Mcdonalds 10k

Morningstar ® DocumentResearchS Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20549 FORM 10-K FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITION REPORTS PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 OR ? TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period fromto Commission File Number 1-5231 McDONALD’S CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) One McDonald’s Plaza Oak Brook, Illinois (Address of principal executive offices) 36-2361282 (I. R. S. Employer Identification No. ) 60523 (Zip code) Name of each exchange on which registered New York Stock Exchange Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (630) 623-3000 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Common stock, $. 01 par value Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None (Title of class) Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ? Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Act. Yes ? No x Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yesx No? Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T ( §232. 05 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ? Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorpora ted by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of â€Å"large accelerated filer,† â€Å"accelerated filer† and â€Å"smaller reporting company† in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): Large accelerated filer xAccelerated filer ? Non-accelerated filer ? (do not check if a smaller reporting company)Smaller reporting company ? Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ? No x The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2010 was $70,073,280,631. The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock as of January 31, 2011 was 1,043,298,941. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Part III of this Form 10-K incorporates information by reference from the registrant’s 2011 definitive proxy statement which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2010. Source: MCDONALDS CORP, 10-K, February 25, 2011Powered by Morningstar  ® Document ResearchSM Table of Contents Part I. Part II. Part III. Part IV. McDONALD’S CORPORATION INDEX Page Reference Item 1Business1 Item 1A Item 1B Item 2Properties6 Risk Factors and Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements3 Unresolved Staff Comments5 Item 3 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 7A Item 8 Item 9 Item 9A Item 9B Item 10 Item 11 Item 12 Item 13 Item 14 Item 15 Legal Proceedings6 Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities7 Selected Financial Data9 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations10 Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk27 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data27 Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure48 Controls and Procedures48 Other Information48 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance48 Executive Compensation48 Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters48 Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence49 Principal Accountant Fees and Services49 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules49 52 53 Signatures Exhibits All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners and are used with permission. Source: MCDONALDS CORP, 10-K, February 25, 2011Powered by Morningstar  ® Document ResearchSM Table of Contents PART I ITEM 1. Business McDonald’s Corporation, the registrant, together with its subsidiaries, is referred to herein as the â€Å"Company. † a. General development of business During 2010, there have been no material changes to the Company’s corporate structure or in its method of conducting business. In 2010, the Company has continued the process it began in 2005 to realign certain subsidiaries to develop a corporate structure within its geographic segments that better reflects the operation of the McDonald’s worldwide business. . Financial information about segments Segment data for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 are included in Part II, Item 8, page 40 of this Form 10-K. c. Narrative description of business †¢ General The Company franchises and operates McDonald’s restaurants in the global restaurant industry. These restaurants serve a varied, yet limited, value-priced menu (see Products) in more than 100 countries around the world. All restaurants are operated either by the Company or by franchisees, including conventional franchisees under franchise arrangements, and foreign affiliated markets and developmental licensees under license agreements. The Company’s operations are designed to assure consistency and high quality at every restaurant. When granting franchises or licenses, the Company is selective and generally is not in the practice of franchising to passive investors. Under the conventional franchise arrangement, franchisees provide a portion of the capital required by initially investing in the equipment, signs, seating and de? cor of their restaurant businesses, and by reinvesting in the business over time. The Company owns the land and building or secures long-term leases for both Company-operated and conventional franchised restaurant sites. In certain circumstances, the Company participates in reinvestment for conventional franchised restaurants. A discussion regarding site selection is included in Part I, Item 2, page 6 of this Form 10-K. Conventional franchisees contribute to the Company’s revenue stream through the payment of rent and royalties based upon a percent of sales, with specified minimum rent payments, along with initial fees received upon the opening of a new restaurant or the granting of a new franchise term. The conventional franchise arrangement typically lasts 20 years, and franchising practices are generally consistent throughout the world. Over 70% of franchised restaurants operate under conventional franchise arrangements. The Company has an equity investment in a limited number of foreign affiliated markets, referred to as affiliates. The largest of these affiliates is Japan, where there are more than 3,300 restaurants. The Company receives a royalty based on a percent of sales in these markets. Under a developmental license arrangement, licensees provide capital for the entire business, including the real estate interest. While the Company has no capital invested, it receives a royalty based on a percent of sales, as well as initial fees. The largest of these developmental license arrangements operates more than 1,750 restaurants across 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Company and its franchisees purchase food, packaging, equipment and other goods from numerous independent suppliers. The Company has established and strictly enforces high quality standards and product specifications. The Company has quality assurance labs around the world to ensure that its high standards are consistently met. The quality assurance process not only involves ongoing product reviews, but also on-site inspections of suppliers’ facilities. A quality assurance board, composed of the Company’s technical, safety and supply chain specialists, provides strategic global leadership for all aspects of food quality and safety. In addition, the Company works closely with suppliers to encourage innovation, assure best practices and drive continuous improvement. Leveraging scale, supply chain infrastructure and risk management strategies, the Company also collaborates with suppliers toward a goal of achieving competitive, predictable food and paper costs over the long term. Independently owned and operated distribution centers, approved by the Company, distribute products and supplies to most McDonald’s restaurants. In addition, restaurant personnel are trained in the proper storage, handling and preparation of products and in the delivery of customer service. McDonald’s global brand is well known. Marketing, promotional and public relations activities are designed to promote McDonald’s brand image and differentiate the Company from competitors. Marketing and promotional efforts focus on value, food taste, menu choice and the customer experience. The Company continuously endeavors to improve its social responsibility and environmental practices to achieve long-term sustainability, which benefits McDonald’s and the communities it serves. The Company has disposed of non-McDonald’s restaurant businesses to concentrate resources on its core business. In February 2009, the Company sold its minority ownership interest in Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, and in April 2008, the Company sold its minority ownership interest in U. K. -based Pret A Manger. †¢Products McDonald’s restaurants offer a substantially uniform menu, although there are geographic variations to suit local consumer preferences and tastes. In addition, McDonald’s tests new products on an ongoing basis. McDonald’s menu includes hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Filet-O-Fish, several chicken sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets, Chicken Selects, Snack Wraps, french fries, salads, shakes, McFlurry desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, pies, cookies, soft drinks, coffee, McCafe? beverages and other beverages. In addition, the restaurants sell a variety of other products during limited-time promotions. McDonald’s restaurants in the U. S. and many international markets offer a full or limited breakfast menu. Breakfast offerings may include Egg McMuffin, Sausage McMuffin with Egg, McGriddles, biscuit and bagel sandwiches and hotcakes. Source: MCDONALDS CORP, 10-K, February 25, 2011Powered by Morningstar  ® Document ResearchSM Table of Contents †¢Intellectual property The Company owns or is licensed to use valuable intellectual property including trademarks, service marks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets and other proprietary information. T he Company considers the trademarks â€Å"McDonald’s† and â€Å"The Golden Arches Logo† to be of material importance to its business. Depending on the jurisdiction, trademarks and service marks generally are valid as long as they are used and/or registered. Patents, copyrights and licenses are of varying remaining durations. †¢Seasonal operations The Company does not consider its operations to be seasonal to any material degree. †¢ Working capital practices Information about the Company’s working capital practices is incorporated herein by reference to Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 in Part II, Item 7, pages 10 through 27, and the Consolidated statement of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 in Part II, Item 8, page 30 of this Form 10-K. †¢ Customers The Company’s business is not dependent upon either a single customer or small group of customers. †¢ Backlog Company-operated restaurants have no backlog orders. †¢Government contracts No material portion of the business is subject to renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts or subcontracts at the election of the U. S. government. †¢ Competition McDonald’s restaurants compete with international, national, regional and local retailers of food products. The Company competes on the basis of price, convenience, service, menu variety and product quality in a highly fragmented global restaurant industry. In measuring the Company’s competitive position, management reviews data compiled by Euromonitor International, a leading source of market data with respect to the global restaurant industry. The Company’s primary competition, which management refers to as the Informal Eating Out (IEO) segment, includes the following restaurant categories defined by Euromonitor International: quick-service eating establishments, casual dining full-service restaurants, 100% home delivery/takeaway providers, street stalls or kiosks, specialist coffee shops and self-service cafeterias. The IEO segment excludes establishments that primarily serve alcohol and full-service restaurants other than casual dining. Based on data from Euromonitor International, the global IEO segment was composed of approximately 6. 3 million outlets and generated $868 billion in annual sales in 2009, the most recent year for which data is available. McDonald’s Systemwide 2009 restaurant business accounted for approximately 0. 5% of those outlets and about 8% of the sales. 2 Management also on occasion benchmarks McDonald’s against the entire restaurant industry, including the IEO segment defined above and all other full-service restaurants. Based on data from Euromonitor International, the restaurant industry was composed of approximately 13. 1 million outlets and generated about $1. 79 trillion in annual sales in 2009. McDonald’s Systemwide restaurant business accounted for approximately 0. 2% of those outlets and about 4% of the sales. †¢Research and development The Company operates research and development facilities in the U. S. , Europe and Asia. While research and development activities are important to the Company’s business, these expenditures are not material. Independent suppliers also conduct research activities that benefit the Company, its franchisees and suppliers (collectively referred to as the System). †¢Environmental matters Increased focus by U. S. and overseas governmental authorities on environmental matters is likely to lead to new governmental initiatives, particularly in the area of climate change. While we cannot predict the precise nature of these initiatives, we expect that they may impact our business both directly and indirectly. Although the impact would likely vary by world region and/or market, we believe that adoption of new regulations may increase costs, including for the Company, its franchisees and suppliers. Also, there is a possibility that governmental initiatives, or actual or perceived effects of changes in weather patterns or climate, could have a direct impact on the operations of our restaurants or the operations of our suppliers in ways which we cannot predict at this time. The Company monitors developments related to environmental matters and plans to respond to governmental initiatives in a timely and appropriate manner. At this time, the Company has already undertaken its own initiatives relating to preservation of the environment, including the development of means of monitoring and reducing energy use, in many of its markets. †¢Number of employees The Company’s number of employees worldwide, including Company- operated restaurant employees, was approximately 400,000 as of year-end 2010. d. Financial information about geographic areas Financial information about geographic areas is incorporated herein by reference to Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in Part II, Item 7, pages 10 through 27 and Segment and geographic information in Part II, Item 8, page 40 of this Form 10-K. e. Available information The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act). The Company therefore files periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Such reports may be obtained by visiting the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D. C. 20549, or by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an internet site (www. sec. gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information.

First Generation Students and the Community College Essay

Ethnography EssayMy experience with people outside the school as well as inside the school has earned me the nickname â€Å"experience† amongst most of my friends. As a strong-minded student with a growth outlook, caretaker individuality, and high value in the community, I flourish in relationships with people as well as the experience I have gained in the school. I am constantly trying to be an example of those who are experienced love to those around me. This drive to improve my relationship with the school fraternity, as well as the outside community, has sent me in many different directions through several kinds of school activities and volunteer opportunities. I think I inherited my caretaking boldness from my godmother. My godmother has worked with several students for the past twenty years and finds great joy and purpose in these relationships. Centered on his passion, I am supposing the adult students in this school and others as well will be genuinely invested in thei r friends and community like my godmother. I have also experienced this devotion to caring in the leaders of one of my favorite activities either in the school environment and the home or outside school communities. Activities unique to my college such as the involvement in sports as well as the interactions with other schools and motivations from the school authorities is an opportunity to form relationships among students in our building with special adaptability to the changing life both in school and the outside communities. The long periods of staying outside the school prepare the adult students to deal with different challenges either mental or educational due to their experience with different scenarios or cases. Through actions like playing, word exchanges, and debates, we create bonds with all students outside of our mainstream educational experience. When I first joined school some years ago, I was initially intimidated by the activities of my friends. I felt my usual confidence slip into a â€Å"store mode,† a feeling awkwardness in conversation and uncomfortable with silence. Conversely, after spending more time doing activities with these students, I’ve discovered the ir valuable hearts. Each student is welcoming and outwardly caring towards myself and the school staff, as well as the community, are privileged to have them. The adult students I am aware of in the school are very honest with little to no filter. They speak their minds without thinking twice, allowing for a truly unvarnished relationship. Based on these experiences, I am expecting the all the adult students, to be honest, and welcoming, and for our interactions to become natural with time. Through conversation with some of the adult students, I’ve heard plenty of talk on several ideas as well as what they need for the comfort both inside the school as well as outside the school. I know adaptability and experience in school include both respect to the authorities and an accepted mode of behavior which must go hand in hand with the right morals and friendship. Luckily, I found out my friends, one of the adult students studying in this institution who have demonstrated a sense adaptability to many activities in life inside and outside the school. As eager as I am to understand how the long stay outside the school and the experience to come back to the learning institution feels, I am also curious to see how it impacts their psychological life through their interaction with the several challenges in life as well as their experience with other students. Over the years, the education system in many countries has been modified to suit the learning requirements of people in all age groups. This is due to the increased rate of adults with the increased desire to enhance their knowledge through education. This process has enabled many adults to embark in the search for programs which offer educational opportunities to people who are elder than the required age group which is stipulated to be at different educational levels in the academic system of a given country (Espie, Rod, & Josie, 4). Therefore, to adapt to the learning environments at different levels of education, there is the need for those who are willing to return to school after years to prepare themselves both psychologically and emotionally in order to suit in the system. This will ensure that they develop characteristics and behaviors which enhance their relations with other students in the educational facility and that the system will not compromise their time and beliefs in the process of acquiring the kind of education they desire. Adult students are normally encountered by different challenges due to the beliefs they have as well as the psychological challenges they face as a result of the difference of their age accompanied by the misconceptions accompanied with adult education (Nahas et al, 43). Adults who desire to return to school normally think that they are too old to attend school. This myth discourages most adults with the motivation to acquire knowledge at an advanced age thereby leading to the individuals relent from the idea of returning to school. Other people believe that it is too late for them to acquire education. This discourages many people to return to school thinking that it is too late for them to reap the benefits of the education at an elderly age (Espie, Rod, and Josie, 5). They believe that by the time they are done with acquiring education there will be no opportunities for them. The adult students are also challenged by the way they can strike the balance between the time they are go ing to be in school, work as well as the time to be with their families. Therefore, to ensure that the educational system does not compromise the behavior of the adult students at the school as well as their actives which they undertake out of school, a special program needs to be implemented in order to accommodate all kinds of adult students (Espie, Rod, and Josie, 2). This will ensure that the system increases the self-esteem among the adult students and ensure that they do not feel discouraged in the process. This system should ensure that it entails reasonable goals which are attainable to ensure that the students are motivated all through the curriculum (Nahas et al, 42). The process of attainment of the goals should be easy to follow and understandable. Continuous feedback should be enhanced so as to ensure that the students are continuously guided on how to undertake different activities. This will ensure that the errors made by the students are easily corrected by offering explanations and demonstrations in case of technical activities. The learn ing strategy should involve appropriate evaluation processes which are goal oriented in order to enable the students to evaluate themselves as well as check their progress in the education system (McGrath, 110). Finally, the education system should provide incentives and undertake activities which enhance motivation to the students. This may include activities which are interesting to the students in order to enhance their memory capacity as well as make them enjoy being in the system thus increasing their motivation to continue learning. The  entrance  to  the  school is  only  attained after  navigating through the windy  roads and  numerous â€Å"adult education poster† signs.  The entrance provides a learning enabling environment that is supported by the cooling collection of green trees.  The environment provides a wonderful and a thrilling interest for anyone to feel the need to learn and achieve their goals in life. The compound of the school is surrounded by different photos that give a hint to every visitor that the place is a learning institution. The  walls of the classrooms are  lined  with  motivational posters,  such  as  one  stating with different messages; some indicating happy moments and others providing serious information of learning and praises to the school and the learning system as well. I did not expect a large, bare ground of prairie grasses next to me in an institution slopped down in the center. As I alighted the car, I walked onto freshly flagg ed tar which had clean, white space lines tinted on it. Walking in the direction of the school, I started noticing how quiet the institution grounds could make me feel as I looked at the freshly transplanted prairie grass plan-out swing softly by the influence of the wind. This stunned me, bearing in mind I may not habitually feel that calmness upon arriving in an archetypal institution because of the noise originating from the students playing at bay. Then it happened to me that there were adult students making plays on a huge, exciting playfield alongside the school, although the status of anarchy originating from it was low. I later came to comprehension that calmer than the majority of city schools and was well-funded because of the costly concourse facilities. The first adult student to interview was a gentleman who appeared very happy and composed as he answered various questions from me. He said that it is better for him to be at school at this time than he would have been some years back as a younger student. Further, the student mentioned that he was feeling more confident because it was his personal choice to learn at this time. The fact that learning at an adult age is through volunteering, is crucial in allowing adults strongly involve themselves in the learning process because they need they are highly motivated. The personal decision to attend the learning institution is a major drive for the student to learn as well as feel comfortable in learning different thought-provoking approaches to life. I learned that the fact the adult students have stayed for long days is an advantage for them to use their abilities to learn to link their experience with any new challenge. The student also said that there is a feeling of self-direction which makes the adults students have a good control of their learning. The control and monitory of their progress in learning involve self-assessment as well as the good relationship with the instructors and other students or the outside community. He further said that the students may be reluctant to change due to a feeling that they are mature and experienced. Slower learning was also evident through more intensive than before. Due to many responsibilities that adult students need a good amount of personal life which makes them busy in many hours of their time. The responsibilities and interactions with different communities as well as individuals allow the adult students to adapt to life in the learning institutions and elsewhere. It had been some minutes as I stood at a window of a class observing how Susan was interacting with the other young students during as they were being taught. Everyone seemed cool to see her busy listening to the tutor as the lesson went by. Everybody seemed busy in the class all trying their best to understand the concept being taught by the teacher. From time to time, the teacher would ask the students randomly and answers were provided and the teacher would continue with the teaching. When it came to the turn for Susan to answer the given question was asked by the tutor, the other students would look at her and listen keenly if she would make any errors in the process of providing an answer to the question asked. When she made an error in answering the question, the other students would laugh at her. The teacher would then maintain order to the class and then elaborate the solution to the problem asked and ensure that Susan has understood the concept in question then proceed to th e next concept. During break time I met with Susan to understand how she feels in the learning environment where she was different from the majority of her colleagues. â€Å"It is fun to be around this place†, she answered with a smile on her face. â€Å"I feel great when I undergo different challenges in the process of learning. It makes me feel proud because it is a great opportunity for someone like me to acquire the knowledge required to survive in this in this environment with a lot of learned people.† Happiness could be seen on her face. She seemed adapted to the environment and she was determined to learn at all costs no matter the challenges involved in the process. On the question of how she viewed the teaching system in the institution, she was satisfied with the procedure. â€Å"The teachers are cool, they treat all the students equally and are keen to ensure that everyone has understood the concept taught†, Susan stated. The environment was cool to her and she was no t bothered by the way other students viewed her. I was greatly concerned about how Susan was able to balance her time concerning her daily routines as well as her income-generating activities. I was eager to know how she was able to maintain her tight schedule during the day. â€Å"It requires a lot of dedication to achieve a given goal†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ she claimed, † I normally plan all the activities that I am doing the following day in advance to ensure that no activity will collide with another.† She added that she undertakes part-time jobs which she undertakes after school so as to support herself financially. Susan claimed that the support she gets from her family and friends is what keeps her moving. The determination she had in acquiring the knowledge enabled her to focus on the learning process. â€Å"I made up my mind long before I decided to come back to school, I believe it is through education that I will be able to improve my living standards†, she concluded as I eagerly listened to why she was so det ermined to learn. I was excited by the way Susan was able to merge her family life, work as well as find time to undertake her education program which was somehow demanding. This enabled me to understand the different challenges faced by adult students and how they managed to push through such a challenging environment in the search for knowledge and skills. Although  some  people  may  view  adult students as an inefficient and a struggling way to learn, the adult students have a good chance to learn and achieve several objectives due to the facts that they are highly motivated. The adult students have  taught  me  the  need of having  motivation, teamwork, compassion,  slowing  down,  and  being  intentional  in relationships. The adult students have a high chance of succeeding and engaging in learning more than normal students because of their duty and responsibility to spread kindness and knowledge through  their  own  lives  and  the  lives  of  those  around  them.  As  the  adult students have treated me,  their actions are indicative of their good behavior and evidence of success in their education and adaptability as well as experience in life. After spending some time in studying the adult students sub-culture, I have learned that I have some similarities with some of the practices in that culture such as the ability to access oneself and plan for one progress. I always have a means of evaluating my progress towards the achievement of my objectives and take responsibility for ensuring I perform everything to my great potential. There are high collaboration and team among the adult students due to their need to succeed I life. As times goes many people will realize the need for the adult education and feel proud to join it. Works Cited Espie, Rod, and Josie Viola. â€Å"A Place for Political Literacy in Adult Education.† ARIS Resources Bulletin 10.3 (1999): 1-4. McGrath, Valerie. â€Å"Reviewing the Evidence on How Adult Students Learn: An Examination of Knowles’ Model of Andragogy.† Adult Learner: The Irish Journal of Adult and Community Education 99 (2009): 110. Nahas, Markus V., Bernie Goldfine, and Mitchell A. Collins. â€Å"Determinants of physical activity in adolescents and young adults: The basis of high school and college physical education to promote active lifestyles.† Physical Educator 60.1 (2003): 42.

Outline of Kite Runner

Kite Runner The purpose of this research paper : I want to highlight the effect of the readers of the novel about Taliban and to have another thought about Afghanistan . Also to show how Housseini’s succeeded in showing a new trend of New Orientalism to prove to the west how Muslims are not bad after 9/11 or as they described Muslims as terrorists . Introduction : A brief introduction about the novel and the current affairs of the country . Main body : ( will tackle a few main themes + giving evidence from the novel ) * The theme Discrimination: Afghanistan has many ethnic groups, like Hazaras and Pashtuns.How the main character suffers from this, the most famous incident is the Hazara massacre in 1998. * Oppression as a theme : 1. The oppression of women in society 2. The oppression of children (Hassan , his son , director of the orphanage ) 3. The oppression of the Russian colonizer against Afghanistan and the people. * The theme of Diaspora ; it tackles the life of the main characters when he goes to America and escape from the bad fortune of his country had been to. * The theme of war between Soviet and Afghanistan. A.How the Afghani people see the war . B. How the Roussi treat them ( the incident of baba with the Russian doctor – the Russian solider and the harassment of the Afghani woman) C. The destruction of the country Conclusion : How khaled housseini presented a new trend of new orientalism as many criticized that he had succeeded in giving a good presentation for his country. References and Sources : The New York Times – articles Wiki pedia pages about Taliban – Afghanistan – The Soviet War The Goodreads website – quotes by Ahmed Rashid

Capital accumulation Essay Example for Free

Capital accumulation Essay Nucleon should focus on contracting manufacturing for phases I and II and then for phase III focus on vertical integration of production to create greater economic value, therefore gaining and sustaining competitive advantage and producing the largest NPV. By contracting manufacturing, Nucleon will be able to focus on core competencies with no capital investments. Also, by vertical integration Nucleon gains sources of competitive advantage. Contracting manufacturing focuses on core competencies. Nucleon will have facilities and personnel in place to implement phases I and II, require no capital investments (reducing up front costs: Table 1), and therefore able to focus on clinical trials. As Hurt’s commented, â€Å"It’s important for us to get our products into the clinic before others do.† Vertically integrating increase NPV by 2002 and gains competitive advantage. Nucleon has high threats of opportunism due to uncertainty and complexity. There are over 200 other firms and Nucleon needs to obtain competitive advantage and then sustain this advantage. By integrating, Nucleon has good possibilities of raising funds, producing other products, and raising a larger income. Vertical integration provides a larger potential income for Nucleon in phase III based on NPV (refer to Table 1), while contracting manufacturing for phases I and II provide Nucleon with ability to focus on core competencies and thus producing the largest NPV by 2002 of approximately $20M. Performed well even in the recession. CEO believed that you need to have an effective strategy and right people to execute the strategy. The company has been able to gain competitive advantage, but can they sustain this advantage? Distinguishes us from other players in the M&A field, it’s that we stay in touch with the companies. 2001-Present Danaher focused on allocating decisions on the basis of return on invested capital (ROIC) Capital accumulation. (2016, May 30).

See the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See the attachment - Essay Example Mainstream economists believe that producers usually employ the cheapest input method while the consumers substitute towards spending on products that are manufactured by cheaper input methods. Mainstream economists posit that labour may not adapt its supply in conjunction with the demand but a flexible market mechanism in the labour market as well as in the goods and financial market may equate the number of jobs available with the number of job seekers. The audience for this genre are manufacturers and the students who are interested in understanding the labour and the commodity markets. Manufacturers would always want to understand the best mix for labour in a particular industry so as to employ the most appropriate and cost effective mix in production. For academic purposes, the students and other people interested in the economic activities may be interested in understanding the connection between labour and production. This genre is very informative as it informs about the labo ur market relationship with production. It highlights how market mechanisms in the labour market affect technique of production and finally the result of the labour input. This genre attempts to explain an economic phenomenon, which most people do not understand. An economic expert who has a deep insight of activities taking place in the labour market can therefore write the genre. 2 Economy is dependent on transportation, taxes, poverty, education, environmental preservation and immigration. These factors are interrelated and play an integral part in the growth of economy. There are various challenges facing the factors determining economic growth rate. For instance, there is a problem between expansion of roads and transportation system and the need to protect the environment, which is also an important economic aspect. Transportation is an important aspect of resource distribution and should therefore be evenly distributed. However, because of inability to expand it imposed by fa ctors such as financial constraint developing a centralized transportation location may be very useful in ensuring proper distribution of resources. Environmental pollution may hinder economic growth but since there should be economic activities going on regardless of environmental challenges, few of the activities such as housing and transportation may be allowed to ensure minimal pollution of environment. Education is another significant factor that can catapult economic growth but because it is a scare resource, the government should mostly concentrate on educating children living in poverty because the rich can afford their children’s education. In fact, due to scarcity of educated individuals, educated immigrants may just feel the gap and produce quality. The audience for this genre is policymakers, government workers, students and players in an economic growth sector. Policymakers and government workers would utilize this information to understand economic drivers that can help a country’s or a region’s economies. Additionally, economic students may also use the genre as a good source of information regarding economic growth and development. The purpose of this genre is to inform the audience about the main economic drivers, their impact and significance in the economy. The genre highlights different factors affecting economic growth

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

International Marketing - Essay Example Internationalization Process A) Stages in Entry Process Internationalization process allows new ventures to gain growth and positive returns through capitalizing on their unique resources as well as capabilities. Learning also becomes possible and internationalization facilitates the new ventures to create and exploit its knowledge. While entering into any markets of any country, it becomes essential to look for opportunities for the product in that particular country so that success can be achieved. There are five basic steps that can be taken into account while expanding operation in other countries. They are ‘country identification, preliminary screening, in-depth screening, final selection and direct experience’. Country Identification It becomes too essential to carry out a common overview of prospective new markets. It may happen at times that two countries share a similar culture, political ideology or religion such as China and Cuba, similar language like the Uni ted States and Australia, similar heritage such as the United Kingdom and Australia. In this stage, the selection becomes straight forward. Preliminary Screening This is the stage where it becomes essential to have a serious look at those countries remaining after undergoing preliminary screening. Here one begins to score weight or rank the nations according to macro-economic factors such as level of domestic consumption, exchange rate, currency stability and others. This is the stage where companies begin to start calculating the nature of the market entry cost. It is to be decided what portion of the company entering into the market is possessed domestically. A proper PESTEL analysis needs to be done before entering the market of other countries. In-depth Screening This is the stage where it would be considered feasible for market entry. Therefore, it becomes important to gain detailed information on the target market so that the strategies can be formulated accordingly. Final Sel ection At this stage it becomes essential to prepare the final shortlist of the potential nations. It would be viable to look at the close competitors or the domestic companies which have already entered into the market in order to get firm costs concerning market entry. In this stage, the managers often looks for nations that it has already entered in order to check the similarities or learning which can be used for decision making. Direct Experience This is the stage where the marketing managers may travel to those particular nations in order to experience the nation’s culture as well as business practices. However, based upon the case study, the following steps of foreign market entry have been identified. 1. Identification of company’s objective in the foreign market entry 2. Preliminary country screening 3. Opportunities and threats in the target country 4. Capabilities, resources and skills needed to succeed in foreign markets 5. Identification of company’ s strength and weakness on key success factors 6. Decisions regarding entering the target market 7. Comparison and ranking of the target market B) Decision to Be Made In Each Stages In case of identifying the objective of the company in the foreign market entry, companies need to identify why it wants to enter into the foreign market. The motives may be to exploit large and

Animal rights. What rights should animals have Essay

Animal rights. What rights should animals have - Essay Example In this concept, it is illegal to use animals in any way that makes them feel pain, suffer or even die. It tries to explain to human beings that it is not a right practice to violate these rights. The concept was started in 1975 by Peter Singer in a book entitled animal liberation. It came to being after the birth of American Society for the prevention of cruelty of animals. Animal rights have been enforced in several parts of the world today. For instance, in Germany, it was voted and included in the constitution that was in the parliament’s house. The vote was aimed at adding a simple clause in the constitution to change the way in which people treated animals in that country. It is the first country in Europe to accept constitutionally the fact that animals had some rights like fair treatment and good feeding. The same has been followed in several other continents in the world and have led to a fairer treatment of all animals with a court penalty owing to the violation ther eof as discussed by CNN (2012). According to Lafollette (n.d), there are boundaries about animals that human beings should strive not to cross as opposed to treating animals in the way one pleases. It is not legitimate to mistreat animals even though they have no voice to rise. In this culture that we are living in today, animals are used as a main source of food, clothes, and research on drugs and to test the vulnerability of some appliances at home. All these can only be realized when the animal is dead or involves inflicting pain to the animal. Animals have a right against overcrowding. This implies that an animal has a right to enough space during its lifespan. This has not been followed especially by farmers who keep them for profit. Animals also have rights to enough movement. Due to the limitations of space, animals are confided in one place leading to less feeding and poor movement. For instance, chicken are overcrowded in little battery cages. The more crowded the animals a re, the more likely they are to attack each other and cause injury to one another. In an opinion, Lafollette (n. d) adds that people should use more of vegetables to reduce the killing of animals for food. Many people hold an opinion that animals do not feel pain and has led to the killing of many animals for not only food but also for scientific research and testing. When a dog is hit by a stray vehicle, the way it convulses, bleeds, and yelps is a sure proof that animals feel pain. The same way, a cat reacts even at the small attempt to step on its tail is another proof of sensitivity of their nervous system. It becomes controversial at times because there is need for nutrients in humans that can only be found in animals and the experiments that are done on animals is vital for human survival. As noted by Lin (2012), there are some myths that people hold about animal rights activists. One of these myths is that activist are more fond of animals than human beings. This is not the c ase anyway. Caring about animals does not render them more important than human beings. This is the reason as to why most animal activists are involved in humanitarian rights like hunger, poverty, sweatshops, feminism and other civil rights. Another myth is about leather materials compared to fur clothes and shoes. This is because fur can be obtained without necessarily killing the animal, but to get leather the animal has to be killed to get the skin of that animal. According to Buzzle (2012), animal rights activists are faced with the headache of controlling the rate at which animals are killed or injured. They have worked to make known their reputation just like politicians and celebrities. They