Monday, September 30, 2019

Why Bangladesh studies should be taught to students of BBA in Bangladesh

Why Bangladesh Studies should be taught for the students of BBA It is important to learn the whereabouts of a country if someone wants to do business in a particular region or a country. As a student of BBA in Bangladesh, ‘Bangladesh studies’ is as important as any other courses in the whole curriculum. If one wants to start business in a particular area (say Bangladesh), one must acquire complete knowledge about:Geography Historical backgrounds Culture Manners & customs Religion and caste Political conditions and attitudes of the political parties Transport & telecommunication Economic infrastructure Government policies & facilities Banking & investments Local business & business communities Natural calamities Insurance & securities Management & Labour cost Electricity & powerThese prospects are described in detailed as followings:Studying geography of Bangladesh, a student will acquire knowledge about the resources, landmass, transport, economic trend of Bangladesh. Th is helps to find a suitable place for establishing business/industrial complex. It is necessary to know the history of Bangladesh as there exists a strong connection between people of the country and their mentality and customs. Now comes the culture, manners & customs. Knowing the culture of Bangladesh will help the student to guess whether the people (consumers) will appreciate the promoted product/service or not. Studying manners and customs are important as well. These will help to acquire knowledge about the tendency and likings of the consumers. It is also important to learn about religion and caste of people of Bangladesh as will help to acquire knowledge about social ceremonies, obligations and harmony of the consumers. Political  conditions of Bangladesh always affect business and economy.The student must be well aware of political stability and attitude of the politicians towards business and economic sectors. Transport & Telecommunication is one of most important factor in entrepreneurship. It is important to know about the transport and telecoms of Bangladesh in order to save time and cost, get logistics, international clientele and also for marketing and advertising. Also note that well established infrastructure ensures stability in business. So, proper knowledge about the infrastructure of Bangladesh is a must. A student will be well aware of the business laws, policies identified by the government of Bangladesh. It is necessary to know the whereabouts of banking sectors for financial support, deposits and transactions. There are always possibilities of competitor companies with similar products/services. So learning about the local business of Bangladesh is necessary in order to promote a new product/service. Bangladesh is a disaster prone region.Flood, earthquake and cyclones are likely to occur almost every year and in order to face the likely disaster and hazards a student need to know how government and other organizations deal with it. A nother important factor related to business is insurance and securities. A BBA student must acquire enough knowledge about insurance sectors of Bangladesh to do a better secured business. It needs a good management and resourceful labour to run a company/industry. Bangladesh studies will help a student where to find the finest executives and cheap and resourceful labour. In case of an industry, accessibility of Electricity and Power is also another important factor. With proper knowledge about the geology of the country a student can identify where to establish an industrial complex.So, it is quite clear that Studying about Bangladesh for BBA students is necessary. Proper knowledge in this field makes a student of BBA a better entrepreneur in the future. Why Bangladesh studies should be taught to students of BBA in Bangladesh Why Bangladesh Studies should be taught for the students of BBA It is important to learn the whereabouts of a country if someone wants to do business in a particular region or a country. As a student of BBA in Bangladesh, ‘Bangladesh studies’ is as important as any other courses in the whole curriculum. If one wants to start business in a particular area (say Bangladesh), one must acquire complete knowledge about GeographyHistorical backgrounds Culture Manners & customs Religion and caste Political conditions and attitudes of the political parties Transport & telecommunication Economic infrastructure Government policies & facilities Banking & investments Local business & business communities Natural calamities Insurance & securities Management & Labour cost Electricity & powerThese prospects are described in detailed as followings:Studying geography of Bangladesh, a student will acquire knowledge about the resources, landmass, transport, economic trend of Bangladesh. Thi s helps to find a suitable place for establishing business/industrial complex. It is necessary to know the history of Bangladesh as there exists a strong connection between people of the country and their mentality and customs.Now comes the culture, manners & customs. Knowing the culture of Bangladesh will help the student to guess whether the people (consumers) will appreciate the promoted product/service or not. Studying manners and customs are important as well. These will help to acquire knowledge about the tendency and likings of the consumers. It is also important to learn about religion and caste of people of Bangladesh as will help to acquire knowledge about social ceremonies, obligations and harmony of the consumers.Political  conditions of Bangladesh always affect business and economy. The student must be well aware of political stability and attitude of the politicians towards business and economic sectors. Transport & Telecommunication is one of most important factor i n entrepreneurship. It is important to know about the transport and telecoms of Bangladesh in order to save time and cost, get logistics, international clientele and also for marketing and advertising. Also note that well established infrastructure ensures stability in business. So, proper knowledge about the infrastructure of Bangladesh is a must.A student will be well aware of the business laws, policies identified by the government of Bangladesh. It is necessary to know the whereabouts of banking sectors for financial support, deposits and transactions. There are always possibilities of competitor companies with similar products/services. So learning about the local business of Bangladesh is necessary in order to promote a new product/service. Bangladesh is a disaster prone region. Flood, earthquake and cyclones are likely to occur almost every year and in order to face the likely disaster and hazards a student need to know how government and other organizations deal with it. Ano ther important factor related to business is insurance and securities.A BBA student must acquire enough knowledge about insurance sectors of Bangladesh to do a better secured business. It needs a good management and resourceful labour to run a company/industry. Bangladesh studies will help a student where to find the finest executives and cheap and resourceful labour. In case of an industry, accessibility of Electricity and Power is also another important factor. With proper knowledge about the geology of the country a student can identify where to establish an industrial complex.So, it is quite clear that Studying about Bangladesh for BBA students is necessary. Proper knowledge in this field makes a student of BBA a better entrepreneur in the future.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Meg Cabot: A True Author Outline Essay

Ever encountered a book where you just want to smash it against the wall? Tired of reading predictable sappy story lines? Well then, you’re in luck! No matter the mood you’re in, Meggin Patricia Cabot, better known as Meg Cabot, will take you on a journey beyond your wildest imagination from the very first moment you begin reading the first page of one of her novels. In fact, she’ll connect with mind and soul in the multiple genres she writes, making you want to go to the nearest library and check out another. Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, in Bloomington, Indiana. She was an active reader from a very early age, at first gobbling up comic books and science fiction at the local library. In many interviews, Cabot claims that she found her way to the library during the summer months because she was looking for air-conditioning. While cooling off in the library, Cabot soon discovered classic literature, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, by southern writer Harper Lee, and Jane Eyre, written by English novelist Charlotte Bronte(Henning). Jane Eyre, the story of the romance between a man and his daughter’s nanny, in particular, had a lasting effect on young Cabot. As she explained in a 2004 interview with Christina Nunez, â€Å"It introduced me to the world of romance, which I have never left. † In addition to reading, Cabot was also obsessed with princesses and the belief that a ‘Prince Charming’ was out there for everyone. â€Å"I was a traditional Disney-princess worshipper,† she told Trudy Wyss of Borders. â€Å"You know, I had the Snow White birthday cake when I was six, and drew Cinderella endlessly on my notepads. Cabot read about princesses (her favorite fairy tale being Beauty and the Beast ) and fantasized about being a real-life princess, often telling her mom and dad that her ‘real’ parents, the king and queen, would arrive one day in Indiana to find her. In 1977, after seeing the movie Star Wars, the ten-year-old’s obsession for royalty grew to new heights. â€Å"I became obsessed with Princess Leia,† Cabot explained, â€Å"its one thing to be â€Å"I am living proof that it is possible to profit from being a high school freak. † Princess of a kingdom; it is quite another to be princess of an entire planet! It’s no wonder she made a real success with the Princess series. Success, however, does not come overnight. With about a thousand rejection letters, Meg was able to finish off a novel that would blossom her career. The inspiration for Princess came from an event that happened in Cabot’s own life. After her father died her mother began dating her daughter’s former art teacher. Cabot was so horrified that she began keeping a diary. She expanded the diary entries into a story about a ninth-grader named Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, also known as Mia, whose mother is dating her algebra teacher. Cabot also visited her old high school diaries to add true teen voice to her character, a gangly, shy freshman being raised by her single mom in Greenwich Village loft in New York City. How does that pertain for the title Princess? Well in addition to facing the trials and tribulations of teenage life, Mia’s world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her father is actually the prince of a tiny European country called Genovia and that she is next in line to inherit the throne. Suddenly Mia is a celebrity, and her worries about boys comes to a pause for princess lessons, bodyguards, and fending off the paparazzi(TeenReads). And after finishing seven books off of Mia’s life, Cabot created the major motion picture The Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. Which later earned itself a sequel. Cabot began to write her own stories because, as she claimed in an Onion Street online interview, there was absolutely nothing else to do. â€Å"That was back in the days before cable and VCRs were opular, so there really was nothing to do but write stories of our own. â€Å" In addition, Cabot wrote for the high school newspaper and kept detailed journals that proved to be excellent when writing Princess Diaries. She was also active in after-school activities, including choir, theater, and the art club. Although she enjoyed writing Cabot never planned on becoming a professional author. Instead, she dreamed of being an actress or a veterinarian. Unfortunately, she flunked algebra and did rather poorly on the math portion of her SATs. As part of admissions requirements most universities require a student to take SAT examinations; they are divided into two sections—verbal and math reasoning—and help assess what a student has learned throughout their high school years. ) Following graduation from high school, Cabot decided to study art at the University of Indiana, where she could attend tuition-free since her father was a professor. In 1991, with a bachelor of fine arts degree in the palm of her hand, the artist moved to New York City to pursue a career as an illustrator. Instead, she landed a job as a freshman dormitory assistant manager at New York University(Nunez). It was not exactly her dream job, but there were periods when work was slow, which gave her plenty of free time to return to her early love: writing. Picking up the pace, Cabot released Insatiable in 2010. Now, this book may prove to be a bit more the adult reader, none-the-less, it is recommended. Tired of those sappy-sob vampire love stories? Well then just grade me an F. Insatiable is the first vampire/paranormal story Meg writes about. With multiple points of views, Meg Cabot leaves the reader speechless by writing about a love triangle between Meena Harper, the perplexed tomboy, Lucien Antonescu, the rich bad-boy, and Alaric Wulf, a vampire-hunter. At first, the only thought in mind might be, â€Å"another Twilight story†. Fortunately, it is not. Being the story spoiler that I am, Cabot finishes the novel not by a happy ending, but a rather joyful one. She doesn’t write about an irresistibly attractive vampire who wins the girl (though Lucien is). Oh no!  On the contrary, Cabot retells Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with a twist. The vampire doesn’t get the girl; making this book ‘a must read’. With that, author Meg Cabot has become a one-woman marketing sensation, a publisher’s dream because she is able to produce novels with amazing frequency. She is also a diverse writer who has found equal success in a multitude of genres, including historical romance(Avalon High, Lady of Skye, Abandon, etc. , ), young adult fiction(Mediator, All-American Girl, Ready or Not? , Princess Diaries, 1800-R-U-There? etc), and contemporary adult fiction(Insatiable, Portrait of My Heart, Queen of Babble, etc. ). It seems as though, Cabot knows exactly what we want to read; morals, romance, comedy, the paranormal, you name it. She knows exactly how to touch your heart and make you wish that you were the main character in the story. With this said, Meggin Patricia Cabot has written over 67 novels in a time period of 1998 till present day. So whenever you’re in the mood to read, you know you can always count on Meg Cabot to take you out of your little shell, and onto an adventure.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Economic indicator in the Airline Indistry Essay

Economic indicator in the Airline Indistry - Essay Example Before moving on discussing the effect of these two variables on the performance of the selected airline company, it is necessary to describe briefly all these three indicators that are taken into account for the present analysis- producer price index (PPI), foreign exchange rate, and net income of the company. (Froyen, 2001; Sodersten and Reed, 1994) Producer price index is a measure of average change in the level of prices that producers of a nation receive for the outputs they produce. Foreign exchange rate between two currencies of two different nations can be defined as the rate at which a particular currency is exchanged for one unit of another currency. For analytical purposes the yearly average exchange rate is generally taken into account. (Froyen, 2001; Sodersten and Reed, 1994) Net income of any company, can be defined as the level of earnings that remains after deducting the costs and expenses of the firm from its total value of revenue. For the present study, a period of 2000-2007 has been considered for examining the impact of producer price index and foreign exchange rate on net income of Southwest Airline. Only the unadjusted level of price index for finished products has been considered here. It has been found that during December, 2000, PPI was 139.7. In the next year it dropped to the level of 137.2. However, since 2002, it has started to rise continuously (2002- 139.1, 2003- 144.5, 2004- 150.4, 2005-158.8, 2006-160.5, 2007- 170). PPI can be taken as a proxy of cost of living, although not very accurate as consumer price index. From the value of PPI over the year, it is clear that cost of living has increases which in turn will force consumers to economise on their spending. Therefore, a fall in the demand for air traveling can be expected. Looking at the annual report of Southwest airlines it has been found that during 2000, net income was 603,093 thousand dollar. But it then fell to the

Friday, September 27, 2019

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business Economics - Essay Example Demand elasticity varies with necessities versus luxuries. Since necessities are important they tend to be inelastic, which means even though prices change by much the quantity demanded does not change by much because of the said reason (Mankiw). If water prices suddenly increased, we do not expect consumption of water to plummet sharply. On the other hand, luxuries tend to be elastic. If for example the price of yacht suddenly increased, the affluent can opt for other hobbies causing a much decline in the quantity of yacht demanded. The availability of close substitutes also affects the elasticity of demand. Specifically, commodities with available close substitutes such as butter are observed to have an elastic demand (Mankiw). It can easily be replaced by margarine; therefore demand for such product will decline by a great magnitude. On the other hand, since egg has no close substitute demand for such is inelastic. Lastly, time horizon also constitutes a factor in the price elasticity of demand. â€Å"Goods tend to have more elastic demand over long time horizons† (Mankiw). This is explained by the fact that longer time horizon gives consumers more flexibility to alter their consumption pattern such that goods whose price are increased or are relatively higher can be replaced. Wage is one of the costs in production. Depending on the type of industry, wage can be a huge part of the total cost. In the insurance industry for example, where the cost of sales people and managers are paid through wages, wage increase can represent a huge boost of the total cost. Since wage is considered a variable cost, an increase in wage constitutes an increase int he variable cost. With fixed amount of production or quantity, an increase in wage also increases the average variable cost. Also, since an additional payment in wage is an increase in the extra cost for every output produced, by definition marginal cost also

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Case study #2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

#2 - Case Study Example With the intention to solve these issues, the CEO started his activities firstly from visiting the workplace of one of its rigs, named ‘Voyager 7’. The rig was quite small comprising 150 employees with a blend of skilled, unskilled and immigrant labours. Soon he began to depict that there was clear discrimination practiced in the workplace with regard to the living conditions and the working conditions of the lower level employees and the upper level employees. The upper level employees, who were also the immigrants, were provided with far better treatment in comparison to that of the local African employees. The local authorities of the government, despite being aware of the situation were never involved in taking any potential action to resolve the racial discrimination practiced within the organisation. After analysing the situation from the view point of the CEO, inferences have been drawn through the SWOTT analysis. Weaknesses: The situation has major drawbacks with the workplace environment being full of discrimination. Employees are treated differently on the basis of their nationality, race and designations, raising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related concerns, which might diminish stakeholders’ confidence on the company. Threats: The discrimination prevailing in the workplace is a threat to the integrity of the workplace. Owing to the absence of communication between the lower level employees and upper level employees, the expectation of effective performance of this rig is highly unrealistic. Trends: If the situation continues in this trend, chances of conflicts between the upper level and lower level employees are highly uncertain. Moreover, legal authorities might also halt the operations of the entire business owing to the illegal practices of discrimination in the workplace. The alternatives will need to be evaluated considering the objectives of the company regarding CSR, ensuring equality

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Internship Report Paper ( Mos Kaffee GmbH ) Essay

Internship Report Paper ( Mos Kaffee GmbH ) - Essay Example The organization operates its business functions in Berlin which is supposed to be closely linked with the coffee industry. According to a report published by Euromonitor (2011), Germany has been referred as a coffee drinking nation which has been verified by considering the fact that in the year 2010, the per capita use of coffee in Germany had raised by 150 liters in terms of the total volume. As stated by the German Coffee Association, coffee is regarded as a health drink in Germany. They have also claimed that coffee particularly encourages various psychological related activities and positively supports sporting activities that include fitness and also prevents the occurrences of various diseases such as diabetes. These sort of publicities about the consumption of coffee ultimately posed considerable influence upon the activities of the consumers which were perceived to affect the growth as well as sales of coffee in lieu of both value and volume by a large degree (Euromonitor, 2011). It was in the era of 1670s that the coffee houses and stores were established in Germany. Progressively, the establishment of coffee houses rose considerably and by the year 1777, coffee became a crucial part of the culture of Germany and every city of the country possessed at least one coffee house (Diaz & Pedersen, 2009). It has been observed in this context that the German business market focused upon important aspects which included the awareness for sustainability in the coffee industry along with considering various environmental issues. In relation to the coffee industry, the business market of Germany has been viewed as the main consumer of the organic products. Moreover, the German business market is regarded as the largest importer of coffee in the world. The chief market players in the coffee sector of Germany entail Kraft and Dallmayr Kaffee among others. The first coffee store was established in Berlin in the year 1721 in order to serve superior quality of coffee to the general public as consumers which helped in gradually attaining immense popularity especially in the coffee segment (Tucker, 2011). Mos Kaffee GmbH bought two franchisees of Einstein coffee shop that is regarded as one of the renowned coffee shop chains in Berlin. In order to acquire the franchise permission from Einstein, a cost of â‚ ¬15.000 was incurred and the business organization is required to pay them 4% of their sales volume every month. The business culture of Mos Kaffee GmbH has successfully penetrated in almost every individual part of the German society as the most thriving coffee chain in the nation. The business organization offers high quality coffee to its wide number of customers and intentionally targets the wealthy society in order to attain considerable market share along with gaining competitive position. Gradually, as the business of the organization started to grow, Mos Kaffee GmbH made plans to open two coffee shops especially in Berlin-Mitte and the other one in the Audi-Center located in Germany. The several coffee houses that are available in Berlin apart from Mos Kaffee GmbH include the Cafe Kranzler, Cafe Savigny, Cafe Aedes, Cafe Richler, Cafe Mohring and Wintergarten. The Wintergarten is regarded as the prettiest amongst all the coffee shops that presently exist especially in Ber

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Contemporary Masculinity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Contemporary Masculinity - Coursework Example Some say the shift was caused by the women's movement, which brought men and women on equal footing. Others argue the reason is simple economics, with men needing to be well groomed to be more competitive in a tightening job market. Still others trace the phenomenon to the proliferation of media and the changing face of consumerism. Whatever the reasons, the men exhibiting the old attributes of manhood are held less likely to play a significant part as role models for the youth in modern civilised life. Today's examples of modern manliness are David Beckham and his courtliness, Peter Mandelson and his buttoned-up punctiliousness, and Ruth Kelly and his dogged refusal to buckle under pressure 1. The new models of masculinity, according to the growing literature on the subject, require that they no longer engage in barroom brawls and out-drink everybody. They get themselves into trouble now and then but they are not above regretting their actions and feeling contrite for these, as gleaned from the frequent outbursts of Beckham on court, for which he would apologize to the sports fans later on. More important, the new icons of masculinity are fastidious about their appearance such that this has given rise to the unisex beauty salons, which used to service an all-female clientele. What brought about this marked shi ft in perception about the concept of true masculinity Were there any events or male personalities then and now that influenced this phenomenon If so, how exactly did it happen These then are the major questions that this paper will seek answers to. The objective is to see what factor or conglomeration of factors and events brought about the change in the new concept of masculinity, and why characteristics previously considered unbecoming of a real man now seem to make up the epitome of manliness. Toward this end, the dissertation explores both the field and the literature for possible explanation. Section 1 will address metrosexuality, the name by which contemporary masculinity is now known, by focusing on its origin, spread and influences. Section 2 discusses the possible role of celebrities from the movie world, politics and the upper crust of society in bringing about this fascination with a new kind of

Monday, September 23, 2019

Finland Healthcare System versus United States System Term Paper

Finland Healthcare System versus United States System - Term Paper Example The American health care reform has been regarded as a great stride towards fixing the country’s 2.8 trillion dollar American healthcare industry. Finland has an effective and highly decentralized three-level public health care program alongside a smaller private health-care industry. This essay will compare and contrast the Finish and American healthcare systems. America lacks a universal healthcare system. In the country, the role of the federal government in healthcare delivery is complex, and commences to evolve (Patel &Rushefsky, 2014). Health insurance coverage is highly fragmented, with many public and private sources as well as extensive gaps in coverage rates across the American population (National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2012). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides the Medicare program (a central program for those of age 65 and older, a few of the disabled, as well as those with end-stage renal ailments (Patel &Rushefsky, 2014). The unit works in collaboration with state governments to direct Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (combined state-federal programs for particular low-income residents). Private insurance is moderated at the state level, but gener ­ally is permitted wide discretion in creating benefit packages (Patel &Rushefsky, 2014 ). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actof 2010 was signed into law and it is meant to increase insurance coverage to legal inhabitants by 2014. The act provides for federally delegated health insurance to be executed in America with the Federal government subsidizing legitimate resident households with revenues up to 400% of the Government poverty level. In comparison, the population of Finland was about 5.6 million in 2013. A universal right to healthcare and social welfare services characterizes the country’s

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Daughters of Catulle Mendes Pierre Auguste Renoir Essay

The Daughters of Catulle Mendes Pierre Auguste Renoir - Essay Example So for a student who does research on art the Museum is the best choice to select paintings for the work of thesis. The Museum has devoted a separate branch especially for the art and architecture of medieval Europe. It has the collection of both the domestic architectural elements and religious architectural elements that range from a period of 12th century to about 15 centuries back. This building with the cloistered gardens is located at the Fort Tryon Park in the upper Manhattan. The mostly highlighted things in the Cloisters are the treasures of sculptures, tapestries, ivories, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, goldsmith's and silversmith's work and enamels. Cezannes Astonishing Apples - this is a painting painted by a French artist in which a few apples on a tablecloth and a flower vase with flowers could be seen. The astonishing fact here is when the painting is seen from a distance apples look alike but when seen through a magnifying glass no two apples are same. Each and every apple is different from other one. Sphinx of Senwosret III - This belongs to the period of 18This belongs to the period of early eighteenth century to late eighteen century of Before Christ period. It is possessed by the twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Egyptian Kingdom. A Terracotta Calyx - This belongs to five hundred and fifteen century of Before Christ. ... The Italy government gave this piece. Human headed winged lion and winged bull - It belonged to the period of 883-859 B.C about three thousand years ago this was possessed by the King of Ashurnasirpal II, of Assyrian empire for which Nimud was made capital which is now called as Iraq . This image was considered as the guardian and was placed before the palace. The people entering the palace passed from between the legs of the lion which has five legs. Renoir born on 1845 February 25 and died on December 3 1919 was a French artist who contributed greatly to the movement of Impressionism. The movement is about the artists were not allowed to conduct exhibitions privately. They have to give their paintings to the official salon. Renoir gave some of his paintings to the salon and also at he same time dared to conduct exhibitions privately. He was very innovative and always experimented with his work and brought out new methods of paintings with which the work looked exclusively special. The paintings of Renoir give an impression that the figure in the image is coming out of the image, as though the sunrays are falling on the hats or window, as though there is so much delight in the life of a women or the one portrayed, as though some thing special is hidden in them. The freshness and the openness make us feel divine for a moment and we feel are we in the heaven where there is nothing but joy. One must have an artistic heart to understand the art. Renoir's paintings when viewed, I learned that he frequently painted the landscapes along with other artists of impressionism. He imitated other artists like Cezanne, with small parallel strokes of brush. It is also observed that he was fairly capable enough of painting landscapes but failed

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Japanese Business Culture Essay Example for Free

Japanese Business Culture Essay What do you do to prepare for this meeting? In order to prepare for this meeting, apart from the usual prepaparation with regards to presentations, brochures and other information material, information about the product as well as the company, etc, I need to gather extensive information about the Japanese business culture as the peculiar characteristics of this particular trading company with whom we are meeting. It is extremely important in international business that one should pay attention to prevailing business culture, customs and peculiarities of the companies from other countries in order to conclude a successful business deal. Therefore, I need to peep into material describing the Japanese way of doing businesses, their negotiation styles, things which one should avoid during the meetings, etc. What do you want to know about the trading company? The first thing which I would like to know about the trading company is its similarity to the traditional Japanese companies which possess certain typical characteristics. For example, one of the important things to know about this trading firm will be whether it is part of Japanese Keiretsu or not. The knowledge of this information in advance will help me to identify key features of Japanese trading firms who are still part of the large groups or Keiretsu. Knowledge about few characteristics of the firm will help us to present ourselves in a more comfortable manner at deal stage. I am presenting below few important characteristics of Japanese firms: 1) Connections are very helpful in this country, but choose your intermediaries carefully: the Japanese will feel obliged to be loyal to them. Select someone of the same rank as the person with whom he or she will have dealings. Moreover, an intermediary should not be part of either company involved with the deal. 2) If you know a highly respected, important person in Japan, use his or her endorsement and connection. Before you enter into negotiations, request a consultation, and then ask if you can use the endorsement and connection to further your business efforts. This method of using connections is standard practice among Japanese businesspeople. 3)Generally, the Japanese are not receptive to outside information. They will consider new ideas and concepts only within the confines of their own groups. 4)The Japanese tend to think subjectively, relying on feelings rather than empirical evidence. 5)Getting acquainted is the purpose of the initial meetings. You may, however, introduce your proposal during these preliminary discussions. During presentations, and especially during negotiations, it is essential that one maintain a quiet, low-key, and polite manner at all times. The highest-ranking individual may appear to be the most quiet of everyone present. For a persuasive presentation, you must describe how your product can enhance the prosperity and reputation of the Japanese side. Making these claims effectively requires a thorough knowledge of Japanese economy, business, and product lines. The Japanese will commit themselves to an oral agreement, which may be acknowledged by a nod or slight bow, rather than by shaking hands. Contracts can be renegotiated; in Japanese business protocol, they are not final agreements. After gathering knowledge about these typical characteristics of Japanese firms, we will try to compare this particular firm with these characteristics by analyzing the available information. Â  source: http://www.executiveplanet.com/business-etiquette/Japan.html Comment to student: click on the link above. You will find many links on this page with respect to business culture in Japan. The Japanese have been raised to think of themselves as part of a group, and their group is always dealing with other groups. This is viewed on many angles internationally it is We Japanese vs. everyone else (more on that later), but in schools, companies, sections of companies etc. there are many groups and sub-groups and not always in perfect harmony and cooperation as it may look on the surface. Dealing with Japanese on a one-to-one basis usually comes very easy to non-Japanese, but dealing with Japanese as a group can be a different matter altogether. source: http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Primer.html about the V.P. and his/her delegation? There are certain things which we need to know about the VP and his delegation. The strong hierarchical structure in Japanese business is reflected in the negotiation process. They begin at the executive level and continue at the middle level. However, decisions will often be made within the group. Generally speaking, in business meetings the Japanese will line up in order of seniority, with the most senior person at the front and the least senior person closest to the door. In addition to this rule however, you may find that the most senior person chooses where to sit. It is important to bear in mind that in contemporary Japan, even a low ranking individual can become a manager if his or her performance is good. (source: http://www.communicaid.com/japan-business-culture.asp ) Further, it is important to know few personal information about the visiting team. For example, their level of proficiency with English, whether or not a translator will be required, the age as it is directly related to seniority in Japanese culture, whether they have travelled abroad to US or other Western Countries before because it may have serious implications with respect to few culturally sensitive issues such as some Japanese men who have not been abroad are not used to dealing with women as equals in a business setting. ..about their inquiry? The foremost thing about their inquiry which I will like to know is the nature of relationship they are looking to establish with our company with respect to selling our products in Japan. For example, are they looking for some kind of manufacturing joint venture in Japan, or are they looking to take distributorship or license for our products. Such information will help us to present ourselves in a better and precise manner and will help us in coming to common ground with them. One of the sources for finding such information will be the local Santa Clara office of the company. Further, internet can prove to be a useful source for finding more information about the company such as its web portal, its partners and vendor relationships as displayed over the website, press releases and third party comments available on the web, etc. When starting business in Japan and entering into initial distributor contract negotiation, many foreign executives are probably unaware of the potential value of their products in Japan, but you can guarantee that the Japanese distributors on the other side of the negotiation will have a very good idea of the value. source: http://www.venturejapan.com/japanese-distributors.htm If you are doing business in Japan with a Japanese distributor, then you absolutely must negotiate a strong agreement before starting in the Japanese market. Â  Another issue to be aware of, and which if uncontrolled will have a significant impact on the final percentage of revenue you receive, is that the Japanese market is awash with multi-layered distribution channels. Your Japanese distributor may in fact be a master distributor who will pass your products through one or more layers of sub-distributors prior to it reaching its intended consumer or corporate buyer destination. In some situations its unavoidable for example, if your distributor sells to a large Japanese company you can expect that the customer will mandate a trading company (usually one of its subsidiaries) to handle the purchase and take a 5% 15% fee for its efforts. source: www.venturejapan.com/japanese-contract-negotiation.htm What do you want to highlight in the meeting with the V.P.? As discussed in the above paragraphs, it is very important in Japanese business negotiations with a distributor to explain to them the potential value of our products in Japan. It is important to present them with some revenue forecasts with respect to sales in Japan. First, you must know the Japanese value, not the US, UK, German, French or Italian value but the Japanese value of your product or service before you can negotiate a win-win relationship with a Japanese distributor. If you spent your first month doing business in Japan aggressively networking and information gathering you should have a pretty good idea of your products value. By comparing with your home market statistics you should also be able to extrapolate some reasonable revenue forecasts: idealized of course but an invaluable benchmark for contract negotiation with a Japanese distributor. Armed with the results of your first months Japanese business analysis, you stand a good chance of convincing a reputable distributor that they should put your product into their lead portfolio and invest in aggressively promoting it. Your ability to assert the potential Japanese value of your product and your ability to defend that value will support your justifiable contract negotiation claims to require transfer fees calculated on net revenues, not on your home market price list. The result is that you have a chance to get the best possible distribution deal for your company and a deal that could only ever be bettered by a direct entry into the Japanese market using a Japanese subsidiary company or office. source: www.venturejapan.com/japanese-contract-negotiation.htm If things look positive in that meeting, what would you expect to happen at the next stages of the discussions? Â  Even if the things look positive in that meeting, Japanese generally take time time finalize their decision as the decision making process can be very slow for Japanese firms. I expect the Japanese trading firm to extensively discuss the issue within their group in order to arrive at the final decision. From the pre-meetings, to the informal parties, the Japanese style of doing business will take the shape of an intricate spiders web, where few outsiders can fully understand the implications of what exactly is occurring. Japanese culture effects every aspect of daily life. The cultural tradition of Japan reflects a strong desire to be harmonious, efficient, and most important, to promote group solidarity, and this is best achieved by making decisions based on consensus. Robert Marshall elaborates by saying that, group decision making in Japan promotes unanimity in result through consensus {Marshall},[p. 7]. source: http://www.earlham.edu/~consense/scott2.shtml Comment to student: The above mentioned link is an excellent article on group decision making in Japan. Please read through it to gather more information on decision making in Japanese culture. How are your actions in this situation different from the situation in which you make the first move in order to find a licensee? The actions in this situation is different from my first move because I have a more informed and better view along with a clear understanding of the Japanese business culture and negotiation process now. My first move was a sort of unorganized effort to explore the Japanese markets. This situation is different in the sense that I am now preparing myself for specific company which has already shown little interest in our products and are ready to explore more about our company. It is very important to have clear understanding of Japanese culture, prevailign market conditions, information about the industry and knowledge of other peculiar characteristics before one can enter into a successful negotiation with a Japanese company. My initial failures have made me realize that in order to successfully conclude a deal with a Japanese company, one needs to present him in a manner that proves the value of our product with respect to Japanese market.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Environmental Impacts and the Hospitality Industry

Environmental Impacts and the Hospitality Industry ABSTRACT: The hospitality sector presents a variety of environmental aspects that, depending on the activity, may have a significant impact on the environment. Its users are consuming  resources such as energy and water on a daily basis and generating a great deal of solid waste and effluents. The hotel industry, banking sector and hospitals are examples of some of  the sectors that provide us with more information on this issue. This work discusses the  main environmental impacts generated by the hospitality sector and highlights the possible  environmental strategies that can lead to improvements in environmental management in  this particular activity. INTRODUCTION: Most people are aware that there is a need for all of us to take care of the environment, if we are not to threaten the ability of the earth to support future generation. Some aspects of the environment are very obvious from our day to day lives, such as increasing traffic levels, together with the associated air pollution and loss of green belt. Environmental issues, particularly the relationship between our actions and the environmental impacts in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary effects. ( Kirk 1996). Environmental impacts is a study of all the factors which a land development or construction project would have on the environment in the area, including population, traffic, schools, fire protection, endangered species, archaeological artefacts and community beauty. In another way possible adverse effect caused by a development, industrial, or infrastructural project or by the release of a substance in the environment. This also increases the need of sustainability development. It is a development that meets present needs without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is contrasted with other modes of development that lead to social and ecological damage, at both the local and global levels (Harris et al 2002). According to Jan Peter Bergkvist, Director of Environmental Sustainability, Scandic xix. There are three prime reasons for putting effort into sustainability: first, it preserves our environment for future generations; s econd, it adds that extra dimension to guest satisfaction, which in turn makes us a more attractive company; and third, it saves costs and improves profitability. AIM: The aim of the position paper is to critically analyse and discuss the environmental impacts and its effects on the hospitality industry. This position paper will also explain the various positive and negative effects of environmental impacts of the hospitality industry and the methods, strategies adopted to control them. MAIN BODY: TOURISM, HOSPITALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT- To say, an environmental impact is the negative aspect of human activity on the biophysical environment. Increasingly consumer attitudes are favouring environmentally responsible businesses. This has extended to travelling where consumers are considering environmental issues when making travel plans and purchases. A reflection of this is seen in the growth of ecotourism, which has grown by 30% worldwide in recent years compared to 8% for traditional tourism. The Conference Board of Canadas long term forecast shows that the accommodation industry will experience an annual growth of approximately 3% between now and 2015 (Eco efficiency centre). This arises sustainability development in the hospitality industry also. The concept of sustainable development has been expanded to cover seven key aspects. They are futurity, inter-generation equality, participation, the balancing of economic and environmental factors, environmental capacities, emphasis on quality as well as quantity and compa tibility (David kirk). Environmental pressures have affected a much wider range of industries. Initially the concern was related only to the industries which caused direct pollution of the environment. But now it has become a wider issue and relates not only to the outputs but also to the whole operation. The hospitality industry also becomes a core industry to be discussed in this issue of environmental factors, as it exposes many of the conflicts which arise in implementing environmental policies. Many hotels and restaurants are situated in the areas of outstanding natural beauty, in historic cities and in regions with a delicate ecological balance. So there might be a question whether this addition of new facilities will destroy the uniqueness or its habitat which is already suffering from too much of development and tourism. But the hospitality industry is linked with various other industry which cooperates together to bring in a successful business which is mainly focused on pr ofit. The hospitality industry is also a major customer oriented industry. So we must also consider customers, many of whom seek as part of the hospitality experience to be pampered with lashing of hot water, high pressure showers, freshly laundered linen, an ample supply of towels, copious supplies of food and drink, the availability of swimming pools and saunas and the limousine to take them to the airport. Whatever we do to reduce the environmental impact of hotels can only be either with the consent of customers or taking the main consideration as customer satisfaction. Many hospitality organisations are situated on a location were that is suitable for the customer or according to the customer needs. And it is therefore not situated in a place where there will be minimal effects from traffic, cooking smells and the noise of the disco and other adverse outputs. This kind of local pollution is not considered to be a big issue, but it does affect peoples attitudes towards the indus try (David kirk). The hospitality industry does not cause gross environmental pollution nor it consume vast amounts of non-renewable resources and therefore it may not be in the front line of environmental concern. The industry is made of relatively large number of small operations, each of which consumes relatively small amounts of energy, water, food, paper and other resources, and which add only a small amount of pollution to the environment in terms of smoke, smell, noise and chemical pollutants. The industry employs 10% of the population and can have a major impact in developing awareness and good practice (David kirk). According to Goodno the push of legislation and the pull of consumer pressure groups, compounded by the cost savings which can result from reducing waste, many companies are now taking environmental management seriously. The main environmental impacts due to the hospitality industry are CO2 emissions, CFC emissions, noise, smoke, smells, health of staff, waste energy, waste water, waste food, waste disposal, agricultural ecology, purchasing policies, transportation policies, sale of souvenirs made from endangered species, location of hotels in fragile locations. According to the Annual report of the world travel and tourism environmental review there is a recognition that environmental issues will become much more prominent as a factor which influences consumers, regulators, pressure groups and destinations and that the tourism industry will need to show increasing concern for these issues. The WTTC have developed a strategy, known as the GREEN GLOBE, in order to promote environmental management among hotel and travel environment. These vary from waste management to the development of eco-hotels and the classification of hotels on the basis of environmental impact (David kirk). Environmental impacts of the hospitality industries- Positive impacts It sometimes educates the public about the local environment and the importance of protecting the environment, eg the Great Barrier Reef. The tourism and hospitality industries often create employment and business opportunities in an area, contributing to the local economy. Hospitality and tourism buildings and venues are being designed and/or redesigned so that their impact on the environment is reduced and they merge in with the local environment better. Many enterprises are now employing more sustainable practices in order to promote a green image that appeals to consumers, eg using organic products, recycling, using less toxic chemicals and using more energy and water efficient fittings. Negative impacts The presence of buildings and tourists may destroy the local environment and habitat of native animals. The hospitality industry contribute to waste issues, eg food scraps, oil and chemical disposal. Many hospitality venues are noisy. The hospitality and tourism industries consume a lot of energy and water, eg electricity for air conditioning, refrigeration (www.hsc.csu.edu.au). The environmental impact is broadly classified as: ASETHETIC IMPACT CULTURAL IMPACT ECOLOGICAL IMPACT SOCIAL IMPACT POLITICAL IMPACT Aesthetic impact means causing destructive image of a surrounding by various factors such as development etc. The image of a destination possesses importance from a practical marketing perspective for many reasons. Often hospitality industry fails to integrate its structures with the natural features and indigenous architectural of the destination. Large, dominating resorts of different design can look out of place in any natural environment and may clash with the indigenous structural design. A lack of land-use planning and building regulations in many destinations has facilitated sprawling developments along coastlines, valleys and scenic routes. The sprawl includes tourism facilities themselves and supporting infrastructure such as roads, employee housing, parking, service areas, and waste disposal (www.gdrc.org). Examples include lakes around Rotorua, New Zealand, that have suffered from blue-green algae and, on occasion, have been closed for recreational activities (Journal of sustainable tourism).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Metaphor of Light :: Philosophy Intellectual Papers

The Metaphor of Light The classical unresolved problem of the active intellect, raised by Aristotle in De Anima III.5, has received several interpretations in the history of philosophy. In this paper, I will recover the old hypotheses according to which the active intellect is the god of Aristotle's metaphysics. I propose that if the active intellect is god, it is not an efficient cause but the final cause of human thought-the entelecheia of the human rational soul. Nevertheless, the problem of the active intellect is insoluble simply because we do not count with all the elements required to obtain a sound solution. Yet it can be attenuated by an approach that renders much more coherence to De Anima III.5 than other attempts. To this end, I will (1) analyse the classical conception of Aristotle's two intellects, (2) work on the explanation par excellence of the active intellect, the metaphor of light, distinguishing the double conception of potency and act that may be found in it, and (3) analyse the conc ept of entelecheia as the process by which the active intellect actualizes intelligibles in the sense of the final cause. One of the classic problems, and one of the most difficult to solve in Aristotelian philosophy, is that there is no text in which Aristotle explicitly states how the intellect manages to make 'intelligibles in actuality', that is, ideas. What he says in the fifth chapter of the third book of De Anima, instead of clarifying how man thinks, makes the intellectual process even more obscure, because the soul, as enteleceia of the body, is presented as one unit, but the mentioned text refers to two intellects, and one of them appears to be immortal, not human. It is this intellect, precisely, which Aristotle describes as separate, immortal and eternal, characteristics attributed only to god. Based on such terms, critics have made numerous interpretations on the relationship between rational thought and god: whether man is (or has) the active intellect, whether he thinks together with god, or whether only god is the agent and man is a passive-potential intellect. We think that the active intellect is, indeed, god, but that it is not 'really' an efficient cause of human thought, but rather the final cause or enteleceia of the human rational soul. Joseph Owens and W. Guthrie have recently affirmed this hypothesis. Traditionally, however, some other authors, even though they consider the active intellect to be a separate entity, have doubted or denied that it is god.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Little Thinking Music :: Biology Essays Research Papers

A Little Thinking Music "Words are the pen of the heart, but music is the pen of the soul" said Shneur Zalman. "Ain't it funny how a melody brings back memories/takes you to another place and time/completely changes your state of mind" croons the old country ballad. "Give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away" says the classic blues song. We are a species obsessed with these compositions of sound and rhythm. We call it the universal language and provide it the role of conveying our emotions without the restrictions of a linguistic system, we say that it has the ability to trigger memories and change moods. Why do our brains react so powerfully to music? How do we process it and what purpose does it serve? These are some of the questions I set out to answer in my little musical odyssey. When you hear a piece of music, the ear converts the sound waves into vibrations in specific parts of the inner and middle ear. These vibrations are then translated into action potentials that travel through the eighth cranial nerve to the brain stem, the thalamus, and the auditory cortex (1). It seems that the brain takes a song and translates it into it's own neurosymphony-sending electrical impulses to various parts of your brain. These varying patterns of impulses generate thoughts, feelings, and emotions (3) . It sounds almost as though we store various different patterns of these impulses in our brains and when the same pattern of sounds matches a pattern of impulses, it triggers a set of images. The interesting thing is that the same set of frequencies or pattern of impulses generates different images for different people. For instance, when I hear the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, I think of Mr. C, my fifth grade teacher, his old record player, and rock and roll Tuesdays. When m y roommate's brain registers the same pattern of impulses, it brings up the memory of her family's tan colored Volkswagen Rabbit. When I hear Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, I hear raindrops and soft footsteps, while another person might hear rays of light falling on water. We all have distinct visions of the same pattern of sounds. Neurobiologists, like Harvard's Mark Tramo, have yet to figure out exactly how this comes about (3) . Music is one thing that stimulates and utilizes most parts of the brain (2).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Discuss the ways in which Steinbeck explores the concept of the ‘American Dream’ is central to the novel Essay

The American Dream was a dream that nearly everyone had throughout the twentieth century. It was hope for a better life and people believed strongly that it would come true. The main characters in ‘Of Mice & Men’ have a dream which was to get a plot of land and live on it and become self-sufficient. The American Dream was not an achievable goal for many people. Steinbeck shows this failure through the characters of Lennie & George. The American dream was a great thing. We first heard about it when Lennie and George were sitting by the river at the beginning of the book. The dream was a hope that every rancher had an opportunity for a better life. Lennie and George, the two main characters, had such a dream, â€Å"Some day were gonna get a little place and a couple of acres†. The idea was to get a piece of land, grow crops and have an improved life there. They also new exactly what they were aiming for and what they wanted. They realised that their imagination should not be set too high for fear of disappointment. The two men also knew that they should not tell other people about the plot of land in case it was snatched from under their noses. This frequently happened then, as so many people were seeking the same desire., â€Å"Well it’s ten acres said George. Got a little win mill. Got a little shack on it and a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, peaches, cots, nuts, got a few berries.† This shows that Lennie and George had ambition and again, knew what they wanted. It also shows that there were places where the dream had a chance of coming true, and that affordable land was for sale. Lennie and George intended to get the land by working extremely hard for a couple of months. They would earn standard migrant labour workers wages which was of course not very much, as the great depression was around at the time the book was set. The men hoped to save money and put it towards the plot of land, â€Å"Look, if me an Lennie work a month an’ don’t spen’ nothing we’ll have a hundred bucks†. Sooner or later people started to realise that the American Dream was turning into a nightmare. This is shown in the book by all the travelling and unemployment. Steinbeck shows that people were determined to get a job and willing to travel around to find one, he reinforces this through Lennie and George. At the start of the novel Steinbeck told us that they were walking, so we obviously know that they have had a nomadic life. During their rest they have a conversation about their travels â€Å"The first thing you know is that they are pounding away at some other ranch†. This backs up the fact that people travel around for jobs. We know how Lennie and George frequently lose their jobs, this is due to Lennie constantly getting the pair of them into trouble which jeopardises their current job. Because of this they have to travel from one ranch to another in search of another job. Also you can corroborate the fact that people travelled by George quoting, â€Å"The hell with what I says. You remember about us going into Murray and Ready’s and they give us work cards and bus tickets†. Murray and Ready are a typical work agency that sprung up in America during the Great Depression. In the 1930s the Great Depression spoilt the American Dream, it damaged everything that had a promising future, from buying food to making investments in the stock market. Through out the novel we do not see this very much. It is shown only as a high unemployment rate. George is very passionate about work as he wants to achieve his dream. As you read on through the book George comments on other people in his situation, â€Å"They aint got nothing to look ahead to†. Implying that George is fed up of losing his job to other people. He now knows you should not think about looking ahead to long term ambitions as anything can happen. The rate of unemployment was a serious issue at the time of the book, as the economy was decreasing rapidly. It is shown through various characters such as Carlson, Slim, Lennie, George and many more. We know that they all have been travelling from ranch to ranch in search of jobs during this time, they have started to feel like they do not have a home and don’t belong anywhere. â€Å"Guys like us, they got no family and don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an work up a stake then they go into town and blow their stake†. This was quite normal for young and old men in their quest, not just for the dream, but for survival. Because of that, it made it hard for people to keep a job as other people who were as desperate, came along and accepted less pay to work at the same job, just so they could get some money. The idea of the American Dream was to be happy but just as well as the Great depression, racism also crippled the illusion. The dream was merely for the whites, as many of the blacks were unlawfully discarded from the opportunity or status to achieve it. Steinbeck shows this in the book through a character called Crooks, who was a crippled Negro stable buck and had suffered years of abuse in his life. Although Crooks could read and write, he was very lonely and because he was black, he could not join in with the usual endeavours of other men on the ranch. â€Å"Suppose you had to sit out here and read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it gets dark, but then you got to read books†. This shows he only had books for company. It was still very racist in the 1930’s so there was not much chance of Crooks achieving the dream by himself and certainly no one at that time would try to help. In the course of the book Crooks also tells us about his life in the past, how his father did actually achieve the dream, and how his family was the only coloured family in Soledad, which is where the book was set. â€Å"There wasn’t another coloured family for miles around. And now there aint no coloured man on this ranch†. Crooks felt strongly about this, he was neglected by everyone and still felt as if he was being treated as an unequal by every other man. He wanted so much to be included in the games that everyone participated in. â€Å"Suppose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black†. Because Crooks was being denied these privileges he turned into a bitter man who was equally as malicious as the offenders. This portrays the dream in a bad way, which is unusual as the dream is usually portrayed as being happy and being the provider when it actually created tensions between different races and cultures and caused many tribulations between people. Although Crooks is abused by many people on the ranch there is one person in the book who does not discriminate him because he is black, that person is Lennie. Lennie does not understand or see the racism in the world and he sees everyone as being the same. Crooks feels he can talk to Lennie about many things, â€Å"A guy can talk to you an’ be sure you won’t go blabbin†. Because of this it reassures Crooks and makes him feel better as he knows he can talk to some one instead of read books At first there was a chance of the dream coming true. One reason was because of Candy, willing to give his life savings so he would know that he had somewhere to go after he was incapable of working on the ranch, † Tell you what suppose I went in with you guys thas three hundred and fifty bucks I’d put in†. This endorses the fact that he was willing to put every last coinage that he had, to assist him to have a happy finale to his life. Also Crooks, the negro stable buck, offers to help, â€Å"If you guys would want a hand in work for nothing just his keep†. He did this just so he could have a friendship with someone and feel liked. In addition no one else knew about this certain plot of land, which made it a secret of the group and easy to obtain. We know that the owners needed to get the money fast, â€Å"The ol’ people that owns it is flat bust an’ the ol’ lady needs an operation†. Because of all this Lennie, George and Candy s tood a very good chance of achieving this reverie. The American dream ended due to a series of unfortunate events. Steinbeck shows this through Lennie and George not getting the land. They did not get it because of many things. The main reason for them failing was Lennie. He spoilt the dream for George, as he was constantly getting into trouble and destroying any chance that he had to achieve the dream. After a while other men on the ranch begin to question their past, for example, Slim, â€Å"What happened in Weed†. We know that they have been travelling around and losing jobs, but it was not just because of other men stealing their jobs only to get paid less, it was also Lennie destructively destroying their chances, because of this they, had to move on to another ranch. In the end they had no hope what so ever, of the dream coming true because of Lennie, once again, getting George into trouble, as he was responsible for Lennie, when he unintentionally killed Curly’s wife. If given the chance most men on the farm would attempt the dream even if they thought it was impossible. A good example is Crooks, at one point in the story, he was putting down the fact of any one achieving their goal, â€Å"Jesus I seen it too many time. Too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand†. When Crooks found out that there was a chance of it happening, he decided on trying to get in on it, â€Å"If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing, just his keep, why I’d come an lend a hand†. You can see also that people always put down the achievement of the dream, but they all had a secret burning ambition to get it if the chance came around. Through out the book Steinbeck managed to portray the conditions of the Great Depression in the 1930’s. He also gave us a glimpse of The American Dream that every one pursued and showed us that it was not an easy achievement. Steinbeck has managed to show the different levels of hardship and suffering that people faced during that period of time and also managed to show more hopeless situations of people from a minority. The concept of the American Dream is at the heart of the novel ‘Of Mice & Men’ and therefore allows Steinbeck to make comments on American Society and the time of the Great Depression.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Sainsburys SWOT

The aim of this report is to analysis the financial performance of J Sainsbury plc by compare several ratios, in the view of an investor who seeking long term investment. Four sections will be illustrated, the background of Sainsbury, 10 ratio analysis, a suggestion of whether the company is worth to invest and a limitation of current financial statements and ratio analysis. J Sainsbury plc is the third largest chain company of supermarkets in the UK, which is generally known as Sainsbury’s. It takes over around 16. % in the UK supermarket sector and also has interests in property and banking (Bloomberg, 2011). Sainsbury’s was established by John James Sainsbury and his wife in London in 1869, and got a fast development during the Victorian era. SWOT analysis As one of the leading retailers in the UK, Sainsbury’s has a market share of around 16. 1% and serves over 19 million customers per week (J Sainsbury plc annual report, 2011). It has strengths in offering various services such as internet-based home delivery shopping services, which reach out to nearly 90% UK household. Strong presence in the UK imparts distinct competitive advantage and favorable market dynamics for Sainsbury’s, which facilitates revenue and business expansion growth prospects ‘(Datamonitor, 2010). It also has a significant advantage of providing portfolio renders that enables the company to have an increased sale. Besides, the company has a strong completive performance with offering discounts, compared to other retailer chains such as ASDA. However, Sainsbury’s has several weaknesses as well. One of them would be the limitation of market share. The company has generated all of its sales from UK, while the competitors, such as Tesco and Wal-Mart, have more equitable revenue generation from international operations, including areas of central Europe, Asia, and the US. They also have increased revenue in other industries like Tesco Bank, however, Sainsbury only has involved in retail industry (Datamonitor, 2010). Other weaknesses would be raising inflation and credit crisis resulted from the global economic showdown in recent years. As for some opportunities in the future, besides strategic shift in focus on expansion in emerging countries, the growth potential in the online distribution channel gets a jump. The potential market of the organic food in the UK has gotten an increase in recent years. ‘The UK organic food market grew by 3. 5% in 2010 to reach a value of $2,968. 3 million. By 2015, the market is forecast to have a value of $4,180. 8 million, an increase of 40. 8% since 2010’. The survey from Datamonitor said. As for Sainsbury’s, it is one of the largest companies of organic food market in the UK. The company markets more than 800 organic food product lines, with major growth about grocery, frozen foods and fresh meat. Threats always follow with opportunities. Sainsbury’s has to face competition from other major retailers like M&S and Tesco which have substantial operating base with Sainsbury’s (Datamonitor, 2010). The company might have to increase its cost for advertising or reduce prices because of such a competitive situation. However, it will cause declined profits and cannot get a great development for Sainsbury’s. The opportunities of Sainsbury’s growth might be limited by declined profits and sales growth Relevant ratios analysis The current ratio of Sainsbury’s has decreased from 66% in 2010 to 58% in 2011, resulted mainly from enhancive current liabilities. It is evident to find that the number of trade and other payables increased from 2,466 million pounds to 2,597 million pounds from the data of financial position. It might be because of global financial crisis of 2010 and purchasing 24 stores from the Co-operative (BBC, 2010). In short, it seems to decline the ability of debt paying. As for the Quick ratio, which assumes that inventory is not available as a part of the asset base to meeting the demands of immediate liabilities, there was a decrease from 41% to 31% between 2010 and 2011. It is fairer to consider investments for measuring the ability of meeting liabilities when combining the current ratio and the acid-test ratio. According to these figures, the funding liquidity of J Sainsbury plc is an indicator of plain performance in liquidity, because the data of current ratio is lower than 1 and that for quick ratio is lower than 0. 5. For instance, New Bristol Sainsbury's store is unstable in local business, and the study said the negative impact of the store, on Bristol City Football Club's ground, would outweigh any benefits (BBC, 2011). The gearing ratio displays the level of risks when investments happen. From the financial report of Sainsbury’s, it has an inconspicuous fall from 47% in 2010 to 43% in 2011 because the total shareholders’ equity got an increase from 4,966 million pounds to 5,424 million pounds. It looks that investors have to get lower profit margin, but it provided lower risks of investments and investors because higher gearing means a larger proportion of profits are used to pay interest on loans, instead of being reinvested or paid to shareholders. Therefore, it might be a good situation for most investors. In addition, Sainsbury's will create 20,000 new jobs over three years and the new jobs, which come after the creation of 13,000 jobs created in the last two years, will be at supermarkets and convenience stores across the UK(BBC, 2011). Most investors become more confident for Sainsbury’s. The operation capacity of Sainsbury’s can be reflected by the operating profit margin, which was 3. 56% in 2010 and 4. 03% in 2011. It is obvious to find that the ability of profit taking in Sainsbury’s went up between 2010 and 2011. The reason for this might be higher sales from 19,964 million pounds to 21,102 million pounds and higher profits. It is easy to find that from the news,’ In May 2010 Justin King announced that Sainsbury's pledged to involve each of its 850 stores in the promotion of the Paralympics after the multimillion-pound deal with the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to be the main sponsor of the London 2012 Paralympic games’ (SkyNews, 2010) In terms of the return on capital employed ratio, it was 6. 4% in 2010 and 7. 47% in 2011. It is a result of increased total assets and some increasing in non-current assets such as property, plant and equipment between 2010 and 2011. According to the ROCE, the ability of value creation in J Sainsbury plc is very strong and fine management could be expressed. The asset turnover ratio plays a significant role in the target system of financial analysis. In the financial results of Sainsbury’s, it has a slight increase from 184% in 2010 to 185% in 2011. It means that the operating efficiency of total assets and marketing capacity in Sainsbury’s has become better, and then the company generated more profits. For example, Sainsbury's plans to open Whitchurch store and not only offer more jobs, but also get more profits (BBC, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, J Sainsbury plc gets a great development in industries of supermarkets in UK, and it has an increase in its sales and higher profits. On the other hand, Sainsbury’s has utilized assets effectively and efficiently and had a strong management. However, compared to other competitors such as Tesco and Asda, it is lack of enough evident advantages such as profits of fast growth and strong capital turnover. The stable profit and lower risks can be provided if there are not better options. Limitation This report of J Sainsbury plc is limited by some factors such as quality of financial statements and inflation. Firstly, although all ratios from this report are based on financial statements of J Sainsbury plc annual report, some data which is excluded from usual financial statements such as human assets and internally-generated goodwill and brands is absent. Secondly, J Sainsbury plc annual report is between 2010 and 2011 so that the record from ratios only is a ‘snapshot’ of the business from 2010 to 2011. Thirdly, inflation is one of the most significant factors which affect the veracity and authenticity of this report. In recent years, the rate of inflation has kept up because of energy sources so that there is a time lag and it might cause the data of same parts in different years to display different trends.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Transition Metals

Transition Metals 1a) The d-orbitals of a free transition metal atom or ion are degenerate (all have the same energy. ) However, when  transition metals  form  coordination complexes, the d-orbitals of the metal interact with the electron cloud of the ligands  in such a manner that the d-orbitals become non-degenerate (not all having the same energy. ) The way in which the orbitals are split into different energy levels is dependent on the geometry of the complex. Crystal field theory  can be used to predict the energies of the different d-orbitals, and how the  d-electrons  of a transition metal are distributed among them.When the d-level is not completely filled, it is possible to promote and electron from a lower energy d-orbital to a higher energy d-orbital by absorption of a photon of electromagnetic radiation having an appropriate energy. Electromagnetic radiations in the visible region of the spectrum often possess the appropriate energy for such transitions. The magnitude of the splitting of the d-orbitals in a transition metal complex depends on three things: * the geometry of the complex * the oxidation state of the metal * the nature of the ligands(Kotz, J.C 1987) Kotz, J. C. ; Purcell, K. F. Chemical and Chemical ReactivitySaunders: New York, 1987, Chapter 25. Rodgers, G. E. Introduction to Coordination, Solid State, and Descriptive Inorganic ChemistryMcGraw -Hill: New York, 1994, Chapter 4. b. The origin of colour in complex ions containing transition metals Complex ions containing transition metals are usually coloured, whereas the similar ions from non-transition metals aren't. That suggests that the partly filled d orbitals must be involved in generating the colour in some way.Remember that transition metals are defined as having partly filled d orbitals. Octahedral complexes For simplicity we are going to look at the octahedral complexes which have six simple ligands arranged around the central metal ion. The argument isn't really any different if you have multidentate ligands – it's just slightly more difficult to imagine! | When the ligands bond with the transition metal ion, there is repulsion between the electrons in the ligands and the electrons in the d orbitals of the metal ion.That raises the energy of the d orbitals. However, because of the way the d orbitals are arranged in space, it doesn't raise all their energies by the same amount. Instead, it splits them into two groups. The diagram shows the arrangement of the d electrons in a Cu2+ion before and after six water molecules bond with it. Whenever 6 ligands are arranged around a transition metal ion, the d orbitals are always split into 2 groups in this way – 2 with a higher energy than the other 3.The size of the energy gap between them (shown by the blue arrows on the diagram) varies with the nature of the transition metal ion, its oxidation state (whether it is 3+ or 2+, for example), and the nature of the ligands. When white lig ht is passed through a solution of this ion, some of the energy in the light is used to promote an electron from the lower set of orbitals into a space in the upper set. Each wavelength of light has a particular energy associated with it. Red light has the lowest energy in the visible region.Violet light has the greatest energy. Suppose that the energy gap in the d orbitals of the complex ion corresponded to the energy of yellow light. The yellow light would be absorbed because its energy would be used in promoting the electron. That leaves the other colours. Your eye would see the light passing through as a dark blue, because blue is the complementary colour of yellow. | | | Examples: http://www. chemguide. co. uk/inorganic/complexions/colour. html#top 2. Transition metal compounds are  paramagnetic  when they have one or more unpaired  d  electrons. 15]  In octahedral complexes with between four and seven  d  electrons both  high spin  and  low spin  states a re possible. Tetrahedral transition metal complexes such as  [FeCl4]2? are  high spin  because the crystal field splitting is small so that the energy to be gained by virtue of the electrons being in lower energy orbitals is always less than the energy needed to pair up the spins. Some compounds are  diamagnetic. These include octahedral, low-spin,  d6  and square-planar  d8  complexes. In these cases,crystal field  splitting is such that all the electrons are paired up.Ferromagnetism  occurs when individual atoms are paramagnetic and the spin vectors are aligned parallel to each other in a crystalline material. Metallic iron and the alloy  alnico  are examples of ferromagnetic materials involving transition metals. Anti-ferromagnetism  is another example of a magnetic property arising from a particular alignment of individual spins in the solid state (. adapted from ‘’Transition Metalsa,’’ 2012, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wik i/Transition_metal#Coloured_compounds) http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Transition_metal#Coloured_compounds) 3.Catalytic properties The transition metals and their compounds are known for their homogeneous and heterogeneous  catalytic  activity. This activity is ascribed to their ability to adopt multiple oxidation states and to form complexes. Vanadium(V) oxide (in the  contact process), finely divided  iron  (in the  Haber process), and  nickel  (in  Catalytic hydrogenation) are some of the examples. Catalysts at a solid surface involve the formation of bonds between reactant molecules and atoms of the surface of the catalyst (first row transition metals utilize 3d and 4s electrons for bonding).This has the effect of increasing the concentration of the reactants at the catalyst surface and also weakening of the bonds in the reacting molecules (the activation energy is lowering). (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Transition_metal#Coloured_compounds). The d orbitals ar e what give transition metals their special properties. In transition metal ions the outermost d orbitals are incompletely filled with electrons so they can easily give and take electrons. This makes transition metals prime candidates for catalysis.Transition metal catalysts can be very useful for oxidation/reduction reactions because their outer electrons are especially susceptible to oxidation and reduction. If an oxidized transition metal runs into a molecule it can take electrons from that molecule, thereby oxidizing the molecule. If a reduced transition metal runs into a molecule it can give the molecule electrons and reduce it. Because transition metals are easier to oxidize and reduce than other elements, this process goes faster!Transition metals can both lend electrons to and take electrons from other molecules. By giving and taking electrons so easily, transition metal catalysts speed up reactions. (http://www. chemeddl. org/resources/TSTS/Stahl/Stahl9-12/Transitionorbital s9to12. html) Transition metals as catalysts Iron in the Haber Process The Haber Process combines hydrogen and nitrogen to make ammonia using an iron catalyst. Nickel in the hydrogenation of C=C bonds This reaction is at the heart of the manufacture of margarine from vegetable oils.However, the simplest example is the reaction between ethene and hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst. Transition metal compounds as catalysts Vanadium(V) oxide in the Contact Process At the heart of the Contact Process is a reaction which converts sulphur dioxide into sulphur trioxide. Sulphur dioxide gas is passed together with air (as a source of oxygen) over a solid vanadium(V) oxide catalyst. Iron ions in the reaction between persulphate ions and iodide ions Persulphate ions (peroxodisulphate ions), S2O82-, are very powerful oxidising agents.Iodide ions are very easily oxidised to iodine. And yet the reaction between them in solution in water is very slow. The reaction is catalysed by the pr esence of either iron(II) or iron(III) ions. * http://www. chemguide. co. uk/inorganic/transition/features. html#top 4. Test For Gases & Ions : http://www. pearsonschoolsandfecolleges. co. uk/Secondary/Science/14-16forEdexcel/EdexcelIGCSEBiologyChemistryPhysics/Samples/ChemistryRevisionGuide/ChemistryRevisionGuideChapter16. pdf Also Refer to Slide !

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Course Notes on Principles of Management

The Global Environment In the past, managers have viewed the global sector as closed. Each country or market was assumed to be isolated from others. Firms did not consider global competition, exports. Today’s environment is very different. Managers need to view it as an open market. Organizations buy and sell around the world. Managers need to learn to compete globally. Tariff Barriers A tariff is a barriers to trade. Tariffs are taxes levied upon imports. These seek to protect jobs in the home country. Other countries usually retaliate.Free trade: in a free trade agreement, each country seeks to specialize in things they make most efficiently. If India is more efficient in making textiles, and the USA in making computer software, then each country should focus on these. Distance & Culture Barriers The second leading cause of trade barriers. Distance closed the markets as far as some managers were concerned. Communications could be difficult. Languages and cultures were differ ent. During the last 50 years, communications and transportation technology has dramatically improved.Jet aircraft, fiber optics, satellites have provided fast, secure communications and transportation. These have also reduced cultural differences. Effects on Managers Declining barriers have opened great opportunities for managers. Managers can not only sell goods and services but also buy resources and components globally. Managers now face a more dynamic and exciting job due to global competition. Free Trade NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement. Abolishes most tariffs on goods traded between Mexico, Canada and the U. S. Allows unrestricted cross-border flows of resources.Many U. S. firms have now invested in Mexico. This is a manufacturing opportunity. Wage costs are lower in Mexico. Can serve Mexico with a plant in Mexico and reduce freight. Managers face new opportunities and threats. Global Task Environment Suppliers & Distributors Managers buy products from global suppli ers or make items abroad and supply themselves. Key is to keep quality high and costs low. Global outsourcing: firms buy inputs from throughout the world. GM might build engines in Mexico, transmissions in Korea, and seats in the U. S. Finished goods become global products.Distributors: each country often has a unique system of distribution. Managers must identify all the issues. Customers & Competitors Formerly distinct national markets are merging into a huge global market. True for both consumer and business goods. Creates large opportunities. Still, managers often must customize products to fit the culture. McDonald's sells a local soft drink in Brazil. Global competitors present new threats. Increases competition abroad as well as at home. Forces in the Global General Environment Political-Legal ForcesResults from diverse and changing nature of each countries’ political system. Representative democracies: such as the U. S. , Britain, Canada. Citizens elect leaders who ma ke decisions for electorate. Usually has a number of safeguards such as freedom of expression, a fair court system, regular elections, and limited terms for officials. Well defined legal system and economic freedom. Totalitarian regimes: a single political party or person monopolize power in a country. Typically do not recognize or permit opposition. Most safeguards found in a democracy do not exist.Examples include Iran, Iraq, and China. These are difficult to do business with given the lack of economic freedom. Further, human rights issues also cause managers to avoid dealing with these countries. Economic Systems Free market economy: production of goods and services is in private ownership. Production is dictated by supply and demand. Command economy: decisions on what to produce, how much, done by the government. Most command economies are moving away from the command economy. Mixed economy: certain economic sectors controlled by private business, others are government controlle d.Many mixed countries are moving toward a free enterprise system. Recent Trends Current shift away from totalitarian dictators toward democratic regimes. Very dramatic example seen in the collapse of the former Soviet Republic. Also very pronounced in Latin America and Africa. With this shift, has come a strong movement toward free market systems. This provides great opportunities to business managers on a global level. Many businesses are investing millions in former totalitarian countries to seize these opportunities. Changing Political and Economic Forces Sociocultural ForcesNational culture: includes the values, norms, knowledge, beliefs, and other practices that unite a country. Values: abstract ideas about what a society believes to be good, desirable and beautiful. Provides attitudes for democracy, truth, appropriate roles for men, and women. Usually not static but very slow to change. Norms: social rules prescribing behavior in a given situation. Folkways: routine social co nventions including dress codes and manners. Mores: Norms that are central to functioning of society. much more significant that folkways. More examples include theft, adultery, and are often enacted into law.Norms vary from country to country. Hofstede’s Model of National Culture Individualism v. Collectivism Individualism: world view that values individual freedom and self-expression. Usually has a strong belief in personal rights and need to be judged by achievements. Collectivism: world view that values the group over the individual. Widespread in Communism. Prevalent in Japan as well. Managers must understand how their workers relate to this issue. Power Distance A society’s acceptance of differences in the well being of citizens due to differences in heritage, and physical and intellectual capabilities.In high power distance societies, the gap between rich and poor gets very wide. In low power distance societies, any gap between rich and poor is reduced by taxati on and welfare programs. Most western cultures (U. S. , Germany, United Kingdom) have relatively low power distance and high individualism. Many economically poor countries such as Panama, Malaysia have high power distance and low individualism. Achievement vs Nurture Achievement oriented societies value assertiveness, performance, success. The society is results-oriented. Nurturing-oriented value quality of life, personal relationships, service.The U. S. and Japan are achievement-oriented while Sweden, Denmark are more nurturing-oriented. Uncertainty Avoidance Societies and people differ on their willingness to take on risk. Low uncertainty avoidance (U. S. , Hong Kong), value diversity, and tolerate differences. Tolerate a wide range of opinions and beliefs. High uncertainty avoidance (Japan and France) are more rigid and do not tolerate people acting differently. High conformity to norms is expected. Long Term Outlook Long-term outlook is based on values of saving, and persistenc e.Taiwan and Hong Kong are cultures that are long -term in outlook. Short-term outlook seeks the maintenance of personal stability or happiness right now. France and the U. S. are examples of this approach. International Expansion Importing and Exporting: the least complex method of expansion. Exporting: firm makes products and sells abroad. Importing: firm sells products made abroad. Licensing: firm allows foreign organization to make and distribute goods for a fee. Helps the home firm since it does not have to set up a complete production and distribution network.Franchising: company sells a foreign organization the rights to use brand name and know-how in return for payment and profit percentage. International Options Strategic Alliances: managers pool resources with a foreign firm and both organizations share the rewards and risks. Allows firm to maintain control which is a problem with exporting, licensing, and franchising. Wholly-owned foreign subsidiary: firm invests in produ ction operations in a foreign country. Many Japanese auto firms have done this in the U. S. This is very expensive but can yield high returns. International Expansion

American Industrial Worker

Andrea October 19, 2010 A. P US HISTORY During 1865-1900 technological changes as well as labor unions had great impact on the average American industrial worker either it be positive or negatively in the sense that workers were abused and underpaid to the point where their needed to be change. Technology was advancing steadily and new inventions were being introduced to industry at a rapid pace. With that, a new breed of machines used for manufacturing would be operated by the American worker thus creating tension with workers and employers due to them not seeing eye to eye.Technological innovation created more jobs but because most machines were labor saving devices, fewer workers could produce more in less time thus having workers being paid based on time rather than the time spent on the job. This affected the American industrial worker in the sense that they could no longer decide when to begin and end the workday, when to rest and what tools and techniques to use further depriv ing the worker’s of their independence.Since machines and the assembly line were of great use they reduced the need for skilled workers causing employers to cut wage costs by hiring more women and children. Due to employers lowering wages this just caused workers to work even harder and longer just to maintain the same income further showing the abuse they endured. Labor unions were a result of the loss of independence, desire for better wages; hours and working conditions the American industrial worker were deprived of.This caused workers to unite under the same cause and fight for what they believed their deserved. Groups such as the Knights of Labor believed they could eliminate conflict between workers and employers by establishing a cooperative society in which laborers worked for themselves, not for those who possessed capital but though a great goal for workers technological and economic changes made it impossible for each worker to be his or her own employer.Most labo r unions were a failure and didn’t really achieve much for workers and strikes stirred up due to these movements which only ended badly and without gains for workers. Technological innovations as well as labor unions though interconnected greatly impacted the life of the American industrial worker. Lowered wages due to the idea of efficiency machines provided further burden on workers causing labor unions to promise better wages and working conditions though not a success the idea of wanting to help workers impacted them positively and negatively.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Strategic analysi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic analysi - Essay Example However, in 1991, Racal Telecom was renamed as Vodafone (Vodafone, 2013). Currently, it is the second largest telecommunication company of the world in terms of revenue as well as the total number of subscribers. As of June 2013, the company had a total subscriber base of 453 million (Vodafone, 2013). The company operates in more than 60 countries of the world. In the financial year 2012-13, Vodafone earned  £44.445 billion as the total revenue and the profit was  £429 million (Vodafone, 2013). The figures above clearly represent the stable market position of the company. The success of Vodafone can be attributed to the diversified business portfolio. Vodafone not only offers telecom services, but also offer internet services, direct to home (DTH) services and various other physical telecom devices such as USB modem, Vodafone Eurotraveller, Amobee Media System and financial services in the form of money transfer (Vodafone, 2013). Despite strong market position, there are numerous growth opportunities for the firm. In this turbulent phase of business, it is extremely important for a firm to pursue innovative strategies so as to maintain their existing market position (Stacey, Grifï ¬ n and Shaw, 2000). In the similar way, it is important to continue with innovative approaches so as to ensure long term sustainability and better future. Therefore, in order to recommended strategies for the future, it is important to analyse the current market trends and scenario of the telecommunication industry. According to reports, managing the rapid changes taking place in the industry is one of the keys to success for a company (Deloitte, 2013). The telecommunication industry of Europe is growing at a rate of 6.7% per annum and has been the highest in comparison to other service sectors (Government of UK, 2014). In this segment, the study seeks to analyse the industry from the European context and to do this strategic management tools such as Porter’

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Managing service resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Managing service resources - Essay Example Medi-Call as a firm, works with the reception of three main categories of calls from its clients. This include, emergency calls, which would be considered as the most vital of all the firms operations, as they result to having the firms agents being on the phone, for an average time of thirty minutes. This however goes further to be spread over to a greater number of calls, whereby the customer, the client’s family, or even the neighbors are at times involved in the entire calling procedure. Technical enquiries, as well as reassurance calls, are also part of the buildup that the firm consists and works with (Treas, 2010, 68). Technical calls normally come from new customers, as they are normally not certain, or rather used to the operation of the equipment in use. Technical calls last to approximately five minutes, as they are brief, and to the point. On the other hand, reassurance calls revolve around the effort of the firm. How exactly is this? Medi-Call advocates for its clients to make a call to the overall call center, with an aim to ensure that their equipment still work accordingly, and in line with what is expected of them. This particular category of calls varies in their time span, with most lasting to approximately six minutes. This is because, some of Medi-Calls clients spend a lot of time alone, and end up using this opportunity to strike long conversations on the phone, letting their bottled thoughts out (Lovelock, 2012, 82 ). Elderly institutions should not be overcrowded as this would be hard for them to have free space and disease that are contagious can be transmitted through various factors such as air that is in low supply. Competition for basic needs such as water and other needs such as towels and washrooms may not be adequate. Large numbers would cause death, as nurses may be unable to account for each elderly person on time. The high number can increase the lack of