Monday, January 27, 2020

John Lewis partnership

John Lewis partnership What is John Lewis partnership? John Lewis partnership is a visionary and successful way of doing business, boldly putting the happiness of partners at the centre of everything they do. The outcome of nearly a century of endeavour to create a different sort of company, owned by partners dedicated to serving customers with elegance and fairness. All 71,196 staff are partners who own 28 John Lewis department stores, 213 Waitrose supermarkets, an online and with catalogue business, (John Lewis direct-john Lewis.com), a direct services company (Greenbee), three production units, and a farm with a turnover of nearly  £6 billion last year. Partners share in the benefits and profits of a business that puts them first and the partnership follows its seven business principles purpose, power, profit, members, customers, business and relationships. Mission statement Mission statement addresses the question where does it belong to in the business. The John Lewis Partnerships reputation is founded on the uniqueness of its ownership structure and commercial success. Its purpose is the happiness of all our members, through their worthwhile, satisfying employment in a successful business, with success measured on its ability to sustain and enhance the position both as an outstanding retailer and as a thriving example of employee ownership. Partnership Strategy Partnership strategy is based on three interdependent objectives partners, customers, profit which together will make its successful business. Partners should gain personal satisfaction by being members of a co-owned enterprise in which they have worthwhile, secure and fulfilling employment and confidence in the way the partnership conducts its business. The partnership should recruit and retain loyal customers through their continued trust and confidence in our reputation for value, choice, service and honesty. The partnership should make sufficient profit to sustain our commercial vitality and distinctive character, allow continued development and distribute a share of profits each year consistent with partners reasonable expectations. Environmental Factors As ROBSON(1997) conveys environment analysis takes an important part towards increasing the quality of strategic decisions considering relevant features well before making an irrevocable decision. Social Fairtrade, certifies producers against internationally recognised trading standards. Fairtrade items generate a guaranteed price to cover production plus a social premium to be reinvested in suppliers businesses or local communities. Recruitment, retention and training- Partnership aims to attract and retain the best people who share the values. Traceability- Having full traceability of products, and their ingredients or components, is critical to success and to consumer confidence. Product safety- Ensure the integrity of products and the application of the best standards in safety, quality environment and animal welfare. Animal welfare- Waitrose is committed to providing the best conditions for animals at all stages of the supply chain and to combating cruel practices. Environmental Energy and emissions- committed to tackling the issue of Climate Change and have set a public target of reducing CO2 emissions by 10% by 2010 Packaging and waste- The Partnerships longstanding objective is to reduce waste wherever possible, and to reuse or recycle more of what they produce. Economic As a business based solely in the UK, the Partnership is particularly exposed to any economic downturn which could affect consumer spending, most notably in the Department Store business. Political The Partnership remains sensitive to the regulatory environment in which it trades in order to ensure ongoing compliance with key regulatory requirements around planning, trading, tax and competition. SWOT Analysis The importance of performing a SWOT analysis is that, no business should take a high risk strategy if there are any significant weaknesses foreseen. Performing a SWOT analysis may consider in, What are the weak/strong products, divisions, attitudes etc.? Are there any gaps/opportunities? Are there any dangers/threats needs to be protected? Are we strong in the right way to exploit the opportunity? Considering the above facts a SWOT analysis has taken place to mark the right opportunity. Strengths Weaknesses The Partnership has many strengths such as committed and experienced Partners; the ability to trade well even when conditions were difficult. It had also come through a very difficult period with its integrity and the trust of customers intact. However, it had not been plain sailing as profits has been hit hard particularly in John Lewis. Sales in Waitrose have been more resilient but the division has fought hard by turning up the volume on price and the cost of that investment. As Partnership Chairman Charlie Mayfield reports, Profits could be down this year but their financial position remained strong. Their financial strategy is conservative as borrowings and mortgages are low comparing to competitors. This is due to the fact that they have planned and were able to cope with difficult economic periods. They also have good relationships with banks, but it has to be maintained to ensure their continued support in the future. However, plans for growth cost money and the business needs to consider how much more it could afford to invest when operating profits on under pressure. Opportunities Threats Clearly sales have been under threat during recession periods and there were risks around the operational side of the business. A biggest threat seen was the collapse of banking sector. John Lewis partnership didnt seem to be affected by it but still since it has not ended yet there is a caution of lending money from banks. Apart from it, implementing new products and multi-channelling occupied the ongoing of business. Organisational Structure Its Decision Levels Partnership council Partnership has a clear and streamlined management structure which means decisions could be taken very quickly. The Partnership Council symbolizes its democratic structure and represents the strategic level governing authority. Signifying Partners as a whole,  most of its members  are elected by  Partners. Its main role is to hold its management to account, to influence policy and to make key governance decisions. Partnership Board has ultimate responsibility for issues of major policy and for allocating the financial and other resources of the business. To a large extent its role is keeping the Partnership true to its principles both in terms of the vitality of its commercial progress and its distinctive co-ownership objectives. The Council should retain its three vital decision-making powers: to elect the Trustees of the Constitution and five directors to the Board to change the Constitution, with the Chairmans agreement to dismiss the Chairman. Managing the business This starts with the two divisional Management Boards, who have clear responsibility for developing a strategy for the ongoing development of our John Lewis and Waitrose businesses and then for seeing through its implementation in accordance with an approved business plan. Said two divisions share the Partnerships principles in the managerial level and a common approach to doing business, but they are substantial businesses in their own right. The establishment of the Management Boards clarified the responsibility they carry for the trading operations of the business. They are accountable to the Chairman for their performance, and they derive their authority from the Partnership Boards approval of their business plans. Waitrose Management Board The Waitrose Management Board is accountable to the Chairman for its performance and it derives its authority from the Partnership Boards approval of its business plan. John Lewis Management Board The John Lewis Management Board is accountable to the Chairman for its performance and it derives its authority from the Partnership Boards approval of its business plan. Partnership Services Partnership Services represents the knowledge level and designed to meet the Business plan and Partner needs with simple, efficient services, enabling a growing and successful Partnership. Partner Being a partner with a shared responsibility for the partnership and a drive to put its success first is a different aspect compared to operational levels in other organisations. Further partnervoice is the local avenue for Partner opinion and is the means by which Partners can provide feedback, question management on branch, raise their own issues and be consulted. Types of Decisions Made at Various Levels Multi-Channel Retailer Level Type of decision Type of IS Benefits to organisation Link to the mission Strategic level Build multi channel retail ESS- sales forecast for 3 years. Improvement of profit margins and expanding the organisation. Partners could be stretched and develop their career. Management level Budgeting Cost analysis MIS- Annual budgeting on channels DSS- analysing cost in implementing and maintaining channels Knowing the spending In finding the best possible way to suit the business To build a successful business Knowledge level Designing modern trends KWS- designing channel workstations Best possible way to suit the business Sustain as an outstanding retailer Operational level Schedule employees TPS- Training and development Processes daily activities smoothly To sustain as a business IS Recommendations Strategic level management of performance as a whole where how it could meet the expectations of organisation Management level performance report against the spending. Knowledge level design performance indicators Operational level pay reviews. International Expansion Level Type of decision Type of IS Benefits to organisation Link to the mission Strategic level International expansion ESS-prepare 5 year forecast in sales Growth in the partnership internationally Partner satisfaction Management level Budgeting Pricing analysis MIS- annual budgeting on expenditures DSS- determine prices Keep track on expenditures of the company. Towards the company profit margin. Success of the business Knowledge level Market analysis KWS-analysing retail market Acquire the best opportunities. Sustain in the business Operational level Process orders TPS-processing and tracking of orders. Process routines Success of the business IS Recommendations Strategic level franchise internationally Management level franchise budgeting forecast reports Knowledge level analysing markets for franchise Operational level keep up the standards as a franchiser. Increase Marketing Level Type of decision Type of IS Benefits to organisation Link to the mission Strategic level Increase Marketing ESS- 3 year sales forecast Increase of sales Sustain of the business Management level Marketing budget Cost analysis MIS-issuing marketing budget DSS-analysing costs towards marketing Manage marketing budget Find best possible for the company Enhance the position in the market Knowledge level Design marketing trends KWS-market analysis Attract customers to drive sales Success of the company Operational level Display marketing adverts TPS-point of sale To drive more sales More sales more bonus IS Recommendations Strategic level economic trends of a countrys condition in a given time period Management level sales analysis and sales reports. Knowledge level design products to suit the economic trend. e.g. to suit economic crisis Operational level production order of the new designed product. Expansion In UK Level Type of decision Type of IS Benefits to organisation Link to the mission Strategic level Expansion in UK ESS-prepare 3 year operating plan Bring more sales, profits Enhance the partnership Management level New budgets for new stores Costs in expansion MIS-spending budgets for annum DSS-contract cost analysis Make most of it towards the future Keep within budgets Sustain of business Knowledge level Design KWS-engineering workstations Keep up standards Towards success of the company Operational level Enter, process orders TPS-order process Make sales More sales more profit, bonus IS Recommendations Strategic level profit forecasts, sales trend forecast Management level sales management, sales analysis Knowledge level market analysis Operational level training development Ethical Issues Climate change Reduced overall CO2 emissions by 16% Waitrose are investing  £55 million over five years to replace refrigeration equipment and improve efficiency Improved shop energy efficiency by 15% in John Lewis, 19% in Waitrose Investigated alternative, lower carbon fuels for vehicles Founder member of the Environmental IT Leadership Team, a cross industry user group aiming to develop more sustainable IT strategies Packaging, waste recycling In 2007-08, John Lewis recycled 4,490 tonnes of waste (39%) and Waitrose 21,500 tonnes (49%) Waitrose reduced carrier bag usage by 30% this year John Lewis have introduced a number of carrier bag initiatives Waitrose are committed to reducing packaging and are introducing recycled recyclable materials. In John Lewis, all new paper and card packaging uses either recycled or FSC-certified material. Waitroses anaerobic digestion generates green energy from food waste from 5 stores Building and operating sustainable shops- Signed up to the BCSC Sustainability Charter Each building project now starts with a Sustainability Action Plan Working to identify ways to improve the sustainability impacts of the design and construction of interior fixtures and fitting Over 90% building waste was recycled during the fit-out of John Lewis Leicester All new Waitrose in-store graphics are made from paper or card, making them fully recyclable, and signage equipment is fully deconstructable so it can be recycled at the end of its life. Supplier relationships The Partnership have provided suppliers with a Responsible Sourcing Supplier Workbook to give suppliers a better insight into our Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice. Through day-to-day contact, John Lewis highly trained buyers give suppliers a helping hand in meeting the terms of our Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice Sustainable products- 78% of the garden furniture FSC certified John Lewis We Can Make a Difference promotion covered more than 600 biodegradable, organic, energy-efficient, Fairtrade, recycled and sustainable products Waitrose stock 180 Fairtrade lines and Fairtrade sales rose by 76% in 2007 Waitrose are the only UK retailer to insist all British fruit and vegetable growers adopt the LEAF certification standard Waitrose local and regional sourcing sales increased by 58% to  £21 million in 2007-08 Improving the customer experience Ranked first for service in the Verdict customer satisfaction index for 2007 Focusing on reporting and sharing details of any customer complaints, so that we can learn from such feedback All new John Lewis Partners currently receive an induction and lots of on-the-job training. This year, we are investing more in training Partners Chairman Charlie Mayfield appointed to the UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES). Health nutrition Over 1,000 products now carry the Food Standards Agency (FSA) multiple traffic light labelling on their packaging, and all recipe cards and publications carry key nutritional information per serving. Waitrose Education invests approximately  £400,000 a year educating young people about nutrition and food. The online Nutrition Advice Service provides customers and health. professionals with help and advice on a wide range of food issues Supporting our communities- Partnerships contribution to charities and communities in 2007-08 was  £6.2 million. All Waitrose shops support local charities and community groups nominated by customers through its new Community Matters scheme. Partners have raised  £138,000 for Wallace and Gromits Childrens Foundation, this years John Lewis Charity of the Year. Waitrose Partners donated 4,221 hours and John Lewis Partners 22,500 through the Golden Jubilee Trust scheme.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Capital Punishment Must be Abolished :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Capital Punishment Must be Abolished       Evidence suggests that the death penalty does not deter people from committing crimes. It is a cruel and cold blooded form of punishment and there have been instances where innocent people were sentenced to death.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most common methods of execution are hanging and shooting. Countries like the U.S. use electrocution, gas chambers and lethal injections to dispose of the convicted. Some countries, like the U.S., have tried to minimise the pain of execution by introducing the electric chair. In some parts of the world, more pain is deliberately inflicted on the condemned, such as in the Islamic countries and Nigeria. In Nigeria the executions are done in public by a firing squad. The convicted are executed slowly, by firing bullets at intervals, starting at the ankles. In Islamic countries the condemned are stoned to death. But there are   special rules for these executions; (Amnesty International article1), "The Islamic Penal Code of Iran stipulates: "In the punishment of stoning to death, the stones should not be so large that the person dies on being hit by one or two of them."1 This is the kind of cruelty which is inflicted on the executed in those countries. Other methods of execution, like the electric chair and hanging, are also quite cruel to the convicted.   That is one of the reasons the death penalty should be abolished.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Does the death penalty really deter criminals?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is very little valid evidence to suggest that capital punishment deters criminals. The most recent study of research findings on the relationship between the death penalty and homicide rates, conducted for the United Nations Committee on Crime Prevention and Control, in 1988, has concluded that:"this research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment."1. Many murders are committed under the influence of alcohol and drugs, some murderers might be mentally ill. If one of these factors influenced a person, how could he/she control and asses what he/she is doing or be deterred from committing the crime? It would be impossible, and after the incident he/she might not remember it. A cover story in the "Time"3 presents a report about a man called Doug McCray, then 32. He had a reasonable education after dropping out of college one and a half years later to enlist in the army. He was given a medical discharge seventeen months later.He married and went back to college. But his marriage didn't last long and he dropped out of college again and turned to alcohol. Sometime between October 13

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Orientation for New Employees Essay

Do you believe your design of the detailed organization chart indicates centralized or decentralized lines of authority for decision making? Can you explain your approach in one to two sentences? I do believe that my design is detailed centralized organization. In order for human resources to work, there has to be some type of organization. If there was no organization, HR would not function properly. At the hospital, HR has departments for specific needs. There is a department for Health Benefits and there is a different Coordinator for specific last names. I think it keeps it somewhat organized. Review the chapter text about information flow and Figures 2–2 and 2–3. Do you have â€Å"information flow-sheets† at your organization? What is the purpose for them? Are they always this formalized? Should they be? (If you don’t have a information flow sheet currently make one up for your organization) In the family practice we have two offices, I really did not know about flow sheets. I asked the billing person in the office and she did show me one and it is similar to 2-3. She did explain to me what they  are about and how they function for the office, but I don’t understand it as much. I think because I am more in the clinical side of the office it makes it hard for me to understand how they are used. She did mention they will be changing since the practice was bought out by the hospital. She stated it will be sometime in the upcoming year.

Friday, January 3, 2020

A Critical Analysis of the Documentary Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2174 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Cinematographic Art Essay Type Critical essay Did you like this example? In 2004, the American film-maker Morgan Spurlock made a documentary film Supersize Me. Produced in response to the unsuccessful legal suits against McDonalds fast food, the film brings to light Spurlocks own experiment with eating fast food and, above all, addresses those Americans who are obsessed with unhealthy fast food. The film-maker conducted the experiment for a month, during which he ate food only from McDonalds and observed the impact of fast food on his physical and emotional well-being. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Critical Analysis of the Documentary Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock" essay for you Create order The more he ate in MacDonalds, the more side-effects he experienced, including depression, fatigue, sexual problems, headache, and chest pain. The camera captures all emotional and physical changes which occur in Spurlock. The film-maker cooperates with three doctors (a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, and a general practitioner) who indicate the changes in his physical and psychological state (Sheehan, 2005, p.69). However, the principal idea to which Spurlock constantly returns throughout his documentary is that McDonalds fast food increases obesity in the United States (Sheehan, 2005, p.68). As is shown in the documentary, the weight of Spurlock before the experiment was 84 kg. In a period of one month, his weight increased up to 95 kg (Lusted, 2008, p.33). In addition to the weight increase, his cholesterol level changed from 168 to 230 (Sheehan, 2005, p.69). Observing such a damaging impact of fast food on patients health, the doctors recommended Spurlock to stop eating fast food in McDonalds. Although a low-budget documentary (with a budget only $65,000), Supersize Me has acquired great popularity among the national and international public due to its crucial social commentary on the issue of increasing obesity (Baym and Gottert, 2013, p.159). Spurlocks film consists not only of his own reflections and investigations, but also of a series of interviews which he took in the process of experiment (Day, 2011, p.116). Through his interviews with nutritionists, gym teachers, doctors, lawyers, cooks, and other experts, the film-maker attempts to gather diverse views on fast food eating and the fast food culture of modern America. In addition to the interviews, Spurlock also spreads a survey among children and finds out that they know perfectly well who Ronald McDonald is and know nothing about Jesus or George Bush. As is shown by Spurlock, McDonalds encourages children to eat fast food by organising birthdays and giving children free toys with its Happy M eals. To make his film more vivid, interactive, and factual, Spurlock uses cartoon animation (e.g. when showing how McNuggets are produced), statistics, and graphics (Day, 2011, p.116). Some statistical data are rather disturbing; for instance, the evidence gathered by the film-maker suggests that over 60 percent of Americans suffer from obesity and diabetes because of eating unhealthy fast food (Fazekas, 2005, p.144). Besides, 10,000 fast food advertisements are shown on television annually, attracting attention of not only adults, but also children (Fazekas, 2005, p.144). Throughout the documentary, the film-maker employs the shock techniques to evoke powerful emotions and reactions in his viewers. For instance, he depicts liposuction surgery, his own vomiting during the second eating of McDonalds meals, the numerous images of obese Americans, and school childrens addictive ingestion of harmful food. Spurlock also constantly returns to his own fast food addiction, demonstrating that he feels good only when he eats McDonalds food. While at the beginning of his experiment Spurlock looks and feels healthy, his physical and emotional state becomes worse with the progression of the experiment. Spurlocks girlfriend acknowledges that he smiles less than before, has sexual dysfunction, and depressive moods. Spurlock also demonstrates his own fears over the health problems which occur during the experiment. For instance, he depicts that one night he wakes up because of his inability to breathe. He is so afraid of this side-effect that he doubts whether to continue the experiment that threatens his life. However, Spurlock decides to finish the experiment even at the expense of his physical and emotional health. At the end of the film, Spurlock shocks his viewers by stating that he restored his physical and emotional health for about 14 months. He also shows a tombstone for the clown Ronald McDonald and asks his viewers: Who do you want to see go first, you or them? In addition to the use of shock techniques, the film-maker also uses comparative techniques. For instance, he contrasts American schools with fast food meals and soda machines to a school for troubled teenagers in Wisconsin where fast food was substituted for natural food (Fazekas, 2005, p.145). As Spurlock demonstrates, this food change has positively influenced childrens emotional well-being and behaviour. The film-maker gathers peoples opinions and visits McDonalds restaurants not only in Manhattan, but also in other American cities, such as Texas and California. By using both shock techniques and comparative techniques, Spurlock makes an attempt to engage the public into a dialogue on the issue of fast food eating. He also encourages parents to reconsider their childrens eating in McDonalds and their own responsibility for childrens healthy development. As Spurlock clearly shows in his documentary, parents are responsible for developing healthy eating habits in their childre n; otherwise, the consequences of their neglect will be detrimental for their children. In addition to parents irresponsibility, Spurlock also speaks against constantly increasing advertising of fast food. Although McDonalds claims that the company does not bear responsibility for peoples decision to eat fast food, it spends billions of dollars on advertising its products (Fazekas, 2005, p.144). To make things worse, Spurlock compares the amount of money which fast food companies spend on advertisements to the amount of money which healthy food organisations spend on advertisements. The figures he brings to the fore clearly demonstrate that the budget of healthy food organisations is significantly lower than the budget of fast food companies. In addition to his appeals to parents, advertisers, and the general public, Spurlock also appeals to the American government which fully neglects the reasons for peoples visits of McDonalds and consumption of unhealthy fast food. For instanc e, he shows the community which has no playground for children; hence, parents go to McDonalds because it has a playground. In other scenes, the film-maker focuses on school meals, demonstrating that schools often purchase fast foods for children because it is cheaper to buy fast foods than to prepare fresh meals. In view of such limited choices, children have to consume fast food instead of consuming healthy food. All these examples mentioned in Spurlocks documentary signify that both the government and educational establishments maintain the fast food culture to gain their own profits. Spurlocks documentary consists of several sections, each of which brings to light a new factor for his criticism of fast food eating. The film-maker often employs humour and satire in his discussion of a serious issue. On the one hand, this makes his documentary significantly entertaining. On the other hand, Spurlock succeeds in producing a black comedy which heavily relies on the elements of com edy to spread some crucial messages. This is especially evident in the scene when the American family tries to perform the Pledge of Allegiance near the White House, but forgets the words and starts singing McDonalds song. Although such scenes evoke laugh, they also make people think. Spurlock intentionally introduces funny elements to destroy peoples barriers and encourage them to perceive crucial information. As Supersize Me has clearly shown, such a technique is really successful as people tend to create barriers to somebody elses views and opinions; they tend to perceive these views with caution and distrust. However, when views and opinions are presented in a light, funny, and entertaining manner, people are more willing to accept them and, more importantly, believe the speaker. The film-maker also integrates music (e.g. Fat-Bottomed Girls by Queen) and new phrases (such as McStomach Ache or McTwitches) into his documentary to create appropriate mood and atmosphere. Besides, Sp urlock pays great attention to details (e.g. a hair in his food), uses entertaining pictures when changing the scenes, and effectively combines video and graphics. The use of all these techniques signifies that Spurlock attempts to produce not only a reflexive film, but also a highly experimental and dynamic film. Due to a masterful juxtaposition of techniques, Spurlock gradually engages viewers into the discussion. However, instead of providing a balanced standpoint, the film-maker expresses a significantly biased view on popularity of fast food eating in the United States. As such, the results of Spurlocks non-scientific experiment can be exposed to some criticism. For instance, Guy Russo, the chief executive of Australian McDonalds, opposed the view expressed by Spurlock by claiming that people do not eat fast food every day for three times (Gumbel, 2004, n.p.). Russo also criticised Spurlocks decisions not to do physical exercises and double his usual food intake during the e xperiment. In his viewpoint, such irresponsible and extreme actions, but not fast food eating had detrimental effects on Spurlocks physical and emotional well-being (Gumbel, 2004, n.p.). Klosterman (2006, p.65) points at the fact that Spurlock exaggerates the negative impact of fast food on his health because it is impossible to sell a movie about eating fast food and feeling fine. Klosterman (2006, p.65) also asserts that instead of putting the blame for eating fast food on an individual person, Spurlock puts the major blame on McDonalds and the American government. However, in the viewpoint of Klosterman (2006, p.66), McDonalds only gives people the product they want. Despite the mentioned critical comments, Spurlock has succeeded in producing a very important documentary which questions increasing popularity of fast food eating and makes the public and the American government reflect on the issues of unhealthy food and obesity. The film-maker has taken active steps in recognis ing a serious problem and in stirring up peoples emotional responses to the problem of unhealthy fast food and obesity. Throughout the documentary, Spurlock tries to convince viewers that fast food is a really bad choice; by bringing to light his recollections of childhood eating habits (e.g. when his family gathered together and ate home-made food), the film-maker demonstrates that such eating habits are significantly healthier and benefit children more than visits to McDonalds restaurants. As for Spurlocks biased views on fast food eating, it is necessary to take into account that the film-maker attempts to produce a point of view documentary which draws on the subjective approach and is strongly skewed toward a certain viewpoint (Lees, 2010, p.99). According to this distinct viewpoint, it is not only unhealthy menus of McDonalds and other fast food restaurants that pose a threat to the physical and mental well-being of children and adults, but the impact of fast food culture on p eoples values and lifestyles. Spreading fast food culture throughout America, corporations serve their own interests, while fully neglecting the needs and interests of common people. Although McDonalds fast food is inexpensive and tasty, the excessive consumption of this food (as Spurlock has clearly shown in his documentary) may be poisonous to the body of an adult, let alone to the body of a growing child. Spurlocks decision to focus on McDonalds restaurants does not mean that the film-maker has a personal dislike for McDonalds. His choice is explained by the fact that McDonalds is the largest company in the American fast food industry. Hence, by attacking McDonalds, Spurlock expresses his criticism of the whole fast food industry which manipulates people and makes them develop unhealthy eating habits. Although at times Spurlock turns to exaggerations, his documentary is perceived as a realistic account of the situation with American fast food eating. The film-maker intentional ly exaggerates some facts to accentuate the seriousness of unhealthy eating and obesity. In response to Spurlocks documentary, McDonalds has diversified its menu with some healthy food and has taken away the supersizing option (Sood, 2004, n.p.; Lusted, 2008, p.34; Baym and Gottert, 2013, p.159). Moreover, McDonalds has also started to provide information on fat content and calories so that McDonalds visitors can decide for themselves what to eat. As such, Spurlocks film has inspired slight changes in the American industry of fast food. Bibliography Baym, G. Gottert, C. (2013). 30 days. Social engagement. In: E. Thompson J. Mittell (Eds.), How to watch television (pp.159-167). New York: New York University Press. Day, A. (2011). Satire and dissent: Interventions in contemporary political debate. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Fazekas, I. (2005). The alkalizing diet: Your life is in the balance. Virginia Beach: A.R.E Press. Gumbel, A. (2004). The man who ate McDonalds. The Independent, 18 April. Available from: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-man-who-ate-mcdonaldsacirc-6167144.html [Accessed 17 April, 2015] Klosterman, C. (2006). Chuck Klosterman IV: A decade of curious people and dangerous ideas. New York: Simon Schuster. Lees, N. (2010). Greenlit: Developing factual/reality TV ideas from concepts to pitch. London: AC Black Publishers. Lusted, M. (2008). Obesity and food policing. Edina: ABDO Publishing. Sheehan, M. (2005). Supersize Me: A comparative analysis of responses to crisis by McDonalds America and McDonalds Australia. In: C. Galloway K. Kwanash-Aidoo (Eds.), Public relations issues and crisis management (pp.67-80). Melbourne: Thomson Social Science Press. Sood, S. (2004). Weighing the impact of Super Size Me. Alternet, 29 June. Available from: https://www.alternet.org/story/19059/weighing_the_impact_of_%26%238216%3Bsuper_size_me%26%238217%3B [Accessed 18 April, 2015]