Fast Food Nation Essay

Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser, is a stark and unrelenting look into the fast food industry that has ingrained itself in not only American culture, but in culture around the world. There is almost no place on earth that the golden arches has not entered. Aside from Antarctica, there is a McDonalds on every continent, and the number of countries that have fast food restaurants is growing on a daily basis. Schlosser describes in detail what happens behind the scenes, before the hamburger and fries come wrapped in environmentally safe paper and are consumed by millions of people daily. There are several stories that stick out in my mind. First is the one about a rancher in Colorado. He had resisted the idea of squeezing as many cows in an enclosed area as possible. Instead, he rotates where the cattle eat, what kinds of grasses they eat, and how often they eat it. His ranch was what cattle raising should be. This is in contrast to how a majority of cattle are raised today. They stand in paddocks their whole life where they hardly have the ability to move, and they are fed things that cows aren’t designed to eat ?corn, wheat, chicken parts, and even the leftovers of already slaughtered cattle. Then they are lead up a gangway, into a building where they are first shocked, then hung up by their hooves and have their necks slit, one after another. It harkens back to The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. After one hundred years, the conditions at the meat packing plants have not improved much. It is still the most dangerous job in America. Almost everyone who works there are injured at one point, be it from mechanical smashers or knives that had come too close to their arm. Hundreds of thousands of cattle are slaughtered every day, and that is to keep up with the demand from places like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s. It saddened me to read later that the Colorado rancher committed suicide because he could no longer compete with the large cattle-growers and he was going to lose his livelihood. Another thing that stood out was they way these fast food places treat their workers. Their policy of automation has created a whole group of people that do not have to think to do their job. These people ? usually teenagers ? are paid minimum wage to push buttons and do all of the jobs that used to be done by hand. It gains government subsides for training people with no job skills, such as the poor, young, or disabled. The ironic thing is that they have admitted that they don’t want to have to train people. They want the job to be as easy and training-free as possible, due to their want for uniformity. Uniformity seems to be the way of things at McDonald’s ? uniformity and conformity. If you cannot conform to the mold of a McDonald’s worker, they will simply find people who will, and they don’t have to train them all over again, because the job only requires that you know how to push a button or respond to a light or a beep. The last thing that stands out is the amount of contamination that can occur because of the way these animals are slaughtered. One hamburger from Burger King can contain meat from a thousand different cows. If only one of those cows were sick, then the person eating it can get sick. Then you multiply by how many packages of meat or hamburger was processed that could possibly have that one sick animal in it, you have an epidemic. One sick animal can contaminate ? and cause the recall of ? over 400,000 pounds of meat. That’s a lot of meat to have to bring back, and there are countless people who may have already eaten it and gotten sick, or, like the 6-year-old in the book, died. All of these things ? and the whole book in general ? has turned me off of fast food forever I think. I’ll never look at McDonald’s in the same way again. The food is full of grease, fat, and bacteria that could kill. The food also has hundreds of chemicals in it to make it taste the way it should, rather than the way it does. Seems to me that if their food tasted the way it should in the first place, they wouldn’t need chemicals to do the job. The employment practices of the fast food chains also leave a lot to be desired. They are a great part of the reason that people need more than one job to survive. Because they have so many minimum wage jobs ? even managers only make about $10 to $15 an hour. That had become a norm in the US, where people don’t even make a livable wage. There were a few things I didn’t like about either the book or Schlosser himself. First, he was very liberal, and it showed throughout the book. He practically blamed both Bush administrations for every problem laid out in the book, then praised Clinton and his administration to try and stem the tide of the fast food giants. Then there was Schlosser himself. During his speaking engagement at the college, the first thing he said was that he wasn’t going to try to tell anyone not to eat fast food or go to McDonalds’s or Taco Bell or any other fast food restaurant. He then spent an hour trying to do just that. He said that people spend more time looking into buying a house than deciding what goes into our bodies. My first reaction was â€Å"Of course we do! A house costs tens of thousands of dollars, and a burger costs 99 cents. † I know what he meant by it, saying that the burger will be with us for the rest of our lives and will affect our health in both the short and long run, but it’s not seen that way. If we have high cholesterol, we cal take a pill. High blood pressure? There’s a pill for that, too. There are even pills to help people lose weight. The mentality is that we can eat what we want, and there will be a way to reverse it. The bottom line is that I enjoyed the book and I did learn from it. I’m never eating at one of those places again, and not just because the food is terrible. I refuse to support their employment and food acquisition practices. I’m only sorry that it took me 26 years to get to this stage. Hopefully my children won’t support them either.

The Virgin Group in 2012 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Virgin Group in 2012 - Case Study Example owards the achievement of the companies’ mission which is being a shopper victor through delivery of brand values such as superior quality products dazzling customer service and competitiveness. The vision of the organization is implementing its plan of global presence in travel, entertainment, and mobile communications such that their involvement in this existing markets benefits both the organization and the consumers in general The history of the company dates back in 1968 while Branson was a student and he published a magazine which displayed his sub sequential entrepreneurial features. His magazine targeted the young generation appealing to its optimism, irreverence and its interest in fashion, music and avant-grade culture. He later ventured into mail-order record business in a street in London and in 1984 he ventured into airline business( Rosenberg, 2010). His private company expanded in internal cash flows and external financing with his new businesses concentrated around travel, holidays, retailing, IT, deregulation and privitasation and international expansion. With his ample knowledge in business, Richard amplified consciousness in matters of the business relationship with environment, ethics and the social role pressured his business to creating a project aware design to widen reliable business operations. The management in the virgin company has been in the forefront in contributing to issues of its relationship with culture ,ethics and the social role by participating in initiatives and creating awareness to its stakeholders. Branson believes that employees are the holding pillar to the business and attending to their needs helps the feel the sense of belonging to the company and hence take responsibility in running the company smoothly. The company provides spotless, vigorous and a secure working environment for its workers with reasonable terms and conditions of operation(Great Britain press,2013). This motivates the employees to work harder

Emergency Preparedness in US Prisons and Public-Private Partnerships Research Paper

Emergency Preparedness in US Prisons and Public-Private Partnerships - Research Paper Example It is therefore imperative that US prisons partners with private partners to increase and improve emergency preparedness. 3 This research paper identifies and analyses the special emergency risks associated with US prison systems, its current emergency preparedness regime and the philosophical underpinnings that drive the existing emergency preparedness regime. Finally, and more importantly, this paper investigates the utility of public/private partnerships for improving upon US prisons’ emergency preparedness systems. 3 Emergencies are difficult to predict and even where they are predicted, the outcomes can rarely be precisely anticipated. Prisoners in particular are a unique problem for prison staff in that prisons are already on high alert for prison-like emergencies such as riots, hostage situations, and more importantly prison escapes. Complicating matters for prisons, overcrowding adds a new set of risks that can lead to new emergencies or exacerbate existing emergencies. This is particularly so because the ratio of prison staff to prisoners is entirely unsafe and unsatisfactory. It is therefore imperative that US prisons partners with private partners to increase and improve emergency preparedness. This research paper identifies and analyses the special emergency risks associated with US prison systems, its current emergency preparedness regime and the philosophical underpinnings that drive the existing emergency preparedness regime. Finally, and more importantly, this paper investigates the utility of public/private partnerships for improving upon US prisons’ emergency preparedness systems. In the last decade, the US experienced a number of man-made and natural disasters ranging from the terrorist attacks in 2001, successive hurricanes in Florida in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a result, the American public has grown to expect more of emergency preparedness systems (Kapucu & VanWart, 2006). It is hardly surprising that

Financal Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financal Statement Analysis - Essay Example Consequent to this, the share price movements of Inditex SA and Gap Inc over the past one year are analysed, following which the impact of credit crunch on both the retail firms are discussed. It also confers on their corporate governance issues in detail. Finally, the paper offers recommendations for both Inditex SA and Gap Inc with the purpose of improving their financial as well as operational situation in the upcoming years. Corporate Failure Models for Inditex SA and Gap Inc The findings from the previously conducted financial statement analysis of Inditex SA and Gap Inc suggest that both the companies are financially stable and fit. However, though the present financial position of both the retail companies is stable in comparison to the overall retail industry, it is imperative to assess the susceptibility of these companies to corporate failure or bankruptcy. This can be accomplished by computing the Altman’s Z-score of Inditex and Gap. This is because the Z-scores of the business organizations enable one to forecast the extent of financial distress encountered by the business. It also assists in assessing whether a particular organization is vulnerable to bankruptcy in the upcoming years. ... (Rachlin, 1997). In the above equation, Working Capital/Total Assets ratio determines the net value of liquid assets of the organization in relation to its total assets, while the Retained Earnings/Total Assets gauges the profitability of the organization over time. The EBIT/ Total Assets ratio is the most vital constituent of the equation as it determines the earning capacity of the company. The Market Value of Equity/Total Liabilities ratio determines the organization’s potential to endure a decline in its asset value, where as Net Sales/Total Assets ratio identifies the sales generating competence of the organization’s assets (Rachlin, 1997). The Z-score of Inditex SA and Gap Inc have been computed as follows: Financial Year 2011 Inditex SA (in millions Euro) Gap Inc (in millions US$) Current Assets 5202.51 3926 Total assets 9826.08 7065 Net Sales 12526 14664 Interest 3.56 0 Total Liabilities 3402.91 2985 Current Liabilities 2674.91 2095 Market Value of Equity 42105. 97 14212.29 Earnings before Taxes 2321.59 1982 Retained earnings 6272.3 1086 (Source: Gap Inc., 2011; Bloomberg (a), 2012; Bloomberg (b), 2012) Z-Score of Inditex SA Z= 1.2*(0.257) + 1.4*(0.638) + 3.3*(0.237) + 0.6*(12.374) + 1.0*(1.275) = 10.682. The elevated value of Z-score for Inditex is mainly due to the high value of Market Value of Equity to Total Liabilities ratio of the company. The company has much less liabilities in comparison to its large market capitalization value. Z-Score of Gap Inc Z= 1.2*(0.259) + 1.4*(0.154) + 3.3*(0.281) + 0.6*(4.761) + 1.0*(2.076) = 6.387. The decent z-score for Gap Inc is mainly due to the high value of Market Value of Equity to Total Liabilities and the

Relationship between the physical body and the technology Essay

Relationship between the physical body and the technology - Essay Example Relationship between the physical body and the technology â€Å"The nineteenth century demanded the functional specialization of man and his work; this specialization makes one individual incomparable to another †¦, however, this specialization makes each man the more directly dependent upon the supplementary activities of all others† (Simmel, 1903). Surveillance strategies were enacted to negotiate pay or to track wages. This dictated the impersonal ordering of the clock, engendering feelings of alienation as the individual perceived themselves different from, yet the same as, their co-workers, yet had no room to explore this difference. Explorations into this mechanized realm produced the phantasmagorical, characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions. Through this imagery of the Dada, Surrealism and Letterism movements, the Situationists Movement arose, providing â€Å"their critique of modern culture, their celebration of creativity, and their stress on the immediate transformation of everyday life† (Marshall, 2000). ‘Everyday’ life, they maintain, deadens the mind into numb acceptance, while exploration of the surreal awakens subjectivity. This led to the concept of psychogeography as part of the system of unitary urbanism or â€Å"the study of specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals† (Situationnise Internationale, 1958).

Ethnography-Mock at KFC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnography-Mock at KFC - Essay Example I studied my ethnography research at KFC in a local mall. It was Sunday and I was at the Dolmen Mall around 1 pm. Dolmen Mall is one of the biggest malls down here in New York. KFC was located in the food court on the first fourth floor of the mall. There were a lot of stalls that had covered the entire fourth floor. The stalls were juxtaposed with each other. In front of the stalls, there were tables and chairs and a comfortable seating area arranged for visiting family. The total number of stalls in the area was 25. The stalls belonged to various genres from coffee to desserts to donuts to fast food to continental to oriental food. KFC was stationed right in the center of the food court. On the left side, it had Mr. Burger and on the right side, it had McDonald's. The staff at KFC was mostly young. I felt that the primary reason behind the young staff at KFC was the less pay per hour. The stall was crowded as it was a weekend afternoon. People from different ethnic and religious ba ckgrounds were frequenting to the stalls. I noticed a gang of friends seated comfortably in a stall in front of KFC. They were happily laughing and chatting away. This group of friends was between 15-16 years. It comprised of 4 boys and three girls. They were cracking jokes, and playing with cell phones. One of the girls was meddling with her clutch to take out a mobile phone. I have noticed that men usually carry cell phones in their pants while women carry it in their handbags. I also observed their table manners and concluded that females were better behaved compared to their male counterparts. The conversations that flowed were very colorful. They ranged from cars to food to college gossip to relation statuses. I noticed men were the ones with the greater sense of humor as they would be the one cracking most of the jokes. Girls, however, were more prompt with their insight into the latest gossip and happenings in college.   1) Frame the study as a larger theoretical, policy, o r practical problem. The study will help frame marketing plans at the mall according to the type of gentry that visits it. 2) Pose initial ethnographic research questions. (aside from essential question) Where is it located? What kind of interiors are there? What kind of people is visiting? What kind of conversations is following? How are they behaving? What is the general mood like? What are the differences between the ways in which the guy is interacting and the way in which the guys are interacting?

Should Social Media, Including Facebook, Assist in Law Enforcement Essay Example for Free

Should Social Media, Including Facebook, Assist in Law Enforcement Essay We all know what happened to Jill Meagher. What some of you may not know is that social media played an integral role in solving her murder. Without the use of social media, Jill Meagher’s case may have remained unsolved. Unfortunately, we usually associate social media with negative connotations; however what we haven’t thought of is the positive contributions it could make to our society. One change that we should make that would benefit us incredibly is to use social media, including Facebook, to assist in law enforcement. I don’t have to define to you what social media is, we all use it on a daily basis. If I was speaking to an older audience I may have to explain, but to be honest most of you are going to go home and log onto Facebook. It has always been a part of our world and it probably always will be. Sadly, one part of social media that we are very aware of is that it is often used to harm, to hurt – this is clearly evident in the numerous accounts of cyber bullying. I do not intend to pretend that there aren’t negative aspects of social media; I am simply trying to emphasise the enormous power and influence that it holds. If we could harness this power and rather use it to protect and assist in law enforcement the advantages would be tremendous. So, how can social media help us? One enormously beneficial aspect of social media is in the locating of missing persons. In Australia, one person goes missing every 15 minutes. The police simply do not have the resources to locate all of these people. However, hundreds of media sites have already been set up with the sole intent of finding missing persons. Crimestoppers have a mobile application to help connect the community to the police in reporting crime. Assistant Commissioner Peter Barrie of the New South Wales Police said It is a great way for people to send us a message and support it with a picture, anywhere, anytime,† The new tools offer the community an opportunity to assist in a way that is beneficial to us all. It makes sense to harness social media’s power for good – to solve real life problems such as finding missing persons. More importantly however, social media cuts down those crucial minutes when finding a missing person the minutes that determine whether a person has hope of being found. A powerful real life example of the effectiveness of this method occurred in November 2011 when 13 year old Allie Loftis ran away from her home near Boston. Thanks to social media, her father Tony found her 12 days later, with a 42-year-old sexual predator. After coverage of his Facebook, YouTube and Twitter campaign, local papers and TV stations followed the story and eventually found her. Mr Loftis said that â€Å"†¦the more people there are looking; the more likely you are to find them, that is really just basic common sense. Without the aid of social media, who knows what could have happened to his daughter. Secondly, social media not only provides a way of locating people, but also assists in gathering evidence on suspects. At its core, social media is an online database of personal information, and once it is online, can never be taken down. This method was used in Canada after the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot. The police admitted to being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of evidence provided by social media, enabling them to convict a number of rioters. The frequency of cases being solved through evidence found on social media is large and growing as it is becoming gradually more prevalent and helpful to law enforcement. A survey conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2012 found that 86% of agencies use social media to review profiles and the activities of suspects. This statistic shows how increasingly reliant law enforcement is becoming on social media. Of course, this is not the only way that the police can gather evidence on suspects. Many people today have online identities. This makes it that much easier for investigators to create fake online profiles to track or befriend suspects in order to gain new information and insight into their crimes. They will also be able to gain an understanding of the suspect’s mentality through monitoring their posts, giving them the ability to secure an accurate conviction. The knowledge that the law enforcement agencies are policing the social media pages for potential criminals should provide those who use them for innocent pleasure and chat, a sense of reassurance. Lastly, social media is one of the most effective means of communication when it comes to sending out messages on a large scale. This is why it is such a great platform to inform the public. I guarantee you that every single person in this room will have access to social media right now. Virtually all phones come with internet access; we can get onto Facebook at the touch of a button. How much easier could it get? While users are checking their messages and accepting friend requests, they surely have enough time to look at that missing person picture their friends shared. Within seconds of the Police posting that picture, a user can share it with their entire network of friends, family and co-workers who then can share it within their own networks. A further advantage of using social media to inform the public is the relationship it will create between the police and community. Through the more personal style of communication, social media is likely to help create a climate of trust and foster better interaction with the general public. The police officers seem more â€Å"human† and therefore the public would have more trust in them. People want to be able to talk to the police in whatever way they can, wherever they can. This can be done through social media. Through this it can be seen quite clearly that social media is highly capable of informing the public for the interests of law enforcement. I can understand that some people may have reservations due to the current unregulated nature of social media. However, the answer is not to say that we shouldn’t use it but rather to implement appropriate safeguards in order to refine and regulate these sites. Like all new and revolutionary developments, it may take a while for it to be perfected, but soon using social media to solve crime will be no more unusual than the old fashioned pen and paper. Change is hard to accept, however resisting the use of social media to assist in law enforcement is as useless as it would have been to resist the demise of the horse and cart when cars were invented. Society naturally evolves; we need to focus on the positive and strengthening change this will have on our nation. Our generation have embraced this technology, unlike our parents. It is natural that we should see it as part of the future of law enforcement. As many people say, the youth is the hope for our future. Younger generations do not respond, like our parents, to the traditional media such as newspapers or radio, we respond to a unique function of communication social media. Our most important priority should be our safety, Social media is not the answer to all our problems, but it will bring us one step closer.