Mcdonalds vs Burger King Essay Example for Free

Mcdonalds vs Burger King Essay Let’s look at fast food restaurants. When you hear someone say, â€Å"Let’s go to McDonalds or Burger King,† what comes to mind would you consider the Big Mac or a Whopper? Think of how many calories that goes into each one. When you look at the Big Mac your calorie count is, â€Å"540 with 29 grams of fat and 45 grams of carbohydrates. † The Whopper shows, â€Å"670 calories, 39 grams of fat and 51 grams of carbohydrates. †(www. associatedcontent. com) So which is healthier, McDonald’s wins this one. Less calories in the Big Mac than the Whopper even though Burger King promotes flame broil is better and much healthier. When walking in the restaurants of McDonald’s you get the since of not welcomed until it is your turn to order. Looking around the place, it is clean yet not many people stay to eat there. One or two people will sit and chat for a while before leaving and making their order. One thing is true about McDonald’s, if they mess up your order while you are still there, they will make it correctly and bring it to your table nice and hot no matter what it was you ordered. Now for Burger King, when you enter their door the cashier says â€Å"Welcome to Burger King, can I take your order,† this research has been done in several restaurants in the area. Once you have placed your order you are given a number and a cup to fill your drink, by the time you are done filling your drink you food is ready to go. Looking around the restaurant there are a number of patrons sitting eating laughing and joking around with one another so the atmosphere is a warm and inviting one. McDonald’s seems to be more of a get it and go type of place and Burger King was sit for a while and chat. The goals of each restaurant are simple. The customer is first, satisfaction is a must. We all know that it’s not as simple as it sounds. Let’s compare the two, at Burger King’s customers are greeted with a smile when you walk in, when a customer places an order they have a choice of dining in or take it to go. The customer is given an option to say, â€Å"I will dine in or take it to go,† this shows they are given customers a choice of what they want to do. McDonald’s on the other hand, satisfaction is number one also, but you’re not greeted with a smile, sometimes it seems that the cashiers don’t want to work there or they just seem so tired. When placing an order the customer have to wait for at least five minutes before it is ready. Not so good in the fast food world of service, but satisfaction is what they are striving to have. They both share the same goals but one is more of an over all than the other. McDonald’s have a goal of satisfying their customers at 100% but they sometimes fail at making this goal work. How does the public differ in the choices of McDonald’s over Burger King? For one which taste better, which has better quality, would the customer prefer flame broiled over fried. Take a taste test first, McDonald’s signature burger the Big Mac; as the commercial says, â€Å"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle and onions on a sesame seed bun. † When the customer orders it in the restaurant, it is in fact, much smaller compared to the advertisement suggest. When doing this research, two out of five people got what they really wanted; the other three had to ask for more sauce and less lettuce. When the order was received, it was sloppy, sauce on the sides of the bun and not on the burger. The taste was satisfactory but if you present something that isn’t prepared right the taste falls short. Burger King’s signature burger the Whopper; â€Å"Beef patty, sesame seed bun, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, sliced onions, flamed broiled on a sesame seed bun. † Research shows out of the five customers that were tested at Burger King, each customer got exactly what they ordered and was satisfied with the taste of the meal. One even asked for an extra slice of cheese. Burger King satisfied more customers in the area of taste. Which has better quality of food? This falls very hard when thinking about both restaurants. McDonald’s and Burger King have in fact, had good quality but one out shines the other. As it was stated before McDonald’s Big Mac was served sloppy that was not quality service. In terms of Burger King, the customers were very satisfied with the quality of food and service that they received. Looking at the companies goals is a major difference. Lets take the Mc Donalds organization, one hundred percent customer satisfaction. When looking at this goal, its not always reachable. When this goal is not met, they will do what ever it takes to fix the problem. The next goal that puts them at a higher standard than other competitors, its founded on giving back to the community with the Ronald Mc Donald House and Ronald McDonald Childrens Charities. In each restaurant and drive thru theres a donation box so money can be placed into helping the charities. So many times there have been full boxes of money given. Over the years McDonalds has given millions of dollars back to communities in an effort to help children in need of care. Burger King was founded in 1953, the worlds #2 hamburger chain since McDonalds. All of the burgers cooked at Burger King are prepared by grilling over flamed fire. When looking at how the structure works for them, Burger King doesn’t advertise their products like most competitors. There is no way Burger King can produce more sales than McDonalds due to their marketing strategy which puts them at a disadvantage with McDonalds. Where they can improve on this, they can do more advertisement of their products and open more chains around the world. Burger King does offer its â€Å"own in house charitable organizations† and programs which is the â€Å"Have It Your Way Foundation,† which is also a â€Å"US based non-profit corporation to alleviate hunger and disease prevention. (http://en. wikipedia. org) However Burger King also offers Scholarship Programs for millions of high school children across the United States which is in the memory of the co-founder James W. McLamore. This year alone they have awarded more than $1. 4 million in scholarship funds to 1,258 students and they also have four new awards that they give out but the major scholarships includes one King $25,000 and three James W. McLamore Whopper scholarship $50,000. (Burger King Corporation) The interaction with the public for both restaurants is very different. When walking in the restaurant the employees are very busy taking orders. The sense of urgency is upon them to get the food out fast and perfect. Once the order is placed, there is no time to talk however at Burger King, while waiting on your order the manager has time to chit chat with you. Managers make sure that the environment is warm and inviting. The employees that are cleaning around the tables and chairs make sure that they do notice you. There have been times where the employee asks if they could get something more or a refill. This is what customer service should be like. McDonald’s, on the other hand, there is no sense of warmth. Maybe one person may look your way and ask is everything’s alright, but that’s as far as the conversation will go. At both restaurants there is a difference between the employee and manager. They both have different shirts and tags. Sometimes though it could be hard to tell the difference because if you go to the restaurant late at night it’s more lax than the day time hours where you will have employees and mangers playing around but still doing their jobs. One other thing that these companies do, they do hire the less fortunate, meaning people with disabilities. Both companies start with their signature logo and end with their logo, major difference McDonald’s only takes the order. Sometimes it’s hard to understand what is being said over the pa and the order may get mixed up but there is time when getting to the window to fix it. Not all the time at McDonald’s does the employee have the food ready so the customer is asked to pull over and food will be brought out to them? On one occasion, while waiting for the order as the minutes passed by, no order was delivered. The customer had to go into the restaurant to get the order and it was still not what the customer ordered. One would wonder how many times this has happen in the past. Is drive thru really fast and easy? Thinking it may be better to order inside so the order can be done properly. Burger King Employees smile when taking and giving the orders. Even in the drive thru, the smile can be heard over the pa when placing an order. If a customer has to wait on their order thru the drive thru, they are asked to pull around the front and someone will be out with the order. It is never long that you will have to wait maybe two minutes at the most and the food is hot when it is received. There are healthy choices on the both menus, but do customers often choose the healthy choice? Not always. Looking at the choices of the menus: In some states McDonald’s is required to show the calorie count for the customers. On their boxes that the food comes in, there is also a calorie count that the customer can look at and see just how many calories is listed for the choice that was made for the order.

Business Operations Of Tk Maxx UK

Business Operations Of Tk Maxx UK TK Maxx, part of the Massachusetts based TJK inc. Group of companies, opened its first store in Bristol in 1994, There are now over 260 TK Maxx stores across the UK, Ireland, Germany and Poland. TK Maxx is still a relative new concept. TK Maxx is unique and has no direct competitors. Everything TK Maxx is different. The heart of TK Maxx success lies in business model of offering greater designer labels for up to 60 percent less. The relationship with those labels and designer is critical. TK Maxx talented buyers negotiate fantastic deals from a huge number of suppliers all the way through the season, scouring the fashion and style markets across the world to seize buying opportunities whenever they find them. Company labels for fewer concepts are called off-price retailing and were introduced to the UK from the States in 1994. TK Maxx is still the only fashion off-price retailer in Europe. Designer in a modern and simple way, our stores deliver a smart, no frills shopping experience. This allows us to run a cost-efficient operation and company dont pass on any hidden costs to their customers. The commercial object is to make TK Maxx a household name, synonymous with being smart. TK Maxx has over 500 people at home office, over 10,000 people working throughout the UK and Ireland in their stores and distribution centres. As a progressive, fast paced business the work ethos is high energy. Company describe their business as being accessible, down to earth, friendly, a great leveller, not intimidating. Similarly, our people share a real passion for fashion, are enthusiastic, make the most of opportunities, are individual, resilient and determined to succeed. TK Maxx is the 10th largest fashion retailer in the UK (TNS Fashion Tracker) TK Maxx is the UKs fourth favourite retailer, the third favourite clothing retailer and the UKs favourite shoe retailer for 2009. (Verdict Retail Group). A typical TK Maxx store has over 50,000 items in stock and receives 10,000 new items every week. While TK Maxx is best known for fashion, dont forget our stores sell fabulous accessories, luggage, toys and home ware. Shopping works up an appetite, so Cafà © Maxx is in our stores in Ayr, Swindon, Cardiff, Thurrock, Purley Way and Croydon, TK Maxx value diversity, encouraging different vies, backgrounds and origin. Company are constantly diversity ways in which TK Maxx can make a difference to peoples lives. TK Maxx raises money for charities NCH, Enable Ireland, Cancer Research and Comic Relief. 1(www.TJX.com) Back Ground of Change That exists in Todays Economy Introduction to Change Change is the vital factor for development either business or human, if the human history taken into place as a sample of change, it clearly speak human developed by the change for example human had not had apparel to wear but no human has got cloth industries. There so many example of change, which are obvious and clear brought revolution, as Gues (2010) described to cope with a changing world, an entity must develop the capacity of shifting and changing of developing new skills and attitudes; in short, the capability of learning 2(O Gues Todays Business Magazine January 2010) Change management So we can say that change management is the method, implements and practice to handle the people in business change to achieve the vital business results and to recognise that business change successfully within the social infrastructure of the organisation. The management of change also is practice entail in new values, behaviour and customs within an organisation that help new ways of works and reduce challenges to change, developing harmony among consumers and stake holders on particular changes shaped to better meet their requirements; and planning, testing, and implementing all aspects of the evolution from one organisational formation or business methods to another. Today Economy Globalisation Globalisation is a social, economic and cultural fact which the entire world and now the world become a global village. The progress towards the growth of economic and social ties between countries through expands of corporate institutions and the commercial philosophy that leads to the shrinking of the world in economic terms. Globalisation increases the trust of economies on each other, create the opportunities to be able to buy and sell the goods in any country in the world and it provide the chance for labour and assets to put anywhere in the world. Now the world is the global village and it makes happened with the help of technology, communication networks, internet, growth of economy and progress towards the free trade. There is nothing to be hidden in this world. Todays Economy After taking a beating in the Recession, the world economy is at last starting to turn the corner. There are some indications that recovery is on the way. Businesses are booming. Companies are hiring peoples and the important engine of the economy customer is getting up off the mat and spending money once again. This economy change awake up the shareholder interest towards there business and they want to make the maximum profit and increase the market share of their organisations. Bureaucratic Organisation Max Weber is one of the most leading promoters of bureaucracy. As he described The decisive reason for the advance of bureaucratic organization has always been its purely technical superiority over any other form of organization. The fully developed bureaucratic mechanism compares with other organizations exactly as does the machine with the non-mechanical modes of production. 5.Max Weber (1864-1920) Bureaucratic organizations are suitable in steady environments and for schedule tasks and skills. Bureaucratic structures have plain, well-defined, centralized, vertical hierarchies of command, power and control. Effectiveness and certainty are highlighted through specialization, consistency, and formalization. This results in strictly clear jobs, technologies, and processes. This organisational structures, processes, and roles are like a machine in which each part of the organization does what it is designed to do, but little else. 5.Leo Lingham (2008) Strengths and Weaknesses of Bureaucratic Organisation. The strengths of a bureaucratic organization are first it gave the more command over the employees with clear rules and regulations. In the bureaucratic organisation no confusion as the reporting relationships is clear and well defined. The system is centralized and all the decisions can be monitored. There is consistency and everyone has to follow the same procedure. With many benefits there are some demerits of the Bureaucratic Organisation like the decision making and all the other processes are very slow. The jobs may become boring for the employees. The communication has passed through so many levels that it gets deformed. Too much control depresses originality and creativity. Organisation Development Organisation Development is a planned interference. They are policy consist of specific activities designed to effect change in some side of an organisation. Much interference has been developed over the years focus on different problems or creates different results. However, they all are stepped toward the aim of improving the complete organisation with change. In simple words, organisations that wish to get a high degree of organisational change will employ a full range of interventions, including those planned to change person and group performance and approaches. Individuals trying smaller changes will stop short of those targets, implementing interventions targeted first operating strategies, management structures, employees skills, and workforce policies. Specially, organization development programs will at once add more than one of these interferences. Task Two Develop system to involve appropriate stakeholders in the introduction of change. Change cases (Bennett 1997) are used to describe new potential requirements for a system or modifications to existing requirements. Change cases are modelled in a simple manner. You describe the potential change to your existing requirements, indicate the likeliness of that change occurring, and indicate the potential impact of that change. Figure 1 presents two change cases, one potential change that is motivated by technical innovation ¾in this case the use of the Internet ¾and a second by a change in your business environment. Notice how both change cases are short and to the point, making them easy-to-understand. The name of a change case should describe the potential change itself. Reason of Change Tk maxx is the fast moving business during the credit crunch company face economic crises. Now globally business environment change, companies are going towards recovery from credit crunch. Tk maxx realise that it is the best time to implement the change in the organization. Company analysis by third party to review the business stretcher of the company and the main object was to reduce the cost, improve the efficacy and increase the profit and important of all if the world economy faces crises in future company should be effected at minimal. TK Maxx New System TK Maxx developed system name as BEST. This new system include these main changes from top to bottom Change in Hierarchy Introduce New Log in and Log out Change in product Availability Major Changes in Stores Change in Hierarchy TK Maxx changes the hierarchy of the organisation. In previous system one district manager see the seven stores but now one district manager handle the seventeen stores. TK Maxx has the 260 stores around the UK and Europe so where company has the 37 district now it has only 15 managers. According to this change company will save 22 district managers salaries. On the other hand as a result extra work load on the remaining managers and it can affect their efficiency. Company is taking a bureaucratic decision to eliminate the line managers designation as supervisors and also reduced their annual salaries. Introduce New Log in and Log out Company moved from manual Log in system to electronic system. Company will placed a punch machine in every store for Log in and Log out. This change will help to reduce the issues of employees regarding work hours. Change in Product Availability TK Maxx change their product availability cycle. First company purchase officers made purchase from the around world but this purchase was not according to the demand of store managers. In new system store managers will place a request first according to their demands. TK Maxx head office process this request immediately and will deliver once a week. Major Changes in Stores In new system the fitting room sequence will change. Company will change the floor maintenances cycle. There will be one associate is every time available to maintain the floor. Product availability was the major issue. Products are going in the shelf throughout the day. According to this new system all the products will be in the shelf before 12:00 pm. Suggestions for Appropriate Model for Changes Company has changed its Bureaucratic atmosphere, so it utilized the manpower in a sophisticated way and save the cost of many district managers. Through the new login system company all save the time of management and as well the fare and clean job timing of company employees. Company change the product availability sequences to available the product on managers demand and also change the maintainers sequence. Results of this change are cost effectiveness and effective communication from management to there employees. To enhance the quality control process, company should hire good, experience and professional staff because now a days it is the marketing trend that products always sell on the behalf of quality, features, benefits and excellent presentation. There is no need of separate training manager. Company should give this responsibility to HRM department so by adopting this change company can save budget. Company should launch some incentives for employees because motivation in all types always motivates to employees and these employees are the back bone of company.

The Physical Atmosphere in Faulkner’s Dry September :: Faulkner’s Dry September Essays

The Physical Atmosphere in Faulkner’s Dry September An anonymous patron in the barbershop at the beginning of â€Å"Dry September† makes one of the key statements in the short story: â€Å"It’s this durn weather. . . It’s enough to make a man do anything† (170). The patron sees the heat and drought as having possibly driven a black man to attack or offend a white woman. The idea that the weather has an effect on the townspeople is echoed at the end of the story when McLendon’s wife says, â€Å"I couldn’t sleep. . .The heat; something† (182). In both examples, the climactic conditions and external environment are seen as affecting the town dwellers’ behavior. The physical atmosphere, however, seems to be more a reflection of the emotional atmosphere of the townspeople than the cause of their agitation, as the barbershop patron would have us believe. In particular, the dust that pervades the story can be seen as a reflection of the dried-up, monotonous, and lonely existence of Minn ie Cooper. She lives with two old women, her sick mother and her â€Å"sallow, unflagging† aunt, and Minnie’s days are typically filled with nothing more than eating, napping, and going to shops in town to meet with other women haggling over prices for the fun of it (173). Minnie does not even have genuine friendships to enliven her â€Å"idle and empty† or dry and dusty days (175). Instead of establishing a female camaraderie between characters, Faulkner portrays relations between women as marked by tension and dissimulation; â€Å"one of those bitter inexplicable (to the man mind) amicable enmities which occur between women† (156, Absalom, Absalom!). As Minnie’s presumed friends during girlhood become women, they take pleasure in the fact that Minnie’s transition to womanhood marks the end of her days as a social butterfly; Faulkner calls it the pleasure of â€Å"retaliation† (174). The neighbors she visits on Christmas, women â€Å"friendsâ⠂¬  most likely, revel in the opportunity to tell her of how well her former love-interest is doing without her in Memphis, â€Å"watching with bright, secret eyes her haggard bright face† (175). When Minnie is having a fit of uncontrollable laughter at the end, the women she is with act solicitous and kind, smoothing her hair and saying â€Å"poor girl† to her, but this is shown to be dissimulation—they smooth her hair, not to comfort her, but to look for signs of graying, and between the expressions of compassion spoken in Minnie’s hearing, they speculate furtively over the veracity of her claim (182).

Misunderstandings of a Foreigner in American Culture Essay -- American

I still remember the shock I got when I first moved here. What a terribly superficial culture this country has, I thought. The way people treat each other, especially in conversations! At the beginning they ask you: "How are you?" But beware! They don't really want to know how you are, and if you make the mistake of actually giving them a detailed account of your well-being, they'll shun you for weeks. On the other hand, you're required to immediately embrace all new acquaintances with the standard "Nice to meet you." Maybe you weren't even in the mood to meet somebody at this particular moment, and if she or he turns out to be just another perfectly intolerable human being, then you lied to the entire world around you! I had some serious objections to this whole game. Unfortunately, even I am human and realized that it was either going to be adaptation or getting the heck out of this country, and my finances narrowed it down to the first choice. In addition to my little blunders with American small talk, I also had quite a few instances of misunderstandings, and it certainly was not because my English wasn't fluent! I could tell you about the time I had an enticing little talk with a seriously cute guy who threw me a "I'll call you later" at the end of the conversation. Dummy me, sat by the phone the rest of the evening waiting for him to call. Is this an instance of gendered communication, or is it just a sign of the "American" times? How often do we use these vague phrases to be non-committal with almost anybody? These sentences have lost any actual meaning; they're an easy, "polite" way out of any situation. We refuse to give a concrete answer and therefore we can't be tied down to any kind of commitment. It's a good way to... ...erstood! -- by the opposite sex I would like men to be on the lookout for these revolutionary and radical women because, after all, we women have the power to send you all back to your beloved "caves"! Works Cited Gray, John. "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." Writing the World: Reading and Writing about Issues of the Day. Ed. Charles R. Cooper and Susan Peck MacDonald. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 16-25. Tannen, Deborah. "'Put Down That Paper and Talk to Me: Rapport-Talk and Report-Talk." Writing the World: Reading and Writing about Issues of the Day. Ed. Charles R. Cooper and Susan Peck MacDonald. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 8-16. Troernel-Ploetz, Senta. "Selling the Apolitical". Writing the World: Reading and Writing about Issues of the Day. Ed. Charles R. Cooper and Susan Peck MacDonald. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 67-73.

Building A Campfire :: essays research papers

There are many different campfire structures that can be built to start a fire while camping. The most common are the teepee, log cabin, dugout, and tunnel structures. Almost anyone can build these fires if he or she follows some key points. A fire needs three elements: air, fuel, and an ignition of some kind. For a campfire the air element is easily accessible; it's the air a person breaths or oxygen. Fuel is equivalent to wood. Sometimes lighter fluid is used to start big fires immediately, but usually when dealing with a campfire the fuel is wood. Ignition can come from a spark, match, or lighter. It is anything that initially starts the fire. Going deeper into wood, there are three categories to classify it under. Kindling is the stuff that is easiest to burn. It could be leaves, dryer lint, or very small twigs. The next size of wood is sticks and small logs. These will range in size from one half inch to two inches in diameter. Anything larger than this is classified as the fuel. The fuel is the big logs that will burn for hours. When a fire is started it needs to be built like this: kindling first, then sticks and small logs, and then the fuel, once the fire is going good. Using this technique with the following fire structures will ensure hot easy fires. The teepee style structure is probably the most used and easiest to build, but doesn't necessarily result in the hottest or longest burning campfire. To build this fire think about the name "teepee." The end result before burning this structure looks like an Indian's teepee (If the teepee shape is not familiar, then envision a conic shape). Start by placing the intermediate size wood or sticks in the ground in a circular shape about eight to twelve inches in diameter, leaning the tips of the sticks together in the center. The sticks should already start to resemble a teepee shape. Continue layering the walls of the teepee with more sticks, but not too thick, because air needs to be able to pass through the walls easily. Leave a hole on one side large enough to place kindling inside the stick walls. This hole is also left to light the kindling from the inside and may be filled in once the fire is lit. Once this is completed, the structure should be a recognizable teepee or cone shape. The kindling should be lit on the underside inside the teepee walls through the hole

What changes are needed to the present Ethiopian, Eritrean and international economic

The current policies in place designed to reduce the effects of famine in the African countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea are a long way from achieving their goals. Famine has been a regular occurrence for hundreds of years. Ethiopia and Eritrea depend on two rainy seasons a year to ample crop growth. Sweeping changes must be made at local, national and international level if the severe problem of famine is to be brought under control and eventually eradicated. 85% of the rural population relies on rain, as farming is the main source of income (Jonathon Steele in Addis Ababa reports on efforts to contain disaster). In Africa annual rainfall varies dramatically and this plays a vital role in the success or failure of crops each year. There are also regional differences in the level of rainfall throughout Africa which means that drought cannot be assessed as a nationwide issue but as a regional issue. Current policies to regulate management of land are largely ineffective. The over-cultivation and mismanagement of land is leading to shortfalls in food production. Food growth is increasing annually by 0.6%, in contrast population in Africa is growing at 2.9%. (www.ethioembassy.org.uk) Also read this  Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy The ground surface of an area can be dramatically altered by processes such as overgrazing or over cultivation. This has a dramatic effect on the formation of clouds and subsequently levels of precipitation. (Draught and famine workbook) Steps need to be taken to change the way land is cultivated to prevent over intensive cultivation, before any steps can be taken towards eradication of famine, if the African people cannot become self sufficient then they stand little chance of escaping the cycle of drought leading to famine. Schemes and Policies designed to ease famine and drought The African government has introduced a range of schemes designed to reduce the risks posed by drought. Huge investment in agriculture has been made since 1991. This includes rural credit schemes and the creation of dams to catch rainfall. On an international level the World Bank has offered a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½300 million loan for rural road building. The World Bank and International Monetary fund have given their support for the reduction of subsidies on fertiliser prices; which has forced farmers to cut back on their use. (Jonathan Steele) Resulting in a fall in crop yields, leading to a fall in food supplies. A worrying trend is the increasing use of inorganic fertilisers by African farmers. They cause untold damage to the environment, releasing chemicals into the water, harming both people and vegetation. These inorganic fertilisers are purchased from the more affluent economies which mean's that African farmers must pay in cash for fertilisers which increase crop yields but which are ultimately destroying their own ecosystem in the process. This is indicative of the lack of sustainable food production policies in Ethiopia and Eritrea. (www.ethioembassy.org.uk) A nationwide scheme introduced by the African government gives farmers who own more than 0.5 hectares of land, improved seed varieties, fertilisers and pesticides, on loan. This has seen results in many areas which have led to higher incomes for some farmers. Schemes such as this yield benefits today but the future cost and effect on the environment in the long term is as yet unknown. (Information from Oxfam, leaflet no OX450 May 1997) Schemes to counteract the problems of soil erosion have been introduced. Oxfam in partnership with thousands of volunteers in community programmes are attempting to rebuild the land. Millions of trees have been planted to help curb soil erosion and to put back nutrients into the soil. (Information from Oxfam).Reforestation projects are of paramount importance in regenerating the land and preventing soil erosion and leaching of vital nutrients. Types of farming Many of the crops grown by African farmers are cash crops. These crops are often unsuitable for the environment in which they are grown and leach vital nutrients from the soil. As agriculture is the main source of income for 85% of the population cash crops are vital to the survival of many African farmers. Nomadic pastoralism is the most efficient form of land use in arid and semi arid lands where crop production is very risky due to high annual variances in climate. (Kilby 1993, Scoones 1995) â€Å"Development policies introduced over the Last fifty years have undermined the traditional management of pastoralists†. (Kilby 1993) Kilby states that they have focused on the extension of crop production into marginal areas, on sedentary ranching, and on an expansion of national parks. Such policies deny pastoralists resources and the ability to roam freely which they require to feed their herds, especially during periods of drought. Many of the policies introduced with the intent of reducing the impact of draught on the peoples of Africa actually hinder them. Conclusion Policy changes within agriculture are urgently needed. Technological change which will stabilise production at higher levels is also needed. Money needs to be invested in researching drought resistant crops, and a higher level of irrigation is also required if droughts are going to cease to be a catalyst for famine. Agricultural productivity needs to be dramatically increased in order for individuals to become self-sufficient. It is only through better management of agriculture that famine can be eradicated in the long term rather than simply on a short term basis. Policies need to be changed and action taken, short term, and more importantly long term, so as to reduce the severity and frequency of the occurrence of famines in Africa. The issue of famine and drought is highly complex and is very difficult to resolve. â€Å"Famine is a direct result of drought; however it is the vulnerability of people when faced with reduced food availability that turns the situation into a disaster†. (Information from Oxfam) Long term policies need to focus on food security, ensuring that food supplies are large enough to sustain the population and that excess food supplies are managed to ensure the populations survival during drought years. In the past excess food supplies have been sold to foreign countries for profit rather than being kept to feed the African population during times of famine. Government policies need in the short term to focus on making people self sufficient before they can tackle issues of producing surplus crops to sell. Existing policies have made little difference to the situation. Much still needs to be done for the long term prevention of famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Is the death penalty racist against blacks? Essay

I. Introduction There are several queries which came up in my inquisitive mind and try to discover and comprehend what are the possible grounds that judiciaries are basing his/her verdict and judgment in sentencing death penalty to a defendant or the accused himself. Death penalty is the heaviest and most depressing sentence for the accused; thus, it ends his chances to change. Come to think of it, the accused will not be given a chance to renew himself and become a better citizen in our country. Several countries around the globe are in favor to such act and even legalized it. But do we really have the right to execute death penalty to an accused? Is this act not a violation of human rights? Where did death penalty start? Does it really help lessen the growing crimes? Or can’t we just find another alternative to lessen crimes? These are some of my queries and up to now, I am trying to understand both arguments of pro and anti. I do understand why there are group of people support this kind of penalty or sentence. These are the group of people who want justice for those who are badly treated, abused and harmed; and most of these people also undergone such mistreatments or maybe their love ones. But how about if the accused is not really the one who commit the crime, is just frame up and does not have enough evidences to prove he is not guilty of it? And in practicing such law, does death penalty will not show biases, racism, and prejudices of whom the judiciaries will give such sentence? Furthermore, according to others that death penalty is the best way to control and lessen crimes. It has been an argument not only in the United States of America but as well as around the globe. The death penalty is well-thought-out by most cultured and enlightened nation-states as an inhumane and callous sentence or chastisement. In addition, death penalty has been de facto by 106 countries and since 1990, there were about 30 nation-states which have put an end to it. Moreover, the death penalty has continuously put into practice in some nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States of America, Iran and China which are the most profuse executioners in the globe. However, international official papers have constrained and in several circumstances even banned the death penalty, its function and relevance does not contradict customary international law. Ample debates have continued in the United States of America as to whether it comprises a suitable chastisement at least to the most dreadful crimes (see â€Å"Human Rights: Death Penalty†. Derechos Human Rights). Moreover, this issue has been continually debated in United States of America due to its fact that racism is almost present every time a judge makes a sentence for the defendant or accused. The illustration below shows the racial breakdown of district Attorneys* in United States Death Penalty States and was taken from the website http://www. deathpenaltyinfo. org/article. php? scid=45&did=539. The focal points of this study are to: (1) understand what death penalty is; (2) figure out how death penalty arises or starts; (3) be aware of the different methods used to execute people; (4) recognize the religious views on death penalty; (5) find out if there is any racism involve in performing death penalty; and (2) acquaint us the number of executions performed and the race who faced death penalty due to racism in different states of United States of America; (6) know the public opinion polls on the death penalty issue; (7) learn the death penalty statistics and; (8) recommend possible remedies or alternatives to abolish death penalty. II. Background A. What is death penalty? Death penalty is considered as a capital punishment and is an execution of a convicted offender by the State which serves as chastisement for crimes committed which is recognized and called as capital offenses or capital crimes. Death penalty is the most discussed issue in penalizing or sentencing the convicted criminal. The term â€Å"capital† was taken from a Latin word â€Å"capitalis† that refers to â€Å"concerning the head†; thus, to be susceptible to capital punishment would simply refers to metaphorically lose one’s head. Moreover, the United States of America, majority of the Caribbean, Guatemala and other democracies in Africa and China continue to have its approval on death penalty but amongst of those democratic nations globally, majority of the European and Latin American states have put an end with the capital punishment. While on countries that are not democratic by nature, the death penalty execution is not unusual yet not practiced by all. There are certain crimes that are specified by laws that need to be sentenced with death penalty depending on countries where the crime committed. Nowadays, most countries that practiced and applied death penalty used it as a punishment for crimes such as treason, part of the military justice, murder and espionage. But for Muslim countries, death penalty is used as punishment for offenses such as sexual crimes (which include sodomy and adultery) and religious crimes like apostasy (abandonment of one’s faith and belief). There are countries too that considered drug trafficking as a capital offense and in China, serious cases of graft and corruption and human trafficking are sentenced by death penalty. But in the military world, death penalty is practiced for offenses like desertion, mutiny; insubordination and cowardice (Bailey, Harris, & Jones, 2005).