The Nature and Status of Folk Psychology Free Essays

The nature and status of Folk Psychology (UP) In philosophy circles is controversial. In this essay I shall begin by briefly defining what folk psychology Is. Followed by an outline on eliminative where some of the controversy lies. We will write a custom essay sample on The Nature and Status of Folk Psychology or any similar topic only for you Order Now My main focus will be on Paul Churchyard’s views and his arguments against UP, as this will enable me to facilitate an assessment of his criticisms. Subsequent to that I will search for my own view in the defense of UP in the light of its proponents such as Horror and Woodward or Denned. By doing this I will then be able to gauge the plausibility of Churchyard’s criticisms of UP. Folk psychology (UP) is the name given by lamentableness to the common sense understanding of the mind (Mind and Bodies pep). A common sense view which accepts that we all have desires and emotions such as fear, lust, beliefs, desire, pain, pleasure ,love, hate, joy attraction and so forth. These deferent states of being are utilized in what are called propositional attitudes which show intent. An example of a propositional attitude is Brenda ‘believes’ she can win the lottery, Hereford ‘believes’ is the Intentionality in this propositional attitude. The view of UP encapsulated by Paul Churchyard Is that It â€Å"embodies our baseline understanding of the cognitive, affective, and purposive nature of person. Considered as a whole, it constitutes our conception of what a person is†. (Churchyard in Guatemalan, 1994, p. 08) Before we go on to examine Churchyards criticism of UP, I think it would be useful to give a brief overview of the eliminations viewpoint regarding UP. Eliminative materialism (also called eliminative) Is a materialist position in the hilltop’s of mind. Its primary claim is that people’s common-sense understanding of the mind (or folk psychology) Is false and that certain classes of mental states that most people believe in do not exist (Wilkinson, Mind and Bodies pep) Paul M. Churchyard (b. 942) a Canadian-born philosopher is a leading proponent of eliminative; he is a long time critic of UP and the foremost advocate of neuroscience. Churchyards criticism dovetails with the eliminations claim that UP is a false theory â€Å"Eliminative materialism is the thesis that our common-sense inception of psychological phenomena constitutes† (eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes’ Paul M Churchyard Reading 6, Wilkinson, Mind and Bodies p 194). He claims that UP is not only a radically false theory but also an empirical theory by pointing out Its similarities with other theories. He does this by stating how our â€Å"familiar mentalist vocabulary’ is to be understood like other semantic terms. In that the terms used need or in fact do operate by a network of formulate laws like any other theory. An example of how Churchyard employs UP as theory Is found In his hypothesis argument on understanding the minds of others. He says that we can use UP as a hypothetical framework which Works in the main and is reasonable’ to employ (Wilkinson, Mind and Bodies pep). Although Churchyard accepts our everyday use of UP as a reasonable thing to do he still argues forcefully his claim, that UP is a false theory and does this with a three pronged attack: – (a) its ontology is an illusion, (b) It is a stagnant theory and incapable of advance (c) It Is not reducible to neuroscience. (a) Churchyard begins his attack on UP by declaring that It ouch as mental illness; imagination; intelligence differences; sleep issues; motor co- ordination; perceptual illusions and memory, that he claims UP has nothing to say. He includes learning in this critique and with a further assault on UP propositional attitudes, questions where they are stored and how they are learnt to be employed, both vital to UP views on the conception of the mental. However Churchyard does not go as far as to say UP is not true but rather illusionary and that â€Å"UP is at best a highly superficial theory’ (Ibid IPPP up 16) (b) Churchyard argues on historical grounds that The UP story is one of retreat infertility and decadence† (Ibid IPPP IPPP). He gives the example of how early man used UP to relate to their environment in a naive fashion believing that the wind was capable of anger, the moon Jealousy as examples of early intentional attitudes. Therefore backing up his argument that UP along with these historical intentional attitudes has become stagnant and sterile and had to give ground in the face of better theories from the area of empirical science (Wilkinson Mind and Bodies pep). To add further weight to this criticism Churchyard uses Mire Legatos’ terms that â€Å"UP is a stagnant or degenerating research program, and has been for millennia† (Churchyard, Reading 6, Wilkinson, Mind and Bodies, IPPP, up 18). (c) Theoretical reductionism, the process by which one theory is absorbed into another is what Churchyard uses as the main thrust of his argument that UP is probably false as it is not reducible to neuroscience. How UP promises theoretical integration by Churchyard’s opinion is very poor he bashes FPS lack of progress and coherence in relation to natural history and physical sciences. Where he believes there growth in rinsing understanding of man is out performing UP in many respects, pointing to neuroscience breakthroughs in human sensory input and neural activity. Furthermore according to Churchyard, UP is akin to a misfit standing alone looking incapable of synthesis as FPS â€Å"stagnation and explanatory impotence promise little faith† (Ibid IPPP IPPP). Moreover UP will not likely be reflected by neuroscience as it will seem to be antiquated and here he draws a parallel between UP and ‘Aristotelian cosmology. His final and most damming attack to back up his arguments on FPS laziness is that it â€Å"suffers explanatory failures on an epic scale† (Ibid, IPPP, IPPP). I will now go over the main points of Churchyards arguments and challenge their validity and soundness in the light of his main critics and defenders of UP. Churchyards first criticism that there are areas of the mind such as motor co- ordination, sleep and memory which he says are not dealt sufficiently by UP. And implying that its ontology may be false is objected to by a riposte from two American philosophers Horror and Woodward in defense of UP. Firstly on the grounds that to impose demands on any psychological theory accounting for considerable know how when theoretical knowledge is relatively primitive (A fair point given that psychology as a medical discipline has only been practiced about the last one hundred years). Secondly, as Churchyard argues if UP is to be a successful theory the fact it must offer explanations for all the phenomena it lists in Horror and Woodward opinion this argument needs to be treated with skepticism and caution (Horror and Woodward, 1985, up. 00). Finally as Churchyard’s narrowing of FPS definition does not cover retain areas of the mind it is also dismissed, with good argument I think, because cognitive psychology has developed detailed theories on intentional psychologies (UP) Churchyards empirical argument fails to provide a convincing critique on the grounds that the theories outlined are explainable in terms of UP. Churchyards second assault on UP that it is a stagnant theory emplo ying the same mentalist framework as the ancient Greeks. Horror and Woodward have a counter argument they rebut his view by citing the progression in 18th and 20th century literature such as Jane Austin and John Birth. Furthermore bringing their point to bear with great assurance when they point to the modern day skill in appealing to our â€Å"unconscious beliefs and motivations†, in my view borne out when viewing our modern day advertising. Therefore a rebuttal to Churchyards assertion that UP is a stagnant theory, incapable of advance is found to be false (Wilkinson, Mind and Bodies pep). In reply to Churchyards controversial damning conclusion on FPS falseness due to its inability to reduction and that it â€Å"suffers explanatory failures on an epic scale† (Reading 6 IPPP,IPPP), American philosopher Daniel Detente (1942) points out hat eliminations fails to recognize UP as a ‘normative’ theory (not Just a descriptive one). In that it also encapsulates an ‘ideal’ or recommendation on how to proceed as a rational being with a value structure which incorporates social practices, such as greeting, reassuring, that is relevant to everyday existence. A pertinent point made by Denned in that it is not Just crucial not only to our own reason as human beings but that it enables us to act and think rationally and facilitates good social relations. This as can be deduced makes a mockery of Churchyards FPS falseness claims. These thoughts are mirrored by Horror and Woodward that UP although probably not reducible to neuroscience â€Å"Churchyard is Just mistaken to assume that UP must be reducible to neuroscience in order to be compatible with it† (Horror and Woodward, 1985, PEP). The assessment and examination of eliminations views on Folk Psychology with particular regard to Churchyards criticisms and UP defenders crystallites for me the essence of the UP debate, theory or practice? , reality or illusion? , past or future? UP for me is a skill nurtured by the past and in my opinion elegantly defended by Horror and Woodward arguments not only for its continual relevance but its reliance upon contemporary culture implying a growth in its lexicon. Finally Dent’s utter dismissal of the eliminations views that UP left a great deal unexplained. And it is by Dent’s assertion that we need UP to give us a language of reason for both our personal and social behaviors, a real boon to Folk psychology. After defining and outlining both UP and eliminative, we can see some plausible solutions to the controversy with regards to the claims that UP is a false theory, Rutherford that it is illusory, stagnant and non reducible. In my opinion Churchyard’s assertion that UP is a false theory is invalid. As having seen the arguments for criticizing UP I have come to the view that Churchyard’s criticisms of UP can easily be argued against, not because of his limitations of his understanding but because of his not taking into account ‘normative’ values pointed out by Denned. But also invalid on the grounds that at least two to three thousand years in the life of mankind would be in my view absurdly dismissed. And finally if we were all given a behaving like robots making poetry and art nonsense! How to cite The Nature and Status of Folk Psychology, Papers

Cartoon Channels free essay sample

With the advent of satellite broadcasting technology during the mid 1970’s it became possible for Television networks to air their programs all over the world. By the 1980’s, Television established itself as a powerful medium of communication and new strategies were devised by television companies to stay ahead in the game. One such strategy was the development of programmes that targeted specific sections of the community. A few of the television channels decided to focus on children and began developing programmes that would appeal to them. It was to leverage this niche market that channels like Cartoon Network came into existence. It was launched in October 1992 in the US by one of the world’s leading media companies, Turner Broadcasting System. It offered animation programmes from TBS’s extensive library of more than 10,000 Warner Bros, Hanna-Barbera and MGM cartoons. Over the next few years the channel launched in different parts of the globe showing not only their famous cartoons, but also developing original shows. We will write a custom essay sample on Cartoon Channels or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cartoon Network entered India in October 1995, sharing airtime with Turner Network Television (TNT). As the pioneer in the Indian cartoon and animation market, Cartoon Network quickly gained popularity and had a huge fan base in the metropolitan cities. When Cartoon Network entered India, there were no established players and it was not very difficult for the Network to entrench itself in the minds of the children and register itself as a channel synonymous with cartoons. It established itself very quickly as a major player in the Indian satellite Television market and became a household name. In the 1990’s the entry of other leading children’s channels like Kermit and Nickelodeon created intense competition and Cartoon Network had to rethink their strategy to stay ahead in the game in the Indian cartoon market. The strategy that it worked out was the emphasis on ‘localization’. It localized the content by dubbing its cartoons first in Hindi to appeal to the Hindi-speaking audiences and then taking its localization efforts further it introduced Tamil-dubbed shows in 2000. The first dubbed programme was ‘Toon Tamasha’ and very soon it started offering localized versions of its popular cartoons. Localization is the key to success in television programming. Localizing the content to suit the needs and tastes of the audiences is the key to garner more viewership and television rating points. When Cartoon Network introduced Tamil-dubbed shows, Kathy McClaure, Vice President Programming, Turner Network, Asia, said, â€Å"The bringing in of Tamil-dubbed cartoons is to further reinforce Cartoon Network’s commitment to bring localized programming. † Some of cartoon shows that were dubbed in Hindi and Tamil were Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Swat Kats, The Mask, The Addam’s Family, Johnny Quest and Captain Planet. On account of its growing popularity it started its 24-hour non-stop service in July 2001. The 24-hour service was part of the channels global strategic mission to place cartoons and animation in level with general entertainment that appealed not just to the children but to the adults also. Today the appeal of cartoon network is not just to children between 4 and 14 years, but also to the teenagers and adults who constitute 30 to 40% of the channel’s viewership. Cartoon Network in India is the most popular cartoon dedicated television channel in India. Chutti TV was launched on April 19, 2007 and is a 24-hour Tamil language television channel owned by the Sun Network. It is Sun TV Network’s first ever television channel for kids. The target audiences are children aged between 3 and 14. It is a free-to-air channel available on most local cable television networks. It broadcasts cartoon shows of foreign countries and networks translated into Tamil. Some of the famous and most popular shows are Jackie Chan, He-Man, Astro Boy, Avatar, Dora the Explorer, Bob Morane, Lucky Luke, Spider Man, Bumba and Danny amp; Daddy. Disney XD or Disney Channel is another famous cartoon channel and it telecasts cartoons like The Donald Duck Show, Dennis and Gnasher and television shows like Shararat Karishma Ka Karishma, Shaka Laka Boom Boom and many more. The Donald Duck Show is based on the typical Mickey Mouse Series and there are other shows like Chip and Dale, The Rescue Rangers and Dennis the Menance. POGO is a cable and satellite television channel created by Turner Broadcsting, a unit of Time Warner for India, which primarily shows animated programming. It was launched in January 2004 as a children’s entertainment hannel like its sister channel Cartoon Network and its primary target audience is children aged 3+ to young adults aged up to 40. Pogo airs in multiple languages in India. The channel carries a number of popular animated shows as well as live action shows. Turner produces exclusive shows for Pogo under the brand name Pogo Originals. The Music Art and Dance show M. A. D. is India’s No. 1 do-it-yourself show. A super-hit 2D animated series is ‘Chhota Bheem’ which won the Best Animated TV series award at the ‘Golden Cursor Awards 2009 held in Mumbai. Chhota Bheem is produced by Green Gold Animation, Hyderabad.

Argument essays

Argument essays As we all know the government has some sort of control over the people living in the United States and play a role in our every day lives. They give us rules to live by even though we are guaranteed our freedom in the Declaration of Independence. These rules we are expected to live by are said to be for our own good and supposedly keep the citizens in order. Ive come to see that some rules make no logical sense such as the prohibition of marijuana. Marijuana was outlawed in 1937 as a repressive measure against Mexican workers who crossed the border seeking jobs during the Depression. The specific reason given for the outlawing of the hemp plant was its supposed violent affection the degenerate races. Marijuana has well-organized supporters who campaign for its legalization and promote its use through books, magazines, and popular music. They regard marijuana as not only a recreational drug but also a form of herbal medicine and a product with industrial applications. Marijuanas opponents are equally passionate and far better organized. They consider marijuana a dangerous drug-one that harms the users mental, physical, and spiritual well being, promotes irresponsible sexual behavior, and encourages disrespect for traditional values. Many famous and credible people such as Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein have found the holes in prohibition laws and pointed out the disadvantages of this type of government. This issue has been long debated for reasons I dont understand and the government of the United States needs to see that prohibiting the drug contradicts and violates our rights, influences crime, and does more harm than good. As human beings I think we should all have the right to decide for ourselves what goes into our bodies. We have to realize that prohibiting any drug denies us of this basic human liberty. In fact, even the people who wrote the Harrison Act and the Marijuana T...

Free Essays on A Letter 2 Santa

A Letter To Santa Snowflakes softly falling Upon your window they play Your blankets snug around you, Into sleep you drift away. I bend to gently kiss you, when I see that on the floor there's a letter, neatly written I wonder who it's for. I quietly unfold it making sure you're still asleep, It's a Christmas list for Santa one my heart will always keep. It started just as always with the toys seen on TV, A new watch for your father and a winter coat for me. But as my eyes read on I could see that deep inside there were many things you wished for that your loving heart would hide. You asked if your friend Molly could have another Dad; It seems her father hits her and it makes you very sad. Then you asked dear Santa if the neighbors down the street Could find a job, that he might have some food, and clothes, and heat. You saw a family on the news whose house had blown away, "Dear Santa, send them just one thing, a place where they can stay." "And Santa, those four cookies that I left you for a treat, Could you take them to the children who have nothing else to eat." "Do you know that little bear I have the one I love so dear? I'm leaving it for you to take to Africa this year". "And as you fly your reindeer on this night of Jesus' birth, Could your magic bring to everyone goodwill and peace on earth". "There's one last thing before you go, so grateful I would be, If you'd smile at Baby Jesus in the manger by our tree." I pulled the letter close to me' I felt it melt my heart. Those tiny hands had written what no other could impart. "And a little child shall lead them," was whispered in my ear As I watched you sleep on Christmas Eve while Santa Claus was here.... Free Essays on A Letter 2 Santa Free Essays on A Letter 2 Santa A Letter To Santa Snowflakes softly falling Upon your window they play Your blankets snug around you, Into sleep you drift away. I bend to gently kiss you, when I see that on the floor there's a letter, neatly written I wonder who it's for. I quietly unfold it making sure you're still asleep, It's a Christmas list for Santa one my heart will always keep. It started just as always with the toys seen on TV, A new watch for your father and a winter coat for me. But as my eyes read on I could see that deep inside there were many things you wished for that your loving heart would hide. You asked if your friend Molly could have another Dad; It seems her father hits her and it makes you very sad. Then you asked dear Santa if the neighbors down the street Could find a job, that he might have some food, and clothes, and heat. You saw a family on the news whose house had blown away, "Dear Santa, send them just one thing, a place where they can stay." "And Santa, those four cookies that I left you for a treat, Could you take them to the children who have nothing else to eat." "Do you know that little bear I have the one I love so dear? I'm leaving it for you to take to Africa this year". "And as you fly your reindeer on this night of Jesus' birth, Could your magic bring to everyone goodwill and peace on earth". "There's one last thing before you go, so grateful I would be, If you'd smile at Baby Jesus in the manger by our tree." I pulled the letter close to me' I felt it melt my heart. Those tiny hands had written what no other could impart. "And a little child shall lead them," was whispered in my ear As I watched you sleep on Christmas Eve while Santa Claus was here....

Rhetorical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Rhetorical analysis - Essay Example As a function of this particular means of analysis, this student will seek to provide feedback and analysis of personal reaction, a description and discussion of the audience that this announcement is appealing to, the underlying purpose, and the means by which individuals within the announcement are ultimately represented. In seeking to address each of these rhetorical issues, the student can hope to gain a more appropriate and well nuanced understanding of the motives and mechanisms that lie at the very heart of this specific public service announcement. Furthermore, by attempting to draw inference on each of these issues, it is the hope of this student that the reader and/or researcher will better to be able to understanding the public service announcement through the lens of analysis which will be presented. Firstly, with regards to this student’s reaction to the given piece, it was one that was immediately drawn to the high definition portrayal of a given setting with see mingly infinite small details occurring in rapid order within the field of vision of the viewer. This particular technique helped to build the suspense, in conjunction with the melodramatic music which was playing throughout the Public Service Announcement (PSA), and lead the viewer to focus solely on trying to locate the â€Å"reportable incident† that the text, speech, music, and setting foreboded. Similarly, with respect to the given audience for this Public Service Announcement (PSA), the viewer can assume that this extends to all citizens of responsible age. Such a broad generalization can of course be made due to the nature of the information that the PSA is trying to integrate with the viewer. As such, maximizing shareholder input is of course a primary interest to the individuals responsible for making the film (See Something Say Something Campaign, 3). Although each of the rhetorical levels of analysis which will herein be included are important, it is arguable that the very most important one is that of the rhetorical appeals that the PSA makes upon the viewer. The most powerful of these is the way that the PSA tugs upon the emotions of the viewer. This is affected by representing situations in a seemingly normal way; however, through utilizing sinister motives, references to the prior attacks of September 11th, the way in which our current world has changed, and the strong and ever-present feeling that there is something lurking beneath the surface, the PSA is able to engage the emotions of the viewer in a way that would otherwise not be possible. Moreover, by using images and slight of hand camera work that tells a story within a story which ultimately has a connection to a larger story (terrorism), the viewer is even further engaged as to the means whereby they can stand to affect a difference on this action being perpetrated within the world in which they live. This is interesting and powerful due to the fact that the PSA does not make any mention of a particular time or place. Instead, the instance itself and the ramifications thereof is enough to engage the shareholder to give up information to the authorities as a function of protecting themselves and society. With regards to the purpose, as has been stated up until this point, the purpose is to shock the viewer and spur a degree of future action based upon the representations that are alluded to on the screen. In this way, the filmmakers seek to

The History of Native of Americans Research Paper

The History of Native of Americans - Research Paper Example They form several tribes and there are around 335 federally recognized tribes in the United States alone, excluding Alaska. The 2011 United States census bureau shows that there are approximately 5.2 million Native Americans. The Native Americans have a rich and diverse culture which date back to their ancestors and their culture has contributed greatly to their wider recognition (Barnes 76). Modern day Native Americans and where they live in the United States Most modern day indigenous Americans live in North America in the United States and Canada. The modernized ones live in large cities with other races and some in the reserves where they farm and hunt. Those who live in reserves have some Indian laws that govern them. For instance, some have tax laws that differ greatly to states taxi laws. In some tribes, alcohol and gambling are illegal and are severely punishable. Even though the Native Americans of the United States are subject to their tribal laws and elect tribal elders wh o lead them, they are still the citizens of the United States and they obey and follow the federal laws of the United States (Bright 31). They also vote just like the other races and can join and serve in the military or police. Studies show that most Native Americans in the United States are still trying to cope with adjustment of civilization and belong to all economical classes from the most primitive to the most sophisticated. Majority of Native Americans have adapted modernity and face the risk of becoming endangered. This is because the children of the Native Americans fail to learn their native language, leading to death of the languages. According to the 2008 census 70 percent of Native Americans live in the urban areas and like to be identified by their tribes such as Cherokee, Beothukm, Inuit, Hawaiian, and Cree Indian among others. Many of them like speaking their languages or maintain their practices even if they are thousands of miles away from their homelands (Carney 2 8). The largest Native American tribe according to the 2006 census was the Cherokee with a population of 331,000, followed by Navajo with 230,000. The economy of the Natives ranges from good to worst, a few have made it affluence particularly those who have utilized natural resources in their lands and those who trade oil and run casinos. The rest of thousands of Native Americans are still in poverty and survive on hunting and small-scale farming (Bright 77). They live at starvation levels and the government of the United States provides aid to support them. The 2006 census shows that the median annual income of a Native American’s household by was $33,132. The revenues of their businesses in 2002 amounted up to $26.4 billion. The percentage of Native Americans living in poverty was 22, while that of the ones with no health insurance was 29 percent. In terms of education, some are highly educated. The 2006 Census shows that the percentage of Native Americans with a high schoo l diploma is 77% while 14 % have a bachelors degree or higher. Majority of these have relocated to the cities where they work to earn their living (Pritzker 67). Some have completely assimilated and even intermarried with the white race and other races. However, some live in complete isolation from other races. The relocation programs run by various organizations and the federal government have considered the Native Americans for jobs in the cities (Carney 47). The Colonial Era The colonization of America by Europeans was encountered by resistance and rebellion from the indigenous people. The Native Americans did not want their lands to be taken or get subjected to alien

Mcdonalds Corporation Is Listed In The New York Marketing Essay

Mcdonalds Corporation Is Listed In The New York Marketing Essay Introduction: In this coursework, I would like to talk about the famous worldwide brand McDonalds Restaurant. The reason I chose this brand for my marketing strategy and marketing planning coursework is the best known brand worldwide and the powerful marketing strategy applied through all over the world. In this chapter Id like to explain the company profile, aim of this coursework, overview of the coursework. In the chapter 2, Id like to explain the learning outcomes of Strategic marketing. Finally there is a conclusion and recommendation chapter followed by references. Company Profile: McDonalds Corporation is listed in the New York Stock Exchange, USA (NYSE: MCD) is the global company headquartered in Illinois, USA. McD (McDonalds) is the biggest chain of fast food restaurants in the world. McD serves about 60 million people every day. McDonalds sells various flavours of burgers, fries, soft drinks, desserts, chicken products worldwide. McD is founded by Maurice McDonald and Richard in 1940 in California. Ray Kroc is the person who founded the McDonald corporation. Presently, McDonald has 31,200 locations in 120 countries worldwide with the staff force of 1,702,000 in 2009. James skinner is the CEO and Chairman of McDonald. McDonalds revenue in 2009 was US$24.2 billion. Mission and Vision of McDonald: McDonalds mission is to be our customers favorite place and way to eat. McDonalds global operations are structured a common worldwide marketing strategy named plan to win focusing the marketing mix of the organisation which includes the prominent Product, Price, Place, Promotion and People. McD is dedicated to develop their business worldwide and increasing the value of consumers experience in stores. Aim of the Coursework: The aim of this coursework is to explain the marketing strategy and marketing plan of McDonalds. For this aim we should identify the marketing planning process of McDonalds, PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, Ansoffs product-growth matrix, marketing mix of thee company. These are the objectives of the coursework. Overview of the coursework: In the chapter 1, I would like to introduce about the company profile and the objective of this case study. In the chapter 2, I would like to talk about all the learning outcomes which is covered in the Strategic marketing course. The learning outcome1 is all about understanding how the marketing plan supports the strategic objectives of the organisation (McDonalds). In this chapter I would like to include the marketing planning process, key planning questions of the marketing planning process followed by marketing audit of the company which is macro environment (PEST analysis), task environment and the most important concept of marketing strategy SWOT analysis of McDonald followed by Ansoffs matrix. In the learning outcome 2, I would like to explain about the marketing mix of McDonald. This part explains the construction of the marketing plan which is the second learning outcome of the course. This will be explained by 6Ps of marketing mix which are product, price, place, promotion and people and process. Product life cycle stage is also the vital part when we talk about product in the marketing mix. This will be explained in this part. Also I will include the main four important questions about action programmes followed by controlling the action programme. In the learning outcome 3, most of this part will talk about market planning implementation, four step processes for marketing control, barriers to implementation and finally evaluation and review of the marketing planning. In chapter 3, there will be recommendations and conclusions of this coursework followed by references and reflective diary. Chapter 2: Learning Outcomes Introduction: In this chapter, well see the learning outcomes of this course Strategic Marketing. There are three learning outcomes covered in the coursework. 2.1 Learning Outcome1: Understand how the marketing plan supports the strategic objectives: In this learning outcome1, Understand how the marketing plan supports the strategic objectives of the organisation. In this coursework, the researcher took McDonalds as the corporation. The objective of the corporation is to satisfy the customer needs with their products. Customer has to choose McDonalds as the favourite place to eat. For this, the marketing strategy of the company should support to achieve the objective of the company. There are various marketing theories and concepts will be explained here in this chapter. The marketing objective of the organisation, marketing planning process, key marketing planning questions followed by PEST analysis, task environment, SWOT analysis of the organisation and Ansoffs matrix. 2.1.1: Marketing Strategic objectives of McDonalds McDonalds sets crystal clear marketing objectives. It then enhances a marketing strategy that would support to achieve the objective of the organisation. Marketing involves identifying consumer needs and wants, and meeting those needs in an excellent route than other competitors in the market. This directly results to create a loyal customer to the organisation. McDonalds marketing objective is to identify the customer needs and satisfy them with their products by giving excellent customer service throughout the world. Apart from this, McDonalds wants to achieve more market share by opening more stores worldwide. They want to be the market leader in the food industry in the American markets. 2.1.2 Marketing Planning process: Marketing planning process is the vital process in the marketing plan. This process consists of many methods with many stages. Marketing planning should identify the business mission of the company. After finding this business mission we need to identify the marketing audit. This marketing audit consists of two methods called internal audit and external audit. PEST analysis is the external marketing audit whereas task environment and SWOT analysis are the internal level marketing audit. Then it leads to strategic thrust to identify what customers want what kind of products, this is explained by Ansoffs product-growth matrix. Then target market and competitor of the company is illustrated in the core strategy. Diagram of Marketing Planning process: Source: Principles and Practices of Marketing by David Jobber (2001) Key Planning questions of the marketing plan: There are five important questions of the marketing plan needs to be answered in the marketing planning process. They are as follows: Where are we now? This means where McDonald is at present scenario in the world fast food restaurant sector and UK fast food business. Where would we like to be? In terms of McDonald, they want to be the market leader in American fast food restaurant business and they want to expand all over the world How do we get there? For McDonalds, they have the well established core strategy for their business development Are we on course? McDonald has the clear objective with high-calibre management, excellent employees with the competencies. All these factors are leads them to achieve their objective. Marketing Audit: McDonalds has a crystal clear marketing strategy which is to focus on excellent customer service with good quality food at faster service. They have created well established foundation of fast food restaurant service. McDonalds is the market leader in fast food restaurants all over the world. McDonalds has spread all over the world with 32000 locations worldwide. They want to capture more market share and they want to satisfy all their customers with fast service and good quality food at cheaper price better than their competitors. To achieve this core marketing strategy McDonalds should identify their internal and external marketing environment of their business. For external environment audit we need to apply the PEST analysis and for internal environment should apply task environment and SWOT analysis. 2.1.3. Macro Environment: PEST analysis of McDonalds: The following diagram shows that the picture of PEST analysis. PEST analysis is the very phenomenal concept in marketing. This concept is used to identify the external environment of the business. When analyzing the external environment of the business then we can easily eradicate the threats of the external. PEST is an acronym of Political, Economical, Social and Technological. Pest Analysis Source: http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-image-pest-analysis-image14771406 POLITICAL FACTORS Global operations might be affected due to different policies enforced by governments Human resource policies are different from country to country. This will affect the human resource policies of McDonalds. In India, there are political policies are against for the fast food and beef related food products. ECONOMICAL FACTORS Due to Financial crisis and economic crisis in Europe and American countries there are lot of negative growth in business in terms of revenue and profits. Due to volatile stock markets all over the world, the stock prices of McDonalds are heavily plummeted Due to increase of VAT in UK the sales going to drop down. This affects huge loss in revenue Interest rates, Exchange rates also affects the international operations SOCIAL FACTORS Due to health conscious and huge awareness of obesity, there are big threats for fast food restaurants throughout the world Consumer preferences are changing day by day. Due to this, McD needs to introduce many new products TECHNICAL FACTORS Fast services due to increased technical abilities of new machineries Thanks to information technology growth for the fast customer service. Many competitors also involving the same strategy. Task Environment of McDonalds: In the task environment of McDonalds we should have a look on financial data and McDonalds competitors in the worldwide market. Worldwide McDonalds Ownership The following table shows that the ownership holding by McDonalds worldwide. The total number of stores has been increased from 30497 in 2007 to 32487 in 2009. But this data shows that number of stores owned by McDonalds (direct ownership) has been drastically reduced from 8082 stores in 2004 to 6177 stores 2009. Franchisees list has been increased in the data provided. McDonalds 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Number of McDonalds 30,497 30,767 31,047 31,477 31,977 32,487 Franchisees Owned 22,415 22,592 22,884 24,457 25,485 26,310 Direct owned by Company 8,082 8,175 8,163 7,020 6,492 6,177 % of Direct owned by McDonalds 26.50% 26.57% 26.29% 22.30% 20.30% 19.01% Chart: Number of Stores owned by McDonalds and its Franchisees in the World The following table and chart explains the sales revenue of McDonalds worldwide from 2007 to 2008. All these data shows that the sales have been declined in 2009 all these countries than 2008. Due to the economical and financial crisis in Europe, USA was the predominant reason for this sales decline in this period all over the world. Among these countries Europe sales was heavily affected due to this financial crisis in this period. But when compare to 2007 data, 2009 sales revenue data was slightly increased. Worldwide McDonalds Sales Revenue in $m 2009 (US$ Millions) 2008 (US$ in Millions) 2007 (US$ in Millions) Europe 9280 9930 8930 USA 7944 8080 7900 APMEA 4340 4231 3600 other countries 1200 1295 2365 Total 22764 23536 22795 APMEA: Asia Pacific/Middle East/Africa Source: http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/McDonalds_(MCD) Sales Revenue in 2009 by McDonalds and its competitors: The following table and chart shows that the sales revenue of McDonalds and its competitors in the year 2009. This data shows that McDonalds is the market leader in the fast food restaurant sector with the net sales revenue of US$ 22764 million in 2009 compared to its next competitor YUM restaurants holding only US$ 10840 million. There are huge difference about 100% variance between these two biggest fast food competitors. Company Revenues in US$ in Million McDonalds 22764 YUM 10840 Starbucks 9785 Darden 7300 Burger King 2700 Dominos 1490 Source: http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/McDonalds_(MCD) Source: http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/McDonalds_(MCD) SWOT analysis of McDonalds SWOT is an acronym of Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This analysis helps to understand the internal and external environment of the organisation. Internally, an organisation can able to reveal its strengths and weaknesses whereas externally they could reveal the opportunities and threats. Hill et al.,(2003) After done this analysis, every organisation should convert their weaknesses to its strengths and match their strengths into the external opportunities. This SWOT analysis is a helpful tool for strategic marketing planning of the organisation. http://hrmadvice.com/assets/images/swotanalysis.jpg SWOT analysis of McDonalds The following table shows that the SWOT analysis of McDonalds. In this table, strengths and weaknesses are internally existed, whereas opportunities and threats are external factors. STRENGTHS International Brand awareness Worldwide market leader in Fast food restaurant sector Strong cash flow financial resources International quality awards Competent skills in their staff force Significant experts in top management WEAKNESSES McDonalds been a 65 years old company. Due to this they should have an innovation in their food products Lack of local country knowledge Since the market leader in the industry, profit might be very less due to tough competition OPPORTUNITIES Entry to international markets with the strong financial resource Excellent brand image worldwide. This creates more business opportunities in international market MA with international competitors Mounting views of customers about fast foods with quick service THREATS Huge competition in the local and international markets Mounting cost of raw material Economic crisis in the world Decreasing power of customer spending Stock prices are plummeted in the stock markets Health conscious about fast foods worldwide 2.2. Learning Outcome2: Understand the construction of a marketing plan In this learning outcome, Understand the construction of a marketing plan explains the detailed marketing mix of the organisation. This concept is predominantly phenomenal for every organisation to meet and satisfy the customer needs. The following concept shows that the marketing mix of McDonalds in worldwide. 2.2.1 Effective Marketing mix of an Organisation: CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) defines that the marketing mix is the combination of marketing inputs that affect customer motivation and behaviour. These inputs are 7Ps: Product, price, place and Promotion, people, process and physical evidence. Last two factors are absolutely pertinent to service industries. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTK49hRgOqQithmzsCEZEGaaDzBYKw7az1BxnO9BWlVIFBzml_VVSWfTPnyJ8opFVmM8vn8_oeBO2Z0czv7H2rVDEhTZ1BfPCkGatHqBxchbTk7lbeBkkEzRAFItqYVRyUe971ugGOg0/s1600/Marketing_Mix_Diagram_-_7Ps_L.jpg Source: http://mantra4marketing.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html Marketing mix of McDonalds Marketing mix is the mix of imperative factors to identify the key customers of the organisation. An organisation has to make sure a mix of these factors implied the customers appeals. Product: When we talk about McDonalds, there are hundreds of food products starting from hamburger, cheeseburger, chicken burger, salads, desserts, corns, ice creams, French fries, coffee, tea, etc., these products are favorites for all kinds of customers. Especially when they create this product mix they should keep in mind that these products are attracted the customers and satisfy their needs and requirements with good quality. Product Life Cycle: http://billyfire.com/images/ProductLifeCycle.gif Source: http://billyfire.com/product-life-cycle.php The imperative process of product life cycle is when the product is reached the maturity stage, then company needs to introduce the new product to compete the market. In McDonalds there are many products are in growth and maturity stages. So they need to concentrate on new product development to capture more market share and compete the other competitors in the market. Price: Pricing strategy should be very clear and affordable by all types of customers. They also need to focus on competitors pricing strategy. Since McDonalds been the market leader of this fast food sector they will compromise the pricing strategy by giving low price products with good quality. Due to the financial crisis all over the world, customers are very conscious about spending power, they dont like to spend enormous money on food products. All these factors lead to reducing the cost of the product for the company. Place: Place is the imperative factor in the marketing mix. Without this factor, organisation cannot be the successful in the competitive market. When we come to the place, that should be easily accessible by all kind of customers. There should be lot of parking facilities and also they should have wheel chair access in their restaurants. Location is the phenomenal for success of every business Promotion: Promoting the business leads to winning in the competition. Without doing promotion, the business can get success in the cutthroat competition. For promotion, McD offers various kind of promotional activities like TV ads, online ads, hoardings, sponsorships, sport activities, social based programs, health care sponsorships. Graham et al.,(2001) suggests that They are following above the line and below the line promotional activities. Instore they are promoting their products by offering BOGOF (Buy one Get one Free), reduced prices, combo offers, etc., McDonalds promotional activities are absolutely better than its competitors. People: People are the main part of successful marketing mix for the success of McDonalds. Their main and core strategy is to satisfy the customer needs with their good quality foods at cheaper rate by providing excellent customer service with soft and friendly approach in the store. All employees are well trained in terms of customer queries and customer satisfaction. If theres a need of training for the employees company never compromise to give the tailored training. Process: Process is also very essential for running the organisation very effectively and efficiently. For this, all the equipments, tills, machineries should be updated. The process should be very quick by serving the customer needs. Customers shouldnt wait for a long time to get their preferred menu. Physical evidence: For the service sectors, physical evidence is absolutely required. How convenient and comfortable is how sales growth is. So, convenient and hygienic environment creates more revenue growth for the business. McDonalds always stick with this effective factor. 2.3 Learning Outcome3: Understand how to promote the marketing plan in support of strategic objectives In the learning outcome3, understand how to promote the market plan to support the strategic objectives of the organisation. In this coursework, the core objective of the organisation is to meet customer needs and satisfy them with the McDs product at low cost with effective and efficient customer service in worldwide markets. 2.3.1 Implementing Marketing plans: Implementing marketing plan is not very easy to achieve. There should be proper planning to achieve the implementation process. There are four step process for marketing control and its implementation. The successful implementation of a marketing plan should address the following Who need to be involved? All the top management and all the employees of the organisation need to involve in the implementation process How should the strategy and plans to be implemented? There are core strategy needs to be identified by the top management What activities need to be carried out? Imperative process of customised training need to be deployed in the organisation What time-frames do the activities need to be completed by? Time frame is designed by the organisation with the help of top management. 2.3.2. Four step process for marketing control: Set Goals: What do we want to achieve? In terms of McDonalds they want to achieve the excellent customer service and they want to capture more market share. Measure the project Performance: What is happening? This means is what is going on currently in the market and in the McDonalds. Evaluate the Performance: Why is it happening? What was the main reason for this performance is happened. Is there positive performance, then management should give more rewards to them if not take some corrective actions. Take corrective action: what should we do about it? What are the corrective actions should we take to ensure the process of planning and implementation. Chapter 3: Conclusion and Recommendations 3.1 Conclusion and Recommendations: From this coursework, we come to know that the McDonalds marketing strategy is pertinent to its core objective of the organisation. This present scenario in the world market, there are customers are not preferred to spend more on fast food products. Also, spending power of customers has been reduced. Keeping this factor in mind, McDonald needs to concentrate on promoting their products in the local market by reducing their prices. Apart from this reason, they need to concentrate on culture of the international markets, procedures and policies followed by these countries and McDonalds put aggressive training to its employees to provide absolutely good service with friendly approach. Since they are the market leader in the worldwide food sector, they need to concentrate to capture more market share and profit and sales volume as well.