Understanding Your Heritage free essay sample

Working on a 1000 piece puzzle can be tedious at times, but as I put the pieces together the final product begins to come into focus. I sometimes ask myself the following questions: If I do not have the last piece of the puzzle, what will I do? How will I handle this predicament? Will I give up or will I persevere and find that piece to my missing puzzle? Reminiscing back on my life experiences, I have always felt that I was missing something to complete the perfect life of an ordinary teenager, and it was through my parents history that I was able to identify the missing piece and bring the picture into focus. Years ago my parents struggled because of the war in their home country of Cambodia. Arrangements were made for them to flee the country in order to escape the war and save their lives. They moved to various parts of the world and suffered the consequence of leaving loved ones behind. We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Your Heritage or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Due to the difficult challenges they faced, and difficult decisions they had to make I suffered the pain of not having my grandparents in my life. The missing puzzle piece to my life has always been the absence of my grandparents. Ive never been able to relate to the joy most kids experience as a result of having meaningful relationships with their grandparents. In more than one way, my parents endured the same emotional distress I have and am bearing without my grandparents. My parents overcame many hardships to survive in this country. They arrived here without the support of relatives, and the nonexistence of close familial relationships required them to start a whole new life of culture in America. Unlike my parents, most people living in the U.S. had their parents to help them through tough times and support them in educational endeavors, such as financing college or business aspirations. Having this kind of support helped these people go to college without dividing their atte ntion between exhaustive employments and pursuing an education. My parents started from the bottom and worked their way up. They worked several jobs at minimal wage to save up for their education and did the impossible. They started with nothing, and now they have professional government careers, a beautiful home, quality education, and five loving children. Even though my grandparents have never been a part of my life, the values theyve instilled in my parents have allowed me to achieve goals they could only dream of. I will rely on my strong heritage as I focus and navigate through life. The absence of my grandparents made me respect my parents hard work and discipline. Knowing my grandparents story opened my eyes and made me understand the struggles that my parents had to go through in order to get the life they have today. Their life is the example that I will follow as I order my steps to persevere and accomplish many tasks. The missing puzzle piece to my life is my grandparent s, but I can put the puzzle together by honoring them through hard work. No one is perfect, and everyone has a missing piece to their life. I have learned that the missing piece is not the key to my puzzling future, understanding and respecting my past is.

Resistance in The Bluest Eye and essays

Resistance in The Bluest Eye and essays It has been said that historically, black women have been absent from much feminist theory, both in feminist literature and black literature. (Watkins, pp165) Two writers that are working to change this HIStory, are Toni Morrison and Melissa Lucashenko. These writers are both black and are both female. They write to include the other. That is, they empower the previously marginalised black woman. We will look into how this is achieved further on in the article. In short, this article discusses how the characters of Morrisons, The Bluest Eye, and Lucashenkos Steam Pigs are marginalised and disempowered by the totalising structures of race, gender and class. It then continues to critique the ways in which the characters resist to such forces. Firstly, it must be said that although The Bluest Eye is set in America in the 1940s and is written by an American author, and Steam Pigs is placed in Australia in the late 1990s and is by an Australian author, there are many themes found within the two texts that are universal and timeless. The first being issues of race. In The Bluest Eye, Morrison identifies racism on two levels. Firstly white to black racism, but more importantly black to black racism. In the first instance Morrison uses the very few white characters in the novel, the little white child that Pauline Breedlove cares for, to establish a difference in race. The family has affectionately called Pauline Polly (Morrison pp. 127). This action has very white middle-class undertones and almost implies that her identity as a strong Afro-American woman no longer exists in their world. She is simply their housemaid, no matter how much they adore her. Another example of white to black racism is in the metaphor of the Shirley Temple cup and the chocolate wrappers with the blued-eyed white girl. While this i...

Benefits of having a personal disaster kit Essay

Benefits of having a personal disaster kit - Essay Example In other words, if you fail to coordinate precautionary measures prior to the occurrence of a disaster, you are prepared to handle the consequences. In cases like these, it is important to be prepared as being prepared can make a difference between life and death. In a disaster medical assistance is also often slowed, as emergency crews must focus on the victims of the disaster. Banks and other businesses might be closed, affecting a family's ability to withdraw money to pay bills and buy groceries Possessions are not hard to replace, as many people keep insurance on their property and tangible goods. The emotional toll of natural disasters is much more devastating. The death of a loved one may be the worst-case scenario but it's not the only lasting emotional effect victims experience. Whole communities may be displaced, separating friends and neighbors; victims face anxiety and depression as they wonder if it could happen again. In extreme cases, they may experience post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (Cited from ehow.com) Life throws the unexpected at us every day. It is difficult to predict how a disaster will be. The effects of a disaster can be lessened if preparations are made ahead of time. One of the most important steps to being prepared for a disaster is having a personal disaster kit. Your personal disaster kit should include; water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies and special items such as medication. Water should be stored in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles and store at least three gallons of water per person to serve for at least a three day period. Store at least a three day supply of non-perishable food items, food for infants and spices, vitamins or stress foods. It is far better to select foods that are compact and light weight such as ready to eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables and canned juices. Your disaster kit should also include a first aid kit. This kit should include; ban dages and pins, sterile adhesive bandages, roller bandages, sterile gauze, cleansing soaps and agents and non-prescription drugs like antacid, anti-diarrhea and pain killers. Paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, emergency preparedness manuals, battery operated radio with extra batteries, plastic storage containers, waterproof matches, flash lights stored with batteries inserted backwards, toilet paper, personal hygiene products, plastic garbage bags and household chlorine bleach are also among the many essentials for your personal disaster kit. It is important to store your kit in a convenient place with smaller versions of it in your car. Ensure all items are kept in air tight plastic bags. Finally replace the stored food and water in your kit every six months. Every year people are affected by disasters. Lives are lost, property is destroyed and personal effects lost to the unforgiving aftermath of both natural and man-made disasters. The saddest part of such devastation is th at most of it could have been averted with the proper preparation. Being prepared does not mean that one won't incur any loss, however, if one prepares properly, it can save lives, homes and personal affects. Proper preparation can also make recovery and dealing with insurance companies and government entities exponentially easier. Once a disaster

Job Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Job Application - Essay Example I am working on this dissertation under the supervision of Professor Michel Hockx. I, respectfully submit this application letter, as I have strong enthusiasm, commitment and experience in teaching and research which fully qualifies me to meet the needs of your program. My dissertation deals with the discursive formation of the utopian discourse in late imperial China. I aim at revealing the interrelationship between literature, translation, politics and print culture that help the utopian imagination in new fiction fit into the utopian discourse. Then, I argue that the utopian discourse is formed by a number of elements, namely the position of authors, the function of new fiction, and the politics of translation and the modes of production in newspapers and journals. At the end I conclude the utopian discourse is a significant example for revealing the diffusion of universalism in the course of searching Chinese modernity. The interdisciplinary method of research is related to my ac ademic background. My research interests cover twentieth century Chinese literature, Chinese print and media culture, sinophone literature, modernity, cultural production and theories of ideology with focus on fiction, print and media culture. I am interested in examining fiction as a product of literary production and pay special attention to how form, content and meaning are constituted in historical context. I have examined madness writing in post-Mao’s fiction, in order to demonstrate suppressed memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution rendered as symptoms of madness and disguised in pathological structures. My interest in print and media culture starts from my undergraduate study. I have discussed Taiwanese picture books textual characteristics towards poems, which integrates illustrated pictures to the aesthetic features of the texts. At present I am working on the links between the Chinese public sphere and the narrative of the concept of nation. I discuss the imagi nation of future China written in late-Qing utopian novels is a dynamic object hinging on the performativity of language in the concept of nation mentioned by different journals and newspapers. In the near future, I plan to discuss productive bodies in Chinese vernacular journals and to explore the position of Hong Kong literature in the sphere of sinophone writings. I have been fortunate to get the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant in the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Open University of Hong Kong. This two year teaching experience qualifies me to teach a wide range of courses, including Chinese History and Literature, Classical Chinese Poetry and Contemporary Chinese Literature. My philosophy is student-centered teaching. I received positive teaching evaluations highlighting my teaching methods and passion for helping students to learn. Moreover, I am qualified to develop courses on "Globalizing Chinese Literature: Sinophone Literature" and "Western and Chinese Dr eams: Utopian literature in comparative perspective". I have also presented papers at academic conferences and at the University of Heidelberg, the National Taiwan University and the University of Tokyo. These research experiences broadened my academic horizons and scholarly

Prices of Petrol and Diesel in Malaysia

Prices of Petrol and Diesel in Malaysia 1.0 Introduction Microeconomics is a branch of economic analysis that are deals with human behavior and the choices of the small units in economics. It is firms in undertakes to understand the decision-making process of firms and households. It is also concerned with the interaction between sellers and individual buyers and all the factors that had influence the choices that are made by buyers and sellers. In particular, microeconomics had focuses on the patterns of supply and demand and also the output in individual markets and the determination of price. There are two different distinct areas in the field of economic will be study that is microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics studies on how the pricing of element services such as profits, interest, wages and rents are all determined in the market. It is also on how scanty resources are distribute for the production of several products. People who have any wish to start their own business or who want to learn the rationale behind the pricing of the particular services and products. On the other hand, macroeconomics analyzes the accumulate behavior of the whole economy. It studies not just only individual economic units but all the arrangement which are deals with accumulates such as trade cycle, inflation, national income, deflation, public finance and others. Demand and supply including all those important concepts and it is a principle of economic of pricing. Demand and supple concept are using to determining all the prices of goods. Demand is the willingness and ability to buy specific quantities of goods in a given period of time at a particular price. The law of demand states that the higher the price of a good, the lower the quantity demands for that good and vice versa. It also states that there is a reverse relationship between quantity demanded and price. A demand schedule for the graphs had also represents a functional relationship between quantity demanded and price. Supply is clarifies as the willingness and the ability to produce or sell particular services and goods in a given period of time at a particular price. (DevigaVengedasalam, KarunagaramMadhavan and RohanaKamaruddin, 2008) The difference between demand and supply is the word of sell and buy. The law of supply states that the higher price of a good is the quantity supplied for that good and vice versa. The supply schedule for the graphs had also represents a functional relationship between the quantities supplied and price when the other determinants are assumed that all constant. Elasticity is an important concept that can be measured by all the students that are majoring in economics. There are four types of elasticity that is income elasticity (YED), cross price elasticity (XED), price elasticity of supply (PED) and price elasticity of demand (PED). It is a measurement of the proportion of responsiveness of any variable to the change in one of the factors of determinants. 2.0 Demand and Supply On October 2, 2014 petrol and diesel price are increased by 20 cent per litre by Malaysia Government as in line with the federal government’s subsidy rationalization policy. The new retail price of RON95 will be RM2.30 and diesel will be RM2.20 per litre. This change had affected the demand and supply for all the Malaysian consumers. For petrol, the determinants of supply for this case that had happen is the government policies. The supply of goods is also influence by the carry out of various government policies such as subsidies and taxes. If the government charges the sales tax on goods, this will result in the higher cost of production and this will also decrease the supply of goods. Then, the proviso of the subsidies will encourage all the sellers to supply more as the subsidy will reduce the cost. For an example, if the government gives subsidies for goods, the supply of goods will increase. Under these circumstances, the supply of petrol will decrease. â€Å"Although fuel prices have increased for March, prices at farmers’ markets will be still be lower as compared to other markets,† (Ismail, 2015). The government reduces the subsidy rate of petrol. (Themalaymailonline, 2014).From this, it can be seen that the future price of petrol will decrease in demand and supply. For additional, income is the determinant of demand. It can be using to influence the consumers making a decision to buy products or goods or services are the income of consumers. The evident for this determinant is the level of income in country under analysis or appropriate region. The goods that are known as normal good are books, cars, shirts and house. In additional, inferior goods are those salted fish, low-grade potatoes and low-grade rice. The higher income of a consumer getting, the higher quantity of the product they will buy. In fact, when the price of petrol had increase, the demand for petrol is decreasing as the price of related goods is cheaper such as bicycle. This is because consumer having the choice of making a decision to make a desire for things. The demand for petrol in Malaysia is decreasing as the income for every consumers in Malaysia is decreasing or even remain constant. For a better know, the labor market in Malaysia also can be concerned. A worker’ s day can be divided into hours of leisure and hours of work. Besides of that, workers are also be assumed that they have the flexibility to choose their hours for working and leisure. After the year 2013, the minimum wage for Malaysian is not increasing. (MOHR- Minimum Wages, 2013). The minimum wage in Peninsular Malaysia is RM 900 for monthly and RM433 for hourly. Besides, the minimum wage in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan is RM 800 for monthly and RM3.85 for hourly. (MOHR- Minimum Wages, 2013). As the demand of petrol is decreasing, the number of public transport in Malaysia is increasing. This will happen because all the Malaysian only willing to use on those transport that will not using up the need of petrol. For diesel, government policies is the determinant of supply that is same with the determinant supply for petrol. The supply of goods is also influenced by the implementation of several government policies such as subsidies and taxes. If the government imposes sales tax on goods, this will result in the increase of cost and this will decrease the supply of goods. Then, the proviso of subsidies will encourage all the sellers to supply more as the subsidy will reduce the cost. For example, if the government provides subsidies for goods, the supply of goods will increase. Under these circumstances, the supply of diesel will decrease. Through all of these, it can be seen that the future price of diesel in demand and supply is decrease. In additional, income is the determinant of demand for diesel. The evident is the level of income country under analysis or in an appropriate region. As all the Malaysian knows that diesel is more expensive than the petrol. In this case, the consumers also have more choice to choose or make a decision in individual. Same as the determinant of demand for petrol, the increase of the income of consumer, the quantity of demand also will increase. The demand of diesel in Malaysia is decrease as the price of diesel had already in a higher price than petrol so that the consumer will be lesser and lesser. And this may lead to the firms because in originally diesel already less people use because of the high price. After the year 2013, the minimum wage for Malaysian is not increasing. (MOHR- Minimum Wages, 2013). The minimum wage in Peninsular Malaysia is RM 900 for monthly and RM433 for hourly. Besides, the minimum wage in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan is RM 800 for monthly and RM3.85 for hourly . (MOHR- Minimum Wages, 2013). This also may increasing the number public transport in Malaysia. 2.1 Graph Demand and Supply of Petrol 2.2 Graph Demand and Supply of Diesel 2.3 Types of Elasticity Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) A measurement of how much the quantity demanded of a good responds to a change in price of that good. It shows the relationship between the price and quantity demand and also had provides an accurate to calculate the effect of a change in price on quantity demand. Then, the price elasticity of demand is calculated as the percentage change in quantity demand divide by the percentage change in price. This equation can use to do the calculation that is about the effect of price changes on quantity demand and on the income that received by the company before and after any price change. After that, the value of price elasticity can classify in five types, such as elastic, inelastic, unit elastic, perfectly inelastic and perfect elastic. The level of response of quantity demand to a change in price can be varying considerably. The quantity demanded changes proportionately more than the price, the value of price elasticity of demand is greater than 1 that is elastic. The percentage that changes in quantity of good is greater that the percent change of that goods price such as petrol. When the quantity demand of PED is less than 1, is call inelastic and the quantity demand is move proportionately less that the price of good. Next, when the value is equal to 1 is called as unit elastic, and the quantity of demand is moving about the same amount as the price of good such as insurance package. When the quantity demand of PED is equal to 0 it is a perfectly inelastic, the price of good and the quantity demand is remain same such as coffin. In addition, when the quantity demand of PED is equal to infinity it is perfectly elastic that means has a small change in the price that had lead to huge change in the quantity demand s uch as housing. Cross Price Elasticity of Demand (XED) Cross price elasticity of demand is show the relationship between two services or goods. Cross price elasticity of demand can defined as a measurement responsiveness of the quantity demand of one good to change in the price of another good. In additional, the cross price elasticity of demand can calculate as the percentage change in quality of good1divided by the percentage change in price of good2. Then, cross price elasticity of demand may be negative or positive value, depend on whether the goods are substitutes or complements. While, if the good A is substitute for good B, when the price of good A increase, thus the coefficient value is positive. For example, if the price of coffee increases, the consumer may purchase more tea and less coffee. In opposite, when the price of another good is decrease, the demand of substitute goods will fall. In contrast, if the good C is a complimentary good for good D, demand for good C decline when the price of good D increases. For example, when the quantity demand of car is increase, the quantity demand of fuel also will increase. If the price of complement falls, the quantity of demand of other good rise. So, the complement goods in cross price elasticity of demand will be negative. In summary, when the degree of elasticity for good XY is negative, the types of goods is complimentary; when the degree of elasticity for good XY is positive, the types of goods is substitute goods; when the degree of elasticity for good XY is equal to zero, , the types of goods is no relat ed goods. Income Elasticity of Demand (YED) Income elasticity of demand can defined as a measure the responsiveness of quantity demand for good to change in the consumer income. The income elasticity of demand can be calculates in the equation of the percentage change in quantity demand divide by the percentage change in income. Income elasticity can used to predict the potential of market. The one of the determinants of consumer demand is income. Income elasticity has shown the changes in income are leading to the change in demand. YED also can use to classify the goods such as luxury goods, inferior goods, necessity goods or normal goods. When a high value of income elasticity for one good, the producer of good can predict to increase in sales or decrease when the elasticity coefficient fall. When the income elasticity coefficient is more than 0, its’ degree of elasticity is elastic and had reveals that it is a luxury good. Luxury goods are the product that are highly desire and associate with wealthy people who bought for some reasons such as to support their status. For example, Gucci, Dior, and LV. When the income elasticity is less than 0, it shows it is an inferior good. Its’ degree of elasticity is negative elastic. The demand for the inferior good is go down as the income is increase such as bus. This is because when the income of people decrease, they just can afford to take a ride but not buying a car. The decline of bus is when the income of people increase. When the income elasticity is greater than 0 and less than 1, it is a normal good and that is the one where demand is directly proportional to the income. Normal goods are the items that income and demand will increase at the same time such as Nike shoes and Polo T-shirts. For example, Polo T-shirts having a normal price so that people are going to make more income to buy it. When the income elasticity is equal to 0, it is a necessity good, this is because the change of income did not affect the good. Necessity goods are the goods or service that are consider to be live in living, such as water, food, and medical care. However, if the price of necessity goods is increasing, people are still buying them because it is necessary for them. Price Elasticity of Supply (PES) Price elasticity of supply is a measurement of the responsiveness in the quantity supplied to a change in price of that good. PES can be calculated in the equation of percentage change in quantity supplied divide by the percentage change in price. There are several factors that can affect the elasticity of supply that is the flexibility of seller to produce, perishability, technology improvement, availability and mobility of factors of production and time period. PES is necessary for all the company to know about how quickly and effectively to it that can respond to change all the market condition, especially to the change of price. The price elasticity of supply can be divided into five types of supply curve. When the price of elasticity is greater than 1 it is elastic and that means the quantity supply is moving proportionately more than the price. When the PES is less than 1it is inelastic which means the quantity supply is moving proportionately less than the price. When the PES is equal to 1 it is unit elastic, which means the quantity supply is moving at the same amount as price. When the PES is equal to 0 it is perfectly inelastic which means that regardless of the price and the quantity supply remain the same. When the PES is equal to infinity it is perfectly elastic and it means that a huge change in the quantity demand that is led by a small change in the price. Graph of Price Elasticity of Demand Graph Price Elasticity of Supply 3.0 Conclusion In the future, the price of the petrol and diesel will decrease. Next is the type of the elasticity can help all the people to classify the goods in the market such as necessity goods, luxury goods, normal goods, inferior goods, substitute goods and complimentary goods. And also this concept is important and applicable. After that, the value of PED and PES can be classify as six elasticity, such as perfectly elastic, inelastic, unit elastic, elastic and perfectly elastic. The concept of demand and supply is important because it is the basis of economic of pricing. For the elasticity concept, it is also very important for the business man so that they can change the market or condition for their business. However, if the future price of petrol and diesel is increasing the government should increase the income of consumer, decrease the tax or provide the subsidiaries on the petrol and diesel. So that the consumer can make a better decision for individual.

Brave New World :: essays research papers

Brave New World After reading the novel Brave New World by Aldus Huxley it is easily realized that it is unlike any other classic story. It predicts a future overpowered by technology and where the people have no religion. The plot of the story made me think if this would be a perfect place to live or a terrible place to live. It is hard to distinguish where the line is drawn between making life simpler and losing the meaning of life. Although some may look upon this type of life with envy I personally would rather have to work harder than to lose myself. The first think that made me dislike the ideas is this book was the fact that the government overpowered the world, causing the loss of freedom. Never having to worry about a job is something most people would appreciate, but at the same time it is not worth losing all freedoms. Freedom is more important to happiness than having needs automatically satisfied. I also feel that religion plays an important role in people's lives. It represents our principles and values. Religion guides us, gives us something to believe in and a set of rules to live by. Mustapha Mond when referring to the Holy Bible says that "they're old; they're about God hundreds of years ago. Not about God Now" (Huxley 237). Mustapha Mond is saying that with the evolution of time the need for religion has disappeared and has been replaced by the worship of another God who is Ford. It is stated that they basically live a fulfilled life, according to a strict set of rules and then they die. But is that really a fulfilled life? Also thanks to their conditioning they do not fear death but accept it as a way of life. That alone is a task that our world still has not been able to accomplish, but if the loss of a life means nothing, wouldn’t that reflect that the life itself meant nothing? In this civilization, the people are isolated from one another, divided into five different classes. In every society there will be invisible classes of people, but to have them so defined is a crime. No one is given the chance to move up and make more of themselves. The members of each class are ranked according to their mental capacity and physical appearance.

McDonald’s Corporation

McDonald's Corporation is the world's leading food service organization. The corporation started out as a small drive-through in 1948 by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald. Raymond Albert Kroc, a salesman, saw a great opportunity in this market and advised Dick and Mac to expand their operation and open new restaurants. In 1961 Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers. By 1967 McDonalds expanded its operations to countries outside the U.S.A. This unyielding expansion led the Corporation to open 23,000 McDonald's restaurants in 110 countries in 1994, producing $3.4 bn in annual revenues. In addition, McDonald's opens a new restaurant every three hours. Also, McDonald's has twice the market share of its closest U.S. competitor, Burger King, representing 7% of total U.S. eating-out sales. Similarly, McDonald's serves about 1% of the world's population on any given day through its 23,000 restaurants internationally. â€Å"Big Mac†, the world's most sold hamburger was developed by Jim Delligutti in 1967 to feed construction workers. ‘Big Mac' is the biggest attraction and backbone of the corporation. Moreover, McDonald's maintains its competitive advantage by constantly creating new items to add onto its menu. This shows us that McDonald's practices an analyzer type of strategy, introducing new items and defending its existing ones. â€Å"We serve people with good quality food, fast and at low cost.† McDonald's vision is to dominate the global food-service industry. Global dominance means setting the performance standard for customer satisfaction and increases market share and profitability through successfully implementing our convenience, value and execution strategies. To have a clear picture of McDonald's corporation we need to look at its Task Environment, which includes its: We shall also explore McDonald's Workforce Diversity and its Total Quality Management. Customers are those who pay money to acquire an organization's goods or services. For many years McDonald's mostly targeted the young people, however this has changed in this decade; McDonald's has turned towards a more general market. By doing this McDonald's concentrates on the family, targeting a diverse market which includes consumers ranging from children to elderly people, using products such as the â€Å"happy Meal† for children and â€Å"Egg McMuffin† for the elderly. McDonald's also realized the changing world we live in and the need for healthier food, since there is an ever changing demographic group, who demand fast, top quality food that is low in calories. McDonald's responded to this opportunity and introduced a new and innovative product. This new product was a regular hamburger that tasted like the real thing but was made of plant material like Soya beans. This same product also targets another demographic group, vegetarians. McDonald's mostly uses psychographic segmentation targeting the working and middle classes. These are the people that are more susceptible to enter a fast food restaurant, since these are the people that lead a fast moving life and thus require a fast meal. In brief McDonald's customers are of all classes, but largely working and middle classes, and people of all ages. A competitor is an organization that competes with other organizations for resources. In our findings, McDonald's has two types of competitors in the Lebanese market: Indirect refers to firms producing one or two products that compete with McDonald's products and therefore be a threat to the company. We have identified four indirect competitors: Henry J. Beans, T.G.I. Friday, K. F. C. and Popeye's. Henry J. Beans offers hamburgers and fries on its menu, therefore competing with McDonalds for customers of these products. However, Henry J. Beans also known as Hank's is a more of a bar restaurant and therefore a hang out place, as a result charging more money for its products. Hank's targets middle to upper class customers, so where most of these customers overlap are in the middle class. T.G.I Friday is another indirect competitor reflecting the same characteristics as Henry J. Beans. Other indirect competitors are K. F. C. and Popeye's, both competing for the chicken nuggets and fries customers. In brief, Hank's and T.G.I. Friday's competes with McDonald's by offering hamburgers and fries, whereas K. F. C. and Popeye's compete with McDonald's by offering chicken nuggets and fries. Direct competitors refers to firms producing the same products or services as McDonald's does. Here we found that McDonald's has three direct competitors: Burger King, Wendy's and Hardee's. McDonald's closest rival is Burger King, which operates a total of 9644 restaurants in 110 countries. Wendy's is McDonald's second largest rival, which is also in the fast food business, where Wendy's operates 6776 restaurants in 32 countries. Hardee's, McDonald's third largest rival is also in the fast food business and is the only direct competitor apart from Juicy Burger in the Lebanese market. Hardee's operates 3080 restaurants in 20 countries. As we have illustrated McDonald's faces stiff competition from three major competitors, Burger King, Wendy's and Hardee's. Suppliers is an organization that provides resources for other organizations. McDonald's has practiced a backward vertical integration, by replacing most of its suppliers. It has done so for two reasons, 2) To ensure that its products are of top quality. These supplies include beef and milk to be used in its products, which it gets from its farms. Other suppliers include local grocery stores that supply McDonald's with fresh vegetables. Soft drinks are supplied exclusively by Coca-Cola, which is also its ally. McDonald's supplies also include raw material such as flour, sugar, yeast, etc.,. A strategic ally is an organization working together with one or more other organizations is a joint venture or a similar arrangement. McDonald's has formed a strategic alliance with: Walmart, Chevron, Amoco, Disney and Coca-Cola. Walmart, which is a large shopping mall chain in the U..S. and several neighboring countries, is allied with McDonald's, which offers great opportunities for both companies. McDonald's has restaurants in each Walmart, offering its customers conveniences and excellent fast food at a low cost ease of accessibility. McDonald's corporation describes it best in this scenario: â€Å"Imagine a busy shopping day at your local Walmart and having the ability to sit down with the kids and enjoy many of our McDonald's favorites, like ‘Big Mac' sandwiches, world famous fries and kids favorite ‘Happy Meal'. McDonald's understands your busy lifestyles and the demands on your time. That's why we are making it easier for you to do more things in less time.† McDonald's is engaged in an alliance with two petrol companies, Chevron and Amoco. This alliance represents the ultimate in convenience. At these locations, one finds a full-menu McDonald's restaurant with dining room service. Nothing can be more convenient, because one can fill up the car with gas and get a meal all in one stop. Another important alliance that McDonald's has is with Disney. Here McDonald's has the sole right to sell fast food in Disney's theme parks around the U..S. and other Disney operations in the world. Under the terms of the agreement, McDonald's will operate restaurants and Disney will promote its films through McDonald's. Regulators are groups or governmental agencies that can control and influence the organization's policies and practices. An example is Lebanon a few years ago when the U..S. government banned all U..S. citizens and organizations to come or operate in Lebanon. Another good example would be the embargo imposed on Iran where U..S. organizations were banned to operate in this country. Another group of regulators called interest groups can and have influenced McDonald's to treat its animals (cow and chickens) in a much more humane manner, which resulted in the restructuring of McDonalds' farms throughout its operations around the world. The summary of the task environment which is by definition a specific organizations or groups that affect the organization, which includes competitors, suppliers, customers, strategic allies and regulators. Here we described the task environment's importance to McDonald's, where McDonald's faces both opportunities and has threats in its environment. Diversity exists in a group or organization when its members differ from one another along one or more important dimensions such as age, gender, and ethnicity. Diversity is very important for McDonald's. Here millions of teens start out by working at McDonald's. Here some of the teenagers move on to get various jobs such as movie stars, skilled workers, famous athletes, management positions and other educated positions in society. At McDonald's two thirds of middle and upper management started out as crewmembers in a McDonald's restaurant. There are opportunities for everybody in McDonald's from teenagers to elderly workers, and from people just entering or reentering the job market. Moreover, McDonald's offers special jobs for people who have disabilities, such as people who are in wheel chairs and those who must use crutches permanently. Furthermore, McDonald's offers their workers flexible working hours. For example, hours for people seeking just a few hours of work per week and those who seek full time positions. The work force at McDonald's also have some say in their working hours, such as if they prefer the morning, mid-day, or evening shifts in the restaurant. So, McDonald's uses diversity to create a good atmosphere in their work places among workers and management. Here they offer work to all kinds of people without discrimination and the workers have flexible hours that provides customer satisfaction. Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. For McDonald's, total quality management (TQM) involves that the employees are at work on time, are neatly dressed, and are clean. The employees must make sure that the customers constantly receive safe food, which implies that the employees must wash their hands often to remain clean. Moreover, the employees must follow certain Standard Operational Procedures, so the customers always receive exceptional quality and service. This includes the employees using plastic gloves when they prepare the food, that the meat and fries are properly fried, and that the vegetables are thoroughly washed when used in the food. Another TQM is that the employees rely on teamwork and high energy to get the job done, so that the customers do not have to wait long for their food. Furthermore, McDonald's management emphasizes that their restaurants should be clean. This involves that the restaurants are tidy, sparkling and spotlessly clean. As McDonald's illustrates the quality is that the employees delivers fast, accurate and friendly service with a smile.