Essay about Censorship in China - 2107 Words

It has been argued that the end of the Cold War and globalisation has made Western-style liberal press system as a universal model and no nation can free itself from the powerful influence of its universal value. Discuss this argument in the Asian context by applying relevant theoretical approaches discussed in this course. You may choose one Asian nation as a case study to address your ideas about the argument. The Chinese Communist Party exerts near complete control over the country’s 358 television stations and 2,119 newspapers — the primary media available to more than one billion Chinese citizens. In the People’s Republic of China, there are no Chinese-language news media that are both widely accessible and independent of the†¦show more content†¦Even more unusually, the survival of media companies in China depends entirely on the government rather than the market. In 2003, China’s news media experienced a reform, undertaken in the name of relieving market over-supply. In affect these reforms were intended by the government to eliminate competition to national and provincial-level Party papers, and guaranteeing a minimum number of subscribers for Party-sponsored papers. Overall, the environmental landscape for media in China has not considerably changed with regard to government control. Journalists and news organizations remain at risk of political or economic reprisal as well as criminal charges. Journalists and editors continue to respond to this environment by self-censoring their work. China’s news media, particularly newspapers, have become more market oriented, even as political controls remain in force. In July 2003, China reduced the state-run media presence, shutting down many state-owned local newspapers and eliminating mandatory subscriptions for peasants and government officials. The major state-owned news sources were maintained, while private media outlets expanded in number. Journalists face expanding market pressures to report on subjects of interest to their readers, which has led to an increasing danger from non-government sources. The government has failed to protect journalists from these threats, and may be complicit in some of them. In the absence of a strong rule of law, andShow MoreRelatedThe Censorship Of Canada And China2203 Words   |  9 Pagesthis paper, I will compare and contrast Internet censorship in Canada and China. While China is widely known for censoring the Internet for political reasons, Canada remains relatively free of censorship. Through this paper I argue that the large differences between censorship in Canada and China are due to their inherent political systems. Currently, China is the leading country in Internet censorship technology, policy and practice. By comparing China, a secular country, to Canada, I intend to showRead MoreInternet Censorship in China Essay4431 Words   |  18 PagesFYC Ruoxuan (Catherine) Yuan Internet Censorship has negative effects on China Censorship in China has gained much attention recently because of the conflict between Google and the Chinese government’s self-censorship policies. In fact, censorship has been practiced since ancient China and the intensity only increases by the years. Nowadays, the most notable measure of censorship is being done on the Internet. More and more restrictions have been put into actions by the Chinese government, whichRead MoreGovernment Internet Censorship of China1195 Words   |  5 PagesInternet Censorship of China The Internet is also called â€Å"Information superhighway† because of the limitless amount of data that one person can access from it. The fact is not all of us can access the Internet like what it is. There are many roadblocks on the superhighway in form of â€Å"Internet Censorship†. There are several kinds of motivations for censorship. It ranges from keeping children away from undesirable content to a government control of nation’s access of information. In China, the internetRead MoreThe Effects Of Internet Censorship In China1629 Words   |  7 Pages Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet. This can include blocking entire websites, blocking parts of certain websites, prohibiting certain search engine keywords, monitoring individual internet use, and punishing individuals for this use. On a smaller scale, companies censor access to certain websites to increase productivity in worker s or decrease chances of a sexual harassment lawsuit. Parents may block certain website onRead MoreEssay on Censorship in China907 Words   |  4 PagesChina is one of the most controlled countries in the world. The Chinese constitution states that the people of China have freedom of speech, of the press, and of demonstration. However, this article in the constitution also states that the Chinese government has the authority to censor anything in the country when freedom of speech or of press could potentially be harmful to the country. So, in China, you are free to speak, but only about what the government says is okay to talk about. Also, protestingRead MoreThe Disadvantages Of Censorship In China1459 Words   |  6 Pages Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. There are good reasons why censorship is used, such as some information might have to be censo red for the content it might display and which in turn might cause a disturbance in peace. Countries try not abuse the fact they are allowed to do this because they are the ones who create the rules. However, China is abusing this fact andRead MoreCensorship in China Essay958 Words   |  4 PagesThe Freedom of Speech is granted to every American citizen and has been since it was founded in 1776; however, not every nation grants that right. China, as a communist nation, retains most individual freedom rights from its citizens. Although in the Peoples Republic of China’s (PRC) 1982 constitution, people are guaranteed Freedom of Expression and Press; it is often violated by the current corrupt government. The government demands the news to be 80% positive and 20% negative, altering the factsRead MoreInternet Censorship in China Essay937 Words   |  4 Pagesother than parental controls. In China, most, if not all of those types of sites are or have been blocked. As in, you c ould not go to them, unless you found some way around the web filters and firewalls the Chinese government runs in their country. While China defends their practice of internet censorship, based on â€Å"protecting† the people, heavy internet censorship is a block to free speech and impedes economic and social development in the 21st century. China says it has its reasons for censoringRead MoreInternet Censorship in China Essay1997 Words   |  8 Pageswebsites such as Facebook and Twitter years ago. Although most countries positively evaluated the Egypt revolution, countries such as Russia and China, are not happy with the failure of MubÄ rak. According to Fiona Hill, the director of the Brookings Institutions Center on the United States and Europe and senior fellow in its foreign-policy program, â€Å"China banned web searches of Egypt, and Russias state media has tended to play up the idea of U.S. and other outside orchestration of the events inRead MoreChina s Governance And Censorship2000 Words   |  8 Pagestherefore their media system is more tolerant of free speech and letting the public have further guidance on regulations of governance and censorship. On the other hand, countries with a command and control style government, like China’s Communist Party, the public has no control or insight over regulations. A unique characteristic of China’s governance and censorship is that it is completely in the hands of the state, along with any media systems tha t might be available. Without loosening their regulation

Ethical Decision Making Ethical Decisions Essay - 1610 Words

When I think of making ethical decisions, I think of doing what’s right, but what exactly is the right thing and how do we define it? As humans we are all brought up under different circumstances, therefore we tend to distinguish from right and wrong in many different ways, especially at a young age when we first start to understand our moral behavior. This difference between the way we determine what’s right and what’s wrong is what makes it difficult for us humans to have the same understanding towards the frameworks for ethical thinking. So how do we base our ethical standards and how do they get applied to the specific situations we face? Philosophers and ethicists have helped answer these questions providing frameworks for making ethical decisions, these experts also suggest five approaches towards standards to which we should follow. Some believe this framework is too complicated for most people to employ in their decision making. Also, what about hypotheti cal dilemmas that are so farfetched and unrealistic, do these â€Å"what if† situations serve a useful purpose as a guide to ethical decision making? Let’s take a closer look into how we define ethical standards and these imaginary situations. A Framework for Thinking Ethically, produced by the Markkaa Center for Applied Ethics analyzes the main perceptions of ethical thinking. The Authors provide their readers with the information broke down into three parts, the first part distinguishes between what ethics is and whatShow MoreRelatedEthical Decision Making A Decision On Ethical Decisions1587 Words   |  7 PagesThroughtout this written assignment there will be a discussion on ethical decision making about making a decision on possible ethical consequences that may be placed in your life, and what ethical consequences will be dealt with in the mental health professional field. Decisions could possibility pertain your conduct such as an ethical dilemma that will required a serious decision to be solved by your action as an leader. Even though a leader may not have caused the problem, they do not have a choiceRead MoreEthical Decision Making : Ethical Decisions1496 Words   |  6 PagesFacing Ethical Decisions How does a person determine what is right or wrong when making a decision? Most people faced with an ethical decision usually revert to their personal values that hopefully guide them through the decision-making process. Assessing values and morals are an important role when making ethical decisions and how others view a person after making that decision. â€Å"Once we grasp the underlying concepts of making important decisions, we need to know how to apply them.† (Fisher, 2005)Read MoreEthical Decision Making Ethical Decisions Essay1088 Words   |  5 Pagesbooks and news articles are available online which discuss making ethical decisions and the importance of maintaining a high level of ethical standards in business. Ethical Decisions Sound ethical decisions are extremely important in business communication and the decision making process is greatly affected by ethical standards. There are four general rules any business leader must follow when trying to make ethical decisions. These rules help managers and employees to behave appropriatelyRead MoreEthical Decision Making And Ethical Decisions1026 Words   |  5 Pageswithin a particular organization. Also, it includes critical and ethical decision-making process so as to address various ethical dilemmas experienced by employees while undertaking their respective assigned duties within the company. Ethical dilemmas are hereby to stay as issues usually arise now and then and place a variety of options that bear different repercussions. Therefore, it calls for ethical and critical decision-making skills so as to make the most appropriate option that bears moreRead MoreEthical Decision Making : Ethical Decisions1047 Words   |  5 PagesEthical Decision-Making The first step in the CPA (2000) ethical decision-making model is identification of the individuals and groups potentially affected by the decision. In the ethical scenario I presented earlier, the individuals directly involved and likely to be most affected by the decision include the 54-year old woman and myself as the counsellor. Those who will likely be indirectly affected by the decision would be the woman’s family, including her 20-year old daughter, and the agencyRead MoreEthical Decision Making And Ethical Decisions1317 Words   |  6 Pagesaccount the works of ethical decision making, ethical decision making is an idea that will dramatically help any manager that takes this issue seriously. In the standpoint of the internal customer, ethical behavior improves the actual atmosphere at the job and helps motivate the actual employees, sets an example to the actual employees, and evokes a feeling of pride with the company and improves it is image within the eyes with th e employees. From the standpoint of outer customer, ethical behavior improvesRead MoreEthical Decision Making Ethical Decisions Essay1014 Words   |  5 PagesHaving to make an ethical decision regarding unethical circumstances can be challenging for some. â€Å"Ethical decision-making refers to the process of evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a manner consistent with ethical principles. In making ethical decisions, it is necessary to perceive and eliminate unethical options and select the best ethical alternative.The process of making ethical decisions requires: commitment-the desire to do the right thing regardless of the cost; consciousness-theRead MoreEthical Decision Making Ethical Decisions1533 Words   |  7 Pages When making ethical decisions we as Christians use different sources to help us in deciding how we should respond to a given situation while staying true to our Christian faith and its values. The scholar Richard Hays identified these sources for ethical decision-making into four areas: Scripture, tradition, reason and experience. Neither of these is used in isolation, but work together to help us decide what would be ethically right to lead the â€Å"good life† and proclaim the Kingdom of GodRead MoreEthical And Ethical Decision Making1500 Words   |  6 Pagesmore important than others, ethical decision making is a skill that has become increasingly pivotal. Jones states that a ‘moral issue is present where a person’s action, when freely performed, may harm or benefit others’ and defines ‘an ethical decision is a decision that is both legally and morally acceptable to the larger community’ (1991, p. 387). In order to create a company wide culture of ethics, employees must believe that the organization has a desire to be ethical and see proof of this fromRead Moreethical decision making1211 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Ethical- Decision Making University of the Rockies Mabel Drafton Abstract Countertransference is how therapists distort the way they perceive and react to a client (Corey, Corey, and Callanan, 2011). Therapists are expected to identify and deal with their own reactions with consultation, personal therapy, and supervision that their clients will not be negatively affected by the therapist’s problem. Personal therapy is an effective way for therapists

Observation Log 2 Language Development Education Essay Free Essays

The following theory I considered in my observation is the linguistic communication developmental theory and the theories are those by Chomsky, Piaget and Vygotsky. I believe linguistic communication is an of import portion in human development because it a major medium of societal interaction. Harmonizing to Beckett and Taylor ( ) , the vocabulary of kids between the ages of 3 to 6 expands from 2 word sentence to more complex sentences. We will write a custom essay sample on Observation Log 2 Language Development Education Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now They believe that as the kids ‘s vocabulary addition, they learn the regulations of grammar and they become able to utilize different signifiers of words. Whilst I was detecting Eva, I noticed that most of the clip she responded with non verbal communicating and it made me more interested on how linguistic communication develops. Chomsky ( 1957 ) believed that sentences are routinely created practically every clip. He believed that we have internal regulations that enable us to make up one’s mind which sentences are grammatical correct and convey our intended significances. Chomsky believed that kids have unconditioned abilities, a familial plan to larn linguistic communication and one time they begin to hear linguistic communication around them, they automatically understand the construction of that linguistic communication. He argued that this is because of the biological temperaments, encephalon development and cognitive preparedness. His theory emphasises the demand for linguistic communication in the environment to excite kids ‘s innate abilities. ( Crain 2005 ) Vygotsky identified four different phases of address development which are the crude, naif psychological phase from 2 to 4 old ages. The kid in this phase is get downing to gain that words are symbols for objects. They have a great wonder as to what objects are called. Followed by the egoistic or private address phase from 4 to 7 old ages. Children frequently talk aloud to themselves as they perform undertakings or work out jobs in this phase of development. This private address is the kid ‘s presentation of their thought. And in conclusion the in growing or interior speech phase from 8 old ages on. During this phase the kids ‘s private address diminutions and becomes much more internalised. They solve jobs in their caputs or utilizing interior address, nevertheless you will hear people utilizing private address when faced with unusual or complex jobs ( Nixon and Aldwinckle, 2003 ) . continues until kids reach school age. Piaget and Chomsky both agreed that kids are non moulded by the external environment but spontaneously create mental constructions. Chomsky believed that kids automatically create grammatical signifiers harmonizing to the familial design and in contrast, Piaget emphasised on genetically controlled development and believed that cognitive constructions emerge from the kid ‘s ain attempt to cover with and do sense of the universe. Chomsky besides believed that linguistic communication is a extremely specialized mental module that develops fairy independently from other signifiers of knowledge and kids learn an intricate grammatical system about wholly on their ain. However, Piaget viewed linguistic communication as more closely related to general cognitive development. Piaget besides suggested that between the ages of 2 and 6, thin Harmonizing to Piaget ‘s theory, kids are born with basic action scheme and during the sensory-motor period ( birth to 2 old ages ) they use these action scheme to absorb information about the universe. He described two maps of kids ‘s linguistic communication, therefore the egoist and the socialized. During the sensory-motor period, kids ‘s linguistic communication is egoistic and they talk either for themselves or for the pleasance of tie ining anyone who happens to be at that place with the activity of the minute. Piaget suggested that during the preoperational phase this period ( 2 and 7 old ages ) , kids ‘s linguistic communication makes rapid advancement. The development of their mental scheme lets them rapidly suit new words and state of affairss and they begin to build simple sentences. ( Appendix aˆÂ ¦ . ) Piaget ‘s theory describes kids ‘s linguistic communication as symbolic, leting them to venture beyond what he termed as here and now and get down to to speak approximately things as the yesteryear, the hereafter, people, feelings and events. During this clip, kids ‘s linguistic communication frequently shows cases of what Piaget termed animism and egoism. Animism refers to immature kids ‘s inclination to see everything, including inanimate objects, to be alive. Since they see things strictly from their ain position, kids ‘s linguistic communication besides reflects their egoism, whereby they attribute phenomena with the same feelings and purposes as their ain. Piaget ‘s theory besides describes moral pragmatism as a feature of kids ‘s linguistic communication development at this phase, since immature kids tend to concentrate on the extent of any harm caused by a individual ‘s actions, without taking into history whether that individual had good or bad purposes. Language development trades with how a kid develops his/her linguistic communication accomplishments during their growing period. Language development has been an issue debated among linguistic communication experts over a long period of clip. Experts have opposing positions on how a kid acquires/learns linguistic communication. There are four chief theories of linguistic communication development and they all have different ideas on the acquisition of linguistic communication. Behaviorists ( Skinner ) believe that linguistic communication is learned. Nativists ( Chomsky ) believe that linguistic communication is unconditioned and alone to worlds. Cognitive theoreticians ( Piaget ) believe linguistic communication is non unconditioned but a merchandise of cognitive development. Finally, societal interactionists ( Vygotsky ) believe that linguistic communication acquisition is a consequence of both biological and environmental factors. All of these theories have their ain manner of co nstruing linguistic communication development, and to some extent, they all seem to be extremely converting. However, out of the four theories, the societal interactionist position entreaties to me the most ; so my theory of linguistic communication development is decidedly the societal interactionist position. Unlike Piaget, Vygotski considered linguistic communication to be cardinal to development. Although Piaget acknowledged linguistic communication with development with footings such as ‘egocentric address ‘ , he did non believe it prevailing, stating it was due to the kid ‘s inability to believe from another position. Vygotski nevertheless, believed speaking out loud gives the kid a manner to form their ideas and steer their actions. Research has shown, kids who use ‘egocentric ‘ or ‘private address ‘ show greater betterment on job work outing undertakings than others who do non utilize or less private address. Probes into this topic, has besides shown that Vygotski ‘s sentiment on kids ‘s address is a much better description than Jean piagets Piaget and Vygotsky are in understanding that kids are active scholars. They contribute to their ain development. This means that kids build ways of groking the universe, ( cognition and apprehension ) , through their activities. They differ in the attack that kids take to organizing these. Piaget provinces that it happens chiefly through physical use of objects around them. Vygotsky, that it is socially mediated. Harmonizing to Crain ( ) , between the ages of 2 and 3, kids begin to do sentences of three or more words and between 3 and 6 old ages their grammar becomes complex. They start to utilize Where, What, Why, for illustration, â€Å" What is that? † ( Appendix aˆÂ ¦ . ) How to cite Observation Log 2 Language Development Education Essay, Essay examples

Australian Retail Banking Industry Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Australian Retail Banking Industry. Answer: Introduction: The financial system of any country is the backbone of its economic stability and sustainable growth. Australia has very developed financial market which has significant contribution in nations economic growth. In 2015, it has contributed around $140 billion in GDP of country. Australian financial sector has strong regulatory system which makes the system refined, competitive and profitable (The Australian Government 2016). Australian retail banking industry is featured by high level of competition between four major banks. The four pillar bank policy of Australian government is the key element which features the current structure on banking industry. These four banks are the major market players which hold a significant portion of retail banking industry. Economic features of banking in Australia: Lending and deposits are the main activities of any financial system, which is dominated by banks in Australia. The supply of deposits for these banks and supply of lending from these banks depends on respective deposits and lending interest rates. Figure 1 shows that supply curve of deposits (SD) and supply curve of loans (SL) are both upward sloping. This shows a positive relationship between interest rate and supply of money. The interest rates and supply of money from depositors and banks are interrelated, the increased supply of loans are backed by increase in deposits and banks have to increase the interest rate of loan with the rise in interest rate of deposits, as interest rate on loans are always kept higher that deposits rates, so as to maintain the interest margin (PQ) to cover the operational costs other than deposit costs like salary, rent, costs related to technology, management, administration, tax expenses, etc. and to keep the desired retain profits. The level of mar gin is very much affected by the level of competition in market and negotiation skills of other party. DO represent the downward sloping demand curve for loans. OT represents the volume of deposits and lending respectively in case of equilibrium, in which it charges i1 interest rates on loans and pays i2 interest rates on deposits. Such interest rate and volume of supply is result of bank acting as intermediary between borrowers and lenders in market. In case the borrowed amount is directly made available to lenders in open market the volume of fund would be OT with interest rate i3. But this is quite simple concept which ignores many factors like charge for risk premium, pricing of different varieties of assets and deposits, decision related to loan and asset portfolio structure, inflation rate and other economic factors (Llewellyn 1999). The quantum of deposits and loans which can be created by banking system is dependent on monetary base, desired reserves ratio and currency drain ratio. The banks acts as creator of money with the help of concept of money multiplier and controls the demand for and supply of money in market. Reserve bank of Australia plays important role in this aspect by using monetary base which is a sum of notes and coins to be kept reserve under RBA. The monetary base affects the desired reserve ratio and currency drain ratio of banks which ultimately affects money multiplier. The increase in quantity of money, affects the price level, i.e., inflation rate in economy which is supported by the quantity theory of money. The relationship between money growth and inflation rate in Australia is depicted in figure 2 (McTaggart, Findly Parkin 2015). The banking market in Australia is not perfectly competitive as the large players (big four banks) enjoys the lucrative position and economies of scale which give them competitive advantage over other small players. And it cannot be freely competitive given the regulation requirement and government intervention. The market is highly concentrated which results in significant amount of profits in hands of these major banks. Although the major banks claim that competition among them leads to reasonable interest rates and provides price elasticity in market as customer can any time switch banks for better deal. But in real practice the competition is not very open and free. According to a survey approximately only three present of customers switch banks in a year (Fear, Denniss Richardson 2010). Oligopoly in Australian banking industry: With the adoption of four pillar policy by the Commonwealth Government of Australia in Australian banking sector, there has been domination of four major banks which together holds around 80% of total market share. These banks are; National Australia Bank (NAB), Westpac Banking Corporation (WBP), Australia and New Zealand Group (ANZ) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) (Pandey 2017). The share of big four banks, which was around 65% in the total assets of all the banks had raised to approx. 78% in 2014 since the global financial crises (Eyers 2016). As per the data of PWC, (2016), the major banks holds 73.1% of total lending, 78.2% share in overall bank deposits and 80% market share of total bank retail deposits. According to Nichollas and Evans, (2015), out of countries collective household debt of $A1.3 trillion in 2014, the share of four banks was 85%. Since the market power is highly concentrated to these four banking institutes, the market structure of Australian banking industry is highly resembles to Oligopoly. These banks are like market leader, having full control over the market to manipulate and small banks and customers are forced to comply with their policies. The oligopolistic market structure has very few sellers with quite similar products, and each seller holds significant share in market and affected by the behaviour of other firms. Any change in prices, product quality and innovation by one firm influences the other firms forcing them to quickly respond by changing their strategies. There are elevated barriers to entry and expansion of new entrants (Tisdell Hartley 2008). Due to several regulatory and capital environment and existence of high level of market power in the hands of big four banks, the entrants has to face high level of barriers in Australian banking sector (Padley 2013).Any significant barrier to enter the market or high cost involvement in leaving the market are key factors to discourage the new entrants which allows the existing institutions to enjoy the market power. The chairman of ASIC, Mr Medcraft also described the Australian banking system as oligopoly. According to him these banks have price leadership and there pricing policies has to be followed by everyone (Roddan 2017). The market may seems to be in competitive nature looking at the four major banks and several other small competitors but statistics has shown that there has been rise in profits and consolidation of market share of these four banks in last 10-20 years (Eyers 2016). According to Yeates, (2013), there four banks dominates the market and earn huge profits. Thes e banks enjoys wider interest rate margin, which is third highest among the banks of developed countries. The operating costs for these banks are very low, which is fourth lowest in comparison to other countries. Economic and pricing policies: In Australian retail banking industry, pricing and economic policies are designed to attract customers, which are affected by level of competition prevailing in market. The interest rates, fees and other charges are quite similar between the major banks and largely influenced by any change in rates implemented by any one of them. According to an example cited by Deloitte, (2014), any change in rate by Reserve Bank of Australia is responded by big four banks within an average of nine days which shows close interdependence of policies of banks. The competition also exists in designing the quality of products and differentiation in features which promotes innovation. Often the prices are at margin to the majors for the small players and try to make modification in services. In order to compete in price level with major banks, some small banks focus on only one product which provides them cost benefits. The retail banks makes bundle of various complementary services and prices are determined for a whole bundle rather than a single services. Banks have different models to cover their costs while acting as intermediaries between depositors and borrowers. While price is the basic medium for competition among banks it is complicated to assess the actual price and for different services. The banking industry is not acting as free market and the existing government and RBA regulations affect the structure of banks and activities they can perform. For instance, there are some lending obligations which prevent banks to lend money to some individuals on their request for loan, likewise some prudential regulations like high capital requirements to prevent involvement in high risky loans. In context of source of funding, major banks rely much on long- term debts instead of short- term. Securitisation funding has decreased to a significant level. There has been stability in equity funding and deposits have always been important for them. The small banks which used to rely much on short- term debts and securitisation funding are now dependent much on domestic deposits. There has been rise in prices of asset- backed securities since global financial crises. The foreign banks also have moved their main source of funding from short- term debt to deposits recently. Thus the source of funding for these banks is mainly dependent on cost of funding, regulatory requirements and expectations of equity and credit stakeholders. The increased level of competition forced banks to increase the average rate on term deposits to attract customer, it is found to be more that 100bps according to report of Deloitte in 2014 which was below 60 bps before global financial crises. The smaller banks have to face with large funding costs than that of major banks. This is mainly because difficulties faced by small banks in accessing wholesale markets due to presence of major banks that are getting support from government and regulatory authorities and increase in competition for deposits (Bennet 2015). Pricing policy recommendation to Commonwealth Bank of Australia: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is amongst the four major banks of Australia engaged in providing wide range of financial and banking services and products to individuals, small business, corporate and other big institutions. CBA is a multinational bank which mainly operates in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia Pacific countries along with carious other countries including UK and USA (The Australian 2014). The retail banking services of CBA includes consumer finance, home loan facilities, and retail deposits services and products to retail bank consumers (Commonwealth Bank 2015). Since the market structure of banking industry in Australia is somewhat like oligopolistic structure in which four major banks holds 80% of market share, the pricing policies on one bank is greatly influenced by the policies of others. The bank cannot much compete with other banks taking only the pricing factor; rather it has to concentrate on providing differentiated products and services with enhanced quality to increase customer satisfaction. At the same time it is mainly dependent on the monetary policy of Reserve Bank of Australia. The monetary policy of RBA comprises determining the cash rate in money market. This rate not only affects the interest rates of banks but also the borrowing and lending attitude of people, economic activity and inflation rate (Reserve Bank of Australia 2017). The pricing of retail advances should be determined after considering the cost of funding, insurance facility, refinance facility, risk factors etc. The bank should take measure to raise operational efficiency and reduce transaction costs to gain competitive advantages. Charging of higher rates to increase profits should be backed by better quality, more efficient and faster services to customers to maintain the customer satisfaction. The pricing policies should be such that it gives enough room for negotiation. The extent of negotiation should be such to keep suitable margin and which can be quantified. To cover costs banks can levy certain bank fees and has to ensure reasonable return on investment. Interest on unsecured loans should be charged to a level which prevents lender from any underlying risks. Bank should focus on creating long term advantages through short term investments. Although pricing policies of the bank is highly interdependent on the policies of RBA and other major banks, still the bank has to see that it has social responsibility to contribute to the betterment of society and should not use its highly advantageous position to exploit the people concern. The pricing, fixed by focusing only on market competition and cost factor, can fail if customers expectation and perception about the quality of product and services are not taken into account. Thus besides pricing the bank should focus on creating cost efficiency by industrializing their operations, investing in information technology, speeding up the introduction of new and diversified products, developing operations platforms, and setting up processing centres in central and regional areas. This will not only reduce costs but will also enhance the customer satisfaction (Leichtfuss et al. 2010) Conclusion: Retail banking includes home loan services, retail deposits and finance to retail consumers. According to microeconomic concept of law of demand and supply, the interest rate for deposits and borrowing affects the demand and supply of money in and economy. Monetary base, desired reserve ratio and currency drain are the key three factors which decides the quantum of borrowings and deposits in an economy. Monetary base is controlled by the Reserve Bank of Australia to control the flow of money and inflation rate in the country. Banking sector can never enjoy never enjoy the free flow of market and perfect competition to decide the prices on the basis of demand and supply as government regulation is necessary in this sector. In Australia the retail banking sector is not only regulated by RBA and government but is also dominated by four major banks which enjoys their power in determining the policies and pricing in this sector and gives a little room to small player in playing their role . The barrier to the entry and exit of firms is considered high in Australian banking sector giver the pre-existing competitive advantage and dominance of major banks. These banks earn huge profits and have very low costs. The price and policies of each bank affects the other major banks. This gives an insight of oligopolistic nature of competition in this sector. This market can be of concern if they start forming cartel to prevent competition. The increased market concentration and monopolistic behaviour negatively impacts the interest of small firms and consumers. There has been issue of mutual shareholding among these banks which results in common interest and less competition among these banks. Such behaviour can create negative externalities in financial market. The four pillar policy adopted by government of Australia to prevent merger between these banks can have two different consequences, which the attitude of banks can affect. They have option to either follow the healthy co mpetition on the basis of price and quality of services which will help them in obtaining high market share and pareto efficiency or they can collude to form a cartel which will ultimately damage the social interest. The government has trying to strongly regulate the market to prevent any monopoly and allowing entry of other banks including foreign banks to maintain the competition. There has been increased completion for domestic deposits for smaller banks and foreign banks. These banks have to face with high funding costs in comparison to major banks. The large banks mainly focus on long- term debts instead of short- term debts. Although price is basic medium for completion but banks have started focusing on providing diversified and innovative products and services in form of bundles as another medium for competition. Each bank including the major bank has responsibility to provide high quality and faster services to customers to increase their satisfaction. The banks have to increase their operational efficiency by using information technology and better platforms. Besides the motive of increasing profitability they have social responsibility towards society to encourage healthy competition f or the sustainable economic growth. References: Bennet, M., 2015, Axe the four pillars banking policy, says CIFR report, The Australian, viewed 18 July 2017, from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/financial-services/axe-the-four-pillars-banking-policy-says-cifr-report/news-story/f41396d42f9cfb640e3678ad7a122d1f Eyers, J., 2016, ACCC warns cosy banks it is concerned about competition, The Sydney Morning Herald, Viewed 17 July 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/accc-warns-cosy-banks-it-is-concerned-about-competition-20160322-gnojod.html Fear, J., Denniss, R. Richardson, D., 2010, Money and power: The case of better regulation in banking, viewed 18 July 2017, from https://www.tai.org.au/sites/defualt/files/IP%204%20Money%20and%20Power_4.pdf Llewellyn, D. T., 1999, The new economics of banking, SUERF, Amsterdam. McTaggart, D., Findlay, C. Parkin, M., 2015, Economics, 7th edn., Pearson Higher Education, Australia. Nichollas, R. Evans, C., 2015, The nature of competition in Australian retail banking, Centre for Law, Market and Regulation, 15(2). Padley, M., 2013, Oligopolies as safe as money in the banks, The Sydney Morning Herald, Viewed 17 July 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/oligopolies-as-safe-as-money-in-the-banks-20130916-2tvlk.html Pandey, S., 2017, Australia to hold new inquiry into big four banks, Reuters, viewed 18 July 2017, from https://www.reuters.com/article/australia-banks-inquiry-idUSL4N1IA1HR Roddan, M., 2017, ASICs Greg Medcraft lashes bank oligopoly for out- of cycle rate hikes, The Australian Business Review, viewed 17 July 2017, from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/financial-services/asics-greg-medcraft-lashes-bank-oligopoly-for-outofcycle-rate-hikes/news-story/125f0799b2ab280bce0f19d00ff71650 The Australian Government, 2016, Backing Australian FinTech, viewed 19 July 2017, from https://fintech.treasury.gov.au/files/2016/03/Fintech-March-2016-v3.pdf The Australian, 2014, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, viewed 19 July 2017, from https://markets.theaustralian.com.au/shares/CBA/commonwealth-bank-of-australia Tisdell, C. A. Hartley, K., 2008, Microeconomics Policy: A new perspective, Edward Elgar Publishing, UK. Yeates, C., 2013, Banks make $71 million profit a day, The Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 18 July 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/business/banks-make-71-million-profit--a-day-20130623-2oqrw.html Leichtfuss, R., Messenbock, R., Chin, V., Rogozinski, M., Thogmartin, S. Xavier, A. 2010, Retail Banking: Winning strategies and business models revisited, The Boston Consulting Group, viewed 19 July 2017, from https://www.bcg.com/documents/file37897.pdf Deloitte, 2014, Competition in retail banking, viewed 18 July 2017, from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-economics-retail-banking-competition-010314.pdf PWC, 2016, Banking Matters: Major Banks Analysis, viewed 17 July 2017 from https://www.pwc.com.au/publications/assets/major-banks-analysis-nov-2016.pdf Reserve Bank of Australia, 2017, Monetary Policy, viewed 18 July 2017, from https://www.rba.gov.au/monetary-policy/ Commonwealth Bank, 2015, Shareholder Review 2015, viewed 19 July 2017, from https://www.commbank.com.au/content/dam/commbank/about-us/shareholders/pdfs/shareholder-information/cba-shareholder-review-2015-single-page-view.pdf

10 Unexpected Realities of Self-Publishing Your Books

10 Unexpected Realities of Self-Publishing Your Books 10 Surprising Realities of Self-Publishing Your Books I know it seems easy.You’re probably thinking that self-publishing is nothing more than uploading a document to the web and hitting an all-powerful â€Å"PUBLISH† button.You’re far from the truth.In all honesty, self-publishing is certainly a process. There’s a reason big-name publishing houses have beenaround for so long; they take care of a lot of the work. You do all the creative thinking while they do the other heavy lifting.But that also means they get a (very) big cut of your earning. Your hard-earned income. But all of that’s already been discussed.Instead, we’ll talk about what you can actually expect when you decide to put yourself first and commit to self-publishing.And believe me, I know it’s a hard choice to make.Taking that leap can be difficult, especially if you’re not sure what to expect. Let us do some decluttering of your mind by cluing you in on some of the unexpected realities of self-publishing your book!#1 You’ll become a tech-savvy self-publishing whizA lot of technical coordination needs to happen in order to self-publish your book.You’ll have to:Write the bookGet it formattedGet a cover designedCombine into one productCreate online self-publishing accountsUpload materials to the accountsCoordinate your launch team in a single placeThere is more but I think you get the idea.Self-publishing involves a number of different technical capabilities you probably don’t know of before starting the process.And because you’ll be responsible for the entirety of your publishing journey, you’ll learn a lot about all of the different platforms you’ll need to make it happen which is made a lot easier with a program that shows you exactly what you need to do, when to do it, and how to get it done. #2 A lot more incomeYou probably think of self-published authors as the â€Å"starving artist† type, forever playing catch-up with bills and life in gene ral.In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.That fact is, self-publishing gets a really bad reputation for bankrupting those who pursue its path. And sure, some people may have spent a lot of time and money on their book only for it to tank.But those people often decide to go it completely alone instead of using a program or guideline of sorts to ensure they succeed.If you do work hard and pursue self-publishing by learning from those who have done it before, you can actually expect some cushy additional income.Why is that, you ask?Because you don’t have to fork over a chunk of your earnings to a publisher. Because you are the publisher. #3 You’ll learn a lot about yourselfThis is especially true if you’re writing non-fiction but it’s just as meaningful for fiction authors as well.Writing a book takes a lot of your own experiences, values, and meaningful content to you. That means you get to do some digging into your psyche to uncover the very core of who you are. And if youre writing a memoir, be prepared for a lot of this.That’s a bit deep, but I really want you to understand just how much you can learn about yourself from self-publishing a book.And it’s not even all about the writing itself, either.Self-publishing takes a lot of drive, ambition, and a very determined individual.It’s a challenge and whenever we enter into challenging times in our lives, we learn more about ourselves than ever before.Self-publishing a book is the same.Through your writing, editing, rewriting, marketing, and self-publishing journey, you can figure out more of who you are and what you want out of life.And that alone is worth it.#4 You’ll make amazing connectionsNetworking isn’t really something many people think of when they consider self-publishing.In fact, most people assume self-published authors are shut-ins who spend all their time shrouded in thick blankets with a steaming mug of spiked co ffee between their hands.But when you have to market and ask others for advice or even if you become a member of a powerful self-publishing group, you meet all kinds of people.And knowing talented, hardworking individuals will only help you reach your goals faster.The point is, self-publishing helps you build those connections you might not otherwise get. After all, self-published authors stick together.#5 You build almost-instant credibility The crazy thing about self-publishing is how much other’s view of you changes.Before, you may have just been a blogger with a business that just wouldnt take off. After you have a book available, others will see you as an authority figure in your field.They will feel more comfortable paying for your products or services simply because you wrote a book.It might seem a little silly because your knowledge base is the same, but when a potential customer can purchase your book, they instantly see you as someone with expert knowledge and this increases the likelihood that they’ll buy from you.Even if you’re not a business owner, self-publishing a book will still give you a boost in the eyes of strangers and even people you know well.#6 Opportunities will come knockingWe like to refer to self-publishing a book as opening the door to Narnia. Once you go through with the process, you will throw yourself into an entirely new world where opportunities basically fall into your lap.By this I mean that you might be contacted for speaking gigs, bring in more high-value clients, get requests for interviews, and more.Because publishing a book places you as an authority figure and heightens your credibility, more people will want to hear what you have to say on the subject.This could lead you down new roads, offer new business ventures (like this entire company!), and change your entire life just because you decided to take action and self-publish a book.#7 Your business will flourishThis is the amazing thing about self-publishing a book. When your credibility sky-rockets, so will your business.In fact, most aspects of your life will flourish but a book will directly aid your business (and even your side-hustle!).Take our alumnus Ashley Emma, for example. After the launch of her book, her business generated $24,000 specifically from her book Fearless Author.So if your business is struggling and you need a new way to bring in sales, writing and self-publishing a book is a fantastic method to do so.#8 You’ll want to write another book ASAPThe process of self-publishing can be a long and arduous one and you’ll still want to publish another book as soon as you can.Why? Because of everything you gain from it.Many of our students love what having a self-published book offers so much that they dive into the program again in order to write another one.In fact, one of our alumni (and now one of our Coaches!), Lise Cartwright, has self-published 26 books simply because of the opportunit ies she’s gained through doing so.One of the (arguably) best opportunities granted was becoming part of the Self-Publishing School team behind the scenes by teaching and helping other students find the same success she did.Bottom line: you might become addicted to writing books. #9 You’ll generate tons of new ideasWriting a book forces you into a quicksand-like imaginative headspace. The more you write, the more you understand what else you can be writing and you end up in a pit of creativity that releases your mind and allows you to think outside the box. You practically get sucked into creative thinking.Meaning, you’ll come up with so many new ideas for other books, blog posts, or even business ventures.Think of your creativity like a muscle and self-publishing as the gym.Each time you sit down to further your self-publishing progress, the more creative you will become.#10 You’ll become a routine-writerBefore you learn the real process of self-publish ing a book, you probably only ever wrote when you were inspired.And thats not always useful.You’ve always had this book idea and would spend bursts of time typing out so much contentonly to lose that inspiration the next dayand the nextand the next, until you basically forget all about it.When you actually self-publish a book, you learn that becoming an author isn’t just about writing when you want to but writing anyway.The best part about this?You write faster, become better, and can publish much sooner than if you waited around for inspiration to find you.Your Next Steps Toward Self-Publishing SuccessNow you know just how much you can expect to gain from self-publishing a book. But how do you get started? What steps do you need to takeright now?Ive got those answers right here for you:#1 Join your free trainingAre you ready to take the first step toward your self-publishing journey? Then make sure to save your spot and sign up for ourfree video training!Chandler Bol t, 6-time bestselling authorand our super knowledgeable CEO, will take you through exactly what you need to go from blank page to published author in 90 daysor even less if youre really ambitious!

Strategic Analysis (SWOT, PESTEL, Five Forces) of McDonalds The WritePass Journal

Strategic Analysis (SWOT, PESTEL, Five Forces) of McDonalds 1.0 Introduction   Strategic Analysis (SWOT, PESTEL, Five Forces) of McDonalds 1.0 Introduction  1.1   Introduction1.2   Organisation Selection1.3  Organisation position1.3.1 SWOT AnalysisStrengths:Weakness:Opportunities:Threats:1.3.2 External/Internal Factors.1.3.2.1 External factors (analysed using key PESTEL factors)A. Political Factors  Economic FactorsB. Socio-Cultural FactorsC. Technological FactorsD. EnvironmentE. Legal Factors1.3.2.2 Internal Factors  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A. Quality of Service:B.   Quality of product:C. Internal management:New Product / Process innovation 2.1 Facility Design and equipment:2.1.1 Restaurant Design: Innovative design to suit 2025 requirementsType of restaurant:The Market:Concept Development:Style of service:Speed of service:Per customer check Average:General Ambience:Management Philosophy:Budget:Completed restaurant design:2.1.2 Equipment:   Introduction of Technology and RobotImplementation(1) Create Urgency(2) Form a guiding coalition(3) Develop a vision and strategy(4) Communicating the vision(5) Enabling action and removal of obstacles(6) Generating short-term wins  (7) Hold the gains and build on change  (8) Anchor changes in the cultureReferences:Related 1.0 Introduction   1.1   Introduction The term restaurant is an establishment where food is prepared and served to the people and always/almost refers to any sort of dine-in. Restaurants range from simple dining places where food is catered to people nearby or tourists for a reasonable price to expensive eat-outs serving food and wine in formal outfits depending on the local culture and tradition. Restaurants are classified based upon the range of menu, pricing and the mode of preparation. The changing trends in economy and income changed the purchasing power. The change in purchasing power also reflected in the market preferences and consumer behaviour. The industry has started becoming customer centric. This lead to the change of historic serving method (food served to the table by a waiter) to evolve into of fast-food and take away restaurants. There is quite a lot of difference between different types of restaurant. A coffee shop serving breakfast and lunch is completely different from the fast food industry (Rainsfo rd, 2001, P.208)     Fast food restaurants ranges from small road side vendors to American giants like McDonald’s and KFC (Caterersearch, 2011). But they have one thing in common. They deliver their service to the customers very quickly when compared to typical restaurants. 1.2   Organisation Selection The case study is to develop an organisation as the restaurant of the future (2025) and to predict the possible challenges and opportunities in achieving it. The study has also tried to suggest methods to overcome the odds and capitalise on the possible strengths. What began with a handful of hot dog and hamburger has spread its influence into every aspect of the society as an industry (Schlosser, 2001, p.3). This case study has considered McDonald’s possibility of becoming a restaurant of the future.   Patrick McDonald in 1937 opened a restaurant â€Å"The Airdrome† selling hamburgers and juices. Later in 1940 Maurice and Richard, sons of Patrick McDonald opened a speed Service system and named the restaurant as â€Å"McDonald’s†. There are now more than 31000 restaurants in over 119 countries and revenue of US$ 24 billion (McDonalds, 2011 Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). McDonald’s is the biggest chain of restaurants in the world serv ing nearly fifty million customers per day (McDonalds, 2011). 1.3  Organisation position Different organisations are influenced by different factors, but in common they are influenced by political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. The response to these factors is determined by the organisation`s strengths, weakness, and managerial efficiency. McDonald’s, being a food industry, dominates the market till today with its diversification. McDonald’s market leadership can be attributed mainly to its growth in the recent years. The growth was steady despite global economic crisis. The improvement in the buying pattern of the people is a result of the overall increase in the income and the standard of living of the middle class. People have started to find ways to increase their income to rather than curb their comforts. UNESCO has predicted a substantial amount of increase in the consuming class. These facts make the organisation look very positive in future (UNESCO, 2011). 1.3.1 SWOT Analysis Strengths: Innovation and diversification in product range. Extensive geographical and demographical presence. Management and franchise network`s support and adoptability to the dynamic market Not being complacent and its attitude of uncertainty acceptance Weakness: Customer behaviour and expectation differs vastly among different cultures and boundaries. Opportunities: Increase in the number of applications for franchising. This goodwill of the organisation is a great asset in the long run. Increase in demand for the service oriented sector with increase in population of the consuming class. Its commitment to provide health conscious diet has attracted customers across the globe. Innovation in the product range keeps on accumulating the customer base. Threats: Legal threats including law suits against the restaurant against their advertising, meals, obesity caused by their food, fries, employment etc. Campaign against McDonalds by independent organisations like Mcspotlight posing a real risk to its marketing strategy (Mcspotlight, 2011). McDonalds have problems with fluctuations in operating and net profits which ultimately impact investor relations. Operating profit was $3,984 million (2005) $4,433 million (2006) and $3,879 million (2007). Net profits were $2,602 million (2005), $3,544 million (2006) and $2,395 million (2007) (Marketingteacher, 2011). Opposition from parent group for attracting the kids by providing toys/gifts etc., thereby soliciting them to the unhealthy fast food culture at an early age. Food contamination will lead to an epidemic as the raw food is always handled in mass and distributed to every part of the country by centralised distribution centre. Competition from major food chains like Burger King, KFC and mid-range local restaurants which sell similar products at much less price than McDonalds. 1.3.2 External/Internal Factors. 1.3.2.1 External factors (analysed using key PESTEL factors) PESTEL analysis helps us to understand the overall picture of the operation of an industry. A. Political Factors The operations of any organisation are heavily influenced by the individual state policies enforced by each government and McDonald’s is no exception. For instance, there are certain groups in Europe and the United States that protest to the state pertaining to the health implications of consuming fast food. They claim that harmful elements like cholesterol and adverse effects like obesity are attributable to consuming fast food. There are other factors such as the tax law, employment law and related trade restrictions. Tax rates could affect the growth of the organisation.   In a diverse working environment employment restrictions like working hour’s regulation require the organisation to employ more staff. Amendments like this increase the overall cost involved.   Certain restriction has very strong influence in the operation of the organisation. Certain laws penetrate so deep that they even constrain the content of the food.   Economic Factors Organisations like McDonalds which have global presence are affected by the changes in inflation and the exchange rates.   Hence, these chains may have to adapt to the issues and the effects of the economic environment. The economic factors also determine the supply and demand relationship of the raw materials within the organisation. Other economic factors that impact the organisation are inflation rate, wage rate, and cost of living (Ivythesis, 2011). B. Socio-Cultural Factors International strategies of McDonald’s seem to act on several fields to guarantee lucrative returns for the organisation.   To illustrate, the organisation improves on establishing a positive mind-set from their core consumers.   McDonald’s have understood its customers based on their characteristics. A recent survey has proved that McDonald’s most frequent customers are below the age of thirty-five (Ivythesis, 2011). C. Technological Factors The Company’s key tool for marketing is by means of television advertisements. Elements like the inventory system and the management of the value chain of the company allows for easy payments for theirs. The integration of technology in the operations of McDonalds tends to add value to their products. The improvement of the inventory system as well as its supply chain allows the company to operate in an international context (Ivythesis, 2011). D. Environment The social responsibility of McDonald’s on a region is influenced by the operations of the company in that specific region.   These entail accusations of environmental damage.   Among the reasons why the company is charged with such claims is the employment of non-biodegradable substances for the glasses and Styrofoam coffers, which is offered for the meals (Ivythesis, 2011) E. Legal Factors Legal aspects like tax obligations, employment standards, and quality requirements are only a few among the other equally important legal factors on which the company has to take into consideration (Ivythesis, 2011). 1.3.2.2 Internal Factors  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McDonald’s constantly deals with very active and rigorous competition. Statistics and results show that there is always the threat of new competitor. One of the internal strength that McDonald’s has had in the past is its early entry into the international market. Due to the fact that it was among the first to enter the international market, it was readily able to analyse what the requirements of the industry and capitalised on its strength. The key reasons for the success of McDonald’s are A. Quality of Service: McDonalds was very committed towards achieving customer satisfaction. It consistently looked to improve its product range. Few of those developments include taking orders in the drive-thru’ with hand held PDA’s, by which not only the speed of the service was improved but also the quality of service was improved. The idle time of the customer was reduced. B.   Quality of product: Another important area within the customer service and customer satisfaction is the quality of product. It is a very well-known fact, that for the success of a food industry, the key area is the quality. McDonald’s lead in the market share for such a very long period of time demonstrates its quality. C. Internal management: Internal management is a key area in the organisation and is mainly controlled by IT systems. IT systems developments are colossal, in every named field. Their developments within this environment are in the following sectors Reports, Base, Forecast and Setup. New Product / Process innovation Innovations of the mangers are the assets of the companies in the present scenario. Innovation enables one to see potential acquisitions through different perspectives. Apart from producing monetary gains, innovation provides a greater scope for the organisation to deal with. Innovation also provides an edge in being able to enter new markets faster and deeper. Innovation serves as a fuel for the companies to accelerate (Maglio, 2006). There are various factors which influence the position of a restaurant, as we discussed earlier all these factors could experience change by 2025. It is impossible to predict the outcome or the progress of an industry accurately. Most restaurants adapt to the changing scenario rather than pre-empting on the change and acting proactively. The company that builds a culture of innovation and is able to evolve with change is on the path to growth. The company that fails to innovate is on the road to obsolescence (Kandampully, 2000). McDonalds is experiencing fierce competition from the developing Asian and Indian economy. The ways to withstand these threats are also discussed. McDonalds is going back to the future. The burger giant is investing $2.4 billion in renovating 2,000 of their locations, including 400 in the U.S., and building 1,000 new restaurants in the style of the renovations that they are doing (Franchises, 2011). Based on the location of the restaurant the designs vary. There are three major styles into consideration which is the urban living, young and cheering and the fresh and vibrant (Jaunted, 2011). Environmental concerns over waste management have forced McDonalds to switch to biodegradable packaging as well as to reduce the companys greenhouse-gas emissions. The next 10 years will see a culture of adapting to more recyclable material used in packaging, for serving, and separate receptacle bins for cups, plastic lids and leftover food (Minyanville, 2011). As re-organizing a complete restaurant for 2025 specification is the scope of this assignment, few specific areas of development are selected. Facility Design and equipment are discussed in detail in this study. New innovative ideas and a road map to implement those ideas were also discussed. The key task is to analyse the customer expectations, innovations and apply creativity to the thought by developing a model of a restaurant for 2025. The population of the United Kingdom is projected to increase gradually from an estimated 59.8 million in 2000 to reach nearly 65 million by 2025, according to national statistics published by the government (Gad, 2011). 2.1 Facility Design and equipment: 2.1.1 Restaurant Design: Innovative design to suit 2025 requirements Restaurant design plays a critical role in attracting and retaining customers. At the same time, design must complement food preparation and service. Successful restaurant design shows how to incorporate your understanding of the restaurants front- and back-of-the-house operations into a design that meets the needs of the restaurants owners, staff, and clientele. Moreover, it shows how an understanding of the restaurants concept, market, and menu enables one to create a design that not only facilitates a seamless operation but also enhances the dining experience (Baraban, 2010, p.80-89). Successful restaurant design should be based on a complete feasibility study that covers the following ten areas (Baraban, 2010, p.95). Type of restaurant The Market Concept Development Menu Style of Service Speed of service The per customer-Check average General ambience Management philosophy Budget These points should be considered at start of a project, before arriving at layouts and specifications. Type of restaurant: The restaurant (McDonalds) is a fast food restaurant that needs to aid both take away and eat-in customers. In 2025 it is expected that the market will be expecting something really quick and fast food is one of the options to move forward. The Market: A good market analysis looks at main four components: potential customers, competition, location and economic environment. These factors have been discussed earlier. Concept Development: The assumption in this study is that by 2025, the population will rise by 6 million and in order to meet the demand, the organisation needs more space, quick service and value added service Menu: The food and menu are beyond the scope of this study and hence not discussed Style of service: Style of service in this design is considered to be carried over from the current style. Speed of service: It is for sure that the customer’s expectation will be rocketing over the next decade and the speed of service will have to be improved. The equipments that are suggested in the next section are assumed to meet the service speed target. Per customer check Average: The nature of business implies the per customer check average is not going to be more than  £50 and this suggests that the restaurant will have to make huge customer turn around to become successful. This is based on the inflation rate in 2025. General Ambience: The atmospheres that future managers are throwing into this design set up is eat-in and go type. As this will be apt solution for a fast food industry. Management Philosophy: Management is designed to be a central command centre, rather than having manager in each restaurant. This is to save cost and have a unified command centre with unique target. Each store is to be connected to the central command centre through which the person/Computer in command could see the status of the shop floor activities. A computer constantly monitors the sales, stock and cooking time and the command is provided to the shop floor where the robots are tasked to do the required amendments (Kandampully, 2000). Budget: The assumption is that the design would be implemented as a pilot project and there is sufficient budget to setup a whole new restaurant based on the requirements for 2025. Completed restaurant design: The design of the restaurant is assumed to be completed with the above assumptions, requirements and is available for implementation. The next task is to analyse and implement the newly designed restaurant. 2.1.2 Equipment:   Introduction of Technology and Robot As we may be aware with the increasing population across the globe, the future of McDonalds could be a robot making a ham burger reducing manpower and increasing speed of service (Myownspunk, 2011). It’s a well-known fact that technology is the future. The use of electronic gadgets or robots to operate manual devices such as in the automotive industry or for manual handling of raw materials using robots will be a common trend for that generation of 2025; the use of robots in the food industry will be a common trend in future. Creativity could be a solution to complex problems, the future could be robots taking orders; preparing and serving food in the most efficient manner possible. Figure.1 Cost estimate of installing a Robot in a fast food industry (McGrath, 2004, p.228). Certainly man power will be reduced with the innovation idea of robots doing these tasks. The product cost for robot is expected to be $34,215 for the first year and reducing in the subsequent years (McGrath, 2004, p.228) Considering the levels of education the future generations are going to embark on, retail low skills in-proficient job like preparing food and taking orders by the generation is not going to be desirable. The innovation of robots into this market could also increase the speed of service as fast food restaurants are well renowned for its speed of service.   No matter the laws for an industry may vary from country to country but when it counts to food hygiene the laws across the globe are similar and not only the government, even the public will be very much concerned about the hygiene. To an extent one can be certain that these hygiene laws are easily met by the implementation of technology (Maglio, 2006). Implementation The innovator will be the leader in the future. The innovator need not necessarily be a technical genius, but he must be able plant the attitude of innovation and nurture it.   Collaboration is essential; failure is an unwelcome but inevitable outcome. Innovation leaders are comfortable with uncertainty and have an open mind; they are receptive to ideas from very different disciplines. They have organized innovation into a disciplined process that is cyclic and systematic. And, they will have the tools and skills to pinpoint and manage the risks inherent in innovation. Not everyone has these attributes. But companies cannot build a culture of innovation without cultivating people who do (Gadrey, 1995). When restaurateurs evaluate whether to adopt technology-based service innovations, they must consider not only the costs and benefits of that technology, but also the customers’ reactions to the procedural changes with respect to the innovation. Technology that fails to build customer satisfaction may not be worthwhile, no matter how much it reduces labour costs (Gann, 1998). In order to implement the above facility design and equipment change, John Kotters highly regarded book Leading Change (1995) was referred and a helpful model for understanding and managing change was used. John Kotter’s eight steps have been applied to McDonald’s implementation program as below: (1) Create Urgency According to John Kotter 1995, 75% of a companys senior management needs to support the change. In this case, a proposal is to arrange for a team meeting and present the change management plan and make sure that every team member is aware of the new facility design and the (technology of ) robot they are going to work with. This can involve a complete SWOT analysis, scenario planning and full deployment of all the strategic planning tools. Results of analysis and early conclusions should be thoroughly tested with informed third party opinion and a wide cross section of all stakeholders (Johnkotter, 2011). (2) Form a guiding coalition After all the team members are aware of the changes, its time to form a team to instigate the implementation process. Building the momentum for change requires a strong leadership and visible support from key people within the organisation. The coalition will involve a wide representation of the formal and informal power-base within the organisation (Johnkotter, 2011). By working as a team, the coalition helps to create more momentum and build the sense of urgency in relation to the need for change (Johnkotter, 2011). (3) Develop a vision and strategy A drive for change without a clear focus will rapidly fizzle out unless one develops a clear vision of the future that is accompanied with a clear description about how things will be different in the future (Johnkotter, 2011). The vision for this project is a)   implement the new facility design b)   introduce robot technology to make and distribute burgers Strategy is to have the implementation completed in set time and understand the root cause of any issues in this pilot programme so that future application of similar concepts could be done with ease. (4) Communicating the vision It is equally important to communicate the vision to the individuals who are involved in the implementation of the McDonalds new vision. This goes beyond the â€Å"special announcement† meetings and involves frequent and informal face-to-face contact with the people by the manager and by all individual members of the coalition (Kotter, 1995, p.110). There will be long list of items that has to be passed between the team which include schedules, training material, new procedures etc. The manager of the future will be responsible for communication and should make sure that the changes are received by every individual in the organisation. (5) Enabling action and removal of obstacles This is the stage where the change initiative moves beyond the planning and the talking and into practical action as you put supportive structures in place and empower and encourage your people to take risks in pursuit of the vision (Johnkotter, 2011). Regular meetings in which the reports are reviewed will provide better means to identify and remove obstacles and inhibitors to change. These may arise in processes or structures that are getting in the way. This may also involve addressing resistant individuals and/or groups and helping them to reorient themselves to the requirements of the new realities (Johnkotter, 2011). (6) Generating short-term wins This is important as a counter to critics and negative influencers who may otherwise impede the progress of the implementation initiative (Kotter, 1995, p.85-90). In this implementation program the short term goals could be easily identified. It is also important to recognise and reward all those people who make these early gains possible (Kotter, 1995, p.43-47). Every week a team member will be selected based on their performance and rewarded. This will motivate them and result in more productivity as team members will compete to gain that honour.   (7) Hold the gains and build on change Kotter argues that many change initiatives fail because victory is declared too early. An early win is not the end of a journey (Kotter, 1995, p.67). When a road block is seen on the implementation program the issue could be resolved by changing the plan or changing the viewpoint. Bringing in new people into the team will be a beneficial idea as the fresh eyes will capture something which was missed by the existing team (Kotter, 1995, p.73).   (8) Anchor changes in the culture John Kotter says that for any change to be sustained, it needs to become embedded in the new â€Å"way we do things around here† – that is the culture.   McDonalds has been seen as a fast food chain. It is really important to implement the change in a way that the trademark is not affected by the change. A major part of this is to articulate the connections between new behaviours and organisational success. To benchmark with organisations that have succeeded as a result of change and innovation and replicate their success (JohnKotter, 2011). References: Baraban, R.S. (2010) Successful Restaurant Design. London, John Wiley Sons. Caterersearch (2011) McDonalds restaurants. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: mcdonalds.ca/en/aboutus/faq.aspx [Accessed 21st June 2011]. Dabholkar, P.A. (1999) Consumer evaluations of new technology-based self-service options: An investigation of alternative models of service quality. International Journal of Research in Marketing, (13) 1 February, pp.29-51. Franchises (2011) McDonalds. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: http://franchises.about.com/b/2011/05/26/mcdonalds-renovations.htm [Accessed 21st June 2011]. Gadrey, J. (1995) New models of the innovation. How services benefit industry. International journal of services industry management, (6) 3 March, pp.4-16. Gann, D.M. (1998) Learning and innovation management in project based service enhanced firms. Journal of innovation management, (2) 4 September, pp.431-454. Jaunted (2011) McDonalds Fututre [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: jaunted.com/story/2009/3/6/63325/49594/travel/What+Will+McDonalds+Look+Like+In+the+Future%3F [Accessed 21st June 2011]. John Kotter (2011) Stratagy and Change. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: strategies-for-managing-change.com/john-kotter.html [Accessed 22nd June 2011]. Kandampully, J. Customer loyalty in hotel industry: the role of customer satisfaction and image. International journal of contemporary hospitality management, (12) 6 June, pp.346-351. Kotter, J (1995) Leading Change. Boston, HarvardUniversity Press. Gad (2011) Population prediction. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: gad.gov.uk/Documents/Demography/Projections/2000-based_National_population_projections.pdf [Accessed 22nd June 2011]. Ivythesis, (2011) PESTEL analysis. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from:   http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/02/pestle-analysis-of-mcdonalds.html#ixzz1QxZTV3sM [Accessed 21st June 2011]. Marketingteacher (2011) McDonalds SWOT. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: marketingteacher.com/swot/mcdonalds-swot.html [Accessed 22nd June 2011]. Magilo, P.P. (2006) Sercice system, service scientists, SSME innovation. Communication of the ACM, (49) 7 July, pp.894-914. McGrath, E.M. (2004) Next generation product development. USA, McGraw-Hill. Mcspotlight (2011) Competitors in the market. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: mcspotlight.org/help.html [Accessed 22nd June 2011]. Minyanville (2011) Business market [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from:   minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/MCD-BIG-Food-FAST-Mac-future/12/15/2008/id/20135 [Accessed 22nd June 2011]. Myownspunk (2011) Hamburger-Robot. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: myownspunk.com/robots/lego-hamburger-robot [Accessed 22nd June 2011]. Rainsford, P. (2001) The restaurant start up guide. London, Kaplan professional company. Schlosser, E. (2001) Fast Food Nation: The Dark side of the All-American Meal. London, Sage publications. Securities and Exchange Commission (2011) About McDonalds in USA   [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/63908/000119312511046701/d10k.htm [Accessed 21st June 2011]. UNESCO (2011) Population trends. [Internet], Leeds, LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Available from: unesco.org/education/tlsf/TLSF/theme_c/mod13/uncom13t01.htm [Accessed 22nd June 2011].

Policies towards Achieving Macroeconomic Stability Term Paper

Policies towards Achieving Macroeconomic Stability - Term Paper Example John Maynard Keynes set a good underpinning for government economic decision that has since then be improved by the post-Keynesian economists, through both support and critic of Keynes ideas. It’s on the basis of these foundations that the government sets policies aimed at attaining long run macro-economic policies. Keynesians approach towards stability In establishing a long term s macroeconomic stability, it deems necessary to first understand what causes instability in the economy. Both monetarist and Keynesian economist agree that the world at times suffers from macroeconomic instability as shown by great recessions and booms. However the two economic thoughts differ on the cause and thus advocate for different approaches towards stability. Keynes study was based on aggregate demand and argued that the changes in the components of demand altered the equilibrium (Beetsma 2004). To the Keynesian economists aggregate demand is identical to output levels that can be measured i n terms of the Gross Domestic product (GDP). The components of demand are, consumption, investment, export surplus and government expenditure modeled as (GDP =C + I+ X + G= AD). Keynesian economics agreed that these demand components always fluctuate and thus the GDP can never be stable. This formed the main critic of self-adjusting mechanism as brought about the classical economists, with Keynesian economists arguing that investment was influenced by marginal efficiency of capital in addition to interest rates. Thus some savings are not invested as some individuals hoard cash balances if they speculate a rise in capital returns. Another cause of instability as observed by the Keynesian economists are fluctuations of the supply side, where output levels can be altered by artificial supply restrictions, wars, changes in cost of production all which reduce the output levels. All the alterations of the equilibrium call for correction measures, with which Keynesian economist suggest the opposite adjustment of either the government expenditure or consumption component. They thus advocate for discretionary fiscal policy where government expenditure is adjusted or alteration of taxes to reduce or increase overall consumption levels. The Keynesian economists argue that money velocity is unstable and unpredictable in nature and thus disregard monetary policies effectiveness in adjusting in equalizing aggregate demand changes. Moreover, due to frequently changing components of demand; Keynesian economists contempt annual budget adjustments and advocate for discretionary fiscal policies that instantly combat recessions and inflation despite causing surplus or deficit budget. In times of economic recession, when supply is more than demand hence causing reduction in commodity prices, demand has to be created. This is achieved by either reducing taxes or increasing government expenditure. Taxes are seen to reduce disposable income, readily available for consumption. A reduc tion in taxes increases disposable income and hence increases aggregate consumption. Government consumption on the other hand creates demand for the excess supply. In times of inflation the opposite is applied, that is increased taxes to reduce disposa