John Wilkes Booth Essays - Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln

Morianda Key Mr. Williams US History 13 April 2011 Dead or Alive? All through school we were taught that John Wilkes Booth was the man who shot Abraham Lincoln and, furthermore that Booth was hunted and killed on a farm on April 26, 1865. However, what if I told you John Wilkes Booth did not die on that day and he escaped and took the name of John St. Helen or David E. George? Would you believe me? Well, that is exactly what I am about to tell you. It has been reported and has been considered controversial that John Wilkes Booth did in fact not die on that day, but instead many years later. On April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth shot and murdered President Lincoln in the Ford theater, as he jumped from the balcony in his escape he broke his left leg as he hit the floor. Booth in the midst of all the confusion managed to escape on horseback and found a doctor by the name of Samuel Mudd who fixed the leg and sent him on his way. However, this is where history changes from what we were taught. It is said that he was shot and killed at the Garrett Farm; although some historians say and believe that John Wilkes Booth did not die, but that someone else did and Booth took on the name of John St. Helen. John St. Helen was a man who lived in Glen Rose, Texas as a bartender and local actor who took the stage with amazing skills and often recited Shakespeare with excellency. Helen lived in Glen Rose no less than a year until one of the local politicians daughter was getting married and she had invited several military officers and the US Marshal for Texas. When Helen received word of this he fled town quickly and left no trace of himself anywhere in Glen Rose. However, close to a year after his disappearance from Glen Rose, he showed up in Granbury, Texas and befriended a man by the name of Finis L. Bates. During this time as Bates and Helen were becoming good friends Bates began to notice something strange about Helen. Helen never was a drinker, but every April 14-the anniversary of President Lincoln?s death?he would get into a drunken stupor. Therefore, this led Bates to believe something was wrong with Helen. While living in Granbury John St. Helen became very sick and was announced by several doctors that he would die, meanwhile, Bates was standing by Helen?s bedside he thought he heard him say what sounded like a deathbed statement saying, ?My name, is not John St. Helen. I am John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.? However, Helen recovered and instead of taking back what he had told Bates he left quickly leaving no sign of where he may have went. When Bates went back to the apartment Helen was staying in, he came across a Colt Pistol that was wrapped up in the newspaper that was issued announcing President Lincoln?s death. That was the last anyone heard of St. Helen that is until 1903, when a man by the name of David E. George showed up in Enid, Oklahoma. Within three weeks of living in Enid, George had already become known as a successful entertainer in reciting poetry, Mostly Shakespeare, in local bars while he would be drinking himself into a coma. Back in that time, you could go to your local drug stores and get just about any kind of heavy dosages of medication like morphine. Early one morning, George set out from the hotel and headed over to the local drug store and bought strychnine, saying he would use it to dispose of a stray dog. Instead, several days later George took the medicine and admitted while dying that he was also the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. George?s body was taken to W. B. Penniman's mortuary and furniture store. Then, a few days later, Penniman was at work on the body and the Harpers?a couple from El Reno?came in saying that they new George back before moving to Enid. Mrs. Harper said that George had once overdosed before. Just like John St Helen while he

International Differences on Professional Communication

Intercultural/International Differences on Professional Communication Introduction Culture influences the way people behave. It is thus important to understand it in relation to global work place where professional communication is employed. Every country that has Multinational Corporation and other businesses dealing with international firms should recognize the fact that cross-cultural differences have a negative impact on the professional communication process (Hall, 1976).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Intercultural/International Differences on Professional Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A good case study is the culture of Taiwan. Taiwanese unit of social organization is the group. This is because their culture encourages them to live as extended families. For this reason, people in Taiwan are seen to work comfortably in teams and groups. In addition, the Taiwanese culture is made up of other several subculture including Chinese and Japanese. Moreover, it has been greatly influenced by imperialism and colonization. Another case study is that of American communication style. The American Business communication style does not encourage them to discuss issues directly. They believe in talking less without wasting time. Moreover, the Americans are polite and friendly but do not keep relationship for a long time. They also use a lot of protocols in their language. Comparison of Taiwanese and Americans cultures Taiwanese communication culture is characterized by use of non verbal language, indirect verbal language, close relationship between the parties involved as well as face to face communication when intending to make decisions. In addition, they prefer group discussions and use of wide sources of information in order to achieve accuracy. On the other hand, the Americans communication culture is comprised of verbal communication. It is usually task centered and involved the key personnel only. They meet to make decisions and do not co nsider relationships at all. They do not consult wide sources of information and thus the process is fast (Hofstede, 1980). An Analysis of the Two Cultures Effective communication can only be achieved once the cultural difference between the Taiwanese and Americans cultures are realized. Once they are realized and recognized, the appropriate methods of communications are adopted depending whether you are dealing with individual or both cultures. The difference between the two cultures can be described in terms low and high context culture. In this case, the Taiwanese culture is the high context culture while Americans is the low context culture. When both high and low context cultures work in the same environment, communication problems are bound to happen (Hofstede, 1991). For example in such an environment, the Taiwan people are seen to communicate in groups especially to those people they are close to. The communication is always intensive. That is, it is usually comprised of wid e and detailed information. This is not the case with Americans.Advertising Looking for research paper on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Their communication is basically at personal or individual level. They give information that is only necessary for their work environment. The professional communication in Taiwan is thus effective. This is because they are formal and plan their meetings on time. Moreover, they attend meetings once they have agreed on something. The Americans are informal and usually meet without having made the decision on a particular issue. Recommendations In intercultural environment, effective communication can be attained by understanding other people’s culture. This means that they know what is expected of them while communicating. This includes the tone, language in terms of formality and body posture when talking to different people. The key point in having a n effective communication in a cross-cultural environment; is to understand other people’s cultures and the things that make the difference between your culture and theirs (Moran, 1991). An individual should be aware differences that are as a result of different cultural background. First, one should be aware of contextual differences. These are brought about by different cultural contexts. They are associated interpretation of messages during communication. In such a case, an individual should be able to differentiate a high and low culture context. For example Taiwan is high context. For this reason it values and emphasizes on non verbal communication unlike American who prefer verbal communication. Secondly, one should be aware of social differences as well as non- verbal differences. Socially, one has to know how to behave while communicating. In addition, one should be able to understand the meaning conveyed by non-verbal communications. This depends on different cultura l environment. References Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor/Doubleday. Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences: International differences in work-related values.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Intercultural/International Differences on Professional Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moran, R. T. (1991). Successful international business negotiations. Houston: Gulf.

The Significance of Red Envelopes in Chinese Culture

The Significance of Red Envelopes in Chinese Culture A red envelope (ç ´â€¦Ã¥Å'…, hà ³ngbÄ o) is simply a long, narrow, red envelope. Traditional red envelopes are often decorated with gold Chinese characters, such as happiness and wealth. Variations include red envelopes with cartoon characters depicted and red envelopes from stores and companies that contain coupons and gift certificates inside. How Red Envelopes Are Used During Chinese New Year, money is put inside red envelopes which are then handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends. At some companies, workers may also receive a year-end cash bonus tucked inside a red envelope. Red envelopes are also popular gifts for birthdays and weddings. Some four-character expressions appropriate for a wedding red envelope are Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¤ ½Å"ä ¹â€¹Ã¥ Ë† (tiÄ nzuà ² zhÄ «hà ©,  a marriage  made in heaven) or ç™ ¾Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¥ ½Ã¥ Ë† (bÇŽinin hÇŽo hà ©,  a happy  union for 100 years). Unlike a Western greeting card, red envelopes given at Chinese New Year are typically left unsigned. For birthdays or weddings, a short message, typically a four-character expression, and signature are optional. The Color   Red symbolizes luck and good fortune in Chinese culture. That is why red envelopes are used during Chinese New Year and other celebratory events. Other envelope colors are used for other types of occasions. For example, white envelopes are used for funerals. How to Give and Receive Giving and receiving red envelopes, gifts, and even business cards is a solemn act. Therefore, red envelopes, gifts, and name cards are always presented with both hands and also received with both hands. The recipient of a red envelope at Chinese New Year or on his or her birthday should not open it in front of the giver. At Chinese weddings, the procedure is different. At a Chinese wedding, there is a table at the entrance of the wedding reception where guests give their red envelopes to attendants and sign their names on a large scroll. The attendants will immediately open the envelope, count the money inside, and record it on a register next to the guests’ names. A record is kept of how much each guest gives to the newlyweds. This is done for several reasons. One reason is bookkeeping. A record ensures the newlyweds know how much each guest gave and can verify the amount of money they receive at the end of the wedding from the attendants is the same as what the guests brought. Another reason is that when unmarried guests eventually get married, the bride and groom are typically obliged to give the guest more money than what the newlyweds received at their wedding. The Amount Deciding how much money to put into a red envelope depends on the situation. For red envelopes given to children for Chinese New Year, the amount depends on age and the giver’s relationship to the child.   For younger children, the equivalent of about $7 is fine. More money is given to older children and teenagers. The amount is usually enough for the child to buy a gift, like a T-shirt or DVD. Parents may give the child a more substantial amount since material gifts are usually not given during the holidays. For employees at work, the year-end bonus is typically the equivalent of one month’s wage though the amount can vary from enough money to buy a small gift to more than one month’s wage. If you go to a wedding, the money in the red envelope should be equivalent to a nice gift that would be given at a Western wedding. Or, it should be enough money to cover the guest’s expense at the wedding. For example, if the wedding dinner costs the newlyweds US$35 per person, then the money in the envelope should be at least US$35. In Taiwan, typical amounts of money are NT$1,200, NT$1,600, NT$2,200, NT$2,600, NT$3,200, and NT$3,600. As with the Chinese New Year, the amount of money is relative to your relationship to the recipient  -   the closer your relationship is to the bride and groom, the more money is expected. For instance, immediate family like parents and siblings give more money than casual friends. It is not uncommon for business partners to be invited to weddings, and business partners often put more money in the envelope to strengthen the business relationship. Less money is given for birthdays than other holidays because it is viewed as the least important of the three occasions. Nowadays, people often just bring gifts for birthdays. What Not to Gift For all occasions, certain amounts of money are to be avoided. Anything with a four is best avoided because å›› (sà ¬, four) sounds similar to æ ­ » (sÇ , death). Even numbers, except four, are better than odd  -   as good things are believed to come in pairs. For example, gifting $20 is better than $21. Eight is a particularly auspicious number. The money inside a red envelope should always be new and crisp. Folding the money or giving dirty or wrinkled bills is in bad taste. Coins and checks are avoided, the former because change is not worth much and the latter because checks are not widely used in Asia.

Business research skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business research skills - Essay Example conomies around the world saw a booming trend and governments in different nations began to play a larger role in American workers pay determination and remuneration. The American government soon ratified the Act Executive order 11246, Title 7 of equal pay within the Civil Rights Act of 1963 (Noe, et al., 2003). In this context, one can cite the case of Nigeria, where Decree of 1987 provided for details of workmen compensation wherein all businesses and companies had to give a workman’s compensations coverage that was designed for the benefit of employees even in case of any injury or incapacity to work while being on the job. The Decree was modified and followed by the Reform Act in 2003, which made it mandatory for companies to have a life insurance policy for each employee, working in favour of employees. Such insurance was to account for a minimum of 3 times the total gross emolument of the employee compensation (Bernadin, 2007). Compensation has a significant effect on success of any organization. This comes through with the treatment of employees as a capital investment. The company should focus towards improvement of their skills and productivity along with the comprehensive human element in the workplace. The prime objective of the compensation design program was to divide the entire compensation format into two basic groups, which were the direct compensation group and the indirect compensation group. Direct compensation is related to direct wages and salaries, while indirect compensation relates to benefits that are enjoyed by workers from the company. It was devised by Cascio (2003) that integration of the two formats contributes towards attainment of organizational goals through employee motivation and content. The term compensation might have quite a few meanings through its diverse attempts to conceptualisation; however, it is usage of the concept that holds more importance. According to views presented by Armstrong and Brown, (2001) it can be

Advertising features Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising features - Essay Example consciousness of customers. In order to enhance the alertness of the customers regarding the various amenities, it is apt to hire an external advertising agency for the promotion of the activities. It can improve the growth and market share of the business thereby enhancing revenue and position of ‘Doggie Dip and Do’. Recommendations There are many external advertising agencies but as ‘Doggie Dip and Do’ is a newly opened outlet, print advertising media might be more beneficial for it. This would include newspaper or magazines in order to promote the benefits. This is because if other media such as broadcasting media, outdoor advertising or public service advertising is used then it would be quite expensive for you at this initial stage. Hence, it might not be retained by you for longer terms which may again affect the growth prospects of the business as well as impede the brand image and awareness of the products among the competitors in the market. However , for this type of business, it is essential to retain the external advertising agencies as it would provide various innovative ideas and plans for the promotion of the products or services of Doggie Dip and Do. ... e newspaper or the magazine, the requisite cost in both cases based on preference of the place of advertisement, special editorial column related to pets, public reach, pinpoint targeting, short deadlines for preparation of the advertisements, extensive market coverage, tech support such as toll-free numbers and emails and distribution frequency. If any above stated external agency such as newspaper or magazine fulfils these criteria then it can be selected for promotion (Patsula Media, 2001). The newspaper or magazines are read by all age groups so it might attract the attentions of the pet loving individuals. This would augment the brand awareness, brand identity and potency of ‘Doggie Dip and Do’ among others in the market. It would also improve the market position and the revenue of ‘Doggie Dip and Do’ (Department of Science and Technology, 2005). Moreover, the cost incurrence may be quite less as compared to other advertising media, which would be extre mely beneficial for ‘Doggie Dip and Do’. Apart from this, the other vital factor which can be considered is public reach. This would improve the brand identity of ‘Doggie Dip and Do’ (Missouri Department of Transportation, 2012). In addition, distribution channels, customer demand and market coverage are also other vital aspects which might be beneficial. In addition, availability is the other important factor which might be viable for the promotion of ‘Doggie Dip and Do’ (Clow, 2007). Besides, display of various pictures along with information in the newspapers or magazines can also attract customers. Hence, it can be affirmed that the feasible options for promotions of ‘Doggie Dip and Do’ are newspapers or magazines due to the above discussed factors (Engeseth, 2006). Proper distribution

Academic Skills Plus Essay Example for Free

Academic Skills Plus Essay Atwood writes: â€Å"What I mean by ‘science fiction’ is those books that descend from H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, which treats of an invasion by tentacled, blood-sucking Martians shot to Earth in metal canisters – things that could not possibly happen – whereas, for me, â€Å"speculative fiction† means plots that descend from Jules Verne’s books about submarines and balloon travel and such – things that really could happen but just hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books. I would place my own books in this second category: no Martians.† (From In other worlds, p.6) With these remarks in mind, is it useful to distinguish between science fiction and speculative fiction? In answering this question you might consider Le Guin’s suggestion that people who refer to their works as ‘speculative fiction’ rather than ‘science fiction’ are simply trying to protect themselves from some of the negative connotations associated with science fiction (see In other worlds)? Discuss in relation to at least two works. ‘Science fiction’ is often defined as a wide literary genre related to fictional stories. It contains many subgenres, such as space opera, cyberpunk, utopia, dystopia, alternative histories and speculative fiction. Although there are an extensive number of subgenres, some writers, as Margaret Atwood, have been trying to differentiate ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’. Maybe this wideness of subgenres existing under the genre ‘science fiction’ is exactly the reason why Atwood found interesting to present this differentiation. When we consider science fiction stories, many different things can came up to our mind, such as aliens, intergalactic travel, artificial intelligence and utopian (or dystopian) societies. Considering that, as we can notice in these examples, these topics can differ a lot from each other and it might be understandable that Atwood  wanted to differentiate (more than just defining different subgenres) the kind of fiction related to more ‘plausible’ things (things that could really happen, as she says). Definitely, ‘speculative fiction’ books have a completely different scenario from cyberpunk, aliens or space opera works and this could awake a desire to disconnect them in a more significantly manner. However, it is possible to affirm that this distinction between ‘science’ and ‘speculative fiction’ is not useful and that there is no reason for making it, especially considering that speculative fiction is just one more subgenre of science fiction. This thesis will be supported by a number of points presented throughout this essay. Firstly, it will be argued that the subgenre ‘speculative fiction’ fits perfectly into the definitions and requisites related to ‘science fiction’. Secondly, it will be discussed that Atwood’s definition of ‘speculative fiction’ is vague and can change according to interpretation, and also that it can be used to define as speculative fiction other books that she clearly had classified as belonging to ‘science fiction’. Thereby, her definition can be seen as not clear, which makes it not useful at all. Finally, it will be presented that Atwood seems to reinforce this division specially because distinguishing ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ is convenient for her. There are some evidences for that, for example, Le Guin once said Atwood was trying to protect herself from negative connotations associated with ‘science fiction’. This is even noticeable considering that many of her attempts to define the genre contained irony and clichà ©s. Firstly, it will be discussed that ‘speculative fiction’ fits perfectly into the definitions and requisites related to the ‘science fiction’ subgenres, which makes unnecessary and not useful the distinction between them. It was stated before that ‘science fiction’ has a big number of subgenres and it is clear that they differ considerably from each other. However, despite their singularities, all of them have one kind of cohesive element in common, which brings each subgenre to be defined as part of the genre ‘science fiction’. To define this common element noticed in all the science fiction subgenres, it is useful to consider two Suvin’s definitions about science fiction: SF is, then, a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition,  and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the authors empirical environment (Suvin 1979, p. 7) and â€Å"Science Fiction is distinguished by the narrative dominance or hegemony of a fictional novum (novelty, innovation) validated by cognitive logic† (Suvin 1979, p. 63). Considering these two definitions, it is possible to affirm then that the necessary and sufficient conditions to identify one science fiction work are: the presence of a ‘novum’ and the presence of a ‘cognitive logic’, the logical consistency which makes the ‘novum’ become part of our knowledge about real things. With this in mind, we can analyse the book The Handmaid’s Tale from Atwood. She clearly have classified this book as not being ‘science fiction’, however, it is easy to identify the ‘novum’ and also the ‘cognitive logic’ in her book. The ‘novum’ is represented by the whole system of political organization in the Republic of Gilead described on the book and the ‘cognitive logic’ is given by some similarities that can be noticed between our society and the society described on the book. In the same way, for the book of H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, we can also identify the ‘novum’, which is given by the Martians and their technology; and the ‘cognitive logic’, given by the similarities existing between both societies. Thus, it can be affirmed that both books The Handmaid’s Tale and The War of the World belongs to the genre ‘science fiction’, contradicting Atwood’s previous proposition. This proves that although Atwood’s book can be classified as ‘speculative fiction’, it truly belongs to ‘science fiction’, leading us to verify again that ‘speculative fiction’ is just one more subgenre of ‘science fiction’. It makes clear then that the division between ‘science’ and ‘speculative’ fiction is not useful and not justifiable. Secondly, it will be presented that Atwood’s definition of ‘speculative fiction’ is imprecise and also can be used to define as speculative fiction other books that were categorized as ‘science fiction’ by her. In order to illustrate these points, we will analyse Atwood (2011) definition about ‘speculative fiction’ as â€Å"things that really could happen but just hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books.† This is a vague and inaccurate idea. It could encompass different definitions because the range of things that could really happen is highly dependent of each person’s  beliefs and ideas, what makes this definition extremely subjective. Also, with just a few exceptions, it is not possible to say for sure what is and what is not going to happen. Besides, Atwood even gives us another definition: Oryx and Crake is not science fiction. Science fiction is when you have chemicals and rockets. (Watts 2003, p. 3). Considering both definitions given by her, it could be understood that she considers rockets and chemicals as things that really could not happen, as they belong to science fiction. However, it is known that rockets and chemicals are not things impossible to happen, especially because nowadays we can see some examples of them. Both definitions become contradictory then. Considering her first definition, books about this theme would be classified as speculative fiction; however, she decided to use these two themes to exemplify ‘science fiction’. Atwood’s definitions about ‘speculative fiction’ are imprecise, therefore, what is the purpose in using an imprecise and cloudy definition? It is simply not useful to distinguish ‘science’ from ‘speculative fiction’ then. Thirdly, it will be presented that Atwood seems to reinforce this division specially because distinguishing ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ is convenient for her. Le Guin (2009) states that Atwood was trying to protect herself from negative connotations associated with science fiction and also â€Å"from being relegated to a genre still shunned by hidebound readers, reviewers and prize-awarders†. Considering Le Guin’s remarks, it is possible to observe that ‘science fiction’ was not a literary genre with considerable prestige in the intellectual audience. This could reduce her reputation on the high literary society. One possible reason for ‘science fiction’ being underestimated is that science fiction could be related to some works produced for mass audience like Star Trek and Dr Who and intellectuals would associate her books to these works. Then it would be interesting for her to dissociate the connecti on between her books and the genre ‘science fiction’ once it was not so appreciated by the intellectual audience. And this is also noticed by considering that some of her remarks about ‘science fiction’ contains irony, as she frequently uses clichà ©s to refer about it, such as ‘rockets’, ‘chemicals’, ‘blood-sucking Martians’, ‘talking squids in outer space’, and ‘skin-tight clothing’. Thus, it is possible to verify why Atwood reinforces the division between ‘speculative’ and ‘science’ fiction. And  considering her reasons we can see that they are not justifiable and strong enough to make the distinction between ‘speculative’ and ‘science fiction’ useful. Finally, this essay discussed a number of points in order to support the thesis that the distinction between ‘speculative’ and ‘science’ fiction is not useful. Firstly, it was stated that although it may be hard to define some literary genres it is noticeable that ‘speculative ficti on’ fits perfectly in most of definitions of science fiction, making it a subgenre only. Secondly, it was presented that Atwood’s definition about ‘speculative fiction’ is vague and could classify as ‘speculative fiction’ some books that she clearly classified as ‘science fiction’. Thirdly, it was discussed that is convenient for her to separate ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ since the genre of ‘science fiction’ was not so appreciated by reviewers and prize awarders and was associated to some mass audience works. She does not want to be linked to this image so she tries to put her works under a different literary classification. This point shows us clearly that there is no consistent and general reason for her to do the distinction. In conclusion, this essay illustrated that is not useful to distinguish between ‘science fiction’ and ‘speculative fiction’ and the reason for this was explained by all of the arguments stated previously. References Atwood, M 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale, Anchor Books, New York. Atwood, M 2011, In Other Worlds SF and the Human Imagination, Doubleday. Le Guin, U 2009, ‘The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood’, The Guardian, 29 August. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/aug/29/margaret-atwood-year-of-flood Suvin, D 1979, Metamorphoses Of Science Fiction, Yale University Press, New Haven Watts, P 2003, ‘Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt’, On Spec, vol. 15, no. 2, summer, pp. 3-5. Wells, H 1898, The War of the World, New York Review Books, New York.

McDonalds Brand Essay -- Fast Food Empire, Hi-Fat, Hi-Sugar

Much like a smile, the â€Å"Golden Arches† can be understood in any language. The McDonalds brand is the most well-known, internationally embraced fast food empire. McDonalds operates over 31,000 franchises throughout the world, with the United States leading the way with a whopping 13,381outlets as of May 2009 [1]. McDonalds has the fast food market cornered, offering an increasing variety of food of beverages, marketed to people of all ages to eat at any time of the day. However, being a corporate giant has its issues. McDonalds has faced a lot of criticism for its high-fat, high-sugar, potentially addictive menu. While the corporation is not likely to outright admit responsible for its actions, McDonalds has seen some changes to address some of the issues. Despite the flaws in the public elements of the brand, McDonalds has established an almost recession-proof economic base [2]. Some of the benefits of the McDonalds brand are pretty obvious. The golden arches and the mascot Ronald McDonald have some the best recognition worldwide. This stems from the benefit of having global operations and the availability of culturally diverse foods that are provided based on the location of the restaurant [3]. McDonalds also utilizes installations in prime locations such as theme parks, airports, superstores and even in hospitals. The business is ranked number one in Fortune Magazine's 2008 list of most admired food service companies [4]. McDonalds is also associated with cheap prices, good tasting food and fast service. McDonalds also maintains a strong community oriented vibe with its Ronald McDonald Houses which provide charitable services to families with sick children requiring extended hospital stays (www.rmhc.org). McDonalds also sponso... ...y are creating "cradle to grave" marketing, entice children as young as one year old with special meals, toys and playgrounds then children grow up eating McDonalds which continues into adulthood. [4] They have also been sued multiple times for having "unhealthy" food, allegedly with addictive additives, contributing to the obesity epidemic in America. McDonalds is a strong company that has been around a long time and is ingrained into the memories of many people. They have indisputably strong brand recognition and loyalty. However, it may be time for McDonalds to undergo a makeover, especially in the areas of quality and their link to health concerns. It is pretty clear that McDonalds isn’t going bankrupt anytime soon. McDonalds has the ability to do good things for the world if they exchange some of their money saving ways more socially responsible practices.