Change management essay on McDonalds The WritePass Journal

Change management essay on McDonalds Change management essay on McDonalds IntroductionOverview of the companyScope of changeProblems in implementing changeRecommendationsConclusionReferencesRelated Introduction Change management can be defined as ‘the process of continually renewing an organisation’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever changing needs to external and internal customers’ (Moran and Brightman, 2001).   As per Burnes (2004) change is a feature which is always present in the life of organisation. It exist both at operational and strategic level. The organisation is aware about where the change is required and is fully capable of planning and implementing these changes in its structure .According to Burnes 2004; Rieley and Clarkson, 2001, the organisations strategy and organisational strategies are something which goes hand in hand and cannot be separated. In the words of Graetz, 2000, ‘Against a backdrop of increasing globalisation, deregulation, the rapid pace of technological innovation, a growing knowledge of workforce, and shifting social and demographic trends, few would dispute that the primary   task of   management tod ay   is leadership of organisational change.’ In early times the theories believed that if the organisation keeps changing management system then it can no longer run effectively nor can it make any improvement in performance (Rieley and Clarkson, 2001). It was believed that the company had to bring new management theory into routine in order to achieve efficiency and improvement in the performance. This Means that an organisation has to give ample time for a particular change to be adopted and settle down in daily routine so that it can be run in efficient manner (Luecke, 2003).However in today’s time It is believed that staff of the organisation should go through continuous change to achieve efficiency (burnes, 2004; Rieley and Clarkson, 2001) According to Grundy, 1993 ‘change which is marked by rapid shifts in strategy, structure or culture, or in all three.’ Senior, 2002 adds to it saying that this kind of sudden change or implementation can be caused only due to malfunctioning of the internal structure or it can be caused due to external pressure. Every organisation is looking to move forward by implanting a management system with will boost organisations strength and capability, enhancing its competitiveness. An organisation has to deal with unforeseen situations in today’s highly competitive environment and to deal with this it has to be more flexible and ready for any situational changes that it will have to make, like adoption of new technology or some latest development in theory for current market. In the fast moving economic environment there continuous changes in the type of technology, the way the product is marketed, trends etc. the organisation has to be more flexible to adopt changes in order to remain competitive in the global market. Change can be good in a way; it can make complex work very simple and helps to improve lives through new innovations. Organisations bring change in their working structures to be more competitive and providing the best to their customers. As per Carlpio (1998) change is something to do with implementation of new innovative ways of doing things, enabling the room for improvement in the system through practice. Number of changes can be introduced in the system but the one which brings success to the organisation is considered to be the most important one of all. A change in management system is important specially when a particular system which the running organisation is facing difficulties or has some problems with it. Changes are brought in to improve the organisations performance.   Changes are mostly brought due to forces which can be internal or external yee, 1998.   Changes can be brought at different level of an organisation (Swenson, 1997) The modification needed or which can be done maybe many or quite a few (Reigeluth, 1994). There could be various factors for change (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). Change can be either internal or external. External include new technology which is current requirement of the industry or trend in the current economy which may have direct impact on profitability of the business. A structured method of change was adopted in 1946 by Lewin (Bamford and Forrester, 2003) what lewin had to say was something different than the old theories, he mentioned that in order to apply any new theory or change management an organisation will have to first discard it’s old management structure or system. Management of changes pays a role in identifying objectives of the organisation and then sets goals accordingly. Its role is to implement new changes in the organisation in which it can be noticed that these changes ultimately bring innovations. The first step towards organisational change is to understand the requirements of the organisation and issues with the current management structure. The purpose of the paper is to provide insight of change management process in the chosen company which is McDonalds and provide solution and recommendation for the same. Overview of the company McDonalds is a company with mile stones of success which was started in 1954 by Ray Kroc as a burger shop which was then turned through extensive marketing planning and campaigning making it a global brands in today’s time. It is renowned fast food brands all over the world with more than 32,000 branches in 117 countries.McDonald’s trade mark was a carefully created and was a successful hit which was a clown with a smile. The big Mac is one of the most successful products of McDonalds. McDonalds offers a menu which is almost the same all cross the world. The menu includes burgers, hamburgers, cheese burgers and drinks include soft drinks with fries. McDonalds target customers includes kids, teens and families. It is now the most renowned brand in fast food that sells ready to eat and quickly served fast food. In spite of being a famous brandMcDonaldsis still facing some issue and needs to change its management structure and image as the people in current time have a bit different expectations then those in previous days (McDonalds 2010) In today’s time people have become more diet and health conscious and are now moving towards food which is healthy and has more nutritional values. Fast food has always been known as junk food with no nutritional value and the popular opinion was that fast food results into obesity by increasing fats in the body. Today’s generation is more figure conscious and are looking forward for food which is low fat and high in proteins. McDonaldsis facing problems as it is a well established fast food brand and fast food is always related to unhealthy and fattening food, while competitors ofMcDonaldshave already made a move towards health conscious products by introducing entire new range which is healthy and non fattening. McDonalds needs to change the way it markets itself and also need to introduce a new line of products, as per expectations of new generation’s customers. Scope of change Advertising and marketing places an important role in establishing an image of the company in the eyes of the society in which it operates. The scope of change widely lies in the implementation of integrated marketing strategy. In this paper the importance is given to marketing and advertisement part as to launch new range of healthy products, the company has to implement new marketing practises. The new marketing campaign will adopt a new health conscious process which will flow along with a trend of fitting with health related issues like obesity in young children’s and create awareness about health eating practises. The main objective of this campaign is to promote its new products which are healthy and contains low fats. This will help create positive image of McDonalds among the customers and make them aware of new products which are healthier than the earlier once. To execute these plans the company has to plan its new strategy of advertising and marketing ideas and put a team in place to implement this strategy. The company has also introduced new smoothes and shakes along with healthy breakfast which is available before 12 in all the branches in UK. The marketing integrated campaigns main aim to reflect company mission and new attitude is been seen by the public through companies new promotion and marketing plans. Problems in implementing change When implementing change, conflicts will always follow. There are always conflicts on the route towards changes either before or after it has been initiated. Change in management can be the reason to bring success or failure to an organisation; however conflicts can bring problems if there are not resolved in time as they can bring obstacles in the new management structure introduced. The management has to be aware that it should be capable of not only introducing necessary changes but also be able to implement them effectively clearing all the obstacles. The main reason to bring changes in the organisation structure especially through marketing campaign is to improve the image of the organisation and to make the company more competitive in its industry.   The company might have to face many obstacles in doing this and these obstacles can be both external and internal. It is important to know the consent of the stakeholders of the organisation as they are very important part of the organisation. Stake holders include share holders, customers, supplier and employees. It is important for an organisation to keep all its stakeholders happy because if they are happy then it’s beneficial for the organisation. But there will conflict due to changes as there will be resistance from the side of employees or customers themselves as often people resist changing. There may be employees or customers who would accept the change happily but the problem is with those who do not agree with new management system which is to be implemented. Most of the time they may think that the change which has been brought is nothing to do with the issue or it may worsen the situations. I it may also happen that within employees they might not trust people who are in charge of this new change. Employees are not the only one who creates obstacles for change sometimes even the customers are not ready for change. If they do not take to change positively then this may create issue for the company to achieve its goal for the change. Along with this another problem that McDonalds may face is finding the right staff to drive this change that will be responsible to deliver these changes in department of marketing and communication. In addition to from employees and customer’s resistance there can be other barriers this may affect the process of change. The strategic implementation is important part of changes; complications in this can be problematic for the company. There can be many other issues which can create barriers in changes such as conflict in view of share holders or the problem in finance and lack of budget of the company another problem can be sustaining the process of change. As per carlopio 1998 innovation is something that does not happen in a day it takes series of phases to finish the process of change. Staff involved in this change management process must undergo some kind of training and learning procedure to make them competent to sustain the series of change until it attains success. Inability to handle or lack of experience and knowledge in implementation of strategic change may not be able to achieve integrated marketing and communication strategies. So to overcome the problem of negative response the management of the company should make the staff go through necessary training and development programmes. The training programme should be such that it should provide complete understanding of the programme to the members of the staff. It should make sure that none of the information is missed in the training programme. After the programme there should be a follow up to check if all the members have understood and have sufficient information to support change. There can be internal conflicts between the members of the staff due to cultural issues. This bring problem in harmony of the members in the organisation, leading to conflict within the company. McDonalds must understand the cultures of its employees and should identify the problem that may be caused because of the conflicts if any (wikins and Dyer, 1998) McDonalds should incorporate governance in the system to enhance the quality of staff and the time spent by them at the work place. Different appraisal policies can help to boost employees. Working environment can also be improved so that staff members can have a good time while working for the company which at the same time also benefits the organisation. Strong organisation culture along with good management team is needed to solve such internal conflict issues. The second most important change is to sustain the success that had been achieved through implementation of new management process. Change is part of the society and it comes again in regular interval of time (Carlopio, 1998). For the success of change management it is important that all the stakeholders know or are made aware that current change has been brought for the betterment of them. The management of the organisation should constantly analyse the current market trends and predict future scenarios, so that it can prepare itself for next set of change that will be required for the success of the organisation. Recommendations The success of the new changes in management cannot be correctly predicted as it completely depends on the attitudes of the young generation and the society. Changing the image from fast seller to a company who provides healthy meal is not a easy process, but with strong marketing campaigns and advertisement the message can be sent to people and there is a chance that this message will be delivered. It is imperative that the new image of McDonalds reaches all 117 countries. After this message has been promoted there is a chance of getting rid of the critic’s comments that McDonalds brands have unhealthy and fattening. In other words innovation can be explained as a bunch or new ideas which have been successfully implemented (Kuhn, 1993). Innovation can be led by two factors which is technology based innovation and the second one is demand based innovation. However most of the innovations are charged up realisation of demand instead of technology. Changes are mainly driven by constant research and development, performed by companies and RD is given a lot of attention. Apart from RD there can be other ways of bringing innovation and one of the simplest ways to keep improving working practises while in the daily routine. Combination of knowledge and extensive work experience can help to innovate a new a better way of doing things. Radical innovation always come from the RD department of the company but innovations which are incremental can only come from through practice (Lundvall, 1992). McDonalds will have to plan and implement its new marketing campaigns effectively with effective ways of doing it. The company has to take care that its internal staff is competent in delivering the outcome and that is minimum resistance from the internally. There is a good chance that McDonalds can change its image in food industry from junk food supplier to a health conscious meal provider.    Conclusion As per beverage 2003, the management of the organisation has to be on toss all the time to keep the organisation up to the market expectation. They have to continuously analyse and monitor current market conditions so that that they are aware of the current standing of the company in the market. To bring innovation the management will have to keep a check on which ideas are working and which are not doing well when implemented and accordingly change the management structure. To implement a management change the leader must create a environment which is safe and will support new changes in the organisation. A above all It can be said that a change in management is good only if that particular change has potential to improve companies competitiveness in the market and bring more success to the organisation. The organisation should keep monitoring current situations and make changes only if it is felt necessary, as change in organisation is a complex decision and has direct impact on the image of the organisation. With proper care and preparation and organisation (McDonalds) can survive the toughest competition. References Carlopio, J., (1998), â€Å"Implementation: making workplace and technical change happen†, McGraw-hill publication, Sydney. Yee, J.A., (1998), â€Å" Forces motivating institutional reform†, ericdigests.org/1999-1/reform.html. Accessed March 2011. Swenson, D.X., (1997), â€Å"Requisite conditions for team empowerment†, empowerment in organisations, Vol. 5 No. 1 Reigeluth, C. M. (1994). The imperative for systemic change. In C. M. Reigeluth R. J. Garfinkle (Eds.), Systemic change in education (pp. 3-11). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. Wilkins, A., Dyer, W. Jr (1988), Toward culturally sensitive theories of cultural change,  Academy of Management Review, Vol. 13. Kuhn, R.L., Ed., (1993), â€Å"Generating Creativity and Innovation in Large Bureaucracies†, Quorum Books, London Lundvall, B.A.,   (1992), â€Å" National Systems of Innovation: Towards a Theory of Innovation and Interactive learning†, Pinter, London. Beverage, w. M., (2002), â€Å"slow change in fast culture†, Educause review, pp. 10-11. Moran, J. W. and Brightman, B. K. (2001) ‘Leading organizational change’, Career Development International, 6(2), pp. 111–118. Burnes, B. (2004) Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics, 4th edn (Harlow: Prentice Hall). Rieley, J. B. and Clarkson, I. (2001) ‘The impact of change on performance’, Journal of Change Management, 2(2), pp. 160–172. Graetz, F. (2000) ‘Strategic change leadership’, Management Decision, 38(8), pp. 550–562. Luecke, R. (2003), â€Å" Managing Change and Transition†,   Harvard Business School Press, Boston Burnes, B. (2004) Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics, 4th edn (Harlow: Prentice Hall). Bamford, D. R. and Forrester, P. L. (2003) ‘Managing planned and emergent change within an operations management environment’, International Journal of Operations Production Management, issue 23, Vol. 5 McDonalds, (2010), â€Å"about McDonalds†, aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd, viewed on 5th march 2011.

Marcus Mosiah Garveys Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marcus Mosiah Garveys Movement - Essay Example According to the report findings Garvey visited Ecuador, Costa Rica and Panama, where he worked as an editor for some radical newspapers, during the early moments of service. Garvey’s keen interest in Africa and that of its history came about after his visit to England, where he mingled with several African nationalists. In a number of the countries that Garvey visited, he acknowledged that the black man was on inferior levels, subject to the continuous changing ideals of stronger races. The writings of Booker T. Washington on â€Å"Up from slavery† also contributed greatly to the interventions that Garvey sought to bring. His endeavors got a boost after meeting a Sudanese-Egyptian supporter of Africa self-rule, Duse Mohammed Ali, who employed him, thus ensuring his interaction with other black activists. As the the essay stresses the organization appealed to the black community to return to Africa for the development of a great nation. He knew that until this was attainable, Africans had to make themselves economically stable and independent in their respective areas of residence. He further encouraged black communities to start their own business in the various ghettos that they dominated. In accordance to his basic principle and the belief that each race had to see God through its own racial eyes, Garvey together with Archbishop George McGuire started the African Orthodox Church. Official announcement of the Black Madonna and the Black Christ then took place in the UNIA convention of 1924.

Integrated Reporting Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Integrated Reporting Framework - Essay Example However, it was not until 1999 that the UK developed a framework which it described as – ‘Statement of Principles for Financial Reporting’. Both frameworks were based on work done in US, Canada and some other countries (Dyson 2007). Before that time the bases for financial reporting were various rules and custom and standards which were mainly ‘fire-fighting exercises’ (Dyson 200?). The USA, however, was much earlier in developing a conceptual framework in the 1970’s. This framework was also developed out of a number of crises over the years which led to the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States in 1934 under whose charge the FASB falls. Subsequently, there have been additional crisis in the United States especially that which led to the Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002. This Act has laid down certain requirements for companies listed on the stock exchange. All these have one objective – the protection of stakeho lders, while minimising the differences in reporting by companies. The IFRS framework deals with the objectives of financial statements, the qualitative characteristics that determine the usefulness of these statements, the definition, recognition and measurement of the elements from which they are constructed, and the concepts of capital and capital maintenance (BPP 2009, p. 36). They form a common basis on which financial statements are repared, thus creating a basis for discussion. These frameworks have provided guidelines in relation to disclosure of information, measurement, recognition and presentation of financial statement components. This means that company executives have to abide by these guidelines if they want their auditors (assurance providers) to indicate that their financial statements show as true and fair view. This has helped to constrain the freedom of company executives. Harmonisation and convergence projects There have been frequent calls for harmonisation and this has borne some fruit with over 100 countries accepting the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) with additional countries such as Canada being one of the most recent adoptees (Sungard 2011). According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (2011, p. 3) as a result of mergers and acquisitions through business dealings with non-US customers and vendors IFRS continue to affect US companies. This has led to the convergence project for a conceptual framework which is a joint project between the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) the preparers of IFRS and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) the preparers of US GAAP. The objective of the project is to develop an improved conceptual framework as a basis for developing accounting standards in the future (Financial Accounting Standards Board n.d.). All these are aimed at making financial statements that have been produced in different countries more comparable. Additionally, investors will feel more secured and con fident in the information provided in the statements. The Need for Integrated Reporting The frameworks provided by various accounting bodies though undergoing continuous revision have not been able to keep up with the pace of changes in the global environment. Investors and other stakeholders find themselves being short changed by insufficient disclosure, an inability to link the figures provided in the

International Mergers Essay Example for Free

International Mergers Essay Recent years have seen waves of mergers and acquisitions occurring in the international arena. Whilst the nature of such M A activity has enlarged from being mostly IT focussed in the 1990s to include other areas like consumer goods, automobiles, and metals in the 2000s, its intensity remained unabated until the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. Although M A activity in the domestic space has continued to occur despite the high failure rate of such initiatives, international M A s face the additional challenge of having to overcome issues of different national cultures. The recent break-up of Daimler Chrysler evidences the difficulties that such initiatives face and the enormous harm that can occur if they do not work. This dissertation attempts to investigate the numerous challenges that confront the managements of the two concerned organisations, the hazards posed by such challenges, and the measures that can be adopted to overcome them. Table of Contents Serial Details Page Abstract 2 1. Introduction 5 1. 1. Background and Overview 5 1. 2. Definition of Problem 8 1. 3. Aims and Objectives 12 2. Literature Review 14 2. 1. Motivation for International M A Activity 14 2. 1. 1. Strategic Objectives 14 2. 1. 2. Other Drivers of International Mergers and Acquisitions 18 2. 2. The Cultural Context 20 2. 2. 1 National Culture 20 2. 2. 2. Organisational Culture 23 2. 2. 3 The Impact of Culture on International Mergers and Acquisitions 25 2. 2. 4 Overcoming Cultural Differences in International Mergers and Acquisitions 32 3. 0 Research Methodology 38 3. 1. Research Questions 38 3. 2. Choice of Research Methodology 38 3. 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods 39 3. 4. Choice of Methodology 41 3. 5. Primary and Secondary Data 41 3. 6. Ethics 42 4. 0 Data Collection 43 5. 0 Findings and Analysis 48 6. 0 Conclusions 52 Bibliography 53 1. Introduction 1. 1. Background and Overview Corporate mergers and acquisitions (M A) are an accepted form of external growth and are becoming increasingly common with time. With business corporations having realised the benefits of M A activity in terms of growth in sales, increase in capacity, accessing of new markets, obtaining of technology and skills, acquisition of brands, savings in costs, and achievement of synergies in areas of sales, production, and costs, it forms an integral component of the objectives and strategies of most forward looking and ambitious business firms (Gaughan, 2002). Two decades of globalisation, along with progressive development of technology, intensification of competition, increasing pressure on costs, and the continual emergence of new equal skill/ lesser cost production and service centres in Asia, East Europe, and South America are accentuating the need for consolidation and for achieving leadership in costs and quality, the basic tenets of Michael Porter’s theory of competitor advantage (Gaughan, 2002). Such developments are also increasing the number of companies searching for appropriate M A opportunities. The enormous changes that have taken place in the global, economic, political, and trade scenario have added another dimension to the issue of M A activity, that of international mergers and acquisitions (IMA). These pertain to those mergers and acquisitions that take place beyond the borders of specific countries and which are also known as global or cross border M As. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of East European countries, the formation of the European Union, and the dismantling of trade barriers led to a significant increase in M A activity between European countries. Apart from the remarkable developments in Europe, the last two decades also saw a wave of trade liberalisation and economic and financial reforms sweep through the developing world, and the emergence first of China and then of India on the global economic scene, bringing with them huge markets, strong production and service skills and cheap costs (Gaughan, 2002). With western businesses having realised the import of the enormous business opportunities that are constantly being generated on a global basis, the lid has been taken off IMA activity, which is now increasing furiously, particularly in the USA, the UK, and Europe. â€Å"While USA has always been the pioneer in merger and acquisition activities, UK too has registered high levels of mergers and acquisitions. With the European countries gaining momentum in mergers and acquisitions, international mergers and acquisitions also received a major boost. † (International Mergers and Acquisitions, 2009) IMA is taking place in â€Å"different forms, for example horizontal mergers, vertical mergers, conglomerate mergers, congeneric mergers, reverse mergers, dilutive mergers, and accretive mergers† (International Mergers and Acquisitions, 2009). Whilst IMAs are also driven by the same motives as regular M A activity, international M A helps companies in accessing markets in distant lands, allows companies to build global competitive advantage, and otherwise leads to build up of Foreign Direct Investment. IMA activity is also far more complex than regular M A actions because of the presence of far greater complexities that arise from companies having to deal with different political structures, governmental regulations and policies, economical situations, and investment and other laws (Gaughan, 2002). Despite the presence of such obstacles, international M A activity was gathering pace until the onset of the financial crisis, which has effectively put all commercial and business activity in a state of suspended animation. â€Å"2006 was a record year for acquisitions worldwide when, for the first time, the annual value of these transactions exceeded US$ 4 trillion, and cross-border acquisitions alone amounted to a record high of US$ 1. 3 trillion (Larsen, 2007). This trend continues in 2007, given that the transaction value of global acquisitions in the first three months of the year reached US$ 1. 13 trillion, setting up a record for the busiest first quarter in acquisition history. † (Rottig, 2007) The size of North American IMA activity increased practically by 100 % in 2006 to USD 242 billion from USD 132 billion in 2005. The value of IMA deals in Europe in 2006 touched USD 451 billion (Rottig, 2007). Whilst the most of IMA activity took place in the US, it was followed by the UK and Germany (Rottig, 2007).

Free Great Gatsby Essays: Social Relationships :: Great Gatsby Essays

Social Relationships in The Great Gatsby    Novelists are often concerned with exploring the confusions and complexities of social relationships. In the context, confusions refer to puzzling relationships, which are confusing to comprehend. Whereas, complexities relate to complicated and intricate issues. The different social relationships discussed in F.Scott Fitzgerald's novel, THE GREAT GASTBY, are business colleagues, lovers and married partners. The characters involved in these relationships consist of, Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Myrtle and George Wilson, Jordan Baker, Mr. Wolshiem and Nick Carraway. Each character interacts with others, establishing either confusions or complexities within their social relationship.    A complex social relationship explored in this novel is between Wolshiem and Gatsby. The two are business colleagues who work together, however the nature of their business is rarely discussed. During lunch between Gatsby, Wolshiem and Nick, Wolshiem mistakes Nick's reason of invitation, which Gatsby quickly states, 'I told you we'd talk about that some other time.' (p69) This suggests to the audience that their business is not above board, as Gatsby does not wish to discuss their business dealing in front of company. Throughout the novel, their business relationship is kept very vague. On the surface it appears to be a normal business relationship, however due to the uncertainty of their dealings, it is established to the audience that there is a complex relationship existing between the two characters. Thus showing how complexities can be explores through the social relationship of business colleagues.    Another example of a social relationship explored in the novel, containing complexities, is between Wolshiem and Gatsby from Wolshiem's point of view. In the final chapter, Wolshiem sends Nick a letter in regards to Gatsby's death. He states that he is, '...tied up in... very important business... cannot get mixed up in this thing now.' (p157)    This reinforces that their relationship was strictly business and there was not a very strong friendship existing between the two characters. It appears that Wolshiem has very little respect for Gatsby, as he doesn't have the courtesy to attend his funeral. It is portrayed that all Gatsby was to Wolshiem was a business colleague, nothing more. Wolshiem doe not want to further their relationship as friends. Within the letter, Wolshiem refers to Gatsby as a 'thing.' This represents Gatsby's death as an inconvenience on Wolshiem's behalf. As Wolshiem was involved in some 'very important business,' this once again reinforces the idea that their business relationship was below board.

Skiing Essay

A Day On The Slopes It’s not just for the wealthy anymore! Skiing has been getting more popular recently. People have the free time and money to go skiing more than ever. This is a downfall for somebody who has never skied and wants to be a part of the fun. There is a series of simple steps to complete before one can achieve their best at skiing. From proper attire, to the way you carve down the mountain, it boils down to a few critical steps. If these steps are completed there is nothing holding anybody back from being a successful skier.Lets start off with the basics; I always start by packing pajamas so I have a warm base layer. Then a long T-shirt, followed by a warm pair of socks to keep those toes warm. Socks might be the most crucial part since they will be buckled into ski boots the entire day. Next comes a jacket, ski pants, goggles and a preferably a helmet. If it is windy out, or if you are sensitive to cold air then think about wearing a ski mask to keep the facial area warm. This should cover the basic attire for a day on the slopes. Once you have all your gear set, its time to pick a trail.Now, there are four main types of trails; green circle, blue square, black diamond and then double black diamond. The green circle is the easiest trail and is recommended for beginners, but if a skier is feeling confident they should take their skills onto the blue squares on the mountain. These blue square trails will challenge a first time skier and push them to their full potential. There are a few types of specialty trails that beginners might want to watch out for. Trails called â€Å"glades† are narrow paths in the woods.These trails are made for experienced skiers, and this is where you can find some of the best conditions on a mountain. The next kind of trail to watch for is a terrain park. These trails are made famous for their massive ski jumps and handrails for skiers to â€Å"grind† on. For skiers wanting that extra excitement ou t of their trip might want to consider the terrain park. Now that the trail has been chosen, the subsequent step is to get down the mountain. When descending, keep two things in mind at all times, pizza and French fries.One might find this out of context but it has substantial effect on your speed and safety going down the mountain. Pizza refers to the shape that skis make when in the â€Å"slowing down position. † The tips of the skis will configure to make a triangle, a pizza slice like shape. This position is the safest way for a new skier to slow down. French fry denotes when skis are parallel. This style can be used when on a straightaway or when in full control. Be carful when utilizing the â€Å"French fry,† because speed can get the best of a skier in this position.Skiing is a peaceful activity, and when done correctly can be the best time of somebody’s life. One must consider a basic checklist of supplies to bring on a ski trip so they can make the most out of their experience. Knowing the trails is also crucial; nothing is better than being prepared. It takes some time to get passed the French fry and pizza phase of skiing, but beginners will catch on quickly if practiced with discipline. If all of these steps are correctly completed a new skier will be having a very memorable understanding of the ski slopes.

The Musical, My Fair Lady Directed By George Cukor

Critical Review This critical review is about the musical, My Fair Lady, directed by George Cukor based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. This musical altered some of the scenes and added new ones. The basic storyline of the text is about a young flower girl that runs into a phonetics teacher who claims that he could sell her as a duchess. The flower girl, which is later known to be Eliza, takes up the offer and starts speech lessons with the teacher, Mr. Higgins. He coachers her night and day to prepare her for a race and an embassy ball where she will meet royalty. Mr. Higgins is also acquainted in the beginning with one of his respected colleagues who also specialize in phonetics, Colonel Pickering. Although, Higgins treats her as â€Å"baggage† he soon gets attached to her and her ways. Colonel Pickering however, treats her as a respectable lady. She has a great success at the ball but is not recognized for it, which disappoints her. She decides to run away to Mrs. Higgins hou se where she found by Higgins and Pickering. She organizes her thoughts with Higgins and says she will never come back to them but at the end of the movie, not the play, she comes back to Higgins and Pickering. The main play and musical is based off of a similar storyline which goes something like this: There is a young flower girl who has a cockney accent which prevents her from getting a nice high paying job. Her dream is to work in a flower shop as an assistant. She runs into a phoneticsShow MoreRelatedPygmalion and My Fair Lady3190 Words   |  13 PagesDiscuss the different ways of representing class conflicts. Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw, 1914 My Fair Lady, George Cukor, 1964 â€Å"As the purpose of comedy is to correct the vices of men, I see no reason why anyone should be exempt.† This famous quotation of French playwright Molià ¨re proves how powerfully theater and social criticism are linked, and how in its different genres, drama as well as comedy, theater can, and maybe must, be a way of communicating and expressing the human and society’s flawsRead More The Death of the ‘Authorlessness Theory’? Essay6470 Words   |  26 Pagesreality, was narrated. After seeing a handpainted plate at an antique shop in 1971, she became fascinated with the technique that created the plate. She had originally conceived of the The Dinner Party as a series of plates, to be titled â€Å"Great Ladies.† She writes, â€Å"Since plates are associated with eating, I thought images on plates would convey the fact that the women I planned to represent had been swallowed up and obscured by history instead of being recognized and honoredà ¢â‚¬  (8). Originally