The Influence of Organizational Culture on Business Strategy Essay

The Influence of Organizational Culture on Business Strategy - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the smooth running of an organization is based on its values, the more the values upheld by the employees the more likely successful the will be. A clear, well-designed, and strong organizational culture can reveal to be particularly useful to enable organizations to better integrate individuals into businesses. In addition to that, Deal and Kennedy defining organizational culture as â€Å"the way we do things around here, but even more direct emphasis on the behavioral side of culture. For instance, Kenyans are known to lend out a helping hand no matter the situation thus an enterprise, for example, the medical sector will be needed to be strict in order to achieve said services and minimize the effect of this value to exploit it in its bright side only. Moreover, looking at the system in which organizational culture develops is agreed with Boddy that when people start to work and interact they consequently find common ground, things that work for all of them in the name values. These shared values represent a fabric that the individual with more values in common lead to a more competitive business. In the Kenyan scene, individuals who went to the same school, or have more in common than just being workmates have proven to be a force to reckon with since they provide the concrete result. The underlying factor here being the fact that they concentrate solely on the task rather than feuds at the workplace. Equity Bank in Kenya is a case study, all its success is attributed to the strong and supportive staff that are trained to work for them at a mostly high school level. It is important to note that organizational culture is about unwritten norms, which are actually intended to mold the behavior of all the individuals of a group both when interacting the one with the other and when interacting with people who are part of the external environment. It is a common practice that a relationship between workmates is not encouraged in any b usiness environment but it will not be said or put in a memo.

Globalization and World Trade Organization Essay Example for Free

Globalization and World Trade Organization Essay Often perceived as the strongest instrument of globalization and supporter of economic liberalism, the other facet of the World Trade Organization brings its existence as an adamant global regime. For the concerned reason, Debi Barker and Jerry Mander have called WTO as a form of ‘Invisible Government’ in one of their publications for the International Forum on Globalization (IFG). China and Globalization: Behind China’s ready reaction to globalization with full potential of leading the global economy, thinkers consider an aspiration to supplant the existing super power of the world. But for China, globalization is a double edged sword since it brings forth both the threats and favours for world’s fastest growing economy. According to Peter Drysdale, it is because of China’s access to the global market that it has reached the first rank among the developing countries of Asia. Exposure to foreign market free of trade barriers has provided with a number of opportunities to enhance the business circle of Chinese companies. In a matter of two decades starting from 1978 to 1997, China doubled its status in terms of its capital gains by elevating to the tenth position from the twentieth rank in the world’s economy. This fact suggests that China’s excel in the international trade does not completely depend on its entrance in the WTO. In fact the country had embarked its way towards economic pre-eminence long before joining WTO. This means that China’s success though boomed by WTO had its very beginning with the economic globalization. Attitudes of Chinese towards Globalization: Just like any other existing phenomenon in the scene of human existence, globalization cannot be confined in a single frame of thought and any rigid point of view merely makes it a matter of perception rather than rationality. With both the negative and positive impacts of globalization for China standing clear, there are three types of attitudes existing among people regarding the relentless process of globalization. According to Charles Andrews, there people advocate and favour one of the three stands namely, Pro-globalization, Anti-globalization and Reformist Approach. 1: Pro-Globalization: The first group of people hold a positive view of globalization for China by measuring the country’s success in terms of strengthening economic position in the global market and increasing cognizance of the world about China. Lin Yifu, a professor of economics at the University of Beijing, is among such people who vision no challenge of globalization to China. Pro-globalists involve a group of liberal minded people who condones the risks of globalization in favour the opportunities it has provided. 2: Anti-Globalization: Contrary to pro-globalization, Anti-globalization rejects every bright angle of increasing globalization. It is because integration is a two way process. When China permeates foreign countries, these countries are equally permitted to invade China’s domestic market. As many fruits and cereals are cheaper in the global market as compared to that of China’s, when the exporters of these goods invade China they leave the country men (whose livelihood depends on the agriculture) at the edge of starvation Apart from such risks, the anti-globalists also take an account of translational terrorism by cross-border criminal activities and the proliferation of weapons. Certain events of recent past also favour such allegations against globalization. It s because of the cross border criminal activities and stalking that events like 9/11 trampled one of the most lucrative economic centres of the world. Anti-globalists belong to various walks of life with their opposition to globalization in terms of their field. For instance, many linguists across the globe talk about linguistic genocide and the overwhelming role of English as a lingua franca which is causing the death of many regional languages. In short, for the group of people who are propelled to anti-globalization, ‘globalization is nothing but a trap. Jumping into this trap would crush the whole domestic industry, agriculture, and service sectors. ’ 3: Reformist Approach: The reformists hold a balanced point of view towards globalization. With an over all positive attitude towards globalization, they believe that while the advantages of globalization are long term, the short term threats of globalization for China cannot be ignored. For them, at one hand globalization means increased financial gains, growth of domestic industry by competition with foreign companies and aggrandizing compatibility of China with the global community. At the other hand, they also bring under consideration the issues like growing unemployment as a result of declining industries facing foreign competitions and by widening the gap between classes by further lowering down the farmers and other such people to a still lower status. The threat to the farmer’s livelihood is clear in China that has over-emphasized the manufacture of non-agricultural products in the wake of the last few years. Consequently, innumerable farmers of China were left with their decline resulting from unemployment. China and World Trade Organization: â€Å"The progressive integration of China into the world trading system- spurred by its membership of WTO in 2001- has provided China with secure, open and predictable export markets. † According to the economists, behind the rapid rise of China in the global economy lies one key factor: the entrance of China in the World Trade Organization. The economic and financial analysts of global market base this opinion on the foundation that the major boom of China occurred after 2001 (the time when China joined WTO). In the words of David Dollar, the World Bank country director for China, â€Å"Since China joined the WTO, its exports have grown at an average rate of 29 percent per year. † It was in December 2001 that China (the sixth largest economy with a population of 1. 3 billion at that time) joined the World Trade Organization. Previously China had remained one of the twenty three contracting countries of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Impacts of WTO membership on China’s Economy: After its membership of WTO, China’s trade rate increased rapidly from 44% to 72% in 2006. It was after a foresight into the future that China compromised on a number of WTO policies in order to enter into the WTO. These were the conditions that apparently conflicted with China’s economy. According to Gregory C. Chow of Princeton University, three most salient conditions for China included: 1. Declining the tariff rates on the import of goods from foreign countries. 2. Being conducive in the practice of free trade by letting the foreign companies sell their products directly in the domestic market of China. 3. Establishment of improved telecommunication and finance industry for the sake of increased competition. Contrary to the analysts’ expectations, both China’s macro economy and micro economy did not suffer a set back after its entrance into the WTO since the net results proved to be favourable thereby compensating the scanty amount of losses. With a rapid growth of China’s exports, its increasing imports do not appear to be a threat for the country’s economy. Impacts of WTO membership on China: China’s acceptance to become the member of the World Trade Organization was not merely a matter of flourishing its economy but a reason for a series of the country’s aims. According to Wayne M. Morrison, China saw a potential of playing a major role in trade laws of WTO and indirectly practice an economic hegemony. In the contemporary world with flourishing business and finance, the economic stability is often seen as a measuring stick to mark the countries’ over all power. So, China’s increasing economic strength does not only suggest its financial stability but its potential to become the super power in future. Morrison also believes that another major goal of China behind the membership is to maintain the status of Most Favored Nation and permanent normal trade relations. Even if the World Trade Organization holds a stringent policy for equal treatment of all nations, the bigger nations with their dominating presence somehow benefit as compared to the under developed countries. Previously, these privileges were dominantly celebrated by the U. S. Impact of WTO membership on China Banking Industry: It is the overwhelming effect of WTO membership that it has left not a single institution of the country untouched. With almost seven years of WTO membership and business people facing free trade, China’s financial sector is now open to foreign banks. This has exposed the customers to a number of innovative and improved management mechanisms and services. In the words of Wang Zhaoxing of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, â€Å"The introduction of competition and strategic investors will be conducive to improving innovation, management and profitability of domestic banks. With considerable involvement of foreign banks into China, China’s leading banks including the Bank of China, China Construction Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China have emerged as trusted names in the international banking. Although appearing as a threat for smaller banks, such a scenario is highly favourable for a Chinese customer because in either way, they would get better services.

William Lloyd Garrison :: essays research papers

William Lloyd Garrison: Uncompromise During Times of Compromise   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) was an American journalist and adamant abolitionist. Garrison became famous in the 1830s for his uncompromising denunciations of slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Garrison lived a troubled childhood. His family lived in poverty. In addition, his father was a drunkard, and when Garrison was three years old, his father deserted his family and never came back. Thus, with the absence of an encouraging father figure in his life, Garrison would attempt to gain recognition elsewhere.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effected by the Second Great Awakening, Garrison developed into an extremely thoughtful and religious man. Garrison believed that slavery was a sin and was an injustice. In 1831, he began publishing the Liberator, an influential newspaper that vehemently aroused violent public reaction in both the North and the South. However, the abolitionists of Garrison's time were a minority. The Liberator, published until 1865, never had more than 3,000 subscribers, and it never made a profit. Thus, it is fair to say that Garrison's goal was not to become affluent through this publication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Garrison used his religious, abolitionist views to elevate himself into renown. He wanted people to hear his views. In response to his abolitionist causes, Garrison proclaimed, 'I am in earnest—and I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—and I will be heard.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Garrison enlightened Americans with his altruistic sensibilities, but his motives were not altruistic. He wanted people to side with him, but he did not offer any medicine to ease the wounds of racial tension. His armies of allies grew, but this was gradual. Nevertheless, with no real suggestions on how the slavery issue could be resolved, he accepted the Civil War as necessary.

Landcare Revegetation :: essays research papers

Rehabilitation is the process of reclaiming land for economical or conservation purposes. This process usually involves re-vegetation. The main aim in rehabilitation is to either return the land to a self-sustaining ecosystem or prepare the land for human use, i.e. crops, pastures and plantations. Rehabilitation should take place at a rate that is significantly higher than natural succession. Several principles are implemented for successful rehabilitation. Of these principles includes the need for preventing disasters and anticipating problems before they arise, if this is taken to consideration then rehabilitation will be less costly and trouble free. When rehabilitating a site, all the components making up the ecosystem need to be looked at individually. They include soil, climate, vegetation, time and animals. These components need to interact at certain rates in order for the desired effect to be achieved and so might need to be altered. There are other principles of rehabilitation, which will be discussed, in greater detail. There are many methods and strategies involved in rehabilitation which, are specific to a site. In this case, surface mine reclamation and farmland will be looked at. A step by step illustration of the processes involved will be covered. When rehabilitating mine land, it is important to first prepare a plan before mining takes place. Researching and obtaining data on the floral and faunal elements of the ecosystem by conducting surveys of the upper, mid and under-story species present. If the aim is to restore the land to its original ecological balance and to conserve the species present, then further studies should be conducted on the ecology of the native species, i.e. seed biology of all species. Propagation techniques and the order of re-establishing species should be studied. When rehabilitation work was conducted on the bauxite mines in the southwest of W.A., special research was conducted on the germination requirements of sown seed. The aim in this case was to re-establish a self-sustaining forest, which maintains water, timber and all the valued qualities of forest. The timing component was carefully considered when removing topsoil in summer to ensure maximum seed store this was achieved when the forest was cleared after seed set took place. Hand seeding was done soon after ripping in order to ensured that the seeds other propagules were well established before germination. When conducting mining operations it is generally desirable that rehabilitation work takes place at the same rate as mining occurs. The soil component in this case needs to be removed in layers (topsoil and overburden) and stock piled during the mining process. The topsoil is very important because is contains most of the seed, propagules and micro-organisms which are needed for

Different Health Systems

The healthcare system of the United States is commonly associated with state-of-the-art hospitals and highly-trained physician. However, the general performance of the U. S. healthcare system has been determined to be a less than that of other industrialized countries. Such observation is mainly due to the differences in healthcare systems among states, regions and health administrations. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a socialized healthcare system managed by the government. It provides varied healthcare support to veterans or ex-officio military servicemen and their families.Survey shows that approximately 83% of VHA patients are satisfied with the healthcare that they have received. In addition, survey depicts that 69% of the patients were treated within 20 minutes of their appropriate appointment with their physician (DeNavas-Walt et al. , 2005). Also, approximately 93% of the patients participating in the survey indicate that they had seen a specialist within the la st 30 days. Such observations show that the Veterans Health Administration provides an exemplary system of healthcare, much better than the private sector.However, it also could mean that the VHA is associated with more costly healthcare rates than the other healthcare systems such as the Military Health system and the private sector. This characteristic compensates for the types of members that would avail of the VHA benefits, who are actually veterans, which are commonly composed of older, sicker and illness-susceptible individuals. In addition, these veterans are generally poorer, homeless and victims of substance abuse, which represents a major difference from the major population in the United States.It has been estimated that more than 50% of the VHA enrollees are above 65 years of age. The private sector’s healthcare system is mostly focused on intervention-based healthcare, which means that the physician will generally treat a patient who is already suffering from a p articular illness (Frogner and Anderson, 2006). Such system is thus less costly than the VHA system, because the patients enrolled in the private sector will only resort to requesting medical attention when the need arises.In the private sector healthcare system, health insurance is generally bought by the employer on behalf of its employees The VHA system, on the other hand, follows the prevention approach to health care, which involves providing checkups and education to its veteran patients in order to avoid more serious illness in the future. The Military Health System, on the other hand, provides healthcare to individuals who are currently active in the military service, including members of their family.The benefits of the Military Health system falls under the blanket coverage known as the Tricare, which is almost identical to that of the private sector’s system of healthcare management (Smith et al. , 2005). Here the enrollee pays a small portion of the total cost of the healthcare service, such as 20% of a surgery, for example, and the other 80% is paid for my the Military Health System. Each visit to the physician, just like the private sector’s healthcare system, is associated with a small co-payment, such as $10 per visit, regardless of specialization of the doctor to which consultation was made.The mission of a healthcare system is to provide medical services at the lowest practical price and at the same time, with the best feasible quality. The integration of electronic medical records in the Veterans Health Administration has provided a model for the other healthcare system to follow suit. In addition, the private sector has also use the VHA’s mission in providing prevention-based medical services, instead of just intervention-based services. References DeNavas-Walt C, Proctor B and Lee C (2005):   Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2004.   Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. Frogner BK and Anderson GF (2006):   Multinational comparisons of health systems data, 2005.   New York: The Commonwealth Fund. Smith C, Cowan C and Sensenig A (2005):   Health Spending Growth Slows in 2003.   Health Affairs   24(1):185–94.

Metaphysical Imagery in the Works of John Donne

Metaphysical Imagery in the Works of John Donne Metaphysical poetry is a blend of passionate feelings and paradoxical style. John Donne is believed to be one of the best of metaphysical poets. There are many examples of metaphysical imagery in the works of John Donne. The metaphysical imagery of John Donne will be brought into view by the examples he used throughout his poetry.Donne begins "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" by indicating a preference for their departure to be unobtrusive, to be as restrained as possible in their parting, by using an analogy between the couple and "virtuous men." He describes,As virtuous men pass mildly away,And whisper to their souls to go,Whilst some of their sad friends do say,The breath goes now, and some say, no [...]. (1-4)Through descriptions of "mildly" and "whisper" he reveals his wish for their separation to be as temperate as possible. Donne calls for a similar restraint in their passing, for no fuss, tears or sighs, referring to the typical hyperbolic lovers and using them as a vision of how not to act, "So let us melt and make no noise, / No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move [...]"I believe this is a photograph taken of a portrait...(5-6). Here the intellectual begins to take over the sentimentality, or impulsiveness of the scene, "Donne perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice speculations of philosophy, when he should engage their hearts and entertain them with the softness of love" (Bennett 1).So let us melt, and make no noise,No teare-floods, nor sigh-tempests move,T'were prophanation of our joyesTo tell the layetie our love [...]. (5-8)The word "melt" implies a change in physical state. The bond of lovers will dissolve quietly. "Noise" refers to "tear floods" and "sigh tempests" that the speaker pleads with his love not to leave. He continues by...

10 Quotes for Unique and Beautiful Wedding Vows

10 Quotes for Unique and Beautiful Wedding Vows A wedding may only be a ceremony, if you look at it from a logical standpoint. However, a  marriage vow is a pledge- a verbal promise- to uphold all that is considered sacrosanct in a marital relationship. The exchange of vows, though just a collection of words, has a greater significance when the bride and the groom say the words with full intent and in good faith. Traditional vs. Personal Vows Traditional vows are all-encompassing. Traditional vows, as per Catholic marriage customs, involve a pledge to take ones partner, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part. While it is unlikely that these traditional vows will go out of use, there is an increasing trend among people who prefer to make their own vows. When you write your own vows, you have the creative liberty to include some of your personal details, a dash of humor, a touching anecdote, or a special promise that makes you own the vows. Writing your own vow is no cakewalk- many brides and grooms find it difficult to pen a few lines that would bind them for eternity. Tips for Writing Vows If you are writing your own vows, here are a few things to keep in mind to make your marriage vows beautiful: Keep it Simple: Flowery words will have no meaning if you dont mean what you say. When you keep it simple, you allow your partner to assimilate the depth of your words.Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say:  It goes without saying that your marriage vows are a declaration of your love and commitment. If you are honest and sincere in your vows, you will find your married life easy to deal with.Include Details: Make sure to include specific details that make it unique to your marriage. While it is not a good idea to make a long verbose speech (remember, it is not an award acceptance ceremony), let your marriage vows reflect your personal beliefs, your dreams, and those of your spouse.Include Humor, Avoid Comedy: Humor should just be a mild seasoning to pepper your vow. Let it not override the intensity or seriousness of your solemn vow. The focus of your vow should be your love and your sincere commitment.Avoid a Public Spectacle: Though you will be saying your vows in the presence of your near and dear ones, you dont have to write your vows to please the audience. It is your marriage, and only you should decide what goes into your vows. Dont attempt to make it entertaining or interesting for your audience. They are simply here to witness and bless your marriage. Keep your vows genuine, straightforward, and personal.  Ã‚   Meaningful Quotes If you find yourself struggling for the right words, you can use some of these quotes to help you create a great wedding vow. These quotes will add a touch of color  to your vows. I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. –  William Butler Yeats,  He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.   –  Robert Browning I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Roy Croft I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Amy Tan I love thee, I love but theeWith a love that shall not dieTill the sun grows coldAnd the stars grow old...–  Bayard Taylor You call it madness, but I call it love.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Don Byas If I know what love is, it is because of you.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Herman Hesse We are the leaves of one branch, the drops of one sea, the flowers of one garden. –  Jean Baptiste Henry Lacordaire This is my beloved and this is my friend.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Song of Solomon Youre nothing short of my everything.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Ralph Block

Leprechaun Trap - Green Slime St. Patricks Day Project

Leprechaun Trap - Green Slime St. Patricks Day Project Heres how to make green slime for St. Patricks Day leprechaun trap. We havent successfully caught any leprechauns using this recipe yet, but it does make a nice holiday chemistry project for kids! Leprechaun Trap Slime Materials 4-oz bottle school glue gelborax (not boric acid)watergreen food coloring Make the Leprechaun Trap Slime Solutions The leprechaun trap is made by mixing two solutions together, which cross-link or polymerize to make a gel or slime. First, make the solutions: Borax Solution Take about a half cup of hot water and stir in borax until it stops dissolving. It is fine if the solution is cloudy or if there is undissolved solid at the bottom of the container. Just add the liquid part to your slime recipe. Glue Solution You can make either opaque slime or translucent slime, depending on the type of glue you use for this project. White glue produces an opaque slime. Clear or translucent blue glue will produce a translucent slime. You can color either type of slime using food coloring. Stir 4-oz of glue into 1 cup of water.Add a couple of drops of food coloring. The radioactive chemistry green-yellow color is obtained by adding 2 drops of yellow or 2 drops yellow and 1 drop of green coloring, depending how green you want the slime. For a leprechaun trap, you can add a few drops of green food coloring and call it good. If youre a rebel, dye the slime blue! Blue was the traditional Irish color before green came into vogue. Make the Leprechaun Trap Simply mix together 1/3 cup of the borax solution and 1 cup of the glue solution. You can use your hands or you can use a spoon. Glowing Leprechaun Trap What leprechaun wouldnt be attracted to a glowing trap? You can make the slime glow very brightly under ultraviolet or light if you add a little yellow highlighter ink to either of the solutions. Highlighter ink is fluorescent, so it emits light when exposed to high-energy light. Note adding the contents of a glow stick will not work, because the other chemicals in the slime will interfere with the reaction that produces the glow. Cleaning Up the Leprechaun Trap Although regular slime doesnt stain most surface, the food coloring you added to make it green will stain clothing, furniture, and counters. You can remove the color from countertops using cleaner with bleach. Except for the food coloring, slime washes away with soap and water or in regular laundry. After St. Patricks Day Your leprechaun trap wont last until St. Patricks Day next year, but if you seal it in a covered bowl or a plastic bag, it will be good for several days. You can extend this to a couple of weeks if you store the bag in the refrigerator. The sealed bag keeps the slime from drying out while the refrigerator keeps it from developing mold. How Leprechaun Trap Slime Works When you mix the glue and the borax the polymer in the glue, polyvinyl acetate, undergoes a chemical reaction. Cross-linking bonds are formed, causing the glue stick less to your hands or spoon and more to itself. Feel free to experiment with the amount of glue, water, and borax that you use to make the slime. You can adjust the recipe to make the slime more fluid or more stiff. The molecules in the polymer are not fixed in place, so you can stretch the slime quite far before it will break or tear. More St. Patricks Day Science Projects Turn Pennies Gold for a Pot of GoldGreen St. Patricks Day FireGlowing Green FlowersMore St. Pattys Day ProjectsAnswers To Common Questions About Slime

Selective Media Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Selective Media - Lab Report Example Selective media has a limited number of microorganisms it can support in growth because the particular component inhibits most other microorganisms by either limiting their growth or production of toxic substance that inhibit growth of non-selected microbes hence appropriate in the selection of target microorganisms during diagnosis. Diagnostic procedures utilising growth characteristics of enteric microorganisms is one of the cheapest and the easiest microbiological protocol that can be adopted in any low-income laboratory or a facility with high throughput diagnostic equipments. During the diagnosis of enteric medical conditions, use of growth media in the diagnosis of microorganisms gives reliable information that guides subsequent diagnostic studies that aims at targeting a particular pathogen. However, the growth of microorganisms is a characteristic of the media used in the assessment of growth. All media do not support the growth of all pathogens. In fact, only nutrient agar can support the growth of most microorganisms. Therefore, utilising a particular media that targets an individual pathogen is a crucial phenomenon in bacterial culture laboratory practices. Media are made selective for a particular microorganism by the incorporation of growth enhancement component that targets a particular pathogen as well as growth limiting component that inhibits the growth of unwanted organisms. Such media is referred to as selective media because it either enhances or inhibits the growth. Using selecting media makes it easy to discriminate most unwanted pathogens that arise from environmental contamination and likely to give false positive diagnosis. This report assessed the growth, morphology characteristics, differential colony features of the four selected microorganisms (E. coli, Salmonella tyhimum, Shigella flecked, and Staphylococcus spp) on five selected selective media (Phenylethyl alcohol – PEA; Hektoen enteric agar- HEK;

Gegraphy and disease -- Based on your annotated bibliography, you will Research Paper

Gegraphy and disease -- Based on your annotated bibliography, you will write a to increase your understanding of - Research Paper Example Background Information Countries which have a higher economical ability such as Canada and the United States record different types of diseases and health issues from those that are developing. Because of this, it is easier to study and establish the dynamics that surround the individual’s health. In the same note, countries that are located in tropics are likely to have the citizens develop diseases such as malaria and other climatic diseases while those away such as Canada are likely to experience to have cancerous related diseases (MacLeod, Finlayson, Pell & Findlay, 1999). The environment, which the individual lives in, can also determine the level of health that the residents can have. People living in urban areas are likely to have diseases such as asthma and lung infection because of the constant polluted environment that they have to cope with everyday. Ethnicity and the background culture are also determinants of the type of medication which the people seek .The exerc ise will give an example of the Ghanaian immigrants who live in Europe who seek the biomedical attention while they also seek the alternative traditional medicine. This medicinal mix is termed as pluralism. The exercise will look at these illustrations in detail and give an insight into the same. The four-fold section of this study will look at the factors that surround the health sector’s dimension mostly by basing the argument on the area of study that is rural Canada. This is because the dynamics that surround the rural setting in the country have for a long time been seen to be not equitable. With this is in mind, the majority of the sources that this study is going to use have a basis in the Canadian health sector but with a global insight on the aspects that concern disease and its relationship with geography. The Concept of Geography and Disease Population Density and Disease Cities around the world are growing at an exponential rate. The aspect of housing and accommod ation is becoming a challenge because of the population in surge. Canada which is a first world country has a relatively organized urban area as Jerret, Eyles, Dufournaud and Birch (2003) illustrate. The New York City on its part is one of the most populated cities in the world and because of this; its neighborhoods such as Bronx and Brooklyn have had a serious problem with new infections such as for asthma and lung cancer. This is because of the fact that fumes and smoke emanates from factories and the industrial section of the city. The situation is also made worse by the exposure and contact with unhygienic conditions present in the place. The high population density of other places in the African continent such as Nairobi and Johannesburg has seen the increase of slums and other informal settlements. This therefore implies that the hygienic conditions that are shared in this place are stretched to the limit. Poor sanitation coupled up with unsafe drinking water and poor educatio n on sanitation sees the increase of diseases such as cholera dysentery and other diseases. Population increase makes it difficult to plan on different sections that affect the people such as the health aspects. The financial aspect of the health sector needs to be adequate in order to contain infections as well as other

From Francovich to Brasserie du Pecheur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

From Francovich to Brasserie du Pecheur - Essay Example Francovich5 is a landmark case because it established the fact that European Community law confers certain rights on individuals and if there is an infringement of these rights by a Member State, then the State will be legally and financially liable and will have to make reparation to the individuals concerned for the losses and damages sustained by them due the Member State’s breach of Community law. Application of national law where individual rights may be violated, will be limited by the obligation of the Member States to implement the EU Directives. Francovich, Bonfaci and others filed the suit against Italy for failure to implement the provisions of a European Directive that was not directly effective in Italy and required payment of unpaid wages to individuals in the event of the insolvency of their employer. Italy was held liable for damages to be paid to the Plaintiffs. In specific reference to the damages sustained by individuals and the obligation of the Member Stat e to assume liability, the Court relied upon Article 5 of the EEC Treaty in establishing that such a principle was inherent in the Treaty. State liability had earlier been established in other cases, where the supremacy of individual rights had been established to the extent of requiring states to be liable if those rights were infringed.

Computer Hardware Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer Hardware - Essay Example 1-4). Among the many hardware in personal computers the most important part for any PC is the memory part and this includes the RAM, or in other words, the Random access Memory. It is known as the random access memory as the user can access any cell of the memory if the rows and columns to the memory are well known to the user (David, Hennessy, and Ashenden, 2004, p. 33). RAM is the memory chip that has millions of small and minute integrated elector circuits on the chip and these are the circuits that are composed of transistors as well as capacitors. A memory cell is created in the Dynamic RAM by pairing the transistor and the capacitor. The storage unit of the memory cell is in bytes and it has been calculated that the memory cell has the capacity to store a byte of the data. During the manufacturing of the RAM memory cells are attached to the Ram in the form of the rows and the columns. The rows in this case are known as wordlines and the columns are known as bitlines. For the working of the Ram a charge is sent through the column which activates the attached transistor within a time period of nano seconds.

George Gordon Byron Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

George Gordon Byron - Research Paper Example Poem 1- She Walks in Beauty 6 A. Personal Analysis 6 A.1. How the Poem Fits into the Era 6 A.2. Literary Analysis 7 V. Poem 2 – The Destruction of Senacherib 8 A. Personal Analysis 8 A.1. How the Poem Fits into the Era 8 A.2. Literary Analysis 8 VI. Poem 3 - Darkness 9 A. Personal Analysis 9 A.1. How the Poem Fits into the Era 9 A.2. Literary Analysis 9 VII. Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement What seems to stand out from the poetry and from the life of the man, is that of Byron like his poems depicting a kind of beauty that is detached from ordinary reality, and yet so much more beautiful for being so, detached yet somehow real and palpable, and utterly heroic. This seems to represent in one way what Romanticism is all about (Byron; Brooklyn College English Department; Academy of American Poets; Poetry Foundation). B. Brief Overview B.1. Literary Era The literary era to which Byron and his poetry belongs is the era of Romanticism (Brooklyn College English Department). B.2. Biography The poet was born into royalty, and was able to inherit a title, so that by age of 10, he became Baron of Rochdale. His father died at a young age, and he was full of resentment for his mother. He died at the age of 36 (Academy of American Poets) B.3. ... that we inherit the convenient set of terminal dates for the Romantic period, beginning in 1798, the year of the first edition of  Lyrical Ballads  by Wordsworth and Coleridge and of the composition of  Hymns to the Night  by Novalis, and ending in 1832, the year which marked the deaths of both Sir Walter Scott and Goethe. (Brooklyn College English Department) B. Defining the Era, Characteristics of the Poetry There is an emphasis on the individual, the individual as a hero, where the personality is supreme, elevated. Imagination has a central place in Romanticism too, which also likewise was put up in a pedestal as being the best part of the human mind and consciousness. Symbols and symbolism, as they pertain to nature, for instance, were also highly valued. Feelings were given emphasis, especially as with regards to the expression of feelings in poetry (Brooklyn College English Department) C. Era in the Context of British History 1798 marked the year of the Irish Rebelliion , marked by a period of intense conflict between Britain and its neighbor, culminating in union (Bartlett). This period was also marked by the turn of the century struggle between Napoleon on the one hand and Britain on the other, all the way to 1802 (History World). C.4. Era in the Context of World/Global History and Events Elsewhere in the world Napoleon was brought down also during this period, at Waterloo in 1815, and the slaves were finally emancipated in New York around 1827, when slavery was outlawed in that state (Taylor) C.5 How Byron Fits Into This Era Byron was a leading voice of the Romantic era. He is credited with having a large influence on the movement and on the Romantic poets and artists in general, especially with his poem â€Å"Don Juan†. The term â€Å"Byronic hero† is also

Computer Hardware Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer Hardware - Essay Example 1-4). Among the many hardware in personal computers the most important part for any PC is the memory part and this includes the RAM, or in other words, the Random access Memory. It is known as the random access memory as the user can access any cell of the memory if the rows and columns to the memory are well known to the user (David, Hennessy, and Ashenden, 2004, p. 33). RAM is the memory chip that has millions of small and minute integrated elector circuits on the chip and these are the circuits that are composed of transistors as well as capacitors. A memory cell is created in the Dynamic RAM by pairing the transistor and the capacitor. The storage unit of the memory cell is in bytes and it has been calculated that the memory cell has the capacity to store a byte of the data. During the manufacturing of the RAM memory cells are attached to the Ram in the form of the rows and the columns. The rows in this case are known as wordlines and the columns are known as bitlines. For the working of the Ram a charge is sent through the column which activates the attached transistor within a time period of nano seconds.

Prevalence and Effects of Bullying in Public Schools Essay

Prevalence and Effects of Bullying in Public Schools - Essay Example It has been neglected by both the educationists and other stakeholders. Without a conclusive database on its prevalence and effects, it's hard for the policy makers to draft measures on how to deal with it. This writer recognized the existence of this gap and will set out to try and fill it. The proposed research will look on the prevalence and effects of this vice in our school system. The researcher will be particularly interested on the causes, effects and prevention of bullying. He will involve key stakeholders like the teachers, school administration and the students themselves on this study. Booker (2005) defines bullying as the act of harming others deliberately. This can be achieved via verbal abuse or assaulting the victim physically. It can also take more subtle and not easy to see forms. These are like manipulation and coercion (Wellington, 2005). There are several types of bullying that take place in different setting and targets different people. School bullying is such one form. It takes place in an educational institution. It can occur either in or outside the institution. Bullying is not a one time affair. It is often carried out systematically over a long period of time (Wellington, 2004). The few studies that have been conducted on school bullying have brought out several factors. They have shown that it is prevalent and causes long term or short term effects to the victims. It is also true that the perpetrators have been found to be suffering from some emotional and psychological imbalance. It is important therefore to look at the prevalence and effects of this phenomenon deeply. This can only be done by conducting researches on its causes and how it can be prevented or mitigated. Problem Statement Kendall (2006) is of the opinion that problem statement section of a research proposal must have certain elements. It should clearly state the problem that the researcher is interested in. it should also put forward the variables that the researcher wants to study and how they are related to one another. This study will address the issue of school bullying in middle and high schools. The variables will be as follows: School bullying has far reaching effects to the victim and other people in the society Bullies do share some common traits School bullying does target some students than it does others School bullying can be stopped or mitigated Background to the Problem The writer here has to show the importance of the problem that he is embarking on. He has to show other people who have worked on the problem before (Kendall, 2006). The findings and methods used by these people have to be clearly elaborated. In 2001, the United States Center for Disease Control conducted one of the few studies that have been published on school bullying (booker, 2005). It found that at least fifteen percent of middle and high school students in America have been victims. The victims were found to have problems coping with the school environment and in learning. They suffered from psychological and emotional problems as a result of this. Boys are targeted more than girls (Wellington, 2004). This may be because of the reason that majority of the

Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby Essay Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald is one of the best American novels owing to its thematic strength. It reflects â€Å"The Jazz Age of 1920s and the writer artistically examine the theme of aspiration in America during this era. Fitzgerald wrote this novel as a satire on this so called glamorous period. This novel is about Gatsby, newly rich person, who is obsessed with desire of reuniting with a lady, Daisy, whom he loses in past just because of status difference. The main theme of this novel is while many desire the American Dream of easy, quick money and measuring success and happiness only with material wealth; eventually they realize this perfect dream is certainly unachievable. This dream leads Gatsby from Poverty to wealth and he finally gets Daisys love. But the end of the novel exposes the ugly side of this American Dream. There are many social themes in the story including Dream, vision, honesty, time, wealth, superficiality and shallowness, societal expectation, disloyalty, immorality and selfishness. The surface study shows that its about love relation between Gatsby and Daisy. But the story has much broader theme rather than big romantic scope. The most dominating theme of the story is that of American Dream or rather Perverted American Dream†. It is very symbolic story of Roaring Age of 1920s America, particularly the story of shattering of American Dream in that era of economic prosperity and material abundance. It exposes how the American people adulterated American Dream by indulging in immoral and unethical pursuits of wealth. The energy to be burnt in noble purpose gets started to be burnt in show off and individual pleasure, fame and success. All other themes of the novel strengthens this theme through out the story. The people become selfish, indulge themselves in vulgar means of wealth, disloyalty is at its peak and the most important of all; they forget the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. Theme of wealth supports the main theme in the strongest way. It is desire of possessing enormous wealth which blinds one from real objective. It is wealth which betrays the characters of the story from their noble goal and leads them to wrong way. That is how noble American dream is corrupted. Insight and vision of the characters are blurred due to obsession of wealth. The characters are too blind to know their own self or others’. The writer is successful in connecting this blindness of characters with main theme of Disintegration of American Dream. The story also describes the theme of Time†. The novel depicts both pre-war and post-war scenario in a way that we clearly come to know the differences which occur during that period. The mind of characters becomes so materialistic in the wake of World War1 that they are highly scorned by old aristocratic class who once had a high and unrivaled prestige. Its this change of time which results in shattering of Noble American Dream. Gatsby gets back her beloved, Daisy, winning her heart by showing off his wealth. A simpler, better, nobler time, perhaps, a time when people believed in the importance of the family and the church turns into materialistic time in which everything is measured through wealth. Theres no denying the fact that the fall of American dream is the super theme of the story and rest of the themes support it fully. The story shows how reality turns into illusion and how dream is shattered. It shows the impossibility of American dream in an era of immorality where there is no place for religion and ethics but for wealth, the prime interest. Reference: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The great Gatsby Scribner Paperback Fiction. New York. 1995

Four seasons hotels inc hr practices

Four seasons hotels inc hr practices The assignment is based on a case study that revolves around Four Seasons and their culture in relation to employment. The purpose of this assignment is to basically answer five questions that are specific to understanding the culture of Four Seasons and the influence of HRM on the organisation. Like any case there are issues that the company needs to deal with and the writer tries to identify these issues by explaining what caused the issue to occur. The assignment also recognizes several key factors that the HRM of the companies have to deal with and at the same time identifying how important is the HRM to the Four Seasons and what kind of influence it has on the employment strategy. The writer identifies several options and recommendations to solving the issues and also explains the purpose of choosing the option at the same time illustrating the affect each of the options would have on the organisation and the various stakeholders. The writer has incorporated various models and matrices to the various sections in order to facilitate in the explanation of the topics. Company and its position in the hospitality industry Isadore Sharp (Sharp) with the help of his brother-in-law, Eddie Creed (Creed) and his friend Murray Koffler (Koffler) founded the Four Seasons with an investment of less than a $ million. The first property was a motel, Four Seasons Motor Hotel in 1961 in downtown, Toronto. This was a 125 roomed motel, with upscale atmosphere and amenities that were the reason for attracting their guests and especially celebrities from the neighboring T.V. station. The next property was a 569 rooms Toronto Inn Park which was built in the year 1963. Since then Sharp went on to built several new hotels such as the Inn on the Park, in London and other small inns in smaller urban areas such as Belleville, Ontario and Nassau, Bahamas only in the year 1970. This building of new hotels came to a serious problem in around the year 1994 as the Four Seasons saw themselves in a huge debt and only due to the help of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Tala Bin Abdufaziz al Saud (Al-Waleed) and his investment of C$100 million did the Four Seasons and Sharp survive this collapse. With this financial support from Al-Waleed, Four Seasons was able to built new hotels in Singapore, Mexico City, Berlin and Prague; with this resorts were built in Hawaiis Kona Coast, Carlsbad, California and Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Four Seasons on February 2007 was acquired by various investing groups namely Casacade Investment, L.L.C. which belonged to Microsofts Chairman Bill Gates, Kingdom Hotels International, owned by Al-Waleed, and Triples Holdings Limited, a family holding company of Sharps, which together was a US$3.37 billion buyout offer. As a part of their negotiations a 10 percent interest in the group and the CEO position was given to Sharp, in addition to this a long-term incentive contract related to the sales of villa and penthouses as private properties. By the end of 2008, Four Seasons had 82 managed properties in 34 different countries with about 33,185 associates. Four Seasons lived on a term called The Golden Rule which meant Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you and keeping this in their mind they have treated their employees with as much respect as they would expect from the employees to the customers. This was personified with the various recognition they received from various publications such as Consumer Reports, Gourmet and Travel Leisure, Mobil Travel Guide, Gallivanters Guide and Condà © Nast Traveler Magazine. The most valued honor to Four Seasons and which they have managed to earn from the last thirteen years is the Top 100 Companies to Work For by Fortune Magazine and as of year 2010, Four Seasons were positioned at the 58th spot which compared to the hotel industry only Marriott International made the list as the 82nd position. This itself gives a picture of what the employees think about Four Seasons and their culture but there are some critics that say otherwise as they believe that the reason for their success i s because they tend to be very bias to foreign white skinned employees and prefer to hire them and the example given here was the Four Seasons Maldives resort, which was believed to be corrupt and bias as foreigners were given preference instead of locals irrespective of their talent and qualification and that local professional Maldivians were ignored just because of their color of skin. Another criticism was that even though the employees were paid well they were working extended hours and were stressed to deliver impeccable service. Four Seasons at present is one of the leading hotel chains in the world and have easily been considered to be one of the best in the field in comparison to hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Intercontinental, etc. and despite the various criticism Four Seasons has consistently been on the top when it comes to its work culture, thus becoming a globally successful hotel chain. Culture of Four Seasons and comparison to major competitors Four Seasons has always tried to provide its guests with value added service and hassle free stay and by keep this in to their working culture they have earned the reputation of a superior customer service organisation. The Four Seasons had also created more than 247 standards which were meant to identify what the customers should expect to receive in a Four Seasons Hotel. Even with these many standards Four Seasons always believed in empowerment as every employee was given all the rights to do what they felt right and this worked well for the company as an e.g. in the case mentioned how a bride had got her wedding dress stuck to the car door and the housekeeping staff did not waste any time and sent her to the spa while the staff member was patching the torn areas so that it would not be noticed. This was the kind of thinking that Four Seasons and especially Sharp want from their employees by this they created an environment where the employees were willing to use their mind in solv ing problems thus reducing the chances for it to escalate. Sharp also believed that loyalty and retention are the key to success, but loyalty to the customers came before the loyalty of the guests. They also truly believed in The Golden Rule and designed their recruitment, selection, training and development of the employees. Four Seasons culture was based on the value each and every employee could bring to the company and did not care about the qualification and experience the candidate had, this turn gave them employees who were willing to challenge themselves and at the same time willing to develop to the betterment of the company. This is also one of the reasons why their customers were loyal as they felt that the employees were willing and striving to help make their stay better, this can be seen with the award that Four Seasons have been receiving since 1980, which are the AAA Five Diamond awards. This award clearly shows the respect and loyalty that the customers have for the company due the respect and loyalty that the employees show to their customers. In comparison to Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, etc. Four Seasons believes in empowerment where as the other only use it as a form of marketing strategy. The mission statement or The Golden Rule of Four Seasons is Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you whereas Marriott has the Core Values that states Its about serving the associates, the customer, and the community. Marriotts fundamental beliefs are enduring and the keys to its continued success (Marriott International, 2010), Hyatts mission statement is To provide authentic hospitality by making a difference in the lives of the people we touch every day (Hyatt Corporation, 2010), Hilton believes in We will be the preeminent global hospitality company the first choice of guests, team members and owners alike (Hilton Worldwide, 2010) and Starwood would like to Create the most successful branded, global, lifestyle hospitality company by forming a trust- and respect-based corporate family committed to re-imagining our b usiness with creativity and innovation, resulting in the most fun workplace in the history of the world (Starwood Hotels and Resorts, 2010). Only by looking at these mission statements we can get an idea of who really caters to their employees as among the four major hotel chains mentioned only Marriott Hotel has their employees mentioned in their mission statement and even that is only considering that they take care of the associates but does not give an idea that they are willing to empower their employees like the way Four Seasons does. This does not mean that other hotels do not empower their employees but in terms of the definition which means giving the right and authority to an individual to think, behave, take action and make decisions in an independent way (Heathfield, 2010). By just applying the definition to the various hotels and their mission statements we can see that Four Seasons and Marriott are the only two hotel chains that seem to be empowering their employees to take their own decisions. Empowerment of employees sounds good and will attract employees but the real factor here would be that this would to some extent create a very bias hiring environment in the company as Sharp mentioned that they hire employees with the right attitude for the company and there is little need for them to have experience as the work itself can be thought, which as mentioned before created a bias environment in Maldives as almost all the employees that were hired were foreigners and even though the local population had all the right credentials and at times even better that the foreigner staff, they were not selected and this is the major difference between Four Seasons and the other hotels as almost every hotel select their employees based on their qualification and experience but being selected for having the right attitude to some extent is inappropriate and unethical especially if they are selected by the color of their skin, which is taking it to the extent of being racist and this i s a very dangerous road to take especially if Four Seasons would like to expand to newer countries particularly the developing and non-developing countries. This is also one of the major differences between Four Seasons and other hotel brands as Marriott for example believes in hiring employees from various cultures so as to help incorporate a multi-cultural environment in the organisation. Another reason for companies trying to incorporate local cultures in the company is because of the Corporate Social Responsibility as it is one of the most important factor for the existence of any company as by not incorporating it into the company means that various stakeholders such as government, NGOs, suppliers, stakeholders, local residents, etc. would not respect the hotel brand and thus causing future problems. HRM influence on vision, mission values and companys identity Four Seasons have been in this business since the 1960s and have live by one mission called The Golden Rule which defines their values as well. They focus on their employees and promote empowerment in the company, in addition they hire employees based on their attitude and not on their experience and knowledge as they believe that the job can be learnt by training but the attitude of a person cannot be changed. Human Resource Department (HRM) is considered to be the most vital and unavoidable department of a company but the influence of the HRM on the company depends on the culture and values of the company and how important they consider the HRM is and if it would help to improve the companys staff quality. In terms of Four Seasons the HRM would be more of a supporting department as they would have little influence on the culture of the company and instead the culture of Four Seasons would identify the HRM departments duties and the kind of recruitment, selection, training, development, etc. criteria they need to follow. The organisation of Four Seasons depend on finding the employees that fit in their culture rather than hiring qualified and experienced staff and then molding them to the requirements of the company. This to some extent makes it a lot easier for the HRM in terms of designing the programs but it also makes it extremely difficult to look for the right people for the right job. Another factor would be to incorporate the empowerment factor into the selection, training and development programs as they will need to be very accurate so as to not select, train and develop the wrong people for the wrong job. To do so Four Seasons has already created a program which begins with h iring talented individuals with the resourcefulness and dedication to perform to their best and the training was began with a three month initial orientation and a supervisor and management development programs, the senior management had their own executive development programs and the employees also received classroom training. The whole employee development program was divided into seven parts being Recruitment, Selection, Orientation, Training, Performance Management, Rewards Recognition, Development Success and Promotion/Transfer each of these programs included their own specific components such as brain storming sessions and extensive interviews for Recruitment, align with strategy, attitude comes first, define required key competencies, 4 stages interview process and Behavioural Interviewing based on defined competencies for Selection, align with strategy, adequate lead time, emphasis on attitude, service teamwork, consistent global approach, multi-lingual Culture film, heavy management involvement buy-in and re-orientation as needed for Orientation, align with strategy, on-line (Standards) program, designated trainers and customers service skills, emphasis on Culture throughout and coordinated efforts for Training, align with strategy, identify key Competencies, Good At not simply Good Person, a ssessment starts early and never ends, provide actionable feedback, do it in time to make a difference, potential assessment, goals/processes/measures and do it in time to make a difference for Performance Management, paid vacations and monetary rewards for Rewards Recognition, align with strategy, succession planning, task force work, planned global exposure, multi-ethnic talent for Development Succession and based on performance experience and destinations of choice for Promotion/Transfer. The purpose of mentioning all these components is that the HRM program was extremely well defined and due to this the different departments did not need to depend on the HRM to tell them what was needed to be done but instead only had to follow these components and see that the employees followed them as well. Each and every factors of employee development was important but the most important factor for any company and especially in the hospitality industry is the Performance Management Syste m (PMS) which could be defined as A management technique intended to holistically consider the performance of (usually a group of) employees or machines to work towards optimum performance of a particular task or (more frequently) a group of tasks (Allsites LLC., 2010). The main reason why the PMS is so vital to an organisation is because in this stage the company can actually identify whether all the earlier stages such as Recruitment, Selection, Orientation and Training were successful and if there is a need to redo few or all of the stages again, in addition this gives an idea of what to expect in the future stages. In simple terms this is a crossroad that could make or break the whole program so considering its importance every organisation needs to develop the best possible components for it. Four Seasons have identified nine various components, which give an idea that they as well consider it to be a vital aspect. The major issue here as mentioned in the earlier section is the focus on empowerment of employees which drives the HRM department and this is also the reason why the HRM is more of a collaborator rather that than initiator which leave very little room for change and this would seriously affect their growth prospects as this would cause the HRM department to be bias towards a section of the employee market and this could also cause major future problems for the company such as distrust and deflation of the brand image. Another important factor would be to not to consider being selfish to a particular section of the employees especially the white skinned employees which in any country and also by U.N.s universal declaration on Race, Racism and the Law is considered to be racist and unethical, this can be proven by the article 23 point 1 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71 (1948) which clearly states that Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable condit ions of work and to protection against unemployment (Bell, 2010). Thus it is extremely important for Four Seasons to try and not walk that line as selecting based on attitude could easily be perceived to be racist by international laws and this could also lead to a wide spread boycott of the Four Seasons and could tumble the identity and respect that the Four Seasons has earned. Policies and procedures in HRM and its evaluation The culture of Four Seasons is extremely strong and has a direct influence on the strategies of the HRM and has also dictates the policies and procedures of the department. Four Seasons always believes that the satisfaction of employees is more important than that of the customers. This can be seen in the benefits that the Four Seasons offer which is specifically created to motivate the employees to put in their best foot and this will be illustrated in the table below. Table : Benefits of working for Four Seasons (Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, 2010) Company-Wide Benefits Career Growth Opportunities Unique Deep Culture Best-In-Industry Training Luxury Environment Within Magnificent Locations Worldwide Profit Sharing/Incentive Bonus/Competitive Salaries Complimentary Stays At Four Seasons Properties With Discounted Meals Paid Holidays/Vacation Educational Assistance Dental And Medical Insurance/Disability/Life Retirement Benefits/Pension Employee Service Awards Annual Employee Party/Social And Sporting Events Complimentary Meals In Dedicated Employee Restaurants In addition to these benefits there are other benefits that are given to the employees depending on the local law and regulations. The benefits are very specific and takes care of all the needs of the employees in terms of the Maslows Hierarchy of Needs we could get a much clear picture. The Maslows Hierarchy of Needs identifies 5 various needs of a human being and that they strive to achieve it throughout their life and these 5 needs will be shown in the figure below. Figure : Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 2009) Maslows Hierarchy of Needs The Maslows Hierarchy of Needs states that there are five main needs that a person needs to satisfy to make him feel complete and these needs are Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, Social Needs, Esteem Needs and Self-Actualization Needs. Physiological needs are the need for basic things like air, food, drinks, shelter, clothing, etc. (Chapman, 2010). Safety needs is specific to laws and regulation and its impact on personal life or whether it is safe to live (Chapman, 2010). Social Needs on the other hand is more to do with having relationship with different groups of people mainly family and friends (Chapman, 2010). Esteem needs are more psychology based like feeling independent, having high status and prestige, personal achievements, etc (Chapman, 2010). The Self-Actualization needs are the most tough but the most vital for feeling complete and this can be achieved when a person feels self-fulfilled, achieves personal growth and reaches the peak of his experience (Chapman, 2010). T he Maslows Hierarchy of needs does not only affect the normal way of life but also has an influence on the motivation of the employees in an organisation especially the hospitality sector this sector tends to have the highest percent of turnover which mainly depends on the benefits that the company offers. To get a comprehensible prospective to this the writer will compare the two factor being the benefits of Four Seasons and the Maslows Hierarchy of needs to see which benefits affect what type of needs. Figure : Maslows Hierarchy of Needs to Four Seasons Employee Benefits  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide In the above figure the writer has clearly divided each of the benefits to the various needs that it satisfies. This figure clearly identifies that the main reason why Four Seasons is in the top 100 companies to work for is because of they try hard to satisfy the needs of their employees and in addition to this they also offer empowerment to its employees which directly or indirectly satisfies the needs of Esteem and Self-Actualization. As Vice President of HRM moving Four Seasons forward in the next four years Four Seasons is an organisation with great potential for growth, this is mainly because of their organizational culture and the way they take care of the employees. Employees are one of the most important stakeholders that have a direct impact on the organisation and if the employees are not happy then the customers will not be happy and thus affecting the running of the organisation. There are several factors that can be taken into account for the development of the organisation but the most important factor would be to focus less focus on empowerment and more on diversity. The reason behind identifying it as a factor is that even although the company is managing to reduce their turnover by hiring employees that fit their culture, Four Seasons has not considered the external effects of perusing such an option and this has already started to take its toll on the company as people have started to notice that Four Seasons are bias to foreigners especially white skin candidate, this kind of controversies could seriously deteriorate the companys image and brand name, in addition it could in long term affect their employee turnover and even cause the company to lose their customers. This is only a miner effect compared to what could happen later as loosing the customers will effect various stakeholders to stop trusting the future of the organisation and this will cause a ripple effect where the stocks of the company will start falling, investors will start withdrawing their stocks and ultimately causing Four Seasons a final blow. This at the end would bring t he company to the verge of bankruptcy. This is farfetched and may not even happen exactly as mentioned but sooner or later people will start to notice the biasness and retaliate accordingly. The above elastration is the consequence of ignoring the issue but the real issue is what Four Seasons can do to avoid such a massive collapse. This may not be easy and could take a lot of time and money to reverse it. To begin with the company first needs to incorporate diversity to their culture as they need to stop judging that foreigners candidates are better at the use of empowerment than the local candidates and rather than hiring all the employees from outside resident country, they should divide the employee as 60% to 70% foreigners and 30% to 40% local should be included into their policies of HRM, this is simple terms means that Four Seasons needs to incorporate Talent Management in their strategy. Talent Management can be defined as A conscious, deliberate approach undertaken to attract, develop and retain people with the aptitude and abilities to meet current and future organizational needs. Talent management involves individual and organizational development in response to a changing and complex operating environment. It includes the creation and maintenance of a supportive, people oriented organisation culture (Derek Stockley Pty Ltd., 2005). Talent management incorporates the whole process of the HRM such as recruitment, development, performance management, retention, etc. and it does not end there as it also helps develop the culture of the organisation towards a more positive outlook. The purpose of identifying Talent Management as an option is due the effect it could have on the HRM and Four Seasons as it helps to identify critical areas that need to be changed, takes phased approach to implementing a strategy within the areas, creates ways to assessing the impact on the areas and conducts reviews on the varies areas so provide input for future implementation (TalentAlign, 2010). Figure : Talent Management Concept http://www.taleo.com/sites/default/files/article-talent-management.jpg (Taleo Corporation, 2010) Based on the above shown figure we can identify that there are two major factors influencing talent management which are business goals and business performance and these are more like a cause and effect of the company, the cause being the business goal and effect being business performance. The figure also identifies all the various segments that talent management influences by dividing it into 4 sections namely Align, Assess, Acquire and Develop. To explain it better Align and Assess are pre-recruiting stages or planning stage where the HRM can identify the purpose and outcome that they would like want to achieve. Acquire and Develop on the other hand is involved with more of the physical aspect of the HRM for instance recruiting, training, development, performance management, etc. Talent Management could in actual fact help Four Seasons to provide authority to the HRM department and thus restructuring the organisation to provide optimal workforce. This system is not bias thus chan ging the selection process and making the organisation more diverse. Craig Hickman a famous author of various books on business and management such as The Strategic Game, Mind of a Manager, Soul of a Leader, etc. identifies diversity to be an important component to the success of an organization and believes that organizations take it extremely lightly as they only tolerate it rather than embracing it and this is mainly due to the external influence such as government and local residence (Hickman, 2006). It is not just important for Four Seasons to incorporate diversity using talent management but also so embrace it with the optimism that it will improve their current position. The whole process of talent management should take around two to three years to accurately be integrated in the organisation but even after it integration Four Seasons needs to continue to develop it and follow up on the progress and identify the way to improve it. Another option for the company which may even be cheaper and less time consuming than talent management would be the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In simple terms CSR is the involvement towards the economy, environment and social sustainability of the public with the assistance of various stakeholders (Baker, Corporate Social Responsibility What does it mean?). The purpose of identifying CSR as an option is because of cost effectiveness, media attractiveness, direct influence, no change in the organ

Comparison of Platos The Last Days of Socrates and Hesses Siddhartha

Comparison of Plato's The Last Days of Socrates and Hesse's Siddhartha       The Last Days of Socrates and Siddhartha are sources that reveal information about religious or philosophical ideas in the cultures that they focus on. While vast differences exist between the Greek and Indian values that shape their philosophies, they make similar assumptions as they attempt to make sense of the world. Understanding the dichotomous relationship of the soul and the body is integral to grasping the similarities and differences between the classical Greek and Indian paths because the way in which these concepts are understood defines the very nature of truth.    Socrates, the main character in The Last Days of Socrates, and Siddhartha, the central figure in Siddhartha, are both portrayed as learned men searching for truth. The author of The Last Days of Socrates, Plato, conceived the document as a representation of Socrates' method of inquiry. Although it is a primary source from the period (429-347 B.C.E.), the reader must consider that The Last Days of Socrates is a re-creation of events that may have happened, not a verbatim account. Siddhartha is a secondary source that explains an Indian philosophical journey through the perspective of a twentieth century German author. Thus, one must consider the author's bias towards his subject and remember that the ideas presented are one scholar's interpretation of the legend. By attempting to compare and contrast both sources' approaches to truth, one can make some observations about the way Greek and Indian cultures view truth; keeping in mind that the sources each merely represent one account of the historical events and ideas.    Intrinsic to Siddhartha and Socrates' searche... ...th. By becoming aware of the separation of the soul and the body, the indestructible and immortal nature of the soul, and the impossibility of the soul understanding truth while bound to the body, one can begin to understand how this dichotomy has shaped Indian and ancient Greek philosophy.    Works Cited Baumer, Franz.   Hermann Hesse.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1970. Field, G.W.   Hermann Hesse.   Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1970. Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998. Plato, The Last Days of Socrates.   Trans. Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant.   London: Penguin, 1993. Welch, Carolyn Roberts.   Cliff's Notes on Hesse's Steppenwolf and Siddhartha. Lincoln: Cliff's Notes Inc., 1973. Ziolkowski, Theodore.   The Novels of Hermann Hesse: A Study in Theme and Structure. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965.

Steppenwolf : The Disintegration of Harry Haller as it Relates to Music

Steppenwolf : The Disintegration of Harry Haller as it Relates to Music      Ã‚  Ã‚   Among the many themes present in Hermann Hesse's 1927 novel Steppenwolf, two stand out as basic threads around which the story is constructed: the isolated nature of the artist and the duality of existence (Benà ©t 471). Harry Haller, the protagonist of the novel, is portrayed as an outsider to society and to modern life; he must struggle with his own outmoded ideals and bestiality to embrace humanity and reality. His Zerrissenheit, or disintegration (literally translated, "the state of being torn apart" [Benà ©t 1142]), culminates in the Magic Theater at the finish of the novel. Here, he finds himself a changed man, with a clearer understanding of human and social relations. Harry Haller's progress to this point can be traced through his changing perception of music and the role it plays in his life: as he becomes increasingly disenchanted with his former lifestyle and actively interested in his new one, his understanding and acceptance of new and old music undergoes a significant change.    The preface to the novel establishes Harry Haller as a great lover of music. In it, Haller's landlord remarks on his habits and characteristics. One of the most striking encounters he has with Haller takes place at a symphony one night:    First some Handel was played, noble and lovely music. But the Steppenwolf sat absorbed in his own thoughts...After the Handel came a little symphony of Friedemann Bach, and I saw with surprise how after a few bars my stranger began to smile and abandon himself to the music...for about ten minutes [he was] so happily lost and rapt in pleasant dreams... ... the seriousness and spirituality of the piece.    Haller's Zerrissenheit culminates in an understanding that humor, love of life and passion with a sense of restraint are essential to spiritual health. To live comfortably and yet fully need not be an unattainable standard of life. One may be original without pretense, whole with many parts; it is certainly possible to understand the holy pain of a long, complex movement and yet still take pleasure in the fast step of a fox trot.    Works Cited   Benà ©t, William Rose. "Hermann Hesse." Benà ©t's Reader's Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1996.   Benà ©t, William Rose. "Zerrissenheit." Benà ©t's Reader's Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1996.   Hesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927.   

Julius Ceasar Expository Essay

-intoduction Brutus and Cassius, is there a diffrence, or are they the same? In the drama Julius Caesar, Caesar is the ruler of Rome. A lot of the Romans do not like Caesar, but they respect him as ruler, except for a a hand full who are planning to kill Caesar. This group of people are called the conspirasors -Comparison Both Brutus and Cassius greatly love Rome and care deeply for the Republic.Cassius`s love of Rome stems more from a love of what his country has to offer him personally, but he is deeply patriotic and genuinely upset that â€Å"these wide walls encompass but one man. † After all, Cassius is describes as Titinius as â€Å"the last of all the Romans. † Both Brutus and Cassius, alternate between a belief in fate and a conviction that they possess free will. Cassius says â€Å"the fault†¦ lies not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings. † Later, however, he rejects this claim saying that he no longer â€Å"holds Epicurus strong. Brutus says â€Å"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to victory,† but his encounter with Caesar's ghost makes him doubt this belief. -Differences Brutus is actually friends with Caesar and highly respects him and what he does. Brutus is honorable and is pretty much friends with everyone. Cassius is good at manipulating people, and he is not fond of Caesar. He does not want Caesar to have all the power that he has now. He will do whatever he has to in order to make Caesar to stand down.

Nursing as a Profession Essay

The question of whether the practice of nursing is considered a profession or an occupation is an ongoing debate, much like the ongoing debate over what defines a profession. Several scholars have outlined criteria for considering an occupation to be a profession. Given a list of scholars and their criteria for what characteristics define a profession, I have chosen the list formulated by Lucie Kelly, RN, PhD, FAAN. Although the scholars’ works seem to share similar criteria and any could be selected for comparison, I have chosen Kelly’s criteria based on her background in the nursing profession. In addition to being a nurse, Dr. Kelly is a writer and a teacher. She compiled a list of eight characteristics of a profession in 1981 (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). Though they were written over 30 years ago, Kelly’s criteria are still relevant to modern nursing practice. According to Kelly’s first criterion, a profession should provide a service to humanity and to society as a whole (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). I believe that there is no sustainable argument against the fact that this is exactly what nurses do. Nurses provide a service by caring for individuals in our society who are ill or injured, and they educate and promote wellness in their communities. I believe that the nursing establishment certainly meets and possibly defines the requirements for this particular standard. I believe nursing also meets the second standard, which states that a profession should possess a special body of knowledge that is constantly advanced through research (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). Nursing is based on science, but what sets the profession apart is the focus on the individual as a unique being and their response to health problems. Nursing is constantly being refined through evidence-based practice. â€Å"Nursing is no longer based on trial and error but increasingly relies on theory  development and research as a basis for practice† (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). The third characteristic of a profession, according to Kelly, is that the service involves intellectual activities and that accountability is an important feature of those activities (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). I believe nursing also meets these requirements through the nursing process. In order to provide care for an individual, a nurse must assess the problem, decide on an approach (or plan of care), and implement that plan. The nurse has to be able to evaluate the outcome of those actions and adjust the plan accordingly. Autonomy is an important part of this individual responsibility. Nurses are held accountable for their individual actions by their employers, patients, and the public. Registered nurses today are required to meet strict educational standards before applying for licensure. Kelly’s fourth criterion requires practitioners to be educated in institutes of higher learning (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). Associate or baccalaureate degrees are the most common education levels for registered nurses. Some diploma programs are still being run in hospitals, but their numbers are steadily declining (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 149). Graduate degree programs focused on education, research, and advanced practice provide opportunities for nurses to progress in their careers. The fifth characteristic of a profession is the one that I think is most debated. It states that practitioners are relatively independent and regulate their own policies (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). Nursing is autonomous and self-governing. Over time, nursing has established its own values, ethics, and protocol. However, many would argue the actual performance of nursing itself still falls under the direction and control of physicians and administrators. Nursing is classically regulated in the facility in which the nurse works by their institutional policies. Also, many people feel that because a nurse must have orders from a physician, they lack autonomy (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). This debate about autonomy ties in with the discussion on the third criterion. Nurses provide  nursing care autonomously; they do not practice medicine. For the sixth of Kelly’s eight characteristics, the statement made is that practitioners are motivated by service and consider their work an important component of their lives (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). Nursing easily meets this criterion. I believe the majority of nurses, if asked why they chose nursing, would immediately respond that they want to help others or to make a difference. I believe most nurses derive their greatest satisfaction from nursing when they know they have done a good job, helped someone in need, or simply lightened the load that burdens a patient. Nursing is one of the purest forms of altruism as I understand it. The importance of their profession in their lives is apparent; simply ask a nurse what they do. The seventh and eighth characteristics can be addressed together. The seventh characteristic is that a code of ethics exists, and the eighth is that there is an organization that supports this code (Chitty & Black, 2011, p. 66). There are a number of professional organizations to which nurses belong. The ANA, or American Nurses Association, is the foremost nursing organization in the United States. The ANA sets policies, has established the most widely recognized code of ethics, and lobbies to promote the recognition of the field of nursing (â€Å"NursingWorld†, 2012). All licensed nurses are regulated by their state board. Each state sets standards for scope of practice. According to Kelly’s eight characteristics, the field of nursing certainly meets the criteria of a profession with little room for debate. Over the last century, nursing has evolved from a task-oriented occupation to an intellectual profession through research, education, and organization. There are some barriers to complete acceptance of nursing as a profession. Nurses have a responsibility to themselves to advance their profession both internally and in the eyes of the public. I consider nursing to be a profession, and will continue to practice as a professional nurse to the best of my ability. References Chitty, K., & Black, B. (2011). Professional nursing: Concepts & challenges. (6th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders Elsevier. NursingWorld. (2012). Retrieved September 26, 2012 from American Nurses Association website: http://www.nursingworld.org/

Zara Case Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Zara Case Analysis - Research Paper Example This paper analyzes Zara’s current IT infrastructure with regards to its strategy and makes recommendations on the way to go forward. Description of the case The case details the dilemma that Mr. Xan Salgado Badas, the Head of IT for the clothing giant Inditex, is currently facing with regards to the IT infrastructure of Inditex’s flagship brand Zara. Mr. Salgado needs to decide whether to upgrade Zara’s IT infrastructure or retain the status quo. From the case we can tell that the Inditex’s Head of IT had been deliberating on this issue for quite some time; he and Mr. Bruno Sanchez Ocampo – the technical lead for Zara’s POS - had swopped roles as protagonist and antagonist several times before as they endeavored to evaluate the weight of each side of the argument. To enable us appreciate the dilemma that Salgado was facing the case describes Zara’s business model. The company derived its competitive edge from the speed of its product cycle in combination with decentralized decision making. Zara also employed a different marketing strategy that focused on its stores and the shopping experience rather than advertising like its main competitors. From the case we see that the firm’s IT infrastructure as is was able to make its operations the most effective in the industry. Also, given that it was largely developed in-house Zara’s IT infrastructure was largely proprietary and well-customized to meet its strategic goals. Furthermore, it was easy to install, use and stable. With all these advantages we see why the Head of IT had to take time to deeply consider the company’s next move with regards to IT infrastructure. To give us a balanced picture similar to that which Salgado had, the case also highlights the shortcomings of the current system. Analysis of the company’s goals/strategy Corporate strategy is about what a company wants and how the company should go about to satisfy this want. To achieve its main goal the company employs a grand strategy. Grand Strategies fall into three general categories which reflect what a company’s overall goal would be: growth, stability or retrenchment (Daft, 2000). From the context of the case we are informed that Inditex executives felt that ample room for growth existed within its current markets (Mcafee, Dessain, & Sjoman, 2007, p. 5). This could be construed to imply that Zara’s overall goal was that of growth. The grand strategy is like a framework of the whole business strategy. To achieve its goal Zara would have to focus its attention on business-level strategy. According to Porter (1998) business-level strategy includes numerous strategies, that can be classified into two, either competitive strategy or cooperative strategy. The objective of either strategy is to help the company to achieve competitive advantage against its rival. The difference between these two strategies is in the form of the action taken. There are three ways through which an organization can achieve competitive advantage namely: management, marketing and supply. Zara thrives on speed. It has to respond very quickly to the demands of its target customers who are young, fashion-conscious city dwellers (Mcafee et al., 2007). For Zara to be able to deliver styles while they are still hot, the organization realized that it had to take advantage of the intelligence and judgment of its employees throughout the company. For this reason store managers at Zara were given much more responsibility than those at rival clothing chains. Also Zara employed commercials who worked with designers and store managers to

A better a Life by Chris Weitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A better a Life by Chris Weitz - Essay Example Carlos is in such a situation and he reveals his fears to his employer, Blasco who wants to return to Mexico after making enough money. Undocumented workers have no guarantee that they will be hired to work without licensing and insurance as Carlos is unsure if he will get any employment after Blasco leaves for Mexico and has to take the risk of purchasing Blasco’s truck to be his own employer and take on Blasco’s business. The only choice that is available for undocumented workers in the United States is to work as a hired hand and ensure they are invisible if they are to survive the debilitating conditions as undocumented workers.  There is no certainty in the lives of undocumented workers as to the presence of work compared to documented workers who have access to monthly jobs and pension schemes, as well as health insurance. This is well illustrated when Blasco drops Carlos after a day’s work and informs him that there will be no work the next day. The othe r episode that exposes this sad reality in the lives of undocumented workers is where workers congregate to be picked up for work and some immigrate may not have the chance of getting work as depicted by Santiago an Carlos at the end of the day. The other portrayal of undocumented workers is that they have to play certain roles in the community that are despised including lawn mowing as done by Carlos, park cars, washing dishes, and man tables in hotels.     Undocumented workers are faced with financial challenges and have to work even on Sundays to make ends meet.