King Henri Iv Essays (1377 words) - Dauphins Of France,

King Henri Iv King Henri IV was born at Pau in Bearn on December 13, 1553. Raised by his mother, Jeane d'Albret (Queen of Navarre), Henri was brought up in a remote castle in the Pyrenees. He grew up amongst the peasant children of that area and raised on a diet of bread, cheese, and garlic. As a youngster Henri was brought up in the Protestant faith, which was the opposite of his father's wishes. As result, Henri was taken to Paris on his father's orders and given a Catholic tutor. However, he stubbornly refused to attend Mass. Consequently, after the death of his father, Henri was once again instructed by a Protestant tutor. By the age of ten, Henri had already changed religions twice. Remaining in Paris, Henri attended classes at the College de Navarre. Gradually he learned to speak and write fluent Latin and Greek, and he had managed to attain some Spanish and Italian. In 1567 Henri reestablished himself in Pau, reuniting with his mother and sister Catherine. His education was continued, this time including fencing and military arts. Five years later, after an outbreak of several religious wars, the marriage between Henri and the reining king's sister, Marguerite de Valois (a Catholic), was arranged so as to bring temporary peace to France. After Henri's mother's death, the wedding took place. The two were wed on August 18, 1572 at Notre-Dame. Little did the new king know, that day would mark the prelude of a great tragedy. During the wedding, Catherine de Medici consented to the assassination of Admiral de Coligny. On August 22 he was shot at from a window but was merely injured. The Huguenots (French Protestants) were enraged. Queen Medici finally agreed that a general massacre was the only solution to terminate Admiral de Coligny. Before dawn on Sunday, August 24, 1572, the Duc de Guise's swordsmen broke into the Admirals bedroom. He was brutally skewered with a pike, then his corpse was thrown out of a window and hanged by the ankles from the public gibbet. The signal was given and the Paris mob was unleashed. The mob was totally merciless, savagely slitting the throats of all possible Protestants without the willing pity unto children and pregnant women. The Louvre was transformed into a slaughterhouse; the bodies of dead and tortured Huguenot bodies gathered along staircases and piled up against walls. Henri and his cousin Conde were spared only for the sake that they beheld royal blood within the ir vanes. After that, Henri was forced to change his religion for a third time. In addition, he remained prisoner at court for four years. After the death of King Charles IX, Henry of Navarre's cousin, Henri III became king. King Henry made peace with the Huguenots. After being defeated multiple times by superior Catholic armies, King Henri III turned to Henri of Navarre for help. The help of Henri of Navarre made it once again possible for Henri III to recover his lost powers. Together the pair soon controlled the entire area between the Loire and the Seine. On July 30 he besieged Paris with an army of 40,000. On the peak of this achievement, the king was stabbed by Dominican friar, Jacques Clement. Henry III died that night after ordering his followers to take an oath of allegiance to Henri of Navarre. As result, Henri by name became king of France. However, Henri was refused loyalty by most of his subjects on account that he had been excommunicated and that he was Catholic. Only a mere sixth of France supported Henri. His only source of the reconciliation of loyalty, he soon found, would to be to appeal to those who preferred peace rather than religious war. After victoring numerous accounts of battle with Catholics, Henry IV eventually managed to besiege Paris with 15000 men in May. Unfortunately, Paris remained totally Catholic. Henri then decided to starve the city into submission rather than cause war. By July Paris was pathetically hungry. Cannibalism was a common case?children could be seen chased through the streets by starving elders. People resorted to eating dead dogs (including the skin), rats, garbage, and flour made from bones (those who ate the flour died). Thirteen thousand

The Five

The Five The five-factor model employs five fundamental and important factors that are useful because organization and companies need to understand the character traits of their employees. Scholars and psychologists presume that the model elucidated by the five-factor theory represents all behavioral traits.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Five-Factor Model of Personality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to McCrae (2002), the five-factor model is very useful to many companies and organizations because it clearly explains different personality traits demonstrated by employees. The traits include neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, and extraversion. Neuroticism personality trait has features like sensitiveness, nervousness, ineffective management of emotions, and feelings. In other words, individuals with the trait demonstrate emotional instabilities. The conscientiousness personality tra it is associated with interactive, accountable, organized, and objective people, whereas agreeableness trait has features such as teamwork and kindness. In addition, openness personality trait shows discipline, responsibility, organization, and self-control. Extraversion is a personality trait that is associated with characters such as excitement, talkativeness, and assertiveness. In this view, the term paper focuses on openness to experience and conscientiousness, which are two personality traits as elucidated by the five-factor theory. The five personality traits of the five -factor model are very important to organizations and managers as they enable organizations and companies understand how to handle people with different personalities and temperaments. Gully, Payne, Koles, and Whiteman (2002) argue that a good understanding of personality trait also enables individuals to understand and appreciate each other. Since the five-factor model presents five major traits of personalit y, individuals and organizations can employ the theory in managing their workforce. Moreover, it also enables people create good relationships, which are fruitful and productive, and thus enhance teamwork in a number of organizations and societies (Levy, 2013). The theory is consistent and encompasses a wide range of demographics. Furthermore, the model employs five factors to explain the different personalities of different individuals. Openness to experience is a personality trait that displays features like creativity, inquisitiveness, adventure, and innovativeness. Openness to experience shows the level of creativity, individual preference, and interest of an individual.Advertising Looking for term paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Cattell (2007), openness is a trait that depicts preferences of an individual towards a wide range of activities, which are performed regularly. Individ uals who have the trait are innovative and creative. Moreover, openness to experience is associated with high levels of curiosity and desire to engage in new experience and ideas. Furthermore, the personality trait makes an individual more adventurous and less conservative. Cattel (2007) states that people who have the trait are more likely to demonstrate relationships that are productive and reasonable. Additionally, individuals with the trait understand their feelings and express them in an assertive manner. Hence, openness to experience is an important personality trait, which is useful in distinguishing liberal and artistic individuals. Conscientiousness is a personality trait, which has features such as organization, efficiency, and commitment. Individuals with the conscientiousness personality trait are responsible, goal oriented, disciplined, and independent. In addition, individuals with the trait have good control of their impulses and are watchful of facts. People with the conscientiousness personality trait are usually smart, orderly, and organized. Furthermore, the trait makes people to be more watchful, thoughtful, objective, and determined. McCrae notes that conscientious individuals are responsible, committed, and critical as they perform their duties perfectly. The conscientious personality trait has two major attributes, namely, industriousness and organization. Industriousness is an attribute that depicts meticulous, neatness and systematic way of performing duties, while the organization is an attribute that shows determination, responsibility, and productivity. Hence, people who have this trait are good problem solvers and conflict managers. Additionally, these individuals can interact and socialize well with other members of staff, a factor that is important in understanding and minimizing workplace conflicts. Conflict Management in the Workplace Conflicts are ideological differences between two or more parties, the differences can lead to heated debates and emotional flare-ups. In extreme scenarios, conflicts can turn into violent exchanges. Conversely, when controlled and managed effectively, conflicts produce positive results that help the company grow and attain its objectives (Rahim, 2002). Negative consequences of conflicts take place when there are no control measures to solve or manage the disagreements in their early stages. Usually, conflicts spiral out of control and even result in riots.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Five-Factor Model of Personality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conflicts are common in every organization because individuals working in companies have different personalities, thinking capacities, and behaviors. Levy (2013) argues that conflicts take place when the individuals differ in terms of opinions, ideas, and points of view. In addition, conflicts take place when an individual or a party is not willing t o compromise and reason from the perspective of the other party. While working as a hotel supervisor, I witnessed a number of conflicts between the junior staff and senior staff, executive and staff, or between clients and employees. The conflicts started because of misunderstandings, poor service delivery, and failure to reach compromise on matters that relate to unfair promotions. According to Keith and Frese (2005), conflicts in the workplace are common, and thus organizations should formulate effective measures to reduce the negative effects occasioned by conflicts. The conflicts greatly affected the performance of the organization. Consumers received poor services, as many employees were in conflict with one another. In addition, the chain of communication was hierarchal and bureaucratic; hence, junior and senior staff could not present their grievances or complaints on time. Therefore, the firm could not effectively manage the difference of ideas and points of view among the m embers of staff on time. Furthermore, conflict management strategies were not efficient, as many members of staff did not get enough time to know and understand the characters of other employees in the firm as they had busy schedules. Additionally, teamwork, which is one of the important components of a successful organization, was no longer practical as many employees, management team, and the executives had frequent conflicts and disagreements. Therefore, many staff members preferred doing duties according to their own will and interests. The result was reduced productivity, poor product quality, dissatisfied clients, and frequent strikes. Poor working relationship among members of staff created a hostile environment for the employees, management team, and clients, which affected organizational performance. Keith and Frese (2005) argue that substantial conflicts transpire when group members disagree over a task or on how to perform the task. Therefore, the organization was experie ncing substantial challenges such as intra-organizational and interpersonal conflicts as the members of staff disagreed over crucial issues that are central to organizational performance.Advertising Looking for term paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most members of staff were not willing to compromise with their colleagues so that they would arrive at workable solutions to challenges in the workplace. The unwillingness attitude further complicated the magnitude of conflicts among employees, management team, and clients, and thus hampered organizational performance. There was a need for the firm to devise strategies that would help in the resolution of conflicts. According to Rahim (2002), â€Å"conflict management minimizes the negative outcomes of conflicts and promotes the positive outcomes of conflict with the goal of improving learning in an organization† (p. 208). Hence, the firm had to quickly employ conflict management skills and provide realistic and workable solutions to the conflicts. This would not only help the management in improving the firm’s performance, but also enhance working relationships among the members of staff. Relevance of the Five-Factor Model Theory in Conflict Management The five-facto r model theory is very instrumental in providing solutions towards conflict management, which is the existing situation in the firm. The organization can use qualities of openness to new experiences and conscientiousness personality traits from the five-factor model theory to manage and resolve existing conflicts. Furthermore, the organization can instill features such as openness and encourage their employees to be assertive so that they can express their feelings without hurting others and without fear (Cattel, 2007). This will enable the human resources of the firm to present their views and opinions assertively without hurting other members of staff. Additionally, the five-factor theory of personality will help the organization and its employees understand different behaviors of individuals and the different ways of handling each personality. Therefore, an understanding of the personality traits is paramount in an organization because it helps in shaping organizational behavior. The understanding of personality enables human resource managers to hire individuals who are suitable for a given job. Furthermore, employers can also place people in various job positions basing on their traits, and thus become relevant as they can turn ideological differences into productive conflicts. In addition, Rahim (2002) states that conscientiousness and openness will help an organization and the members of staff to control their emotions, mind about others, attain smartness, and become responsible. These factors are very vital in ensuring that an organization achieves its targets. Furthermore, the individuals will work in creative a manner by turning conflicts into avenues for organizational growth. References Cattel, H. (2007). Personality Theory and Testing. London: Sage. Gully, S. M., Payne, S. C., Koles, K., Whiteman, J. A. K. (2002).The impact of error training and individual differences on training outcomes: An attribute-treatment interaction perspective. Journal o f Applied Psychology, 87(1), 143. Keith, N., Frese, M. (2005).Self-regulation in error management training: emotion control and meta-cognition as mediators of performance effects. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 677-685. Levy, P. (2013). Industrial Organizational Psychology: Understanding the Workplace. New York: Worth Publishers. McCrae, R. (2002). An Introduction to Five Factor Model and its Applications. Journal of  Personality, 60(2), 175-215. Rahim, M. (2002). Towards a Theory of Managing Orgsanizational Conflict. The  International Journal of Conflict Management,44(5), 206-235. The Five Executive Summary The study of operational management has been around for decades. A general understanding of the nature of operations in management takes businesses to the next level.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Five-star Hotels’ Operational Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Any business has a number of operations divided by their functions, such as the accounting and sales divisions and in any operational unit, work processes exist to smooth operations and eliminate mistakes. All operations of a company are important. They complement and aid each other in the overall operations. This paper will analyze a historic five-star hotel’s operations. It will focus specifically in its current marketing operation. The marketing division is in focus because of the current setback the hotel is experiencing. The hotel used for this study has special features that provide information adeq uate for the study. Common operational management concepts are used to identify and evaluate the current system. Concepts from lectures and other secondary data are also used to describe, supplement, and reference previous research. Some concepts used are lean manufacturing, benchmarking and business process re-engineering. They were used to identify problems and challenges of the hotel. Potential problems and following recommendations were explored by the end of the paper. The main concern for the hotel is the decreasing number of customers because of the cheaper and quaint hotels in its vicinity. This information is the reason for selecting the operational unit focused on. Methodology The existing data available is provided. There are certain features in the information provided that will allow me to assume a number of things, such as the implications that being a historic hotel will offer.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can h elp you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The concepts used to analyze the data from the hotel and its operations were presented in a lecture during class. They will be discussed on the historic hotel to provide useful information for the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations of the hotel. Other secondary data will also be used. The method of analysis will be as follows. First, the current situation of the hotel and the specific operational unit chosen will be described and analyzed. Then existing problems of the hotel and the operational units will be identified and analyzed. Next, the paper will provide recommendations for solutions to the current problems identified. Lastly, the paper will provide potential problems, recommendations, and opportunities that the hotel can plan ahead for. This paper will refer to concepts presented from the class lectures and will aim to improve the overall operations of the hotel by the above method. Brief Description of Special Features Special features of the hotel are as follows: the hotel is historic, it was highly profitable and popular before the past few years, it is privately owned, it is a five-star hotel, it is near hotels which appear economical and quaint, it is strategically in the center of an international city that has a high level of tourists, particularly international tourists. A â€Å"historic† hotel means that the hotel was the setting of a historical event, whether it is a cultural or political event. Thus, it would hold a certain ambience prevalent to the culture of the country in that time of history. The hotel will have retained the architectural style of the period it was built in or at least influenced by it. We can assume that the hotel was popular throughout the years because of this and as suggested by the statement of its high profitability.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Five-star Hotelsâ₠¬â„¢ Operational Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More That the hotel is privately owned means it is not publicly traded in a securities exchange in the country (Privately owned n.d.). Depending on which type of economy the nation falls into, privately owned enterprises such as this hotel will have a number of implications. If it falls into a traditional economy, operations would be controlled and less dynamic than other systems. A command economy has strong government control while a free market economy has little government control. Mixed economies which combine elements of command and free market economies are the most common economies used by many countries today because of it provides an enough mix of public and private interventions on economic decisions and resource allocation and distribution. (Schmoop Editorial Team 2008). Since it was not stated in the problem what the hotel is like in its economic decisions we will assume it is under the most common economy which is a mixed economy. The historic hotel is described to be a five-star hotel. This means its standard for quality is of the highest ranking. Five-star hotels are expected to offer excellent service and the highest standards of comfort for their guests. Additional features of five-star hotels include originality in architecture and interior design, high quality construction, and special touches such as fresh flora as decoration. Space, services, and amenities are always sufficient and comfortable (Star rating system hotel requirements for four, five star etc n.d.). Analysis of Hotel There are several operational units in this hotel. These would include general management, front office, rooms division, maintenance, food and beverage, purchasing, marketing, human resources, finance, security and safety, and parking (Best practices n.d.). An overall process flow follows. Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The hotel’s processes are service types. They are considered service shops, which are characterized by medium levels of volume of customers, medium or mixed levels of customer contact, medium or mixed levels of customization, and medium or mixed levels of staff discretion (Slack, Chambers Johnston 2010). These characteristics put the operations between the extremes of professional and mass services. The implications provided by the description of the hotel are that the hotel’s design is not contemporary and the accommodations are pricey. The main problem of the hotel is in marketing their products and services to tourists amidst cheaper hotels in the area. The hotel is in an area where competition is high because it is located in an international city and in a tourist spot. It is essential that a new marketing strategy is applied to save the hotel from lesser profitability in the near future and possible bankruptcy in the long-run. Although not on the same level, com petition with the cheaper hotels is challenging and needs to be addressed immediately. The hotel’s marketing division, since this is the main concern, is the focus of the paper. Analysis of Marketing Operation I chose the marketing division as the operational unit to focus on because it pertains to the mentioned problem of the hotel, which is the decrease of customers. The marketing team is responsible in providing leadership on serving guests better. They provide insight on how to serve the hotel’s customers better by developing pricing, conducting customer surveys, contributing insights on product and service development, and examining competition. The team also supports other divisions in their operations. They support the general management and the purchasing division. Marketing is responsible for advertising and promoting the establishment. Different media are used to do so. Finally, the marketing team is responsible for managing relationships, whether with suppli ers, competitors, or customers (4 core marketing strategies n.d.). Below is a process flowchart of the marketing division. The hotel is said to have lesser customers due to the existence of cheaper quaint hotels around its vicinity. It is located in the middle of an international city and is a tourist spot. Tourists choose other hotels because of the price and charm of neighboring hotels over our hotel. This is not unexpected since tourists do generally vacation on a budget. Affordability is a major factor taken into account by most tourists (Tourists seek cheaper travel options 2012). It is, however, not the only reason as we will discuss later. What the hotel needs to do is ‘think outside the box’ and innovate their services to attract tourists to stay at their hotel regardless of the price. Although the hotel can be said to offer exceptional services as evidence of its five-star status, it needs to think outside the box and market what it can offer to customers that other hotels cannot. Tourists on a budget trip do not mind cheaper hotels’ lack of quality service and the competition in the area is the main challenge the hotel faces. What the hotel needs to do is to â€Å"think outside the box.† Jones (2001, p.82) says that consumers are increasingly looking for â€Å"solutions†, where product, service, advice and expertise are seamlessly integrated. Innovation is important in any industry. It is important for the hotel we are looking at. Innovation with products and services will give the business a competitive edge against competitors in the vicinity. It will give value and uniqueness to the product and services offered and it is up to the managers of the hotel to think of â€Å"solutions† for the customers. Once consumers needs are determined and agreed, then can the innovators work out precisely what to deliver to the consumers and when. It is sensible to learn from past mistakes. A lesson learned from automakers from the past is this – while western automakers focused on ‘adding luxury’ to their vehicles, Japanese automakers focused on ‘adding quality to everything’ (Tennant 2001, p. 4). It is a feature of any five-star establishment to be luxurious but the lesson the hotel can draw from this is to re-focus efforts not on adding luxury to the products offered but to the quality of existing products and services of the hotel. Continuing from this line of thought, the hotel can also do this – focus on quality – by adapting ‘lean’ principles in its operations. Lean principles state that expenditures of resources, if not seen by consumers as value-adding or worthy, should be eradicated (Holweg 2007). This practice reduces unnecessary costs and staffing requirements. For the management of a luxury hotel though, it can be hard to decide if the luxuries offered are reasonable. There is a fine line for five-star establishments between lux uries and those extras that should be eradicated because in definition, luxuries are extra indulgences conductive to pleasure and comfort (Luxury n.d.). The hotel can also do to benchmark. Benchmarking is identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and adapting the industry’s best practices for the advantage of the hotel (Boxwell 1994). The hotel has function rooms that can be used for all kinds of events, from weddings to conferences. Von Starck (2004, para. 3), a general manager of a five-star restaurant and a consultant on hotel marketing issues, particularly on food and beverage issues, says that the design and furniture of function rooms gives an establishment a big advantage. Socialites and brides, in particular, are heavily attracted to the appearance. Food and beverage is also important in drawing good reviews. Food, he says, should be imaginative, with good presentation. The service provided is also important. The quality of service will keep customers coming back developing good relations to clients. Von Starck (2004, para. 6), also said that hotels could really boost sales by working on their menus. By customizing the style, pictures, and look of the design, menus could target different audiences, separately and discretely. Another good marketing strategy practiced by hotels is to bring a personal touch to their websites. Von Starck (2004, para. 1) claims it a fact that the most visited websites are those that include stories and bios about employees of the establishment. The reasoning behind this is that people want to know about the people behind the business. In addition to what the business offers to its customers and what the staff is like, people want to know how these will reflect on them. They want to know if the business will coincide with their personality and lifestyles. They want to know if the business is worth paying and they base these off the websites. The internet is the most convenient and economically friendly media both for busine sses and consumers (Negi 2011). The hotel’s website is a helpful tool in marketing if used wisely. Studies showed that people are increasingly using the internet to book reservations (Crick n.d.). There may come a time when it will become the only media for information gathering that people will use. The hotel having problems with its marketing implies that the current marketing operation is not effective or efficient anymore. Another concept that might help the business in the long run is the concept of business process re-engineering. Business process re-engineering or BPR means that process or work flow of marketing operation will be scrutinized, analyzed and changed if its performance is not effective or efficient for the hotel anymore (Business process re-engineering 2001). The steps in BPR requires the analyst to first identify the processes in the work flow, review and analyze the data and information gathered, design a new work flow, test the new work flow, and after adjustments, implement it. Implementation of BPR is said to be difficult. The rate of failure of BPR is over fifty percent (Revenaugh 1994). The process of changing the work flow takes time and persistence because it requires participation and cooperation of everyone involved. Possible Difficulties and Recommendations It is daunting to face major challenges, especially in the large-scale. Innovation always comes with risk. Implementation of new strategies requires careful planning and attention. There should always a contingency plan or a backup for when going through with a new radical idea. When implementing new strategies, there will be risks of failure. There is a potential that the business would lose more money than they would have gained. When benchmarking and adapting new practices, there is the potential that the best practices do not go well with the particular establishment. Working on smaller projects for the hotel might be more difficult. When working on menus and websi tes, it is noteworthy to be meticulous. A potential problem for the management when looking to eliminate products or services that add no value is the risk of opposite results. When implementing a new work process, problems such as resistance or difficulty in transition of persons involved is expected (Allen Fifield 1999). Careful planning is important when acting on new strategies. To avoid losing money and other set-backs, management should take the time to test products before buying them in bulk and be certain that new services offered will perform to standard before applying them to customers. Management should have contingency plans and emergency procedures for retaliating on defects and errors to stop problems at the earliest time. Maintenance and constant monitoring is necessary to avoid accidents. Opinions and suggestions should be welcomed and taken into account. Resources should be used wisely to avoid loses (Lean manufacturing techniques 2011). Summary of Key Findings B y analyzing the given business using several concepts in operational management, this paper was able to discuss and evaluate the hotel. To start, the hotel needs to think outside the box and implement a new marketing strategy to increase profitability – a demand from any establishment when competition is high in its area. To do this, management needs to add value to their products and services to meet consumers’ ever evolving wants and needs. Instead of focusing on adding luxury to the products and services, management should look at the current quality offered by the hotel and work on improving that. The lean practice of operational management suggests that the establishment eliminates products and/or services with no value to the customers, therefore reducing costs and unnecessary actions. The hotel can benefit greatly by benchmarking. Learning from the best in the industry and adapting practices that suit the establishment will allow the hotel to grow and be competi tive amidst heavy competition. Improving the establishment’s tools is helpful. Paying attention to menus and websites will subtly improve the hotel’s marketing. Adding personality gives the hotel uniqueness and advantage. Finally, the business process re-engineering method would be helpful in the long-run but be prepared for the difficulties it would ensue. Reference List 4 core marketing strategies n.d., marketingplan.net/marketing-responsibilities/. Allen, D Fifield, N 1999, ‘Re-engineering change in higher education’, Information Research, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 104-110. Best practices n.d., bestpracticehotel.com/. Boxwell, R 1994, Benchmarking for competitive advantage, McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, London, UK. Business process re-engineering (BPR) 2001, http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/business-process-reengineering. Crick, C n.d., Travel opinions – key influences on tourist decision making, http://ezinearticles.com/?Travel-Opinio nsKey-Influences-on-Tourist-Decision-Makingid=3296190. Holweg, M 2007, ‘The genealogy of lean production’, Journal of Operations Management, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 420-437. Jones, D 2001, ‘Thinking outside the box’, ECR Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 81-89. Lean manufacturing techniques for identifying waste 2011, http://manufacturing.hubspot.com/bid/30958/Lean-Manufacturing-Techniques-for-Identifying-Waste. Luxury n.d., merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luxury. Negi, S 2011, E-publishing: the most convenient, eco-friendly and 244 accessible online media, http://technology.ezinemark.com/e-publishing-the-most-convenient-eco-friendly-and-244-accessible-online-media-7d2dc205ae62.html. Privately owned n.d., investopedia.com/terms/p/privately-owned.asp#axzz1mirAxVZh. Revenaugh, D 1994, ‘Implementing major organizational change: can we really do it?’, The TQM Magazine, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 38-48. Shmoop Editiorial Team 2008, Types of economic systems, shmoop .com/economic-systems/types.html. Slack, N, Chambers, S Johnston, R 2010, Operations Management, 2nd edn, Pearson Education Limited, England. Star rating system hotel requirements for four, five star etc n.d., cerf-resort.com/hotelstarratings.html. Von Starck, E 2004, Food and beverage: how caterers can cream hotels and what to do to get the business back, panetieremarketing.com/news_articles/caterer_beats_hotels.html. Von Starck, E 2004, Menus that work as a sales tool, panetieremarketing.com/news_articles/hotel_menus_marketing_tools.html. Von Starck, E 2004, Personality on your web site and why, panetieremarketing.com/news_articles/personality_sells_website.html. Tennant, G 2001, Six sigma SPC and TQM in manufacturing and services, Gower Publishing Company, England. Tourists seek cheaper travel options 2012, cruiseshalong.com/content/tourists+seek+cheaper+travel+options+/8/2856.

Company Law - See attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Company Law - See attachment - Essay Example 1 Liquidation can voluntary or even compulsory. It is said to be voluntary when it is initiated by the will of the company through a resolution of the equity holders. It is said to be compulsorily carried out when the order of the court becomes the cause of the winding up of the company. 2 In a nut shell, there are two basic kinds of Liquidation procedures whose nature is explained in detail below: Voultary Winding Up In this kind of liquidation the company goes on to willingly wind up the affairs of the company and distribute the assets of the company after paying off the liabilities of the company. ... nding up Creditors’ voluntary winding up is usually due to the company becoming insolvent and unable to pay off its liabilities in due course and the company is perused by the creditors in order to prevent further debts accruing and to receive the due liabilities through the realization of the assets of the company in a process of liquidation. 3 Compulsory Winding up This kind of winding up takes place when the company is ordered to be wound up by an order of the court. There are numerous potential ways of this procedure to institute however the most general one is through the petition filed by the creditors on the argument that the company is unable to pay off its liabilities in due course and since it has not been deemed likely to arrive at a voluntary agreement on liquidation, the compulsory winding up via the court is instituted. The nature of the compulsory winding up is such that the company comes under the process of liquidation under an order from the court on grounds of inability to pay the debts or where the company has certain going concern issues which cannot be resolved through a successful surgery of the company’s affairs or the provision of cash inflows or bailouts where the company may be able to restore the balance of its affair on the positive side.4 However, a request to obtain a leave to prosecute a company which is being compulsorily wound up may be made to the Court who gave the order of winding up of the company. Consequences of Winding up When a company goes into liquidation, mainly due to the compulsory winding up process there is usually a cause of inability to pay its debts whereby the company has to face certain consequences during and after the liquidation and the victims of those consequences are mainly shareholders, employees and even

Developing Learning Skills and High Academic Achievements Essay

Developing Learning Skills and High Academic Achievements - Essay Example My previous pedagogical experience will ensure high academic achievement for my students. During my experience, I have learned and trained many pedagogical methods which can help me in my future pedagogical activity. For example, I have gained the ability to be a good and effective manager. It is very important for a teacher to be a good manager as he must be a real leader and a positive example for students. As a manager I will be able to organize the teaching and learning process very effectively – it will ensure high academic achievement for my students. In addition to that, I have learned to have high expectations of myself and other people. So, I will be able to be exacting and make my students fulfil appropriate tasks which will ensure their high academic achievements. I also have learned to pay appropriate attention to small things – it is also very important for effective classroom management and different kinds of teaching activities directed to high academic a chievement for students. The task-oriented teacher also can direct students to their learning achievements and improve their learning outcomes, and my previous experience has taught me to be a task-oriented person. In addition to that, my experience helped me be open to new theories and views, including new learning and teaching methods which can promote higher achievements to my students. I also became ready for different pedagogical activities outside the class as I understand that teacher profession includes many kinds of such activities, and I am aware that it also promotes high pedagogical and learning results for my pupils.

HIV and HBV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HIV and HBV - Essay Example This in vitro study is called transient transfection cell culture systems and has been used to establish sensitivity or cross resistance to analogues. Imperative in this activity is the acquisition of quantitative real time data and previous knowledge on the replication and pathogenesis of HIV or HBV. Any difference in expression of the transfected cell is identified and analyzed. Another approach is to introduce derivatives from certain sources that can serve as potent inhibitor of in vitro HIV or HBV replication. For example, synthetic DNA molecules called antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) were administered to cells transiently and stably transfected with HBV protein encoding plasmids. The cells were observed for any HBV replication and pathogenesis for 48 hours. It was found that there ODN effectively inhibited viral protein expression and replication. ( Karayiannis, 2003) Animal models have also been very useful in understanding the replication and pathogenesis of the virus mentioned. Many of the models are na've primates such as chimpanzees, rhesus macaques and Aotus monkeys. HBV or HIV carrier animals are administered with potential cures.

How Coca Cola HBCs practices enable it to achieve strategic goals

How Coca Cola HBCs practices enable it to achieve strategic goals Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to assess how Coca Cola HBCs practices enable it to achieve their strategic goals. It is aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the organisation and information factors which affect the planning, management and delivery of its products. Coca Cola HBCs strategic supply chain management and operations approach is a success story enable them to achieve . The company has been able to identify the real problems in production and their causes, which has enabled it to correctly address them. Theyve also had targets for improvement and accomplishment, which has helped the throughout the way. Coca Cola HBC is a solid and very well managed company and its approach to establishing long-lasting relationships with customers, suppliers and retailers is a key aspect to success in todays challenging and aggressive business environment. Introduction Humble beginnings for Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. were marked by a single soft drink packed in small glass bottles at its modest headquarters in Greece in 1969 . This single product was a response to the simple business environment encountered by the company then. Operations were straightforward and supply replenishment to distribution centres were a simple job for the drivers who would only have to load the trucks, determine a route and drop off supplies. Throughout the years, with the impact of globalisation upon world consumption and production, the business environment was transformed and the company steadily grew and adapted to these changes. More products were developed, production increased and its operations became more competitive and complex. In 1981 a private holding company acquired majority interest in the firm. After this, the organisation expanded its business through acquisitions. Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company was formed in 2000 as a result of the merger of the Hellenic Bottling Company and London-based Coca-Cola Beverages. Today, the company is one of the largest bottlers and vendors of The Coca Cola Companys products in the world, and the largest one based in Europe. The company produces markets and sells to customers one of the most well-known brand in the world, Coca Cola. 1 Operations Management Practices Critically assess the extent to which CCHBCs operations management practices enable it to achieve strategic goals as set out in the Four As credo. Coca Cola HBC focuses on a Four As credo in order to sustain its constant and growing demands in its markets: Availability Affordability Acceptability Activation Their operations strategy cleverly brings their processes together to form a supply chain that extends beyond the physical walls of the organisation and reach further involving suppliers and customers. According to Krajeski et al (2010) a firm competes not only by offering new products, innovative marketing or expert finances, but also through its unique competencies in operations and solid management of core processes. The Sand Cone Model suggests that firms can develop four sustainable competitive advantages following a particular order of strategic priorities. The proposed order is quality, dependability, flexibility and cost. Excellent operations performance in quality gives the company the ability to deliver high quality products. Excellent operations performance dependability will give the company the ability to compete on fast and reliable deliveries (availability). Excellent operations management in flexibility gives the company the ability to deliver on a wider range of products and new products (activation). Excellent operations performance in cost gives the company the ability to deliver on low price (affordability). The model suggests that if this focus is followed, organisations are then able to build up their advantages concerning all the elements. Considering the Hayes Wheelwright four-stage model for manufacturing competitiveness, Coca Cola HBC can easily be described as externally supportive, or stage 4. Their operations are managed proactively to drive the business strategy of the entire organisation. Operations are world class and seen as the means to achieve customer satisfaction. The establishment of mutual beneficial relationships with suppliers enables them to deliver the best value in terms of quality, cost, service and innovation, helping to achieve the four As in their credo. These relationships involve regular collaboration over long-term direction of these partnerships and generally cover operational issues, but can also accommodate business issues such as joint investments and operations. Relationships are so tight that various international suppliers have established local production in different countries. y in order Product data and information sharing with trade partners is also a critical part of operations management practices. New product developments, promotions and other marketing initiatives, new advances in operational processes, supply availability, pricing strategies, costing, logistics plans should be undertaken in a sharing culture between all involved where there is a high level of honesty and trust. Nowadays bar codes are an essential technology for supply systems, independent of the product. The use of this technology enables the unique identification and tracking of all products through the supply network. Like many firms, Coca Cola HBCs operations strategies are only feasible with the use of bar codes, electronic data interchange (EDI) and point of sale (PoS) data sharing, which firmly link all activity in the supply system to real time customer demand. It is not understood whether the company uses it, but electronic data interchange (EDI) is also a vital technological component to enable links between firms in a mutual operational network. This technology is capable of extending the interconnection between retailer and supplier to an entire network. EDI is also used as a means to support electronic trading facilitating global sourcing and acting as a low cost communication option. The establishment of good relationships and partnering with customers, suppliers and other members of the supply chain enables CCHBC to save on costs whilst addressing and influencing consumer preferences at the point of sale. For this type of company, point of sale (PoS) data collection is vital, but it would be of little use if retained only by the organization. This data is essential for a flexible and responsive supply and demand can only be met using forward inventory builds and forecasting rather than operating in-line with real time demand patterns. This helps to support a continual and automatic replenishment system which is important to enable items to be restocked by a vendor or supplier to the exact rate of sale. Demand information can drive operational schedules and replenishment is direct from production output rather than stock holding. These tight relationships also help them to involve customers, retailers and suppliers in the processes of product development, modification and planning. This allows the rapid development of new products or innovative packaging to be tested in-store prior to product launches, for example. Their intelligent production and better and faster supply chain offers a high degree of response, speed and agility. Despite high initial costs and time to fully implement, many supplier manufacturers are increasing the use of this form of production organization as long term benefits are very valuable. All of these practices are important building blocks of Coca Cola HBCs operations strategy. These are the forces that help shape them into a customer-driven and customer-focused organisation. Their operations function provides the basis of competitive advantage and set standards for the entire industry. Todays marketplace is increasingly complex. The retail landscape is ever-changing, consumers are seeking greater variety and our customers are demanding higher service levels. In this vibrant and dynamic environment, we are constantly evaluating the way we do business as we strive to achieve profitable and sustainable growth. To ensure that the business results we deliver are sustainable over the longer-term, we implemented a new strategic initiative in 2006. Excellence Across the Board focuses on developing best-in-class commercial and distribution capabilities, as well as streamlining the management of financial resources. In particular, we are building powerful route-to-market systems and dynamic partnerships with customers to ensure that our execution in the marketplace is unparalleled. At the same time, we seek to optimise the use of our financial working capital and rethink internal processes and systems. In addition to the Excellence Across the Board strategic initiative we are looking to Expand into territories that prove to be a geographic fit and contribute to our long term growth prospects while we remain committed to Explore other adjacent business areas to leverage our infrastructure, strengthen customer relationships and explore new avenues for growth and value. We also manage our business following the six priorities: to increase our beverage categories in order to become a more diverse non-alcoholic beverage company to build brand equity in order to create value for customers to drive profitable package mix and exploit new channels in order to enhance margins to manage capital for growth and value to drive cost efficiency throughout our business to create superior sustainable returns Here are some examples that show how we fulfill these objectives. Customer collaboration Coca-Cola Hellenic aims to have an excellent co-operation with the 1.4 million shops, restaurants, supermarkets, discount chains and other businesses that sell the Companys beverages. In view of this, we enhance our route-to-market and commercial capabilities to ensure the availability of an ever-expanding range of products in the marketplace. Effective route-to-market systems Another key element in driving sustainable growth is the Companys route-to-market strategy for the fragmented trade channels. This strategy is focused on adopting the most effective means to ensure the full availability of our products in the marketplace and build lasting relationships with outlet owners. Excellence in marketplace execution Excellence in marketplace execution is supported by our continuous investments in building salesforce effectiveness. We invest in merchandising equipment to generate impulse sales and equip our sales people with mobile devices to enhance order taking, invoicing and asset tracking. The second key element of our business imperatives is to develop each of our markets by providing superior customer service and quality products. In Coca-Cola Hellenic we work hard to adapt our business to the changing needs of our customers. We initiate a number of customer-specific programmes. This aims to facilitate a cross-functional approach to planning for the purpose of better aligning our organization with the way our customers do business. The goal of this approach is to create value for our customers. Improved preparation of joint annual plans encompassing promotional planning and revenue growth initiatives, inventory management and customer-specific cooler placement strategies, are examples of what we believe will bring additional value to our customer relationships. In serving consumers our blueprint can be summarised in four words: availability, affordability, acceptability and activation. Availability We place our range of products within easy reach of consumers in the right package, in the right location, at the right time. We focus on developing strong relationships with our customers to ensure that the right products are in stock, highly visible and readily accessible wherever and whenever consumers may desire a non-alcoholic beverage. Affordability We offer a wide variety of desirable, premium quality products, in packages appropriate for the occasion, at the right price. In doing so, we aim to reach as many consumers as possible while taking into account the differing levels of purchasing power in the countries in which we operate. Acceptability We supply an extensive and growing range of products that meet the highest quality standards in each country, increasing their acceptability to consumers. We have a detailed understanding of consumer needs and access to the most effective communications channels. Combined with our experience in quality control, customer service and efficient distribution, we are able to reach out to customers and consumers in each of our markets and meet their demands. Activation We motivate consumers to choose our products by improving product availability and attractiveness at the point of purchase and by building brand strength in our local markets. We achieve this in close cooperation with our customers through: the placement of cold drink equipment, such as coolers and vending machines the provision of signage and other point-of-sale materials the implementation of local marketing and promotional initiatives 2 Capacity Management Approach How would you characterise CCHBCs approach to capacity management (including production, planning and control). What are the specific challenges of this approach? The success of an organisation is greatly determined by their ability to meet customer demand and to respond promptly and effectively to changes in this demand over time. Only an effective approach to capacity management will enable this to be achieved. According to Barnes (2008), the aim of capacity management is to match supply and demand. If capacity is insufficient the company risks having many dissatisfied customers and losing prospect sales as consumer demand cant be properly met. If capacity is excessive, costs will generally be higher than necessary as resources wont be fully utilised. Coca Cola HBCs approach to capacity management is certainly to try and match capacity to demand. This strategy relies heavily on being able to produce reliable future demand forecasts, which is notoriously proven to be a difficult task. Whilst this seems to be the most appropriate approach for this company, it still means the organisation is not able to meet sudden upturns in demand as capital investment decisions can typically involve a long lead time. Barnes (2008) points out that decisions involving adding capacity should be made within the necessary lead time as in some cases it can take years to devise the necessary structure and equipment. Coca Cola HBC consider that production planning based on long term forecasting is no longer necessary. Instead, they have opted to operate a continuous planning process. Krajeski et al (2010) agree, as they affirm that forecast accuracy declines as the forecast horizon lengths. However, Barnes (2008) disagrees asserting that forecasting future demand is important both in long term and short term scenarios. He defends that long term forecasts are needed when planning investment in new facilities and equipment and short term forecasts are important to manage effectively existing capacity. At Coca Cola HBC, a dedicated forecast manager is responsible for using historical sales information and consumer data to produce a weekly demand plan. Whilst this approach is based on the use of scientific methods and data mining tools, accuracy is still an issue. Unfortunately, independent of the number of forecasting methods used by an organisation, none of them are particularly accurate in predicting demand. Barnes (2008) affirms that nonetheless any forecast is almost certainly better than none as it forces managers to think about the future and consider how they can best respond to changes in demand. Assuming a quantitative method based on time series analysis is used, Coca Cola HBC are using the past to predict the future, which might not always be the case. A casual analysis should also be utilised in order to help them identify relationships between demand and relevant happenings, such as exceptional weather, advertising campaigns and major sports/music events. Although not clear in the case study, its very likely that they also use qualitative methods such as market surveys and scenario planning to assist them in forecasting demand. These methods are based on estimates and judgements made by either customers or managers but again cannot guarantee accurate forecasts. Their continuous planning process is also heavily dependent on achieving a consensus plan amongst all relevant senior managers. This approach can be considered valuable as it is designed to satisfy the targets and limits of all involved. However, it relies heavily on effective communication and outstanding teamwork of all members which is something far from easy to achieve. Unless relationships are very tight and teamwork is ____exceptional members could tend to focus more on their individual targets rather than the teams goal. Most challenges faced by the organisation as a result of their capacity management approach are eased by fostering good relations and partnering with customers, suppliers, retailers and other members of the supply chain. The organisation has a extended and complex supply network which makes it more difficult to manage. A firms capacity management approach should be constantly revised as capacity planning decisions have implications for all members and processes in the supply chain as well as various departments within the organisation. Therefore, the whole chain should be designed for effectiveness. Agile supply chains are more capable to meet unpredictable demand surges as they are action-oriented, competitive and driven to perform. 3 Supply Management Approach Assess CCHBCs approach to managing its suppliers. Coca Cola HBC has a truly global mindset with Coca Cola HBC has a global sourcing network with facilities in a number of countries. All activities (purchasing, etc ) are integrated and coordinated across the whole organisation and theyve worked on building fair and mutually beneficial relationships to deliver the best in terms of quality, cost, service and innovation. Relationships with suppliers They work extensively with their suppliers helping them to improve their processes, reduce costs and deliver innovation and efficiencies. Suppliers range from big international companies to smaller local companies. A number of international suppliers have established production in different countries allowing CCHBC to source from them. Relationships are managed both at country and Group level. Multi-functional teams ensure quality and efficiency. All suppliers of ingredients and primary packing materials must be approved. Suppliers must follow strict standards for business ethics, human rights, labour practices and environmental management. Independent auditing of suppliers for compliance with these principles is undertaken by independent third party firms every two years. 4 Management Information Systems How could an MIS help Coca Cola to monitor the achievement of its A for availability credo? Support your answer with specific examples that demonstrate the value of your chosen reports and information. It is widely known that good-decision making abilities and problem-solving skills enable organisations to reach its objectives and goals. Managing information systems (MIS) can help an organisation to achieve these goals by providing an insight into the day-to-day operations of the company so that they can control, organise and plan more effectively and efficiently. According to Stair et al (2008) a management information systems (MIS) is an integrated collection of people, procedures, databases, hardware and software aimed at providing managers with information to enable them to make better decisions to achieve organisation goals. Besides supporting internal operations, management information systems also enable collaboration between companies in the supply chain. Using high speed networks and data bases companies can easily share more reliable data to better manage the supply chain as a whole and their own individual operations. Hugos (2006) defends that the use of this technology is the key to a companys triumph. An effective management information system can benefit an organisation in many ways: Facilitates planning quality of planning is improved as the relevant information for decision making is available. Minimizes information overload it transforms a large amount of data into summarized form and avoid confusion that may arise when information is too detailed. Coordination facilitates the integration of activities and connect all decision centres in the organisation Aids control serves as a link between managerial planning and control. Improves ability of evaluating and optimising performance Decentralization allows monitoring of operations at low levels and frees up resources for departmental managers to devote time to strategic activities. The output of a management information system is information that sub serves managerial functions. A variety of reports in the form of charts, graphs, tables, summaries, etc, can be produced, all aimed at supporting management decisions. There are 5 main types of reports and Coca Cola CHB could utilise each one in a different context, but all with the same objective, which is to provide an insight to the companys regular operations. To guarantee availability of its products, Coca Cola HBC could use scheduled reports, produced periodically to monitor and control manufacturing output. The SCM manager could use a daily summary report to ensure he is meeting production targets. He could also guarantee that profitability targets are being achieved by using a weekly summary report to control labour costs. A key-indicator report is also a valuable managerial tool in order to understand the previous days activities. By analysing this report the production manager can take quick and corrective action in case any deviation is perceived, i.e. due to an unexpected stoppage in production or supply shortage. Demand reports can also be produced to fulfil requirements for specific information upon request. The SCM manager should use these to check on production status of particular products or measure performance of a certain production line. Coca Cola CHB could also use exception reports, which would be automatically produced when an unusual situation arises or when a problem requires management action. They could be generated when there is a production problem, for example. This would then enable the relevant manager to make a quickly, timely and informed decision. As the name suggests, drill-down reports provide very detailed data about a specific situation. This report could be used to analyse sales to determined countries, regions, cities or even unique retailers. All of these reports enable the relevant managers to make the best decisions and solve problems according fully supporting the organisations strategic planning and corporate policies. Production scheduling, inventory control, manufacturing resource planning and quality control are all activities that could potentially be optimised with the use of these various reports. In fact, Coca Cola CHB realises the importance of business reports and according to their 2009 Annual report, theyve been successfully rolling out SAP information systems which are expected to improve the efficiency of their entire business, by increasing the speed and accuracy of production, warehousing and sales functions, while increasing customer service levels. The company could also follow Coca Colas example in the United States and use a Group Decision Support System (GDSS). GroupSystem 5 helps Coca Cola save time and money by using a meeting facilitator and giving all participants an anonymous voice in decisions. This has eliminated the typical problem of a few people dominating decision-making meetings. The system displays only anonymous comments and outlines options. Interaction is allowed but kep to a minimum. The results: shorter meetings, less stressful conferences, a focus on shares values and concerns and increased efficacy. Competitive advantage can be achieved by the effective utilisation of the management information system and its reports as managers are supported whilst they work to achieve corporate goals. With an effective management information system in place, Coca Cola HBC can monitor the achievement of the Availability credo identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement. By aligning company goals with customers desires and needs, they can provide the right product, in the right location and at the right time. 5 Data Mining and Search Tools Analysis Coca Colas acceptability factor demands, among other things, effective customer service. Using specific examples, explain how data mining and related search tools can enable Coca Cola to analyse performance here. Many businesses and organisations collect data about their operations. They then examine this data for insights into their operations and into the transactions their business performs. This may be as simple as a periodic glance at a business report or may involve complex analysis using the latest software tools. Data mining is utilized because it can improve customer service, better target marketing campaigns, identify high-risk clients, and improve production processes. It is mainly used to help a company save money. Data mining can be successfully employed at the very beginning of a product lifecycle to lower costs during research and development. It can also be profitably employed to save money in manufacturing. Sensors can be installed to keep record of many variables particular to a process. The output from these sensors is then controlled by computer programs that can order slight adjustments to keep production within the proper bounds. Data mining also helps marketing professionals improve their understanding of customer behavior Good customer relationship management requires understanding of customers, their needs, their likes and dislikes. When data mining is correctly utilised within the organization the whole company will be able to benefit from an increased understanding of its customers and market, a better-focused marketing strategy and a more efficient use of resources. According to Berry Linoff (2004) data mining plays an important part both in advertising and direct marketing to identify the right audience, choose the best communication channels and pick the most appropriate messages. Coca Cola HBC can integrate their systems with retailers in order to analyse shopping baskets in supermarkets. Unexpected shopping patterns can easily be identified in this way. Another form of employing data mining is by using past behaviour to rank customers. Coca Cola HBC can use sales data to distinguish between profitable and unprofitable customers. They can also use this to predict which customers are likely to switch to an alternative brand in the future. Recently, Coca Cola started using a new vending machine, equipped with a flat screen, which displays the different products available. The machine offers a wide range of drinks, many that are not yet available in retail. The main objective of this new vending machine is to extract data regarding individuals consumption. With this data, Coca Cola is then able to recognise new consumption trends and subsequently identifies potential new blends and products to develop. Berry Linoff (2004) affirm that the promise of data mining is to return the focus of business to serving customers and to providing efficient business processes. This is very important in todays world, where weve learned that targeted marketing will lead to more satisfied and more profitable customers. Identify unexpected shopping patterns in supermarkets. Optimize website profitability by making appropriate offers to each visitor. Predict customer response rates in marketing campaigns. Defining new customer groups for marketing purposes. In short, Data Mining can be applied anywhere in your business or organization where you are interested in identifying and exploiting predictable outcomes. Using Web-based Tools for Service and Support The Web continues to put an indelible stamp on the way people live and work, impacting the way they communicate, do business, and conduct social interactions. It has empowered the population in countless ways, and continually layers on new mechanisms for connecting with anyone, anywhere. Its given voice to every kind of business and end user, as they take to social networks, blogs, wikis, videosharing, virtual reality worlds and tweets in growing numbers. This level of communication has dramatically changed the way business gets conducted, to the joy of many high-profile companies who have leveraged it to great fortune. But to the horror of some businesses, the voices directed at them are harshly revelatory: theyre bringing to light broken business practices, service faux pas, product malfunctions, and corporate malfeasance. Some of the loudest voices stem from service and support transactions, which, thanks to the Webs instant communication capabilities, can be broadcast loud and clear across a range of media. Epic stories of bad service bound around the Web in various incarnations, only replaced by the next fiasco. Businesses, particularly those who havent kept pace with newer marketing and customer response strategies, find they have less and less control over their own brands. Theres a real shift from CRM, which is very data-centric, to customer-managed relationships, says Michael Maoz, an analyst with Stamford, Ct.-based Gartner Inc. You can spend as many billions of dollars as you want, but with their Web at their disposal, your customers are going to determine your brand for you theyre going to make it or break it. Indeed, while more people are starting and concluding their support transactions in online channels, theyre shifting their search away from their providers own properties, says Tom Sweeny, an analyst at ServiceXRG. Instead, theyre increasingly going to third-party forums or relying on Google searches to get the support information they need. The upshot: The provider loses the benefit of interacting with their customer or learning from the issue. Weve taken for granted for so many years that support questions were an annoyance and came at a cost. But what happens when those interactions dry up and take place somewhere else? says Sweeny. Somebody else is creating and shaping the experience. They can shape the perception of your company, sometimes inaccurately, without you

Christianity Essay -- essays research papers fc

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism: Perspective on Fasting One of the longest established disciplines of the human body is that of fasting. Fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth(www.alinaam.org.za).Fasting has also been used in nearly every religion in the world, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Many of history's great spiritual leaders fasted for mental and spiritual clarity, including Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed. Fasting is an important element in religious practices. Christian Perspective Nowhere in the New Testament is fasting commanded as a binding obligation upon the Christian. However, if one elects to fast it should be nothing less than drawing nearer to God. Even though fasting is not commanded that doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean that fasting isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t recommended as a part of a Christianà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s spiritual growth. Fasting is very important in Christianity. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. The Book of Acts records believersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ fasting before they made important decisions (Act 13:4, 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2: 37; 5:33). Although fasting in Scriptures is almost always a fasting from food; there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast (1 Cor. 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is food. The occasions for a fast is total voluntary. Christians fast for different reasons. They fast during difficult times, to express sorrow or regret for sin or to seek guidance from God. Christian also fast to communicate emotion to God. Christian fasting is more than denying he or herself food or something else of the flesh à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isaiah 58, a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“true fastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? is not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God; it is a lifestyle of servant ministry to others. Isaiah tells us, fasting encourages humility, loosens the chains of injustice, unties the chords of the yoke, frees the oppressed, feeds the hungry, provides for the poor, and clothes the naked. (Isaiah 58: 1-9). The concept of Christian fasting isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a one-day thing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a lifestyle of servant living for God and others. Jewish Perspective Fasting is a part of the Jewish tradition. Fasting was instituted in Biblical times as a sign of morning, or when... ...d Judaism rely heavily upon law for fasting. They have major fasts based on the Holy Quà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ran and the Torah. Christian fasts are not restricted to commands from the Bible. As a matter of fact, fasting is not required at all. They are encouraged to fast for spiritual growth. If Christians decide to fast, they have individual freedom to choose when and how they fast. Unlike Christians, Muslims and Jews have to fast completely from food. Christians have a choice to fast from whatever keeps them from focusing on God. Even though Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have different perspective on fasting, they all have a common goal to get closer to God. No matter how a fast is carried out, one should never lose sight of the main goal of fasting. Fasting provides an environment for a deeper spiritual life. Bibliography http://www.aish.com Retrieved February 20, 2005. http://www.alinaam.org.za/ramadhaan/freligions.htm Retrieved February 20, 2005. Fisher, Mary Pat (2002). Living Religions, Fifth Edition Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. The Holy Bible, New International Version Grand Rapids, Michigan 1973. http://www.islamworld.net / Retrieved February 26, 2005.

Terrible death of Abraham Lincoln

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman expresses the terrible death of   Abraham Lincoln. â€Å"And the great star early droop’d †¦. † taken from the second line of the poem demonstrates the reference to President Abraham Lincoln with â€Å"Great Star† as the representation being the 16th president of the United States. Whitman’s yearly reminder of Lincoln’s death is symbolizes by the blooming of the lilacs in April which justify the same month in which Lincoln was assassinated. Whitman makes use the imagery of lilacs to successfully convey the vigor of the poem.Lilacs here emphasize the things about the death and elegy of Lincoln. The first one is that the lilacs symbolize sorrow in the beginning but currently represent closure. It means the death of the president brought them sadness but the lilacs place on the coffin gives them hope because it is a symbolic gesture of honor and respect. It also signifies that even though the flower is rotten, again and again there will be new lilacs when spring comes. Just like Lincoln, through his elegy his memories will be revived. The turning point of this poem which was written by Whitman deals with death and acceptance of it.This line explains it â€Å"I leave thee lilac with heart-shaped leaves; I leave thee there in the door-yard, blooming, returning with spring†. He proves his optimistic outlook here. Lilacs also indicate the repeated sequence of life. Whitman perceives from the lilacs, that passing away is an unavoidable factor of this cycle. The images of the lilac represent love, hope, life, despair, and rebirth. They also serve as a channel that leads Whitman to understand death. Through this poem, Whitman honors Lincoln as a magnificent leader and a noble person. Aside from this, it is also important because it provides end for the nation in bereavement.Above all, the poem of lamentation efficiently shows that Lincoln's heritage will alway s be reborn among the blossoming lilacs when spring returns. In my own opinion, Whitman changes poetry forever by having a concrete representation of his feeling about the person whom he adores and respects too much. The way he delivers the details of his poem, it shows that the whole nation involves here and he tries to comfort all of them even himself. In that aspect, it’s very hard for a poet or writer to address wholeheartedly the entire story of the person being emphasized.Because it may lead him to the wrong motives and implications, it can be a big issue to the readers or listeners, it maybe biased and more on criticism. But as he connects one line of the poem to the other, we will notice the strong feeling of Whitman that he is affected by the tragedy happened to the president. And he tries his best to put the details into figures of speech so that the true essence of poetry will not be erased. I do believe that Whitman change poetry forever by simply putting his hear t in his poem, his true feeling and the lesson that he learns after making the whole poem.

The American revolutionary war essays

The American revolutionary war essays The American Revolutionary War is the most important historic event in the United States. Many groups of people were affected by this war, and one of then was the Native Americans. The American Revolution was not a revolution for the Indians because they were constantly losing land to the white men before, during, and after the war. Before the war, the Indians had to move many times from their territory. For example, the Proclamation of 1763 sought to limit the conflicts between Native Americans and English settlers by prohibiting the British to move into Indian land. However, settlers continued to move into the region beyond the Proclamation limits. The settlers were violent with the Indians living in that land. In addition, the British thought the Native Americans were standing in the way of their progress. They wanted the land to raise cotton and for settlement. Some tribes were removed from their territory without any respect. Furthermore, the government acquired Indian territory to sell it to other colonies or rich white men. The Indians did not understand the concept of owning land, so they had to move. Every time the Native Americans left their land was very hard for them because of their kids and they did not have any food. The situation the Indians were in was very frustrating and made t hem to take action to try to resolve it. The Native Americans took action in the American Revolutionary War. For example, many tribes joined the Revolutionary War. The British promised them land or to keep their territory if they joined the fight. The Indians were so desperate to have their land that they agreed with the British. In addition, the land promised to the Native Americans was given to some of the colonies. The tribes were either moved or send to the west. The English people lied to the Indians and used them to have advantage in the war. Furthermore, in the Preliminary Articles of Peace o...

How a style guide can transform your organisations documents

How a style guide can transform your organisations documents Why you need a style guide Whats one thing you can do to transform everything you write at work? In fact, not just what you write: what your colleagues write too – even everyone in your entire organisation. Better still, as well as improving the emails, reports, letters, proposals and other documents you all produce, it can overhaul everyones experience of writing. So what is this magical act? Well, its taking the time to think about style. (And no, I dont mean what to wear on casual Friday.) Specifically, working with a style guide. Defining style And what is a style guide? In short, its the go-to reference for writing within a particular industry, organisation or publication. It outlines how to write the key documents in whatever arena it covers, touching on tone of voice, key terms, formatting and (sometimes) design. Style guides are particularly great at coming to the rescue on any questions that dont have an easy black-and-white, right-or-wrong answer. This would include things like whether to put one or two spaces after a full stop, how to punctuate bullet points, using US or UK spelling and how to style your company name in running text. (And hasnt every workplace or department temporarily ground to a halt at some point, as factions gathered to fight over such a matter?) When a question can be answered only in shades of grey, someone needs to make a style choice. Theyll decide that – for example – theyll always use one space after a full stop, US spelling and an initial capital for their company name. And then everyone at the company will always do it that way. Style guides are the norm in the publishing world. But youll find them in all kinds of fields, including law, medicine, academia, government – and increasingly in business too. Do you need one? Is a style guide right for you and your company? Yes, probably. That may seem like a bold statement (I dont know you, after all). But its a safe guess, because a style guide can help people at almost every level of almost any organisation. For example, if youre a team leader who spends too much time editing colleagues documents and emails before youre happy with them, a style guide can help. If youre the head of marketing and frustrated that the tone of voice in your companys external documents is at odds with your brand, a style guide can help. And if you find yourself heading to Google again and again over the same sort of questions – you may have guessed already. Yes, a style guide could definitely help. What style can do for you So, what benefits can a style guide bring? Well, it can help to settle office arguments. But it can do much more than that. When everyone has the same reference point, the key benefit is consistency. And for a companys or organisations written output – whether thats documents, webpages, letters, emails or all of the above – this is vital. Small inconsistencies in spelling, formatting or tone may not seem like a big deal. But they can niggle at the people reading them – even if those people dont realise quite why. Page by page, or screen by screen, those little irregularities chip away at their confidence in your company. How about that overstretched team leader? Consistencys important for them too. After all, it could mean the difference between needing just 20 minutes to sign off their teams work or several hours and another late night at the office. And its not just the time – its the decisions themselves. With no authority giving a casting vote on style matters, the poor team leader is left to decide every time. That can be exhausting. Research suggests we have capacity for only a limited number of decisions a day, even the seemingly tiny ones. So, finding ways to bypass some of them means preserving a valuable resource: your mental energy. This saving naturally extends to every person writing within the organisation – which, in the age of email, is probably almost everyone. With just one handy reference to check, all are saved from falling into a potential black hole of online searching. Pick a guide (not any guide) But how do you go about choosing the style guide for your organisation? You can choose to use someone elses, such as the highly regarded, informed and eloquent guides of The Economist and Guardian. As long as everyone at your workplace knows which one theyre supposed to check, this can work. However, the best style guides are effective because theyre relevant: everything in them applies to the work that people at the organisation actually do. For most of us, that doesnt include writing articles for the Guardian. When you try to bend someone elses guidance to your needs, you can find yourself stuck with a lot of information thats of little use to you. (For example, the Guardians guide includes a curiously detailed entry on canal boats, and how narrowboats differ from barges.) Meanwhile, youll probably also be missing areas you do need. So you might want to refine your search. For a more business-focused book, you could look no further than our own. We produced The Write Stuff as a universal guide to help people write at work. Thats why it includes sections on writing for the web and for a global audience, tips for clear writing and getting the best from email. Plus, of course, our take on those tricky style issues. Its designed to answer the kinds of questions that youre likely to face at work. You can download it for yourself here. Build your own The ultimate answer is to develop your own guide, purpose-built for your organisation. But how do you go about this? You dont have to start from scratch. Instead, start by looking at whats already out there to see what could be covered, then adapt it to fit as needed. Then pin down the questions that crop up repeatedly in your department or company. Which decisions have to be made over and over again? Which words and terms cause problems or dispute? Is the company name formatted in too many different ways? What tone of voice are you hoping to encourage? What values best sum up your company ethos? How can this be reflected in your writing choices? Gather examples to illustrate all these points – youll need to include these. Create a list, then ask other people to look at the list and add their own ideas. Keep in mind that this isnt a place to catalogue everyones personal punctuation bugbears or to explain complex grammatical issues. (The latter might require training; the former may be best reserved for a personal blog.) Remember that youre aiming to end up with a useful resource for quick reference. Making it work Clearly, even the best guide will do little good if no one uses it or even knows it exists. So bring your colleagues into the process early on: ask them for their thoughts on drafts and for feedback on the finished article. Theyre more likely to take it to their hearts if they dont feel like its merely the product of one persons mission. When its published, consider having a launch event to get people on board and enthusiastic – you could even combine the launch with training. And make the guide easy to find. A searchable online version is good, as long as its not buried on your intranet. But if you really want to encourage people to thumb through it regularly, go old-school and put a hard copy on everyones desk. We can help Even for a seasoned editor, all this can sound like a daunting task. If it does to you, thats OK. You can enlist some experienced help. Weve worked with many clients to create guides that are a perfect fit for their company. Starting with The Write Stuff as a basis, we work directly with them to see what we need to add (or subtract). For example, one client added a section on how to write for PowerPoint. Another cut Writing for a global audience and added guidance on referencing and bibliographies. And whatever additions or subtractions make sense for your team or organisation, by consulting every step of the way we can create the reference that is exactly what you need. If youd like to talk to us about developing the right guide for your company, get in touch. Finding the answers Writing at work comes with all kinds of challenges. It involves hundreds of tiny decisions along the way and – as weve said before – theres no one authority on high to tell us whats correct in the widest sense. The good news is that that doesnt really matter. Within the cosier confines of your daily working life – and with the right book on your desk – you can still have all the answers you really need in one place. If you feel its time for you to settle on a style for your team or organisation, dont forget you can download our guide, The Write Stuff, here. And if youd like to talk to us about helping to develop one tailor-made for you, get in touch. Image credit: Eric Isselee / Shutterstock

Ethical and Legal implications of lack of access to healthcare Case Study

Ethical and Legal implications of lack of access to healthcare - Case Study Example The high expectations of ensuring effective care to those suffering from acute illnesses have taken a toll on the health care system in the country due to shortage of available resources against the number of people in need of care. Allocation of scarce resources in the midst of increasing costs and unemployment has led to a series of debates among scholars regarding the role and impact of ethics in provision of health care services. Although various health care reforms have been initiated over the years, to ensure better care for the citizens, the nurses and other care givers are entrusted with an ethical responsibility to provide equitable and fair distribution of resources (White, Duncan, 2002). The ethical obligation to offer adequate and timely health care services across all classes of the society entails two key principles of health care which includes - the provision of fair and equal opportunities to all members of the society and to protect and safeguard the interests of th e vulnerable populations by providing them proper health care benefits. These principles seem to have eroded with time, on account of increasing costs of drugs, rise in health care expenditures, and the resulting cost-control measures arising out of the same. This has lead to serious negative implications on the society as a whole such as reduction in overall health of the citizens, reduction in employee productivity, and an increased burden on the health care system in terms of added costs among many others (Sulmasy, 1992). Although access to health care services is not an end to all health related problems, the equitable access to such services does however significantly increases the odds of attaining better health outcomes due to timely diagnosis and treatment. According to the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedicine and Behavioral Science Research Commission, one of the key ethical obligations of the society includes ensuring equal access to health care services. The commission states that "Equitable access to health care requires that all citizens be able to secure an adequate level of care without excessive burdens" (Millman 1993, Pp. 32). Legal Implications of lack of access to health care: There are wide ranging racial disparities in the United States with regard to health care, despite of stringent laws against such discrimination. However, such disparities exist on account of various reasons such as the vulnerabilities of people belonging to certain races such as African Americans and Hispanics who belong to low socio-economic backgrounds. According to The Civil Rights Act of 1964, any discrimination in provision of health care may lead to enforcement of legal action against the accused. Section 601 of Title VI states that "No person in the United States, shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity r eceiving federal financial assistance" (Williams 2007, pp. 180). This clearly indicates that law prohibits any kind of discrimination however preventing such discrimination poses a greater challenge, due to the various types of

CANCER PREVENTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CANCER PREVENTION - Essay Example Drug research has shown that tamoxifen and raloxifene have limits when it comes to patient acceptance (Goss et al., 2011). In addition, Aromatase inhibitors protect against contralateral breast cancers and show fewer side effects compared to tamoxifene in patients that are fighting with an early stage of cancer (Goss et al., 2011). With such progressive research it can predicted that the future of cancer prevention drugs is bright. Testicular cancer (TC) is a major problem among male cancer patients but it is one of the most curable cancers (Richardson et al., 2012). The survival rates of 100% have been observed in patients that undergo appropriate therapy and proper treatment (Richardson et al., 2012). The same study has also concluded through statistical data that there is an increased risk of developing testicular cancer in low income population (Richardson et al., 2012). The treatment and therapy is available but it is recommended that men should get an annual examination of their testicles to catch the disease at an early manageable state. Richardson et al. (2012) Testicular cancer: A narrative review of the role of socioeconomic position from risk to survivorship. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations. 30(1), p.