Cultural Awareness

Within this report the aim is for organisations to develop and maintain positive attitudes towards cultural differences within the International Hospitality industry. This report will help to maintain and determine the opportunities that organisations can achieve if their limitations to cross-cultural competence can be avoided and by ensuring that the organisation implies an attitude of cross-cultural respect. IntroductionGlobalization has become a growing trend for organisations and that means they have to develop an effective international management strategies that will resolve the current issues, this means that organisations has to have a more systematic approach and understanding of value that diversity benefits brings into the International Hospitality industry. (19/10/2013)). Cultural diversity has become the most important factor in the working life within the hospitality industry due to becoming more diverse in the terms of race, ethnicity, national origin and other personn el characteristics of their staff members (Shaw and Barrett-Power, 1998).There isn’t any agreed definition for the term, but there is a new guidance from the Chartered Management Institute (2008) and they have suggested that it is about: â€Å"Valuing the differences between people and the ways in which those differences can contribute to a richer, more creative and more productive environment† The most visible term of diversity can be seen as (age, gender and colour) though the non-visible differences are (culture, religion and disability) these have been founded on the premise that adapting these differences which will help create a more productive environment for which every employee feels valued, also where their talents are being identified and fully used for in which their organisational goals are met (Kandola and  Fullerton, 1998).What Culture is?â€Å"The word culture can be said to be referred to the lifestyle of an entire society, also the term culture can be used in anthropology to help refer to a complex system of beliefs, values and codes of conduct. Society sees cultural differences as the variations in the way of life, traditions, beliefs and the laws that surrounds different countries, societies, religions and also people† (Business Dictionary) (18/10/2013). â€Å"Here are some examples of cultural differences and they are as following† (18/10/2013): 1. Clothing – For example Scottish men wears kilts to express their heritage. 2. Food – For example Islam people aren’t allowed to eat pork. 3. Language – For example Scottish people have their own language to communicate with one another. 4. Rules/ Laws – For example the European rules and regulations are different from United States of America’s rules and regulations.What Attitude is and how it is manifested?â€Å"Attitude is a predisposition or tendency to react positively or negatively that is aimed at a certain object, pe rson, idea or a current situation† (BusinessDictonary 18/10/2013). â€Å"It also has a huge influence on an individual’s choice of action and also which can be influenced by an individual’s response to a certain challenge, incentives and rewards (together these can be called stimuli)† (BusinessDictonary 18/10/2013 â€Å"They are four major components that influence attitude and how an individual reacts and they are†:1. Affective: An individual’s emotions and feelings towards another person can alter the affect they have for the person.2. Cognitive: An individual’s belief or their opinions can differ from other people’s beliefs to their culture and background.3. Conative: An individual’s inclination for the required action to ensure that they can accept the differences of another person culture and background.4. Evaluative: An individual’s positive or negative response to stimuli for them to take action on their att itude towards a certain person’s culture and background.An individual’s attitude can also be affected by the way that person has been brought up by their parents, it also can be influenced by a person’s emotion and behaviour. Another theorist has describes that a person attitude towards cultural diversity can be stated into two categories which is ethnocentric to ethnorelative stages, this is describe by (Milton Bennett appendix 1) my understanding of his Milton Bennett’s DMIS model is that it helps to describe the perspectives and behaviours that individuals face with cultural difference, and helps to identify and outlines a â€Å"continuum† of increasing cultural awareness, understanding, and adjustment.Implementing a management strategy towards cultural diversity within the International Hospitality Industry For organisations to manage effectively within a global or a domestic multicultural environment, they will need to recognize that they are differences and also learn to use these to their advantage, instead of attempting to ignore all the current differences or just simply allowing the differences to cause problems (Adler, 1997).It is said that managers should be taught how to adapt and respect the differences with work and also how to maximize the contribution of each employee (Cascio, 1998). Managers and their employees have to recognize that cultural diversity has its own potential advantages and disadvantages that helps to define an organisation’s strategy to help them manage cultural diversity within the workplace. Alder (1997) has identified the following strategies for managing cultural differences. And these are as following:1. Ignore cultural differences.2. Minimize cultural differences.3. Manage cultural differences.1. Ignore Differences:This strategy is where managers and employees adapt that they don’t recognize cultural differences or how it impacts the organisation, they also believe that â €Å"our way is the only way† to manage and organize. They see diversity as irrelevant. This strategy of ignoring cultural differences it precludes the potential of minimizing the negative impacts and also increasing positive impacts of diversity.2. Minimize Differences:This strategy is where managers commonly adapt the ethnocentric  method.Here they do recognize that cultural diversity but however only as a source of problems that occur within the workplace. Within an ethnocentric organisation, managers and employees believe that â€Å"our way is the best way† to help organize and manage. Within the strategy they attempt to socialize all employees into the behaviour pattern of the dominant culture, by adapting an ethnocentric organisation then they prevent the possibility of benefiting from many cultures that are present3. Managing Differences:For organisations that do adapt the strategy of managing differences within the workplace are synergistic organisations. They recognize the impacts of cultural diversity that can lead to both advantages and disadvantages. For the managers that using this approach believe that â€Å"our way and their way of behaving and managing differ† but both aren’t superior to each other. By applying a strategy then organisations create advantages that they could benefit from.OpportunitiesPeople’s attitude towards cultural differences can both have positive and negative impacts on the organisations but however these differences couldn’t be considered as hazards but rather opportunities and benefits if properly managed (Day, 2007). The opportunities that an organisations can benefit from include innovation, competitiveness and knowledge transfer. When associated with the benefits of cultural diversity there are four commonly mentioned reasons why companies within the International Hospitality Industry have to endure to be diverse.The four most commonly mentioned benefit of cultural diversity is:1. Valuable Innovation – First of all, diversity often stimulates new business innovations (Johansson, 2007). Employees within the organisation who multicultural backgrounds and experiences can bring in more improved innovation due to providing them with their new ideas from their viewpoints.2. Effective Knowledge Transfer – Within organisations cultural diversity can be useful in the knowledge transfer, although people come in different shapes, forms, and colours and do not seek out to be different from other people. Rather, people prefer to be with their own kind (Denton, 1997). This knowledge transfer helps to enhance the works productivity and efficiency.3. Increasing Competitiveness – Due to hospitality industry being extremely competitive  for companies to survive they have to control labour cost as well as increase customer count. Within todays dynamic markets companies have to serve various customer groups with different cultural background, hence f orward cultural diversity within the workforce can help companies to develop understanding of customers’ needs and keep long term business relations 4. Building Image – Cultural diversity can help organisations to enhance their corporate image. The hospitality industry has been somewhat passive about building a positive industry image for the public (Fernandez, 2006). Helps companies to recognize and accept diverse cultures.LimitationsWithin an organisation there are still many limitations and challenges that are faced when it comes to attitude towards cultural differences, either being an individual’s perspective or their behaviour. These are some of the challenges that are faced within organisations:1. Communication Issues.2. Discrimination Issues.3. Training Issues.4. Workplace Issues.5. Stereotyping Issues.6. Prejudice Issues.ConclusionGlobalization is a growing trend within businesses and have to give a rise to the need for the development of effective inte rnational management strategies therefore for many organisations there is a need to entail the thinking of a more clear approach towards cross-cultural aspects and issues.This report showed that there are always going to be more opportunities rather than limitations when it comes to cultural diversity, also for the understanding and management of diversity that has become important within the hospitality industry. Many of the cultural barriers that are commonly associated with diversity can be overcome in which this then will help to increase the awareness and sensitivity of cultural diversity management.RecommendationsTo ensure that all organisations within the international hospitality industry implement a strategy towards cultural diversity there have been many recommendations that can help them to achieve this within the workplace and also which recommendations that can be applied for which will benefit the organisation. Diversity has become a global aspect that affects the indu stry and which needs to be properly addressed and maintain, the recommendations that should be set out are:1. Implement a diversity strategy for the organisation to follow.2. To introduce diversity questionnaires for all employees to fill out.3. Implementation of a cultural awareness scheme for all employees to attend.4. Initiate a diversity management training program.5. Adopt an employee relationship management system.6. Overcome the stereotypes and increase fairness

Changes in the environment Essay

The changes in environment that people in space experience also mean changes in significant cues. For example, there is the absence of a fixed horizon that is expected to reduce the efficiency of a person’s perceptions of shape, distance, location and motion (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). The noise aspect is also considered as a human factor particularly in the design of habitat (Special Issue on the International Workshop on Human Factors in Space, 2000). One of the critical requirements in space is the ability of people to communicate with each other. There are noise exposure limits that are established because outside Earth, even low levels, especially when it is intermittent noise, can affect the communication system and human performance especially in complex tasks. Noise also causes fatigue, distraction, irritation and aggressiveness which are already under the scope of psychology but nonetheless, far from what are needed by the people in space (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). The humans must be able to acclimatize themselves to changes in pressure associated with space travel. Because humans are used to atmosphere with 21% oxygen at sea level, equipment and traveling environment are adjusted to maintain an equivalent partial pressure that would sustain life. Pressure values vary from person to person depending on his or her degree of acclimatization to altitude. As a rule, people who are accustomed to higher altitude require less total pressure compared to people who are not accustomed to higher altitude. The partial pressure for normal people who work in space are usually maintained above 152 mm Hg while those who are not accustomed to such environment must maintain a total pressure above 417 mm Hg (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). Psychology The management of human’s psychological state in space is indeed a part of NASA’s standards. â€Å"Human factors research and technology will also ensure that interpersonal interactions are planned maintain a healthy and constructive attitude, thus enhancing productivity and mission success among an international culturally-diverse crew (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). † This implies an assumption that metal and psychological performance and human interactions could have a very significant role in the success of an exploration. Conclusion With the advent of space age, the human factors research contributes significantly especially to the present knowledge in flight, which involves the participation of humans. Success in space missions would be doubtful without consideration of the human factors to which any mission’s success or failure depends. References Brown, D. L. , DeVilbiss, C. A. , Ercoline, W. R. , and Yauch, D.W. (2000). Post-roll Effects on Attitude Perception: The Gillingham Illusion. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 71, 489-495. Bungo, M. W. , & Johnson, P. C. (1983). Cardiovascular Eexaminations and Oobservations of Deconditioning Dduring the Space Shuttle Orbital Flight Test Program. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 54, 1001-1004. Davis J. R. (1999). Medical Issues for a Mission to Mars. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 70, 162-168. Ercoline, W. R. , Freeman, J. E. , Gillingham, K. K. , and Lyons, T. J. (1994). Classification Problems of US Air Force Spatial Disorientation Accidents, 1989-91. † Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, Vol 65, 147-152. Gander P. H, Myhre G, Graeber R. C, Andersen H. T, and Lauber J. K. (1989). Adjustment of Sleep and the Circadian Temperature Rhythm After Flights Across Nnine Time Zones. † Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. Vol. 60 (8), 733 ¬-743. Human factors. (2007). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12 April 2007, from http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Human_factors&oldid=121814170. Man-Systems Integration Standards (2006). NASA, Vol. 1. Retrieved 9 April 2007 from http://msis. jsc. nasa. gov/sections/section01. htm. Miller (n. d. ). Physical Deconditioning During Prolonged Space Flight. School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base: Texas. Partners in Space. (2005). European Commission. Retrieved 08 April 2007 from http://ec. europa. eu/research/conferences/2005/esw/conference/partners/article_2004_en. htm. Patton JF, Duggan A. (1987). An evaluation of tests of anaerobic power. Aviation Space Environ Med. Vol. 58, 237-42. President Bush Announces New Vision for Space Exploration Program. (2004). The White House: Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved 8 April 2007 from http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040114-3. html. Sacknoff, S. (2005). State of the Space Industry. International Space Business Council, 1-887022-15-5, 56. Sinha. (2002). â€Å"The effect of a 5-day space flight on the immature rat spine. † The Spine Journal, Vol. 2 (4), 239-243. Special Issue on the International Workshop on Human Factors in Space. (2000). Aviation, Space & Environmental Medicine Journal. 71: Section II. Stern, R. M. , Hu, S. , Anderson, R. B. , Leibowitz, H. W. and Koch, K. L. (1990). â€Å"The effects of fixation and restricted visual field on vection-induced motion sickness. † Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 61 (8), 712-715. The Human Advantage. (2003). NASA. Retrieved 8 April 2007 from http://liftoff. msfc. nasa. gov/news/2003/news-human. asp. Vogel, J. M. , & Whittle, M. W. (1976). Bone mineral changes: The second manned Skylab mission. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine. Vol. 47, 396-400.

Cost effective ways to provide clean water water and sanitation for Research Proposal

Cost effective ways to provide clean water water and sanitation for Ethiopia - Research Proposal Example It is a requirement of the human rights law that every person should and must have access to clean water and sanitation services. Several international policies are in place to enforce this expectation. However, the developing countries, including Ethiopia fail to meet the threshold in facilitating this essential right to the citizens. Worldwide today, the statistics are surprisingly high, with over one billion of the humans lacking access to an adequate supply of water, which is twice more than those lacking basic sanitation. Surveys indicate that, unsafe water, insufficient hygiene and inadequate sanitation services account for about 9.1 percent of the worldwide batch of diseases and about 6.3 percent of all deaths. Additionally, children in the developing countries bear a good proportion of this burden and crisis, with water related factors causing over 20 percent of deaths of the people fewer than 14 years of age. Ethiopia has a populace of about 85 million citizens as the last census indicates (Legesse & Kloos, 2010). The capital of the state is Addis Ababa, with several other towns and villages. Like many other developing nations in Africa, the country suffers from deficient infrastructure. Thus, the needs for water and sanitation are severe in this country. It is surprising that, in this country, with such a high population, only 34 percent of this population has access to quality and sufficient water supply. In addition, only 21 percent of this population has access to adequate and affordable sanitation services (Legesse & Kloos, 2010). Factual figures indicate that, about 56 million in Ethiopia lack the basic need of access to safe water for consumption. Moreover, a whooping 67 million habitants of Ethiopia do not have adequate and improved sanitation services (Legesse & Kloos, 2010). This evidence collaborate the observation

Describe in Detail any Garden or Landscape Design Surrounding a House Essay

Describe in Detail any Garden or Landscape Design Surrounding a House from the Period Covered by the Coursee period covered by t - Essay Example It must be stated that if one desires to ignore other gardens that were also in existence during the period, one should not ignore the Vaux-le-Vicomte. The Vaux-le-Vicomte alone is enough to explain the principles of gardening of the splendid and graceful age in which it was constructed. The chateau qualifies it as the most significant work built on the European continent in the mid seventeenth century. The house also stands as one of the grandest building in France that was built after Chateau de Maisons. For such a grand structure, one would expect to encounter a similarly grand landscape and garden. As far as this is concerned, Vaux-le-Vicomte does not disappoint in any way. Vaux-le-Vicomte is a nice building that has pavilions surrounding it. The structure also has a fortification in the form of a large moat around it. Many of the chateaux to the north of France are surrounded by a moat, which is rectangular in colour on three sides. This is also the case with Vaux-le-Vicomte, on ly that in the case of Vaux-le-Vicomte, the axial arrival avenue continued across a bridge, leading to a public space. In line with the norm during the period when the structure was constructed, the layout is symmetrical and firmly incorporated, with a somewhat projecting central block and ending marquee, and two returned wings that project forward. 2 The gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte are so grand that it covers about three kilometres. As far as the gardening tenets of that period were concerned, the landscaping of Vaux-le-Vicomte is a great advancement. One of the most amazing, yet pleasing, features of the structure, that is, the buildings and the gardening, is that there is a successful blend of architecture with the environment; this may not have been a feature that was coming during the seventeenth century. In the garden, there is an enormous area which is divided into a succession of terraces. These terraces form diverse assemblage of pattern based on shrubberies, lake and founta ins, Turkish carpets and so on.2 Vaux-le-Vicomte On entering into the Vaux-le-Vicomte, one is greeted by a wide green space. The green space extends to a length to about 5000 feet. This is evidence to show that green occupies a significant position in the mind of those that designed the gardens.3 The unique way in which the garden is designed is such that the viewer would make the embrace or better still literarily the garden along to anywhere they would like to go. This is the case because of the outstanding use of optical illusion and perspective. On gaining entry into the property, one would observe grotto which would be very close to a lake. However, on gaining entry into the property, the same grotto which appeared to be close initially would be far. In fact, the planning that was done is such that the grotto is more than six hundred feet away from the canal which is on the other side. As a result of the largeness of the property, there are electric cars to aid transportation. Vaux-le-Vicomte Another part of the garden that is affected by this motif is the pool. When standing at the back of the chateau, the reflecting pool is more tapered at the closest point than when standing at the uttermost point; standing at the uttermost part makes them appear nearer to the point of view. What one then observes is that when the landscape is viewed from a particular angle, the distortion which was intentionally premeditated into the scenery essentials produces a forced

IT Infrastructure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IT Infrastructure - Research Paper Example reason behind this is because as a business, there are various problems that come with embracing the cloud, hence the needs to be aware of such problems. The requirements of an organization have to be identified when incorporating cloud technology. As Hosseini and Sriram indicate, cloud technologies have to be paired in line with certain needs of the business for there to be a successful path for cloud acceptance. To create an IT infrastructure which is successful in a start-up company, Banerjee indicates that it is crucial to understand the main aspects that make the firm’s IT successful and intelligent. An organization should have an IT infrastructure which is dependable, as this will assist it in yielding more applications that are dependable. The IT infrastructure should also be manageable, which means that it should respond automatically to failures of hardware without the presence of the CIO. It should also be adaptable, in that when there are new applications that are developed, it has to adapt to the environment which allows it to be deployed easily. Lastly, the infrastructure has to be affordable for an organization which is new in the market. Hence, the most crucial characteristic to consider in the case of a start up organization would be

The Flourishing Villain Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Flourishing Villain - Coursework Example (Brown, 2001) For example, braver person can be considered virtuous, however, an excess of bravery bounds with the tendency to make thoughtless and purposeless actions, such as jumping from the roof. In contrast, lack of bravery makes a person coward. Subsequently, flourishing is about living a life of excellent functioning. Due to the fact that evil actions are not virtues, they cannot be constituents of happiness in Aristotles interpretation and cannot make a person flourish. Moreover, it is not possible to say that a person, who enjoys pleasure is flourishing as far as only the highest good, which is good intrinsically, is a component of flourishing. (Kraut, 2007) At the same time, the highest good requires from persons to act rationally. In contrast, a pleasure can be of different nature, it can be both good and bad, and without goal. Therefore, pleasure is not the same as happiness. Happiness and flourishing are final, they are the goal, and remain self sufficient. To my mind, the discussed ideas reflect the generally accepted rules of living as the essentials of living in a society persuade that a person who lives the righteous and moral life can achieve the highest happiness while those who mistreat others end in misery. Apart from that, it often happens that those, who conduct evil deeds are, in fact, unhappy and have issues that prevent them from living a life as all the rest. Numerous studies of psychologists serve as a good proof of this fact. If a someone who is deceitful, selfish, or self-indulge could be named flourishing than it would be justified to call murders flourishing as well. Obviously, this is not the case as such people simply does not suit the definition, they do not show sympathy and pity where it is appropriate. Kraut, R. (2007). Blackwell guide to aristotle\. (pp. 342-343). Oxford: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from

Popular Culture (4-2) Class Participation Assignment

Popular Culture (4-2) Class Participation - Assignment Example The way that John’s character unfolds and is portrayed also affected the way I thought about him. The movie builds and revolves around him in such a manner that I started connecting with the character. The fact that he was a cop and was a sober man also helped in recognizing him as a hero. He showed signs of being a good natured, stable, modest and no-nonsense man. All theses qualities assured me as John’s character being central and that of a hero. The film was released in 1988 and was an American action Film. And I feel that how the hero is portrayed in a movie, to a good extent is dependent on what the viewers want to see. This was the time when people wanted to see the character of hero being a common man with whom the audience could relate to and this trend still continues. The action movies during that time were completely a one-man show, though there used to be a back-up provided for the hero from other characters but in all indirect means. Till this time people expected a little more realistic planning and thinking from the hero. Therefore, the character of John McClane showed no signs of being a perfect and extremely skilled guy but still somehow being able to sort out everything in the end in a smart way and in his own

Describe something you have accomplished that makes you proud. What Essay

Describe something you have accomplished that makes you proud. What did you learn from from this experience that might help you to ensure high academic achievement for all of your students - Essay Example An example would be the women in the Women’s Shelter in Suffolk County. These women come in with low self esteem, sometimes running from an abusive mate, and might have several children. It was my job to help these women realize their worth. Despite tough backgrounds and obstacles, anyone who sets their mind to it can achieve goals with the right tools. Sometimes these tools are my counseling. Other tools could be another counselor, help with housing, drug counseling, and other programs. If a student is provided with resources, they can learn more efficiently knowing they are not alone. I am also very proud of my non-published work. Even though it has not been published, I have been researching different subjects with success. I feel a teacher can only be effective when continuing their own individual education. Even the most intelligent individual does not encompass all the knowledge to be had in the world. My non published work includes: The topics above will help me identify various predicaments my student will face. I am qualified to identify drug abuse, economic difficulty, social problems, care of parents or elderly relatives, and other issues. The key to teaching a student becomes understanding how they learn. If outside issues pressure a student until they are unable to learn, those issues must be taken care of first. Due to my knowledge that all students come from diverse backgrounds, I feel I am better suited to help students achieve high academic results. Instead of just writing a student off as lazy, I will try to find the root of the problem. Sometimes tired students have home problems, housing issues, or mental issues that need to be dealt with. What I can not help with, I hope I can find the right resources to introduce to the student. A connection with the student must be made. I hope with help all my students could

The concept of death in Judaism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The concept of death in Judaism - Research Paper Example The concept of death is an important one in most religions of the world. In most religions, it is given an importance that is rivalled only by death and marriage. The different rituals that surround death and the theories regarding what happens following death also affirm its importance. These attest to the fact that death is something that not only affects an individual but also the society as we know it today. Judaism is a religion that can be considered to be one that is a part of western cultures and societies. There are many people in western countries who are adherents of the Jewish religion and it can thus, be regarded as a western religion as well. The concept of death in Judaism, like in most other religions of the world, is a very clearly elucidated one. The concept of afterlife influences the Jewish understanding of death to a great extent. Death in this case ceases to be a full stop in the life of a soul but a new beginning. The death of a person thus marks the end of the life on earth but the beginning of another in another sphere. The quality of this life would be based on the deeds that had been performed by the person during his or her earthly life (Rich). This understanding of death is very similar to the ideas of death that are held by Islam and Christianity; thereby revealing the great commonalities that these religions have amongst themselves. The importance of death is not lessened as a result of the fact that a note of finality is not struck with this event. The end of the earthly life brings with it the necessity of having to judge the earthly life that had just passed. Apart from this, it also brings in the aspect of the earthly worth of the deceased. Many of the Jewish practices that follow death are connected to the social aspect of it. The practice of mourning for the dead, for instance, is for the benefit of the memory of the dead and for the consolation of the people who were close to the deceased (Rich). The importance that is give n to memory as a part of the rituals connected to death makes it clear that Judaism places importance on the rituals connected with death for the society as much as for the family and friends of the deceased. The importance that is thus given seeks to cement the place of the deceased in the collective memory of the society that he or she was a part of during their lifetime. As a result of the individual spiritual and social aspects of the practices that are connected to death in Judaism, these rituals are carried out in such a way that shows great respect for the body of the person who has died. This fact makes the social aspect of the death in the religion more pronounced. The society has to conduct the rituals of the funeral with great care and many details are given instructions for as to how to deal with. The people who are supposed to take care of the body of the dead person are supposed to be volunteers who work for a person who would be unable to do anything in return for the services that are rendered by the volunteers. These people, the â€Å"shomerim†, are not allowed to eat or drink while they are in the presence of the dead body. This is considered to be an act of a lack of respect towards the deceased as they would not be able to do these activities. The work of such volunteer is considered to be of great merit. The work of such a volunteer thus, sets off a chain where people would do this work so as to gain a certain amount of merit for the afterlife. Death and afterlife thus have a great effect on the activities of mankind. The office of the shomerim

Finance and Accounting of Carillion Plc Research Paper

Finance and Accounting of Carillion Plc - Research Paper Example Basing an argument on the financial information (income statement) there is a decrease in the general performance of the firm. The vital item in the income statement that outstands is a decrease in the revenue of the firm. In the 2011 fiscal year, the total revenue was  £4.9 billion which declined to  £4.4billion by the end of year 2012 then downscaled to  £ 4.1 in the year 2013. From the analysis, this shows a decrease of 10.2% and 6.9% from 2011 to 2013 respectively. The main cause of the decline from the financial report was the issue of rescaling the UK construction activities so that they make sure that they are associated in the size of their chosen market sectors (Annual Report 136). Such decrease in the revenue was anticipated as the company was trying to restructure and consequently fit the competitive advantage. However, the risk profile and overall quality improved as they remained selective in choosing contracts that they tried to bid. Secondly, from the income statement, it is clearly shown that the firm experienced a significant decrease in the expenses. The total expense in the year 2012 was  £ 11.5 million which decreased to  £ 9.5 million. From the computation, this is 17.4% reduction in the expenses. Other interest payable included private placement financing interest ( £14.3), finance lease of  £1.2 million and discount associated with lease provisions ( £1.4 million). From the investment point of view, this good sign for investors as the company has a future growth due to decreasing the costs of operation. The underlying profit of operations declined to  £214 million leading to a decrease in the overall revenue. This reduced form (2012:  £ 227.9) however; the operating margin remained at 5.6% and so investors should be concerned with the firm’s ability to generate profits.

Thresholds Theory of Classical Psychophysics Essay Example for Free

Thresholds Theory of Classical Psychophysics Essay Discuss the thresholds theory of classical psychophysics and explain how characteristics of the perceiver are also important in determining the selection of stimuli. The theory that our human cognitive ability has thresholds from the conscious level to a non-conscious level which varies over time in strength. These thresholds are physical and are not defined, but generally are from those activities and thoughts that are the most active having a threshold that defines our active consciousness, down to those thoughts that are several thresholds away and not seemingly linked to our current awareness. The concepts behind the theory attempt to bring together areas of knowledge, including the commonly-held beliefs about short-term memory being limited to around 7 ideas. In an evolutionary sense, humans walk forward and have to plan their next steps. If humans are running, they may be planning, say, 7 steps ahead. This planning allows them to avoid having miss steps. They have to be able to analyze the results of possibly taking steps, and then keep changing their focus after taking a new step forward .In theory people are imperfectly able to keep focus on a small set of priorities. This imperfection may be the solution, though, for allowing new priorities to be considered. An example is if when shopping in a market holding a red scarf you like, someone yells from behind you â€Å"Stop that thief Help† You start to turn around. Your cognitive threshold will swap out your interest in scarves for an interest in this new distraction. You may: †¢Want to see the thief to avoid them †¢Want to see the person yelling to verify they are not joking †¢Want to see if you are near the thief, or possibly in danger In other words, our cognitive and analytical threshold allows us to act in our world and react for what could be labeled as basic evolutionary needs. The cognitive threshold changes over time, for reasons including: †¢mental capacity: fatigue, chemical or emotional impairment/enhancement †¢situational: the ability to think about running is higher when actually running, than when performing some other activity †¢training: learning enhances ability to manage and perform more in those areas being learned, such as language, music, sports, science, and other skills The Cognitive Threshold theory assumes that what is referred to as â€Å"unconscious† or â€Å"subconscious† thinking is essentially thoughts that take place at a different level of awareness. Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us and involves both the recognition of environmental stimuli and action in response to these stimuli. Through the perceptual process, we gain information about properties and elements of the environment that are critical to our survival. A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort perception these factors can reside: i) In the perceiver ii) In the Object or target being perceived or iii) In the context of the situation in which the perception is made. 1. Characteristics of the Perceiver: Several characteristics of the perceiver can affect perception. When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she stands for, that interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver. The major characteristics of the perceiver influencing perception are: †¢Attitudes †¢Motive †¢Moods †¢Self-concept †¢Interest †¢Cognitive structure †¢Expectation 2) Characteristics of the Target: Characteristics in the target that is being observed can affect what is perceived. Physical appearance pals a big role in our perception of others. Extremely attractive or unattractive individuals are more likely to be noticed in a group than ordinary looking individuals. Motions, sound, size and other attributes of a target shape the way we see it. Verbal Communication from targets also affects our perception of them. Nonverbal communication conveys a great deal of information about the target. The perceiver deciphers eye contact, facial expressions, body movements, and posture all in a attempt to form an impression of the target. 3) Characteristics of the Situation: The situation in which the interaction between the perceiver and the target takes place has an influence on the perceivers impression of the target. The strength of the situational cues also affects social perception. Some situations provide strong cues as to appropriate behavior. In this situation, we assume that individuals behaviors can be accounted for by the situation, and that it may not reflect the individuals disposition Name and discuss briefly three (3) reasons why the memory of a healthy person may fail. Memory is one of the most important functions of the brain. Whether people realize it or not, their memories define who they are. There are many areas of the brain that help you create and retrieve memories. Damage or malfunction of any of these areas can lead to memory loss. Memory loss due to problems with specific brain areas may be different. It may involve only memory of recent or new events, past or remote events, or both. The amnesia may be only for specific events or for all events. The problem may involve learning new information or forming new memories. Mental or thinking abilities may still be present or may have been lost. Filling in the details with imagined events (confabulation), and disorientation to time and place may occur. Memory loss may be for words and thoughts only, or for the body can no longer perform specific actions calls motor action. Memory loss may also be partial, meaning failing to remember only a selected group of items. Self-esteem refers to how an individual feels about him or herself. Does someone view himself as a good person, worthy of good things? If he does, he probably has healthy self esteem. If an individual views himself as flawed and unworthy of praise or the respect of others, he probably has low self-esteem. Self-esteem motivates peoples actions as well as the decisions they make. Individuals with positive self-esteem are likely to believe that they measure up to others sufficiently. They are more likely to have the confidence to pursue different accomplishments, whether it is trying to do well on a test, trying out for a sports team, answering a question in class, or applying for a job. These individuals are not overly afraid of failure; they realize that failure is a natural part of life and whether they fail or succeed at something does not indicate their overall worth and ability as a person. There are several factors that influence self esteem. These include: Age: Self-esteem tends to grow steadily up until middle school, which may be due to the transition of moving from the familiar environment of elementary school to a new setting with new demands. Self-esteem will either continue to grow after this period or begin to plummet. Gender: Girls tend to be more susceptible to having low self-esteem than boys, perhaps because of increased social pressures that emphasize appearance rather than intelligence or athletic ability. When memories are stored in the brain, they cannot serve people unless they are retrieved. How do people retrieve memories? This usually happens when memories are challenged. For example, if someone asks a question, a person must attempt to retrieve information in order to answer the question. Sometimes the answer is easy; other times, a person takes time to answer it. The amount of time it takes to answer the question is connected to a persons awareness of what memories are stored. Sometimes a person is not aware at the time that he or she knows the answer, but later realizes that the information is there, ready to be retrieved. Sometimes, a smell or a sound can trigger a memory that a person did not know was there. Write short examples that are related to your daily activities using James-Lange theory, Cannon Bard theory and the cognitive theory James-Lange theory According to James-Lange theory theory, witnessing an external stimulus leads to a physiological reaction. Your emotional reaction depends upon how you interpret those physical reactions. For example, suppose you are walking in the woods and you see a grizzly bear. You begin to tremble and your heart begins to race. The James-Lange theory proposes that you will interpret your physical reactions and conclude that you are frightened. For an example, when I see a cockroach, feel like uncomfortable and move away from that place and my heart beet become fast by thinking of cockroach going to come near me. Cannon Bard theory Cannon-Bard theory states that we feel emotions and experience physiological reactions such as sweating, trembling and muscle tension simultaneously. More specifically, it is suggested that emotions result when the thalamus sends a message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction. For example: I see a snake I’m afraid I begin to tremble. According to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, we react to a stimulus and experience the associated emotion at the same time .The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion differs from other theory of emotion such as the James-Lange theory of emotion, which argues that physiological responses occur first and result and are the cause of emotions. Cognitive theory Cognitive theory is a learning theory of psychology that attempts to explain human behavior by understanding the thought processes. The assumption is that humans are logical beings that make the choices that make the most sense to them. Information processing is a commonly used description of the mental process, comparing the human mind to a computer. Pure cognitive theory largely rejects behaviorism on the basis that behaviorism reduces complex human behavior to simple cause and effect. However, the trend in past decades has been towards merging the two into a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral theory. This allows therapists to use techniques from both schools of thought to help clients achieve their goals.

Cincinnati Subs Essay Example for Free

Cincinnati Subs Essay Cincinnati Super Subs employee makeup is mostly young students in college and in high school; management has indicated that the chain has experienced â€Å"below average profitability over the past 18 months† (McShane Von Glinow, 2013, p. 156). The below average profitability is linked to the increase of food wastage, management has taken steps to address the issue from reduction and elimination of food allowance accounts to the increased visual scrutiny given workers. The changes made by management were only successful for a few months, after the managers reduced their time in daily operations the amount of food wastage began to increase. To reduce food wastage management must have a presence in daily operations at the sub chain, create and enforce punishments for violations, set goals and create rewards for the reduction in food wastage. Indications of Problems at Cincinnati Super Subs ​Food wastage at Cincinnati Super Subs is a huge problem that has resulted in the reduction of monthly bonuses given to management. The staff at the chain complains about the amount or lack of food allowances given, this would prompt employees to â€Å"help themselves to food and drinks when the managers aren’t around† (McShane Von Glinow, 2013, p. 156). The reduction in profitability over the past 18 months at stores has indicated the levels of food wastage have significantly impacted management employee relations and overall costs at the chain. The importance of reducing food wastage is not realized by non-management staff, they feel that the amount of food/drinks given away or eaten isn’t a significant amount of profits. Corrective actions taken against employees have reduced staff levels as some employees have quit and warned others about seeking employment at Cincinnati Super Subs. Management failed to accurately identify and corrects the causes of f ood wastage, and in the process caused employee dissatisfaction.

BT Inc, Tanzania Business Analysis

BT Inc, Tanzania Business Analysis EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of the below report is to outline the development and progression of the Business Plan for BT Inc, Tanzanias first Business and Technology magazine. It will summarize my contribution to this project as well as the key areas of idea initiation, teamwork, presentation experience, alternative scenarios and learning gained as well as other areas covered in the development of the business plan. Overview of B T Inc BT Inc aspires to provide a business and technology magazine which is produced in Tanzania for Tanzanian professionals, students and investors alike. This is a necessity in the growing economy of this country where 600,000-700,000 new professionals enter the fields of business and technology every year. As there is no locally produced magazine covering areas of business BT magazine will be the first of its kind and likely to establish a stronghold in the market before the threat of future competitors is faced. A team of experienced directors together with a world class designer is expected to lead the company in this direction. Initially 100 shares will be offered at a value of Tsh 1 million per share. Payback is projected to occur in the 9th month of the 3rd year as the net profit for the 2nd year is expected to increase by 76% due to reduced costs. With the expected profit of 14 million to be earned in the 1st year, the profit of the 2nd year is expected to increase by 76% due to reduced cost. The net profit growth in the 3rd year decrease to 46% because of the new assets expected to be bought. Investors may choose to exit the business by selling their equity either to existing partners or to a new employee who is eligible for partnership. Teamwork All 3 team members contributed to make this project successful Idea Initiation After several discussions the group decided on a Business and technology magazine under the guidance of Mrs Priti Punatar Presentation Experience A learning experience about time management, public presentation and the importance of thoroughly understanding the business venture an individual wants to undertake. Alternative Scenario Consideration of both best and worst case scenarios allows BT to prudently predict steady growth rate. Team Work Team work is the most important part in any working or academic culture. Most successful businesses always have a core of faithful hardworking team members that pull together to create an amazing empire. The most important attribute in any team member should be dedication and the aim for perfection and the most important of all, the ability to take orders and accept delegation where necessary. A famous man once said, Rome was not built in a day. This is true, it took a large number of men to make it possible and the results were, phenomenal. Each individual brings to the table a very unique set of skills, as was the same within our team. It is important to understand and learn to work in a team environment which will help sharpen teamwork skills when entering a workforce. We have found that involvement of social interactions while completing different tasks is one of the best ways of learning. Conflicts and clashes of ideas in a team are a common problem and it helps if everyone is aware of this being a possibility and prepared to deal with the situation in a mature and academic manner. Our team had faced a similar situation during the initiation period of our plan, the merging of three very highly opinionated individuals was like a combustion but we overcame this by using said before methods of social interaction. Initially, our team consisted of four team members; Joyce Issowe, Krupa Patadia, Priyanka Divecha and myself. At our first group meeting, each of us were assigned tasks to complete and present at the next meeting. The delegation was as follows; Joyce was to create a financial plan, Krupa the industrial analysis report, Priya the marketing plan, and my task was to come up with an operational plan. Joyce Issowe had not being keeping well and was unable to complete the financial plan, seeing this, Priyanka having already completed the marketing plan decided to create the financial plan as we were running short of time. After completing my own tasks, we realized we still needed to consider risk factors and such, so Krupa took over the role of risk analysis and I took over Krupas tasks. Everyone else including myself completed all their assigned tasks with no further problems. The name BT Inc. had been chosen from the phrase Business and Technology which we believed was a professional name to be allocated to a business magazine that targets all the business players in Tanzania. The executive summary, the business and appendices were completed with hard work from all the three team members equally. All In all, every remaining team member picked up the slack, all meetings were attended in time and all our planned goals were reached. Process of Idea Initiation Initially our group had a number of business concepts to go with. Joyce had suggested a dairy farm, Krupa suggested a school for performance arts, Priyanka suggested an engineering consultancy and my own suggestion was a real estate firm. To get a better idea of what we were doing, we met with different people to discuss ideas for a potential business. Somewhere along our quest, we stumbled upon the idea of a telecom system to advertise for real estate, a directory of sorts. After further discussion within our group, and under the supervision of Mrs. Punatar, we decided to work on a business and technology magazine that would aim to build an interactive vessel within the business arts and simultaneously provide a channel of information needed by the new entrants. During this process of Idea Initiation, we learnt a valuable life lesson that all the team members had a different manner of approaching this business plan for which many conflicts of interest were displayed. BT intends to create a communicative vessel among the vast range of business tycoons and provide brilliant business news feeds that have been ignored by other leading magazines. Presentation Experience The process of crafting the slides to be presented, and ensuring the presentation would cover all essential areas whilst summarizing the entire business concept, was a challenging one that taught me about time management, extraction of essential information from available data and the involvement of visuals to convey essential points. Through the course of heated discussion and debate our team prepared a set of slides that all members were satisfied with at the end. Although each member of the team had their own ideas as we started, the merging of all these together allowed us to come up with a synergized and impressive slideshow. All three members of the group presented the plan in parts with me introducing the business, the problem we aimed to solve and our business model. Krupa then took over and covered management team, industry analysis and competition leaving Priyanka to finish the financial overview including; share offering, payback, profitability, break even analysis and current status and projected use of funds ending with exit strategy for investors. Crucial lessons were learnt during this presentation about capturing and retaining the interest and attention of our potential investors, maintaining the set time limit as well as the importance of confidence and a deep understanding of the business venture. Alternative Scenario The success of any business is dependent on external as well as internal conditions. Internal factors are easier to control and predict relative to the external factors. With regards to external conditions, there is always some degree of uncertainty. In order to be prudent all figures taken within the business plan have reflected the worst case scenario. In order to achieve this and to reflect altnernative scenarios that may arise due to unpredictable factors the revenue included in the business plan is less than that actually expected by investors. Due to the unpredictability of Macro-environmental factors the number of subscriptions have been kept at minimum and the advertising revenue included is less than what the firm will target to achieve. Another relevant point concerns the break even analysis. To keep alternative scenarios in mind, both best and worst case of total revenue have been considered whilst the figure taken for cost has been kept at maximum in line with the accounting principle of prudence. This allows investors to be comfortable to know that the minimum success will be as presented in the business plan with an additional potential for greater growth. Business partnerships have also been taken into account in order reflect alternate means to achieve a target. This can be seen as in the outsourcing of printing to keep costs low as well as the establishment of a network of free lance contributors. Figures for costs and budget in the analysis of the financial statemements have also been calculated after the consideration of the alternative growth scenarios and B%T therefore is expected to have steady growth as a worst case scenario where the best case reflects a quicker point of break even and higher profitability. Other Areas Four areas of risk were covered in the business plan including management, marketing, operational and financial risk factors. Research has indicated that due to poor media and marketing services the magazine may be in circulation only within a small group of people and awareness at the beginning may be lessened to to the above noted fact. BT marketing department will be responsible to ensure that awareness is increased even if it requires door to door marketing. Management and operating risks are internal factors that BT directors will monitor in order to ensure success of the venture. With regards to financial risk it is interesting to point out that cash outflow may be more than cash inflow during certain periods and care will have to taken by the financial director to ensure that company affairs carry on smoothly. Turning now to the question of break even analysis, the calculated point may not be entirely accurate as the worst case scenario figures have been used in this calculation and in actual fact B T might break even earlier than this point. Learning and Usefulness of the Business Plan The experience of coming up with a business plan opened up my eyes on the many aspects that are necessary to be considered whilst starting up a business. Extensive research is required together with knowledge of the industry. I have realized that an entrepreneur must have a clear vision on how exactly his company will work and perform. The business man/woman also must be aware exactly where the need for his product/service lies and how to fulfill this need. He/she must be aware of the environment in which the business will compete, what challenges may be faced and how to resolve these. Knowledge of the financial aspect is a key area which the entrepreneur must be well versed with as well. All the points noted above are those covered in the business plan and illustrate the importance of this document to a business. The business plan provides a guideline for any business and all areas covered within it are linked with some aspect of the business that is of importance to stake holders. Having considered the learning gained about the business itself, it is worth pointing out that there has also been great personal learning in the areas of: 1. Listening more 2. Giving importance to others ideas 3. Respecting time and maintaining discipline and punctuality 4. Working within time constraints and meeting deadlines Receiving feedback from my group members has allowed me to overcome many of my previous weaknesses and I have come out as a stronger, better and more understanding individual.

Power in Congress Essay -- essays research papers

Power In and Over Congress I feel the system is biased because there are inequalities among the representation and participation of interest groups and constituents in the political system. Unfortunately, poor and uneducated citizens aren’t as organized as interest groups, lobbyists and PACs because they lack the money, resources and connections necessary to influence congress members on legislative bills. It is evident that, â€Å"businesses, interest groups and labor unions are spending more than $100 million a month to lobby the federal government†(Associated Press, SFC, 3/7/98). â€Å"The actual population of interest groups in Washington surely reflects that there is a class bias in the membership of interest groups†(JBG). â€Å"Interest groups are organized bodies of individuals who share some political goals and try to influence public policy decisions. Representatives from interest groups are referred to as lobbyists† (JBG). â€Å"Lobbyist seek to bring about the passage or defeat of legislative bills and to influence congress, often using large sums of money in a variety of ways to influence legislative outcomes† (APD). I feel that lobbyists have a great deal of influence within congress because they may have direct connections with congress members in high positions. Through PACs, organizations can pool campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office. Personally, I feel that PACs have the most influence over congress because their ...

Rhetorical Analysis of The Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of The Talking Heads’ â€Å"Once in a Lifetime† Kenneth Burke’s Five Master Terms exist to bring to light the motivation behind, theoretically, any bit of text to which we care to apply them. The beauty of this Pentad is its fundamentality in regards to the motivations humans have in creating words and meaning using the tools of language available. This doesn’t just apply to long-winded theses regarding the nature of dramatistic meaning, though perhaps something like that would be more up Burke’s alley. No, in this case I plan to utilize his methods for a more seemingly mundane example, the motivations behind something as simple as song lyrics. I say song lyrics are simple, but in this case I am going to attempt a feat of rhetorical analysis few have considered possible by analyzing the song â€Å"Once in a Lifetime† by The Talking Heads. I emphasize the difficulty of this analysis because I fear that I am about to embark on a journey to make sense out of madness; a 1984 documentary of the band’s music is entitled Stop Making Sense, for one example. For another more drastic example, songwriter David Byrne was one of the most intentionally abstract lyricists of his time; in an early episode of apparent madness, he took to the stage of his college and shaved his hair and beard in front of the faculty to the accompaniment of piano accordion and a showgirl displaying phrases in Russian. He was promptly ejected from that school. Regardless, his song â€Å"Once in a Lifetime† is symbolic of the introspective, neurotic, and post-modern approach he often uses to create his lyrical identity. Though I at first fo und it to be a rough fit, I believe the Pentad can be successfully applied to describe the motivation ... ...it becomes clear that everything is unclear. I will summarize my application, however, for the sake of my own understanding. The dominant Term here is Act, the balance between essence and existence carefully held by Byrne’s dialectic of water and time as a unified sameness. Working symbiotically with Act is the idea of Agent, a theoretical character defined as finding, investigating, and determining a situation without Acting within it. Byrne’s purpose is to know right or wrong in the Scene of his lifetime. The Agency through which he defines truth within the Scene is time, which shares more than a fingers’ breadth of space with my first term, Act. I’ve come to the end of the analysis with a sense that I’ve just begun: a lot of fancy words to describe the futility of change. I did preface this application by noting The Talking Heads’ propensity to stop making sense.