MGT wk9 ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

MGT wk9 ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Supervision can be described as the first level of management in the firm and is frequently apprehensive with inspiration of members of a work unit so that they can contribute positively towards triumph of the goals and objectives set by the firm (Rue & Byars, 2006). It means that the supervisor does not only do the operative work but sees that the duties assigned to the members have been accomplished through the efforts of others. This paper evaluates two best practices principles for the six different supervisory responsibilities. I hope that my contribution will help the new supervisors in our company. The drive of a best practice manual for supervisors is to make available reference guideline for new supervisors. As a reference, this handbook could help as a training aid for management and supervisors as a resource for routine assessments of employees. The handbook contains a synopsis of the best practices to use for the following supervisory accountabilities. This includes demonstrating communication skills, determining effective orientation, and training methods, improving productivity for teams, conducting performance appraisals, resolving conflict, and improving employee relations (Rue & Byars, 2006). This is the most important tool that a leader, manager, or a supervisor uses in dispensing duties. The supervisor should always be positive, enthusiastic and demonstrate open communications with the staff members. This will motivate the members and keep them engaged in the dispensing of their work duties. Motivated workers will then be instrumental in helping the organization achieve its objectives. In addition, the supervisor will then build trust through open and honest communication. To become a supervisor, listening, and speaking skills will be vital to effective communication. This is because they are important in team building and providing effective feedback during the performance appraisal evaluations. In addition,

McDonalds top five critical success factors

McDonalds top five critical success factors Executive Summary This report will lay out the importance of McDonalds top five critical success factors which has made the company this successful. Firstly, the history and background of the company will be established to get the mood and feel of the restaurant, this will include the positioning of the company within the market as well. Secondly, the critical success factors of the company will be elaborated in this section. Thirdly, the report would give examples of the downfalls of McDonalds as well, as every product and company has its declining stage, and how it overcame the situation. And lastly, insights and conclusions will be stated to give a broader sense of the importance to why it is important to discuss about such company. Introduction to McDonalds McDonalds has become a wide spreaded company in the world today. It would be interesting to look into the factors to what made the company so successful. However, before going into details of any insights and findings, we must first establish understanding from the background and histories of the company first. McDonalds Background It is probably safe to say that McDonalds existence and expansions has been one of the prominent events in revolutionizing the eating habits and lifestyles of people globally. Located in 119 countries world-wide, it is estimated that more than 46 million people dine at one of the 31,000 outlets everyday. (xxx) While 9,000 of the venues are owned and operated by the corporation itself, others are managed by franchisees or affiliates. (xxx) McDonalds History Originally, the McDonalds business was started by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonalds in 1940. At that time, the restaurant in California was using eight of Ray Krocs Multimixer milkshake machines. Curious about the learnings to his great sales success of his Multimixers to the McDonalds company, Ray Kroc decided to find out more details of the restaurant. During the time of Krocs visit, he witnessed the restaurant at its peek. Families were much attracted to the concept of the restaurant, for it was a simple self-served, streamlined operation that had a simple menu of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, shakes, soft drinks, and apple pie. (xxx) The most attractive aspect of the restaurant had to do with the workers efficiency level, because each workers steps were formatted in such a way that resembled the assembly line, it allowed the savings in preparation time which directly related with the increasing in volume, ultimately resulting the restaurant to lower the price of a hamburger from 30 cents to 15 cents. (xxx) A clear price competitive advantage over its competitors at that time. With the success of McDonalds in 1954, Ray Kroc foresaw bigger and better potential growths for the company by means of franchising the name out. Indifferent and unbothered by the plan, the brothers allowed Kroc to get on the mission by himself using their restaurants name. (xxx) McDonalds first advertising campaign Look for the Golden Arches, made its way in 1960 with great achievement. In that year, McDonalds became larger and larger, which could be linked to the vast growth of U.S. automobile industry that came with suburbanization. (xxx) The following year, Kroc decided to embark the journey alone with the McDonald brothers, he bought out the restaurant for $2.7 million USD and made it a mission to make McDonalds the number one fast-food chain in the country. (xxx) McDonalds amazing growth continued in 1970. Fast service was always preferred by the Americans and McDonalds was fastest at its service. By 1972 it crossed the profit margin of 1 billion in annual sales and by 1976 McDonalds sold as much as 20 billion hamburgers for which the sales exceeded $3 billion. It broke new ground in breakfast by introducing Egg Muffin in 1973 when market research point out that quick breakfast would be preferred. And 5 years later it introduced a full breakfast menu and by 1987 maximum breakfasts of USA were ordered from McDonalds By 1970, McDonalds had restaurants in all fifty states and a few in Canada and the Caribbean. Foreign operations exploded during the 70s and 80s, as the company expanded into Asia, Australia, South America and Europe. Kroc counted on the expertise of local companies to help them adapt McDonalds food and service to other lands. Only within the first 30 years after the establishment of the company, McDonalds dominated the domestic market with more than 10,000 restaurants throughout the states of USA. In 1980, about 28% of new McDonalds restaurants were opened outside the United States market borders, this number increased to 40% in 1986 and went up to nearly 60% in 1990. In 2000, McDonalds collected about 21 billion dollars from 28,707 restaurants located in the external market, made up for 53% of total revenue of 40 billion. According to statistics in 2000, with each 25,000 American, there was a McDonalds restaurant, this rate made the competitors in the fast-food industry admire and envy. By 1992 almost 40 percent of the companys sales came from overseas. Today, McDonalds has more than 31,000 chains across 119 countries around the globe. In 2007, McDonalds served more than 16 billion customers, equivalent to one lunch and one dinner for everyone on the world. With revenues of 4 billion worldwide, McDonalds became the largest provider company of food worldwide. (DAVID) McDonalds Position in the Market The simple yet profound concept in which is still being used today was established in the early developmental stages of the new franchised outlets of McDonalds, under Ray Krocs supervision, which is: Quality, Service, Cleaning and Value. This standard procedure was enforced in order to obtain maximum quality and standards. (xxx) Unsurprisingly, their vision and mission statements of the company followed such statement. The Vision: McDonalds vision is to be the worlds best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile. (xxx) The Mission: Be the best employer for our people in each community around the world Deliver operational excellence to our customers in each of our restaurants; and Achieve enduring profitable growth by expanding the brand and leveraging. (xxx) Even though the earlier stages of McDonalds attracted more families than it did other categories, nowadays, McDonalds has made it clear that it positions itself to target and cater people of all backgrounds. Suitable for people of various needs and wants; from families to young children, to people who love to enjoy life to people who are on the go, and meat lovers to vegetarians, virtually anybody and everybody can find something on the menu for themselves. Critical Success Factors for McDonalds Aggressive Business Goal Hello, Im the new McDonalds supervisor . . .Were going to run you out of business was infamously said by Ralph Lanphar to a competitor near by. Although this saying might come out as aggressive and rude, looking at it from a different perspective, it could very much be a manifestation of pride and the eagerness to grow bigger and stronger. From this statement, it is evident that McDonalds was committed to build the strongest superior operation firm. This pride and eagerness has been carried on until today. All staff, employees and top management have been engrained in their early stages of training to love the company, to understand that there are benefits for them and that together McDonalds and they can grow together. They should take pride in the success. Even to this day and age, the mission to instill loyalty to the company could be seen today. Charlie Bell, McDonalds CEO in 2004, used to say that the people at McDonalds people must be proud of where we work, proud of what we do, proud to wear the McDonalds pin, proud of our food offerings, proud to eat our food offerings and proud to be part of McDonalds. Going back to the point where McDonalds has a strong and aggressive business plan, McDonalds plans to make everybody in the world know McDonalds (from the video) Uncompromising Standards One of the most influential factors that made the initial set of McDonalds possible would have to be credited to the restaurants extreme commitment to their aimed standards of consistency and their motto of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value. In which both were created by Kroc himself. Even customers knew that no matter where they travelled, they could rely on those qualities at every McDonalds they visted. Tom Peters said keeping it simple in amdist of the growing complexity. Uniformity. (from the video) Consistency In 1955, Kroc incorporated his company as McDonalds corporation and opened his first very own restaurant in Illinois. Placing his concern over the consistency and uniformity from store to store, he decided to establish strong restaurants first before franchising them out. (xxx) Wants McDonalds to be a multi local and not a multi national corporation. (from the video) QSCV For example, cleanliness is one feature of the McDonalds corporate system that needs no explanation; clean toilets are universally appreciated. McDonalds is widely credited with starting a revolution of rising expectations among East Asian consumers who had never experienced high standards of public hygiene in the catering trade. In Taipei, Beijing, Seoul, and Hong Kong, local restaurateurs had to match this new standard or watch their customers go elsewhere. Young people began to draw an equation between the condition of a restaurants toilet and the state of its kitchen. Willingness to Adapt McDonalds success is dependant on adapting to its consumers needs and demands McDonalds franchise business has not only survived but thrived through boom times and recessions and has successfully reacted to consumer trends. It was one of th first franchise restaurants to post nutritional information about its menu, and now offers salads and other healthy options in recent years. Also, the key to McDonalds worldwide success is that people everywhere know what to expect when they pass through the golden arches. This does not, however, mean that the corporation has resisted change or refused to adapt when local customs require flexibility. In Israel, after initial protests, Big Macs are now served without cheese in several outlets, thereby permitting the separation of meat and dairy products required of Kosher restaurants. Similarly, McDonalds restaurants in India serve vegetable McNuggets and a mutton based Maharaja Mac. Innovations that are necessary in a country where Hindus do not eat beef, muslims do not eat pork. In Malaysia and Singapore, McDonalds underwent rigorous inspections by muslim clerics to ensure ritual cleanliness; the chain was rewarded with a Halal certificate, indicating the total absence of pork products (Watson, 1997) This also includes the fact that McDonalds needs to take the environmental factors and the changing world into consideration as well. McDonalds continually seeks for innovation and they need to adapt to new market conditions according the fast paced globalize world. For example, in 1963, McDonalds introduced the Filet-of-Fish sandwich in the Cincinnati area for Catholics who were restricted not to consume meat on Fridays. This new offering was later on implemented to the standard menu, then to the national menu and lastly world wide. In 2005, another adaptation to the times and consumer demand was the provision of WiFi with Nintendo in select locations; and delivery service in Singapore, where customers can phone in their order and have it delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company has also departed from its standard free-standing units, and installed quick service kiosks in busy places, like malls and airports. Valuing People Approach The real secret to successful operation system is not found in its regimen but in the way it enforces uniform procedures without stifling the entrepreneurship of franchises. For example, in Japan, without the freedom of franchisees and suppliers to exercise their entrepreneurial instincts, to test their own ideas. . . it would lose touch with the market place. (from the video) think of people. Everybody from below to top. Also, McDonalds views people, including the maintenance people, partners, corporate managers, hostess in the restaurant, suppliers etc. what to see our associates grow. If one example of a family succeeds, we all succeed. Franchisees/ Associates/ Partners His idea was to start the franchisee without paying the franchisee charges. This was the start of Mc Donalds success. First, make your partners rich. Though Kroc focused more closely on the burger than others, his real innovation was to turn the business of franchising on its head. Typically, franchising deals were struck by firms that wanted to get rich quick by being paid up front for licensing their brand name and menu and supplying products. They were not confident in their long term survival, so they wanted to pocket money now Kroc burst with confidence in McDonalds future and thats why he was willing to get rich at a slower pace, if it meant that his franchisees would prosper. Kroc felt that his competitors cared only about jamming profitable stuff down the throats of their partners, rather than long term growth. He noticed how casually and negligently the companies supervised their stores. Kroc felt passionately that his job was to make his franchisees rich by cutting thir cos ts and improving their products. (Buchholz, 2007) Krocs business model required an extra helping of patience. Kroc trusted a bunch of novice franchisees. Kroc may have been confident, but not completely naà ¯ve. He slowly distributed the stroes, testing and training the franchisees and requiring them to meet his excruciating standards for QSCV. Because other companies were eager to collect big bucks fast, they sold off vast statewide territories to rich speculators. Kroc sold just one at a time and refused to sell a second franchise to an operator unless his performance was stellar. Wanted the corporation to have control over its franchisees, the local business people who paid the corporation to run its restaurants. Other chains let franchisees buy the right to open as many stores in a region as they could. Kroc sold his franchisees just one store, so he could make sure they kjnew how to run a McDonalds the way he wanted it run. He made sure his franchisees did well, their success served his interests, since the corporation earned money on their restaurants sales. Also, from his background knowledge of being a successful salesman, he understood that he would not be a supplier to his franchisees, for it would jeopardize the relationships between the two because of profits. You cannot be a partner and a supplier at the same time says Kroc. Because it creates beaucracy. Do it another way and it builds trust.Kroc was adamant in helping out his franchisees as much as possible, as he knew that McDonalds growth was highly dependant on their success. He trained franchisees in McDonalds methods at the companys hamburger university. As John Love writes in McDonalds behind the arches, In the end, the genius of Ray Kroc was that he treated franchisees as equal partners. Suppliers Kroc wanted to tame his suppliers by making them rich. He wanted better prices and better quality. . Ray Krocs plan to do business with outside suppliers was giving many small but new companies a chance to make a profit on high volume orders. Kroc negotiated better deals with small suppliers who were hungry for his emerging business. Kraft had the McDonalds cheese account early on, but when Kroc requested a sharper- tasting cheddar for the burgers, Kraft was too busy or too comfortable to develop a new recipe. When Kroc went looking for good-quality beef, major players like Armour and Swift refused to extend credit. So Kroc made mulitimillionaires of the quick and hungry suppliers. When Kraft failed him, Kroc turned to a cheesehead in Green Bay, Wisconsin, named L.D. Schreiber. Today the Schreiber company is a multibillionaire dollar firm. Kroc could not negotiate great deals with Wesson oil and Procter Gamble. Instead he turned an upstart named Harry Smargon into a very rich man. Staff McDonalds saw the importance of doing an internal marketing plan. Explaining that external plans and programs will not be as successful if you put the outside world before your own people. Employees come first (xxx) When im loving it was first globally launched, McDonalds launched it internally first before a single consumer saw the advertising and experienced the marketing. This demonstrated that the people were the most important elements for making the revitalization of the McDonalds brand work. They wanted im loving it to become an internal rallying cry, and not just an external slogan. Charlie Bell recognized that proud employees provided greater service, which can make an incredible impression that will have an impact on a customers loyalty. Also, they initiate staff to go out and be creative, contribute to the company. Fred Turner, I want you to go out there and make mistakes. Better than doing nothing and being concern free. Learn but dont do the same mistakes twice. (from the video) Currently, approximately 1.6 billion people all over the world are employed or own a franchise at McDonalds. Though much of the success could be contributed from the sharp eyes of Ray Kroc and his management team, we cannot deny that one of the contributers to the success lies within the employees inside the organization. Since employees play such an essential role in the main activities of the company, There have been surveys conducted concerning employees and staff of the growing popularity of this chain of restaurants and employees contribution to it. One of the most important points is that employees are motivated in their work and duties. Company provides with a set of benefits for their internal staff, such as: Employees are allowed to eat for free; Employees have a month of paid holidays; Employees have an access for private health care; Employees have discount card; Employees are awarded for servicing for 3, 5, 10, 15 and more years; Employees have an opportunity to get sponsorship program, etc. Moreover, training sessions are provided for the internal new coming staff. These training sessions are properly structured and highlight the main values and principles of the company Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSCV). Newcomers and freshmen are trained how to provide the better service to customers and clients. What is more important is that the training sessions are constantly updated, to become more modern and realistic. McDonalds has went further and established its own education center for learning and training classes, called Hamburger University, in which is now opened in many parts of the world . In this university there is a centralized system of education, which teaches new staff about the importance of people in marketing management, the sense of employee training and so on. That is why even every day new technologies appears, McDonalds remain the number one in the fast food providers. The career ladder is very attainable for everyone who wishes it in McDonalds. Approximately 20% of the top management staff passed through the very beginning position in the kitchen. For example, If the person really has a willing to be promoted further, he always can reach it. Everything in the hiring and promotion people in McDonalds depends on ability and hardworking skills of a particular person. For a new coming employee there is a set of stages he/she should take in order to have a desired position within the company. People taking high positions within the company and willing to know all internal processes need to pass through them by themselves. They should clearly understand all the details their subordinates report to them so that they do not only rely on their results, but can estimate what has been made incorrectly or in improper way. McDonalds exactly gives such an opportunity for people to start from the early steps and grow till the desired point of destination. Nowadays, more and more students come to interviews trying to get the job in McDonalds. It becomes popular among the youth to have a part time job and the companies like McDonalds also benefits it as they offer a little bit higher the industrys average minimum salaries. Students have several benefits working for McDonalds; they have free meal and have the opportunity to earn their own pocket money. McDonalds, on the other hand, should have trained employees, whom they need to teach immediately, and accurately introducing to the existing process and paying them less. To reach the goal of fast training and not disturbing other employees from their routine work, managers of McDonalds decided to implement the E-learning system for freshmen, consisting of videos, role plays, newspapers and so on. Employees are the most essential part in every organization. McDonalds wholly understands the importance and contribution of every one person within the organization; that is why there is well known principle: The result is done by a man. In order to fulfill the requirements of the company Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSCV) McDonalds considers each employee as the vital part for success in achieving the above mentioned characteristics. In the desire to fit the reputation of brand as number one fast-food restaurant, McDonalds tries to follow four simple rules to help their employees to improve, such as: The company has to maintain different kind of motivation to different departments within the organization; Every member of the staff has to have one goal, which will be reachable and clearly viewed; As a particular employee grow in his positions, his goals should also be changed, so that every position up will spread his goals broader; An increase in salary should be attractive for an employee. This will be a good motivation technique. McDonalds uses different aspects of motivation tools, which include financial, non financial and social ones. Variety of motivation methods were chosen for implementation because the research conducted internally in the company showed that people need not only monetary refunds, but social recognition too. They should not be separated, but rather combined for serving as the strong motivation technique. The results of conducting the survey clearly underlines that although the motivation tools were based on the theory of Maslows hierarchy of needs, in the reality employees need the mix of all aspects of motivation, not excluding some of them, in order to improve the performance of people and as the result increase the productivity of the whole activities of McDonalds. (NADIYA) Giving Back to the Community Kroc became extremely wealthy following McDonalds enlisting in the stock market in 1965. . Kroc believed in giving something back to the community where you do your business This extreme wealth did not stay with him alone, he decided that he would like to share his wealth amongst others too. The Kroc foundation, which supports researches on diabetes, arthritis and multiple sclerosis, is a testimonial of that. Other wealth sharing opportunities known was that he gave 8 million USD to some of his top employees. Over the years, the corporation also donated food and money to many charities, and the company encouraged local franchisees to get involved in their communities. The best known charitable effort is the Ronald McDonald house, which is located near hospitals where families can stay for free while their children receive medical treatment. . In 1974 McDonalds first opened the Ronald McDonalds house in Philadelphia thus following Krocs philosophy to provide the home away from home for the families of children in nearby hospital followed by 100 similar McDonald houses all over US after 12 yrs Kroc makes it a mission to give back to the people, as it reflects on the consideration and serves as a thank you to those who have always been supporting McDonalds. Facing Hardships and Overcoming Them In Feb 2006, McDonalds stock traded at 27 times earning. However, only one year afterwards, McDonalds second quarter profit growth was just 4% with a 2% decline in earnings from the US businesses. In 2002, after McDonalds stocks have been declining for three years, the board of directors replaced Jack Greenburg with Jim Cantalupo as CEO. Mcdonalds sales were in decline, market share was shrinking, franchisees were frustrated, employee morale was low, and customer satisfaction was even lower. On the plus side, McDonalds had one great asset: People recalled their happy experiences at McDonalds as a child. The problem was that the majority of consumers did not have recent fond experiences. Now, looking back into the unfortunate event, we can see that there were three areas to where McDonalds has neglected. Which were, the restaurant lacked, renovation, innovation and marketing (xxx) When the image of the brand was declining, instead of investing in brand experience renovations and innovations, McDonalds focused merely on monthly promotions. Completely neglecting the means of brand building. The aforementioned three basics guidelines to profitable growth were mistakenly seen as to place focus on more cost reduction methods, instead of properly managing quality growth of the top line. For example, the teeny beanie baby promotion in the US had kidss dragging parents in for the toys while tossing the food into trash bins. But, this had the unintended consequence of reinforcing the image of happy meals as a toy with food as an incidental attachment rather than as a great tasting food with a toy promotion attached. With a decline in food quality, poor service, etc. It was not surprising that opportunitic monthly promotions became the dominant marketing focus. Happy meals had become a promotion of a desirable toy, rather than a promotion for desirable food. This is not a way to build an enduring brand. Overemphasis on the deal rather than the brand results in customers becoming deal loyal rather than brand loyal. For brands to live forever, they must be loved forever. McDonalds leadership fell out of love with the McDonalds brand, and consumers franchisees, employees and the financial community also fell out of love with the McDonalds brand. However, fortunately, Denis Hennequin has brought modifications and redesigned interiors for McDonald are giving it a warmer, more eco-friendly look. This brought in more customers, as the new look generated a fresher image to McDonalds in Europe. Also, Charlie Bells idea of McCafe to offer quality coffee, tea and pastries in a quieter, more attractive atmostphere also made McDonalds competitive with the other fastfood joints, as it offered more than just burgers and fries, it offered coffee in which many restaurants were not able to give the customers such variety. Insights to Other Critical Success Factors Now that McDonalds critical success factors and how it dealt with hardships is established, we can now clearly see that there are some essential parts that must always be intact in order to sustain a business. In contrary to many beliefs, although McDonalds is regarded as a fast food restaurant, the profit made from the goods sold within the restaurant is not actually what keeps McDonalds rich. It is actually the real estate business that is doing it. Even in Fortune Magazine they said that McDonalds is considered as the largest estate in the world (from the video) . It earns revenues as investor in properties, a franchiser of restaurants and an operator of restaurants. Most of the income was coming from 1.9% of service tax from the franchisee. Initially the franchisee fee was only $950 which is currently approx $45000. McDonalds started averaging an annual sale of $200000 in the early 1950 only which shows how people started liking the food and service of it. $1000 went as a royalty to the McDonalds brother and thus the average franchisee was making an operating profit of $40000.Its now making a profit of 1 billion on system wide sales. It was the real estate business which converted McDonalds into a real money machine. The real estate investment strategy is the most important reason why McDonalds boasts a plan that is not close to being equalled in the food service business. Mr Sonnerborn the top financial officer never tried to follow the Kroc-Turner operating system which is the reason why McDonalds is what now. He came up with an idea of money making on real estate that Mc Donalds would lease to its franchisees. He started implementing this plan of making McDonalds a separate real estate company which would locate and lease restaurants sites from land owners which would also be leased to the company. He also had this idea which helped for its major success is that it sold food equipment and food supplies to licensees charging a minimum of $840 per month with interest. In addition to franchisee fees and marketing fees McDonalds collect rent calculated as a percentage of sales. The joint has made a good profit percentage even in the recession making a profit of 23million dollar after tax. Also, the huge size of McDonalds could be factored into one of the biggest critical success factors of all. Because of the humougous size of the corporation, it allowed it to do many things which other franchisees or small businesses could not do on a large scale. Along side its philosophy, vision and mission statements, McDonalds has definitely managed to beat the mediocre standards during the earlier stages, allowing it to take off and penetrate quicker into the fast food market than its rivals. This is mainly by its Attributes of speed: Initially, this was the main factor to McDonalds success. Even from the earlier days, McDonalds has earned a reputation for serving meals efficiently fast. In comparison to other similar fast food competitors, such as Hardees and Rex Burger joints, McDonalds was always developing its method behind the counters to speed up their process of delivering the goods. Types of products offered: A variety of goods catered to all types of people in every region of the world. In India, for example, McVeggie has become a popular delight among the locals, as the majority of the population is vegetarians. Prices of products: Affordable to everybody. This was hugely contributed by the speedy process of the food preparation time. Since it took less time to cook, assemble and serve the burgers and fries, this only meant that McDonalds was able to sell more products in a shorter time as well. Hence, the economy of scale, prices were able to fall lower than its main competitors. Level of service: Consistency of the services. Ray Kroc understood that the uniformity and precision was key to a successful franchise. He made sure that there were rules set and abided, by carefully creating a manu

Machiavelli Essay -- essays research papers

"The term Machiavellian refers to someone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipled"(Goods 1998). Many scholars agree that this particular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attributed as being one of the brightest lights of the Italian Renaissance through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and political thought. His most famous work The Prince has been misunderstood due to the motives discussed and the blatantly honest language used. Many of his critics have condemned him for his pessimistic outlook of man as a whole and in doing so try to negate the bulk of his work. Yet even after over 470 years his works are still thought provoking and influential in the political arena. This paper looks at some of the influences that may have created such a man. Machiavelli was born in Florence on May 3, 1469, a time of political upheaval and a strong political influence from the Roman Catholic Church. Although Machiavelli was never what would today be considered middle class, he himself states â€Å"I was born poor and learned earlier to stint myself than to prosper†(Gilbert 1961, 102). While the extent of this poverty is not known, it is known that his family owned land and was able to pay for his education. In fact, through some of his father’s letters we learn that he had an excellent education in Latin, arithmetic, history, and poetry, but that he was not well off enough to afford other more expensive forms of training (Gilbert 1961, 56). However, his financial hardship from earlier on seems to display itself in his cautious approach to most of his political activities. In fact, the lessons Machiavelli learned early on set a precedent of conservatism that carried on throughout his life. Machiavelli’s first position in government was given to him in 1498 at the age of twenty-nine. His position was that of Second Chancellor or Secretary and was the second most important paid position in the city (Gilbert 1961, 12). This position was advantageous in the fact that it provided him with experience dealing with both international negotiations and domestic business within the city. These early experiences were evident influences in his political beliefs and he himself commented on them occasionally. It was these early lessons in ... ...61, 141) while describing to a friend his daily activities. It can be argued that this type of leisure activity may have been part of his informal training into the realm of philosophy. It was during this time that he composed some of his more famous works, but he also composed a comedy called The Mandrake that displays the less serious and rigid side of Machiavelli. Although he does show himself to be as much of a dreamer as he was a politician, Machiavelli believed knew that emotion held no place in politics. He himself stated that in order to fairly rule â€Å"†¦calculation of what must be done in a given situation being unduly affected be passions or the contemporary conventions and ideals of right and wrong† (Fleisher). Through personal experiences, education, and the lessons learned from the past Machiavelli was able to influence the world for generations with his political insights and theories. Even after 470 years his works still inspire and create debate as to the true nature of politics and the behavior of those that rule. While the true contributors to the development of these beliefs may never be truly known, the impact that they have had upon the world cannot be denied.

Teen Pregnancy Issues in America

Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has declined greatly within the past few years, it is still an enormous problem that needs to be addressed. These rates are still higher in the 1990's than they were only a decade ago. The United State's teenage birthrate exceeds that of most other industrialized nations, even though American teenagers are no more sexually active than teenagers are in Canada or Europe. Recent statistics concerning the teen birthrates are alarming. About 560,000 teenage girls give birth each year. Almost one-sixth of all births in the United States are to eenage women are to teenage women. Eight in ten of these births resulted from unintended pregnancies. (Gormly 347) By the age of eighteen, one out of four teenage girls will have become pregnant. (Newman 679) Although the onset of pregnancy may occur in any teenager, some teens are at higher risk for unplanned pregnancy than others. Teenagers who become sexually active at an earlier age are at a greater risk primarily because young teenagers are less likely to use birthcontrol. African-American and Hispanic teenagers are twice as likely to give birth as are white teenagers. Whites are more likely to have abortions. Teenagers who come from poor neighborhoods and attend segregated schools are at a high risk for pregnancy. Also, teenagers who are doing poorly in school and have few plans for the future are more likely to become parents than those who are doing well and have high educationsl and occupational expectations. Although the rate of teenage pregnancy is higher among low- income African-Americans and Hispanics, especially those in inner city ghettoes, the number of births to teenagers is highest among white, nonpoor young women who live in mall cities and towns. (Calhoun 309) In addition to the question of which teenagers become pregnant, interest is shown in the social consequences of early parenthood. Adolescent parents (mostly mothers) may find that they have a â€Å"lost or limited opportunity for education. (Johnson 4) The higher a woman's level of education, the more likely she is to postpone marriage and childbearing. Adolescents with little schooling are often twice as likely as those with more education to have a baby bafore their twentieth birthday. Some 58% of young women in he United States who receive less than a high school education give birth by the time they are twenty years old, compared with 13% of young women who complete at least twelve years of schooling. (Tunick 11) Teens who become pregnant during high school are more likely to drop out. Calhoun 310) A teen mother leaves school because she cannot manage the task of caring for a baby and studying, and a teen father usually chooses a job over school so that he can pay bills and provide for his child. (Johnson 4) Teen mothers usually have fewer resources than older mothers because they have had less time to gather avings or build up their â€Å"productivity† through work experience, education, or training. (Planned Parenthood 1) Because of this, teen mothers are generally poor and are dependent on government support. Newman 679) The welfare system is usually the only support a teen parent will receive. Welfare benefits are higher for families with absent fathers or dependent children. (Calhoun 309) In some cases, teen mothers may also receive help like Medicaid, Food Stamps, and â€Å"Aid to Families with Dependent Besides educational and financial problems, teenage mothers may face a great deal f emotional strain and may become very stressed. Teen mothers may have limited social contacts and friendships because they do not have time for anything other than their baby. Lack of a social life and time for herself may cause the teenage mother to become depressed or have severe mental anxiety. (Johnson 5) Depression may become worse for a teenage mother because she usually does not know much about child development or about how to care for their children. Children who are born to teenage mothers usually suffer from poor parenting. (Berk 188) Also, children of teenage parents start being exually active before their peers and they are more likely to become teenage parents themselves. These children may also suffer from financial difficulties similar to that of their parents. Children whose mothers are age seventeen or younger are three times as likely as their peers to be poor, and are likely to stay poor for a longer period of time. † (Calhoun 311) The children born to teenage mothers sometimes score lower on development tests than the children of older mothers. It seems that â€Å"rather than declining over time, educational deficits increase in severity and the children show lower academic chievement, higher drop out rates, and are more likely to be held back in school. † Teenage pregnancy comes with not only a child, but also many consequences. Teen mothers face greater health risks than older mothers, such as anemia, pregnancy induced hypertension, toxemia, premature delivery, cervical trauma, and even death. Many of these health risks are due to inadequate prenatal care and support, rather than physical immaturity. The teenage mother is more likely to be undernourished and suffer premature and prolonged labor. (Calhoun 311) The death rate from pregnancy omplications are much higher among girls who give birth under age fifteen. (Gormly 347) Poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol and drugs increase the risk of having a baby with health problems. Johnson 3) The younger the teenage mother is, the higher the chances are that she and her baby will have health problems. This is mainly due to late prenatal care (if any) and poor nutrition. (Planned Parenthood 1) An adolescent mother and her baby may not get enough nutrients and, because the mother's body is not fully mature, she may have many complications throughout the duration of the pregnancy. Along with the mother, the children of teenage parents too often become part of a cycle of poor health, school failure, and poverty. Infants born to teenage mothers are at a high risk of prematurity, fragile health, the need for intensive care, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. (Johnson 5) Low birth weight is the most immediate health problem. Babies born to teenagers are often born too small, too soon. Low birthweight babies may have immature organ systems (brain, lungs, and heart), difficulty controlling body temperature and blood sugar levels, and a risk of dying in early infancy that is much igher than that of normal weight babies (five and one-half pounds or more). Calhoun 310) â€Å"The death rate for babies whose mothers are under fifteen years of age is double that of babies whose mothers are twenty to thirty years old. † (Johnson 5) Because of these extremely serious problems, many government, as well as local, organizations are fighting to stop the occurence of teenage pregnancy by helping to educate children of the risks involved and the consequences after. Some research indicates that â€Å"the percentage of teenage birthrates has declined simply because fewer eenagers are having sexual intercourse and more adolescents are using contraceptives. Researchers say that the recent trends in sexual activity and contraceptive use are the result of a number of factors, including greater emphasis on abstinence, more conservative attitudes about sex, fear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, the popularity of long-lasting birthcontrol methods such as the contraceptive implant (Norplant) and the injectable (Depo-Provera), and even because of the economy. In addition, researchers say that young people have become somewhat more conservative in their views about casual ex and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Some attribute this change in attitude mainly to concern about sexually transmitted diseases. Others say that it is because of the involvement of conservative religious groups in the public debate over sexual behavior. Many researchers believe that the strong economy and the increasing availability of jobs at minimum wage have contributed to fewer births among teenagers. (Donovan 32) Americans, however, seem to be against some of the methods used by these various organizations to reduce the teen pregnancy rates. The most controversial aspect of adolescent pregnancy prevention is the growing movement to provide teenagers with easy access to contraceptives. † Most Americans believe that giving teenagers birthcontrol pills and/or condoms is the same as telling them that early sex is allowed. Some studies that were conducted in Europe show that some clinics in Europe that distribute contraceptives to teenagers have the same sexual activity rate as in the United States. However, in these European studies, it is apparent that teen pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion rates are Teenage pregnancy does cause many problems for the mother, child, and economy. There are, however, some incidences where the mother overcomes this down-hill trend and makes a successful life for her and her child. The outcome of teenage pregnancy turns out better if the mother goes back to school after she has given birth. (Berk 190) Staying in school may help to prevent teenage mothers from having a second pregnancy. (Planned Parenthood 2) The outcome is also better if the mother continues to live with her parents so that they can help to raise the child. Young, teen mothers need health care for themselves as well as their children. An adolescent mother also needs a great deal of encouragement to get her to remain in school. Single teenage mothers also need job training so that they can get a good job to support themselves and their children. Teen mothers need to be taught parenting and life-management skills and also need high quality and affordable daycare for their children. Schools that provide daycare centers on campus reduce the incidence of teenagers dropping out of school. These school programs also ecrease the likelihood that the teen mother will have more children. Because the government has begun to take action in preventing teen pregnancies, the rate has continued to decline. The large numbers of young people in America–as well as the values, health, education, skills they gain–will greatly affect the future of society. Therefore, increased attention should be given to the well-being of adolescents. Since greater care is being given to the young people, improvements are already occuring. The level of education that young people receive is much higher than that of their parents, and he â€Å"expectation that young people should obtain at least some secondary schooling† is growing. The numbers of women who have a child during their teen years is declining, and recognizing the impact of childbearing on education, parents and communities are continuing to discourage sexual activity, marriage, and motherhood at a young age. (Tunick 13) These recent trends, if continued, will more than likely educate the adolescent population about the risks and consequences of teenage pregnancy and reduce the incicence of teen pregnancy and childbirth altogether. Teen Pregnancy Issues in America Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has declined greatly within the past few years, it is still an enormous problem that needs to be addressed. These rates are still higher in the 1990's than they were only a decade ago. The United State's teenage birthrate exceeds that of most other industrialized nations, even though American teenagers are no more sexually active than teenagers are in Canada or Europe. Recent statistics concerning the teen birthrates are alarming. About 560,000 teenage girls give birth each year. Almost one-sixth of all births in the United States are to eenage women are to teenage women. Eight in ten of these births resulted from unintended pregnancies. (Gormly 347) By the age of eighteen, one out of four teenage girls will have become pregnant. (Newman 679) Although the onset of pregnancy may occur in any teenager, some teens are at higher risk for unplanned pregnancy than others. Teenagers who become sexually active at an earlier age are at a greater risk primarily because young teenagers are less likely to use birthcontrol. African-American and Hispanic teenagers are twice as likely to give birth as are white teenagers. Whites are more likely to have abortions. Teenagers who come from poor neighborhoods and attend segregated schools are at a high risk for pregnancy. Also, teenagers who are doing poorly in school and have few plans for the future are more likely to become parents than those who are doing well and have high educationsl and occupational expectations. Although the rate of teenage pregnancy is higher among low- income African-Americans and Hispanics, especially those in inner city ghettoes, the number of births to teenagers is highest among white, nonpoor young women who live in mall cities and towns. (Calhoun 309) In addition to the question of which teenagers become pregnant, interest is shown in the social consequences of early parenthood. Adolescent parents (mostly mothers) may find that they have a â€Å"lost or limited opportunity for education. (Johnson 4) The higher a woman's level of education, the more likely she is to postpone marriage and childbearing. Adolescents with little schooling are often twice as likely as those with more education to have a baby bafore their twentieth birthday. Some 58% of young women in he United States who receive less than a high school education give birth by the time they are twenty years old, compared with 13% of young women who complete at least twelve years of schooling. (Tunick 11) Teens who become pregnant during high school are more likely to drop out. Calhoun 310) A teen mother leaves school because she cannot manage the task of caring for a baby and studying, and a teen father usually chooses a job over school so that he can pay bills and provide for his child. (Johnson 4) Teen mothers usually have fewer resources than older mothers because they have had less time to gather avings or build up their â€Å"productivity† through work experience, education, or training. (Planned Parenthood 1) Because of this, teen mothers are generally poor and are dependent on government support. Newman 679) The welfare system is usually the only support a teen parent will receive. Welfare benefits are higher for families with absent fathers or dependent children. (Calhoun 309) In some cases, teen mothers may also receive help like Medicaid, Food Stamps, and â€Å"Aid to Families with Dependent Besides educational and financial problems, teenage mothers may face a great deal f emotional strain and may become very stressed. Teen mothers may have limited social contacts and friendships because they do not have time for anything other than their baby. Lack of a social life and time for herself may cause the teenage mother to become depressed or have severe mental anxiety. (Johnson 5) Depression may become worse for a teenage mother because she usually does not know much about child development or about how to care for their children. Children who are born to teenage mothers usually suffer from poor parenting. (Berk 188) Also, children of teenage parents start being exually active before their peers and they are more likely to become teenage parents themselves. These children may also suffer from financial difficulties similar to that of their parents. Children whose mothers are age seventeen or younger are three times as likely as their peers to be poor, and are likely to stay poor for a longer period of time. † (Calhoun 311) The children born to teenage mothers sometimes score lower on development tests than the children of older mothers. It seems that â€Å"rather than declining over time, educational deficits increase in severity and the children show lower academic chievement, higher drop out rates, and are more likely to be held back in school. † Teenage pregnancy comes with not only a child, but also many consequences. Teen mothers face greater health risks than older mothers, such as anemia, pregnancy induced hypertension, toxemia, premature delivery, cervical trauma, and even death. Many of these health risks are due to inadequate prenatal care and support, rather than physical immaturity. The teenage mother is more likely to be undernourished and suffer premature and prolonged labor. (Calhoun 311) The death rate from pregnancy omplications are much higher among girls who give birth under age fifteen. (Gormly 347) Poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol and drugs increase the risk of having a baby with health problems. Johnson 3) The younger the teenage mother is, the higher the chances are that she and her baby will have health problems. This is mainly due to late prenatal care (if any) and poor nutrition. (Planned Parenthood 1) An adolescent mother and her baby may not get enough nutrients and, because the mother's body is not fully mature, she may have many complications throughout the duration of the pregnancy. Along with the mother, the children of teenage parents too often become part of a cycle of poor health, school failure, and poverty. Infants born to teenage mothers are at a high risk of prematurity, fragile health, the need for intensive care, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. (Johnson 5) Low birth weight is the most immediate health problem. Babies born to teenagers are often born too small, too soon. Low birthweight babies may have immature organ systems (brain, lungs, and heart), difficulty controlling body temperature and blood sugar levels, and a risk of dying in early infancy that is much igher than that of normal weight babies (five and one-half pounds or more). Calhoun 310) â€Å"The death rate for babies whose mothers are under fifteen years of age is double that of babies whose mothers are twenty to thirty years old. † (Johnson 5) Because of these extremely serious problems, many government, as well as local, organizations are fighting to stop the occurence of teenage pregnancy by helping to educate children of the risks involved and the consequences after. Some research indicates that â€Å"the percentage of teenage birthrates has declined simply because fewer eenagers are having sexual intercourse and more adolescents are using contraceptives. Researchers say that the recent trends in sexual activity and contraceptive use are the result of a number of factors, including greater emphasis on abstinence, more conservative attitudes about sex, fear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, the popularity of long-lasting birthcontrol methods such as the contraceptive implant (Norplant) and the injectable (Depo-Provera), and even because of the economy. In addition, researchers say that young people have become somewhat more conservative in their views about casual ex and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Some attribute this change in attitude mainly to concern about sexually transmitted diseases. Others say that it is because of the involvement of conservative religious groups in the public debate over sexual behavior. Many researchers believe that the strong economy and the increasing availability of jobs at minimum wage have contributed to fewer births among teenagers. (Donovan 32) Americans, however, seem to be against some of the methods used by these various organizations to reduce the teen pregnancy rates. The most controversial aspect of adolescent pregnancy prevention is the growing movement to provide teenagers with easy access to contraceptives. † Most Americans believe that giving teenagers birthcontrol pills and/or condoms is the same as telling them that early sex is allowed. Some studies that were conducted in Europe show that some clinics in Europe that distribute contraceptives to teenagers have the same sexual activity rate as in the United States. However, in these European studies, it is apparent that teen pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion rates are Teenage pregnancy does cause many problems for the mother, child, and economy. There are, however, some incidences where the mother overcomes this down-hill trend and makes a successful life for her and her child. The outcome of teenage pregnancy turns out better if the mother goes back to school after she has given birth. (Berk 190) Staying in school may help to prevent teenage mothers from having a second pregnancy. (Planned Parenthood 2) The outcome is also better if the mother continues to live with her parents so that they can help to raise the child. Young, teen mothers need health care for themselves as well as their children. An adolescent mother also needs a great deal of encouragement to get her to remain in school. Single teenage mothers also need job training so that they can get a good job to support themselves and their children. Teen mothers need to be taught parenting and life-management skills and also need high quality and affordable daycare for their children. Schools that provide daycare centers on campus reduce the incidence of teenagers dropping out of school. These school programs also ecrease the likelihood that the teen mother will have more children. Because the government has begun to take action in preventing teen pregnancies, the rate has continued to decline. The large numbers of young people in America–as well as the values, health, education, skills they gain–will greatly affect the future of society. Therefore, increased attention should be given to the well-being of adolescents. Since greater care is being given to the young people, improvements are already occuring. The level of education that young people receive is much higher than that of their parents, and he â€Å"expectation that young people should obtain at least some secondary schooling† is growing. The numbers of women who have a child during their teen years is declining, and recognizing the impact of childbearing on education, parents and communities are continuing to discourage sexual activity, marriage, and motherhood at a young age. (Tunick 13) These recent trends, if continued, will more than likely educate the adolescent population about the risks and consequences of teenage pregnancy and reduce the incicence of teen pregnancy and childbirth altogether.

The Many Beneficial Effects of Adopting a Pet

The Many Beneficial Effects of Adopting a Pet Adopting a pet is advantageous to both the pet owner and the pet. When considering the pros and cons of welcoming a furry friend into the family, many are unaware of the fringe benefits that are gained from having a pet. These benefits are not Just one sided either – both the pet and the owner gain by the association. Besides having an affectionate pal, pet owners experience healthful side effects as a result of their relationship. For adopted animals, the most significant endorsement is much more basic and often overlooked: life.Still, many people are hesitant to take n the responsibility of a pet for various different reasons. We recently decided to make room in our household for a new resident. Having weathered the death of our 14 year old terrier Hercules, we wanted adopt another pet. Prior to arriving at that decision, we did some research to determine what type of animal would best fit into our home, which includes two cats. Of the many choices available to us, we finally settled on adopting another cat from a shelter. Here are my top compelling reasons to own a cat from a local humane organization.It comes as no surprise that each year millions of animals enter shelters and a igh percentage are put to sleep due to overpopulation (Salk, 2013). Pet adoptions from non-profit organizations, shelters or humane societies drastically reduce the necessity to euthanize these displaced animals and provide them with safe, loving homes. Adoption also creates an opportunity for new animals to receive help by freeing up space and resources. In addition to adoption, many humane organizations offer vaccinations, micro chips for tracking and spay or neuter services.There is a common misconception that animals in shelters are there because of behavioral or temperament issues. The reality is that most shelter animals are abandoned for reasons such as divorce, relocation, or financial constraints (Salk, 2013), making thei r situation all the more heart wrenching. Providing a healthy, loving environment is most certainly a wonderful gift to a homeless animal. And while the advantage to the animal is obvious, owners also receive unsought personal benefits. Pets are faithful friends that offer unconditional love and companionship.They keep secrets, aren't Judgmental and simply bloom when shown attention. Cats in particular adore snuggling and appear to be the happiest when in the presence of heir owner. Historically, cats have been characterized as solitary creatures, given to â€Å"diva† personality traits and snooty dispositions. While this might accurately describe the temperament of a few, cats are most commonly known for being loving, playful and inquisitive. It's not unusual for my cat to follow me around the house as I complete chores, watch TV with me or wait patiently outside the door for my re- emergence from the bathroom.As an only child, many times I found myself with the family cat a s my only companion. Though it was sometimes quiet, I never felt alone. When I moved into my first apartment, a cat proved to be the best option for my situation. Cats are the pertect pet tor apartment dwellers due in part to their relatively small size. Unlike dogs, cats are quiet – no raucous barking or whining to annoy the neighbors. They require only small amounts of food for survival and do not need to engage in long sessions of strenuous play for exercise.This makes them a budget friendly, low maintenance pet option. Additionally, cats are independent creatures that typically sleep the majority of the day, making them self-sufficient and very easy o maintain. Unlike many pets, cats require little input from their owner. For entertainment, simply give a cat a ball of yarn and he or she will be quite content to pass the time rolling around on the floor playing. Other playthings, such as cat nip laced balls or feather toys not only provide amusement but have the added adva ntage of providing active cats with exercise.Window sills afford cats the enjoyable opportunity to engage in favorite pastimes such as observing the outside world or soaking up the sun while napping. The low upkeep required for a cat is particularly convenient for hose with busy schedules or limited space. Another time saver is the fact that cats need little training. This is especially helpful when it comes to the potty. While training some animals to use the bathroom can be a time intensive labor of love, cats are quite intelligent and require very little direction.Show a cat the location of the litter box and essentially you're done. Cats are very persnickety about their hygiene and environment; therefore, if the litter box is scooped regularly, there are usually no potty accidents to address. Fastidious creatures, cats are incredibly lean animals and spend hours a day grooming themselves. This behavior is intuitive, much like their ability as hunters. Cats are great contributors to the household and earn their keep. Excellent hunters, cats can often be seen relentlessly chasing a fly or mosquito around the house.Spiders, mice, frogs and other small beasties, all fall prey to playful yet determined cats. Having a cat in residence growing up, we never had to purchase traps or other devices to maintain a vermin free household. While being a hunter is an important aspect of their personalities, cats also provide actual health benefits to heir owners. Studies have shown that pet owners receive quantifiable health benefits directly attributable to their pet. Pets are known to lower blood pressure (Sweat, 2013), reduce stress and even strengthen the immune system (Nazario, 2012).Cats are intuitive and sense the emotional state of their owners. It's been my personal experience that when I'm ill, my cat will not leave my side until I'm better. Loyal companions in sickness and in health, cats can be counted on to provide quiet support, sympathy and affection to assi st their caretakers in overcoming depression or other melancholy moods (Sweat, 2013). Did you know that having a special buddy around even helps to alleviate loneliness? With so many upsides, who wouldn't want a pet?There are countless reasons to own a pet in general and a cat in particular. Cats are the ideal pet for any circumstance, whether living in a house or in the small confines of an apartment. Cats are low maintenance, clean, intelligent and make wonderful friends for all ages. As with any animal, there is no greater expression of love then to offer them a safe haven. To homeless animals, adoption means the difference between life and death. In return, you get a friend for life and improved health. My cats are more than pets – they are my family.