Womens Rights in Africa and Where They Are Now Research Paper

Womens Rights in Africa and Where They Are Now - Research Paper Example This has in turn resulted in an imbalanced society, in which men occupy all the positions of leadership at the expense of women who perform basic home management roles (Oduyoye 12). The research looks forward to exploring exploitations leveled against women. It further investigates how the modern day African societies reverse the effect of such retrogressive beliefs, which have contributed to the rejection of women human rights in the societies. In doing the research analyses a number of sources primary of which are films and videos obtained from YouTube and other digital video disc formats. These videos depict the different forms of women maltreatment and the rights denial mechanisms that the African women face in their daily lives. Research methods In my research project, I have opted for numerous methods of carrying out the assignment. The audio methods become my first priority due to its efficiency and in my research project; the audio comes in video terms. ... This is because, after the practice the young girls are immediately given out for marriage to elderly men (Ogundipe-Leslie 21). The research also uses secondary sources, which include books and newspaper articles, which recount the struggle of the African woman for liberty and equal opportunity in the society. These seek to depict the progresses made by different governments in the continent to level the playing ground for both sexes thus uplift the status of the girl child thus that of the African woman by extrapolation Violation of African women's rights The violation of African women's rights started back in the eighteenth century when women were viewed as second-class citizens. Gender inequality did not start in Africa, but rather started in the advanced continents of Europe and America. However, the women in these continents overcame the oppression and gradually liberated themselves from the bondage. Sadly, Africa is still evolving in terms of gender equality (Breneman 140). The stubbornness of this gender inequality is due to strong cultural beliefs that Africa strictly follows, hence placing women in their old traditional place of the weaker vessels. The challenges that African women undergo are numerous challenges, and to begin with, genital mutilation tops the list. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Female genital mutilation has another name of female genital cutting or circumcision, and the world health organization (WHO) describes it as a process through which the external female reproductive organs or genitalia is either partially or entirely cut off. Approximations of up to 140 million women, or probably more pass through this intolerable procedure every year, globally. Africa alone practices the FGM on roughly 3 million young girls yearly (Toubia & Anika

Business ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business ideas - Essay Example Imam (Muslim priest) or a Muslim scholar who would serve as a Consultant to ensure that the clothing style that will be made by the company is appropriate for Muslim women. This is critical because the competitive advantage of the company is its ability to serve a certain niche with a cultural and religious overtone. The company cannot afford to make a mistake especially during its initial phase because when it will lose its credibility in that segment either by mistake or ignorance, it is already doom to fail because Muslim women are its sole market. Know-how on what are appropriate clothing designs for Muslim women. Fabrics to sew or create such design. Employees who have knowledge and expertise in sewing Islamic high fashion clothes. Capital to start and operate a business. Being culturally and religiously correct does not mean that people has to dress dull. The Islamic high fashion clothing line that will be introduced by the company in the market will be stylish but culturally and religiously aligned with the dressing prescription of Islam for women. Customers will the center of the business. Such, the business will take the pain to consult Muslim scholars about the appropriateness of the clothing line in addition to the effort of making the clothing line stylish and comfortable. The channel of establishing customer relationships and distribution shall be highly selective since the target market is highly specialized. Marketing efforts in establishing customer relationship will only be limited to Islamic communities where the target markets are concentrated. Since the proposed business is targeted towards a market with a high disposable income, the channel of distribution will also be situated in high street fashion retail stores to make the product appropriate to the status of its market. The idea of putting up a clothing business that caters to a specific market has a very good chance of success provided that it will be done right. The

Cyber crime Laws and The Financial analysis applications Use In Saudi Essay

Cyber crime Laws and The Financial analysis applications Use In Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The Holy Quran did not assert the penalties and laws for computer crimes; however, it tackles public sanctions like theft, adultery, murder and other sanctions. Thus, an Anti-Crime act exists to fight cyber crimes ("Cybercrime and the Law: An Islamic View," n.d.). It also establishes the level of every crime and the resultant harm. For instance (stealing from bank accounts and stealing of the personal videos or pictures from computer) they are under the theft law but there are diverse effects of everyone, so the penalty of every one of them has to be unlike. In all other countries, the laws of the age of children must be less than 18 but Saudi Arabia has 15 members of the Shoura Council who suggests that the age to be less than 15. According to research, 20% of the children in Saudi Arabia are exposed to pornography crime each year. A number of websites availed pornography and scratch the Islamic principles, are blocked as directed by Saudi Arabia Internet Services (www.internet.gov.sa). Cyber Terrorism crime is classified under the distribution of corruption. Research concerning computer crime along with computer ethics is same (Wild, 2011). The aptitude of writing on computer ethics with related areas to make a detailed perceptive of inequalities that surround the field of information technology is greatly affected by types of technological liberalism and determinism. Computer crimes happen in many diverse forms, ranging from child pornography to cyber stalking. Cyber stalking is stalking behavior done by means of some feature of information technologies. The ever rising internet use by criminals has led a rush of legislation along with other interests. Regrettably, in spite of a number of high-profile instances reported both on the Internet and in print media, the topic is yet to be given systematic investigation against a suitable theoretical structure. Such a theoretical

MCDonalds Essay Example for Free

MCDonalds Essay Strategy and Repositioning the Brand McDonald’s in India Sameer, Sharanbir Kaur Abstract- Despite global slowdown, Indian economy is resurgent and offers fresh opportunities as well as challenges to global players. McDonald‘s still treats the Indian market as one of their young markets although what they have achieved in 15 years here, it would usually take them 25 to 30 years in another market. McDonald‘s philosophy of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSCV) is the guiding force behind its stellar service to the customers. However there is still a huge potential in the Indian food market that remains untapped in terms of family restaurants, quick service restaurants and breakfast eateries. Coming in the wake of these, their rebranding effort requires much more than a mere change of the logo or signage. There is a need to critically evaluate the right marketing mix. The article is focused upon assessing the marketing efforts in India in terms of positioning of McDonald‘s. Index Terms- Rebranding, Repositioning, Demography, Marketing Mix I. FAST FOOD INDUSTRY IN INDIA T he Indian fast food industry has evolved over time and always has been in line with the needs of people of all ages and segments. There are enterprises which scale from one room outlet to a chain having hundreds of outlets like McDonalds in India. As per new research report ? Indian Fast Food Market Analysis? , India is blessed with one of the fastest growing fast food markets in the world. The Indian fast food market is growing at an annual growth rate of 30-35%. Almost all big fast food brands of the world have succeeded in making their presence felt in the country and most of them posting an appreciable growth. Although the market has witnessed robust growth in the past couple of years, it remains largely under penetrated and concentrated in the metropolitan cities. However, there is large room for growth in tier-II cities, tier-III cities which are mostly untapped. Therefore, the future of Indian fast food industry lies in masses that live in tier-II and tier-III cities. In 2013, the global fast food market is forecasted to have a value of $200 billion, an increase of 29. 3% and a volume of 94. 7 billion transactions, an increase of 10. 4% since 2008. The consumer spending on processed food has increased at an average rate of 7. 6 per cent annually from 2008 to 2010 and this is expected to rise at an average of around 8. 6 per cent until 2012, according to a report by Assocham. Almost all big fast food brands of the world have succeeded in making their presence felt in the country and most of them are posting appreciable growth. It is estimated through the Euromonitor International and Credit Suisse Emerging Consumer Survey, that the average Indian spends just $ 11 as compared to his Chinese counterpart who would ideally spend $ 20 on fast food. Yet , if we see the Indian spending on food in totality , they spend 23 % of their earnings on the same while the Chinese spending is 20 %. So, the inference that can be drawn is that owing to the eating pattern of Indians they prefer to eat at home and would spend on cooking ingredients over fast food. However, this does not spell good news for the industry. It is set to witness the entry of new fast food players that plan to hit the Indian market with a vengeance with international giants like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks being amongst them. II. THE COMPETITION People prefer fast food because its cheap, easy to prepare, and heavily promoted. India is a developing country with 2 percent of organized and 98 percent of unorganized sector. So most of the fast foods that came into Indian market as India has a high growth in every sector. Major players in fast food in India are: McDonald’s KFC Pizza Hut Dominos Cafe Coffee Day Barista More than 75% of McDonalds restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent locals. McDonald‘s product line in India is almost similar to other burger chains with a dominant Indian flavour. Perhaps, it would be correct to say that their only similarity with their foreign outlets is that they have French Fries and still use buns. Examining the immense Indianzation they have attempted in their menu here it wouldn‘t be surprising to see Indian Chapatis in place of buns. Their current offerings reflect the same. www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 2 Table I : Present Menu for McDonald’s India Menu Ranges Burgers and other Bites Spicy Delights McSpicyPaneer ExtraValue Meals Chicken McNuggets Meal McAloo Tikki Happy Price Menu Breakfast Menu Favourites Sausage McMuffin with egg French Fries McAloo Tikki Happy Meal Meals Source: McDonaldsIndia. com Desserts Big Spicy Paneer Wrap Filet O Fish Meal Maharaja Mac Meal McVeggie /McChicken Meal Chicken McGrill Beverages McSwirl Iced tea/ Cold Coffee Minute Maid Pulpy Orange/ Cappucino/ Tea Soft Serve (Strawberry /Chocolate) Veg Supreme Veg Pizza McPuff Veg McMuffin Sausage McMuffin Pancakes Filet O Fish Chicken Maharaja Mac Chicken McGrill Meal McChicken/ McVeggie McVeggie Meal McFlurry McChicken meal III. BUSINESS MODEL The Business Model of McDonald‘s is a franchise-based model coupled with strong corporate branding. The focus is on the branding of McDonald‘s as a globally accepted service provider with strong customer perception about: www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 3 Happy Employees means Happy Customers McDonald’s Efforts of repositioning its Brand-Recently, McDonalds management has decided to change itsstrategies. They now want to provide not only a place to sit and eat but also an experience that can be enjoyed by their customers. Figure 1: The Service Marketing Triangle Zeithaml and Bitner (1996 ) McDonald‘s realized very early in their business that in order to achieve happiness amongst customers;the possible route is through happy, motivated and committed employees. In accordance with this they played on the customer first strategy. Even in India, their efforts clearly indicated that they were keen to understand the Indian consumer. Hence they adapted themselves to tickle the taste buds of their Indian customers to become a brand that enjoys a very high brandrecall. Therefore they focused on internal as well as external marketing. The level of importance has changed to be in the following order (the most important people arenow at the top). Corporate Branding The marketers are shifting the branding efforts from their product brands to a more holistic corporate branding . The reason for the shift can be traced to the belief that, it is the corporate image that carries a great impact on the buyers who are more aware and more exposed to media coverage on various issues be it environmental responsibility, being corporate social responsibility or be it responsibility towards health of future generation. McDonald‘s describe a corporate branding framework that is based on three elements: Figure 2: McDonald’s Service Pyramid Figure 3: Corporate Branding Source: Hatch and Schultz (2003)), â€Å"Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding†, European Journal of Marketing, The recent McDonald‘s rebranding strategy is a part of this thought and vision. McDonald‘s road to success has not always been rosy. They have been at the receiving end of the media‘s onslaught. There was a huge uproar in US after media exposure against McDonald‘s unhealthy menu that was affecting the nation and leading it to a generation suffering from obesity and heart diseases among many more ailments. There were employment issues internally which showed that they did not treat their workers well. Hence they assessed their strategies again and came up with new objectives that strengthened their previous aims and gave a new direction to them as well. www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 4 McDonald’s Marketing Efforts Over the Years – Proactive Rebranding – A Proactive strategy includes a new line of business or market that does not conform to the existing brand identity. When McDonald‘s once referred to itself as Mickey D‘s to target kids in a commercial, it had just coined a new way of catering to an audience separate from its traditional family audience. Objectives of McDonalds Repositioning StrategyMcDonalds, the promise of American fast food anywhere in the world, has had to rethink and reposition its brand offerings in different countries. While some basic elements like Ronald were left in place the menu underwent an overhaul. For example, in India, the menu has no beef dishes since it is not considered religiously correct to eat cow‘s meat: there is the very popular McAlooTikki, a potato-based patty in burger buns; the Big Mac is replaced by the Maharaja Mac, the Big Mac in chicken; there is also the paneer (cottage cheese) McVeggie burger. The Italian McDonalds has a special coffee spot. To celebrate its 20th anniversary in China, McDonalds rebranded under the Make Room for Happiness campaign. They had all you want coffee refills; Wi-Fi and a more modern restaurant design were unveiled. This was done exclusively for China, where McDonalds positioned itself as a place to relax away from the high demands of the average Chinese‘s life. Its Im Lovin It slogan made way for Make Room for Happiness, and McDonalds became the place where the stressed young Chinese can spend quality time rejuvenating after working for long hours. The result was an 18% increase in sales, and an increasing legion of fans that is fueling McDonalds growth in China. McDonald’s Changing Markets Changing Strategies Decades after its launch, the Big Mac is changing colours, literally. The worlds largest fast-food chain is letting go of its familiar red-and-yellow colours for more muted tones as it goes for its biggest and costliest revamp in the country, in line with its global strategy of attracting more adults. For the next generation of consumers McDonald‘s plans to cultivate a very different image from its existing one. After revamping 280 stores in various markets last year, McDonalds is now opting for the Tampa model and will spread that design to upwards of 800 locations this year — roughly triple what it did last year. The company is donning a new look when India is on its way of becoming a global hotspot for food retailers, with chains like Starbucks, Burger King planning to enter the country. Some McRemodel highlights include : †¢Redoing roofs The bright red roofs that have topped McDonalds for several decades are getting the heave, replaced with flatter, more conventional roofs. †¢Muting paint The neon yellows and reds common to the interiors and exteriors are becoming history, replaced with much more subtle oranges, reds, yellows and even greens. †¢Updating chairs Those industrial steel chairs are giving way to wooden chairs, colorful stools and, in some cases, vinylcovered chairs that resemble leather. Some stores will have larger lounge chairs similar to the kind you might expect to find in a coffee shop. †¢Doubling drive-through To ease lines inside and outside stores, many locations are adding second drive-through windows to speed up service. †¢Splashing colour McDonalds hasnt junked its familiar red and yellow colors altogether, but it is making them far less obvious. Instead of filling the restaurants with them, its splashing bright yellow and red here and there for effect. †¢Dividing dining areas The sea of tables and chairs is history in the remodelled stores. The new dining rooms are divided into separate eating zones for larger groups, eat-and-run customers and folks who want to stay and lounge. †¢Adding flat-screens TVs Large, flat-screen TVs — some playing contemporary music — are showing up in many locations, though fewer than half of the remodelled stores will display them. The new design makes the customer feel more comfortable and at leisure to enjoy their surroundings. This offers to McDonald‘s two key opportunities- firstly, to shift to another www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 customer base with high spending power and then to broaden their menu with offerings at a higher price point. Risks Involved When a global organization like McDonalds is going in for rebranding, a lot of financing is involved and the global impact is huge. Though the step taken by the managers of McDonalds is well calculated but speculations are on till the time it doesn‘t fair well in the market and most importantly to the customers. This kind of rebranding in the Indian Food Industry can help change the image of McDonald‘s completely like in the case of Pizza Hut, which has become a part of fine dining segment, which it was not earlier. The Indian consumer is considered to be loyal but still the risks involved are high. 1. A trade-off between what is expected from a company and what a company has to gain from the consumers One can see that one facet raises the scale while the other weighs it down making it a tough task. In order to sustain the balance, it requires big investments which will surely add to the costs incurred in the rebranding. If the rebranding falls flat, it will result in a major profit decline. 2. Store positioning McDonald‘s needs to have the most current information to determine if present outlets are cannibalizing each other‘s business. To achieve this McDonald‘s team willneed comprehensive, demographic data of India along with both theirs and competitors‘ outlets. IV. CONCLUSION The task is mammoth as McDonald‘s tries to keep up in the race for a piece of the great Indian pie . As per Forbes , McDonald‘s India operations contribute 30 % to their sales which is a considerable share. It might become imperative to create a Point of Difference to fight it out in the Indian market as all fast food brands have modelled themselves on local flavours now , the latest being KFC with its ? Streetwise‘ menu. While McDonald‘s does have the edge with its excellent supply chain and distribution network the customer ultimately does become the king with low brand loyalty in this category being the generalisation . The rebranding effort on their part seeks to bring 5 in a new flavour to their brand offering but what remains to be seen is whether they are still able to strike a chord with the customer. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the people who assisted us in this endeavour of ours. First and foremost , we would like to thank Mr. Praveen Gupta, HOD , Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management for his valuable time and support. Also, a special mention to the staff of McDonald‘s Jor Bagh, Delhi who was very patient and helpful during our visits to the outlet for the study. REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Lovelock,Wirtz and Chatterjee ,? Services Marketing ? , in Plastics ,Sixth Edition ,India , Pearson , 2010 , pp. 66-98 , pp. 340-372 Aaker, D. A. (2004b), ? Leveraging the Corporate Brand? , California Management Review, 46 (3), pp. 6-18 Bijoor, H. , ? A Time to Rebuild? , Business India, February 20,2011 pp. 48. Hatch, M. J. and Schultz, ? Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding ? , European Journal of Marketing, 2003, 37 (7/8), pp. 1041-1064. Jacquelline, B. and Kline,S ,? From McLibel to McLettuce: Childhood, Spin and Re-branding? ,2007 , Society and Business Review, 2(1)

Gender Norming Essay -- essays research papers fc

Gender Norming What exactly is a standard? According to Webster’s dictionary, a standard is a level of quality or excellence that is accepted as the norm or by which actual attainments are judged. Standards are created because someone believes that a fair and efficient form of doing something is necessary. The military is full of these standards. One of the most widely known is the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). It tests the maximum amount of push-ups and sit-ups a person can do in two minutes. Along with completing a two-mile run in the allotted time prescribed. The APFT is different from any other standardized test I have ever seen. It is painfully obvious that the test is severely skewed in the females favor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About fifteen years ago, â€Å"a group of sports medicine experts in the Army decided that the standards for the females in the APFT were not fair† (www.us.army.mil/athleticmed.html). They believe that overall some parts of the body were weaker on females than in males, and that a new test could help females be equals in the military. This is despite the fact the women had been doing the APFT for years with out a problem, and no complaints were ever filed. Never the less, a physical fitness board was created in order to research a fairer standard. After several years of research, the board eventually came up with what is now the current APFT. They created a process called gender norming. Their hope was that this would set the bar for ...

Religion Essay -- Philosophy, God

â€Å"Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived,† was a statement made by Oscar Wilde. (Dawkins, pg. 222) In Richard Dawkins book, â€Å"The God Delusion,† regards the argument of the supernatural being in religion being not feasible. Richard Dawkins proposes his argument â€Å"with rigor and wit, Dawkins eviscerates the arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of the existence of a supreme being.† (Dawkins, 2008) Moreover, the author uses vital assessments by allocating the origins of the religion, analysis of the Darwinian natural selection and other metaphysicists that are the contemporary reasoning for phenomenal causes, and the justification of God’s existence. Therefore, the purpose of this novel is to question and scrutinize our religious beliefs. This was shown when Charles Simony, a professor, had said, â€Å"This brilliantly argued, provocative book challenges all of us to examine our belief s, no matter what beliefs we hold† (Dawkins, 2008). Thus, this book is written for people who want to engage in the contemporary world of religion and science. An acknowledgement made by Seed stated, â€Å"A powerful argument for how to think about the place of religion in the modern world. It ‘s going to be a classic† (Dawkins, 2008). In addition, this book would most likely attract atheists because of the challenge of God’s existence in religion through the examination of the roles of religion and scientific explanations. The Economist stated, â€Å"Everyone should read it. Atheists will love Mr. Dawkins incisive logic and rapier wit, and theists will find few better tests of the robustness of their faith. Even agnostics, who claim to have no opinion on God, may be persuaded that their position is an unte... ... authoritative beliefs called â€Å"doctrine†), practices (including formalized rituals), and social institutions.† (bowen, 2011) There are many atheists within our contemporary society especially in North America which the debate of religion and science more prominent. In addition, within this book he uses many notable scientists and significant figures that are excellent proofs that support his argument. In my opinion, overall, the book was an eye-opener and the content was very engaging. In addition, when reading this novel, I felt like I agreed with some of the statements that Dawkins had proposed, in n particular, the natural selection of Darwinan theory. Therefore, this book is very persuasive and puts a new perspective on religion. Overall, the author reached their objectives because he was very convincing and included support and evidence throughout the novel.

The Power of Poetic Discourse

Poetry serves as a potent tool in providing insight, as it expresses universal themes and universal sentiments that enlightens readers. The poem of Countee Cullen entitled, â€Å"Yet Do I Marvel,† is one such piece of literature. In the first reading, the first eight lines of the poem, the octave, seems to illustrate examples of injustices. Cullen begins the poem by establishing that he does not doubt the goodness, the kindness, of God; but he questions the acts of God.Acts which seem to be incredulous, like creating the mole to be blind and yet making the creature toil and work without sight; making humans appear like him, but making them mortal; and handing down cruel punishments, as in the cases of Tantalus and Sisyphus, Greek mythological figures who suffer cruel punishments. Upon examination of the verses, however, the reader understands that these examples are not illustrations of injustice; they are instead illustrations that God is wise enough to render entities and ev ents in their current state.It is only right for the mole to be blind, because his natural task is to burrow hole underground, where sight is not necessary. It is only right for human beings to be mortal, because the soul is more important than the flesh, and without death, spiritual fulfillment could not be realized. It is only right for Tantalus to suffer hunger and thirst because his immoral act of stealing the food of the Gods, and presenting his son as a food offering was a terrible crime. It is only right for Sisyphus to work on a never-ending task because he was overly ambitious and vain to aim for eternal life.Following this insight, the reader is led to the thought that the last six lines, the sestet, offer the resolution that it is only right for a poet to be black and for God to, â€Å"bid him sing† (line 14, Cullen) because it is only appropriate for a black poet to express and articulate his hopes, his dreams and his sentiments about his people and about his race . Cullen clearly emphasizes the power of poetic discourse in this poem, a power he wielded during his time as an important Harlem Renaissance figure. Poetic Discourse Page 03 References (Please cite your source)