Techniques of Comedy

Alex Moreno Theater 208 Comedy: Techniques behind the Laughter Comedy is the genre of film that makes even the saddest times bearable and gained a lot of popularity in a time when people needed a boost. Comedy is a unique form of film in its wide range of methods, and in all of these methods there is at least some of a select group of approaches. The true magic that comedy has arises from these select few techniques, that, when used properly, will never fail to generate a laugh.Comedy comes in a wide range of forms, all of which bring a laugh in different ways. There are however, a few specific categories of comedy which become classics. The most effective of these include; screwball, running gags, wit, set-up and punch line, and slap stick. While these are separate categories of comedy, they are very often used together or in other types, to successfully generate a laugh. The question is, what makes them work over and over, and the answer lies in common factors of each technique.An important factor in comedy is the script and use of dialogue. While dialogue is not equally important in all types of comedy, it is still a very effective tool in producing a great comedy. The dialogue must tie in fast pacing, wit, and comedy in order to keep an audience entertained, all while following the script in order to draw the audience in to the film, and keep them hooked. Great comedies always have exceptional dialogue that can make even the most ordinary scene, absolutely hilarious.When dialogue is used properly, it can be comedy in itself, or add to another joke. An example of this is when a main character makes a funny comment about the antagonist or another character. The actions of the other character may not be funny alone, but add some commentary and it becomes extremely funny. Overall, dialogue is not the main drive behind all comedic forms, as seen in silent films, but it is still important to modern comedy in its ability to make ordinary things funny. The next imp ortant factor of a successful comedy is the pacing.Fast pacing is the only successful way of making a comedy; the audience must always have something to generate a laugh. Audiences are fickle, and making them wait for something to happen will only cause them to lose interest. The pace must be fast enough to keep people interested, but it must also be at a pace where the audience can keep up with the action. A comedy will not be funny if the next joke starts before the audience even laughs at the last one. A great comedy must find just the right balance that will not lose the audience to boredom, or in a rush.Give the audience enough time to laugh, but don’t let them stop laughing. Another critical factor in generating a successful comedy is in the use of montage. Cutting shots between different angles helps to keep the audience interested by adding fresh perspective, the film must always be moving, and so must the camera. This is used in addition to close-ups and establishmen t shots during important sequences. A very effective method of doing this is switching shots between characters during important comedic sequences.An example of this would be a main character meant to be funny talking to one of the stagnant characters, anti-comic relief, and showing their lack of reaction to something funny done by the main character. Another method is changing the camera angles while a character has difficulty performing a task. A character struggling to carry a box through a door is funny, but gets old unless you constantly montage in order to keep the scene fresh, adding to the pace. Montage is an important factor in successful comedy because a joke needs to stay fresh in order to be funny, as does a comedy.The casting in a film is of the utmost importance, as not all people are funny in the same situations. Actors all have certain comedic roles, which they best fit into. A serious looking actor with a stern voice would not make a good goofball character. If that same actor is placed into the role of a gangster with the attitude of a child, he becomes a great comic figure. Casting is of the utmost importance as actors must fit their roles, while they have more range in comedy, they still must be believable to some degree.This can be seen by the great number of comedies where people walk out saying; it would have been funny or funnier with someone else. Casting must be done carefully in order also insure that the characters play well against each other. While a grown man acting like a child is funny at times, it becomes extremely effective when there is another character provoking them to behave that way. In the end, casting determines how the audience will react to the story, and whether jokes will be funny when coming from the selected cast. In the end all of these things tie in to make a comedic film funny.If the techniques are used properly you will create a high energy comedy that will keep the audience entertained. True classics have e verything that a comedy could need, great dialogue, fast pacing, montage, and great casting. When these techniques are used together properly, a comedy cannot fail. The basic goal of a comedy is to stay fresh, and by utilizing these techniques, even the most played out scenario can become funny all over again. Comedy has made us laugh for nearly a century, and it will continue to so long as it is kept new, fresh, and exciting.

How to Use the Spanish Verb Llamar

How to Use the Spanish Verb Llamar Llamar is a verb that you will use very early as you learn Spanish, because the verb is commonly used when asking someone his or her name, or when telling others your own name. However, llamar also is used in other ways and can be found in a variety of contexts, such as to refer to the making of a telephone call. Using Llamar With Names The literal translation of llamar is to call. Thus, when you are using llamar to ask someones name, you are literally asking what the person calls himself or herself. Knowing this will help you use the verb in other contexts. See how llamar is used in the context of specifying names:  ¿Cà ³mo se llama? (What is your/his/her name? Literally, how do you call yourself? How does he/she call himself/herself?) ¿Cà ³mo te llamas? (What is your name? Literally, how do you call yourself?)Me llamo ___. (My name is ___. Literally, I call myself ___.)La empresa se llama Recursos Humanos. (The business is named Recursos Humanos.) If youre a beginning Spanish student, you may not have learned yet about the use of reflexive verbs, those that use the -self pronouns in English. An explanation of reflexive verbs is beyond the scope of this lesson, but here it is most important to know that when youre using llamar to refer to what someone is named, you are using the reflexive form of the verb, llamarse, and you must use the reflexive pronoun (se, te or me in the sample sentences) with it. Using Llamar for Calling In other contexts, llamar most often means simply to call as in these examples: Él me llamà ³ pero no me dijo nada. (He called me, but he didnt tell me anything.)No voy a llamarlo. (I am not going to call him.)Tu madre te llama. (Your mother is calling you.) There is an ambiguity in the above sentences in both languages: While all these examples might be using to call in the sense of to telephone (telefonear), they arent necessarily doing so. You can make the distinction only from the context. Llamar also can mean to call in other situations as well: Los ministros de finanzas quieren llamar la atencià ³n sobre la biodiversidad. (The finance ministers want to call attention to biodiversity.)Me llamà ³ idiota. (He called me an idiot.)Al poco rato llamà ³ con los nudillos a la puerta. (A little bit later he knocked on the door. Literally, a little bit later, he called with his knuckles at the door.) As the third example above suggests, there may be times where you would translate llamar as to knock when the context so demands. For example, a simple sentence such as llama Marà ­a might be translated as thats Maria knocking if uttered when a knock is heard at the door, or thats Maria ringing if uttered when the telephone rings. Or a sentence such as estn llamando (literally, theyre calling) might mean someone is ringing the doorbell or someone is calling on the phone. As always in matters of translation, context is key in determining what something means. Using Llamar Figuratively In some contexts, llamar can be used as meaning call in a broad or figurative sense, giving it the meaning of to be appealing or something similar. Like call, it can be used to indicate that something is drawing someone to it. La tecnologà ­a nueva llama la atencià ³n de cientos de millones de personas. (The new technology is drawing the attention of hundreds of millions of people.)La mà ºsica rock no me llama. (Rock music doesnt appeal to me.)A mi personalmente los videojuegos no me llaman, pero reconozco la importancia que estn teniendo hoy dà ­a. (I personally dont care for videogames, but I recognize the importance they are having these days.) Words Related to Llamar Among the words related to llamar are: Llamada often refers to a telephone call, although it can refer to various kinds of signals or gestures used to call attention. La llamada era del presidente. (The call was from the president.) Some speakers also use llamado this way.As a noun, llamado can refer to a spiritual calling: Pedro recibià ³ un llamado al ministerio. (Pedro received a call to the ministry.)A doorbell, door buzzer, or doorknocker is often called a llamador. The word can also be used for a visitor, i.e., someone who comes calling.A call for action can be called a llamamiento. La Marcha por la Paz ha querido hacer este aà ±o un llamamiento para cuidar el planeta. (The March for Peace has wanted to make this year a call for care of the planet.)Something that calls attention to itself can be considered llamativo as explained in this lesson on translation. Surprisingly, llama as a noun isnt related to llamar. In fact, there are two unrelated nouns of the form llama: The name of the South American pack animal known as a llama comes from the Quechua language.Llama can also refer to a flame, and, like the English word, it is related to the Latin flamma. Spanish also uses the word flama. Key Takeaways Llamar has a general meaning very similar to that of to call and thus can usually be used to translate the English verb.The reflexive form, llamarse, is very commonly used in giving the name of someone or something.

A Study of the Association between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln

A Study of the Association between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln shared an unusual friendship based on the hardships Fredrick had in life and the influence Abraham had on the country and slavery as a whole. Both Douglass and Lincoln wanted to slavery to end. Both had strong influences and ties to slavery. Fredrick Douglass had a very hard life growing up as a slave. Witnessed beating of other slaves but was never beating as a child. As a child he realized that they was no getting out of the situation he was end. He had a lot of time to himself which made him a witness to a lot of things like deaths of fellow adult slaves. â€Å"To be accused was to be convicted and to be convicted was to be punished.† (Douglass 18) Mr. Gore (one of Col Lloyd’s overseer) used to beat slaves no matter how guilty or innocent they were. Mr. â€Å"Gore was a grave man, and, though a young man, he never told jokes, said no funny words, seldom smiled.† (Douglass 19) This made Douglass understand that people were really cruel and had no care for anybody that was a slave. After leaving Col Lloyds plantation Fredrick Douglass was sent to live with Master Hugh’s family. â€Å"Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.† (Douglass 33) While living on the plantation Hugh’s wife taught Douglass his A B Cs. As soon as Master Hugh’s found out what his wife was doing he and forbid her from teaching him anything else. From then on he slowly start teaching himself to read. It got so bad every time the Hugh’s family felt like the Douglass was alone they felt like he was away trying to learn. Growing up around a lot of white friends made him kind of jealous and mad that he had to be a slave for the rest of his life. â€Å"You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, but I am a slave for life† (Douglass 34) He also used a lot of his white friends as teachers where he learned more and more. â€Å"I often found myself regretting my own existence, a nd wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed.† (Douglass 36) The thought of being a slave forever was killing him he was very depressed. â€Å"Frederick Douglass never lost faith in the possibility of humankind’s improvement. He confronted, he argued, he pleaded, he bluffed, he threatened and conned — using whatever tactics might work in a particular situation. No aspect of human oppression escaped his concern or compassion.†(Abraham Lincoln and Frederick) Through it all Douglass stood strong and fought for his freedom. He eventually got free and wrote many different writing about his times as a slave that influenced a lot of white and blacks to realize how evil slavery really was. Abraham Lincoln was very influential to the end of slavery. â€Å"As a young man, Abraham Lincoln had witnessed the slave system when he twice traveled down the Mississippi River on a raft to New Orleans.† (Abraham Lincoln and slavery) Lincoln always hated the injustice of slavery ever since he was a child. As a young man he had a lot of African American friends even his barber was African American. Lincoln knew how involuntary servitude felt. It just was unfair for someone to work for someone and it was wrong to not give someone there fair earnings. Especially when you’re gaining from their hard work and labor. In his Alton debate with Senator Stephen A. Douglass in 1858, Mr. Lincoln said: â€Å"That is the real issue. That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglass and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles – right and wrong –throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, ‘You work and toil and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.’ [Loud applause.] No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.† (Abraham Lincolns Values) He knew how it felt to have to work in the field in a lesser way. While he was young he worked at a farm for his father. In the 1830 Lincoln was a young and poor lawyer but he, alongside with Lyman Trumbull and Gustave Koerner, together destroyed the legal basis of the Negro indenture system which amounted to de facto slavery in Illinois. (Burlingame) He worked hard to help against slavery even as a poor lawyer. He felt very strongly about slavery and worked on many cases including Cromwell vs Baily a case where he won a case for an African American slave girl named Nancy. It was a decision made by the Illinois Supreme Court which was a very historic decision and the first of its kind. (Abraham Lincoln and slavery) The decision was that an African American was free and not for sale. It took a lot of morals and strength for a young lawyer to fight for slave freedom. Lincoln served a single term in Congress. During that term he voted for the Wilmot Proviso multiple times. (Abraham Lincoln and slavery) Wilmot Proviso was law that would prohibit slavery in new U.S. Territory. During The Civil War the main point of war Abraham stuck with was to preserve the Union. . Throughout the whole 1862 he offered many southern states a Compensated emancipation to make things easier for the south which would slowly transition the slave states to Free states. â€Å"President Lincoln took a measured approach to emancipation and set a period of 100 days until he would issue the final Emancipation Proclamation – giving the South a grace period until January 1, 1863 in which to return to the Union.† (Abraham Lincoln and slavery) Lincolns plan during the war was to fight mainly to preserve the Union but to slowly push the publics influence on abolishment. Lincoln said it himself â€Å"When I issued that proclamation, I was in great doubt about it myself. I did not think that the people had been quite educated up to it, and I feared its effects upon Border States.†(Burlingame) The south never took advantage of their grace period and a lot of people thoug ht that Lincoln wouldn’t even issue you the final emancipation. Many slaves never knew they were free until years later after the war was over. Both Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were very crucial people in ending slavery. They both influenced many people to fight. Fredrick Douglass writing was very intense and it made people really understand the hardships of the life he lived as a slave. By the end of the war in over 617,000 Americans died by the time the Confederate army surrendered. The landscape was destroyed.

CHINA PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CHINA PROJECT - Essay Example elatively well and this prompts the rating of this sector as zero which implies that the performance in the financial markets of China are at their optimum or rather best levels (Frankel &Wei, 2007).The fact that China is a great nation anything that occurs on its state of financial market affects the entire globe since it acts as one of the major shareholders of investments. This kind of statistics indicates that China is placing a favorable environment for global financial market. The aspect of value chain has been extensively and intensively moved into classy commodities and services and this comes after the nation has fully dominated and controlled the least cost manufacturing firm. Even though the expansion in China in the service industry as one of the best economies internationally (Frankel &Wei, 2007).The state of China has not abandoned the manufacturing sector it has instead struggled in the transformation of the sector into greater levels through the creation and enhancement of the chains and the attributed value. The increased value chain has facilitated the state of China to move forward in terms of economic growth and development. Some of the features associated with this kind of trend involve the global value chains which China has developed and expanded intensively. In this kind of rating the aspect of is given zero since it makes the manufacturing sector of China the greatest contributor of the Gross Domestic Product and the contribution is approximately 50 percent (Frankel &Wei,

Personal Perspectives of Death and Dying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Personal Perspectives of Death and Dying - Essay Example She has even ready to celebrate his death and sold the exclusive rights of capturing her final moments to some media. â€Å"Death begins when the heart stops beating. Deprived of oxygen, a cascade of cellular death commences, beginning with brain cells and ending with skin cells. Death is a process rather than an event. Specifying the moment of death usually involves deciding on a point from which there can be no return.† (What is Death?) Most of the children may not think much about death since childhood is filled with many other activities. The confusing things about death life may not influence them much during that stage. But the religious learning centers such as Sunday school and church related activities may sometimes force them to think in terms of death also. Moreover they may get lot of information about life and death through the literatures they might have read during their childhood. The parents may not talk much about death since the children may ask confusing questions regarding the death which may not be easy for them to answer. But it is necessary for the parents to talk about death if the child asks anything about it to know his interpretations about death. If his interpretations are misleading, then the parents must try to clear his confusions about death. The thought about death was an irritating thing for me even from my childhood. After grown up, I often tried to analyze the meaning of life personally. The science topics which I learned during my studies were not convincing enough to clear my doubts about life and death. I tried to compare the scientific knowledge about death with my religion’s interpretation of death. Though scientifically not proved, I confirmed that religious beliefs cannot be written off. Science often gives us information about material things. Though science was successful in providing us much knowledge about the non material things energy and forces which exists on

Living Forever in a Young Body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Living Forever in a Young Body - Essay Example They fear to lose their life through death. According to me, I will feel comfortable to see an end to aging since there are advantages associated with it. Aging will make it possible for me to have less negativity and high self-esteem: there is a tendency that when an individual becomes older day by day, the negativity will keep on diminishing, and he or she will be in a position of developing high self-esteem. Moreover, aging brings about more positive health. At this point, an individual can establish greater emotional stability that will encourage his or her well-being. As you become of age, the negative emotions, such as sadness and fear happen to be less pronounced. Another great advantage that comes with aging is that one develops brain plasticity (Gottberg, 2014). Nevertheless, I would not like to see an end to aging because of the following reasons: My body is starting to separate and come up short. My vision becomes poor as is the hearing. I can't rest extremely well, and various minor and significant diseases make every day be a great challenge. If I neglected to spare satisfactorily and contribute legitimately, I might end up scratching by every day. What is more, I invested an extraordinary arrangement energy agonizing over my costs; I do not work, and I will need to figure out how to fill the time in my life that was already possessed by work or my profession; When I have a couple of pastimes or intrigues this may be troublesome, and numerous days may appear to be dull and unending.

Why is Mcdonalds such a successful company? Emphasis on India China

Why is Mcdonalds such a successful company? Emphasis on India China 1. Introduction In the present day we all lead a very hectic lifestyle cramping our lives with endless things to do and accomplish. Gone are the days when meals were cooked and served in households three times a day, instead, the youth live on pre-cooked micro waved meals and fast food. We want food and we want it fast. This was essence for the rise of Mcdonalds From humble beginnings in 1954, when Raymond Kroc who was a salesman had a vision of getting the best food in the shorted possible time to people across America was the birth of the fast-food chain that we know as McDonalds. What he did as a pioneer in the fast food industry is akin to the accomplishment of Henry Ford in the automobile industry. The same concepts of Henry Ford were applied of ensuring timeliness, proper disclipine and production efficiency were utilized. In this instance, to French fries, milkshakes and Hamburgers. Today, McDonalds is a brand that is recognized in every corner of the world. A testament to the accomplishment of this fast-food chain is the endorsement by the economist in the world who compare the official exchange rate with that of the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) as the Big Mac Index to gauge if the currency is undervalued or overvalued. In this globalised world, how is that McDonalds managed to reach the heights that it has today with 30,000 outlets in 120 different countries spread across the globe in so many different societies with different cultures, different tastes and different economies. What are the factors that have allowed the managers in McDonalds to succeed in these countries? This paper is an attempt to address these issues. 2. International Business (Multi National Corporations) Today the world is a globalised world and increasingly becoming like a single market place. The barriers of international trade are considerably reduced. Businesses are forced to develop effective management teams and policies that can operate in different national environments. â€Å"Globalization is necessary for success and survival in the worldwide market; however, global competition is not easy† (Bateman Scott, 2004). At the onset of the twenty first century, the list of fortune 500 companies century are increasingly companies that are global (Global Capitalism, 2005) and McDonalds is part of this group. This trend gives rise to an important question in a service organisation about service quality how can multinational firms in the service industry obtain a competitive advantage over local industries and succeed? With over 30,000 restaurants operating in 120 countries and with over 1m employees McDonalds is a truly global success. But, what has made the company successful during one of the toughest economic environments for decades? The past 18 months have been a very testing time for companies across the globe. Many have succumbed to the economic turmoil caused in the US housing markets, many have changed their strategy going forward and many have changed their senior management however, McDonalds has seen an astonishing growth in its sales over the past few months. From the study of McDonalds, we identify three key factors: Embracing globalisation Adapting to local culture 3. Strong company core values (culture) The first factor globalization, has allowed between different parts of the world to come closer together, provides opportunities of exchange and expands the consumer base. Among the factors that have allowed these organisations to succeed in the global market place has been their ability to harness the cross-cultural issues and the benefit that a diversity brings to the organisation. The final factor is strong company core values that it disseminates across all aspects of its business across the globe. McDonald Corporations uses these factors to conduct business around the world. 3. Research and Findings (Primary Secondary) To any society, food is an important cultural ingredient. â€Å"Food is the oldest global carrier of culture.† (Britannica 2007). People believe that we become what we eat and impact our behaviour. Changes in its preparation has the potential to alter the traditional beliefs of people, so how could McDonalds succeed even in such an environment? In todays intensely competitive marketplace for fast food services, maintaining a competitive advantage puts a heavy premium on having a highly committed or competent workforce. â€Å"Increasingly it is being recognized that competitive advantage can be obtained with a high quality workforce that enables organisations to compete on the basis of market responsiveness, product and service quality, differentiated products and technological innovation†. (Chew, I. Horwitz, F. Case study findings). The Fast food industry like other service industries has many characteristics. When taken in context of India and China, the following are the main ones; Liberalisation of the economies of China and India Vast population Changing consumer behaviour Highly competitive environment Strong traditional food culture. Looking at these individually, the liberalisation of trade and investment in China and India has allowed for the proliferation of many international fast-food outlets in these countries. As these countries enjoy economic prosperity, a large working population means that the per capita and household disposable incomes have grown. More and more woman now work in these countries hence the fast-food/take-away and home delivery markets have grown phenomenally in India and China. Gone are the days when McDonalds enjoyed competitive advantage simply because of their unique product line. Besides the national restaurants, there are other western fast-food organisations like Burger King and KFC that pose tough competition to McDonalds by offering similar product lines. 3.1 Critical Success Factors Interview sessions were held on a number of consumers across various regions of Hong Kong. Some critical factors of success of McDonald were identified. Product line Lower Prices Sales Promotion Service Quality Adapting to Local taste Convenient Location Seating space Cleanliness The survey results gave the following results that are depicted on the chart below: If one were to look at a threshold of 80%, we find that convenient location, lower prices, service quality, cleanliness and adapting to local taste are the critical factors that consumers rate when walking into a fast food outlet and McDonalds rates high on them. 3.2 SWOT Analysis Porter (1985) suggested that the manner in which a firm puts its strategies into practice will define the sphere that it operates in be it cost leadership, differentiation or focus strategy. According to him, competitive advantage stems from not just one activity that the time does but from many discrete activities. These could be the marketing, designing, delivering or even supporting its product or services. A SWOT analysis is a good starting place in order to identify potential competitive advantages. If a quick SWOT analysis is done on McDonalds the results can be summarised as follows; 3.3 McDonald as an Employer Employees perceptions about McDonalds could be demonstrated by Hewitts â€Å"2009 Best Employers China Study†, according to which, McDonalds(China)company Ltd. has been regarded as the 3rd best employers in China. Hewitt is one of most widespread professional studies which have most impact force and influence. McDonalds figure shows a Employees engagement of 75%, which is about 26% above the average. In general, employees in â€Å"The Best† such as McDonalds speak more positively about the company (Say), more willing to serve the company (Stay) and contribute more to the company (Strive). Engagement Behaviours The Best Employers including McDonalds also shows lower turnover rate than the rest across all levels. Employees Turnover Rate Leaders of McDonalds drive a strong message that employees are highly valued assets of the organization. Employees hold strong positive perceptions of their leaders with respect to range of organizational relationships Employee View of Senior Management  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The BestTheRest I see strong evidence of effective leadership from senior management  Ã‚  Ã‚  68% 46% Our senior leaders remove barriers to create effective cross-department teams  Ã‚  68% 49% Our senior leaders develop relationships at all levels within the organization  Ã‚  70% 51% Our senior leaders requires continuous improvement from all parts of the organization  77% 57% Our senior leaders create excitement about changes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  76% 56% Our senior leaders fill me with excitement for the future of this organization  Ã‚  Ã‚  66% 44% Our senior leaders treat employees as this organizations most valued assets  Ã‚  Ã‚  69% 47% Our senior leaders consistently demonstrate the organizations values in all behaviors and actions73% 51% 3.4 Position of McDonalds When we analyse the competing fast-food chains in China, we find that till the end of 2008, KFC opened over 2300 restaurants in China, while McDonalds only has 1100 restaurants. In a questionnaire which investigatesâ€Å" The Most Impressive Restaurant in Guangzhou† shows that Mcdonalds with a proportion of 23.5% is leading other fast-food restaurants including KFC and some other local restaurants. Proportion of Impression of Fast-food restaurants in Guangzhou Research also reflects that McDonalds major consumers are young people aged between 15 and 25. By calculating we can infer that this group of people goes to McDonalds every 2.82 weeks with 60% of them going there because of the fashion image given by McDonalds while 33.3% of them go there because of its conveniences. However, convenience is cited by 53.5% for people aged between 25 and 40 as the reason for going to McDonalds. Proportion of different aged people take a meal at McDonalds at different frequencies consumer aged between 15-25 Consumer aged between 25-40 Motive of consumption During the survey, questions were asked about which promotion method most influences the interviewee the main source that people use to acquire information being 1) TV advertising and 2) friends. These are 74% and 65% respectively. Mean while, when asked about the impact of advertising,75.5% of interviewee express that they are frequently attracted by TV advertising which are quite innovate. 24.5% of interviewees say that they are occasionally interested but no one has ever been attracted nor seen the TV advertising. (diagram) Consumers sensitivity of TV advertising 4. Analysis In spite of being an American firm that is built around the Hamburger model, McDonalds has become a part of the lives of people in Asia. Consumers in countries like China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, where the staple diet is mostly rice or noodles have still embraced this fast food chain. It has even managed to penetrate in India, where cows are considered sacred. 4.1 Globalisation and Glocalisation There have been widespread campaigns about the ill-effects of globlasition there are a few that are pro-globalisation and postulate that globalisation enhances culture rather than adulterate it. Where it not for globalisation, it would have been unlikely that McDonalds would have had developed as a brand. â€Å"Researchers have coined a term, glocalisation, to refer to the interactions between local influences and actors and global forces† (Smith Guarnizo, 1999). Large multinational firms, particularly in the services sector, have taken steps to adapt to local values, traditions and cultures. In some instances, there have been large scale protests when a multinational firms sets up its operation overseas. McDonalds had to bear the brunt of protests when it first started in India. Radley Balko (2003), states that â€Å"In most communities, the McDonalds has conformed to the local culture not the other way around. The McDonalds corporation notes that most of its overseas franchises are locally owned, and thus make efforts to buy from local communities. McDonalds also alters its regional menus to conform to local taste.†. For example, in India, the non-vegetarian menu includes chicken and fish items only. Beef is not on the menu in India because are considered sacred. 4.2 Contribution of Culture to their Success People bring an organisation alive. Using a more diverse description, fish feels the need for water only when it is not in it. Culture is like what water is to fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe through it. â€Å"McDonalds commitment to diversity is established on the foundational belief that diversity is not just a moral and ethical issue, but also a business issue† (McDonalds, 2005). Due to the sheer number of outlets in 120 different countries, McDonalds has no choice but to embrace diversity. What is means is that almost every culture, every ethencity is represented in McDonalds. Internal management policies dictate that local suppliers are promoted. This is an extension of their policy on diversity. the use of local suppliers and based on their policies of diversity. When the individual outlets are examined, at the managerial level, there exists a task/occupational sub- culture.†A task culture is job or project oriented culture and emphasis is placed on completing a specific task†. Coles, M. et al.,(1999). The members have strong recognition for the skills of one another and respect each other. They need each other for the organisational success. Culture is itself not visible, but is made visible by actions or if one does something weird and people will come up and tell you that it is not the done thing. McDonalds realizes that having diversity as an asset greatly enhances the profitability of the company. Diversity is a direct reflection of a companys interpersonal relationships. McDonalds leadership encourages diversity through their policies and programs. McDonalds proven success with leveraging the advantages of diversity can be attributed to their core value of ethics. When I characterise the people of McDonalds on the basis of Herzbergs Motivation hygiene theory, Mullins,L.J.(2002), it is easy to appreciate and seems readily applicable. However when looking at it deeper, certain factors emerge questionable Money is a complicated motivator, it satisfies peoples need in a variety of ways, a set of people in McDonalds, money was important as they needed to fulfil their basic physiological need, there were others who needed money to throw parties (a social need) and the customer relations manager wanted it to buy a house (esteem need). People cut right through the way in which th ey prioritised money. 4.3 Management Practices There is a saying, â€Å"You can take the horse to the water but you cannot make it drink.† It will drink only if it so desires. People will also do what they want to do unless motivated, whether on the shop floor or in the ivory tower. This can be done intrinsically or by external stimulus. Watson (1997) mentioned that â€Å"McDonalds focuses on standardization of its products, as consistency and predictability are important keys to the companys worldwide appeal. It was also indicated that one key to McDonalds success was the constant push to speed up production without sacrificing consistency. McDonalds had created a system that depends upon standardized procedures in everything from sandwich assembly to advanced management training at Hamburger University†. In the 600-page â€Å"Operations and Training Manual† production guide, McDonalds ensured that nothing is left to chance; photo layouts showed where the sauces should be placed on the bun, and the exact thickness of sliced pickles was specified. All equipment at McDonalds restaurants must be purchased from approved suppliers, and the architectural design of both interior and exterior is carefully controlled. It can be said that McDonalds preaches uniformity and consistency with the fervency of a relig ion. 4.4 Core Values bind across cultures A growing belief that one of the major sources of potential competitive advantage for businesses is the effective management and development of people. For example, Sparrow et al covered in their study over 2000 organisations across the globe and their report concluded that â€Å"an organizations people provide the only realistic basis for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage†. A good example of the manner of dissipation of the core values is in the form of bonding at the shop floor. For example, the employees of McDonalds are collectively called the crew of the restaurant. This is the term used at all McDonalds restaurants. It means the same in every country and every outlet of McDonalds all belong to the same family. McDonalds senior team put the companys resilience down to an on-going investment to its customers including improving the restaurant experience and expanding its menu. The company has also maintained a massive commitment to its people and their training, which includes making apprenticeships available to all eligible employees and a cohesive and comprehension management, leadership and coaching programme. David Fairhurst, Senior Vice President People at McDonalds UK said: â€Å"In these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever for employers to invest in their staff.† Carole Williams, Corporate Training Manager for McDonalds UK, said a key component of its success is through strong leadership and communication. 4.5 Managing the Customer Experience In our personal lives, most of us would like to believe that the more someone knows us, the more that person will like us. As the old saying goes, to know me is to love me. Interestingly enough, this is also the essence of customer service. Without product differentiation, its the service that that will develop customer loyalty. Crainer (1995) in his book â€Å"The Real Power of Brands† identified McDonalds as a brilliant international exercise in uniformity. He wrote, â€Å"Wherever you go in Europe or the world, a McDonalds restaurant appears very similar and its products are uncanny reproductions of each other. It is homogeneous, uniform and highly successful. That is a McDonalds formula.† Crainer also mentioned that â€Å"McDonalds restaurants are clean; the food is consistent; the service is good. In effect, the very uniformity of the brand is the crucial differentiating factor.† In today competitive environment, customer service is not merely a means to drive sales. McDonalds has created a a niche for itself by raising the bar of competition by providing customers a unique experience. They have accomplished this is through their employees. As the competitive bar goes up, they ensure that the quality of their employees goes up too. Adapted from Mulins .J â€Å"Employee Relations and business performance† 5. Lessons Learnt In addressing the issues relating to developing effective international management teams it appears that the following areas should be considered: Identifying the nature and implications of national cultural differences within the team. Establishing a basis for building understanding and awareness of cultural differences and how they may be managed. Formulating a framework for developing a high performing team which takes account of cultural differences and leverages the diversity present in an international team. It is useful to identify clear framework for analysing and understanding national cultural differences. Such frameworks have been developed by researchers and consultants such as Hofstede and Trompenaars. While the respective merits and drawbacks of different frameworks are widely discussed and are rather helpful in illustrating the major issues which need to be considered. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, there are no simple answers on how management and management practice drive organisation success. Of all the resources available, in the International arena, the human resource is clearly the most significant, but also the most difficult to manage. The models mentioned earlier are only the basic strategies, though the final mix will vary from situation to situation. The key to competitiveness for Mcdonalds is quality and quality depends more on the commitment of individuals; more on the way these individuals behave; their team spirit than on the passive execution of orders received. People create the future through what they do and dont do. More importantly through what they can and cannot do. The value of companies stems from the people who work there, the skills they possess and their potential to transform.