KFC and Its Franchising Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

KFC and Its Franchising Strategy - Essay Example Presently the company has 15000 outlets with its presence in more than 105 countries (KFC, â€Å"About us†). It has almost 455000 employees. Currently, the company has a turnover of $15 billion. The success of the company is mainly due its product and a sound marketing strategy. However, the international expansion of the company also added to its huge success. The company undertakes its international expansion with franchise system. A franchised system is a process by which the company allows another organization to use its name and market its product. The organization which uses the name of the company to market the products is known as the franchisee. A franchisee thus holds the right to market the products in a particular geographic area (â€Å"Franchise†). KFC operates with franchise system in the international arena. The company was also highly benefitted by this type of operation as the financial risk was greatly minimized and company had taken other risks agains t it. Also, the franchised system has helped the company to understand the culture of the local community and develop the product line accordingly. For example in India, the company never sells any beef product as it is against the social culture. However, in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places of the world, the company sells beef products. As a consequence, the franchised system helps the company to adapt according to the regional taste. Also, the franchised system helped the company to decide the pricing strategy. It has a network of 1500 franchisee (Yum franchises, â€Å"Yum brands†). The international franchising strategy of the company is both offensives as well as defensive and thus made the firm less dependent on the home country about the revenues and demands. The company has also been able to generate high profits from international franchising strategy. Moreover, the franchising has system has driven the company to the international avenue. The fra nchising strategy of the company has also helped the company to accomplish the following:- International brand recognition by making its presence all over the world. The company strategically has chosen franchised mode apart from other modes of operation, as the franchised system offered less financial burden and also allowed the company to adapt according to the local culture. Franchise mode is also a safe way of conducting the business. It also allowed KFC to undertake an end to end marketing and distribution system. Hence on a whole, it can be concluded that apart from its product mix, promotional technique and other competencies franchised system hugely helped the company to grow their business into a global organization. Skoda and its Positioning Strategy Skoda is an automobile manufacturing and marketing company based in Czech Republic (â€Å"Volkswagen aims at becoming top global car-maker riding on the Skoda† 2011). However, in the year 2000 Skoda became a fully owned subsidiary brand of Volkswagen Auto group of Germany. The brand is mainly positioned as the entry brand of the entire brand. Within the group, the company was positioned at even higher than Volkswagen. It started the venture by manufacturing what is known as people’s car. Nowadays Skoda is positioned as the alternative of Volkswagen. Hence it can be clearly stated as the positioning strategy of Skoda was based on its features. It has successfully positioned itself as the family car which offers value to the price.  Ã‚  

Introduction To Surface Tension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction To Surface Tension - Essay Example This is a new way of teaching which involves the use of screen casting and video podcasting. It's an instruction strategy to help build increased interaction with students during face to face class time. The method promotes the team and active learning since one has to attend the classroom and to ask a question at the end as a proof that he actually watched the video. Monetary policy system is the action taken by the currency bodies to determine the size and the growth rates of money supply which in turn affects the interest rates. It is affected by changing the bank reserves and by increasing the interest rates when the rates are manipulated. It is used to control the economy as in the case of the USA since it can cause inflation if the money supply to the economy is very high(stthomas.edu). Also when the growth of the money supply is very slow then the economy also slows down. It also has the effect on the exchange rates difference currency as in the dollar. For example, when the d emand for BMW cars increases then its demand in other countries and for this reason stimulus in one country equals to the stimulus in another country because the company will open another branch and employ more people.This can be well enlightened by the Hamada model which is used to define the effects of financial influence on a firm as quantified by the Hamada coefficient. The tax shield increases the value of the levered firm. Financial distress costs and agency costs lower the value of the levered firm.

Overview And Analysis Of Inception

Overview And Analysis Of Inception Award winning filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, developed one simple yet complex theory. Later, he adapted this idea to a major motion picture titled Inception. A box office hit, inspired by the notion of invading ones subconscious mind and lucid dreaming, its impact ultimately transformed the way the general public viewed ones perspective of life. Unsurprisingly, the audience were distracted in the mind blowing visual effects. Therefore many disregarded or were unaware that the director incorporated subtle hints and key points that could answer seemingly puzzling questions throughout the film. In one particular scene, where Cobbs reveals the history of him and his wife, Mal, exploring the concept of a dream within a dream to Ariadne, elements such as symbolism and lighting were cunningly used to highlight certain aspects and create †¦  · A medium shot of Ariadne approaching Cobbs, the camera then zooms into her and stops at a close up shot as she confronts Cobbs Ariadne confronts Cobbs. Whilst in present dialogue, the director highlighted both characters with a neutral, luminous light originating from windows in the background. These two simple elements allowed the audience to focus solely on the information the dialogue holds. Music intensifies when vital and significant events are being told.  · Only Mal (French for evil) is seen opening her eyes on the shore of a beach as the tide swallows back into the ocean with a dazed and confused expression. However, she gets up on the beach away from the tides (but seen in the background). Shore of subconscious the director has chosen this setting because many dream experts believe that it represents that the shore is the place where the conscious mind meets the unconscious in other words, a sea of dreams meets the land of reality (LUCID DREAMING). It also represents a symbolic journey of self discovery when coming across the sea of unconscious. Therefore it can be interpreted as Mal knowing she was dreaming but has lost sight of what was reality. The sun brightly shining in the background gives this scene a soft focus lens as if Mals confusion is translated in this form of element.  · We created our own world the background shines above their heads effectively giving the appearance Cobbs describes. To show that they are creating their world, Mal and Cobbs are creating things with sand e.g. sand castle. An upward medium shot is used to illustrate the creation of their world. While in the background, large clouds are moving swiftly and rapidly to signify that time quickly ticking by in dreams We did that for years, Cobbs explains.  · Other than being told by the narrator himself, the architecture is paradoxical, such as the rows of never ending pillars as Mal and Cobbs walk through and the infinite levels the building across was structured. Music has been intensified compared to the beginning of the dialogue.  · Mal stands before her childhood home. The background is bright and yet again the architecture has an unrealistic appearance. However, Mal is shadowed this could mean that what she is about to do will seal a dark fate. The camera angle slowly zooms into a close up of her expression; this could also mean that it took her time to come to her actions. Her wavy hair casts over her face then the wind shifts it over as the camera zooms in. It could indicate that the sea of unconscious (dreams) is or already have taken over what she once knew was reality, it is taking over her. The dream world is literally scraping away the grasp of reality she once originally had. The house represents Mals childhood. To lock something away deep in the mind, Nolan uses a playhouse doll that symbolises Mals lost imagination. After being introduced to a world in which she can dream again, an obsession emerges. She locks her totem into the playhouse meaning she is locking away the one valuable piece of rea lity into what was lost, her imagination. The playhouse has a spotlight coming from the right of the screen (origins unknown)  · After waking up from the dream and into reality a bright red light consumes the entire room. The colour scheme was used to symbolise the age old riddle: what has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three in the evening man. After decades stuck in dream Cobbs described them as old souls thrown back into youth, it can also be explained that in the evening of their life they are adults (with two legs) instead of an old person. THROUGHOUT FILM Ø Mal is shown wearing singlets and show skin but later wears modest clothing. In the perspective of Cobbs retelling, the couple are still youthful because now, he realises it was all but a dream. In actuality, they lost track of time, disregarded what mattered and both aged to old seniors. If the dreamer is unaware he/she is dreaming he/she will age. Ø Cobbs and Mal create a dream like world. It could be used as a religious connotation such as Adam and Eve. Living in their Garden of Eden, of which God created (they were portrayed as Gods). When Mal locked away the totem in her subconscious evil prevailed. Eve took the first bite of the forbidden fruit and convinced Adam to do the same. In this situation Cobbs wished to go back into reality, he performed inception on Mal so she could follow. Ø Camera angles make it impactful, e.g. Mal slowly loses to mental instability, her facial expressions are accentuated by this element Ø The director comments on a humans response to isolation; how some humans crave to be alone with someone forever, but others dont and the complexity of the human social nature Ø Also revolves around love and how circumstances test the strength of relationships 5. CONCLUSION The mise en scene creates and effects the way an image is perceived. It emphasizes on the mood, impact on the audience, and messages conveyed.

The Real Sucker Essay -- essays research papers

The Real Sucker Geoff Karanasos CARSON McCULLERS December 12, 1996   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many Different experiences in a child's life help form the personality and attitude he or she will adopt later in life. One such example of this is a fictional character named Sucker. This young boy really admired his cousin Pete, whom he lived with. Sucker was just an innocent child who would believe anything Pete said. The more Sucker admired Pete, the more Pete resented Sucker. This went on until Pete met a girl. Pete was so happy that he didn't mind Sucker's admiration toward him. Sucker became a bright enthusiastic child who loved being around Pete. He was so happy that he didn't want anything to change. After Pete got dumped, he turned all of his frustrations toward Sucker. Sucker then...

Elizabeth I Research Paper Essay

I, Overview Elizabeth I (known simply as â€Å"Elizabeth† until the accession of Elizabeth II; 7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called â€Å"The Virgin Queen†, â€Å"Gloriana† or â€Å"Good Queen Bess†, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a half years after her birth.[1] Elizabeth was a different kind of Queen: quick-witted, clever and able to use feminine wiles to get her own way. Elizabeth could be as ruthless and calculating as any king before her but at the same time she was vain, sentimental and easily swayed by flattery. She liked to surround herself with attractive people and her portraits were carefully vetted to make sure that no physical flaws were ever revealed. She relied upon the ministers close to her but would infuriate them with her indecision – ‘It makes me weary of life,’ remarked one. Faced with a dilemma – for example whether or not to sign the execution warrant of Mary Queen of Scots – Elizabeth would busy herself with other matters for months on end. Only when the patience of her ministers was running short would she be forced to make up her mind. She had a formidable intellect, and her sharp tongue would quickly settle any argument – in her favour.[2] II,Early life Elizabeth was the only child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who did not bear a male heir and was executed less than three years after Elizabeth’s birth. Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace and was named after both her grandmothers, Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Howard.[5] She was the second child of Henry VIII of England born in wedlock to survive infancy. Her mother was Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was two years and eight months old, her mother was executed on 19 May 1536.[8] Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and deprived of the title of princess[1] Source: Wikipedia Elizabeth is favorably contrasted to her half-blood sister, Mary I but she was lucky to live longer than her. Her early life was full of uncertainties, and her chances of succeeding to the throne seemed very slight once her half-brother Edward was born in 1537. She was then third in line behind her Roman Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Roman Catholics, indeed, always considered her illegitimate and she only narrowly escaped execution in the wake of a failed rebellion against Queen Mary in 1554. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister’s death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in six languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents. [3] III, Elizabeth’s Reign[2] Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history. During it a secure Church of England was established. Its doctrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Elizabeth herself refused to ‘make windows into men’s souls †¦ there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles’; she asked for outward uniformity. Most of her subjects accepted the compromise as the basis of their faith, and her church settlement probably saved England from religious wars like those which France suffered in the second half of the 16th century. Although autocratic and capricious, Elizabeth had astute political judgement and chose her ministers well; these included Burghley (Secretary of State), Hatton (Lord Chancellor) and Walsingham (in charge of intelligence and also a Secretary of State). Overall, Elizabeth’s administration consisted of some 600 officials a dministering the great offices of state, and a similar number dealing with the Crown lands (which funded the administrative costs). Social and economic regulation and law and order remained in the hands of the sheriffs at local level, supported by unpaid justices of the peace. Elizabeth’s reign also saw many brave voyages of discovery, including those of Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert, particularly to the Americas. These expeditions prepared England for an age of colonisation and trade expansion, which Elizabeth herself recognised by establishing the East India Company in 1600. The arts flourished during Elizabeth’s reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, miniature painting reached its high point, theatres thrived – the Queen attended the first performance of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Composers such as William Byrd and Thomas Tallis worked in Elizabeth’s court and at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace. The image of Elizabeth’s reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was often called ‘Gloriana’, ‘Good Queen Bess’ and ‘The Virgin Queen’. Investing in expensive clothes and jewellery (to look the part, like all contemporary sovereigns), she cultivated this image by touring the country in regional visits known as ‘progresses’, often riding on horseback rather than by carriage. Elizabeth made at least 25 progresses during her reign. However, Elizabeth’s reign was one of considerable danger and difficulty for many, with threats of invasion from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland. Much of northern England was in rebellion in 1569-70. A papal bull of 1570 specifically released Elizabeth’s subjects from their allegiance, and she passed harsh laws against Roman Catholics after plots against her life were discovered. One such plot involved Mary, Queen of Scots, who had fled to England i n 1568 after her second husband’s murder and her subsequent marriage to a man believed to have been involved in his murder. As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary spent 19 years as Elizabeth’s prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebellion and possible assassination plots, such as the Babington Plot of 1586. Mary was also a temptation for potential invaders such as Philip II. In a letter of 1586 to Mary, Elizabeth wrote, ‘You have planned †¦ to take my life and ruin my kingdom †¦ I never proceeded so harshly against you.’ Despite Elizabeth’s reluctance to take drastic action, on the insistence of Parliament and her advisers, Mary was tried, found guilty and executed in 1587. In 1588, aided by bad weather, the English navy scored a great victory over the Spanish invasion fleet of around 130 ships – the ‘Armada’. The Armada was intended to overthrow the Queen and re-establish Roman Catholicism by conquest, as Philip II believed he had a claim to the English throne through his marriage to Mary. During Elizabeth’s long reign, the nation also suffered from high prices and severe economic depression, especially in the countryside, during the 1590s. The war against Spain was not very successful after the Armada had been beaten and, together with other campaigns, it was very costly. Though she kept a tight rein on government expenditure, Elizabeth left large debts to her successor. Wars during Elizabeth’s reign are estimated to have cost over  £5 million (at the prices of the time) which Crown revenues could not match – in 1588, for example, Elizabeth’s total annual revenue amounted to some  £392,000. Despite the combination of financial strains and prolonged war after 1588, Parliament was not summoned more often. There were only 16 sittings of the Commons during Elizabeth’s reign, five of which were in the period 1588-1601. Although Elizabeth freely used her power to veto legislation, she avoided confrontation and did not attempt to define Parliament’s constitutional position and rights. Elizabeth chose never to marry. If she had chosen a foreign prince, he would have drawn England into foreign policies for his own advantages (as in her sister Mary’s marriage to Philip of Spain); marrying a fellow countryman could have drawn the Queen into factional infighting. Elizabeth used her marriage prospects as a political tool in foreign and domestic policies.However, the ‘Virgin Queen’ was presented as a selfless woman who sacrificed personal happiness for the good of the nation, to which she was, in essence, ‘married’. †¨Late in her reign, she addressed Parliament in the so-called ‘Golden Speech’ of 1601 when she told MPs: ‘There is no jewel, be it of never so high a price, which I set before this jewel; I mean your love.’ She seems to have been very popular with the vast majority of her subjects. III, Overall Overall, Elizabeth’s always shrewd and, when necessary, decisive leadership brought successes during a period of great danger both at home and abroad. She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years.[3] Elizabeth was a master of political science. She inherited her father’s supremacist view of the monarchy, but showed great wisdom by refusing to directly antagonize Parliament. She acquired undying devotion from her advisement council, who were constantly perplexed by her habit of waiting to the last minute to make decisions (this was not a deficiency in her makeup, but a tactic that she used to advantage). She used the various factions (instead of being used by them), playing one off another until the exhausted combatants came to her for resolution of their grievances. Few English monarchs enjoyed such political power, while still maintaining the devotion of the whole of English society.[2] Resources Information: [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England#Marriage_question [2]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/elizabeth_i_01.shtml [3]:http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensofengland/thetudors/elizabethi.aspx

Causes and Consequences of Hitler becoming Fuhrer Essay

The inauguration of Hitler as Fuhrer in 1934 sparked a change in the German state as Hitler was able to put his ideals into action, bringing tragedy and destruction to the world once again. A springboard for Hitler’s rise to power was created by the Weakness of the Weimar Government, coupled with the conditions created by the Great Depression and Hitler’s own steps to power. Hitler’s ascension to sole leader of the Third Reich is rooted in the experiences of the German people. The implementation of key Nazi foreign and racial policy effectively sucked the world into the cataclysmic vortex of War for a second time. The experiences of the Weimar Republic during the ‘democratic experiment’ built a strong foundation for Hitler’s rise to power. The events that took place under the reign of the Social Democrats caused the German people to be isolated from their leaders. When the Social Democrats took power in 1918 they were greeted with hostility as they didn’t look like the idealist militaristic leaders. With the ‘dolchdoss’ legend and ‘November Criminals’ brand having been placed on their heads, the Social Democrats weren’t trusted to begin with. However, the fatal ï ¬â€šaw of the Republic lay in the Constitution itself. Article 48(4) allowed the President to take full control in an emergency. This was a terrible mistake as it forever left the door ajar for a return to Monarchy. Mistrust intensiï ¬ ed as the Government was left incapable to deal with extremism, resulting in the people feeling unsafe. The Ruhr Crisis further alienated t he people from their leaders. War bonds paid by individuals were repaid with inï ¬â€šated currency and was effectively useless. The resulting hyperinï ¬â€šation caused a myriad of negative social effects. As a result, the social situation was created where people came to search for alternatives. Some found their alternative in Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party. However, it wasn’t until the Great Depression that this mistrust of leaders came to the fore as the opulence in Germany during the ‘golden twenties’ only acted to delay the inevitable. Germany was in fact â€Å"dancing on a volcano.† (Stresemann) The loan based prosperity of the golden twenties magniï ¬ ed the depression in Germany as the United States called in all war loans resulting in total economic collapse. The Great Depression therefore, is a crucial contributing factor towards Hitler’s ascent to power as the widespread homelessness and starvation further elevated the attractiveness of alternative forms of leadership. During this time, the Social Democrats didn’t help themselves, or their country for that matter. Instead of banding together in a time of crisis, the Reichstag ran amuck with bickering. To try and help the ï ¬â€šailing economy the Government opted to increase taxes and implement wage cuts which arguably worsened the Depression in Germany and further entrenched their status in German society. A concise link between the unemployment ï ¬ gures and increasing Nazi voters can be made as the Party gained the most amount of seats they would ever gain, 230 in July 1932. Hitler himself stated: à ¢â‚¬Å"Never in my life have I been so well disposed and inwardly contented in these days. For hard reality has opened the eyes of millions of Germans.† The rapid increase in Nazi popularity allowed Hitler to put pressure on the Government for a high ranking position in the Reichstag. This pressure worked wonders as a seemingly senile Hindenburg awarded Hitler with the position of Chancellor in 1933. Hitler’s own steps to power were geared towards the signing of the Enabling Act. After the ‘accidental’ Reichstag ï ¬ re, Hitler was able to create a communist scare. He then used this scare as justiï ¬ cation to force through the Enabling Act. This is a signiï ¬ cant cause as it enabled Hitler to arrest 4000 of his political opponents and disband the unions, clearing the way for a Nazi majority. However, the 1933 polls did not show this and Hitler had to enlist the support of the Centre Party to ensure victory. Now Hitler had everything, bar the support of the Army. In order to obtain their support Hitler brokered a deal guaranteeing them sole bearers of arms in Germany, if they supported his bid for Presidency . In order to do this Hitler had to divest himself rid of his loyal S.A during the ‘Night of the  Long Knives’. In 1934, Hindenburg died. The position of President was merged with Chancellor and Hitler became the sole Fuhrer of Germany. A direct consequence of Hitler becoming Fuhrer was the rapid Naziï ¬ cation of the German state. Through the excellent work of his puppet Goebells, Hitler was able to saturate the German people, namely in the categories of family, religion and education. During Nazi rule, Goebells effectively put German culture in a ‘Nazi straightjacket’ as the press, literature publications, art and music became domain of the Government. Revolving around the Fuhrerprincep, Hitler’s word was law and while it was easy to indoctrinate the younger and more impressionable generations in Germany, the adults were a different story as they were not as easily persuaded by the spoonful of lies they were being fed. Even at the Nazi Party’s height of popularity, over 50% of people still opposed them. When it came to the adults, a tactic of intimidation was pursued. This tactic was lead by Himmler, who was the ï ¬ gurehead of justice and the police. He had the SS and Gestapo under his command. During the Nazi reign, suspicion was prevalent, while spying was encouraged. Another direct result of Hitler becoming Fuhrer was the implementation of his key racial beliefs into action. Hitlers belief of a far superior ‘Aryan Race’ came from a warped sense of social darwinism. Because of the myths of ‘dolchdoss’- (stating that the Communists and Jews were responsible for the end of WW1) and the Jewish Conspiracy (his belief that the Jews and Slavs were trying to dilute the superhuman aryan blood through intermarriage) Hitler had a deep- set hatred for the Jews and other interior races. Hitlers ï ¬ rst step to ridding Germany of ‘impurities’ came in 1933 with the sterilization law which forced all those physically or mentally handicapped to be ‘ï ¬ xed’ to ensure the discontinuation of their blood line. In the same year, the purchase of Jewish goods and the practicing of Jewish professionals were banned. In 1935, the Star of David was a symbol that  those of Jewish lineage were forced to wear, as the N uremburg Laws took effect. Later in the piece, in 1938 on Crystal Night, thousands of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed, which forecasted the start of the Holoucost. Finally, during World War Two; Jews, Slavs, Roma, disabled, homosexuals and those of different religion were forced to encounter hell as they were sent to concentration camps, which resulted in the slaughtering of an estimated 21 million people, including 6 million Jews. Hitler taking power had negative consequences on the whole world, due to his changes in foreign policy. Hitler’s changes to foreign policy were geared towards destroying the ‘diktat’ Treaty of Versailles. He achieved this by re-occupying the Rhineland, re-arming and achieving Anchluss with Germany’s traditional ally- Austria in 1938. His changes also revolved around the concept of â€Å"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer† which encompasses the idea of one people, one nation and one leader. Hitler used this concept as justiï ¬ cation to take be handed the Sudetenland at the Munich Agreement as the Sudetenland Germans were part of the collective ‘one people’. Appeasement set the ball rolling for Hitler as he quickly took over the rest of Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland in 1939, signifying to the Allied powers, the start of WW2. Hitler’s rise to power in 1934 was the result of a perfect storm in Germany. The weakness of the Weimar Government and the conditions created by the depression constructed a springboard for Hitlers rise to power. With his own steps taken to indoctrinate the German people and implement key Nazi foreign and racial policy, Hitler started a snowball effect, leading the allied powers to declare war on Germany, eventually resulting in a global conï ¬â€šict with devastating consequences.