Monday, September 30, 2019

Repression of War Experience by Siegfried Sassoon Essay

The poem â€Å"Repression of War Experience,† by Siegfried Sassoon is a testament to the mental and emotional hardships faced by veterans of the First World War, and indeed- all wars. In this poem, Sassoon uses the narrative voice of a traumatized soldier who attempts to forget the horrors of the battlefield by taking comfort in everyday activities such as reading (‘Books: what a jolly company they are’) and distracting himself by focusing on familiar aspects of nature (the moth, a rain storm, and the garden outside his home). Unfortunately, none of these things bring him comfort and despite his distractions the narrator is still a highly disturbed and bitter man, alone and disconnected from the world, driven â€Å"stark, staring mad† by his experiences. Sassoon’s poem is both a startling view on the post-war reality faced by traumatized veterans, and a condemnation of the public for not providing more help and counseling for those returning from the Great War. Mental Cases, by Wilfred Owen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Mental Cases† by Wilfred Owen presents a dark and tormented vision of the effect the traumas of World War I had on the soldiers that fought its battles. Owen uses a constant barrage of harsh adjectives to describe the inhabitants of a military hospital, â€Å"men whose minds the Dead have ravished.† It is an accusation against the rest of the world for allowing the war to happen, as Owen describes the broken patients â€Å"snatching after us who smote them† and â€Å"pawing us who dealt them war and madness.† According to Owen’s narrative voice, war is a senseless abomination of â€Å"carnage incomparable† and everyone that doesn’t take direct action to stop it actively plays a part in its propagation. Dead Man’s Dump, by Isaac Rosenberg Isaac Rosenberg’s â€Å"Dead Man’s Dump† is an account of the horrors of combat in No Man’s Land. His poem is rife with constant motion and chaos, coupled with descriptions of the rank death and decay of the battlefield- where rudimentary tanks can be seen crushing the bodies of dead soldiers, and bodies are left to rot in the sun. Rosenberg seeks to give the dead soldiers a personal voice, describing the tragedy of young soldiers that have barely tasted life meeting vicious ends that â€Å"drained the wild honey of their youth,† while another â€Å"choked soul stretched weak hands to reach the living.† The poet wishes to use his verse to bring the horrors of the battlefield itself to those sitting comfortably at home, disconnected from the conflict and yet entirely responsible for its tragedies. Works Cited Wilfred Owen: Collected Letters, ed. Harold Owen and John Bell (OUP, 1967) The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussel (OUP, 1977) Poems of the First World War: ‘Never Such Innocence’, ed. Martin Stephen (Everyman, 1995) Siegfried Sassoon Diaries 1915-1918, ed. R Hart- Davis (Faber and Faber, 1983) The War Poets, Robert Giddings (Bloomsbury, 1990) God Made Blind: The Life and Work of Isaac Rosenberg, ed. Adrian Barlow (Cambridge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   University Press, 1995) â€Å"Poetry and the Pity of War†, Randle Manwaring; Contemporary Review, Vol. 273, November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1998   

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Research Proposal On Us Agricultural Crisis

I intend to write my paper about the persisting agricultural problems that United States farmers are facing today, and how these problems are deeply rooted to the lack of radical, government-initiated change despite legislations which are publicized as farmer-friendly government initiatives and how the past and present problems compounded into a dilemma that presents the probability of large scale farm business collapse and agricultural apocalypse, what Ikerd describes as â€Å"the end of agriculture, as we remember it, in America† (2002).Thesis Farmers working in US farms like John Reifsteck are providing very encouraging assessment of the year's yields, ‘It’s been a good harvest on my farm, and my neighbors have also done well' (2007). Others may provide the same identical appraisal when asked the same question.But contrary to the sporadic and random claims of stabilized and/or improving farming revenues across the country and promising turnout of both crops and sales in the market, the US agriculture as a whole has been consistently barraged by economic and financial concerns which are cause primarily by the lack of government action that can protect the farmers, their farms and their general business interests from external factors beyond their control.At the end of 2007, the 2007 United States Farm Bill, which proposes among others the continued subsidizing of local farmers and their business ventures, faced many critics and criticisms over what seems to be protracted impact that eventually leads away from the general interests of farmers because of internal politics and the subsidy dispensing nature of the bill which is similar to previously legislated bills.With critics on one side and influential power players on the other side, ordinary farmers are left unaffected and unaided by the US government, abandoned to suffer the same set of farming-related problems that middle-class farmers are burdened with for nearly a century now.The veh icle that is designed to funnel government resources towards the needs of farmers in the US should be re-evaluated to see if real actions are being done to answer farm and farming-related problems and at the same time if the channels go straight towards its intended target or pour in somewhere else so that the government can have a full assessment of the scope of the problem and from there take constructive actions to repair the deteriorating US agricultural pipe line. Supporting Arguments I. Failure of farmers to experience economic improvement during the 20th century A.The economic depression of American farmers occurring from 1920 to 1940 and repeating on 1952 until 1972. B. The end of the Golden Age of Agriculture in 1900. C. The food boycotts during 1973 II. Limited Government action on agricultural and farm-related problems A. Slow enactment of agriculture-related legislation B. Huge gaps in years to amend existing agriculture laws C. Limited resources allotted by the governme nt for food and agriculture III. Controversies surrounding the 2002 US Farm Bill A. Perceived characteristics that go against World Trade Organization agreements. B.Threat of overproduction as a result of the enactment of the legislation into law. C. Impact of Subsidy on market prices D. Role of overproduced corn in the spread of e coli IV. Roadblocks of 2007 US Farm Bill A. Alleged by WTO as preventing fair competition B. Impact results to billions worth of trade sanctions from other countries C. Under threat of veto from the US president D. Entails high costs Bibliography Bjerga, Alan. Senate Approves Farm Bill Over Bush Veto Threat. Bloomberg. com. December 14, 2007. http://www. bloomberg. com/apps/news? pid=20601103&sid=aWIfSjtJmPgE&refer=us Farm Economic and Financial Crisis.The Economic Crisis: Finances on the Farm. World Crisis in Agriculture. Ambassador Agricultural Research Department. Serf Publishing, Inc. 2001 http://cgca. net/serf-publishing/economiccrisis. htm Funding f or Farmers. EconSouth, 2003 http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0KXG/is_1_5/ai_100962424 Hedges, Stephen J. Panel OKs farm bill that keeps subsidies. Chicago Tribune. October 26, 2007 http://www. chicagotribune. com/news/nationworld/chifarm_frioct26,1,3300139. story? ctrack=1&cset=true Ikerd, John. Why Farming is Important in America. Fourth Annual Rural Development Conference.North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Mandan, North Dakota, February 5-7, 2002. http://web. missouri. edu/~ikerdj/papers/WhyFarming. html#_ftnref1 Panares, JOyce Pangco. UN pushes abolition of farm trade subsidies. Manila Standard Today. http://www. manilastandardtoday. com/? page=politics2_oct19_2007 Reifsteck, John. Food and Fuel Truth About Trade and Technology Board Commentary, November 9, 2007. http://www. truthabouttrade. org/article. asp? id=8489 USDA Budget Summary 2006. Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services. http://www. usda. gov/agency/obpa/Budget-Summary/2006/06. FFAS. htm

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Cover Letter Content on STAR Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cover Letter Content on STAR - Assignment Example I also cited my sources properly using the MLA system. A weakness that I picked out in my assignment was that I could not find a lot of statistics to support my claim and even if I did I could not find a suitable way to put them in. I also had difficulty keeping my composition less wordy The limitation of copying the claim word to word put me in the difficulty of having only a small choice of revisions of paragraphs. I also had to spend a lot of time to verify and find examples. A future strategy that can help me improve my work is to be more efficient with the sort of examples I come in and put in a more focused search method. The claim is â€Å"Unfortunately, because of all the advancements, the internet seems to favor the technologically elite.† The writer uses the topic sentence to open a window into the claim where he/she is trying to establish that despite the improvements computer technology and internet is bringing, it remains restricted to only a set group of people, which is of those who are mentally and financially equipped with using it. The claim appears to be very weak. Firstly, it is backed by a personal example that runs the risk of being subjective and therefore not strong enough. Secondly, a more relevant and typical example would have been to point out someone who dealt with technology on a daily basis but could not keep pace due to rapid advancements. Also, the story of an eighty-four-year-old is too anomalous an example. Thirdly, there is no way to establish that the evidence given is true or not and is not supported by any further explanation than the vague one given. Fourthly, the relevance is very low and redundancy occurs when discussing her favorite newspaper and recliner. Many broad generalizations are used at the one pointing to the retirees. Computer technology has made breakthroughs and continues to grow rapidly.  Ã‚  

Friday, September 27, 2019

A Price Discrimination and a Single-Pricing Strategy Essay

A Price Discrimination and a Single-Pricing Strategy - Essay Example Instead of charging a uniform price to everyone, the cable TV company can think in terms of charging the customers with respect to the number of paid channels they would like to watch. For some customers may not like sports channels and some others may not like movie channels. The cable TV company can think in terms of allowing the customers to select the channels they would like to watch and based on that the company can decide the prices of the service. Thus customers will get much more flexibility in selecting channels and controlling their budget for watching television channels. At the same time, it should be noted that the cable TV company may not lose any revenue since more customers will come forward to purchases such services because of the increased flexibility in selecting channels. In a perfectly competitive market, sellers may not get the freedom to fix the price. If they set a price above the market price, nobody will buy their product in a competitive market. In short, they will get only a normal profit in the long run. Some firms may fix higher prices for their products if the competition is less. Such firms will get abnormal profits in the short run. The abnormal profit earned by a single firm in a market will encourage other forms to enter the market and therefore supply will increase and the price would come down. Long run average cost curves represent the economies of scale and diseconomies of scale as far as a firm is concerned. Economies of scale mean the ability of a firm to reduce the unit price of a product with the help of bulk production.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Research information analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research information analysis - Essay Example The health diet that is used to treat diabetes is manly made up of the sugar free foods and drinks. Therefore, to understand the treatment of diabetes, through the application of health diets, then undertaking a study regarding the sugar free foods and drinks becomes necessary, which is the basis of this study. The importance of undertaking this research is to understand sugar free food and drinks, regarding how they can be applied as health diet for the treatment of diabetes, overweight and obesity. The research also seeks to help the manufacturers understand the market available for the sugar free products, in that, through a clear understanding of the market, then, they will target this market in producing their products, by availing those products that perfectly suits their target market. Sugar free foods and drinks have most of the sugar substance in foods, sucrose, replaced with other sugar substitutes. This way, the sugar free food s and drinks are deemed appropriate not only for their use as health diet for the treatment of diabetes, but also for their role is assisting weight loss and reducing chances of obesity (Metcalfe, 2007 p18). The difference between the foods and drinks suitable for the treatment of diabetes and the normal foods is in the fact that, these food stuffs should be low in energy content, consists of carbohydrates that are easily absorbed and have a higher fructose content, than is necessary for the normal foods (Blades, 1993 p6). Thus, the observed increase in the trends of preference and consumption of sugar free foods and drinks have emanated from the concern for the role of sugar in causing diabetes, overweight and obesity. According to the theory of consumer behavior, consumers follow a given process in making purchase decisions. They perceive the need for a product, evaluates available information, in this case, such as the pro and cons of sugar free foods, and their relationship to diabetes and weight

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Plagiarism and Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Plagiarism and Nursing - Essay Example It has also been described as the intentional or unintentional use of another’s work or ideas, published or unpublished, without clearly acknowledging the source of that work or idea (Logue, 2004 cited by Lass et al., 2006). Plagiarism is considered the theft of intellectual property and therefore, according to Mike Todd, Editor of Anesthesiology, it is a serious challenge to the integrity of any publishing effort (cited by Editor in VAA, 2006). The word plagiarism has been derived from the Latin word for - kidnapper or plagiarius. The definitions given by the two dictionaries are more or less the same conveying that it the use of others’ ideas and thoughts. The definition of Todd cited in VAA appears to bear substance. Based on the above definitions, the most appropriate definition would be considering plagiarism as the theft of intellectual property and presenting it as one’s own ideas and thoughts. This appears to be the most appropriate because in words of the editor of VVA, plagiarism is considered a substitute for writing and so also a substitute for thinking. This makes it necessary that any proof of plagiarism must be acted on swiftly and comprehensively. Once plagiarism has been established necessary action can be taken. The nursing profession specifies in its code of professional ethics that nurses must be trustworthy and they must possess the qualities of integrity and honesty. This is in sharp contrast to fraud. Fraud has been defined as a deliberate intention to deceive and is based on dishonesty (Semple, Kenkare & Achilles, 2004). Today people are more concerned about presenting a deceivingly glossy image to the public and would go to any extent to achieve this. It has been found in the UK that nurses did not possess the requisite practical nursing skills expected of them by the employers. The medical schools do report of students

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

HRM Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HRM - Coursework Example In order to set up an effective HR department, the first step would be to review current policies and practices. This involves reviewing the various HR functions and expectations. In this case, the HR functions will include recruitment and selection, performance management, reward management, workplace management, capacity building, employee relations and establishing an effective HRM system. The HR takes into account the organization’s structure, systems, politics, positions among others. The next step is to discuss the beliefs and values of the organization with senior management. Here, the HR takes it upon himself discuss issues such as the organization’s short term and long term goals and objectives, the expectations of the HR department and how the HR contributes to the objectives of the organization. The HR should also discuss the current organizational culture, as well as core activities and business drivers with senior management. By now the HR has a wide view o f what the organization is working towards and is ready to be part of it. The next step is to formulate the HR department’s objectives and strategies. This involves drafting job description, job analysis, job specifications, payroll and compensation. The HR will also have to lay out appointment, termination and resignation procedures. As a function of HR, it is necessary to draft induction and orientation programs. At this point, it is essential to review main functions of HR department. These key functions include job development, recruitment and selection, organizational behavior policies and programs, organizing, HR planning, performance management, HR development, reward management, employee relations, health and safety of employees. With this in mind, the next step is to note what is necessary for the organization in order of priority to make up the HR system. Here, the HR should write a report detailing the situation on the ground, the HR department required priorities, the action plan and the time schedule. The HR can now form the department as the HR manager with the assistance of one training manager, one salary administration manager and recruitment and selection manager. The HR then seeks approval from senior management to implement the plan. Question two The most appealing HR function is the recruitment and selection process. This is because it is the core function of the HR department. Without recruitment and selection, there would be no workforce; hence, there would be no HR department. Absence of workforce to carry out the activities an organization will lead to its closure. The information in the article is detailing the importance of the recruitment and selection process in any organization. The article details the steps that the HR manager should follow in the recruitment and selection process. Any organization requires qualified and competent employees; hence, the article emphasizes the need for a thorough recruitment and selection pr ocess. According to the article, the recruitment and selection process should be as efficient as possible, because the success of any organization depends on it. The article attempts to solve the problem of managers who take the process lightly. A HR manager, who fails in the selection and recruitment of employees, will be responsible for the failure of the organization. The articles also insist that team charged with recruitment and selection should have the required skills. This is because this team has the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Capacity Planning and Performance Modeling SLP Research Paper

Capacity Planning and Performance Modeling SLP - Research Paper Example Capacity planning is thus seen as a strategic process used to match data center resources with the business demand to provide acceptable service levels at a minimum cost. Capacity planning is an important operation management process that closely works with performance management, service level management, and configuration management. Performance management becomes an integral part of the capacity planning process because the goal of performance management is to manage current system performance in a proactive manner. The proper management of the parameters of system performance such as throughput and latency will provide the client with adequate results and minimal downtime (Mitchell, 2007). For firms that are involved in large-scale operations, keeping track of all the operations within the system can be a daunting task. Fortunately, the advent of technology has made it much more manageable to evaluate the activities that lead to a good performance and optimal capacity levels of the organization. Table 1 shows three capacity planning software that provides management with the necessary tools to keep up with its system. I chose this three software because they appear to be the most popular and the most effective in accomplishing the required goals of a capacity planning software. Other than capacity planning sof tware, many organizations are likewise investing in performance measurement software to automate their measurement and reporting systems. I went on to Performance-measurement.net and was introduced to two of these software. Table 2 shows the description, advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Decision-making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Decision-making - Essay Example sset Pricing Model or CAPM relates the returns on one individual security with that of the market and as such it considers the risk of the market as well as the risk of the individual security. So called beta is therefore the exact measure which shows the relationship between the risk and return of the individual security with that of the market by calculating the co-variance of returns on individual security with that of the market. CAPM also assumes that the investors are well diversified and they only attempt to reduce the systematic risk that is arising out of the market. As such beta is the measure which calculates this systematic risk and is always assumed to be 1 for the market as a whole. The above calculations indicate that the beta calculated through two methods is different from each other. Beta-1 is calculated through the traditional method of finding the covariance and variance and then taking the ratio of two whereas beta 2 is calculated through regression analysis by taking the slope of the % change in the returns of the market and the individual security. The differences in the value of the two betas may be attributed to the relative differences in the two methodologies. The published betas of two companies are 2.48 & 2.14 and are significantly different from calculated beta. (digitallook.com,2010. The above calculations indicate differences between the beta calculated and beta that has been published in various external sources. The changes or differences in the value of two betas may be attributed to different betas. The beta which has been calculated is based upon the closing price of the stock whereas published beta may have taken the adjusted prices of the shares while accommodating any dividends or splits. Thus the overall beta may be different from published sources if there exists a difference in calculations. The differences in the beta can also be attributed to the geared and un-geared beta based on the method of calculation. Un-geared

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Dangers of Passive Smoking Essay Example for Free

Dangers of Passive Smoking Essay The topic chosen for the environmental factor that poses a threat to the health or safety of infant is secondhand smoke. According to the center for disease control and prevention, Secondhand smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles that includes smoke from a burning tobacco product such as a cigarette, cigar, smoke that has been exhaled or breathed out by the person or people smoking. The parent I shared the pamphlet with is a 25year old African American mother of a 5year old male child. She has a high school diploma, single mother and works as a clerical associate in a private institution. The objective of the pamphlet was to educate her on the need to be aware of the danger of second hand smoke to her child, to make her environment as smoke free as possible and to know the resources out there for use when needed. The importance of the pamphlet was also explained to her because it can be used as a source for information or an avenue to reach out to resources, to know the effects of secondhand smoke. The effects of secondhand smoke to her child such asthma, ear infections, breathing problems, bronchitis and sudden infant death syndrome was also included to enhance her knowledge. During the interaction, she was very receptive of teaching, eager to learn, she also asked questions which were relevant to the topic that was discussed. She is not a smoker, but was concerned about the safety of her child because the neighbors in her apartment building smoke, sometimes in front of her building. The need to remove her child from the area as much as possible when the smoking is going on was stressed, she has a pediatrician that the child goes to for checkup. Understanding of the pamphlet by the parent was demonstrated by the relevant questions she asked such as how to protecting her child from secondhand smoke, and what type of illness occur from secondhand smoke , answers were provided to the questions from evidenced-based research. My impression of the experience is an exciting one and it went well, but there is always room to improve because nursing is a continuous process, and the feeling that I am putting my skill of educating the parent to better care for her ch ild and to protect the child as much as possible.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Continuous Personal Development In Hospitality

Continuous Personal Development In Hospitality INTRODUCTION In the following report, to be submitted to the restaurant manager I was instructed to find the gap between the staffs current capabilities and the skills requirement that is needed to be developed in order to meet the restaurants further plan. I was also to determine the training objectives for the staff to increase their current set of skills. For the current report I had to do the skills audit. I also had do the secondary and primary research for internal and external environment. For this purpose I have used a number of web sites and books. About the restaurant: Chutney Mary- Londons most fashionable and highly acclaimed Indian restaurant and twice received the award of Best Indian Restaurant in the UK from the authoritative Good Curry Guide. Restaurant opened its door to customers in 1990 Chelsea, London. The new romantic interior combines Indian richness and sparkle sepia etchings of Indian life. Restaurant reflects mix of the finest Indian craftsmanship in a stylish setting. Chutney Mary welcome guest by a comfortable lounge area leading to a dramatic stairway, featuring an enormous Moghul style mirror work mural. Impact Analysis Skill Areas:  Communication skills Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  No Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  No Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  3 Skill level desired:  2 Skill Areas:  Knowledge of the product Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  Yes Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  No Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  4 Skill level desired:  2 Skill Areas:  Up selling skills Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  Yes Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  No Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  3 Skill level desired:  2 Skill Areas:  New Technology Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  Yes Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  Yes Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  4 Skill level desired:  1 The above table shows the current set of skills. The skills required by the staff to accomplish the companys future plans are shown in the fifth column. The chart gives a synopsis to the manger of the areas that need to be develop, in order to reach the companys goal. One of the ways to solve the problem is by gap analysis or impact analysis. It is technique use to pin point the correct gaps between expected levels of service and the actual level of service provided. Gap analysis has played a crucial role in planning asset within public sector and private sectors as well. This analysis also gives a summary of the impacts of the set qualities to the management. This analysis helps the management to recruit new staff in the future. The management can cross reference it to check if the candidate has met the requirement, so that they can achieve their future plans. The analysis is generally used at the macro level. It identifies the key performance area of the organisation. It is necessary to close the gaps in desired and current levels of skills by every organisation in order to be successful in market. Identified Gaps in Chutney Mary: Up-selling: Up-selling guides restaurant to achieve the target set by the management. In Chutney Mary the management had always given the target revenue for every month. From this employees will be aware of their their target market for their product and what exactly they have to up-sell. There is quite a big gap in up-selling. The gap can be closed by giving training to the employees. This to have a good knowledge about the product and will also help in up-selling the brand image of the restaurant. Time management: It is an important tool in the hospitality sector. Time is one of the factors that cannot be wasted by the management. Skill audit the employees are lacking in time management. It sis a new restaurant managers must plan and manage the time. Inability to this will lead to a greater loss of revenue and reputation of the restaurant. For closing this gap special training must be given to the employees regarding time management. Communication skills: Being a hospitality sector it is very important to know that communication skills plays a vital role. In Chutney Mary many of the employees are Asians and Europeans and they are lacking in English so management must be well aware of it. As Chutney Mary is a new restaurant and which serve dietary food so there will plenty of reviews from the customers so staff should be able to explain the concept. For closing this gap management should arrange special English classes for those employees who are not fluent in English. Product knowledge: Product knowledge is one the gaps identified in Chutney Mary. Every staff must aware of the product and brand standards. It can be close by undergoing proper training to the staff which enhance the employees to explain the customers about their product with ease and confidence which will result in up selling. The restaurant must focus on shortage of skills and their impacts on Chutney Mary. From the given skills audit we can find out what skills are the employees lacking in: Lacking in efficiency and effective communication skills. Product knowledge. Lacking in time management. Up selling skills and its techniques of the employees are not up to the mark. Impact of the gaps to the business and achievement of future plans and objectives of the organisation: Due to lack of skills within the staff the restaurant will not be able to achieve future targets. This may have an effect on the productivity and can lead to negative comments and perceptions of the customers. Poor product knowledge may create lower revenue even when the staffs are doing through up selling. This can lead to the down fall of the gross revenue. Thus making lower profit on the sales volume. Less knowledge about the product makes the staff aware of the highlights of the products. It may lead tension and lower self confidence while they are dealing with customers. Lack of skills development results in less productivity of the organisation and poor and unacceptable performance. Lack of communication skills results in higher guest complaints. It increases the number of unsatisfied guest, and thus to bad word of mouth publicity. Because of this the management fails to achieve their future goals. Lack of up-selling technique will result in loss of potential revenue that the company can make. Organisation may lose its business in the market sector. They also have a fear of losing their market position. Explanation of staff development plan: As per the results from the above staff development plan I have explain it in details the summary of these plan: Up selling skills training: Up-selling plays an important role in the organisation since it helps to provide the value of the product than the price verified for it. Up-selling sales report is put on the board for every month to know the whether the restaurant has gain more revenue or not. The restaurant has a target of doing up-selling of  £20,000/- and above within a month time. This will help to increase the sales by 30%. Various up-selling techniques are used by the trainer who are invited from outside. From the above calculation there was  £206 per hour of average increase in the productivity rate. Menu knowledge: having accurate Menu knowledge has a good impact on the employees. By giving the training about the menu, restaurant is hoping to achieve the target of 45% on sale within 3-4 months and from the above calculation it was observed that there was 10% increase in sales. Time management: Time management is done in order to maintain the standards and consistency of the quality of work. Employees must be aware of the importance of time. The organisation has to keep the prospective of events like Olympics 2012. Communication skills: Communication skills are important in any service industry. Customer should know the concept and is easier when the staff has good communication skill. From the above chart 70% of employees who lacked in the communication skill left the job. Training wise restaurant is improvising on training the staff regarding with their English language. Increase in staff retention: In Chutney Mary Staff retention program is not effective. From the above plan it was found that 70% of staff has left the job. Creating a friendly atmosphere and providing regular staff training the restaurant is seeking to cut down the employment cost by 34% by the year end. Summary of this plan: What has to be done: From the above development plan the restaurant is planning to train all the employees within the department. For achieving this, restaurant must follow the objectives which had prioritised in the staff development plan. Special training must be given to the following issues menu knowledge, time management, and communication skills and staff retention. Employees should be trained on the brand standards so as to achieve the objectives. For that restaurant must arrange staff meeting once in a week. And have feedback from the employees and must discuss about what has to be done in order to achieve the goals. Who is going to do it: the objectives are for all level of staff within the organisation. It is the managements responsibility for arranging the trainings and evaluating the staff progress. Performance appraisal or staff performance check can be useful for this purpose. If the employees are successfully trained and are able to achieve this objective they should be rewarded by the manager of the restaurant. When it is going to be done: November 2009 the restaurant starts the evaluating employees recruitment, whether the employees are happy with their job through employees feedback form. December 2009 the restaurant will start with their up-selling training program and it will be finish by the end of 3 months. These programs will be held on Fridays and Saturday for every 1 hour. Brand standards training will be held in November 2009 on every weekend for 1 hour. Time management training will be held on January 2010 and communication skills training will be held in February November 2010. The time duration for all the training is of 3-4 months making them aware of time period. The employees who are lack in communication skills in English will be trained throughout the duration of the program. All this training will be done at management level and at the lower level as well. How it is going to be done: In Chutney Mary management puts training session on the notice board and gives the reminder of the session on the contact number of the employee. Websites resources like brand awareness, customer recommendation helps the employee to grow. Why it is going to be done: It is done to develop the personnel skills of the employees. The restaurant will have efficient staff to provide quality service after completion of the training session. This will result in increase in productivity of the restaurant and customer satisfaction and will improve. The restaurant will have a new face in the market sector, and within the competitors. This will be helpful to achieve the competitive edge against the competitors. How much will it cost: Approximately  £200-300/- quotation has been allocated to achieve these objectives. A total expenditure of the training session which consists of staff expenses, trainer expenses, training room charges etc. will be approximately around  £1000 to  £1500/-. How will the plan benefit the business? Training on up-selling helps to improve the skills of the staff while up-selling the product to the customers and gain more profit. Knowledge of the menu is key tool for the staff so that they can recommend the needs to the guest. This will help the staff to improve their skills and knowledge. Through time management staff will become more efficient and productive and they can become focussed in their work. By using communication skill the staff is expected to interact with the guest and top level management with effective communication. The staff retention will help to identify whether the employees are satisfied with their job. It also creates friendly atmosphere and as a result in smooth running of the operation. It also ensures that employee cost will be reduced. This plan will help the business in getting more customers. It will also help to achieve competitive edge over the competitors and helps to creating a reputation within the market sector. How staff development will be measured: Recommendation by the customers: In Chutney Mary they follow guest recommendation. They also follow the comment cards policy. While presenting the bill folder the comment cards are also presented and through comment cards we receive the customers feedback. For that we have mention certain ratings from 1 to 5. If the ratings are more than 5 staffs are rewarded. It also helps in checking the performance of the restaurant. Sales tracking system: Management keeps track on the sale through this system. In the system they compare the present and past sales and even do the break even analysis. Employees feedback and reviews: In Chutney Mary performance appraisal are given to the employees and this is done on every month. Risk assessment: The introduction of risk assessment. PLANS FACTORS WHICH CAN AFFECT TO CHUTNEY MARY PLANS TO REDUCE THIS RISK High profits Customers wants Wastages Product knowledge Staff must be aware of product knowledge and must reduced the wastages and management must undergo research on their whether their likes and dislikes. Knowledge of the menu Various styles and trends Based on climatic conditions. Allergic situations Staff must know the trends and styles to overcome the place in the market. They must be aware of the seasonal foods so that they can explain them to the customers. Staff must very well tackle with the allergic guest for that the menu knowledge is important. Time management Staffs that are not aware of this skill will not be able to able to meet and keep the time for future events. Staff needs to focus and must always be on time so as to achieve these targets so as to avoid conflicts within the department. Communication skills Many of staff are not aware of English language will not be able to interact with the customers and colleagues. English classes must be appointed for the staff and must be made compulsory and other languages must be banned within the restaurant. Increase in staff retention High staff turnover rate will lead to high employment cost. Friendly working environment for the employees. Executive summary From this assignment we were suppose to find out the medium terms plans of Chutney Mary and their objectives and what are the changes must be undertaken to achieve the objectives. Than we have to find out the skills audit for analysing the skills and goals of staff within the organisation. On the basis of skill audit we have to identify the gaps between current capabilities and the capabilities required in future plans. Than we have to find out the impact and what are the plans and objectives of this gap on Chutney Mary In the second task we carried out staff development plan so that the organisation can achieve certain targets and identified the risks which were inhibiting the organisational goals. Appendix 2 From the above development plan the restaurant is striving to achieve the Medium term objectives. Staff development plan is measured and achieved in every month and in result it will show the figures in the report regarding the restaurant success. NAME OF THE STAFF TRAINING PROGRAMMES TRAINING HOURS TRAINING PERIOD COSTS Mr Gaurav Raje (manager  ) and Mr. Sachin malhotra (trainer) Communication skills     For every 2 hrs Monday to Wednesday Approximately 250  £    Mr Oliver (wine trainer and supplier) Up selling    For every 1hr     Friday to Saturday Approximately 200  £Ã‚     Mr. Gaurav Raje (manager)   Time management For every 1hr   Thursday to Friday   Approximately 250 £Ã‚     Mr. Sachin Malhotra (trainer) Brand awareness   For every 1-2 hrs   Every weekends or during briefing   Approximately 150-200 £Ã‚   Mr. Rohit Shelatkar (director) Staff retention For every 10-15 minutes During staff meeting Approximately 300 £ Appendix 3 SALES REPORT OF Chutney Mary OF DATE 30TH OCTOBER 2009(FRIDAY): Chutney Mary Current Last year Last week Covers 121 103 110 Food per head 35.47 31.45 33.78 Beverage per head 21.01 23.36 17.13 Total per head 62.78 54.76 58.99 Revenue net of VAT 6,789 4,943 5,767 Dinner analysis Before 7pm Main After 10 pm Covers 05 181 15 Revenue net of VAT 0 6,389 0 Calculation of average sales per hour: Output = average number of covers in a day average price per cover Input no of people working on the day number of hours worked = 120 55 4 8 hrs = 6600 32 = 206  £. Average turnover rate of the employees: No of people leaving premises 100 No of people working in premises = 7 100 = 70%. 10 Menu knowledge and cost: food cost + maintenance + employees cost = 1500 + 1000 + 7 employees in a shift 8 per hour = 2500 + 56 =2556. = cost per day = 2556 = 21.3% No of covers per day 120 Sales per labour hour: Total sales Labour hour = 6,389 40 = 160  £ sales per labour hour. Appendix 4 Continuous professional development determines latest trends in the organisation so as to raise the capability of delivering professional service. It helps to maintain the high standards and quality within the organisation. It promotes the general welfare of the public. It helps to increase the competitiveness within the organisation Appendix 5 What is a skill audit? Skill audit is defined as a performance indicator which helps to identifies employees performance and skills and it is done at management perspective. The purpose for arranging skill audit is to find out the skills and knowledge that the organisation requires as well as they presently possess. It helps in understanding employees strength and weaknesses and identifies and measures the functional skills of the organisation. These are done through training, job design, out sourcing etc. Appendix 6 The steps for performing staff development plan: To determine the needs and development of the staff. This can be done with the manager of various departments that interact with the staff members. For the improvement of staff development plan the organisation must measure the improvement for each development it must be specific such has production rate must be specific for every organisation. For performing staff development plan organisation provides specific training courses, cross training to the employees so that the organisation can addressed and improve the development plan for the staff. There are two types of staff development plan they are generic plan which are used for specific jobs, positions for every employee. Source: Author unknown (2008) Staff development plan identify the potential resources of the employees to meet the needs. Staff development plan helps employees to update their skills and knowledge in various areas of the department. These plans are generally made at management level. The objectives of the plans to make the employees aware of the brand standards and to make to sell the product and to get positive feedback from the customers and to improve the performance.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich :: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Essays

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: Deeper into the Character When Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in 1962, he crossed political barriers in his explanation of the Siberian prison camp. Through his character Ivan Denisovich, Solzhenitsyn shows us a normal day in the camp. The book has no chapters, so it is like the reader is spending the day with Ivan. Through this day, he tells of the people, the life conditions, what things are to be done and what things are not to be done. One Day. . . takes us from the wake up call to lights out, with only meals and work between. Nevertheless, because this is only one day, it is hard to really know and understand the characters. Yet, Solzhenitsyn uses flashbacks to show the different sides to his character Ivan Denisovich. Solzhenitsyn uses quite a few major flash backs to show the history of the characters; yet, there were two distinct examples he uses to show Ivans feelings. These two flashbacks help us to understand his humanity and optimism. When he is at his first work camp, he receives many letters and packages from his wife. These letters talk of things happening at home while the packages contain food and tobacco. Yet, every time he receives a package, only a small portion gets to Ivan after all of the appropriate people take their cuts. Therefore, despite his need for food, he writes to his wife and tells her to stop sending the packages. He wants her to save the bread for their children. Even though he asks her to not send any more packages, he still longs for someone to run up to him and say "Shukhov (Ivan) what are you waiting for? You've got a package!" (P.160). No one ever does, nor does he expect them to. As much as he wants the package, he doesn't want his family to suffer on his account. This situation shows the reader the caring and compassionate side of Ivan. It shows the reader of his capacity to give up his own food on behalf of his family. Ivan is a very loving father, yet, without this example, the reader would lose an important aspect of his character. Only through this flashback are we able to see this side of him.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Darwinism in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Essay -- Social Darw

Few people argue that Great Expectations, one of Dickens’s later novels, is a Darwinian work. Goldie Morgentaler, in her essay â€Å"Meditating on the Low: A Darwinian Reading of Great Expectations,† is one of those few. She argues primarily that Darwin’s Origin of the Species was a major topic of discussion in Dickens’s circle at the time he wrote Great Expectations, and that Great Expectations â€Å"marks the first time that Dickens jettisons heredity as a determining factor in the formation of the self† (Morgentaler, 708). This fascinating insight draws one to read more of Morgentaler’s essay. It does not, however, compel the reader to admit that Dickens became Darwinian. Morgentaler’s main argument, though useful, could point just as well, if not better, to Dickens’s growing maturity as a Christian. Dickens gives very little emphasis to effects of heredity in Great Expectations. Three major characters, Pip, Estella, and Magwitch, grow up without any contact with their biological parents. Pip’s parents, in fact, never make an appearance, except as a tombstone in the first several paragraphs of the book, and the reader knows as little about them as Pip does. It is impossible to tell what traits Pip might have inherited from them, and such facts seem irrelevant to the plot. Estella, of course, is raised by a vengeful Miss Havisham. In fact, her true mother, when she is discovered, turns out to be capable of violent passion and murder – quite the opposite of Estella’s calm, almost heartless personality. And Magwitch, constantly in and out of jail, â€Å"was took up, took up, took up to that extent that [he] reg’larly grow’d up took up† (Dickens 321). These three characters’ environments and upbringings, not their parental her i... ...roughout her essay, but she stretches them to make them fit a Darwinian reading, and she ignores Christian wording that attributes the course of Great Expectations and the growth of characters to the influence of the Judeo-Christian God. Rather, in direct opposition to Darwin, Dickens denies that inherited genetic traits control a person. If all people are equally low, they are also equally capable of a Christian love, goodness, and grace. And if Dickens emphasizes this theme more distinctly in Great Expectations than in previous works, the effect is only to create a novel that is more, not less, profoundly Christian. Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Bantam Books, 1981. Morgentaler, Goldie. â€Å"Meditating on the Low: A Darwinian Reading of Great Expectations.† Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 38.4 (Autumn 1998): 707-721.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

English for Business

This course is designed to develop the student's ability to communicate through listening, speaking, reading and writing in English. It is our goal to: Sensitizes the student to the diverse nature of cultures; Enable the students to make connections with other areas of study; Prepare students to participate In local and global communities.In this way, we fulfill the school's mission and goals to encourage our students to become responsible and contributing members and leaders of their various communities. I believe that learning more than one language opens doors to new ways of thinking and doing, comparing and contrasting, and perceiving and communicating. Through these processes, students will learn more about themselves, their own language, communicating and making decisions. Not only Is language learning enjoyable and valuable In Itself, It has also become increasingly Important In a global community.Knowing another language helps us understand and assess world events because it rings us closer to the people and cultures of that language. The knowledge of a language other than Spanish is an essential career asset. Through cultural awareness, our students will develop a greater acceptance of others. The mall objective of the class Is to train International students with a global perspective. Who are able to add value In complex International transactions by means of providing top-quality services with an awareness of business issues and the highest standards of professional ethics.Socio Cultural Forces 2. Ethics in Business 3. Human Resource Management 4. Communication in Negotiation 5. Organizational Leadership 6. Strategic Planning, Organizational Design, and control in International Business. Come to class on time. If you are late you will not be allowed to come In. 2. After the 8th absence you will automatically fail the course, with no exceptions 3. Attend to personal needs before coming to class.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Character Analysis: “Everyday Use” Essay

The mother in this story has lived a hard, long life, doing the job of a man, never complaining, just doing the things to survive. Then we have her daughter, Dee, who I picture as never having broken a sweat in her life. As a child she hated her house, her living, her culture. When the fire had burnt down the old house, she just sat there in amazement under an old gum tree, as if she wanted to dance in the ashes. She did all this while her mother was carrying Maggie, with arms burnt so bad they were sticking to her, and whose hair was singed and smoking with the foul stench of burning flesh. Why then, if her heritage means so much to her, didn’t she lift a finger to save any of the house or items in it? Instead she sat under a tree admiring the disaster that was taking place. Like the house, her family was of little importance to her. She was ashamed of their lack of knowledge and seemed very much bothered by the poverty in which she lived. In her mind, to be important was to be worldly. To have riches and â€Å"style† were what mattered, not her family. It’s ironic how when she was younger she could not wait to get out of her lifestyle, but now she claims her culture is important to her. She even goes through the extent of changing her name since in her mind, â€Å"Dee† was the name given to her by her oppressors when in reality it was the name passed down by her own family. Dee changes her name to Wangero Lewaninka Kemanjo, which supposedly goes back to her African roots. The mother passively accepts the change with no argument. She doesn’t even say a word when Dee takes the churn top off the butter churner that has milk in it that has already clabbered, and claims it as her own. Dee doesn’t even stop to think that it’s still in use, just that she wants it and that’s that. The mother’s slowly being nudged and pushed; like the cow she doesn’t mind! Then Dee demands that she be able to take the two quilts that were made by her grandma. When the mother claims that the quilts were promised to her sister Maggie, Dee gets furious, stating that Maggie can’t appreciate them. She’ll ruin them by using them everyday. Dee is trying to gain a culture that she believes comes from objects like the churner and the quilts. But her idea of culture is something to be hung on a wall, put on display. She has no idea that culture comes from knowing and living the culture. To them it is a way of life; to Dee, it is the â€Å"in† thing to do. I feel that the mother finally sees this in Dee and doesn’t respect it. So for the first time in the mother’s life, the cow was milked the wrong way and had begun to kick. She snatches the quilts out of Dee’s hands and throws them into the arms of Maggie. Furiously stomping out of the house, Dee shouts, â€Å"You don’t understand!† â€Å"What?† exclaims her mother. â€Å"Your heritage,† Dee responds. The final words Dee says are, â€Å"It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and mama still act, you’d never know it.† How is it that she doesn’t even realize a simple statement? She never has and she never will have this culture. Culture is not all art, it’s not something you turn on and off: it’s life.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Challenges of Transforming a Traditional Brick-and-Mortar Store Essay

1.Reconcile the idea of selling aromatics over the Internet with a functional approach to marketing. Is the idea basically sound? Although a web-based selling aromatics strategy does not guarantee success, however there are many benefits on web-based sales. The benefits Celia can get from the web-based business if she launches the web site correctly are; †¢There is a potential to increase her revenue. †¢The ability to expand her business into global markets. †¢The ability to remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week without additional cost. †¢The ability to lower the cost of doing business †¢Can rate the customer satisfaction about her product will promote more business Celia is very knowledgeable on aromatics products therefore she can be successful by selling online. Many people do not live in a city where their favorite product being offered and they are willing to purchase it from on-line. Celia can take advantage of the growing internet market to launch her scent products. Celia needs to manage her web site properly and use the right strategies to promote her products. Celia needs to pick the correct tool to promote her product and make it available for the on-line customer. In order to be successful in web-based sales, Celia need consider the followings: †¢She need to understand her target customer †¢offer the customer what they want †¢Make sure the web site easy to navigate †¢Simple design of the web site – create user friendly website †¢ Make sure the web site is fast, simple checkout process †¢Assure customers that their online transactions are secure. †¢Keep the web site up to date †¢Hire a professional web designer to create and maintain the web site. 2.What should Celia do? Reference your recommendations to the text or presentation. †¢The first step Celia should take is, she need to select an all-in-one e-commerce internet service that includes; web page editor, shopping card software, design templates, payment processing. Using the all-in-one e-commerce internet service will allow Celia to launch an attractive online store which will promote more sales. †¢Celia should focus on a niche in the market. †¢Celia should market her products online by opening social networking accounts such as Facebook or Twitter. With the social network Celia can start blog about her products and the uniqueness of the products that she offering. She can also offer discounts to the readers who reads her blog or whoever connected with her. †¢ She can attract visitors by giving away â€Å"freebies† through the social network †¢Celia should promote her web site online and offline. One-way of promoting will be giving additional discount to people who orders from online. †¢The last step to develop an effective search engine to optimize her strategy, cheap or lower cost website cannot offer the extensive customer service. Therefore, Celia should consider getting a professional website designer who has referrals and creditability to perform the job that she requires. 3.Comment on Table 1 and the pattern of sales. MonthNumber of Online Transaction Total Monthly Dollars Sales Average Monthly Dollars Sales January2 $ 19.72 $ 9.86 February13 $ 598.69 $ 46.05 March4 $ 103.29 $ 25.82 April6 $ 208.86 $ 34.81 May20 $ 826.58 $ 41.33 June4 $ 98.57 $ 24.64 July2 $ 16.60 $ 8.30 August1 $ 7.29 $ 7.29 September4 $ 114.28 $ 28.57 October5 $ 106.54 $ 21.31 November10 $ 233.54 $ 23.35 December25 $ 1,026.89 $ 41.04 Average per month8 $ 280.07 $ 35.01 Yearly Total96 $ 3,360.85 n/a 1st 2nd 3rd The highest sale of the monthDecemberMayFebruary The lowest sale of the month August JulyJanuary The highest Average of the month February MayDecember The lowest Average of the month August JulyJanuary †¢The highest sales of the month is December oTotal revenue of $1,026.89 oTotal item sold 25 This indicates holiday season and customer are looking for gift items and therefore sales increased. †¢The Second highest sales of the month May oTotal revenue of $826.58 oTotal item sold 20 This indicates mother’s day and customer are looking for gift items and the target market is women. †¢The Third highest sales of the month February oTotal revenue of $598.69 oTotal item sold 13 This indicates Valentine’s Day and customer are looking for gift items and the target market could be women. †¢The highest average unit price of the month is February oThe average price for unit $46.05 This indicates price per perfume increased on the month of February may be it has to do with the Valentine’s Day. During that time people will pay any price to get quality item on the market. All these results show potential target market Celia should focus is ladies and during the holiday season, Valentine’s Day and the mother’s day.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Odysseus vs Rama Essay

Two exciting epics that are widely read and well-known across the globe hold many likenesses between the heroes. The Odyssey by Homer and The Ramayana by Valmiki, tell the tales of two heroes who hold many similarities between them even as their stories differ. Both poems are epics because their heroes are great men, well-known to their worlds, both suffer long difficult journeys, and both are aided by as well as taunted by gods and goddesses of their religions and cultures. But in the end both men overcome great tragedy and catastrophes to rightfully rule as kings of their own lands. Odysseus and Rama were both strong warriors of great stature. Athena speaks of Odysseus to his son and calls him â€Å"a mighty man† (Homer, Odyssey, Book I,p. 7). Griffith describes Rama as â€Å"Tall and broad-shouldered, strong of limb,† (Griffith, Book I, stz. 1) who has â€Å"†¦massive jaw and ample chest† and â€Å"strong arms reach below his knee† (Griffith, Book I, stz. 1). Throughout the story these men both are challenged and use their great strength of the warrior to defeat their challengers. Odysseus is challenged by the sea many times and with great strength survives the power of the sea against him. In the house of King Alcinous he describes many a plight where he fought against the drowning waves and the storms of Poseidon. â€Å"†¦. Zeus with white bolt crushed my swift ship and cleft it in the midst of the wine-dark deep†¦. I clung with fast embrace about the keel of the curved ship, and so was I borne for nine whole days†¦. † (Homer, Osdyssey, Book VII, p. 105). Only a man of great strength and endurance could cling in the moving waters for nine whole days without fail. Then, against Poseidon’s enormous waves, Odysseus later survives a storm at sea by swimming through the forcible waves to reach land. For Poseidon, shaker of the earth, stirred up the same, who roused against me the winds†¦. Thus the storm winds shattered the raft, but as for me I cleft my way through the gulf yonder†¦. † (Homer,Odyssey,1950, Book VII, p. 105). Odysseus exhibits godly strength against the seas and her challenges. Rama displays an unconquerable stamina in Griffith’s epic. Rama slays a giant to gain the friendship of Agastya but this leads to his being attacked by the giantess Surpanakha and her three sisters. Still they are no match for Rama as â€Å"†¦. they and myriad fiends beside Beneath the might of Rama died† (Griffith, Book I stz. ). Both heroes are challenged by enormous odds and yet both are victorious proving stout strength and stamina above all other men. However, physical strength is not the only weapon these heroes wield. Cunning and strategy play an important role in defeating more powerful enemies. Odysseus exhibits such mental strength against Cyclops when he helps his companions to escape the Cyclops’ cavern. Odysseus devised a plan to deceive Cyclops and in his cunning is even smart enough to predict Cyclops’ call for help from his brethren. And in knowing this, he tells Cyc lops his name is â€Å"Noman. Thus does Cyclops call out for help after Odysseus blinds him with the torched end of a stake and cries â€Å"My friends, Noman is slaying me by guile, nor at all by force† (Homer,Odyssey,1950, Book IX, p. 137-8). Thus his friends who thought â€Å"no man† was assaulting their brother determined his suffering to be a sickness sent by Zeus and bade him to call upon his father Poseidon for help and went their ways. Odysseus further exhibits his craftiness when he devises a plan of escape. When Cyclops is blinded, he sets himself before the cave entrance with arms wide to prevent the men’s departure through the cavern mouth. However, Odysseus is more clever than he and fastens three sheep together across and ties a man beneath the middle one’s underbelly. For himself he hangs on beneath the magnificent ram until sunrise when they are allowed through the mouth of the cavern by Cyclops out to pasture to graze. Once far from Cyclops Odysseus comes out from under his ram and then unfastens his men, and they are all able to escape. By their hiding beneath the sheep, Cyclops only felt the fleece and thereby allowed the men to pass through. This is a grand display of cunning. Rama also portrays some semblance of intelligence when he chooses his allies against the demon king, realizing that he can win their loyalty by defeating their enemy and convincing the king of the monkeys that they share a suffrage because they both have been banished from their homelands, Rama is able to convince the monkey army to come to his aid (Griffith, Book I, stz. 1) . â€Å"Who, knowing all the tale, before The sacred flame alliance swore. Sugriva to his new-found friend Told his own story to the end: His hate of Bali for the wrong And insult he had borne so long. And Rama lent a willing ear And promised to allay his fear† (Griffith, Book I, Stz. 1). With his crafty ways, Rama knew since he had slain the object of Sugriva’s , the monkey king’s, hatred, that he would be allied at once with the monkey armies. This was his key to finding his wife, Sita, and rescuing her. Odysseus and Rama were both intertwined with the deities of their cultures. Odysseus had the help of Athena throughout his entire trip home after the war in Troy and his exile with Calypso on her lonely island where he was a kept man by the goddess (Homer, Odyssey, Book I, p. ). Athena bodes Zeus â€Å"O father†¦. if indeed this thing is now well pleasing to the blessed gods, that wise Odysseus should return to his own home, let us then speed Hermes the Messenger†¦. to the island of Ogygia. There with all speed let him declare†¦. our unerring counsel, even the return of the patient Odysseus, that so he may come to his home† (Homer,Odyssey,1950, Book I, p. 3). If not for Athena’s plea and reminder to Zeus, Odysseus would have remained with Calypso forever. But Athena provides further assistance and stays beside Odysseus along the way. She is with him when he travels to the house of King Alcinous and tries to protect him and to guide him. â€Å"At that same hour Odysseus roused him to go to the city, and Athene shed a deep mist about Odysseus for the favour that she bare him, lest any of the Phaeacians†¦. should meet him and mock him†¦. † (Homer,Odyssey,1950, Book VII, p. 97). And disguised as a maiden she journeys with him home on the ship and stays until he has defeated his wife’s wooers who have consumed the spoils of his home. She lends her assistance when needed such as when she cloaked Odysseus and his son and his men in darkness so that they may leave the town to come back to defeat the wooers in battle. Athena provides even more aid as she convinces his son Telemachus to search for his father and to bring him home. She also gives him advice such as having his mother hide Odysseus’ bow that no man can string other than Odysseus, foreseeing the contest to prove his identity later after his journey (Homer,Odyssey,1950, Book II, pp. 25-7). Rama himself is a god although he does not know this. He is the born human entity of the god Vishnu Narayana who has a premeditated plan to take human form and then to defeat the demon god, Ravana hated by all supernatural gods and goddesses alike. But it is not until the end of his epic journey that Rama remembers that his true essence is the god Narayana (Griffith, Book I, stz. 19). This is unlike Odysseus who was favored by the gods and knew of their help and their interest in him as he bore them many sacrifices in return. One such sacrifice being in the cave of the Cyclops as they awaited his return from shepherding his flock. â€Å"Then we kindled a fire, and made burnt-offering†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Homer,Odyssey,1950, Book IX, p. 132). Such offerings are made throughout the story before and after challenges are met. Once the Cyclops was defeated, Odysseus took the best ram for offering â€Å"†¦the ram for me alone my goodly-greaved company chose out, in the dividing of the sheep, and on the shore I offered him up to Zeus†¦. and I burnt the slices of the thighs. † (Homer, Odyssey,1950, Book IX, p. 142). From this a conclusion could be drawn: it is expected of a hero to make offering to the gods who find favor with him. Likewise, Rama shows respect to the gods and his father, King Dasaratha, when he unfailingly responds to their commands without question. When asked by Queen Kaikeyi if he promises to honor his father’s vow and do his bidding, Rama replies, â€Å"I, at the bidding of my sire, Would cast my body to the fire, A deadly draught of poison drink, Or in the waves of ocean sink: If he command, it shall be done,–My father and my king in one† (Griffith, Book II, stz. 8). Rama leaves for his banishment without delay and without question to honor his father’s vow to Kaikeyi. He meets his challenges without hesitation and follows what the Indians name â€Å"dharma†, the will of the gods (Brockington, 1984, p. 33) or what the Greeks refer to as fate, a story of life darned out by the Muse (Homer, Iliad, 1950, p. 175). Both epics contain heroes who follow their dharma or fate without question and praise and honor their gods. It is when the heroes anger or disrespect the gods that evil befalls them. For example, when Odysseus tells king Alcinous how he injured Cyclops and this angered the creature’s father, Poseidon who aided Cyclops as he attacked the ship with hilltop and large boulder causing waves to drive the ship back to shore. (Homer, Odyssey,1950, Book IX, p. 141-2). Or when Rama slays the giant and angers the demon king Ravan, because Rama is vigilant in his respect to the gods, he overcomes the challenges brought before him when his wife is stolen from him. Rama is the example of true dharma and a great hero to the Indian religion of Hindu. Brockington, 1984, p. 8). Odysseus and Rama both face a great journey and banishment. Odysseus takes twenty years to return from the battle of Troy and suffers many hardships along the way that detain him from reaching his homeland for which he desires. One such suffering be at the hands of Calypso on the Isle Ogygia for seven years where she forced his stay as he had no means by which to depart until Calypso was bade by the gods to sent him adrift on a raft (Homer, Odyssey,1950, Book V, pp. 74-75. Among these misadventures that halted Odysseus’ return, was the Isle of the Lotus-Eaters, where the men ate of the Lotus which made them lose their desire to continue their journey home, and the Sirens who attempted to attract them to their own deaths (Homer, Odyssey, Book IX, p. 128-130). The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus’ journey home once he has befallen these challenges after the War of Troy. This journey takes more time as he meets hardships mostly set upon him by Poseidon, who â€Å"†¦. saw Odysseus as he sailed over the deep; and he was mightily angered in spirit†¦. (Homer, Odyssey, Book V, p. 79) and reveals â€Å"it must be that the gods at the last have changed their purposes concerning Odysseus†¦. But methinks that even yet I will drive him far enough in the path of suffering† (Homer, Odyssey, 1950, p. 79). Thus another journey begins and Odysseus is troubled once again, taking a total of twenty years before he reaches his homeland. If not for Athena’s aid and the aid of the other gods, Odysseus would not have been successful. Rama is also taken from his homeland. On the eve of his preparations to take over the throne for his father, one of his father’s other wives, Queen Kaikeyi , to whom King Dasaratha owes two vows as she had saved his life previously, beseeches the king to throne her son, Bharat and exile Rama for fourteen years to the forest. â€Å"These rites in Rama’s name begun Transfer them, and enthrone my son. The time is come to claim at last The double boon of days long-past, When Gods and demons met in fight. And thou wouldst fain my care requite. Now forth to Dandak’s forest drive Thy Rama for nine years and five, And let him dwell a hermit there†¦. (Griffith, Book II, stz. 11). With these words Kaikeyi reminds Dasaratha of his promise to her when she saved his life by caring for a fatal wound. She then asks for her son to be throned without challenge from Rama and also that Rama be exiled for fourteen years to live as a hermit in the forest. Kaikeyi only does such a greedy act because her maid Manthara has convinced her that horrible tidings await her future and that of her son if Bharat does not take the throne and Rama is enthroned (Griffith, Book II, stzs. -8). Still, honoring his father’s lamenting bid, Rama departs, ready to make a life anew with his wife and his one half-brother, Lakshmana (Griffith, Book II, stz. 19). As did Odysseus, so did Rama face many sufferings once he left in exile and his journey was not yet over. Sita, his wife, is stolen from him while he is away. Thus Rama, takes on the tasks of allying with the monkey armies to have aid in finding and saving his beloved wife. Then he faces Ravan, the demon king, to save her (Griffi th, Book IV, V, VI). Odysseus’ and Rama’s stories both reveal the importance of a warrior’s weaponry and strength in their respective cultures. When Odysseus returns home, with the deviousness of Athena, he and his son and wife, Telemachus and Penelope, devise a contest to prove his identity so that Odysseus may overtake his kingdom of Ithaca once more. Whosoever can string Odysseus’ prominent bow will have Penelope for his wife and all the kingdom of Odysseus for his own. So does Penelope set the bow and quiver before the wooers. And one by one they attempt to string Odysseus’ mighty bow. But none can accomplish this feat. Once Telemachus convinces the wooers to let the beggar who is his disguised father attempt the feat, â€Å"†¦. Odysseus straightaway bent the great bow, all without effort, and took it in his right hand and proved the bow string, which rang sweetly at the touch, in tone like a swallow â€Å" (Homer, Odyssey, 1950, Book XXI, p. 336). All at once he revealed his true identity and all was lost to the suitors of his wife.

Storm Born Chapter Fifteen

I don't care how old you get or how tough you are. Nothing, nothing at all, can ever replace your mother taking care of you when you're sick. The feel of a cool, wet cloth touched my head, and the sound of familiar humming just barely penetrated my weary brain. I opened my eyes and saw the same funny-shaped pieces of sunlight cast through my blinds onto the bedroom ceiling. Only this time, their positions had changed, their colors dimmer and darker orange. The humming abruptly stopped. â€Å"Eugenie?† â€Å"Mom,† I croaked. My throat felt torn and raw. She moved into my field of vision, face drawn with worry. I couldn't believe it. She looked almost entirely normal. Her hair had a bit of a wind-swept look, and I could see a few bruises. Other than that, she seemed fine, not like she'd just endured a paranormal attack and subsequent magically induced maelstrom. For just a moment, I questioned my own memories. Had I imagined what happened? Had it been a trick or a vision? No. I felt like shit. No delusion could have caused this pain. â€Å"You're okay?† I asked doubtfully. She nodded. â€Å"Fine. What about you?† I tentatively attempted to make contact with the muscles in my body. They told me to leave them the fuck alone. â€Å"I hurt.† She adjusted the cloth on my head, making it fractionally more perfect. As she leaned over, a lock of her hair slipped forward, and I made out muddy fingerprints on her neck. No. Definitely not my imagination. â€Å"I called Roland. He was up in Flagstaff with Bill. He's on his way back now – should be here in a couple of hours.† â€Å"Mom†¦how'd you recover?† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"You were really messed up from those spirits. Don't you remember?† â€Å"I got a little shaken up but nothing worse. Nothing like you.† She frowned, giving a little sigh. â€Å"God, how I wish you were a lawyer instead. Or maybe a pharmacist.† â€Å"What do you remember happening?† â€Å"Not much,† she admitted. â€Å"I remember going after one of those†¦creatures. After that, it's a blur. I must have panicked. Your living room is, uh, going to need some help.† I closed my eyes, feeling tired. My living room would probably need to be bulldozed and rebuilt from scratch. No telling how the rest of the house had fared. It could probably collapse at any moment. My room actually looked kind of normal. A few things were knocked over, probably casualties of stray gusts of wind. â€Å"You've got people here who want to see you.† I opened my eyes. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"No one I know. A man and a woman.† â€Å"Is the man a fox?† She stared at me, confused. â€Å"A fox? He's very handsome, yes, but, sweetie†¦maybe I should send them away. You don't sound like you're better yet.† â€Å"No, no, let me talk to them.† I had a feeling the missing pieces of what had happened during and after the storm lay with Kiyo. â€Å"And I need to talk to them†¦alone.† My mother looked hurt. â€Å"It's not personal. It's business.† She started to argue, then shook her head and stood up. â€Å"I'll go get them.† While she was gone, I dared a hasty assessment of my appearance. I was still in my underwear and camisole. The top in particular was ripped and dirty. I pulled the covers up almost to my neck and ran a hand over my hair and face. I could feel more dirt on my skin plus a scab on my cheek, distantly reminding me of a shard of something flying out and cutting me. My hair stuck out everywhere. I attempted to smooth it down, but then my mom returned with Kiyo and a strange woman. â€Å"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me,† Mom said protectively. She pulled the door closed behind her, all but a crack. Kiyo's face told me all I needed to know about the way I looked. â€Å"You should see the other guy,† I said. A small smile broke over his face. â€Å"I did. He's in pieces in the other room.† â€Å"Oh.† He beckoned to the woman. â€Å"Eugenie, this is Maiwenn, queen of the Willow Land.† I started in surprise. She didn't look like a Willow Queen. Of course, I'm not sure what exactly I expected – maybe something akin to Glinda the Good Witch. But this woman looked like Surfer Girl Barbie. Her skin glowed with a deep bronze tan. Platinum blond hair fell in supermodel waves to her waist. Her eyes were the color of the sea in the sun, blue-green with long lashes. She wore a simple blue dress, a bit old-fashioned but nothing that screamed, â€Å"I'm a fairy queen.† It was looser than the form-fitting gowns other gentry women seemed to favor but was still quite pretty. My feelings of inadequacy about my appearance increased tenfold. â€Å"Nice to meet you,† I said. I could hear the tentativeness in my voice. Kiyo might swear to her character, but I still carried a lot of apprehension around the gentry, monarch or no. â€Å"And you,† she said. Her voice was rich and sweet, her face serene. â€Å"I'm sorry I could not heal you too.† â€Å"‘Too'? Oh†¦was it you? Did you heal my mother? She doesn't remember anything†¦.† She nodded. â€Å"I didn't have the power to heal you both. She was more severely injured, and with your age and stamina – and your blood – well, I thought you'd have an easier time recovering.† I thought about the aches and pains shooting through my body. Easier? That might be a subjective term. â€Å"You made the right choice. Thanks. I'll be fine.† Kiyo stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. â€Å"Eugenie doesn't like to admit weakness. It's one of her more charming traits.† I shot him a glare, and Maiwenn offered a small, polite smile. â€Å"Nothing wrong with that.† She approached me and extended a hand toward my face. â€Å"I think I have enough strength for a small healing. May I?† I nodded, not entirely sure what I was agreeing to. Her fingertips grazed my cheek, icy cold but gentle. A tingle ran through me, and she drew back, suddenly looking pale and tired. Kiyo started to help her when she stumbled, but she waved him off. â€Å"There. No scarring this way.† My fingers examined the place she had touched. No more scab. â€Å"Thank you.† Silence fell, and I looked from face to face. With me in bed and them hanging around so casually, I didn't really feel like I was having a meeting with a bona fide queen. It was all so informal. â€Å"What happened?† They exchanged uncertain glances. â€Å"We're not really sure,† he said. â€Å"You and your mother were both unconscious. The elemental was dead, and your living room†¦it looks kind of bad.† â€Å"But†¦that was it?† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"What more could there be?† â€Å"There was no storm when you showed up?† They exchanged conspiratorial looks again, and something about their solidarity rankled me. â€Å"Tell us what you remember,† Maiwenn said. I did, starting with the spirit attack and ending with the vicious storm. Neither spoke when I finished. Kiyo sighed. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"What happened? You obviously know.† â€Å"It's complicated.† â€Å"Everything's complicated lately. Let me guess. It was the magic, wasn't it? Storm King's inherited power?† He didn't answer. She did. â€Å"Yes. It seems it has been passed down after all.† â€Å"Can I stop it? Keep it locked up so it doesn't come out again?† â€Å"Not likely. You might be able to bury it so it isn't consciously used, but†¦if it's there, it's likely to burst out again when your emotions let loose. You'll get the same kind of disastrous results if you don't learn to manage it.† â€Å"I don't want it.† I shuddered, recalling that horrible blackness and deadly lightning. Uneasily, I remembered what Volusian had told me, that embracing my magic could protect me and those I loved. I looked at Maiwenn nervously, hating what I was about to ask. â€Å"But I don't want to hurt anyone either. Can you teach me to use it? Or at least control it?† Kiyo's eyes widened. â€Å"Eugenie, no – â€Å" â€Å"What do you expect me to do?† I demanded. The expression on his face mirrored what I felt inside. â€Å"It's not like I want to do this. But you saw what happened. I destroyed my house, and worse, I nearly killed my mother. And myself.† He sighed but didn't argue. Maiwenn regarded him calmly. â€Å"She's right.† â€Å"I know. But I don't have to like it.† â€Å"I don't know if I can teach you or not,† she murmured, turning back to me. â€Å"Your magic – storm magic – is a very physical, outward sort of power. Healing is more internal. Less aggressive. Some of the basics will be the same, but we'll probably have to find you a teacher with similar powers.† Like someone who can call up pieces of the earth and rip castles apart, I thought. I didn't give voice to that. Kiyo and I might be â€Å"friends,† but I immediately knew he wouldn't like me getting close to Dorian. â€Å"Kiyo says you're against the invasion thing, that you weren't a supporter of Storm King.† â€Å"Yes. That was part of the reason I wanted to meet you. I'm happy you survived today, Eugenie Markham, but†¦this possibility of the prophecy coming true alarms me. I've spent years believing Storm King had no children. Your existence causes all sorts of complications.† It occurred to me then that Maiwenn might have slept easier if I'd been killed today. â€Å"So is it true?† she asked. â€Å"You have no intention of fulfilling the prophecy?† â€Å"Of course not.† â€Å"Turning one's back on such power can't be easy. Even now, you're considering his magic.† â€Å"That's a necessity. I don't want it. Besides, none of this is about power. It's about keeping my world safe. You forget that until a few weeks ago, I had no clue about any of this. In most ways – me whipping up a storm aside – I still consider myself human. I'm not going to let some army subjugate or destroy my race.† â€Å"You see?† Kiyo said to her. â€Å"I told you.† I could still see the doubt on her face. â€Å"I'm serious. I don't want to usher in some terrible era of gentry domination. I sure as hell don't want to be a plaything for every gentry guy. And even if the worst happens† – I shuddered, remembering the elemental's proximity – â€Å"well, there are ways of making sure I don't actually get or stay pregnant.† I didn't feel like getting into logistics with her. â€Å"Hopefully, I can just keep up the avoidance, though. I'm not jumping into anyone's bed soon.† Sympathy replaced Maiwenn's doubt. â€Å"Yes. I'm truly sorry for what you've endured. It sickens me. I honestly can't imagine it. You've surpassed your fearless reputation. I couldn't have coped so bravely.† I thought again about the terror that had filled me when the elemental had me trapped. The tears. The desperation. I didn't know how brave I'd really been. Kiyo's eyes met mine then, and while Maiwenn looked distracted with thought, I think he might have glimpsed a little of my emotion. Affection for me burned on his face, and I fell into it. The moment shattered when a loud voice sounded outside my room. â€Å"What the fuck happened in here? No way am I cleaning this up!† Kiyo straightened up, alarmed, but I waved away his concern. â€Å"Don't worry. It's just my housemate.† Sure enough, Tim burst in, outrage written all over him. He wore buckskin pants and a matching vest over his bare chest. Feathers decorated his black hair. Beads ringed his neck. His face fell as soon as he saw me. â€Å"Oh God, Eug. Are you all right?† I started to give him the â€Å"other guy† line, then opted for simplicity. â€Å"Fine.† He jerked his thumb behind him. â€Å"That room's in pieces.† â€Å"I know. Don't worry. I'll clean it up.† â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You're better off not knowing. Tim, this is Kiyo and Maiwenn.† Remembering himself, Tim raised his right hand in a sort of â€Å"How, white man† kind of way. â€Å"I am Timothy Red Horse. May the Great Spirit smile down upon you.† This latter part seemed to be for Maiwenn in particular. She smiled formally. Kiyo appeared to oscillate between hilarity and disgust. Greetings done, Tim walked over to me, shaking his head ruefully. â€Å"You're into some crazy shit.† â€Å"You might want to find another place to stay,† I said seriously. â€Å"I don't think it'll be safe around here.† â€Å"Are you kidding? I'm never going to find this good a deal. What's a little death and destruction?† â€Å"Tim – â€Å" His face sobered. â€Å"Don't worry, Eug. I know what you do. If things heat up, I'll get out.† â€Å"Did you see the living room? That's pretty hot.† â€Å"Yeah, but so long as the house is standing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're more difficult than I am.† I remembered I was supposed to find a witch to boost the wards around my house. I'd forgotten. Instead, I had created some wards of my own, but they weren't very strong, as evidenced by the recent invasion. A witch couldn't keep everything out but would do a better job than me. Tim grinned. â€Å"Well, let's not get carried away. Anyway. You look like you're in the middle of something. You want anything? Chicken soup? Foot massage?† â€Å"You can get me a Milky Way. And see if my Def Leppard CD survived the war zone.† â€Å"Don't get your hopes up on that last one.† He said goodbye to the others and left. â€Å"An odd man,† mused Maiwenn. â€Å"You have no idea.† Yet, while Tim and I had bantered, I'd noticed Maiwenn and Kiyo speaking quietly to each other in the corner. She had rested a hand on his arm as they talked, and there had been something almost†¦intimate in the way they stood together. Like they were comfortable being in each other's personal space. Very comfortable. I remembered Kiyo's resolute support of her, his claim that he worked with her because he believed in her cause. But was that truly it? Or was there more? She was a â€Å"good friend.† They stood apart now, but a jealous, ugly feeling kindled in my chest. She finally turned away from him and gave me a small, tight smile. â€Å"I don't mean to be rude, but†¦I'm not feeling well and must return home.† â€Å"It's no problem. Thanks for coming, and†¦thank you for healing my mother.† Maiwenn nodded, and I could tell she really was sick. Weariness ringed those lovely eyes. â€Å"I'm happy to. And I'm glad we were able to talk. You have no idea how relieved I am to see where you stand. I'll do what I can to keep others from trying to†¦take liberties with you.† Kiyo's fingertips brushed her arm to stop her, and I watched that contact with a critical eye. â€Å"Wait for me outside.† She nodded and then swept out of the room in all her golden beauty. Kiyo walked over to my bed and sat down, running a hand along my cheek. â€Å"I'm glad you're okay. When I walked in†¦I thought you were dead.† â€Å"I'm hard to kill,† I said lightly. He smiled, shaking his head with exasperation. â€Å"I can believe that.† Reaching down, he picked up my hand and brought it to his lips, eyes on mine. He lingered a moment, and my skin burned where he kissed me. Then carefully, gently, he laid my hand back down, lacing his fingers with mine. â€Å"I'm going to make sure she crosses over okay, and then I'll be back to stay with you.† â€Å"You gonna take care of me? Massage my feet and feed me chicken soup?† â€Å"Anything you want,† he promised. â€Å"That's what friends do.† He kissed my hand again and then stood up. â€Å"Be back in a few minutes.† I could still feel where he'd kissed me, but for once, my infatuation with him went on hold. I was thinking about the conversation I'd just had. It still bothered me, but I'd meant what I said. Learning gentry magic was about the scariest thing – other than rape by a mud elemental – that I could imagine right now. Yet, I wanted no more storms in my living room, no storms anywhere that I was incapable of controlling. And for what it was worth, that meant getting a grip on my power. I knew whom I had to go to for that control, and it held its own set of terrors. Necessary evils, though. I had no choice. So while I waited for Kiyo's return, I began a mental to-do list. Summon Volusian. Plot strategy. Buy high-heeled shoes†¦

Friday, September 13, 2019

Employee Engagement Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Employee Engagement - Dissertation Example ss the organization. These issues should be addressed early in order to avoid the deterioration of employees-employer relationship in the specific organization. From another point of view, the identification of the reasons of the low response of employees to the specific survey would help managers to identify the measures required for the increase of employee satisfaction – an increase that could lead to the improvement of their performance. 3. What is its relevance to the â€Å"client† organisation? The subject of this study is directly related to the strategic framework of the chosen organization. In fact, it is in the context of this framework/ policies that the quarterly employee engagement survey is developed. From this point of view, the review and the evaluation of the performance of the above survey could help to identify any potential gaps in the implementation of the firm’s strategies. 4. Research Objectives The research objectives implied from the stud y’s research question could be described as follows: a. Which is the role of employee engagement in modern organizations. b. Which are the most common factors/ elements that can influence employee engagement in firms of different industries? c. Which methods are likely to be used by managers in order to measure the level of employee engagement within their organization? d. Which is the value of quarterly employee engagement survey for measuring the level of employee engagement in modern firms? e. Which strategies would be developed by the firm’s managers in order for the response rate of employees to be increased to 95% - from its current rate of 77% - in the next two quarterly surveys? 5. Texts/journal articles which were used to identify the key themes within the academic and practitioner literature related to the research question and objectives. Axelrod, R. (2010) Terms of Engagement: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations. Berrett-Koehler Publishers Erez, M., Kleinbeck, U., Thierry, H. (2001) Work motivation in the context of a globalizing economy. Routledge Federman, b. (2009) Employee Engagement: A Roadmap for Creating Profits, Optimizing Performance, and Increasing Loyalty. John Wiley and Sons

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Physical Resource Operations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Physical Resource Operations - Assignment Example 20 yrs 500 6250 1 yr Rogers 7005 Kitchen Coolers Kitchen 6/6/2004 Jarvis 2300 10 yrs 0 2300 1 yr Rogers 7006 Kitchen Microwave Rec 6/6/2004 Poolman 350 2 yrs -100 350 1 yr Rogers 8001 Pool Rec 4/7/2004 Galliford 18650 20 yrs 200 19000 3 months Mott 8002 Pool Table Rec 4/7/2004 Galliford 3500 5 yrs -500 3000 1 yr Mott 8003 Sports Equipment Rec 4/7/2004 Galliford 1300 2 yrs -500 1300 3 months Mott 8004 Tennis Courts 4/7/2004 Galliford 16000 20 yrs 4000 20000 1 yr Mott Question 2 Outline Purchase Strategy for Heron that is transportable to larger hotels Heron Hotel Purchase Strategy: Determine funding allocations and assets that are available for the department the purchase is to be proposed too by consulting with management team and discussing limitations of the proposed budget as well as liabilities that the purchase may create to ensure that there is a balance between assets, goals and liabilities. It is important that the price of the purchase will not exceed the allocated budget without senior management approval. It is the financial department's responsibility to determine any grants, loans and fiscal liabilities that may be involved with the purchase as well as the value of the assets and services that will be acquired. For the following, develop three alternatives in vendor and resources of the proposed purchase to outline available options. It is held in utmost importance to determine, describe and present the physical characteristics of purchase and the way in which the proposal will assist the facility's goals and the departments that will be involved in the purchase. This will ensure that there is not a difference in purchase traits compared to the needs of the business. List the items involved in the purchase and evaluate the cost as it relates to... It is held in utmost importance to determine, describe and present the physical characteristics of purchase and the way in which the proposal will assist the facility's goals and the departments that will be involved in the purchase. This will ensure that there is not a difference in purchase traits compared to the needs of the business. It is especially important to determine what resources are necessary to utilize the purchase as well as determine any rudimentary costs that will be involved to determine the full cost of the purchase, state these regarding the short and long term costs and the effective outcomes. It is also important in the purchase proposal to determine the long and short term values of the purchase and the holistic effect on the facility by discussing with financial and marketing managers to ensure that it is within the resource budget and determine if any liability will be caused and if that liability can be afforded, but also ensure that it is within business and marketing strategy. Furthering on the discussion with marketing and financial officers, evaluate relationship of purchase to business goals and plans to determine if purchase will enhance or hinder the profitability of the hotel, and if said purchase is feasible within the budget limitations. Define choice of supplier from a minimum of two

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Social and Situational Crime Prevention Strategies Research Paper

Social and Situational Crime Prevention Strategies - Research Paper Example The most widely recognized definition of crime prevention in the latter part of the 20th century refers to the difference between social and situational strategies of crime prevention—social strategies are generally called ‘community crime prevention’ (Stenson, 1991, p. 63). Many argue that the concepts of social and situational prevention are quite contemporary, even though the principles they support are not. This paper analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, and applications of situational and social crime prevention strategies. Social crime prevention focuses mostly on transforming social environments and the impulses of lawbreakers. Social crime prevention strategies hence are likely to place emphasis on the creation of programs, like activity-based courses and youth associations, to discourage existing or possible delinquents from future criminal behavior. Jon Bright claims that one of the main advocates of social crime prevention is the United Kingdom, which â €Å"aims to strengthen socialization agencies and community institutions in order to influence those groups that are most at risk of offending† (Stenson, 1991, p. 64). On the other hand, situational crime prevention strategies primarily involve ‘opportunity reduction’, like monitoring of activities in public places (e.g. parking lots, shopping malls, etc.) through surveillance equipment, to lessen opportunities for criminal activities. Both social and situational crime prevention strategies are likely to be ‘multiagency’ in focus, instead of being motivated by a single agency, like law enforcement (Lowman & MacLean, 1992). The top radical criminologist, Jock Young, has identified multiagency crime prevention measures in this way: â€Å"Multiagency intervention is the planned, coordinated response of the major social agencies to problems of crime and incivilities† (Lowman & MacLean, 1992, p. 64).  

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Pricing strategy of ipos and what are the reason behind failure in Essay

Pricing strategy of ipos and what are the reason behind failure in ipos in india - Essay Example I am aware of the policy on plagiarism and can understand its implications. I can produce a hard copy of this assignment as when demanded by the University. The Dissertation entitled Under Pricing and After Market Performance- a Study on Indian Initial Public Offering is the outcome of my sole effort with the advice and help of many. First I am grateful to the Almighty for the endless help and enthusiasm extended to me completing the work in time. I am also thankful to my Professor (Name here) for his/her valuable supervision and advice for producing a quality work. Next, I am indebted to each and every friend of mine for the help and enthusiasm they extended to me for completing the work without much difficulty. I am also grateful to University (Name of the university) for the help and learning environment extended to me for studying and preparing a dissertation on finance. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for the warm influence and love which ha been a source of inspiration for me for the successful completion of the work. The work entitled under pricing and after market performance- A study on Indian Initial Public Offering is an attempt to examine the important determinants of under pricing and analyse the behaviour of initial public offering return and after market performance in Indian context. The researcher takes a sample of 20 Indian Initial Public Offering listed on both Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE). The samples are selected on a certain conditions to ensure the authenticity of the data collected and the generalisations arrived at after the completion of the work. Many research studies have been undertaken in the field of market under pricing and long rum market performance. Many of them came out with results that under pricing are a common phenomenon in the stock market IPO and the long term performance of common stock is exactly in