Aa Meetings Essay 2

Reaction Paper SAB 110-02 I first attended AA meetings as a requirement while I was in outpatient treatment in 2002. So when I learned that I had to go for a class assignment, I thought I would be comfortable attending a meeting. I was going with the intent on just sitting in the back and listening. The meetings that I had gone to in the past were held at the treatment center where I was seeking help. For this assignment, I went to a group meeting at a prominent church in south Charlotte. Once inside I was greeted with lots of hugs and handshakes, this is when my plan changed. I was asked if this was my first time attending a meeting with every other introduction. All of the feelings of being nervous I had years ago from going to my first meeting, started coming back on me. This was a large group of middle age men and women, with little or no diversity within the group. The meeting began with the reading of the 12 steps, the 12 traditions followed by the Serenity Prayer. After the readings, one thing that surprised me was how the large group divided up into three different groups. One group for women, an open group for beginners, and a closed meeting for men, I stayed in the closed meeting. The topic of discussion on this night was on recovery and service. While I was listening to people talk about how long they had been in recovery, and how attending meetings several times a week for many years had kept them sober. Others spoke about how they do service work. One gentleman talked about being in recovery and that he felt they were only able to remain sober because they became active in service and helping others. I got involved in the discussion and stated that this was my first time in a meeting in nine years. I felt like the next few people to speak was a direct response to what I had said, it made me feel uncomfortable. I was active in service and unity during my first few years in recovery, but I personally believe that a person should not have to be in recovery for the rest of their life once they become sober. AA works very well for some people, and a lot of people either find it ineffective, or they turned off by it. I respect the opinions and perceptions of those that do. Recovery is not something that you can force on someone. What works one individual made not do the same for someone else. The next meeting I attended was a NA meeting. This was the first time that I had been to a meeting, but I was not nervous attending a meeting. The meeting was held at a different church, but in the same area of the AA meeting. I was quite surprised when I went inside. There was a wide range of diversity in this meeting, as it relates to age, socioeconomic background, profession, educational level, and gender. One thing that was caught my attention was the number of high school age people who were there. The meeting began much like the AA meeting did with the reading of the steps, traditions and the serenity prayer. This was an open discussion meeting. There were two teenagers who were there together, who talked about using the day before. One of them mentioned that they were jealous of their friends at school. The reason she gave was that how her friends could use drugs and maintain self control, but she was the one to lose it. There were a few things in this NA meeting that I learned. First was, when discussing your drug usage or your drug of choice you don`t mention the name of the drug. It was also stated to keep the conversations about narcotics and not alcohol, which surprised me, being that this was my first NA a meeting, I have talked and listened to addicts and recovering addicts many times before but sitting in on a meeting touched me differently. I felt more comfortable attending the AA meeting, mainly because I had been to some in the past. Also the NA meeting did not seem to be as organized as the AA meeting. People would get up and walk out to smoke while someone was talking. Another distraction that took away from the meeting were people talking about other topics other than addiction. Overall the meeting was informative and the people were very nice and like a close knit family. I choose to attend an Al-non meeting, and I enjoyed this experience the best. I did not know what to expect going in, but was put at ease from the kindness shown by the people. This was an opening meeting and open discussion. This group was made up of mostly middle age upper class females, with one couple. They started the meeting with some group business and announcements, after that I thought I was in a AA meeting, The topic was on the holidays and how to cope. When people talked about being in recovery, they were speaking about themselves. I did join in on the discussion and stayed a few minutes after the meeting to ask some questions about the group. I could see myself going back to Al-non for support if I had issues with or was affected by a friend or family member drinking. I got some very good insight and information from all three meeting, but the Al-non seemed to be the one that was the most sincere. Unlike at other meetings for addicts themselves, the 12 steps in this meeting did not seem to take top priority, but rather the group help seemed most important to Al-non. They closed the meeting with the Lord prayer and invited me to come back.

Cool

Identify two situations in which people would be expected to use the service described in the passage; and 6 summarize the main idea of the passage; discuss reasons why the business described in the passage seems likely to be a success. 8. Complete the exercise that follows. Writing in Chinese, use the space provided to narrate an incident or event that you experienced as a student in high school or college.In your response you may include, but are not limited to, the following information. When the incident or event took place here the incident or event took place the circumstances in which the incident or event took place 7 9. Imagine that a friend from a country associated with Chinese is considering enrolling in a postgraduate program at a college or university in the general area where you are currently living and has asked you to provide some information about the area in which you live. Write a letter in Chinese to your friend responding to this request for information.In your letter you must include, but are not limited to, the following topics: 8 a brief description of some important features of the area in which you live (for example, climate, natural features, distribution of people, mix of population, regional differences within the state, cultural amenities, educational and medical facilities, recreational and entertainment options); and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of living and going to school in your area. 10. Read the instructions below.You will have two minutes to study these instructions. Then, when you are told to do so, begin to respond in Mandarin. You may take up to two minutes to complete your response. You will be told when the two minutes are up. You may begin studying the instructions now. You will be told when to begin peaking. (The examine will read in the test booklet:) Imagine that a friend from a country associated with Chinese has been offered a Job in a city near where you live, and asks your opinion on the p ros and cons of living and working in your area.Speaking in Mandarin, discuss the advantages and but are not limited to, the following topics: a brief description of some of the important features of the area in which you live (for recreational and entertainment options); and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in your area. (The examine will have two minutes to study the instructions above; then two minutes to respond on audiotape. ) 9 11. Imagine that you are attending a summer institute at a university in a country associated with Chinese.You are asked to speak to a group of students about your previous college experiences. Speaking in Mandarin, describe a college or university you have attended. In your response you may include, but are not limited to, the following topics: a description of a college or university you have attended; an explanation of why you chose to attend that college or university; an analysis of what you liked and disliked a bout the college or university. Cool Ice free northwest passage for half the year, flooded cities in Asia (Bengal), raciness, severe drought affecting food production, emergence of new deserts, etc. 4. ) How are warmer temperatures affecting the migration of crops? Champagne region of France is becoming too warm for traditional champagne grapes, so they are starting to grow them in England, along with olive trees. 5. ) What is involved in the carbon footprint a common product such as a cheeseburger?All the energy consumed to make up the component parts of the cheeseburger and the greenhouse gases produced as a result= the feedstock for cattle, growing lettuce, wheat for bun, milking the cattle, processing milk for cheese, ND processing cattle for meat, trucking (transporting) the various parts, keeping the meat cold, plus methane gas produced by the cattle 6. ) So, what is the carbon footprint off cheeseburger in the US? 200 million metric tones, more than all the Subs In the united States 7. How might an Increase of DC affect the planet? Rapid changes in the biosphere, especially marine life of the oceans, dying off of coral reefs, flooding of island states, melting of Grassland's glaciers, etc. 8. ) What significant ocean system could break down that could magnify the warming effect? Carbon sink provided by tiny sea creatures that absorb carbon dioxide from which they build their shells, but warmer water changes Its coldly which dissolves their shells and prevents them from forming new ones.This loss in turn will affect the marine life food change and loss of biodiversity. When the oceans can no longer absorb Carbon dioxide it will escape into the atmosphere adding to the levels of the atmosphere. 9. ) What Is a glacial Million and why are they so dangerous In terms of speeding up straight through to the bottom of the glacier creating a hydroplane on which huge asses of ice get propelled faster into the sea where it will melt and add its mass to ocean levels. 10. ) How much would the melted Gree nland Ice field raise sea levels by? M which would flood London, Bangkok, New York Shanghai, etc. 1 1 . ) In what way is the melting of Arctic Ice such a concern and a potential â€Å"runaway train†? Lack of ice means more sunlight can be absorbed by the oceans which in means less heat is reflected back into space, creating even more heat and more melting†¦ The warmer it gets the faster it gets warmer. 12. ) How much warmer does it eve to get before we are arguably at a â€Å"tipping† point of climate change? ICC 13. ) What major changes will a ICC warming cause for the planet?Arctic is ice free all summer, Amazon rainforest's dries out, snow caps on the Alps disappear, El Onion's extreme weather becomes normal, heat waves would be the norm, temperatures in Europe would more like what is currently typical of the middle east, etc. 14. ) What was the first global warming disaster to affect a wealthy nation in 2003 and what was the impact? A heat wave across Europe t hat killed 30 000 people, over 14 000 of them in France over a period of a few weeks. On August 10th alone, 2500 to 3000 people died, mostly elderly. 15. What else happened during the 2003 headwater that was an indication of another unforeseen side affect of warming? Trees and other vegetation started to release carbon dioxide instead of being able to absorb it as photosynthesis broke down. 16. ) What ominous changes occurred in the Amazon river basin in 2005? Tributaries dried up, forest fires spread and killed large quantities of trees needed to produce rainfall, therefore making conditions drier. 17. ) What conditions are common to El Ion patterns and how might a ICC warmer limited be affected by them?Trade winds and ocean currents move east instead of west across the Pacific bringing torrential rainstorms to South America and drought to Australia and Indonesia, with ICC warming this could mean even more energy to drive hurricanes whose fuel is warm ocean water. 18. ) What would the planet be like with a ICC average global warming? Delta areas, home to a billion people will be flooded, other areas will become deserts, west Antarctic ice would melt, major losses of fresh water such as the glacial source of the holy Ganges River in India. Compared to developed countries?Developing countries like India, Indonesia, etc. Do not necessarily have the billions of dollars that would be needed to invest in hydrophilic dams like developed countries such as England has. 20. ) How many refugees might there be with warming of ICC? Ass's of millions of climate refugees. 21 . ) What would the consequences of an average global warming of ICC be? There could be mass extinctions, ocean wastelands, massive desertification on land, a global catastrophe 22. ) What is ironic about our current global warming crisis due to the burning of fossil fuels, given the Earth's past history?The last major mass extinction occurred due to global warming, whereby the earth corrected its climat e imbalance by the â€Å"killing† off of mass quantities of life that were then buried by eroded material. This corrected the abundance of CO levels in the atmosphere by â€Å"sinking† them. The irony is that we have extracted them now as our sources of fossil fuels, and are releasing that stored carbon into the atmosphere as we burn them for energy, creating a previous cycle that led to mass extinction. 23. ) What are some practical changes we must make in order to prevent warming of this scale?Reducing the use of energy that uses fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases, use energy more efficiently, such as unplugging appliances to avoid wasted â€Å"vampire† energy draws, doubling fuel efficiency of vehicles, using solar power, wind power, tidal power, geothermal energy, etc. Starting now! 24. ) How much time do scientists believe we have to avoid going over the tipping point into accelerated global warming and climate change? As little as 10 years 25. ) Mak e a commitment: what 5 things can you commit to changing in your lifestyle to reduce your ecological footprint and cut down on energy consumption? Answers will vary. Discuss.

Psychoanalytic Case Study of Preston Essay

Preston was concerned over his aggressive behavior towards other males in and outside of the home. He had frequent altercations with his brother, both of whom lived with their parents. Preston was adopted at a very young age. This was a major cause of his recent issues. He feared that his emotions would progressively get worse, and that something detrimental would happen. In accordance with psychoanalysis, Preston was allowed to explore these issues through free association. Preston was shown that his subconscious had been concealing issues related to his early adoption. Preston was shown constructive ways to deal with these issues. Preston continues to make progress in this area, and is exhibiting less signs of his previous issues. Psychoanalytic Case Study of: Preston A Conceptualization and Treatment Plan The individual in this case study presents a multitude of symptoms that are affecting his daily life. The individual has many factors from his childhood that would contribute to these issues. This study goes to show how the subject’s childhood has a direct relationship to the issues that he is currently experiencing. The identification of these issues is necessary in order for treatment to be successfully implemented. Presenting Concerns Preston presents himself as suffering from multiple issues that affect his daily life. He claims to have issues with forming any relationships with other males. He states that he is overtly competitive when dealing with these other males. His biggest issues arise when dealing with his brother. Preston was adopted at a very young age, and has always had issues getting along with this brother. This aggression has moved from just dealing with his brother to all males in general. There have been instances where the police have been involved in altercations that Preston has had at home. He fears that this will continue until he is arrested outside of the home. Preston still lives with both of his adopted parents and his brother. Preston has stated that he is constantly vying for his parents’ attention, and his aggression increases whenever someone else is monopolizing their time. He does not feel that he will always become violent, but that his anxiety is constantly increasing in situations such as this. He is afraid that his frustration and need to outdo others will end very negatively. Case Conceptualization It appears that one of Preston’s main issues is that of Displacement. According to Murdock (2013), this occurs when a subject shows anger towards someone who is less dangerous than the real cause of an issue (p. 40). Preston shows that he has issues in dealing with the fact that he still lives at home with his parents. He verbally abuses those that he sees as â€Å"better† than him. Preston does not wish to abuse himself over this issue. So, he abuses others that he believes will accept the abuse. He seems to blame others for whatever failings he has in life. He takes his frustrations out on whoever is the most convenient to him. This involves rage towards his brother, as well as friends of his parents. The fact that Preston was adopted as such an early age raises the issue of attachment bonds as well. It appears that Preston may have become overly attached to his adopted parents. Much of this may have to do with the way that they raised him. His parents were very protective, and would cater to his every need. This seems to have created a kind of subconscious reliance on his parents, and the need for their constant approval. This leads to the constant need for their attention as well as the need to outdo peers. The aggressiveness towards peers does not seem to have started until Preston was old enough to identify that was adopted. He seemed to be displacing fear that his current parents would abandon him onto others. This is the main subconscious issue that is affecting Preston. His fear of abandonment has caused him to irrationally fear any force outside of his parental relationship, including his brother. This affects his appraisal tendency, which is the way his brain perceives threats and relates to his aggression and depression (Gilbert, 2007, p. 47). This is the disconnect that is causing most of Preston’s issues. He feels threats that just are not there. He remains living with his parents, constantly vigilant of anyone that will take them away from him, including his brother. This has manifested itself in a sort of hyper-masculinity. Preston’s ego identifies no other way to express these abandonment issues other than with aggressiveness. Also, the fact that Preston’s aggression has continued to increase could be directly correlated with his parents aging. Perhaps he fears that not only could people take his parents away, but the fear that death is closing in on them. This could also be manifesting itself in Preston’s fear and frustration. Treatment Plan Goals for Counseling The goal for psychoanalytic therapy is to get Preston in touch with his subconscious. This serves to identify the root causes of his present issues. Preston will need to identify specific defense mechanisms that he created in childhood. The material that has shifted from the subconscious to the conscious will need to be readily identified (Murdock, 2013, p. 37). Once these mechanisms and thoughts are out in the open, it will be easier to discuss them and change present behavior. Interventions The fundamental intervention to employ with Preston will be â€Å"free association†. According to Murdock (2013), free association encourages the client to reveal whatever he is thinking even if it seems irrelevant or offensive (p. 49). This will be particularly helpful for Preston, and can reveal what his thought process is when he has these aggressive bouts. It seems that Preston has not been totally honest with himself. Free association can help him to bring out deep-rooted ideas for analysis and discussion. This intervention can provide logic and reason to the seemingly illogical thoughts he is experiencing. Establishing the Relationship I realized that Preston had issues in dealing with other males. I asked him if he would feel more comfortable dealing with a female counselor. He indicated that he did not react the same way to me as with other males. He stated that he realized that my sole purpose was to help him with his issues, and this made him not feel anxious or aggressive. I relayed that I was glad this was the case, but that I needed to be immediately notified if these sentiments changed. Whenever I felt that Preston was actually getting anxious or aggressive, I made him aware. I explained to him that he was projecting these feelings onto me, and that it was harmful to the counselor/client relationship. He quickly calmed down, and apologized. He seemed to genuinely understand my concern for his well-being. Analysis of Transference The occasions that Preston did display anxiousness/aggressiveness, he did seem to understand that he was doing so after it was brought to his attention. He realized that I was not causing his issues, and I attempted to apply this to his other personal relationships. We would analyze why he was feeling this way, and how it related to his childhood and parents. He came to the conclusion that if he did not get these feelings under control in session, then he was never going to get them under control outside of it. Insight Preston came to realize that he had subconscious issues regarding his adoption as a child. He understood that he was so shocked by learning he was adopted that he was afraid it was going to happen again. He learned that he was very afraid of losing his parents. He acknowledged that his aggressive outbursts were not about the people he was dealing with, but about his fear that his parents would somehow like them better and abandon him. Preston identified that this is not considered normal behavior for someone his age. He picked up various calming techniques, and needed to constantly remind himself that the issue was him, not others. I was able to assist Preston in identifying the root causes of different scenarios and emotions that he discussed. His visible anxiety and aggression seemed to be kept to a minimum. With his understanding of why he was experiencing these emotions, Preston seemed to be doing better in his daily life. He reports being able to hold a discussion with other males without feeling the need to be dominant. He has also taken steps in explaining his fears and issues with his parents. Conclusions The next main milestone for Preston will be to find a home of his own. This will take time and adjustment, but will be a great leap forward. Also, he is noticing some of the same issues he is dealing with in his brother. Hopefully, Preston can persuade his brother to seek the same sort of help that he has received. This will have to be gradual so as to not induce any sort of separation anxiety. However, if Preston continues with treatment and making positive choices, then he will be continuing on the path to recovery.

Fast food restaurant Essay

In 1921, after World War 1, vehicles became more popular and more affordable for the middle class; therefore, drive-in restaurants were introduced. Founded by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson, the American Company White Castle, is generally credited with opening the second fast food outlet and first hamburger chain. Walter Anderson had built the first drive-in restaurant in Wichita in 1916, introducing a low cost and high speed hamburger restaurant. White Castle was tremendously successful from the beginning and produced numerous competitors. Then, franchising was introduced by A&W Root Beer, which franchised its distinctive syrup. Howard Johnson’s first franchised the restaurant concept in the mid-1930s, formally standardizing menus, signage and advertising. Moreover, in 2006, the global fast food market grew by 4. 8% and reached a value of 102. 4 billion dollars. Shockingly, in India alone, the fast food industry was growing by 41% a year. Today, the United States has the main fast food industry in the world, having roughly 2 million U. S. workers employed in the areas of food preparation and food servicing. Leader in the Fast Food Industry: A&W, McDonalds, Subway†¦? The fast-food industry or quick service restaurants are thriving. The food industry is let by fast food restaurants which are responsible for 72. 8% of the whole food industry revenues. In North America, McDonald’s is followed by Subway, Burger King, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pizza Hut, KFC. All in particular order to the amount of sales in North America in 2010. McDonald’s is the industry leader, with revenues that are 3 times to the next on the list. They are very much concentrated on low prices and getting the customer as quick as possible out the door, which appeals a lot to families that want a cheap, fun and safe place to eat. In today’s modern society, time is a very essential and limited factor; society is very preoccupied with everything else going on, their eating habits become irrelevant. This is where fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, have a great success preparing their food in record time, making more time for other and more important tasks. Fast Food Trends Over the last decade there has been increased focus on the quality of food served in fast food restaurants. â€Å"New† fast food versus old fast food, which essentially means that throughout the past years, many fast food businesses started to develop. And two â€Å"leagues† of fast food restaurants have emerged. â€Å"Old† fast foods and â€Å"new† fast foods, the old fast foods consist of companies like McDonald’s and smaller companies like Burger King and Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Arby’s and Wendy’s). â€Å"New† fast foots are â€Å"Chipotle Mexican Grill†, â€Å"Panera Bread†, â€Å"Five Guys† and Oqdoba all owned by â€Å"Jack in the box† which is a member of the old fast food league. Both leagues have very similar attributes. They both serve inexpensive food in a casual matter while keeping a fast tempo. But the players in the â€Å"new† league have introduced higher-quality menu items, making the consumer’s experience more similar to a traditional restaurant dining casually at a table, rather than being in and out of the fast food restaurant with a greasy bag of food. Typically highly processed and industrial in preparation, much of the food is high in fat and has been shown to increase body mass index and cause weight gain. Popular books such as Fast Food Nation and documentaries like â€Å"Super Size Me† have amplified public awareness of the negative health consequences of fast food. These documentaries have had a huge impact on fast food restaurants who were indirectly obliged to respond to this trend if they wanted to keep most of their clientele. AMERICAN DIETARY TRENDS, BY DECADE | Historical Events| Food Trends of the Time| 1950–1959| – Mothers returning to the home after the war effort – Postwar baby boom – Construction of the national highway system| – Packaged meals available – First TV dinner (Swanson), 1953 – Rise of hamburger chains along highways; Oscar Mayer â€Å"Wiener-Mobile†| 1960–1969| – Growing middle class with money to spend. – Growing social unrest over the Vietnam War in late 1960s| – Introduction of Julia Child’s French cooking – â€Å"Hippies† bring back demand for unprocessed, made-from-scratch foods – Vegetarian trend starts| 1970–1979| – End of Vietnam War – Watergate scandal – Growing inflation – Major influx of Asians due to Immigration Act of 1965| – Continued demand for organic and fresh: â€Å"California Cuisine† – Elaborate dinner parties with ethnic dishes – Growing appetite for Asian cuisine| 1980–1989| – Stock market plummet of 1987| – â€Å"Nouvelle Cuisine† is the thing du jour–diners willing to pay more to eat less – Return to simplicity in late 1980s. – Exploration of different tastes (e. g. , TexMex, Ethiopian, Southwestern)| 1990–1999| – Introduction of the Internet puts foods at consumers fingertips| – Everything reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free – Naturally healthy cuisines (Mediterranean) – New movement toward simplicity| Segments in Fast Food Industry When observing the fast food industry, it is obvious that restaurants specialize in certain fat foods. In fact, fast food restaurants can be divided in eight categories: Asian food, burgers, sea food, pizza/pasta, snacks, chicken, Mexican food and sandwiches. The different segments distinguishes the direct competitors such as McDonalds and Carl’s Jr. trying to sell/make the best burgers and the indirect competitors such as Quizno’s who specialize in sandwiches and Domino’s Pizza who focuses on promoting their delicious pizza but still tries to sell sandwiches. All fast food restaurants fiercely compete with each other to sell not only their speciality but have the most sales in general. In 2010, as being the leader of the fast food industry, McDonald’s was and is still at the top of the burger category, with more than $32 billion in system wide sales. The winners for the other categories were Taco Bell for the Mexican segment, KFC for the chicken category, Pizza Hut for the Pizza and Pasta brands, and Long John Silver’s winning the Seafood segment. The graph demonstrates the different segments of the fast food industry as well as the restaurants and their rankings. QSR 50 Rank| Company| Segment| 22| Panda Express| asian| 3| Burger King*2| burger| 23| Carl’s Jr. *| burger| 34| Checkers/Rally’s| burger| 33| Culver’s| burger| 16| Dairy Queen*| burger| 30| Five Guys Burgers & Fries| burger| 19| Hardee’s*| burger|. 45| In-N-Out Burger*| burger| 15| Jack in the Box| burger| 50| Krystal*| burger| 1| McDonald’s| burger| 10| Sonic| burger| 27| Steak N Shake*| burger| 4| Wendy’s*| burger| 25| Whataburger| burger| 40| White Castle*| burger| 31| Bojangles’| chicken| 41| Boston Market*| chicken| 11| Chick-fil-A| chicken| 26| Church’s Chicken| chicken| 38| El Pollo Loco| chicken| 9| KFC| chicken| 20| Popeyes*| chicken| 28| Zaxby’s| chicken| 18| Chipotle| mexican| 36| Del Taco| mexican| 44| Qdoba| mexican| 6| Taco Bell| mexican| 39| CiCi’s Pizza*| pizza/pasta| 12| Domino’s Pizza*| pizza/pasta|. 24| Little Caesars*| pizza/pasta| 35| Papa Murphy’s| pizza/pasta| 17| Papa John’s| pizza/pasta| 8| Pizza Hut| pizza/pasta| 43| Sbarro*| pizza/pasta| 14| Arby’s| sandwich| 48| Einstein Bros. Bagels*| sandwich| 42| Jason’s Deli| sandwich| 29| Jimmy John’s*| sandwich| 13| Panera Bread| sandwich| 21| Quiznos*| sandwich| 2| Subway*| sandwich| 47| Captain D’s| seafood| 32| Long John Silver’s*| seafood| 37| Baskin Robbins*| snack| 49| Cold Stone Creamery| snack| 7| Dunkin’ Donuts*| snack| 5| Starbucks*| snack| 46| Tim Hortons1| snack| Own A Fast Food Restaurant: a Bad or Good Idea? It is not a very good and viable industry for anyone to enter. The global economy shifts have been proven to highly affect certain fast food companies. Fast food companies were once thought to be immune to recessions, because of their low prices and fast service because logically in a recession, consumers have to cut spending. Many consumers â€Å"traded down†, from casual restaurants to fast food restaurants because of the cheap BigMacs, Whoppers and $1 value meals. As a result, fast-food chains have weathered the recession better than their pricier competitors. In 2009 sales at full-service restaurants in America fell by more than 6%, but total sales remained about the same at fast-food chains. In some markets, such as Japan, France and Britain, total spending on fast food increased. Same-store sales in America at McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food company, did not decline throughout the downturn. Panera Bread, an American fast-food chain known for its fresh ingredients, performed well, too: its boss, Ron Shaich, claims this is because it offers higher-quality food at lower prices than restaurants. Money can be a big problem in terms of starting a business in the fast food industry. Rising prices have also significantly affected many fast food franchises. With food and beverage inputs making up approximately 33% of costs, higher prices for livestock, corn, wheat and more have seriously shrunk margins over the past decade. In such a fiercely competitive space it is impossible to force a price increase on customers, so profit margins are often south of 10%. The recent economic recession did lower commodity prices, but the recession brought on its own complications, and now prices for commodity inputs are on the rise again. Direct and Indirect Competitors. Direct competitors in the fast food industry are the companies that produces and sells an almost identical product which they offer for sale within the same market as those produced by one or more other companies. McDonalds and Burger King compete directly with each other, Wendy’s and A&W also compete directly because they have a very similar product and service. If a customer really wants a burger and fries, he or she will not go at the other end of town just to get to their favorite burger place, they will settle for a very similar product within a closer proximity. Indirect competitors in the fast food industry are the companies or services that are not similar to each other and that share very different characteristics about their product or service. A good example of an indirect competition in the fast food industry could be restaurants such as Swiss Chalet or a sandwich shop and a Panda Express, both are fast food restaurants but they compete indirectly with each other because one customer may want to eat an Asian dish but not wanting to eat a sandwich, this leading to the customer going as far as it takes to go eat an Asian dish. All in all, fast food is not only about a fast service or eating fattening food , it requires a lot of knowledge and time to make these franchises work and make an ever growing profit. Over the past years and the years to come, McDonalds has and will obviously be the number one leader in the fast food industry because of their extraordinary service, delicious food and their 34,000 restaurants all over the world. However, as years go by, obesity is becoming a huge problem as thousands of kids and adults are attained of heart problems, therefore, decreasing the amount of clients who eat fast food yearly. Trends are changing and people are starting to eat a lot healthier realising how significant it is to take care of their body. In the next century, will fast food restaurants become a thing of the past or will they find a way to stay their clients number one’s solution when it comes to filling up their stomach? Only time will tell†¦

Marketing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Assignment - Essay Example In the recent past, the countries especially that of United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have come up as the major real-estate hubs of the world. There were many reasons for such development. The locations of the middle-eastern countries proved to be very vital for such development as they could be reached from Europe, Africa and Asia with in few hours of flight. The government of these nations was also very supportive to the real estate projects as they became source of foreign exchange for the economies. But with the economic recession and liquidity crunch taking toll over the world economy, the housing bubble of the middle-east got the beating. As more of the global companies of repute and leading multinational companies bankrupted and laid off their employees, the industry of real estate in the near east region which was basically redundant for the global citizens faced the severe music. Since the end of last decade the boom of real estate has been evident in the cities of Middle East like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The huge boom in the real estate market was primarily because of the increasing life style of the citizens of the world. Having an apartment in the posh location of the above mentioned cities has been like of a status symbol. The various amendments of regulations by the governments of Middle Eastern nations also supported the cause. Compared with the demand of having apartment for residence or office space, the supply always fell short. Therefore, the prices went on increasing. Numerous projects are coming up with large number of units mostly as the satellite townships near the big cities. It was estimated by the reputed market research agency, Colliers International that in 2007 more than 14,000 villas and 18,000 apartments were under construction only near to the mega city of Abu Dhabi. The market research report forecasted the figure to reach appro ximately around 205,000 by 2015. According to the international agency, projects like

A challenging question for research and practice arises Essay 2

A challenging question for research and practice arises 2 - Essay Example Organizations are, therefore, entitled to consider the ambivalence attitudes in their plan for change in order for them to achieve their goal. Improvement of internal communication within an organization is a basic measure taken during the transition of organizational change. The first consideration for an organization plan for change is the initial wrong perception to change. This might be coming from the managers, employees or even the customers. The wrong initial perception is brought by the inability of an organization to forward into the future and accept their vision. The stakeholders can deny the unexpected information on change or even wish that they could continue with their present thoughts even when the situation has changed. Poor communication can create an organizational silence in a company, which means that the stakeholders are not given a chance to express their thoughts about the change (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2009). Lack of motivation for change is another factor which should be considered in organizational change. Motivation for change can be hindered when the change is planned to increase the sale of a certain product but at the same time reducing the wages and salaries of the workers such that it is a sacrifice in order to achieve change. Past failures of the organizations trials for change can make workers feel not compelled enough for changing the organizational status (Piderit, 2000). An organization must consider a situation whereby there are different interests for change between the management and the workers. If the employees are valuing change more than the managers, the goal for organizational change cannot be easily achieved since the managers lack enough motivation (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2009). Resistance to change can also result from lack of creativeness in search for the most appropriate strategies for achieving change. This mostly happens

Asbestos Exposure In Buildings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Asbestos Exposure In Buildings - Essay Example (Alleman & Mossman, 1997), (Competition Commission, 1975) prior to the 19th century asbestos boom, the mineral had a minor utility in household items, although Peter the Great did maintain a factory for the production of asbestos products. (Competition Commission, 1975) its use in construction during the 19th century was primarily limited to Chrysotile fibres intended for insulation purposes. CASE STUDY: When people first meet Robert Hamilton, they would be forgiven for questioning whether this man is terminally ill. He has an amazing spirit, a lust for life and a great sense of humour. It is this positive attitude which helps Robert get through some of his darkest times since his diagnosis with mesothelioma in July 2006. Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. Robert, of Polmont, Falkirk Central Region, worked as an assistant foreman at I.C.I. in Grangemouth for 28 years and although he didn't handle the asbestos himself, he was exposed to the fibres everyday in his work place during the maintenance and refurbishment works going on around him - the entire building and all the pipes were insulated with deadly asbestos. A key part of Robert's job was directing maintenance workers throughout the I.C.I. building to where work was needed in repairing or replacing the asbestos cladding and lagging. "When the boys put the lagging on, the dust would go everywhere. You could feel the dust in your throat and we used to go for a couple of pints after work to wash the dust out! "Nobody told us anything about asbestos. The staff were given different items of protective clothing for other chemicals that they worked with, but not for asbestos." Robert Hamilton, now aged 66 years, is supporting the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)'s national campaign "Asbestos - the Hidden Killer". The campaign aims to tackle the rising number of asbestos-related deaths by educating tradesmen about the risks they face. Any building built or refurbished before 2000 could contain asbestos. It is estimated that around 500,000 workplace buildings contain asbestos and many more domestic premises could contain it. The first symptom Robert experienced was a chesty cough which he presumed he had picked up through the air conditioning on holiday. The chest infection didn't clear and his GP went on to diagnose pn eumonia and then TB, for which Robert received six months of treatment. "It took a year before I was correctly diagnosed with mesothelioma. On diagnosis they gave me six to nine months to live. It does knock the breathe out of you when you are diagnosed. "It takes a while to sink in, it's as if you are talking about someone else. A lot of crying goes on and asking 'Why me - what have I done to deserve it?' "Telling the family was devastating and my wife is very scared at being left on her own." Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 15 to 60 years before it becomes active and starts attacking the external lining of the lungs. The majority of sufferers die within one or two years of being diagnosed. Robert has lived with this debilitating disease for over three years now. There is no cure for mesothelioma - only treatment to alleviate the symptoms. He has endured three courses of chemotherapy, the latest being in March this year and he had major surgery to remove a lung; and has tried r adium treatment. It took Robert a long time to recover from his surgery and during this time he has had a stroke and suffered from depression. Living daily with mesothelioma has had a huge effect on Robert's life he explained: "The life that you know is gone. I can't walk for more than 20 minutes and I easily