Employee Dissatisfaction in the Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Employee Dissatisfaction in the Company - Essay Example An organization is also in need of the workers. They too realize that the employee who is working for them has a set of reasons to work. These reasons will defer from people to people. Each reason will determine the employee morale, motivation, and quality of life. Therefore, to create a positive impact and enhance expectations of their potential employees, organizations practice various exercises which include university drives, seminars, and creating assessment centers for the shortlisted students. Most organizations will achieve their objectives by the aforementioned exercises but that creates problems in the near future. Those expectations will be thrashed as the employee gets acquainted with the organization’s real culture. This is known as a breach of psychological contract. The term ‘psychological contract’ was initially used in the 1960s however; it gained popularity after the economic downturn in the early 1990s (Cranwell-Ward & Abbey, 2005). It has been defined as ‘perception of the two parties, the employee, and employer, of what their mutual responsibilities and obligations are towards each other.’ It encapsulates the expectations of both sides as to what each expects the employment contract to deliver. This contract is not formally written or signed but, they are formed by the unspoken act which has happened in the past, as well as from statements made by the employer (Petersitzke, 2009). They may be seen as ‘promises’ by some and ‘expectations’ by others. This is a high involvement mindset precisely for an employee. If these expectations are met, it will lead to an increased sense of happiness as well as the deliverance of real results. However, violation of the expectations will lead to feelings of betrayal, anger and wrongful harm arising from this realization. (Usman, Gary, & Filotheos, 2004) In our case, there has been a huge chunk of unmet expectations for the fresh graduates employed at the advertising agency. They went through a rigorous induction process which encompassed a 2-day assessment center along with a series of interviews and occasional visits to the client sites. Moreover, they met up with various senior staff members and interacted with them to gain knowledge about the organization’s culture. The lot of 225 about-to-be-qualified marketing and media graduates is reduced to 20 successful recruits. Sadly, the blooming picture of the advertising agency in the eyes of the employees was broken into pieces when the initial 6-months passed. They were engaged in trivial work which involved filling, answering telephone calls and doing emails. They were not given the opportunity to think creatively which was previously promised by the senior staff. There were no signs of training or development programs. On the whole, a breach of psychological contract took place. Employees were not motivated to work and a few of them started having days off. They felt that they have been cheated and deceived about the organization’s culture and values. This will eventually lead to high employee turnover.

Smoking and its effect on society Essay Example for Free

Smoking and its effect on society Essay Many people believe that they are in control of their own lives. They believe that their lives are based upon choices they make as individuals. For me on the other hand it is different. I have given my choice away. Throughout my entire life I have been waiting to attain a feeling of independence and a sense of power over my decisions. However, over the past couple years I have succeeded this power, this choice to an addiction that impacts individuals and families all over the world. In high school I was a three sport athlete whom had the opportunity to play at the college level in both soccer and basketball. But like I previously stated I gave my choice away when I began the treacherous addictive habit of smoking cigarettes. When I wake up every day I make a list of things I need to get done that day, I never write down smoke a cigarette but in the back of my mind there is always a plan for smoking a â€Å"bogie†. Imagine waking up every morning and needing a drink of anything you can get your hands on just so you can breathe. This is what I deal with on a daily basis. I am constantly thirsty, out of breathe, and congested. My day is run by when to smoke one. I have a cigarette when I wake up, drink coffee/red bull, after a meal, on the drive to class, on the drive home from class, while I’m doing homework, after sex, when I get bored, and before bed. I smoke a little more than ten cigarettes a day, so let’s do the math for how much I spend in a year for cigarettes. If we round it to half a pack a day, that means I smoke a pack of cigarettes in 2 days. If there are 365 in a year, that’s 182. 5 packs I smoke a year. In today’s economy cigarettes in New York go for $10 a pack, that’s the cheapest you can buy a single pack of Newport’s, which are my cigarette of choice. So if you multiply 182. 5 times 10, that’s $1825 a year I spend on cigarettes. To put this number in perspective for you, the tuition costs here at Clinton Community College for a full year is 3,960. So for one semester it’s $1,980. Essentially this means that if I wasn’t addicted to nicotine I could just about pay for a whole semester of college each year rather than buy 182. 5 packs of cigarettes. For now a pack every two days isn’t a death sentence, but if it’s one thing that is true about addictive habits it is that they only get worse. On this pace within years I could be gradually progressing my addiction to the point where I smoke a pack, maybe even two a day. At this point I struggle sometimes to even find the cash to get a pack, so I can only imagine the financial hardships that await me if my disease progresses. My finances aren’t the only part of my life that is impacted by my nicotine addiction, my health has also suffered an extreme amount. Throughout my whole life I have been the kid yelling one more; one more throw, one more kick, one more shot. Even though I have always dealt with a mild case of asthma, sensational has been the only word to describe my athletic performance between the lines on a field or court. My senior year in high school I ran a 5:40 mile, today I would be lucky to run for 5 straight minutes let alone almost complete a mile during it. Coming out of high school I was recruited by the Plattsburgh Men’s soccer coach to play center half back, which if you know anything about soccer is basically the position which requires the best athlete with the best conditioning on the entire team. In the spring of 2009 I tried my first cigarette. At first I hated it, made me cough, feel sick, and smelt horrible. But then I kept smoking them, soon I began to crave the high of smoking one. Whether it was morning, noon, or night when I wanted one I had to have it. Eventually the summer came and since I was recruited by SUNY Plattsburgh I was required to get myself in to tip top shape before I went up there for preseason. Instead I fed into my addiction and smoking cigarettes led to less energy, which led to partying more than I ever had my entire life. This new phase of my life where every other night there was a graduation party just furthered my habits. It was a phase that to this day I still believe opened doors I was never able to close. By the time preseason had come around I was in the worst shape id ever been in. There were certain expectations I was supposed to meet and I couldn’t have been further from that point. Instead of being a freshmen stud starting on a college soccer team, I became a reserve who could not even go on away trips with the team. My addiction of smoking not only took a toll on my health that year, but also my life. I had failed to meet one of the goals I had worked so hard for my entire life. At this point I came to a realization that cigarettes were my kryptonite, they made me weak and were slowly but surely killing me. A person who hasn’t dealt with addiction will say why don’t you just stop, it’s a choice just don’t do it. What these people don’t understand is that I not only don’t have a choice but I am not one bit in control of anything, nicotine owns me, runs me and fuels me. I am one of many Americans either directly or indirectly effected by smoking. Our society has been very progressive in encouraging people to refrain from smoking. The biggest weapon used is just flat out information. Just reading over these facts makes me want to throw my pack in the toilet as we speak. There are more than 4,800 chemicals in cigarette smoke, and 69 of them are known to cause cancer (Kenny, 2012). Also 90% off lung cancer deaths and 80-90% of emphysema and chronic bronchitis deaths are due to smoking (American Lung Association, 2014). Smoking decreases the life of the average male by 13 years (American Lung Association, 2014). The average male in the U. S. is expected to live until 77. By smoking my entire life I am decreasing my life expectancy from 77 years to 63 years, scary to think about. A scary fact to hear is about second hand smoke. Smoking at home, in your backyard, or alone in your car is one thing because it is mainly only effecting yourself. Smoking in public however is a whole separate issue. In one year there are approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers annually due to second hand smoke (Facts about Smoking and Tobacco Use, 2014). Those are people who die because of cigarette smoke and they aren’t even the ones smoking them, pretty cruel way to die. Smoking has greatly affected our society since the appearance of these statistics. Work places, public parks, and many other places have all out lawed smoking there, and if they haven’t outlawed it they have designated smoking areas away from the majority of people. Over the past 50 years our society has changed its perception of smoking. Years back the social structure of the world made it out to be a cool thing to do. If you didn’t smoke you were an outcaste, you would almost be looked down on. Back then it was a common thing to smoke in people’s homes, in movie theaters, even on planes and in restaurants. I can remember when I was a kid my family would go out to eat and we would have to say non-smoking section so we wouldn’t choke on our food while eating because of all the smoke. They used to promote smoking by having celebrities be their icons of the product to draw attention of the fans, or used mascots like a cowboy to signify manliness and strength, and some companies even stooped so low as to use animals as their mascots in order to make smoking friendlier towards children. Society truly does dictate what is considered a norm and what is considered to be irregular or strange. Today all of those things are illegal because a majority of the people believe those methods to be dishonorable and misguiding. The social structure of our society is constantly changing and maybe one day society as a whole will realize how harmful smoking is to the individual as well as the group and outlaw it completely. In this paper I have talked about my addiction to nicotine because it is a problem I deal with on a daily basis. This addiction of mine has effected many areas of my life including work, relationships, health, school, even self-esteem. Through writing this paper I have realized what a financial toll this habit has already taken on my wallet, thousands of dollars have been stolen from me by my addiction. In addition and more importantly, this addiction has already possibly taken years off of my life which is an eye opener that one cannot turn their back on. In conclusion smoking cigarettes has not only impacted my life, but is a nasty habit that effects the lives of individuals and families all over the world.

Study About The Micros Opera Reservation System

Study About The Micros Opera Reservation System Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is well known as an owner and operator of prestigious hotels in Asia and around the world. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Singapore is a global leader in terms of technology services provided as part of its first-class hospitality. Mandarin Oriental (1), it pays special attention to technologies because there guests demand the most advanced technology services at the hotel. The hotel is planning to introduce new functions in the future while keeping a close watch on the latest Information Technology trends. Mandarin oriental Singapore has the latest and the most advance information technology being used in the hotel industry. According to the study and the data gathered which was not an easy job and to clearly mention the proper information about the information technology being used by Mandarin Oriental hotel are Opera reservation system which helps Mandarin Oriental to have a competitive advantage because of its key features and help them to be a key player in the reservation system in the hotel and on the other hand Mandarin oriental is using Micros Point of sale which helps them to be very close to the customers as Point of sale offers a fully integrated solution for Restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Cafes with tools to help you focus more on customers and with technology, from table management through to fast cash transactions. The other information technology used by the hotel is Open Table Restaurant and Guest management software, Open Table lets us give customers the feeling that, these people know who I am and they care about what I want and what I like and dont like. The Open Table System really helps us because it allows us to track every customer that comes in. All these information technology used by Mandarin oriental helps them to have good competitive advantage and have a better customer oriented hotel and cater all the customers needs, using latest information technology. All the information gathered, the recommendation would be Micros Opera Reservation System as its the advance central reservation system and has lots of key features which make it to have a competitive advantage. 2. Introduction Mandarin Oriental Hotel is one of the leading five star brands well known for its prestigious hotel in Singapore and around the world. It offers personalized service which is based on two key features Legendary Service, and Sense of Place. Mandarin Oriental is also a technology leader in five star hospitality industries, with the latest information technologies to achieve a higher level of service. Mandarin Oriental (1). The goal of Mandarin oriental hotel is to completely delight and satisfy our guests, they are committed to making a difference every day; continually getting better and be the best. Mandarin Oriental (1), Keep the guest happy and satisfied by using the best information technology in the hotel service is the bars, restaurants, in room services, and check in and check out services, all to make guest feel at home, to provide a better deal of service and satisfaction by implementing latest information technology. Mandarin Oriental (1) Mandarin Oriental Hotel one of leaders in terms of information technology services. There are three kinds of information technology which we are focusing on which helps the hotel to have a competitive advantage. Opera reservation system used in checking in and checking out the guest even though this is advance system which helps to provide a better service to the guests, has its own key features which helps it to have competitive advantage. The restaurant (Dolce Vita) is using Micros Point of sale (POS) this technology helps the restaurant to run smooth and in an organized manner even helps them to focus more on customers and with technology. The other system which they are using is Open Table restaurant, this technology helps them to focus on the customers and their needs, demands. Its an Open Table restaurant and Guest management software. These kinds of technology helps to pay special attention towards the demands and needs, even though the guest may be from the financial or entertainment industry, as well as guests who are seeking leisure activities. What ever kind of guest all are looking for a better information technology service they can get. Micros Opera Reservation System (ORS) The Opera Reservation System (ORS) is one of the most advance reservation system which helps easy check in and check out of the guest. It is major technology used in front line of the hotel. ORS easily handles all types of reservations individual, group, party, company, travel agent, and waitlisted According to the research and study done these are the key features of Opera Reservation System. Opera (2) Global Perspective: Opera Reservation system supports all kinds of currency and different languages. Room rates and revenues can be easily converted from the local currency to any other currency to make it easy for the guest. ORS is able to support any language depends on the guest profile. All the information needed such as property, room rate can be displayed in different language. Automatic Rate and Inventory Controls: Opera reservation system lets you set up rate of an individual and for groups. Helps to control inventory and makes inventory management easy and this increases profit. Room rates can be generated on the percentage occupancy. Agents are allowed to use the hotel reservation system to access the best rates for the amount of length of stay order to increase property revenues. Full Reservation Functionality: When agents are making a booking on the Opera reservation system they can easily do multiple operations such as routing instruction, split charges, shared reservations, frequent flyer and loyalty program memberships, negotiated rates, and discounts. Deposit transactions are transferred to room. Efficient Searching: Opera reservation system helps to check for availability on other properties and other chain of hotel. ORS makes the search easier just with some criteria such as property name, location, package, attractions and attractions. Group and Block Features: Managing group and blocking reservations is easy in the Opera reservation system. Room blocking, rooming lists, room sharing, deposits, tour series are handled by Opera reservation system. Multi-Property Rate Display: Opera reservation system can show rates, room types, and packages for one property and for multiple properties at the same time agents can easily query for different dates when the requested dates are not available. Benefits: Easy to learn and user-friendly with a good search engine and helps to enhance revenue. Opera reservation system handles deposits and room blocking. Multi-Property itinerary reservations are handled easily. Global Distribution Interface: Opera reservation system can work together with GDS (Global Distribution System) interface that allows travel agencies to confirm bookings and send the information. These keys features help Opera reservation system to have competitive advantage and make it really advance software technology used in hotels. Disadvantages: Even though Opera Reservation System is one of the advance reservation system it still has its own draw back, while doing night audit ORS is bit slow. ORS can consume time doing the night audit on the other hand Fidelio is faster. Micros Point of Sale (POS) Point of sale is one of the best and better information technology solution which a restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Cafes can have and with tools to help you focus more on customers and with technology, from managing all the tables to fast transactions. Point of sale is helpful to your retail, bar, concierge and snack bars. Point of sale system software will help you to have a better level of control over your business operations, increasing efficiency, profits. Mandarin oriental restaurant are using the point of sale (Dolce Vita) POS (3) The most basic Point of sale system consists of: Computer Cash drawer Receipt printer Monitor Keyboard According to all the research and study done POS has its competitive advantage and key features which helps it to be a more efficient than cash register. POS (3) Requires little training time for the staff Full-colour touch screen provides fast and easy order entry and guest check features Built-in multi-language Personal IDs or magnetic cards, set to control access for people who can make changes quickly Restaurant managers can change menus and prices Add or edit employee information and perform other administrative functions. Quick and easy to install. Minimum disruption to your business flow. Reduces labor costs Prevents loss, Inaccurate orders, leading to waste and revenue loss, no order excepted until put in Micros POS. Eliminate manual errors and helps to see which person has done the mistake so next time he can fix the manual mistake. Serve guests effectively and therefore creates return customers. Allows you to make quick price changes and menu changes from any work station. Accepts major credit cards. Disadvantages: Micros Point of sale is one of the best information technology software, its really user friendly and easy to learn on the other hand it has its own drawbacks. Point of sale some time hangs the system so there is need to be restarting the system and takes time. Problem in reading damaged magnetic strips Some times not compatible to some debit cards even they are Visa or MasterCard, from different part of world. Micros Point of sale Open Table Restaurant and Guest management. Open Table give customers the feeling that, these people know who I am and they care about what I want and what I like and dont like. The Open Table System really helps us because it allows us to track every customer that comes. A customer may not have been in for eight months but we can still say, Hello, Mr. Johnson. Its so nice to see you again. It really helps to have personal service towards the guest and the guest feels obliged towards that kind of service rendered towards him, Open table software helps to do good service with the help of technology towards your customer. With Open Table you dont have to keep it in your head, its all there in front of you and makes your service smooth. Guests are always impressed that were able to recognize them. Open Table improves our guest reservation management process. No matter who takes the reservation, we can now quickly identify regulars. Mandarin Oriental is using Open table as it provides a customized service to its guest. According to the study done by open table the most booked open table restaurants are: Open table (4) Mortons The Steakhouse Singapore MELT ~ The World Cafà © Cherry Garden Dolce Vita These restaurants are operating in Mandarin oriental. Open table (5) The key features that makes Open table have a competitive advantage and makes them a better information technology are Reservation Management Easily enter or change reservations while viewing guest histories Phone numbers, email and mailing addresses Allow blocking and VIP (seat blocking) Reduce no-shows with customer tracking (by calling) Take reservations from your website or Open Table 24 hours a day Table Management Maximize capacity management in seating with walk-in and waitlist. Instantly track covers for more efficient kitchen and server management Increase table turn according to group sitting choice Store multiple reservation and special events Hold and combine tables for large parties Record and view shift notes for each day Guest Management Identify regulars and VIP guests Customer preferences to meet special requests View customer reservation histories Track special occasions such as guest birthdays and anniversaries Marketing Management Track and reward concierge business Accept parking coupons Disadvantages: Open Table restaurant and Guest Management has its key features but has its own drawbacks as well, Open table sometimes hangs the system, whenever there are large functions table assorting is to be done every time to allocate the correct tables to the guest. Changes have to be done before every function according to the covers in the Open Table software. 6. Recommendations According to all the research and study done about the information technology used in Mandarin Oriental, the most successful technology used by them is Micros Opera Reservation system as it gives them a competitive advantage and has major key features which help to be the most advance reservation software, OPERA Reservation System a true centrally managed central reservation system. Even tough it has some draw backs but in long run its a vital information technology used by the hotel. 7. Conclusions Micros plays a major role in the information technology today as it has the best and advance information technology and software which helps hotels to be better, be more advance, provide good service which the guest likes to have. Micros have competitive advantage gained through use of information technology and implementations of information technology system in the hospitality industry make them a market that caters all the different needs of every kind of customer, who needs to be taken care of his or her needs. The technology used by the hotel helps then to gain advantage over their competitors and make them a better place for leisure and business for every person who can relate themselves and their needs. Even though this information technology has draw backs but in long run they sustain and manage well and help them to get good customer response.

The Role of Greed in a Capitalist Society :: Economy Economic Essays

The Role of Greed in a Capitalist Society Introduction Much has been said about the role of greed in a capitalist, free market economy. Some believe that greed fuels the economy. Others say that it undermines the value system that drives the economy. Adam Smith said that, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest" (Smith, 1776: 26-27). This statement explains that it is the self-interest of individuals that causes people to trade. This trade pushes an economy in a forward progression, which creates a more profitable living situation for the individuals in the economy. Yet Smith also stated that an individual could either pursue the study of wisdom and virtue or the acquisition of wealth and greatness. In this context, one individual may choose to follow riches, which would in turn create a confidence in trade and the economy. The confidence of this person would strengthen the economy of that country. The other person may choose to attain wisdom and virtues. This person is notably less concerned with securing financial wealth (Smith, 1759: 62). Does this then mean that their lack of concern with material gain will work against the economy? It is my thesis that greed does not fuel the economy, but undermines the value system on which capitalism (according to Adam Smith) was built, and a good example of this today is child labor. I plan to argue that Smith’s case for pursuing self-interest only works in the context of a wealthy society. He understood that there was more to life than amassing wealth, but he did not consider the plight of those in abject poverty. Using Biblical principles, new theories on democratic capitalism, and real life examples I hope to describe how greed undermines capitalism and that the free market economy is driven by a good work ethic, delayed gratification and the virtues of individuals. These qualities can better provide the wealth of life that Smith describes in both The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Background Information The Theory of Moral Sentiments was Adam Smith’s first book and it was first published in 1759. He was appointed to be the Chair of Logic at Glasgow in 1752 and then moved to the Chair of Moral Philosophy in 1752. He was teaching subjects such as natural theology and ethics before moving into law and government.

Mobile Phones Essay

My cell phone is my best friend. It’s my lifeline to the outside world. Carrie Underwood Like every body here my cell phone is my best friend. Thanks to martin cooper who has invented such a lovely gadget which has stored a mini world in it. and thanks to Android Inc who has given such a beautiful OS where we can download many apps. And coming to the topic now I am basically not so extrovert so that it helps me a lot in passing my time especially when I feel lonely. I never feel bad that I am staying away from home because whenever I want where ever I am I can Speak to my Parents and fight with my brother. And I can access to FB and can chat with all my friends. Where ever I go If I can see some thing beautiful I don need to worry that I am not carrying may camera with me. I have my mobile phone which can replace the camera and will give beautiful pictures. Unfortunately, although it may be a good idea for youngsters to have them, not one of them would accept a simple basic cell phone that only made calls and sent SMS would they? Although the increase in cell phone popularity may not have been expected to reach such a high level, the manufacturers have improved the cell phone enormously in a very short space of time. Manufacturers and Computer Experts have introduced the possibility of giving your phone personality by introducing cellular phone wallpapers. The internet has been a big help with obtaining wallpaper directly available online. Now, using the cell phones own camera, images can be used as wallpaper and even sent to other phones. If you prefer you can use an image you have captured previously on your own digital camera but the process takes a little longer to install. Why not add some text as well, possibly something funny to your cellular phone wallpaper, just to add a little more of your personality. Those people that have older models may not be able to do this but it really shouldn’t matter or make you feel as if you are missing out on something. Cell phone ring tones are another way of giving you phone that individual feel so even if your phone cannot change its background, you may find that the ring tone can be changed to make your model more individual. You must never forget what the cell-phone is actually for and remember that sending a SMS text does not need the most popular background or ring tone to help it on its way! Functionality does not necessitate cellular phone wallpapers; their use is only to dress up your phone and for the purpose of flaunting your cell-phones high technology features, nothing more. Try to bear in mind that not everyone is interested in your life and conversations so as a final point try to think of others when you use your phone. Many people will judge you by how you use your cell-phone as it shows what type of person you are. There are many locations where it is not suitable, or accepted that a cell phone should be used, and you will have more respect from others if you turn it off when you are in this type of situation. Good behavior can be catching and yours may lead others to do the same, be different, do not do what others do just because it is easier. It is a two-way thing, if you exhibit telephone etiquette, the people around you will do the same. Now with the fast paced life that most of us live with in juggling work and family we have entered into the mobile Internet era. I, myself thought I would never need a mobile phone with internet access so when I purchased my current phone which is a smart phone I was surprised how much I rely on the internet use.

Competing through Operation: KFC Report Essay

INTRODUCTION The report focuses on KFC – the leading chicken fast food restaurant in the world, and one of the largest players in the fast food market. By using five performance objectives and various research methods, the report aims to  analyze how the restaurant perform and manage its operation capacity in order to provide qualified food and service to the customers. Besides, the restaurant’s capacity constrains and capacity strategies are discussed base on the primary data from KFC Union Street, Bristol City centre. It would link to the relationship between Capacity strategy and five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), as well as, how they support each other. COMPANY PROFILE KFC first starts in 1930s, when Harland Sanders opened his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. KFC now spreads out to more than 100 countries with around 15500 outlets worldwide. Of these, there are more than 800 restaurants located in the UK. The restaurant has concentrated on fried-chicken-on-bone products under the name Original Recipe and expanded the offers with other items include chicken sandwiches and chicken wings, as well as, biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, potato wedges and desserts. The new line-grilled chicken with fewer calories, fat and salt than the Original Recipe- was launched in 2009. It was called â€Å"one of the biggest new product rollouts in the history of the company† by the KFC president Roger Eaton. Being tested in many regions included the UK; this new line has been well received as a healthier alternative which retains good in taste. The following part will discuss about how KFC applies five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) into its operation and which of the five objectives is concentrated on. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES The theory has been applied for many companies worldwide for over 10 years in order to manage operating performance. Due to the limitation of resources, each company tends to put only some of the five objectives in priority  during particular periods. It is considered as one of smart methods to maximize profits. Source: (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004) FIGURE1. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Figure 1 explains the idea and meaning of five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) in general. QUALITY is the responsibility to always provide the good product or service that company has claimed. It also requires doing the right thing at the right time and meeting customer specifications, which give customer satisfactions. In KFC, main factors listed as Quality objective are quality of food (delicious, tasty, fresh, healthy, etc), quality of service (clean, supportive, friendly, etc)†¦ SPEED is defined as how fast the company responds their customers. This is one of the most important things required in fast food restaurant, especially in rush hours. Applying to KFC restaurant, speed objective is considered as the elapsed time between customers’ placing orders and the food or services being delivered. FLEXIBILITY measures how much variety in products, services, and solutions for a dynamic market environment in order to meet customers’ need. It is shown as KFC’s various menus, the launch of line â€Å"Grilled Chicken†, the more customization, etc DEPENDABILITY is doing things on time as promises. It not only gains customer’s trust but also has an influence on cost, which are saving money, saving time and giving stability to improve the efficiencies (Strecker, Ulrich, 2011). In KFC, it is on-time deliveries. COST is the product or service price that enables company compete the market, as well as ensure the return. The company aims to maximize their profit;  therefore, reducing the cost is necessary. Cost objective in KFC is measured by the cost of food, cost of manager and staff’s salaries, etc. The Polar diagram below shows how KFC restaurant performs in manager, staff and customer perspectives base on the data that was collected. (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004, p58) FIGURE2. POLAR DIAGRAM OF KFC RESTAURANT The Polar diagram is designed by the result of KFC manager’s interview, staff’s questionnaire and customers’ questionnaire (Appendix 1.0, appendix 2.0 and appendix 3.0). According to KFC manager, the restaurant is performing quite well in quality, cost and dependability objectives while speed needs to improve, especially in rush hours (16:00pm to 20:00pm). Staff and customers have the same opinion about improving speed objective in KFC. â€Å"Although we have 8 queues† – as the manager – â€Å"it is hard to serve a large number of customers at 19pm. However, we tend to give the staffs more training sessions to increase their speed in taking order and cooking. Focusing on people will push up dependability, flexibility and speed all.† (Appendix 3.0) It is the fact that most of the customers want a lower price for their food and services. However, with a fixed price tag, the restaurant tries their best to prove that the food and service offered to customers are worth their paying. The next part of report will focus on how the restaurant meets its customer’s fluctuating demand. CAPACITY The capacity of an operation is the highest level of value added after certain period of time that the process would be able to achieve under certain conditions (Slack et al, 2001). It includes: actual output, design capacity and effective capacity. FIGURE3. CAPACITY OF KFC RESTAURANT ON UNION STREET, BRISTOL Planned losses Avoidable losses Actual capacity 1929 people Planned losses Effective capacity 2331 people Design capacity 2680 people (Adapt from Slack et al, 2001) The figure is resulted from calculations below. DESIGN CAPACITY Design capacity is â€Å"the capacity which its technical designers had in mind when they commissioned the operation† (Slack et al, 2001, p335). The KFC restaurant on Union Street is the largest KFC outlets in Bristol which can serve maximum 100 customers a day (approximate number from KFC manager). Design capacity Daily 100 people Weekly 670 people (7 working days, less working hours on Sunday) Monthly 2680 people EFFECTIVE CAPACITY While design capacity is â€Å"everything according to a plan†, effective capacity helps to show what might happen if something not goes as a plan. Effective  capacity is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses, which is 13% (from KFC manager). Effective capacity Daily 87 people (100 – 100Ãâ€"13%) Weekly 582people (670 – 670Ãâ€"13%) Monthly 2331 people (2680 – 2680Ãâ€"13%) ACTUAL OUTPUT Actual output is the amount of a product that a production facility actually produces, as opposed to the amount that it could produce if it were to run at full theoretical capacity. It is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses and avoidable losses which is 15% (from KFC manager). Actual output Daily 72 people (100 – 100x[13%+15%]) Weekly 482 people (670 – 670x[13%+15%]) Monthly 1929 people (2680 – 2680x[13%+15%]) Planned losses: Public holidays (Christmas, New Year, etc) Human issues (Illness, pregnant †¦) The time customers waiting to be served Avoidable losses: Weather (Storm, heavy snow, etc) Machine failure. CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS Capacity constraints are considered as factors that limit the number of customers served by operation (Dettmer, 2003). For KFC, these are: number of staffs, number of queues, available eating space, speed of cooking and delivering. These factors would push the restaurant to its limit points of operation, which called Bottle necks. NUMBER OF STAFF: There are many shift of working hour a day in KFC. The maximum number of staffs that needed in rush hour is 12 people approximately (with 8 front-men taking customers’ orders and cleaning, 2 middle-men making burgers and chips, and 2 cooks in the kitchen working strenuously). At the busiest hour, the staffs face pressure of too many customers waiting in the queues, shortage of food available, and the mess in eating place. 2 or 3 front-men have to make burger and chips in order to provide food on time. NUMBER OF QUEUE: It often happens in the fast food restaurant that long lines of customers are waiting to be served. Although KFC Union Street has 8 queues, it does not mean that there are always staffs available. AVAILABLE EATING SPACE: It is hard to find a clean table in rush hours because of the large number of customers and the busy staffs. SPEED OF COOKING AND DELIVERING: To ensure the fresh of food provided to customers, the middle-men just make some available. Hence, if a big order is placed or many orders are placed at once, it will take time to make more burgers. Some constraint factors would be solved by staff’s working flexibility, some, however, could not avoid because they links to other factors. For example, KFC could make more burgers available to avoid customers’ waiting time and increase speed performance objective; however, the foods will not as good as the just-in-time one, which reduces quality performance objective. Therefore, it is essential for the restaurant to decide which objectives are priorities. The analysis of KFC’s capacity and capacity constraints lead to the following part which will discuss about which strategy it uses to manage the operation. CAPACITY STRATEGY (Sasser, 1976) There are 2 evidences from the data collected that shows Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is the strategy KFC following. There are different staff numbers and the amount of food ready in a day. Due to staff contracts, the manager arranges a large number of staffs for rush hour, which is from 16:00pm to 20:00pm each day while reduce staffs at the opening (9:30am) and the closing time (22:00pm). In 30 minutes before closing, the kitchen stops working and the front-men focus on cleaning rather than standing behind order place. This arrangement is based on which time customers usually come to the restaurant. It helps reduce cost of staff salaries and avoid human surplus on the time not many customers. Besides, working flexibility is required for all the staffs, which are ability of working in different positions (front, middle or in kitchen), doing different tasks and even overtime, if needed. The other one – amount of food ready in a day – does show that KFC is applying Capacity leads demand theory (Sasser, 1976). KFC always provides the amount of food slightly over than customer’s demand so as to ensure available service in working time. The food left changes to waste because it could not be stored due to KFC’s quality standard. This waste, according to the manager, is not significant and enables to bear with. From the analysis above, it is clear to see that KFC is doing right because the strategy not only fits to identity of fast food market, but also expresses KFC’s customisation, which highly focus on satisfy its customers. After discussing about five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) and capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976), the final part will clarify relationship between those and how they support each other. THE RELATIONSHIP OF CAPACITY STRATEGY AND FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES (Slack et al, 2004) Before having strategy, the objectives have to be set. It could be simply explained that objectives are the place you want to drive to while strategy is vehicle that helps to get there. For KFC as a whole, the company expresses its concentration on Quality objective through the slogan â€Å"Don’t worry. Eat happy† (http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy) and various actions to be healthier for the customers, such as â€Å"Get fresh inspiration from our Deli Deluxe Range†, â€Å"We’re fighting trans-fats, not flavour†, â€Å"We’ve done away with 25% of saturated fats†, or â€Å"Fitted out with green energy†, etc. Quality is known as the vital factor to compete with other big brands like Subway, MacDonald’s, Burger King†¦, and gain fast food market share when customer’s health concern is increasing more and more. (http://www.propertyweek.com, Domino’s pizza tops the market article) FIGURE4. FAST-FOOD MARKET SHARE IN THE UK However, for smaller scale, according to the manager of KFC Union Street, the  restaurant put Speed objective as their first priority to strive because quality standard as well as promotions is already fixed. â€Å"It is KFC Company’s job to upgrade and spread out how good the food is.† – Said the manager – â€Å"Our job is to provide food with the same standard, and serve the customers those come to our restaurant best services, and it is speed†. Hence, the restaurant tends to increase the factor it can control, which differentiates it among the others. Following the objective above, the Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is decided to make it done. This strategy fits to fast food restaurant’s identity so as to utilize time, human, and money resources. Then, considering either capacity lags demand, which allows demand never less than capacity or capacity leads demand (Sasser, 1976), which is that capacity always meets forecasted demand, KFC Union Street chose the second one. The restaurant gives up waste in order to better its service for customers. Amount of food available reduces waiting time for delivering, as well as, waiting time to be ordered. The customers would be more satisfied thanks to fast service. CONCLUSION To sum up, the report is designed from result collected at KFC Union Street, Bristol. With five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), capacity, capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976) analysis, it clarified how KFC operates and how theories links to each other, as well as, are applied into practice with particular circumstances. REFERENCES Dettmer, H.W., 2003. Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy. ASQ Quality Press. James, P., Rowland-Jones, R., O’Brien, L., 2010. Operations and Business Systems management, 2nd Ed., Harlow: Pearson. Samuelson, Paul A., Nordhaus, William D (2009). Economics, 19th Ed., McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 3rd Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 4th Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 5th Ed., Harlow: Prentice Hall. Schoenborn, G., 2009, Personal Communication. Strecker, S., Ulrich, F., 2011. Information Systems and E-Business Management. A modelling method in support of the reflective design and use of performance measurement systems [e-journal] 7(1). Available through: Springer. http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy

Nunavut essays

Nunavut essays In the search for a sense of freedom, Nunavut as well as its people are to face arduous undertakings as well as inspiring triumphs, in its struggle to attain what it has been denied for the last quarter century. In a land from which its destiny is balanced on a delicate scale, determined by its accomplishments and drawbacks, which in turn will lead to the future of this vast and intimidating terrain. In time, this newly founded territory will have its turn to prove itself worthy of becoming the first territory to grow to be a province. It is in that time that the responsibility of the relationship between the Aboriginal peoples of Nunavut and the Government of Canada will finally be sealed in an intertwined fate. With the creation of Nunavut, the face of Canada has undergone an immense change from which Canada has not experienced since the introduction of Newfoundland nearly 50 years ago. In fact, this appears to be the first time since the year 1867, which resulted in a region of Canada to be brought the opportunity to establish its own government, resulting in the establishment of a government managed according to its own needs. In this form of self-government the Inuit people have the beginnings of the fulfillment of a long-held hope of the Eastern and Central Artic Inuit to gain control over their own destiny, which will in turn although the Inuit to mould their own government in a way that befits their own culture. In the midst of the formation of Nunavut, certain practices have been put in service from which are in many ways unique in comparison with the creation of any other territory or province for that matter. Such practices include that of the absence of political parties, as me mbers represent themselves rather than a faction. Together with the fact that 85 percent of the present government will be held by Inuit, although currently the number of active Inuit government members have been reduced to nearly 50 percent. In...

Government Term Paper Topics

Government Term Paper Topics In the recent years government term paper topics are becoming more and more popular. Students all over the US need to write a good paper on a government term paper topic. In order to be able to write a good paper on government term paper topic – a student has to possess certain information on the government term paper topic he chooses. Basically, the writing a paper on government term paper topics – is conducting a quality research on the government activity and the effect it makes on modern life of an American. The research can be conducted in several ways: An experts opinion. This is the most trusted way, as if you have access to an experts opinion on a government issue – you are guaranteed to have a good term paper, and its relevance will be proved by the opinion that is generated by the expert. This way is the best, but by far not the most convenient and easy. The internet – is an easy way to find information on the topic. The great strength of this method is that you can find multiple opinions on the government term paper topic and make your own conclusions towards this issue. The weakness of this technique is that it is not always so easy to find even one opinion. You will need to browse through thousands of web pages and not even find a single relevant thing. Multiple newspaper articles and professional journals may be used a relevant source of information. These types of information usually contain professional opinions on things going on in the government, but it may be difficult to find something according to your topic as well as use it without citation and referencing. If you decide to write a paper on either of the government term paper topics – the main idea is to conduct proper research and only then – write the term paper. If you are having difficulties with writing a paper on various government term paper topics – why not consider having an expert write it for you? CustomWritings.com is eager to help you with any of your assignments. We have hired experts, who are proficient in almost all government term paper topics, and all of them can be easily assigned to your paper. If you are seeking for proper government term paper topics help – consider CustomWritings.com as your number one assistant. We will make sure you will be delivered a good paper on a government term paper topic. We provide top quality custom term papers written absolutely from scratch. Here is a list of the most popular governmental essay topics: 1. Government Monitoring the Public Right or Wrong? 2. Fascism as a form of government. 3. Principles of the American Government 4. Government Supplied Health Insurance for all Taxpayers and their Dependents 5. How effective was the provisional government? 6. Government Intervention in Individual Markets: A Look at Government Intervention and Antitrust Law via the Microsoft Case 7. Colombian Government vs. The FARC. Who are they and what are they fighting for? 8. The role of government in the economy 9. Issues Facing the New Federal Government 10. Issues in Australian Government and foreign policy 11. Presidential and parliamentary governments 12. 1984 Governmental control over the media and loss of privacy 13. Links between GDP, Consumption, Investment and Government Expenditure 14. What are the major ideas of government and society contained in the Indian Constitution? 15. History of Roman Government 16. American citizens duties and obligations to the government based on the constitution 17. How has the Australian Government and media portrayed the refugee situation? 18. The Government’s Role in a Market Economy 19. E-Government and E-Procurement 20. Outline Government 21. State Local Government Accounting 22. How do government policies influence the level of inequality in the distribution of income and wealth? 23. Government control over equality 24. Government Relations and business 25. Religions impact on US government 26. Government Censorship 27. Internet Regulation – Government Involvement 28. What is presidential government and parliamentary government? 29. US Airways and Government Aid 30. Globalisation and Government Incentives

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Megans law - Research Paper Example here are also cases in which it is applied permanently, so that whenever the individual moves, they have to notify local police and law enforcement that they have done so. Failing to register or update in this manner is considered to be a felony under Megan’s Act. This law was put into action after the murder of Megan Kanka, a young child. After this child was murdered by a sexual predator who was living nearby (the parents professed to have no idea), her parents circulated a petition that gained almost 500,000 signatures (Megan’s, 2010). The law was passed, and New Jersey, Kanka’s home state, was the first state to enact Megan’s Law. Overall, Megans Law provides two information services that are made available to the public: notification of sex offender registration, and notification of the community. As noted above, â€Å"The details of what is provided as part of sex offender registration and how community notification is handled vary from state to state, and in some states the required registration information and community notification protocols have changed many times since Megans Law was passed† (Megan’s, 2010). Many people support Megan’s Law because it appears to be a no-nonsense, zero-tolerance, tough-on-crime policy. They also feel more at ease when they know that sexual offenders have to register with local authorities, so that the community can have more information. From the total harm perspective, Megan’s Law can be supported from the position that it decreases the total harm to society by making vital information about child sexual predators available to parents and families. Community notification and involvement is seen as positive in most media and scholarly presentations of the law, and generally, the law-abiding public can be seen to increase in their information access and comfort level, due to the law. However, there are also possible dark sides to Megan’s Law. That some states use the law to notify about not just

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Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

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Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Business ethics - Essay Example This explains the principles of courtesy and respect. Despite the diversity that exists amongst many people concerning the acceptable ethical standards, it all boils down to societal expectations and provisions for good and bad (Shaw, 2011, p. 99). All ethical standards subscribe and should entangle with the society’s guidelines about what is right and wrong and the legal framework. The ethical standards at workplace should align with the societal moral principles such that when work ethics are breached, it directly go against the society’s moral guidelines. This essay aims at describing and analyzing, with reference to the ethical principles, a personal experience in which an issue with a moral gravity in business was resolved in order to bring out a comprehensive outlook into the decision. I witnessed a challenging situation in which an organization’s management decided to fire an employee on grounds that the employee had breached ethical of code of conduct. The employee in question, one Mr. Livingstone was a sales manager in an insurance firm. He had signed a contract to work for the firm in assisting it to restore market dominance that the firm had lost about 5 years ago due to the increased competition. The insurance industry in the last half decade had seen increased entry of organization that ended up stirring the competition. The firm Mr. Livingstone was working for had, in the process, greatly recorded low sales volume. Mr. Livingstone, a reputably popular sales manager with great success stories was hired to help transform the condition of the company. After 3 years of dedicated hard work, the organization’s performance in the highly competitive market greatly escalated to a point that they could hardly attend to all the clients or rather customers. The facilities and resources they had could not meet the demands of the customers because the number was extremely big. The organization was making great profits since they slightly raised

Ethnographic Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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My Experience with Mother Hens and Their Families Essay Example for Free

My Experience with Mother Hens and Their Families Essay The purpose of our sanctuary on the Virginia Eastern Shore is to provide a home for chickens who already exist, rather than adding to the population and thus diminishing our capacity to adopt more birds. For this reason we do not allow our hens to hatch their eggs in the spring and early summer as they would otherwise do, given their association with the roosters in our yard. All of our birds have been adopted from situations of abandonment or abuse, or else they were no longer wanted or able to be cared for by their previous owners. Our two-acre sanctuary is a fenced open yard that shades into tangled wooded areas filled with trees, bushes, vines, undergrowth and the soil chickens love to scratch in all year round. It also includes several smaller fenced enclosures with chicken-wire roofs, each with its own predator-proof house, for chickens who are inclined to fly over fences during chick-hatching season, and thus be vulnerable to the raccoons, foxes, owls, possums and other predators inhabiting the woods and fields around us. I learned the hard way about the vulnerability of chickens to predators. Once, a hen named Eva, who had jumped the fence and been missing for several weeks, reappeared in early June with a brood of eight fluffy chicks. This gave me a chance to observe directly some of the maternal behavior I had read so much about. We had adopted Eva into our sanctuary along with several other hens and a rooster confiscated during a cockfighting raid in Alabama. Watching Eva travel around the yard, outside the sanctuary fence with her tiny brood close behind her, was like watching a family of wild birds whose dark and golden feathers blended perfectly with the woods and foliage they melted in and out of during the day. Periodically, at the edge of the woods, Eva would squat down with her feathers puffed out, and her peeping chicks would all run under her wings for comfort and warmth. A few minutes later, the family was on the move again. Throughout history, hens have been praised for their ability to defend their young from an attacker. I watched Eva do exactly this one day when a large dog wandered in front of the magnolia tree where she and her chicks were foraging. With her wings outspread and curved menacingly toward the dog, she rushed at him over and over, cackling loudly, all the while continuing to push her chicks behind herself with her wings. The dog stood stock still  before the excited mother hen, and soon ambled away, but Eva maintained her aggressive posture of self-defense, her sharp, repetitive cackle and attentive lookout for several minutes after he was gone. Eva’s behavior toward the dog differed radically from her behavior toward me, demonstrating her ability to distinguish between a likely predator and someone she perceived as presenting no dire threat to her and her chicks. She already knew me from the sanctuary yard, and though I had never handled her apart from lifting her out of the crate she’d arrived in from Alabama several months earlier, when I started discreetly stalking her and her family, to get the closest possible view of them, the most she did when she saw me coming was dissolve with her brood into the woods or disappear under the magnolia tree. While she didn’t see me as particularly dangerous, she nevertheless maintained a wary distance that, over time, diminished to where she increasingly brought her brood right up to the sanctuary fence, approaching the front steps of our house, and ever closer to me but not too close just yet. When she and her chicks were out and about, and I called to her, â₠¬Å"Hey, Eva,† she’d quickly look up at me, poised and alert for several seconds, before resuming her occupation. One morning, I looked outside expecting to see the little group in the dewy grass, but they were not there. Knowing that mother raccoons prowled nightly looking for food for their own youngsters in the summer, I sadly surmised they were the likely reason that I never saw my dear Eva and her chicks again. Inside the sanctuary, I broke the no chick-hatching rule just once. Upon returning from a trip of several days, I discovered that Daffodil, a soft white hen with a sweet face and quiet manner, was nestled deep in the corner of her house in a nest she’d pulled together from the straw bedding on the dirt floor. Seeing there were only two eggs under her, and fearing they might contain embryos mature enough to have well-developed nervous systems by then, I left her alone. A few weeks later on a warm day in June, I was scattering fresh straw in the house next to hers, when all of a sudden I heard the tiniest peeps. Thinking a sparrow was caught inside, I ran to  guide the bird out. But those peeps were not from a sparrow; they arose from Daffodil’s corner. Adjusting my eyes, I peered down into the dark place where Daffodil was, and there I beheld the source of the tiny voice a little yellow face with dark bright eyes was peeking out of her feathers. I kneeled down and stared into the face of the chick who looked intently back at me, before it hid itself, then peeked out again. I looked closely into Daffodil’s face as well, knowing from experience that making direct eye contact with chickens is crucial to forming a trusting, friendly relationship with them. If chickens see people only from the standpoint of boots and shoes, and people don’t look them in the eye and talk to them, no bond of friendship will be formed between human and bird. I’ve seen this difference expressed between hens we’ve adopted into our sanctuary from an egg production facility, for example, and chickens brought to us as young birds or as someone’s former pet. Former egg-industry hens tend to look back at me, not with that sharp, bright, direct focus of a fully confident chicken, but with a watchful opacity that no doubt in part reflects their having spent their entire previous lives in cages or on crowded floors in dark, polluted buildings that permanently affected their eyes before coming to our sanctuary. Psychologically, it’s as if they’ve pulled down a little curtain between themselves and human beings that does not prevent friendship but infuses their recovery with a settled strain of fear. I’ll say more about these hens presently. From the very first, a large red rooster named Francis regularly visited Daffodil and her chick in their nesting place, and Daffodil acted happy and content to have him there. Frequently, I found him quietly sitting with her and the little chick, who scrambled around both of them, in and out of their feathers. Though roosters will mate with more than one hen in the flock, a rooster and a hen will also form bonds so strong that they will refuse to mate with anyone else. Could it be that Francis was the father of this chick and that he and Daffodil knew it? He certainly was uniquely and intimately involved with the pair, and it wasn’t as though he was the head of the  flock, the one who oversaw all of the hens and the other roosters and was thus fulfilling his duty in that role. Rather, Francis seemed simply to be a member of this particular family. For the rest of the summer, Daffodil and her chick formed a kind of enchanted circle with an inviolable space all around themselves, as they roamed together in the yard, undisturbed by the other chickens. Not once did I see Francis or any of the other roosters try to mate with Daffodil during the time she was raising her frisky chick the little one I named Daisy who grew up to be Sir Daisy, a large, handsome rooster with white and golden-brown feathers.

How does culture influence international business

How does culture influence international business How does culture influence international business As a result of the globalization, the increasingly close interaction between firms which are from different cultures has been booming. Therefore, culture, which is manifest in behavioral norms, hidden assumptions, and human nature, each occurring at a different level of depth, has profound influences on international business. (Kilmann, Sfixton, Serpa 1986) Under this circumstance, in order to negotiate and deal with foreign partners more efficiently, and to enter new markets successfully as well, we should explore the exotic cultures and in what manners those magical cultures will affect the way we trade Generally speaking, culture is consisted of language, religion, social institutions, political systems and philosophy, economic systems, education, and symbols. (Johnson, Turner 2010: 307) So, when talking about the influences of culture on international business, these aspects should be taken into account, especially the impacts from language, history, religion, and social institution, which can reflect the habits, attitudes, beliefs of the society. With the analysis of these three aspects, the great impacts of culture on international trade will be clear. To begin with, language is one of the most significant factors that have impacts on international business, since language is the crucial medium for business partners to communicate with each other and understand their ideas. During the frequent global trade and commerce, the exchange of language is necessary, which has great effect on international trades. There are some taboo words and idioms in every language, which are likely to cause problems. For instance, some specific numbers are treated differently in different areas. The number 3 enjoys both praise and abuse alike. In Monaco, people like this number very much because they believe it will bring them prosperity. The Hong Kong people like this number, too, because in Cantonese, 3 is homophonic with promotion. But the Europeans generally consider it ominous. 4 is commonly disliked by people in Japan, Hong Kong and China, because it means death. So, code-switching is very vital in international business, especially in terms of t he interaction with partners and customers and advertisement. Lets take Microsoft Word as an example. At first glance, Word is simply a software package rather than an advertisement. However, the languages available in the programme are part of Microsoft marketing discourse, and also make statements about how the brand wants to be perceived. As part of its localization strategy, Word offers a great variety of Englishes, from Australia to Zimbabwean. One such variety offered is an Irish-English language option and dictionary. Microsoft dose provide a comprehensive language option in Irish, but a dictionary of Irish-English, prepared with a genuine understanding of the everyday mixed-up sociolinguistic context of that variety, should include these and other examples. (Kelly-Holmes 2008: 185) Here Microsoft is a typical good model of code-mixing, which not only provide convenience for customers, but expand it consumer base as well as attain international reputation. Then, as a significant role in global trade, religious factor cant be ignored, especially for those states ruled by religious authority, since religion lays down a set of fundamental principles and values which govern the behaviour and life of its adherents. (Johnson, Turner 2010: 308) Religious beliefs can influence trading behavior in mainly two ways. First, sharing the same religious belief often implies sharing similar values. A common religion may therefore enhance trust between trading partners and reduce transaction costs, increasing the trade volume between traders of the same religion should be higher than trade between different religions. Second, each religion has its own ethical standpoint towards the activity of trading. (Helble 2007) The impacts of religion on can be indicated in individuals material life and their attitudes toward purchasing and using merchandise and services. Sometimes religious traditions even prohibit the use of certain goods and services altogether , like Islam forbids the eating of pork and Hindus do not consume beef. Therefore, when Macdonald entered Muslim countries, it has changed its menu to get used to their specific religious practices. The hamburgers (and all food items for that matter) must be Halal, and in fact, they do not call the burgers hamburgers as such, instead they call them beef burgers so as to make it clear that there is no ham in them. (The Travel Almanac n.d) So taboos and preferences have to be explored before entering a religious society and trade with partners who are religious believers. Thirdly, history is a mirror of a society, which can indicate the establishment and development about economic and political form of a country. Whereas in developing economics foreign brands have status value, when countries develop, people tend to focus more on their historical national preferences. For instance, in the early 1990s anything Western sold in Russia, but since 1996 international companies such Coca-Cola and Nestlà © have been localizing their messages in Russia. As Russians have become more nationalistic, producers have tried to make their products more relevant. (Mooij nd: 17) So historical characteristics should be considered during international business to make sure that your products and ways of negotiating are suitable to the countries of destination in terms of their habits, tastes, and values. Japanese businessmen may prefer keep on saying yes, yes. However, their yes doesnt mean their acceptance to the term is offered, but rather their understanding of what i s said. They keep on saying yes only for rites sake. Still worth mentioning there is that the Japanese have more trust in personal rapport than in business contracts. This presents a sharp contrast to the Americans. So when doing business with the Japanese, you should take time and pains to establish true personal rapport and friendships. Dont count too much on contracts; they are pieces of waste paper in the eyes of the Japanese once both sides are at odds. (Huang 2010: 2) From this example, it indicates that doing business with foreign countries has changed the traditional thinking patterns, and some successful companies have been adapted to particular coping styles according to different cultures. History is the best treasure, which explains the economic development of societies that have played a significant part in global trade, can help businessmen to learn the information of the habits and life styles of both partners and customers from destination countries. Finally, social institutions are defined as a complex of positions, roles, norms, and values lodged in particular types of social structures and organizing relatively stable patterns of human resources with respect to fundamental problems in sustaining viable societal structures within a given environment by Turner (1997). It is also considered that the very nature of social institutions that produce values or standards of good and bad can also encourage justifications of sanctioned behaviors.( Parboteeah, Hoegl, Cullen 2003) Lets take China as an example. China is a country with powerful social institutions, which affect Chinese business activities a lot. On the other hand, another important institution in China is the family and the mutual dependency of its members. Therefore, Chinese peoples behaviours and manners have influenced deeply by these aspects. In Chinese societies, such relationships are governed by what is termed guanxi, which is a bond between people, on the basis of which friends are expected to look after each others wellbeing. (Bargiela-Chiappini and Harris 1997: 42) The complexities of interpersonal relations bothered a large number of western businessmen, since most Chinese businessmen prefer to trade with friends or friends friends and relatives, who are thought to be more trustful due to the special guanxi between them. Therefore, as Lafayette De Mente states, a successful business relationship between Chinese companies begins with the establishment of a personal bond between the principal managers of the companies and is based particularly on the careful maintenance of these personal ties. (Bargiela-Chiappini and Harris 1997: 42) So, exploring the social institution of the destination countries is very useful for businessmen to trade in different societies efficiently. After the discussion of key determinants of culture, a famous study of cultural dimensions, which can provide a more clear view of the impacts of culture on international business, will be highlighted. Dimensions of cultural differences are very necessary for organizations especially those who operate internationally to understand and cope with such differences that can manifest themselves in terms of different standards, values and expectations in the various countries in which they operate. (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington 2008: 190) Here I have to mention one of the most effective studies of cultural dimensions, Hofstedes cultural dimensions, which are consisted of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and short/long-term orientation. To begin with, power distance discusses dependence relationships within countries and societies. The smaller the power distance is, the more dependency of subordinates on supervisors will be. Bargiela-Chiappini and Harris (1997) found that from Hofstedes research it is indicates that in Chinese societies, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, people tend to demonstrate greater deference towards those in power than they do in Western societies. Malaysia is an example of a high power distance culture and a majority of the websites reflected this cultural aspect; for instance companies hierarchy information and authority figures were the main features in communication media such that pictures of important people in the company were displayed clearly so that they could be effectively addressed and appropriately shown respect. Similarly, the main feature of the web pages was a photograph and statement by the Chancellor to the students. (Ahmed, Mouratidis, Preston 2009) Thus, when designing a w ebsite for a high power distance culture, we needs to pay attention to a conspicuous organizational chart that clearly describes and highlight the level of hierarchy in order to make people know the fundamental structure and chain of charge of the company. Therefore, in the high power distance countries and societies the management should be apprehensible and hierarchical, while in the opposite phenomenon, power should be delegated to the lower levels and individuals should be rewarded according to their performance rather than their place or job title. Secondly, uncertainty avoidance will be analysed, which is the extent to which individuals within a society are prepared to tolerate uncertainty in their lives. (Hofstede 1980: 153) In those cultures where uncertainty avoidance is high, the planning and assignments should be conducted in a more accurate and formal way so that staff can understand and pursue the assignments strictly, which is similar to the high power distance cultures. Hofstede (1991) suggested that in uncertainty societies there are many formal laws and informal rules controlling the rights and duties of employees and employers, while in countries with very weak uncertainty avoidance there rather seems to be an emotional horror of formsl rules. People in such societies pride themselves that many problems can be solved without formal rules. However, in the low uncertainty avoidance cultures, decisions making and planning can be in a more informal way, that individuals can be motivated to provide suggestions and make innovation. As Reimann, Là ¼nemann, and Chase (2008) thought, the importance of uncertainty avoidance in conjunction with service quality can be found at the macro level of economies as well as at the micro level of consumer behavior. From a macroeconomic standpoint, as services become increasingly important to modern economies (Metters, Marucheck 2007), high uncertainty avoidance may hinder a service business actually being started and, thus, slow down the exploitation of new economic opportunities, especially in the service sector (Wennekers et al. 2003). On the level of consumer behavior, we agree with Wong (2004) that high uncertainty avoidance is likely to have a significant impact on repurchase intention because individuals with high uncertainty levels seek to minimize service defect potentials. Therefore, the uncertainty avoidance plays a very significant part in analyzing the purchase habits of targeting customers in order to meet their special needs. Thirdly, the individualism and collectivism are associated with who can get the priority, the individual or the group. In Hofstedes opinion (1991), employed persons in an individualist culture are expected to act according to their own interest, and work should be organized in such a way that this self-interest and the employers interest coincide, while in a collectivist culture an employer will hire a person who belongs to an in-group, which may not always coincide with his or her individual interest. Hofstede discovered that people in Western societies traditionally demonstrate a high degree of individualism, whereas in Chinese societies, people demonstrate a high level of collectivism. (Bargiela-Chiappini, Harris 1997: 39) In individualist societies, the relationship between employers and employees is primarily conceived as business traction, a calculative relationship between buyers and sellers on a labor market. On the contrary, in the collectivist mind only natural persons are worthy of trust, and via these persons their friends and colleagues, but not impersonal legal entities like a company. (Hofstede 1991: 64, 67) Therefore, when dealing with companies coming from individual societies, we should jump into the business and accomplish the deal efficiently, while, when doing business with companies coming from collectivism cultures, wed better build friendship with our partners to enhance the trust. Then, comes to masculinity and femininity, which relates to the approach to which people aim to reach their target. The masculinity societies are more ambitious, which pay great attention to achievements and obtaining properties, while feminine societies are more sensitive, which focus on life quality and public relations. Therefore these two kinds of societies are skilled in different types of industries. Industrially developed masculine cultures have a competitive advantage in manufacturing, especially in large production of big and heavy equipment and in bulk chemistry. Contrary to this, feminine cultures have a relative advantage in service industries like consulting and transport, customer-specified manufacturing, and high-yield agriculture and biochemistry, which are related to live matters. (Hofstede 1991: 95) Thus, masculine society gives us an impression of utilitarian and ambitious character, and feminine society provides us an impression of sensitive character. According t o some related experiments, it shows that masculine web documents rely heavily on facts, particularly numerical facts. Whereas most masculine documents rely on factual and numerical rhetoric signifiers, feminine documents tend to rely on intuition and feeling signifiers with a higher degree of flexibility and non-specificity (Zahedi, Van Pelt, Srite), which suggests that impersonal data is essential when we deal with masculine societies, however, when trading with feminine societies, we should pay attention to humanization and flexibility. Last but not least, long-term orientation focuses on distinguishing the difference in thinking styles between the Eastern and Western societies. In Yeung and Tungs opinion, members of East-Asian cultures such as Korea, Japan, China mainland, and Hong Kong tend to understand social interactions under the circumstance of the long-term. Their personal, social and business relationships are maintained and reinforced through continuous and long-term associations. On the contrary, in the West, social transactions of all types are more often seen as isolated occurrences. The objective of any transaction is to achieve optimal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢give and take in that particular transaction. An emphasis is placed on immediate gains from the interaction (Ryu, Cook 2005). Long term oriented traders aim to develop lifetime relations. Not only a transactions calculated pay-off counts; the resulting relation is of value by itself. Given the choice, a long term oriented trader would not neglect a pro posal from a known relation in order to make a one more attractive one time deal with a stranger. Short term oriented traders are not interested to develop long lasting relations. They want to make attractive deals as soon as possible. Their preferences in partner selection depend on other dimensions of culture, but they may be interested in doing business with high status partners to show off. (Hofstede, Jonker, Verwaart) However, culture is not static, and it changes due to some traumatic events and the change of peoples everyday life. It is known that traumatic events have been part of our mutual experience for years. In recent years, we have experienced the devastating effects of the terrorist attack world widely. Globally, the world has lived through the 2004 Tsunami in Asia and many other disasters. The traumatic experiences of war and drought have brought dramatic changes to patterns of sociocultural and family organization. Given human beings dependence on culture, its loss, or deprivation can become traumatic (Devereux, 1980; De Vries, 1996; Eisenbruch, 1991). These huge events have resulted in the undermining of the social safety, employed guarantees, and a crazy wave of patriotism, which influenced peoples attitudes and life styles. As Chaney (2002) stated, the uncertainties about how everyday life is changing are related to developments in a culture of mass entertainment and therefore disti nctive to modern era. In conclusion, culture with its great power that can create an unconscious matrix of ideas and images (Seel 2008) do have impacts on international business in a lot of aspects, like languages, religions, history, and social institutions, since every business function-managing a workforce, marketing output, purchasing supplies, dealing with regulators, securing funds-is subject to potential cultural problems. (Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan 2006: 75) On the other hand, culture change has been happened unconsciously due to the improvement of humans civilization and popular immigration, which spur business people to keep pace of the change of culture to learn the latest trend in destination countries or societies.

The Ethics of Gun Control Essay -- Constituton Bill Rights Right To Be

The Ethics of Gun Control The phrase "Gun Control" means different things to different people. One bumper sticker states that "Gun Control means hitting your target." However one defines gun control, the mere mention of it brings controversy. Opposing sides have for years fought over the laws that govern firearms. For the purposes of this paper "Gun Control" is defined as policies enacted by the government that limit the legal rights of gun owners to own, carry, or use firearms, with the intent of reducing gun crimes such as murder, armed robbery, aggravated rape, and the like. So defined, gun control understandably brings favorable responses from some, and angry objections from others. The gun control debate is generally publicized because of the efforts of the Pro-Gun Lobby or the Anti-Gun Lobby. The best known of the Pro-Gun Lobby is the NRA, headed by Charlton Heston and Wayne LaPierre. The Anti-Gun Lobby includes such organizations as Handgun Control, Inc., The Violence Policy Center, and the ACLU, and is commonly associated with such figures as Sarah Brady. It is doubtful that anyone would dispute that reducing violent crime is a good thing. Most pro-gun lobbyists will concede that guns are used in violent crimes, and that guns act as an enabler for criminals. It is impossible to deny that mass shootings could not be carried out without guns. This fact is generally the basis of the anti-gun movement. They argue that since guns are commonly used in the commission of crimes, and since guns are inherently dangerous because of their primary function (the primary function being the destruction of the target), that guns should therefore be outlawed. The pro-gun... ...der rate because Americans own so many guns." http://www.guntruths.com/myths/united_states_has_such_a_high_mu.htm. 28 July 1999. "Only the police are trained enough and responsible enough to carry guns". http://www.guntruths.com/myths/only_the_police_are_trained_enou.htm. 28 July 1999. "Proof Positive: Gun Control Increases Violent Crime". http://www.guntruths.com/resource/australia.htm. 28 July 1999 Reese, Charley. "American Citizens Have the Right to Bear Arms". http://www.guntruths.com/guest% 20correspondent/american_citizens_have_a_right.htm. 28 July 1999. Schultz, Daniel J. "It's Hard to Argue With the Founders". http://www.guntruths.com/schultz/it.htm. 28 July 1999. "This is America. The government is never going to turn into a tyranny." http://www.guntruths.com/myths/tyranny.htm. 28 July 1999.

Three Approaches to Coping with School Violence Essay -- Exploratory E

We humans have always sought to increaseour personal energy in the only manner wehave known: by seeking to psychologically steal it from others—an unconscious competition that underlies all human conflict in the world. (James Redfield, 1993, The Celestine Prophecy, New York: Warner Books,65–66) Some school critics and statisticians have observed that drug-dealing, vandalism, robbery, and murder have replaced gum-chewing, â€Å"talking out of turn,† tardiness, and rudeness as the most chronic problems afflicting today’s schools. If the intent of this observation is to shock and rattle the public’s sensibilities, it’s working. Of course, some of us may interpret such suggestions as merely dark, stoic, and cynical—â€Å"scare† tactics quite in keeping with the current national mood about many social issues these days. Yet, as a profession (and a society) maybe a little shock treatment now and then is good for us, especially if we ourselves work in relatively â€Å"safe† schools and communities. Maybe it’s time to remind ourselves that one school’s problem can become every school’s problem if the profession at large is not watchful and careful. No school is immune to the potential of extreme violence, as many of us, without meaning to, have learned. If you’re a long-time, veteran English teacher, you may never have thought you’d see the day when an issue of English Journal would be devoted to school violence. The idea never occurred to me, either. But here we are, and here that issue is. And, what’s more, it’s high time. While none of us needs convincing that the violence problem is serious in a great many places, some of the statistics are sobering. The National Education Association (March 1994) reports that the number of children... ... suffice. Works Cited Anderson, Elijah. 1994. â€Å"The Code of the Streets.† TheAtlantic Monthly (May): 81–94. Elam, Stanley M. 1993. â€Å"The 25th Annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll.† Phi Delta Kappan (Oct.): 137–152. â€Å"Guns Among Young People in the U.S.† 1993. Youth Record. Washington, D.C.: Youth Policy Institute. (Aug. 3): 10. Jones, Clarisse. 1994. â€Å"Report Shows Violence Rising in Schools.† The New York Times (Aug. 13): 27. Merina, Anita. 1994. â€Å"Fighting School Violence Means Taking on Guns.† NEA Today (Mar. 12): 4. Survey of the American Teacher 1993: Violence in America’s Public Schools. New York: MetLife. Zimmer, Judith. 1993. We Can Work It Out. Culver City, CA: Social Studies School Service. Denny Wolfe is professor of English Education andDirector of the Tidewater Virginia Writing Project atOld Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.