Angela?s Ashes: The Setting Effects The Actions Of The Characters Essay

The autobiography Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt tells the life of the McCourt family while living in poverty in Limmerick, Ireland during the 30’s and 40’s. Frank McCourt relates his difficult childhood to the reader up to the time he leaves for America at age nineteen. The book has many prevailing themes, but one of the most notable is the settings relationship to the family. The setting of the book ultimately influences the choices and lifestyle of the McCourt family in many ways. Living in poverty and not being able to meet basic needs leads the characters to result to desperate measures such as stopping Frank McCourt’s education and taking a job to support the family. Frank is forced to take the job mostly because his father is an alcoholic and uses all the dole money and his wages to buy beer instead of feeding his family. Frank describes this pattern of drinking away the money by saying " When Dad comes home with the drink smell there is no money and Mam screams at him till the Twins cry."(42) This situation lasts until Mr.McCourt leaves to work in England and is never heard from again which forces Frank to take a job at fourteen years old. Frank takes on the role of the head of the family proudly and comments " Its hard to sleep when you know you know the next day you’re fourteen and starting your first job as a man." (p.309) Frank’s ability to provide financial stability leads to greater comfort and living conditi ons for the family. The members of the McCourt family are also forced to beg and steal in order to help the family’s well being. Mrs.McCourt begs charities especially the St. Vincent de Paul Society for help with basic necessities for the family such as food, clothing, and furniture. Mrs.McCourt is even forced to beg for the family’s Christmas dinner. The butcher who she begs to tells her " What you can have now missus, Is black pudding and tripe or a sheep’s head or a pig’s head."(97) Mrs.McCourt reluctantly accept the pig’s head and is ridiculed walking home it. Also, the children are forced to pick up scraps of coal for the fire from a road on Christmas Day. Frank describes the children’s humiliation by saying, " Even the poorest of the poor don’t go out Christmas Day picking coal off the road." (99) Unlike their mother the McCourt children would rather steal than beg for what they need. The ... ...e’ll put stuff on a paper on the scale with the paper hanging down on her side behind the counter where she thinks you can’t see it." (66) Also, the religious of Limmerick discriminate against poor children as in the case when Frank McCourt tries to become an alter boy but is denied. Mrs.McCourt explains why he is denied by saying " They don’t want boys from lanes on the alter. Oh, no they want the nice boys with hair oil and new shoes that have fathers with suits and ties and steady jobs"(149). The Mc.Court family is constantly aware of the discrimination it faces because of the poverty they live in. The various settings of " Angela’s Ashes" effect the characters’ actions and lifestyle in various ways. Living in poverty challenges the family to meet basic needs through begging and stealing as well as children getting jobs to help the situation. Also, the poor housing causes the family to be subjected to disease and coldness. The society the McCourts were part of causes the family to be aware of social prejudice and learn actions to take in order to protect their rights. The setting of the book influences the McCourt family’s actions and style of living. Angela?s Ashes: The Setting Effects The Actions Of The Characters Essay The autobiography Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt tells the life of the McCourt family while living in poverty in Limmerick, Ireland during the 30’s and 40’s. Frank McCourt relates his difficult childhood to the reader up to the time he leaves for America at age nineteen. The book has many prevailing themes, but one of the most notable is the settings relationship to the family. The setting of the book ultimately influences the choices and lifestyle of the McCourt family in many ways. Living in poverty and not being able to meet basic needs leads the characters to result to desperate measures such as stopping Frank McCourt’s education and taking a job to support the family. Frank is forced to take the job mostly because his father is an alcoholic and uses all the dole money and his wages to buy beer instead of feeding his family. Frank describes this pattern of drinking away the money by saying " When Dad comes home with the drink smell there is no money and Mam screams at him till the Twins cry."(42) This situation lasts until Mr.McCourt leaves to work in England and is never heard from again which forces Frank to take a job at fourteen years old. Frank takes on the role of the head of the family proudly and comments " Its hard to sleep when you know you know the next day you’re fourteen and starting your first job as a man." (p.309) Frank’s ability to provide financial stability leads to greater comfort and living conditi ons for the family. The members of the McCourt family are also forced to beg and steal in order to help the family’s well being. Mrs.McCourt begs charities especially the St. Vincent de Paul Society for help with basic necessities for the family such as food, clothing, and furniture. Mrs.McCourt is even forced to beg for the family’s Christmas dinner. The butcher who she begs to tells her " What you can have now missus, Is black pudding and tripe or a sheep’s head or a pig’s head."(97) Mrs.McCourt reluctantly accept the pig’s head and is ridiculed walking home it. Also, the children are forced to pick up scraps of coal for the fire from a road on Christmas Day. Frank describes the children’s humiliation by saying, " Even the poorest of the poor don’t go out Christmas Day picking coal off the road." (99) Unlike their mother the McCourt children would rather steal than beg for what they need. The ... ...e’ll put stuff on a paper on the scale with the paper hanging down on her side behind the counter where she thinks you can’t see it." (66) Also, the religious of Limmerick discriminate against poor children as in the case when Frank McCourt tries to become an alter boy but is denied. Mrs.McCourt explains why he is denied by saying " They don’t want boys from lanes on the alter. Oh, no they want the nice boys with hair oil and new shoes that have fathers with suits and ties and steady jobs"(149). The Mc.Court family is constantly aware of the discrimination it faces because of the poverty they live in. The various settings of " Angela’s Ashes" effect the characters’ actions and lifestyle in various ways. Living in poverty challenges the family to meet basic needs through begging and stealing as well as children getting jobs to help the situation. Also, the poor housing causes the family to be subjected to disease and coldness. The society the McCourts were part of causes the family to be aware of social prejudice and learn actions to take in order to protect their rights. The setting of the book influences the McCourt family’s actions and style of living.

Limbo, Nothings Changed, and Blessing Essay -- Poetry Tatamkhulu Afrik

Limbo, Nothings Changed, and Blessing â€Å"Write about the various ways in which the poets present their ideas and give the reader an insight into different cultures.† The three poems that will be studied are: Limbo by Edward Kamau Braithwaite Nothings changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker The cultural location and inspiration (for the writers) of these poems is of great curiosity (to many readers) and also of high deviation, thus the way in which we are given an insight into the different cultures will be considered very carefully. Limbo Edward Kamau Braithwaite, the writer of Limbo is creating tension and anxiety, while at the same time expressing his view of slavery in the poem, he is trying to create the effect of a ship filled with evil and is trying to make the reader see that slavery is far from good but actually very, very cruel, he tells the story of afro Caribbean slavery in a rhyming & rhythmic dance. He has made it a very motivating and complex poem. I feel that there are two meanings or storylines to the poem the first and main narrative being a play being acted out on the ship showing the cruel and evil history of Afro Caribbean slavery, and the second being a more upbeat and blissful side to the poem which is portraying the actions of the limbo dance. The first three quarters of the poem deal with slavery and the limbo dance combined together while the last quarter of the poem is like the sun breaking and light coming out, it only deals with the happiness that there is around the limbo dance in much more detail and describes how their is light at the end of the tunnel for the slaves. The poem has a very strong beat, signifying the dance that is being po... ...heme that has been incorporated into the poem. Rhythm has not been used in the poem, it is very brief, and gives the effect of ordinary speech. We have a clear sense of Imtiaz Dharker’s culture; water is valued very highly, (as people’s lives depend on this supply). Personally I feel that In Britain we constantly take water for granted and should not and that the poet maybe trying to convey to us a very important message. The poem ends with a picture of the littlie children naked and screaming. The sense of their beauty is overshadowed by the idea of how weak, fragile and helpless they are. Overall I feel this poem is the best poem (of the three) to give the reader an insight into different cultures in a brief and logical way, however I feel that Tatamkhulu Afrika Who wrote â€Å"Nothings Changed† present his ideas in the most vivid and original way.

Bartolome de las Casas: The Devastation of the Indies

The Devastation of the Indies† and was a friar who became famous because he defended the rights of the Indians. He took a brave stand against the horrors and cruel blooded Spaniards, saying he didn't understanding of how God could allow the innocent Indians to suffer. In his document De lass Cases gave his views of the nature and character of the Indians, of the Spanish, and of the Spanish treatment of Indians. De Sis Cases say about the Indians that they don't have malice or bitterness, they are â€Å"humble, patient and peaceable.Physical they can't work hard because they are weak and get sick easily. They don't wont to possess worldly goods and they are not greedy . He says what they really want Is that they just want to learn and Just to learn about God and that they are eagerness and they have goodness† of nature. The Spaniards nature, according to De lass Cases, Is they don't have compassion for anybody they are cruel and blood thirsty people who treat much better horses and cows than a people, and also they are destroying an infinite number of souls and they are just doing it because they are greedy and want to became rich and to acquire De lass Cases views of theSpaniards treatment of Indians was that they type of people they call them as beast because is what they earn all buy their actions that they took, a Capitan order to struggle this Indian nobles just because they disturbed the Capitan sleep because they are screaming, and the person how order the Capitan to executioner did not obey the order that he give you, the Capitan decide to burn them slowly and watch them die.But Hatter comes from Cuba Just to say them that the Christians are coming he Just say this Just for those that are following him The Spanish Capitan he convert as an enemy of the human race, what he do Is that e put a dog as a security so they can escape or try something, the Indians make a mistake they kill some Christians so the Spanish Capitan he take this act us a r evenge so every Christian that they die there goanna kill o capture thousand Indians hatter comes from far away to Cuba to protect the Indians and to fight with them one of the Indians say is that they been struggle them and kill them off just because they don't want be part of them and follow there God hatter say that part of his followers are coming from Haiti ,then they go to see the god the Christians and what happen is hat there was a basket cover a bunch of Jewelry and gold and what they discovered is that if they despaired the gold there goanna forget everything and there goanna stop kill them off so they took the basket and they flung In the river.Then they captured hatter and they kill him Just because he defend those Indians from the cruel and blooding Christians so they tied him to the shake so a friar come to him and he say that he is going to hell just because he didn't be part of the Christian faith go to hell in still of going to heaven because a real God don't not pe rmit. The inclusion is that Bartholomew De lass cases was a man how fight for Justice because there were been cruel with the Indians because they refuse to believe in god so that why they want to kill them of . They couldn't defend them self and then later on the Capitan he made a rules if they kill one Christian there going to kill a thousand Indians so they capture a lot of Indians and they struggle them , with these infernal methods of tyranny they debase and weaken countless numbers of Indians , when Hatter hear about how there been treading the Indians he desire to stand for them ,but later on they capture him and they kill him.

New Idea for an Old Brand Essay

As a way to freshen up the traditional brand and to gain more exposure, the granddaughter of the Margaux family wanted to begin mass marketing a new wine brand. The idea would be to use different grapes in order to be more accessible to the younger generation. The target price range would be â‚ ¬20-â‚ ¬25 per bottle (Dessain, 2011). There are a large number of young wine drinkers who cannot afford the high prices of the current Gran Vin brand and are therefore not being attracted to the Chateau de Margaux vineyards. If these consumers were introduced to an affordable brand of wine from the Margaux estate, then they may be more likely to recognize and trust the brand. That way, when they are looking for a more expensive wine, they will first go to their label of Grand Vin from the Chateau de Margaux collection. General Concerns: Some of the issues with this suggestion are: maintaining the exclusivity of the original brand, ensuring that consumers still feel motivated to pay the higher price point, and they will also now need a distributor, marketing team, and an ability to focus on more than one brand of wine. In this particular case, the Margaux business has a close-tie who is very familiar with the distributorship and marketing of wine, and therefore this is a solution to one of the issues; however there are several of the other issues that remain very pertinent concerns, as we will discuss later on.

Narrative Voice in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Read the passage from Pride and Prejudice (volume 1, chapter XVII) carefully several times. Then, in an continuous essay of no more than 1,000 words, analyse the passage, discussing ways in which the narrative voice and dialogue are used. Throughout the passage, Jane Austen uses a variety of different narrative and dialogue techniques. The reader hears from three different people, an omniscient narrator, Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Bennet. Through these characters the technique of â€Å"showing† is used, which involved direct speech and â€Å"telling† where the narrator describes what is happening, what the characters are saying and how they are feeling. The â€Å"showing† technique allows the reader to see what the characters are saying to each other, so in this passage, the reader ‘sees’ the conversation between Elizabeth and Jane. â€Å"Telling† involves the use of free indirect speech and focalization, giving the reader a detailed view of the character and â€Å"telling† the reader what the character is thinking and feeling. The passage opens with the omniscient narrator introducing a discussion between Jane and Elizabeth regarding Mr. Wickham’s dealings with Mr. Darcy. Austen uses the â€Å"telling technique† to introduce this passage to give clarity to the reader as to what the discussion is about, Austen opens with â€Å"Elizabeth related to Jane the next day, what had passed between Mr. Wickham and herself†. Elizabeth has decided to share her conversation with her sister Jane the following day, which means that Elizabeth has firstly had time to digest what Wickham has told her and secondly the narrator is telling us that she is close to her sister, because she is sharing this important information with her. The narrator uses free indirect speech which allows the reader to trust Elizabeth’s account of Wickham to be true, even though the reader does not know what has been spoken between the sisters. The narrator uses Jane for focalization. Through the â€Å"telling† technique the reader is allowed to see Jane’s reaction to Elizabeth’s encounter with Wickham, Austen writes â€Å"Jane listened with astonishment and concern†. Jane is â€Å"astonished† because the reader knows she thinks so highly of Bingley and she does not believe he would be connected with Mr. Darcy if the statement was true, â€Å"she knew not how to believe that Mr. Darcy could be so unworthy of Mr. Bingley’s regard†. Jane is concerned as she is hoping for a marriage with Mr. Bingley and does not want anything to ruin her plans, the narrator informs, â€Å"it was not in her nature to question the veracity of a young man†. Jane’s character is not one which would look for bad qualities in a person and through this form of free indirect speech; Austen is able to create a tone and expression which Jane’s character would use. Jane concludes that s he wishes to keep an open mind and believes there is another explanation for what has passed stating â€Å"It is in short impossible for us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which may have alienated them†. The next part of the passage shows direct speech between Jane and Elizabeth, and the â€Å"showing† technique is used to state their difference of opinions. Jane feels there is no one to blame other than misunderstanding on both parties. Elizabeth however, uses a mocking tone in her response to Jane exclaiming â€Å"and now, my dear Jane, what have you got to say on behalf of the interested people who have probably been concerned in the business?† Elizabeth is trying to convince her sister that her point of view is the correct one, and also by referring to Jane as â€Å"my dear Jane† although she is mocking her, there is fondness and closeness for her sister and it highlights Jane’s character of seeing the good in all people and a little naivety on Jane’s character. Throughout the dialogue between Jane and Elizabeth the narrator is â€Å"showing† the reader how Elizabeth is trying to convince her sister that Wickham is being honest in his account of his dealings with Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth gets the reader to instinctively believe what Wickham has told her, without question or doubt. The reader trusts what Elizabeth is saying and the likability of the character also emphasises this. Elizabeth past accounts of events have been very shrewd if a little ironic, however the reader may guess that Elizabeth may be wrong in her prejudice towards Mr. Darcy. Although Elizabeth uses facts and names to convince Jane, Jane is still doesn’t believe the situation to be true, Jane proclaims â€Å"It’s difficult indeed†. Again the reader sees Jane’s personality as someone who does not look at anyone in a bad way through this direct speech. The narrator uses â€Å"showing† in Elizabeth’s reply of â€Å"I beg your par don – one knows exactly what to think†, meaning that Elizabeth is still convinced Wickham is being truthful and she feels very strongly about this and almost convincing herself Darcy has most defiantly done wrong. Jane’s character is used to focalize again, allowing the reader to see how she reacts to Elizabeth. The narrator then uses free indirect speech to show the reader how Jane is thinking and worrying about Mr. Bingley and how could be viewed publicly – â€Å"Jane could think with certainty on only one point, – that Mr. Bingley, if he had been imposed on, would have much to suffer†. The passage closes with the arrival of the Bingley’s, going from narrative voice to authorial comment, Austen writes â€Å"the arrival of the very persons of whom they had been speaking†. The Bingley’s give their invitation to Netherfield ball and the narrative voice changes to indirect speech reporting what the characters say. The reader learns of how the Bingley sisters treat Jane and her family through the narrative voice and showing the fondness they have for Jane, â€Å"The two ladies were delighted to see their dear friend again† however the reader sees the rest of the family are treated differently stating â€Å"To the rest of they paid little attention; avoiding Mrs. Bennet as much as possible, saying not much to Elizabeth, and nothing at all to the others†. The techniques of showing and telling which Austen uses this allows the reader to see how convinced Elizabeth is with Wickham’s story of Darcy and how she pre judges him on the basis of someone else’s story, linking to the major theme and title of the book. Wickham is now shown as a good character an Darcy as a bad character. Through the sympathy the reader has with Elizabeth the reader is able to believe Elizabeth’s judgment on both Wickham and Darcy’s character.

McDonalds Benefits Plan

McDonalds Benefits Plan Executive Summary The key to excellent business performance lies in the well being of an organization’s human resource component. McDonald’s, one of the leading retail fast food chains in the world promotes its employees welfare by providing numerous benefit packages that aim at protecting the employee’s health, social welfare, and financial security.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on McDonald’s Benefits Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The corporation which was founded by Ray Kroc in the mid 20th century has managed to continuously deliver exceptional growth over the years despite the challenges facing the fast food industry in the modern economy. This outstanding performance can be attributed to the company’s improved customer service and extensive marketing which saw a 3.8% sales increment in 2009. To further improve its performance in the coming years, McDonald’s shou ld focus more on employee’s welfare by providing a benefit package that motivates the existing pool of experienced labor and discourages high rates of employee turn over. Currently, McDonald’s offers a wide range of benefits to its permanent employees. The corporation’s benefit program constitutes health and protection benefits which include medical plan, vision supplement, dental plan, spending accounts, short and long term disability, life and accidental death insurance, and travel accident insurance. In addition, the company provides a wide range of enhancement benefits which include vacations and holidays, sabbatical program, short Fridays and leave of absence, adoption assistance, education assistance, free internet discount program, and international fitness club network among others. Further, McDonald’s provides retirement benefits to its employees through profit sharing and savings, Mc$ave, McDirect shares, credit union, and financial planning ser vices. However, McDonald’s offers a limited range of employee benefits to its part time employees working directly in the restaurants despite the risky nature of their work.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Further, the company’s plan to drop its employees’ health plan has faced a lot of criticisms in the media which may damage the image of the company among employees and consumers. In response to this, McDonald should review its benefit plan scheme to incorporate an extensive benefit package for restaurant crew. It should also utilize its financial resources efficiently in order to obtain adequate revenue to maintain its employees’ health care plan and meet the required regulations. In anticipation of revenue increment in the coming year, McDonald’s should invest more on its human resource by increasing the range of benefit cover age. However, if McDonald’s anticipates reduction in sales in the coming year, the company should focus more on maintaining health care and retirement benefits and restrict employee eligibility for recreational benefits. Mc Donald’s Background Information In the late 40s, two brothers, Dick and McDonald were seeking to improve performance in their little restaurant located in California. In response to this, the two brothers introduced self service, redid their menu, increased their production rates, and reduced their prices making them more competitive. As a result, the company enjoyed remarkable success in the following years which prompted establishment of franchises to further increase its market. McDonald’s restaurant success story caught the interest of Ray Kroc, a 52 year old sales man who became their exclusive franchising agent for the entire United States. In 1961, Kroc eventually acquired McDonald’s and this not only freed him from McDonaldâ₠¬â„¢s initial restrictive agreement but also enhanced his ability to pursue growth in McDonald’s and the fast food industry at large. McDonald’s continuous growth saw the take off of fast food industry in United States and later took the world by storm. Ray Kroc emphasized on maintenance of cleanliness, quality standards, improved service, and value in all McDonald’s franchises which led to improvement in customer service in the rapidly growing fast food restaurant industry.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on McDonald’s Benefits Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In 1965, McDonald’s issued its shares to the public which consequently transformed in into a public corporation and a year later, it was listed in the New York’s stock exchange. The subsequent years were followed by increase in the number of restaurants and sales such that by 1970, the corporation had approximately 1600 restaurants located across all the states US and reported sales of $587 (McDonald’s 2011). After achieving wide spread growth across United States, McDonald’s further sought to expand into international markets to further increase its market base. The first McDonald’s restaurant to be established outside US was in Canada after which the company ventured into the European, Australian market, and Asian Market. Currently, McDonald’s is among the leading food service retailers in the fast food industry and has established more than thirty two thousand restaurants, which are spread across 117 countries (McDonald’s 2011). With more than 75% of its restaurants being franchised, the company has provided opportunities for other businessmen to contribute to the success of the company and has provided employment to over 1.7 million people world wide (McDonald’s 2011). McDonald’s continues to improve its performance by continuously improvin g customer service and promoting entrepreneurial spirit among the employees, suppliers, and operators (McDonald’s 2011). In addition to its unique customer service, McDonald’s impressive performance in the industry can be attributed to personal and professional integrity whereby the company seeks employee trust by being dependable, ethical and truthful (McDonald’s 2011).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the company promotes good governance among its leaders and shows commitment to the same through annual reviews and monitoring which creates room for adjustment and continuous improvement. According to McDonald’s (2011), good governance within the organization is the journey through which the company promotes integrity in its interaction with all the relevant stakeholders. McDonald’s Employee Benefit In the past, McDonald’s paid most of its employees the minimum wage. However, the current labor shortages have forced the price of wages to increase. Benefits such as health insurance and sick leaves were lacking in most franchises in US (Leidner 1993) and lack of tangible benefits was especially evident among restaurant crews most of whom are students and part time workers. This resulted in very high employee turn over rates such that in 1984, the employee turn over rate average 153% and the rates increased in 1985 to 205% (Leidner, 2003). Today, Mc Don ald’s strives to employ and maintain a competent pool of human resource capable of meeting and overcoming the challenges facing the fast food industry. In order to achieve this, the company ensures that it awards flexible schedules and competitive payment packages for its part time employees working as restaurant crew. The restaurant crew benefits comprise of 24 hour nurse line access, free or discounted meals, and flexible hours. In addition, these employees may be awarded other benefits eligible to permanent employees but these are subject to specific requirements and restrictions. McDonald’s benefit program attracts, retains, and engages competent personnel capable of promoting achievement of the company’s objectives. The company’s employees at corporate, divisional, and regional offices are awarded benefits which are classified under four categories; health and protection, pay and rewards, investing in the future, and balancing between work and life ( McDonald’s 2011). Health and Protection While many companies in the first food industry do not offer health coverage for their employees, McDonald’s provides medical plans for its workers at 10,500 US locations most of which are franchised (McDonald’s 2011). The medical programs provide different options depending on employees needs. These plans incorporate a prescription drug program, preventive care, annual physical exams, child care and immunization as well as unlimited life time benefit maximum (McDonald’s 2011). The cost of medical plan varies according to plan and number of people being covered. For mini-med plans, a single worker can pay up to $14 per week for an annual plan worth $ 2000 or $ 32 per week for coverage up to 10000 a year. As of March 2009, the basic McCrew plan cost the employee less than $56 dollars a month, employees plus 1 at slightly over $117 per month, and the employee plus family at under $180 per month (McDonald’s 2011 ). In the same time period, the mid 5 McCrew medical plan cost the employee $97 per month, employee plus 1 at $117 per month, while employee plus family cost under $320 per month (McDonald’s 2011). Employees enrolled in either of McDonald’s medical plans may choose a vision supplement plan which covers a wide range of visual services such as eye glasses and contact lens replacement program. In addition, the company provides a dental plan which enables its employees to access dental services from the dentists of their choice. McDonald’s provides flexible spending accounts for its employees which enable them to set aside pre tax income to pay for health care and day care expenses. Employees may set aside up to $5600 in health care spending account and up to $5000 in the day care spending account (McDonald’s 2011). This enables the employees to comfortably cater for costs uncovered or partially covered by the medical plan. The company also offers short and l ong term disability coverage to its staff at no cost. The short term disability plan provides benefits to employees who are incapable of working for ten consecutive days while the long term disability coverage covers 60% of employees base salary while he is disabled (McDonald’s 2011). Employee and dependent life insurance is twice the employee’s base salary and is provided to McDonald’s employees at no cost. However, the employees can choose to acquire additional life insurance to cater for spouse and other dependents at his/her own cost. The company also provides accidental and dismemberment insurance cover which benefits employees’ dependents upon accidental death of the employee and is equal to twice the employee’s base salary. Further, the travel and business travel accident cover provides travel accident coverage of twice an employee’s base salary at no cost to employees. Depending on employee’s position, the coverage amounts to either $100000 or $200000 and incorporates travel accident coverage (McDonald’s 2011). Retirement Benefit Plans McDonald’s acknowledges the need for its employees to invest in the future in these economically challenging times. Consequently, the company offers savings and money management programs which assist employees in planning for the future. The profit sharing and savings plan allows the employees to save up to 50% of their pay on tax deferred basis in 401(k) (McDonald’s 2011). The company contributes $3 for every $1 contributed by eligible employees of the first 1% of their contribution and a further $1 for each $1 contributed by employees on the next 4% of their contribution. In addition, eligible employees are also entitled to a discretionary profit sharing match of 0% to 4% which is based on their contribution (McDonald’s 2011). In addition, McDonald has established other investment packages such as Mc$ave which is a money market fund where empl oyees invest part of their income in the prime reserve fund, McDirect shares which allows employees to buy customer shares and reinvest dividends in the company, Credit Union where McDonald’s employees enjoy services through corporate America Family Credit Union, and financial planning services which facilitates employees access to professional financial planning services through Ameriprise Financial or Merrill Lynch (McDonald’s 2011) Balancing Employees Work and Life In order to achieve maximum output from the human resource component, McDonald’s seeks to assist its employees in striking a balance between work and life outside the work place by providing a wide range of benefit packages designed to help employees maintain this balance. The company offers paid vacations for corporate, region, division office and restaurant management employees (McDonald’s 2011). The vacation period depends on the duration in which an employee has worked for McDonaldâ€⠄¢s. Moreover, the company offers nine paid holidays to its full time eligible employees. McDonald’s seeks to reduce the amount of time spent in the office by its employees by providing anniversary splash, sabbatical program, short Fridays, and leave absence (McDonald’s 2011). In attempt to break the monotony associated with specialization and routine work, McDonald’s develops alternative work strategies where permanent employees have the option of flexible time or compressed work week while part time employees have the option of adopting the part time schedule or job sharing (McDonald’s 2011). McDonald seeks to promote the social welfare in its human resource by offering child adoption assistance of up to $ 2500 per child to its employees. The company further seeks to promote improved child care among its employees by providing them with opportunities for discounted tuition. For instance, McDonald’s has agreements with three national care provider s; child time learning center, Knowledge learning center, and La Petite Academy which offer 10% discount on tuition for McDonald’s employees (McDonald’s 2011). In addition, eligible employees willing to further their studies may receive financial assistance from the company. McDonald’s established the matching gift program which encourage employees to support NGOs, employee resource connection program which enables employees to manage their lives outside the office, international fitness club network where workers acquire fitness information and discounts on fitness equipment, auto and home insurance program which helps employees to purchase insurance through MetLife Auto and Home Insurance Program, and beyond work which is a free internet discount program for recreational products and services (McDonald’s 2011). Recommendations The fast food industry has gained world wide popularity due to its ability to provide quick service and inexpensive food to cons umers. In the US market where McDonald’s has its most number of restaurants, the fast food industry has continued to grow with its market value being estimated at $ 51 billion in 2007 (Albala Allen, 2007). This growth can be attributed to emergence of a culture which favors longer work days and dual-income families. Despite the remarkable growth in the industry, McDonald has been a major target of the ongoing criticism regarding the quality of food served in fast food restaurants as well as its health care plan (Albala Allen, 2007). For instance, McDonald’s Bigger Big Mac was said to contain an entire day’s recommended allowance of saturated sales. In addition, the company’s plan to drop the health care plan for nearly 30,000 workers due to the new requirements of health overhaul has received a lot of criticism from the media, employees, and consumers (Adamy, 2010). Health issues and numerous litigation law suits have significantly reduced sales revenue at McDonald’s. McDonald’s has been on the spotlight regarding its labor practices (Albala Allen, 2007) The restaurant crew is dominated by young teenagers, immigrants, elderly, and handicapped (Albala Allen, 2007) and the working conditions are unsafe due to restaurants’ proximity to highways hence increased cases of armed robbery. Consequently, most workers in McDonald’s occupy their jobs for less than a year which leads to constant loss of experienced labor. Despite the challenges facing the fast food industry, McDonald’s managed to deliver exceptional growth in 2009. Its sales revenue and market share continued to increase giving it a competitive edge over other fast food companies. McDonald’s should use its superior financial performance to improve working conditions in the company. Employment on any level should be permanent and based on individual qualification upon which benefits such as those awarded to full time employees should be awarded to restaurant crew employees. Restaurant crew should be provided with health benefits and accidental insurance cover to protect them against the risks associated with their work. McDonald should provide enhancement and investment benefits to part time workers in order to motivate them to work permanently for the company and to make them feel like they are part of McDonald’ team. The company should further seek to improve its image as an employer by ensuring provision of benefit plans to employees in the franchises. Analysis of Benefit Package While Anticipating Revenue Increment and Revenue Reduction If McDonald’s expects an increment in revenue in the next year, the company should invest heavily on employees by providing them with a wide range of benefit packages to further motivate them. The company should increase employer contribution in the retirement benefit package and should introduce awards and recognition for exceptional performers. In addition, re creational benefits should be increased and the company should seek to contribute more to employees’ social welfare. Further, McDonald’s should seek to meet the 2011 requirement by the department of health and human service which requires McDonald’s to spend 80-85% of its premiums on medical expenses rather than overhead expenses in its mini-med plan (Adamy, 2010). If McDonald’s expects revenue reduction in the subsequent years, the company should seek to reduce its spending on employees benefits by reducing its contribution to recreational benefits package. The company may discourage such benefits through restricting eligible members by demanding improvement in a performance for employee to be awarded holiday and vocational benefits. McDonald’s may also increase employee contribution in the recreational benefits and drop some of the recreational benefits. Therefore, upon revenue reduction anticipation, the company should reduce the amount spent on employees’ benefits by the company but it should be careful not to send negative signals and discourage employees in McDonald’s. Reference List Adamy, J. (2010). Federal Agency Flexible on Mcdonald’s Plan. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704789404575524502131067836 Albala, K., Allen, J. G. (2007). The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of Food and Drink Industries. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Leidner, R. (1993). Fast Food, Fast Talk: Service Work and Routinization of Everyday Life. London: University of California Press. McDonald’s (2011). Company’s official website, McDonald’s corporation. Retrieved from https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html

Post Civil War Racism essays

Post Civil War Racism essays The conclusion of the Civil War in favor of the north was supposed to mean an end to slavery and equal rights for the former slaves. Although laws and amendments were passed to uphold this assumption, the United States Government fell short. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were proposed and passed within five years of the Civil Wars conclusion. These amendments were to create equality throughout the United States, especially in the south where slavery had been most abundant. Making equality a realization would not be an easy task. This is because many problems were not perceived before and during the war. The reunification of the country would prove to be harder than expected, and entry into a new lifestyle would be difficult for both the freedmen and their former oppressors. The thirteenth amendment clearly prohibits slavery in the United States. All slaves were to be freed immediately when this amendment was declared ratified in December of 1865, but what were they to do? Generations of African-Americans had been enslaved in America, and those who had lived their whole lives in slavery had little knowledge of the outside world. This lack of knowledge would not be helpful in trying to find work once they were released. Plantation owners with a lack of workforce were eager to offer extremely low pay to their former slaves. In addition, the work force of the plantation would often live in the same quarters they did while enslaved. These living conditions showed little change from the living conditions African-Americans had faced while enslaved. While the former slaves lived on the ideal that they were now free, the fifteenth amendment was under heavy fire. Those who felt threatened by the massive amount of African-Americans who would now be participating in the government criticized this Amendment, which allowed all male citizens the right to vote regardless of race. Ex-Confederates, many of...