Barbecue vs. Barbeque

Barbecue vs. Barbeque Barbecue vs. Barbeque Barbecue vs. Barbeque By Maeve Maddox We all have our lists of language peeves. Most likely, no two of our lists are the same. The reader whose email prompted this post can’t stand the spelling barbeque: One of my pet hates (I have more than a few) is barbeque†. When I hear that this spellinghas entered into common usage I become uncommonly angry. I have entered it into the NGram and [discovered] the wrong spelling has gradually gained ground and the right spelling is declining. Is this the future of language? I can sympathize with the pain a fellow language lover feels when faced with one of his peeves, but I have to admit that barbeque doesn’t even register as a â€Å"one† on my scale of linguistic suffering. I grew up in a town in which the places specializing in this type of cooking spell it Bar-B-Q on their signs and BBQ on their menus. Barbeque looks fine to me. The first glimmer of barbeque on the Ngram Viewer shows in 1893. BBQ is there as early as 1889. Barbeque begins its rise in the 1960s; BBQ in the 1970s. Barbecue, however, remains far and away the most common spelling in printed books. Something that may have contributed to the popularization of the barbeque spelling could be a false etymology that once made the rounds on the Web and may pre-date email hoaxes. According to this creative explanation, the word derives from a French practice of roasting a goat whole, â€Å"from beard to tail,† i.e., â€Å"barbe (beard) (to) queue (tail). In fact, barbecue entered English as a borrowing from Spanish barbacoa. The word went through various spelling permutations before settling down to the standard spelling of barbecue. The OED shows spellings documented at different dates: Barbacu (1661) Barbicu (1690) Barbecu (1697) Barbicue (1773) In his diaries, George Washington (1732-1799) spelled it both Barbicue and Barbecue. The Spanish got the word from the Arawakan word barbakoa, â€Å"framework of sticks.† This was a raised wood structure that served two functions for the Indians: 1. to sleep on; 2. to cure meat on. The meaning â€Å"an outdoor meal of roasted meat or fish as a social entertainment† is from 1733. The meaning â€Å"a grill for cooking over an open fire† dates from 1931. The verb â€Å"to barbecue† has been in use since 1690, but its first meaning was â€Å"to dry or cure meat.† Now it means â€Å"to broil or roast.† A Google search brings up more hits for barbecue, but barbeque is not far behind: barbecue 13,200,000 barbeque 12,400,000 Bottom line: The standard spelling is barbecue, but barbeque is a recognized North American variant. British speakers, including Australians, are advised to stick to barbecue, but Americans and Canadians have the option to spell it either way: Merriam-Webster and the Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English both list barbeque without prejudice. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph ExamplesWhen to Form a Plural with an ApostropheTreatment of Words That Include â€Å"Self†

Encryption essays

Encryption essays Information, whether it is intelligence gathered during war or a person's credit card number transmitted for an online transaction, has proven to be a valuable asset in all functions of society. The nature of some information requires that it is will guarded and that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Early history has shown that notable individuals have used imaginative ways of hiding the true meaning of a message or information by using the science of encryption. Commanders in World War II used encryption to disguise messages relayed between their troops by sea, air and land. Presently, encryption is being used to disguise a person's credit card number during an online transaction or to protects a person's vital information from falling into the hands of a hacker in a form easily legible. Encryption allows for only two people to understand the message being sent, the person who sent the message and the person expected to receive the message. The great Julius Caesar created his own form of encryption known as the Caesar Cipher. While his cipher or encryption technique was primitive compared to today's encryption techniques, this is one of the first documented cases of encryption being used to protect information transported from one location to another. The Caesar Cipher was first put into practice during the Gallic Wars. Julius was struggling to contact Cicero, who was under heavy attack and on the verge of surrendering his position. Caesar was able to have a message delivered to Cicero that stated help was on the way and not to surrender. The technique employed within the cipher was a simple three-letter shift of the Roman alphabet. So a simple message likeHold On? would be encrypted asKrog Rq?. Now without knowing the key (the fact that it is a three letter shift down the alphabet) it would be quite difficult to decipher the message without extensive exploration into the message. The full potential of a simple Caesar...

The Shakedown Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Shakedown Business - Essay Example It does not have any connection in the country. The fact that the company’s officials bribe Mylofienko in order to get their telephone lines installed faster make them easy targets for other officials who are extortionists. Ukraine also permits payment of facilitation fee which Zhuk is keen to pay in order to get his company’s telephone lines installed. Additionally, the high business goals that Zhuk sets also make the company a target of extortion by the officials. Zhuk establishes the company so that he can change people’s lives. He pays the best salaries to his workers and ensures they have a comfortable life. Moreover, the company shows that it is willing to pay any official any amount of money so as to pursue business interests in the country. Customer Strategy Solution presumes bribing as the only way of succeeding in Ukraine. They want to have an advantage over other business rivals hence the dealings with officials who are corrupt. Question 2 Customer Str ategy Solution should not have used that mode of payment in order to get their telephone lines installed. By paying a bribe to Mylofienko, the company showed that it was willing to pay any official any amount of money so as to pursue business interests in the country. Customer Strategy Solution presumes bribing as the only way of succeeding in Ukraine. They want to have an advantage over other business rivals hence the dealings with officials who are corrupt. Question 2 Customer Strategy Solution should not have used that mode of payment in order to get their telephone lines installed. By paying a bribe to Mylofienko, the company showed that it was willing to pay any official any amount of money so as to pursue business interests in the country. Zhuk and Hnatyuk visited Mylofienko, a senior telecommunications manager, to acquire relevant information n costs associated with telephone lines installation. According to Mylofienko, renting a telephone line would cost the company ten hyrv nia monthly, and the rate of use would be 0.5 hyrvnia per single minute. The telecommunication company was willing to charge the company 100 hyrvnia. This amount was fair according to Zhuk and Hnatyuk. They were able to pay the stipulated amount as presented by Mylofienko. Mylofienko informed them that it will take a period of three years before the company’s telephone lines could be installed. He attributed this long wait to a huge number of orders placed by people and companies. The delay in installing the telephone lines would mean that the company’s project be slowed down or fail to be realized altogether. Hnatyuk’s thought of acquiring services from another, though more expensive company made Mylofienko decide to help them with the installation, but at a fee. He was to give exceptional treatment to their application. He was to be given $300 per line; he was also to install ten lines in the company’s office at a cost of $500 in a month’s time, and the installation was to begin the week that followed. The higher the amount demanded by the telecommunication company, the faster Customer Strategy Solution, would start its operations. For $3000, the company would start functioning in a month’s time. $5000 meant it would commence its operation the following week. Making fresh appointments, spending extra time getting wired and meeting new people posed a new challenge. These thought made the company decide to accept the terms of Mylofienko in exchange for the installation services. They demanded to get the telephone lines get installed in the shortest time possible. What followed was Hnatyuk’ giving Mylofienko the envelope containing some money and one copy of the contract between the two companies. The company had bribed Mylofienko. They should not have made their payment the way they did. The company should have followed the due process

Creative non-fiction project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Creative non-fiction project - Essay Example g and hopping in their shiny school shoes, not minding how their backpacks bounced behind them, and their shrill laughter and non-stop chatter were carried by the warm breeze towards my barely open window. Even the neighbor’s golden cocker spaniel barked vigorously, like it wanted to join in the school kids’ happy disposition. They were smiling, noisy, and happy. I somehow felt a tinge of pricking pain piercing through my chest. I missed that feeling of being able to laugh carelessly again. The more I let my eyes wander, the more I absorbed things I used to merely look at, yet never see, before. Inside our backyard, a tall, sturdy tree used to hold my rope swing set. It is still there, reminding me of those times when I scraped my elbows and knees because I jumped off the swing set before it stopped swinging. Something beautiful yet mournful began to tug at my memory. I then again remembered the very reason why I was sadly looking out my window. My grandmother passed away, and it had only been hours ago at that time when I last glimpsed at her shiny casket. Somehow, I remembered how that shine was not able to look beautiful in my eyes. From that time to now, my life was totally altered. It had been several years since it all started. I was just 14 that year, turning 15 in a few months, and winter was fast approaching. Grandma lived in her house alone, and it was far from where we were staying. We all knew that she would have a hard time by her own especially when winter pounces in. However, we were all too busy moving on with our individual lives†¦my mom and dad with their jobs..and me with school. I could almost hear the weariness in her voice when she called to invite me over to stay during winter break. How could I have said â€Å"No.† when she had been my favorite person when I was a lot younger? Wasn’t she the one who picked me up from that ground every time I fell of the swing set? Wasn’t she the one who made sure the wounds would not leave

Multicultural Education (7) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Multicultural Education (7) - Coursework Example What surprised me about multicultural education is that the cultural background of a teacher and students can affect the learning process. According to Salili and Hoosain (2001), "Teachers and students alike have their own cultural backgrounds, values, customs, perception and prejudices. These cultural characteristics play an important role in teaching and learning situations and can have substantial effects on our learning and behavior" (p. 9). The fact that some teachers may harbor prejudiced opinions on learners is surprising to me. In my opinion, a teacher ought to expect the best of his or her students regardless of their cultural backgrounds. Salili and Hoosain (2001) reiterate that methodical investigations conducted in the past have shown that teachers beliefs about their students have an impacts on performance. A good example as cited by Salili and Hoosain (2001) is the fact that some may have stereotypes that African American students perform poorly as compared to White Ame rican students. The new insights I have had as a result of this class include the importance of conducting proper training to teachers on multicultural education before they can train students. It is important for teachers to have optimistic mindsets in regard to cultural differences characteristic of their students. Being considerate and respectful of different cultural aspects especially in regard to religion and race can have an effect on the overall performance of the students in the classroom (Ghosh, 2011). My main challenge was in relation to communication barrier. Language according to Salili and Hoosain (2001) is one of the factors that define cultures. It is difficult to communicate to students or people whose language is different from mine. As an example , a Chinese student will have to learn English if he wishes to enroll in an American school. However, accent can still be a challenge for teachers. Students performance is dependent on whether the

Product Strategy And Management Jet Airways

Product Strategy And Management Jet Airways On a bright sunny morning of May 2011, Naresh Goyal, the founder chairman of Jet Airways was going through the financial reports for the year ended March 2011 while having his regular cup of coffee. Jet Airways had posted losses for the quarter ended March 11 while it had posted a meager profit of 9.69 crores for the FY11 after three years of consecutive losses. The company was thinking of ways to bring the airlines back into consistent profit-making ways. The company currently offered three brands of airline services: the premium service- Jet and the low cost models- JetLite and JetKonnect. The companys main competitor in the premium space was Air India and Kingfisher while it had a lot of competitors in the low cost carrier segment. JetLite had contributed 75% to the groups domestic revenue in the June quarter but a lot of questions were raised about the logic behind operating two low cost models at the same time when such intense competition was there in the segment. Naresh Goyal had to take a decision soon about the future that his company should take in relation to these low cost models. Indian Airlines Industry Pre-liberalization Era At the time of independence in India, there were eight companies were in service within and outside the country namely Tata Airlines (renamed as Air India), Indian National Airways, Air service of India, Deccan Airways, Ambica Airways, Bharat Airways and Mistry Airways. In 1953, the government nationalized the airlines via the Air Corporations Act, 1953, which gave birth to Indian Airlines and Air India. Indian Airlines came into being with the merger of eight domestic airlines to operate domestic services, while Air India International was to operate the overseas services. Furthermore, the Act gave monopoly power to Indian Airlines to operate on domestic scheduled services ruling out any other operator. Air India became the single Indian carrier to operate on international itinerary excluding some routes to the neighboring countries which were given to Indian Airlines. Liberalization and Private Players Entry The services offered by the two state-owned airlines were not up to the mark. So, in the early 1990s, Indian government initiated liberalisation of Indian airlines industry and relaxation in rules and regulations for private players to operate in this industry. As a consequence to this the Air Corporations Act was repealed in 1994 and private players were allowed to operate scheduled services. In 1995, Air Sahara, Jet Airways, Damania Airways, East West Airlines, Modiluft and NEPC Airways were granted scheduled carrier status. But only four operators- Jet Airways, Air Sahara, Jagsons and Spicejet (previously operated as Modiluft) started operations by 1997 and continued to operate. Eventually, by 1998, at least six private airlines, East- West, Modi-Luft, NEPC, Damania, Gujarat Airways and Span Air were closed. The arrival of private players in the aviation industry improved the services offered by the players as competition created an incentive to improve services offered. By 2003, only two private carriers survived to see the sunrise of the new century, i.e. Jet and Sahara. The survival of Jet Airways could be attributed to its sound financial planning and extraordinary management team since its inception. Arrival of Low Cost Carriers In 2003, a major breakthrough happened in the airlines industry when Air Deccan started its operations as Indias first Low Cost Career (LCC). The arrival of Air Deccan gave competition to the extant duopoly of Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines. It also changed the fare structure in the industry from two-way economy and business class fares into multiple options of including check fares, web fares, APEX fares, internet auctions, Special discounts, corporate plans, last day fares, promotional fares etc. Since the entry of Air Deccan, the passenger traffic in the airlines industry has grown tremendously. In the next two years, Kingfisher, Spice Jet, Indigo, Go Air and Paramount also started as LCCs in India. The consolidation phase in the Indian Airlines Industry In 2007, Jet acquired Sahara, Kingfisher acquired Air Deccan and Indian Airlines and Air India were merged to form a single entity named Air India. A comparative account of aircraft movements, passenger count and freight in the first quarter of 2011-12 over that of the previous year is given in Exhibit 1. Company History Jet Airways Company founder Naresh Goyal completed his graduation in Commerce in 1967 and joined the travel business at the age of 18 as a general sales agent (GSA) for the Lebanese International Airlines. From 1967 to 1974 he learnt the intricacies of the travel business through his association with several foreign airlines. In May 1974, he formed his own company, Jetair (Private) Limited, to market other foreign airlines in India. When the Indian government reopened the domestic aviation market to private carriers, it provided an opportunity to Goyal who established Jet Airways (India) Private Limited in 1991. On April 1, 1992, Jet Airways was incorporated as an air-taxi operator in India. It started out its domestic operations on 5th May 1993. With an initial fleet comprising of 4 leased Boeing 737 aeroplanes, Jetairways soon expanded to include international operations with its maiden international flight from Chennai to Colombo. Jet presently connects 52 domestic destinations. Jet strengthened its position as the airline for the business community considerably during 90s. 80%of its passengers were business class passengers who chose its services because of its punctuality and excellent service. 95% of its passengers rated the airline as good or excellent. In March 2004, Jet Airways acquired license to fly over international routes and it presently connects 24 international destinations. Formation of JetLite and JetKonnect On 12 April 2007, Jet acquired Air Sahara for USD 340 million. Air Sahara was renamed as JetLite and was positioned to serve the segment that was emerging to be new customers of airline services offered at low prices. During the recession of 2008, Jet was facing falling revenues. Hence it decided to allocate some of its aircraft from Jet Airways to cater to the LCC segment as purchasing power of people was low at that time. There were regulatory delays in transferring aircrafts from Jet Airways to JetLite as these two had different operator codes. On 8 May 2009, Jet Airways launched a new low-cost brand called Jet Konnect to operate on sectors that had less than 50% or less load factor. Competitive Landscape In the phase from 2003-2006, the entry of Air Deccan marked a new point in Indian aviation: India had its first low cost/no frills airline. By matching aircraft fares with upper class railway fares, this was an era where passenger traffic went up and intense competition among the players started. Spurred by the success of Air Deccan, other LCCs such as Spicejet, Indigo, GoAir began operations. Air Deccan was acquired by Kingfisher airlines and became the LCC called Kingfisher Red. Some of the major players providing competition to Jet today are Indigo and SpiceJet. Kingfisher, which once used to be a tough competitor in the non-LCC segment is now a very weak competitor. Indigo Currently, this LCC is the market leader and the only profitable airline service in India. Their main focus is on on-time performance and service which are main consumer needs. Through this and a whole host of cost cutting measures, they have ensures that they remain profitable. The airline is on an expansion mode to other major cities of the country as well as international destinations. Indigo scores better than the low cost JetLite and JetKonnect on the service dimension. In terms of communication, Indigo ads focus mainly on their own time performance and the hassle-free experience. To break the ad clutter, Indigo differentiated its ads: it came up with an innovative ad picturised on the form of a Broadway musical. The ad also showed uniformed stewards and air hostesses in Indigos blue uniform which was a great way to portray their brand identity.  [1]   Kingfisher Owned by Vijay Mallya, its the most flamboyant airline in India and fares much better than Jet in terms of in flight and on ground services. It is a major luxury airline operating an extensive network and had expansion plans for regional and long-haul services. Currently, it is in bad financial health due to which its flights have been plagued by delays and as a consequence, its image has taken a severe beating. In terms of communication, Flying High was the tagline used in the Kingfisher video ad2 that exhibited liberation and flying through its picturization2. Kingfisher was positioned as a luxury brand and this was conveyed clearly through the video. However, similar to Jet, Kingfisher didnt release any video ad for the low cost carrier (Kingfisher Red) it started operating after acquiring Air Deccan. The luxury positioning of Kingfisher, which resulted in confusion when Red started operations, was one of the factors that was leading to its growing unpopularity. Its future, at least in Goyals point of view, looked bleak. Hence he focussed more on other competitors while strategizing for the future of Jet. SpiceJet It is Indias second largest low cost airline and third largest in terms of market share. It was originally started as Modiluft airways back in 1993 in partnership with Lufthansa. Over the years, it changed hands and got rebranded as SpiceJet and operates as a low cost carrier. SpiceJets communication focuses on the main attributes of the airline: service to unaccompanied minors, option of choosing your own seat etc. But, these features fall either in the categories of basic/performance attributes that any airline should have. SpiceJet hasnt taken any measures in their service to upgrade these features to the excitement category so as to be differentiated from other players. Tipping points in the history Sahara acquisition Spreading wings In year 2005-06, when Air Sahara was exploring the opportunities for private placements of its equity, several airlines like SpiceJet and Kingfisher showed their interest for stake in the company. However the deal couldnt be made because Kingfisher thought the price set was too high given the not so strong financials of Sahara. Later, Jet Airways came into the picture and showed strong interest in buying out the airline. This merger had several strategical objectives behind it: Jet will have a strong position in the Indian Airline industry with almost 50% of the market share. Jet would become the only private carrier to fly international with no competition for 3 years because other carriers were relatively new. And as per regulations, it would have needed minimum of 3 years of domestic operation before going international. Jet would have a complete dominance of parking bays and airport infrastructure. Jet could now easily increase its capacity without expanding supply. The merger happened in 2007 and Jet Airways branded Air Sahara as JetLite and positioned it as low cost carrier to compete against low cost carrier at that time. If we look at this merger strategy from Ansoffs matrix framework, we can say that the move was more of Diversification strategy. This can be justified by the fact that JetLite was positioned as low cost carrier as a new product for Jet (Jet was known as full cost carrier) and they targeted new market segment which was low cost. However, this turning point for Jet proved to be too costly as it moved from a profit-making airline to a loss-maker and hasnt recovered yet. (Refer Exhibit 2 for sales and profit trends). Jet Konnect Another Jet brand In year 2009, when Indian economy was not doing well, the international operations of Indian airlines were affected too. At the same time, Jet Airways was facing stiff competition from low cost carriers and JetLite was not doing well in the domestic market with just around 7% of market share. Thus in the same year, Jet launched low cost brand named Jet Konnect to fight with the low cost carriers on routes with higher passenger load factor. Instead of expanding the existing brand JetLite, the decision to establish a new subsidiary was to avoid the regulatory delays associated with moving excess aircraft from Jet Airways to JetLite which had separate operating codes. Jet Konnect offered no-frill services. Almost 3 years after its introduction, positioning of Jet Konnect seems to be working for the fact that 70% of all the seats that Jet sells in the domestic market come from Jet Konnect itself. But even after the introduction of JetKonnect, the company has been making losses. Thus, though Jet Konnect strategy may have helped Jet to retain its market share near 28%, clearly it failed to make a long term business plan. Issues- Increasing Sales; Decreasing Profits The financials indicate that sales have been increasing throughout the past 12 years, but the profits have not followed the trend. The company which had started to make increasing and positive profits since the internationalization of its operations in 2004, started showing declining profits that soon dwindled into losses after the acquisition of Air Sahara. Recovery from the losses has been very slow. Goyal wondered if this was because of the inability of transferring the synergies from Jets primary business of full service to no-frills service. Brand Confusion Goyal also wondered if having two low-cost brands was a good idea, as it could have possibly led to people not being able to differentiate between JetLite and JetKonnect. At the time of inception of JetKonnect it had seemed like the best option possible to earn revenues in a slowing market and it had to be implemented quickly without waiting for the settlement of legal issues of including Jets fleet under JetLites name. But now, thinking back, Goyal wondered if he had moved too fast. Brand Dilution Jet used to be considered a premium brand offering full services. With the extension of the name Jet to the new no-frills brands JetLite and JetKonnect, Goyal wondered if there has been a dilution in the brands equity. Ideally, JetLite and JetKonnect were meant to be downgraded versions of Jet. Did the market perceive it this way? Or was Jet being seen as an upgraded version of the low-cost carriers (and thus occupying only a second place in the mindspace of the consumer)? Has the extension resulted in cannibalization of Jet? The way forward- Alternatives Entry into LCC segment had started off the loss-making phase for Jet and the introduction of a new LCC brand hadnt helped the company make positive profits. If the LCC segment were to be still operated by Jet, streamlining the product portfolio of the group to offer the guests a single superior in-flight product in the full-service and low-fare categories respectively was the only viable option as seen in the alternatives he jotted down to be discussed with his strategy team. Merge JetLite and Jet Konnect; brand it as JetLite. Merge JetLite and Jet Konnect; brand it as Jet Konnect. Merge JetLite and Jet Konnect; brand it as a different new brand. Exit the Low Cost Carrier segment to overcome brand dilution. The next day, he put forth these to the team and asked for a solution to the issue at hand and a suggestion for the way forward. Analysis- Arriving at a solution After the meeting with Goyal, the strategy team split themselves into sub-groups: one analyzing the communications of Jets brands and one conducting market research to understand peoples brand associations with respect to Jet. They aimed to view the current position of the brands with respect to the value as well as price perceived by the market. Communications of Jets brands Jet Airways A set of formal ads was released in 2007, without any celebrity attraction [  [2]  ]. These ads focussed on the various attributes featured in the three classes of air travel, without any voice-over. The tagline used was Change the way you fly. This was followed by a set of TV Commercials (storyboards in Exhibit 3) released in 2008, starring Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, for the First Class, Premiere Class and Economy Class of Jet Airways. The airline was positioned as a service-oriented one that took care of the little things that add to the good experience of the customer. In addition, there were hoardings speaking about connectivity as well as reinforcing the taglines of the video advertisements. An interesting case in point was when Kingfisher took an ambush initiative and put up a hoarding over Jets hoarding (that spoke about Jet having changed and asking people to visit their site to know more); Kingfisher took credit saying that it was responsible for the change. This was followed by GoAirs ambush of Kingfisher and Jet, by putting up a hoarding on top of the two existing hoardings, saying that they havent changed and still remain the smartest way to fly. This campaign resulted in publicity for all three brands. JetLite JetKonnect Not much of advertising was done for these two brands- a possible reason for the confusion between the two, prevailing among people. A few print ads for JetKonnect were released when the airline was introduced (Ref. Exhibit 4-a). One of them had personnel wearing the same attire as Jet Airways personnel. This was aimed at reinforcing the good service quality in JetKonnect (by linking it to the service of Jet Airways) but it resulted in brand dilution and cannibalization of Jet Airways, when a low cost carrier (JetKonnects ads spoke about Low Fares) was perceived to offer an equally good service. The print ad of JetLite (Ref. Exhibit 4-b) reinforced the low-cost feature by displaying the price (Rs. 1001) prominently, for a few domestic routes. Brand Associations Depth Interviews- Depth interviews conducted across six people in the age group of 22-27 who had travelled by Jet Airways, JetLite and JetKonnect. This segment was chosen because they would be part of the major class of air travellers in the coming decades. Questions were posed (Ref. Exhibit 5) to understand their requirements from airlines services and their views on the three brands that Jet had. The respondents could be classified into two major categories: Those who expect comfortable travel and service quality and are willing to pay for these Those who are very price-conscious and do not care much for service The people in the former category associated Jet with comfortable travel and thus preferred it for long journeys; those in the latter category did not associate anything exceptionally good with Jet. Some even felt that they were too high priced for the quality of service they offered. None of the people interviewed had seen the advertisements of Jet Airways with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan starring in them. Some recalled seeing hoardings that spoke about good connectivity and some recalled the attire of the personnel and the logo. All the interviewed people used the online mode of checking prices via sites like makemytrip.com, yatra.com or cleartrip.com. Booking was made by some people at the respective airlines website while it was done by some others at the price checking portal. All were aware of the Jet Privilege Card program but only one was a user of it. Punctuality was a key expected attribute by all interviewees and all gave a positive feedback about IndiGo on that aspect. Jets brands were seen to be neither significantly good nor significantly bad with respect to punctuality. The comfort and quality-sensitive people gave Jet Airways a higher rating than JetLite or JetKonnect, while the price-sensitive people rated JetLite and JetKonnect over Jet Airways. No difference was perceived or observed between JetLite and JetKonnect. Is Jet an upgraded version of JetLite/Konnect (or) is JetLite/Konnect a downgraded version of Jet? From the customers ticket purchase behaviour (all of them used makemytrip.com or cleartrip.com or the likes), it was seen that they would first be shown the cheapest flights first (which is how those sites are programmed to function). Hence, a typical customer would first see JetLite / JetKonnects prices and then see the incremental price to be paid for Jet and then compare the price versus quality / extra features received from the full-service airline. Thus, it was observed that the LCC brands were becoming the anchor brands and Jet was seen as an upgrade. This was substantiated further in the analysis of a survey that was conducted (as explained below). A low-cost carrier being seen as an anchor brand is degenerative to the parent brand as brand dilution occurs and people associate even the parent with the LCCs attributes. Survey A survey (Ref. Exhibit 8 for the survey) of air travellers was conducted to identify the importance of various attributes to people and the rating of airlines on those attributes (Ref. Exhibit 6). This helped arrive at the Market Perceived Quality (MPQ) and Market Perceived Price (MPP) of the airlines relative to one another, which aided our comparative analysis and inferences regarding brand perceptions. Weight attached to attributes The attributes, in the order of importance, was seen to fall into 3 buckets. The first bucket has punctuality with a highest weightage of 21%. The second bucket has flight connectivity, baggage allowance and flight crews attitude, all with weights around 17-18%. The third bucket contains food-on board and in-flight entertainment with weights around 13-14%. (Ref. Exhibit 6-a). Punctuality has always been of paramount importance in any mode of transport. However, the interesting thing is the reduced weights given to the third bucket this was a direct result of the communication strategies followed by the low-cost carriers. Existence of Brand Confusion An MPQ as well as MPP analysis of JetLite versus JetKonnect throws up a score of 1.00, implying that there is no perceivable difference in the minds of the customer in terms of the two brands, leading to brand confusion and dilution. JetLite-Jet: Quality versus Price MPQ analysis (Ref Exhibit 6-e) of JetLite versus Jet shows that JetLite is only 89% of Jet with respect to quality, whereas an MPP (Ref Exhibit 6-f) analysis shows that Jetlites perceived price is 97% of that of Jet. Heence, people can easily perceive Jet to be priced only marginally higher than JetLite for a relatively better offer of quality. Hence they think that Jet is an upgraded version of JetLite. Indigo- Better Quality than Jet MPQ analysis of Jet versus IndiGo shows that Jet is marginally perceived to be of a lower quality than IndiGo, despite Jet being a full-service airline and IndiGo being a no-frills airline. This is indicative of the fact that people perceive punctuality (in which IndiGo excels) to be a very important quality. Thus a relatively new airline has managed to change the weight attached by people to punctuality, by showing them the value it can create for them by offering it. Perceptual Maps Also, based on the interview and survey responses, perception maps were constructed for airlines in India (Ref. Exhibit 7). It is seen that IndiGo offers very good price-value performance with respect to the top three attributes that people expect in airline service. No carrier operated in the Premium price-high connectivity quadrant, as it was not economical to offer full-service over short routes (that offer high / direct connectivity). Current brand name connotations (Lite signifies that it is a stripped down version of Jet; gives a negative connotation to the customer that he/she is losing some services of the original Jet airways) + (Gives the reliability of the parent brand, and the extension Konnect tries to point out to an additional attribute of connectivity, which according to the survey is highly valued) n/a (A name which would not include Jet in it) n/a Parent brand enhancement (A premium product and a stripped down product with the same brand name will lead to dilution) (A premium product and a stripped down product with the same brand name will lead to dilution) + (A name which would not include Jet in it; being a completely independent thing it would not tarnish Jets image with a low cost tag) + (Exiting from the LCC segment and just concentrating on the traditional segment completely eliminates the chances of brand dilution) Anchoring in the mind of the customer -Jet Airways versus LCC brand name (Jet is seen as the upgraded version of Jetlite (the perceived anchor, as shown in the analysis- Ref Exhibit 6-e,f)) (Jet is seen as the upgraded version of Jetkonnect, which is perceived to be the same as JetLite, (LCC is the perceived anchor, as shown in the analysis- Ref Exhibit 6-e,f)) + (With the LCC not having Jet in its brand name the first customer contact with Jet happens with Jet Airways and hence Jet remains the anchor brand) + (Completely exiting LCC, eliminates the whole threat of being anchored as a low-priced brand in customers mind) Recommendations by the strategy team The evaluation of the options indicates that the 3rd option (Merge Jetlite Jetkonnect; spin off with a new brand name) is the most viable, as it scores positively on all criteria. Currently the brands of jet are positioned as in Fig- 2. This can be modified to create a positioning map such that there are two different brands that are clearly separated, with distinct brand names that do not result in brand dilution or confusion. The positioning should be as in Fig-3: cid:[emailprotected] Fig 3: Current Jet Situation Fig 3: Jet after brand fusion Operational Recommendations for both brands of the company Punctuality- This is the most important attribute to the customers. Hence this has to be provided by both the full-service as well as the low-cost service airlines. Otherwise they would soon lose out to IndiGo. Connectivity- The new LCC brand should aggressively increase the number of directly connected locations to compete with IndiGo and SpiceJet. Communications- Clear and distinct communication strategy should be developed for both brands. For example, crew attire, colours in the print ads and such visible brand elements should be distinct, to avoid brand dilution. First Class Ad1 The description of the features such as a comfortable lie-flat bed, personal wardrobe, table for two and a door (that provides privacy) is done by a voice-over, accompanied by the visuals that show the protagonist experiencing them in an imaginary place of luxury, correlating each scene with the experience inside the flight. The comfort and luxury are communicated effectively and the ad ends with a tagline- Filled with the little touches that count and a written line displaying More than 400 international flights per week. Economy Class Ad2 The features- such as more space between rows of seats, more legroom (with a special leg-rest) and a cushion for back-rest- are shown as being enjoyed on board a flight by the protagonist, while a voice-over describes each one. The ad ends with a tagline Its the little touches that go a long way and a display of the words More than 400 international flights per week. Premiere Class Ad3 The features such as wider seats and more space for passengers are shown figuratively with a widening of a sofa on which the protagonist is seated and pushing the sofa down the room to create more space between the protagonist and another person. The features of a lie-flat bed and direct aisle access from all seats are shown in an in-flight environment. The possible absence of a figurative comparison for a lie-flat be  [3]  d could be to avoid confusion with the first class ad. The ad ends with the tagline Its the little touches that make a big difference and a display of the words More than 400 international flights per week. How frequently do you travel and for what purpose? While working- once in 3 weeks; purpose was official 12-13 times per year; personal(going home vacation) Once in 4-5 months; personal Do you have any preference for specific purposes; if so, why? Official- jet (to take advantage of frequent flier); Personal- Whichever is the cheapest(except Air India) Indigo over spicejet because of timely departure and arrival; likes jetlite as well because of the same reason; doesnt prefer jet because of food (as that adds to cost) Indigo any day- both personal business; punctuality is the best What comes to your mind when we say Jet ? Logo, nothing else High price. Jet was good once upon a time; Now, Jet doesnt give value for the amount charged Nothing premium; in-flight entertainment doesnt always work; food is the only differentiating factor, but it doesnt matter to me What 3 attributes make you choose JetLite over Jet Airways? Only Price Price, Punctuality (think Jetlite is better), Newer seats Only Price What 3 attributes make you choose Jet over JetLite ? Wont prefer; cost sensitive Will chose jet over jetlite in case there is no jetlite flight in that route+ if Jet travels quicker (can accept price that is higher by a max of Rs 1000) Only if I am not paying for it Have you seen ads of Jet? Remembers Hoarding; connects to (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) ; (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) flights to NY/SA; airhostess dress color; Yes; havent seen them in recent times; doesnt remember much Not recently; Kingfishers ambush-known due to prior academic input How do you book your tickets? Online-search for yatra coupons; Book the cheapest mode Check prices through makemytrip; book through the travel agent. Doesnt trust giving the card no. in the website Cleartrip.com site only Do you know about Jets loyalty programme? Yes; registered but didnt get the card /make use of it Heard about the reward points system from other people Yes; not a member as I dont fly regularly Do you perceive any difference between JetLite JetKonnect? If so, what? No Not much; jetlite has been more punctual and more sophisticated air crew; no change in food options No

Biology Notes regarding Cells and Related topics :: Biology Study Tests

1. The ability of ice to float because of the expansion of water as it solidifies is an important factor in the fitness of the environment. If ice sank, then eventually all ponds, lakes, and even oceans would freeze solid, making life as we know it impossible on earth. During the summer, only the upper few inches of the ocean would thaw. Instead, when a deep body of water cools, the floating ice insulates the liquid water below, preventing it from freezing and allowing life to exist under the frozen surface. 2. Carbon atoms are the most versatile building blocks of molecules. A covalent bonding capacity of four contributes to carbon’s ability to form diverse molecules. Carbon can bond to a variety of atoms, including oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Carbon atoms can also bond to other carbons, forming the carbon skeletons of organic compounds. 3. Most macromolecules are polymers. Carbohydrates, lipids proteins, and nucleic acids are the four major classes of organic compounds in cells. Some of these compounds are very large and are called macromolecules. Most macromolecules are polymers, chains of identical or similar building blocks called monomers. Monomers form larger molecules by condensation reactions in which water molecules are released, dehydration. Polymers can disassemble by the reverse process, hydrolysis. 4. Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates. They are used directly for fuel, converted to other types of organic molecules, or used as monomers for polymers. Disaccharides consist of two monosaccharides connected by a glycosidic linkage. Fats are constructed by joining a glycerol molecule to three fatty acids by dehydration reactions. Saturated fatty acids have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds between their carbons. The primary structure of a protein is its unique sequence of amino acids. Secondary structure is the folding or coiling of the polypeptide into repeating configurations, such as the a helix and the pleated sheet, which result from hydrogen bonding between parts of the polypeptide backbone. Tertiary structure is the overall three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide and results from interactions between amino acid side chains. Proteins made of more than one polypeptide chain have a quaternary level of structur e. The structure and function of a protein are sensitive to physical and chemical conditions. Protein shape is ultimately determined by its primary structure, but in the cell chaperone proteins may help the folding process. Each nucleotide monomer consists of a pentose covalently bonded to a phosphate group and to one of four different nitrogenous bases.

Romeo and Juliet 5 Paragraph Essay

In many literary works, there are methods that authors use to make a story better. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, dramatic irony is the driving method. Dramatic irony is something in which characters do not know something, but the reader or audience knows what the true reality is. According to some researchers, â€Å"A staple of Elizabethan and Shakespearean drama was dramatic irony† (Halio 25). Furthermore some researchers also belive that dramatic irony is very prominent in the play, â€Å" One of the more prominent literary devices in the play is irony† (Sauer 673).Romeo and Juliet, and also their friends and families face a lot of instances of dramatic irony in the story. Dramatic irony creates suspense and adds to the conflict that exists between the Capulets and the Montagues in Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet occurs when Juliet and Romeo fall in love with each other at first sig ht, when Romeo’s friends don’t know that Romeo and Juliet have fallen in love with each other, and when Lady Capulet thinks that Juliet is crying about Paris, not Romeo. Romeo in the beginning of the play had been crying about how he could not get Rosaline, a Capulet.After all of the crying and weeping, Benvolio and Mercutio try to get Romeo to go to a party at the Capulet house. Romeo only agrees so that he might be able to catch a glimpse of Rosaline. When he goes to the party, rather than falling for Rosaline, he sees another beautiful girl that he instantly falls in love with. This girl is Juliet, the cousin of Rosaline, and she also falls in love with Romeo at first sight as well. Romeo and Juliet meet, they dance, but still do not know who each other are. Romeo before leaving the party asks the nurse who that girl (Juliet) is and she replies by saying that Juliet is the daughter of Lady Capulet.Romeo is taken away completely by this and says, â€Å"O dear accoun t! My life is my foe’s debt† (Romeo and Juliet 1. 5. 118). Juliet also asks the nurse and the nurse responds by saying that Romeo is a Montague, and like just like Romeo, she is also taken away. The dramatic irony of this is the fact that Romeo’s (Montague) and Juliet (Capulet) families are very high profile enemies to each other. The fact that they have fallen in love with each other is a very ironic, as now if they continue their love to one another, they are sure to face major problems down the line.After both Romeo and Juliet have fallen in love with each other, nobody in all of Verona and beyond knows about it, not a single person except Romeo and Juliet. Many people still believe that Romeo is still falling for Rosaline. In fact, at one point Mercutio exclaimed, â€Å"Why that same pale hearted wench, that Rosaline torments him, so that he will sure run mad† (Romeo and Juliet 2. 4. 4-5). Even until after their marriage, both Romeo and Juliet are pret ty secretive about the love or the marriage, except for Juliet expressing her feeling to the nurse.Juliet only told the nurse because she loves the nurse and trusted her as well, and needed the help of the nurse to get married to Romeo. The first time that the majority of people would know about the marriage or love would be when Friar Lawrence would publicly announce it to Verona. The dramatic irony in all of this is the fact that after all of the major events (fights, family brawls, and the murder of Mercutio and Tybalt), no one knows that one of the Capulets is married to one of the Montagues. Something like this at the time period would be extremely unacceptable, and even in the time period would be ironic.After news of the murder of Tybalt and Mercutio is delivered to Juliet through the Nurse, Juliet is devastated. Due to the nurse being so unclear, Juliet thinks that both Romeo and Tybalt both have died. Once things clear up, Juliet figures out that Romeo has killed Tybalt, an d her first reaction to this is anger toward Romeo. After things cool down, she feels bad that she has said this, and she takes her words back. Once Juliet learns about the punishment Romeo gets she feels the worst she has ever felt. Romeo was given the sentence of exile, which in the time period meant no connection to people, whatsoever.Due to this Juliet knows that she might never ever see the love of her life, at all. To Juliet this meant that there would be no more Romeo, â€Å"Juliet feels that Romeo is no longer her lover, and she can’t have him again† (Moffat 139). She started crying a lot after this, so much that her parents had to come to her room and see what was going on. When Lady Capulet inquired as to why Juliet was crying, Juliet right away said that she was crying about the horrible death of Tybalt. Lady Capulet responds to this by saying, â€Å"Well, girl thou weep’st not so much for his death, as that the villain lives which slaughtered himâ⠂¬  (Romeo and Juliet 3. . 65-66). Juliet had just tricked her mother into thinking that she wasn't crying for Romeo, but rather Tybalt. The dramatic irony in this case is that the reader knows that Juliet is lying to her mother, but Lady Capulet actually believes this, and goes along with it. Dramatic irony was a driving method of keeping things fresh in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. One of the most prominent instances of dramatic irony in the play was when Romeo and Juliet fall in love with each other, causing for great irony in the fact that they did not know.Another instance of dramatic irony is when nobody but Romeo and Juliet know about the love that they share, making great irony because a lot of events occur after their marriage. And finally another instance of dramatic irony is when Juliet tricks her mother into thinking that she is crying to Tybalt rather than Romeo. If in any of these examples, Romeo and Juliet were to know what was going to happe n, there really would be no story. It was important that Shakespeare implemented dramatic irony into the play, as without it, the story would be quite plain and boring.

Outsourcing Workers Does Not Have To Mean Sacrificing Our Futures †Business Essay

Outsourcing Workers Does Not Have To Mean Sacrificing Our Futures – Business Essay Free Online Research Papers Outsourcing Workers Does Not Have To Mean Sacrificing Our Futures Business Essay Outsourcing has become one of the fastest growing trends in the business world. There are many reasons that a company would elect to use outsourcing. Among them is the fact that it provides an almost immediate opportunity for savings as well as a noted improvement in quality. At the same time, these savings are often gained to the detriment of American workers. Research has shown that outsourcing has both positive as well as negative impacts on an organization. By reading articles pertaining to outsourcing and its pros and cons, one can see how important it is to make sure the pros do not outweigh the cons or vice versa. As this is an election year, more attention than ever before is being placed on the issue of outsourcing. As noted by Daniel Drezner in his article, â€Å"The Outsourcing Bogeyman†, there are many possible problems with outsourcing. He quotes statements by many government officials who are not in agreement with outsourcing. However, he makes his readers aware of the fact that, â€Å"†¦if their exaggerated alarmism succeeds in provoking protectionist responses from lawmakers, it will do far more harm than good, to the U.S. economy and to American workers.† This is an interesting remark. Employees of organizations usually do not benefit from outsourcing and are often at risk of becoming redundant. At the same time, Drezner shows us that challenging the current outsourcing conditions could also have a negative impact on American workers. In his article, â€Å"Questioning Free Trade Mathematics†, Jeff Madrick poses the question, â€Å"How much has the exporting of jobs to foreign nations contributed to the lack of jobs and the absence of wage growth in the current expansion at home?† Throughout this article, Madrick attempts to answer this question and shows the negative and positive effects that the absence of wage growth has had. In the end, he concludes his article by making readers aware of his position that, â€Å"†¦the losers from free trade require more of the nation’s attention. The hierarchal structure of business is another area that has the potential to be impacted by outsourcing. If an aspect of a business, such as Human Resources, is controlled by an outside group, human resources are thus removed from an organization and its formal structure. An advantage to this would be the prospect of expanding into locations that have not yet been outsourced. At the same time, the departmentalization of the structure would most likely need to be altered to meet with the changes resulting from the outsourcing. Organizations can call on outside companies on the basis of need. This is how an organization can reduce costs by outsourcing. Using the human resources example, one can see that such a division works on a basis where unnecessary wages are being paid. As most organizations do not require things such as constant recruitment, outsourcing them can save much money. The fact to keep in mind is that outsourcing does not do away with decision-making and a need for managers to be in control. On the contrary, managers are required to constantly monitor and evaluate outsourced functions to be sure that they are beneficial to their organization. In the long run, it is possible that such consistent monitoring has the potential of costing companies even more money than if their own people had conducted the work. If an outside group can perform tasks and duties with the same or better skills and competencies of existing workers, few companies would hesitate to choose them over their own workers. If a group of employees were made to feel inferior and caused to lack confidence and job stability, a collapse of morale could have severe consequences on an organization. In order to prevent this from happening, companies should perhaps consider cross-training their redundant employees to allow them to fill another position. Not only with this restore the faith of the workers, yet it also has the potential of increasing productivity. If more companies were to come up with similar solutions, outsourcing would cease to be a concern and American workers could benefit from increased job stability. It is clear to see through the articles of writers such as Drezner and Madrick, that outsourcing is a very controversial topic with both positive and negative aspects. Readers need to keep an open mind and be able to see both sides of the situation in order to have an accurate view of the issue. When we do this, we are able to see that outsourcing can stimulate productivity growth while at the same time reducing American employment. The goal for any company should be to protect the needs of their American workers by balancing the rewards of cheaper work through outsourcing with the impact it will have on American workers. Research Papers on Outsourcing Workers Does Not Have To Mean Sacrificing Our Futures - Business EssayPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceDefinition of Export QuotasResearch Process Part OneEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

costs and production essays

costs and production essays Objetivos y restricciones de empresas Las empresas buscan maximizar beneficios; nace directamente de la escasez. Solo estas empresas te hacen sobrevivir en un entorno competitivo. El mercado y la tecnologà ­a imponen restricciones sobre la maximizacin de beneficios. A precios altos se vender menos. La mayorà ­a de las empresas son incapaces de influir en los mercados de sus factores de produccin y tienen que comprarlas al precio que prevalezca. La tecnologà ­a limita el proceso de produccin de las empresas. Si las empresas son tecnolgicamente eficientes, pueden aumentar su producto con solo usar ms factores de produccin. En algunos factores de produccin no pueden variar a corto plazo, el factor capital est fijo en tanto que el trabajo si puede variar. Descripcin tecnolgica a corto plazo Describe los là ­mites del producto conforme la empresa cambia la cantidad de su factor de produccin variable, como puede ser el trabajo. Mediante las curvas de producto total, marginal y medio se describe la funcin a corto plazo. Producto total.- Producto obtenido en un perà ­odo dado. Producto medio.- Es el producto total por unidad del factor de produccin variable. Producto marginal.- Es el cambio del producto total que resulta de un aumento de una unidad del factor de produccin variable. - Si aumenta el factor de produccin variable, aumenta el producto marginal hasta que alcanza un mximo y entonces desciende, empezando los rendimientos decrecientes. - Si el producto marginal es mayor que el producto medio, el producto medio es creciente. - Si el producto marginal es menor que el producto medio, el producto medio es decreciente. - Cuando el producto marginal es igual al producto medio, el producto medio est en su punto mximo. ...

Our Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Our Event - Essay Example The decision to make the subject matter of the occasion to be global was reached upon putting into consideration political, social and economic factors. This was mainly because were from diverse backgrounds and regions of the globe. Our duty was to enhance the success of the occasion and as a result get rid of more or less 80 tickets. Nearly each day of the week, we had meeting with the members which was aimed at deciding the whole thing in an orderly manner and certainly for sure this was to form the most significant portion of organizing a fruitful happening which was how to sale extra tickets. The whole plan was to have a kind of advertising in areas around that place including shopping centers and municipality centers where it is most convenient to get connected to new people from different social classes, values and ethnic groups who might be in a position to pay attention to that occurrence. Each day of the week information was placed on social networks including face book and communication was done through mail to people we had never met before detailing them on the happening and if fascinated they could purchase the tickets. We positioned a piece of writing on the home daily paper. In an effort to ensure the success of the event, we had two promotions within our shopping center. For the first point in time when we arrived at the shopping center, a lottery was organized giving anyone an opportunity to participate with two tickets for our global daylight tea. This was a chance to create a center of attention for extra individuals to place their names, e-mails and telephone numbers. At the end of that day, we had succeeded in attracting 60 people in our lottery. It was one of our victorious days of the week as we had caught the attention of roughly 60 people who were extremely paying attention to our occasion, we had a

Organisation and change Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organisation and change - Article Example This brings loyalty from franchises and suppliers and they become more committed for the company's growth (Aswathappa, 2006). The company is however challenged by the need to continuously innovate to grow while operating flawlessly (Gubman and Russell, 2006). This report will find out how McDonald's is managing change to survive in the competitive business environment. The aim of this report is to present a consolidated change portfolio for McDonald's. The objective of this study is to find out the drivers of change for this fast food joint and this will be achieved by P.E.S.T and. Force-field analysis. The objective of the study is also to identify and justify the type of change McDonald's is facing. In addition, the report will present the process of managing change within McDonald's by using relevant change models. A number of books, journals and magazines have been used to collect information for preparing this report. The report will be divided into several sections and will also include a summary of findings and recommendations as well as conclusion. McDonald's has been asked by the US government to ensure the health of its customers. The company acknowledged that some of their suppliers were heavily using growth-stimulating antibiotics on chicken, beef and pork. These chemicals were proven to be injurious to human health and the authorities asked the food giant to help curb this practice. McDonald's has asked the suppliers from the meat industry to phase out the practice or lose business. The company is also working with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to improve the ways in which animals are raised and slaughtered (Greider, 2003). Economic The number of children also increased due to the rise in per capita income in the 1950s. This good economic period saw an increase in the number of suburbs in America and this encouraged the proliferation of chain restaurants such as McDonald's. The company opened restaurants in convenient locations where families in their cars could eat quickly the very affordable food (Debres, 2005). McDonald's restaurants were present in a large number of American suburbs by 1965 and the company avoided inner city locations until the 1970s. The company stepped outside US in 1967 and entered Canada and Puerto Rico. It then forayed into Europe and found out that it will not be successful if it continued to operate in the suburbs. There was no commercial development in the suburbs of Europe and the main markets were in the central cities (Debres, 2005). Social McDonald's popularity soared during the 1950s and 1960s when the Americans changed their lifestyle and began to enjoy the post-war period. More number of Americans decided to have more children and it became a common sight to see families with three or more children. McDonald's was oriented towards the family market and focussed on attracting small children, teenagers and young adults (Debres, 2005). Today, the customers visiting these food joints appreciate a sense of freedom they feel once they step into the facility. The young adults are very happy about the self-service concept and the minimal adult contact they have in