Girl X – Black and Red

For our colour unit in drama, one of the colour combinations we studied was black and red. For this task, our teacher was in a role of a physiatrist, was telling us the case of a 7 year old girl found on the streets that refused to speak. To get the girl communicating, the girl was told to draw a picture. She drew a red circle in the center of the page, engulfed in a sea of black scribbles. Our task was to analyse the image, and stream our thoughts and ideas about the picture into an abstract piece of drama. In my group, we decided that the red circle was the girl, and that the blackness around her was the girl being trapped. We also asserted that the blackness is an older male related to the girl in someway, that has abused her and she is trapped because of the events. We used an array of techniques; the first being characterisation. The girl was named Emily, which to me seems like an innocent name, which would help build the sympathy the audience has towards her and also create anxiety in her situation. We performed with the audience being scattered and with no lights. This is very effective as it makes the audience feel as if they are there alongside the girl. We would have members of our group stationed around different positions in the stage, and in turn they would each be running on the spot. This is to create the impression that there is someone running, and it would be dangerous for one person to be running around the stage as it is in thee dark. Suddenly the running would stop and a voice starts to pant. This is then where we incorporate another technique, the silence. The silence would be for 10 seconds. This is heavily effective, as its in the dark and the audience do not know what is going on after the fact they heard someone running. Suddenly a scream would come out form nowhere, which breaks the silence. Then another silence is used, for around 7 seconds. During the whole scene I was in the center of the stage. After the silence, I turn on a lighter and say, â€Å"I am watching you. † This is striking, as someone appearing from nowhere in the middle of a dark stage was not anticipated by the audience. This task helped me understand a lot of things. It made me understand many positions that people can be in, and how colour can express emotions such as: anger, fear, helplessness.

Internet has made classroom-based lessons redundant Essay

Ever since the creation of the internet in 1990, the applications on this 21st century program have grown exponentially, ranging from study tools to online markets. With such tools, schools and institutions are unnecessary. In a recent survey conducted by Babson Survey Research Group, it was found that 77 percent of the academic leaders agreed that the rate of learning outcomes via online education is superior to classroom education. One might say that the internet has a wide range of information, but with such a diverse spectrum, it would be tough to have a fixed course. This would cause students the deviate from original objectives, and hinder the learning process. However, critics fail to consider that this would allow students to plan their own preferred course. A preferred course would enhance a student’s education as they will only study topics or courses which they are interested in. Furthermore, educational websites such as Khan Academy provides students with a course outline and would also show their progress over the years. Thus, students would have a course outline to follow and keep track of their learning. In contrary to popular belief, educational platforms have multiple users and these sites allows students to chat online on forums and chats, several even have notes and lectures created by students to enlighten others. Such functions would grant students a chance to exchange knowledge and improve both parties’ proficiency. P2PU — Peer-to-Peer University is one such MOOC –massive online open course which incorporated these functions. More than 50 percent of the responses from a MOOC survey have agreed that MOOCs have helped them in their work or studies. Not only did MOOCs help academically, they helped decrease the gender gap by 20 per cent as compared to traditional education. As such, MOOCs can benefit the education both academically and socially. MOOCs also provide an informal setting for students to study in. In a classroom environment, there are strict rules and etiquette. With several dozens of students in a class, students may not feel comfortable to ask questions and would have to consult the teacher after the lesson. Without such regulations, students can openly ask questions and would not feel uncomfortable. In addition, unlike traditional schooling, MOOCs can be accessed 24/7, regardless of location. This would surpass time differences and geographical boundaries. Participants can learn anytime they are  comfortable to. Eventhough students may be travelling, they can still learn and make full use of their time, instead of killing time by playing games or listening to music. Therefore, MOOCs can help students by allowing them to harness their time well and giving them the courage to ask questions. Traditional schools limit their student intake by restricting them by their age, gender, highest qualification achieved, and their grades. Online schools currently do not reject or classify students according to measures mentioned above. This allows people of all demographic backgrounds to participate and learn as long as they have a stable internet connection. By nullifying these domains, not only would there be a larger number of students, the both sides can have a broader perspective of situations around the world. Lecturers on MOOCs are world-class academics, achieving degrees from top colleges and institutions all over the world. As compared to teachers in conventional schools, these lecturers would have a more diverse and deep knowledge. They would be able to better ‘inculcate’ students and conduct the tutorial more efficiently. After completing courses, students would be given certificates of accomplishment. Almost 80% of the universities in USA accept such certificates and can be used for admission to old-school learning modules. Students of all backgrounds would hence have an opportunity to excel and have an internationally-recognised certificate. Although many of these MOOCs and other platforms have not gained worldwide recognition yet, it would, in the near future, being proportional to the proliferation of the internet and smart phones. Online education will become a significant chapter in the history of mankind, due to helping millions with a single video. Despite being effective, traditional learning styles would have to be phased out with the coming of this phenomenon. 1. Do you agree that city life is becoming increasingly unattractive? (YES) (CP + CA) Ever since the proliferation of heavy machinery, a growing figure of people are being irritated by the noise pollution of cities. City dwellers have to endure the daily, unceasing annoyance from shrill sound of all sorts. The cacophonous sound of colliding metals from ongoing construction, the piercing blare of horns from vehicles or even the accumulating talking between people have gradually made most cities become less attractive days by days. Because of these factors, it is easy to  understand why most retirees are moving to the outskirt of their cities to enjoy the rest of their lives. 90 percent of elderly in the USA are trying to save their money daily in order to move to the peaceful coast which is surrounded by the deep blue sea with breaking sound waves. Even in less developed countries like Vietnam, places which give people the most pleasure are still villages with ultimate green paddy fields. All over the world, cities are about to be places to work only, not for living. The excessive urban noise that is only going to increase in the coming years will continue to eat away at the urban fantasy.1 One might say that cities are becoming safer from crime. With a more efficient police and advanced technology, syndicates would be discouraged to commit crime due to its high hey risks. However, critics fail to consider that attractions would be a ‘honeypot’ to syndicates. An increasing number of tourists visiting a city, would equate to crime rates growing exponentially. This is caused by the large numbers of tourists who flock to attractions, causing guards to be unable to have a overview of the actions of people. Residents of the city would therefore have to take precautions against such crime, rendering the city’s residents to be . The Louvre in Paris has an annual average of 8.9 million tourists visiting. Despite the fact that an adequate force of over a thousand security officers are hired in the museum, crime rates are high and constantly growing in the cosmopolitan. Cities are thus getting more vulnerable to crime and its attraction to mankind is constantly decreasing.2

Ancient and Indigenous Mathematics Research Paper

Ancient and Indigenous Mathematics - Research Paper Example However, a massive and countervailing pressure was the culmination of European supremacy in the shape of political control in large areas of Asia and Africa. Out of this supremacy, the ideology of European pre-eminence emerged and permeated a wide range of economic and social activities and also enhanced the unique role of Europe in providing the spirit for science discovery (Peat, 2006). This paper is going to discuss how mathematics has developed through ancient times and some of the factors that have led to the development of modern mathematics and also address the role of mathematics in other disciplines. Many social needs require numbers and calculations. Therefore, mathematics automatically came into play with the evolution of social systems. A well organized operational system is required to handle numbers and calculations. Nonetheless, as fascinating as the basic theories of counting may be, the origins of mathematics include more than just counting, enumeration and arithmetic. The human needs that instigated mankind’s initial efforts at mathematics were: calculations, counting and measurement (Kline, 2012). For example, an inheritance could not be distributed certain basics of division are known or a temple cannot be built if certain facts about squares and volumes are known. Mathematics was born from practical needs such as the ones above. Others argue that the central part of indigenous mathematics is based upon two simple questions: How much and how many? It is a convincing argument that long before our early ancestors had need to count their cattle or sheep, their unsophisticatedly organized social systems had simple rituals based on priority and rank. Also, according to Breasted (1988), it is evident that some socialized animals of diverse groups such as the red deer and baboon have some elementary sense of order of precedence, referred to

Search and Seizures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Search and Seizures - Essay Example In Mapp V Ohio,2 the court held that this constitutional duty applies against both the state and the Federal government. It does this by prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures from being conducted by federal and state law enforcement agencies. A search is an infringement of the right to privacy while seizures interfere with the possessory rights of the individuals, including right to property ownership. The Fourth Amendment permits reasonable searches and seizures. For a search to be legally carried out, it is subject to the proviso that a search warrant has to be issued by a judge. An application for search warrant has to be supported by an oath or affirmation, and to specifically state the place to be searched or the things or persons to be seized. For the judge to issue a search warrant, he must satisfy himself that there is a probable cause, that is, reasonable cause to believe that the law enforcement agencies can find evidence of commission of a crime. Nevertheless, suc h a search has to be individualized, targeting individuals and not generalized. There are exemptions for the warrant requirements as far as entry into private residences by police is concerned. To begin with, if the owner of the residence consents, such entry shall not be illegal under the fourth amendment because of absence of a warrant. However, such warrant must be given voluntarily, and be unequivocal and specific. Consequently, consent obtained by duress or coercion fails this criterion. The person who gives the consent has to be the owner of the residence. Similarly, a third party can give the consent for the law enforcement agencies to search a house or premises subject to the proviso that they own or lawfully occupy such premises. In Georgia v. Randolph,3 the court held that where the residents are two and both are present, if one of them objects to consent while the other consents, the objection by one of them shall override the consent. To add, an officer can enter a priva te house or residence without warrant, in times of emergency. The search however shall be subject to the existence of exigent circumstances and the law enforcers must have a probable cause. Such a circumstance shall exist where a law enforcement agent needs to take a compelling action but lacks the required time to acquire a warrant. In Mincey V Arizona,4 the court stated that, â€Å"we hold a reasonable, and warrantless search of the scene of a homicide, or of a serious personal injury with likelihood of death where there is reason to suspect foul play-does not violate the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution where the law enforcement officers were illegally on the premises in the first instance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Nevertheless, for such a search to be reasonable within the Fourth Amendment it has to be limited to the purpose of only determining the circumstances of death and the scope must never exceed what is necessary to fulfill that purpose. In addition, it must commen ce within reasonable period following the time when the officials learn of the murder. Evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendm

Project costing (Project Management) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project costing (Project Management) - Essay Example This gives the essence of a project which should be a temporary thing outlaid within the limits of time. In respect of this case study, it’s imperative that the project appraisal is facilitated so that the resources can be put into proper use. In a project like a construction of say a health facility, there tends to be three major players for the success of such endeavors. These factors are mainly; time, quality and budget. In project management circle, a lot of regard is given to the attainment of the specified quality and this need to be within the stipulated project life so that there is no much deviation of the cost. It is therefore important that before a project like the one in the case study take off, appraisal and evaluation is effectively carried out. It is common that time and cost tend to show an inverse relation and therefore it is always advisable that to cut time, there must be a compromise in the overall project cost (Smith, 1995). Any project management team mu st therefore be very considerate and extra careful when designing and implementing so that resources which tend to be costly are economized. In regard to the construction project referred to in this case study, cost stands out o be one of the thorny issues since it forms the better part of the implementation process. This is in the form of building materials, manpower and other costs like sunk and legal costs. It a bit easier to manage cost issues ones the network analysis has been drawn and simple breakdown of the work is put down. Project cost management will tend to be challenging since there is always the issue of uncertainties caused by natural disasters like floods, fire, earthquake and others which can alter the plan significantly. For this project proposal to succeed, cost control is paramount. Beginning with the building materials, the client may decide to give tender wholesome to a given contractor so that even the cost

Can social psychology save humanity Discuss Essay

Can social psychology save humanity Discuss - Essay Example Myers also points how â€Å"materialism† and â€Å"consumerist culture† can never provide lasting peace for its pursuers. Myers asserts that material affluence can at best give a temporary surge of happiness. What would give lasting happiness are the following - loving close relationships, adherence to a religious faith, a positive outlook, a stress-free work environment, etc. In effect, a low consumption, non-materialistic way of life could fetch more happiness for the individual and the group. The theory is backed by plenty of statistic. Several surveys have shown that married people are happier than those who are single; more church-goers find inner harmony than non-believers; those involved in community activities find more satisfaction than the rest (Yang, Kleinman, et al., 2007). It is important to recognize the current prevalence of misery and distress across the globe. Statistics show that the financially well-off are only marginally happier than their poorer compatriots. It means that additional wealth that is not essential for survival provides disproportionately low value. The recent decades had seen an increase in the cases of depression and suicide. While societies are getting more affluent, the distribution of wealth remains highly uneven. For example, the gap between the rich and poorer sections of society is wider than ever before. The percentage of people living in poverty had not changed much. Life-threatening epidemics such as malaria and AIDS are rampant in the third world. Teenage suicide rates are at an all time high. Violent crimes have not abated despite legislation to curb them. A large chunk of humanity does not even have access to basic amenities like clean water, electricity and telephone facility. All of the above conditions paint a da rk and discouraging picture of the present human condition. But all is not lost.

Learning in Alisons Gopnik View Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning in Alisons Gopnik View - Essay Example Her study investigates the complicated intelligence-collecting and decision-making that young children and babies are accomplishing when they engage in play activities. Alison Gopnik asserts that babies and young children are the same as the research and development division of the human kind species and adults are the same as production and marketing unit of the human kind species. She explains that young children are the ones who keep on surveying in the blue-sky. They do this with the aim of finding out how the universe operates. In contrast, adults are the ones who, in reality, capture all the things we comprehend as young children and utilize them when we become adults. Alison Gopnik says that young children and babies employ their explorative component to analyze complicated theories relating to the world that is surrounding them, much more than adult persons do when their brains or intellect have reached full capacity. This talk specifically explains how young children and babies get their knowledge from childhood up to adult hood. Alison Gopnik describes young children and babies as mysterious and complex individuals. She seems to have a tremendous attention to young children’s’ minds and highlights a number of experiments and theories. In addition, she explains that both young children’s and babies’ cognitive capacities go beyond those that psychologists have been assigning to them. For example, young children and babies imagine a different person’s occurrences and take in cause and consequence.

Individual Project and Presentation (3,000 words 50%) A student Essay

Individual Project and Presentation (3,000 words 50%) A student negotiated project and structure interview on a specialism of t - Essay Example It is the contemporary reality that ICTs or Information Communication Technologies have entered all spheres of our life. As a teacher of ICT, the practitioner finds himself using it more and more every day. In the context of formal education, ICT is recommended to be used by children from their earliest years. Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford (2000) position that since the early age children ought to be finding out as well as identifying the uses of ICT in everyday life. Computers along with programming toys are recommended for use to support learning. Use of play will provide a well-structured foundation for the later use of applications. In other words, the priority of modern education is to integrate ICT across the curriculum. The term ICT is used in modern education when one speaks about digital literacy. While the first associations with this term are the Internet, mobile phones, computers, Facebook, television, games, and Twitter, in education a few scholarly definitions are used. Specifically, Hague (2010), who says that ‘digital literacy’ is a confusing term, provides the following definition: digital literacy constitutes â€Å"critical and creative and cultural practices that allow one to understand and share the meaning and knowledge in different modes and formats through various forms of engagement with technology and media† (Hague 2010, 6). ... Indeed, Eshet-Alkalai (2002) says that the term’s indistinct use leads to ambiguity as well as misunderstanding, low-quality communication, and development of misconceptions. It is noted that a certain inconsistency exists between the supporters of the view that digital literacy is majorly about technical skills and those who support the view that digital literacy is about focus on both cognitive and socio-emotional aspects of functioning in an extensively digital environment. Hence, one of the research questions in this paper is â€Å"Is digital literacy more than just using a computer?† Two other questions are: â€Å"Is digital literacy covered in enough depth in the setting?† and â€Å"Should digital literacy lessons be taught earlier?† First of all, let us critically analyse views on the problem of the nature of digital literacy and its major components in available academic sources. The very concept of digital literacy, the term that is widely used to day, was introduced by Gilster (1997) back in 1997. Gilster (ibid) provided a generic explanation of digital literacy rather than a list of competencies and skills that defined digital literacy. In his view, digital literacy is simply an ability to comprehend and utilize information from a range of various sources, i.e. a sort of literacy typical for the digital age. Needless to say, the definition was quite broad, but it evidently opened the door to interpretations by different authors. While the term had been used before, it was Gilster (1997) and then Eshet (2002) that contemplated digital literacy as a broader concept. Specifically, Gilster (1997) explicitly observes that digital literacy is all about mastering ideas rather than

Healthcare statistics error type I & type II Assignment

Healthcare statistics error type I & type II - Assignment Example Type II error would however mean scarcity of resources and while it offers no financial benefit in the scenario, it risks inability to offer care services and therefore threatens quality of health. Type I error would therefore be preferred because of it guarantees healthcare objectives while type II error can hinder realization of care objectives (Grove, Burns, and Gray, 2012). The affordable care act’s provision for review of applications for insurance premium increases is one of the policies that push insurance companies to avoid one type of error. With a null hypothesis that proposed premium increment is not excessive against an alternative hypothesis that the proposed value is excessive, an insurance company will avoid type II error. This is because type II error can lead to excessive increment of premium and the consequence is legal actions against an insurance company for breach of law (The United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2015; Grove, Burns, and Gray, 2012). The United States Department of Health & Human Services. (2015). Premiums: Rate review. The United States Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from:

Working as a Human Services Professional Assignment

Working as a Human Services Professional - Assignment Example g about the Human Services field which would assist in expanding education and skills are as follows: (1) by regularly apprising oneself on current and future trends in Human Services through reading authoritative sources on this field of study; (2) by attending conferences, seminars, leadership training and development under the Human Services field through the Human Service Leadership Institute (Human Services Leadership Institute, 2012); and (3) by pursuing higher education courses or programs in Human Services (Hack College, 2015), . These opportunities for learning and developmental growth could be achieved by scheduling continued learning in one’s daily activities. The three ways to hold accountability for performing quality work as the administrator/CEO of the Humanitarian Agency are as follows: (1) through clear stipulation of roles, responsibilities, and commitment as the CEO/administrator, as stated in one’s job description and in the organizational structure; (2) through explicit planning and development of policies and procedures that would delineate functions and stipulate accountabilities or deliverables expected of one’s role; and (3) through using resources to communicate clear standards or goals of performance and evaluating the manner by which these goals have been achieved within stipulated time frames. Likewise, as emphasized by Este (2007), â€Å"the challenges to implementing accountability in the human services could be overcome with the appropriate planning, organizational commitment, and resources† (p. 1). Este, S. (2007). The Challenges of Accountability in the Human Services: Performance Management in the Adult Protective Services Program of Texas. Retrieved from Applied Research Projects, Texas State University-San Marcos:

The Russian Civil War Essay Example for Free

The Russian Civil War Essay The Russian Civil War remains one of the more brutal wars in Russia’s history. Considering the brutal combat that the Russian army faced in the horrid conditions of World War One and World War Two, to refer to the Russian Civil War as a more brutal endeavor is a grand claim; however, when one considers the cost of lives and the tearing apart of the homeland, it is not a stretch to lay that claim on the shoulders of the Civil War. What complicates the Bolshevik involvement in the Russian Civil War is the fact that the Bolsheviks prescribed to a state central authoritarian system of government. In other words, the Bolsheviks believed that the state was the center of all authority and that it should be comprised of one political party. In short, the Bolsheviks were fighting for totalitarianism. Needless to say, this does not paint a picture of a faction that had universal appeal among the public. In order to centralize any problems with competing political factions, the Bolsheviks outlawed other political parties. Such an action shows that there was possible belief that perhaps the Bolsheviks ability to maintain popularity in the hearts and minds of the population was on shaky ground. By firmly establishing an authoritarian rule, the Bolsheviks were ‘surviving’ as opposed to winning both on the battlefield and in the court of public opinion. Therein lays the central problem: if the Bolsheviks were to win the Civil War, they would need to defeat the huge volume of people in the nation who were greatly opposed to the system of government that the Bolsheviks represented. In winning, the defeated factions would have to be integrated into the Russian society and, in some cases, subjugated. Is this really a win or is it the case of the Bolsheviks using military force to impose their rule on a society that did not want them. To a certain degree, the Bolshevik victory was a matter of the party surviving (it would have been dissolved in the face of a loss in the same manner the opposition parties were dissolved by the Bolsheviks) and the ability to rule was performed by subjugating all opposition and suppressing any pretext of freedom or democratic socialism. (Keep in mind, socialism could have been instituted without totalitarian authoritarianism, but the militaristic approach was the one preferred by the Bolsheviks) When examining the Soviet Union and its place in history, one needs to ask the question as to what was the Soviet Union’s legacy. To a great extent, the Soviet Union was a colossal failure that squandered the minds and the will of a great people. The Soviet Union was little more than a military-industrial complex that invaded, conquered and occupied nations that despised being under the Soviet sphere of influence. Furthermore, the concept of the utopian socialist fantasyland was exactly that, a grim fairy tale fantasy where over sixty-million people living in nations that prescribed to the philosophy of communism died from famine. When it comes to the Bolshevik’s success in the Russian Civil war, what was it that the Bolshevik’s accomplished other than the establishment of a failed military-industrial complex state? To that degree, winning the Russian Civil War was hardly a win in the sense of, say, a former colony winning independence. Ultimately, the survival of the Bolsheviks after the Russian Civil war is hardly celebratory as the eventual establishment of the Stalin regime and the advent of the long and hard Cold War hangs a dark cloud over any perceived victory the Bolsheviks could claim.

Kelloggs The Worlds Leading Breakfast Food Manufacturing Business Marketing Essay

Kelloggs The Worlds Leading Breakfast Food Manufacturing Business Marketing Essay Introduction Kelloggs company formed in 1906 became worlds leading breakfast food manufacturing business. Well known for its brand of cereals, Kelloggs had thirty per cent (30 %) share of the breakfast food market in the world. Kelloggs has its main market in United States, Canada and Australia. Fruit Loops, Frosted Mini-Wheat, Corn Flakes and Corn Pops are the most popular products by Kelloggs (Kelloggs, 2011). Marketing strategy can be defined as the plan of actions targeted to a certain group of people for whom the products are made, to make an image of the products in the minds of these people. Usually big companies spend a lot of funds on their marketing research in order to come up with ideas of formulating a marketing plan (Grant, 2010). Kelloggs follow its marketing strategies in a vey clear way. It has targeted its customers and tries to retain the share it has in the market currently. Kelloggs company has its mission and vision very clearly stated which it follows in its marketing plan as well (Boyer and Hult, 2005). Kelloggs Competition The market for the breakfast food has a oligopolistic nature and therefore there are few number of companies and all enjoy a big chunk of market share. These companies include Kelloggs, General Mills, Quaker Oats and Post. Due to nature of the market, there is a very less price wars among the companies. Among these companies only Kelloggs is the one who deals in only cereals, other companies have diversified in other types of food as well. Therefore Kelloggs made its focus on just the cereals and gained its revenues out it. Kelloggs SWOT Analysis Strengths One of the biggest strengths of Kelloggs is that it has existed in the market for over hundred years because of which people recognize its name and it carries a very strong brand recall as well as high brand awareness. Maximum share occupation in the market of approximately 42% globally which is almost thrice of its competitors. A very large range of well managed products. An image in the market of healthy and nutritious food products Kelloggs has an image of good corporate social organization, because of its recent campaign of share your meal with Kelloggs it has gained a good perception in consumers mind. This campaign was about sharing the breakfast pictures with the company and the company will save money on photography with which it will give charity to poor for breakfast (Rave Reviews, 2011). Weaknesses There are low barriers to entry in the market The products produced by Kelloggs need extensions or upgrading because of the facts that they have not launched any new product in last four years due to which all of the products are in their maturity phase, soon to enter into declining phase. Soon the costs of production is expected to go high due to the increase in the utility rates because of which the prices will have to be increase, jeopardizing the market share. Due to lack of diversification, it is expected that Kelloggs might loose its market the same way its share is getting low in US market. Opportunities Kelloggs can extend and diversify its range of products by launching new flavours or changing the packaging style etc. Kelloggs has the potential to capture the new markets as well which are still left un exploited. Kelloggs has a chance to take over the small companies dealing in breakfast food stuff which will benefit Kelloggs by increasing its production capacity. Threats Because of low barriers new entrants are entering posing competitive threat to Kelloggs. Increase in the utilities which in turn are increasing the production cost for Kelloggs. The price wars between the market giants and the Kelloggs. Cheaper technology giving ease to new entrants to enter into the market. Kelloggs Competitive Edge Kelloggs has its competitive edge in the market because of its experience of years, it has been in the market since 1906 which makes it more than hundred years in the industry because of which it has strongest brand identity among all breakfast food sector. Researches prove that people when asked about a company which comes in their mind on listening the word cereal, they replied with Kelloggs. This has helped Kelloggs to gather a huge number of loyal customers who might prove to be an asset even if the prices goes up, they will remain customers of Kelloggs (Kelloggs Company, 2010). Kelloggs has another competitive edge which it utilizes in its operations; it is strategic planning of business. Kelloggs top management as well as the lower staff is well integrated through the strategic planning and get well coordinated in their actions because of it which results in effective and efficient operational outcomes. This not only helps the management to take correct decisions at exact time but also helps them to maintain the relations with their customers effectively (Kelloggs, 2011). Another competitive advantage that Kelloggs enjoys is that the market for breakfast food follows Oligopoly concept of economics, there are few players in the market amongst whom Kelloggs has the top position with the highest market share both company wise and the product wise. Kelloggs Targeting and Positioning Targeting deals with the selection of a certain segments of population and then choosing one or two out of them to cater to the needs of people belonging to those segments (Applbaum, 2004). Kelloggs has its target segments into different categories the major two are discussed below. Kids Kelloggs has targeted its few products for Kids giving an impression of healthy food before starting the day and leaving for school. The age range to which Kelloggs cater to in Kids category is between 4 years to 10 years (Brand Republic, 2002). Health Conscious People Kelloggs has always maintained an image of healthy and nutritious food manufacturers in the market and therefore its target market also incorporates people who are health conscious and want to maintain their weight and shape. To ensure that such image is maintained in the market, Kelloggs started showing its ingredients and nutritional values on their products packaging. Kelloggs Positioning Strategy Kelloggs has positioned itself differently in different countries throughout the world. In the places where Kelloggs has a strong market share or has been operating for a long time has positioned itself an expensive healthy food, such strategy is followed in places like United States and United Kingdom. In places like India or Taiwan, where Kelloggs is a new brand and is in the stage of attracting customers, it has launched itself on relatively lower prices but has maintained the quality of product at the same par (New York Times, 1994). Kelloggs Marketing Strategy Kelloggs is following currently many marketing and promotional strategies, some of these promotional strategies are discussed below Free in the Box Kelloggs Free in the box offer includes coupons of $3 to $5 attached on the marked boxes of products. Internet Kelloggs has many internet campaigns currently which includes a game of racing cars introduced for kids in which there is the life line of Kelloggs and picking up Kelloggs boxes increases the points of the player. Another internet based promotional technique is that on playing games and collecting points, winner gets gift hampers from Kelloggs including Kelloggs products to attract the kids towards itself. Movie Tickets Another offer valid in Kelloggs products is just to fill the form available at the back of the products, mail it to the given P.O Box no and receive free movie tickets. Kelloggs has the largest share in the market, but because of the low barriers to enter, Kelloggs might face some troubles retaining such share so Kelloggs is left with the option of focussing on the fourth (4th) P of Marketing Mix. Recommendations There is always a room for improvement and recommendations in the operations of a business, therefore some of the recommendations which Kelloggs can follow and which might bring some good change in their efficiency and results are discussed below. Kelloggs cost has been increasing due to increase in utility rates; to cut down its cost it can shift its production plant to country with low labour cost like china. Kelloggs has potential to capture new markets which are un-exploited still by other competitors as well. This will help it to increase its market share as well share in the capital. Kelloggs has been able to retain its loyal customers because of its efficient strategic planning but Kelloggs should plan its marketing plan in such a way that their loyal customers should suggest the brand to others too, this needs some research in the marketing department. Kelloggs has been there in the market for over hundred years but still it should start a campaign of word of mouth through some tactical marketing move, as it is proven by researches that word of mouth increases sales. Kelloggs products have reached their maturity level and needs some kind of upgrading and changes, the market still is high and demands for cereals and ready to eat food stuff therefore Kelloggs can take advantage of the fact and just by changing the packaging or adding new flavours it can increase its market share and shift its products graph towards developing stage again. Because of low barriers to enter, new entrants are entering and posing competition to Kelloggs. Kelloggs should take over the few small companies dealing in the same market. As Kelloggs targets towards children through its products, it should organize such events where the characters endorsing the Kelloggs products in advertisements can play and conduct some fun activities amongst children and their mothers. Kelloggs should target schools as well, through in-school marketing, children adapt more and put a pressure on their parents to use the same product they have seen other friends using at the school. Kelloggs no matter has been the market leader for quite a time but still to maintain the same position it should come up with new products with new creative and innovative ideas. In some of the countries where culture plays an important role, Kelloggs should target through cultural events and occasions. At the time of religious festivities, there should be some new schemes and campaigns like at the time of Christmas for Christians, Eid for Muslims and Easters and Divali for Hindus. Kelloggs has indirect competition too so to overcome that; it should market itself in such a way as to prevent its customers from shifting to substitutes like indirect competitors. Kelloggs should introduce toys and stationary for kids with the brand identity of the rabbit and bear characters it shows in the advertisements. This will increase the brand awareness and the kids will get emotionally attached to the characters in shape of their toys and would pressurise their parents to make purchase of the same item. Kelloggs should once a year launch a cartoon movie including all he characters of its products showing them healthy and in positive light using Kelloggs products. Such advertising techniques have always been successful in the past. Kelloggs spend a big amount on its marketing and advertising, it should use the celebrity endorsements as well because people tend to copy the celebrities more rather than the athletes that Kelloggs have been showing in its advertisements. Internet marketing through social networking has taken a surge suddenly, Kelloggs should outsource such promotional activities and should work on it in order to attract people using these mediums. Conclusion Kelloggs has been in the market for more than hundred years. It is very difficult for any other company to take the position of Kelloggs in the market and therefore Kelloggs enjoys its position but yet it deals and takes care of all the issues that might jeopardise the position it holds in the market. Managing the operations in a strategic way and planning the marketing tactics in such a way that it maintains the market share and retains its loyal customers by providing them the best and healthy food, coming up to the expectations of the customers.

Interventions for Ventilator Associated Pneumonia

Interventions for Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Ventilator associated pneumonia is defined as pneumonia developing in persons who have received mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours (Shi et al., 2010). It is a major threat to critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation (Feider, Mitchell, Bridges, 2010) and it is the most common complication of patients in Intensive Care Units (Soh et al., 2011). Nosocomial pneumonia is caused by bacteria that colonize within the oral cavity of patients in the ICUs (Ewig et al., 1998). Bad oral health is pivotal in the pathogenesis of this harmful complication (Blot, Vandijck Labeau, 2008). Thus, good oral hygiene measure has a critical role in preventing the spread of these bacteria from the oral cavity to the lower respiratory tract thereby reducing the chances of nosocomial pneumonia (McNeill, 2000 cited in Abidia, 2007). There are a couple of interventions which are recommended to prevent Ventilator – Associated Pneumonia. The Institute of Healthcare Improvement suggested the VAP bundle of interventions in preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia. (Fields, 2008) In addition to these interventions, oral hygiene care is a nursing intervention that may also help prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (Feider, Mitchell Bridges, 2010). Evidence shows that comprehensive oral care is an effective preventive strategy to reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients receiving mechanical ventilation (Cutler Davis, 2005). There are a lot of research studies supporting oral hygiene care in reducing VAP cases among mechanically ventilated patients. In the study of Mori et al., (2006), the incidence of VAP was significantly lower in patients who received oral care than the patients who did not. Similarly, Fields’ (2008) study showed that VAP rate dropped to zero within a week of beginning the every hours tooth brushing regimen in the intervention group. Another study shows that pneumonia, febrile days, and death from pneumonia decreased significantly in patients with oral care (Yoneyama et al., 2002). Various methods and equipment in providing oral care for intubated patients were also studied. Toothbrushes and topical antimicrobials (Binkley, Furr, Carrico McCurren, 2004; Grap, Munro, Ashtiani Bryant, 2003), oral decontamination (Bergmans et al., 2001) and oropharyngeal decontamination with 0.12% Chlorhexidine Gluconate oral rinse (Shi et al., 2010; Tantipong, Morkchareonpong, Jaiyindee Thamlikitkul, 2008; Koeman et al., 2006; Houston et al., 2002; Genuit, Bochicchio, Napolitano, McCarter Roghman, 2001; DeRiso, Ladowski, Dillon, Justice Peterson, 1996) were found to be effective in reducing the bacteria in the mouth and in reducing the incidence of VAP. The AACN (2010) came up with a comprehensive oral hygiene program for patients in critical care and acute care settings who are at high risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia. This includes brushing teeth, gums and tongue at least twice a day using a soft pediatric or adult toothbrush; providing oral moisturizing to oral mucosa and lips every 2 to 4 hours; and using an oral chlorhexidine gluconate (0.12%) rinse twice a day during the perioperative period for adult patients who undergo cardiac surgery. The routine use of oral chlorhexidine gluconate (0.12%) in other populations is not recommended at this time. These interventions are supported by the existing evidence of oral hygiene. Past research studies have focused on assessing the oral care knowledge, attitude and practices among ICU nurses. Studies had shown that ICU nurses lack sufficient knowledge on oral care (Jordan, Badovinac, Ã…  palj, Par, Ã…  laj PlanÄ ak, 2014; Chan Hui-Ling Ng, 2012). The methods used to provide oral care were also found to be varied between nurses in the same unit (Soh et al., 2011; Chan Hui-Ling Ng, 2012). Moreover, the oral care currently provided in ICUs may be ineffective in eradicating dental plaque and respiratory pathogens that may cause VAP to ventilated patients (Binkley, Furr, Carrico, McCurren, 2004). There was also existing discrepancies between reported practices and policies on oral care provided to intubated patients (Feider, Mitchell Bridges, 2010). Though oral care is perceived to be high priority in mechanically ventilated patients, difficulties, problems and barriers still exist in providing the care (Rello et al., 2007; Feider, Mitchell Bridges, 20 10; Soh, Soh, Japar, Raman Davidson, 2011). These challenges include mechanical barriers and equipment issues, perception on the importance of oral care and empathy to patients’ discomfort by nurses, altered patient sensory perception and discomfort, and communication problems. (Berry Davidson, 2006) The existence of variation in oral care practices, the ineffective provision of oral care and the lack of sufficient knowledge of ICU nurses warrants a standardized protocol or guideline that is based on existing evidence. (Soh et al., 2011; Lin, Chang, Chang Lou, 2011) In the past years, Evidence – Based Practice (EBP) is gaining its momentum in the healthcare sector. It has been the focus of discussions and research in the medical field. Its importance to the medical practice has been evident and thus encouraged to be integrated in the practice. However, translating evidence into clinical practice remains a big challenge at the moment. Significant gaps between what is known to improve health, and what is done to improve health is evident (Holmes, Scarrow Schellenberg, 2012). These gaps maybe caused by unawareness or unfamiliarity of clinicians to EBP guidelines or recommendations; or the clinicians disbelief towards the EBP recommendations; or the clinicians personal opinion on the recommended management; or the clinicians’ perception that the guideline is too complicated or difficult to use in their own practices; patient-related factors; and the mentality that altering established practice is often difficult. (Pierson, 2009) Evide nce – based guidelines for providing oral care to patients in mechanical ventilators were formulated by international organizations, but, not all intensive care unit nurses are knowledgeable about it. Past study indicated that nurses lacked the evidence-based knowledge to deliver proper care (Chan, Lee, Poh, Ng Prabhakaran, 2011). In addition, a study also showed that ICU nurses did not follow procedures and steps recommended by current evidence-based practice (Lin, Chang, Chang Lou, 2009). Various knowledge translation strategies such as opinion leaders, audits and feedback, small group consensus, provider reminder systems, incentives, clinical information systems, and computer decision support systems can be utilized to integrate EBP into the clinical world. These knowledge translation strategies should be attempted and researched in clinical setting and should be used to further improve clinical practice. (Ganz et al, 2013) Therefore, the focus of this current research is to translate knowledge of Evidence based oral care practice guideline for mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients to clinical practice using a provider reminder system strategy. Further, it will determine the effect of the provider reminded system strategy in improving the Evidence – Based oral care practices for mechanically ventilated patients among ICU nurses. Provider reminder system is one of the Quality Improvement (QI) strategies. Example of provider reminder system includes reminders in charts for providers, computer – based reminders for providers, and computer – based decision support. (Hughes Hughes, 2008)

A Summary and Application of Presence and Resistance: Postmodernism and Cultural Politics in Contemporary American Performance :: Research Papers

A Summary and Application of Presence and Resistance: Postmodernism and Cultural Politics in Contemporary American Performance Here it is a book seen from the outside. A book is only a book when seen from the outside. Seen from the inside, a book is not a book, but a train ride at night - Michael Goulish In his book Presence and Resistance, Philip Auslander responds to the claims of many prominent cultural theorists that recent performance has been unable to engage in political critique. He argues contemporary performance can - and has - mounted a critique of postmodern politics. He holds up performance of the 1980’s as an example of politically critical (what he terms ‘’resistant’’) performance, claiming it carved a space for political critique by questioning, or reconstructing, the authority of the performer’s presence. He breaks his argument into two parts. First, he positions resistant performance of the 1980’s within postmodern mass media culture and identifies it as a response to the failure of the 1960’s avant-garde. Second, he examines the resistant strategies performers of the 1980’s employed to deconstruct presence and mount political critique. He focuses mainly on performers Laurie Anderson, Spalding Gray, and T he Wooster Group, and secondarily on comedians Andy Kauffman and Sandra Bernhard to illustrate his points. Part I will summarize Auslander’s argument, and Part II will use his insights to discuss Michael Goulish’s book, 39 Microlectures in Proximity of Performance, which gains relevance as a resistant text in light of Auslander’s analysis. Part I Auslander takes time to situate the performances of the 1980’s within the context of postmodern culture before launching his main argument on the strategies resistant performance employed. The ‘’mediatized,’’ information-saturated, environment of mass media culture, he argues, is paralyzing. Paralysis extends to the political sphere, where even the most vehement political critique is neutralized by the fact that one â€Å"must participate in the very activity that is being denounced... to denounce it’’ (Jameson qtd. Auslander 23). Auslander acknowledges mechanized culture’s impact on political critique but refuses to accept the conclusions of other major cultural/media theorists that a politically resistant performance aesthetic has not yet been developed, or that performers can only find a voice by rejecting mainstream culture altogether. Instead, he argues that performers of the 1980’s succeeded in critiquing postmodern cultural politics and did so, necessarily, from within mediatized postmodern culture. Auslander explains the significance of internal critique, arguing that resistant performance of the 1980’s grew from a rejection of the fringe approach of the 1960’s avant garde.

Cyber-Learning To Make Cyber-Teachers :: Internet Education Learning Essays

Cyber-Learning To Make Cyber-Teachers Cyber-culture is a large group of people the majority of which are young. This is because the internet's prominence is new. Fifteen years ago very few people were on-line at home. Children who have grown up with the Internet are more likely to use it as a tool for learning and communicating; they had the choice of not writing by hand, of always emailing instead of phoning. People who grew up without the Internet did not have that choice; there was a time when they had to write by hand, when they had to use the phone. So there are many children who have always learned and communicated with the Internet; they are the core of cyber-culture, they are the cyber-children. The cyber-children of today read and write differently. George Landow, in his essay â€Å"Twenty Minutes into the future, or How Are We Moving Beyond the Book†, said, â€Å"These new digital information technologies involve fundamental changes in the way we read and write, and these radical differences, in turn, derive from a single fact, the physical to the virtual† (219). The fundamental changes that Landow is talking about need to be recognized; they need to be understood by the teachers that cyber-children have. Cyber-children are not going to respond to ways of teaching that were designed before the Internet. And since most of the teachers today finished school and got their degrees and teaching certificates before the Internet’s present prominence, there is a problem. Teachers need to use methods of teaching reading and writing that reciprocate the needs of cyber-children. There is a problem with the ways in which teachers teach these children who are the core of cyber-culture. Much of the problem stems from how the students learned to read and write as it differs from how the teachers learned. Cyber-children have learned to read on-line, their teachers learned with print. James Sosnoski, in his essay â€Å"Hyper-readers and Their Reading Engines†, points out differences between reading printed text and reading what he calls hypertext. He says that readers of hypertext use, â€Å" . . . filtering: a higher degree of selectivity in reading† (402). So cyber-children are geared toward the bigger picture, and they leave out details.

The Morning Of The Dolphins :: essays research papers

Taryn awoke to the buzzing of the alarm beside her bed. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she saw the tacky flowered wallpaper and smelled that smell of a room that had been cleaned thousands of times with the same Lysol cleaner. At first she couldn’t recollect where she was. After a few moments, Taryn remembered, she was at the Seaside Hotel. Her mother, father, and she had arrived at the little lived in hotel the night before after a 4-hour plane ride from Connecticut. Taryn loved Florida. She loved the heat, the sun, and, most of all, the ocean. The sound of Taryn’s mother’s voice brought her out of her sleepiness. â€Å"Taryn! For god’s sake, get up. You are on vacation, a good child would definitely be up and showered and ready to go by now,† Taryn sighed at this remark. All through her child hood she had listened to that same phrase â€Å"a good child would†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was just one of her mother’s ways to get her motivated, but it never worked. â€Å"I’m going, I’m going. What is the rush anyway? I thought dad said we weren’t doing anything special, we were just going to be spontaneous today?† Taryn replied with a smirk. Her father always tried to make their family vacations more exciting, but it NEVER worked out. â€Å"You’ll see.† Her mother said, with one of her own little smirks. â€Å"Now get out of bed!!!† With a melodramatic sigh Taryn rolled over the side of the bed and drudged into the bathroom for a shower. She wondered to herself what her mom was up to. It was probably nothing, as usual. Taryn shoved the idea out of her mind and finished her shower and changed. Her dad walked into the hotel room as Taryn was brushing her long brown hair. â€Å"You ready yet kid?† he asked. He had a look on his face like he was up to something. â€Å"Okay! Tell me what is going on!† she shrieked with impatience. â€Å"Just get in the car and enjoy the ride,† he said, the look growing stronger. Taryn eagerly but cautiously obliged, throwing looks of curiosity at her father as they walked down the hall and got into the car. Her mother was already waiting, doing her makeup in the visor mirror. Taryn received another mischievous glance from her mother as she buckled her seatbelt. They drove for about 15 minutes, looking out at the glistening gulf water. The Morning Of The Dolphins :: essays research papers Taryn awoke to the buzzing of the alarm beside her bed. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she saw the tacky flowered wallpaper and smelled that smell of a room that had been cleaned thousands of times with the same Lysol cleaner. At first she couldn’t recollect where she was. After a few moments, Taryn remembered, she was at the Seaside Hotel. Her mother, father, and she had arrived at the little lived in hotel the night before after a 4-hour plane ride from Connecticut. Taryn loved Florida. She loved the heat, the sun, and, most of all, the ocean. The sound of Taryn’s mother’s voice brought her out of her sleepiness. â€Å"Taryn! For god’s sake, get up. You are on vacation, a good child would definitely be up and showered and ready to go by now,† Taryn sighed at this remark. All through her child hood she had listened to that same phrase â€Å"a good child would†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was just one of her mother’s ways to get her motivated, but it never worked. â€Å"I’m going, I’m going. What is the rush anyway? I thought dad said we weren’t doing anything special, we were just going to be spontaneous today?† Taryn replied with a smirk. Her father always tried to make their family vacations more exciting, but it NEVER worked out. â€Å"You’ll see.† Her mother said, with one of her own little smirks. â€Å"Now get out of bed!!!† With a melodramatic sigh Taryn rolled over the side of the bed and drudged into the bathroom for a shower. She wondered to herself what her mom was up to. It was probably nothing, as usual. Taryn shoved the idea out of her mind and finished her shower and changed. Her dad walked into the hotel room as Taryn was brushing her long brown hair. â€Å"You ready yet kid?† he asked. He had a look on his face like he was up to something. â€Å"Okay! Tell me what is going on!† she shrieked with impatience. â€Å"Just get in the car and enjoy the ride,† he said, the look growing stronger. Taryn eagerly but cautiously obliged, throwing looks of curiosity at her father as they walked down the hall and got into the car. Her mother was already waiting, doing her makeup in the visor mirror. Taryn received another mischievous glance from her mother as she buckled her seatbelt. They drove for about 15 minutes, looking out at the glistening gulf water.

Report on Cross Cultural Management of Cuba Essay

4 Analysis of Silk Trade in Cuba To a great extent, the silk trade can be influenced by the culture. Before entering into the Cuban market, the company needs to understand the culture and take into account the local market situation. Cross cultural management models can be used to analyze the cultural characteristics in Cuba, for example Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, Fons Trompenaars Cultural Dimensions, and Ednlard T. Hall Cultural Dimensions. In the following, cross cultural models will be used to conduct an assessment of Cuban cultural background and analyze the impact of Cuban culture on the silk trade. Fig 1 Location of Cuba 4.1 Cuban culture under Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Professor Geert Hofstede is an expert in the field of cross cultural management. His study on the cultural dimensions can be used to help define the culture of a country in the world. According to Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, each kind of the culture places different emphasis on five different cultural dimensions, Power Distance (PDI), Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV), Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI), and Long term orientation (LTO) (Hofstede, 1996). 4.1.1 Power Distance According to the view of Professor Hofstede, power distance deals with the income inequity in a country (Soares et al., 2007). Cuba scores high in the scale of power distance, which means that the members of this country believes that inequities are usual and accepted by all layers of the society, and the leaders of an organization can have a lot of power. The reason can be found in the long history. 4.1.2 Individualism versus Collectivism The dimension individualism is the degree of interdependence a society maintains in its members. In simple words, it deals with whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of I or We. It is known that Cuba is a communist country and it is a collectivist culture. Under such political environment, people work together and share everything. The Cubans believe that all the people are important and cooperation is important in the society. In simple words, collectivism is widely accepted in Cuba. 4.1.3 Masculinity versus Femininity The dimension masculinity deals with what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine). Under the Cuban culture, people are always more feminine. The dominant values in the society are caring for others and quality of life, rather than the competition, achievement, and success. In addition to this, the Cuban women have played an important role in the society, and women hold nearly 37% of the seats in parliament. The Cuban culture is more feminine. 4.1.4 Uncertainty Avoidance The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance can explain how people deal with the unknown future, some may try to control the future, and some may let it happen (Merkin, 2006). People in the Cuban society belong to the category of high uncertainty avoidance. To a large extent, it is decided by the political environment, the communist society for years can be the reason why Cuban people eliminate unwanted changes in the future. 4.1.5 Long term orientation The long term orientation dimension decides the extent to which the society shows a pragmatic future-oriented view rather than a conventional historical short-term view. In Cuba, people fall more in the conventional short-term view. The society is largely controlled by the government, and people live life day to day with the conventional short-term view, also they have not planned too much for the future. 4.2 Cuban culture under Fons Trompenaars Cultural Dimensions According to the view of Professor Fons, what distinguished people from one culture is where their preferences fall on each of the seven different dimension, including universalism versus particularism, individualism versus communitarianism, specific versus diffuse, neutral versus emotional, achievement versus ascription, sequential time versus synchronous time, and internal direction versus outer direction (Charles and Trompenaars, 1997). The dimension universalism vs. particularism deals with what is more important, rule or relationship. In Cuba, people believe that relationships can be more important, which is largely decided by the political factor. Under the communist society, the whole society is controlled by the leaders of the country, and the society is decided by rule of people, rather than rule of law (Rasha, 2006). Individualism vs. collectivism deals with the degree of interdependence a society maintains in its members. Cuba falls more in a collectivist culture. In addition, the neutral vs. emotional dimension describes the importance of feelings and relationships. Obviously, Cuba, a neutral culture, and people do not easily display their feelings and emotions. The government controls everything, and people dare not display their real feelings (Kang and Mastin (2008). Specific vs. diffuse dimension answers how the people separate the private and working lives. Cuban culture belongs to the specific-oriented culture, in simple words the Cuban people separate the private and the working lives very clearly. The achievement vs. ascription dimension refers to the question of the status. In Cuban society, people belong to the ascription-oriented culture and the respect for a manager is based on hierarchy. Sequential vs. synchronic dimension defines two different ways of managing time, and the Cuban people belong to the synchronization-oriented dimension. In the end, the Cuban people fall more in the external control dimension. 4.3 Cuban culture under Ednlard T. Hall Cultural Dimensions Ednlard T. Hall is a famous researcher on cross cultural management. Hall’s cultural factors can be used to understand people from different cultural backgrounds, include high-context culture and low-context culture, monochromic action and polychromic action, high territoriality and low territoriality. First of all, Cuba belongs to a kind of high-context culture, similar with Trompenaars’ particularism. There are a lot of local unwritten rules of the culture, and much is taken for granted in the Cuban culture. Secondly, similar with Trompenaars’ time as sequence (monochromic) and time as synchronization (polychromic), most of the Cuban people can be polychromic-based action (Hall, 1966). In simple words, people often do many things at once and put relationship first, in addition to this, things are borrowed and shared often and easily. (Hall, 1983). Cuban people have high territoriality when working with the foreigners, which largely results from the political attitude of the communist society. 5 Impact of culture on leadership and organization behavior in Cuba With the development of the economic globalization, the importance of cross cultural management receives more attention. Culture can be defined as the characteristics of a particular group of people, including history, education, language, social, structure, religion, political, and economic. 5.1 Impact of culture on leadership in Cuba Leadership can be defined as a process of social influence in the accomplishment of a common task, and good leaders are not made born. As described above, cross cultural management models can be used to understand how to do the business in Cuba. Fig 2 Flag of Cuba 5.1.1 Impact of Cuban history on leadership The history of Cuba began with the arrival of Columbus in 1492, and in a long time it was controlled by the foreign countries, such as United States and Brazil. In the 20th century, Cuba made the alliance with the Soviets. Castro controlled Cuba for decades until the year 2006. In Cuba, the leaders have the concentrated power and members of an institution and organization accept the leadership very easily. Fig 3 Castro 5.1.2 Impact of Cuban education on leadership Speaking in essence, the Cuban education was strictly controlled by the government, and the school attendance is not very high. In addition to this, education has a strong political and ideological emphasis. In simple words, the Cuban education is not well-developed, and the leaders can easily influence the followers, also people get used to obey the instructions from the leaders. 5.1.3 Impact of Cuban language on leadership Spanish is the official language in Cuba, and most of the Cubans can speak it, because in a long time Cuba was controlled by Spain. In addition to this, Haitian Creole can be the second largest language. Language can play an important role in the leadership process, and it can be inferred that the leaders in Cuba are required to speak Spanish. 5.1.4 Impact of Cuban social structure on leadership Social structure can be identified as the relationship between entities or groups or as enduring and relatively stable patterns of relationship. The Cuban society believes that inequities are usual and a fact of the life. The equality can be accepted by all layers of the society, and the leaders of an organization can have a lot of power. Fig 4 Cathedral of Saint Christopher in Havana 5.1.5 Impact of Cuban religion on leadership Cuba has been a Communist country since 1959. Catholicism is much modified and influenced, and the most popular religion in Cuba is Santeria. The religion can maximize the cohesion between the members, and the leadership can take advantage of the religion, or else it will be the barriers. 5.1.6 Impact of Cuban politics on leadership Culture of a country can significantly influence the trade business, including the silk trade. People’s Republic of China has built a good relationship with Republic of Cuba for many years, which can be good for the silk trade in Cuba (Benjamin and Collins, 1985). To be more specific, the political attitude can be helpful in leadership. 5.1.7 Impact of Cuban economic on leadership Influenced by the political ideology, Cuba refused the free trade with the foreigners in the world market. Cuba carries out the planned economy for a long time and limits the private economy (Padilla and McElroy, 2007). The production are largely owned and operated by the government. Leaders from foreign countries may not easy in Cuba. 5.2 Impact of culture on organization behavior in Cuba Likewise, the impact of culture on the organization behavior must be also taken into account by the management. Organization behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structures upon behavior within an organization. Organization behavior can be understood better, and the barriers can be eliminated. 5.2.1 Impact of Cuban history on organization behavior In a long history of the communist society, the Cubans get used to obey the rules from the leaders. In simple words, the individuals, groups and structures in Cuba share the same rules. In the process of cross cultural management, members of an institution or organization obey the group norms. 5.2.2 Impact of Cuban education on organization behavior Castro developed a fully state-operated education system, at the same time the private institutions are banned by the government. There is no advanced education system to build the organization behavior. In other words, the organization behavior of the local employees can be rebuilt in the process of cross cultural management. 5.2.3 Impact of Cuban language on organization behavior The official language in Cuba is Spanish, and the organization behaviors are based on the language. More importantly, language is the communication tool, and it can also decide the success of cross cultural management. Only on the basis of understanding the language, the organization behavior can be understood. 5.2.4 Impact of Cuban social structure on organization behavior Likewise, social structure decides many social systems, such as legal system, cultural system, economic system, and political system. Individuals and groups obey the social systems, and organization behavior can be influenced by the social systems. 5.2.5 Impact of Cuban religion on organization behavior To be more specific, the Santeria in Cuba developed from Catholicism by combining the religion of African slaves and some local Americans. Institutions or organizations from foreign countries can take advantage of the religion to bring people together. 5.2.6 Impact of Cuban politics on organization behavior The former leader Castro controlled everything for years and the Cuban people have been under control. Under such political environment, behaviors of individuals and groups are influenced by the external political factors. 5.2.7 Impact of Cuban economic on organization behavior Foreign leaders may find it difficult in leading the local Cuban employees, and some measures should be taken, for example hiring the local managers. The Cuban people have high territoriality when working with the foreigners, which largely results from the political attitude of the communist society in the world (SÃ ©ror and Arteaga, 2000). 6 Conclusion and Recommendations Due to the different political ideology, Cuba closed the door and operated differently. In conclusion, the characteristics of Cuban culture are different, and cross cultural management in Cuba needs to consider the characteristics. Recommendations will be made in the following to operate the silk trade in an effective and efficient way. 6.1 Leadership styles of cross cultural management in Cuba There are many kinds of leadership styles, which include authoritarian, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire, and transactional. Taking the Cuban cultural characteristics into account, the kind of paternalistic leadership style can be put into practices in the Cuban business world. The leaders encourage the employees to compete the tasks, at the same time they take care of the employees as a parent will do, because the local employees are influenced by the external political factor. In order to do the silk trade, the leaders have to deal with the potential barriers in Cuba. 6.2 Communication styles of cross cultural management in Cuba In Cuba, the official language is Spanish. As for the management, the communication styles can be assertive, aggressive, passive, and passive-aggressive. The best style for the management in Cuba can be the assertive communication. To be more specific, the leaders can communicate with the local employees in an assertive way. The language barrier can be solved by hiring the translators, and the institutions and organizations can hire the local employees as the middle management level, for they can carry out the business strategies better and communicate with the local employees easily. 6.3 Negotiation skills of cross cultural management in Cuba Under the different cultural background, some negotiation skills are necessary in the process of cross cultural management. By understanding the Cuban culture, leaders in Cuba can learn how to work with the Cubans and avoid the cultural barriers. It can be recommended that the first one negotiation skill is to learn to flinch. In order to make the silk trade with the Cubans, the businessmen need to respect the local rules and the employees, thus make them feel comfortable in the trade process. The second one is to recognize that customers often ask for more than they expect to get. In the process of silk trade, the Cubans are provided good products and services. After the customers recognize the products and services, the company can build better brand awareness to increase the sales and make profits in Cuba. 6.4 Management styles and requirements of cross cultural management in Cuba The management process is not easy, but it can significantly influence the silk trade in Cuba. During the process of cross cultural management, the management can consider the Cuban cultural factors, as explained in the above cultural dimensions. Especially, when making important decisions, the cultural factors need to be taken into account, as well as the problem-solving process and team management. 6.4.1 Decision-making of cross cultural management in Cuba The process of decision-making is not easy in a different cultural background. In the Cuban culture, the first one is to take the political factor into account. The government interface with free trade can be the biggest barrier in Cuba. The decision-makers need to understand the Cubans, for example, things can be borrowed and shared often and easily. Cuban people have high territoriality when working with the foreigners, so the institutions and organizations can cooperate with the local groups. In the end, results of the potential decisions need to be reasonably predicted under such circumstances. 6.4.2 Problem-solving of cross cultural management in Cuba When facing with the conflicts, the management needs to solve the problems. Unlike the conventional situation, the local cultural may be more complex, for the conflicts in Cuba may involve many parties. At this time, the foreigners need to understand how the local residents deal with the problem. For example, the members of this country believes that inequities are usual and accepted by all layers of the society, and the leaders of an organization can have a lot of power. In simple words, the foreigners can seek for the support of the leaders if they are encountering the barriers in Cuba. More importantly, people in Cuba belong to the category of high uncertainty avoidance, and money can be the effective and efficient to solve the current problems. 6.4.3 Team management of cross cultural management in Cuba As a communist society, the Cuban people are regarded as the group. It is known that Cuba is a collectivist culture. Under such political environment, people work together and share the property. They believe that all the Cubans are important and cooperation is important in the society. In the process of team management, the leaders can learn to motivate the employees and increase the cohesion power among the team members. In addition to this, the dominant values in the society are caring for others and quality of life, rather than the competition, achievement, and success. If team members share the same values, they can come together to complete the common goals. The last but not the least, the leaders have a lot of concentrated power. During the process of cross cultural management, leaders need to develop an understanding of the Cuban culture.

Organizational Influences Essay

_Abstract_ This paper will attempt give explanation to the organizational influences in the workplace that can cause an increase level of stress due to ethical-type decisions and technological advances. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that leadership commitment to excellence begins with the way information is outlined and how decisions directly affect the morale and overall perception of an organization. Hopefully, this paper will succeed in placing value into the critical decisions necessary to develop a strong lasting workforce that is intended to make a positive impression economically and reasonable for an effective learning business environment. _Ethics on Decision Making_ So what is ethical? This _ethical_ argument has had scholars constantly debating to find the real meaning for generations. It is not expected to  understand truly the inner-workings of ethics in this paper; however, as critical as it may seem it is something that needs constant questioning in order to bring out the best quality in everyone to support the organization’s interests. Putting this into perspective at its simplest form, asking what is right or wrong, good or bad would be a good start. Take for instance the value of integrity, an ethical influence on decision making, can affect how the organization is perceived though the public eyes and the networking impact with other organizations. To include ethical qualities in decision making is not exclusive to the private sector, it also requires participation from organizations in the public sector – as in the U.S.Army. Americans pay tribute to Soldiers everyday as they fight for the freedoms that they so much enjoy. As they make very difficult decisions everyday, concerning life or death situations, they follow what is called the Seven Army Values. Among them is integrity; which is described as _Do what’s right, legally, and morally_. This is important for Soldiers to understand this meaning because everything that is done and accomplished is in a teamwork effort that ultimately affects the organization. The success of the mission is heavily reliant to trusting and knowing each other. After working with each other for some time, they find comfort in knowing that in tough situations, individuals can count on their team members for assistance and to _pick up the pieces_. This brings out the quality that is needed to further support the spirit that needs embracing; which creates the ethical quality necessary to keep the team integrity intact. Leaders of all levels have goals and expectations of each other in the business environment which should be clearly defined to our teams. Unfortunately, this is not always the case which weakens the expected ethical quality. When establishing a plan with a clear vision, the fundamental premise of the plan is that each member has an obligation to act in the best interest of the organization and in support of its mission, and must not allow outside activities or financial interests interfere with those obligations. This is a real condition that has huge ramifications because the mere appearances if improper behavior can render unethical acts,  thus opening the door for unwelcome publicity to an organization. Take for instance the recent dealings between Halliburton and the U.S. government. Vice-President Cheney previously served as chief executive officer of Halliburton, a Dallas oil-services giant, which he is currently receiving deferred compensation which the government would not â€Å"specify how large his payment will be this year or how long the payments will continue† (Lazarus 2002). The perceived ethical conflict is clear for it de-values the principles of an organization that is wishes to uphold. This value is integrity, either legal or not, it is a principle that affects an organization’s morale which has a deeper connection of how an organization will further network with others in the pursuit of strategic growth. _Affects of Technology on Stress_ There is no question that technology has changed the way we do business- which includes communications and deliverables. As a result, there are service demands from partners and consumers that must be fulfilled in order to keep competitive and reliability in the fast paced networking environment. Therefore, the technology we rely on adds stress to any organization that wishes to progressively look into improving their efficiency and effectiveness. The advancements in technology is intended to facilitate production and minimize operations costs in order to keep up with the increasing demands. However, with the growing trends of demand and technology, valuable training to use newer forms of technology became a second priority. In addition, people are spending less time with family and working longer hours which have also increased the work-related stress levels. A research conducted by the Kensington Technology Group (1999) stated that â€Å"51 percent of them (employees) report that the possibility of losing documents due to computer crashes† is also a factor to work-related stress. Due to this trend in organizational behavior, the leadership in any organization must realize that they must proactively discuss the usage of technological practicality and not always assume employees will directly complain about work-related stress caused by technological advancements. The leadership team must establish a caring-system for its employees because it ultimately affects their productivity and bottom-line. The operations of the  organization rely on fresh-progressive minds that cannot function under immense levels of poor judgment that results in poor customer care. Some signs that include â€Å"lower commitment, increased conflict and absenteeism† (Davies, 2005) are indicators that employees are not focused on organizational goals, but rather on finding ways to survive another day. _Leadership Responsibilities_ As organizational leaders understand that technological advancements is the way of the competitive future, one of the first steps to ensure competitiveness is to furnish and properly train their employees with that technology. In doing so, initiating new systems into the workplace must be communicated in ways that explains why the changes are necessary allowing the opportunity to minimize any confusion or misinterpretation that is intended to build a stronger and more efficient organization. The importance of training employees in technological usage makes simple business sense. According to the National Small Business Association (NSBA, 2006) it estimates â€Å"one-third of companies (37%) are engaged in e-commerce, including 52% of businesses in the retail industry and 50% of those in manufacturing†; meaning that the use of technology is a critical component of networking, coordinating and marketing to the wide range of consumers. Of the organizations surveyed by NSBA, 89% of them will rely on technological advancements for strategic growth. Setting an internal training program is an option that can create an enhanced and developed employee on technical skills necessary to focus on potential organizational needs rather than reacting to increased stress levels and technological support concerns. _Conclusion_ The information provided by this paper demonstrates the necessity of competent leaders to measure influential effectiveness of a decision by creating an optimal working environment that would facilitate a long lasting impression for future opportunities. Therefore, ethical decision making and leveraging mitigating stress factors is a way to minimize negative impacts that yield high organizational costs such as reduction of effort by  employees to complete tasks, perceptions and strategic support that would otherwise be a fundamental business approach for success. Reference: Bodwell, D.J. (2002). High performance teams. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from the High Performance Teams Website: http://ptcpartners.com/Team/home.htm Davies, R. (2005). Don’t stress. Engineering Management, 15(1), p 20-23. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from University of Phoenix EBSChost Database Kensington Technology Group. (1999). Technology increases workplace stress, tipping the scales of work-life balance. BusinessWire. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from the BusinessWire Website: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Technology+Increases+Workplace+Stress,+Tipping+the+Scales+of+†¦-a055407271 Lazarus, David (2002). Conflict of interest for vice president? Retrieved October 12, 2007, from the San Francisco Chronicle Website: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/03/BU231196.DTL McCracken, T. & Willey, G.(2007). NSBA: survey of small and mid-sized businesses. National Small Business Association. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from http://www.nsba.biz/docs/surveynewfinal.pdf

English Composition Phase 4 Essay

The essay is â€Å"formatted on a paper which is 8. 5 x 11 inches in size† (Driscoll, 2007). The margin on top, bottom, left, and right is set to one inch (Driscoll, 2007). It should have a title page which consists of the following: â€Å"a running head for publication, title, byline, as well as, affiliation† (Driscoll, 2007). The page numbers are â€Å"written in the upper right-hand corner of each page† (Driscoll, 2007). Abstracts, headings, and visuals should be made available as well (Driscoll, 2007). Components of an APA Paper  The following are the components of an APA paper: â€Å"1) name of author; 2) date of publication; 3) title; and 4) publication information† (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). With regards to that name of the author, the last name is written first followed by a comma and the initials of the first and middle name (if middle name is provided), but if the work has no author indicated in it, place the title instead and then the date, and if authors indicated are more than three, state the first author’s name and followed by this: â€Å"et. l. † (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). Moreover, with regards to the date of publication, specify the year; however, if there is no date indicated, just place â€Å"n. d. † (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). Furthermore, with regards to the title, just write it as is whether it is a book, journal, or a magazine (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). Finally, with regards to the â€Å"publication information†: if the reference is a book, then the place of publication, as well as, the publisher should be included; if it is a periodical then include the place of publication, the publisher, the volume number, the issue number, as well as, the pages; and if it is a website then indicate the website address (Minnesota School of Business, 2006).

Linear Regression: House Pricing

Housing Prices in Blowing Rock, NC: A Hedonic Analysis Thomas Carter Economics 4000 1. Introduction A difficult characteristic to understand about the housing market is how a price is given for a particular house. That price will be designated to that particular house alone. All houses have various pricing, so I can’t always assume that one will cost more or less than any other. The pricing for houses vary based on their characteristics. Each characteristic must be analyzed to determine its contribution or detraction toward the price.I have taken some of these characteristics and modeled the relationship between them and the price of real estate for a specific area. How are these characteristics used in determining the price? A model that is commonly used in real estate appraisal is the hedonic regression. This method is specific to breaking down items that are not homogenous commodities, to estimate value of its characteristics and ultimately determine a price based on the co nsumers’ willingness to pay. The approach in estimating the values is done by measuring the differences in the price of certain goods with regards to specific location.E. g. average cost of real estate is much lower in Missouri than in California. Location may be the biggest factor in real estate pricing. 2. Data and Regression Analysis My data is for Blowing Rock, NC. It’s a resort town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The attractions here are mostly outdoor activities taking place in the secluded wilderness. The population is only about 1500 and the average cost of a house from my data is $485,839. 50. For my linear regression, I am modeling the relationship between the price of homes, being my dependent variable, and some characteristics of the omes, being my explanatory variables. Originally my data consisted of the following for real estate in Blowing Rock, NC: price – selling price, miles from central business district, number of bedrooms, number of full bathr ooms, number of half bathrooms, the year the home was built, square footage, number of garages, whether or not the house was located in a subdivision, lot size, if the house had a good view, number of days on the market, and difference between asking price and selling price. First I modeled a linear regression between price and all of my characteristics (see Table 1).To interpret these variables I have regressed, I look at the Coefficient column of the output. The sign of the number tells whether the characteristic increases or decreases the price. For each additional mile away from the central business district the price of a home decreases $25,002. 96. For each additional bedroom the price increases $20,832. 78. For each additional full bathroom the price increases $79,715. 21. For each additional half bathroom the price increases $123,988. 80. For every year that a house ages the price decreases $2,355. 05. For every increase in one square-foot the price increases $93. 13.For eac h additional garage the price increases $26,249. 66. If the house is in a subdivision the price increases $25,999. 07. For each additional acre of land the price increases 56,480. 75. If the home has a nice view(most likely of the Blue Ridge Mountains) the price increases 127,900. 10. For each additional day the home is on the market the price decreases $181. 04. Based on the adjusted R-squared I have determined that about 53. 38% of the price of homes in this town comes from these characteristics. Looking at the P values, not all are significant, thus some of these characteristics may play little part in determining the price.The insignificant characteristics were number of bedrooms, number of garages, and whether or not the home was in a subdivision. Some other weak variables were the number of days the home has been on the market and the difference between asking price and selling price. I feel that the number of days the house a house is on the market is a weak explanatory varia ble because a seller usually has an idea of what the house is worth, and even if it does not sell immediately, they may be willing to wait or only need to adjust the price a little in order for it to sell.The difference in asking and selling price could be correlated with the number of days on the market and very similar reasoning as to why it is a weak variable. The seller will most likely not allow much difference in their asking and selling price because of the appraised value. Also, looking at the coefficients of these two variables, I can see that change in them do not impact the price very much. The number of bedrooms is not a significant characteristic because it is correlated with the square footage. It seems a little odd that the number of garages is insignificant.However, the mean number of garages for this data is above one, meaning the average house in Blowing Rock has at least one garage. With a garage being fairly standard amenity for homes in Blowing Rock I can unders tand it not being a very significant factor on the price compared to the other characteristics. Living in a subdivision is not significant for this town as well. I took out the highly insignificant variables (bedrooms, garages, and subdivision) and modeled another regression (see Table 2). My adjusted R-squared improved to 54. 28%. Expand! 3. Summary and ConclusionsTable 1 reg price miles bedrooms fullbath halfbath yearbuilt sqft garage sub acres vie > ws days diff Source | SS df MS Number of obs = 100 ————-+—————————— F( 12, 87) = 10. 45 Model | 6. 0522e+12 12 5. 0435e+11 Prob > F = 0. 0000 Residual | 4. 2002e+12 87 4. 8278e+10 R-squared = 0. 5903 ————-+—————————— Adj R-squared = 0. 5338 Total | 1. 0252e+13 99 1. 0356e+11 Root MSE = 2. 2e+05 —————— ———————————————————– price | Coef. Std. Err. t P>|t| [95% Conf. Interval] ————-+————————————————————— – miles | -25002. 96 9499. 989 -2. 63 0. 010 -43885. 22 -6120. 706 bedrooms | 20832. 78 44293. 87 0. 47 0. 639 -67206. 08 108871. 6 fullbath | 79715. 21 40491. 55 1. 97 0. 052 -766. 1288 160196. 5 halfbath | 123988. 8 45920. 12 2. 70 0. 008 32717. 59 215260 yearbuilt | -2355. 046 1202. 24 -1. 96 0. 053 -4744. 596 34. 50387 sqft | 93. 13114 50. 65843 1. 84 0. 069 -7. 557963 193. 8203 garage | 26249. 66 28224. 21 0. 93 0. 355 -29849. 02 82348. 34 sub | 25999. 07 56280. 61 0. 46 0. 645 -85864. 75 137862. 9 acres | 56480. 75 13324. 99 4. 24 0. 000 29995. 88 82965. 61 vie ws | 127900. 1 48592. 63 2. 63 0. 010 31316. 96 224483. 2 days | -181. 0406 126. 8538 -1. 43 0. 157 -433. 1762 71. 09506 diff | . 5086182 . 3190536 1. 59 0. 15 -. 1255353 1. 142772 _cons | 4541470 2363007 1. 92 0. 058 -155261. 1 9238202 Table 2 reg price fullbath halfbath yearbuilt sqft acres views days diff miles Source | SS df MS Number of obs = 100 ————-+—————————— F( 9, 90) = 14. 06 Model | 5. 9915e+12 9 6. 6572e+11 Prob > F = 0. 0000 Residual | 4. 2609e+12 90 4. 7344e+10 R-squared = 0. 5844 ————-+—————————— Adj R-squared = 0. 5428 Total | 1. 252e+13 99 1. 0356e+11 Root MSE = 2. 2e+05 —————————————————————————†” price | Coef. Std. Err. t P>|t| [95% Conf. Interval] ————-+—————————————————————- fullbath | 84256. 29 38750. 63 2. 17 0. 032 7271. 402 161241. 2 halfbath | 131657. 9 43504. 03 3. 03 0. 003 45229. 58 218086. 3 yearbuilt | -2286. 429 1165. 349 -1. 96 0. 053 -4601. 599 28. 74033 sqft | 112. 8896 40. 74526 2. 77 0. 007

The Advantage of the Innovation in the Healthcare Services Essay

The Advantage of the Innovation in the Healthcare Services - Essay Example The telemedicine policy has enabled many rural patients to acquire proper and affordable medical care despite their social and living standards. It has enabled the healthcare providers to provide quality services to all in this state that is their primary goal. This has been fuelled by faster and easier means of payment as compared to a few years ago. Further, there are positive outcomes attributed to this policy as most patients have adopted it. The policy provides easier means of payment as well as delivery services to all clients. This explains why the innovation has succeeded in most stated. Moreover, the federal government has shown its support by providing the necessary infrastructure to enhance its workability. Payment of these services delivered by this means remains to be a significant challenge to clients. This is because both patients and the service providers face challenges when processing insurance requirements. Further, means of payment do not stream easily and faster as expected. Hence, it hinders all the players in this industry to take full advantage of this innovation. In addition, this policy has led to the rise in health premiums that most average citizens cannot afford with the current economic conditions in the country. Despite the merits and demerits attributed to this policy, the typical person is set to benefit. Hence, the adoption of this policy in most states is aimed at enabling the ordinary person to have access to quality healthcare. The level of its success in adoption is a clear indication that the system will be of great help to all in the country.

Revenue Management in Restaurants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Revenue Management in Restaurants - Essay Example By calculating factors such as length-of-stay, accessibility and overbooking, revenue management practices can add to revenue, efficiency and property valuation for hotels by growing length of stay and check supply and demand to influence offered rates (Andersen, P. and Bowe, V. 2000). Nowadays McDonald's operates in the global quick service restaurant manufacturing trade. McDonald's was the lead the way of this trade and it was McDonald's which made the quick service restaurant commerce a worldwide industry by creating a enormous global profitable empire. At present McDonald's ranks 114th in the list of luck 500 companies and thanks to its ground-breaking dispensation and standardized approach to the profitable production of fast food, McDonald's has placed the quick service restaurant business between the big financial driving force industries such as steel and vehicle. According to the expert analysis Raymond Kroc the founder of McDonald's had the dream of a sequence of fast food restaurants in each American State and in the earth as well. No doubt, he wanted his fast food restaurants to serve excellence food according to permanent standards and requirement. When Kroc ongoing business in 1955 there were other well recognized fast food chains in United States, in the middle of the most extensively known were A&W, Dairy Queen, Tastee -Freez, and Big Boy, Burger King then recognized as InstaBurger King was just preliminary out. There were lots of things which alienated McDonald's from its rivals. No doubt, Raymond Kroc's goal was to make world wide fast food chain while the rest of the main fast food chains were not so excited about growth. Other fast food chains which function on a franchise basis viewed their operators as customers and only reaped benefits without providing much leadership relating to operation, endorsement, sales strategy, financi ng and food dispensation. Raymond Kroc comprehensive his hands to operators of permission McDonald's restaurants by extravagance them like do business partners in each respect of the business. These close associations with operators make sure that McDonald's restaurants in any State in the United States would dish up food according to fixed requirement and amount. Furthermore, Raymond Kroc did more than by just give recommendation regarding procedure management him allowable his operators to work out their innovative skills connecting to every feature of the franchise trade. McDonald's had set new principles for the fast food manufacturing by selling a recognized service not just original food recipes and formulas. (Greatest Business Stories of All Times) Revenue Management in Restaurants According to the expert analysis the nature of the restaurant industry, typify by many self-governing minute businesses as well as a few nationwide and international enterprises in a usually competitive environment, makes the application of revenue management, on the whole, additional problematical than in the airline and hotel sectors. Additional, adjusting the excellence of the product, and hence price levels, is much easier than for airlines and hotels. Against that, the vast preponderance of restaurants