Social Therapeutic Work Practices Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Therapeutic Work Practices - Article Example The therapist will have to extend his assessment to describe the client’s inherent reaction to environmental and social conditions that frequently spark violent responses. Therapists dealing with African American youths should transform some of the symbols and rites used in clandestine and corrupt ways into Microsystems that instill therapeutic change. Urban adolescents that engage in illegal behaviors value the symbols and ceremonies since they induce a sense of security and support (Toldson & Toldson, 1999, p. 77). The symbols and rites can thus be helpful in showing clients that they will still benefit when they change. It is also important to use the African-centered instructional material. The therapists should thus establish secret codes, phrases, symbols, and rites of passage that closely resemble those of West Africa. The incorporation of these elements will help the clients to appreciate greatly and understand group processes and improve the compatibility of the processes with African ethos. Dealing with Africa American clients requires prompting of initiative behaviors within the group. As such, therapists should interweave typical therapeutic factors (such as the installation of universality, hope, imparting information, and altruism) with esoteric group therapy. The process of attaining the factors within some cultural groups should involve cultural awareness. When working with clients from an individual culture, group therapy alone will not be enough. It is important to incorporate the traditional group therapy with conceptions and perspectives from that particular culture.

Business Law and Social Responsibility Research Paper

Business Law and Social Responsibility - Research Paper Example This is unavoidable and will take place either willingly or in response to external obligations. While staying out of trouble is no longer enough, corporate entities ought to try to execute a globally valuable mission actively. In order to earn trust, they ought to ensure transparency to enhance accountability (Savitz & Weber, 2006, 41-64). They should also ensure facilitation of communication, values, and cooperation. The Responsibility Revolution describes the means by which the American consumer has transformed from the time of the Great Depression until the Great Recession period in 2009. The way in which social responsibility is developing amongst the American people is by considering their spending trends on organic items and green products, which the corporate sector in America is presently exploiting, as they were aware this would draw investment and customer allegiance (Friend, 2009, 81-84). This finding led to rivalry amongst corporate entities trying to get greener than ot hers did. The rivalry, though, is good for the environment as well as their revenue. During his campaigns, President Barrack Obama persistently solicited the notion of green products, social responsibility and the consequences of the evolving attitude of the consumers. The corporate sector, however, refused to embrace this revolution and instead acted defensively. The consumers, activist groups and government regulatory retaliated to this refusal by calling for commitment and responsibility and as a result, corporate entities responded in different ways including setting up of consortiums to run their projects, setting up of individual, ecological, and energy reduction schemes and contribution of at least one percent of their income towards the Global Fund (Desear, 2011). Creating a corporate entity that not only upholds but also exceeds is a move beyond the need to be ‘less bad’ and grips the culture of ‘all good.’ The Responsibility Revolution discloses t he most brilliant ways for corporate entities to fabricate an enhanced future and hold themselves responsible for the outcome. The Six Principles to Help Evolve Responsibility Many corporate entities think they can hide their faults and only depict their achievements in the media. Blog posts, cable news, and even traditional media are filled with examples of the breakdown of this system, with British Petroleum (BP) being merely the most recent and clear example. On the other hand, the Responsibility Revolution outlines corporate entities that dodge ahead of their own bad media, revealing their faults to the press and critics. The result drives corporate entities like Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Timberland and Novo Nordisk to act not only more conscientiously but also neutralizes external pressure against them. In a 2010 article, it was quoted that, â€Å"Most companies understand that pursuing a laudable mission can amount to a land of rich opportunity. But to successfully trave l the road to corporate responsibility, an enterprise must navigate around six daunting landmines†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Huffington Post, 2010).  Ã‚  

Globalisation and the Global City

Globalisation and the Global City Introduction Globalization, it is not a new phenomenon (Stead, 2012) but has massive influenced in the late 20th century around the world, which has strongly affected on urban system in Europe, economics, political, cultural, environmental dimensions. People speculate and make hypothesis about globalization is related to competitiveness of cities with strong economic, innovative and creative ideas or structure on city planning. Most of researches about competitive city are premised on cities do compete to each other, however, few scholars do question about it. What is competitiveness? Is it comparison with others? What aim do they want to achieve? Definition of competitiveness The definition of competitiveness is different in several aspects. For companies, it is ability to produce products and service to meet the needs of customers and make maximum profit. For nations, it is degree to extend peoples income and maintain harmony of country with specific conditions within the world (OECD, 1994). For cities, it is an ability to generate better life, better goods, and better investment (Oyelaran-Oyenika, 2013). Competition is everywhere, but to what extent can be defined as competition between cities. It is hard to clearly contend and identify do cities or regions compete, in terms of different dimensions of definition in competition, and different contentions. The competition is between nations- states or cities and regions? It is hard to clarify which one is it, can the competition between cities be the one within states? London as a city usually presents as United Kingdom in global ranking. Such as in wealth of country ranking, technically, most of GDP are from London, which literally can present United Kingdom. This paper is to discover whether cities or regions compete to each other or not, and what do they compete for. Generally, there are two different criteria: economics aspect, and innovation or creativity. To question is global city can present competitive city? Some emerging challenges from globalization, technology changes, new economy, demographic density, and uncertainty for cities and regions. Cities compete? Very few studies have showed cities dont compete. Krugman (1995) contends that cities and regions do not compete to each other, they are fields for companies to compete for innovative and creative people and market.ÂÂ   Nevertheless, Porter (2016), has argued that cities compete to each other. Cities compete in different ways from state-nations, they dont compete to win trading or assert the territory, which nations-states do. Moreover, it is not like business competition, cities competition doesnt concentrate on any single object to make the maximum profit. They do compete funds from government, tourism, population of the city, wealth, employment, investment and good reputation across the country or within the world (Begg, 1999; Saez, 2015; Favero, 2016; Ratcliffe, 2006; Stewart, 1996). The prevailing urban policies are concentrated on social circumstances, affordable housing, for example, these are important for cities competitiveness (Porter, 1994). Such as, in UK, there was a competition for cities and towns, to elect the best city or town through notable feature, significantly regionally/nationally, historical features and forward looking attitude (UK gov., 2001). The title from the competition may lead lots of effects for the city. Competitiveness of city is deemed performance of city occasionally, and it can present quality of life (Begg, 1999; Rogerson, 1999). Production of city is dynamic measurement for citys competitiveness. The main key indicators of competitiveness: economics, technological innovation, environment, global linkages, government management, and social cohesion (Ni, 2013). However, most of researches intensify on economics. In Faveros (2016) paper, he referred that hard economics, such as, cost of labour and employment rate of city are the most common hard economics factors to be discussed in citys competitiveness. When employment rate is higher than others may mean that the city is more competitive. On the contrary, open urban climate may influence competitiveness and is more like soft economics in urban development. Porter (1998) has stated that environment does affect cities competitiveness, economic extension or development may be solution for city growth. In the past, cities could compe te for goods and services, due to the fast- changing environment, contemporary, people is crucial element. Florida (2002) has built 3Ts model, which includes technology, talent and tolerance, these three factors attract creative people flow into cities and lead citys growth. Additionally, Crossa (2016) has asserted that creative city is capable to attract all kinds of professional people turns to be more competitive in this world at present. Cities which are more diverse and innovative may lead inflow of population. Innovative and creative people are fundamental to cities and regions; they are implements to interest firms and investment, lead success and economics growth for the areas (Paas, 2012). However, major competition in cities and regions is unclear or be demonstrated, there are multi- objectives in different areas to compete for, conversely, firms have clear single objective in competition- profits (Porter, 2016). Consequence from competition. Globalization is one of trends in governments, cities are facing some challenges about financial pressure, national security, institutional relations and role of government changing, environmental degradation, cultural and social changing, and lead to borderless, increasing competition and cooperation within cities and regions (Ratcliffe, 2006). Cities can borrow successful ideas and practices from other cities through globalization (Stead, 2012). It may bring legislative and administrative changes of localized institutions and policies, and raise competitiveness in cities and regions. However, while competition is happening, cooperation is acting simultaneously, such as, INTERREG Programme; it is facilitated cooperation by the EU with planners around Europe for their common development. In addition, cooperation between cities and regions can developed by making sister cities to build networking and promote cultural notions. Brakman (2015) claims that cooperation by having twinning c ities can decrease transaction cost and significantly grow faster, which facilitate cities more competitive. Tosic (2007) also asserts that cooperation may lead stronger competitiveness and strategies of planning. Continuing from INTERREG Programme in Europe aids countries, cities, counties, or regions to address problems and derive experiences and apply new approaches from others, also cope with variety of things from different fields. B-Team, it is one of projects from INTERREG Programme which is about development of brownfield before greenfield land as a principle of continuous growth in Belfast, it was involved 14 partners from 11 different countries ran for three years to regenerate brownfield to be more efficient for communities and aimed to help partners to improve regeneration policies and developed integration of planning process. This project illustrates transferability by publishing to share with others who are interesting in it and may adopt it (B-Team, 2012). Significan tly, it has great influence on investment. The participatory urban planning is a method to attract investors, stakeholders and actors to charm their interest and find out innovative solutions and procedures. Cooperation in this project do affect in regeneration process, and learn wider range of implements and manners, additionally, raising competitive in the city. Once city is more competitive, it possesses advantageous position in competitions. Competition between cities and regions has successfully attracted government and investors with forcing local institutions and governance to develop and reform (Lever, 1999). Competitive city generates economic growth and wealth with extending local market, creating opportunities and jobs for commonality, allocating more funds for infrastructures and planning (Oyelaran-Oyenika, 2013). Being competitive attracts creative and innovative individuals and corporations gather. For example, in China, economic boom has been leading strongly influence on construction, which causes more competition between cities. Beijing and Shanghai, two colossal cities were competing the opera houses, which was designed by famous French architect. Contemporary, these constructions have successfully attracted attentions, also brought enormous influence for city (Wyne, 2006). It may lead tourism growth, and economic growth indirectly. The competition can arouse faithfulness and pride of residents and people m ay understand local authorities agenda better. Gospodini (2002) contends there are two parts of cities, which are opposite extremes in European urban system, metropolitan cities and smaller peripheral cities without indigenous resources for development. Rural regions may be more active to competition than urban regions, and try to stand out from it to get more opportunities for region and be more competitive to increase attention in certain competition. However, competition has driven by localized government and institutions, which may lead different results. The Three Sisters competition which is running within Southern Ireland- Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford, competing the title of European Capital of Culture 2020. The title may bring tourism growth for the county, which lead economic growth in rural and urban area of Ireland. The competition is taking place in 2015 and 2016, which is a long-term form of planning, the result will be released in 2020. For years competing to each other, leading higher reputation and more well kn own, this title may bring growth of tourism and investment, having impact on economic growth. The reputation of the city would boom in the world, especially in Europe. City would have more funds from national government, retrieve local authorities with economic growth. In order to win the competition, local government may propose some policies for locuss development. There may be some special constructions or operations to stress on their characteristics, renewing heritages, or re-planning the place. However, there are some issues in rural area, three counties have limited fiscal resources and innovative ideas, which may cause passive operations on promoting. In Waterford city, for example, promotion flags of the competition are hung in city centre, but realistic situation is that few people have heard or weak understanding or confused about the aim of competition. There is no practical action to promote or implement it from localized government. This is a huge problem for regions o utside metropolitan area. It is important to courage and regenerate area through central authoritys support on centralized or decentralized planning. Global cities Global cities can be seen as competitive cities, which relate to different dimensions in economics, political, informative, cultural, societal, services concepts (Teece, 1990). The overall of global cities index in top 25 is assumption of business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and political engagement. The first bar chart below (Figure 1.1) displays that global elites are London, New York, and Paris which are hub of cultures, politics and economics with strong business activity and performance of labour, creativity (human capital). The top three have massive gap from last three in the ranking, in terms of strong business activities and performance of labour. Surprisingly, San Francisco and Boston take place in top 5 of good performance of city (Figure 1.2) based on personal well- being, economics, innovation, and governance. Nevertheless, it stands out from other cities may due to endeavour and implementation on innovation. Conversely, Houston instead of Paris or Tokyo squeezes into top 5; four out of five are cities from America, which can be presumed that America has advantageous position on economic and innovation in the world. These two bar charts prove that economic and innovation are the main reasons for city to be global city or competitive city. Figure 1.1 The Top 25 Global Cities Index, Rank and Score Source: A.T. Kearney, 2016 citied in Peterson, 2016, p2. Figure 1.2 The Top 25 Global Cities Outlook, Rank and Score Source: A.T. Kearney, 2016 citied in Peterson, 2016, p2. Evolving challenges Being ranked as a global city can be seen as a city with well competitiveness in environmental, political, spatial, social sites in order to further widen development. The competitive advantages have enormous influence on social welfare, politics position, public infrastructures, local services, financial support, media service, tourism planning, educational support and organization, international trading and may easily become headquarter of company or investment (Han 2005). Nevertheless, some issues and challenges have emerged, such as, new economy, technological changes, demographic density, urban design, and uncertainty (Ratcliffe, 2006). Globalization forces to transfer into new global economy, which may make different trends of competitiveness, politics, welfare, environment, investment and connectivity with others. To carter to sustain competitiveness, policies should be modified. Sometimes, planning policies hardly identify trends or require long-term periods to adapt it. While technological changes, informational functions are affected and implement of communication within cities and regions, progress equipment may influence progress and service. If city doesnt follow up technological changes, probably, it would lose competitive advantage in new era. Inflow of migrants is phenomenon of competitive city, extension of population strongly impacts on urban planning, affordable housing, work opportunities, criminal issues, transportation, greenfield, environmental problems, public infrastructures, education, and quality of life. Urban design and planning in competitive city consider about aesthetics objects, environme ntal dimension, political pressure, economic constraints, residential conditions. Approaches of planning are complex and uncertain, they suppose to adapt into dynamic changes, which means they should be creative and innovative strategies to prepare future changes. Evolving challenges from competition between cities and regions- Globalization is happening, transnational capital and international flows of labours are strongly influenced by it. Conclusion The competition between cities and regions do happen, meanwhile, so do cooperation. Both of them are crucial for cities to be global city. Many evidences demonstrate that cities and regions engage with competitiveness and cooperation (Tosic, 2007; Teece, 1990). The department of trade and industry of UK has published a report (2005) about the position in EU, and it clearly asserts that they do support the competition and open market in Europe in order to attract more creative people and investment, and reinforce on innovation and competition. The competition could encourage cities or regions have new ideas, moving forward, becoming different and better. There are more advantages than disadvantages in cities and regions competition, which brings diversity and implementation. If there is no competition between cities and regions, people dont want to move on, no motivation to improve or change themselves, and no city growth. Less opportunities for city, outflow of population, city will face recession. No one want to get better, city wont be better and wont catch the changing world and eventually, be deserted by the world.ÂÂ   With competitiveness, cities have proven more successful in long term. However, competition and cooperation are acting simultaneously, both are crucial for city growth, it is important to find the balance of them. The solution for evolving challenges may be decentralized in urban area. Localized authority should widen the concentration from centre, regenerating field, identifying role of authorities, following trends of globalization, cooperating with cities, more acquisition of knowledge from others. References Anonymous, 2001. UK Government: Fifteen cities compete for grant of a lord mayoralty. Press release, 25 October 2001. AK Kearney, 2016. Global Cities 2016.[Online] Available at: https://www.atkearney.com/research-studies/global-cities-index/current-research-detail> [Accessed 16 December 2016]. Begg, I., 1999. City and Competitiveness. Urban Studies, [e-journal] 36(5-6), 795-809. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 25 November 2016]. Brakman, S., Garretsen, H., Oumer, A., 2015. Town Twinning and German City Growth. Regional Studies, [e-journal] 50(8), pp.1420-1432. http://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/doi/abs/10.1080/00343404.2015.1023282. Crossa, V., Moore, N., 2016. Innovating to Compete: Dublin as Smart and Creative City. Building Material, [e-journal] 18(1), 84-88. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 15 December 2016]. Department of Trade and Industry, 2005.Department of Trade and Industry Departmental Report 2005. [pdf] London: Department of Trade and Industry. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/272133/6536.pdf> [Accessed 10 December 2016]. EU (European Union), 2012. B-Team Final Report: Brownfield Policy [pdf] INTERREG IVC. Available at: https://www.ioer.de/fileadmin/internet/IOER_Projekte/PDF/FB_L/Final_Report_short_B-Team.pdf> [Accessed 03 December 2016]. Favero, A., 2016. City Competitiveness in Poland: Innovative strategies and local governance in a globalized world The case of Poznan. [pdf] University of Edinburgh. Available at: http://www.regionalstudies.org/uploads/Adrian_Favero_-_City_Competitiveness_in_Poland_The_Case_of_Poznan.pdf> [Accessed 02 December 2016]. Florida, R., 2002. The Rise of Creative Class. The Washington Monthly, [e-journal] 34(5), 15-25. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 29 November 2016]. Gospodini, A., 2002. European Cities in Competition and the New Uses of Urban Design. Urban Design. [Online] Available at: http://www.scholars-on-bilbao.info/fichas/GospodiniJUD2002.pdf> [Accessed 10 December 2016]. Han, S. S., 2005. Global city making in Singapore: a real estate perspective. Progress Planning, [e-journal] 64(2), 69-175. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 16 December 2016]. Krugman, P., 1995. Competition, cooperation, and innovation: Organizational arrangements for regimes of rapid technological process. Economic Behaviour and Organization, [e-journal] 18(1), 1-25. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 18 November 2016]. Lever, W. F.,1999. Competitive City In Europe. Urban Studies, [e-journal] 36(5-6), 1029-1044. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 16 November 2016]. Lever, W. F., Turok, I., 1999. Competitive City: Introduction to the Review. Urban Studies, [e-journal] 36(5-6), 791-793. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 16 November 2016]. Ni, P., Wei, J., 2013. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: a comprehensive analysis. In: P. Ni, P. K. Kresel, W. Liu, ed. 2015. The Global Urban Competitiveness Report 2013. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd. Ch.3. OECD, 1994. Trends in International Trade. OECD Economics Outlook, [e-journal] 56, 38-49. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 15 November 2016]. Oyelaran-Oyenika, B., 2013. Social and technological innovations in the competitiveness of cities. In: P. Ni, P. K. Kresel, W. Liu, ed. 2015. The Global Urban Competitiveness Report 2013.Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd. Ch.9. Paas, T., Halapuu, V., 2012, Economic Growth in the Framework of Floridas 3T Model: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Evidence, An Enterprise Odyssey. International Conference Proceedings. Europe, 13-16 June 2012. Zagreb: Croacia. Porter, M. E., 1994. A Competitive Advantages of Far Eastern Business: A Response. Asia Pacific Business Review, [e-journal] 1(2), 1-2. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 18 December 2016]. Porter, M. E., 1998. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. [e-book] New York: The Free Press. Available through: Scribd website https://www.scribd.com/> [Accessed 18 December 2016]. Porter, M. E., 2016. Inner-City Economic Development. Economic Development Quarterly, [e-journal] 30(2), 105-116. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 18 December 2016]. Ratcliffe, J., Kelly, R., Gannon, J., 2006. The Competitive Global City 2030: a Future Approach. Future Academy, [Online] Available at: http://arrow.dit.ie/futuresacart/> [Accessed 02 December 2016]. Rogerson, R. J., 1999. Quality of Life and City Competitiveness. Urban Studies, [e-journal] 36(5-6), 969-985. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 05 December 2016]. Saez, L., Perianez, I., 2015. Benchmarking urban competitiveness in Europe to attract investment. Cities, [e-journal] 36(5-6), 969-985. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 05 December 2016]. Stead, D., 2012. Best Practices and Policy Transfer in Spatial Planning. Planning Practice and Research, [e-journal] 27(1), 103-116. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 18 November 2016]. Stewart, M.,1996. Competition and competitiveness in urban policy. Public Money Management, [e-journal] 16(3), pp.21-26. http://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/09540969609387929?needAccess=true. Teece, D. J., 1990. Competition, cooperation, and innovation: Organizational arrangements for regimes of rapid technological process. Economic Behaviour and Organization, [e-journal] 18(1), 1-25. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 15 December 2016]. Tosic, I., 2007. City-regions in Europe: The potentials and the realities. The Town Planning Review, [e-journal] 78(6), 775-795. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 17 December 2016]. Wyne. A., 2006. Chinese cities compete for dynamic opera houses. Architectural Record, [e-journal] 194(7), 38-38. Available through: University College London Library website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library> [Accessed 16 December 2016].

Systemic Change :: Systematic Systemic Essays

Systemic Change What Is It To fully understand Systemic Change, one must first be able to distinguish systemic from systematic. The term systematic often is associated with images of a linear, generalizable model of how to do something. Systemic on the other hand implies a global conception of the problem and an understanding of the interrelationships and interconnections. (Carr 1996). The systemic perspective in instructional design is traditionally limited to feedback via needs assessment or evaluation. The systematic perspective in instructional design, however, is strongly represented in a variety of step-by-step models. (Carr 1996) Systemic thinking "requires keeping many aspects of the problem set in your head at one time. It is a community activity, not an individual one, with all the requisite challenges of any group task. Systemic thinking demands persistence, because to think systemically means to constantly reflect back to previous assumptions, and to be flexible enough to change thinking that has been agreed upon previously. (Reigeluth, Garfinkle 1994). Using a systemic view, we develop ways of finding out about the mass of inter-relationships which exist between the different components of systems as well as finding out about the components themselves and we have to find out about the relationships which exist between the whole system and the environment in which it exists. (Bateson, 1979; Bawden 1991, Carr 1996) There are two types of change. There is piecemeal change, often called tinkering, which entails modifying something (fixing a part of it) and there is systemic change, often called paradigm shift, which entails replacing the whole thing. Reigeluth, Garfinkle 1994). Systemic change is comprehensive. It recognizes that a fundamental change in one aspect of a system requires fundamental changes in other aspects in order for it to be successful. In education, it must pervade all levels of the system: classroom, building, district, community, state government and federal government. And it must include the nature of the learning experiences, the administrative system that supports the instructional system, and the governance system that governs the whole educational system (Banathy, 1991, Reigeluth, Garfinkle 1994). Systemic change is needed because of the paradigm shift that is occurring in education due to the information age. Although this paradigm shift in education is only a microcosm of the changes in society as a whole, these changes in society is making "the current educational system obsolete.

Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan Essay

There are many minor themes presented in the short story Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan, appearing in Portable Literature Seventh Edition on pages 368 through 378, however there is only one overwhelming theme presented throughout the entirety of the short story. It is through the protagonist, Andy, a nine-year-old tomboy, which the theme of coming of age, and the struggle most children are forced to experience when faced with reality of having to grow up and leave childhood behind is presented. Before going on this hunting trip Andy has yet to realize the truth about the way she behaves, she does not find it odd that she enjoys the same activities that her father and young boys enjoy. It is only when her father made the comment â€Å"That’s what the woods are all about anyway†¦ It’s where the women don’t want to go† [Kaplan 374]. Andy is immediately embarrassed when her father makes this remark. She realizes that the three men with her on this hunting trip see her as just another one of the boys rather than a young woman when Charlie and Mac begin to pick on her, saying things like â€Å"She ain’t a woman† [Kaplan 374] and â€Å"[She’s] half a boy anyway† [Kaplan 374]. Charlie Spoon then proposes that Andy has a choice to make regarding her gender when he asks her which gender she choses to be â€Å"A boy or girl† [Kaplan 374] referring to Andy’s decision to be called a boy’s name, Andy, as op posed to her real name Andrea. She responds simply to Charlie’s question â€Å"I am a girl† [Kaplan 374] attempting to put a stop to Charlie’s teasing. In this moment Andy realizes that she is no longer a child, allowed to play in the dirt and hang out with the boys without judgment, but she is a girl who should no longer enjoy the same activities as her father. This moment in the story is very significant to revealing the theme as it illustrates the initial moment of recognition by Andy that she is no longer allowed to behave like a young boy. There are also times in the story that seem to refute the theme, depicting the image of a nine year old girl who still wants to be just like her father, hunting with the guys. â€Å"Andy held the cup like her father did, not by the handle but around the rim.† [Kaplan 370]. In this passage it is revealed that Andy was never allowed to drink coffee while at home with her mother, but on this hunting trip her father allowed her to have a cup with the rest of the guys. Although, while drinking it â€Å"She felt a little queasy† [Kaplan 370] she drank it all, trying to impress her father and their friends. This desire to impress her father, Charlie and Mac may give the impression that Andy has no desire to grow out of being â€Å"daddy’s little tomboy† but instead wishes to remain as so. However, this scene only develops the theme more deeply because it reveals to the reader Andy’s complete unawareness of the coming passage from child to young lady. I arrived at this theme after reading about the internal and external struggles that Andy experiences throughout the hunting trip she is attending with her father, his friend, Charlie Spoon, and Charlie’s son, Mac. At the beginning of the trip Andy is still â€Å"daddy’s little tomboy†, so much so that she is almost like a son to him rather than a daughter. However by the end of the hunting trip Andy has developed into â€Å"daddy’s young woman†, deciding to no longer be called Andy, a boys name, but Andrea, the name she was given at birth, the name of a lady. She is no longer intrigued by hunting, a male’s activity, but is instead disgusted by it. When Andy watches her father cut open the deer she shot she runs in the opposite direction, leaving behind daddy’s little tomboy and becoming daddy’s matured girl as she runs; â€Å"And now they we all calling out to her—Charlie Spoon and Mac and her father—crying Andy, Andy (but that wasn’t her name, she would no longer be called that); yet louder than any of them was the wind blowing through the treetops, like the ocean where her mother floated in green water, also calling Come in, come in, while all around her roared the mocking of the terrible, now inevitable sea.† [Kaplan 378]

Internship Report on Nestle Essay

It became ‘Kit Kat’ in 1937, two years before the Second World War. Within two years of launch Kit Kat was established as Rowntree’s leading product, a position that it has maintained ever since. During the Second World War Rowntree Kit Kat was seen as a valuable wartime food and advertising described the brand as ‘What active people need’. For most of its life Rowntree Kit Kat has appeared in the well-known red and white wrapper. It did, however, change to a blue wrapper in 1945, when it was produced with a plain chocolate covering due to a shortage of milk following the war. This blue packaging was withdrawn in 1947 when the standard milk chocolate Kit Kat was reintroduced. Polo and Fox candies are also well known and favorite products for refreshment. In Pakistan, Polo is now being imported from china after one year gap. Nestle Pakistan is producing Polo in china with lighter weight than before. Fox candies are available in six different flavors, from which Nestle fruit Fox is the most saleable and demanding candy. Nestle means ‘little nest’ in Swiss German. Nestle first customer was a premature infant who could tolerate neither his mother’s milk nor any other conventional substitute. Thus, Henri’s ultimate goal was to help fight the problem of infant mortality due to malnutrition for which he developed a product combining various cow’s milk, wheat flour and sugar and name it Farine Lactee Nestle, which was the first product of Nestle being marketed in Europe. In 1974, Jules Monnerat purchased Nestle and collectively they launched a condensed milk product of its own. In 1905, Nestle got merged with Anglo-Swiss condensed milk. After some time, when Nestle got fully established and all its operation were properly functioning in Europe and was gaining fame around Europe, then Nestle decided to set up production plants around the globe to ensure the growth of the organization and to become multinational. The decision to set up industrial operation in new market needs a lot of research, as there are various factors that effect the growth of the organization and turns out to be a loss for the company. Such factors are as follows ? The availability of raw material ? Cost factor ? Economic climate ? Consumer purchasing power ? Consumer tastes The decision to become multinational turned fruitful for Nestle and today Nestle has its own operations and products in America, England, India, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Hungary, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and various other countries around the globe. The history of Nestle includes the development of many different products as well as acquisitions, mergers and the purchasing of shares in companies, mainly abroad. Over the course of the years, this enabled it to broaden its range of products and diversify its operations, while at the same time strengthening the economic foundations of the company. Amongst the most important acquisitions were Carnation in Los Angeles (milk, culinary products and pet foods) and more recently Rowntree Mackintosh in York (chocolate and confectionery), Buitoni in Perugia (pasta) as well as Perrier in France(mineral water).

Outbreak essays

Outbreak essays The single biggest threat to mans continues dominance is the virus. In the movie Outbreak a hemorrhagic virus took the lives of many people in a matter of days. This deadly virus was called the Motaba virus. Even though the virus is so small compared to us it is amazing how it has the power to take down so many things that are so much larger than it self. The virus, the way it spreads, and the effect it has, directly relates to the material we have covered this year in biology. The Motaba virus is a hemorrhagic disease in which your internal organs in a sense melt away which causes extreme internal bleeding. In the movie Outbreak the virus strikes in a small village at first and it kills its victims within 2-3 days. It attacks the immune system and multiplies very rapidly and all of your cells become infected. The virus directly infects humans because of the similarity between monkey and human genetics. Monkey and Human genetics are very similar when looking at and comparing their DNA. The reason why the virus transmitted so quickly to humans without having to mutate was because the DNA of humans and monkeys are so similar that there didnt have to be any mutations in the virus for it to survive in the human body. There are two different strains of the virus, which mutate in the host, a monkey. The host is immune to the virus and has an antibody that can cure the virus. The host has both the first and second strain of the virus. Viruses have to mutate in order to survive in different environments so when the monkey got to Cedar Creek it had to adapt to the way things were there, which meant that the virus mutated also so it could survive. Viruses and bacteria can be transmitted in a variety of ways. Viruses can be transmitted through direct contact which in other words means that it can be transferred through having physical contact with an individual whom is sick, it can be passed thr ...

Secrets of Writing Perfect Personal Essay

Secrets of Writing Perfect Personal Essay Personal Essay Writing Secrets: Reach Your Success with a Perfect Essay Every school arranges numerous classes to help students to learn how to write a proper personal essay. Still, even with many hours spent on explanation and practice, submitting a perfect personal paper is a challenge for most of the students. This type of an essay paper is exceptional since the skills of its proper performing can be used both when applying for a university and when looking for your first job providing a cover letter. Admittedly, it is more important to know how to perform a personal essay once applying at college or university. Moreover, this is the only way to get into your dreamed college or university. Therefore, keep in mind the extreme importance of this kind of academic paper. How to Perform a Remarkable Personal Essay Even if you think there is nothing difficult in submitting a personal essay, be sure you are wrong. Definitely, this kind of essay consists of the same introduction section, body parts, and a conclusion. At the same time, this writing piece requires concise and expert writing style. You need to reveal your thoughts with simple words, but to sound like a real professional at the same time. The primary purpose of a personal essay is to reveal certain scenes from your life in details and make the entire story interesting and attention-grabbing. In your paper, you must show the reader that you are the best candidate among a bunch of other talented students. You need to demonstrate both impressive writing talents and ability to think critically in your paper. You are the one to decide what personal story to tell about in your paper. You can write about some common things, which meant a lot to you like friendship, love, betrayal, hate, rivalry, leadership, competition, etc. There can be mo re and more appropriate topics. The most important is to choose the one you can write about with passion, and impress the readers with your final story. Thus, it is high time to concentrate on the main principles of writing a personal essay. Basics of a Personal Essay Outline When writing an essay outline, make sure to include each and every part of the paper. There is a popular writing formula when you write down five sentences for every part of the paper. Since there are five parts of an essay paper, including an introduction, three main body parts, and a conclusion, this formula is mostly called â€Å"five by five†. It is easy to write a few sentences on every part of the text, and make the outline clear and concise. There is no need to write the entire text at once, first put the main idea into a few sentences. The most attention-grabbing issues to reveal are personal fears, expectations, and your goals in life. People always appreciate stories with personal feelings revealed. To ease the entire process of an essay writing, first, write down a list of the things that inspire you the most. These things can include influential people, memorable dates, challenges, exciting events, and any other important person or occasion. You can look through media or newspapers to find something to inspire you. It is great to use quotes in your essay paper, which can help you to present your ideas in a more literary way. Be very attentive to the citations and the reference list at the end of the paper. The rules of proper citation depend on the exact formatting style you use, such as APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago, etc. Personal Essay Tips: Proper Essay Structure The proper structure of a personal paper must be always followed in order to submit a perfect writing piece. If you have basic knowledge of writing essays and their structure, it will be easy for you to perform a flawless paper. Personal Essay Introduction Part An introduction is an essential part of every essay paper, which needs to be written with a few attention-grabbing sentences. When performing an introduction, make sure to remember who your main readers are – the college admission officers. You need to be well aware of the way they see the perfect personal essay paper. You must impress and intrigue them from the very first words. You can start your essay with the following hook sentences: Famous Quotes; Statistic and Facts; Allegories and Idioms; Funny Anecdotes; Controversial Questions. Every professional essay contains important background information to welcome the readers and explain them the following ongoing events described. Focus on the main ideas and top characters to make your introduction concise and catchy. Provide a list of arguments and evidence to work with through the entire personal essay paper. The Body Paragraphs Creation It is better to follow a standard essay structure with the three main body parts completed. There is no need to make this part of the text wider. Start the main part with an introductory sentence where write you define the top points of the paper, arguments, and evidence. Be aware that every new paragraph must cover a new idea. Still, make every paragraph clearly connected to the previous sentence. Up to ten lines are optimal for the body paragraph. Remember to discuss every situation allowing the reader to feel the same emotions and understand the way you see the situation. You must provoke sympathy with the proper sharing of feelings and emotions. It is better to tell your story chronologically since it will ease the entire picture for the reader who needs to stay concentrated on the topic you dwell on and never get lost. Tips for Personal Essay Conclusion The last thing you are writing in your paper is conclusion. This is a kind of paper summary made of up to ten sentences, where you sum up the main points of an essay, the results of your analytical thinking, and the importance of the topic for the other people. For a personal essay, it is more preferable to share some insights and certain lessons learned once facing the described events or people. You can also include some forecasts to end your essay paper properly. Secrets to Complete Good Personal Essay Use the following tips and writing secrets to submit a perfect final personal essay. Be honest – tell about the events from your real life; Take time before starting to write the paper; Stick to the writing instructions and paper requirements; Be clear and concise – share your ideas in simple language; Make sure the story you describe is from real life; Always stay positive – outline the current achievements and your personal expectations; Reveal both your good and bad sides. When preparing an essay, make sure to avoid the following things: Make a paper of a standard format. Do not try to exceed the limits. Avoid generalization and too broad concepts. Don’t mention too many details. Do not be afraid to express your personal feelings, fears, and expectations. Where to Get an Example of a Personal Essay It is possible to find examples of a personal essay paper online, that will help you compose your own essay. Be very attentive to the topic you are dealing with in order to provide the best explanation and share your exceptional experience in details. Always work on the issues you have enough knowledge about, and stay clear and concise. If you have no time to complete a perfect personal essay paper, you can order a ready paper online. When assigning an online writer to complete your paper, you can get both a lot of free time and an excellent personal essay completed on time.

Corrosive Definition - Glossary of Chemistry Terms

Corrosive Definition - Glossary of Chemistry Terms Corrosive refers to  a substance that has the power to cause irreversible damage or destroy another substance by contact. A corrosive substance may attack a wide variety of materials, but the term is usually applied to chemicals that can cause chemical burns upon contact with living tissue. A corrosive substance may be a solid, liquid, or gas. The term corrosive comes from the Latin verb corrodere, which means to gnaw. At low concentrations, corrosive chemicals are typically irritants. The hazard symbol used to identify either a chemical capable of metal corrosion or skin corrosion shows a chemical poured onto a material and a hand, eating into the surface. Also Known As: Corrosive chemicals may also be referred to as caustic, although the term caustic usually applies to strong bases and not acids or oxidizers. Key Takeaways: Corrosive Definition A corrosive substance is defined as a material capable of damaging or destroying other substances on contact via a chemical reaction.Examples of corrosive chemicals include acids, oxidizers, and bases. Specific examples include sodium hydroxide, nitric acid, and hydrogen peroxide.The international pictogram indicating a corrosive chemical shows a surface and a human hand being eaten away by a liquid dripping from a test tube. Examples of Corrosive Substances Strong acids and bases are commonly corrosive, although there are some acids (e.g., the carborane acids) that are very powerful, yet not corrosive. Weak acids and bases may be corrosive if they are concentrated. Classes of corrosive substances include: strong acids s include nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric acidconcentrated weak acids s include concentrated acetic acid and formic acid.strong Lewis acids s include potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide.alkali metals s include sodium and potassium metal.dehydrating agents s include calcium oxide and phosphorus  pentoxide.strong oxidizers s include elemental fluorine and chlorine. The halide ions are not corrosive, except for fluoride.acid anhydridesorganic halides - An example is acetyl chloride.alkylating agents An example is dimethyl sulfate.certain organics - An example is phenol or carbolic acid. How Corrosion Works Usually a corrosive chemical that attacks human skin denatures proteins or performs amide hydrolysis or ester hydrolysis. Amide hydrolysis damages proteins, which contain amide bonds. Lipids contain ester bonds and are attacked by ester hydrolysis. In addition, a corrosive agent may participate in chemical reactions that dehydrate skin and/or produce heat. For example, sulfuric acid dehydrates carbohydrates in skin and releases heat, sometimes sufficient to cause a thermal burn in addition to the chemical burn. Corrosive substances that attack other materials, such as metals, may produce rapid oxidation of the surface (for example). Safe Handling of Corrosive Materials Protective gear is used for personal protection from corrosive materials. The equipment may include gloves, aprons, safety goggles, safety shoes, respirators, face shields, and acid suits. Vapors and corrosive chemicals with a high vapor pressure should be used within a ventilation hood. Its important that protective gear be made using a material with high chemical resistance to the corrosive chemical of interest. There is no single protective material that protects against all corrosive substances! For example, rubber gloves may be fine for one chemical, yet be corroded by another. The same is true of nitrile, neoprene, and butyl rubber. Uses of Corrosive Materials Corrosive chemicals often make good cleaners. Because they tend to be highly reactive, corrosives may be used in catalytic reactions or as reactive intermediates in the chemical industry. Corrosive Versus Caustic or Irritant The term caustic is often considered synonymous with corrosive. However, only strong bases should be referred to as caustic. Examples of caustic chemicals include sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. A dilute corrosive chemical acts as an irritant. However, at higher concentrations, corrosive chemicals produce a chemical burn. While corrosive chemicals may be poisonous, the two characteristics are separate. A poison is a substance with a systemic toxic effect. Poisons may take some time to act. In contrast, a corrosive substance causes an immediate effect on tissue or a surface.

How do perception cognition and emotion affect negotiation Assignment

How do perception cognition and emotion affect negotiation - Assignment Example More often than not, perception can lead to various perceptual distortions that can affect the outcome of any negotiation and the times it can be in a negative way or error in subsequent communication. This is because perception depends on the perceiver’s present state of mind and comprehension Stereotyping, Halo effect, Selective Perception, and Projection are all perceptual distortions that in a given any negotiation environment and can lead to erroneous communication and build predispositions that will affect the outcome of a particular negotiation. Cognition is a common tendency to obtain process information by filtering it through a person’s own dislike, like and experiences. In other words, it is an irrational escalation of a commitment. Cognitive bias just like perception has a negative effect on negotiation, and a good negotiator should always develop skills to manage it. Negotiator should be aware that cognitive biases and misperceptions that occurs as he gather and process information and outline them in a structured manner within his team and with his counterparts. In addition, careful discussion of the issues during negotiation and preference can minimize the outcomes of perceptual biases. This is critical aspects and if not properly checked may lead to a negative outcome of a negotiation. In addition, it is important to consider when and how to interact in order think properly while trying to comprehend information around our environment to enhance negotiation. Closely related to these aspects are the various t ypes of cognitive biases that may result in an outcome of in negotiations: Irrational escalation of commitment, overconfidence, anchoring and adjustment, availability of information, issue framing and risk the winner’s curs, the law of small numbers, endowment effect, self-serving biases, reactive devaluation, ignoring others’ cognitions.

Russia's Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Russia's Economy - Essay Example Firstly, with regards to the strength that exist within the Russian Federation, it can categorically be said that the natural resource markets for oil, natural gas, and mineral extraction have provided the Russian Federation with a runaway level of economic growth during a period in which much of the remainder of the world has been mired in recession. As a direct result of the fact that the Russian Federation has untold billions of barrels of oil in on reservoirs, the potential for growth within the near future is profound. Moreover, surveys into overall levels of natural gas resources within the Russian Federation indicate that this country has the largest known reserves of natural gas anywhere in the rest of the world.1 Copious supplies of coal, iron, gold, silver, diamonds, and other desired natural resources are also found in abundance in Russia’s the vast eastern wilderness. Finally, another core strength/bright spot of the Russian economy is concentric upon the fact that the Russian Federation exhibit a very high level of educational aptitude and higher learning; doubtless the result of decades of Soviet education that adequately equipped individuals with profound levels of scientific and engineering knowledge. However, apart from the bright spots and potentials for development that had previously been elaborated upon, perhaps the greatest drawback that exists currently within the Russian Federation is contingent upon the overall level of corruption within the country. At nearly almost every level, corruption is a stifling influence which creates unknown prices and incalculable expense for companies that choose to operate within its borders. Such a constraint to foreign direct investment has significantly reduces the overall number of firms that are actively interested in developing their companies further within the

Study case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Study case - Essay Example The defendant had flouted the civil rights of the employees enshrined in the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The defendant had flouted Civil Rights Act of 1991 which prohibits employers from discriminating their employees. The company resolved this by setting up a prayer special room at the plant (Robert & John 103). Tyson Foods also had a conflict that arose when they attempted to replace Labor Day with Eid al-Fitr. The non Muslim employees complained about this move. The company addressed the issue by allowing all their employees (Muslim and Non-Muslim) eight paid holidays (Robert & John 103). The holidays included; Memorial day, Martin Luther King Day, New Years Day, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day and a personal holiday. Subject to the approval of their supervisors, the employees had the option of spending their personal holidays either for their birthday or Eid  al-Fitr. The company thus incurred more operational expenses by increasing the number of paid holidays to eight. Comparing the solutions adopted by the two companies, unlike Tyson foods, JBS-SWIFT’s solution will yield the company the greatest positive yield because, it will not incur additional operational cost (Robert & John

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human resource management - Essay Example As such, delving deep into aspects which link reward and motivation with enhanced employee and organizational performance is of prime importance in contemporary business practice. Rewards defined Armstrong (2009) asserts that rewards emanate as a constituent of strategic human resource management which subsequently form the basis for competitive strategy. Employees are appreciated and rewarded for their creativity, innovations and commitment. This fosters a sense of satisfaction, motivation and consistency in work. It ultimately establishes link with quality management proposition of the organization and leads to enhanced performance, better customer service and greater value for money. Total reward strategy Earlier, rewards constituted only financial aspects of pay, share ownership and tangible benefits. However, with increased prevalence of intangibles in the employee satisfaction criteria, incorporating retention strategy within human resources strategy and developing employer-emp loyee relation on informal lines, total reward strategy now includes learning, career planning and development, cooperative environment and quality of work as cornerstones to better employee performance and commitment (Figure 1). Figure 1: Total Reward Components Performance management theories and models are replete of mention and contribution of rewards as means of giving due credit to employees for their contribution and efforts and develop the trust and cooperation factors by nurturing a high performance work system in place. Jiang et al. (2009) summarize the theoretical basis behind rewards linked to higher motivation and consequently high performance. Taking examples of motivational theories propounded by eminent researchers like Maslow, Herzberg and Adam’s, the author has anchored the fact that total rewards strategy serves two major purposes- with the help of extrinsic rewards; basic amenities requirements of workers are fulfilled which suffices the monetary and futur e security needs of people. With the help of intrinsic rewards in terms of learning and positive workplace, individual growth is encouraged which satisfies the career development, recognition, status, leadership and work-life balance criteria of employee retention. As a result, squarely growth and improved performance is achieved in terms of satisfied internal (employees) and external customers and higher productivity from all the resources used by organization. Case of Holiday Limited Company The development of reward system at Holiday Limited Company (HLC) highlights the urgency to introduce rewards strategy as a means to retain and develop talents within the organization and bridge gaps between expected and perceived service quality for customers. HLC, being a service intensive company was in greater need to implement rewards strategy and reap its benefits in terms of improved performance through increased motivational level (Analoui 2007:246). However, the implementation and con ceptualization of rewards strategy at HLC suffers from certain limitations and flaws (Refer to Appendix 1 for complete facts of the

Arms, Mines, and Use of Explosive Force Research Paper

Arms, Mines, and Use of Explosive Force - Research Paper Example The working structure shown by Rutherford of how NGOs advanced their cause included two sections into which the agenda setting components could be divided. The first takes a keen view of level-one agenda setting called â€Å"cognitive agenda setting,† and the second takes another keen view of level-two agenda setting, called â€Å"norm agenda setting†. The first section investigates how NGOs placed the landmine issue on the agenda of the government and the public. The second investigates the influence of the particular elements of the landmine issue on the agendas of the public and the government (Rutherford 78). Another reason why Rutherford’s explanation is more compelling is that he shows the three important components of agenda setting that were addressed by NGOs in both sections, as they advanced their cause leading to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty. These are framing, schema, and priming. Framing means the selection of elements within a particular issue . These elements are used in the promotion of a particular problem definition, evaluation in moral terms, and treatment recommendation for the item viewed. The core of the second level of setting agendas is the transference of the salience of attributes. Schema on the other hand is a concept linked closely to framing, but takes a deeper view on how people organize their thinking. Priming is the process of activation of schemas. It assumes that features of a stimulus or frequency activates cognitive structures that were previously learned and has an influence on ambiguous stimulus interpretations. These three important components of agenda setting were then addressed in both sections. In addressing framing in section one, the landmines were listed as a new issue and in the process, get people to think about landmines as a humanitarian issue. In section two, the horrible effects and disproportionate consequences of landmines were exposed. In addressing schema in section one, outrageou s landmine statistics were listed, and in section two, leadership games to control the landmine issue were revealed. In addition, in addressing priming in section one, landmine victim stories were told, most of them sad. In section two, incoherent arguments among anti-ban states were brought up. This is more convincing (Rutherford 78). Hubert on the other hand chooses to focus more on the proceedings of conferences that were held prior to the signing of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban treaty. This, in my view, is not very convincing, as it does little to show how the NGOs and other organizations influenced the debates and proceedings at those conferences. For example, at The Conference on Disarmament, he explains of how supporters of the CD approach were opposed by the supporters of the Ottawa Process. He does not go further to explain how the CD process was reached at and who exactly came up with the process (Hubert 19). The third reason why Rutherford advanced a more compelling argume nt is that, apart from coming up with a structure of how NGOs advanced their cause leading to the Anti-Personnel Landmine Treaty, he went ahead to explain the structure comprehensively. Hubert had no comprehensive structure in the first place and therefore, his explanations were not very catchy. Rutherford explained his structure well by stating the three agenda-setting components in the two levels. In stating the agenda-setting c

Research Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Proposal - Assignment Example The arrival of multiple products of the same nature is simply complicating the competition level existent in the global market. As a result, organizations are increasingly trying to use various online as well as traditional advertising methods for connecting with the desired audience. In order to enhance the retention power of the consumers with regards to the products and services offered in the market, organizations sometimes try to use various well known celebrities for promoting the brands of the organization. The celebrities are chosen for advertising mostly because of the high level familiarity and popularity they enjoy in the marketplace. This particular research proposal intends to identify the level of influence that is exerted by celebrity endorsements in connection to purchasing behaviour of the consumers. In this case, the research proposal comprises of an introduction, research question and research objectives, literature review and also the method that will be used to c onduct the dissertation type research. Introduction The world of the 21st century is a global platform which promotes fast change and rapid development. The advancement of telecommunications technology since the beginning of the previous decade has played a major role in bringing connectivity based transformation in the lives of the masses around the world. The high level of penetration of the internet and wi-fi connectivity along with the fast acceptance of the multiple sophisticated technological gadgets like the Smartphones, tablets and laptops has resulted in inducing a technological wave in various markets around the world. As a result of this technological transformation, the world has become a single well connected entity. The existence of a single interconnected entity has led to the emergence of various new kinds of trends of globalization from various markets around the world. It is very important to state that the globalization trends has played a major role in increasing the awareness of the consumers present in the developed as well as the developing markets in regards to various innovative kind of products and services. This increased level of consumer awareness has become the centre stage of triggering of new kinds of demands from the consumers all around the world. Naturally, the new kinds of consumer demands are helping in the process of evolution of significant business opportunity in various markets around the world. Witnessing the demand for new products and services in various international markets, companies headquartered in foreign locations are entering into many new markets. In many cases, the organizations record a significant growth in business profits by entering in to new markets, while facing stagnant growth levels in the domestic and home markets. Talking in regards to the issues of market entry by various global and multinational organizations, it has to be stated that the presence of multiple organizations in various global mar kets lead to the rise of homogeneous products that are available in those markets. The growth of homogeneous products in any specific market raises the choice of products available to the consumers and thereby raises the level of competition that exists in the marketplace. It has to be stated that firms compete with each other by engaging in value communications processes to the target audience in

Arms, Mines, and Use of Explosive Force Research Paper

Arms, Mines, and Use of Explosive Force - Research Paper Example The working structure shown by Rutherford of how NGOs advanced their cause included two sections into which the agenda setting components could be divided. The first takes a keen view of level-one agenda setting called â€Å"cognitive agenda setting,† and the second takes another keen view of level-two agenda setting, called â€Å"norm agenda setting†. The first section investigates how NGOs placed the landmine issue on the agenda of the government and the public. The second investigates the influence of the particular elements of the landmine issue on the agendas of the public and the government (Rutherford 78). Another reason why Rutherford’s explanation is more compelling is that he shows the three important components of agenda setting that were addressed by NGOs in both sections, as they advanced their cause leading to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty. These are framing, schema, and priming. Framing means the selection of elements within a particular issue . These elements are used in the promotion of a particular problem definition, evaluation in moral terms, and treatment recommendation for the item viewed. The core of the second level of setting agendas is the transference of the salience of attributes. Schema on the other hand is a concept linked closely to framing, but takes a deeper view on how people organize their thinking. Priming is the process of activation of schemas. It assumes that features of a stimulus or frequency activates cognitive structures that were previously learned and has an influence on ambiguous stimulus interpretations. These three important components of agenda setting were then addressed in both sections. In addressing framing in section one, the landmines were listed as a new issue and in the process, get people to think about landmines as a humanitarian issue. In section two, the horrible effects and disproportionate consequences of landmines were exposed. In addressing schema in section one, outrageou s landmine statistics were listed, and in section two, leadership games to control the landmine issue were revealed. In addition, in addressing priming in section one, landmine victim stories were told, most of them sad. In section two, incoherent arguments among anti-ban states were brought up. This is more convincing (Rutherford 78). Hubert on the other hand chooses to focus more on the proceedings of conferences that were held prior to the signing of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban treaty. This, in my view, is not very convincing, as it does little to show how the NGOs and other organizations influenced the debates and proceedings at those conferences. For example, at The Conference on Disarmament, he explains of how supporters of the CD approach were opposed by the supporters of the Ottawa Process. He does not go further to explain how the CD process was reached at and who exactly came up with the process (Hubert 19). The third reason why Rutherford advanced a more compelling argume nt is that, apart from coming up with a structure of how NGOs advanced their cause leading to the Anti-Personnel Landmine Treaty, he went ahead to explain the structure comprehensively. Hubert had no comprehensive structure in the first place and therefore, his explanations were not very catchy. Rutherford explained his structure well by stating the three agenda-setting components in the two levels. In stating the agenda-setting c

Egyptian Civilization Essay Example for Free

Egyptian Civilization Essay In the modern world, colossal structures such as the Sphinx and the pyramids serve as reminders of the existence of the Egyptian Civilization. This ancient culture flourished along the Nile River, which had influenced and sustained the development of Egyptian Civilization. Flowing towards the north from the East Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River served as a principal route for trade and had a role in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt. Without the Nile River, Egypt would become nothing but a vast desert. (Crosslands, n. d) The Three Periods Although dynasties characterized the Egyptian Civilization, the land maintained its unity. There are three periods that divided the Ancient Egyptian Civilization namely the Old Kingdom or Pyramid Age, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom (Crosslands, n. d). The Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BC) The ancient Egyptian rulers or pharaohs worked on maintaining a stable and centralized state. To the people, pharaohs were regarded as gods hence they were given absolute power as well as ownership and rule over the lands (Crossland, n. d. ). This period is known as the Pyramid Age because at this time, colossal structures known as pyramid were constructed by the Egyptians near Giza, situated at present-day Cairo. Because of their belief in after-life, the Egyptians kept tombs of their dead pharaohs in these pyramids. The construction process was so long and tedious that once a pharaoh assumed the throne, slaves are already tasked to start building the tomb of the new pharaoh. The struggle for power, failure of crops, and the expenses incurred for constructing the pyramids, were the major factors that brought about the collapse of the Old Kingdom (Crossland, n. d. ) The Middle Kingdom (2050 BC – 1800 BC) This period was marked by turbulence and chaos. Corruption and uprising usually took place. The rise of the Nile River was not as regular as it used to be. However, some pharaohs were still able to set-up an ambitious drainage project, paving the way for a huge stretch of arable lands. Nubia, the southern land proliferating with gold, was occupied by Egyptian armies. Crete was likewise opened to trading opportunities (Crossland, n. d. ). The Hyksos conquered the delta region and brought along their military technology. The new invaders were captivated by the customs, names, and beliefs of the Egyptians. They occupied the land for over 100 years. Eventually, the conquerors were driven out by new rulers which paved the way for the New Kingdom (Crossland, n. d. ). The New Kingdom Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut were the most notable rulers of this time. By this time, the Egyptian civilization had already extended to the region of the Euphrates River. Contact with Middle Easterners as well as other sections of the African continent. At the conclusion of the reign of Ramses II, the strength of the Egyptian civilization began to decrease. Other powers like the Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Assyrians found their way into the Nile region (Crossland, n. d). Contribution to Modern Civilization The Egyptians are credited for various contributions in different fields of interest. In the field of medicine, the Egyptians had good surgeons and doctors. Egypt had an advanced understanding of the human body (Crossland, n. d). It was the Egyptians who first utilized the 365 days a year format in the calendar. It showed more precision than the original lunar calendar using the moons revolution around the earth. The Egyptian calendar came into being in 4200 BC, and became the basis for the one being used in modern times (Crossland, n. d) Sumerian Civilization While the Nile River was the venue for the Egyptian civilization, similarly the Sumerian culture flourished in the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates River around 4000 BC. Unlike other societies, however, the Sumerians had a unique community comparable to civilizations of their time as well as future societies. If pharaohs ruled Egyptian society, the Sumerians built their settlements in temples and priests were the rulers (Watkins, n. d). The Sumerian civilization was composed of separate city-states. Sumer was strategically protected by the Persian Gulf as well as by Euphrates River. From the bodies of water, the city was protected by walls. The temples were located in a separate section of the city (Watkins, n. d). The Sumerian civilization was erased from the annals of history in 2000 BC as a result of military invasions by people from Semitic culture. The most notable empire was that of Sargon (Watkins, n. d). Contributions to Modern World The Sumerians had a technology more advanced than any other civilization of their time. In fact, they influenced other civilizations particularly the Babylonians in the north. They influenced Upper Egypt through the Persian Gulf and Lower Egypt via the eastern Mediterranean coast. Finally, the civilization lying along the Indus River Valley may have some Sumerian influence as well (Watkins, n. d). The Sumerian civilization contributed cuneiform writing as well as systematic record keeping, social and economic organizations, the plow. Their most significant contribution to modern civilization is dividing a day into 24 hours and an hour to 60 minutes (Watkins, n. d). The Babylonian Civilization The culture of the Babylonians became prominent between the fall of the third Ur Dynasty which happened in 1950 BC and the conclusion of the first Babylonian civilization in 1533 BC. The ancient Babylonian culture reached its grandeur during the time of the Amorites until it became the principal city in ancient Iraq(Iraq UN Mission, n. d). King Hammurabi is the most notable ruler of ancient Babylon. He laid the groundwork for the establishment of his dynasty. Hammurabi set his sights on building a strong political and military society. He established a legal system based on the Code of Hammurabi. It is believed that this code was the basic for future legal concepts. In fact, the saying â€Å"Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth† was established on this code (Iraq UN Mission, n. d. The Akkadian Civilization The culture of Akkadia flourished from 2350 – 2159 BC. Before settling in Mesopotamia, the Akkadians hailed from the Arab peninsula. Its founder is Sargon who established Akkas as the capital city. The Akkadian culture is located in a region which is now occupied by Baghdad (Iraq UN Mission, n. d. Although there were traces of Sumerian influences, the Akkadians established new concepts and practices in the field of politics, social living, arts, and the military (Iraq UN Mission, n. d. The Persian Civilization Alexander the Great is undoubtedly the greatest ruler of Persia. During his reign, he strived to unite Persians into a great nation. Alexanders dream, however, did not materialize after he died. His military generals fought against each other in an attempt to become ruler of the once mighty Persian Empire. One of Alexanders generals succeeded in conquering the entirely Persian region of the empire (Ellis Horne, 1913). Another of the greatest Persian king was Artexerxes who ruled Persia after the Parthinians conquered the empire in 250 BC. The Persians are strong and fierce warriors who will not simply go away in battle. This was evident in the battle for Petra, one of the most notable wars in historical annals (Ellis Horne, 1913). The Greatest Civilization in the World I believe that the greatest civilization in the world is the Egyptian civilization. Their greatness in the field or architecture is still very much evident in the pyramids and the Sphinx. I have never visited the pyramids or seen the sphinx yet but accounts by tourists who have seen the colossal structure leave the place in awe. The richness of the Egyptian culture is likewise stored underneath these structures which served as tombs of ancient pharaohs. The Egyptians have likewise stamped their expertise in mathematics and astronomy. The old lunar calendar, which is based on the rotation of the moon around the earth, is a proof of their excellence in this field. References Ellis, E. S. , Horne, C. F. ,(1913). The Story of the Greatest Nations and the Worlds Famous Events. Iraq UN Mission(n. d. ). Civilizations. Retrieved June 17 2008 from http://www. iraqunmission. org/node/27 Ms. Croft-Crosslands Standard(n. d). Ancient Egypt. Retrieved June 17 2008 from http://home. cf1. rr. com/crossland/AncientCivilizations/Ancient_Egpyt/ancient_egypt. html Watkins, T(n. d. ). Sumer. San Jose State University. Retrieved June 17, 2008 from http://www. sjsu. edu/faculty/watkins/sumer. htm

Policy Development in the Hospitality Industry

Policy Development in the Hospitality Industry Introduction Standards and quality control within the hospitality industry are of critical importance, particularly within the kitchen and food safety areas of these businesses. Within this paper, the intention is to evaluate the benefits of quality tools to policy makers within the hospitality industry and discuss the effects of two of these tools in relation to a specific case example. 1) Quality Tools Quality has become a factor of importance in both the product and the service offered to the consumer. In essence it is the art of seeking a continual improvement in the processes, products and services that are provided (Dale 2003, p.5). However, when applied to hospitality, and in particular the operations of an industrial kitchen in this environment, the term â€Å"quality† also encompasses the health and safety aspect of the operation. In such cases, it is not simply a matter of ensuring that the product and service is of the quality expected by the consumer, but that it has also eliminated the health and safety risk factor, both in respect of the consumer and other business stakeholders, which include the employees who work within the kitchen environment. In other words it has to address both the internal and external issues. Thus it can be seen that there are a number of ways in which the use of quality control tools can assist to achieve its core aims, particularly within the hospitality industry. In addition to the safety of the product itself, these also relate to other aspects, which include the environment, cooking process and team effort of the business (Mortimore and Wallace 2000, p.29). With the main element of an industrial hospitality kitchen being the standard and quality of the food that is served to the customers, it is important that the quality control focuses on the safety as well as the quality of the food being prepared. In an effort to reduce the potential of complaints within this area, there are several issues that need to be addressed, such as the quality and safety of the food supplied, its storage, the method of cooking and the service to the consumer. The introduction of quality models such as the FMEA[1] and HACCP[2] systems are essential in ensuring that no issues arise in terms of the condition of food on its arrival from the supplier, the kitchen storage facilities or the cooking processes. The purpose of FMEA system works on the basis of combining risk and cause and effect analysis, with the intention of endeavouring to forecast potential system failures in advance as well as establishing what could cause such failures (Mortimore and Wallace 2000, p.2). Such failures are then judged by their severity; likelihood of happening and the ease of detection. With this information to hand it is then possible to design a solution to the problem, which includes a continual monitoring process. HACCP takes the process a step further by identifying points within the process where a potential hazard might occur and ensuring monitoring of these points. For example, if one takes potential complaints about food, this can manifest itself in several ways. Food can be contaminated at the source of supply or during the storage handling processes within the hospitality kitchen facility. Additionally, problems can arise from the cooking process. The severity of these problems can range from customer complaints in respect of over-under cooked foods to potential threatening health and safety issues such as food poisoning. The Foods Standard Agency (2007) have recently published guidelines which cover the procedures needed to prevent food incidents, which provides crucial information for the hospitality policy makers. From the supplier viewpoint this includes ensuring that the raw food and its processing, packaging and all controls for issues such as contamination are vigorously controlled and that there is a facility to enable action to be taken in the event of a complaint. Policies for food management within the Hospitality kitchen itself must include similar controls, which are subject to inspection by the local authority. These would apply to the kitchen storage facilities and their locations, which are required to ensure that food does not decompose or create additional health problems for the consumer (Knowles 2004, p.96). Similarly, the standard for training within the establishment need to be monitored to ensure appropriate hygiene standards are being adhered to by all staff (Knowles 2004, p.202). Furthermore, the hygiene and health and safety issue also applies to the employees within the business in respect of consumer’s safety. An example of these issues in reality can be demonstrated from an inspection that was conducted by Norwich City Council in relation to an office kitchen Hospitality unit (Environmental Health Food Team 2005). In this case the office in question was refurbishing their kitchen areas. The authority found several issues that needed addressing. Among these was the fact that the food storage facilities were inadequate and posed a threat to the freshness of the products, as did the fact that the staff changing rooms were located outside of the kitchen environment, which could expose their kitchen clothing to outside bacterial problems. Finally, the other aspects of quality that affects the hospitality kitchen are the health and safety issues that relate to employees. This has been evidenced by the concerns that can arise in relation to the potential back problems that can afflict an employee within the kitchen environment, as has been recognised by the Health and Safety Executive (CAIS 24 2006). As their report reveals, â€Å"back pain and upper limb disorders† are responsible for nearly 75% of the incidences of â€Å"occupational ill health,† which currently amount to in excess of two million lost work days a year, and a considerable number of these occur within the hospitality industry. Therefore it is important that policies regarding the positioning of equipment, maximum weight carrying levels and appropriate methods of lifting heavy products are instigated and monitored to ensure their compliance. Lack of such controls could lead to the employer being subjected to a claim under the Health and Saf ety legislations. 2) FMEA and HCCAP Within this section of the paper it is intended to assess the quality control procedures within a hypothetical situation. In this situation a cook chill company has conducted a FMEA on a product that is used within the hospitality. The product is a chicken casserole. The following results were recorded. Failure modes occurrence severity detection -Uneven garnish 1 1 5 -Incorrect stamp 1 9 9 -Packages edges stamped 2 6 6 What would need to be evaluated to provide a more accurate analysis in this case is the level of sampling provided, as the statistical information does affect the potential for detecting problems (Mortimore and Wallace 2000, p.190). If one applies a statistical confidence level based upon the regularity of the incidence occurring over a number of sample batches, and this reveals that the results are within a 5% band, then that level would be 95%. Statistical confidence levels are used to ascertain the level of confidence that the analyst has in the result of his findings. Applying this to the above table would result in the following results Failure modes occurrence severity detection -Uneven garnish 0.95 0.95 4.75 -Incorrect stamp 0.95 8.55 8.55 -Packages edges stamped 1.905.705.70 However, even based upon these lower result, and using 10 as the highest level of concern, the following information can be garnered. In occurrence terms, the most prolific problem relates to the issue of stamping package edges, with the least being uneven garnish. However, when one looks at the problem of severity and potential for detection the incorrect stamp are the major causes for concern, with incorrect stamping being by far the most important issue to address. Of itself, the problem of uneven garnish will not present a health and safety issue. Similarly, it cannot therefore be considered to be a hazard in that it will not result in a potential biological or chemical danger to the consumer (Mortimore and Wallace 2000, p.40). All that will result from this problem is a change in taste of the end product. Although the management may wish to address this from a quality viewpoint, it would not be the highest issue of the three to be addressed. Severity and difficulty in detection in relation to the incorrect stamp and edging stamps on the other hand do present difficulties and potential dangers, with the former being of most concern. Incorrectly packaged products can lead to health and safety issues with the consumer. For example, a vegetarian would be seriously displeased if they found that the chilli casserole that they thought contained no meat actually contained chicken. Similarly, for persons with allergies, the incorrect packaging could present problems. However, the problem with the edging stamp would be at a two-thirds level of importance compared with the labelling issue. Furthermore, one has to define the exact issue arising from the incorrect labelling as to whether it can be considered a health and safety hazard (Skelton 1997, p.6). If the problem was an incorrect date then the hazard is more significant that if it is just incorrect ingredients, as the former could lead to ill health affecting the consumer. Whilst ingredient errors may produce displeasure and complaint from the consumer, incorrect dating could lead to potential food poisoning and other health problems. It is at this latter stage that the real effect of a HACCP analysis, an alternative method for identifying potential issues (Skelton 1997, p.67) would be beneficial. HACCP views the process from the raw product stage until it ends up on the consumers plate and seeks to identify the critical points at which the problems identified above are likely to occur. As a result of this analysis it is possible for the policy maker in the Hospitality kitchen to institute a procedure that will ensure that these points are closely monitored in an effort to eradicate the problem, with records maintained at all times (Mortimore and Wallace 2000, p.2). From the above analysis it is apparent that, although from a individual viewpoint packaging does not present a health and safety issue (Mortimore and Wallace 2000, p.120), it is the fact that the information displayed upon it that, as has already been identified, creates the hazard. Therefore, the combination of the errors and hazards identified could produce serious problems in terms of the potential effect on the consumer’s health and, as a result, could lead to the management of the hospitality kitchen being prosecuted. Conclusion From the information and analysis that has been conducted for this paper, it is apparent that as part of the effective management of a kitchen within the hospitality industry the policy maker must ensure that, as a integral part of the management strategy, the issues of failure and hazard awareness and the methods of reducing the incidence of these risks are taken into account. Therefore, it is essential that every aspect of the process and operations of their kitchens be subjected to an FMEA and HACCP analysis. This should encompass the food supply chain; the maintenance and efficiency of equipment and the safety of their employees as well as their consumers. These finding support the beneficial use that such quality tools provide for the hospitality policy maker. References CAIS 24 (2006). Preventing back pain and other aches and pains to kitchen and food service staff. Health and Safety Executive. London, UK. Dale, Barrie (2003). Managing Quality. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Oxford, UK. Environmental Health Food Team (2005). Food Premises Inspection Report, Norwich City Council. Retrieved 16 May 2007 from http://www.norwich.gov.uk/intranet_docs/A-Z/Environmental%20Health/2005/Food_Awards/Mills_and_Reeve_Insp_151105.pdf Foods Standards Agency (2007). Principles for preventing and responding to food incidents. Retrieved 16 May 2007 from http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/principles23mar07 Knowles, Tim (2004). Food Safety in the Hospitality Industry. Butterworth-Heinmann Ltd. Oxford, UK. Mortimore, Sara and Wallace, Carol (2000). HACCP. A Practical Approach. Aspen Publishing. Maryland, US. Skelton, Bob (1997). Process Safety Analysis. An Introduction. Guld Publishing. Houston, US. Footnotes [1] Failure modes and effects Analysis [2] Hazard analysis and critical control points Policy Development in the Hospitality Industry Policy Development in the Hospitality Industry Brief 199613 POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Question 1: In the context of the CDM Regulations and the refurbishment of a floor of bedrooms in a multi storey hotel, critically outline the purpose and content of the Health and Safety Plan and Health and Safety File. Discuss the relationship between the two components and how the Health and Safety File will be of benefit to contractors in the future. Critically assess the merits of the Building Regulations application process and construction technique utilised for Mcdonalds modular drive through restaurants. The following will evaluate the best way of refurbishing a floor of bedrooms in a multi storey hotel so that the renovated building complies with all relevant health and safety legislation and regulations. The requirement to meet all the relevant health and safety legislation and standards means that the designers and the builders of renovations are as legally responsible as the hotel owners for all breeches of those requirements. Failure to meet regulatory standards could leave the constructors liable for civil prosecution or prone to litigation by the hotel owners, the hotel staff besides the hotel guests. Prosecution or litigation that could take years after the original renovation was actually completed (Youell, 2003 p. 99). The best way to develop a renovation plan that will receive planning permission from the appropriate local authority is to know exactly which health and safety regulations the proposed renovation needs to fully comply with. If the hotel is exempt from any of the health and safety regulations or the hotel owners believe that it is exempt from those standards it is always best to double check. Besides ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it, and it will not protect contractors from legal action been taken against them. Of more immediate concern for contractors tasked with renovations a failure to abide to all building or health and safety regulations could result in the refusal of planning permission. After all it will only cause delays if the renovation plans are refused planning permission or if such breeches of the health and safety standards are missed at that stage and leave the design firm as well as the hotel owners liable to prosecution or litigation. Renovation w ork that does not reach the required health and safety standards might not be good enough to last over the long-term without the need to be repaired or eventually replaced due to its low quality (Youell, 2003 p. 99). Therefore to ensure that the renovation proposals receive planning permission and are legally sound a Health and Safety Plan as well as a Health and Safety File are necessarily developed and maintained to safeguard the building contractors and the hotel owners from both accidents and legal proceedings. The purpose of the health and safety plan is to ensure that the hotel will be fully compliant with the health and safety regulations that it is required to meet so as to function legally as a hotel. To make a fully functioning health and safety plan not only needs a strong knowledge of relevant regulations; it also requires the blueprints or plans for the hotel itself. An understanding of the hotel’s layout is essential with regard to making the health and safety plan practical and well designed. The objective of the health and safety plan is to make sure all the safety measures within the hotel are clearly accessible thus allowing both hotel staff and all hotel guests to remain safe in any emergency situation. The content of the health and safety plan would include the design layout and the exact location of fire fighting equipment, first exits, fire alarms, and any available first aid facilities. The plan should also include where hotel employees and guests meet, should the hotel have to be evacuated, especially in the event of a fire taking hold of the premises. Consideration should also be given to the fitting of smoke alarms, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems (Youell, 2003 p. 99). Besides considering fire safety procedures, and first aid measures the health and safety plan should include measures to maintain hygiene standards in the kitchens, toilets, dining areas, and the guest bedrooms. Good hygiene standards are needed to ensure that the hotel remains clean, tidy, and free of dirt, allowing the hotel staff and all guests to avoid food poisoning or infection. The plan needs take into account the location of the kitchens, rubbish bins, and toilets in relation to the bedrooms used by guests. Poor hygiene standards and food poisoning could prove to be very bad for the future of the hotel, as it may bring it to the attention of environmental health officers that have the power to close it down until the hotel meets the minimum required regulatory standards (Bloomsbury, 2005 p.124). Another factor for maintaining the good hygiene of the hotel is the straightforward one of guests not wishing to return to dirty and unclean accommodation (Bloomsbury, 2005 p. 155). The purpose of the Health And Safety File is to record how the hotel complies with all relevant regulations before, during, and after the proposed renovations. The file is meant to ensure that the hotel sticks to the measures it set out in the Health and Safety Plan. The file should record the health and safety performance of the hotel with regard to the maintenance of equipment, facilities, as well as all the procedures that enhance safety standards or good hygiene. The Health and Safety File should also keep a note of all the training that the staff at the hotel is given in respect of maintaining and implementing safety measures and all hygiene standards. The hotel staff should ideally be given training to use fire fighting equipment when it is safe to do so, to provide first aid when needed, and carry out practice fire safety drills. When necessary staff will need to be given extra training should they not perform their duties to a high enough level to comply with the standards se t out in regulations. The Health and Safety File should also ensure that all hotel guests have access to information about the location of fire safety equipment, first aid facilities, and the assembly point in case of the hotel being evacuated (Youell, 2003 p. 99). There should be a strong relationship between the Health and Safety Plan and the Health and Safety File. The two items should compliment each other, as together they provide the means to plan and implement safety and hygiene standards at the hotel. The Health and Safety Plan sets out how the safety and hygiene standards will be achieved, whilst the Health and Safety File is intended to record what is actually happening at the hotel in terms of complying with regulations. The Health and Safety File by itself could be very useful to any contractors that need to carry out any building or renovation work at the hotel, as a means of checking the record of the hotel in meeting regulatory requirements. Contractors would be able to consult the Health and Safety File if they have any queries regarding the equipment, facilities, as well as the safety and hygiene procedures used by the staff at the hotel. If the Health and Safety File has been kept up to date consulting it will allow the contra ctors to know whether or not the hotel has been adhering to the regulations it is legally supposed to do at all times. Knowing if the hotel is not complying with regulation would give the contractor the opportunity to suggest building alterations or changes in safety and hygiene procedures that if implemented mean the hotel does comply with all relevant regulations (Bloomsbury, 2005 p. 155). There are ways of ensuring that a company only has to pay minimal attention to completing Health and Safety Plans and Files without breaking the regulations or ignoring the spirit of the law. The fast food company MacDonalds has probably devised the best way of minimising the planning permission required whilst adhering to the statutory safety and hygiene standards set out in regulations and legislation. As a company MacDonalds has made its fortune and its reputation by the mass standardisation of its restaurants, equipment, staff training, marketing image, and finally but by no means least its food products. People know what they are going to get when they go into a MacDonalds anywhere in the world, and more of them like it than dislike it (www.LHC.ORG.UK). MacDonalds believe that the standardisation process is definitely a successful strategy when it comes down to gaining rapid planning permission and complying with safety and hygiene standards. Planning authorities will be made aw are by the company that their restaurants are pr-designed to pass safety and hygiene standards, whilst all new staff will be fully trained to make sure that standards are always adhered to (Mason, 2005 p.44). The senior management are well aware of the benefits of standardisation, if one design passes safety and hygiene standards it is adopting that design for all its restaurants as that makes financial, marketing, and practical sense to do so (www.LHC.ORG.UK). MacDonalds have developed modular drive through restaurants as a method of constructing new outlets quickly at the same time as passing the Building Regulations application process. As a company MacDonalds has always set out to have all its ordinary and drive through restaurants designed to look exactly the same as each other as well as also having the same features and equipment. For MacDonalds having restaurants that look the same everywhere they are constructed has been a highly successful branding strategy and exercise that has allowed the firm to expand impressively across the globe. To be more precise it is a global franchise which, has expanded due to its high profits and relatively low capital costs (Mason, 2005 p. 44). However the merits of using modular designs go beyond marketing ploys and serve pragmatic purposes. When MacDonalds set out to design its modular drive through restaurants it certainly took the Building Regulation application process into account. The modular drive through restaurant was designed to meet safety and hygiene standards in as many countries as possible, so that they could be constructed in as many places as the company would like. The low cost of construction when combined with the ease of gaining planning at the same time as being able to pass all safety and hygiene standards makes buying into the MacDonalds franchise a good investment. The prefabricated structures have the advantage of not requiring a high degree of planning permission than buildings wholly constructed on site (www.LHC.ORG.UK). MacDonalds have found that with experience that prefabricated designs that already fully meet planning requirements and regulations will undoubtedly gain full building permission quickly wherever the proposed restaurant is located. The rapid gaining of building permission allows MacDonalds to have all its new drive through restaurants trading sooner rather than later. The new drive through restaurants thus quickly re-coup their modest construction costs and go into profit. Profits are not only made quickly; they are also made over a long-term basis as well. The use of prefabricated designs and materials therefore allows MacDonalds to expand its total number of restaurants at a much lower capital cost than many of its competitors. The beauty of the modular drive through restaurant design is that it is cheap and durable, yet it could also be quickly modified if it needed to be (Mason, 2005 p. 44). The modular design allows for standardised equipment to be fitted, equipment that could b e easily updated modified or completely replaced should building regulations alter, or if the company purchases improved equipment. The modular design is meant to be really simple to construct, maintain and keep clean. The simplicity of the kitchen areas is intended to make it easier to train staff to cook and prepare food as well as cleaning areas to maintain hygiene standards. The training of staff does not take long as all processes and procedures, as well as equipment and food is standardised. The simplicity of the whole operation means that food is prepared, cooked, and served faster (Bloomsbury, 2005 p. 117). Simplicity and standardisation keep costs low, product prices highly competitive, and the company’s profits high. Providing that all staff are trained and keep to the procedures they are taught the company should always be able to maintain safety and hygiene standards whilst never having to wait long for planning permission (www.LHC.ORG.UK). Question 2: Explain how the analysis of a local authority Development Plan can help the senior management team of a national hotel chain identify a suitable site for a new budget hotel in a particular locality? The majority of local authorities in Britain will have development plans to control where and whether new businesses or retail units would be constructed within the areas they control the planning for. Local authorities make up Development Plans as a means of generating wealth, creating jobs and regenerating run down districts and would wish to include such firms within their Development Plan. Development Plan would include the precise locations of where the new offices, hotels, and retail units would be sited. The Development Plan provides further useful information for the senior management to consider besides the proposed or the approved locations of other companies. For instance, every Development Plan should give the location of roads, motorways, railways, and rivers near or within the locality controlled by the local authority concerned. Other information that could be relevant to the locating of the new budget hotel could include local tourist attractions or places that would make hotels less attractive for potential guests, like waste ground, factories, or prisons. If the new budget hotel could be located near the most attractive features of the town or city it is a bonus in terms of marketing the hotel before it opens and expanding the number guests once it has opened. If the company has to locate the hotel in a less attractive site the company could consider pulling out of its construction or consider different ways of marketing it if it is actually built. The company would however wish to avoid being located in areas where it could not guarantee the safety of their guests and their staff, as more would have to be spent on security measures such as fencing or patrolled car parks. The company could find it useful to contact local people and possibly the Police to find out which parts of the town or city they need to avoid when picking the locality of their new budget hotel. Local authorities will make the Development Plan available for the public and b usinesses to examine which allows any firms that wish to open premises within the area to apply for a place within that plan. For the Senior Management of a budget hotel chain that would want to open a new hotel inside a particular locality being able to analyse the local authority’s Development Plan would offer definite advantages when it comes to making the new budget hotel a long-term success (www.LHC.ORG.UK). The exact location of any new budget hotel could make all the difference between it being a successful part of the firm or it being a loss making failure. From a study of the Development Plan the Senior Management should be aware of the alternative sites available for the location of the proposed new hotel, as well as the placing of other new businesses within the development area. Senior Management should have a strong knowledge of the best places and the worst places to locate new budget hotels when it comes down to maximising the number of guests that stay there. Analysing the Development Plan would make Senior Management fully aware of the local authority intentions of which firms to allocate land to, for the construction of their new outlets, offices, or hotels. The most prestigious firms will want to locate in the most prime positions possible to fit in with their corporate image, whilst a low budget hotel firm might not need to do the same. A low budget hotel does not have to obtain a prestigious land site, it does however have to be based if at all possible on land that is near to town or city centres, and ideally is easily accessible for as many potential guests as possible. The senior management would find it useful to locate the new budget hotel near the main roads, the railway, close to local businesses, and preferably with free secure car parking spaces available. Such a location would be a good selling point to business travellers and tourists a like. If they could gain an accurate analysis of the Development Plan then it increases the chances of securing a good locality for the new budget hotel (www.LHC.ORG.UK). The hotel company could benefit from examining the Development Plan as it would allow them to know if they could use prefabricated designs that permit the construction to be finished earlier and thus earning revenue sooner. If the hotel chain already uses prefabricated designs and construction techniques then it will them greater flexibility when it comes down to the precise locality of the new budget hotel. Flexibility that stems from the savings in construction costs being able to provide a bit of leeway if the price of being in a better location is higher than first anticipated. A sound understanding of the development plan would enable senior management to have the locality and the rapid construction of the new budget hotel finalised as soon as possible. Such an understanding would thus grant the company more time to advertise the opening of the new hotel at an early stage to maximise the number of guests upon its opening. The evaluation of the Development Plan would also give se nior management a precise idea of the number of hotels within the town or city that are already built and those hotels that are planned. Knowledge of the hotels within the district gives senior management invaluable information when it comes down to the marketing, and pricing strategy for the new budget hotel which could make all the difference between success and failure. Knowing the nature, location, as well as the strengths and the weaknesses of all its rivals within the locality could certainly prove very beneficial to the senior management in selling the merits of the new budget hotel in relation to its competitors. Senior management could also take advantage of the company’s brand name and its reputation. Marketing for the new budget hotel should emphasis that the locality will soon be able to benefit from the arrival of a low cost hotel that happens to provide high quality service (www.LHC.ORG.UK). Bibliography Bloomsbury Reference, (2005) Dictionary of Leisure, Travel, and Tourism – 3rd edition, Bloomsbury, London Mason P (2005) Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management, Elsvier, London www.LHC.ORG.UK Youell R, (2003) Complete A-Z Travel Leisure Handbook – 2nd edition, Hodder Stoughton, London