buy custom Exploration of the Arab-American Muslim Community essay

buy custom Exploration of the Arab-American Muslim Community essay Arab-Americans comprise an ethnicity consisting of groups of people from 22 countries spread across south-west Asia and North Africa. Some refer to them as Middle Eastern. These people immigrated to America during the 19th century and continue to do so up to date, albeit in smaller numbers. The majority of the easily identified Arab-Americans are Muslims even though they are the minority of the community. The Muslim Arab-Americans mostly stand out because of their religious and traditional practices. The noticeable practices of the Muslim Arabs are: Ramadan fasting, attending of Mosque on Friday, among others. These people also commonly stand out because of their dressing especially the women who wear hijabs or burqas. The burqa is an enveloping and modest attire that covers the body from head to toe and is mostly worn by Islamic women in public. The men also sometimes spot long beards. Unlike other foreign cultures and ethnicities in the United States, the Arab American Muslims have maintained their traditions; consistently passing them onto their children. This being evident from the learning that takes place in open Islamic private schools (Samhan). These noticeable features coupled with the fact that these Muslim Arabs do not inter-marry, makes the community an easy target for discrimination and bigotry. Their distinguishing features have also formed the basis of the stereotyping of Arab Muslims living in America. Hamza, Yaseen, El-Houbi, Duncan and Diaz (18) explain that most media channels in the early years typecast Arab Muslims as billionaires, bombers with veiled harems and long beards. Most of these stereotypes have since been done away with but the image of a Muslim bomber or terrorist has remained. The US census classifies the Arabs as whites but some Arabs especially the Muslims have felt discriminated against. This has mostly been experienced since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. There was however discrimination of Arab Muslims pre the September 11 attacks. The first wave of Arab American immigrants was confronted with discrimination on the simple ground that they were foreign but it was not that rampant. The Arab-Israeli conflict increased bias against the Middle Eastern culture owing to the fact that America supported Israel. Discrimination against Arab American Muslims was also experienced because of the war that America had been fighting in Iraq against Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was a dictator who had committed heinous crimes against humanity and was finally captured and hanged by the US government in 2006. These images of dictators and wars from Middle East had served as a way of stereotyping Middle Eastern people since that was the only way they were portrayed by the media. Discrimination against Arab-Americans was however not so pronounced as that of the other races and ethnicities such as blacks and Hispanics. Discrimination however increased with the images in the media and also terror attacks such as the 1993 bombing of World Trade Centre. A new wave of stereotyping and extreme bias became evident following the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001. This discrimination was based on the fact that the terror gang in Afghanistan identified as Al Qaeda was said to be responsible for the twin attacks. The hijackers of the planes that crashed into the twin towers were all identified as Muslims. The attacks saw Muslim Arabs in America all pigeonholed as terrorists. This was mostly seen in the airports where some even refused to board planes with a Muslim passenger. There has also been closer scrutiny of immigrants from Middle East. In some airports, the Muslim Arabs have been subjected to stricter standards. Personally, I must admit that after the terror attacks, I became more alert and conscious about the Muslims around me. The terror attacks made Americans angry as many had lost their lives and some still suffer the adverse effects of the tragedy. In some States, it was reported that Muslims were insulted in public and atta cked. Mosques were also vandalized and burnt in some places. Extreme hatred and contempt was also shown to anyone who associated themselves with the Arab Muslims. The attacks created an image of bloodthirsty, religious fanatic and animalistic Arab Muslims which saw their discrimination rampantly increase. The Council of American Islamic Relations reported that after 2001, hate crimes against Muslims tripled. The American government also closed down six charities belonging to American Muslims, following the attacks. There has also been unconscious discrimination in the criminal justice system where there has been detention and torture of suspected terrorists and this has mostly been applicable to Arab American Muslims. This was mostly seen in the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison. The stereotypes of Arab American Muslims according to the findings of this research are not true. Other studies have also proved that Arab American Muslims are very different from the terrorists. There are also many Arab American Muslims who have spoken openly against jiha and other extremist behavior. Most Muslims advocate that Islam is a religion of peace. Arab American Muslims are also from various countries with various cultures. They do not all come from Afghanistan or war torn areas. It was however observed in my research that Islam calls for modesty and conservatism and that is why the women have to cover their heads. The men do not however have to spot long beards or look like Osama bin Laden. The Arab American Muslim community is as diverse as any other community and they do not all fit in one pigeonhole. Having viewed movies and documentaries about the Middle East and especially the Muslim community, I had formed opinions and stereotypes about them. The September 11, 2001 also shaped most of my opinions about the community. I had not interacted with people of this community before, and there was no way of verifying the ideas and concepts that I had gathered from the media. This research has however helped me to interact with some members of the Arab American Muslim community. I have conducted interviews on their thoughts on racial bias in America and how at home they feel in America especially after the 2001 attacks. I have also visited websites such as alhewar.com which elaborate on the Arab American culture and dispels some of the myths held about the community in America. To fully understand the extent of the discrimination and the daily struggles of Muslim Arabs in America, I had to immerse myself in their culture. I decided to be one of the Muslims for a whole week. This meant t elling people that I was Muslim and dressing like one. I also walked together with the Muslim group of people that I had chosen to help me with the research. This experience proved to be quite enlightening and challenging at the same time. It was also worthwhile and gave me the opportunity to be able to experience everything first hand. Methodology The cyberspace has a lot of information on the Arab American Muslim community. This is where most of the information on this research was obtained from. The interviews with the Muslims were also a reliable and first hand source of information on the group. The research also relied on journal articles and television interviews and popular shows. As has been mentioned above, I researched about the Muslim Arab community by becoming one of them. The Muslim group of people who were my interviewees also served as my guides in order to make the experience more real. Everywhere we went, people understood that I was one of the Muslims and treated me as one. The Muslim community treated me with utmost hospitality even though they understood that I was not one of them. There were however stares from strangers on the streets and a shopkeeper once refused to serve us on the basis that he did not support terrorists. The discrimination was disheartening as it felt like an ambush on me even though I knew I was not a Muslim. This was the part that brought some apprehension on my part. This is because no one likes to be attacked or be discriminated against. The anxiety was also heightened by the outright confrontations from some members of the public some of whom clearly showed their disapproval of Islam. There was also anxiety at first about how the Muslims would respond to the issue of segregation, given the fact that it is still an emotive issue. I also had my doubts on the consequences of posing as a Muslim in America. The immersion however helped me get closer to the Muslim community and it helped develop a sense of trust between me and my Muslim colleagues. The Arab Muslims that I had interacted with also helped to point the places where they faced acute discrimination and emphasized that that was their daily struggle. During the interaction I found a peculiar thing that I did not expect. There were some Arab Muslims who had chosen to completely abandon their culture as a way of avoiding stereotyping and discrimination. There were also others who wished to go back to their countries of origin as they were afraid of profiling by the government. There were others who also secretly wished they were born in a different race as they were completely disgusted by the terrorists. This presented an issue of hatred of ones own race or ethnicity. I also asked the research group if they ever thought that the discrimination would come to an end eventually and if the law against discrimination was working in their favour. Most of them were of the idea that the discrimination was unlikely to end in this decade and that anti-discrimination laws did not seem to protect them from outright bias. They felt that the government had removed civil protection of Arab Muslims in America since the September 11 attacks. Findings My observations and interviews led me to the conclusion that the Arab American Muslim community has faced tremendous discrimination since 2001. The discrimination has been open in most cases and has led to serious psychological problems for some, for example the case of the man who disowned his ethnicity and Islam. Most of the Muslims would want to dispel the myth that they are all terrorists and extremists. My research on the Muslim culture also revealed that some of the Muslims were fourth generation Americans who had lived in America for a long period of time. They knew America as their home yet when they were seen on the streets people misconceived them as foreigners and worst still terrorists. The discrimination has had impact on the identity of some of the Muslims. Cainkar (23) states that some have preferred to conceal their identity by changing their names, for example one could change from Farouq to Fred. Others have also gone as far as disowning their families in order not to be identified with them. This has been made possible by the fact that Arab American Muslims without any other distinguishing features are considered Caucasian. The interviews and internet research also revealed that the government did not have a strong enough policy to curb the hate crimes and extreme discrimination against the Arab Muslims in America. This has mainly been attributed to the fact that in some cases, the government has been the biased party. The Muslims also revealed that they felt that the government viewed them as the enemies or relatives of the enemies. I also interviewed some members of the public on why they stereotyped Arab American Muslims as terrorists. Some people answered that even though they knew some of the Muslims were not terrorists, then maybe a brother or other relative back home was, making them equally terrorist. This reasoning appalled me because it seemed that going by this, then the families of the millions of criminals in America would also b e considered as criminals. The investigations also revealed that airports have been worst sites of discrimination for Arab American Muslims. This is because of the fact that the September 11 attacks were as a result of two planes that had been hijacked. The presence of a Muslim has therefore heightened anxiety at the airport and in some cases there are special security checks for them. Some are even removed from planes to be given thorough checking. This has culminated to less Muslim Arabs travelling into the country and within the country. The US Department of Justice issued an internal memo to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and US Customs in June 2002. This memo requested that Yemenis entering the US should be sought out in the airports and searched thoroughly. This requirement also applied to Yemeni Americans, and it saw many Yemeni travelers removed from planes and prevented from boarding. No stereotypes that I had before were confirmed during my exploration of the Arab American Muslim communit y. I realized at the end of the day that no human being is exactly the same as the other. Regardless of the many factors that bind people in a particular ethnicity or race, there were many other different characteristics distinguishing each individual. To work from further judgment of the Arab Americans more so the Muslims, I have decided to access websites and read books to know more about the culture. The colleagues I made from the investigation have also immensely helped me understand many of the things I did not. Conclusion This exploration project has helped me to find out a lot more than I could write in this paper. It has also helped me discover more about myself and my own culture. I learnt that discrimination can have far reaching consequences that society does not contemplate. I also learnt that stereotyping and segregation is painful and I understood civil rights movements such as that of Martin Luther King much more clearly. The discrimination of Arab American Muslims has been under-addressed unlike that of blacks in the earlier years. This is mainly because of the terrorist attacks and this has generated pain and suffering. It is clear that many Americans died during the September 2001 attacks, but hatred and segregation of innocent people will definitely not solve the problem of terrorism. The real terrorist culprits should be captured, investigated and sentenced. This was exercised during the Oklahoma City 1998 bombings, where the real culprits were captured. Whidden (2829) states that the Ok lahoma City bombings were the worst in Americas history. He also states that Arab American terrorists have been responsible for only a few bombings in American soil since 1984; most terrorist attacks being executed by Americans themselves. This is not to condone or promote terrorism but what I learnt is that in the same way one would not want to pay for the mistakes of another person, Arab Muslims in America would not want to pay for the mistakes of the Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group. Justice should be afforded to all American citizens regardless of their race or ethnicity. There have however been some positive changes since the 2001 attacks and Americans are trying to learn more about Islam. We have to look for the commonalities that unite as Americans instead of erecting differences and tolerating each other (Jamal). Buy custom Exploration of the Arab-American Muslim Community essay

Placement of Older Adults Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Placement of Older Adults - Research Paper Example They keys areas are tare his chances of falling while taking the flight stairs, chances of been depressed and how Mr.Trosack will take his multiple medications that is (polypharmacy).These are the main major points that need to be focused by the case manager and his team and his interdisciplinary team for them to have an effective discharge schedule/plan. Each team player has to carry out a specific role in this case study to have positive results on Mr. Trosacks considering him as a case of social isolation. The family of Mr. Trosack interview will check whether it is capable of proving good care is the patient is discharged from the hospital. The case study team has to very keen on cases of depression which might affect his situation in recovering, there must also be therapist ,a person who will prescribe his medication(pharmacist) and an assistant who will take care of him while at home. After gathering all this information a suitable discharge plan will be recommended and a disch arge plan placement will be effected. (Idler & Benyamini1997). Members of Interdisciplinary Team The interdisciplinary teams in Mr.Trosacks case should comprise of the case manager who liaise the interdisciplinary team to craft out successful discharge plan for Mr.Trosacks.The specific duties for the interdisciplinary teams are outlined. In this case the patient is isolated while recovering from hip surgery, and the case or effects of isolation are known.The interdisciplinary team should include the following case manager that is the nurse, therapist and pharmacist. Roles of Interdisciplinary Team Therapist A therapist is someone who helps you understand problem related to your illness and helps see the positive side of life. In the interdisciplinary team there will be the therapist who would administer therapy into Mr. Trosacks will be able make him understand his specific needs as a patient and offer him hopeful solutions for change throughout the therapy formality. Pharmacist A p harmacist administers medicines to patients when a doctor recommends it and advices patients on correct prescription while taking their medicines. The pharmacist will ensure that Mr.Trosacks takes his medication on time and will from time to time check whether there are any side effects. Home care co-coordinator. Mr.Trosack will need a homecare co-coordinator who will be assisting small errand s mainly involving picking of grocery, will also be assisting Mr. Trosacks with the walker who will walking in his apartment because there is no elevator. The safety issues that could affect determination discharge plan include social isolation and this could affect his recovery plan due to depression. Mr.Trosacks lives alone ismall apartment which is clustered and there is little room for his walker, also the bathroom is tiny and there is no safety features which might help him in case of any accident. The bathroom cabinet where he keeps his medicine has old prescription medicine and this mig ht confuse him if he comes home and puts the new medicaments together with the old medicine. To get into the apartment you have to take the stairs and this will pose a great danger to Mr.Trosacks as he has to use a walker while climbing down the stairs or up the stairs and he may assistance of someone. Family ability to care for Mr.Trosack The basic safety mode of Mr.Trosack is after replacement of his hip is for his son and the wife to take care of Mr.Trosack. His family does not visit Mr.Trosack quite often and the small apartment is cluttered. Mr Trosack is diabetic and the need for nursing assistance is needed, but Mr.Trosack maintains that is capable of taking care of himself. There are several

One of the Major EA Frameworks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One of the Major EA Frameworks - Essay Example to the Zachman Framework is that the same composite issue or item can be explained for diverse reasons in diverse ways using diverse types of descriptions. These descriptions can be for instance textual or graphical (Goldberg, 2008). The Zachman Framework gives the thirty six essential categories for wholly describing everything; especially complex issues such as manufactured products like appliances, constructed structures like buildings and enterprises like the associations and all of its technologies, people and goals. The framework gives six diverse transformations of a theoretical thought, not growing in factors, but transforming from six diverse views. It permits diverse individuals to look at similar issues from diverse views. This sets a holistic perspective of the atmosphere, a vital capability illustrated in the framework design (Goldberg, 2008). In 2001, the Zachman Framework was employed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). The required methodology in all aspects of the VA enterprises varied from data, business processes, location, technical, personnel and perspective requirements. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Department of Veterans Affairs planned to execute an architectural project fully based on the Zachman Framework. In 2001, this Framework was used as a reference replica to commence the enterprise architectural planning. Somewhere in between, the Veterans Affair Zachman Framework Portal was created. In addition, the Veterans Affair Framework Portal is still in use as a reference replica for instance in the determination of EA information collected from various businesses and project source documents (Donald 2008). The Zachman Framework has vastly been used as a means of providing structures for Information... This paper researches on Zachman Framework and explains its strengths and weaknesses. The researcher of this essay also includes the framework’s purpose, scope, principles, and the kinds of structures it uses, as appropriate to the framework. The essay also aims to include at least two examples of organizations that have used the framework and briefly discuss them. Views give the mechanism of obtaining information concerning the relationships that are vital in the architecture. Methods state the individuals who organize and gather information. They build the views in a means that helps guarantee the accuracy, integrity and completeness. Experience and training sustains the application of tools and use of varying methods. The Zachman Framework is an EA framework for enterprise architecture. It provides an official and greatly planned way of presenting and defining an enterprise. It has two dimensional sorting matrix based on the connection of six communication phrases. These ph rases are what, why, when, where, how and who with six rows with an agreement to rectify changes. The Zachman Framework is not a methodology. This is because it does not entail any specified process or method of collection, management, or using the data that it explains. This framework is named after its designer John Zachman, who developed the impression in the 80s at IBM. By applying the Zachman Framework to Service Oriented Architecture, the SO architect creates a framework for accepting the connection among the diverse elements of a successful SOA.

Comparison of the surfer - judith wright and strictly ballroom Essay Example for Free

Comparison of the surfer judith wright and strictly ballroom Essay In order to feel a true sense of belonging, one must endure and overcome challenges, for in doing so they gain an appreciation of self and self worth. Conversely, those who do not test themselves and the barriers, can only experience a superficial sense of belonging that can not result in a deep connection. Judith Wright’s poem â€Å"The Surfer† presents an individual who puts himself up against the waves everyday, and thrives on the feeling he gets when he conquers them. Luhrman’s film â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† is focused around the standards of ballroom dancing by which an individual must abide in order to be accepted; the protagonist, Scott Hastings, finds in Spanish dance, a passion that allows him to successfully act against these norms. Both â€Å"The Surfer† and â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† notably exemplify the awareness and appreciation of self and self worth that is achieved from triumphing over challenges and to reach an enhanced sense of fulfillment. PARA 1- the surfer As a consequence of persistence and endurance, difficult tasks can be conquered and this can significantly benefit the individual, heightening their sense of self worth and consciousness of belonging. This idea is portrayed in â€Å"The Surfer†, as the individual defeats the waves everyday, although undergoing pain every time. The euphoric feeling he gets as he rides the wave is worth the pain he suffers. As the surfer dives through the wave, a shock of pain is to be born, as with â€Å"thorns in the face, stinging†. The use of kinesthetic imagery conveys to the reader just how harsh the pain is and â€Å"the gulls went wheeling in air as he did in water, with delight† is symbolic of freedom. The comparison made between the two, shows that he is not bound by restrictions.The word choice â€Å"delight† is also important as it evokes the significant amount of joy that the surfer feels when in the water. Wright uses the metaphor â€Å"last leaf of gold† to imply that the last moments of belonging must come to an end and in doing so has conveyed to the reader, all of the surfers hard work has given him a greater sense of belonging. It is evident that the surfer endures and overcomes his challenges, and through this he truly appreciates the outcome and the  achievement he attains. PARA 2- strictly ballroom A heightened sense of belonging through the overcoming of challenges are also seen in Strictly Ballroom. The main character; Scott works through the spanish dance culture with Fran to defeat the authority and therefore giving him the power and fulfillment of individuality he would not have gotten any other wise if he did not object and take upon the risks. The challenge of authority is established in the lingering gaze between Barry Fife and Scott Hastings. Both have facial expression of intent which intensifies the difficulty that Scott is confronted with to win over the federation. His acceptance of the challenge is demonstrated as he steps out of the spot light after dancing in and out, it is symbolic of his fight to whether he will be a follower or he will go his own way. His dance moves acquired from the spanish culture enhance his and his partners confidence shown in the medium close up shot as Fran and Scott spin around holding each other, their true happiness, tenacity and passion act as a substantial threat. They’re efforts are rewarded at the end when the diagetic sound of doug clapping is heard and a round of applause erupts, symbolizing the changing heart of the dance world and the respect and acceptance of the new dance moves. As a result of taking risks and overthrowing authority, Scott enlightened the ballroom dancers and deepened his sense of self worth to have a rightful place within the dance world. PARA 3- comparison and contrast Challenges faced by the Wright and Luhrmans protagonists represent barriers which restrict them from discovering or achieving an awareness and appreciation of a genuine sense of belonging. The texts reveal the unique obstacles they encounter and the ways they deal with them to achieve a deepened sense of self and self worth. Scott is oppressed by the federation, he breaks the rules by dancing the pace doble with an outcast, Fran, who becomes his support. This is depicted at the pan pacific grand final, as Barry Fife says â€Å"That is the future of dance sport, and no one but no one is  going to change that†. This dialogue is significant to the following scene as the camera cuts to a long shot of Fran and Scott posing confidently wearing colours of red, suggesting courage and gold, demonstrating strength. The costuming used shows they have contradicted Fifes statement and weakened the federation, as seen in the high camera angle and costuming as Fife falls down in a blue coa t that symbolizes power. Therefore, proving that Fran and Scotts persistence and development have allowed them to break down the barriers of their challenges. Whereas the surfer needs to overcome his physical pain to be successful in his challenge, in order to achieve fulfillment, Scott, by comparison, needs to both build his own confidence through practice and refinement of his craft and overcome the rules of the federation. The surfers minimum amount of time before he rides a wave into shore is crucial and is symbolic of his connection he has made to the surf. â€Å"Last leaf of gold† is metaphorical for the remaining time he has before the sun goes down. The word choice of â€Å"gold† shows that he savors the time and appreciates the fulfillment he has achieved from his efforts. It is evident that to achieve fulfillment, Scott must overcome the rules of the Federation with confidence and passion whereas the surfer needs to overcome his own physical pain resulting in a more complex understand ing of belonging. CONCLUSION- summary of points The barriers and challenges presented, notably enhance the understanding and appreciation of the outcomes. Luhrman and Wrights protagonists have significantly portrayed how challenges influence the overall achievement of the individual. Through going against the federation by performing illegal steps in which prove to be of more value, Scott achieves a greater degree of appreciation of self and self worth. Where as the surfer suffers the discomfort of the challenge and pushes through them due to his understanding of the achievement that will come through his perseverance. Ultimately, a true sense of belonging is obtained through the endurance of challenges and the overcoming of barriers to attain a genuine insight of self and self worth.

Irony in All Kings Men Essays -- Literacy Analysis

William Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men is novel that explores the political society and its influences. Like several politicians in modern society, several characters have qualities that seem unsuitable to the impression that have made. These ironies in All the King’s Men reveal how the characters have flaws, which can result in critical consequences. Jack Burden, Adam Stanton, Judge Irwin and Willie Stark are characters that with ironic traits. Jack Burden is known as the â€Å"student of history† ( Warren 372). The very fact that he is a historian is ironic, as he has come from an aristocratic and reputable family and grew up in Burden’s Landing. However, Jack lacks the ambition needed to excel in life and works for Willie, despite the disapproval of this family. He â€Å"not only lacks ambition, but all ‘essential confidence’ in himself† (Bloom 132). If he had ambition, he could have married Anne Stanton earlier, as Anne would always tell him to â€Å"go on back to State and finish up† and then she will marry him â€Å"even before [he] gets [his] law degree† (448). Yet, Jack forced himself to get kicked out of school. Even as a historian, Jack cannot deal with new things he learns about people he is closely associated with. After he learned that Lois was actually a person and not â€Å"merely a luscious machine† he went into one of series of the Great Sleep ( Warren 459). After he learned about Anne Stanton and Willie’s affair, Jack temporarily escaped to the West because â€Å"when [people] don’t like whey [the] are [they] always go West† (Warren 464). Jack was not able to cope with this news that he had to leave to relieve his mind. In addition, as a historian, he does not delve into his own past. Concerning his father, he only knew that the Scholarl... ... its characters. These ironic flaws contribute to their sufferings throughout the novel. The flaws of Willie Stark, Adam Stanton and Judge Irwin led to the ultimate punishment, death, and Jack Burden’s flaws led to temporarily losing his love, Anne Stanton. Works Cited Baker, Joseph E. â€Å"Irony in Fiction: ‘All the King’s Men.’† College English. Vol. 9. JSTOR. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. Bloom, Harold. â€Å"’The Case of the Upright Judge’: The Nature of Truth in All the King's Men.† Robert Penn Warren’s â€Å"All the King’s Men.† Questia School. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. Martin, Glenn. â€Å"Diction in Warren’s ‘All the King’s Men.’† The English Journal. Vol. 58. JSTOR. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. Warren, Robert Penn. All the King’s Men. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 1996. Wright, Andrew H. â€Å"Irony and Fiction.† The Journal of Aestetics and Art Criticism.Vol.12. JSTOR. Web. 06 Dec. 2011.

Marketing Mix of Mcdonalds

Marketing Mix Marketing mix must focus on the product, pricing, promotion, and placement of item in order to make it successful. Marketing strategies must feature customer orientation, input, and accessibility in the fight to the top of the market. McDonald's is no different. An example of this is illustrated with a comparison of McDonalds and Wendy's. At first glance, they may appear to have roughly the same marketing mix and target markets. Both are fast food and provide similar products. However, looking closer, one can recognize that McDonald's primary target market is children ages 3-11 and their parents. McDonald's understood that the parent was making the purchasing decision, most likely based on price. What McDonald's marketing executives did was ingenious. They put a $. 50 toy in with the hamburger, french fries, and drink and gave it a special name, the â€Å"Happy Meal†. Then McDonald's marketed the Happy Meal to the kids. If you have you ever asked your child where to buy a Happy Meal, they will tell you that there is only one place you can buy one, and that is at Fun McFactsWhen Was Your McDonald's Favorite Introduced? 1955 – Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, shakes, soft drinks, coffee and milk 1963 -Filet-O-Fish 968 -Big Mac and Hot Apple Pie 1973 -Quarter Pounder and Egg McMuffin 1974 -McDonaldland Cookies 1977 -Breakfast Menu 1978 -Sundaes 1979 -Happy Meals 1983 -Chicken McNuggets 1986 -Biscuit Sandwiches 1987 -Salads 1998 -McFlurry Desserts 1999 -Breakfast Bagels 2000 -Chicken McGrill and Crispy Chicken 2001 -Big N' Tasty 2003 -Premium Salads, Newman's Own ® salad dressings and McGriddles 2004 -2004 Chicken Selects ® Premium Breast Strips McDonald's. McDonald's has Ronald McDonald, playgrounds or PlayPlaces, â€Å"Happy Meals,† and fun advertisements with brightly colored â€Å"Fry Guys† or the â€Å"Cheese Burgerler†. Contrastingly, Wendy's targets a more adult market and the restaurants represent a more mature atmosphere with carpet floors and Dave Thomas advertisements. Wendy's does have children's meals that offer a toy, but overall the atmosphere attracts a different demographic group. McDonald's restaurants have a variety of strategies that apply to product, placement, promotion, and price that makes them one of the most successful, well-recognized organizations in the world. Product Strategies McDonald's marketing strategies should be looked at historically in order to see the larger picture of the firm's success. There have been so many strategies since the inception of the firm that it is difficult to account for them all, the two most memorable are the development of the â€Å"Golden Arches† and â€Å"Ronald McDonald†. These two icons have given customers a mental image of what to look for when they want quality food for a low price fast. The firm revolutionized the fast food industry and positioned itself as the market leader with low-priced, quality food and provided an entertaining atmosphere for the children. These things were what that the market wanted at the time and the firm answered in spades. The perceived secret of McDonald's success is the willingness to innovate, even while striving to achieve consistency in the operation of its many outlets. For example, its breakfast menu, salads, Chicken McNuggets, and the McLean Deluxe sandwich were all examples of how the company tried to appeal to a wider range of consumers. The long history of innovation and experimentation resulted in new profit centers like Chicken McNuggets and the breakfast menu. Innovation and experimentation also produced some disappointments like the McLean Deluxe, but inevitably experimentation in limited outlets provides McDonald's a way to retain its key strengths-quality and consistency-while continuing to evolve. The use of franchising, again, provides various perspectives that, in turn, lead to innovation for products and solutions. Franchisees agree to operate their restaurants in the â€Å"McDonald's way† but there remains room for innovation. Many ideas for new menu items come from franchisees responding to customer demand. Developing new products is crucial to any business even those that successfully relied on a limited menu for many years. As consumer tastes change, menu innovation injects enthusiasm allowing the firm to explore markets previously overlooked or ignored. The â€Å"Egg McMuffin†, for example, was introduced in 1971. This item enabled McDonald's to accommodate consumers of the breakfast market. Filet-o-Fish, Drive-thrus, and Playlands were all products or concepts developed by franchisees. McDonald's tries a few new concepts simultaneous in different parts of the country to find the most promising new menu item. Those with the most potential could be rolled out further, while the ineffective ideas could be left to die quickly. This strategy may be expensive, but the potential to unleash new areas of growth in a maturing market seems to be right in line with what McDonald's has always done. In addition to the local flavors that have been created in the US, McDonald's international restaurants have been conforming to local, regional, and ethnic tastes, too. In a recent McDonald's case study this was explained further: â€Å"For example, ‘Maharaja McBurger' is a vegetarian burger marketed in India. The special requirements for ‘Kosher' foods are followed in Israel. Similarly, McDonald's offers ‘Halal' food in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. During promotions, McDonald's also introduces several other products. For example, its ‘Prosperity Burger' is popular in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore at the time of the Chinese New Year celebrations. In order to respond to the growing phenomenon of health consciousness, McDonald's has moved in favor of lean ground beef, 100% vegetable oil, 1% low-fat milk, low sodium, and low fat This product strategy shows that McDonald's is interested in becoming part of the culture and is looking for ways to appeal to the market internationally. McDonald's menu is based on five main ingredients: beef, chicken, bread, potatoes and milk. Their main products are hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and beverages. In addition, they serve a variety of breakfast items and desserts. Every McDonald's is uniform; you know exactly what you will get no matter what store you go in to. Although McDonald's has thousands of restaurants around the world, it standardizes menus and operating procedures in these restaurants to insure consistency throughout. To maintain consistency in the current menu while the firm tests new products to expand the product line, McDonald's relies on test marketing new menu items in pilot locations. New products are rigorously market tested so that the franchisee will have a reasonable idea of its potential before it is dded to the menu. The introduction of new products, which have already been researched and tested, considerably reduces the risk for the franchisee. The franchisees additionally benefit from the extensive national market research programs that assess consumer attitudes and perceptions. What products do they want to buy and at what price? How are they performing compared to their competitors? This approach allows the firm to id entify which items are likely to prove popular with consumers while ensuring that the company can deliver new products with consistent quality nationwide. McDonald's already has a history of doing this so it will not require major changes to its operations strategy-at least initially. If the product line-up gets too large, then the task of maintaining quality becomes exponentially harder. The trick is to consider how to eliminate some of the existing menu items when you introduce new ones, while making sure the staff is fully trained in how to execute these products successfully. McDonald's serves the world some of its favorite foods – Fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, and the Egg McMuffin. To this end, McDonald's had done well with a limited product range. Declining per unit sales and competitors gaining ground, may indicate that McDonald's menu needs a face-lift. One way to do that is by inserting a couple of new, highly promoted menu items. This would refresh the product menu and provide new, satisfying experience for dinner consumers. McDonald's has the opportunity to apply its core competencies of rigorous adherence to quality standards and continual promotion of experimentation in new venues. Imagine McDonald's opening a new casual dining restaurant under a different name, like Mac's, and sliding away from the fast food industry. The firm could franchise that concept nationwide and target the market of consumers who have grown past fast food. McDonald's, or Mac's, meticulous approach to operations would ensure that consumers everywhere would experience the same dining experience at each restaurant. This consistency presents a wonderful advantage for consumers who don't want to be surprised with a bad meal. Consumers would expect the same as they do currently with McDonald's-the Big Mac in Minneapolis is the same as the one in Beijing . Placement Strategies McDonald's focuses on store placement and are always looking for the best locations. This strategy created some weakness in the last 10 years because it seemed that too many stores were put in some areas, cannibalizing sales from the other McDonald's. The company has also made convenience a focus, not only through how fast it serves customers, but also in the location of its outlets. Freestanding restaurants are positioned so that you are never more than a few minutes away by foot in the city or by car in the suburbs. In addition, McDonald's is tucking restaurants into schools, stores, and more . Because McDonald's has pretty well saturated the U. S. arket, it's only real opportunities for growth lie abroad, where the competition is not so cutthroat or by introducing new restaurant concepts under brands other than McDonald's. The organization's overall objective is to increase market share. In this instance, the focus is purely on localization with different strategies for different countries. Pricing could not possibly be standardized across the globe without aliena ting many countries with poorer economies, thus defeating the initial objective. McDonald's set an appropriate price for their product by looking at its competitors in each country. McDonald's is attempting to localize marketing communications due to the realization that it couldn't possibly appeal to all countries at the same time. The firm sees the necessity to â€Å"brand globally, act locally†. For example, in China it was recognized that advertising on television would be a waste of money because commercials between programs are generally ignored. Instead, McDonald's uses newspapers and magazines to promote its image. Similarly, in East Asia, McDonald's targets children in order to gain optimum results. Of course, the ultimate message (brand) is the same; the medium is what is strategically modified. Pricing Strategies McDonald's strategy is to offer quality food quickly to customers at a good value. The pricing structure for McDonald's over years has supported this message. The company strives to differentiate itself from other fast food restaurants by offering a variety of menu items that appeal to a variety of people from those who just want great hamburgers, to those who just want a quick healthy meal. McDonald's differentiates itself by offering a dollar menu, combination meals, and a free toy with Happy Meals McDonald's, over the years, has also ran many promotions to increase traffic or product sales. For instance, the most recent roll out has been the 2004 Chicken Selects premium Breast Strips. Right now, you can go to your local McDonald's and â€Å"try them free. † With this new product is offered a variation of the â€Å"usual† sauces for the Chicken Nuggest – a Chipotle Barbeque sauce is most commonly advertised. Another promotion was the â€Å"Campaign 55† where diners could buy a featured sandwich, like the Big Mac in April, for 55 cents when purchased with fries and a drink. This campaign wasn't as successful as the fast food giant found would have hoped. Many other promotions with food, toys, collectibles, videos, and other prizes have been used by McDonald's restaurants over the past 50-plus years. These promotions, some better than others, have helped to keep McDonald's growing and gaining in the fast food world. Value has been an area in which McDonald's has strengthened over time, not only with customers, but within their distribution, channel management, and logistics strategies as well Distribution, Channel Management, and Logistics. A company the size of McDonald's requires the value chain to be increasingly important. Not only does McDonald's want to add value for the customers, but also the firm looks for ways to improve the operations that makes McDonald's a more efficient business. Promotion Strategies McDonald's knows that some customers go to its stores to take a quick break from their day's activities and not because McDonald's made the food ten seconds faster than their competitors could. Therefore, McDonald's marketing executives then put together the phrase, â€Å"Have you had your break today? † They continued to develop this idea with â€Å"You deserve a break today,† and now are in the â€Å"I'm Lovin' It! mantra. â€Å"I'm Lovin' It! † doesn't seem to have as much punch as the earlier catch phrase, which still seems to be the favorite. McDonald's sees the use of these catch phrases and the use of the Golden Arches as a very successful way of differentiating the restaurants from other fast food competitors. McDonald's has taken price competition out of the picture because the customer feels they have gotten quality, convenience, service, and value – and McDonald's still makes you feel like you are getting a break in your hectic day. Creating catch phrases are only one kind of promotion, and McDonald's uses many kinds of promotions to keep the restaurants at the top of the industry. With the rise of health consciousness it has become more difficult McDonald's to compete because their reputation brands them as cheap food served fast . The firm's response to obesity claims against the organization and other unfavorable public sediment is to add healthier items to their menu and promote and offer health-conscious alternatives to the â€Å"would you like fries with that† legacy. In addition, McDonald's has modernized their advertisements, pamphlets, and website to include nutritional information and addressing diet restrictions. Breaking the unhealthy association is difficult on its own, but with media and movies such as â€Å"Supersize Me† adding to the fray, McDonald's has had to look for alternative strategies to keep consumers happy. Another promotional strategy McDonald's uses is the huge investment in sponsorship. This is also a central part of the image building process. Sponsorship of the 1998 football World Cup, the Premier League and the European Championships increases awareness of McDonald's brand . However, McDonald's still follows Ray Kroc's community beliefs today, supporting the Tidy Britain Group and the Groundwork Trust, as well as local community activities. McDonald's has become a known community partner with Ronald McDonald Houses across the nation for the use of families whose children are hospitalized and getting treatment far from home. This organization has created an image of partnership and community investment with these and other kinds of philanthropic activities . Rob Leavitt, ITSMA e-zine editor, reported in the June 2004 edition that Larry Light, McDonald's Chief Marketing Officer, railed against those claiming brands must have only one identity that appeals to increasingly fragmented audiences. Leavitt also reported, â€Å"Identifying one brand positioning, communicating it in a repetitive manner, is old-fashioned, out-of-date, out-of-touch brand communication,† he said. A brand is multidimensional. No one communication, no one message can tell a whole brand story. † According to Light, marketers that continue to follow a simplistic mass marketing approach are committing â€Å"brand suicide†. Determining which way to market McDonald's and its products is a very important decision that can either cause products to fail or take flight. These same decisions must be made in regards to the ma rketing of the company as a whole. Strategy is the name of this game.

The First Amendment Was Created To Protect Americans’ Basic

The First Amendment was created to protect Americans’ basic human rights. It states that the government has no right to make laws or prohibit the freedom of religion, speech, and press. However, with the First Amendment stating that there is freedom of religion, why are children and teachers not allowed to participate in religion during school or on school property? The creation of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause is the reason why. Curiously, there is no other right in the First Amendment that has a clause dedicated to it. Then why is the freedom of religion subject to such clauses when the other freedoms are not? The First Amendment joined the Constitution of the United States on December 15, 1791. The Amendment is†¦show more content†¦The prayer was, â€Å"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and beg Thy blessings upon us, our teachers, and our country† (Oyez 1). The state of New York approved the prayer, and the prayer was nondenominational. Children whose parents did not want them to recite the prayer did not have to participate, and were excused; reciting the prayer was voluntary. Therefore, the prayer was not mandatory and was supposed to serve as a purpose of moral education only for those who wanted to acknowledge God as the source of all blessings. However, New York Lawyers argued that the prayer offended the Establishment Clause, suggesting that the state of New York was officially approving a religion by approving the prayer. This action eventually led to the Supreme Court ruling the prayer as unconstitutional. With the success of ruling Engel v. Vi tale unconstitutional, the case set a precedent for many more court cases in which the Supreme Court used the Establishment Clause as a jurisdiction for removing religious practices in public schools. Due to the United States’ Supreme Court reviewing religious cases, on average, more than once a year since 1962, the Establishment Clause and Free exercise Clause have taken on a whole new meaning in public schools. Now, the two clauses are disjoined. The Establishment Clause has become the more favored one of the two, compared to the Free Exercise Clause, which is almost obsolete. Today, studentsShow MoreRelatedBill Of Rights : An Important Part Of American History943 Words   |  4 PagesBill of Rights The Bill of Rights is an Extremely important part of American History. In the late 1700s the Bill of Rights was created to give Americans a basic set of freedoms. These freedoms have always been greatly valued by the American people ever since the Bill of Rights was created. The first amendment protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the freedom to petition the government. Freedom of religion allows people to choose who andRead MoreI Had A Dream Speech By Martin Luther King Jr.1684 Words   |  7 PagesAugust 28 of 1963, In Washington DC, near the Lincoln memorial, history was changed. On that very day, the most known social activist of that day, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his â€Å"I had a dream speech† In the duration of five minutes, he made history and changed society’s view upon those with a darker skin tone. On that day he changed many opinions and views, in the matter of five minutes. He proved that we, the American people have the power to change a nation through our words. Not only canRead MoreThe Bill Of Rights And The Amendment Of The Constitution962 Words   |  4 Pages1976, The Declaration of Independence was signed by Thomas Jefferson and included the Bill of ri ghts that provided us with Freedom (Schweikart, 2004). 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That being said, they knew that the regulations in the Constitution would need to be adjusted or expanded for the changing times. The Bill of Rights and the Amendments go hand in hand with one another but in some ways are different. The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments of the United States ConstitutionRead MoreThe Fifth Amendment and The Bill of Rights654 Words   |  3 Pageshe or she was doing in the area at the time of the murder, he or she has the right to remai n silent in order to protect him or herself from self-incrimination, a clause in the Fifth Amendment. The Fifth Amendment upholds the rights of United States citizens against government prosecution. Introduced to the Bill of Rights in 1789, the Fifth Amendment is a noteworthy amendment both during the past and in today’s world. The Fifth Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, was proposed byRead MoreThe United States of America is known to be the land of the free. 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