Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Research Methods CASE1 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methods CASE1 - Research Paper Example Qualitative research involves exploring phenomena from an inside point of view, and it provides to the researcher a complex comprehension about the subject in study ( (Rubinstein, 2010). Quantitative research involves studying the behavior of phenomena under controlled conditions that, acquiring quantitative data on the basis of accurate dimensions and generalizable findings (Johnson & Christensen, 2011). Mixed research involves the mixing of both quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. Action research involves observation and collecting of data that will help the researcher to come up solutions of solving indigenous problems (Johnson & Christensen, 2011). The strength of quantitative research is that, it is beneficial when studying a narrow number of subjects deeply as it gives a complex description of phenomena. Qualitative research assists quantitative research. Quantitative research on its own has the advantage that, it can be independently used for studying a large numb er of phenomena as it has some quantitative methods of collecting data that are comparatively quick (Ndunda, 2004). Being a combination of both qualitative and quantitative techniques is itself strength of the mixed research and hence it can be used for studying a large number of phenomena. Mixed research provides precise, quantitative and numerical data. The advantage of action research is that it involves practitioners who develop their own theories from their own practice gained. Experimental research can be used in a classroom situation, specifically, in grade eight to find out whether discussion groups help in an individual’s academic performance. Here, students are organized in two groups. The first group of students is made to study individually while, the students in the second group are further sub-divided into study-groups of four. After two weeks of study, the two groups are to be given an individual self-test from which the performance of the students

Monday, October 28, 2019

Special Needs Rule Criminal Evidence Essay Example for Free

Special Needs Rule Criminal Evidence Essay This week we were giving the following scenario and ask to decide if this incident follows in the special needs rule and if it justify the officer’s search of the parked car’s trunk without probable cause? In this essay I will be discussing the special needs rule and my thoughts on the scenario. First of all let me start by giving the scenario we were given to work on this week that way you have a better idea of what’s going on. A police officer was investigating a burglary during which a handgun had been stolen. The police officer was at the time also acting as the police advisor to a high school. School officials called the officer and told him that the gun might be in the trunk of a students car parked in the school parking lot. Next let me explain the special needs rule that way you have a clear understanding of what it means. This is when an officer feels that he or someone else is in danger and must satisfy a government interest beyond ordinary criminal wrong doing. Just so you understand what it means here an example .A officer goes to a call for domestic dispute and other people in house start acting sapience and he spots a gun near one of the resident’s then he may search house and retained everyone till the house is cleared for his safety and other. In the above scenario I believe the officer has full rights to search the said vehicle do to the facts as listed. The first cause would be guns are not permitted on school grounds and I believe it his duty to see to it that it not goanna be used to commit a crime against students on campus. Last of all I believe no student should have a gun in a vehicle without being legal age and having proper carriage licenses. I believe that the officer has all right to believe that there is a crime is being committed if said school officials have proof that there is cause to believe student has gun. My personal thoughts if this officer was made aware and didn’t check it  out as a parent I would be upset. For several reason but mostly due to fact that he could have put mine and other children in harm’s way. I believe it always better to be safe than sorry due to how bad the school shootings have got. I feel if we could get guns out of our kids hands then we should and authorizes should help. Well now that this is said I hope you find my points and thought to be helpful and honest. I have really enjoyed learning about this special need rule and believe that officer have become so afraid of being wrong that they don’t exercise this rule enough. As a officer wife I know I would rather my husband be safe and keep his oath to protect than to have a guilty conscience’s. Reference’s that I found useful: 1. www.enotes.com//consider-following-scenario-police-officer-was-260 2. www.policemag.com/channel/patrol//10/public-school-searches.aspx 3. www.legalupdateonline.com/4th/587 4. I also talk with Officer Luke Denning of Springfield Police Department of Springfield, FL

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The faces of the Goddess :: English Literature

The faces of the Goddess Throughout history women have empowered themselves by taking on many different titles and roles. This can be seen in the two allegorical fantasy novels The Mists of Avalon and Forest house, both written by Marion Zimmer Bradley. In both novels we see the female protagonists take on many different roles as they move throughout the different stages of their lives. In the novels it is believed that the Goddess shows herself in every woman. The stages and roles held by the two priestesses, Morgaine and Eilan, represent the different forms the Goddess takes. Morgaine shows the Goddess within her when she acts as the Maiden or Virgin huntress, the Mother of all men and as the Old Death-crone. These forms of the Goddess show themselves in Eilan as the Maiden, the loving Mother and the Lady of Ravens or Death-crone. Both Morgaine's and Eilan's actions throughout the novels show that they represent the three faces of the Goddess: the Virgin Maiden, the lover of men and gods; the Mother, life-giver and caretaker of men; and the Old Death-crone, killer of men. To begin, Morgaine represents the Virgin Maiden, the lover of the God and Summer-king. This is shown when Morgaine is thinking to herself about her past while weaving a spell to kill Avalloch. She is planning to set her lover Accolon on the throne in the place of Avalloch after the king Uriens dies. Morgaine speaks in her mind: Years ago she had been the Virgin Huntress, blessing the Horned One and sending him forth to run with the deer and to conquer or die as the Goddess might decree. He had come back to her... now she was no longer that Virgin, holding all the power of the Huntress. (The Mists of Avalon 671) These lines show that Morgaine had once taken the form of the Virgin Goddess who gives herself to the King Stag. She did the duty of the Maiden Goddess while she was young and a physical maiden by setting Arthur the Stag-God on his throne. This is important because she feels now that she must set the God on his throne again but this time in the form of Accolon. Morgaine worries though because she feels she no longer has the power of the Maiden Huntress to do so. This shows that Morgaine doubts that the Goddess and all her selves are within her. This occurs despite the fact that she had assumed the position of Maiden before. Morgaine is still unlearned in the ways of the Goddess and like the Maiden, she must set out on a spiritual journey toward

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Hospitality Industry

BBHM101 The Contemporary Hospitality and Tourism Industry |Duration |Level |Core / Elective |Subject Credits |Course Credits | |1 semester |Year 1 |Core |4. |BBHM: 150 | | | | | |BIHM: 199 | |Timetabled Hours |Personal Study |Total Workload |Mode of Delivery | Pre-requisites | |45 |90 |135 |Face to Face initially | | Purpose of Subject: This subject will enable the student to develop an appropriate understanding of the range and scale of the management of operations in hospitality and tourism.The students will be provided with an overview of the industries including their functions, services, and locations that make up the key characteristics of the international contemporary hospitality and tourism industry. Intended Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of this subject the student should be able to demonstrate the following key knowledge and skills: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the global range and scale of the contemporary hospitality and tourism industry. 1.Identify the key operational management characteristics and the range of products and services contemporary hospitality and tourism provides to guests. 2. Understand the history and culture of the hospitality and tourism industries and the relevance to contemporary operations. 3. Identify the importance of the guest in developing contemporary hospitality and tourism products and services. 4. Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of the importance of the contemporary hospitality and tourism industry in terms of the financial, socio-economic and geopolitical characteristics. Indicative Content: 1.Demonstrate an understanding of the global range and scale of the contemporary hospitality and tourism industry. †¢ The scale of global hospitality and tourism industry, contribution to GDP, differences between domestic and international tourism, sources and measurement of the value of the industry. †¢ Nature of international markets, established and emerging destinations, domestic tourism, Southe ast Asia as both an outbound and emerging market. 5. Identify the key operational management characteristics and the range of products and services contemporary hospitality and tourism provides to guests. Key sectors of the industry: hotels, restaurants, resorts, attractions. †¢ Hospitality and tourism products including tangible and intangible elements, accommodation away from home, food and beverages, experiences including the concept of the service encounter. †¢ Common management characteristics including the delivery of the service on demand, managing the guest expectation. 6. Understand the history and culture of the hospitality and tourism industries and the relevance to contemporary operations. The development of the hospitality and tourism industry, the difference between travellers and tourists, provision of food and accommodation away from home †¢ The development of hotels and the relationship with the improvements in travel, from the advent of the railways through air travel, cruise liners and the importance of road travel. 7. Identify the importance of the guest in developing contemporary hospitality and tourism products and services. †¢ Basic needs of the guest, changing guest expectations by circumstances and situations. The diversity of the products and services from budget self-service operations to a full service luxury. 8. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the contemporary hospitality and tourism industry in terms of the financial, socio-economic and geopolitical characteristics †¢ The importance of tourism and hospitality to GDP. †¢ The socio-economic impacts of tourism and hospitality development including the cultural as well as the financial implications. †¢ The geopolitical importance of tourism in the development of emerging nations. Assessment Assessment type |When assessed |Assessment weighting |Learning outcomes | | | | |assessed | |Literature Review |Week 5 |20% |1-2 | |Review of cu rrent literature defining the range, scope and | | | | |operational characteristics of one sector of the international | | | | |hospitality industry. | | | |1000 words | | | | |Poster |Week 12 |30% |3-5 | |A group prepared poster for display and discussion at a plenary | | | | |session highlighting one social or economic aspect of the | | | | |hospitality sector as seen from a guest perspective. | | | |Equivalent 1500 words | | | | |Examination |On completion |50% |1-5 | |Equivalent 2000 words | | | | Prescribed and Recommended Readings and Additional Resources Prescribed: Reisinger Y, (2009), International Tourism – Cultures and Behaviour, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK Brotherton, Bob. (2003) The International Hospitality Industry; Structure, Characteristics and Issues, Cassell.Recommended: Chadwick S & Beech JG, (2006), Business of Tourism Management, Prentice Hall/Financial Times, Essex. Cochrane J edt. , (2008), Asian Tourism- Growth & Change, Elsevier, UK. Dredge D & Jenkins J, (2007), Tourism Planning and Policy, John Wiley, QLD. Edgell D & Edgell Sr, DL, (2006), Managing Sustainable Tourism: A Legacy for the Future, Haworth Hospitality Press, New York. Edgell DR et al,( 2008), Tourism Policy and Planning, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Glaesser D, (2006), Crisis Management in the Tourism Industry, 2nd edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Holden A, (2008), Environment and Tourism, 2nd edn, Routledge London. Hsu, C. Killon, L, Brown, G, Gross, M and Huang, S. (2008). Tourism Marketing: an Asia-Pacific perspective. Milton, Queensland: Wiley. Jones, P. ; Lockwood, A. (2002) The Management of Hotel Operations, London: Thomson. Lashley, C. ; Morrison, A. (2000) In Search of Hospitality; Theoretical Perspectives and Debates, Butterworth-Heinemann. Laws, Eric. (2004) Improving Tourism and Hospitality Services, Wallingford: CABI Publishing. Morrison, Alison; Rimmington, M. ; Williams, C. (1998) Entrepreneurship in the Hospitality, Tourism an d Leisure Industries, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Electronic Resources: IOH Electronic Resources – See Supplementary information http://www. hotelchange. com

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Lord of the Flies Compare and Contrast

Lord of the flies a book by â€Å"William Golding†. It’s about a group of boys who crashed landed and got deserted on an island way off their planned route, with no shelter, food or water. They must do whatever they can to survive. There are twists and turns but in the end it comes down to a very big life motive and a moral. In the beginning of the story, the boys were all separated from each other. Piggy picked up a shell typed object, and told Ralph to blow in it. This part of the story showed that Ralph can come up with ideas and knows his geological facts. Ralph decided to blow in it, which made all the boys come to one place. This showed that piggy’s idea was great but when the boys gathered around Ralph and Piggy, they thought it was Ralph’s idea which gave him a bit of an edge towards leadership. They were all deciding on a leader to take front of this survival issue. Jack and Ralph were the oldest so they went into debate. Ralph is a little bit more muscular and straight backed then jack was. On the other hand jack was a skinny, longed faced character and didn’t show much appreciation for the debate. One other thing that Ralph was doing that he was standing on a rock at the time, while jack was sort of with the group just standing on a side. This already gave Ralph the advantage on who looks more presentable and responsible of becoming a leader. Another fact is that Ralphs father is a commander which gave him even more reasons to become the leader of the group. For now jack really doesn’t care but later on things get physical. As we go on in the story it came to a point where jack was getting frustrated with Ralph’s rules and how things should run. One of their biggest fights were about if fire was more important than food. While jack wanted to find a way to kill a pig, Ralph wanted find a way to start fire. This part of the story shows a divide happening between them. This is sort of like our world, the two different types of government, communism and democracy. They have a divide between them about what you can do and cannot. After jack makes his own group with his set of rules and promised there will be food. An example I can give for this is the elections we have. There are different groups and leaders debating on who can offer what to the city and what benefits you will get a behalf of you a citizen.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Research Paper on Technology

Research Paper on Technology Over the past decade, new technologies have come about having astronomically powerful impact on the economy. The leaps and bounds that the technology industry has taken weren’t always for the better. The downsides to all of these victories in man vs. machine have come with their problems and a price. These downfalls are far from over and we can expect a global conflict at the hands of technology in the near future. Technology has been used as a theft device in many respects, from jobs to copyrighted property. With unrestricted sources such as the internet, the ways to slow down this moral massacre are few and far between. Many companies fear technology more than they embrace it. Taking the giant leap into the twenty-first century has frightened some veteran companies to enough to keep them from attempting anything as simple as a corporate website. In 1999, there were over 4,000 lawsuits against technologies. All of these claims were staked on the theory that these new technologies were a threat to the companies’ clients and profits (Economic Evaluation). Such technologies included handheld devices for stock market observation or software that stored passwords to important restricted files. Devices such as these were originally designed to simplify the process of purchasing and trading stocks. Like-wise, such programs were developed to quicken access to files that may be time-crucial in monetary factors (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission). Morality can also be weighed in as a large factor in the decision to integrate newer technologies into your personal corporate empire. Many business owners in their middle ages feel it down-right immoral to recruit machines as field workers (Atlas of U.S. Economy). A product still in beta-stage is one of a new breed of concepts. It is considered part of a new line of ‘smart technologies.’ This particular device has its user fill out a list of preferences and once completed, it acts as its user’s stock broker. It does all the bidding necessary according to its owner’s financial position and risk-taking preferences. However, this device may remain unreleased longer than originally anticipated due to strong protests by professional stock brokers and financial conservatives alike (Hugh Watson). White-collar jobs aren’t the only district of profession that have been and will continue to be greatly affected by new technologies. The music industry has grown by leaps and bounds, especially in the last two years, with the advancement of a technology known as pro-tools. Pro-tools allow you to digitally record, edit, and duplicate your own music into a professional sounding project. Digital cut and paste techniques have simplified the recording process by enabling audio enhancements that older recording engineers would salivate over (Kelin J. Kuhn). The use of pro tools can turn any aspiring garage musician into the next record chart topper by opening the doors to any within a middle-class budget. However, many feel that this is perhaps a door that should have remained closed to these new arrivals. These technologies make much of the talent once needed to create these aural masterpieces obsolete (Impact Fall). Even communication has been revolutionized time and time again by today’s advancements. The ever-growing fad of cell phones manages to multiply itself at an incredible rate year after year. With their introduction to society in the 1980’s, cell phones were rarely used. They were bulky and considerably expensive to maintain. Twenty years later, that same concept built off the idea of mobile communication can not only be found in the hands of corporate executives, but the children of part-time dishwashers. The resources needed to obtain and activate a cell phone have drastically decreased and continue to do so as the technology becomes more and more available (James M. ONeill). Headset devices and microphones simplify the already childishly easy protocol of talking on the cell phone by freeing up the speaker’s hands. Around the bend for this phenomenon is a headset and microphone much like the ones available now, difference being the lack of central device. The act ual phone part of this pocket communication network will but cut out all together. The receiver for the orbiting satellites will be in the earpiece of the device and dialing will be voice activated. The only thing keeping this advancement from release is a potential health risk that is still being investigated by health boards from possible radiation leaking from the receiver which would be located right next to the aural cavity (Kelin J. Kuhn). Perhaps in the most literal interpretation of theft, piracy is a fast-growing phenomenon among adults and children alike. A face the music industry would like to (but never will) soon forget is that of a man named Shawn Fanning. Shawn Fanning created a program named Napster named after a nickname given to him by his friends. Napster made it possible for users to ‘share’ music files on their computer with other people simply by putting it in a folder that could be browsed by another computer outside the LAN. This angered many artists including a man named Lars Ulrich. Ulrich best known as the drummer for Metallica, sued Fanning and several frequent Napster users for illegally downloading Metallica MP3 files. This spelled the end for Napster. This pioneer gnutella program would eventually release a subscription version of its originally free program. However this release went ignored by a public now hooked on the file sharing frenzy (The Arizona Office of Public Affairs). The main gravitation of people flowed to another program known as Morpheus for their file sharing needs. Two key differences between Morpheus and Napster were that Morpheus didn’t just offer music, but additionally offered videos, documents, and software to any of its non-paying members. Also, it delivered the ability to download these media files from multiple users simultaneously, thus increasing download speeds drastically. Morpheus was the merged product of two sponsor-supported companies known as Music City and Kazaa. In the midst 2001 and all of Morpheus’ success, Music City made the overall fatal decision to follow suit with Napster and become a pay service. After this, Kazaa divided from the Morpheus merge to form its own program. Since many users agreed with Kazaa’s decision, the file sharing was not slowed at all. Kazaa’s rise in popularity couldn’t have come at a better time for the frequent internet user, this being because the rise of broadband internet subscribers was flourishing. Broadband internet (which is now used by 65% of CT residents and 47% of the total U.S. residents) increases internet interaction speed by exponential amounts. The simple act of downloading the newest Hollywood hit which would have taken days on dial-up internet can now be completed in a time window as small as an hour or two (Bob Jacobson). The world leader in computer technologies, going by the name of Microsoft Inc. was subjected to an attack of piracy upon the release of their recent popular operating system Windows XP. The ‘Professional’ version of this software was pirated so massively that its product code had to be disabled from windows updates on the Microsoft site. Furthermore, one month before the scheduled legal release of this OS, it was already installed and running on 30,000 computers nationwide. This is a perfect example of one of the biggest known piracy problems. The ability to obtain and/or exploit a technology before it’s even supposed to be available to the general public. There’s a trial scheduled to commence on the piracy issue as a whole in early 2004 (Hugh Watson). These issues cannot be solved with one simple solution. They come with many consequences attached no matter what is decided. Advancement is inevitable and can be very beneficial to any business. However, many developers of newer technologies see it fit to design their product for stealing or destroying. Regulation is most likely one of the best possible solutions to this problem. Many businesses could flourish if only they’d give into the obstacle of technology and accept it. Perhaps they wouldn’t be so apprehensive to do so if so many people weren’t developing their ideas only to hurt others morally and financially.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Work Leisure Essays

Work Leisure Essays Work Leisure Essay Work Leisure Essay Society and Leisure – Research Essay According to Stanley Parker (1983), work and leisure should be viewed as a totality, which suggests that it is important to understand the relationship between work and leisure. Discuss how factors such as work hours, changing work patterns, diversification of occupations, and increased occupational mobility might influence society’s leisure. What will the future workforce look like? Why is it important for leisure professionals to understand the relationship between work and leisure and changing work patterns? Work and Leisure Dr Stanley Parker views work and leisure as a totality, he believes them to be bound together. In Parker (1976) he writes ‘It is easy to think of leisure as the opposite of work, or to define it as time left over after work. But the relationship between these two spheres of life goes much deeper than that. ’ Dr Parker continues to support his views by explaining that the distinctions made by some parties are not always made by the society at large, the comparison lies with other societies around the world as many differing trends and a vast array of features connect to leisure and work. The most important trend Parker demonstrates is the ways that work influences leisure, according to his 1976 study it is not as prominent anymore. He believes that as humans evolve and reshape society and its views, a very different influence being leisure together with work becomes increasingly more evident. Central to Parker’s research, is work carried out by Robert Dubin in 1956. Dubin classified industrial working people into three different categories relating to work and leisure. Firstly the group of ‘priority of work,’ secondly ‘priority of leisure’ and thirdly ‘equality of work and leisure. ’ He assumed that these three areas related to what he called the ‘central life interest. ’ His study found that at a ratio of three to one, that work was not the most important and underlined it as stating it as not being the ‘central life interest’ of industrial workers (Parker 1976). Dubin’s work is relevant in accordance with Parker’s study as he too agrees with Parkers views on work and leisure. The above study gave Dubin the outcome that it as the beginning of integration between work and leisure as a totality and not as separate factions. This research essay will focus on a number of factors pertinent to the relationship between work and leisure. It will also attempt to demonstrate the influence that work has on societies leisure. Parker clearly demonstrates his idea of work and leisure as a totality by ending a chapter in saying that he tends to discount the notion of a ‘society of leisure’, simply because, he sees a greater value in a ‘society with leisure. ’ (Parker 1983) Influences on work and leisure Work hours According to Dr Stanley Parker, the major contributing factors related to the effects on leisure pertaining to involved working hours, centers around the prescribed scheduling of specific employers. The scheduling and allocation of shifts or working hours can be described in effect as both detrimental and positive. Excessive amounts of working hours can negatively affect the want and desire to participate in leisure. Another aspect that can attribute to this would be the content within the specific role of employment. It can be argued that a physically challenging occupation will exasperate energy levels, in turn affecting an individual’s desire to enjoy pleasurable leisure as their commitment to work may require them to rest and recuperate for the following day. (Veal 1983) In both the above-mentioned ideas, fatigue is directly connected. Leisure can, as we know, be in passive forms but Dr Parker states that in manual occupations the fatigue levels are high enough to affect people’s desire not only directly after work but occasionally on the weekend as well. Changing work patterns A prime example of changing work patterns can be associated with shift work. The irregularity of these work conditions and patterns do affect leisure participation harmfully. Most individuals rely upon routines in order to maintain a sense of normalcy. The effects of rotating shift work on these specific members of society, and their leisure activities, tend to produce less active leisure pursuits and generally conform to simple and passive leisure around the home. The adjoining repercussions of shift work also relate to the availability of social leisure. Shift workers often find that their own social circles and friends are not able to find the relevant time to enjoy leisure together as the limited opportunities present themselves only rarely. This lack and unavailability of familiar social circles may also contribute to the worker’s low interest in enjoying leisure outside the home and therefore affects the general populations leisure aspirations in society as a whole. Diversification of occupations The most obvious form of diversification directly involved to work, is the persistent rise of occupational areas in the leisure industry. These industries include occupational situations such as entertainment providers, sports and gambling facilities, holiday amenities, even hospitality in the nightclub or bar sense. All these employment areas and many more contain some sort of leisure element. The working population now have a greater choice of occupation than they would have had fifty years ago, but the work related and time commitment is much greater also. The significance of this change may be regarded as small on an individual basis, but when the trend of modern day society and the youth pursuit of employment with greater leisure possibilities is taken into account, it indicates a change in attitude to work and leisure. This idea demonstrates that leisure is no longer perceived to be a luxury but more a commodity. The diversification of employment and expansion into leisure based occupations enables individuals to maintain high levels of employment and commitment to employers as well as their leisure. Whilst not directly participating in leisure these employment opportunities give society a greater choice in career paths and permit them to work in leisurely atmospheres. (Parker 1983) Occupational mobility The mobility of occupations conjoins with diversification as the occupations involved both face the paradox of societies leisure being their own work. These leisure based occupations enable employees to move easily between different work forces within the leisure industry. This easy movement between career paths facilitates the never-ending prospect of choice. Positively, societies public are also given the opportunity to practice or maintain a regular form of leisure at a time that suits their rotating schedules. What will the future workforce look like? According to Stanley Parker and many other studies that support his philosophies, the future workforce will be, if not already, a ‘workforce of leisure. Parker though, prefers to regard the future more specifically as a ‘workforce with leisure,’ as he believes it to be of more importance than simply work and leisure and more as the way of the future. The plethora of leisure-involved occupations already discussed only covers a mere fraction of the growth areas in which leisure has begun to take over. This is not to suggest that leisure is the direct beneficiary o f a decline in work values and involvement, but an evolution in ways of thinking and need (Parker 1983). An example of this theory in contemporary society’s terms would include the involvement of sports such as golf and tennis at executive levels. The increase of participation and inclusion at the high business end demonstrates how society has embraced leisure in the workforce. Parker (1983), simply concludes that his belief of totality in regards to work and leisure revolves around the idea that the change in outlook from societies view point indicates a larger concentration on an equality based importance of work and leisure. No longer will we work to live, but work and enjoy leisure to live. References 1. Parker, S. (1976). The sociology of leisure. London: Allen and Unwin Ltd. 2. Veal, A, J. (1983). Using sports centres – A Review of user studies of British sports centers. London: Sports Council. 3. Parker, S. (1983). Leisure and work. London: Boston, Allen and Unwin Ltd. 4. Parker, S. (Ed). (1982). Leisure, work and family. Mexico: World Congress of Sociology.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Definition What Is Community Service

Definition What Is Community Service SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you looking for ways to help others?Are you interested in community service and want to learn more about it? Read this guide to learn what community service is, examples of community service, and how you can find service projects that interest you. What Is Community Service? Community service is work done by a person or group of people that benefits others. It is often done near the area where you live, so your own community reaps the benefits of your work.You do not get paid to perform community service, though sometimes food and small gifts, like a t-shirt, are given to volunteers. Community service can help any group of people in need: children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, English language learners, and more. Itcan also help animals, such as those at a shelter, and it can be used to improve places, such as a local park, historic building, or scenic area as well.Community service is often organized through a local group, such as a place of worship, school, or non-profit organization. You canalso start your own community service projects. Some students are required to complete community service as part of a class requirement in order to graduate high school or become a member of certain organizations, such as the National Honor Society. Adults can also participate in community service as a way to help others or if they are ordered to do so by a judge. What Are Examples of Community Service? There are hundreds of ways to participate in community service, depending on your skills and interests.Some common community service examples include: Working with schoolchildren:Tutoring children after school, collecting school supplies to donate, planting a school garden. Working with senior citizens:Visiting residents of a retirement center, delivering meals to senior citizens, driving them to appointments. Improving the environment:Holding a recycling contest, planting trees, creating a new trail at a nature center. Helping low-income people:Passing out food at a soup kitchen, collecting used clothes to be donated, making first aid kits for homeless shelters. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. What Are the Benefits of Community Service? There are many benefits of participating in community service, and some of the most important ones are listed below. Have the opportunity to help others:This is often the most important benefit of community service. Participating in it gives you the opportunity to know that you are improving someone's life and making your community better, and you get to see the direct impact of your work. Gain hands-on experience:You can learn a lot of skills while performing community service such as construction, painting, customer service, and medical skills. You can alsoinclude your community service work on your resume. Learn about different careers:Sometimes you can focus your community service in a field you may want to work in down the road. Some examples of this includevolunteering at an animal shelter if you are thinking about becoming a veterinarian, working at a hospital if you want to be a doctor, or volunteering in a museum if you like history.The experience gained from community service can help you get an internship or job in the future, and it also gives you the opportunityto see how much you would really enjoy a particular career. Personal growth:Doing community service has personal benefits as well.It often makes participants more organized, responsible, and compassionate, which are all good qualities to have, as well as qualities that both colleges and employers like to see in applicants. Gain new friends:A final benefit is that youcan meet a lot of great people while doing community service.Community service is often done in groups, so it’s easy to make friends with the people you are working with.You may also become friends with the people you are helping, especially if you volunteer at the same place regularly. Where Can You Find Community Service Projects? Your school or groups you belongto:This caninclude clubs, places of worship, community centers or any other organizations you are a member of. To find community service opportunities, check their website, bulletin board, or newsletter.If you are a student, your school may also have a community service club that makes it easier to get involved. Places where you'd like to volunteer:If you have a specific place where you’d like to perform community service, like a hospital or animal shelter, contact them and ask if they take volunteers. Your community itself:You can also look for opportunities at your town hall, or similar building. Also, check your town’s website or newsletter. Many include a section that lists current volunteer opportunities. What's Next? Did you know that your volunteer work can earn you money for college? It can! Check out the complete list of community service scholarships. Considering doing community service in a foreign country? Check out our guide to see whether you should participate in a volunteer abroad program. Do you want more examples of community service? We have a list of 129 great volunteer ideas! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Analyze a photogrpah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyze a photogrpah - Essay Example The figure of Ophelia has long been symbolic of the silencing of women in literature and in the larger context of society itself. Crewdson uses the same principle to create his work. It is interesting to note that the artistic representations of Ophelia changes media over time as well. Starting from the famous oil on canvas painting of Ophelia by John Everett Millais, the more haunting painting of Ophelia by Pierre Auguste Cot to the rich, pastoral representation by painter Henry Nelson O’ Neil, the image of the manic depressive drowning herself seemed to have struck a chord with several artists over the ages. Crewdson recognises this timeless quality of the character and chooses to interpret it himself also but in the different, more contemporary, medium of film. Studying the picture closely reveals how the same motif of female suppression persists in history. Here, the scene is not a forest and a river, but a regular drawing room. The drawing room itself, although not overtl y outrageous, is extremely surrealistic and eerie in some ways. The most visible evidence of its unnatural condition, of course, is the water that appears to flood the room. The still water with the woman’s hand partly submerged in it appears almost frozen and lends the entire scene a rigid, menacing quality. The drawing room is heavily furnished, almost stifling.

Friday, October 18, 2019

U.S. GAAP vs. IFRS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U.S. GAAP vs. IFRS - Research Paper Example This allows matching of the accounting contract costs, as well as revenue with the accounting periods in which the construction work takes place (Bohusova, 2009). Another factor is that the accounting of fixed price construction contracts is done using percentage of the completion technique. According to Intermediate Accounting (2008), under such as case, the completed contract method is not permitted; there is no specific guidance on software revenue recognition and the guidance on sales of real estate is limited† (p.102). On the other hand, U.S. GAAP is based on rules; thus, it lacks an extensive guidance regarding revenue recognition specific to the type of contract or industry. Its revenue recognition is divided into two levels with the first part being the guidance in concepts statements. In the second level is the guidance for revenue recognition in particular industries, as well as transactions that are economically different. Revenue recognition in this case depends on two criteria that must be met as defined in the FASB Concepts Statement No.5, which notes that revenue must be realizable, as well as earned (Bohusova, 2009). Another point of difference is that in this case, the accounting for the construction contracts uses the percentage-of-completion method only on condition that certain criteria are met; if not the completed contract method is applied. Finally, GAAP unlike IFRS provides for a detailed on the recognition of software revenue, as well as on accounting for real estate sales (Int ermediate Accounting, 2008). In IFRS financial statement, the net income is exclusive of the interest expenses and interest revenues. IFRS reports on interest income with regard to financing activities only happens when the future economic benefits are put in place. On the other hand, GAAP performs report of its income under investing

Appraisal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Appraisal - Research Paper Example 2. Do you think that Vice President Winchester would be better off dropping graphic rating forms, substituting instead one of the other techniques we discussed in this chapter, such as a ranking method? Why? Probably the problem doesn’t lie in the graphic ratings form; the problem is tied to what the form is tied to, which is the salary appraisal. It has been mentioned in the case that everyone seems to be biased in filling out the forms, so if forms get filled without any apparent bias, performance evaluation could work with the same graphic forms. If I were Rob, I would develop bonus system for every task done. It would be like a milestone plan. Every secretary’s job would be divided into certain milestones and their job will be to complete it in time satisfactorily. The immediate supervisor will rate their work on quality, schedule, expertise, communication, and knowledge, and will give those stars out of a maximum of five stars. According to this evaluation, each milestone will have its normal salary and then for higher ratings, a bonus. A Value for Money Framework (Rogers & Duffy, 2012, p198) will be built for each secretary This will be different from the previous appraisal system because employee’s bonus will be tied to their performance which already has been categorized in different forms and not just in terms of ‘perfect’, ‘good’ or

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Magnet Designation (Massachusetts General Hospita, Boston) Assignment

Magnet Designation (Massachusetts General Hospita, Boston) - Assignment Example It aims at demonstrating how the â€Å"forces of magnetism’’ required by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre are epitomized and show how the standards set for Magnet Recognition are met. Also, at the end of the paper my stance or personal opinion in regard to the organization discussed will be publicized. The notion of Magnet can be traced back to 1983 when ‘American Academy of Nursing Task Force on Nursing Practice’ personnel carried out a study to determine factors that attracted excellent nurses to continue delivering those excellent healthcare services and it is this that the organizations/hospitals that were studied, 41 were labelled ‘magnet’ hospitals because they retained excellent nurses although there was scarcity of nurses. This was the onset of Magnet Recognition Programme as the Board of Directors at the American Nurses Association permitted Magnet Programme to be managed and run by American Nursing Credentialing Centre (ANNC) in 1990. Massachusetts General Hospital is privileged to have earned Magnetic Status; a certification considered to be the upmost honour in the nursing brilliance. It swanks to have become the first hospital to have earned this (Magnet) status in the United States in 2003.Achieving this was indeed not a single event but an intensive process that involved so many stages. After the application was written and received, a meticulous evaluation was conducted by very conscientious and keen personnel from ANNC in which both written and observed proof to verify that the nursing services offered at the hospital met the standards of excellence at the ANNC. Support documents of about 2600 pages were forwarded to the ANNC; which convinced them to come to make an on-site observation (American, 2004). A team of ANNC evaluators finally came to the hospital and spent three days to examine service delivery, inter-group work relationship, adherence to standards of practice, leadership practice, and certifica tion

Now the Olympic flame has left the UK its remaining legacy is to Essay

Now the Olympic flame has left the UK its remaining legacy is to inspire a generation, promoting the benefits of physical fitness. What are the benefits to the cardiovascular system of regular exercise - Essay Example This paper is a discussion of the main physiological features of the cardiovascular system. The heart, one of the system’s major components, has two ventricles at the bottom chambers of the heart and two atria at the top chambers (Aaronson et al, 2004: p47). The ventricles force the blood into the blood vessels from the heart while the atria drains and forces blood into the ventricles. The heart is divided into two chambers in order to achieve a two-circuit system of circulation. The right side pumps to the lungs while, on the other hand, the left pumps to the other organs of the body. During the cycle of a heartbeat, the right and left atria contract, then the right and left ventricles follow suit, followed by relaxation of the ventricles and atria. During the resting phase for the ventricles and atria, blood flows from the relaxed atria to the relaxed ventricles, constituting the diastole. The atria then contract to force out any remaining blood almost followed immediately by the ventricle, constituting the systole. To ensure that blood flows in the right direction, the heart has valves that allow blood to move in only one direction. The heart valves open and close when the heart relaxes and then contracts, which is caused by the pressure difference in the heart, and these valves are; aortic, mitral, pulmonary, and tricuspid valves (Aaronson et al, 2004: p50). The one way nature of the valves ensures that blood does not flow back, which avoids mixing of different blood. The heart is comprised of the cardiac muscle, which is a striated and involuntary muscle found on its walls and histological foundations (Aaronson et al, 2004: p52). While smooth muscle is also involuntary, cardiac muscle is more anatomically related to skeletal muscle since smooth muscle is not striated. The cardiovascular system is made of an amalgamation of smooth and cardiac cells, with the blood vessels lined by smooth muscle. The circulatory system is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Magnet Designation (Massachusetts General Hospita, Boston) Assignment

Magnet Designation (Massachusetts General Hospita, Boston) - Assignment Example It aims at demonstrating how the â€Å"forces of magnetism’’ required by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre are epitomized and show how the standards set for Magnet Recognition are met. Also, at the end of the paper my stance or personal opinion in regard to the organization discussed will be publicized. The notion of Magnet can be traced back to 1983 when ‘American Academy of Nursing Task Force on Nursing Practice’ personnel carried out a study to determine factors that attracted excellent nurses to continue delivering those excellent healthcare services and it is this that the organizations/hospitals that were studied, 41 were labelled ‘magnet’ hospitals because they retained excellent nurses although there was scarcity of nurses. This was the onset of Magnet Recognition Programme as the Board of Directors at the American Nurses Association permitted Magnet Programme to be managed and run by American Nursing Credentialing Centre (ANNC) in 1990. Massachusetts General Hospital is privileged to have earned Magnetic Status; a certification considered to be the upmost honour in the nursing brilliance. It swanks to have become the first hospital to have earned this (Magnet) status in the United States in 2003.Achieving this was indeed not a single event but an intensive process that involved so many stages. After the application was written and received, a meticulous evaluation was conducted by very conscientious and keen personnel from ANNC in which both written and observed proof to verify that the nursing services offered at the hospital met the standards of excellence at the ANNC. Support documents of about 2600 pages were forwarded to the ANNC; which convinced them to come to make an on-site observation (American, 2004). A team of ANNC evaluators finally came to the hospital and spent three days to examine service delivery, inter-group work relationship, adherence to standards of practice, leadership practice, and certifica tion

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

SOCIAL, CULTURAL and ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF HEALTH Essay - 1

SOCIAL, CULTURAL and ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF HEALTH - Essay Example , we cannot delink and conceptualise public health and health care separately since both focus on the improvement of the health of the entire population, in a country or a region, although health care focuses on individual care while public health care focuses on a part of the population, or the entire population (Gostin et al., 2011). However, the type of the health care that the nation provides is determined by the quality of care offered and the outcome of care provided by practitioners in the health care sector. In this case, the quality of care is the most important aspect as it determines the health of the entire population. Various research studies identify the importance of the quality of care in determining the outcome of care with the outcome of care provided being the most important aspect in the determination of the effectiveness of a nation’s health care system (Hermann et al., 2006; Parish et al., 2011; Pincus et al., 2007; Shih et al., 2013). To achieve effectiveness in the health care sector with the aim of achieving quality care, it is important to ensure that there is sufficient allocation of resources that are consequently utilised in an approach that was effective. In this case, allocation of resources should not only be done without following their implementation and utilisation in every level and organisation of the health care system in which the resources are required. This implies that the efficiency of the health care sector is determined by various factors with the amount of resources allocated determining the implementation of services in ensuring that the health care sector met the needs of the nation. In line with this, Kluge (2007) identified resources as critical in setting the priority in the health care sector. Stakeholders face a challenge related to the setting of priorities in an environment whereby the resources allocated are not sufficient to implement a health care system that addresses the needs of all stakeholders in the

Islam Essay Example for Free

Islam Essay 1. The word â€Å"Islam† is derived form the Arabic root â€Å"asalama† which literally means peace, purity and submission. Thus Islam means â€Å"surrender to the Almighty† and Muslim means â€Å"one who is in a state of submission†. It is understood that this submission is to the Will of God, as is laid down in the Quran. This tenet is unequivocally accepted by all sects of Islam be they Shia, Sunni or Sufis. 2. Islam is an unerringly monotheistic religion. It enjoins the existence of one God, his prophet Muhammad who is the Last Prophet (khatam-in-nabiyin) in a long line of prophets sent throughout time and to every civilization, and the Quran as the Word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibrael. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of life is to worship him and to adhere to his word, as laid down in the Quran, and in Sunnah (the normative practices of the Prophet), as closely as possible. They believe that Islam is the final, completed and universal version of a faith (Deen-e-Ibrahimi) revealed too many prophets before; most notably Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but whose message has now been distorted. 3. The practices of Islam are based on the ubiquitous â€Å"Five Pillars†. These are, in order of importance, Shahadah or acceptance of One-ness (Taw hid) of God, Salat or five daily Prayers, Saum or Fasting in the month of Ramadan, Zakat or obligatory Alms-giving, Hajj or Pilgrimage to the Kaabah (House of God) at least once in a lifetime, for those able to afford it. These five â€Å"Pillars of Faith† are incumbent upon every Muslim and form the basis for his belief. Some scholars say that the pillars in Shia Islam involve an additional four points in addition to the principal ones. Namely, Nabuwah or Prophet Hood of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses etc., Imamah or Leadership of the Tweleve Imams, Qiyamah or Day of Judgment and Adel or Justice. 4. The fundamental goals of Islam are a complete submission to God and adherence to the teachings of the Quran and the example of Sunnah. When a child is born he is â€Å"ordained† into Islam by reciting the Kalima (the verses outlining Tawhid) into his ear, and thereby giving Shahadah i.e. acknowledgement of the One-ness of God. Muslims must perform the ritual of prayer five times a day, fast and give alms in the month of Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the Kaabah if he is of sound mind and body and is able to afford it. The principles of the Promotion of Virtue (amr bil-maaroof) and Prevention of Vice (nahi an-al-munkar) are long-standing and Muslims are expected to inculcate them in their dealings with others. As Islam enjoins peace and harmony with mankind and with nature there is a great emphasis placed on community. Indeed, the Muslim brethren at large are considered one community (Ummah), irrespective of political, cultural or physical barriers. A Muslim is encouraged to perform good deeds for the community (masawaat) and to call people to worship the One God (Dawah). 5. Authority in Islam remains with God. His injunctions, as laid down in the Quran, and the practices and teachings of the Prophet, Sunnah are to be followed in establishing a political structure. Traditionally the concept of political leadership was embodied by the â€Å"Great Caliphs† (Khulfa-e-Rashiduun), who succeeded Muhammad in leadership of the nascent Islamic Empire. This political set-up personified adherence to the Shariah, duty of the rulers to seek consultation or Shura and of censuring unjust rulers. It is widely believed that the â€Å"Great Four†, the four to succeed Muhammad in succession, were the only ones in practice true to the cause of Islam and subsequent rulers fell victim to dynastic politics and greed. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire there was an abolition of the Caliphate, no matter how symbolic, and closure of the traditional Islamic political setup. Shia Islam has a theological concept of the Imamate. This term is often used interchangeably with the Caliphate but has very different connotations. The Shia believes that it is a divine institution succeeding the Last prophet and the Imams divinely chosen. The chosen Imams take up the mantle of religious, political, social etc. leader of all the Ummah. Traditionally Shia followers and scholars have shown political aloofness or activism against what was viewed as an increasingly corrupt caliphate. 6. The legal ideal in Islam resides with God. His injunctions form the basis for Islamic Law or Shariah. Shariah derives from two sources: divine revelations set forth in the Quran, and the normative practices of the Holy Prophet, Sunnah, as pertained to everyday matters. Fiqh or Jurisprudence extends on matters not directly touched upon in these primary sources. The foundations for Fiqh come from Ijma or consensus of learned scholars and qiyas, analogy from quran and Sunnah. Shia jurisprudence replaces this with aql or â€Å"reason†. Shariah law is not widespread, and even in Muslim countries there are often parallel justice systems. In countries where it enjoys official status Shariah is upheld by the qadis. Shariah has widespread implications; from matters of politics and economics to diet and personal hygiene. Shia scholars employ a different tack. According to them sources of law (usul-e-fiqh) are: Quran, Sunnah, the practices of the Twelve Imams and aql (reason). 7. Islamic philosophy and theology have more or less a harmonious perspective. Theology in Islam centers on six main articles of belief; Belief in One God (Tawhid), Belief in the Last Prophet (Nabi) and all the Messengers of God (Rasul), belief in Angels (Malaika), books sent by god (kutub), judgment (qiyamah) and predestination (qadar). Islamic philosophy as produced in an Islamic society is not exclusively concerned with religious matters nor is it wholly Islamic in origin; rather it has grounds in Hellenistic and Pre-Islamic Indian traditions. The golden age of Islamic philosophy is centered on the 8th to 12th centuries and exemplified Averroes and Avicenna. The first aspect of theology is Kalam which deals with theological questions and the other is Falsafa based on Aristotelianism. Kalam centers on ijtihad or using thought to investigate the doctrines of the Quran, while Falsafa was mainly concerned with the translation of Greek and Hindu texts and expounding them to the community at large. It is quite possible for a Muslim to hold separate philosophical and theological beliefs; believing on the one hand in the Aristotelian principle that the existence of the world is not only a possibility but also a necessity, and also valuing the fact that existence of the world in due only to God. The Shia school of thought differs only in what it considers purely theological matters i.e. Roots of religion (Usul e-Din) and Branches of Faith (Furu-e-Din) 8. By the end of the 12th century, the Islamic Empire was a vast entity. Stretching from beyond the shores of the Mediterranean to much of India. Thus Islamic art and architecture shows wide and varied themes, each influenced by the culture and climate of the particular land. The principal Islamic architectural styles are the mosque, tomb, fort and palace and from these an idea of the recurring themes may be gleaned. Soon after Muhammad, a recognizable style of architecture emerged comprising interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome and decorative arabesques. The great mosque of Samarrah in Iraq, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Hagia Sofia in Turkey are prime examples. The conquest of the Persian Empire in the 7th century introduced large arcades and arches. Moorish architecture is perhaps the most familiar example in the western world. The Great Mosque (Mezquita) in Cordova, the Alhambra and the fort of Granada introduced wide breezy interiors and decorative foliage and Arabic inscription motifs. Mughal architecture has built a class of its own. Perhaps the most famous is the Taj Mahal, built in white marble entirely in symmetry with large minarets and cupola domes. The Mughals also introduced gardens as a relevant theme in their architecture, most famously the Shalimar Gardens. While theology does not have a very significant impact on Islamic architecture a recurring theme is the absence of human or animal imagery, widely considered to be forbidden by the Prophet. Instead calligraphic inscriptions of the Quran and geometric patterns replace as decorative influences.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Developing a marketing strategy at Tesco

Developing a marketing strategy at Tesco Marketing is to establish, maintain and enhance relationship with customers and other partners, at a profit, so that the objectives of the parties involved are met. This is achieved by mutual exchange and fulfilment of promises. Brassington F and Pettitt S( FT Prentice hall,2006) Developing a marketing strategy is a very fragile process and all organizations make extra effort for it to gain customers. Customers knowledge is very essential to gain them. Marketing strategy has a vital role to play in an organization. Customer relationship is very important for a business. Customer needs should adhere to organisational objectives and this is important. In a nutshell we are statisfying needs of customers with profit. According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing, they offer recognised qualifications and trainings and also provide advice on marketing, their base line is : SATISFYING NEEDS AND WANTS OF CUSTOMERS AT PROFIT Marketing strategy should be adhered to customer needs and wants. Customer is an essential factor of an organisation, his likes and dislikes, thoughts and wants change with time. Its very natural, that human beings change their attitude, desires after a certain time period. The strategy should respond to those changes effectively. To capture market, companies should adopt affective techniques. Customer should know what we are doing. Monitoring and control after strategy implementation is very important. COMPANY PROFILE OF TESCO Tesco PLC holds the leading position among food retailers in Great Britain, with a market share that exceeds 15 percent. In England, Scotland, and Wales, the company runs 588 supermarkets, 257 of which are superstoresstores that sell food items in addition to a variety of other products, including gasoline, clothing, housewares, and alcoholic beverages. Tesco also operates 32 stores in Northern Ireland and 77 in the Republic of Ireland under various brands, 43 in Hungary under the Global and Tesco names, 31 in Poland under the Savia name, and 13 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia under the Tesco brand. In Northern Ireland, the company also runs 52 Wine Barrel off-license outlets. Tesco is the largest independent gasoline retailer in Britain; its 288 gas stations sell 12.5 percent of the gasoline sold in the United Kingdom. Recent company innovations include the Clubcard loyalty card as well as offerings from Tesco Personal Finance, which include a grocery budgeting account called Clu bcard Plus, a Tesco Visa Card, and a Tesco savings account. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/11/Tesco-Plc.html BASIC PLANNING RULES FOR A STRATEGY VISION AND MISSION All companies have their vision and mission statements which describe the organization.Some organizations have two statements. Reputed companies have one vision statement. It is a small description of an organizations future. What is the business? Customers? How value of customer can be increased? Tesco Vision is EVERY LITTLE HELPS A LOT Concept A strategy should be customer oriented, customer knowledge is essential. To know your customer, customer diversification in categories is important. They can be divided into segments according to their liking and disliking trends. A market research can be conducted to know the trends. After trend analysis, competitive advantage can be attained. According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably. For quality oriented customers we should make a strategy that draws their attention to our quality products and prices. Strategy should match our strengths. After strategy formulation, customer awareness is important. We need to develop channels to makle the customers aware of our offers. Systematic Approach To develop a systematic approach is hard and fragile task then all the other marketing tasks. Its id nutshell which includes all the companies objectives and plans.(Malcolm Macdonald,2008) Sequencing and scheduling of Activities Organisational managers are responsible for executing all the marketing activities and scheduling them. The main steps to make the execution on time are: 1 Identify activities to be performed 2 Determine the time required for activity completion 3 Determine the activity sequence. 4 Timing of all activities. 5 Assign responsibility(O.C Ferrel,Michael D,2007) Integration of activities Integration are of two types Simple Complex In simple, organizations subcontract the easy activities to other countries and keep complicated duties to themselves. Small companies support this strategy. In complex, the companies make decisions at the headquarters.(Bradley F,2005) Resource requirements Companies go with diversification if they have strong assets. Such Organizations introduce themselves in markets where the resources are according to their abilities. They have more opportunities if the resources are general. (Bradley F,2005) Time Scaling Time scaling is of two types 1 Production time scale 2`Commercial time Scale Both of them have different requirements according to the production and Marketing departments of the organization.(Suerie C,2005) Implementation and control:- A plan is nothing unless it degenerates into work.(peter drucker) Control is the way that we catch faults in strategy. Types of control:- Annual plan control Profitability control Efficiency control Strategy control STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANNING PROCESS This Process consists of a pattern of sensible steps that are taken to arrive at a Marketing plan. The next step would be to analyze the Market. Inorder to analyze the market there are some dimensions which need to be covered. Growing submarkets Size of Markets Market growth Profitability of Market Structure of Cost Distribution system Development and Trends Success indicators (Mcloughlin D, A.Aker D, 2010) SETTING MARKETING OBJECTIVES There are two factors Customer oriented objectives Market oriented objectives Both objectives should be designed to earn profit and gain customer. Goal setting should keep the organizations internal and external environments in centre. Only then a realistic business strategy can be developed. The goals should be smart, measurable, realistic, achievable, specific and time bound. (McCorkell G,1997) http://www.businesslink.gov.uk STRATEGIC MARKETING A strategy is a plan that integrates an organizations major goals,`policies,decisions and sequences of action into cohesive whole.(Proctor T,2000) MARKETING STRATEGY A marketing strategy should be coherent to the marketing plan. It should always be the same practically. SEGMENTATION In order to put in place a marketing strategy, the first step is to understand the market. Divide the market in to different categories. E.g. the business sector is huge market. This market can be categorized business nature. Banking industry is separate market. Steel industry is a separate market and similarly Textile is a separate market. The next step is to analyse, number of businesses working in each sector. Size of each business, their level of working. After doing this analysis, customer trends need to be analyzed , what do they want. Then after analysing we should be understand where we have the competitive advantage. And how can we bring it to use. POSITIONING Positioning means to make an image in the mind of the customer. His perception about us. What he thinks about us. What do we want him to think. How can we do that is part of the marketing strategy. Some businesses want to offer quality and some offer cheaper rates. This is where we want the customer class comes in. Does he fall in the higher class, middle class or lower class. MARKETING MIX Afetr segmentation, market selection and positioning the product, the next step is to make a marketing mix. Business should then evaluate its different marketing mix strategies which include the 4 ps. According to Adcock et al The right product, in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price PRODUCT Organizations should work on the product. How the customer values the product. It also depends a little on the company where it wants to draw attention. Existing products should have a different line of action on how the product should be modified. PRICE The price aspect is critical. If customers want quality at any price. Then in the above P(Product), the company might focus on quality. If the price set is low then the customer might see it as low quality, others might favour it to meet the finances. PLACE Accessibility is the answer to gain customers. Products available to customer in his local area, then this is an advantage. Because if products are of basic or daily needs, customers have many options and will prefer the nearest one. Internet shopping is another plus point. PROMOTION Customer awareness to product is also important. Either through internet, media or print media. Until and unless the customer does not have the knowledge, we wont make any sales. Tesco Tesco,s way promotion are advertising, public relations, direct mail, sales promotion and personal selling http://www.universitydissertations.com/Marketing/Tesco-Marketing-Strategy.php These were the 4ps. For more detailed and comprehensive study, 3 more ps were included: PEOPLE An organisation needs to make sure that its resources such as the employees are fully trained. They should have enough product knowledge to satisfy customers. PROCESSES The processes of the company should be efficient enough to handle customers and satisfy them according to their needs. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE This factor refers to the companys appearance. How the employees look, the premises. These elements put an immense impression about the business in their mind. http://www.businesslink.gov.uk DISADVANTAGES These tools are just like the ingredients of a strategic marketing plan. If any one of it is not focused and given a detailed consideration then chances are of failure. TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES SWOT ANALYSIS If an organisation works honestly with it self, this will lead to success. A business should look in its internal and external environments. For every business it is important that it analyses its strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats (SWOT analysis). Then it realises where it stands. After it knows what its actual picture is, then accordingly strategies should take shape. A companys strength could be Good customer service Good offers, packages Excellent knowledge According to a report some of Tesco,s strengths are Diverse ranges of products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Open 24 hours service à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strong flow of cash à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increasing turnover and profits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strong Balance Sheet à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Growing Supermarket Chain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brand Awareness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Online Shopping http://www.universitydissertations.com/Marketing/Tesco-Marketing-Strategy.php Weaknesses Weaknesses could be like Lack of resources Average reputation Accounting system is not good Tesco,s weaknesses There is a mind positioning of low quality -(Tesco value brands) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lack of local knowledge of customers and culture THREATS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Competition which is strong à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unpredictability in Price of raw materials à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recession à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shift of market to globalisation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Takeover bids http://www.universitydissertations.com/Marketing/Tesco-Marketing-Strategy.php Opportunities Internet as a source of new markets New technologies can help product improvement. Threats New competitor in market http://www.businesslink.gov.uk In order to identify the Macrofactors, we use Step: stands for Social, Technological, Economic, Political factors Steeple: Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, Political factors, Legal and Ethical Fators. Pestle: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Ecological factors. Now these three tools vary from organization to organization.(Blythe J, 2006) PESTLE External environment includes the forces outside the organisation. Its called the PEST analysis. PEST are the factors that make the business wade in the external environment. But businesses have to survive. POLITICAL Political changes also affect the business. If a new regulation is imposed like taxes, this could effect the companies cost. TESCO After the European Integration and agreement of free trade, the market has opened up for British Companies to invest in Eastern Europe. Tesco already has 60 Hypermarket store in Hungary.  Ã‚   ECONOMIC Economic factors like change interest rates, exchange rates also affect the business. SOCIAL Social factors include change of lifestyle, fashion, attitudes of people which change demand for certain product. Tesco Changes in consumer demands, trends and lifestyle show both opportunities and threats for the company. Opportunities in terms of new market and consumers, however, there are added threats of developed Swedish retailers. http://www.universitydissertations.com/Marketing/Tesco-Marketing-Strategy.php TECHNONLOGICAL Technology has immensely changed the way businesses work now. Tesco Changes in retailing sales through the Internet is now very common. Paperless operation, access through secure servers; provide flexibility in the business running. Sweden is going through technological development with companies like Ericsson, Tesco would enjoy the logistic and distribution channels already in place http://www.universitydissertations.com/Marketing/Tesco-Marketing-Strategy.php LEGAL Tesco National legislation for health and safety both in terms of consumer rights and also in terms of production of own natural renewable resources for making clothes ENVIRONMENTAL Businesses do not have control over these factors what they can do is react to these changes by accordingly adjusting the SWOT environment. http://www.businesslink.gov.uk BCG MATRIX Stars ? Cash cows Dogs This tool is used by businesses to evaluate their different business units (SBU).It was developed by the Boston Consulting group. It places the different SBUs of the business in each quadrant according to their market share and reputation STARS These products are market leaders have good market share and growth CASH COWS These products have high market share in low growth markets. QUESTION MARK These have low market share in high growth markets. These products need considerable thought if they should be supported or not. They are not generating much income. DOGS These products have low share in low growth markets. Very poor performance and should be withdrawn.(L. Kurtz D,2008) PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE It is a model which represents the life of a product. It has four basic stages INTRODUCTION The product is developed and introduced in the market. GROWTH This phase of the cycle is where the product gains market share and generates income. MATURITY In this stage the product has achieved the maximum share and is at its maturity point. DECLINE After achieving the maximum share the product undergoes a decline phase where it has no more demand for it self.(Saaksvuori A,Immonen A,2008) Product Life Cycle Model PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Threat of new Entrants Industry competitors Bargaining power of Supplier Bargaining power of Buyer Substitute Threat Porter argued the strategy is not just as series of models at the corporate level of strategy. He noted that strategy includes analyzing potential entrants, suppliers,buyers,substitutes, and competitors. BARGAINING POWER OF BUYER It is the ability of the buyer to bargain. This power increases as the buyer has more options to buy from. NEW ENTRANTS These are the new companies entering into the industry and are a threat to the existing ones. BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIER It is the ability of the suppliers to decide the price for their product and the terms. SUBSTITUTE THREAT Alternate products offered by companies for a particular product are also threat to existing entities.(Michael J. Stahl, DavidW. Grigsby,1997) MARKETING STRATEGY OPTIONS According to Michael Porter, orgaizations can continue with three strategies, 1 Differentiation Strategy 2 Cost Leadership 3 Focus Strategy DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY This strategy is used by an organization to make itself different from other businesses. This strategy helps the organization to charge more from customers as compared to competitors. One thing is for sure that if customers get extra value they can pay more. Rolex watches charge more for there product. They earn their reputation by the quality of metal, stainless steel. They undergo special test for quality assurance. COST LEADERSHIP This strategy is used by companies to boost sales. They reduce their cost slightly below the cost of rivals and sell the products more. Timex has been a cost market leader for long. They make simple watches at low price for mass market. FOCUS STRATEGY Organizations using this strategy focus at particular market or group of buyers. Organizations might make thier focus using differentiation or cost leadership strategy in that specific market.(Ricky W. G,2007) CORE COMPETENCES These are skills used by organizations to provide customers with extra benefits. Competences could be Speed Consistency Acuity Agility Innovativeness (Hamel.G, Prahalad CK,1996) RISING EXPECTATIONS Customer expectation has increased due to companies continuing improvement towards their product to satisfy them. Since every company competing with Tesco is giving almost comparable products so the only way to get an edge is to give something extra to surprise them. Employee training is also very important to cope with customer expectation like giving a free delivery at home. TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE Technology is changing at a very fast rate so companies need to be good supporters or followers. Tesco can and is improving towards reducing the ques inside the stores by improving the websites so grocery orders can be taken online. COMPETITION Competition has increased tremendously in many industries and so many companies who were weak have fallen out, due to added factor weak economic conditions. Tesco club card scheme has really helped it to get through the economic condition. GLOBALISATION In this era every business considers and makes decisions according to the international market. Now the world has developed it self to be a global village. Spread of information, media, internet many different of doing business online has raised the competition even more. (Doyle.P, Stern. P, 2006) Tesco is becoming a growing chain and is one. This chain has helped it to secure strong profits.It has and should continue to operate in other countries to gain customer bank and explore new markets. IMPLEMENTATION. Tescos functional areas are Administration The administration department should keep the internal operations maintained. Finance Finance department should take care of cash flows and also take measures to control cost with out effecting profit. Marketing Marketing department should focus on sales increase and product training for employees. Research and development Research and development should maintain the standards of product quality. Information Technology Tesco has introduced self checkout machines through which people can pay themselves instead of waiting in ques. If the objective is to increase sales. To increase the sale, Tesco should work on its sales and marketing Department. Employee training is important. Product knowledge for employees so that customer satisfaction is guaranteed. It will help the human resource to market the product and give the customer what they need. As a result, we will experience an increase in sales. Customer awareness is very essential. E-marketing is also an important tool in this era to make it easy for people to buy products online. It is more easy for people to do transactions online and get delivery on time. CONCLUSION In a nutshel, i would say that marketing should have proper department in every business and it should work on an genuine plan. The rules and principles of marketing should be adhered to make the marketing plan successful. A company should also keep up with its functional areas so that the plan work smoothly.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Business Analysis of Peak Garage Doors Inc Essay example -- Business

Business Analysis of Peak Garage Doors Inc INTRODUCTION Peak Garage Door Inc. has set a goal to increase their sales for 2004. Garage door industry is expecting a growth of 2.4% while the management of Peak is looking to increase company’s sales 26.4%. The company currently has 50 exclusive dealers and 300 non-exclusive dealers. Management has three proposals in front of them. The first suggestion is to increase the number dealers in their existing markets. The second recommendation is to develop an exclusive franchise agreement with existing non-exclusive dealers. The third recommendation is to decrease the number of dealers and focus company’s resources on increasing support for the existing dealers. Of course there is an option for them to leave everything as it is. My suggestion is to go with the second recommendation due to the fact that exclusive dealers produced 70% of company’s sales and non-exclusive dealers contributed only 30%. In order for Peak Garage Doors Inc. to reach their sales goal for ‘04 th ey will have to gain more exclusive dealers since they contribute much more profit to the company. THE INDUSTRY The residential garage door industry sales for 2003 were $2 billion; 90% ($1.8 billion) of these sales were steel doors, the type of door the Peak specializes in. Projected industry sales for ’04 were $2.05 billion, representing 2... ... Net Sales $8,452,518.40 Cost of Goods Sold $6,900,000.00 Gross Profit $1,552,518.40 Selling, General and Admin Expense $1,600,000.00 Net Profits Before Taxes -$47,481.60 Choosing option 3 would lead to a loss. Option four is to do nothing. This would mean that everything would stay the same, and Peak could expect a 2.4% increase in sales. INCOME STATEMENT 2004 Net Sales $9,420,800.00 Cost of Goods Sold $6,900,000.00 Gross Profit $2,520,800.00 Selling, General and Admin Expense $1,840,000.00 Net Profits Before Taxes $680,800.00 CONCLUSION According to the calculations, it will be impossible for the company to reach the sales goal of 12.5 million regardless of which option they choose. However the best outcome is with the option number two which is to develop an exclusive franchise agreement with existing non-exclusive dealers.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Hamlet’s First Soliloquy

Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act I Scene 2 is the first time that the reader fully understands Hamlet’s character, his inner thoughts and opinions. The general tone of this soliloquy is very personal and emotional revealing Hamlet’s despair over the current situation and his depressing state of mind. It sets the stage for the rest of the story, being Hamlet’s hatred of Claudius and resentment of his mother. Previous to this soliloquy we learn that King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius, has become the new king of Denmark by entering into an incestuous marriage with Queen Gertrude, the late king’s wife. Claudius has made a grandiose, eloquent speech presenting him and his wife to the court, manipulating and distracting his audience from the abnormality of the situation. Hamlet, naturally still mourning his father’s death, is shocked by how quickly everyone has forgotten and refuses to play along with Claudius’ show. Hamlet interrupts the speech with snide, witty comments like, â€Å"a little more than kin and less than kind,† addressing the unnatural relationship that him and Claudius now have. The King and Queen turn to Hamlet and encourage him to get over father’s death and to stay in Denmark under the pretense of loving him. When Hamlet again interrupts with spiteful words against both his mother and Claudius, Claudius publicly humiliates Hamlet by making a speech, highlighting the reasons why Hamlet cannot be king. Instead of refuting Claudius, Hamlet becomes compliant to his mother’s wishes and agrees to stay in Denmark. Shakespeare utilizes situational irony at this point in the story where once Hamlet is left alone we expect him to explode into anger, but instead he falls into a passive state of self-pitying. â€Å"O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew. In this line Hamlet expresses his desire to commit suicide which alerts the reader to his depressive state. The way in which he describes the act as â€Å"melting† also alerts us to his sedentary disposition, in that even the taking of one’s own life is inactive. In the next line Hamlet informs us that he cannot commit suicide because of his religious views. â€Å"Or that the Everlas ting had not fixed his canon ’gainst self-slaughter! † Hamlets inability to commit a sin shows us that he has a high moral standing and an air of innocence. In this soliloquy Hamlet is deeply conflicted and unable to resolve to commit himself to a course of action as is seen through his cyclical thought process. Hamlet employs many allusions within this soliloquy to make a comparison between Hamlet Sr. and Claudius. Hamlet uses mythological characters to compare his father to Claudius saying that â€Å"So excellent a king that was to this Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother that he might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face to roughly. Hamlet believes that comparing his father to Claudius is like comparing Hyperion, the Titan God of Light to a half-man, half goat. Through this analogy we realize that Hamlet has a very idealized view of not only his father but also Hamlet Sr. and Gertrude’s marriage. This builds in him a resentment of Gertrude for so easily moving on and an even greater hatred of Claudius for corrupting his mother. Hamlet then goes on to contrast his father and Claudius by comparing himself to Her cules, unintentionally associating himself with Claudius. My father’s brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules. † This line further shows the deterioration of Hamlet’s self-image. Hamlet’s first soliloquy helps the reader to understand the source of Hamlet’s action throughout the rest of the play. It introduces his self-destructive ways and tendency to refrain from acting. It also introduces a later recurrence of Hamlet’s deep disturbance of his mother and Claudius’ relationship.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

A Day in the Life of Alex Sander Essay

I had to plunge in and make a lot of snap decisions in these areas. Looking back, I can see one poor strategy decision, but on the whole my judgment has been right on target. And if being pushy and commanding is the only way to get the job done—to get two new products out in one year—then it’s worth it to me. Even if I have to steamroll over someone’s feelings, or ignore the way a colleague would like to handle a project. Sander: Well, I get ticked off pretty easily. For example, I can’t stand explaining something more than a couple of times. But what really bothers me is lack of commitment—for example, if a long-time employee isn’t willing to put in extra hours to meet an important deadline. But you know what? After I really become angry, there are people at Landon whose output will jump for at least a couple of weeks afterwards. My temper is actually an effective management tool. 9:00 A. M. Leong nodded apologetically to Garrison as she left and said, â€Å"The interviewer from your alumni magazine is here. † The magazine was interviewing Sander for an article on â€Å"high-potential† product managers as part of a career development issue. He did not want to further embarrass Garrison, a 20-year veteran of the company, by interrupting; still, he needed to talk to Sander. op yo Neighbor: I remember you mentioning some sparks with your assistant when you first started at Landon. rP os t A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products | 2177 and so on. But you’re never in charge of your own creation. That’s the main reason I accepted a job at Landon. Landon is a pretty small shop, and I’ve been involved in every detail of my product launches. I’ve really enjoyed the strategy piece—gathering data about market share, figuring out the most profitable positioning for my brands. As a product manager, you have to talk to R&D, then work with market research to see whether you have a feasible idea that will attract consumers. Then you work with advertising. You partner with all the departments to synchronize the program’s details. A product manager must ensure a targeted, quality product, whose distinctive features will be clear to the target consumer. Then you have to make the product right and get it to market. At that moment, Sander’s BlackBerry buzzed and, with a quick apology, Alex picked up the call. â€Å"I need to get a piece of data from this market researcher before my team meeting this afternoon,† Sander explained. While waiting for Sander to finish, the interviewer glanced around Alex’s office. It was large for so new a product manager, and the interviewer noted the award plaques on the credenza behind Sander’s desk. Sander finished the brief phone call, and the two continued talking. For the last question, the interviewer asked, â€Å"Alex, in your opinion, which type of person is best suited to being a product manager?

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay

Answer the following questions based on the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005). 1. (a) Describe the ownership structure at Enron. (b) How did the ownership structure contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) When Enron became a publicly traded company, the employees and executives had more incentive to manipulate earnings and financials. With the shift in structure, there were more external stakeholders to satisfy, which caused the company to focus on short-term results, rather than long-term interests. The company went as far as to trade all sorts of things, including weather and broadband, in order to gain support from investors. Enron got a lot of that support. Investment banks put about $25 million each into the company. With high stakes and image on the line, Enron manipulated earnings to drive stock prices up through mark-to-market accounting to please its stakeholders. 2.(a) Describe the following three leaders: Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow. (b) How did EACH leader contribute to the scandal? (20 points) Ken Lay was a very ambitious man. He was the son of a poor Baptist preacher. Because of Lay’s humble roots, Lay worked several jobs as a kid. He always dreamed about being a businessman one day and making huge wealth for himself. Lay believed he could have a better life with more wealth. He also believed in government deregulation. Lay had a PhD in economics. He aggressively pushed for deregulation of energy markets in Washington. His goal was to liberate businessmen from government’s hold. He took advantage of government letting energy prices float with the market, and started Enron Corporation through a few mergers. Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was said to be â€Å"incandescently brilliant† by many at Enron. In reality, he was a risky, danger-seeking gambler. Skilling had a Darwinian view and strongly beli eved in the idea of â€Å"survival of the fittest†. He implemented a group called the Performance Review Committee. The committee was involved in the â€Å"rank and yank† system, in which the bottom 15 percent of the company got fired each year. This ultimately led to numerous unethical actions and turning a blind eye to fraud because of employees’ determination for job  security. Skilling was a former nerd, and went on to change himself. He was very admired at Enron. When he got Lasik surgery, everyone else did too. Skilling was responsible for making energy into a tradable entity and for his advocacy of mark-to-market accounting, which was the main tool for Enron’s earnings manipulation. Fastow was a very greedy man. He served as CFO of Enron. He was responsible for running numerous companies that partnered with Enron. He mainly worked to cover up the financial fantasy land that Lay and Skilling had created. He was hired before age 30 by Skilling to join Enron. He always idolized Skilling and wanted to please him. He ended up hiding about $30 billion in debt through his companies. In addition, he skimmed off many of the deals he made, using Enron stocks as collateral. Fastow did not have a strong moral compass, and would play to the greed of the investment banks. He would offer investment banks accounts for their silence. One analyst, John Olsen, star ted to question the firm, and weeks later, was fired by the investment bank because Fastow paid off the bank with big Enron accounts. 3.(a) Describe the organizational culture at Enron. (b) How did the organizational culture contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) The culture at Enron was very cut-throat and filled with greed. Money drove the company and its employees. In fact, even the elevators had displays of the stock prices. The company was overtaken by hubris as well. Everyone was on the bandwagon—the accounting firm, investors, executives, and employees. The entire company thought it was changing the world. Everyone was blinded by arrogance, greed, and money. Enron was always portrayed as a super power in the market. It was said that is someone wanted to be part of the market, they had to go through Enron. In addition, many employees, including Skilling, were former nerds and had something to prove. There was a very macho culture at Enron. Skilling would organize dangerous, macho trips for employees and big clients. The stories from these adventures became legend. One man almost died from a flipp ed Jeep. Stories like that were legendary in the office. The culture ultimately led Enron to scandal because of the ideas it had put into people’s heads—that money drove everything and cash was king. 4.(a) Describe the performance management/reward system at Enron. (b) How did the performance   management/reward system contribute to the Enron scandal? (20 points) The reward systems were big. The executives and employees were all fans of the â€Å"pump and dump† system in which the employees drove the stock prices up, and would them sell the stocks off. The company was consumed by stock prices, as stocks were a large part of the compensation structure at Enron. Even the elevators had stock prices posted, so people could be reminded daily that there was more money to be made. The cash bonuses were extravagant too. In fact, a 25-year-old made a $5 million bonus. Executives were given multi million dollar bonuses. In addition, to prevent anyone from raising any flags, Enron played on the greed of the outside accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, as well as law firms. In fact, in 2001, Arthur Anderson got $1 million a week to keep things quiet and go along with everything. The la w firm was paid off handsomely as well. Analysts at investment banks would never really look into things because of greed as well. Because of all the bonuses, outsiders turned a blind eye, as did employees, which ultimately gave way to the scandal that ensued. 5.(a) Describe the regulatory/oversight weaknesses for Enron. (b) How did the regulatory/oversight weaknesses contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) Enron sought to take advantage of the low level of government regulation and the hyper capitalism created by the reigning consumer culture of the time. The company was run by a group of intelligent individuals who recognized they could take advantage of the government failure of low regulation. Early on while working for Enron, Lay founded many friends within Congress, including the friendship of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The government helped in pork barrel legislation for the company, granting it even more power. In addition, Bush senior helped secure millions of subsidies for Enron and helped promote Ken Lay as ambassador of deregulation at large. In addition, even energy-specific regulators turned a blind eye. Pat Wood, chair of FERC, was recommended by Lay as chair, and would work with Enron in lack of government in tervention. Even the power plants in California were working with Enron at one point. Enron could call someone at a power plant and cause rolling blackouts in parts of California,  driving energy prices up. With support from the government and very low regulation and intervention, Enron had a clean path to scandal. 6.Describe three (3) specific ways, which are directly related to the above factors, that Enron-like scandals could be prevented in the future. (15 points) 1. Publically-traded companies should have a strong board of directors that oversees the company and does not have investment in the company. Greed drove Enron to do what it did, but a board of directors who has no stake in the company would be more objective and ethical in decision-making for the company. 2. There should be less compensation tied to stock performance, as that was a large incentive for fraud at Enron. People’s earnings were tied too closely to stock. 3. Analysts should be help more responsible for their actions. The investment banks they worked for got sued, but who’s to say the analysts who turned a blind eye ever got punished? They made the banks lots of money, so they probably kept their jobs and got a slap on the wrist. More consequence in the public eye would deter these actions in the future.