Original Writing Essay

A boy wearing spectacles who was very fat and dressed in what looked like a school uniform, found himself lying on a long white beach. He sat up rubbing the back of his head, which he must have bumped. He looked out to the ocean wondering where on earth he could be. The last thing he could remember was looking out the plane window and seeing the wing on fire. He must have blacked out then. He wiped the sweat away from his brow, as it was the hottest weather he had ever been in. After a while of sitting there and looking out into the ocean, The fat boy pulled himself up, and looked around. Behind him all he saw was thick forest, with palm trees and weird looking plants which he had never seen or heard of before. He felt starving hungry, so he decided to go and look for something to eat. As he started to venture into the forest, He saw weird looking fruits that were just in arms reach, so he picked a few down, and started to eat them. He liked the taste, so he picked some more. He then heard a rustling in undergrowth next to him. Someone was coming! He thought that it could be another person from the plane crash so he shouted out into the undergrowth, â€Å"Hi!† He stood there with a fruit in his hand, and a load of it round his mouth and then another boy about the same age as him (about 13) crawled out of the undergrowth. He looked up at him, looked down again, picked himself up and carried on walking straight past him. â€Å"Hey!† the fat boy shouted after him. He ran to catch up with him and he asked him his name. â€Å"Ralph,† he said. Ralph did not make the acquaintance of asking the fat boy’s name. Ralph was taller than he was, but thin and he looked like he could make a boxer because of the heaviness and width of his shoulders. He was very fair too. â€Å"Where’s the man with the megaphone?† the fat boy asked him. He shrugged his shoulders. â€Å"Perhaps there aren’t any adults anywhere.† â€Å"What about the pilot?† The fat boy said, and Ralph replied, â€Å"the planes not here, so he must’ve flown off.† â€Å"No, I saw flames coming out of the wing.† Ralph grinned, suddenly realising something to himself. â€Å"What?† I said. â€Å"No grownups,† he said quietly to himself. â€Å"No grownups!† This time he shouted it joyfully. But the fat boy felt daunted by the fact that there were no grownups. The two of them carried on walking in the blistering heat along the white sand and beside them was what looked like miles of jungle. â€Å"I think we’re on a island.† Ralph said to the fat boy. â€Å"I climbed up on a rock and looked around and all I could see was the ocean.† â€Å"So were stuck here.† The fat boy muttered to himself. Ralph did not hear. They both carried on walking along the beach, half looking for anybody else that survived the crash (or at least they thought it was a crash). â€Å"There must be others here, you haven’t seen any have you?† the fat boy said to Ralph. Ralph shook his head. â€Å"We ought to make a list of everybody, know all their names. We ought to have a meeting.† The fat said this hoping Ralph would ask him his name, but Ralph did not take the hint, so he was forced to continue. â€Å"I don’t care what everybody calls me, as long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school.† Ralph was suddenly interested, â€Å"what was that?† The fat boy leaned towards Ralph and whispered in Ralph’s ear, â€Å"they used to call me Piggy.† Ralph jumped up with a howl of laughter, â€Å"Piggy!† he screeched. â€Å"Piggy, piggy, piggy!† â€Å"Ralph don’t.† â€Å"Please!† â€Å"Piggy, Piggy, Piggy!† Then Ralph fell on the sand in fits of laughter. â€Å"Okay as long as you don’t tell the others.† Ralph was still laughing. Piggy decided to go back into the forest and get some more fruit, so he went, picked some and when he came back he found Ralph swimming in a pool of water with little shoals of fish, darting back and forth. Piggy felt green with envy to how Ralph was swimming as he wished he could swim like that. His auntie had told him he wasn’t allowed to swim because of his asthma so he had never swum before. Ralph swam very graciously and well. Ralph had taken his clothes off, so, with a decision Piggy decided to as well. â€Å"There!† Piggy said to himself, when he had finished. â€Å"Aren’t you going to swim then?† Ralph asked Piggy demandingly. Piggy explained to him about his auntie. â€Å"Sucks to your auntie!† Ralph replied. Piggy hesitated but eventually got into the water and he stood waist deep and stayed there. Piggy watched Ralph dive under and swim about on the surface. â€Å"How can you swim so well?† Piggy looked at him with bewilderment on his face. â€Å"My Dad taught me. He’s in the navy and he’ll come and rescue us.† Ralph said undoubtedly. Piggy thought for a moment then said, â€Å"how does he know where we are?† There was a pause then Ralph said, â€Å"I just know he’ll come,† and he dived under water. When they had both got out of the water, they sat down on a rock and they put on their clothes. â€Å"We got to do something.† Piggy said to Ralph. He said nothing. â€Å"We have to get everybody together. Do you know how many of us there are?† â€Å"No.† Piggy sat there trying to think. â€Å"What’s that?† Ralph pointed to a creamy object laying among some weeds.† â€Å"It’s a stone.† Piggy replied. â€Å"No, it’s a shell.† He ran over to it and picked it up. Piggy followed. â€Å"I seen one of them before!† Piggy said excitedly. â€Å"That’s a conch. I know somebody who had one exactly the same on his back wall. He used to blow into it and it would make a loud trumpet noise and then his mum would come. It’s very valuable.† Ralph admired the beautiful colour of the conch that was a deep cream touched here and there with fading pink. The conch was about eighteen inches long and had a spirally twist in the middle. At one end the shell wore down to a small hole and at the other end were some pink curved out lips (presumably where the sound came out). Ralph stroked the gentle curves of the shell. It was very smooth. Piggy suddenly got a very excited look on his face. â€Å"We could blow down it to call the others! They’ll come when they here this!† â€Å"How did your friend blow down it?† Ralph asked Piggy. â€Å"He sort of spat. My auntie said I couldn’t do it because of my asthma, but he showed me. It moo-ed like a cow. You blow from here.† He placed his hand on the end with the small hole. â€Å"You do it Ralph. You call the others.† So Ralph lifted the conch to his lips and He blew. The noise of the conch filled the air with a piercing bellow. Once Ralph had stopped blowing you could hear the squawks of the birds fluttering out of the treetops. â€Å"Gosh.† Ralph said surprised. He brought the conch to his lips again. The noise sounded even louder than the last time. â€Å"That could be heard from miles around!† Piggy shouted when the noise had stopped. The noise was deafening. â€Å"Look!† Piggy shouted. There was a little boy appearing out of the trees. He made towards them. Meanwhile Ralph continued to blow. The little boy reached them. Piggy leaned down to him. â€Å"What’s your name?† â€Å"Johnny.† More people were now appearing out of the trees, some about the same age as Piggy, some a lot smaller like Johnny. They all came to Ralph and Piggy, and Piggy went around asking all their names and trying to remember each of them while Ralph was still blowing the conch. Soon there was a crowd. Piggy was still trying to remember their names and Ralph then ceased blowing because there was no more people coming out of the trees. But then Ralph noticed coming along the beach from quite a distance, what looked like a large black creature, but as it drew nearer he could make out clothing and he worked out it was a group of boys wearing black uniform. By now everybody else had seen them and was watching them steadily march towards them. They were all marching in a line and all had black cloaks and black square caps. One of them was walking in front. They came into the group, and the one standing at the front shouted â€Å"Who’s the man with the trumpet!† â€Å"There’s no man with the trumpet, only me.† Ralph replied to him. He turned to Ralph who was sitting down on a rock holding the conch in his lap. The boy turned away from Ralph and examined the rest of the group. This boy had ginger hair, was quite tall and skinny and his face was plastered with freckles. â€Å"Where’s the ship?† â€Å"There is no ship.† Ralph looked up at him. The other boys that came with this boy were standing still in formation. They were all fully clothed and looked pale and giddy from the heat. â€Å"Where are the adults?† â€Å"There are none.† Ralph replied. â€Å"Were having a meeting, join in.† After, Jack (the ginger haired boy (he had told them his name)) had finally let his choir break from the formation. They decided that they needed a chief, to sort out how they were going to be rescued. Immediately Jack sprung up his hand and said â€Å"I should be chief!† But one of the choir boys said they should have a vote. Everybody agreed much to Jacks disappointment. Piggy knew that Ralph would be voted for, just because Jack was so arrogant and Piggy knew they wouldn’t vote for him because he was so fat. Ralph then said, â€Å"who wants to vote for Jack?† His choir slowly raised their hand with obedience. Nobody else did. â€Å"Who wants to vote for me?† the crowd raised their hands. â€Å"That’s sorted then. I’m chief.†

City and Village Life Essay

1. Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. It is also referred to as one’s elder.. The age of 60 or 65, roughly equivalent to retirement ages in most developed countries, is said to be the beginning of old age. Â  Village life is better than- city essay 2. Old age homes are meant for old aged /senior citizens who are unable to stay with their families or are insolvent. Some old age homes also have residential medical facility performs multiple functions catering to the needs of the old age people’s. 3. There are 728 Old Age Homes in India today. Detailed information of 547 homes is available. Out of these, 325 homes are free of cost while 95 old age homes are on pay & stay basis, 116 homes have both free as well as pay & stay facilities and 11 homes have no information. Kerala has 124 old age homes which is maximum in any state. 4. For the elderly & senior people this is very important issue because we need utmost medical care & look after when we grow old whether we are in or anywhere in the world. There are many reasons for looking for old age homes such as migration or location of Peoples due to their work / lack of time in youngsters / neglect / family problems etc. 5. Those elderly who are abused by children, may feel the old age home is heaven. But later they feel they wish to go back home. Because no place can beat a home, however painful it is. A home means family, and family means belonging. Those who do not have any family, for them old age homes can be a blessing. But those who have family, for them being sent to old age home is like condemning them to death. 6. This Old age homes supply a number of needs they want as they get older. First among these is security, both financially, physically and medically, though not necessarily in that order. The elders are seeing old age homes as an alternative to care in the context of lack of family care. Among such elders, on the one hand we have elders from the upper class staying in paid homes enjoying all and active life.

McDonalds and Social Responsibility

All companies have a responsibility to the public to ensure that their products are not harmful in any manner.   Presently, America is facing a national health crisis as the number of adults and children suffering from obesity continue to rise.   Companies that provide food to the public need to make sure their foods are nutritious and fit for human consumption. McDonalds was socially responsible in their actions to stop super-sizing food items.   McDonalds is aware of the obesity epidemic in America, and eliminating the oversized food servings might help in some small way.  Ã‚  Ã‚   After all, McDonalds has been nicknamed the â€Å"calorie king,† (Good Business Deeds, 2004).   Moreover, Morgan Spurlock caused McDonalds to be pressured even more after making a documentary of his experience of eating only food from McDonalds for a month.   He â€Å"gained 25 pounds, his cholesterol level soared, and his liver became impaired,† (McDocumented – One Month of living on Only McDonalds Food, n.d.). On the other hand, is McDonalds to blame for the obesity problems in America?   Hasn’t McDonalds always been socially responsible?   McDonalds has been in business for decades and has maintained life long customers and many of them are not obese.   McDonalds provides most of the same food products that it has always provided, including salads.   Is it their fault that people choose to order a burger and fries instead?   Maybe we need to look at the personal responsibility of consumers.   Society has changed, and more Americans lead a sedentary lifestyle than in the past.   Becoming more physically active definitely plays a role in the obesity crisis as much as our diets. Why has McDonalds been singled out over the super-sizing issue?   Even convenience stores provide super-sized soft drinks.   McDonalds is socially responsible, but individuals need to take more personal responsibility in eating a balanced diet and exercising. â€Å"In the 1990s, McDonalds spent over $3 billion dollars on recycled products,† (Good Business Deeds, 2004).   This clearly demonstrates that McDonalds is making an effort to be socially responsible.   Not just for show, but because of the values of the company.   â€Å"We take seriously our commitment to conducting our business in a way that respects the world around us and the issues that matter most to you,† (McDonalds Corporation, 2004). Although they will no longer continue to super-size, some consumers will eat twice as much of the regular size.   McDonalds is not to blame for gluttony.   McDonalds is simply providing a service that consumers want, fast and convenient foods.  Ã‚   That is what restaurants do.   They provide the types of food that people want to eat.   If consumers didn’t enjoy the food at McDonalds they wouldn’t buy it.   The problem with obesity is not a McDonalds issue. The problem is that too many Americans do not want to take responsibility for their personal choices.   McDonalds has restaurants all over the world, including most countries in Asia.   However, most people in Asian countries are fit and trim.   McDonalds is serving up the same food to them as it is to Americans, but they are not suffering from obesity.   May our problem is greed.   We are a materialistic society and we stuff our mouths with food, our closets with excessive clothing, and our bank accounts with money. We never seem to be able to satisfy our appetites.   So when McDonalds eliminated super-sized products we started eating twice as much of the smaller portions.   Whether or not a restaurant serves large or small portions, we will eat as much food as we want to eat.   The ‘food police’ cannot control how much anyone chooses to eat.   And we will continue to gain weight and suffer from poor health.   But this is the law of cause and effect.   Because we eat in excess we are affecting our health.   Because we refuse to exercise, our bodies will fail us.   It is not up to the government to punish the companies that make or provide food.   It is up to each person to take the time to plan and eat balance and healthy meals. We eat at McDonalds because we want instant gratification.   Isn’t it faster and easier to grab a burger on the way home from work, than to go home and good real food?   Isn’t it easier to take diet pills than to take a 30-minute walk each day?   We have the option of making decisions that are best for our health.   Unfortunately, the sad truth is that many of us are choosing to be obese, and we are in denial.   Our health is our responsibility. References Good Business Deeds (2004).   Retrieved April 8, 2007 from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec04/corporate_12-23.html McDocument – One Month of Living on Only McDonalds Food (n.d.).   Retrieved April 8, 2007 from http://www.plastic.com/article.html;sid=04/01/28/07585282 McDonalds Corporation (2004).   Responsibility.   Retrieved April 8, 2007 from http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/values/report/archive.RowPar.0001.ContentPar.0001.ContentPar0007.DownloadFiles.0001.File.tmp/CR_Report_(Revised).pdf            

The impact of smoking amongst 13-19 year old Caucasian boys in the Uk Research Paper

The impact of smoking amongst 13-19 year old Caucasian boys in the Uk - Research Paper Example One of the major problems with the delivery of care and services to this group is that, policy makers view the adolescent group as a part of the wider children’s group, which is completely flawed. The DH/CF & M (2010) explained the case of the teenagers group in the UK, as being a forgotten class in society, caught between childhood and adulthood; the space between the two is filled with professional centers of influence and bureaucratic obstructions. For this group, tobacco smoking is one of the major avoidable causes for untimely death, and further health complications for this group (Warren et al, 2006). The studies done in the area, among developing and also developed countries like the UK have shown that there is a high prevalence of smoking in this group. Many of the adult smokers in society report that they started smoking, during their adolescent years, or later as young adults (Dearden et al., 2007). A report by the office of the national statistics showed that 22 percent of the youths between the ages of 16 and 19 in the UK had started smoking (Fuller, 2011). Through this study, the author will explore the factors that influence the uptake of smoking among the youth, and also discuss the impacts of smoking among the people aged between 13 and 19 in the UK, with the aim of developing solutions to the pressing problems caused by the behavior, among the group. The current research aims to expose the impacts of smoking amon g the Caucasian teenage boys aged between the ages of 13 and 19 years of age, which can help in addressing the factors behind the increasing levels of smoking. The extensiveness of this research project will be hindered by the limited time available for study and also the limited budget allocated for financing it. DH/CF & M (2010) emphasizes that policy makers and health personnel in the UK

Synthesis of pixelization and realistic drawing Research Proposal

Synthesis of pixelization and realistic drawing - Research Proposal Example â€Å"Hybrid† as a proposed method of artwork will makes use of cubism as the basic building block of the painting that would serve as small pixels that would make up the painting. Except that in the case of â€Å"hybrid† approach, the subjects will not necessarily be geometrical figures but rather realistic drawings. The realistic drawing that uses the cubist pixel as proposed by the â€Å"hybrid† method is feasible in rendering subjects in artwork due to the phenomena of Gestalt effect. Gestalt effect posits that the human brain can generate forms and recognize visual figures as a whole instead of its unrelated elements (which in this case are the cubist pixels). The colors are also limited to black, white and gray to convey simplicity and would allow the subject to speak to the audience instead of the colors. The three colors would serve as the three main tones in rendering artworks which are light, mid and heavy tones. Hybrid as proposed method of painting ca n still effectively render beautiful artwork due to Gestalt phenomena where the audience can generate visual recognition of the subject without minding the cubist pixels that makes up the artwork. It presupposes that the human brain will ignore the cubist pixels but will instead the realistic figure in the artwork instead. The proposed research will make use of descriptive exploratory research in proposing â€Å"hybrid† as a valid and legitimate approach in painting. Descriptive approach would help explain the proposed method of hybrid painting.

Risk Management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

Risk Management - Dissertation Example ...3 2. Review of Related Literature 2.1. Risk Management.........................................................................................................6 2.2. Frameworks in Strategic Risk Management...............................................................11 2.3. Managing Risk through Quality Management............................................................15 2.4. Enterprise Risk Management......................................................................................26 3. Research Methodology 3.1. Procurement Risk Management Framework..............................................................31 3.2. Preview of Procurement Risk Management Experiences...........................................35 4. Results and Discussion 4.1. BraiNet Survey...........................................................................................................36 4.2. Risk Management in Defence Procurement...............................................................41 4.3. Procurement Management in Beef Supply Chains.....................................................43 4.4. Risk Management Experiences by other Firms..........................................................44 5. Conclusion and Recommendation 5.1. Lessons Learned..........................................................................................................47 5.2. ... The global recession has become a focal point when companies start to outline strategies and develop business models. The most important aspect that companies discuss involves risks. These can come in various forms and could affect companies in all fronts. Despite threats coming risks, several companies have been lagging in terms of developing sound risk management strategies. Most risk management plans are conceived as alternatives instead of being main strategies. Some companies even thrive in risky environments and prefer existing where risks prosper. Despite these differing situations, there is no doubt that risk management has come to evolve as a major determinant in business success. The most important point relates to risk management integrated in business models. 1.1. Objectives of the Study The primary goal of the paper is to establish the extent in which risk management is ingrained in business models developed by companies. This is in reference to the Procurement Risk Mana gement (PRM) used at Hewlett-Packard. The process involves analysis of case studies and empirical evidence related to the study. The paper will also tackle various aspects of risk management strategies used in different industries including the services and public sectors. The study specifically will analyse the different procurement risks are identified by Miller and Lessard (2008), Keizer, Halman and Song (2002), Zsidisin and Smith (2005) and Cox, Chicksand and Ireland (2005). There are risks identified in reference to previous studies involving procurement risk management. The summary of each study will be discussed in the succeeding parts of this section. 1.2. Background of the Study

Maths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Maths - Essay Example 1. A hydroelectric project is expected to create a large lake into which some fish are to be placed. A biologist estimates that if 10,000 fish were introduced into the lake, the population of fish would increase by 50% in the first year, but the long-term sustainable limit would be about 60,000. Form the information above, write two ordered pairs in the form where . Hence, determine the slope and equation of the linear growth factor in terms of . It is also given that the long-term sustainable limit of population of fish is 60,000. This will be case when there is no increase in fish for next year, therefore, the growth factor (r) for this case will be equal to 1. Since, a logistic population growth model takes a similar form as the geometric population growth model. However, in this case, the growth factor depends on the size of the population and is variable. In previous section 1, the equation of growth factor (r) is determined, which is: 4. The biologist speculates that the initial growth rate may vary considerably. Following the process above, fine new logistic function models for using initial growth rates 2, 2.3, and 2.5. Describe any new developments. From table 2 data, it can be seen that for higher values of initial growth rate r (2, 2.3, 2.5 and 2.9), the logistic model does not correctly determine the population of the fish over the 20 years period. For example, for initial growth rate of 2, the fish population exceeds stable population (60,000) three times; for initial growth rate of 2.3, the fish population exceeds stable population (60,000) eight times; and for initial growth rate of 2.5, the fish population exceeds stable population (60,000) nine times. For initial growth rate of 2.9, the fish population exceeds stable population (60,000) ten times and sometimes it touches the population value of approximately 70,000. For initial growth rate of 2.9, the fish population exceeds stable population (60,000) ten times

The Incorporation of Immigrants in Growing Urban Areas in Saudi Arabia Annotated Bibliography

The Incorporation of Immigrants in Growing Urban Areas in Saudi Arabia (Style is Annals of the Associatio n of American Geographers , AAAG) - Annotated Bibliography Example The organization is among the leading immigration law firms in the USA. The article provides detailed information on the rights of an immigrant in the USA. This information is useful in comparing and contrasting what happens in Saudi Arabia and hints at how Saudi Arabia may integrate immigrants physically and culturally. This popular website lists down a number of rights that are related to immigrants such as, entitlement to pay for full time work and overtime for every extra hours taken, this is regardless of the employees legal status. Other rights listed by this website include upholding o fair treatment at work without detention against someone’s will, no confiscation of documents as the employee retains the right to keep their documents and even right to refuse unlawful search and arrest that is without warrant signedby a judge. This website is relevant as it aids in comparing immigrant status between the two countries (Immigrant rights in USA). This website is designed to give detailed statistical information of countries and cities. It gives the population of Saudi Arabia in a clearly and provides up to date information. It also details the percentage of immigrants in the land. This popular website estimates immigrant population in Saudi Arabia to be about 31 percent of the total population with a migration rate of 0.59 for every 1000 people. It lists countries with highest immigrant in Saudi Arabia to be India, Pakistan and Egypt respectively. Quoted in the article is the significant decline of Yemenis in the country as about 800 thousand were thrown out of the country. Exposed also is that certain nationalities are forbidden from entering the country these include Palestinians and Israelites (population of foreigners in Saudi Arabia). Both Simon and Lynch are professors at the Department of Justice and society at the American University. The book gives an insight into

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Research paper - Essay Example It is true that for many reasons the whole idea seems relaxing, dependable and reliable there are people who take advantage of the same. There are very many benefits of online shopping that make it so popular among various people with different reasons of shopping online. For instance, people do not have to move around the city searching for something, instead, they only need the internet connection, and they get to select every item that they need at their own time and speed. With the improved technology, they can as well shop from their mobile phones from wherever they are (Filipe & Obaidat, 2008). Online shopping also gives consumers a variety of items to choose from with various outlets to select from making it very effortless for people to virtually get anything they need. There is also the advantage of locating everything usual online as opposed to physical retailers where it is easy to miss something someone needs. Though the online shopping has only been praised for many people, there are some cases where it can be regarded dangerous. For example, if people are not very keen while doing online shopping, they could find themselves in the hands of cyber thieves and end up losing a lot of money. This may come as a shock thinking that people have believed online shopping to be the safest place to buy items, but someone may be targeted and conned easily. This is why people are advised to manage their online shopping properly and be keen on the people they communicate to regarding online shopping. Another disadvantage of online shopping is that a person first pays for an item before it is mailed or delivered to them unlike at retails shops where people get to carry their items to their destination. People are advised to perform online shopping to stores with excellent status (Filipe & Obaidat, 2008). There is also the disadvantage of wrong product being delivered to the customer and there are no re funds in most of the online

Quotation essay Essay Example for Free

Quotation essay Essay We never appreciate the value of water until the well runs dry. The words in this quote, written by Benjamin Franklin, invite the reader to take a deeper more insightful glance into how possessions and people arent appreciated until the realization of their importance or value. Through literature, the author uses symbolism, comparisons, and theme to evaluate the importance of appreciation. The author, Benjamin Franklin, portrays meaning throughout the quote which relates to appreciating what you have. People dont realize what they have until its gone. When its gone, then you realize the importance of what you had. In a specific case in which the possession is a valued item, you tend to realize how much better off you were once you had it. Also, if what the quote was referring to specifically was a person, you sometimes realize you love or miss that person more than you expected to. It doesnt necessarily have to be a death, it could be someone leaving a job or moving. For example, I had an apple iPod. I didnt really pay much attention to it. When I lost it, then I realized its value and importance to me. This quote is also based on taking every little chance you get. Taking risks could mean something as simple as trying new things. The author, Ben Franklin portrays different meanings throughout the quote which relates to appreciating what you have and taking risks. The water and the well runs dry are two symbols that represent a friend, family member, or possession that is important to you. Franklin uses the water to represent the value of that specific person or possession to you. The well is used to symbolize the source of your opportunities. Referring back to what I mentioned about the subject being a person, this loved one  could also be the source of your opportunities or education. Until the well runs dry could refer to that person leaving and taking an opportunity with them. For example, the water could be a teacher thats trying to help you get into a good high school. But, you dont think you need their help. If that person leaves and moves on, you might not have as good as an opportunity like you did before when they were helping you. You then start to realize that there help was very important. Other than being a person, the water could relate to a possession. As I mentioned before, when I lost my iPod, I realized its importance. The water and well could symbolize the wealthy versus the poor. In this situation the well, source of opportunities, would be different. Therefore, those two symbols fully symbolize the parting of a loved one, a lost possession, or an important opportunity up until the realization of its true value and meaning you. The author uses the comparison of the value of water to the well. He does this to explain that people take opportunities as well as other people for granted. With this comparison, the subject must be an individual. For example, to a friendship situation, a friend could be taken for granted if you assume that he will always be ready to help you out even if you arent always ready to help him or her. Another example is an employee could be taken for granted by an employer, who makes no effort (such as raises in pay) to reward the employers long and faithful service. The theme of this quote is appreciation, which is basically similar to the meaning. Another theme that can be analyzed from the quote is taking people for granted. Taken for granted is like when you have something really special or important but you dont notice it. Also, grabbing opportunities while you can plays a big part in taking things for granted. For example, I wanted to join the recycling team. But, I kept stalling and not filling out the paper. As a result, the opportunity passed me by and I could no longer join. Franklins words personally relate to human experiences. As I stated earlier, I had an iPod but didnt realize how valuable it was to me until I misplaced it. This quote relates to life in different ways. Taking advantage of a  parent or teacher is one of these ways. For example, I depend on your mom or dad for almost everything. If something happens and Im mad at them, I sometimes wish things you dont mean. If they unexpectedly leave, I will then realize the importance of their role in my life. Franklins words connect to human experiences in various ways. This quote by Ben Franklin does not only relate to personal experience but also connects to the community + world. It connects to the community because people in a community or learning environment could take advantage of a teacher, or appreciate them more when theyre gone. For example, at my dance ministry we have a dance coordinator, Ms. Ferdinand. Sometimes some of the girls dont really agree with her decisions. But, if one day she decided to leave the ministry in the hands of someone else, they may not like it. That person may be very different from what we are used to. Another example could be some students hating a teacher. These examples have the same concept. If the teacher leaves they might not like the one that replaces them. When I was at dream yesterday, a student said Is Mr. Sue, the math teacher, coming back? The English teacher answered Probably not. The student then went on to say I like him better than the new teacher. The class then agreed with him. But, most of the kids in the class didnt really like Mr. Sue when he was around. They then realized that his method of teaching was more understandable than the one we have now. The English teacher then said you never appreciate the value of water, until the well runs dry. Think about that I said to her I am analyzing that quote in ELA. Therefore, they learned that they didnt really appreciate Mr. Sue until he was gone. We never appreciate the value of water until the well runs dry. The words in this quote written by Benjamin Franklin invite the reader to take a deeper more insightful glance into how possessions and people arent appreciated until the realization of their importance or value. A final example could be that when famous singers die, there music gets even more popular. This quote by Benjamin Franklin portrays meaning with relates to grabbing opportunities, appreciation, and taking things for granted.

Tudor Revolution in Henry Viii

Tudor Revolution in Henry Viii After the Tudor dynasty English government and kingship was never the same. The way the kings power switched from a Medieval system of hierarchy his control over his land was limited, to rule he needed support of the nobility and church and his parliament ineffective to an oligarchical government where the kings influenced penetrated his land, his nobility and within the government the power of the nobility shrank and the church became a secular concern. Government modernised through the centralisation of power and royal supremacy would rule. Parliaments importance would be re-invented and reforms to administration, law and justice, sovereignty and church power could be described as a revolution in government which under Henry VIIIs reformation of the church brought new opportunities for the consolidating of royal power. Cromwell reforms in the 1530s appear to be the turning point  [1]  . Although to say royal supremacy was an achievement, to say it occurred within the space of o ne decade seems restrictive and to say one man reformed a national government seems to simplistic, but looking at Henrys reign post-Cromwell Henry seemed more interested in his love life and war than gaining further reforms. Also Edward VI and Mary Is rules brought the return of factionalism, the return of power to the nobility and a decline in an effective government and Elizabeth, however, may have ruled stronger than her siblings the crown was never quite the same after Henry VIII died  [2]  , considering the damaged inflicted and the rising threat of the gentry and Puritanism which restricted her abilities to passstatueo prove that if there was a Tudor revolution, it must have happened under Cromwell. However, were Henrys and Cromwells reforms really a revolutionary? Hoak claims the rise of royal supremacy was emittable  [3]  but Elton, the theorist who invented the concept of the Tudor revolution believes although ideas may have been present, he remained the man who tur ned ideas into reality  [4]  , but surely this is admits if not him then someone else would have done it? Throughout this essay I will examine the areas of reforms instigated under Cromwell and Henry VIII as previous mentioned and examine whether they brought revolutionary change or were an obvious step towards secularisation. If there was a revolution in government it is necessary to look at the effects of the reformation on government control as the centralisation of the church was the first real break from Medieval tradition and ignited the want for royal supremacy. The church was the centre of life for the English population of all social rankings and therefore was the real center of power and whos alignments rested not with the king but with a foreigner power, the pope. The church had a separate court for which the kings power was exult  [5]  and bishops like Worsley had direct influence in the running of the government, and its law system and corruption within the church was greater than in government as Skeleton notes people did not come to court because there was better profit in attending cardinals rival court  [6]  . The church was a rival government within a government, it seems logical that to bring it under state control and historically, very much like the actions of Constantine the G reat, kingship has been restored to its full inheritance and endowed with the authority of the early Christian emperors  [7]  , however, although ironically it was a step back to go forward, how is learning from history revolutionary? The fact the backlash received from the nobility and populas was due to the feeling the church had too much land and power and disdain for the influence that a foreign body had within England  [8]  , suggest it was not such a radical idea as some made out to be, suggesting that others had contemplated it before. From this we can see a reformation of the church also caused a reformation of politics, but not necessarily a revolution. The break with the church inspired the idea of sovereignty and of commonwealth but where these new concepts? The idea of sovereignty of a unified self-governing free state, away from the authority of any sovereign potentates  [9]  appears certainly as a revolutionary in the history of English ruler-ship and as Elton suggests would have been the main driving forced spurring revolutionary change  [10]  as sovereignty consolidated Henrys land and government under Henrys control. Both Henry and Cromwell believed the House of Commons had to represent the whole nation  [11]  for the first time the entire nation would be under Westminsters control. The eliminated other small rivals courts those in Buckinghamshire and Sheffield  [12]  and brought Wales and northern counties under the kings rule for the first time, i.e. places like Durham  [13]  through Cromwell uses of councils and the influence of parliament in all the kingdom, i.e. even Calias had two seats in parliament  [14]  . Of course if under the control of parliament laws would be easier to enforce, regulate and to put the most loyal in control. On the other hand, this idea perhaps again is nothing but new, as Edward III during the Hundred Wars Year had created a national nobility and joined the country against the free of the French  [15]  , Henry and Cromwell likewise could have used the situation of the reformation to unite England using the same mentality against the Catholic church. The shifting use of power and effectiveness of parliament, however, does not seemed copied from the pages of history. Parliament Elton argues Henry VIIIs turning to parliament proved his supreme political genius; that his deliberate decision to take the nation â€Å"into partnership‚ was the most momentous step in the rise of parliament  [16]  , for Elton sovereignty created a duty and purpose for Parliament, however, it it seems Henry used parliament as a propaganda tool to promote the acceptance of change and show the link between the king and people  [17]  as Henrys supremacy was dependent on divine appointment and not parliament. However, from an administrative point of view Henry hereafter had a greater control over his kingdom, but parliament did not restrict Henrys decisions. This seems to point towards less of a governmental revolution and more towards a despotic government, historians like Gardiner have alleged Cromwell used his power more as an autocratic weapon  [18]  and Pollard portrays Cromwell especially like some Machveillian monster  [19]  , which both suggest the real intentions of Henry and Cromwells government. However, perhaps this could be interpreted as the Tudor revolution, considering other historic despotic governments, like Communist Russia, although a modern comparison, it was still a revolution of politics and considering politically, socially and economically almost resembled a Medieval state, it does become a fair comparison. Regardless of this parliament became an effective organ of government and brought reforms to the law and juridical system, the church and administration. Cromwells administration produced the largest body of statues seen before the 19th Century  [20]  , most centred on the church and many laws were to do with kings affairs i.e. Henry VIII passed 81 bills in his interest, though considering he was trying to legitimise a marriage to Ann Boleyn, its hardly surprising, but none the less a groundbreaking swift from Medieval politics. However, Roskel believes parliament developed from its Medieval roots and that by a natural process (the need for secularisation perhaps) and not the product of a Tudor revolution as the only change was a new theory of parliament and in the process drastically altered the practice  [21]  . The perfect example of this is the Privy council and demonstrates the need to remove the problems of factions and power which the nobility held. The Privy council had existed before Henry and Cromwell but the way it was used differed greater. The council would be an important link between parliament and the king and power came down only to those the king choose and old knightly elements were reduced to a few significant roles. The number of members decreased and meant those in power could not and made it easier to pass laws and to avoid factions, i.e. Henry VIIs council of 1472 included 72 men, whereas Henrys first had only 19  [22]  and members now had to have worked within the government before they could be in the council  [23]  , therefore this new system would exclude the majority of the nobility who might only serve their own interests. This can certainly be viewed as a revolutionary change, like the church the nobility was another thorn in the side of many English kings, although the council cut out the use of the nobility it was not a political instrument for assuaging opposition  [24]  , concessions still had to be made and therefore could not be completely revolutionary as the nobility were key important in keeping regional control. The most significant change perhaps was that the council could pass laws by proclamation and unlike its European counterparts in Spain and France who could only advise the king  [25]  , whereas the English privy council was able to influence and intervene the kings decisions, this reflects a comprising relationship where although Henry had royal supremacy he did not have a complete free reign over policy which shows policy being built on the existing governments foundations which lead to the improvement of the common law and the function of parliament  [26]  , but were these improvements revolutionary? Henrys reign was built on law and reforms to the common law and the judicial system from the 1530s onward they began to obey statue in a way they had never done before  [27]  , for the first time on a national level the process by which parliament made laws and court administrated them was enforced throughout the land. From 1532 for the first time the government conceived legalisation became the new focus in the houses, this was something which Elton says no one ever dreamt of establishing  [28]  changes in the law through Parliament, this was truly revolutionary. This shift towards the creating and then enforcing on law was something which had not happened under Medieval governments. Henry had control over both religious and regional courts, he had the ability to appoint judges and juries and unlike any other point made it seems a decision that was not emittable or the result of natural change as there had been no demand for a stricter enforcement of the law. Changes within the administration system also could be described as revolutionary. Administration benefited hugely from Cromwells policies and the outcome of the reformation. The change of law lands over church properties brought plenty of money into the The crowns new revenue courts showed the move towards the elimination of purely personal in favour of lasting bureaucratic control  [29]  . Henry said wherein we as head and you members are conjured and knit together into one body of politic  [30]   basically organic view of state in harmony and mutually dependent on its subjects. Although idea around since Dudleys Tree of Commonwealth (1509) and practised by Henry VII though Cromwell brought a renewed vigour in the practice.

A Case Study Of Turner Hotel Tourism Essay

A Case Study Of Turner Hotel Tourism Essay Front desk job of any hotel is very important from hotel sales point of view. Marketing and sales department is called revenue generator. Front desk job is part of the marketing department so its directly linked with revenue generation activities of a hotel. An employee working as front desk employee is having direct interaction with the guests. So it becomes very important for that employee to have all the chief characteristics of a good salesperson. A good sales person can convert first time guest in to repeat business guest by make him or happy and achieve customer satisfaction. This is the hospitality and customer demand only that can be kept in mind while handling customers at front desk that will bring customer satisfaction. Desired hospitality and less cumbersome process of check in and checkout will bring customer satisfaction. Working as a Front office manager or staff, first of all he or she should consider the available resources of the hotel concerned which need to be foc used to the materialization of the business. Good salesmanship is all about selling own product with acceptance of the customers. Whatever product one have, a good salesperson will sale that product and make feel to the customers that this is the right product he/she was looking for. This is simply quality of a sales person that he or she will find out the budget of a customer while conversation and offer the product that give within the budget feel to the customer. While conversation it is the quality of a salesperson to explain the facilities of the product to the customer that will again give feel of the right product customer was looking for. ( Abbott, P and Lewry, S (1999)) Customer relationship management is new concept in the field of any business. So it is the quality of a good salesmanship that helps in effective implementation and management of customer relationship in the hotel organization. In this competitive world getting new business, is a big challenge, so hotel organization believes in repeated business from the same clientele. With the help of knowledge and smartness in work of a salesperson-customer relationship is possible. These days it is being managed by ecommerce so knowledge of ecommerce to the front desk employee can be added quality of a good salesmanship and it will bring the business from existing clientele. If an organization utilizes the available resources properly, Implementation of yield management will make major changes in the hotel. It will bring maximum market shares of the city concerned. Guest generally always looks for the comfortable stay and the luxury facilities for their money. It is the quality that always speaks better than any other advertisement. So if front desk employee gives proper feedback to the hotel, hotel can maintains the quality towards the tariff and the interiors which will bring the maximum revenue within a short period. So it is the benefits of the good salesmanship. So as conclusion author would like to say that good salesmanship is very important while performing duty of front office department of hotel industry because it helps hotel not only to get good business but maintaining relationship with customers and feedback to the hotel for up gradation of its quality of product and services as well. Q.1 (2) Explain, with examples what selling techniques you might use when checking in a guest. Overall selling technique depends upon salesmanship and kind of guest but in general a front desk person has to apply his or her selling skills keeping in mind normal procedure of check in. Selling techniques for checking guest is nothing but a quality of good salesperson. A salesperson should be very friendly and caring to the guest so that customer will be satisfied. Sales person should use up sell technique first while explaining price of the available rooms, followed by prestigious pricing and cut rate pricing. Along with this salesperson should explain how brilliant the facilities are within the room to justify the price of the room. There may be a case that same room can be sold at different price. It is the duty of a good salesperson to find out the level of desire of the customer for the product he or she is asking for and charge price accordingly. During heavy demand of the accommodation it totally depends upon front desk employee-salesperson to maximize the yield of accommodation by selling the same product at different prices as per the customer profile and need. Being a good salesman a front office employee can suggest various pricing techniques-top down pricing, prestigious pricing, cut rate pricing etc, to the hotel to maximize its yield. So it is the quality of a salesperson to identify and recognize the level of demand and ability of a customer to pay for the same accommodation and fixed the price accordingly. (Abbott, P and Lewry, S (1999)) For example if there is arrival of guest first of all front desk person should handle the guest with friendly approach, asking for the kind of room he/she is looking for then explain the kind of room available with its pricing. First of all salesperson should try to sell the room at higher price than depending upon the negotiation skill of the salesperson and the budget of customer price can be prestigious or if required and supported by the market sentiment it can be cut rate price be fixed. After this negotiation skill guest should be registered and room should be assigned promptly. As per the situation if needed guest will be assisted in completing registration process. Then there will be verification of method of payment to be made by the guest-whether cheque, cash, card or payment by company etc. and then guest will be escorted to the room Q.2. Discuss the type of check in system that you would expect to see at the turner Hotel. Hotel Turner is a big chain of Hotel with 297 rooms hotel located in Central London. It is part of a well reputed group of hotels with 12 hotels running successfully in London and other major European cities. 42% of its clientele is corporate. Only 8% and 14% amount to walk-ins and leisure guests respectively. For this type of hotel, front office system should enable reception staff to make sure of keeping record of all bookings, position of accommodations, detailed about guests and amount billed and received as well. Hotel Turner would also require a system that should provide way to communicate with all travel agents and activity operators linked to the online reservation system. Hospitality management systems are the applications/ modules that smoothens a hospitality business. From the room service system in a restaurant, to online reservation and an easy and fast check in procedure, it enables efficient communication and management of operation, eventually growing business and revenue. (www.wikianswers.com) Features that Hotel Turner should possessed are includes: Date wise arrival and departure reports. Details of reservation and Guest ledger which should contains notes on special activities etc. Feature should make sure the availability of printers to print the guest cards to provide to guest. Provision to arrange different room to the guest. There should be a perfect system to integrate the bill of different department like-restaurants, spa, gift shop, etc. While check out all the possible payment option should offer to the guest so that inconvenience could be avoided. Hotel Turner should have a system that can be efficiently used for online reservation system. This type of software package is essential as per the hotels cancellation and Guarantee policy. Q.3how would the check in procedures differ when dealing with? (a) A guest with a reservation Usually guest check in procedure for reserved guest and chance guest is same except for slight variations. Check in procedures for a guest with a reservation will be as follows: Receive the guest with a smile, and greet according to the time. Check if he/she is holding reservation Get the guest registration card and fill it up with all the necessary and required details of the guest. Fill up the key and the welcome card If the guest is a foreigner, get the C form and fill it up. Allot the accommodation Fill the arrival register Preparation of information slips and then the same has to be sent to the different departments like telephones, room service and housekeeping etc. Open guest folio In case of VIP,etc. inform all the departments Pre-registration also involves room and rate assignment and creation of guest folio apart from producing registration card. There are many steps of registration process, because its little differs from hotel to hotel but mainly these are the six steps common to all the hotels: Course of action that is to be done before registration. Formality of making registration record. Offering the room. Then payment options could offer and fixed as per the convenience of the guest. Once above has been done then room key can be given. (b) A chance guest In the case when guest is a chance guest the process of check in would almost be same except some cases. Like as guest is a chance guest so there will be no earlier reservation done for the guest so in this case first of all as process front desk person should check for availability of rooms and there will be efforts to create room for him or her. Rest of the process like fill up the key and allotting the accommodation escorting till the room will be similar. There may be a case that in case of a chance guest a front desk employee has to utilize his or her negotiation skill for the price of the room as per the level of need of the room by the guest. This is the skill of the employee to materialize the opportunities then and there. So overall the difference in check in procedures for a guest with a reservation and a chance guest is not much- the only thing is role of a front desk person becomes very important because while negotiation and first interaction a materialization of an oppo rtunity can happen. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Q.4. Explain the necessity of overbooking and its legal implications in relation to Turner Hotel. The term overbooking is concerned with a situation which shows booking of the room have done excessively than the actual available room with the hotel. In general hotel does this because of reaching 100% occupancies. Hotel books over rooms than the available one with historic information and trend which includes unexpected cancellation. It is the synonyms of over commitment and oversold. No show has been a major cause of concern for the hotels all over the world. It amounts to major loss of revenue. However, no-shows and the early departures of the guests still continue to cost hotel money. Although reservation guarantee through the credit cards compensates hotels for only one nights stay in the case of a no-show, but the hotel still needs to recover for a loss of revenue incase that no-show guest had a multiple-night reservation. (http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals) Because of this panorama of no-shows and early departures, the hotel turner must unavoidably engage in some level of overbooking to help ensure that those potentially unsold rooms are filled. As we all know, hoteliers who occasionally overbook might have to walk guests once hotel is full. (http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals) Overbooking is very important element of the yield management. Generally hotels overbook to create backup of cancellations and no-shows. It is a kind of compensating the unexpected loss of the hotel. For this very reason, it is mandatory to forecast cancellations and no-shows. Inefficient overbooking generally results in unsold and unutilized inventory (rooms) while on the other hand excessive overbooking results in penalty cost which includes both the financial and prospective loss of the future revenue from the same customer and others due to customer dissatisfaction and the subsequent bad word of mouth. The optimal level of overbooking is where the anticipated cost of overbooking for the next unit to be sold is equal to the expected marginal revenue from that unit. (http://www.decisioncraft.com/dmdirect/revenue_management.htm) While the hotel industry attempts to portray overbooking as an economic necessity and legitimizes the process by attempts to provide guests with alternative accommodations, the hotels have failed to address the true effect and implicit costs association with the practice. Primarily because it is left to the individual state authoritys to regulate the industry. (http://legaldefinition.us) As far as Turner Hotel is concerned from the view point of overbooking, it is advisable not to go for overbooking because there will be breach of contract between hotel and its guests. But from the view point of business and maximizing revenue, it the only way to proceed little aggressively to achieve 100% occupancy. This is because after advance booking there is chances of cancellation of reservation as well, even if payment has been made in advance hotel organization has to bear loss for the foregone opportunities in case of booking not done. So keeping in mind these things and profit maximization it can be done equal to the normal trend of cancellation. Hotel Turner must find a room for everyone who has a reservation and shows up on time to save themselves from any legal complications. Q.5 a) Explain the benefits to a hotel of accepting group bookings? Group booking is simply acceptance of bulk business. In group bookings both the parties-customers as well as hotel can be benefitted. Customer gets benefit of low rates of the rooms due to the bulk booking and on the other hand hotel gets bulk business at a time so even at a less room cost per person hotel welcomes this kind of deal to get instant business and achieves its 100% occupancies. A group reservation is for a block of rooms in a hotel. The block of rooms can be for a convention, a meeting, a special event, a tour group (as in present case of hotel turner), or various other reasons. A group reservation can be as small as 5 rooms to thousand rooms depending on the size of the hotel. Usually every hotel has different norms and parameters for considering a booking as group booking, which generally depends on the number of rooms booked. By booking rooms in large quantities, the group receives a lower rate. Hotel is benefitted in this as they get business in bulk and their occupancy percentage increases giving them a competitive edge over their competitors. Group booking also makes the reservation process easy and hassle free for both; the guest as well as the front office associates. Usually when a group reservation is made a code is generated which is specific to that group and each reservation should include this code. To ensure that reservations get coded to the proper group and that correct rates are offered, the person taking the reservation should always inquire if the guest is part of that particular group. Bulk booking is beneficial to the hotel that is similar to any other business organization where organization gets benefits of bulk business. It is the deal that gives instant cash but per head cost becomes cheaper for the customer and organization both. But from organization point of view it is the instant cash that attracts bulk business and so to the hotel organizations. Other benefit of bulk booking is that there will be less chances of cancellation. In case of individual business if there is cancellation of the booking it is completely loss to the hotel organization. Buta chance of this kind of loss due to cancellation is very less because of concrete plan of the entire group. In group bookings even if one or two persons are not coming there will be almost no impact to the business because of the compact deal for the entire group-this may depends upon case to case, bulk booking is definitely good for the hotel organization. Q.5 b) what factors should the turner Hotel Front Office manager consider when deciding whether to accept the reservation request from Excelsior Tours? Group revenue management is evolving quickly. Revenue managers typically set guidelines for size and rate objectives based upon projected demand for higher valued transient demand. These criterions should be regularly reviewed and revised in hotel Turner. Even if a group request falls outside the preset parameters of the hotel, managers should still evaluate the request. (http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-micro-price-discrimination.html) The basic objective of revenue management is to maximize yields. Acceptance of group bookings would be a great contribution towards achieving the basic objective of revenue management. So first of all Front office Manager of turner hotel should consider the objective of maximizing revenue of the hotel so keeping in mind this objective he or she should accept the offered group bookings. While deciding whether to accept the reservation request of 40 double occupancy rooms for 3 nights 4 days from Excelsior Tours, Hotel Turner should look into the room rate, which is currently GBP 300 on single occupancy. Among the major advances in Revenue Management technology is the incorporation of demand price- responsiveness for any property at any time period and for any market segment, including group. Other than the group being considered, front office manager must consider that this hotel might only have transient demand for these three days. Assuming that even if the forecasted demand shows that hotel can pick up 145 transient rooms each day at an average rate of GBP 320, which would give the 95% occupancy. Considering these assumed factors we can plot a line that shows incremental contribution at any given price point. From this hypothetical analysis, one can see that there will be break even (no profit no loss situation) with the group at a GBP 230 rate, and that one could generate an incremental contribution. This approach says all about the factors of accepting a group at a requested rate. Some more information is required to decide whether group booking should be accepted or not? This information is present occupancy level of the hotel. This information would have very helpful in deciding the acceptance of the deal. BIBLIOGRAPHY Abbott, P and lewry ,S (2002). Front Office Procedure, Social Skill, Yield and Management ,2nd edition , Burlington; Elsevier Hotel Front Office Management  By James A. Bardi Hotel Management and Operations by Michael J. OFallon, Denney G. Rutherford, International Encyclopedia of Hospitality Management by Abraham Pizam Robert. J, (1993), Marketing for the Hospitality Industry,kent,hodder Stoughton ltd. The Cornell School of Hotel Administration Handbook of Applied Hospitality Strategy by Cathy A. Enz, Sage 2010 Verginis, S. and c. wood R. (2002) Accommodation management perspective for the international hotel industry , London (U.K) ;Thomas Yeomand, I and ingold,A (1997) Yield Management Strategies for the service industries,great Britain. http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-micro-price-discrimination.html) accessed on 27/11/2010 http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals) accessed on 02/01/2011 www.wikianswers.com)accessed on 2/01/2011 HOUSE KEEPING Question Part B Question No. (1) Role, duties and importance of housekeeping department. Housekeeping department is the most important part of any hotel. Housekeeping is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness, maintenance and the up keeping of all the rooms and the common areas in a hotel. No one wants to live in a hotel which is dirty hence this function has great importance for generating business. Since the hotel industry is highly competitive hence excellent service and cleanliness has an ever lasting impact on the guests and determines whether they will come again. Housekeeping aims to keep the hotel clean and comfortable so that the guests keep coming back again and again. M.N.Ahmed (2005) A hotel guest spends about one third of his stay in the room. The design and layout of the room and the furniture in the room is very important in comfortable stay and a good impression. Cleanliness of the room, linen, room supplies, comfortable bedding etc. are the main functions of the department. Besides the room housekeeping also has to look after the other area like bathrooms and toilets, stairways, common rooms, floral arrangements, laundries and dry cleaning, maintaining gardens, hotel walls and boundaries and other public areas. Medlik Ingram (1980) The layout of the housekeeping department varies from hotel to hotel and it depends on the size and physical space. It also depends on the anticipated business. The largest workforce of the hotel belongs to the housekeeping department. The housekeeping department can have the following staff depending on the size of hotel, executive housekeeper, assistant housekeeper, uniform room supervisor, uniform room attendants, helpers, linen room supervisor, linen room attendant, floor supervisor, public area supervisor, Executive Housekeepers Assistant Housekeepers Linen keeper Florist Floor Housekeepers Assistants Linen maids House porters Valets Room maids Staff maids Cleaners www.city-of-hotels.com Executive Housekeeper manages the entire housekeeping function of a hotel. This is a very responsible position. An executive housekeeper has to cooperate with other department heads hence; the person must have a good rapport within the organization and must possess good organizing skills. An executive housekeeper must have an eye for detail and be committed to the various training and development needs of the people working under him. [www.city-of-hotels.com] The various duties that an executive housekeeper needs to perform are: Responsible for cleanliness and appearance of hotel rooms and common areas in the hotel. Neat and clean appearance of employees, facilities, corridors, linen, shopping area, gardens and the area outside of the hotels. Hiring and training of the employees. Maintaining discipline among the employees and motivating the employees so that they perform their job well. Having a good knowledge of labour relations so that the employees do not overburden with work as per the regulations. Proper training of the employees so that they follow all the guidelines and give the best service to the customers. Executive housekeeper is also responsible for developing the standard procedures which has to be followed in the hotel. A standard procedure helps to prevent confusion, maintain discipline among the employees and also helps in performing all the activities smoothly without error. Maintaining good relations with other departments. Housekeeping is dependent on other departments like sales to anticipate future demand, purchasing to get the equipment etc. Hence a good relation with other department heads will help in smooth functioning and prevent last minute surprises. Executive housekeeper is responsible for personally inspecting the entire facility. This inspection has to be on a regular basis withoutfailure. Surprise inspections are also required to keep things in order. He/she is responsible for inspecting all the areas, linen in the hotel. He/she has to pay special attention for maintaining a pest free and hygienic environment. Executive housekeeper has to work closely with the General Manager and update him on the day to day activities in the hotel and also on the plans for any special events in the hotel. Executive housekeeper also has to keep a track of the lost and found items in the hotel. These items can be normal to very expensive. These have to safely kept and also handed over to the owner in the best condition. Executive housekeeper is responsible for preparation of the annual housekeeping budget and then submits it to the general manager for approval. Executive housekeepers also need to manage the suppliers of the housekeeping items and recommend the good suppliers to the purchasing department. Apart from the above the executive housekeeper also needs to check the incoming orders, inventory of the items, quickly attend to complaints, having the preventive maintenance of all the housekeeping items, and always motivating his employees to give their best. [Hotel house Keeping training manual, Sudhir Andrews, TMH 2005 ] Question No. (2) Summary of the main requirements for- Honeymooners, Retired Couples, Disabled customers, Families, Business travellers. The needs of the guests in a hotel are very individualistic. They vary from each other. The hotels classify the guests in various segments so as to cater to their specific needs. The hotel must have a good knowledge about each segment and their special needs. This knowledge will help them to have the facilities in place to cater to the needs as and when they arise. Honeymooners This segment consist of the couples aged between 25 to 39 years. This segment has their own unique needs. This segment focuses more on the comfort solutions that can be enjoyed by them during their stay with the hotel. [www.tourism.australia.com]. the people in this segment look out for an unforgettable experience. Apart from the stay they also look forward to visiting places and sightseeing. The hotel has to specially plan for this segment like royal room accommodation arrangement, flower decoration, romantic dinner night, access to special recreational facilities, sightseeing city tours and most importantly; taking care that they have minimum disturbance from the housekeeping staffs during their stay. Apart for all these any special needs also have to be catered so that the people have a nice stay. (www.honeymooninindia.com. ) Retired Couples This segment consist of couples whose age is about 60 years. This segment has specific needs which vary widely from other segments. Although this segment has a good spending power still it is price sensible and wants value for money. They want a good place to stay with peaceful environment. They do not want nightlife instead prefer to have a walk in the morning and evening. The hotel has to take care of their food recreation requirements. They might need special food due to health reasons. They also might need a doctor during their stay. The housekeeping also has to regularly check with them so as to cater to their needs. The facilities also have to be arranged in a different way so that the usage is not a problem. Disabled customers This segment has very special needs. They need lot of care and attention. The hotel needs to understand their disability and give respect and great attention to their needs. They might need a wheelchair and a doctor. These customers generally come with family member or helper so the need to the assistant also has to be taken care. The devices like television, washing and toilet equipments might have to adjust so that the customers can use them without any difficulty. Families value for money and affordability are the needs of this segment. The customers in this segment consist of husband, wife and kids. The customer looks for good and healthy meal for them and their kids. Recreation facilities for the kids like games and various sports for kids. Business Travellers The business travellers represent a large chunk of customers for the hotel industry. This segment includes people who travel on business representing commercial, industrial and governmental organizations. In case of business travellers the peak business demand is experienced from Monday to Friday nights. The reasons for visiting is for conducting business with a local company or for recruiting, training, management meetings, and stopping over between destinations. This segment needs special food, beverage and desserts, nightlife and good facility for meetings and conferences. The hotel also needs to have facilities for video conferencing, Wi-Fi facilities with good bandwidth. Female business travellers The needs of female business travellers are similar to the male business travellers. The special need of this segment is around safety. The ladies might have to travel at night. The hotel has to provide a cab which takes them to their destination safely. The hotel staffs also need to have a good idea about the city so that they can guide the lady if she wants to see places. The hotel can also look at having lady staff for catering to these customers. It is generally observed that the housekeeping staffs are common for the hotel rooms. By keeping lady housekeeping staffs for female customers would help in proper differentiation of the hotel. This would help to showcase that the hotel tries to cater to even the smallest of the details. Question No. (3). Suggest some strategies which the hotel might use to identify the needs and wants of its customers. Todays business environment is very turbulent, aggressive and highly competitive. The hospitality industry is characteristized by intense competition, constant changes, and a relatively high incidence of failure. These factors not only decide the firms profitability but also decide its survival. There is intense competition in terms of quality, price and market share, and environmental factors. To increase the market share the hotels need additional expenditure. At times the business might need to look at mergers. The hotels have been forced to relook at their existing managerial techniques, assumptions and philosophies. The hotels are not only looking at innovative sales and marketing strategies but are also looking at improving the operational efficiency. During the growth stage the hotels might do well without investing properly in service quality and marketing. The second stage is the maturity stage where the hotels have to deal with intense competitive environment. In this stage the survival requires to deal with intense competition, acquiring customers and to become more effective and efficient. In addition to the increasing concentration, there seems to be a trend towards upgrading quality and maintaining market share, while divesting out of problematic properties. In 1979, Holiday Inns and Sheraton, both among the leaders of the industry, were less concerned with growth and more concerned with improving the quality of properties. (Wyckoff and Sasser, 1981). This proves that the hotels have to develop innovative strategies to gain market share and redefine competition in terms of brand image and quality. The few things that a hotel can do to identify the needs and wants of its customers are objective setting, environmental analysis, organizational analysis, assessment, GAP analysis, Strategic choice and implementation. The hotel apart from improving the operational efficiency and marketing also needs to understand the needs and wants of its customers so that it is easier to get these customers. The hotel experience for a customer starts right from the moment he attempts to do the booking for the stay. The booking can be online or physically at the hotel. In case of online booking there are few important things that must be considered. All the details related to the hotel must be available on the website so that the customer can plan better. The transaction must be safe and quick. The customer must also be acknowledged on confirmation of booking. Every hotel must have CRM enabled s

Civil Rights Timeline: Jan. 15, 1929 - Dec. 21, 1956 :: American Civil Rights

Civil Rights Timeline: Jan. 15, 1929 - Dec. 21, 1956 Jan. 15, 1929 - Dr. King is born - Born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga., he was the second of three children of the Rev. Michael (later Martin) and Alberta Williams King. Sept. 1, 1954 - Dr. King becomes pastor - In 1954, King accepted his first pastorate--the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. He and his wife, Coretta Scott King, whom he had met and married (June 1953) while at Boston University. Dec. 1, 1955 - Rosa Parks defies city segregation - Often called "the mother of the civil rights movement," Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, b. Tuskegee, Ala., Feb. 4, 1913, sparked the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott that led to a 1956 Supreme Court order outlawing discriminatory practices on Montgomery buses. In December 1955, returning home from her assistant tailor job in Montgomery, Parks refused a bus driver's order to surrender her seat to a white man. She was jailed and fined $14. Dec. 5, 1955 - Montgomery bus boycott- Although precipitated by the arrest of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56 was actually a collective response to decades of intimidation, harassment and discrimination of Alabama's African American population. By 1955, judicial decisions were still the principal means of struggle for civil rights, even though picketing, marches and boycotts sometimes punctuated the litigation. The boycott, which lasted for more than a year, was almost 100 percent effective. Dec. 21, 1956 - Bus segregation declared illegal - The boycott's succeeded in desegregating public facilities in the South and also in obtaining civil rights legislation from Congress.  Civil Rights Timeline Sept. 24, 1957 - May 2, 1963 Sept. 24, 1957 - School integration - In September 1957 the state received national attention when Gov. Orval E. Faubus (in office 1955-67) tried to prevent the integration of Little Rock Central High School. President Dwight D. Eisenhower quickly intervened, in part by sending federal troops to Little Rock, and several black students were enrolled at Central High School. Aug. 19, 1958 - Student sit-ins - In spite of the events in Little Rock or Montgomery, or Supreme Court decisions, segregation still pervaded American society by 1960. While protests and boycotts achieved moderate successes in desegregating aspects of education and transportation, other facilities such as restaurants, theaters, libraries, amusement parks and churches either barred or limited access to African Americans, or maintained separate, invariably inferior, facilities for black patrons.

The Lost Tradition Essay -- Essays Papers

The Lost Tradition Every Sunday was understood to be a family day. No one even thought to make plans with friends or to schedule anything on that day. It was our â€Å"family tradition.† I only wish I appreciated that time with my family more as a child. It always started out the same way. My two brothers and I would awaken to the smell of breakfast, being cooked by my father. We would climb out of bed and wearily make our way to the table. After eating more than we knew we should have, the calm that we once were all in disappeared. The hectic â€Å"getting ready† took over. There was fighting over the bathroom and trying to find lost shoes, even the occasional fist fight between my brothers and me. Although I hated getting ready in such disorganized circumstances, I would love to relive it again. My father rushed the three of us out of the door with barely enough time to make the five minute drive to CCD class. Directly after CCD, we would meet my parents in the church for mass. As much as my brothers and I fought, we knew how to behave in church, and usually the hour passed uneventfully. We got the case of the giggles now and then, but a stern look from my father put that to an end very quickly. The next part of the afternoon was the part I dreaded most. We would all be loaded up into our minivan and taken for long boring drives to the places my parents loved to go. I would have no choice but to stare at the miles of trees and to listen to the local country station for hou...

An invesigation of the contribrution

Over the years, there have been many definitions of insurance but the most accepted definition is that given by ALAN WILLET in 1901. He defined insurance â€Å"As the accumulation of reserves for the purpose of contingencies†. Thus it is a business activity wherein some people or parties who are subject to certain risk pay monthly or yearly premium to an insurance company to transfer the burden of such risks.Insurance also may be defined â€Å"as a contract whereby a person called the insurer or the assure agrees in consideration of money paid to him called the premium by another person called the insured or assured to indemnify the latter against losses resulting to him on the happening of certain events†¦. J. O. Rusk (1991)†. The origin of insurance initially had a connection with ships and cargoes achieving a spread of risk.This origin dates back to as early as BBC (carter, 1991) when the â€Å"Babylonians developed a system of loans on maritime ventures whereb y the loans were not repayable in the event of the loss of the venture†, to the emergence of modern insurance development which owes its credence to Great Britain, though insurance Ewing introduced into Britain by the Lombard in the 14th and 1 5th centuries (Cooker, 2002). Insurance is an intangible service paid for and received at a future date.The technicality of insurance makes it obvious for uneven incidence of risks when there are infinite numbers of identical risks. It is also a risk transfer mechanism which provides enormous benefits to the individual/organizations (both profit and non- profit), government and socio-economy at large. Every individual or organization is faced with the likelihood of a loss, injury, destruction of life or properties; hence, it is asserted that â€Å"Risk is concomitant of life† (Chipolata 2006). In other words, risk is unavoidable.Since It is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncerta in loss, it is therefore because of the liability of an organization to predict the future that insurance is purchased. 1. 2 DEFINITION OF RISK The term risk is a simple notion which cut across a layman's definition to the technicalities of business practices. When someone states that there is risk in a particular situation or context, be it business or an event, the ordinary listener understands what it means on the face of it. What then is Risk?This question can easily be answered by adopting a generally accepted definition of Risk by a renowned scholar, Dry Matthias G. Healer. He defines it as the possibility that positive expectation of a goal-oriented system will not be achieved (uncertainty) and this will be due to either certain human or inhuman factors. Furthermore, risk refers to the uncertainty that surrounds future events and its outcomes. It has an expression which looks again at likelihood and impact of an event with the potential to influence the achievement of organiz ations objectives.When â€Å"risk† is said to exist, there is also the likelihood that expected results may not match those results hoped for I. E. A deviation. Benjamin Franklin in his book observed that in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Yet there is some uncertainty about those two phenomena: no one can be sure when he/she will die, and tax rules and rates are frequently changed. In fact, the whole of life is surrounded by uncertainty. In some situation uncertainties are within the control of individuals or firm, others are part of the environment in which our lives operate.However, the word ‘risk used here changes. Insurance is an unsought good and the uncertainty in future events is what is being insured. Insurers' profitability in any portfolio depends largely on the frequency, the severity of its impact and its final results (uncertainty). Uncertainty is not merely a dimension of threats, hazards and risks but opportunities w hich if anticipated may result in a reward. The risk is the thing which is insured, the insured peril, the expected claims cost for any given policy, or as a general term for unwanted and uncertain future events. 1. 3 RISK MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCEOrganizations had long practiced various parts of what has come to be called risk management. Risk management is attempting to identify and manage the threats that could severely impact or bring down an organization. The management of risk is a fundamental aspect of entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurs manage the risk of accidental loss by weighing the costs and benefits of each alternative. In a structured risk management process, this involves: 1. Identify and analyze the loss exposure. 2. Formulate alternatives to dealing with such exposure 3. Select the apparent best techniques to treat exposure .Implement the decisions made 5. Monitor the effectiveness of the decisions implemented. Those who do not apply a structured process still m ake decisions about risk, although sometimes by default rather than design. For industrial or commercial firm, the objective of risk management may be to maximize profits, or to increase revenue, net worth or perhaps market share over some period, or to achieve a combination of several objectives, or Just to stay in business. Managing a multitude of internal and external risks is one of the most significant challenges facing organization set up today.Insurance serves a number of valuable functions that are largely distinct from other types of financial intermediaries. In order to highlight specifically the unique attributes of insurance, it is worth focusing on those services that are not provided by other financial services providers, excluding for instance the contractual savings features of whole or universal life products. The indemnification and risk pooling properties of insurance facilitate commercial transactions and the provision of credit by mitigating losses as well as th e measurement and management of non diversifier risk more generally.Typically insurance contracts involve small periodic payments in return for protection against uncertain, but potentially severe losses. Among other things, this income smoothing effect helps to avoid excessive and costly bankruptcies and facilitates lending to businesses. The scope of an economy's insurance market affects both the range of available alternatives and the quality of information to support decisions. For example, a manufacturer might produce only for the local market, forgoing more lucrative opportunities in distant markets in order to avoid the risk of losing goods in shipment.Transport insurance can mitigate this loss exposure and enable the manufacturer to expand. Similarly, to avoid the risk of total loss from drought, a commercial farmer may keep half of his seed in reserve. 1. 4 INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION TO AN ORGANIZATION Insurance through effective risk management contribute specialized expertise in the identification and measurement of risk. This expertise enables them to accept carefully specified risks at lower prices than non-specialists. They also have an incentive to collect and analyze information about loss exposures, since the more precisely they measure the cost of risk, the more they can expand.Over the years, the realization of risk management with the help of insurance has contributed enormously in achieving organizational goals severally. For instance, 0 It guarantees as far as possible, that the organization will not be prevented from pursuing its other goals as a result of losses associated with pure risks. 0 It contributes to profit by controlling the cost of risk for the organization 0 It can also reduce expenses through risk control measures (insurance) and as such increasing income.As a result, the insurance market generates price signals not only to manufacturing sector but to the entire economy, helping to allocate resources to more productive uses. In surers also have an incentive to control losses, which is a significant social benefit. Most fundamentally, the availability of insurance enables risk averse individuals, entrepreneurs and organizations to undertake higher risk, higher return activities than they would do in the absence of insurance, promoting higher productivity and growth. . 5 PROBLEM ANALYSIS All manufacturing companies are set up with a primary objective to produce goods that meet the needs of their customers and also to maximize profit. In the process of manufacturing goods the company is often exposed to varying and diverse risk(s) which affects all the factors of production. In as much as these factors are exposed, the logical conclusion is that the income of the company is threatened.Human lives are exposed to industrial injuries which sometimes end up in death, permanent or temporary disability, properties could be destroyed through fire out break or explosions, and liabilities could be incurred arising fro m the consumption of the product. When less emphasis is placed on these loss exposures, it will definitely lead to the demise of the company. This project therefore, will look at the effect of insurance in manufacturing sector and also whether manufacturing companies who place major significant on insurance are successful in their total business effort all other things being equal. . 5 PURPOSE OF STUDY As earlier mentioned, the aim of any manufacturing company is to maximize profit and ensure customer satisfaction. It is quiet obvious that in carrying out production the organization is exposed to so many risks. This study is focused on the effect of insurance in manufacturing these products, in essence, how risks that could not be voided, minimized, reduced or retained can be transferred to insurance companies while the organization focuses its attention to its real business. Our study seeks: 1. To find out how risks/ loss exposures has been managed in Banana breweries 2.To examine the effect of insurance in the development of the organization (Banana Breweries) as a case study 3. To examine risks that they have managed by way of transfer to insurance and how adequate are the various insurance covers. 4. To consider the extent to which insurance has contributed to the attainment of the corporate goals of Banana Breweries 5. To make policy recommendations on how insurance will assist to further develop Banana Breweries, GAMBLE, and The Gambia. 1. 6 RELEVANT RESEARCH QUESTIONS The research exercise is set out to answer the following questions: 1 .What is the level of insurance awareness in the manufacturing sector of The Gambia 2. Does insurance enhance corporate development 3. Has your company ever sustained any unusual, large or unique losses either insured or uninsured 4. Is insurance an effective risk transfer mechanism. Due to time and other constraints, the researchers had to narrow the scope of their duty to Banana Breweries co. Ltd and Gamble in The Gamb ia. The study shall focus on the effect of insurance in the above listed companies as well as its benefits.It will assist the company to continue appreciating the role that insurance plays in their activities, and also serve as a means of reviewing improvement measures in place which hopefully will bring about uncovered areas of loss exposures to their operations. 1. 9 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY All manufacturing companies exist to ensure that the shareholders maximize their wealth. Companies therefore undertake economic activities for profit. However, in heir pursuit of this venture all the factors of production are exposed to one risk or the other.Those study is primarily laying emphasis on the essence of insurance which will significantly aid the manufacturing concern to achieve their broad objectives, through a well coordinated and scientific measurement and assessment of the various risks that the manufacturing company is exposed to. The study will assist the company to continue app reciating the role that insurance plays in their activities, serve as a review of existing measures in place and hope to bring out uncovered areas of risks to their operation.

Human Resources Management In Small and Medium Enterprises Essay

Introduction Competitive advantage to a firm accrues from the judicious employment of three basic types of resources, namely Physical Capital Resources, such as Finances, Plant and Equipment Organizational Capital Resources – Structure and systems in the organization Human Capital Resources, which include the skills, competencies, experience and intelligence of employees.[1] Human resources are among the most important resources that an organisation utilises and hence its importance to any organisation can be easily understood. Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are no exception to this rule, although this aspect is frequently lost sight of. This paper examines the role and importance of Human Resources in SMEs, and compares SMEs from two different cultural backgrounds – Taiwan and the UK. Role of Human Resources in SMEs â€Å"The study of human resources management in SMEs needs to be strongly encouraged. CEO/founders in SMEs view human resource management decisions as very important to the growth of their enterprises†[2]   A study into the perception of important HR issues in small organizations showed that â€Å"top six issues were wage rates, availability of quality workers, government regulation, training, benefits, and job security†[3] The role of Human Resources in SMEs is to contribute meaningfully to organisational objectives in a flexible and demanding environment. Lack of strategic employee management is widely accepted as characteristic of small enterprises. Decision-making has been perceived to be of relatively short-term nature compared to larger organisations, making small enterprises more flexible and less conflict-prone. At the same time, this also means that the advantages of long-term planning such as greater efficiency and effectiveness are lost. On the human resources front, this means that such organisations tend to have reduced capability to attract, retain and motivate the best human resources. This becomes important in view of the fact that out of thousands of small businesses that are established every year, only a few manage to survive in the long-term. While long-term planning and HR strategy are not the only reasons for this, they are among the important reasons. Hence an examination of the HR function as a strategic part of business, and its relevance to long-term planning, is in order. In addition, the role of recruitment and selection, training, and performance management, are also relevant to any discussion on the role of human resources. Planning and Human Resources Management Strategic planning for the organisation needs to be linked to individual goals. In turn, this means that the job design should take into account the long-term objectives of the organisation. â€Å"A framework for strategic management incorporating HRM involves developing a mission statement that answers questions of what businesses the organisation is in; determining goals that are general and long term; and establishing objectives that are short term and measurable. It should also encompass a complete SWOT analysis that incorporates HRM as a functional unit of analysis.†[4] One of the essential requirements of Human Resources Planning is proper job design. Human resources planning involves the matching of the knowledge and skills that are likely to be required in future with those that it has or will have. Human Resources Planning will help the organisation to estimate critical resource requirements, plan training and development needs, and link individual goals to organizational objectives. Job design involves specifying the characteristics of the job and the requirements such as skills for performing these jobs. Job design will thus provide the framework for a host of HR planning activities that can be linked to organizational objectives.[5] Recruitment and Selection Once the plans of the organization are clear the next important issue that any organisation needs to address is to get the right staff to implement the plans. â€Å"Surveys indicate that about 25 per cent of small businesses view the lack of qualified workers as a threat to their expansion and very survival.†[6] The problem assumes particular importance in the case of small enterprises because they almost always have a problem in attracting and retaining the best talent. This is partly due to the fact that they are unable to compete with larger firms for quality staff, because it is impossible for them to match the rewards and prestige that come along with positions in larger firms. Additionally, smaller firms have a reputation for being oriented towards a ‘hire and fire’ culture. Training Once the plans are clear, and the recruitment of the right people has been completed, it becomes necessary to motivate the staff, as well as to enable them to perform their tasks efficiently. This requires periodic training of the employees. Training is important in the case of small enterprises because they are more prone to changing environments and higher attrition rates. This makes it necessary for people to be more flexible, and to be trained in all aspects of the business. While the need for training of staff is thus greater in the case of a small enterprise, it is also accompanied by greater constraints that make it more difficult for these organisations to implement training programmes. Small organisations face two constraints in t his respect: Their budget for training may be more limited, and they may lack the necessary resources to carry out such training It is more difficult for small enterprises to spare their people for training programmes. In spite of the above limitations, however, small enterprises need to concentrate more on training, as it is an investment that needs to be done. â€Å"It has been suggested that top performing companies are distinguished by their higher spending on training and development.†[7] Performance Management Performance Management â€Å"includes work and job design, reward structures, the selection of people for work, the training of these employees, assessment of work performance and policies associated with rewarding and improving performance.†[8] Performance Appraisals are an important part of Performance Management and are useful in improving performance, assist HR planning, and identify development needs and potential for promotion. Small businesses, in general, lack a formal performance appraisal system. The disadvantages of not using structured and formal appraisal systems are that appraisals, and the consequent rewards, are often subjective, and may promote greater dissatisfaction. Consequently, appraisal systems and Performance Management play an important role in determining the alignment of HR planning with organisational goals, and ensuring that a proper climate is available for the achievement of the objectives. â€Å"In developing formal performance appraisal systems, small businesses not only are able to ensure that performance management may become strategically aligned with organisational goals, but also increase accountability, decrease under-utilisation of human resources, address concerns of productivity, and decrease employees’ concerns about fairness and accuracy.†[9] In addition, the salaries and rewards that are offered as part of the employment and the management of diversity within the workforce are important considerations for any organisation. These have a greater significance in the case of small organisations. As can be seen from the above, the role of Human Resources management in small organisations is an important one that needs to be well understood and implemented with care. One interesting extension to the role of HR management in small to medium industries is the use of Balanced Score Cards, which are normally viewed as the exclusive tool of large industries. The Balanced Score Cards approach shifts the focus to long-term growth, and includes measures of operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and employee related measures. The Balanced Score Card method thus includes a part of HR Management to assess the overall performance of the organisation. In a case study that included three SME organisations, Gumbus and Lussier present some interesting conclusions that have significance for the HR function in SME companies. The cases also serve to highlight the importance of HR in SME companies and the link between performance and HR. One of the three companies cited in the case is Futura Industries, an international company based in Clearfield, UT with 230 employees. It has over 50 years of experience in aluminium extrusion, finishing, fabrication, machining and design. The company believes that the two competitive weapons that put them ahead of competition are â€Å"their ability to hire and retain the best people and their devotion to the customer.† Futura’s President, Susan Johnson’s belief that committed and loyal employees make the difference has led the company into using the Balanced Score Card method. In the words of Ms. Johnson, the company â€Å"had all the financial metrics, lots of customer measures, and got ISO accredited three years ago †¦ but it is our employees that differentiate us from all other extrusion companies.†[10] A Comparison of SMEs in the UK and Taiwan A study by Lin found that successful SMEs in Taiwan place greater emphasis on soft skills and attitudes rather than on hard skills. He infers that SMEs in Taiwan seemed to have a better grasp of its human resources.   â€Å"Whenever SMEs modernize equipment, alter production processes, revise compensation policies, and engage in other reorganisation activities, they take pains to handle employees’ responses and feelings with special care and invest heavily in skills development.â€Å"[11] According to Hu, the Human resource scenario in Taiwan is characterised by abundance of entrepreneurs and availability of high quality professionals. Hu traces this to the importance laid on education by Chinese, and the large-scale injection of high quality human resource into the island in the aftermath of the retreat into, and subsequent withdrawal from, Taiwan of the KMT government. In addition, the Taiwanese population has inherited from its ancestors the qualities of â€Å"hard working, brotherhood, strong family ties, competition, and similar attributes that form the basis for strong family businesses.†[12] According to McKenna & Beech, the following values characterise the Asian HR scene[13]: Politeness and courtesy Emphasis on personal relationship Not losing face Harmony- avoidance of open conflict Predominance of group interests over individual interests Discipline and respect for authority and for elders Normative, rather than externally imposed control Trust and mutual help in business relationships Centralisation and authoritarianism As against the above, the HR scenario in Europe is characterised by the following features[14]: Pluralism as against unitarism Collectivism and social orientation instead of individualism, with the emphasis being on national, rather than individual, interests Legal framework: firing is more difficult Social Partnership: Employment security, protection of workers’ rights, and representation of workforce through trade unions. Social Responsibility: Concern for environment and other social obligations Tolerance for diversity Recognition of complexity and ambiguity. The characteristics enumerated under Asian values represent the Taiwanese scene, and the scenario in Europe is representative of the UK. From the above, it can be seen that the SMEs in Taiwan are formed with reliance on individual assistance, based on respect for authority, with trust and mutual relationships as the supporting factor. In the UK, and other European countries, it is the legal framework that gives the necessary assurance and support to the business rather than trust. In Taiwan authority is enforced, and followed, because it is natural to the culture. In the UK, the legal aspects are augmented by collective bargaining with a recognized trade union to achieve this purpose. Taiwanese take great care to handle employees’ feelings appropriately whenever major decisions need to be taken. This is replaced by collective bargaining and more formal communication in the UK. SMEs predominate in Taiwan, whereas larger firms represent the more prevalent form of business in the UK. SMEs constituted 99.43 percent of Taiwan’s total manufacturing firms in 1954, the highest level ever recorded; 95.26 percent in 1976, the lowest; and 98.07 percent in 1996. Among them, the smallest firms, employing fewer than 10 persons, accounted for 90 percent of all firms in the manufacturing sector in the 1950s.[15] On the other hand, SMEs generate roughly one quarter of the GDP of the UK. The generation of employment by SMEs varies from sector to sector, the highest being in the construction sector with 84% of the employment being generated by this sector. The SME sector, which was declining up to 1970, picked up momentum thereafter, and showed a rising trend till 1994. Since 1994, the number has remained constant.[16] As can be seen from these figures, the SME sector is less dominant in the UK than in Taiwan. Why Human Resources are important in firms â€Å"The resource-based view of organisations explains variations in firm performance by variations in firms’ human resources and capabilities†[17] Firms can gain competitive advantage by generating specific knowledge and skills that are difficult to imitate. This can be achieved through human capital development. The importance of Human Resource Development in small firms is thus self-evident – they help the firms to succeed by being competitive. In a study of more than 100 small enterprises in two towns from Germany, Rauch et al found that â€Å"human resources are essentially important and an optimal utilization of skills and knowledge increases small business growth.† [18] In order to harness this important resource and ensure it gives the best returns, an organisation needs to select its employees with care. â€Å"It is expected that as firms grow, the skills and abilities required to perform various functions and activities no longer would be available from the familiar and informal recruitment sources preferred by the owner-manager†[19] Apart from recruitment, other functions such as Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, and formal procedures and documentation help the organisation in improving efficiency. According to Kotey and Slade, â€Å"Benefits of formal HRM practices include meeting legal requirements, maintaining records in support of decisions in the event of litigation, treating employees fairly, and increasing efficiency.† [20] A study by Kotey and Slade involving more than 1300 small firms in Australia showed that as firms grow they tend to introduce formal HR practices and procedures. In the words of the authors, â€Å"While the analyses show that a significant percentage of SMEs implement formal HRM practices with growth, HRM remains informal in the majority of firms, particularly in small firms. It could be that implementation of formal HR structures and procedures necessary to support growth differentiates successful from unsuccessful SMEs.†[21] In a small organisation, people need to be more flexible and undertake a greater variety of jobs. This needs both motivation and skills. In turn, many employees may get better exposure and greater opportunities to learn and shoulder higher responsibilities in a small firm. All of these underline the importance of Human Resources Management in organisations, particularly small firms. The HRM model is â€Å"composed of policies that promote mutual goals, influence, respect, rewards and responsibility between employees in the organisation.†[22] These policies are promoted by practices such as team working, aligning performance objectives with organisational goals, and a flat organisation structure, all of which can be achieved only through a proper Human Resources Management in the organisation. Survey Research findings have confirmed the theoretical position with the conclusion that good HR systems is a source of competitive advantage. One study has shown that higher performance in a number of areas is correlated to good HR systems and practices. Companies that had significantly higher ratings on their HR practices also reported better market value, higher accounting profits, higher growth rates, better sales per employee, and lower employee turnover. Another study has found that newly started companies had a better survival rate if they had good HR practices. The probability of survival was found to vary by as much as 42% between the firms with the best HR practices and rewards, and those with the worst. Yet another study found that performance of the organisation was strongly linked with practices such as acquisition and development of skilled people, better job design, better autonomy, and positive employee attitude. All these studies clearly show that good HR could positively impact organisational performance practices, highlighting the importance of Human Resources in an organisation. Apart from improving performance good HR practices result in lower costs, while poor practices increase the costs to the organization. One of the contributing factors for this is the cost of employee turnover. â€Å"Interviewing and training recruits has significant out-of-pocket costs for the employer.† Replacing an employee involves expenses for Separation, Replacement, and Training. [23] Employee turnover costs can be divided into three major elements: Separation costs: These are the costs that are directly incurred when an employee leaves the firm, and include such costs as exit interviews, administrative and paperwork costs, disbursement of separation benefits, and revenues lost due to shortage of staff. Replacement Costs: These represent the cost of replacing the employee who has left and include the costs of advertising, sourcing, interviewing and selection. Training Costs: These are the costs that the company incurs for training and induction of a new employee. Apart from the actual expenditure on these activities, the costs of loss of efficiency in the initial stages, and the time lost during the training period should also be considered. Thus employee turnover could represent a fairly high cost to the organisation. Employee turnover can be classified into avoidable and unavoidable turnover. Most of the avoidable turnover results from lack of proper HR initiatives.[24] How Good/Bad employees affect the firm â€Å"A good employee is possibly the most valuable asset a small firm or SME can possess; a bad one could ruin the enterprise.†[25] Any firm, and more importantly a small firm, can ill afford to have people who do not perform. Robert Townsend, a noted Management expert was once asked the secret behind his ability to take over loss making firms, and changing them into profitable ones. The reply that he gave will be of interest to anyone asking how good or bad employees make or mar the firm. Mr. Townsend identified three factors that contributed to his success: Releasing the potential of employees so that they could perform at much higher levels by the practice of appropriate management styles Identifying people within the organisation who were blocking progress and preventing others from performing, and either changing their ways, or dismissing them Identifying people who had the ability and drive to take the company to greater heights, and promoting them. It can be seen that this highly successful Management practitioner reduced success to three simple rules, namely, eliminating deadwood, promoting and encouraging those with potential and creating the right climate in the company. This clearly shows that apart from creating the right environment, the most important requirement for success is the quality of people. Good people could transform a loss making company into a profitable one.[26] â€Å"Whether a firm is small or large, it’s only as good as its staff.†[27] This can be easily understood because the employees of the organisation make the vital difference between good and poor performance in every area. Apart from the demonstrated effect that this has on the firm’s performance, which has been cited earlier, this also stands to reason. A company depends on coordinated working by its employees towards a common goal to achieve its objectives. In order to meet these objectives, the organisation has to do what it does well. In other words, the competence of its employees should be good if it wants to achieve results. Secondly, the soft skills of the employees are important to achieve internal teamwork as well as to nurture customers with excellent performance and service. Thirdly, the employees of the company need to work efficiently if it is to have a healthy bottom line. All these objectives can be achieved only with good employees who know their job and possess the necessary hard skills, have the necessary soft skills, and are committed to the company’s success. In other words, a company needs good employees who have the right levels of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Conclusion Human Resources Management in Small-to-medium industries has been gaining a lot of attention lately. There is increased awareness among many of the SME entrepreneurs themselves about the importance of good HR practices and policies. It has been shown that organisations having formal Human Resources practices grow faster, and are more profitable, than those that do not do so. A comparison between SMEs in two countries, namely Taiwan and the UK, shows that the SME sector is more predominant in Taiwan, which is characterized by a culture that lays greater emphasis on group working, respect for authority, and mutual trust. This is contrasted by the UK situation where the SME sector is les pervasive, and the HR climate is characterised by formal and legal supports, collectivism, and social responsibility. Although the two situations are quite different from each other, the importance of formal HR systems in the SME segment is being recognised in both cases, and seem to affect performance positively, irrespective of the background. Works Cited A Causal Analysis. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(6): 2005: 681+. Bennett, Roger. Small Business Survival: Strategies for Delivering Growth and Staying Profitable: Second Edition. London, Financial Times Management, 1998. Burns, Paul. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. New York, Palgrave, 2001. Griffith, Roger W and Hom, Peter W. Retaining Valued Employees. London, Sage Publications, 2001. Gumbus, Andra, and Robert N. Lussier. Entrepreneurs Use a Balanced Scorecard to Translate Strategy into Performance Measures. Journal of Small Business Management 44(3): 2006: 407+. Heneman, Robert L., Judith W. Tansky, and S. Michael Camp. Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 25 (1): 2000: 11. Holbeche, Linda. Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. HRD in Small Organizations, Edited by Graham Beaver & Jim Stewart. New York, Routledge, 2004. Hu, Ming-Wen. Many Small Antelopes Make a Dragon. Futures 35(4): 2003: 379+. Kotey, Bernice, and Peter Slade. Formal Human Resource Management Practices in Small Growing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 43 (1): 2005: 16+. Lin, Carol Yeh-Yun. Success Factors of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Taiwan: An Analysis of Cases. Journal of Small Business Management, 36(4): (1998): 43. McKenna, Eugene and Beech, Nic. Human Resource Management, A Concise Analysis. Essex, Pearson Education Limited, 2002 Megginson, David, Banfield, Paul, and Joy-Mathews, Jennifer. Human Resource Development. Kogan Page India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001. Rauch, A., Frese, M., & Utsch, A. Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: Satava, David. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Here’s How Not to Give Them One. Journal of Accountancy 195 (4): 2003: 67+. [1] L. Holbeche, Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy, Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001, pp.10-11. [2] R.L. Heneman, T.W. Judith and S. M. Camp. Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice 25(1): (2000): p. 11 [3] HRD in Small Organizations, Edited by Graham Beaver & Jim Stewart, New York, Routledge, 2004, p. 81. [4] Ibid, p81 [5] Ibid [6] ibid, p82 [7] ibid, p 85 [8] ibid, p 89 [9] ibid, p 89 [10] A. Gumbus and R. N. Lussier. Entrepreneurs Use a Balanced Scorecard to Translate Strategy into Performance Measures, Journal of Small Business Management, 44(3): 2006: p.407. [11]C.Y. Lin. Success Factors of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Taiwan: An Analysis of Cases. Journal of Small Business Management, 36(4): (1998): p. 43. [12] M. Hu. Many Small Antelopes Make a Dragon, Futures, 35(4): 2003: p. 379. [13] E.McKenna and N. Beech. Human Resource Management, A Concise Analysis. Essex, Pearson Education Limited, 2002, pp.4-5. [14] ibid [15] M. Hu. P. 379. [16]   P.Burns. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. New York, Palgrave, 2001, p12. [17] A. Rauch, M. Frese & A. Utsch. Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: A Causal Analysis. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(6): 2005: p681. [18] ibid [19] B.Kotey and P. Slade. Formal Human Resource Management Practices in Small Growing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 43(1): (2005): p.16. [20] ibid [21] ibid [22] E. McKenna and N. Beech, p34-35 [23] D. Satava. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Here’s How Not to Give Them One, Journal of Accountancy, 195(4 ): 2003: p. 67. [24] R. W. Griffith and P. W. Hom. Retaining Valued Employees, London, Sage Publications, 2001, p10 [25] R. Bennett. Small Business Survival: Strategies for Delivering Growth and Staying Profitable: Second Edition, London, Financial Times Management, 1998. [26] D. Megginson, P. Banfield and J. Joy-Mathews. Human Resource Development. Kogan Page India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001, p. 82. [27] Satava, David. â€Å"The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Here’s How Not to Give Them One.† Journal of Accountancy 195.4 (2003): 67+.