Observational Essay Essay

Its Monday a rainy evening, I am sitting in the library waiting for my friend to come, so we could study for our sociology test. The library is humongous; it reminds me of my high school library. This place is silent. In the kids section I hear a little boy crying for a book he wants to read but his mom will not let him read, a baby babbling, and the mother trying to make him quiet. There are two dark skinned boys playing marble drop with their mom’s. There are two cute little girls coloring. There is tall teen looking girl reading stories to kids. There does not seem to be many kids in this section. Therefore, I go back to the main room. I see a girl, who looks like a high school freshman doing her homework quietly. A couple of blocks from her, there are group of blonde girls texting and talking in low voices and teenage girls checking their facebook and chatting about guys. In the main desk, area toward the right of the girls there is a frustrated woman who is trying to swipe the library card but perhaps her card is not working and is asking for help to a librarian. In the non-fiction book, area there is a short woman with brown hair, stacking up the books. Towards her left, there is a tall thin college looking girl arranging the books working a part time job to her college expenses. In the front of the library there are middle school kids waiting for their parents to pick them up. There is staircase next to the main door that leads to the computer room. I take glance over the computer room and it is packed with teens and adults. Some are doing homework while some are chatting in myspace and facebook. It seems like this library is always filled with people. From my observation, I see that some people come to library to study quietly and while others come to check facebook and myspace and it seems like library is a great hangout place for some kids.

Cultural Dimensions Essay

Culture is one of those terms that have no specific definition because of its diverse nature. It can be looked at from any point of view. However, a basic definition that includes all the important aspects of a culture is ‘the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations’ (Webster, 2008). Culture is very important if one wants to study a society. It can tell a lot about different aspects of the society and this is the reason why different countries deal with issues differently. This paper will outline and discuss the cultures of China, Saudi Arabia and United States of America and will show how, because of differences in cultures, issues like strategy, team communications, influence tactics, conflict management etc are dealt differently in these countries. Towards the end, recommendations to avoid cross cultural differences will be outlined. United States of America The population of United States of America is very diverse. It has people from many backgrounds. However in general, the American culture is said to be one of the most individualistic culture in the world. This means that people are less integrated in forms of groups. They do not depend on each other and are more concerned about themselves than about others. The country also has a higher than world average score for masculinity. This means that there is differentiation between genders to some extent in the American culture. On the other hand, the score in power distance dimension shows that there are not many differences in societal levels. This can be seen in organizational, family or governmental settings. People expect that power will be distributed equally to a greater extent even if someone is lower in the level of hierarchy. Besides this, the score on uncertainty avoidance is also lower than the world average. This means that people are tolerant to uncertainty and there are few rules and regulation present to control results (Hofstede, 2003). One important characteristic about the work culture in United States is that hard work and integrity is appreciated and also, punctuality is valued. Both mean and women are expected to dress according to the surroundings, situation and weather. The culture does not promote or support gift giving in business as it may be considered as bribe (International Business Center, 2003). As mentioned above, because of the cultures individualistic nature, privacy is valued. The lifestyle in general is causal and informal. Americans believe in voicing their opinions and although this direct speaking is sometimes considered as rude in other cultures, it is totally normal among Americans (American Graduate Education, 2007). From the above details, we can tell a lot about how issues like strategy, team communications, influence tactics and conflict management get affected. Since people believe in voicing their opinions, the strategy is usually bold. In addition to this, since any kind of strategy requires its actors to put in all the effort they can possible put in. Be it in an organization, government or even in one’s personal life. The team communication is very effective because of the low power distance characteristic and informal nature of the American culture. The belief that the power distributed to everyone is equal and the informal nature in groups inhibits any kind of barrier in effective teamwork. Gift giving or anything close to bribery is considered very insulting and inappropriate therefore this approach is not widely used in influence tactics. Conflict management is usually done openly without an arbitrator or a third party (American Graduate Education, 2007). As mentioned above, Americans believe in voicing their opinions so this plays a major role in conflict management strategies used nationwide. In order to remove the communication barriers, in my opinion, one would not have to change much about himself because of the presence of a diverse cultures in the population. However, it is suggested that English is used to communicate any kind of verbal information as this is understood and accepted by almost everyone (American Graduate Education, 2007). Regarding dressing, one is suggested to dress appropriately considering the time of the day, weather, occasion and gathering. China Now we come to the Chinese culture. The culture of the people of China is very different from the American culture just discussed above and it is said to be the exact opposite of the America culture. In fact, the Chinese culture is very different, unique and peculiar if one compares it with the rest of the cultures in the world. It is difficult to understand for those who are not a part of it however one does not need to completely understand it before blending in (Think Quest, 1998). We will now look into this in detail. We can prove the above hypothesis correct by comparing the individualism dimension of the American and Chinese cultures. Unlike the America culture, the people of china are very collectivistic. They are integrated tightly, they look after each other and they are highly dependable on the people around them. This can be seen in their family structures and organization values etc. Both the Chinese and American cultures are similar when it comes to the Masculinity dimension. They both score approximately 68 on a scale of 1 to 100. This again is higher than the world average which means that there are slightly more differences between genders in the Chinese culture compared to the rest of the world. The uncertainty avoidance is slightly higher than United States which means people are more tolerable to not have complete information as compare to the American culture. The fourth dimension of Power Distance is also quite higher than the United States meaning that people expect more differences in organizational hierarchies. The American score on Power distance was 45 while the Chinese score is 85 therefore one can imagine the amount of differences in the structures of organizations, governmental institutions and families etc. One major difference is in the long term orientation dimension of the two cultures. While the American culture was more on the lower side of this dimension, the Chinese culture is known to have the highest ranking factor when it comes to long term orientation. These means that people tend to overcome obstacles with time and not with will and strength (Hofstede, 2003). Some other important details of the Chinese culture include being used to the communist form of government. The Chinese culture is very hospitable and accepts people from all backgrounds. Since there is no one particular religion that is followed in the country, anyone can adjust easily (International Business Center, 2003). All these cultural characteristics largely influence many issues in business. For instance any strategy usually requires everyone to stick together and work collectively because of the collectivistic nature of the culture and also teamwork is very effective as people realize that they are dependent on each other. However, because of high power distance, both strategy and team communication is affected. Communication within team becomes more broken as it has to be passed through several levels of hierarchy. The cultural values are imbedded in the he influence tactics. For example these tactics project the idea of togetherness as it is evident from their advertisements that promote family ties and bonds etc (Lin, 2001). The approach to conflict management is including a third party to settle issues. In order to remove the communication barriers, a few things need to be kept in mind. Firstly, it is suggested to not use too much of hand movements as this distracts the audience. Besides this, there are other non verbal gestures that must be avoided. For instance pointing finger may be considered rude therefore such things must be kept in mind in order to ensure effective communication. English is understood widely in the corporate world therefore this is preferred after Chinese of course (International Business Center, 2003). Saudi Arabia Now we will start discussion on the culture of the last country of the paper. This country has also been selected to be studied because of its different and unique culture. The Chinese and Arabian Cultures are similar in the power distance dimension of their cultures. Unlike the American Cultures, the high power distance ranking indicates the inequality of wealth throughout the Arab world. Because of this, the rich of course have more power than the poor. The uncertainty avoidance dimension of the Arabian culture is also very different from the Chinese and the American cultures. While the Chinese and Americans ranked lower than world average on the uncertainty avoidance ranking, the Arabian culture has a higher score in this dimension. Meaning that people do not tolerate uncertainty at all and this can be the reason why there are so many rules, policies and regulations are implemented in the country. Surprising as it may sound, the Arabian culture scored low on the masculinity dimension considering all the restrictions on the Arabian women etc. The score was 52 which is only slightly higher than the world average. The reason for low masculinity ranking could be that all the restrictions on the women of the country are because of the religion and not the culture. The Arabian culture, like the Chinese culture, is more collectivistic. It had an average ranking of 38 which is way lower than that of the American culture and also the world average for that matter. This means people prefer to stick together and remain integrated (Hofstede, 2003). The Arabic culture is largely shaped by its history and religion (Saudi Embassy, 2006). Therefore history, religion and language are valued the most in the Arabian culture. These cultural characteristics affect many practical issues. The strategy devised by Arabs in any situation usually calls for people to remain cohesive. Also because of high uncertainty avoidance, there are many rules, regulations and policies that must be followed. Because of high power distance, like the Chinese culture, effective team communication is affected. But on the other hand, this is compensated for because of collective nature of the culture. The influence tactics are devised keeping the religion in mind. Anything such as bribery or use of women models in advertisements are avoided because this is against Islam. Conflicts are also managed according to the rules of Shari’ah which is the Islamic or Sacred Law (Hooker, 1996). Also, because of the collectivistic nature of the culture a third party is often included in managing conflicts. There are many cultural traits that must be kept in mind in order to improve communication. Firstly, one must keep in mind that during communication, anything he says or does not offend or insult Islam. The people are very sensitive when it comes to the religion therefore one must dress, talk and behave appropriately. There are certain non verbal gestures that are considered offensive such as the thumbs up sign and crossing of legs etc. Therefore one should avoid these. Arabic is preferred by the people there therefore it is preferred is one communicates or at least uses some words from Arabic. One must not ask too many questions are the inquisitive one is considered as the most unimportant and lastly, if an Arab offers a gift, not accepting it may be considered offensive (International Business Center, 2003). References American Graduate Education (2007) U. S. American Culture & Values. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from American Graduate Education. Web site: http://www. americangraduateeducation. com/folder2/subfolder2/americanculture. htm Hofstede, G. (2003). China- Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Geert Hofstede. Web site: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_china. shtml Hofstede, G. (2003). United States of America- Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Geert Hofstede. Web site: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_united_states. shtml Hofstede, G. (2003). Arab World- Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Geert Hofstede. Web site: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_arab_world. shtml Hooker, R. (1996) Shari’ah- Sacred law. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Washington State University. Web site: http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/SHARIA. HTM International Business Center. (2003). China. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Cybor Link. Web site: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/china. htm International Business Center. (2003). United States of America. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Cybor Link. Web site: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/us. htm International Business Center. (2003). Saudi Arabia. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Cybor Link. Web site: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/saudi-arabia. htm Lin, C, A. (2001) Cultural values reflected in Chinese and American television advertising. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from All Business. Web site: http://www. allbusiness. com/professional-scientific/advertising-related-services/836806-1. html Merriam Webster (2008) Culture. Retrieved 1 Oct, 2008, from Merriam Webster. Web site: http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/culture%5B1%5D Saudi Embassy. (2006) Culture. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Saudi Embassy. Web site: http://www. saudiembassy. net/Country/Culture/Cul. asp Think Quest (1998) Destiny, the Culture of China. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Think Quest. Web site: http://library. thinkquest. org/20443/living. html

A Rekindled Hatred for Muslims in American Sniper, a Movie by Clint Eastwood

A Rekindled Hatred for Muslims in American Sniper, a Movie by Clint Eastwood In December, 2014, American Sniper did phenomenally well in the box office. Critics hailed it for its strong, sympathetic message for our nation’s finest. The story followed Chris Kyle, in a biographical depiction of a real soldier who served in Iraq. Kyle had done well for himself, coming home a decorated veteran with a kill count innumerably high for his line of work, and even writing a successful novel that would be later adapted to the film. It did well in the box office with 547 million dollars, and it consistently took home a 7.2 with most reviews. The film received one oscar and 17 other awards. The American public, for the most part, took the movie as a brave depiction of an American hero, a man who had saved countless American lives, and inspired respect for our nation’s military in a new way. There was another interesting effect that came out of American Sniper as well: A refreshing hatred for Muslims in America. American Sniper did do it’s best to inspire faith in our military. Truly, it did, and that’s best exemplified by the fact that they portray Chris Kyle as a respectable human being, and not just some freak who took honest pleasure in killing human beings and beating animals. If you’d like a source for some of those wild claims I just made, you needn’t look further than his own book. In it, Kyle relays some wonderful anecdotes about how he harassed Iraqi civilians, or how giddy and ecstatic he was for ending two human being’s lives with the same shot. If it sounds like I’m passionate about the subject, it’s because I am. I don’t believe that Chris Kyle’s job was to kill good men, truly I don’t, but I also understand that war and conflict of that nature has a very clear duality to it. The reason children run into crowds with bombs strapped to their chests, or men fly planes into buildings and take 3,000 lives in the process, is because they were raised out of fear and hatred by those who wished for them to be pawns in a greater cause. The people who fought back in Iraq were in many cases terrorist forces backed by Al Queda, but in others they could have just been the Iraqi military defending their country after US forces invaded on the premise of WMDs that never existed all of which was just a front for the obvious siege of their oil. Kyle’s book glorifies the death and destruction of all Iraqi way of life, and that message managed to seep its way into the film adaptation with no problem. It spread this irrational fear of Islam as a religion that has no other forms but radicalized. It tainted the already damaged image of Muslims in America by painting them to be as untrustworthy as the Muslims portrayed in American Sniper which, by the way, there were no trustworthy Muslims in American Sniper. The film is deliberately set up to make them all conniving backstabbers whose purpose is to de stroy the American way of life, hamburgers and all. It’s a disgusting, vile portrayal of the Iraq War and Chris Kyle’s persona but America loved it. They ate up that war propaganda and spawned a few like-minded individuals to presumably follow in Kyle’s footsteps.

Input and output Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Input and output - Essay Example The keyboard is one such input device that inputs characters and instructions directly into the computer, where characters refer to text. On the other hand, instruction comes in the form of text and function keys that are specially programmed to deliver instruction. Other than the keyboard, there is a need to have pointing devices, based on the user interface that a computer uses, where graphical user interfaces require pointing devices. These include mice, touchpads, trackballs, trackpads and even touch screens, which position the cursor at different positions on the screen of the computer. Apart from the common input devices, there are other specialized devices used in input based on their application and the need to have them, which include scanners, magnetic ink character recognition, barcodes, voice input and graphic tablets. These are specialized, as they are not necessarily in every computer operation, for example, a bar code scanner is only used in points of sale to input the identity of an item on sale for the processing of its cost. After the data is input into the computer, it travels through the expansion bus and into the processor for computation creating a need to view the product (Patkay). In this case, output devices come into play and include visual, audio and graphical output. Visual output appears in the form of on-screen output where all information is displayed on a screen that could be and led, LCD or even a CRT monitor. The screen creates the first interaction with processed data or even data that has been input into the computer providing visual expression of data for users. Another form in which data can be output is through hard copies of data, where information is printed on paper and presented to a computer user. These produce both written numbers and letters while other create impressions of graphics, but are all based on

Small business management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Small business management - Assignment Example I am the owner of a small business that focuses on baking cakes for events such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and for other customers on request. In the recent past, the sales have not hit the expected percentage a factor that has made me brainstorm some of the most effective bootstrapped marketing strategies that I can rely on to boost my sales. This paper will discuss some of the marketing strategies identified (Schaupp & BÃ ©langer, 2014). I realize the potential of using social media in an era where digital marketing is becoming very common. Utilizing the social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and starting a blog page for my products can serve to boost my sales. Through Facebook and Twitter, I can create awareness of the products of specialization. Most importantly, using social media can help me connect with my clients who can refer me to other people especially if they were satisfied. Facebook and Twitter pages can prove to be highly interactive factors that will help me recognize the emerging needs of my clients and be able to meet them. Social media offers numerous opportunities for me to identify opportunities such as weddings, birthdays, as well as anniversaries. With such knowledge, it can be easier for approach potential clients and market my products. Using social media can also help me tell my brand story so that potential customers can recognize what is unique with my products and what inspires me (Geho & Dangelo, 2012). Additionally, the use of the social media can help me design events of reaching out to the community while marketing my baked products. Social media can open up opportunities for client testimonials and does not require huge costs. Therefore, social media is one of the effective marketing strategies that I can adopt. Adopting a customer relationship management strategy can also serve as an effective marketing strategy. Modern businesses rely on existing relationships with different stakeholders. Customers form

Teamwork Makes a Dream Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teamwork Makes a Dream Work - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that team working/interpersonal skills is one of the seven skills listed by the Chartered Management Institute as essential for business management. Traditionally, management exercised control over the organization through planning and control, solving problems, making decisions and giving orientation, all by itself.   Problem-solving used to be the prerogative of the management. In modern times, the above mastership culture has transformed into team leadership characterized by empowered individuals. The team oriented management has come to be known as the second industrial revolution which the Fortune magazine calls as the great discovery of the 1990s. Management through teams has proved to be the cornerstone for many organizations to realize enhanced organizational effectiveness and productivity. Thus, traditional individualistic functioning has been replaced by team functioning in modern times. Team oriented management is a flexible or ganizational model with â€Å"laminar and flattened structure† as opposed to the traditional organizational structure wedded to top-down (hierarchical) functioning. This flexibility of approach towards problem-solving envisages participation of all the team members at the same time in the decision making and problem-solving processes. Due to the underlying commitment, the team members would never overlook the common objective and most importantly, the team-based functioning is a morale-booster, cost-cutting technique, means of improving quality and productivity, leading to the highest possible organizational performance.... The functional role is drawn from the role theory which emphasizes the role as a part of social structure in that everyone has a role to play in a given activity. The functional role theory is explained in two perspectives of behavioural perspective and expectancy perspective. The former is manifested in an individual who is given or who has assumed a certain position in a community. The latter is manifested as an expected behaviour of an individual occupying a definite position in a society. Belbin states that while functional role is for survival, team role consists of roles required for the pursuit of the common objective (Gunduz, 2008). Self-managing teams The concept of self-managing teams has been discussed as early as 1997. Organisations have embraced the practice of self-managing teams for the sake of flexibility, decision making at the front-end and exploitation of employees’ capabilities to the fullest extent. The rationale behind self-managing is to make employees f ully accountable for their actions/performance rather than being dependent on their managers. This practice of day-day to management has been found to improve organisational performance for reasons of closeness between the front end people and the customers, the potential to improve ‘organisational learning and adaptability’ enabled by the freedom with which the teams can experiment with their work so as to formulate their own unique methods of problem-solving and the employees’ commitment made possible by their wider participation (Belbin R. M., 2012) (Wageman, 1997). Mixed Results Self-managing team concept has its own drawbacks in spite of the promise it holds for

Personal narrative theory research, on any personal narrative topic Research Paper

Personal narrative theory , on any personal narrative topic such as prostate cancer - Research Paper Example After a few weeks, my aunt started noticing something strange; John’s movements weren’t like normal children. For example, he wasn’t able to hold up his head properly and even his suckling abilities were hampered and strained. The day we received the sad news is still vivid in all our memories; John had cerebral palsy (CP). Cerebral palsy is â€Å"an umbrella term for a group of disorders affecting body movement, balance, and posture† (Cerebral Palsy e-medicine-health). John basically had brain paralysis and couldn’t properly control his motor activities due to â€Å"abnormalities in parts of [his] brain that control muscle movements† (NINDS Cerebral Palsy). Because of this, John had trouble with moving and turning his head, holding it upright and suckling (Cerebral Palsy KidsHealth.org). My aunt had to mostly feed him milk with a spoon, since he wasn’t getting sufficient nutrition just by suckling. After a while, when John was about 6 months, we noticed that his body would be very stiff, his legs and arms becoming tense and hard. The doctors further informed us that he had the most common type of CP, known as spastic CP. It is where a muscle involuntarily contracts and the child is unable to relax it (Cerebral Palsy KidsHealth.org). At times like these, with John only a helpless baby, my aunt carried him around trying to relieve the tension in his muscles. She would often cry, not sure of what to do and blaming herself for his condition. We all tried to console her and let her know that it was never her fault. Through out the following months we all tried to be as knowledgeable as possible about CP in order to be there for our aunt. There are many things that we can’t control especially during pregnancy. Nothing was ever picked up on the routine ultrasounds and John was not even born prematurely. Abnormal brain development in the uterus, genetic disorders, blood clots, and a variety of other factors could ’ve contributed to John’s condition (Alvarez, Norberto). There wasn’t any way that my aunt could’ve predicted, controlled or prevented any of these things from happening. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. We celebrated John’s 1st birthday. It was an occasion marked with both happiness and tears. Though John was growing physically in height and his teeth had come in, he still laid there unable to sit up, support his neck or even turn on his own. After a year of stressful doctor visits, my aunt finally decided to see a specialist dealing in children with CP. She took John to see a developmental pediatrician in order to determine his progress and growth compared to other kids his age (Cerebral Palsy KidsHealth.org). Following John’s development closely for a few weeks, the specialist started him on physiotherapy exercises in order to keep his muscles loose and prevent his joint’s from stiffening (Cerebral Palsy Treatments and Therapies). Everyday my aunt would dedicate hours of physical exercise for John, such as, stretching and folding his legs, rotating his shoulder joints, flexing his fingers, and helping him to support his head. In the beginning John often cried all through out the exercise routines causing my aunt more pain and anguish. However, day by day he became used to it. I would help sometimes by holding down his body in order to prevent his spine from arching too much. John was a very special child for all of us and we all wanted him and my aunt to be as happy as possible. After a few months of

The role of social networking in building strong luxury fashion brands Dissertation

The role of social networking in building strong luxury fashion brands among the young customers in the UK - Dissertation Example Further, many researchers carry out measurement of data. The research can gather data using several methodologies. The methodologies include letting selected U.K. research respondents answer a questionnaire. The questionnaire may include a yes or no question. The current research includes a yes or now research question. The questionnaire may include letting the U.K. research respondents rank several choices from the highest to the lowest rank. The current U.K. research includes this type of methodology in the research. Further, U.K. research respondents can be asks to pick one of several alternative choices. The current U.K. research included requiring the U.K. research respondents to pick their best choice from several alternative choices. The implementation of the different methodology types includes a compulsory implementation of a clear and explicit research methodology. To be convincing, the researcher must explain the different steps taken to accomplish the methodology goals, i ncluding time-constrained objectives (Roy, 2008). Statistics. The term can be defined as the collection of research data. In addition, statistics covers the presentation of research findings. Lastly, statistics incorporates the interpretation of the research findings. ... The definition is a very common sense discussion of trend analysis. A more complex definition includes the use of quantitative statistical tools to answer a scientifically formulated research question. The trend analysis includes the gathering of both independent and dependant variables. The variables will contribute to spotting the future direction of one product, service or any other activity. Normally, trend analysis focuses on the effect of the independent variables on the dependent variables. In the current research, the independent variable is the 160 U.K. research respondents. The dependent variables are many. The dependent variable includes choosing the best social networking sites. The dependent variables also include choosing the best luxury branded fashion apparel brand. Consequently, time series statistical tools can be used to present a more convincing trend analysis forecast (Chandler, 2011). SPSS. The term refers to the modern statistical software. Under the SPSS stati stical research approach, the researcher inputs the 160 U.K. research respondents’ answers into the SPSS software. The research clicks any statistical tool choices listed in the SPSS menu. After selecting the statistical tool, the SPSS generates the results of the chosen statistical tool. By clicking on the mean statistical tool, the research can immediately expect the SPSS statistical software to generate the results of the mean statistical tool. In the current research, the research chose the mean statistical tool of the SPSS software. Next, the research clicked the frequency statistical tool choice provided by the SPSS tool. The research inputs the different dependent variables into the SPSS calculation section. Consequently, the SPSS software

Leadership theories and behavior approaches Essay

Leadership theories and behavior approaches - Essay Example eadership approaches in order to solve the technological equipment challenges as well as the communication and cultural differences that exist among the various groups of employees. The research paper will help to identify the different leadership theories and behavioral approaches that can help promote teamwork and employee motivations as well as dealing with the challenges faced by the employees working in the company and located in various parts of the world. One of the theories that can help boost the performance of the team at their places of work is motivation theory. Various motivation theories have been dissected and created over the past century with the aim of helping understand the human behavior. Motivation is as the general individual willingness and desire to do something (Choi, 2006). Motivational theories will be very essential and will form vital parts of creating team success and behavior of the employees in the company. Executives have to understand what motivates the employees before coming up with up strategies that will help direct them in the right direction. Motivational theories thrive from the center of influence and thereby inspirational and practical leadership. Some of the strategies that can be employed by the executives and the stakeholders of the company in order to promote employee motivation includes, feeling of being part of something, promotion, responsibility and empowerment, stimulating works, learning and growth, sense of achievement and recognizing their ability. Effective planning on the employee motivation will enable the company to reach and motivate nearly all the employees located in the various offices around the world such as Mexico City, Chicago, settle, Bombay, London and Tokyo and many others. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs will help identify the various motivational needs of the employees and thereby intervening to help them achieve it. The desire and develop and grow is often evident after the employee’s need

Climate Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Climate Change - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the changes in the climatic conditions have affected the scientific curiosity, whereby they are no longer considered an environmental and regulatory concern. Therefore, climate change is considered an overriding environmental issue, whereby it has posed a formidable challenge to the environmental regulators. On the other hand, it is a growing concern in terms of economic, heath security and other dimensions. The changing climate pattern are threatening the productions of food due to impulsiveness of rain, rising sea levels that are contaminating the fresh water reserves and increasing the risk of flooding and high temperate the environment, resulting to increase of vermin and ailments. Background Issues related to climate change are deteriorating, whereby there is a continued loss of ice from the glaciers resulting two years with the ice-free passage through Canada’s Arctic island and increasing the rate of ice loss from the ice sheet in Greenland Antarctica (The World Bank, 1). The warm water is combining with the thermal expansion, whereby occupying a higher volume compared to cold water. Moreover, the melting ice sheet and glaciers are resulting to high rates and ultimate extension of sea levels in a way that outstrips the anticipation in the resent global scientific assessment. On the other hand, there is significant evidence justifying the significance of tripping points, resulting to irreversible changes in the ecosystem and planetary climate system. In fact, the ecosystem is considered places like diverse Amazon rain forest and Arctic tundra, which may reach the threshold of the dramatic changes in the process of drying and warming. Therefore, this is making the mountain glaciers are in startling draw back and downstream effects related to reduction of water supply during the dry periods of the year. This will be the implications, which will affect the transcend generations while the climate feedback systems and collective environmen tal effects will be building across the Earth systems in a way that demonstrates the behaviors that are not expected. There is a possibility for runaway greenhouse warming, which is real, and the climatic changes are being avoided through the transformation based on the hydrocarbon energy system that is rationally initiating. The transformation has to be adequately financed in order to adopt the transformation program in a way that prevents the disasters. There are tools that can be applied in dealing with the problem, though they must be applied in an aggressive and effective way. Therefore, in order to address climate changes, there is a need to cooperate with other nations to implement policies that mitigate environmental pollution. Initiatives for dealing with Climate Changes There are initiatives by the World Bank Group for supporting the developing countries through a contribution to a global solution, and designing an approach based on the needs these countries. This effort i s reinforcing and developing a partnership of the climatic change, the members of the government and other organizations. There are other plans that have been developed in order to invest on cleaning energy in developing countries, through cooperation with other international financial institutions. A scale of investment has been established by the clean energy investment framework based on the needs of the countries related to accessibility of energy. In this case, this case assists in transitioning to a subordinate carbon development alleyway and

Charles Dickens Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Charles Dickens Great Expectations Essay The themes that are introduced and emphasised in Chapter 8 of Charles Dickens Great Expectations are a near complete summary of the themes of the novel as a whole and of the conditions in which the English people had to live with in the 1800s. This chapter epitomises the circumstances in which English people lived and the situations that they faced, and it looks at many different perspectives and takes into account many different factors. The Industrial Revolution was a period in time when everything in England changed rapidly, and Dickens made sure that he captured Englands huge transition in every light he could. Dickens himself lived in poverty for a number of years, and his main motive for writing books (such as Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby) was his desire to see change. These books are based around injustice and the divide between wealth and poverty. Chapter 8 of Great Expectations clearly defines the issues that Dickens sought to deal with through writing. The very first thing that happens in Chapter 8 Pips uncomfortable breakfast with Mr Pumblechook. Pip states in his narrative that on politely bidding him Good morning, Pumblechook immediately asked him a mathematics question. The breakfast then proceeds to continues in this manner (before I had swallowed a morsel, he began a running sum that lasted throughout breakfast. ) This is a prime example of control. This is one of the themes that come to the fore as the novel progresses. Pip finds that he very rarely has a choice in matters, he is either forced to do something or it would be very foolish or insulting to decline making certain choices. His life his almost completely influenced by others, and he often has no control over it at all. In Chapter 8, he is controlled by Pumblechook (as afore mentioned), Estella (You are to wait here, boy. ) and Miss Havisham (Play! ). In particular, Miss Havisham manipulates the lives of Estella and Pip to suit her own twisted, selfish needs to the point where she is remorseful of her actions. Dickens stresses the point that, in this era, the wealthy people dictate the actions of the poorer people. The fact that Pip is sitting back and enjoying the ride, so to speak, is a result of the people around him ordering and demanding things of him. Pip rarely has a choice to make, and is manipulated and used by many people, some with good intentions (Magwitch), some with evil intentions (Miss Havisham and Compeyson). Control and the gulf between inferiority and superiority are perpetual forces in the novel.

Strategic Management And Business Planning For Mcdonalds Marketing Essay

Strategic Management And Business Planning For Mcdonalds Marketing Essay 1.0 Introduction The concept of Mc Donalds restaurant chain stems from the union of two creative intellectual heads of American siblings Maurice Mac Richard Dick Macdonald who moved into California in 1930, USA to commence a restaurant business which turned reality in 1937. The brothers understanding implementation of thoughts in restaurant business paved the way for many aspiring entrepreneurs in 1948, when they introduced the speedee service system by which they cut short the hassles of customers at the same time as a business strate4gy reduced hamburger cots to as low as 15 cents. The menu list was also sorted out tactfully which inspired many intellectual minds like one of Ray Kroc, who took over the company during 1955 was the founder proprietor of present Mc Donalds restaurant chains. Presently the headquarters of Mc Donalds restaurant chain is located at Oak brook, Illinois, USA. 1.1 Internal resources capabilities Presently Mc Donalds operates in over 100 countries around the world has opened up 32,000 restaurants across the globe and has employed more than 1.6 million employees worldwide. More than 97% of the employees work at company operated outlets. The Mc Donalds restaurant chain has influenced the whole American society in a massive way. The geographical statistics are such that by the late 90s Mc Donalds became a necessity for most Americans who resided in places which were just a 3-minute drive from individual Mc. Donalds outlets. (John f, 1995) The company has till date has ranked among the top restaurant chains consistently; it was ranked the best restaurant corporation in 2007 by the Restaurants Institutions magazines list. It has been felicitated with the goodwill of best industry leader in 2010 by business week magazine. (Business week) The major strength of the company has been their treatment of employees likewise more than 60% of its US employees are from the minorities group woman. In a recently published sales report, Mc Donalds has reported to have fared its sales figures by 5.7% in USA, 5.3% in Europe 10.3% in Asia, Middle East Africa combined. The Media release below states the exact figures. mc (Corporate data) Mc Donalds has been by far superior to its closest global competitor Burger King holdings Inc., Yum brands etc. Direct competitor comparison reflects the difference. dir (Revenue income) 1.2 McDonalds SWOT Analysis 1.2.1 Strengths The real strength of Mc Donalds food chain has been its global approach, via which it has left its competitors far behind in any global markets. Mc Donalds has lately explored the developing country markets like Taiwan, Malaysia, china, India etc. which have secured its sustainability in terms of expansion, that is global presence. Developing countries markets have a growth rate of 7-28% in terms of retail packaged food ranging from above middle level incomes to lower middle level incomes. (USDA, 2005) The real strength for Mc Donalds in these countries are its already larger than life image which caused people in China go fond in 1994 when the chains busiest outlet in Beijing. China was announced to be relocated. Investments in developing countries like Brazil have brought in fresh lease of life to Mc Donalds authorities. The company has set its foot tight based on stats of 66,000 job creations, adding $1.5 to Brazils economy. The following points will stress on the global strengths of Mc Donalds: Through student scholarship programs, Mc Donalds has built its image equivalent in stature to its global presence. The cleanliness of the restaurant chain, which fact was given importance by Ray Kroc from the very first day itself. It has places its outlets at public places like airports, popular malls, gas stations, petrol pumps. Mc Donalds has shown sheer adaptability when it comes to flexing itself for the sake of a regional market. One fine example is it runs its operations in India without including beef in its menu. (James L. Watson, 2006) It has one of the most famous trademarks which global people have accepted as substantiate of trust. Its global presence, because this fact makes up for deficit in revenues for any particular region. More than 80% of its restaurants worldwide are run by franchisees, which dont allow all regional economic ups downs to affect revenues. (shareholder data) Secured online delivery options in developed countries, which enhances public data security as well as trust (online ordering). Through various environmental initiatives globally, Mc Donalds has enhanced its sustainability. Investment barriers in France lifted after global economic slowdown (time news). 1.2.2 Weaknesses The majority weaknesses of the company have generated in economically mature countries where food restaurant business scopes have reached saturation. Annual growth rates in such nationals or zones 2-3%. Anti west emotions, anti-trust on multinationals are posing barrier in countries like India. (Dr. Amit Rangnekar, NMIMS) The major weaknesses are listed below: Stagnant annual growth rate in developed nations. Companys share distribution law is bound to Illinois state local law which may not be compatible with laws in other global countries. (corporate rule boundary) Lack of innovation in menu in the recent past. Its menu is predominantly children (children orientation). The company has had a number of lawsuits in Malaysia UK most of which are trademark disputes. (bbc news) The major threat is the growing population globally which shrinks every food chains possibility of expansion as foreign investors are expected to exploit local resources. Ronald Mc Donald House charity which has taken the noble responsibility of looking after health well-being of children. (rmcd.com) 1.2.3 Opportunities Investment in new ways of promoting Be more flexible in terms of target customers Investments in Asia, Latin America needs to be extended with only 169 students in India, 1200 only in Brazil. Recent investments in Football world cup 2010, launch of Shrek happy meal has increased its scope many a pounds more. Presence of its subsidiary 500 Mc Cafe in countries like New Zealand Australia which further enhances its revenues. Opening up of French market to further investment owing to global economic crisis. (Time article, 2009) 1.2.4 Threats The biggest threat as to any other international brand suffers is the hiccups of economy in regional markets. Most of the currencies it earns are calculated in US$ which are a further drawback. The predominant threat has been of local conflicts originating from the chains rapid expansion strategies Expansion of major competitors Burger kings in Asia pacific, UK, and Latin America with a total of 12,000 restaurants Investments in promotional campaigns in new markets. Evacuation of Mc Donalds from France in early 2000s. (Czinkota M, 2009) 1.3 External Market Factors There are various external factors that are affecting the marketing strategies of Mc Donalds globally. These have been discussed below: 1. The first one is the Globalization that means the closer contact between various parts of the world with increase in the mutual understanding, friendship, and personal exchange between the citizens of the world. 2. Diversity among the cultures, languages, etc. between various people of the world. 3. The last one is the ethics and code of conduct of Mc Donalds in various markets across the world. Mc Donalds has to act appropriately in different parts of the world. The cultures and the people have to be kept under consideration. For example, in India the menu contains only fish and chicken products in non-vegetarian menu. Beef products are a complete no. Global market decisions have to be made uniquely according to the country or the part of the world Mc Donalds wishes to serve. Mc Donalds understand that diversity in the cultures is not only ethical issue, but also business issue. Mc Donalds owns over 30,000 restaurants in different parts of the world, which means that Mc Donalds franchises with operators, employees, and customers that belong to almost all the cultures, ethnicity and religions on the earth. McDonalds has over 30,000 restaurants around the world, which means franchise owner/operators, employees, and customers represent just about every culture, religion or ethnicity on earth. With this, Mc Donalds is required to promote local suppliers with this diversity and also need to retain those suppliers that have same cultural background in every country. Mc Donalds is an international brand now that has successfully spread its wings in all parts of the world. Mc Donalds being such a popular brand, they have had the opportunities that they have successfully met and they had the ability to overcome their weakness and fight with the threats to have a stand in the market. 2.0 Macro Environment Analysis It includes 6 factors as given below: Political Factors The political ambience as for any international brand is very complex. The taxation rules, labor laws, environmental laws vary from country to country as per governmental rules. In 2003, the tax burden of Mc Donalds in Brazil mounted to 33% of revenue growth. Further in Latin America the company operates more than 1800 restaurants. The labor laws in vital markets such as the one in Brazil made it mandatory to follow an anti-discriminatory employment policy which truly is synonymous with Mc Donalds global policy.(global policy) Scenario in European markets are very promising, It has employed more than 2,78,00 employees for its operations there more than 60% of its operations are operated by local residents there, which decreases its burden of falling under direct local law jurisdictions. In Asian markets, revolving around Japan, China, India predominantly the political aspects are bright where a mix of matured developing economies where labor laws are doesnt affect much because join t venture franchisee operated businesses. (Europe environment report, 2005) Economic environment The global economy has been predicted by experts to increase at a steady rate. GDP growth is liable to private investment consumption. GDP in developed countries are projected to increase by 6.2, 6, 6% in order of years 2010, 2011, 2012. European market GDP growth are expected to grow at 3.3% in 20101, 2011 3.5% in 2012. Asian markets were predicted to go through a slow economy in 2008-2009 which is evident from Chinese economy growth of 7.5% in 2008. The revenue of Mc Donalds in Brazil market was a satisfactory US$3.3 billion in 2003 (20). The brand registered revenue of US$5.8 billion in 2005 in European market which contributed one-third revenue globally. The south-east Asian market is expected to flourish on large scale with predictions of Mc Donalds India revenues grow by a double in 2010 according to Mc Donalds India managing director, Vikram Bakshi. (Reuters report, 2007). Social environment The social environment varies largely from developed countries to developing countries. As in Us Europe, people trust brands more on quality of services other etiquettes. Whilst in developing countries of Asia, consumers spend US$580 billion on meal purchases outside home which is entirely contrasting $170 more than Mc Donalds US market stats double the size of spending in European markets. The fast food chain has a policy to take care for its customers well, as they try to make any food product just prior to its delivery and keep it maximum for only 20 minutes, after which that product, if not sold consumed, is thrown into trash box. Technological Factors The McDonalds is running since a quite long time and they keep on enhancing their technological upfront. To talk about the services provided by the esteemed fast food chain, they take around 35 seconds per order to deliver in case the food items are well prepared in advance, but this time goes up to 4 minutes per order in case the food is not prepared in advance. Thus, this shows the advancement they have in their technology to produce a food item in less than 4 minutes of time. McDonalds have significantly been indulged into adopting and getting use-to to the new technology. The various parts of the management system, like the inventory system and the supply chain management system of McDonalds are so effective that they allow the company to work with ease by enabling easy payment methods for the suppliers and the other vendors. McDonalds actually recycle our used cooking oil into bio-diesel and then use it in delivery fleet. It has eliminated the concept of polystyrene based packag ing and made people switch to paper and card board packaging which is today been manufactured by the recycled paper. It has also diverted the waste to Energy from Waste (EFW) facility in Sheffield and South London areas and plans to do that everywhere. Legal Factors McDonalds has taken well care of providing all the necessary details of its workings and informations related to the nutritional substance of their products, to its customers for the better trust and functionality. This is basically been done by this organization to be free from the obese charges on it. 2.1 Porters competitive forces model The Porters 5 Forces model deals with the various factors outside the industry which actually influence the nature of competition and the forces within the industry, known as micro-environment, which actually influence the ways by which the company competes and also the industrys profitability is conducted by the Porters Five Force Model. Five Forces Analysis 2.1.1 Competition Nowadays, every industry is going highly competitive and so is this fast food restaurants industry. There are now n numbers of small and big fast food businesses who are always competing with each other in order to broaden their own customer base. McDonalds however an exception to this is. Being in this industry since 1940, McDonalds has excelled in this sector and in order to stay in the competition amongst the rivals, it came up with the Mc Cafà ©. Launching of this cafà © helped the company to continue in the business existing as a major fast food business. Moreover, another big step was taken and was noticed when McDonalds started with its Breakfast in order to the other breakfast serving food joints. And, since then till date, it is growing and existing as one of the favorites of the customers. 2.1.2 Ease of Entry There exists a very high cost of entering such a favored and well established industry. The entrant needs to invest much in the research and development, in entering and setting up and also in the competition. Moreover, well established and full functioning entities of this business for e.g. McDonalds makes it more difficult for a new entrant to hold the large market share of customers. Thus, the new entrants, if any, wont be able to succeed and also provide the product to meet up the price competitions. 2.1.3 Substitutes There exist, a large number of substitute products in this industry and there exist wide variety, the customer can substitute a McDonalds burger with any other beverage, dairy product or anything else, and vice versa. 2.1.4 Strength of Supplies The power of supplying the fastest and the safest way is an essential requirement in the fast food industry and to talk about McDonalds, its supply system is the one which is highly talked about and taken as an example to be followed. 2.1.5 Strength of Buyers The relative strength of the customers is actually low in this industry due to the availability of the substitutes and due to the people going more health conscious. 2.1.6 Distinctive Notion As per the reports of Business Week, currently, McDonalds hold 9th rank in the top 100 brands all over the country, as per the survey done in 2007. This fast food giant has a history of 69 years and has actually established a linkage with the customers. Having such a close relation with the buyers had made it rank so high and is now operating 120 and more franchises and restaurants, in India itself. 3.0 Key Elements of a Competitive Business Strategy of McDonalds None of the organizations can exist in vacuum. They need industrial competition and expansion in order to exist and survive. Analyses of the competitors in the market not only help in analysis a firms weakness and threats but also strengths and opportunities. These competitive business strategies can be applied to Mc Donalds and it can be found that what made Mc Donalds the leader in the market despite the tough competition in this industry. Greatest business strategy of Mc Donalds that has added to its strength is the product value. Customers know that what will come their way once they enter a Mc Donalds outlet. The emphasis on human resource is given by Mc Donalds that means taking care of both employees and customers. Next strategy was the new products that are in line with the new generation and new taste. The diversity of the firm to bring up new product ideas is also strength. Trends with the customers changes and they dont stick to the brand till they have any new innovation to settle them with. Mc Donalds has given some new products to the customers and keeps coming up with innovative tastes like Mc Puff, Chicken Salsa Wrap, Ice Creams, etc. People can find Mc Donalds easily when they go out. The overexposure worked for Mc Donalds as they people get taste easily and its handy. With diversity in locations and such a huge chain of restaurants, Mc Donalds has made sure that the service and quality is maintained equally at every corner of the world where Mc Donalds exists. The secret of market strategy lies in the audience firm targets. Mc Donalds mainly targeted kids. With their happy meals and fun toys, they attracted kids. However, now they target not only kids, but people of every age. This is clear with the advertisements they bring up regularly. All this has been because kids dont remain same; they grow up and become adults eventually. Thus, it is better to target all age groups and keep everyone happy. There are various weaknesses that Mc Donalds has suffered; however, they are overcoming them with latest technologies and products. Like, internet is one technology that they have adopted to target the customers and provide them with attractive offers and various new excitements with Mc Donalds. Internet is not only used for motivation and improve performance, but now Mc Donalds even gives ease of ordering through internet and having delivery at their doorstep. The overall evaluation of the external and internal factors helps in planning appropriate competitive business strategies. The strategies are modified keeping strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in mind. The available resources have to be considered while planning. Making use of the core competency, mc Donalds can sustain the market competition effectively. There are three aspects that have helped Mc Donalds in competitive business advantage and these are: The managerial level and the organizational processes share a very good coordination and integration in Mc Donalds. All the employees and the managerial work in order to achieve the common goal. Mc Donalds understands the market well enough and they know the need of the hour and what changes are to be made to meet the present requirement. Mc Donalds is an organization that is flexible in terms of laws, government policies, customer trends and adaptation of technologies. Mc Donalds concentrates on the advantages of the organization. Apart from expansion strategies, Mc Donalds makes sure that organizational behavior and managerial expertise is maintained all over the globe. Structural, financial and technological assets of Mc Donalds are in excellent position in market, which has given it a competitive business advantage. Mc Donalds also has right kind of people to manage these assets in right direction and improve overall performance of the firm. Mc Donalds started with a vision that one day they will be the leaders in food industry and they have worked hard to realize that dream. Mc Donalds started with the intension to help out people who have almost no time to cook or are unable to cook or people who have no time to visit a proper restaurant. The aim was to provide quick service with quality and within cheap price. Keeping this vision in mind and goal to achieve, Mc Donalds used the right kind of man force and targeted right kind of people and now the world is aware of the success of Mc Donalds. Mc Donalds has implemented the best of the ideas with their strengths and advantages to have an edge over the market. The marketing strategies they adopted, worked for them. Some of the unique features of the firm made them amazingly popular in the market. Cheap value products with timely new innovative ideas targeting different groups of people have made Mc Donalds the largest fast food chain in the world. Drive through and take away counters have added extra ease to the customers and also the same quality and taste all over the world has won Mc Donalds respect and loyalty. Today everything is outsourced by Mc Donalds. Finance, customer care, etc all is outsourced and managed by different bodies for Mc Donalds so that Mc Donalds can pay attention to the competition, fight it and still maintain the quality and deliver what is expected of them. Cheap price meals and flexible timings of the Mc Donalds outlets have done wonders for them, still Mc Donalds mangers are not sitting quiet, they work regularly to maintain it all along and win over all kind of competition. There are many old and new competitors that have tried to take the position what Mc Donalds has made, but dedication and quality service from the firm has made sure that they dont shake from their position and they still stand tall and with heads high. Mc Donalds has learned through its course of success, what importance of customers is and how to make sure that they stay happy and loyal. This is the biggest competitive advantage that Mc Donalds enjoys. 3.1 Conclusion McDonalds is working efficiently throughout the globe, thus it should continue to provide better and quick services to its customers. The food giant should further try to lower down the cost in the supply chain network in order to provide with low cost products to its customers. McDonalds should also try to expand their Happy Meal choices in order to attract more and more customer base and also to retain the current levels. It should also plan for opening more McCafes serving the premium quality and specialty should be defined as the coffees and other beverages. Trying to have a concept of gifts during festive seasons for youth, kids as well as senior citizens will also help McDonalds to gain acceptance amongst people. Thus, keeping all the factors in mind, McDonalds is working good and should try to gain more acceptances combining the elements of globalization and internationalization. 4.0 References BBC news, available at [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8243270.stm], [accessed on Aug 15, 2010] Business week ratings, available at [http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/news/twenty_best_companies.html?DCSext.destination=http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/news/twenty_best_companies.html], [accessed on Aug 15, 2010] Corporate data, (2005), 2005 McOnomics report Brazil puff, USA Czinkota M, et al., (2009), Emerging Trends, Threats and Opportunities in International Marketing p.323, Business Expert Press, USA Corporate data, available at [http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97876p=irol-newsArticleID=1457937highlight=], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Children oriented business, available at [http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/students/faq_for_students.html], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Dr Amit Rangnekar, nod, Case of Strategic Adaptation, NMIMS, India Employee data, available at [http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/students/mcdonalds_does_good/diversity_at_mcdonalds.html?DCSext.destination=http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/students/mcdonalds_does_good/diversity_at_mcdonalds.html], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Europe environment report 2005, available at [http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/etc/medialib/csr/docs.Par.19910.File.dat/McDonalds%20Europe%20Environment%20Report%202004.pdf], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] East-Asia economy, available at [http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0, contentMDK: 22009548~pagePK: 34370~piPK: 34424~theSitePK: 4607, 00.htm], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] James L. Watson, (2006), Golden arches east: McDonalds in East Asia, Stanford University Press, USA John F. Love, (1995), McDonalds: Behind the Arches, Paperback, USA Labor law of Brazil, available at [http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Leis/L9029.htm labor law], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] M. A. Heike Mieth, (2007), the History of McDonalds, GRIN Verilog, USA Mc Donalds resources, available at [http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/report/overview/corporate_profile/employees.html?DCSext.destination=http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/report/overview/corporate_profile/employees.html], [accessed on Aug 15, 2010] Mc Donalds listings, available at [http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/18982-0.htm], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Online ordering, available at [http:// www.computershare.com/mcdonalds], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Royal McDonald childcare, available at (http://www.rmcd.com/), [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Reuters report 2007, available at [http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSDEL20122420071015], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Revenue income data, available at [http://in.finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=MCD], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Shareholder data, (2009), McDirect Shares puff, Mc Donalds, USA Student program, available at [http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/students/faq_for_students.html#3], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Time news, available at [http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0, 8599, 1874034, 00.html], [accessed on au 16, 2010] United States Department of Agriculture, (2005), Agriculture Information Bulletin Number 794, USA World Bank data, available at [http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?theSitePK=659149pagePK=2470434contentMDK=20370063menuPK=659159piPK=2470429], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010] Yahoo news, available at [http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/special -features/mcdonalds/index.html], [accessed on Aug 16, 2010]

Metacognitive Awareness Of Reading Strategies And Critical Reading

Metacognitive Awareness Of Reading Strategies And Critical Reading Researchers believe that awareness and monitoring of ones comprehension processes are critically important for skilled reading. Such awareness and monitoring processes are often referred to as metacognition. Recent researches show that metacognitive strategies differentiate between effective and ineffective learners i.e. the more a student knows about how he learns, the better he will learn. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and critical reading ability of the students. To this end, 113 third/forth year Iranian college students majoring in English translation/literature, aged around 21-36 were selected to participate in this study. They took part in a Nelson test of proficiency, and a critical reading comprehension test. They also completed a questionnaire, namely Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI). Data analysis through Pearson Correlation Coefficient formula showed that there is a significant relationship between the students metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and their critical reading ability. The findings can have implications for EFL learners and teachers in developing an authentic, interactive and learner- centered environment in their reading classes. Key words: Learning strategies, Metacognition, Metacognitive awareness of reading strategies, Critical reading 1. Introduction The recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in developing critical thinking skills of students in order to improve their thinking and learning abilities and help them to succeed in their educational goals. Improving students critical thinking skills will help students: a) improve their thinking about their course work b) use sound thinking on tests, assignments, and projects in their courses c) have the strategic, analytical, problem solving, and decision-making skills they need when they are at college d) have the strategic, analytical, problem solving, and decision-making skills they need when they move to the workplace. The term critical thinking when used by educators has varied meanings in different contexts-whether in formal logic courses, where it has a precise meaning; when applied to arguments or in casual discussions in a faculty lounge about students struggles to grasp the course content, where the term is used more loosely to simply mean good thinking (Pierce, 2005). Before proceeding any further, an account will be provided as how critical thinking has been defined in literature: As stated by Thomson (1996), the critical thinking tradition, which derives from both philosophy and education, originates in the USA. Some of its foremost American proponents were John Dewey, Edward Glaser, and Steven Norris; in Britain, the name most closely associated with critical thinking is that of Alec Fisher. In Learning to Think: Disciplinary Perspectives (2002), Janet Donald (quoted in Keller 2008) presents a variety of approaches to thinking based on the work of different academic disciplines. She provides a working model of thinking processes in higher education in which she describes a perspective on different methods of inquiry. The working model offers a set of procedures followed by most disciplines, including: description, selection, representation, inference, synthesis, and verification. Under each topic on this inventory, then, she lists subtopics indicating their relation to the diverse inquiry methods she previously connected to academic areas. In a later summary of the most important thinking processes used generally across disciplines, she lists separately Identify the context and State assumptions, then reduces her previous set of common procedures to those of selection, representation, and synthesis. In Maclellan and Soden (2001, quoted in Keller 2008), we see the following set of critical thinking skills: a) unpacking concepts-ability to unpack or break down ideas, concepts or theories; b) recognizing contradictions-differentiating between viewpoints and counterarguments; c) development-explaining a phenomenon, joining ideas together to form lines of arguments; d) providing evidence-supporting or justifying assertions; e) examining implications of evidence-generating hypotheses about consequences or examining the relationships between key factors; f) alternative interpretation-questioning or challenging an interpretation of the evidence and offering an alternative. After the above review on what critical thinking is, now we turn to critical reading. A major issue in education today is the concern about students ability to read critically and to evaluate the material. Critical reading is taught as a sub-skill of comprehension with appropriate exercises. Critical reading enjoys several features which make it appear rooted in critical thinking. Among the features we can mention the followings listed by students counseling service of Salisbury University: a. previewing: Learning about a text before really reading it. b. contextualizing: Placing a text in its historical, biographical, and cultural contexts. c. questioning to understand and remember: Asking questions about the content. d. reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values: Examining your personal responses. e. outlining and summarizing: Identifying the main ideas and restating them in your own words. f. evaluating an argument: Testing the logic of a text as well as its credibility and emotional impact. g. comparing and contrasting related readings: Exploring likenesses and differences between texts to understand them better. Furthermore, Burmeister (1986, qtd in Cherney 1986) defines critical-creative reading and thinking as requiring the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. He adds that such cognitive abilities require readers or thinkers to reason using techniques of formal logic or at least to be consciously aware of the thought processes they are using. Analysis, according to Burmeister, requires the examination of parts of the whole; synthesis is the act of combining or unifying elements into a coherent whole and evaluation requires the establishment of standards and also a judgment as to the goodness of fit of the idea. Burmeister considers evaluation to be the highest level of the cognitive domain. (p.256) The researchers assume that metacognitive strategies are among the strategies which can foster critical thinking and hence reading. However, it sounds reasonable to ask why such a relationship is felt. To answer this question an attempt will be made to clarify metacognitive strategies. Sheorey and Mokhtari (2001) state that many studies recognize the role of meta-cognitive awareness in reading comprehension, whether one is reading in the native language or a second language. Indeed, the consensus view is that strategic awareness and monitoring of the comprehension process are critically important aspects of skilled reading. Such awareness and monitoring is often referred to in the literature as meta-cognition, which can be thought of as the knowledge of the readers cognition relative to the reading process and the self-control mechanisms they use to monitor and enhance comprehension. Auerbach and Paxton (1997) and Carrell et al. (1989), for example, consider meta-cognitive awareness-planning and consciously executing appropriate actions to achieve a particular goal-to be a critical element of proficient, strategic reading. Such meta-cognition, according to Auerbach and Paxton (1997), entails knowledge of strategies for processing texts, the ability to monitor compr ehension, and the ability to adjust strategies as needed (pp. 240-41). Furthermore, Taylor (1999) defines meta-cognition as an appreciation of what one already knows, together with a correct apprehension of the learning task and what knowledge and skills it requires, combined with the ability to make correct inferences about how to apply ones strategic knowledge to a particular situation, and to do so efficiently and reliably. (p.126) To increase their metacognitive abilities, students need to possess and be aware of three kinds of content knowledge: declarative, procedural, and conditional. Declarative knowledge is the factual information that one knows; it can be declared-spoken or written. An example is to know the formula for calculating momentum in a physics class (momentum = mass times velocity). Procedural knowledge is knowledge of how to do something, of how to perform the steps in a process; for example, knowing the mass of an object and its rate of speed and how to do the calculation. Conditional knowledge is knowledge about when to use a procedure, skill, or strategy and when not to use it; why a procedure works and under what conditions; and why one procedure is better than another. For example, students need to recognize that an exam word problem requires the calculation of momentum as part of its solution. (Paris, Cross and Lipson, 1984. qtd. in Pressley 2002). This notion of three kinds of knowledge applies to learning strategies as well as course content. When they study, students need the declarative knowledge that (1) all reading assignments are not alike; for example, that a history textbook chapter deals with factual information differs from a primary historical document, which is different from an article interpreting or analyzing that document. They need to know that stories and novels differ from arguments. Furthermore, they need to know that there are different kinds of note taking strategies useful for annotating these different types of texts. And (2) students need to know how to actually write different kinds of notes (procedural knowledge), and (3) they need to know when to apply these kinds of notes when they study (conditional knowledge). Knowledge of study strategies is among the kinds of meta-cognitive knowledge, and it too requires awareness of all three kinds of knowledge (Pierce, 2003). Many of the current studies recognize the role of awareness in reading comprehension. Reading strategies are of interest for the way readers use them to manage their interaction with the written text and how these strategies are related to text comprehension (Rigney, 1978). Reading in second language reading suggests that strategies improve reading comprehension. Reading strategies indicate how readers conceive a task, how they make sense of what they read and what they do when reading comprehension is difficult (Singhal, 2001). Indeed researchers agree that strategic awareness and monitoring of the comprehension process are critically important aspects of skilled reading. Such awareness and monitoring is often referred to in the literature as metacognition, which is used to monitor and enhance reading comprehension (Pressley and Afflerbach, 1995; Alexander and Jetton, 2000; Pressley, 2000). Recent researchers (Cohen, 1998, Anderson, 2002, Santana, 2003) show that the strategies that mark the true differences between effective and ineffective learners are the metacognitive strategies. In spite of the fact that many of the previous studies have obtained information about learners strategies and reading process, few of them have examined readers metacognitive awareness of reading strategies ( Singhal, 2001). Considering the important role of metacognitive reading strategies in reading comprehension with suspicious eye, this study is designed to investigate the relationship between metacognitive awareness reading strategies and critical reading ability and to view the notions of meta-cognitive awareness strategies and critical reading in the same horizon. For this purpose, we also need to have references to critical thinking because, as was mentioned above, critical reading roots in critical thinking. 1. 1. Statement of the problem For the improvement of critical reading, instructors should teach a variety of strategies that research has shown to be effective, like: generating questions and answering them, writing summaries, writing elaborations and using organizing strategies. The preceding strategies already seem to have been taken into account by Iranian teachers and learners. However, a potential problem in applying the mentioned strategies in reading comprehension can be the absence of meta-cognitive awareness about them. Hence, the researcher assumes that a set of meta-cognitive strategies can strengthen the above line of activity and foster the progress of critical reading. 1. 2. Research Question Is there any significant relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and critical reading ability? 3. Statement of the hypothesis The null hypothesis underlying this proposal is that there is not any significant relationship between meta-cognitive awareness of reading strategies and critical reading ability. 2. Method 2. 1. Participants A community sample of 130 male and female participated in this study in the second semester of 2010 majoring in English language literature and translation in Qom Islamic Azad University. They were all in their third and forth year. These students were asked if they would volunteer to participate in the study. Out of 130 participants who completed the questionnaires and tests, about 113 participants were accepted to participate in the study. 2. 2. Measure and Procedure The researchers visited the classes to administer one questionnaire and two tests. A total of 130 students were instructed to answer the proficiency test in one session and to the critical reading test and MARSI questionnaire at a later session. Students rated the items of MARSI, using a 5-point likert-type scale ranging from 1 (I never do this) to 5 (I always do this). From this population, some students were eliminated because they had not properly completed their questionnaires. The general proficiency test (Nelson test, 300 B) comprised 50 multiple-choice and vocabulary items. The total score of the test was 50 and one point was assigned to each correct answer. The critical reading comprehension test consisted of four passages with 4 or 5 multiple-choice items for each passage. So the 20 items were scored by one point for each correct answer. Then the score for all items were added and an ultimate score was calculated. The range of scores for this test was between 9 to 18. For scoring the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory, the procedure proposed by Mokhtari Richad (2002) was used. A score was assigned to each answer which ranged from 1 to 5: never or almost never=1, occasionally=2, sometimes=3, usually=4, always=5. Then the scores for all items were added up and an ultimate score was calculated. The range of scores for this scale was between 46 to 146. 3. Data analysis To carry out the statistical analysis of the study, several statistical techniques were utilized: to calculate the reliability of the Nelson test, the Cronbach alpha (a) formula was utilized. In order to estimate the reliability of the critical reading comprehension test, the Cronbach alpha (a) formula was utilized. Considering the point that the participants will be assigned interval scores both for their meta-cognitive awareness and critical reading ability, the statistical analysis was Pearsons product Moment Coefficient of Correlation. Also, the reliability index of the translated version of MARSI was assessed by applying Cronbach alpha (a) formula. After administrating the instruments with the main subjects of the study and correcting the papers, the ultimate scores on critical reading comprehension test and MARSI were calculated and entered into SPSS. 3. Results In order to be certain of the homogeneity of the participants of the study in terms of language proficiency, a general language proficiency test (Nelson test) was utilized. The test was extracted from Nelson English language tests by W.S. Flower and Norman Goe (1976). It composed of 50 multiple choice grammar and vocabulary items. Through the pilot study, the reliability of the Nelson test was estimated and the following result was achieved: Table of reliability statisticsof the Language Proficiency Test (Nelson) Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .899 50 As it is noticed, the reliability of the Nelson test was estimated as .89 through the pilot study among 42 students, so the test enjoyed the acceptable reliability. The present study, also used a new self report measure, the Meta cognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) (Mokhtari Richard, 2002), which is designed to assess adolescent and adult readers awareness and perceived use of reading strategies while reading materials. According to the author of MARSI, the major purposes of developing of this inventory were to devise an instrument that would permit one to assess the degree to which a student is or is not aware of the various processes involved in reading and to make it possible to learn about the goals and intentions he or she holds with coping with reading tasks. As a result of employing this inventory, the second statistical procedure was to estimate the reliability of the translated version of Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) administered to the subjects in the pilot study. Table of reliability statistics of the translated version of MARSI Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .799 30 According to table 4. 2., the reliability index of the students answers to the MARSI, assessed by applying the Cronbach alpha (a) formula, was 0.79. In order to assess the participants ability in reading critically, a test of reading comprehension, extracted from a model TOEFL, was applied. The reliability of this test administered to the subjects in the pilot study was estimated to be: Table of reliability statistics of critical reading comprehension test Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .748 18 It is necessary to add that in order to validate the critical reading comprehension test, basically four steps were taken such as checking the content validity, face validity, criterion related validity, and construct validity. The procedure for each step can be found in the following in details. The test was compiled according to the recommendation of Alderson and Urquhart (1984). Four different texts were selected. The texts were found from among the materials suggested for preparation of language learners for TOEFL test. Of course it was evident that not any passage could qualify: the passages had to be of an independent entity and understandable without a larger context. However, the main principle in text selection was to find text types that Iranian students of English were likely to read critically. I also consulted my supervisor to ensure the content validity of the passages and also to get confident that the questions could not be answered without reading the passages critically. The texts found were also sent to my advisor to make sure if there were any specific issues to be reconsidered. At the end of each passage, four or five questions were asked. Answering to the questions would be almost impossible without reading the test critically. The text chosen represente d the following text types: a scientific text from a field relevant to Chemistry; a text containing materials about body language and communication; a passage about the sinking of the luxurious ship, Titanic ; a biographical passage about an influential citizen of the United States, John Muir. In addition to improving the test items through item analysis (item facility, item discrimination and choice distribution), the face validity of the test was examined in qualitative terms. The students in the pilot study were asked to state their reasons for estimating the reading test as being critical or not. The comments (40 students) were rather divided. Some disliked the test but many of them liked it. Those who liked it wrote that it required imagination, and cleverness and a few compared taking the reading test with doing philosophical reasoning. Those who disliked the test mostly argued that it required to test other abilities besides language proficiency (e. g. imagination). Some complained that the test was too difficult and that they could mainly perceive the structure of the sentences. For criterion related validity, the researcher followed the same procedure as Assar (2008). With the help of the Nelson language proficiency test and by running correlation between these sc ores and those obtained from the improved reading test, among 32 students who participated in the pilot study, the concurrent validity of the test was established with an index of 0.71. Finally the critical reading test was construct-validated. To this end, the researcher took a process oriented approach following the picture depicted by Hirano (2008) and devised a questionnaire based on the discussed issues found in the literature on critical thinking and reading. The questionnaire was piloted among 40 students. First, they took the critical reading comprehension test, and immediately after they were asked to answer the questions in the questionnaire. Through a frequency count, it was discovered that the test had led to a critical reading successfully. The following table shows the result of the students answers to the fifteen questions in the devised questionnaire by the researcher based on the discussed issues found in the literature on critical thinking and reading. The results in the Mean column show the average score for each of the fifteen questions calculated based on a liker scale for each question ranging from 0 to 3. Table of reliability statistics for the reliability of critical reading questionnaire Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .624 15 It is necessary to mention that after the reliability of the questionnaire for process validation of the reading comprehension test was calculated, the researcher tried to revise some of the questions. It is, therefore, hoped that further studies through the revised questionnaire will provide more reliable results. Finally we come to the research question, which was concerned with relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and critical reading ability of the students. To investigate this question, the Pearson product correlation coefficient was run. The result of statistics is presented in the following table: According to the above table, correlation is significant at the 0.01 level. By using Pearson product correlation coefficient formula, the correlation between the two variables was estimated as .70. That is, there is a significant relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies (MARSI) and critical reading ability. The results have been illustrated in the following scatter plot graph: Graph/Scatter plot for Correlation coefficient between critical reading ability and meta-cognitive awareness of reading strategies The above scatter plot illustrates the correlation coefficient between critical reading ability and meta-cognitive awareness of reading strategies including 113 subjects. Variable 1 (Y axis) is related to meta-cognitive awareness of reading strategies in an interval scale up to 130; variable 2 (X axis) is related to critical reading ability in an interval scale from zero up to 20. 4. Discussion This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies (MARSI) and critical reading ability of Iranian students majoring in fields of English translation and literature. The statistical results proved that there is a significant relationship between the two variables of metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and critical reading ability. So the present study has found evidence that good and poor students are significantly different in their awareness and perceived use of metacognitive strategies. That is, the more a student knows about how he learns, the better learner he will be. Therefore, helping students to be more aware of their metacognitive reading strategies plays an important role in not only developing their critical reading ability but also in their general reading comprehension ability. The results of this study can be compared and contrasted with those of other researchers. For instance, findings of the present study are in congruity with the study conducted by Parson (2002) whose major purpose of his study was to investigate the strength of the relationship between the use of metacognitive strategies and critical reading ability of the students. It was conducted, specifically, to test the effectiveness of a teaching procedure designed to improve critical reading ability by training students in metacognintive strategies. He discovered that the students who were instructed with this metacognitive training package (questioning, summarizing, predicting and speculating on the authors intended tone and purpose) should become more aware of their own mental processes and will demonstrate not only increased critical reading ability, but also increased general comprehension ability. Also, qualitative improvement noted in subjects strategy use provided sufficient evidence fo r further study into the effectiveness of this training procedure. Furthermore, the findings could indirectly support Icmezs (2009) findings who suggests that in a critical reading course, developing a competence in critical reading skills evokes curiosity and the novelty essential for students with high levels of proficiency. Finally, we can conclude that our findings here is in line with what Ajideh (2009) suggests, that poor readers in general lack effective metacognitive strategies and have little awareness on how to approach to reading. They also have deficiencies in the use of metacognitive strategies to monitor for their understanding of texts. In contrast, successful L2 readers know how to use appropriate strategies to enhance text comprehension. 5. Conclusion As mentioned previously, among the tools that students use to learn a second language, learning strategies have been given a crucial role in all academic studies. Language learning strategies have been known as a factor that differentiates successful language learning from unsuccessful language learning. In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the necessity to examine human personality in order to find solutions to the perplexing problems in language learning. It is evident that a student uses language learning strategies while he is under the influence of many linguistic, cognitive, and affective factors. Thus, such an intertwined network can provide an answer to the wide individual differences within the classroom. Also, the ability to critically analyze written materials has long been recognized as being crucial to the educational process. In this study, it has been tried to explore the relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and critical reading ability of the students. With respect to the research question, it was found that when the students show more metacognitive awareness of strategies, they can read more critically and therefore it is more probable that they score higher on reading comprehension test. Based on the results, it can be concluded that there is a meaningful relationship between the students metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and their performance on critical reading comprehension test. Therefore, metacognitive strategies could provide the missing link between cognitive processes and critical reading ability. Metacognition refers to ones awareness of and control over his/her own mental processes (Brown, 2007). Consequently, it is worth mentioning that the relationship demonstrated here is only part of a complex picture, which reveals just some of the factors operating in mind of our students that warrant investigation. It should be mentioned that language learners strategies and their effect in the process of learning is a highly complex issue. Therefore, metacognitive strategy awareness may not be just the only aspect of this achievement in learning; rather, we need to investigate other types of language learning strategies and look at what helps the students to increase their ability in achieving the best results. 6. Implications The present study has found evidence which supports previous research findings that demonstrated that good and poor students are significantly different in their awareness and perceived use of metacognitive strategies. That is, the more a student knows about how he learns, the better learner he will be. Therefore, helping students to be more aware of their metacognitive reading strategies plays an important role in not only developing their critical reading ability but also in their general reading comprehension ability. So based on the above results, the finding of the study can have implications for teachers in reading classes. To be more specific, training good readers means more than just improving their knowledge about language structure and general study skills, and it needs raising their awareness of metacognitive strategies for critical reading. Also the results in this study may have implications for reading comprehension assessment. As mentioned before, critical reading skills are essential for the students with high level of proficiency. That is the higher the level of proficiency, the higher the ability for critical reading. Therefore, one of the factors to be included in the assessment of language proficiency can be the ability to read critically especially at higher level of proficiency.

Proteus Mirabilis Essay -- Biology Medican Medicine Essays

Proteus Mirabilis Life History: Proteus mirabilis is part of the normal flora of the human gastrointestinal tract. It can also be found free living in water and soil. When this organism, however, enters the urinary tract, wounds, or the lungs it can become pathogenic. Proteus mirabilis commonly causes urinary tract infections and the formation of stones. Microbiological Characteristics: Proteus mirabilis is part of the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is a small gram-negative bacillus and a facultative anaerobe. Proteus mirabilis is characterized by its swarming motility, its ability to ferment maltose, and its inability to ferment lactose. P. mirabilis has the ability to elongate itself and secrete a polysaccharide when in contact with solid surfaces, making it extremely motile on items such as medical equipment. Disease: The most common infection involving Proteus mirabilis occurs when the bacteria moves to the urethra and urinary bladder. Although Proteus mirabilis mostly known to cause urinary tract infections, the majority of urinary tract infections are due to E. coli. One-hundred thousand cfus per milliliter in the urine are usually indicative of a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections caused by P. mirabilis occur usually in patients under long-term catherization. The bacteria have been found to move and create encrustations on the urinary catheters. The encrustations cause the catheter to block. Symptoms for urethritis are mild including frequency of urination and pyuria (presence of white blob cells in the urine). Cystitis (bladder infection) symptoms are easier to distinguish and include back pain, concentrated appearance, urgency, hematuria (presence of red blood cells in the urine), a... ...d ciprofloxin. In cases with severe stone formation, surgery is necessary to remove the blockage. Proteus mirabilis is part of the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tract, and as a result the bacteria enters the urinary tract or infects medical equipment by the fecal route. Consequently, prevention includes good sanitation and hygiene, including proper sterilization of medical equipment. It is also suggested that patients not requiring catherization should not receive catherization, despite its convenience for the caretaker. Sources Cited: http://www.cdc.gov http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1929.htm http://bact.wisc.edu:81/ScienceEd/stories/storyReader$108 http://www.microbelibrary.org/FactSheet.asp http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch026.htm file://C:DOCUME~1BobLOCALS~1TempAM8EQCBC.html http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/full/37/9/2840