Mcdonalds Competition Against Burger King

Mcdonalds Competition Against Burger King McDonalds is one of the best global foodservice retailer which has more than 32,000 local restaurants serving more than 60 million people in 117 countries each day. More than 75% of McDonalds restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local public. The Company serves the world some of its favourite foods World Famous Fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin. The history began with our founder, Ray Kroc. The strong foundation that he established continues today with McDonalds vision and the commitment of our talented executives to keep the shine on McDonalds Arches for years to come. . Its head office is located in Oak Brook United States. McDonalds Corporation is the worlds largest chain of fast food restaurants, working worldwide in 117 countries with 400000 workers. It has 60 Million customers with 32000 restaurants worldwide. A franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself operates every McDonalds restaurant. The corporations reve nues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. Its net operating income for the year ended 2010 is $7.673 Billion. The type of the company is public. Time Line: 1940: Dick and Mac McDonalds open MacDonalds Bar-B-Que restaurant on Fourteenth and E streets in San Bernardino, California 1948: Dick and Mac McDonalds opened the 1st drive thru restaurant in San Bernardino, California. 1949: French Fries replace potato chips on MacDonalds menu 1954: Ray Kroc becomes the first agent of franchise for the McDonalds brothers. 1955: Ray Kroc opens 1st McDonalds in Illinois. 1957: McDonalds started knowing for the motto QSC. 1959: McDonalds started billboard advertising. 1961: Ray Kroc acquires McDonald brothers for $2.7Million. 1963: Ronald McDonald made his debut in a way to attract more children and families. 1965: Television network advertising begins. 1969: The new design for the restaurants roof introduced to replace the red and white design. 1984: Training started providing for every level of McDonalds management worldwide for quality assurance. 1995: The new advertising theme have you had your break today? debuts. 2004: ISO 14000. 2005: 50th Anniversary. 2008: introduces the most broad global packaging design in the brands industry Burger King: Burger King is the 2nd largest fast-food chain, behind only McDonalds. The company franchises more than 10,400 restaurants and owns about 1,000 for a chain wide total exceeding 11,455, with locations in all 50 states and 56 countries. The company serves 15.7 million customers each day and over 2.4 billion Burger King hamburgers are sold each year across the world. In the late 1990s and into the new millennium, Burger King was plagued by falling sales and deteriorating franchisee relationships. Burger Kings parent, Diageo Plc, sold the company to a group of investors led by Texas Pacific Group in 2002. Miami entrepreneurs James McLamore and David Edgerton founded Burger King Corporation in 1954. Five years later, they were ready to get bigger their five Florida Burger Kings into a all over the country chain. By the time they sold their company to Pillsbury in 1967, Burger King had become the third largest fast-food chain in the country and was on its way to second place, after industry leader McDonalds. Time Line: 1954: James McLamore and David Edgerton establish Burger King Corporation. 1957: The Whopper is launched. 1959: The company begins to expand through franchising. 1963: First Burger King outside the U.S. in Puerto Rico 1967: Burger King is sold to Pillsbury. 1975: Burger King introduces the drive-through window 1977: Donald Smith is hired to restructure the firms franchise system. 1978: BKC introduces new line-up of sandwiches (fish, steak, chicken and ham) 1979: BKC introduce breakfast menu 1982: Burger King claims its grilled burgers are better than competitors McDonalds and Wendys fried burgers. 1983: BKC introduce The CroissanWich 1988: BKC launches We do it like youd do it add campaign 1989: Grand Metropolitan plc acquires Pillsbury. 1997: The firm launches a $70 million French fry advertising campaign; Grand Metropolitan merges with Guinness to form Diageo plc. 2002: A group of investors led by Texas Pacific Group acquire Burger King 2004:Subservient Chicken is launched 2005: BK Chicken Fries are introduced 2006: BK goes public limited company 2007: 50th anniversary of the WHOPPER SANDWICH Main Topic This report consists of different operations, research development of products, innovation, changes, and competitiveness of McDonalds and Burger King according to the requirement of this course work. How they do research and developing new products, how they manage their product and service quality, how they taking competitive priority on each others, and which systems and approaches they following to make their businesses successful in this competitive environment and satisfy their customers where expectations of the customers are very high and changing their needs rapidly. Compare and Contrast of Operations How They Cook The main difference can be seen in the kitchen of these two restaurants. How they prepare their burgers for customer like McDonalds cooks their burger by a batch process where as Burger king make their burger by a machine paced assembly process. McDonalds Batch Process McDonalds fries their burgers on a big platen in batches of up to twelve. Two ore more than two batches can be on platen at same time in different stages of cooking. When a worker in the back says Quarter Pounders Up a complete batch is ready at the same time Burger King Broiler Process Burger king cook their burger on continuous chain broiler. Semi prepared burgers are put on one end 80 second later they bring out the other end its cooked. This sort of machine paced assembly process is very common in industrial manufacturing processes. Teamwork VS Assembly Line As both of these companies following two different strategies of operations like Mcdonalds batch process and King Burger assembly line. As in McDonald 12 hamburger are prepared in same time. They are hand seared after 20 seconds on the grill, turned at sixty seconds and pulled at hundred seconds. When they come off workers over there must fastly add condiments wrap and shelve them. If there are two batches going there in different stages of cooking then its mean that speed is more essential part to keep production on going. So its mean the staff must be motivated or the process gums up. Staff must be cooperative and willing to help in another area in case of help required. Burger King Here in Burger King there is no matter at what speed burger are prepared once they are cooked the rate limiting step is the cooking itself. One burger in a time comes off the chain broiler at the rate of 8 per minute, maximum. The machine makes the process fast. As long as you can do your job of assembly process in seven and half seconds per burger that all which is required. Fast and Quick Service(Just In Time) How McDonald can stay on top? The answer id that when it is running good, the batch process allows for much greater throughput and faster speed of services. Speed plays an important role in the popularity of food store. The batch process of McDonald can prepared 300 burger in one hour where as 200 for the continuous chain broiler of Burger king. There are standard given by each restaurant for speed like McDonalds is faster than Burger king because prepared burger for 3 minutes where as McDonalds delivered only in 90 seconds. Capacity Planning McDonald McDonalds has a very strict standard for food preparation and its their goal to facilitate their customer as fast as they can. To meet this goal they set a plan of inventory of food production to meet surges in demand. There are strict limits how long the food can remain in inventory limits the amount of inventory can be made this food limit allow to McDonald create a level between its production and the workforce required. This sort of strategy is called level production. Burger King Burger king is using another sort of strategy. They once promoted their burger using a have it your way philosophy because Burger assemble burger when they receive an order, because product is made when the demand appears. So Burger King has variation in labour need and this is the reason for customer to have wait. They nevertheless provide a product geared according to the requirement of customer. This sort of strategy is known as chase demand. Quality Control Burger King: uses the customer and market oriented surveys to manage the quality of service on regular basis. HSSP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) program is the execution of strict operation and sanitation procedures. Our food safety program employs a broiler design and meat cooking procedures that fully cook products, killing any potentially harmful bacteria. McDonalds: Q.S.C. V. Provide good quality, services to customer. Uses a cleanliness environment when customer enjoys their meal. The value of food product makes every customer is smiling. Price: Burger King uses affordable prices for quality food strategy so that its prices are less than its competitors. McDonalds came up with very high prices. The Company has certain value pricing and bundling strategies such as happy meal, combo meal family meal etc to increase overall sales volumes. Product: McDonalds doesnt offer just burgers their well-diversified menu is also one of the key success factors. Burger King: Burger King is offered flame-grilled burgers and offering a variety of food and other products those fulfilling the demands of all segments of society. Layout of Restaurants: McDonalds: Restaurants have included a playground for children and advertising geared toward children. The new strategy of re-designing of layout of the braches create natural style with a particular emphasis on comfort introducing lounge areas and fireplaces and eliminating hard plastic chairs and tables. These facilities give comfort to customers and create satisfaction. Burger King: The lay out of the restaurants are very wide and people could comfortably spend time with their food. Branding: McDonalds: Has partnership globally with Coca Cola to sell their drink with their menu Burger King: Has also co branding contracts with Coca Cola worldwide. Innovation: Innovation is the lifeblood of any successful business. In modern times, demand and expectations of customers are high and looking for change. The companies have to act accordingly to beat the competition and their survival. McDonalds has continuously introduced new products. The introduction is time such that the new product does not cannibalize the product already in the maturity or growth stage. A perfect example of renewing a product in decline phase French Fries have been an important part of the McDonalds menu worldwide. In an attempt to revive the Fries, Macdonalds amend and re-launch it with new name and style Shake Fries. This is being served with spicy spice mix, which has resulted in increase in the sales of French Fries and has elevated it from to the decline stage. The company is also focusing on nutrition and healthy food options for their customers. Burger King innovations in nutrition, quality, value and taste are all important attributes that can help our guests and their children make choices that promote healthy living. In July 2007, BKC identified two cooking oils with zero trans-fat that passed our rigorous operational, supply and consumer criteria; allowing us to start providing all of our restaurants in the U.S. and Canada with zero trans-fat oils. In 2008, we initiated a limit of 600 milligrams or less of sodium in all of our Kids Meals advertised to children under 12 years old. In May 2009, we introduced lower sodium CHICKEN TENDERSÂ ®, reducing sodium by 36 percent. BKC has joined the American Heart Associations (AHA) Industry Nutrition Advisory Panel (INAP), a partnership between the AHA Nutrition Committee and food industry leaders. INAP brings together representatives from the food industry and science to share information and plan cooperative programs in the areas of diet and nutrition and cardiovascular disease. Maintain Quality, Value and Taste: Nutritionally balanced products should still taste good. If our foods are nutritious and taste great, parents will order, it and kids will eat it. The Burger King always searching new ways to develop new product not only for variety in term of quality of food and nutrition for health of their customers. The are some latest innovations from Burger King BK BURGER SHOTSÂ ®, with BKTM Fresh Apple Fries, MINUTE MAIDÂ ® apple juice, CHICKEN TENDERSÂ ® with BKTM Fresh Apple Fries, Hamburger with BKTM Fresh Apple Fries, Philosophy of McDonalds: McDonalds consider People its philosophy. They provide the best employment experience for our employees to achieve their goals of providing our valued customers with the worlds best quick-service restaurant experience. They strive to recruit the best, hire the best, and provide the best place to work. People: The Company is the well aware of value of both its employees and customers. It knows the reality that a happy employee can work well with conclude as a happy customer. Human resources continuously working on finding new ways to motivate their customers (employees). The company focuses on critical hiring, best training and motivating employees through best pay structure and benefits. Philosophy of Burger King: Philosophy of Burger King to give option to customer to choose the food and we innovate. Burger Kings goals seemed quite clear. They want to individualize each customers order and provide the fastest service possible. Burger King gives the customer many choices and to accurately and quickly provide whatever the customer chooses. This policy is reflected in their slogan, your way, right away. Operating under this policy makes it very easy to achieve their goals. To facilitate fast service Burger King takes customer orders on a continual basis. One employee takes the customers order, the customer then moves down the line where another employee is preparing the order. Customers also get their own drinks while they are waiting for their meal. Burger King providing the innovative and healthy food options to their customers. Problems: Burger King Corporation is the second largest fast food restaurant chain in the world and growing their franchise network through globally. The company needs to do a lot to sustain the performance in this competitive environment. Burger King has good operational systems designed to provide customers with efficient and responsive services. The success of the operational system of Burger King is directly related to the degree of co-operation and co-ordination among these three subsystems. Any attempt to improve the efficiency, quality and responsiveness of the operational system must focus on these subsystems and their interactions. On the other hand increasing customers demand and expectations are challenges. Burger King is facing the following some problems in operations which affecting the quality services as compare with competitors: Staff motivation Inventory systems Equipment upgrade Customer accessibility Recommendations: Based on the analysis we can conclude that The Company should start by solving their internal issues so that they could perform batter and could achieve their objectives: Staff Motivation: The turnover rate is high employee are not staying long due to lack of motivation. The company should focus on retaining their staff. The company should plan an internal marketing so that they could address these issues. For this the company should give their employees tailored made training to serve the customers and coordination between them. The structure of the pay should be revised as per market based and give them incentives and benefits on their best performance. They should organize the team building activities to create team bonding within the teams. Inventory Management Systems: The company is using inventory and supply chain systems those are not latest and affecting the efficiency of the company, due to this company is facing the inventory wastage and storage expenses. If the company do focus on improving, inventory systems that could reduce the cost of materials handling and waste. Equipment: The company is the second largest company and need to update about the technology and equipment those are using within the operations. The company is spending huge amount of money on marketing, innovation and employee but if the food processing equipments not giving desired out could lead to loss of revenue, service and resources. The company should up-grade the systems that will help the company to perform better. Customer Accessibility: Burger King is facing very fierce competition. The company has less accessible to their customers as compare with the competitors like MacDonalds that why company is losing the business. Although it could, addresses in long term but very necessary because if you spend on product development, sourcing material and advertisement globally then you need to reach the customers accordingly. In this contest, you are not getting the right business due to fewer stores geographically. Conclusion Burger King: This age is competition and innovation with better management of the resources. It is a very strong chain of fast food restaurants all over the world. Being in maturity stage it has high opportunities of introducing its new products and growth. In future, it will be expanding its chain by introducing more outlets in more countries. Although in McDonalds there may be more problems than Burger King but the fact is there cannot be a perfect one in the world. Every organization has its internal problems but Burger King is what it should not be. Because people rely on it hugely. Burger King should serve people with true spirit of the company vision. Personal Reflection: Personal Description and Expectation I would like to describe myself as a very pleasant, diverse, energetic and committed person. I think one of my most distinguishing characteristic is my professional experiences and the business degree I am carrying under my belt. Along with my business education, my experience with the contact centre industry, peoples management that provides me sufficient exposure to manage a team, focuses on the performance and peoples management and delivering quality services. The visionaries place the customer at the core of their organizations business systems. In fact, it takes a visionary to see the mass market, assemble the financial and human resources and be the winner at the market place. My previous experience of management and leadership push me to learn advance techniques of business from the best business school in London. I have known about the practical processes of the business but not have idea about the philosophies of the business and culture of the multinational organization around the world.. Learning Outcomes: When I have started this module in the college and start reading books and other readings found this a real practical course. The theory of quality services and operational strategies I have read were those we were practising in the office in routine. Then I start associating these theories and knowledge with my previous experience that helped me to learn and understand the practices in real world. Learning and Development: With the help of previous practical management experience and latest operational techniques up to date practices I feel very clear changes in my perception about operations. In the past, I was following the pattern, which was designed by the top management to implement the policies. I never challenged those policies and practices due to lack of knowledge and expertise. After completing these multinational corporations operational management approaches I feel very comfortable and confident to take new challenges and responsibilities in future. It gives me in-depth knowledge and practical exposure about the subjects, which help me to start analytical and critical thinking about the projects.

Essay --

NAME: SOHAIL AHMAD AZIZI SUBJECT: EBM-635 BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION ASSIGNMENT: DISTINGUSIH BETWEEN CORPORATE AND BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGIES Distinguish between Corporate &Business level strategies? Give examples to support your answer. Corporate Level Strategy Corporate level strategy is the overall strategy for a diversified organization or company. It is usually concerned with a mix of businesses that the company should compete in and also the ways on which individual strategy units are integrated and co-ordinated. The corporate level strategy basically lays down the foundation as regards where the organization is today and what expand, growth function a company has and what could be possible unit that can a corporate exit. A corporate level strategy is a long term strategy where it involves high level of decision making. A corporate level strategy is also called as an umbrella vision for the company. Any action plan which deals in diversification, expansion, merger and acquisition are called corporate level strategy. The 4E’s to addressing Corporate Strategy; 1. Extend: extending...

The Knife :: essays research papers

It all started on a warm Saturday afternoon. My parents decided that we should go out on the boat that afternoon. So we changed into our swimsuits, got our beach towels, and finally piled into the van for the drive to the cabin. The cabin, where my grandparents live, is where we park our boat. Their house is about a mile from lock and dam fourteen on the Iowa side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandparents were away on a lustrous journey when we arrived. My dad went to fuel the boat, my mom loaded the boat with food for the day, and I went to go whittle on the roof of the garage. I went into the garage and got my filet knife out of my tackle box. Then went around to the back, climbed the fence, and got onto the roof. I had done this several times before and liked this place because it was serene and peaceful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I took a branch off the great oak tree that stood before me and began carving. Suddenly, the knife slipped off the fresh, smooth, moist wood and sliced into my leg for what seemed like an eternity. It hurt for what seemed like a decade, but was only a few seconds. After I realized what happened, I rushed down off the roof to get my mother. As I was climbing down from the roof, it began to pulse and hurt again. The wound was beginning to bleed profusely from the movement. Luckily, my mother was just leaving the house as I got down from the roof. â€Å"Mom, would you be mad if I cut myself?† Because of the blood on my finger, she thought I had cut my finger and needed a Band-Aid. â€Å"No, of course not, do you need a Band-Aid?† I then showed her the great gash on my leg. â€Å"Go into the house while I get your father!† I went inside and waited†¦ â€Å"Lie down on the floor while I get some towels to stop the bleeding,† he said calmly. With the bleeding under control he carried me to the van and rushed to the hospital emergency room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inside the emergency room, we waited for nearly an hour before seeing a doctor. Finally, we were escorted back by a nurse to see the doctor. Then after about another half-hour the doctor came in. The cut was about two and a half inches long and one inch deep, so it was a nice one as the doctor said.

Soulless Humanity in George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) :: Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 Essays

Soulless Humanity in 1984    The year 1984 has since passed but George Orwell's prophetic vision of the future could still happen.   1984   portrays a society that has lost all trace of individuality, love, and critical thought.   George Orwell's "Negative Utopia" depicts the despair of the future of humans and also serves as a warning about fascism.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Orwell's sets the mood of the book as one of hopelessness for the future of humans.   He contrasts this mood with a popular philosophy: belief in the progress of humanity and the ability of people to institute peace and justice in the world.   These contrasting views set up the premise for the life of Winston Smith, who is one man caught in a society devoted to conformity.   Orwell's warning to this is that if people cannot change the way things are going, our society will lose their human qualities.   They will become soulless machines and not have a clue as to their new world they created.   This is the world in which Winston Smith is caught in.   He is different from the others and in a civilization which does not approve of individuality, Winston is targeted by the government from the beginning.   Being different in this populace only means rebellion and that exactly is what Winston sets out to do.   Winston believes that although he must conform on t he outside, that no one can take his individual thought away.   Winston's individuality is the only hope for human nature for he questions the most basic principles of the regime, a thoughcrime.   One doctrine Winston questions is the concept of freedom-    "How could you have a slogan like 'freedom is slavery' when the concept of freedom has been abolished?"    Winston goes on to say there will be an end to thought.   "Orthodoxy means not thinking..."   "Orthodoxy is unconscienceness."   Ã‚  Ã‚   The belief that humanity is progressing while they are really losing their individuality is actually halting human progress.   Every aspect of life is changing for the worse while people believe humans are advancing.   One example is Newspeak.   As Syme put it, "You don't grasp the beauty of the destruction of words."   The destruction of words is seen as progress while in actuality, it is another step in destroying individuals and creating a hopeless future.   Once this happens, Orwell warns, all hope is lost.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Currently, Winston lives in a world filled with the ravishes of war.

We Must Ban Assault Weapons Essay -- argumentative, persuasive, gun con

The controversy over assault rifles is one of the most problematic issues related to the contributions of gangs, drug traffickers, and most criminal activity. More often than not, criminals have access to the weapons of their choice more easily than it should be. Getting them from licensed dealers, black markets, and family members’ homes, the availability of these militia weapons has become to effortless to obtain. The rise of criminal activity is part of the reason more than one-third of high school students have easy access to a weapon or gun. â€Å"Four out of five guns brought to school are actually brought from their own homes† (Page par 2). This is one of the biggest problems when faced with where criminals get their guns. They either steal them from relative’s homes, ask to borrow them, or steal them from licensed sellers. There are a lot of ways people can get guns. People who should not be able to purchase a firearm are allowed t o, and illegal transactions are also a huge issue with criminals getting their guns. For all these reasons that is why Government should require restricted gun ownership to protect society, prevent crime, and allow for recreational use. Assault weapons have been labeled as the number one source for mass killings in America. The idea that a weapon can fire a large amount of bullets at a remarkable speed can be used for recreational use was thought of otherwise. This type of weaponry was made for one reason and that is to eliminate as many people as possible and accomplish it in a reasonably fast time. The problem is everywhere and to help control the issue the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to enacting and enforcing gun... ...laws protect the society. They need to understand that bans and laws work and that they need to be enforced more strictly so the people of the nation can feel safe and protected. The nation has brought many new ideas to try to solve the issue on illegal gun selling and gun traffickers. They have provided with legislation laws on gun control, the declining of allowing fully-automatic weapons to be legal in this country to keep all citizens safe. All of the proposals that legislation has introduced do a great job in monitoring the selling and purchasing of weapons that should not be bought and sold. If the country wants us to be safe and protected by our government, they need to know that bans and laws on assault weapon works and saves lives of the American people and that there needs to be cooperation with them so the bans and laws can stay strict and strong.

A Dose of Fear

Once on a dark, stormy autumn's evening, the grey fog hung so thick and heavy over the country lane that it blocked the view of the landscape. The gloomy, cumulonimbus clouds filled the thick, filthy air that smelt of dirty sewage water, as if there had been flames of fire that had let off a lot of smoke. You could hardly see a thing unless you had perfect vision. In the evening nearby an inconspicuously, deserted mansion that was about fifty metres away from the narrow, odd, tarmac road in the countryside, branches creaked and birds squeaked in their nests. It seemed to him like many days since he had begun to prepare his mind for â€Å"the camp† as he always called it. Seth Winston was a fifteen-year-old adventurous teenager who was so alive, vital and positive about everything. He also had a personality that one could not ignore. He had dark, brown eyes, short black hair and olive skin. His mother had died when he was born so he had never known or missed her. However, his young and handsome father seemed to be the only relation he had in the world apart from Ruth and Peter his caring and loving best friends. Ruth Mathews was sixteen years old, had blue eyes and ginger hair. There was more connection between her and Seth. On the other hand, Peter St John was an eighteen year old; who only had one thing in common with Seth and that was camping. That Saturday afternoon at half past two, Seth, Ruth and Peter set off to go camping in the countryside. This would have been their first camp ever without Seth's father because Peter was old enough to drive and owned a driving licence. â€Å"This is going to be the best camp ever,† said Seth in an excited voice as Peter started to drive. Three hours later nearly two hundred miles away from town, the weather began to change from slightly warm and sunny to heavy rainfall. As darkness drew closer, the rain got worse every minute and the country lane became too slippery to drive the car. â€Å"I think you need to stop at the side of the road until the weather gets better Peter,† said Ruth in a tentative voice. â€Å"Don't be silly, we've only got a few more miles to go until we reach the camping site,† said Peter in a voice that was struggling to hide the fear inside him. â€Å"Guys I think I see something,† Seth said loudly wishing it was a place to escape the unexpected heavy rain. â€Å"What is it?† Ruth and Peter both spoke at the same time desperate to find out what it was. â€Å"It looks like a house. A mansion.† Seth answered in an uncertain tone. â€Å"Let's go and check it out,† Ruth suggested positively as if she knew exactly what it was. Peter made a left turn and slowly drove down in the open space towards the secluded, big mansion. When they reached the faded, rusty gate, they stepped out of the car and put their coats on. It was open so it made it easier for them to get to the mansion. In approaching the mansion, there was a chill in the air as they hurriedly walked to the door. Ruth knocked on one of the huge oak doors although they were slightly open. She knocked five times and waited but there was no response. â€Å"Hello, is anybody here?† Ruth shouted as she echoed repeatedly and as water dripped from her round face. â€Å"Did you hear that? Someone just repeated what Ruth just said,† Seth said sarcastically. â€Å"Are you stupid? That was her echo, you fool,† Peter said in a rather unimpressed high pitch voice. Helplessly desperate for shelter, they decided to step inside. The view captured their eyes. Joined cobwebs smeared the walls and an unidentified smell of rot filled their nostrils. The dusty, mouldy ceilings dripped with water. Peter seemed to be more fascinated by the unusual scene than the other two, so without them noticing, he decided to take a tour around. The door creaked behind Peter as he escaped into the next room. With their heads held up high, Seth and Ruth looked to see where the sudden noise had come from. Just as they turned round, they were horrified by a dead bat, which had fallen two metres above their heads from the spider web that hung under the ceiling. They heard a loud scream coming from the next room on their left that sounded as if someone was being tortured. They fled into that treacherous room as fast as they could. On its walls were skulls portrayed in a devilish appearance splashed with rotten blood. When they looked down, they saw a half naked body viciously assaulted dripping with blood on the black tiled floor. The floor was littered with bones and headless skeletons that were gathered through the courts of time. Satanic crosses were marked all over the ceiling and the atmosphere was heinous. Seth and Ruth could not believe the monstrous view in front of their eyes. Horrendous injuries covered the body and the eyes had popped right out of the skull. They were wide open, stony with the glassiness of death. Only one nostril was left of the nose and was dripping with mucus and blood. The lips were deformed. With a grimace of his face, Seth wondered what kind of a vicious, menacing sinister who would do such a terrible act. The slimy small and large intestines were noticeable and cut open that they dared not to look at the brutal stomach, which looked as if it had had an abdominal surgery. â€Å"I'm so sorry Peter,† said Ruth in a petrified voice trying her hardest not to burst out in tears. â€Å"Who could do such damage to an innocent soul?† Seth questioned silently as tear drops fell from his eyes. Seth noticed a sombre shadow with an axe in its hand on the wall at his right hand side. At first, he did not say anything because he was not sure where it was coming from. â€Å"Ruth look out!† shouted Seth. â€Å"Where?† Ruth shouted back. â€Å"Behind you!† Seth answered in a despairing voice. Ruth looked behind her, widened her blue eyes in terrified horror while her jaw nearly dropped on the ground and screamed, â€Å"No!† At this moment, Seth had nothing else to say or do but save himself. He ran out of the room as fast as he could and raced to the other side of the mansion as if chased by hideous demons. This end had autumn leaves on the floor that two open triangular windows had let in. He fled into the nearest room that he believed was safe as he had the intension to hide. Although it was not as bad as the previous one, this room was damp and infested but with a gnaw feeling, Seth did not take any notice. There was a rustling noise; it grew louder and more persistent. When it started, Seth had thought that leaves were blowing in the sweeping wind but now it was far too loud for that. It sounded like someone stomping through crisp packets. The rustling turned to crunching, as if some huge animal was munching on a giant creamcraker. Seth shivered. He pulled his coat tightly around him because he was cold. He clenched his fists in his pockets. He stared at the floor in front of him and occasionally glanced nervously at the door handle. â€Å"You must keep calm,† Seth repeatedly said to his self as he breathed heavily as if he was starving from oxygen. Seth desperately looked at the impenetrable window wishing he were small enough to fit through so he could escape the haunting poltergeist. In the darkness of the fading light, the poltergeist's face had the pallor and sheen not so much of flesh so much of bone itself. Seth stared at it until his eyes ached in their sockets in surprise and bewilderment at its presence. With the combination of the peculiar, isolated room, the appearance of the poltergeist and the dreadfulness of its expression began to fill Seth with anxiety. Indeed Seth, never in his life was so threatened by anything like that. He had never known his heart to give such a great lurch, as if it would almost leap out into his shivering, dry mouth and then begin pounding in his chest like a hammer hitting an anvil. Seth never thought that a dose of fear would make his knees tremble and his flesh creep. He never imagined himself daunted and held fast by such dread, horror and apprehension of evil. His worst nightmares had resurrected.

Research Paper: Paternity Leave Essay

There is about a six week to six month period right after a child is born where forming a bond with your child is quite significant. This period of time will help the child with setting a certain healthy routine, getting the house set for the child, and adjusting to the new life in the household. The value of having both parents by the child’s side can make a difference in how the child is raised or even how the child may perceive their own life. There has been occurrences where people feel worthless without one parent in their life. The bond that you create with your family in those six weeks or so is important to uphold and will make for stronger families. Those children that have been through divorces or not even knowing who one parent is in the first place may be pressed with difficulties in their life. In â€Å"Leave Practices of Parents after the Birth or Adoption of Young Children† it is explained, â€Å"Children whose mothers did not report taking any leave (10 % of the total) were more likely to be from a lone-parent family.† I was raised by a single mother and when I was born my mother did not take any leave from work or school. She had me on the weekend and was back on a Tuesday. I was raised mostly by my grandmother at the beginning of my life. Growing up without a father has always been a difficult obstacle for me to overcome. When I was younger I could never understand why it seemed like everyone else had something I could never have. There have been men who come into my life and try to fill the role of a father to me, but there is always still a void. There is not a day in my life that I don’t think about my father: who he is, how he looks, or if I have brothers and sisters. Many people that I have come by in my life have a bond with their father that seems unrealistic to me because it is unattainable. Even though I do not have a father, I can tell that bond is extremely important. Paid paternity leave is an exceptional way to promote a healthy family and be able to form that very special bond. According to the Oxford English Dictionary paternity leave is, â€Å"a short period of authorized absence from employment granted to a father after or  shortly before the birth of his child.† Paternity leave is very close in definition to maternity leave but it is the leave taken by the father instead of just the mother. I believe that the father should always be able to take his six weeks and have it be paid for so that the he can still help support the family. Another term that is very pertinent to my argument is explained on the United States Department of Labor website. The term is the Family and Medical Leave Act which discloses, â€Å"The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.† The website also discloses that employees will get twelve work weeks of unpaid leave within a twelve month period. Even though this act is beneficial to working parents, it does not entitle parents to any sort of paid leave. Even though there isn’t much evidence of the impact of men at home, the bond created between the parents and the child is not replaceable by any means. In the article â€Å"Fathers, Parental Leave Policies, and Infant Quality of Life: International Perspectives and Policy Impact† the author Margaret O’Brien states, â€Å". . . parental leave has the potential to boosts fathers’ emotional investment and connection with infants as well as the support of their mothers.† There is a couple I know personally where the father was only given a total of three days after his son was born. He has already taken all of his vacation days for work and could not call off even if he wanted to. Those vacation days were not even paid for and sometimes it caused their family to have to struggle to make ends meet. Situations like this could be avoided if men wer e always given the choice of paid time off. In time past, paternity leave has not been socially acceptable in the workplace. Men were to provide for the family, while woman were supposed to be the caretakers. As everything in our world is becoming more modern the idea of paternity leave is becoming more acceptable for men to take but it is not exactly what men always do. The article, â€Å"Without Taking Away Her Leave†: A Canadian Case Study of Couples Decisions on Father’s Use of Parental Leave† explains, â€Å"More than one in four Canadian fathers now takes some paid leave at the birth of a child.† While this certain explanation is shown in a positive perspective, more fathers in the workplace should be taking hefty advantage of paid parental leave  particularly to form the bond in the first six weeks. While in countries like Canada in the province of Quebec, paternity leave is more accepted by men than it is in countries like the United States. In the United States it is more likely for a father not to take any time off after his child is born. One might argue that taking too much time off after the birth of a child might take away opportunities in the workplace, but because paternity leave is becoming more accepted, it will be normal for a man to take time off. It is likely that they will have to use vacation time which might leave room for not being able to call off for an emergency. In most cases, taking twelve weeks unpaid could really hurt a family. That is why those first six weeks should be paid for. The idea will become even more accepted, more men won’t feel as obligated to not be around as much as they want to. Ariane Hegewisch, and Yuko Hara, the authors of â€Å"Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Leave in the United States†, express, â€Å"Job-protected parental leave is crucial for the health and economic security of pregnant women, and new mothers, and their families.† That security is what will represent a stronger family. Men will be more involved with their children and create a bond with that child in the same way that a mother does. It will help the mother and father see eye to eye and make decisions for the child together. A reporter from CNN interviewed a father, Joe Schroeder, about his three month paternity leave in the article â€Å"Paid Leave Lets Dads Build Parenting Foundation†. Joe stated, ‘†It made me a lot more aware of how fundamental parental leave is to family stability,† Schroeder said. ‘It made me lament the fact that it’s not a right that everybody shares.’ This quote from this man shows how important it ca n be to take paternity leave in the case of building a stronger bond. He also helps reveal the importance of issue of men not being able to have this right. There are instances where even women do not receive a parental leave as well and if they do they may not even receive pay. If men take paternity leave it will help support women in the workplace. Women will more likely return to work, and men will also become more involved with their kids and be caretakers as well. Women won’t feel so pressured to stay at home if the father helps her out the first few weeks  setting up the foundation of the child’s routine and feeling stable enough to come back to work. The article â€Å"The Daddy Track† positively reinforces this statement. The article states in reference to paternity leave, â€Å". . . is a brilliant and ambitious form of social engineering: a behavior modification tool that has been shown to boost male participation in the household, enhance female participation in the labor force, and promote gender equality in both domains.† Fathers will be more likely to help around the house; they may help clean, and spend lots more time with the child or children. The women will more likely return to their job which could lead to more raises, and job advances. Women will also more likely not have postpartum depression because they will not feel as pressured. If the paternity leave that the man took was paid for, it wouldn’t lead to women never returning to work because they would still have financial security. In the article, â€Å"Who’s Bathing the Baby? The Division of Domestic Labour in Sweden†, the authors provide explanation to my last point as they conducted a case study on parental leave. The study revealed, â€Å"Men’s participation in child care and household chores increased as the women went back to work, most dramatically when women returned to work. . .† In the past, there has been inequality between men and women. Promoting paid parental leave for both sexes will definitely help balance the scale and will give the workplace more of a sense of equality. The United States is more of a modern country than most other countries but is actually one of the least evolved in paid paternity leave. Countries such as Sweden or territories in Canada promote an extended amount of time of paid paternity leave. According to the Pew Research Organization, â€Å"At the other end of the spectrum, Poland, Estonia, Spain, Lithuania, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, France and Finland offer three years or more of protection for leave related to motherhood. The median amount of protected leave for new mothers among these countries is about 13 months.† The Pew Research Center is comparing these other countries to the policy that the U.S. has. The U.S. provides the least amount of time and doesn’t even make paid parental leave required by companies. It is surprising that the United States isn’t as evolved in parental leave policies as other countries since it is such a modernized country that tends to promote  equality . The men and women should have equal roles in a household, and a child should be able to feel close to both parents. Research shows that the longer amount of parental leave will help the fathers take more time off, as well as what was stated before, help more around the house. The country that I want to focus on most is Sweden. They have a large amount of time given out to parents for leave, and it is paid for. Men are required to take a certain amount of days to care for their child and promote the women taking on roles in the workplace. â€Å"The Best of Both Worlds? Fatherhood and Gender Equality in Swedish Paternity Leave Campaigns, 1976-2001† states that, â€Å"Moreover, a significant feature of paternity leave campaigns, 1976-2001, was the frequent reminder of what men could gain by using their right to paternity leave.† The campaigns in Sweden for paternity leave promoted many aspects of why taking paternity could help no only the child but the father as well. If the United States adopted more of a leave policy like Sweden, there would be more acceptance of the policy with many great benefits not only in the workplace but at home. There are the stereotypes in the image of the family. The father is to take care of the family by going to work and bringing home the money. The mother is to take care of the children, and take up household chores. According to Wall Street Journal one of these stereotypes said by Jennifer Berdahl is, ‘Active fathers are seen as distracted and less dedicated to their work—the same perception that harms career prospects for many working mothers. . .’ Our country has advanced from these types of stereotypes. Men should be able to feel they can take paternity leave despite the stereotypes of before or now. Promoting the use of paternity leave can be the basis for equality in the workplace and at home. The women will also be supported in the workplace and that will also promote equality. Also the first six weeks should be paid for because the idea of the stereotypes will be shed; it will also help with the stability and strength of the family. Compared to other countri es, the United States is lacking in its parental leave policies. Evolving the policy to have six weeks paid off, will help make advances in the work world and social aspects as well.