to make a move. They were lucky that these lawsuits were thrown out due to the fact that the plaintiffs could not prove that McDonald’s was at fault, but what if the next plaintiff had a better case? McDonald’s has to be on the defensive. Therefore, McDonald’s is moving nutrition facts straight to the box. Not only does each box  have the nutrition facts table,  but McDonald’s also chose to highlight the five most relevant indicators that customers can understand: calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and salt. These five indicators are presented in a different color, while the nutrition table is presented in plain text. The only packages that will not feature nutritional information will be those used in short-term promotions and wrappers and containers that are used for multiple products. In those cases, customers will be referred to McDonald’s websites and in-restaurant brochures. Marketing for Children Another part of McDonald’s push toward â€Å"balanced, active lifestyles† also includes their interaction with children. Kids are a huge market that McDonald’s caters to and has done so for many years. Parents often take their kids to McDonald’s because it is often the only indoor play area around, and also provides a quick, convenient, and fairly cheap meal. In a country where everyone is busy with work and shuttling kids back and forth to soccer practice, a quick meal is invaluable. The kids are fed and are able to run around and play at the same time. McDonald’s is finally aware of their hold on kids and how this hold is affecting the health of American kids. Because of this, McDonald’s is now using Ronald McDonald as an advocate for balanced, active lifestyles. The goal is to have him inform both kids and families around the world about the importance of eating healthy and staying active. In the fall McDonald’s plans to release the first two in a series of DVDs featuring Ronald McDonald, these DVDs are meant to show kids â€Å"how much fun they can have when they activate their bodies, their minds, and their imaginations†(Press Release, 2/07/06). New â€Å"Healthy† Products Over the years, McDonald’s has also introduced a variety of new products to combat the image of unhealthiness. These have worked to diversify their menu, but have not made much of a difference in the perception of the restaurant. Some of the new items include the Premium Salads, Premium Chicken Selects and Chicken Sandwiches, bottled water as a substitute for soda, Low-Carb options for normal menu items, the Apple Dippers and fruit bags, and the Fruit and Yogurt Parfait. Beside  reminder ads,  McDonald’s is currently spending the majority of its advertising budget on these new products, and still sell more double cheeseburgers than all of them combined  (Warner, 2006)! In fact, though they are marketed as healthy but a Chicken Caesar Salad with dressing at McDonald’s actually has more calories from fat (270) and percentage of daily sodium (64%) than a  Big Mac (270 calories from fat, 42% daily sodium) (Nutrition, 2006). The Olympics Partnership The Olympics have a long lasting reputation for their presence and involvement with sports and collaborations with corporations for sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Because the Olympics have such a profound impact worldwide on individuals, it is not surprising that the marketing element in the Olympic  Games  is so prevalent. With the Olympics being a globally viewed event (over 2 billion) in over 200 countries, marketing throughout the duration of the games can generate mass publicity leading to greater profits  for the sponsors. Sports  also  play a role in millions ofpeople’s  lives around the world. It is one arena of life that the mass media also finds  significant;  implicating the obvious reason that marketing through the Olympics is a golden opportunity. Other than being a company who markets their product via commercial or some other media outlet, sponsors of the official Olympic  Games  contribute a great deal in understanding the entirety of how corporations are involved with the Olympics. Sponsors show their support to the Olympic  Games  by providing financial and other resources to give their image a positive boost. McDonald’s has latched onto this sponsorship idea, and began sponsoring the Olympics in 1976. It is important to understand how the Olympics affect their sponsors and vise versa, which explains the in depth explanation of the Olympics. McDonald’s was in  its  rapid growth stage  as  America  was embracing the experience that McDonalds offered; inexpensive food and quick, friendly service. As McDonald’s was becoming a familiar household name throughout the country, so were  the Olympics. When  they became an official sponsor, it was most definitely the merging of two huge forces, and became a long lasting relationship. McDonald’s today continues to show the Olympic  Gamestheir committed support, and uses their relationship to promote its new â€Å"healthy† image. McDonald’s  CEO  had this thought on their involvement with the Olympics, â€Å"Our McDonald’s restaurant teams have always shared many of the same ideals as the Olympic team. They include excellence, teamwork, and being your best. For more than 30 years, we have been a proud sponsor of the Olympic movement, a partnership that directly aligns with our ongoing commitment to help people live more balanced, active lives†. Not only is McDonald’s a devoted and veteran sponsor, they hold the position of being the top sponsor of the entire â€Å"Olympic movement†. Although McDonald’s has had a long run as being the top sponsor to the games, it will come to an end when the 2012 London games take place, for  their sponsorship will cease. We haven’t found the reason behind the decision which is surprising because it is a significant one. McDonalds’sponsorship with the Olympics has provided many positive outcomes for both parties. Having a close affiliation with the Olympics altered the way that the public perceives McDonald’s, which was what they were  hoping for, especially in the last decade. The question is, has their sponsorship changed the company or how the public perceives it? The essence of the Olympics is about fitness and bringing together the best of the best, two very important values. As McDonald’s became more and more aware of their customers increasing interests in a more healthy diet, they began to change their strategy fast. McDonald’s also realized that the affiliation with the Olympics alone could help make their transition to a more health conscious restaurant more visible. So,  McDonald’s began promoting the sponsorship by adding it to their packaging, voicing it in their commercials, and  in  other media outlets. By doing so, people started to view McDonald’s in a healthier way, through a small  halo effect. The affiliation between the two also intertwined the  values  of health  between both the Olympics and McDonald’s. In other words, some people started to think of McDonald’s as being the best in the fast food industry,  and also purchasing the â€Å"healthy† items. Although this was only the first step McDonald’s took toward changing their image, it was one that had a lasting impact. Recently, McDonald’s has become aware of the increasing health conscious public and has tried to adapt accordingly. They have incorporated many different campaigns to capture and promote the essence of healthy living. As stated before, among these include the sponsorship with the Olympics, offering a line of products which are marketed to the health conscious customers, endorsements with super-fit celebrities,  collaboration  with other health-oriented products such as bottled  water, and also the introduction and promotion of the GoActive! Campaign. This campaign is headed by a famous celebrity fitness trainer, Bob Greene, and has been named â€Å"The GoActive! American Challenge†. GoActive! Campaign The GoActive! Campaign  is McDonalds’ most recent attempt  to diversify their options on the menu, and convince its customers to become more active. This is aimed more toward  the adult  rather than the child market, which is a turn from traditional marketing strategies. McDonald’s wants parents to be able to order healthful food while still giving the kids what they really want: The Happy Meal. This change is successful because the options are given to customers, rather than automatically getting fries and a soda with the meal. Instead, customers are given the option of things like fruit salad, apple slices with caramel sauce, cut veggies, juice, and bottled water. By doing this, McDonald’s is taking a proactive,  hands-on approach which shows customers they care  about  and realize  the  significance of a healthy lifestyle. To promote this program, McDonald’s and celebrity fitness trainer Bob Greene decided to challengeAmerica. Their challenge was called â€Å"McDonald’s GoActive! American Challenge† and it encouraged others to live a more balanced life by taking steps to reach a goal. To promote the new campaign,  Bob Greene walked and biked across  America  for a total of 36 days. To include people in this journey, McDonald’s distributed 10,000  to 15,000step-o-meters along with brochures containing information about fitness and ways to start living a more active life. It is McDonalds’ hope that customers will see, from this challenge, that McDonald’s is a place where they have a choice to consume either healthy or unhealthy food. Also, the presence of Bob Greene adds advantage to McDonald’s marketing techniques because of his status in the fitness world. If he is associated with the company, then it must not be that unhealthy. It is critical to analyze what perception is and how it plays a part in McDonald’s and their marketing strategy. Interview with Bob Comisky We also wanted to get the  opinion  and viewpoint of a person inside the McDonald’s Corporation on this topic of healthy marketing. We talked to a franchise owner, Bob Comisky, to see whether or not he thought the current actions and advertisements were really working. According to Bob, customers are not coming to McDonald’s to eat healthy. He said, â€Å"Overall we have increased a little in healthy product sales but we have found that although there is a health craze right now people come to McDonald’s for the burgers, not to eat healthy. †Ã‚   This mimics our research, finding that the dollar menu sells much more than the healthy items. The marketing has had little effect on the buying patterns on the restaurant patrons. He also said that McDonald’s is hoping to increase their market share globally:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonald’s as a company has vision to dominate the world-wide foodservice  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  industry. In order to do this they will set the performance standard high for customer  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  satisfaction in addition to increasing the market share and profitability by fulfilling  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonald’s  mission of value execution strategies and convenience. What is the Point? The basic issue  for McDonald’s regarding perception is that the entire establishment is based upon how they are perceived by the public. Are they perceived as a family restaurant by families? If so, the family segment will more likely visit the restaurant for family dinners. Is McDonald’s perceived as a fun, inexpensive place for the high school and college segments to eat at? If so, they are also more likely to eat there. Therefore, the perception that consumers have about McDonald’s is the basis of their decision to eat at the restaurant. Now that McDonald’s has tried to saturate the market with the healthy, balanced lifestyles campaigns, they are trying to change the  public’s  perception of them in terms of the health factor. While McDonald’s is trying so hard to be the new and improved healthy dining experience, the perception of McDonalds in many  people’s  minds is already set in stone. Trying to change this will cost huge  amounts of money and there is not any guarantee that McDonald’s will achieve their goal. Overall, we believe that McDonald’s is using these â€Å"healthy† products and active lifestyle campaigns as a defense mechanism. They are trying to dispel the image they have right now, and also prevent future lawsuits. All the lawsuits that have been brought against them in regards to obesity have been thrown out, but it is still negative publicity. The company had to do some major damage control after movies like  Super Size  Me! and other negative movements. They are less concerned with changing people’s perceptions of the chain, and more with the fact they need to be seen astrying  to help the situation. They have already saturated the market in the  United States, and want to stay at the topand expand globally. It is not so much about initially changing the company’s image, though over time it may change in response to this extensive marketing strategy. Though it may not change their image, we also think that this is a good direction for McDonald’s to focus toward. They are a mature company, and the only way to bend the arrow backward on their product life cycle is to innovate and create new products. This is their attempt to return to the rapid growth stage. As stated before, McDonald’s  is widely known for its hamburgers and fries, but it has potential to grow into a new market with healthy options. It also has enough money to fund this type of project, and there is no reason they should not continue on this road. The worst that could happen is that they revert back to the same market and style they have always had, but thepositive  side could be expansion into an entirely new market and much more revenue for the company. In general, the managers did not try to put any strong vertical barriers between themselves and their employees. Managers usually seemed to display real concern and interest in the emotions and well being of their employees, which was not expected in this environment. For example, one manager was observed asking an employee cleaning the floors about her weekend and her kids. There seems to be legitimate efforts in order to motivate employees even at the line worker level. Herzberg’s two-factor theory explains that good working conditions only go so far, and that employees require higher level fulfillment such as motivation and recognition in order to be satisfied with their position  (Daft, 2008, p. 231). Even in a low- skill position, low turnover is desired. In addition, happy employees lead to happy customers. McDonald’s corporate management believes in training and leadership at all levels through Hamburger University. On Hamburger University’s website[2], they quote McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc’s training focused ideology: â€Å"If we are going to go anywhere, we’ve got to have talent. And, I’m going to put my money in talent†. This ideology demonstrates that McDonald’s does not believe its restaurants’ crew members are just gears in a machine that can be easily replaced. Because training is not just offered to executives or managers, McDonald’s is able to spread and reinforce its culture and values in all directions, not just downward. McDonald’s corporate values also have â€Å"people† as one of its pillars  (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008). Corporate policy says that employees should be paid at or above the local market rate, and should also value both their pay and their benefits. By addressing employees higher needs by providing training they make employees feel important and valuable. Training also serves to reinforce the culture at all levels through education and fostering a positive image of the employees’ importance to the company. McDonald’s Motivating Factors Of the McDonald’s restaurants we observed, the culture was generally inviting for new employees. In addition, other factors make McDonald’s an ideal employer for many individuals. A primary motivation for working in a McDonald’s restaurant is that it presents a laid back environment and the job itself is not very stressful. Even during the observed lunch and dinner rushes, the employees never appeared particularly stressed or anxious. When there was a lull in the restaurant the employees would clean their stations, chat with other employees, or get a drink from the soda fountain. They were very relaxed and for the most part did not seem to fear their managers or other bosses. As Daft explains, fear can weaken trust and communication, and is usually impedes employees rather than motivates them  (Daft, 2008, p. 52). For a high school student who is busy with school work and other extra-curricular activities, it may be ideal to work in a laid back environment like McDonald’s. A student’s life may be highly stressful, and a low-skill, low-stress job offered by McDonald’s may provide a break from an otherwise stressful life. Also, for the elderly employees, the low stress environment may also be desirable because they would not be overwhelmed with responsibilities that might be new to them. Another possible motivator is the social opportunity presented by such a job. As noted above, employees tended to have a very casual environment where they could talk and socialize while they worked. For example, many of the employees who work during the evening shifts are high school students. These employees are often the same age and often share common cultural interests. They are also presented with the opportunity to meet new people and develop friendships that can continue to develop outside of work. They will also have a bond with these employees because they share a common experience, and are likely from a similar background. Employment at McDonald’s also offers social opportunities for those employees who are young but do not attend college and for the elderly. Many of these employees do not have the opportunity to participate in clubs or other organizations, and interact with people of their own age or anyone in general. It may even be possible to develop a romantic relationship with another employee, as McDonald’s is not a work environment where this could be seen as a problem by management. A third reason for working at McDonald’s is the flexible schedule. McDonald’s offers many different shift schedules so they accommodate everyone. This can help employees find a healthy work-life balance. Some individuals require fulltime work, which is available through the standard day shift, while part time workers can pick up their hours after school ends, on weekends or around other social obligations. Since the company requires in some levels a low skill job, another employee can easily take one’s shift over, allowing the later to take on other obligations and not be completely tied to the workplace. Part time employees can rotate their hours according to who has requested to have a certain day off. This gives employees a sense of empowerment because they have same say in their schedule and are less likely to call in sick to avoid work, which would lower team morale and the respect between the managers and the employee  (Daft, 2008, p. 242). Even though the average employee is unskilled or does not require skills, empowering an employee helps him feel important and makes him feel better about his job. In addition to the flexibility offered by a position at McDonald’s, the convenient location might serve as another motivator. There is a McDonald’s store in most every town, and it may be relatively close to an employee and the only available job which does not require a skill or advanced training. As a result, employees who do not have cars can walk to work or take public transportation. In light of the recent economic downturn and the high price of gas, having a job in your own neighborhood is a huge benefit, especially for a young person or a person trying to earn their first paycheck. Finally, an additional motivator is the numerous growth opportunities available. McDonald’s offers training to employees at various levels. In addition, if any employee stays at McDonald’s for a long period he could advance into an assistant manager or manager position. While typically a McDonald’s job is seen as temporary for young people, it may be the only job available for an impoverished person, recent immigrant, or someone with no learned skill. Since there is a high rate of turnover, employees have the chance to advance within a few years of working at a restaurant. This opportunity could be very appealing for those who cannot attend college for some reason. If during his high school years an employee was a hard worker, he or she could easily move into a manager position and continue his career with the company or gain experience to move into another job without a formal education. Through our observations we were unable to determine the exact theories of motivation mangers used, but it was clear that the theories were of a needs-based nature. In general, the average employee does not commit to McDonald’s for a long term, and high turnover is expected. Thus, for the majority of the employees the goal is to satisfy their lower needs. Using Maslow’s hierarchy, the main goal is to provide the basic needs such as a safe environment where they can earn the money they needed to provide for their physiological needs  (Daft, 2008, p. 228). However, there are typically no real fringe benefits (besides free food) associated with the job, and there is no contract or other guarantee of continued employment. In some cases though, there was observed belongingness through friendships and team unity. In addition, the two-factor theory of motivation seems to be employed  (Daft, 2008, p. 231). McDonald’s seeks to reduce dissatisfaction by having good hygiene factors – adequate pay and organizational policies. In many cases, there does not appear to be a high focus on implementing motivators; employees did not seem unhappy, but there seem to be very few opportunities for recognition and growth except for those who plan to be long term employees. The Best Employee In continuation to what was observed in the visited McDonald’s stores, one cannot neglect to address the leadership style displayed by the line managers in these restaurants. Conforming to the informal and relaxed atmosphere emphasized by the manager’s calm attitude and the McDonald’s â€Å"100% customer satisfaction† goal; one could expect a â€Å"middle-of-the-road† type of management in which the leaders behave as compromisers  (Northouse, 2007, p. 75), exhibiting both people and task oriented behavior. Indeed, during this field study the line managers seemed to be very expedient, approaching a station whenever there was a problem and giving directions to the subordinates. The managers appeared to be moderately concerned with the people who did the tasks, yet they were focused on production and ultimately product quality. There were no noticeable conflicts between leaders and followers and an equilibrium state was achieved between them. The line managers’ leadership behavior reflects a task-oriented style for the crew members. The commitment and positive attitude towards a given task are derived from the employees’ motivations and leader behavior. According to the Path-Goal Theory, for tasks which are characterized as repetitive, unchallenging, mundane and mechanical, the group members tend to be unsatisfied and in need of affiliation and human touch  (Northouse, 2007, p. 34). Therefore, the most suitable leader behavior for this type of environment is the supportive leadership that provides nurturance and makes the work pleasant for subordinates. McDonald’s Corporate believes its success is attributed in part to the talented restaurant crew. Also, Corporate claims to be engaged in talent management: attracting, developing and retaining talented people from all levels[3]. The le ader behavior observed in the McDonald’s stores corresponds to the employment experience values promoted on their website. From the field study experience, one can surmise the McDonald’s leader-follower relationship as the following:†The task is simple. We provide all necessary tools for you to accomplish your job. Show commitment and perform your duties properly. I am here to help if necessary. I will not trouble you†. For the McDonald’s case, a comfortable and friendly environment reinforced by the line manager is paramount for the employee’s satisfaction. Good customer service is one the most important aspects in the fast food industry. It is crucial for the employees in this sector to display courtesy, genuine concern and diligent service towards the clients. Unsurprisingly, this trend was commonly found in the visited McDonald’s stores. Most of the cashiers there would greet the customer with a smile and a â€Å"how are you today, sir†, followed by a â€Å"thank you† once the transaction was done. Behind the scenes, the workers cooking fries and flipping burgers made sure their products were been delivered in a steady pace and in accordance to the company’s quality standards. Finally, the line manager’s role was to make sure things were running smoothly, fill gaps whenever necessary, assist crew members and perform other managerial duties such as inventory control, managing budget and human resources. As in any assembly line, the employee’s performance is heavily measured by his or her efficiency level. It amounts to how many items the worker delivered in a given period, following a certain quality standard. Of course, there are others important points to be considered in order to determine who the best employees are. Initiative could be a means of distinguishing the workers in this sort of environment. This could be exhibited by a cashier who cleans the counter if idle, a cook who starts cleaning the kitchen earlier, or even a manager who presents to the company a new product or service concept. Also, cooperation plays a big role, because McDonald’s relies on groups and teams. Each employee relies on another line worker in the assembling process. In the end, any worker who demonstrates these qualities could have his/her picture hung on the wall as the â€Å"employee of the month† – this is a classic example of how McDonald’s stores motivate and reward their employees. The best McDonald’s manager/leader is the one that promotes a pleasant atmosphere for his/her subordinates to counter the limited job’s motivating factors. However, the manager should also focus on maximizing production and delivering a good service to the customers. The ideal McDonald’s leader must apply a coaching leadership style, showing both high directive and supportive behaviors. From what was observed in some stores, the managers of the restaurants seemed to be in control of every aspect of the entire food service process. At some instances when things went completely out of control; the same managers exhibited a coaching style of leadership, directing the subordinate on how to achieve a specific goal. Whenever they overheard or saw someone  doing something wrong or partially correct, they would step in  giving directions to their subordinates and would never disrespect them. Team Work at McDonald’s While not all employees can be superstars, McDonald’s owes is success to its team functionality rather than the efforts of one individual. McDonald’s does not have very highly integrated teamwork, but they would be unable to deliver their products and service without sufficient team unity and cooperation. The team on the floor of a McDonald’s restaurant is best described as a functional team(Daft, 2008, p. 297). Team members have one area that they focus on during their shift. If they leave their post or are not productive, other line members will not be able to accomplish their jobs and the production line will suffer. For example, when a customer enters the restaurant places an order with the cashier, the later inputs the order into the computer and the information is displayed in the kitchen at the sandwich and grill stations. The grill worker prepares the meat and then places the burger on a bun. The sandwich maker then assembles the sandwich according to the type of sandwich and any additional requests the customer has. If the sandwich maker leaves his post, another worker has to cover for him or the entire product delivery process shuts down. As a result, a McDonald’s restaurant team is sequentially interdependent  (Daft, 2008, p. 301). Without everyone working together and having sufficient motivation to provide good and quick quality service, all members of the team fail. As a result of one person losing motivation or failing to adequately perform his duties, customers may complain and business can be lost. Even though most employees are trained to perform multiple tasks at various stations, they are not usually able to perform all of these tasks simultaneously. The typical team was not self-reliant and required constant, direct input from the manager. We observed that often times when morale began to wane, the manager was able to reinvigorate the team and increase efficiency. However, we also noticed that if the manager grew tired and lost motivation the rest of the team quickly followed suit. Managers were also instrumental in helping out struggling team members by motivating them. This attitude kept the production line moving adequately. The team effectiveness is directly related to the manager’s leadership efforts  (Daft, 2008, p. 303). In order to ensure both efficiency and quality in the team’s work, the managers had to make some efforts to satisfying employees’ needs. This manifested as direct help, words of encouragement, not punishing undesired behavior every time, or awarding a break and taking over a worker’s responsibilities temporarily. Nevertheless, employee seemed well trained and autonomous as long as morale was at a sufficient level. The team operated mostly without speaking. Sometimes team members would yell an order to another member, but generally everyone knew what they had to do without much discussion. Because the team did not need constant retraining or correction, it is a sign that the employees are well trained and have been iven the tools to adequately perform their roles. The Overall Leader ; Corporate Values Reflected While McDonald’s is a large multinational organization, the CEO is often seen as a leader and symbolic driver of the corporate initiatives and ideals. McDonald’s current Chief Executive Office is Jim Skinner. Mr. Skinner has been with McDonald’s for over thirty-five years, and has hel d many positions from â€Å"restaurant manager trainee† to many corporate positions throughout his tenure, before being elected as CEO  (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008). Truly a charismatic and transformational leader, many attribute McDonald’s turn-around in the past few years to the efforts of Skinner; not only did he revitalize the organization, but he â€Å"reinvented the fast food business† with a new vision and direction(Hume, 2007). Early in the turn-around, he was one of the architects of the â€Å"Plan to Win† initiative which renewed McDonald’s core focus of store operations. His election to the CEO post provided some stability and faith for the organization. Hume notes that one of the key elements to his success was his vast experience with overseas markets that gave him great diversity exposure which was crucial for the global corporation. This diversity has definitely helped giving McDonald’s a competitive advantage, and was paramount in the global communication between employees and customers  (Daft, 2008, p. 334). One of his noted achievements during his tenure in regards to leadership was fighting the â€Å"McJob† stigma; he made employees feel important and began to promote the various positions in a brighter light through advertising campaigns  (Hume, 2007). In terms of Mr. Skinner’s philosophy, he is primarily focused on customer satisfaction. He believes that is necessary to first meet customer expectations and then focus on the restaurants themselves. The philosophy also includes keeping things simple and manageable for each store while making sure that â€Å"everyone is aligned around that one idea†. The idea is directed towards making a good appearance, caring about how the restaurant looks and how you present yourself. Another important aspect of his philosophy is the fear of complacency. Therefore, he encourages creativity, but also wants to make sure that people do not lose track of the chain’s primary objectives  (Hume, 2007). Thus, there is a strong focus on coming up with good, creative strategies, and then putting the full effort into successful execution. For Mr. Skinner, a companywide initiative is always a must, and never a maybe. Skinner is also a man of values and ethics: When McDonald’s was blamed for the obesity problem, he helped direct the company to take responsibility and help create a solution rather than pass the blame. Thus, Skinner can be seen as a moral leader and symbol of doing the right thing for McDonald’s  (Daft, 2008, p. 169). Finally, one of Skinner’s continuing main goals is â€Å"talent management and leadership development†Ã‚  (Hume, 2007). This involves critical tasks such as reorganizing individuals into different roles and identifying potential leaders to be awarded additional responsibility. While many of the Mr. Skinners values are not easily discernable on surface, his leadership was seen at the restaurants observed. The care regarding customer satisfaction was most obvious, employees were always polite and the restaurant was very clean. During some observations, employees were seen talking with regular customers beyond the normal service interactions, demonstrating some level of intimacy between them. In addition, almost all employees seemed well mannered and presented themselves well. There seemed to be a high level of morale, even with the more menial and custodial positions, which was unexpected in a fast food restaurant. In many of the locations visited, there were employee recruitment signs on the door that listed benefits; however, the application process was online. While more efficient, perhaps a stronger focus on in-person recruitment would help improving morale and result in more applications. Improving Employee Effectiveness One may initially believe that there is not really much that can or even needs to be done in order to improve efficiency in McDonald’s restaurants; however, good leadership involves constantly reinforcing a brighter vision of the future and increasing value for both customers and employees. An employee should not think that just because they cook fries or flip burgers, that they cannot make a difference. Rather, by encouraging creativity and eadership even at this lowest level, the next great executive may emerge. It is important to turn each restaurant’s employee into a productive team member. In order to increase productivity and employee commitment, we propose several measures. The first measure would be to create a program to encourage creativity among restaurant managers, owners, and operators. In fact , the iconic Ronald McDonald was not developed by Ray Kroc or anyone at corporate, but by the owner of a local franchise  (Walker & Scott). Rewards should be available for coming up with new ideas at the restaurant level. As owners and managers are the ones who are actively involved with the day-to-day operations, they have a greater vantage point for implementing successful changes. In order for such a program to be successful, there must first be some educational programs like workshops. At the regional level, managers and owners can be brought together and taught about creative ideas. This will encourage thinking â€Å"outside of the box†, and furthermore can introduce individuals to the practice of â€Å"creative swiping†, which is a process of copying the best ideas whether they be from within your industry or from completely unrelated fields  (Peters, 1987). After properly motivating the owners and managers, there should be a trickledown effect to the restaurant’s employees. In addition to the trickledown effect of targeting the managers, we would take steps to directly motivate individual employees as well. On this front, one of the first steps is to truly understand each and every employee. Some employees may only be working at McDonald’s temporarily, but for others this may be the only available job opportunity. For such individuals, they want to maximize their job satisfaction. We would implement a program similar to those in large corporations where employees are able to set specific goals and explain their rationale for working at McDonald’s and what they expect from their employment. This process would show employees that they can do more than flip burgers, for example develop leadership and management skills which can be invaluable regardless of future career plans. Managers and/or owners would apply Vroom’s Expectancy Theory in this case; the attention and treatment of each employee should be personalized  (Daft, 2008, p. 35). Managers would therefore develop a plan with each employee to increase his intrinsic satisfaction, while at the same time increasing that employee’s productivity. Building on our focus on individuals, we would also implement a scholarship and education program. We want our employees to represent us well within our restaurants and throughout the world. We would offer high school and college aged employees a greater number of college scholarship opportunities in return for quality work and demonstration of leadership potential. Younger workers are often harder to motivate directly, but the opportunity to have someone else paying for your education is always a great motivator. The program would reward quality work such as customer service and punctuality, as well as creativity and the ability to dream like a leader. Employees must be sponsored by a manager or owner and would have to write an essay answering a question that instigates them to think creatively about how we as a corporation could improve. This would motivate even the youngest and most inexperienced ones. In fact, this could create an upstream effect on the whole restaurant or corporation, increase team cohesiveness and help encouraging those who are older or in higher positions to also think about making the entire organization better  (Daft, 2008, p. 239). The winners would make a positive impact on the organization and earn the extrinsic reward of a scholarship. In subsequent years, this would encourage other young employees to also pursue this opportunity, be a first-class worker and think creatively about the organization. Conclusion McDonald’s is a multinational corporation, which is perceived as many different things to different people. Some people see McDonald’s as a decent, fast and inexpensive meal. Others may view the company chain as a low quality restaurant that employs uneducated and unskilled people. Nevertheless, McDonald’s has a cheery corporate image that prides itself on quality and cleanliness, as well as good food and good service. The company employs state-of-art technology to help its workers in their tasks and makes the production process faster, attending to the customers in a prompt manner. In terms of leadership, McDonald’s makes a strong corporate effort to develop leaders. There are growth opportunities within the corporation or those who are willing to work hard and develop their leadership skills.

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The influence of great opinionated powers on international law - Essay Example Precisely, it has the capability to mould the jurisdiction according to its desire and enforce it to prevent any operation globally that it cannot stop without any legal procedure. Basic function of international law is to bring peace and calm around the glob. In the primitive ages when the world was not much civilized, there used to be constant wars usually for land acquisition, to strengthen an empire or an urge to conquer a vast area in order to leave a distinctive mark on the fabric of history. In those days it was easier to manage the municipal criminological affairs as compared to today's world, because the states had powers to handle the local problems. But unlike today, there lacked a system to manage peace among nations or states because the reason could be an intense sense of self esteem and great height of confidence on armies. Hence, the rulers preferred to ruin the weaker states and hold them under their empire. In this way they used to kill the peace and bust the basic human rights. As the time passed and with the development of human intellect, church began to mediate the international disputes. Particularly in the era when nations had a fashion to self govern themselves, church was the supreme power to handle international and to some extent local problems. This practice was also undertaken in ancient civilizations such as Greeks and Egyptian civilizations. Modern international law is often affirmed as a product of modern European civilization as well as Egyptian Pharaohs entered into treaties of alliance, peace extraditions, and the treatment of envoys with neighboring kings as early as the 14th century. But they could not make an adjustment with European law by all means. As a result the purpose of peace remained disputed. As Becker (2006, p.149) says, "International law is the product of special civilization of the Europe and forms a highly artificial system of which principles were not understood by civilizations differently civilized" Concept Of Sovereignty Further consolidations brought the international law to a phase where the idea of sovereignty came into existence. It was considered that peace was the major ingredient for the survival and progress. So in 15th century a new trend evolved, and that was, representatives of all the nations were gathered under one roof and every issue was resolved on the basis of treaties and debates rather than wars or by the use of powers. So in other words the trend of domestic law was reshaped into a broad spectrum or in modern sense international law. In the 14th and 15th centuries there was a modification that rather than self governing the states used to send their representative that reflects the problems of state in front of the sovereign authority and then a common treaty was passed in consent with all the representatives. Their motive used to be to avoid war and bring more peace. During 14th and 15th centuries the practice of establishing resident missions started in Italy. By this time the practice of arguing in front of adversary's council or assembly had apparently become obsolete. The envoy was expected to be in constant touch with receiving sovereign and to join or oppose intrigues in order to safeguard the interests of his master. Murty (1989, p4) demonstrates, "during the following two

Cloud Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15250 words

Cloud Computing - Essay Example tions to common problems hindering business industry and the global development like, security, legal issues, and vendor lock-in which are still under review without regulations and standardisation across Cloud Computing providers. Through the expertise in the mentioned field of work, I utilised my prowess extraneously to implement long term IT projects with constantly growing budgets acceptable as the norm under which I had to go through, until I got involved in implementing a CRM solution based on Cloud Computing platform. However, to my surprise, the implementation of Cloud computing just took few months hence both solutions and resolutions based on customer feedback from the sales teams. It’s one of the best solutions we’ve implemented, unlocking a great business potential with improved productivity. It’s believe that the research will be of great benefit to business and IT community interested in the subject, as it provides number of reference points to whic h some of the latest publications on the topic, â€Å"Cloud Computing† be reviewed, a real life implementation example, plus research surveys integrating the expert opinions from some of the leading global organisations and individual involvement in Cloud Computing. â€Å"Once involved in Cloud Computing, individuals would appreciate and admit that the older state of forgone technology was just a prototype of a new kind of power-plant, a computing power plant that would change the information age compared to the effects of electric plants on the industrial age† – (Nicolas Carr - â€Å"The Big Switch† - 2008) The level and speed of technological advancement is drastic hence more elaborate information system understanding that every common man with or without IT knowledge could appreciate the cost... The dissertation is based on technological advancement especially the involvement on Cloud Computing that has been intensified through the availability of high speed fibre optic network with ability to transport high data bandwidth at extra high speed without signal degradation and crosstalk. However, the Cloud Computing is concerned with the implementation of online businesses and Cloud space business that could be used by anybody interested in any business that could be availed online. Other than business, a lot more is available to the internet users including social and other commercial sites that are used to convey information to various users online depending on the sites that users are interested into. Other than Cloud computing, the research paper is based on live experience on how the information age developed centuries ago and the implications related to the invention and implementation of computer age with Cloud Computing through availability of internet services. Through the involvement of TCP/ IP, http and HTML Cloud computing is aimed at availing resources closer to the users hence there is no need for having extra storage facilities as everything could be readily available cheaply through the system. However, through intensified online business, users attain the required information that relates to their perceived requirements. To support this, authors in the information technology field have also emphasised their views and research findings to support their perception on the information technology and Cloud Computing.

The state of the real estate market in UK (2010) Assignment

The state of the real estate market in UK (2010) - Assignment Example More and more real estate developers and investors are pessimistic about Britain. They are of the opinion that fast recovery in the near future is not at all evident. Every body is recommending the investors not to invest in Britain. Industry pundits point out about the sorry picture of real estate markets in UK. They say that investment in the yield generating properties in UK is similar like purchasing a bond that is unlinked to inflation and which yields around 7%. Therefore it is not necessary to go to UK for that. Bonds can be purchased from other countries that yield mare than that. Even prime locations in UK including London don’t attract big investors in real estate now (Rochvarger.2009). In UK the economic situation has declined over the years due the after effect of the financial crisis. The rate of unemployment is higher and industrial production has gone down. All these factors have influenced the real estate markets severely. Many borrowers have failed to pay or d efaulted in their mortgages. This has resulted in forced sales of large number of properties at declining prices. As a result of increased sales, the supply side is on the high. This has resulted in a steep decline in prices because of no supplementary increase in demand. Another important factor that has negatively affected the real estate market in UK is the state of the currency market. ... The current situation in the UK real estate market has made it a buyers market rather than sellers market. Sellers’ often tend to lose their money through real estate transactions. People are taking their own time now to find the right property for them in the UK market. Although the number of buyers is limited or few, they are offered a wide choice where the prices are low and are really negotiable. Moreover the drop of pound against euro has definitely made an effect on the UK buyers of properties (Latest news from the Languedoc. 2009). The real estate market in UK includes buying and selling of properties and letting of dwellings as well as other related business support activities. In 2006, the gross value in this sector amounted to 83037 million pounds. The property market in UK boomed till 2008 when the great financial crisis hit the economy. The increase was due to variety of reasons ranging from low interest rates, growth in credit and economic growth, high employment, foreign investments and planning restrictions on new housing. All these upward levels came down since 2008. Currently the market does not show any kinds of positive signs even though other European real estate markets in France and some Scandinavian countries have shown signs of revival (UK Economy. 2011). UK Economy, UK Economic Profile, British Economy, United Kingdom Economy, Even though the real estate markets have shown a downwards trend since 2008, no real boosting measures for the sector was put forward by the government. Recently the chancellor announced 100 million pound assistance for filling potholes in his budget but little allocation was made to the housing and

Discussion Forum #2 - Do Human Races Exist Assignment

Discussion Forum #2 - Do Human Races Exist - Assignment Example ans that the races can be viewed both as a biological construct that focuses on low levels of genetic diversity of humans, the clinical distribution of human characteristics, the non-concordance of human traits as well as the greater polymorphic as opposed to polytypic variants. In the case of cultural construct, it is arguable that the concept of race simply exists in the minds of different people. The anthropologists, therefore, believe that race cannot be solely explained through biology but by the understanding of the how individuals use the external attributes of humans to link them to different genetic traits that classify humans. This explains that it is extremely practical to understand the concept of race by assessing how humans create different groups in the society and how they strive to identify with these groups. Racial identification is evident in the different group interactions (Audio lecture 2015). It is, therefore, worth to conclude that an understanding of relations of different people in relation to culture as well as understanding of their physical characteristics is extremely vital and useful in the study pf races as compared to applying biological concepts. For instance, race is non-concordant since it is not correlated to bodily attributes such as skin color, weight or height. Race is also clinally invariant since we cannot trace its onset or its

Critically Discuss Standing in Actions for Annulment and the Dissertation

Critically Discuss Standing in Actions for Annulment and the Development of Legal Protection in EU Courts - Article 263-267 Trea - Dissertation Example The analysis this paper presents does not imply a conclusive rejoinder to the debate on standing under Article 263 TFEU. Rather, it attempts to approach the discussion through a different angle. Chapter 3: Direct Concern Technically, the narrow and restrictive approach to direct concern by the Court of Justice limits the success of the applicants. Additionally, if the applicant can show that the measure of personal concern, they are still required to demonstrate that the decision is of direct concern. For instance, the applicant can only establish direct concern in relation to a measure if it was maintained by ECJ that the measure directly affects the applicant’s legal situation and discloses its addressees charged with the task of implementing it. Other restrictions include, even though the applicant can establish direct concern, it must be dependent on whether the action that affects the applicant was with discretion of the Member State (Usher, 2005). On the other hand, citi zens can only challenge decisions that are only addressed to them, and even though addressed to them, it must have a direct impact on them. The Court of Justice views this to be the case if a person is clearly affected in a distinct way in a way that affects him with the UE undertakings or other individuals. Ultimately, it can be argued that the Member States may face a major barrier from their role of taking all suitable measures to ensure the fulfillment of the objectives or obligations of the EU as they face major opposition from the citizens who perceive the union as being â€Å"super-state† and inaccessible. The restrictive nature inhibits the Member States from facilitating the achievement of the Union’s objectives (Abaquense de Parfouru, 2007). Firstly, the interested parties cannot start direction actions by any interested party other than the EU institutions or member states in pending cases before the Court of Justice as such. This is discernible through a pr ocedure where only that party that can demonstrate direct or indirect interest that determine the outcome of the case. In this case, the intervener is restricted from supporting the conclusions of one of the parties, and in that case cannot raise new ground to on which either of the parties has used. This recalls the case in Stichting Greenpeace Council (Greenpeace International) v. Commission, where Fisherman, farmers and environmental groups wished to challenge a decision by the commission, to grant financial assistance to the European Regional Development Fund, to construct new power stations on the Canary Islands. Stichting Greenpeace illustrates that even those who may suffer from hazards resulting from an activity will not have standing if the activity poses a threat to an entire population rather than specific parts of it. A similar conclusion was reached in Danielson concerning the equivalent of Article 263 in Euratom. Initially, where the application an abstract terminology test found that the measure used was without doubt a regulation, the court would stop the proceedings then. However, in current jurisprudence, it appears the European Union Court of Justice (EUCJ) is showing willingness to recognize that some regulations have the potential to cause direct and individual concern. Accordingly, a plaintiff must have enough locus standi to take legal action. Such as in the case of Codorniu SA V Council (Case: C-309/89 [1994] ECR

Canco Ltd Case Essay Example for Free

Canco Ltd Case Essay Summary The Canadian fradistat industry consists of four companies: Acme Ltd., Beaver Ltd., Canco Ltd., and Deeco Ltd. Though the industry is growing, it needs highly skilled workers where the products cannot be replicated with the current technology but the company focuses on local markets. Canco Ltd. was established in 1976 in Atlantic Canada and is the second largest company with a market share of 29% but the profits in 2007 were only third highest with the products of average quality. The company’s flagship plant in New Brunswick, for the past three years, has been operating below its capacity, as total industry sales in the eastern region have grown slowly and the company lost some of its share of the market to Beaver’s lower-priced products. Though Canco’s products have sold well in Western markets, the plant in Alberta was insufficient to meet the orders but the plant’s issue of bond was well-received by the market. Problem Statement and Objectives How does Canco Ltd. improve the strategic positioning and profitability that could enhance its potential to compete in the industry? The company can use overtime to increase output in any plant to 20% above the plants capacity. In western region the distribution costs are high while the manufacturing cost of eastern region is increasing in addition the tight labour market for skilled workers results in an increase of 15% in wages. The industry focuses on domestic market and the company has to face competition from the Beaver’s low priced products. Situational Analysis: Canadian Fradistats industry is relatively an attractive industry as there are only 4 companies manufacturing fradistats, the key components of many industrial products. In addition there are no close substitutes for the products that the companies have great bargaining power over the buyer. Canco’s strengths outweigh weaknesses as it has second highest shares in the market but its low marketing reduces its sales. Company’s threats outweigh opportunities where the company has to face competition from the high quality products of Acme and the low priced products of Beaver where the  return on equity is only third highest while the company has second high market share. Porter’s Five Forces Supplier’s Power: The suppliers are manufacturers and distributors. In this industry suppliers power is high because there are only four suppliers in the industry to satisfy customer’s demands. Each company is providing products of different quality at different prices. As there no substitutes, suppliers have great bargaining power. Fradistats are key components in many industrial products that suppliers have advantage over buyers. Buyer’s Power Buyers are the manufacturers of many industrial products. The buyers have low bargaining power because the number of suppliers is a few in the industry. The substitutes are not many as these products are highly specialised components that cannot be replicated with current technology; the switching costs are high for buyers. Threat of Substitutes The threat of the substitutes is very low in this industry. There are not such substitutes for these products as fradistats are the key components of many industrial products and can’t be replicated with current technology. Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is low as the barriers to entry are fairly high. It would take substantial time and investment to compete directly with the existing branded products in the industry. It is very risky to make a new entry in a highly competitive environment and even in past few years it become a tight labour market for skilled workers and it will be really hard to attract them. Internal Rivalry The industry is highly competitive as there are only4 companies which produce identical products. The companies compete mainly on price and quality. As the products are identical, and key components in many industrial products, the companies compete each other by marketing and by increasing sales volume. PEST Analysis Political Factors There are not many political factors in this industry other than the safety regulations, paper works for transportations, shipping license and agreement. Economic Factors The industry seems to be less cyclical but the production will be low during recession and the sales of companies will grow rapidly during good economic times. As the industry consist of four companies and produces key components that cannot be replicated with technology; and needs skilled workers, buyers have to buy the products to continue the production. The companies with great sales can get financing at the interest rate of 8%. Social Factors In the industry, many companies are providing high, average and low quality products at different prices so buyers can choose according to their needs. The advertising plays an important role in the industry that company can enhance their market share. The quality and price plays an important role in creating an image which in turn enhance sales. Technological Factors Though technology could enhance the productivity of workers and decrease the labour costs, fradistats cannot be replicated by current technology. But the introduction of technology needs huge investment. Technology provides competitive advantage in term of decreasing costs and improving efficiency. In this industry, technology could save increasing wages which increased by over 15% over the past three years in the industry.

The nurse practitioners

The nurse practitioners Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Worldwide, a lot of people have no insurance coverage or uninsured (Chalfin Fein, 1994). As the government and politicians in different countries continues the debate over unique dynamic of health care, there are still shortage of physicians and other registered practitioners. Here comes the importance of a nurse practitioners especially in the fields of neonatal, pediatric, general medicine and obstetric. Nurse practitioners have proved their ability in providing care such as children, women, migrant workers, the homeless and the workplaces such as schools, work sites and health departments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nurse practitioner (NPS) is a registered nurse with advanced preparation, graduation from a nurse practitioner program, and successful completion of the licensing exam (Wikapedia 2009). They provide client outcomes that are as good as physicians outcomes Nurse practitioners (NPs) provide primary health care services to consumers. Nursing care services provided by NPs include assessing client health using a holistic framework, identifying medical and nursing diagnoses, planning and prescribing treatments managing health care regimens for individuals, families, and communities, promoting wellness, preventing illness and injury, and managing acute and chronic health conditions. NPs carved out a distinct difference in practice from the medical model by using a holistic approach to care based on nursing theory As recognition grew, mostly related to the reduced cost of primary care and positive health outcomes for clients (Wikipedia, Nurse practitioner, 2009 ). Nurse Practitioners Scope of Practice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, more than 95,000 NPs practice in a variety of settings. Frequently, the health care system defines NP practice according to clients served, including pediatric NP, family NP, adult NP, and geriatric NP. Before qualifying for direct third-party reimbursement, NPs must obtain certification. Several bodies offer certification examinations, including the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and Nurses, the National Certification Board of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the National Certification Corporation. Most NPs are required to renew certification every 5 years. This process requires documented practice and evidence of continuing education. Within their relatively short existence, NPs have earned the respect of clients and other health team members. Recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of NPs in primary care, health promotion, decreasing hospitalization rates, and client satisfaction (Bu reau of Labor Statistics, 2007). Nurse practitioners education and licensing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three basic educational paths to registered nursing to become nurse practitioners. They are a bachelors degree, an associate degree, and a diploma from an approved nursing program. Nurses most commonly enter the profession by completing one of these programmes. Nurse practitioners then should take licensing examination in order to obtain a nursing license. Further training or education can qualify nurse practitioners to work in specialty areas. (Hampson, Gillian D. 2006) The three major educational paths to registered nursing are a bachelors of science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in nursing, and a diploma. Associate degree in nursing educates nurses in the community college setting. Nurses usually take 2 years of coursework that focus on the technical aspects of professional nursing. Diploma programs provide nursing education in primarily the hospital setting. Diploma nursing students attend school for 3 years and take courses focused on professional nursing. Diploma nursing programs emphasize the scientific aspects of nursing practice; provide more hours of clinical instruction than other programs, and graduate nurses adept at following policies and procedures rather than relying on theory to meet clinical practice demands. A bachelors of science degree in nursing (BSN) educate students in university settings. A bachelors of science degree in nursing (BSN) may be traditional or accelerated in nature. In a bachelors of science degree in nursing (BSN) student receives a well-rounded education over 4 years. Courses in nursing may be integrated with other fields of study. a bachelors of science degree in nursing (BSN), nursing majors frequently take the same courses as other health profession majors. (Hood, L.J, Leddy, S.K, 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After completing the education program, the nurse must be licensed by the state in which he or she plans to practice. The State Boards of Nursing regulate nurse practitioners and each state has its own licensing and certification criteria. In general, the criteria include completion of a nursing program and clinical experience. Because state board requirements differ, nurse practitioners may have to fulfill additional requirements, such as certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or a specialty nursing organization. The license period varies by state; some require lasting two years re-licensing, others require occurring every three years. (womenshealthchannel, 2007) Characteristics of Nurse practitioners   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurse practitioners have a standardized education for entry into the profession. Like many other professions nurse practitioner requires from members to have intelligence, deep personal commitment, mutually shared values, and specialized skill to make autonomous decisions to serve society. A nurse practitioner should have these have authority to control its work, should possess exclusively unique body of knowledge, extensive period of format training , specialized competence, control over work performance, service to society, self-regulation, credentialing systems to certify competence, legal reinforcement of professional standards, ethical practice, creation of a collegial subculture, Intrinsic reward and public acceptance in order to be classified as one. The nurse practitioner does use a specialized knowledge base, has autonomy and control over his work, requires specialized competence, regulates himself, possesses a collegial subculture, and has public acceptance.( Hampson, Gillian D. 2006) Intellectual Characteristics of Nurse practitioners   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurses make decisions that affect clients lives, nurse practitioners must have the intellectual capability to master scientific concepts, understand the impact of self on others, use this information in clinical practice, and understand potential consequences for alternative actions. Nurse practitioners possess a body of knowledge on which professional practice is based, a specialized education to transmit this body of knowledge to others and the ability to use the knowledge in critical and creative thinking. (Hood, L.J Leddy S.K, 2006) The roles of nurse practitioners   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurse practitioners use 31 different competencies as they engage in clinical practice. They are shorten into the following seven domains upon which nurse practitioners roles are based on â€Å"The helping role† which provides the foundation for the roles of caregiver (provider of direct client care, colleague, helpful team member and client advocate the person looking out for the clients best interest. (Hunt. R, 2001). â€Å"The teaching-coaching function† which provides the foundation for the roles of teacher (provider of education and information) and counselor (one who provides emotional support and encouragement). â€Å"The diagnostic and patient monitoring function† which provides the foundation for the caregiver, and critical thinker (someone who uses complex thought processes) roles. â€Å"Effective management of rapidly changing situations† which provides the foundation for the caregiver, change agent (person who initiat es and guides the change process) and coordinator (person who manages, leads and verifies that things get done) roles. â€Å"Administration and monitoring of therapeutic interventions and regimens† will provide the foundation for the caregiver and change agent roles. â€Å"Monitoring of and ensuring the quality of health care practices† provides the foundation for the roles of coordinators, client advocates, and change agents. And lastly, â€Å"Organizational and work role competencies† provides the foundation for the client advocate, change agent, and coordinator roles.( Michaelene, P; Jansen, M; Zwygart, M. 2006) The role of nurse Practitioners development from social political perspective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurse practitioners have a history of political activism. Nurse practitioners participate in public policy formation in a variety of ways. During the womens suffrage movement of the early 1900s, the American Nurses Association joined forces with other womens groups to work successfully in attaining the right for women to vote. Once they are successful in affecting public policy by providing input, some nurse practitioners progress to higher levels of political activism. Feldman and Lewenson (2000) identify how being involved in politics and the political process fits with the goals of professional nursing to benefit society. The public perceives nurses as being trustworthy and credible. Nurse practitioners advocate for large groups of clients when they use their specialized knowledge of wellness, health, illness, and delivery of health services to influence policy makers to create new and fund public health programs. Nurse practitioners also have well-refi ned communication and assessment skills that enhance the ability to determine what types of health programs are needed. Because of the ability to understand nursing and health-related research, nurses can present strong cases based on solid evidence to document needs for new programs and to continue present ones. 9Ameican College of Physicians, 2008)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Politically active Nurse practitioners frequently use nursing process to guide their thinking for public policy development and evaluation. Because laws govern professional nursing practice, Nurse practitioners have a stake in public policy legislation and enforcement. Legislators pass laws and provide funding for health care programs, access, professional education, and research. Nurse practitioners might react to proposed legislation by writing their elected officials to influence their action during the legislative process. Some Nurse practitioners engage in proactive political action by proposing legislation, persuading an elected official in the legislature to introduce a bill, devising public relations campaigns around their proposal, lobbying to get the bill passed by both houses of Congress, and influencing the head of the executive branch to sign it. Nurse practitioners participate in national, state, and local legislative efforts. A national or s tatewide effort to pass legislation requires the participation of many for success. However, once legislation becomes law, some nurses continue to work with state or federal agencies responsible for devising the regulations to implement the law. (American College of Physicians, 2008)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1996, Cohen, Mason, Kovner, Leavitt, Pulcini, and Sochaiski outlined four stages of political activism in nursing that still apply today. The first stage is buying in- which nurse practitioners become aware of the importance of political activism to attain professional goals, and they use the political system to have input into public policy development. Secondly, regarding Self-interest-wherein Nurse practitioners continue to use the political system to the sole advance of intra professional agendas. Thirdly is about Political sophistication where Nurse practitioners engage in complex political activity, such as building coalitions and running for political office. And lastly is leading the way-where Nurse practitioners serve as influential persons by holding key govern-mental positions and in the process select the course for public policy changes. (Hood, L.J Leddy, S.K. 2006) Pediatric nurse practitioner knowledge, abilities, characteristics and responsibilities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pediatric nurse practitioners deliver care to newborns, infants, toddlers, pre-scholars, school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults. The pediatric nurse practitioner is a specialist in the care of children from birth through young adult with an in-depth knowledge and experience in pediatric primary health care including well childcare prevention and management of common pediatric illnesses. This care supports health of children within their family, community, and environment. (Crabtree, M. Katherine; Stanley, Joan; Werner, Kathryn E.; Schmid, Emily, 2002) Upon graduation or entry into practice, the pediatric nurse practitioner should demonstrate good abilities in the following: Health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and treatment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner is a provider of direct health care services. The pediatric nurse practitioner synthesizes scientific and contemporary clinical knowledge for the assessment and management of both health and illness states as following: Assessment of health status   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These qualifications describe the role of the pediatric nurse practitioner in assessing all aspects of the patients health status, including for purposes of health promotion, health protection, and disease prevention. The pediatric nurse practitioner should obtain and document a relevant health history for children. The pediatric nurse practitioner should perform age-appropriate screening for developmental and behavioral concerns, such as speech development, learning disabilities, and behavioral and mental health concerns. The pediatric nurse practitioner assesses the childs developmental status based on developmental theories recognizing the individual differences in temperament, reactions to selected developmental tasks and situational crises, and coping styles and strategies. The pediatric nurse practitioner should identify and analyze factors that affect the childs growth and development. The pediatric nurse practitioner assess for evidence of child ab use and neglect and the effects of violence on the child. The pediatric nurse practitioner analyzes the family system to identify factors that influence the health of the child and adolescent. The pediatric nurse practitioner should assess patients and familys knowledge and behavior regarding leading health indicators. Diagnosis of health status   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should differentiate between normal and abnormal development in relation to physiological, cognitive, and social behavior of the child. The pediatric nurse practitioner should identify, natural history, developmental considerations, pathogenesis, and clinical events of common disease processes in children. The pediatric nurse practitioner should order and interpret age and situation appropriate screening, labs, and other diagnostic tests. The pediatric nurse practitioner should cooperate in the diagnosis of children with special health needs and disabilities. Plan of care and implementation of treatment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should have abilities to promote healthy nutritional practices, including promotion and management of breastfeeding, national nutritional programs, and nutritional intake considering food preferences and avoidance of food sensitivities. The pediatric nurse practitioner should provide interventions to modify behavior associated with health risks. The pediatric nurse practitioner should refer children with developmental disabilities. The pediatric nurse practitioner should link health objectives into individual educational plans. The pediatric nurse practitioner should assist the child in coping with developmental behaviors. The pediatric nurse practitioner should evaluate health maintenance and health promotion services for the child and family by including teaching, counseling, and advising. The pediatric nurse practitioner should help in planning for transition to adult health care. (Margaret G. Marks, 1998) Nurse practitioner-patient relationship   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should adapt the nurse practitioner-patient relationship to the changing nature of the childs cognitive and Psycho-social developments. The pediatric nurse practitioner should communicate effectively with children and family members. Teaching-coaching function   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should provide expectant guidance that is age or developmentally appropriate. The pediatric nurse practitioner should advise regarding and support effective parenting. The pediatric nurse practitioner should help the child in taking responsibility for self-care and healthy behavior in agreement with age and developmental cure. Professional role   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should serve as an advocate for the child and the family, especially in giving services to provide for the health, safety, and protection of the child. The pediatric nurse practitioner should know the importance of sharing in professional and community organizations that affect on the health of children. The pediatric nurse practitioner should understand his or her role in primary and specialty health care to other health care providers. The pediatric nurse practitioner should serve as a source in the shape and development of pediatric community health services. (Hennery H., Bernstein, 2005) Managing and negotiating health care delivery systems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should have information regarding state and federal programs for child and family health care. Monitoring and ensuring the quality of health care practice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should monitor public matters that affect on presenting health services for children and their families. Cultural competence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pediatric nurse practitioner should recognize the influence of cultural differences on child health practices, and parenting. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The future of health care providence needed various teams of health care workers that collaborate to provide patient-centered care. To perform well in multidisciplinary teams in an understanding of the distinctive roles, skills and values of all team workers. Nurse practitioners should be well qualified and skillful to get along with these teams. In future, nurse practitioners need a broad based education, assertiveness skills, technical competence and the ability to deal with rapid change. However, research and technology may provide the instrument nurses require for defining professional nursing, demonstrating that professional nursing care affects client care outcomes, and marketing professional nursing to the public. Nurse practitioners will be in need for extra skills and abilities to develop healthcare.