Organizational Strategy and Change Essay

John Kotter in his book explained the significance of change intervention in any organization or business. According to him, adopting change has been the trend in our society for two decades now though sometimes traumatic; the result would be improved quality of products and services, new opportunities for growth and increase productivity (Kotter, p. 3). He stressed the significance of change management because there are many benefits that a company can get from it. He emphasized that an organization finds help in adapting to shifting conditions and have improved competitive mechanics over other competitors (p. ). However, if an organization is passive to change may face the adverse effects which according to Kotter are described as being pessimistic and suspicious of others who are pushing for transformation (p. 17); hence, this company will end up incompetent. A good example of a company that endorsed change after being attacked with bad publicity was McDonald’s. McDonald’s is a food chain that is leading in the global market; it serves more than 100 countries having about 30,000 restaurants all over the world. This company has started as the first food service retailer that offers informal eating-out market, which eventually paved the way for this kind of business. According to Eric Schlosser, at the growth of fast food chains in America, American society has gone tremendous change specially in the lifestyle and values of the American people; considering the fact that much money has been spent in fast food than in education. In the same way, due to this trend, many women and mothers are working with the convenience of food preparation since a family spent their meal at restaurants and fast food chains (p. ). With this trend, McDonald is considered as the largest purchaser of beef, pork and potatoes; it is also the largest owner of retail property according to Schlosser (p. 4). After many years of existence, Ray Kroc had continued to reinvent the image of the restaurant image by placing the smiling Ronald McDonald at restaurant and by creating a friendly environment around the area. However, despite of having a good reputation and being a fast growing business, McDonald’s had suffered enormous bad publicity from different sources. The first one was the libel case filed by the Greenpeace employees in 1990 and the second one was a documentary film written, directed and performed by Morgan Spurlock entitled â€Å"Super Size Me† in 2004. The appearance of these controversies had moved the McDonald’s Company to reshape their culture and focus. The libel case filed against McDonald was considered the longest libel case in the history of English that lasted in 314 days in 1990. The two Greenpeace employees issued many articles saying that McDonald’s prepared food are environmentally hazardous and physically harmful to the consumers. The libel suit also presented issues relating to discrimination to its employees, the company was responsible for cruelty to some of its animals used as foods, and children are exploited for using them in television campaign. This publicity was proven true after the US Congress made an investigation about the hearsay. In their report as discussed by Schlosser in his book, explained that there was presence of E-Coli in some of their food due to unclean surroundings and contaminated and/or lethal meat which they sold to many children (p. ), since children are their number one patronage. The â€Å"Super Size Me† ads which was produced and experimented by Spurlock himself for one month was a concrete explanation why McDonald’s foods are not good for the body. According to Thom and Geiger, Spurlock had gained twenty-five pounds after one month of eating all McDonald’s food which caused him to â€Å"suffer from fatigue, headaches, and indigestion; his blood sugar skyrocketed, his liver filled with fat, his cholesterol went off the charts, and his blood pressure was unmanageable† (p. 98). This experiment has just proven that fast foods are not healthy according to Thom and Geiger (p. 199); this has alarmed the whole America and started blaming fast food for unhealthy body and began to fight a war against obesity. The next question is: â€Å"What is the response of McDonald’s to this issue? † Galloway and Kwanash-Aidoo had described clearly the response made by the company to this very intriguing issue. At first, McDonald’s through its spokespeople did not make any comment saying that they have not seen the film yet. However, later, they told the press that the movie is just a distortion of reality. Kapica and Coffing (spokepersons) have said that the issue of obesity is a personal responsibility not theirs, since it is the person’s choice what they want to eat (p. 70). Nevertheless, in March after twelve weeks since the appearance of the ads, McDonald’s had announced that they would phase the super-sizing option in their restaurants and they introduced the â€Å"Happy Meals† with salad and pedometers (Galloway and Kwanash-Aidoo, p. 71). Yet, the story did not end there until the issue became national. For this reason, McDonald’s made a lot of public relation campaign just to offset the issue. Macmillan and McGrath has stated in their book that after that issue, McDonald’s and other fast food chains has introduced couple of lower fat options, including a Salad Shaker (with nonfat dressing), a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait (p. 160). The documentary film has helped American people to become health conscious people and industry to consider social responsibility. Despite the company’s attempt to change the food offerings, the issue continued that required crisis management approach. McDonald’s in Australia as well as in America used a proactive approach which allowed McDonald’s a fair hearing in the court of public opinion. This approach made the company showcased their management and the new direction that McDonald had initiated in order to minimize the impact of the movie. The result of the approach was very effective because they were able to â€Å"weaken and shorten the life-cycle of the issue† according to Galloway and Kwanash-Aidoo (p. 5). To sustain its campaign, in February 7, 2007, the McDonalds Australia has joined the foundation and they had come up with nine products with approval of the Heart Foundation Tick. Heart Foundation Tick is a program aiming to encourage food producing companies all over the world to espouse healthy and nutritious food to eliminate heart problem caused by food intake. The Australian Sports Medicine Federation explained what the Heart Foundation Tick is. According to them, this is a program that challenges all food companies since 1989 to produce healthier products to provide consumers enough choices of healthier foods available on shelves of the supermarkets or restaurants. And every company that responds to the challenge must generate or produce foods that conform to the strict standards of the organization. Specifically, the foods are to be tested for some chemical contents that are harmful to the body before they are given endorsement; the foods should not contain the following ingredients: saturated fat, Trans fat, salt and kilojoules. Once passed the quality, the company will be given the Heart Foundation Tick with corresponding logo that appears on the label of the product. Currently, based on the report released in 2006, McDonald’s restaurants all over the world serve its customer with 100% pure USDA inspected beef with neither no fillers nor additives, whitefish from the Pacific Ocean and Baltic and North Seas, vegetables and fruits are farm-fresh delivered on regular basis (Fact Sheet about McDonald’s). Remarkably, McDonald Company had enforced strategic actions in order to counteract bad publicity and maintain their status quo. In the report made by William Greider in a newspaper published online in July 2003 said that the company had taken a strong political will to advise its meat suppliers to stop using growth-stimulating antibiotics that are dangerous to human health. By this warning, the company would not be willing to purchase the said products; in the statement made by McDonald’s director, he said, â€Å"we would be a catalyst for change industry wide. This very significant affirmation from the company was a response to the controversy that thrown on them and to the call of social responsibility. During this crucial situation, it is very important that a company is always ready to initiate change. McDonald’s action for change is very critical but very essential because it turned the company upside down, and it was successful; McDonald’s remained as the number one fast food chain in the world. To categorize the perspective, the change is institutional and contingency; institutional because it is a change that considers the external forces such as social, governmental, legal and cultural. It is a contingency perspective because the top management must initiate the change that focuses on the most directly affected by the circumstances. McCalman once said, â€Å"Change is an ongoing process† (p. 8).

Annotated Bibliography †the Great Gatsby Essay

â€Å"Stoddard, T. Lothrop.† Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Ed. John Hartwell Moore. Vol. 3. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 100-101. 24 Nov, 2010-11-25. Stoddard declares in his article the comparison between â€Å"The Rising Tide of Color against White World–Supremacy† and â€Å"The Great Gatsby† in a sense to signify wealthy â€Å"careless people† in jazz age. Stoddard suggests that how white race was considered as the supreme race and Tom says â€Å"Have you read ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ by this man Goddard?† he asks the novel’s narrator, indicating that â€Å"it’s a fine book and everybody ought to read it. The idea is that if the white race isn’t careful, they will be utterly submerged. In the majority of his article, Stoddard compares his article to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s essay and notifies his ideas on racist subject that was put in the novel â€Å"The Great Gatsby† and calls it a scientific stuff. Also, he talks about the wealthy people being careless and their lifestyles in the jazz age. Stoddard declares that it’s been proved that Fitzgerald has a great imagination which can be observed in his play â€Å"The Great Gatsby†. Dawson, Charlene. â€Å"The American dream and the Great Gatsby – by Charlene Dawson – Helium.† Helium – Where Knowledge Rules. 24 Nov. 2010. . Charlene Dawson mentions the American dream as â€Å"The Never-Satiated Dream†. Every character in â€Å"The Great Gatsby† has a American dream and some are already living it. Dawson describes that the characters in this novel don’t understand the true meaning of American Dream which is working hard and fulfilling your dreams. She explains further that sometimes in life you don’t achieve everything even though you worked hard for it. She uses the example of Jordan Baker who is a golf player and she can do anything to win. In the novel, Nick describes Jordan as â€Å"incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage, and given this unwillingness I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard jaunty body† (63). Charlene Dawson also points towards the never ending contentment in people which leads the m towards destruction.

Why has the South Beach Diet been successful?

It is said that the success of dieters in weight loss supported by the South Beach Diet, is totally caused by the science behind the plan. If you interest in South Beach Diet, you can realize that it is a logical, and also healthy method which help you lose weight effectively. Certainly, you want to know how it works. Simply, let talk about what the basics of metabolism is. It is indicated by a series of processes when food is turned into fuel for the body. If these processes are optimzed, you are able to lose weight easily. Moreover, metabolism is affected negatively when the blood glucose levels are high.The only way to stabilize high blood glucose levels is to increase the production of insulin. If not, you are able to catch diabetes. There are three phases in The South Beach Diet. It takes two weeks for the first phase. The main task is to remove carbohydrates, level blood glucose, as well as fire up your metabolism. Time for weighting loss is down when you reduce your high sugar levels. By removing an entire food group, you’ll do this easily. However, if you use this method for long periods, you’ll probably feel unhealthy. It’s useful for short periods ( two weeks only ).The phase 2 is began with the improvement of your metabolic function evidently. At that time, you can enjoy progressively foods from all of the basic food groups came from South Beach Diet. Unless your goal weight is over, the progress will still be continued. Certainly, you need these kind of food groups to have a good health too. You also learn how to choose foods better to optimize metabolism positively ( without having high glucose levels ) . About South Beach Diet, you’ll easily recognize the the difference between †bad carbohydrates† and â€Å"good carbohydrates†.Apart from, the concepts of â€Å"good fats† and â€Å"bad fats† are also discovered by the dieter. Obviously, the foodstuffs which have lower numbers on the Glyce mic Index are good. In short, The South Beach Diet give you a chance to lose weight quicly as well as effectively. Moreover, it still helps you to maintain this for the long term. Beginning with the metabolism in Phase One and increasing foods from all of the basic food groups progressively in Phase Two, you’ll be able to recoginze the different clearly. That’s all what The South Beach Diet works for us.

Global Managerial Economics in Mexico Research Paper

Global Managerial Economics in Mexico - Research Paper Example It required the company to purchase a large percentage of the raw materials for manufacturing the vehicles from Mexican-owned suppliers but now that is not the requirement. This means that Mexican-owned suppliers now miss out on the sales and income. Some view this as bad as more powerful countries become more sovereign (there will be an international sovereignty), jobs are reduced in "weaker" countries, and second and third world countries will have less power, income (businesses), etc. Globalization Debates (2000-2001) reports, "Politicians opposed to America's global influence and activists opposed to the inequities of oppressive global capitalism now portray globalization as dangerous. Globalization has thus become an issue in a wide-ranging global debate." Free trade limits states to operate domestically and protect their domestic welfare. These generous welfare states become less competitive. Culture is also lost. Global norms and practices take over what was originally known a s local and authentic. For example, western influence (such as America's way of doing things) becomes a global spread of what is popular and cultural homogeneity results. Some other losses include increased materialism and environmental problems.

Leadership discussion broad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Leadership discussion broad - Essay Example On the other hand, firms which are stuck in the middle of the two strategies make the lowest returns because they can neither build their image of the product of products or services of the highest quality or distinct features consistently nor that of a cost effective provider consistently. A cost leader selects product differentiation at a low to moderate level. Differentiation incurs more cost as more resources are required to be spent in making the product unique. Therefore, a cost leader goes for differentiation which is not markedly inferior to its competitors competing through differentiation, but is achievable at a low cost. A cost leader does not add a unique feature until it is wanted by the customers or it has been done by the competitors (Hill and Jones, 2008, p. 121). A cost leader attracts the customers by charging them a lower price compared to what they are charged by the competitors, but this tendency to charge the lower price is jeopardized when the cost leader also tries to become a differentiator. Consequently, revenues are

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Program Essay

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Program - Essay Example The initial base of finance sprung up from this partnership, which saw the ensuring of approximately thirty thousand people. In the year 1949, a charter got administered to the company for the provision of doctor’s services on the platform of a nonprofit grouping. By the onset of the year, 1955 insurance services had covered a wide span and ensured the uptake of both medical and home insurance services throughout America. After Greenville, BlueCross repositioned to Columbia in the year 1957. On the onset of Medicare, which is a federal insurance service that cares for individuals, suffering various disabilities and senior societal members BlueCross got endorsement nomination by hospitals. The nomination was for the handling of hospital plan in the first phase of the Medicare stipulations. Enactment of Medicare Medicaid in the 1960’s saw the selection of BlueCross and BlueShield by the administration to provide Medicare program. The 1973 Healthcare Maintenance Organizati on Act intensified market competition allowing BlueShield to emphasize more on quality provision and accountability. This led to the improvement of efficiencies on healthcare money expenditure.In the 1970’s the organization premiered new benefits for holding down expenses. Expenses got held down by providing plans that ensured the wellbeing of the customers was improved. In the following year, the two companies merged to become one organization.Gapenski (2003) writes that for the second phase of the Medicare program.

Please describe how you interprete the notion of underserved and at Essay

Please describe how you interprete the notion of underserved and at risk populations and communities. Please provide specific examples of how you have worked with underserved and at risk populations - Essay Example Although I did not have a background in teaching, I volunteered to teach French and Math to elementary school children living in the camp. I consider the refugee children living in the camp both underserved and at risk because they had little or no access to vital services and amenities including education and sanitation among others, and yet faced greater risk of suffering malnutrition and certain diseases than the general public. There were no books; just pencils, paper, chalk, and a blackboard. Access to education for these refugee children had a significantly impact their lives and gave them the hope of having many opportunities in life. Currently, I volunteer at Emergency Community Health and Outreach (ECHO) to increase awareness about health and safety issues to recent refugees who immigrated to Minnesota. In March 2013, I collaborated with the Hopkins Fire Department to develop and implement courses on fire safety for these recent immigrants. I consider the refugees that I attended to as being underserved and at risk considering that they had little access to education and other services and yet were more prone to suffering malnutrition, fire disasters, and diseases compared to the general public. Most of the participants in this program had no previous knowledge of fire safety and what to do in the event of a fire, which put this population in potential danger in the wake of a fire emergency. However, having language barrier was a major challenge for them as they were unable to communicate in English. Having interpreters present during the lessons significantly helped some of the refugees. However, there were ma ny participants who had to contend with learning without interpreters. Without interpreters, many of the participants faced a lot of difficulties trying to understand and grasp what taught. Regardless, we successfully educated the refugees. In conclusion, an underserved population is basically a group of

Case Study in Managerial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case Study in Managerial Accounting - Essay Example The cost endor being placed at $5.50 is referred to as the variable cost since it is believed to be the market cost though it tends to vary depending on the market situations. The $5.75 is referred to as the period cost since used for accounting purposes to record the actual expense to be incurred when the product is purchased The $14,000 that Alderon received from Solo Industries is referred to as fixed price that Solo Industries fixed for the tatooine. The $20,000 that Alderon paid is referred to as the product cost since Aalderon actually incurred the cost and it was used for accounting purposes.10If the tatooine was purchased today by Alderon, then it would cost $11.00 which is therefore referred to as the market price. The $1,000 is referred to as indirect labor cost as the price cannot be directly traced back to the product. The $10,000 that would have been a donation of each of the 10 percent viewers of the wildlife show is an opportunity cost as the best forgone alternative. The $5000 is referred to as the outlay cost as it would be the future cash flow. The $25,000 is the revenue cost likely to be collected once the wildlife show is sold to another television show. The wildlife show has a smaller viewing percentage but have high income of $10000Ãâ€"10=$100,000 as compared to the manufacturing show with a big viewing percentage but low income of $5000Ãâ€"15=$75000. It is therefore of significance to show wildlife as opposed to manufacturing