Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto Essay -- English Literature Kitchen Essays

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto The path of life is not easy. It is scattered with struggles and hurdles which we must overcome. A rose plant is a good metaphor of life; the flower is soft with a pleasant fragrance but the thorns are prickly and hurt us. Likewise, life has good things like laughter, happiness, hope but it also has some things that hurt us, obstruct us. In Banana Yoshimoto’s novella Kitchen, Mikage Sakurai faces quandaries in her life which hinder her. However, she fights them back with hope and determination. She is aided by the Tanabe’s who help her to fight her dilemmas and struggles. Each character displays a sense of optimism, a hope for survival and the determination to fight back. In a greater sense, this rendering gives the reader a moral teaching that despair does not necessarily result in annihilation. They try to tell us that we must not give up in our lives, come what may. They appear as teachers giving us a lesson how to lead our lives. This rendering makes us feel close to them and think of them as our own friends. This makes them interesting and moving. Mikage is a loner. Throughout her life, she has felt separated from others and feels solitude. She says that despite all the love that surrounds us, we are separated by others physically and mentally which makes each one of us separate, alone. She has suffered great losses; she has lost all her family members. However, after moving into the Tanabe’s apartment, she becomes hopeful for a better life. Mikage wonders â€Å"Wrapped in blankets†¦.in the future† on page 16, that maybe she hadn’t wished for all the loneliness, maybe she had been hoping to think about the future. Here, Mikage reveals the fact that she had completely ignored... ...he darkest of moments and in our moments of despair, we must try to laugh and cheer ourselves. It is a way to become optimistic. In conclusion, this story is of great value to any reader because it portrays a real life story. The characters appear very real to us because of their simplicity and unusualness. This makes us endearing to these characters, we feel attached to them, sympathy towards them. Each character contributes to a greater understanding of the definition of life and the way to live. Each character is determined that they would not fail, they would not give up; they would continue to fight on despite any barrier, any resistance. They teach us that death is not the end of despair, there are several others way to live on despite being clouded by darkness and uncertainty. This makes the reader respect the characters and feel close to them.

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 19

Ella The next day is lighter somehow, like I've been buried in the sand and someone has finally dug me out. Micha seems happier too, although I can tell he's still hurting, so I work on keeping his mind distracted. â€Å"So what did you do to it?† I ask Micha as I circle the back end of his car with my hands on my hips, taking in the scratches and dings in the black paint, which look worse in the sunlight. â€Å"I took it for a very intense joy ride.† A lazy grin stretches across his face as he puts his head beneath the hood to examine the engine. I plant my butt on the edge where he's working and cross my leg over my knee. â€Å"At least tell me you won? And that the scratches and dings were totally worth it.† â€Å"Of course. They're always worth it,† he says with a hidden meaning that only the two of us could ever understand. Gripping the edge, I lean back over the engine and give him a peck on the cheek. He grins, tosses a greasy rag onto the ground, and pinches my ass. A squeak comes out of my mouth as I jump from the pinch and fall toward the engine. Pushing myself back up, I get grease all over my arms and backside. I hop off the hood, trying to clean the grease off with my hands, but it's only making a bigger mess. Micha laughs at me as he retrieves a new tool box from the top shelf. â€Å"That's a good look for you.† I stick out my tongue and turn to leave. â€Å"Where are you going?† he asks. I hold up my greasy hands. â€Å"Thanks to you, I have to go take a shower and wash my clothes.† A wicked look dances in his eyes. â€Å"I have grease all over me to. I think I may need to come in there with you.† My stomach flips thinking about last night. I keep backing up toward my house with my eyes on him. â€Å"I'll tell you what. If you can catch me, you can shower with me.† His eyes scroll my body as he sucks his lip ring in between his teeth. â€Å"Is that a challenge, pretty girl?† I try not to smile as I exit the garage into the sunlight, but it's too much and my lips turn upward. I take off toward my house and his footsteps head after me. I jump the fence gracefully, but by the time I reach the back door, his arms are circling my waist. He spins me around and picks me up effortlessly. Hooking my legs around his waist, he opens the door and gets us into the kitchen. He glances around the room and cocks an eyebrow. â€Å"Is Lila here?† I shake my head slowly. â€Å"She's with Ethan.† â€Å"What about your dad?† â€Å"He went to work.† His aqua eyes darken and I can't help but kiss him. I feel him walking, traveling somewhere as our tongues entwine together. I run my fingers through his hair grabbing onto as much of him as possible, shutting my fear away and basking in the moment. Without breaking his lips away from mine, he carries me into the downstairs bathroom. When I hear the shower water turn on, I pull my lips away from his. Before I can ask what he's doing, he sets me down underneath the warm water. I let out a scream as my clothes are drenched. â€Å"See, this way you're washing your clothes and taking a shower at the same time.† He grins and tips the showerhead down so it hits more of me. I seize the front of his T-shirt and yank him forward, so he stumbles into the running water. He braces his hands on the walls, and water sprays over his hair and drips down his face. I smile at him innocently and allow the water to stream down my body. â€Å"Now you're all clean too.† He shakes his head, then shoves away from the wall and jumps all the way into the shower with me. He shuts the curtain and seals us inside the steam. His jeans and T-shirt are sopping wet and beads of water drip into his eyes. I run my hand across his forehead over a spot of grease and then through his hair. He aims the shower head down on me and I tip my head back into the flow. He combs his fingers through my hair sensually and his other hand comes down on the wall behind me as he gathers some of my hair into his hand. Pulling at the roots, he leads me toward him for a deep, watery kiss. Steam surrounds us and makes the passion inside my body ignite. Panic starts screaming inside my head, but I tell it to shut up and suck the water off his lips as I find the bottom of his shirt to lift it over his head. He pulls back and helps me out, slipping it off and tossing it to the side, instantly reuniting his lips with mine. My fingers trace along the lines of his muscles and the pattern of the tattoo on his rib cage; the lyrics to the first song he ever wrote. His hands explore my hips, my waist, then up my shirt. Finally, I just take it off for him and then he unhooks my bra. Our bare chests crash together as we continue to kiss underneath the hot water. Minutes later, the rest of our clothes are in a pile by our feet and I can hardly think straight. The way he touches me, kisses me – nothing has ever felt like this before. He sucks on my breast and licks the water off my skin on my bare stomach, continuing to go down until his tongue finds the right spot. I fall back against the wall as a scream claws up my throat and I lose total control over my body. This time I don't mind. Micha After Ella comes apart, I turn the water off and grab a towel off the hook. She raises her arms above her head, keeping her eyes on me as I wrap the towel around her. â€Å"What?† I ask her, because I can tell she's thinking deeply about something. â€Å"Nothing.† She shrugs casually, but her cheeks turn a little pink. â€Å"It's just that if I would have known all along that it felt that good, I probably wouldn't have fought it so hard.† â€Å"Well, I'm glad you think I'm that good,† I tease her snatching another towel and tying it around my waist. She nibbles on her lip apprehensively as she crosses her arms and rests back against the wall. â€Å"Alright, pretty girl,† I demand. â€Å"What are you thinking about?† She lets her lip pop free. â€Å"It just doesn't seem fair that I'm the one that gets to have all the fun.† I try not to get too excited, because let's face it, she's a runner. â€Å"I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun by myself later.† She reaches forward hesitantly and yanks the towel off my waist. â€Å"That was smooth,† I say, gripping the edge of the counter, fighting to stay calm. Her eyes travel over my body. â€Å"I learned from the best.† She runs her fingers softly along my swollen cock, making me harder than I already am. â€Å"Fuck, Ella,† I say, leaning back against the door and letting go. Ella I have no idea what the hell came over me and I'm not going to over analyze it. I can finally breathe again and that's all that matters. Letting things take their course might be exactly what we both need. Micha wraps a towel around his waist looking happier than I've ever seen him. He kisses me, sucking my bottom lip gently into his mouth, before pulling away and staring into my eyes. â€Å"You're so beautiful.† Smiling, I stare down at our wet clothes balled up in the corner. â€Å"Now what do we do?† He licks his lips and braces his hands on the wall, trapping my head between his arms. â€Å"We could do it again.† I swat his chest, pretending that he's being silly, even though I do want to do it again. â€Å"I mean how do we get out of here? Our clothes are soaking wet and I'm not putting mine back on.† He shrugs and leans away. â€Å"No one's home so keep the towel on you and run upstairs.† I eye over his lean chest. â€Å"Yeah, but what about you?† â€Å"You can go get me some clothes after you get dressed†¦ if you want to.† His lips tug into a flirty grin. I start to say something, but the back door slams shut and Lila and Ethan's voices float from the kitchen. â€Å"Well, there goes that plan,† Micha says with laughter in his tone. I tighten the towel around me and we wait for them to leave, but after a while, it's clear they're not going anywhere. â€Å"I'll go out there,† Micha says and heads for the door. I pull him back by the arm. â€Å"You're in a towel.† â€Å"Obviously.† â€Å"But they'll see you and know something was up.† He cocks his head to the side, his eyes scrutinizing me. â€Å"Is that a bad thing?† I hug my arms around myself. â€Å"No, it's just that†¦ what are we going to tell them we were doing?† â€Å"I'm sure they'll figure it out,† he says. â€Å"Why is this upsetting you?† â€Å"It's not,† I reply, deciding to just be honest. â€Å"It's just that†¦ this is like the realest thing I've had in a long time and it scares me a bit.† He tucks a strand of my damp hair out of my eyes. â€Å"I know it does, but you'll be okay – we'll be okay.† I nod quickly and then move away from the wall, straightening my shoulders. â€Å"Are you coming back after you change?† He plants a kiss on my forehead. â€Å"Where else would I go?† I move out of his way and he walks out the door in his towel, like he's not embarrassed at all. He leaves the door cracked behind him and seconds later I hear the sound of Lila's shocked voice followed by the laughter of Ethan. A few seconds later footsteps head my way. â€Å"Oh Ella,† Lila says through the crack in the door. â€Å"Can I come in?† Holding the towel on, I open the door about half way. â€Å"Could you go get me some clothes, please? Mine are soaking wet.† She covers her mouth, stifling her laughter. â€Å"Sure. I'll be right back.† She comes back with a pair of red shorts and a grey tank top. I get dressed and we meet Micha and Ethan out in the garage. Micha's wearing a pair of loose fitted jeans and his favorite Pink Floyd t-shirt, and he tries not to smirk when he sees me, but Ethan doesn't hold back. â€Å"Have fun this morning?† he asks me and I punch him in the arm. â€Å"Ow,† he fakes hurt and then glances down at the engine. â€Å"Dude, you ripped this thing to shit. What the fuck did you do to it?† â€Å"I took it down to Taylor Bay and drag raced it,† he says with a shrug. â€Å"I guess I pushed it too hard.† â€Å"Then where'd the dents come from?† I question, peering underneath the hood. â€Å"I had an unfortunate run in with another car,† he says, with a twinkle in his eye as he captures my gaze. â€Å"But I still won.† Ethan sighs and slams the hood shut. â€Å"Get in and we'll take it to the shop.† We pile into the car and Micha drives it up on the grass to maneuver it around Ethan's truck parked in the center of the driveway. We drive down the road toward the shop holding hands over the console, listening to Lila and Ethan chat about their day, something so simple, but so meaningful. When Micha pauses at a stop sign, Mikey's cherry red Camaro rolls up to the side of us. He points at Micha's car and then one of his friends mockingly waves. â€Å"Fucking asshole,† Ethan mutters from the backseat. I roll down the window. â€Å"Is there a problem?† Mikey laughs and aims a finger at the hood. â€Å"What'd ya do to that poor thing? It sounds like it's dying.† â€Å"It sounds a lot better than your piece of shit car on a good day,† I retort, sitting up and sticking my head out the window. â€Å"Ella,† Lila says from the backseat, shocked. â€Å"Let her go,† Ethan says. â€Å"She's very entertaining when she gets this way.† Mikey's greasy black hair shines in the sun as he pokes his head out of the car. â€Å"You can keep talking, but it ain't going to do no good since you're both too chicken shit to race me. You guys proved that at the last race.† â€Å"Only because your small size was unimpressive,† I say with an innocent bat of my eyelashes. That pisses him off. He jumps out of the car and Micha pulls me back in and leans over the console, resting an arm around my shoulder protectively, knowing that Mikey's the kind of guy that would hit a girl. Mikey glances up the street before crouching down next to the door. â€Å"If you two think you're so tough then prove it,† he says with a venomous tone. â€Å"The Back Road, nine o'clock.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure she already explained to you that your car isn't worth our time,† Micha says evenly. â€Å"So back the fuck off and get back in your car.† â€Å"The Back Road, nine o'clock,† he repeats slowly before backing away and climbing into his car. â€Å"And I'm sure with the noises your car's making, it should be a pretty fair race.† He revs his engine, proving something, before speeding off through the intersection, leaving tire marks on the asphalt. â€Å"What a jerk,† Lila says from the backseat. â€Å"Getting in your face like that – who does that?† I turn to Micha with a guilty face. â€Å"I'm sorry.† He delicately sketches his finger along my lips and sighs. â€Å"It's okay. We'll figure something out†¦ Besides you can make it up to me later.† â€Å"We can't fix your car that fast, man.† Ethan leans over the console, shoving the sleeves of his black shirt up to his elbows, revealing several tattoos on his arms. â€Å"It's nowhere close to being in racing condition.† â€Å"I know,† Micha replies and starts driving again. â€Å"I guess we'll just have to go in there blind.† â€Å"It could fall apart if you push it too hard,† Ethan cautions. â€Å"Then you'd be back to square one with it.† â€Å"Wait a minute.† Lila holds up her hands in front of her. â€Å"You guys aren't seriously going to race him, are you?† â€Å"We have to,† Ethan and Micha say at the same time. Lila glances at me for an explanation. â€Å"Why?† Ethan slumps back in the seat and brings his knee up as he turns to Lila. â€Å"It's how things work around here. If we don't, then we'll get hounded for it for the rest of our lives.† â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lila says jolting in the seat as the car hits a pothole. â€Å"What's wrong with that?† Ethan rifles for a way to explain it to her, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. â€Å"It'd be like getting picked on every day in school by everyone in the school.† Lila tucks her hands under her legs. â€Å"That doesn't sound very fun.† â€Å"Exactly, so you can understand why we have to race.† He folds his arms and directs his attention back to Micha. â€Å"Go to the shop, man and we'll see what we can get fixed before it's time to go.†

The Sociopathic Religious Leader and Terrorism

The Sociopath Religious Leader and Terrorism Naturally, when one is given the task to explore terrorism, the first thing one would think to do is look up the definition to establish a deeper understanding. Merriam- Webster defines terrorism as: â€Å"the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal†. This definition can lead one to believe that the word terrorism is nothing more than a subjective, blanketed term that is used loosely to label any act charged with hatred towards the government.This can also lead one to believe that â€Å"Terrorism† is not a word that can be easily fined but definitely has to deal with a basis for political hatred. Currently, scholars can not agree upon a more precise definition for the word. It's meaning varies from country to country, and even person to person. The media leads the general population to believe that terrorism is any violent act committed by a person with radical poli tical beliefs that is pointed towards high government officials but actually takes the lives of innocent civilians.Of course, the events that happened on September 1 lath, 2001 echo this sentiment and the media tells every American that this is the definition of terrorism. But does an act of terrorism always have to be committed by a radical thinker from the middle east with a deep-seeded hate for America? Does it always have to be politically charged? Absolutely not. Politically aimed terrorism is Just one end of the spectrum; however, both Merriam-Webster and the Mass Media would disagree. Both lead one to believe that all terrorism is politically driven. Many scholars also believe there is another fuel behind terrorist attacks.On the other end of the spectrum lies Religion. This world contains religious fanatics that are Just as passionate about their beliefs who are also capable of omitting the same heinous crimes against humanity. To take this one step further: imagine what cou ld happen when you have a passionate person that obsesses and idealizes their beliefs to the point of a mental disability. Many scholars agree upon the fact that there is a level of psychopaths and/or sociopath behavior that is present in the minds of most terrorists. So what happens when you mix a psychopathic brain with extreme religious views?As Americans, we tend to forget that prior to September 1 lath, 2001, the most devastating act of terrorism in the United States was the Oklahoma City Bombings. If one delves past the surface of Timothy McVeigh, they may be surprised at what they find. Timothy McVeigh was more than a man that was angry with the government. Studies done on Timothy McVeigh reveal inherit psychological problems. Studies â€Å"†¦ Suggest that there may be consistent neurological deficits of the prenatal lobes, anterior Cingular gurus and left temporal region behind murderously sociopath behavior. Timothy McVeigh was the textbook definition of a sociopath a nd while he may have denounced his religious views once he was caught, a closer view into his case study proves otherwise. Once you begin to look into his core beliefs you'll discover that he was heavily influenced and involved with the Christian Identity Movement. This â€Å"†¦ Theocratic form of faith that developed in the late sass and movement was a spread like wildfire through rural communities throughout the U. S. In the sass. † Their extreme views are what motivated Timothy McVeigh to put action behind his strong beliefs.The chief guidebook of the Christian Identity Movement was a piece of fiction entitled â€Å"The Turner Diaries† written by William Pierce. In this book, Pierce counts a certain faith-fueled appraisal that happened to be the exact framework for McVeigh bombing. It is as if Timothy McVeigh used this extreme piece of fiction as a step-by-step instructional on how to carry out the bombing. â€Å"In the book, the revolutionaries blow up a fede ral building as part of their intergovernmental war. In real life, the bombing of Oklahoma City's Alfred P.Murray Building was almost a carbon copy of the incident in Pierce's book. † McVeigh even had photocopies from pages on the book on him at the time of his arrest. This event was Just as much faith driven as it was politically charged. As tragic as the Oklahoma City Bombing was, Timothy McVeigh only had one other believer in his cause, his co-conspirator. Over the past couple of decades in America, there have been devout sociopaths that have convinced hundreds of believers to do some peculiar and gruesome things.During the bizarre Heaven's Gate tragedy in 1997, Marshall Applicable convinced 38 people to take their own lives in order to get to Heaven. He convinced them all to eat applesauce laced with a Phenobarbital that contained both arsenic and cyanide. How did he do this? With his smooth talk, convincing tone and personable demeanor. Even ore inexplicable is how anothe r Bible-toting holy-roller by the name of Jim Jones convinced more than 900 people to kill themselves by drinking Cool-Aid. Both Marshall Applicable and Jim Jones had a way with words that could convince people to do absolutely anything.Fortunately for the general public of America, these two monsters didn't have their followers take innocent lives before taking their own. Charles Manson on the other hand was an advocate of getting his followers to commit murder. Charles Manson and his story are both interesting because here is a man with an extremely devoted religious following. His followers committed several orders in cold blood to include shootings and gruesome, multiple stabbings in the name of their leader. Charles Manson proclaimed himself to be both God and the Son of Man and his followers hung onto his every word.It is important to note that Charles Manson committed no killings with his own hands. Everyone that died under his guidance was killed by one of his lowly but loya l followers. Imagine a religious leader as influential as Marshall Applicable, Jim Jones or Charles Manson with thousands of followers that felt the need to inflict harm upon the general public. Shook Sahara was an extreme religious fanatic in Japan that had a rather extensive following. He was the sole creator of the religious affiliation Mum Sonority.His beliefs were originally rooted in Christianity and the Bible but took a drastic turn for the worse once his sociopath mind started to further develop his own personal ideologies and started applying them to his made-up religion. Sahara believed that he was the Son of God and began to preach this to the masses. This man had a way with words and he was able to accumulate a cult-like following of nearly 10,000 people residing in Japan and 30,000 more in Russia. Sharma's cult was truly unique because of its followers: â€Å"†¦ At seems most remarkable about this apocalyptic cult is that its leading members include Japan's best a nd brightest: scientists, computer experts, lawyers and other highly trained professionals. But according to cult expert Margaret Singer of the University of California at Berkeley, these demographics are not unusual. â€Å"Cults actively weed out the stupid and the psychiatric cases and look for people who are lonely, sad, between Jobs or Jilted,† she says. † This is more than likely the main reason behind the widespread following and the high volume of people that read into all of Sharma's beliefs.Sharma's international claim to fame name in 1995 when he initiated a terrorist attack upon the general public that resided in Tokyo. Under Sharma's guidance, a Saris nerve gas was released into the enclosed and confined spaces of the Tokyo underground subway system. The effects of the gassing were catastrophic. There were 13 untimely deaths and more than 5,000 people were seriously injured. Using religion, Sahara convinced 27 co- conspirators to cause harm to thousands upon thousands of people in the name of God. Sahara is one of the ultimate examples of how a sociopath coupled with extreme religion can wreak havoc on society.What if there was a man with an extensive following like Shook Sahara and the motivation to carry out his own dirty work like Timothy McVeigh? Faith-driven terrorist acts committed in the name of God would cause mayhem in residential streets across America. All of these men mentioned, whether they committed acts of terrorism or not, have had many characteristics in common with most terrorists that have been psychoanalysis professionally through an institution. They all exhibit some of the same key certain traits. First, most terrorists are very convincing.Whether they use deceptive charm or descriptive stories to make their followers believe their truth, they can alter pinions and change views in order to make people see their altered view or reality. In the cases of both Timothy McVeigh and Shook Sahara, this rings true. Secondl y, terrorists and sociopaths alike are characteristically known to be highly intelligent. This is evident in the case of Sahara because in order to attract intellectual people, Sahara had to be intellectual himself. Sahara charmed his followers with intelligence and conversed with people on their high level.And lastly, Sociopaths are delusional to the point that they have convinced themselves that their babbling is the absolute truth. There is nothing more convincing that a man that has absolute, 100% confidence in the words that he is preaching. Whether it is a complete lie or not, an unwavering confidence in delivery combined with a zealous belief that it is the truth is enough to motivate thousands. One day in the United States of America, there will be a sociopath religious leader that has a strong cult-like following who is widely accepted and loved by the general public.Business men and politicians alike will endorse his personal views on religion and the major marketing giant s will have him on the covers of magazines and on the front page of newspapers . Rappers and singers will mention him in their songs, and he may even have a verse or two on a hit-song himself, making him a household name. He will make cameo appearances in hit box-office movies and win over audiences across America. Both he and his devoted underlings will have an extreme zeal and undying faith for what they believe.If this sociopath religious leader has a destructive vision that is characteristic of all terrorists, evil and destruction will be a result. His zeal coupled with mass appeal, along with the notion of â€Å"Our work is favorable in the eyes of God† ill result in catastrophic terrorist events nationwide and may even unfold to be the beginning of something much bigger, something that is already written. While the thought of a politically charged terrorist attack is awful, the endless possibilities of faith-driven acts of terrorism are absolutely mortifying.The politic ally driven terrorist has a rational consequence to deal with: backlash from the government and the citizens. On the other hand, the faith-driven terrorist has an irrational view of consequence or concern for his actions because the only audience he is worried with is God. The faith-driven terrorist is liable to do so much more harm to innocent lives because his psychopathic brain may see his work as acceptable according to his beliefs and favorable in the eyes of God.It is his disregard of the consequences that is unbearable and leaves the doors wide open for any and all kinds of terrorist attacks to ensue. The faith-driven terrorist is not bound by the constraints of this world and it is because of this, that the sociopath religious leader is the ultimate terrorist.

Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau s Walden Essays -- United States, H

Thoreau begins his essay with the bold statement, â€Å"That government is best which governs least,† followed shortly by â€Å"That government is best which governs not at all.† Thoreau believed that the government was an unfair presence in the lives of American people. However, although those statements make it sound like he is calling for anarchy, Thoreau quickly revises his position saying, â€Å"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government.† Thoreau states that the government could improve by better serving the interests of the minority, because â€Å"a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it.† Thoreau’s desire was, then, for a limited, moral government that men would respect. He wasn’t calling for the elimination of the governmentany throughout history shared Thoreau’s opinion, especially those who were on the receiving end of the government’s unjust practices. Thoreau felt that a better government was needed and I would argue, that his words are still relevant today. There is always room for the government to improve. Thoreau wanted a government that didn’t just look to the interests of the powerful majority, one in which individuals with consciences lead, instead of a collective power making decisions for the individuals. The people have the right to resist a government that isn’t serving them properly or is treating them unjustly, or is using their funding for immoral causes; in fact, it is the people’s duty to do so, for only through civil disobedience can the people simulate change. Only through a changed government, a better government, will the American people experience true freedom.

Strategic Issues and Options of McDonalds Assignment

Strategic Issues and Options of McDonalds - Assignment Example About 80% of McDonald’s restaurants are being owned and operated by local men and women worldwide who are running the business independently. The primary goal of McDonald’s is to become number one and favorite way and place for customers to eat and drink by providing them their core favorites such as Chicken McNuggets, French Fries, Quarter Pounder and Big Mac (Han, 2008). The strategic direction of McDonald’s is its biggest strength which is the alignment between the franchisees, company and its suppliers and it has been the key to success of the company. It is well-known fact that company’s alignment with its suppliers and franchisees which are collectively known as the System has helped McDonald’s in delivering consistent and locally relevant restaurant experience to its customers worldwide. The business model of McDonald’s enables the company to ensure that it fulfills its promise of delivering best quality products and aesthetic fast food dining and eating experience to its customers. According to Fisher (2011), the business model of McDonald’s is to deliver customers’ experiences that are consistent and relevant to the local restaurant ambiance; the aim of the restaurant is to be a part of the communities that are being served by the country. The primary focus of the company is on low-cost leadership and the idea behind this strategy is that it facilitates their ability for identification, implementation, and innovation so that they are able to meet the changing needs and preferences of customers. The strategic direction of McDonald’s is to focus a customer-oriented approach in which the plan is to provide a common framework for its global businesses that allows the strategy to be locally adopted.  

The Way to Wealth Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Way to Wealth Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example To gain diligence, a student requires undivided attention in class and participation in group works. It is possible to reinforce diligence through readings in articles, journals and other books. A knowledgeable student possesses a large scope of understanding in the electrical concepts. Diligence allows making inferences where concepts are not well understood. Participation in class discussions should be encouraged so that students get to share views and wealth of their understanding of concepts in electricity. To gain diligence is a factor of effort by an individual. With proper understanding of electricity, a student becomes empowered to avoid accidents. The student gets to learn what to do and what to rephrase from doing in an electrical accident. People become empowered to work with electrical cables conducting high voltage due to a good understanding of electricity. Experts in the field lack tension regardless of the danger they expose themselves (Adams 18). Another aphorism inf orms the reader to do today, what he plans to do tomorrow. This indicates the need for research. To keep in pace with the demands of the current world, an electrician cannot be left behind in designing user friendly interphones in the field. It is only through research that safe methods of handling electricity can be developed. Electricity forms the driving force of many economies and gains application in many homesteads all over the world. Through research, ways of application can be reviewed, or new ways developed. New ways of generating electricity can be discovered through extensive research. It is through research that electricity can now be generated from wave tides, wind and biogas. Efficient ways of application and perhaps generation can be developed through research. With the global warming challenge, many rivers used for hydro-power generation are receding. The amounts of Kilowatts diminish continually. Nuclear generation has its share or challenges in disposal of radioact ive matter and the impact on the environment. All fields are facing various challenges prompting aggressive research to be able to sustain the world while taking care of the environment. Through research, the foreseeable problems can be solved and avoided (Hill 592). ‘A little neglect may bring enormous mischief.’ In this aphorism, the writer sought to caution against lack of attention to details. Most electrical accidents happen due to neglect. Installers leave loose live wires hanging around or bare sockets. These become lethal in the homesteads. Fires and electrocution form examples of mischief caused by neglect. Good workmanship should be encouraged to the students. This can be instilled through practical sessions to establish how keen a student remains. Electrical work is sometimes tedious and uninteresting; this may cause a person to overlook basic faults which might later develop into disastrous mistakes. Students usually lack the necessary attention while perfor ming duties. When designing a factory, for instance, careful calculations are involved. If the calculations used are wrong, installations might fail or even blow. Huge losses would be incurred due to small mistakes in calculations. This also calls for discipline and decent work ethics. Imagine the damage that would occur in the ICU unit of a referral hospital due to the negligence of an electrician. Expensive equipment would be destroyed and lives lost. Taking of shortcuts must be

Collaboration Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Collaboration Technologies - Essay Example Groupware minimises interference by technology while maximising interaction among several persons. Laudon and Laudon (2007, p. 287) indicates that groupware provides the required capabilities for collaborative work and communication across an enterprise of between persons and groups. It is used to write and comment on group projects, share important ideas and documents, conducting meetings electronically, tracking projects, scheduling activities and sending e-mails. WordiQ,com (2010) indicates that there are three levels of collaboration and by so doing makes collaboration technologies synonymous with groupware. The three levels of groupware which are dependent on the level of collaboration are communication tools, conferencing tools and collaborative management tools. Electronic communication tools transmit messages, files, data and documents between persons in order to facilitate information sharing. These tools include: email, web publishing and voice mail. Electronic conferencing tools facilitate interaction between persons in the transmission of information. These tools include video conferencing systems, voice conferencing, video conferencing, discussion forums, chat rooms and electronic meeting systems. Collaborative management tools both facilitate as well as manage group activities. They include project management systems workflow systems, electronic calendars and knowledge management systems.