Problems and Solutions with G4S

Every two years an Olympic host city led to a heated discussion in mainstream media and academic works. This paper aims to know and explore the overwhelming challenges and opportunities faced by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), especially the security chaos that its security contractor company G4S PLC’s fail to provide all the staff promised. After analysis of the problem, this study will provide detailed information and some feasible strategies, completing with the critical evaluations of the merits and demerits of some solutions. 2. IntroductionThe London Organising Committee of Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for preparing and staging the London 2012 Games, which is based in Canary Wharf along with the Olympic Delivery Authority. Along with the coming games, several unpredictable problems come out into public view. It is obviously the biggest concern has always got to be a safe and secure game. As a result of this serious iss ue, the world’s largest security company, G4S, is contracted by London 2012 Locog to keep the games safe. This study aims at analyze the problems founded during the contract and examining the appropriate solutions and recommendations.This analysis will consist of eight sections, findings of the evidences and the methods. * First of all, the paper outlines the background of both LOCOG and G4S. * Secondly, the specific descriptions of the problems given above, which presents the troubles it has encountered from different perspectives in the past days. * Finally, reasonable solutions to the problems with some basic assessments. Although the excellent image given by London during these Olympics have already ensure they successfully underwent the challenges, in any case, recommendations will probably beneficial for both LOCOG and the host city in the long-term run. . Background to the problem 3. 1 Brief description of the problems It began with a scandal concerning security when t he contractor firm G4S, which had a ? 284m contract to provide as many as security guards but could not supply enough personnel, apologized for the mishandling of its contractual obligations regarding the Olympic events. Furthermore, the G4S boss Nick Buckles said he regretted ever taking on the Olympic security contract, which was described as a â€Å"humiliating shambles†. In this case, it led to a further 3,500 troops being employed and among 17,000 troops are involved in helping keep the Olympics safe.Meanwhile a further 1,200 military personnel are on standby. 3. 2 Details about the relevant company and organisation ‘We will deliver the best possible Olympic and Paralympic Games experience for everyone involved, ensuring a real legacy and inspiring people to join in and truly make these ‘’everyone’s Games’’’ (LOCOG, 2012) . ‘With operations in more than 125 countries and 657,000 employees, we specialize in outsourced b usiness processes and facilities in sectors where security and safety risks are considered a strategic threat.In more ways than you might realise, G4s is securing your world’ (G4S, 2012). 3. 3 Reasons to explore the problem G4S claim it was a tight schedule and deploying security for the Games is a complex business, but, for such a successful experienced security company with huge contracts around the world, why has their recruitment process so badly failed? Furthermore, in terms of the organisers LOCOG, whether public utilities could be handed over to profit-driven private enterprise? 4. Analysis of the issue 4. 1 G4S’s recruitment and management ‘chaos’ Securing Your World’ is G4S’s maxim (G4S, 2012). However, it seems that the world’s largest security company failed at this time, especially regarding its own world. Although G4S started on the recruitment of management personnel as soon as it took over the order at the end of 2010, t he on-site security guards began to recruit until the beginning of the year (BBC, 2012). The recruitment drive hit the headlines for using a variety of online, printed and outdoor medias, thereby, G4S had made a successful attraction campaign which received more than 100,000 applications (MPs, 2012).They adopted a Just in Time (JIT) management model, which means not to do recruitment until the last moment, thus to avoid the redundant management cost and to deliver maximize efficiency. G4S hired college students and foreign nationals in low reward which was ? 8. 5 per hour compared with the legal minimum hourly wage was ? 6. 19 (BBC, 2012). The recruitment process seemed to be such a complex and unprecedented contract with required so many training, vetting and accredited personnel. Many people then realized it was a serious undertaking.Besides, the labour contract of the successful candidates was only a temporary contract during the Olympic Games, which the wages were pay by actual working day. What’s more, there was no salary during the training and the employees need to pay the uniform fee. The problem is not do G4S unable to recruit enough staffs, even those who are being hired, G4Sl still cannot guarantee the final attendance. Many employees who have completed training and contracted to work for G4S, were not being deployed. According to the recruiters’ experience in G4S, many of them had received no schedules, uniforms or training on x-ray machines.Meanwhile, they had been allocated to venues hundreds of miles from where they lived (BBC, 2012). 4. 2 Contract ‘chaos’ G4S originally signed a contract with LOCOG in 2010 to provide 2,000 security guards and the number raise to 10,400 in December 2011 with the contract now worth ? 284 million (BBC, 2012). The change in the number of personnel required by LOCOG along with the complex procedures required to be done by the applicants are key to understanding the failure of G4S’s matter. This let no time for even a giant private company such as G4S to provide sufficient number by around 400% increased.What's more, the government has agreed to the JTL approach that the security workforce would be in training until the last moment, which was supposed to reduce the security budget (BBC, 2012). A report published by Public Accounts Committee which is responsible for evaluating whether if government spending provides value for money, detailed that it was very concerned about the request for increased by LOCOG and warned that the Olympic budgets get overspend, it also raised concerns about its management of those funds (PAC, 2012).There exists a failure in contract negotiation of further workers between the supplier ‘G4S’ and the consumer ‘LOCOG’. The status has been stated (BBC, 2012) as this is standard practice for any company, which the practice of delayed hiring however will struggle to cope when the contract requirements change in c lose proximity to the event. However, Lord Coe (2012) has promised a ‘safe and secure Games’ despite the failure of G4S. He also insisted that ‘the right and appropriate thing to do is to put the challenge in proportion and to work together to ensure sufficient security guards’. Description and evaluation of some solutions 5. 3 Aims of the solutions In order to ensure the best performance in Olympic Games, several possible suggestions are provided to be reference. The private security in industry is large, fast-growing, and global, in the meantime, it is also perplexed by high turnover and poor training, so that the role of G4S function during the Olympics need to be well formulated and under supervision. 5. 4 As for G4S 5. 5. 1 To admit the possible problems within relative short time.G4S seemed to use the brinkmanship tactics as it didn’t admit their problems until a fortnight before the opening ceremony. Earlier research (Henderson, 1967) demonstr ated that brinkmanship in business is pushing a negotiation to the point of nearly killing a deal in order to achieve the most favorable terms when that deal is finally agreed upon. Brinkmanship often produces a negotiator’s great successes, but it can result in the worst mistakes, which exactly did by G4S, therefor must be used carefully.A risk management (defined in ISO 31000) or at least a risk assessment can be carried out, to mitigate risks under Brinkmanship strategy. Developing an effective Risk Management Plan (RMP) is an important part of any project. RMP is one of the nine knowledge areas defined in PMBOK (PMI, 2008). Firstly, a special risk management team is need to be establish, which may include employees from departments such as audit, information systems, finance and human resources. Secondly, perform a critical risk analysis which should identify, asses and measure the likelihood of an impact that event would have during period of contract.Thirdly, develop pr oper risk strategies, including risk transfer, insurance, retention, loss control, and avoiding risky activities. Also, the strategies program needs to be monitored closely, as all changes will be made keeping in mind the practical aspects of the program. Fourthly, implement a good employee training program. It is noticed that G4S has a really poor employee management which has drawn much attentions from public. There is no substitute for trained, knowledgeable personnel in a disaster.Therefore, RMP helps minimizing losses and reduces the negative effects of risks. However, it is only effective if both the company G4S and the staff act on the findings. It is important for company to follow through with any actions required and review the assessment on a regular basis. Also it faces difficulty in allocating resources and determining the rate of occurrence since statistical information is not available on all kinds of past incidents. 5. 5. 2 The poor operations management needs to be improved.One of the major methods is to improve the internal system, which is reported (BBC, 2012) by the Independent to be the root cause, had not delivered accurate management information back up to senior planners about the true state of recruitment, as a result in a barrier between outsource and services provider. It is quite unreasonable that such a big company has not established a completed internal system. Methods such as establishing a system of incident reporting, performing root cause analysis, defining intended results and establishing performance measures can be taken into practice.Nevertheless, whether an organization achieves operational and strategic objectives may depend on factors outside the enterprise, such as technological innovation which is outside the scope of internal system. Therefore, effective internal system cannot guarantee the achievement of the goals. Suitable staff recruitment and training programs are necessary to be instituted as it can provide war ning of deficiencies and allow chance to rectify the matter. The recruitment process and staff performance should be based on objective criteria assessment.Starting a complete and orderly interview process early and offer the certain training required 3-4 months before the date on people who are still available, therefore at least keep in contact with them so you know if they are available or not. 5. 5 As for LOCOG Cooperation and negotiations are of essential required during the contract period. The failure of the Olympic contract undertakes together by both sides. There is a need for constant directly communication and re-negotiate etween the LOCOG and G4S at high level to check on the existing contract and the progress. Effective contract monitoring can be apply to probably solve the situation. ‘When a public body purchases a service for vulnerable adults from an independent provider, the public body has moral and legal accountability for the duty of care and quality of the service. No matter how far the contract may try to locate legal responsibilities solely with the provider, the purchaser has responsibilities for what does and does not happen.Efficient and effective contract monitoring enables public bodies to fulfill and be comfortable with such responsibilities. ’ (Doug, 2006) Appropriate actions include inspecting and documenting results, making recommendations, providing technical assistance and training, advocating for programs, staff or inmates, and reviewing and preparing documentation. The monitor is also in the position of providing continuous feedback both to and from the Contractor and the Department.It does not direct operations of the Facility, but is more in the observer or the consultant role. 6. Conclusion To sum up, this study has examined the reasons why G4S failed from the contract with LOCOG by analyzing G4S’s recruitment and management chaos and the contract chaos. Meanwhile, the study has put forward several spe cific solutions to each problem, in which a RMP should be used to lower the risk, staff recruitment and training programs should be applied along with an effective contract monitoring. 7. RecommendationsA recommendation is made that the since the company seemed to brinkmanship strategy, a risk management plan therefore should be applied to reducing the potential risks It is proposed that the company needs to pay attentions to its operations management, including recruitment management and training programs, using technique such as risk management plan and just-in-time model to improve the performance of management. It would be helpful for both G4S and LOCOG to maintain a closely relationship which may be established by constant communication, or a special contract monitor. . Reference LOCOG, 2012. What is LOCOG responsible for? [online] Available at: ; http://www. london2012. com/about-us/the-people-delivering-the-games/locog/; [Accessed 20 August 2012]. G4S, 2012. Who we are. [onli ne] Available at: ; http://www. g4s. com/en/Who%20we%20are/; [Accessed 20 August 2012]. BBC, 2012. G4S profile. BBC, [online]17 July. Available at: ; http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-18868406; [Accessed 20 August 2012]. Public Accounts Committee, 2012, Committee reports on preparations for London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.London: The house of Commons. Robert, B. , Nick, H. , 2012. Olympic security chaos: depth of G4S security crisis revealed, theguardian, [online]13 July. Available at: ; http://www. guardian. co. uk/sport/2012/jul/12/london-2012-g4s-security-crisis; [Accessed 20 August 2012]. Henderson, B. D. , 1967. Brinkmanship in Business. Chester: The Boston Consulting Group. Project Management Institute, 2012. PMI Risk Management Professional. [online] Available at: http://www. pmi. org/certification/pmi-risk-management-professional-pmi-rmp. aspx; Accessed 24 August 2012] James, B. , 2012. Olympic task G4S’s problems were in training and vetting candidates, not in the original recruitment campaign. People Management, August Issue, p. 9. Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2006. Improving performance through effective contract monitoring. [pdf]. Available at: ; http://www. puttingpeoplefirst. org. uk/_library/Resources/BetterCommissioning/BetterCommissioning_advice/Chap10DGosling. pdf; [Accessed 22 August 2012]. Hannon, C. , 2012. Lessons from the G4S Olympic recruitment disaster.

John Dewey-Role of the Teacher Essay

John Dewey An American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, John Dewey (October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was one of the recognized founders of Pragmatism and a leader in progressive movement in U. S. education during the first half of the 20th century. The individual being, its relationship with the organizational or societal dynamics as well as the reason or logic around it is the essence of progressive philosophy of John Dewey. Cooper (1995) in Wells (2006) states that problem solving and creating skills, needed for in today’s world is emphasized in a progressivist curriculum which should be built around the students’ needs and personal experiences and it is a must for a teacher to present lessons that simulate a real-life situation to their students. Teachers’ understanding of an individual should be based on critical analysis evaluation using practical or realistic verification. Dewey (University of Albany, 2006) states that a person using the â€Å"problem solving approach† and the â€Å"experimental focus† of scientific method to govern their own life was the building block of how reasonable and ethical organizations operate and that school should be â€Å"child centered† with the curriculum and instruction tailored to facilitate the development of the individual. According to Sidorsky (1977), Dewey called as oppressive the elementary and secondary schools for they do not promote exploration and growth, thus, through his works a number of reforms in schools around the U. S. were implemented to enhance the development of free personalities. Dewey’s belief (1938) that schools should teach its students how to think rather than learning rote lessons and develop analytical approach in problem solving in real life situations. According to Campbell (1995), Dewey espoused judgment focus schools rather than knowledge should be developed and used in order for school children to become mature persons and can give sound judgments on the problems of human living. Further, he believes that schools, as an institution, should inculcate in the minds of the students and put to practice the learned techniques on how to live and work cooperatively and harmoniously with others. As Dewey’s beliefs focused on the learner’s right to participate on any decision that will affect their learning, he was more concerned with teachers’ rights as well as their academic freedom. Flanagan (1994) states that Dewey’s aim was to create a laboratory school where children are free to learn for themselves with an able tutelage from a professional mentor. It was in the old school according to Dewey (Flanagan, 1994) that the teachers forced the learners against their will or interest in order to learn the structured or established subjects. There were two main teacher functions according to John Dewey. First, the teacher must guide the young learner through life complexities and give them opportunities to learn in the natural way by means of solving relevant problems. Second, a teacher must also enable the young learner to adequately cope with contemporary conditions and the new tasks, which an unforeseeable future may bring. In Dewey’s type â€Å"classroom,† the teachers should plan its lessons in order to arouse students’ curiosity and push them to a higher level of knowledge thus encourage them to learn by doing and to interact with one another, and develop cooperation and tolerance as a virtue. Also, they are encouraged to solve problems on a variety of actual situations which they may encounter outside the four walls of the classroom and in the process develop flexibility in problem solving as well as in acquiring needed tools necessary for adulthood (Wells, 2006). Progressivists’ Dewey according to Wells (2006) believes that this approach to education is a perpetually enriching process of ongoing growth. The critical thinking skills development can be best achieved through soliciting queries from students. In a progressive classroom, the teacher creates practical activities that would guide the students through problem solving and show its relevance to their lives outside of the classroom. Wells (2006) also states that these teaching methods also include guided discovery and hands-on learning. She stated that not only do the students discuss what they are learning, but they also experience it through role-playing. Finally, according to Wells (2006), the progressivist teacher believes that in â€Å"hands-on† approach, children will learn better. Dewey (1938) in Flanagan (1994) wrote that teacher’s school presence as community member was to select the influences that will affect the young learner and to assist them in the appropriate responses to the given influences and not to impose upon them certain ideas or to form certain habits. Further, the teacher’s business is simply to determine, on the basis of varied experiences and sound wisdom, how the disciplines of life shall develop the personality of the child. According to Dewey (1938) it is the primordial obligation of an educator to comprehensively understand the nature of human experiences otherwise they will fail in their responses to young learners. In Neil (2005), it was stated that experience arises from the interaction of two principles — continuity and interaction as conceptualized by Dewey. In sum, individual’s present experience is a function of the interaction between one’s past experiences and the present situation. Finally, an environment full of socially-interacting relationships coupled with relevance and responsive to young child’s needs is the key to learning. The students, in this type of environment, create relationship between their classmates, friends or between them and their teachers thus facilitate their learning. These relationships make the children more comfortable and safe and in return they receive good learning needed in their lives. References: Campbell, J. (1995) Understanding john dewey. Nature and co-operative intelligence, Chicago: Open Court. Dewey, J. (1938) Experience and education, New York: Collier Books. Dewey, J. (1938/1997). Experience and education. Macmillan. Flanagan, F. (1994). John Dewey. The great educators,’ First series. Minerva – An Internet Journal of Philosophy. Volume 1. Retrieved March 15, 2006, from http://www. ul. ie/~philos/vol1/index. html Neill, J (2005). 500 Word summary of dewey’s â€Å"experience & education. † Retrieved March 15, 2006, from http://www. wilderdom. com/ experiential/SummaryJohnDeweyExperienceEducation. html Sidorsky, D. (1997). John dewey: the essential writings. New York: Harper and Row, 1977. Wells, C. (2006). My teaching philosophy. Retreived March 15, 2006, from www. webpages. csus. edu/~sac40265/teaching. htm.

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery - Essay Example Undoubtedly, Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the most prominent and remarkable president in the America’s history. He lived between February 12, 1809 and April 15, 1865. He was the 16th president of the United States. He served as president from March 1861 until 1865 when he was assassinated. The reason why he is considered the most important president in America’s history is the fact that he led the country through major military, moral, and constitutional crisis - the American Civil War. During his presidency period through this crisis, he was able to end slavery, promote financial and economic modernization, and preserve the Union. 1 Lincoln was brought up in a poor family after his father, Thomas Lincoln, had lost his land through court cases, having been accused of possessing property titles which were faulty. Lincoln, therefore, did not enjoy most of the luxuries that were enjoyed by children from relatively rich family; luxuries such as quality education, go od-conditioned housing, and descent meals among others. Regarding Lincoln’s education, it is approximated that he spent only one-year worth of classes in his formal elementary; most of education he received from various itinerant teachers. It is worth pointing out that he was an avid reader and he acquired most of his knowledge through self-education.2 He eventually became a country lawyer, legislator of Illinois State, and the US House of Representatives member for one term, but he failed twice in his attempt to capture US Senate seat. Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842 and got two children, namely Robert and Edward. His political career began on March 1832 with his first campaign for a post in the Illinois General Assembly. Lincoln had professed in 1861 that he had been a steadfast Whig; Whig was a party that subscribed to the ideas of espoused urbanization, protective tariffs in order to fund internal developments, and economic modernization. His beliefs in Whig ’s ideology informed most of his political decisions especially concerning America’s economic growth and development.3 Besides, he favoured unification of the US nation and opposed slavery and its expansion in the US. Therefore, the questions of how and why Lincoln’s ideas about slavery evolved are considered in this paper; besides, it tackles his ideas about Blacks and the institution of slavery. It seems to nearly every person who knows about Abraham Lincoln that his belief on slavery and race was well-defined and firm. It is a well-documented fact that Lincoln was against slavery and racism in period prior to his presidency and after. However, what still puzzles historians, political scientists, and other individuals concerned with Lincoln’s history and issues to do with slavery is whether his fight against the aforementioned issues was because of him being a politician or a leader. Until 1850s, slavery was legal in the southern US but had been outlawe d in the northern states like Illinois. Lincoln was opposed to slavery and its spread, especially to the new territory of western states. As a young person, Lincoln had little knowledge on slavery that was dominant in the south because he had seen little of it as a child. As he grew older, his stance on slavery developed because of what he witnessed and experienced. Lincoln’s marriage to Mary Told contributed greatly to his developed stance on the slavery issue since Mary had had first-hand contact with slavery as she came from a slave- owning family; she, therefore, narrated to him slavery stories.4 In addition, having had a career as an attorney provided him with experience on slavery issue.5 He handled several slavery cases, the most notable being Bailey v. Cromwell and Matson

ISMG 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

ISMG 3000 - Essay Example Debbi’s passionate zeal for baking and Randy’s business sense was complementary for starting a successful business. Hence, Debbi and Randy would seem to have reasonable future for each other. Debbi’s cookies were very much in demand amongst Randy’s clients which inspired Debbi to start an independent business of selling cookies. Debbi had confidence on her expertise in making mouth watering cookies which had always been very popular amongst her relatives. She was therefore able to convince her husband, Randy for starting a cookie business. Her main goal was to bake great cookies and make customers feel good. Thus, it was important for her to create an ambience of caring that would attract customers and provide them with quality cookies to make them feel good. On the other hand, Randy’s goal was to develop an enviable corporate structure with state of the art information technology that would help run the various operations smoothly. His goal was to exploit technology to optimize information flow within and across stores so that effective decision making could be based on informed choice. He strongly believed that machines must relieve people of mundane task and make them free to exploit their creativity in ways that would benefit the business like selling cookies directly to customers and giving personal touch. Debbi was in dilemma while opening her second store of Mrs. Fields’ Cookies. She loved baking cookies and strongly believed that personal involvement was an important part of running successful cookie business. She was afraid of delegating and thought that it might lower the quality of her cookies and most importantly, she would not be able to interact with her customers. Thus, the dilemma was genuine as she could not be in both the places at the same time. Her management style was fundamentally based on the simple principle that if one believes in something, one would be more convincing. Hence,

Fire Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fire Protection - Essay Example After mixing with water, the fluid is poured where hydration hardens the concrete within the desired shape. It is used in constructing roads, pavements, foundations, poles, blocks walls, structures, parking, bridges, underpass, etc. In either mode of construction, the most important aspect to keep in mind is fire resistance as after setting on fire the whole building can collapse. The best way is to keep the building airy and using non-combustible material (tiles of clay or slate, cement and concrete mixture, etc) in ceilings/roofs (Avillo, 2002). For windows smaller pane and double or tempered pane glass is preferred while skylights must not be made of flaming material. Firewalls, rated wall to resist fire, can be constructed to avoid the spread of fire. It slow downs the movement of fire from one side to another by separating the building into different fire areas. Constructing a project on large scale involves a number of tasks. Mixture of cement and concrete can be used to reinforce the infrastructure to increase its durability where inflammable material must be avoided for walls and roofs. There should be fire exits and firewalls to keep the burning area separate from the safe compartments.

Bilingual Education for Americans Research Paper

Bilingual Education for Americans - Research Paper Example In the United States, Bilingual education focuses on the learners of English. The United States Department of Education notes that a bilingual educational program is an education program for limited English proficient students (ed.gov/). It is this definition that has remained in the federal government but there are several areas where it has fallen out of favor. This is because such a definition more or less shows that the student needs or requires support in the English language for him or her to succeed academically. In almost all, if not in all the states, there is a general feeling by the groups pushing for bilingual education system that it does not help to have this idea and they also do not find a justification for such a definition. History has it that the earliest instance of bilingual education in the United States occurred with the immigrants from Poland who first permanently settled in an English speaking area of Virginia. At this time it was only the rights of the Engli sh people that were recognized. It was as a result of the need that the English had for the skills of the Poles that got similar rights to the Englishmen and managed to establish a bilingual school (Seidner, p.72). In this school, the subjects were taught in both Polish and English, and this continued in other places in one form or system or another. It expanded to Native Americas, the Dutch, the Czech, the Germans, French, Spanish and Norwegians in the century that followed. Several states developed laws to address this issue depending on the demands of the foreigners. There are groups that believe that a bilingual education should be necessary, even if temporarily so as not to discriminate against foreign-born students, or bring them up to speed. On the other hand, there those who claim that English should be the national language, and until every student is proficient in English, the fact that they have the ability to speak another language hinders their development in the Englis h language and slows down the overall process of learning in America. Although most initiatives against bilingual education have always had a majority lead when it comes to this issue, I hold the opinion that the world has become a global village. As such, I believe that a bilingual education should be mandatory for Americans, starting in Elementary school, through secondary school and even in the collegiate levels as the need may require. This position is highly based on the fact the number of immigrants whose children are at the age of attending school but speak very little or no English, are denied the benefits of being able to attend school at the appropriate age. In most cases there is usually a sort of remedial classes that they have to attend where they are taught only English before they get the opportunity to become part and parcel of the main school curriculum. In a system of Bilingual education, the necessity of such classes would not be fundamental and the children will be able to learn without any regard of the language that they speak at home or with which they grew up. This is because the curriculum would include their language too. The Advantages of Having a Bilingual Education System They hold the opinion that it does not help to keep non-English speaking children out school for them to master the English langu

Final work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final work - Essay Example We detail phonemic inventories, phonotactics, Inflectional morphology and simple sentences in the language studied. We also discuss about pragmatics of wordplay and question formation strategies. The language chosen here is called Pitjantjatjara. It is from central Australia and it is a dialect of the Western Desert Language (Andrew).this is because of its interestingness and its similarity to my language Sei. My consonant inventory consist bilabial, labiodental, alveolar, retroflex, palatal, velar, uvular, and glottal. There is Glottal, Uvular and Labiodental in my language which are not there in Pitjantjatjara. However both Pitjantjatjara and Sei do have Plosives, Nasals and Bilabials. It has 20 constants, 20 vowels from front to back and from close to open. In â€Å"sei†, onsets are required and complex onset are allowed. For instance, the word [Ê‹É ¸y], which means water in English can be CCV and CC is the onset is the nucleus. In this case complex onsets are allowed in â€Å"sei†. Polar questions are the questions want more complex answers other than yes or no. Content questions are the questions that use â€Å"what† to ask the question (Bischoff and Fountain). In my language, polar questions are similar to those in English. However, content questions in my language we put â€Å"what† in front of the sentence instead of the beginning. For example: In this paper my goal was to understand linguistics and I have focused on the key aspects of linguistics. I have focused on the sound system, morphology and syntax and question formation and pragmatics. From these chapters I feel I know linguistics and I realize that every language is dynamic and

Collective memory and Public Discourse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Collective memory and Public Discourse - Essay Example The foundation of Christian faith is based on the existence of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was sent to save the world from sin by dying on the cross and rising from the dead after three days. Christ's resurrection gives assurance of a life after death and through faith with Jesus salvation is assured among his faithful followers. These concepts are supported by a known document called Scriptures, obtained from archeological explorations and other preserved documents, and other non-written accounts they refer to as traditions. Much of the information concerning Jesus, however, can be obtained from the New Testament, which is the second part of the Bible and covers the times after the death and believed resurrection of Jesus Christ. But varying interpretations of these writing and traditions led to new ideas and concepts as society evolved and created variations in the Christian faith the leads to creation of several branches. Today, the Christian faith has several subdivisions each one having created within an understanding and ideals based from Scriptures, from tradition, or both. In general the foundation of every group of Christians are based on strong faith which emanated from a concept or inspiration developed by a charismatic leadership and then later evolved into an organized society congregated by those who accepted the ideals presented. Christian organizations presently recorded include: The Amish, Baptist churches, Church of England, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church of Scotland, Eastern Orthodox Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodist Church, Pentecostalism, Roman Catholic Church, and Seventh-day Adventists among others. Within these major denominations are a lot of variations that existed and spread throughout the world. The Roman Catholics The largest among the subdivisions of Christianity is the Roman Catholicism (BBC) who claimed to be the first of the Christian religions and from which other groups sprung off. Its history can be traced back to as far as 2000 years back. The church was based in Rome headed by the Pope who was claimed to be the successor of Peter who in turn was the first head of the Christian Church instituted by Jesus Christ himself. The doctrines of the Catholics are unique in the sense that it considers both the scriptures and the church own traditions. Issues of Protestantism Belief in traditions, among others such as the control of the Pope over the church, the increased devotion to Mary, Christmas, Easter, the Rosary, the Idols, and others are common point of divergence of other Christian denominations that believed the "scriptures alone" as the source of inspirations, guidelines, and rules in following God. Among these groups who questioned traditions are the contemporary evangelical churches that emerged in the early 17th century and onwards. Today, a public discourse is raging over the use of corruptible collective memory-based traditions as against a written document alone as the basis of faith and social practices in Christian organizations. Critics to the Catholic practice argued that traditions are not reliable social guidelines to followers of Christ for they do not qualify to be divinely inspired. They pushed the idea of "Sola Scriptura" or the scripture alone as the source of divine revelation.

How Should the US Address the Issue of Iran's Aspirations of Becoming Term Paper

How Should the US Address the Issue of Iran's Aspirations of Becoming a Nuclear Power - Term Paper Example Its ability to advance this agenda comes from international and regional developments, such as the end of the Soviet Union in the year 1991, stopping of the war between Iraq and Iran in the year 1988 and the fall of Saddam’s regime in Iraq. In this regard, the fuel bank theory will also be discussed in details. Moreover, the paper analyses the Iranian nuclear danger from a historical and decision making point of view. A theoretical framework for dealing with the Iran’s nuclear power situation is provided. It is explicitly clear that Iran’s desire for regional supremacy is as a result of it large territory, its significant geographical location, its large population, natural resources, contributions to human culture, status within the Islamic community and its military power (Ridgeon 37). Historical background In the recent years, Iran’s desire of becoming a nuclear society has attracted attention from the entire world. Many leaders globally have opposed th e Iran’s nuclear programs even though they claim it’s for peaceful use only. According to Iran, they wish to have the capacity to create material for research and power facilities. To a certain extend this argument is reasonable if at all there is inspection and accountability carried out regularly. The fuel bank theory is intended to offer assurances to third world countries and the world in general that reactor fuel suppliers can be relied on without fear of being manipulated politically. According to this theory, the underlying principle of guaranteeing suppliers for nuclear fuel is to develop original uranium enrichment capabilities. By doing this, countries will be put closer to the difficulty of defining threshold between weapons applications and peaceful uses. Despite opposition from world leaders such as the US president, Iran continues to gain equipments that can give them the ability to create nuclear weapons. It has also blocked all efforts to scrutinize the ir facilities (Landau 78). Iran’s aspirations for becoming a nuclear power began in the year 1974 (Berman 85). At this time, Siemens Kraftwerk Union (KWU) from Germany had secured a contract to put up two turnkey pressurized water reactors. The construction work started in the year 1975 and was scheduled to end in 1981. Shortly after Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the contract was cancelled then restarted after a few years. When the war between Iran and Iraq started, KWU abandoned the project. Russia accepted to take over the contract from KWU in the year 1992. Their construction work began in the year 1995. Moscow later on deserted completion work to propose a new design thus restarting the whole project from the scratch. The project was also interrupted in the year 1998 when the US pressurized Ukraine to renege on its subcontract to supply turbine generators to Bushehr (Podeh 72). The construction plans have continued despite of significant delays on several occasions. R ussia has insisted that it is just fulfilling its obligation to provide nuclear technology that is peaceful to non nuclear signatories. Iran is an oil rich country and for it to build a nuclear power reactor leaves many world leaders worried. Iran recently installed advanced centrifuges near the city of Qom with an aim of cutting uranium enrichment time. The concept of fuel bank has considerable support internationally but does not enjoy universal agreement. Some supporters feel that the bank’

Scarus opinion of Antony Essay Example for Free

Scarus opinion of Antony Essay Scarus explains that Antony left in the height of the battle to chase after Cleopatra. Scarus opinion of Antony is now that of a coward, we know this because he calls him a mallard; this is a wild duck that chases after the female, who in this case is Antony is going after Cleopatra.  Scarus then goes on to say that he had never seen such shame, which surprises him because it came from Antony, who has been described as a triple-pillar of the world. This is very significant because Antony shows how much love he has for Cleopatra. The fact that he would flea a battle at it most significant stage, to risk being called a coward, shows just how much he loves Cleopatra. And also, that he would leave a battle, and risk it being lost, just so he could go after Cleopatra, this shows how loyal he has become to both Cleopatra and Egypt.  Scarus says that the experience of great wars and battles, a mans pride and honour and a mans manhood, had never been violated in such a way before. The fact that he would leave a battle which Rome is fighting, a place that means so much to him, to chase after a woman, is so out of character, this shows his once great love for Rome is now a low priority compared to Cleopatra. Octavia, who is Antonys wife, is another main character of the play. She is associated with gentle, natural phenomena, which means crying in the play. It is also clear that Octavia highlights the nature and importance of the argument between Caesar. As Octavia is Antonys wife and naturally sees her goodness.  Also, Agrippa has an opinion of Octavia; it is that because she is so beautiful and elegant, she has managed to attract the best possible man. Agrippa also says:  Whose virtue and general graces speak.  Agrippa is saying that Octavia has qualities and virtues which no other woman has. Enobarbus also has an opinion of Octavia, he says;  Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still conversation.  He is saying that Octavia is boring and religious, which Enobarbus sees as being a downside to her personality. He says that she has still conversations, which means that she is quiet and does not speak much to others. Antony calls Octavia a swansdown feather, he is trying to imply that Octavia is like a feather on a river, and can not decide upon which way to go. Antony means that Octavia is weak against himself and she will agree or do anything that Antony says.  It is clear from Shakespeares play, that there are many opinions of Antony, some of which are good and in his favour and others that are bad and against him. However, there are characters in the play that have in one scene said nothing but good comments and later on in the play, say nothing but bad remarks about Antony, it may not always be clear what causes the characters to change their opinion, but it usually has something to do with Antonys love for Cleopatra. It is obvious that Antony is an excellent soldier and Roman, especially when it comes to wars and battles. But, when it comes to deciding upon Rome or his love life, he is not so certain, and is usually disliked for his decision by his fellow Roman soldiers.  Discuss the Importance of the Comments Made By Other Characters in the Presentation of Antony

Kaposi’s Sarcoma: Insights into its Understanding

Kaposi’s Sarcoma: Insights into its Understanding Abstract Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS) is a common vascular tumor arising in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients and is one of the 27 conditions designated by the Centers for Disease Control as an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) defining illness. Human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8), now called Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV), is a member of ÃŽ ³ herpes virus family and is considered to be the causative agent of KS. This review aims to discuss KS and its association with HIV/AIDS with an emphasis on oral features, the role of HHV-8/KSHV in causation of KS, and the current challenges faced in management of the disease. Key words: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, human herpes virus-8, Kaposi’s sarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus Introduction In 1869, Helmut Kobner, a German physician, appears to have been the first to describe cases of metastatic cutaneous sarcoma. In 1872, the Hungarian physician, Moricz Kaposi, described an idiopathic, multipigmented, tumor-like lesion of the skin that eventually was named Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS).1,2 During the 19th century, KS was considered a rare disease and by the early 20th century, an increased incidence was suggested.2,3 KS is now a common vascular tumor arising in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients, and is one of the 27 conditions designated by the Centers for Disease Control as an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) defining illness.2,4 Human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8), also called Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV), a member of ÃŽ ³ herpes virus family, is considered to be the causative agent of KS.5 Clinical Features Based on epidemiology and demographics, there are four variants of KS: 1) Classic KS that is relatively benign and predominantly occurs in elderly men of Mediterranean, Eastern European, or Middle Eastern descent with a median age of > 70 years; 2) an Endemic or â€Å"African† form of KS that also occurs predominantly in men at a ratio of 3:1 with a peak median age of 35 to 39 years; 3) Iatrogenic or Post-transplant KS that may occur in HIV-seronegative immunocompromised individuals, long term users of steroids and cytotoxic drugs, and individuals with autoimmune disorders; and 4) AIDS-associated KS. Although the four variants of KS are distinctive, they share similar clinical and histologic features, suggestive of common pathogenesis.5 In contrast to classic KS, which is often limited to the extremities, AIDS-associated KS frequently involves the muco-cutaneous regions of the head and neck as primary sites, and visceral involvement is also present.6 Muco-cutaneous lesions of the head and neck region, occur in estimated 10% of AIDS patients.7 The oral cavity is frequently involved with the hard and soft palate, gingiva, and tongue being the most common sites.8,9 The prevalence of oral KS varies from 0-12% in Africa, and from 0-38% in United States and Europe.10,11 A high prevalence of oral KS was demonstrated in 18.6% of a group of HIV-infected patients in Zimbabwe. Since the advent of AIDS, KS has become more frequent in both the genders, the male to female ratio changing from 19:1 to 7:1, particularly in East Africa.12 On the basis of clinical appearance, AIDS-associated KS is classified into six major overlapping types: patch, plaque, nodular, telangiectatic, infiltrative, and florid.1,3,13,14 Oral lesions appear as red to purple macules, papules, or nodules that may ulcerate and cause local destruction.9,15 Although the clinical behavior of AIDS-associated oral KS is rather unpredictable, majority of the cases represent aggressive disease and have associated disseminated cutaneous and visceral lesions.16 Slow growing oral tumors are generally associated with patients who have no additional complicating opportunistic infections.17 Differential Diagnosis Early lesions of KS may be difficult to distinguish from ecchymoses, nevi, dermatofibroma, and lichen planus.18 Nodular or plaque like lesions overlying mucosa should be biopsied to rule out bacillary angiomatosis, hemangioma, pyogenic granuloma, angiosarcoma, or lymphangiosarcoma.18,19 Histopathology The cellular origin of KS is difficult to determine as lesions typically exhibit multiple cell types. The tumor is mainly composed of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells and spindle-shaped cells.20-23 The spindle cells, considered the tumor element, are of mesenchymal origin and have features that resemble both endothelial and smooth muscle cells.22,23 The tumor cells may be derived from cells of either lymphatic or venous differentiation.17,22 Also, biopsies of KS feature numerous slit like vascular channels and may present extravasation of erythrocytes, hemosiderophages, eosinophilic hyaline inclusions, and inflammatory infiltrate.9,20,21 The histogenesis of the spindle cell component, believed to be the KS tumor cell, remains controversial; although many studies favor an endothelial cell origin.22-24 Another highly debatable issue is whether KS is a clonal â€Å"neoplastic† lesion, or whether it is â€Å"reactive† and polyclonal. Most of the evidence suggests that many KS lesions are hyperplastic and polyclonal in nature, but that either these lesions contain a small proportion of clonal, neoplastic tumor cells that are difficult to identify and culture, or some of these polyclonal lesions may undergo full transformation during disease progression, probably when an actively proliferating cell acquires genetic alterations that provide a selective advantage, leading to the emergence of a truly neoplastic clone in the minority of cases of KS.24 Role of HHV-8/KSHV HIV Multiple agents, including cytomegalo virus, hepatitis-B virus, human herpes virus-6, HIV, and Mycoplasma penetrans, have been suspected in the past as causing KS; but none of these have been clearly shown to present in most cases and to have a causal association with KS.24 Thus, although an infectious origin has long been suspected, it was only in 1994 that HHV-8/KSHV was first detected in KS specimens.25 KSHV is now considered the causative agent of AIDS-associated, classic, endemic, and iatrogenic KS. In addition, it is also believed to be the causative agent of primary effusion lymphomas (body cavity based lymphomas),26 multicentric Castlemans disease,26,27 and possibly oral plasmablastic lymphomas.28 Serological studies have indicated that unlike other human herpes viruses, KSHV is not ubiquitous.26 The seroprevalence of KSHV is low in the United States and parts of Europe (ranging from 0 to 20%), rising in Mediterranean countries to reach levels greater than 50% in some geographic regions of Africa.12 In North America and Europe, primary infection with KSHV mainly occurs among adult homosexual men and is transmitted principally via sexual contact; the KSHV seroprevalence being associated with the number of sexual partners and sexual practices.12,26 Transmission of KSHV via saliva has also been documented.29 In African populations, KSHV infection seems to occur largely before puberty through casual family and community contacts; oral secretions being a potential vehicle of non-sexual horizontal spread; vertical transmission of KSHV being insignificant.12,26 A recent study conducted in Malawi, Africa, has also shown that, apparently, healthy people in regions where KSHV is endemic can be infected by multiple strains.30 However, it is still unclear if this reflects a simultaneous co-infection by several KSHV strains, reactivation of latent strains, or super infection.30 KSHV is lymphotropic and is more closely related to Epstein-Barr virus and herpes virus saimiri than to other herpes viruses.5,27 The KSHV genome contains several genes related to cellular genes involved in cell proliferation and host responses that probably contribute to viral pathogenesis.26,31 The pathogenesis of AIDS-associated KS is multifactorial and involves KSHV, altered expression and response to cytokines, and stimulation of KS growth by HIV trans-activation protein (tat).32,33 KSHV is a necessary, but solely not a sufficient cause of KS.34 It encodes protein homologues of interleukin-6, chemokines of the macrophage inflammatory protein family, cell cycle regulators of the cyclin family, and anti-apoptotic genes of the bcl-2 family.26 The HIV tat protein can promote the growth of spindle cells of endothelial origin, but only in presence of inflammatory cytokines.32,33 The synergistic relationship between inflammatory cytokines and HIV tat protein, when combined with the immunosuppression associated with AIDS, may provide an explanation for aggressive nature of AIDS-associated KS compared to relatively non-aggressive, classic Mediterranean form in which the HIV tat protein does not play a role.33 The sequence of events creating the inflammatory angiogenic environment has been described by Dezube 33 as follows: 1) circulating KS progenitor cells and cells latently infected with KSHV seek sites of pre-existing inflammation; in the case of oral KS, pre-existing inflammation may include acute and/or chronic periodontal disease sites; 2) exposure to inflammatory cytokines such as interferon-ÃŽ ± (IFN-ÃŽ ±) results in differentiation of latently infected cells into KS-like spindle cells and induces KSHV reactivation; 3) reactivation of KSHV leads to expression of potentially pathogenic genes such as viral interleukin-6 that in turn, can activate vascular endothelial growth factor and induce angiogenesis; 4) viral lytic replication in the same cells activates inflammation, which also may play a role in angiogenesis; 5) the creation of inflammatory-angiogenic environment increases the availability of infectable cells, i.e. endothelial and KS spindle cells, which are then included in the development of the lesion; 6) cells also become responsive to HIV tat protein; and 7) the HIV tat protein augments the inflammatory-angiogenic state by the increasing angiogenic activities of basic fibroblast growth factor, IFN-ÃŽ ±, and vascular endothelial growth factor by mimicking the effects of the external matrix proteins fibronectin and vitronectin and by increasing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases. Prognosis and Management The prognosis of patients with AIDS-associated KS is often related to factors other than the tumor burden itself. In 1989, the AIDS trial council group devised the TIS staging system, based upon the extent of tumor (T), the status of immune system in terms of CD4+ T-cell count (I), and the presence of other systemic HIV-related illness (S).12 At present there is no treatment for AIDS-associated KS. Treatment is thus directed towards the elimination, or at least reduction of cosmetically unacceptable lesions, pain, and edema, as well as the relief of symptoms caused by visceral involvement.33 Local therapy may be effective for limited disease, but systemic therapy is required for disseminated KS.33 Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is useful in the management of AIDS-associated KS, as it will reduce the HIV viral load and raise the CD4+ T-cell count, both of which contribute to the pathogenesis of KS. Recent reports have described a reduced incidence or regression of KS in HIV-infected individuals treated with HAART that includes at least one protease inhibitor. Both in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that protease inhibitors have a direct anti-angiogenic, anti-KS, and anti tumor activity at concentrations likely to be present in the blood of treated individuals. HAART causes fall in KSHV levels in the blood presumably because of a reduction in HIV proliferation, HIV/KSHV-mediated oncogenesis, and HIV-induced immunosuppresion.12 Older approaches of managing oral KS have included local irradiation, intralesional injections of vinblastine and 3% sodium tetradecyl sulphate, laser therapy, surgical excision, cytotoxic therapy with vinca alkaloids (vinblastine, vincristine, and vinorelbine), bleomycin, anthracyclines, paclitaxel, and liposomal anthracyclines. However, only five agents are commonly used for the treatment of KS: alitretinoin gel for topical therapy, and liposomal daunorubicin and oloxorubicin, paclitaxel, and IFN-ÃŽ ± for systemic therapy.12 The strong angiogenic component of KS makes it particularly suitable for treatment with drugs that act as anti-angiogenic agents such as thalidomide and newer agents such as matrix metalloproteinases and IM-862. Based upon the apoptotic and anti-proliferative activity of iron chelation on KS cells, it is also suggested that withdrawal strategies may be effective. Several retinoid compounds have also been tested in clinical trials for KS, with a response rate of 23-37%.12 Direct antiviral approaches targeting KSHV have been proposed. In vitro studies have shown that KSHV is very sensitive to cidofovir, moderately sensitive to ganciclovir and foscarnet, but only weakly sensitive to acyclovir. However, the efficacy of cidofovir in vivo has yet to be proven. IFN-ÃŽ ± may inhibit infection or reactivation by KSHV. Single agent therapy with IFN-ÃŽ ±, is associated with significant toxicity, but when in combination with anti retroviral agents it may have some application for disseminated, but non-rapidly progressive KS.12 Conclusions Studies pertaining to KS suggest epidemiologic patterns that are consistent with a sexually transmitted agent, before a viral agent HHV-8/KSHV was identified, and that it is strictly not an opportunistic infectious agent related to HIV/AIDS-associated KS. Immune suppression along with genetic and/or environmental factors may interplay in variable combinations in the eventual causation of KS. Currently, a wide array of treatment modalities for KS, are aimed at elimination of cosmetically unacceptable lesions, reduction of unsightly edema and lymphadenopathy, and to alleviate symptoms caused by systemic involvement.

Quick Death in The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Essay -- Franc

Quick Death in The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Ernest Hemingway created a masterpiece of mystery in his story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". The mystery does not reveal itself to the reader until the end of the story, yet it leaves a lot to the imagination. At the end of the story Margaret Macomber kills her husband by accident, in order to save him from being mauled by a large Buffalo while on a safari in Africa. The mystery is whether or not this killing was truly accidental, or intentional. If it was to be considered intentional, there would certainly have to be evidence in the story suggesting such, with a clear motive as well. What makes this mystery unique is that Hemingway gives the reader numerous instances that would lead the reader to devise an acceptable motive, yet human nature tells the reader that this killing could not have been intentional. From a purely objective analysis of the story, the reader would see far more evidence supporting the theory of an intentional killing rather than an accidental one .    The clues supporting the idea that Margaret killed Francis intentionally can best be seen when observing and studying the background information on both Francis Macomber, and Margaret herself. (Hemingway 1402). What is also important is that Margot and Francis have very different personalities. This is clearly seen when the narrator states, (Hemingway 1402).    With this small amount of background information, the true motive for an intentional killing can be found.   This can clearly be seen in the conversation of Francis Macomber after killing the buffalo when he states, (Hemingway 1408. "(Hemingway 1409). Robert Wilson, the guide on the... ... a man with values and feelings and morals; a man capable of living happily ever after, regardless of the span of his life. The character Francis Macomber, a wealthy American, and his wife, Margot, are on safari with their English guide, Robert Wilson. Macomber wounds a lion and runs away in fear. The guide is horrified at his bad sportsmanship Macomber redeems himself by killing a buffalo cleanly and bravely. he faces another buffalo, a charging, badly wounded bull. From the car where she has been watching, Margot takes aim and shoots at the charging buffalo, apparently to save her husband's life. Work Cited Hemingway, Ernest. "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." DiYanni, Robert. Literature: reading fiction, poetry, drama, and the essay. 3rd ed. Ed. Steve Pensinger and James R. Belser. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990.

Hawthorne: An Inescapable Burden :: essays research papers fc

An Inescapable Burden   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A young boy’s parents did not get the opportunity to attend college and they divorced when he was only seven. His father was addicted to crack cocaine and his mother began to sell herself as a source of income. He was tossed back and forth between the two houses and used as a way for the two parents to get back at each other. As a result, this boy grew up to be a criminal and was thrown in jail for selling drugs for his father. This life of crime and debauchery was all that he knew. He constantly paid for the mistakes of his parents and his parents’ parents. This is a common event that has taken place in human society throughout time. Nathaniel Hawthorne recognized the fact that people have the burden of constantly dealing with the shortcomings and lack of opportunity that come with many mistakes that parents make. This theme and realization of Hawthorne’s is a prevalent theme in many of his stories. This theme and idea that one must pay for the mistakes of his o r her forefathers is displayed not only in Hawthorne’s own history but in his stories â€Å"Dr. Rappacini’s Daughter,† â€Å"The Birthmark,† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hawthorne had a family history which he was personally ashamed of. He was born in Salem Massachusetts in 1804 with the emotional burden of having a great-great grandfather that was the judge that presided over the Salem witch trials (Gollin 1). This man wrongfully convicted many women that were put to death as a result of his conviction. The blood of these women was on his hands and it was probably the thought in Hawthorne‘s mind that his ancestor did the devil’s work . This family history is most prominently displayed in his story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† as Goodman faces similar internal conflict during his journey (Gray 90). Hawthorne thought that his sea captain father paid for these mistakes as he was killed on a voyage when Hawthorne was four years old (â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne† 259). Hawthorne could have conceived this idea directly from God’s own word. The Bible claims that God will inflict â€Å"punishment for their f ather’s wickedness on the children of those who hate [him] down to the third and fourth generation† (Exodus 20.5). Hawthorne’s own personal family history imbedded this theme in his own theologies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This theme is displayed in Hawthorne’s short story â€Å"Dr.

Character of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities :: Tale Two Cities Essays

Character of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities "A Tale of Two Cities," set in two European cities torn by war, Charles Dickens paradoxically introduces his story, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,...in short, the period was nothing like the present, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree for comparison only." In fact, the author negatively introduces specific characters, giving them an obscured identity. First portrayed as a shy, young man, Sydney Carton, constantly suffering debasing comments made by his ostensibly intelligent co-worker, seems unable to overcome his pre-determined life of unhappiness. Ironically, the `jackal' finally be gan to feel alive upon his choice to sacrifice his life to the Guillotine. Probably the most obvious character transformation was that of Sydney Carton as, ultimately, preconceived notions prove to have been deceiving, as the character began to exhibit another facet of true personality. Young Sydney Carton, associate of Mr. Stryver, appears quite glum upon his introduction at the `Old Bailey'. "Mr. Carton, who had so long sat looking at the ceiling of the court, changed neither in place nor his attitude, even in this excitement. This one man sat leaning back...his hands in his pockets, and his eyes on the ceiling as they had been all day. Something especially reckless in his demeanor, not only gave him a disreputable look, but so diminished the strong resemblance he undoubtedly bore to the prisoner." Due to being unsocial and pessimistic, Carton is familiar with leading a life of solitude. However, while his expression and attitude may have not allowed him to seem an observant man, he took in more of the details of the seen than he appear to take in. In fact, he was the first man to see Lucy Manette's head droop upon her father's breast.

Chilhood Memory

My Childhood Memory Have you ever had a flashback of a memory from when you were an infant? Or have you ever sat there and wished you were a little kid again? Well that happens to me all the time, and even it you don't remember it probably has happened to you. well I'm going to tell you about a childhood memory that Ive had I remember every Sunday would sit there with my father In the living room and watch scxcer, I was only about 6 years old, and I sat there for hours and watched team after team play.I never knew what was going on, but in some way tound it fascinating. Atter very goal, I'd scream at the top of my lungs out of excitement whoever my dad said was behind I would root for, I don't know why, but always liked the underdog. My father would always order pizza and wings after the first game ended. I was a little girl but that never stopped me from eating about wings and at least two slices of pilla, that was so much I felt Ilke my stomach was about to explode then had to clea n up the mess me and my dad made. ould then go into the living room to watch the end ot the second game. We then would always go get ice cream afterwards always got a chocolate milkshake, my dad got a scoop of vanilla on a ugar cone,

Lonrho Plc Essay

An evaluation of Lonrho’s corporate strategy should start from the two main key issues: in what businesses the firm should compete and how corporate headquarter should manage those businesses. Lonrho’s profile in 1996 included Agriculture, Sugar, General Trade, Hotels, Manufacturing, Mining&Refining and Motor&Equipment. The level of diversification was clearly high and the firm was pursuing a unrelated strategy, with less than 70% of revenues that came from the dominant business (Mining ) and without common links between businesses. The corporation was divided into country groups or related business lines and each division had a top manager whose responsibilities were similar to those of a group CEO. So the headquarter control of these groups was not very formal and all important decisions were in the hands of Rowland, that used to follow his strategies without consulting the board. Tiny Rowland wasn’t a pure manager but an entrepreneur interested in doing deals, so he made no efforts to share activities or to transfer core competences between different areas. The main interest was to find undervalued assets and try to make them profitable. Hence we can easily analyse the operational relatedness, since the firm didn’t share either primary or support activities. Corporate relatedness needs a deeper analysis. All these businesses seem to be related by Rowland’s huge experience in conducting affairs and by his effective skill in building relationships with African leaders, pursuing the policy of â€Å"investment in people†. But no more corporate-level competences were transferred among Lonrho’s assets, maybe because businesses were too different and Tiny did not want to move key people into new management positions. So from these evaluations, the natural conclusion is that Lonrho’s corporate strategy is an unrelated diversification. In my opinion the corporate level strategy in itself was good (exhibit 1 and 2: high revenues until 1991), but the way in which Rowland managed it was totally wrong. The main strength in its extreme diversification, was the reduction of the risk among the firm’s businesses. However, this is not enough to make the evaluation positive because there were also several negative aspects. Starting with corporate governance, the first big problem was the lack of power by board’s members: Tiny surrounded himself with â€Å"yes-men† and he, not the board, decided what to do in case of critical issues. So the entire conglomerate was managed by a man who used to define himself as an entrepreneur and not a manager. Besides the level of control was low, if we consider that Lonrho was a big and really complex company. Moreover, and here we have the second big problem, among Tiny’s investments, several ones defected in economic rationality. For instance, he became interested in trophy investments, only to gain prestige (that the company couldn’t exploit properly because corporate relatedness was low) although they may have been loss making. Finally, the firm was facing huge cash flow problems, due to large headquarters’ payroll, an inefficient dividend policy and Rowland’s excessive lifestyle. All these issues contributed to destroy the level of revenues and profits over the years and conducted to the only practicable way: an internal restructuring of assets. What future direction(s) should Lonrho take in terms of its corporate-level strategy? The two main options that Lonrho has for come out to the crisis are move in the direction of focusing the business, or continue as a conglomerate. Most important, the company must immediately start a corporate restructuring strategy. The main purpose should be the limitation of losses, instead of the value and profitability creation. Lonrho could pursue this restructuring strategy both in related business lines and in country groups. For related business lines, hotel and general trade segments were cyclical, capital intensive and they were performing below average, so the firm should try to sell its remaining assets to other companies. Regarding country groups, exhibit 2 shows that in United Kingdom, Europe and America, Lonrho was not doing well, so the board should find a way to leave these areas. With this easier structure, now the firm has to take a definite position. i) A business focusing means that Lonrho will concentrate only on one of the three businesses left. Sugar represented 6% of Lonrho revenues and 18% of operating profit in 1996, and despite low production costs and an access to a favourable mix of markets, this seems the most suitable for being abandoned, just because is the smallest asset in the company’s portfolio. Lonrho Africa is diversified both geographically and in business lines. With an operating profit of ? 52 millions, is a valuable segment, but with Tiny no longer in the picture, Lonrho do not have a real Africa specialist. Finally the mining segment is the most important asset for the firm, because represented 22% of 1996 revenue and 41% of operating profit. In my opinion, if the company has to make a choice, this could be the right market to sustain. Some investments are required for Ashanti Goldfields in Ghana and to improve the export capacity of Duiker mining subsidiary in South Africa. However, if Lonrho will be focused only on this business I think that it will have the types and levels of resources and capabilities needed. Nevertheless I do not think that this corporate strategy is the best. This strategy is mainly concerned with making choices among the last two alternatives. So the corporation would be constrained to relinquish the enormous promise of African continent, or the 41% of mining profit if it chooses to focus in Lonrho Africa. ii) The firm can continue as a conglomerate but for the reason said above, also in this case Lonrho should leave the sugar market. Now we have two businesses left and I would like to make a comparison with the Boston Consulting Group chart. With this corporate strategy, the firm could use mining as a â€Å"cash cow† market, trying to exploit the high percentage of the revenues that comes from the asset. Than it can use this cash flow in Lonrho Africa, a proper â€Å"star† market, with its enormous promise but also with a lot of investments needed. So with its management expertise, technical skills and a respected name, mixed with new financial resources, Lonrho could undertake some projects in Africa that few other firms could. I think that these are the right actions that the firm should take in term of corporate strategy.

Are students have changed Essay

Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. (Prensky,2001). Prensky further stated that children in the 21st century are classified as Net-gen, and digital-gen but the most useful description Prensky found for these children is Digital Natives. This is evident because in the 21st century children as young as three years are mastering the uses of computers, videogames, internets, tablets, mobile phones and other technological devices. According to Janssen (n.d) digital native is an individual who was born after the widespread adoption of digital technology. Technology is so advance and useful to students it seems like they get so addicted to it and felt like they can’t do without it and the other hand it helps students to improve in learning. Three changes that are seen with the first century learner regards to technology, they are more dependent on technology, misuse of information and unli mited thinking skills. Firstly, the internet is known as one of the greatest invention of modern age; a gateway that is magical to resources, information and communication unlike anything we previous dreamed of. It is claimed by many that it is the greatest single technological advance for education, as it opens opportunities for studying, learning and discovering. But as time goes by and the first generation of students grows up with modern internet technology from birth to teenage years, questions have been asking are children being dependent on technology. The internet provides students with  enormous advantage of a world of information at their finger tip. A single tap of the finger on the keyboard can deliver a hundred of articles under a second; far hours from when students would spend time spinning through library books and journals in days passed by. With the ease of access, the internet comes with disadvantages such as false and incorrect information that is easily distributed and can be difficult to trace sources and support the information. On, on the other side the volume of research materials online can make students to find information they need too easy, allowing them to compile these information by copying and pasting without understanding and analysing the information they are sifting through at all. While students from twent y years and beyond would have to read and absorb a huge amount of information such as putting together a report on tree frogs. These students have to use different sources for each part of the project; while on the other hand digital natives would discover everything needed to know by the internet site, picking up a little knowledge in the process. According to Jannsen (n.d) people believes that children who are digital natives think differently due to their early exposure to technology and have become accustom to using technology to solve the repetitive tasks that form the basis of traditional learning With the rise of different technology, and the fantastic way that produce communication from mobile phones to iPods to Skype and face book, modern students have become available to a wealth of education opportunities. Pupils from Jamaica can now hold an online debate with a class of their contemporaries in United States and others, interactive group webpage, class blogs, and programs that design interactive online animations which allowed educational communication to form. The reliance on the mobile phones and the laptops is taking toll on areas in education such as literacy and writing skills. This is said to be suffering as children write less and more text message expression take preference over their grammar. Also the suffering of simple communication skills and understanding of personal interaction as young people spend more time online communicating using their keyboards rather face to face contact. The reliance of such method for communication can cause students to form unhealthy relationships with others, concerned about critics that was said, and open up possibilities of cyber-bullying that is very dangerous and persecution of people online. Secondly, the expansion of the use and easy  availability of technology makes it easy for society to do negative activities that often violates the law. The main problems are the misuse of copyright, distribution of forbidden materials, violation of privacy or personal data and other serious activities. This activity can be seen in education field where the increase of plagiarism among students. Students can find information on the internet free and plagiarize other’s work whether if it is intentionally or without realising it. According to Lindemann C(2013) among students in grades 7-12, 21% have turned in a paper downloaded from the Internet. More than a third (38%) copied text from a website. The more students rely on the internet such as Google and Wikipedia answers to answer their home work questions, they are required to use less of their minds to come up with independent thoughts and opinions. Instead they simple click, copy and paste. Plagiarism is not the only way of cheating. The internet is not the only way; students can used other technology such as mp3 players, mobile phones, calculators and other technologies. In gaining information using phones this can be done by emails, texts, Bluetooth, as well as phone calls. According to Takahashi (2011) many educators perceive them a slacking more formal ICT skills. The availability and ease of use of technology makes cheating possible. The environment opens possibilities for academic dishonesty which can be difficult to discover. Students find simple and fast way to get through their studies, such way is to share materials, results, papers, information about exams. A majority of website offers a variety of finished work materials for essays, seminar papers, reports, and even degree works, answers to test for final exams in bachelor or master courses. These website are made for students to upload their work voluntary and the provider usually do not get benefit from the sites; while some sites will offer small benefit for uploading the work. Downloading the work can also be free without registration, if not unless the provider creates a user account or a fee. The reason why students plagiarize is the overload of information. The more information you have leads to the first step towards good school paper. Technology is used by teachers and professionals to increase the quality of leaning. The growth and progress in ICT changes education compare to decades ago and introduce methods that increase in students learning. From this students need to learn how to deal with information for assignments,  work tasks, research tasks and other information problems. Thirdly, technology affects students thinking skill. According to Wolpert S (2009) as technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declines, while our visual have improved. Thinking is the ability to reflect, draw on conclusions, knowledge, reason and insight. It is what makes students communicate, build, create and become civilized. Thinking is based from learning, observing, remembering, questioning, arguing, judging and others. The exposure of technology as changes learners. Because of students’ brain still developing and malleable, the exposure of technology causes digital natives brain to be wire in ways different from previous generation. Reading encouraged the brain to be focused and imaginative; but pleasure for reading has decline in young people which enhances thinking and creates imagination that visual media such as video games, television cannot. The using of visual media will allow students to process information better but most don’t allow students to get the time to reflect, analyze or imagine. Reading develops reflection, imagination, critical thinking as well as the development of vocabulary. Through reading, these skills are developed. Students today are more visual literacy and are less print literacy thus many students are not being seen reading often and reading for pleasure. Technology strengthens student’s ability to scan information quickly and efficiently. An impl ication for teaching and learning is that workshops or seminars should be implemented for teachers so that they receive training to know how to integrate the different types of technology into their lessons and make learning more engaging for students. As we know that student gravitates to technology and we are living in 21st century. Attending these workshops teachers are able to know more about each technology such as the usage, programs and others. They are able to monitor the technology by themselves and by doing so they are able to carry out the lesson effectively and stimulate children learning. One implication for policy makers is that in order for the teachers to integrate the technology in the classroom to meet the need of his students, firstly you should provide or equipped the schools with the necessary technology. Without these, teachers will unable to do so, which he or she wants to; so that her students can grasp the concepts well. For the school to be equipped policy makers should also develop an infrastructure to  place the technologies. Provide the necessary security and to eliminate outdated hardware and software and replace them with up to date as the years are passing by. â€Å"When technology integration in the classroom is seamless and thoughtful, students not only become more engaged, the y begin to take more control over their own learning†. (Hertz 2014). Technology integration is the use of technology in the classroom that helps to carry out learning concepts and to manage the class, such technology are computers, overhead projectors, digital cameras, internet, tape recorders, and CD-ROMs. Digital camera is a great application in the classroom as it allows collecting and documenting exciting events in the environment. Integrating digital camera properly can help to link lessons to student’s lives. For example class letter, development of stories and community based research. Cameras can be share between classes and capture images quickly and easily, in which pictures provide important context for children learning experience. Images that are culturally relevant can be a very powerful strategy for students to learn about their community. For example teaching about vocabulary, teachers can send students outdoor with the digital camera to take pictures of events, objects or actions that represent the vocabulary that was discussed . Students can be asked to write sentences or paragraph highlighting new vocabulary. Which is a very excited way for students to increase their vocabulary and become better readers; and teachers could give students the opportunity to take pictures of events or actions that reflect in a story that was read to them, downloading pictures from the computer then allowed children to write a sentence or paragraph about each picture. Having students to take pictures of the story event or action will help them to relate what they reading to their own lives in their community. Digital camera can be used to do storytelling which produces narrated short films using music, photos and voices. The grade 3 lesson â€Å"who are the people in my community†, students and teachers can take a walk within the community with the camera and take pictures of community helpers and write sentences about each role within the community. The teacher and students can produce their story by downloading the pictures on the computer using programs such as Photo-Story, Windows Movie Maker, Powe rPoint, that include narration for each. The tape recorder and boom box can be used to engage student and help save time. One activity for the whole class is teachers can use a student to  become the classroom DJ. Using a microphone, the student announces the topic of the day’s lesson. With a book in hand students can read along with their teacher during reading time. Students can even listen to a recording of their teacher who record the book tape before. The boom box can be used to create electronic portfolio that showcase student’s best work and the learning progress during a time period. By doing this teachers can record the students reading or thinking process when solving a problem, a video clip of his or her oral presentation and a CD with the child digital story. The tape recorder can be used to record student’s reading of a text at regular intervals which is assessed at each interval and strategies plan to improve the reading fluency. The overhead projector is a display system that is used to present images, videos, texts to students. It helps to carry out concepts and for students to grasp concepts by which it stimulates learning by watching videos, interactive games and retrieving texts which aid in the development of different learning styles such as audio and visual learners. The teacher faces the students while the notes that are prepared previously revealed. The lesson becomes engaging and students are attentive or focus and not only that but the teacher becomes more efficient by sharing and creating reusable work. . An example of how teachers can make the projector a part of her lesson is if a teacher is trying to bring across the lesson of the topic family to a grade two class, students will watch a video of the family then have a discussion with the teacher, from the video students will define the term family in their own words. Students will use family related terms seen in the video to write at least five sentences. The family related terms are like: grandmother, brother and sister. References Prensky M (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Retrieved February 19, 2014 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prens†¦igrants%2520-%2520Part1.pd Hertz MB (n.d) How to Integrate Technology Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation Wolpert S (2006) Is technology producing a decline in critical †¦ – UCLA Newsroom Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/is-†¦ducing-a-decline-79127.asp Lindemann C (2013) How to Stop the Plagiarism Plague | Education.com Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.education.com/magazine/articl†¦cle/stop-plagiarism-plague Janssen C (n.d) What is a Digital Native? – Definition from Techopedia Retrieved February 21, 2014 from www.techopedia.com/definition/28094/digital-native Takahashi (2011) Academia.edu | Documents in Digitalian – Academia.edu Retrieved February 23, 2014 from www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Digitalian

Guest Loyalty Programs

Implementing a Guest Loyalty Program is a form of building a loyal client base, and also enticing new guests to patronize a particular business establishment. The inclusion of Guest Loyalty Programs is part of managing a business establishment that aims to develop   sound and desirable relationships with its clients and take advantage of their worth for the business, such as added revenue. Primarily, Guest Loyalty Programs attract guests and encourages them to return for more offers and services. (Otwell & Davis, 2005) Moreover, guests who frequent business establishments are awarded benefits and advantages in order to show appreciation for their loyalty and patronage through the Loyalty Program Guest Loyalty Programs come in different forms. For instance, businesses allow guests who frequent their establishments to earn advantage points for their every visit in the establishment. These points allow them to redeem added services and offers that fit their most pressing needs. These benefits include for example health and relaxation services such as spa treatment services and a day at the gym programs for luxury hotels, food discounts, freebies and gift certificates for restaurants, etc. while others include complimentary full course meals of breakfast, lunch, or dinner buffets, etc. In order to gain a better understanding of Guest Loyalty Programs, several examples that are widely used at present in business establishments shall be compared and contrasted in the following paragraphs. Visible Results Limited has launched an innovation for the purpose of Loyalty Programs, called the Graphicardâ„ ¢. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is a form of a loyalty card the exceeds the standards of ordinary membership cards that we know of. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is digitized and it incorporates elements of technology that make it easier to use and track down accumulated points as well as the corresponding benefits that shall be granted to the client. For every transaction in the particular establishment that a client makes, it is reflected on the face of the card. Moreover, as the client accumulates more points, the benefits and advantages granted to him are also reflected on the face of the card. (Visible Results, 2006) The good thing about it is that it updates itself for every transaction, it shows value for every transaction that the client makes, it utilizes a pointing system that is needed to establishing the particular Loyalty Program, it is much more enticing than other Loyalty Programs because it employs high technology, which represents the current trend, and it also accumulates all the benefits and services that are incurred during a specific period of time, with the client’s continuous patronage. Another example of a Guest Loyalty Program is one that is employed by the Carnival Cruise Lines. It also implements subscriptions for a membership card called the â€Å"Platinum† card wherein a client gets to be a member of the â€Å"Carnival Concierge Club.† Upon membership, the client is automatically granted specific and identified benefits and services that he may enjoy while aboard the ship. Benefits and services include personalized club items such as stationeries, priority laundry services and dinner reservations, etc. (Carnival Cruise Lines, 2006) The similarity between the Graphicardâ„ ¢ and the loyalty program implemented by Carnival Cruise Lines is that they both grant benefits and services to their clients. However, the difference lies on how clients are included in the program and what benefits and services shall be granted to them. For instance, the Graphicardâ„ ¢ shall be given to clients and the benefits and services that they receive shall depend on how often they use the card. On the other hand, the loyalty program of Carnival Cruise Lines shall only be awarded to clients who have sailed with their ships for over ten times and the benefits and services that shall be granted to them is fixed and applies for all. Some industry best practices that businesses employ include personalized loyalty programs that allows clients to get involved with how they become members of loyalty programs (such as personalizing membership card themes and mode of payments, etc.), partnership marketing or an business establishment’s links to other establishments and organization in order to provide benefits and services for clients wherever they are, â€Å"green† marketing or a business establishment’s involvement with nature that allows him to establish a socially responsibly image and reputation,   and digitized types of membership. (Pearson, 2007) Business establishments are able to implement different types of guest loyalty programs. Rewards Loyalty Programs allow customers to earn points for their every transaction. Accumulated points are redeemed through rewards that the business establishment shall grant to their clients. Rebate Loyalty Programs provide for gift checks or cards that the client is able to redeem during the next transaction. Usually rebate checks and cards are granted to clients if they reach a certain amount throughout their course of spending within the business establishment. Loyalty Programs that show appreciation to the continued patronage of their clients are not granted in monetary form. They are usually non-monetary benefits and services such as complimentary meals in restaurants, room upgrades in hotels, etc. Partnership Loyalty Programs are benefits or services awarded to clients that are provided for by the business’ partner establishment. For valued guests who have proved their loyalty to the business establishment, the loyalty program by affinity is implemented, such that benefits and services are additions to preview rewards and bonuses. (Summers) Guest Loyalty Programs are successful if it encourages clients to purchase or patronize services and offers provided by a business establishment. After the client’s primary experience, he is convinced to return to the particular business establishment. Basically, loyalty programs are successful for the obvious facts that they attract many clients, not only to the point of attracting them but also in making them stay. Moreover, successful loyalty programs are those, which encourage clients to spend more, thus, increasing the revenue of the business establishment. (Customer Service Point) The advantages of employing different approaches in Guest Loyalty Programs is that it motivates clients who have already been a member long before, to learn more and explore about the new offerings of the business establishment. Moreover, innovations are appreciated by clients because of the efforts that business establishments do to satisfy their clients. Generally, people are always encourage to try things that are new to them, so introducing innovative loyalty programs shall motivate them to continue patronizing the services that business establishments provide. The disadvantage is that, perhaps, new members who have been part of the previous loyalty program might get discouraged if the system of gaining points and earning rewards, without having them to accumulate points in order to gain rewards, is changed ever so often. In addition, membership cards that are needed to be renewed for the changes in loyalty programs might become costly for clients who have to pay for the membership again. (De Weaver, 2002) References Carnival Cruise Lines. (2006). â€Å"Carnival Cruise Lines Rolls Out New Past Guest Loyalty Program.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Carnival Cruise Lines. Customer Service Point. (2008). â€Å"Loyalty Programs Characteristics.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Customer Service Point. Website: http://www.customerservicepoint.com/loyalty-programs-characteristics.html De Weaver, G. (2002). â€Å"The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Loyalty Programs.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from B&T Today. Website:   http://www.bandt.com.au/news/6a/0c010f6a.asp Otwell, K. & Davis, D. (2005). â€Å"Guest Loyalty Programs for the Vacation Rental Industry.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visual Data Systems. Website: http://www.vdsys.com/presentations/garezfest.pdf Pearson, B. â€Å"The Global Loyalty Infusion: Best Practices and Innovations Around the World.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Penton Media, Inc. Website: http://chiefmarketer.com/cm_report/global_loyalty_0211/index.html Summers, J. (2008). â€Å"Five Types of Loyalty Programs: Which is Right For You?† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Restaurant Coaching Solutions. Website: http://restaurantcoachingsolutions.com/five-types-of-loyalty-programs-which-is-right-for-you/ Visible Results. (2006). â€Å"Graphicardâ„ ¢.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visible Results Limited. Website: http://www.visibleresults.com/loyalty/graphicard.htm                  

Tasty Meals Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tasty Meals Ltd - Essay Example In these regards, investors worry that eventually severe regulations may be enacted against the company. In terms of ethical responsibility to labor rates, this is a complex issue, as one must consider that market forces in the Philippines have led to people in the region working for this rate; still, it ultimately seems that Tasty Meals Ltd. should take a more responsible approach to employee safety and broader human rights concerns. 2. To an extent Tasty Meals Ltd. should be held accountable for their high-calorie foods. When customers visit the restaurant, especially as these restaurants contain come-ons to children through toys, they expect a reasonable expectation of health and safety. While in a free market customers have unlimited options, this does not necessitate that organizations can completely neglect health. Ultimately it seems that at the least Tasty Meals Ltd. should provide healthy options on the menu for customers. 3. It is not reasonable to demand that Tasty Meals L td. give up disposable tableware and containers because it is unfriendly to the environment. It is the government’s responsibility to place regulations on the use of such materials. Still, the backlash the organization has received is a fair reflection from the public and constitutes a level of the invisible hand of the market regulating such unethical practices through a deterioration of image. 4. It is reasonable for Tasty Meals Ltd. to demand from their suppliers that they impose its code of conduct directives to the suppliers it works with. In terms of market considerations, it is possible that severe punitive fines be placed upon the organization for engaging in unsafe market considerations. In terms of ethical responsibilities, organizations have a utilitarian ethical responsibility to consider human rights concerns. Tasty Meals Ltd. has neglected this responsibility. 5. Overall Tasty Meals Ltd. has complied with corporate governance principles, as they have not broken any government laws. Still, this organization is by no means an ethical and socially responsible corporation. They have taken every opportunity provided to ignore human rights and health concerns as a means of achieving higher profits and market expansion. 6. I would believe that the proposed measures may be too stringent. Still, I recognize that a change must be made. While ethical and social concerns are important, the ultimate considerations are in terms of profits. It seems apparent that if the organization does not adopt a reasonable amount of these measures they will experience a public backlash that could cause a severe decline in profits. 7. I believe if Tasty Meals approved and implemented the proposals it could improve their profitability as it would improve their image in the public. It would also ensure that the organization does not face future fines from disregarding regulations. 8. I don’t think ethical and socially responsible business practices are always in conflict with profitability. To an extent I believe that ethical business practices are appreciated by the public and through aspects such as corporate image and branding pay dividends. One considers an organization such as Ben & Jerry’s that has made corporate responsibility a major aspect of their business. This organization has in-turn developed a strong and loyal customer base. While in some situations unethical practices increase profitability, this does not mean that social responsibility and profitability are always in conflict. 9. As a shareholder of Tasty Meals I would be greatly concerned about the company’s long-term sustainability. While they are currently operating within corporate governance, it’s clear that they are operating directly on the border. If government