Walmart's Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans Essay

Walmart's Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans - Essay Example One of the main issues that had become the root of all problems was its core values of providing low prices always. Some of the strategies that the company had implemented into achieving these policies were called into question. One of the important objectives of implementing the strategy for change management was to revive the falling sales and get the company back on growth platform. One of the turnaround factors for wall mart that is going to lift it out of the stage that it is currently in is to grow leaders at all stage. To grow leaders at all stage of the organizations among both the managerial and non managerial workforce is to impart them adequate training. Since wall mart is a large multinational organization so to impart training at large scale will require adequate planning. The plan to grow leaders at all stage of the organization should be done step by step (Walmart Inc, 2006b). The plan should be first inducted as a training module for a single branch and then slowly spread into other branches at first in a country, then in a continent and then through all the continents. Before going into next step of the process the company must first ensure that the first step has been successful with clear and positive results. The company by utilizing its innovative CRM tools has huge pile of customer data that it has collected over the years. A simple strategy would be look into what has changed in the customers buying behavior. If the customers are moving towards other store why on earth are they doing so? The key is to analyze the key lacunas and fix them. One of the key areas where wall mart might be lacking as compared to its competitors is that in a drive to give its customers â€Å"Always low prices. Always† the company gives discriminatory wages to its employees. So the company suffers from low employee productivity as compared to many of its competitors (Cascio, 2006b). Costco produced $21,805 in operating profit per hourly employee. This is

Application of Tecnology in Nursing and Patient Eduation Research Paper

Application of Tecnology in Nursing and Patient Eduation - Research Paper Example Internet has been identified as an important resource in the breast cancer education program (Muhamad, Afshari and Mohamed, 2011). Ryhanen et al. (2010) carried a literature review to analyze the use of technology particularly; internet or interactive computer-based in patient education for breast cancer patients. This is because education programs for breast cancer patient are critical in intervention by empowering the patients. Although application of technology in education is considered as a popular alternative compared to the traditional methods, more research needs to be carried out to assess its effectiveness (Ryhanen et al., 2010). This paper will describe use of internet in breast cancer education program and explore situations when its use proves to be advantageous and disadvantageous. It will also explore the professional standards that must be adhered whenever using internet technology. Use of Computer-Based Education It is theorized that people remember 10 percent of wha t they see, 20 percent of what they hear and 50 percent of what they see and hear. However, people have an ability of retaining 80 percent of what they hear, see and do (Heiskell, 2010). Consequently, computer-based patient education program is considered as an approach which may help enhance health care. Despite its role in empowering the patients with the required information to take care of their health, patient education programs are usually time-consuming with physicians taking more than 25 percent of their time in giving patient instructions and counseling (Heiskell, 2010). Computer-based patient education programs are recommended given that they are patient focused, inexpensive, fast and effective (Muhamad, Afshari and Mohamed, 2011). Internet is one method used in breast cancer computer-based patient education given that it is considered as largest medical library and having over 1.5 billion users worldwide (Muhamad, Afshari and Mohamed, 2011). Internet is considered as an a ppropriate method of disseminating health information as it provides patients with immediacy, privacy, and a wide variety of information (Muhamad, Afshari and Mohamed, 2011). One of the most common diseases searched by patient and their families from the internet is cancer. According to Heiskell (2010), access of wide variety of information on breast cancer from the internet helps breast cancer patients to interact effectively and productively with their patients. Internet can help enhance the patient’s awareness on various conditions of the disease, understand how to diagnosis breast cancer and get information on its treatment. Moreover, internet helps patients to learn on living with cancer and allow patients to form social connections with others living with cancer. Internet use in disseminating information about breast cancer would only be advantageous in educating literate women and particularly those having access to internet. However, the procedure would not be effecti ve in educating illiterate women and those who do not have access to internet. According to Heiskell (2010), computer-based patient education supports the principle of just-in-time where learning happens only when a patient is willing to learn. He describes video-on-demand (VOD) as a computer-based patient education which incorporates computerized access system with the patients’ in-room television. The patient gives requests to the computer through the telephone for particular educational video to be displayed

Economic Practice Coursework Essay Example for Free

Economic Practice Coursework Essay My choice of article is the one relating to the oil crisis in Libya, and how it affects the economy of other countries. The article discusses the impacts of the oil cut of Libya, supplying it no more. It starts off by talking about the impact on shares and the price of oil barrels, which is the fastest and direct impact of the oil cut. As supply from Libya territory stops, supply to the entire world is crippled, as Libya is one of the countries that supply most worldwide used oil. As it stops supplying, it shifts the supply and demand graphs completely. In a short term, supply shifts to the left, as it is less. In doing so, for the same amount of oil, the price has gone to a higher figure. By doing that, the shares index of the western countries, such as European countries and the US have dropped, because of the adjustment via disposable income. That happens because of the effects of the shifting of the supply curve. As the price goes higher, the general public have less money to spend on the economy and firms, decreasing the firms profit, damaging that countries economy. Thats the reason for the index to go down, and thats an example of mid-term effects of the oil crisis. In the midterm effect, the demand for oil will decrease, as people will cut back on the oil, and look for alternative routes. On the long term, the demand for the cars will decrease, as people will not want to buy cars, and try to sell their cars. This will affect the economy drastically, as the car companies are a big part of that countries economy. The general public will search for alternative routes to travel, as oil prices are higher. The car companies will have to spend much more money on researching alternatives such as hybrids and electric cars which are starting to appear. The public transport system will benefit from this situation, as more people would want to travel via train or bus, as it is much cheaper and faster. The government would get more money from this, so it would improve as much. The oil companies would want to drill and search for oil in more remote areas, causing more deforestation, and much more money spending by the companies and time. Thus some small oil companies will be closed down due to the high demand of oil, as they cant compete with the oil monopolies. The oil monopolies will also be affected, as some major companies oil supply relies a lot on Libyas supply. Regarding the oil companies, they had to pull out staff from troubled countries, not only Libya, but other countries that are getting affected by that state, and are choosing to cut off supply as well, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. As they do this, the productivity drops to zero in those countries, and there is a high chance of the companies losing contact with their oil. The unrest in Libya may affect the Saudi Arabia, and that concern is affecting a huge majority of stock holders and companies, specified before, changing the stock markets, especially the European and Asia. Relating to airlines, as the supply and demand graphs change, the oil supply for airplanes gets crippled, so more money has to be spent to get the same amount of oil, making the costs bigger, resulting in a bigger price for the customer for the same flight compared to before the whole situation. There is also a chance of investors backing out from the airline business, resulting in smaller profits for the companies and much more monetary issues.

Surface Tension of Deionized Water | Experiment

Surface Tension of Deionized Water | Experiment Abstract Surface tension of deionized water was measured across a range of 0 ml to 4.8 ml of two different compounds by dropping a solute onto a penny until the surface tension was broken. The uncertainty in the measurements varied between 0.02 0.11 for granulated sugar and 0.6 0.14 for table salt. Reference tables and charts were developed using the experimental data. Introduction Water is very important to all biological systems on Earth and is one of the more unique molecules. Without it life on Earth, or possibly on other planets, could not exist. The molecular structure of water is what makes it so unique. Water is a polar covalent molecule meaning that one part of the molecule can have a positive charge and the other part a negative charge. Because water is a partially polar molecule it possesses many important biological characteristics that make it crucial to creating and maintaining life on Earth. (Conway, A, et al.) The partial polarity of water is important as it allows soluble polar molecules and ionic compounds to dissolve in it, such as sugar and salt. This allows fundamental biological reactions to occur which are crucial to life. Another important characteristic of water is hydrogen bonding. This is a weak bond that forms between hydrogen atoms and other nearby atoms. This bond is established between the negatively charged oxygen atom of a water molecule and the positively charged hydrogen atoms of another nearby water molecule. (Conway, A, et al.) Hydrogen bonds also display two other characteristics which are cohesion and surface tension. Surface tension is defined as the expression of the resistance which liquids show in response to an increase in their surface area. This is caused by the strong attraction of molecules of the same kind in the surface layer of the liquid which is called cohesion. Cohesion causes the liquid to behave as if it were covered in a thin membrane under tension. This is a result of the molecules in the interior of the liquid interacting equally with molecules from all sides, while oxygen molecules at the surface of the liquid are only affected by the molecules below it. The stronger surface bonds generate a net inward force, pulling the surface molecules toward the middle of a droplet of liquid which causes the molecules to resist being pulled apart. (University of Hawaii) As gravity presses down on a droplet of liquid, the cohesive forces inside the liquid are stronger than the force of gravity within the small surface area which allows the droplet to hold its shape. As more droplets are added to the surface area the more molecules are added and the larger the droplets surface area becomes. As the size of the surface area increases, the amount of force that gravity exerts on the surface of the droplet also increases. As more molecules are added to the droplet, the cohesive forces inside the liquid will struggle to hold its shape. The force of gravity will eventually overpower the cohesive forces within the liquid and the droplet will break. Apparatus/Method/Procedure For this experiment the following apparatuses and compounds were used: Deionized water at room temperature Granulated sugar Table salt One penny One 1.0 ml syringe Plastic cups Toothpicks Paper towels About 30 ml of deionized water was added to 5 plastic cups and numbered 1 through 5. In the first cup the deionized water was left just as it is. In the second through the fifth cups, granulated sugar was added in multiples of about 1.2 ml. The sugar mixture in each cup was swirled and mixed with a toothpick until fully dissolved. One further cup filled with about 100 ml of deionized water was also used for rinsing the syringe. Cup Number Deionized Water Granulated Sugar Added (multiples of about 1.2 ml) 1 30 ml 0 2 30 ml 1 3 30 ml 2 4 30 ml 3 5 30 ml 4 One newer looking penny was washed thoroughly with hot water, dried completely with a paper towel and placed on a flat work surface. The syringe was then filled completely to the 1.0 ml line using the first cup of deionized water. The water was then released from the syringe onto the surface of the penny drop by drop until the surface tension broke and the water spilled over the side of the penny. The amount of liquid used right up until the surface tension broke was then recorded for each cup. The amount of times the syringe needed to be filled for each cup was also recorded. This was then repeated five times for each cup with increasing amounts of granulated sugar. The penny was rinsed in hot water between each cup. The syringe was also rinsed out between each cup from the extra cup of deionized water. The same side of the penny was used throughout the experiment to ensure continuity. The entire experiment was then carried out again using increasing multiples of table salt. Results and Discussion   Ã‚   Granulated Sugar Just Water 1.2 ml 2.4 ml 3.6 ml 4.8 ml No. Times Syringe Filled Cup 1 1.52 1.65 1.66 1.45 1.45 2 Cup 2 1.55 1.62 1.65 1.5 1.52 2 Cup 3 1.57 1.67 1.61 1.5 1.45 2 Cup 4 1.59 1.59 1.5 1.4 1.42 2 Cup 5 1.3 1.66 1.55 1.41 1.45 2 7.53 8.19 7.97 7.26 7.27 /5 1.51 1.64 1.59 1.54 1.45 0.11 0.09 0.06 0.04 0.02 Table 1: Results of granulated sugar experiment. The values of each set of cups were added together to get the mean or . The sum was then divided by 5, which is the number of tests that were conducted from each cup, to get an average number for each set of tests. In example: Just water-granulated sugar experiment- 1.52 1.55 1.57 1.59 1.30 /5 = 1.506 1.51 squared was then subtracted from each cup result- 1.52 (1.51 = 0.0001 1.55 (1.51   = 0.0016 1.57 (1.51   = 0.0036 1.59 (1.51   = 0.0064 1.30 (1.51   = 0.0441 The square root of sum over 4 was then done to get the standard deviation or ÏÆ'. So: This was then repeated for all cups with the results listed on tables 1 and 2. Table Salt Just Water 1.2 ml 2.4 ml 3.6 ml 4.8 ml No. Times Syringe Filled Cup 1 1.51 1.5 1.37 1.3 1.4 2 Cup 2 1.75 1.46 1.39 1.2 1.45 2 Cup 3 1.43 1.25 1.3 1.24 1.35 2 Cup 4 1.67 1.45 1.43 1.35 1.3 2 Cup 5 1.43 1.45 1.27 1.35 1.25 2 7.79 7.15 6.76 6.44 6.75 /5 1.59 1.43 1.35 1.29 1.35 0.14 0.1 0.06 0.06 0.07 Table 2: Results of table salt experiment. The pooled sample variance was then taken for both the granulated sugar and the table salt. First all the squared readings were added together and then divided by 24 Granulated Sugar: Table salt: The sum was then square rooted to get the pooled standard deviation. Pooled Standard Error: Pooled T Statistic: Granulated Sugar:   Table salt: Graph 1: Results of granulated sugar experiment. Graph 2: Results of table salt experiment. 1. What effect(s) are the solutes having on the surface tension of water? The surface tension results for the granulated sugar experiment varied depending on how much sugar was in each cup. Interestingly the highest surface tension results were from cups 2 and 3. The higher surface tension of the sugar may result from how well the sugar was dissolved in the water as it was much harder to dissolve than the table salt. As expected, the table salt results in each cup showed a slight decrease in the surface tension of the water compared with the plain distilled water. 2. Are your findings consistent and reproducible? A consistent water temperature was maintained throughout the experiment as well as using the same penny and the same side of the penny. Results were slightly inconsistent from the same cup but this could be attributed to how far away I was holding the syringe from the penny and how fast I was dropping the water. The inconsistencies were very minimal and the results can be reproduced inside the margin of error. 3. Can you explain the scientific basis for any effects observed? Depending on the compound added to the water it will either, cause a lower surface tension by depleting the surface molecules at the water air interface, or make the bonds stronger by pulling more molecules toward the middle of the droplet which increases the water air interface. As the sugar was harder to dissolve in the water, the solute concentrated more on the surface thereby making the bonds stronger. The negative result from the salt can be attributed to the salt staying in the solute rather than concentrating on the surface. 4. Are there alternative explanations? None that I can find. 5. Does the chemical nature of the solute matter? Some liquids have stronger cohesive forces than others. Water molecules have some of the strongest cohesive forces due to being a polar covalent molecule. The stronger the cohesive bonds are inside the liquid, the larger a droplet will be able to grow before it is overcome by the force of gravity. 6. Do your results agree with the same or similar measurements that you might find in the literature? The results of this experiment came out as expected according the literature in provided to us as well as in the citations; both with the varied results of the granulated sugar and the generally descending results of the table salt. 7. Are there any sources of inaccuracy or potential flaws in the methodology used? Can you suggest modifications to the experimental protocol in the light of your evaluations? How far away the syringe was held from the penny as well as how fast the drops were let either increased or decreased the surface tension. How well the penny was cleaned in between each test could also affect the surface tension. To improve the results a drop counter could be used which precisely controls the amount of liquid in each drop as well as the time between drops. 8. Link your work to the concepts introduced in the introductory passage of this experimental brief. Think about how the results might have relevance to the initial formation of life, and reflect on how they relate to the module materials in Sections 1 to 6. ie discuss the experiment in the context of Astrobiology. Water is crucial to the formation of life on Earth as its able to dissolve many common substances making known as the universal solvent. This is important as reactants must be dissolved in water for most biological reactions to occur. The hydrogen bonds formed by water are also important as they can be found in the DNA of many living organisms as it helps to keep the DNA chains together. The high surface tension of water and its cohesive properties of water allow trees and plants to pull water up from their roots to their leaves. This same process is also essential for blood transport in animals. For life to form on other planets it can be assumed that it will need a solvent like water to enable chemical reactions and to transport materials. (Conway, A, et al.) Conclusion Overall the experiment succeeded in showing that the strength of a cohesive bond inside the solute is dependent upon which compound is dissolved in it. It also showed that the cohesive bond in the surface tension of the solvent is also effected by how much of the compound was dissolved in the solute. Differences existed in the experimental data of the granulated sugar and the table salt, however, these can be accounted for by experimental error. Bibliography   Ã‚   Conway, A, et al. 2003. Origin of Life. 2003. In: Rothery, Gilmour and Sephton (eds). An Introduction to Astrobiology. pp. 3-15, 8-10. Cambridge University Press. University of Hawaii. 2017. Types of Covalent Bonds: Polar and Nonpolar. [ONLINE] Available at: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/?q=chemical/properties-water/types-covalent-bonds-polar-and-nonpolar. [Accessed 27 February 2017]. Shakhashiri . 2011. Water. [ONLINE] Available at: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/CHEMWEEK/PDF/COW-Water-Jan2011.pdf. [Accessed 27 February 2017].

“Sonny’s Blues “ - Follow Your Dreams Essay -- Literature Review

The story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues â€Å"is about two brothers that deal with racism. In dealing with their issues they both suffer and survive in their family and community. Their stories are a strong impact on their character and how they deal with their pain. Sonny chooses a more damaging means of racism, such as drug addiction to heroin; although, he does find a better choice music! The older brother, the narrator, James Baldwin, goes to college to become a teacher, and give back to his community in Harlem. The narrator rises above the suffering and difficulties of trying to fit into the white society. Sonny and the narrator find different means in dealing with their racism.Eventhough, both brothers take different routes in their lives, and they feel at the end be true to yourself, Follow your Dreams! Sonny tries to escape racism with his music, but his brother feels he needs a better means in providing for himself (99).He tries to get his point across to James ‘he replies that there’s no way not to suffer isn’t better than just to take it. (105) Sonny searches to find ways versus using drugs; he even goes into the service. He struggles with his suffering difficulties, and tries to escape from the ghetto, but drugs seem to be how he fits in his troubled society, so he becomes one of the society. His realistic method to his pain and suffering is dealing and using heroin; therefore, he ends up in jail. During his incarceration he begins working on his music, so when he gets out he has a career. During the time in prison, blues seems to be the music he can relate to, and it helps with his pain and suffering. Sonny realizes that music has a much better impact of his life versus his heroin addiction.Music has alwa... ...the civil rights movement. This story has different aspects of the brothers’ lives and how they chose to cope with racism. The story also tells us how both brothers resolve their racism issues and have a relationship again. Sonny struggles in the beginning with his racism, he quits school, joins the service, gets mixed up with drugs, spends time in prison, and then finally he finds his outlet with music. He feels blues represent common black American ways in their suffering and the problems they have in the white society. Unlike Sonny though, James takes a quieter way to live in a racist world and that was his teaching. Music is what finally brings the brothers closer together, and helps them cope with racism during that period. Both brothers feel no matter what struggles we endure though life, always be true to yourself and follow your dreams. Word Count: 1009

NAT TURNER Essay -- essays research papers

Nat Turner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early in the morning of August 22,1831, a band of black slaves, led by a lay preacher named Nat Turner, entered the Travis house in Southampton County, Virginia and killed five members of the Travis family. This was the beginning of a slave uprising that was to become known as Nat Turner’s rebellion. Over a thirty-six hour period, this band of slaves grew sixty or seventy in number and slew fifty-eight white persons in and around Jerusalem, Virginia (seventy miles east of Richmond) before the local community could act to stop them. This rebellion raised southern fears of a general slave uprising and had a profound influence on the attitude of Southerners towards slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nat Turner was born a slave in Virginia in 1800, owned by a southern man, named Ben Turner. It was common during this time for the slave to be given the last name of their owner. In this relatively easygoing atmosphere at this particular plantation, Nat was allowed to learn to read and write. growing up, Nat played with his owners’ son until the age of twelve. He was then put to work as a field hand. He believed that that God had chosen him to lead the blacks to freedom. After seeing a halo around the sun on August 13, 1831, Turner believed this to be a sign from god to begin the revolt. Beginning on August 22 and lasting for two days, Turner and seventy recruits went on a rampage. They killed Turner’s master and fifty-eight more men,...

Mcdonald’s 4ps

Company and Product Background McDonald’s is one of the best known brands worldwide. McDonald's first made its way to Malaysia in December 1980 when McDonald's Corporation of USA issued the exclusive license to GOLDEN ARCHES RESTAURANTS SDN BHD or commonly known as McDonald’s Malaysia to operate McDonald's restaurants in Malaysia. The entry of McDonald’s into Malaysia is through a Joint Venture agreement with Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd. McDonald’s Corporation of USA holds 49% equity. The remaining equity is held by local partners: 26% is held by Tan Sri Vincent Tan and 25% by Mohamed Shah Bin Tan Sri Abdul Kadir.At the helm of Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd is Mohamed Shah Bin Tan Sri Abdul Kadir, the Managing Director / Joint Venture Partner. He took over the reins from Tan Sri Vincent Tan in 1987. Malaysian got their first taste of McDonald's when McDonald's Malaysia opened its first restaurant at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur on 29 April 1 982. This restaurant is still in operation today and has undergone four renovations to maintain and keep with the changing trends. To date, Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd operates 194 restaurants located nationwide including Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei.McDonald’s Malaysia is currently expanding at an annual rate of approximately 10 to 20 restaurants. McDonald's has created many job opportunities in Malaysia. McDonald's Malaysia employs more than 8,000 local people with 120 support staff at its headquarters managing the day-to-day operations of the McDonald's business. There is also a regional office in Penang and Johor Bahru. McDonald's business actually began in 1940, with a restaurant opened by siblings Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California.Their introduction of the â€Å"Speedee Service System† in 1948 established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. The present corporation dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15, 1955, the ninth McDonald's restaurant overall. Kroc later purchased the McDonald brothers' equity in the company and led its worldwide expansion. McDonald’s grew into the largest restaurant organisation in the world. Today, there are more than 30,000 McDonald’s restaurants serving 47 million customers each day in over 100 countries.Ray Kroc died in 1984 but his legacy is very much alive. With the successful expansion of McDonald's into many international markets, the company has become a symbol of globalization and the spread of the American way of life. Product Product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need. Product includes certain aspects such as variety, quality, design, features, brand name, packaging and services. These product attributes can be manipulated depending on what the target market wants.McDonald’s predominantly sells hamburgers, various types of chicken sandwiches and products: French fries, soft drinks, breakfast items, and desserts. Each country implements the core McDonald’s menu: hamburger, cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, and french fries. McDonald’s has intentionally kept its product depth and product width limited. McDonald’s studied the behaviour of the Malaysian customer and provided a totally different menu as compared to its International offering. Being a Muslim-majority country, all McDonald’s in Malaysia are certified Halal.Thus, pork products are not offered in McDonald’s Malaysia to satisfy Halal certification requirements. McDonalds continuously innovates its products according to the changing preferences and tastes of its customers. The recent example is the introduction of the Grilled Chicken Burger (GCB) and Prosperity Burger. Food quality is the key at McDonald's. This means that McDonald’s take pride in the foods to serve for cu stomers. McDonald’s seeks out fresh lettuce and tomatoes, quality buns and potatoes, pure ground beef, select poultry, fish and wholesome dairy product.The potatoes are specially blanched and processed so that maximum nutrients are retained. Besides, upon arrival at the plant in Malaysia, the fish blocks are stored in a temperature-controlled environment to maintain their freshness. Freshly shredded lettuce, slivered onions and pickles are used in all burgers. Thus, McDonald’s has implemented rigorous food safety standards and established high food safety standards. So, there is nutrition information provided on web site for consumers and the aims of this information as regards quality product and menu selection.In the 21st century, McDonald’s have continued to design and introduce new products and indeed new part menus, such as breakfast. The reasons that McDonald’s might have in introducing these products to satisfied their consumer’s needs and c ompany strategies. The design of paper bag used by McDonald’s is made from grease resistant grass paper and pulp paper. The grease paper lines the interior, which allows for a grease less and environmentally friendly breakfast, lunch and dinner of McDonald’s sets. Next, McDonald's is one of the most popular fast food restaurants whether domestic or abroad.The feature of McDonald’s is McDonald's thrives on the term â€Å"fast food† and offers a full menu 24 hours a day in some locations. For breakfast, the menu is filled with items like the Egg McMuffin, Sausage McMuffin with Egg, Egg McMuffin, Hotcakes, Hotcakes with Sausage and so on. For lunch, the menu is filled with McValue Lunch which offers from every Monday to Friday from 12 noon to 3 pm. McDonald's uses packaging to ensure their food is fresh, hot, convenient and safe. The vast majority of McDonald’s is enjoyed without the use of cutlery.Yet when menu items do require cutlery, McDonald†™s will provide plastic cutlery to customers. The cups that are used for McDonald's beverages are made from paper and have a coating to meet quality and food safety standards. This aim is to make sure that as much of McDonald packaging as possible is made from renewable resources. All McDonald bags, tray liners and cup carriers are made from 100 percent recycled paper. Packaging for hot foods such as Hamburgers, French Fries, Chicken McNuggets and Apple Pies, is made from 72 percent recycled paper.The delivery packaging used for all buns, muffins, milkshake and sundae mix are returned to suppliers for reuse. This avoids the use of significant amounts of cardboard. All McDonald’s packaging carries an anti-littering symbol to actively encourage their customers to dispose of their litter responsibly. By replacing McDonald’s plastic salad containers with a paper card base they have reduced by nearly 69 tones the amount of plastic. McDonald’s provides service with convenience, cleanliness, delicious food and friendly service to their customers.With free Wi-Fi, customers can access the Internet at no charge for customers who dine in McDonald’s. Thus, customers may enjoy foods but also searching information on internet. Besides, McDonald’s provides also an indoor and outdoor birthday party for those who wish to have a fun celebration on their birthday. Most of the McDonald’s restaurant provides 24 hours McDelivery service to satisfied customer needs. In addition, when several companies market a similar product, it is important that the brand name to be clearly seen on the packaging and easily recognizable.McDonald has been put effort into making their brand name, logo, and packaging different style compared to their competitor. Therefore, McDonald menu item are different compared to Burger King’s, because McDonald have their specific Menu which provide McValue Lunch, Happy Meal, breakfast and so on. Such tactics are usually easy to recognize, and even if a customer is fooled once, it isn’t likely to happen a second time. Promotion A promotion mix is any form of communication a business or organization uses to inform, persuade, or remind people about its products.Promotion mix consists of advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations. Using these tools, McDonald’s looks to localise its marketing communications strategy as it needs to consider the enormous range of cultural and other differences that it would be faced with in each country. It would be naive to ignore the various local markets and the factors which may affect the performance of its product in them. It also needs to analyse consumers’ attitudes towards its product, usage patterns and ethnic, moral and religious considerations in that environment.Although the idea is to promote McDonald’s as a global image, McDonald’s focuses on the needs of the communities they are entering. In a communication context, the maxim â€Å"brand globally, advertise locally† is the McDonald’s promotional strategy. There are three main objectives of advertising for McDonald’s are to make people aware of an item, feel positive about it and remember it. The right message has to be communicated to the right audience through the right media. McDonald’s advertising is conducted on television, radio, in cinema, online, using poster sites and in press.Television advertisement for the new Prosperity Burger for example explained the new choices and attempted to generate excitement for the product in conjunction with Chinese New Year. This may be supported by in store promotions to get people to try the product and a collectable promotional device to encourage them to keep buying the item. In press for example business magazines, television news reports, and newspaper articles provided free media coverage of the product launch and it became a significant news story.The media gave McDonald’s franchise owners and corporate executives an opportunity to explain the reasoning behind the menu addition and to reassure their customers that McDonald’s was still in the hamburger business. In September 2003, McDonald's introduced † I'm lovin' it † as its first global advertising theme. Besides that, the advertisement capture the fun, youthful spirit and high energy that is the essence of the McDonald’s brand as well as the ba-da-ba-ba-baâ„ ¢ audio trademark that has become recognized around the world. McDonald’s also ties in with sponsors. McDonald’s sponsors a vast array of sports.Like example, during the summer 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, McDonald’s was a cooperate sponsors. McDonald’s outlets offer its customers with various forms of incentives to buy its products. Using McDonald’s discount voucher or coupons that one can acquire after spending a partic ular amount over a period of fixed time, customers can enjoy the benefits of free meals or free add-ons. Additionally, they provide meal vouchers and exciting offers in their print ads, which the customer must cut and bring along when purchase it. Sales promotion efforts in McDonald’s involved free samples, launch parties, and store banners.Today, McDonald’s patrons can enjoy close to 30% savings for selected products from its McValue Meal line-up between noon and 3pm everyday at almost all McDonald’s restaurants nationwide. In conjunction of the month of Ramadan, McDonald’s extended the time of McValue Lunch, normally is 12p. m-3p. m to 6p. m-9p. m. Extended period is to consider for the Muslims who fast during Ramadan and let them to have their dinner to break the day’s fast. The McDonald name the extend McValue Lunch called McValue Buka Puasa. Public Relations are also an important part of the McDonald's marketing strategy.The restaurant employe es play a huge role in interacting with the public. On a day-to-day basis the employees commit themselves to customers and the customers' feelings toward the brand. McDonald's feels that before they communicate with their customers they need to be aware of what their competitors are communicating, so they can create a beneficial difference between themselves and the competitors. McDonald’s main idea of campaign is to connect with consumer all around the world. Some of the most famous marketing campaigns of McDonald’s are â€Å"You deserve a break today’, â€Å"Food, Folks and Fun†, â€Å"I’m Lovin’ It† and so on.McDonald’s concentrates to help seek solutions for the problems facing children and families today. In Malaysia, the cornerstone of McDonald’s community relations programme is the Ronald McDonald House Charities Malaysia (RMHC Malaysia). It was established as a non-profit organization with the mission to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of Malaysian Children through health, education, and welfare. McDonald’s Malaysia supports all administration and management costs, thus enabling RMHC Malaysia to use 100% of all donations received to assist Malaysian children in need.RMHC Malaysia Coin Boxes are placed in every McDonald’s Malaysia restaurants to help raise funds for the organization. Every member of McDonald’s Malaysia is also involved in many local events in support of RMHC Malaysia. Price The customer’s perception of value is an important determinant of the price charged. Customers draw their own mental picture of what a product is worth. A product is more than a physical item, it also has psychological connotations for the customer. Price is the only marketing mix variable that can be altered quickly.Price variables such as dealer price, retail price, discounts, allowances, and credit terms influence the devel opment of marketing strategy, as price is a major factor that influences the assessment of value obtained by customer. 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 has a unique pricing strategy that falls solely on their many product lines. Their Value Meals fall into the category of Product Line Pricing, where there is a range of product or services the pricing reflect the benefits of parts of the range. For example, you can order a Double Cheeseburger Value meal that comes with a medium drink and fries for around RM9. 50. You can Upsize this meal to get a large drink and large fries for a little more money or you can go with another value meal that might include different items for different price.The value pricing approach is used where external factors such as recession or increased competition force companies to provide ‘value’ products and services to retain sales. The most notable and recent example of this is McDonald’s McValue Meal. The McValue Meal was created because McDonald’s recognized that the economy was in a decline and that their competition was getting fiercer. The McValue Meal satisfies the current decreasing economy and has increased the pressure towards competitors. The introduction to the McValue Meal is by far the most economical product line that McDonald has ever offered.You can get a number of products off of their menu for a few ringgits. It is efficient and practical. Geographical pricing is evident where there are variations in price in different parts of the world, country or state. For example rarity value, or where shipping cos ts increase price. In McDonald’s Malaysia, the price differs in East Malaysia, Langkawi, Genting Highland, KLIA, and LCC Terminal. If a market is close to perfect, in other words there is a lot of competition, this means that the participants are price takers and have no influence over the price.In the case of McDonalds, if they raise their price above the market price then the consumer will simply take their business elsewhere as they can get the same product cheaper. Therefore McDonalds could concentrate their marketing on distinguishing their product from their competitors to make the consumer think that their competitors’ product is not as good. Alternatively they could reduce their price and compete that way instead. However sometimes price can act as a market indicator, that is if McDonalds burgers are cheaper than other burgers people might think they are poor quality and still buy from the competition. This branding means that the market is not perfect). So McD onalds would still need to aim their marketing at convincing the consumer that their product is good quality. McDonald's is one of the first and most sort after in the fast food business and millions around the globe, especially the food lovers are passionate about it. McDonald's offers discounts to its regular shoppers as a promotional strategy and along with that it is more cost-effective than dining at restaurants with waiters. Thus it helps in saving money which many consumers are concerned about when all the want is to fill up their appetite.People can cut down their expenses because of the discounts offered. This is the reason for its growing popularity. Purchasers prefer burgers, fries and drinks when it comes with a better price discount availed through coupons. Discounts make the demand go higher and in buying more they save even more. McDonald's coupons are sometimes given completely free. One can get them easily at any McDonald's eatery without any money. The staff is inf ormed about the discounts and can certainly give all the necessary details. Staffs are deliberately placed at shopping malls to give out these coupons, to areas where most people pass through.Online websites are launched to provide the McDonald's chits, letting one print the coupons out. Some use the internet and it is seen that many people are fond of these McDonald coupon websites. Loads of websites post their printable chits offering discount on food products at McDonald's and also inform about the coupons and lists regularly. The most important reason for McDonald’s pricing flexibility is its well-established supply chain arrangement, which ensures efficiency and speed in distribution. Besides, huge increases in volume sales and food processing technology have been helping the company to offset its cost.Place In the marketing mix of McDonald’s, the place is not just about the physical location or distribution points for products. It encompasses the management of a range of processes involved in bringing products to the end consumer. Place mix includes physical distribution, storage, inventory management, and channel selection. McDonalds is currently has over 33, 000 restaurant in 123 countries across the world. According to McDonald’s Malaysia website, there are 194 McDonald’s restaurants located nationwide. McDonald’s focuses on store placement and is always looking for the best locations.This strategy created some weaknesses 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. Most McDonald’s restaurants are small spaces, especially behind the counter in the food preparation area. These areas are designed for efficiency where the equipment is placed together to cut down on wasted movement and energy. The place mainly consists of the distribution channels.It is important so that the product is available to the customer at the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity. There is a certain degree of fun and happiness that a customer feels each time he dines in McDonalds. There are certain value propositions that McDonalds offers to its customers based on their needs. McDonalds offers hygienic environment, good ambience and great service. Now McDonalds have also started giving internet facilities at their centre and they have been playing music through radio instead of the normal music.There are certain dedicated areas for children where they can play while their parents can have some quality time together. In addition to its tradition rivals such as Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut, the firm encounters new challenges. Burger King competes using a back to basics approach of quickly serving up burgers for time-pressed consumers. On the higher end, the KFC has become potent competitor in t he quick service field, taking away customers from McDonalds’s. Perhaps in the new environment, fast, convenient service is no longer enough to distinguish the irm. At this time, a new critical success factor may be emerging: the need to create a rich and satisfying experience for consumers. This brings us to service and experience based competition which McDonald’s can use for competitive advantage against Burger King. Keeping in mind the demographics of the area, with urban professional class getting bigger and bigger, McDonalds also begin to adapt by offering more elegant looks in its layout design, offering special seating and Wi-Fi access to tech-savvy consumers who eat in the outlet.It is for this overall â€Å"Food, Fun ; Folks† experience that customers pay a premium over the other competitors. McDonalds stress importance to meet customer’s expectation especially in term of time of delivery. In order to ensure fast delivery is through â€Å"Drive Thru† concept where customers can place order by driving through the counter with their car. This can save time from parking and waiting long queue for those who just want to take away the food. Customer‘s expectation is to able to get what they needs right on time at any place in convenience way and McDonalds is morphing from just a fast food restaurant to value service provider.It is getting itself closer to the customer’s base so it can serve them better. For example fast ordering system like McDelivery will not only increase McDonald’s business opportunities to those who are reluctant to travel to its physical outlet but also will delight the customers with the fast response. This is the efforts by McDonalds to serve the hunger and needs of consumers anywhere, anytime whether it is rain or shine and day or night. In Malaysia, McDonalds started 24 hours concept in 2006 with 72 selected outlets or drive thru station that operate on 24 hours basis.Logisti cs is the integration of the activities that procure materials, transform them into intermediate goods and final products through manufacturing and assembly, and deliver them to customers. For a firm as large as McDonald’s logistics is an area where proper planning results in increased efficiency. Purchasing is the most costly activity in most firms. Purchasing provides a major opportunity for management to reduce costs and increase contribution margins. Because the cost and quality of goods sold is directly related to the cost and quality of goods purchased, McDonald's must examine a number of strategies for effective purchasing.Because of the perishable nature of food, a system of just-in-time ordering and delivery is most effective for the company. For such a system to work, solid ties must be forged with a lot of suppliers. Ordering huge quantities of beef, chicken, and vegetables and expecting them to arrive at the shortest possible time requires coordination with capabl e suppliers. The company stands to gain the most with improvements in production – the actual preparation of food. Raw agricultural materials arriving at its commissary must be turned into buns, hamburger patties, french fries and McNuggets with minimal waste.It must then carry over this practice of efficiency into its outlets. Conclusion Marketing mix is the combination of four elements, called the four P’s (Product, Price, Promotion, and Place), that every company has the option of adding, subtracting, or modifying in order to create a desired marketing strategy. McDonald’s marketing mix is strategic because of the diverse approaches that are used. First, in identifying the four P’s of marketing, McDonald’s is very careful in making decisions that affect each area or how each area affects the other.McDonald’s is concerned about how the firm will fulfil the needs and wants of its customers and in the activities associated with maintain the relationships with its stakeholders. McDonald’s stakeholders include customers, franchisees, suppliers, employees, and the local communities surrounding them. McDonald’s has shown care for customers through the decisions to add more healthful foods to the menus, by changing how products are packaged or how foods are prepared, and by philanthropic contributions and sponsorships.Local adaptation, no doubt, has contributed to McDonald’s business growth in Malaysia. The restaurant has developed competitive advantages in the industry of serving quality fast food as low as cost. In addition to these decisions, the development of the Golden Arches or Ronald McDonald has provided consumers with memorable icons that are associated with quality, service, and value. McDonald’s faces some difficult challenges in moving away from the fast food king to a more conscious provider for customers who care about what they at. The keys to its future success will be maintainin g its core strengths, an unwavering focus on quality and consistency while carefully experimenting with new options. The company’s environment efforts, while important, should not overshadow its marketing initiatives. Though there are many opportunities for this fast food giant, McDonald’s must keep the strategic nature of its marketing efforts to stay on top and provide what customers want. McDonald’s uses market research information to build a marketing strategy.All parts of its organisation then have to work together to ensure that the strategy reaches its objectives. Once the marketing strategy is in place, various responsibilities are given to different individuals so that the plan can be implemented. Systems are put in place to obtain market feedback which measure success against short-term targets. McDonald’s has to ensure that this is done within the confines of a tightly controlled, finite marketing budget. Thus, the four P’s of marketing provide a good starting point for consideration of the requirements of strategy implementation in the marketing function.