Fast Food Nation - 1032 Words

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser Tutorial: â€Å"What’s in the meat† – Meat and potatoes Overview: A look into how the meat is prepared. What is in the meat that we don’t know about but still consume. How consumers love it because it’s cheap, quick and easy. Processing of meat, errors associated with the process of beef and chicken. Image Analysis: An effective image employs specific techniques to relay its purpose. This image of 6 year old Alex Donley uses the following techniques to influence the reader or viewers perception of the chapter. Framing, layout, colour, symbols and focus are all crucial aspects of the image. The image is a mid shot of the child’s face, resembling an individual school photo. His expression is relaxed,†¦show more content†¦More than two thirds of those hamburgers were bought at fast food restaurants. And children between the ages of seven and thirteen ate more hamburgers than anyone else.† p.198. A bug that kills children †¢ E. Coli is both a necessary bacteria in the human digestive tract and a very harmful toxin †¢ The effects of the E. coli toxin are can be mild diahorrea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and low grade fever. †¢ E. coli bacteria affects children and the elderly along with people with weak immune systems. †¢ â€Å"I would have done anything to save my son’s life, I would have run in front of a bus to save Alex.† p. 200. All we care to pay †¢ Because fast food is so cheap and accessible, the risks associated with it’s consumption are far from our minds because of the minimal cost. †¢ â€Å"The use of chemicals such as borax and glycerine to disguise the smell of spoiled beef...† p. 204. A matter of will †¢ The only way this issue can be resolved is if the fast food companies are willing to take the initiative to minimise the spread of disease. †¢ Every...manager attend a food safety course, that every refrigerated delivery truck have a record keeping thermometer mounted inside it...† p. 208. A lack of recall †¢ By the time food is recalled, it is too late as most of it has already been consumed and the recalls are voluntary. †¢ â€Å"the company made no effort to warn the public or to recall the frozen patties...† Our friend the atom †¢ The sub chapterShow MoreRelatedFast Food Nation1487 Words   |  6 PagesThe Changing of the Food Industry â€Å"In many respects, the fast food industry embodies the best and worst of American capitalism at the start of the twenty-first century – its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gulf between gulf between rich and poor† (Schlosser 6). In 2001 Eric Schlosser published â€Å"Fast Food Nation.† Eric Schlosser’s early 21st century muckraking text, â€Å"Fast Food Nation,† attempts to shed light on the consequences of the fast food industry on AmericanRead MoreFast Food Nation1271 Words   |  6 PagesIntro  to  Political  Science 5/12/2013 Fast  Food  Nation The  investigative  journalist,  Eric  Schlosser,  has  written  a  book  to  illuminate  an  epidemic  that started  in  America  and  is  now  becoming  one  of  the  world’s  largest  problems.  In  Fast  Food  Nation, Schlosser  frames  today’s  Fast  Food  giants  in  history,American  entrepreneurialism,  and  over consumption  in  respect  to  consumer  and  employee  wellbeing.  The  power  of  all  modern  Fast  Food giants  combined  have  eclipsed  the  power  of  any  one  government.  Marketing  has  become  a  keyRead MoreFast Food Nation1133 Words   |  5 PagesFast Food Nation Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser, is a stark and unrelenting look into the fast food industry that has ingrained itself in not only American culture, but in culture around the world. There is almost no place on earth that the golden arches has not entered. Aside from Antarctica, there is a McDonalds on every continent, and the number of countries that have fast food restaurants is growing on a daily basis. Schlosser describes in detail what happens behind the scenes, beforeRead MoreFast Food Nation2536 Words   |  11 PagesDialectical Journal – Fast Food Nation 1. â€Å"Hundreds of millions of people buy fast food every day without giving it much thought, unaware of the subtle and not so subtle ramifications of their purchases. They rarely consider where this food came from, how it was made, what it is doing to the community around them. They just grab their tray off the counter, find a table, take a seat, unwrap the paper, and dig in† (Schlosser 10). In this passage from the introduction, Eric Schlosser directly statesRead MoreFast Food Nation Examines The History Of The Fast Food1847 Words   |  8 PagesFast Food Nation examines the history of the fast food industry as the world began to consume the idea of quick and easy cuisine. This piece of investigative journalism really gives it s readers a look at the fast food industry and its development over time. This book is divided into two sections. The first section delves into the beginnings of the industry and how it developed into the large corporational business it is today. Th e second section examines the business behind the scenes. The bookRead MoreExamples Of Rhetorics In Fast Food Nation1038 Words   |  5 Pagesvery effective or ineffective at persuading an audience. This is seen in Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation in which he uses the three rhetoric tenets to better assure his claim of fast food but also use the rhetoric tenets ineffectively in an argument. By using these rhetorical ideas, his writing is very persuasive at points but also left unsuccessful at other times. The use of ethos in Fast Food Nation is seen many times to help Schlosser appeal as credible and trustworthy while ensuring thatRead MoreFast Food Nation: The Inconvenient Truth of Fast Food Essay572 Words   |  3 Pages ‘Fast Food Nation’ by Eric Schlosser traces the history of fast food industry from old hot dog stands to the billion dollar franchise companies established as America spread its influence of quick, easy and greasy cuisine around the globe. It is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism that looks deep into the industries that have profited from the American agriculture business, while engaging in labor practices that are often shameful. In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser goes beyond the factsRead MoreEric Schlossers Fast Food Nation And The Jungle1698 Words   |  7 PagesFast food restaurants exude bright colors, distribute meals with toys, and create a sense of happiness, but what truly goes on behind the scenes of this magical industry? In Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, the authors use similar rhetorical strategies to reveal the motives and unconventional practices of the food industry. Schlosser conveys his purpose through the utilization of pathos, ethos, anecdotes and imagery as compared to Sinclair who uses historical referencesRead MoreFast Food Nation Essay804 Words   |  4 Pagesstudy called â€Å"Fast Food Nation 2008. The panel consisted of 1,000 respondents of ages 16-65 who provided their inputs with an online survey which was conducted between March 13 through 2008. Which was based on results on fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King , and Wendy’s are gaining popularity even through the economic hardship and recession. Marketing strategy has become more of influence on kids and young American’s. As population grows and the demand increases of fast food restaurantsRead MoreFast Food Nation By Eric Schlosser1678 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Congress should ban advertising that preys upon children, it should stop subsidizing dead-end jobs, it should pass tougher food safety laws, it should protect American workers from serious harm, it should fight against dangerous concentrations of economic power (Schlosser). People must wonder how is it that a fast food company has so much customers. Advertising is the answer. The power advertisers have to be able to influence so many people s decisions and affect people’s lives especially the lives

The Art Of The Folk - 1699 Words

The Art of the Folk: Jazz, Blues, Folktales, Dance: The Harlem Renaissance During the nineteenth- mid-twentieth century, folk became very popular and widely known within the nation. Folk is considered the ordinary citizens of a public or district considered as the agents of a conventional lifestyle and particularly as the originators or bearers of the traditions, convictions, and expressions that make up an unmistakable culture. When people started to realize, their potential and become open to the public about their abilities, the art of the folk begun to suddenly become more diverse. It became diverse in jazz, blues, folktales, and dance; some of the major aspects that caused todays music to be what it is in the twenty first century.†¦show more content†¦Jazz has no impediments, no course of music. Jazz is extemporization, and an approach to express happiness and passion. Jazz became very popular around the world. New Orleans was the one place where the stunning and uncov ering jazz style advanced. Jazz became so advanced that other artists noticed that each instrument that was played had a different sound that could attract to the soul. The instruments were, cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba or bass, piano, banjo, and drums (wordpress.com). These instruments turned into a splendid arrangement underscoring free additionally pleasingly synchronized music lines. Jazz was very influential in the music industry. Charlie Parker one of the greatest musicians of all times once said, â€Å"Master your instrument, master the music, then forget all that and just play.† (Parker 2.) During the Harlem Renaissance jazz became an outlet on how African Americans expressed their feelings without words. It became the reason as to why we have blues, and other famous types of artistic expression. Blues, on the other hand is considered the sibling of Jazz and of the Harlem Renaissance era. Blues is a vital sort of music. Most music that you hear today has some type of recreation of the blues. The blues created a way for the music that we have today. Without blues there would not be any hip hop, rap, pop, R and B or gospel. Blues is likewise critical for African American culture. African Americans were additionally the general population who beganShow MoreRelatedWhen visiting the McKissick Museum I was engrossed by the American Folk Art, ceramic Face Jugs,600 Words   |  3 PagesWhen visiting the McKissick Museum I was engrossed by the American Folk Art, ceramic Face Jugs, also known as ugly or grotesque jugs. There are gaps in the history in regards to how the face jugs were made, what they were used for, and the meaning of the face vessel pottery. However it is believed that these vessels were original, useful, creative expressions of the African slave culture of the time created as early as the seventeenth century. Few artists of face jugs have been identified and theirRead MoreArt And Culture Of Mexico1304 Words   |  6 Pages I visited the National Museum of Mexican Art to find out more about the art and culture of Mexico. An interesting exhibit found in the museum is called Nuestra Historias: Stories of Mexican Identity from the Permanent Collection. The exhibit displays various artworks from the 18th through the 20th century. The purpose of the exhibit is to show how the Mexican identity has been altered throughout time and different regions. After the Mexican Revolution, modern Mexican artists were significant figuresRead MoreThe Culture Of Folk Culture863 Words   |  4 Pagessmaller communities is considered folk culture. Though, most of the legends, jokes, and myths told from these specific families in past generations die off, accustoming to the specific events that are occurring today. This is recognized as popular culture or â€Å"po p culture†; appealing to a larger and more general audience. The creation of a certain type of culture, including â€Å"pop culture,† must have a starting place whereas in this case its mother is folk culture. Folk culture reveals the strength andRead MoreThe Taj Mahal or The Golden Temple820 Words   |  3 PagesTABLE OF CONTENTS Painted Art 1 History 1 Murals and Miniatures 1 Folk and Tribal Art 1 Religious Art 1 Christian Art 1 Buddhist Art 2 Islamic Art 2 Architectural Art 2 Taj Mahal 2 The Golden Temple 2 Humayun’s Tomb 2 Festivals 3 Dance 3 Theater 3 Music 3 India has some of the world’s greatest arts. For example the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple, and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. In India, art is expressed in many different forms. India has one of the world’s largest collections of songs, musicRead MoreSikh and Punjabi1563 Words   |  7 Pagesregion of  Majha,  [6]  centralizing in  Lahore  and  Amritsar. Along with  Lahnda  and  Western Pahari  languages, Punjabi is unusual among modern Indo-European languages because it is  a tonal language. Different Art forms in Punjab GATKA (MARSHAL ART OF PUNJAB) Gatka  (à ¨â€"à ¨ ¤Ã  ¨â€¢Ã  ¨ ¾)  is a weapon-based Indian Marshal art created by the  Sikhs of the Punjab. The Punjabi word  gatka  refers to the wooden stick used in sparring matches. The term might have originated as a diminutive of the Sanskrit   word  gadha or mace.  A moreRead More Hungarian Peasant and Folk Music Essay1562 Words   |  7 PagesHungarian Peasant and Folk Music I. General confusion about Hungarian folk music. Gypsy music Peasant music - the real Hungarian folk music - is not Gypsy music. Peasant music certainly had influence on the songs and playing of gypsies who lived in Hungary and performed in ensembles, though. Gypsy music used to be the basis of all generalizations about Hungarian music. It was Ferenc Liszts monumental error to state that Gypsy music is the creation of gypsies. The so called gypsy scale pointsRead MoreTaking a Look at Natyasastra674 Words   |  3 Pageslack of interest of folk and illiterate people. Sanskrit theatre became Brahminical and elitist. Folk theatre is the next prominent theatre after Sanskrit theatre. Bharata in Natyasastra has also acknowledged the existence of so many folk forms of theatre even in those days. Many scholars believe that both forms of theatres begin simultaneously and Sanskrit theatre was popular among higher class of the society while folk theatre was popular among villages and lower class people. Folk theatre usuallyRead MoreDefining the Humanities Essay1179 Words   |  5 Pagesmusic was an expression of what I know about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture from the 60s. I will also discuss how the music of the 60s compares with other forms I know about from the same period. One of the definitions of humanities, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is â€Å"Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature, and art, that are concerned with human thought and culture; the liberal arts.† Culture is a big part of humanities. Culture, as definedRead MoreNegro Spirituals1624 Words   |  7 PagesNegro Spirituals Spirituals, a religious folk song of American origin, particularly associated with African-American Protestants of the southern United States. The African-American spiritual, characterized by syncopation, polyrhythmic structure, and the pentatonic scale of five whole tones, is, above all, a deeply emotional song. Spirituals are really the most characteristic product of the race genius as yet in America. But the very elements which make them uniquely expressive of the Negro make themRead MoreEssay on Negro Spirituals1630 Words   |  7 Pages Negro Spirituals Spirituals, a religious folk song of American origin, particularly associated with African-American Protestants of the southern United States. The African-American spiritual, characterized by syncopation, polyrhythmic structure, and the pentatonic scale of five whole tones, is, above all, a deeply emotional song. Spirituals are really the most characteristic product of the race genius as yet in America. But the very elements which make them uniquely expressive of the Negro make

Management of Organization Sports and Fashion Brands

Question: Discuss about theManagement of Organization for Sports and Fashion Brands. Answer: Introduction Sports direct started as a single store located in Maidenhead, which was founded by mike Ashley in the year 1982. Eventually, the company has not only became the largest sports retailer as far as the revenue and profit is concerned but also owns a huge number of lifestyle, sports and fashion brands that are famous worldwide. They have around 420 stores in the United Kingdom. out of the 420 stores, majority of them under the trademark of Sportsdirect.com. The premium lifestyles division currently operates in 130 stores in the United Kingdom and the stores operate under the trademarks of USC, Flannels, Van Mildert and Cruise (Sportsdirect.com 2016). The international presence of Sports Direct is also commendable. Sports Direct has retails store that is entirely owned by them, joint ventures with various retailers and have their products in stores that are owned by other retailers. In the 19 European countries, there are 270 stores of Sports Direct. It is evident that sports industry has experienced an increasing growth from past few decades. Especially, the European countries have expressed a considerable interest towards the sports programs. This has opened up the opportunities for the sports brands to expand the business by penetrating in target market. Due to the tremendous performance of Sports Direct, it has gained strong market presence around the globe. One of the major principles of the organization is to meet the potential needs of the sports lover and design the products. In addition, the brand has enormous reputation of applying innovation in its products and services. However, the strategy of Sports Direct is not to stop and keep on growing and developing. The current strategy of Sports Direct is to expand in the EEA countries in the coming three to five years (Markets.ft.com 2016). The marketing strategy of sport direct is not limited to the brick and mortar stores. Their online presence is also strong and they deliver the products to the doorstep of the individuals. The mission and vision of Sports Direct is to become the leading lifestyle and sports retailer in the market of the United Kingdom as well as internationally. Sports Direct aims at sustainable growth of the shareholders by delivering the customers with high quality products and products of the leading brands (sportsdirectplc.com 2016). They aim to grow by increasing their efficiency, effectiveness and the capacity of the operations to satisfy the customers. The mission statement of Sports Direct is to provide customers with high quality sports clothes and equipments at an affordable price and give unmatched customer service (the Guardian 2016). Some of the values of sports direct are: To work as a single team Plan for future success Strive to lead in the business as well as help in energizing other people Do things in ethical manner Create a good impression on the customers as well as in the market Satisfying the customers Deliver proper results The values of the company and then development of the employees has helped in high performance of the company and high reward for the company that has helped in achieving success for the organization. Self-Reflection The completion of the report gave me an enormous satisfaction as I have gained the opportunity to gain knowledge regarding each aspect of the sports industry. I have also observed that sports industry has increasingly been developing since the demands of sports programs are increasing rapidly. I have understood how the marketers utilize the opportunities of the markets that have high demand. While focusing on the strategies implemented by the sports brands, I have pointed out that sports brands tend to implement the changing trends of peoples life style. In addition, another significant aspect I have found out that is the application of the innovation in its products and services. By applying innovation in the products and services, the sports brands effectively meet the changing needs of the customers. However, the current scenario of each industry indicate that organizations have started embracing the trends of innovation to access the large market within short time to meet the dem ands of the customers. Notwithstanding, I have realized sports brands are still now able to penetrate in the market through the trends of e-commerce. Lastly, a secondary research on the current topic would have increased my knowledge to a greater extent. By completing the project, I have developed my observation skills that I could utilize further in my academic studies. Conclusion On the conclusion of the report, it can further be added that sports industry is one of the growing industries. Thus, the sports brands have got the rush to develop and innovate the products and services. In addition, there is an increasing competition among the sports brands due to the growing demands of the sports programs. Therefore, the large sports brands like Sports Direct have utilized the innovative marketing strategies like applying innovation in its products and services. The core strategy of developing the products with current trends of fashion helps the organization best meets the needs of customers. Lastly, it can be added that innovative strategies could help the organization to access vast market within short time with best investment strategies. References Markets.ft.com. 2016.Sports Direct International PLC, SPD:LSE summary - FT.com. [online] Available at: https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/summary?s=SPD:LSE [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016]. Sportsdirect.com, 2016.About Us | SportsDirect.com. [online] Sportsdirect.com. Available at: https://www.sportsdirect.com/customerservices/otherinformation/aboutus [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016]. sportsdirectplc.com, 2016.Annual Report Accounts 2016. 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: https://www.sportsdirectplc.com/~/media/Files/S/Sports-Direct/annual-report/2016-annual-report-accounts.pdf [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016]. the Guardian, 2016.Sports Direct International | Business | The Guardian. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/sports-direct-international [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016].

Short Biography of Django Reinhardt free essay sample

The Hardships and Upcoming of Dagon Reinhardt Dagon Reinhardt once said Jazz attracted me because in it I found a formal perfection and instrumental precision that I admire in classical music, but which popular music doesnt have. Reinhardt had worked very, very hard to get to the peak of his career. His life was like a story In the genre of Rags to Riches because he wasnt born with the best of beginnings, but he still accomplished the Impossible and became the first Important European Jazz musicals, still known by musicians today.Dagon was born, as Jean Reinhardt In Liberties, Pont-a-Cells, Belgium on January 23rd 1910, Into a poor family. HIS father Is Jean Eugene Weiss (also goes by the alias of Jean-Baptists Reinhardt) and his mother Is Laurence Reinhardt. Dagon In Romania language means to awake. In his early childhood Jean lived In Romania (Gypsy) encampments close to Pans. We will write a custom essay sample on Short Biography of Django Reinhardt or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He was also very attracted to music at an early age. A funny fact is that his first instrument was that he actually played the violin first despite that hell become best- known for the guitar.He received his first quit « as a gift when he was twelve years old, specifically it was a banjo-guitar. He quickly learned how to play without any tutoring; Dagon learned through watching other musicians play and copying their fingerings. At the age of thirteen he was able to make a living off of playing music, but the consequence for that was that he received very little education and he only learned reading and writing in his adult life.When he was 18 there was a fire that injured him. His right leg, fourth and fifth fingers were paralyzed because of this, and even though two of his most important engineers were paralyzed he still sought out to relearn the way of the guitar with only 2 fingers. He discovered Jazz and traded his banjo-guitar in for a Seller Guitar between 1929 and 1933. Between 1934 and the start of World War 2 (1939), Dagon toured the united Kingdoms with his quintet.After the world war he toured the united States; he was a great success, however, the more popular bands didnt really cooperate with him. In 1947, he returned to France, but It was difficult for him to adapt to modern life. He was very popular and he had many sold out concerts, but he often skipped out on hem and did other things Like wandering off to the beach, to the park, sleep, etc. HIS fans, bands, and managers considered him extremely unpredictable.He retired in 1951, but he still loved music so he continued to play In clubs. After his retirement he started learning how to play the electric guitar. Using this, Dagon new style he created was short lived because, in 1953, when he was walking home from playing in a Paris club, he collapsed from brain hemorrhage. It took a full day for doctors to arrive because it was a Saturday and he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Sourcing Sound and Image

Sound and image are the elements that often complete each other. When there is not enough of imagery, the acoustic elements add the atmosphere, and vice versa Sourcing Sound and Image is the project that perfected it. Making the visuals blend with the sounds in the background, it creates a fantastic cadence of imagery and sound. Taking a closer look at some specimen of the genre, one can possibly tell why these unusual artworks are so mesmerizing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sourcing Sound and Image specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Speaking of Wolniak’s Flash Art, one must mention that the images, with all their abruptness, remind of the SOS signal; however, with the soothing buzzing sound in the background, the whole artwork of life and death. Perhaps, it is the simplicity of the idea and its meaningfulness that makes Flash Art an artwork one cannot shift the eyes from. Another peculiar masterpiece, L ightning Field by Rudy Lemke makes one see the whole idea of Sourcing Sound and Image from a different perspective. The image of black and white stripes shape shifting is something that can put even an insomniac to sleep; however, the music that follows creates the atmosphere of something being about to happen, which makes the whole artwork rather threatening. Van McElwee attempted to approach the same issue from a different angle as well, displaying footage of images sinking in white noise, and offering a corresponding soundtrack. Disturbing and unusual, the work leads the viewer into the depth of the subconscious and turns the process of watching into unceasing guesswork. On the contrary, Vitiello offers rather vague images combined with a heavy melody that jumps from the background into the front. Creating the impression of something dangerous approaching, the composition is a triumph of merging a sound and an image into a single entity. Like a dashed line, it charms the viewer i nto watching, yet at the same time makes the audience remain on alert, intrigued and waiting for something to happen. In the given case, the sound and the video are not fully corresponding, yet they perfectly supplement each other. As for Lemcke’s Waterlilies, the footage stands out from the rest of the works; unlike the rest of the compositions, it does not contain a neurotic element that sends shivers down the viewer’s spine immediately; on the contrary, it is much like the Flash Art, with its soothing and relaxing effect. In addition, the shape shifting images create the impression of something elusive.Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Finally, Brilliant Noise by Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt is one of those artworks that immediately send the audience into the realm of their own fantasies. With the image of a solar eclipse and a weird, alien-like melody in the background, the whole video makes the audience believe that they have entered the sci-fi territory. Therefore, it is clear that the specific art owes a lot of its charm to the specific way the sounds and the imagery are combined. In addition, the succession of the elements is crucial for the perception of the artwork as well – these are the sharp changes of the images together with the noise in the background that create the unique feeling of witnessing something grandeur. While both the images and the sounds are sharp and abrupt, they create a pattern that thrills the viewer into paying attention. Works Cited Jarman, Ruth and J. Gerhardt. Brilliant Noise. 2006. Web. Lemcke, Rudy. Lightning Field. 2003. Web. Lemcke, Rudy. Watrelilies. 2003. Web. McElwee, Van. Radio Island. 1997. Web. Vitiello, Stephen. Light Readings. 2003. Web.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sourcing Sound and Image specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wo lniak, Scott. Flash Art (Circles and Rectangles). 2010. Web. This essay on Sourcing Sound and Image was written and submitted by user L10nel to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Essays

What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Essays What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Paper What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Paper The past a few years saw the boom and bust of the Internet sector, which is perhaps one of the most dramatic business events for several decades. Shutdowns of Internet companies more than doubled in 2001. However, based on a conservative estimate, only at most ten percent of significant Internet companies have shut down or declared bankruptcy. With the burst of the Internet bubble, people now are becoming more rational. Internet has become an important part of business and government, and less a part of frenzied speculation. Electronic commerce, which covers a much broader scope than mere Internet companies, has been penetrating our life to various degrees. It is no longer time to consider whether it should get involved in our existence but time to examine its implications and so as to make it bring positive changes to us. This paper provides an overview of e-commerce and an analysis of the opportunities and challenges for the world, especially the developing countries. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of trade-related issues. Electronic Commerce Defined Kevin Kelly, the author of New Rules for the New Economy, describes the new business landscape, It is global. It favors intangible things ideas, information, and relationships. And it is intensely interlinked. These three attributes produce a new type of marketplace and society, one that is rooted in ubiquitous electronic networks. That is, the New Economy has been transformed by digital technology in the postindustrial period. Value creation for customers has shifted from physical goods to an economy that favors service, information, and intelligence as the primary sources of value creation. E-commerce may be understood in a broad sense or a narrow sense. The former refers to all the business activities (like buying, selling, and other transactions) that are conducted via communication and business technologies. By this definition, a transaction may be done through telephone, fax, credit card, TV shopping, and the Internet. A narrow sense of definition for e-commerce is different, which refers only to the Internet-based business activities. What we are discussing here is related to the latter kind, i. e. business activities conducted with the help of Internet. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), electronic commerce is the production, advertising, sale and distribution of products via telecommunication networks. It includes: 1) the searching stage where producers and consumers, or buyers and sellers, first interact; 2) the ordering and payment stage once a transaction has been agreed upon; and 3) the delivery stage. In addition, the member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have agreed on a working definition of e-commerce: the networks over which E-commerce activities are carried out (Internet or others), the specific business processes related to e-commerce and the different actors involved (businesses, households or Governments). Economically speaking, e-commerce is a cheap way, by connecting computers everywhere, to carry out those activities which used to cost so much time and money from businesses. All those actions like product promotion, invoicing of merchandise, inventory control, communication with suppliers and customers, etc. can be accomplished over the Internet. With the help of Internet, your communication with your boss or employees two thousand kilometers away is as convenient and efficient as if you were in the same city. The market used to leave too little room for small businesses. However, things are different for the e-commerce. In e-commerce, so long as the business, no matter it is big or small, can move onto the electronic highway, you just go ahead with your business. It is up to the e-commerce consumers to decide which company they like and what products they would like to buy. In a way we may say that e-commerce has brought a revolution to businesses in an all-round way. Unfortunately, up to now, quite a number of companies have not yet realized the significance of e-commerce, not to speak of taking real steps to meet the challenge. Advantages E-commerce has opened an enormous market for all businesses. More and more companies have started doing business on/via the Internet. In Canada, one out of ten companies sold goods and services on the Internet in 1999. The total value for the customer orders received over the Internet was $4. 4 billion (with or without online payment). At present, according to Toronto research firm International Data Corp. the Internet business has grew to a total of US$ 435 billion worldwide by the year 2002. What business owners are mostly concerned about is in what way they can benefit from doing e-business over the Internet, which sounds quite reasonable and understandable. Actually, once you set up a store on the Internet, you have expanded your market to the whole world, which is beyond the customs tariff or the political influence. Although not all visitors to your Net store will ever do any shopping at your store, you should try your best to win them over by your marketing strategies. In fact, what you do for your products/services promotion on the Internet is only a supplementary effort to and not a replacement of your traditional ways of promotion. By your careful designing, consumers are encouraged to become more involved with your products or services. It is highly necessary for e-commerce to think of some special programs. Like the traditional way of building consumers loyalty, companies on the Net may practice the membership reward programs. Many consumers are interested in programs like Frequent Buyers, Point Accumulation or Free Internet Access offered by the credit card companies/banks, airlines, or bookstores. There are a number of ways to conduct B2B transactions online. Ever since the late 1960s, big companies have been doing business on the standardized electronic forms by using EDI. The traditional one-to-one transaction model has been gradually renewed with the advent of Internet: sellers sell directly from their websites; almost all computer-related companies have their own stores on the Net; and some smart virtual marketplaces attempt to bring both sellers and buyers together in one place. It is not hard for us to see that Internet has brought more vitality to the business transactions. Disadvantages of E-commerce As you begin to write your first column in the electronic commerce series, you realize that some business processes may never lend themselves to electronic commerce. For example, unique and high-cost items, such as jewelry or antiques, may continue to be difficult to inspect from a remote location. Most of the disadvantages of electronic commerce today, however, stem from the newness and rapidly developing pace of the underlying technologies. These disadvantages will disappear as electronic commerce matures and becomes more available to and accepted by the general population. Many products and services require that a critical mass of potential buyers be equipped and willing to buy via the Internet. Another example of a technology problem on the Web today is that the color settings on computer monitors vary widely. Clothing retailers find it difficult to give customers an accurate idea of what a products color will look like when it arrives. Most online clothing stores will send a fabric swatch on request, which also gives the customer a sense of the fabrics texture. As technology improves, this disadvantage will become less of an issue. Businesses often calculate their potential profits before committing to any new technology. These calculations have been difficult to perform for investments in electronic commerce because the costs and benefits have been hard to quantify. Technology costs can change dramatically during electronic commerce implementation products (processes) because the technologies can change so rapidly. Many firms have trouble recruiting and retaining employees with the technological, design, and business process skills needed to create an effective electronic commerce presence. Another problem facing firms that want to do business on the Internet is the difficulty of integrating existing databases and transaction-processing software designed for traditional commerce into the software that enables electronic commerce. In addition to the technology and software issues, many businesses face cultural and legal impediments to electronic commerce. Some consumers are still afraid to send their credit card numbers over the Internet. Other consumers are simply resistant to change and are uncomfortable viewing merchandise on a computer screen rather than in person. The legal environment in which electronic commerce is conducted is full of unclear and conflicting laws. In many cases, government regulators have not kept up with technologies. Laws that govern commerce were written when signed documents were a reasonable expectation in any business transaction. As more businesses and individuals find the benefits of electronic commerce to be compelling, many of these technology- and culture-related disadvantages will disappear. Values that Electronic Commerce Creates Electronic commerce creates value by vastly lowering the cost of transferring many types of information, on a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many basis. On the demand side, the advantages are improved information about the available goods and services, improved access to them as well as more customization that matches the taste of the buyers. On the supply side, electronic commerce can streamline transaction processes and reduce cost. When Cisco Systems replaced its phone and fax ordering process with online ordering, the company saved more than half a billion dollars and reduced error rates from 25% to 2%. Study also shows that there is a lot of cost savings in delivery directly to the home rather than doing so through a store. Internet makes the time when transactions take place flexible, a very important feature in a global economy with different time zones. Thus 24-hour online banking service has brought much convenience at low cost both to the banks and the customers. E-commerce also enables better matching of buyers and sellers, which means more transaction volume and higher market efficiency. In addition, e-commerce has created opportunities for brand new products and industries. Examples are Internet appliances, such Palm Pilots, and Internet-based services, such as PC-to-Phone calls. Moreover, e-commerce creates new markets where preciously transaction and coordination costs were prohibitively high. New View Technologies, formerly known as eSteel. com, aggregates steel producers and purchases from around the world into a single online marketplace. On the macroeconomic level, it is widely recognized that e-commerce, both B2C and B2B models, reduces overall transaction cost, allocates resources better, increases economies of scale and improves the competitiveness of business in general. Despite some existing murkiness, recent studies show that e-commerce does have a positive impact on national growth of productivity and GDP. It is expected that European countries will catch up quickly with the United States, and developing countries, with a certain degree of preparedness, could also converge in productivity with the leading e-commerce countries. Prerequisites of Electronic Commerce The benefits of being integrated in e-commerce look inviting, especially in trade-related issues. But in order to reap these benefits, there are many prerequisites. First, the implementation of e-commerce needs sufficient technologies and infrastructures of computer and telecommunication, whose development is ever accelerating. Countries should have reached a certain stage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) development so that the buyers and suppliers can actually materialize the possibility of conducting e-commerce. Second, electronic commerce also requires the technological and processing capability to make on-line payments and to deliver goods and services to consumers both physically and over the Internet. The appropriate development of financial services and logistics is also an indispensable part of the e-commerce. Despite its prevalence in certain sectors and regions, e-commerce is still in its infancy. There is urgent need, both on the national and international levels, for the establishment of standards, regulations and laws to create an environment of certainty, trust and security of the purchase and sales, as well as for the conveyance and use of information provided online. What E-commerce Means to Developing Countries? E-commerce is unique in its great capacity to go beyond the boundaries of time, space and information. An OECD study shows that there is a linkage between the openness of an economy and ICT spending. Trade in the goods and services are facilitated by the dissemination of ICTs. Countries where ICT spending has increased sharply usually also have sharp growth in trade. Therefore, given its immense effect on international trade as well as investment, e-commerce influences the development and globalization processes of the world. To meet the prerequisites of e-commerce requires a great amount of resources and efforts invested over a long period of time, so e-commerce is one more challenge that the developing countries are facing in the era of so-called new economy. In this realm, there is still much to accomplish for the developed countries and the way is probably even longer for the developing countries. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has studied this issue and come up with two scenarios. In Scenario I, the developing countries may be able to skip certain stages of development, jump on the express train of e-commerce and better integrate themselves in the world economy. A 1% productivity growth in the services sector in Asia would result in welfare gains of US$ 12 billion, GDP growth of 0. 4%, a wage increase of 0. 4% and a growth in services exports of between 2% and 3%. Therefore, e-commerce can become an important tool for development and fast catching-up. However, in Scenario II, developing countries might lag further behind technologically. While developed countries will have welfare gains of US$ 117 billion, the developing world as a whole will experience a huge loss in welfare (close to US$ 726 billion) and GDP, reduction in wages and deteriorating terms of trade. E-commerce could hence constitute an additional factor widening the gap between developed and developing countries. For individual countries, the trade effect of e-commerce is two-fold: On the one hand, new demand and market for goods and services has been created and expanded. Tourism industry, an information-intensive industry, is an important employer and foreign currency earner for developing countries. E-commerce can help maintain and improve their comparative advantage over developed country destinations. Although developing countries lack in modern ICT and financial infrastructures, their customers usually come from developed countries where such infrastructures are modern. Therefore, this obstacle is not formidable. With the adoption of e-commerce and other improvements in the business, the developing countries can reach their customers more directly with more comprehensive and flexible tourism products, reducing and/or eliminating the cost associated with a chain of intermediaries. As a result, the tourist industry of developing countries can become more competitive. E-commerce also makes it possible for consultancy type work such as software development and support to be carried out in the developing countries where consultants are employed to serve customers abroad. This means the sale of services in which the developing country has a comparative advantage (relatively low labor cost), which has not been fully utilized because of restrictions on the movement of natural persons. Microsoft has just moved its Global Technology Engineering Center to China. This is a net benefit to the exporting country in terms of income, retained earnings and employment. On the other hand, sectors that have been shielded from international competition will now be challenged by foreign producers. This might create serious problems for the developing countries, at least in the short term. In various WTO agreements, they have been granted special treatment for a certain period of time so that their domestic industries will not be overwhelmed all at once. With the advent of the e-commerce, it has to be determined what degree of openness is optimal so that the countries can gain from efficiency rather than suffer from the by-effects such as threats to national security and sovereignty as well as unemployment. Over the past decade, the regions with the highest annual growth in goods and services exports were Latin America, North America and Asia, whose shares of world exports also rose, while those of Europe, the Middle East and Africa declined. Africa posted the lowest export growth rate (at 1% per year). The most dynamic regions in terms of exports were also the most dynamic in terms of imports, reflecting a better integration into trade. This shows that although trade has increased in every region of the world, not all regions have benefited equally from the dissemination of trade as a result of new economy, where e-commerce plays a major part. E-commerce helps enhance global economic integration because the new opportunities that it creates bring in certain countries that have previously been left out. For example, www. EthioGift. om is selling Very big sheep- a 35 KG Sheep for Your Familys Feast ($97), featuring a photo (with zoom view) of an attractive brown and white ovine. This Ethiopia-based website is a model of its kind an e-commerce venture based in a developing country doing a booming business with clients in the industrialized world. However, without the necessary infrastructure and technology to connect them in the network of e-commerce, the most disadvantaged countries are threatened with even greater exclusion from trade and investment flows. Africas regression in international trade statistics proves that the digital divide does exist. According to OECD, some countries exclusion is made even more visible by the digital divide. However, the number of those excluded has been dropping steadily thanks to the new technologies. Although it appears that the developing countries have an interest in trading ICT products, the inequality of access to the new technologies is blatant. As long as this inequality persists, the problem cannot be totally solved. Therefore, the impact of e-commerce has two sides. Although its overall impact on the world is positive, we cannot assume that, for any single country under current conditions, the net effect of e-commerce is positive, too. Since e-commerce seems an irreversible trend, measures must be taken to make it work better and fairer for each player. Such efforts shall come both internationally and domestically.

Living Longer than Expected Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Living Longer than Expected - Essay Example The main reason life expectancy has increased is the improvement in medicine in general, with particular emphasis on the development of brand-new drugs during the 20th Century, namely antibiotics. The influence of these remarkable drugs can be summed up in a single fact: more people are saved in a single year from antibiotics than the c.100,000,000 who were killed in wars during the whole of the Twentieth Century (Cooter, 2002). Ironically, the final push towards the development of antibiotics occurred because of the mortality rates from infections within soldiers during the worst of those wars, WWII (Cooter, 2002). Together with the development of antibiotics to treat infections, another whole class of drugs - vaccinations, were developed and perfected during the century. One of the worst killers of previous centuries had been tuberculosis, By the middle of the century it was virtually a fading memory in much of the developed world because of the invention and perfection of a simple, safe vaccine (Bloom, 2002. Together with other vaccinations a whole host of deadly diseases were virtually wiped out, ensuring far more children survived into the relatively healthy adult years. Improved sanitation and nutrition also helped to increase life expectancy in the first half of the century. In the last decades of the Twentieth Century the increased efficacy of medicine treating serious diseases from cancer to heart disease has enabled older people to live through conditions that would have previously killed them. Operations such as bypass surgery, transplantation and a whole array of new drugs have increased life-expectancy. While the current "obesity epidemic" (nih, 2006) may slow the increase in life expectancy, it is clear that babies being born today may well have a lifespan approach an average of ninety. This is an extraordinary situation: the doubling of life expectancy over a single century. Present Effects of Increased Longevity The present effects of increased vary from those that are fairly obvious, such as more old people, to those a little more intangible, such as changes in marriage patterns. The effects of increased lifespan on the health industry are profound. While advances in medicine are largely accountable for longevity, the healthcare industry also bears the brunt of the pressures that are created by the changing demographics of its patients. Old people tend to become sick more often, and the nature of their care is also different: Population aging can have an important impact on health expenditures (both public and private) as well as on the optimal design of health care systems. The technologies associated with diseases of the old tend to be more expensive than the technologies associated with diseases of the young. (James, 1999) Also, about 30 of healthcare costs now stem from treatment in the last six months of life (nih, 2006). These were people (often old) who would normally have died in earlier times. Ethical questions regarding

Nike and Labour Laws - The Seattle University Should Eliminate Its Con Essay

Nike and Labour Laws - The Seattle University Should Eliminate Its Contract to Supply SU-Logoed Apparel - Essay Example As the development of most of the products sold in the school took place in the bdevelop0ing countries, it is apparent that the company considered this move in order to cut expenses involved in the manufacturing process. Currently, most companies set up manufacturing plants in the developing countries in order to take advantage of cheap labour. Amid the increasing population growth, most people in the developing countries are jobless. Even those that have jobs are inadequate to sustain their lives. As such, foreign multinationals, in an effort to increase their levels of profits take the advantage of this situation in these countries. Further, most of these countries have weak labour laws. Because their governments are desperate to attract investors into the countries in order to help in job creation, they develop labour laws that encourage external investors to set up plants in the countries. The result of this is an increase in the level of poverty for these workers. With weak laws and governance structures, the multinationals show no concern in providing good incentives to the people. Rather, workers struggle in poor working conditions, with poor working contracts and low salaries. In other instances, they work for long hours and rarely receive any leaves. Nike, taking advantage of this situation also established its operations in these countries in an effort to increase its profitability. According to Dunn (2010), n its current position, Nike does not observe fair labour practices, especially for the plants in the developing countries. Subsequently, it became a reason for scrutiny for its labour practices. The company in most cases does not train its employees for the kind of work they handle. According to Butler (2010), Nike’s inhuman conditions are a source of suffering and increased diseases for most of its workers. Treating the working conditions of its workers shows the company’s negligence in protecting humanity, argues Butler (2010). However, its abuse of child labour is the main reason why the company has faced numerous accusations on its lack of labour ethics.     

The Millenium Dome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Millenium Dome - Essay Example A project is not something that is part of the normal operations of the business. Most of the times a projects are typically created only once, besides being temporary, and specific. A project just like the Millennium Dome consumes a lot resources and it has funding limits. In project management it requires the application of techniques, knowledge, and skills to efficiently and effectively execute the project. Therefore, project management is a competency strategy for most organizations; this enables them to tie the project results to the goals and objectives of the business (Kousholt, 2007:90). In addition, many projects have funding limits and a projected budget unto which it must operate from. This creates the need to have a project manager. Project management process During the project management process of Millennium Dome, it was done in five (5) phases. Project initiation; during this phase an idea of the project to be undertaken is carefully examined to establish if it is bene ficial to the organization. A decision making team is formed to determine whether the project can be realistically be completed. Project definition and planning; a project plan is put in writing giving an outline of the work that is to be performed. It is at this stage that the list of deliverables to be presented and also the potential outcome of a set of specific activities (Meredith & Mantel, 2011:455-7). During project planning the requirements of completing the project are defined. The project manager of Millennium Dome identified how many people and also how much expense was to be involved in the project and any other requirements necessary for the completion of the project. According to Haughey (2013:55) reported that a project manager is to make sure that he manages the assumptions and risks that are related to the project. In addition, he also determined the constraints of the project. The constraints accrued in the Dome were related to budget, scope, schedule, and resource s. It was found out that a small change in one constraint typically affected the other constraints. Project launch or execution; Resources and tasks are distributed and the teams were informed of their responsibilities. This was a good time as any other information related to the project was welcomed so as to make adjustments to the project. The project manager in this phase is to know how many resources and how much budget he had to work with for the project. The Dome cost ?789 million. He was able to assign those resources and allocated the budget to the various tasks of the project. Moreover, he is to ensure that the project team works in harmony. Project performance and control; the incorporation of project managers was tantamount for the Millennium Dome project as there was need to compare the status of the project to the actual plan, as the resources performed the scheduled work. The project managers were tasked with adjusting schedules in addition to doing what was necessary so as to keep the project on track (Meredith & Mantel, 2011:468). The project manager is in charge of updating the plans of the project to reflect on the actual time elapsed for each task. Project closure; this is when the project manager, owner of the project, and any other person having interest in the project, pulls together to analyze the final outcome of the project. Project closure is when the Millennium Dome was completed and the client approved the outcome which was the government of the United Kingdom. Project manager The project manager works with the sponsor of the business who wants to have the

Travel And Tourism Entrepreneur

Travel And Tourism Entrepreneur Introduction Travelling and tourism can be considered as one of the best businesses in the contemporary world. The ever increasing need of tourism and Travelling has made this business low risk and successful because people from all over the world travel and arrange tours. Moreover, tourism is the most growing business, and high revenue generating source for some countries like Malaysia, Thailand, America and Australia. Every business is determined feasible or not based on the calculations or the risks in that particular business. When we talk about business of tourism and Travelling, very low risk factor is involved. Individual which want to initiate the tourism business with an appropriate level of information and interest can generate good revenue with minimum recourses. The profit margins in Travelling and tourism is generally high, and it is the most feasible business for investors. The history of Travelling and tourism is very old. There are hints of ancient travelers who travelled across t he world. Though at that times the recourses were not sufficient. However, in the present day world, with the assistance of Travelling medium, tourism facilities and technology, the risk factors are minimized. Moreover, the individuals interested in the business can get good profit just by organizing and managing a trip plan. Qualities in the Travel and Tourism Entrepreneur Travel and tourism entrepreneur ship are based on certain influencing factors. These factors can be called the qualities which should be present in a good entrepreneur. Among them are the knowledge, leadership and management skills, the awareness of new technology, information about the most appealing tourism and Travelling packages and a business sense to compete with the market. Travelling and tourism business is not only about investment and revenue. It is more related to interest and creativity. Interest gives us an opportunity to peep inside the industry and creativity give us an edge to prepare schedules and Travelling packages for the clients. A good entrepreneur will always look for the needs and demands of the customer. Moreover, he will ever try to adjust his offer accordingly (Kucherawy, 2002, http://www.gaebler.com/From-Travel-Industry-Job-to-TravelEntrepreneur.htm.). Besides, any successful entrepreneur will be good enough at marketing. With his business skills, he can w in the hearts and minds of the client age. In the long run, these clients will come back to him, resulting in the growth of his business. More precisely, a good entrepreneur is a multi skilled individual with the best command on business tactics and the need of the customer. Subsequently, best tourism entrepreneur must have the required information about they are launched packages in the market. What the competitors are doing and how his/her company can compete with the deals already present in the market. It is right to say that a Travelling and tourism company has to be very vigilant, cooperative and linked under the supervision of a skilled entrepreneur. Development of Entrepreneurial Enterprises and Significant Influential Factors In order to develop an entrepreneurial enterprise certain initial steps are highly important. Among them are the global trend of tourism business, local market saturation levels, targeted business domain, appropriate modes of marketing, social contacts, awareness about the global changes in the business of Travelling and tourism, the creativity levels while organizing the business deals and the appealing promotional deals (Georgine, 2001, http://www.allbusiness.com/management/780808-1.html). Global Trend of Tourism Business The foremost step in developing an enterprise entrepreneur should have deeply observed global trends of tourism. Which country do people prefer to go, and at which rates or packages? Moreover, he should try to re-orientate him/herself accordingly. For instance, the events of Christmas or New Year are the best examples. These festivals are celebrated all over the world. Now a smart entrepreneur should notice the general orientation of traffic, or in other words, where people want to go on Christmas or New Year? Secondly, within the country what are the most probable sights which can be targeted for tourism and Travelling? Moreover, Travelling and tourism unlike many other businesses, is a whole year business. There is no particular time of decline in business. No matter the global economy is decreasing or increasing the individuals travel. The main reason can be the dependency of some countries. There are countries, which rely on the business of Travelling and tourism. Therefore, it i s very important to update yourself if you are functioning as an entrepreneur of any Travelling enterprise (Smith, 2002 http://www.bplans.com/international_travel_agency_business_plan/executive_summary_fc.com). . Local Market Saturation Levels The local market saturation is one of the prime important elements, which can minimize the business. If in your surrounding there are several companies, which are established than it may be hard to survive. Moreover, to compete with the pre-established company is a difficult task. It becomes harder if your funds are limited. Saturation of business can be categorized into levels. For instance, if you are functioning in a place with companies dealing in travel and tourism, you should go for a targeted domain for better outcomes. It is wrong to target the most famous companies in the initial levels. Moreover, the company should try to focus on the detailed study. What other companies (the real competitors not the highly established ones) lack. After a detailed study, we can have an idea that what other companies lack and what are their strong points. Based on this survey we can establish a work plan focusing on the flaws which we found in the market. We should focus on the areas of weak ness in the market. Moreover, the quality standards and meeting deadlines and arrangement requirements also enhances the repute of any particular company in case of saturation. If you are initiating a business in a hub, it is important to consider, that if they do not capture the needs and confidence of the client next time he/she will be taking assistance of some other company. Therefore, best should be done to satisfy the customer for the propagation of the business. Targeted Business Domain The company should focus on the target domain. The targeted business domain should be easily coverable. Moreover, it should be flawless. If you cannot try to win the market dealing in Europe for instance, you should focus on some other areas which that company lacks and with flawless management and attractive packages one can win the trust of the client and make him/ her to be your regular customer. This is important to state that targeted business domain can act as a vital source of marketing. Modes of Marketing The selection of appropriate modes of marketing is very significant factor. In some cases when you are going to target your primary services the selection of appropriate marketing technique can boost the business. For instance, selecting the medium of marketing, based on resources is important. Either you select the printing medium, or electronic medium, the decision should be taken according to the resources. Social Contacts Social contacts also play a vital role in development of a business. The contacts with the business community and clients can act like an effective marketing tool. Moreover, the social contacts can also assist in generating several resources regarding the promotion of business. Awareness about the global changes in the business of Travelling and tourism Some regional accidents or terrorist attacks sometimes, influence the Travelling business. The extent of business decrease within no time and the tourism industry may collapse. However, with the alteration in targeted sites can be helpful to sustain the business. For instance after the attacks of 9/11, any tourism company should re-orientate its services to some other sites like national tourism or to the sites which are safe for travelers and tourists. Appealing Promotional Packages The promotional packages either for tourism if remain successful to grab the attention of the client age, can boost the business. The attractive Travelling packages along with best facilities can be a vital tool for an entrepreneur to run the business even in hard conditions. Therefore, it is very important to organize the tourism packages based on the requirements of the tourists. Moreover, it is the duty of a successful entrepreneur to assure the best quality to the clients. Business Start-Up Plan There are several significant steps involved in starting a business. The foremost step prior to establish any business is the feasibility report for this project. One should determine initially that either this business is suitable or not in the coming times. The detail of major steps is given as under market reconnaissance and feasibility analysis. Market reconnaissance and feasibility analysis These steps are taken before the establishment of the business and are considered the most significant elements of an effective business plan. These steps deal with detailed investigation of the existing business and the selection of suitable initial components. In the instance, these steps may involve the name of the Travelling agency, selection of place, distance from the main hub, products and services other companies are giving, drawbacks in the enterprises we will be dealing with in the future and many more like that (Lohr, 2002, http://www.myownbusiness.org/s2/). . Financial Analysis and Capital Calculation Every business needs some initial capital to start up business. It should be determined earlier whatÂÂ  the size of business should be and all that will be dealt with. For big business we need big financial support and vice versa. The approximated values and calculations about the size of the business and the fields we will be dealing in must be calculated earlier. The subsequent step deals with the financial arrangements. It is preferable to initiate the business with less or no financial support which is interest based. However, subsequent the calculations of site, members, and services, the financial arrangements should be taken into account. Investments should be welcomed and investors are guaranteed success. Moreover, they should be satisfied that investing in their company is the best investment opportunity (Bellis, 2010, http://inventors.about.com/od/businessplans/a/business_plan.htm). . Agenda of the Company The agenda of the company is the main element which boosts the business. The agenda is an accumulation of aims and objectives along with the success targets. The agenda should be very clear and appealing for investors who want to invest in the company. Moreover, the agenda is the backbone of any business. In case of tourism and Travelling agency, the importance of agenda cannot be ignored. It may be used as a marketing tool if it is promising. The agenda should not be altered in the later stages of the business. Therefore, it is very important to compose all the aims and objectives which the company is looking forward to in the coming times. Objectives of the business The objectives are determined as per agenda of the company. On the very basic level, they can be either long term or short term. Both the objectives are equally important and assist business to sustain a good profile in the market. Short Term Objectives Short time objectives are generally much more target based compared to the long term objectives. They in general include the efficient and potential degrees of business at the coming time. Mostly the time-span is calculated, it can be a year or six months. The short term objectives are mainly used as a technique to attract investors. Moreover, these objectives can be oriented to cut down the loans and other financial liabilities required by the company on marketing and establishing the workplace in the early stages of the business. Long Term Objectives Long term objectives mainly deal with spreading the business and turning into a high profile company. These objectives are plans of five or ten years. Long term objectives may include additional features in the business. Moreover, they may be dealing with spreading business nationwide or even internationally. Appropriate targeted marketing techniques Appropriate marketing techniques can be applied on targeted client age. These techniques can be either physical or virtual. The virtual techniques can be cyber advertisements and use of Internet for floating the ads all over the internet. The physical marketing techniques are frequently in the form of print based advertisement. These techniques are highly, effective to grab the attention for the national tourism and travelling enterprise. Services and quality assurance Services and quality assurance techniques also have a major role in the comanys rise. The company dealing in several fields differs from a company who is an expert in a couple of fields. Thus quality assurance to the client age and investors also contributes in spreading the business and targeting the client age. Conclusion Travelling and tourism, is a growing industry and feasible enough to be taken as a business. With the appropriate level of knowledge, planning and targeting the client age, it can be a good source of generating revenue. Moreover, it is less risk oriented compared to other business forms. If instructions followed in the developmental stage along with the influential elements listed in initiating the business plan, it can be a permanent source of income. With slight to no modification, the business can gain the long as well as short term objectives. Moreover, the appealing packages and decent marketing techniques can grasp the interest of customers and the business can spread with smart marketing tools.

US Army Total Quality Management Essay -- essays research papers fc

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION Throughout their military careers military personnel will always face some type of inspection, whether it's internal or external. Today, some units are inspected at least four times a year in supply operations, for example, Command Supply Discipline Program, Command Inspection Program, Command Logistics Review Program, and maybe the Supply Excellence Award. How does the unit prepare for all these inspections? The unit faces many great challenges. There are a lot of steps taken to prepare for inspections. There are many checklists to follow but not enough time and personnel to accomplish these many tasks. There are many subjects areas which, the unit must cover that might be inspected. AR 11-l (Command Logistics Review Program), AR 735-5 (Policies and Procedures for Property Accountability), DA PAM 710-2-l (Using Unit Supply System Manual Procedures), and AR 710-2 (Supply Policy Below the Wholesale Level) are the governing policy documents and should be understood prior to an inspection. There are a lot of non value added procedures and many tasks that overlap, where in some cases the distribution of soldiers is not according to the need of each work place. There are many soldiers assigned to tasks different from what 1 they are supposed to do, which results in no incentive for performing better. In other words, the soldiers consume their energy striving to overcome problems inherent in the supply system instead of trying to maximize the effectiveness of supply operations. A transformation in the supply operations in the units could be achieved by the adoption of a new management philosophy that could help provide greater efficiency. Currently, one of the most advanced philosophies in the managerial field is the Total Quality Management (TQM) concept. But how compatible is the TQM philosophy to the units under the current circumstances? Can the adoption of this concept help the units to overcome their problems? What changes are necessary for a successful implementation? There is a need to examine the applicability of the TQM concept to supply operations. PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to evaluate potential of TQM for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of supply inspections. What is Total Quality Management? Total Quality Management is the process of improving the organization performance at every l... ... commanders and soldiers. For example, if there are areas of the inspection, convert five areas to TQM philosophy. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Aguayo Rafael, Dr. Demins: _ The American who taught the Japanese about Quality First. Carol Publishing Edition, 1990. Brocka, Bruce and M. Suzanne. Qualitv Manauement: Implementinq the Best Ideas of the Masters. Richard D. Irwin, INC., 1992. Carman, Jamess M. "TQM as a Survival Strategy: the Southern Pacific Experience." California Manaqement Review, Spring 1993. pp. 118-132. Dessler, Gary "Managing Quality and Productivity" Human Resource Manauement Prentice-Hall, Inc., 6th edition, pp. 309-323. B. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS PenDell Pittman and Pat O'Farrel, "Transforming Government: Putting People and Quality First", Coverinq m the Bases: _ _ A 14 Step Guide to TQM Implementation (Sixth Annual National Conference on Federal Quality, July 20-23, 1993). United States Office of Personnel Management, Federal Total Qualitv Manaqement Handbook, (Federal Quality Institute, May 1991). Research report, Total Qualitv Manaqement (TQM), An Overview, Anthony Coppola, Air Force Systems Command, September 1991, p. 7.

More so than any other issue facing us we must all start to reduce our ecological footprint

Yes, we must start to reduce our ecological footprint as developement of the world over the past 20 years has proven to be unsustainable. Meaning that we are actually living beyond our means e. g. A quarter of all fish stocks are overharvested, Humans now use between 40% and 50% of all available freshwater running off the land and deforestation increase risks of various deadly diseases such as malaria and cholera. Our way of life is placing an increasing burden on the planet and this can certainly not be sustained. To be sustainable, nature's resources must only be used at a rate which they can be replenished naturally. Scientific evidence shows now that humanity is living in n unsustainable way. Humans are consuming the Earth's limited natural resources more rapidly than they are being replaced by nature. Now a human effort to keep human use of natural resources within the sustainable development aspect of the Earth's finite resource limits is now an issue of huge importance to the present and future of humanity. â€Å"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. † As our world population increases rapidly our use of natural resources cannot go on forever and unless we start to make progress with reconciling these contradictions everybody, where ever they are will face a much less certain and secure lifestyle to the lifestyle we live in today. No, we don't have to reduce our ecological footprint as the world we live in right now is suffering from much worse issues presently and so in dealing with the issue of the footprint brings alot of limitations. The term ecological foot print also lacks a temporal dimension. For example, safe custody, monitoring and storage of high level nuclear waste will tie up people, corporations and land for over 100,000 years. For it to be successful will require political will, social stability and unwavering purpose through those millennia. This, too, will impose its load on the planet, both directly and in terms of the opportunity cost. The â€Å"given population† in the definition above needs to be specified: is it the human population? The population of all animals? The population of all life? In my personal opinion, I agree with the concept of reducing our ecological footprint as it is seriously harmful to the world both presently and for future generations. Although I realise that there is a for and against argument for this cause, I find myself leaning more towards the Yes side of the argument because I believe we should respect this Earth not destroy it, as it is the only one we've got. The earth cannot be replaced and neither can all the natural resources we use up or destroy so rapidly without a moments thought to both the consequences and meaning.

ESL Beginning Level Writing Projects

ESL Beginning Level Writing Projects These short writing  assignments  are designed for  lower level classes  and give students an opportunity to write about a number of basic subjects including: studies, hobbies, travel, likes and dislikes, application forms, and work emails. Feel free to use the writing exercises in class or expand with further topics. Improve Descriptive Writing Students need to improve  sentence-level writing skills in order to expand into paragraphs. One problem students often face is a lack of descriptive language. Provide a list of descriptive adjectives, prepositional phrases, descriptive verbs, and adverbs and ask students to expand simple sentences into more descriptive language.   Descriptive Writing Exercise Use the following phrases to expand the simple sentences by adding  details with adjectives, prepositional phrases, and adverbs:   in the morning, slowly,  twice a week, down the street, at the moment, sweetly, fun-loving, a quick game of, quickly, difficult, long hot The children played soccer.I take classes.The man is singing a song.I get up early and take a shower. Application Forms Help students become fluent in understanding and filling in forms. If students are preparing for job interviews, create an extended application form using a standard job application template. Heres a less ambitious exercise to get students started. English Studies You want to go to a language school to study English. Fill in the application form. Finish the application form with a short paragraph about why you want to learn English. English Learners Plus Last NameMr./Mrs./Ms.First Name(s)OccupationAddressZip codeDate of birthAgeNationality Why do you want to learn English? Home Stay Program You want to stay with a family while you study English. Fill in the application form. In order to find the right family to stay with, write about your interests and hobbies. Family Exchange Last NameMr./Mrs./Ms.First Name(s)OccupationAddressZip codeDate of birthAgeNationality What are your hobbies and interests? Emails and Posts Students should also feel comfortable making short posts online and writing emails or informal letters.  Here are a few prompts to help them practice: You are on vacation at the beach. Write an email to your friend about your vacation.Write an email to a close friend with some new information about another friend.Post a comment on social media about a topic you are interested in.Write a short blog post to let your online friends know about your latest hobby. Short Emails to a Colleague Many students also need to use English for work. Provide prompts for students to help them practice writing work-related emails. Here are a few suggestions: Email a colleague to arrange a meeting for next week. Remember to arrange the time and meeting place.Reply to a colleagues email about a problem at work. Be sure to provide a solution or some advice about the problem.  Contact a business to ask some questions about one of their products. Use product and technical information found on the internet to ask more precise questions.   Continuing the Discussion Students should also practice carrying on a conversation via email. Use short prompts loaded with questions that demand a response: Read this email from your friend and respond to the questions: So, the weather has been great and we are having a fun time here in Switzerland. Ill be back at the end of July. Lets get together! When would you like to see me? Also, have you found a place to live yet? Finally, did you buy that car last week? Send me a pic and tell me about it! Comparing and Contrasting Help students become familiar with comparative language by asking them to use specific language such as subordinate conjunctions or connective adverbs. Here are a few suggestions: coffee/tea - even though, however, butshopping / hanging with friends - while, on the other hand, yetplaying soccer / watching TV - although, similarly, andcooking/eating - though, also, so,  studying English / studying math - like, even though, and The key to helping lower level students with writing is to keep the task very structured. Teachers sometimes ask students to produce longer writings such as essays before students have control of sentence-level writing skills. Make sure to help them build the skills before they move on to more ambitious writing tasks.

Infancide essays

Infancide essays One Mans Trash is a Countrys Burden Infanticide is and was always the illegal practice of killing infants. Many times people choose to kill their infants because they were poverty stricken. Some people chose to kill their infants due to the childs shameful conception. No matter what the cause, infanticide was and still is a sickening problem. At one point in time infanticide was a popular method of population control. It was a method and a practice that many participate in and did not look down upon. Often children were not seen as a joyful occasion. These parental viewpoints lead to the destruction of many children, especially female infants. Thanks to Christianity, however, many people started to regard their newborns as blessings instead of burdens. The Christian faith preached that killing, no matter what the cause was wrong and punishable in the afterlife. Although in the latter part of the fourth century this offense was accompanied by the death sentence for anyone practicing infanticide, it could be due to the severe decrease in the population due to famine and other epidemics that struck the nations. In any case, the problem of infanticide was generally dealt with through the church system and not by any governmental branch. A common means of infanticide was through the unintentional smothering of a child while the child and the parents slept in the same bed. This was almost impossible to prove as an intentional means of slaughter. Many women who were accused of committing this particular crime served their time in jails or even were committed to the death sentence. Women (rarely men) could also plead insanity but this excuse was usually overruled and the women were inevitably sentenced to death. Eventually, in the fifteen hundreds fines were set in place to discourage people from sleeping with their infants. Women and men were facing hard times. But the women of these times, especially ...

Management Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 2

Management Portfolio - Essay Example While such a person may also be called as a civil engineer, specific term to be used here would e that of a â€Å"project manager.† To clarify, while civil engineer in involved in the making of the above mentioned processes, namely design, construction and maintenance, a project manager is someone who mobilizes the entire workforce and is also responsible for all the action that happens on the work front. Thus, it is the project manager who is responsible for the management of the whole project, mobilizing and compartmentalizing the required workforce, while also looking into other managerial aspects of the project. Now that we are clear on the civil engineering and project manager, it will be easy to imply how the role of effective management makes for an effective project manager. A project manager should possess the set benchmarks qualifying the person as a project manager. Besides, being fully equipped with the information and legislations involved in the making of a project, apart from other features, is what will make a project manager successful in his endeavors to manage the project. There are several management constraints that the project manager requires to handle effectively to make his project a success. These constraints happen to be – time, cost, scope and quality. While scope and quality are closely interlinked, these above mentioned constraints are what a project manager requires to keep a close tab on. in the discussion that will follow below, we will be discussing the major aspects of the management of civil engineering projects, while also looking into various other factors involved like legislations, components of civil management system, quality management, application of effective management in a civil engineering project and so on. With this in mind, we launch ourselves now in the waters of discussion about

Tourism Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tourism Marketing - Essay Example 'The private sector comprises individual tourism enterprises that operate in a competitive, commercial environment using a business ethos and private sector capital. The public sector comprises the State Tourism Organizations. Funding is provided by taxpayers and ratepayers' (Advance Tourism 2005). The private sector operates as small regional or locale unites with strategic marketing plans. However, tourism needs to be marketed effectively aiming at the regional and local tourist. This paper will render a supportive hand to the local and regional tourism initiators. There are number of factors that need to be at the back of ones head while sketching and implementing a tourism marketing project. 'Tourist activities involve an amplified utilization of vulnerable habitation and this utilization often leads to a degradation of resources' (UNCSD NGO Committee 1999). The above stated words only prove how tactful one needs to be while compiling marketing strategies to influence the locale community. Tourism brings forth swift changes in the host community. ... The private sector operates as small regional or locale unites with strategic marketing plans.However, tourism needs to be marketed effectively aiming at the regional and local tourist. This paper will render a supportive hand to the local and regional tourism initiators. There are number of factors that need to be at the back of ones head while sketching and implementing a tourism marketing project. 'Tourist activities involve an amplified utilization of vulnerable habitation and this utilization often leads to a degradation of resources' (UNCSD NGO Committee 1999). The above stated words only prove how tactful one needs to be while compiling marketing strategies to influence the locale community. 1.2 Change and TourismTourism brings forth swift changes in the host community. While the international tourists bring in a rapid evolution in the local cultures and behavioral patterns, it is important for the state owned and private service providers to let the locale and regional people feel that their traditions and values are safeguarded and exhibited before the world. This confidence must be encouraged and cultivated by the local and regional marketing strategies (Poon A 1993). Tourism is the system of leisure or holiday travel, away from home for the day or overnight. The components of tourism include activities, facilities, transport and (when overnight) accommodation as well as local and international tour operators' (Bruce D. & Hoctor Z. 2001). This statement beyond any doubts can be considered as an affidavit for the seriousness of influencing the local flock towards successful and sustainable tourism program and activity. It elucidates the hidden aspects of the domestic market for the success and

Corporate Strategy of Emerson Electric ACP Company Case Study

Corporate Strategy of Emerson Electric ACP Company - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that profit pools are the highly relevant business strategy which analyzes organizational activities and managerial processes to provide the firms with the competitive advantage by creating a value chain for the product and services. According to Porter, the value chain comprises of five primary and four secondary activities. Primary activities are inbound and outbound logistics, operations, marketing and sales, and services. Secondary activities include procurement, human resource management, technology development, and infrastructure. The firm’s analysis of these factors helps it to develop the appropriate strategy to maintain its market position and gain the competitive advantage in the industry. Few of the various activities that the firm analyzes and then implements the changes to improve and improvise its performance outcome can be briefly described as under. The process facilitates the creation of effective logistics for the sup ply chain of raw materials and the network of wholesalers and distributors so that the quality goods and services can reach the consumers timely and efficiently. The core business strategy of any business heavily relies on the market and sales strategy that facilitates its products and services to meet the needs and requirements of the people at large. Competitive pricing and a strong market position are major business compulsions that are need driven. They use various types of marketing metrics in order to gauge the preferences of the people and help evaluate the strength and weaknesses in its strategies to improve its business performance.

Business Environment Essay Example for Free

Business Environment Essay Recruitment and retention The need of recruit- There is been a new position arisen for Customer Service Executive in Buffs Supplies LTD. As now they have a website developed, there is a need of person who can run the website effectively, and make a very good use of the website to help the business to offer a good and improved service for their customers. Job description- is there to provide a clear understanding of the job details for the people who are going to apply. It outlines the things that he/she will do during his/her employment and it outlines the things that employer wants from the employee. So that Job description should include the following: * The job title/type * Position of the employee, who they will report to * The location * A summary of the jobs objectives, * Main purpose/duties/responsibilities * Pay levels, and any potential increase, benefits, uniform/dress code * Hours/ holidays * How to apply and deadline for application Ive designed a job description document (please see attached document) for Buffs Supplies LTD to assist my manager. Person specification- gives a better understanding of what kind of person that certain company wants for the job, and to identify the knowledge, skills and ability to require to do the job as well as to fit within the company. It should include the following: * Educational/ qualification- it is essential for professional jobs like lawyers, accountants as it is directly connected to their performance as well as they should know what they should/ should be doing. If you dont know the law you cannot work as a lawyer, simple! * Experience and training- you may need to be experienced to be able to do a good job for your role and its likely for employers to specify length of time of experience on their job description. A good thing of being experienced is you may not need a qualification to do certain jobs if you are experienced. * Personal interest/ attributes- its helpful for both parties to understand each other as it shows the requirement of peoples character for the job role. Persons interest may relate to the job role, for example if you are not comfortable with approaching to stranger, you may not be suitable for jobs like sales person who deals with customers face to face as part of their job role, if you enjoy talking to people you might enjoy the work and motivated to be at work, meaning that success will be a closer for you. Ive designed a personal specification with my job description for customer service executive. (Please see attached sheet) Different methods of advertising a job There are number of method that you can use to advertise your job vacancy arises. It helps the company to reach targeted group of candidate and it might also depend on the people who will be your candidate to choose where you would like advertise the job vacancy. First of all you will need to have a good job description to help the candidate what youre looking for. Im going to write about different methods. 1. Internal Advertising- you can employ people within the organisation instead of getting some one from outside. It might be cost efficient as you might not have to pay for recruitment agency to advertise your job, when you can put it on your companys website, employees board, send internal e-mails to everyone and even put it on companys facebook page. It is useful because if someone wants to climb to the ladder, they can do so by applying for the job vacancy. 2. Online- you can advertise it by online through job websites such as Monster, Job Centre website etc. Advantage of online advertising is you might be able to reach a lot of people and they can search by location, industry or job titles they wish to apply. 3. Recruitment Agency- you can also advertise it through these agencies with a small charge. They will advertise the job, maybe create the job description according to the company needs and asses the applicants to ensure they meet the minimum requirements. It might be useful for them if the company needs a staff urgently they can quickly find someone to cover as they have a lots of member who are seeking for jobs. they also 4. Newspapers- this is a offline choice you can advertise it on a local newspapers to let the local know about the job vacancy. Importance of staff retention I think recruiting a new staff is an expensive, because you will have to advertise the job, do the search on the applications, interview them individually and also once you got the right candidate you will have to train them from the start pointing every single fire points etc. Instead of going through all these you can try to retain the staffs you already has so that person is already know the companys style and people so it will be easier for him to work/deal with things. It is good for the company image and reputation to promote people within the organisation. If someone got hired and leaves after a month It will cause a problem, because they will have to do the recruitment process all over again and spend money to recruit the person will be a waste. Existing staff might be overworked so it will lead to unhappy employees and they will not perform their best as theyre tired of long hours and covering for someone else. However, businesses can avoid this situation by retaining staff as if the person stayed within the organisation and got promoted it is likely for the person to stay longer and work more harder as he will feel he is achieved something after working for the company. Ways of improving staff retention rate Businesses calculate to see how long their staffs are tending to stay with the company using the following formula. Number of staff leaving a year 100 Average number of staff employed that year This formula helps them to identify any problem so that Human Recourse can act on it to research what is going on by preparing surveys for staffs to complete or organise an open meeting with their staffs to know exactly what is going on, what is that they are happy and not happy with, so that they can act on it straight away. Reason to have high rate: this is when employees are not happy with the work they do, or the environment they work with, or even the management they are working for. It could be anything to be not happy as human expectation is increasing with the technology. However, employers should provide the right facility with the right motivation to keep the employers happy and juice them effectively. Ways to avoid these situations: to improve the rate you can do all sorts of things like showing them that they (employer) really care about them by listening to what they have to say, support them with their life, or organise some outside work events like weekend bowling competition to help them work closely with each other. Make the work place more challenging by doing competition with a price, a little investment wont bring down the company, in that way work place might be more interesting and staff will perform better. Motivation is a key thing to get a better out of the staff and keep them within the business as well. b) Describe main employability, interpersonal and personal skills required by the new customer service executive. Organisations often look for people who are skilled or experienced so that it will be easier for both parties, from the employers view it helps them to replace the worker quickly and it may save some money as there might not need of training for example if he is trained as first aider, and the job requires to have a qualification the company does not have to train the staff who already has the qualification for it, from the employees part of view it might be easier for him to do the job and as he is experienced he will have an idea of what he is expected to do, and will be paid as a full employee, I mean some organisations pay lower wage for those who are not experienced enough. Employability skills: this is the basic skills that are needed to get, keep, and do the job. It is necessary for the candidate to have or knowledge these skills as it can be transferable during the employment as they go up the ladder in a modernised environment. It includes the following: 1. Qualification/ Previous experience in similar role and industry You may not need any qualification for some profession, but you will need your GCSE or NVQ qualification for some job roles for example if you are seeking to work as waitress as such, you may even not need any qualification as long as you are experienced enough or maybe your employer will provide a full training to do the job. However, for professions like accountant and lawyer or higher positioned job role which requires specialised skills/ qualification, you will definitely need not only GCSE but at least a Bachelors Degree to be considered in your application. According to my study book Im on the right track to develop and educate myself further. Having an experience in similar role is always a bonus for employers and it is more likely for employers to consider those who are experienced and it is important that you mention it on your CV or letter indicating that you have worked in this role before. However, previous experience in similar industry is very beneficial for the employer, because they can get information about their competitors as well as an idea of how they worked to be more effective so that they can walk in a same level of their crowd. For example when I applied for a job in Harry Ramsden, Ive put on m CV that I used to work in McDonalds, so I knew that I would definitely be invited for an interview so I did, on my interview they asked me that how McDonalds motivate their workers to stay with the business longer as I worked there for quite long time, I said to the lady that if you hire me Ill tell you how they did it, and she smiled at me and welcome aboard! It shows that it is useful for the candidates as well as the business. 2. Knowledge of product/services This is one of the must have knowledge. For example you will obviously need to know about your product if you are a sales person, you should have a good knowledge of what you are going to sell. If you dont know of your product, you cant possibly persuade to sell it to different person. 3. Effectiveness in meeting personal and team targets As every business work towards achieving their aims and objectives, you must be able to meet targets to do so in the first place. You should clearly indicate if you have met any previous targets during your previous employment and any achievement, improvement you have set as a target for yourself past years, showing that to an employer will help you to get the job and it shows/proves that you are able to meet targets because of your previous achievement. 4. Ability to observe and raise professional standards There is a quote I know from my country it says if you work your hands hard, your mouth will also work hard, which means if you work hard, you will be able to feed yourself, same as that if you work hard and have a great attitude towards you work then you might get a reward/promotion. In business you are a professional, so you have to be professional to people taken be considered seriously and every organisation have a set of standard which you should meet. Personal skills: Everyone have their own character and attitude from their childhood. It might be difficult for some to change that in a day because of the job you are doing, but for some it doesnt matter as you can learn them from others or on your own. Basically if you have the right attitude that the employer wants, it will attract the employer towards you as you are the right candidate for the job. For example if you are a kind, understanding, a good listener and most importantly patient and calm, then you are suitable for jobs like carer or consultant as the job itself requires you to be calm and a good listener as you will be hearing all kind of things and dealing with the public. A personal skill requires you to have the following: 1. Patient and hard working Patient is a very difficult thing that human being can face in difficult situations. I would consider a person who is very patient is a very calm and collective person. For some jobs you will have to be patient and calm at all times, if you can do that employers are very like to keep them as it is difficult to find these kind of people in our society and I believe making your business successful is hard work and them patient. I mean you work very hard to build your business, and it might not be success as you want it to be, so you will have to be patient to drink the juice of your fruit you plant. 2. Team work Ability to working as a team or a part of a team is essential for you and for your employer. If you are a peoples person/ easy to get along with people you might/can be a good team player as it is all about communicating and understanding each and everyone one of the team players. Employers will always look for a people who can work with the team as if you have a say of different people you can get the work done quickly and more effectively, because the things you dont know, the other people might know so it is better for more brain than only one. Interpersonal skills: this is the skill that how you approach or deal with people and also how well you communicate with others. Customer Service Executive Employee Skills: Personal Skills: Interpersonal Skills: * Good written and spoken skills * Good IT knowledge * Previous experience in customer focused environment * * A good team player * Problem solving * Hard working * Friendly * Professional * * An excellent communicator * Good with people * c) Assess the importance of employability, interpersonal and personal skills in the recruitment and retention of staff in a selected organisation. Ive chosen The Manchester College to assess in this task; I think The Manchester College is the largest college in Manchester and in the UK. It is important for the college to consider employability and personal skills when recruiting staff as it is an educational institution, I believe the teachers should be educated as a teacher and also the subject of their own to give their students the best knowledge possible. If the college needs to hire a new staff they should consider to hire experienced staff to save that money to put towards the existing staff training, bonus for those who worked overtime during the recruitment process, so that people get rewarded after the hard work theyve done for their organisation, in doing that college manages to keep their staff happy, that means it is likely for them to stay within the organisation longer. To work more efficient college can carry out a skill auditing to identify the skill gap within the organisation and decide whether to hire new staff or train their existing staff. Communication is the key skill that college needs to have to be able to understand their student and their needs, so it is essential for their staff to have strong communication skills in written and verbally as it is a large organisation people will need to communicate in writing. Employees of the college should be presented and act in a professional manner, so that student and teachers will be look separately. Employability skills will be required for teachers as they have to be qualified in certain areas, whereas administrator of the college will not need to have a qualification if she/he is experienced enough. Task 2 a) Select an organisation and describe the main physical and technological resources that are involved in the running of your selected business. Physical resources this is the things that business can use to run their day to day activities includes machinery, buildings and facilities. For my chosen organisation The Manchester College, it is very important for them to use all the resources to run effectively. They are number of main physical resources which needs them to run the business. 1. Building and Facility Building of your business may play an important role as you might not think, it is very important for businesses to have to well presentable building as it is effective in many different way. For example in my country there is a bank called Coin and the building is round and gold coloured. Anyone who saw that building will know it is a bank and will go straight to it as it is located near the airport, foreigners will have to get their money changed before they take a taxi etc. I think the prettiest campus of The Manchester College is Openshaw and it has a lots of facilities that is available for students and staffs to use such as IT suites for multimedia students, an award winning training restaurant, workshop for construction, engineering and electrical students, hair and beauty salons etc. I think the facilities that are available for student and staffs are amazing and it will be very useful for students to use these to improve their knowledge on things that they are studying. 2. Materials and waste The need of materials will depend on the business type as they all use different things. For my chosen organisation they are likely to use papers, computers, printers, pen, pencil, projectors and all sorts of office equipment as they are small teachers offices. Businesses should keep a close eye on what they waste, if you do that it will help them to cut costs and work more environmentally friendly. 3. Plant, machinery and equipment Businesses spend thousands of pounds on equipment and machineries to work more quickly and efficient. It is essential for them to have them and an up to date one as it helps the business run smoothly. For example teachers at The Manchester College use projectors to make it more easier for students to read or see what the teacher is teaching, and we have a library with computers which students and staffs can use to do their work. 4. Security, insurance and emergency provision I believe The Manchester College follows the Health and Safety act as Ive seen the fire exits and there were . Also they must have the policies and provisions if there is an event of fire, there must be a staff who are trained to lead the way or make way for people in that event to keep them calm and put them in the right direction, and the people who have come to study/work to the college should have had a training or at least shown the fire exits or false alarm to see if the fire alarm works and to people know what to do in that event. All the building must have insurance against things like this to ensure the building and the employee/customers are protected, so that in any case of accident the insurance company will pay for the person who is injured or pay money to the persons family in the event of death. Technological resources- are not only computers and printers which can be treated as physical resources. There are four main areas: 1. Intellectual property This is the right to own ideas and have a right to concerning what happens to them, if the one of the staff has new idea that no one has the business can protect it from others to use it so that business will only benefit from this idea to make more profit or attract more people. For my college if one of the teacher/ advisor got a new idea of having a nursery on site which can be paid by day and any student/employee can give their child it would be a good and new idea as it enables students with children to study/work and easy to bring her child to the place they study/work, and the business protected it, only The Manchester College can use this idea to bring in more students. 2. Accumulated experience and skills This is an experience gained over a number of years when a person has come across lots of different issues to do with the job. There is a good side and not so good side by keeping employers for a very long time. Of course, it will be worth if the employee is the brilliant one, if so the level of experience will grow. Not so good side is if it the experienced staff is not handled carefully, it may result that you will have to pay more for them or give them a special condition whereas you can hire a new staff with the same or higher skills and pay low wages. For my college I think the employees are likely to stay longer and I think teachers are feel privileged when the student comes back to her/him to show what they have got out of their education that is gained from the teacher and college. 3. Software licences, patents and copyright I believe The Manchester College bought a license from Microsoft to use their Microsoft Office Pack as it will cost them cheaper than buying it individually and install them on computers which they have a hundreds and thousands of them. So it is enabling them to use it unlimited with a one off payment. Often it is allowed for businesses to do so, not for single person/public. Patents and copyright has always been tricky to protect or should I say difficult to prove the person who stole it, because people may copy the whole idea and change the name of it to pt it on the market, so apparently it is different as it has a different name and maybe slightly different, but if people see it they wont even recognise or know the difference. I remember one girl was selling a hoody with the logo of the college without permission from the college back home, so the college found out and they fined her parents as she was not an adult herself. b) Explain how the management of human, physical and technological resources can improve the performance of your selected organisation. Human Resources Every activity is carried put by human at The Manchester College and other businesses, so it is essential for businesses to have the right source of people to work towards their main aims and objectives. They must improve/ update their Human Resources to work effectively. I believe that my college try to manage its human resource at the level of standard as the best to provide the better future and education for us the students, considering the highly professional staff they have in my college, they hire the best possible staffs with ability and interest to care for students, so that staff will have better understanding of what students needs, also they train their staff accordingly with the new technologys or hire new staffs who have new skill which can be introduced to the other staff. To do those things there is department especially designed to do that job. Their main job role is to manage and control the employees in the college, meaning hiring a new staff, train the existing ones to improve their employers ability to have the best source of employees. To manage its staff successfully the college tries to keep the existing staff as it is beneficial for the college as longer the staff stays, college wont have to advertise jobs and train them which costs money for them to do that, instead of spending money on new person who is starting as an entry level, the company invest in their people who have stayed with them on the long run so that the employee will feel that they belong there and work more harder. Team work is always important for organisations like Manchester College as it is very large organisation and everyone have to work as a whole to get the work done, to improve team performance organisation do things like group activity, staff meeting and staff day out to make them closer so that they work with each other more comfortably, if they work closely the organisation will benefit from the use of full staff performance and things will go quicker and smoother, so that they can move forward to their next objective. Physical Resource If the college have a good facility for students, it can attract more students and people would be looking to work for them as basic standard of facility needs to meet and higher would be an advantage. It also important for them to use these facilities with its full use and keeping them up to date as the things are developing very fast and things are getting out of fashion quickly. For example if the student had learned Microsoft Office 2003 in their IT class by the time they finish their studies and find work would be 2007 and he might struggle if the new employer has the newer version and he doesnt know how to use it properly even though it is similar to the older version, he will not get the all the benefit that the software is offering. Technological Resource As the college uses a lot of paperwork and papers, it is crucial to save them as they need to be used for hard evidence, however I would like to suggest that teachers can send their assignment brief to student e-mails which college have provided for them it saves the trees and we are going to be use the e-mail which is one of the facility college improved last year and I think we are not making a full use of it and it feels it might be waste of money to have e-mail address and not using it, to motivate students to use their e-mail college can put their names instead of student number which will look more real and nice, and not allow to have an access to any other mail service in the library so that student have no choice but to use it properly. If we can do that we will reduce the use of papers and use the facility which we dont use. Task 3 a) Describe the sources of internal and external finance, available to Barneys business. There are two main ways that business can access financial resources: 1. Internal sources ( within the business) This is the money you can get within the business: Owners savings- I believe Barney has some money for himself if he is thinking to start a new business, because its the owners who are often invest in their company to cover the setting up costs. It might be the only source they available immediately for them as for sole traders like Barney, banks or other financial institution unlikely to offer a loan as there is too much risk involved, and if you have that kind of money it is really good for the business as you will not have to pay it back by monthly or pay an interest. Capital from profit- this will become available after the business set up and operating. Once they have run for certain time, they may make some profit to invest into the business to run or buy more stock or buy new machinery to grow the business 2. External sources (outside the business) There are number of different external sources that business can get money from to help them to set up or invest in. Banks- they can offer loans, overdrafts and business account to businesses but you will have to have a good business plan to get it. Loans are not easy to get and might not be a good option for small business as you must pay it back with interest in certain amount of time and if the company goes down the owner will end up with huge debt. The choice I would suggest is the overdraft for him as it is flexible and you wont have to pay a penny unless it is used, there are some banks who offer interest free overdraft, if you can get it will be a win! Friends/Family- you can always seek for help from your friends and families and you can even offer them a share for return of their investment or just borrow some money from them to put towards the business if they are nice enough. I would say it is the best option of borrowing money as you dont pay interest and it is your family they will not give you to court unless you run with their money. Government grants- these are available from the EU, national/local government. A grant is money you can receive as a business man; a good thing about it is that you dont have to pay it back. If Barney falls under the age group of 18-30 he can get a low interest loan from Princes Trust. Task 4 (a) The purpose of budgets, and how they can be used to monitor and control the performance of Barneys business, including, the monitoring of actual performance against budget and the use of variance analysis. Budget is a written plan with spending which will occur and a revenue that is need in the future to cover these costs. The purpose of it is it gives you clear understanding of what to expect to spend/receive in the future (coming year) to prevent or act any crisis before it happens. It also can be used as a communication between the employees to understand the objectives of the business and work towards it. For owners they can see how well their managers managing the budget plan and performance of them. Budgetary control 1. Set objective for Barney Objective for Barney could look like this * Do a business related course * Get information on government grants * Find any other fund that is available to him 2. Set a plan to how to achieve these objectives He can start of with: * Do a year course in business related or hair styling course to have a better understanding of how business operate * Design business plan to show it to the banks and to apply for government grants * Get advise from people who are in the same business as his to find out what needs to be done orderly * Do an online research on advise and support from government websites to collect necessary documents to apply for government grant * Hire someone to do research on the market things like where to open the salon, and what kind of people lives in the area, and what is the average income for people in that area to help to set a price etc. 3. Prepare the plan You should produce a budget plan to attach it with your business plan to show how much is going to cost what and how you can manage to pay for it etc and you should compare it with the actual figure to analyse the situation of what has gone wrong or right and then you can take some action to prevent it in the future and more experienced on the next budgeting. Task 5 a) Study the contents of the profit and loss account and balance sheet for Wansbeck Motors Ltd and give an account of the worthiness of the business by explaining the purpose of each element. Purpose of balance sheet- is important as it shows the value of the business. * Assets things that business own * Liabilities ( debts a business owns) * Equity (the amount invested in the business) Purpose of profit and loss account- it shows how much money business making and how much money they are losing and you can identify it by looking at the profit and loss account to do something about it.