Language and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Language and Communication - Essay Example The same is true for India? McDonalds required some localization, taking into account various cultural components, to be successful. What adaptation and localization were inevitable for a successful launch of McDonalds in India? Various cultural components help in developing and determining the cultural identity of the person and the nation at large. The cultural identity of a person is basically one’s own perception of self which in turn is depicted in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, traditions and ways of life. Thesis Statement Although various cultural factors had their role to play in the adaptation policy of McDonalds, only three major and relevant components of cultural identity i.e. Class, Geography and Philosophy, will be discussed here. How McDonalds has successfully managed the localization strategy yet retaining its brand image and global value chain. Class is a vital factor of cultural components and is determined by economic, social and educational class (J ameson, 2007). India has a huge population almost four times greater than United States (US), and hence the middle class population is the astounding figure of around 300 million. India is the fourth largest economy of the world with the eating out sector, growing at the rate of 6 percent, and urban fast food sector growing at the rate of 20 percent (Rangnekar, 2000). ... McDonalds was not a substitute to the local Indian food and it was not advertised as such. To cater to the concept of family meals, McDonalds introduced home delivery service or McDelivery and various family deals. In addition to this India’s working class is growing, in order to cater to the needs of the busy young executives, McDonalds opened kiosks at store entrances for customers in a hurry. Another aspect is the high literacy rate in the target market of McDonalds. For them, McDonalds not only introduced a range of low fat products and premium salads but also launched educational campaign about the active and healthy life style. Such efforts included a variety of wholesome and premium menus to increase repeat customers. So what McDonalds did in an attempt to adapt to this cultural component of class is to produce a bundle of product and service variations along with the marketing strategy to sell its products. Geography is another important cultural component which define s the attitudes, behavior and values of a large group of people and determine their cultural activities. Cultural activities cannot be restricted to the dance, music, sports and politics only; it also has a very strong impact on the eating habits and lifestyle of the people (Anderson, 2010). Geographic distinctions such as urban and rural population, density, small and big town actually transcend all boundaries and define the attitude and behavior of the people. So the values about privacy, property, time and space and other factors will be more or less the same for a particular cultural group (Jameson, 2007). The target market for McDonalds was the big cities mostly inhabited by upper and middle class educated people.

Fuel Price Increase in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fuel Price Increase in US - Essay Example The thrust at accomplishing set goals in pursuing the 'green world' philosophy and theory much based on the need to curtail the towering global climate upheavals has seen the emphasised shift in policy in various industry and agriculture fronts. The soaring fuel prices owing to the volatility of the oil prices have spurred government and energy as well as food industry stakeholders to consider alternative means of curtailing the predicament of escalating fuel prices. President George W. Bush has had the production of corn-based ethanol as part of the core of his energy policy. Hayashi Fumio (2007) notes, "This has brought in some merits on board. The resonating perspective is based on that the emphasis on corn based ethanol production has acute implications on the success of the attempts at throwing a holistic approach to the whole global 'green world' initiative". The scholar further notes that the emphasis of green solution even to the fuel predicament has thus put America society back in the lead in the efforts of making the world a better place. Despite the impact on the entirety of the national and international agriculture sectors the production of corn-based ethanol which has also been the part of the roo... Hayashi, Fumio (2008) notes that, '"This is a welcome policy reorientation given that this year alone over a million jobs were lost. The move will precipitate in the expansion of employment base for the American society". It is notable that the pressure from escalating fuel prices has necessitated the invention of feasible means of striking the balance between demand and consumption for fuel. Fig. 1 Ethanol Production Projections Source: national Agricultural Statistical Service [http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Agricultural_Prices/pricecn.asp] Fig 2 Corn Price Trends Source: Shurson G.C. (2008) It is evident from the two direct-relationship graphs that the growth of the ethanol production industry has a direct impact on the price of corn. What is particularly notable from the statistics is that during the 2002-2005 periods when 4 billon gallons of corn-based ethanol were produced the price of corn was peaking from below $2 a bushel to about $3. Although the price took a lunge in the 2004-2006 phases the rise afterwards has been significant with corn price escalating from just about $2 a bushel to over $5. This is the period when corn-based ethanol production capacity was at an average over 5 billion gallons. Statistical interferences drawn from the trends and patterns illustrated on the graph show that holding everything equal, the production of corn-based ethanol will hit phenomenal figures of over 11 billion gallons by the end of the 2009 which may propel the price of corn way over $9 a bushel. "The growth of corn-based ethanol industry in tandem with demand in the US wil l lead to the expansion of the export GDP and thus help boost the strained US economy