Analysis of TV Advertisement Essay Example

Analysis of TV Advertisement Essay Example Analysis of TV Advertisement Essay Analysis of TV Advertisement Essay Lynx is a company that makes deodorant and other toiletries. This is a company that has a very strong brand name and a wide following of young, fashionable, heterosexual males. Because of its good brand name in this country there is very little need for it to make a name for itself from scratch and it can build upon what is already known.  Addressee: The Public Men.  The addressee is obviously men and maybe the odd burley lesbian. The type of men targeted will mainly be single, fashionable, young and heterosexual. This advert is all about getting a girl and this will only apply to single men, as they are the type of men looking for women anyway. As the brand label and distinctive masculine fragrance is a very fashionable thing at the moment and is thought to be very good for your sex appeal. It applies to young people because the target of the mans aims is a very attractive and young lady that will put it older men out of the target group. Well the fact this is a sexually orientated advert rules out people with other sexual orientations. It is used to stop people smelling of bodily odors. Message: Buy Lynx to get attractive women.  This is a very sexually orientated advert with the message that Lynx will make you more appealing to the opposite sex. It is supposed to be funny and show should even work for the man in the advert who isnt very attractive, Ive been told. The reason that Lynx appeals to heterosexual males is that lynx displays in its advertisements that when you use lynx you have an ability you wouldnt usually have to get girls. Contact and Code: Visual and Audio.  This is a television advert so it obviously a visual experience. But the audio way is very strange. It is only music and some short narration so the music does not have a lot of importance in the advert. But the music is strange and I think that it is supposed to make it comical and the music is positive in a strange sort of way. The narrator was a normal person and was speaking as if from a nature program describing the man as a male hornbill. About The Advertisements  The Setting  The setting is a public library where you educate yourself, and maybe this advert is about educating the viewer. It is a normal place that we have all been to and it is a normal situation for someone to be in with a weird twist on it taking it just out of reality.  The Lighting  The lighting is very bright and warming effect. It is not harsh light and makes the environment look clean, fresh and friendly. The lighting comes from above and the left and it is supposed to brighten up the face of the girl and make her more attractive. The Man  The man is not a very attractive guy and would find it hard to get a girl like the one in the advertisement. He looks normal but there is an interesting twist, the fact that has very long toenails! This tries to be different from the usual way to courting a girl but it is still successful, like Lynx.  The Woman  The girl is very attractive and she would be a target for many men. She would be the sort of dream woman of most guys and therefore she would appeal to a large group of people. This would catch the eye of a young men channel flicking and they would watch the rest of the advert.  When he taps his feet on the floor all of the women in the room are interested. This shows that it has a universal effect, like Lynx.

The 49ers and the California Gold Rush

The 49ers and the California Gold Rush The Gold Rush of 1849 was sparked by the discovery of gold in early 1848 in Californias  Sacramento Valley. Its impact on the history of the American West during the 19th century was immense. Over the next years, thousands of gold miners traveled to California to strike it rich, and, by the end of 1849, the population of California had swelled by more than 86,000 inhabitants. James Marshall and Sutters Mill The discovery of gold is attributed to James Marshall, who found flakes of gold in the American River while working for John Sutter at his ranch in northern California on January 24, 1848. Sutter was a pioneer who founded a colony he called Nueva Helvetia or New Switzerland. This would later become Sacramento. Marshall was the construction superintendent who had been hired to build a mill for Sutter. This place would enter American lore as Sutters Mill. The two men tried to keep the discovery quiet, but it was soon leaked and news quickly spread of the gold that could be found in the river. First Arrivals The first lucky arrivals- those who emptied out the California cities over the first few months- were able to find nuggets of gold in the stream beds. The American River and other nearby streams regularly gave up nuggets the size of pumpkin seeds, and many were as large as 7–8 ounces. These people made quick fortunes. It was a unique time in history where individuals with literally nothing to their name could become extremely wealthy. It is no surprise that gold fever hit so heavily. The individuals who became the richest were in fact not these early miners but were instead entrepreneurs who created businesses to support all of the prospectors. Sam Brannans store in Sutters Fort grossed more than $36,000 between May 1 and July 10th selling equipment- shovels, picks, knives, buckets, blankets, tents, frying pans, bowls, and any kind of shallow dish. Businesses sprang up to meet the essentials this mass of humanity would need in order to live. Some of these businesses are still around today, such as Levi Strauss and Wells Fargo. The 49ers Most of the treasure seekers outside of California left their homes in 1849, once word had spread across the nation, which is why these gold hunters were called by the name 49ers. Many of the 49ers themselves picked an appropriate name from Greek mythology: Argonauts. These Argonauts were in search of their own form of a magic golden fleece- wealth free for the taking. Yet the majority of those who made the long trek out West were not so lucky. It was hard work to get to Sutters Mill: California had no roads, no ferries at river crossings, no steamships, and there were no hotels or inns on the few trails that did exist. The trek was arduous for those who came over land. Many made their journey on foot or by wagon. It could sometimes take up to nine months to get to California. For the immigrants who came from across the ocean, San Francisco became the most popular port of call. In fact, after the early decimation, San Franciscos population exploded from about 800 in 1848 to over 50,000 in 1849. The individuals who made their way out West during the Gold Rush met with numerous hardships. After making the journey, they often found the work to be extremely hard with no guarantee of success. Further, the death rate was very high. According to Steve Wiegard, staff writer for the Sacramento Bee, one in every five miners who came to California in 1849 was dead within six months. Lawlessness and racism were rampant. Manifest Destiny An estimated 60,000–70,000 people rushed into an area that had not long before supported 6,000–7,000 Yaqi, Mayo, Seri, Pima and Opata Native Americans. The would-be miners came globally, but selectively: Mexicans and Chileans, Cantonese speakers from South China, African-Americans, French came in droves, but not Brazilians or Argentineans, not Africans, not people from Shanghai or Nanjing or Spain. Some Native Americans joined in the free-for-all but others fled the massive influx of people. The Gold Rush reinforced the idea of  Manifest Destiny, forever entwined with the legacy of President James K. Polk.  America was destined to span from Atlantic to Pacific, and the accidental discovery of gold made California an even more essential part of the picture. California was admitted as the 31st state of the Union in 1850. Fate of John Sutter But what happened to John Sutter? Did he become extremely wealthy? Lets look at his account. By this sudden discovery of the gold, all my great plans were destroyed. Had I succeeded for a few years before the gold was discovered, I would have been the richest citizen on the Pacific shore; but it had to be different. Instead of being rich, I am ruined.... Because of the United States Land Commission proceedings, Sutter was delayed in being awarded the title to the land which he had been given by the Mexican Government. He himself blamed the influence of squatters, people who immigrated to Sutters lands and took up residence. The Supreme Court eventually decided that parts of the title that he did have were invalid. He died in 1880, having fought for the rest of his life unsuccessfully for compensation. Resources and Further Reading Gold Rush Sesquicentennial. The Sacramento Bee, 1998.  Holliday, J. S. The World Rushed In: The California Gold Rush Experience. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002.Johnson, Susan Lee. Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 2000.  Stillson, Richard Thomas. Spreading the Word: A History of Information in the California Gold Rush. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.  Sutter, John A. The Discovery of Gold in California. The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco. Reprinted from Hutchings California Magazine, November 1857.

ECO202 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ECO202 CA - Essay Example It is during periods of recession, however, that terms fiscal and monetary policies can best be appreciated. Fiscal policy is the policy advocated by John Maynard Keynes while monetary policy, on the other hand, is advocated by Milton Friedman. According to basic economics, the obvious traceable cause of a recession is a poor level in aggregate demand. When we say aggregate demand, it is the total demand for all goods and services produced in a particular period. Of course needless to say, when no one is buying anything, who would want to produce more? What reason there is for an employer to hire working men to manufacture his product when no one after all is demanding for it? It will only bring him a loss instead of income. According to Keynes, during periods of recession, the government must enter the game and play a very critical role --- to stimulate overall aggregate demand (which is a deemed solution to the problem). The government must cut taxes and spend more on worthy projec ts to support the public needs and the business sector. When taxes are low and more government projects are in harmony with business’ goals and visions, more investors are being lured to invest, thereby solving unemployment problem. Now assuming the opposite is happening as in the case of an overheated expansion, the government still has a role to play. It has to tighten taxes and spend less to counter balance the effects of economic boom. Whether the government cut or tighten taxes, spend more or less, these actions simply refer to the government’s fiscal policy. Monetary policy on the other hand is another perceived solution to the problem of recession. As the word suggests, monetary policy has to do with interest rates and money --- production, supply and circulation of money. According to Milton Friedman, the proponent of monetary policy, the supply and circulation of money in the market has a greater impact on the economy more than anything else. During a period o f high unemployment the government must reduce the interest rate and increase the money supply. Likewise, when unemployment is low, the government has to raise interest rates and decrease the money in circulation. As compared to fiscal policy which is more of a function of the legislative branch of the government, take note that the implementation of monetary policies is vested in the hands of the Central Bank. They are independently implemented apart from fiscal policies of the government. 2. Compare and contrast the way Keynes and Friedman approach the economy. What are their key differences and similarities? John Maynard Keynes is a British economist who believes that the key to achieving a balanced economy, especially during a period of recession and economic downturn, is an effective government intervention that will cut on taxes and implement an expansionary fiscal policy (meaning, more government spending on worthy projects) or contractionary fiscal policy (increase in taxes and lesser government spending) as the case may be. Keynes’ economic framework focuses more on demand and spending. Absurd as it may sound but Keynes believed that spending, and not hoarding, helps the economy at large. The reason is that the spending of one person forms part of the income of another person, and when that person further spends his income, it forms part of the

Enforced Democracy under American Occupation Essay

Enforced Democracy under American Occupation - Essay Example control of the nation reversed Japan's zealous colonial ambitions earlier in the twentieth century to subjugate neighboring Asian populations in the name of Hakko Ichiu (Nishi 22). The moral goal of Hakko Ichiu, construed by the Japanese national religion of Shintoism, was a perceived mandate of manifest destiny for Japan as the first created Asian state, to bring the corners of the world together under kodo, the unity of the Imperial Way, in subservience to the divine Emperor. In fact, Japanese military aggression in the Pacific purportedly had the inspired objective of freeing Asian neighbors from western European and American imperialism to create a peaceful and prosperous eastern constituency. Japan's war-time government envisaged an imperial empire as the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Tsunoda 294). As outlined explicitly in the plan: It is necessary to foster the increased power of the empire, to cause East Asia to return to its original form of independence and co-prosperity by shaking off the yoke of Europe and America, and to let its countries and peoples develop their respective abilities in peaceful cooperation and secure livelihood. (Tsunoda 294) At the At the dnouement of the ill-fated endeavor, with Japan forced to laid down its arms, the nation was occupied by foreigners for the first time in the long annals of its history. Townsend states that the fact that the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers was short of qualified personnel to administer Japan compelled General MacArthur to make judicious use of the time-honored Japanese civic structure and existing public agencies to implement his post-war objectives (207) after first purging vast numbers of Japanese military and civilians who had been complicit in the war. MacArthur dismissed five million Japanese troops from military service, set hearings for war crimes, identified nationals as known co-conspirators within the military command and suppressed the zaibatsu, but discreetly spared Emperor Hirohito (Townson 207). In the years before surrender the Japanese people had lived under a repressive regime whose fierce ambitions were fueled by an obsessive nationalism through its radical misreading of Japan's future as embodied in the manuscripts of its ancient Shinto religion. The prominent zaibatsu controlled almost all its commerce (Price 18). Journalism had been censored, academic freedoms were curtailed and dissidents had been mercilessly suppressed by the secret police, while every facet of Japanese social life had succumbed in subservience to the self-sacrificing civic compliance mandated by the war effort (Nishi 22). The zaibatsu were powerful family-owned banking and industrial syndicates that played key roles in Japanese economic development in the decades before the onset of World War II. By 1937 the four chief zaibatsu had cemented tight relations with the main political parties and firmly dominated half of all Japanese shipbuilding and maritime transport, a third of all bank assets, a third of all foreign trade, and virtually all of Japan's heavy industry (Sugita 21). Under the U.S. occupation, the termination of the zaibatsu topped one of the chief objectives in the postwar strategy of the

Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Government Website Essay

Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Government Website - Essay Example The chief work of the Ready Government website is to educate the public through communication. Therefore, the question is has the website managed to reach the public thorough communication? Is the website effective and efficient in its vital mandate to the public? Lastly, what means has the ready government website used to dispense information? Various bodies have been set up in the America from way back that handle emergency situations in the country like Red Cross and AMREF (Bullock, 281). Furthermore, there are departments like homeland security, national response framework, central intelligence agency, federal bureau of investigations and many more (Bullock, 81).  There are numerous procedures put in place by Ready Government website to communicate with the public, most obvious is the website itself. The website has all the information that the public needs in case of emergency whether it is preparedness or emergencies. The website also educates the public on safety locations i n case of disasters and also affected and dangerous areas. The website receives letters and also sends out letters to the public free of charge. This shows that there is a flow of communication. Additionally, publications are available for download in disaster management (Abramson, 22).  Another way that the Ready Government website communicates effectively with the public is through its corps volunteer’s activities that ensure the safety of the society by ensuring that communities get a fast response in emergency situations (Matthews et al, 121). The pledging sector is easy to access on the website (Abramson, 23). Furthermore, the Ready Government website has managed to communicate with the public effectively and efficiently by taking into consideration the disabled.

Economic Impact Of The Development Of Airline Industry Essay Example for Free

Economic Impact Of The Development Of Airline Industry Essay Hardly many inventions can manage to change the way people live and also how they experience the world like the way inventing airplane has done. The airline industry offer air transport for passengers. The airlines companies own the airplanes or may lease them. Airlines Company differs in terms of capacity, some are smaller with one or two airplanes to transport mail and cargo, while other are big multinational companies with hundreds of aircrafts. Majority of airlines are privately owned, though some are government owned. Today, the air travel has grown to an extent that no one can imagine life without it. Air travelling as greatly reduced travelling time and opened up links all over the world. Economic Impact of the development of airline The air airline industry has played a major role in world economic growth; it has improved the mobility and facilitated world supply lines all over the world. The aviation industry not only serves as an economic tool for nations and cities, but also servers as a vital network for transport within the world. The industry creates jobs by providing them directly and also by creating opportunities in the travel and hotel industry. Aviation industry has continued to be critical in the world economy, in terms of creating these job opportunities, and the industry has employed thousands of employees in the whole world. And has the industry continue to grow more jobs are created. This leads to economic growth. Transport plays a major role in making sure that goods reach their destinations. The World Bank estimates that the airline industry contributes to a total of 5% economic growth in the world. Competition Competition in the industry can be traced back when most governments deregulated the industry I order allow competition among the industry to regulate fares. For many years now this resulted in low fares as the airline industry responded to customers needs. Most of the reduced fare also comes from new players on the market, and also from the big airlines themselves. With the growth of economy in many countries, more travellers are using the air, this id due to the fact that the fares have also been reducing gradually. In a report carried out in America by the senate, it was found out that competition has resulted into low fares, and from 1990 the traffic has gone up by over 33%, it was found out that the number of flights had also gone up to over 20%. This of course has a positive impact on economic growth. Competition in the industry has also lead to mergers as small companies fail to compete. This has improved the industry service delivery. It is important to note better service delivery has economic advantage. With the economic development being witnessed in many countries, the amount of travelling has gone up. Many people are travelling to transact their business. The high demand of air passengers has caused resource constraints, on airports and also on airways, especially during the peak travelling periods. Business community usually travels at these times and normally makes last minute bookings. However, main airlines have planned their networks to be able to meet the high rate flight requirement by the business passengers, though; these fares are expensive as the airlines need to cover cost of servicing high number flight. Nevertheless, airline competition and the way they price their tickets causes concerned. It has been noted that, with the emerging of low fare trends that have been occurring since 1996, when smaller airlines enter into this market with low fares, the major airlines drastically reduce their prices. And also avail a high number of low fare seats. This behaviour seems to be ill intended because it aims at repressing competition from the smaller airlines. Increase in fuel prices Oil and fuel prices have continuously increased for the past 10 years, for example, in 2001 the price per barrel was $20, yet in 2006 it had reached $75. The increase in price can be attributed to various such as, high demand of oil, collapse of Yukos Oil Company in Russia and political instability in the Middle East. This high increase in oil prices has affected the aviation industry. The increase in fuel prices has lead to reduction in the global trade. It is estimated that about 40% of goods traded on the world market are transported by the air, and cargo traffic is used to reflect economic growth. Fuel account for 20-30% of the total cost of operation expenses of the airline industry. Due to this high cost in oil the economy has suffered negatively. The microeconomic effect for those countries which import oil will be harsh, in the industry high prices is a big problem; the companies are forced to increase consumers’ fares to upset the fuel price increase, for example if fuel price reached 100$ per barrel, then a gallon of jet fuel will be more than 3$. This will imply that a passenger will have to pay 50$ more to travel than previous. This will result in reduction of passengers and for the case of cargo transporters it may lead to high reduction in demand of their services, which may spell down for the airline companies. The indirect impact on the airline industry caused by high fuel prices in the increase in airline products prices. The overall impact is reduction in international trade. As pointed out by the world trade organisation , increase in oil prices leads to low economic growth as it was observed in 2005. Terrorist threat Since the September 11 terrorist attack, the airline industry suffered so much, the industry experience a reduced number of passengers as many opted to use alternative means. The economic impact on the global level was immerse, has many countries experienced low foreign exchange due reduced business especially in tourism industry. The terrorist attack had a big effect on the aviation industry, and also on the economy. In America alone, more than 2 million passengers travel on air daily. Airline industry and tourism alone account for mote than 8% the world GDP. With the imminent threat of terrorism, the industry has undertaken different security measures. For example in America, the industry has to use over 11$ billion in security improvements. This costs at the end of the day have to be met by the passengers, thus, the fare in the industry have steadily gone up. This has reduced the volume of goods and passengers using the industry and negatively affected the economy. Any small distractions in the industry send shock waves in many other industries. Currently, the industry has experienced a trend by which they are weak economy, insecurity fear and other issues. This has led to reduced number of passengers flying. Even those passengers who are flying they are paying less because most of them are taking economy seats. This trend has resulted in decline of the growth of the industry. In decline in the industry usually result in reduction of economy growth of the world economy. After the September 11 many airline companies grounded their business due to security concerns this was so pronounced in America. The impact of the attack reverberated all over the world. It was estimated that the attack caused a reduction of 1% world economic growth. In this area of global economy the aviation industry all over the world suffered. The industry saw an increase in costs of airline insurance, increased expenses on security, and customer fear to travel using the air due to insecurity. This led to massive losses for the industry in the whole world. This was the worst disaster the industry had suffered in the past 50 years. In whole world more than 400,000 jobs were lost. Decline in the air travel has a direct consequence on number of business which includes tourism, travel agencies and entertainment spots, this is felt global. It is important to note that, in the continuous threat of terrorist, the world economy has been affected badly. The industry had to go through lean times and some companies had to shut down. Conclusion The airline industry is very important in economic development, the airline employees a lot of people directly and indirectly. The industry has developed steadily over the last 50 years, and has continuous grown. Competition, fuel increase and terrorist attack pose a serious challenge to the industry and the industry should come up with ways to controlling these effects to maintain profitable. However, the airline industry will continue to grow though, it will be faced with more challenges.

Pest Analysis of McDonalds in Malaysia

Pest Analysis of McDonalds in Malaysia PEST stands for Political, Economic, Sociological, and Technological. PEST analysis is an effective tool to audit companys environmental influences which can be used for strategic decision-making. The PEST analysis is a very useful tool to understand and analyze market growth, market position, future potentials and direction for a particular business so A PEST analysis can be termed as a business measurement tool. PEST analysis summarizes the external environment in which the business is planning to operate or already operating. However, an effective follow up and proper response plan is required to ensure optimum use of PEST analysis (Luthans Doh, 2008). This report aims to discuss PEST analysis of McDonalds in Malaysia. The report is divided into five parts. First part is introduction where the basic theory and application of PEST analysis is discussed. The next part is detail explanation of four components namely Political, Economic, Sociological, and Technological of PEST analy sis. The third part of this report highlights PEST analysis for McDonalds in Malaysia. The final part of this report discusses conclusion and summary analysis. 2.0 Background of the Company: 2.1 Introduction: McDonalds is a popular brand name in fast food industry. McDonald has 34,000 restaurants in 119 countries serving roughly 69 million people every day. Worldwide around 80% of McDonalds restaurants are franchised and generally owned and operated by independent local entrepreneurs (McDonalds, 2013). McDonalds annual report 2012 shows that worldwide the company generated operating income of 8.5 billion in 2011 with 9.7% growth over 2010 (McDonalds Corporation, 2012). McDonalds Malaysia opened its first store in 1982 in Kuala Lumpur. According to the figure of 2009, McDonalds Malaysia manages 194 restaurants nationwide catering the need of 10 million customers monthly. McDonalds Malaysia is growing significantly with 15-20 restaurants per annum. In order to manage day to day operations McDonalds Malaysia has around 8,000 local employees who are working in different outlets and near about 150 personnel are working in the headquarter (McDonalds Malaysia, 2009). 2.2 Company History: Ray Kroc the founder of McDonalds corporation started his business with Richard and Maurice McDonald by buying franchising right in 1950s to operate McDonalds restaurants in the USA. In 1961, he bought complete shares of the company from the McDonald brothers. In the last quarter of 1980, Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn. Berhad. (GARSB) received permission to bring McDonalds in Malaysia. The first McDonalds opened on 29 April 1982 at Bukit Bintang, (McDonalds Malaysia, 2009). 2.3 Products are Services: McDonalds offer wide variety of fast food and beverages including burger, nugget, chicken fries, French fries, set meals etc. Moreover the restaurant serves different type of coffee, carbonated beverages, ice creams and flavored drinks (McDonalds Malaysia, 2013). McDonalds continuously does research and update its menu to keep the market share. Cost leadership and price differentiation is McDonalds one of the key marketing strategies (McDonalds Corporation, 2008). 3.0 Introduction to PEST analysis: It is mentioned earlier that PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social, and Technological. This tool is used to evaluate the market for both new entrants and existing business units. This analysis tools are a framework for assessing a situation. It can be applied to evaluate a position or a strategy, company direction, new marketing proposition or even a new idea. Thorough analysis of the environment in which the firm functions empowers a company to take advantages of opportunities as well as minimize the threats. PEST framework often encourages proactive thinking and brainstorming rather than relying on instinct (Luthans Doh, 2008). 3.1 Political: Political factors often refers government intervention, entry barriers, tax or tariff structures which are designed to benefit Government or the citizen. The political environment has huge influence on the business. Political stability, regulations, spending power of consumers often shapes the profitability of a business (Oxbridge Graduates, 2013). There are certain factors which influence political situation of a country which includes ecological or environmental issues, current legislation home market, future legislation, international legislation, regulatory bodies and processes, government policies, government term and change, trading policies, funding, grants and initiatives, home market lobbying/pressure groups, international pressure groups, wars and conflicts (businessballs.com, 2010). 3.2 Economic: Economic factors comprise many factors e.g. stability, income status, income parity, purchasing powers, unemployment rates, exchange rate, interest rates etc. there is no doubt that these factors plays a vital role in decision making for an industry or a business (Oxbridge Graduates, 2013). It is necessary to consider certain factors while analysis economic situation of a country, for example, home economy situation, home economy trends, overseas economies and trends, general taxation issues, taxation specific to product or services, seasonality and weather issues, market and trade cycles, specific industry factors, market routes and distribution trends, customer or end-user drivers, interest and exchange rates, international trade and monetary issues (www.businessballs.com, 2010). 3.3 Socio-Cultural: Socio- cultural factors refer to the pattern and trend of demand which generally occur due to the nationality, religious or culture. As for food industry it is evident that local taste and preferences will decide the acceptance of particular food products. In order to survive and grow local likings and disliking should be followed. So a thorough understanding about local market is required to ensure successful business (Oxbridge Graduates, 2013). The cultural and social influences on a particular business vary country-wise. When a Socio-Cultural situation is analyzed lifestyle trends, demographics, consumer attitudes and opinions, media views, law changes affecting social factors, brand, company, technology image, consumer buying patterns, fashion and role models, major events and influences, buying access and trends, ethnic or religious factors, advertising and publicity, ethical issues should be considered (www.businessballs.com, 2010). 3.4 Technology: Technological factors shape the production output and efficacy of the plant and operation. As for the food industry it is seen that employment of technology brought fruitful results in the food industry (Oxbridge Graduates, 2013). Technology is a critical success factor to achieve and sustain competitive advantages. Moreover, this is a key driving force of globalization. An analyst considers competing technology development, research funding, associated or dependent technologies, replacement technology or solutions, maturity of technology, manufacturing maturity and capacity, information and communications, consumer buying mechanisms or technology, technology legislation, innovation potential, technology access, licensing, patents, intellectual property issues, global communications while evaluating technological situation (www.businessballs.com, 2010). 4.0 PEST analysis for McDonalds in Malaysia: 4.1 Political Components: Malaysia is a multicultural country with three major ethnic groups namely Malay, Chinese and Indian. Moreover, the country has few indigenous groups who live mostly in East Malaysia. Evidently, these groups live in peace without any major clashes (Rex, 1991). Moreover, this country is a popular tourist destination. According to Malaysian Tourism Board in 2012 around 25.03 million international tourists visited Malaysia and on an average 64,000 tourists landed in Malaysia everyday which is 7.2% higher than the inbound tourist in 2011 (MTPB, 2013). The apparent political stability is one of the main attracting factors for foreign as well as local investors. Pro- business government mentality, stable political situation and a good legal system shows attractive prospects for investors. Moreover, in order to attract large investments, the government offered greater portion of foreign equity ownership in businesses and enterprises under the Promotion of Investment Act (PIA), 1986. Market-o riented economy and an educated multilingual workforce made Malaysia as one of the popular destinations for investment (Tsen, 2005). So, McDonalds has tremendous opportunities in Malaysia and the company can capitalize this harmonious political situation for further expansion. 4.2 Economy Factors: The global financial crisis has affected the whole world at the end of 2007 resulting sharp decline in global trade and it also increased the unemployment rate in many countries. The good thing is Malaysia was not affected severely by the recession like its neighboring country Singapore. One reason could be Malaysia learnt its lessons from the previous financial crisis which occurred in 1997. Moreover, McDonalds dealt the problem efficiently by reducing product price and offering value meals. This is how McDonalds managed to maintain sales figures and performed better compared to its competitors. Currently, Malaysian economy is growing at a pace of 4.5-5% per annum. The rate of Malaysian Ringgit against US Dollar was steady at average 2.95 (Zheng, 2009). The . 4.3 Socio- Cultural Factors: As it was mentioned earlier that Malaysia is a multi- religion and multicultural country. Islam is considered official religion in Malaysia and more than 50% of population is follower of Islam in Malaysia. So naturally the concept of Halal plays important role in Malaysian food industry (Muhammad, Isa, Kifli, 2009). To respect the religious sentiment of Muslims and to comply government rules McDonalds in Malaysia does not serve any pork item. Moreover, McDonalds follow strict Halal compliances while buying the main ingredients e.g. chicken or meat from suppliers. Beef is one of the popular food items for many Malaysians especially Muslims, that is why data shows that in Malaysia the bestselling McDonalds product is Big Mac (McDonalds Malaysia, 2009). Recent trend shows that the Millennial generation in Malaysia are becoming health concern. 4.4 Technological factors: Malaysians are becoming more and more technology oriented. Social networking sites are playing vital role in every aspect of Malaysian peoples lives especially the younger generations are heavy users of internet and other IT gadgets (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2010). McDonalds Malaysia has its own website and also it has strong Facebook and other online social networking presence. It disseminates corporate information as well as various promotions and events through these channels (McDonalds Malaysia, 2013). However, it certainly lacks in some aspects where the other competitors are way ahead. For example, McDonalds did not have internet ordering system until recently. Moreover, the delivery service in inadequate and often does not cover most of Kuala Lumpur let alone other cities (McDonalds Malaysia, 2013). In order to sustain in todays competitive business world McDonalds should design appropriate strategies to response changing need of the customers. 5.0 Conclusion: A PEST analysis is an excellent tool to understand the external affecting factors of business. It enables the company to capitalize the opportunities as well as minimize the potential threats. This report has outlined a PEST analysis for McDonalds Malaysia. However, it should be remembered that todays business world is very dynamic, demanding and ever changing so in order to ensure maximum success, the factors should be analyzed and updated on a regular basis (Luthans Doh, 2008). 5.1 Summary of the PEST Analysis: The summary of PEST analysis McDonalds Malaysia is mentioned below: Political: Despite of being a multi-cultural society, Malaysia enjoys a peaceful environment. Moreover the government is trying to encourage investments in various ways so McDonalds can use this opportunity for further expansion. Economic: Though Malaysia was not badly affected by 2007 world recession but still McDonalds was prepared and had taken timely measures. The overall economic improvement of Malaysian opens new opportunities for McDonalds. Socio- Cultural Factors: McDonalds has managed to blend with Malaysian culture nicely and understood local preferences very well, as a result McDonalds is a household name in Malaysia. However, recent health consciousness among Malaysians poses a threat for McDonalds. However, McDonalds can capitalize this change in consumer behavior by offering healthier foods e.g. organic foods, salads etc. Technology: McDonalds understands the need of technology applications. It has strong presence in online social medias e.g. Facebook. The communication patterns and preferences are changing, McDonalds should respond to these changes by innovation.