Changing Ethical Perspectives-McDonald’s Essay Example for Free

Changing Ethical Perspectives-McDonald’s Essay When Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first barbecue restaurant in 1940, it is doubtful they realized the impact their company name would have upon the world of business and food service. A few years after they opened their restaurant, they closed to renovate, rethink their business strategy, and presented a simple drive-in restaurant with a small menu to allow the brothers to focus not on providing diversity and choices, but quality within their service and products (â€Å"Our History-1940†, n.d.). It may have been the simplicity of the operation, or the high level of dedication to service that attracted the attention of restaurant equipment salesman Ray Croc. In 1954, Ray Croc visited their only establishment in San Bernadino, California and learned they had an interest in building a franchise around their existing business configuration. Ray Croc and the McDonald’s brothers agree on their first franchise plan and set out to build more locations. Kroc opens his first franchise location in Des Plaines, Ill. on April 15, 1955. By 1965, there would be more than 700 McDonald’s restaurants throughout the United States (â€Å"Our History-1955†, n.d.). As McDonald’s expanded outward, their community responsibilities inherently would increase. Through the period of the fifties and sixties, community and social responsibilities were simple; keep a clean restaurant, set reasonable prices (hamburgers were 15 cents), and concentrate on service. At the outset, it would appear the ethical perspective would be one close to utilitarianism (what will the most people like), with little emphasis on deontology or virtue theory. As McDonald’s moved into the seventies leading them on a voyage around the world, these responsibilities and perspectives would have to adapt and change rapidly to accommodate cultural changes and needs. Changes in Ethical Perspective as a Result of Globalization In 1967, the first McDonald’s restaurants opened in Canada and Puerto Rico. During this time of expansion, the McDonald’s line was fully developed into a restaurant that can be recognized with its signature golden arches and bright red and white colorations of the building. The menu also presented an unwavering selection of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, soda pop, and French fries. As McDonald’s expanded globally, it did so carrying the same rigid elements of marketing and selection that was originally offered at the start. Global expansion was going well, but cultural adaptation and ethical considerations are still several years away. The first sign from McDonald’s regarding ethics or a reaction to corporate social responsibility did not happen from their global expansion. In 1973, McDonald’s opened the first Ronald McDonald House in response to aid ailing children from Leukemia. From here, social responsibility for McDonald’s become apparent, but at a very slow pace (â€Å"Our History-1973†, n.d.). Cultural Issues within the Global Organization Amidst the seventies and moving into the eighties, environmental and ethical perspectives became more important. McDonald’s however, did not become a leader in globalization as well as ethical considerations. Because of the rigidity of their plant operation and offerings, they slowly were becoming an icon for unchanging American standards and unhealthy diet standards. In a weak attempt to stay strong and fresh, McDonald’s began increasing their menu from the simple hamburger and cheeseburger to include also specialty breakfast items and a larger dinner menu. They still failed however to change their image from canned and greasy fast food. The ethical rigidity of McDonald’s failing to change their menu items would continue well into 1987 before the first fresh salad entrees would finally allow them to slowly break their crusty perspective of ‘factory-made’ food (â€Å"Our History-1987†, n.d.). McDonald’s and the World-An Ethical Perspective Through the nineties and into the 21st century, a new form of consumer was emerging. This new creed of shopping known as ‘ethical consumerism’ focuses in on supporting companies that have a proven track record of healthy and environmentally supportive business practices. Even with menu enhancements and slight menu changes within the different cultural areas McDonald’s had entered, this is an area they had not yet championed (York, 2006). In order to survive, corporate leadership knew they had a very steep challenge to face. In small steps, McDonald’s slowly turned their behemoth juggernaut of food service into becoming more environmentally conscious and ‘green’. They took on challenges from large organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to change their beef and chicken production (Beef magazine, 2005). As the critics emerged, McDonald’s faced charges of unhealthy menu’s and unsound environmental practices. McDonald’s had to make a decision-keep with their out of date business plan and face ruin in the age of environmentally conscious companies, or find ways to introduce the needed changes into their organization. The process was slow, but over time, McDonald’s found by making necessary changes to their organization, they were able to slowly gain back a market share of followers who recognizing their ethical and environmental changes, were once again willing to support their cause. The result was a healthier menu, diet and nutritional guides, and even environmentally sound coffee and cups could be found within the walls of a typical McDonald’s restaurant around the world (York, 2006). According to Reynolds (2011), McDonald’s even prominently publicized their new image efforts through a new and fresh series of television advertising â€Å"†¦to focus on McDonald’s community and environmental initiatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Modern Cross-Cultural Perspective for McDonald’s McDonald’s has risen from one small drive-in restaurant with a menu consisting of 15 cent hamburgers, fries, and soda to a multinational company consisting of 33,500 local restaurants serving 68 million people in 119 different countries. Their current cultural perspective at the present time contains variety that Ray Croc could never have imagined in the middle of the 20th century. A mixture of utilitarianism (what would please most customers) and deontology (what is our CSR) seems to drive the corporate think tank and operational culture. McDonald’s is an excellent example of how a company that was started with very simple goals expanded, faced legal, ethical, and moral pressures and challenges, and is still capable of making it to the top of biggest and healthiest fast food restaurant franchises (Minkin, 2012). One of the greatest obstacles to McDonald’s was a rigid and unwillingness to change both image and perspective. Through the decades however, McDonald’s leadership has met their community responsibilities and currently carries an accepted ethical and moral perspective. References Author Unknown, (2005, February). McDonalds eyes change in Poultry Harvest Method. Beef, 1. Minkin, T. (2012). Americas Top Ten Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants. Retrieved from http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20435301,00.html Our History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history.html Reynolds, J. (2011, June). McDonalds Activity to Promote Ethical Focus. Marketing Magazine, (3), 1. York, M. (2006, November). With the planet dying of. New Internationalist, (), 5.

Julius Caesar - Mark Antony Essay -- essays research papers

Mark Antony, in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, was a brave, intelligent, pleasure-loving, and cunning man. He was loyal to his friend, Caesar, whom he considered a true friend. He looked at life as a game in which he had a signified part to play, and played that part with excellent refinement and skill. Antony was devoted and preferred to be dependent upon Julius Caesar since he rather have enjoyed life than to claim the highest position in the government. He wanted the crown to be given to Caesar so that all conflicts could be avoided. However, this additional power contributed to the conspirator's motive to assassinate him. Antony was distraught with Caesar's death and sought revenge first by speaking to the crowd in his speech. He showed how clever and cunning he could be when he convinced the crowd at Caesar's funeral ceremony to side with him and not with the murderers. The people became excited and rowdy when he teased them about the will, waving it in the air and pretending as if he was not going to read it. Reverse psychology is used when he first pretends to respect the conspirators calling them honorable men, and then slowly proving that they are not. He speaks out against them because he wanted power for himself, and unlike Brutus, he is politically ambitious and so belie ves that if he can take control while the state is in turmoil, he will remain in power. He was alone in making this oration, yet he was confidant in himself and courageous. Rome began...

Brazil Culture

Comparison between marriage customs in America and Nigeria Research design It is often said that marriages are made in Heaven, and therefore, a suitable partner is very much of a necessity so as to lead a very happy and satisfied life. We often witness two types of Marriages, mainly, love marriages and arranged marriages. In love marriage, two adults decide to involve themselves in the holy bond of matrimony and in the other the families of the groom and the bride, or the third parties, a very active role in determining the match. In earlier days arranged marriages were the norm; this research provides a comparative analysis of the different practices and beliefs in  marriage  in the American and Nigerian contexts. The research contends that in effect,  marriage  rituals are characterized as dynamically developing to include or allow social changes that happen in terms of looking for a potential domestic partner . Marriage is the most important event in a persons life and the ceremony and tradition involve dare an integral of the day. Marriage customs and ceremony are based on the religion and the country the person is in. There are lots of difference in the marriage customs between Nigeria and America, like in country â€Å"Nigeria†, marriage procedures follows step by step which depends on where the man comes from, either from the eastern part (called the Ibos), western (called the Yoruba’s) and the northern part of Nigeria (called the Hausas), in this research I would be talking about marriages only in the western region. Marriage in the western region of Nigeria involves various stages before the couple can be declared as husband and wife. Before a man can marry a woman he ought to go through some traditional rituals and process which involves quality time and money. This involves three different stages, firstly is the â€Å"momimo† meaning â€Å"introduction† in Yoruba language, then the â€Å"idanaadehun igbeyawo† meaning â€Å"engagement† and lastly the main event called â€Å"ayeye igbeyawo† meaning wedding, after this last process then the couple can now called regarded as husband and wife. The first stage: â€Å"THE INTRODUCTION† is the part of the occasion whereby the man and his family goes to the woman’s family to ask of approval of their daughter’s hand in marriage. The procedure involves the groom and his family, and a person called â€Å"olopa iduro† meaning standing policeman. The standing policeman is the one who speaks on behalf of the groom’s family, he might be a family member or hired for the occasion. This same procedure also applies to the bride’s family but in this case the appointed speaker is called â€Å"olopa ijoko† meaning sitting policeman in Yoruba language. The whole procedure takes place in the bride’s family house where everybody will gather around waiting for the groom’s arrival, meanwhile preparations like food and other things would be made down by the bride’s family. The bride’s family is supposed to be dressed in the native attire which implies respect for the culture. The groom and his family are expected to come on the time appointed but there is a concept called â€Å"African Time† where no one is expected to arrive at the actual time appointed for the occasion, nevertheless if the groom and family arrive too late and keep them the bride and family waiting for short while, they might be asked to leave or probably allowed to appeal to the family by paying a traditional fine to the bride’s family before they could be accepted. hen the groom and his family gets to the brides place, as soon as the enter the house the men prostrate to the brides parents while the bride kneel down to the groom family, this is a respectful way of exchanging greetings according to Yoruba culture. After all the cultural greetings they take their seats whereby both families sits on opposites sides of the room with the bride and groom in the center while the olopa ijoko and olopa iduro take the seats in the middle so as to be get a close attention of everybody closely. The â€Å"olopa iduro† (the standing policeman) starts by introducing the groom and his family to the bride and her family then he brings out a proposal letter from the groom’s family and gives it to the brides family through â€Å"olopa ijoko† (the sitting policeman). The proposal is then read out orally to the bride’s family, since it is already comprehended that the couples are going to be married, the proposal is not usually rejected at this point. The groom also ays an amount of money called â€Å"owo ori iyawo† meaning bride price and this goes directly to the bride. When various introductions have been made, the proposal is accepted on the spot then they make arrangements for the second process of the marriage which is the ENGAGEMENT. THE ENGAGMENT is the part of the occasion whereby the bride and groom are tied together traditionally based on the Yoruba culture, this also takes place at the bride’s house and again they are responsible for the refreshments and other necessary preparations for the occasion. This part of the occasion, both families are meant to wear Yoruba traditional attire called â€Å"aso oke† which are more elegant and expensive, later on some prayers are said and some symbolic items of food are passed around by the â€Å"olopas† (The two policemen) and it’s then passed around to the guest, which is then used to bless the bride and groom in a prayer said in Yoruba language. The first item is â€Å"obi† (kola nut) then elder says â€Å"won ma gbo† meaning they will ripen Won ma to  meaning they will eat and not go hungry Won ma d'agba meaning they will grow old. The second item is â€Å"Ata ire: this consists of many seeds, and it is opened up, and the superstition is that the number of seeds that fall out is the number of children the couple will bear. The third item is Oyin (honey), sugar, ireke (sugar cane): these all symbolize that the union will be sweet. The grooms family also bring lots of other thing like yam, drinks, wine, palm oil, during all these before she shows up, she usually waits in her indoors until she’s called for, she comes out wearing a veil made of plaited hair which represents reserve and accompanied by one of her friends and taken to her parents then kneels down before so they can give her their blessings, she then sits near the groom, this is when she becomes unveiled. The couple jumps over a brush covered with flowers which symbolizes the stating of a domestic life, the groom then kisses her then everybody begins to eat and rejoice till the end of the occasion. The third and final stage of the marriage is the main wedding which is held in a church or mosque depending on the religion. This is the part of the occasion where they are joined by God and exchange vows. They can now be called husband and wife and go on a honeymoon if they could afford it but not really necessary, start living together and raise a family. On the other side American marriage are held upon high standards and based upon strong values that are shared between the two parties being wed, these two are brought together to form their sacred bondage of love and life with each other. Weddings in America are known to be the most flexible and varied in the entire world due to the variation of race and ethnic backgrounds that the American culture embodies. In America, a man and a woman meet in the most casual and social way like a bar, restaurant, events and other lots of places, they don’t need to do too much introduction to get married as long as they love one another. There is only one procedure in getting married in the United States which is mainly in the church. Friends and family assemble, soft slow romantic and the vows add to the charm of the marriage customs. In America, before the marriage the bride have a little get together called bridal night where only her and her female friends have a last night of all alone fun before her matrimonial life begins and also the groom also have his own party called bachelors party is going out with his male friends to have fun before his marriage. In an American marriage, the bride wears a pure white gown and the groom wears a black tuxedo. Since the weeding takes place in church, it is usually conducted by a priest who ask the people in the church if they have any problem with the joining of the man and woman as husband and wife or keep silent forever, then if nobody talks, the priest then ask the couple to kiss as a symbol of the union, sealed with love from God. It’s the custom for the newly wed to on a honeymoon and have a period of intimate time alone, like a vacation. It’s clearly seen that both marriage customs between the two counties are totally different, which has been the standard in as long time. Refrences and bibilographic source Marriage Customs in Many Lands (Hardcover – Jan 2005) by  H. Hutchinson Marriage Customs of the World: From Henna to Honeymoons (Hardcover – 2004/11/30 Knot Tied: Marriage Ceremonies of All Nations By  William Tegg African Ceremonies  by  Carol Beckwith Culture and Customs of Nigeria (Series – Culture and Customs of Africa) By toyin falola

Did Women Benefit from the Renaissance Free Essay Example, 500 words

Renaissance is the period between 14th and 16th centuries. It is the time when Europe experienced changes as countries adopted artistic influence from Rome and Greece. The time enhanced men s intelligence in artistry and learning capabilities. The question as to whether women benefited during Renaissance period has a disparity in arguments in different studies, which bases their arguments on matters related to economic, social, and political positions of women. According to Kelly-Gadol (185), women still played passive roles to the powerful men, and they did not achieve noteworthy freedom. On the contrary, King (186), women became enlightened as they held possibilities of being independent. Likewise, Kelly (20) notes that women benefited during renaissance than men since their social and political life significantly changed. The life of celibacy emerged for women. From the analysis of the arguments, it is clear that women significantly benefited from renaissance age. During this tim e, women had capabilities to gain celibacy, economic independence, social freedom, and political enlightenment. Renaissance is characterized by significant changes regarding learning skills as well as artistic prowess for men. The women were not left behind in Europe-based nations. We will write a custom essay sample on Did Women Benefit from the Renaissance or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now According to King (191), women in Italy had a chance to be in power, especially when the Kings, husbands, died. Caterina Cornaro was a perfect example of a lady who successfully exercised prestigious power after the demise of her husband. It is worth noting that women of the high social class had limited freedom in comparison during middle age. However, with emergent of renaissance age, all that changed and they enjoyed the freedom of being in authority. According to Kelly (21), Renaissance period came with significant changes for the women of every social class, whether lower or upper, there were significant improvements in their lives. Celibacy became a norm and women were not forced to marry as it was in the middle age period, the political system also became different as it was during medieval feudal system.