Strategic Plan Developement Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Plan Developement Paper - Essay Example For Riordan, their success as a leading manufacturing company has only been because of their successful sales and marketing strategies which were also responsible for preserving excellent customer associations. Riordan also realizes the fact that the company needs to redefine and redeem itself along with the time in order to progress consistently and reach the new horizons while taking the business to the subsequent height so as to remain competitive and spirited. Therefore, it becomes imperative for Riordan Manufacturing Company’s top level management to devise a new strategic plan for bring extremely important developments which may guarantee Riordan the rank they have endeavored to attain. This is also because of the fact that most of the modern day entrepreneurs and business managers are often so anxious with instantaneous subjects that they temporarily forget their ultimate objectives unintentionally. My development of Strategic plan for Riordan Manufacturing Company will revolve around the broader future vision2 of the company itself. This vision circles around producing the final products at optimum costs while focusing upon the company’s future, maintaining excellent long term customer oriented relationships, maximizing employees’ utility while incorporating employee-friendly policies, maintaining environment friendly activities while growing business’ prospects, and complimenting the quality related issues in accordance with international standards. Since Riordan is not the only company which produces molding materials made off plastic, there always remains a chance of fearsome competition in the market. However, this leads to the fact that correctly identifying and capturing of market opportunities may bring more success for the company. While having factory facilities placed in San Jose, California, Albany, Georgia, Pontiac, Michigan, and Hang Zhou in China3, Riordan has certainly found new markets around the world. Emerging

Impact of television on professional sports Essay Example for Free

Impact of television on professional sports Essay It was in late 1940’s and beginning of 1950’s that television was introduced to the common people. In the words of Marc and Thompson, â€Å"Marshall McLuhan who was earning the distinction of becoming the first ‘media critic,’ described television in the 1950’s as an ‘electronic hearth,’ a kind of proto-cyberworld fireplace, around which families were gathering during this new stage of post-industrial existence. (2005, p. 55) Following sports became completely different with the advent of television. Now there was no need to waste entire day to watch one’s favourite game in the stadium or strain one’s ears to keep track of the latest happenings in the fields through the radio. Those who had not yet brought this powerful medium of entertainment home used to be a part of â€Å"a crowd of people standing in the street in front of an appliance dealership watching TV through the store window. † (Marc and Thompson, 2005, p. 53) So people at homes or as sidewalk audiences started cheering the sportsmen for their efforts that was visible on screen. The television enhanced the status of sports as a social activity that could be viewed at the comfort of homes. It also introduced the masses to different kinds of sports. Earlier people were aware of the sports that were common in their country only. Due to television sportsmen of diverse kinds of sports became household names. Television gave the sportsmen, the fame and recognition across the continents. This was unimaginable otherwise. Boyle and Haynes observed, â€Å"today it is difficult to imagine football without television or a television schedule bereft of football. † (2004, p. 7) This observation is true in a wider context too. Television sector has undergone tremendous growth. Hundred of channels all over the world are dedicated to sports, which telecast not only the game but also each and every aspect of the players’ lives. The top sportsmen enjoy the same fan following and power as the film stars. Where there is maddening fan following and popularity, can money be behind? The salaries of the top players in all the sports have soared really high. It’s no wonder that popular games like tennis, football, cricket etc. have become businesses in their own right. There has been major commercialization of sports since 1950’s – the advent of television. Talking about football Boyle and Haynes lamented, â€Å"the increasing influence that television has exercised over the sport and the unhealthy degree to which clubs have become dependant on television income have meant that the economic aspects of the game have become of considerable interest. † (2004, p. 8) This pathetic state of affairs can be identified with the economics of other professional sports too. All the different sports can be addressed as different products. The mushrooming of rival leagues in each category of product can be compared to different brands of that category, which are constantly trying to outdo each other. This competition or war amongst the rival leagues is benefiting them but deteriorating the spirit of sports. The flow of television money has turned competitive balance into competitive imbalance. However Wigglesworth argued, â€Å"commercialism has always been present in sport in one form or another. It may have begun with the donation of prizes by local tradesmen at holy day recreations and have become more highly organized in rural sports, often sponsored by publicans. † (2007, p. 35) According to Wigglesworth commercialization has helped in the growth of professionalism. This indicates that before 1950’s it was impossible to consider sports as a profession because the players were not paid proper salaries. Thus all the players used to dabble with other professions in order to keep their kitchens running. Since the advent of television, sports have been started being recognised as one of the well-paid professions and each decade after 1950’s has seen a further hike in the players’ salary. The channel boom in the past decade has made the picture rosier for the players as far as their salaries are concerned. Talking about the growth of leagues Wigglesworth observed, â€Å" money from television coverage and all the associated media opportunities was the spur for the bigger clubs to organize themselves into a league†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2007, p.129). He further elaborated â€Å"even cycling clubs have derived commercial benefits from increased television coverage of the sport during the 1980’s and 1990’s. â€Å"(2007, p. 132) It is since the 1980’s that the television started changing the conventional scenario of sports at a much greater pace than ever before. Some of the top rival leagues, which were created in 1960’s and 1970’s to promote sports, merged sports and media and have even started running their own sport channels, thus taking their rivalry to newer areas. The following statement of Holland paints a gloomy picture of the impact of television on sports: â€Å" As the broadcasting of sport gradually becomes as important as the event itself, there has been growing concern over the adaptation of the sports to suit the needs of television. † (2000, p. 138) It is threatening that all the sports event have become a ground of cut throat competition between the satellite, cable and terrestrial broadcasters. To get the exclusive rights of the major sporting events these parties have been bidding higher and higher. This factor has shook competitive balance to a great extent, which has started proving detrimental for the sports on the whole. So to conclude the impact of television has been both good and bad across all sports, whether it is cricket, rugby, boxing, swimming, horse riding tennis etc. It has been most beneficial to the players of popular sports, financially. The creation of rival leagues can be viewed a positive impact but growing unhealthy rivalry amongst them and competitive imbalance has been some of the drawbacks of television. In the words of Wigglesworth, â€Å"One result of the commercialization of sport through television has been the depersonalization of spectator sport with the old fashioned ‘fan’ becoming simply a customer. † (2007, p. 164). References Boyle, R. and Haynes, R. (2004). Football In The New Media Age. New York: Routledge Holland, P. (2000). The Television Handbook. (2nd ed. ). New York: Routledge. Marc, D. and Thompson, R. J. Television In The Antenna Age: A Concise History. USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Walvin, J. (1978). Leisure and Society. UK: Longman. Wigglesworth, N. (2007). The Story Of Sport In England. New York: Routledge.

Allen Ginsberg’s America and Kerouac’s Vanity of Puluoz :: Ginsberg America Essays

Allen Ginsberg’s America and Kerouac’s Vanity of Puluoz    Throughout the words and the lives of the Beat Generation, one theme is apparent: America, everywhere from Allen Ginsberg’s â€Å"America,† to Jack Kerouac’s love for Thomas Wolfe. Although the views of America differ, they all find some reason to focus in on this land. Ginsberg, in his poem â€Å"America,† makes a point that not many of us can see as obvious: â€Å"It occurs to me that I am America. I am talking to myself again.† Each and every one of us make up America, and when we complain about something that is wrong, we are complaining about ourselves. Being raised by his mother as a Communist, and being homosexual, Ginsberg found many things wrong with America, and he does his fare share of complaining, but at the end he decides, â€Å"America I’m putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.† Ginsberg didn’t want to sit and watch everything go wrong. He was going to do something, despite the fact that he was not the ideal Amer ican. Kerouac’s view of America was completely different from Ginsberg’s view. Kerouac saw America as a beautiful place, with many unexplored regions for himself, and the rest of the people in the country. Kerouac credited his love for America to Thomas Wolfe. In Kerouac’s book Vanity of Puluoz he said that Wolfe made him realize that America was not a dreary place to work and struggle in, it was a poem. If everybody thought of America as a poem rather than a place where we just come to in order to live work and die, this country would be the ideal place that Kerouac wanted it to be. The â€Å"Night of the Wolfeans† was an event in the lives of the Beats that affected them for a long time. It brought together all of the Beat’s feelings toward America. They were put into two categories: â€Å"Wolfeans,† and â€Å"non-Wolfeans.† Kerouac and Hal Chase were heterosexual, all-American boys who believed in America, the perfect image of the American citizen. The non-Wolfeans (William Burroughs and Ginsberg) were also known as â€Å"Baudelaireans† or â€Å"Black Priests.† They wanted to destroy the Wolfeans and all that they believed in. The Beats felt that everybody fell into one of these two categories. One thing that all the Beats agreed upon, was that in order to truly become a great writer, you had to be considered an American writer.

Roosevelt Sources Question

1. People supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election because he was promising to rebuild the American people. He told them that he was waging war against ‘destruction' which was of the economy and business. He also said he was waging war against delay, deceit and despair. All of those were from the last government, the Hoover government. He promised he would give the lower class people a chance with new jobs, new ideas. After the last government of Hoovers people had grown to hate him and so whatever Roosevelt's ideas, they were going to vote for him. The American people heard what Roosevelt was saying and because it sounded so much better than Hoovers they praised him. The way he put his speech across, he said, â€Å"Give me your help, not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America†. This made the American people think that he really didn't just want votes he made them think that he really was just trying to win the crusade for America. 2. Source B and C present two different judgements on the New deal. B was written by an American historian writing in 1945, and C is from a book, ‘The Roosevelt Myth' by and American historian published in 1945. Source B, i think was written after Roosevelt dies. We can tell this by the way that the passage is written in the past tense that he was dead. The difference between each of them is very simple. Source B is telling me that there was a lot of self confidence in the New Deal because it says that during 1933 people will have remembered that the change form depression and discouragement to excitement and hope. It also talks about how the physical rebuilding of the country has been happening during the 1920's and the 1930's. This problem was tackled by Roosevelt employing three million young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They planted 17 million acres of new forests and built over 6 million dams to avoid erosion. The New Deal also cut unemployment in another way. Roosevelt introduced unemployment assistance; old-age pensions and he banned child labour. In the political field the government was strengthened but i still gave the public people the ability to vote out the government and so by calling Roosevelt a dictator wasn't true. 3. In this photograph i think that the photographer is trying to show the stereotype of a happy white family and then below the reality of a black persons life. This photo was likely to have been staged by editing and cutting to provide the photographer with the ideal picture. The picture of the white family shows them as happy, wearing hats, with a dog and going about life in the ‘American Way!' There was a survey done about how many desk jobs black people got against how many white people got, the white got considerably more jobs than the blacks. The picture is extremely ironic because the difference between the blacks, lining up to receive their government relief and the white family driving being very happy in their car are at two totally different ends of the scale. This picture also proves that not everyone was happy with the new deal, people were still having problems. We can see this by looking at the grim looking faces on the black people. 4. These three sources show very very different points of views. Source E shows Roosevelt pouring money into the new deal, but at the bottom of the picture it shows how the money is just leaking out of the system. It shows that he had put in 16 billion dollars into it but still there was seven thousand million still to put into it. The caption shows Roosevelt saying that he hopes that its going to work, he believes it does. Source F is very much for Roosevelt. It shows Roosevelt throwing out all the rubbish that President had promised but had not honoured. In the rubbish is ‘Car in every garage' this was supposed to allow every household in America to own their own car. Many other promises where made but most weren't for filled. Source G shows Roosevelt with a bag full of remedies in case the new deal fell through, he is talking to congress and is explaining that if things don't go smoothly he'll have to change them. The old man sitting in the corner on the left is Uncle Sam he is sitting there because he i supposed to representing America. The bottles on the table, are the alphabet agencies the are the agencies that Roosevelt that Roosevelt made to help unemployment, and to restore the country. One of the Alphabet agencies the (CCC) took unemployment from 17 million and it helped rebuild the banks to help and avoid erosion. 5. I personally think that source H is the best. It is a letter from a supporter of Roosevelt. He is talking about how Roosevelt has helped him and his wife get back his possessions from the bank and get his loan extended. The man tells how he has never heard of a president quite like him and how amazing he is. The man goes on to say how him and his wife pray for him every night; it is said that he isn't the only one. There are many millions of others. This is the best example of public opinion i think. Source I is just a song about how Roosevelt has stopped people from working and not getting the correct pay, and how glad they are that he is back. This source isn't as good as source H. 6. I think these two people disagree about the new deal so much because source J is made by a business speaking in 1980 he says that Roosevelt gave to people rather than teaching them how to gain. He says that people then got used to not having to work so hard and so they just expected to get from Roosevelt. He says that they had soup lines and the depression because people ‘lost confidence in themselves.' He says that ‘Welfare kills a man's initiative'. He makes the example of a dog and says that ‘A dog you feed will not hunt.' The point he is trying to make is that if you allow someone to get hungry and then that person has to work hard to eat then he'll learn from that, but, if you just give money and government relief to him on a plate then he'll just take it and run. Source K says the total opposite written by the secretary of Labour in Roosevelt's New Deal government in the 1930s. She says that ordinary people had been given the chance of a much better life. Roosevelt ‘understood' about how the depression had hit the heaviest on those people less able to bear the strain. Although the rich had been hit too hard too he knew they didn't have so many problems, they had something left at least. The sentence he used was, â€Å"The idea was that all forces of the community should be directed to making life better for ordinary people.† Roosevelt tried his hardest to do this. 7. The first paragraph is a very psychological accepts of the New deal. It says that it helped many Americans and it helped the USA as a whole to life out of the depression. The New Deal may have helped but it wasn't the only thing. Much of the Deal had helped like the alphabet agencies, they helped because it gave people jobs and the chance to work and gain money. They certainly lifted people's hopes. This interpretation of the New Deal is quite a hopeful one. It makes the New Deal sound like it was faultless and that there were never any problems with it. This is not the case at all but it did help in its own way of getting the USA out of the depression. The second paragraph is wrong in many aspects and is factual. Firstly although the government did become reasonably powerful they didn't become powerful enough to not be able to not be voted out by the American people, the public. They never got too powerful. Secondly, the view about making people dependant may have been right in some cases but not in all cases by any means. Many people did tend to rely on the government relief offered, but the majority of the country worked their way back up again and earned their living by doing hard work. Lastly, the situation about losing a lot of money is reasonably true as a statement but all of the money helped in its own way. Roosevelt did pour a lot of money into this New Deal but he wanted it to work so much. The money was leaking through the system but not all of it was a waste. I think that the first one is a much better interpretation of the evidence because, it the second one is not right what it says is wrong and doesn't speak the truth. Yes its true the New Deal drained a lot of money out of American but it helped so many people in so many different ways that it was almost a saviour.

Bullying Essay

Since the hands of time school bullying has been a problem in the school system, recently adding a new layer due to the advances of technology, innovations that challenge the whole infrastructure of educational purpose. Precomputers and cell phones, bullying could only be classified as physical or psychologically abuse on someone that could only be inflicted by face to face contact. Now in today technology age forms a new way of bullying without actually being in the same room or even knowing the individual. Bullying use to consist of physical beating or embarrassment like putting a kid in the garbage can but technology, created to further enhance the mind, became another distraction for the mind because bullying can be done from a distance you don’t even have to be in the same state or even know the person which makes it more difficult on the victim. Every pro has a con and in this case a major one, this method of bullying may be more traumatizing so I will compare and contrast the two types of bullying. This paper will make you decide what side is worse and will show you the comparison but after reading you should want to put a stop to bullying. First, let’s start with physical bullying because of the fact it was the first form of it. In past years, bullying consisted on the size and popularity of someone being less than the so called â€Å"cool† crowd. As time progress formed the mental aspect of bullying, which I feel is more detrimental. My mind is the actual driving for my body that controls our way of living, lower the self-esteem of an individual actually hurts more than any physical blow you could muster up. The progression of using the mental aspect of bullying became more popular because children subconsciously know what hurt more and prey on it. Cyber bulling is usually done by someone who is jealous of another and wants to embarrass them this form is mostly used in high school. Posting embarrassing pictures or videos on social network is common example this is so affective because everyone has a Facebook or twitter in today’s society so more eyes see it making it harder for the victim to overcome it. Secondly, although physical bullying is very harmful it’s also less abusive than cyber bullying because of a number of reasons; first off, with physical bullying you know of your actual bully enforcing the problem. With that information you could eventually take a stand and take of the problem yourself or ask for assistance from your guidance teacher or someone with authority. Also physical bullying and physiological bullying pretechnology didn’t in my opinion last too long. The time frame didn’t last long because before the bully usually bullied multiple people kind of taking the pressure off of you faster than just one individual. All emotions have a time limit in which time could only heal, so physical and mental wounds healed faster pretechnology than it do today. Traditional bullying has to be stopped because some kids are afraid to go to school because of the physical bullying this consist of taking lunch money, tripping or pushing in the hall or into lockers, knocking buts down to cause embarrassment even teasing people because of their weight or clothes is a form of traditional bullying and believe it or not traditional bullying affects the rates of students not graduating because they are fed up and can’t take it no more so they drop out of school. Finally, the most interesting fact of traditional bullying is why they do it. Statistics say most people who bully people have or are being bullied in their life. This interesting because if a person knows how that makes another human feel why they would force the hurt and miserable life on others. Bullies also bully because of problems at home like child abuse so they take it out on other peers. Stress can also cause people to bully because they so filled up with anger and having no one to talk to the result to bullying. Physical bullying is not only in schools it also at jobs to but no matter where you can find it at it needs to be a stop to it because it makes people miserable. Basically all traditional bullying problems are within the bully it has to do with their emotion they release on others. Physical bullying is more painful and life threating then cyber bullying and it also builds a sense a fear because they know the actual person bullying them, this can have a tremendous affect in people life because it lowers self-esteem. These are reason why traditional bullying is still affective if authorities use this to get to the bottom of bullying it can be decreased or even voided but being that our world is so advanced the bullying we should be worried about is cyber bullying which is more common because of technology. Cyber bullying has taken away some of the toughness of bullying because now you could do it from miles or even country spans away. Technology really up the antics making it more widespread than ever, with cell phones, tablets, and lap top along with the allegiance of social networking a rumor spread like a virus in its effect. A simple text became a new viral experiment that went wrong once adolescent got their hands on it. Same agenda chasing popularity and fame, but lost the ability to challenge someone face to face is one of the scariest evolvements of technology. Now you, in most cases, don’t even know who’s bullying you making it harder to pin point the problem in which it started. Cyber bullying is still a form of bullying but it’s just the mental aspect either way the victim still feels the pain. Internet bullying causes low self-esteem, emotion distress, and total embarrassment where as traditional bullying can cause emotional problems but is mostly physical pain more of the punching and physical contact end. Cyber bullying will get worse before it get better, new policies are in place but do little to change the outcome which come to the conclusion that cyber is nowhere near its peak. Internet bullying has taken away from the physical aspect but the emotional aspect of cyber bullying is far worse. Since technology is the face of the world so cyber bullying is so powerful rumors, gossips, and pictures can be uploaded on the web in seconds. There is several reports some are local about high schools uploading a naked picture of a girl on Facebook or sending to phone to phone in high school and this can lead to horrible emotions or dropping out of school do to humiliation. Even bigger all over the news a Rutgers University student committed suicide because of cyber bullying. He was secretly filmed kissing another male and his roommate puts the video on twitter with the caption â€Å"just found out my roommate is gay†. This was obviously something the student wasn’t ready to tell the world so with built up emotions he jumped off the George Washington Bridge. Clementi death bought national and international issue to cyber bullying and the struggles it’s facing. But it shouldn’t take death of a student to realize the degree of cyber bullying its pros and cons to both types of bullying I just feel cyber bullying is worse because of the generation we live in today and technology is so powerful in seconds the world can see what someone uploaded on the web. Finally, the most important fact of cyber bullying is the reason why they do it because it can be ended if we address it. These reason differ from physical bullying because it to different types of bullying. Cyber bullying comes from people who are jealous of your lifestyle and want to ruin it because their life isn’t as well as yours. Cyber bullying is also triggered by peer pressure they want to be â€Å"cool† and do what everyone else is doing but maybe if people put themselves in the victim shoes they wouldn’t do it. The most common one is from teenagers and their peers they take cyber bullying as a joke or for fun and they also think they will earn respect but who would or should respect anybody who lessens someone as a person. No matter what end of the bullying your child is on, you need to make sure that you are doing your part to prevent and stop this because bullying is a serious matter. Even though the two types of bullying have pros and cons the different types of bullying cause different types of insecurities to others but they all are tremendous and all are major and it’s up to peers, adults, and society to stop bullying. â€Å"Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes. It’s a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment. †

The eNotes Blog Raise a Glass of Dandelion Wine to RayBradbury

Raise a Glass of Dandelion Wine to RayBradbury Stuff your eyes with wonder. Live as if youd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. Its more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were, it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day every day, sleeping its life away. To hell with that . Shake the tree and knock the great sloth down on his ass. ~ from Fahrenheit 451 It appears that Ray Bradbury has truly lived by his own advice.   The inimitable writer of dystopian science fiction classics, including The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Dandelion Wine turns 91 today. Bradbury grew up in a working class family in Illinois. His education was his own creation. He argues, I dont believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students dont have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldnt go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years. When Ray was 13, his family moved from Waukegan, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. There, even though he did not attend UCLA, he did make frequent visits to the Powell Library. It was at that library, on rented typewriters, that Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451. When he was just 18, Bradburys first science fiction short stories were published in fanzines. By the time he was 22, in 1942, he was being paid. A chance meeting with   Christopher Isherwood got his manuscript for The Martian Chronicles into the proper hands. The adaptations of Ray Bradburys work are almost endless. His short stories and novels have been transformed into comic books, into television scripts (notably   I Sing the Body Electric for The Twilight Zone) and into major motion pictures. All in all, Bradburys work has been transformed into thirty-five films and shorts. In 2000,   Bradbury sat down with Terry Gross on NPRs Fresh Air and talked about his extensive body of work and some of his quirks (for example, he never obtained a drivers license and is afraid to fly). In 2007, the Pulitzer board commended the author with a special citation  for his distinguished, prolific, and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy. Bradbury continues to write and lecture.   So think about that when you want to whine that something is too hard or you are too old. Happy birthday, rocket man.

Short Biography of Hugo de Vries

Short Biography of Hugo de Vries Hugo Marie de Vries was born on February 16, 1848, to Maria Everardina Reuvens and Djur Gerrit de Vries in Haarlem, The Netherlands. His father was a lawyer who later went on to serve as the Prime Minister of The Netherlands in the 1870s. As a young child, Hugo quickly found a love of plants and even won several awards for his botany projects while he attended school in Haarlem and The Hauge. de Vries decided to pursue a degree in botany from Leiden University. While studying at the college, Hugo became intrigued by experimental botany and Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution and Natural Selection. He graduated in 1870 from Leiden University with a Doctorate in botany. He taught for a short time before attending Heidelberg University to study Chemistry and Physics. However, that adventure only lasted only  about a semester before he went off to Wurzberg to study plant growth. He went back to teaching botany, geology, and zoology in Amsterdam for several years while returning to Wurzburg on his vacations to continue his work with plant growth. Personal Life In 1875, Hugo de Vries moved to Germany where he worked and published his findings on plant growth. It was while he was living there that he met and married Elisabeth Louise Egeling in 1878. They returned to Amsterdam where Hugo was hired as a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam. It was not long before he was elected as a member of the Royal Academy of the Arts and Sciences. In 1881, he was given full professorship in botany. Hugo and Elisabeth had a total of four children - one daughter and three sons. Biography Hugo de Vries is best known for his work in the field of genetics as the subject was in its so-called infancy stages. Gregor Mendels findings were not well known at the time, and de Vries had come up with some very similar data that could be put together with Mendels laws to create a more fully developed picture of genetics. In 1889, Hugo de Vries hypothesized that his plants had what he called pangenes. Pangenes are what is now known as genes and they carried the genetic information from one generation to the next. In 1900, after Gregor Mendel published his findings from working with pea plants, de Vries saw that Mendel had discovered the same things he had seen in his plants as he wrote his book. Since de Vries did not have Gregor Mendels work as a starting point for his experiments, he instead relied on writings by Charles Darwin who hypothesized how traits were passed down from parents to offspring generation after generation. Hugo decided that the characteristics were transmitted via some sort of particle that was given to the offspring by the parents. This particle was dubbed a pangene and the name was later shortened by other scientists to just gene. In addition to discovering genes, de Vries also focused on how species changed because of those genes. Even though his mentors, while he was at University and worked in labs, did not buy into the Theory of Evolution as written by Darwin, Hugo was a big fan of Darwins work. His decision to incorporate the idea of evolution and a change in species over time into his own thesis for his doctorate was met with a lot of resistance by his professors. He ignored their pleas to remove that part of his thesis and successfully defended his ideas. Hugo de Vries explained that the species changed over time most likely through changes, which he called mutations, in genes. He saw these differences in wild forms of evening primrose and used this as evidence to prove that species did change as Darwin said, and probably on a much quicker timeline than what Darwin had theorized. He became famous in his life due to this theory and revolutionized the way people thought about Darwins Theory of Evolution. Hugo de Vries retired from active teaching in 1918 and moved to his large estate where he continued to work in his large garden and study the plants he grew there, coming up with different discoveries he published. Hugo de Vries died on March 21, 1935, in Amsterdam.

Unlike No Other

Unlike No Other Unlike No Other Unlike No Other By Maeve Maddox I heard a radio announcer say that something was â€Å"unlike no other.† I could tell from the context that he meant the thing he was talking about was unique. As I usually do when I read or hear nonstandard usage in a professional context, I jumped on my search engine to see if anyone else was using it. What I found suggests that many speakers use â€Å"unlike no other† as if it did mean â€Å"one of a kind.† Relationship problem unlike no other? (about a boy who feels his romantic situation is unique) Urban Novel Unlike no Other (reviewer recommending a novel) Trees unlike no other (description of unusual trees) A community unlike no other! (a group of gamers) A show unlike no other (ad for an entertainment program) The expression â€Å"unlike no other† doesn’t mean â€Å"one of a kind.† On the contrary, it means â€Å"like all others.† The prefix un: â€Å"I am not unhappy.† is equivalent to â€Å"I am happy.† Note: A discussion of the two negatives equal a positive rule in English calls for a post of its own. This one focuses on why the expression unlike no other should be avoided. Like means â€Å"having the same characteristics as something else.† Adding the prefix un- to like creates an adjective that means â€Å"dissimilar.† Technically, to say that something is â€Å"unlike no other,† is to say that it is like everything else. To express the thought that something is â€Å"unique† or â€Å"one of a kind,† drop the un- and say that the thing is â€Å"like no other.† For example, Grab a cup of cider and head to Red Arrow Park in beautiful Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a fun, low-key New Years Eve like no other. A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York (book title) Another way to express the thought is to use the phrase â€Å"not like any other.† They proof their dough for 24 hours which allows it to rise and ferment to a flavor not like any other bread available in Brooklyn This is truly a movie not like any other. Apparently the wording â€Å"unlike no other† sounds pleasing to the ears of many speakers, but it is not standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureBest Websites to Learn EnglishEach vs. Both

Unit 3 Theoretical Criminology Anomie Theory Essay

Unit 3 Theoretical Criminology Anomie Theory - Essay Example Indeed, the above fact can be used to account for white-collar crime. Of interesting to note is that mertonian approaches leaned towards white-collar crime and the anomie theory was used in explaining this kind of crime. This is based on the fact that the theory tends to explain why crime occurs and as such this can be used to explain why there is occurrence of white collar crime. Notably, criminals adopting cultural endorsed objective or goals of financial success illegally mainly characterize white-collar crime. Most white-collar crimes are related to the need of the offenders to gain money or other stuffs in order to fit in particular social classes or culture. This is more seen in criminals who are out there to become richer than before. As such, social and cultural factors, as considered by Merton, influence white collar jobs (Gomme 56). To emphasize on this, some researches carried out have showed that most convicted white collar criminals were caught while still working and they claim that they were trying to achieve economic success through illegal means (Akers and Sellers 45). As such, they can be said to be innovators given that at the time of committing crime they were after economic success. Innovators are considered to be those individuals who continually embrace material and monetary success as a goal to follow; however, they turn to criminal activities to achieve this success. Street gangs are groups formed mainly youth who are not capable of obtaining what they require through conventional means. Indeed, through these streets groups, the individuals find money and friendship and most of what they desire. Using strain theory, one may attempt to explain how various factors such as homelessness, poverty, lack of opportunity and parenting largely contribute to the formation of crime and crime (Warner and Flower 511). In relation to

The Enduring Wisdom of the Spiritual Master Essay

The Enduring Wisdom of the Spiritual Master - Essay Example She attributed her recovery to St. Joseph, to which she remained devoted. However, her life changed after she experienced â€Å"the sorely wounded Christ’s† vision. After experiencing the vision, Teresa encountered a number of ecstatic experiences that influenced her into focusing more on the passion of Christ. The visions acted as her impetuous that influenced her into setting herself to the reorganization of her order. She began this reformation by attempting to master herself, as well as adhere to her rule. She tried to create a primitive Carmelite by gathering some of her Sisters in Carmel to concretize her idea of a monastery. She received support from St. Peter of Alcantara, her confessor and a number of learned individuals as she started to work towards the achievement idea. This idea materialized in 1562 after the clothing of the four novices and the opening of St. Joseph Monastery. Teresa’s external activities were adjunct to her internal spiritual graces (Cannata 2). The realization of her idea made her happy, after which she tenaciously resisted several revelations for about two years. Subsequently, she experienced the initial intellectual and non-intellectual visions depicting Christ’s humanity. This humanity became the heart of her loving attention, as well as the source of the intimate graces she was able to enjoy for several years. Her possession of the love of God created in her an enormous desire to see God and to die so that she could see Him. These graces were necessary for sustaining her as she was trying to actualize and reinforce her reformation work. Teresa received confirmation for the will to work courageously for God’s glory since her intention was to save the many souls that were being lost. Upon visiting Avila, John Baptist Rossi authorized Teresa to establish other monasteries of nuns. This authorization led her to institute several monasteries

Country-risk analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Country-risk analysis - Research Paper Example to define South Africa based in terms of common occurrence and norms of society but also in terms of encapsulating the business environment and detailing how an individual or their family might necessarily be impacted by a move from candidate to South Africa. Rather than avoiding the issue until later in the analysis, it is first necessary to grapple with the proverbial gorilla in the room. Essentially, up until only two decades ago, South Africa was an apartheid state. Whereas the United States and other nations around the globe ceased segregating individuals based upon race many years ago, South Africa held on to a very conservative and racial viewpoint of society; one in which Africans and individuals of European ancestry did not integrate with one another and oftentimes did not engage within society. Naturally, these rules were established by a government which was predominantly European in ethnic origin (Vincent & Howell, 2014). Not surprisingly, the ethnic strife that this caused and the difficulty on race relations was profound. Within the current era, South Africa continues to exhibit some of the most profound and oftentimes violent racial relations of nearly any nation on earth. Accordingly, many individuals that come from Europ e or North America are flummoxed to see the degree of racial tension that exists within South Africa and the overall degree to which the painful past is reflected in current society, politics, culture, and even entertainment. As a direct result of this dynamic, it is necessary for individuals to appreciate the fact that the racial overtones and overtones within South Africa will be much stronger as compared to Canada. With this in mind, a renewed level of sensitivity to racial concerns and the degree and extent to which interaction and engagement with individuals of different races takes place within society and is normalized will be required (Govinder et al., 2013). Another relevant concern with respect to life and conducting

Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Undergoing Surgery Article

Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Undergoing Surgery - Article Example It was not a life-saving technique. DNR orders are interventions which are meant to extend the life of the patient; these are not interventions which are meant to lend her comfort from her symptoms (Blankenship, 2008). The patient’s words also indicate that she is allowing other interventions which are meant to save her life. At this point, the DNR is revoked (Schwab and Gelfman, 2005). The daughter cannot expect the DNR order or the living will be applied anymore because the patient herself is still mentally competent enough to revoke it. The daughter is also not the legally authorized proxy who can make the decisions for the patient. Proxies are usually assigned where patients are unconscious or mentally incapacitated to make sound decisions about their health (Schwab and Gelfman, 2005). In this case, the patient is conscious and is able to express her wishes coherently, logically, and with a sound mind. The patient has the right to authorize a DNR order and also to revoke it. Under these conditions, such right cannot be transferred to the family members, in this case, her daughter. The nurse must, therefore, follow the patient’s orders (Newkirk, 2009). The nurse and the physician must also honor the patient’s right to self-determination by upholding the DNR order unless and until the patient revokes it. The patient still has the proper faculties to make decisions regarding her care. Nevertheless, it is still part of the nurse’s duty to clarify the patient’s request, discussing what she wants to be done and mentioning if she means to revoke her previous DNR orders (Newkirk, 2009). Whatever measures which the patient has chosen must then be respected and implemented. Under acute conditions, other health professionals would be in the room to assist in the patient’s care and they can also support the fact that the patient has revoked her previous DNR o rder.  

Got Milk Advertisement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Got Milk Advertisement Analysis - Essay Example The body copy of this ad is strong in the sense that it suggests that having strong bones is pertinent to the females’ bodies since bones usually grow till an age of 35 years. The calcium present within milk makes a woman look strong and make her feel healthy at the same time. More than that there is no harm in having a schedule which is reliant on consuming milk and it is a part of her fashion regime all the same. The subtextual content is also demonstrated by the girl’s dressing style where certain parts of her body are kept naked so as to have a sort of interest by the target audience, i.e. both males and females. (Davis, 2005) This woman holds a glass filled with milk till the half level which implies that she drinks on a regular basis and hence the reason that she remains fit and healthy. Also some milk is left on the corners of her lips which proves the notion just mentioned. The element of sexuality is very clearly presented within this ad since the manner in whi ch the woman has been attired speaks volumes about the way the ad is being targeted to the people under study. Her belly is apparent enough and so is one of her breasts which suggest that the ad is hitting on the sexuality aspects that have been presented within the ad itself.  

Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Undergoing Surgery Article

Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Undergoing Surgery - Article Example It was not a life-saving technique. DNR orders are interventions which are meant to extend the life of the patient; these are not interventions which are meant to lend her comfort from her symptoms (Blankenship, 2008). The patient’s words also indicate that she is allowing other interventions which are meant to save her life. At this point, the DNR is revoked (Schwab and Gelfman, 2005). The daughter cannot expect the DNR order or the living will be applied anymore because the patient herself is still mentally competent enough to revoke it. The daughter is also not the legally authorized proxy who can make the decisions for the patient. Proxies are usually assigned where patients are unconscious or mentally incapacitated to make sound decisions about their health (Schwab and Gelfman, 2005). In this case, the patient is conscious and is able to express her wishes coherently, logically, and with a sound mind. The patient has the right to authorize a DNR order and also to revoke it. Under these conditions, such right cannot be transferred to the family members, in this case, her daughter. The nurse must, therefore, follow the patient’s orders (Newkirk, 2009). The nurse and the physician must also honor the patient’s right to self-determination by upholding the DNR order unless and until the patient revokes it. The patient still has the proper faculties to make decisions regarding her care. Nevertheless, it is still part of the nurse’s duty to clarify the patient’s request, discussing what she wants to be done and mentioning if she means to revoke her previous DNR orders (Newkirk, 2009). Whatever measures which the patient has chosen must then be respected and implemented. Under acute conditions, other health professionals would be in the room to assist in the patient’s care and they can also support the fact that the patient has revoked her previous DNR o rder.  

Diversity Plan for Abercrombie & Fitch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity Plan for Abercrombie & Fitch - Essay Example The teen apparel retailer has had consistent good performance in terms of profitability despite the challenging U.S. retail environment (Anna 2013). In order to increase its revenue, the company has put in place measures to ensure that it spreads out to international markets by widening its product portfolio. It is therefore imperative that the company should implement a diversity and inclusion program so as to improve its position as an international apparels retailer. President’s Statement Diversity is an important source of competitive advantage in terms of innovation and growing company revenues. The ability of a company to compete in both the domestic markets and the international markets depends on the resourcefulness of its people. Suffice to say, Abercrombie & Fitch values its people as the most important asset for the company. Workplace diversity and inclusion gives sufficient intellectual capital to fuel our growth to new levels. The apparel retail market has been ch anging rapidly and it is through diversity that the company can be able to meet new challenges and create value for both our clients and shareholders. The strength of our company comes from the combination of our values, knowledge and expertise. Thus, diversity is the cradle upon which Abercrombie & Fitch Company’s success is anchored. The company values diversity not only for revenue growth but also to foster an all inclusive work environment. The management of Abercrombie & Fitch Company is fully committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion in its workplace. Justification for Diversity Diversity basically refers to human qualities and skill sets that are different and varied among individuals and groups (Morgan and Felix 475). For instance, diversity can be manifested in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities and educational background among others. It needs the unique contributions that can be made by individuals with many differences and abilities. The succe ss or failure of a company depends on its ability to create a work environment that harnesses a wide range of input from its employees and business partners (Eagly and Jean 216). Companies are also obliged to satisfy the population and demographics that they serve. One of the benefits of diversity is improved productivity (Kreitz 115). It is notable that innovation arises from a combination of different perspectives towards attaining a common goal. By embracing diversity, an organization is capable of excelling since it will have a large pool of experts with different perspectives to spur its growth. In fact, the global market requires diverse knowledge of consumers and their preferences. Suffice to say, a diverse workforce will be well suited to develop products that are appropriate for the diverse markets. Also, diversity plays and integral role in ensuring that important consumer cultural perspectives are considered in operations of business. For instance, Abercrombie & Fitch has to ensure that it understands the needs of its international markets like Africa which are fundamentally different from the American market. Diversity in the workplace is anchored in law. Organizations are legally required to ensure that their workforce is diverse and does not discriminate against any demographics. In order to avoid class lawsuits, Abercrombie & Fitch has to implement a diversity and inclusion plan that incorporates all the demographics and nationalities in which it operates. Suffice to say, the company’

The True Meaning of the American Dream Essay Example for Free

The True Meaning of the American Dream Essay The American Dream has been all about a greater national vision, however as time has progressed, the American Dream has shifted from a greater national vision to individual material success. These cultural aspects of the American Dream complement each other and have an underlying relationship. One often â€Å"†¦winces a bit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  at the phrase the American Dream â€Å"†¦ because it has become such a clichà ©.† (Source 7) Everyone does not know the true meaning of the American Dream because one interprets it in their own way. But the true meaning of the American Dream is that it is the dream of opportunity. The American Dream accentuates a greater national vision because it is the opportunity for something that will not only benefit you, but it will also benefit others. â€Å"It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Source 1). A greater national vision gives the American Dream a deeper meaning. For example according to Martin C. Jischke (Source 1)’ James Truslow Adams view of the American Dream is that it is a â€Å"dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.† The American Dream is more than a dream and with â€Å"†¦talent and hard work† (Source 3) one is bound to find opportunity anywhere in the world. For once the American Dream â€Å"had meant something nobler† (Source 7), but over time it has become the want for individual material success. When one comes from a background of having nothing, he/she begins to become eager for success and wants to get something for themselves. This eagerness causes them to work hard and eventually they would be able to â€Å"†¦improve their lot in life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  according to W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm in By Our Own Bootstraps. There has been thousands of people who did not have much, but they soon became very well known around the world. For instance â€Å"Bill Gates in computer software†¦Oprah Winfrey in entertainment†¦Michael Jordan in sports†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Source 3) All of these people had the â€Å"opportunity† to become who they are today and they took that chance, but only to become successful. These cultural aspects of the American Dream complement each other because every person achieves their meaning of the American Dream by first experiencing individual material success, and then seeing that it’s a deeper meaning, which is the greater national vision. Martin C. Jishke would be the perfect example of how the cultural aspects complement each other because after he had completed college, which no one had ever done in his family, his meaning of what the American Dream is became a greater national vision. He had seen that it was more to the American Dream than just achieving your goal to only benefit yourself. The underlying relationship between these two cultural aspects of the American Dream is that in order to know the greater national vision of it, you have to achieve individual material success. Due to how the American Dream is interpreted many people believe that it does not exist anymore. But those people are greatly mistaken because it still exists the meaning has just changed over time. One would agree that as the years continue to pass by the definition of the American Dream will change, but there will always be an underlying relationship between the old meaning and the new meaning. Nothing ever stays the same.

Impact of Decision Making at McDonalds

Impact of Decision Making at McDonalds This academic essay is related to strategic management and leadership in McDonalds. The purpose of this assignment is to understand the impact of decision making in an organisation i.e. McDonalds. In this cut throat competition which is prevailing in the market, it is my understanding that leadership and proactive strategy plays vital role in overall organisations success. In addition to this it has become apparent that strategic management and leadership operate at parallel level in an organisation. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: It deals with the most fundamental and basic question that involve the very existence of the whole organisation and guide the whole companys future. (Napuk,1999) Strategic management entails both strategic planning and implementation, and is the process of identifying and executing the organizations strategic plan, by matching the companys capabilities with the demands of its environment.(Arit Gadiesh and James Gilbert, 2001) In laymans term strategic management provides overall direction to the organisation. This in turn entails specifying the organisations mission, vision and objectives, developing plans etc. LEADERSHIP: Leadership is defined as influence, that is the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievements of the groups mission. Visionary leadership inspires the impossible: fiction becomes truth. (Corporate strategy 1997 Richard Lynch) In leadership, people run the organisation to one place or another for the achievement of its objectives. Leadership is a great tool in achieving success for the organization, not just through charisma, but through good judgement, proper motivation of employees effective utilization of materials. LINK BETWEEN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP: Due to a rapidly changing world, organizations face incredible pressures in delivering immediate results. This necessitates for strategic management because there is a great need to maximize every available resource to achieve the organizations goal. To manage an ever increasing demand for company effectiveness, there is a great need for strategic leadership to approach these conditions priorities. For any ongoing business, it is mainly important to implement strategies through effective leaders. Real strategic leadership means taking responsibility for the future as well as what is happening today. A primary goal of strategic leadership is gaining a better understanding of the business conditions, the environment and the leading indicators that identify new trends and situations that may arise. According to the situation, leadership styles can be varied like autocratic, democratic and charismatic and so on. In any organisation it is required to have a good strategic management with good leadership skills. These two must be in parallel positions for the organizations success. LEADERSHIP STYLES ON DIFFERENT SITUATION IN MCDONALDS As I have taken McDonald as case study, I would like to discuss the management style that operates in this company. Based on my understanding, McDonald operates with a Democratic style of management. This realisation comes to me while I am working with the company and it gives freedom and flexibility of change according to different situations. In this style, the employee and people associated with the company have more participatory role in the decision making process. McDonald has a democratic style and there is a less gap between manager and employees. They have two way relationships between them. They have a comfortable working pattern. So the manager can easily get the feedback from the employees. Also on the other hand, the employees understand the situation and they follow the rules without any difficulty. There are same levels of working. According to the different situation they have a different style of leadership. In this particular approach, the store manager has all power to run the branch but still allows employees to share their ideas and insights. Also in McDonald, every employee has a participative role in the decision making process. All employees have to work with their strengths and provide input on how to delegate work within the team. The management gives more importance to work in a team rather than doing individually. In McDonald, ideas move freely amongst the group and discussed openly thus ultimately achieving their objective. This works both ways for the company by fulfilling individual objectives in line with the overall objective of organisation. The management of this organization motivates the employees to do more work by involving them into decisions which really affects the objective of the organisation. This particular approach influences the productivity of employees and they feel important to be a part of the organisation by providing a value. They lead all the employees to the same level and the manager always tries to know the strengths and weakness of employees. To overcome these difficulties, they provide appropriate training career development programmes. McDonald has flexible working hours which provides stress-free environment. They are free to ask with the manager about schedules. The way McDonald management adapts to different situations, a strong relationship is being formed between the subordinates and the managers. OBJECTIVE OF MCDONALDS: The main objective of McDonald is to make people aware of each product on offer, feel positive about it and remember it. The right message has to be communicated to the right audience through the right media. Because of this, McDonald need to give importance understand the value of both employees and customers. Happy employees serve well and results to satisfied customers. This serves as a win-win situation for both organisation and employee. McDonald has continuously done internal marketing this is important as it precedes external marketing. It goes in line with the ultimate aim of creating not just service leadership but management service. This delivery process is the key to achieving the aim of the company. IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLE ON STRATEGIC DECISION: Good leadership is adapting to any changes at any time doing the right things at the right time. Because of democratic style of leadership, employees can work comfortably and they can share their ideas and insights with the management. Also in McDonald, managers effectively delegates work to their subordinates and give them full control and responsibility to the tasks. Managers welcome feedback on the result of initiatives and the work environment. Strategic decision has to be made by leaders who have the ability to take effective decisions and adapt to changes in any situation. Because of democratic leadership, employees and managers easily understand the situation and cope with it. They work freely and comfortably. In McDonald all employees have a right to participate in the objective of organisation. McDonald has a strategic decision which is implicated and formulated by leaders and managers of the organisation. First they decide the future plans and objective of McDonald and how to get there in minimum time. They also motivate people to do more work and they appreciate their work by giving the performance award at the end of month. CONCLUSION: From above discussion, I came to a conclusion that in adapting democratic style McDonald is really effective in providing value to employees. Although this style may bring out differences in ideas, it still ends up with formulating a common decision. McDonalds management leadership style is useful as well as to other organisations where managers and employees easily understand the situation and work accordingly. Strategic management and leadership correlates with each other. Without making any effective strategic decision, leadership cannot work and it cannot reach to the final objective of an organisation.

Paul L. Dunbar :: essays research papers

Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar was born June 27, 1872 in Dayton, OH. His mother Matilda, was a former slave and his father Joshua had escaped slavery and served in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and the 5th Massachusetts Colored Calvary Regiment during the Civil war (online). Joshua and Matilda separated in 1874. Dunbar came from a poor family. After his father left, his mother supported the family by working as a washerwoman. One of the families she worked for was the family of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Paul attended Dayton’s Central High School with the two. When Matilda was a slave she heard a lot of poems by the families she worked for. She loved poetry and encouraged her children to read poetry as well. Dunbar began writing and reciting poetry as early as age six. Paul was one of the most popular poets of his time and was the first black American writer to achieve national and international reputation. He was not only a poet, but also a novelist, short story writer, writer of articles and dramatic sketches, plays and lyrics for musical compositions. His first volume of poetry, "Oak and Ivy" was published in 1893. Many of his poems and stories were written in Afro-American dialect, of which he was initially most noted for (Martin and Hudson 16). His second volume, "Majors and Minors" was published in 1895. "Majors and Minor" were a collection of poems that was written in standard English ("major") and in dialect ("minor") (Young 373). It was this book that fixed him on his literary path. This book attracted favorable notice by novelist and critic, William Dean Howells who also introduced Dunbar’s next book, "Lyrics of Lowly Life" which contained some of the finest verses of the first two volumes. Dunbar was a popular writer of short fiction. He relied upon tone, subtle details expressed through speech, atmosphere, assumed manners and morals, and mood rather than plot to tell his tale. His depiction of life on plantations gives a vivid account of the fate of black men before and after the emancipation. Interestingly enough, Dunbar did write about whites in society also. He did not write about them at the bottom of society, but sarcastically wrote of them in the upper class of society as detailed in his story " The End of the Chapter". Unlike a few writers at that time, Dunbar did not only write about black people struggling to survive, but black people flourishing.

Prohibition of Alcohol

Salvatore Norge Tim Walsh English 101-L01 3 November 2010 Arguing Positions: Prohibition of Alcohol Alcohol abuse is an extremely ravaging calamity, and many resolutions have developed as a result of its effects. The eighteenth amendment was ratified in 1920, and eliminating the legal use of alcohol was adopted. Also known as the prohibition of alcohol, it became effective in the United States of America. Its intentions were to prevent the manufacture, import, export, sales, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages.After thirteen years of execution, it was repealed in 1933 due to the ratification of the twenty-first amendment. Alcohol is presently legal throughout the United States, and approximately one-hundred thousand deaths occur each year attributed to alcohol. Is prohibition the answer? Prohibition has delivered a handful of issues to the United States. Crime rates dramatically increased as groups, street gangs, and gangsters were involved in multi-million dollar orga nizations dealing with illegal sales of alcohol.Saloons quickly evolved into areas used for illegal sales and consumption of alcohol, which were later known as speakeasies. Social problems were attributed to the prohibition era, and played a wide role with public opinion. Thing began to heat up as repeal was eagerly anticipated. Alcohol abuse is presently a serious problem in the United States. Risk and health loss is rapidly increasing, and alcohol remains accessible to anyone meeting certain legal requirements. The use of alcohol is persevered throughout America, and it’s held accountable for a large number of problems.In 2005, there were 43,443 alcohol related traffic fatalities in the United States. Sixty percent of all homicides are attributed to alcohol. The abuse of alcohol affects the psychological state as well. There are more than twelve million alcoholics in the United States, and alcoholism is considered the number one drug problem in the country. Hundreds of thou sands of family members and friends are directly affected from this concern. Imagine the number of alcoholics that would seek help if their addictive substance was illegalized.Who would respect the prohibition of alcohol once returned? It’s likely for both the law and alcohol to be abused considering another prohibition. That would cause more chaos for the country. On the other hand, alcohol isn’t always necessarily being abused. Moderate alcohol drinkers tend to live long and healthy lives. A glass of wine a day may increase heart health, and alcohol doesn’t stop its benefits with the heart. A few drinks a day may lower the risk of a variety of illnesses and extend life.It seems that arguments for legalization of alcohol are holding ground against prohibition. The controversy has allocated the country waist deep in obstacles, and who wants to obtain such a conceding way out? The authorities of the United States have appeared to resign against fighting the illeg al use of alcohol, and have resumed all opportunity for legal access to alcohol use. Why haven’t controlled substances been illegalized anticipating future issues with drug wars? Numbers don’t lie, and neither does a positive attitude behind a righteous cause.

A Scanner Darkly

Ashlyn Phillips Mr. Flanigan/ Dystopian Literature Period 2 December 4, 2012 Who Are You? As young children we begin to develop a personality, one that is based off of the people we are surrounded with. When identifying who we are as people, physical appearance is less important in comparison to our spirits and mindsets. The body serves only as a shuttle for our spirits and minds, without these two assets our bodies would simply only be empty shells. In Philip K.Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, the protagonist, Bob Arctor, has fallen victim to a highly addictive drug called Substance D, which has the side effect of splitting the personality in one’s mind. In dealing with the abuse of this drug, Arctor begins to lose himself and forgets what really makes him who he is. Our souls, character and appearance determine who we are as people, without these three attributes it would be very difficult to differentiate between one human from the next.The brain begins to develop in the fir st trimester of pregnancy, even as fetuses we are able to think and begin to develop our personalities inside the womb. As we enter the world and begin living, our surrounding environments control the outcomes of our minds, bodies and spirits. If you are born into a wealthy family, it is more than likely that you will live a wealthy lifestyle; if you are born into a poor family, it is more than likely that you will live a poor lifestyle.In society, we are first identified by how much money we have, then by how we look and at last we begin to learn more about each other to identify who our characters are through how we wish to portray ourselves. Our personalities begin to develop when we are first able to open our eyes, smile and really when we begin to communicate with each other. From there we begin to learn what we like to do in life; whether it be dancing, singing, painting, playing sports, etc.These attributes are major when identifying a person. Our spirits begin to develop at an early age and although they can be slightly altered as life goes on, we never really change entirely. One can be judged by their physical appearance and be separated from one person to the next simply based on that, however, if asked who Bob Marley is as a person, the answer would be far more detailed than if only asked what he looks like. Personality and character traits are really the basis of determining who we are as people.If a set of identical twins were put in the same room together and a group of people were asked to differentiate between Sarah and Mary, they would only be able to based on appearance. The more in depth question would be, how can you tell who Sarah is and who Mary is? In answering this question many key attributes are discussed such as, Sarah may be more energetic, loud, creative, talkative, religious and athletic than Mary, allowing for their friends to automatically know who is who when confronted by either twin.Personality always gives the answer. If th e personality changes or begins to morph into two different sides, determining who someone is becomes a very difficult task. In A Scanner Darkly, Fred goes undercover as a drug addict in order to solve a major case but in doing so, he himself becomes addicted to the drug and his personality begins to split into two different people, Fred and Bob; Fred being the undercover cop and Bob being the addict.As Fred’s life morphs into Bob’s, he begins to lose himself entirely and the world as he knew it before completely changes into something different than he thought. â€Å"He will sink into a needle-and-a-spoon existence, or bounce off the walls in a psychiatric hospital or, worst of all, a federal clinic†¦And all this will occur deliberately, someone figured out what he was doing and then got him this way. The worst way of all: with the stuff they sell that he was after them for selling. (86) His personality can no longer be analyzed because he thinks as two entirely different people as if he has two separate brains in one head. Clearly this is an issue due to the fact that we are recognized by our personalities. If two personalities are competing against one another inside of one mind, there is no way to really know who that person is. Fred loses himself in Bob’s world and the drug becomes more important than anything else, as it usually does inside the mind of a drug addict.Without the soul, the body is like a light bulb without electricity. The soul gives the body meaning and purpose, without it there would only be boys and girls, not unique individuals with their own characteristics. The soul carries along every memory, experience, encounter, and detail of each person in the world. A wise soul will think beyond their years, a young soul will stay a teenager at heart forever and an evil soul will end up in the dark side of life and all of these souls grow through life experiences and will only be influenced by these experiences.The so ul in one person does not change entirely through life experiences it can only change slightly by being influenced by those around us. In determining who we are as people, the soul is the key ingredient and it should be the first thing that is analyzed from one human being to the next. More often than not, looks do not matter, it is what lies within ourselves that determines who we are as individuals.

Four Year Colleges vs. Community Colleges Essay

Why does Breakthrough emphasize four year colleges and universities? Should Breakthrough programs steer students to use community colleges as â€Å"stepping stones† toward bachelor’s degrees? Would community colleges be cheaper for students? Does it matter where students start their post†secondary educations, as long as they end up with bachelor’s degrees? It is true that once students have their bachelor’s degrees, it makes little difference, in terms of earnings potential and job prospects, what path they took to get there. However, the likelihood of earning a bachelor’s degree is significantly reduced if a student starts her post†secondary education at a community college, and the amount of time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree (and potentially, the amount of loans a student accrues) is greatly increased. Additionally, research shows that the kinds of students Breakthrough serves—low†income, minority, first generation—are less likely to transfer from community colleges to four†year colleges and earn bachelor’s degrees. Therefore, the research supports the fact that students are more likely to complete bachelor’s degrees if they start their post† secondary educations at four†year colleges or universities. Is community college more cost-effective? Without factoring in financial aid, the average tuition and fees at community college is less than half of the average tuition and fees at a public four†year institution and 1/10th of the tuition and fees at a private four year institution. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average annual tuition and fees in 2006†07 was: †¢ $2,017 †in†state student attending a community college †¢ $5,685 † full†time, in†state student at a public four year college or university †¢ $20,492 † full time student at a private four year college and university However, while the tuition and fees at community colleges are significantly less, without knowing a student’s financial aid package at a four year institution, it is difficult to determine the relative cost† effectiveness. Additionally, considering the amount of time it takes students who begin in community college to complete their bachelor’s degrees, it is unclear how much cost savings there is in the end. Does it take longer for students to complete bachelor’s degrees if they start at community colleges? On average, it takes students 1 ½Ã¢â‚¬ 2 years longer to complete bachelor’s degrees if they begin at community colleges than if they begin at four†year colleges. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree is: †¢ 71 months for students who begin at 2†year colleges †¢ 55 months for students who begin at four year public colleges †¢ 50 months for students who begin at four year private colleges Is there a difference in the earnings of community college graduates and graduates of four†year institutions? If community college students do manage to transfer quickly and graduate from four†year colleges, there is little evidence to show that there are significant earning differentials between students who start at community colleges and students who start at four†year colleges (Kane and Rouse, 1995; Hilmer, 2000). The problem is that many community college students do not quickly transfer into four† year colleges nor do they ultimately complete their bachelor’s degrees. For those individuals who start at community colleges and don’t transfer to four†year institutions, there are repercussions in terms of their earnings potential. The average annual median income for adults who have associate’s degrees is approximately $13,000 less per year than adults who have bachelor’s degrees ($32,900 vs. $45,700), or $500,000 less in estimated lifetime earnings (U.S. Department of Labor, 2002). If the intention is to change the economic trajectory of Breakthrough students (i.e., end the cycle of poverty), then having Breakthrough students begin their post†secondary educations at four†year colleges is the best way to ensure they complete their bachelor’s degrees. Is there a difference in the attrition rates of students at community colleges vs. students at four†year colleges? The attrition rate for students at community colleges, even those students who have an explicit intent to pursue bachelor’s degrees, is far greater than the attrition rate of students at four year colleges. In 2006: †¢ 39% of students at community colleges who intended to pursue bachelor’s degrees left school without completing a degree or certificate program †¢ 17% of students at four year public colleges left school without completing a degree †¢ 16% of students at four year private colleges left school without completing a degree (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008 Special Analysis of Community College data)

The Main Causes of a Major Problem in Our Society Essay

The Main Causes of a Major Problem in Our Society - Essay Example The human society comprises of many deep-rooted problems that need to be understood and tackled. The solving of problems makes it essential to understand the underlying causes of these issues. Many societal problems can be managed if their causes are known and targeted for proper solutions. Teen pregnancy is a major problem that exists in our society and it results in many negative effects. These include social and economic problems as well as health issues for the teen mothers. This may also be accompanied with psychological stress for the young teenage mothers. Furthermore, these young girls are also unable to complete their education. Therefore, it is important that the reasons of teen pregnancy should be known and solved. A low socioeconomic status as the well lower level of education and societal forces are responsible for the rise in the number of teen pregnancies (Donaldson et al 2003; Miller 2006; Thomas 2009). Teenagers who belong to lower socioeconomic groups have a higher tendency for becoming pregnant through their young ages. This is because people belonging to low socioeconomic groups thrive in poor living conditions which result in stress and disturbed households. This provides for the teenagers to opt for sexual behaviors for the attainment of pleasure. Furthermore, mostly the parents of these children are lowly paid and they stay away from home for work for extended periods of time.

Smart City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Smart City - Essay Example identifies that majority of these individuals still live in slums (2011). Comparatively, although cities only occupy 2 to 3 percent of the total earth’s surface, they are responsible for about 75 percent of carbon secretions and 80 percent of the total energy consumption (Haftor, Mirijamdotter & Bradley, 2010). It is thus in this context that, to be livable in the future, cities require efficient urbanization plans with a huge emphasis placed on the concepts of sustainability, smart, and livability. Essentially, there are various factors which characterize and define Smart Cities. According to Sanseverino, these factors include smart economy, sustainability, smart mobility, economic development, smart people, a high quality of life and smart governance among others (2014). Thus, these factors are essential for the improvement of lives of individuals residing in cities. It is worth noting that these factors can be enhanced through the appropriate and effective use of infrastructure, Information Computer Technology (ICT), as well as social capital (Galbraith, 2014). As such, a Smart City creates an environment that not only presents the residents with numerous opportunities to be tapped, but also a broad range of actions and activities as embraced in its voluminous definitions. According to Giffinger, et al., a Smart City can be defined as â€Å"an innovative city† which makes use of ICTs and other strategies to increase urban competition, improve efficiency in the service s offered and improve the general quality of city life (2007). It is however worth noting that in order to achieve this, it is important to not only meet the needs of the present generation but also the future generations. Notably important, there are six important dimensions that are key to the creation of a Smart City. These dimensions can be identified as smart mobility, smart economy, smart people, smart environment, smart governance

Designing Learning and Development Activities Essay

Designing Learning and Development Activities - Essay Example The essay "Designing Learning and Development Activities" analyzes the required factors to make a successful learning session. The paper also overviews the methods available to assess learning and performance. There are numerous methods available to assess learning and performance although the most vital factor in selecting the assessment tool should base on the type of audience, experience, education, venue and subject matter. In adult learning theories and Andragogical learning phenomena, the most effective way of adult learning is self-directed and experiential learning, where a participant can experience the problem first hand and propose a solution for it. Such activities are more effective in groups since brainstorming can provide alternatives. The culture and environment of the organization can impact the training, if an organization has a culture that is redundant to change with no regards to self-improvement or learning activities; learning activities would not be fruitful and participants would yawn in even the most appropriate training session with a lot of exciting and job relevant activities. Learning methods range from one-sided lecture-like training to facilitator based learning sessions. Both methodologies have their pros and cons although both are still used widely in organizations depending on the type of training and intended audience. A one-sided training is suitable for learning sessions that are general in nature, for example, code of conduct or explaining a policy to the employees.

Competitive Advantage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Competitive Advantage - Research Paper Example While there exists competitors that constitute operational threats for Tim’s Coffee Shoppe, the coffee shop has managed to outperform its competitors in various aspects. In its line of operation, Tim’s Coffee Shoppe remains committed to the goal of satisfying its customers. This is in line with the primary objective of capturing a substantial market share in the industry within which the company operates. By comparing Tim’s Coffee Shoppe with the two identified competitors in the matrix above, the strengths and weaknesses that characterize the company’s operations are highlighted. Tim’s Coffee Shoppe’s operational quality is not the best in town. However, this matches Queequeg’s Coffee quality level, but it is outperformed by Tim Hortons. In general, the quality associated with Tim’s Coffee Shoppe is desirable. It accounts for a given level of the coffee shop’s strengths. Although the strength therein is relatively limited, there is room for improvement. By evaluating the outperformer’s operations and quality management practices, Tim’s Coffee Shoppe can enhance its quality strength. The outlets owned and managed by Tim’s Coffee Shoppe constitute a substantial strength for this coffee operator. In fact, this strength outperforms that of its competitors. Tim’s Coffee Shoppe is located in close proximity with busy and high demand areas like railways and universities. While both competitors have more locations than Tim’s Coffee Shoppe, their locations are not as strategically placed as those of Tim’s Coffee Shoppe. In this respect, Tim’s Coffee Shoppe enjoys an operational advantage over its competitors. Employees are essential drivers of the operations undertaken by any given company. Even with the need for Tim’s Coffee Shoppe to outperform its competitors, the company has not adequately addressed employee issues. Employee reorganization and the observance of management dynamics are vital from time to time, as an

Reflection Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection Paper 2 - Essay Example Social psychologists David W. Merill and Roger H. Reid defined social styles as the ability to help others understand things (Thompson, 2002, p. 21). During an interview, social styles are applied to communication so that both persons helped each other understand what they are saying and conflicts can be prevented. There are four social styles identified by Merill and Reid, namely: direct (driver), spirited (expressive), considerate (amiable), and systematic (analytical) social styles. Each of the four styles is unique from each other depending on the level of assertiveness and responsiveness. Assertiveness is the degree in which a person influences other people either by directly telling them what they think or asking other people’s thoughts before they tell their own thoughts. Meanwhile, responsiveness is the manner by which a person responds to other peoples comment either through used of factual words or conveyance of emotional words or gestures (Thompson, 2002, p. 23). Di rect (Driver) social style has high assertiveness and controls emotions. People of this style by are decisive, has formal speech, direct eye contact, maintain physical distance, coercive and poor listener. The spirited (expressive) type displays emotions and has high level of assertiveness.

The Purpose of Life Is a Life of Purpose Essay Example for Free

The Purpose of Life Is a Life of Purpose Essay Throughout my life, I have persevered through much pain and misfortune; however, instead of using my experiences as reasons for a life of retribution and reparations, I used these tragedies as motivation to making other people’s lives better. Growing up I witnessed my grandmother assist anybody she saw struggling or needed help. During the 17 years she was a part of my life, I watched her nurse back to health approximately 300 foster children, because nobody else wanted the burden. Despite the odds against her, she went over and beyond to assure that these youth’s necessities were met. Growing up in this environment I constantly witnessed the joy in these kid’s hearts just to experience that feeling of love and support, despite being born in a world that told them they were worthless. I found it nearly impossible not to emulate my grandmother’s mindset and lifelong purpose. In spite of all my adversities, I knew I could overcome any and everything by focusing on improving the lives of others. This in turn brought me back to the abovementioned quote by author Robert Byrne which has intrigued me since I first read it many years ago. Overall I have found throughout my life that there are at least nine vital reasons for leading a life of purpose, which are: maturity, tranquility, buoyancy, confidence. Initially I believe the ultimate gift of leaving a purposeful life is overall maturity. Great American film director John McNaughton â€Å"Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself. † Overall this is how I live my life. Oftentimes, there have been days where I’ve wanted to sleep all day instead of getting up going to class or even on the weekends, but every day I ask myself â€Å"if I don’t do it, who else will? † through all my pain and hard luck I’ve realized that its unnecessary to dwell on events beyond my control. So instead I use my pain as motivation to fuel my love and support for others. One of the greatest benefits of having a mature mind is peace and tranquility. Many times people overlook the joy of being peaceful, they overlook the nights full of uninterrupted sleep, the days of no emergency phone calls, or even the simple joy of having money in the bank with no bills. Tranquility can make a great difference in one’s life. Unfortunately tranquility can be the difference between suicide and being born again. The peace we develop from simple acts of kindness is beyond imagination. No words can express the joy and peace we feel when I realize I’ve helped somebody achieve something in life, when the world told them they were worthless. No words can express the peace I feel when I support someone who didn’t have the will to support themselves. In addition to being peaceful, living a life of purpose will guide many to overcome stereotypes and failures which otherwise would halt dreams. Having a sense of buoyancy is essential to anyone trying aspiring to achieve great things in life. A lot of times in my daily life, there will come times when initial plans or goals are sidetracked by a situation or event. This is where I rely on buoyancy to persevere through this lost and through this failure even though I didn’t accomplish what we wanted, when I wanted. Instead of pondering on the â€Å"what ifs†, I stay optimistic and work harder to get the job done the next time. Furthermore, when I made the decision to dedicate my life to a life of purpose, I also chose to live a life of resilience, tenacity, and unmatched and unscathed confidence. When you have experienced what I’ve experienced and survived what I’ve survived, you create an internal persona that specifically says â€Å"if I can overcome this, nothing short of God can stop me†. Many may take this as a sign of arrogance, but I have always felt that there’s an eventual reason for why I’ve suffered through all the blood, sweat and tears. When you’ve overcome situations that the healthiest, smartest or even the slyest couldn’t survive, then you really have no choice but to possess that feeling of unparalleled confidence. Finally throughout my brief but experienced life, I’ve come to realize that, every situation we go through leaves with a choice. On one hand we have the choice of using outcomes to broaden ourselves and the world around us. We can use these outcomes to the benefit of ourselves through personal growth and development and, we can also use these outcomes to the benefit of others through service, support and sacrifice. On the other hand we have the choice of using the situational outcomes as a reason to blame others, as a reason to be depressed and as a reason to give up on life. Ultimately I chose the better option. I chose to use my negativity and let it motivate me to working harder, focusing deeper, being optimistic regardless of what else happens. In the end this leads to a life of bliss, peace and maturity, and it’s a lot less painful or time consuming. What else could be a better purpose in life than leading a life with a purpose?

Hotel Description Location The Grand View Hotel Tourism Essay

Hotel Description Location The Grand View Hotel Tourism Essay The Grand View Hotel is a traditional hotel built in the 1950s offering traditional facilities. It is sited on the seafront at a convenient location, which is close to its competition hotels and the main shopping center. Accessibility of the hotel is high. It is less than 30 minutes from the nearest airport and supported by good road, rail and bus linking to major cities. The Grand View Hotel is a 250 rooms establishment in which 200 are double rooms and 50 are king bedded rooms, all includes private bathroom. The rooms are of a good size, comfortable and with different decorative styles. At present, there is a large garden and a small swimming pool in the hotel, parking space with a capacity of 120 cars is also available. On top of that, there is a restaurant which serves buffet for breakfast and lunch as well as a la carte for dinner. The lobby lounge area is fairly large which is suited to a business type of hotel. There is also a pub; however it is in poor decorative order. There were several refurbishment programs launched which included the signs replacement, renovation and redecoration of front desk, restaurant and bar. Generally speaking, the hotel is in good physical condition except the front desk. On top of that, the hotel used to redecorate 25 guest rooms each year. Consistent Standard of Excellence: We will consistently provide our guests with a superior quality product and make a conscious daily effort to be better than our competition. Personalized Guest Service: We will meet the specific meet of each guest with a professional, friendly, prompt, courteous, and enthusiastic, attitude from all staff all times. Company Goals The purpose and values of Grand Ford are to generate a multi-faceted success. Maintaining the financial well-being of hotel by the strict control of all costs at all times without exception. Gain reputation by providing high quality of products and services which beyond the guests expectation. Increase the quality of the entire workforces and reduce the staff turnover rate by providing better staff training benefit. Provide a fantastic and comfortable environment to every valuable customer in order to satisfy their needs. Company Objectives In order to reach our goals, several objectives should firstly be achieved: Reduce the total labor cost from 46% to below 35% within the first year. Reduce the cost of sales in FB department to 35% within the first year. Reduce the annual staff turnover rate from 102% to 50% within the first year. Increase the average room occupancy rate from 19% to 55% within 2 years and reach the standard of 70% within four years. Human Resources Human Resources Policy The hotel is able to reduce labour costs and staff turnover by hiring the right person for the right position at the right time for the price, or salary in another word. Training programs will be provided to staff mambers in order to enhance their performance thus the guest satisfaction and finally increasing profitability. Organizational Structure Staffing It is known that reduction of staff can be a de-motivator, however, there will be a huge over staffing if we do not reduce any workforce on such a low occupancy. It is planned to reduce serveral staff in some particular departments such as housekeeping and front office. With the growth of business and new coming construction projects, the hotel will certainly relocate and hire a certain munber of staff in order to maintain a smooth daily operation. Staffing level will be monitored on a monthly basis in the first year operation and quarterly in the rest of the operation with high level of flexibility. Recruitment With the aim of having the most suitable person to be crew members who are able to generate an overall experience beyond guests expectations, both internal and external recruiting methods will be applied in the Grand View Hotel. Positive attitude, enthusiasm, outstanding interpersonal relationship and high standard of qualification will be required for appliances. Aiming to reach the potential pool of appliances, recruiting advertisement will be placed in industry journals and in the hotels official website. For the internal preparation, the hotel will review the job analysis on a regular basis to ensure that the documents best describe the job and that they are properly prepared for effective recruitment and selection process. On top of that, laws and regulations will be taken under serious consideration during the process. Selection In order to be fair and to get the most suitable person to fill up vacancies, a multi-hurdle strategy will be applied meaning that elimination of candidates during selection process will be based on the job specification. Interviews will be the most commonly used tool to assess a candidate. Furthermore, for external appliances, job tests will be another method that the Grand View will use to select an operational staff while group assessments will be applied for the rest. For internal selection meaning promotion and relocation of staff, potential employees performance and past records will be taken under consideration. Orientations Orientation programs are designed to provide new employees a clear direction of their job and the hotel directions. The hotel can benefited from a good orientation program in terms of higher morale in the workplace thus improving the performance and the productivity and therefore a higher bottom line. Regarding the above factors, orientation programs will be provided to each staff member within their probation period in the Grand View Hotel with the following elements. Aimed to improve the skills and performance of staff members, thus enhance the customers comfort and satisfaction therefore raise the reputation and influence the revenue of the hotel. Training for staff in all levels is considered as the main step to achieve goals. On the job training is one of the training methods that will be applied in the Grand View focusing on operational and entry level staff. It is effective in both cost control and performance improvements as it is conducted during business operation in actual work settings. For managerial level staff, group discussion and workshops will be useful in order to share experience and keep track of the hotels operation generally. All training programs will be reviewed on an annual basic. Besides on-site training, off-site training is also encouraged. The hotel will support staff to take job relevant courses organized by recognized organizations. Staff Payroll We intend to maintain an annual staff payroll with a maximum of 35% of total revenue. Salary of level 1 will be offered to entry level employees and level 2 for department heads for the first half year in order to control costs. However, salary levels will be adjusted according to the performance which will be reflected by the bottom line in order to motivate the staff and ecourage better performances. Salary reduction will unusually be seen in the Grand View Hotel since this will de-motivate the employees and as a result, the staff turnover rate will increase. Environmental Scan Political The political environment includes such areas as government policies, political trends and internal political issues. The political environment is very stable and beneficial for the hotel meaning that the political situation supports local businesses and establishments. This is extremely beneficial for the hotels future because this means it can concentrate on attracting more markets meaning more variety in customers. We can also concentrate on the customer satisfaction which involves their needs and expectations. September 11th had a huge impact in the tourism in the USA. The uncertainty of political situation because of the September 11th attracts, have led potential customers to think twice about travelling abroad or within the country itself. This has a huge effect on the hotels business which we will also have to contain in to the analysis. Economic Since the main industries of the area are Distribution/ Hospitality, Banking and Finance. We intend to meet the demand in these areas by offering various services especially in the area of conferences since our target market is business costumers during the weekdays. Unemployment levels also have a big effect on the economic situation. The employment level is high especially in the areas of management/professional and clerical/secretarial work. This in return aids our hotel in the way that the environment is safer due to the high employment rate and this attracts more travelers, giving us the opportunity to catch the attention of these customers, to maximize our revenue. Social The employment level is very high; it is currently half of the national average. A large proportion of the populations of that employment level are in management/professional and clerical/secretarial jobs. But also the employment levels for skilled non-manual, skilled and semi-skilled manual work is also high. But that is not the case for unskilled employment. A large proportion of the population is families with the average of 2 children per family. Since one of the main industries is Banking and Finance, we will be looking to attract business travelers whose aim is to locate a convenient and appropriate property that accommodate their needs for a professional working ambience. Technological The continuous changing world of technology can pose a lot of threats, but if the right actions are taken at the right time it can also be an opportunity. Technology can give us the competitive edge in terms of conference and meeting equipment. Equipment is expensive, but with a large variety of suppliers and different options like buying, renting and leasing, it can become a relatively in expense way of modernizing our facilities. The hotel technologies include fast wireless internet, security cameras which ensure the safety of the guests, conference equipment, transportation, and so on. We will also try to build up and maintain good relations with our technological and safety partners to ensure that when problems do occur, that they can be solved as fast as possible. Legal In the United States there are 3 different kinds of legal systems. The first being Local legislation, the second State legislation and the third being Federal Legislations. There three have a huge amount of impact on how the hotel is run. The legislations meaning the laws that are imposed on the hotel include and are related to the operators of the hotel, consumers and employees. These 3 legal systems enforce various laws and regulations which include the minimum wage, health and safety laws, anti-discrimination laws, employee rights and employer rights. Environmental The environmental aspect is a very critical issue since it encompasses a wide range of aspects. It ranges from ecological issues to staff attitude/morale to environmental regulations. This is where we split up the environmental issues into 2 sections. They are internal and external. Internal is everything that is within the hotel that has a moderate amount of affect on the hotel. External is everything that affects the hotel coming from outside the four walls. Internal environment includes staff attitude and morale which has been low since the poor performance of the hotel which can also be seen from the high staff turnover. These will decrease tremendously due to the new regulations, training and vision of the hotel. External Environment includes environment regulations which are set by local, state and federal legislations which the hotel has to abide by. Marketing Plan The marketing plan is a very important guide to lead a successful establishment. Our marketing plan will be based on the companys target market, as well as the goals and objectives of the property. Situation analysis: Internal environment The guest rooms, front desk, restaurant and bar, are all in poor condition. The restaurant and the front desk were last refurbished 7 years ago. Only 25 guestrooms were redecorated each year, which demonstrates that the guest rooms are potentially not in the most desirable standard and lack of modern amenities. As the hotel is located in a popular area for conferences during both on and off seasons, there will be a very high demand of business travelers. But when considering internally, there are no conference facilities or any sort of business services in the hotel. Moreover, the guestrooms are not suitable for holding conferences or meetings. Those problems have drawn the attention of the management team, and proper investments and constructions will be conducted in the very early stage of the operation in accordance with the aforementioned. By reviewing the information and statistical facts which were provided by the previous owner, we found that the hotel occupancy was always below the average. On the other hand, the staff turnover rate was extremely high, which means that the morale of the employees was unacceptable. The customers were all disappointed by the food, the facilities and the service quality of the hotel. As the reputation of the hotel was bad, occupancy rate will inevitably be affected. In regards to the financial situation, it was terrible to see that the net income was growing negatively. Furthermore, there were plenty of long term debts and accounts payable, which even worsened the financial situation of the hotel. Those liabilities should be of concern by the management team as they can potentially affect the upcoming operation of the property. Customer environment Referring to the marketing research and statistics, we found out that there are 2 main types of customers, them being business and leisure travellers. As the local area is becoming well known in terms of conferences, it is important for us to realize that many events will be held throughout the year. Therefore, we predict that the demand for accommodation of the business travelers will increase. Besides, we can see from the statistics that 80% of the customers came for business purposes in the first quarter and more than 50% for the entire year. In addition, around 154,000 of those travelled during the weekdays according to the research provided by local Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Board, which contributed the most to the customer base. These factors and numbers provided us with significant information about the importance of investing in business and in conference facilities. Also, the hotel is located along the seafront, just 30 minutes away from the airport, therefore the leis ure travelers will also be our main customers as our property can easily be accessed by the customers due to the geographical reason. Tourists nowadays are expecting more they are willing to spend more in order to get better experiences for their stay. By this, we reckon that services and facilities rank the first when it comes to choosing hotels. Therefore our upcoming investments, constructions, and strategies would be tailored for our customers in order to satisfy or even to exceed their expectations. SWOT analysis Strengths Convenient location for customers because of the nearby airport and excellent transport links. Prefect venue for conferences. Having the biggest capacity while comparing with the competitors within the same area. Weakness Lack of development in terms of facilities and services. No clear guidelines and competent management team to operate the hotel. High turnover rate. Poor image and reputation. Poor and inconsistent service. Limited financial support. Of poor condition including the front desk, restaurants, guest rooms. Low liquidity and high liabilities. Opportunities Plenty of conventions and events will be held within the area. New technologies to reduce the operation cost. Fast market growth Threats The ever-changing market trends and needs. Government regulations and laws which may restrict expansions and developments Economic instability New entrants Target Market: The main target markets of the Grand View Hotel are Business and Leisure travelers. Special packages and facilities will also be promoted to attract the customers. Marketing Mix: 4Ps Product As Grand View Hotel will be a 3 diamonds hotel, we provide different facilities to fit with the needs of the market. We guarantee that the services will be delivered with high quality and all the employees will be trained for enhancing the skills and knowledge. . The Grand View hotel has 200 Double rooms and 50 King rooms, a restaurant, a lounge and a bar. We also provide room services, conference facilities, fitness facilities including a fitness club and a swimming pool. Furthermore, parking spaces are also available. Some of the facilities will be constructed within one year and we plan to constantly refurbishing the guest rooms and to provide more amenities and entertainment. There will be also some modifications for the restaurant so as to provide better services. Different packages will be provided to attract more guests, such as Honeymoon packages, conference packages as well as leisure traveler packages in order to diversify our customer base. Price As there is high elasticity of demand in the hospitality industry, its a big challenge to establish the most appropriate price. Therefore, the price should be flexible to handle and fit in different target markets. The room rate will be modified seasonally according to the demand and from the surrounding competitors as well. Special price and discount will be offered for large group and business travelers. But, the groups have to discuss with the sales department for more details. The price for the regular guests will be consistent to keep their loyalty. The leisure travelers will be upgraded for free during the low seasons and also free use of the facilities depends on the demand and season. The discount will be offered for weekends. The price will be differentiates at different times. But, the main idea for the price is to maximize the revenue but also to satisfy our guests. Place The location of the hotel is fixed. The hotel is sited along the seafront, close to other hotels and a short distance from the main shopping center, and also it is near the airport and with good transport links to major cities and other resorts. Moreover, the area of the resort has become a popular location for conferences, both in and out season. Its also the best place for holding conferences which includes conference facilities, fitness club, good infrastructure and superstructure in the city, and a fantastic sea view. We will provide shuttle bus to take customers from the airport and to the airport every 30 minutes from 6a.m to 1a.m. Promotion We will promote through direct and indirect distribution channels. We will approach our potential customers who are already targeted through the direct sales call and mail, to communicate with them and find out whats best suitable for them. And then, we will also advertise in local newspapers and business press to let people know about the hotel. Moreover, we will also put the hotel on the Local Visitor Guide to attract more transient guests and place posters throughout stations and airports. Furthermore, we will pay the Public Relation Agency to find more potential customers and transient customers from all over the world. We will use different advertising media depending on different conditions for different markets. Moreover, we will set up our own hotel website so that the potential guests can have access to the hotel easier. Competitive advantages: As we are going to be a 3 diamond hotel, we are going to provide quality services and comfortable ambience for our customers, and re-create customers satisfaction and professional image. The employees are the ones to deliver the quality service so they will be trained to be professional and efficient by effective training programs. As the employees can learn by working and training, they will be motivated and the morale will increase in order to provide and give the best services to the guests. Furthermore, the guests can also keep their memorable and happy experiences with us. These factors will contribute to our uniqueness among our competitors and gain the reputation. The Grand View hotel will provide many different business services and facilities such as photocopying, stationary preparing, direct dial phone, fax, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Moreover, we have a fitness club, including a swimming pool, stair climbing machines, treadmills, fitness walking, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Since our hotel focuses heavily on our guest rooms, we will provide a wide range of guest amenities and entertainments. We try our best to maintain a very competitive edge and we strive to be the best amongst our competitors with our comfortable guestrooms and quality services. Action Plan In order to turn around the worst situation that we are facing currently, we are going to do several revolutions, investments and constructions according to the marketing plan and try to improve and gain back the reputation within the first operating year. The first action that we are going to do is to adjust the staff numbers of different departments since effective staffing schedule can save the hotel dozen of money. In order to schedule the staff effectively due to the low occupancy, the number of staff in food and beverage, hotel service and front desk will be cut down. The main goal for the FB department is to maximize revenue. For that to happen, the first action that will be taken is that employees are required to participate in numerous training sessions (training program 3), which include general training for example up selling, but also on the job training and coaching which will be carried out by the supervisors and/or the FB manager. Targets will be set for each and every employee, which they will have to achieve. If these targets or requirements are not met then some corrective actions will have to be taken, and this will be done in the form of further training and coaching sessions but also severe employee evaluations. The menu types will be shortened (Menu type 1), to ensure that we can minimize our costs but also we will find a right supplier with the right quality for the right price (Supplier type 2) to ensure that we find the perfect equilibrium between the quality of our food and the production cost and the selling price. All these d ecision will be in affect as soon as we reopen the hotel. Revision of Standard operating procedures will be set in place to ensure speed, quality and to satisfy guests to the fullest. Moreover, we will do the refurbishment (level 2) of the rooms and front desk upon we start the operation in order to create better working environment to our staff and more enjoyable lodging venue to our customers. The refurbishments will include the new decorative scheme. Replace carpets, curtains, linen, light fittings, deep clean other furnishings. Paint woodwork and ceilings, wallpaper walls. We are planning to refurbish 50 rooms every year. In order to provide a better lodging experience to our customers, the in room entertainments and amenities will be added into service. Since our first mission is to attract the guests to come to our hotel and gain reputation by our excellent services and facilities. As advertising helps to promote our hotel, therefore we are going to do our advertising in accordance with the most profitable market timely. First of all, we will do our advertising through the local newspaper, business press and direct mail in the first three months. We will focus on advertise the weekday and weekend rooms, and also the meal. Since the above media are the most effectiveness in advertise the rooms and meal, therefore we will use those media for our first advertising. Risk Assessments and Control Risks are inevitable. We have to identify different risks to avoid and reduce the possibility of risks occurring. Investing in insurance is essential because if these risks occur, it will cost more and at the same time affect the reputation of our hotel. Here are some risk assessments identified: Asset Property risks There are some risks, such as fire, explosion, crime or natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and tsunamis which could possibly occur and destroy our assets and property. Legal risks Large amount of money are being won in consumer, individual lawsuits and in class action suits. Our hotel is liable to its employees, its guests and, in some instances, to the general public. Bomb threat After the 911 incident, the United States has the essential risk of more terrorist attacks. Economic Crisis threat A loss amount of money may be happened due to the economics crisis of country. For example: the great depression. Leakage of private and confidential information of the hotel There are a lot of private and confidential information of the hotel and there is a risk of employees leaking out the other information which can greatly affect the business of our hotel. Budget 1st year Assumptions: Room Division Totally 50 rooms under renovation Contribution to revenue: 65% Food and Beverage Department Cost percentage: 35% Contribution to revenue: 35% Sales Room 4,823,174 FoodBev 2,597,094 7,420,268 Cost of Sales Room 353,246 Food Bev 908,983 908,983 Payroll Related Room 558,495 Food Bev 506,584 1,065,079 Gross Profit less Wages Room 3,911,433 Food Bev 1,181,527 5,092,960 Central Admin Payroll 154,140 Other Direct Costs 256,250 Income before Fixed Charges 4,682,570 Total Fixed Costs 674,325 Income before Taxes 4,008,245 Business Tax Paid 1,202,473 Income after Business Taxes 2,805,771 2nd year Assumptions: Average room rate states the same Average occupancy increased to 55% New facilities: in room mini bar, second bar, data point, quick check in/out, shop business service and additional parking area Sales Room 5,863,284 FoodBev 3,420,249 Other 1,465,821 9,772,140 Cost of Sales Room 353,246 Food Bev 1,197,087 Other 879,493 2,076,580 Payroll Related Room 609,450 Food Bev 506,584 Other 34,000 1,150,034 Gross Profit less Wages Room 4,900,588 Food Bev 1,716,578 Other 552,328 7,169,494 Central Admin Payroll 154,140 Other Direct Costs 678,250 Income before Fixed Charges 6,337,104 Total Fixed Costs 674,325 Income before Taxes 5,662,779 Business Tax Paid 1698834 Income after Business Taxes 3,963,945 3rd year Assumptions Average room rate states the same Average occupancy increased to 62% New facilities: health club, conference and function rooms Sales Room 6,570,348 FoodBev 3,832,703 Other 1,642,587 10,950,580 Cost of Sales Room 353,246 Food Bev 1,341,446 Other 985,552 2,326,998 Payroll Related Room 738,899 Food Bev 680,428 Other 85,000 1,504,327 Gross Profit less Wages Room 5,478,203 Food Bev 1,810,829 Other 572,035 7,861,067 Central Admin Payroll 154,140 Other Direct Costs 1,613,625 Income before Fixed Charges 6,093,302 Total Fixed Costs 674,325 Income before Taxes 5,418,977 Business Tax Paid 1625693 Income after Business Taxes 3,793,284 4th year Assumptions Average room rate states the same Average occupancy increased to 70% Sales Room 7,394,419 FoodBev 4,313,411 Other 1,848,605 12,324,032 Cost of Sales Room 353,246 Food Bev 1,509,694 Other 1,109,163 2,618,857 Payroll Related Room 834,449 Food Bev 680,428 Other 85,000 1,599,877 Gross Profit less Wages Room 6,206,724 Food Bev 2,123,289 Other 654,442 8,984,455 Central Admin Payroll 154,140 Other Direct Costs 1,634,000 Income before Fixed Charges 7,196,315 Total Fixed Costs 674,325 Income before Taxes 6,521,990 Business Tax Paid 1,956,597 Income after Business Taxes 4,565,393