Globalisation ; Video games

I am sitting in a small coffee shop on Nanjing Road in the heart of Shanghai's central business district as I write this post. As I look around me the energy of this metropolis is palpable. There is a sense of optimism and a can-do attitude that is remarkably similar to what I experience in every vibrant economy worldwide. There is another common thread. Gaming is pervasive. Wherever I look, whether in the coffee shop or in the subway or bus station, people are enjoying video games and immersed in their phone, tablet, or laptop.Last week, I expounded on the first of three secular orces that I believe are changing the videogame industry and today seems more relevant than ever to discuss the second one: globalization. The global software market for video games was approximately $52 billion in 2012. In Just the last 8 years, the emerging markets have gone from 12% to 47% of the market size and are growing at a compounded annual rate of nearly 30%. While the growth is broad based, countr ies like China, Brazil and Russia are on a tear, growing upwards of 100% in categories like Android and iOS.In most of these markets, consoles are a very small art of gaming today, though that is also starting to change as even countries like China are re-evaluating long held policies on allowing consoles. As I look at technological and game play trends, it is my strong belief that the market for gaming is going to sustain this growth for many years to come and in most cases even accelerate. However, with globalization comes a very different set of technical challenges. Companies can't simply replicate their success in western markets with a â€Å"rinse and repeat† of existing strategies for new geographies.Companies that simply ranslate their products verbatim and release it into new markets will fail. To succeed, you have to think global but act local. What does this mean in the context of videogames? Each country is different in its gaming patterns, consumer behavior, infr astructure, commercial norms and local regulations. Different aspects of the game have to be tailored for local playing conditions as though the game was built from the ground up for that market.A few examples: New game content that has local relevance and appeal Architectural changes that cater to local infrastructure, such as accounting for expected network latencies and packet losses. Introduction of different business models such as free-to-play Respect for local commercial norms, such as Konbini in Japan or Boleto Bancario in Brazil Expansion of the backend platform to support local offers, promotions and pricing changes Even though videogames are prevalent around the world today, there are cultural nuances that are extremely important to react to when it comes to delivering digital entertainment and services.It's not Just about marketing products differently (which is also very important) but the technology backbone that goes into supporting these titles also needs to adjust f or he country or region you're in. Everything from payment systems, gameplay mechanics and monetization strategies could be different. One such example is Plants vs. Zombies, a spectacular tower defense game from PopCap that has a massive consumer base in North America.It has had remarkable success in China with its Great Wall edition which was released on mobile in China with local content, consumer data plans (26 and 36) and local network topology. Another example is FIFA Online 3 which was recently released in Korea and is based on the game mechanics of the popular FIFA 13 console game but tailored for the local market. It has already broken records with 2. 4 million players in Just the first four weeks since launch.It's a format that works better for that market and gives us the opportunity to deliver one of our core franchises to a new audience. Global connectivity has expanded the opportunities for our industry while also completely changing the demands on our technology infra structure. I have to be thinking global with every decision I make. My next post I'll address what I see as the final secular force – social connectivity. In the meantime, I'd love to hear how going global in business impacts your day-to-day.

In Defense of Food Essay

In the book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, author Michael Pollan commences his tale with a few straightforward words: â€Å"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants†. In his introduction, An Eater’s Manifesto, Pollan discusses how the dietetic wisdom that was passed down from older generations has been heavily tainted by â€Å"nutritional science and food industry marketing† (Pollan, 2008). The first volume of the book entitled, The Age of Nutritionism†, delves into this problem and helps uncover the cause of today’s â€Å"nutritional confusion and anxiety† (Pollan, 2008). Nowadays, it is not uncommon to have â€Å"edible foodlike substances† displayed in every aisle of the grocery store with all products promoting some kind of nutritional benefit from their consumption. These dietary facts are often modified to showcase dietary benefits that are barely present in the food product, if present at all. With such prevalent misinformation, today’s society has become so overly concerned with nutrient enriched food that people have either forgotten or are unaware of the importance of the fundamentals. Pollan further explains that humanity has become â€Å"a nation of orthorexics† meaning that people have developed â€Å"an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating† centred on the theory of nutritionism (Pollan, 2008). Chronic diseases that have the highest death rate such as obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer, can be attributed to the â€Å"Western diet† which consists of â€Å"highly processed foods and refined grains; the use of chemicals to raise plants and animals in huge monocultures; the superabundance of cheap calories of sugar and fat produced by modern agriculture; and the narrowing of the biological diversity of the human diet to a tiny handful of staple crops, notably wheat, corn, and soy† (Pollan, 2008). In the second volume entitled â€Å"The Western Diet and the diseases of Civilization†, Pollan analyzes the shift in eating habits of today versus those since the discovery of agriculture and the industrialization of food. In the third and final volume entitled, â€Å"Getting over Nutritionism†, Pollan offers helpful recommendations to healthy eating and living. These simple, easy-to-follow tips are intended to: educate society on the dangers of misleading information from food industries and medical communities; and to steer people away from the Western Diet and back to the traditional ways of preparing and consuming food. Pollan suggests for people to refrain from shopping at supermarkets and choose local farmers markets instead. However, for those with no other option, he recommends they only shop from the peripherals of the store. Some other advice that Pollan offers is to â€Å"eat mostly plants, especially leaves†, â€Å"eat like an omnivore† and â€Å"be the kind of person that takes supplements† (Pollan, 2008). He also states that people who â€Å"eat according to the rules of a traditional food culture are generally much healthier than people eating a contemporary Western diet†. This analysis is focused on the cultural traditions of food consumption where â€Å"eating is deeply rooted in nature – in human biology on one side and in the natural world on the other† (Pollan, 2008). People around the world have different relationships with food and eating. Pollan suggests that how different cultures eat plays a large role in what different cultures eat. He further proposes that American society, nowadays, has become a culture heavily focused on quantity and price rather than quality. Society has become so fixated on â€Å"low-fat† or â€Å"low-carb† options that they have failed to realize the true underlying issue of overeating. The distinction between price and quality is often the deciding factor for most American families. As a result Pollan recommends purchasing quality foods in smaller portions thus developing the pay more, eat less ideology. I found that this book provided tremendously eye-opening content. This book offers an insightful perspective surrounding the relationship between people and food; proposes how society, in particular the American culture, can start choosing healthier food options that enable us to live healthy and enjoyable lives; while bringing back the joy of eating and preparing food. I found his analysis of the history of nutritionism, the science behind what to eat and why, to be extremely informative. In particular, when Pollan discusses how the food industry develops food products heavily focused around the latest â€Å"fad† diets or so-called nutritional needs of society, it was enlightening to read his perspective as I often purchase items such as low-fat margarine over regular butter. It is outrageous that the food industry fought for many years to get the â€Å"imitation rule† removed and when modified was allowed to state â€Å"that as long as an imitation product was not â€Å"nutritionally inferior† to the natural food it sought to impersonate [and] had the same quantities of recognized nutrients—the imitation could be marketed without using the word [imitation]† (Pollan, 2008). By keeping consumers misinformed about such imperative factors that impact to our daily diets has contributed to society’s vast health issues. Moreover, the discussion about the differences between culture and food habits resonated with me because while I have lived in either England or Canada my entire life, my family lineage is from India. With this real-life example, I believe that Pollan is correct to assume the â€Å"certain cultures that consumed traditional diets based mostly on plants had strikingly low rates of chronic diseases† (Pollan, 2008). Nowadays, a large portion of Westernized societies base their food choices on price and quantity over quality; so-called nutritional content geared towards weight management than overall well-being; and convenience. According to Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, â€Å"in advertising and on supermarket shelves, [there is] fierce competition [in the food industry] for our food dollars† (Nestle, 2008). She states that the Westernized food industry is â€Å"food politics in action: watered-down government dietary advice, schools pushing soft drinks, diet supplements promoted as if they were First Amendment rights. When it comes to the mass production and consumption of food, strategic decisions are driven by economics—not science, not common sense, and certainly not health† (Nestle, 2008). The role of innovation in sustainable development should focus on more â€Å"agriculture-based methods [of food production] that have been shown to prevent food waste, help resist climate change, and promote urban farming† (Nestle, 2008). What is most important is to provide innovative products and services that are centered on humanity and that meet the needs of the consumer. Pollan does an excellent job at analyzing the problem and developing solutions based on the needs of society, particularly in America. The solution here is to revert back to the traditional way of consuming and purchasing food: local food grown by local people. Pollan encourages that people become members of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or shop for fresh produce at their local farmers markets. This local food movement enables new and soon to be farmers to provide â€Å"environmentally sustainable agriculture [while] supporting their local community and growing food that directly connects them to the consumer† (Collins, 2011). On the business perspective, CSA’s are part of â€Å"the Small Farm Movement that is growing across Europe and North America† and farmers start off by selling their products at â€Å"local farmers’ markets to test out what products the consumer is looking for, followed by building clientele and launching into a CSA† (Collins, 2011). In order for CSA’s to succeed as a sustainable innovation, farmers must understand the importance of truthful marketing and fostering relationships with their customers as the most important part of the business model. References 1) Pollan, M. (2008). In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Retrieved from: http://ebookbrowse. com/michael-pollan-in-defense-of-food-an-eater-s-manifesto-pdf-d341084275 2) Nestle, M. (2008). Food Politics. Retrieved from: http://www. foodpolitics. com/food-politics-how-the-food-industry-influences-nutrition-and-health/ 3) Collins, D. (2011). Community Supported Agriculture – A Unique Business Model. Retrieved from: http://www. omafra. gov. on. ca/english/crops/organic/news/2008-12a2. htm.

Analysis of Aravind Eye Hospital

An Eye on Hope Miracles do happen. Don’t believe me? Ask that boy whose eyes would finally be able to see how the face of his mother is much more beautiful than even that angelic face that he had always imagined while listening to the lullabies she sang for him or how his cricketing hero actually looks like or how his kingdom of sand – that the world calls as a playground actually bore the signs of his footsteps or how the faces of his friends, who cheered for him for being specially-abled or who dissed him for his disability, change expressions on seeing him again. Now, here is a question for all the B-School students who are taught to derive the equivalent clink of coin-sound for all human emotions, day-in and day-out or for all the professionals who have grown up taking pride in putting a dollar tag on every single sentiment on this earth. Can you put a price tag on this miracle? How much would you be ready to invest if you could make this miracle a mundane reality for millions and millions of people in India? Can you be stoic enough emotionally to discard this proposal by taking help of an equally heartless financial jargon of profit-margins and return on capital employed? Or would you take a step forward and approach this problem the right way rather than the easy way. Arvind Eye Hospitals, since their inception, have proven time and again, year-after-year, that a business that deals in miracles like this can be self-sustainable if you have the right sentiments, intentions, vision and the sincerity to cater to the base of the pyramid, which because of its sheer volume, in a country like India can prove to be a self-dependent and autonomous business model. Put yourself in the shoes of the patients just for a moment, and you’ll understand how it can prove to be an economically viable model with a focus on intangible benefits rather than the tangible ones. Imagine a hypothetical case of Laxmi, who lives in Tangachi Mattam, a village forty kilometers away from Madurai, who decides to bring in her 10-year-old, bespectacled son Vishnu, to be examined at the centre this Saturday when he complained of irritation in his left eye. Ordinarily, it would have taken them a whole day to go to Madurai by bus and back, not to mention the cost of Rs 200 round trip. If the vision centre develops in every city, the consultation with the Doctor cost them Rs 20 – at less than the price of a coffee cup in a hip cafe, one little boy’s eyes can finally return to his school books. The model certainly can be emulated if the businessmen can abandon their perennial thirst for endless money for this cause and concentrate more on the intangible benefits of this exercise rather than tangible ones. But the question is how? Part-I – How ? If we look at the current status of blindness in India, about 90% of blindness is relatively easily treatable and cataract remains a major cause of blindness. Our annual cataract surgical rate is about 3. 5 million but the current levels of cataract surgery are far below the number required to clear the existing backlog, besides taking care of incidence. There is an urgent need to perform more cataract surgeries every year. If we look at the current service delivery pattern, the Government does about 25%, NGOs and voluntary organization 41. 2% and private 33. 8%. There is also an increasing shift towards IOL surgery. The increasing need in the community for eye care services combined with poor utilization of existing resources indicate a strong need for organizational development aimed at such eye care providers. One major need is to better equip these institutions to deal with the burden of blindness, to aid in the transition towards IOL surgery other standard procedures, to standardize duality of eye care provided by them, to promote cost effective practices for self-sustainability and finally to help the hospital leadership to articulate a well defined vision and goal for their hospital. Based on Arvind Eye Care’s experience, a capacity building process with other eye hospitals should be initiated. Arvind should set itself a target of partnering in capacity building with 100 voluntary eye hospitals that were under performing or in the start-up phase. The ultimate goal would be to help in developing each of these hospitals into a facility capable of doing high volume, high quality work and become financially viable. The financial viability will remain a critical issue in order to protect these voluntary organizations from the uncertainties of external funding. The first initiative in this direction has already come from the Lions International who wanted to establish a process for capacity building for the hospitals supported by them and as a spin off other INGOs like Sight Savers, CBM, Seva and IEF too joined hands for their partner hospitals. LAICO is currently partnering with 140 eye hospitals, of which 118 are from India and the remaining are from other countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Africa, Cambodia, etc. LAICO, is working on the following 4-step strategy to help with the capacity building of the under-performing and other NGO hospitals. The results so far have been astounding for LAICO. The following graphs show how the capacity development workshops have been a path-breaking success for this business model in general and the participating hospitals in particular. The resulting efficiency increase through the economies of scale is also evident in the cost recovery of the participating hospitals as shown in the graph below. But the biggest challenge in terms of the execution of the plan is to ensure the sustainability of this execution. The above analysis leads us to identifying some of the factors that affect the capacity building process as many of the hospitals have drastically increased, while some hospitals have shown no improvement or decrease in the performance. The leadership of the hospital is a major factor. The location, availability and involvement of the leader affect capacity building. Wherever there has been a permanent leader with a vision, those hospitals have shown a very good improvement. Resistance to change and openness among the team members are also crucial. The hospitals need to have teamwork rather than one person doing the entire show. If the institution is not interested in doing high volume or is satisfied with the current level of services, capacity building is difficult. Where ever the leader focuses more on resource creation rather than on resource utilization, an imbalance between performance and capacity arises. Operational areas, even having a single ophthalmologist or part-time ophthalmologist also affect the long-term sustainability of the hospital especially when these doctors leave the hospital. The pattern of compensation also affects the growth of the hospital. To some extent incentives help the hospital increase its performance but this does not help the hospital to grow as an institution. This brings us to the vital question – what should be the change in the outlook of the organization to sustain this change and continue to register growth in the strategy chosen. Part-II – How sustainable is sustainable? No matter the individual or the reason at hand, all effective leadership styles have one thing in common- they all contain the Four Cs- Character, Communication skills, Consistency, and the Creativity needed for successful problem solving. Of course, within each of these four traits, variances of extreme proportions are noted by those most inclined to utilize them. The ability to get onto the correct path for creating your own effective leadership style stems from within the individual, for realizing that it is the followers who recognize if a leader is successful is the first step. Share the glory with your team, but keep the pains to yourself. Small, cash-strapped nonprofits often find that the most accessible funding is restricted to specific initiatives, programs, and contracts. They accept them because they nominally fall within the organization’s broad mission statement, but they are much better aligned with the donor’s strategy than with the nonprofit’s. Because the funds barely cover the direct costs of the additional activity, much less the indirect costs, the nonprofit reenters the funding market again and again, each time as a bigger, less focused, and more cash-starved entity. Hence, within the non-profit sector, one can safely say that â€Å"The tree dies from the top†. As a consequence of this stick-and-stretch syndrome, nonprofits often develop anaerobic life styles. At one extreme is the bloated bureaucracy: It may have some hardworking parts, but as a whole, it’s slow moving and survives because of mission legitimacy, not mission performance. At the other is the ever-busy nonprofit characterized by action paralysis. The organization is so busy executing the day-to-day stuff, raising money, implementing programs, and so on, that it never steps back to consider the full implications of its actions. The combination of stickiness to the mission and stretchiness to market demands can undermine a nonprofit’s effectiveness. The stretchiness keeps it very busy on a day-to-day basis; it’s constantly executing programs and working to raise funds. But in a strategic sense, the organization moves very slowly because the stickiness holds it in place. Before it can move forward, it must unstick the inertia at its center and then creep forward one step at a time, carrying with it all its baggage. To create a strategy that is both ffective and measurable, nonprofits first need to translate their core mission into a narrower, quantifiable operational mission. Next, the nonprofit needs to convert the operational mission into a strategy platform using the following 4-step strategy process. Step 1: The Mission Statement. This statement tends to be broad and far-reaching and usually identifies the customer need the organization attempts to serve, such as hunger, homelessness, or une mployment. The purpose of the mission statement is to inspire. Its credibility lies in the significance and scope of the problem it has identified. A powerful and compelling long-term goal will draw the attention of funders, workers, and volunteers. Habitat for Humanity International’s goal is â€Å"to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth [and] put the subject of inadequate housing in the hearts and minds of people. † The mission tells you the nature of the problem, but it doesn’t identify how Habitat will address that need or how much of it will be served by the organization. Step 2: The Operational Mission. This step brings the lofty, inspirational mission into the realm of quantitative goals. While the big mission should be broad enough to guide action through periods of organizational and environmental change, the operational mission must be narrow enough to allow the organization to trace its impact. The organization’s work should always be measurable, even if it must use proxies to do so. Habitat for Humanity, for example, tracks not only the number of homes it has built, but in some areas it also estimates the extent of poverty housing yet to be eliminated. Step 3: The Strategy Platform. This delineates how the operational mission will be achieved, including which programs to run and how to run them. The strategy platform consists of four important components: client and market development, program and service development and delivery, funder and donor development, and organization development and governance. (See the exhibit â€Å"Blueprint of a Strategy Platform. †) Each one should directly relate to the operating mission and should dovetail with the other components. Most important, every program should correspond to its appropriate strategy platform component. Step 4: The Choice of Programs. Once an organization has the platform for supporting the various strategy components in a coherent way, the day-to-day tasks of choosing which programs to fund and which to cut are much better guided. When a new program appears on the organization’s radar, the first question to ask is, How does the program contribute to the appropriate strategy component—funding development, for instance, or operational development? Conclusion: The leader in a non-profit like that of Arvind Hospital, should instead of trying to be all things to all people, should pick a niche, craft an operational mission and, flowing from it, formulate a coherent strategy platform. Then it should vigorously pursue those programs that support the logic of the entire strategy. That approach improves nonprofits’ chances for changing the world. Unfortunately, too few nonprofits conduct such strategic assessments of their work. And it is this difference which determines that how sustainable is sustainable?

Protecting the Human Rights of Immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Protecting the Human Rights of Immigrants - Essay Example Immigrants come voluntarily to any nation. In fact, they often go to extreme economic hardship in order to immigrate to their country of choice. There is no homogenization among nations concerning visas, work permits and residency rules, much fewer immigration rules. Unless there is an incentive to creating and enforcing these rules, there is no way to impose or enforce compliance internationally, neither should there be. As a global group, there is very little that even the major nations can agree upon. There is even less than any group of nations would have the right to impose. The definition of what universal human rights are is anything but universal. Even if we could come to a vague agreement upon which rights should be universal, the degree to which any such rights are enforced could not be imposed. Therefore, authorities would be able to achieve individuality by the simple difference of application. The right to freedom from illegal imprisonment is one right that is close to being acceptable internationally. However, across the globe, there are main differences concerning the cultural focus of law. There is individual centred and group centred, That is, in some nations, such as America, the rights of the individual often take precedence over the rights of the group, except where so doing would violate more important rights. However, in China, the rights of the group are considered paramount about individual rights. So imprisonment of one individual is considered better than allowing that individual to interfere with the lives of the group in any way. T herefore, China jails dissenters or removes them from the area where they have â€Å"caused trouble†. Individual freedom of speech is less important than the group freedom from disturbance. So, protecting the rights of immigrants becomes even more difficult globally. One issue is women’s rights. American women take it as a given that a woman should have the right to dress any way she likes, as long as it is not publically lewd or insulting.  Ã‚  

Allemande by Yo-Yo Ma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Allemande by Yo-Yo Ma - Essay Example I think this piece really highlights the ability of the cello, which has an amazing range and can carry a melody extraordinarily well, and I think that Yo Yo Ma plays it with aplumb. Probably my favorite song in this entire playlist. Adagio Sosenuto by Daniel Barenboim This piece is performed on solo piano, a work with significant romantic overtones that recall the original composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. It has a very slow tempo, which builds towards subtle mini-climaxes throughout which peak the emotion without ever going over the top. It is clearly in a minor key, and is incredibly invocative of sadness and melancholy. The song is driven throughout by a repeated three note riff that has only minor variations throughout, and then is punctuated by all the other music performed, bringing it into incredibly sharp focus. The music has a hesitancy to it, which makes it feel that every note has to push through a barrier before it is allowed to be heard by the audience, and that though ea ch note is soft it has a force to it that allowed it to break through the hesitation. The variations of the three note riff that flows throughout the composition gives the piece an interest that persists throughout and allows it to capture an audience’s interest and keep it focused on this song for long periods of time. I think this is an amazing song and is incredibly compelling. Its best feature is probably its emotional power, which creates an incredible amount of feeling in the listener, removing them from the time and space of the experience and into a more emotionally compatible one. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson This is a pop song with overtones of several other genres. One of the major genres that it recalls is funk, especially through being carried by a bass line, though it is incredibly danceable with a fast, four-four tempo that would keep people moving while listening to it. The instrumentation can be hard to make out, because a lot of it sounds like it might either be synthesized or heavily processed prior to being heard, but as is fitting for a funk-influenced song, the most prominent instruments are bass, staccato guitar and drum kit, with Michael Jackson’s amazingly distinct and interesting voice layered on top. This song seems to have several vocal tracks, especially in the chorus where it sounds like Michael Jackson harmonizes with himself. His signature falsetto is used to great effect, heightening the emotional appeal of the climax of the song, along with samples of real-world sounds (such as police sirens) heightening the stressful narrative the song carries forward. Despite having mostly repetitive music, this song is able to build a rich soundscape with a wide variety of textures. Viva La Vida by Coldplay This is a orchestral pop-rock hybrid song. This song is defined largely by its incredible amount of forward momentum, provided largely by short bursts of cello and bass drum that strike every beat of this four-four so ng. This forward momentum is carried further by perpetually adding more instruments on top of one another as the song progresses. It starts with a simple cello, then adds a bass drum to that to complete the main, almost train-like forward thrust of the song. Organ, piano, violin, viola, and even timpani are all then added on top of this as the song progr

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Literature Review - Essay Example Literature related to group and teamwork will be reviewed in order to gain full insight of this particular topic and how it impacts on the behaviour of people working in an organization. This topic has been chosen since it is insightful in that it is concerned with illustrating how knowledge gained about groups affect the behaviour of people involved in order to make organizations work more effectively. The paper will also outline a personal reflection about what I have gained from studying this topic as well as areas that need further research to improve the body of knowledge that exists in this particular topic. Text analysis Why do people join groups? A group is defined as â€Å"two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives,† (Robbins, 1993, p. 285). On the other hand, a team is a group of people that has been formed to work together in common, coordinate their action towards the achievement of an outcome of the project for the benefit of the group (Schultz, 2005). There is no single reason why people join a group. The most popular reasons for joining a group are related to our needs for security, status, self esteem, affiliation, power and goal achievement (Robbins, 1993). People often believe that there is more strength in joining groups than standing alone (Robbins, 1993). When people work in a group, they have fewer doubts and they are more resistant to threats. For instance, new employees in an organization often vulnerable to a sense of isolation and this is the reason why the turn to the group for guidance and moral support from other seasoned employees. Other people join a group as a way of gaining status (Robbins, 1993). People tend to gain prestige for belonging to a particular group that is seen as important in an organization. It can also be observed that people belonging to a certain group also develop a sense of self esteem. The feeling of self worth is often developed by people who belong to a prestigious group that is envied by many people. The other reason why people join a group is that they need affiliation with other people (Robbins, 1993). Some people may be very reach but they cannot leave their jobs as a result of the need to interact with others. Groups often represent power and this is the reason why people often join them. What often cannot be achieved individually becomes possible if people work in groups. Essence of group or teamwork in an organization The goal of the team or group should be synergy, in other words, the sum of the individual efforts in the team is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (Schultz 2005). In an organization, people who often pull their efforts towards the attainment of the same goals are likely to succeed in their endeavour than people who work as individuals. It may be difficult for a person to achieve the same goal that can be achieved by a group of people. Basically, organizational goals can be a chieved if people work in groups. Some tasks require the efforts of many people in order for them to be achieved. The main objectives of the organization have to be shared by all the workers so that they share the same understanding towards the vision of the organization. In an organization that is characterised by teamwork, it can be seen that the employees are also motivated to pull

Montery Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Montery Policy - Essay Example Monetary expansionary policy is traditionally used to combat unemployment during recession, by lowering interest rates and increase in the total money supply. This is done with a view to increase consumer spending, creating demand for goods and services. However, if checks and balances are not kept in place, increased money supply with inadequate increase in supply of goods and services may lead to inflation, which in turn may accentuate demand contraction and therefore, recession! Mackay and Evans article, ‘Recession fears weigh heavily on the markets’ (WSJ, Nov 26, 2007) deals with the situation of the US economy in the background of mounting worries of market players about the sluggish economic growth and sub-prime crisis in the housing and mortgage markets. The 8.4% drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, during the third week of November 2007 from its all time high and increased interest in the bond market are pointers to the market worries. The Federal officials do not share this gloomy prediction and expect the economy to clock 1.8 to 2.5% growth in the next year and that the sub-prime crisis should bottom out soon. This view is also supported by the Commerce Department, which is revising the Jul. – Sept. 07 GDP growth to 4% and confirming positive income and job growths. J.P.Morgan on the other hand, predicts a much lower growth rate of 1.5% in the first three quarters of 2008. Both The article points out to the delicate balance in the various sectors of the economy which could be upset, if institutions reduce lending to the housing sector and if this is coupled with reduction in spending by consumers on gasoline due to rising fuel prices. A slump in consumer spending is bad for the US economy as well as for the economies around the world, which export their products to the large US market. The contagious effect of the US housing crisis to the European

Economics of Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 2

Economics of Organisation - Essay Example It MUST NOT exceed 4,000 words excluding references. Assignments: Students should submit at least one practice essay and problem solution based on the class topics, the mock exam paper or previous exam papers in addition to the coursework assessment. This should be handed to Dr Martin Hoskins for assessment before the end of the Christmas vacation. Assessments submitted after this date will not be marked. The assessment, which contributes 30% of the module mark, should be submitted to the ‘Reception’ before the end of the week after the Christmas vacation. It MUST NOT exceed 4,000 words excluding references. Remember to include your name or student number, degree group and the module name and number. Make clear reference to material, including websites, which you use. You will be required to sign a ‘No plagiarism’ declaration. †¢ What are the problems that face the owners of firms in designing incentive pay schemes when work effort cannot be directly monitored? What evidence is there that these schemes are successful? How can incentive schemes provide the ‘wrong’ incentives? †¢ By referring to examples of corporate failure assess the importance of the principal-agent problem in explaining failures of corporate governance? How can regulatory reform such as the ‘Sarbanes – Oxley’ legislation and recent changes in bank regulations mitigate the ‘principal- agent’ problem? This section will discuss the problems posed by the separation of ownership from control. It will consider the problems of managing and controlling complex organisations where information is imperfect, contracts incomplete and there are opportunities, and incentives, to engage in ‘opportunistic behaviour’. This section will consider the theory of the firm as it is presented in standard economic analysis. The simplest kinds of neoclassical firm maximise

Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony - Research Paper Example In simple words it can be said that using VoIP applications a caller will be able to avoid paying long distance international call charges and also save expensive telecommunication hardware and infrastructure (Hallock, 2004, pp.5-8). The principles of VoIP are similar to traditional digital telephony in that the former also involves channel setup, signaling, conversion of analog voice signals into digital signals, encoding and decoding. The difference with traditional digitized telephony is that the encoded VoIP digital signals are transmitted over packet-switched networks as Internet Protocol or IP packets instead of being transmitted over circuit-switch network. This concept of packet-switched data transfer is based on the principles of time-division multiplexing networks. The early business service provider models of VoIP were based on traditional telephonic networking only with difference on how the data would transfer across channels. The second generation providers of VoIP incl uded the concept of closed networks for enabling private communication between secured user bases. The Skype is one of the most popular second generation VoIP service providers whose technology offers their users free calls. But the business model of Skype charges connection or access charges to customers to use private networks or public switched telephone networks (PSTN). The advantage of such model is that user’s requirements for hardware or software compatibility would be minimized and independent. The third generation of VoIP, mainly popularized by Google Talk, allows dynamic interconnection between any two user domains on the internet (Bianco, 2006, pp.365-367). Analysis of Existing Applications and Market Trends The main reason for the growth of VoIP over the years is due to its popularity as a business data networks application. With the application of VoIP a business enterprise will be able to reduce its service and hardware costs by increasing productivity through c ustomized telephony applications. VoIP technology ensures secured and consolidated telecommunication network for business enterprises. As the prices of bandwidth are falling, the internet telephony is increasingly becoming popular and more accessible to global customers. With the help of VoIP business critical information could now be telecommunicated without any significant delays (which were more prominent in traditional international telecommunications) and hence increasing the efficiency of the company. Thus, one of the major reasons for quick acceptance of VoIP was cost efficiency that the companies could realize from the implementation (Bergstrom, 2004, pp.17-18). (Source: Tele Geography Research, 2008) The traditional telephone lines are replacing the medium of communication between business enterprises as well as households. A research has found that only the North American residential VoIP services has grown over 31% CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) and it was a $1.25 b illion VoIP service industry in the year 2005. (Source: Word Press, 2011) The main drivers for the tremendous growth of VoIP can be attributed to some important VoIP characteristics including cost savings, reliability and easier functionality. SWOT Analysis The VoIP technology allows customers to make

Removing Hurdles of Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Removing Hurdles of Management - Case Study Example The first understanding that must be referenced has to do with the need for effective management techniques that can provide for a culture of success within the new expansion. Whereas the provision of certain products to the consumer is ultimately the means by which the company could hope to become successful, the establishment of an effective culture within the company, and exhibited amongst its employees, will also have a tangential and direct effect on whether or not consumers will be satisfied with the products and will seek to repeat the buying experience in the future (Gorden, 2009). Likewise, management should seek to promote a level of unified and uniform training of its employee base so that they will be capable and knowledgeable with respect to understanding unique nonverbal cues that the consumers might provide them (Mollins, 2008). For instance, Shaun Gallagher would promote interaction theory as a means of developing a level of social and psychological understanding in t erms of the way in which the consumer react and the means by which the salesperson or staff member engages with that. Rather than merely providing employees with a certain set of expected statements or product promotion that they can provide, interactional theory would encourage management to place a specific focus on the level and extent to which money is directed towards training sales numbers in terms of how they should respond from a nonverbal point of view (Marpin, 2013). Â  Likewise, in attempting to craft an effective firm, Burn’s theory of leadership as such, would indicate that stakeholders within management should either practice a transactional form of leadership or a transformational leadership (Oppenheimer, 2013). As such, the transactional form of leadership is one in which the leader focuses on building relationships between the leaders and followers.

Jamie Oliver’s language Essay Example for Free

Jamie Oliver’s language Essay In this essay I am going to be talking about the different aspects of Jamie Oliver’s language and how he adapts and uses these language features in his TED speech.Jamie Oliver successfully uses many language devices in order to help him communicate with his audience. I will be looking at Oliver’s and examining how effective it is and also some features of spontaneous speech, which are shown in the speech.Firstly, I am going to look at Jamie Oliver’s planned and prepared language that he uses. Oliver has obviously taken time to adapt his lexis to suit his American audience.Phrases such as â€Å"health care bills† and â€Å"dollars† are some examples of this. Using these Americanisms would ensure that his audience understands the full message that he is trying to put across to them. If he used phrases such as â€Å"pounds† it would weaken the emphasis he is making he could not have full communication with his audience, as they would struggle to understand the extent of his message. Next, there is a strong display of socialect and idiolect in Jamie Oliver’s spontaneous speech. This shows that even though he has adapted some of his lexis and thought about what he is going to say, he often switches to spontaneous speech and his socialect and idiolect come through. An example of this is â€Å" aint†. As this is a very-English word, it shows that this would be part of Oliver’s spontaneous speech. However it may also have been planned as it shows that even though he is trying to adapt to suit his audience he may have used â€Å"ain’t† to keep his identity and also make his speech more engaging.Pauses are a common prosodic feature in Jamie Oliver’s speech. Often used subconsciously, they are slight breaks in speech that can be used in spontaneous speech for the speaker to think about what they are going to say next, but also can be planned in order to add effect. An example of are long pause is â€Å"let’s be honest guys,(0.5) you aint got that cash.† This is a clear example of using pauses to add effect. Its hows that Oliver is passionate about the subject he is talking about and adding as light humourous edge to his talk.All these are features that Jamie Oliver uses in his speech, whether it be spontaneous or planned. Each one has a specific effect and adds to his speech. Altogether I have found that these features are integral to the success of his speech and enhance the message he is bringing to his audience.

John Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

John Steinbeck Essay Introduction The American dream was created by James Truslow Adams in 1931, James Truslow Adams believed that the American dream was of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement, the American dream was targeted at poor people who wanted to have a better future, some of the things that might be in the American dream is to have a house with a nice family. In the book Of Mice and Men. The American Dream is everyone has a dream to strive for the better things in life. The poor men and women wish to be their own bosses, and actually have stability in their lives, the poor wanted to have there own homes and have a nice family. But in the 1930s there werent many or even any jobs available for the average everyday people of America. The American dream was for everyone to have a dream, the dream was created in the 1930s America, and the great depression was caused by the Wall Street crash, because of the crash many people had lost there jobs and were unemployed, any money that would have been saved in there banks, it wasnt possible for them to take it out because of the wall street crash, the entire banking system had collapsed and a huge number of banks went bust. There where many people staving and illnesses started to flood through out America. The only jobs that people could get where at ranches so there where many migrant farmers going to farm to farm trying to find a job, it was very competitive for them to get a job because every one wanted to make money so the could fill them selfs in the time of the great depression there was a big drought which caused a lot of farms to dry up. All the useable ranches where you could actually get some crops out of where in California. Many rich people had ranches in California so every one whos ranches where dried out and couldnt be used they would go to California, but not every one would have got a place because of the overcrowdings. In the story of mice and men the two men are also migrant farmers and are in need of a job at a ranch, this is how the of mice and men is linked to the great depression. George and Lennie. The relationship between George and Lennie is like a father and son relation ship, in the story lennie is represented like a child because of his disabilities and how he acts. In the story George is always telling off lennie for any thing bad which he does, a quote to represent George telling off lennie is, Aw, lennie George put his hand on Lennies shoulder , I aint taking it for meanness. This is showing two things one which is that hes telling off lennie for something bad what he has done and that at the time of telling him off hes actually being nice and saying he doesnt do it for meanness, just like a father would do. Lennie treats George like a father by always listening to him, in the story lennie mimics Georges moves, a quote showing this is, Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, and looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. This shows that George treats Lennie in a father perspective and thinks of him as a role model. George also gets Frustrated over Lennie when he doesnt listen and does bad stuff a quote showing this is, But not us! An why? Because because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you. This is showing that if he didnt have to look after Lennie he would have a better life and George could go to a cat house when ever he wanted to and spend all his money unlike now when he has to save it up for the both of them and try and fulfil there dream as best as possible. Why George keeps Lennie around is because he doesnt want to be lonely and live his life like all the other migrant farmers which go to cat houses and spend there earned money on useless money, a quote showing this is, they come to a ranch an work up a stake and then go into town and blow their stake, and the next thing you know theyre pounding their tail on some other ranch. The quote is showing that other migrant farmers spend all there earning but George has a reason to earn money, the reason being lennie. George likes to have lennie around a quote showing this is. its a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know. The quote was when George was talking to slim and took out his feelings. George and Lennies dream is to have a house and land and to have many farm animals especially lennie he is really interested in having lots of rabbits to tend and chickens, a quote to show this dream is All kins a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. Wed jus live there. Wed belong there. There wouldnt be no more runnin round the country and gettin fed by a Jap cook. This quote shows that George and lennie want to be free to have what they want when they want, there is no hustle of doing anything they can grow fresh vegetables on the land run around on the fields enjoying themselves and lennie can tend the rabbits which he would be pleased about. As this would be relevant to the 1930s migrant farmers, George and lennie were alone and didnt have any one to talk to and were quite lonely, a quote to show this is but not us! Because.. because I got you to look after me , and you got me to look after you and thats why this quote shows that George and lennie were together to look after each other referring to the 1930s many people didnt travel together and didnt have the right people to go to if something happened in their lives, referring to the book of mice and men George is always looking after lennie and having to care and see what he is doing where ever he goes, George is a good parent to a lennie he sometimes can get frustrated with lennie but at the same time he doest want to be lonely as he keeps him company. And the interactions he makes towards lennie to make him understand what he is doing. George and Lennies dream didnt succeed because Lennie was getting into to much trouble, like the time in weed when he started to feel that girls dress, a quote showing the time when Lennie got in trouble was, well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. This quote shows George getting into trouble because he of his child like behaviour.

Marketing plan and strategic options of Whitbread

Marketing plan and strategic options of Whitbread Introduction Strategic planning is the core of the work of an organisation. Without a strategic framework you dont know where you are going or why you are going there. So, then, it doesnt really matter how you get there! A strategy is an overall approach and plan. So, strategic planning is the overall planning that facilitates the good management of a process. Strategic planning takes you outside the day-to- day activities of your organisation or project. It provides you with the big picture of what you are doing and where you are going. Strategic planning gives you clarity about what you actually want to achieve and how to go about achieving it, rather than a plan of action for day-to-day operations This is all that we are going to learn from this. Task 1 About Whitbread Whitbread PLC is the UKs largest hotel and Restaurant Company operating market-leading businesses in the budget hotels and restaurant sectors. Its brands include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee. Whitbread PLC employs 35,000 people and serves 9 million customers every month in its 2,000 outlets across the UK. Whitbread PLC is a FTSE 100 company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index External Factors affecting Whitbread Whitbread is a family of brands, all of which are in the business of providing hospitality in one shape or form. The major external factors affecting the Whitbread are as below: Globalization: The main reason globalization affects hotel industry is through economy and transportation. Economically countries depend on one another; if one countries economy recesses it can in turn make many other countries economies suffer. Therefore there will be less money spent on luxury activities in both countries. Another affect of globalization on Whitbread is the many different cultures represented in cities and communities across the UK. These different cultures bring different food and recreational activities to their communities Economic conditions: In economic recession people lose jobs or tend to save their money because they do not know when things are going to get better. When people curtail spending due to an economic recession, the first thing they stop spending money on is luxury items. These items include: going out to eat at restaurants, going on trips, and basic recreation. These three activities are part of Whitbread Company; therefore, the Whitbread is one of the first industries to get hurt when the economy recesses. In economic expansion people have more money and tend to spend more money on things like vacations, going to eat at restaurants, and recreation. Political conditions: Political power can be defined as the ability to persuade lawmakers, society, or regulators to take steps that influence a firms actions or performance. For example, a politically strong customer group might influence government to enact legislation to protect its rights, or a politically strong media participant may be able to influence people to avoid certain restaurants or hotels. Weather: Weather has a major affect on hotel industry, for example a tropical resort may lose customers when it rains or is really windy, so these resorts might have a policy that states if you leave early because of weather there will be no refunded money. An example of weather affecting Whitbread is snow. This year the winter is already started with a big chill across the UK and people really dont wish to go out is such a frosty and snowy weather as there are more chances of having difficulties and injuries by slipping. Analysis of Major changes in external environment The major changes that are happening in the external environment that are going to affect the strategy are as below: Change of economic conditions: As we all know that the economy is still going down despite of the various possible alternatives tried by the UK government. There is no relief from the job redundancy and inflation which is going up every day. This is definitely having an effect on the pocket of the normal man and thus the strategy of handing a business will surely change. Political Factors: We just had a new government and is trying to bring in lot many changes in various policies like visa policy, taxes and many more. These changes will definitely bring change in the number of people visiting UK for holidays etc. And this will have a major impact on the hotel industry. Environmental factors: The environment is changing day by day with a high speed and the organizations have to change their strategy of work accordingly. Whitbread like all other organizations has to go with an environmental and energy policy that should make sure that the environment is protected and the energy is saved. Needs and Expectations of stakeholders People including employees, customers, share holders are all the stakeholders in the organization. A key part is to understand the needs and demands of the stakeholders. The stakeholders of the Whitbread have some expectations and demands from the organization and they are described as below: Focusing investment Growth in expanding sectors Outstanding performance Good quality Service Efficient Management Value for money Excellent logistics Reliability Security Task 2 Tools to analyse current business plan SWOT Analysis: In the world of business, conducting a SWOT analysis can be a useful tool when trying to assess the companys current situation as well as the surrounding marketplace. The results of a SWOT analysis often are used by companies to plan future strategies and make internal changes that are deemed necessary. Its a project or business planning tool used by companies to evaluate the feasibility of the business venture or project against competition and against external business conditions beyond their control Strengths and weaknesses of Whitbread business strategy Strengths Big Chain of Hospitality industry Globally diverse Tourists visiting UK Demand supply gap of rooms due to Olympics in 2012 Cultural Diversity Increase in Market Share Eco friendly Good Together Programme Brand Name Weaknesses Susceptible to Political Conditions Position of Whitbread in Market Marketplace covers a wide range of consumer and business issues. For Whitbread, the key areas include healthier lifestyles, food safety, environment, sustainability, outlet accessibility for all customers, listening to their customers needs and developing mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers and contractors. Whitbread are extremely proud of the high operational standards they set, but they are never complacent and are always looking for new ways to improve their business offer. Recent successes include: Big Tick Award for its Skills for Life Programme Bronze Award in Business in the Communitys 7th Corporate Responsibility Index Hotel Report Awards 2009 Alan Parker Named Individual of the Year PubChef Food Excellence Awards, Food Operator of the Year (branded) Top 20 Most Admired Companies 2008 [Whitbread, Dec 2010] Task 3 Modelling Tool to develop strategic options SWOT or TOWS analysis helps you get a better understanding of the strategic choices that you face. (Remember that strategy is the art of determining how youll win in business and life.) It helps you ask, and answer, the following questions: How do you: Make the most of your strengths? Circumvent your weaknesses? Capitalize on your opportunities? Manage your threats? A next step of analysis, usually associated with the externally-focused TOWS Matrix, helps you think about the options that you could pursue. To do this you match external opportunities and threats with your internal strengths and weaknesses, as illustrated in the matrix below: This helps you identify strategic alternatives that address the following additional questions: Strengths and Opportunities (SO) How can you use your strengths to take advantage of the opportunities? Strengths and Threats (ST) How can you take advantage of your strengths to avoid real and potential threats? Weaknesses and Opportunities (WO) How can you use your opportunities to overcome the weaknesses you are experiencing? Weaknesses and Threats (WT) How can you minimize your weaknesses and avoid threats? The options you identify are your strategic alternatives, and these can be listed in the appropriate quadrant of the TOWS worksheet. [Mind tools, Dec 2010] Understanding of activity in Market Whitbread Group, the UKs largest hospitality firm, is undergoing an IT-enabled transformation program to drive international expansion and operational improvements. Over the past few years, the firm sold many non-core businesses, which has brought a fundamental change in the technology function. The new plan means that Whitbreads IT is more focused on making the firm competitive than it was five years ago, when the main concern was cost and managing complexity. Few roles have also changed, taking on responsibility for IT and international business. IT is crucial to Whitbreads hotel business, through applications such as room inventory, as well as revenue management and self-service kiosks. Whitbreads IT programme, dubbed Simply Better, aims to make applications and infrastructure simpler to use and cheaper to operate, so the firm uses mainly off-the-shelf software apart from in areas such as the web. Driving the adoption of tech investment is probably the hardest part of the job. Their aim is to achieve simpler use and have people understand the purpose of the innovation -Â ­ for the guest, profitability and guest experience [Computing, Dec 2010] Future Organizational strategy Whitbreads aim is to build the best large-scale hospitality brands in the world by becoming the most customer focused organisation there is. Anywhere. Theyll do this by providing outstanding value and making everyday experiences feel special so that their customers come back time and time again. Whitbread should have high standards of corporate governance to have good relations with share holders. Target employee turnover and stability in order to gain competitive edge over its rival companies They should have commitment to food safety Good partnership with suppliers Respecting the law and treating workforce fairly Healthier life styles and eating as well Better environment and energy saving First class service to customers Committed and genuine service Task 4 Strategy Plan to ensure Stakeholders Participation In the past years, Whitbread has carried out a detailed evaluation of its corporate responsibility strategy in order to attain the maximum engagement from its stakeholders. The stakeholders have a high level of awareness and concern for environmental issues with most of them are making lifestyle changes as a result of their concerns. For the stakeholders, the primary drivers of choice are still quality, service, and value for money and convenience. However, these are closely followed by corporate responsibility drivers, such as healthy eating and the environment. The stakeholders think that it is important to care about the environment and the majority agreed that Whitbreads environmental performance mattered to them. Following are the issues that are important to these stakeholders and appropriate to Whitbread, namely: Energy efficiency; Recycling; Water management; Takeaway packaging; and Sustainable buildings. The views from their stakeholders should be used to develop their new corporate responsibility strategy. The key focus areas of the new strategy should be as below: People Culture and Values; Environment; Community Charity; Governance, International Standards; Supply Chain; Health Well Being; and Guest Perceptions and brand. Criteria for reviewing potential options Whitbread has been reviewing its corporate responsibility strategy and found that stakeholders e.g. customers, employees and all other interested want that despite being adding new things for the stakeholders we still need to review our strategy in order to give the best. Whitbread should involve and hire some external sources that could do some survey with their customers, team members, directors and board members. The Whitbread should also go for a comprehensive peer and market analysis to understand the consumer and macro trends relating to the sustainability that would be relevant for their business and their customers. The potential options for reviewing strategy plan should be as below: Environmental changes Greener choices Social values Guest engagement Healthier food Agreed Strategy The agreed strategy of the Whitbread should have the following key points that include resource implications: Environment: The Whitbread should continuously work together to improve its environmental foot print and promote good environmental practices. People: Whitbread should at all times respect fundamental human rights of all people. Whitbread would create employment opportunity, facilitate learning and development opportunities for its employees and engage employees in the agree strategy and the Whitbread Way Forward Sourcing: Whitbread will source its goods and services and do business with other organisations in a way that supports sustainable development. It will engage its suppliers and business partners in the agreed strategy. Brand: When dealing with consumers, Whitbread will act in accordance with honest business, marketing and advertising practices and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and quality of the goods or services it provides. Whitbread will engage its customers in the new strategy and sustainable business issues Health: Whitbread will enable its customers to make informed choices about how they eat and drink Community: Whitbread will work to be a positive part of the communities in which it operates. Whitbread will also energetically support its chosen charities Task 5 Core Organizational values The core values of Whitbread are: Genuine really caring about customers Confident striving to be the best at what we do Committed working hard for each other Social values Whitbread has been actively involved in the community for over 30 years. Through this time weve initiated, joined, funded or supported a huge range of leading and award winning programs. Whitbreads current community program focuses on delivering initiatives that engage our team members and impact the communities in which they live and work. By investing in our people we can unlock the potential of thousands of team members and encourage them to make a real difference in their local communities Business Values Their aim is to build the best large-scale hospitality brands in the world by becoming the most customer focused organisation there is. Anywhere. They plan to do this by providing outstanding value and making everyday experiences feel special so that their customers come back time and time again Ethical Values Whitbread is very much aware of the importance of the rights of its employees and its responsibilities for good citizenship and high ethical conduct. Accordingly, they aim to ensure that all of its employees are treated fairly and with dignity throughout employment. They similarly expect their suppliers, wherever they are located, to respect and support these principles. If at any time an issue arises that their employees believe may go against these principles, they would raise it initially with their line manager and then if the matter cannot be resolved, raise a formal grievance under the Companys internal procedures Environmental Values Their approach to the environment is guided by their Environment policy and their Energy policy, which contain a number of principles with which all Whitbread businesses are required to comply Vision and Mission Statements of Whitbread Vision Statement To become the leading independent 4* hotel in London providing excellent products and services at reasonable prices to every customer, every time Mission Statement Our customers are our priority and we will provide them with a quality experience which is second to none. We recognize the importance of our employees in achieving this and we will create a positive working environment which encourages their loyalty, commitment and hard work. We strive to be excellent leaders and will undertake all our business activities in an honest and ethical manner to provide a fair return on our investment Future Management Strategy Whitbread aims to be a leader in sustainable hospitality in UK market sector. To realise this vision, it has developed its Good Together Commitments that define its overall approach to corporate responsibility and provides with a vision for the Good Together programme. Operational responsibility for driving forward the Good Together elements is allocated at Operational Director level with in the Business Units within the relevant functions, including commercial, property, HR, marketing, food and beverage and operations. Cross-functional and cross-Business Unit Working groups are set up as needed to project manage and implement the programs and to make sure that there is appropriate coordination and shared insight between different parts of the business in cross-cutting issues and projects. It is the role of the Corporate Responsibility Director to coordinate activity across the business, support the CR Steering Committee in its purpose and to provide technical expertise and support to the working groups and project leaders. All their Good Together Steering Committee Members have set personal objectives related to the delivery of Good Together. In 2010/11 all their operational Directors (the top 40 leaders in the business) and Heads of Department will also be required to set personal objectives relating to delivery of Good Together as part of their development plan. Measures to Evaluate Strategy Plan There could be many different measures that can be sued to evaluate the strategy plan but few important ones of them are mentioned as below: Market Performance of the organization Costs involved Profits generated Brand Standards Health and Safety Team turnover Customer recommendation Energy Saving Sales growth Team engagement Keeping all this in mind, the Whitbread uses a balance card approach named as WINcard to measure their performance across all key performance indicators. The WINcard measures their performance around their key stakeholders: the customers, the people, the shareholders and a more recent stakeholder addition, the community which is better known as their Good Together strategy. The WINcard aligns the day-to-day activities to the overall vision and strategy of the Company and helps to measure the progress. The WINcard has enabled a performance culture to thrive across all levels of the organization and mobilizes their people to act around shared goals. The WINcard measures are used as key indicators in personal development planning, for recognizing excellent performance, in coaching and performance management, supporting talent management and succession planning. It is a core component of their incentive framework at all levels. The WINcard educates, motivates and engages their leaders and teams across the business to focus, prioritize and deliver what is required to achieve success [Whitbread, Dec 2010] Task 6 Schedule for implementing strategy plan Strategic planning implementation is at the heart of how to make change of any kind happen in your organization. Keys to Strategic Planning Implementation Success These are the keys to effective strategic planning implementation for your business. Full and active executive support, Effective communication, Employee involvement, Thorough organizational planning and competitive analysis, and Widespread perceived need for the strategic planning. Time table for implementation The strategy that is being agreed upon is achievable but not in short span of time. Proper planning has to be done for this and a scheduled has to be prepared. Phase 1 Value enhancement Cost Reduction Operational Effectiveness July 2011 Phase 2 Growth opportunities Customer satisfaction Value added services Dec 2011 Phase 3 End to End Services Execute in emerging markets Strengthen the capital Dec 2012 Dissemination processes Activities designed to ensure that the results of the organization and its predecessors are appropriately recognised, demonstrated and implemented on a wide scale. Dissemination is also often described as a process that involves a share of results and experiences with the aim of influencing the way other people think and act, or of making them aware of a new idea, product or service. Following are some key points that should be achieved: Raise awareness in the intended target group Generate understanding and obtain the support of others in disseminating information Involve others outside your own organisation Bring about a change in attitudes and ways of thinking Bring about a change in attitudes towards customers visitors, suppliers or team members. New patterns of conduct in the target group the end users of the strategy To gain the commitment of stakeholders, the following processes need to be followed: Consider stakeholders First No matter how beneficial the change, it will take your stakeholders to implement it. Helping them understands the change and, further, gaining their support for the change will be the key. First, identify all key groups of people or individuals who will be impacted Stakeholders who feel they have helped plan the change will be more likely to help make the change because they understand how and why it will occur. Identify ways you can involve stakeholders in the implementation process. Ask them to share with the organization in full staff meeting or via a company intranet how they have successfully implemented the change. Show Upper-level Commitment Stakeholders will not support a change they feel is not fully supported by upper management. Instead, they will wait out the change, knowing that it will eventually go away to be replaced by the next change [suite101, Dec 2010] Monitoring and Evaluation systems The strategic plan document should specify who is responsible for the overall implementation of the plan, and also who is responsible for achieving each goal and objective. The following questions need to be asked while monitoring the implementation: 1. Are goals and objectives being achieved or not? If they are, then acknowledge, reward and communicate the progress. If not, then consider the following questions. 2. Will the goals be achieved according to the timelines specified in the plan? If not, then why? 3. Should the deadlines for completion be changed (be careful about making these changes know why efforts are behind schedule before times are changed)? 4. Do personnel have adequate resources (money, equipment, facilities, training, etc.) to achieve the goals? 5. Are the goals and objectives still realistic? 6. Should priorities be changed to put more focus on achieving the goals? 7. Should the goals be changed (be careful about making these changes know why efforts are not achieving the goals before changing the goals)? 8. What can be learned from our monitoring and evaluation in order to improve future planning activities and also to improve future monitoring and evaluation efforts? The frequency of reviews depends on the nature of the organization and the environment in which its operating. Organizations experiencing rapid change from inside and/or outside the organization may want to monitor implementation of the plan at least on a monthly basis. Boards of directors should see status of implementation at least on a quarterly basis. Chief executives should see status at least on a monthly basis [Management help, Dec 2010]

Philosophy of Education :: Philosophy of Teaching Teachers Essays

Philosophy of Education In today’s society a good, well rounded education is what every child needs to succeed. The classroom environment, the curriculum, and the way the classroom is managed are all important factors that contribute to the quality of education that a child receives. I believe that the learning environment is very important to a child’s desire to learn. Like Rousseau, I think that education should take place in a rural setting when possible. Ideally the classes would be small, consisting of fifteen to twenty students. This allows for a more intimate relationship between the student and the teacher. By this I mean there is more time for individualized instruction. I also feel that the school environment should be open and bright. When I attended high school there were no windows in the building. This made me feel imprisoned and uncomfortable. Another important factor is the curriculum that is taught. Like the essentialists, I believe that literature, history, foreign language, religion, math, and science are all very important. I also agree with reconstructionists, requiring current events and government. It is very important to know and understand what is happening in the world and in our own country. When it comes to vocational training I have a humanistic point of view. A student have somewhat of an idea about what they want to do in life. If these children do not plan to attend college, they should be allowed to enroll in a vocational training field of their choice. Another subject that is not mentioned but one that I feel to be very important is drug education. I feel that our educational system does not spend enough time covering drugs and how dangerous they can be. One chapter in a health book is not enough. I feel it should be taught in depth for at least a semester. In this country there is a constantly growing drug problem. If children could learn more about the effects of drugs, maybe it could help them to make better decisions concerning drugs. Classroom management is another key factor to a child’s education. I believe in a structured classroom environment. Many states are now setting standards that the students and schools must meet. Therefore I feel that a good mix of direct instruction and hands-on type of activities are best for this situation. I also feel students should be held accountable for their actions in the classroom; rewarded for exceptional behavior and punished for

The Great Gatsby: The Demise of Two Dreams Essay -- essays research p

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While there are numerous themes throughout the text of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the most prominent is that of the American Dream. The American Dream is the idea that any person, no matter what he or she is, or from where he or she has come, can become successful in life by his or her hard work; it is the idea that a self-sufficient person, an entrepreneur, can be a success. In this novel, however, it is the quest for this ‘dream’ (along with the pursuit of a romantic dream) that causes the ultimate downfall of Jay Gatsby.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the book, Gatsby avoids the reality of his simple, difficult childhood in efforts to avoid the embarrassment of having lived in poverty during his youth. At the age of seventeen, Jay Gatsby changed his name from James Gatz, marking the beginning of his version of the American Dream. â€Å"His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people [and] his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all [†¦] the truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself [when he] invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would† (104). And although masked for most of the story, Gatsby’s childhood provides a key source of determination in his endeavor of achieving the American Dream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During Gatsby’s early adulthood, he joined the army (where he first met Daisy). He initially loved her because of her extraordinary house and because many other men had already loved her. One evening in October, Gatsby fell in love with Daisy Fay, and in turn she fell in love with Gatsby. â€Å"[Daisy] was the first ‘nice’ girl that he had ever known† (155). Their love was uneasy at first but this uneasiness was lifted when he and Daisy fell in love, and he found that â€Å"she thought [he] knew a lot because [he] knew different things from her† (157). While their month of love was physically ended when Gatsby went abroad, their emotional love was not and Daisy, in her artificial world, could not understand why Gatsby could not come home; she wanted her love to be with her, she needed some assurance that she was doing the right thing. It was not long however, before Daisy fell in love with a wealthy, former All-American college fo otball player named Tom Buchanan. Gatsby’s heart was br... ...s romantic dream was dead, his American Dream remained alive and beaming. He still had everything going for him; he had his youth, money, and personality. He was morally superior to his fellow East Eggers and Nick acknowledged this when he told Gatsby that he was â€Å"worth the whole damn bunch put together† (162). To have it all taken away for something he had not done was the greatest misfortune of the entire novel and his death became even more disheartening at his funeral when, despite Nick’s efforts to make it respectable, only he, Gatsby’s father and servants, and one of Gatsby’s acquaintances attended. None of his ‘friends’, nor did the ‘love of his life’ come. Nick truly cared about Jay Gatsby as no one else did; he exemplified what a true friend is and did what only a friend would do for another. Daisy, however, did not seem to feel even a shred of sadness, or guilt, over Gatsby’s death which is apparent in he r not attending his funeral and instead going away on a vacation with Tom. In the end, it was Gatsby’s strong desire for wealth and Daisy, his version of the American Dream, which proved to be the greatest reason for his grave downfall at the hands of a ruthless society.

Beowulf is an Epic Hero Essay -- The Epic of Beowulf

A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero. Beowulf was passed on from person to person. Beowulf possesses the superhuman abilities, and the amazing power to hold his breath under water for an unlimited period of time. It is easy to feel that these characteristics separate from the realistic nature of the story, and gives the impression that Beowulf is more like a myth than a man. In the epic Beowulf, he's portrayed as almost inhumane, but clearly fulfilled his role as a true hero. Beowulf has a strong belief in fate. If he dies in battle he believes it’s because it is his destiny to do so. "Fate will unwind as it must!" He realizes the dangers but fears nothing for his own life. This is what makes Beowulf a true hero. Even after serving his people as King of the Geats for fifty years, he goes to battle in hopes, or fate, to destroy a dragon who is terrifying all of his people. At this point however, Beowu...

How does technology effects us? Essay

Look back at our day so far, how many people have we seen ignoring the world around them, not paying attention to the cashier or not absorbing the information in class? In Alina Tugend essay, multitasking can make you lose†¦Um†¦ focus, she reported that multitasking may seem like it saves people time however, it makes people less efficient. It may be true that technology provides us with time-saving devices like push to cars, cell-phones that consist of 4G internet access, and washing machines with built in dyers; however most of us still complain about not having enough time. Like everything else in the world, technology has its pros and cons; it affects peoples’ concentration, writing skills, and what we consider reality; but how exactly is technology affecting the way we think, read, write and live? The development of technology has greatly improved my life but diminished it at the same time. It brought me closer to my family in Trinidad after my father passed, th ree years ago. Logging onto Facebook and Instagram, receiving phone calls, text messages, video chatting kept me fasten into their world 24/7. Although we built such a strong relationship within those years, I was totally disconnecting from what was going on around me and my immediate family. I came to this realization when my little sister’s fifth birthday nearly past without me noticing. The array of technology can be a distraction; in my case, I disengaged myself from the most significant part of my life. Technology can be a distraction during office meetings, daily human interaction, study time and even our concentration; since, we are constantly being interrupted by a phone call, text message or a game notification. Tugend, who wrote, Multitasking Can Make You Lose†¦Um†¦Focus, explained that multitasking actually delays our process rather than accelerating it. We often believe that doing multiple assignments would be effortless but it causes an abundance of stress. Research has proven that the human mind can only focus â€Å"on one or two items at a time† (716). I believe multitasking all depends on the two tasks that is being combined, for example: listening to music while doing math homework seems to me as a good mixture because the music is helping the worker better cope with the math problems. On the other hand, driving while text messaging  can be a distraction because, they activities require full focus and concentration. Focus is very important when it comes to multitasking but also significant when using the internet to search long pieces of writing. In Nicholas Carr’s essay, Is Google Making Us Stupid, he states, â€Å"research that once required days in the stacks or periodical room of libraries can now be done in minutes† (732). The use of technology is very beneficial and time efficient, however does the pros overcome the cons? Carr also discusses the fight against technology to stay focus; since now a day, â€Å"†¦three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb† (733). I reckoned that we must realize that reading doesn’t come natural like speech does. We must keep training ourselves to read no matter if it’s in a paperback book or an online blogging site without distractions. Many teachers and parents believe most teenagers are distracted by text messaging (texting). A variety of teachers dispraise texting because most students use text slag and abbreviation in professional writings, and students do not become conscious of the fact. Also there are parent who think texting negatively imp act their children communication skills. On the other hand, Michaela Cullington, the writing of Does Texting Affect Writing, would most likely disagree. Cullington believes that texting motivate student to write and also it is â€Å"practice in specific writing skills, and an opportunity to gain confidence in their writing† (89-90). After her research she was convince that texting is not interfering in students’ writing skills. I caught myself plenty of times using text slag when writing a paper to turn into class. Fortunately, I have taught myself to text in complete sentence and use correct abbreviation so it wouldn’t interfere with my writing skills. If text messaging doesn’t interfere than maybe games can. Sam Anderson would consider games like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja as â€Å"Hyperaddictive stupid games,† because it’s a simple thing that becomes addictive and eventually form into a distraction. In Anderson essay, Just One More Game†¦: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games, he illustrates that stupid games were designed to pop up in other occasions. For exa mple, you are doing calculus homework and you receive a text message and suddenly it’s an hour later and you are launching another bird. People are so attached to their phones because game-studies scholars specially design games to be so addictive. Especially now that people can a play game anywhere at the palms of their hands. Using the same addicting  technology can probably â€Å"help solve real world problems like obesity, education and government abuse† (67). Living in a generation where technology affect everything around us including our communication, multitasking, concentration, writing skills, and our view of reality. I believe that technology was made to make our lives easier sadly, it can bring upon more difficulties in our life. Technology will always be prevailing and it is our responsibility to work with it. The majority of people today have become so dependent on technology that they aren’t be able to function a full day without it. I believe it is up to the people of America to decide whether we have taken advantage of technology, or has technology taken advantage of us, without us bei ng aware of it. Works Cited Anderson, Sam. â€Å"Just One More Game†¦: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games.† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 64-69 Print. Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.731-744. Print. Cullington, Michaela. â€Å"Does texting affect writing† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.87-95. Print. Tugend, Alina. â€Å" Multitasking can make us lose†¦Um†¦Focus.† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.714-718. Print.

Information About Videocon Co.

The Videocon group has an annual turnover of 4 billion USD, making it the largest consumer electronic and home appliance companies in India. Since 1998, it has expanded its operations globally, especially in the Middle East. [1] Today the group operates through six key sectors: The Brand Trust Report, 2011 has ranked Videcon as the 42nd most trusted brand in India among the top 300 brands. [edit]Consumer electronics In India the group sells consumer products like Colour Televisions, Washing Machines, Air Conditioners, Refrigerators, Microwave ovens and many other home appliances, selling them through a Multi-Brand strategy with the largest sales and service network in India. [3] In India after LG entering into market Videocon was not able to stand in market with such a tough Competitor and it has seen a down fall in profits and faced a huge loss. [edit]Mobile Phones In November 2009 Videocon launched its new line of Mobile Phones[4]. Videocon has ever since launched a no. f Innovative handsets ranging from Basic Colour FM phones to High End Android Devices. And in February 2011, Videocon Mobile Phones launched the revolutionary concept of ZERO paise per second with pre-bundled simcards of Videocon mobile services along with 7 of its Handset Models. [edit]Colour picture tube glass Videocon is one of the largest CPT Glass manufacturers in the world, operating in Mexico, Italy, Poland and China.. [ edit]Oil and Gas An important asset for the group is its Ravva oil field with one of the lowest operating costs in the world producing 50,000 barrels of oil per day. 5] [edit]DTH Main article: Videocon d2h In 2009, Videocon launched its DTH product, called ‘d2h'. As a pioneering offer in the Indian DTH market, Videocon offered LCD & TVs with built-in DTH satellite receiver with sizes 19†³ to 42†³. This concept in the DTH service is relatively new in the presence of other players like ZEE tv's Dishtv, Tata Sky, Air tel Digital Tv and Reliance's BIG TV providing only the set top box. [edit]Telecommunication Videocon Telecommunications Limited has license for mobile service operations across India. It launched its services on 7 April 2010 in Mumbai.

Jem Finch Coming of Age Essay

Mental change is another type of change that Jem goes through. Jemstart to think like an adult as he gets older in the book. He shows it at thetrial of Tim Robinson when the jury is in the jury room and he starts to talk toReverend Sykes. He starts saying thing about the trial and Reverend Sykes askhim not to talk like that in front of Scout. Which shows that he knows whathe is talking about. (see page 208-209). There is also the time when he had togo and read to Mrs. Dubose which he later finds out about her drug addictionwhich he fully understands. So those are ways he changes mentally. Jem changes physically in many ways in the story. His hair stuck upbehind and down in front, and I wondered if it would it would ever look like aman’s-maybe if he shaved it off and started over, his hair would grow backneatly in place. His eyebrows were becoming heavier, and I noticed a newslimness about his body. He was growing taller. (225) There was also when Jemtried to show Scout his hair on his chest which shows him growing upphysically. (see page225) So these things show how he changes physically tobecome more of a man as he hits puberty. Another change that Jem goes through is his feeling toward himself andhow he starts to feel better about himself. When he gets home one day fromschool he shows that he is all confident about making the football team and howhappy he is to be old enough to play. But even though he doesn’t get to playhe still remains happy with just being the waterboy and just being able to bethere watching. During the trial ‘It was Jem’s turn to cry. ‘ which shows thathe was not afraid to just let his feeling be show even though most peoplewouldn’t have. 212) So these show that Jem can feel good about himself andalso feel bad but he can still let it out if he has to. One of the most important change that Jem goes through is taking andadult role in Scouts life. He walks her to the school play and he protects herfrom Bob Ewell when he tries to kill them. This is the main one because if Jemdid try and stop Ewell Scout could have died and it would have show that Jemdidn’t really have an adult role. Also another reason is when Jem tells Dillthat he shouldn’t touch Boo’s house because if Boo kills him no one will bearound to keep an eye on Scout. 13) As you can see those where all ways that Jem shows his coming of age inthe book To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. By changing socially he becomesmore likable. By changing emotionally with himself he becomes more confident. By changing mentally he starts to under stand more compicated things thatbefore he would have never knew about. By changing physically he becomes moreof a man and is more older. And finally by changing to be more of an adult tohis sister he becomes more aware of what an adult has to face.

Langston Hughes Critique Essay

In Aiden Wasley’s critique of â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes, Wasley summarizes and analyzes the poem and gives a unique perspective on the poem and the poet. Wasley’s critique provides detailed insight of the character’s roles, biblical references, and overall theme of â€Å"Mother to Son†. His ideas seem logical and tastefully distributed. Wasley could have mentioned more about why â€Å"Mother to Son† is still a popular poem in modern times. Wasley describes his opinions about how he believes that the Mother figure in the poem is symbolic for the troublesome history of African-Americans. According to Wasley, Langston Hughes has used the â€Å"mother talking to son† setting in a few of his other poems as well. Wasley also did a fantastic job at explaining how Hughes references â€Å"Life ain’t a crystal stair† to the biblical story of â€Å"Jacob’s Ladder†. These details give the readers of the poem more background information and bring new depth to the poem. In his critique, Wasley also evaluates the form of â€Å"Mother to Son† and states that this poem has a prominently defined Blues theme. One reason, which Wasley did not mention, that â€Å"Mother to Son† is still a popular poem is that the themes of struggle and hardships are universal subjects that almost every human has to go through in some point of their lives. â€Å"Mother to Son† can also be seen as an encouraging and inspiring story for people who are going through such hardships. Overall, Aiden Wasley’s critique was thorough and he explained many different elements of â€Å"Mother to Son†. Some of these elements include the role’s of the characters, bliblical references, and the Blues theme of the poem. It felt as though Wasley analyzed this poem from every angle except the universal themes of struggle and hardship and the inspiration quality that â€Å"Mother to Son† displays.

Hard Work or Talent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hard Work or Talent - Essay Example Looking into the history of the US trading market there are a number of individuals whose reputation has span over years while others have popped into the market lately and made it big within a short time span. Making it big in this respect is related to how much one has made or makes in trading deals and the factors that surround their continued successes in making the right choices, deals and bets for that matter. Two characters are to be discussed and offered as examples in supporting the view that talent is the one that matters not hard work. Ken Griffin is the first one to consider and he is the Managing Director/CEO of Citadel Investment Group (Traderslog 2008). Considering its large size, it is important to study a few trends of its CEO. He started trading stock options and funds in his college days. Later developed the fund mentioned above with 4.2 million dollars (Traderslog 2008). Today it stands to be the one of the largest in the world with current management portfolio of 13 billion dollars. John Arnold is the other trader whose mastery of his business is given credit by a cross-section of huge and reputed players (Demon 2009). Taking his background for instance in Enron as a trader it is clear that his fortunes in this line of business were destined for success after scooping over 750 million dollars for the company. He was handsomely rewarded with 8 million dollars bonus. He used the bonus to start his own hedge fund by the name Centaurus Advisors, LLC. Soon he was making billion dollar bets in energy related trading and to the surprise of many he trades few times a year in the most awkward moments of the market. Last year he made slightly less than a billion dollars. In the few times he has spoken he says that he buys things at the time when they are below fair value and sell when he believes they are way above it according to Demon (2009). This simple concept relies more on talent i.e. his innate understanding of concepts