Reflections on Experience with Second Life Essay

Reflections on Experience with Second Life - Essay Example Being a downloadable client programme created by Linden Lab, San Francisco, United States gives the participants known as 'avatars' an opportunity to socialize and interact with other people of the virtual community, exchange views, buy or sell land and present their talents to the community. As per the website of 'Second Life', presently more than three million people have registered themselves with the community. With the growth of the broadband internet connections especially in the United States, where there is an increase from 30 percent (2005) of the Americans having a high-speed connection at home to 42 percent in 2006 has enhanced the passion for participation in this virtual world. This paper attempts to narrate the experience on the environments encountered in 'Second Life', the potential social and political implications of this virtual medium and also the possible future uses. As is being claimed by 'Second Life' this unique digital world offers a lot of opportunities to develop one's own skills by exhibiting what they are capable of creating. Especially people who are introverts and shy of meeting the other people in the real world can improve their socializing behaviour by interacting freely with other 'avatars' of this virtual world. People can give concerts, draw pictures; build houses and hotels and trade in any other commodities. All the trading transactions will be just like as happening in the real world. Because of the three dimensional effect of the site, one gets a feeling that he is interacting with the fellow community member in real life. This gives ample scope for the development of specialized skills of public speaking or playing musical instruments in front of an invited audience. People can shed their inhibitions. In 'Showcase'-one of the environment of 'second life' one can bring out his or her real talent to be appreciated by the fellow avatars. Second Life provides another opportunity of real time sales meetings with the customers and it is possible to make customer presentations through this media. Distance learning is another possibility which would be a very useful feature for the students to acquire a quality education. There are much more environments like business, property development and community interaction available in this virtual world which are distinguishably rare phenomena that need to be evaluated by one's own personal encounter and experience. 3.0 Social Variables Influencing Participation in 'Second Life': The social variables generally influencing any issue of importance are the Family Structure, Ethnicity, Language, Demography, Educational standards. Employment Status, Crime rates, Cultural Factors, Action by community based organsiations, Lifestyle issues, Recreational factors, Psychological factors and Historical dependence. This part of the paper analyses the influence of some of these social factors on the participation in 'Second Life. Of all these variables, recreational and psychological factors may have more impact on the participation than other variables. The people who feel shy and having inhibitions to present themselves to others in the real world may be more susceptible to participation in this virtual world. Similarly people who have more time at their disposal for recreation may well be influenced by this engrossing multimedia interaction and may see this as a

Discuss the satges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discuss the satges - Essay Example The second stage is acquiring cultural sensitivity. Here, nurses and the novices must be provided with information concerning diverse cultural habits, values, and institutions. They are then introduced to different cultural practices using cultural assimilators in the next stage. The students are then taken through language training to help them interact with people from different backgrounds. They are then taken through sensitivity training to acquire skills on how to identify different behaviors among people. Finally, they are then taken to the field to work with different patients from diverse cultural backgrounds (Kanel 98). It is important to make a client select their own coping strategies because the client can help themselves once the difficult part is ended. The nurses should be able to know when to allow the clients make their own decisions (Kanel 196-216). Medical practitioners should note that cultural sensitivity not only provides information and attitudes between medical professionals, but also produces positive medical outcomes for different

Brand Equity in Luxury Hotels | Research Proposal

Brand Equity in Luxury Hotels | Research Proposal Introduction At the present time, globalisation which just means linking together the localities separated by distance is not an issue in terms of communication, moreover it brings together the world as one (Scheuerman, 2010). The positives of globalisation do not limit itself to just bringing the world together in terms of communication, tourism and hospitality industry has also greatly benefited by this. India is considered one of the fastest growing countries in the world and becoming an attraction for the foreign tourist. India hosted 6.58 million foreign tourist in the year 2012, which was an increase by 4.3% compared to last year. The foreign exchange earnings were a staggering $17.74 billion which was an increase of 7.15 compared to last year (India Tourism Statistics, 2012). The Indian government un It will not be wrong to assume that India has been successful in catering the basic requirements which a tourist looks for before planning their trip to a foreign country. These statistics make India one of the top tourist destinations. The basic requirements being variety of serviced accommodation to choose from, adequate infrastructure, communication system, museum, art galleries, restaurants, cafes, craft places, gardens, historic places and sports amenities. The tourism ministry of India was quick to recognise the tourism market in India and has taken necessary steps to promote it. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India during the eighties and nineties lacked consistency but since then it has seen steady growth. The early 2000 can be considered the best years for tourism industry as they saw double digit growth (India Tourism Statistics, 2012). This paper specifically focuses on the 5 star luxury hotels section of the hospitality industry of India. It is very important for the individuals involved in the operations of the hotel to know about the factors which might affect the competition. In the competitive setting, Brand Equity is believed to be the most important value generating asset to the organisation and its customers. Customers can benefit through Brand Equity as it would help them get a better understanding of the services provided by the brand which would eventually increase confidence and help them in making the buying decision. The organisation can benefit in terms of increasing profits, attracting new customers and retaining the loyal customers, having a competitive advantage over rivals (Aaker, 1991). Therefore, the study is carried out to better understand the brand equity of high end luxury hotels in India and the link between brand equity and the post purchase evaluation by the customers. This will provide a better understanding of brand equity of the hotel which is just a small element of brand asset. The post purchase evaluation by the customers for the brand equity in hospitality industry will be directed by analysing the already existing written texts. The suggestions given by the guests who have already visited the hotel are used to analyse as their feedback and opinion would shed light on the major issues faced in terms of brand equity during their stay. Hence, the conclusion of this paper would provide an insight of the different brand equity elements, their features and the influence these elements can have on the day to day working of the hotel by the top management, the marketing team, operations team and everybody responsible for implementing the strategy. A successful brand strategy would give the hotel a competitive advantage over its existing market rivals. Problem Statement A brand can be called an important resource for value addition to the organisation as it is used in the marketing strategy and positioning of the company in the market (Ghauri and Cateora, 2010). Brand equity is a combination of elements namely brand loyalty, brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality denoting the improved value of the brand as a whole. In case of hospitality industry, the focus is mainly on how the consumer perceives the hotel brand, this further improves chances of making more profit. The literature on brand equity have largely focused on the product aspect and not much study has been contributed to the service industry. Thus, literature on brand equity for service industry like hotels is very limited. This has attracted my attention and inspired me to study brand equity primarily focusing on the hospitality industry. As stated above, India has been successful in improving its tourism and hospitality sector over the years. This has resulted in stiff competition amongst the hotel operators. To increase the rate of growth, the government helps and extends its support in almost all domains of the tourism industry. As an example, the government’s initiative to improve the Indian tourism industry in overseas market is the brochure support. The overseas offices help promote organisations who intend to promote special tours (Ministry of tourism, 2014). There are marketing development assistance schemes to promote Indian tourism abroad which is administered by the ministry of tourism, government of India to help hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators etc. The competition in the hospitality industry is intense in parts like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra which experienced maximum domestic tourist in the year 2012. The foreign tourist preferred Delhi, Mumbai (M aharashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Bangalore (Karnataka) and Kolkata (West Bengal) as their top 5 destinations in India (India Tourism Statistics, 2012). Furthermore, the intense in business competitions especially for five stars luxury hotels are higher than other hotel with fewer stars rating. Normally, the higher stars rating hotel such as five stars luxury hotel comes with the higher price of the offering. However, the competition is not only based on the price and promotion concern but also the uniqueness of the hotel brand. In addition, the emerging of new comer hotels in Bangkok area can also be the supporting evidence, for example Starwood’ St. Regis, W hotel, Four Points by Sheraton (Starwood, 2010). As a result, brand equity can play an important role in increasing the overall profit of the hotel and the people responsible for operating the day to day functioning of the hotel need to realize this. The elements of brand equity needs to be studied in terms of the hospitality industry, this would help understand the role of brand equity in hospitality industry. This paper primarily focuses on the five star luxury segment of the hotels in India. This paper is based on the comments and feedback of the guests who have visited the chosen hotels which are then linked with the elements of brand equity. Purpose of Study The main motive of this study is to understand brand equity and elements in terms of the hospitality industry in India considering the post purchase evaluation of the customers who have visited the hotel. The research also aims to find the link between the elements of brand equity and the comments and feedback of these customers after their purchase. Moreover, the objective of this study is to find the practical effects of brand equity. By the end of this research, I intend to suggest some articulated hypothesis of brand equity in hospitality industry for future studies. Research Questions The research question has been framed on the basis of the background of the topic chosen and the problem statement to accomplish the objective of this research: What are the features of brand equity of high-end (5 Stars) luxury hotels in India? Which elements of brand equity do most of the customers perceive for evaluation? Thesis Outline The first chapter gives a brief about the research topic on evaluation of post purchase behaviour on brand equity for hospitality industry in India. This is further explained by designing the problem statement and research topic to specify the path of the study with the focus only on five star luxury hotels in India. Chapter two includes the literature review. This is done by investigating the literature available in physical format and those available on the internet. The literature review explains branding and the various aspects of brand equity to give a basic understanding about brand equity. This will be followed by brand equity in hospitality (service) industry, buying decision of customers, electronic word of mouth and evaluation of customers after using the hotel (post-purchase).Along with this literature, a framework has been designed to give a better understanding of the research which includes the idea of brand equity. Chapter three begins by explaining in the research methodology, how the topic was chosen. This is followed by a discussion on the methodologies used in the research design. Qualitative and quantitative approach were used for this study. Qualitative approach was done by carrying out content analysis using a specific set of measurements. Quantitative approach was used to present the findings and the results. The process of collecting data, the use of secondary data like the feedback of hotels from customers, text and other articles on brand equity are discussed in this section. This section continuous with further explaining the limitations of this study and the sampling design in context of the total volume considered and the time period observed for the data collection. This is commenced by highlighting the validity and the reliability of the study. The fourth chapter presents the findings from the collected data from the website tripadvisor.com for feedback from the guests who have visited the hotels. The main aim for this exercise is to analyse and interpret this data and then divide them in terms of the different components of brand equity or the set of measurements. The results are explained by using the quantitative approach by denoting them in terms of percentage of each component and sub component of brand equity. The fifth chapter analyses the findings and discusses the results and a comparison is made with the earlier studies on brand equity and hospitality industry. This section is concluded by analysing each brand equity category and proposing the hypothesis on brand equity for hotel. The sixth chapter concludes the research by explaining the results obtained from findings and analysis in the previous chapter. This section also answers the research questions for the study. The seventh and the final chapter recommends on the real-world effects of the results obtained from this research. This paper is concluded by proposing a path for the future study centred on the hypotheses.

The American Dream as Portrayed by Various Authors :: Essays on the American Dream

The American Dream can be traced to the Declaration of Independence which states that â€Å"all men are created equal, that they are endowed†¦with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (Jefferson). These doctrines are the foundation of the rights of all citizens in the United States. For over a century these ideas have drawn people from foreign shores to America, the land of opportunity, a place where dreams can be achieved. The very concept of the American dream is built upon the idea that whatever you dream can be made to happen because there are few government barriers place upon the citizens. It is deceptive in its name the American Dream; for that implies that there is one dream for all. In fact, the American Dream is very personal. It means different things to different people, but it is always inspirational. It is the dream of its own citizens; some here for generations while some may be new citizens. The conce pt that this country offers opportunities that can be obtained by anyone provides people with the ability to dream their own dreams. The American Dream can be a motivational fire, but if ne wished to not be burned, one must focus on building a balanced life of family, honest work and love. lf had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace. (20.12) Although there is a stereotypical American Dream, people personalize it to make it their own. The attainability of the stereotypical goal cannot be evaluated because of the variations of this dream. For instance, the most common version is the idea of rags to riches. When Arnold Schwarzenegger came â€Å"here with empty pockets, but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire" (Schwarzenegger 27), he was fulfilling the dream of an immigrant. While making the Keynote Address at the Republican National Convention in 2004, he stated that he wanted and achieved, success, a career and a family, which he owes to America (27). The traditional concept of rags to riches is not always the foundation of some people's dreams. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s dream is to relive his fantasy with his idealized former lover. He uses the rags to riches portion of the American Dream as a means to an end. He spends his life trying to gain Daisy’s love and subsequently a higher social status.

Philosophy Of Education In Early Childhood Education Essay

My â€Å"Philosophy of Education† in Early Childhood Education Pre-primary institutions mark the beginning of schooling for early childhood on their critical stage of growth. Teachers of kindergarten are going on a mission to promote the whole-person development of the early childhood. During the teaching process, both experiences and theory are embraced in order to provide early childhood a good quality of education. â€Å"Cerebration is the foundation of action and theory is the controller of practice. Educator wants to achieve the improvements on education need to sure that the improvement can endure the time and trials. It needs to assist with philosophy of education† (Lin, 2011, P. 3). Teachers should have their own philosophy of education in order to achieve a good performance on education. For me, Topic: Write an essay to express your own â€Å"Philosophy of Education† in Early Childhood Education â€Å"encourage†, â€Å"children-centered curriculum† and â€Å"promote critical-thinking† are the three main philosophies. For â€Å"encourage†, it implies two indications. They are providing an encouraging environments and giving children encouragements. The definition of the former one is to ask teacher to decorate a pleasurable and welcoming environment previously. For example, to decorate the classroom with colorful flowers like a garden. It can make children relieve without any fear. My idea is supported by Reggio Emilia’s approach. He recognized environment is a teacher. In addition, teacher should reset the environment while celebrating festival or teaching new unit in order to allow children to learn under a harmonious environment and boost the learning efficiency. Alternatively, if the classroom is lacking of entertaining decoration, it will give children the feeling of solemn and create stress which make them can not behave well. The definition of the later one is to give children encouragements by appreciating what they have done. When children finish the task or answer question, say â€Å"good†, â€Å"well-done† to them. Even they get the wrong the answers, teacher can still give them a smile and ask them to try again. Children may feel confident after getting the encouragements from teacher. As children want to get teacher’s praise, they may present on their best way and will be more participative. As a result,children can learn peacefully during school days. Besides ‘encourage’, I promote curriculum to be children-centered. That is to teach what children prefer. â€Å"Children’s aspirations are their free will. That is inborn, but unluckily being destroyed† (Montessori, 1972, P. 56). This philosophy is affected by Reggio Emilia as well. He promoted child-centered which was to plane according to children’s interest. Children in early childhood are full of curiosity. As a teacher, we should satisfy their learning desires and plan curriculum based on their interests. Teacher may ask children what they want to know during circle time, or though daily contact and observation. By planning corresponding curriculum of what children  desired, it can prove that children will be interested on it. On the other hand, children may feel that their views are being understood and accepted. A better relationship will be built between children and teacher. Furthermore, I would also like to promote critical thinking in my philosophy. By implementing the 334 new academic structure on 2009, liberal study became an obligatory subject. It implies that Hong Kong highlights critical thinking on our next generation nowadays. There are no doubts that skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are in the key learning area. However, it is reminded that critical thinking should not be absent in early childhood. â€Å"Children are initiative inborn, to develop children’s initiative is an important mission for teacher† (Lin, 2011, P. 165). For children in early childhood, teacher may arrange experiment for children to do and guide them to record down the result. Besides, small project can be hold frequently in order to give chances for children to learn from themselves. It is vital that teacher guide children to respond on certain unit but not by teaching though spoon-fed education blindly. â€Å"The major premise of the educational innovation is student, based on assisting everyone to achieve whole-person development though lifelong learning† (Kennedy, 2011, P. 53). The cultivation of critical thinking can help children on problem solving and learn more efficiently in their study. As result, achieve and support the goal of lifelong learning. I ASSENT MONTESSORI AND MY PHILOSOPHY ARE GREATLY A? ECTED BY IT. IT highlights the importance of providing environments and giving freedom to children. Well-prepared learning materials can attract children to learn, environment is the first  element to be drive learning. Moreover, I insist that freedom should be given to student for what they want to learn. Creativity and problem solving talent can cultivate in the meanwhile for children. Besides the above discussed philosophy, here are other thoughts about my opinion on ‘philosophy of education’. One of my secondary school teachers said that education isdistinct with other career as teachers are constructing â€Å"heart to heart† relationship with students. That is so true since teacher need to work with their sincere mind. For me, I do think that passion is one of the main elements of being a teacher. Without the passion, teacher may feel dull and fatigue of the job easily. Yet, a teacher work with enthusiasm may review and alter the measurement all the time depending on the needs of children. Teacher is having a role of educating and socializing children, what teacher did will have positive effect on children’s personal growth. To sum up, â€Å"encourage†, â€Å"children-centered curriculum† and â€Å"promote critical- thinking† are the elements for teaching in the early childhood education. Since children may cause psychological and emotion frustration on adapting a new  ecological environment from homes. So, teacher should provide encouraging environments and give children encouragements. Curriculum should be plan accord to the interests, developmental characteristics and learning needs of children but not the teacher. Also, critical thinking is necessary to be trained in children’s early age. References Lin, Y. T. (2011). Philosophy of Early Childhood Education TW: WU-NAN. Montessori, Maria. (1972). The Secret of Childhood NY: Ballantine Books. Kennedy K. J. (2011) Interpret the new trend of HK’s education HK: The Chinese University Press.

HND in Business Accounting& Management Essay

Operations Management explores the way organizations produce and distribute goods and services. Everything you wear, eat, sit on, use or read comes to you courtesy of the operations managers who organized its production and distribution. Goods such as automobiles, airplanes, computers and houses, must be produced, as do the services provided by hospitals, ski resorts, trucks, and airlines. It’s the job of an operations manager to make sure these activities occur when and how they are planned. This explanation reflects the essential nature of operations management: it is the central activity in organizing things. Operations Management is the systematic development and control of the processes that transform inputs into goods and services. The operations function comprises a significant percentage of the employees and physical assets in most organizations. Operations Managers are concerned with each step in providing a product or service. They determine what should go into an operating system, such as equipment, labour, facilities, materials, energy, and information, to produce the output. Operations Managers are also responsible for critical activities such as materials management, capacity planning, purchasing, scheduling and quality. The importance of Operations Management has increased dramatically in recent years. Significant competition, shorter product and service life cycles, better educated and quality-conscious consumers, and the capabilities of new technology have placed pressures on the operations function to improve productivity while providing a broader array of high-quality products and services. Such like IEKA An organization that gets the binomial concept â€Å"operations and business management† right is more likely to experience short-term success and run efficient activities. The business might, for example, prevent errors in its record-keeping processes and rein in waste in money-eating mechanisms — a perennial source of concern for top management. Given the importance of operational management, company principals may work with department heads and business-unit chiefs to draw up strategic blueprints and ask them to remain discreet about the company’s operational tactics. The goal is not to convene a periodic top-level meeting and plot strategy in a warlike room, but to set sound procedures to make sure the architects of the company’s blueprint keep mum about its objectives, resources and action plans. TASK2 Ikea because according to the specific market environment for the correct operation strategy, that was a huge commercial success.Ikea’s household concept in the beginning of its creating had clear definition, that is: to provide a wide variety, beautiful and practical, ordinary people can afford the household articles for use.However, with the development of The Times, and constantly changing consumer demand, ikea’s household concept also constantly enrich and perfect.Then, on the basis of the original, ikea household concept began with environmental factors.In particular, household concept of ikea is mainly in household concept of the masses.In most cases, expensive home furnishings is well-designed for a few people can afford to buy.From the early stages of creation, ikea will chose a different path, ikea decided to stand with most people.This means that ikea should meet the household needs of most people in the world, which meet with many different need, grade, dreams, and financial resources, at the same time hope to improve household needs and create a better life.In ikea, everywhere can see pasted on the wall of the ikea business motto: â€Å"ikea will provide a wide range of design at a low price beautiful, fully functional household products, ensure that most people have the ability to buy.†General household the management idea of success is based on partnership between ikea and customers.On the one hand, ikea ikea do the right thing to do.First of all, ikea designers and manufacturers to cooperate, in order to find out the use of the existing production process manufacturing furniture clever way.Then, ikea’s purchasing companies around the world with the most appropriate suppliers of raw materials.Finally, ikea in global bulk purchase, ensure that ikea can get the lowest price.On the other hand, the customer do what they should do, namely through the ikea catalogue, visit the ikea store, choose furniture and customize the warehouse take delivery.Since most goods using tablet packaging, customers can easily to carry it home and assembled.In this way, customers can save a lot of cost.As a result, building with ikea low price, together create a better everyday life.Visible, ikea shows popular household concept for most people service business ideas.In high-end household take the high-quality goods in the 1950 s, ikea this breakthrough will surely shows its forward-looking strategies. Ikea is not just a product, it has its own retail system.Ikea’s retail chain system adopted the operating strategy, in the global retail business through a wholly-owned crown stores and franchisees two modes of operation (blue and red group).As of August 31, 2003, 186 ikea stores in 43 countries and regions, including Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania region, ikea also continues to increase.There are 165 as a wholly owned stores, distribution in 29 countries and regions.In addition, in Australia, the united Arab emirates, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, Iceland and Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and other 14 countries and regions, there are 21 franchise, except for the ikea group a franchisor to own and run.Ikea’s chain operation has been a huge success, and thus a high international reputation for ikea.In 2004, ikea’s operating income of 12.8 billion euros, net profit more than 1.1 billion euros, employs 84000 workers, as the world’s biggest household goods retailer.Low price strategy is refers to through continuous compression cost, thus reduce prices, to win the market strategy.Ikea has been that only provide beautifully designed, practical series of products is not enough, also should make most people can afford to buy, in order to for most people rather than a few people to create a better life.After all, money is not much can meet the needs of the household consumer satisfaction.Therefore, ikea emphasizes the low-price strategy in the management strategy.Low price strategy ikea is the core of the operating strategy, ikea has unusual significance.Both household concept, cost control and other aspects of management measures, in the final analysis is to ikea’s low price strategy.The success of ikea’s low price strategy mainly from the following several aspects: adhere to the principle of small profit, principle of small profit in business is braving the down the sharp weapon, but also an important guarantee of ikea’s low price strategy to success.After 60 years of development, ikea has always unswervingly implement the principl e.Low-cost system, guarantee the normal way of thinking of most enterprises, first in terms of product design and pricing, however, ikea has a tradition, price the product first and then followed by the specific design, finally find suppliers according to the established design.So it will be in the system design ensures the ikea, low prices.Ikea’s pricing method is also unique, often use price matrix method for new product pricing.Ikea has three price – high, medium and low grade, four basic style, modern, country and young Swedish – northern Europe.In order to identify market opportunities, which is responsible for the product will take in charge of the committee’s instructions, the existing product prices to fill him in grid, and then look for space.First start from the little space of committee instructions, for example, have been found in the high price of ikea products for a large number of independent kitchen island, but he has lost those suitable f or apartment or office cheap kitchen supplies.Then, head of products through the investigation to determine the cost of the new product competition, the goal is to lower than competitors’ prices by 30% ~ 50%, in this way, the price of ikea point occurs.This is the product manager for the low price of products of ikea kitchen utensils and appliances.The pricing model is kill two birds with one stone, it reflected the ikea has always been the production of standard and sales of the original and cheap, and also contains all to determine the content of the device in the conceptual design . TASK3 Operational management deals with the nitty-gritty basics of how a company operates, such as keeping track of spending costs and cash flow as well as maintaining a supply line. Some of the best managers have been those who have found ways to make the basic operations of a company more efficient. Operational management requires knowledge of a constantly changing variety of data and variables, and skillful and flexible planning is required. Strategic management does not merely have to do with setting broad and lofty goals, but works to establish a plan over the long term that will work toward those goals. This involves taking into account such factors as competition and consumer demand. The most successful business visionaries have been able to establish very realistic pictures of the market and operate within the constrictions that they were given by the market. Strategic management takes a great deal of common sense. Despite the clear distinctions we are making it is also important t o understand that operational and strategic planning are interrelated and complementary decision processes, which must link to each other, inform and support one another for effective management of strategies. Operational planning is the day-by-day, week-by-week, and month-by-month planning for a myriad of local and functional activities; strategic planning sets the overall direction of your organisation as a whole, its destiny if you will. The decisions that constitute the strategic plan include what the enterprise is not currently doing, but should be doing. The choices of what to do imply other things that the organization deliberately chooses not do. The strategic plan embodies very big decisions with major consequences for the overall performance. Strategic and tactical planning are different in kind. The two forms of planning must be linked, and integrated, and must not be confused. About IKEA: IKEA is a privately-owned company founded in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad. He first started to sell pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, jewellery and nylon stockings and decided to add furniture in 1947. IKEA has now around 260 stores, much of which are located in Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia. Nowadays IKEA is known for selling modern and utilitarian furniture at low prices their vision is â€Å"To create a better everyday life for the many people†. IKEA motto is â€Å"Affordable Solutions for Better Living†. Their operations management are strongly focused on achieving this goal; they use their resources effectively to gain profit by developing a more economic way for the production of their wide range of service. This has involved them in working closely with their suppliers in order to control aspects of their business from the production line. Unlike most furniture stores, IKEA sells goods which need to be assembled by the consumer; this has enabled them to use space more efficiently in their warehouse. The company has developed methods to satisfy customers with their Unique Selling Point (show room, children’ area) and a wise use of technology (stock control, internet). TASK4 TASK5 The three-es that is economy, efficiency and effectiveness. MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY Efficiency can be measured in terms of the inputs required to generate the outputs. It is about the way in which work is completed. It is part of a manager’s job to help improve efficiency. For example, if the same work can be completed using less inputs or resources then efficiency has improved. Measuring efficiency means that the process followed to complete the work must be defined and then each part of the process studied to see what resources are required. This becomes the starting point or benchmark for measurement. Future work is then measured against the benchmark to see if it has taken more or less resource. Process changes are also measured to see if they are more or less efficient. It is also useful to measure one team’s efficiency against another and then adopt the most efficient methods as best practice– always assuming that effectiveness is maintained. MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS Effectiveness can be explained in terms of what is achieved. It is about whether targets are met or not. Performing effectively means that the right work is being completed. Managers are responsible for making sure that this happens. If a team is working really hard but not delivering what is needed, then they are not effective. Effectiveness is measured by setting out clear objectives before work starts and then evaluating whether the objectives have been met or not. MANAGEMENT ECONOMY Economy is the third element of the three Es model, covering the financial aspects of work being done. It could be argued that economy or finance is just one of the factors to consider when improving efficiency, but because finance is so important in today’s organisations, economy has become the third element. Economy is measured by looking at the cost of the resources consumed and the value of the output delivered. TASK6 The maximization of quality and productivity in each and every individual industry is the foundation of every economy aspiring to prosperity.Improve the companies income by making the production more acceptable to the customers: by providing longlife, greater usefulness, maintainablity,etc.Giving employees control includes giving them the power to make job-related decisions, the flexibility to organize their work in the way they find optimal, and the authority to find make improvements on how their job is done. Making this work requires providing employees with the training, coaching, and information they need to make intelligent decisions. Make Sure Supervisors Know How to Bring Out the Best in People – Supervisors play a huge role in employee morale, performance, and stress level. Supervisors who know how to provide guidance, support, and encouragement minimize employee stress. Supervisors with poor management skills or with personal problems, not only can’t help empl oyees deal with stressful times, they themselves are a tremendous source of stress. The time and financial resources you invest in selecting and training managers will pay huge dividends in reducing employee stress, increasing productivity, and minimizing turnover.

Free Essays on Feminine Sexuality

Kate Chopin’s, The Storm is an obvious suggestion of sexual energy and unrestrained passion. It is a story of two people who forget their wedding vows and are as uncontrollable as a storm. Chopin’s title refers to nature, which is symbolically feminine. The storm can therefore be seen as a symbol of feminine sexuality and passion. Calixta’s actions represent her sexuality as well as foreshadowing the sexual encounter to come. â€Å"She was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm. But she felt very warm and often stopped to mop her face on which the perspiration gathered in beads. She unfastened her white sacque at the throat† (113). The unbuttoning of her jacket is one of actions that foreshadows encounter between her and Alcee. She is unaware of the storm approaching, although she is married and has a child (and is somewhat knowledgeable about sexual matters) she is unaware of the sexuality and passion within her. Calixta is broken from a â€Å"trance,† the trance that Calixta is broken from is her own awareness that she is still attracted to Alcee. Even though the two are married, there is a mutual attraction between Calixta and Alcee. As the storm increases so does their sexual passion for one another. The storm drives them inside, it has become so strong that they need to put something under Mumper 2 the door, â€Å"†¦Calixta†¦ rolled up a piece of bagging and Alcee helped her to thrust it beneath the crack† (113). The image is sexual as they both â€Å"thrust† the bagging into the crack. The storm increases as well as the undoubtedly a reference to the sexual tension between the two of them. As the thunder crashes â€Å"Calixta†¦ staggered backwards. Alcee arm encircled her, and for an instant he drew her close and spasmodically to him† (114). It is not until then that Alcee has sensed her passion and his own: â€Å"The contact of her warm, palpitating body when he had unthinkingly drawn her into hi... Free Essays on Feminine Sexuality Free Essays on Feminine Sexuality Kate Chopin’s, The Storm is an obvious suggestion of sexual energy and unrestrained passion. It is a story of two people who forget their wedding vows and are as uncontrollable as a storm. Chopin’s title refers to nature, which is symbolically feminine. The storm can therefore be seen as a symbol of feminine sexuality and passion. Calixta’s actions represent her sexuality as well as foreshadowing the sexual encounter to come. â€Å"She was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm. But she felt very warm and often stopped to mop her face on which the perspiration gathered in beads. She unfastened her white sacque at the throat† (113). The unbuttoning of her jacket is one of actions that foreshadows encounter between her and Alcee. She is unaware of the storm approaching, although she is married and has a child (and is somewhat knowledgeable about sexual matters) she is unaware of the sexuality and passion within her. Calixta is broken from a â€Å"trance,† the trance that Calixta is broken from is her own awareness that she is still attracted to Alcee. Even though the two are married, there is a mutual attraction between Calixta and Alcee. As the storm increases so does their sexual passion for one another. The storm drives them inside, it has become so strong that they need to put something under Mumper 2 the door, â€Å"†¦Calixta†¦ rolled up a piece of bagging and Alcee helped her to thrust it beneath the crack† (113). The image is sexual as they both â€Å"thrust† the bagging into the crack. The storm increases as well as the undoubtedly a reference to the sexual tension between the two of them. As the thunder crashes â€Å"Calixta†¦ staggered backwards. Alcee arm encircled her, and for an instant he drew her close and spasmodically to him† (114). It is not until then that Alcee has sensed her passion and his own: â€Å"The contact of her warm, palpitating body when he had unthinkingly drawn her into hi...

Hong Kong Wealth Gap Essays

Hong Kong Wealth Gap Essays Hong Kong Wealth Gap Essay Hong Kong Wealth Gap Essay Gini coefficient is one of the indicators of income inequality. Although it may not reflect the whole picture of income inequality, the figure is above 0. 5 implied the problem of income inequality may be existed. In 2006, Hong Kong is in great hazard seeing that our Gini Coefficient has risen from 0. 518 in 1996 to 0. 533. Compared to about 0. 424 to 0. 513 in Canada, Singapore and England, Hong Kong has an extremely high coefficient.However, the HKSAR government claimed that the calculation of Gini coefficient is not suitable in Hong Kong and Donald Tsang, who is the Chief Executive of HKSAR government, even said he was mistrusted to the Gini coefficient so that he did not think the wealth gap of Hong Kong was too wide. Therefore, the government does very little things or set up little policies to solve the wealth gap problem in Hong Kong. The taxes and the prices of goods keep increasing which heavier the onus of poor people.Census and Statistics The most recent census conducted by the government shows the gap between the rich and the poor worsened in the 10-year period up to 2006. The result showed the number of families spending less than 4,000 dollars a month increased from 6. 7 per cent to 9. 2 per cent in that period. The census also found that the real average income of families in Hong Kong fell 7. 8 per cent since 2001. Deflation during period was only 3 per cent. Threatened by wealth gap, a solution is needed.However, to solve the problem efficiently, causes of the problem must be identified. According to the most popular saying, wealth gap started widening since 1940s, the time of the Chinese Civil War. After that, a series of incident has happened, which causes the widening of the wealth gap. In 1940s, when the Chinese civil War broke out, many refugees from mainland China escaped to Hong Kong. On the other hand, a certain amount of Capitalists where afraid of new Communism, and hence went to Hong Kong with their capital and knowledge.As a result, the rich and the poor were separated much more firmly into two classes. And thats the beginning of the problem. In 1970s, Hong Kong turned herself into an international financial center from a manufacturing center. Therefore, labor-intensive industries didnt exist anymore, but has changed into technology and knowledge-based economy. With the essential need of high-level technology, less unskilled labors were needed so lots of people lost their jobs, while the educated ones had great opportunities on work.The wealth gap widened. In 1980s, the Open Door Policy was adopted in China, Kong Kong benefited from it on the development on economy. Nevertheless, a motto, Let part of the people gets rich first, was suggested by Deng Xiaoping. At the time, came to a rise of capitalists, while the others suffered from poverty. The wealth gap once again widened. In 1997, a serious financial storm attacked Hong Kong, the stock market suddenly crashed, lots of people suffered from the sudden incident.The loss of money led to a crisis of negative equity and inflation. Poverty became more serious in Hong Kong while capitalists made use of the chance to gain profits At present, the most important cause to the wealth gap is immigration. Large amount of immigrants from mainland China, especially those who are poor immigrates to Hong Kong. They have low productivity but benefit from the Comprehensive Social Security Allowance. The distance between the poverty and the rich are once again widens.

Advice I Often Receive From Parents Essays - Chitto Harjo

Advice I Often Receive From Parents A piece of advice that I often receive is "as long as you do your best." This refers to success in everything from school to careers. I believe that this is good advice because it tells me that they trust my judgment and will respect my decisions, even if they are the wrong ones. This helps to take pressure off of me when I am going to school because I don't have to live up to certain standards and try to accomplish goals that are unattainable. Instead, I can just worry about doing the best I can. It is possible that I may have a career that is not the highest paying or the most prestigious. But as long as I am happy, and I do the job to the best of my ability, I will feel like I have accomplished something. This is good because many kids have to live up to expectations that they can't attain, or do something that they don't really enjoy in order to make their parents proud. The problem with saying "as long as you do you best" is that when I know I could have done a better job, I have a sort of guilty feeling. I hate it when I get a mediocre mark or fail in something and my parents say "as long as you tried your hardest." It gets quite annoying when I second guess myself about what I could have done. However, when I know I did the work as well as I could and it isn't a good mark, I don't worry about it as much as some people might. In conclusion, the piece of advice that I receive most often from my parents is basically a good one, and often it keeps me motivated in the things I do. It also shows me that my parents will support most of my decisions and treat me like a responsible person. I believe that somewhere along the line I will probably pass along the advice "as long as you did your best" to my children.

Ethical, legal, and social responsibility issues that your topic Research Paper

Ethical, legal, and social responsibility issues that your topic raises - Research Paper Example It is usually hard to choose whether to apply these unethical conditions because despite the challenges they face, it can be beneficial to the organization. It can lead to lower variable costs and increase in company profits. It is very important that executive members of organizations such as senior managers and supervisors equip themselves with ethical knowledge and skills. These would come handy when they face ethical dilemma on whether to use appropriate employee working conditions or not (Crowther, 43). When deciding on whether to change the current working conditions, it is important to research if the issue is serious and if it harms stakeholders of the organization. These stakeholders include employees, families of employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers and the society that neighbors the organization. Some of the issues such as hiring fewer employees are small problems that can be sort out internally. Large issues such as massive pay cut of employee salaries or exposing employees to health hazards put the reputation of the organization down. If the issue is very serious, junior managers should take it upon their responsibility to pass it to a senior manager or any officer with a high authority. It takes great courage when it comes to managers voicing personal values on ethical issues of employee working conditions. Not every organization executive share the same beliefs and values, but understanding and knowing ones values puts them at an advantage when dealing with ethical dilemma that may arise in the organization. Several steps should be considered before organizations change their employee working conditions. First, it should ask itself how it feels about the particular issue. It should then have its intentions to be for the greater good .Next; the organization should evaluate and consider its power in the specific industry that it carries its operations. After this, the organization can then weigh the risk and benefits of its action.

Ryanair the low-fares airline (Stratigic management) Assignment

Ryanair the low-fares airline (Stratigic management) - Assignment Example The balance sheet of the company shows that there has been a steady increase in the organisations net profit from 2006. The organisation is regarded as the world’s most profitable airline and this can be attributed to its strategic position in the budget airline industry. However, despite showing positive signs of growth in the industry, it has been recommended that Ryanair should embark on a drive to improve its marketing and communication strategies since it has been receiving negative media coverage. There is need to portray a positive image of and counter the negative publicity given to the airline by the media. It has also been recommended that the airline should strive to improve its industrial relations given that the employees are not fairly treated in this particular case. Employees should be treated as valuable assets in the organisation to ensure its viability. ... anair’s competitors-------------------------------------------------------------9 6.0 Strategic capabilities---------------------------------------------------------------9 7.0 Recommendations-----------------------------------------------------------------9 8.0 Conclusion--------------------------------------------------------------------------10 9.0 Bibliography------------------------------------------------------------------------11 Fig 1SWOT analysis--------------------------------------------------------------------6 Fig 2 Porter’s generic strategy model------------------------------------------------8 1.0 Introduction During the current period, it can be noted that organisations operate in an environment that is characterised by external factors of which in some cases, the companies have little control over them. Against this backdrop, this report seeks to critically evaluate the Rynair’s strategic position with regards to its external environment, competi tive forces, competitors, opportunities as well as threats. A SWOT analysis will be carried for the airline. The report will also discuss the company’s financial analysis, strategic capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Recommendations about the measures that can be made to maintain the company’s success will be given at the end of the report. 1.1 Overview of the organisation Ryanair is a budget airline in Europe and it was modelled after the successful US carrier, Southwest Airlines. Ryanair was founded in 1985 by the Ryan family with the aim of providing scheduled passenger services between Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK). The aim was to provide an alternative to the then state monopoly carrier, Aer Lingus. Since its inception, the company went through a great deal of turbulence which resulted

What are the rules that apply for collecting unemployment compensation Research Paper

What are the rules that apply for collecting unemployment compensation in Rhode Island - Research Paper Example The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states "Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment."However, every right enjoyed must fulfil responsibilities that go with it. Hence labor laws the world over have been laid down to protect both the employer as well as the employee, so that neither can take undue advantage of the other. In the US, the Department of Labor has laid down statutes and regulations that govern wages, benefits, safety, health and non discrimination policies. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs clearly states in its executive order, â€Å"The contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.† (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lays down standards for minimum wages and overtime pay that can be claimed by worke rs under various categories. FLSA covers over 130 million workers employed in public and private sector enterprises. Under this Act basic hourly wages are defined under various categories wherein age, skills and other considerations of the employee are taken into account and exemptions are given to certain categories of student workers who can be employed below standard minimum wages. However it is mandatory for the employer to post a notice explaining the minimum wage act in places where it can be easily accessed by employees. The Department of Labor strictly enforces the requirements of the Act and when violations are discovered, the employer is requested to pay back wages wherever applicable. Employees also have the right to file a suit in case of violation of the Act and can be reimbursed up to two years back wages, in addition to damages, attorney’s fees and court charges. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) ensures that employees work in a safe and healthful e nvironment that is free from hazards to their health. The employer must ensure that adequate training has been given to employees in the use of safety equipment. However, the employee’s conduct and actions too must comply with safety rules set down by the employer, like use of protective equipment where necessary. The general duty clause of the OSHA clearly states that the employer "shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees" (Basic Provisions of OSHA). Although OSHA has separated its safety standards into different categories, some provisions that address issues like personal protective equipment and hazard communication are similar for all employees. OSHA also offers information in various formats as well as training and consultation services to educate people about safety and health hazards, as well as precautions t o be taken to ensure safe work environments. This act is geared to prevent injury and work environment related illness or disease and strives to maximize the safety and health of every employee. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is responsible for administering the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. (ERISA) EBSA has the authority to ensure that employees receive these benefits promised by the employer. ERISA includes welfare plans that benefit employees while they are in active service as well as at the time of retirement or termination of employment. Such welfare plans include health benefits, disability or death benefits as well as scholarship benefits, daycare benefits, training and apprenticeship and a host of other such benefits. Unemployment Insurance is a program funded by taxes paid by the employer. This program ensures that economic stability is maintained among the unemployed. It provides temporary and often partial wages to those who have lost the ir jobs through no fault of their own. The Unemployment

Workplace smoking bans and perceived stress Article

Workplace smoking bans and perceived stress - Article Example A study was done to prove this hypothesis where a survey involving a 12-item job questionnaire is made to be answered by employees. This includes two categories of workplace smoking bans, with no ban being the reference category. Analysis controls would also determine an individual’s socio-demographic characteristics, occupational effects, health conditions and etc. A fixed-effects linear regression scale is used as a tool to control measured and unmeasured individual time-invariant confounders, which will strongly reveal the relationship between workplace smoking bans and work-related stress. The result of this study revealed the fact that there is a different relationship formed between workplace smoking bans (WSB) and work stress depending on different age groups. For males, who comprises the bigger smoking population, they experience higher stress caused by WSBs as compared to companies without smoking bans. Although the result is significantly similar with the females, there is quite a difference in estimates, specifically on the fact that younger females ages 18-40 years old would be highly stressed out in workplaces with smoking bans while older females ages 41-65 did not demonstrate any effect on WSBs with regard to their stress levels. Generally, workplace smoking bans directly increases work stress of young adult smokers and for people who has been smoking for a long time. Indeed, we can see the adverse effects of smoking and at the same time smoking bans. In response to it, protecting non-smokers and the environment through smoking bans is more reasonable and has greater positive effects rather than establishing a stress-free workplace. This is because of the fact that WSB’s do not only protect the general public and the earth but also helps smokers themselves by reducing smoking prevalence and intensity. Although little is known about

Fish Depletion Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fish Depletion - Research Paper Example In addition, advancement in technology enabled more areas of the oceans to be exploited. According to a report by the Food Agricultural Organization, an estimated 25 percent of the global fish species have been depleted or fully exploited (Srinivasan 183). It is however unimaginable to have a world without marine life. More than 2.6 billion people in developing countries depend on fish to provide them with animal protein and depletion of fish stock would affect food security and nutritional status of this people. Moreover, fish depletion would have significant impacts to the world economy given that fishing industry employs more than 150 million people and is a source livelihood for the poor (Srinivasan 183). The causes of fish depletion include overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and invasive species. However, human causes are the cause of fish depletion. The paper will analyze the causes of fish depletion and recommend ways that will help reverse this trend. Causes of Fish Depletion The first main cause of fish depletion is overfishing where fish species are trapped at a rate that is faster than they reproduce (Scrimgeour, et al. 957).Overfishing is the biggest threat to fish population more than even the contribution of pollution. Overfishing results from better fishing methods and high demand for fish products are blamed for overfishing. Overfishing is a serious environmental issue given that depletes adult fish leaving fish that are not able to breed. The period between 1950 and 1994 saw the ocean fish catch grow by more than 400 percent and by 1998 the total global fish catch was approximated to be 93 million tons which and subsequent years were followed by a decline in the fish capture (Clare 73). The reduction is an indication that overfishing has led to fish declines. The main reason behind overfishing is due to global fishing vessels that are currently five times larger than the equipments that are required to sustainably catch fish produced in the oceans (Clare 73). In fact the worldwide active fishing vessels have a capacity to fill four planets equal to earth’s surface (Clare 75). Overcapacity is therefore removing fish at a rate faster than their rate of breeding. In addition to overcapacity of the fishing vessels, most fishing methods being used currently lead to negative impacts to the ecosystem. Bottom trawling for instance is a poor fishing given that it uses a non-selective fishing method and heavy gear leading to destruction of marine life. The method destroys fish breeding grounds and kills some fish species. Some fishing gears used currently also lead to trapping of fingerlings which are then killed thereby reducing the fish stock. In some developing countries, there have been cases of fishermen using mosquito nets whose pores are too small thereby catching the young fish. This has led to high rates of fish depletion with current data indicating that over 50 % of the fish stock are full y exploited, 20 percent have been moderately exploited while a further 17 percent is overexploited (Tsitsika et al. 731). 7 percent have been completely depleted although only 1 percent is recovering from depletion. In 1992, the formerly thriving cod industry came to a halt after there was no fish as the fishing season began (Tsitsika et al. 731). The other main cause of fish depletion is increased rates of pollution. Ocean pollution is negatively affecting the

What are the rules that apply for collecting unemployment compensation Research Paper

What are the rules that apply for collecting unemployment compensation in Rhode Island - Research Paper Example The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states "Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment."However, every right enjoyed must fulfil responsibilities that go with it. Hence labor laws the world over have been laid down to protect both the employer as well as the employee, so that neither can take undue advantage of the other. In the US, the Department of Labor has laid down statutes and regulations that govern wages, benefits, safety, health and non discrimination policies. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs clearly states in its executive order, â€Å"The contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.† (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lays down standards for minimum wages and overtime pay that can be claimed by worke rs under various categories. FLSA covers over 130 million workers employed in public and private sector enterprises. Under this Act basic hourly wages are defined under various categories wherein age, skills and other considerations of the employee are taken into account and exemptions are given to certain categories of student workers who can be employed below standard minimum wages. However it is mandatory for the employer to post a notice explaining the minimum wage act in places where it can be easily accessed by employees. The Department of Labor strictly enforces the requirements of the Act and when violations are discovered, the employer is requested to pay back wages wherever applicable. Employees also have the right to file a suit in case of violation of the Act and can be reimbursed up to two years back wages, in addition to damages, attorney’s fees and court charges. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) ensures that employees work in a safe and healthful e nvironment that is free from hazards to their health. The employer must ensure that adequate training has been given to employees in the use of safety equipment. However, the employee’s conduct and actions too must comply with safety rules set down by the employer, like use of protective equipment where necessary. The general duty clause of the OSHA clearly states that the employer "shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees" (Basic Provisions of OSHA). Although OSHA has separated its safety standards into different categories, some provisions that address issues like personal protective equipment and hazard communication are similar for all employees. OSHA also offers information in various formats as well as training and consultation services to educate people about safety and health hazards, as well as precautions t o be taken to ensure safe work environments. This act is geared to prevent injury and work environment related illness or disease and strives to maximize the safety and health of every employee. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is responsible for administering the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. (ERISA) EBSA has the authority to ensure that employees receive these benefits promised by the employer. ERISA includes welfare plans that benefit employees while they are in active service as well as at the time of retirement or termination of employment. Such welfare plans include health benefits, disability or death benefits as well as scholarship benefits, daycare benefits, training and apprenticeship and a host of other such benefits. Unemployment Insurance is a program funded by taxes paid by the employer. This program ensures that economic stability is maintained among the unemployed. It provides temporary and often partial wages to those who have lost the ir jobs through no fault of their own. The Unemployment

Fish Depletion Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fish Depletion - Research Paper Example In addition, advancement in technology enabled more areas of the oceans to be exploited. According to a report by the Food Agricultural Organization, an estimated 25 percent of the global fish species have been depleted or fully exploited (Srinivasan 183). It is however unimaginable to have a world without marine life. More than 2.6 billion people in developing countries depend on fish to provide them with animal protein and depletion of fish stock would affect food security and nutritional status of this people. Moreover, fish depletion would have significant impacts to the world economy given that fishing industry employs more than 150 million people and is a source livelihood for the poor (Srinivasan 183). The causes of fish depletion include overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and invasive species. However, human causes are the cause of fish depletion. The paper will analyze the causes of fish depletion and recommend ways that will help reverse this trend. Causes of Fish Depletion The first main cause of fish depletion is overfishing where fish species are trapped at a rate that is faster than they reproduce (Scrimgeour, et al. 957).Overfishing is the biggest threat to fish population more than even the contribution of pollution. Overfishing results from better fishing methods and high demand for fish products are blamed for overfishing. Overfishing is a serious environmental issue given that depletes adult fish leaving fish that are not able to breed. The period between 1950 and 1994 saw the ocean fish catch grow by more than 400 percent and by 1998 the total global fish catch was approximated to be 93 million tons which and subsequent years were followed by a decline in the fish capture (Clare 73). The reduction is an indication that overfishing has led to fish declines. The main reason behind overfishing is due to global fishing vessels that are currently five times larger than the equipments that are required to sustainably catch fish produced in the oceans (Clare 73). In fact the worldwide active fishing vessels have a capacity to fill four planets equal to earth’s surface (Clare 75). Overcapacity is therefore removing fish at a rate faster than their rate of breeding. In addition to overcapacity of the fishing vessels, most fishing methods being used currently lead to negative impacts to the ecosystem. Bottom trawling for instance is a poor fishing given that it uses a non-selective fishing method and heavy gear leading to destruction of marine life. The method destroys fish breeding grounds and kills some fish species. Some fishing gears used currently also lead to trapping of fingerlings which are then killed thereby reducing the fish stock. In some developing countries, there have been cases of fishermen using mosquito nets whose pores are too small thereby catching the young fish. This has led to high rates of fish depletion with current data indicating that over 50 % of the fish stock are full y exploited, 20 percent have been moderately exploited while a further 17 percent is overexploited (Tsitsika et al. 731). 7 percent have been completely depleted although only 1 percent is recovering from depletion. In 1992, the formerly thriving cod industry came to a halt after there was no fish as the fishing season began (Tsitsika et al. 731). The other main cause of fish depletion is increased rates of pollution. Ocean pollution is negatively affecting the

Employment and Staff Essay Example for Free

Employment and Staff Essay Motivating staff is essential to a business, because if the staff are motivated that means they’re happy, and are happy to do the job and are more likely to do a better job than someone who’s unmotivated and unhappy. To motivate staff, business can use one of the motivational theories, researched by theorists such as Taylor, McGregor, McClelland, Vroom, Herzberg, Maslow and Mayo. Mayo’s research found that after a number of experiments testing incentive schemes, rest period, hours of work, and changes in lighting and heating whatever changes were made, output continued to rise. This motivated the staff, and Tesco uses this theory to motivate their staff. All of their staff gets breaks, so when they are tired of the job, they can go to a canteen to get some food, or just sit down and rest. Also nowadays a lot of people smoke, and if a person has been smoking for a while, they tend to get stressed easily, and they need a cigarette to calm themselves down, so Tesco lets people to have cigarette breaks when people get stressed out. Also the conditions of work will help to motivate the staff, for example in summer when it’s really hot all of their stores have air conditioning, so all the staff and their customers are cool, because people tend to work better and are happier when they are cool. Tesco also uses Maslow’s theory, which suggests that the staff needs to be ranked into hierarchy, so for example the bottom of the hierarchy will have basic needs, when the top of the hierarchy will have greater needs. So someone who works in a store stocking shelves, their needs will be to have a break when they’re working, to get a new uniform etc. Where the area manager for example will have greater needs, for example because they have to travel a lot from store to store they will want to get a car for them to be able to travel, also the petrol to be paid for. Also because their role involves a lot of responsibility they will expect to get paid more for doing the job than someone who works in a store and their only responsibility is to make sure that all of the shelves are stocked up. If all of their staff needs are unsatisfied, then it means the staff will be unhappy and unmotivated which will reflect in their performance. Tesco also uses McGregor’s theory, which suggests that all employs should be punished if they did a bad job and rewarded if they did a good job. For example if an employee does a bad job they will be threatened and get a disciplinary, which means if they do it again they might lose their job. If a person does a good job, they will be recognised, and their manager might have a chat with them to reflect on their performance and make sure that they are aware that they did a good job and the person is in a higher position, such as a manager, they will get a bonus.  M3) Performance indicators Business have many ways of measuring their staff performance, for example they can use time periods for measuring, for example ASDA might measure their employees performance by how many customers they’ve served in one hour. This method does not work for all businesses, for example clothes manufacturer might not use this method because they need quality not quantity, and if they push t heir staff to make shirts faster they might make them poor quality or they might not fit. This helps develop their staff because they set themselves a target and this motivates people because people like challenges, and they are clear on what they need to do for the day. Also by achieving their target they might get a reward for it so it motivates them. Goal theory Another method of measuring performance is setting their employees goals. The best goals are when the employee and the employer both agree on what’s important and working together to achieve that goal. Clear and challenging goals can motivate their staff. For example ASDA might use this method on people who are stocking up the store. For example the manager might say that today they need to move couple shelves somewhere else and stock them up and they have 2 hours to do it. This help the staff to develop, because they know what’s their performance, and what they can do to improve it next time. SMART Targets SMART is a technique used to work out how useful a set of objectives are. All the targets needs to be specific, they should have a focus and not be vague. They need to be measurable, so they should include something that can be measured. They also need to be achievable, so if staff do not think they can achieve their targets they will be demotivated. Also it needs to be realistic in relation to both the resources and skills available, and the overall goals of the organisation and it needs to have a time-bound, so it must have an end so that success can be measured. This helps to develop staff because using SMART technique the staff are clear about the objective and they are sure that it is achievable, because if staff thinks that it is unachievable they get demotivated. Benchmarking Benchmarking can be used to measure organisations performance by comparing themselves to other organisations and matching or exceeding their performance. For example ASDA will compare itself to all big supermarkets in UK such as Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, and Tesco etc. This help to develop staff because they compare themselves to their competitors and it is very clear on how they are doing, and this helps to improve the business, because if other business is doing better then they need to figure out what they are doing wrong and how to change it. Probation Pretty much all businesses will have a probation period for new employees. This means that they will be closely monitored for a certain period of time and their performance will be measured so the business is certain that this person is capable of doing the job and is a right candidate. Business such as Tesco will have a short probation period because the job doesn’t require a high skill and it doesn’t take long to find out if the person is right for the job, but jobs like teachers or doctors will have longer probation periods, because it takes some time to find out if the candidate is capable of doing a job, and their probation period will be around 9 months but can be longer. Also when people are on probation period this gives the right to the employer to fire them for no reason. Probation period helps to develop staff because if they are on a probation period, they are under more pressure and makes them more focussed about understanding the business and doing their job at their best ability. Appraisal Appraisal is another method of measuring performance in a business. This means that at the end of the year the employee and employer will sit down and review the year, the employee will say what he thinks he’s done very well, and the employer will say what they think they’ve done well and what  they need to work on. This is helps to develop staff because the employer tells the staff on how they are performing and what they have been doing very well and what they have been doing not so well, and gives them advice on how to improve or change it. Supporting employees There’s couple ways of how you can support employees. One of them is me ntoring, this means that someone in the workplace will help them that is just above their positions and has been in their position previously, so they can pass on some of their knowledge and explain the job. There’s two types of mentoring; formal and informal. Formal mentoring means that the mentor will have paper work with them and will monitor them and will write everything down. Informal mentoring means that the mentor will only have a chat with them or help them but wouldn’t write anything down. Also another way to support the employees is buddying up. For example in ASDA a new employer will be partnered up with someone that is on the same level as them but has been working for a long period of time and knows their job very well, so the new employer can work with them for couple of days to get to know the job and the other person can help them if they get confused or stuck. This helps to develop staff because people get demotivated and getting support from other staff or the manager helps to improve their performance, because some people get stuck and are not sure how to do a job they’ve been given, and some help from the manager can sort that out, also just having a chat with them might also help because some people just need to know that someone cares about them and how they’re getting on. Occupational Health People are human beings and can get stressed when they are pushed to work hard, so the employers need to think about how to release that stress. For example they could put some plants in the office, because plants produce oxygen which helps people to relax. Also if the office is very warm think about putting an air con to cool it down, because when people are hot they tend to get very stressed out. For example all Tesco stores have air con, so all of their employees are cool and don’t get stressed out as much. This helps to develop staff because for example, if the working conditions in Tesco are very hot the employees might not work very well, and they will get very stressed, but if they install air conditioning and make the store cool, the staff will work a lot better and will be a lot happier, because they are not hot and they’re comfortable. Managing workloads People get very stressed out when they are under pressure and have a lot of things to do, so it is very important for a business to balance it out, and spread workload equally, for example Tesco will divide people into section and give the same amount of shelves to stock up, so it’s fair on everyone. This helps to develop staff because giving them a lot of workload will demotivated them and sometimes even push them into leaving the job because they are stressed and lose motivation, so by reducing workload and sharing the workload equally, this will release the stress and staff will have more motivation. Delegating authority and responsibility By giving more authority and responsibility can motivate employees but it is very important to monitor how it is working, in order to avoid errors and costly mistakes, which can affect employer in terms of money and reputation, also it might lead to dismissing the employee. For example Tesco manager will be responsible for hiring new people and they might hire someone that is not capable of doing the job which might cost Tesco money. This will help to develop staff because they will feel like they are trusted, so they will be more focussed and will try to prove to their employer that they are capable of doing the job. Capacity Capacity relates to the amount of work or products that can be produced or is being produced. Using as much capacity as possible should lead to lower costs for the business, so employers need to ensure that employees are performing well without putting them under so much pressure that they suffer with stress and then become ill. Linking rewards to performance Giving rewards to people for doing a good job or achieving or exceeding a target motivates people to work harder. For example Tesco manager will get a bonus for achieving or exceeding the stores targets. He then might share it with the team, to keep them motivated. This helps to develop the staff, because everyone loves getting a reward if they do a good job, because it shows that their employer cares about them and also gives them a sense of achievement, and makes themselves feel good, because they did a good job.

A Hygienic And Healthy Environment

A Hygienic And Healthy Environment Human development can be defined as the process of enlarging peoples choices and improving human capabilities the range of things that they can do or be in life and freedoms so they can live a long and healthy life. The encompasses living a healthy life, being educated, having access to resources and being able to participate in decisions that affect their community. Human development considers the following factors as integral: Equity: Equal opportunities for all. Special emphasis is placed on equity of human development between men and women and various social groups. Empowerment: Freedom of the people to influence, as the subjects of development, decisions that affect their lives. Cooperation: Participation and belonging to communities and groups as a means of mutual enrichment and a source of social meaning. Sustainability: Meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of satisfying the same by future generations. Security: Exercise development opportunities freely and safely with confidence that they will not disappear suddenly in the future. Productivity: Full participation of people in the process of income generation and gainful employment. Since human lives are of a progressive nature, the UNDP proposed the concept of sustainable human development as an alternative development paradigm. The approach regards peoples well-being as the goal of development. Thus Sustainable human development (SHD) is development that places people at the centre of all development activities. The central purpose of SHD is to create an enabling environment in which all human beings lead secure and creative lives. Sustainable human development is directed towards the promotion of human dignity and the realization of all human rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political. The concept of sustainable development originated with the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), Our Common Future (the Brundtland Report) of 1987 which defined sustainable development as development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Human development is the widening of peoples choices in life. It means having the privilege to choose ones life direction over another because of preference rather than lack of opportunity. Knowledge, health and longevity, livelihood and political freedom provide its bearers with greater chances for a better life. People who are poor, unhealthy and illiterate simply have fewer choices in life. Sustainable human development is concerned with widening choices of people not only of the present generation, but future generations as well. As such, it aims for the regeneration of the environment and natural resources. Within this framework, a Human Development Index (HDI) was conceived to serve as measure of how well a country has performed, not only in terms of real income growth, but also in terms of social indicators of peoples ability to lead a long and healthy life, to acquire knowledge and skills, and to have access to the resources needed to afford a decent standard of living. The HDI looks at three outcomes of development: state of health, level of knowledge and skill, and the level of real income. State of health is reflected in the life expectancy indicator. Life expectancy measures the number of years an infant is expected to live when born in a given year. It best represents and ultimately reflects information on physical safety, nutritional levels, efficacy of health interventions, and other health indicators. To enhance these factors, countries or regions should guide their development strategies towards the gradual creation of an economic, social, political and cultural environment which enhance individual and social capabilities. Progress in Human Development Human development has gone through rapid development over the years. Most people today live longer, are more educated and have more access to goods and services than ever before. Even in economically distressed countries, peoples health and education have improved greatly. The worlds average HDI increased 18 percent between 1990 and 2010 (41 percent since 1970), reflecting large improvements in life expectancy, school enrolment, literacy and income. Almost all countries benefited. Of the 135 countries in our sample for 1970- 2010 (with 92 percent of the worlds people), only three had a lower HDI in 2010 than in 1970. This clearly indicates that poor countries are catching up with rich countries on the HDI, a convergence that paints a far more optimistic picture than do trends in income, where divergence continues. HYGIENIC ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT One requirement for the achievement of a sustainable human development is a favourable environment. The environment provides the arena within which development of any form can take place. This realization is so crucial that a conducive environment is now considered as a right. This stems from the fact that in stating that human beings are at the centre of concern for sustainable development and that they are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony and nature Under the right to a healthy environment everyone shall have the right to live in a healthy environment and to have access to basic public services. The 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights was the first human rights treaty to expressly recognize the right of [a]ll peoples to a satisfactory environment favourable to their development. Within Europe , the Organization of Economic and Development (OECD) has stated that a decent environment should be recognized as one of the fundamental human rights. Furthermore the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has drafted the Charter on Environmental Rights and Obligations which affirms the fundamental principle that everyone has the right to an environment adequate for general health and well-being. The fourth and final report of the Special Rapporteur (1994) begins by recapitulating the legal foundations of a right to environment contained in international human rights instruments. It carefully details the impact of environmental degradation on vulnerable groups such as indigenous people, women, children and young people, disabled persons and environmental refugees. It analyses the effects of the environment on the enjoyment of fundamental rights notably: right to self-determination, right to life, right to health, right to food, right to sale and healthy working conditions, right to housing, right to information, right to popular participation, freedom of association, and cultural rights. A very important component of a favourable environment is its Health status. Without this component the other components necessary for achieving a sustainable human development cannot be attained. It is therefore necessary that all activities which contribute to attaining and maintaining a healthy environment, the most crucial of which is hygiene should be adhered to, to ensure sustainable human development. Healthy and Hygienic Environment Health, according to the WHO is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The idea of health is capable of both wide and narrow application, and can be negatively as well as positively defined. This by extension means that we can be in good health and poor health. A lay definition of health, illness and medicine refer to a wide range of events and experiences, and ideas about sicknesses and health. These are bound to contain tensions and contradictions, as well as ambivalence about the role of medical treatments in dealing with them (Williams and Calnan 1996: 17). These contradictions have been a major cause of concern which health providers always try to correct. Determinants of health The health of individual people and their communities are affected by a wide range of contributory factors. Peoples good or bad health is determined by their environment and situations what is happening and what has happened to them. According to the WHO the following determinants probably have a bigger impact on our health than access and use of health care services: Socioeconomic status the higher a persons socioeconomic status is, the more likely he/she is to enjoy good health. The link is a clear one. Socioeconomic status affects all members of the family, including newborn babies. Education people with lower levels of education generally have a higher risk of experiencing poorer health. Their levels of stress will most likely be higher, compared to people with higher academic qualifications. A person with a high level of education will probably have higher self-esteem Physical environment if your water is clean and safe, the air you breathe is pure, your workplace is healthy, your house is comfortable and safe, you are more likely to enjoy good health. Job prospects and employment conditions if you have a job, statistics show you are more likely to enjoy better health than people who are unemployed. If you have some control over your working conditions your health will benefit too. Support from people around you if you have family support, as well as support from friends and your community your chances of enjoying good health are far greater than somebody who has none of these things. Culture the traditions and customs of a society and how a family responds to them play an important role in peoples health. The impact could be either good or bad for health. E.g. The tradition of genital mutilation of women has an impact on infection rates and the mental health of millions of girls and women in many countries Genetic inheritance peoples longevity, general health, and propensity to certain diseases are partly determined by their genetic makeup. Children stand a high likelihood of suffering from diseases which their parents suffered from. What we do and how we manage what we eat, our physical activity, whether or not we smoke or drink or take drugs, and how we cope with stress play an important role on our physical and mental well-being. It can be realized from the points above that most of the determinants of health are factors resulting from our behavior as human beings. One key behavior which affects our nation and has been a cause of many epidemics are our habits relating to hygiene. A cursory look around town shows the extent to which filth has engulfed our communities and which has been the cause of outbreaks of Cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases which has resulted in a number of deaths. For sustainable human development to be achieved therefore the maintaince of a healthy and hygienic environment is key. Hygiene encompasses conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness. Diseases resulting from poor hygiene is one of the top three killer diseases in developing countries, claiming the lives of more than three million children a year. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines environment, as it relates to health, as all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviors. Environmental health consists of preventing or controlling disease, injury, and disability related to the interactions between people and their environment. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments. This definition excludes behaviour not related to environment, as well as behaviour related to the social and cultural environment, and genetics. The phrase he althy environment encompasses many meaning but it is used commonly to refer to the human environment that would result in few risks such as disease or health hazards. It essentially involves utilizing the surrounding conditions with little improving effects upon it. The WHO has provided 10 facts on how improving environmental sanitation can impact our lives: Worldwide, 13 million deaths could be prevented every year by making our environments healthier. In children under the age of five, one third of all disease is caused by the environmental factors such as unsafe water and air pollution. Every year, the lives of four million children under 5 years mostly in developing countries could be saved by preventing environmental risks such as unsafe water and polluted air. In developing countries, the main environmentally caused diseases are diarrhoeal disease, lower respiratory infections, unintentional injuries, and malaria. Better environmental management could prevent 40% of deaths from malaria, 41% of deaths from lower respiratory infections, and 94% of deaths from diarrhoeal disease three of the worlds biggest childhood killers. In the least developed countries, one third of death and disease is a direct result of environmental causes. In developed countries, healthier environments could significantly reduce the incidence of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, lower respiratory infections, musculoskeletal diseases, road traffic injuries, poisonings, and drownings. Environmental factors influence 85 out of the 102 categories of diseases and injuries listed in The world health report. Much of this death, illness and disability could be prevented through well targeted interventions such as promoting safe household water storage, better hygiene measures and the use of cleaner and safer fuels. Other interventions that can make environments healthier include: increasing the safety of buildings; promoting safe, careful use and management of toxic substances at home and in the workplace; and better water resource management. The above shows how human development can improve through improved environmental hygiene. Improved environmental hygiene can be improved through various means including 1: Relationship between health n sustainable development Among the principal remits of the health sector is to safeguard the publics well-being by ensuring a sound, healthy physical and social environment, one that enables sustainable human development-understood to mean improvement of material conditions to respond to the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the ability to respond to those of future generations-and that protects the most vulnerable members of society. Towards that end, the health sector collaborates with other sectors-the environment, labor, agriculture, and education, among others. Moreover, it behooves local communities, countries, and the international alliances, each on its own and all together, to both monitor and counter the many causes of environmental degradation. Inequities-in education, employment, health, and political rights-affect individuals susceptibility to environmental impacts and can result in significant dis- ease and death. Other influences include globalization, governmental reforms, the privatization of services, the vagaries of the labor market, and uncontrolled urbanization. A consensus prevails that sustainable human development depends on reducing poverty while protecting and promoting health. A case in point is water and sanitation: as urban populations increase, so too does the demand for drinking water and sewage and solid waste disposal services. Dispari- ties between urban-center and urban-periphery populations and between urban and rural populations in ac- cess to those services and in exposure to environmental risks compound the vulnerability of the poor. Accelerated, unplanned growth of the industrial sector is a direct cause of biological, chemical, and physical contamination; it increases transportation and energy consumption, produces more wastes, and ren- ders their disposal inadequate. Industrialization, coupled with the untoward effects attributed in recent years to climate change, is resulting in the deterioration of the environment and of peoples quality of life and health. Production processes-the extraction of raw materials, their transformation into products, the con- sumption of those products, the elimination of industrial wastes, and the use of pesticides in agriculture and forestry-pose direct and indirect physical and chemical risks to populations. Mining, petroleum exploration, agrochemical farming, hospitals, health centers and laboratories, energy plants, and industrial manufactur- ers are among the biggest producers of dangerous chemical and solid wastes. The consumption of goods and services poses a major challen ge to environmental management in terms of controlling risks and promoting health. Since the home and the workplace are peoples primary environments, adequate housing and working conditions are as important to ensure their good health as is the larger environment. A major problem is that of rural communities where the poor are particularly exposed to health risks, especially those living in endemic areas plagued by vector-borne diseases-Chagas, malaria, dengue, and yellow fever. Another set of problems relates to changes in the work profile and in the working population wrought by globalization, regional inte- gration, trade liberalization, structural adjustments and privatization, and social policies-all of which greatly impact the living conditions and health of the working population and lead to increased inequities. Most wor- risome in this respect are the increasing proportions of children and elderly in the workforce. Along with greater poverty, social inequity, and urbanization, the breaking up of family and commu- nity structures fosters unhealthy environments that can lead to likewise unhealthy lifestyles and risky be- haviors at every stage of life. Aggravating those conditions are the persistence of mortality among mothers and children due to poor nutrition, infections, and lack of access to goods and services. A direct link has been drawn between poor diet and chronic diseases: together, nutritional deficiencies and excesses contribute to a double burden of diseases that affect the population at every age. The increase in risky lifestyles and be- haviors-smoking, the consumption of alcohol and drugs, and various forms of violence and accidents-un- derscore the critical need for health promotion strategies. Why we need a hygienic environment Waste disposal anitation is an integral part of health, development, and poverty-reduction strategies. Basic sanitation is the series of ac- tions taken within the human ecosystem to improve water supply services and sanitary wastewater and excreta disposal, solid waste management, household hygiene, and industrial water use in an institutional, legal, and political context in which diverse players from the national, regional, and local levels participate. This series of actions keeps public health and basic sanitation management in permanent interaction. Several countries from the Region incorporate management of these areas into such sec- tors as the environment and housing, whose subsequent coordi- nation with the health sector is essential for achieving sustain- able development. The populations access to drinking water supply, sanitation services, and sanitary disposal of solid waste are analyzed here within the context of the MDGs, public health, and the economic benefits accruing from good health through the achievement of sustainable services of acceptable quality. Critical and emergency situations that have arisen in Latin America and the Caribbean are also addressed. The relationship between health and agriculture is of great im- portance for the well-being and quality of life of the peoples of Food safety The relationship between health and agriculture is of great im- portance for the well-being and quality of life of the peoples of The sustainable production of food and achieving food and nutritional safety in the Regions countries are essential elements for eliminating hunger and reducing poverty. By en- hancing food production, it is possible to increase the availability of animal protein, fruits, and vegetables, as well as increase family incomes and rural job opportunities, thereby improving overall living conditions and the populations health. The eradi- cation of extreme poverty and hunger How to achieve hygienic and healthy environment