Sunday, January 26, 2020

McDonalds Global Expansion

McDonalds Global Expansion Companies all over the globe are looking for expansion and ways of entering new markets which are profitable through different entry modes (Deresky, 2006). Managers look at different strategies that can be used to expand internationally (Deresky, 2006). There are many reasons for companies to go global or expand overseas. There are reactive and proactive reasons for the same. Increased global competition, customer needs, potential opportunities, declining foreign trade barriers, increasing expenses in domestic markets are some of the reactive reasons for companies going global. To achieve economies of scale, expanding base for growth and profits, cost savings, access to different resources are some of the proactive reasons for companies going global (Deresky, 2006). An example of a company which looked to expand beyond its borders is McDonalds, one of the most successful companies in terms of implying international strategies successfully. 2.0 Company Overview McDonalds, the most renowned fast food chain of the world, started in 1955 by a visionary named Raymond Kroc (McDonalds : The Ray Kroc Story, 2010-2011). Kroc played a significant role in revolutionizing the fast food industry in America and currently Mc Donalds is serving over 60 million customers in over 117 countries on a daily basis (McDonalds : The Ray Kroc Story, 2010-2011). The company has a global brand value and worldwide recognition. It is one of the most widely recognized icons of the world in the fast food restaurant industry. By reaching saturation levels in the United States, McDonalds looked to expand internationally amidst increasing regulations. But they approached with a strategy by controlling standardized products, clean and green environments and American origin. With experience, localization started increasing and the entire model was redone to appeal the localites of the foreign country. This strategy has been a turnaround point for McDonalds but it has thed potential of losing brand equity in the future (McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). Inspite of an American base, McDonalds respects the markets, cultures, beliefs and likings of other nations. Customers identify with the brand name and the Golden Arches are recognized not only in America but in foreign countries as well (McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 4.1 Franchise Model: McDonalds franchising process is that of a strategic network (Hitt, et.al 2007). Around 85% of the restaurants are operated by franchisees. McDonalds follows a standardized set of procedures across all its restaurants in terms of quality, service, cleanliness and value propositions. Basically, the central control is in its headquarters where different financial and strategic controls are used to create value for the entire network (Hitt, et.al 2007). 5.0 Expansion Strategies in Different countries 1. CHINA: The strategy used by McDonalds in China is quite different from the way the restaurants are otherwise managed in the United States. The prime reason for the success of McDonalds in China is the involvement of McDonalds to adapt to Chinese Culture. Local people manage the operations in McDonalds in China, thereby reaching out in an easier way to the locals of the country. Additionally, the managements ability in Europe slowly changed the taste of the Asian consumers towards fast food which is an unusual aspect of the Chinese culture. Locals in China responded positively to the fast food concept of McDonalds thereby making the investment in China a successful one. Some of the other ways the approach in China was different as compared to the United States was that McDonalds customized the menu by adding teriyaki burger which gave locals the flavour of their native food taste (McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). Customization of products to suit local needs is a key factor that sh ould be considered in the global expansion plan. 2. South Africa: A relatively unique strategy has been used by McDonalds to serve customers where they can enjoy their meal while shopping and playing. This approach is used in highly populated areas with busy lifestyles of South Africa. Additionally, the drive-through approach works well in the South African region. Therefore, there are superior number of drive-through as compared to Australia and United States. This particular facility gives McDonalds an upper hand in South Africa. The base of the approach is to provide comfort to the customers in shopping malls, towns and other areas. Different marketing strategies are used to attract people from different sections of the society. The returns for McDonalds in South Africa have surpassed the initial targets of turnover and profits. With over 90 branches in South Africa, employment opportunities are high for local people and are expected to rise. Furthermore, McDonalds is currently using the vertical integration approach to improve its productivity with efficient software packages. All these factors contribute to the high revenues and with advanced software systems; the aim is to enhance bottom line as well ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 3. Brazil: McDonalds opened its first branch in Brazil in 1979. The franchise model has been successfully used in Brazil and the management team has been praised for consistent performance and high standards of quality. One of the accolades received by McDonalds in Brazil is the Hallmark of Quality. One of the challenges that exist for McDonalds in Brazil is bankruptcy because of which it is difficult to meet the expenses on a monthly basis. Inspite of the fast growth in Brazil, franchisees have difficulty in reducing costs ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 4. Saudi Arabia: Another example of adaptation to the local culture is the way McDonalds has managed the business in Saudi Arabia. McDonalds closes five times in the day for prayers and they do not serve pork to respect the Islamic culture in Saudi Arabia. There are some exclusive outlets of McDonalds in the Holy City of Makkah which serve to Muslim customers only with only Muslim staff in every department ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 5. India: The approach to adapt locally to the country has been a highlight for McDonalds success. In India, the menu is highly customized to suit the Indian tastes and this justifies the inclusion of aloo tikki and paneer burgers. The Big Mac becomes Maharaja Mac in India and another highlight of the menu is having separate vegetarian kitchens with separate utensils and cooks. This feature has been particularly taken care off for making sure that the needs and requirements of the vegetarian population are fulfilled ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 6.0 Organizational capabilities Organizational capabilities look at a firms ability to manage resources in order to gain sustainable competitive advantage (Hitt, et.al 2007). The internal analysis of the firm are carried out to understand its strengths and weaknesses either which are existing or are potentially going to exist in the future as compared to its competitors (Deresky, 2006). 6.1 Strengths of McDonalds 1. Adaptability: It is one of the major strengths of McDonalds. Customization of activities and menu to suit local needs is the single most factor contributing to its success. This takes care of blending with the local culture and values of the foreign country. McDonalds is an example of a company which is centralized in its core but still customizes the menu and the operational activities for local needs. 2. Innovation: With wide variety of options available from snack wraps to coffee to burgers to McCafe, McDonalds is very innovative with reference to its products. Also, the processes or the way every country operations are managed are innovative in a way that they are suited to fulfill the local needs. 3. Corporate Social Responsibility: McDonalds has programmes for having a better society. Some of the programmes they have are the greener than ever programme; recycle, renew programme; animal welfare program to name a few. McDonalds believes in having sustainable supply chain consisting of 3 ES: Ethical Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility and Economic Responsibility (Sustainable Supply Chain, 2010-2011). 4. Marketing: The McDonalds logo is a popular one amongst children and adults all across the globe. This compliments the marketing efforts which are carried out through market analysis thereby giving positive returns to McDonalds. 6.2 Weaknesses: 1. Customer Service: Long queues, insufficient employees at the counters are frustrating for customers and many times the employees are rude in terms of their behaviour with customers. 2. Currency fluctuations: When companies go global, there is always a risk associated with currencies as they keep fluctuating based on the markets. This can cause difference in planned returns for McDonalds. 3. Franchisees Challenges: There is an increase in the fee that franchisees have to pay to McDonalds thus resulting in selling of the businesses and dissatisfied franchisees. Additionally, it is important to understand the opportunities and threats that potentially exist for McDonalds to consolidate its global position in the fast food industry. 6.3 Opportunities: 1. Expansion: Even though it serves over 60 Million people on a daily basis that accounts for just about 1% of the worlds total population. There are a lot of emerging markets particularly in the BRIC countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China. 2. Increase in fast food category: Based on statistics from Euromonitor, there is a growing demand for fast food. For example: In Australia, sales of fast food grew by 7% in terms of value in 2008 to reach A$ 10,921 Million. This demand is increasing due to stressful lifestyles and constant time pressures (Consumer lifestyles- Australia, 2009). 3. Growing need for drive through facilities: Drive through facilities is highly visible in South Africa. They can look at expanding these facilities in other parts of the world with dense populations. 6.4 Threats 1. Competition: With globalisation and increased number of companies looking to expand internationally, it is a challenge for McDonalds to keep up to or enhance its already existing powerful status in the market. 2. Unexpected circumstances: Uncertainties such as natural calamities, unexpected diseases can affect the smooth flow of activities for McDonalds in terms of procurement of goods and food contents which can decline the sales drastically. 7.0 Organizational Structure to support the international Strategy While understanding the organizational capabilities and the external environment, it is crucial to understand the organizational structure of McDonalds. McDonalds sets an exemplary example of a company which implements global strategy and a centralized organizational structure. With operations in over 120 countries and a huge number of 31,000 restaurants, McDonalds procures its food and packaging from the same set of suppliers. It shows the uniformity of a branch in United States and India. The decision making takes place centrally in the United States (Hebert, 2011). In terms of the way McDonalds organizational structure is oriented, it is relatively organized in terms of how the growth and expansion takes place internationally. But to fulfill the ever changing customer demands and customization strategies in every country, the structure needs to be a combination of centralized and decentralized forms. It also means the structure is relatively a mix of formal and informal forms which is quite a challenge to manage successfully. 8.0 Recommendations As described in the above sections, McDonalds has huge potential in global markets to venture out in different areas specially the BRIC countries. As these cities are the centre of research and growth opportunities, McDonalds should focus their internationalization in these areas much more than they are currently doing. McDonalds should focus on high and low areas of population, reaching out to more and more sections of the society. Joint ventures can be taken up with established companies in foreign countries with inclusions of coffee shops, bakery, internet access add-ons in all high profile metropolitan cities McDonalds currently have restaurants. For example in Germany, McDonalds has a tie up with T mobile for hot spots. McDonalds should work on increasing these facilities in a lot of high profile, metropolitan cities across the world. McDonalds can look at diversifying into other areas of food industry for example; McDonalds Hotel in Zurich is a distinctive venture. The road ahead for McDonalds should be to increase the nutritive value of the burgers and look at certain health aspects to control the increasing waistlines among children because of high consumption of fast foods especially burgers (Consumer lifestyles- Australia, 2009). They should look at improving their customer services at the counters by avoiding long queues and providing high levels of customer satisfaction. 9.0 CONCLUSION McDonalds is the number one brand in the fast food industry. They have successfully implemented international strategies where in they have used localization and customization processes to adapt to the foreign countries along with maintaining its American origin by having centralized procedures as well. The organizational structure is in sync with the strategy used by McDonalds to be ahead of its competitors. It is challenging for managers to consistently keep in pace with the right balance of centralizing and decentralizing the operations. Even though weaknesses and threats exist, the strengths and opportunities make it a strong player in the market in the fast food industry.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Women in the Military

Gender discrimination is a paradigm that has affected the role of women in the society depicting her as a minority contributor. Although the number of women in the military continuously increases this mishap is predominantly depicted because women are not allowed to engage in most combat duties as their counterpart male partners in most countries for example Germany, Spain and Italy. This further stimulates the physical and mental characteristics of men and women which argue against the support of women in the battle field. Women are perceived to be weaker than men because of their body structure which contains less dense skeletal systems thus have a higher possibility of fracturing or breaking their body parts. It is also argued that women’s bodies cannot handle the g-forces that are part and parcel of combat pilots therefore, less regarded in the aviation unit. Moreover, women are perceived as more prone to health risks than men thus highly vulnerable. A fact the submarine departments relies on to deny women career opportunities in this field (Adeboyejo 7-15). Women are also considered as psychologically incompetent because men lack the confidence of women performing similar duties as them thus mistrusts them. Men are likely to develop sexual relationship with the women thus affecting their performances. This also leads to unwanted pregnancies which incapacitates the role of the women. Furthermore, women are more likely to be captured by war enemies to be later subjected to dehumanizing acts such as sexual harassment and torture. Cultural practices and beliefs also perpetuate gender discrimination in military as these practices do not allow women to perform military tasks which are regarded as men’s role. Women who engage in this practice are considered as sexually promiscuous and therefore alienated from the community. Therefore, women are forced to prove their competence more than men to counter these allegations (Silva 937-960). This report aims at sharing the views and experiences of women in the military to enable the society to broaden its perspective and knowledge in an attempt of dispelling this paradigm and improve the situation for other younger women who desire to purse military as their career. History of Women in US Military The role of women in the US military was highly emphasized from the early 1900s though gender discrepancy took the toll of their activities and they were not allowed to engage in many tasks that military men were involved in. For instance in 1917 women were recruited as military nurses and doctors to tend to the injured men. Between 1940 and 1943 women were allowed to volunteer their services into the military forces where military curriculum was prevailed to their vicinity. However, they were given small ranks and duties such as being auxiliary corps and administrative officers while the men were their bosses. In the 1990s women were allowed to involve themselves with combat roles though were not accorded the opportunity to participate in the front lines. They were given small menial tasks such as carrying heavy war equipments and weapons to the front lines (Baker 12-238). Lately the role of women in the military have been further defined as a small percentage engages in the combat duties, submarine operations and aviation duties such as military pilots as bans that restricted women from flying aviation planes and ships have been lifted, for instance approximately 170,000 military women are among the US forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan (Baker 205). However, they still have to concentrate on proving their competence to the men and the traditional society (Baker 183-227). Hardships that Women in the Military Face Civilization has not totally eradicated this phenomenon as the appointment of officers is still not fairly done because women are treated as the minority which favors the men availing more appointment vacancies to them. Also the selection criteria for women is higher in comparison to that of men as conducted research depicts women in this field to be more learned than men. Therefore, women need to prove their confidence as there are very limited slots for their enrollment into the combat unit for instance in America approximately 15% of the women in the military force are allowed to serve in the combat unit (Mitchell 176). Women also still have to face sexual abuse and molestation from their counter parts while conducting their tasks. On the contrary this unjustly actions go unpunished as women who report such incidents are perceived as weak and thus cannot handle pressure and danger (Onesto para2-5). On the other hand the life of military women who report the incidents are made miserable while in the force by men who would go to extents of killing those women as a teaching guide to others to keep their mouths shut. For example Spc. Kamisha who was murdered in cold blood by her assaulter who she had previously reported three times (Creveld 85). Clearly these complaints in most occasions fall on deaf ears thus perpetuating the criminal offense. For instance in reference to the above case, Spc. Kamisha had reported her assaulter three times with no stern action being taken against him. This increases the vigor of women as they attempt to overcome this predicament and shun it while trying to prosper in the military field. Military women are also commanding for respect and recognition of their rights from the male counterparts, the society and traditional beliefs (Creveld 82-98). It is also quite evident that men in the military receive recognition and acknowledgment for their efforts and success unlike women who have to fight for this provision by demanding popularity in the force which prevails opportunities for them to prove their competence. Also the fact that women are supposed to serve their families and fully dedicate their lives to family responsibilities has increased the campaigns against the incorporation of women in the combat unit especially in countries where Muslim as a religion is prevalent. Therefore, women try to perform dual duties of establishing their responsibilities in the military forces and at home as mothers, in an attempt of proving to the society and men in the military of their capabilities in addressing the two responsibilities to earn the same treatment and respect accorded to man (Mitchell 256). The society has depicted two different stereotypes in the human race where men are portrayed as more analytical than women thus performs their duties better than women. In the event women in the military have to emanate more effort so as to be accorded the same treatment as men and allowed to engage in tasks that men are involved in, for instance submarine and aviation activities. Therefore, women have to maximize on their liberation from administrative and cultural constraints to portray their independence and unshakable attitude to discern this allegations and prove their abilities to work under pressure depicting analytical skills (Hogg para. 3-6). Current Status of Women in the US Military. In the past women were banned from participating into ground combat activities as they did not fulfill the criteria set in the physical test standards. Currently these standards have been re-evaluated and changed to allow more women to perform combat duties as men because of the high demand for military troops to perpetuate peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the event women have been allowed to perform their civic responsibilities however, women are still demanding equal civic promotions and acknowledgment. This initiative has still not been fully approved even though implementation steps have taken place. Critics of this move argue that this provision will disrupt the cohesion of men while on duty thereby decreasing their performance and concentration. Also, more women are being recruited into military camps and marine forces. Furthermore, the women are now being trained to defend themselves against sexual harassment and discrimination to avert the inhuman vices that surround them (Manning 7-12). Conclusion The society, government, ethicists and critics should aim at stipulating legislations that support military women to enable them to develop their careers by availing the same treatment accorded to men and in the event protect their rights. Therefore, military women should volunteer to share their experiences both the hard times and jovial moments to enable effective publication of the social injustices they undergo and thus perpetuate the eradication of gender discrepancies in the military, thereby allowing more female youths with the desire of perpetuating their civic responsibility as military agents to do so with ease and pleasure. Word Count: 1413 Annotated Bibliography Adeboyejo, Betsy. â€Å"Women in the Military Face Increasing Opportunity and Risk. † Crisis (15591573). 110. 3 (2003): 7-15. Adeboyejo outlines the increased opportunities for recruiting women in the military as they are can now engage in Marine Corps and aviation unit activities. However, the author stipulates the risks that women have to face while in the military and sends an outcry to the relevant authority challenging them to re-evaluate their policies and improve the working environment for women. Baker, Anni. Life in the U. S. Armed Forces: (not) Just Another Job. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008. The author gives the history of women in the military and the development the career has undergone. She further elaborates the duties of both women and men in the military outlining the dedication they put to protect the residents of their countries. Furthermore, she explains that they need to be highly regarded and respected for the work they do is cannot be compensated. Anni also encourages the youths to consider military as their career prospectus because it will give them a chance to fulfill their civic duty and thus reduce the crime rate in the society. Creveld, Van. â€Å"Armed But Not Dangerous: Women in the Israeli Military†. War in History. 7. 1 (2000): 82-98. The author explains the hardships that women in the military face. He further liberates the practice of women always being armed because he describes it as a mechanism for protecting themselves from unethical behaviors that deny them their rights. Hogg, Jennifer. Military Women – Ready to Rock the Boat 18th, July, 2008. Women's Media Center. 22nd, May, 2008. < http://www. womensmediacenter. com/ex/071808. html>. Jennifer Hogg an author in the Women's Media Center published this document with the aim of outlining issues that curb the development of women. She discusses the role the society, government and traditional practices plays in advocating for gender inequality. She uses the military career for women as an example and elaborates what these women face while trying to prove their self worth. Manning, Lory. â€Å"Military Women†. Women's Review of Books. 21. 5 (2004): 7-12. The author studies the life of women who peruse military as their career. The conditions and attitudes that the women in the military display are well elaborated in the journal. The author also mentions the struggle that the women have done to improve the condition of their career which has had a positive impact on the perception of the society and government bodies. Mitchell, Brian. Women in the Military: Flirting with Disaster. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 1998. The author explains the kind of conditions women in the military undergo describing the career as a disaster. He outlines the hardships women have to dwell with everyday and the extent the mechanisms they have adopted to be able to shun the paradigm of gender discrepancy. Onesto, Li. Reality for Women in the U. S. Military: Rape in Uniform. 8th, December, 1996. Revolutionary Worker #886. 22nd, May, 2009. < http://rwor. org>. Onesto, Li a revolutionary worker wrote this piece with the aim of uncovering the sexual harassment, molestation and abuse women in the military face. She explains that when she was on duty the things she saw were horrific as women would get gang raped and not report the incident for fear of her life. Onesto says that those incidents broke her heart thus decided to air out the grievances that women in the military face in an attempt of attracting the attention of the relevant authority. Silva, Jennifer. â€Å"A New Generation of Women? : How Female ROTC Cadets Negotiate the Tension between Masculine Military Culture and Traditional Femininity. † The University of North Carolina Press 87. 2 (2008): 937-960. The author conducted interviews on, military women and men in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps to learn how women surpass the allegation aired out because of going against traditional practices and indulging themselves in masculine activities.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Paragraph Essay Topics List Cover Up

The Paragraph Essay Topics List Cover Up School should happen in the evenings. Life is far better than it was 50 decades ago. Students ought to be permitted to pray in school. They lead busy lives and often forget about an upcoming deadline. Textbooks ought to be free. Persuasive essay examples can easily be available online, and you may consult them anytime once you lack inspiration or have very little idea of where to begin with your own paper. Every American should learn how to speak English. As soon as you know what kind of an essay you must finish, it is crucial to understand all the requirements, imposed by your professor. A thriving five-paragraph essay together with the college admissions paper may later act as your entrance ticket. It isn't an essay you will notice in professional writing, nor is it an essay that students will often write as soon as they become proficient writers. Therefore, many students and employees decide to get cheap essay rather than writing it themselves. All teachers wish to see three or more credible sources in your paper. Each paragraph in the essay demands specific information for readers to stick to a logical stream of information. A A A It consists of the open line which might be a generalization with respect to life and has to be about the topic. When you locate a topic interesting, you normally will discover that you are able to write the paper a whole lot simpler. After the opener, provide background information on the subject, which ought to tell readers the intention behind the essay. The cost of an essay is dependent upon the quantity of effort the writer has to exert. The introductory paragraph involves a paraphrase of something said by a renowned person so as to find the reader's interest. As is true with all essays, you need a title at the start of your work. The last paragraph in an essay is normally the conclusion. The 5 paragraph essay is regarded as the typical essay writing assignment. The five paragraph essay is going to have an introduction that has the major point of the paper. The three-paragraph essay isn't an exception. No matter whether you would like to understand how to compose a three paragraph essay of 5 paragraph paper, an introduction stays the same. Employing different examples of introductory paragraph allows you to understand how introductions of unique essays are written. Writing such a paragraph can appear intimidating but when you are in possession of an excellent instance, the method gets easy. The introductory paragraph should also have the thesis statement, a type of mini-outline for the essay. Professional Writing Help Our platform is generated for fast and simple fixes along with long-term guidance. A A A College essays arrive in various forms and for your writing assignment to be the very best, there are lots of rules that you want to follow. A A A It needs to be opened utilizing a transitional sentence. Be certain to note the way that it works here by rereading the introduction to realize how it's repeated here. Therefore, the content of the introduction is largely contingent on the function of the essay and the information which will be availed to the readers. Finding out how to write five paragraph paper is a fundamental skill that will be convenient in countless instances. Utilize your introductory paragraph for a guide. There's, obviously, a limit on the variety of pages even our finest writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we can satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. Most writers will miss something which others are going to naturally see. When you've written the conclusion, think about just how you might rework your concluding ideas into an awesome introduction. Even if the theme is simply one, consistency plays an important function.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

A famous Mexican surrealist artist Frida Kahlo - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1000 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/08/16 Category Art Essay Level High school Tags: Frida Kahlo Essay Did you like this example? Frida kahlo was a famous Mexican surrealist artist whose life was filled with physical and emotional pain, yet her enthusiasm for art kept her alive which can be seen through the quote I am not sick, I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint (Brown, nd). Her work can be described as hard as steel, fine as a butterfly wing, lovable as a smile and cruel as the bitterness of life (Frida,2002). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A famous Mexican surrealist artist Frida Kahlo" essay for you Create order All her work was inspired by the nature around her and the exquisite artifacts of Mexico which is apparent in her use of dramatic symbolism and bright use of colors (Li, and Yoneta,2018). One of the most eye catching painting after her terrible bus accident is the self-portrait which was dedicated to Dr Eloesser and was done when she was half paralysed and painted herself from her position in bed, using a mirror and a wooden structure to hold her canvas (Maddie, 2017). The first section of the essay will discuss the social context in which the art work was created in, followed by the political and then the economical context. Frida Kahlo was seen to be very unique and different from other women in the society, she can be said to be the female feminist icon in the 1940s. At that time in society women did not have the freedom to put forth their feelings and points of view. Brave, powerful and independent were words far away from what women then could be described as. They were objectified and were observed for beauty and attractiveness to please the men and in terms of visual art this was known as the male gaze (Otoole, 2011). Frieda Kahlo subtlety tries to break this which can be seen in the self-portrait dedicated to Dr. Eloesser- in which her hair and dress is just the way a typical women in Mexico would dress up as, but her face stands out stunningly due to her deliberately exaggerating her mono brow and mustache which creates gender confusion but at the same time her fierce expression expresses a sense of pride, strength and rebellious nature (Prop,2017). This act can be said to be Jacques Lacans m irror phase theory as Kahlo looks at the mirror and expresses what she feels towards herself in form of art which is not reality. This engenders that, she goes beyond the mere representation of her face and remains loyal to her inner consciousness and imagination (Dadvar et al., 2018). In consequence to this, the audience feel a sense of uncomfortableness and shock as women were never looked at the way Kahlo expressed herself. It was a male dominate society, which Kahlo, indirectly, took a step to change it. Mexico is a state which is known for having a strong catholic identity, however, for around 70 years, in the 20th century the catholic church was outlawed: they werent allowed to run schools, own properties or defend itself in public or in the court (Leaf, 2012). This can be seen to have politically effected Frida Kahlo as she uses pain and realism to attract devotees to her painting. The color choices such as the mellow, pearly sky and the bright flowers in the self-potrait only accentuate Fridas predicament. The richness resembles the way statues of Christ in Mexican churches were as they are often surrounded by flowers, gold, lace and velvet. Another form of symbolism is the thorns around her neck which represent Christs crown as a necklace the thorns draw blood as if she presents herself as a martyr (Fakulta and um?†ºnà ­Ã‚ ­, 2012). Moreover, her expression, expressed her to be strong during her tough time which is shown through the thorns pricking her neck. Politics was also seen by the way she dressed. For Kahlo, clothes were a kind of language. Her choice of clothing was not just to please her husband Diego but had a political factor behind it (Thackara, 2017). She usually wore what Tehuantepec women wore which had a political element connected to it: Tehuantepec women conserved their traditional social structure in which women held political and economical positions, according to myth they represented a past that had escaped European rule, therefore sustaining a true uncorrupted Mexican society. this inspired Kahlo to enforce this and can be seen to be dressed this way in most of the paintings just like the self portrait dedicated to Dr eloesser. Even in a choice so simple, Kahlo was politically resolute and assertive ( Unm, nd). From the 1940s to 1970s Mexico experienced a change which is called the Mexican Miracle the economy of the country had grown tremendously. There was an average of 6% growth per year in 1940 to 1980. Part could be said due to the gradual increase in tourism. From the 1940s, travelers have been attracted to Mexico to visit its artistic sites, the modern art galleries and museums (Saragoza, Paula and Dolores, 2018). Frida Kahlo can be said to have a bit of contribution for this rise. Firstly, her paintings carried traditional Mexican cultural value such as the way she dressed, the jewelry and the lush vegetation which can be seen in the portrait above, instantly attracted tourist to visit. Secondly she was the first Latin American for her art work to be put in the Louvre in Paris (Palazzolo, 2017). This made people curious to known more about her mesmerizing artwork. Another reason for the increase was the closeness that USA and Mexico developed and also through her surrealist art she attracted Andre Breton (founder of surrealism) who arranged a solo exhibition for her in New York. The self portrait dedicated to Dr. Elloesser was just not a piece of outstanding artwork that Frida Kahlo gave him as a gesture to thank him. The art piece was connected to her culturally, politically and economically. Frida Kahlo was, and will always be one of the most unforgettable female icon due to her bold personality which changed the lives of many women around the world and also made a huge positive change in Mexico.