Customer Service in Leisure and Recreation Essay

The Importance of Customer Service Increased sales are one of the key ways to tell how well the company is doing. Excellent customer service means customers will buy more and recommend more products and services other people, which will add to the increase in sales. While sales are very important to leisure and recreation organisations, another way to measure the success is in terms of customer numbers, which is particularly true for non-profit making organisations. Customer service plays a major role in attracting new customers and the main source of this is the powerful influence of word of mouth. Existing customers who are impressed by the customer service at an organisation will tell other people about it. This means that an organisation keeps its existing customers as well as gaining new ones. An effective customer service policy is that customers will view the organisation in a positive way. This means the image of the organisation will be enhanced by the standard of customer service. Having a good public image is very important for: * Attracting new customers * Retaining existing customers * Reinforcing customer satisfaction * Securing repeat business * Gaining an edge over the competition An organisations public image is the mental picture that we have of the organisation. This can be based on our own experience, what others have told us about it or on what the organisation itself has told us about via its marketing activities such as advertising and public relations. Read more:Â  Recreational Activity Example Television programmes such as Watchdog also help us for an image in our heads, especially when they start reporting viewer’s complaints. This could have a very bad effect on the organisation. Good customer service can also enhance the image of an organisations individual products or services. For example, customers may have a positive image of a sports centre, but also have a positive image of the individual products and services such as the reservations system and changing facilities. Good customer service gives an organisation a competitive advantage. If you sell a similar product or service, you gain an edge by offering a better quality service and this gives a greater chance of attracting customers. A pleasant working environment is another benefit of good customer service. If customers receive good customer service, they will respond in a friendly and appreciative manner. Customer satisfaction is extremely important in a business and this means the organisation must meet the needs and expectations of the customers. Customer loyalty is very important in a business and good customer service helps reinforce customers loyalty to the organisation with every visit they make. If customers are loyal, they are likely to return and these people are known as repeat customers. This means the customers of the past become the customers of the future. If an organisation has poor customer service, they will suffer from: * Decreased sales * Fewer customers * A poor public image * An absence of competitive edge * An unhappy and less efficient workforce * Dissatisfied customers * Lack of customer loyalty and repeat business Personal Presentation The first impression the customer gets of personal presentation is very important as it is one they will never forget. It directly influences customers’ satisfaction and the image they have of the organisation. Personal presentation includes appearance, personal hygiene, personality and attitude. Appearance covers everything from clothes and footwear, to hair, make-up and jewellery. The reasons for providing staff with a uniform are: * It helps create a positive first impression * Staff are recognised instantly as working for a specific organisation * It is easy to identify a member of staff when a customer needs advice or assistance * It can indicate the department in which a member of staff works * It helps to create a professional corporate image A lot of organisations now provide their employees with a uniform. Organisations rely on their employees judgement for deciding what is and is not acceptable in terms of appearance. Some organisations set ground rules and to a large extent, this reflects the nature of the organisation and the type of customer it serves. For example, a five star hotel will be very strict with the dress code of the employees who work at the front-of-house. They will be required to wear a uniform and it may also include rules on footwear, hairstyling and make-up. The most important point is to make sure that dress and general appearance suit the job, the organisation and the customer’s expectations. On the other hand, the organisation should make sure that the uniform is comfortable, easy to maintain and look appropriate for staff of all builds. Anyone serving customers should have excellent standards of personal hygiene. Different types of organisations will have different standards of personal hygiene, for example, anyone who works in the food industry will be expected to wash their hands at least a dozen times a day. First impressions also come from the employees own personality. Again, different jobs require different personalities. A children’s sport coach will require a different personality to a personal fitness instructor because they are working with different types of people. From the personality of the employee, people can tell a lot about the organisation itself. The employee’s attitude towards the customer is critical. The customers feel that they want as much attention as possible when they go into a workplace and if an employees attitude is poor, they may feel neglected and not wanted. Types of Customers Customers have different needs depending on who they are and the circumstances. There is a difference between internal and external customers. Internal customers are members of staff or outside suppliers who contribute towards the service provided for the external customers. External customers are the people who actually buy or use the organisation’s products and services. External customers are then categorised into individual, group, age, culture, language spoken and specific needs. Many leisure and recreation providers serve groups and the individuals who compromise them in ways that enhance and promote customer service. Customer age groups are classified as children and adults. Although the companies feel the age of the customers is important, they also feel it is important not to make assumptions about customers’ needs based solely on age. Cultural background influences people’s traditions, tastes, preferences and opinions and it will therefore influence the type of service they need and expect. It is also important not to make assumptions on the culture of the customer. Foreign visitors are an increasingly important part of the UK tourism market. People still want to feel that they can be dealt with even though there is a language barrier. Large organisations often employ multi-lingual staff to communicate with non-English speaking customers. Some customers have specific needs that may require special customer service in addition to that provided to meet the general needs of everybody. These include sensory disabilities, mobility problems, literacy, dietary requirements and people with young children. Dealing with Customers Almost everyone working in the leisure and recreation industry has to deal with customers, whether be face-to-face, on the phone or in writing. Face-to-face communication has many advantages but only the staff use it well. For example, your presentation can help create a positive image. You can also use facial expressions and gestures to help communicate more effectively. Telephone communication is used in most leisure centres and it provides an essential part of customer service. Some organisations even use the telephone as the main method of dealing with the customers. For some organisations, written communication is the main way of keeping in touch with customers. Menus, tariffs or price lists and letters are all forms of written communication, along with bills, advertisements, notice boards, tickets, e-mails and timetables. Non-verbal communication comprises all forms of communication that are spoken or written down. 80% of communication is non-verbal, so it is clearly very important in customer service. Body language is the main form of non-verbal communication and people can tell how interested the staff are just by looking at them. Selling Skills Selling skills are an important part of customer service. Every time somebody asks for help, advice or information, it is probably a selling situation. As a member of staff, you should be helping customers a lot and to be able to do this effectively, you should have good knowledge of the products and services you are trying to sell. Customers can only buy products and services from an organisation if they know they exist, therefore raising customer awareness is a key part of selling skills Establishing rapport with the customer means encouraging a conservation in which the staff and the customer are both communicating on the same level. Within this category, you must also make the customer feel they have your undivided attention without being too over the top. The easiest way for staff to identify the customer’s needs is to ask if they need any help. From the reply, the staff will be able to decide what further questions to ask to identify the customer’s specific needs. Presenting the product or service to the customer in an appropriate way is important. For example, is someone wants to buy something but cannot afford it, then the staff should suggest something of a similar range but at a less expensive price. Closing the sale means actually getting the customer to buy the product or service you are offering. Some people may wish to go away and think about the offer that has just been made and in this case, it is probably a good idea to reserve the product or service. Taking a customers payment is also included in closing a sale. This should be done cheerfully, politely, friendly and gratefully to make the customer feel that they have made the correct choice by buying this product or service from this store or centre. Customer service does not end when the customer hands over their money. This is known as after-sales service and sometimes this will be immediate such as asking the customer of they have enjoyed their visit. Sometimes, if people subscribe to a gym for a year, they may need help in using the service after a couple of months. This is where after-sale service comes in useful. A technique known as AIDA is used in the design of advertising and promotional material and when considering effective selling skills. A stands for attention, I stands for interest, D stands for desire and A stands for action. If you use this technique, it will result in the customer desiring the product and therefore taking action by buying it.

Media Studies

April 5, 2013Unit 3 – Lesson 14 – Key Question #30Keitlin Okell In today’s society the media can portray different â€Å"groups† in certain ways towards society. One of these groups are teenagers; the realities that are portrayed within this specific group can be very misunderstood or very accurate depending on what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†, values are also constructed within the media around us as teenagers not valuing what was valued in the past generations.Finally with the different media surrounding everyone’s lives, the commercial factors do influence the media with the â€Å"teenager† topic with giving teenagers a bad image sometimes but however the commercial factors can give a positive look on teenagers. If people were asked what their first thoughts of when they heard the word â€Å"teenager†, the first thoughts that come to their mind will probably shock you, with it being; negative, wild, irresponsibl e, immortal, violent, monsters, etc. These type of thoughts that are constructed about teenagers come from the media and what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†.What is seen in the media the â€Å"glamorous† lifestyles of teenagers that go out to drink, party, abuse alcohol and drugs, deal with violence, and other inappropriate actions; all these actions are shown within movies, TV shows (reality or not), newspaper and even music. An example is the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, this movie is about cliches, and how the high school life â€Å"is†, with the lies, sex, drinking, and not showing the positives of being a teenager and the difficulties that every teenager goes through. The media doesn’t show the hard part of being a teenager such as being bullied, exams, stress and insecurities.Also what is not shown within the media about teenagers is that they do care about politics, society’s issues, the environment, volunteering, their school work and other positive activities. Realistic wise, the media over exaggerates the topic of being a teenager because the media thrives on scandals even if that includes over reacting the â€Å"life of a teenager†; this is to get the audiences reaction, awareness and entertainment all at once. The values that are represented about teenagers are right but are also wrong.The negative values that are represented for teenagers is that they don’t care about â€Å"anything†, self-discipline, self- control is not as important as it was before. Teenage girls seem to be known to have the values of â€Å"teenage pregnancy†, while other teenagers have values of smoking weed, drinking, having a good time rather than having a good education, a future and moral values that will be needed to everyday life. On the other hand the positive values that are shown about teenagers are their families, education, respecting ourselves including our bodies, and some people might th ink this is bad but it could be a good thing, technology.Technology is growing every day and affecting everybody’s lives one way or another so the opinion that the teenager values technology all depends on the person’s thoughts. The social consequences of media portraying teenagers in this manner is that teenagers get a bad â€Å"image† and when someone sees a teenager now a days they will think they are up to no good, having no hope for the future generations including us and the generation after us. Teenagers have this â€Å"bad image† of being irresponsible, untrusted, and just unappreciated takes a toll on someone and they can act out and do the actions everybody expects them to do.Also what could happen is that with such a high expectation for somebody it can just be too much for that one person and that is where more problems can appear. Other social consequences that the media can contribute to is when on the TV, teenagers see these celebrities eat so much but yet have those â€Å"perfect† bodies that everybody seem to want, having commercials with models that look flawless when in reality they don’t look like that but of course the media doesn’t tell the audience that.The final discussion I want to talk about is the commercial factors that influence the media; the media mostly shows a Caucasian attractive person who is very confident and it seems to be that this â€Å"person† is in every TV show, commercial, movie, etc. The commercials that are shown in today’s society vary different objectives in the audience in what they want to sell or promote, it can be from a new smartphone (new technology) to a campaign about stopping bullying. The media is influencing the commercial factors by showing the audience of what â€Å"teenagers want† and what â€Å"teenagers need† as in help having a voice in bullying for example.The commercials can either show a positive look on teenagers or a negative look, normally the media has a little of both and that can influence a teenager either in a good way or bad. For example you see commercials that set awareness of drinking and driving or texting and driving giving teenagers a new outlook of what could possibly happen if they do these actions which in this case will leave a positive influence on teenagers in making the right choice. Commercial factors can influence teenagers, but in the end it all depends on the eenager and their thoughts and values. In the end, media does influence teenagers as it also portrays a good and bad image even if it’s realistic or not. The media has two sides of this, the â€Å"seen† and the â€Å"not seen† realities of teenagers, the values can be depicted by the audience if the teenagers values are true or not. The social consequences can vary but can be very serious with the media surrounding everybody every day and with the commercial factors that are also influenced by the media the teenager topic can either be looked at in a positive way or negative. Media Studies April 5, 2013Unit 3 – Lesson 14 – Key Question #30Keitlin Okell In today’s society the media can portray different â€Å"groups† in certain ways towards society. One of these groups are teenagers; the realities that are portrayed within this specific group can be very misunderstood or very accurate depending on what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†, values are also constructed within the media around us as teenagers not valuing what was valued in the past generations.Finally with the different media surrounding everyone’s lives, the commercial factors do influence the media with the â€Å"teenager† topic with giving teenagers a bad image sometimes but however the commercial factors can give a positive look on teenagers. If people were asked what their first thoughts of when they heard the word â€Å"teenager†, the first thoughts that come to their mind will probably shock you, with it being; negative, wild, irresponsibl e, immortal, violent, monsters, etc. These type of thoughts that are constructed about teenagers come from the media and what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†.What is seen in the media the â€Å"glamorous† lifestyles of teenagers that go out to drink, party, abuse alcohol and drugs, deal with violence, and other inappropriate actions; all these actions are shown within movies, TV shows (reality or not), newspaper and even music. An example is the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, this movie is about cliches, and how the high school life â€Å"is†, with the lies, sex, drinking, and not showing the positives of being a teenager and the difficulties that every teenager goes through. The media doesn’t show the hard part of being a teenager such as being bullied, exams, stress and insecurities.Also what is not shown within the media about teenagers is that they do care about politics, society’s issues, the environment, volunteering, their school work and other positive activities. Realistic wise, the media over exaggerates the topic of being a teenager because the media thrives on scandals even if that includes over reacting the â€Å"life of a teenager†; this is to get the audiences reaction, awareness and entertainment all at once. The values that are represented about teenagers are right but are also wrong.The negative values that are represented for teenagers is that they don’t care about â€Å"anything†, self-discipline, self- control is not as important as it was before. Teenage girls seem to be known to have the values of â€Å"teenage pregnancy†, while other teenagers have values of smoking weed, drinking, having a good time rather than having a good education, a future and moral values that will be needed to everyday life. On the other hand the positive values that are shown about teenagers are their families, education, respecting ourselves including our bodies, and some people might th ink this is bad but it could be a good thing, technology.Technology is growing every day and affecting everybody’s lives one way or another so the opinion that the teenager values technology all depends on the person’s thoughts. The social consequences of media portraying teenagers in this manner is that teenagers get a bad â€Å"image† and when someone sees a teenager now a days they will think they are up to no good, having no hope for the future generations including us and the generation after us. Teenagers have this â€Å"bad image† of being irresponsible, untrusted, and just unappreciated takes a toll on someone and they can act out and do the actions everybody expects them to do.Also what could happen is that with such a high expectation for somebody it can just be too much for that one person and that is where more problems can appear. Other social consequences that the media can contribute to is when on the TV, teenagers see these celebrities eat so much but yet have those â€Å"perfect† bodies that everybody seem to want, having commercials with models that look flawless when in reality they don’t look like that but of course the media doesn’t tell the audience that.The final discussion I want to talk about is the commercial factors that influence the media; the media mostly shows a Caucasian attractive person who is very confident and it seems to be that this â€Å"person† is in every TV show, commercial, movie, etc. The commercials that are shown in today’s society vary different objectives in the audience in what they want to sell or promote, it can be from a new smartphone (new technology) to a campaign about stopping bullying. The media is influencing the commercial factors by showing the audience of what â€Å"teenagers want† and what â€Å"teenagers need† as in help having a voice in bullying for example.The commercials can either show a positive look on teenagers or a negative look, normally the media has a little of both and that can influence a teenager either in a good way or bad. For example you see commercials that set awareness of drinking and driving or texting and driving giving teenagers a new outlook of what could possibly happen if they do these actions which in this case will leave a positive influence on teenagers in making the right choice. Commercial factors can influence teenagers, but in the end it all depends on the eenager and their thoughts and values. In the end, media does influence teenagers as it also portrays a good and bad image even if it’s realistic or not. The media has two sides of this, the â€Å"seen† and the â€Å"not seen† realities of teenagers, the values can be depicted by the audience if the teenagers values are true or not. The social consequences can vary but can be very serious with the media surrounding everybody every day and with the commercial factors that are also influenced by the media the teenager topic can either be looked at in a positive way or negative.

Article on a Person I Admire Essay

Depressed bulimic is a role model However inadequate to being a role model a depressed person struggling with bulimia might seem, our history holds an unquestionably notable one. Married to The Prince of Wales, Diana Frances became the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed touching an HIV-infected child and at once the most loved Princess of all times. Her life and activities had a significant impact on changing people’s attitudes and making the world a better place, for which I admire her greatly. The first Englishwomen married into the Royal Family had it not downhill, but no sooner had she been allowed to speak for herself irrespective of the Palace opinions than she became immersed in numerous charitable causes including getting involved in the AIDS research, which was strongly disapproved of by the Royals. Despite all criticism Lady Di continued throughout her marriage to patronise over one hundred nonprofit organisations. Increasing public awareness of the land mines issue and its dreadful consequences is also an achievement we should ascribe to The Princess of Wales. Doing all the charity stuff is, one may say, one thing and changing people’s lives is another, but still we have to give credit where credit is due, and the „Queen of Hearts† sure deserves one. Having problems as serious and discomforting to talk about as the rest of the nation (loveless marriage, bulimia, depression) and openly talking about them brought her closer to people than any other prominent figure has ever been. Her strength and confidence while overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles inspired others and encouraged them to make the best of a bad job. Although it has been over a decade since her death, Princess Diana is still looked up to and thought of as a women who was at once a royal personage and a compassionate friend. She would use all the media attention she was being given due to her position, status and fame to help those in need, especially the victims of diseases, poverty and social intolerance. (337)

Social and Economic Impact on Managerial Education Solutions Research Paper

Social and Economic Impact on Managerial Education Solutions - Research Paper Example A most vital element of the study in manager decision is considered with the economic view on the decision concern. In accordance with this viewpoint, self-attracted peoples are synchronized throughout the employment of, typically financial, rewards and punishments. We could observe obviously at this time that a viewpoint on manager decision is created on a commencement of human nature; in the economic viewpoint, this would be the self-attracted rational individual. On the origin of this economic viewpoint, several appliances and techniques were elaborated ahead. In the precedent few decades, four advancements were pointed out in a study that could not be gathered effortlessly by the neo-classical as well as new-institutional economics supported perception on manager decision. A lot of experiential studies demonstrate that the running methods for managing a hospitality industry are established to vary from the resolutions agreed by the economic viewpoint. First, manager decision does not depend exclusively on financial rewards other than also on other variables, for instance, civilizing components, grouping belongings, and precedent decisions. Second, the function of rule-following attitude for manager decision was pointed out. It appears to be significant whether novel decisions contest the choices that previously subsist in a hospitality industry. How do you mingle the numerous possessions in a hospitality industry, similar to human personnel and intelligence, assets, industrial capacities and financial wealth? Certainly, this is one of the fundamental questions of trade, hospitality industry, and economics. Within the sphere of this problem there is another query: how do we create peoples effort together in such a method that hospitality industrial objectives are provided? On a yet more exact stage, we have the question: how could we create self-attracted peoples with deviating objectives work together? And lastly, we could pose: what financial rewards and punishments constrain objective resemblance within a hospitality industry? These are questions that are intimately connected to a lot of beginning of education decision.

ITM 301 Mod 5 CBT Principles of Information Systems in Business and Essay

ITM 301 Mod 5 CBT Principles of Information Systems in Business and Organizations - Essay Example So these are very effective in improving organizational performance (Jackson, 2006). Groupware applications are also decision support systems that include Collaboration tools with additional facilities regarding this type of decisions. They provide time management, project management systems, workflow systems, knowledge management systems and lot of other facilities that useful for organization decision making. You only have to load the project related data, these system analyze time line, resources, and other planning related factors to predict the required results (Adams. et al, 1992). How an organization can choose a groupware application for its working and making its infrastructure more efficient and managed? There are many factors that are needed to elaborate before the choice of groupware application. They include organizational structure and its working design. There are also many difficulties with groupware systems like these are relatively complex systems. The main problem is every person is different from other; dealing with all type of people in a single application is really a big challenge. So groupware applications are designed in such a way that they can address all people requirements (Adams. et al, 1992). The problem in many cases is that groupware systems are relatively complex, made up of numerous elements that can be assembled in different ways by different people at different times. Unfortunately, only there are few improvements, but its not always clear in advance what they are, and because systems tend to be implemented in small steps, its often hard to arrive at optimal configurations for these technologies (Jackson, 2006). The reciprocal nature of systems and organizational design processes is that deigning/planning done by a system is more rigid and inflexible as compared to human designed situations. In this case it is complicated that human can

Child Labor Issues Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Child Labor Issues - Research Paper Example Increasingly, there are reports of children working in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for low wages in the global South in the production of both domestic goods and goods for Western businesses (Hart, 2008). Although child labor is typically associated with poverty and is more pervasive in developing countries, child labor is an issue globally (Dagdemir & Acaroglu, 2010). This research study analyzes the issue of child labor as well as identifies the political, cultural and economic factors that commonly contribute to the persistence of exploitive child labor. By identifying the common political, cultural and economic factors that contribute to the persistence of child labor, we can formulate recommendations for responding to those factors with a view to reducing, if not eliminating exploitive child labor. This research study is therefore divided into four main parts. The first part of this paper defines child labor,the international community’s, policies and laws regulating child labor. The second part of this paper identifies the persistence of child labor globally. The third part of this paper examines the key factors contributing to exploitive child labor. The final part of this paper makes recommendations for eliminating or at the very least reducing child labor. Contents Abstract 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 Definition of Child Labor 5 International Regulation of Child Labor 6 Global Trends in Child Labor 9 Child Labor: Factors, Issues and Concerns 14 Conclusion and Recommendations 19 Recommendations 19 Conclusion 22 Introduction The most recent data in 2010 from the International Labor Organization(ILO) (2010) reveals that child labor is a major issue globally. There are approximately 215 million children characterised as child laborers globally with 306 million children characterized as employed (ILO, 2010). While the latest data reflects a reduction child labor since 2000, the numbers stalled as of 2006 and the number of child laboreres globally remains unacceptable (International Labor Organization, 2010). According to the International Labor Organization (2010), agriculture remains the sector most frequently associated with child labor with Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and West Asia identified as the most problematic areas. Increasingly children are working in unsafe conditions in agriculture in the production of global agricultural goods such as bananas, rubber, tobacco, cocoa, tea, coffee and cotton (International Labor Organization, 2010). Child labor in agriculture is not restricted to developing countries. For instance, a recent report claims that 9 percent of farm laborers in the US are children as young as 7 years old that work between 14 and 16 hours daily for a full seven-day work week and are paid well below the mandated minimum wage (Adame, 2010). Aside from agriculture, Western retail companies have increasingly become complicit in the exploitation of child labor in their supply chains where child labor is reportedly used in â€Å"low-cost† countries in the production of goods distributed globally (Weele, 2010, p. 55). For instance, Nike was condemned by the Western press for the use of child laborers who worked in Pakistan in the sewing of soccer balls for Nike (Heal, 2008). This research study analyzes the issue of child labour globally and identifies the political, economic and cultural aspects of child labour. In identifying the common political, econom

Niccolo Machiavelli and the Modern World Research Paper

Niccolo Machiavelli and the Modern World - Research Paper Example In the eighteenth century, his writings were used to inspire a belief in the inevitability of radical change among revolutionaries (Baker 204-207). Following this revolutionary trend, Leon Trotsky said that Machiavelli was the political philosopher who generalized "the experience of democratic revolutions" (Trotsky 850). This image persists today: Roger Boesche argues that Machiavelli was "the greatest theorist of how popular government can defeat tyranny" (Boesche 165). In 1513, he wrote his best-known work, The Prince, which has become one of the most influential books ever written in modern political philosophy. Benedetto Fontana asserts that Machiavelli's new prince "was to have forged a political and cultural alliance with the people, and thus initiate a ‘rinnovazione’ [renewal] aiming at a new Italian state" (Fontana 148). It had a dramatic impact on modern political thought. The Prince In The Prince, Machiavelli offered practical leadership advice designed to keep a ruler in power, illustrating his ideas with practical, historical examples. He actively endorsed stratagems that would discourage mass discontent through the diversion of an opponent's energies; through such tactics, a leader could channel enemies' efforts elsewhere. In this way, a leader could create conditions in which it would be disadvantageous for his opponents to try to replace him. Machiavelli believed that a leader would occasionally be called upon to make use of force; however, he professed that force should only be exercised in response to dire circumstances. According to Machiavelli, a good leader would be able to walk away from evil means when they were no longer required. A leader would likewise benefit from respecting the need for his subjects' well being. In his discussion on the value of liberality, Machiavelli cautioned that a Prince should be liberal by maintaining the general welfare (86) Machiavelli realized that good fortune had a key relationship to restrain ed use of resources for the best overall effect. Leaders should be frugal, both in allocating resources to the military infrastructure that protects the state from external threat and in allocating funds to the political and economic infrastructure that promotes the welfare of the state. Once people understand that frugality is in their best interests, it will be linked to good fortune over the long term. The ability of a prince to act in his own best interests and the best interests of the people (even when, initially, they might not see his acts as desirable) requires that he not be governed exclusively by a rigid code of ethical standards. The ends, in some instances, could justify the means. Despite his overriding concern for the best interests of the ruler and the preservation of the state, Machiavelli professed that general ethical standards are desirable to maintain, when possible. Chapter 21 of The Prince deals entirely with the value of a ruler's positive reputation. Accord ing to Machiavelli, a prince needs to appear as a true friend and should show himself as a "lover of merit" by giving "preferment to the able" and honoring "those who excel in every art" (112-113). Although Machiavelli did not claim that such standards are required for success, he did laud ethical leadership as a general guideline. Machiavelli's innovation was that ethics were expendable. He outlined a series of circumstances and situations in which a leader might be forced to use violence to a degree that would be morally reprehensible in any normal

Information Systems Quality and Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information Systems Quality and Testing - Essay Example Therefore, in a bid to see this effected, the company has contracted Eclipse Web Solutions to steer the website project that will see the company develop a new website that will help in promoting their products and services (Rubin & Chisnell, 2008). The company is the major stakeholder of this website project as it is the one involved in its development. Therefore, the man aim of the company in suggesting this project is to see it join its competitors in using the latest technology available. Those in the company who are set to benefit from the project include the following; human resource manager, business development director, marketing manager, area manager and finance manager. The other stakeholder who will also be involved in this website project is Eclipse Web Ltd. This is the company contracted to manage the website project by Simply Events. The other stakeholders are the customers who the company is targeting with the use and adoption of this new method of business promotion. They are set to learn more about the company concerning its products and services in order to purchase them. Successful development and implementation of the business is set to improve the performance of this company. This will be achieved through discarding the old ways of doing things and adopting the new and innovative technology. Therefore the website is going to be of value through the following ways; increasing awareness both locally and internationally, improving the long and time wasting manual operations and finally earning the company a position in the global platform as it strives to deliver and satisfy their customers (Harrison & Waite, 2006). Human resource department will benefit from the website project due to cost reduction. Currently the department has been publishing or advertising job vacancies in the local newspaper which has

Business, law, and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Business, law, and ethics - Essay Example For instance, they let the company adopt the sell recommendation which is detrimental to the investors. Instead of playing their watchdog role, the gatekeepers failed to perform this function which led to the collapse of the company. The gatekeepers also failed to detect securities fraud as it took place at Enron. This contributed to the collapse of the company. The euphoria in the market made the gatekeepers less relevant thereby overlooking their work. This compromised their credibility since it resulted in the downfall of the company. Regardless of the market conditions prevailing at an given moment, it is imperative for the gatekeepers to make sure that they perform their expected duties so as to safeguard the investors’ money. Failure to adhere to their stated goals may result in fraud activities being committed by the directors of the organization concerned. This is what happened at Enron since the directors engaged in unethical practices that resulted in the downfall of the company. There is also need for the gatekeepers to preserve their reputational capital so as to ensure that their clients are operating within the expected framework. However, in this case, it can be seen that the gatekeepers’ reputational capital slackened and this resulted in them failing to perform their expected duties. This compromised the performance of the company and it contributed to its downfall. Once the gatekeepers have been reluctant in their operations, they may not be able to detect problems that may impact negatively on the operations of the company. the monitoring function of the gatekeeper is meant to ensure that things such as fraud are not committed by the company executives in their operations. The case of Enron also shows that the gatekeepers did not perform their obligations to monitor the operations of Enron. In order to prevent such a situation from happening again in the future, it is imperative for the gatekeepers to

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Book review - Essay Example ‘Still alive’ opposes all the simple assumption about history. Kluger’s experience was a popular when produced in the creative German, gaining a big status and technical acclaim. The Holocaust survivor had spent her time in three concentration camps as a young teenager; she was helped by her mother to translate her book into other language versions in order for the whole world to read about her story. Her mother got her first book accidentally and translated it in English and this was after kluger’s friend sends the book to her as a gift. Luckily her story of Vienna’s darkest hour did not fail. She tried to remember her childhood memories, where she creates a tale equal to the miseries that the entire human nature is able to do. Keen to her step-by-step experiences has opened the entire women fraternity the knowledge about their abilities and rights in the current global existence. Her face off with conflicts never ended with frustrations as a young Jew in Vienna, neither the brutality of the Theresienstadt and Auschwitz-Birkenau camps nor the university institutions in German. This is where her state of a being female was heavily undermined in the male superior society. Conflicts accompanied her to the post-war New York, where she was criticized by the earlier generation of immigrants for her opposition to adopt the American culture Kluger in her life she faced the negative side of the real life situation but her intellectual love made her appreciate anything that occurred. This acted as her survival tool during those times. This one of the best reason to compel one to read the Still Alive story of Kluger. Here is when she goes by her opinion of identity creation from which she perceives her way into the life. This should be a driving force for women to venture into life situations without fear. In her book, ‘Unterwegs Verloren a story line that can take readers to a young

The Importance of Science in our Lives Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Science in our Lives Essay Science is our power as human beings to use our wisdom and make decisions. When a loved one is dying of cancer, what would you do? Would you not do anything possible to try to help them? Here is where science has a role in our lives; when we want to do something otherwise difficult or impossible. Though the ways of learning science has changed over the years from solely thinking logically to reading classics to experimenting, the way scientific knowledge is used has not been changed. When there is an epidemic, medicine is used to carry out mans will to cure it. When the Egyptian pyramids were to be built, architecture came into use. Yet science is not used only for such needful or elaborate situations. They also appear in our daily lives. We know it is important to wash ourselves regularly, only for biology. The Wright brothers were able to invent the airplane because they knew hot air rises, and since then, we have been able to use their technology to travel great distances in short periods of time. We humans would be so impotent without science. Science is our knowledge of the universe. It is natural to have for a being who thinks. If we did not have science, it would mean we are plain animals motivated purely by instinct. Our definition of life as a human would not exist. Great are the blessings of science. However, our wisdom is not complete, and can lead us to do wrong. Thereupon, science can be a curse. We have changed the passenger airplane into a fighter. Cameras for keeping memories spy on people. Cell phones for conversations are used to bully kids around, and even explode trains. Our greed, hatred, fear, wickedness, and stupidity have produced terrible uses of what our scientific knowledge has put together. As we all know from Spiderman, With great power comes great responsibility. Science gives us options to do or not to do. Though each option has its consequences, it is a distinct strength which evidently separates us from animals. How we use it will greatly influence the lives of each one of us.

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare Essay This is how a 21st century love story goes: Boy meets girl. Two days after that, the boy tells her the 3 â€Å"magical† wordsâ€Å"I love you†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ hold on, here’s the funny part. She believes him. People nowadays don’t value love. They don’t understand that the word â€Å"love† isn’t just a 4 letter word†¦ It’s way beyond that. This is what William Shakespeare is trying to clarify in his Sonnet 116. He wants to expound what love is, what it isn’t. Using a couple of metaphors, Shakespeare’s main aim is to elucidate the theme that real love is immortal, consistent and certainly not under the mercy of time. Shakespeare starts off sonnet 116 by saying that true love overcomes impediments and doesn’t get affected by the changes in the surrounding. Following that, he compares true love to a Lighthouse. How are the following related? Well, a lighthouse, as well all know, guides ships and at the same time, overcomes all of the storms tempests, at the same time, love as well guides couples and lost hearts to the right track and is able to overcome all the adversities it might encounter. Furthermore, Shakespeare continues with the metaphors saying â€Å"It is the star to every wandering bark†. Here, Shakespeare is comparing love to a star. Long time ago, people used to depend on â€Å"stars† as a source of guidance since compasses back then didn’t exist. Yet again, love is being compared to a star that leads the way for lost hearts. Lost hearts, blind eyes, love guides them all. In addition, Shakespeare stresses on the idea that love isn’t for time wasting or entertainment. Love isn’t restricted within a limited time, hence why Shakespeare describes what love is not: it is not susceptible to time. Priceless, consistent, immortal, permanent, this is what true love is all about in the eyes of Shakespeare. He definitely gives a clear description about what love is through the metaphors he included that contributed to his main clarification. Sonnet 116 revolves around a single theme, one that Shakespeare firmly believes in. In this cruel, twisted, tumultuous, and confusing world, there is only one constant force; Love. Shakespeare focuses on the idea that love isn’t temporary and does not fade with youth. Beauty disappears, youth fades; however, love endures till the afterlife. All the metaphors that Shakespeare included in this sonnet contributed to the theme that love is immortal. If one finds changes in the loved one, it must NOT affect love; otherwise, it wouldn’t be true love after all. What Shakespeare is basically saying is simply, love is constant, immortal, and consistent  and overcomes impediments. If it doesn’t fall under the following description, then it isn’t true love. To sum up, Shakespeare writes this poem in hope of clarifying the idea that love isn’t all about beauty, youth or price. It is priceless and isn’t under the clemency of time. The metaphors in sonnet 116 contribute in reaching a main theme, and that is what Shakespeare’s main aim is. It doesn’t matter how old you get, it doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are, it doesn’t matter how pretty or false you are because once you’re in love, all of these won’t matter anymore. I definitely agree on Shakespeare’s definition of true love for nowadays I believe it’s rare to find. With fingers crossed, I hope people would read this poem with a notepad in their hand to take notes and value love for its true meaning instead of overusing it.

The Product Differentiation Strategy Marketing Essay

The Product Differentiation Strategy Marketing Essay Excellent Shoes Manufacturing Pte Ltd has the options of using different strategies in their business; using appropriate examples, describe your understanding of these different strategies and suggest what strategy you might recommend the Company to use. In present day the economic is flexibility and the company that be able to survive in this field should know how to manage their own resource in the maximum efficiency and need to follow the market change and movement, the way to do this depends on the different technique and operating diversely on strategic management of the company. Especially, in the consumer markets which there is a high level of competitive. It is the essential that every single company should open up its market in new area, expanding further with modest ambitions or operating in additional differentiation products in markets annually. These factors are main causes to bring successfully to business which I believe that it depends on how the company maintain competitive advantage in business strategies? , What types of strategies are available in the business environment? Another important aspect is that the company can use flexibility standard strategies or develop its own strategy or not? In term of Excellent Shoes Manufacturing Pte Ltd, with the size of medium business, I feel that the company can use different of business strategies, according to its situation. For example, at the beginning, when the company was established, it may face different challenges than at the present. Moreover, the business strategies that it is implemented may be different from its competitor. In my point of view, I believe that there are four types of business strategies by following these: 1. Growth Strategy A growth strategy conduces introducing new products or adding new features to existing products. Sometimes, the company may be forced to modify or increase its product line to keep up with competitors. By using the new technology of a competitive company is a core concept to play on growth strategy. For example, the company is likely constantly adding new features or discovering new technology for shoes healthy design in order to save customerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s feet while they are wearing. As a result, shoes companies that do not keep up with consumer preference would not stay in business long period. Moreover, the firm may also adopt a growth strategy by finding a new target customer group for its products. Sometimes, it can find new one for its products by chance. For example, as a result of the company is a specialises in the manufacturing and supply of high fashion leather shoes and the manufacturer may discover through marketing research that young teenagers in school like its products. Hence, in addition to selling fashion leather for students in order to distribute to retail stores or shoes shop in school, the company could design the shoes product in format of school styles. 2. Product Differentiation Strategy Most of companies will often use a product differentiation strategy when they have a competitive advantage, such as superior quality or service. For example, the shoes manufacturers may set themselves apart from competitors with their superior engineering design or manufacturing technology. Obviously, companies use a product differentiation strategy to set themselves apart from key competitors. However, I believe that a product differentiation strategy can also help a company build brand loyalty. It can see that today, the company is known in the local industry and it is amongst the top companies who can produce a high quality pair of sports shoes and ladies fashion leather shoes. 3. Price à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Skimming Strategy A price-skimming strategy involves charging high prices for a product, particularly during the introductory phase. The company will use a price-skimming strategy to quickly recover its production and advertising costs. However, there must be something special about the product for consumers to pay the excessive price. An example would be the introduction of a new technology. By doing this, it may be the first to introduce a new type of new sport shoes aerodynamic design or leather formal shoes modern styles. Because the company is the only one selling the product, customers that really want in trend by wearing new one and willing to pay the higher price. 4. Acquisition Strategy According to the size of company with extra capital may use an acquisition strategy to gain a competitive advantage. An acquisition strategy conduces purchasing another company. For example, the company may purchase a polyester factory or a leather factory in order to expand its operations and to control cost of shoes raw material. 5. Cost Leadership The benefit of formulation this business strategy is that the company will consciously choose to position its company as a provider of products or services at the low end of the pricing point compared to its competitors. Moreover, it could make up in volume what they may forfeit in terms of a high price point. On the other hand, Cost leadership is a business strategy that allows a company to become the lowest cost production company in an industry. Traditionally, businesses have two key options for improving profits by increasing sales or decreasing costs. By doing this, the company need focus more on acquiring raw materials that are the highest quality at the lowest price. Another important aspect is that the company must also use the best labour to transform raw materials into valuable consumer goods. Low-cost leadership usually translates into high-quality goods at low consumer prices. The capability to undercut a competitorsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ price often leads to increases in market share. In term of suggestion, what types of strategies should be formulated for Excellent Shoes Manufacturing Pte Ltd; I claim that the company could bring the result from the step of strategy analysis and to consider in these questions, what the external and internal environments that are confronting are? How the company can organizes and combines its resources in order to build its strengths, to eliminate its weaknesses and to sustain core competencies? How the company can achieve to find good opportunities for growing the business and to keep changing of posing a threat. From the consideration in those questions, I feel that I could recommend the company to use cost leadership strategy. As of the issue that Mr. Pattakorn is worried about the return of the investment in terms of profit is not as good as it was during his fatherà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s time. Conversely, the firm seems to have grown bigger with the manufacturing of many more pair of shoes. It is likely that the firm would have the problem from too high production cost. I believe that if the company can review and to control production cost, it will bring back the outstanding profitability. To sum up, sometimes, businesses would look for a combination strategy to please customers looking for multiple factors such as quality, style, convenience and price.

The Rejection of Vedic Sacrificial Ritual in Indian Culture :: India Culture Religion Papers

The Rejection of Vedic Sacrificial Ritual in Indian Culture My intention in this piece is to explore the development of the concepts of brahman and atman in ancient Indian culture. I intend to examine the role of the Upanisads in Vedic society and to investigate their abandonment of Vedic sacrificial ritual. I contend that the writers of the Upanisads turned towards a mystical path away from society in order to explore a viable alternate way of living that did not involve sacrificial ritual. Although the only record we have of this shift in thought is a set of philosophical discourses, I suggest that this was not solely an intellectual move. Rather, there were emotional reasons as well as logical reasons that these groups of people moved away from Vedic society in pursuit of brahman. This was a slow process that evolved over many years and although it did not banish sacrifice from Indian culture, it laid the foundation for later non-violent religious movements in India. In attempting to apply Rene Girard and Gil Bailie’s theory o f acknowledgement of the victim to an ancient Indian phenomenon, I intend to show that the Upanisadic rejection of Vedic sacrificial ritual was a significant move away from the sacrificial system upon which humanity relies so heavily. Vedic Sacrifice: Maintenance of the Universe The sacrificial system of ancient India was founded on a worldview that placed humanity in an allegorical relationship with the divine realm. The physical world of humans was seen as a smaller, mirror image of the greater world of the gods. The fundamental role of religion was to assign and perform the appropriate rites to maintain proper order in the universe. The gods required regular offerings and appeasement. Thus, a relationship with the gods required maintenance that was provided by the sacrificial ritual. Fire ceremonies and the ritual giving of offerings to the gods were common practices for the Aryan tribes that invaded the Indian sub-continent in approximately 1500 BCE. [1] Their simpler, private offering ceremonies eventually evolved into the more codified, communal, elaborate sacrificial rituals of classical Vedic culture as this new society began to grow and change. Fire itself was of central importance to this civilization and all of these rituals focused around the offertory fire. It is logical, then, that the Aryans eventually personified the fire itself and deemed it divine.

Welfare Blocks Single Parents Who Want An Education :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Welfare Blocks Single Parents Who Want An Education The welfare system and the financial aid system conflict. This conflict causes many single parents to have problems going to school. We want to be able to go to school but the new welfare reforms don't give us enough time. We need more time to finish an education. The only way the state will help at all is if we finish our education within two years. The two years may sound adequate enough to get an education. But during those two years, we are still required to work 20 hours a week. Then, in order to finish a two-year degree or certificate within the two-year allotment, we would have to take 12 credits or sometimes up to 18 credits each semester. Taking just 12 credits would work out to be around three hours a day, Monday through Friday. Some classes will require a lab. A lab is were we meet as a class one day a week outside of normal class requirements. During the lab time we usually work more hands on, or focus on main topics in the course. This usually requires an additional couple of hours one day a week. A lot of the college classes for a two-year certificate require a lab. By looking through the listings you'll see that with a 12 credit agenda for a semester we will most likely have an average of two labs. Two labs would add another four hours on to our week. Now we have about five hours a day, five days a week. Along with working our required 20 hours we have to find a job that is willing to work around our schedules. Then we have to schedule time for homework. With 12 credits we would need an average of two to three hours a night just to keep up with our regular work, that doesn't include studying for tests. So during the week we would have to go to school for around three hours, then would work for five hours, go home and do homework for three hours. That's already 11 hours a day. As a single mother myself I would like to spend at least a few hours a day with my son.

George Washington Carver :: essays research papers

George Washington Carver was born near Diamond Grove, Missouri in 1864 on a plantation owned by a slave owner. His father, Moses Carver, and his mother, Susan Carver, were slaves on that plantation. As a young infant, George along with his mother was kidnapped by Confederate night raiders and was taken to Arkansas to be sold into slavery. Moses Carver‘s owner searched for George and finally found him and reclaimed him, but his mother was already sold. The man who owned George at the time didn’t want to give George back, so Moses’ owner traded a horse for the boy. George was given back to his father suffering from a terrible case of whooping cough, and ended up with a noticeable stutter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Back on his father’s owner’s plantation, George was now too sick to work out in the fields, so he mainly worked indoors. He helped around the kitchen and in a small garden. It was the garden that George came to love the most. He was often called “The Plant Doctor'; because of his love of plants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Civil War, George was set free at the age of 10. Once he was free, George set out to get an education. While trying to overcome many frustrating and bitter obstacles, George finally made his way through high school. George went to school until the age of 30, but his age didn’t stop him from finding more education. George tried applying to many colleges and all of those attempts failed. George almost gave up until Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa finally accepted him as a freshman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To support himself through college, George had odd jobs such as ironing and washing the clothes of his fellow and more fortunate classmates. In 1891, George was transferred to Iowa State College of Agriculture, which is now Iowa State University. It was there that George became the first African American to get a Bachelor’s Degree and a Masters Degree in bacterial botany and agriculture. After his graduation, George started teaching classes about agriculture and chemurgy. In 1897, Booker T. Washington, the founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro’s, convinced George to come there and serve as the director of agriculture. It was at this Institute that George made many discoveries that led to many of his inventions. He would grow plants such as sweet potatoes, peanuts, and soybeans and then do experiments with them.

Persuasive Essay on Gun Rights Essay

Gun Control Have you ever been involved in a home invasion? How did you protect yourself, or if this would happen have you thought about how you would protect yourself? This is a real concern in families’ minds across the nation. When I think of having a future family I think about how I would keep them safe. Growing up I never had to worry about this, because I knew that my parents would be able to protect me. The way my parents would and have protected me was with a gun. Today, gun control is a major concern in political campaigns across the nation. I will be talking about why we should keep our gun rights based on: home safety, illegal guns and the second amendment of the constitution. We would agree that home safety is in the minds of most Americans, but no matter how hard we try to protect our homes it’s not always a realistic fact. According to fbi.gov, nationwide in 2010, there were an estimated 367,832 robberies. According to Gary Kleck, Ph.D. a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University in Tallahassee and author of â€Å"Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America† conducted a survey by random telephone sampling of 4,978 households in all the states except Alaska and Hawaii. Results indicating that American civilians use their firearms as often as 2.5 million times every year defending against a confrontation with a criminal, and that handguns alone account for up to 1.9 million defenses per year. My family and I had a personal experience with a home invasion. It was a normal Wednesday night; I was finishing up some late night studies while I heard something from down stairs. Someone had decided to rob our house. I went to my parent’s room to tell them about the intruder. My dad went and unlocked his gun safe and pulled out his twelve gauge shotgun. He exited the room with a loud pump of the forestock. The intruder was quick to run out the door after hearing this. We never had to fire a shot and our guns saved are possessions from being stolen and are family from being harmed. Gun control that is proposed isn’t stating that all guns should be taken away, but that restrictions should be put on guns. Well this does sound logical and does sound like it should work, but it doesn’t necessarily mean  it will. Almost all drugs are illegal except for marijuana in few states, but how many in this room knows someone who could provide them with illegal drugs? Almost everyone. This is the same with guns. Criminals find ways to get drugs just as easily as they could find ways to get illegal guns. According to a recent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) report, there is a significant diversion to the illegal gun market from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL). The report states that â€Å"of the 120,370 crime guns that were traced to purchases from the FFLs then in business, 27.7 % of these firearms were seized by law enforcement in connection with a crime within two years of the original sale. This rapid `time to crime’ of a gun purchase d from an FFL is a strong indicator that the initial seller or purchaser may have been engaged in unlawful activity.† No matter if gun restrictions have been risen or not this is only restricting the people that are lawful with their guns and restricting the people that are responsible with their guns. Criminals are not affected by gun restrictions, because due to criminal records most can’t buy guns legally anyways, but they still find them through black markets and criminal acquaintances. Taking away the gun rights of law obeying citizens is unfair and is violating our constitutional rights. According to the second amendment of the United States constitution states â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† I think this says it all. The constitution is what our country was built upon; it is what our founding fathers had set for us to follow in order to become a better society than the one they came. Myself, being very patriotic, I find it hard to see why someone would want their rights that they are given as a free, American citizen, taken away. These amendments have kept us as a reigning world power for so long and why would anything change now? We have been so fortunate to be founded on such morals and freedoms that we have perfected a functioning society within law. Yes, the United States has been in slump lately, but we are still considered a world power and in most eyes we are still considered top dog. So, why change something if we are already on top ? If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Guns save lives, not takes them. Education is the big problem with guns in today’s society. We have been raised to fear guns, but in reality guns have been something that has so much as freed our nation from England’s reign. Guns have been a part of negative outcomes, but with these outcomes a bad person stands behind this gun. Bad people will always be bad, whether you stick them behind bars or if you put a bracelet around their ankle. We shouldn’t let these bad people determine how all the good people live. We should stay above the bad people and show them that they have no control in our great nation. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Thank you. Bibliography: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html Title: Bill of Rights, Second Amendment, Charters of freedom Publishing: National Archives; last revised 1791 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/guns/procon/guns.html Title: â€Å"How criminals get guns†, Hot guns Publishing: pbs.org, Dan Noyes http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/violent-crime/robberymain Title: The fbi federal bureau of investigation, robbery Publishing: U.S. Department of Justice; last revised 2010 Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America Author: Gary Klerk Publishing: A. de Gruyter, New York, 1991

Holidays & Christmas Carnivals Essay

It is hard to find someone, who does not like Christmas. This is one of the most favorite holidays, when families get together, decorate the house, install Christmas tree, prepare some favorite meals, or even arrange parties. And, of course, give and receive presents! I had many interesting celebrations of Christmas, which were different from each other. Once in primary school we arranged a Christmas carnival. There was a beautiful Christmas tree, a lot of delicious meals and music, and, of course, Santa Claus with his presents for every child. Once, on the day before the Christmas my parents decided to make some huge shopping. We bought full truck of the things for house, starting from armchairs, kitchenware, and ending with decorations. So we spent all the Christmas vacations enjoying our new stuff and arranging it. In my secondary school times I had a table mate, who happened to break her leg right on the eve of Christmas. So I bought some presents and chocolates for her, and went to the hospital to bring some happiness to that girl, whose family was rather poor. When I was 14, we went to my aunt’s place for Christmas. I spent some great time there, because I like my cousins very much and we always have a lot of fun together. We played games and had some amazing night forest hike in Christmas night. Two years later the family of my aunt joined my family in celebrating Christmas. So together with my cousins we went to a bowling club and had amazing evening of playing bowling. I proved to be really good in that! And then we had a good party at home again. Once, before having traditional Christmas family gathering, we went to a music club with my friends. There a female band named Rockland Ladies played live. That was impressive: we were dancing and having pretty good time! The last Christmas I spent in a ski mountain camp with my university friends. We went to one of the ski resorts in Colorado and had some great Christmas vacations on the opened air! I think that it is wonderful to celebrate Christmas holiday in a new way every year. That is how I can recreate myself, have some perfect rest and get ready for a new year, and also receive many positive emotions and different unforgettable impressions. Bibliography: †¢ â€Å"Christmas. † Christmas Carnivals. Compare Infobase Pvt. Ltd. 3 Nov. 2005 .

Loose/Strict Constructionist Essay

By both definition and widespread perception the Jeffersonian-Republicans were strict constructionists, meaning they closely followed the framework of the Constitution. On the other hand, the belief was that Federalists, who thought the Constitution was open for interpretation, were loose constructionists. Although both the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison (Democratic-Republicans) mainly supported these theories, they, like other politicians of the time, often made exceptions to their â€Å"policies. † During Jefferson’s Presidency, he often conveyed his strict constructionist stance regarding certain issues; therefore he followed the ‘defined’ ideals of the Democratic-Republican Party. After just entering office (August of 1800), Jefferson sent a message to Gideon Granger (Doc. A), a future cabinet member. His letter depicted his opposition regarding the idea of a strong, â€Å"single† centralized government in America (a Federalist-minded view). For example, one of the most noteworthy things Jefferson did during his political career was outwardly oppose Hamilton’s plan for a National Bank. This truly demonstrated Jeffersonian-Republican opposition (before 1800) towards any sort of Federalist ideal. Throughout his political career, he also portrayed his belief in the Constitution as it was written, rather than accept views of the Federalists (which, he implied, would lead to a monarchy). During his last year in office (1808), Jefferson is shown to have written another letter (Doc. B), this time to a Mr. Samuel Miller. Here, he re-asserted his desire for a government to follow the ideals of the Constitution, and thus make sure there will be a full separation between church and state (first amendment rights). James Madison, also being a Democratic-Republican, supported, for the most part, the same principals Thomas Jefferson did. As shown by Document H, Madison is depicted as to standing firm on his Republican ideals when affirming his position: that funds cannot be set apart for the development of national transportation because â€Å"such a power is not expressly given by the Constitution. † Not only did he express his anger towards a loose following of the Constitution in Doc. H, but Madison also went as far as vetoing a popular â€Å"Bonus-Bill. Although it was unpopular (especially amongst Federalists), he vetoed the proposed legislation because he believed it seemingly gave the government powers that the Constitution had not granted. Although both Presidents mostly stood firm regarding their strict constructionists views (as explained before), they, along with many other politicians (including Federalists), at times, had acted incredibly hypocritical when it came to their stances. Often it was demonstrated that Federalists became more strict, while Republicans became increasingly loose. First, Federalist Daniel Webster demonstrated this change in political position in document D. In his speech, he opposed President Madison’s position regarding a mandated military draft. He claimed that Madison was acting outside the guidelines of the Constitution, which illustrated Webster’s change from a loose constructionist to more of a strict constructionist. Secondly, Jefferson, a self-proclaimed strict constructionist also joined the group of political hypocrites. For example, Jefferson’s most grand defiance of the Constitution of the United States was his approval of the Louisiana Purchase. Even though the Constitution didn’t necessarily allow for such action, Jefferson made an executive decision to pursue the idea of expanding America, and thus starting a westward movement. Apparently the success of the Louisiana Purchase must’ve altered Jefferson’s mindset, because eight years after his Presidency (1816), Jefferson wrote a letter to Samuel Kercheval (Doc. G), which gave support to exploring some change/further interpretation of the Constitution. Lastly, Republicans also at times slandered Madison for being too much like a Federalist (Webster in Doc. D and Doc. F). In this document (F), Randolph outwardly spoke against his executively proposed tariffs of 1816, which truly angered many strict constructionists. Not only was he slandered for his proposed tariffs, but also his establishment of the â€Å"American System† that favored the re-establishment of a Second National Bank in America. These examples of prominent politicians slightly swaying from their political party, demonstrate the presence of political opportunists even in the 1800s. â€Å"When judged by the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison (for the most part), it would appear that Jeffersonian-Republicans were indeed strict constructionists. It also appeared that both Presidents, along with other politicians, chose certain times to act hypocritical† (Parker); Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase and Madison’s re-establishment of a national bank are two portrayals of those instances. In general, the politicians of 1800-1817 laid the foundation for political opportunists to maneuver their way into power by challenging normal ways of thinking/unpopular philosophies. This precedent is still being followed today, and although it may not be too beneficial at times, it has strengthened democracy and this republic of the United States of America.

Cost Behaviors and Allocation Essay

The relationship between fixed, variable, and total costs of an organization is called cost behavior. It is also known as underlying cost structure, and is used for planning, control, and decision making within the organization. Healthcare organizations face several challenges to try and improve the quality of care and reduce costs at the same time. Their response to how to do this describes their cost behavior. Fixed costs is a cost that are certain regardless of the volume of services that are delivered and will occur even if the facility is closed. Variable costs are related directly to the amount of service that is delivered. These two costs make up the underlying cost structure of an organization. For example the costs of supplies used to draw blood in a laboratory, would be the variable costs, the costs to keep the laboratory open would be fixed costs. To understand the cost behaviors of the organization you have to figure out the relationship these costs have with the amount of services that they are delivering. To manage your costs you want to make sure that you are bringing in enough volume that will cover your costs. Cost allocation is a very important part of cost measurement. It is a pricing process that within the organization where managers allocate the costs of all the departments. Within healthcare organizations the overhead costs, costs from patient services departments, and support costs have to be allocated. Due to this pricing and service offerings are based on the total costs in relation with each services. If the allocations of overhead costs are allocated properly the organization is better able to make good decisions for the organization. Works Cited Evans III, J. H. (1998). Cost Management and Management Control in Healthcare Organizations: Research Opportunities. Behavioral Research in Accounting , 10, 78-103. Gapenski, L. (2012). Healthcare finance: An introduction to accounting and financial management (5th ed. ). Chicago: Health Administration Press.

An Overview of Population Growth in Vietnam and New Zealand

In this essay, I would make some comparison and contrast of population growth rates between Vietnam and New Zealand since 2000s as well as give reasons for rise or decline in population. Besides that, population growth has effects on the economy and society of two countries will be discussed. There are differences in the population growth in Vietnam and New Zealand. Overall, the rates look dissimilar in two countries. It is evident from both graphs about the population growth rate in New Zealand and Vietnam of CIA World Factbook, New Zealand is the country with low population growth rate while Vietnam has high population growth rate. As can be seen from the graph of New Zealand (CIA World Factbook) , the rate fluctuated mildly. The highest rate in 2000 reached 1. 17% whereas the lowest one in 2011 accounted for 0. 88%. Between 2000 and 2007 the population growth rate dropped steadily from 1. 17% to 0. 95% then rose slightly to 0. 97% in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, it declined gradually to 0. 88%. It is noticeable from the graph of Vietnam (CIA World Factbook), the population growth rate fluctuated widely. The highest rate in 2000 made up 1. 49 but the lowest one stood at 0. 98% in 2009. From 2000 to 2003, the number of population growth has a sharp fall from 1. 49% to 1. 29% then increased slightly to 1. 3% in 2004. Between 2004 and 2009 the rate dropped dramatically to 0. 98% afterward had a minimal rise to 1. 1% in 2010. Then it went down gradually to 1. 08% by 2011. Similarly, both the population growth rates in Vietnam and New Zealand declined in some periods, 2000-2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2011. However, a comparison of population growth rates in two countries reveals several similarities but the great deal number of differences. In stages 2003-2004 and 2009-2010, while the number of population growth increased in Vietnam, it decreased in New Zealand. From 2007 to 2008, the population growth rate went up in New Zealand whereas went down in Vietnam. Second, the reason for the rise or the decline in population in New Zealand is completely different from that in Vietnam. While the main reasons in New Zealand are emigration and low birth rate, in Vietnam those are high population structure and low awareness of women living in rural areas. The main reason to explain the decrease in population in New Zealand is emigration. According to the ABS and Statistics New Zealand, it is estimated about 14% New Zealanders emigrate to other countries each year. Of these, over three-fourths emigrate to Australia. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere. The low birth rates also affect the decrease in population in New Zealand. As professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University’s National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis mentioned New Zealanders’ birth rates have declined over the past several decades. People are living longer because of increased access to immunization, primary health care and disease eradication programs. Many parents are realizing that as health conditions improve, more of their children are likely to survive, so they are choosing to have fewer babies. In addition, with greater access to education and jobs, more women in New Zealand are starting their families later and are having fewer, healthier children (Study to find solutions to population decline, www. waikato. ac. nz). It is said that Vietnam is the third most densely populated country in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Philippines. The main argument to explain the rise in population in Vietnam is high population structure. According to UN’s article in Vietnam, the population growth rate in Vietnam went down recently because the country has experienced a decrease in the total fertility rate. Even when the total fertility drops below replacement level, the absolute number of people will continue to increase due to population momentum . The continued population growth is the legacy of earlier years of high fertility rates and cannot be avoided. So each year population in Vietnam increased reaching an average of one million people (Vietnam’s population keeps growing despite decrease in total fertility rate, http://www. un. org. vn). Another convincing reason is low awareness of women living rural areas. There were 60,410,101 people (70. 4% total population of the country) living in rural areas. Of these, three-fourth women especially in high land central provinces married before the age of 20, with a woman on an average bearing four or more than four children. However, later the legal marriage age for women was set at 22 but this law met serious opposition in those areas. As the Vietnamese believed in â€Å"falling in love early and getting married early† (Vietnam Population, http://www. asiarooms. com). Changes in population have both positive and negative impacts on the society and economy. In Vietnam, increased population growth generally represents problems for country- it means increased need for food, infrastructure, services, jobs†¦ In addition, the population growth also provides a huge amount of labor force, the potential for rapid economic development is certainly there (Population Growth  Rates, www. geography. about. com). In contrast, New Zealand’s government is facing a considerable loss of gray matter because of emigration. Nearly one quarter of New Zealand’s highly-skilled workers live overseas, mostly in Australia and Britain, more than any other developed nation. That will cause a serious damage on its economy (Demographics of New Zealand, http://en. wikipedia. org). In conclusion, population growth rate varies from country to country. Even though Vietnam and New Zealand seem similar in many features of population growth rates since 2000s, the causes of declining or increasing population and the effects on economy and society of two countries are totally different. Besides that, Vietnam’s government should have strict population policies, education programs for women to control population growth and New Zealand’s is expected to have more investments to prevent skillful workers from emigrating as well as improve the birth rates. An Overview of Population Growth in Vietnam and New Zealand In this essay, I would make some comparison and contrast of population growth rates between Vietnam and New Zealand since 2000s as well as give reasons for rise or decline in population. Besides that, population growth has effects on the economy and society of two countries will be discussed. There are differences in the population growth in Vietnam and New Zealand. Overall, the rates look dissimilar in two countries. It is evident from both graphs about the population growth rate in New Zealand and Vietnam of CIA World Factbook, New Zealand is the country with low population growth rate while Vietnam has high population growth rate. As can be seen from the graph of New Zealand (CIA World Factbook) , the rate fluctuated mildly. The highest rate in 2000 reached 1. 17% whereas the lowest one in 2011 accounted for 0. 88%. Between 2000 and 2007 the population growth rate dropped steadily from 1. 17% to 0. 95% then rose slightly to 0. 97% in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, it declined gradually to 0. 88%. It is noticeable from the graph of Vietnam (CIA World Factbook), the population growth rate fluctuated widely. The highest rate in 2000 made up 1. 49 but the lowest one stood at 0. 98% in 2009. From 2000 to 2003, the number of population growth has a sharp fall from 1. 49% to 1. 29% then increased slightly to 1. 3% in 2004. Between 2004 and 2009 the rate dropped dramatically to 0. 98% afterward had a minimal rise to 1. 1% in 2010. Then it went down gradually to 1. 08% by 2011. Similarly, both the population growth rates in Vietnam and New Zealand declined in some periods, 2000-2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2011. However, a comparison of population growth rates in two countries reveals several similarities but the great deal number of differences. In stages 2003-2004 and 2009-2010, while the number of population growth increased in Vietnam, it decreased in New Zealand. From 2007 to 2008, the population growth rate went up in New Zealand whereas went down in Vietnam. Second, the reason for the rise or the decline in population in New Zealand is completely different from that in Vietnam. While the main reasons in New Zealand are emigration and low birth rate, in Vietnam those are high population structure and low awareness of women living in rural areas. The main reason to explain the decrease in population in New Zealand is emigration. According to the ABS and Statistics New Zealand, it is estimated about 14% New Zealanders emigrate to other countries each year. Of these, over three-fourths emigrate to Australia. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere. The low birth rates also affect the decrease in population in New Zealand. As professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University’s National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis mentioned New Zealanders’ birth rates have declined over the past several decades. People are living longer because of increased access to immunization, primary health care and disease eradication programs. Many parents are realizing that as health conditions improve, more of their children are likely to survive, so they are choosing to have fewer babies. In addition, with greater access to education and jobs, more women in New Zealand are starting their families later and are having fewer, healthier children (Study to find solutions to population decline, www. waikato. ac. nz). It is said that Vietnam is the third most densely populated country in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Philippines. The main argument to explain the rise in population in Vietnam is high population structure. According to UN’s article in Vietnam, the population growth rate in Vietnam went down recently because the country has experienced a decrease in the total fertility rate. Even when the total fertility drops below replacement level, the absolute number of people will continue to increase due to population momentum . The continued population growth is the legacy of earlier years of high fertility rates and cannot be avoided. So each year population in Vietnam increased reaching an average of one million people (Vietnam’s population keeps growing despite decrease in total fertility rate, http://www. un. org. vn). Another convincing reason is low awareness of women living rural areas. There were 60,410,101 people (70. 4% total population of the country) living in rural areas. Of these, three-fourth women especially in high land central provinces married before the age of 20, with a woman on an average bearing four or more than four children. However, later the legal marriage age for women was set at 22 but this law met serious opposition in those areas. As the Vietnamese believed in â€Å"falling in love early and getting married early† (Vietnam Population, http://www. asiarooms. com). Changes in population have both positive and negative impacts on the society and economy. In Vietnam, increased population growth generally represents problems for country- it means increased need for food, infrastructure, services, jobs†¦ In addition, the population growth also provides a huge amount of labor force, the potential for rapid economic development is certainly there (Population Growth  Rates, www. geography. about. com). In contrast, New Zealand’s government is facing a considerable loss of gray matter because of emigration. Nearly one quarter of New Zealand’s highly-skilled workers live overseas, mostly in Australia and Britain, more than any other developed nation. That will cause a serious damage on its economy (Demographics of New Zealand, http://en. wikipedia. org). In conclusion, population growth rate varies from country to country. Even though Vietnam and New Zealand seem similar in many features of population growth rates since 2000s, the causes of declining or increasing population and the effects on economy and society of two countries are totally different. Besides that, Vietnam’s government should have strict population policies, education programs for women to control population growth and New Zealand’s is expected to have more investments to prevent skillful workers from emigrating as well as improve the birth rates.

Project Planning- Human Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Planning- Human Capital - Essay Example If communication is not done properly, a project’s failure is unavoidable (Sheryl R.). One of the most vital tasks of a project manager is to communicate the performance evaluation of the project to its employees and the customer. Communication of performance evaluation is very important for the success and future growth of a business but it may be met with some level of resistance and unlikely situations. A project manager needs to well plan the communication before he starts a performance evaluation. He should make a status report on the progress of the project; rate each employee’s performance on a prescribed scale and a review of the customer’s satisfaction. He can either organize a question- hour session, a group forum, or a one-on-one discussion session (projectsmart.co.uk). In case of a wedding project, the manager does the performance evaluation on the basis of the services rendered to the customer; meeting the wedding budget limit, customer satisfaction, management of sources, quality of the service, time management, customer experience, efficiency and performance of the employees, their behavior with the guests and the overall wedding quality (Wedding project management).

A Professional Development Plan Scholarship Essay

A Professional Development Plan - Scholarship Essay Example As the research stresses  mentoring relationships vary from loosely defined and informal collegial relationships wherein a mentee learns through observation and example to structured and formal agreements between novice co-mentors and experts wherein both parties develop professional by a two-way transfer of perspective and experience. Whether or not the relationship is considered formal or informal, the objective of mentoring is to offer or grant advancement, both professional and personal. In higher education, professors are charged with the duty of passing knowledge to students and prepare them for life after college or university. This makes this group very significant in ensuring continuity of society.From the discussion it is clear that  the work of a higher education professor is to educate academic and vocational subjects to both post and undergraduate scholars in institutions of higher learning. Some of their teaching method comprise of lectures tutorials, seminars, prac tical demonstrations, e-learning and field work among others. Multimedia technologies are also more and more being used today. A professor is also liable of pursing his or her own research in order to aid in the broader research activity of their institution or academic department. The goal is to have his or her scholarly article or book peer reviewed and published, which, on the other hand, will raise his or her profile and also that of their institution.

Employee Safety in Nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee Safety in Nursing - Term Paper Example Emphasis is given on the failures of the relevant rules but also on the causes that have led to the continuous expansion of the problem. Suggestions are made for resolving the problem, or at least for controlling the further expansion of the problem. The barriers and the obstacles that the suggested measures are expected to face are also presented. It is concluded that employee safety in nursing may be difficult to be appropriately promoted; the nature of the particular profession, being related to health, seems that hides the potential risks for the sector’s employees. Also, the supportive role of nurses can be considered as opposed to dynamic contests, even for claiming rights, which are recognized by the law. The fact that nurses are at a rather low position in the organizational hierarchy is another factor preventing individuals working in the specific position to ask for the protection of their rights. The legislative texts and practices used in US for ensuring the safety of nurses are mentioned in order to show, at least indicatively, the progress made in the particular field and to explain the conditions in which such measures are likely to be developed – since suggestions are made for the increase of safety of nurses in healthcare units of various size. 2. Employee safety in nursing Employee safety is a complex concept; in nursing, the challenges faced by regulators trying to control the problem are many – mostly because of the continuous exposure of nurses to patients with various psychological problems, a fact that increases the chances for a violent event against nurses in the workplace. On the other hand, the volume of work in the specific sector is usually high; the needs and the rights of employees are often ignored due to the lack of time availability; the health problems of patients are set as a priority, an approach which can be accepted but up to a level. Employees in the healthcare sector have equal rights to health and s afety, as also the patients. The nature of their work should not be used as an excuse for ignoring the law focusing on the health and safety of employees in the particular sector. The problem is higher for nurses; their direct involvement in the treatment of many diseases on a daily basis makes their profession extremely risky – referring to the exposure of nurses to infections of various types due to the lack of adequate safety measures. On the other hand, due to the continuous development of technology, the complexity and the volume of services in healthcare sector have been increased. The health risks for nurses have been significantly increased, a fact that proves the inability of the state to develop effective rules for ensuring health and safety in nursing. It should be noted that the causes of the problem can be identified not only in the advances of technology in the health care sector but also in the increase of the number of cases handled daily. As the number of peo ple having access to healthcare services is increased, so do the risks for nurses. The continuous increase of immigrants, who are exposed to many infections due to their living conditions, is another factor threatening the health of nurses. At the same time, the training of nurses on health and safety is not always appropriate; under the pressure of time – for covering emergent needs in healthcare units across the country – the information provided to nurses regarding their health and safety

Business Plan - Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Plan - Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example In addition to this, we are also affiliated with networks of other businessmen and professionals in different areas of expertise who can give valuable advice and guidance to the starting entrepreneurs. Our affiliated network will also provide insights about the current market trends and key criteria in the market. This will be achieved on an ad hoc basis. Apart from this, the new staff will hired through recruiting agencies as it will ease our job or recruiting and selection. The company is planned to have a flat organizational structure as not much staffing will be required. The flat structure will also be viable for transparent and flawless communication. The structure can also help the employees and the top management be responsive to the needs of the customer and can provide the best service through the web portal. The main team will consist of the experienced IT professionals who would be responsible for the web management and content. Other employees will be related to the accounts. The business will consist of three main areas: CEO (partners), IT department, sales & marketing and Accounts. Each team will be led by one of the CEOs who are experts in the field. The details of the functionality of these areas are discussed below: The team’s focus will be the development and maintenance of the website as it is the vital portal for contact with customers. The team will ensure that the customer feedbacks are taken into consideration and the website is maintained such that is exceeds customer expectations. The team’s focus will be to handle the accounts in online as well as traditionally. The team will take care of the online transactions and make sure that these transactions are carried out safely and securely. Market positioning and branding will form the basics of the business giving it a competitive edge in the web based businesses. The team’s focus will be